Chapter 8: Get Back
"Pansage, use Bite!" Cilan commanded.
Pansage ran towards a Dwebble with full speed. The Rock Inn Pokémon used Slash to counter Pansage, but Cilan merely chuckled. The green monkey leaped forward and bit the Bug-type Pokémon's pincer, but Dwebble had a backup plan.
As Pansage gnawed on Dwebble's pincer, the crab-like Pokémon swung Pansage off his pincer and launched him towards a rock. Cilan's Pokémon cracked the rock after its back hit against it, but the monkey managed to get up, even though it was clearly struggling.
Cilan gasped after seeing Dwebble counter his move and smirked, "This Dwebble is on some other level, this certainly is a bittersweet battle, but once I catch it, it'll be nothing, but sweet!" The green-haired gym leader yelled.
"Just get it over with Cilan, I didn't lose Rock, Paper, Scissors for nothing," Iris stated as she watched his battle with Ash, May, Pikachu, and Axew. The purple-haired girl recalled the moment when they first encountered the Dwebble, the four of them wanted to catch it, but to make things fair, they had to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, to decide who would catch the hermit crab. Everyone had chosen rock, except for Cilan, who chose paper and thanks that move, Cilan was chosen as the one who'd catch Dwebble.
"That Dwebble is pretty good; you think Cilan can catch it?" May said while watching the battle.
Ash placed his hands behind his head and smiled, "After nearly losing to Cilan in Striaton City, I'm sure he's still got a few cards up his sleeve."
Dwebble unleashed an X-Scissor, aiming straight for Pansage, but Cilan smiled cunningly. "Pansage, use Dig!" Cilan ordered and Pansage went underground while X-Scissor missed. The Rock-type Pokémon became anxious the moment Pansage went underground, making it to spot Cilan's Pokémon.
"This spells a sour end for you Dwebble, now taste the flavor of defeat, Pansage rise up!" Cilan spread his arms out with excitement.
Pansage burst out of the ground and sent Dwebble flying from underneath. Before Dwebble could hit the ground though, Pansage released a barrage of Bullet Seed that shot the crab as it dropped toward the ground.
When the dust cleared, Dwebble was clearly dazed and Cilan saw this as his chance. "Perfect Pansage, now go Pokeball!" Cilan complimented his Pokémon and threw his Pokeball at Dwebble. The Pokeball trapped Dwebble inside and after a few shakes, the Pokeball sealed Dwebble inside.
Cilan walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up. The gym leader grinned happily and spoke, "That's how it's done."
"Way to go Cilan," Ash praised his friend.
"You really took that Dwebble by surprise when you used Dig," May mentioned the technique that wrapped up Cilan's battle.
"That Dwebble was down for the count the moment it flew in the air," Iris pointed out, but also congratulated Cilan on his catch.
Pikachu and Axew also showed happiness for their new friend as he thanked them all. "Now, why don't I cook something up for you guys," Cilan grinned at them and placed his hands on his hips.
Suddenly, Ash and May's stomachs began grumbling quite loud they laughed nervously. "Yes please," the couple stated simultaneously. The six shared a good laugh as Cilan prepared a delicious meal for the group.
About 30 minutes later…
Cilan was just wrapping up the meal he had prepared for his friends while Iris stood next him, admiring his cooking abilities. "That looks good Cilan, I usually eat fresh fruits from a tree, but whatever you've got prepared looks like it's even more delicious," Iris complimented Cilan as she continued to gaze at the food.
"Axew Axew Ax," Axew followed her trainer's actions and complimented Cilan.
"Thank you both, but Iris, I think you're responsible for how exquisite this food looks. You certainly picked the best fruits available around here, that's a useful talent for anyone who's out traveling and especially, if they wish to eat well," Cilan stated, believing that the fruits Iris picked were for the most part, the reason for the wonderful scent the food gave off.
Iris slightly blushed and laughed shyly, "Gee, thanks Cilan, I hadn't thought about it that way."
