Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon or any such stuff

Hello everyone, and welcome to the seventh chapter of The Journey. And this chapter was actually for the month of July, but I had enough time to finish the chapter early. Now, last chapter I introduced a character named Pisces. If you don't know who he is, in Pokemon Journeys anime, Lt. Surge was like out of town for some sort of training and Pisces was the substitute gym leader of Vermilion Gym who fought Ash for World Championship battle. Now, in some places I find his name to be Pisces and in some places like Bulbapedia Visquez. So, I mentioned his real name as Visquez in this chapter, but let's say he is more popular by the name Pisces.

Now, I made changes in the gender of Ash's pokemon, because unintentionally it came out to be all male. Thanks to Mark Andrew for pointing it out:

Dartrix, Vibrava, Jangmo-o, Lampent, Duskull, Ralts: Male

Poipole, Mimikyu, Goomy, and another pokemon I will give later: Female

Also a big thanks for all the people who have read, reviewed, followed, favourited etc. for your support. Currently this story has 139 follows and 107 favourites, and I am grateful for

Also, there is a bit of swearing in the end of the chapter, and I don't think it will make the story M rated.

Now, with that being said sit back and enjoy...

Chapter 7: Vermilion...Part 2: Give your very best

"So, how are you feeling on your first win", Ash asked, as Wyvern was given a clearance in the medical camp, set up by the gym. He walked to the nearest bench on the opposite side of the gym, which was a bit quieter than the front side. He only has Wyvern, Dartrix and Poipole with him, with the former two out. The rest of his pokemon he had left in the centre. Dartrix he has brought for backup, as well as a morale support.

Ash noticed that Wyvern was closer to Dartrix than any other of his pokemon. In leisure time he would see them chatting for quite a long time. He still remembered the first time he had tried to get Wyvern to train with others,

Flashback

"Come on...it won't be that bad... ", Ash tried to reason. Wyvern was adamant, shook his head and stood where he was," Braviary won't hurt you"...still no progress. Wyvern had a look which shows unsureity, horror and lack of confidence.

Professor Kukui was standing a bit far away, watching everything. He gave Ash and Gladion the task of getting Wyvern and Scartha to get into actual battle training as assignment...and would be evaluating them on how they progressed with the situation. Ofcourse none to them are going to back down. Ash looked and saw Gladion on the other side of the field, waving is hand and stomping his foot, while Scartha had her arms crossed and head turned away. Typical Gladion...

Ash turned his attention back to Wyvern...instead of ordering straight away, Ash believes in a diplomatic approach, something values Professor had taught him when he was little. This was to make pokemon feel that they and their trainers are equals and they are respected as well, catalysing a stronger bond between trainer and their pokemon.

Ash was trying to think hard of ways to convince Wyvern when Dartrix, who was Rowlet back then...who was watching the entire thing quietly dropped down in front of Wyvern.

Rowlet hooted something to Wyvern which he returned with some soft growls. They kept conversing for minutes, while the look on Wyvern's face turned from refusal to surprise to unsureity and finally agreement.

Wyvern didn't practice with Braviary for that day or two...But he did a similar training with Rowlet, instead of showering Rock Slides, Rowlet would shoot Leaf Age and Peck attack. Two days passed, Wyvern grew a bit more confident and agreed to practice with Braviary on probably a condition wishing Rowlet to stay beside him...as Rowlet had been flying beside him for the entire day. Another week passed and Wyvern was fully confident to go throw all exercises Professor prescribed...while Gladion just managed to convince to get Scartha to get training, beat you again EdgeLord...

Whatever Dartrix had told Wyvern that day is still a mystery Ash doesn't know. He doesn't recall any incident of Dartrix having some sort of fear which he conquered later on. Dartrix as Rowlet was very Brave...and upon evolving grew overconfident, but still he wasn't stupid. What Ash guessed had happened was Rowlet's small size made Wyvern feel safer than fighting Braviary, but it is just an hypothesis. But whatever Ash is glad that Dartrix was able to talk Wyvern out of his fear, otherwise it might have taken longer for Ash to do the job. From being an overgrown flying lizard who was too scared to fight, Wyvern was turning to a dragon...which he was meant to be...who would crush any opponent in its path.

As reply to his question, Wyvern gave a loud growl and glowed up smoke from its nostrils. Ash smiled at it, "Seems like ready to fight anybody...even that big Gyarados" .

The name of Gyarados got Wyvern a bit nervous, but a hoot from Dartrix gave him confidence as he put a determined look on his face.

"You have quiet a team", a voice called behind Ash, scaring the crap out of him. Ash turned around and sighed, "You definitely need to stop sneaking on people" . His heart was beating as fast as Rapidash.

Mike gave a cheeky grin, "What are you talking about?". Ash rolled his eyes and changed his question," Why are you here?"

"Well, to congratulate you...ofcourse. And looks like you have quite a powerhouse", Mike said admiring Wyvern. Wyvern gave a low roar in greeting, surprising Mike a bit, "And a friendly too. Where did you get one, I thought you were a new trainer from a different region".

" Yeah, Wyvern was actually given to me to take care of. We have spent the past several months together. Now that I have started my journey, I thought Wyvern should tag along ", Ash said. Not everything is true, it would suffice for now.

