Chapter 28: Electricity
"Volcarona, summon your Heat Wave and hit Lucario," Alder stood firm as he spoke.
Volcarona formed a red-orange ball in front of it and then blasted a blazing red wind at Lucario. Roxas smirked and spoke, it's going to take more than that, "Lucario, dodge using ExtremeSpeed." The black-coated boy stood calmly with his arms lowered while he made his command.
Lucario's appendages raised and white aura enveloped it; the Fighting-type then nimbly dodged the Heat Wave and rushed at Volcarona. When it was close enough, it smirked at it confidently, "Dark Pulse," Roxas ordered.
"Quick, stop it with Hyper Beam!" Alder's eyes widened when he saw Lucario just an inch from Volcarona's face.
Lucario put its hands together in front of its chest and fired a beam of black and purple circles from in between them at Volcarona. Volcarona had no time to react and Dark Pulse hit the Bug-type dead on, causing an explosion and Volcarona shot out of it, sustaining great damage.
Before it could hit the floor though, Roxas instructed something else, "End this with ExtremeSpeed." Lucario's appendages rose again and Lucario ran as fast as wind towards Volcarona.
"Volcarona, pull yourself together and stop Lucario with Bug Buzz!" Alder extended his arm forward while yelling.
Volcarona gained its composure in midair and screeched loudly, emitting powerful red waves to spread in all directions. Lucario, however, kept rushing towards and Alder watched in disbelief, before long, Lucario leaped into the air and bashed Volcarona. Sending the Fire-type flying harshly against a tree and then dropping to the ground unconscious.
"Finished," Roxas smirked as Lucario back flipped back and stood next to Roxas.
"Volcarona, you put up a terrific fight, rest now," Alder recalled his Pokémon and put the Pokéball away.
Alder then turned to Roxas and smiled, "Your abilities exceed mine in ways I cannot describe Roxas. The rumors of your strength do not lie."
"I suppose," the sapphire-eyed teen crossed his arms with an unconvinced look.
"This is my second time losing to you and I can't help but wonder, with such great power you would make a marvelous a Unova League Champion," Alder walked toward Roxas and complimented his abilities.
Roxas sighed and replied, "As luxurious as the position sounds, you know I cannot settle for something like that at the moment."
"Clearly," Alder nodded and sighed, "You have more important things to focus your attention on."
"You may be getting old Alder, but your power is still fit enough for a champ. Now let's take a break and relax," Roxas suggested.
Alder bobbed his head. Roxas walked over to the cliff behind them with Lucario and sat on the large bedrock there with his companion. The champion followed close behind and stood next to the rock while gazing at Virbank City from the grassy cliff.
"Here," the red-haired champ spoke and reached into his satchel and took out three Oran berries.
He handed one to Roxas and Lucario while keeping one for himself. Thank you, Lucario responded as he took it from Alder's hand and began to eat it quietly. Roxas took a small bite and enjoyed the sweet flavor of the berry as he stared at the large city lying under the night sky.
"Tomorrow we must meet up with the Elite Four and discuss a plan on how to deal with the current crisis on our hands. They must not be happy with the way Castelia City turned out," Alder began to speak in order to break the silence.
Roxas nodded in agreement, "I'm sure that with them now fully understanding the direness of this situation, they will do everything in their power to stop both Team Plasmas and their allies."
"Indeed," Alder responded.
Silence soon followed, the only noises heard were that of the howling wind and rustling of leaves. Roxas broke this quietness with a comment though," Alder, what you said about me being a League Champion, I want you to know it's not that I don't want to, I would certainly accept that position when my responsibilities have been done and this is all over. Right now though, the only reason I sound distasteful about holding that position in any part of the world is because the circumstances don't allow me that pleasure."
"I'm aware of that, you realize there are rumors lurking among the alliance that you aren't…well…from this time and the idea of you being related to the teenage pair we met earlier today. Even though you continue to deny it," Alder spoke, uncertain if he had touched a nerve by talking about the topic they were entering.
"Those rumors shall stay rumors until I clarify them myself. The only important thing most of the alliance should focus on is the mission at hand, not where I am from or who I am related to," Roxas answered with an annoyed and stern tone.
"Mmmmm," Alder nodded.
Roxas let out a deep breath and talked, "Although, there is one thing the alliance may know about me. Once this is all over, I'll disappear from the eye of the world and live the life my parents once lived, the one I would definitely enjoy, especially traveling with Lucario," the raven-haired teen smiled at his partner, who gave Roxas a serious gaze, but then returned a smile.
"I'd go out on a real journey, battle gym leaders, compete in Pokémon Leagues, collect ribbons, participate in Grand Festivals," Roxas looked up at the stars and grinned.
Alder continued to look at the city and asked, "What's it like there?"
Roxas's eyes motioned back to Virbank City and replied, "It's everything this place isn't, here, the grass is green, the flowers flourish, the sun baths the land with its heat, the water is blue. The most accurate term for my home, would be lifeless, if you're not strong, you won 't survive."
Alder became disturbed by Roxas's description of where he was from, but then inquired, "I can believe how you manage to survive in such a place. Your strength surpasses almost anyone I've known, including the members of the Elite Four and for some so young, after all, you're only 17."
Roxas closed his eyes and smirked, "My dad would always say that about me, but it wasn't easy to get where my power is now, especially at this age. I traveled a lot when I was younger, I met many people during my travels, my Pokémon and I trained under them. We learned many strategies from them and developed many forms of combat. I'd train with Lucario and my other Pokémon in the hottest deserts, the coldest mountains." Images of himself and Lucario formed in his mind, he could remember the sweating and bleeding alongside Lucario, practicing various martial arts with him, kicking and punching wooden posts under the blazing sun until the splinters had gotten to deep into his skin and the wooden posts had snapped from the constant bashing. Lucario and he would also practice many forms of fighting on the ice, from swordplay, they'd have to learn how to sprint on ice with cracking it and falling into the cold water until Roxas's Charizard had no choice but to get them out. In the desert, there only form of staying hydrated was drinking cactus juice, but their determination was the only force keeping them alive in the end.
"The hardships of the training were endless; they forced us to run up the highest dunes I had ever seen in my life. They made us scale mountains as high as Mt. Coronet, I nearly died several times, but with luck and stubbornness, I overcame. I remember people claiming I had gotten those two qualities from my mom and dad."
"Amazing," Alder's eyes shined with disbelief, he himself had traveled a lifetime, but not in the extreme form Roxas described. A thought then struck the man's mind and he questioned, "With you living this type of life, where were your parents, where are they now? Do they even know you're here?"
"I'm sure they know, but ever since I began my travels, my parents went to an unreachable place. I can't see them, but they can see me, and it'll be a long time before I meet up with them again," Roxas looked back up at the sky.
"They must proud of you," Alder responded.