From the table the gang set up, Ash, Pikachu, and May sat, watching the other two as they waited for their meals. "I wish those two could stop flirting and finish already," May sighed, the brunette was obviously getting more impatient by the minute.
Ash raised an eyebrow and looked at Iris and Cilan, then back at May, "Iris and Cilan are flirting?"
May rolled her eyes while Pikachu shook his head sideways. Even after getting a girlfriend, he still can't figure out when two people are flirting. Oh well, at least Ash isn't too dense when it comes to our relationship, May thought and then smiled at her boyfriend, she proceeded to grabbing Ash's hand from across the table and began rubbing it with her thumb.
"Oh sweetie, you'll understand the flirting part of a relationship some day," May giggled as Ash tilted his head a bit, still confused.
An idea sparked in his head, "I may not know when other people are flirting May, but I do have a better sense of how a relationship works," Ash informed her.
May let go of his hand and raised an eyebrow, "Really, how does a relationship work Ash? Let me know what's going on inside your head," the brunette teased him a little.
"I know we have to do some alone things from time to time, which gave me an idea," Ash showed some understanding of a relationship.
May became more interested when Ash said he had an idea, she began fluttering her eyelashes in a flirtatious way, "I didn't know you were already at that point Ash, the alone and together stuff." The brunette winked at him and giggled.
Ash became startled and knew what May was referring to. He frowned as his face began to turn red from the embarrassment, "I wasn't thinking about that, May." Pikachu and May laughed in amusement as Ash hid his embarrassment with his hat.
When May stopped giggling, she spoke again, "Alright Ash, I had my fun for today. Tell me what you really had in mind."
The raven-haired boy placed his hat back on his head and let out a deep breath, "I was thinking that we should go off somewhere by ourselves and have our food alone. We haven't had personal time for each other since we got to Unova."
May smiled after Ash finished speaking, "That's a great idea Ash! It would be great for us to have lunch alone, so I'm in." The brunette became pleased with Ash's idea, Ash made a point when he said that they hadn't paid much attention to the romantic side of their relationship since they got to Unova, so she was all for it.
Ash grinned and grabbed her hand, "Good, I'm looking forward to it."
"Pikapi?" Pikachu caught the couple's attention when he spoke.
The auburn-eyed teen looked at his friend and gave him a sympathetic look, "Yeah pal, I wish you could come too, but I think May and I should be alone for this one. You stay here with Iris and Cilan, okay?"
Pikachu felt a little sadness inside him; the mouse realized that he was now second place for Ash's attention ever since May became his girlfriend. After a little more thinking though, he was happy that his trainer and friend was able to come up with something to do with May, they deserved to be happy and he didn't want to stand in the way.
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu leaped from the table and into Ash's arms.
"Thanks buddy, I knew you'd understand," Ash smiled and embraced his friend.
May admired the friendship between the two friends from across the table, but she use to believe that they were inseparable, but now it was clear that she had taken first place for Ash's attention and affection.
"Lunch is served," Cilan announced as he walked over to the table with Iris. They placed two plates with a dozen muffins each, another two plates with fried bananas cut into small pieces, and six bowls with fruit salad covered in yogurt.
Ash and May admired the delicious-looking food with glistening eyes while Iris and Cilan sat down to eat while Axew got on the table to eat with Pikachu. "Let's eat!" Iris declared, but before she could dig in, Ash and May got up.
"Actually, Ash and I are going to have our lunch by the woods," May informed them while she held her plate of fried bananas, muffins, and bowl of fruit salad.
Cilan and Iris became surprised with their actions and Cilan asked, "Why is that?"
"May and I haven't had a date in a while, so we figured this would be a perfect time since there's no bad guys, gyms or contests around to keep us busy," Ash told them the reason for why they were leaving.
"Awww," Iris clasped her hands together, clearly finding the idea cute.
"Well then, we wouldn't like to be standing in the way of love, so you guys go on and have fun," Cilan answered them.
"Thanks, you guys," Ash smiled at them and headed off with May into the woods where they could have some privacy.
"You think they'll be okay without us," May worried about the friends they left behind, wondering if there was a chance they could be attacked by Team Rocket, the Majestic 12 or even one of the Team Plasmas.
