Author's Notes: This was the 4th Pokemon short story I've written. In reference with the anime's canon, this is during the Kanto Battle Frontier saga. This is the longest chapter so far and has a lot of dialogue, just to let you know.
To remind you:
"Talking"
*Thinking*
=Telepathic Communication=
Please leave a review and enjoy!
~ZX
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon or any individual aspect therein. Pokemon is copyrighted to Nintendo and Game Freak.
The First Encounter
Ash, now trying his hand at the Battle Frontier, is traveling in the new Kanto with his friends May, Brock, and Max. As they head for the next destination, Celadon City, they do not suspect a pair of eyes watching them from the thicket off the pathway.
=Seth, Ash is here with his friends, the same ones that washed up on the island. No doubt he's challenging the Battle Frontier.= An Espeon said, spying the four humans on the pathway.
=Ash, eh? Good. It will do her some good if I battle against a real trainer. We'll be on our way. Find a place to stall them, if you can. I'll send another your way to help.= The Espeon's trainer replied.
The Espeon silently pursued the trainers until the pathway they were walking on opened up to a large clearing with many worn out patches, suggesting many battles took place here. She was about to tell the four humans to halt when she noticed them all stop and comment on something up the path. She looked up the path to see a Jolteon passively walking down the path towards the four humans.
"A Jolteon?" Brock asked, "Do they really live around these parts?"
"Jolteon are very fast pokemon. I think one would definitely help." Max suggested.
May didn't immediately chime in, as she felt something out of place about the Jolteon's appearance. Ash on the other hand, called out his best buddy, Pikachu, to battle with and help catch it. Ash immediately ordered Pikachu to attack with Iron Tail, but the Jolteon easily stepped away from the attack. Pikachu tried another five times to hit the Jolteon, but each attack was swiftly dodged. Ash then ordered Pikachu to attack with Thunderbolt, which got a shocked look from Brock and Max. Pikachu jumped back in front of its trainer and quickly fired off the Thunderbolt towards the Jolteon. As the Jolteon braced for an inevitable hit, the attack hit an invisible barrier and flew up harmlessly into the sky. Ash, Max, May, and Brock all looked at where the "barrier" reflected the Thunderbolt in disbelief. Then a vaguely familiar voice spoke from further up the pathway.
"Sorry to disappoint, but that Jolteon is mine."
"Wha- Who is that?" May asked, looking around.
The four humans looked toward the Jolteon to see a young man walking toward them wearing a short sleeve black shirt and black jeans, sunglasses over his eyes, and spiky yellow hair. Once he reached the Jolteon and stood next to it he spoke up again.
"Remember me?" he asked.
"Ah… that voice…" Brock said, thinking of where he heard it before.
The new trainer withdrew the Jolteon back into its pokeball as the Espeon silently watching them earlier darted out from the bushes and ran to the trainer's side.
=Good job, Sola.= He told the Espeon while patting her on the head.
"Don't you remember that I helped you guys out when you washed up under my watch during your Hoenn League journey?" He asked the four puzzled humans.
"Wait, now I remember you! You're Seth from Faraway Island!" Brock shouted, remembering the events. This jogged Ash, May, and Max's memories as well as they immediately recognized his uniform.
"There you go!" Seth said as he snapped his fingers toward the four. "Surprised to see me?"
"Well, it certainly was a long time since we saw you. We almost didn't recognize you." Max said.
"Nice to see you again." Ash said, which was quickly followed by a greeting from Ash's Pikachu.
"Long time no see." May added.
"Hey, my time on Faraway Island only ended a few months ago, so it's not like I could just pop in and say 'Hi' or anything." Seth said, ending with a short laugh.
"That's very true." Brock replied. "By the way, were there any other… incidents on the island after we left?"
"Nope." Seth replied, "It went back to being quite static and boring after that. I hated being bored on the island, but perhaps it was better off that way for the island's sake."
"Yeah." May said quietly, before asking, "So why are you here now? More official business?"
"Actually, no, May." Seth replied, "I'm actually taking a break to re-explore my homeland. I've been away for quite some time with tasks from the League, so my Eevee Team and I decided to take a break. It's gotten a lot busier here since the Battle Frontier set up here, eh?"
"Yeah, definitely not like when you and Ash first started your journeys." Brock stated, "It was just the Gyms then, but now there are also seven Frontier locations and many more Pokemon Contest locations."
"Heh, it's not often a Gym Leader recognizes one of their former challengers so easily." Seth said as he quickly closed his eyes, remembering his beginnings.
"Oh yeah, you did tell us you were from Kanto. It's only natural you challenged Brock if he was the current gym leader then." Max said.
"You were part of the last group of trainers I faced that used the starters handed out by Professor Oak before I started traveling with Ash." Brock said, remembering his gym leader days. "If I remember correctly, you had started with Bulbasur, right?"
"Right again, Brock." Seth replied.
"Wait, you started at the same time as I did?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, I did, Ash. We never really met face-to-face, but I heard from Gary Oak that you were the fourth starting trainer. Faraway Island was our first personal encounter." Seth responded, "I had seen your face on television when you placed in the Kanto Conference and the Silver Conference, both of which I skipped in order to keep training."