Roxas smiled and replied, "May be, I feel like I haven't reached that point with them yet. My parents left before I traveled and before they did, they would always say they were proud, but I wasn't sure why. I hadn't done anything grand to make them feel like that, now though, I know there is something I can do that will actually make them feel proud of me and I feel like that's my ultimate goal, make my parents proud. I promised I would never let them down because they always believed in me like I always believed in them." The boy's gaze softened as he talked about his beloved parents and his desire to make them proud.
The champ smiled and spoke, "I hope you reach that goal then."
Roxas nodded, "I hope the same."
"Tell something, was your family only you three?" Alder questioned.
"There was one other person, who I care for just as much as them," Roxas smiled as his eyes glistened.
"Who?" Alder raised an eyebrow.
"My sister," Roxas responded.
The following day at noon…
"Emo," an Emolga lied on the lake shore, relaxing under the sun.
"Pal," a Palpitoad rested on a lily pad near the lake shore Emolga rested on.
"Stun," a Stunfisk rested on the surface of the water, enjoying the rays of the sun while hanging out near the Palpitoad and Emolga.
"This looks like a perfect spot for lunch," a voice said, catching the attention of the three relaxed Pokémon.
"You bet!" a few more voices were heard and the trio identified the direction of the voices.
The group of three saw some humans straight ahead, approaching their lake with Pikachu, an Axew, and a Victini. The trio's stress-free faces transformed into glares and they all looked at each other.
"Emolga," Emolga nodded angrily.
"Palpitoad," Palpitoad gritted his teeth.
"Stunfisk," Stunfisk glared irritably.
Emolga then flew into the trees while the other two Pokémon went underwater.
"This spot also looks perfect for training," Ash made a fist and smiled anxiously.
"No doubt," May smiled and admired the sparkly blue lake.
"It also looks like a nice place to play," Iris clasped her hands together and grinned joyfully.
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu cheered at the site they were on.
"Ax axew," Axew also said happily.
"V vi tini," Victini's eyes glistened with joy as it looked at the beautiful spot.
"Hey, why don't you guys go train and play while I get cooking?" Cilan recommended and smiled.
"Great idea," May agreed.
"While we're on it, let's get out all of our Pokémon for some fresh air!" Ash took out all of his Pokéballs.
"Right," May grinned and reached for her Pokéballs, Cilan did the same and they all threw their Pokéballs upward, "Come out everyone!" May cheered.
From the Pokéballs emerged Snivy, Oshawott, Scraggy, Tranquil, the Tepigs, Blaziken, Liepard, Deerling, Petilil, Dwebble, and Pansage. Axew and Pikachu then jumped off their trainers and landed among the Pokémon. The group of Pokémon then looked at their trainers and smiled joyfully.
"Petilil, how about you and I train for our next contest together?" May suggested with a warm smile.
"Petilil," Petilil nodded happily.
"Oshawott, why don't you I get some training done too, I want to see more of that Hydro Pump," Ash smiled at the otter.
"Osha," Oshawott gladly nodded.
"Ash, would you like to train with Petilil and me?" May asked her boyfriend.
"Sure, it'll make great practice for my next gym battle," Ash gladly agreed.
"And why don't the rest of you come with me and we'll play a game, I have a ball," Iris suggested to the others and revealed a ball around the size of a volleyball.
Pikachu, Axew, Blaziken, Pansage, and the other Pokémon responded cheerfully. Iris smiled and said, "Well then, c'mon!" The girl then ran off with the Pokémon following close behind her.
"And I'll get cooking," Cilan smiled and took his equipment to go cook somewhere nearby.
"Victini vi tini," Victini smiled at Ash while hovering around him and May.
"Victini, don't you want to go play with Iris and the others?" Ash inquired.
"Tini," Victini shook its head sideways and landed on May's shoulder, grinning.
"Well ok then," Ash smiled sheepishly, seeing how Victini still refuses to be with the other Pokémon except for Liepard and Pikachu.
"Victini you're going to see me perform for the first time, isn't that exciting?" May asked.
"Tini vi!" Victini nodded joyfully.
"Right, let's get started then," Ash said and smiling eagerly, the auburn-eyed teen then got in a position for the battle.
"I'm right with you," May smiled enthusiastically and got in a position as well.
Ash and May smiled at each other from opposite directions while their Pokémon stood in front of each other and smirked. Victini sat quietly on May's shoulder, this would be the first time it sees the pair battle against each other and so watched intently to see who the stronger one was.
"Oshawott, let's give it a Water Gun!" Ash pointed at Petilil.
"Oshaaawooott!" Oshawott shot out a stream of water.
"Petilil, counter Water Gun with Magical Leaf!" May pointed at the incoming pressurized stream of water.
"Peti!" Petilil frowned; summoning colorful energy leaves and launched the barrage at Water Gun.
When the two attacks were about to hit though, the Magical Leaf split into 3 sets, the middle set hit Water Gun and they canceled each other out by causing a small explosion while the left and right set charged at Oshawott.
Ash's eyes widened, not expecting May to attack like that, but the trainer knew just how to counter and grinned confidently, "Oshawott, counter with Razor Shell!"
Oshawott smirked and transformed its shell into a blue blade and prepared for the incoming energy leaves. Without a moment's waste, Oshawott leaped into the air and slashed each energy leave into oblivion. The otter landed back on the ground while the chopped leaves dropped to the ground and faded into nothing. "Osha," Oshawott smirked and placed his scalchop back on his belly.
"May that was a good sneak attack, I didn't even use it as well as you did when I battled Burgh using that strategy," Ash complimented his girlfriend, remembering how the technique May used right now had also been used on Burgh in his gym battle.
"Thanks Ash, but your strategy still came out on top, you and Oshawott are definitely on a roll lately," May complimented back and smiled.
"Yeah, but I don't think that'll be enough to beat you," Ash said, continuing to smile with excitement from the training.
"Oshawott, let's go for an Aqua Jet!" Ash extended his arm forward with his palm opened.
Oshawott braced itself and a blue water-like aura enveloped it and the otter shot towards Petilil full speed like a watery bullet. "Oshawoooott!" Oshawott cried out as it charged at Petilil.
"Petilil, use Magical Leaf again!" May extended her arm to the right.
"Petilil!" Petilil repeated its attack and unleashed at the barrage at Oshawott.
"Dodge them all the leaves as best as you can Oshawott and keep going!" Ash still posed the same as before while making his command.
Oshawott charged into the Magical Leaf barrage, leaving May and Petilil confused, but then they were shocked when they Oshawott dodging every leaf coming its way. The otter went left, right, up, and down as the leaves kept coming, but none hit Oshawott, he was an unstoppable jet of water.
May's shock quickly faded though and the brunette smirked as Oshawott just about came out of the Magical Leaf tunnel. "Stun Spore!" May exclaimed.
"Peeetiiiilil!" Petilil blew out a heavy shower of sparkling white powder as soon as Oshawott came out of the Magical Leaf attack.
"Oshawott, look out!" Ash yelled, but it was too late.
"Osha!" Oshawott's eyes widened when it saw Stun Spore and was unable to spot.