Ash used his free arm to pull May closer to him as a sign of affection, "They'll be fine, besides Cilan and Pikachu are there if anything goes wrong."
May felt assured when she thought about how strong Pikachu and Cilan were and let her worries go. "Here we are, this place is perfect," Ash announced when they reached an area with a stone positioned like a round table.
They were even two small stones where the couple could sit on. "That's pretty convenient," May said when she saw the stone table.
The couple sat across from each other like back at the meadow and grabbed their utensils to begin eating. "Let's dig in!" Ash and May happily declared right before eating.
They started off with the plate of bananas and thanks to their forks; they gobbled it all up in no more than a minute. If any of their friends were there with them, they would be repulsed by the lack of manners they had for eating.
Next up was the muffins made from some of the other fruit Iris found. They split the plate of muffins in half, Ash would eat 6 and so would May. As they ate the scrumptious muffins they smiled each other sweetly.
"This is nice Ash, alone without having people staring at us like we're a pair of ravenous Mightyena and what makes it the best is that I'm with you," May said as her sapphire eyes shined with joy.
Ash began to talk while biting his muffin, "I couldn't agree more with you May, and the fact that it's just us makes this feel complete." Ash tried to sound as sweet as May, despite his mouth being full.
May giggled at Ash as he spoke his mouth full, she didn't seem to mind, after knowing him for so long, she had gotten use to it. She reached for another muffin and made a munching sound, "Ya know I use to think that no traveling companion could cook better than Brock, but I guess I was wrong. Cilan is just as good and can't help, but imagine what their food would taste like if they cooked together."
"You're right, Brock is a good cook and so is Cilan, the thought of them cooking something great is making my mouth water," Ash responded and the two fantasized about all the foods Brock and Cilan could cook together.
After finishing their muffins, they moved on to the last course of their meal. It didn't take very long for the duo to finish their fruit salads and drop on the grass like logs. Ash made himself comfortable by going to lie down next to May.
The two rubbed their stomachs with satisfaction while holding hands. May rubbed Ash's hand with her thumb and spoke, "Ash, did I ever tell you that you're the best boyfriend ever."
"I am?" Ash looked at her, surprised that she would say that.
"Yeah, you may be dense sometimes and might get a little hot-headed, but the fact that you're so kind and affectionate with people and Pokémon makes you the most down to earth person I've ever met. You're even starting to get the hang of this couple thing without Pikachu or Brock helping you out like with this lunch. What makes you even more human and what makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world is that you're ready to stand up for your friends and what you believe in. You are always ready to defend your loved ones when the times comes like when you confronted Omega back in Pallet Town or when you confronted N and Ghetsis about their beliefs, I couldn't help, but picture you in some hero costume because that's what you always look like when you stand up for others, a hero. The most fortunate thing to ever happen to me was, meeting you and then falling in love with you," May let go of Ash's hand and began caressing his cheek as the boy just stared at her.
Ash grabbed her hand and kissed it, "May…you make me feel like the luckiest guy out there because you're the best thing to ever happen to me. Aside from always wanting to become a Pokémon Master, I knew deep down I was seeking out something else, something different, it was someone to love and I found you. You mean so much to me, you have since we first met and I know that if I lost you, I'd lose everything. No one's smile could make me put all my worries and anger behind me like yours, thank you for giving me the most wonderful feeling anyone could ever get." Ash leaned in to kiss May on her lips. Their tongues played with each other while May placed her hands on Ash's cheeks and Ash moved his arms down from her shoulders to her waist.
It was one of those moments you wish never ended; there were worries, no priorities, and no regrets. It was the ultimate feeling of happiness as the couple expressed their love while kissing each other tenderly.
"Pikachu!" a loud cry was heard that caught Ash and May's attention that instant.
"What's going on? Was that Pikachu?" May sat up, disappointed that her moment with Ash had to end.
