Chapter 9: Hitmon
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the confusion from last chapter. To clear things up, I wanted it to seem like a ghost had captured itself from Nurse Joy's comment, when in fact nothing had happened. It was a teaser moment, nothing significant. Thanks and enjoy! Also, sorry for the long wait, more details at the end!
Ash's first lesson came before any of their training. They had finished walking for the day and decided to feed their Pokemon before beginning the training. Ash went about his normal feed routine before he heard Leaf.
"What the heck are you doing?" She asked incredulously.
"Getting food for my Pokemon, like we said we were doing?" Ash responded back, confused by her tone.
"Obviously kid, but what are you doing with those?" She asked as she pointed to the vitamins in Ash's hands.
Ash looked down at the array of split up supplements that Ash was putting in his Pokemon's food.
"I'm splitting up the supplements and giving it to my team. Have you never seen supplements before?"
"Oh, I have kid. That's why I'm wondering what you are doing. You have no idea how those things work do you?" Leaf asked.
"Um," Ash paused. He had never really thought about it before. "I think they just help my Pokemon grow stronger. That's what they do, right?" Ash asked.
Leaf chuckled. "Kind of," She said, as she began sorting out the different vitamins.
"They each have different purposes, different muscles that they engage better. This one here," She said, as she pointed to a certain vitamin. Ash thought they all basically looked the same. "Is a Carbos. It engages the fast twitch muscles that go all throughout a Pokemon's body, increasing its speed. Iron increases density of bones and hide, increasing defense against physical attacks. Each of these has a specific purpose and a specific thing that they increase. Does that make sense?"
"Well yeah. That's why I'm giving them all a little bit of each of them, so they stay well rounded!"
"Well rounded and ineffective," Leaf snorted back.
"If you did one push up a day, ran 100 meters, and did one sit up, you'd be well rounded but in no better shape than when you started." Leaf explained. "These supplements are similar to that. In order for them to be effective at all, there needs to be a good dosage." She went on as she dumped out the bottles of supplements that Ash had.
"Some Pokemon react differently to supplements as well. For instance, Snorlax have basically no fast-twitch muscle fibers, so Carbos is ineffective. Similarly, a Pokemon like Alakazam is very reliant on its psychic powers for attack and defense, so things like Protein and Iron have little impact." Leaf continued, as she started making piles out of the spilled vitamins.
"Okay. So you're saying that I need to specialize which vitamins I give to which Pokemon." Ash said back, hoping that he understood.
"Now you're catching on kid. A Pokemon like your Beedrill would need Carbos and Protein." Leaf said as she moved those into a pile.
"Totodile would need, well Totodile could use all of them but mainly Protein and Iron. They are pretty versatile but the physical damage is typically the go to. Clefairy would need Hp-up, Zinc, and Calcium, while your Sandshrew would mainly need Iron, with some Protein too." Leaf said as she finished making her piles.
Ash looked down at the four piles in front of Leaf. "Okay, so they each get different supplements based on their strengths, got it. So how much do they get each day?" Ash asked.
"One full pill a day for each. Maybe two of the Carbos for the Beedrill." Leaf responded.
Ash gaped. "I've been splitting one pill of each between all of them! That's going to go through my whole stockpile in like two weeks!"
"Yeah, supplements are expensive. Only rich kids use them normally, and that's because they don't know how to train their Pokemon. They aren't essential, but they will definitely help intensify any results from training. The biggest issue normally is that Pokemon who use supplements aren't prepared for the increases in their body. That shouldn't be an issue for us though." Leaf finished with a smirk.
"Okay. So if I have supplements I should only use them during heavy training times because they will be most effective then? And most trainers don't have supplements so this will help give my Pokemon an edge?"
"Basically. What's more effective than supplements is hard training with Pokemon stronger than your own, but the supplements will help the muscles develop and recover faster. I know you want your Pokemon to be strong, but you're still a young trainer and most of the higher ups in Team Rocket have had their Pokemon for years. We will train as hard as we can, but don't get your hopes up. You won't be able to keep up with any serious trainer for a long time kid." Leaf said.
"We will see about that," Ash muttered to himself.
X
Ash simply stared at the team before him. They were massive monsters, incredible Pokemon that Ash had only ever seen through the Pokedex. Leaf had released an Umbreon, her Ivysaur, a Crawdaunt, and a Shiftry that looked slightly smaller than her other one.
"Alright so Crawdaunt, you'll train the Totodile. Umbreon you'll go with the Clefairy, Ivysaur you'll take that Sandshrew and Spruce you'll be with the Beedrill. Test them out, see what they know and what they can do. Ash, you're with me."
X
Ash and Leaf spent the next few days in a similar way, training in the morning, walking during the day and then training again at night. Leaf let her Pokemon do all of the training, while her and Ash talked strategy. Ash was quickly learning that there was a lot more to Pokemon training and battling than he thought.
"So tonight we will be meeting up with a group who will travel with us to Celadon. Now they know about Willow and Ivysaur, but they don't know anything else about my team. I would like to keep it that way. I will also carry Umbreon on my belt, but the others will be hidden and as far as they know these are the only three Pokemon I have. Understand?" Leaf said to Ash as they were walking.
"Yeah, but why so many secrets? Should I only carry a couple of my Pokemon on my belt too?" Ash asked.
