Chapter 4
"I will call your name on the overcome when your Pokémon are ready Mr. Ketchum." Nurse Joy said with a bright smile.
"Thank you." he replied.
Turning away he went straight to the videophones. Entering the number for the lab, he patiently waited as it rang.
"Hello there, Ash. I see you have made it to Pewter City." Oak commented as his face appeared on the screen.
"Yeah, I just got here a few moments ago. I wanted to ask if you had any updates on Eevee?" he asked curiously about his new teammate.
"Yes, I should get it in a day or two. How long do you plan on staying in Pewter?"
"I don't know yet. I want to stick around and train my team for a week before taking on the gym. I might even see if I could use Eevee for the gym. I think Azrael will do good, but I don't think he will be able to handle the battle on his own since Brock usually does two on two for the first badge. I captured a Skorupi, but he also has a weakness to rock types." Ash sighed.
"Yes, I had seen the update on your roster. Do keep in mind that Eevee might not be ready so soon. The starters I gave Gary, Leaf, and you were all slightly prepared. Eevee will have no formal training."
"Well, then I will probably wait until I get Eevee and see where it stands before making my decision. I am in no rush to complete the circuit so I could just stay in Pewter a bit longer than I originally planned. Azrael is also showing signs of his pending evolution so that might be something to consider." Ash said thoughtfully.
"Actually, I wanted to ask if you had any suggestions for training a Skorupi?" he asked the man.
"Well, I would suggest working on the strength of its tail and claws. When it evolves into a Drapion, those will be the main way it attacks. The stronger they are before he evolves, the more strength they will gain after they evolve. Also, work on more complex bug-type moves before it evolves. Since it will lose the bug typing, those moves will be a bit harder to learn while dark type moves will be easier." the man commented.
Ash hummed looking up towards the roof for a moment before giving a nod.
"Okay, I got it."
"Very well, I shall send you an update on your Pokédex when Eevee is ready to be transported. Have a good rest of your day." Oak smiled before ending the call.
Moving from the videophone to one of the couches in the main lobby, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned through his Skorupi's move list. Looking over the bug-type moves he currently knew.
Fell Stinger and Pin Missile were the only bug moves he currently knew. Bug Bite could be a basic one to teach him, especially since he already knew Bite. He could use the method he did for Azrael when learning Dragon Rage and use Bite as the template for Bug Bite. Another attack he really wanted to teach him was X-Scissor. It was a very powerful move that would be useful when he is fully evolved.
Bug Bite would be first, but he might have to come back to X-Scissor sometime later. It might be a bit out of Skorupi's league as of right now.
Well, he would see soon enough.
Scene change
Ash woke up early the next day and took his team to the training fields. Releasing both of his teammates, he began their schedule for the day.
"Okay guys, we will be working on the moves you already know today. I want to make sure you are at a comfortable enough level before adding more moves to your repertoire. Quality over quantity and all that. Alongside that, we will be doing some aim exercises and running drills. Building up your stamina will be important for the future. Now before we begin, Skorupi would you like a name like Azrael?" Ash looked towards his bug type who clicked his claws together and gave a happy nod.
"I had been thinking of a few names for you and one of them stood out. I was thinking the name Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. Some people refer to it as the heart of the scorpion. What do you think?"
Skorupi gave a happy click as he nodded.
"Antares it is then. Okay, let's start off with a bit of running. I want you both to run for as long as you can. It will be endurance training for now. Don't run at your full speed, find a level that you feel comfortable with, but still enough to make you tired."
Both turned and began to run around the field.
He was surprised to see that they were both around similar speeds. He had thought that Azrael would be faster since Antares body didn't look like it would be able to cover distances very fast but was surprised to see him keeping up with the fire lizard.
After they finished running, Ash gave them a small break before getting into accuracy practice.
Azrael broke up a rock with Metal Claw and Ash would throw the pieces of the rock into the air for the two to try to hit.
Azrael with a small burst of Ember and Antares with Poison Sting and Pin Missile.
They spent more time on it before getting into practice with their moves.
Antares had a good grasp on his moves, although his Poison Tail still needed more work. Ash considered the idea that it was an egg move that he had gotten as he could use all of his others moves more naturally than that one. He could use it if given enough time, but it took a bit to get it ready. Kind of like Azrael with Dragon Dance, but faster.
Azrael was doing amazing. His work with Metal Claw was going great and Dragon Rage was getting better too. Ash wanted him to focus on those moves a bit more before starting him on anything else though.
"Ash!"
Ash turned around to see Leaf walking towards him.
"Hey Leaf." Ash said with a wave. His team stopped their training as the newcomer came closer.
"Training?" Leaf asked looking over at his Pokémon.
"Yeah, I don't think we are ready to take on Brock yet."
"Hm, you have a fire type and I think that scorpion is a bug type?" she questioned, looking toward Antares.
"Yup, he is a Skorupi. They are native to Sinnoh, but I caught him in the Viridian Forest." he replied.
"I see, well how about a battle? I battled Brock yesterday and was able to beat him, but both of my Pokémon did have an advantage over him."
"Really? How was it." he asked curiously.
"Hard, even with type advantages he wasn't easy to beat. His Pokémon were very sturdy, they were able to tank so many attacks." Leaf commented.
Ash frowned at that. The only move his team knew which would be good against him was Metal Claw. Maybe he could try to poison them with Skorupi, but then that would leave it to fate since he didn't have any moves that would be a hundred percent effective in poisoning and only a slight chance.
