In the stadium, the audience sat in silence. Tension hung heavily on the air, as wind blew through the stadium. Two figures stood on the battlefield, looking at their opponents.
Ash Ketchum wiped the bead of sweat that trickled down his forehead, his eyes focusing on his opponent.
With a sigh, he looked towards his pokémon. "Now Salamence! Use Earthquake!"
The dragon pokémon cried out as she jumped into the air and struck the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the battlefield. The pokémon known as Metagross, who was standing at the opposite side of the field, screamed in pain as he was knocked to the ground from the force of the attack.
The man standing opposite to Ash grimaced before giving his pokémon its next command. "Metagross, hit that Salamence with Sludge Bomb!"
The Iron Leg pokémon's metallic X-shaped cross glowed purple before mud was fired out of it and straight towards the large dragon-type.
Thinking fast, Ash called out to his pokémon. "Quick Salamence, in the air!"
The blue pokémon spread her metallic, red, blade-like wings as she launched herself in the air, dodging the Metagross' attack by mere seconds. A smile appeared on Ash's face.
"All right Salamence, let's win this! Use Dragon Claw at full power!"
The dragon pokémon cried out before diving down towards the iron pokémon at full speed. Her right claw began to glow brightly with a green hue before slashing the metallic pokémon in the face. The attack hit its mark as the Metagross was sent flying towards one of the stadium walls, crashing into it, and causing a huge cloud of dust to form around him. When the smoke cleared, Metagross laid there on the ground, the look on his face unmistakable. The spirals-for-eyes—a clear indication of a knockout.
"Metagross is unable to battle! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" the stadium referee declared. A collection of screams boomed through the arena as the stadium lights began flashing brightly. The trainer standing on the other end of the field dropped to his knees in defeat.
"All right! We won!" Ash screamed as he shot his fist in the air. He heard a cry in the distance and looked towards the audience. He saw Pikachu standing there, waving his small arms enthusiastically at his human's victory. Slowly, the stadium began to fade. It almost seemed to waver as the stadium surrounding Ash began to disappear. The screams and shouts slowly died down as silence took over. The arena was replaced by a sort of combination of a galley and work-space. Lights flashed on panels, monitors showed arcane data, and sleek units sat atop shiny storage bins.
"PikaPi!" the electric pokémon cried as he jumped into his human's arms.
"Hey buddy! I was great wasn't I?"
"Pika!"
"You did great, Ash," a voice said from behind one of the computers, "My Sim Trainer, Losten, is one of the bests at the lab. You took him down in no time at all." Michael said with a smile.
"Well, thanks, Michael. My battle skills have improved since I became Sinnoh's Champion," Ash said proudly as he stepped off of the platform that led him into his virtual reality.
Michael pressed a few buttons on his computer. Moments later, a CD disc popped out.
"So, where are the others?" Ash asked as he surveyed his surroundings and saw that his friends were no longer room.
"Your friends are all downstairs, well most of them. Gary is with the professor, while May is transporting some of her pokémon over from Hoenn. Max is talking with one of our colleagues, while your friend Brock went about to flirting with one of our assistants. I have no idea where your friend Melanie is. Last time I saw her, she was battling one of our assistants outside."
Ash shook his head, knowing that's most likely what she was doing. He had already gotten his team ready for his tournament battle. He called Professor Oak earlier that day and asked him to transport Swellow, Corphish, Bayleef, and Torkoal over for him to use in his battles. Curious as to who May would be taking back from Hoenn, Ash left the control room and proceeded to another portion of the house, what Michael called the director's office. He saw Lily sitting behind a desk typing something on her laptop. She flashed Ash a smile and waved before going back to her writing. He began surveying the room again until his eyes found May. She was sitting at a PC, taking a pokéball from the transport system. Her new Pichu was perched on her shoulder.
"Hey May," he said he approached her.
May smiled at him before turning her attention back to the PC.
"You're getting your team ready for the contest?" Ash asked.
"Yep. Check out who I brought," she said as she scooted over so Ash could look at the PC. He saw five figures light up under her name—Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Glaceon, and Pichu.
"Cool. So this is the team you're gonna use?"
"Yep. I'm putting Munchlax and Wartortle back so they can rest. I thought it was time I brought Skitty back to play a little. I haven't used it for a while now. And I just decided to keep Beautifly and Glaceon for these contests. And you know there's no way I'm leaving Blaziken behind." She minimized the pokéball in her hand and put it on her belt.
It was then that Michael stepped in the room with another man. He was tall and had fiery red hair. He had on a large red robe with many designs that were foreign to Ash. He also had on thick gray shades and heavy black boots.
