Disclaimer: I do not own any part of this story. All rights go to Nintendo for use of their characters, etc.
Chapter 2: Evolution Confusion
"Finally! Time to trade Pokémon!" Bianca cheered excitedly. The group had arrived at Professor Juniper's camp, and it seemed that Bianca's enthusiasm was contagious; everyone was excited to see this 'evolution exchange'.
"I gotta say, it is pretty exciting. I can't wait to see Karrablast and Shelmet evolve!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Same here. I don't think I've ever seen Pokémon that need to be traded with each other for both to evolve," remarked May. "This should really be something to see!"
Just then, Professor Juniper emerged from her tent and started towards the group.
"Hello, everyone! Nice to see you made it here so quickly." she greeted, smiling. "Then again, I'm sure Bianca wasn't about to allow any delays." she added, noticing Bianca seemed ready to jump out of her skin from excitement.
Then, noticing May, "Oh? I see we've got a new arrival."
Ash nodded. "Professor, I'd like you to meet May," he introduced.
"Pleased to meet you," May said, smiling.
"Any friend of Ash's is a friend of mine," Professor Juniper replied, returning the smile.
"Oooh, can we trade now!?" Bianca blurted out.
Laughing, Professor Juniper nodded and led the group towards her tent.
"For Bianca's sake, we better not wait another minute!" she remarked, giggling.
Inside the tent, the Professor revealed her Pokémon Trade Machine.
"I brought it here to study the effects Chargestone Cave might have on evolution," she explained. "Although, we were having some trouble with the equipment a little while ago. There was irregular activity from the cave causing interference."
"Team Rocket was causing the disturbance," Ash responded darkly. "They were trying to steal some stones from the cave, and they displaced the Joltik and Galvantula living there."
"We were able to put a stop to it, though, thanks to May," he finished, putting his arm around his girlfriend.
"Mama save Manaphy. Mama help friends!" Manaphy cheered, clinging loosely to May's neck from behind.
"I can't take all the credit. I was just doing what I had to do to protect Manaphy," May said, blushing.
"Now, before we actually trade," the Professor continued, "I need to collect some pre-evolution data, since I'm doing this for research purposes after all. A battle would certainly accomplish that."
"Sounds good! Let's do it!" Bianca agreed.
Outside, Professor Juniper and Bianca each readied their Poké Balls. Cilan, being chosen as the judge, stepped forward.
"The one-on-one battle between Professor Juniper and Bianca is about to begin. The battle is over when one Pokémon is unable to continue. Let's get things started!" he announced.
"Alright! Shelmet, come on out!" Bianca shouted, throwing her ball. From the ball emerged a Pokémon resembling a bivalve with a grey, armor-like shell that formed a spiral on its back. It opened its shell and peeked out, revealing its pink body and puckered-up mouth.
"Shelmet?" it muttered uncertainly.
"Aww, it's kinda cute!" May smiled, scanning the Pokémon with her Pokédex.
*Shelmet, the Snail Pokémon. Shelmet closes its shell to protect itself from attacks. It also produces and spits out a poisonous, sticky liquid.*
Noticing Shelmet's insecurity, a certain Dragon-Type decided to be funny.
Tiptoeing up to Shelmet, Axew roared and made an intimidating face.
"Xew!" the green Tusk Pokémon roared.
"Met!" Shelmet cried in fright. He proceeded to clamp his shell down as tightly as possible and refused to move.
"Oh no, Shelmet!" Bianca exclaimed, concerned.
"Axew, that wasn't nice!" Iris scolded as she walked over to retrieve Axew. "I'm so sorry, Shelmet." she apologized to the Snail Pokémon.
"Is Shelmet gonna be alright?" May asked.
"Well, he can be a little easy to startle sometimes…" Bianca admitted. "But I'm sure he'll do just fine!" she added, her optimism returning.
Making her move, Professor Juniper threw her own Ball.
"Go, Karrablast!"
On the field appeared a round, bluish Pokémon with a black face, fanged mouth, yellow eyes, a single horn on its head, and four stubby black limbs.
"Karrablast!" it roared, frightening poor Shelmet and causing it to jump back and once again retreat into its shell.
Ash immediately scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokédex.
*Karrablast, the Clamping Pokémon. Karrablast live in forests and fields, and often hide in trees or grass when threatened. They can also defend themselves by spitting acid.*
"Sounds pretty tough." Ash remarked.
"Let's hope Shelmet can handle it." May added, earning a nod of agreement from Pikachu and Manaphy.
"Let the battle begin!" Cilan shouted.