"No, you can carry all of yours. They will need the training and the people we are meeting up with should have Pokemon at about the same level as yours. As for me, let's just say that it's always better to be underestimated. The less someone knows about you the more difficult it is for them to take advantage of you. Not that I think anyone could take advantage of me, but you never know who is friend and who is foe. I think our introduction makes that point clear." Leaf finished.
Ash thought about that. Should he be more cautious with who he trusts? He hadn't really met anyone except for Brock and Leaf, but he had trusted them far too easily if what Leaf was saying was true. Then again, they both helped him train his Pokemon, and at the very least that was a huge bonus.
Ash sighed to himself. Travelling with Leaf was better than travelling alone, but she still felt distant. Maybe it was because of all the time she spent with her dark type Pokemon. Ash wasn't certain, but he sure hoped these people they were meeting up with were friendlier than she was.
X
Ash looked up to see a group of trainers gathered in the distance, with a few Pokemon next to them that Ash couldn't quite make the shape of. Buzz chittered from where he was hovering besides Ash and began flying towards the group.
"Is that them?" Ash asked as he looked over at Leaf.
"I imagine so. I don't know what other goons would just be standing around in broad daylight." She smirked back.
Buzz chittered excitedly as he flew back to them. "What is it Buzz? Do you know them?" Ash asked and a suspicion formed in his mind.
Buzz nodded as a voice boomed out from the distance.
"Behold, the mighty Leaf and her boy sidekick!" Ash recognized the voice as Hitoshi's, the leader of the fighting type group of rebels they had rescued from the Rock Tunnel.
Leaf let out a disdained sigh while Ash yelled back and began running towards the group. He didn't know them that well, but he had enjoyed Hitoshi from the short interaction they had previously.
X
The group set up camp for the night as Ash began to get to know the members of the group. Now that Ash was closer and in better light, he realized that the men travelling with Hitoshi weren't actually men, but rather boys only a few years older than himself. There were 6 of them, and they were all fighting type trainers with only one or two Pokemon each. Half of them had Mankey, while the other half had Machop. The ones who had Mankey's especially looked up to Hitoshi, and kept asking him for tips on what to train. Apparently his Primeape was something special, but Ash would have never known from seeing Leaf's Shiftry take it out in one shot.
Ash enjoyed being with the other boys, but they were a bit rowdier than he was used to. They kept grunting randomly and hitting each other, which Ash could only assume was a sign of friendship but seemed excessive.
After camp was set up and they had all finished dinner, Hitoshi cleared his throat and asked Ash loud enough so that everyone could hear, "So Ash, we see you have some Pokemon there that look like they could fight. What do you say we test out what they've got in an Agni Kai?"
Everyone went silent as they stared at Ash, waiting for his response. "I imagine we could do that, but I'm not certain the rules with an Agni Kai. Could you explain? Is it just a regular Pokemon battle?"
"Agni Kai is an ancient tradition for fighting type Pokemon. It is similar to a regular Pokemon battle, with the exception that only physical attacks are allowed. No beams, no bursts, no fancy illusions or trickery, just two Pokemon duking it out. Oh, no flying either." Hitoshi finished as he looked at Buzz.
"Okay," Ash said as he thought to himself. "Yeah I think I've got a couple that would be interested."
The boys cheered as they hit each other and starting chanting "AG NI KAI. AG NI KAI."
Leaf simply shrugged her head and signaled to Ash. "Send Clefairy and Buzz with me, I'll have Ivysaur and Umbreon do some work with them." Ash nodded and released Clefairy and sent them on their way, as he followed the other boys towards an open field.
Ash released Blizz first and explained the rules to him.
"Now look, fighting type moves are super effective against you, so we are going to have to be super cautious. I think our best bet is to take a hit and use Counter, and follow up with Iron Tail, Ice Punch or Iron Head. I believe in you Blizz!" Ash said to the little Sandshrew.
Blizz nodded his head at Ash before turning around to face the opponent. On the other side of the battle field stood a short and stocky Machop that was cracking its knuckles. Its trainer was one of the boys with Hitoshi, who Ash believed was named Josh.
Hitoshi stood in the middle with his Primeape to referee. "Alright. Josh, Ash, I want a clean fight out of you guys. First round is Alolan Sandshrew versus Machop. Let the battle begin!" Hitoshi screamed as he jumped out of the way.
Josh sprung into action, yelling out commands to his Machop. "Start off with Mega Punch! Then hit it with Headbutt!"
Ash watched as the Machop might a slight nod and began barreling down towards Blizz. Its fist began to glow as it got closer and it threw a wild haymaker that hit Blizz square on the chest.
"Counter, now!" Ash yelled as Blizz reared back his own fist and returned fire with the energy that had just hit him. The Machop was trying to execute the Headbutt that it's owner had told it to, so Blizz slammed his fist directly into the unsuspecting Pokemon's head.
It took a couple of steps back, dazed as it's trainer yelled at it to try and get its attention.
"Now's our chance! Iron Head! Follow it up with Ice Punch and Metal Claw until it's recalled!" Ash yelled, sensing victory.
Blizz, however didn't listen to Ash but rather beat his chest and screeched a challenge at the Machop. Ash stared incredulously as the little Pokemon refused to listen to him.
The Machop finally regained its composure and listened dutifully to its trainer. "Low Kick, Karate Chop!"
It ran forward at the gloating Sandshrew and swept his legs out from under him. Blizz squeaked with surprise as he fell forward, right before a well placed Karate Chop hit the back of his shell. Blizz struggled to get back up as Josh yelled, "Finish it off with Seismic Toss!"
