Rise of a Champion Chapter Four:
"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. Bulbasaur is known for storing toxins it creates using photosynthesis in its bulb.
This Bulbasaur is female and has the ability: Overgrow.
Bulbasaur knows the moves: Vine whip, sleep powder and tackle.
Egg moves are: Leaf storm, giga drain and grasswhistle."
Ash whistled as he listened to the Pokedex list his Bulbasaur's moves and potential egg moves. Ash patted the grass type on the head, who growled and rubbed its head into the trainer's hand with a smile.
So far they had just about made it to go the outskirts of Pewter city, where there were few buildings scattered around. The city centre was still about a half hour walk from where they were standing.
Ash then pulled out another pokeball, but instead of releasing the Pokemon inside Ash simply stared at it.
The pokeball in his hand contained his recently captured Weedle, who Ash hadn't let out of its pokeball yet.
Truth be told, Ash didn't know how the bug type would react once released. It had been aggressive beforehand and now it was captured the Hairy Bug Pokemon wasn't likely to be any less so.
The trainer sighed as he pulled out two other pokeballs and tossed them onto the ground, releasing their tenants inside.
Larvitar and Pidgey wearily looked around before staring at their trainer. Bulbasaur slowly walked over and joined the other two Pokemon.
The three Pokemon made room for their new teammate who Ash hesitantly released.
The Weedle's familiar form appeared before them, hissing angrily at the trainer and his three Pokemon. A single stinger was flung in their direction, which was easily knocked out of the air by one of Bulbasaur's vines.
Before it could attack again, Larvitar crashed into it, sending the bug type skidding along the floor for a couple of metres before it finally came to a stop.
The Weedle hissed before Ash yelled loudly and stood between the two of them.
"Stop!"
Both Pokemon hesitated for a second before backing off, anger present in both of their eyes.
"I know you're probably resentful that I caught you Weedle. But I did and you know what? It doesn't have to be a bad thing," Ash said as he crouched down to the bug types level. The Weedle didn't move, although the it chose to stare at Larvitar by Ash's side for a second.
Once Ash was sure he had regained the bug type's attention he carried on.
"I can tell you've got fighting spirit just by our battles. You're a strong Weedle but you can become stronger. Look at Larvitar, he's been training with me for a while now and look how strong he is. If you join my team you could be just as strong."
Weedle growled slightly before looking away from Ash. It looked away towards the forest, then towards Pidgey standing by Ash's side and then back to Ash, after which it finally nodded in agreement.
Ash smiled in relief, the fear of Weedle rejecting it, knowing that the Weedle line were generally aggressive and prideful as a species.
Hesitantly reaching forward, Ash stretched his hand out and looked the bug type in the eye, silently asking the bug type if he was aloud closer.
Weedle lowered its head slightly, allowing ash to run his hand over its serpentine body. The chitin armour felt hard but cool to his touch and Ash could feel how each of the interlocking plates were held together.
After removing his hand, Ash looked at the Hairy Bug Pokemon again, noticing how now it had become considerably more calm, although the fire in its eyes was still present.
"Alright, let's get to the Pewter city Pokemon Centre and call it a day!" Ash shouted, getting a volley of cheers from his team. Ash returned the majority of his Pokemon, although he left his starter out to walk beside him for the rest of the journey. Larvitar eventually jumped into Ash's arms after he began to get tired. His trainer was meanwhile searching in his Pokedex on possible moves he could teach his team. Anything which could help them defeat the Pewter city gym leader.
He recalled that Pidgey could learn steel wing as it was one of its egg moves, which would be super effective against any rock types at the gym. Along with this he now had Bulbasaur, who was a grass type, which would be super effective against rock types.
Scanning through his Pokedex, Ash found a move which he could teach Bulbasaur to help greatly in the next gym; leech seed.
Leech seed would allow Bulbasaur to sap away its opponent's stamina and health, whilst regaining half of the taken energy for itself. For a gym full of rock type Pokemon, who were known for being extremely durable, it could prove to be extremely beneficial.
After watching a couple of video tutorials, Ash was confident he could teach Bulbasaur the move, and released the Seed Pokemon. The female grass type looked at the trainer in confusion before Ash bent down to her level and began to stroke her head. The Bulbasaur smiled and began to nuzzle into his hand.
Ash stopped after a while and began to show the grass type the videos of what it needed to do.
"This is leech seed, I think it'll help us a lot in our upcoming gym battle against Brock," Ash said as the two watched a Ivysaur fire the attack. After a couple of rewinds, Bulbasaur nodded, confident she could replicate the attack.
The grass type concentrated for a second, the large bulb in her back rippling as it tried to expel the seed. After a couple of tries a small seed pathetically fired out of the Seed Pokémon's back and fell to the floor, where it burst into a shower if vines.
Ash rubbed his head sheepishly as the dinosaur-looking Pokemon stared at the ground, depressed.
"I'm sure you'll crack it by the time we face Brock," Ash sad with a reassuring smile. Bulbasaur have her trainer a weak grin in return before going back to concentrating on perfecting the move.
Whilst Bulbasaur was at work, Ash released his Pidgey, who he sat down at showed the move steel wing to. Ash knew this would be considerably more difficult for the bird to learn, considering Egg moves weren't supposed to naturally learnt by the Pokemon. He knew that both Pokemon would be able to master the moves soon enough, which would help considerably in the upcoming gym.
After about an hour or so Ash had made it to the Pokecenter, where he dropped off his Pokemon to allow them to rest and recover from their expedition through the Viridian forest.
Ash sat down whilst he thought about his team for the upcoming gym. For now, he wouldn't be able to use Weedle, considering the Pokemon was weak to rock type moves and its limited move pool wouldn't be helpful whilst batting any of the gym leader's Pokemon.
He knew that he would have to take Larvitar, Pidgey and Bulbasaur.
Around an hour later, Ash had devised a strategy and collected his Pokemon. The trainer decided to book a room for himself where he had his first shower in a week.
After getting refreshed, Ash started to make his way over to the gym. It was only a short walk away from the Pokemon Centre and when he finally got to it the trainer was shaking with both anticipation and excitement.
The building wasn't as big as Ash had originally envisioned it, only being a couple of stories high. Large, thick stone slabs stood either side of the door, barely held up by thick wooden beams. From the other sides of the building the gym looked completely normal.
Ash tried to push the door open but it refused to budge, the large wooden door seemingly to heavy for the young boy to move.
After a couple of moments, the doors swing open on their own. A small waiting room waited on the other side of the door, with a single desk which had a secretary sitting behind it.
Ash walked over and began to talk, but before he could the secretary looked up with north in her eyes.
"The door is automatic you know."
Ash went a bright red as he realised she must have been able to see his struggle.
"S-sorry, I'm here to battle the gym leader," Ash said nervously. The secretary smiled warmly at him before starting to type away on her computer in front of her.
"I'm guessing this is your first time challenging a gym?" The woman asked, to which Ash nodded in agreement.
The woman afterwards asked him to hand over his Pokedex, which could act as a form of identification and scheduled him for a gym battle. After a small wishing if good luck, Ash walked on through to the gym's battlefield.
The room was dark and he could feel hard stone beneath his feet as he walked forward. Ash could just about make out a thin path of flat stones which led to a dimly lit area in the centre of the room.
Sitting on a pedestal was a young man, most likely five or six years older than Ash with tanned skin and a light green vest.
The teenager hadn't turned to face the new trainer yet.
"What are you here for?" The teenager asked, his voice echoing throughout the battlefield.
"I'm here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge," Ash said with determination in his voice. He noticed that the man's eyes were barely open.
"Very well. I'm Brock the gym leader It will be a three on three with no substitutions," the man, now identified as Brock, told him. Ash nodded in acceptance as he got his first Pokemon ready in his hand. Brock nodded and pointed to one end of the room. Indicating where Ash needed to walk to.
