KRD: Hey guys! KRD here for another chapter of Pokémon: The Path of Truth & Ideals! And boy there's a treat for you guys today! It's going to be a Triple Battle between Hilda, Hilbert, and I vs. the Striaton City Gym brother Cilan, Chili, and Cress! And we're battling for the Trio Badge in a Triple Battle! That's right guys! We're not going one-by-one, we're going out in a battle royale! So buckle up, because it's gonna be a epic ride!
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 5: Triple Battle for the Trio Badge!
I slurped my ramen noodles in silence as we all sat in our foldable chairs at the foldable table after boiling the water and putting said water in noodles, letting it cook for three minutes before we could eat. You wouldn't believe what happened earlier. I couldn't believe what happened earlier. While we sent Team Rocket flying, our lunch was ruined, so I came up with a backup plan of buying instant ramen for us. Hilda gave me a hug for that causing us to fall with her on top of me, much to our embarrassment and Iris had the nerve to tease us to no end.
Since then, Hilda and I can't even look at each other.
"What's with that look on your face?" Ash asked me while slurping up a larger bowl of ramen.
"I don't wanna talk about it…" I grumbled as I kept eating my ramen in silence.
"Pika?" The Electric Mouse tilted his head in confusion.
"Yeah, I don't get it either, buddy." Ash shrugged before he returned to his meal.
"Oh Ash, you sweet summer child." Iris sighed almost mockingly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash pouted at her.
"Iris, shut up right now…" Hilda grumbled.
Hilbert joined in on the teasing, "Oh, don't be like that, sis. It's okay if you and Kris like each other. That hug was proof enough."
*WAPISH!*
"Ow!" Hilbert cried out, after his sister hit him with a harisen. Where she got that, I'll never know.
"I certainly don't wanna hear it from you!" Hilda snapped.
"I don't get it. What's wrong with them hugging?" Ash pondered aloud.
"Pika, pika." Pikachu patted his Trainer's arm as if saying that he'll learn when he's older.
Ash… once Serena kisses you, you'll understand.
…or probably not.
"Anyways, how far are we to Straiton City?" I sighed.
"Another two hours from here." Iris answered.
"That's good. When we get there, the first thing I'm doing is take a nap. The Gym can wait." I said.
"And maybe some real food besides noodles." Hilbert pointed out, gesturing to his half-eaten bowl of ramen.
"Oh c'mon, it was an emergency, was it not?!" I complained.
"Ramen like this isn't real food." Hilbert deadpanned.
"It's still food regardless." I huffed. "You should be thanking me for buying them in an emergency and Team Rocket ruining our lunches definitely counted as one."
"Can we just focus on eating then get back on the road, please?" Hilda interjected, an annoyed expression present on her cute face.
Everyone else looked at Hilda, then at each other nervously, before silently agreeing to finish up eating.
After having Tepig burn our trash to ashes, safely mind you, we were finally back on the road to Straiton City. I just hope this two-hour walk won't be so awkward. I still can't even look Hilda in the eye. The memory of her on top of me was still etched into my mind.
"Get that image out of your head before you crash into a tree." Hilbert's voice reached my ears.
"Huh?" I looked at Hilbert then-
*CRASH!*
"OW!"
-ran into a tree. I crouched down on my knees while nursing a bruise on my forehead. "Ughhhh, why…"
"I warned you." Hilbert said, patting my shoulder before walking past me. "We'll give you a few minutes to nurse that new headache."
"Man, what is up with Kris today?" Ash looked absolutely confused, with hands to his hips, looking at me in pity.
"Pika pi…"
"Apparently, he has someone on his mind." Iris teased me with a sly, knowing look on her face.
Oooooooh, I just wanna wring your neck like a towel and strangle you, Iris!
"Hey, I see something!" Ash suddenly called out, gesturing to the sky.
We all looked up to where Ash was pointing and coming towards us was a bird with a round, blue body with no discernible neck, as its body appears to be all head. There are two long feathers on top of its head, and it has a short, rounded white beak and beady, black eyes. Its wings are fluffy and white, resembling cotton or clouds, which give a light and fluffy feel. And It has tiny, white feet and two pointed tail feathers.
"A Swablu." I noticed.
"It's so cuuuuuuuuuuute!" Hilda gushed with sparkles in her eyes.
The small bird from Hoenn, however, seemed to be flying rather haphazardly as if it were drunk or exhausted.
"Hey, why is it flying so weird?" Hilbert wondered.
"Eirrrrrrrrrrrr!"
"HUH?!"
We looked and saw that there was another avian Pokémon that was silver-gray, with a long, metallic blue neck, legs, and tail. It has yellow eyes, a pointed beak with several pointed teeth, and a triangular crest on its head. There are red feathers under the sheaths that cover its sharp wings, and each feather can be moved independently. Its wings are actually hollow, and its feet have three toes on them, two in front and one in back, and its tail has hooked ends.
"A Skarmory!" Ash gasped.
"And it's chasing that Swablu!" Hilbert added, eyes wide in shock. "It must be after it as a midday snack."
"We gotta help it then!" Iris urged.
"Axew!"
"Skarmory is a Steel and Flying-Type, so Electric and Fire-Type moves should weaken it." Hilbert explained.
"That's where I come in then." I said, before taking out Tepig's Poké Ball. "Tepig, it's Battle Time!" I said, throwing the Poké Ball in the air, which opened up and the Fire Pig coming out.
"Tepig! Tepig!"
"Tepig, cover for Swablu! Use Flamethrower!" I commanded.
"Te! Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon breathed flames from his nostrils, to which the steel bird dodged while Swablu made a break for it.
"Come here, Swablu! Over here!" Hilda called out. "Come to me!"
The small blue bird noticed Hilda and, figuring that the human girl was preferable than being eaten, flew down towards the waiting arms of the girl.
"That's it, Swablu! You're okay! Come on, hurry!" Hilda urged. Skarmory in the meantime, noticed what was happening and took his eyes away from Tepig and went straight for Swablu.
"Crap, Ash, it's heading that way!" I called out.
"Pikachu, intercept Skarmory with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Pi~kachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" The electric mouse shot out lightning at the steel bird, dodging the incoming attack.
"Skaaaar!" Skarmory released a bloodthirsty cry as it dived towards Swablu and, subsequently, Hilda as well.
"HILDA!" I shouted as I rushed towards and tackled her and Swablu to the ground, Skarmory diving in as it missed and flew back up. I then looked down to check on them "You okay?! Are you hurt?!"
"Y-Yeah, thanks for that." Hilda replied with a stutter then looked down at Swablu. "How about you?"
"Bluuuu…"
"Thank goodness…" Hilda sighed.
"Ahhh! It's coming back around!" Iris shouted, pointing at Skarmory who circled around.