"Bianca, you can go first." Professor Juniper said.
"Alright! Shelmet, use…" Bianca faltered, noticing Shelmet was unresponsive.
"…Shelmet?" she asked.
The Bug-Type was still cowering in its shell, unwilling to face Karrablast.
"Shel-met." it mumbled, refusing to come out.
"Uhh, on second thought, why don't you start us off, Professor?" Bianca said, laughing nervously.
"Well, alright then. Karrablast, use Peck!" the Professor commanded.
"Karra, Karra!" shouted Karrablast, its horn beginning to glow as it raced towards Shelmet.
"Shelmet, use Protect, quick!" Bianca countered.
"She-el-met!" Shelmet replied, projecting a spherical shield around itself, despite still not coming out of its shell. Karrablast smashed into the shield with full force, seeming to not affect Shelmet at all.
"Karra?" Karrablast asked, confused.
"Karra. Karra! Karra-karra-karra-karra-karra-!" Karrablast shouted, attacking Shelmet's shield repeatedly to no avail.
"Wow! Karrablast is hammering him, but Shelmet is really holding on!" Iris said, amazed at Shelmet's endurance in the face of Karrablast's relentless barrage.
"What he lacks in courage, he more than makes up for in Defense." May summarized.
"Karrablast, use Take Down!" Professor Juniper called, changing strategies.
"Karra-BLAST!" Karrablast roared, becoming enveloped in a yellow light as he charged towards Shelmet.
"Shelmet, use Protect again!" Bianca ordered.
Shelmet projected his shield once more. As Karrablast slammed into the shield, however, it looked as though Shelmet might yield. The Take Down attack was strong enough to push Shelmet back a few meters, but once again leaving Shelmet unharmed.
"Shelmet?" asked the Pokémon, peeking out of its shell for the first time since the battle started.
"Bianca, you need to go on the offensive!" Ash shouted.
"I know, but my little Shelmet is so shy." Bianca replied.
"Then I'll just have to keep attacking…" Professor Juniper started, only to be interrupted.
"What's going on!? Professor, we've got a problem over here!" called on of Professor Juniper's assistants. The equipment he was working with had electrical currents emanating from it.
"You better check this out!" shouted another assistant.
"This battle is on time-out!" announced Cilan, effectively ending the battle as the group crowded around the equipment to see what the problem was.
"We're getting some bizarre electrical readings, most of them coming from the cave." the assistant explained.
"Oh no." Professor Juniper breathed, looking worriedly in the direction of the cave.
Back in Professor Juniper's tent, it was revealed that the Trade Machine was being affected by the electrical anomaly as well.
"If this keeps up, we might not be able to go through with the trade." the Professor sighed.
"NOOOO!" Bianca shrieked, starting to freak out. "What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do…!?"
"Bianca, calm down. This isn't helping." May said sternly.
"Ma-na!" Manaphy agreed.
"Really, Bianca, you're getting too worked up over this. I'm sure this isn't anything that can't be fixed." added Iris.
"I… I guess you guys are right." Bianca said, calming down a bit. "But we need to find out what the problem is!"
"I wonder… could it be Team Rocket? They might be back." Ash suggested.
"If it is, we can surely deal with them again." replied Cilan.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Professor Juniper said. "We can't be sure it's Team Rocket yet. Nevertheless, we should investigate."
/-/-/
"What in the world could be causing this?" Professor Juniper wondered. Beside her, an assistant held a device to detect the source of the disturbance and was pointing it into the cave entrance. Coming from somewhere inside the cave, a deep voice could be heard echoing loudly from the darkness.
"We've been hearing that for quite a while now." another assistant remarked.
"Wha… what could that be?" Bianca asked, cowering behind Cilan.
"Maa-naaa…" worried Manaphy, shivering.
"Well, I guess we're gonna find out!" Ash declared.
"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu agreed determinedly. The group proceeded into the cave, with Professor Juniper leading the way.
As the group continued, the deep voice from earlier was heard again, but louder.
"It's coming from over there." pointed out an assistant.
"Look! What are those?" Ash exclaimed, causing everyone to turn and look at the strange sight before them.
Floating in midair were what appeared to be metal gears. They were in separate interlocking pairs and were turning on their own.
"Klink. Kli-klink klink klink…" they droned. Ash quickly consulted the Pokédex.
*Klink, the Gear Pokémon. In order for Klink to survive, it produces energy by spinning its twin, interlocking bodies.*
But the Klink were not responsible for the sound; they all appeared perfectly healthy.
"This way. It must be farther, up ahead." Professor Juniper said as the group continued deeper into the cave.
