The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: September, Part 2 (09.12.05/09.07.06)

------

The Pokémon Junior Master Tournament finally began one-on-one battles, as the final 16 trainers fought to be the first to claim the just-established title.

For his match, Ash drew... a guy in a Miltank costume? Actually, his name was Willy, and he was representing the gym of Goldenrod City, run by the beautiful yet blabber-mouthed Whitney. Despite the humiliation of wearing a costume he didn't like in public, Willy surprised all, including Ash, when Ferret used the gym's signature move, Rollout, to take out Ash's Squirtle!

Though early in the competition, Ash had very little choice but to call out his power hitter, Charizard. Though Charizard didn't seem to care much to listen to Ash's commands, he still easily took Ferret out, and then went to work battling Kangaskhan. At first, it seemed Kangaskhan had what it took to go blow for blow with Charizard, but an incorrect attack call resulted in Kangaskhan accidentally taking herself out!

So Ash's first battle in the tournament didn't go exactly as planned, and Charizard seemed to be unimpressed with his competition. But hey, they got through to the second round, and in the end, that's what matters, right?

------

Shortly after his first round victory, Ash returned to the Pokémon Center in order to begin preparations for his next match. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were running back with him. As they ran through the sliding doors, Ash spotted Gary and Cassie sitting in the lounge, conversing.

"Hi guys!" Ash greeted, drawing a smile from Cassie and a smirk from Gary.

"Great match, Ash!" Cassie exclaimed.

Gary rubbed his chin. "Not bad... considering the luck of the draw. The guy was a lightweight compared to the rest of the competition."

"I thought Jimmy was a worthy opponent!" commented Ash.

"All that matters is that you all made it to the next round," Misty cut in, before Ash and Gary could get into another one of their arguments.

Brock nodded. "Now it gets interesting."

"Not really," Gary said, shrugging his shoulders. "Cassie and I already had our draws for the second round. Seems we all missed each other again."

Cassie nodded in agreement. "I got the representative from the Leipzig Gym in Germany. Gary drew a guy who is sponsored by a gym in Toronto!"

"So... who am I up against?" Ash asked.

"Nurse Joy'll tell you at the desk while you get your Pokémon healed. Better hurry... they're holding the second round today as well."

Ash nodded, then he and Pikachu walked over to the front counter, leaving the others to chat for a few minutes.

"I need to have my Squirtle and Charizard healed, Nurse Joy," Ash told her.

"No problem! Oh, and congrats on your win in the first round!"

Ash blushed with modesty. "It was just one match..."

Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder and gave his best friend a pat on the head. "Pika pika," he said with encouragement.

"Let me just take your Pokéballs from you. In the meantime, let me show you who you'll be battling next."

She pointed to the big screen above her, where Ash's face had appeared. Then, the faces of the other remaining competitors cycled through on the right side at a fast clip. After ten seconds or so, it came to a stop. Next to Ash's face was one of a blue-haired girl in a swimsuit. Both of their names and the gyms they were representing appeared underneath their 'virtual heads.'

"So I'm battling her? Shauna of the Dewford Island Gym? I wonder what Pokémon she has..."

Suddenly, a girl who looked like the one on the screen bolted into the Pokémon Center in a hurry. Having skidded to a stop, she reached for her pockets to pull out two Pokéballs, even though it was apparent there was no room for pockets in her outfit, which consisted of a pink halter top and matching-colored biker shorts.

"Whoaaaaaaa..." Brock cried with hearts dancing around his head, "is that an angel or am I dreaming?"

But before Brock could make a move, Misty grabbed his ear and started tugging him to the door.

"Your dream is my nightmare," she commented as a stunned Cassie glanced on.

"Could you please heal my Pokémon?" she asked Nurse Joy.

"Oh... certainly!"

As Joy took Shauna's Pokéballs away, the bluenette peered out of the corner of her eye and saw that Ash and Pikachu were giving her odd stares.

"What's your deal?" she shouted, a bit miffed.

"Uh, sorry about that, but aren't you..."

"Yes, I'm single," she said, blushing, "but I'm kinda saving myself for someone else..."

Ash scratched his head. "That's not exactly what..."

Shauna then spotted, out of the corner of her other eye, her picture up on the big screen above. She then turned towards it for a second and then looked left. It was then she noticed the picture of Ash and realized...

"Wait... you're my next opponent?"

"That's right!" Ash pointed to himself confidently. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm gonna become the first Pokémon Junior Master!"