"It's too fast for any of our attacks. It also has the advantage in the skies." Hilbert said with a grimace. He then decided to do something crazy… pull out a Poké Ball.
"Are you crazy?!" I gawked. "That Skarmory is still at full power!"
"What other choice do we have?" Hilbert retorted. "Screw it, I'm gonna do it! Poké Ball, go!" He then threw it at Skarmory… until the steel bird smacked it right back at him, square on his face, causing him to fall over on his back, leaving a big red mark.
"Ooooooooh…" Ash cringed.
"Idiot, you gotta weaken it first! That's Pokémon Battling 101!" I groaned with a facepalm. "Tepig, use Ember and spread them out!"
"Tepiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon cried out, spraying embers out of its nostrils, spreading it in the air to expand the area of effect. Skarmory noticed the air of Embers despite the fact it was far too close. However, in a show of stubbornness, it flew right through the flames and towards the Fire Pig.
"That thing's reckless!" Iris gawked.
"Axew!"
"Pikachu, block Skarmory using Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.
"Chuuuu~pika!" Pikachu squeaked after jumping in the air and encasing his tail in Steel-Type energy then swung it towards Skarmory's head.
"Skarrrrrr!" The steel bird was sent to the ground hard head first.
"Tepig, use Flamethrower!" I said.
"Tepig! Tepig! Teeeeepiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!" Once again, the Fire Pig Pokémon breathed flames from its nostrils on Skarmory and this time it took a direct hit, knocking it away from us.
Not wanting to risk anymore pain and unable to get its meal, Skarmory released a whimpering cry before flying away as fast as it possibly could due to its burns.
"Phew… that takes care of that." I sighed in relief. "Nice work, Tepig!" I grinned, kneeling on one knee, and scratching his chin.
"Tepig!" The piglet squeaked with joy while closing his eyes in obvious enjoyment of the chin scratches.
Afterwards, I stood up and walked towards Hilda. "How's Swablu?"
"Well, despite nearly being scared to death, it seems to just be exhausted." Hilda explained. "Aren't you, Swablu… that mean Skarmory was trying to eat you, wasn't it…?" She baby talked to the bird.
"Bluuuuu…"
"Hey, I'm hurt too y'know!" Hilbert groaned, before sitting up and pulling the Poké Ball out of his face.
"Oh, you'll be fine." Hilda waved off nonchalantly.
"So, what do we do with it?" Ash asked aloud, looking at Swablu.
"Why don't we take it to the Pokémon Center, just to be safe?" Iris suggested.
"Good idea." Hilda said, standing up while holding Swablu in her arms. "Then we'll make sure that mean Skarmory didn't give you any boo-boos." The brown-haired girl once again gave the small bird the strange baby-talk.
"Blu! Blu!" The Cotton Bird Pokémon cooed in delight.
"Kyaaaah! You're so cute!" Hilda squealed, cuddling the bird, rubbing her face on it.
"Do you seriously have to do that?" Hilbert asked, dryly.
"Just let her." I waved off with a chuckle. "Besides, you'll have to live with it longer when Swablu evolves into a bigger fluffy bird."
"Oh, great…" Hilbert deflated in resignation.
Finally, we made it to Straiton City!
That two-hour walk wasn't as bad as I thought it would. Granted, we battled a Skarmory that tried to eat Swablu for lunch, but hey, at least it was worth the walk. The scenery of the city was just how I imagined it in the anime, a huge city with skyscrapers and loads of shops, including a market.
"Well now," A familiar voice spoke aloud. "Fancy seeing you kids here so soon. I thought it would've taken you another day."
The five of us turned and lo and behold, there was Holmes standing in front of us at the entrance to the city.
"Holmes!" Ash smiled ecstatically, running up to him.
The young man smiled at the Kanto native, "Nice to see ya again, Ash." He replied, eyes moving over to the yellow mouse on his shoulder. "Keeping him out of trouble, Pikachu?"
"Pika, pika…" Pikachu grinned mischievously.
"Hey~ I'm not that bad, Pikachu!" Ash huffed indignantly.
"I beg to differ." Holmes said dryly. "Should I tell the other kids the story of the time where you tried to-"
"No! No! You don't have to!" Ash panicked frantically, waving his hands erratically while flailing.
The older trainer rolled his eyes before focusing on us. "So, I see you guys decided to travel with Ash and Iris. How's that going so far?"
"Pretty good." I answered, then pouted, "Though we ran into Team Rocket on the way…"
"Oh, those idiots again?" Holmes sighed, shaking his head. "You would think they'd learn." Suddenly, he paused, "Wait, the redhead didn't mention me, did she?"
"She did… when I gave them the stalker treatment. Which, by the way, I didn't know you beat me to that."
"Oh, she mentioned that. For a second, I thought she talked about-" Holmes clamped his mouth shut. "Nevermind. Anyways…"
"Right, anyways… need to talk to ya." I said, with a strained smile as I walked forward, and comically grabbed and dragged Holmes by the back collar of his shirt, an earshot away from Ash and the others, his body at a slant as his heels dragging along the dirt road as I did. "It's ve~ry important."
"See you kids in a bit." Holmes waved to the others with a grin despite being dragged away.
Once we couldn't see the group, Holmes and I were face-to-face. I glared at him as I asked, "When were you going to tell me you're from my world?"
…
…
…
…
"Never." He answered, bluntly. "But thanks for confirming exactly what I wanted to know."
I gawked at him with my jaw dropped. "I- how- wha-!"
"You really think I wouldn't notice?" Holmes raised a brow, folding his arms over his arms. "Especially when you broke one of the rules by revealing your otherworldly origins?"
"There are rules?!"
"Of course there are rules." He explained. "And that was rule number one. No revealing your true origins to natives of this world. The Legendaries made that rule extremely specific."
"What?!" I gawked. "Reshiram never told me when I first got here!"
"Aha! You just revealed the name of the Legendary that brought you here!" Holmes interjected with a smirk. "Which means that you must have a mission here in Unova."
"Urk!"
"Also, I made up that whole *rules* thing. Wanted to see how you reacted."
I gawked at him before I was boiling mad, my body trembling and seething, "YOU IDIOOOOOOOOOOT!"
*WHABAM!*
Holmes went wide-eyed in shock as I had kicked him square in the nuts before falling to his knees. "Damn you, Holmes! This is why I don't like you sometimes, even back home! Here you are having the time of your life in this world while your family's been grieving from your disappearance for two to three years! Me included!"
"Jesus Christ," Holmes groaned, the pitch of his voice a little high, "And you're still the same over-emotional cry baby that gets mad over the smallest thing. Also, why did you kick me in the nuts?"
"How else was I supposed to react to your trolling?" I snarled.
