This is the last chapter of the Kanto Saga, Trainers! And then we can fully transit to the Johto Saga!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 54: The Rivalry Revival
The last couple of months had been calm and very relaxing. Ash and I sometimes had mock battles with our Pokémon every now and then to make sure they had enough exercise. We had fun playing in the snow with the Pokémon inside Professor Oak's pasture. We would then drink hot cocoa and eat warm cookies freshly baked by Mom and Mimey.
Some of the Pokémon went into hibernation, so we didn't disturb them and made sure they slept peacefully. The other Pokémon respected that and also provided them some extra protection.
Christmas Eve came and Ash and I got the PokéGears as Christmas gifts we had picked out from the store in Viridian City. Mom said she had spoken with Dad and they agreed to buy the PokéGears for us. Ash and I hugged Mom so tight while imagining Dad was with us. He wasn't able to come home again, but we spoke to him through the phone and thanked him for the expensive gifts. He just laughed heartily and said we earned the PokéGears for being good Trainers.
Around the same time, Gary's big sister, Daisy Oak, came home from Johto after finishing some research she worked on by Professor Oak. She was an aspiring professor, so she had conducted field research as part of her exams for the Castelia University in Unova. She had brought home a Pokémon Egg that had been abandoned, so she took care of it to make sure it would one day hatch.
I was in the laboratory reading books and learning new complicated words when the Egg hatched. I hurried to the table where Daisy had set up the Egg to make sure it hatched safely. The eggshell cracked and revealed a newborn Larvitar. It was so cute! I have never seen a newborn Pokémon before. It was a fantastic experience.
What was even more shocking was Larvitar chose me as its Trainer, even though Daisy had done all the job of taking care of it. Daisy explained to me that Larvitar saw me first when it hatched, so it thought I was its mother. The proper term was imprinting, which I had read about before, but didn't read too much about it.
So Cedric the Larvitar became the newest member of my growing Pokémon family.
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Time went by so fast that before I knew it, it was my and Ash's eleventh birthday. We sat by the dining table that had a huge birthday cake with eleven burning candles while Mom, Misty, Brock, Professor Oak, Daisy and some of our Pokémon sang "Happy Birthday". Firered didn't have space to walk in the house, so he peeked from the open windows of the house and sang in his language. Most of the snow had melted, so it wasn't so cold outside for him.
"Now, my sweethearts, blow the candles and make a wish!" Mom exclaimed happily.
Ash and I nodded to each other before we took deep breaths and blew the candles. Everyone clapped the hands in response before Mom cut the cake. Everyone got a piece each, even the Pokémon. I grabbed the plate for Firered and walked over to him to feed him. "Here you go, Firered", I smiled at my first partner. "Mom's cakes are the best, so I hope you'll like it."
"Rawr", Firered growled with a smile before he devoured the piece of cake in one single bite.
Ash hummed in delight when he ate a bite of his piece of cake. "Yum! It's delicious, Mom!"
"Chuu!" Pikachu chirped happily from the floor where he ate his cake.
"Sauuur!" Ivysaur hummed happily with his mouth smeared by the frosting.
"I'm so happy you love it, Ash", Mom giggled. "Mimey and I worked hard on it."
I walked back to the table and started eating my piece of cake while also feeding Cedric with it. "Do you like it, Cedric?" I asked.
"Taaar!" Cedric chirped happily before he picked the corner of his lips.
"Your dishes always taste so great, Delia", Daisy smiled. "I'm going to miss them when I'll fly to Unova for the university."
"The school years begin in autumn in the west, right?" I asked.
"Yes, so that means I'm gonna have to leave before autumn for the first year", Daisy explained.
"Are you getting nervous about it, Daisy?" Misty asked as she wiped some frosting off of Togepi's mouth.
"Priii!" Togepi chirped with a big happy smile.
"No, not really", Daisy replied. "I've been traveling alone with my Pokémon and I've grown to become independent ever since…Mom and Dad left me and Gary."