"There. It's coming from that Klinklang." she said, pointing towards another, larger gear-like Pokémon resting on a rock. Unlike the Klink, its gears appeared to be jammed. Ash stepped forward to check the Pokédex again.
*Klinklang, the Gear Pokémon and the final evolved form of Klink. Klinklang uses its spikes to fire charged energy into its environment, using its red core as an energy tank.*
As if to demonstrate the Pokédex's entry, the Klinklang immediately charged up an energy bolt and shot it straight towards the young trainer.
"Ash, no!" May cried. She dove at Ash and tackled him to the ground, dodging the energy shot by inches. The two half-dragged each other into cover behind a large rock, with Pikachu and Manaphy holding on to their trainers for dear life.
"Something's wrong with Klinklang!" Cilan warned, dodging another energy bolt.
Despite the salvo of electricity being fired by Klinklang, Professor Juniper was able to approach the agitated Pokémon with a small device in her hands. She turned the crank on the machine while aiming it at Klinklang, which seemed to calm it down. She explained that the machine emits sound waves that the Pokémon respond well to.
Finally, Klinklang calmed down enough for the Professor to safely remove the object jamming its gears.
"A… pen?" May asked, perplexed.
"Now where could that have come from?" Iris wondered.
"Sure doesn't look like Team Rocket's handiwork." Ash commented.
Klinklang was behaving normally again, though something did seem to be bothering Professor Juniper when one of her assistants reported that they weren't picking up any signs of any other people in the area. Nevertheless, the electrical disturbance was fixed, and the group exited the cave, eager to get back to the trade.
/-/-/
Back in Professor Juniper's tent, the Poké Balls of both Karrablast and Shelmet were placed in the trade machine as it was started up. The trade took a few moments, and when it was complete, Professor Juniper handed Bianca the ball containing what would become her new Escavalier.
"Finally! Thank you so much!" Bianca excitedly thanked Professor Juniper.
Back outside, both Pokémon were released to allow them to evolve. Professor Juniper went first, calling out Shelmet. As soon as it appeared, Shelmet instantly changed form. In its place stood a Pokémon with a large, pink, helmet-like head and a body wrapped in what looked like bluish-grey cloth.
"Accelgor!" it announced as Bianca scanned it with her Pokédex.
*Accelgor, the Shell Out Pokémon and the evolved form of Shelmet. Accelgor has become much more agile since its shell was removed, allowing it to move like a ninja when battling.*
Bianca then released Karrablast, who was immediately replaced by a Pokémon resembling a Karrablast dressed in Shelmet's armor. Its grey helmet had a red crest on top, and its lower body was encased in more grey armor, ending in a spiral. Its arms were replaced by sharp, red-striped lances.
"Escavalier!" it exclaimed, punctuating its speech by jabbing the air with its lances.
"Whoa!" Ash admired, consulting the Pokédex.
*Escavalier, the Cavalry Pokémon and the evolved form of Karrablast. Escavalier's body is protected by steel armor.*
Bianca went over to greet the newly-evolved Pokémon, but unfortunately, Escavalier wasn't in a talking mood and began angrily chasing her, swinging and jabbing with its lances.
"Help! HELP! Make him stop!" Bianca shrieked as she was chased back and forth. The rest of the group was torn between being concerned, and being slightly amused. Fortunately, Professor Juniper stepped in and ordered Accelgor to use Substitute. This distracted Escavalier long enough for Bianca to return it to its Poké Ball. She looked to Professor Juniper, a bewildered expression on her face.
"Why is Escavalier so angry?" she asked.
"Well, Escavalier is still Karrablast on the inside, meaning it still has Karrablast's aggressive personality." the Professor explained.
"Well, Escavalier's aggression is sure to make for a far more flavorful battle than Shelmet's timidness." Cilan offered.
"Not if Bianca can't handle Escavalier." countered Iris.
"I'm sure that isn't true. Not every trainer gets off to a good start with their Pokémon." May replied. Ash agreed, remembering how he and Pikachu had gotten off to a somewhat shaky start, despite now being inseparable.
"There must be something we can do!" Bianca said worriedly.
"Well, how about a Tag Battle?" Professor Juniper suggested. "That would surely help Escavalier burn off its energy and aggression a bit." Then, turning to the rest of the group: "Ash, would you do the honor of being our opponent?"
"My pleasure." Ash replied, grinning. "And May, would you do the honor of being my partner?"
May stepped up beside Ash and took his hand, smiling.
