Hoenn Is Where The Start Is!
Chapter 9 - The Bad News.
Ash was devastated after his loss as he went back to the pokemon centre empty handed, without the gym badge. Pikachu and tailow had made a full recovery in the pokemon centre, and would be ready for their next encounter at the Rustboro City gym. But today was a new day, and it was Mays turn at trying to get a contest ribbon.
Ash and May were both awake, currently eating breakfast at a table in the pokemon centre.
As they were eating their food, May decides to ask the important question, one which Ash would answer when they got to town.
"Did you think about it?" May asks subtly to Ash.
"Yeah" Ash replies bluntly.
"And?" She responds, hoping to pry some information from him.
A smile appears on Ash's face.
"Well I-" Ash suddenly stops, and voices are heard inside his head; flashbacks.
"Gary has his second gym badge, and is heading to Cerulean City for his third."
Proffessor Oak's voice slowly trailes into silence, and a new voice is heard in his mind.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, Roxanne is the winner!"
Ash's eyes widened in realisation. The reason he came to Hoenn in the first place was to try and overtake Gary, and he still needs his first badge.
He was really far behind...
"May, Im sorry, but I don't want to go out with you" Ash says, looking down slightly, obviously not wanting to see her reaction.
Saying the girl was suprised would be an understatement, she was utterly shocked at what Ash had told her.
But she was also really upset, they seemed to link really well, and grew close rather quickly.
"Did that kiss not mean anything to you?" May asks sadly. "Not at all?"
Ash saw she was seriosuly upset, but what could he do? Having a relationship would just slow him down, and training needs to be his top priority, his match with Gary, his childhood rival, is just waiting to be won.
"Of course it did" Ash replies. "But Im not ready for a girlfriend right now, I have a lot of important things to do, but if your willing to wait until-"
"Im not waiting Ketchum." May says bluntly. "I have things to do too, I want to be a co-ordinator, and your here for the Hoenn league, lets see what happens."
'I guess that makes sense, if I get really serious about wanting a relationship, then i'll ask, but until then, we focus on why we are here, I can't just ask her out if its just a small crush.' Ash thought.
The food had been eaten a while ago, and they decide to leave their table and head to Rustboro cities contest hall, where May will try to recieve the Rustboro ribbon.
It hard to win after losing her confidence though, thanks to Ash rejecting her moments ago.
However, a trio were approaching the duo.
"Listen, is that a voice I here?" A feminine voice sang.
"Its speaking to me, loud and clear" A different voice continues.
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"In your ear" A less clear voice was heard, and it seemed less human also.
"Causing trouble at a break-neck pace"
"Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"
"A rose by any other name is just as sweet"
"But when everything is worse, our work is complete."
"Jessie" The female sung, informing her 'audience' of her name as she jumped out of the balloon they were in, to then stand infront of them
The women was wearing a white top, with a red R on it, and a short white skirt, which seemed to match the top, looking like a uniform, she also had pink hair in a long curl type style.
"James" The man, now known as James, introduced himself, then jumping to join his partners side.
He had short blue hair, and a similar uniform to the woman beside him, with white trousers and a long sleeved top with the letter R in red.
"And Meowth, thats a name!" The voice spoke , now realising it was a talking meowth, which was currently putting thier hot air balloon to the ground, and joined its trainers.
"Putting the do-gooders in thier place"
"Team Rocket" They all call together.
"In your face!" They all stuck a pose as their little motto ended, before looking at Ash and May. But mainly Ash.
"I like your pikachu, boy" James says to the trainer.
"Thanks?" Ash asks, confused at who these people are. "Your Team... Rocket?"
"Yes, we are the main criminal organisation in the Kanto region." Jessie informs him.
"Kanto.." Ash says quietly.
May looks to Ash, slightly confused as to why he acted strange when Kanto was mentioned, they are in Hoenn, why was it a problem?
"How dare you!" Ash shouts, yelling at the people who act badly in his homeland. "You'll pay for what you have done!"
However, Ash didn't know what they had done in the past, but a criminal organisation can never be good. They could also be scheming something, so either way Ash was being cautious.
"I don't think you should be talking off to us!" Jessie retaliates.
She throws a pokeball in the air.
"Seviper, lets go!"
The poison snake is released, and shows its large fangs and purple tail.
"Oh, a battle?" Ash asks retorically, then looking at his shoulder, smiling at the pokemon who currently took a perched position on it.
"Lets go pikachu!"
The mouse pokemon jumps from its position from Ashs shoulder, and gets on four legs, before glaring at its opponent.
But before Ash was about to call an attack.
"Want help?" May asks him.
Ash gives her a nod, indicating that he accepts the offer.
"Torchic." May yells, whilst tossing the pokeball into the air. "Take the stage!"
"Cacnea" James calls. "Let's go!"
It was a 2 vs 2, Ash and May were about to see the power that 'Team Rocket' have, hopefully their strongest pokemon could handle them.
"Lets go!" Ash says, starting off the battle. "Pikachu, use thunderbolt on seviper!"
The electric pokemon hits hard with its thunderbolt, causing quite a lot of damage to the seviper.
"Torchic, help him out!" May quickly adds in, trying to do consecutive attack damage. "Ember on Cacnea!"
Ember shot out of torchics beak and headed for the grass-cactus, however James had another idea.
"Pin missile!" James commands.
"Cacnea!" The pokemon calls, as it releases a multitude of missiles with a white light arround them, heading for the ember attack.
The two moves clashed, but the ember seemed more powerful, and overcame the missiles, before continuing its direction towards cacnea.
Cacnea took major damage from the super-effective attack, and Ash and May seemed to have the upper-hand.
"Seviper, poision tail" Jessie commanded.
Sevipers tail had a purple glow, and as it closed in and swung, it caused a considerable ammount of damage towards the electric mouse; pikachu.
"Pikachu, fight back!" Ash encourages. "Tackle attack!"
Pikachus determination, again showed no limits, it grit its teeth and caught up to the seviper who was trying to increase the range between the both.
That wasn't tackle.
"Its quick attack!" Ash quickly realised, as the move looked very simular to tailows.
The attack hits hard, that new move was the finnisher, seviper was defeated.
"Return" Jessie says angrily, annoyed that her pokemon was not strong enough.
"Torchic, use peck attack!" May commands, wanting to defeat the last remaining pokemon on the enemy team.
Torchics beak glowed a bright white, and began running towards the grass type oponent.
The attack hit. The second super effective attack to cacnea from the fire chicken.
"Pikachu!" Ash yells, wanting to defeat the enemies of the group who want to cause problems in his home region, Kanto. "End this with thunderbolt!"
"Pika-chuuuuu!" Pikachu yells as it unleashes its signature attack on team rocket.
The attack connects, and smoke appears around them, it was a chance.
"Lets go!" May advises Ash, indicating they should leave before they are spotted.
"Right." Ash says whilst nodding, before grabbing Mays wrist and running from the scene.
'A few days ago, he would've held my hand' May thought sadly. 'I guess he doesn't like me after all.
They head back towards the pokemon centre to recover, after the encounter with team rocket, before heading to the contest hall, which would be hosting the pokemon contest in the next hour.