I couldn't remember it, but apparently Gary and Daisy's parents passed away after getting involved in an accident in another city in Kanto. Luckily, the Oak siblings were staying with Professor Oak at the time, so he had taken care of his grandchildren ever since.
Daisy's Chansey walked over to the table and placed one of her tiny hands on top of Daisy's. "Chansey chan chanse", she spoke calmly.
Daisy smiled softly at her Pokémon and gently caressed Chansey's head. "Thank you, Chansey. I'm happy you, Marill and Clefairy are with me", she said before turning to us. "I won't feel alone because I've got my Pokémon with me. They're my family."
"Yeah, Pokémon are part of our family, so you're never alone", Brock agreed. "That's the beauty of being a Pokémon Trainer."
"I agree", I smiled after I finished my warm cup of tea.
"And I know you'll do great, Daisy", Professor Oak commented.
"Does Gary know about your plans, Daisy?" I asked, not feeling so awkward when talking about my rival.
"Yes, he does", Daisy replied. "He also said he was coming to visit you two on your birthday."
"Gary's coming here?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise while standing up from the chair. "Then I've got to ask him for a Poké battle before we leave for Johto tomorrow!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Ivysauuur!"
"Do you two still want to join us, Misty, Brock?" I asked.
Ash and I did talk to our friends about traveling to Johto and asked them if they wanted to come along if they weren't busy with the Gyms. Brock said the Pewter Gym was running good with his father as the Gym Leader, so he was free to join us. The Cerulean Gym was also operating well by Misty's three big sisters after she taught them some moves she had learned with her water-type Pokémon.
"Of course we want to go with you guys", Misty smiled. "My sisters have gotten better in Pokémon battles, so I can leave the Gym in their hands."
"Togii!"
"And Dad and my oldest little brother Forrest are looking after the Pewter Gym", Brock said. "I left Rhydon in their care, so he can give the challengers a good workout."
"Sounds good", I nodded before I fed the last piece of my cake to Cedric.
"I'm going to feel a little lonely when you leave tomorrow, Ashton, Ashley", Mom sighed sadly before giving Mimey and the Squirtle Squad a warm smile. "But I hope you will still want to stay here and help me with the chores, Mimey, Squirly, Turtle, Squirty and Turtie."
"Mime mime!" Mimey nodded with a big smile.
"Squirtle squirtle squirt!" the Squirtle Squad cheered simultaneously. Wartortle sat with them eating the food while wearing his fancy sunglasses.
"Mom, did you really nickname the Squirtles?" Ash asked in disbelief.
"Of course I did", Mom giggled. "That way, I can distinguish them. They're such sweethearts and they take good care of the garden."
"Now I see where Ashley got the idea to nickname her Pokémon from", Misty giggled as she grabbed her teacup.
All of the sudden, the doorbell rang and interrupted the meal. Ash immediately jumped up from his chair. "I'll answer it!" he called as he ran to the hallway. "It must be Gary!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped as he ran after his Trainer.
Mom and I stood up from the chairs and walked calmly to the hallway to see who the uninvited guest was. I carried Cedric in my arms where he rested comfortably. He was still a baby and he needed to sleep a lot.
"Gary! It's been a while!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.
"Piika!"
Gary stood in the hallway while holding a duffle bag over his shoulder. I noticed immediately that he had grown a little taller since I saw him last time. One thing that hadn't changed was his irritating smirk.
"Nice seeing you again, Ash!" Gary said loudly before he saw me and Mom. "And you too, Ashley, Mrs. Ketchum! Sorry for showing up unannounced."
"It's okay, Gary", Mom smiled. "Daisy just told us about you coming by."
"My sister's here?" Gary asked in delight.
Like clockwork, Daisy peeked out from the corner behind us. "Of course I'm here, Gary", she giggled softly.