"It was a harmless joke, asshole! You haven't changed a bit!" Holmes scowled after controlling his breathing. "Also… two to three years?"
I sighed heavily as I sat down on the ground, "I DM'ed you for weeks on Discord and you didn't respond. I thought something bad happened until… one of your brothers responded with your tag, and told me… I've been keeping updates since then… until… well…"
"Well, guess that answers that question for me." Holmes said before collecting himself. "And in case you haven't noticed, I wasn't exactly filled in on what's been happening on Earth ever since I got dropped here."
"Yeah, I know…" I sighed.
"Besides, my journey took far longer than just two to three years." He pointed out. "Tell me. You're absolutely sure that it was Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth, that brought you here?"
"Yeah. I was about to play Pokémon: Black Version until Reshiram was staring at me and talking to me. Even gave me the whole 'What is your Truth?' speech and basically gave me the mission to stop Team Plasma, Ghetsis, Colress, and N."
Holmes gave me a dry look, "Okay, you could've just said that Reshiram asked for your help. I didn't need all of that." He shook his head, almost disappointed. "Yeah, you haven't changed at all. Explaining information that I already know. But, it already explains why she would need you, even if I do question why she chose you."
"Wait, she? Reshiram is a she?" I asked incredulously. "I thought Legendaries are genderless! No wait… I take that back. Let me rephrase that. I thought most Legendaries are genderless!"
"Only Legendaries that aren't organic. And yes, Reshiram is a she. Met her when I was brought to a Legendary Council Meeting one time a year back. Told me that she only used the guy's voice to make herself more intimidating." Holmes explained. "I mean, have you heard her roar from the Pokémon movies and looked at her? Not exactly intimidating nor masculine."
"I… okay, that totally explains that side of the Victini movie…" I deflated.
"Why do you sound disappointed?"
I merely waved him off, offhandedly.
"Oh c'mon! Just because it's not everything you expect it to be, doesn't mean you get all depressed!"
"Meh…" I shrugged helplessly.
"Man, I cannot believe that Reshiram had to bring you here. Anyone else, I would've been fine with but instead it had to be Mr. Easily Depressed." Holmes facepalmed. "Whatever, I don't understand what they look for in a Champion but that's up to them."
"Hey, it's not like I asked to be here." I glowered.
"Now you know how I feel. Now shut up and listen up." Holmes remarked, looking downright serious. "By now, you can already guess, you're in a version of this world where the games and the anime are mixed in. If Reshiram has chosen you, she is giving you the opportunity to utilize her power."
"Use her power? What do you mean?"
"She didn't tell you?" Holmes asked, to which I shook my head. "It means she's giving you the chance to catch her. However, you will be tested like your friends when you encounter the Tao Trio."
"So Zekrom and Kyurem are in on this too…" I mused. "But… Kyurem isn't relevant for another two years until Nate and Rosa get their shot…" I pondered.
"You forget, this is a world where games and anime are mixed. Not only that, you were traveling with Ash Ketchum, the literal Chosen One who has encountered every Legendary throughout his whole journey." Holmes pointed out.
"That's true too…" I muttered. "I guess in a world like this, anything could happen."
"Yeah, it did. When I was in Hoenn, it turned out to be a combination of the original games, the anime, and the Omega and Alpha games." He stated.
"Seriously?" I said wide-eyed. "But… that means-!"
"Yup… Primal Reversion Kyogre and Groudon, Mega Raquayza, Maxie and Archie using Mega Evolution, The Eon Duo also Mega Evolving, all of it." Holmes listed.
"No way…"
"Way. I had to deal with all that shit. Even stopped the damn meteor from trying to destroy the whole bloody planet." Holmes grumbled. "God, that was a nightmare. But, at least, Absol Mega Evolved when that happened."
"The one Deoxys was in, right?"
"Yeah, and fighting Deoxys was a pain in the ass." Holmes sighed. "It took me forever to catch him." He shook his head. "But, I didn't bother keeping him. Already dealt with three Deoxys, I didn't want to carry one with me."
"Three?!"
"You forgot about those two in the movie."
"Oh right… the one with that kid that's afraid of Pokémon until Plusle and Minum came along."
"Yeah, let me tell you right now: the movies exist. They are Canon. And I had to go through them all." He said dryly.
"Yeesh…" I muttered. "Wait… you mean with the Unova movies I have to… but… the first Unova movie is two different versions of the same thing. I can't be in both at the same time!"
"Those are considered alternate realities. For all you know, it could never happen or maybe it will. You just gotta wait and see. Might even be considered a small test from Reshiram." Holmes explained. "But nothing says you have to actually go through the movies. Or follow Ash and his friends."
"That's… also a fair point." I pondered. As much as I want to travel with my childhood hero throughout all of Unova, there are still things that I wanna be able to do with Hilbert and Hilda. And whoever else may tag along.
"So… that being said, what do you intend to do after Straiton?" Holmes asked.
"Hmmmmm…" I pondered. "I guess Hilda, Hilbert, and I can do things without Ash and the others. Also… if possible, I could put a stop to Team Plasma's plans early. Nip it at the bud as it were."
Holmes gave me a look. I couldn't really discern it but it made me feel uneasy. "Tell you what. If you and your friends manage to get your first gym badges, I'll have something to show you."
"Uhh… okay?" I said, confused.
"Heeeeeeeeeey!"
Uh-oh… Ash is getting impatient.
"Come on. Let's get back to them because I have reservations at the Striaton Gym restaurant and I'm hungry as hell." Holmes stated.
*GRUMBLE!*
I looked down at my stomach and nodded, "Yeah, I could go for a bite too… but first, we need to take Swablu to a Pokémon Center."
"Swablu?"
"Oh yeah, a Skarmory wanted to have Swablu for a snack so Tepig and Pikachu drove it off, though Hilbert thought it was a good idea to catch it while it was still at full strength…" I deadpanned.
"Meh, teenagers do stupid stuff. Like you do." Holmes said, patting my shoulder before returning back to the others.
"Hey, I may have de-aged physically, but I'm still-"
"An emotionally driven teenager with the hormones of one." He shot back rather mockingly.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
With a grumble, Holmes and I returned back to our friends and we first went over to the Pokémon Center to have our Pokémon healed. While they were getting healed by the local Nurse Joy, we made our way towards the Striaton City Gym/Restaurant.
"Man, I cannot wait to taste that food! Been hearing a lot of good things from the magazines about this city's gym/restaurant combo!" Holmes said with obvious excitement.
"I'm guessing you have to battle and win in order to eat." I guessed.
"Pretty much, but that's usually for Trainers. I already had myself a battle with them a while back and scored a reservation." He answered with a smirk.
"Aw man, we left our Pokémon at the Pokémon Center!" Hilbert groaned. "We can't eat if we don't battle!"
