POKEMON: HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Chapter 55 - Ash vs Morty
Ash nodded in satisfaction as he glanced at the three Pokeballs placed on the table in front of him, in Ecruteak City's Pokemon Center. Clearly, those were the three Pokemon he had chosen to face his newest battle against Morty, and he had purposedly picked three of the Pokemon he had bonded the most with during his Hoenn journey. He felt that too long had passed since he had allowed them to face a battle, and it was high time for them to clear a few cobwebs.
"I see you've already chosen who to send out." Misty commented. "Just out of curiosity, who will it be? I'm willing to bet Sceptile is one of them, right?"
Ash turned to her, grinning brightly. "Of course! It would have been stupid of me to just forgo the strongest of my Hoenn Pokemon... and the one that gave me the most satisfactions! And then I picked Corphish and Torkoal. I'm pretty sure their moves will be very useful in this battle!"
"That's good. It seems to me that your team is quite varied and well assorted." Tracey commented in approval. His young Dunsparce, its wings softly moving at its sides, had fluttered on the table to take a good look at the Pokeballs... and right then, it touched one of them with the tip of its tail. The effect was instantaneousm and the sphere popped open, letting out a Pokeon that looked like an overlarge red crayfish, with grey joints and a grey underbelly, three pairs of segmented legs, and a pair of razor-sharp claws that were held up over his head. His eyes were similar to saucers, with small black pupils, and he had three sharpened spikes on his head, while his tail was short and shaped like that of a fish. "Oh, and it seems to me that Dunsparce would really like to meet with one of your Pokemon, Ash!"
"I see, and he picked Corphish, too..." the young boy answered, watching with a mixture of amusement and wariness as the odd-looking Normal-type Pokemon fluttered around the stubborn shellfish. Who, for his part, seemed to be both clueless and a little annoyed at Dunsparce's curiosity.
"Dunsparce... dunnn?" Tracey's Pokemon asked in a buzzing voice. Corphish sidestepped and raised one of his pincers, probably in an attempt to give a painful pinch to the overly excited Dunsparce. But he stopped when the other Pokemon turned around and extended its drill-like tail to the Hoenn-born crustacean, in what was probably either a greeting or a wish of good luck for the upcoming battle.
"Corphish? Corp!" Corphish said, right before shaking on Dunsparce's tail with his pincer.
"Pika pika chu, pika pika, pika pikachu..." a rather amused Pikachu affirmed, pointing to Dunsparce and Corphish, who were now busy with their own odd conversation. Ash rubbed his chin with his free hand and nodded to his best friend.
"You sure about that, Pikachu?" he asked, wanting to make sure. When the electric mouse smiled and nodded enthusiastically, squeaking out his own name once again, Ash chuckled and turned to his companions to tell them what Pikachu had just said. "Aparently, Dunsparce just wanted to make friends with Corphish and wish him good luck! And... he also said he hopes to become as strong as Corphish is, someday!"
Tracey smiled, though there was some bitterness to it. That would mean, train Dunsparce so that he would be able to fight like Azumarill and Venomoth. Dunsparce seemed enthusiastic enough, but Tracey was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep the pace with Venomoth and Azumarill, who were both rather strong.
That, and Tracey was mostly afraid that Dunsparce wouldn't be able to stand up to the enemies they were going to face...
"By the way, Ash. I'd like to remind you that this afternoon, you should come back to the Pokemon Center to get your x-rays done. It would be best to do that right after your battle with Morty." Brock said as he arrived from another room of the Pokemon Center. "It has been a month ever since your incident, after all."
Ash, who was already excited enough for the challenge he was about to have, couldn't hold a relieved smile. "Yeah... if I'm lucky, I can finally take this stuid plaster cast off already!" he said, looking at the arm he had been keeping tied to his neck for a month now. It was nothing serious, but he still couldn't wait to be able to do things with both arms again. "But before that, I'd like to see what I can do in my battle with Morty! By the way, guys... have you seen Ursula anywhere?"
"Here she is!" the voice of the young Sinnoh coordinator answered, as she returned wearing her pretty dress once again, finally cleared of all dirt and mud. She elegantly combed one of her spiralling pigtails. "Here I am. And if you wanted to ask if I was going to come watch the battle, the answer is a clear yes! After all, it could help me think up something to teach to my Pokemon!"
"I kinda knew you'd say that..." Misty teased her with an ironic smirk. Ursula hmmphed and shrugged, as if saying that she was not going to fall for the baiting. "Still, I'm curious to see this battle myself. I think it will be rather spectacular!"
"That, and I hope to be able to ask Ash something... as soon as we have more time, that is." she thought to herself, hoping she would get the chance soon. With the Ho-Oh matter still pending, it was probably going to have to wait for a while, but one could always hope.
After double-checking everything, Ash recall Corphish into his Pokeball. "Alright then..." he said, while Tracey recalled his little Dunsparce. "I can't wait to start! C'mon, everyone! Let's go to Morty's Gym, and show 'em what we're all about!"
"Let's go? What do you mean, 'let's go'?" an incredulous Ursula exclaimed. "It's still awfully early! What are we going to do there, waiting for such a long time?"
"But of course, we'll be training a bit and doing some warmup!" Ash answered, as if this was the most natural thing in the world! As the young boy and his Pikachu, began walking away from the Pokemon Center, Ursula watched them in disbelief, with a large sweatdrop pouring down the back of her head... and Misty smirked and took it upon herself to explain.
"No worries, Ursula, that's Ash for you! You'll just have to get used to it!" the pretty orange-haired Water Pokemon trainer explained, not without some obvious satisfaction at Ursula's expense!
The rich coordinator groaned. "Oh, I'm *so* glad to know that..."
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Finally, after a long time spent warming up in front of the Gym - as well as hugging Torkoal, who was crying comical rivers of tears in joy for being called in service once again -, Ash and his chosen Pokemon were greeted by the sound of the Gym doors being unlocked... and they stood back in slight surprise when they were greeted by a Gym attendant dressed in black, who bowed to them in a formal but slightly disquieting way... indeed, he kinda looked like the typical butler of some cheap gothic novel about vampires or haunted houses!
"Hello. The Gym Leader was waiting for ash Ketchum at this exact time. Is that one of you?" he said, taking a long look at the group of young people, who all widened their eyes - except Brock for obvious reasons! - at the unusual greeting!