Machop picked up Blizz by the tail and spun around a few times before heaving the ice type threw the air where it landed on the other side of the field, unconscious.
Ash recalled Blizz and stared at the Pokeball in disbelief. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Before when Blizz hadn't listened to him, he thought it was because he couldn't hear or just the heat of the battle, but this was blatant and open defiance. He was so stunned that he forgot there was another battle until Hitoshi called out.
"And round one goes to Josh! It seems like that Sandshrew still has to learn to listen to his trainer! Time for Round 2!"
"Okay, but this next one hasn't had much battle experience, and without his water attacks I think he's going to be at quite a disadvantage. He will love the challenge though!" Ash said as he released Totodile and explained the rules to him.
Josh looked at the little crocodile Pokemon before recalling his Machop and walking up to Hitoshi. Ash couldn't hear what they were saying, but suddenly a grin spread across Hitoshi's face as he began to move to where Josh had just been opposite Ash.
Josh spoke up, "My Pokemon would not be the best fit to go against yours as they both are getting close to evolution. However, Hitoshi has volunteered to fight with his baby Pokemon!" Josh said as everyone around cheered at the mention of this.
"What's a baby Pokemon?" Ash asked back, slightly confused. He hadn't heard of this title before.
"That's kind of hard to explain, although I guess not really…" Hitoshi began as he tried to figure out his words. "Baby Pokemon are like the first stage of a Pokemon, except they are really rare. The Pokemon who have baby forms don't have many eggs. For instance, Snorlax has a baby form, but they only mate like once every 7 years. The other Pokemon who have baby forms are even more interesting, because they don't have to. Pikachu and its baby form can both hatch from an egg, but Pichu will only hatch if the mother felt very confident that its egg would be safe. Baby forms are much weaker than adult forms, but allow for the development of extra abilities and strengths. Does that make sense?" Hitoshi asked as he finished his ramble.
"Um… sort of? I don't know it still sounds confusing. I'll have to check my Pokedex and see if it says anything about baby Pokemon." Ash said back honestly. He was intrigued by this conversation, but he knew that Totodile was getting restless.
"Sounds like a plan! This here is Tyrogue!" Hitoshi said as he released a Pokemon from a fancy Premier ball. The Pokemon that appeared looked almost like a Machop, but was much scrawnier and had a purple color to it. It also looked to be wearing pants and shoes, and had its midsection taped up as if it had broken a couple of ribs.
"Tyrogue versus Totodile! Let the battle begin!" Josh said as he stepped back.
"Test out its reflexes, let's see what it's made of!" Hitoshi said to Tyrogue. The Pokemon ran forward and began swinging at Totodile.
"Dodge it! Scratch if you can, but don't let it hit you!" Ash yelled out to Totodile.
Totodile and Tyrogue danced across the field for a little while, with Totodile dodging the punches and kicks being thrown at it while attempting to scratch the oncoming Pokemon. Tyrogue for its part seemed calm and collected, and easily dodged or blocked each Scratch thrown towards it.
At this point Ash realized that Hitoshi was just being nice to them, as he hadn't called out a real move once and Ash could tell the Tyrogue could do much more. Ash knew they couldn't win this battle, but that didn't mean they couldn't try.
"Bite!" Ash yelled as the Tyrogue threw another lazy punch towards Totodile's snout. Totodile snatched open his jaw before clamping it down on the Tyrogue's arm. The unsuspecting fighting type flinched pain which allowed Totodile to land a few Scratches on its body while still clamping the fist in his jaw.
"Bullet Punch!" Hitoshi yelled as the Tyrogue struggled to remove Totodile from its arm.
Tyrogue pulled back its other arm and threw a punch that gleamed with Steel energy. It landed straight on Totodile's jaw, but the stubborn crocodile grunted and didn't let go. Tyrogue threw a second punch and a third but the little Pokemon still held on.
Ash could tell that Totodile didn't have much left in the tank at this point, as three point blank punches left the poor Pokemon bruised and barely conscious. But still he held on, refusing to give up. Ash had to admire his tenacity and was glad that at least Totodile was listening to him.
Finally the Tyrogue had enough and arched its head back and hit Totodile with a Headbutt that finally knocked him out as the now unconscious water type released its grip on the Tyrogue. Ash recalled him.
"Round two goes to Hitoshi!" Josh yelled officially. Everyone clapped, although none of them seemed surprised by Hitoshi's victory.
"That Croc sure has some grit!" Hitoshi said as he made his way over to Ash.
"Yeah, he doesn't like to lose. That Tyrogue seemed pretty strong! What is it that baby form of?" Ash asked back. He remembered seeing it on the Pokedex but wasn't sure what it evolved into.
"Well that's just the thing. This one came from a Hitmonlee egg, but they have a few different evolutions. I'm hoping that he will evolve into a Hitmonchan but you never really know with Tyrogue." Hitoshi said.
"So Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee come from the same egg? And they are pretty rare Pokemon?" Ash asked, excited to learn more about the fighting types.
"Oh yes! Very rare. I'll tell you what kid, tonight I will tell you the history of my family and the Hitmon line. For now, you have some injured Pokemon to tend to and you should probably make sure Leaf hasn't taken out your others as well. We will begin gathering firewood, and once it gets darker I will begin." Hitoshi said as he signaled the others to begin gathering firewood.
