Chapter 39: Elevation
The gang remained confused after Nate welcomed them. "Training?" Iris repeated, understanding what Nate meant, but at the same time she felt as though she couldn't understand what he meant.
"How did you get Pikachu?" was Ash's first question.
"What happened to Team Rocket?" May inquired with a confused tone.
"And what are the Lake Guardians doing with you?" Cilan was in as much disbelief as the others.
Victini was just as shocked as the gang, but the moment it saw Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf it successfully identified them as the three powers it had sensed this whole time.
"Looks like we have some stuff to explain," Rosa grinned sheepishly.
"Let's go to our cabin, it's not much a walk from here," Auro told the others.
At the cabin, the gang sat down with the three super trainers in a round wooden table as the gang began to ask the trio many questions regarding what the heck was going on. "I'm curious about the strange fog that appeared out of the blue and the fact that Team Rocket also showed up out nowhere," Cilan stated to Auro, Nate, and Rosa.
"Yeah, plus we ran into these phenomenally powerful Pokémon along the way and then came across this long stretch of land," Iris added to Cilan.
Nate decided to answer some of their thoughts, "The fog that appeared out of nowhere was caused by us and the strong Pokémon belong to us, we told them to attack you." Nate's explanation surprised them a bit; especially his last remark, but before they asked any other questions Rosa stepped up.
"Team Rocket was just an illusion we made in order to lure here and the stretch of land was also caused by us to give you a path to cross over to this small island," Rosa informed them.
When Rosa mentioned that the Team Rocket they came across was nothing, but an illusion they couldn't avoid the feeling of sorrow returning inside them. Ash especially, felt his old worries increasing inside and his spirit dropped, this information was enough to keep the auburn-eyed boy quiet and forget any questions he had. The first to notice these changes in spirit were May, Pikachu, and Victini.
Pikachu especially felt sort of the same disappointment as Ash since the mouse was the first to find out that his kidnappers had actually been Nate, Rosa, and Auro.
May was in disbelief as well, but she still had some questions, "Victini wasn't able to use its powers whenever we got attacked and there were also always these weird projections wandering as we got closer to the island-,"
Before she could finish though, Auro already knew where she was going with this, "The projections you saw the Lake Guardians watching over you and were the ones who did most of the work since they spawned the fog as well as producing the Team Rocket illusion. It was also this trio that stole Pikachu underneath your nose, with their psychic powers they were even able to avoid Victini's detection and they were responsible for Victini's inability to fight during battles by disabling its attacks through their psychic techniques."
Victini appeared a bit distrustful of the three newcomers since they were unknown it and they seemed to carry an awful amount of power for just three trainers, even its "mama" and "papa" paled in comparison to the aura it felt from them or the power emitting from their Pokéballs. It also seemed strange to the Victory Pokémon that these three treated it like if it were just another normal Pokémon, although it did see Rosa and Nate flash a smile at it when they first appeared.
Everyone became amazed by the stunt the three trainers had managed to pull off with the assistance of the Lake Guardians. The only who didn't seem to care anymore at this point about the details was Ash, who just looked down at the table with a depressed gaze.
"I don't get why you had your Pokémon attack us though, Samurott nearly drowned us?" Iris raised an eyebrow with a look of annoyance.
"I thought we were friends, I didn't imagine you guys would disable Victini's powers and let Samurott pummel it later," May frowned at them, getting very defensive of her little Fire-type.
Auro sighed and spoke, "We're sorry for straining you to such a level, but we had to do it. You see, your trip to this island was the first part of your training."
The news came as a surprise to the teens and their eyes widened, "You mean you were watching over us this whole time?" Cilan stared at them with shock.
"Unfortunately, you didn't you do all that well," Rosa let out a deep breath of disappointment.
"The first thing you messed up on was the fact that you were very dependent on your Blaziken. The only reason you were able to defeat Ninetales and Samurott was because Blaziken was the only veteran Pokémon you had at your disposal, but once you reached Electivire you knew it could no longer handle another intense battle," Nate pointed out the first major error in their training session.
"This is also connected to the reason why we had Victini's powers disabled. Victini's powers got disabled so you wouldn't become dependent on it as well since it is a Legendary Pokémon. The only Pokémon you will most likely use in a real life situation are the Pokémon in your Pokéballs, Victini isn't legitimately your Pokémon since you never actually caught it," Rosa pointed another thing out.
These critical explanations caused the gang's heads to lower, but the one hit hardest was once again Ash although May felt almost just as disappointed as him. "Pika…" Pikachu sighed at the result as well, it had been watching their progress since it had been captured and every time they continued Pikachu couldn't help, but wish it had been there to help its trainer.
"The results were very disappointing to say the least. You are all very experienced trainers, but the most alarming thing about all this was how you handled Electivire…Ash," Auro's eyes focused on the raven-haired teen. The blue-haired trainer's eyes became filled with sympathy for Ash, but he knew it was the boy's recklessness that led to ultimate defeat.
Ash lifted his head for a moment to catch Auro's gaze, but then lowered it once he saw how stern he appeared. Auro appeared to be just a bit older than him, yet the tough spiky blue-haired teen seemed to behave like a full-fledged adult.