"Er..." the young Pallet Town native ventured, feeling a little intimidated. "Actually, that would be me... I had an appointment with the Gym Leader Morty for this time, in order to challenge him to a Pokemon battle..."
"Good, good." the attendant said, rubbing his hands in his best impression of a creepy butler straight from an horror B-movie! "Very well, if you would but follow me... if you are brave enough! Morty, the Gym Leader will be glad to entertain you. I will be glad to see whether you can survive his terrifying Ghost-type Pokemon."
"Phew... gee, they really pick some nice attendants for this Gym, don't they?" Misty asked sarcastically as the team followed Ash, Pikachu and his three chosen Pokemon inside the Gym, trying not to think too hard about that strange guy's words. Luckily, it didn't take them much to reach the room where Morty was waiting for them... a large room that was only dimly illuminated by the lanterns hanging on the walls, sporting a large battlefield in the midst of it, surrounded with strange runes and symbols etched on its sides. Morty was already standing at his side of the ring, with Eusine standing near him, and both of them greeted Ash and his companions as soon as they saw them arrive.
"Well done, Ash. You're bang on time." Morty started, motioning for the young trainers to make themselves at ease. "Alright, everyone... please take your seats! So... have you picked a good team to face me in this battle, Ash? I will be disappointed if you didn't show yourself to be up to par with me!"
"Don't worry, Morty! I'm pretty sure I can give you a good challenge!" Ash answered, with Pikachu following up with one of his high-pitched squeaks. The rest of his team, after finally getting away from the creepy attendant, was able to take their seats on a series of low tribunes surrounding the arena, where Eusine had taken a seat already.
"Good luck, Ash!" Brock reccomended. "I know you will do a great job!"
"Thank you, Brock! You guys sit back and enjoy the show!" Ash exclaimed, as Misty and Tracey gave a thumbs-up as well, and Ursla nodded silently. "Alright, Pikachu... sorry that I'm not having you battle, but I would like to let Corphish, Torkoal and Sceptile do some practice. You take a break and watch with the others, okay?"
"Pika pika!" the electric mouse answered. He was a little disappointed at having to pass up on what sounded like a great battle, but he was more than willing to give his Hoenn friends some glory as well. So, after smiling and wishing good luck to his trainer, Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and reached the rest of his friends on the seats, placing himself alongside Misty. "Pika pi, pikachu!"
"I agree with Pikachu here! Show him what you can do, Ash!" Misty exclaimed, winking and making a fist. Ash answered with a thumbs-up from his free hand, and finally turned to Morty to really start the challenge.
"Here we are, Morty! My Pokemon and I are ready!" Ash answered, while Torkoal, Corphish and Sceptile all struck fighting poses besides him. "We can start whenever you want!"
"With pleasure!" the Ghost ace answered, pulling out his first Pokeball. "But before we do, we'd better set some ground rules. Eusine, would you like to be the referee?"
The elegant collector of Legendary Pokemon lore nodded slightly. "That will be a pleasure. As said before, this is going to be a three on three battle, with substitutions allowed only between one battle and the other. The trainer who first manages to score two wins will be declared the winner. Aside from this, there are no special rules. We can begin the battle. May the best trainer win!"
"Thank you! With your permission, Morty, I'm going to start out! Corphish, you're first up!" Ash exclaimed. With an ample movement of his free arm, the young Pallet town trainer pointed to the ring, and Corphish eagerly hopped upon it, clicking his pincers as he stood ready!
"Corphish, corph!" the crayfish-like Pokemon exclaimed, his pincers creating a sound not unlike that of a pair of scissors. Morty was not intimidated in the least, though, and he nodded in approval.
"A Corphish, huh? Not a Pokemon that is seen very often around here." he affirmed. "Good. Then I know who to send. It's up to you, Sableye!"
The Gym Leader opened his own Pokeball, and a strange, evanescent Pokemon popped up in front of Ash and Corphish: its body seemed to be of compacted purple gas somehow kept in a humanoid form. Its ears were a pair of pointed spikes on the sides of its head, whose face had no features aside from two large, meticulously cut white gemstones for eyes, and a mouth filled with needle-like teeth that almost cut the head in half. The Pokemon had another gem, this one colored a bright red, embedded in its stomach, and its long arms and short legs all ended in three pointed claws. It was a Pokemon Ash hadn't seen very often, and ironically, the only time he had seen it, it was Corphish who had dealt with it. Now, however, it was time to face one in battle.
"Hmm. I'd better jog my memory a bit..." Ash said as he went to check on his Pokedex. He pointed his electronic encyclopaedia at Sableye, and its electronic voice began giving out data on his opponent.
"Sableye, the Darkness Pokemon. Ghost/Dark type. Sableye lead quiet lives deep inside caverns. They are feared, however, because these Pokémon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness.Sableye digs the ground with sharpened claws to find rocks that it eats. Substances in the eaten rocks crystallize and rise up to the Pokémon's body surface." the Pokedex said.
"Hmm... now this one could be a rather tough opponent for Ash and Corphish." Ursula commented. "No attack type is super effective against that, and we have no idea what it is capable of. I'm surious to see how Ash will overcome that."
"Pika pi, pika pika pikachuu!" Pikachu answered, certain that Ash would have come through once again. However, both trainer and Corphish seemed to be somewhat at a loss against such an opponent. The only thing to do was to start the battle, and see what their opponent was capable of.
"Alright then... let's begin, Corphish! Attack with Bubble Beam!" Ash exclaimed, in an attempt to lower his opponent's defenses and doing sizeable damage with a first attack. The giant crayfish obeyed, opening his pincers to fire a rapid barrage of bubbles at Sableye, but it took more than that to catch someone like Morty off guard!
"Alright, Sableye... usa Detect to dodge that attack, then counter with Faint Attack!" he ordered. THe Ghost/Dark type's eyes shone brightly for a split second in the darkness... then, moving with almost unnatural agility, Sableye dodged the barrage of bubbles with incredible ease! His eyes drew a series of spiralling beams of light in the darkness, creating a rather dizzying effect.
"Well, that was a good start for Morty, I'd say..." Eusine commented, while the four spectators and Pikachu observed in wonder as Sableye dodged the Bubblebeam attack. The light beams emitted from its eyes faded, and the ghost disappeared in the penumbra, leaving Corphish dumbfounded. "Sableye might not be noted for its attacking power, but a trainer who can make good use of its qualities can obtain truly surprising results in battle."
