Chapter 3

The sparkling ocean waves lapped softly against the sand. Above, fluffy white clouds floated in the pale blue sky. Behind the beach rose a rocky incline, climbing into the sky and touching the clouds. The mountain was the biggest of several on the island. Dark shadows on the mountainside hinted at the existence of caves leading to the core of the island.

The crisp blue of the sky met the shimmering ocean waves on the horizon. Each cresting wave rolling in to gently wet the beach. The clouds and the ocean combined to make the sky seem even bigger.

Sitting on a rock overlooking the beach, Ash smiled contentedly, Pikachu laying on his lap. Below them, May and Max splashed each other, playing in the ocean. Brock was a safe distance back, cooking over a fire pit. He had Geodude out helping him by turning the embers every once in a while.

A shadow flitted over Ash for a moment, causing him to look up and see Pidegotto banking around. Ash's smile grew as the flying type dove and cut threw the air above the waves, causing sea spray to erupt behind her.

Ash closed his eyes, head still tilted towards the sky. His face and posture welcoming the warmth of the afternoon sun. "Well, Pikachu, we are leaving tomorrow. We had a nice little vacation, but it is time to continue on."

"Piii ka." Pikachu lazily responded.

"I can't believe it either." Ash continued. "We already have two badges and I can tell all of my Pokémon are getting stronger."

The Stone Badge from Roxanne and the Knuckle Badge from Brawly were safely packed away in his backpack. Known only to him, but at the bottom of his bag were three other badge cases. One from each of his earlier journeys. Memories of losses endured and victories claimed were part of each badge. He did not want to stay stuck in the past, it was important to continue looking forward. But remembering was important as well.

Pikachu did not respond, but Ash was not waiting for one. He shifted, sitting up straighter, letting the brim of his hat cast a shadow over his eyes. Over the past few weeks, he had taken the afternoon to work on teaching his Pokémon new moves. He had also taken some afternoons to work on his own general fitness and the general fitness of his Pokémon. The badges in his bag reminded him of the Conferences. He would improve this year, yes, but would it be enough?

"I am proud of the training we are doing. I need to take the next step as a Pokémon trainer. I need to learn about different battle strategies." Ash declared. Then he frowned. "I need to study, don't I, Pikachu?"

He looked down when Pikachu remained silent again, noticing for the first time his starter had fallen asleep. He stroked his old friend's head before looking out over the beach again. To himself, the young teen mused. "I wonder if Brock can help."

He paused, mind racing over how to take his next steps. "I wonder if we could learn something from May as well. With her interest in Contests and Contest Battling, there might be something there."

"I should ask Max as well. He probably is the best at studying of any of us. He may have an idea of where to look." Ash said, eyes vacant but still staring at the horizon.

Pikachu shifted sleepily in his lap, letting out a contented sounding sigh. Ash smiled warmly at his starter. "I guess we can start later."

That evening, Ash and Pikachu sat next to Brock at the table in the cafeteria of the Dewford Town Pokémon Center. Ash decided to just jump in to his concerns. "Brock, I am looking to take the next step. I need to work on developing alternative battle styles."

Brock nodded slowly, looking pensive as he considered his friend's statements. Ash, not really comfortable with the silence, continued speaking after a pause. "It just doesn't feel right sending my Pokémon to battle with a style that isn't mine. I know I need to take the next step as a trainer, but it feels weird."

"I guess I can see that." Brock said. "To make it feel comfortable you need to train with a style and adapt it to who you are. Learn the styles and then make it yours."

Ash nodded, but allowed Brock to finish saying his piece. "If you are looking for help studying battle philosophy, strategy, or tactics, I am sorry to say I don't have much experience."

"I don't understand." Ash confessed. "Don't you need to know that stuff to be a gym leader?"

Brock shrugged. "I know how to battle with the native Rock Types to Kanto. Though to be fair there are only three main lines, with the Geodude, Onix, and Rhyhorn families. I didn't need to know a lot on battle topics."

Ash nodded, accepting his words, before asking a question. "What about Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl?"

"They are very rare. I follow the research, in part because a lot of the research is done in Pewter City, on fossils. These Pokémon don't appear frequently and a number of our encounters with them are the first in decades." Brock explained.

Before they could get too sidetracked, Brock continued. "You know more than you think. Remember, you have fought and beaten twenty two gym leaders, including the Orange Islands. How did the different gym leaders fight? What did they do differently?"

"Well, they all had different Pokémon." Ash started.

Brock shook his head. "Think broader."

Ash nodded slowly. "I will. It seems like a good place to start."

"Start what?" Max asked as he joined the two older boys.