"It's cool. The reservation never said I couldn't bring others along to join the meal." The brunette young man pointed out.
"Aw right! Thanks Holmes!" Ash cheered.
"Pika! Pika!"
"Axew!"
"Alright, let's go everyone!" Holmes declared before everyone followed him, myself included. When we arrived, we were met with the sight of a very posh building with pillars on the outside and a glass topped roof. It certainly looked the part as a Gym. By the time we arrived at the front doors, we were met with the sight of a luxurious café where there were tables everywhere and several people sitting at them enjoying their food.
"Wow… talk about luxury." Hilda said in awe.
"It is a popular and famous restaurant." Hilbert pointed out.
"Hello! Welcome to the Striaton Gym Restaurant!"
We were greeted by a tall, slender young man with slicked back chartreuse green hair with a four-pointed tuft that sticks up, and grass green eyes. He wears a long sleeved white shirt under a black waistcoat, black straight leg pants, a white apron, and flat brown shoes with golden buckles. He also wears a green bowtie, corresponding with his hair and eye color.
This was Cilan, the eventual traveling partner for Ash and Iris, essentially replacing Brock.
"Hi, I'm here for my reservation under Holmes." Holmes greeted the Grass-Type triplet.
"Let's see here… Holmes… Holmes…" Cilan said, going over to a podium and looking at the list. "Aha! Here you are! Yes indeed, you've made a reservation!" He then noticed the rest of us. "Are they with you?"
"They are." He nodded. "They wanted to challenge the Gym but they left their Pokémon at the Center. So, I thought it would be a good idea to feed the kids."
I felt my eyebrow twitch ever so slightly, but I remained calm.
"Certainly! Right this way!" Cilan gestured, as our group then made our way to the table.
"Oh, I'm getting excited." Holmes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Been waiting a long time to eat here."
"It's just lunch…" I said dryly.
"You don't understand…" Holmes said almost darkly. "This is not just lunch. This is gourmet food being served at the best restaurant in Unova. Calling it just lunch… is a disrespect towards all gourmet food. Hearing you say that, just screams how much of a commoner you are."
"You're one to talk." I deadpanned even further.
"Silence, fool! I have eaten hot pot, fondue, tomahawk steaks, and even authentic chocolate from other countries. I know my food." He retorted.
"Congratulations, should I give you my approval to attend Tōtsuki Academy while I'm at it?" I asked sarcastically.
Holmes gave me a dry glare before looking at Cilan. "He is a nonbeliever."
"Sacrilege." Cilan shook his head in disappointment.
What the hell, dude?
"He must be made to see the light." Holmes said.
"I shall return, post haste." Cilan immediately zipped away.
"What is up with you, Holmes?" Ash said confused as we all sat down. "Kris is right. It's just food."
Holmes slowly turned his head towards Ash, "Wait and see, Ketchum." He said, a bit too calmly. "You will see soon enough."
Soon enough, Cilan came back with menus as well as a large tray of food he had balanced in one hand. I'm assuming that this is their appetizer sampler.
"Try it." Cilan and Holmes said in unison, eyes seemingly taken on a dull glare that kinda freaked the rest of us out.
"H-Hey, easy on the glare there." Hilda stuttered.
"Try~ i~t." Holmes and Cilan groaned like zombies.
"Will you chill out?" I sighed, before grabbing a fried mozzarella stick and dipped it in marinara sauce. "Seriously, I don't get why you're so-"
*Munch*
My eyes widened at the taste of the mozzarella stick.
Holmes smirked at me, almost like he knew what I was feeling right now. "Well?" He said in a sing-song tone.
I sat there, contemplating on the flavor of the appetizer in shock, "This is- I- wha-!" I got out, my brain having short-circuited from how… tasty it was. "I… I have no words…"
"Told you so." He pointed out. "Everyone else?"
Everyone else looked at each other before they too started digging in, and their reactions… well…
"OH MY ARCEUS!"
"THIS IS DELICIOUS!"
"I'VE NEVER TASTED SOMETHING THIS GOOD!"
"PIKAAAAAAAA!"
"AXEWWWWWWW!"
"THIS IS THE BEST FOOD I'VE HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!"
"And thus, the nonbelievers have conformed to the power of exquisite cuisine." Holmes nodded in approval with a smirk. "Cilan! Bring in the next courses! We're having a feast!"
"Right away!" Cilan said happily before zipping off towards the kitchen yet again. Moments later, he brought a tray of bowls of soup which looked something similar to clam chowder, complete with oyster crackers. We have spoonfuls of those and they were just as delicious as the samplers.
"GIVE US MORE!" We shouted.
"Hehe, right. Cilan, we're gonna need your brothers for this one." Holmes chuckled.
"Coming right up! Chili! Cress! I could use your assistance!" Cilan called out.
Coming up to us were his other brothers, the first was a tall, slender young man with brick-red hair that spikes up in places, making it resemble a flame, and bright scarlet red eyes. He wears the same uniform as Cilan only with a red bowtie, corresponding with his hair and eye color. The second was also a tall, slender young man, but this time with short slicked down blue hair that has a longer side fringe that covers his right eye, and blue eyes. He wore the same uniform as his other brothers, only with the blue bowtie.
"Something up?" Chili asked.
"I just recently converted them to gourmet cuisine. We need the appetizers and main courses."
"Right away!" Chili and Cress saluted before joining their green-haired brother into the kitchen.
"Oh man, this should be good." Ash rubbed his hands together, eager to eat the main course.
Moments later, the three brothers and their staff members all came out with trays upon trays of appetizers and main courses. Needless to say, we were all wolfing down the food presented to us. It was just that good. But then… came the coup de grâce. Dessert.
All of us stared at our small plates of desserts, each of us having a slice of Golden Razz Berry Cake. I gotta admit… it really does look appealing, with the white icing, the vanilla sponge cake in the middle with slices of Golden Razz Berries in said slice of cake. Nervously, I picked up a fork and shakingly cut a piece of it. I lifted it up to my lips as I quivered.
The others ate their cake with simultaneous expressions of joy. Holmes are his with a calm yet dignified grace that didn't suit his appearance.
Meanwhile, back at the Golden Razz Berry Cake. With another hard gulp, I placed the piece of dessert into my mouth.
*Munch*
*ZIIIIIIIIIIIIING!*
My eyes widened considerably, almost looking catatonic as my hand went limp and my mouth opened just enough for it to fall to the ground.
Holmes looked on with a knowing grin. However, he looked at me strangely as I didn't react right away. "Uh… Kris?" He said, before waving a hand in front of my face. Again, nothing happened. "Wow… okay, I think the Golden Razz Berry Cake broke- huh?" He looked at me strangely again, when I closed my eyes, and then… for some unexplained reason, my body started glowing a golden light and it was getting brighter and brighter. "HUH?! Wait, hold on! Too bright! TOO BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"
"I think the Golden Razz Berry Cake was a little much." Cress admitted.