"Daisy!" Gary smiled widely as he threw his shoes off and dropped the duffle bag before running to his big sister. He gave Daisy a big hug as the rest of the guests and Pokémon joined us in the now crowded hallway. "It's been a long time, sis", Gary smiled.
"Yes, and you've grown a lot", Daisy commented.
"But of course!" Gary stuck his nose high up in the air. "I've grown both as a person and as a Trainer. Hi, Gramps!"
"Why, hello there, Gary", Professor Oak smiled as he joined his grandchildren. "You're looking more like your father."
"Hey, I've grown as a person and Trainer too!" Ash growled softly.
"Yeah, well, you've grown uglier since the Pokémon League, Ash", Gary taunted before giving me a bright smile. "But Ashley's getting prettier."
I physically flinched back in surprise by the compliment. "W-What?" I stuttered in disbelief. My heat skipped a beat, but it calmed down fast because I was more shocked than embarrassed by hearing a compliment from the boy who kept calling me ugly in the past.
"Lar…?" Cedric chirped tiredly as he woke up in my arms.
Misty snuck over to me while cradling Togepi. "Gary seems to like you now…", she whispered.
"I doubt it", I retorted sternly.
"Hey, Gary! We never got to battle in the Pokémon League, so how about a battle right now?" Ash suggested.
"Pikapi!"
"Ivysaur saur!"
"I was just about to suggest that", Gary replied. "A Pokémon Trainer's birthday party isn't completed without a battle."
"Then I suggest we go to my laboratory for the battle", Professor Oak said. "There's lots of space in the pasture."
"And I'll gladly act as the referee", Brock raised a hand.
Mom turned to the Pokémon that stayed behind us. "Mimey, Squirtle Squad, could you please look after the house while we're out?" she asked.
"Mime mime!" Mimey saluted.
"Squirtle squirtle squirt!" the four Squirtles waved their tiny hands in the air.
"Warto!" Wartortle stepped over to Ivysaur while removing his sunglasses, returning to being a normal Pokémon and not the leader of the Squirtle Squad.
XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV
I was excited to battle Gary, that's for sure. I haven't had a battle yet with him, so it was about darn time. I promised to myself that I would kick Gary's sorry butt and not let Ashley have all the glory for beating him in the Pokémon League.
There were still some spots of snow in Pallet Town, but that wasn't going to stop me from winning against Gary. Professor Oak led us to a large part of the pasture that was free of Pokémon. My and Ashley's other Pokémon stayed in the nearby bushes and forest to watch the battle.
"Let's have a one-on-one battle", Gary suggested as he grabbed a Poké Ball from his duffle bag. "I'd like to show you a Pokémon I've been training for the last few months. Go, Eevee!"
He threw the Poké Ball that opened and released a young Eevee. "Veee!" Eevee hissed threateningly.
"An Eevee, huh?" I smirked. "In that case…" I turned to the small group of Ivysaur, Pikachu and Wartortle who hadn't returned to their Poké Balls because I wanted them to watch. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded before he ran to the field with sparkling cheeks.
"I had a feeling you were going with Pikachu", Gary grinned. "Show me your best moves, Ash."
"I'll show you more than just our best moves!" I retorted.
Brock stepped up to act as the referee. "Alright then! Pikachu VS. Eevee with no time limit!" he called. "Begin battle now!"
"Pikachu, let's start with Agility!" I shouted.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed before he started running to increase his speed.
Gary and Eevee watched patiently as Pikachu ran around the grass. It was obvious they were trying to figure out our strategy, but I was also trying to be precautious and see what moves Eevee could use.
"Now! Use Quick Attack!" I shouted.
"Pikapikapika!" Pikachu growled as he ran toward Eevee, ready to tackle it.
"Eevee, dodge with Double Team!" Gary yelled.
"Eeee…Vee! Vee! Vee! Vee!" Eevee's voice echoed as it duplicated itself just Pikachu ran straight through one of the illusions.
