KRD: Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Pokémon: The Path of Truth and Ideals! We're sooooo sorry for not updating this story in a long time! Please forgive us for delaying this story! IRL stuff, other fics that needed attention can eat up a lot of time.
GKC: Yeah, we had this little situation called "Life". Writing schedules tend to be taken off us.
KRD: But not to worry readers! Your patience is well rewarded! We have a 10k+ word chapter written out for ya to make up for the… 8-9 months we haven't updated this story? Give or take?
GKC: Indeed. This should keep you entertained for a while.
KRD: Yup! So without further ado, here is the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. All creative and production rights for Pokémon Black and White belong solely to Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, Hitoshi Yamagami, Shusaku Egami, Hiroaki Tsuru, Shigeki Morimoto, Shigeru Ohmori, Tetsuya Watanabe, Ken Sugimori, Takao Unno, Toshinobu Matsumiya, Shota Kageyama, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, and Minako Adachi. All IP rights for Pokémon Black and White belong to GAME FREAK inc.,Nintendo, and the Pokémon Company.
Chapter 3: The Good, Bad, and Legendary
"Your Pokémon… Just now, it was saying…"
My blood ran cold as I stared at the King of Team Plasma, that was N.
He grew up among abused Pokémon, and thus grew to resent humans. And while his intentions are indeed noble and born from what he truly believed is right, it was a form of naïvety and innocence. And Ghetsis exploited that in order to manipulate him from the shadows.
At the same time, it was also that same conviction that made N, such a dangerous Pokémon Trainer. It's why he was able to beat Alder, the Champion of Unova, near the end of the game. And that's another thing that worried me. Given how this version of the Pokémon world is both a mix of the anime and the game, there's no telling if N will still see the light like either version of himself.
I'll have to show him just how much I care about my Pokémon. Play my cards right, and maybe he could turn earlier than normal.
"I'm… sorry, you mean my Tepig?" I asked, looking down at my little Fire Pig that I was carrying in my arms.
N approached me but kept his eyes on Tepig, who looked at the stranger with confusion. "I heard it. It was saying how much it trusted and valued you." He spoke.
"Wow, you know what Tepig is thinking?" Hilda looked at N wide-eyed. "That's amazing!"
"If you listen closely enough, with time, you'll be able to hear a Pokémon's voice and understand their thoughts and feelings." N added.
"In a way, he is right." Holmes commented, leveling a stare at N. "Bonding with your Pokémon is especially important as a Pokémon Trainer. Your experiences with them over time will show how much you've grown since first meeting each other."
"Yes, what you say can be true." N said, as I was slightly cautious by the way he said it. "However, I can't help but wonder… are Pokémon really happy that way?"
"What makes you say that?" Hilbert asked.
"We train them. We take them with us on our journeys. But have we ever considered what the Pokémon feel? Are they sad leaving their homes? Angry to be taken from their families? Happy to fight at the whims of their Trainers?" N explained.
All of us were silent. None of us could really refute what he had to say. But then the conversation I had with Reshiram rang in my head. It's the reason why I came to this world. So that's what I'm going to tell him. "I believe that all life is precious." I began, getting N's attention. "And that it must be protected, no matter what path that life takes."
N stared at me for what felt like forever… then smiled. "You… are very interesting." He tipped the rim of his hat at Hilda and Hilbert but kept his gaze on me. "I will see you down the road." Then he left.
No way… he didn't battle me. He would've battled the Player using his Purrloin before releasing it back into the wild. But he just… left. What the heck just happened?!
"Well…" Holmes said right beside me, staring at the back of N. "Seems you got yourself a rival. Don't know if I should praise you… or feel sorry for you."
"Uh… honestly, I don't know either." I said, feeling very confused myself.
"Hmm… Well, no use stewing about it, I better get going. I'll be seeing you guys around." Holmes said, before waving at us, and left, with Absol following.
"So… what now?" Hilda asked.
"Guess we rest then set off to the next town." Hilbert commented.
"I guess, but then what can we do around here?" Hilda asked, looking around.
"Well, there's the local Battle Club," I suggested, gesturing to the building that was further down the road. "We can have our Pokémon test their battle skills and see if we have what it takes to take on our first gym."
"You sure? We only have two Pokémon." Hilbert pointed out.
"Better than nothing. Besides, I wanna see what other moves our Pokémon can do."
"Sign me up!" Hilda chimed, eagerly. "I wanna battle!"
"Huuuuuuuuuh, well if Hilda's up for it, then there's no stopping ya." Hilbert sighed. "Then again, I guess it's sort of a way to make up for last time back home."
I grimaced at the notion. "Yeah, same here… I just hope he's not even there at all."
"Welp, no use thinking about it, let's go!" Hilda said, before running off.
"Hey wait up!" Hilbert and I called out, running after her.
Geez, Hilda doesn't know when to slow down. After running after her for a couple minutes, we finally found ourselves in front of Accumula Town's Battle Club. It was exactly as I remembered it. This Battle Club in particular is where Ash met his Tepig, after it was abandoned by that jerk Shamus, to starve to death. First chance I see him, I'm gonna have my Tepig burn him.
"Uh, why do you look like you want to punch someone in the face?" Hilbert asked.
"Huh? Oh, sorry." I shook my head. "Just remembering something is all."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get in there." Hilda said, before walking forward and the doors slid open, with us following in. "Hello~? Anyone here?" She called out.
"Someone here?" An older voice said, as someone approached me. It was an older man in his late 40's with short gray hair and a very bushy mustache, while wearing something akin to that of a sleeveless karate gi uniform.
That was one of many Don Georges like the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys.
"Hi, are you in charge of this Battle Club?" Hilda asked with a chipmunk smile.
"Why yes, I am. I'm Don George, head of this Battle Club." The man nodded. "Are you here for a battle?"
"Yup! So are my brother and my friend here!" She gestured to him and I.
"Hi there. I'm Hilbert."
"And I'm Kris. The three of us just started out as Pokémon Trainers and we want to test our skills."
Don George hummed in response. "I like your battling spirits! Reminds me of the boy that passed through here not long ago!"
I gasped loudly as I immediately latched onto his gi with my hands. "Ash?! As in Ash Ketchum?! He was here?! Where is he?!" I demanded.
"Young man, please take your hands off me." Don George gave me this warning glare that sent an arctic chill down my spine. I flinched, before letting go of him and backing off.
"S-Sorry… got too excited." I apologized, with a sheepish grin, making the twins sweat drop.
"Follow me." Don George said after fixing his gi.
With that, he turned around to leave, with the three of us following him. I sighed with shoulders slumped, with the twins walking with me side-by-side.
"You know, I think it's scary that you and sis are probably meant for each other…" Hilbert deadpanned with a twitching eyebrow.
"Why do you gotta say it like that?" I groaned.
"Hilbert, stop messing with him." Hilda chastised her brother.
The older twin only shrugged, which didn't make me feel any better. It wasn't long before the three of us finally arrived at our destination. When the pair of doors slid open when Don George walked through, I was in awe of what I saw. I was standing in a Pokémon Stadium. Sure, the ones I saw at Nuvema Town looked good. But to be here in an actual Pokémon Stadium, it pales in comparison!