"I think you're right." Cilan chuckled sheepishly.
"Thank you very much for the meal." I spoke politely with sparkles around me. "It was rather delicious."
"Uh… sure, glad you liked it." Chili said, looking weirded out.
"Ahhhhhhh, my eyes…" Holmes groaned, rubbing his eyes constantly from being temporarily blind.
"I think the Pokémon should be all better now." Hilbert said.
"Yeah, let's go check them out," Hilda agreed.
"Too bad that we ate without the rest of them though." Ash frowned.
"Not to worry," Cilan held up a bag. "Our restaurant does take out orders too."
"Awesome! Thanks for the food!" Iris said, happily taking the bag of food.
"We'll see ya at the Pokémon Center, Holmes. And thanks for lunch! Be sure to tip them!" I chirped, before we left the restaurant, leaving Holmes still rubbing his eyes. By the time he actually managed to see, Holmes looked around.
"Huh? Where did they go?"
"They already left." Cress said, before presenting… the check. Holmes looked at it and paled at how much was ordered.
"That's a lot of zeroes…" Holmes groaned with comical tears running down his cheeks.
"Uh… you okay, Kris?" Hilda asked, looking at me from the side leaning over as we walked to the Pokémon Center.
"What do you mean? I feel great." I smiled. "That Golden Razz Berry cake hit the spot for me."
"Translation: He enjoyed it a lot." Hilbert added with a grin.
"You were no better." I retorted.
"Man, I couldn't eat another bite…" Ash commented, rubbing his belly with obvious joy.
"Pika~!" Pikachu agreed with his Trainer, rubbing its full stomach.
"You said it, pal. Man, I can't wait to have the others eat what we ate! They're gonna love it!" Ash grinned.
We soon arrived at the Pokémon Center, and upon entering, we found Nurse Joy approaching us, the trolley full of Poké Balls being rolled by the resident Audino. Of course, Swablu was the only one who wasn't in a Poké Ball as it wasn't captured yet.
"Welcome back," Nurse Joy greeted us with a smile. "I'm happy to tell you that all of your Pokémon are fully healed and healthy."
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Ash said, as he gathered his Poké Balls, alongside Hilbert, Hilda, and I, before Nurse Joy and Audino took their leave.
"And how's my baby Swablu? Were you a good bird?" Hilda baby-talked the Swablu as she carried it into her arms.
"Blu! Blu!"
"I could've done without the whole baby talk, sis…" Hilbert deadpanned.
Hilda scowled at her brother, "Well, Swablu is my Pokémon and I'll talk however I want with it!"
"You didn't capture it yet…" Hilbert said dryly.
"Swablu, would you like to come with me on my journey?" Hilda asked the bird, sweetly.
"BLU! BLU!"
"And that's a yes, in my book." Hilda commented, taking out an empty Poké Ball and offering it to Swablu. The Cotton Bird Pokémon merely tapped the button and the ball opened up before turning into red energy and was sucked into it, before closing it.
*WOBBLE, WOBBLE, WOBBLE, WOBBLE*
*PING!*
"Yay! I caught a Swablu!" Hilda cheered, raising up the Poké Ball holding her new Pokémon.
"Just like that?!" Hilbert gawked.
"You should hear the story of how Holmes encountered Mew and willingly let itself be caught by him." Ash chuckled.
"WHAT?!" I shouted in surprise.
Ash blinked owlishly before chuckling, "Yeah, I had that exact same reaction too."
"Mew just showed up out of nowhere and… let itself be caught by Holmes?!" I gawked. "Why?! How?!"
"Oh, he saved it from Team Magma but before that, I think Mew took a liking to him." Ash explained. "Though he never used it in any Gym Battle or official Pokémon Battle. Not even at the Hoenn League."
I was then on all fours with my head hung down, "So unfair…"
"If it makes you feel better, he made a good point by saying that using a Legendary Pokémon would feel like an insult to other Trainers who worked hard for a chance at the Hoenn League." Ash explained, patting my back.
"But this is the Unova League, the rules could be different." I groaned as I stood back up.
"Yeah, but Holmes won the whole Hoenn League without a Legendary and even battled a Trainer named Tobias, who used two Legendaries at the Sinnoh League." The Kanto native added.
"Oh yeah, I heard about him…" I sighed, "He used Latios and Darkrai, if I remember right."
"Yeah, and he managed to beat Tobias too. He didn't even use Mew that whole battle." Ash replied.
"Though I bet he was really tempted to." I muttered.
"Nope, he even had Mew watch from the sidelines as he battled." Ash stated.
"Pika, chuu!" Pikachu chimed in agreement.
"Ughhh…"
We all looked to see Holmes approaching us, though he was still kinda rubbing his eyes as he did.
"Yo." I greeted with a grin. "Still seeing the light? Oh wait, that's right. You still can't see me." I said, taunting him with the 'You Can't See Me' gesture.
"You all are officially never eating with me again." He groaned.
"You're the one that offered." Hilbert pointed out. "And you're the one that told those brothers to bring out everything to our table."
"Don't make me have to start collecting reimbursements." Holmes glared at Hilbert.
"Ooooooooh, resorting to extortion now." Hilbert mocked, shaking his hands with his arm raised.
"LOOK AT THE RECEIPT!" Holmes held up said slip of paper, shoving it right at our faces.
"Wow, I know restaurants tend to be pricey, but wow." Hilda blinked owlishly.
"That cost me nearly a large chunk of my bank account!"
"Dude, you won two Leagues, I'm sure you earned a lot of prize money for that." I deadpanned.
"Whatever, do you have your Pokémon?" Holmes tossed the receipt into the garbage as he said this.
"Yeah." Ash nodded.
"Good, you should be able to get your battles in but only three of you will be able to battle the Gym Leaders." Holmes stated.
"Awww, why only three?" Ash complained.
"Because there's three of them…" Holmes said matter-of-factly. "So now remains the question of who-"
"We will." Hilbert, Hilda, and I said in unison.
"Not even surprised there." Holmes shook his head before glancing at Ash, "Plus, I knew Ash would want to battle all three of them."
"Hey!" Ash pouted.
"It's true and you know it." Holmes said with a smirk.
"I-"
"Just give it up, Ash." Iris patted his shoulder. "Let the big kids play."
Ash pouted, "Fine…"
"Moving on." Holmes remarked, before turning to us older kids. "So how are you all doing this?"
"Triple Battle." Hilbert answered.
"Smart. Gets things done quicker plus lessens the time it would take in a single battle." Holmes nodded. "Oh, and I told Kris this. If you win and get your badges, I got something nice to show ya."