"I see… but wait, if you started with Bulbasaur, why didn't we see it on Faraway Island?" Ash wondered.
"During my times in Johto, I sort of had a revelation to start finding things out about Eevee and its evolutions. Around that same time, Bill- the creator of the PC storage system- entrusted me with a special Eevee. That Eevee eventually became Sola here." Seth said as he pat his Espeon on the top of her head, "After forming this team of Eevee evolutions, the pokemon I formerly used, including Venusaur, finally got to take some well-earned vacation time at Professor Oak's lab. I still battle with them on occasion to keep their skills fresh."
"Ok… So with the Frontier locations placed around Kanto, are you going to challenge the Frontier here during your free time?" May asked.
"I hadn't planned on it, May. However, it may be a step up from all of these other trainers who see my League uniform and challenge me to a battle. All of the battles were very short and many of them didn't have many badges. It's gotten to the point where I refuse many of them now because I can almost envision the outcome when I see their pokemon. I really don't want to crush their dreams." Seth said, with a hint of depression in his voice.
"It must be tough rejecting battles, Seth. Especially with some trainers who think they're better than anyone else. It's easy to feel sorry for them when they finally realize that there is a lot to learn about the pokemon world." Brock responded, trying to sympathize.
"Every time, I offered helpful words of advice to the ones who challenged me just to see how they've improved over the days, and most of the encounters were very friendly." Seth continued, "The few ones who think they're better than anyone else threatened me if I didn't battle them… After beating them, they all had the worst look in their eyes. There was nothing else I could really tell them except 'Go train some more'. They brought their own shame upon them."
"That sounds a little mean…" May said.
"Ash, I've seen some of your battles in the Pokemon League Conferences… are you going to use that skill in the Frontier as well?" Seth asked, changing the subject slightly.
"Yeah! I've already got a couple of Frontier Symbols, and I won't stop until I win them all!" Ash replied with confidence.
"Then there's one thing I wish to ask you" Seth said to Ash, "and I don't say this very often."
"What's that?" Ash replied.
"Ash… I wish to challenge you to a battle." Seth said, looking straight into his eyes.
"Wait, you're challenging me?" Ash replied, shocked. Both May and Max showed shocked expressions on their faces also.
"What? Is it that rare for a trainer to challenge another trainer to a match?" Seth asked.
"Well, it's not every day that a trainer gets challenged by a League member. Usually it's the other way around." Brock said.
"That's very true." Seth said, quickly rubbing the back of his head, "But I think I speak for my whole team when I say we need a good challenge to keep our motivation and spirits high."
"If you're looking for a challenge-" Ash said as he pumps his right fist forward and gives a thumbs up, "then you've got one! We accept!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" Ash's Pikachu said, as if also accepting the challenge.
Quickly the clearing turned into a battlefield with Ash and Seth standing on opposite sides. May and Max were off to one side of the battlefield near the center as an audience, and Brock was in between the competitors as the official. Sola the Espeon sat by Seth's side, and Pikachu stood by Ash's side. Just before the battle started, May noticed a girl walk down the path that Seth came from, but she sat at the base of a tree in the shade and began writing on what appeared to be a notebook while looking at the battlefield. Her attention quickly shifted back to Brock when he spoke up.
"This is a battle between Ash and Seth. This will… wait. What kind of battle are you guys going to have?"
"Double Battle." Seth responded, "With each trainer using five pokemon."
"Ok then." Brock said, "Are you okay with that, Ash?"
"Fine by me." Ash replied.
"Okay," Brock said, "it will be a five-on-five double battle. There will be no time limit and both trainers will be allowed to substitute pokemon. The battle is over when all five of the trainer's chosen pokemon are unable to battle. Are both sides ready?"
"Ready." Ash responded almost immediately.
"Yes. Ready." Seth answered.
"Then let this battle BEGIN!" Brock announced, before going to the sideline of the battlefield.
"Grovyle, Torkal, I choose YOU!" Ash shouted as he tossed his pokeballs onto the battlefield. Out of the pokeballs appeared a green gecko with leaves protruding from its arms and a large orange-skinned turtle with a dark gray shell.
"Ah, opposites are fun." Seth said, showing amusement. "My turn. Blaze, Misty, Let's go!"
Seth's pokeballs opened to reveal two dog-like pokemon. One was a Flareon which was a bright orange with its collar/mane and large fire-like tail being a golden yellow. The other was a Vaporeon, which was an aqua color with a large mermaid tail and fish-like fins on her head.
"Either one of us can make the first move. It really doesn't matter to me that much." Seth said as the pokemon took their positions in front of their respective trainers on the battlefield.
"Then I'll start. Grovyle, use Leaf Blade on Vaporeon!" Ash commanded.
The green gecko ran forward as the leaves by its right hand started to glow. The glowing leaves then formed a large blade just before Grovyle crossed the center of the battlefield.
"Blaze, downgrade your Flamethrower and set the ground in front of you ablaze." Seth commanded.
The Flareon quickly jumped a few feet in front of the Vaporeon and exhaled a Flamethrower on the ground in front of him. Some patches of grass lit up, forming a wall of fire that halted the Grovyle's attack. The Grovyle stopped just inches from the flames and jumped back toward its trainer.
"Torkal, protect Grovyle by using Body Slam against that Flareon." Ash confidently commanded.