"We can see that. And it's just the beginning, I guess." Ursula commented. Ash was trying to find a way to let his companion defend himself from Sableye's Faint Attack, since the Ghost/Dark type was about to reappear and deliver a punishing blow to Corphish. Luckily, while the giant crayfish seemed not to know what to do, Ash quickly took charge of the situation.
"Don't lose your cool, Corphish. Close your eyes and concentrate. Try to feel it coming." Ash told the giant crayfish. Realizing that his eyes wouldn't help in that situation, Corphish closed them and tried to use the rest of his senses, trying to feel the moment when Sableye would reappear...
"Come on, Ash... I'm sure you've defeated worse!" Misty murmured, as if she was afraid of spoiling Corphish's concentration. For several seconds - or perhaps just one, it was hard to tell - the tense situation continued... and then, Corphish was able to sense something was amiss, and snapped one of his pincers close to warn Ash!
"Now, Sableye!" Morty exclaimed. "Use Shadow Claw!"
"Corphish... use Crabhammer!"
Morty had barely finished with his order, when Ash gave his own command to Corphish.. and just then, Sableye reappeared a couple steps away from Corphish, his claws extended and wrapped in an evanescent black aura! Luckily, the giant crayfish managed to react in time and turned around, delivering a punishing blow with his pincers! There was a tremendous sound of steel clashing against steel, as the two Pokemon began pushing against each other , and the gemstones that Sableye had for eyes shone even brighter in an expression of incredulity!
As Corphish and Sableye continued pushing against each other, Ash gave a new command, before Morty could think of another strategy. "Well done, Corphish! Now... break the struggle and strike with Night Slash!"
Corphish took a quick step backwards, and Sableye was unable to break off the contrast in time, and staggered forwards under his own force, just as his opponent dashed forward with one of his sharp pincers... and delivered a swift, brutal strike! The Darkness Pokemon cried out in pain and surprise before being sent airborne by the force of the blow, but he did a somersault in midair and was able to land on his feet, keeping the damage to a minimum. However, Ash's strategy had worked, which boosted both his and Corphish's confidence!
"Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all." Ursula commented, her attention never wavering from the battle.
Morty quickly thought of a new strategy. "Alright, Sableye, let's try something else then. Now... attack with Power Gem!" he ordered. His pokemon spread his arms, as both the round gem embedded in his chest, and the two white gems he had instead of eyes began glowing even brighter in the darkened room. Caught off guard, Corphish stood back, and even Ash was dazzled for a moment, unable to actualy see what Sableye was trying to do.
"Be careful, Corphish! Get away from there!" Ash exclaimed. The crayfish-like Pokemon reacted with all the speed his segmented legs were capable of, but the Power Gem attack was too fast, and he clearly was not going to fully avoid it...
Except that the attack was not directed at Corphish, but rather, at the ground right in front of him! With a deafening blast, the Power Gem attack struck the ring and exploded upon it, raising a small cloud of dust and debris! The vibrations slightly shook the platform, and caused the giant crayfish to fall to the ground with a brief grunt... but Corphish was able to quickly regain his footing and raise his guard.
Or at least, that was the idea, before Sableye simply vanished from Corphish's sight!
"Corphish?" the crayfish-like Pokemon exclaimed, looking around just in case his opponent was trying for another Faint Attack. Remembering to stay calm and follow Ash's tips, Corphish closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to feel the moment when Sableye would reappear. But Ash seemed to suspect something was wrong...
"Be careful, Corphish! I think he's got something else in mind!" Ash started to say. But he was unable to go on, before another Power Gem attack exploded right under Corphish's legs, propelling him in the air and causing the onlookers to jump up in surprise! A globe of luminous energy had erupted right from below Corphish, and Sableye had popped out from under it!
"Corphish!" Ash exclaimed. Somehow, his Pokemon was able to somersault in midair and land on his legs, while the Power Gem attack continued on its way for a short time and finally dissipated in a shower of light shards. That was a truly unexpected attack... and Corphish had taken the brunt of it.
"Darn... I never saw a Power Gem attack being used like that!" misty commented. "Basically... he dazzled Ash and Corphish so that they couldn't see what was going on, then he hid underground and fired another Power Gem from below!"
"Truly a surprising strategy..." Tracey commented, impressed but knowing that Ash would soon think up of another surprising trick to even the score.
"Alright, Sableye! Remain underground! As long as you stay there, he won't know where to move to avoid your attacks!" Morty continued. The Darkness Pokemon quickly obeyed, hiding in the same hole his latest Power Gem attack had blown in the pavement, while corphish glared at his opponent with growing frustration. Ash decided he was not going to just stay there and let Corphish take another attack. It was time to turn the tables...
"Corphish! Get to that hole and fire a Bubblebeam inside of it! We're going to flush him out!" Ash exclaimed. With what could easily pass as a grin on his face, Corphish leaned into the hole Sableye had created, and the self-assured expression vanished from Morty's face.
"Be careful, Sableye! Get out of there and use Faint Attack again!" the Ecruteak Gym Leader ordered. Even though he was still underground, Sableye heard the order and tried to emerge, but Corphish was faster and placed one of his pincers in the hole, before firing another barrage of bubbles that the Ghost/Dark Pokemon had no chance to avoid! A couple seconds later, the Bubblebeam blasted open another hole in the pavement as it tore through the ground and carried a very surprised and flabbergasted Sableye along!
"Saaaaable!" the Darkness Pokemon exclaimed as the bubbles kept pelting him! Corphish finally interrupted the attack, and Sableye shook his head in a daze... but Morty wasted no time to start his counterattack.
"Sableye, now use Shadow Ball! We need to end it now!" he exclaimed. Sableye raised his clawed hands over his head and conjured a whirling sphere of black and purple light, before throwing it towards the giant crayfish!
"Let's see who's more headstrong!" Ash commented. "Corphish, use Waterfall to barrel through the Shadow Ball!"
"Corphish!" his Pokemon answered. A roaring sphere of churning water surrounded his body, and the giant crayfish lunged forward on his many segmented legs and propelled himself towards Sableye's Shadow Ball attack, in an attempt to barrel through it and strike his opponent! There was a tremendous noise of waves crashing on rock at the two attacks met in midair, and after some seconds of struggle, the Shadow Ball gave way under Corphish's tremendous strength and dissipated, allowing the Water-type Pokemon to continue on his way and strike Sableye head on! Both Pokemon stood in midair for several moments,as if they weighed nothing at all... then, they crashed on the ground, with Corphish managing to land upright, and Sableye left lying breathlessly on the ground! The Ghost/Dark type Pokemon grunted and tried to stand up again... but soon after, he gave up and dropped to the floor, giving Ash his first win!
