"Our next trainers are coming onto the grass field for the fourth round! The green trainer is Pallet Town's Ash Ketchum!" The announcer called and the crowd began to go wild. I looked around and saw everyone going nuts, calling out Ash's name and whispering excitedly. Well, even if Ash loses he certainly has made a name for himself. The crowd love him!

"Ash can't lose." Brock said intensely, glued firmly to his seat as he looked down into the arena.

"I was kind of hoping Ash would let his coaches in on the sidelines like before." Misty said, obviously thinking about the better seat views down in the box. I'll admit, that would be pretty awesome too.

"Ash just wants to prove he can win all by himself." Brock explained simply with an understanding smile.

"Well, if I were Ash, I'd choose Bulbasaur to battle on the grass field like this." Misty said and Brock agreed with her.

"But this is Ash we're talking about. We won't know what'll happen until we're in the heat of the moment, and he'll still take everyone by surprise." I pointed out simply then gestured to the crowd. "It's why everyone's so excited to see him battle, they love his style. It's quite appealing the way he keeps everyone on the edge of their seats."

"True, but all we've got to worry about now is not letting this attention go to his head." Brock said and inwardly, I knew this was true. Attention was good in small doses if you're not used to it, but something as huge as this is bound to fill up a brainless skull like Ash's. I'll be keeping a close eye on him for sure.

"Who's he battling anyway?"

"It just says her name is Jeanette Fisher." Brock answered, looking at the programme after Misty's question. "She must be pretty tough to make it this far."

"And now the red trainer is coming out into the field!" The loudspeaker announced and everyone turned their attention to the other side of the field where a red carpet suddenly shot out with artistic flare, shooting up then flicked down to the ground gracefully.

As a beautiful young woman walked out petals fell around her from a guy who scattered them, making the crowd suddenly go completely crazy as drums hammered and a cheer squad began their debut. "Jeanette, Jeanette, she's the best that you can get!" Oh please, I really can't stand anymore cheerleaders.

"Oh! She has a whole cheer squad with her, Ash only has us." Misty worried but I merely rolled my eyes as Brock went into his dazed phase.

"Then we'll be sure to cheer extra loud." I said confidently, clenching my fist then relaxed. I pulled out my camera and began to snap up as many photos as I could. "Besides, we've seen this sort of behaviour before from Gary and look what happened to him. He got too confident which led to him making some mistakes that knocked him out of the competition. Ash can remain focused without an entire orchestra and choir rooting for him." Misty smiled and nodded, relaxing at the thought so she took a deep breath and leaned back to relax.

"Jeanette…she should win…" Brock suddenly murmured and both of us instantly turned furious looks upon him.

"We're here to root for Ash! Whose side are you on anyway?" We both demanded and both grabbed an ear each, giving a firm pull to stretch them out and get his attention. "Wake up Brock, this is an important battle, stop drooling over all the pretty girls and focus on Ash!" I added for good mesure as Brock yelled in pain.

"Argh! Not the ears!"

"It looks like our opponents are ready to face off!" Immediately we both let go of Brock's ears, letting him drop to the ground as we leaned forwards.

"Come on Ash! I know you can do it!" Misty cheered and I punched the air.

"Yeah come on!"

"Vee!" Eevee joined in, safely guarded on my lap though she curled up and was happy to simply bathe in the sun. The flags lifted and the referee gave the go ahead for the first Pokémon to be sent out. I watched in anticipation as Ash sent out his first Pokémon, the ball spinning through the air before finally, it revealed to be Bulbasuar. Instantly we all exhaled with relief, however this then turned to fear on Misty's part as a Beedrill was sent out as the opponent.

"A…a…a…bug…" She whispered, staring in blind terror so I reached out and patted her shoulder.

"It's okay Misty, that Beedrill will stay in the arena and if it comes anywhere near you, I'll send Charizard out to torch it. Okay?" I gave a positive smile and she gulped, still trembling slightly.