Very slowly the lights in the room started to flicker on, revealing a rugged battlefield covered in boulders and small pebbles; a rock type's haven. In the centre there were a few flat stones that provided a smooth surface in the centre. Around the battlefield were a couple of stands for spectators to sit in and watch the battle from.
Brock himself had walked over to the other side of the room, a pokeball in his hand. The gym leader waited patiently for Ash to finish looking around before he shouted.
"Are you ready!"
Ash merely nodded as he released his first Pokemon, his Pidgey. The trainer noticed the small smile that played across the gym leader's face as he threw his own pokeball.
A small rock with large eyes and two powerful, stone arms appeared in front of Ash's Pidgey, slamming its fists together intimidatingly. A Geodude.
A gym trainer walked towards the edge of the battlefield, acting as a referee for the match.
"Begin!"
Ash wasted no time in shouting out commands.
"Alright Pidgey! Start it off with a twister attack!"
The small bird began to flap its wings, making small tornados fly towards the rock type, which flinched as it was pelted by the harsh winds and draconic energy.
Brock however, stood calm as he watched his Pokemon take the attack.
"Retaliate with rock throw, show him why he shouldn't bring a flying type to a rock gym," Brock said with a smirk, which made Ash growl in annoyance.
"Pidgey! Get in close and retaliate with steel wing! Don't let its attack hit you!"
The Tiny Bird Pokemon let out a cry as it dived towards the rock type, its wings shining with a metallic gleam. Dodging the single rock that the Geodude threw at it, the flying type smashed its wings into the rock type, sending it flying into the wall.
*CRACK*
Geodude cried out in pain as it fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Impressive... But that was just my warm up go Rhyhorn!" Brock shouted a she lobbed another pokeball at the field.
A small, dinosaur-like rock type appeared on the battlefield, it's heavy body creating a small crater in the field.
Pidgey cooed as it looked at its new opponent, to which Ash gave it a reassuring smile.
"Just do your best Pidgey! Hit it hard and fast with a steel wing!"
The bird once again raced forward, its wings glowing with the familiar metallic colour. Brock however, was prepared for it this time, shouting at his Rhyhorn to dodge the attack before shooting off a rock blast.
The heavy Pokemon was sharing my agile as it moved out of the way just in time, Pidgey's wing only managed to deal a glancing blow on its armoured plates, failing to even make it flinch. Soon after the heavy Pokemon launched a volley of small rocks at the Tiny Bird Pokemon, most of which missed their target although a two managed to strike the flying type, making Pidgey spiral out of control in the air as it cried out in pain.
"Pidgey!" Ash shouted in worry as he watched the bird plummet to the ground. However, mid fall the bird was enveloped in a bright white light.
And soon after the light dimmed, allowing Ash to see that his Pidgey had survived the fall. However, Pidgey had changed…
The bird had grown, the crest on its head had gone a bright red and the talons on its feet had become sharper. The fierce bird gave a ferocious battle cry as it swooped overhead.
Instead of being a Pidgey, the flying type was now a proud Pidgeotto. The bird gave a cry of valour as it awaited an order from its trainer.
"Wow you evolved! Well done Pidgeotto!" Ash shouted as the bird chirped at his praise. The two quickly fell back into focus however as they looked at their opponent back in front of them.
"Hit it again with another steel wing!" Ash shouted as Pidgeotto sped forward, its wings glowed.
"Take the hit! And then counter with more rock blasts!" Brock shouted, knowing now that his Pokemon would have no chance to dodge. Rhyhorn groaned at the attack hit before firing off more small rocks, most of which hit Pidgeotto.
Ash could see that the flying type was struggling to stay in the air, it was tiring quickly.
"Pidgeotto! Hit it with your most powerful twister!"
"Battle through it with take-down!" Brock shouted instantly. Pidgeotto managed to summon the large twisters of winds, which smashed into the Rhyhorn as the latent draconic energy started to damage it. Rhyhorn, however, was able to battle through the winds as it glowed with a white light and it cannoned into the flying type, knocking it out easily. The bird didn't even make a sound as it fell to the floor unconscious.
"Well done Pidgeotto," Ash said as he recalled the Pokemon. Without a word Ash threw his next Pokemon onto the battlefield, revealing Bulbasaur.
The grass type looked at her trainer before her eyes gained a ferocious look to them. Rhyhorn across the battlefield shuddered slightly as it realised it was facing a grass type.
Rhyhorn generally had very small brains, meaning it was difficult for them to learn in the wild. However, on an instinctual level, Rhyhorn still recognised a type which it was severely weak to.
"Alright Rhyhorn! Try and keep it away with a rock blast!" Brock shouted, trying to weaken down its opponent.
"Dodge it and counter with vine whip!" Ash shouted as Bulbasaur dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the rocks blasted at it. Soon after the Seed Pokemon sent its two longs vines after the rock type.
Rhyhorn groaned in pains at the two long vines lashed at it, adding further damage to its body after it took the steel wing from Pidgeotto earlier. With a small shudder the Rhyhorn fell to the ground, unconscious.
Brock looked amazed at the Bulbasaur in surprise before returning his second Pokemon. Holding his third pokeball for a moment in his hand, Brock looked at Ash standing across the battlefield.
"You've done well, to have beaten both of my Pokemon so effectively deserves praise. I hope you're ready for my next Pokemon though, go Onix!"
Ash blanched as a massive snake like Pokemon made entirely out of stone materialised, easily towering over both Bulbasaur and its trainer, and it began to glare at its opponent.
"Body slam!" Brock ordered as the large rock snake tried to flatten Bulbasaur beneath itself. Needless to say, Ash didn't need to tell Bulbasaur to dodge that attack.
Onix were known for being large bulky Pokemon, which could make a tackle hit like a truck. However, they weren't as bulky as they looked and could easily be put down by strong grass or water type moves.
"Vine whip! Then follow it up with sleep powder!" Ash shouted as a counter. Immediately his Pokemon lashed out with its vines, the attack easily cutting into the rock types body. Soon after the air was filled with a green powder; sleep powder.
"Dig Onix!" Brock roared as the rock snake forced its large body and tear into the ground using its crest, easily disappearing beneath the battlefield. Bulbasaur kept himself close to the ground, it's vines gentler moving around it ready to pull itself out of trouble whenever possible. The ground beneath the grass type began to crumble, giving the grass type time to pull itself away as the huge rock snake appeared beneath it.
"Now use leech seed!" Ash shouted as the Seed Pokemon shot the attack at the Onix, hitting it square in the face. The rock snake roared in pain as vines erupted from the seed and snaked their way across its face, blinding it.
"Onix try to use rock throw!" Brock roared as the large snake tore off a part of one of the nearby rocks and lobbed it in Bulbasaur's general direction, easily missing the small Pokemon.
"Finish it off with a vine whip!" Ash shouted as Bulbasaur began to pelt the large rock snake with her vines, making the large Pokemon cry in pain before it fell to the floor, sending up a large cloud of dust.
"Yeah we did it!" Ash shouted in televised and Bulbasaur came bounding over, knocking into its trainer and sending them both sprawling in the ground. Ash laughed slightly as the grass type nuzzled into his face. Ash praised her and petted her head for a moment before returning Bulbasaur and getting to his feet. When he got up off the ground, Brock was waiting for him merely a few feet away.
"You surprised me, well done," the gym leader admitted as he held out a small badge shaped like a boulder towards the trainer. Ash gratefully accepted the badge with a large grin on his face as he pinned the badge to the inside of his jacket.
"I'm interested though, what would your third Pokemon have been?"
Ash pulled out Larvitar's pokeball and released the rock type, making Brick smile slightly.
"Raising a rock type, you've impressed me even more, he's in good shape so make sure to keep doing whatever you are doing to look after him," Brock said with a smile as he studied the small Pokemon.
The gym leader also held out a small CD to Ash, which made him look up in shock.
"This is a TM which contained the move Rock Tomb. Usually we're supposed to try and demonstrate the move to our challengers at least once but I guess I got a little carried away..." Brock explained as he rubbed the back of his head.