"So, you up for a battle?" she asked with a smile pulling him from his thoughts.
"Well, are you two up for a battle?" Ash asked his Pokémon and was rewarded with two eager responses.
"Alright, is a two on two, okay?" Leaf gave him a nod as she moved toward one end of the field.
"Let's keep this to a friendly battle, no wager." she called out.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Ash said as he walked towards the other end.
Pulling out a Poké Ball, Leaf released a Pokémon that Ash recognized as a Machop.
Machop is a humanoid, bipedal Pokémon that has blue-gray skin. It has three brown ridges on top of its head, large red eyes, and a relatively flat face. On either side of its chest are three, thin, rib-like stripes. Its feet appear to have no toes, while its hands have five fingers. Machop also has a short, stubby tail.
"Alright, Azrael you are up." Ash called out.
Azrael walked onto the field and positioned himself in front of Ash.
"Whenever you're ready Leaf, you can start it off."
"Machop, get in close and use Karate Chop." Leaf called out quickly.
"Use Ember to keep it away. Don't let it get close to you." Ash countered.
Machop's fist turned white as it rushed toward Azrael who released a small burst of fire toward the fighting type.
Moving quickly, Machop dodged the flames before ducking under another blast of flame.
Ash was surprised to see the swiftness that it had as it ducked and weaved out of the way of Azrael's attacks while also closing the distance between the two.
"Smokescreen."
Azrael quickly reacted by covering the field with smoke.
"Machop get back to me!" Leaf called out.
Ash decided to take a gamble.
"Azrael, layer another Smokescreen on the field and then use DD." Ash called out.
DD was the phrase for Dragon Dance that they thought of to not let their opponents know what they were doing.
Azrael released another set of smoke from his mouth before jumping out and landing in front of Ash. He began to glow with purple energy.
Leaf couldn't see anything, but Machop who had jumped out of the smoke and landed in front of her.
"What is he planning?" she said softly.
Machop didn't have any move that could get rid of the smoke, and she didn't want Machop to go in blindly.
"We will wait it out Machop, but be prepared for anything." she said getting a nod from her Pokémon.
A few moments passed as the smoke began to clear out and she finally saw a glimpse of Azrael, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be focusing on the spot.
She frowned before her eyes widened, remembering the egg move that Ash's starter had.
"Machop, hurry and stop him with Karate Chop!" she urgently shouted.
Machop rushed towards the lizard, cutting the distance between them quickly, and went for his legs, but before he could land his attack Azrael's eyes opened and jumped away.
"Azrael, get in behind and use Ember." Ash called out.
Moving far quicker than Machop reacted. Azrael appeared behind him and blasted the fighting types back with flames.
Machop let out a cry of pain as he was sent into the ground.
Ash grinned. Dragon Dance wouldn't increase Azrael's special moves like Ember of Dragon Rage but would give him a big speed boost.
"Machop, use Counter." Leaf shouted.
"Dodge then use Dragon Rage!" Ash said.
Machop got up from the ground and rushed towards Azrael, but Azrael was too fast for it as he dashed away from the fighting type before unleashing the dragon attack towards the fighting type who had no time to dodge the attack.
Once the attack was finished, Machop lay on the ground unconscious.
"Alright! Great job Azrael." Ash shouted his praise towards his starter while Skorupi gave a happy click as Azrael puffed his chest out.
Leaf sighed as she recalled her Pokémon.
"Alright, next round then." she said as she released her starter.
Just like Azrael, her Bulbasaur looked like it was close to evolving.
"Antares, your turn."
His little bug happily clicked as he walked onto the battlefield with Azrael giving him a small pat on the head before walking over to Ash and sitting by his leg.
"You go first this time!" she said.
"Hone Claws." Ash rapidly said.
"Ugh, you love your status effect moves huh." Leaf said with an annoyed tone.
Ash grinned.
"Razor Leaf."
A swarm of sharp leaves was shot toward Antares at a quick speed. He jumped over the attack, but Bulbasaur was one step ahead and wrapped him up with his extended vines.
"Slam him into the ground."
Bulbasaur with a short growl, slammed Antares into the ground viciously.
Ash winced at the impact.
Antares slowly got up.
"Use Pin Missile."
"Counter with Razor Leaf.
Both attacks met in the center and exploded on each other.
"Close the distance and use Bite." Ash said.
Antares rushed towards the grass type as fast as he could. Bulbasaur released its vines toward Antares in another attempt to hold him but didn't expect the bug type to bite down on his vine. Bulbasaur let out a cry of pain before Antares pulled him by his vine straight toward him.
"Use Knock Off."
Antares slammed his claw into Bulbasaur the moment he got close enough which slammed the grass type into the ground just as hard as he had done to Antares moments before.
"Now use Poison Fang."
Antares teeth turned a purplish tone with a drop of venom coming out of them as he went straight for the downed Pokémon.
"Use Take Down."
In a blink of an eye, Bulbasaur slammed into Antares sending the bug type back onto the ground with a pained cry.
"Grapple him and slam him again." Leaf called out.
Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around Antares once again before raising him into the air and slamming him back into the ground, knocking him out.
Ash sighed as he returned his unconscious Pokémon to his ball.
"Good try buddy." he whispered to the ball.
Azrael gave a sad whine while he patted Ash's leg.
Ash smiled down at his starter.