Ash nodded and went to find Leaf, excited for the story he would hear that night.
X
Once they had settled down around the fire, Hitoshi began.
"The Sagamoda line was one of the first to gain the trust and honor of Pokemon. My ancestors were working side by side fighting types long before the invention of Pokeballs. We were the first to truly settle the land and build a city, as we had the protection of our Pokemon. Saffron was our creation, and our prize was our connection to the Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan in this area, and it all started with one man." Hitoshi went on.
"My great ancestor, Gardon was a Karate Master far beyond anyone since. It is said that he produced a spiritual energy that was able to heighten his senses. He could anticipated people's movements, he could see even while blindfolded. He could also empower his own attacks and add to his defenses as well. It is even claimed that he could read minds and communicate with others telepathically. Make no mistake though, he wasn't one of those psychics. He was a fighter through and through." Hitoshi said, almost spitting out the last part.
Ash picked up on the hostility but was too engrossed on the story to say anything.
"With this empowerment, Gardon challenged the Hitmonchan Grand Champion living in the area to a duel. This was the first Agni Kai, and the stakes were high. Losing meant death for Gardon, as no human challenged the Grand Champion and lived. With a host of Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan standing around, the battle began." Hitoshi said, and Ash could sense the excitement in his voice as he picked up speed.
"The battle was grueling and lasted far longer than any of the Pokemon expected. They had been challenged by humans before, but none of them could last more than a few seconds in the ring with the beast that was the Grand Champion. But Gardon was able to dodge every blow that was thrown on him, and the battle raged on. It lasted 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 30 minutes. Finally after two hours Gardon made his move." Hitoshi continued, with everyone on the edge of their seats.
"He had been spending his time dodging and throwing out a few jabs up until this point, saving his energy while allowing the Grand Champion to exert all of its own. Neither of them had ever been in a fight that lasted this long, but the fighting type Pokemon was running out of steam and Gardon sensed it and went on the offensive. He began throwing punches and kicks with inhuman speed. He pushed the Hitmonchan on the defensive, blows flying left and right with the champion barely able to dodge and parry. Gardon saw his chance and swept the legs out from underneath the Grand Champion before landing a punch covered with a blue aura square in the chest of the magnificent Hitmonchan on its way to the ground. All the Pokemon were in shock as they saw their champion on the ground, unconscious." Hitoshi said as he took a drink of water.
"Gardon waited until the Grand Champion regained consciousness before making his request known. He asked that he and his descendants could train with the Hitmon's. Together, he said, they could settle the whole region and make it a safe place for the future generations. The Grand Champion agreed, and that is how my family began our partnership with the Hitmonchan's and Hitmonlee's. From then on there were wars and territory disputes, which are all great history but meant for another time. You asked about Tyrogue, and this is that story." Hitoshi said as he continued.
"The Hitmon line only has eggs every five years, and females are very rare as well. Gardon was a very old man when the first Tyrogue was hatched. Previously only Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan hatched from eggs, ready for battle within a couple of weeks to month and able to help the pack. However the Grand Champion and Gardon had been able to clear out the area now known as Saffron and truly began building a safe haven for fighting type Pokemon and people interested in the fighting style. By the time of this first Tyrogue the town had been well established and it was safe. This first Tyrogue was a shock to everybody, including the Hitmonchan whose egg it was I believe, although you would never get one to admit it. The Pokemon grew up and was much weaker than the Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee who hatched at the same time. Everyone was so confused until it evolved. The result was a glorious Hitmonchan that was stronger and fiercer than all of its peers. Whatever it is about the baby stage, the Pokemon that come from it seem to have more innate ability and strength than those who don't. That first Tyrogue ended up becoming the next Grand Champion and soon the only thing hatching from the eggs were Tyrogue." Hitoshi finished as he grabbed a drink of water.
A silence filled the clearing as Ash and the others paused to appreciate the story. Ash loved hearing all this history but something bugged him. It all seemed to good to be true and so he decided to speak up.
"So what happened next? How come there are so few Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee in the world? If they were that powerful and the center of civilization, how did it fall apart?" Ash winced as he saw the group gasp at his question. Now that it was out of his mouth it sounded more harsh than he meant.
"Ah, fair question young Ash," Hitoshi started, setting everyone else at ease. "It was those bloody psychics. They came from the west and were ruthless. Before our men even knew what hit them they had wiped out half of Saffron. The conflict between the two groups raged on for years before we came to an agreement with them. It wasn't much of an agreement, as they got to live and train in our town, in the place that we had built and raised and protected, but when you go into negotiations with a psychic you tend to get screwed." Hitoshi spat.
"With the line only producing eggs so rarely, we were struggling to regain the Hitmon's we had lost in the battles. To make matters worse when Oak came along about 100 years later he decided that Sabrina would be his choice for the Saffron gym. Imagine that. The city we founded, the land we settled, and suddenly some dragon tamer comes in and appoints a psychic freak of a child as gym leader. Now his little pet got too powerful for him so he's off in Cinnabar while we are here dealing with her power hungry highness." Hitoshi looked down at the fire and began shaking his head. The rest of the group looked the same.
Ash was perplexed. "Dragon tamer? I thought Oak was a generalist? And you don't really think Sabrina is behind all of this do you? There's no way she could be that powerful." Ash said back.