"It was completely rash to just charge past Electivire like that, just because you are unwilling to battle doesn't mean it'll let you pass unharmed. When Electivire ThunderPunched you it was showing you that it wouldn't let you accomplish your goal at all costs even if it meant hurting you. The reason we had our Pokémon attack you four directly was because out in a real battle, when you really come to face the true power of the Majestic 12 you'll realize that they don't play by the rules. Members like Genesis and Silver show no mercy and they won't hesitate to kill the trainer during the middle of a Pokémon battle, they are killers with no limits, no form of rule can subdue. When Samurott used Water Pulse and Electivire used ThunderPunch, it was an example of the kind of brutality the darkest members of the Majestic 12 will use and this applies to the highest-ranking members of the Team Plasmas and Team Rocket," Auro gave some clarity regarding the aggression of their Pokémon and criticized Ash's actions during the training.
While Cilan and Ash displayed fear in their eyes, Iris and May felt a feeling of great fright overcome them. "You mean…they'll actually try to kill us instead of just when the battle?" May gulped and spoke with a frightened tone.
"The Majestic 12 will drag along a fight until they become bored, that's when they kill. The other moment where they will murder you is when they are on the verge of defeat, that's when they lose it and are prepared to blow the area up," Auro informed and images of the most brutal members crossed through the elite's mind.
"If you want to start saving lives like Team Rocket's, then you must learn to strategize, raise your senses, and expand your abilities as trainers," Rosa crossed her arms.
When Ash heard Rosa mention saving lives such as Team Rocket's the boy gazed at her with confusion, "Don't worry Ash, she can't read minds, Mesprit was able to read your thoughts on your way here and told us what happened regarding Team Rocket," Nate explained to the black-haired teen.
Ash sighed and spoke, "Yeah, Team Rocket is gone."
"What happened to Team Rocket is sad, but we have a feeling they haven't been harmed yet," Auro told the auburn-eyed teen, slightly raising his spirit.
"What makes you say that?" Ash raised an eyebrow while May and the others were also interested.
"The way the Majestic 12 works with its prisoners is they capture them and force them to operate a certain agenda of theirs. Once they have completed their tasks, then they kill them. The reason why Pierce got tortured was because the device he took was very dear to them. The Rocket trio will serve of some use the Majestic 12 for now, but once they complete their mission then that's when you should start worrying," Auro went into the details.
The news alleviated the teens a bit, but this still meant Team Rocket was bound for the same fate as Pierce and Ash wasn't ready to allow that. "No worries Ash, that's what this training is for. We're going to train all of you to your highest potential so when you get out into the world, you'll be prepared to battle anyone and…save lives," Rosa remarked and smiled at them.
"Roxas asked us to train you as hard as we can. Having lived in military stations for half of our lives and being raised by the most powerful trainers in the world have given us ideas on what kind of training will increase your abilities substantially. One of the most important results from this training will be the fact that you'll learn to survive in any situation you find yourself in," Auro stood up from his chair and smirked at them.
The teens nodded, although Ash still appeared disappointed about the news concerning Team Rocket. There was a question from May that needed to be answered though, "You know, I was wondering…do Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit belong to the three of you?" the sapphire-eyed girl asked with a great curiosity in her eyes.
"Not exactly," Nate smiled sheepishly.
"You see the cave you saw earlier was the Cave of Being and it's rumored to have an underground tunnel connecting it to the three lakes of Sinnoh and its caves. The Cave of Being also happens to be one of the many residencies of the Lake Guardians across the world. Through the cave we were able to contact the three of them and convinced them to assist is in our battle since the trouble brewing in Unova has been sensed by Pokémon as far as Sinnoh. Besides, when we told them Ash was involved in this crusade the trio was more than thrilled to aid us since it wasn't the first time they worked together to save the world," Rosa smiled at the three Psychic Pokémon and then at Ash who surprised by the girl's statement.
The three Lake Guardians turned their eyes to Ash and hovered to him with content faces. Victini quickly stuck close to Ash's shoulder as the three Pokémon spun around Ash happily. "Me…." Mesprit spun around Ash with a grin.
"Aaaaz," Azelf patted Ash on his shoulder while happily greeting Pikachu.
"Uuuuu," Uxie motioned up and down smiling at Ash.
The happiness of the Legendary Trio caused Ash to smile and the trainer spoke, "Nice to see the three of you again too, it's been a long time. It was really nice of you guys to help out friends with such a willing attitude."
The Lake Guardians aligned together in a horizontal line and nodded happily at Ash. "They are more than glad to be together with you again Ash, more than ever because it involves the four of you working together to save the world once again," Nate chuckled while the others smiled happily.
As Victini began to look at the Lake Guardians with more analytical eyes, it could tell that they weren't devious Pokémon like it had originally believed especially since they were willing and able to work with "papa" to challenge the Majestic 12 and its allies. Pikachu also displayed his happiness and smiled confidently at them, the mouse was ready to do whatever it took to help out its Pokémon brethren in another global threat.
