Chapter 6: Glad You Came
"Behold, the Striaton Gym!" Cilan exclaimed when they got to the front of the building.
May and Iris admired the gym, taking note of its architecture, which was similar to where the contest was held at. Ash and Pikachu could clearly careless though, the pair rushed into the gym, "I'm here for my badge!" Ash yelled in excitement, but became confused when he saw a restaurant, instead of battlefield.
"What gives," Ash scratched the back of his head with a confused look on.
"Is this the gym?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"It looks more like a restaurant," May stated the obvious.
"Pi?" Pikachu shifted its head slightly as a sign of confusion.
Two waiters approached Ash and his friends, one had blazing red hair and the other had blue water-colored hair. "Good evening, would you like to take a seat," the man with blue hair asked.
"Make them comfortable Chili," Cilan revealed the name of the red-haired waiter.
"Cress, help me take them to their table," Chili revealed the name of the blue-haired waiter.
"Come with us," Cress led the group to a table.
The four kept staring at the three different colored males with puzzled looks. "Would you like anything to order from our menu?" Chili handed menus to the three teens.
"Uuuhhh," Ash stared at the menu with a baffled look.
Iris was just as confused, but skimmed through the menu anyway. May on the other hand, "Oh, oh, I'd like Spaghetti, wait no! Do you have Caesar Salad?" the brunette struggled to pick something from the menu.
Cress looked at Ash and spoke, "Might I recommend some soda pop, it is quite refreshing."
The raven-haired teen still had a perplexed gaze on, but he managed to answer, "Umm, no thanks, I'm not thirsty."
"Then might I recommend ordering a meal from our menu, which has fair prices," Chili suggested with a bright smile.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry either," Ash put the menu to the side.
Chili and Cress kept insisting Ash to order something, anything. Iris saw the annoyed look on Ash's face and knew that the boy would blow up any minute. May continued to look at the menu, still deciding what to eat, she just couldn't refuse food.
"Why don't you order this?" Chili told Ash.
"Or this," Cress added on to Chili's suggestion.
"Or that," Chili kept blabbering.
"Might I suggest eating this," Cress recommended.
When the blabbering reached its peak and Ash stood up. "I don't want any food or drinks; I just want my gym battle!" Ash yelled with a furious tone, catching the attention of everyone else.
Pikachu, May, and Iris became startled when they Ash's anger erupt. "A gym battle!" one of the girls who sat at another table cried out with joy.
"That's what I said, but I'm clearly not getting anywhere like this. C'mon guys, let's go find another gym," Ash walked away with Pikachu while Iris followed him and May reluctantly left the menu.
"Hold it, Ash," Cilan called out and the auburn-eyed teen turned around.
"What?" Ash frowned at the green-haired boy. All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and the trio of waiters came under spotlight.
"If you wanted a gym battle that bad, you should have just said. A fiery temper is not a warm sign of coolness," Chili smiled at Ash slyly.
"We'll be glad to put out that fire with cool, sparkling water," Cress also formed a sly smile.
"Cut the grass and let it grow back, let's start this over," Cilan had a sly smile dancing across his face.
The fan girls in the restaurant were infatuated by the trio who spoke with charming tones. "I'm Chili," the red-haired waiter declared.
"I'm Cress," the blue-haired waiter announced.
"And I'm Cilan," the green-haired waiter proclaimed.
Ash and the rest of the group stared at the trio with confused expressions. "What are they doing?" May raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"We are brothers and together, we are the gym leaders of the Striaton City Gym!" the trio stated simultaneously.
"Three gym leaders that are siblings!" Iris became surprised when she heard that their announcement.
"That's a first," May also became surprised, never had she heard of a gym with three gym leaders.
"Now, let the show begin," the waiters bowed down as the wall behind began to separate, revealing a room with a rocky battlefield.
"Wow," Ash and Pikachu were astonished when they saw the stage, they had never heard of a gym with three gym leaders and they certainly have never been to a gym that was also a restaurant.
Iris saw the fan girls walk up a flight of stairs. "Hey May, follow me, I think I know the perfect spot where we can watch Ash's battle," the purple-haired told the brunette.
"Okay," the sapphire-eyed girl smiled and followed Iris up a flight of stairs while Ash walked with the three gym leaders.