"Sableye is unable to keep fighting." Eusine announced, as a brief applause from Pikachu and his friends brought a smile to Ash's face. "Ash and Corphish obtain their first victory!"
"Alright!" Ash cheered, his hand gripped into a fist in joy. "Thank you so much, Corphish! You did a great job there!"
"Corphish, corph!" the crustacean Pokemon exclaimed. Then, hestopped in confusion and began looking around as a peculiar sensation began to course through his body, and several rays of bright light came out of his armor. In a moment, a large orb of light engulfed Corphish, lighting up the whole darkened room... and after a few moments, the sphere dissolved, and all the bystandars could see that Corphish had evolved into a much more menacing and warlike-looking Pokemon: much larger than his previous form, his armor was a brighter red, and his pincers looked quite a bit sharper, shining slightly in the dim light of the room. Even his other legs were more robust, the last pair seemingly too large compared to the rest of the body. His head was crowned with a star-shaped growth, underneath which a pair of black eyes peered angrily, well protected by thick plates of natural armor. Even his tail had gotten longer, and it was decorated by a large, regular-shaped yellow spot.
"Crawdaunt!" the new Pokemon roared, raising his pincers in victory. Ash cheered once again, as he took his Pokedex out to refresh his own memory.
"Yay! That's awesome, you evolved! That was fantastic!" the young boy answered, before his electronic encyclopaedia started to speak.
"Crawdaunt, the Rogue Pokemon. Water / Dark type. Evolved form of Corphish. Has a violent temper that drives him to chalenge other living things to battle. Other lifeforms refuse to live in ponds inhabited by Crawdaunt, making them desolate places." the Pokedex said. Ash closed his device and walked up to his newly evolved Pokemon to pet him.
"I'm proud of you, Crawdaunt!" he stated simply, causing the ferocious-looking shellfish to wave one of his massive pincers in a dismissive gesture.
Morty nodded as he recalled his defeated Sableye. "You did a good job anyway, Sableye." he affirmed. "And congratulations on getting your Corphish to evolve, Ash! You sure haven't lost anything since last time!"
"I'm kinda sorry that I won't be able to use Crawdaunt in our next bout..." the young trainer from Pallet Town stated. As the giant crayfish looked at him in slight dismay, Ash petted him again and apologized. "Sorry, Crawdaunt, but the rules say we have to change Pokemon at every match. Still, thank you for your help, you can rest now!"
"Crawdaunt..." the Water / Dark type answered, sounding a little unconvinced. Still, he wasn't about to argue about the rules, and allowed himself to be recalled in his Pokeball, while aSh returned to his side of the ring and stood ready.
"Not a bad start, Ash. But I'm not going to make this easy on you." Morty said, sending out a new Pokemon. "Alright. Your turn now, Dusknoir!"
Ash nodded, as the large and scary ghost-type Pokemon - the final evolved form of Duskull - materialized in front of him, its massive arms raised and his hands spread open, as if wanting to crush the next Pokemon Ash was going to send out. Reminding himself of his battle with Phoebe's Dusknoir, Ash reflected for a couple seconds before selecting the Pokemon he was going to face this challenge with.
"A Dusknoir, huh? Alright... your turn! Torkoal, I choose you! Go!"
"Torrrrr!" the ponderous Fire-type tortoise from Hoenn exclaimed, appearing on the ring in a blast of white smoke coming from his nose and mouth. Immediately, he turned to his trainer and began weeping comical rivers of tears in gratitude! "Torkooooal!"
"Er... well... hehehee... thanks, Torkoal, I'm glad you feel up to this!" Ash answered, somewhat embarassed by Torkoal's blatant affectionate gestures.
Then, Torkoal turned to his opponent and tried to put on a fierce face! Dusknoir floated in the air a few feet in front of Torkoal, as if trying to take his opponent's measure... and indeed, Morty had to admit he had never seen a Pokemon like that before.
"A Dusknoir versus a Torkoal, huh?" Brock murmured. "Now, that's pretty interesting. I think Ash picked a slow Pokemon on purpouse. So as to avoid the trick Conway pulled on him at the Sinnoh tournament..."
"Trick Room, you mean?" Misty asked her old friend. "I saw that battle on tv, and I was quite surprised by that strategy."
"I guess I'll have to get some things explained later on." Tracey commented. "I haven't been travelling for a while, and I'm not quite on speed with several things."
Ash frowned as he tried to think of a strategy for Torkoal to use - but he knew that, unfortunately, Dusknoir was a pretty versatile Pokemon, and there wasn't a foolproof strategy to use against one of them. He did know that Dusknoir was specialized in defense, though, so it would be wise to soften Dusknoir up a little before starting to attack in earnest.
"Hmm... okay, let's begin! Torkoal, use Smokescreen!"
"Torrrr!" the firey tortoise answered, and with a loud hiss, he breathed out a large cloud of black soot and smoke, obscuring Dusknoir's visual and forcing him to retreat slightly, his clawed arms raised in front of himself and ready to strike!
Taking advantage of the time he had bought, Ash decided it would be wise to try and protect torkoal from his opponent's attacks... which were more than likely going to be physical-based. "Very well, Torkoal! Continue with Iron Defense!"
Torkoal squatted low on the ground, and his soot-colored shell began to shine and stiffen, until it became just as tough as tempered steel! Morty frowned, knowing that it would be even harder to get through Torkoal's already formidable defenses... but still, that didn't mean he had no idea of how to do it!
"Not bad at all, Ash!" he said, as soon as the Smokescreen faded, and Dusknoir was able to see Torkoal again. "But that won't stop my Dusknoir for long! Come on, Dusknoir... use Night Shade!"
"DUUUUUSK!" the disquieting phantom howled. Ash widened his eyes, knowing that there was no defense against the attack Dusknoir was about to use... and a second later, an evanescent shadow burst out of Dusknoir's body and wrapped itself around Torkoal, causing him to grunt in anger and to stagger backwards! The shadow seeped into the tortoise's armored body and weakened him, while Ash tried to think of a counter...
