Chapter 36: When We Were Younger
"Tepig, one more Flamethrower!" Ash shouted.
"Pignite, you do the same!" May countered.
"Teeeepiiiiig!" Tepig unleashed the stream of fire.
"Piiiigniiiiite!" Pignite released its own stream of fire as well.
The bright flames traveling across the field clashed and burst the moment they came into contact. Smoke began to disperse once the fire vanished and the outcome of the battle remained unknown. After a few seconds, Ash and May were facing each other with confident grins. Pignite and Tepig did the same, but a second later both of them dropped to the ground from exhaustion.
Ash reached for his Pokéball and spoke, "Well, that's that. Tepig, you were great, now rest." The red beam shot out and enveloped the fire, returning it to its ball.
"You also did awesome Pignite, rest now," May also got out her Pokéball.
"I'm sure Tepig enjoyed that battle, he seemed very excited to battle your newly evolved Pignite, May," Ash walked over to her with his usual smile.
"Pignite also appeared excited, you know how well Tepig and Pignite get along so they must have really enjoyed this battle," May spoke with a joyful tone.
"I'm really proud of you May, you've gotten stronger than ever before. Your abilities are at a new level that has turned you into a formidable opponent," Ash complimented her.
"Well, I did learn from the best," May winked at the raven-haired boy, making him smile and blush a little.
In Ash's mind, many of his thoughts were about the battle with May. She really has grown, and to think the little mischievous Torchic I met years ago has become the powerhouse of a Blaziken she beat me with. They may have won by a bit, but the endurance Blaziken displayed and the tactics and surprises they demonstrated just proved why they earned the victory.
"I'm still so fired up from my recent victory that I want to keep training and battling!" May exclaimed with fire in her eyes.
Ash chuckled at her remark and couldn't help, but be a reminded a bit of himself since he usually experiences the same battle feeling after a big win. He wondered if that was a trait he passed to May from the time they traveled together.
"Snivy!" Snivy glared at Emolga.
"Emo!" Emolga glared back and snatched Snivy's apple from her hands. The Electric-type then smirked and ate it whole.
"Sniiiii," Snivy gritted her teeth and slowly began to extend her vines while Emolga started to charge electricity.
"Vi tini v!" Victini got between the two with Axew, Pikachu, and Pansage.
"Pan pan," Pansage backed up Victini in an attempt to calm Emolga and Snivy.
"Axew ew ax!" Axew urged the two to get along and eat peacefully like the other Pokémon, taking a quick glance to the other Pokémon mindlessly eating in the background.
"Pi pika pika pikachu," Pikachu tried to correct Emolga's behavior since he had taken notice of her habit to just eat as much as she pleased without any consideration for the others.
"Emolga!" Emolga glared at Pikachu while Snivy smirked.
"What's going on here?" Iris and Cilan appeared behind the group of Pokémon.
"Victini tini," Victini informed the two trainers.
"Pika pika," Pikachu imitated Snivy and Emolga's argument over the apple.
"I see," Cilan rubbed his chin.
Iris kneeled down and looked at Emolga, who sighed when she saw her trainer. "Emolga, I know how much you love apples, but you have to be considerate. Pikachu, Victini, Pansage, and the other Pokémon also have to receive their share."
"Eeemooo," Emolga looked down at the ground with a guilty face.
"Here Emolga, we'll teach you about sharing," Cilan handed an apple to Emolga, who seemed puzzled by Cilan's statement.
Emolga looked at the apple in her possession and could feel her mouth begin to water, but Iris quickly stopped her from making a move, "Emolga, as delicious as that apple looks you have to share it with the others. At first it may seem hard, but trust me, at the end of the day it's worth it because the sensation of sharing with another is wonderful. It'll help you get along better with the other Pokémon if you just share."
The Flying-type looked deep into Iris's tender eyes and looked down at the apple, the Sky Squirrel Pokémon felt reluctant about sharing, but she also knew that the other Pokémon had always been friendly and welcoming to her since Iris first caught her. Despite the trouble she gave them at the lake, they quickly forgave her and greeted her happily, even Snivy and if she wanted to form a stronger bond with them she knew she had to do the right thing.
The electric Pokémon took a look at the apple once more and smiled. The flying squirrel then broke the apple into six pieces, one for each. "Emolga," the Pokémon smiled and handed a piece to each of them, surprising Snivy.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered with a smile.
"Tini v!" Victini thanked the Pokémon and ate happily with the others.
"Sni," Snivy smiled and just ate the piece.
"Way to go," Iris was clearly proud of her friend.
"In the end, there just needs to be a little communication and we have a recipe for success," Cilan told the sky squirrel.
Emolga nodded and smiled, the Electric-type felt proud of her deed and finally learned how to share. The Pokémon also knew it was all thanks to her loving trainer and Cilan, so she joyfully thanked them with an embrace.
"Iris!" Iris, Cilan, and the Pokémon heard May's voice. They all turned around and saw Ash and May returning from their battle.
"Ash, May, how was the training?" Cilan asked with his typical smile.
"Tepig and Pignite really battled hard today, it went great," Ash responded with a joyous voice.
"But I still feel like I need to battle, so I wanted to ask you Iris, if you'd like to train with me?" May smiled confidently, her sapphire eyes shining with determination.
Iris stood up and grinned, "May, I'd really like to battle you right now, but both of my Pokémon are eating. I hope you don't mind," the Unova girl smiled sheepishly.
May tilted her head in confusion and placed her finger on her chin, "But Iris, didn't you tell us you had another Pokémon with you when we first ran into Emolga?"
"That's true, you told us you had an Excadrill," Ash recalled.
Iris felt a little tense the moment Ash mentioned Excadrill and with a lower tone, the girl timidly answered, "Yes, that's true."
"Come to think of it, we've never seen that Excadrill before. May we see it Iris?" Cilan politely questioned.
"Yeah, I'm anxious to see one in person!" May added anxiously.
"I bet it's a really cool Pokémon," Ash mentioned while taking out his Pokédex.
"Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drilbur, Excadrill can dig maze-like underground tunnels for over 100 meters and is powerful enough to cut through thick iron plates using its steel claws." Ash's Pokédex informed.
May and Ash took a good look at the image and saw a brown Pokémon with sharp steel claws at the end of its arms. "Seems fierce," Ash noted. May could feel a little fear come inside her when she saw the steel claws, but her curiosity was greater.
"So can we see it?" May turned to Iris, still curious about Excadrill.
"Ummmm yeah…" Iris said shyly and reached for her Pokéball. The purple-haired girl then quietly threw it into the air.
The anticipation Ash and May felt quickly turned into confusion when they saw Excadrill. Even Victini and Pikachu tilted their heads in confusion when they saw it. "That doesn't look like the one we saw in Pokédex," Ash pointed out, still staring with a baffled look.
"It looks more like a drill," May commented. The only thing they could identify from Iris's Excadrill that was shown in the Pokédex were the steel claws, but it didn't have any legs, arms, or a face.
"Well this is odd," Cilan stated.
Iris sighed and spoke, "This is exactly why I didn't want any of you to see my Excadrill. Instead of seeing the Excadrill you'd normally expect, my Excadrill is all curled up like a drill because it doesn't like me and doesn't obey any of my commands."
"Really?" Ash and May said simultaneously.
"Yeah, I never use it for anything because of the way it behaves. The only time it's ever shown itself in front of me recently was when I caught Emolga and even then, it didn't obey me and acted on its own. It's very difficult to have a partner who won't listen to a word you say," Iris sighed and put on a sad expression.
The other friends felt sorry for her and Ash looked at her with a sympathetic look, "I know what you mean."
"You do?" Iris looked at him with a curious gaze.
"You bet, May already knows the story, but I don't think I've ever told you guys the story of my Charizard," Ash recollected memories of when Charizard disobeyed him.
Iris raised an eyebrow and replied, "Ash, you have a Charizard?"
"Where is it?" Cilan also became surprised.
"It's a really powerful and majestic Pokémon, but I'll let Ash tell you the story," May stated, remembering some fond memories with Charizard especially the last time she saw him in Pallet Town. The Fire-type had given her the honor of riding him with Ash and they flew over the land, admiring the night, it was just a few days since they had gotten together and it was one of their best moments in her opinion.
"My Charizard is off in this place called Charicific Valley in Johto. There it trains to its highest potential, but before we ever arrived there, Charizard always traveled with me ever since it was a little Charmander. You see, my friends and I had run into while traveling to Kanto and had found it lying on a rock waiting for its trainer patiently. We were a little confused since it seemed sad, but we just got on our way hoping that its trainer would return soon to take it. We eventually met the trainer and found out it had lied to Charmander, telling it to wait at the rock till it returned, but the trainer had no intention of returning. In the end, Charmander realized the true colors of its trainer and when the trainer decided to take it back after seeing how powerful it was, Charmander roasted him away with a Flamethrower. From then on, Charmander became a loyal partner and battled alongside me many times, until it evolved into Charmeleon. When it evolved, Charmeleon had changed and became something of a rebel," Ash reminisced about the multiple Flamethrowers he suffered at the hands of Charmeleon.
"Then what happened?" Iris asked as they sat on the grass while Ash told his story.
"For months, Charmeleon would just continue to disobey and it wasn't until I ran into an incident with an Aerodactyl that Charmeleon finally did something for once. Charmeleon evolved in order to fight the Aerodactyl that tried to eat me, it was an aerial battle between Charizard and Aerodactyl, but as it turned out, Charizard still hadn't changed and he was merely battling for his pride. After that issue, Charizard continued being disobedient and kept using Flamethrower on me as a form of defiance. The only times I actually thought Charizard listened were when it battled Fire-types like a Magmar owned by Blaine, a gym leader from Kanto. Charizard's ill behavior brought me a lot of trouble, but the time that Charizard's attitude really took a toll on me was when he disobeyed me during the Indigo League and refused to battle. Since Charizard was the only Pokémon I had left to battle and it refused to obey, I got disqualified from the tournament." Cilan and Iris's eyes widened when they heard the last part, not believing something like that could happen to Ash.
"After the Indigo League, I traveled to the Orange Archipelago and that's where things finally changed. Charizard and I got into a battle with a trainer and his Poliwrath, Charizard disobeyed like usual and got badly beaten. Following the battle, Charizard was badly injured and devoted myself to taking care of him the entire night, then the best thing that could've happened, happened. I guess after caring for Charizard like I did, Charizard found respect and care for me in return and we got a rematch with the Poliwrath and its trainer. Charizard finally obeyed and we ended up winning. From then on, Charizard and I battled against many powerful opponents throughout our travels; we took on Johto Gym Leaders, battled in the Silver Conference, conquered the Battle Frontier, and thwarted bad guys. When Charizard finally began to obey me, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me," Ash smiled as he stared up at the clouds.
"A plate gone from sour to sweet, that's so beautiful," Cilan wiped away his tears with a handkerchief.
"Wow, that's a really amazing story," Iris thought, mesmerized by the story Ash told her. The girl then turned to her Excadrill and put a sad look on, sighing at the sight.
"I never get tired of hearing that story, it just shows how meaningful a friendship between trainer and Pokémon can go," May commented while grinning at Victini and Pikachu, the pair having been on her shoulders since the start of the story. The Pokémon pair smiled and nodded in agreement with the trainer.
Ash turned his focus back to Iris and saw the expression on her face, knowing that his friend would need help with Excadrill. "You know Iris, like I already told you, I know how hard it is to train a disobedient Pokémon and I want to help you," Ash told the girl, forming a confident smile.
"You mean it Ash?" Iris said with eyebrows raised, shocked by his offer.
Ash nodded and May quickly jumped in, "I'll help as well, I think it's important that a trainer and their Pokémon get along so they may form a strong bond." The sweet brunette volunteered as well and gave Iris a comforting smile.
"Count me in as well, as a Pokémon Connoisseur and a friend, it's my job to help you with a problem, especially if its Pokémon related," Cilan also pitched in.
Iris could feel a tear forming at the corner of her eye and the girl smiled, "Thanks you guys, thank you so much."