"Pika!" Pikachu skidded to a halt in the damp grass and looked around as the Eevees ran around him in a circle.
"Pikachu, stay calm!" I shouted. "Focus and use your senses to find the real Eevee!"
"That won't help him that much", Gary said calmly with a hand on his hip. "Eevee, use Double Team again! Overwhelm Pikachu's senses!"
"Vee!" the multiple copies of Eevee barked before the number doubled with another Double Team. I couldn't count how many they were, but I assumed there were around thirty of them including the real Eevee.
Pikachu stayed silent and calm in the middle. He must've listened to my command and tried using his ears to locate the real voice of Eevee. His right ear twitched, which was the sign that he had found Eevee. It was a trick Pikachu and I came up with whenever he had to use his senses in battle like this, so I could tell when he found the target.
"Let's heat up this battle! Eevee, use Body Slam!" Gary shouted.
"Eeveeeeee!" the massive crowd of Eevees jumped up in the air so they hovered above Pikachu who stayed still, their shadows casting over him.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I yelled.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt straight up and hit every Eevee in the air. They screeched in pain as the duplicates vanished after getting electrocuted. The real Eevee remained in the air before it crashed down to the ground after the attack was over.
"Eevee! You okay?" Gary called worriedly.
Eevee's fur was a little burned and dirty, but it showed no signs of giving up. It pushed itself up on its paws and growled at Pikachu. "Eevee…", it hissed.
"I'm impressed your Eevee can tank a Thunderbolt from Pikachu", I confessed before I smirked at my rival. "But knowing you, you must've trained Eevee well."
"Just as you've trained Pikachu well", Gary nodded before his eyes turned serious. "But this battle is far from over! Eevee, use Take Down!"
"Eeee!" Eevee barked as it ran toward Pikachu.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack, Pikachu!" I yelled.
"Pika!" Pikachu growled as he dodged the incoming Take Down and used Quick Attack to make a U-turn. Eevee skidded to a halt on the grass as Pikachu ran toward it.
"Eevee, Protect!" Gary yelled.
Just before Pikachu could tackle Eevee, a green transparent shield appeared around Eevee. Pikachu ran straight into it and the force of the impact threw him back to the ground. He landed on his back while Eevee canceled the Protect move.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" I asked.
Pikachu pushed himself up from the ground with his hands before quickly getting back on all four. "Pika pika!" he barked in return as he exposed his teeth at Eevee.
Now I knew what four moves Eevee knew. The dangerous move was actually Protect, but I heard that Pokémon are unable to use Protect or even Detect twice in a row, so perhaps Pikachu could strike another hit fast.
"Okay, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" I shouted.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu unleashed another lightning bolt that went toward Eevee.
"Dodge with Double Team!" Gary yelled.
"Eee…Vee!" Eevee created new illusion duplicates just as the Thunderbolt struck one that had shielded the original Pokémon. Now there were ten Eevees surrounding Pikachu and they eyed him cautiously instead of running around him.
Pikachu looked around with a glare as he tried finding the real Eevee. I growled softly, knowing that Gary was going to expect me to tell Pikachu to use his senses to find Eevee. He surely had a plan for it already. I grinded my foot on the ground and felt the shoe glide against the damp grass.
Wait… Damp grass…
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the grass!" I shouted.
"Pika?!" Pikachu yelped in surprise by the command. I nodded silently to him, telling him to trust me. "Pika!" he nodded in response as his cheeks began sparkling in preparations for the Thunderbolt.
"Interrupt Pikachu with Take Down, Eevee!" Gary yelled fast.
"Eevee!" the horde of Eevees dashed toward Pikachu from every direction. This time, they were a lot faster than Pikachu and tackled him hard. He let out a screech of pain just as he unleashed the Thunderbolt. The lightning bolt struck the Eevees and eliminated the illusions. The real Eevee screeched as it got electrocuted again while both it and Pikachu collapsed on the ground.