"Misty, counter with Waterfall against the Torkal." Seth quietly said to his Vaporeon.
The Torkal took several large bounds before leaping high into the air and sailing over the wall of fire. But before it could fall onto the Flareon, it was intercepted in mid-air by Misty, who was enveloped in water. Both pokemon's attacks collided and both flew back toward their respective trainers. Misty the Vaporeon used her tail to regain her balance in the air and landed on all four paws. Ash's Torkal, however, landed on the top of its shell in a loud crash. When the dust settles, Torkal is revealed to be knocked out.
"Torkal is unable to battle." Brock announces.
As Ash withdraws his knocked out Torkal, Seth notices his Vaporeon lean forward a tad and all of her muscles suddenly go tense with greenish-yellow sparks surrounding her.
"Paralyzed. What are the odds…" Seth utters to himself before looking back towards Ash to see his next choice.
"Swellow, I choose YOU!" Ash shouted as he tossed his next pokeball into the air. Out of the ball appeared a large navy blue and white bird with red decorating its face. It took its place alongside Grovyle on Ash's side of the field as the flames Blaze lit earlier began to die down. Ash looked at his two pokemon and came up with a strategy just as the flames ceased.
"Alright, Grovyle, try to attack that Vaporeon again with Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded.
The Grovyle gave Ash an unsure look, but seeing the smirk on his face reassured it. Grovyle once again charged forward with the leaves near its hand forming the blade again.
"Didn't work the first time, won't work this time. Blaze, defend Misty." Seth replied.
The Flareon once again took a position in front of Vaporeon and prepared to repeat the same strategy before another command was issued.
"Now, Swellow, attack the Flareon now with Aerial Ace! And Grovyle jump over the attack!" Ash commanded.
Before Seth could react, Grovyle leaped straight up into the air, revealing an extremely low-flying Swellow that had an aircraft-like halo surrounding it. Blaze would have no time to dodge, so Seth would have to make a risky call.
"Misty, use Blizzard to disrupt their team attack!" Seth said.
Before the Vaporeon could try to attack, the greenish-yellow sparks returned, paralyzing her on the spot. With the potential counter ruined, Blaze was lifted into the air, flipping rapidly, after being hit with Aerial Ace. Ash took advantage of the openings.
"Grovyle, use Solar Beam while you're in the air on the Vaporeon! And Swellow, use Quick Attack to keep hitting the Flareon!" He said with a smile on his face.
"Not good…" Seth uttered under his breath. "Misty fight off the paralysis and keep trying to use Blizzard. Blaze, try to recover and use Flamethrower to move yourself in the air." He told his pokemon.
The Grovyle, still in midair from its giant leap earlier, began glowing as it absorbed the sunlight. Blaze tried to re-right himself in the air, but was constantly being hit by an extremely fast-moving Swellow, making it near impossible to concentrate and use his Flamethrower. Just as Grovyle was finished charging up Solar Beam, Misty was able to break out of the paralysis and looked up toward the Grovyle. The Vaporeon then exhaled a massive Blizzard from her mouth as Grovyle fired its Solar Beam. The Solar Beam, being a concentrated attack, pierced straight through the Blizzard towards the Vaporeon. The Blizzard, however, began to concentrate itself around an area of disturbance caused by the Solar Beam. Both attacks hit their opponents at the same time. Swellow delivered one final Quick Attack to knock Blaze the Flareon straight to the ground, and he landed inside the dust cloud created by the Solar Beam's impact. While waiting for the dust to subside on Seth's side of the field, Brock noticed Grovyle fall to the ground, knocked out from the powerful Blizzard.
"Grovyle is unable to battle." Brock announces.
After several agonizing seconds, the dust finally settles, revealing both Blaze and Misty to be knocked out from the attacks.
"Both Flareon and Vaporeon are unable to battle as well. Both trainers have now lost two pokemon." Brock announces.
Ash withdraws his defeated Grovyle and praises it for its good work. Seth also withdraws his knocked out pokemon.
"You both did well. I'm proud." Seth says to the pokeballs holding his Flareon and Vaporeon.
Both trainers thought for a few seconds on which pokemon to use next. Ash was the first to send out his pokemon.
"Corphish, I choose YOU!" He shouts as the throws the ball into the air. The small red and white crawfish-like pokemon, upon reaching the ground fidgeted left and right in place, eagerly awaiting the battle ahead. Ash's Swellow hovered over the Corphish.
"I guess it's time to step it up a bit, eh Sola?" Seth asked his Espeon, whom nods in agreement. "Ok, time for you and Shadow then."
As the Espeon walked out onto the battlefield, Seth tossed another pokeball out. The ball opened to reveal an Umbreon with brightly glowing yellow rings. He stood in front of Sola, as if ready to protect her.
=Alright, you two know what to do. Let's surprise them by using… unspoken commands.= Seth telepathically told Sola and Shadow.
=Understood.= Shadow replied.
=This will really make things fun.= Sola replied as she cracked a smile.
"Both competitors are ready. Resume!" Brock announced.
"Swellow, let's start out by using Aerial Ace on the Umbreon." Ash immediately commanded.