"Not if I beat you first, Ash! You see, I'm Shauna, the first apprentice of Brawly, the Dewford Island gym leader! And I'm just as strong as he is in battle!"

"We'll just see about that!" Ash growled, as the two exchanged imaginary daggers from their eyes.

Ash then started walking towards the front door and past where Gary and Cassie were sitting. But before he could get there...

"Running away, are we?" taunted Shauna. A little scared of having to battle someone whose better than you?"

Ash stopped for a second, as if to turn around and give a retort. But instead, he squatted down to tie one of his shoes, which had become undone somehow. So, basically, he was ignoring her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Don't ignore me like that! You're ignoring a top-notch Pokémon gym apprentice here! Hey!"

Ash finished, then walked out.

"Heh. Sure showed him."

With an aura of victory around her, Shauna then walked off to the nearest vending machine to get a drink.

------

About half an hour later, Misty opened the door to the hotel room she was sharing with Ash. She became startled when Pikachu jumped from the bed and into her arms.

"Pika pika!" greeted Pikachu, his eyes shining as if they were jewels.

"Tee hee... it's been awhile since you last did that, huh?" Misty smiled before turning her attention towards the in-room computer and Ash, who was typing away it. "So, you're here and not at the Pokémon Center?"

Ash nodded without looking away from the monitor. "I figure I'd better check out this Shauna girl's profile and think of a strategy. It turns out that she's from a gym that specializes in fighting-types."

"And you couldn't use the computer at the Center to find that out?"

"It was a bit too crowded there."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Misty shouted angrily. "Did something happen between you and her over there?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash shot back, finally being drawn away from the monitor's glow.

"I bet you were ogling her, just like Brock was!"

"No way, Misty!" Ash pleaded in defense, waving his arms about. "I'd never do something like that, especially with what we've got!"

Misty stomped over and handed Pikachu over to Ash in a shove-like motion, then she headed for the door.

"For your sake, it better not seem otherwise on that battlefield! Or else..."

She shook her fist threatingly at Ash before walking out. With her gone, Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's she talking about anyway? There's no way I find Shauna more attractive than her! Even if they dress in kind of the same way..."

"Pika pi," Pikachu shook his head.

"What am I saying? That Shauna thinks she's all that! No way I'm gonna let something like this distract me! I'll take her out... no, down... no, uh... I'll just take her, I mean, beat her... wait, no, I got it now..."

"Pika," Ash's best friend uttered as Ash continued to ramble on in the background. "Chu cha pika pika pi, pika pi. (You'll never understand girls, Ash.)"

------

The crowd cheered happily as the second round was about to get underway. Over on Field 1, Ash and Shauna were set to do battle. The trainers hadn't come out yet, but their sponsors had, as Misty and Brock saw Brawly already relaxing in the roped-off area.

"I take it that you're the Dewford Island gym leader?" Brock asked as he and Misty took a seat next to him.

"That's right, bro," he confirmed. "Brawly's the name! Are you the gym leader of Cerulean? Dude, I thought that was run by a girl?"

"Actually," Misty cut in before Brock could reply, "that would be me. My name's Misty!"

"And I'm Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City," he added, not wanting to be left out.

"So that's a water Pokémon gym, right?" Brawly asked Misty. "I bet you go surfing with them a lot, huh?"

"Not really."

"Then I guess we'd better set up a meeting somewhere down the road! I'm sure it would make a nice addition to your Pokémon's repertoire!"

"Is he hitting on me?" Misty thought to herself. "Nonsense... he's just giving me a tip on how to be a better gym leader. Nothing more."

"I bet you taught your trainer in the ways of water Pokémon, didn't you?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to play around," she pondered to herself. "After all, if Ash was lying to me and he did have eyes for Shauna... well, this ought to be a fair lesson to get back at him!"

Misty laughed out loud and then answered Brawly's question.

"You bet! Though Ash doesn't base his line-up on one particular type, I can take pride in saying that the few water Pokémon he does have are in tip-top shape thanks to my special training regimen!"

"Uh... what regimen?" wondered Brock, oblivious to what Misty was doing.

"Don't be silly!" Misty giggled. "Ash and I spent time every day mastering the powers of water-types!"

"I suspect your apprentice is just as skilled as my Shauna! It will be gnarly to see how this battle turns out!"

The conversation ended there, as the crowd cheered once again. This time, it was for Ash and Shauna emerging from the opposite ends of the field to take their positions. The announcer blared introductions over the loudspeaker.

