Part XXII: Time to Rock and Roll
It had been a week since the events of Viridian Forest and at last Ash's first full battle was about to start. Misty was naturally in the stands in her usual cheerleader outfit doing a routine for Ash against Forrest in the Pewter Gym looking out over the earthen battlefield complete with several random rock formations dotted all over the battlefied.
All of her Pokémon minus Mamoswine who was too big were with her in the stands joining in. Misty had made them matching cheerleader outfits for her Pokémon and all were dressed up complete with pom poms, though Piplup was in a guy's outfit and not a skirt like he had been before they confirmed his gender.
After lunch the week prior they had begun training for both Ash's battle and Misty's upcoming Contest in Cerulean City in a few weeks. Both Oddish and Pinsir had shown interest in the Contest which was promising and they were getting along well with Misty's other Pokémon. Pinsir was still a little nervous but after seeing the grace and beauty of the Contest she was hooked.
It was the same enjoyment for Contests as it had been for all of Misty's Pokémon except Buizel before she traded him. Misty theorized that because Contests were different to battles, which Pinsir had recently lost, that she was happier with Contests and was looking forward to entering her into them.
They had been able to determine that both Pinsir and Oddish were females when they were in a practice battle with Ash to help Misty bond more with them. Ash had tried to use Snivy's Attract attack and failed both times so they knew the new Pokémon were girls.
That had allowed Misty to make a proper outfit for Pinsir though Oddish was too small for one and had to have a pom pom on her leaves as she couldn't hold them. The sight of a Pinsir in a pink cheerleader's outfit, skirt and holding pom poms in her claws was a sight that Ash would never get used to but it also served as a good distraction as it was not something that anyone expected.
Other than that there had been one notable moment from thee week before. It had happened the day that they were leaving the forest and heading to Pewter City for some fire type training when it happened. As they were leaving, a Pidgeot had attacked Ash out of the blue.
Misty had been too confused to act when it happened. Fortunately Ash recognized the Pokémon as his old Pidgeot, the second he had ever caught back when it was a Pidgeotto something that Misty hadn't known about. They had an emotional reunion that was touching to Misty when she learned that Ash had released the Pokémon so that he could lead a flock of Pidgeys and Pidgeottos who were being threatened by a Fearow and its flock. Apparently the Fearow had evolved from Ash's mortal enemy Spearow.
Ash had apparently promised to return for Pidgeot after his adventures in the Orange Islands and failed. That was why the Pidgeot was pissed with him but Ash had his ways and soon the attack stopped as Ash apologized for his failure.
After that Ash had asked the fully evolved Pokémon to return and it had agreed, if Ash and Pikachu could beat it in battle. Pikachu had won after a tough battle and Ash had once again caught his Pidgeot. It was now back at Oak's making friends and reconnecting with old ones. Ash had promised that he would use it in the next gym and as it was against Dawn it made sense.
It had been a touching and sweet moment; one Misty hadn't expected though being hit in the face by a falling Pikachu hadn't been a highlight for her. Regardless of her bad hair day, Ash was clearly happy to have his old Pokémon back and excited for his upcoming full battle challenge with Forrest.
They spent a day the day before in Pewter City so that Misty could see it as she hadn't last time as they were just catching up with Brock then, and so that they could restock. It was while they were in Pewter before heading to the gym that Misty had learned that there was a gym in Viridian City but they hadn't stopped there but gone straight to the forest.
Misty had wondered why they weren't starting with the Viridian Gym but Ash had said that it was always considered one of the hardest in Kanto so was often left until last by most trainers. Also the former leader who had resigned shortly before Ash challenged had been here, an extremely wealthy businessman called Giovani. Now Ash had no idea who the leader was anymore or the type thee gym specialized in though the rumors were that it was now a dark type gym.
Ash had recalled that it had briefly been Agatha, a ghost type master and member of the Kanto Elite Four who Ash had battled for fun and lost. However, he had impressed a man called Scott, who had suggested the battle, so much that Scott had invited Ash to challenge the Battle Frontier. That had been a good 3 years ago now and there was a new permanent leader in town who had not responded to Ash's challenge so there was no point challenging it until the leader accepted the challenge.
With no need to stay, they gone straight to the forest for a few days before spending the last few days outside it to train while Misty started to work with Oddish and Pinsir on Contest styles. They were picking it up quickly and Misty felt that she could use one or possibly both in her second Contest when the time came. Ash too was ready for his battle and they had come here the day of the battle.
Unfortunately they had just missed Brock who had left for his year near Fuchsia City while they had been in the forest. Naturally they would see him when they made it there for Ash's challenge against the gym leader in Fuchsia but it was a shame to miss him. Still, the rest of the family had been here and they were all eager to see Ash and Misty again, and to witness a full battle between Ash and Forrest.
Last time, back when Ash and Misty had been heading to Pallet Town, Ash and Forrest had had a 3 on 3 practice battle that Ash had won comfortably. Charizard had taken down Steelix, Pikachu had fried Crobat and Oshawott comfortably handled Geodude. However that had been practice not a proper challenge though it had given Forrest a chance to evaluate Ash. Now it was a full battle and neither would be holding back.
Misty was cheering fully for Ash on his side of the battlefield while all of Forrest's siblings were on the other end of the stands, near where Forrest stood, cheering enthusiastically for him. The one exception was his brother Salvador who as the second oldest of the siblings and was serving as the ref for the battle. Misty was ready, it was time to watch Ash pull off an amazing win again and really begin his training.
"Ready for this Ash?" Forrest called from his box. "Cos I am. I won't lose to you this time. This time I am coming after you with everything I've got."
"Well I don't intend to start my challenges off with a loss." Ash said back with a smirk. "So bring it, I expect your best Forrest so come after me because I won't hold back."
"Nothing less." Forrest said and nodded to Salvador. "Let's do this."