Ash's Swellow flew upwards and back in a small loop. When it came down from the loop, Swellow flew very low to the ground, once again covered in an aircraft-like halo. Swellow sped towards the Umbreon with amazing speed.
=Sola, begin concentrating with Calm Mind. Shadow, counter at the last possible moment with Faint Attack.= Seth silently commanded.
Sola the Espeon closed her eyes and began concentrating her psychic energy. Swellow was closing the gap exponentially between it and Shadow the Umbreon. Just before Swellow's attack was about to connect, Shadow jumped upward and backwards. This forced Swellow to pull upward to hit him. Swellow's Aerial Ace connected with Shadow's head, but the Umbreon used the momentum from the hit to throw himself into a back flip. Shadow's tail immediately started giving off a dark glow as Shadow flipped and hit Swellow in the stomach area with his tail. The swallow pokemon yelped in pain from the surprise attack and flew back towards Ash. Ash then noticed that Seth's Espeon had her eyes closed and was concentrating and decided to take advantage of that situation.
"Corphish, use Bubblebeam on Espeon!" He commanded.
=Shadow, stop the attack with Confuse Ray.= Seth told the Umbreon.
The Umbreon landed right next to Sola the Espeon. After quickly shaking off the hit he sustained from Ash's Swellow, he took a few steps forward and quickly locked eyes with Corphish. Almost immediately after locking eyes, a reddish violet spark flashed from the Umbreon's eyes and hit the Corphish. Immediately, the attack's effects began to show when Corphish began staggering in place, the pincers- open and glowing a blue color- also wavered off the intended target and accidentally fired in Swellow's direction. Swellow barely dodged the misguided attack. While Ash- as well as May and Max in the audience- wondered what happened, Brock raised an eyebrow and looked toward Seth quickly before turning his attention back to the battle. As his pokemon were regaining their composure, Ash stood in silence for several seconds staring at the battlefield. Then, after getting an idea, he shakes his head quickly and looks up to his pokemon.
"Swellow, use Quick Attack and change into Aerial Ace on the Espeon, and Corphish hop on Swellow's back and use Crabhammer on the Umbreon." Ash commanded.
Corphish immediately hopped onto Swellow's back, even though it was still staggering from confusion. Swellow then flew upward and back for a few seconds before giving one large final flap of its wings and darted for the Espeon and Umbreon with amazing speed. After reopening its wings, Swellow slowly dipped its left wing downward, as if giving the Corphish on its back a drop-off ramp.
=Sola, dead-stop both attacks with a Psychic barrier. Shadow, prepare for a follow up.= Seth told his pokemon.
Shadow the Umbreon took a few steps in front of Sola and lowered his front end, as if ready to pounce. Swellow quickly raised his lowered left wing, catapulting the Corphish passenger high into the air. Corphish did a few somersaults before stretching out its body and raised its glowing right pincer high into the air. Both attacks were ready to strike their targets when both pokemon bounced back toward Ash suddenly, as if they hit a brick wall.
=Now, Shadow, follow up with Shadow Ball against the Corphish. Sola, use Psybeam against Swellow.= Seth commanded, a smile creeping over his face.
Both Sola and Shadow fired their attacks simultaneously. The Umbreon's dark violet sphere connected with Corphish as it was recovering, creating a small explosion and creating a dust cloud. The Espeon's rainbow-colored Psybeam narrowly missed its target when Swellow stood up and jumped back into the air. All attention then turned to the dust cloud where Corphish was. A light breeze blows away the dust to reveal Corphish still standing, but it falls over after a couple of seconds, knocked out.
"Corphish is unable to battle." Brock announces.
Ash withdraws his Corphish and praises it for its good work. He then looks at his Pikachu by his side and both nod before the electric mouse enters the battlefield. Pikachu quickly assumes his battle pose on all four paws with sparks flying from its cheeks.
"Shadow, come on back." Seth called out before returning the Umbreon to his pokeball.
=You sure about this, Seth?= Sola asked while glancing back at her trainer.
=Yes.= Seth replied, =This match up almost happened before I got here. I think he should show Ash what he was really getting into.=
=Alright then. A quick finish it is then.= Sola calmly replies, anticipating Seth's actions.
"Alright, Jolt, let's go!" Seth said as he tossed out a different pokeball. The Jolteon immediately extended all of the quills on his body as he quickly stretched. Both Jolt and Pikachu stared at each other for a few seconds. Seth and Ash also locked eyes, but both trainers were slightly smiling.
"Resume Battle!" Brock shouted.
*That Espeon seems a little tired from that last attack. I'll deal with it first.* Ash thought to himself before commanding his pokemon, "Alright, Pikachu, Swellow, use Quick Attack on that Espeon!"
Both Pikachu and Swellow demonstrated their superb speed as they both took off in their attack. Pikachu used a zigzagging motion and was curving towards the Espeon's right side. Swellow, on the other hand, used a wider and gentler curve towards the Espeon's left side.