"The second round now begins with all four matches competing simultaneously! Here on Field 1, we have Ash Ketchum, sponsored by the Cerulean City gym, taking on Shauna, who's representing the gym of Dewford Island! Let's take it down to the field, where an official will explain the rules of this battle!"

Down on said field, the official took that as his cue to begin.

"Okay... this is a two-on-two tag team battle! That means both trainers will call out both of their Pokémon at the same time!"

"What?" Ash cried out loud. "A tag team battle?"

"I've never been in a tag team battle before," shouted Shauna.

"No substitutions are allowed," the official continued. "The match ends when both of one trainer's Pokémon have been deemed unable to continue. All other League rules apply, and the match winner moves on. Thanks to a pre-match coin flip, the trainer on my left will call out her Pokémon first! Thus... let the match begin!"

"Two-on-two is fine by me, as I've prepared for such a situation," Shauna said with a smile. "Let's go... Machoke and Meditite!"

The two fighting Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs with fire in their eyes and a thirst for battle.

"Machoke!"

"Medi!" Meditite then proceeded to hover about a foot above the ground.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as it stepped forward.

Ash smiled as he reached for his belt and picked out one Pokéball. "If we're calling for two, then I call out two of my best! Pikachu and... Kingler, I choose you!"

"Kooki!" Kingler cried as it took its place next to Pikachu.

"So, an electric-type and a water-type," Brawly commented to Misty. "A very interesting combination the dude's got. Let's see if they can brave the wave from Shauna's fighting-types."

"Don't worry," Misty laughed nervously. "They can."

Misty then looked down and added to herself, "At least I hope so."

"Machoke, Karate Chop on Kingler! Meditite, use Confusion on Pikachu!"

"Kingler, use Harden! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Both teams separated themselves into one-on-one matches. Machoke went in to lay the Karate Chop, but Kingler used Harden to block it! Meanwhile, Pikachu's bid for a quick strike ended when Meditite used Confusion to lift him off the ground.

"Meditite, Hi Jump Kick!"

Meditite leaped into the air, right at the floating Pikachu. Pikachu struggled to break free of Confusion, but couldn't, and as a result, was greeted with a hard knee to the chest. The hit sent Pikachu flying all the way back to the other side of the field, where Kingler was still tied up with Machoke.

"Quick, Kingler, use Bubble to catch Pikachu!"

Kingler nodded and broke away from Machoke to get an opening.

"Low Kick, Machoke!" Shauna cried, in an attempt to keep Kingler at bay.

Kingler used Bubble, forming a bouncy water mattress that was soft enough to catch Pikachu and absorb the entire force from Meditite's attack. But using the attack meant he was unable to dodge Machoke's Low Kick, which knocked him several feet to Ash's left, close to the out-of-bounds line.

"Let's switch it up, guys! Machoke, Submission on Pikachu! And Meditite, Hidden Power!"

"Pikachu, dodge, then use Thunderbolt! Kingler, use Harden again!"

Machoke ran over and tried to grab Pikachu, but he was successful in dodging and firing off a retaliatory strike of Thunderbolt! As he did, Meditite used Hidden Power to launch an invisible beam of energy at Kingler. Kingler's Harden protected him from getting much damage, but the force of the beam was pushing him even closer to that out-of-bounds line.

"This isn't working," Ash thought. "Kingler's about to be pushed out and Pikachu can't keep up his speed forever! There's gotta be a way to get out of this mess!"

"Looks like this top-notch apprentice is gonna win this battle," Shauna stated aloud, breaking Ash's thought process. "You didn't stand a chance against my powerhouse fighting-type team!"

Pikachu glanced back at Ash, waiting for him to call out the next move. But Ash seemed to be lost, unable to figure out what to do next. Unfortunately for Pikachu, Shauna did know.

"Meditite, Hi Jump Kick! Machoke, Cross Chop! Go after that Pikachu!"

The two fighting-types charged for Pikachu. With no offensive in place, Pikachu turned tail and ran backwards towards Ash. Despite being on the run, Pikachu didn't seem at all to be worried, even with Ash seemingly having spaced out.

"What is Pikachu doing?" Ash wondered.

Ash then turned his attention towards Kingler... or he would have, if not for the fact that Kingler was gone!

"Hey! Where did Kingler go?"

Ash had no time to worry about that, for Meditite and Machoke were bearing down on Pikachu and about to launch their attacks. Then, at the last possible second, Shauna, as well as the audience, noticed something amiss. Or, to be more specific, not missing anymore.

"Look out! Behind you!"