"Guys this is, Eldes. He's an…acquaintance of mine. We used to be enemies but I think we're cool now."
Eldes chuckled. "Yes. Though, I know it will take time to earn your full trust, I will be patient. After the wrongs my father and brother and myself have done to you, I can see why you'd be hesitant."
Michael smiled weakly. "He's going to give you guys a ride to Pyrite so you can register Ash.
Ash's face scrunched up in confusion as he stared at the tall man before him. Likewise, May did the same.
"Wait a minute, you guys used to be enemies?"
Michael nodded.
"Yeah. You see, Eldes here is one of the sons of the true head of the organization that tried to take over the world using extremely violent and powerful pokémon. They started here in Orre, which was foiled by me, of course. But they planned to expand to other regions until they conquered the whole entire world."
"And…you're gonna let him give us a ride?" May said, her voice unsure and full of confusion.
Michael shook his head.
"Don't worry. I think we can trust Eldes. He stopped his demented father and brother from fleeing their HQ and blowing it up with me in it. If I can trust him with my life, I think I can trust him with yours. We can trust you, can't we Eldes?"
Eldes nodded. "Of course. The past is the past. Let us move on from those darker times and forward to newer and brighter days."
Smiling to himself, Michael turned to his recent visitors. "Shall we? We should probably inform the others that your ride is here."
With a nod of their heads, Ash and May followed Michael and his 'acquaintance' to the elevator to go meet the others. Ash still couldn't believe that this twelve year old boy lived in an HQ and furthermore, one with an elevator. Even Professor Oak didn't have elevators. Or battle simulations in his lab. This had to be the most high-tech place he had ever seen. He couldn't even imagine how high the mortgage must be.
Pyrite Town was a fairly large town by Ash's standards. It was hewed out of a crimson-colored canyon and was laced with bits of old trash and mining debris, the latter a reminder of the town's mining past. Most of the buildings and machinery in the town were saturated with rust.
On their way there, Michael had told them that Pyrite was an honorable town of thugs and scoundrels. Once a mining town, most of the residents have resorted to a life of crime since the town's livelihood began to wane. However, Michael said the rumors about the levels of crime in Pyrite appear to be exaggerated slightly. That it is said that people who stay in Pyrite for a long time take on the town's characteristics. He also said Pyrite was known locally as "the town of earth, wind, and money".
It wasn't long before the group arrived at a small rusted house that was made mostly of iron and metal instead of brick. A strange insignia that looked much like a "G" to Ash was to the right of the door.
Eldes turned to face the group. "Well I'd love to stay but I can't. I have to go take my father to his daily therapy session at the clinic. Our appointment's at five o' clock so I know we're already late."
"Don't worry about it, Eldes. I can handle it from here. Thanks again for the ride," Michael said with a smile.
Nodding, the strange and tall trainer turned around and left the group to fend for themselves.
Michael stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly.
"It's this way," he said as he opened the door to the rusted old house.
The interior was much more inviting than the outside of the house. Smooth chestnut wood was on the floor as a red/yellow rug lay to the side. The walls were painted a bright orange and a gray phone hung from one of them. Two bookcases were seen in the back, containing many books on battles and strategizing.
Two men were currently in the room having a very intimate discussion. One of them was seated almost in the center of the room. He had thick, wavy, black hair and a very thick mustache that filled up his entire upper lip. His extremely large bulging biceps and broad shoulders told Ash that he was most likely a bodybuilder since it was nearly impossible to obtain such a stature without that kind of workout.
The other man was standing to the right of the desk. He had feathery, thin, silver hair. He was thin-bodied with long legs and big brown eyes. He had on a blue jacket and blue shorts as well. He smiled when he saw the group entering the room.
"Well, well, if it isn't Michael," he said as he crossed his arms.
"Hey there guys. How've you been?"
The man behind the desk folded his arms as a small smile formed on his lips as well. "We've been pretty good, Michael. But I'm more concerned about the visitors you've brought into my home."
With a smile, Michael turned around to face the group, specifically Ash. "These are tourists I found in Gateon. They said they're here to compete in colosseums and contests being held this year."
The broad man's smile widened into a full grin. "Well, why didn't you say so, boy? Let's get these kids registered so they can compete!"
Again, Michael turned to the group.
"Guys, this is Dunking. He's the owner of the Pyrite Colosseum and looks over all the colosseums being held in Orre."
"You mean he was the owner of the Pyrite Colosseum. A privilege that now belongs to me." The other man said with pride.
"And that prestigious fellow right there is Silva, Dunking's right hand man."