"Really?! What is it?" Hilda asked, excited.
"Win and you'll see." Holmes said with a smirk.
"Doooooh!"
After giving our Pokémon the takeout food, we made our way to the Striaton City Gym/Restaurant. The door opened and Cilan, Chili, and Cress were there waiting for us.
"Welcome back." Cilan said with his usual smile. "My brothers and I already know why you're all here."
"Holmes informed us before your first arrival into our gym." Chili added, smirking.
"As well as the Triple Battle idea he mentioned." Cress finished.
"Figured he'd say that." I rolled my eyes with a smirk. "But in any case, we can skip all the talking and get to the main event."
"Indeed." Cilan responded. "Which of us do you choose to battle?"
"I got dibs on Cress!" Hilda said.
"And I got Chili." Hilbert added.
"Which leaves me with you." I said to Cilan.
"Getting the advantage early, huh?" Holmes mused to himself.
"Very well then, follow us." Cilan said, before he and his brothers led us past the restaurant towards what would be the actual gym. When we arrived, we came to a large section completely renovated to be a League-regulated battlefield.
"If you don't mind, Cilan," Holmes spoke, stepping towards the green-haired brother. "I'll be taking on as referee for this gym battle. Is that okay with you?"
"Not at all. To have both a Hoenn League champion and a world-renowned Pokémon Trainer as a referee would be an honor." Cilan grinned.
"Cool." Holmes nodded, before the brothers took their respective side while Hilda, Hilbert, and I took the opposite side. Ash, Pikachu, Iris, and Axew watched from the sidelines, sitting on the bleachers. "The Gym Battle between the team of Kris, Hilbert, and Hilda, and the team of Cilan, Chili, and Cress will now begin. For this battle, it will be a Triple Battle. Each Trainer sends out one Pokémon for a total of three for each side and the battle will go on, until all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle!"
"This is it." Hilda said, looking eager.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" Holmes declared.
"Tepig, it's Battle Time!" I shouted, throwing my Poké Ball.
"Oshawott, come on out!" Hilbert said, doing the same.
"You too, Snivy!" Hilda said, throwing hers as well.
In three separate lights, our three Starters appeared, looking ready to fight.
The triplets prepared their own Poké Balls, smirking eagerly at the coming battle.
"Pansage, come on out!" Cilan declared.
"Pansear, you too!" Chili added.
"Panpour, you're up!" Cress finished.
The triplets' Pokémon emerged on our opposite side to reveal three simian-like Pokémon, each of them a reflection of their Trainer. Not just in color but also in Type.
Pansage is a small, green monkey with a yellowish-khaki chin, arms, and chest. It has green legs and a tail, which has a pair of small leaves on its tip. The insides of its ears are light green and it has a tree-like appendage atop its head. This "tree" has 3 teardrop-shaped yellowish-khaki marks on it.
Pansear is primarily red in color. The tuft of fur on its head grows into the shape of small fire, its hands and upper torso are a light tan coloration. Its lower body is also red, and has a matching red tail.
Panpour is a bipedal monkey-like Pokémon that is mainly cyan blue in color. Its belly, face, arms and lower body are cream colored. It appears to have its eyes closed. On the top of its head is a blue tuft that holds nutrient-rich water. It has large light and dark blue ears. Its hands, feet, lower torso and legs are a tan color. It has a club shaped tail that's blue, but the rest of the tail is tan.
"Whoa, check them out." I said in awe as I looked up their Pokédex entries.
["Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. Pansage offers leaves on its head to Pokémon that have low energy. The leaves relieve stress."]
["Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. Pansear lives in caves near volcanoes. The temperature on the tuft on its head can reach 600 degrees when it's angry."]
["Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. Panpour lived in forests long ago, but developed a body that makes it easy to live near water. It can store water in the tufts on its head."]
Holmes looked at us then at the gym leaders, "Trainers ready?" He asked, then we proceeded to nod in unison. "Then let the battle begin!"
Pokémon Gym Battle
3-on-3
Kris/Hilda/Hilbert vs. Cilan/Chili/Cress
BATTLE START!
"Let's start this off. Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" Cilan ordered with a grin. The Grass Monkey Pokémon reared his head and fired energy seeds at our Starters.
"Dodge it!" Hilda, Hilbert, and I shouted and our Starters jumped away.
"Tepig, use Flamethrower!" I commanded.
"Tepig! TePIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!" The Fire Pig Pokémon breathed flames from its nostrils, burning the energy seeds and going straight towards Pansage.
"Panpour, use Water Gun!" Cress ordered. The Water Monkey stood in front of Pansage and unleashed a torrent of water from its mouth. The stream collided with Tepig's Flamethrower as steam covered the battlefield.
"Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" Hilda said. The Grass Snake Pokémon gathered energy leaves around its body then shot towards both Panpour and Pansage.
"Oshawott, get in there and use Razor Shell!" Hilbert commanded.
"Pansear, counter that with your own Flamethrower!" Chili interjected.
Pansear got in front of his monkey counterparts then unleashed a stream of flames to burn the energy leaves, but to their shock, Oshawott cut through the flames and the smoke with its water energy blade, the hilt being its shell. It sliced the flames no problem and slash all three elemental monkeys.
"Aw yeah! How do you like that?!" Hilbert cheered.
"Panpour, use Focus Punch!" Cress ordered.
The blue monkey recovered and immediately dashed at Oshawott and landed a fierce uppercut that knocked the otter off its feet.
"Oshaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Oshawott!" Hilbert called out.
"Tepig, cover the field with Smokescreen!" I shouted.
"Tepig!" The Fire Pig Pokémon blew black smoke out of its nostrils, covering the entire field. Meanwhile, Snivy used Vine Whip to catch the Sea Otter Pokémon and all three Starters regrouped.
"Okay what do we do now?" Hilda asked. "Once the smoke clears, they'll be open for attack."
"You know the saying "Fight fire with fire"? Well, we do the same with Water and Grass." I said.
"That doesn't make sense." Hilbert said.
"Think about it. When we first battled, we took the type advantage route, but the brothers are doing what they can to ensure that their Pokémon doesn't stay at a disadvantage." I pointed out.
"Meaning?" Hilda prompted.
"In order words, it's gonna be an endless rock-paper-scissors battle trying to one-up each other until our Pokémon tire out. And the brothers are gonna take advantage of that, eventually executing the coup de grâce." I translated. "But that can't happen if we match them type for type and put them in a stalemate."
"I see. Fight them with the same Type and we could off-set their game." Hilbert realized with a grin.
"I'm down for it." Hilda smiled.
"Good. Because the smoke's up." I said, as the Smokescreen let up. "Tepig! You fight Pansear!"
"Huh?" Chili got out.
"Snivy, you go after Pansage!" Hilda added.