"This will be a full 6 on 6 battle between the challenger Ash from Pallet Town and the Pewter Gym Leader Forrest." Salvador said from his ref spot. "As Ash already has the Boulder Badge, this will not be an official gym battle but rather a challenge issued by Ash and accepted by the Forrest. Because this isn't official, both trainers are allowed to substitute freely and this battle will end when one side is out of Pokémon. Begin."
"Steelix, rock on." Forrest said throwing out a Poke Ball.
The giant, familiar, Iron Snake Pokémon burst forth in a flash of white light and a roar. It appeared that Brock was going to be keeping Steelix here for Forrest to use while he was out in Fuchsia City. Ash smiled; he knew just the Pokémon to use for this match.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called sending out his old friend who burst out in a white light and roared his challenge as he belched flames.
"I was hoping for Charizard." Forrest with a grin. "Steelix and I want to avenge our loss from a few weeks ago. As the challenger, you have the first move in the Pewter Gym."
"Very well, Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash yelled and the battle began.
Charizard roared again and attacked, sending a gout of hot flames right at Steelix. Naturally it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Steelix, dodge it with Dig!" Forrest ordered and the giant Pokémon dove into the ground.
"Charizard in the air." Ash ordered and Charizard took off, flying as high as he could in the enclosed gym. "Get ready, as soon as Steelix appears, use Dragon Tail!"
Charizard roared and his tail glowed with power. Not a moment later Steelix burst from the ground and at Charizard's back. The Flame Pokémon turned and lashed out with his tail to defend himself from the ground type move. Both attacks landed at the same time.
Charizard was hit in the gut by Steelix's hard head and sent up and into the roof. However, between his momentum and Steelix's massive size, Charizard's tail made contact with Steelix's body. The attack didn't do as much damage as Ash would have liked but it was still powerful enough to send the airborne Steelix off to the side and into the reinforced walls of the gym, shaking the building with the force of the impact.
"Charizard, Flamethrower again!" Ash ordered using his best move against Steelix as Charizard regained his balance in the air.
"Steelix, counter with Dragon Breath!" Forrest ordered as Steelix got out of the wall and back to the battlefield.
Both Pokémon opened their mouths and sent out their powerful attacks. The fire and dragon type attacks collided in midair and exploded, kicking up dust from the battlefield and sending smoke in every direction. Ash and Forrest covered their eyes but both yelled attacks at the same time to take advantage of the limited visibility.
"Dragon Tail again!"
"Block with Iron Tail!"
In the midst of the dust and smoke, two flashed of white could be seen. They lunged at the other, using the glowing light to find their opponents and clashed together like swords. The boom from the contact of the two attacks created a powerful shockwave that blew the dust away to reveal the two powerful Pokémon locked in a battle of wills and pure strength.
Charizard was hovering in the air, his tail pressing down on Steelix's. The steel and ground type was on the ground with its tail up protecting itself as it tried to throw Charizard off, both struggling against the other. It was just the right angle for Ash to work with.
"Charizard, push off and then use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.
"Steelix, dodge it!" Forrest countered.
Unfortunately for Steelix, there was one problem with being that big, it was not easy to dodge a close range attack. Charizard used his strength and the angle of the locked tails to push off Steelix and get higher in the air. He then opened his mouth and let out a powerful Flamethrower. Steelix had nowhere to go and took the super effective attack right to the face.
Charizard flew away to hover a safe distance out as Steelix fell back and slammed into the ground, his mouth gaping open and eyes swirls. Charizard roared and spouted flame to signify his victory.
"Go Charizard!" Misty yelled shaking her pom poms and dancing, her Pokémon mimicking her. "Keep it up! Let's go Ash."
"Come on Forrest!" The gathered siblings called encouragingly. "Win the next battle!"
"Steelix is unable to battle, the victory goes to Charizard." Salvador called out remaining neutral as was expected of him.
"You did great." Forrest said returning Steelix. "Next time my friend, we will win against that Charizard, I promise you. Alright Ash, try this, fire won't work on my next Pokémon. Golem, rock on!"
Forrest threw his next Poke Ball and a Golem that Ash knew belonged to Forrest's father Flint burst out. The Megaton Pokémon roared a challenge as it looked at the hovering Charizard on the other side of the battlefield. Ash knew that as good as Charizard was. This was a serious disadvantage for him and decided to switch him out for a more suited Pokémon. Ash would challenge his strategy with disadvantages later.
"Charizard return." Ash said holding up Charizard's Poke Ball and recalling his old friend before pulling out his second Pokémon. "You will come back later when the odds are better for you or I need your power. Good choice Forrest, Golem has a significant advantage on Charizard so I will save him for later. Heracross, I choose you!"
Ash threw his second Poke Ball and the dark blue Single Horn Pokémon burst out. Heracross's part fighting type gave Ash a type advantage in this matchup but he doubted that it would matter in the end. Golem was a fully evolved Pokémon and a Pokémon that Ash had limited experience with as it was Flint's Pokémon and not Brocks. Still, that wouldn't stop him from giving it his all.
"Heracross, start this out with Megahorn!" Ash ordered knowing that the normal type moves Heracross knew wouldn't be much effect on a rock and ground type like Golem.
"Golem Earthquake!" Forrest ordered in counter.
Heracross had taken to the air and started to charge when Golem began the super effective and powerful ground attack. As it slammed its feet into the ground repetitively, the whole building shaking from the force. Heracross was in the air but too low to the ground to fully avoid it the attack.
"Heracross, abort." Ash ordered. "And climb higher to avoid it."
Heracross listened and instead of attacking flew up into the air. Once airborne it was able to fully avoid the attack with no problem and only minor damage. Earthquake was powerful but it had one major disadvantage in that it couldn't affect a flying or floating enemy with the Levitate ability. That wasn't stopping Forrest.
"Golem transition into Rollout!" Forrest order. "Use the rocks to launch yourself at Heracross!"