The girls reached the second floor of the building, where they gained a perfect view of the entire field. "This is going to be great," May smiled when she the battlefield.
"I guess," Iris stated, not sure about what May meant, but agreed anyway.
A couple of feet away were 8 fan girls with cheerleading outfits; they were obviously ready to back up the Striaton Gym Leaders.
"Alright Ash, you have to pick which of the three of us you would like to battle against, if you beat any of us then you get the badge. The rules are pretty basic," Cilan explained how things worked in Striaton City's gym.
"Now let us introduce our Pokémon, go Pansear!"Chili threw his Pokeball.
"Panpour, come out!" Cress released his Pokémon.
"Pansage, I choose you," Cilan summoned his Pokémon.
In front of Ash and Pikachu stood three monkey-like Pokémon, one was blue, one was red, and the other was green. They looked almost identical, except for coloration and some other physical features.
"What are those Pokémon?" Ash and May asked the same question at the same time, without even realizing it.
Ash took out his Pokédex and checked what the machine had to say. First he checked Pansear, "Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. Pansear lives in caves near volcanoes. The temperature on the tuft on its head can reach 600 degrees when it's angry." Ash checked Panpour next, "Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. Panpour lived in forests long ago, but developed a body that makes it easy to live near water. It can store water in the tufts on its head." The black-haired teen checked Pansage last, "Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. Pansage offers leaves on its head to Pokémon that have low energy. The leaves relieve stress."
"Those are some cool Pokémon, and they all look so strong," Ash smiled as he put his Pokédex away.
The trio thanked the messy-haired boy and Cilan began speaking again, "So Ash, have you decided which one of us you would like to battle?"
Flames were in Ash's eyes when Cilan asked. "I want to battle all three of you," Ash informed the trio. Iris spit out some pieces of the apple she was biting on when she heard Ash's response while May widened her eyes.
All three of them, why would Ash want to make this harder for himself? Then again, it's so like Ash to do the unexpected and make a challenge out of anything, May pondered in her mind and smiled when she recalled other moments where Ash would do something like this, he'd never change.
Cress, Cilan, and Chili became amazed when they heard Ash's proposal. Ash and Pikachu looked at the group with eyes that begged for a yes. "Can I please battle against the three of you, I really think battling all of you, would test my abilities to the fullest. I want to become stronger and I know that by doing this, I can become even more skilled, and fighting against all kinds of Pokémon would increase my skills even more," Ash explained the reason for his proposal, which May smiled at, she knew him too well by now.
Iris thought Ash was insane and such a kid by making such a request. Has he lost it? Iris thought in her head.
"Pika pi pikachu pi ka!" Pikachu also stepped in and defended Ash's point.
The trio wasn't sure how to answer until Cress came up with an idea, "Why don't we change the rules just for this match. Ash wants to battle the three of us, so if he wins 2 out of the 3 battles then we can give him a badge."
"I like the sound of that," Chili agreed with Cress.
"Then it's settled, Ash we'll battle you," Cilan grinned at his opponent.
"Thank you guys so much, you won't be disappointed when you battle me," Ash made a fist and smiled confidently at the trio.
May and Iris began paying attention once they heard the deal Ash made with the gym leaders. "So if Ash wins 2 out of 3 battles then he gets the badge," May spoke.
"Well, at least he doesn't have to win all three," Iris stated.
"Go Cilan! Go Cress! Go Chili!" the fan girls near Iris and May began cheering, which slightly annoyed the duo.
Ash got on one side of the battlefield and looked down at Pikachu. "Pikachu, can you do me a favor?" the auburn-eyed teen asked his friend.
"Pika!" the mouse basically told the boy to ask away.
"Do you mind sitting this one out? I want to use Pidove, Oshawott, and Tepig for this battle because I really want to test their abilities, is that ok with you?" the raven-haired teen questioned his partner.
"Pikachu," the mouse gave the boy a thumbs up, Pikachu understood that Ash wanted to test his Unova Pokémon's abilities, so it was only fair.
"Thanks pal," Ash grinned at his friend.
Chili was up first and stood on the other side of the battlefield. "Get ready Ash, battling me will leave you fried for sure, Pansear, prepare for battle!" Chili stated and Pansear got on the battlefield.
"We'll just see about that, Tepig, I choose you!" Ash released his pig Pokémon.