"He'll get them next time.' Ash promised, getting a nod from the fire type.
"Well, it looks like it's a tie." Leaf said with a grin. Bulbasaur walked right next to her, not looking too bad after the battle.
"Yeah, good battle." Ash said as he raised his hand with Leaf reaching out to shake.
"It was fun. Your Charmander should be able to take out one of Brock's Pokémon, but I don't know about both. As for your Skorupi, he might not be sturdy enough to last a few hits against rock types." she said with a grimace.
Ash frowned at that, Skorupi's line was known for their defense, but perhaps he was still not trained enough at this point.
"His defense is something that I need to work on, but I wouldn't know how to go about that. I don't just want to have Azrael blast him with moves, that seems a little cruel." Ash sighed.
"Hm, why not just have them mock battle against each other? Don't give them any commands and let them go at it. It would not only help with their battle instincts, but also stamina, move usage, endurance, and whole other areas as well." she commented.
Ash liked the idea. His team had improved the most from the few battles that had been challenging on the way here. Pokémon got stronger when facing tougher opponents, so they would only keep pushing each other to get stronger.
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, thanks." Ash said with a smile getting one back from the girl.
"No problem. I am going to take Machop to Nurse Joy. Do you want to do the same for your Skorupi and we can get some lunch after?" she asked.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Ash replied as they both began to walk towards the center with their starters by their sides.
Scene change
"So, why did you nickname your Pokémon?" Leaf asked as she bit into her slice of pizza. They had ended up leaving their starters with Nurse Joy as well since Bulbasaur had taken a bit of damage in his battle and Azrael had been training for a while before the battle too.
"Well, I thought it would make our bond better, I guess. There are so many of the same Pokémon out there that I wanted to give them their own identity." Ash said as he ate his burger.
"I can understand that. Maybe I should ask my team if they want some names too. The only thing is that I am really bad at names. Like I would probably name Machop something like Champ." she said with a sheepish look.
Ash laughed at that.
"When I used to play Pokémon games, I would always name my Machamp, Champ." he said, getting a giggle from the girl.
"Your names got better though, I like Azrael and Antares. They both fit or will at least fit once Azrael is fully evolved." she pointed out.
"Yeah, the right names will just come to you." he said.
She hummed softly as she finished her meal.
"So, are you heading for Cerulean next?" Ash asked, looking towards her.
"Yeah, I want to try and beat that gym as quick as I can and get to Vermillion City. The gym's leader, Lt. Surge, is currently giving out tickets for a cruise ship called the S.S. Anne to anybody who can beat him. The ship is supposed to have a whole bunch of events and even a tournament for trainers with prizes."
Ash eye's widened at that. He had heard of the S.S. Anne. It was supposed to be one of the biggest and most luxurious ships in the world.
"The prizes must be amazing." he said.
"Yeah, probably. I don't know when the ship leaves, so I want to get there as soon as possible.
"I was planning on sticking around Pewter for a bit, but this might have changed my mind." Ash said as he thought about what to do.
Leaf looked at him for a moment before replying, "Just do what you think is best for yourself. Lt. Surge is supposed to be using his stronger Pokémon right now. So, if you don't think you could beat Brock at one badge level, then you probably won't be able to beat Lt. Surge." she stated.
Ash thought of it for a moment before agreeing. If he couldn't beat Brock and just rushed toward Vermillion, his team would lose time and experience to only be beaten by Lt. Surge. He would take his time and if he reached Vermillion City on time then that was great, but if not then he would just focus on the Indigo Conference like he originally was.
"You're right. If I make it on time great, if not then oh well." Ash said with a nod.
"Hey, why don't you give me your number? I plan on leaving tomorrow so I might reach Vermillion before you. I can text you any updates about it." she said as she pulled out her Pokédex and handed it to him.
While Pokédex couldn't operate like a phone and allow you to call people, they could still let you text other people who had them.
He inserted his number before handing it back to her.
Before he could say anything else, he got a beep from his Pokédex that informed him that his Pokémon was ready to be picked up.
"My team is ready." Ash said as he got up and picked up his trash.
"Yeah, just got the notification too. Let's go get them." Leaf replied as she threw her stuff away.
Walking to the main area where Nurse Joy was waiting with her usual smile and two trays with two Poké Balls each.
"Both of your teams are fine, although for both the Machop and Skorupi I would recommend not battling with for any more today." she said happily.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy." we both said as we grabbed our balls.
"Of course, have a good day." she said before walking away from the pair.
"Alright, I am going to try and get some distance between Pewter and the mountain before it gets too late. Good luck on your gym battle and I will see you later!" Leaf said with a bright smile.
"Thanks, see you around." he replied as he gave her a wave when she walked through the door.
Turning around, he decided to head to his room for the day and spend time with his team and researching more information on both of their lines.
Scene change
A volley of flames went straight for Antares who barely jumped out of the way before he could be burnt. Once he landed, he instantly retaliated with several blasts of Poison Stings.
Azrael dodged most of the needles, but surprised Ash as he slashed some of the attacks apart with Metal Claw.
It was a smart move, as steel types are immune against poison types. It would allow Azrael to use his sharp claws to rip apart the attack without having to worry about being poisoned.
It was the afternoon of the following day, and his team was getting into their second training session of the day. In the morning they had focused more on physical conditioning and move usage while right now they were doing mock battles like Leaf had suggested.