" Well, I wish I have your luck in future, don't want to be one of those trainers who get eaten by their own pokemon", Mike said with a laugh.

"Such instances are rare, but those who gets eaten are the worst of the worst", Ash said, "Training an aggressive pokemon requires patience...just give time and everything will workout"

"I hope so", Mike said,"So, what's the plan for next round?"

Ash looked at Wyvern and then to Dartrix, both of them nodded back causing Ash to turn around and smile, "We give our very best"...

A ping in his pokedex got everyone's attention, the 1v1 battles were to begin shortly, and that was a notification to report to the gym.


Ash was standing behind a door, patiently waiting for his turn ...with Dartrix perched over his head. Ash knows very well it makes him look funny, but he doesn't mind. The reason he didn't released Dartrix during Battle Royal was so that he doesn't get mistaken as a fighter. With so many pokemon fighting each other...such incidents aren't uncommon even if accidental.

The door at the front slid open as cheers from audience filled the room. A trainer walked out through the door keeping his gaze to the floor, and without looking anywhere walked straight past Ash towards the exit. It didn't take a genius to figure out the problem.

Getting signal from the guard, Ash walked through the open door, once again finding himself in the battle ground. This time, he was standing on one side of the field, and his only opponent on the other side...and the battlefield had definitely seem better days. There was a referee and a Rotom drone waiting for the signal to start the match. The announcer kept doing his job,

" Alright Folks, time for our fourth battle of Regional Qualifiers Tournament. On one side we have our very own Jack Taylor from Viridian City. Jack had made an impressive victory on the previous round and has four gym badges under his belt...including the Pewter City's Boulder Badge and Celadon City Rainbow Badge. He will definitely be a force to be reckoned with".

Jack had a cocky grin on his face as the crowd cheered his name.

"And challenging him on the other side, we have rookie trainer Ash Aether, from far across the sea...Alola region. Despite being a rookie, Ash had held up on his own in the previous round...showing he isn't someone to be taken lightly ".

Ash did get some cheers and applause front the crowd but not as much as his opponent got, not that he cares.

"Trainers, this is going to be a 1 on 1 non-league battle. The match would be over when either pokemon would be unable to battle. No time limit...Release your pokemon..." , the referee declared.

Ash and Jack unclipped their necessary pokemon from their belt, and threw them saying their own catchphrases, "Wyvern/Nidoking...I choose you/ Win!" .

On Ash's side Wyvern materialised and roared his arrival, which didn't at all faze the Nidoking who appeared on the opposite side of the battle field...in fact Wyvern got slightly intimidated by Nidoking's glare...But quickly collected himself and returned a glare of his own.

"This time Jack had chosen strong and venomous Nidoking...and Ash is continuing with his fearsome Charizard...This is going to be a battle between Kanto's two juggernauts...as they will fight for power and dominance...it's time to see who will come up victorious and who will bite the dust... "

"BATTLE START!", referee declared...as psychic barriers was raised to protect audience from stray attacks.

The Nidoking stomped its foot and growled at Wyvern, taunting him to attack first. Ash debated on whether to engage in physical combat or not. According to his knowledge of Kanto pokemon, some Nido-family has ability of Poison Point...charging head on might be a huge gamble on his part, something which may cost him the entire match. But a second thought crept in his mind which rebuked him, What am I thinking...I didn't come here to win...I came here so that Wyvern could have some experience...He will never reach his full potential if I hold him back.

Without giving another second thought, Ash ordered, "Wyvern...Slash!", knowing fully he might regret the decision later.

Wyvern flew into the air and prepared to rushed down at Nidoking with glowing claws, while Jack watched, the smile on his face begining to become unnerving, "Sandstorm" , he simply said.

Nidoking gave a roar and as conjured up storm of sand and dust and covered almost the entire field. Wyvern, halted due to the sudden shift of air, but being a superior flyer quickly guided his way through the storm aiming towards the eye.

Dartrix perched on Ash's head suddenly saw something and gave a shrill boot as a warning. But either Wyvern didn't hear or turned a deaf ear as he tore through the storm and slashed his claws with his might, only to find attacking nothing but air. Wyvern was greatly surprised and looked around himself to find Nidoking as the sandstorm was beginning to disperse.

But Ash wasn't stupid at all. He had seen these kind of tricks before, "He is underground", Ash shouted, "Up in the air".

Hearing the urgency in his trainers voice, Wyvern wasted no time in lifting himself back in the air...and as predicted, Nidoking shot out straight from the ground attempting to punch Wyvern, but he was out of reach by then. Nidoking landed on the ground and locked his eyes with Wyvern who landed once again in front of Ash. Ash looked at Jack and was surprised to see he was still smiling...what he is up to, Ash thought. He wracked his brain but couldn't figure anything to be happy about this quickly, unless he has something else planned.

"Double Edge", Jack said calmly...Nidoking covered himself in streak of white light as he charged towards Wyvern with quite decent speed and even greater momentum. Now, a normal trainer would have asked to dodge the attack or fly up, but Ash being Ash,

"That's how you want to play now, huh", Ash frowned," Intercept him"..