Golem obeyed and instantly went into a powerful Rollout attack as it retracted its head and limbs into its body. It then rolled in spot for a few seconds gaining speed before launching forward. It rolled and swung around until it found a rock and launched itself into the air.
"Heracross, dodge." Ash order and Heracross easily buzzed out of the way of the spinning, living, boulder. Forrest just smirked, that was what he wanted.
"Now Golem, use Flamethrower!" Forrest ordered calmly to Ash's shock.
"What? Since when can a Golem use that move?" Ash asked his eyes wide as Golem stopped in midair and opened its mouth, a red glow in it before Ash snapped out of his shock. "Never mind, Heracross, dodge it!"
Heracross dove but the wide and powerful special attack was stronger than Ash expected, Flint or Forrest had clearly trained Golem well in the move. The fire clipped Heracross on the wing and sent it crashing down and into the ground, hard. It was super effective and Heracross looked a little shook up as it stood but was otherwise fine having taken less damage then Ash had expected.
Golem had already fallen down to the ground and landed with a thud. The Pokémon glared at each other, both respecting the other's skills. Ash realized that he was going to have to go all out to beat Golem.
"Heracross, Hyper Beam!" Ash ordered and Heracross opened his mouth, creating the bright orange light of the powerful attack. "Finish this."
"Golem, use Rollout and dive into it!" Forrest ordered throwing caution to the winds. "Keep it up, max speed!"
Golem rolled up into a ball again and spun in place as fast as possible. It then set off at full speed just as the Hyper Beam attack was launched. It struck the spinning Pokémon and forced it back but didn't break the attack as Golem was still spinning and holding out.
Clearly the family had raised the Golem well as it was sturdy enough to withstand the powerful attack, staying in place for the duration of the beam. That was what did it for Ash in the end and he knew he had lost this round.
As soon as the orange light faded, Golem, still rolling, shot forward even faster than before now that its block had been removed. Heracross was winded and couldn't move after the attack for a moment, the drawback of using Hyper Beam. Ash could have returned him but the earlier dodging had put Golem between him and Heracross so it wasn't easy to do. That and the fact that the sudden end of the block caused Golem to speed forward faster than Ash could react. All he could do was watch as the spinning ball of rock slammed into Heracross at full speed.
Heracross let out a howl of pain as it was thrown back and in the air. The bug and fighting type slammed into the wall above Forrest and stuck there in a small crater created by the impact, dust raining down onto the ground. Even from this distance, Ash could see the swirls for Heracross's eyes.
"Heracross is unable to battle." Salvador called out as Forrest's siblings cheered at Forrest's win. "Golem is the winner!"
"Heracross return." Ash called out holding up Heracross's Poke Bal and recalling his first Johto region Pokémon while Misty continued to shout encouragement at him. "You did well buddy, that was my fault that you lost. I need to make sure I know what kind of unexpected moves Pokémon can learn, I never knew that a Golem could learn a fire type move until now."
"Golem return." Forrest said surprising Ash that the young gym leader would recall Golem and pulling out a third Poke Ball. "You need a good break after that battle, I may need you later given Ash's skill. Sudowoodo, rock on!"
Forrest threw his third Pokémon out and the familiar tree looking rock type Pokémon materialized in front of him, saluting Forrest before turning to face Ash and recognizing him with another salute and a wide smile. Ash smiled back, he knew Brock's Sudowoodo well and knew just how to beat it as he pulled out his third Pokémon hoping that his assumption was right."
"Snivy, I choose you!" Ash called out throwing the ball so that the grass Unova starter burst out, looking small on the battle field. "Time to show them what you can do."
"Alright Snivy!" Misty called out cheering and knowing instantly what Ash's strategy would be. "You can do it! Go Snivy! Show them what an Unova Pokémon can do!"
"Snivy." Snivy said nodding confidently as she squared up and looked at the odd, unknown Pokémon in front of her, it was just another opponent for her to defeat for Ash.
"Interesting." Forrest called out looking at the unfamiliar green Pokémon and knowing its type at a glance. "A grass type is a good choice. I am guessing that it is from Unova."
"Correct." Ash said with a smile. "And my Snivy is something else, something that no other Snivy is. Snivy, Leaf Storm!"
"Snivy!" Snivy yelled as she launched the attack sending out the swirling storm of sharp leaves at Sudowoodo.
"We shall see." Forrest said as the leaves blew towards Sudowoodo. "Sudowoodo, dodge and counter with Double Edge!"
Sudowoodo showed its speed as it leapt to the side to avoid the attack before lowering its head and charging at Snivy. It was a powerful attack that could do a lot of damage to Snivy if it hit and with the Rock Head ability Sudowoodo would avoid any recall damage from the attack. Ash had no intention of letting it hit.
"Snivy, use Attract!" Ash order with a smirk hoping that his assumption as to Sudowoodo's gender was correct.
"Wait, that Snivy's a girl?" Forrest added surprised his eyes going wide. "Sudowoodo, abort!"
Alas he was too late. Snivy looked at the charging Sudowoodo, gave it a coy smile and winked seductively. Hearts materialized and shot right at Sudowoodo and hit it with ease. Instantly the Pokémon stopped, hearts for eyes, and got all nervous around Snivy confirming Ash's assumption. The attack was Ash's secret weapon with Snivy and if it hit, especially when he had a type advantage, Ash knew he would win the battle.
"Snivy now, Vine Whip!" Ash ordered raising his arm and then bringing it down as he spoke. "Grab Sudowoodo and lift him up. Then slam him down as hard as possible."
"Sudowoodo snap out of it." Forrest yelled but to no avail as Snivy's vines wrapped around Sudowoodo's body.
The Grass Snake Pokémon then lifted Sudowoodo up with ease while the latter was still infatuated with her and unable to counter. She then followed Ash's orders and slammed Sudowoodo into the battlefield hard enough to crack the ground. Sudowoodo lay there, hearts still in his eyes oblivious to the damage he was taking.