Obtaining TMs was exceptionally difficult for most trainers, especially considering that they cost large amounts of money. The technology was owned by a company in Saffron city known as Silph. Co, who had patented the idea. Considering the amount of protection around the production of TMs it was literally impossible to replicate the technology.
TMs allowed trainers to teach their Pokemon moves that would either be difficult to teach them normally or would otherwise be unable to learn. They were exceptionally useful tools for trainers but there were downsides. Certain species of Pokemon were only compatible with certain TMs and their prices could range from $10000 to $50000 in price, making them extremely expensive.
The gym leader also handed the trainer a small stack of money as well.
"You also get a set amount of cash for winning against a gym, make sure to use it wisely," Brock advised as Ash took the money in confusion.
"How does the Pokemon League even make so much money?"
Brock smiled at this and looked at the child in amusement.
"Pokemon tournaments are single-handedly the most popular shows on any TV channel, not to mention they own the shops such as the Pokemarts and even stakes in large companies such as Silph. Co." Brock explained as Ash's eyes widened in amazement.
"That's crazy to think how much money they must make..." Ash trailed off as the gym leader laughed.
"Yeah I can't even imagine the numbers..." Brock said wistfully before turning around.
"Anyway, I wish you good luck on the rest of your journey, with any luck I'll be seeing you at the conference this year. Any questions you have feel free to call my gym."
Ash watched the gym leader walk into a side room with a smile on his face.
"Thanks Brock."
...
...
...
"Selling amazingly strong Pokemon for only $500!" A lone trader shouted across the street. Ash looked at the man in confusion before walking over.
"A strong Pokemon?" Ash asked out loud as he watched the vendor pull out a pokeball and hold it out to the trainer.
"Inside here is an insanely strong Pokemon that only the strongest of trainers can train. Do you think you can handle it?" The trader asked as Ash looked at the pokeball in excitement, failing to notice the gleam in the seller's eye.
"I'll take it!" Ash shouted as he handed over some of the winnings he had made during his trip through Viridian forest. After winning the gym battle against Brock Ash wasn't too concerned over the $500 price tag.
The trader handed over the pokeball before giving Ash a wave as he walked off.
(Five Minutes Later)
"Umm..." Ash said as he looked at the Pokemon in front of him. A small orange fish flapped around on the pavement in front of him weakly. Ash quickly returned the Pokemon and walked over to a nearby pond, thinking maybe the water would help it.
To his dismay the Pokemon simply floated near the top of the water, staring at him blankly.
"Karrrp!" It moaned in the water as Ash sweat dropped at it. Pulling out his Pokedex Ash scanned the fish Pokemon.
"Magikarp, the Fish Pokemon.
Magikarp is known as one of the world's weakest Pokemon species. No one knows how it had managed to survive.
Magikarp is a water type.
This Magikarp is: Female and it had the ability: Rattled.
This Magikarp knows the moves: Splash and Tackle."
Ash frowned as he looked at the water type in front of him, clearly puzzled. After a while Ash gave up and simply resorted to petting the fish in the water, to which the Magikarp rubbed its scaly head against his hand.
"Karrrrrp."
Ash sweat dropped as the fish cried out again. He scanned the female Magikarp once more with his Pokedex.
"Magikarp can learn no Egg Moves, it does have other moves it can learn."
Ash selected TM moves, to which he found the water type couldn't learn any. However, Ash could see that it could learn one other move naturally. Praying it was strong, Ash selected the option and...
Flail.
Sighing and stashing away his Pokedex, Ash took off his shoes and dipped his feet in the water, watching his Magikarp swim around his feet. The trainer absently noticed that the water type was fairly fast and agile, being able to dive in and out of his legs and change direction easily.
Ash took one more hopeful look at his Pokedex to see if he could get any more information about the Pokemon he brought.
Evolutions.
Ash hadn't noticed before but it seemed as if Magikarp had a single evolution which it could become. After clicking on the next evolution Ash nearly dropped his Pokedex in surprise.
According to the database, Magikarp would evolve into a Gyarados.
Gyarados was seen as an apex predator of the water, with its sharp fins, powerful attacks and ferocious nature. To think it evolved from something as small as Magikarp…
"Wow so you grow up to become really big and strong huh?" Ash asked out loud to the small fish, who released some bubbles in agreement.
"Well welcome to the team Magikarp," Ash said happily as the fish swam up against his leg once again. After interacting with the small water type for a while, Ash returned her to her pokeball and started to walk to the Pokemon Centre to prepare for his next journey.
His team was growing by the day and they were getting stronger too. He noticed that a lot of his team was close to evolving. Bulbasaur's large bulb on her back was starting to get bigger, meaning it was nearly ready to bloom. Weedle too was getting closer, which was shown by his body starting to become more durable and its exoskeleton thicker. It wouldn't be long until either of them followed Pidgeotto and reached the next level of their growth.
He had everything packed and ready for the next leg of his journey through Mount Moon, which he hoped to reach within the week. And eager and determined look spread across Ash's face as he thought about his journey so far. He wanted to be at Cerulean city as soon as possible.
So he could show the world how good he really was.
...
...
...
Mount Moon was an imposing sight, towering above Ash and dwarfing even the tallest trees around for miles. A couple of stray Fearow and even a Dodrio, which was a rare occurrence, could be seen nesting on the edge of the mountain, occasionally squawking and snapping at each other threateningly.
Ash gulped as he thought about the mountain. The only known way through the behemoth of a mountain was to go under it, any other routes taking weeks on end.
"Might as well get this over with," Ash thought as he walked past the lone Pokemon Centre at the foot of the mountain.
Ash didn't need to stop, considering he still had most of his supplies left, more than enough to make it through Mount Moon.
The trainer had slowed down considerably since he had left Pewter city, choosing to battle as many trainers as he could to get his Pokemon valuable experience.
And it had paid off, a few days after he had left Weedle had evolved into Kakuna. The Cocoon Pokemon had instinctively learnt the move harden as it evolved, allowing it to tank more hits, but at the sacrifice of his speed and mobility. Ash knew that'd change as Kakuna evolved but for now the bug type would have to endure and get used to its cocoon-like body. However, with the growth of its mandibles, Ash had also been able to teach the bug type the move bug bite as well, which had proved to be a match winner in many occasions.
Bulbasaur had reached her next stage of growth only a day after Kakuna; becoming a strong Ivysaur. However, she was still getting used to her body so some of her movements lacked the finesse they had previously held before.
Larvitar hasn't evolved yet, which hadn't surprised Ash. The species needed to store copious amounts of energy in order to evolve. Considering how powerful their final forms were it was no surprise to the new trainer.
Both Pidgeotto and Magikarp hadn't changed very much. Ash had taught the Small Fish Pokemon how to use flail, which it had perfected fairly quickly.
Pidgeotto had managed to learn two moves, whirlwind and air slash. By adding another powerful long ranged attack and a method to counter attacks to the bird's arsenal the bird Pokemon was starting to become an extremely hard hitter.
The trainer released his Larvitar as he walked into the mountain, the Rock Skin Pokemon yawned as he started to walk after Ash.
"I need you to stay alert for any activity whilst we're here," Ash said to the small rock-type, who nodded affirmatively. Mount Moon was known to be part of a large system of underground caves which connected all the way back to Mount Hideaway near Pallet Town. The area was known for being home to dangerous species of Pokemon; ranging from Rhydon to large Onix. Staying out of their way would be the smartest plan of action.
The cave was near total darkness; the cave system was only just about lit up by the glow of luminous moss which lined the walls. Overhead Ash could hear the high pitched squeals of Zubat which sped through the mountain. The rookie trainer winced as he clutched his ears, the bat's supersonics making him groan in pain.
*CRASH* *GYAAAAA*
Ash froze in his tracked as he heard the loud cry. The walls of the tunnel shook ferociously as Ash was sent to the floor by violent tremors. Larvitar yelped in surprise as mere metres before them large boulders sprouted out of one side of the tunnel. For a split second Ash could make out a large eye amidst the rocks before it disappeared again. After a moment the tremors started to settle as the boulders moved away from his location. Ash breathed out in relief and pulled Larvitar closer to him. The small rock type shivered as they realised how close they had come to death.