The paralyzing powder stopped Oshawott in its tracks and paralyzed the Water-type, causing it to drop on the ground as well as cancelling out Aqua Jet. Oshawott slowly got up, but groaned as the powder continued to hover around it.
"Redirect our Magical Leaf," May smirked.
The Magical Leaf that Oshawott had dodged before then surprisingly made a U-turn and aimed back at Oshawott. "Wha?!" Ash's jaw dropped in shock.
"Magical Leaf never misses, remember Ash?" May winked at Ash in a flirting fashion. In return, all Ash could do was grind his teeth in frustration.
Petilil smirked and Magical Leaf started to charge at Oshawott with a phenomenal pace. "Oshawott, get out of there!" Ash shouted, but it was no use, Stun Spore, left Oshawott dragging its body in an attempt to move out of the way.
"No use Ash, Oshawott's paralyzed," May smiled confidently and then Magical Leaf hit Oshawott directly.
"Oshaaaawooooott!" Oshawott cried out as Magical Leaf cut against the otter's skin and sent the otter flying.
The rainbow-colored energy leaves and sparkle of Stun Spore blended together in the air and left a colorful, sparkling sensation in the air, and with sunlight, the magical leaves reflected multicolored rays all over the battlefield. It was a beautiful sight; the place looked like a rainbow of colorful leaves with the addition of sparkling powder. May and Petilil smiled at their result while Ash watched with amazement.
That must be one of the combinations May taught Petilil, it'll be a good one if she uses it in her contests, Ash admired the combination presentation and smiled at May, who shrugged her shoulders and giggled. The raven-haired teen then turned to Oshawott though and saw it in pain, knowing the battle was clearly in favor of May, he grinded his teeth.
The Sea Otter Pokémon flew back and landed on the grassy floor while Petilil and May smirked. Ash continued to grit his teeth, but spoke, "Oshawott, get back up and use Water Gun!"
"Osh," Oshawott slowly got up and raised its head while glaring at Petilil, the otter then released the Water-type attack.
"Ash, that won't be enough, Petilil, let's counter it with Magical Leaf!" May extended her arm forward.
Petilil used the same attack and countered Water Gun, with the two attacks clashing, having no result. "Now use Aqua Jet!" Ash ordered and Oshawott, while fighting against its paralyzed state developed a water aura and charged into the stream of water from Water Gun and then burst out while dodging the Magical Leaf.
"But how?" May's eyes widened.
"Oshawott and I've trained hard too May, one of Oshawott's greatest abilities is its resilience and it won't let a simple Stun Spore stop it from winning," Ash smiled at her as Oshawott endured the pain of Stun Spore and kept going.
"Now, use the momentum from Aqua Jet and wrap this up with Tackle!" Ash pumped his fist into the air.
Still groaning, Oshawott endured the pain and screamed, "Oooooshaaaaawooooott!" Blasting out of the Aqua Jet, Oshawott charged at Petilil in plain form, but as fast as ever and delivered a mighty Tackle that sent Petilil flying.
"Peeeeee!" Petilil yelled as it went back and hit the ground.
Oshawott dropped on its feet and panted heavily while still fighting back its paralyzed state. Petilil groaned as it tried to get back up, but Ash's didn't waste a minute to make his next move, "Oshawott, wrap this up with Hydro Pump!"
Oshawott pulled its head back and released the powerful pressurized stream of water with full force. "Ooooshaaaawooooott!" Oshawott exclaimed and opened its mouth, releasing Hydro Pump.
May gasped while Petilil failed to get up and suffered the full power of Hydro Pump. Petilil squealed in pain and landed on the floor again after taking the heavy hit. "Peeeee…" Petilil moaned with swirl eyes.
"Wow, I should've seen that one coming," May sighed and returned Petilil, "Petilil, you were great, enjoy a good long rest," the brunette told the Pokémon while grinning.
"Oshawott, you did awesome, here you go," Ash took a Cheri Berry from his pocket and fed it to Oshawott, magically recovering Oshawott's paralysis.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott smiled at Ash.
"Vi victini," Victini spoke to May with a comforting tone and looked at the girl with a sweet gaze.
"I'm not sad Victini, there's always next time," May winked at the Fire-type, who in return smiled back happily and hugged her.
"May, you were awesome," Ash walked over to the girl with Oshawott, praising her skill in their battle.
"Thanks Ash, but I still need to practice some more before I can catch up with you," May smiled sheepishly.
Suddenly, two attacks burst out of the water that appeared to be a Hydro Pump and ThunderShock and both were aimed at Ash and May. "What's that?!" Ash and May exclaimed with fear.
"Victini!" Victini's eyes widened with shock, but wasted no time from flying off May's shoulder and got between the double attack and its parents.
Its eyes began to glow blue and so did the two attacks. "Tini!" Victini frowned and launched the two attacks back in the water, causing an explosion and the water shot up about twelve feet into the air.
"Whoa," Ash gazed when that happened while May also stared.
Oshawott also watched and couldn't help but wonder just how strong Victini was after seeing it do that.
Victini lowered a bit and flew over to Ash and May. Ash looked at Victini and smiled, "Thanks for protecting us Victini."
"You don't know how great it is to have you around," May hugged the little one and Victini smiled happily.
"Osha osha," Oshawott cheered and thanked Victini as well
"Where did that come from though," Ash scratched the back of his head while wondering.
"I'm not sure, I didn't see that well, but it's gone now," May replied while looking in the direction from where it came.
"Yeah, guess it doesn't matter anymore," Ash responded, but still curious.
"Let's head back to Cilan now, the food must almost be ready," May told Ash and nodded in agreement.
"Pika," Pikachu hit the pink ball back with its tail.
"Blaze," hit the ball with its palm and passed it to Dwebble.
"Dweb," Dwebble leaned forward and bounced, hitting the ball with the rock on its back.
"Ax," Axew used its head to hit it back.
"Hit it Liepard," Iris smiled and hit the ball at Liepard and the process of passing the ball back among the Pokémon and Iris continued as they laughed playfully.
Just when the ball was coming right at Pansage and the monkey prepared to smack the ball, a Discharge burst out from one of the bushes. "Pansage?" Pansage narrowly dodged the incoming Electric-type attack.
All the Pokémon quickly turned to the bush from where it shot out. "What was that?" Iris caught the ball and became concerned, eyeing the bush from where Discharge came from.
"Foongus foongus foongus," about a dozen Foongus jumped out of the bush, all glaring at the gang.
"Emol," an Emolga also jumped out of the bush and stood behind the Foongus while smirking.
The Pokémon gasped when they their attackers while Iris exclaimed, "It's a group of Foongus and an Emolga!"
"Emolga emo!" Emolga pointed at the group.
"Fooooongus!" the Foongus said simultaneously and released a volley of Energy Ball.
"Everyone dodge!" Iris yelled and leaped out of the way.
All the Energy Ball missed, but the blasts caused several explosions while the Foongus prepared to charge another volley of Energy Ball.