"Welcome to the Battle Club's battle arena. Here is where Trainers can go all-out against one another with their Pokémon." Don George explained.
"Wow… a real Pokémon Stadium battlefield!" Hilda squealed with sparkly eyes.
"Sis, calm down…" Hilbert sweat dropped.
"When can we start?!" Hilda asked excitedly.
"There she goes again…" Hilbert sighed wearily.
"Hehe, c'mon, let your sister enjoy the moment." I chuckled. "I know that I'm excited to have a battle here."
"Well, young ones, are you ready to battle?" Don George asked.
"Yes sir!" All three of us answered in unison.
"Hm! Good answer! Now which one would like to go first?"
"Me! Mememememememe!" Hilda jumped up and down, raising her hand excitedly.
"I guess I can go ahead and be her opponent." Hilbert shrugged. "We haven't battled each other yet anyways."
"Alright then, take your places you two!" Don George said. Both siblings nodded before the twins did as the Battle Club owner instructed them to do while I stood next to Don Geroge on the sidelines. He would be acting as referee. "This battle between Hilda and Hilbert will now begin! Each Trainer will use two Pokémon and the winner will be declared when all Pokémon on one side is unable to battle!"
"You got this, Hilda!" I cheered.
Hilda smiled and gave a wave before she reached for her Poké Ball. With the click of the button, it expanded before tossing it out to send out one of her new partners, "Alright, Pidove! Come on out!"
"Doooove~!" The pigeon pokemon howled out, wings stretched as the pokemon was ready for a fight.
"Rufflet, let's go!" Hilbert said, throwing his Poké Ball out, to which it opened and the Eaglet Pokémon came out with a war cry.
"Ruffleeeeeet!"
"Those are mighty fine Pokémon you got there." Don George nodded in approval. "I like 'em! They have a fighting spirit!" He then raised both arms in the air. "Alright then, it's Pidove vs. Rufflet! And Begin!" He declared, signaling the start by throwing his arms down.
Pokémon Battle
2-on-2
Hilda vs. Hilbert
BATTLE START!
"Pidove, get in there with a Quick Attack!" Hilda commanded as the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon nodded.
With its wings stretched out, it took flight and rushed towards Hilbert's Rufflet at high speeds as it swiped it by with its wing, to strike it.
"Rufflet, dodge and use Wing Attack!" Hilbert countered. The Eaglet Pokémon jumped up to dodge the incoming attack and flew up. It then did a U-Turn and headed straight for Pidove, wings glowing as it did.
"Pidove! Dodge it from above and then use Peck!" Hilda ordered as the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon nodded, jumping right in time as Rufflet was beneath it. Its beak glowed before it pecked the Eaglet Pokémon hard, sending it to the ground.
"Oh no, Rufflet!" Hilbert cried out, trying to see if his Pokémon was still standing.
"Rufflet! Ruff, Rufflet!" The Eaglet Pokémon shook it off and stood defiant.
"Wow that Pidove is stronger than I thought." I commented. "And Rufflet's got guts."
"Actually, I believe that girl… Hilda was it? Is just very intuitive with how she fights." Don George noted with an impressed smirk.
"You okay, Rufflet? Are you good to go?" Hilbert asked.
"Rufflet!"
"Alright! Then let's do this! Use an Aerial Ace!"
"Rufflet!" The Eaglet Pokémon cried out as it flew up and charged at Pidove. Then it did a loop-de-loop, before diving straight for Pidove, the force of the attack shown in the gust of wind it produce before-
*BAM!*
"Doooove!" Pidove cried out from the attack, as it was one of the few moves that always hit its target.
"Pidove! Counter it with Agility and then Gust!" Hilda ordered as the Pokemon nodded, glowing in white for a brief moment. Soon its eyes snapped open as it flew forward to Rufflet, but stopped as it flapped its wings and created a small gust of wind, knocking Rufflet into the wall nearby.
"Rufflet, push it off with Air Slash!" Hilbert commanded.
The Eaglet Pokémon gritted its beak as it managed to somehow flap its wings releasing multiple light blue glowing saw disc-like energy blades from his at the Gust attack, cutting the wind Pidove was producing, and forcing the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon to dodge.
Hilda gritted her teeth, her brother's Rufflet knew more Flying Type moves. She had to think of a way to counter and best it before Pidove faints!
"Time to finish this. Rufflet, end this with Aerial Ace!" Hilbert ordered.
Hilda heard that, but that sly smirk on her face told me that she got an idea.
"Pidove! Wait for Rufflet to reach you!" She commanded with bravado.
"Uh, Hilda, what are you-" I said, but Don George held me back with an arm.
"Hold up, let her cook." Don George said.
Rufflet raced towards Pidove with its high speeds, racing as fast as it could as Pidove stayed in place. Its beak glowing but its eyes closed as the Eaglet Pokemon reached towards it, doing a loop-de-loop and flew straight at the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon."Now Use Peck, full power!"
Pidove's eyes shot open as the beak glowed even more, and as Rufflet got in range, it raised its head and slammed it hard against Rufflet's head, causing the two to tumble from the collision.
"No way!" I gawked.
As the two birds finally stopped tumbling. Rufflet laid there with swirls in its eyes as Pidove slowly stood back up, screeching in victory.
"Rufflet is unable to battle! Pidove is the winner!" Don George declared, raising his arm for Hilda's side of the field.
"You did it, Pidove!" Hilda cheered with delight, hugging the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon in her arms.
"Dooooove~ doooove!"
"You did great! Time for a good rest, friend." Hilda smiled, as she held up Pidove's Poké Ball and returned it within the item, letting it rest for now.
"Nice work, Rufflet, take a good rest." Hilbert smiled sadly, returning the Eaglet Pokémon to his Poké Ball.
"So, ready to give up, bro?" Hilbert grinned.
"Are you kidding me? Fat chance of that happening!" Hilbert said, taking out his last Poké Ball. "No way I'm gonna take this lying down, so I gotta make this one count! Go, Oshawott!" He then threw the Poké Ball, prompting it to open. White energy spewed out, molding and changing form before the light faded to reveal the Sea Otter Pokémon.
"Osha! Oshawott!"
"Hmph, let's get this over with! Snivy! Show bro, he's about to lose!" Hilda announced as she tossed her Poké Ball and the Grass Snake Pokémon popped out onto the field.
"Snivy! Sni!"
"Alright then! Oshawott vs. Snivy!" Don George announced with arms raised up. "Aaaand, begin!"
"Alright Snivy! Start off with Leech Seed, then use Tackle!" Hilda commanded as Snivy launched a few seeds that attached to Oshawott and grew into small vines, sapping the energy out of Oshawott, before the Grass Snake Pokémon lunged and tackled the Sea Otter into the ground.
"Oshawott, you okay?! Cut the vines with your Razor Shell!" Hilbert said.
"Oh I won't let you do that! Tackle again, Snivy!" Hilda countered as once again Oshawott was tackled once more. Though soon a soft green glow covered the Sea Otter as it flew into Snivy, revitalizing it.
"Hmm… interesting plan. Slowly chip away at your opponents health and stamina, and counter them should they remove it. Effective plan." Don George nodded with approval.