Wyvern flew towards Nidoking with greater speed and clashed with Nidoking, stopping it in its tracks...as a muscle game began. Initially Nidoking began pushing Wyvern backwards, desperately trying to free its horn...but Wyvern keeping a death grip with one hand and grabbing its neck with another hand, flipped the huge beast in the air and slammed it one the ground.

The entire crowd went wild with the sheer display of raw power. The creepy smile on Jack's face vanished and was replaced by a more neutral look...making Ash smirk on seeing this, looks like he made a debt in his plan. But one thing was odd, Dartrix was awfully still. Whenever Wyvern would succeed, Dartrix would be the first one to start jumping...but now he was just sitting still...motionless...

"You okay?", Ash asked. Dartrix didn't response, his eyes narrowed as he watched the battle intently. Ash shrugged and turned back to the battle and found why anyone shouldn't turn his eyes from battle even for a split second.

As Wyvern was towering over the fallen Nidoking, both the legs of Nidoking glowed white as it kicked right Wyvern's abdomen causing him stagger backwards. Taking this opportunity Nidoking tried to get back up, but Ash saw and opening and quickly shouted, "On its chest!" .

Wyvern quickly composed himself, prepared another Slash and slashed down at Nidoking's armoured chest...this would leave a deep cut...or Ash thought so...

Nidoking suddenly glowed white and vanished into thin air, leaving both Ash and Wyvern stunned. Before anyone could react, the ground below Wyvern erupted once more and another Nidoking shot up and successfully landed a strong punch in Wyvern's abdomen.. The force from punch threw Wyvern crashing into the ground.

But that isn't the worst part...as this wasn't a ordinary punch. The scales in a Charizard's chest and abdomen region is softer than rest of its body, making it a soft spot vulnerable to attack. The punch had burst through the scales into the tissue inside...leaving a deep wound...along with the area surrounding the wound taking a bluish purple colour.

Ash's hands trembled as realization came crashing down on him. This entire time the real Nidoking had been hiding underground leaving a clone up there to fight...waiting for the right time to strike with poison jab...with enough force to release the poison directly inside Wyvern's bloodstream.

Ash would have complimented Jack if he wasn't busy kicking himself for his stupidity. Jack saw his look and said from the other side of the field, "Some tricks I have picked up from my travels".

Ash ignored the comment and turned his attention towards Dartrix," You knew this"... Dartrix gave a very low hoot and nodded his head. If this sudden turn of events were not already frustrating, the commentary from the announcer increased his annoyance to a new level,

"What a brilliant art of substitution from Jack...Novice Ash didn't see it coming at all..." , the crowd erupted in cheers and started cheering out for Jake...

"Wyvern...you alright?", Ash asked, ignoring every other thing around. Wyvern grunted in reply as he fought through the pain...struggling to get up. The poison was taking effect...his head was starting to feel dizzy...He could feel his body starting to give up as the pain started to grew...Everything Wyvern could feel...But he won't be down without a fight...without giving his very best..

Jack saw Wyvern fighting back...and decided it's time to go all out," No more holding back Nidoking...Megahorn! ".

Nidoking's horn glowed white and shades of green as it extended to twice it's original length as it charged towards Wyvern. Ash's face paled as he saw the horn was aimed straight towards Wyvern's chest...with bad luck...this might even strike his heart.

"MOVE!", Ash yelled," You Have To Move!". Wyvern had heard his trainer, even saw Nidoking coming...But was too weak to just get up and fly, instead he tried to roll out slightly and was met with a sharp stabbing pain...so intense that no sound came out of his open mouth. The Megahorn had missed his chest, but not one of his shoulder. The horn pierced through his scales...skin...flesh and emerged from the other side of his body.

Nidoking picked Wyvern up with its horn and threw him in front of Ash. Wyvern landed on the ground with a loud thud...kicking up dust, causing Ash to winch. At this point Ash was considering the idea of forfeiting. As new injuries surfaced, Wyvern's bright Vermilion scaly body was getting stained by his own blood... and with the poison running inside him, it would be a matter of time before he falls down.

Despite all injuries, Wyvern still tried to get up, but was quickly slammed down by a powerful Double Edge, followed by lash from Nidoking's tail, which tossed Wyvern away once again. This cycle repeated itself as Nidoking kept throwing Wyvern all over the battlefield. All the beatings three Wyvern to the edge of loss as his eyes started to drop, his posture started to become more relaxed and his breathing became heavy.

Ash sighed with a defeated look on his face, Nidoking was strong...Nidoking was experienced...Nidoking had a wide movepool...but most importantly...they have a plan. From the first minute of battle Jack and Nidoking had been fighting with a well built strategy in their mind, and he...he was fighting blindly. Professor was right...training under controlled environment and competitive battling have hell and heaven difference. Their is no hope now, and maybe it's best to pull back.

Ash took out Wyvern's pokeball and was about to recall he back when we was met with an unexpected sight, something he didn't expect to see so soon.

The tail flame of Wyvern began to burn violently but brightly as it grew bigger and bigger. As it reached a monstrous size Wyvern with one strong push rose up from the ground and let out a thunderous roar which nearly would have shaken the room if there were no barriers...But their was something different in him. Wyvern's pupils in his eyes had dilated and a feral snarl came out of his face...so intimidating that Nidoking subconsciously took a step back...and a nervous and worried look adorned Jack's face.