"Snivy, finish this with another Leaf Storm!" Ash order.
"Snivy!" Snivy yelled as she sent out a powerful Leaf Storm.
The whirlwind of leaves arched up in the air before falling down to hit the still down Sudowoodo in the chest before Forrest could recall Sudowoodo. The force of the attack cause the earth around the Imitation Pokémon to crack even more and dust to cover the him for a moment. When it cleared Sudowoodo lay in a small indent in the ground, swirls for eyes.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle." Salvador declared officially as the other siblings booed and wailed at the loss. "Snivy is the winner."
"Woo, let's go Snivy!" Misty said shaking her pom poms in her usual victory routine. "You go girl! Show them how deadly we ladies can really be."
"Snivy." Snivy said with a nod of approval at Misty, her trainer's mate was a good one in her opinion, she was a strong mate so perfect for Ash. "Sny, Snivy."
"That was unexpected." Forrest admitted as he recalled Sudowoodo and pulled out his next Poke Ball. "But something I am going to need to learn from going forward, we will improve Sudowoodo. This is when I am annoyed that Brock has Chansey with him because of her healing abilities. Oh well, Golem, rock on!"
Forrest threw out the Poke Ball and Golem returned to the battle. It roared a challenge and looked around for a moment before seeing the small green Pokémon on the other end of the battlefield. It quirked an eyebrow at Snivy, this was what it had to face? It was barely a meal for the Megaton Pokémon.
"Snivy." Snivy snarled in challenge, clearly this ball of rock in front of her didn't think she was a challenge. She would show it as she looked back at Ash. "Sny, Snivy."
"You want to stay in?" Ash asked her and Snivy nodded forcefully, she wasn't going to back down from this challenge, only Ash's judgement would remove her from the fight. "Very well, let's do this. Snivy, use Attract and keep it up until it hits. Let's end this like we did with Sudowoodo."
"Golem, Rollout and dodge it." Forrest ordered. "Don't let it hit you with that Attract!"
Golem obeyed and got into a ball and began to roll around in a random pattern. It easily avoided the hearts sent at it but Snivy was relentless and wasn't going to let up anytime soon. This thing had disregarded her and pissed her off, she would hit it.
The rough terrain was on Snivy's side as Golem eventually hit the dip in the ground that was where Sudowoodo had been defeated. The slight change in terrain broke Golem's concentration and it shot out and landed hard, the attack ending as soon as it lost focus. Right then an Attract hit it.
The hearts hit Golem and burst as expected. Ash smiled and Forrest groaned knowing that Ash had won another round. That was until Golem blinked and looked around in confusion wondering what had just happened and why the attack hadn't affect her in the slightest despite being a clean hit. Everyone stared in slacked jawed shock at Golem.
"Golem's a girl?" Forrest asked confused. "I don't think dad knew cos he never told me."
"Apparently so." Ash said stunned his attack hadn't work. "Attract only works on the opposite gender and my Snivy is female."
"Alright, go Golem." Forrest shouted with a grin at the sudden change in circumstance. "Use Flamethrower on Snivy."
"Snivy, return." Ash said quickly returning the still stunned Snivy just as the flames reached her, her own shock at the failure of her move temporarily preventing her from moving. "That was unexpected but proof that you can't just assume most Pokémon's gender just by looking at them unless you know they are a single gender Pokémon. You may have had a type advantage but against a fully evolved Pokémon like Golem you need Attract to guarantee the win. We will work on this I promise, we can't let ourselves get surprised like that again."
"Good call Ash." Forrest said new life in him after Golem's surprise gender reveal. "Snivy is good but she can't hold her own against dad's Golem without a status condition attack like Attract."
"One day she will be able to beat a Golem without the need for Attract." Ash assured Forrest as he pulled out a new Poke Ball. "For now though, Glalie I choose you!"
Ash threw out his 4th Poke Ball and his only ice type Pokémon burst out. The Face Pokémon looked over at the Golem he was facing and roared a challenge at her. Not only did Glalie have a type advantage over Golem but so long as the Pokémon remained airborne Earthquake wouldn't be as effective against Glalie as it would be against a Pokémon that couldn't float. The only issue was Golem's Flamethrower which was supper effective.
"An ice type, a wise choice." Forrest said with a nod. "But there is a reason why dad had Golem learn Flamethrower, it is always wise to have a move that can counter your weaknesses. Show them Golem, Flamethrower again!"
"Glalie dodge it and respond with Icy Wind!" Ash ordered as flames burst from Golem's mouth and shot at Glalie.
Glalie sailed upwards and out of the way of the super effective attack. Being able to float gave Glalie a lot more mobility and flexibility and Ash intended to use that to his advantage in this battle.
As soon as Glalie was clear, he opened his mouth and sent out a gust of icy air right at Golem. The Megaton Pokémon was already tired from both its fight against Heracross and dodging Snivy and didn't have time to avoid it. The attack hit Golem and she took a step back, visibly hurt by it.
"That's it!" Ash yelled pumping his fist. "Finish this with Ice Beam."
"Glalie!" Glalie roared as he formed the ice beam and attacked.
"Dodge with Rollout." Forrest ordered but the secondary effect of Icy Wind had set in and Golem was too slow with her speed reduced.
While Golem was able to form a ball, she couldn't roll fast enough to dodge the powerful ice type attack. It slammed into her side and sent her back and through one of the rock formations on the battlefield. Golem crashed to the ground and skidded to the edge of the battle field a few feet from Forrest. When Golem stopped, she was on her side, her eyes swirls.
"Golem is unable to battle." Salvador said to boos and cheers from the two sides of supporters. "Glalie is the winner."
"That's it, go Glalie, go!" Misty said shaking her pom poms, her Pokémon matching her moves in celebration.. "Keep it up, only 3 more to go."