Onix were known to burrow through Mount Moon and most of the tunnels that Ash was walking through were created by their digging. Traveller which got stuck in their path could be seriously injured or even killed by the giant rock types.
The trainer and Pokemon slowly got back up to their feet, sweating slightly. After a moment the dark-haired trainer picked up his Larvitar and continued to walk forward. The trainer's flashlight did a fairly good job at lighting up the now darker areas of the tunnels, which were surprisingly vacant.
An hour and a half passed by in a flash, the rookie trainer was still trying to navigate through the tunnels. He'd encountered only a single trainer, who was too busy ranting on about finding the mysterious Clefairy located in the tunnels. When encountered, Ash had tried to get away as soon as possible, leaving the lunatic raving in the darkness of the tunnel.
A flash of bright light lit up the tunnels temporarily as Ash released his Kakuna. The cocoon Pokemon needed more outside exposure in order to gather the natural energy it needed to evolve so whilst they were wandering would be the perfect time.
The small bug type hissed slightly as it balanced in its stinger before firing a string shot at its trainer's shoulder. After a few moments the cocoon Pokemon was safely inside of Ash's arms, being carried around by his trainer.
After another hour the dark haired trainer encountered a rare sight. A small purple quadruped Pokemon hopped around in the small tunnel, sniffing around the edges trying to scavenge edible mushrooms. Ash grinned as he noticed the small Pokemon, whipping out his Pokedex in response.
"Nidoran, the poison pin Pokemon.
Nidoran scans its surroundings by using its large ears. It's horn is used for protection and contains a painful neurotoxin."
The sound of the Pokedex talking startled the small rodent, who looked up at Ash in fear. The small trainer felt a twinge of guilt as he watched the Nidoran flinch. The trainer slowly bent down to the small rodent's level and held his hand out as an open offer. Kakuna hissed in annoyance as he was forced to jump out of its trainers arms.
Nidoran were known for hanging around the outside of Mount Moon due to its close proximity to the moonstone, but we're very rarely seen inside due to being easy prey. For a Nidoran as small as the one in front of Ash to be found here could only mean it was lost.
Slowly the timid creature hopped forward, sniffing Ash's hand and nibbling his fingers gently. The trainer laughed at the feeling of his hand being tickled and slowly started to pet the Nidoran with his other hand, being sure to mind the poisonous barbs. The small rodent chirped its name as it started to get petted before nuzzling closer into Ash's hand.
"Hey little guy," Ash said with a friendly smile across his face. The timid Pokemon looked at the trainer before hopping back slightly, narrowly missing the boy with its large poisonous barbs.
"Huh?" Ash said as he watched the little guy flinch and race off down the tunnel. With Kakuna back in his arms and Larvitar by his side once more Ash followed the Nidoran down the tunnel. Cries and screeches could be heard down the tunnel, filled with pain and distress. For creatures which could survive in conditions such as Mount Moon to be in so much pain…
Nearby, Ash could see the Nidoran from earlier cowering behind a rock, its ears had flattened as best as they could against its head. Crouching low, Ash and his two Pokemon edged closer in the shadows of the tunnel, watching the sights in front of them unfold.
Dozens of semi-docile Pokemon, mainly Paras and Clefairy, were found around the cavern in small cages, with barely enough room to stand. The Paras seemed to barely able to stand and the majority of them had their mushrooms missing on their backs. The mushrooms found on a Paras' back were used in medicines and were of great value. However, removing the mushrooms left the grass types extremely weak and barely able to move, in the wild almost guaranteeing them death.
A single cage could be seen nearby which was reinforced with electricity. Inside was a large Pokemon with blue scales which was barely moving. Its entire body was covered in burns and cuts, indicating it had obviously put up a fight. It was a Nidoqueen.
Large crates could be seen stacked in one corner of the room, filled with what appeared to be Pokeballs. Two men could be seen in black uniforms with Crimson 'R's on the front of their uniforms capturing the caged Pokemon and lobbing their balls into a crate. The site of their uniform made Ash freeze; that uniform belonged to Team Rocket.
Team Rocket was an organisation that should have been shut down nearly twenty years ago at the hand of the Champion Red. Although their leader was never discovered or apprehended for his crimes, it was thought the organisation had collapsed and were no longer in operation. For them to be operating in such a remote place as Mount Moon was a bad sign.
One of the men noticed Nidoran twitching nearby and walked over with a menacing grin on his face and Pokeball in hand. Nidoran shouted its name in fear and started to track backwards. Nidoran were one of the strongest families that could be found in Mount Moon, so it would be an appealing target.
Ash stood up from the shadows, his Pokemon hissing at the man in front of them. The adult reeled back in surprise before a vicious snarl played across his features.
"You little-t! Scram before I beat the shit out of you," the man snarled as he reached for Pokeballs on his back. Ash tensed before Larvitar stepped forward and snarled at the man, it's eyes glowing red with the power of outrage. This however only made Ash more nervous.
Outrage was a powerful move no doubt, allowing the user to unlock their latent draconic energy and channel it to provide them with fury and stronger attacks. However, it was difficult to withstand and channel the energy, even for pure dragons, and it's sheer power could leave the user enraged and confused; both of which were things Ash didn't want in a barely stable ecosystem under tonnes of rock.
"Larvitar," the trainer called out with authority in his voice. Almost immediately the red eyes of the rock skin Pokemon receded and the small Pseudo was back to normal, still snarling at the rocket agent.
The man snorted at the display in front of him and released two Pokemon. One was a familiar Zubat, which screeched angrily at Ash as it hovered overhead, flapping its wings furiously. The other was a small bipedal Pokemon covered in a tough yellow hide. Ash immediately recognised it as a Sandshrew, a ground type Pokemon, who was known to be able to shoot poison stingers from its body.
"Sandshrew use rapid spin! Zubat supersonic!"
As soon as the words had left the man's mouth the two Pokemon had started to attack; Sandshrew curled up into a ball and fired itself towards Larvitar, who intercepted the attack with an iron head.
As the two began a battle of sheer force Zubat fired a supersonic attach at Kakuna, who used string shot to pull itself out of the way before retaliating with a poison sting, it's mandibles clicking angrily.
Ash stood back slightly, watching the battle unfold, his Pokemon barely needing any direction. It was his job to look for openings now. Whilst his opponent had more experience, the Rocket agent clearly was not a very good trainer.
Nidoqueen roared from her cage as Nidoran hopped over, nearly running head first into the electrified bars. The mother Pokemon could only watch as her child was in danger and she was trapped, only able to watch.
Zubat hissed as a stray poison sting grazed it's wing, courtesy of Sandshrew. However that was the least of its worry and the cocoon Pokemon pulled itself forward using string shot, its jaw clacking together in triumph. Zubat shrieked in pain as Kakuna used bug bite on it, tearing into the flesh and sending it to the ground with blood spurting from its injured body. A stray poison sting from the Sandshrew sped towards Larvitar, who's eyes widened as he realised he barb was heading straight towards him.
"Larvitar dod-" Ash began before the Rock Skin Pokemon's Skin glowed with a metallic sheen. The Poison sting bounced off without any trouble mere seconds before Larvitar's skin went back to normal.
"Was that iron defence?" Ash muttered out loud but he didn't have any time to think on the matter as Sandshrew started to fire off more attacks.
Ash froze as he saw the Zubat fall to the ground, bleeding profusely. A similar shriek of pain filled the air as Larvitar barrelled into the Sandshrew with a powerful iron head, making Ash want to vomit as he heard the mouse Pokemon hit the wall and its rock hard shell gave way with a sickening crack.
The Team Rocket member growled in anger as it recalled the two Pokemon, spitting in the floor under ring of him as he did so. The grunt went to throw another Pokeball but was stopped by the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the cave.