"Victini, Pikachu, Axew, try to talk to Excadrill and see if we can get it to show itself," Ash told the trio.
The three Pokémon nodded and approached Excadrill. "Ax ew axew?" Axew tapped Excadrill.
"Victini v vi?" Victini tapped Excadrill's steel claws.
"Pi pikachu pika?" Pikachu simply tried talking to it, but to no avail.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," Ash sighed.
"How are we going to help Iris and Excadrill, if Excadrill won't even come out of hiding?" May sighed alongside Ash.
"We could try to use an attack, may be that will bring it out," Cilan said with a slightly hesitant tone, knowing it may not be safe, but it was their best shot.
Ash and May also seemed hesitant, but Iris stepped in, "I think it's the best shot we've got."
"You sure, Iris?" May looked at the girl.
"Positive," Iris nodded; the girl was clearly determined to solve this problem once and for all.
"Ok then, Pikachu, get ready to use Thunderbolt," Ash commanded.
"Victini, prepare a Flamethrower," May instructed.
"Axew, we're going to use Dragon Rage," Cilan ordered.
The three Pokémon braced themselves while Iris watched with suspense behind her friends. She still couldn't believe the trouble they were going through just to help her and her pathetic problems.
"Piiiikaaaachuuuu!" Pikachu released the electric attack.
"Viiiiictiiiiniiiii!" Victini unleashed the fire move.
"Aaaaaaxeeeeew!" Axew let loose the powerful dragon ability.
The three attacks weren't powered up like usual since they were only meant to awaken Excadrill. Suddenly though, before the trio attack could hit, Excadrill came out. "We did it!" May cheered.
"I don't think so," Iris took a step back with a frightened look.
"Huh?" Cilan, Ash, and May gazed at her with confusion.
"Eeeeeeexcaaaaadriiiiiiiiiiill!" Excadrill glared at them angrily and launched a Focus Blast.
"Focus Blast!" the teens cried out at the same time.
Pikachu, Victini, and Axew were also taken by surprise and the Fighting-type move easily overpowered their attacks. Focus Blast then charged at the three Pokémon, easily sending them back towards Ash, May, and Cilan. The teens eyes widened and they screamed in horror while Iris managed to move away in time while the others suffered a hard impact followed by an explosion.
"Excadrill," Excadrill spat at them and went dormant again.
When they smoke cleared, it revealed Ash, May, Cilan, Pikachu, Victini, and Axew with swirl eyes. "Sorry, I guess I should've warned you that Excadrill can be quite the battler," Iris grinned sheepishly.
"You could've told of us that it knows Focus Blast," May said, her eyes still swirled.
"At least we got it to show itself…momentarily," Ash mentioned with a dazed expression.
"So what do we try next?" Ash placed his hands on his waist as the group stood in front of Excadrill.
"I think I know," Cilan snapped his fingers.
"What Cilan?" May looked at him with a curious gaze.
"Yeah, what do you have in mind?" Iris asked.
The Pokémon also wondered what Cilan might have planned. "I think we can fix this problem with an evaluation time!" Cilan stretched his arms upwards and had a large grin on his face.
"Oh no," May lowered her head.
Iris merely sighed while Ash grinned awkwardly, "How will that help us?" the auburn-eyed teen inquired.
"Just listen as I begin to discuss the relationship between Iris and her Excadrill, and as a Class A Pokémon Connoisseur I will do it with as much accuracy as possible, ready, and go!" Cilan shouted.
The teens and the Pokémon still remained uncertain, but they didn't have any other choice, but to see Cilan's plan. "Iris and Excadrill's relationship is an extremely sour one that lacks flavor and ingredients. In one word, this relationship can be described as bland, but all hope is not lost. In order to get their relationship going, we can't try to get it to come out by attacking, but by talking and it is not necessary to see Excadrill's face to know that it is listening. Iris, say the right words and Excadrill will hear you even if it's hiding itself, it will certainly hear you because it is interested in what you have to say. Communication is key in this relationship and it is the secret ingredient that shall make this dish a delightful one. You must talk it out, view the history between you and see what aspects of the relationship between you two are strong and weak so you can build on them to improve your friendship. Think of some sort of activity both of you might enjoy, may it battling, reading, biking, explore your relationship because it is vital for this to advance. Do you catch my drift?" Cilan looked at the girl.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," May's face lightened up with hope.
"Who knew one of Cilan's evaluations would actually be helpful," Ash joked and grinned.
Iris may have thought Cilan was being ridiculous and harsh at first, but as he went on she slowly realized that everything he was saying was true and making sense. She knew she had to give it a shot and nodded at Cilan when his eyes focused on her.
"Good, now let's start with the good and bad aspects of your relationship," Cilan recommended.
Before Iris could begin to think though, a voice could be heard calling them out, "Hey!"
They all quickly turned around to see who it was and saw a teenage girl running up to them. She had a dark pink hair covered by her yellow hat. She also had blue eyes and yellow gloves to go with the hat, the stranger also wore a turquoise vest with a navy blue shirt underneath.
"Can we help you with something?" May was the first to ask when the girl caught up with them.
"Yes, I was just around the woods hoping I'd run into a trainer for a battle. Today looks like my lucky day though since I've run into four that I can beat," the girl had a sly grin on.
The moment she began to smirk at them, the four already had a bad feeling about the girl. "Before you start talking, at least tell us who you are," Ash got slightly annoyed by the newcomer.
"I'm a Dragon Buster from the mountains, there, so now which one of you shall I beat first?" the pink-haired teen questioned.
Before Ash or May could step up and challenge her, Iris intervened, "Wait, did you say you're a Dragon Buster?" the purple-haired girl asked.
"Yeah, what's it to ya?" the girl raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"I've heard of you trainers before. You go around trying to beat dragon trainers the second you get, well guess what, I'm a Dragon Master in training and I accept your challenge!" Iris declared.
"Well that's interesting, it's been a longtime since I've beaten one. May be you'll put up a better fight than the last one," the blue-eyed stranger chuckled.
"Iris, are you sure about this?" Cilan inquired.