Ash hadn't wanted them to do mock battles earlier on just in case one of them ended up hurting the other too badly and leaving them unable to train for the remainder of the day.
Azrael followed up his impressive display by unleashing his dragon fire toward the bug who jumped above and set off a stream of Pin Missiles toward the lizard who was too slow to react.
Azrael growled more out of annoyance than pain as the attack hit him.
Ash pulled out his Pokédex and wrote a note down.
Pin Missile + Poison Sting =?
It could work potentially. Pin Missile was an attack that was not too strong but moved fast and hit multiple times. If he could combine the two moves, then it could increase his chance of leaving his opponents poisoned than when using Poison Sting by itself.
Something to try out tomorrow.
Azrael released a Smokescreen that covered the field before jumping out of it and landing straight on top of Antares. He gathered flames in his mouth but was grappled by Skorupis's clawed tail before he could unleash them and promptly thrown across the field.
Azrael readjusted himself in the air and released the fire attack toward his surprised opponent who didn't have enough time to react and was hit by the flames.
Antares roared in pain while stumbling on his stubby legs.
"Okay, that's enough." Ash called out right before Azrael could fire another attack.
Antares took a moment to calm himself from the pain before walking towards Ash slowly.
"You both did great, but Antares always be aware and prepared okay? Try not to get caught off guard again like in the last part. Azrael, don't leave yourself open after attacks. You're lucky Pin Missile is an attack that you could tank but be careful next time." he said, getting nods from both of his teammates.
Before he could say anything else, he felt a vibration come from his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex. He grinned as he saw a notification from Professor Oak, saying he had his Eevee for whenever he wanted to call him.
"Alright guys, the Professor just messaged me saying that the Eevee, our new teammate, is ready to be transferred." Ash said, getting eager looks from his team.
"I am going to take you to Nurse Joy and go call him while she is checking up on you two. Once she is done, we will head back to our room and meet Eevee there." Ash stated as he returned both of them to their balls.
Quickly walking back to the center, he dropped them off with Joy before heading towards the videophones and inserting the number.
It rang for a few moments before the older Oak appeared on the screen.
"Ah, Ash that was quick." Oak said with a smile.
"Yeah, I had just finished training with my team when I saw your text." Ash commented.
"I see, well no need to wait any longer. I am sure you are eager to meet your new teammate." Oak said with a grin as he showed a Poké Ball to Ash.
"Eevee has been given some informational training like your Charmander had so it won't be too hard to adjust it to your team compared to a wild Pokémon." he stated as he placed the ball somewhere off-screen and pressed a button that lit up the screen.
Ash looked to his right to see the plate connected to the videophone glow before revealing a Poké Ball.
Grinning, he quickly grabbed the ball and he placed it on his belt.
"I got it, professor." Ash said.
"Good, well I won't keep you any longer. Have a good night, Ash!"
"Have a good night professor." Ash said as he gave a smile before ending the call.
Grabbing his Pokémon from Nurse Joy, he rushed towards his room and released Azrael and Antares.
"Okay, I have Eevee right here. I want you both to be calm as I don't know how it will react to another Pokémon." he said, getting nods from them.
Grabbing the ball from his belt, he enlarged it before taking a deep breath and releasing the Pokémon.
Out came a small, mammalian, quadrupedal Pokémon with primarily brown fur. The tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar was cream-colored. It has short, slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each foot. Along with brown eyes, long pointed ears with dark brown interiors, and a small black nose.
The normal type blinked and gazed around, allowing its eyes to settle on Azrael and Antares for a moment, before setting them on Ash.
"Hello there Eevee. My name is Ash, and I am your new trainer." he said softly, as he knelt down towards the Pokémon.
The large brown eyes widened before giving a firm nod.
"Okay, so first off, I am very excited to have you join our team. I want you to know that my goal is to become a Pokémon Master and I will do my best to train you to be the best that you can be." he expressed.
Eevee gave another firm nod but didn't do much else.
"Before we get into introductions, I would like to know if you have any preferences when it comes to your evolution?" he asked.
Eevee looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging its shoulders and giving him a shake of its head.
"Well, I do have a thunderstone that would allow you to evolve into a Jolteon. If you're okay with that evolution, I can give you the stone later on."
Eevee eyed him for a few moments before giving another nod.
A serious one, he thought to himself.
"Alright great, we'll let me introduce you to your new teammates. My starter is the Charmander, and his name is Azrael, and the Skorupi is Antares." he said with a grin as his teammates walked up to the normal type and began to excitedly speak.
Eevee looked a bit uncomfortable, but quickly adjusted as it gave soft responses.
Pulling out his Pokédex, he was happy to see the new icon for Eevee under his captured Pokémon and clicked on it.
Eevee the Evolution Pokémon. Eevee has an unstable genetic makeup that suddenly mutates due to the environment in which it lives. Radiation from various stones causes this Pokémon to evolve.
This Eevee is male Adaptability which powers up moves of the same type.
Moves are Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite, Swift, Helping Hand, and Double Kick.
Ash was happy with the move set, especially Double Kick, which could potentially be very useful against Brock depending on how much control Eevee had over the move. He couldn't wait to begin training in the morning.
Looking over at his team, Ash couldn't help but smile as they spoke with one another.
Scene change
"Azrael and Antares, you both go do the physical exercises from yesterday, I want to work with Eevee for a bit."
Both of them began their separate training with Eevee looking curiously as they ran around the field.