Ash himself thought a good amount of time about the Nate's words, save the world once again, and could feel a brand new flame of determination emerge inside him. Memories of the battle in Castelia City, the fight at Liberty Garden, and Team Rocket's capture motioned through his mind like film roll, making the fire even stronger. The auburn-eyed boy clenched his fists and smirked confidently, his spirit got renewed and Ash found two appropriate words to say, "I'm ready."
"That's the spirit," Nate grinned happily and made a fist while Auro also displayed a satisfied smile while Rosa's eyes lit up with joy.
May, Pikachu, Cilan, Axew, and Iris also smiled at Ash's new flame and were ready to stand beside him in the greatest challenge yet. His brunette girlfriend turned to Auro and flashed him a confident smile, "What's our first task Auro?"
Auro raised his head and spoke, "The first thing we're going to have to do is teleport you and Ash to a certain area with Rosa and Nate."
"What for?" Iris questioned.
"The purpose is for you to locate the 10 evolutionary stones lying around in the area. You'll be split into pairs with Ash obviously being paired up with May and Nate with Rosa. You must compete against each other to retrieve the most stones, when there are no stones left you will be teleported back here and the pair with the most stones are the victors," Auro explained to them.
"That sounds easy enough," Ash smiled with poise.
"Here's the kicker though, lethal force is authorized," Nate chuckled and gave them a sly grin.
Nate's remark forced the gang to raise their eyebrows while Rosa added to Nate's statement, "What Nate means by that is if we wish Nate and I can hurt you with our Pokémon if we want to steal your stones or get you out of the game. You guys may also try to attack us with your Pokémon to steal our stones or get us out of the way."
Rosa's explanation alarmed the couple and their Unova friends, provoking Ash and May to scream simultaneously, "Why?!"
"Like we said before, if you want to save lives, survive, or save the world there are going to be some malicious people who will be willing to take your lives in order to prevent that. People like Pierce or Phantom are obvious examples of the character I'm referring to. Remember that you aren't just going into conflict with another organized crime organization; you are going into conflict with a very secret group of skilled and sadistic villains involved in the occult and they are going to kill you if they want something from you, you must learn to defend yourself against them if you want to live," Auro reminded them why this segment of the training allowed such harsh tactics.
"Wow…" May felt her heart drop at the sound of the word "kill".
"You could imagine we're Team Rocket, Team Neo Plasma, or the Majestic 12 if you feel like competing against your friends will hold you back," Rosa suggested.
"Keep in mind, this form of training is meant to increase your problem solving skills and senses out on the field, including eye sight and hearing. It'll also give you a taste of what the conflict between us and the Majestic 12 really is like when Team Neo Plasma and Team Rocket are not around," Auro spoke with a stern tone.
Ash and May gulped a bit once again, but they knew they were doing this to ensure that evil would not triumph. They were ready to do whatever it took to save the planet. Meanwhile, in the back Iris and Cilan's expressions displayed concern for their two friends.
"By the way, here are Oshawott, Liepard, Deerling, Snivy, and Blaziken's Pokéballs," Nate handed Ash and May their Pokémon that had fought valiantly against Nate, Rosa, and Auro's much stronger Pokémon.
"Another thing you should probably know is Victini isn't allowed to go into the training for this part," Auro informed.
"What?!" Ash's eyes widened.
"Why?!" May's jaw dropped.
"Pika?!" Pikachu also became shocked by the news.
"Vi…" Victini's eyes showed worry when it heard Auro as well.
"I'm aware of how close Victini is to the two of you, but we can't allow Victini in this part of training because we fear you'll become too dependent on it to help you win all your battles. It wouldn't go well for you if something happened to Victini and you wouldn't be able to solve the issue without him," Auro once again had to be the bringer of bad news.
"Tini v…" Victini lowered its head in disappointment while Ash and May along with Pikachu sighed.
"Don't worry you two; we'll leave Victini under Iris and Cilan's care so you don't have to worry about anything. Plus, the Lake Guardians and Axew will also be here to keep it company," Rosa placed her hands on her hips and tried to cheer up the trio.
"Does that mean we're not receiving any training?' Cilan raised an eyebrow as he asked.
"You two will also have some training as well, it won't be as strenuous as Ash and May's trials and it doesn't involve dependency on Pokémon so Victini can be with you. Once Ash and May are teleported I will assign you your training for the day," Auro responded to Cilan's question.
"Ummm…ok?" Iris seemed unsure of how to reply, she wasn't sure why Auro couldn't just give them the task now.
"I guess that's all there is to say for now," Nate crossed his arms.
"Then I guess the training can commence," Auro looked at his friend, who nodded in return.
"Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie, if you please," Rosa told the Lake Guardians, who nodded and formed a triangle around Ash, May, Rosa, Nate, and Pikachu while Victini was forced to separate from them.
"We'll be ok," May told Victini as the Legendary Pokémon slowly hovered away.
"As soon as we're done, we'll be with you and play as much as we can," Ash grinned at the Victory Pokémon.