"Of course I am sure," Iris grinned confidently.
"Will you use Axew for this one?" May questioned.
"No, I have someone else in mind," Iris responded.
"Who?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"You'll see," Iris smirked at the three of them and gazed back at her opponent, who grinned slyly at her. Think of some sort of activity both of you might enjoy, Cilan's words rang through Iris's head.
"Let's get started," the girl smirked and reached out for a Pokéball.
Iris and the Dragon Buster stood on the opposite ends of the field with their Pokéballs in their hands. "Go get em Iris!" Ash cheered for her in the sidelines.
"We know you can do it!" May also encouraged her.
"Axew ax!" Axew said while sitting on the grass, ready to cheer for her trainer, although disappointed that it wouldn't battle this time.
"Pikapi pi!" Pikachu displayed support for its friend, while Victini was force to remain quiet and invisible since the Dragon Buster showed up, but in its mind it cheered for Iris.
Cilan served as the referee for the battle and although he wished he could support Iris, his job was to be a referee and not be bias. However, he flashed a smile at Iris and nodded as form of encouragement.
Iris smiled at the support she received from her friends and spoke, "I'm going to defend the honor of dragons and Dragon Masters everywhere. I am going to beat you!"
"We'll see," the teen chuckled and released her Pokémon.
From the Pokéball emerged an icy-looking Pokémon shaped like a double ice cream cone. "Vani," the Pokémon said when it appeared.
Iris's hairs stood up when she saw the Pokémon and muttered, "An Ice-type Pokémon…"
"What's that Pokémon?" May wondered and took out her Pokédex.
"Vanilluxe, the Snowstorm Pokémon, and the evolved form of Vanillish, Vanilluxe produces snow clouds by swallowing great quantities of water. It emits a blizzard when both heads are angered." May's Pokédex informed.
Ash quickly took notice of Iris's fear and spoke, "Iris what's wrong?"
Iris turned to Ash and spoke with a nervous laugh, "You see I have a fear of ice Pokémon."
"Afraid of ice Pokémon, that's pathetic," the girl judged and snickered.
Ash, Cilan, and May sighed at Iris's fear, but May was quick to come to her aid, "Iris, you're going to have to drop your fear if you want to win. Ice Pokémon are the same as other Pokémon so just battle them like you would any other Pokémon!" the sapphire-eyed coordinator told her.
Iris listened to May and knew she was right, the girl nodded, "Ok May." Her fear turned into determination and Iris braced herself for battle.
"Nice piece of advice May," Ash said to his girlfriend.
"We're her friends and she's in a rough spot right now so she needs our support as much as possible," May told the black-haired teen, the two grinning and turning back to the battlefield.
"Go, I'm counting on you!" Iris threw her Pokéball and when Ash, May, and Cilan saw her Pokémon, their eyes widened.
"Excadrill!" the couple said simultaneously while Cilan restraint himself from yelling. Even Pikachu, Axew, and Victini were surprised with the decision.
"I was hoping to beat a dragon Pokémon," Iris's opponent sighed and closed her eyes. She opened them again and spoke, "Whatever, you're going down anyway!"
"Trainers begin!" Cilan announced.
"Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam!" the Dragon Buster ordered.
"Excadrill, counter with Focus Blast!" Iris instructed.
Iris made her command, but Excadrill remained in its drill form. "This is not good," Ash spoke with a disappointed tone.
"Excadrill still won't listen," May also spoke with a disappointed voice.
"How ridiculous, do you want to make a fool of yourself? That Excadrill won't even listen to you!" the Dragon Buster mocked.
"Shut up!" Iris spat at her.
Vanilluxe's Ice Beam blasted Excadrill with incredible force and sent the Ground-type flying into the air while becoming trapped in ice.
"No, Excadrill's frozen!" Ash exclaimed and grinded his teeth.
"This is going to end quickly," Vanilluxe's trainer spoke sternly.
All of a sudden, the ice began to crack and smiles started to shape on the gang's faces. The ice instantly cracked and Excadrill came out. The move surprised the Dragon Buster and her Vanilluxe. "Nice job Excadrill, now use Metal Claw!" Iris commanded, feeling her spirit grow again. Sadly, after a few seconds nothing happened and the Dragon Buster sighed.
"Eeeeexcaaaadriiiiiill!" Excadrill used a Focus Blast.
"I don't think so, Vanilluxe, use Mirror Coat!" the Dragon Buster demanded.
Vanilluxe's body became enveloped in a white reflective color while Excadrill went for the offensive. "Excadrill, stop!" Iris instructed. Despite Iris's command, Excadrill disregarded her.
"Amazing, you are a lousy excuse for a trainer," the Dragon Buster mocked Iris once again.
"Not get enough, she's trying her best!" Ash came to Iris's defense, but the Dragon Buster ignored him and focused on the battle.
Vanilluxe's Mirror Coat came into contact with Focus Blast, but Mirror Coat easily deflected Focus Blast with even more power and Excadrill failed to dodge. "Driiiiiiiill!" Excadrill cried out in pain as it shot straight at the ground.
As the dust cleared, Excadrill tried to get up, but after receiving such a heavy hit, Iris, Ash, May, Cilan, and even the Pokémon were uncertain as to whether Excadrill could continue. "Excadrill, you need to start listening to me if we want to win please!" Iris begged to the Steel-type.
Excadrill ignored her and went for a Drill Run. The Ground-type began to motion like a drill as it charged at Vanilluxe. "Excadrill!" Excadrill proclaimed as it traveled with remarkable speed.
"Blizzard," the Dragon Buster commanded.
"Vanilluxe," Vanilluxe opened its mouth and let out a powerful icy breeze. The superior Ice-type attack easily halted Excadrill's charged and sent the Subterrene Pokémon crashing into the ground again with parts of its body covered in ice.
"Caaaadriiiiiill…." Excadrill's eyes were swirled when the dust and snow cleared up.
"I don't need to wait to hear who the victor is, this match is over," the Dragon Buster looked annoyed at the lack of a challenge and returned Vanilluxe. Without another word, she walked into the forest.