"Okay. Sure. Yeah, that sounds great." Looking back I saw that Beedrill was already diving down at Bulbasaur with a Tackle attack which Bulbasaur dodged at the last second, making a heart stopping move that earned a collective gasp.

Next Ash called out a Razor Leaf which Beedrill dodged and began using Twin Needle, stabbing down with its large spear like hands which was then turned into a Poison Sting. "Looks like she's tougher than we thought." I said. "She's not going to let this match go easily."

"True but neither is Ash. Bulbasaur is doing great dodging all those attacks." Misty said as we leaned a little closer though Misty shuddered. "I just hope she doesn't have anymore Pokémon like that Beedrill." Brock hummed quietly, a rosy hue on his cheeks.

"I just hope she doesn't have a boyfriend." Misty growled instantly.

"Well there's no way that boyfriend's going to be you mister!" She shouted at him, though you could barely hear it over the cheer of the crowd. Suddenly Bulbasaur leaped back to gain some space and shot out a Leech Seed from its bulb, sending it flying towards Beedrill and it snapped on at the tip of its stinger, letting out a cluster of vines that clamped down on Beedrill and began draining it of its energy.

"Yeah! Go Ash!" I cheered as Misty beamed.

"Look! Leech Seed is sucking up Beedrill's energy!"

"Yeah…I see…" Brock cried and Misty turned on him again. Sudenly it was as if she were using Scary Face, rising up over Brock and this time, you could definitely hear her over the crowd.

"You're supposed to be rooting for Ash not Jeanette!" Bulbasaur charged forwards with a Tackle, sending Beedrill flying so when it landed, the Leech Seed snapped off and the bug Pokémon was no longer able to move.

"Beedrill out of the match!" The referee called and instantly everyone cheered.

"Way to go Ash!" Misty yelled, leaping up as I did the same.

"You can do it Ash! We believe in you!"

"Way to go Ash! Show 'em you're the number one trainer in the league!" Misty then blinked, looking over to the cheerleader squad as they continued their chant, still keeping up their spirits despite the fact Jeanette was still in the lead. "They're acting as if Jeanette is the one winning." Misty said as she sat back down. "Well cheering won't help if she picks the wrong Pokémon."

"Ash'll be ready no matter what she picks." Brock said and I gave him a smile.

"Finally awake Brock?" He nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, I'm awake." He paused. "But she's so beautiful!" Hearts practically sparkled in his eyes and my own heart bled for the poor guy. I watched at the irritated woman's face as she summoned back her Beedrill then held out her next Pokéball. When she sent out Scyther, I instantly froze in place.

"Not a Scyther!"

"Is Ash even ready for a Scyther?" Misty wondered and Brock gave the tiniest of shrugs in part answer.

"Maybe…" Very helpful. I for one have absolute faith in Ash. Absolute fiath that he'll either really pull this off or totally screw this up. I watched nervously as Scyther launched a series of ruthless and fast attacks of Tackle into Quick Attack, some of them landing hits on Bulbasaur but the spunky little Pokémon kept up the dodging act, dancing in and out of the blades until Ash had the sense to counter with an attack of his own. Vine Whip to be exact, the only thing was Scyther was so fast it kept on knocking the whips out of its way.

Suddenly Scyther pulled back then multiplied, becoming three opponents instead of one, shocking Ash into a statue as he stared in confusion. Double Team, when used well it could seriously confnuse your opponent as now no one knows which of the forms was the original one.

"Don't give up Ash! Just stay calm!" I shouted down though I doubted he could hear me. "You can do it!"

"That's right Ash, focus on your opponent, no matter how many there are!" Misty agreed. Ash used Vine Whip through the middle to make one of the Scyther disappear but then elected to go right, hitting another dud so when Scyther moved forwards with blinding speed, Bulbasaur was powerless to stop the hit though he bounced right back.