"Hilbert's gonna have to find a way to put that plan to a halt." I mused. "Otherwise, it's gonna be a landslide win for Hilda."
Oshawott managed to get up from the ground then struggled to pull the shell off of its chest. After a moment, a dagger of blue energy emerged from the shell, allowing the Sea Otter Pokémon to cut the vines and free itself from it before the Leech Seed could sap anymore energy.
"Alright Oshawott, nice work!" Hilbert praised. "Now use your Razor Shell and cut Snivy!" He ordered.
"Defense Curl, Snivy! Don't let Oshawott get through!" Hilda countered as the Grass Snake Pokémon curled into a ball. Oshawott jumped up and dived down, slashing with the Razor Shell, but proved to be ineffective, much to its shock. Growling in frustration, it swung wildly, cutting and slashing as much as he could.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa Oshawott calm down!" Hilbert called out.
"Snivy! Counter its agitation with a Vine Whip!" Hilda grinned, seeing the opportunity to win. The Grass Snake Pokémon uncurled itself and one vine came out from one side of its neck and wrapped around the energy blade of the Razor Shell.
"Osha?!" The Sea Otter Pokémon gawked in surprise.
Then much to my surprise, Snivy started swinging Oshawott, slamming it one side then swinging Oshawott overhead on the other side, doing this repeatedly in a comical fashion.
"Pfffffffffffft…" I tried to hold in my laughter, from the Puny God trope Snivy was performing.
"Kris, this isn't funny!" Hilbert cried out in dismay.
"Snivy, toss Oshawott in the air and then another tackle!" Hilda smirked as Snivy did just that, tossing the Sea Otter into the air as it jumped after it, tackling it hard before it gripped its flipper and sent it down to the ground.
"Grrrrr! Oshawott, use your Water Gun to slow down your fall!" Hilbert shouted. The Sea Otter Pokémon looked down and spewed out a jet stream of water from its mouth, slowing down the impact and eventually managing to somehow land safely.
"Snivy! Leaf Storm next! And then follow up with Vine Whip!" Hilda commanded.
Snivy jumps into the air and multiple glowing green leaves start spinning around Snivy's body before firing the leaves at the Sea Otter Pokémon.
"Cut them up with Razor Shell!" Hilbert shouted. Oshawott brandished his water energy blade from his shell and went on a cutting frenzy, cutting as many energy leaves as possible.
"Ooooooshashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashashasha!"
…is… is this a Jojo Reference Oshawott was doing?
But through the several cut leaves, two vines came out, wrapping around Oshawott as Snivy lifted the Sea Otter high before slamming it down into the ground with a thunderous slam.
"Ooooooooh…" I cringed. "That's gonna leave a mark."
Don George looked on as the dust settled. When it did, Oshawott was struggling to its feet. It still wants to fight.
"No way, Oshawott's still standing?" I gasped in surprise.
"It's got a strong spirit. It doesn't want to fall until it wins." Don George noted with a nod of approval.
"That's it Oshawott, we don't quit. Not ever!" Hilbert grinned dangerously.
"Oshaaaaawoooooooooooooooooott!" The Sea Otter Pokémon cried out as it was glowing blue.
"Whoa, what is…" Hilda gasped in awe.
"That's…" I got out. "Is it… evolving?"
"No. That light would've enveloped all of Oshawott's body and changed form by now." Don George shook his head. "What you're seeing is Oshawott's ability activating: Torrent."
Of course! That's right! All the Starters have their type abilities! Overgrow for Grass-Types, Blaze for Fire-Types, and Torrent for Water-Types! And when they're low on health their move types get a power boost!
"Alright, Oshawott! Let's put that power boost to good use! Use Razor Shell!" Hilbert cried out.
"Oshawott! Oshaaaaaa!" The Sea Otter Pokémon produced its water energy blade, this time being much larger than it should and rushed towards Snivy and this time when it slashed, the Grass Snake really felt it, as the water energy blade cut across its body and was sent flying, tumbling to the ground after.
"Snivy! You okay?!" Hilda asked worriedly.
The Grass Snake Pokémon struggled to get up but managed to push its way back to its feet. "Sni, Snivy!"
"Alright! Let's keep going then!" Hilda smiled.
"Those two are really giving their all…!" I said, as I grinned so wide, I couldn't contain my excitement. "Oooooooh, all this battling is getting me pumped up! I can't wait!"
"Let's finish it, Oshawott! Water Gun!" Hilbert cried out.
"Oshawoooooooooooott!" The Sea Otter Pokémon shouted, spraying a blast of water from its mouth towards Snivy.
"Snivy, use Leaf Storm once more!" Hilda commanded. Snivy summoned more energy leaves and threw it at Water Gun, but eventually sputtered out when the water blasted through them. "Wait, what?" She gasped. Unfortunately, Snivy was hit by the Water Gun, sending Snivy across the field. "Snivy!"
"That's the only downside about Leaf Storm." I frowned. "It's a powerful move, but it'll reduce Snivy's Special Atk. greatly."
"And with such a lowered attack strength, Snivy's Leaf Storm didn't have enough power to push back the Water Gun." Don George stated.
"Snivy!" Hilda then rushed over to the Grass Snake Pokémon, kneeling on one knee. "Are you okay? Can you keep going?"
"Sniiiiiii…" The Grass Snake Pokémon struggled to its feet, but barely. "Snivy!" It said with a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure? There's no shame in losing." Hilda pointed out.
"Sni! Sni!" The Grass Snake Pokémon nodded.
Hilda stared at her Pokémon for a moment longer before nodding with a smile, "Alright then, get back in there!"
"Snivy!" The Grass Snake Pokémon said, before jumping back onto the field.
"Heh, now this is what I call a battle!" Don George smiled in approval.
"You got that right." I chuckled. "Come on guys, make it memorable for us out there! No holding back!"
"Yeah, you got it." Hilbert smirked, "You heard Kris, Oshawott, give it everything you got, alright?"
"Oshawott!" the Sea Otter Pokémon replied.
"Poison Jab." A voice cut in.
Before the Otter Pokémon knew it, a glowing violet paw suddenly jabbed out and struck it in the back, sending Oshawott flying facedown in front of Snivy. The Grass Snake was about to help its friend up before suffering a similar fate from a Poison Jab to its ribs.
"Oshawott/Snivy!" Hilda and Hilbert cried out.
Dammit, why now?!
BATTLE STOPPED!
"Who in the-" Don George got out, as he looked towards one of the fields and saw Nathan approaching.
"Sorry, but Croagunk saw your battle and got excited with how tough they were going at each other." Nathan said, smug.
"Nathan, you bastard!" I growled, clenching my fist.
"You know this guy?" Don George asked.
"He's a no-good Trainer that thinks strength is everything!" I snarled. "He even tried to kill my Tepig!"
"Say what?!" Don George asked in complete shock.
"Not my fault that little piglet of yours is too weak." Nathan taunted me. "Or maybe, you're just an incompetent Trainer."
"Bullshit! You're the one that's incompetent, with your cowardly tactics and draconic ways of winning! The Pokémon League won't even allow someone like you to enter their tournament either, let alone the Elite Four and Champion!"