"Jolt, stop Pikachu with Thunderbolt." Seth told his Jolteon, then telepathically said,
=Sola, I want you to jump over the Swellow at the closest opportunity and use Psybeam on its back.=
In the blink of an eye, Jolt disappeared from near Sola and appeared running just beside and in front of Pikachu. The Jolteon then fired off a Thunderbolt from its body which traveled a few yards in front of Pikachu and impacted the ground, forcing Pikachu to stop in place. With Pikachu's attack stopped, Sola turns her attention toward the attacking Swellow. Swellow suddenly turned sharply and darted towards Sola with its wings folded back. Mere seconds before collision, Sola jumped upward and over Swellow, forcing the attack to miss. Once Swellow was directly below the Espeon, she fired a Psybeam from her forehead gem. With no time to dodge, the Psybeam impacted Swellow's back and pushed it onto the ground. Swellow slid along the ground for a few more seconds before stopping about 2 yards to the right of Sola. Brock immediately saw that Swellow was knocked out.
"Swellow is unable to battle." He announced, "Pikachu is Ash's last pokemon."
"This is not looking good for Ash." Max said.
"Seth still has 3 pokemon, and 2 of them battle by themselves." May added.
Ash stood in thought, looking at his Pikachu.
*Not good. If I try to attack one, the other will attack back. But I can't just give up, there's gotta be a way around this... I know! I can use a thunderbolt as bait to make an opening!*
Seth simply watched Ash's expression.
*What are you plotting, Ash?*
"All right, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on that Espeon!" Ash suddenly commanded.
Pikachu quickly jumped back in front of his trainer and fired off the attack from its cheeks.
"Jolt, jump in front of the Thunderbolt." Seth calmly told his Jolteon.
Just like before, Jolt disappeared from where he stopped Pikachu's attack earlier and appeared at the center of the battlefield between Pikachu and Sola. Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck the Jolteon on the head, but he neither showed pain nor any attempt to reflect the attack. Pikachu and Ash stood there shocked as the Jolteon emerged from the attack unscathed.
"What happened?" May quietly asked, "Even if it didn't do as much damage, it should have hurt him a little bit."
"It's Jolteon's Ability, Volt Absorb. Electric-type attacks don't do any damage, but instead heal the pokemon with this Ability." Max answered.
"Don't tell me you forgot about Volt Absorb, Ash." Seth said, slightly taunting him.
"Of course not. It's what I was looking for!" Ash immediately replied- which was a half-lie- before commanding, "Now, Pikachu, use Quick Attack to get speed, then use Iron Tail on the Jolteon!"
*Interesting.* Seth though to himself, *But this match is now going to end.*
Pikachu quickly bolted from Ash's side to close the gap between himself and Jolt. Once he reached the center of the battlefield, Pikachu leapt high into the air and its tail began to give a grayish glow.
"Alright, Jolt, dodge the attack. Then start circling Pikachu at the fastest speed you can and use Double Team to trap it." Seth confidently told his Jolteon.
Pikachu did a somersault in the air so he fell tail-first in order to make the attack connect. Pikachu descended on the Jolteon, aiming for the eon's head, when the Jolteon disappeared from Pikachu's view. The Iron Tail impacted solid earth, creating a small dust cloud. Ash noticed the dust cloud suddenly begin to move in circles and look much like a cyclone. The "cyclone" caused the dust cloud to quickly dissolve, revealing Pikachu to be surrounded by about 5 Jolteons all running in quick, but slightly tight, clockwise circles.
"Wh-what just happened!" Ash exclaimed.
"Don't be so surprised, Ash. That just gives me an advantage." Seth calmly said, before commanding, "Now, Jolt, use Thunder to create a cage to prevent Pikachu's escape."
Each of the five Jolteons quickly emitted a large bolt of electricity upward over Pikachu, where they all collided to form the "peak" of the cage. Small sparks flew from the peak in all directions, including inside this "cage", forcing Pikachu to almost dance to avoid being hit by them.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to break out." Ash shouted, showing a hint of desperation.
Pikachu looked around the "cage" and found a slight opening wider than the other gaps between Thunders. As soon as he tried to jump through it leading with his glowing tail, he was hit back inside from what looked like a moving Thunder.
"Jolt, let's wrap this up by giving a burst of full power to the top." Seth commanded.
All of the thunderbolts forming the cage suddenly became larger and brighter as the Jolteons put full power into the attack. The peak of the "cage" then became a concentrated orb of electricity. Several seconds later, a large Thunder erupted from the peak, striking Pikachu in the head, and creating an explosion. All five Jolteons darted from the resulting dust cloud in five different directions. Each disappeared except for the one that darted back to Seth, showing that he was the real one. Jolt turned back to the now-large dust cloud, lightly panting from the fatigue of the attack as a whole. The dust cloud was slow to dissipate, and after several agonizing moments, Pikachu could finally be seen lying on the ground, knocked out from the powerful attack.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Seth has won the match." Brock announced.
"Oh, man, Seth is really good. No wonder he is part of the Pokemon League." Max said, slightly sad for Ash's loss.
"Was that attack even ALLOWED?" Ash asked as he ran to check on his best pokemon friend.
"Actually, Ash," Seth said as he walked towards him and Pikachu, "it wasn't just one attack. It was an attack combination."
"Attack… combination?" Both Ash and May said, confused.
"An attack combination is a technique using a few different moves and their effects together. In this case, it was Thunder and Double Team while also using Jolt's superior speed. The right combinations can lead to some brilliant techniques." Seth replied.
*Hmmmm the right combinations… this can help me in my contests also.* May thought to herself.