"You know it. Just like old times." she responded. She turned and nodded to Manaphy, who returned the nod and jumped off to wait on the sidelines. The couple took their position on the battlefield as Cilan again took on the role of judge.
"The Tag Battle between Professor Juniper and Bianca against Ash and May is about to commence." Cilan announced. "Each trainer will use one Pokémon, and the battle is over once both Pokémon on a team are unable to continue. Alright, let the battle begin!"
"Boldore, I choose you!" Ash called, releasing his Ore Pokémon.
"Glaceon, take the stage!" May commanded, calling out her Fresh Snow Pokémon.
"Accelgor, come out!" Professor Juniper shouted, bringing her new Bug-Type out.
"Go, Escavalier!" Bianca ordered, though still feeling a bit unsure, especially as the Cavalry Pokémon turned and glared at her as it emerged from its ball.
"Boldore, use Rock Smash!" Ash ordered quickly, trying to get the upper hand right away. The attack landed a hit on both Escavalier and Accelgor, throwing them back.
"Glaceon, Ice Shard!" May followed up. Glaceon opened her mouth and fired countless shards of ice at the two Bug-Type opponents.
"Dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Professor Juniper ordered Accelgor. Accelgor complied, moving in close and scoring a hit on Glaceon with Quick Attack, though Escavalier had been hit by the Ice Shard attack.
"C'mon Bianca, attack!" Iris shouted from the sidelines.
"Uhh… ummm… Escavalier…?" Bianca stuttered, unsure of what to do. Deciding to take the initiative itself, Escavalier took off towards its opponents without orders. Unfortunately, it wasn't battling very effectively on its own, though the rest of the group was impressed, thinking Bianca was commanding it.
"Nice one, Bianca!" Iris cheered. "You and Escavalier make a great team!"
"Uh, well, not exactly." Bianca admitted. "I haven't given Escavalier any commands yet. It's sure harder to deal with than my little Shelmet…"
"We'd better focus on Escavalier first." Ash suggested.
"Agreed. Glaceon, Shadow Ball!" May commanded. Glaceon obeyed, forming a shadowy ball and sending it at Ecavalier, who was still trying to do things on its own and was making another charge at the opposing Pokémon. It dodged the Shadow Ball with ease, not even slowing down.
"Boldore, Rock Blast! Quick!" Ash hurriedly instructed. Boldore quickly fired off several sheets of rock, landing numerous direct hits on Escavalier, throwing it back again.
"Escavalier!" Bianca cried out in concern as Escavalier was sent sliding back on the ground. Thinking quickly, Professor Juniper had Accelgor use Substitute, protecting Escavalier from further damage. Realizing the trick, Ash and May began looking around warily for the real Accelgor.
"Great going, Accelgor!" Iris cheered the Shell Out Pokémon on.
Escavalier, seemingly surprised by Accelgor's intervention, began looking around quickly as Accelgor came limping up beside him. Unfortunately, things weren't looking too good for Accelgor, the Substitute attack having drained it considerably.
"A… Acce… celgor…" it stuttered, struggling to stay on its feet.
"One more hit like that, and it's over for Accelgor!" Iris warned.
"Pi-kaaa!" Pikachu cheered, clearly rooting for Ash and May.
"Mana!" Manaphy agreed, offering his own support.
"Boldore, Flash Cannon! Go!" Ash ordered, hoping to take advantage of Accelgor's vulnerability. Boldore charged up the attack before firing a massive beam of light at Accelgor. At that moment, however, Escavalier leapt in front of its weakened comrade and criss-crossed its lances, managing to block the Flash Cannon.
"Glaceon, Ice Shard on Escavalier!" May commanded as her Ice-Type fired another barrage of sharp icicles at the armored Bug-Type.
"Escavalier, please! Use Iron Defense!" Bianca shouted, half-pleadingly. Escavalier, finally deciding to acknowledge its new trainer, obeyed and encased its body in a pale bluish glow, easily repelling the Ice-Type attack directed towards it.
"Yes! Escavalier is finally listening to me!" Bianca cheered.
"Accelgor, let's get you fixed up! Use Recover!" Professor Juniper commanded. Accelgor became surrounded in a pulsating red light. When it faded, Accelgor looked up, far more energized than it was only seconds before.
"A-ccelgor!" it roared, rejuvenated.
"Crap!" Ash growled in frustration.
"We almost beat him, too!" May groaned.
"Alright Bianca, time for a counterattack!" Professor Juniper instructed. She quickly ordered Accelgor to perform a Quick Attack as Bianca ordered a Fury Attack from Escavalier. Ash and May, caught off-guard by the impressive speed of their opponents' Pokémon, were unable to react as both attacks connected with their intended targets, knocking them back in a heap.