"Poor Bulbasaur, he's really no match against Scyther." I worried. "Scyther is far faster and has better offensive attacks, this could mean Bulbasaur's in real trouble!"

"Stay calm Ruby. Ash'll think of something." Brock assured me gently, pulling me back down into my seat. "It's not over until it's over. You see, Bulbasaur may be slower but its pretty tough, so it'll put up a good fight and might even be able to outlast Scyther."

"It looks like Bulbasaur is about to get mowed down by Scyther!" The loudspeaker remarked and I gave Brock a crude look.

"Outlast it, huh?" I questioned and Brock rubbed the back of his head with a guilty and nervous laugh.

"Well uh…" As Bulbasaur was used as a punchbag by Scyther, Ash finally called something out. Bulbasuar shot out Razor Leaf but Scyther easily dodged with a Double Team attack which flung Bulbasaur up into the air, legs flailing helplessly until its Vine Whip shot out against all three and finally pinned the original Scyther down.

"Alright!" I cheered, punching the air as Eevee lifted her head and blinked sleepily. As the referee called out Scyther's defeat, the crowd once again went wild for Ash's victory. "Hey, maybe this girl isn't so tough after all." I said with a smirk. "Piece of cake for Ash really."

"Ash figured out that Scyther's Double Team attack left it twice as weak on defence." Brock mused as the crowd continued to cheer and applaud. You'd think he'd won already.

"And he did it all on his own!" Misty said proudly as they looked at one another.

"I guess he really can handle a match without our help."

"Don't be too quick to the chase." I pointed out smartly as I sat back down again. "Jeanette still has one Pokémon left and if I'm right, she's saved her best for last." Out came a Bellsprout. "Okay, forget I said anything." I said then slumped back down in my seat.

"This looks like a desperation move by young Fisher!" Wait a second, let me think. Bellsprout…Bellsprout, Bellsprout…of course! Oh no!

"Argh! Ash is in trouble!" I suddenly squeaked, gripping my hat tightly and pulled it down low over my face as Misty and Brock blinked at me in surprise.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Taking a deep breath I began to explain as Ash started up the battle with a Tackle attack.

"Well you see, when I was on Cinnabar Island I got to study some wild Bellsprout with Kyle. We observed how well they survived despite being in such harsh territory with bigger and stronger Pokémon around them. They use their flexible bodies to bend and move out of the way of their opponents without even moving, and those leaves aren't as weak as you might think. They're very tough and spunky little Pokémon and they use their opponents strengths against them. Bulbasaur has just fought two battles, I don't think he'll be able to take much more and, if Ash uses Pikachu he'll be in trouble again because any electric attacks will just be absorbed into the ground by Bellsprout's roots." I blushed and touched my face. "I sure learned a lot, didn't I?" And just at that moment, Bulbasuar had been flung through the air and crash landed on Ash's podium, cancelling him out of the match.

"Oh no! Poor Bulbasaur!" Misty gasped as Ash returned Bulbasaur to its Pokéball. Instantly I clapped my hands together.

"Please don't be dumb, please don't be dumb, please don't be dumb…" Ash sent out Pikachu. "Okay, dumb it is then." I sighed then rested my chin on one hand, stroking Eevee's fur. I couldn't watch, it was shamefull. Pikachu used attack after attack only to be knocked out by one hit to the head. "You'd think Ash would remember type matchups regardless." I groaned, shaking my head.

"Sorry we're so late!" A familiar voice called out and I looked up to see Mrs Ketchum and Professor Oak walking towards us.

"Mrs Ketchum, Proffesor Oak!" Misty said in surprise as I smiled and stood up to greet them.

"We came to cheer Ash to victory." Proffesor Oak explained simply as Brock stood up too, looking a little awkwardly at the professor.

"Uh…did you know that your grandson lost?" He asked tenderly but Professor Oak wore a kind smile and nodded his head.