"Here, Ash, you'll need this." Seth said as he handed Ash a red spray bottle, "This Hyper Potion will get Pikachu back to full strength in no time."
"Wh- but why are you-"
"Because we're still far away from a Pokemon Center." Seth interrupted Ash, "You're going to need a healthy pokemon to protect you."
"Oh… Thanks." Ash simply replied before tending to Pikachu.
"I also have a question for you, Seth." Brock started, "For your Vaporeon, Flareon, and Jolteon, you actually spoke commands, but Espeon and Umbreon seemed to fight on their own. What was going on when Espeon and Umbreon were battling?"
"Oh, you don't remember, Brock?" Seth answered, "Whenever Sola is out of her ball, I can talk to my pokemon using telepathy."
"Telepathy, that's right!" Brock recalled.
"You explained that to us before. You could understand them and you could talk to them without actually saying anything." May added.
"Precisely, May." Seth replied, "The only reason I only used telepathy with Sola and Shadow was to make it fairer for Ash. I use it as a strategy while battling, as it really upsets most trainers' rhythm when my pokemon begin what looks like battling by themselves."
Seth then stops talking and begins looking around, as though he lost something. He then sees the girl sitting at the base of a tree on the side of the pathway he entered from.
"Ah, there you are, Pearl. Don't be shy, come over here. Did you learn anything from the battle Ash and I had?" Seth said to the girl.
The girl stood up, enclosed her pen inside her notebook, and began walking over to where everyone had gathered. When she walked out of the shade and into the sunlight, details became visible to Ash and his companions. Overall, she was the same stature as May- tall and slim. She had shoulder-length hair that was just as black as Ash's hair, but there were also deep purple highlights scattered throughout. She wore a short-sleeve blue and violet floral top with a deep blue skirt with a light violet floral pattern scattered about the skirt. She wore navy blue converse-like sneakers with white laces and white socks. She also had a false gold bangle on her left wrist, and rectangular frameless glasses overtop her rose eyes. She, ironically, wore Seth's black League cap.
"You were right, Seth, watching you battle an experienced trainer cleared up a lot of stuff for me. I also took note that it's best to stay one step ahead of your opponent." She said after reaching the group.
"Who is she?" Brock asked Seth.
"Yeah, I noticed her before the battle started." May added.
"Oh, um, I didn't want to interfere, so I sat over there to observe Seth's battle. M-my name is Pearl. I'm a Trainer-in-training." She said nervously.
"Trainer… in… training?" Ash's group asked collectively.
"She made the term herself." Seth answered, "She is going to become a Pokemon Trainer in several months and she's learning from me."
"But I thought Pokemon League members don't take apprentices unless they really proved themselves." Brock said.
"I'm not going into the extremely complex stuff that the elite trainers know. It's just the basics for now." Seth replied, "But you are correct, Brock."
"So how will you explain this to the rest of the League?" Brock asked.
"Well, they already know I'm teaching her." Seth answered, "However, I'm in kind of a 'vacation' after my time on the island, so I can do whatever I wish with my free time. Besides, she is more of a student than an apprentice. There is a difference."
"So Pearl, where do you live?" May asked the new girl.
"I… actually live in a different region, far away from here. My parents are visiting some old friends of theirs here in Kanto. I started becoming interested in Pokemon when I saw some new trainers getting their first pokemon." Pearl replied, slightly becoming used to Ash's group.
"So if you're here with your family, then how did you meet Seth and start studying under him?" Ash asked.
"We met at the Vermilion docks." Seth answered. "I had just returned from the island and they arrived on a large cruise ship packed with travelers. She took an immediate liking to Sola, and I began talking with her and her parents. That's when everything sorta came together."
Little did any of the humans know that they were being watched from off of the pathway.
"Did you hear that?" A male voice quietly said, "That yellow haired twerp is in the Pokemon League."
"Yeah, his pokemon must be really strong. They'd be of great use to the boss." A female voice answered.
"And since Pikachu is a little weak from da battle, we can bag it along with the other kid's pokeymon." A third higher-pitched voice said, before all of them stepped away.
"Despite the loss, Ash, you're still a very competent trainer. I'm sure Pearl can even learn a thing or two from you from that battle." Seth said with a hint of reluctance.
"So this battle was just to teach Pearl about battling?" May asked.
"Kind of." Seth replied, which angered Ash a little, "But I was telling the truth when I said that my Eevee team needed a good challenge to keep our motivation and spirits up. Since I couldn't get ahold of Gary, and my friends Katie and Brendan are in different regions, Ash was the best choice for an experienced Trainer."
"So how were you able to find us, then?" Max asked, which was supported by a nod from Brock and Ash.
"It was coincidence, really." Seth answered as Pearl knelt down and began petting Sola, "I was getting ready to start asking the Gym Leaders for matches until Sola found you."
As the humans were talking, two large robotic arms flew out of the bushes off of the path and grabbed Pikachu and Jolt. Both pokemon yelled for their Trainers as they were carried off.
"What the…?" Seth said.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
Laughter could be heard as the ground began to shake. Pearl stood up and half-hid behind Seth, and Sola stood in front of them. A large robot resembling a Meowth rolled out of the woods onto the pathway and slowly turned toward the six humans. A hatch opened behind the Meowth's large coin and three individuals rose out of the opening. One was a woman with long red hair that arched backwards, and the other was a male with ear-length blue hair. Both wore white uniforms with a red R on their shirts. The last was a Meowth.