Ash sat up and saw a Thunderbolt in the distance. "It looks like it, c'mon we have to find out what's going on," Ash told his girlfriend, who nodded and they mobilized. They gathered the plates and utensils and began dashing back to the meadow.
"What do you think could've happened?" May asked Ash as they ran.
"I don't know, but I hope it's just training," Ash replied, fearing the worst.
When they finally reached the area where Iris and the others were eating, they saw Pansage smiling with heart eyes; Axew tried to fight the threat, but was easily defeated. Pikachu also had heart eyes while Iris and Cilan had frustrated faces on.
"Ash, May, thank goodness, you're here," Iris became relieved when she saw the heroes.
"What's happening?" May asked the duo about the commotion going on.
"Why do Pansage and Pikachu have heart eyes?" Ash gave them a concerned look.
"They were trying to fight this Snivy, who's trying to steal our food, Pansage and Pikachu tried to fight back, but it used Attract and that's why they're like that now. Axew tried to fight back since Attract didn't have an effect on her, but the Snivy is too strong," Cilan explained the situation to them.
"Snivy?" Ash raised an eyebrow when he heard who was responsible for the commotion.
Ash and May turned to the tall grass and saw a cool-looking Snivy standing in front of the grass. May became relieved when she saw that the threat turned out to be none other than a Snivy, but any Pokémon trying to steal food should be confronted anyway.
Snivy used its vines to steal the remaining muffins on the table and began munching in front of the teens as a form of taunt. "Hey, that food doesn't belong to you, Tepig, Blaziken, come out and help!" May was ready to bring justice with her two Fire-type Pokémon.
"We'll teach you not to steal from others, Tepig, come on out!" Ash threw his Pokeball and summoned the fiery pig.
The fire trio glared at Snivy. Blaziken towered the small snake-like Pokémon, but Snivy simply smiled. "Blaziken use Blaze Kick and Tepig use Ember!"
Blaziken darted at Snivy with its fiery foot, but Snivy quickly dodged it by launching itself into the air with its vines. All of a sudden, May's Tepig used another move that wasn't Ember, instead of Ember, Tepig used Flamethrower.
"Nice, Tepig learned Flamethrower!" Ash praised May's Pokémon.
"Way to go Tepig!" Iris cheered for the pig.
"Great, Tepig! Now let Snivy have it!" May yelled excitedly and made a fist.
"With an all-out Flamethrower, Snivy should be cooked to a crisp," Cilan commented on May's move, certain that they would win.
Snivy smirked and used Leaf Storm to counter Flamethrower. The snake unleashed a storm of sharp leaves heading straight against the Flamethrower. "What is Snivy doing, those leaves will be burned to ashes," Iris pointed out Snivy's folly.
May smiled confidently, but became shocked when Leaf Storm clashed with Flamethrower. "No way," Ash gasped when he saw that Leaf Storm had canceled out Flamethrower, he was completely awestruck.
The boy quickly gained his composure and let out a command, "Tepig, your turn, use Tackle!"
As Snivy dropped to the ground, Tepig charged at Snivy, but the Grass-type quickly countered by grabbing the pig with her vines and throwing him against a tree trunk. Ash's eyes widened even more, impressed by Snivy's quick measures to counter its opponents.
"Blaziken, use Brave Bird!" May commanded and the starter charged at full power with an aura surrounding it.
"If that can't stop Snivy, then what will?" Iris hoped Blaziken's move would finish Snivy.
Snivy gave Blaziken a sly smirk, who glared at Snivy. The snake reminded Blaziken of its rival, Sceptile, their attitudes were extremely similar. It served as a good reason to drive Snivy into the ground. Just then, Snivy winked at Blaziken and pink, glowing hearts were released and engulfed Blaziken, confusing the Hoenn Pokémon. When the hearts finally tightened their grip around Blaziken, the chicken's eyes turned into hearts.
"No, Snivy used Attract!" May freaked out when she saw her most serious and powerful Pokémon turn into a love struck clown.
"Tepig, use Ember!" Ash leaped to the rescue.
"Te…pig!" the Unova starter used the attack, but was easily countered by another Leaf Storm and followed up by an Attract.