Tepig landed in front of Ash and smiled at the boy. "Tepig!" the pig turned to Pansear and blew out some smoke from its nostrils.
"Ready Tepig, don't let me down!" Ash stated as the pair smiled at each other.
"Why would Ash choose a Pokémon that is practically useless against its own type, wouldn't Ash have made a better choice?" Iris said, surprised by Ash's tactics.
"Ash has done these things for as long as I can remember, he always makes his Pokémon go up against a Pokémon they have a type disadvantage against, but he manages to pull through despite those odds," May explained Ash's habit of picking a Pokémon that has a disadvantage, but said the boy won anyway. Iris had her doubts during May's explanation and wondered if Ash could really win this.
"Ash, I'm impressed. Most people don't have the same kind of guts as you when it comes to battling, a Fire-type vs. a Fire-type should have an interesting result," Chili grinned at his opponent.
"I'm looking forward to it too Chili, Tepig use Tackle!" Ash instructed.
"Pansear, use Dig!" Chili smiled when he made his command.
Pansear went underground and Tepig missed his target. Unfortunately, Pansear sprang out as fast as it had gone underground. The Fire-type sent Tepig flying, the pig Pokémon had clearly taken a hard hit.
"Tepig, you can do it, get up!" Ash encouraged his fire Pokémon.
Tepig got up, but Chili made another command, "Send it back down with Fire Punch!"
"Dodge!" Ash told his Pokémon. Pansear used Fire Punch and tried to hit Tepig in an aggressive fashion. The fire starter managed to dodge it in time and the fire monkey's hand got stuck in the dirt because of how hard the punch was.
Ash smiled, "Tepig, this is our chance, use Tackle!"
The pig charged at Pansear and sent the monkey flying towards a boulder.
"Pansear, get it together!" Chili ordered and the monkey stopped itself from crashing against the rock.
"Chili, use as many techniques and combinations as possible, this won't be easy," Cress warned Chili when he saw that Ash had some fight in him.
The red-haired teen nodded and ordered a "Flamethrower!"
"Tepig, dodge it and use Tackle!" Ash ordered.
Tepig successfully dodged the Flamethrower, but Ash noticed that Pansear had disappeared. "Now!" Chili yelled out and Pansear sprang out of the ground quickly, without giving Ash or Tepig a chance to counter.
The pig began flying across the stage and crashed into a boulder. "Go Chili, go Pansear! Show them what fire can do!" the cheerleaders moved their pompons around.
Iris bit her apple nervously and spoke, "This is bad, at this rate, Ash and Tepig are going to lose!"
"I wouldn't worry, Ash will come up with something," May assured Iris that Ash would win, the brunette was a little nervous too, but she had seen Ash come out on top so many times that she believed that he could win this one too.
"Ash, your bread is toast. I recommend you end it now, I don't want to burn your hopes into ashes," Chili smirked cunningly at his opponent.
"I don't think so," Ash responded.
Chili sighed, "Have it your way. Pansear, go underground again!"
Then monkey went underground and Ash began grinding his teeth, this is not good, I need to think of something fast. The auburn-eyed teen observed his surroundings and took note of all the holes dug up by Pansear.
Perfect, Ash smiled confidently and announced his next command, "Tepig, use Ember on one of Pansear's holes to flush him out!"
Tepig leapt into the air and shot out Ember, aiming it into one of Pansear's holes. The trio became surprised with Ash's unexpected tactic and saw fire go underground. Not long after, Pansear jumped out with its behind on fire.
"Pansear!" the monkey yelled out.
The Fire-type ran around the field, trying to find a way to put out the fire. "Tepig, finish this with Tackle!" Ash yelled out with excitement in his voice.
"Pansear, use Flamethrower!" Chili instructed and the fire monkey ignored the pain he felt so he could unleash the stream of fire.
"Tepig, charge right through it, don't hold back. Give it everything you've got!" Ash told Tepig and the pig followed his instructions.
"What is Ash doing?" Iris felt anxious inside when she heard Ash tell Tepig to charge right through the fire.
"Winning," May gave the girl a one word answer with a grin across her face.
"Is the boy trying to lose the match?" Cress became confused.
"I don't know," Cilan was just as puzzled.
Chili smiled confidently as Tepig charged right at them. The smiles began to slowly vanish though, because Tepig was breaking through the entire stream of fire by just charging forward. "That's it Tepig, keep going!" Ash encouraged his Fire-type.