This is a feeling Wyvern is unfamiliar with. All his pain...all his weakness seemed to miraculously disappear, replaced by a sudden surge of power...like a second wind. His body seemed to work on his own as he submitted to his instincts...which seemed to be preparing him for something he never did or tried before.

Ash would recognise this sudden burst of power anywhere... Blaze, Ash thought as he slowly started smiling, This is the very best. His spirits began to return back...burning like the flames of Wyvern's tail.

A new set of barriers was being raised, this time protecting the trainers and the referee. The authorities were well aware with the knowledge of Blaze ability and didn't want to take any risks.

Wyvern's entire body glowed emitting extreme heat as the air around him was beginning to catch fire. All on a sudden, Wyvern turned his head towards Ash. Ash understood what he was asking for and gave up a thumbs up, "Go for it", he encouraged...Furthermore Dartrix spread his wings and gave a loud shrill of encouragement.

Wyvern gave a grin...not a malicious, feral one...a genuine grin, as with a massive flap of his wings, like a explosion of nuclear bomb, sent out a massive tidal wave arc of highly kinetic flames and energy towards Nidoking.

There was nowhere to run from this, except...maybe underground, but there was no time to dig as the fiery waves of raging flames burning everything in its path reached Nidoking in a split second and sent it flying backwards...crashing into the psychic barriers.

Jack was taken back by the sudden power and narrowing his eyes dangerously, ordered Nidoking to get up, but Wyvern sent out two more waves keeping Nidoking down. Fully covered with burns still Nidoking tried its best to get up. Wyvern prepared another to sent out another heat wave when suddenly...the fire burnt out. Wyvern's tail flame returned back to normal as he fell face flat on the ground.

Everything seemed to be so sudden, Blaze activated, Wyvern used a new move...and Blaze disappeared. But Ash wasn't thinking so hard right now.

"Charizard is unable to able!", the referee declared, "The winner of this battle is Jack Taylor and Nidoking ". The entire room applauded and cheered with excitement.

"By giving a spectacular performance Jack will be moving to the next round. But Nidoking didn't come out without scratches, Rookie trainer Ash and his Charizard out up a formidable fight...especially at the end. It did feel tables were about to turn for a second. So give a round of applause to both the young trainers" , the announcer said. The crowd was already cheering which grew louder after this announcement.

Ash recalled Wyvern back to his pokeball and whispered, "You have made me proud". Dipping his cap in acknowledgement to his opponent, Ash turned and walked straight towards the door on his side.

Everyone might see that he had lost the battle, but is it really a loss? This is the second time he had been outclassed in a battle. But he had come here so that Wyvern could get better, and he succeeded in his objective. Wyvern overcame his handicapness and learnt Heat Wave, and managed to activate Blaze, this was definitely a big progress on Wyvern's part. Losing the match seemed to be a small setback considering what he has gained. Being optimistic as ever Ash thought to himself, This is a win, atleast for me, as he kept his head held up high.

Walking out of the he gave the next trainer waiting quick Good Luck, a gesture which the trainer returned with a smile and thumbs up, as he walked towards the exit. He needs to get to the medical camp and get Wyvern treated. As he was on his way, only one thought flooded his mind, We have given our very best...


"Your Charizard will be fine", Nurse Joy said exiting the Operation Theatre," The wounds will heal quickly, but the scales will take longer to regenerate. Give him rest for a few days".

Ash gave a sigh of relief, he knew the injuries weren't life threatening, but he couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Ash is aware he needed to consult professor Kukui on the recent developments, but he wasn't in mood for a conversation. He did show outside he was seeing the battle as a win, but somewhere he was feeling a bit bummed for losing. Wyvern had outdid himself, it's him that is holding him back. There were a lot of things going in his head now, and he felt the need to clear his head.

Ash considered the option of going for a stroll by the beach, but the sun was high up...so maybe not the best time to go. A more inviting option for him is to go straight to his room and sleep the entire mess out.

Sleep definitely was helpful, as Ash was back to his cheery mood as he walked on the beach on the Vermilion Bay, appreciating the sunset. He was returning from the harbour after saying his goodbye to Mike, who was leaving for Cinnabar in a ferry. From Mike he also got the news of the tournament. Apparently, the Gyarados trainer who was in Ash's group in the battle royal win the entire tournament. And the two finalists won free tickets of one of the largest cruise ship in the world SS St. Anne as prize.

He did miss the chance on glong on a first class trip at , but this is an annual tournament, conducted in all the gyms of Kanto. He will get another chance next year, and he will be more than ready by then. He is aware that Lusamine would buy him a ticket if he asks, but he needs to earn it with his own merit. Now he needs to just relax, accept his faults and move on. Staying grumpy and holding the past would do him no good here.

What's the best way to spend the last hour of day...do nothing. The beauty of the water flickering under light of sunset was something irresistible. The sky changed from minute to minute. From yellow orange to flamboyant pink, the clouds painted with changing colours as the sun goes down...the golden disk is already touching the surface of the ocean.

He could see why the city is named Vermilion. Not only the sky and the ocean, the city, the buildings...everything was shimmering in a shade of golden Vermilion. He could see why the city was named Vermilion.