Like Blaziken, Pikachu, and Pansage, Tepig's eyes turned into hearts and became nothing, but a fool in love.
"This is not good," Cilan grinded his teeth while Axew and Iris watched with worrisome gazes.
"May, it's up to your Tepig now, watch out for Attract," Ash told the brunette, who nodded at him and then turned to Snivy.
"Tepig, charge towards Snivy and jump for a Flamethrower!" May ordered.
"Tepig!" the pig acknowledged and began running. The pig jumped when it got close to the Grass-type and used Flamethrower to set the floor beneath Snivy on fire.
Snivy smirked again and predicted the move. Without wasting a second it jumped to Tepig's height thanks to its vines and used Vine Whip to smack Tepig down against the ground. "No!" May yelled when she saw her starter crash down.
"Snivy sni!" the snake-like Pokémon winked at the fallen Tepig and turned its eyes into hearts like the others.
After that, Snivy picked up its muffin and quickly dashed into the tall grass, escaping from the sight. May and Ash looked around and saw all of their Pokémon with heart eyes, except for Axew. The couple, Iris, and Cilan returned their Pokémon into their Pokeballs, except for Pikachu.
"I can't believe Snivy managed to defeat all of us with that much ease," May was amazed by how strategic the snake was.
At that moment, Pikachu recovered from Attract and looked around with a glare. "Pikachu, glad to have you back," Ash welcomed Pikachu back from the love spell.
Pikachu gave the boy a confused look, wondering when Ash and May had gotten back and where Snivy went. "Pikapi pikachu pi pika!" the mouse flapped its arms and spoke with a very fast tone.
"Snivy is gone Pikachu, it got away," Iris informed the mouse.
"It managed to steal all our food and defeat our strongest Pokémon," Cilan hung his head low.
"Did you see how powerful it was?" Ash looked at all of them with shining eyes.
They all stared at him with puzzled expressions, pondering in their heads as to why his eyes were shining like that. Iris broke everyone's train of thoughts when she spoke, "Yes Ash, we saw, but what's your point," the girl was a bit irritated that Ash didn't seem to mind about what happened.
"I have to catch it!" Ash formed a confident smile and made a fist.
"Are you sure you can Ash? You saw what just happened," Cilan told the boy.
"Are you going after it?" May asked her boyfriend.
"Yep, right now!" Ash told his friends while Pikachu got on his shoulders and darted off after Snivy.
The three teens he left behind stood there with blank looks. "Does anything stop that kid?" Iris sighed.
"Nope, but that's Ash," May smiled and after the boy.
"Hey, wait for us!" Cilan yelled and ran with Iris.
Some time later…
Ash peeked through the grass with Pikachu and stopped Snivy in the middle of the field, munching on a muffin. "Okay Pikachu, here's the plan. You're going to use Quick Attack and Agility to avoid Attract, we can't afford to lose," Ash told Pikachu what to do.
"Pi!" Pikachu nodded and leaped out of the grass, catching Snivy's attention.
Ash came out of the grass as well and faced Snivy, "Snivy, I'm going to catch you no matter what, so prepare yourself." The black-haired teen made a fist and grinned confidently.
Snivy sighed and planned to get it over with quick. "Sni…vy!" Snivy winked at Pikachu and released an Attract.
"You know what to do Pikachu," Ash said and the mouse nodded.
Pikachu easily dodged the Attract with quick movements, but Snivy had a backup plan. It unleashed a Leaf Storm that was so immense that it left Pikachu with no escape and sent the mouse flying. Pikachu was still clearly weak from the last battle with Snivy and struggled to get up.
"Snivy!" the snake yelled and used one of its vines to constrict Pikachu and smack the mouse with the other. Pikachu tried to dodge, but the vines were too fast.
Snivy smacked Pikachu around as Ash's eyes widened with anxiety; "Pikachu!" was the only thing the boy could get out. Snivy smacked Pikachu a little bit more until it got tired and slammed it into the dirt with the vine that constricted it.
"Sni snivy!" the Unova starter declared and prepared to use Vine Whip once again.