"Prepare for trouble, two times the power is ours." The woman said.
"Make that double, we'll be twice as rich, too." The man followed.
"Team Rocket, really?" Seth interrupted as he stepped toward the robot.
"How dare you interrupt us, twerp!" The woman spat.
"Give us back our pokemon right now!" Ash yelled to the two Rockets.
"Hah, who's going to make us?" The male Rocket replied.
"I will." Seth said bluntly, taking another step to the robot, with Sola by his side.
"We'll see about that. Seviper, show this twerp who he's messing with!" The female Rocket said as she tossed her pokeball.
"Cacnea, you show them, too." The male Rocket followed.
Seviper emerged at ground level, immediately baring its fangs. Cacnea, on the other hand, flew back toward the male Rocket and began hugging his head.
"OW! I want you to show THEM, not ME!" He yelled as the Cacnea's spiky arms gripped his head.
Seth sent out Shadow to help Sola engage the two Rockets in a Double Battle.
"Um, Seth. Can I help?" Pearl suddenly spoke as she approached the yellow-haired trainer, "I want to show you what I've learned."
"Sure. Two heads are better than one. You can take control of Sola for the battle." Seth replied. He turned back to Ash and said, "Sorry, Ash, but since your only healthy pokemon is in their robot's grip, I'll take care of this."
"Right." Ash simply replied before looking back up to his Pikachu.
=You ok with this, Sola?= Seth asked his Espeon.
=She wants to show us what she knows. I think she'll do fine.= Sola replied, giving a confident smile to Seth.
"Cacnea, use Pin Missile on the Umbreon!" The male Rocket commanded.
"Dodge, Shadow." Seth said to his Umbreon.
The Rocket's Cacnea jumped from the top of the large robot and fired many glowing needles from the spikes on its hands. All of them flew down to the ground, but each hit the dirt around the swift moving Umbreon.
"Seviper, attack the Espeon with Poison Tail." The female rocket commanded.
The Seviper quickly slithered in Sola's direction with its normally red tail glowing a violet color.
"Shadow, intercept Seviper with Faint Attack." Seth commanded.
"Ok, Sola, attack with Shadow using Psychic." Pearl said to the Espeon.
Shadow quickly ran to and hit the Seviper in the side with his head. Seviper flew off to its right a little bit before suddenly being picked up into the air. Sola, with her eyes glowing blue, then threw Seviper back toward the robot. Once it landed and slid along the ground for a second, it was clear to everyone that Seviper was knocked out.
"Oh no, Seviper!" The female Rocket shouted before returning it to its pokeball.
"Shadow, let's take advantage of this by using Shadow Ball on that Cacnea." Seth said to the Umbreon.
In no time, Shadow formed the dark purple Shadow Ball and fired it. The Shadow Ball hit Cacnea in the center and knocked it out.
"Cacnea!" The male Rocket shouted before returning it to its pokeball.
"Dis ain't good." The Meowth said before reentering the robot, "Time to make our getaway."
The man and woman followed the Meowth back into the robot. The ground began to shake again as the Meowth robot started slowly turning around.
"Sola, Shadow, it's time to show these Rockets your special technique." Seth said, which was followed by a nod from the two. "Super Beam Technique, GO!"
*Super Beam? I have never heard of that attack before…* Brock thought.
Sola fired a Psybeam from her forehead gem toward the robot's still-exposed right arm. Shadow then fired his own Hyper Beam from his mouth, which mixed with the Psybeam and instantly demolished the arm, freeing Pikachu.
"Yaaaaaaaa, Can't this thing go any faster!" The female Rocket yelled at the Meowth.
"I'm doin da best I can, Jessie, but dese large treads make turning a problem." The Meowth replied.
"Well, you'd better do something about it, we lost Pikachu, and if we don't move soon, we'll lose the Jolteon too!" The male Rocket shouted.
"Like I didn't know that, James!" The Meowth retorted.
Ash ran out and caught Pikachu in his arms.
"Pikachu, you alright?" Ash asked, which was answered by a nod from Pikachu.
"Clear out, Ash, this isn't over just yet." Seth shouted to Ash before commanding, "Sola, Shadow, head around and destroy the robot's other arm using the Super Beam Technique." This was unexpectedly followed by another command.
"Pikachu, help out the Espeon and Umbreon with Thunderbolt." Ash said.
Pikachu followed Sola and Shadow around to the left side of the robot. Sola, standing in the middle of the three pokemon, fired another Psybeam from her forehead gem to the left arm. Shadow, like before, added his Hyper Beam to the Psybeam, and Pikachu followed suit with his Thunderbolt. The boosted power from the Thunderbolt caused the mixed beam to pierce straight through the robot and destroy it.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" Jessie, James, and Meowth all shouted as they flew off into the distance.
Sola used Psychic to catch Jolt and gently set him on the ground. Once Seth saw that all of the pokemon were accounted for, he turned back to the rest of the humans.
"Thanks for the assistance at the end, Ash." Seth said to the trainer.