"Actually, they can." Nathan taunted. "If a Trainer gets a sponsor from either a Region Professor, a Gym Leader, Elite Four member, a Champion, or even a former Champion, for that matter, gets the right to join whichever League they want. With some restrictions but so long as they follow the laws their sponsor gives to them, the League conference recognizes that Trainer as legal."
"That's insane! There's no way you would-"
"Actually… He's right." Don George answered grimly.
"What?" I gasped.
"Bad morals aside, Nathan here has the right to compete in a League if the requirements are met." Don George answered.
"But he can't! He almost killed my Tepig!" I argued. "Are you saying that the Pokémon League is gonna brush this off without him facing any consequences?!"
"Son, I hate to tell you this but…" Don George sighed. "If the battle wasn't an official League match, the Pokémon that is seriously injured or killed by an opponent's Pokémon is considered the fallacy of the owner. Meaning if your Tepig had been killed, it would have been your own fault."
"!"
Nathan smirked. "And you were rather determined to battle me. Make me shut my mouth from what I remember." He taunted.
"Grrrrrrrrr…!" I growled.
"Plus, I'm a runner-up from the previous Unova League. My Pokémon were way stronger than your puny pig. And you still had it go up against my Croagunk."
"You gave me no choice in the matter when you had your Croagunk attack me!"
"I mean, true. But nothing was stopping you from running. I hate cowards more than weaklings. I wouldn't have bothered you or wasted my Croagunk's time if you ran away." Nathan pointed out.
I can't believe what I'm hearing! This bastard is gonna get away with killing Pokémon and no one's gonna bat an eye about it!
"If you really were that strong, Holmes must have been stronger." Hilda retorted. "So if he managed to beat back your little toad with a simple Electric attack, that makes you a chump to him."
…
…
…
"Croagunk,"
*BAM!*
Hilbert, Don George, and I were shocked when the Toxic Mouth Pokémon used a Poison Jab on her stomach, knocking the wind out of her temporarily, before falling to her knees.
"HILDA!" Hilbert and I shouted, rushing over to her.
"Hilda, you okay?!" Hilbert panicked.
"Heeeeeeeeeh, heeeeeeeh, heeeeeeeeh…" Hilda wheezed, hoarsely trying to gasp for air.
"What in-" Don George was stunned once again.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted, angrily. My anger has already reached a boiling point. He's gone too far! No one hurts her and gets away with it!
I reached for my Poké Ball, but for some reason, my hand stopped as it trembled. Why can't I move?
"If the battle wasn't an official League match, the Pokémon that is seriously injured or killed by an opponent's Pokémon is considered the fallacy of the owner. Meaning if your Tepig had been killed, it would have been your own fault."
Don George's words rang in my mind. If I took out Tepig now, I'm gonna run the risk of him getting killed again, and it'll be my fault.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to do something to make me pay?" Nathan mocked. "I'll answer that for you: you can't. Because you're weak and a coward! Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!"
"Heh…I knew it…" A wheezing cough left the lips of the girl I tried to defend. "That little reaction of yours? Proved my point." Hilda gave Nathan a mocking grin. "What's wrong? Don't like it when someone better than you beats you like a rookie?"
"What was that?" Nathan growled.
"Hilda, stop." Hilbert said. "You're going to make things worse."
"The guy who showed up out of nowhere. Beats poor, little Nathan's Croagunk so easily. Makes me wonder if just his Absol could beat every Pokémon you own."
"Choose your next words carefully…" Nathan growled. "Because I won't be responsible for what happens to you next."
Don George stepped in, "Actually, you should choose your next words carefully. What you're talking about right now, regardless of sponsor, is against the law."
"You stay out of this, old man!" Nathan snapped.
"If you hurt that girl or do something worse, I will execute my authority as a legal representative of the Unova League to have your license suspended!" Don George retorted. "Sponsor be damned!"
"Tch…" Nathan spat in annoyance.
"You've done enough. Leave now or I'll report this incident to the police."
"Hmph…" Nathan grunted, before looking back at us with a glare. "Consider yourself spared. For now. Let's go, Croagunk." He said, before leaving, with the Toxic Mouth Pokémon following.
All of us sighed in relief after watching him leave completely.
"Hilda, you alright?" I asked worriedly.
"I'm fine… you had it worse than I did." Hilda chuckled.
"Geez sis, you still have the time to laugh about all of this?" Hilbert groaned.
"Of course, I do. I can't stand bullies." Hilda giggled before wincing, holding her aching stomach.
"I think you should get her to a Pokémon Center. I've already called Nurse Joy to expect you three. She'll have some medical attention for the young lady and your Pokémon." Don George explained.
"But what about Nathan?" I frowned. "If you ask me, I'd say ban him from all the Gyms…"
"So long as he doesn't cross the line, Nathan is still able to legally challenge Gyms and enter the Unova League. Don't worry, I'll make a call to other representatives to keep an eye on him. Make sure he behaves." Don George said.
I sighed at that. I guess that's all we could get out of this.
"Come on, Hilda." I said, slowly pulling her up and placing her arm over my shoulders. "Hilbert, can you get the Pokémon back to their Balls?"
"Yeah, I'll get them back inside." Hilbert said, grabbing Snivy's Poké Ball and returning both it and Oshawott.
"Thanks, bro." Hilda said, before the three of us walked away. "Hey, Kris?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks… for, back there." Hilda smiled with a hint of pink dusting her cheeks. "You know… for defending me."
I blushed back, attempting to look away. "I-It's nothing, really. It's the least I could do."
"Hey, can you two not flirt in front of me?" Hilbert asked, dryly.
"Oh shut up," Hilda and I said in unison, before looking at each other in surprise.
"Yeah, you're definitely made for each other…" Hilbert deadpanned.
"It's not like that!" We cried out.
"You just finished a sentence together. Again."
After returning back to the Pokémon Center, Audino led Hilda back to the hospital wing while Nurse Joy took care of our Pokémon. In the meantime, Hilbert and I sat in the waiting room, waiting for Hilda to be done with her treatment.
"Say Hilbert, I've been thinking about something." I said.
"What's up?" Hilbert asked.
"You think… we should let go of our Pokémon?" I asked, much to his surprise. I waved my arms frantically as I added, "I-I mean not our Starters of course! But…"
"What the heck are you talking about?! We just got them and now you want to abandon them?" Hilbert gave me an angry look.
"I'm not saying that!" I panicked, then trailed off sadly. "It's just… you heard what Don George said. If it wasn't an official League match, it'll be our fault for letting our Pokémon be seriously hurt or killed. It would've been my fault if Croagunk actually killed Tepig. I wouldn't forgive myself for it…"
Two memories also come to mind with the show. Paul battled Ash in a full 6-on-6 battle and it was an outright one-sided match when Paul won, making Ash lose most of his confidence, and that satisfied smirk on Paul's face pissed me off. And the other… Pikachu almost died when the Raichu he battled pinned him to a rock and fired a Hyper Beam at point blank range.
Thinking about those two scenes still irks me to this day.
"You're scared." Hilbert realized. "You're scared of Nathan."