But Shauna's yells came too late, as Kingler jumped up and raised his large claw up into the air, aiming right at Meditite. Spotting Kingler as the claw began to glow, Ash already knew what attack to call out.

"Kingler, use Crabhammer!"

With one fell swoop, Kingler's Crabhammer hit its mark. Meditite was knocked into a confused state. With his head pounding, Meditite was unable to get his bearings, and was no longer hovering over the ground. Rather, it was stumbling about here and there.

"Looks like the tide has turned, man," Brawly observed.

"Really?" Misty asked, eyeing the battle carefully.

"Shauna was starting to show that she understood the key of a tag team battle. But it seems Ash is the one who knows how to apply it."

"You mean the key is... teamwork?"

"Right, dudette!"

A little flustered over what had just happened, Shauna tried to order Meditite to perform another attack.

"Time to get back in it! Meditite, use Recover!"

Meditite attempted to recover his energy, but the move failed!

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Ash exclaimed.

Shauna turned towards Pikachu, thinking the Pokémon was going to attack Meditite. But instead, Pikachu's Thunder Wave hit Machoke, the intended target all along. The move left the muscle-bound Pokémon paralyzed.

"Kingler, use Stomp! Pikachu, follow that up with Quick Attack!"

Kingler performed Stomp, shaking the ground and causing Machoke to lose his footing. Off-balance, Pikachu stroke quickly, hitting Machoke squarely in the stomach and knocking him to the ground.

"Choke! Machoke!"

Shauna gasped. "Machoke, get up! Quickly!"

"Kingler, Crabhammer!"

This second Crabhammer hit in the exact same place as Pikachu's Quick Attack, knocking all consciousness out of Machoke and causing him to faint. Pikachu and Kingler backed off as the official ran out to check on Machoke's condition. The swirly-shaped eyes told the story.

"Machoke is unable to continue the match!"

"After a one-two combination thanks to Pikachu's Quick Attack and Kingler's Crabhammer," the announcer stated, "Machoke is down and out! That leaves Shauna of Dewford Island with a Meditite. And considering its condition, I'd say she's in trouble right now."

"Machoke, return!" Shauna said, pulling out his Pokéball. Once Machoke was out of harm's way, Shauna turned her attention to Ash. "This isn't over yet, Ash! Nothing's gonna come between me and my chance of becoming a Pokémon Junior Master! Or impressing the man I love!"

Shauna glanced at the stands to her left and stared dreamily at Brawly. Her object of affection responded with a cheer.

"Focus, Shauna! Feel the flow of the battle! There's still time to turn it around and win!"

"Oh, Brawly, you're the greatest!" she giggled.

Ash and Misty both gasped in shock. "So she likes her mentor, Brawly?"

Brawly seemed to laugh it off, not realizing the whole truth of Shauna's admiration for him.

"So it only looked like Ash was ogling Shauna," thought Misty. "In reality, the only thing the two of them have in common is their competitive spirits!"

"I guess it's okay if she likes the guy who's helping her train," Ash said to himself. "Hopefully, that convinces Misty that I wasn't hitting on Shauna. Like I said, nothing can compare to her."

"Brawly's right!" Shauna announced. "This battle isn't over! Meditite, try using Recover again!"

Meditite shook his head, this time apparently regaining his focus. He then proceeded to use Recover, in the process gaining back some of his lost HP and gathering enough energy to resume floating again.

"Uh oh!" Ash shouted. "This isn't good!"

"Let's see what you've got now!" dared Shauna.

"Pikachu, use Agility! Meanwhile, go with Vice Grip, Kingler!"

Pikachu used his speed to go in first, with Kingler following right behind. Meditite stood his ground as Pikachu dashed behind him and waited while Kingler attacked as expected, squeezing him in his claws.

"Pikachu, Thundershock!"

"Pika-CHUUUUUUUUU!"

Pikachu fired his electric attack at the trapped Meditite. But suddenly, Meditite's eyes began to glow a mystical blue. Shauna clenched her fist with excitement and called out a new attack.

"Meditite, Reversal!"

"Reversal?" Ash asked, befuddled.

Using his mental energies, Meditite switched positions with Kingler, leaving the crab Pokémon in the path of Pikachu's Thundershock. Meditite then let go, leaving Kingler with no time to dodge. The attack ended up hitting its mark, electrocuting Kingler and knocking it out instantly.

"Kingler! No!"

"Cha..." Pikachu cha'd, having had no intent on harming his battle partner.

"Kingler is unable to continue!" the official proclaimed after checking Kingler out.