"Hey, you healed Pikachu and saved him. I had to pay you back somehow." Ash replied.
"And Pearl, you're learning quite quickly. I'm surprised." Seth said to his companion.
"Well… I take notes from a good teacher." She replied, "After all, you said it has to be taught before it can be learned."
"Right… That line." Seth said, rubbing the back of his head, "I picked that up from the Trainer School in Viridian while I was just starting out. But it is true."
"Did you attend a class there?" Brock asked.
"Nah, I just overheard one of the teachers there say it." Seth replied before turning to Ash, "Well, Ash, I suggest you train some more before your next Frontier Battle. Pearl and I came from Celadon City, which is not far down that path. You should rest up there."
"I'll get stronger, Seth. You'll see." Ash confidently replied.
"Well, I hope to meet everyone else sometime down the road. But for now, we have to be going." Seth said as he returned Jolt to his pokeball.
"Wait, what's your next step, Seth?" Brock asked.
"Most likely Gym Leader rematches, to let her see the difference between trainer battles and battles with Gym Leaders. I might take May's suggestion and check out a few Frontier locations as well." Seth answered.
"Then how about battling Erika at the Celadon gym?" Ash suggested.
"She politely refused me shortly before you were spotted." Seth replied, "She's not quite the battling-type. You should know that as well. I'm going to try Saffron or Vermilion."
"Alright, well best of luck to you." Brock said.
"Good luck to you, Pearl, and it was nice to meet you." May said to the trainer-to-be.
"Yeah, hope to see you two again someday." Max added.
"Thanks, same here." Pearl replied.
Seth and Pearl began walking down the pathway that Ash and his friends came from when Seth suddenly stopped.
"Pearl, Sola, Shadow, wait a second. I just remembered something I had to tell Max." He said to them.
"Ok…" Pearl replied.
Seth jogged back down the path toward Celadon until he met Ash's party again.
"Max!" Seth called out, causing all four humans to turn back to him. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Me? Uh, sure." Max replied uncertainly before walking up to him.
"I noticed you aren't a trainer yet." Seth said softly so the others wouldn't hear him, "So, I have a feeling I'll be seeing you and your sister sometime in the future. Can't tell you why, but keep an eye out. I'll see you around."
"Alright, bye." Max said as Seth turned back to go rejoin Pearl and his pokemon.
"What was that about, Max?" His sister, May, asked.
"Eh, it was nothin important. Seth just said that we might see him sometime in the future." Max answered.
"No time to waste, let's GO! To the next Frontier Area!" Ash confidently shouted as May turned to where Seth left.
"Um, Ash, let's focus on getting to Celadon City and healing up the rest of your pokemon first." Brock said.
"Yeah, you did just get beaten by Seth in a battle. And the battle was just to teach Pearl." Max added, which angered Ash a bit and they began arguing.
May on the other hand, ignored the argument breaking out between Max and Ash and simply clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes.
*I really hope we meet again, Seth.* She thought to herself.
Seth rejoined Pearl, Sola, and Shadow and continued eastward toward Saffron City.
"Here, Pearl." Seth said as he handed her a note card. "This is a type chart. It shows each pokemon type and its respective weaknesses. Knowing strengths and weaknesses can be a great help in battles."
"Thanks… Hey, Seth, I have a question." Pearl replied.
"What is it?"
"What is Team Rocket? And what do they do?" She asked her 'teacher'.
"Team Rocket is one of a handful of criminal organizations that want to control the world. They use anything they can get, even pokemon, as tools to achieve that goal. Even the Pokemon League is getting tied up with these groups now."
*Sounds like they mean business.* Pearl thought.
"Team Rocket is just in the Kanto/Johto regions." Seth continued, "I heard from my friend, Brendan, that there are two other groups in Hoenn. You may meet groups like this during your journey as well."
"Then I'll just have to help put them in their place! I can't wait to start my own journey!" Pearl excitedly said, causing Seth, Sola, and Shadow to laugh.
Both groups have again gone their separate ways. Ash and May continue to work hard at the Frontier Challenge and the Contest Challenge, respectively, while Seth set his goal at finishing teaching Pearl. But there is promise of at least one more meeting. Only time and chance will tell how many more times these two skilled trainers will meet.
Author's Notes: I've lost all inspiration to write over these past months. The only reason/excuse I can come up with is Depression.
This chapter was originally called "The First Encounter with the Fourth Kind" because the Sinnoh region was directly mentioned in the story. (Sinnoh = Fourth Generation)
There is actually a scene missing in this story in comparison to my handwritten story. That is when May actually talks to Seth slightly after the groups go their separate ways (And after Seth gives Max the promise of meeting again). May subtly shows that she is attracted to Seth. Pearl picks up on it, and her thoughts show an angry rivalry to May concerning Seth. (Pearl: *Oh, please… you think he likes you?*)
Also, there's an Easter Egg attack in this story. If you think you picked it up, post the attack and what attack and game/series it referenced. (I'll give you a PM saying if you got it right or not.)
I've been playing a large variety of games as of late, and I've decided to make a change of story for now. I have a poll on FanFiction and the journal entry on DeviantArt for you readers to help me to choose what I should start on/ resume. I ask of you to please vote on which one you would like to see first. Hopefully, this will renew my inspiration and motivation.