I winced at the accusation and sighed, "…Yeah, I am. It's just… I've never met anyone, even from my world, who was so rotten to the core from the get-go. Seeing his ruthlessness for the past couple of days… I don't know how to deal with it."
Hilbert sighed, "Yeah, I… know what you mean. There have been some bad Trainers before but I've never met such a vicious person in my life. What really sucks… is that we were powerless to stop him."
"And there's the rub." I said, clenching my fists then slammed it on the coffee table. "Urgh! How are we supposed to get stronger if he keeps doing things like this? We're not his personal punching bags!"
"We just… keep moving, I guess." Hilbert answered. "Hilda and I dreamed of this life. We're not going to let some thug bully us."
"Yeah, you're right." I sighed, scratching the back of my head. "I'm sorry man. I wasn't thinking straight… what was I thinking saying to release our Pokémon, just to save them from Nathan's brutality?"
"Yeah, you were pretty dumb thinking that." Hilbert chimed. "Besides…I don't think we're the first ones to have our Pokémon get brutalized by Nathan."
"Yeah, and they won't be the last either." I added. "Which is why we're gonna get stronger to put a stop to his treachery."
"Heck yeah we are." Hilbert answered.
"Hey guys." A familiar voice called out as we looked to see Hilda approach us.
"Hey, how did it go?" Hilbert asked, as we stood up. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm going to have some sore ribs for about a week but I'm good." Hilda answered.
"I see…" I sighed.
"What's wrong?" Hilda asked. "I'm fine, aren't I?"
"No, it's not that, it's…" I trailed off.
"Kris was just telling me that he's scared of Nathan and wants to release our Pokémon to save them from him, but we all know that's a dumb idea." Hilbert rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" I gave him the stink eye with an indignant huff. "I said I was sorry, for thinking that!"
"Still a pretty dumb idea, dude." Hilda pointed out with a grin.
"Ugh, not you too…" I groaned.
"Excuse me." Nurse Joy called out, approaching us. "You're Hilda and Hilbert, right?"
"That's us." Hilbert nodded.
"You have a phone call that's on hold at the moment. Your mother is calling?"
"Mom is calling us?" Hilda pondered aloud in surprise.
"If I had to guess, Don George must have told her what happened." I mused.
Hilbert groaned, "And she's going to start worrying about us like last time."
With that, Nurse Joy directed us to the nearest video phone booth. Hilda took the call placing the phone to her ear and a video screen popped up, showing Mrs. Hilary, frantic and panicking.
["Hilda! Are you okay?! What happened?! I heard that no good Nathan hurt you!"]
"I'm fine, mom. I stood up to a bully, he got mad, hit me, and now I have some sore ribs but I'm okay." Hilda stated.
["Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?!"]
"Mom, will you quit it?" Hilbert sighed, "If Hilda says she's fine, then she's fine."
"Besides, if anything, I hurt Nathan's pride. It was worth the bruised ribs." Hilda explained.
Hilary sighed at this, ["I suppose as long as you're alright, then it's fine. However, I don't think your Pokémon should be battling that person so give them to me. I'll take care of them."]
"WHAT?!" Hilda and Hilbert gawked.
["I'm not taking all of them, just the ones you caught before getting your Starters."] Hilary said.
"Pidove and Rufflet? But…we just got them today." Hilda argued, already grabbing Pidove's Poké Ball.
["Don't you give me that tone, young lady."] Hilary said. ["You forget that I was once a Pokémon Trainer myself. So I can train those two without a problem. And besides, what if you caught more Pokémon? You can only carry six of them at a time anyways."]
"But Region Professors can take care of any licensed Pokémon that Lab Trainers send over." Hilbert pointed out.
["Doesn't mean that I can't help."]
"Guys, I don't think your mom is gonna budge. If I know one thing, it's not to argue with your mother and do as she says." I said. "Trust me, I tried with mine when it comes to certain aspects of my life and she always won the argument."
The twins looked at one another, the expressions on them were enough to know that they were reluctant and a bit anxious before nodding in agreement. "Okay…" They answered.
Hilda and Hilbert then one by one placed their Poké Ball in the transporter that was on the other side of the machine and with a press of a button, energy zapped the Poké Ball and disappeared, transporting it to their mother's side of the phone call.
["Thanks, you two! I'll be sure to take good care of them!"] Hilary smiled brightly. ["And Kris, you keep an eye on Hilda and make sure she behaves herself while she recovers."]
"Uh… yes ma'am." I blinked.
"Was there anything else, mom?" Hilbert asked.
["Nope! I'll call you later! Ta-ta~!"] Hilary said, before hanging up.
"Well… that was unexpected…" I muttered.
"That's mom for ya." Hilda sighed. "Now Hilbert and I are back to square one…"
"Hey, be glad that you have a protective mom who's looking out for her kids. Well, maybe she's a bit overprotective, but you get my point."
"We know and we love her for that. Still, we're down to one Pokémon each now." Hilbert answered.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find the right Pokémon team for you both! I guarantee it!" I grinned.
"Let's hope so…" The twins sighed in dramatic fashion, making me sweat drop.
Meanwhile…
"You're sure he was about to kill her?" Holmes asked over the phone. Absol laid beside his feet while her trainer was on the phone.
["He looked dead set on it too."] The caller on the other line answered with a heavy sigh. ["It was a good thing I stepped in or we would've had a homicide on our hands…"]
"And it's already a mess in Unova with Team Plasma. Now this incident? This can't keep going on. Thanks for notifying me about this, George."
["Of course. When you do see him, put that boy in his place. No holding back."]
"I never do. Trainers like this? Who thinks they can get away with such disgusting practices and believe they're above the law? Don't last long against me. If I see him, he's going down. Hard. In the meantime, keep an eye on Nathan. If he pulls this shit again, I want notifications about this."
["Will do. And if you see those three, I think it will do them good if you mentored them."]
"Huh?"
["In all my years of meeting Trainers, I've never seen such fighting spirits like those three. If you can nurture their full potential, it'll be a great boon for their future. Whaddya say?"]
"George, you realize what you're asking of me, right?"
["Of course! That's why you're one of the best!"]
"George, I'm only the best because I know how to deal with the darker side of the Trainer business. The side that I've seen when I first started my journey. The same kind of journey that had me lose friends and did things that I'm not proud of. You're asking me to mentor kids and show them a side that they are not mentally prepared for."
["W-Well, I'm not saying to show all of that side, but uh…"]
"You know that no matter where I go, there's always a case that keeps me from the light. One that gets people or Pokémon killed."
["It's just every now and then. Not 24/7/365."]
Holmes thought it over then looked down at Absol, who stared up at him. "Yeah…I know, girl." He whispered before returning to the phone. "Alright. I'll watch over them. Advise them, mentor them, whatever. But at the first sign of anything that could break them, I'm pulling them off and sending them to the League."
["It's a deal! Trust me on this, Holmes, I got a good feeling about those three! You won't regret it!"]
"I certainly hope not. I've got enough regrets to last Arceus knows how many lifetimes." And with that, he hung up.
"Absol. Sol." The Disaster Pokémon spoke.
"I know, Luna. I know." Holmes said, placing the phone back where it came from before sitting down on a hotel bed he had paid for with cash.