Iris stood in disbelief for a few seconds and then dropped to her knees. Her friends and the Pokémon rushed to her aid as soon as she lost. May, Ash, and Cilan all looked with sad expressions at the girl who tears streaming down her cheeks like rain.
"I…..stink…I'm…hopeless," Iris heaved as more tears dropped while Axew hugged her.
"Iris…" the gang said as they placed their hands on her shoulder while Excadrill remained unconscious.
That night, the gang all sat by the campfire silently. Everybody was still feeling the pain from Iris's loss earlier and all of them couldn't help but stare at Iris while she gazed at the fire. Iris just thought about how badly she got beaten by the Dragon Buster and couldn't understand why Excadrill failed to obey her; the anxiety was eating her away.
After some more minutes of silence, Ash decided to speak, "Iris, how long have you had Excadrill?"
The purple-haired girl instantly snapped out of her thinking and looked at Ash with a half-smile, "It was a long time ago when I still lived in the Village of Dragons, I found out there had been a Drilbur causing problems for the other wild Pokémon around the area so I decided to investigate. Knowing someone had to bring that Pokémon down to size, I challenged Drilbur and lots more times than I can count, but after so many losses I finally pulled through and got the best of it. Unfortunately, our scuffle ended up with Drilbur hanging from a cliff and I did everything to save it. After saving Drilbur that day, we became friends and trained together constantly. All the battles Drilbur and I had ever participated in ended with one-hit Kos and Drilbur never took a hit. Eventually we entered a tournament, during the tournament Drilbur also evolved into Excadrill and we got 99 straight wins until we faced our 100th opponent, a man named Drayden. For the first time, Excadrill was receiving actual blows from another Pokémon, which was a Haxorus. Excadrill fought as hard as it could against Haxorus, but ended up losing. The loss took a heavy toll on Excadrill; it was ashamed of its defeat and lost faith in me as its trainer, ever since then Excadrill has always ignored me."
"I'm sorry to hear how such a great companionship could turn into a disaster," Cilan pitied the girl.
Ash and May also had heartbreaking faces on; they felt nothing but sympathy for Iris. Victini and Pikachu showed saddened expressions too while Axew had a very depressing gaze, even though the Dragon-type had already heard the story before, it was always as sad as the last time.
In the midst of cheerless situation, Cilan said something, "You know Iris a good way to try and mend your relationship with Excadrill is if you try to analyze your history with it carefully. You said you two didn't get along at first, so try to see what clicked that allowed for the both of you to become friends."
"That's a great idea, when you think about it's the perfect solution!" Ash's gloomy face turned into a bright one.
"When you think about it, if you two were able to turn from enemies to friends, then I'm sure you can do it again!" May felt a new opportunity to help Iris, reveal itself.
"Pi pi pika!" Pikachu expressed his joy.
"Tini vi!" Victini clapped happily.
Axew smiled and found a new ray of hope for her trainer. The small Pokémon then climbed to her shoulder and said, "Axew ew axew ax."
Nonetheless, Iris had a look of uncertainty, "I don't know guys." The girl lowered her head.
"Iris, you have to give a shot, please. Ash, May, and I all care about you and we're doing our best to help, so please take our advice. We care about you a lot and don't want to see you hanging your head low," Cilan encouraged the brown-eyed girl.
Iris lifted her head up and gazed at Cilan, she looked deep into his green-colored and caring eyes. She became lost in them and felt a warm feeling inside her; she could feel her face heat up a bit but ignored it. Cilan…was the only thing she thought as she looked at him, but the situation at hand quickly came back to her head and her train of thought halted.
The other teens looked at her with confusion after Iris shook her head and smiled at them. "Alright, I'll take your advice. I hope it works," Iris told the gang with a happier tone in her voice.
They all nodded in agreement and smiled. "That's good to hear Iris," Ash felt confident about Iris finding a solution to her problem.
"We'll stick with you aaaaallllll…" May tried to say, but then she began to yawn, making everyone chuckle a bit while May blushed in embarrassment.
"Looks like someone's getting tired, I think we'll continue this tomorrow morning," Ash suggested.
"But I'm not sleepy," May rubbed her eye and complained like a little girl.
"C'mon May, you can't lie to me. Now let's take you to your tent," Ash fathered her.
"Carry me," the brunette began to lean on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Ash could feel his face turn red while Victini and Pikachu laughed. The raven-haired teen looked at Iris, Cilan, and Axew with a face of uncertainty, "Don't worry, we won't tease," Iris assured Ash with a grin.
The auburn-eyed boy sighed and slowly placed one arm under May's legs and the other behind her back. He gently got up and held her close to his chest, carrying the brunette like a groom would carry a bride. I didn't think I'd be strong enough to carry May like this, guess I'm a little stronger than I thought, he thought as he looked down at a sleeping May.
Pikachu and Victini climbed on his shoulders and looked down at the tired coordinator. Ash began to slowly walk away and May opened her sapphire eyes a bit to take a glimpse at him. The girl smiled contently and cuddled in his chest, if only we could stay in this position forever, she thought.
As they left, Axew whispered something to Iris and the two snickered. "Guess I'll be going to sleep as well, I'll see you in the morning Iris, night," Cilan said and walked away.
"Good night Cilan," Iris smiled at him while he walked away from the campfire.
Once everyone had gone to bed and Axew had fallen asleep on her lap, Iris's thoughts shifted from the warm fire back to Excadrill. I have to solve that problem once and for all…and I'm going to do it now! Iris said in her mind and frowned. She left Axew close to the fire so he'd be warm and began to walk away. The girl's determination soared once again and left to an area several meters away from the campsite, where she would solve her situation.
Iris looked at Excadrill's Pokéball with fiery eyes and threw it at the air, "Excadrill, come on out!" the girl ordered.
Like before, Excadrill appeared but in its usual drill form, when Iris saw the sight all she could was let out a deep breath. It's now or never, the girl thought and walked closer to Excadrill. She approached him and sat just a few centimeters away from it, "Excadrill, we may have lost today's battle, but I still think you put up a valiant effort. Time hasn't wasted your skills one bit huh?"