"Iris!" Iris heard her name get called out by Ash and turned around see Ash, May, Oshawott, and Victini.
"Ash, May!" Iris shouted, the girl obviously glad to see them.
"What's going on?" May saw the Foongus preparing to attack and an Emolga commanding them.
"We're being attacked by Foongus and Emolga! Get out of the way!" Iris pushed Ash and May out of the way and the gang narrowly dodged yet another volley of Energy Ball.
"Foongus?" Ash got up and took out his Pokédex.
"Emolga?" May took out her Pokédex.
"Foongus, the Mushroom Pokémon. Foongus release poisonous spores to repel anyone who tries to catch them. For unknown reasons, they resemble Poké Balls." The mechanic voice of Ash's Pokédex informed.
"Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pokémon. Emolga lives in trees and uses its cape-like membrane to glide through the air." May's Pokédex stated.
"Emo!" Emolga commanded.
"Fooooon," Foongus charged up Energy Ball again.
"Looks like they're going to attack again," Ash's eyes widened with fear.
"Move out of the way!" May shouted and pulled Ash away while the Foongus unleashed Energy Ball, once again missing all of the Pokémon and teens.
"What's going on?" Cilan rushed over to the gang with his bowl and wooden spoon.
"We're being attacked by wild Pokémon, what does it look like?!" Iris shouted.
"By Foongus and Emolga, shouldn't we battle them?" Cilan inquired when he saw the attackers.
"Foongus!" a Foongus shot an Energy Ball at Cilan.
Iris quickly pulled him away, causing him to drop his bowl and spoon. The purple-haired girl then glared at him, "Don't you think we thought of that. Those Foongus aren't giving us a chance to do anything; it's like a shower of Energy Ball."
"Victini," Victini looked nervous and hid behind Ash and May as they jumped and ran from every Energy Ball coming at them.
Emolga began to grit its teeth and face palmed itself. "Emo emolga!" Emolga commanded.
"Foooon," the Foongus lined up and released PoisonPowder.
The purple powder spread like gas and this time, none of the Pokémon were able to dodge, except for Oshawott and Victini, who hid behind Ash and May in an attempt to avoid. All the Pokémon attempted to dodge it, but it was too late, soon they all fell like rocks with a purple spot underneath all their noses.
Emolga smirked and noticed a table with food and Cilan's backpack on top of it. The Electric-type licked its lips and dashed off to the table at a quick speed and snatched the food and Cilan's supplies.
Cilan quickly noticed and yelled, "Emolga's taking the food and our stuff!"
"Emo!" Emolga winked at them and stuck its tongue out as it flew back into the forest.
The Foongus smirked and also ran back into the forest, leaving behind about a dozen poisoned Pokémon.
"Blaz…blaz," Blaziken panted as it lied there on the ground.
"Pi…pika…pi," Pikachu also panted.
The other Pokémon also panted heavily, as they lied on the grass helplessly. "This is awful," Iris stood up and looked at all the Pokémon.
May also stood up and gazed at their Pokémon, "All our Pokémon have been poisoned, what are we going to do?"
"There's not even a Pokémon Center miles from here," Ash sighed, staring sadly at his Pokémon, especially Pikachu.
"Viiiii….," Victini wished he could do something while Oshawott watched his comrades lie there in pain.
"Well, I think we have one solution," Cilan stated, looking just as sad as his friends.
"What's that?" Iris, Ash, and May asked simultaneously.
"We could see if there's any Remeyo weed around here, Remeyo weed is used to heal poisoned Pokémon," Cilan informed the trio of a possible solution.
"How will we know if there's some here though?" May inquired.
"I've got that covered," Cilan took out what looked like a small tablet from his pocket, it was yellow and blue in color, all of sudden, an image of their location appeared on the screen. Cilan tapped the screen a few times until red dots showed up the lake nearby, "Perfect, there's Remeyo weed just underwater in that lake. If we just go swim there, we're bound to find some," Cilan pointed to the lake near them.
"Great, then I'll go get some Remeyo weed with Oshawott," Ash volunteered and looked down at his friend.
"Osha," Oshawott had his arms crossed and smiled confidently.
"I'll go with you, something tells me this place is inhabited by aggressive Pokémon at every corner," the green-eyed connoisseur said.
"We did get attacked by a Hydro Pump and a ThunderShock earlier. It looked like it came from the lake," May told Cilan.
"Then my hunch must be correct, we'll have to be careful," Cilan spoke with a stern tone.
"What about your stuff, Cilan?" Ash questioned the older male.
Before Cilan could answer, Iris cut him, "I'll go after Cilan's stuff and retrieve it from Emolga. You guys go get that Remeyo weed."
Cilan turned to Iris and smiled, "Thank you Iris, I appreciate it."
Iris felt a light blush coming on, but she turned away and uncomfortably responded, "It's no problem Cilan."
"I'll stay here to take care of the Pokemon," May told the gang.
"Right, I think it's best if you stay here and look after the Pokémon. Who knows, those Foongus may come back," Ash said to the coordinator, confident in her abilities as a nurturing mother.
Ash then turned to Victini, who stood next to his leg, "Victini, you should stay here with mama and take care of the Pokémon too."
"Victini," Victini nodded obediently and flew over to May and hovered next to her.
May smiled at Victini and prepared to take care of the Pokémon with her "child". "Alright, you guys be careful ok?" May showed concern for her friends.
"No worries," Ash, Cilan, and Iris said at the same time.
With that said and done, the trio spread out on their different tasks while May stayed to care of the Pokémon with Victini.
"So it's underwater right?" Ash said, looking at the lake. From the time they left May, Ash had changed to his swimming trunks and prepared to go for a swim.
"Correct," Cilan responded.
"K, Oshawott and I'll go underwater; you cover for us if any trouble Cilan," Ash told the green-haired teen, who nodded in response.
Ash put on a mouthpiece that would allow him to breathe and talk underwater, "Here goes," the boy said. The raven-haired teen then jumped into the water.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott jumped right behind him as well.
The two opened their eyes and found themselves underwater; the area was pretty rock with not much vegetation or Pokémon wandering. "Let's go Oshawott," Ash told his Pokémon and began to swim to the lower levels of the lake.
For several minutes they had no trouble swimming to the lower parts of the lake. They hadn't run into trouble and the only issue would be going into the small areas where the Remeyo weed would be found, but Oshawott could easily swim into those parts.
"Oshawott, at this pace we'll get things done in no time," Ash spoke through his mouthpiece.
"Osha osha," Oshawott nodded happily, hoping to get this done quick so its friends may recover.
Suddenly, a volley of Bubblebeam shot out from their right. Ash spotted the incoming attack and spoke, "Oshawott dodge the Bubblebeam!" The pair narrowly dodged the attack by swimming away, but they looked in the direction from where it came.
There in the distance they saw a group of Tympole coming their way. "Us and our big mouths, the Tympole are attacking us. Oshawott, looks like we're going to have to battle," Ash spoke to the Sea Otter Pokémon.