"I think I should take over from here."
The member of Team Rocket Ash was fighting froze before retreating backwards, never taking his eyes off of the boy. In his place stood a tall man with a white suit on. His hair was smoothed back and held firmly in place and his eyes seemed to be an onyx black in colour, with no signs of life present inside of them.
"I suggest you hand over your Pokemon now before I get a little annoyed," the man casually yawned whilst holding his hand out, as if he was expecting the trainer to listen to his wishes.
Ash took a step back as he watched the man's face take on a sadistic expression after a couple of seconds.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, there's a reason I'm known as an Executive," the man carried on with a cruel grin plastered across his face.
"I suggest," another voice began, which made the Executive freeze in surprise.
"That next time you try to pick on a kid you make sure you can handle the consequences, you vile piece of shit."
Out of one of the cave entrances a man started to walk out, a large bipedal Pokemon with four arms close on his tail. The new character had bushy black hair that was tied into a ponytail that ran down his back. Even in the dim light, Ash could see that the man had trained his body to the limits as each of his muscles stood out almost painfully, his body bursting with vitality.
"I-Impossible, you should be at Mount Hideaway-"
The man stopped himself from talking out loud as he cursed his idiocy considering the mountains were connected it would've only been a matter of time before the news was relayed to this man.
"Machamp apprehend him," the muscled man said with barely concealed anger in his voice. Out of fear the Executive lobbed a Pokeball, revealing a coiled, purple snake which hissed menacingly at the Machamp. The Superpower Pokemon barely looked dazed as it awaited an order from its trainer.
"Arbok use-"
"Karate chop."
The Executive went to announce a move but his opponent cut in, allowing the four armed Pokemon to strike the large snake and send it flying into a wall, where it didn't move again.
"Dammit! And it was all going so perfectly," the Executive shouted in frustration as the other man walked forward and sent him to the floor, knocking him unconscious before he'd even hit the ground.
The muscled man grunted as he hefted the man up and propped against a wall before his Machamp came over and restrained the Executive in two of its arms. The Machamp's trainer sighed in relief before turning and facing Ash.
"I'm sorry you got caught up in Team Rocket's antics, we thought that they'd disbanded a long time ago."
Ash blinked for a second as he registered that the man was talking I him. Nearby his Machamp growled as he felt the Rocket Executive in his arms stir. Ash noticed the bulging muscles that rippled across the fighting type's form as shivered at the sheer power of it. Machamps were said to move mountains with their strength, and by looking at the Pokemon in front of him, Ash didn't doubt it one bit.
"My names Bruno, I was tracking an enraged Onix in the area and heard them screams…"
Ash shivered as he recalled the painful screams of the Pokemon as they were trapped and reaped for their goods.
Machamp snorted once again and looked around the room before its eyes came to rest in the Nidoqueen still caged and shaking with pain.
Rage filled it's eyes as the large Pokemon ran over to the cage and slammed one of its fists into one of the barred walls.
Ash and his Pokemon were sent to the floor as a shockwave of power spread outwards from the impact, sending a violent burst of wind at them. To his surprise Bruno still stood, looking fairly unfazed by the ordeal.
Almost immediately the large, dinosaur-like Pokemon lunged out of the cage. Machamp tensed, expecting a conflict before the distressed mother engulfed the purple Nidoran near Ash's feet in an embrace. A single tear fell down the Nidoqueen's face as she cried in relief for her child. In her arms Nidoran also cried as he was hugged by his mother, the two reunited at last.
"Nidoking after they breed generally tend to wander far from the area as breeding makes them weaker for some time. For this Nidoran its mother is probably all it has," Bruno mentioned out loud, surprising Ash.
"All he has?..." Ash muttered out loud as he thought about the past few years of his own life, learning to cope without his father who was away training.
"That must be tough…" Ash said as he turned to face the other trainer. Bruno looked at the boy in curiosity.
"So you're Red's son."
Ash immediately froze at his as the hairs in the back of his neck stood on end. By his sides Kakuna and Larvitar hissed and got closer to their trainer protectively.
"Relax, relax! I'm no one you should fear; I've known your father for a long time!" Bruno shouted quickly, holding his hands up. By his side Machamp growled angrily, it's free two fists flexing open and close as its anger built. Ash had no doubt in his mind that the superpower Pokemon was debating crushing them where they stood for the disrespect.
Then it all clicked. The long ponytail, the hardened body from training in the harshest environments and the Machamp which looked as if it could raze mountains. This was Bruno of the Elite Four.
The Elite Four were a group of four trainers directly under the champion in terms of both power and authority. The Kanto Region's Elite Four was known for being ruthless and to rival some champions in terms of power.
First there was Lorelei, the cool-headed master of ice Pokemon. She was known to fight with ruthless strategies that would decimate her opponents and leave them speechless with her legendary Lapras.
Next there was Bruno in front of him, the Elite Four member known for his burning passion to fight strong opponents, which he closely shared with his Fighting type Pokemon.
Then there was Agatha, the Ghost master of the Elite Four. From the battles Ash had seen the old woman was a ruthless trainer who battered her opponents without mercy. She revelled in the issues she caused for her opponents by poisoning and whittling their Pokemon down with her fabled Gengar.
And finally came Lance, the master of dragons. Feared by many for his dominance over what was arguably the most difficult typing to raise, the man was known to be able to wipe the floor with his opponents and leave pure destruction in his wake.
The Elite Four stood in the top five most powerful trainers in Kanto, Lance being second only to the champion Red himself. To have one of the legendary trainers in front of him now was astonishing.
Ash started to bow towards Bruno before a thick, muscular arm caught him. The trainer shot back up in surprise as he came face to face with the Elite's Machamp.
The fighting type let go as soon as Ash straightened up and turned away, snorting slightly at the display. Bruno himself gave a smile as he watched the interaction.
"Machamp doesn't usually interact with others on more friendly terms than battling. Although that may have something to do with him hating the fame and fake respect we get for our strength."
Ash's eyes widened at this as he studied the two in front of him. The Elite's gaze was unyielding, studying the new trainer intensely as he looked for any signs of weakness. After a few moments Bruno smiled and dipped his head.
"You really are your father's son, you're going to go far in this world," the fighting type master commented with a wide smile. Ash faltered at himself before mentally kicking himself.
Red Ketchum, otherwise known as the Kanto champion, operated directly above the Elite Four. It was common sense that his father would know the Elite in front of him.
"T-Thanks," Ash stuttered in surprise at his words. The fighting type master shook his head with a grin across his face. If you ignored the Machamp which could crush boulders with a flick of its wrist behind them, Ash could've felt like he was talking to a familiar face.
"Most of the Onix had migrated away from Mount Hideaway to here so I followed them. I'm currently searching for the one that stands above them all in strength," Bruno explained, his eyes drifting far away at the last sentence.
"I wanted a new member for my team but it seems to have eluded me," Bruno murmured as he looked around the cavern once more before reaching into one of his trouser pockets.
The Elite retrieved a Pokeball and threw it at the ground, revealing a large, primate-looking Pokemon with shaggy white fur and shackles on its arms. The Pokemon snorted before turning to face Bruno.
"Primeape, make sure they get out of Mount Moon safely, meet me back here after," the Elite ordered as the Primeape chattered and swung its arms angrily. Almost immediately Machamp was by its side, glaring at the pig-monkey Pokemon with anger at its defiance.
"Primeape…." Bruno sighed before he walked over to the Pokemon, seemingly calming it with his presence. The fighting type's eyes widened as he felt Bruno rub its head affectionately.
"After this we'll go find you a strong opponent I promise," the Elite said with fire in his eyes. The monkey simply nodded and gestured for Ash to follow it. The trainer looked at the fighting type sceptically before Bruno interrupted his trail of thoughts.
"Primeape is a good Pokemon, regardless of its temper tantrums," Bruno said, laughing as the monkey growled in defiance. "I can promise he'll get you out of here to the Cerulean city side."