"Thinking about the battle styles of Gym Leaders I have met." Ash said. "I need to work on learning more about the philosophy of battle and battle strategy and tactics."

Max took a breath before launching into rapid fire statements. "First, battle philosophy is broken into three broad categories. It is very different than strategy or tactics. Philosophy describes a mindset, strategy an overarching goal, and tactics are how individual encounters occur."

Blinking at the younger boy, Ash opened his mouth but could not formulate a response. Brock was not much better off, but was able to choke out a "What?"

The younger blinked at their confusion and nodded decisively before pushing up the bridge of his glasses. "Right, definitionally, philosophy, strategy, and tactics are separate things though, occasionally, the terms have been incorrectly used to refer to the same thing."

Ash nodded slowly. "So a battle philosophy would be how a trainer approaches any battle?"

"Thats right." Max agreed. "Broadly speaking you are looking at attack, defense, and status as the three main types of philosophies."

"Attack would be damage moves, defense damage reduction and endurance, and status being paralysis, sleep, and the like?" Brock half stated half asked.

Max nodded. "I have read about these a bit, unfortunately, I think I left that particular book at home."

Ash leaned back in his chair. "So I would have an attack philosophy?"

"Probably, again I don't have my reference in front of me, but it seems to fit." Max said.

"Alright. What about strategy?" Ash asked.

Brock rubbed his chin. "Think about a gym battle or a six on six battle. Strategy is how you approach a specific opponent, do you look to use field altering moves, how do you pick your Pokémon that kind of thing."

"Exactly." Max said. "Which leaves tactics as the battles between Pokémon."

"There are only one of each and the winner is the one with the better tactics?" Ash asked.

"Yes." Max said.

Brock looked at Ash. "You are probably the strongest at tactics. You think on your feet well and adapt. You have a philosophy, though you may consider figuring out exactly what it is and then refine your mindset. If anything your weak point is strategy."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked hesitantly, a little unsure of the characterization. "I feel I should work on all three parts."

Max shrugged. "The decision shouldn't be if you focus on a part or all parts, it is how do you want to build your style? After all style is the mix of all three."

Ash sighed, but didn't comment and neither did Brock for a moment. Seizing the opportunity Max continued. "You two are fairly experienced trainers, why hasn't this come up before?"

Luckily for Ash, Brock answered immediately. "Pokémon type and strength plays a huge role." The gym leader explained. "If you come to a rock type gym with fire and flying types, you will lose. A lot of trainers have a hard time understanding that and do not have strong enough Pokémon to overcome type disadvantage."

Ash nodded, thinking back to his experiences at the Conferences. "When you have better Pokémon, you just win. When your Pokémon are weaker you lose."

Max shook his head. "Ash, that is not quite right." He paused before explaining. "If one Pokémon completely outclasses another, you have a point. However, if the Pokémon are comparable, it can be all about style, strategy, and tactics. Think of it this way, Pikachu is strong and would destroy Torchic. At the same time, Pidgey when just hatched would be weaker than Torchic. But all things considered, as a trainer you are better than my sister and would at least make the battle close, if not win."

Ash nodded slowly. "So battles are decided by the two trainers, the Pokémon on the field, and how the trainers and Pokémon work together?"

"Yes. That is true." Brock said.

"Ash, what is more important, the mindset going into any battle or the battle between your Pokémon and the opponent's Pokémon?" Max asked.

"The individual battle." Ash answered without hesitation.

Max stood up. "Right, I will be right back. I think I have a couple of books you might enjoy reading."

With that statement, he turned and headed out of the cafeteria. Ash groaned quietly to himself, he was going to have to read and study. Neither were his strong points, he liked to learn by doing. Pikachu patted him on the shoulder, knowing his trainer's fears.

Soon enough, May followed Max in to the cafeteria. In Max's arms were three books. May looked at the two older boys before sitting down to watch the show.

Max placed the books on the table in front of Ash. "Right, these three books are the most likely to help you."

Ash looked at the books as if they were Pokémon about to leap at him and attack. He took a breath and grabbed the top book, looking at the cover, which read 'The Effect of Evolution.'

"That book was written by Professor Rowan, it talks about how Pokémon can change when they evolve. They can change everything from size and shape to typing." Max said.

Brock picked up the next book, 'Hidden Within' and looked at Max. "Professor Sarah Sequoia? I have never heard of her."

Max smiled. "She is not recognized at the level of a regional Professor yet, but she is on her way. She studies Pokémon abilities, honestly I haven't read it yet."

Ash leaned forward at the last book, his eyes immediately drawn to the author. "Professor Oak?"