The girl hoped she would get a response, but after some moment she gave up on that and continued speaking. "Remember when we were younger, how we battled together and won so many battles. I couldn't picture a pair better than us, we were a team and to think we didn't like each other before that. You were bullying those Patrat and I stepped up to challenge you, we were enemies for a pretty long time and I tried so many times to beat you. It was a never ending battle that ended up with you hanging from a cliff." Iris could feel her eyes begin to water as she spoke.
"Even if we were enemies at the time, I was still willing to save you because I had begun to like you and once we got that fiasco dealt with, everything became so much better. You made things so easy for me; you were my partner for everything, from sleeping to battling. I…I…miss those days!" Iris couldn't hold it anymore and began weeping.
"You were the best…y-y-you changed my world f-f-forever by becoming my f-f-first Pokémon and f-f-friend, t-t-thank you Excadrill," Iris took deep breaths as she cried uncontrollably.
"A-a-and look at us now…w-w-we're where we s-s-started. We d-d-don't get along, b-b-but…I s-s-still care about you…and I-I-I'll stop at nothing s-s-so…we can be f-f-friends again, I'm s-s-sorry…f-f-for failing y-y-you Excadrill…I'm so sorry!" Iris cried out.
Iris began to heave and weep as she curled up. Unbeknownst to her, Excadrill had been listening the whole time and began to recall the moments they shared since they first met. The fighting, the laughing, the cheering, the Pokémon missed it all. Now Iris was crying next to it, apologizing for her mistakes and he kept hiding from his problems. Iris was trying everything to repair their friendship, but she couldn't do it alone, he had to play his part and he still cared for her. They had been in a similar situation where they disliked each other, but became friends, so if they did it once, they could do it twice and Excadrill wasn't going to let this opportunity slip.
"Excadrill…" the Pokémon came out of hiding and placed its arm on Iris's back.
Iris's crying came to a halt and quickly turned her head to look at Excadrill. "Excadrill?" the girl inquired as she wiped away her tears.
"Excadrill," Excadrill nodded with a smile.
"Oh Excadrill, thank you, thank you so much for coming back to me. I've missed you so much!" Iris leaped at the Steel-type for a hug.
"Exca," Excadrill grinned happily as he enjoyed the embrace.
After some seconds, Iris separated from Excadrill and began to speak, "Thank you for understanding."
"Drill," Excadrill grinned at Iris, the feeling of being friends with its trainer again had never felt better. The Ground-type took a few steps back, confusing Iris for a bit, but then the Subterrene focused its gaze at it tree and lunged at it.
"What are you doing Excadrill?" Iris remained baffled.
"Cadrill!" the Pokémon cried out and one of its steel claws began to glow a bright blue. Excadrill then slashed a tree with the force of the attack.
Iris's eyes instantly lightened with admiration when she saw the move. "Excadrill, you learned Dragon Claw!" the girl clasped her hands and cheered.
Excadrill looked at its trainer and shook its head joyfully. Iris then charged at Excadrill for another hug, this one was just as sweet as the last; "I'm so proud of you!" the purple-haired girl celebrated.
"Well done Iris," a familiar voice said and the pair turned their attention to the voice in the woods. Iris then identified the voice as Cilan's.
From the darkness Cilan, May, and Ash came out, all of them smiling at her, "Congrats, you two are finally friends again!" May cheered, still in her white outfit except for the white bandana.
"We're so happy for you," Ash grinned at her with his signature smile. He also wore his usual attire, but was missing his hat.
"I'm certainly proud of you both," Cilan smiled joyfully, also wearing his traditional clothes.
Iris and Excadrill smiled at them, "I couldn't have done it without help from you guys, I love all of you so much," the girl said to them, but her eyes were fixated on Cilan.
After the joyous night, the gang had woken up and the other Pokémon had also received the wonderful news from Ash, May, Iris, and Cilan. Pikachu, Victini, and Axew were clearly the most cheerful about the outcome and celebrated with the Unova girl. Now they were continuing to Striaton City until they came across a surprise.
The four teens and their Pokémon walked peacefully on the dirt path until a figure appeared in the distance. "Look, another person," May spotted the stranger. May's words quickly alerted Victini and the Pokémon knew the drill by now, the Psychic-type instantly became invisible.
"I wonder who it is," Ash tried to identify the figure that was still too far, but was clearly walking in their direction.
"You think they might be lost?" Cilan also tried to identify the stranger.
"I don't think so…" Iris focused her eyes as well and successfully identified the figure, causing her eyes to widen.
"Iris, what's wrong?" May noticed her shocked expression.
"It's that Dragon Buster!" Iris became alarmed, feeling a sense of sadness and anger growing inside her. Her friends and Pokémon also widened their eyes when they also managed to identify the person.
Ash's face became stern and asked Iris, "What are you going to do Iris?"
"Challenge her to a rematch!" Iris shouted and dashed off towards the Dragon Buster.
"Come on, let's go too!" May said and the teens and Pokémon followed behind her.
Iris quickly caught up to the figure and the Dragon Buster instantly recognized her. A smug smile came across her face and the teen spoke, "Well, if it isn't the loser from yesterday."
"Look in the mirror before you call people that!" Iris stopped in front of her, one of her hands in a fist.
"What do you want?" the Dragon Buster asked and noticed Iris's friends catching up behind her, but disregarded them.
"I challenge you to a rematch!" Iris pointed at the Dragon Buster with a determined tone.
"Do you want to lose twice in a row?" the Dragon Buster inquired, surprised that Iris would demand something like a rematch.
Before Iris could speak though, Cilan came to her defense, "If you think you're a good trainer then you won't hesitate to battle my friend again."
"Yesterday you just got lucky, Iris is going to put you in your place," May spat at her.
"So you better be prepared," Ash flashed the Dragon Buster a sly grin.
"Pika!" Pikachu also backed Iris up.
"Ax axew!" Iris's loyal partner shouted at the Dragon Buster.
Victini only gave the Dragon Buster a sly smile even though the girl was unaware of his existence. Like the others, the Fire-type also had full faith in Iris's abilities.