"We can start on your physical training tomorrow, for now, I want to see how good you are with your move set and maybe work on a new move." Ash said.
Eevee turned his gaze away from his teammates as he looked up at Ash.
"Show me each of your moves." Ash said as he took a few steps back.
Eevee nodded as he began to run through each of the moves listed on his Pokédex.
Ash was happy to note that he seemed proficient enough in each of his moves. Swift was probably the only move that needed a bit of work on, but it was still battle ready.
"Alright Eevee, I want to try and teach you Iron Tail. It is a powerful steel-type move, but I think you can do it. Azrael has a basic understanding of steel typing since he knows Metal Claw. I will have him try to help you in the beginning while I work with Antares." Eevee nodded.
"Come here, we can look at some videos on how Iron Tail works on the Pokédex." Ash said as he sat down on the ground with his Pokédex in his hand.
Scrolling through a few videos, they showed Pokémon covering their tail in steel before slamming them into the target.
"When I taught Azrael how to use Metal Claw, he would just continuously scratch a rock until his nails naturally hardened and became steel. I don't know if that would work for you though and it might be more dangerous. Your tail is more fragile than Azrael's nails so it could potentially hurt you." Ash said with a thoughtful look.
Eevee stared for a few moments before yipping to get his attention. Ash looked down to see Eevee pushing his tail into his hand.
"What's up?" he asked confused.
Eevee looked at him, then at his hand, then at his tail.
Ash blinked as he grabbed onto Eevee's tail before Eevee tried to pull him but was too weak.
Ash stared at what had just transpired for a moment before the pieces fell together in his head.
"Oh, Eevee that's brilliant! You want to build up the muscle in your tail first, right?" Eevee gave a nod toward Ash.
"Okay, I have some rope in my bag. I can start you off with some pieces of rocks that Azrael can cut up and then we can increase the weight as you go. This will also help work as physical training for you too." Ash said with a grin.
A few moments later, Azrael and Antares watched as Eevee began to run around the field with his tail attached to a rope that was holding some rocks.
"Antares, I have an idea that I want to work on with you. Azrael, I don't have anything planned for you right now. I think we could start working on Bite to give you a template to learn Fire Fang with, but I want to have Eevee or Antares help you with that move since they both know it. For now, you can work on any of your moves. Try to figure out some unique ways to use them." Ash said, getting a nod from his starter.
"Okay, Antares I want to see if we could combine Pin Missile and Poison Sting to make a new move. The speed and accuracy of Pin Missile with the effect of Poison Sting, what do you think?" Ash asked.
Antares clicked happily as he looked at his trainer.
"Alright, so I want you to try adding your poison element on Pin Missile. Try it out any way you want."
Antares nodded before turning towards a space on the field. The little bug focused before releasing a storm of Poison Sting.
"It's alright, keep on trying." Ash encouraged.
Antares nodded before releasing another blast, but it came out as pure Pin Missiles.
They kept at it for another hour, but each time Antares tried it out each move would come out as one or the other.
Ash rubbed his chin as he watched Antares lie on the ground to take a break alongside his other Pokémon.
They were going about this wrong, but he couldn't figure out where they were messing up.
"Don't worry about the move Antares, we have plenty of time to work on it." Ash said as he scratched the top of his head getting a happy click from him.
"Eevee, in the afternoon we will be having some mock battles. You can just watch tonight to see how it goes and participate tomorrow." Eevee gave him a nod.
Later that night, Ash noted that while Eevee for the most part was straightforward and more serious compared to his other teammates, he seemed to be excited while watching the spar.
Thinking more about the combination attack also led him to the conclusion that it wasn't working because he was trying to combine two separate types into one attack, but at the same time Tri Attack was a move that had three elemental attributes in it, so it left him in a slump.
He could ask the professor, but he wanted to figure it out himself. He thought about it for most of the night before coming up with a theory.
Tri Attack, while having characteristics of fire, lightning, and ice typing, was classified as a normal type move, not a combination of the three. The attack had the potential to leave its opponent burnt, paralyzed, or frozen, but wouldn't harm them if they had a weakness to the type. Like if Antares was hit by a Tri Attack, he wouldn't be hurt as if he was hit by both a fire and ice type attack which he was weak against, but just a normal type attack with the chance of a status condition.
Perhaps it would be the same thing for the combo attack. He would have to have Antares remove the bug typing from the Pin Missile and only add the poison typing.
Ash believed it could work in two different ways.
The attack becomes a normal type attack like Tri Attack, but with the potential of poisoning the damaged party or it would become a new poison attack that operated like Pin Missile, which had been his idea in the beginning.
Something to test out in the morning.
Scene change
"Okay, so I want you to not add your bug typing onto Pin Missile. How I taught Azrael to use Dragon Rage was to use the template for Ember without adding fire energy and use draconic energy instead. I want you to do the same thing and add your poison onto the attack instead of a bug." Antares nodded before turning away and focusing on the spot.
He stood still for a minute before releasing Pin Missile.
The attack came out looking the same as usual though.
"Hey Antares, try to remove the typing for the bug first. Don't add your poison yet." Ash called out.
Antares gave a nod before focusing again.
Ash smiled as the attack came out completely white this time. Usually, Pin Missile was a greenish color.
"Keep using Pin Missile that way to get used to it. We can work on adding poison in a bit." Ash said.