"You were great Golem." Forrest said with a smile as he returned her. "And that surprise was nice, we will have to keep that in our back pocket for future battles when a trainer uses a gender based attack.
Forrest then put the Poke Ball away, pulled out a new one and expanded it. He was down but he was nowhere near out of this fight. Ash had asked for a challenge and Forrest was going to give him one.
"Not bad Ash, you are as good as ever but it ain't over yet." Forrest said with respect in his voice. "You may know my next Pokémon but it's been a while so expect it to be better than before. Geodude, rock on!"
Forrest threw his 4th Poke Ball and a familiar Geodude burst out with a smile on its face. Ash grinned, it had been later than expected in the battle but Ash had expected Geodude to be used and , he knew who needed the practice against it and its type combination.
"Dude!" Geodude called out recognizing Ash and ready to battle him. "Geodude."
"Glalie return." Ash called out switching his Pokémon out again. "Good job, take a rest, I will need you later, I'm sure of that. Pikachu, you got this bud?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu said confidently from his side as he leapt forward to battle his old friend. "Pika, Pikachu."
"Interesting." Forrest said rubbing his chin. "Usually I would question a trainer's choice to use and electric type against me but I know how good your Pikachu is. This won't be easy Geodude, stay sharp."
"He's one of a kind." Ash said complementing his partner. "Pikachu, show them, use Electro Ball!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he gathered the electricity in his tail, forming a ball of electric type energy.
"Well that is new." Forrest said as Pikachu launched the attack. "Geodude, the attack won't affect you but Ash will know that so dodge and use Sandstorm. We need to be prepared for something unexpected."
"Dude!" Geodude said as he leapt over the ball and hit the ground.
As soon as Geodude hit the ground he attacked by putting his hands in the ground and flinging the earth up to create a powerful Sandstorm attack. Pikachu hunkered down to avoid being blown away by the force of it but the sand was in his eyes and he couldn't see well. That was the purpose of the attack, reduce Pikachu's vision in preparing for a supper effective attack.
"Geodude use Dig!" Forrest ordered.
"Dude!" Geodude said as he dove into the ground as the Sandstorm attack raged inflicting a small amount of damage on Pikachu.
"Pikachu close your eyes and wait for my order." Ash said as he shielded his own eyes and looked at the battlefield closely knowing he had better vision at the moment. "When I say it, jump and use Iron Tail!"
"Pikachu." Pikachu confirmed as he closed his eyes and trusted Ash.
Ash kept an eye on the battlefield, squinting through the sand and waiting for the sign. Bertha had taught him how to anticipate a Dig attack and Ash doubted that Forrest was skilled enough yet to know how to change it the way the Sinnoh Elite Four member could. He just needed the sign.
It came a moment later as the earth vibrated ever so slightly near Pikachu's back left foot. It was the sign that Ash needed to dodge and counter the attack.
"Jump now Pikachu." Ash yelled. "Attack to the left and behind you!"
Pikachu jumped up just as Geodude burst out ready to hit his old friend with the Dig attack. However, Pikachu wasn't there and Geodude looked around confused and then up and his eyes went wide in shock. Pikachu still had his eyes closed but he trusted Ash and his tail turned to steel. He then flipped forward and brought it down hard, right between Geodude's eyes.
The Rock Pokémon didn't even have time to yell in surprise as the powerful steel attack hit full force. Though Pikachu couldn't know it, the attack was a critical one and Geodude was driven into the earth right next to the hole he had burst out of as Pikachu landed on all fours near him keeping alert at all times even with his eyes closed.
A few seconds later the Sandstorm abated and Ash and Forrest looked to see what had happened. Pikachu still had his eyes closed and was looking around, waiting for an order from Ash as to what to do next. That wasn't needed as next to him was Geodude, a few inches in the ground, and swirls for eyes.
"Geodude is unable to battle." Salvador called out. "Pikachu is the winner."
"Alright Pikachu!" Misty called out dancing in celebration, Piplup getting really into it now that his best friend had won. "Show them what you are made of."
"Bun Buneary!" Buneary called out mimicking Misty and looking lovingly at her crush though Pikachu still had his eyes closed so couldn't see her.
"Alright Pikachu!" Ash called out and Pikachu slowly opened his eyes to see he had won, a little surprised that it had happened so quickly, he hadn't expected the attack to take out his old friend so quickly.
"You were great Geodude." Forrest said as he returned the Pokémon to the wails of his siblings. "That was not what we expected, we need to prepare more for that in the future just in case our Dig attack is predicted again. That was impressive by Ash but I expect no less from him."
"Pikachu you good?" Ash asked his starter.
"Pika." Pikachu called out with a smile as he turned to face Forrest ready for the next Pokémon.
"Alright stay in bud." Ash said smiling as well. "We can do it and this is good practice for you."
"Good, I was hoping for another rematch of our practice a few weeks ago." Forrest said with a nod. "Corbat, rock on!"
Forrest threw out his next Poke Ball revealing his 5th Pokémon, a very familiar Crobat that Ash knew well. Ash smiled, Pikachu had the advantage here but he knew that Forrest would have been expecting this after last time and prepared for it.
"Alright Pikachu, we can handle this." Ash said with his usual confidence "Quick Attack! Use the rocks to leap up if you need to but get in close on Crobat."
"Crobat, wait for it." Forrest ordered as Pikachu neared it and leapt at the fully evolved Pokémon at full speed, timing it to hit the airborne opponent as he leapt and Forrest countered. "Now! Supersonic!"
Pikachu was not expecting the speed of the attack was unable to dodge as was in midair at the time so he took the attack and was driven back and into the ground. Forrest was not going to let up though and capitalized on his sudden advantage.
"Quick, use Confuse Ray!" The Gym Leader ordered.