"And don't forget, best friend and lieutenant. Not to mention a colosseum owner." Silva added.
"Oh pipe down, Silva. We all know you run my old colosseum. But I am still its owner until you sign the papers. And I will still foresee all of the colosseums in Orre after you take ownership of the colosseum belonging to Pyrite." Dunking replied.
He then turned to face the group. "Now then, let's get you kids registered. Who will be competing in the colosseums and contests this year?"
Ash and May warily raised their hands.
"Well, come on then! Let's get you registered!"
"Dunking, you can't register anyone to contests. You only control the colosseums." Silva corrected.
"Oh how right you are Silva. It must've slipped my mind with all the excitement going on," Dunking said as he took out a stack of papers from his desk.
"Whichever one of you is competing in the colosseums please step up now. The other will have to register in Phenac."
Ash slowly stepped up to the broad man's desk.
"So, who are you, boy?" Dunking said not looking up from his desk as he signed a few things on the papers he just took out.
"Uh…Ash. Ash Ketchum."
"That's a fine name." He said, still not looking up from his desk.
"Thank you. I think so too." Ash said proudly.
"Mighty fine pokémon you got there too." He added, pointing to Pikachu with his pen before going back to writing.
Ash smiled. "Who Pikachu? Yeah, it's great. It's my best buddy and my closest friend."
"Pika!"
"It was my very first pokémon."
"You don't say?" There was a peculiar tone to Dunking's voice.
"Yeah. Do you have any pokémon Dunking?"
Dunking chuckled lightly before a wide smile appeared on his face.
"Had. I had one pokémon that I loved very much. Plusle. It was my first pokémon too. A very dear friend before I gave it away to one of my friends."
"You…you gave it away?" Ash asked, slightly uncomfortable.
Dunking nodded.
"Yeah. It was really fond of him. The two are quite a team too. At least his girlfriend thinks so. I do too, if I do say so myself. Besides, it's better off with him. Plusie will get the exercise it needs to stay happy and healthy. I get to see it often when the boy visits, though."
Licking his finger Dunking turned the page on the form he was signing. "I'm gonna need to see your Trainer Card."
Taking off his pack, Ash undid the zip and reached into one of the side pockets. He pulled out his wallet and opened it up, taking his trainer ID out of it.
Taking the card from Ash, Dunking began signing more papers. Michael took this opportunity to speak up.
"You know, Dunking, Plusle wasn't your only pokémon. You do still have those three that I traded yah."
Dunking smirked.
"Boy, those three are more of the twins' pokémon than mine. Plusle was my only and my first, but I'm sure it's better off where it is." He said as he signed one last thing.
"Here you go lad," he said as he handed Ash back his card, "You're gonna need that to enter the colosseums. Make sure you have it with you at all times."
Silva snickered slightly.
"He has to have it at all times, Dunking. That's how he can identify himself."
Ignoring his friend, Dunking went about to folding another page of the form.
"I'm going to need you to sign here, stating that you are one of the trainers eligible to compete in the colosseums and then the tournament following it."
Ash took the pen from Dunking and began signing his name to where Dunking had pointed.
"I have your map and colosseum case here," Dunking said putting the two on the table, "Unlike before, the colosseums will give you badges so that the tournament sponsors can know you can compete in the tournament being held following the colosseums. There are five colosseums you must enter and complete in order to compete in the tournament. There's the Pyrite Colosseum, where all trainers will start their tournament journey. The next one you need to go to is being held in Phenac at the Phenac Stadium. After that you will precede to the Under, otherwise known as "Deep" Colosseum by foreigners, which is located in the Under, just beneath Pyrite Town. Then there's the Orre Colosseum, one of the most troublesome and most difficult challenges of the colosseums since it usually stomps most trainers in their tracks before they can even get through the first round, thus, stopping them from moving on to the final colosseum. But, I don't think that will be too much of a problem for you, boy."
Dunking gave Ash a short wink before continuing.
"The last and final colosseum is the Tower Colosseum, being held at the Realgam Tower. The colosseum and tournament are being held in the same building. So after you win that final badge, you'll have to wait until the tournament begins to compete, which is another challenge in itself. But, I'm sure you'll do just fine, lad."
Taking the pen from Ash, Dunking signed his name right under his, before licking his finger and tearing off several of the forms.
"All right. You're all set, Ash. All I have to do is drop this here form off at the registration box and you'll be ready to compete in the colosseums."
Ash's lips spread into a full grin. "All right! I'm so ready to compete!"
"Pika! Pikachu!"
Sliva smirked. "Oh boy. Now you've done it. Dunking's never gonna shut his mouth now."