Ash stared as he watched the Primeape gesture at him once again.
"One day I'm going to challenge you Bruno, and I want you to see how far I come," Ash said as he started to run after the chattering monkey Pokemon.
The Elite smiled as he stared at the cave Ash had disappeared down, noticing the small Nidoran male from earlier bounding after him on its small stubby legs.
"Looks like your instincts were right Red, he's going to give all us old timers a run for our money," the fighting expert chuckled as he turned towards his Machamp and the Rocket Executive in his arms.
"Now how about you start answering my questions, seeing as you're already awake."
Soon after a smirk fell across the face of the Executive as he slowly opened his eyes.
"You really do live up to your reputation, Bruno of the Elite Four."
The muscled Elite glared in annoyance at the man.
"Start talking."
The Rocket Executive smirked once again at the demand.
"Make me."
Machamp growled at this and tightened his grip on the Executive, making his bones crack from strain. Bruno looked up with a large grin across his face, cracking his knuckles.
"Gladly."
…
…
…
"So he made it through Mount Moon?"
"He's doing good, I'm impressed by what I've seen," Bruno said with a grin into his communicator. On the other side of the communicator the unmistakeable sound of a Pikachu cooing could be heard.
"Thanks Bruno, I'll be back at Indigo by Thursday, for now I'm going to spend a few days in Pallet Town and show my face."
The Elite smirked at this and got up off the cavern floor. A few Zubat flew overhead of him but the fighting master wasn't to bothered by their minor disturbances.
"Delia is going to kill you, you know that right?" Bruno said with a laugh. The voice on the other side of the communicator groaned as realisation filled his head.
"Don't remind me…" The other person mumbled.
"At least you're back Red. You know she'll forgive you," Bruno offered meekly to the champion. Red simply sighed and on the other side of the communicator Pikachu had stopped chittering.
"So he had a Kakuna and his Larvitar, did you see any other Pokemon?"
"Not that I saw, although I'm sure you could ask Professor Oak considering he's Ash's sponsor. I'm pretty sure there's more to his team than I saw."
Brink could almost hear the smile on the other side of the communicator as the champion spoke.
"Whatever Pokemon he chooses I'm sure he'll train them to the best they can be," Red replied as he thought over the facts in his head.
"I'm going to have to see how far he's come myself, to get a badge so early on in his career is astonishing, let alone on his first try. Plus I think I've got a lot of explaining to do…"
"He'd understand. Speaking of which… Did you find what you were looking for?" Bruno asked as a more serious tone overtook his voice.
"I found three, two of which I can use. Blue found one of his own," Red replied cryptically. Bruno simply nodded and looked up towards one of the tunnels, noticing his Primeape walking towards him.
"That's good to hear, now I'll get back to my search and I'll meet you at Indigo next week. I've got a challenger and there's matters at hand we need to discuss," the fighting Elite said as he sent a picture through of the Rocket Executive lying unconscious nearby, broken bones piercing through his skin. After a few moments of silence Red responded, his voice cold and unwavering.
"Bring him in next Monday, we're not having a repeat of what happened all that time ago."
Bruno stared at his Machamp, who was casually blowing fire from its mouth and illuminate the higher to reach areas of the cavern, making Zubat screech in annoyance.
"Will do, see you soon old friend," Bruno said as he turned off his communicator and walked towards his Machamp. The superpower Pokemon now had turned its attention over to Primeape, whose eyes were darting around the shadows, scanning for threats.
"Back to Mount Hideaway, we'll detain him 'till Sunday and move him after that, we'll continue training as usual once we're back."
Machamp nodded and the two walked side by side, Primeape close behind, back through the twisting caves of Mount Moon. Bruno removed one of his Pokeballs from his belt and lobbed it towards the ground whilst retrieving his Primeape simultaneously.
"Onix take us home!"
*GYAHHHH*
…
…
…
Ash groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes for the first time in hours, making him wince as it burned his retinas.
"Larvitar…" The small rock type groaned as it buried its head into Ash's body. Kakuna had long since gone back into its ball, reluctant to stay in Ash's arms whilst they were in the pitch darkness.
It had taken Primeape nearly an hour to show them the fastest route out of the mountain, leaving them half disorientated as they appeared halfway up the mountain. In the distance the bright, colourful lights of Cerulean city could be seen as the city was filled with life.
"I guess we should make our way down the mountain now," Ash said to Larvitar, who simply grunted in agreement. Inside the mountain the rock type has started to feel at home, due to being in an area similar to its natural environment.
"Nido!"
Ash and Larvitar froze as they'd heard the cry behind them. Turning around they noticed a small purple blur barrelling towards them.
A single Nidoran stopped right in front of them, panting as it regained its breath from hopping frantically after them. Nidoran's movement style wasn't build for long durations of speed and they tired quickly. To keep up with them for nearly an hour was a noteworthy feat.
"Nidoran?" Ash asked out loud as the small creature regained its composure and looked up towards the trainer. The poison type pawed at the ground with its front feet and twitched nervously.
"Nido Nido!" It shouted, turning its eyes towards Larvitar in Ash's arms. The small rock type stared at the purple Pokemon for a moment before nodding its head and wriggling out of Ash's arms.
"Larvitar what're you-" Ash began to ask before he noticed the rock skin Pokemon get into a fighting stance, its eyes trained fully on Nidoran.
"So you want to fight?" Ash said with a smile. Nidoran males were known to evolve into powerful, apex predators; Nidoking. With powerful toxins, a large range of moves which could freeze or paralyse opponents to sheer force which couldn't be rivalled by much else in Kanto.
"Nido!" The small purple Pokemon shouted in agreement as it prepared a move. The poison pin Pokemon's horn glowed a bright white as it unleashed a horn attack at Larvitar.
"Dodge it Larvitar and retaliate with an iron head!" Ash shouted as his Pokemon pivoted out of the way and rammed its head into the side of the Nidoran, making it cry out in pain. Larvitar flinched as he felt the poison points of its opponents body take across his head, the metallic covering of his iron head being the only barrier between him and the toxic spears.
Nidoran whimpered as it shook its head to get rid of any dizziness, making Ash feel slightly guilty about the strength behind the attack.
"Larvitar follow up with a-" Ash began before Nidoran charged again, although this time it seemed to glow with earthen power.
"Nido!" It cried as the small purple Pokemon smashed into Larvitar, sending him flying backwards at breakneck speed. The small rock type groaned as it came to a stop and shook its head to stave off its pain. Nidoran didn't look much better after that, lying unconscious on the floor with the only indicator of it being alive was the steady rise and fall of its body.
"What was that?" Ash said out loud as Larvitar walked over to the small Nidoran it had faced and prodded it gently with its arm, making the poison type groan in pain.
Ash fished out his Pokedex and started to scan Nidoran.
"Nidoran Male, the poison pin Pokemon. Nidoran stiffen their ears when they sense danger and the larger their horns the more potent their venom is.
Nidoran is male and has the ability: Poison point.
Nidoran knows the moves: Poison Sting, Double Kick, Focus Energy and Peck.
Nidoran has the egg moves: Sucker Punch, Confusion and Head Smash."
"Head Smash?" Ash wondered as he watched a small video connected to the move. A large, dinosaur-like Pokemon appeared on the screen with a blue dome covering its head. After a moment the Pokemon lunged forward, its head glowing as it prepared the Head Smash.
"Whoa…" Ash breathed as he witnessed the Pokemon reduce the wall it was targeting to rubble. However he didn't fail to notice the wince of pain it gave afterwards, the aftershock jarring its body. There was no doubt that it was the move executed by Nidoran, albeit imperfect. The move must deal a lot of recoil damage as Nidoran had knocked itself out cold with it.
"I guess we can work on that," Ash muttered to himself as he scrolled through his Pokedex some more. Confusion would be a good start for the young poison type as it would provide some more long range attacks to his team, something they all seemed to have a severe lacking of. Plus it'd give Ash something else to add to his ever growing training sessions.