"Eevee!" Gary called worriedly.
"Pikachu!" I yelled worriedly.
Both Pokémon grunted as they forced themselves up on all four. Pikachu looked a little stronger than Eevee, but I could tell he was getting tired. Eevee wasn't in a good shape either despite being more on the defensive side.
"Are you giving up, Gary?" I asked.
Gary gritted his teeth in frustration, but his eyes shifted into worrisome when he looked at Eevee. "Eevee, can you continue?" he asked.
"Vee…", Eevee groaned in slight pain, but its eyes shone in determination and refused to give up.
"How about you, Pikachu?" I asked my partner.
"Pika pi…!" Pikachu barked in response with cold sweat running down his cheeks.
"Let's finish this with one last move", Gary suggested. "Just one move from each of our Pokémon and the one who stands after that…is the winner."
To me, it sounded like Gary wanted to end the battle fast considering both Pokémon's condition. It was a good idea, so I agreed to it. "Let's do so", I nodded with a determined glare. "Pikachu, get ready."
"Pika!"
"Stay strong, Eevee", Gary encouraged his Pokémon.
"Vee!"
It became eerie silent as the wind ruffled our hair and clothes. Gary and I mentally prepared ourselves to choose the correct move for the final attack. This was going to determine the winner of the battle. Our Pokémon were ready to face head-to-head with the last attack.
"Double-Edge!"
"Take Down!"
Pikachu and Eevee ran toward each other with their bodies lightly glowing by the moves. Double-Edge was stronger than Take Down, so Pikachu was going to suffer more recoil damage than Eevee. The two Pokémon kicked up dirt and water drops from the grass as they got closer to meet in the middle of the field. I braced myself and cheered on Pikachu mentally as he and Eevee jumped up in the air.
Pikachu and Eevee collided with each other so hard that the force created a shockwave that blew my cap off. Both Pokémon let out a scream of pain by the impact in the air before they crashed down to the ground. A cloud of dirt got thrown up by the crash before it faded away to show Pikachu and Eevee lying on the grass.
"The battle is over!" Brock announced. "Pikachu and Eevee have fainted, so this match is a draw!"
"Pikachu!" I yelled as I ran to the fallen Pokémon. Gary called for Eevee as he ran to check his partner.
I got down on my knees and gently lifted Pikachu up from the ground and cradled him in my arms. "Pikachu… Are you okay?" I asked quietly while Ivysaur and Wartortle stood by my side.
Pikachu grunted softly as he opened his eyes and gave me a tired smile. "Pika…", he purred.
I sighed in relief and caressed his cheek. "You were great, buddy. I'm so proud of you", I told him.
"Ivysaur saur", Ivysaur nodded.
"Tortle wartortle!" Wartortle nodded and gave Pikachu a soft pat on his head.
I turned to Gary and saw him standing up while cradling Eevee. "How's Eevee?" I asked.
"Weak, but he's good", Gary replied as his eyes were on his Pokémon. "You were amazing, Eevee. You did well."
"Vee…", Eevee whimpered.
Professor Oak walked to us and inspected the Pokémon. "They've exhausted themselves, but they'll be fine after a good rest", he said. "I can look after them tonight and you can fetch them tomorrow, boys."
"Sounds good to me", Gary nodded before he recalled Eevee to its Poké Ball. "I'm leaving for Johto tomorrow morning."
"That's the same for me and Ashley", I pointed out as I gently placed Pikachu in Professor Oak's arms. "We're gonna participate in the Johto League and win this time!"
"Not if I beat you two first", Gary smirked as he gave Eevee's Poké Ball to his grandfather.
"In your dreams", I smirked in response.
XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV
Mom invited Gary and the Oak family over for dinner that evening, which made me quite nervous. I fully expected Gary to talk me down after I had defeated him in the Kanto League, especially since he sat on my right and Ash on my left. To my big surprise, Gary never said any negative words about me. In fact, he talked to me like a decent human and a Trainer. I quickly fell in a deep discussion about Pokémon with him and I felt comfortable with it.