Ash looked over at Eevee who was pulling more rocks with his tail while Azrael jogged alongside him.
Eevee was explaining the basics of Bite to Azrael.
After a little while Ash had Antares begin to add poison to the attack.
At the end of the session, he hadn't gotten too far into it, but every attack now and then would showcase a single missile with a slight purplish tone.
"Good work guys! We can take a break for now and come back later for mock battles. I will let each of you battle one another once each." he said
"Eevee, once you evolve into Jolteon, your main point will be your speed. I want you to keep working on Iron Tail, but I also want to work on your overall speed before you evolve. I have a few ideas for when you evolve, but they are just theories for now." Eevee nodded.
"Antares, I want to keep working on your defense but turns out that it is more of a natural part of your body. As you get stronger, your armor will increase too. So, with that being said let's work on your physical prowess as you will be more inclined to close combat compared." Antares gave a happy click.
Ash smiled at the little bug, he really hopes that he doesn't change too much when he evolves.
"Azrael, your evolution will be the most drastic change since you will grow wings. For now, we should just focus on your next evolution into Charmeleon by increasing your power output. Your line is inclined to both fighting in close range and long range will having great speed. We will continue to expand and improve your move pool." Azrael nodded.
"Alright, let's get going."
For the next few days, Ash and his team would train twice a day. Antares was still working on the combo move but was showing some progress. Eevee had moved from working out his tail to slamming it into the ground. Ash was happy to note that the ground was starting to crack a bit, but Eevee's tail hadn't shown any change yet. Azrael had already gotten Bite down and was focusing on making sure it was completely ready before moving on to Fire Fang.
Ash wouldn't start him on the fire move until after the gym though. Tomorrow was the day Ash had decided to challenge the gym. He would be using Eevee and Azrael.
Antares had been disappointed, which was the first time Ash had seen him show any other emotion than happiness, but Ash promised that he would battle in the next gym which was enough to get a happy clitter from him.
Scene change
Ash looked up at the big building. He was very nervous but had faith in his team. Taking a deep breath, he pushed past the door and walked up to the desk.
"Hello, are you here for a gym battle?" the lady at the desk asked.
"Yes." Ash replied.
"Okay, may I see your identification please?" Ash pulled out his Pokédex and handed it to her.
She gave a nod before typing into her computer and handing it back to him.
"Gym Leader Brock is currently battling someone, feel free to sit down here. The wait shouldn't be that long."
"Thanks." Ash murmured as he took a seat. His leg was shaking slightly as he reviewed more information on rock types on his Pokédex.
He looked up as the doors opened to reveal a young male trainer around his age and an older person who looked to be in his late teens.
"Come back anytime whenever you're ready." The older boy said who Ash recognized as Brock.
"I will." the young boy said before walking out of the door with a defeated expression.
"Brock, you have another challenger." the receptionist said pointing towards Ash.
Brock turned to Ash allowing him to get a full look at the gym leader.
He wore an orange t-shirt, a lime green cargo vest with four pockets, a dark brown belt with a gold buckle and dark red pockets, brown jeans, and blue-gray sneakers with white trim. He had spiky brown hair with a muscular build.
"I see, are you ready then challenger?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, my name is Ash Ketchum." Ash replied standing up.
Brock nodded as he turned around and ushered for Ash to follow him.
Walking through the door, Ash looked at the huge field that had large boulders placed around it.
"Will this be your first gym battle?" Brock asked.
"Yup." Ash said looking around.
"Alright, then this will be a two on two. You will be allowed to switch out your Pokémon while I can't. I will release my Pokémon first as well." he stated as he walked over to the opposite side of the field.
Ash paralleled him and walked towards the other side.
"Whenever you are ready Forest." Brock called out.
Ash blinked as he looked toward the middle area to see a young boy that looked just like a younger Brock.
"This will be an official two on two gym battle for the boulder badge. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute his Pokémon." Forest called out.
Brock pulled a ball out and released the Pokémon within to reveal one that Ash had predicted.
Geodude is a brownish-gray boulder Pokémon. It has bulging, rocky eyebrows, trapezoidal eyes with brown pupils, and a wide mouth. Its arms are muscular with five-fingered hands.
Ash pulled out Eevee's ball and released him.
"Alright, Eevee this is it. You got this!" Ash encouraged.
Eevee kept his eyes on the rock type.
"Geodude vs Eevee begin." Forest shouted.
"Geodude use Rock Throw."
"Eevee dodge and rush towards it."
Geodude dug his huge hand into the ground and pulled out a big chunk of stone that was shaped into a rock before throwing it straight towards Eevee who ducked under the attack and rushed towards Geodude.
"Tackle." Brock called out.
"Double Kick."
Geodude rushed forwards intending to tackle Eevee, but Eevee jumped straight toward him with his legs glowing. Eevee smashed both of his feet into Geodude before jumping back.
Geodude was flung across the field with a groan.
"Geodude use Rock Polish."
Geodude pushed itself up before its entire body glowed.
"Eevee do Double Kick again."
Eevee rushed towards the rock type who in a surprise show of speed, dodged the attack before slamming Eevee with its fist.
Eevee yelped as he landed on his feet, caught off guard by the showcase of speed.
"Rock Blast."
Geodude began to hurl rock after rock toward Eevee who zigzagged between all of them.
"Get close and use Mega Punch." Brock shouted.
Geodude rushed towards Eevee with his fist rocked back and glowing.