"No!" Ash screamed and got between Vine Whip and Pikachu. The boy embraced the mouse as Snivy whipped the boy a few times.
"Ash!" May yelled out in horror from a distance, she could obviously see what was going on.
Snivy became shocked when he saw Ash get in the middle of her battle to protect Pikachu; "Sni?" the snake stared at the boy with curiosity and stopped whipping him. The snake spotted May and the others and quickly fled from them.
May reached Ash and embraced him in a hug while Pikachu got stuck in the middle. "Ash, are you okay, how bad did Snivy hurt you?" May gave the boy a worried look after seeing what happened.
Ash opened his eyes after enduring Snivy's attacks and smiled at her, "I'm ok May, thank you."
The boy looked down and saw Pikachu, "Are you ok pal?"
Pikachu freed itself from the embrace and despite having cuts and scratches all over its body; the mouse gave his trainer and confident smile. Ash grinned at him and said, "Good, as long as you're ok pal."
"Ash, are you going to continue going after such an aggressive Pokémon?" May asked the boy about pursuing Snivy.
Ash got up after kneeling down to protect Pikachu while May followed his lead. "Snivy is a clever Pokémon and I feel like I need to catch it May, I know it sounds crazy, but something inside me tells me that I can't give up yet, I can't let this chance slip."
May understood what Ash said and gave him a worried smile, "It's your heart that's telling you that Ash and I understand, but please be careful."
"I will May, that's a promise. Snivy's a powerful Pokémon, but I will catch it," the boy was clearly determined to catch the snake.
"Maybe a bit too powerful for a wild Pokémon," Cilan said as he stood in front of May and Ash with Iris by his side.
The couple turned to the green-haired boy with baffled faces. "What do you mean Cilan?" Ash asked the older male.
"That Snivy has some high-powered attacks that you don't find in a wild Pokémon. I'm starting to believe that this Snivy belonged to someone, but Snivy abandoned them," Cilan stated a probability.
"Belonged to someone and then abandoned them?" May was still a little puzzled.
"Are Snivy capable of doing that?" Ash questioned, still a bit confused.
"Snivy are intelligent Pokémon and there have always been rumors of Snivy's tendency to abandon a trainer who it finds as unworthy to raise it," Iris mentioned a rumor surrounding Snivy.
Ash and May absorbed all this information; they were surprised to hear that it was common for a Pokémon to do that. Despite learning the sad story though, Ash had a smile dancing across his face.
"Why are you smiling Ash?" Iris was now confused.
"After hearing what you just told me, it just makes me want to catch Snivy even more. I want to see if I am up to the test and have what it takes to raise Snivy," Ash formed a fist of determination.
They were all amazed by how determined Ash was to catch Snivy, except for May and Pikachu, who have known Ash long enough to know that it is typical of him. Ash reached for a Pokeball and yelled, "Pidove come out and help us find Snivy!"
Pidove emerged from its ball and nodded at Ash. The bird wasted no time in flying around the area in search of Snivy. "Gotta run," Ash told his friends and dashed again with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Ash is real stubborn, isn't he," Iris crossed her arms.
"It's not stubbornness, it's the determination in his heart that has brought him so far, if Ash weren't the way he is, he wouldn't have beaten Cilan, he wouldn't have come to Unova, or even get me to fall in love with him. Not even Snivy will be able to escape him with that kind of determination," May corrected Iris and placed her hand on her heart.
Iris listened to every word May said and began to believe that it might that, Ash's unstoppable determination. "I agree with May, Ash's determination is what fires him, after battling him, I've noticed that I have never met anyone like him before, he's one of a kind," Cilan further supported May's point.
"Now let's go see Ash catch Snivy," May smiled at them and ran off while her friends followed.
Some where nearby...
Snivy took a sip of water from the river and savored the water's sweet flavor. Suddenly, it heard the noise of a Pokémon flying over it and saw a Pidove. Snivy became alert when it heard something on the trees and turned around.