"Night Shade ignores the target's defense..." Brock explained to Tracey and Ursula.
"Alright, I really hadn't predicted that..." was Ash's answer. "But I'm not going to get stopped like that! Come on, Torkoal! Use Body Slam!"
This choice caused Morty to jumpup in surprise... and even Ursula and the Eusine widened their eyes, wondering what was Ash thinking, using a Normal-type move on a Ghost-type Pokemon. Misty, for her part, smiled cunningly, imagining that ash was going to try one of his insane-yet-brilliant strategies once again!
Too surprised to react, Morty could do nothing but watch as Torkoal launched himself headfirst at Dusknoir, and went through the phantom Pokemon's incorporeal form without hurting him, before landing a few inches behind. Dusknoir was still asking himself what the point of that move was... when a new order from Ash caused him to realize he had fallen into a trap!
"Yes! That's exactly how I wanted it to go!" Ash exclaimed. "And now... Torkoal, use Fire Spin!"
"Tor! Koal!" the flaming tortoise grunted, white smoke coming out of his nostrils... Then, a barrage of burning sparks erupted from his shell abnd struck the opponent, spinning around him in a dizzying flame spiral that soon expanded and swallowed Torkoal as well! But while Torkoal was completely unfazed by the flames and the heat, the same couldn't be said for Dusknoir, who started waving his arms about in an attempt to shield himself!
"Well, I must say I'm impressed! I never saw that one coming." Morty commented. "For a moment, I thought Ash had gone crazy... and instead, it was a pretty clever trap! Bravo!"
"And this is not the end of it!" Ash continued. "Now, Torkoal... use Lava Plume!"
The tortoise Pokemon grunted in assent, and a barrage of incandescent embers began to flow out of the top of his shell. But despite the flames licking and scorching him, Morty's Dusknoir was able to react in time!
"Not so fast, Ash!" the young Gym Leader exclaimed. "My Dusknoir still has plently of cards to play, like this one! Use Gravity!"
Ash winced, mentally kicking himself for forgetting about that move... and one split second later, Dusknoir raised his massive arms, and a sudden feeling of weight struck Torkoal, causing the Fire-type tortoise to fall to the ground in dismay! The augmented gravity had caused Torkoal to be unable to sustain his own body's weight any longer, and even the whirling flames burning around Dusknoir's body seemed to weaken, giving the ghostly apparition a moment of respite. Torkoal grunted in dismay as he saw that Dusknoir was unaffected by the enhanced gravity...
ash grit his teeth, trying to think of a possible counter, and failing to get even just an idea. Torkoal, sadly enough, wasn't as well-equipped as Charizard to deal with Gravity... and Dusknoir and his trainer were definitely not going to leave them enough time to think!
"Keep it up, Dusknoir! Use Earthquake!" Morty continued. The Ghost-type nodded and, after joining his hands above his head, delivered a powerful hammer blow to the floor, which caused the ground to shake violently, and Torkoal to be lifted in the air and walloped by the seismic vibration! The Fire Spin petered out, and Torkoal was slammed on the ground after a few moments... but thanks to his enhanced defenses, the tortoise Pokemon managed to withstand the super-effective hit and tried to pick himself up, struggling against the oppressive gravity...
Still, he was clearly not going to be able to hold out much longer, and Ash knew it was time to try out a last, all-out attack, which would hopefully have taken down Dusknotr. "Ugh... darn, I really didn't see that coming! Alright, no matter! We'll just have to gamble it all on this! Torkoal! Use Overheat!"
On the stands, Brock noded in worry. "Hm... Ash has decided to use a last-ditch attack. He knows that Overheat, while extremely powerful, greatly weakens the Pokemon using it. So, if Torkoal can't defeat Dusknoir with this attack, victory would surely belong to Morty." he explained. hoping to himself that Ash was going to pull through.
Determined to give it all he had in order to bring his trainer to victory, Torkoal summoned all of his remaining strength, and his eyes snapped open, releasing a terrifying red luminescence! Before Dusknoir could react, the tortoise opened his mouth and let out a beam of bright white light... and right after that, a huge red-and-orage flame eruptedfrom Torkoal's mouth and barreled towards the surprised phantom! The onlookers felt a tremendous heat as the flame crashes on Dusknoir, and the Ghost-type pokemon grunted in pain when the huge fireball engulfed him and spread all around him! A few seconds passed before it was safe to open their eyes again... and Ash and Morty were the first ones to peek at the battlefield...
Upon it, Torkoal was still standing, even though he was clearly staggering and dizzy - his body was emitting wisps of white smoke, and the bright red light filtering between the scales of his shell had dimmed down, which meant that the Overheat attack had left Torkoal greatly weakened. Of course, the same could be said about Dusknoir...
For a few moments, the smoke kept surrounding the place where Dusknoir had been hit...
"Dusssknoirrrr..."
Ash widened his eyes when, just one second later, the Ghost-type Pokemon's muscular arm burst out of the cloud of smoke, followed by the rest of the body! Torkoal stepped backwards in dismay as he realized that the Overheat attack had failed to take down the mighty phantom, and that now, he was too spent to keep fighting for any longer.
"Not bad, Ash. But not good enough." Morty commented, not before sighing in relief at his Pokemon still standing despite the mighty blow he had taken. "And now... let's wrap this up! Hit him with Shadow Punch, Dusknoir!"
"DUSK!" the spectre exclaimed. His odd zigzagging belly mouth yawned impossibly wide, and a black, fist-shaped blast of energy shot out from it and flew towards Torkoal, hitting him without fail! This time, Torkoal was unable to stand up again, and he slumped to the floor with swirls in his eyes.
"Torkoal is unable to continue fighting. Morty and dUsknoir win this match." Eusine affirmed as Ash sighed and recalled Torkoal, talking to him to console him for his loss.
"You did great anyway, Torkoal. I should have thought faster." he apologized. "Still, get some rest for now."
On the tribunes, all spectators seemed to be excited and impressed with the battle, to the point that the augmented gravity - which was slowly returning back to normal anyway - did not even seem to register anymore. Misty was especially taken with the battle, silently rooting for Ash.
"So, they're even now..." the redhead stated. "So, Brock, do you think Ash can win this? He still has Sceptile, who's a pretty powerful Pokemon... but will that be enough?"
"That depends on which Pokemon Morty will send out. But I think that, if it's not Gengar, Ash stands a good chance." the dark-skinned young man answered.