"Osha," Oshawott nodded.
The Tympole smirked at the pair and began to shout loudly, releasing blue-colored rings from their mouths and coming straight at Oshawott. "Oshawott, dodge the Hyper Voice and use Aqua Jet and Razor Shell at the same time to strike those Tympole down!" Ash pointed at the group of six troublesome Tadpole Pokémon.
Oshawott smirked at the Tympole and then became enveloped in dark-colored water. "Oshawott!" the Pokémon blasted off and thanks to the speed of Aqua Jet, Oshawott easily dodged Hyper Voice. The otter then stuck out its scalchop while moving and turned it into blade.
The Tympole desperately tried to hit Oshawott with BubbleBeam, but the fast movements of Aqua Jet allowed Oshawott to move freely as it bashed and slashed each Tympole it got near to.
"Tym," a Tympole cried when Oshawott hit it with Aqua Jet.
"Pole," another squealed when Razor Shell hit them.
Eventually Oshawott stopped in front of the Tympole, smirking arrogantly while the Tympole gave the otter Pokémon frightened gazes and swam away as fast as possible. Ash chuckled and spoke, "Well that was easy, but now that that's done, let's get going."
"Stun," something called out."
"Huh?" Ash turned around and saw nothing but a rock among the sandy floor.
"Fisk," Stunfisk revealed itself among the sand and smirked at Oshawott and Ash.
"What's that?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Osh?" Oshawott looked at it as well.
"Stuuunfiiiiisk!" the brown fish exclaimed and shot out a ThunderShock.
"Oshaaaaaa!" Oshawott cried out.
"Doesn't seem friendly," Ash spoke as electricity coursed through his body.
At that moment, the two were blasted out of the lake like rockets and landed back on shore where Cilan was. "That's shocking," Ash had a dazed look when he landed on the grass.
"Oshawott," Oshawott mimicked Ash.
"Ash, Oshawott, what happened?!" Cilan shouted when he saw them.
Ash took off his mouthpiece, then slowly got up and spoke, "We got shocked by some Pokémon."
"Stunfisk," the Pokémon appeared on the surface and smirked at Ash and Oshawott.
"Is it that Pokémon?" Cilan asked.
"That's the one!" Ash yelled angrily when it saw it.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott got up and exclaimed furiously when it saw it.
"This could be trouble," Cilan said when he saw the Stunfisk.
All of a sudden, water from the surface burst upwards. "What now?" Ash gasped when he saw the water violently shoot up.
When the water finally came down, another creature revealed itself, it stood on a lily pad and had an annoyed look on its face. "Palpitoad," the Palpitoad glared at the trio.
"Yeah, this is definitely trouble," Cilan commented.
"And it's double," Ash gritted his teeth when he saw Palpitoad and Stunfisk together, both of them glaring at him, Cilan, and Oshawott.
"Hmmmm," Iris kneeled and examined some small footprints on the ground. She touched the footprint and rubbed off any dirt she got. She observed the area carefully, the only thing she could hear was chirping, but then she sniffed the air and looked to the right, where a bunch of trees were jumbled up together.
The girl stood up and gazed in that direction, "I'm almost positive Emolga went in that direction, my senses don't lie." The purple-haired girl then ran off in that direction, jumping over logs, swinging with vines and sprinting across the forest.
Her wild girl attitude then came to a halt when she stopped in front of a tree and saw eating utensils and a few broken plates lying at the base of a tree. "Hey, this is Cilan's stuff," Iris ran up to the base of the tree and looked at the objects.
"He's not going to be happy when he finds out about his plates," Iris sighed, feeling sorry for the guy as she tried to place some of the pieces together like a puzzle until she felt something hit her head, making her eyes widen from the pain and the object seemed to crack in the process.
Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as the pieces of what appeared to be another plate, fell off her head, "Ow," the girl simply said and dropped the fork she was holding. She quickly shook her head to get rid of the pain and looked up to see none other than Emolga holding Cilan's backpack and eating a sandwich.
"You!" Iris pointed at Emolga angrily.
"Emo?" Emolga looked down and saw Iris glaring at her.
"Emolga, give me back my friend's stuff!" Iris shouted at the Flying Squirrel Pokémon.
"Emo emolga emo," Emolga chuckled and then let out a deep breath. The Electric-type began to smirk and snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, the dozen Foongus from before popped out of the bushes and appeared in front Iris, ready to protect their master. They all looked very angry and repeated "Foongus."
"Uh-oh," Iris became slightly frightened and took a step back while the Foongus took a step closer. "I don't have any Pokémon to defend myself with, except for…" Iris thought in her head, I have no other choice, I have to call him, the purple-haired girl grabbed a Pokéball and threw it, "Excadrill, help me out!"
From the Pokéball emerged a moderate-sized Pokémon, but it appeared curled up. Its primary color was brown, but had red patterning around its body and gray-colored forelimbs. "Excadrill, use Metal Claw!" Iris pointed at the Foongus.
Iris continued to point at the Foongus, but the only movement was the wind and a tumbleweed passed by. The purple-haired girl lowered her head since Excadrill failed to obey and remained curled up. Iris sighed and spoke, "Now what?"
Emolga giggled at Iris and the brown-eyed glared at the Flying-type. "Fine, then I'll have to do it myself!" Iris ran up to the tree frustrated, but was quickly stopped by the Foongus.
"Emo!" Emolga cried out.
"Foon," the Foongus glared at Iris and unleashed a barrage of Energy Ball.
"Not good!" Iris ran across the place, only just dodging the incoming Energy Balls. She jumped over them, ducked from them, swerved from them, but no human had unlimited energy. As Iris helplessly dodged every Energy Ball, the girl quickly began to tire and had a harder time dodging the Energy Balls.
"I…don't…know….if…I…can….do….this….any…more," Iris panted as she jumped, ducked, and ran.
Emolga enjoyed the hilarious stunts pulled off by Iris and took joy out of her misery. She then took a look at Excadrill and spoke, "Emolga emo emolga (looks like your trainer is just as pathetic as you)." The Flying Squirrel Pokémon then proceeded to throw the half-eaten sandwich at Excadrill.
"Excadrill!" Iris exclaimed when she saw the sandwich hit the Subterre Pokémon, a bit of the mayonnaise from the sandwich got on the Pokémon's claws. The Foongus then stopped their assault and turned to Excadrill, waiting for it to react.
All of a sudden, Excadrill's gray claws burst out from their position and the Pokémon came out of its curled up position. It got on its feet and revealed itself. It had a pink-tipped snout, white face, and like its forelimbs, it had gray-colored jagged features on its head. "Excadrill!" the Pokémon roared and shrugged off the mayonnaise from its claw.
"Excadrill!" Iris clasped her hands together with joy.
The Ground-type ignored Iris and glared at Emolga. "Emo," Emolga smirked at the Steel-type and talked, "Emolga!" the Electric-type Pokémon commanded the Foongus.