Victini beamed at them and nodded as the Lake Guardians began to glow blue. "Remember, even though each pair will spawn in a different area it doesn't mean you won't bump into each other," Auro informed.
Ash and May nodded while Nate and Rosa merely smirked. "Good luck!" Iris and Cilan told the trio. Within three seconds, they all disappeared, leaving Victini uncertain about how its parents would do, but Axew was here and so were the Lake Guardians, whom cheerfully introduced themselves to their fellow Psychic-type.
Out in the wilderness, Ash and May found themselves standing on the cliff of a canyon overlooking a mountainous forest of rock. The pair along with Pikachu looked around with doubt, not sure where to begin. The wind was a bit intense at their height since Ash's hat threatened to blow away while May's hair flapped like wings.
"How are we going to find stones in a place this large," May looked south, east, west, and north.
"When they said their training was going to be difficult, they weren't kidding," Ash gazed at the horizon.
May sighed and spoke, "I think we'll spend the rest of our lives trying to find the stones like this Ash, we don't even have much equipment to help us anyway except for the stuff in our packs."
"Don't say that May, I'm sure we'll think of something, as a matter of fact I already do," Ash reached for a Pokéball as he spoke.
"What Ash?" May looked at him with her curious eyes.
"Go Tranquil!" Ash called out his trusty bird Pokémon.
"Tran," Tranquil flew high into the air once it emerged from the ball and then looked back at Ash once it flapped high enough.
"We'll have Tranquil help us scout the area. Tranquil we need your help finding evolutionary stones around this canyon, if you spot any shiny and hard material with a unique design make sure to bring it to us, got it?" Ash gave Tranquil a thumbs up.
"Quil," Tranquil nodded obediently and immediately flew off into the horizon.
"Wow, why didn't I think of that?" May felt stupid for not realizing such an obvious solution.
"Well Auro did say this training would increase our problem-solving skills," Ash said and May nodded in response.
After a few seconds Ash took a deep breath and spoke, "Well we don't have all day, let's get going Pikachu we can't let Rosa and Nate beat us."
"Pikapi chu," Pikachu nodded and the boy and ran to a very slanted side canyon leading to a lower level of the rocky area.
"Ash, wait up are you sure this is safe?" May sighed and ran after him, not sure if they were off to a good start.
"Course it is, we've been on crazier adventures before, c'mon May!" Ash smiled at her as he lunged himself at the slanted side of the canyon and began to slide down from it like if he were riding a snowboard.
At first May was unsure, but then thought to herself, I've avoided falling from high places before, saved myself from a Legendary Pokémon's rampage before and survived a darn bomb, if I can get through all of that, I can do this! The brunette encouraged herself and went behind Ash.
The sapphire-eyed girl became surprised by how smooth the surface was and how nice her shoes were able to slide without her having much trouble maintaining her balance. "Hey this is kind of fun," May giggled with delight.
"This is nice Pikachu, I just hope May's doing alright back there," Ash spoke to his pal.
Pikachu looked back and saw May sliding down as smoothly as he was, "Pika pika pi."
"Great, I'm sure we'll find those stones in no time," Ash said confidently.
At an abrupt moment though, something emerged from the surface. "Diglett!" the Ground-type surfaced in front of Ash.
"Uh-oh!" Ash's eyes widened and the boy attempted to stop.
May quickly caught eye of what was going and yelled, "Ash watch out!"
"I know!" Ash tried to find the force to stop him, but it was too late and Diglett forced him to trip, causing the boy to fly off from the surface.
"Ash!" May yelled, but all of a sudden a Diglett appeared in front of her as well. "No, that can't be good!" May's eyes widened.
"Dig!" Diglett winced from the kick it received from May as she flew into the air behind Ash.
"May be this wasn't such a good ideaaaaaa!" Ash gritted his teeth as he felt his life flash before his very eyes.
"Ash when I get my hands on yoooouuuuu!" May yelled as she caught up to him.
They flew up like rockets, but now they found themselves falling like missiles down towards the earth. Ash was uncertain about what to do while May frantically tried to find a solution until an idea lit up inside her mind.
She reached for one of her Pokéballs and threw it down at the ground, "Blaziken, please catch us we need your help!" May threw her Pokéball with all her desperation.
Within milliseconds, Blaziken quickly emerged and landed on a platform attached to the rocky wall of the canyon. "Blaziken!" Blaziken stood proudly and saw both Ash and May shooting down its way.
"Blaze," Blaziken's eyes flared up and the Pokémon rushed against a rocky wall and lunged itself upward. The force of the jump was powerful enough to reach Ash and May's height, allowing the Fire-type to quickly grab the two trainers from the waist and carry them to safety.
As fast as Blaziken shot up, it dashed down just as rapidly and slid down a rocky wall just as smoothly, ultimately landing back on the platform from before. "Thanks Blaziken, you really saved us," Ash thanked the Fighting-type once it let go of Ash.
"I'm really glad you came with us Blaziken, I don't know what we would've, but you can return for now, thanks again," May smiled kindly at her faithful partner, who grinned back as it returned to its Pokéball.
"Blaziken really saved us didn't it?" Ash let out a sigh of relief and smiled at his girlfriend.