"Sol. Absol sol."
"Look, it ain't that simple, girl. I know what might happen later down the line and there is going to be some stuff that those kids are never going to be ready for. Things that we've seen which haunt me to this day."
"Ab ab."
"Relax. It's like George said, it's only every now and then that I'll share my wisdom with them."
"Sol," The Disaster Pokémon shrugged before curling to go back to her cat nap.
"Luna, you are always such a great listener." Holmes commented before reaching into his jacket to pull out a photograph, smiling at it fondly. "It'd be great to see the crew again. Been so long since we've seen them."
The next day had arrived too soon and Hilda was back to her usual self. She was still aching, but nonetheless felt as if yesterday never happened. Nurse Joy also returned our fully healed Pokémon back to us after waking up, so now the three of us were having breakfast with our Pokémon. As we ate, we were discussing our plans for the journey ahead.
"Alright, so the first Gym we're heading to is in Striaton City." I said, having a map of the Unova Region on the table. "But I hear there are three Gym Leaders there, and… it's also a part-time restaurant?"
"Yeah, the Gym Leaders are supposedly brothers that use different Types in battle but they're all great chefs and owners of the restaurant that make up the Striaton City Gym." Hilda explained.
"Huh… well we could ask them to battle us in a Triple Battle." I suggested. "That way we can get our first Badges at the same time."
"Makes sense. Plus, I'm pretty sure the Gym Leaders would be okay with it." Hilbert nodded.
"Speaking of Badges though…" I said, before pointing out Virbank City and Humilau City. "I've never seen these towns and apparently they too have Gym Badges, meaning there's more than eight Gyms in the region."
"Yeah, and?" Hilbert said, confused.
"So… which Gyms are we taking for our final 8th Gym Battle?"
The twins looked at each other, a little unsure.
"Honestly, I… think we should talk about that when we have our seventh badge." Hilda answered.
"I guess, though, we'll be backtracking a lot." I pondered. "That's why I figured we'd talk about it now, so that we have a plan of how to visit these Gyms in one go without backtracking to the other previous cities or towns we've already been to."
"Well, we haven't decided yet. So, let's just keep that in reserve for now." Hilbert stated.
"Right."
"Good morning, you three!" A familiar voice called out as we looked to see Don George approach us.
"Hey, Don George, how's it going?" I asked.
"Doing good. I'm happy to inform you that I made good on my promise. I pulled a few strings, and the reps are gonna make sure that Nathan behaves himself."
"That's good." I sighed.
"Say, after you three eat, can you come by the Battle Club again? There's someone I'd like for you to meet."
"Huh?" The three of us looked at each other confused, then back at Don George.
"It's a surprise. One that I think you'll like." Don George grinned.
"I don't know if I can handle surprises after the last few times." Hilda groaned.
"After yesterday, we could use something good right about now." Hilbert sighed. "Alright, we'll meet you there once we're done here."
"Great! See you soon!" Don George smiled before leaving us.
"I wonder what kind of surprise it'll be…" I pondered.
"Hopefully, something that won't give us a heart attack." Hilda remarked.
"Yeah, I think we can all agree that we've had enough encounters with Nathan." Hilbert shrugged.
"Amen to that." I agreed.
After finishing breakfast, we made our way back to the Battle Club where Don George was waiting for us with a wider smile than ever. "Ah, good, you're here! Follow me!"
Turning on his heel, he led the three of us to the battlefield once more.
"So~ who's this person we're meeting?" Hilda asked.
"Oh, someone who has an interest in you three." Don George answered.
"Oh, great. A meeting with a stranger. Lovely." Hilbert deadpanned.
"Come on, stop being so pessimistic, you two." I said. "If Don George says it's something good, then it should be something good. He went out of his way to do something nice for us after yesterday."
The twins looked at each other, then back at me before sighing with a nod, "Yeah, okay."
We soon found ourselves at the sliding doors that led to the battlefield. When they opened, there were two people standing there, as if they were waiting for our arrival.
Wait, hold on… is that… no… NO WAY! THERE'S NO WAY!
Standing in front of us was a skinny, slender preteen male with a shade of black hair, slightly tan skin, and brown eyes with two distinctive lightning bolt-like markings for cheeks underneath each eye. wore a red and white hat with a blue Poké Ball print, a blue and white hooded jacket with a golden zipper, black baggy jeans, black fingerless gloves with red borders, and red high-top sneakers.
And sitting on his shoulder was a very iconic Pokémon.
It was a short, chubby rodent Pokémon, covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. It has a small mouth, long, pointed ears with black tips, and brown eyes. Each cheek is a red circle that contains a pouch for electricity storage and has short forearms with five fingers on each paw, its feet each having three toes. At the base of its lightning bolt-shaped tail is a patch of brown fur.
Standing next to him was a young, thin girl who is dark-skinned with a medium brown complexion, brown eyes and abnormal long purple hair, tied back with yellow bangles in thick ponytails that resemble the petals of an iris blossom. Her attire consists of a cream-colored long-sleeved top with a pink collar and cuffs, a pink puffy miniskirt with a slit on the left side and a big ribbon over it. She also has white leggings with yellow colored ends at the legs, and pink and white yellow-strapped shoes with no socks.
The Pokémon on her shoulder was a bipedal, grayish-green Pokémon with pale, straight tusks protruding from the sides of its mouth. The back of its head is dark grayish-green with a tall, slightly curved horn. Large, dark grayish-green ovals surround its red eyes, and it has a short, rounded snout with large nostrils. A forest green collar marking encircles its neck and its limbs and tail are short, with its forelimbs having three digits and its feet having two digits.
I can't believe who I'm seeing! It's Ash Ketchum and Pikachu! Alongside Iris and Axew!
"Who are these two?" Hilda questioned.
"Hilda, don't you know that guy?" Hilbert asked incredulously. "That's Ash Ketchum!"
"Wait, one of the Top 4 from the Sinnoh League?" The female twin ordered in shock.
"Oh, so you know," Don George grinned, before gesturing to the boy and girl. "Yes, everyone this is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his partner Pikachu. And the girl next to him is Iris and her Axew. Ash, these are the three I've talked about. This is Kris, Hilda, and Hilbert."
The legendary Trainer then walked up towards me with a smile and offered his hand, "Hi, it's nice to meet you."
I stared at him in complete shock, stunned that I would meet one of my childhood heroes in my younger days. I never thought it was possible, but here I am, standing face-to-face with the Ash Ketchum. My body started trembling, and before long I had tears running down my face, yet I was smiling.
"H-Hey, is something wrong?" Ash asked worriedly.
I shook my head, wiping the tears but it still streamed down my eyes and I kept the smile. "No, nothing's wrong…" I sobbed. "Because I got to meet my childhood hero! I've always wanted to meet you for so long!"
"Uh…okay?" Ash said, looking incredibly confused.
"Pika?" Pikachu was right there with him.
"Childhood hero? Ash? That's a bit of a long stretch, especially since he's such a little kid." Iris said with a playful shrug.
"Hey, who are you calling a little kid?!" Ash asked indignantly.