"Fine, I'll accept your challenge!" the Dragon Buster shouted.
Like before, Cilan served as referee and Iris and the Dragon Buster stood on opposite ends. Ash, May, Axew, Victini, and Pikachu sat in the sidelines, watching eagerly.
"Trainers choose your Pokémon and let the battle begin!" Cilan declared.
"Vanilluxe, time to battle!" the Dragon Buster threw her Pokéball.
"Excadrill, let's go!" Iris called out her friend.
The two Pokémon showed up on the battlefield like last time, but unlike before, Excadrill wasn't in drill form and was fully prepared for battle. "You even picked the same Pokémon as yesterday, do you enjoy getting mocked or something?" the Dragon Buster raised an eyebrow.
"Save the talk and battle, Excadrill, use Dig!" Iris instructed.
"Excadrill!" the Ground-type obeyed and dived underground.
The Dragon Buster quickly became surprised and spoke, "But how? That Pokémon didn't obey you yesterday."
"Things change," Iris smirked.
"Whatever," the Dragon Buster crossed her arms and made her command, "Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam at the hole to drive Excadrill out!"
"Van," Vanilluxe charged up a blue orb and fired Ice Beam into the hole Excadrill left.
"Excadrill speed it up down there!" Iris extended her arm to the left.
"My Ice Beam is like a bullet, there's no way Excadrill can escape from it," the Dragon Buster chuckled.
Iris continued to smirk and the Dragon Buster's smug face instantly disappeared. Suddenly, Excadrill resurface and back flipped away from the incoming Ice Beam. "But how?!" the Dragon Buster exclaimed.
"Excadrill is fast too," Iris gave her a sly smile.
The Ice Beam meant for Excadrill then quickly shot up, passing the Steel-type and struck Vanilluxe, making it groan in pain. "Incredible," May became astonished by the trick Iris used.
"By enhancing its speed, Excadrill perfectly dodged the Ice Beam and by resurfacing underneath Vanilluxe so Vanilluxe could become the target was clever," Ash commented, impressed Iris's strategy.
"Now go for a Metal Claw!" Iris pointed at Vanilluxe.
"Excaaaaaadriiiiiiill!" Excadrill lunged at Vanilluxe before the Ice-type could recover and slammed it with Metal Claw.
"Vaaaaaaaan!" Vanilluxe winced in pain and flew straight toward the ground.
"Vanilluxe, get it together and use Weather Ball!" the Dragon Buster ordered.
"Vanilluxe," Vanilluxe frowned and stopped itself from crashing into the earth. The Ice-type then charged up a red orb encircled in streams of fire and blasted it at Excadrill.
"Excadrill!" Iris yelled. Everyone became surprised by the fiery attack created from Weather Ball and Excadrill failed to react in time, taking damage from Weather Ball while in midair.
The blast produced a cloud of smoke in midair, but Excadrill didn't drop from it, confusing everyone. Iris smirked and all of a sudden, Excadrill shot like a bullet out of the smoke. There were serious scorch marks on its body, but the Steel-type somehow managed to endure it and charged at Vanilluxe with Drill Run.
"Endurance won't keep you like that for long, Vanilluxe use Blizzard!" the Dragon Buster demanded.
Vanilluxe took a deep breath and prepare to blow out the icy breeze, but Iris's comment instantly alarmed them, "Too slow," Excadrill's trainer smirked and Excadrill canceled out its Drill Run.
"Use Focus Blast!" the purple-haired trainer commanded.
With that said, Excadrill smirked and launched Focus Blast at Vanilluxe. The phenomenal speed and power of Focus Blast alerted Vanilluxe and before it could use Blizzard, Focus Blast already hit its mark. The blue orb attack blasted Vanilluxe into the ground and leaving a cloud of dust around it.
"Vanilluxe, get up, we can't afford to lose to this chump!" the Dragon Buster screamed.
"Vani," Vanilluxe moaned as it slowly began to hover again.
"Excadrill, let's finish this!" Iris declared.
"Quick Vanilluxe, use Mirror Coat!" the Dragon Buster commanded.
"Mud-Slap!" Iris instructed.
"Cadrill!" Excadrill roared and threw dirt at the Ice-type, blinding its eyes and preventing it from using Mirror Coat.
"No!" Vanilluxe's trainer exclaimed.
"Dragon Claw!" Iris extended her arm forward.
The Dragon Buster's eyes widened when she heard the command and tried to react fast, "Vanilluxe, use Acid Armor!"
Vanilluxe's body began to glow blue while it still kept its eyes shut from the dirt that went in them. Nevertheless, Vanilluxe had already taken too much damage and not even Acid Armor was enough to save.
"Eeeeexcaaaadriiiiiiill!" Excadrill's claw began to glow blue and the Pokémon slashed Vanilluxe, slamming it against the ground. A cloud of dust formed when Vanilluxe got slammed, but it quickly dispersed and revealed the victor.
Vanilluxe lay on the ground with swirl eyes while Excadrill stood triumphantly, panting from the amount of energy it used up. "Vanilluxe is unable to battle, the winner is Excadrill!" Cilan announced.
"Yeah, way to go Iris!" Ash and May said at the same time, pumping their fists in the air.
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped in the air with Axew and Victini joyfully.
"Unbelievable," the Dragon Buster muttered with an annoyed look and returned Vanilluxe. The girl then walked away without a word, the gang disregarding her completely.
"Excadrill, we did it, we won!" Iris hugged the Subterrene Pokémon.
"Drill!" Excadrill celebrated with her.
"Nice job Iris, you two really had the battle under control and both of you have earned the victory," Cilan congratulated the two, who thanked Cilan with joyful grins.
Their dancing, laughing, yelling, and cheering echoed through the forest. The victory Iris and Excadrill have gained has left Ash and May with yet another fond memory of the many adventures that still wait for them throughout Unova.
A large screen was in the background of the ceremony, the screen displayed one photo at a time of a happy pair living their lives as friends, teenage lovers, and as parents. A large audience of approximately ten thousand watched from their seats. Yet despite the many people in the large and dark auditorium, it was completely silent.