"And Oshawott, you handle Panpour!"
"Snivy/Tepig/Oshawott!" The Starter Pokémon nodded with determination.
"Now switch!" Hilda, Hilbert, and I ordered and all of our Starters switched positions.
"They switched?" Cress pondered in confusion.
"But why?" Chili added.
"I have a feeling that we're about to find out." Cilan said. "Pansage, use Bullet Seed on Oshawott!"
"Pansage! Pansasasasasasage!" The Grass Monkey Pokémon fired energy seeds at Oshawott.
"Snivy, block them with Vine Whip and send them right back!" Hilda commanded. The Grass Snake Pokémon produced two vines from its neck and swatted back towards Pansage who was knocked back.
"Pansaaaaaage!"
"Why you- Pansear, use Flamethrower on Snivy!" Chili commanded as the Searing Pokémon breathed flames once more.
"Panseeeeeeeeeear!"
"Tepig, counter with your own!" I ordered.
"Tepig, TE! PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!" The Fire Pig Pokémon breathed out flames from its nostrils and countered the flames with its own. Both blasts of fire struck one another but they exploded due to the power.
"What?!" Chili cried out in shock.
"Now, Tackle!" Following that, Tepig leapt out of the smoke and slammed directly into Pansear.
"Panseeeeeeear!"
"Panpour, use Water Gun on Tepig!" Cress commanded.
"I don't think so! Oshawott, use your Razor Shell to cut it up!" Hilbert countered. Once again, the Sea Otter Pokémon took off its shell and a water energy blade came out. He rushed towards Panpour who fired the stream of water, but to its surprise saw Oshawott cutting it as he made its way and-
*SLASH!*
"Panpoooooooour!"
"Alright! This plan might actually work!" Hilda cheered.
"Let's keep it up then." Hilbert said with a smirk.
"No way! How are they-" Cress gawked.
"I see now. They're matching us type for type." Cilan realized.
"Wait, seriously?!" Chili got out.
Cilan nodded with a grin, "Indeed. They've figured out that we would cover each other's weaknesses in a battle involving Type Advantage so they're going to match us blow for blow. Rather outstanding."
"Told you these three would be rather challenging for you guys." Holmes pointed out with a grin.
"Tepig, cover the field again with Smokescreen!" I smirked.
Again, Tepig blew black smoke from its snout one more time, covering the entire field.
"Oh great, what now?" Chili growled.
"Oshawott, move in and use Razor Shell!" Hilbert shouted.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip!" Hilda added.
"Tepig, use Flamethrower!" I called out.
On our commands, our Starters came out of the smoke and unleashed their attack on their same type opponents. Snivy was whipping Pansage like crazy, Tepig made sure to engulf Pansear in those flames and Oshawott went wild with its slashes on Panpour using the water energy blade.
"Oh, no! Pansage, quick! Use Focus Punch!" Cilan cried out.
"Pansear, you use Focus Punch too!" Chili added, panicking.
"Panpour, you too!" Cress said, gritting his teeth.
Heh, that's exactly what we wanted.
"Dodge it!" Hilda, Hilbert, and I shouted. The Starters grinned dangerously just as the monkey trio unleashed their punches… only to miss!
"Now, Snivy! Leaf Storm!"
"Tepig, Flamethrower!"
"Oshawott, Razor Shell!"
Snivy and Tepig used their strongest attacks in a combination that swirled forward while Oshawott wielded its Razor Shell, jumping in the center of the combined attack as it slammed into all three different elemental monkeys. When the attacks ceased, the three elemental monkeys stood there, not responding.
Oshawott was behind, his water energy blade still out.
"Oshawott… Osh, Oshawott…"
Did… Did Oshawott say what I think he said?!
"Pansage/Pansear/Panpour?" The elemental monkeys got out, before finally, the weight of the attacks finally hit them as their eyes went soulless, and they all fell face-first to the ground.
Holmes looked at the three fallen monkeys for a few seconds before declaring, "Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour are unable to battle! Tepig, Snivy, and Oshawott are the winners. Which means the victory goes to the challengers!"
Hilda, Hilbert, and I all smiled at each other, before we gave each other the high-fives. "ALRIGHT! WE WON!"
Our Starters then ran towards us and jumped into our arms happily. Of course, we gave him our praise for doing such a good job in their battle.
The triplets returned their unconscious Pokémon in their Poké Balls, each giving their assigned partner a gracious response for their hard work before the brothers stepped forward with grins on their faces.
"Well done. You three were absolutely splendid. A truly delicious combination." Cilan commented with a grin.
"Yeah, you guys really turned up the heat." Chili added.
"I must say, I never expected such a tactic to work." Cress admitted.
"Hehe, well… it was on the spot when I came up with the idea." I said sheepishly.
"Hey Kris! Hilda! Hilbert!" Ash called out as he with Pikachu, Iris, and Axew ran up to us. "That was an awesome battle! It had me on the edge of my seat!"
"Pik! Pikachu!"
"Yeah, that was a great battle you three!" Iris smiled.
"Axew!"
"And let's not forget your prize." Holmes pointed out while glancing at the triplets.
"Oh right." Cilan said, looking at his brothers who nodded. All three of them reached into their pockets and each pulled out three identical badges.
Each one was similarly thin and shaped like a bow tie, similar to those worn by the brothers. Though looking at it closer, it's more like a pointy opened pea pod, with two large peas; one green and one blue, with a smaller red pea at the center.
"As proof of your victory here at the Striaton City Gym," Cilan began.
"We present to each of you," Chili added.
"The Trio Badge." Cress finished.
"Congratulations." The triplets said in unison.
Hilda, Hilbert, and I couldn't contain our excitement as we took our badges from them. I can't believe it, an actual Pokémon Badge in my hands. And they're not cheap quality pins either, these Badges have a bit of a weight to them. So this is what it's like to earn a Badge in real life.
With all smiles, Hilda, Hilbert, and I raised them up in the air. "ALRIGHT! WE GOT… THE TRIO BADGE!"
"Snivy/Tepig/Oshawott!" Our Starters cheered with us.
"Hey! That's my thing!" Ash cried out, indignantly.
"Hush. Don't ruin the moment." Holmes chided the Kanto native.
The Next Day…
Holmes, Hilda, Hilbert, and I were at the Pokémon Center while Ash was battling Cilan, Chili, and Cress. Ash was so pumped from the battle yesterday, that he wanted to battle today.
"Well, I have to say," Holmes said with a smirk. "You three did quite well for your first gym battle."
"Heh, thanks Holmes. That means a lot, really." I chuckled.
"So? What's the surprise?!" Hilda asked excitedly. "You said if we won, you'd show us something!"