As the hour slowly trickled by, the day was coming to an end. But a new day will soon follow with new hope, new determination...and with the new determination, Ash is ready to start preparing for his gym battle.


"Lucario, Aura Sphere", Ash said. Lucario grunted in acknowledgement as a sphere of raw energy formed in his hand and shot towards Lampent. Lampent conjured up a defensive energy field in response, but that barrier shattered upon impact, though Lampent was unharmed.

Last night he came up with a way which will give a fighting chance based on some assumptions...one, Gym leaders try to keep battles as fair as possible, especially for beginners, though that doesn't make them any easier...otherwise they just don't accept challenges below certain requirements. Since the Vermilion Gym is open for all, it's likely to be the former and it's unlikely that he would be fighting some crazily overpowered pokemon, atleast for his first gym battle of his life.

Two, it's safe to assume that he would be fighting mainly electric pokemon.

Based on these data, he chose Vibrava and Lampent for the battle, as according to rules his battle would be a 2v2.

Trapinch evolved to Vibrava for this very battle. Having a ground type will definitely give him an edge.

Lampent is arguably his best pokemon, he can attack, defend, cripple opponents with burn and poison, he is too good to be left out. Ash bought a Light Screen TM for Lampent as an extra ability to defend against ranged electric moves. He also borrowed Professor's Lucario for training as it would be more effective than fighting trees or grass or even each other. It's not surprising that Lucario's Aura Sphere broke Lampent's Light Screen, Lucario is an elite pokemon of Kukui. If Lampent even manages to hold Lucario's attack for some time, he is ready.

"Try Again", Ash said. Lucario sent out another Aura Sphere which Lampent tried his best to stop, but same result. Saying them to keep continuing Ash went to see Vibrava.

Vibrava was practicing Sandstorm, and making quite progress. Sandstorm would give the cover he needs to setup his traps. Vibrava's sandstorm can easily cover half of the field if not more, enough to get the job done.

Overall things were results were looking promising...He returned where Lucario and Lampent was training and found Lampent's flames were burning brighter, almost white... Which means Lampent was giving his all. And it paid...Lampent was able to hold the next Aura Sphere for one second, it was a progress and Ash is going to take it.

"Good Job Lampent" , Ash encouraged, "You are getting the hang of it". Receiving the praise Lampent tried again and again, after an hour of hardwork and the one second turned to two second. But Lampent was completely exhausted by then though Lucario seemed to barely break a sweat.

"Lucario, can you get going?", Ash asked. Lucario grunted back in affirmation, "So, why don't go and help Vibrava. Assist him to learn battling with Sandstorm up". Lucario grunted back and ran towards Vibrava while Ash walked towards Lampent.

"You should energize yourself", Ash suggested. Lampent's flames flickered as Lampent slowly placed itself on the ground, meditating.

Myths says that the Litwick line absorb the souls and spirits of other people and pokemon, which isn't wrong, but incomplete. Recent studies shows that the Litwick pokemon line absorb the life force, which is a multi dimensional electromagnetic energy cluster...a fancy word for a simple spirit. But now with the new scientific discovery, it is found that Litwick and its evolutions are capable of absorbing the life force from plants as well. Lampent unlike other ghost species doesn't eat solid or liquid materials, so it needs to absorb life force to survive. Already the grass around Lampent is already starting to dry, but it will grow back up. According to him, it is a pretty good way to keep Lampent healthy without killing anyone.

"You did pretty well", Ash said, taking a seat on the ground beside Lampent," At this rate, your Light Screen would be strong enough to fight Surge electric attacks"

Lampent waved his flame giving a happy response. Ash smiled and it, "You know, before I became a trainer...I decided to become a specialist. It wasn't that I was a super fan of an type which made me take that decision, it was out of spite", he said thinking of past, "Some trainers think that they train a certain type means they are superior to other trainers. I wanted to prove them wrong...I was a bit naive back them", pausing for a bit he continued, "So, I ask you, will you be my side to achieve this goal?".

Lampent's flames burnt brightly in response, as if saying You bet! Is that even a question!. Ash gave a laugh seeing it, "Remember, I would be counting on you a lot. You are the best I ever had. Now I think, being a specialist is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Ghost pokemon are just misunderstood, and people fear dragons because of some selected few species". Once again Lampent responded by waving its flames happily.

"Let's see what others are doing", saying Ash got up towards Vibrava and Lucario were training with Lampent levitating behind him. On reaching the spot, Ash just rolled his eyes,"Why am I not surprised ".

Vibrava was on the ground while Lucario was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. Lucario is a steel type, so he doesn't get distracted or choked by Sandstorm like most other pokemon out there.

"Vibrava, take a break. And Lucario, get back to train Lampent", Ash said.

The training schedule continued for hours. Lampent and Vibrava took turns to train with Lucario...and their experience were very different from each other.

Lampent benefited from this training as at the end of the day, his Light Screen would hold Aura Sphere for solid three seconds before shattering. As for Vibrava...nobody likes being a punching bag.

Vibrava was on the receiving end of Lucario's Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch combination, almost impossible to avoid. This combination of Lucario can punch holes in anybody's team. And if by some miracle Vibrava would dodge the first attack and took to the skies to avoid being hit, he was bombarded with a series of Aura Sphere thrown at him.