Tepig ran even faster and completely broke through Flamethrower, hitting Pansear and sending the monkey crashing against a rock, which broke in the process. "Teeepig!" the pig let some smoke out its nostrils.
"Pansear is unable to battle; the first victory goes to Ash!" Cilan declared.
Tepig ran over to Ash and Pikachu. The pig was warmly received by his friends, "Tepig, you did it, that was a great job!" Ash praised Tepig's battle while Pikachu patted the pig as a form of congratulations.
Chili returned Pansear and smiled at Ash, "Well done Ash, you one the first part, but you still need one more battle to win your badge."
Ash grinned at Chili confidently, "I'll win that one too!"
Cress walked over to Chili's former position and smiled cunningly, "We'll just see about that," the blue-haired brother stated.
"One down, one to go," Iris became relieved after seeing Ash win.
"Yeah, and Ash will win that one too," May smiled, the sapphire-eyed girl was certain that her boyfriend would win.
The cheerleaders sighed when they saw one of their idols get defeated, but quickly gained back their spirits when Cress took Chili's place.
"I won't be any easier than Chili, Ash, so be ready, go Panpour!" Cress warned his opponent and summoned his Water-type onto the field.
"Don't think I'll hold anything back either, I'm still pretty sure that I am going to win, Pidove, you're up," Ash warned Cress as well and released his Flying-type Pokémon.
"Okay, Ash's choice makes more sense this time, the battle can go either way now," Iris stated when she saw that none of the two battlers had an advantage over the other.
"Pidove, start off with Air Cutter!" Ash commanded.
"Panpour, use Double Team," Cress ordered calmly. Panpour multiplied and Air Cutter only managed to hit copies. Cress smiled smugly, "Now let's test Pidove's speed. Use Water Gun, Panpour!" Cress commanded the multiple Panpour copies.
"Dodge it!" Ash extended his arm out.
Panpour shot out streams of water that Pidove was barely able to dodge; it was like trying to swat a fly. "Impressive, but play time is over, Panpour, use Mud Sport!" Cress complimented Pidove's speed, but became serious. Panpour raised its arms in the air and slammed them on the ground, creating wave of mud that reached Pidove's altitude.
Ash wasn't sure how could avoid Mud Sport, but he had to do something, "Pidove, trying cutting through it with Air Cutter!"
Pidove released the attack anxiously, but the mud was too thick to break. Panpour's wave of mud eventually flew on Pidove and brought the bird crashing down against the floor. "Now is my chance, Panpour use Scratch!" Cress pointed at Pidove when he made the command.
"Pidove, escape before, Panpour hits you with Scratch!" Ash became frustrated and grinded his teeth.
Pidove tried to get up and fly away, but too much mud was on its feathers. The weight of the mud was too heavy for the light-weight Pokémon to get up. Panpour eventually reached Pidove and scratched the bird furiously.
The bird fell back down. Ash continued to get frustrated while Cress grinned cunningly. "Go Cress, go Panpour! Wet those guys!" the poor excuse for cheerleaders yelled.
Iris continued to glare at the annoying group and went back to watching the battle; the brown-eyed girl became worried when she saw Pidove get pushed around by Panpour.
Ash is losing…May grinded her teeth and made a fist, this might Ash's first legitimate defeat in Unova.
"Pidove, fly away and then use Quick Attack!" Ash made a fist and commanded his Flying-type.
Pidove managed to fly away this time since a good amount of mud got off its feathers. The bird flew back into the air and charged back at Panpour with full speed. Cress chuckled, "Your chances of victory have become soaked. Prepare to drown in your defeat, Panpour use Double Team!" Cress commanded with an arrogant tone.
Pidove's attack missed since it hit a copy and the other Panpour snickered at the bird's miss. "Finish it with Water Gun!" Cress ordered.
"Dodge, Pidove!" Ash cried out.
Pidove dodged several streams of water, but the mud on its wings slowed it down and the barrage of Water Gun eventually hit the bird. Pidove was sent crashing against a boulder and dropped on the ground like a stone.
"Pidove is unable to battle, the victory goes to Cress!" Cilan declared.