"Right, 'Communication Clarity,' Professor Oak based it on relationships between Pokémon and trainer and the effects in battle." Max said.

"Thanks Max." Ash said. "I can borrow these?"

The younger boy nodded. "I hope they can help."

Ash smiled ruefully. "Me too."

Leaning forward from her seat, May glanced at Ash. "Is this more work for becoming a better trainer?"

The young teen boy nodded. May frowned. "Should I be doing all the stuff you are? I mean Contests are different, right?"

"They are and they aren't. A lot of what Ash is trying to do should help Coordinators as well." Brock said. "Learning new moves can help a Coordinator develop routines for Appeals and learning more about how to battle could help with the knock out rounds."

"Do you think you could beat a Coordinator in a Contest?" May asked, her question directed to both older trainers.

Brock shook his head. "None of my Pokémon know flashy moves."

"I think I could win." Ash said. "It would depend on which Pokémon I used. Cyndaquil would be a good choice. As would Pikachu and Totodile."

The other three looked at him and Ash blinked. "What? You wanted flashy moves. I wouldn't call Charizard for it, he is fairly practical as a fighter. I would have to think on it a little more."

May looked at Brock. "When do we have to leave to catch our ferry?"

"It leaves at eleven and we are a short walk away. Probably best to leave around ten, ten thirty." Brock said.

May got up. "Ash, I challenge you to a Contest battle in the morning. I will see if Nurse Joy will judge it for us."

Ash smiled. "Sounds great! I accept."

Brock caught up with May as she headed towards the front desk. "May, I am not sure this is a good idea. Ash has a lot of experience as a trainer and if he picks any of the three Pokémon he mentioned, they will be powerful."

"I know." May said. "I really only have Beautifly as Torchic isn't great of Contests yet."

"So why challenge him?" Brock asked quietly.

"Watching his gym battles have been exciting. I want to see if his training, of himself and his Pokémon, would be able to help me. I know I am a new Coordinator. I just, I need to know." May said.

Brock frowned. "This would not prove anything. The two of you are very different trainers."

Shrugging, the young girl sighed. "I don't know what else to do. I need answers, but." She trailed off, unsure how to explain herself.

"But you are new to being a Coordinator, to being about more than just the experience of journeying." Brock suggested.

May nodded. The older boy sighed. "Well, good luck and I hope you get your answers."

At the same time as Brock was speaking with May, Ash was opening the book written by Professor Oak. Ash used every ounce of maturity he had not to stick his tongue out at the book. He took a deep breath and looked at the table of contents, his eyes glazing at the technical titles. Completely unable to decide if any particular chapter was of relevance, he decided to start at the beginning.

"I will read this and it will help." He said to himself, though Pikachu nodded his agreement.

Flipping the next couple of pages, Ash found himself at the introduction. Reading to Pikachu, Ash spoke. "Communication is the bedrock of all relationships. Being able to convey information allows two individuals to understand each other. This is important not just between Trainer and Pokémon, but between people and between Pokémon as well."

Ash paused to allow the first few sentences to sink in before continuing. "It is in the breakdown of communication where most relationships fail. Everyone involved in a relationship must be willing to express their needs and desires, while at the same time listening and understanding the needs and desires of others."

The young boy leaned the book down and glanced at Pikachu. "I am not sure this will help in battle, but it sounds like it will be a good book to read and learn from anyway."

Pikachu nodded before gesturing for Ash to continue. "Pokémon battles and other times of chaos demand even more communication. This book is designed to understanding and developing better communication skills. Some questions of when and how to communicate between partners in times of chaos will be explored througout."

Ash smiled as did Pikachu. The boy stood up, picking up the books. "There is a desk in the room. I can take notes there."

"Piii."

With that, Ash and his starter headed out, ready for a late night of studying.

Having stayed up late reading, morning came too early for Ash. He stumbled through his morning routine. When he made it to the battlefield behind the Pokémon Center, he was just pulling on his hat and had left off his jacket.

May stood on one end of the field and Ash moved to the far end. Brock and Max stood elsewhere as observers, with Nurse Joy watching with a stopwatch. As Ash took his place, Brock stood up. "This is a practice contest battle, with the time set at two and a half minutes instead of the usual five. Nurse Joy shall announce the winner when time is called."

Ash nodded, hand drifting towards his belt for a Pokéball. May was already in motion, releasing her Beautifly. Ash nodded as she did so, knowing it had the best move set of her few Pokémon. In turn, Ash released three Pokémon. Aron and Corphish were his newest captures and Phanpy he had hatched from an egg in Johto.

"Phanpy, I choose you. Aron, Corphish, I want you two to watch."