"Alright, Sceptile... it's your turn now!" Ash told to his Hoenn champion, who smiled and twirled his ever-present grass blade in his mouth. "I will do my best to help you out, of course! Let's do this!"
"Sceptile!" the plant-like reptile exclaimed. With a single bound, he landed on the battlefield and stood proudly, keeping his arms folded on his chest. With a simple nod, Morty recaled his Dusknoir and looked for another Pokeball... and Sceptile narrowed his eyes, reminding himself to keep concentrated. This was his best chance to show that he was not rusty...
"A Sceptile, huh? Well, he looks pretty strong, that's for sure." Morty commented. "Still, I'm curious to see how he fares against my ace Pokemon. Go for it... Gengar!"
Brock grit his teeth and asked himself why he couldn't keep his big mouth shut at times, as a squat Gengar appeared in front of Sceptile, giving his species' trademark mocking grin.
"You really had to jinx it, huh?" Ursula snarked, slapping a hand on her forehead.
"My bad. My bad..." Brock murmured in embarassment.
Ash himself winced in awkwardness as he realized he was going to deal with a massive type disadvantage, both offensively and defensively. "Ugh... darn, just what I didn't need... Oh well, no matter. We'll find a few through this. SCeptile, start off with Agility!"
THe reptilian Pokemon didn't have to get told twice. He turned to Ash and gave him a thumbs-up, before starting to run in a circle around Gengar, turning himself into a speeding bullet as he zigzagged around the arena, making it hard for the Ghost/Poison type to get a good shot at him. But the blond Gym Leader kept his cool, figuring that Ash was going to let him make the first move.
"I thought he'd adopt a defensive strategy..." Morty said to himself. "Instead, he went for a fast and overpowering offense. Not a bad idea, but I have a better one! Gengar, use Sludge Bomb and spread your poison all around yourself!"
"Gengar!" the ghost answered. By simply waving his arms around, Gengar created a circle of purple sludge all around him, trying to hit Sceptile while he was still running around! A dense cloud of stinking vapors rose in the air from the places Gengar had splashed with his toxic mud... but much to Morty's surprise, Sceptile was nowhere to be found!
"be careful, Gengar! Right above you!" Morty exclaimed, raising his glance all of a sudden, and widening his eyes in shock. Gengar's smile turned to a disappointed frown as he looked up... just in time to see a green form dropping upon him with the grace of a swan and the power of a swooping eagle!
"Now use Aerial Ace!" Ash exclaimed. Sceptile swung both his arms at Gengar and struck true, with the result that Gengar grunted in pain and was tossed upon the floor! He picked himself up quickly enough, but he was clearly shaken by the blow he had taken...
"My word, now I see what that Agility attack was done for - it was to overcome the pull of my Gravity attack from earlier, and to allow Sceptile to jump in spite of it." Morty commented as his Gengar got ready to fight again. "I hadn't thought of that, I'll admit it."
"Hehee... thanks, Morty, but that's an idea I got on the spur of the moment! I wasn't sure it would work!" Ash answered. "Still, I knew Sceptile could do it! I have full faith in my Pokemon, after all!"
"Sceptile!" The Hoenn starter answered with a nod.
"Yet another of Ash Ketchum's crazy ideas, huh?" Misty commented. "Well, that was just like him alright! I have to admit, it was not half bad!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu answered. But the tie-breaker between Ash and Morty had begun, and even the electric mouse knew that sceptile would soon have to give it all he had to defeat Gengar...
"Still, don't think I will let you use the same trick twice... Gengar, use Spite to keep him from using Agility again!" Morty ordered. Gengar grinned again and pointed the palms of his hands towards Sceptile, who was quickly surrounded in a strange black aura and winced as he felt his power being drained. It lasted for all of two seconds... but out of instinct , the lizard-like Pokemon felt that he was not going to be able to use Agility for the rest of the battle. They had to find another way to win.
"It's okay, Sceptile... we are leading for now!" Ash reassured him, while sceptile began carefully inching arounf his opponent, trying to catch him off guard. Knowing he could not afford to underestimate his foe, Gengar was keeping an eye on him... and just as Ash was about to issue his next order, Morty caught him unaware!
"Not for long! Gengar, use shadow Punch as well!" Morty ordered. Gengar punched the air, shooting a fist-shaped blast of violet energy at Sceptile, who tried to dodge sideways... only for the ranged attack to change direction at the last possible moment and hit the reptile in his chest! "Just as you used aerial Ace on us, Ash... we can counter with another attack that never misses its target! That's exactly how Shadow Punch works. A simple but very effective move, I'd say."
Sceptile shook his head and extended the leaf-blades on his arms, but Ash was not going to keep attacking for now. He decided it was probably better to play defensively and strike as soon as Gengar was off guard. For several seconds, the two Pokemon kept staring at each other, moving around the ring as they looked for the perfect moment to attack... and as soon as Morty was sure he had found the right moment, Gengar grinned again and his large red eyes lit up ominously!
"If you aren't going to attack, we will! Gengar, use Hypnosis!" the young Gym Leader ordered. Eusine smiled slightly, knowing that his friend was going to use on e of his Gengar's most lethal attacks... and sceptile, who was still concentrated on the enemy in front of himself, widened his eyes in alarm as he realized he was about to be put to sleep by the spectre's occult powers...
"Now, Sceptile! Use Detect!"
Ash's order arrived just in time, and the reptile frowned, as a slight glint appeared in his eyes. Just in time, a protective aura flared around Sceptile for just one second... and the hypnotic light faded from Gengar's eyes, as the spectre walked backwards with a disappointed look on his face. He had hoped to put Sceptile to sleep and then finish him off with Dream Eater...
"Nicely done, Sceptile! Now, Aerial Ace again!" Ash exclaimed. But much to his surprise, Gengar acted first, disappearing from everyone's eyes... and then reappearing a split second later in front of Sceptile, hitting him with a lightning-fast punch that sent the Hoenn Grass-type starter reeling! "Oh... darn, that was a Sucker Punch attack! This is getting tough... I had no idea Morty's Gengar had gotten so much better, recently!"
"Ash is in trouble." Tracey commented from the seats as he petted his Dunsparce. "That Gengar is showing himself to be a much stronger opponent than anticipated. Do you really think Sceptile can hack it?"