"No, you don't understand." I shook my head, getting his attention. "I've watched all of your battles on TV. And you've been… such an inspiration to me, for everyone really, where I'm from. You've inspired generations of kids for a long time, myself included. When I watch your battles, that unshakable trust in your Pokémon and friends are what make you shine the brightest. You see the best in everybody and fully support them, never doubting their ability to accomplish their goals."
"Uh, I'm a little confused here. You keep saying that you watched my battles as a kid but…you look older than me." Ash said, feeling a little creeped out.
I facefaulted briefly. So much for the moment!
"Right, okay. You're gonna have to sit down for this one." I sighed, before I gestured to everyone to sit at the stands.
One explanation of the Multiverse Theory later…
"No way! Seriously?!" Ash gawked in surprise. "You're from a world where no Pokémon exists at all?!"
"Pika?!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon said with equal surprise.
"Yeah, I know, hard to believe huh…" I mused. "But yeah, that's the gist of it. No Pokémon in my world. Nothing but fantasy and fiction, in the form of cartoons, video games, comic books, and card games."
"I don't think I can imagine living in a world without my buddy." Ash said, feeling conflicted about my Earth.
"Pika…" Pikachu also looked worried and conflicted.
"You're really going to believe all that? A world with no Pokémon but is only known as something for entertainment?" Iris looked at the Pride of Pallet Town.
"I mean it does sound crazy, but…" Ash trailed off.
"Trust me, we didn't believe Kris at first either." Hilbert said. "But our mom could tell he wasn't lying."
"Not to mention Professor Juniper almost wanted to experiment on him." Hilda added.
"Wait, really? But she's so nice." Ash said, surprised.
"Pika!" Pikachu chimed, also remembering how nice the Unova Region Professor was.
"She is, don't get us wrong, it's just… When I told her about my situation, she got a liiittle bit eccentric like a mad scientist. Almost." I said, pinching my fingers for emphasis.
"Huh, you know, you kinda remind me of someone I met some time ago." Ash said, looking at me in particular. "Don't know why but you just have that same… feeling about you."
"Whaddya mean by that?" I asked in confusion. "You… met someone like me?"
"Not sure if he was from another world but he definitely had the same otherworldly feeling I'm getting from you." Ash answered, rubbing the back of his head. "I met him in Hoenn and Sinnoh but I haven't seen him since."
"Really? What's his name?"
"Chris Holmes." Ash answered.
Hilda, Hilbert, and I looked at him in surprise, then at each other, then back at him.
"Did he have a very high-maintenanced Absol with him?" Hilbert asked for confirmation.
"I wouldn't call her high-maintenance, but yes." Ash answered. "He was also the winner of the Hoenn League that I was part of."
"No way!" The three of us shouted.
"You all know him?" Ash asked.
"Y-Yeah, he's here in Unova." I answered, "We ran into him a couple of times. Though he only left Accumula Town here a couple days ago."
"What?! I missed him?! That stinks. I wanted to battle him like old times." Ash pouted.
"He didn't say where he was going, but if I had to guess, he's probably headed to Striaton City."
"Really?" This time, the Kanto Trainer perked up with excitement. "Maybe he's joining the Unova League!"
"Then it's settled." I said. "We'll all go to Striaton City and meet up with him. Besides, he and I need to have a little chat."
"Sounds great!" Ash nodded.
"But first, I think it's time we did what Don George wanted us to do." I smiled, before standing up and pointed at the legendary Trainer with the widest grin I could ever muster. "Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to a one-on-one Pokémon Battle!"
Hilda and Hilbert gave me stupefied looks while Ash looked surprised before grinning excitedly. Iris, on the other hand, already figured this outcome would happen.
"I accept your challenge! Right, Pikachu?" Ash said while asking his partner.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu chimed, equally pumped for a battle.
"Of course this would happen." Iris sighed in defeat.
"Axew," The Tusk Pokémon spoke in agreement.
Don George chuckled in amusement, "Well, young ones, let's take this over to the battlefield. I'll act as referee."
Ash and I soon took our places on the battlefield, and Don George was on the middle of the sideline as referee. "This battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Kris of Nuvema Town will now begin! Each Trainer will use one Pokémon and the battle is over when one side is unable to battle! Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
"Alright, Pikachu! Get in there!" Ash said.
"Pika pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon chimed as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder and took a stance on all fours.
"Tepig, it's Battle Time!" I smiled, throwing my Poké Ball in the air and it popped open, allowing energy to stream out of the ball, molding and changing into Tepig's form, before the light faded to reveal himself.
"Tepig! Tepig!"
"A Tepig, huh? Been wanting a chance to battle one of them." Ash said with giddiness. "Hope you're ready, Kris!"
"Oh, I was born ready!" I grinned back. How could I not be? I'm battling the Legendary Trainer Ash!
"Let the battle begin!" Don George said.
Pokémon Battle
1-on-1
Ash vs. Kris
BATTLE START!
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash declared.
"Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon suddenly ran as fast as he could, going in a zig-zag motion while making his way towards Tepig.
"Tepig, use Smokescreen!" I smirked.
"Tepiiiiiiiig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon cried out, as it blew black smoke from its nostrils, stopping Pikachu in his tracks.
"Pika?!"
"Stay calm, Pikachu! Tepig will use the smoke as cover!" Ash called out to his partner.
"Good thinking on Kris's part." Hilda commented. "Pikachu won't be able to see anything through smoke."
"Yeah, but it's not like Pikachu can't use his other senses." Hilbert pointed out.
"Tepig, use Flamethrower!" I called out.
"What?!" Ash gawked. Pikachu was also shocked by the declaration and before long, a stream of flames shot out from the plume of smoke. By the time Pikachu realized it, it was already too late as the fire struck the Electric Mouse head on.
"Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out in pain.
"A direct hit!" Iris gasped.
"Axew!"
"Pikachu, you okay?" Ash called out to his partner after it landed on the ground with a wince.
"Piiiiikaaaaa…" Pikachu gritted his teeth as he struggled on all fours.
"Alright Tepig, use Tackle!" I commanded.
"Tepig, Tepig, Tepig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon came out of the smoke and charged towards the mouse.
"Jump in the air then use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.
The Electric Mouse used its amazing agility to jump in the air over Tepig, the tail of Pikachu becoming shrouded in Steel-Type energy before coming down with a vicious swing towards the piglet.
"Tepig, catch his tail!" I shouted.
Tepig looked up seeing the Iron Tail coming down before Tepig opened its mouth to bite on said tail. "Pig!"
"Pika?!" Pikachu looked surprised.
"Okay, Tepig, now swing him around!" I said.
Tepig then did just that, swinging the Electric Mouse Pokémon round and round. Where and when Tepig will stop nobody knows.
"PiiiiiIIIIIIIIiiiiiIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIII!" Pikachu moaned out, as he was getting dizzy, indicated by his swirly eyes.
Ash gritted his teeth before an idea struck him. "Pikachu, channel your electric power to your tail!"
"Pika!" Shaking off his bout of dizziness, Pikachu channeled his electricity directly into his Iron Tail, which coincidentally was still in Tepig's mouth.
"Piiiiiiiiig!" Tepig gritted his teeth, feeling the electricity course through his body.