"Quick Attack into Double Kick." Ash countered.
The rock's fist rushed towards Eevee, who used his increased speed to dodge the attack before jumping towards the rock and smashing his feet into its head again.
The Geodude winced in pain but surprised both Ash and Eevee as he grabbed onto the normal type before could get away. He lifted him into the air before slamming him into the ground.
"Geodude, use Tackle."
Eevee was slowly getting to his feet before the boulder smashed into him and sent him across the field.
Eevee was huffing as he got to his feet.
He considered switching Eevee for Azrael, but the Geodude didn't look in the best condition either.
"Geodude Magnitude into Rock Throw."
Geodude punched his fist into the ground causing the earth to shake as Eevee yelped as he tried to keep himself on his paws before he was slammed into by a thrown rock.
Ash winced as Eevee pushed himself onto his feet.
"Eevee are you good to go?" Ash asked concerned but got a firm nod from the normal type.
He bit his lip but decided to allow him to keep going.
"Quick Attack into Double Kick." he said.
Eevee glowed before rushing towards the rock type who curled his fist in anticipation.
"Geodude Mega Punch, don't let it hit you again."
"Eevee stop and use Swift before continuing." Ash shouted.
Eevee ended his speed attack before unleashing a barrage of stars toward the rock type who attempted to smack them down with his fist.
"Geodude watch out!" Brock shouted out.
Geodude reacted too late and saw Eevee right in front of him with his feet smashed into his face.
Swift had been a distraction for Geodude to allow Eevee to get close and land the fighting-type attack.
Geodude was sent straight into the ground from the attack unmoving.
"Geodude is unable to battle, Eevee is the winner!" Forest called out.
Ash grinned as he looked toward his Pokémon
"Great job Eevee!" Ash shouted.
He turned around and gave Ash a small, tired smile.
"Are you good to go or do you want to rest now?" he asked softly.
Eevee shook his head before turning around and facing Brock.
Brock calmly returned his Geodude before grabbing another Poké Ball.
"Good job, but let's see how you handle this one!" he shouted as he released his final member.
A Pokémon composed of a giant chain of gray boulders that become smaller towards the tail. It has black eyes and a rounded snout. On top of its head is a rocky spine. A serpent-like creature made from rocks.
The ground shook as it slammed into the ground with a thud.
"Onix vs Eevee begin." Forest called out.
"Eevee use Swift."
Eevee jumped back as he unleashed a volley of stars that clashed against the giant serpent. Onix shook his head, barely looking fazed from the attack.
He knew Eevee wouldn't be able to win but he could damage Onix as much as possible to make it easier for Azrael.
"Onix wrap it up." Brock called out.
"Eevee use Quick Attack to jump off the rocks and come down with Double Kick." Ash said quietly, seeing Eevee's ears twitch.
The snake slithered across the field quickly as Eevee glowed white before rushing towards the rock type as well. Just before the two would come into contact, Eevee diverted his direction and leaped towards a rock before using it as a spring to push off towards Onix.
With the increased acceleration and fall, Eevee crashed into Onix's body with a Double Kick.
"Keep it going!" Ash shouted.
Eevee began to jump around the long snake as he bombarded the Pokémon with super effective Double Kicks causing the rock type to groan in agony.
"Onix shake it off!" Brock shouted alarmed.
Onix began to spin its body around causing Eevee to be flung straight threw a rock.
Ash winced at the impact and was about to say another command before Onix slammed his tail onto Eevee's form
The dust cleared to reveal an unconscious Eevee in a small crater.
"Eevee is unable to battle, Onix is the winner!" Forest called out.
Ash quickly recalled Eevee and whispered a few words of thanks to the ball before switching it for his starters.
Azrael appeared in a flash of light.
"Alright Azrael, it's up to you! This is his last Pokémon!" Ash shouted.
Azrael nodded as he glared at the rock type despite the humongous size difference and type disadvantage.
"A fire type? Well, let's see how it goes." Brock commented.
"Onix vs Charmander begin!" Forest called out.
"Charmander use Dragon Rage!"
"Counter with Dragon Breath!"
The two Pokémon quickly unleashed their draconic attacks which collided in the middle.
Ash narrowed his eyes as the two attacks finished in a standstill. Dragon Breath was a little stronger than Dragon Rage and had the chance to leave the opponent paralyzed, but it looked like Azrael had a better grasp of draconic energy if he was able to equal the power of the rock type.
"Onix use Screech.
Onix let out a horrible sound that had Ash covering his ears alongside his Pokémon. The sound attack left Azrael dazed and defenseless and the rock type wrapped him up and began to squeeze him with his head right in front of the lizard.
Azrael growled in pain at the move.
"Azrael use Smokescreen in his eyes!" Ash called out desperately.
Brocks's eyes widened and before he could say anything, the fire type threw the smoke attack into the eyes of the serpent. The snake roared in anger as he closed his eyes and let go of Azrael.
"Use Dragon Rage!"
Azrael released the dragon attack directly on Onix causing the rock type to grimace.
"Smokescreen and make some distance." he called out.
Ash didn't want Azrael to get too close for a Metal Claw. It would be too risky with how fast the Onix was and they wouldn't make the same mistake as allowing Azrael to get a clear hit in his eyes.
He considered having Azrael use Dragon Dance, but there was no way he would have enough time to get the move off.
"Dig down Onix."
Onix shook his head before burrowing under the arena.