May glared at Ash and got closer to him, she flexed one arm and quickly smacked him across the face, producing a loud sound that echoed across the canyon. The sound of slap caused Pikachu's eyes to widen while Ash's left cheek turned a bright red.
"Humph," May closed her eyes and jerked her head up, walking away like a diva.
Ash held his cheek and tried to push back the tear forming on the corner of his left eye. "Sorry…" Ash mumbled as he rubbed his cheek with pain while Pikachu sighed.
For the next seconds Ash spent his time rubbing his cheek while May scanned the area. "Where should we go from this point Ash?" May asked her reckless boyfriend.
Ash looked around the area and spotted what appeared to be a rocky path leading to a lower level of the canyon floor. "Well we could try to walk down this path, it's the only reasonable way to get down even though some of this rocks might crack," Ash took a careful look at the rocky path.
May analyzed the rocky path Ash referred and saw no other choice, "I guess since we don't have another way of getting down we might as well take that path," the coordinator agreed. Before May could take a step something burst out of the rocky wall that alarmed the pair instantly.
"Wha?!" May's eyes became alert and saw the figure bursting out of the wall.
"You've got to be kidding," Ash grinded his teeth when he saw the tremendous figure.
"Gaaarggggh!" the giant blue-horned monster roared itself out into the light.
May quickly reached for her Pokédex to see what the machine had to say, "Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon. Nidoking swings its large tail about to create distance, then charges in with the full force of its body behind it."
"How come this one is so large and blue?" May compared the purple Nidoking in the Pokédex to the one in front of her, which seemed at least a one-fourth taller than the average Nidoking.
"It must be a rare Nidoking and look what is on its chest," Ash quickly took note of the feature on its chest.
May immediately spotted it as well once Ash pointed it out. Right there on its chest sticking out was a Moon Stone. "Just our luck, the first stone we find is under the possession of a Nidoking," May muttered.
"This isn't going to be easy," Ash glared at the Nidoking who appeared to want to engage as battle once it spotted Ash and May.
"What should we do Ash?" May asked as she frowned at the threatening Nidoking.
"Well Nidoking are pretty large Pokémon so they tend to be slow and rely more on strength so I say we should use light and speedy Pokémon like Pikachu," Ash looked at his pal with a confident smile.
Easily recognizing the message behind the statement, Pikachu nodded eagerly and landed on the ground with its battle instinct turning on, "Pika!" the mouse smirked.
"Then I'll let my Deerling join this one!" May threw her Pokéball into the air, releasing her loyal Grass-type.
"Deer!" Deerling landed with the same spirit as Pikachu and glared at the towering Nidoking.
Nidoking growled proudly as the growl echoed through the canyon. The large Pokémon jumped into the air as its feet began to glow white, then it somersaulted forward preparing to use Double Kick.
"Deerling, avoid Double Kick with Camouflage!" May commanded.
"Pikachu, dodge using Agility!" Ash ordered.
"Pi!" Pikachu braced itself and then moved away in an instant.
"Ling!" Deerling was able to blend into its environment immediately and successfully avoided the fierce attack.
When Nidoking had made impact with the platform a few cracks formed and two large towers of light erupted, forcing Pikachu and Deerling to dodge once again, only narrowly avoiding it. Nidoking's surprise Earth Power forced Deerling and Pikachu to swiftly avoid it, but Deerling was forced to give up its camouflage in order to focus its power on dodging.
"That Nidoking is cleverer than I thought," Ash became impressed by the amount of intelligence Nidoking displayed.
Nidoking roared loudly once again and this time shot a purple orb into the sky. "It's going to use Toxic Spikes!" May exclaimed.
"If we remain on the ground when that thing hits we're done for. This platform is too small to hold a battle of this proportion," Ash gritted his teeth.
The situation was quickly becoming dire extremely fast and the couple had to think of something. The two examined their surroundings carefully, but rapidly at the same time until both took a good look at the Moon Stone, the cracks beneath Nidoking and the cliff behind it. Almost instantly, the two simultaneously got an idea and the pair looked at each other.
Just by looking at each other's eyes and smiles they could tell that they were thinking the same thing and nodded. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
"Deerling!" May shouted.
"Lunge yourself at Nidoking's chest before you make contact with the Toxic Spikes!" the yelled at the same time.
Deerling braced itself for a Take Down while Pikachu began to glow a bright gold aura due to the effects of Double-Edge and the two took off from the ground, shooting at Nidoking's chest like bullets.
The two bashed at it with all their force and managed to dislodge the Moon Stone from Nidoking's chest and the small pair managed to send Nidoking flying off from the edge of the platform. Roaring one last time before falling, the Drill Pokémon accepted its defeat as the purple orb in the order burst in midair, shooting down toxic spikes.
"May, we have to get out of here!" Ash pulled May by the arm as he threw his Pokéball, "Snivy, use Vine Whip to reel in Pikachu, Deerling, and the Moon Stone.