Hitoshi stared at him with very serious eyes. "Anyone who has a Charizard and a Dragonite completely loyal to him is a dragon tamer in my eyes. And yes, she is behind it. Say what you like, you've never seen the girl. She was teleporting by the time she was 7. Teleporting! Without any of those Alakazam's she keeps around. This is all just a game to her. That's why she came after us first. We were the first to be wiped out and have our Pokemon taken from us when Team Rocket took over. We were the first to be pushed from the land that we've inhabited for hundreds of years. Because she found it amusing." Hitoshi kept on as he continued staring Ash down.
"Make no mistake. This is all Sabrina's doing. And I will take her down, no matter what it takes." He finished as he stood up and walked away. Ash just sat there, completely stunned by the turn of events. Apparently Hitoshi's crew also thought it was time for bed, as they also got up and left the fire to Ash and Leaf.
"Make sure to put it out before you turn in for the night," Josh said to Ash as he left for the tents they had set up. Ash turned to Leaf and asked "Why?"
Leaf thought for a moment before she shrugged. "People believe what they want to believe. The one who has always been the enemy is the best candidate for the future enemy. I wouldn't worry about trying to change their minds. Just gain what knowledge and battle experience you can from them and move on. Continue seeking out the truth for yourself." Leaf paused before changing the subject. "I heard about your Sandshrew's fight today. I'm guessing this isn't the first time it's disobeyed you?"
Ash shook his head. "Before I thought he just couldn't hear me or he got caught up in the heat of the battle but this… this was just blatant disrespect. I didn't even feel like he knew I was his trainer. I don't know what to do." Ash finished. This was the first time he had really thought about this and he realized how unprepared he was.
"This happens occasionally. Especially with young Pokemon or Pokemon that came from other trainers. Most of the time it has to do with them seeing the progress of other Pokemon but not themselves, and they feel neglected or that you don't understand them. I would try to get time alone with him tomorrow and really flush out the problem. Does that make sense?" Leaf asked.
"Yeah I guess so. I just don't understand it. When I first started working with Blizz we were doing great. There were Pokemon that he hadn't ever been able to beat in a fight that we defeated on first try. But now it's like he thinks he doesn't even need me or I'm not helpful." Ash said with an exasperated sigh.
"What number was he of yours?"
"Second."
"So you've gotten two more Pokemon since you captured him, and he's seen their growth, probably better than his own. Couple that with the loss to me, and I don't know if he's lost any other battles but he is probably just feeling neglected. Your team went from 2 to 4 and he doesn't feel like he is getting the attention he deserves. Plus with the newborn Totodile I'm sure you've spent most of your time focusing on the little guy. I think a conversation with him will help. Just make sure to let him know your goals and that he can reach those if he listens."
Ash nodded his head. "I'll have to do that tomorrow. I was just so surprised I didn't know how to react."
"Yeah… Think about it for a while. I'm headed in for the night, have Totodile put out the fire before you go to bed." Leaf said as she got up and left the fire. Ash watched as the shadows seemed to fold around her a bit too quickly and Ash swore he saw a set of ruby red eyes looking back at him. Ash shuddered as the eyes stared into his soul. He tried to look away but he couldn't, the eyes of the shadows bringing out his natural instincts of flight, telling him to run away as fast as possible and to never look back.
Suddenly one of the logs on the fire cracked and a spark flew onto Ash's exposed leg. The unexpected jolt of pain broke Ash from his trance and he looked down and rubbed his leg instinctually. When he looked back up, the eyes were gone, leaving him to wonder if it was just a figment of his imagination.
X
The next day they packed up camp and Hitoshi took the lead as they made their descent to the secret tunnel that would take them past Saffron and all the way to Celadon. Ash was expecting something similar to Rock Tunnel, and was excited to show off Clefairy's use of Flash. When they finally made it to the tunnel, however he looked around and was surprised to see that the whole area was entirely man made.
Ash looked at the wide cavern that they were in, completely lit by lights hanging above. It was a wide area, with plenty of room to train, but they were still underground. Ash would have said this reminded him of being in Brock's hideout, except the ground was stone instead of the natural element. Ash asked Hitoshi about this.
"My people originally made this tunnel long ago during one of our wars. We had enemies coming at us from both sides of Saffron and they were trying to dry us out of resources by sieging the city. Our fighting types made this tunnel in both directions so that we could get into the heart of their encampments and take them out before they had time to react. The major weakness of fighting types is they don't have very many long range options, which we have made up for with strategy throughout the years." Hitoshi responded.
Ash took the information in as he continued to survey the tunnel. It was a lot less claustrophobic than Mt Moon or Rock Tunnel, but he was certain that any ground or rock type Pokemon would much prefer the latter two. He kept on walking, lost in his thoughts until Hitoshi stopped the group and addressed Leaf.
"I have made this trek many times in the past years. I have ran through this whole path in the course of a day. I have travelled lightly through it over three days. What I propose is that we spend a full 6 days down here, training intensely. Ash needs a lot more work befor-" Hitoshi was cut off by Leaf.
"Six days sounds great. We aren't in a hurry and Ash's Totodile could use some physical training. It will be good for him to have something to work towards. I'm sure he will want a rematch with that Tyrogue, right Ash?"
"Definitely! Totodile hates losing." Ash responded.
"Perfect then! Let's stop here and begin our first session of training!" Hitoshi said loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ash released Totodile and explained to him what was going on.
"You're going to train with these guys now, okay? You kind of got destroyed by that Tyrogue, but if you work hard enough by the end of this week we can have a rematch and I believe in you! What do you say?" Ash asked.