From out of the trees, Ash swung on a vine and landed just a few feet away from Snivy. "Snivy, we settle this now," Ash pointed at the Grass-type.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu also commented.
"Snivy," the snake sighed, wondering when Ash would quit.
All of a sudden, Oshawott came out of its Pokeball and stood proudly in front of Ash. "Oshawott, do you want to battle Snivy?" Ash asked the otter-like Pokémon.
"Osha oshaawott!" Oshawott nodded and gave Ash a confident smile.
Ash formed a grin and spoke, "Great, then let's finish this."
Oshawott turned to Snivy and pointed at Snivy, "Oshawott!"
Snivy simply smirked at Oshawott and prepared to battle. At that moment, May and the others arrived at the scene as well. Iris was the first to speak, "What is Ash doing, Oshawott is a Water-type, he has a disadvantage."
"I think after having faced similar situation against me, I think Ash will be able to handle this," Cilan recalled when Pansage battled Oshawott and lost to Ash, disadvantage should be no problem for him, Cilan thought.
"What must have really convinced Ash though, was Oshawott's enthusiasm to battle and enthusiasm is a key in Ash's victories, more than strategy, Ash might win with Oshawott this time," May pointed out a possibility.
"Oshawott, Water Gun!" Ash commanded.
"Oshawoott!" the otter-like Pokémon shot out pressurized water.
"Snivy!" Snivy countered with a Leaf Storm that broke through the Water Gun and aimed straight towards Oshawott.
"Oshawott, counter Leaf Storm with a full power Razor Shell!" Ash demanded.
Oshawott nodded and used its scalchop as a sword. It managed to slice through most of Snivy's high-powered leaves, much to the Snivy, Iris, and Cilan's surprise. Oshawott breathed heavily after exerting so much energy, but was ready to continue.
Snivy realized that with that scalchop, things would be much harder, so it had to be snatched. The snake used Vine Whip, but Oshawott quickly countered with another Razor Shell. Snivy grinded its teeth and knew that it had to come up with something. When an idea hit the grass starter, it smirked deviously.
Snivy extended its vine while Oshawott prepared to defend itself, but it turns out that Snivy was using one of the rocks that stood between them to make a 180 degree spin. Snivy ended up behind Oshawott and that's when Ash realized what was going on.
"Oshawott, watch out for Snivy, use Water Gun to protect yourself!" Ash yelled, but it was too late. Snivy sent Oshawott flying with a Vine Whip and followed up with an Attract that turned the other's eyes into hearts.
"Impossible!" Iris became shocked when she saw Snivy's maneuvers, which allowed it to get the upper hand.
"Snivy used that rock to gain leverage against Oshawott!" May exclaimed.
"Genius!" Cilan's jaw dropped.
Ash returned Oshawott to its Pokeball and grinded his teeth. "What now…" the boy murmured.
Ash suddenly heard a cooing sound and looked up at Pidove. "Pidove, you ready to battle?" the auburn-eyed teen asked his bird Pokémon.
The bird cooed and smiled at Ash. Ash grinned at his Pokémon, "Alright, this is our last shot. We can't blow it," the boy stated as he turned to face the arrogant Snivy.
"Pidove is a Flying-type so it has the advantage so it could work," Iris stated when Ash announced Pidove as his last chance.
"Advantage or disadvantage, Ash should worry more about Snivy's Attract, it's the reason why it's been so hard to catch Snivy," May pointed out and Iris agreed with her along with Cilan, this was Ash's last chance.
"Pidove, use Air Cutter!" Ash ordered and Pidove unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp spirals.
Snivy quickly dodged it and wasted no time in using Attract. "Pidove, dodge it!" Ash exclaimed, but it was too late.
Ash's friends all watched in suspense as Pidove became engulfed in hearts. "No…" was the only thing Ash could get out while Pikachu had a disappointed expression across its face.
Pidove became fully engulfed by the hearts, but for some reason it had no effect. "What's going on?" Iris asked, uncertain about why Pidove wasn't reacting.
"Pidove is a girl!" May shouted out in joy, it was like a spark of hope when she realized it.