"Sceptile is one of Ash's strongest Pokemon ever. If anyone can defeat that Gengar, that's him." Brock stated. "Still, Gengar's Ghost/Poison type is not going to be easy on a Grass type like him. Ash will have to play smart if he wants to win."
"Pika pi! Pika pi! Pika chuuu!" Pikachu waved at his trainer, who seemed to hear and looked at his best friend in gratitude, before concentrating on his opponent once again. He didn't have a lot of options left, at this point... but he did know that Sceptile had a couple moves that could lead him to victory! It was only a matter of making them work... which was easier said than done.
"Alright, let's pull out all the stops here, Sceptile!" Ash said. His Hoenn ace Pokemon moved to the edge of the ring, ready to attempt something. "Get ready to dash as soon as Gengar moves as much as a finger..."
"Sceptile!" the green-scaled lizard answered as the ghost floated in midair in front of him, following an unpredictable pattern to keep Sceptile and ash guessing. Sceptile was not going to get distracted so easily though... and was ready to act as soon as the next attack started!
"Now, Gengar! Use Confuse Ray!" Morty exclaimed, and Gengar quickly lit up his enormous eyes again, trying to overwhelm Sceptile with one of his most insidious attacks. But this time, it was Sceptile who had predicted his attack, and Ash gave the right counter-order just in time!
"Pursuit!" the young boy exclaimed. Sceptile dashed forward and dodged the Confuse Ray with shocking adroitness, then slashed the air in front of him with his right arm, and struck Gengar in his side, causing him to stagger and forcing him to land!
"What? Ugh... Gengar, use Shadow Ball! Now!" Morty exclaimed, trying a powerful and reliable attack in his surprise, which had left him no time to think... and Gengar fired a whirling ball of black and purple shadows with both hands, trying to hit Sceptile as he landed from his attack. Quickly, the reptilian plant Pokemon turned and blocked the attack, which still managed to push him back a few feet and almost knocked him down! An innatural cold gripped Sceptile's arms, but the mighty reptile grit his teeth and powered through the attack, weakened but not beaten!
"And now... let's play our trump card! Sceptile, use Frenzy Plant!" Ash exclaimed, deciding it was time to see if the training he had done in the sevii islands together with his other starters had actually paid off! Sceptile smirked and crouched low, touching the ground with both hands... and a split second later, a veritable barrage of vines covered in leaves and thorns erupted from the ground, almost shattering the ring and rising towards Gengar with the power of an erupting geyser! Caught off guard by such an attack, Gengar and Morty were unable to react in time, and the mass of vines struck the Ghost/Poison type Pokemon head-on, violently jarring him and inflicting one hit after the other, growing more painful with each blow! Finally, several vines wrapped themselves around Gengar's insubstantial body and brutally slammed him on the ground, with such strength that not even his natural resistance to Grass-type attacks was much help! Gengar grunted and tried t stand up as the vines, having done their job, retreated into the ground and Sceptile stood in place, trying to recharge... but in the end, Gengar's strength failed him, and he fell to the ground, his eyes turning into swirls!
Eusine was flabbergasted for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that his friend's strongest Pokemon had been defeated like that... then, he cleared his voice and announced the results of this encounter! "Well... Gengar is unable to keep battling! Ash and sCeptile win the third bout... and the match along with it! Congratulations!"
The audience cheered loudly as Ash went to give Sceptile a hug with his healthy arm, congratulating him over his victory! The reptile stood in place, keeping his usual stoic appearence, but he did show his appreciation by nodding at Ash and winking. "Alright! Nicely done, Sceptile! I knew you could do it! And I'm glad you and your comrades are still in top form! Though I guess we'll have to resume training pretty soon, huh?"
"Sceptile!" the reptilian Pokemon answered with a shrug, as if saying that was no big deal. For his part, Morty showed himself to be a graceful loser, and smiled as he recalled his Gengar.
"Don't feel bad about this, Gengar. I know you did your best." he told his ace Pokemon. "And I have to say, I'm really impressed, Ash! You've surely grown stronger in these two years! Then it was not just plain luck if Ho-Oh appeared in front of you back then!"
From the stands, Ursula blinked in surprise. "Hey, hold on a moment! What do you mean, that Ash saw the legendary Ho-Oh some time ago?" she asked. "How is it that I only get to know it now?"
"Well... that's something that happened at the start of Ash's journey." Misty explained, still remembering that day as if it had been yesterday. "But we'll explain it later, okay? Ash will have to go to the Pokemon Center to have his check-up, and we'll see if he can take that arm cast off..."
"Pika pi! Pikachu pika pika chu..." Pikachu answered. Although he had been badly beaten up from fighting off all those Spearows, he still remembered the day he had seen the majestic Ho-Oh appearing before him and his trainer.
"By the way, Ash... it's almost time, I guess." Tracey asked, taking a look at his watch. "Nurse Joy is waiting for us to do the check-up... in about five minutes!"
"What...?" Ash exclaimed, before smacking his free hand on his forehead. "Aww, man, I completely forgot about that! I was so concentrated on the battle that I didn't think of that!"
"Pikachu..." the electric mouse squeaked, a tiny sweatdrop on the back of his head. Sceptile spread his arms and shook his head.
"I have to say, Ho-Oh sure made a weird choice... I mean, Ash doesn't exactly look like chosen one material..." Eusine murmured, taking to Morty. "I do hope he knows what he's doing..."
Morty nodded sagely. "I'm sure of that, Eusine. He is the Legendary Pokemon that represents Johto, after all."
oooooooooo
Half an hour later, in Ecruteak City's Pokemon Center, Ash's friends were waiting for the young boy and his Pikachu - who had wanted to stay with his trainer during the visit - to come out of the double doors of the first aid section. They were hoping this was going to be the last day Ash had to keep that annoying arm cast, though of course they were going to wait for the medic to pronounce himself.
Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long: after five minutes spent chatting or reading a few magazines that were left in the waiting room, the doubledoors opened, and Misty turned in that direction first, smiling brightly as she saw Ash and Pikachu walking out of the ward! The young boy was now proudly showing his cast-free right arm, and even though he still couldn't move it as well as before his accident, it was clearly healed!
"Ash!" Misty exclaimed, standing up from her place and going to greet her old friend, all of her companions joining her. Though Ursula tried to look indifferent, she went to greet Ash all the same... and in a few moment, the small group was throwing a little celebration in the midst of the hall!