Ignoring his friend again, Dunking's smile widened as well as he stared at the young trainer before him.
"I admire you're fighting spirit, boy. You remind of a friend of mine…" He rubbed his chin before continuing, "You do know the colosseums don't start for another five days, though?"
"That's okay. It gives me more time to train and prepare."
Dunking chuckled lightly. "Yeup. Definitely like my friend." He said with another chuckle. "If you want, there's a pre-gym in Phenac where you can train until the colosseums start."
"Wow really?" Ash said with excitement.
Dunking nodded. "Or you could go to Mt. Battle. That's where most trainers go to train their pokémon.
"Thanks, Dunking. I'm gonna do that as soon as we get there!"
Dunking then turned his attention to May. "You the little lady who's goin' to be competing in the contests?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, you may wanna hurry up and get registered. Contest starts tomorrow."
May's face dropped. "Oh no! Are you serious?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure I am. Don't know if I'd joke about…"
"Oh my gosh! I have to hurry up and get to Phenac to register! Oh if I miss that contest I'll just die!"
Dunking's smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it, little lady. I'm sure Silva here wouldn't mind giving you a ride. Won't you Silva?"
Silva's left eyebrow arched slightly before he crossed his arms. "When did I say I'd give them a ride?"
"When you took an oath as my lieutenant. C'mon Silva, give these kids a break. You see how they're in desperate need to get to Phenac. Won't you give 'em a ride?"
Silva shook his head slightly. "Fine. But I have to run a few errands first."
"There. It's all set. You all can ride with Silva in his ole' Jaguar."
Silva began flailing his arms. "Did you have to tell them I have a Jaguar?"
"I don't see the big deal?"
Silva growled. "Why can't I just teleport them there? I'm sure I can get my sister's Abra to do the work."
"Abra can only teleport one person at a time. Unless you expect these youngins to all crowd themselves around the pokémon and strain to touch it, I suggest you give 'em a ride. It's easier for everyone."
Grumbling to himself, Silva took his keys off of Dunking' desk and went outside.
"Ah, don't worry about Silva. He's a good guy once you get to know him," Dunking said as he took some more papers out from his desk.
Michael turned to face the group once more.
"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna stay here with Dunking."
"Are you sure?" Ash asked.
"Uh Huh. You guys go ahead to Phenac. I'll be fine. You may wanna hurry up since your friend May is already outside."
Nodding his head slightly, Ash and the rest of the group went to follow the anxious May and upset Silva to his car.
After the group left, Michael went to go join Dunking at his desk.
"How's the election coming along, Dunking?"
Dunking feverishly flipped through another page on the form.
"Boy, this isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Who knew running for mayor required all this paper work?"
"Well, Dunking, the citizens of Orre feel you're what this town needs. The millions of signatures on the petition say so."
"Yeah, but…what about that Trest guy? He's been mayor ever since that Evice was jailed and shipped overseas with that gaunt sidekick of his."
"Yeah, but Trest was only supposed to be a temporary mayor, at least until we got the election going again."
Dunking sighed. "I don't know, Mike. It was easy to keep this town safe when our hero was here. But now…am I capable to put them thugs away without assistance?"
"Dunking, the people of this town fear you far more than Sherles or any criminals that are out there. We know you're interested in keeping some semblance of order. And that's the kind of mayor we need."
Again, Dunking sighed.
"I don't know, boy. I just don't know."
May hurriedly ran through the contest registration hall, looking for clerk at the desk so she could register. Spotting a man seated behind one of the desks, and seeing a huge pink ribbon posted above the cabinets, she ran up to him.
"Excuse me, but is this where I register for the contest being held here?"
The man smiled slightly. "Why, yes it is. Are you planning to enter?"
"Yes, sir. I am."
"Of course. I'll just need to see you're Trainer Card and Contest Pass, please."
Reaching in her pack, May pulled the two cards out and handed them to the man.
"I see you have a Rainbow Pass." He said as he typed May's name into the computer.
"Yes, sir. That's al lright…isn't it?"
His smile widened. "Of course it is. You're qualified to enter in any contest around the world." He handed May her cards back before typing something else in his computer.
"Done. You're now registered for the contest tomorrow, Miss Maple."
May let out a relieved sigh. It was short-lived, however, as she heard a few grunts coming from her left. She saw that her friends had just made it through the contest hall double doors, all of them out of breath.
It was Ash who found his voice first. "M…May…why did you leave us back there?"
"Oh, sorry guys. I had to make sure I made it in time for the contest." She said with slight embarrassment.