Ash ran towards Pidove and held the bird in its arms. The bird cooed with a sad tone as the boy gave it a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry we couldn't win Pidove, but you did great anyway. I don't think anyone could have fought better against Panpour than you."
Pidove smiled at its trainer and Ash returned it, thanking it for its effort. "That was good battle Ash, but if you want to win this last battle, you'll need to try harder," Cress gave the boy a suggestion.
Ash nodded, he knew that he had to give it his all during the last battle. The cheerleaders cheered for Cress when he was declared the winner, angering Iris and May even more. "This is it, the last battle, this one will decide if Ash gets his badge or not," Iris spoke intensely.
May sighed after witnessing Ash's first defeat in a long time, but managed to form a smile across her face. "Ash may have lost against Cress, but now that the stakes are so high now, I'm sure he'll win this time, I know Ash won't back down with an all-out fight," May said with an optimistic view of Ash's last battle.
"This is going to be interesting," Iris smiled and looked at Axew.
"Axew," the Dragon-type agreed with its trainer.
Cilan stood where Cress and Chili stood. "Alright Ash, you beat Chili, but lost to Cress. That means this last battle is for all the marbles so are you ready?"
Ash reached for his Pokeball and smiled confidently, "You bet."
"Well then, here goes, Pansage, come on out!" Cilan released his Grass-type Pokémon.
"Oshawott, I choose you!" Ash summoned the otter Pokémon.
"What, why did he pick Oshawott, Pansage is a Grass-type?" Chili became confused.
"It is puzzling," Cress admitted, not sure what to expect.
"That doesn't make sense, does Ash want to lose?" Iris held on to apple tightly, making some juice from apple come out because of how anxious she was.
May had a grin on her look, "That's what Ash usually does, sometimes he'll pick a Pokémon with a disadvantage against his opponent because he feels like he knows what he's doing and I trust Ash's decisions because of seen him do this many times before. Ash is going to win, despite the type disadvantage," the sapphire-eyed girl made a fist.
Oshawott stood in front of Ash with a proud look on his face until he saw Pansage. The Grass-type gave the otter a frightening look and made the sea otter hide behind Ash. Oshawott tried to push Pikachu in front so he would battle Pansage, instead.
Ash sighed and placed Oshawott back on the battlefield. The auburn-eyed teen placed his hand on the Water-type's shoulder and spoke, "Oshawott, you don't have to be afraid. You are one of the strongest Pokémon I have and that's why I feel like you're perfect for this battle; you have the strength to beat Pansage. I saw how capable you were when you saved Pikachu and Axew from Team Rocket a week ago and you impressed me even more when you saved me from boiling water with Water Gun back at the spa. I knew that you had potential in you and that's why I believe you can win now."
"Pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu encouraged his friend as well.
Oshawott turned to Pansage and knew that he had to win. "Osha oshaaa oshawott!" the Water-type Pokémon spoke proudly and crossed his arms.
"That's the spirit Oshawott," Ash smiled at his friend and walked back to his position.
"Alright Ash, ready you're not. Here I come, Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" Cilan commanded.
"Oshawott, block that with Razor Shell!" Ash instructed.
Oshawott reached for Scalchop and turned the shell into a sword composed of blue energy. Pansgae's Bullet Seed shot out rapidly, but Oshawott's quick movements managed to block the seeds.
"Well played, but you'll need more than that! Pansage mobilize while using Bullet Seed!" Cilan instructed.
The green monkey began running around the field in circles, confusing Oshawott and became unable to block all of Pansage's seeds this time. "Oshawott, get it together!" Ash ordered.
"Close in for Bite and send Oshawott flying!" Cilan extended his arm outward.
Pansage moved in and bit Oshawott, making the otter cry out in pain. The monkey then sent the otter Pokémon flying towards a rock. "Oshawott, use Water Gun to stop!" Ash demanded.
His Water-type Pokémon got a hold of itself and used Water Gun to decelerate the speed it had been launched at. The otter hit the ground without any damage and glared at Pansage.
"Oshawott, charge at Pansage with Tackle!" Ash told his Pokémon.
Oshawott began running toward Pansage, but Cilan had other plans, "Stop Oshawott with Bullet Seed!"
"Oshawott charges forward while using your scalchop as a shield!" Ash did some quick thinking and learned how to handle Bullet Seed.