"Quick, before they recover, we'll combine Hyper Beams and take them both out at once!" Professor Juniper said quickly to Bianca.
"Now, double Hyper Beam!" they shouted in unison as their respective Pokémon each fired a stream of white light, which then merged and formed one massive beam.
"Glaceon, get in front of Boldore and use Protect!" May ordered. Glaceon obediently jumped in front of Boldore before projecting a circular green shield, protecting both of them from damage.
Not wasting a second, May immediately issued her next order.
"Glaceon, use Iron Tail on Escavalier!"
Her Fresh Snow Pokémon nodded in acknowledgement before rushing forward and striking the Bug/Steel-Type with her tail. A brief blue outline ran down Escavalier's body, indicating that its Defense had been lowered.
Noticing this, Ash was quick to take advantage of the situation.
"Now, Boldore! Use Stone Edge on Escavalier!" Ash commanded. The Ore Pokémon obediently summoned several glowing rocks before launching them at the opposing Cavalry Pokémon.
Faced with a Type disadvantage on both fronts, and suffering from its Defense being lowered, the Bug/Steel-Type Cavalry Pokémon finally fell to the Rock-Type attack.
"Escavalier is unable to continue!" Cilan announced.
"Escavalier, return," Bianca said, recalling her Pokémon. "You did a great job out there."
"Es-cava," Escavalier replied weakly, but with a slight smile as it returned to its Pokéball.
Meanwhile, Ash and May grinned at each other as they now had the advantage.
"One down, one to go," Ash said.
"Two against one? Hardly seems fair. Why don't I even the odds a bit?" Professor Juniper said with a devious smile. "Accelgor, use Substitute!"
With that, a clone of the Shell Out Pokémon appeared next to the real Accelgor as Professor Juniper made her next move.
"Use Quick Attack!"
Both Accelgors charged forward in a flurry of motion, leaving little time for Ash and May to figure out which Accelgor was the real one.
"Boldore, counter with Rock Blast!" Ash yelled. Targeting the nearest Accelgor, Boldore let loose with a burst of stone slabs. The attack caused its target to vanish in a puff of smoke, revealing it to be the copy.
"May, heads up!" Ash called to his girlfriend. May, however, was on it already.
"Glaceon, use Double Team!"
Moving too swiftly for Accelgor to follow, Glaceon dodged away from the approaching Pokémon and took up position nearby as her trainer prepared to use the move that she'd been saving for last.
"Now use Frost Breath!"
Accelgor was caught off-guard by the frigid blast of air blown by its opponent. The attack landed a critical hit, knocking Accelgor out and finally bringing the battle to a conclusion.
"Accelgor is unable to continue!" Cilan announced. "The winners are Ash and May!"
"We did it!" May cheered as she and Ash embraced one another.
"Phi! Mama and papa win!" Manaphy cheered excitedly, leaping back into May's arms. May smiled at the little Water-Type's enthusiasm.
"Well, Manaphy, next time I think I'll let you help," May assured her child with a grin. "We need to start training you up!"
"Manaphy help mama win!" Manaphy cried happily, excited by the prospect of participating in a battle.
Ash laughed as he patted Manaphy on the head.
"Hey, don't forget about papa! He could always use a hand, too!" Ash chuckled as the little Seafaring Pokémon smiled up at him.
/-/-/
Seeming to have finally bonded with Escavalier, Bianca said her good-byes as she prepared to depart from the group and head on her way.
"May, it was really great meeting you! And your adorable little Manaphy too, of course!" she smiled, petting Manaphy's head, much to his enjoyment.
"It was great getting to know you too, Bianca. I look forward to seeing you around some more," May replied.
"Same here. Well, gotta run! I'll see you guys later!" Bianca called back, skipping off cheerfully as the group waved.
"So May, what did you think of her?" Ash asked, turning to May with a grin.
"I'll say this much: she certainly made my first day with you guys an interesting one," May answered, eliciting a laugh from the group.
Suddenly, from the entrance of the cave behind the group, an older man with light grayish-brown hair and a beard stumbled out of the cave, seemingly exhausted, before fainting. The group looked over in concern as Professor Juniper rushed over to help him, recognizing him at once.
It was her father, Cedric Juniper.
I really need to stop getting distracted. There's no excuse for this.
Stupidly long waiting time aside, I hope you guys enjoyed! Again, a bit of an unoriginal chapter, as I'm kinda getting writer's block. Things will get more interesting, I promise. Until next time, sayonara!