They all sighed heavily. This was going to be a long day.
There were large, grassy fields all around Phenac, where many trainers were training their pokémon for the upcoming contests. This was no exception for May as she prepared to train her pokémon as well. She had a bit of a hard time deciding what she should do and more importantly, who she would use. As the clerk in the hall explained earlier, the contests here in Orre allows coordinators to use up to two pokémon in the appeals round, and the secondary round required that they used two pokémon as it was common for Orre natives to engage in double battles.
Looking over her five pokémon as they stood in the field, May came to a conclusion. But before she could inform her pokémon of who would be competing in the contest, Ash approached her.
"Hey there, May." He said with a smile.
"Hey Ash."
"You gonna prepare for the contest?"
"Yep. I have less than twenty four hours to get my routine together. But I've finally come to a decision as to who I'm going to use."
"Really? Who?"
May turned to face her pokémon once more.
"I think I'm gonna take advantage of the two pokémon usage in the appeals round and use Glaceon and Blaziken in the first round. Then I'm gonna use Beautifly and Pichu for our double battle in the second round."
Skitty slumped down when she realized she wasn't going to be participating in this contest. May immediately went to go console her pokémon.
"Hey, it's okay Skitty. I promise I'll use you in the next contest."
Skitty perked up slightly at hearing this.
"So May, are you sure you wanna use Pichu for the battling round? Like you said, it's never been in a contest before." Ash asked.
May picked up her pokémon. "Of course. All we need is a little practice and we'll be good to go. Though, it would be nice if I had someone to practice with?" She arched her eyebrow slightly as she looked at him, her eyes asking the question.
"Who am I to refuse such an offer?" Ash said with a smile, "Besides, this would be good practice for my colosseum entry."
"So I take it that's a yes?"
"You bet!" Ash said, smiling as he took a pokéball off of his belt.
The two trainers took a firm stance on either side of the field.
"All right! Come on out, Swellow!" Ash shouted as he threw the red ball. A bird pokémon with brilliant blue feathers and contrasting red breast feathers appeared on the field. Pikachu ran beside the winged pokémon as he took his place on the field.
"Glaceon! Pichu! Take the stage!" May shouted as she threw a pokéball in the air. A fox-like creature with light blue fur materialized on the field, taking her place beside Pichu, who had already taken her place on the field.
"Now, Swellow, use Aerial Ace on Glaceon! Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Pichu!" Ash commanded.
The red-legged pokémon gave a cry as he flew straight towards the ice type before quickly ascending up into the sky, soon being engulfed in white streaks of light as he flew back to the foe his trainer commanded him to attack.
As Swellow did that, Pikachu began running towards his pre-evolved form, his tail glowing a brilliant white as he did this.
"All right Glaceon! Intercept Swellow's attack with Secret Power! Pichu! Use Charge Beam!
Glaceon's body glowed a glittering pink as she charged towards her foe while Pichu's body began sparkling with electricity. She then leaped into the air and fired a lightning bolt towards her evolved form with her tail.
The four attacks clashed, each knocking the respective pokémon back a few feet.
Ash smiled slightly. "I've never seen Charge Beam used like that before?"
"You like. We thought it would be perfect to use in our performance. It took use weeks to perfect that move." May informed him.
"Pichu!"
Ash's smile widened. "Well, you ready for more May?"
"You bet! Right guys?"
Pichu and Glaceon cried out in agreement. Suddenly, Glaceon closed her eyes and perked her ears up, almost as if she were listening to something intently. Opening her eyes back up, Glaceon sprinted off the battlefield.
"Glaceon, wait, where are you going?" May cried as she chased after her pokémon.
"May, wait!" Ash recalled his Swellow to his pokéball before chasing after his friend, soon followed by the rest of the group. It wasn't long before Glaceon came to an abrupt halt. She cried out happily as stared at something from afar.
"Glaceon, what's wrong with you? Why did you sprint off like that?" May asked her pokémon. Then, she, as well as the others, noticed a trainer standing in a clearing. The trainer had long periwinkle hair that flowed down to the middle of her back and a small bang covering the left side of her face. She was wearing a pink off the shoulder side shirred top and white palazzo pants. Black sandals were on her feet, as pink nail polish was painted on her toenails.
The trainer was apparently training her pokémon. Now looking over that particular pokémon, May understood why her Glaceon sprinted off just a few moments ago.
"All right, Buddy! Use Shockwave!"
The Jolteon's body began sparkling with blue-hued electricity before a bolt of electricity was fired straight into the air.
"Follow it up with Hidden Power!"