On the blue stage were dozens of recognizable faces, there stood a spiky-haired man who could easily be identified as Brock, the orange-haired girl next to him was Misty. Next to Misty was a brunette man, which was Gary. On Brock's other end was Tracey and Daisy. Daisy stood next to Max and Dawn stood on Gary's end. Iris and Cilan stood next to Dawn and Paul. None of them had aged much over the years, but at this point they were now full-fledged adults. In the middle, in front of Brock, Gary, and Misty were four older figures, whose faces hadn't changed much either. It was Delia Ketchum, Norman, Caroline and Professor Oak. Delia was clearly wiping away several tears with her handkerchief while Norman held Caroline's hand as the woman tried to hold back tears.
At the foot of the stage were two coffins lying on a small platform buried in beautiful flowers. There were bouquets of roses, lilies, daises, and many other beautiful flowers. Petals lied everywhere around the platform. Among the many roses lying on the two coffins, a small photo could be found lying on its respective coffin. One coffin had the photo of a sapphire-eyed brunette and the other of raven-haired male.
Two other details in the ceremony were two smaller figures hiding among the adults on the stage. One was a boy with black hair and sapphire eyes while the other had brown hair and auburn eyes. Misty and Brock were trying their best to get them to halt their tears, but the two children could not hold back the sadness.
"Rest in peace," Professor Oak sighed after finishing his speech.
The audience began to clap and noise finally echoed through the dark auditorium, as the people on the stage prepared to get off the stage, the little boy near Misty told the gym leader something, "Aunt Misty…I-I-I want to say something."
"You may sweetie," Misty gave him a sweet grin and nodded.
"Professor, Roxas, would like to say a few more words," Brock informed the old man before he could let go of the microphone.
"Of course," Professor Oak nodded.
Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Gary, Daisy, Delia, Norman, Caroline, and Sapphire silently watched the little boy walk closer to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have one more thing left for the night," Professor Oak informed the audience so that they would stay in their seats.
When the audience saw Roxas get near the microphone they began to clap and whistle as the shy boy was guided by Brock, Misty, and Gary. When Roxas finally reached for the microphone, the people became quiet in a second.
Roxas shyly started to speak, "I just wanted to say…"
"Speak up sweetheart, speak up," Dawn told Roxas with a tender tone. Brock rubbed his on hand on Roxas's arm while Misty held his hand and Max had his hand on Roxas's shoulder. They were all standing with the boy, ready to hear his words.
"Ever since I was born…" Roxas now spoke loud enough so that everyone in the back may also. As soon as Roxas said those words, Misty tried hard to hold back tears while Brock seemed to try to harden himself so he'd stop from breaking down. Dawn silently let her tears drop as Paul held on to her hand. Caroline and Delia sobbed in Norman and Professor Oak's chests respectively.
"Daddy and mommy have been the best parents you could ever imagine," Roxas began to heave and felt tears starting to roll down his cheeks.
Max rubbed his eyes with his arm while Misty's eyes became red. Cilan held Iris close to him as she sobbed and he closed his eyes while tears poured down his cheeks. The sadness in the auditorium intensified as people in the audience also began to cry. "And I just want to say I love him…so much!" Roxas let go of the microphone that instant and cried into Misty's chest while everyone else tried to get a grip on themselves, even Paul silently let tears drop to the ground.
The audience began to clap as everyone on the stage quickly began to walk away from the microphone, not looking back. Norman and Caroline quietly escorted a tearful Sapphire away with Roxas, but Delia reached for the microphone one last time.
"W-we want to thank you all for loving my son and May and s-supporting our family. Thank you and good night," Delia said before leaving as well, wiping away her tears as she ran to catch up with the others.
Once again the audience clapped until the gang disappeared, leaving them with the large screen displaying images of Ash and May. One photo showed the two posing with Brock and Max just after Ash and May had competed in the Hoenn competitions. After three seconds, the slide changed to another, a photo of when Ash and May won the Terracotta Ribbon. More slides followed of Ash and May during the Wallace Cup, after they became a couple in Pallet Town and others of when they traveled in Unova including one where they posed with Victini. Ash stuck two fingers out and smiled happily while May winked and held onto Ash's hand with Victini between their heads.
The final slide showed Ash and May during the day Roxas and Sapphire were born. May was in a white hospital gown and her eyes were shining like sapphires, her gaze had never been so beautiful and Ash wore an outfit similar to the one he wore in Kalos, his signature smile forced people in the audience to break down into tears. May sat up on the bed with Sapphire in her arms and Ash stood with Roxas in his arms. The pair grinned cheerfully at the audience with the two sleeping babies.
At the foot of the stage Brock, Misty, Dawn, Gary, Paul, Tracey, Iris, and Cilan appeared. Paul, Gary, Iris, and Cilan grabbed onto the handles of May's coffin while Brock, Misty, Dawn, and Tracey grabbed the handles of Ash's coffin. As they lifted them up the flowers gracefully to the ground and carried them away while the audience whistled, clapped, screamed, cried, saying their final goodbyes to the pair everyone had loved so dear. Roxas watched from behind the curtains as his parents were being carried off, he then looked up at slide from when he was born and then at the coffin. The boy then ran off.
I'm sorry for the wait, my vacation had ended two weeks ago but when I got back I had gotten some terrible news that has kept my spirits low ever since. I don't know where I found the energy to write this chapter, but I did it for you guys and I hoped you enjoyed it, it's probably sloppier than usual since I was barely able to focus as I typed this chapter. This chapter focused a bit more on Iris and Negaishipping because I thought Ash and May can't always have the spotlight so I figured Iris and Cilan deserve some more spotlight once in a while just so they can develop a bit as well, I hope that didn't ruin the chapter too much for you, I did add an Advanceshipping scene during the campsite part lol. Regardless, I hope to hear what you guys thought I don't know when I'll post up the next chapter, hopefully soon. If there is any trouble that prevents me from working on the next chapter, I'll be sure to inform you though. One thing I will promise is that I will finish this story, don't know when but I will! Just please have patience. Hope to hear from you guys, till next time!