Totodile nodded back vigorously. He was ready for the challenge.
"Awesome, you go and get started with them, I'm going to make sure everyone else gets started with training as well. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit." Ash said as he walked over to where Leaf was.
"Could you train Clefairy and Buzz? I think I'm going to go have that conversation with Blizz now."
"Sounds good," Leaf responded as Ash released his two companions and let them know what was going on.
Ash walked ahead of the group for about 15 minutes before stopping and taking a deep breath. He sighed and then pressed the button to release Blizz. The little Sandshrew appeared in a stream of red light.
"Hey," Ash said gently as he looked at the small ice-steel type. Blizz nodded back to Ash before looking around them. After realizing that they were by themselves, Blizz turned back to face Ash and cocked his head sideways as if asking a question.
"We need to talk about your behavior these last couple days. You've been openly disobeying me and not listening to what I've been saying. What's that all about?" Ash asked.
Blizz simply shrugged his shoulders, (or did the best job at it that a Sandshrew could) and turned away to pick at the stone ground beneath them. Ash continued.
"I don't know what happened bud. Do you think I'm not a good trainer? Do you think I'm not worthy or that you could do better by yourself?" Ash asked with exasperation growing. Blizz continued picking at the stone.
"Or is it because of the other Pokemon on our team? Are you upset that Clefairy and Totodile have joined our family? Do you think that I won't be spending enough time with you now that we have them? Brock had way more Pokemon than 4 and they all were well trained! Leaf has more than 4 Pokemon and they all listen to her. So what is it?" Ash screamed as a tear welled up in his eye.
Blizz finally turned and looking at him before shrugging his shoulders again and turning back towards the stone.
"When we first met you couldn't defeat a single Geodude. Nobody was training you properly and you were by yourself trying to act like a Geodude and you were failing. Within days of us spending time together you defeated so many Geodude! We've had months together to grow and learn and I guarantee if we were to battle most of those Graveler you could win!" Ash exclaimed. Blizz seemed slightly inspired by this but he was still acting sheepish.
Ash continued, "Our goal from day 1 was to grow and become the strongest family possible. We want to push ourselves and get to a place where nobody else can tell us what to do. But we can't grow, we can't develop, we can't get better if we can't trust one another. We've come so far from when we first met, but we still have such a long ways to go."
"Blizz, look at me." Ash said. The small Sandshrew made eye contact with him and he continued.
"If you don't want to be a part of the team I can let you go. I don't want to lose you but I can't have someone in my family who won't listen. We may not always agree on strategy, and sometimes I might make mistakes, but that is a part of being a family. Together we can grow stronger that you ever imagined, but you have to be committed. What do you say?" Ash asked.
Blizz stared at Ash for another moment before climbing into his lap and licking him in the face with a very cold tongue. Ash laughed and grabbed the little Pokemon before scratching underneath his chin in his favorite spot.
"Thanks buddy, I promise I won't let you down."
X
The next 6 days flew by for Ash, but he knew it didn't feel the same for his team. They had three regular training sessions each day, Buzz and Clefairy with Leaf and Blizz and Totodile with Hitoshi and the other fighters. Ash spent his time going back and forth between the two, monitoring everyone's progress and making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing.
Besides those, Ash also woke up early to train with his whole team and made sure to do training after all the other trainers had settled down for bed. He figured that if he wanted to grow stronger than those he was training with he would have to train more than them. Plus he wanted some time alone with his whole team to discuss strategy and so they could all continue to bond together. Ash used the rest of his supplements, as well as the berries he had left. It was a bittersweet experience for him when he gave the last of the pills to his team, as he knew they were being put to good use but he inwardly wanted to preserve it and make it last longer. He had no idea when he would get any more.
It was after one of these early morning trainings that Ash walked back into camp and began getting food ready for his team. Seeing Ash, Hitoshi spoke up.
"We will be exiting the tunnel today, by my calculations we are within a couple hours walk from the exit. I believe we should have another Agni Kai before we leave to see how much your team has grown! Josh prepare your Machop!" Hitoshi said as he called out the other boy.
"Let me eat first, I'm still waking up!" Josh said back with a yawn. To his credit, the boy barely looked awake and looked more apt to crawl back into bed than jump into a Pokemon battle.
"Ah, fine. After breakfast then."
X
"Round one is between Ash's Sandshrew and Josh's Machop. Let the battle begin!" Hitoshi boomed as he stepped out from in between the two Pokemon. This was the rematch that Blizz had been waiting for and he was eager to prove himself.
"Low Kick then Karate Chop! Let's end this just like last time!" Josh yelled as Machop began barreling towards Blizz. Ash waited until he got almost within striking distance before yelling out,
"Iron Head straight into its stomach!" Blizz lowered his head and launched towards the Machop just as it was preparing to take his legs out from under him. The move caught the Machop by surprise and Blizz slammed straight into the chest of the fighting type and they both fell to the ground. The Machop squirmed underneath Blizz and was able to throw the Sandshrew off of him. They both got onto their feet and stared at each other.
"Get in close and hit it with Bullet Punch! Don't let it dive on you again!" Josh yelled out to Machop. The fighting type cautiously closed the gap between the two, eyeing Blizz and preparing to strike.
Ash was shocked by the use of a steel type move but decided it was best not to underestimate his opponent.
"Try to hit it with Ice Punch! Dodge when you can but if you know you aren't able to see if you can use Iron Defense to negate the damage!"