"Phaan!" Phanpy cheered and trotted forward onto the battlefield. Aron and Corphish nodded in acceptance and settled in to watch.

Brock seeing both Contestants were ready raised his hand. "Begin."

May was quicker off the block and called for an attack. "Beautifly, use Gust to raise the dust into the air!"

"Phanpy, start with a tackle."

Beautifly fluttered its wings from several feet in the air and quickly created a barrier of wind and dust. Phanpy rolled quickly through, taking a little damage, but emerged inside the barrier and sprung up, landing a clean hit on Beautifly.

Ash noticed May was surprised by the speed of Phanpy and decided to back off a little. "Double team, Phanpy."

Blurring with speed, the little blue ground type began running around the battlefield. In various locations, speed duplicates of Phanpy appeared. Beautifly, waited for its trainer to direct it and tried to watch where the real opponent was.

Seeing May didn't really know what to do, Ash called for another defensive move. "Use Defense curl as well."

Phanpy rolled up and continued bouncing around the field, its speed not dropping. Finally, May called out to her Pokémon. "Use String Shot Beautifly."

The flying bug type started to shoot webbing out at Phanpy, missing more than not. Ash waited, knowing his defensive moves had put him at an advantage and that time was running out.

"Tackle Beautifly." May yelled.

Ash smiled. "Rollout!"

Beautifly soared low at one of the speed duplicates, only to be surprised as it turned out to be the real one charging towards it. The two Pokémon collided, slamming into each other. Move type and weight played to Ash's advantage as Beautifly was knocked backwards. The flying bug type was injured but not out.

Brock stood up and called out. "Time!"

Phanpy pulled out of his continued attack before landing a second, more powerful hit.

Ash walked onto the battlefield and petted his Pokémon. "You did a great job."

Stepping next to him, Brock whispered. "Thank you for holding back. It was very nice of you."

"You don't learn much from getting destroyed." Ash replied quietly.

May, having tended to and returned Beautifly, came and offered her hand to Ash. "Good battle." She commented.

Ash took her hand. "Did you learn anything from it?"

"That you are a really good trainer and I need to work on becoming one as well." May replied.

Nurse Joy walked up with Max. "Great Job, both of you. The winner is Ash. He was able to take advantage of time and openings to pull off a double team which was both visually appealing and created dangers. May, you started strong, but were surprised early. While type matchups did not favor you, if you had stayed aggressive you may have won."

Ash nodded, while May bowed to their judge. "Thank you." They said in unison.

"Now lets make sure your Pokémon are healed before you leave." The Nurse said, guiding them into the Center.

The four young trainers sat on the deck of the ferry taking them back to the mainland of Hoenn.

Ash, fully dressed, with only Pikachu on his shoulder, spoke. "May, you showed potential. I think if you put in some work, you would be a great coordinator."

"You were nice about it but you completely destroyed me." May said, having the time to reflect on the battle and to start feeling bad about the outcome.

Brock frowned. "He gave you opportunities. Half of his moves were designed to allow you time to think."

"If it were a gym battle, I would have started with Rollout. It is both a strong move and a move that does more damage each time it hits. With a type disadvantage, and if Phanpy had hit it, Beautifly would have been knocked out with only a couple of hits." Ash said. "Whitney in Johto had a Miltank which would do that to most Pokémon."

Max looked at the two older boys. "From where I was sitting Ash controlled that battle from start to finish."

Sighing, Brock responded. "May is a young trainer. She has just started and is only about a month into her journey. Ash has been a trainer for around three years and for the last month has been working on improving himself as a trainer."

While May sat sadly, Max nodded and replied. "I get that, but it doesn't answer the question."

"It does." Ash said quietly. "Look, I have a lot of experience, a greater number of Pokémon, and stronger Pokémon. Unless I was actively throwing a battle, I should win every time. The only difference will be how close the fight is."

May nodded slowly. "That is why you were warning me last night."

"Exactly." Brock agreed.

The four were quiet for a moment, suddenly May looked Ash in the eye. "Will you teach me?"

"What?" Ash exclaimed.

"Please teach me how to be a better trainer." May repeated.

Brock smiled. "You should do it. Teaching is one of the best ways to learn."

Ash looked from one to the other. And then again. He glanced at Max. Finally he took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. I will do it."

May smiled. "Thank you, you won't regret it."

Ash nodded. "We will start when we get to the mainland."

The young teen looked over at Max. "I am going to be reading by firelight when we camp out. Is that okay?"

Max shrugged. "Just don't burn my books."

Sitting up straighter, Ash looked backwards towards Dewford. He nodded resolutely. "Then, May, let's teach you how to be a great Coordinator."