I still doubted Gary and questioned why he decided to be nice to me. Of course, I only said that in my head and not directly to him. Whenever he tried to touch me, I would flinch away from him, thinking he was going to try tugging my hair or pinch me hard like he used to do. I could see the hurt in his eyes, but I couldn't understand why he would feel like that. There's no way he wanted to be friends with me… Right?
The next morning arrived fast. Ash, Misty, Brock and I had packed our backpacks with fresh clothes and goods needed for the new journey. Professor Oak and Daisy came over to wish us well and returned Pikachu to Ash.
"Pikachu!" Ash smiled as his Pokémon jumped into his arms. "How are you feeling, buddy?"
"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu smiled widely.
"Pikachu has a good rest in the lab thanks to Chansey's Sing", Daisy explained. "Eevee was quite lively when Gary fetched him."
"Gary left already?" I asked.
"About an hour ago", Professor Oak replied.
"What?! I can't let Gary get a head start over us!" Ash exclaimed as Pikachu jumped onto my brother's shoulders. "We've got to go now!"
"Calm down, Ash", Misty told him. "We've got lots of time for the Johto League in November."
"Togiprii!"
"But it does take time to cross the border to Johto", Brock pointed out. "So Gary probably haven't made it there yet."
"Unless he flew to the border with a Pokémon", I said.
"Then let us fly with Charizard and Firered to the border", Ash suggested before turning to Mom. "And Mom… We'll come back this time triumphant."
"You will always return triumphant, my little Champions", Mom smiled before Ash and I hugged her and she embraced us in return. "Be careful, make lots of new friends and change your underwear every day."
"Mom!" Ash and I exclaimed in embarrassment.
The others laughed at our reaction before we joined in to ease the air. "Take care, Daisy, Professor Oak", I told them before giving them a hug as well.
"You take care too, Ashley", Professor Oak patted me softly on the back.
When I hugged Daisy, she leaned close to my ear to say something so the others wouldn't hear it. "Give Gary a chance…to redeem himself…", she whispered.
"Huh?" I blinked confusedly and pulled calmly away from her. "What do you mean?"
Daisy gave me a warm smile. "Gary knows about his mistakes, so…don't stay in the past", she added. I tilted my head to the side, still not getting what she meant by that. She chuckled softly and patted my shoulder. "You'll understand someday, Ashley", she assured me.
"Okay…?" I mumbled before letting it go.
Ash and I called out Firered and Charizard and climbed onto them. Misty sat behind Ash while Brock settled down behind me. Togepi got tucked in Misty's duffle bag while Pikachu held onto Ash's shoulders.
"We're leaving! Bye!" Ash called before Charizard and Firered took off to the sky.
"Bye, Ashton, Ashley!" Mom's voice got smaller the further we got to the sky.
We waved to the group outside of the house as Pallet Town grew smaller as the two Charizards flew to the west where the Johto region was located. The cold air tickled my cheeks, but my body was warm by the excitement boiling in my stomach. A new adventure was waiting by the horizon with new Pokémon and new rivals and I was looking forward to face them as an autistic Pokémon Trainer.
XXXXXXXXXX
The first adventure of the series has now come to an end. Thank you so much for joining Ashley's journey of her growth to become an independent person and a strong Pokémon Trainer. I hope you will stick around for the rest of the journey with the Ketchum twins as they'll explore new regions and catch new Pokémon and meet new friends.
The next book of the series, the Johto Saga, is up and running, so if you'd like to join the twins on their journey, feel free to drop by and read the sequel.
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Ashley's party:
Firered the Charizard (male)
Cedric the Larvitar (male)
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Ash's party:
Ivysaur (male)
Pikachu (male)
Charizard (male)
Wartortle (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's party:
Goldeen (female)
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Poliwag (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Zubat (male)
Vulpix (female)