"That's brilliant; Ash must have known this, so that's why he picked Pidove to battle Snivy!" Cilan snapped his fingers in excitement.
"That's pretty impressive," Iris smiled, seeing the technique as pretty smart.
May grinned at Pidove and then at Ash, "He still has a chance," the brunette formed a confident smile across her face.
Ash smiled sheepishly and chuckled, "Wow, who knew Pidove was girl."
The comment completely destroyed Cilan and Iris's earlier opinion about Ash, causing them to fall over in a cartoonish way. Pikachu also fell over in embarrassment while May was the only who laughed nervously.
Snivy glared at Pidove and prepared to attack, the snake used to its vines to bring the bird down, but Ash quickly countered with Air Cutter, causing the snake to retreat its vines. "Pidove, use Gust!" Ash yelled with excitement.
Snivy tried to counter with Leaf Storm, but Gust proved much more powerful and blew away all the leaves and sent Snivy flying against a rock. Ash smiled and spoke, "We can't miss our shot, Pidove use Air Cutter!" Ash commanded.
As Pidove unleashed its attack, Snivy struggled to get up and tried to counter with another Leaf Storm, which ultimately failed. Air Cutter slashed through the leaves and hit Snivy, causing massive damage.
Ash took note of Snivy's weak state and didn't hesitate to throw a Pokeball, "Pokeball, go!" the boy yelled, but Snivy was not going to give up with so easily. With the last of its strength, Snivy flipped over the Pokeball and used Leaf Storm on Pidove.
"You're finished Snivy, Pidove, finish with a Gust!" Ash pointed at Snivy as he turned his hat back backwards.
Gust easily canceled out Leaf Storm and sent Snivy flying against the dirt. "Ok, here goes!" Ash threw his Pokeball again, but this time he was able to trap Snivy inside.
The Pokeball shook violently multiple times, but after a few seconds Snivy was successfully sealed inside. Ash's face glowed as bright as the sun and ran over to Snivy's Pokeball and picked it up. "I caught Snivy!" Ash cheered happily.
The boy released Snivy, who stood in front of Ash with a blank expression. The boy then released Tepig and Oshawott as well. "Snivy, welcome to the team," Ash smiled at Snivy with the rest of his Pokémon.
At first, Snivy continued to give Ash a blank look, but then formed a smile across its face, making Ash and the rest of his team cheer in happiness.
Iris placed her hands on the back of her head, "What do you know, he caught it," the girl smiled contently.
"Axew ax," Axew also smiled, the dragon was happy that things turned out perfectly.
"It was worth all the struggling, Snivy will make a great addition to Ash's team," Cilan grinned with satisfaction.
May ran up to Ash and hugged him. "Congratulations Ashy," the girl nuzzled in his chest and giggled. The two smiled at each other and Ash kissed her forehead, "Thank you for believing in me, May," Ash said and hugged her tightly while kissing her forehead one last time, even though her bandana was in the way.
Ash turned to his team and grinned, "With all of you guys, there's no way we're going to lose the Unova League. We'll make it all the way!" Ash cheered as Pikachu and all his other Pokémon leaped in happiness, including Snivy.
After a hard day's work, the group of friends and Pokémon exchanged smiles, like always, everything worked out for the best.
I hoped you enjoyed Chapter 8; Ch 9 will be up soon. By the way, I know some of you believed that this story had Kingdom Hearts involved. It doesn't and I'm sorry for the disappointment, but as much as I'd like to involve Kingdom Hearts at some point, this story already has too big a story to get another universe involved. The boy Roxas, who was mentioned in the last chapter is not the Roxas from KH, it's someone else who shares his name. If there ever is anything connected to Kingdom Hearts, it's just a reference to the series like the name Roxas, it's just a wink to KH, and Roxas is not involved. Some elements are also similar to KH, but there's no connection to the series, it's not a crossover, so that's it for now I guess. I'm glad I could clear that and I'm sorry for the disappointment, once again, I hope you enjoyed Ch 8, especially the Advanceshipping parts. Well, catch ya soon!