The dog-like pokémon's body began to glow gold as whitish-green balls of light flew off of his electricity enveloped body and began circling him, the electricity on his body flowing with it, making the circling balls appear to move like a merry-go-round.
"Volt Tackle!"
The groups' eyes widened and their mouths dropped at the trainer's command.
"T…That's impossible!" Ash stammered out, knowing that it is a signature move of the Pichu evolutionary line and that those pokémon were the only pokémon to learn that attack. But sure enough, the Jolteon's body was engulfed with yellow electricity, the yellow and blue mixing but not blending as the Jolteon ran throughout the field.
"Now finish!"
The eeveeloution gave a cry as he leaped into the air in the middle of the circulating balls of light and released the electricity contained within him. The electrifying move spread the electricity throughout the field before the Hidden Power exploded within it. The end result was the shimmering sparks glimmering in the air, the aftermath from the series of attacks, concluding with Jolteon taking a firm pose right below it.
"All right, Buddy! That was great!" The trainer said as she approached her pokémon. She began petting her companion when the sound of applause startled her slightly. She spotted a group of teens about her age a few feet away and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks when she realized she was being watched.
The group walked into the clearing to meet the new trainer.
"That was incredible!" May said excitedly.
"Oh…well, thank you. It took us a long time to get that right." Was the other trainer's response.
As usual, the group began their standard greeting, starting with Ash introducing himself as a trainer from Pallet Town, down to Melanie giving her extended bold introduction frustrating Ash as well.
The other trainer smiled. "I'm Christine, and this is my partner Buddy."
"Jo Jolt!"
"So that's a Jolteon?" Melanie said as she took out her pokédex. The mechanical voice orated the description as Jolteon's picture appeared on the screen.
Jolteon-the Lightning Pokémon-It accumulates negative ions in the atmosphere to blast out 10000-volt lightning bolts. Every time its mood changes, it charges power. If agitated, the fur all over its body bristles like sharp needles that pierce foes.
It was then that Brock, suddenly infatuated at seeing this young woman before him, ran over to Christine and got to one knee, taking her hand as his eyes began to sparkle.
"Oh beautiful Christine, I knew the moment I saw you it was meant to be. For years I have traveled all over the world and it is destiny that we have met! All I've ever dreamed of is…"
"All I've ever dreamed of is for your mouth to be shut!" Max chided as he began dragging the lovesick Brock away from the scared girl. Croagunk, who had let himself out of his pokéball and prepared to strike Brock with his Poison Jab, watched the little boy drag his human away from the girl. He sensed some competition as he now knew he wouldn't be the one to baby his human any more.
After a tense moment, Christine turned back to face the group.
"Buddy was my very first pokémon. It's been with me through all of my travels."
"If you don't mind me asking, how were you able to get your Jolteon to use Volt Tackle like that? It was my understanding that that move was only learnable by Pichu and its evolutionary line," Brock asked slightly intrigued, once he had gotten over his broken heart.
Again, Christine smiled. "Well, that's true. Volt Tackle is a move that is mostly used by Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu."
"Then how come you were able to get your Jolteon to learn that?" Ash asked.
"Well, Volt Tackle is known to be used by those pokémon but it's not limited to them."
Seeing the confused look on their faces, she went on to explain.
"See, Professor Oak was the one who discovered that the Pichu evolutionary line had the signature move known as Volt Tackle. Since it is a signature move, it's assumed that other pokémon outside this species are unable to learn that move by any means. That's when Buddy and I began training. We started studying what caused this particular species to learn this move. We looked at the breeding methods, the training methods. We looked at the amount of power needed to use the attack, we looked to see if STAB was affected by this particular move. We also looked into whether a Pikachu's or Raichu's alternate form gets STAB from this move. After a few years of hard training, Buddy and I were successfully able to learn Volt Tackle, with only our pride keeping from fainting of sheer happiness."
"Wow Christine. That's…amazing," May said, unsure of what else she could say. The other four trainers reflected her look.
Christine smiled.
A few feet away, the six trainers were unaware of the eyes staring at them from afar.
"What have we here?" Jessie asked.
"It appears the twerps have stumbled upon a Jolteon bearing trainer." James observed.
"And dat Joilteon would make a great gift for da boss!" Meowth said excitedly.
"How's that?" The two humans asked as Meowth went on to explain.
"Imagine da boss sittin' at his desk, tired and stwessed from all da work of being da boss. Den he happens to see da Joilteon we gave him, who happens to be jus as frustrated as he is. Feelin' somewhat better now dat he sees a pokémon who, not only shares his feelings but knows a pwime moove such as Volt Tackle, he'll say…'I must remember to reward Meowth and his friends for giving me such a pokémon dat shares my mannerisms and feelins and certainly one as powerful as dis…'"
"Good idea!" Jessie and James said in unison.