"Azrael be prepared for when he comes out with Metal Claw." Ash whispered.
He hadn't expected Onix to know Dig which would give Onix a clear way to grab Azrael.
Azrael remained where he was standing with his claws lengthened and metallic. The ground beneath him ruptured too fast for him to react and sent him hurling into the air
Azrael winced in pain and began to fall to the ground where Onix was prepared to latch onto him again. Right before Onix could grab on him, he readjusted himself and came down with his claws and pierced straight down Onix's body causing the rock type to roar in pain.
"Azrael Smokescreen and go crazy with Metal Claw!" Ash shouted.
Azrael unleashed a smokescreen the moment his feet touched the ground where he landed right next to Onix. The bottom of Onix's body was covered in smoke with only his head poking out. For a moment nothing happened before Onix began to roar in pain as slashes of metal on rock were heard through the arena.
"Slam Onix!" Brock called out in worry.
Onix gritted its teeth in pain as he slammed his tail into the ground causing a thump across the arena as Azrael was sent slightly into the sky barely above the dispersing smoke.
"Dragon Breath!"
Before Azrael could react, his entire body was flooded with the dragon attack and sent hurling towards Ash's position.
He landed right in front of him with a hard impact on the ground.
Azrael panted slightly as he pushed himself up. Ash was relieved to see that he didn't look paralyzed.
Onix was breathing hard and was clearly in a worse state. Eevee's Double Kicks had done some damage and the barrage of Metal Claws had made it worse.
"Azrael keep your distance and use Dragon Rage, if he gets close use Smokescreen and Metal Claw." Ash said calmly.
Azrael nodded as he released another blast of Dragon Rage which was countered by Dragon Breath once more. Ash was happy to note that this time Azrael's attack had pushed the rock types attack a bit before they dissipated.
Onix was far more tired than Azrael. Ash was very happy about the endurance and stamina training that he started for his team at the moment.
"Onix Screech."
Once again, Ash had to cover his ears at the horrible sound but was surprised to see Azrael grit his teeth before unleashing another blast of Dragon Rage that caught the rock type off guard and smacked into his face.
The Onix groaned in pain before falling face-first into the ground.
Ash held his breath for a few moments.
"Onix is unable to battle, Charmander is the winner which means the challenger wins the battle!" Forest called out.
Ash grinned as he felt pride and happiness swell up in his chest.
Azrael turned to look back at him tired but with a matching grin before his entire body was enveloped into a bright light.
Ash's eyes widened as his starter began to evolve.
As the light began to fade away Ash was given a clear look at his first evolved Pokémon.
Charmeleon is a bipedal, reptilian Pokémon. He has dark red scales and a cream underside from the chest down. He has blue eyes and a long snout with a slightly hooked tip. On the back of his head is a single horn-like protrusion. He has relatively long arms with three sharp claws. His short legs have plantigrade feet with three claws and cream-colored soles. The tip of his long, powerful tail has a flame burning on it.
"You look, great buddy!" Ash shouted with a smile.
Azrael grinned back at him before falling on his butt with a tired expression.
Ash had read that evolution was a tiring experience. They were usually given a short rush of adrenaline if in battle, but since Azrael was already done, he hadn't used it.
"We will celebrate later with the rest of the team, I want to make sure nothing went wrong with your evolution with Nurse Joy, okay?" Ash said getting a nod from his starter who was promptly returned to his ball.
"That's a good idea. Sometimes evolutions can go wrong and mess up the Pokémon is not found quickly." Brock said as he walked up towards Ash with a smile.
"Good battle, congratulations on your victory and your Pokémon's evolution. It shows that you have trained them well if they are ready to evolve at this point." Brock said.
"Thank you, they worked hard to get here." Ash said with a smile as he tapped his Poké Balls on his belt.
Brock smiled grew more as he pulled out two items.
"This is the Boulder Badge, proof that you have beaten the Pewter City Gym, and this is a technical machine for the move Rock Tomb. I give them out to any trainer who has impressed me.
Ash smiled as he took both the items.
"Thank you!" Ash said.
"Don't mention it, you earned them fair in square." Brock said. "You will also receive a victory fee in the coming day sent straight to your account."
Ash nodded as he placed the items away. He didn't have a tm holder, so he put it in a safe spot in his bag, but he had purchased a badge holder before he set off on his journey. He smiled as he placed his first badge into it.
"In the future, you should come back for a rematch, and I will use my main team against you." Brock commented.
"That sounds great!" Ash replied.
Brock nodded.
"Well, I will let you get to the Pokémon Center. Have a good day Ash, and good luck on your journey." Brock said as he reached his hand out which Ash happily took and gave a shake.
Ash had a huge smile on his face as he exited the Pewter City Gym and walked toward the Pokémon Center.
Author Note:
I was so busy that I couldn't find any time to write. This chapter was supposed to be at least 10k long, but I couldn't reach that mark. The next chapter will be a little longer to make up for that, but I can't promise when that chapter will come out. I began to work again so I have even less time. I don't know exactly how I want to write about Mt Moon yet but will be thinking about it.
If you guys have any suggestions for Arcs, then feel free to let me know!
How do you think the battle with Brock went?
Do you guys have any suggestions for a name for Eevee? Keep in mind that he will evolve into a Jolteon. Also, any names for the combo move for Antares?
Shoutout to Neotac for Skorupis name "Antares".
Have a great day!
RNR