"Pikachu, dodge!" Ash ordered but the force of the blow had driven Pikachu into the ground, winding him and ensuring that he couldn't get up in time to avoid the attack.
The golden ball of ghost type power connected with Pikachu's head and phased in. Instantly his eyes went funny and Ash knew that his partner was confused. He had to pull Pikachu before he lost and so that Pikachu could snap out of it.
"Pikachu return." Ash called out though not pulling out Pikachu's Poke Ball before Forrest could launch an attack.
"Crobat, hold up." Forrest said holding up a hand to ensure that the Bat Pokémon didn't attack. "I know from Brock that Pikachu doesn't like his Poke Ball Ash so you can grab him."
"Thanks." Ash said with a smile as he ran onto the battlefield and picked up his confused starter in his arms speaking softly to him. "It will be ok Pikachu, take a rest and recover, I may need you again in this battle so I need you to snap out of confusion while I take down Crobat."
Ash returned to the side with Pikachu and laid him by his side to recover while Misty continued her routine and Buneary looked concerned at Pikachu, worried for him. It wasn't ideal but it was the best move Ash could make and he still had a significant lead over Forrest, for now.
Ash looked at Forrest and Crobat and thought about who to use. He could use his last Pokémon but he knew that Forrest still had one left and didn't want to reveal his last one until he had a chance to see Forrest's last Pokémon. Ash didn't know what Forrest's last Pokémon would be but he was certain it would be strong if Forrest had kept it in reserve until last.
He needed someone who could end Crobat quickly while matching negating maneuverability that Crobat had as a part flying type. There was only one Pokémon that Ash had that could do that in the confines of the now very beat up gym.
"Glalie, I choose you!" Ash yelled sending the ice type out again. "Win this for Pikachu."
"Resume." Salvador called out though it wasn't needed.
"Crobat, Wing Attack!" Forrest ordered.
"Dodge and use Double Team!" Ash countered. "Surround Crobat."
Glalie soared up and over the Wing Attack before multiplying himself into several flickering copies of himself. His multiple forms surrounded Crobat with ease and the Bat Pokémon looked around worried. It knew that the ice type had an advantage and with the Double Team activated it was hard to tell which Glalie was the real one.
"Stay calm Crobat." Forrest called out. "Use Whirlwind and get rid of Glalie and force Ash to use a different Pokémon."
"Headbutt!" Ash ordered hoping that it would reach Crobat in time to prevent the attack hitting.
It was close but Ash got lucky in the end. The Whirlwind took out half of the Glalie manifestations but didn't hit the real one in time. Glalie slammed into Crobat's back with Headbutt and knocked it out of the air, ending the attack in the process. Ash wasn't going to pass up on the opening.
"Ice Beam!" Ash ordered. "Finish it!"
"Glalie!" the ice type yelled as it sent out a powerful Ice Beam into the still stunned Crobat's back.
The attack hit home and drove Crobat into the ground hard and causing it to skid forward. If you could land the attack on a flying type it was super effective. When the dust settled Crobat was still on the ground, all 4 wings spread out and swirls for eyes.
"Crobat is unable to battle." Salvador declared as the rest of the siblings cried in shock. "Glalie is the winner."
"Alright Glalie, two for two!" Misty called out her Pokémon shouting encouragements of their own. "Keep it up! Only one more Pokémon left Ash, you can do it!"
"Crobat return." Forrest said recalling the fully evolved poison and flying type. "You did great, even though Pikachu wasn't knocked out you removed him from the battle which is a plus, next time we will beat Pikachu I know it."
Forrest looked across at Ash and the still out and uninjured Glalie. Apparently the ice type would be remaining out and given the fact that Ash had taken out 5 of Forrest's Pokémon while only losing one in return he could see why the skilled trainer wanted to end this now and Glalie had a type advantage. Forrest just smiled he still had one more Pokémon left and it was his best.
"You have done really well Ash." Forrest conceded. "But as you know, it isn't over until it's over. Time for you to meet my starter and my best. This Pokémon is all mine, not Brock's or my father's so prepare yourself."
"Whatever it is I will take it out." Ash said confidently. "Bring it on Forrest, this is what I wanted out of my challenge. Show me your best."
"With pleasure." Forrest said as he threw out his last Poke Ball. "Rhyperior, rock on!"
That did surprise Ash, it wasn't the Pokémon he was expecting. Ash had no idea what Pokémon Forrest had gotten as his starter but apparently it had been a Rhyhorn, one he had evolved all the way to its last, strongest stage. Ash had faced one before and lost so he knew how powerful the Pokémon was. This was going to be tough.
"Glalie, think you can handle it." Ash called out as the large orange and brown Pokémon materialized in front of them with a roar.
"Glalie!" Glalie responded in challenge to the Drill Pokémon's roar.
"Good, I want to take out your Glalie." Forrest said with a smile. "It's already taken down two of my Pokémon, if there is any of yours I want to take with me it's Glalie."
"You can try." Ash called out. "Glalie, Ice Beam!"
"Rhyperior, Dig!" Forrest ordered and the large Pokémon disappeared under the ground, avoiding the Ice Beam with ease.
Ash grunted; he had hoped to end it early but Forrest had used Dig again, clearly the young leader liked the move as 3 of his party had already used it. He could work with this as he kept an eye out on the ground waiting for the attack. That was when Forrest decided to surprise him and remind Ash that despite his youth he was still a Gym Leader.
"Now use Megahorn from underground!" Forrest called out.
"What?" Ash asked confused but then saw the ground explode right under Glalie. "How is that possible?"
Glalie didn't have a chance to dodge it nor Ash question the possibility of it. The powerful bug type move slammed into the Face Pokémon from beneath and sent him flying into the air. Forrest wasn't going to let up now, he knew he had this battle won he just needed to land his next move.
"Follow it up with Rock Wrecker!" Forrest yelled. "Take Glalie out!"