The two Pokemon continued circling each other, occasionally throwing out punches. It was obvious that Machop was better suited for this kind of combat, and he was able to land a lot more punches on Blizz. Eventually Blizz gave up trying to dodge and decided his best bet would be to take the steel punches and return his icy blows on the opponents retreating limbs.
Blizz was so concentrated on this that he stopped circling around so he could make sure to land the punches. Josh took this as a sign of weakness and shouted out "We've got it tired now! Finish it off with Superpower!"
Machop responded by taking a step back and leaping into the air. His whole body seemed to course with power as he brought back a fist to pummel Blizz into the ground.
"Counter!" Ash yelled as the Machop came down and landed a nasty fist straight into Blizz's head. Or at least, that's where it was aiming. At the last minute Blizz ducked and the Superpower attack hit his back shell, the most durable part of his body. At the same time Blizz brought his own fist up and landed a nasty uppercut on the unsuspecting Machop that sent it flying back several yards.
Blizz yelped as the pain from the attack caught up to him and dropped to all fours but bared his teeth at the Machop laying in a heap across the battlefield. A moment later the Machop disappeared in a flash of red light and Ash let out a loud shout.
"You did it! Good job buddy!" Ash exclaimed as Hitoshi called the match.
"Ash's Sandshrew takes round one! Great battle!"
Josh was still in shock. "But how did your Sandshrew move that fast? If Superpower would have hit his head there's no way he would have been able to use Counter…"
Hitoshi responded. "What you didn't realize was that Sandshrew is part steel type. All of your Bullet Punches were basically useless, but it was slowing down your Machop's arms with every cold punch it threw. You thought it was weakened because it stopped circling, but it's not a fighting type so it just preferred to save the energy. You didn't understand who your opponent was and that's why you lost. Now come judge so I can see how much this Totodile has grown!"
Josh accepted the responsibilities as judge as Hitoshi walked over to the other side of the arena. Both trainers released their Pokemon as Josh called out, "Round two! Tyrogue vs Totodile! Let the battle begin!"
Totodile roared his battle cry as he stared across at the fighting type. This was the battle he had been waiting for.
"Totodile be smart! We are at a disadvantage because you can't use your water moves. Be smart, wait until he makes a mistake and take advantage!" Ash called out.
"You'll be waiting for a while because we don't make mistakes! Tyrogue, get in close and use Low Kick! Follow it up with Bullet Punch until he's out like last time!"
The Tyrogue began charging towards Totodile. Ash laughed to himself at how similar the beginning of this fight was to the last one and waited until the Tyrogue was about in striking distance before calling out, "Body Slam!"
Totodile leapt at the Tyrogue as Hitoshi yelled "Seismic Toss!"
The Tyrogue caught Totodile before he made impact and began swinging around, building momentum to launch the crocodile across the arena. Ash quickly cried out "Bite!" as the Tyrogue tried to send Totodile flying.
Luckily Totodile heard Ash and was able to latch on to the Tyrogue's arm as he attempted to throw him.
Tyrogue grunted in pain before pulling its other fist back and hitting Totodile with a Bullet Punch. Now they were in the exact same situation they had been last time, but Ash wasn't willing to let it end the same way.
As Tyrogue reared back its fist to throw another punch Ash yelled "Counter!"
The punch landed straight on Totodile's snout as Totodile took the punch and flipped around and smacked the Tyrogue straight in the face with his tail. Ash was honestly surprised by the athleticism Totodile displayed with releasing Tyrogue's arm and flipping around to hit him with his tail, but he filed that away as he called out his next command.
"Low Kick, get him on the ground and then hit it with Ice Punch! Don't let up!"
"Mega Kick! Send that little shrimp flying!" Hitoshi yelled out.
Tyrogue cocked back his leg and swung it as hard as he could at Totodile. Totodile somehow managed to jump out of the way as he kicked Tyrogue's remaining leg out from under him. Tyrogue fell backwards as Totodile jumped on him and began throwing punches laced with ice. Totodile hadn't perfected his form so it was more like ice water punches, but they still got their point across.
Tyrogue tried to shake Totodile off but the little crocodile wouldn't budge. He just kept throwing punches and used his tail to keep Tyrogue from getting up. Ash watched with glee as it seemed like Totodile finally had the upper hand. Ash watched as the beat down continued, with Tyrogue occasionally grabbing on to Totodile before the crocodile would shake off his grip and continue hitting him with all that he had.
"DO…. Something! Get him off of you!" Hitoshi yelled, flabbergasted at the situation.
Something snapped in Tyrogue's head as he let out a loud grunt. Ash watched as Totodile threw another punch straight at his face which the Tyrogue—headbutted? Ash and Totodile were both taken back as the punch hit Tyrogue's forehead and glanced off from the force. This distraction was what Tyrogue needed as it was able to grab Totodile with both of his hands and threw him off.
Totodile snarled as he plummeted to the ground, and shakily got back to his feet and let out a battle cry to the Tyrogue.
Or at least, he let out a battle cry to where the Tyrogue had been. Now there was a bright white light glowing around the Tyrogue's body as it began to morph and shift. "YES!" Yelled Hitoshi at the evolution of his Pokemon.
Totodile stomped his foot and let out a massive water gun towards the white light, apparently thinking that the rules no longer mattered in this duel. The Pokemon inside the evolution light spun out of the way. Ash looked at the Pokemon in front of him and had no idea what it was.