"Foongus!" the Foongus unleashed a volley of Energy Ball at Excadrill.
"Excadrill!" Excadrill exclaimed and used Metal Claw. The Steel-type lunged at the Energy Balls with its glowing pair of claws and slashed each attack like it was nothing. The Subterre Pokémon then dug its claws into the dirt and grabbed large amounts of dirt.
"Drill!" Excadrill threw the dirt at the Foongus.
"That's Mud-Slap!" Iris admired Excadrill's abilities and smiled when it saw how easily it was dominating the battle.
The Foongus tried to counter with Clear Smog, but Mud-Slap was clearly the stronger move and the dozen Foongus flew everyway after the hurled dirt hit them. While still on the ground and groaning in pain, Excadrill braced itself by making its claws glow and then rushed at every Foongus and slashed them aggressively.
"Excadrill!" Excadrill slashed one Foongus so violently, it sent the Mushroom Pokémon flying deep into the jungle. It then continued to mercilessly beat every Foongus until they were all left unconscious. The last Foongus merely dropped to the ground after Excadrill stroke it down like a samurai.
"Nice job Excadrill, now its Emolga's turn!" Iris jumped in joy and smiled confidently at the Flying Squirrel Pokémon.
"Excadrill," Excadrill furiously focused its eyes on Emolga.
"Emol?" Emolga looked around, seeing all of her Foongus henchmen down; the Electric-type sighed and slowly dropped to the ground.
"Emolga," Emolga smirked at the angry-looking Excadrill.
"I hope Ash, Cilan, and Iris get back soon, the Pokémon's condition is getting worse," May placed a towel over Pikachu's head.
"Pi…..ka," Pikachu continued pant while May positioned the towel properly over its forehead.
Victini placed a towel over Pansage's head and looked sadly at the monkey and every other Pokémon. It then proceeded to putting one on Axew, "V…." Victini became saddened as it could feel the panting of the Pokémon get heavier.
"V…tini…" Victini went up to May after a towel on the last of the Pokémon.
May placed a towel over Blaziken and positioned it correctly as the great Fire-type panted heavily. "Don't worry Victini, Ash, Iris, and Cilan, well get back soon with the stuff we need to heal them, we just have to be patient," the brunette said weakly, rubbing away tears trying to form in the corners of her eyes.
"Victini vi," Victini hugged May and cried in her chest.
May hugged Victini back and spoke, "I wish we could something right now that would alleviate the situation too Victini, but all we can do right now is wait and hope."
"Vi…" Victini moaned in sadness as May felt more tears wet her shirt.
May looked at the Pokémon and felt her eyes watering a bit, Ash…hurry…..the brunette thought in her head.
"Stunfiiisk!" Stunfisk released ThunderShock.
"Oshawott, dodge with Aqua Jet!" Ash yelled.
Oshawott jetted across the lake, narrowly dodging the lightning strike. "Palpitoooaaaad!" Palpitoad stuck its tongue and swung, causing various shots of mud to come out flying.
"Oshawott, keep dodging!" Ash shouted.
"I have a feeling these are the two that attacked May and me earlier, well now it's time for some payback," Ash glared at Palpitoad while mumbling.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott frantically avoided the volley of mud balls and narrowly dodged most of them, except the last one. The Mud Shot hit Oshawott right in the face and sent the otter crashing to the ground like missile, "Oshaaaawooott!" Oshawott cried out in pain when it hit the ground.
When the dust from the impact vanished, Oshawott groaned and got up, bits of mud still on its face. "Osha oshawott," the Pokémon gritted its teeth and had one eye closed from the pain it felt after being smacked by the mud and landing hard on the ground.
"This isn't good, it's two against one and Oshawott is still weak from training with Petilil," Ash grinded his teeth because of the anxiousness.
"Stunfisk," Stunfisk chuckled.
"Palpitoad," Palpitoad smirked.
"Ash, allow me to assist you with this!" Cilan shouted and Ash turned his friend.
In his hand Cilan held something that resembled a pen, "What's that?" Ash asked.
"Let me introduce you to the finest and most superb rod you'll have come across in your life, and with my expertise in fishing. You are standing before the most powerful weapon in the field of fishing, my friend. Prepare yourself; you're going see the most incredible moment of your life!" Cilan swung his pen-like item forward and from it snapped out the extensive feature of the fishing rod, from the butt to the tip-top from where a Cilan-shaped lure hung.
"Gee Cilan, that's great and all, but can get moving, we don't have much time!" Ash yelled at Cilan with his teeth becoming razor sharp and his eyes turning into fire, causing the gym leader to become frighten.
Cilan smiled sheepishly and stepped away from the angry boy. "Of course," Cilan chuckled and then turned to Stunfisk. "Stunfisk, today you'll become my finest catch, go!" Cilan swung his rod around then aimed his lure for the Stunfisk's mouth.
"Stunfisk!" Stunfisk jumped into the air, opened its mouth and shot out a large ball of mud
"Ash, cover me!" Cilan screamed.
"Right," Ash responded and made his command, "Oshawott, stop Mud Bomb with Water Gun!"
Oshawott leaped into the air and yelled, "Ooooshaaaawooooott!" releasing the Water-type move and easily canceling out Mud Bomb by blasting into the water.
Taking advantage of Stunfisk's open mouth, Cilan's lure caught Stunfisk nicely, much to Cilan's pleasure, "Yes, and now for the main event!" Cilan then pulled Stunfisk towards him with the rod, while Palpitoad watched with anger, causing it to use Mud Shot.
"Oshawott, stop the Mud Shot with Water Gun!" Ash extended his arm to the left.
"Oshawooott!"Oshawott unleashed another Water Gun while still in midair, successfully stopping Mud Shot by cleaning it away with Water Gun.
"Palpitoad," Palpitoad grinded its teeth and jumped into the air, unleashing Supersonic by opening its mouth wide and unleashing several rings aimed at Oshawott.
"Oshawott, get out of the way!" Ash instructed, but it was too late, Supersonic got Oshawott trapped and successfully confused him.
"Ash, Oshawott is confused; you're gonna have to try your hardest to snap it out!" Cilan told Ash as he gritted his teeth, the connoisseur was clearly struggling to pull Stunfisk as the fish Pokémon kept resisting Cilan's force.
Ash listened to Cilan and then grinded his teeth in frustration when he saw Oshawott's swirl eyes. He looked at Palpitoad and saw it use Mud Shot once again, that Palpitoad is strong, it's amazing, I think I'm going to catch it, but first, Ash thoughts shifted back to Oshawott from Palpitoad and yelled, "Oshawott, snap out of it and use Water Gun!"
Oshawott continued to walk around aimlessly and shot Water Gun everywhere. The otter Pokémon failed to react and Mud Shot hit its marking, sending Oshawott flying and hitting the ground violently.
"Palpiiitooooaaaad!" Palpitoad swung its tongue again several times and unleashed multiple Mud Shot."