Ash had no idea what that attack was but knew it wasn't good. Rhyperior grabbed a large boulder from the battlefield and shot it out of its palm at full speed into the still ascending Glalie.
Glalie was too stunned by the earlier move to dodge it and the boulder hit him as he was slowing down. The second attack blasted him upwards again and powerful enough to send Glalie right into the ceiling, denting it, before the ice type fell back to the battlefield. It landed hard, face up and swirls for eyes.
"Glalie is unable to battle." Salvador called out to cheers from his siblings at the defeat of one of Ash's strongest Pokémon against Forrest's team. "Rhyperior is the winner."
"Glalie return." Ash said with a smile as he recalled his Pokémon. "You did great buddy. That was some combination that we didn't see coming at all. We'll work hard to deal with something like it in the future don't worry about it."
Ash then looked at Rhyperior and noticed that it was breathing heavily and realized that Rock Wrecker must be one of those powerful attacks that needed a cool down and prevent the attacker from moving for a bit. That meant that for the moment it was vulnerable and Ash had to act right away.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash yelled sending out his powerful Pokémon. "Quick, use Dragon Tail!"
Charizard roared as he materialized and his tail instantly glowed with power at Ash's order. He flew at full speed towards his opponent, another fully evolved Pokémon so a worthy challenger for him, and swept his tail at it.
"Catch it!" Forrest yelled knowing that his Rhyperior couldn't dodge it.
Rhyperior roared as it braced itself and grabbed the powerful attack in its arms. It took damage and was driven to the side and causing it to skid across the ground and creating deep furrows but maintained its balance. On instinct, it spun with Charizard's momentum and threw the stunned fire and flying type by the tail away from it.
It wasn't a move; it was just a natural reaction by Rhyperior. That didn't matter, all that mattered was that it had somehow worked. Charizard flew across the gym and hit the side wall opposite the stands hard enough to crack it like Steelix had when Charizard had sent it into the wall early in the battle, the impact driving the breath from Charizard's lungs. Given the impact and momentary advantage, Forrest threw caution to the winds to take out Ash's best Pokémon in one move.
"Horn Drill!" Forrest yelled and Rhyperior charged, his horns lowered and aiming for Charizard's chest. "Take Charizard down!"
"Dodge it!" Ash yelled hoping that the low percentage attack missed because he doubted that Charizard could move.
Alas this time luck was not on Ash's side but on Forrest's. The attack landed before Charizard could recover. To force of the blow drove the Flame Pokémon further into the wall as Charizard was trapped between it and Rhyperior's horn but that was not the main concern of Ash's.
No, that was reserved for the fact that the attack had landed which meant that it was a one-hit knockout. That was confirmed when Rhyperior broke contact and lumbered back to the battlefield, leaving Charizard stuck in the wall, body slumped and swirls for his eyes.
"Charizard is unable to battle." Salvador said much to the joy of the spectators other than Misty who was staring in shock at the multiple combinations of Forrest's Rhyperior, it was a well-trained and high level Pokémon. "Rhyperior is the winner."
"Charizard return." Ash said recalling one of his oldest friends. "You did great buddy, once that attack hit it was over. Please don't feel ashamed, it was pure luck that you lost."
Ash looked out at Rhyperior and a smiling Forrest as they awaited Ash's next Pokémon. His starter was clearly well trained and powerful. Ash had just lost his two strongest Pokémon to it and with Heracross also out he had 3 left. It was time to choose his next Pokémon but who should Ash go with?
Snivy might do well if she could land her Attract attack but Ash wasn't sure of Rhyperior's gender and after Golem he would only risk it if he needed too. He also couldn't use Pikachu unless he absolutely had to as Rhyperior was partially a ground type so half of Pikachu's moves wouldn't work and unlike Geodude, Rhyperior was naturally a lot hardier. That left his last Pokémon.
"Gible, I choose you!" Ash said sending out the Land Shark Pokémon, the 6th on his. "It's all on you."
"So that is your last Pokémon." Forrest said with interest. "This will be pretty even I think. Rhyperior has the edge on strength and power but I know Gible is part dragon type so I am going to have to be careful. Also I am facing you Ash, I know that you have something up your sleeve."
"Brock may have exaggerated a bit but I doubt his stories of our adventures are too far from the truth." Ash said with a smile. "Gible, Draco Meteor!"
"Piplup!" Piplup said panicking , his eyes wide in fear and diving for cover.
Gible focused his power, tilted his head back and sent up the orange ball of energy. It burst just before it hit the roof, raining meteors down onto the battlefield, along with one lone meteor that shot off to the side, seeking Piplup for unknown reasons.
"Rhyperior, dodge it with Dig." Forrest called out and Rhyperior dove into the ground though not before taking a glancing blow to the back from one of the meteors.
Piplup wasn't so lucky. He had tried to hid behind Pinsir but the other Pokémon just moved to get a better view of her trainer's mate's battle. Pinsir's movement was at just the right moment for the meteor.
All Piplup could do was stare in horror as the meteor hit him in the face and he was blown backwards, landing a few rows back with swirls for eyes. Misty was too focused on Ash to notice but Pinsir and Buneary went to make sure that Piplup was ok. Given the impressive string of curses coming out of Piplup's beak and the promises of vengeance, he was battered but alright it seemed.
Meanwhile Gible was looking around confused and wondering where his opponent had gone. Before either he or Ash could react, however, the earth around his feet suddenly exploded sending him flying as Rhyperior attacked. Gible landed hard and was clearly injured from the impact.
"Come on Gible get up!" Ash called out. "I believe in you; you can do it!"
Gible was hurt but still in the fight. That said, he knew that he didn't have the power to beat the Rhyperior he was facing. however, he knew that he had the experience to change that and his love for his train, coupled with Ash's words of encouragement, gave Gible the resolve he needed. Accepting the change, Gible triggered the reacting deep within himself.