For starters, it didn't have any legs or feet. It had one peg that extended from a large underbelly that it spun on. It had two brown things that looked like they might be arms or legs that couldn't reach the ground, but they ended in balls, not feet or hands. This Pokemon got even more weird to look at as you moved up the body, with two hands that were blue and looked more like feet. It had a very skinny neck that lead up to a tiny little blue head with a needle at the end of it. It didn't seem to have any eyes or a mouth and Ash was honestly afraid that Totodile's Water Gun had somehow seriously messed up this evolution.
Suddenly the Pokemon flipped around and suddenly everything became clear to Ash. The thing it had been spinning on was actually on top of its head, not its feet and he had been looking at the Pokemon completely upside down. The new Pokemon began running at Totodile as he continued firing Water Guns at it.
The Pokemon dodged one way, then the other, then jumped and spun on its head as it reached Totodile. It whipped Totodile with its tail and both of its feet which sent Totodile reeling backwards. It flipped back onto its feet and charged Totodile and landed a punch square into his chest. Totodile fell backwards and Ash recalled him after he didn't get back up.
The new Pokemon did a victory dance by spinning on its head before walking up to Hitoshi.
"Tyrogue! Look at you. You evolved! Now you're a… you're a..." Hitoshi said, at a loss for words. It certainly wasn't a Hitmonlee or a Hitmonchan.
"He's a Hitmontop." Leaf said as she approached. "Very rare evolution of Tyrogue, these are incredible Pokemon. My understanding is that Tyrogue only evolve into Hitmontop once they have mastered both kicking and punching techniques. Most of the time Tyrogue evolve once they master one or the other, you've done a great job training this one." Leaf said as she looked Hitoshi in the eyes.
The eye contact quickly went away as Leaf turned the other direction and Hitoshi looked down at his Hitmontop. "You're a Hitmontop buddy! That's so exciting! Now we can grow even stronger and eventually we will take over as clan leaders!" Hitoshi said to Hitmontop. The new Pokemon beamed with pride as he began looking over his new body.
"I would be careful trying to spin on your head now." Leaf said. "The evolution adrenaline seems to have run off now, which means you'll have to actually get used to your new body. Hopefully you don't get dizzy." Leaf smirked as Hitoshi burst into a full blown laugh.
The Hitmontop acted indignant and jumped on its head to prove it could spin before wobbling and falling over. Everyone laughed at this as the Pokemon crossed its arms in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, you'll get more used to your body. I'll leave you out so you can walk with us." Hitoshi said before turning to Ash. "That was some good battling out there kid! Your Totodile had us pinned if Hitmontop wouldn't have evolved."
"Thanks. Congratulations!" Ash said. He was disappointed in his loss but it was exciting to see this new Pokemon. Plus Totodile had basically defeated the Tyrogue, so maybe he would still count it as a win.
"I think he's ready, what about you Leaf?" Hitoshi said. Ash was confused and looked at Leaf.
Leaf turned and looked at Ash. "Yeah, I guess he is huh? Well Ash, there's something I haven't told you."
Ash looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "We aren't just going to Celadon. Once we get there we are meeting up with Erika and we are going to raid the Celadon Department Store. And you are an integral part of the plan. You are going to be our inside man."
A/N: And that's it! Thank you all so much for your patience. My wife and I bought a house and we are pregnant, so there has been quite a lot going on! Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I do want to finish this and now I have a due date for the completion (pun intended). Please follow, review and rate and hopefully I will be updating very soon! We are getting into some very juicy stuff that should be super fun to write! Now onto some reviews!
KuraiArcoiris: Ah, a good prophecy. Who doesn't love 'em? Looking forward to Ash meeting the Revenant Crone, though I do wonder about her living status. With ghost types and their trainers, one never knows.
What was that little mixup of Nurse Joy's and the number of poke balls. That oddly seemed significant. I thought maybe a ghost caught itself for Ash, but given your note at the end of the chapter, I'm not sure. Guess I'll wait and see.
Thanks for the chapter!
PS I don't believe Leaf is going to be Kanto's champion. Just saying...
Thanks so much for the review! The mixup with the ghost was just a tease, Ash does not have a ghost nor do I plan on him getting one (Although not everything always goes as planned!) Ghosts excite me and I do not feel like I could properly write a ghost. We will be encountering them from other trainers though!
Azrail: Thank you for the chapter.
Did the nurse joy nab the pokemon he got apperantly gifted from the tower, or did she really just make a mistake?
It was just a mistake, more of a tease than anything else. Thank you so much for reading, I'm glad you enjoy!
Nick: Here are the 5 questions. 1. What else is there to the plot, besides what was said in the summary? 2. What locations are being used in the fanfic? 3. Could you be specific about when it takes place? 4. Who all is in the fanfic? 5. How old is everyone in it? Be sure to answer these questions.
Thanks so much for the review! I notice this was only after the first Chapter, so I do hope you continued to read on. I believe most of your questions are answered in Chapters 2 and 3, and I'm not going to straight up answer these questions as that kind of leaves some of the fun out of reading, no? I will say that we will be staying in Kanto, but there are some Pokemon from other regions. Age is tricky but all of the gym leaders were at least the age they are in the shows when Ash was born, which was 10 years ago. Hopefully if you've read this far then you've gotten those questions answered, but leave another review and let me know what you think!
Thanks so much everyone, I'm excited to continue this story!