"Let's wait until Ash is finished. I promise to show you kids then." Holmes said with a grin before his eyes suddenly narrowed, a frown present on his face. It… was honestly a bit unnerving yet the look wasn't directed at us.
"Holmes? What's wrong?" Hilbert asked.
"Stay here. I have some garbage to get rid of." He said, uncharacteristically serious, before walking off.
"Huh?" The three of us looked confused.
"What's gotten into him?" Hilda asked.
Meanwhile, as the battle between Ash and the Striaton City triplets continued, a certain trio of troublemakers were preparing to make their move.
"This is it. Once the twerp's Pokémon are weakened, we'll swipe them and those chimps for the boss!" Jessie said with a smirk.
"A Grass-Type, Water-Type, and Fire-Type. A Striaton colorful trio of Pokémon just ripe for the picking." James agreed.
"This will be a piece of cake." Meowth chimed in.
"Woooooobuffet!" Wobbuffet added with a salute.
"I thought you idiots would've given up by now." A familiar voice spoke, scaring the Team Rocket trio.
"Gah, who the-" Meowth got out, before he and the Trio paled at seeing Holmes standing in front of him.
"YOU!" Jessie shrieked.
"Yeah me." Holmes deadpanned. "Seriously, what's it gonna take for you to stop stalking the kid?"
"Enough with the stalker insult!" Jessie shouted.
"You really wanna try all that after the last time we met, Jess?" Holmes smirked. "You're still mad about that night, by the way?"
"Hey! That's completely uncalled for!" James snapped. "First off, why, and second, what were you thinking?!"
"One, because I was bored. Two, have you seen Jessie? For all her blunders and idiocy, she is still hot." Holmes pointed out with a smirk. "She certainly enjoyed our time together."
"You left me stranded after!" Jessie seethed.
"Sorry, not sorry. But look at it this way," Holmes then produced a Poké Ball. "You won't be on an island when I send you all blasting off again."
"Them's fighting words!" Meowth said, pulling out the claws.
"Woooooooooooobuffet!"
"Gallade," Holmes said calmly, tossing the ball into the air before it opened, releasing the Pokémon inside. Gallade appeared with his arm blades at the ready and his ruby red eyes glaring coldly at Team Rocket. "Time to unleash a bit of that training Cynthia taught you. Cross Slash."
Gallade's arm blades glowed with psychic energy mixed with Steel-Type energy then he disappeared for a second before reappearing in front of a frightened Team Rocket before slashing once, twice, and on the final slash…sent the trio plus Wobbuffet flying into the sky.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF TOO SOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"
*DING!*
"Huh… that's new." Holmes mused.
"Gallade…" The Blade Pokémon looked at Holmes with a slightly deadpanned look.
"Hey, don't look at me. I just wanted to deal with them soon before they became a problem later today." Holmes deadpanned.
"Gallade, lade…"
"Yes, it's true, Jessie and I-"
"Gallade," The Blade Pokémon raised a hand not wanting to hear anymore of it as he walked off.
"Hey! Don't judge me! I'm a man! I have needs!" He retorted, following after Gallade.
"Gallllade…" The Blade Pokémon waved off nonchalantly with a roll of his eyes.
"You ain't got no right to judge, especially since you and I both know that you have a crush on Luna's Gardevoir." Holmes shot back.
Gallade flinched at this, but kept walking.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Holmes has been gone for a while." Hilda murmured in thought. "Hope everything's okay."
"Yeah, he looked serious too." I muttered, before it dawned on me, "Wait… you don't think… he's here. Do you?"
"If he was, I doubt he'd do anything." Hilbert pointed out.
"I hate that jerk." Hilda grumbled.
"Hey guys, I'm back." We heard Holmes as we looked to see him walk back… with a Gallade?!
"Whoa! A Gallade!" Hilbert said excitedly, taking out his Pokédex.
["Gallade, the Blade Pokémon. The evolved form of Kirlia, Gallade extends its elbows as if they were swords, and when protecting someone, it fights fiercely."]
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, I just had to give my Gallade here a chance to stretch his legs. He's been in Sinnoh training with the Champion for the last six months and I thought about bringing up to Unova." He answered.
"Wait, he's been training with the Sinnoh Champion?! Cynthia?!" I gawked.
"Of course, I asked for a favor and she accepted. She's really cool to hang out with even if she can be a bit of a ditz when it comes to picking out stuff." Holmes admitted. "One of my friends had a huge crush on her too."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you know him too." Holmes smirked.
"I do?" I blinked. "I don't know anyone here in this world, unless…" I stopped to think about it, before considerably paling. "No… nononononononononononono, you're not saying…"
"Yup, her too."
"Even her?!" I shouted.
He nodded, "They traveled with me in Hoenn." He told me. "Though he did kinda get depressed when I started dating her."
"Aaaaaaaargh…!" I squatted on my knees with hands pulling my hair. "No. Please… I don't wanna meet them… ever."
"Why not?"
I grabbed him by the lapels with an indignant look on my face, "Do you have any idea how awkward it's gonna be when I do?!"
"Dude, it's not like they know you." Holmes deadpanned.
"Even so! I'd rather not have that encounter!"
"What are you guys talking about?" Hilda asked, confused. "And why are you sounding so desperate, Kris?"
"Uh…" I looked stunned.
"He's just being weird. Don't let it get to ya." Holmes chimed, patting my shoulder.
"Hey guys! I won!"
We all looked towards the entrance of the Pokémon Center and saw Ash running towards us with Pikachu while Iris and Axew followed.
"I figured you would win, Ash." Holmes commented with a smirk. "After all, it's you I'm talking about."
"Nice work, Ash. Congrats." I smiled. "I guess you took notes on yesterday's battle and applied accordingly."
"He certainly did something." Iris said dryly.
"Ah, before I forget, I still had a surprise for you kids." Holmes said in realization.
"Yeah, show us already! What's the surprise?!" Hilda asked excitedly, jumping up and down.
"Hey, calm down." Hilbert said dryly.
Holmes smirked, "The surprise…" He then gestured to his Gallade. "...is a battle with me."
"Wait, what?!" Ash gawked.
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hilda cheered.
"She's lost it…" Hilbert deadpanned.
"Aw man, and I just got finished with my Gym Battle too!" Ash groaned.
"Which is why we'll save the battle for when you heal your Pokémon." Holmes told the Pride of Pallet Town. "This is going to be a rare battle for all of you. Because I'm challenging all five of you to a battle."
…
…
…
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
SAVE FILE
Player Name: Kris
Pokémon: Tepig, Pidgey
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Hilda
Pokémon: Snivy, Swablu
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Hilbert
Pokémon: Oshawott
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Ash
Pokémon: Pikachu, Pidove, Oshawott, Tepig
Badges: Trio Badge
Player Name: Iris
Pokémon: Axew
Saved On: 12/8/23