Ash had brought snacks for him and his pokemon to avoid travelling back and forth to the city constantly, especially when Wyvern is hospitalised...or more accurately pokemon centrised. After training the entire day, Ash decided to call the day off.

Next day was basically the exact same training, and Lampent was able to hold Aura Sphere for five seconds, which according to Ash is more than enough for now. Vibrava also improved in speed department with hitting Lucario back with Bug Buzz and Dragon Breath.

The third day was same for Vibrava, but for Lampent Ash decided to test his fire power. Fire Spin clashed with Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball collided with Aura Sphere, and though Lampent got overpowered each time, his attacks were pretty powerful.

At the end of third day Ash decided his pokemon are ready and he will challenge the gym tomorrow. That night Ash couldn't sleep. He was standing by the window, watching the city. Vermilion looked like a constellation of lights, as if each light was a star of Earth. There was an unnatural vibe that the city would come to life the very next moment...But everything was peaceful...and soothing...


The gym is about two hour walk from the pokemon centre. The gym if looked from above looks vaguely like an 'L'. The main building which houses the battlefield is at the front while behind it was another longer but less wider building which holds the training facility and offices. The roof was weirdly tilted at an angle but it did look aesthetically appealing. The main building had a wide fully automatic glass door decorated with a larger model of the Thunder Badge above the door.

Ash walked through the door with Lucario by his side. He did have him the option to be returned back of he wants to, but Lucario wanted to see how the battle goes.

Just inside the front door is a small reception with few people around. Most of them looked like security guards and a few are probably trainers. Ash walked straight to the white charming young woman behind the reception desk, looking over some files.

"Excuse Me", Ash said. The receptionist looked up from her work,

" Yes", She said politely, "How may I help you?".

" Ermm, I have come for a gym battle", Ash replied. The receptionist took a good look at Ash and snorted lightly. She asked for his pokedex, registered him for the battle and pointed towards the door on the other side of the room.

The door leads to a rather short hallway which leads to another door. Beyond that door was the battlefield, fully repaired after sustaining the wrath of the tournament. On the other side of the field stood...Pisces?

"So...you are the new challenger", Pisces said with arrogance filled in his voice, "Not gonna lie, I didn't think someone of your age had the guys to challenge the Vermilion Gym".

Ash ignored the jab and said,"Where is Surge?".

Pisces frowned at the question, "What makes you think boss will battle you?".

"Because he is the gym leader", Ash replied.

Pisces scoffed at this, "Do you even read rules kid!", he said, "You need atleast three badges to challenge boss. Any trainer less than three badges fight me as the substitute gym leader. Boss has better things to do rather than attend to brats who thinks they are a trainer just because they own a pokemon".

At this point Ash thought if he keeps quiet, then this Surge wannabe would go on and on. So he decided to return a small snide remark on his side,"You know, if I have to battle you, it will make winning easier".

"What!?", Pisces asked.

"Means that if Surge was there, it might have been a challenge, but since you are the gym leader now, the battle will be quicker than ever ", Ash taunted.

Pisces gritted his teeth on hearing this,"Why you little ...", but he was interrupted by another voice, "Ahem! If you two are done bickering, can we start the battle?"

Nobody noticed the referee had already taken his position along with a Rotom drone, and was looking very annoyed.

Ash gave him a sheepish grin and ndded at Lucario, who took a huge leap and landed straight up in the gallery.

"This is going to be an official gym battle between substitute gym leader of Vermilion gym leader Visquez Pisces and challenger Anderson Aether for the Thunder Badge. Each trainer will use two pokemon and this battle will continue until both of the pokemon of either side is unable to battle. Gym Leader sent out your first pokemon", the referee announced as a holographic screen appeared above the Rotom drone showing picture of both Ash and Pisces.

"You wanted a battle! Let's see you if you can handle it", Pisces said as he released a pokeball? from another pokeball? Oh yeah, Electrode, right.

" Alright then", Ash replied taking out his own pokeball, "Vibrava...I choose you!". In a flash Vibrava appeared on the field and was already starting to fly around.

Pisces rolled his eyes,"Ofcourse, use a ground type..."

"First battle is between Electrode and Vibrava...Begin!", the referee declared as pictures of an Electrode and Vibrava appeared beside Pisces and Ash's image respectively on the holographic screen.

"Sand Trap", Ash ordered. Vibrava was ready for it as he immediately dove into the ground, disappearing in the mud.

"Lookout Electrode", Pisces cautioned, "He can come up from anywhere".

" Who said about coming up", Ash said,a smirk lasted on his face as he kept pointing downwards. As if on cue, the ground shattered and Electrode fell into a pit of swirling sand. Ash was pleased seeing this. All he have to is wait as Sand Tomb will slowly drain up Electrode's energy. There is no way Electrode is going to escape...

"You have to do better than that", Pisces scoffed,"Electrode Magnet Rise".

Electrode created an electromagnetic field in the area and levitated out of the hole. Not only did Electrode got itself out, which is not at all surprising for Ash since he knows what Magnet Rise is, but Electrode lifted up large chunks of earth from the ground, which Ash wasn't expecting at all.

Surprised and stunned Ash just asked one word, "How?".