"Sniiiiii!" Snivy didn't waste a second once it came out of its ball. The Grass-type wrapped one of its vines around Pikachu and Deerling, reeling them in before the bullet-speed toxic spikes could make contact with the platform and reeled in the Moon Stone with its other vine.
Snivy then threw Pikachu and Deerling to Ash and May, their trainers successfully capturing them in their arms while Snivy carried the Moon Stone. "Run!" Ash shouted and pulled May while Pikachu got on his shoulder and Deerling leaped onto the rocky path to run alongside the humans with Snivy. The platform left behind came into contact with the Toxic Spikes and the small blasts from the Poison-type move caused the platform to crack and break apart, not being able to handle the energy of Toxic Spikes.
Ash, May, Snivy, Pikachu, and Deerling all dashed down lowest level of the canyon as the rocky path crumbled, no longer remaining attached to the canyon. "Snivy, you did great, give me the Moon Stone, earned yourself a good break," Ash told his partner.
"Vy," Snivy nodded and threw the Moon Stone at Ash's hand. Ash snatched it from midair and returned the sly snake-like Pokémon.
"Deerling have some rest now also, you performed perfect," May smiled at Deerling, who nodded happily and the brunette returned it to its Pokéball.
As bit by bit the rocky path began to collapse Ash, May, and Pikachu continued to run down, not letting the collapsing path catch up to them. "Just a little more," Ash said when he saw there were only about four levels left.
"Is our whole training going to be like this?" May asked with some concern and slight fright as they continued downward.
"I wouldn't be surprised, who knows what other challenges Auro, Nate, and Rosa have for us," Ash stated.
"This isn't going to get any easier, if we are going to keep bumping into sneaky and bulky Pokémon throughout this canyon I have a feeling things won't be as easy as we originally thought," May pointed out.
"Plus we have Nate and Rosa to look out for" Ash frowned.
"We can't let them win, let's hurry!" May said and the pair dashed down at equal speed, ultimately leaping off the trail from a moderate height and landed coolly on the ground as the remaining part of the rocky path collapsed.
Before either of them could say anything though, May noticed a small, yet bright object falling down towards them. "I've got it!" May braced herself and leaped into the air, catching the item in her hand. When May touched the earth Ash quickly asked what it was.
"Well what is it May?" Ash inquired.
"Pi?" Pikachu also wanted to take glance.
May turned around and looked at them with a smile, extending her hand out, revealing a Sun Stone. "It's a Sun Stone," the brunette spoke with a content tone.
At first Ash couldn't believe, they had already gotten two stones, but what was hard to believe was that it just fell to the sky. When it gazed up though, the trainer only saw a Tranquil flying in the distance.
May also noticed his gaze with Pikachu and the pair also spotted Tranquil flying in the horizon. The three smiled at the noble Flying-type Pokémon, "It was Tranquil that found the Sun Stone for us," Ash grinned, proud of his friend.
"Thanks to our quick wits and Pokémon we've already got two stones, if we keep this up we might just make it out in one piece," May said optimistically.
"You bet," Ash crossed his arms and agreed with a grin.
As they kept walking through the canyon they could feel the intense heat finally settling into their bodies. "This isn't good, I feel so sticky and sweaty I can't stand it," May wiped away some sweat from her forehead.
"You're telling me," Ash also wiped away the sweat from his forehead; a bit disgusted by how wet his hair felt.
"Pika…" Pikachu was also troubled by the heat.
"We're not going to make it, we've been walking for ages," May sighed as they walked.
"May, it's only been like 15 minutes since we got the Sun Stone," Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly," May sighed, causing Ash and Pikachu to sigh due to the girl's exaggerated comment.
"I think I have an idea how we can solve this though," Ash smiled and called out a Pokémon.
Before May could ask what his solution was, Oshawott appeared in front of them and the brunette's face lightened up, once again wondering how they didn't think of this earlier. "Osha oshawott!" the Water-type Pokémon stood proudly in front of them.
"Oshawott it's getting pretty hot out here, we thought it'd help us cool down if you used a non-pressurized version of Water Gun," Ash smiled at his friend.
"Osh?" Oshawott raised an eyebrow, upset that it had gotten called out something like that rather than a battle.
"Oh please Oshawott, just help us cool down a little, I think it'd be incredibly nice of you," May clasped her hands together and spoke with a sweet tone.
Oshawott looked at May and saw how desperate the brunette was, plus since she was his trainer's girlfriend it made the otter Pokémon feel an increasing amount of guilt for acting so prideful about itself. "Oshawott osh," Oshawott gave in and nodded with a kind grin.
"Thank you so much Oshawott!" May's eyes brightened and the girl pecked the otter on the cheek, making the Water-type Pokémon's eyes turn into hearts.
This caused May, Ash, and Pikachu laugh and Ash merely said, "Oh Oshawott."
"Oshaaaawoooott!" Oshawott built up a Water Gun and sprayed the three of them with cool non-pressurized water.
Although, their clothes got wet and their hair was now hanging from being wet, the couple didn't seem to mind since it cooled their bodies down. "Well that's refreshing!" May cheered happily and extended her arms upwards.