"Yes I know. It'll do Gary good to find out that the road has a few bumps along the way." He answered and I took a deep breath. I guess he was right, no part of this journey was going to be easy, but hey, that's half the fun!

"Win this one for your mother!" Mrs Ketchum called out and Professor Oak copied her example.

"Now that Gary's out of the competition, all the folks in Pallet Town are counting on you!" I blinked in surprise then chuckled, shaking my head as Misty leaned closer and whispered in my ear.

"They're supposed to be cheering Ash on, but all they're doing is putting more pressure on him." She worried so I pulled back with a smile and a laugh to ease her concerns.

"Don't sweat, they mean well and besides, Ash can't hear them with this crowd." I reasoned and she chuckled.

"Guess so." I shot a glare towards that Jeanette girl as she crowed over her sudden comeback.

"Now let's see if Ash has the Pokémon he needs to win this victory over this unbelievable Bellsprout." I shifted up so that Mrs Ketchum could sit between me and Brock and she instantly made a fuss over Eevee, so I let her sit in Mrs Ketchum's lap so she could focus on the match too as Ash sent out his last Pokémon.

When a big pile of purplish glob appeared, I instantly vowed to take everything about Ash's lack of brain back. "Hey! I didn't know Ash brought his Muk with him to the competition." Misty said with surprise as she stood up and Professor Oak nodded his head rather proudly.

"Ash thought he might need his Muk during this match so he called yesterday and asked me to make the transfer." The professor looked back to the open field where Ash now looked focused and determined, zeroing in on Bellsprout who now seemed to tremble before the poison type. "Ash knew that Muk had a huge advantage over grass Pokémon."

"Hmm, I don't know what surprises me more. The fact that he's using Muk, or the fact that he thought ahead." Misty said as she sat back down again.

"Yes, I underestimated him myself." Professor Oak agreed.

"I think we all did. Ash has never shown this sort of consideration before a battle since I've known him. I've only seen him dive headfirst into all situations and deal with the puzzle pieces later, but here he's actually planned a strategy that has an effective bite." I continued, looking down at the battlefield with a smile. "Well, well, looks like I'm not the only one who has upped their game."

The Bellsprout went running forwards with a kicking attack at Muk who simply sat there and absorbed the attack easily, seeming almost insulted that the attempt hadn't even done more damage.

"Folks it looks like the tables have been turned for Jeanette's Bellsprout. Muk is completely absorbing the energy from the attack." Bellsprout sprung backwards, blinking in surprise then began to kick at Muk who laughed, obviously enjoying the amusing display as I slowly smiled, tipping my hat upwards slightly. Great thinking Ash, I'm impressed.

The poor little sprout Pokémon gave it everything it had, kicking and tackling and shooting Razor Leaf but it simply had no effect on Muk's durable body, allowing it to take the hits without so much as a flinch. Not even when Bellsprout managed to pick him up and throw him rather miraculously. I hope mom was watching because she would have loved that move.

Finally it ended with Muk's Body Slam, smothering the little Bellsprout though it tried its best to pound its way out of there. After several failed attempts, everything went quiet and the crowd all held their breath, watching with trepid anticipation as Muk slowly pulled back.

The referee raced over, looking down on Bellsprout for a moment before lifting the green flag. "Bellsprout is out of the match and the fourth round victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" Instantly the crowd fell apart, going wild for Ash as he celebrated, leaping up into the air and I turned to see his mother crying.

"I'm so proud of him!"

"I can't believe Ash won on all four fields!" Misty beamed as I leaped up and cheered.

"Yeah go Ash! Pallet Town rules!" Laughing and cheering I watched as Ash ran to Muk and got a rather affectionate hug, Muk smothering Ash completely but I think he was too overjoyed to care, he'd won his fourth match after all! He definitely deserved it, after thinking ahead and pulling that stunt out of the box without even needing help, this was a victory Ash had earned.