"Well, Ash, I'm glad to see your arm is alright!" Brock affirmed. "Did they say anything about that? I trust there were no complications?"
"Pika pi, pika pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, giving a thumbs up to his companions. "Pikachu pika pika, pika pi?"
"Yeah, they told me to be a bit careful about moving my arm suddenly, but the worst part is done with! Speaking of which, Pikachu is right... I should call Mom to tell her the good news. I just hope Dawn is doing well enough too, since she'll be out for a while more." Ash answered, translating what Pikachu was saying.
"Well, if you want..." the Nurse Joy responsible for that Pokemon Center said. "There's a public phone here in the main hall. You can use it to call and... huh?"
As was predictable, Brock had quickly appeared in front of the pink-haired nurse and was now holding her hand, doing his best latin lover impression! "Oh, my beautiful Joy..." he ventured, his eyes turning into pink hearts, and his body sparkling! "As my friend is busy calling his home... how about we take some time to know each other, and maybe take a stroll around this beautiful town?"
ZAAAASH!
A Pokeball popped open... and Misty's Psyduck, having clearly taken example from Brock's Croagunk, came out of it in a flash and had tried to hit Brock's rear end with his hand, in what was supposed to be a Poison Jab attack of sorts! The end result was that the goofy psychic duck stood in place, with his arm raised and his small claws poking at Brock's trousers, and several of the small group staring at them in disbelief!
"Er... Psyduck, I don't think that's very effective..." Tracey joked, scratching his head with an index finger. for his part, Brock sighed in relief, thinking he had dodged a painful sting, at least for this time...
ZAAAASH!
"Croagunk!" Croagunk exclaimed, popping out of nowhere and hitting Brock's rear end with his trademark Poiosn Jab! Brock just had time to murmur something along the lines of 'I knew that...' before falling to the ground in a dead faint and getting dragged away by the ear by a very irritated Misty... who also proceeded to grab a very confused Psyduck's tail and drag him away as well!
"Grrr... I have no idea who's more pathetic here!" the redhead murmured in comical annoyance! Psyduck quacked something in a low voice, while Croagunk pointed at Brock laying on the ground and twitching painfully, as if saying that's how it was done!
"Psy, ay, ay, duck?"
"Croa!"
oooooooooo
"Ash! I'm so happy to hear you!" Delia Ketchum exclaimed as she saw her son and Pikachu appear on her videophone's screen, especially as she saw that the cast on Ash's arm was gone. "And I can see you're finally out of that cast! That's good... it must have been a real pain to keep it until now..."
"Pika pi pika!" Pikachu greeted her.
"Hello, Mom! And... yeah, I was glad as well! It surely feels better to be able to use both hands at last!" the young boy answered with a jovial chuckle! "Yeah... I had called to tell you just that, and to tell you that everything is going swimmingly here in Johto! I even just won an exciting battle with a Gym Leader... though I think I must get back to training the Pokemon I left to Prof. Oak's lab! How are you, Mom? Nothing new there in Pallet?"
Delia laughed happily. "Hehehee... I'm glad to know that, Ash! Luckily, nothing out of the ordinary happened here in Pallet. It's just that... well, there's someone here who would love to greet you! Your companion in misfortune, so to speak!"
"You mean Dawn, right?" Ash answered with a nod. "And what's yup with her? Nothing bad, I hope..."
"Oh, don't worry, it's nothing like that! I'll just let Dawn tell you that!" the young mother answered before passing the phone to the blue-haired young girl sitting in her wheelchair beside her. Dawn's image appeared on Ash and Pikachu's screen, and they saw her raise a hand and greet them with a bright smile!
"Hey there! Ash, Pikachu! You're doing well, I hope!" Dawn exclaimed as she was greeted by the rest of the team. Even Ursula waved slightly at her, even though she tried to look disinterested. "Have I heard right? Ash just defeated a Gym Leader and got his arm cast taken off?"
"Pika ka, pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked as Ash moved his now-free arm in front of himself.
"Hehee... yeah, I can say this was a good day for me!" the young boy answered. "But howare you doing, Dawn? Everything okay?"
The coordinator girl nodded and pulled herself away from the screen a little, so that Ash and Pikachu could see her fully. "Well, just take a look, Ash! What do you think of my new boots?" Dawn asked with a smile. Ash, Pikachu and their friends were pleasantly surprised to see that while Dawn's legs were still in casts, they were now shorter, going from below her knees to the balls of her feet, and her upper legs were now free of plaster. "They changed my casts yesterday. It seems my legs are healing faster than they thought, and I might be able to take a few steps soon! It will take some time before I can fully take them off, but it's going much better!"
"Awesome! This is fantastic news!" Misty answered. "Well then... just remember we'll be waiting for you here in Johto as soon as you're back on your feet! Even Ursula can't wait for that, right?"
"Of course I can't wait to defeat you once and for all, Dee-Dee!" the rich heiress answered haughtily. "So make sure you don't dawdle... I wouldn't be satisfied if you went down that easily!"
The blue-haired pre-teen smiled cunningly at Ursula, as a red bolt of electricity coursed between their eyes for a few moments. "Well... I'm glad you know what you're going to do, girls!" Delia answered, with a small sweatdrop on her head. "Anyway... that's all I have to say for now! Even Zoey, Kenny, Johanna and Gary send you their best regards! Be careful, Ash... and good luck! I hope you can soon solve the problems you're facing!"
"Thanks, Mom! Don't worry, I am used to trouble by now!" the young boy joked. "Anyway... thanks again, and see you soon, Mom! See you soon, Dawn, and give my greetings to all the others!"
"Alright, guys! See you soon!" Dawn answered. Ash, Pikachu and their companions waved at her before the conversation ended, and the images of Dawn and Delia disappeared from the screen.
Ash set the phone down, as he and Pikachu exchanged a knowing glance. That had been a good day... tomorrow, they'd see what they could do about the Ho-Oh issue!
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Note: Well, that's about it for this chapter. I decided to have Ash and Morty have a battle as a way for Ash to show off some of his reserves and to get him interested in getting them up to speed again... and also as a favor to a friend of mine, who is a huge Morty fangirl!
I hope you liked this chapter well enough... next chapter will be dedicated to Dawn and Kenny, so to all Penguinshipping fans - that's just the chapter you are waiting for!
As always, I would very much appreciate if you could read and review... and I'll see you next chapter, which hopefully shouldn't be long in coming!
See you soon!