Ash smiled at Oshawott and reached for its Pokéball, "Thanks a lot Oshawott, we really appreciate it."
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott nodded joyfully and got returned to its Pokéball.
"Well now that I'm refreshed I feel ready to search for more stones," May said happily.
"So am I," Ash said in agreement.
Suddenly, some of the pebbles on the ground began to shake and rocks began to fall from the canyon walls. "Ash, what's going on?" May stuck closer to him as she got a bit afraid.
"I don't know, but we have to stick close," Ash said and reached for May's hand.
After some seconds, the ground began to vibrate and they all became alarmed. Pikachu's ears perked up and the mouse shouted, "Pika!" pointing farther down the canyon path they were taking.
"Pikachu hears something," Ash realized.
"And I think I know what it is, squint your eyes to take a closer look," May told Ash.
Ash blocked the sun and narrowed his eyes for better vision, the look on May's frightful face had been explained and why Pikachu seemed so worried. Just a fair distance away, approaching at a rapid speed were a stampede of Bouffalant, from what Ash could see there appeared to be around 100 to 300.
"This cannot be good," Ash gritted his teeth.
"How are we going to get out of this one now," May bit her lip as she became anxious.
The trio searched frantically for a way to escape the charge of Bouffalant, whom were getting ever so close. The cries of these large and powerful Pokémon were starting to be reach their ears and it only made them more eager a way out.
"C'mon if we don't hurry we'll get trampled," Ash muttered and motioned his eyes right, left, up, and down.
May analyzed the rocky walls and saw a long narrow passage some meters above, she had spotted their salvation. "Ash, look above!" May pointed upward to her left.
Ash and Pikachu followed her pointing and saw what she was focusing her eyes on. The pair spotted the narrow passage formed by large walls of rock and viewed this as their ticket out of here.
"Quick Blaziken, we need your help again!" May released her powerful starter.
"Ken!" Blaziken appeared in front of them.
"Blaziken, we need you to carry us up to that narrow passage up there fast before the Bouffalant trample us!" May commanded her Pokémon.
Blaziken saw the Bouffalant coming their way and flashed a smug smile. Ash, May, and Pikachu's eyes widened when they saw how close they were, from what they calculated, they going to get trampled in less than 30 seconds.
"Blaziken!" Blaziken fired up its wrists as it wrapped its strong arms around Ash and May.
"Hurry, Blaziken!" May saw that they were just now five feet within range.
Blaziken leaped towards the rocky wall and thanks to its talons, it was able to run on the walls as Ash, May, and Pikachu looked back at the Bouffalant. The herd smashed through every boulder and tree like if it were a mere pebble or twig. The Bash Buffalo Pokémon groaned loudly as they kept charging forward, showing no concern for anything it destroyed in its path.
As May's Blaziken ran at an incredible speed, May swore she spotted something bright red shining among the rocks of the wall, she tried to get a good look at it, but Blaziken passed to quick. After a bit more running, Blaziken made the final lunge upwards and landed calmly on the floor of the narrow passage, releasing Ash and May.
"Phew," Ash let out a sigh of relief.
"Chu," Pikachu did the same as its master.
May on the other hand thought of the sparkling object she had seen and turned to Ash, Pikachu, and Blaziken. Ash quickly took notice of her expression and asked, "What's wrong May, it looks like you're thinking hard about something."
"Actually, I could've swore I saw something shiny among the rocky wall Blaziken climbed and I couldn't help, but wonder if it was a stone," May told the raven-haired boy.
Ash raised an eyebrow and began to think, "You sure it was a stone May? I mean it all happened pretty fast, you might've been seeing things."
May bobbed her head sideways, "No there's no doubt in my mind that it was a stone and I think it was a Fire Stone because it sparkled a bright red-orange.
"Hmmmm," Ash thought about it and walked over to the edge of the passage. The boy didn't get to close to the edge, but managed to take a look down, noticing that the Bouffalant were gone. However, its eyes were fixated on the rocky wall just below them and wondered if there really was a Fire Stone.
"You do want to check it out May?" Ash inquired.
"Yeah, I don't want to think we left this place and never tried to figure out if what I saw was an actual stone," May nodded up and down.
Ash took a look down and saw that they were pretty high up and the fall could have grave consequences. "The fall seems pretty bad from here are yo-," Ash was about to finish his sentence before he felt someone reach for his hand.
"You don't need to worry about me Ashy, I'm not afraid to go down if that's what you're thinking and I know nothing will happen to me as long as you, Pikachu, and Blaziken hold on to one of the ropes we have," May smiled at him sweetly.
Ash looked at her and found himself being unable to resist her beautiful eyes. Her sweet expression made him think of how much he cared for her and was only trying to prevent her from getting hurt.
"I think its cute how you're looking out for my well-being but you don't need to worry. The amount of danger this is compared to sliding down slanted canyon walls is very low," May teased at him and giggled.
The auburn-eyed teen sighed and began to blush a deep red out of embarrassment for how reckless he had been earlier. "By the way, I'm sorry for slapping you earlier. I had gotten so scared about us getting hurt I let my anger get the best of me, please forgive me Ash," May flashed him a sheepish smile and blushed slightly as she rubbed the cheek she had smacked him on.