"Gib, Gible!" Gible yelled as he got up and suddenly glowed bright white as he embraced his new form.
"Wha?" Forrest asked as Ash smiled. "It's evolving."
"Oh yeah." Ash called out as he punched his fist in the air as Gible grew, his arms extending and turning into claws with small wings as the fin on his back got larger.
A moment later the light faded and Gabite roared. He had evolved for Ash and now he was going to win this match for Ash. The oversized rock with horns in front of him wasn't going to stop him. The evolution had also allowed Gabite to learn a new move, one he was eager to show Ash and use on Rhyperior.
"Alright Gible evolved into Gabite!" Ash yelled extatically before he noticed a glow in Gabite's claws and knew what it was. "And you learned a new move! Gabite, use Dragon Claw!"
Gabite roared again and charged at Rhyperior excited to use his new move right away. The Drill Pokémon was too stunned by its opponent's evolution to react before the Dragon Claw attack hit it in the chest and sent Rhyperior staggering back. It wasn't a knockout blow but it had done a good chuck of damage that added to the Dragon Tail attack earlier was starting to take its toll on Rhyperior.
"Alright follow it up with Rock Smash!" Ash called and Gabite attack, his right claw glowing with the power of the fighting type move.
"Dig!" Forrest yelled but due to the damage it had sustained, Rhyperior wasn't fast enough.
The attack made contact and sent Rhyperior back and into a nearby rock pillar. The force cracked the pillar but Rhyperior didn't go through it. However, it was what Ash needed to end this battle.
"Finish this Gabite!" Ash called. "Rock Smash once more."
"Block it!" Forrest yelled but it was in vain, Rhyperior was too weak to raise its arms fully after being hit by the super effective move.
Instead, Gabite got under them and hit Rhyperior in the gut. The force of blow blasted the Drill Pokémon through the formation and sent it sprawling on the ground. Rhyperior lay there in the midst of the rocks, spread eagled and swirls for eyes.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle." Salvador called out raising his hand to signal the end of the match. "The winner is Gabite. As Rhyperior was Forrest's sixth Pokémon, the winner of the battle is Ash from Pallet Town."
"Alright we did it!" Ash yelled as he rushed onto the battle field and embraced his newly evolved Gabite. "We did Gabite."
Gabite roared and celebrated with Ash by biting down on Ash's head affectionately while Forrest called back Rhyperior and thanked his starter. His siblings were upset but it had been a good battle and Ash had easily won. It was a learning experience for Forrest and he intended to use it to improve.
"Well done Ash." Forrest said as he met Ash in the middle of the battlefield after a yelling Ash had returned Gabite, thee Pokémon still biting him affectionately until it was returned. "That was a good battle."
"It was." Ash agreed extending his hand and shaking with Forrest. "Your Rhyperior is something else."
"Yeah I'm proud of him." Forrest said and Ash groaned at the pronoun, Snivy could have taken him if he had taken the risk but he was more than happy with Gabite's performance. "Your Pokémon were great as well. I have a lot to learn to continue growing as a Gym Leader and this has helped a lot."
"You will do great." Ash said with a smile. "I have a lot of experience and you pushed me as I expected. I may not have won that last battle Gible hadn't evolved. I think Snivy would have won in the end though but your Rhyperior would have taken out more of my Pokémon before then."
"Yeah well we both got lucky." Forrest said with a nod. "But such is the nature of Pokémon battles."
"True." Ash agreed. "We should get the Pokémon to the center and then clean up the gym. Misty and I will be in town for a few days to before moving onto Cerulean City again."
"Yeah there is a lot of mess." Forrest said looking around and surveying the damage. "But this is a rock type gym, it is used to this and we know how to clean up quickly and efficiently."
Ash just laughed and understood, an experienced leader was accustomed to a fast turn around and rock type gyms often had a lot of destruction during battles. Still, it was bad and Ash would help when he could. He had just turned and was about to go see Misty when he was preempted by her in that regard.
Misty had cheered as soon as Ash had won and waited as long as she could so that Ash and Forrest could have a moment of mutual respect afterwards. While they were shaking hands and talking, Misty had checked on Piplup, given him Poffins and an apology though she knew that wasn't enough, and then headed down to the battlefield.
As soon as she was there, Misty dropped her pom poms and charged at Ash while Forrest went to chat with his siblings and console them after the battle. Ash had just turned and Misty threw herself into his arms to congratulate him.
Ash hadn't expected Misty's enthusiastic celebration but he wasn't complaining either. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun with her momentum, lifting her off her feet as he did. He couldn't resist and kissed her as they spun. This was something he could get used to after a victory.
They slowed, still kissing, and Misty felt her toes touch the earth so she set her feet to stabilize herself. As soon as she was stead, she deepened the kiss. They held each other for a moment before finally separating remembering that they were in the middle of the gym with a bunch of kids while Pikachu and Misty's Pokémon were out which meant an attack any moment.
"That was amazing!" Misty gushed. "I couldn't believe it, it was so intense to watch."
"Neither could I." Ash said with a smile at Misty. "That was one tough battle and I got lucky a bunch of times during it, it could have easily gone a different way. It was great training for me and my Pokémon. I can't wait for the next one."
"Well that is against Dawn." Misty pointed out. "So I am really looking forward to watching you wipe the floor with her."
"Of course you are." Ash said with a smile, still not sure why Misty and Dawn had a rivalry as he thought that it was over after Misty beat Dawn in a gym battle but so long as they were friends Ash didn't mind a friendly rivalry between them. "But for now, we need to get my Pokémon healed up, help clean this mess, and enjoy some a little break after that battle."
Misty just nodded as she pressed herself against Ash, resting her head against his chest. He held her there for a moment enjoying the feel of her in his arms. He had won his first challenge, that was a confidence boost and a good sign for his journey going forward. Their journey had begun with a success, more were bound to come.