"We'll get lots of raises and big fat praises coming our way!" The three said in unison before Wobbuffet popped out of his pokéball.
Meanwhile, the six trainers who Team Rocket was spying on continued their conversation.
"I'm assuming you're gonna be using your Pichu in the contest, May?" Christine asked.
"Yep. My Glaceon too."
Christine raised her eyebrow slightly as she took note of the ice pokémon.
"So you have a Glaceon?" She crouched down to meet it on eye level, "Are you using it in the secondary round?"
May pursed her lips.
"Well, I was actually going to use Glaceon in the preliminaries and Pichu in the second round," She said quite nervously.
"Really? Cause I think your Glaceon would do great in the battling round. Sure looks like you raised it well."
"Gla Gla!" Glaceon cried at the compliment.
May turned to her friends. "What do you guys think?"
"It'd be great to see Glaceon battling again." Ash said with a smile.
"Pika Pikachu Pi!"
"You know, I bet after losing to Dawn in Sinnoh, Glaceon wants to show you how much it's improved since then." Brock said.
"Really?" May turned to her pokémon, "Well, what do you think you two? Wanna switch rounds?"
Glaceon and Pichu offered excited cries as they looked up at their human.
May smiled. "I guess it's settled then. Glaceon will be competing in the second round while Pichu will open up the show in the preliminaries."
"Good for you, May. You know I bet with a little practice, you can teach your Pichu to learn Volt Tackle." Christine said.
"You think so? Hey Pichu, how does learning a new move sound?"
"Pichu! Pichu Pi!" The tiny pokémon cired.
It was then, that a mechanical claw shot through the air and snagged Jolteon from the ground, elevating him into the air.
"Jo Jo!" The electric pokémon cried out as he rose higher and higher into the air.
"Buddy!" Christine cried out as she saw her pokémon snatched away from her.
A chorus of maniacal laughs was heard as a Meowth hot air balloon came into view.
"Prepare for the worst trouble you've ever seen!" A woman's voice called out.
"With the two of us as king and queen!" Sounded a male's.
"To rule the world with power and might!" The feminine voice called again.
"To capture Pokémon without a fight." The man called again.
"To ensnare powerful ones in our net!" Said the woman again.
"And anything else we can get!"Said the man once more.
"Jessie!" cried the Rocket known as Jessie.
"And James!" shouted the Rocket known as James.
"And Meowth are da names!" The feline pokémon cried
"Team Rocket teaches losers a thing or two!"
"We'll capture all your pokémon!"
"And we'll show you!" The Meowth cried as the three of them struck a pose with Wobbuffet and Mime Jr ending the display.
"Team Rocket!" Ash cried out in anger.
Christine became anxious. "Who are they and why did they just take my Buddy?"
"Team Rocket is a group of criminals who steal other people's pokémon and try to sell them as a profit." May explained.
"What?" Christine said, with expectant shock.
"It's understandable you didn't recognize us." Jessie said.
"That was our new and improved team motto." James added. "So there you go."
"And here we go!" The three of them said in unison as they drifted further and further away.
"Come back here with my pokémon!" Christine cried as she and others ran after the group.
"Swellow, let's go!" Ash shouted as he threw the pokéball, his Swellow materializing once more.
Meanwhile, the rockets were having a cool discussion with their new pokémon.
"Hang tight, our little Jolteon. You'll be at Team Rocket's headquarters in no time." Jessie said sweetly.
The Jolteon began snarling. He used Shockwave against his cage.
"Please. After dealing with the super shocks associated with Pikachu we're totally electricity proof!" James added.
Jolteon's snarl deepened as he unleashed a mighty Shockwave, causing the cage to move back and forth as it hung below the basket.
James began to question the sturdiness of the cage. "Meowth…the cage is electricity proof…right?"
"Well, of course it is. Da salesman said it can absoib da electrical shocks. Da problem is, when I bought dis ting, it was strictly for Pikachu usage." He replied a bit unsure of himself.
"Wait a minute! Meowth, just what do you mean! This thing is electricity proof, right?" Jessie screamed at the cat-like pokémon.
"Well…you see this ting is supposed absoib the enagy put into it. But I don't know if da mechanic who built dis ting had 10,000-voltage in mind."
"You mean you bought this thing and didn't even have the intelligence to see how much voltage it could take?" Jessie shrieked.
"Hey, when I bought dis it was to absoib Pikachu's attacks, not a power pwaint pokémon like dis one."