"It's not your fault May, I was being rash and I should be sorry for that, I'll just be more careful with what I'm doing next time because the last thing I want is for you or anyone else getting hurt because of my carelessness," Ash squeezed her hand out of affection.
May gave him a soft smile, "You're really something else Ash Ketchum," and then kissed for some seconds. Pikachu and Blaziken turned the blind eye since they weren't interested in watching, but Ash and May just ignored them as they held each other closely, they had barely found the time to do this in recent weeks so they kissed each other with that wonderful feeling of love they could only express when they were alone.
She just placed her hands on the sides of his face while he had his hands on her waist; neither of them knew if there was anything stronger than the love they felt each time they touched lips.
After an intimate moment though, Ash and May realized the time they were wasting. "Sorry, I just didn't want to let go," May gave Ash a sheepish grin once she separated from him.
"It's ok May, it was worth the time," Ash winked at her and May squeezed his hand in affection.
The group of four quickly mobilized with May taking out a rope from her fanny pack and wrapping it around her waist. Ash helped her tighten it for security as the two flashed caring smiles at each other.
Pikachu and Blaziken went for the end of the rope and had a tight grip on it. Ash joined them once he secured rope around May; the gang was now ready to get their third stone. "Let her rip guys," May smiled at them and received a nod.
They slowly lowered May so they wouldn't lose their grip and thanks to Ash's tightening of the rope, May felt very secure as she was lowered. She took a careful look at the wall as she went further down; she really hoped her guess was right.
"Anything yet May?" Ash asked the brunette.
"Not yet, try to lower me a bit more!" May ordered from below.
"Right," Ash replied and the three lowered the coordinator some more.
As they lowered May even more, the sapphire-eyed girl began to feel her spirits fade away since she had failed to spot anything yet. After some more careful looking May eventually sighed and gave up, "Ash, looks like I was wrong, you can just pull me up."
"Ok," Ash sighed and the trio started to pull the girl up. Like May, Ash had gotten disappointed at the result, but it wasn't because May had been wrong, instead it was because he was just as eager as her to find another stone.
Bit by bit they slowly lifted May up until sun's rays focused on the rocky wall and May spotted a small red-orange tip sticking out. "Ash, wait I think I've spotted something," May said excitedly.
"Really? Ok!" Ash felt his spirit lighten up as well along with Blaziken and Pikachu.
May dug her nails into the dirt surrounding the tip and became surprised by how soft it was since it had been no harder to claw through than a chunky cookie. After some minutes of clawing, a bright grin formed across her face, "Ash, I was right, we found a Fire Stone!"
"May, that's great! Try pulling it out of the wall so we can pull you up quick," Ash told the brunette.
"Right," May replied and placed a hard grip on the stone sticking out. The brunette took a deep breath and attempted to pull it out, but the task seemed harder than it appeared. She took repeated deep breaths and continued to pull, "C'mon, this is harder to pull out than a sword," the coordinator mumbled.
"May, is everything alright?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, it's just this Fire Stone is harder to pull out than I thought," May said and continued to pull. "Come on May, you're Norman's daughter and you're a Top Coordinator, you can't let a stubborn little stone beat you, you can do it!" the girl encouraged herself and with all her might pulled out the Fire Stone.
Unfortunately, since she had pulled it out so hard the stone flew out of the wall. "Oh no!" May's eyes widened and the girl frantically tried to reach for the Fire Stone, juggling it in her hands so it wouldn't fall until she gained a firm grip on it. "Phew, gotcha," May admired the Fire Stone in her hand and yelled, "Ash, I got the stone; you can pull me up now."
"Gotcha!" Ash said with the same happy tone as May and the trio began to pull May up.
All of a sudden, a blue energy blade shot from higher point and sliced through the rope like paper. "What the?!" Ash exclaimed with surprise.
"Aaaaaaaash!" May yelled in fear as she began to drop while holding on tightly to the Fire Stone.
"Maaaaaaay!" Ash ran over to the edge and saw his beloved falling to the earth below at a frightening rate.
His auburn eyes quickly turned to the direction of the energy blade and at a higher point in the canyon he spotted a pair dressed completely in black, their faces all too familiar, yet their eyes and smiles were filled with ambition and malice.
When he saw them Ash quickly realized that Auro hadn't been kidding when he said lethal force was authorized and the Pallet boy instantly knew he was in for big trouble.
That's it for this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed. I had some difficulty trying to come up with the first part of training day and this is what I got, I really do hope you guys like it, I already have another different training session involved for Ash and May later on. Remember to REVIEW, PM, or WHATEVER JUST FEEDBACK, ALL OF THAT IS ALWAYS WELCOMED HERE. Thanks again for reading and remember to login next weekend for the next update, Ash, May, and Victini have a busy series of chapters waiting for them these next several weeks and you'll want to know how they all develop, including Iris and Cilan. So once again, hopefully you guys liked it and enjoyed the Advanceshipping scenes and everything else. I'll catch you guys in Chapter 40, till then!