" The Vermilion Gym battleground is made of not only soil, but a lot of minerals mixed in it also...including metals", Pisces replied calmly, "You should have done your research".

A look on annoyance passed through Ash's face but there was no time for retaliation as Electrode began to slam those huge boulder size earth chunks at Vibrava whose cover had been busted. But thankfully Vibrava managed to steer his way through the shower of boulders, preventing himself from getting pancaked...they weren't as fast as Lucario's Aura Sphere.

The field was total mess. What have been a plane battlefield is now looked like a torn up mountainous area. It won't be a too much problem since Vibrava flies and Lampent can levitate, but this terrain might be problematic for Pisces pokemon.

"Vibrava fly", Ash said, "Then use Bug Buzz".

"Mirror Coat", Pisces countered.

Electrode covered itself in a shiny barrier as Vibrava flapped its wings at incredible speed sending faint green sound waves towards Electrode. However the waves of energy reflected back from Electrode's armour racing back at Vibrava who had to double his attack power to fully neutralise the counter attack.

Ok, now we cannot use ranged attacks, Ash thought in annoyance. It becomes frustrating when it seems like your opponent had counter to every attack you can throw.

" Rollout", Pisces ordered. Ash frowned at this command. What he is thinking? Rollout? In this terrain...against a flying target? His question was soon answered as Electrode began rolling at extremely high speed and used the elevation of a fallen rock to launch itself in the air straight towards Vibrava.

Ash didn't have lightning fast reflexes to issue counter measures, but Vibrava saw it coming and moved just in time for Electrode to just graze through his body. But even that little touch peeled of a later of Vibrava's body surface because of the enormous friction it generated. This injury sent a stinging pain from Vibrava's body as he struggled to maintain its balance in air.

Electrode landed in the ground creating a mini crater in the ground as it prepared for round two. Ash saw this and decided the risk wasn't worth, fighting Electrode head on is suicidal.

"Sandstorm", Ash ordered as Electrode started rolling to attack Vibrava again. Vibrava flapped its wings as air around him began forming into a vortex sucking up sand and dust from the ground. In a moment, the storm grew and engulfed Electrode entirely, distracting it enough to send it crashing into another rock instead of climbing it.

This would work, Ash thought. The injury from the previous rollout was making Vibrava harder to fly, so it began descending down. Hopefully, Sandstorm will keep him covered. But he clearly what is the Electrode evolution line best known for...

" FUCK IT", Pisces sweared loudly, he couldn't see anything what was going inside the storm, "Electrode, if you are there... THEN EXPLOSION!".

Realizing that Vibrava is within the blast radius, Ash quickly shouted, "Vibrava! Get out quickly!".

But Electrode had a decent blast radius. And the barriers setup for trainers protection meant there weren't many ways of escaping. Heck, Ash wasn't sure Vibrava could even hear him from inside. Soon a shine of bright light emerged from within the still raging Sandstorm as Ash could only watch a tremendous explosion went on. The impact of the explosion shook the entire room as light and heat were emitted from the Amoongus cloud followed by sense smoke that could rival Vibrava's Sandstorm in terms of visibility.

One second, two second...Ash doesn't know how much time passed. The silence and tension the air holds was killing him...He heard some dreadful stories of powerful Electrodes exploding on the enemy troops during the Great Pokemon Wars, killing armies of humans and pokemon.

After a few seconds...which seemed like an eternity, both the Sandstorm and the thick smoke was beginning to clear off. As the field began more and more visible, Ash can see a huge crater...with both Electrode and Vibrava lying in it. Electrode was barely conscious, but Vibrava was fully knocked out. Both of them were heavily injured as if...bombed...

The Rotom drone went to the crater to survey the damage and returned to the referee, "Both Electrode and Vibrava are unable to battle. Trainers choose your next pokemon!"

Ash recalled Vibrava, thanking him, "You did well Vibrava, now rest". Putting Vibrava's pokeball away, he brought out Lampent's pokeball.

Pisces too recalled Electrode silently and changed his pokeball," You just got passed my first pokemon on fluke. You are not going through my second pokemon", he declared. With a hardened look on his face Pisces released his second pokemon... a smug looking Raichu materialised, whipping its tail on the floor.

"Fine then", Ash said releasing Lampent. Lampent was levitating in the air, making an eerie movements, but Raichu gave him a pretty threatening and sadistic smile, both of them waiting for the referee's signal.

"BEGIN!"

"Thunderbolt" , Pisces roared. Raichu's cheeks sparked with electricity as atleast a million volts of electricity was shot at lightning speed. /No puns intended/

"Light Screen", Ash countered. Immediately Lampent covered himself in his energy barrier, successfully managing to stop the attack, but the force from the attack almost threw him into the wall.

"Again" Pisces shouted. He was turning pretty aggressive, but Ash was prepared. He had a special counterattack for this. "Twin Vortex", Ash called out.

Lampent's flame burned dangerously as he fired not one but two Fire Spins, one overlapping the another. The inner attack collided with Thunderbolt as both the attacks were in a headlock, fighting for dominance while the outer Fire Spin attack travelled through the outer edge of Thunderbolt engulfing Raichu into a fiery fire vortex. If Thunderbolt is flowing water, then the outer Fire Spin is the pipe through which the water was flowing. The sudden attack broke Raichu's concentration as it's electric attack stopped, allowing the inner Fire Spin to charge forward and trap Raichu in dual vortex of Fire Spin.