Yeah definitely strong, Ash admired Palpitoad's strength and spoke, "Oshawott, snap out of it!"
It was to no avail though, Oshawott continued in its confused state and suffered yet another devastating hit that ending in it crashing against the hard earth. Oshawott slowly got up and stared blankly at Palpitoad as the frog-like Pokémon prepared for the finishing blow.
No, if we don't beat Palpitoad, we won't be able to get the Remeyo weed or even catch it, Ash gritted his teeth and yelled one final time, "Oshawott, snap out of it, we need you!"
Palpitoad smirked, then opened its mouth wide and unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump. "You get back here; I won't let you get awaaaaay!" Cilan pulled with all his might and at last, Stunfisk flew out of the water and into the air. "Perfect!" Cilan cheered and began to swing his rod around with Stunfisk holding on.
"Stun stun stun," Stunfisk became dizzy with every swing of Cilan's rod.
"You're almost mine, Stunfisk; I'm going to catch you as a memory of this great catch!" Cilan swung Stunfisk around even faster.
"Oshawott!" Ash yelled when Hydro Pump was near.
Ash's cry then ran through Oshawott's mind and echoed through his brain. That's when Oshawott snapped out of its confusion and saw the incoming Hydro Pump. The otter Pokémon glared at it and then pulled its head back, "Ooooooooshaaaaaaawoooooooott!" Oshawott pulled its head forward and released a Hydro Pump as well.
Ash's face lightened with relief when it saw Oshawott back to normal and spoke, "Give that Hydro Pump everything you have!" Ash extended his arm to the left.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott fomented the power of Hydro Pump even more and the two super attacks clashed.
They were at a standstill and the water from the Hydro Pumps splashed everywhere, the fierce fighting between the two powerful Water-type Pokémon raged on with great force until Oshawott remembered the responsibility it had in its hands.
Images of a poisoned Pikachu, Blaziken, Snivy, Tepig, Tranquil, Axew, Pansage, and the others flashed through the otter's head. Images of a worried May and Victini rushed through the Water-type's mind and that's when the otter knew he couldn't let his friends down. Oshawott took a look at his trainer's confident expression and unleashed an all-out Hydro Pump.
"Ooooshaaaawooooott!" Oshawott cried out and its Hydro Pump instantly overwhelmed Palpitoad.
"Pal…pitoad!" Palpitoad's eyes widened when it saw the Hydro Pump coming its way and became powerless. The powerful pressurized water sent Palpitoad flying into the air with swirl eyes.
"This is it," Ash reached for a Pokéball as Palpitoad flew into the air.
Ash took a look at Oshawott and smiled at it, Oshawott nodded confidently in return. The raven-haired teen turned his hat back like he done when he was younger and yelled, "Pokéball go!"
"This is the grand slam!" Cilan shouted and after one last swing, slammed Stunfisk against the ground.
"Stuuuunfiiiisk," Stunfisk moaned with swirl eyes once it hit the ground harshly.
"And now for the true catch, Pokéball go!" Cilan elegantly threw his Pokéball. When the Pokéball hit Stunfisk, it turned it into red energy and trapped it inside.
As Palpitoad began to drop, the Pokéball hit the frog and trapped it inside. The Pokéball then landed in front of Ash and shook simultaneously with Cilan's. The Pokéballs shook violently while the two males and Oshawott began to sweat from frustration, but after a few more seconds, the wobbling halted and the sound of the Pokéballs locking echoed across the lake.
Cilan and Ash's eyes shined with joy and the two ran over to lift their Pokéballs. "Yes, I caught," Ash and Cilan said at the same time.
"A Stunfisk!" Cilan cheered.
"A Palpitoad!" Ash cheered as well.
"Oshawott osha," Oshawott smiled happily.
Ash looked at his Pokéball with joy and saw the red color of the Pokéball's button. "Since you've already caught six Pokémon you'll have to switch if you want to use Palpitoad," Cilan informed Ash while putting away his newly caught Stunfisk.
"Right, no time for that right now though. With Stunfisk and Palpitoad out of the way, now we can get that Remeyo weed and heal the Pokémon," Ash smiled at the lake, happy about the thought of his friends fully recovering.
"Get back quick, the Pokémon might not hold on for much longer," Cilan said with a concerned tone.
"You got it," Ash smiled and looked at Oshawott. They both nodded and winked at each other, with that done they jumped back into the water, in search of the Remeyo weed.
"Excadrill, use Fury Swipes!" Iris pointed at Emolga.
Excadrill paid no attention to Iris and moved toward Emolga with Metal Claw. Emolga stood firm and yelled, "Eeeeeeeemooooooo!" releasing a violent Discharge.
When Discharge hit Excadrill, it had no effect and the Subterre Pokémon kept charging. "Emolga!" Emolga's eyes widened and she quickly flew up.
"Excadrill!" Excadrill leaped after her and before she could get too high, Excadrill bashed her against a tree.
"Eeeeemoooo!" Emolga cried out from the impact and dropped to the ground.
"Well, you may not pay attention to me, but at least you have things under control," Iris sighed and just watched Excadrill battle on its own.
Emolga groaned as it got back up and glared at Excadrill. "Emolga!" Emolga jetted into the air and winked at Excadrill, releasing little pink hearts made of energy.
"It's Attract! Excadrill, you have to dodge that fast!" Iris exclaimed.
Excadrill smirked and went underground by shoving its claws into the ground. By the time Attract reached Excadrill's position, he was already underground. "Emo," Emolga gritted its teeth and relied on its hearing to spot Excadrill.
"Emo," Emolga hovered above the trees and listened intently, it could hear Excadrill digging past her position and that's when she heard Excadrill burst out of the ground.
The Flying Squirrel Pokémon smirked and turned around to see Excadrill shooting up to her height from behind, but the Electric-type quickly charged up a Hidden Power and before Excadrill could get close enough, the Flying-type unleashed the powerful attack.
A white sphere shot out from in front of Emolga's body and hit Excadrill head on. Excadrill tried to counter with Metal Claw, but Hidden power's superior power overwhelmed Excadrill and blasted the Ground-type back to the ground, causing dust to rise up.
"Excadrill!" Iris shouted.
"Excadriiiiill!" Excadrill shouted as it spread away the dust and revealed itself.
"Excadrill, you have to use a different strategy rather than just go for the offensive. Let Emolga come to you," Iris told Excadrill, but the mole-like Pokémon paid no attention to her and went underground again.
Iris bit her lip in annoyance just watched whatever Excadrill prepared to pull off. Emolga chuckled and repeated the same process as, by hearing, but this time she had another trick in mind. Suddenly, Excadrill popped up from her left side, but Emolga winked down at the ground as Excadrill came her way. Hearts aimed toward Excadrill, Iris, knowing that if Attract hit, it'd be over, made a command, "Excadrill, dodge it!"
Excadrill smirked and shot back into the earth like a missile and successfully avoided the Attract. "Emo?!" Emolga's eyes widened with surprise and Iris formed a large smile.