"Meditite gets back into the match after pulling a Reversal on Kingler, resulting in Pikachu KO'ing his own partner!" the announcer said, describing the fall. "It's down to a one-on-one match! The next fall will decide it!"

"Righteous, Shauna!" shouted Brawly. "Now, ride the wave home to victory!"

Noting that it was no time to be worrisome, Misty yelled out her own words of encouragement to her trainer.

"C'mon, Ash! This battle's far from over! You've got Pikachu! No one can beat him! Absolutely no one!"

"This is for Brawly!" Shauna exclaimed proudly. "Meditite, Confusion!"

As Meditite prepared to use the attack, he noticed Pikachu standing just a few feet in front of him, on his hind legs. And his arms were raised up to the sky, where dark clouds were already gathering.

"Heh," Ash chuckled. "Looks like Misty's right. Pikachu's already one step ahead of me... and this battle is just about over!"

"Nonsense!" objected Shauna. "There's still plenty of fight in me and Meditite!"

"Not after this... Pikachu, Thunder!"

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

A gigantic bolt of electricity rained down from the sky, striking Meditite despite his best efforts to use Confusion to try and stop it. Shauna thought she was done for, but was glad to see Meditite still standing when the smoke cleared. Even though he was panting heavily in exhaustion.

"I must become the Pokémon Junior Master, I must!" Shauna kept yelling, as if to reassure herself she was still in it. And her next move would ensure she would still be in it. "Recover, Meditite!"

"Quick Attack!"

Shauna hadn't noticed that Pikachu had been charging at Meditite just as the previous attack had dissipated. Pikachu was already leaping in to perform Quick Attack before Shauna had even noticed him. The electric mouse bowled into Meditite, zapping the last of his opponent's strength in the process. With no more will to fight, Meditite fainted. The official ran over to check, but it was a foregone conclusion.

"Meditite is unable to continue! The victory goes to Ash Ketchum, the representative from Cerulean City!"

"And that's it, folks!" the announcer shouted loudly. "Pikachu took advantage of a weakened Meditite and shocked his way to victory! Now it's on to the semifinals, just two victories shy is Ash of becoming the first Pokémon Junior Master!"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu screamed with glee as it ran back to Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as he knelt down with open arms, which Pikachu promptly jumped into. The two shared a thankful hug, happy to have fought their way into the semifinals.

Meanwhile, a depressed Shauna recalled Meditite, disappointed in not living up to her expectations... and Brawly's.

"You fought a good fight, Meditite. Thanks for giving it your all."

She then glanced back up at where Brawly was sitting. Or where he had been sitting, as at that very moment he was hopping over the stands and running towards her.

"He does care," she smiled happily. "He REALLY does care!"

Shauna ran with open arms towards her crush, the Dewford Island gym leader, Brawly. She was hoping to share a warm embrace with him. He, on the other hand, just ran by her and made his way over to Ash.

"That was an incredible battle!" complimented Brawly. "I've never seen a trainer so in tune with one of his own Pokémon! You and that Pikachu of yours look like you're unstoppable!"

"Well, we do make one heck of a team," Ash admitted as he glanced at his partner.

"Pika pika!" thanked Pikachu.

"Wha... what about me?" Shauna wondered. "I fought just as hard as Ash did to win that battle!"

"And it definitely showed," Brawly smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your determination was awesome today! You'll surely one of the best trainers I've ever seen."

"Really?"

"And who knows... one day, you might be good enough to be a gym leader like me!"

Shauna's face lit up with stars, joyful of the praise her mentor had bestowed upon her. "Oh thank you, thank you!"

Then, regaining her composure, she turned to Ash and gave him a look of determination.

"One day we'll meet up again, Ash, and hopefully next time, I'll beat you!"

Ash laughed. "I look forward to a rematch with you, Shauna! Any time, any place!"

Shauna nodded, then led Brawly out of the arena. The two were applauded loudly by the crowd as the duo made their exit from the field. As Ash watched them leave, Misty and Brock had made their way down from the stands and were now by his side.

"Looks like you've gained another friend for life," Brock said.

"Ash seems to have a way of making friends with people he beats," Misty stated with a smirk.

"What can I say? They enjoy battling me, and I with them!"

"I guess we'd better go see how Gary and Cassie are doing," suggested the Cerulean gym leader. "There's a very good chance you could be battling one of them in the next round."

"No matter who's next, I can't wait... because now I'm only two wins away from becoming the first ever Pokémon Junior Master!"

To be continued next week in Part 3!