Pisces was so taken aback by this unusual technique that Raichu's cry of flames burning its outer fur and skin went unheard...the shocking look on his face was priceless as his jaws seemed would not the floor. But soon returning to his senses gritted his teeth, refusing to be outsmarted and outclassed.

" Raichu, Discharge!", Pisces shouted. Raichu first shielded itself from the fire with electricity and shot several lightning bolts radially, each more powerful than Thunderbolt.

Lampent had to cease his attacks to dodge two powerful bolts came roaring at him, but was toppled over by a third bolt which appeared out of nowhere. Taking the distraction to his advantage, Pisces issues his next orders, "Thunderbolt to bring it down. Knock it up with Volt Tackle!"

Another bolt of electricity was shot at the distracted Lampent...hitting dead at the target. Lampent probably felt the shock of his life as he lost his levitation and fell right on the ground...but managed to hear his trainer saying to use Acid Armour. Lampent began to start the process of partially liquidating his body, but before he could fully recover and get himself back in air, Lampent was met with a very precise and heavily concentrated mass of electricity with out of charts momentum.

The ridiculously powerful Volt Tackle hit Lampent hard and sent Lampent straight near the feet of his trainer, crashing and shattering all the boulders he got on his way. The initial liquification of his body was probably saved him from getting fully knocked up.

Still wound up, Lampent tried to recover as much as he could, expecting another attack...But it didn't come. Thunderbolt, Discharge does have taken a lot of stamina out of Raichu, and a heavy recoil move like Volt Tackle didn't help the matter. Raichu was panting hard on the other side of the field, halting for a bit to catch his breath.

Lampent tried to fight through his pain, but actually, he didn't feel any pain. Infact, he mostly didn't feel anything...not even his body parts...as if he had lost all his control and ability to sense his body. But Lampent wasn't going to give up, his trainer told he was his best and will be counting on him...and he his going to prove he wasn't wrong. With extreme willpower, Lampent practically forced his control over his body once more as his flames burnt brighter than ever.

Ash saw Lampent struggling to get up and knew very well he won't be fast enough to dodge attack. As soon as Pisces gave orders for another Volt Tackle to finish things of...He quickly thought of a counter to it.

"Deception", Ash said. Lampent knew exactly what Ash wanted and fired out a barrage of smaller Shadow Balls, like bullets being fired from a rapidfire gun, and covertly mixing Willow Wisp in it.

Raichu hammered through each and every Shadow Ball sent in his way, which either got deflected or exploded on impact and blinded by his desire finish his opponent once for ever didn't see a ball of intense ghostly flames fazzing right through the later of electricity and burning its front thighs. This not only caused Raichu to flinch, but the sudden burn caused its front legs to just give up, bringing the entire attack with high momentum to sudden halt, disbalancing it severely which resulted in Raichu falling right on the ground. All the electrical energy Raichu had built exploded right on it, increasing its agony. opponents

At this point, Raichu was nearly exhausted...most of the time he would one shot or two shot its opponent. But here he used attacks after attacks which drained him completely, and the recent burn and Volt Tackle failure struck the final nail in his coffin. Trying to push himself up, Raichu tried to get up, but the burn on his front legs prevented him from getting up. In the beginning of the battle he might would have fought through it, but now he didn't had any energy...any fight left to fight back.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELLL!" , Pisces voice trembled the room, "Raichu get up! Don't loose to this punk!"

Ash smirked on hearing it, Raichu is out of steam...burned...which means there is one move which is ideal for this situation. And thankfully Lampent knows the move...

"Say bye bye Pisces", Ash mocked, "Lampent...Finish everything with Hex!"I

To be continued in part 3...

And this wraps up the seventh chapter. There was no way I would make Lt. Surge loose to Ash who is a new trainer so early in the story. Ash maybe strong with trainers of comparable experience, but Surge is war veteran. So, I made Ash fight Pisces...or Visquez whatever. Also, I felt the plot of defeat Surge, win a ticket...or help Bill get a ticket to be overused, and since St. Anne would be sinking either way, I wanted to try something else...creating a specific tournaments held in all gyms of Kanto with the finalists from each tournament win a ticket.

Also, this is my very first attempt on an official battle, so do let me know how it went...and if there is anything I need to change or not.

The next chapter would most likely be a filler chapter with like no training or battling. It will be Ash taking a day of and your around Vermilion City before he leaves it.

dloold87: Thanks for letting me know. I tried my best to edit it out in this chapter and will be editing it in the next chapters. It's was more like my tablet 's autocorrect messing around. If there are anymore problems, please let me know. Thanks for reviewing.

Demonkid1: I have sent you PM.

GA Pokemon Fan: Sorry for not answering in the previous chapter. And no, I won't be pairing Ash with Marnie. I have other plans in mind. But till the Indigo League their would be no pairing. Ash is currently 11 only... Thanks for reviewing and suggesting.

Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing, I will see you in the next chapter.

Suggestions and Criticism are welcomed.

Fafnir Out ~~~