All of a sudden, Excadrill popped up again, this time from her right side and jumped up much faster. Emolga prepared to use Hidden Power this time and charged up the attack, but before she could, Excadrill threw dirt into her eyes and blinded her. "Eeeeeemooooo," Emolga tried to get the dirt out of her eyes, but it was too late.
"Eeeeexcaaaadriiiiiiiill!" Excadrill roared and slammed Emolga toward the ground using Metal Claw. Emolga crashed down toward the floor, but Excadrill wasn't finish, it darted after her, but this time Excadrill used Fury Swipes and with its glowing claws, the Subterre Pokémon scratched Emolga angrily.
"Emolga!" Emolga cried out as Excadrill scratched repeatedly, it delivered with another Metal Claw and hit Emolga hard enough to be hit the floor with a mark of her body.
"Emo," Emolga moaned as it lied on the ground unconscious.
"Excadrill," Excadrill smirked and then automatically curled up when it saw Emolga.
"Excadrill, return," Iris smiled at it when it was back in its ball, "You may not have listened to any of my orders, but I'm still proud of you for the battle you pulled off."
Iris then put Excadrill away and looked at the Emolga, "You know, that Emolga was pretty strong and a good battler for that matter. I think I should catch it."
The purple-haired girl reached for a Pokéball and threw it, "Pokéball go!" Iris's Pokéball hit Emolga and captured the Flying Squirrel Pokémon inside. For a few moments, the ball would shake aggressively and Iris would grind her teeth, c'mon after all that, I should at least deserve to catch it, Iris thought.
A few more seconds passed and suddenly, the Pokéball's wobbling stopped with the sound of it locking followed. Iris's eyes shined with joy and the girl ran up to the ball and held it up high, "Yes, I caught an Emolga!" She lowered the Pokéball and smiled at it, "Welcome to the team Emolga, I hope you don't cause us too much trouble," Iris giggled.
"They aren't back yet, where could they be?" May became concerned, the purple spot on the Pokémon's faces had grown thicker and darker, and the brunette had gotten increasingly worried.
"Vi victini," Victini clasped its hands together and showed great concern for his fellow Pokémon.
May held Victini close and fought back their worries as best as she could, "They'll be here soon, I know they will, they won't let us done," the sapphire-eyed girl murmured.
"May!" the brunette heard a few voices call her and the girl's eyes shined with joy. She lifted her head and turned around to see Ash and May returning from the lake and Iris from the forest.
"Oshawott osha," Oshawott ran next to Ash cheerfully.
"Ash, Iris, Cilan, Oshawott!" May cheered and smiled joyfully.
"Victini tini!" Victini cheered when it saw Ash.
The trio caught up to May and they all grinned happily. "Looks like we all made it back A-ok," Cilan smiled happily.
"Did we bring the Remeyo weed back in time?" Ash handed May the herb.
"Right on time," May received the Remeyo weed, her eyes glistening when she took them from Ash.
"I also retrieved your stuff from Emolga, Cilan," Iris smiled and gave Cilan back his backpack and anything else she could get.
"Where are my-" Cilan was about to ask, but Iris interrupted.
"Don't ask," Iris sighed, feeling sorry for the green-haired teen.
"Victini and I were worried about all you, why did you take so long?" May asked.
"The Pokémon we battled are proved tougher than we could've imagined, but in the end we got through and even captured them," Ash showed his Pokéball and Cilan's.
"The same happened to me, I caught Emolga," Iris showed May her Pokéball and the trio congratulated each other for their catches.
May felt a little left out that all her friends caught a new Pokémon and were celebrating, in the end though, they only thing she cared about was they all returned alright and the Pokémon would be alright. The girl looked at her boyfriend and three friends with Victini, smiling and congratulating them for a job well done.
Later…
"There we go," Iris made Axew sip the juice from the Remeyo weed while the others also made the other Pokémon drink the juice from the herb.
After a few minutes, the purple spot from their faces vanished and they all got up with the same energy they usually carried. "Pikachu!" Pikachu leaped into Ash's arms.
"Great to see you healthy buddy," Ash smiled and hugged his small friend.
"Pansage pan," Pansage smiled at Cilan.
"Glad to see you up Pansage," Cilan responded happily.
"Axew ew," Axew hugged Iris.
"Hey there," Iris giggled, returning Axew's embrace.
"Blaziken, blaz," Blaziken smiled joyfully when it saw May.
"Hey Blaziken, glad you're doing alright again," May gave the Pokémon a soft smile.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott exclaimed cheerfully when it saw all the Pokémon recovering.
"Vi victini," Victini appeared next to Oshawott, alarming Oshawott a bit, but then calmed down while Victini smiled at it.
"Osh," Oshawott grinned at Victini and the two watched their friends happily hug each other.
"Looks like Victini is opening up to another friend," Ash noticed with Pikachu.
"How sweet," Iris smiled at the pair.
"Looks like Victini feels like it can trust Oshawott after what happened," Cilan stated.
"Good for you Victini," May scratched the back of Victini's ear while Blaziken watched over the two with a calm, but grinning face.
"You know, I think all of us should thank May and Victini for letting things come out ok," Ash said, surprising the girl with "Huh", but the boy merely smiled.
"But Ash, it was you, Iris, Cilan, and Oshawott who solved this whole problem," May didn't understand why she deserved the credit.
"No May," Iris told her.
"That doesn't compare to what you did," Cilan grinned at the brunette.
"All we did was return with stuff, you were the one who stuck here and took care of all the sick Pokémon with Victini to the best of your ability. If you hadn't stayed, who knows what might've happened, May it's thanks to you and Victini that we all pulled through, you took such good care of the Pokémon. We were all afraid of letting you down because we knew you had the hardest task, we couldn't let you down, you were the one trying your hardest by taking care of so many Pokémon so you deserve the praise," Ash praised his beloved.
May and Victini remained surprise at first, but then the Pokémon began to praise the pair as well. They neared the duo and cheered happily for them, causing the two to blush from embarrassment. Ash focused on May's beautiful smile as the Pokémon dared to get on top of her as a way of thanking her, but Ash knew May deserved the praise, she always had the gentlest, most caring and sweetest heart, and it's why I love her, the boy thought in his mind, causing him to grin.
Hope you enjoyed it. Three of the four caught new Pokémon in a single chapter, this chapter is pretty critical since it involves the gang catching major members of their Pokémon teams. As you may have noticed, this chapter stays truer to the anime than the other recent chapters since it follows the same plot basically except Oshawott's Aqua Jet problem. Oh and also, my apologies for any grammar errors like usual, remember to REVIEW PM ETC, also if it isn't too much to ask, could anyone please point out any moment in my chapters where there's a GRAMMAR ERROR? PLEASE THANKS! Next chapter I'm thinking of making May catch her own Pokémon to not make her feel so lonely lol. Once again, hope you liked it. Btw, hoped you enjoyed the first part, a little revelation there, anyway, I'll see on the next update!