Oshawott began charging at Pansage while using his scalchop as a shield. The seeds flew everywhere until Oshawott finally reached Pansage and hit the monkey with full power.
Cilan gasped when he saw Pansage fly and break through multiple rocks. Iris, Chili, Cress, and the cheerleaders were also amazed by the amount of power unleashed. May was the only who watched with a calm expression, "Ash has this under control, just a few more hits and it's over," the brunette mentioned.
Pansage groaned while it got up and glared at Oshawott, who just smiled at the monkey slyly. "Time to spice things up, this should cut through your roots and give me a sweet victory, Pansage, use Solarbeam!" Cilan extended his arm out happily, the gym leader was certain about beating Ash.
The monkey Pokémon charged up a Solarbeam through its tuft and yelled when it unleashed the attack, "Pansage!" Cilan's Pokémon cried out.
Ash, Pikachu, Iris, and May's eyes widened when they saw the impending blast. "Oshawott, deflect that!" Ash yelled out.
"Oshawott!" the starter cried out and used its scalchop once more, to defend itself from the incoming attack.
Oshawott held the Solarbeam back with its shell and deflected it back at Pansage. "What?!" Cilan screamed with surprise while everyone else watched with shock as well.
Solarbeam hit Pansage and sent the monkey flying, landing on the ground. "Pansage, please get up," Cilan told his loyal Pokémon. The cheerleaders clearly looked sad when they saw Pansage groaning while Iris remained impressed.
The monkey groaned as it stood up again while Cilan turned to Ash and Oshawott, smiling at them. "You know Ash, at first I found your strategies bland and dull, they lacked color, but I guess I misjudged you. The way you have put Oshawott's scalchop into use fascinates me, but I am sorry to say that the bond I have with Pansage is much stronger than you and Oshawott. Besides, it wasn't very smart of you to pick a Pokémon with a type disadvantage that will only aid in your defeat. Therefore, as a Pokémon Connoisseur, I have the right to believe that we will come out as the winners because we have all the perfect ingredients for a delicious victory. Pansage is the best Pokémon battler ever!" Cilan praised his persistent monkey.
Iris and May glared at him from a distance. "May be this guy is a little too cocky," Iris stated.
Ash frowned at his opponent, "Oh yeah, I'll prove to you that type advantages and disadvantages don't determine the victory, it's the bond of the Pokémon and trainer that does. I'll show you that Oshawott and I have a deep enough connection to beat you!" The auburn-eyed teen told his opponent.
"Then prove it, Pansage, use Bullet Seed, but I find a way to break through Oshawott's defense in the process," Cilan pointed at the otter.
Pansage released its attack and Oshawott prepared to defend itself with the scalchop. This time though, Pansage didn't aim directly at Oshawott, but for the hand that held the scalchop. Pansage's attack caused Oshawott to throw the shell upward in pain. The shell landed some feet away from Oshawott and Cilan began smiling cunningly, "Perfect, now that it doesn't have a defense, Pansage use Solarbeam one more time!"
"Oshawott, go fetch your shell, quick!" Ash exclaimed.
The otter ran to get the shell, but then Pansage used Bullet Seed while still charging the Solarbeam. Cilan smiled as Oshawott tried to get its scalchop, but Bullet Seed kept hitting the otter and sending it back, "You're not going to get that shell so easily."
Ash grinded his teeth, without Oshawott's scalchop, he knew they couldn't stand much of a chance. He was sure what to do until someone called out to him, "Ash!"
"May?" the boy turned to his girlfriend, wondering what was up.
"Ash, you can do this. After seeing you beat my dad, the other Hoenn Gym Leaders, and the Frontier Brains, I know you can beat Cilan too. Just clear your thoughts like you tell me and think of a strategy, I know you can do this because I've known you long enough to know that this isn't the worst situation you've been in. I believe in you Ash, more than anyone, you can do it!" May encouraged her lover to fight back; he can still win this, she thought.
Ash looked into May's sapphire eyes and began thinking, she's right there's still a way to win this, but how? The auburn-eyed teen analyzed his surroundings and stopped when he saw the wall, that's it!
"Oshawott, use Water Gun on the wall!" Ash commanded.
"What is Ash doing?" Iris became confused.
"What will he gain by using Water Gun on the wall?" Cress asked no one in particular.
"It looks like he has one more trick up his sleeve," Chili pointed out.