"Hang in there, Tepig! Throw him up in the air!" I called out. The Fire Pig Pokémon found the strength to throw Pikachu up in the air, releasing his tail.
"Now jump up and use Headbutt!"
Shaking off the numbness, Tepig jumped up and was about to ram its head on Pikachu.
"Pikaaa!" The mouse grunted.
"Alright, Pikachu, grab hold of Tepig!" Ash commanded.
"Pikachu… PIKA!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon suddenly grabbed a hold of my Pokémon.
"Tepig?!" The Fire Pig Pokémon gawked.
"Now, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~kachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!*
"Tepiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!"
"Tepig, no!" I cried out. Both Pokémon fell to the ground with a thud as Pikachu jumped back while Tepig struggled to his feet. "Come on, Tepig, I know you can do it! I believe in you!"
"Te… pig…" the Fire Pig Pokémon grunted. "Tepig… TePIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!" He then glowed a fiery orange.
"Haha! Alright! Blaze activated!" I cheered.
"Blaze?" Iris asked, confused. "What's that?"
"A special ability that Fire-Types possess. When they have low health, the strength of their Fire attacks is boosted greatly." Hilbert explained.
"Alright Tepig, let's go! Jump in the air and use Ember!"
Tepig did as told as he jumped up and sprayed multiple motes of embers from its nostrils, spreading it all over the field.
"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash called out.
"Pika!" The Electric Mouse dodged to the left.
"Not gonna happen! Tepig spread the embers out!" I shouted.
"Tepiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon increased the output of his embers and the motes of flames spread out to a wider area.
Ash seemed to panic a bit, "Use Quick Attack to get away!"
"Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi!" Pikachu used his quickness and agility to dodge the motes of flame that were trying to burn his fur, but he was barely able to outrun it.
"Wow, he's giving Ash a run for his money." Iris murmured in amazement.
"I guess Tepig is pretty motivated to get stronger after that encounter with Nathan." Hilda commented.
"You would be too if he kept pulling out stunts like that." Hilbert pointed out.
"Yeah, that's fair." Hilda laughed sheepishly.
"There's gotta be a way for me to stop Tepig from spreading those embers." Ash said, looking around, before he noticed something up top of the ceiling… What is he thinking? "That's it!"
"Huh?"
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the sprinklers!" The Pride of Pallet Town commanded.
"HUH?!" I gawked, before looking up, noticing said sprinklers. Crap!
"Piiiiiiiiiiikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!*
Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck the sprinklers and automatically, it started raining down water everywhere, dampening the entire battlefield. Not only that, the water doused the embers.
"Awww come on, really?!" Hilda groaned, covering herself from the sprinkling water in vain.
"Ash, are you serious right now?!" Iris complained while Axew used the girl's long hair as cover from the water.
"Now Pikachu, finish it off with Thunderbolt!"
"Piiiiiiiiiiikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!*
"TEPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!"
"Tepig!" I cried out, before my partner fell to the ground and the sprinklers stopped after.
"Tepig is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Ash from Pallet Town!" Don George declared.
Battle Ended!
Winner: Ash Ketchum!
"Alright! We won! Nice work, Pikachu!" Ash cheered as Pikachu rushed over to his trainer and jumped into his arms.
"Chu~!" Pikachu rubbed his cheek against the boy's own affectionately.
"Tepig, you alright?" I asked, running over to his fallen form as the Fire Pig looked up at me weakly.
"Tepiiiiiiiig…"
I smiled sadly, as I picked him up into my arms. "You were great out there, Tepig. I'm proud of ya. You should be proud too."
"Piiiiiig…" Tepig grumbled.
"C'mon, don't be like that. You gave it your all, that's all that matters." I chuckled, before taking out his Poké Ball. "Get some rest, buddy." I said, before the red beam of energy locked onto Tepig and converted him to energy before he was sucked into the Poké Ball.
"You and Tepig were really great in that battle." Ash complimented me as he and Pikachu approached us.
"Thanks, Ash." I grinned as I stood up. "I gotta say, your improvisation to use the sprinklers to not only douse the embers, but weaken Tepig enough with the water to use that Thunderbolt, was a great strategy."
"Yeah, but I only thought of it after you used that wide-spread Ember attack. Tepig must be pretty powerful to release flames that wide." Ash said with a grin.
"Yeah, he is. And I know one day, he'll beat Nathan at his own game."
"Nathan?" Ash repeated, confused.
"That's the reason why I called you out here." Don George said, approaching him. "Yesterday, this Nathan fellow interrupted Hilbert and Hilda's battle and then had the gall to attack the latter and threaten her life."
"Wait, what?!" Ash was unsurprisingly appalled.
"Yeah, he's rotten to the core. He thinks strength is everything and thinks killing Pokémon is the only way to ensure complete victory and dominance over one's opponent." I growled.
"I met someone who thought strength was everything back in Sinnoh but I know for a fact, he would never do something like that." Ash frowned.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with his Trainer, equally upset about this human.
Ash then turned to Don George. "Is that why you asked me to come here? To help remedy that bad experience?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Don George sighed, "But it's all good now. We all have good vibes and can leave on a happier note, right?"
"You got that right." I said.
"Hey, Ash!" Iris called out. Ash, Don George, and I looked to see Iris, Hilda, and Hilbert. They didn't look very happy as they were soaking wet due to the sprinklers. "You didn't take into account that your plan would get us all soaked! What's up with that?!"
"Oh, uh, I…" Ash chuckled sheepishly, "It was a gut feeling?"
"A gut feeling!? You should've thought this through more!" Iris scolded and she started lecturing him about mindfulness and watching his surroundings.
Meanwhile, I looked back at the twins and while Hilbert was sort of fine due to his choice of attire of being long-sleeved, his hair was still a mess. As for Hilda, she…
Dammit, her shirt was wet enough that I could see through it!
I blushed madly and turned away from her, hoping she didn't catch me looking at her like that.
"I've got some towels in the back. I'll go get them." Don George said, marching off towards the back of the dojo.
"Hey Kris, why are you looking away?" Hilda asked, making me flinch.
"W-Why do you ask?" I stuttered. Curse you, hormones!
"Two reasons why." Hilbert mumbled, dryly.
"Shut up, Hilbert!" I snapped comically.
"What are you talking about?" Ash pondered in confusion.
"You're too young to know!" I shouted.
"Kris, seriously what is up with you?" Hilda pressed.
"Um…" I mumbled, "Y-Your… s-s-shirt…"
"My shirt?" Hilda blinked, before I imagined what she was currently doing. She looked down and realized what I meant. "Ahh…" She softly gasped, with wide eyes, before turning away with an embarrassed blush while covering her chest with her arms.
"I-I'm gonna help Don George with getting those towels!" I said quickly, before running off.
I felt a chill going down my spine as I ran, no doubt that it was coming from Hilbert. I just hope my hormones calm down before the day is done…
SAVE FILE
Player Name: Kris
Pokémon: Tepig, Pidgey
Badges: None
Player Name: Hilda
Pokémon: Snivy
Badges: None
Player Name: Hilbert
Pokémon: Oshawott
Badges: None
Saved On: 10/3/23