"Hey gimmie back my pokémon!" A voice shouted from below.
The three Rockets looked down to see six trainers trailing them from the ground, one in particular leading the pack.
"Oh boy. Twoip alert," Meowth said dejectedly.
"Well, I tell you they have another thing coming if they think I'm just gonna hand it over," Jessie said as she continued to stare at the angry teenagers.
"Buddy! Use Hidden Power!" Christine commanded.
Jolteon cried out as he released the small white balls of light that had circled him earlier. But he was still trapped in the cage when he finished the attack, causing Christine to grimace.
Jessie laughed loudly.
"You're going to have to do a lot more than that to penetrate our forces!" Jessie yelled.
"Swellow, poke a hole in that balloon with Wing Attack!" Ash ordered.
The flying type's wings glowed white as he started for the balloon.
"Oh no you don't! Yamega stop that twerp in his tracks with Ancient Power!" Jessie cried as she threw a pokéball.
The Ogre Darner Pokémon formed a white energy ball in front of her body before shooting the ball of light towards her opponent. Swellow, with incredible speed, dodged the attack, but was taken off guard as a second Ancient Power hit him squarely in the face, sending the flying type falling towards the ground.
"Oh no, Swellow!" Ash cried as he saw his pokémon fall to the ground.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam on that cage!" May commanded.
The ice pokémon cried out as a blue ball formed in front of her mouth, soon producing light blue beams and sending them straight towards the cage that held her cousin. The ice froze some of the bars.
"Hey! We paid good money for that!" James shouted as he gripped the rim of the basket. "I'll show you a thing or two. Carnivine, take a bite out of that twerp and teach them a lesson!"
As soon as the grass pokémon materialized, he wasted no time in chawing down on his humans' head.
"Ah! Carnivine now is not the time for your gnawing shenanigans!" James cried as he threw his pokémon off of him. The grass type lunged for the group.
Christine reached for a pokéball on her belt.
"I don't think so! Grace, shut that wide-mouth pokémon with Sky Attack!"
The humming pokémon known as Altaria appeared. She glowed brightly as she prepared to attack Carnivine as white streak of light. The attack hit its mark and Carnivine was sent flying back towards James, knocking him down.
Christine took this opportunity to call out to her trapped pokémon.
"Now Buddy! I want you to use Double Kick against the cage bars!"
Jolteon's hind legs began to glow as he turned around and launched a series of kicks against the frozen bars. Jesse felt her anger rising every second she looked at the teens.
"Why you…Yamega, use Steel Wing!"
As her wings glowed white, Yamega descended to the ground to finalize her attack.
"Glaceon, Ice Shard!" May commanded.
Shards of ice were released from Glaceon's mouth as she attacked the bug type pokémon and sent her crashing into Jesse, much like Carnivine had James.
The sound of a loud snapping sound was heard as Jolteon broke through the cage and was now falling down towards the earth. Luckily, Christine's Altaria was there to catch him before any damage was done to his body. He hopped to ground once it was a safe enough distance.
"Oh Buddy! Are you okay?"
"Jo Jol!"
Christine's smiled, happy to know her pokémon was unharmed. She glared back up at the people who just stole her pokémon.
"All right, Buddy. Time to teach these guys a lesson. You ready, May?"
"You bet I am!" She replied.
Nodding in agreement, the two girls turned back to face the slowly descending balloon.
"Buddy, use Shockwave!"
"Glaceon, use Shadow ball! Pichu, use Thunderbolt!"
The three pokémon leaped into the air and released their combined attack towards the rockets, causing a huge explosion to form, and the rockets were once again airborne, and with the usual "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they disappeared from sight.
"Man, that was something." Ash replied with a sigh.
"At least Buddy here is safe and sound again," Christine replied as she petted her pokémon on the head, "I gotta say May, you battled incredibly today."
"You think so?"
"Mmhm…Now I know you're ready for that contest. Looks like I'll be seeing you in the final round."
"Yeah but I'm gonna be the one to win that ribbon!"
Christine smiled.
"We'll see." She said as she and her Jolteon turned away. "See you at the contest, May."
The two began walking away from the group, leaving many smiles on their faces.
"Looks like you just got another rival May." Brock said.
"Yeah. And one that doesn't try to make me snap by the end of the day." She agreed.
Ash walked up to her.
"You're gonna do great, May. And after you win that contest, it'll be me in Pyrite." He said as he made a fist.
"You bet, Ash." May replied with a smile. She felt a little warm inside. Not only did she gain a new rival, but she sensed she gained a new friend as well.