Oshawott became confused by the command, but Ash urged him to do it, "Just listen to me!"
"Oshawott," the otter nodded and used Water Gun on the wall, causing the stream of water to bounce off and hit rocks, from which it bounced off of and hit Oshawott's scalchop. The shell flew in the air and Ash made another command, "Catch it!"
Cilan, his brothers, Iris, and the cheerleaders all had their mouths opened because of the shock. "Quick Pansage, finish it!" Cilan instructed. Pansage nodded and released Solarbeam in a desperate attempt to stop Oshawott.
"Deflect it!" Ash extended his arm to the right.
Oshawott deflected the attack once again, hitting Pansage yet again. Cilan gasped, "No, Pansage get up!"
"Finish it with Razor Shell!" Ash shouted.
Oshawott ran at full speed towards Pansage and hit the monkey with his shell. The otter slashed past his opponent and smirked confidently while Pansage dropped to the ground for good this time.
"Pansage is unable to battle; the victor of the match is Ash! With two victories, Ash is the winner of the entire match!" Chili announced.
The cheerleaders began crying and left the place after witnessing the defeat of their idols. Ash ran to Oshawott with Pikachu, "Oshawott, you did it, I'm so proud of you, you helped me win my first badge!" Ash thanked his friend and Pikachu also congratulated his companion.
Cilan returned Pansage and grinned at Ash, "Well done Ash, you beat me and you proved that you are the better one between the two of us. Thank you, for such a great battle."
Ash got up and smiled at Cilan, "It was no problem Cilan. I really enjoyed battling against the three of you."
"And here's your badge," Cress handed over the Trio Badge to Ash.
Ash happily received the badge and posed, "Alright, I got the Trio Badge!" Pikachu and Oshawott jumped in front of the boy to further emphasize the happy moment.
"Ash won, he did it, he won his first badge," Iris became relieved when she the boy win and smiled, Ash had impressed her today with his creative, yet unorthodox techniques, but she began to believe that Ash truly was a good trainer.
"I knew he could do it, he always pulls through," May smiled as she watched her boyfriend dance with Pikachu and Oshawott.
The two girls went down to where the gym leaders and Ash were. May ran up to him and hugged him tightly, "I told you that you could do it." Ash started to feel warm inside when he felt May's embrace.
"May, thank you for the encouragement. I wasn't sure what to do until you helped me out, thank you for that," Ash ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead.
"You encouraged me at the contest, I felt like the student should encourage the teacher this time," May stated and giggled.
While still holding May, Ash turned to Iris, "Did you see that Iris, I won, still think I'm a kid?" the raven-haired teen teased his friend.
"Actually yeah, not only did you make, getting the badge harder, but you almost lost. Do you know how embarrassing it would've been if you lost, you would've lost the challenge you started in the first place," Iris taunted Ash, she was happy that Ash had won, but she didn't want to boost his ego.
"Well if you think I am such a kid, then let's battle and see who the bigger person is," Ash frowned at her, would he ever convince the wild girl that he wasn't a child.
Iris snickered at Ash and gave him a smug smile, "Well alright, I'm I can beat you."
Before the argument could escalate, Cilan and May intervened. "Hey, let's cool it. Ash won his badge and we should just be happy for him," Cilan stated while staring at Iris, he was clearly talking to Iris when he mentioned it.
"Cilan is right, Ash. Let's just enjoy the moment, I won my first Unova ribbon and you won your first Unova badge," May hugged Ash tighter as a sign of affection and the boy let out a deep breath. Iris was Ash's version of Max, despite them being the same age.
"You're right May, I'm sorry," Ash smiled as he held the girl, he placed his face on her head and could smell the strawberry-scented shampoo May used during her showers or baths. Everyone smiled at each other, today worked out great, May won her first Unova contest and Ash obtained his first Unova badge. Little did they know that there were some other workings going on near Striaton City…
I hope you enjoyed it, even though it wasn't as creative as the other chapters. I tried to make this chapter as Advanceshippy as possible, but it was a little harder than I thought since the whole episode was a gym battle. I even changed some things to make it a bit more interesting. I won't be updating for two weeks because I'm traveling so I'll see you then. By the way, I'll post up one more one-shot for New Year's Eve, but it will be much shorter than the Christmas one. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and have a wonderful New Year's!