Picking Nidoran up, taking extra care to avoid the numerous poison barns over its body, Ash fished around in his backpack with one arm and retrieved his last potion. Unscrewing the lid, Ash began to spray some of the medicine over the unconscious Nidoran, making a headway on some of its wounds before he could make it to a Pokecenter.
Ash then repeated to process with the still conscious Larvitar, who sighed in relief as his small bruises started to fade away and the pain disappeared.
Pocketing the remains of the potion Ash hoisted Larvitar into his arms and started to walk towards the city of Cerulean in the distance.
"Alright let's get to it buddy, we've got a long way to go."
"Lar!"
Larvitar shouted in agreement as the two made their way down the mountainside. The path was steep and treacherous but the two of them made it down eventually.
A couple of trainers battled them as they went past, sending out Pokemon ranging from Jigglypuff to a Meowth which consistently threw its trainer's well early Pokedollars at Ash's Ivysaur, to which it's trainer face palmed at in embarrassment. One of the trainers had been kind enough to sell off some of his supplies to Ash, including a revive which Ash couldn't obtain until he had a couple more badges. Nidoran was up again in no time taking on trainers and losing any of the battle lethargy it began with.
As a trainer Ash was really starting to come alone. His commands were short and concise, telling his Pokemon exactly what he wanted in as few words as possible. His battle times has gotten shorter as the hesitation between him giving commands and reacting to his opponents got shorter, allowing him to win more of the closer battles he'd fought. So far only one of his opponents had managed to defeat him, a trainer who had five gym badges hailing from Cinnabar Island. Even Pidgeotto's speed and lightning fast attacks the trainer's Magmar wiped the floor with him, easily downing Ash's flying type and claiming victory.
When they were about a day away from the city Ash released his team and got them ready to train. There was a ton of moves he wanted to teach them and maybe it was time they started to use them egg moves they had been gifted with.
The clearing Ash had chosen was perfect, it was large enough for them all to have a good amount of space and there were no obstructing trees which could get in the way of attacks.
Flashes of white light revealed Ash's entire team. There was a nearby creek in which Magikarp could swim, making it a perfect place for the team to meet.
"Alright guys we're gonna train until we get this right!" Ash shouted, getting cries of encouragement from his Pokemon.
"Ok let's start with Ivysaur," Ash mused as the grass type perked up at hearing her name. The dinosaur-like Pokemon trotted forward and nuzzled her head against Ash's leg, who absent mindedly stroked her head as he sat on the grass to get more comfortable. Ivysaur crooned happily as Ash kept rubbing her head.
"Today we're going to work on one of your egg moves," Ash told her, getting a nod of acknowledgement from the grass type.
Giga drain would be an insanely strong move for Ivysaur to add to her arsenal, giving her access to another way of recovering health apart from leech seed. Ash had wanted to teach the Seed Pokemon the move as a Bulbasaur but had held off on it, seeing as Ivysaur would not have had the stamina to maintain the move back then.
Searching for the move on his Pokedex, Ash began to show Ivysaur a video of a Venusaur demonstrating the move. Ash silently thanked whoever had created these videos that they'd used a Venusaur to demonstrate the move, seeing as it made teaching Ivysaur the move all the easier.
Large vines shot out of the colossal grass type's flower which wrapped around the nearby training dummy. The vines glowed a vivid green as the training dummy started to wither and crumpled over.
"Damn," Ash muttered as he replayed the clip, watching the dummy crumble under the attack. Ash already knew the theory behind it and what Ivysaur would have to do, but watching the attack in action made it all the more amazing.
"Alright think you can handle that?" Ash asked the Seed Pokemon. Firing off its vines seemed to be a starting point, which Ivysaur was already proficient at, so the next step would be initiating the attack once the opponent was bound. The idea was similar to what Ivysaur learnt whilst making leech seeds so Ash instructed her to keep at it whilst he helped his other Pokemon.
Pidgeotto was next, and Ash struggled with deciding what to teach the bird Pokemon. Brave bird still seemed out of the Pidgeotto's reach and Ash didn't want her to start learning such a reckless move before her body could handle it. Pidgeotto were known for being brittle, and serious injuries now could complicate matters down the line once she evolved into a Pidgeot.
For now, Ash sent her, Kakuna and Magikarp to practise evading and using techniques consistently, they needed the endurance.
Pidgeotto could use this opportunity to perfect its air slash attack, allowing the bird to attack at longer distances compared to its close combat fighting style. Variety is always good in a Pokemon battle.
Quite frankly, Magikarp needed battle experience as it hadn't been able to find any trainers that could battle against it. Ash knew if he started his journey around the east if the region he would've had more luck, seeing as there were far more fisherman and sea routes around there with Pokemon to battle. But for now Ash would simply have to train the Fish Pokemon wherever and whenever he could. The upcoming city of Cerulean, with its gym known for their use of water types, could maybe help the Fish Pokemon improve and grow stronger.
Kakuna still needed to get used to manoeuvring with string shot. It's new body was much heavier than it was before evolution and far less mobile. Ash knew that wouldn't be a problem soon, as Kakuna was already showing signs of evolving once more. The back of its cocoon had started to split ever so slightly down the middle and it's aggression had begun to rise drastically.
Bug types were known to evolve quickly so it wasn't a surprise for Ash, what interested him more was what Kakuna could do after evolution. Flight would be a huge upgrade compared to balancing on a stinger and jumping around with string shot, but with it came a pseudo-weakness to water as being soaked would make a Beedrill too heavy to fly. These were all kinks the young trainer would have to work out eventually but for now he'd simply help the bug type get in some endurance training and it would pay off later.
Nidoran was next, and Ash immediately set to work on teaching the little rodent how to utilise confusion. Whilst the poison type would never be able to fully utilise any psychic powers, Ash had seen that it could be used as a form of telekinesis, which would be a massive boost to his team's versatility. Trying to teach the tiny poison type the move from a video of an Abra, which was already proficient at using Psychic energy, was difficult but he knew they'd get there eventually.
And that left Larvitar. The little rock type had been struggling to control outrage, which had made him difficult to battle with. When Larvitar got too tired the move kicked in, which only made Ash giving the rock type commands even tougher. Being able to use the move without drawbacks would only add more firepower to Larvitar's battling.
Ash would see how far they could come, in all honesty the trainer didn't expect to see any improvement for a while and outrage only activated under tiredness or stress, meaning he had very limited time to train Larvitar in using it. In all honesty Ash wasn't sure what he wanted to teach Larvitar, there was only so much he could learn through the Pokedex move database, they needed real experience to help bolster their fighting prowess.
'Chip away' seemed like a good starting point. It'd give Larvitar another offensive option when battling certain foes. The move could penetrate any defence set up by an opponent so it'd be a good skill to have.
"Alright I want to teach you the move chip away," Ash told the rock type, who bounced up and down at the idea of learning a new move. Ash quickly showed Larvitar a video demonstration of the move, where a large bear-like Pokemon known as an Ursaring was showcasing the move. Within a few attempts, Larvitar had managed to get the basics of the move down and began practising the attack, reaching forward with its stubby forearms before using its rock hard blunt spike to damage nearby trees and boulders. Ash figured he'd leave him to it for a while and come back later. Hopefully the rock type wouldn't knock itself out in the meantime.
"Well well, if it isn't Ashy-boy."
A grin flashed across Ash's face as he was met with the familiar brown eyes of Gary Oak.
"Looks like you made it," Ash stated with a smirk. Gary laughed casually before playing with the Pokeball around his neck.
"Did you hear? One of the Elite Four was apparently visiting Mount Moon. There's reporters everywhere on the other side of the mountain trying to see which one it was," Gary stated as he stared back at the mountain in awe.
"How was it going through the mountain?" Ash asked. Gary most likely wouldn't have encountered any of the rocket activity in the mountain.
"It was quiet, me and Wartortle came across this Onix which tried to attack us but we sorted it. That was basically the only Pokemon we found. I'm gonna search around here for a bit now, see if I can pick up a Nidoran," Gary finished, tanking the Pokeball off of his neck.
"Guess you want to battle?" Ash said with a barely contained grin. A flash of light and the appearance of one of Gary's Pokemon was all he needed for an answer.
Squirrel had clearly evolved, taking the form of a powerful Wartortle. It's shell had grown larger to accommodate the turtle Pokemon's growth. White fur covered it ears and tail, taking away it's intimidation factor slightly. Dark blue marks covered his cheeks, making it look as if Wartortle was wearing war paint.
"Larvitar, want to give it a go?" Ash asked with a grin. Said rock type grunted in confirmation as he jumped out of Ash's arms onto the battlefield. Wartortle now towered over the rock type, which was a drastic change to a mere month ago where Larvitar was a few inches taller.
"Alright let's start this off with a water gun Wartortle!" Gary shouted as Wartortle released a high pressured blast of water from its mouth towards Larvitar.
"Dodge it and retaliate with chip away!" Ash shouted as Larvitar sidestepped the powerful blast of water that would've damaged its rock-like skin and rushed forward in its stubby legs. Wartortle was roughly grabbed by the edges of its shell and rammed with the Rock Skin Pokemon's blunt spike, make it stumble slightly.
"Shake it off and shell bash!" Gary shouted. The attack had done very little damage to the Wartortle but it had stunned it slightly. Ash could tell the water type wasn't used to taking hits, it had probably dominated most of the battles it participated in.
Wartortle started to use rapid spin, speeding it up by firing water at high pressure trough the holes in its shell. As soon as it had built up enough speed the water type fired off an aqua jet and barrelled into Larvitar, sending it flying backwards. Ash cringed as he heard Larvitar's rock hard Skin crack from the force and the water.
Water was known to be a weakness to rock types, as it could force its way into their rock hard carapaces and soften them, making them easier to break. Not to mention most rock types had an innate fear of water, due to their heavy bodies quickly sinking to the bottom and leaving them trapped.
"Right finish it off with a water gun Wartortle!" Gary shouted across the battlefield to his starter. The water type started to run towards the injured rock type.
"Take it with iron defence!" Ash shouted in desperation. Larvitar flowed with a metallic sheen as the water gun bounced off of his steel armour. The rock type deactivated the move looking no worse than he had before.
"Now hit it with a rock slide!"
Larvitar rumbled as it shot a barrage of rocks at the turtle Pokemon, making it shout out in pain as they collided with it.
Rock type moves usually weren't very strong against water types, thanks to their natural advantages over them, but being smashed into a rock would've enough to hurt any Pokemon.
"Get up Wartortle! Get in close with aqua jet and then shell bash up close!"
Ash grimaced as Wartortle sped towards Larvitar and collided with him before the rock type could act, sending him sprawling. Then, once again, the water type retreated into its shell and started to build up momentum.
"Alright Larvitar use sandstorm and find cover! And then use rock slide again!"
Large jets of sand started to erupt from the holes over Larvitar's body, which soon became a massive sandstorm. Wartortle stayed inside of its shell, trying to avoid the annoying sand that'd blind it.
Ash grinned at his advantage, seeing that Gary had no way to beat the raging sands. Wartortle cried out as its shell smashed into a nearby tree. The turtle pushed its limbs out of the shell and it stumbled around for a moment, dazed and blinded as the sands continued to race around him.
The battle was beginning to go in Ash's favour as he released the powerful weather related move. Now he had to wear down the powerful water type and the victory would be-
"Rain dance, full power."
Ash's eyes widened in shock as from within the sandstorm a large orb of water was shot towards the sky, which emulated rain.
The sandstorm immediately died down, reduced to dusty air by the heavy rain. Larvitar could be seen looking confused in the centre of the battlefield, glancing around at his dampened sandstorm. The small rock type tried to shake its body to dislodge some of the water that was soaking into his hard skin and weighing him down.
Wartortle was in him in an instant, sending Larvitar flying with a rain-boosted aqua jet. The small rock type collapsed to the floor, knocked unconscious by the blow.
Gary gave a victorious grin as Wartortle waddled over to his side, wincing at some of the new bruises it had gained on its body.
"That was a close one still Ash, if I hadn't taught Wartortle how to use rain dance you'd of abused them stupid sandstorm tactics of yours," Gary said with a grin.
"How did you teach Wartortle rain dance?" Ash asked, picking up Larvitar and holding the unconscious Pokemon in his arms as he fished around for his Pokeball, he almost missed his rival's face dropping at his question.
"Gramps said that my dad left me a few things before he went on his journey in case he never made it back in time to see me off, that was one of them," he replied sombrely. Ash winced at the resentful undertone to his friend's voice.
"Ahh I see…"
An awkward silence permeated the air for a moment before Gary perked up and pulled a Pokeball off of his belt and tossed it to the ground.
"Vee!"
A small, fox-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light. It's bushy tail swayed from side to side as the Pokemon dashed over to Gary and jumped into his chest, nuzzling the trainer affectionately.
"Gramps said he also left me this guy. I guess it made sense and all because he gave Daisy an Eevee when she left Pallet," Gary told Ash as he smiled and petted the Evolution Pokemon in his arms. Eevee started to squeak with happiness as its trainer started to stroke her.
"An Eevee… They're pretty strong Pokemon you know…" Ash breathed as he studied the Pokemon in Gary's arms. The new trainer wasn't wrong, a large variety of the 'eeveelutions', as they had been dubbed, turned up each year at the Indigo conference and it showed people how the small fox Pokemon could be such an amazing addition to any team. With seven different evolutions and a rumoured eighth being discovered in the distant Kalos region is was no surprised that they were so sought after.
"Yeah he's pretty tough too," Gary said with a smile as he scratched the normal type behind the ears, receiving a grateful 'vee' from Eevee in return. However, his smile soon faded as his eyes started to harden.
"Might be the only good thing he did for me," the Oak muttered with an angry undertone. Ash merely stayed silent and waited for the moment to pass.
"I'll be hanging out at the nugget bridge later Ash, I'll see you there," Gary mumbled as he began to walk off. Eevee jumped out of his trainers arms and began to trot beside him, the skip in his step showing Ash that the small Pokemon was completely oblivious to his trainer's turmoil.
With no one to talk to Ash recalled his unconscious Larvitar and withdrew Kakuna's Pokeball. The bug type hissed as it was released from status and clicked its mandibles together.
"Do you want to travel with me?" Ash asked. Kakuna clicked its mandibles and nodded his head, shooting a string shot as his trainer in order to pull himself into Ash's arms. Ash noticed that the cocoon Pokemon's shell was starting to shed and a small split was starting to appear at the back of the cocoon, both of which were sure signs that Kakuna was nearly ready for evolution once again.
The Weedle family were known for reaching their final stages quickly. The transition from a Weedle to a Kakuna could take only a matter of weeks and to become a Beedrill it would take even less time as the species would store energy in their shell ready for evolution.
Maybe the few battles they'd have between now and Cerulean would be enough to push the bug type to evolution.
"Kuna," the bug type hissed as Ash pulled him into a more comfortable position, with Kakuna's stinger hanging out the bottom of his arms.
"Alright let's see how many trainers we can find on the road to Cerulean!" Ash shouted as he started to walk forward, the bug type in his arms pointing his mandibles to the sky in agreement.
The trainer and his Pokemon started to battle every trainer down the route towards Cerulean city. The past month had gone so quickly for Ash, time had passed quicker than he'd expected it. The Indigo conference was dawning on him quicker than he expected, and with it the right to challenge the Elite Four… And the Champion.
"I'm coming for you Dad…" Ash muttered to himself. Kakuna looked up to him in confusion but the trainer shook his head with a small smile.
"It doesn't matter Kakuna, Ivysaur use vine whip!" Ash shouted as the grass type pounded another trainers Spearow into the ground.
He'd become the very best. Like no one ever was.
-Chapter End-