Chapter 52: Home Region Rival
It had been some time since Ash and Nikki left Kamillia Town. Even though they still had a long ways to go before they reached Mineva Town, the location of Ash's next Legenda League Gym battle, they felt they were making good progress. However, they knew that in order to keep this pace up they would need to keep their strength up, which is why they decided now was a good time for a short break.
"Lunch is ready, everyone!" Nikki announced. All the Pokémon gathered around as she and Ash handed bowls of food to each of them. When they were done they each grabbed a sandwich and began eating.
"We covered a lot of ground so far," Ash commented.
"Yeah, but we still have a lot more to cover before we get to Mineva Town," Nikki stated.
"The way I see it that give me more time to prepare for the Gym battle," Ash said.
"And once again you put a positive spin on things," Nikki commented.
"(That's one of his specialties,)" Pikachu explained.
"I like to enjoy the journey," Ash said. "Right now, though, I'm enjoying this sandwich."
"(And there he goes letting his stomach speak for him,)" Buneary commented.
"That's another specialty of his," Nikki joked. Everyone had a good laugh as they continued to eat their meal.
Not far from Ash and Nikki's campsite a lone trainer was making his way down the path towards Kamillia Town. A green beanie covered his brown hair. He wore a brown hoodie over a red t-shirt, baggy dark blue jeans and sneakers. His pale blue flecked with grey green eyes could barely stay open as he slowly made his way down the path.
"Man… just how much further is the next town?" he groaned. A loud growl from his stomach only added to his concerns.
"I'm so hungry. I need some good food… and fast," he said. Just when it seemed that he would collapse from hunger his nose picked up a delicious aroma.
"I hope whoever cooked that still has some left… and that they're willing to share," he said. He followed his nose as it lead him a bit further down the path. Eventually he arrived a clearing off to the side of the path, where Ash, Nikki and their Pokémon were still eating.
"I hope they feel like sharing," he said. Before he had a chance to call out to them Buneary looked up and noticed him.
"(Hey. We've got company,)" she announced. Ash and Nikki looked up and spotted the trainer as well.
"Can we help you?" Ash asked.
"I was wondering… we, hoping actually… if you'd be willing to…" He felt a bit nervous about asking total strangers to share their food with him. Fortunately for him Ash and Nikki figured it out.
"Do you want to join us for lunch?" Nikki offered.
"Yes. Thank you." With a smile he walked over and sat down at their table. Nikki then handed him one of the sandwiches she made. The sandwich was quickly devoured. A content sigh escaped his mouth once he was done with the last bite.
"That's the best-tasting food I've had in a long time," he said with a smile. "It's rough traveling on your own when you're a terrible cook."
"Wait. If you can't cook then what have you been eating during your journey?" Nikki wondered.
"Mostly packet meals, but I do enjoy meals at Pokémon Centers whenever I stay at one," the boy answered. "Unfortunately for me it's been a while since I last ran across a Pokémon Center."
"Well then it was a good thing you ran into us," Ash commented. "My name's Ash, and this is my partner, Pikachu."
"(Hiya!" Pikachu greeted.
"And mine's Nikita, but everyone calls me Nikki," Nikki added. "This is my partner, Buneary."
"(Hello there,)" Buneary said.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Thomas, but everyone calls me Tommy," the boy said.
"So Tommy, are you here for the Legenda League?" Nikki inquired.
"Sure am. I came all the way from Kanto just to see if I could win it," Tommy answered.
"You're from Kanto?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. Viridian City to be exact," Tommy replied.
"I'm from Kanto too," Ash said.
"What part of Kanto are you from?" Tommy asked.
"Pallet Town," Ash replied.
"That means you know Professor Oak, right?" Tommy inquired.
"Yeah. He gave me my Pikachu," Ash answered. That seemed to confuse Tommy.
"I though Professor Oak gave out Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle for beginner trainers. How did you start with a Pikachu?" he wondered.
"On the day I was to start my journey I woke up late, and by the time I got to his lab all he had left was Pikachu," Ash explained.
"I see. Well it looks like things worked out for you in the end," Tommy commented.
"Yeah, though things didn't start off good," Ash spoke.
"What do you mean?" Tommy inquired.
"When I first got Pikachu he didn't like me at all and wouldn't do anything I told him to," Ash answered.
"Seeing the way you two are now AI can't imagine Pikachu not listening to you," Nikki said.
"Well, believe it or not, that's how things started off for us," Ash said.
"What convinced him to start listening?" Tommy wondered. Ash had to suppress a chuckle as he thought back to the once-terrifying moment that brought him and Pikachu together.
"Let's just say nothing brings you closer together than having to run from a flock of angry Spearow," he said. "Right, buddy?"
"(Right!)" Pikachu agreed.
"Wow. Seems like you two had quite the interesting start to your journey," Tommy commented.
"It only got more interesting after that." For the next few minutes Ash told Nikki and Tommy of some of his adventures thus far. From teaming with Lugia to save Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres from Lawrence III in the Orange Islands to stopping Team Galactic from using the power of Palkia and Dialga to control the world in Sinnoh he had one unbelievable story after another to tell. Once he was finished neither Nikki nor Tommy could believe what they had just heard.
"You… did… all that?" Tommy gasped.
"Hard to believe, huh," Ash replied.
"Try almost impossible," Tommy responded. "Most trainers would die to have half of the experiences you've had."
"I guess I have been lucky in that regard," Ash surmised.
"Yeah… real lucky," Nikki agreed. By now all the sandwiches Nikki made had been eaten. Their stomachs now full the three trainers stood up.
"I want to thank you for the sandwiches," Tommy said.
"Don't mention it," Nikki replied.
"Say, are either of you trying to qualify for the Legenda League?" Tommy asked.
"I am," Ash answered. "I've already earned my first Area Crest." He took out his badge case and opened it up, showing Tommy his Burning Blaze Crest along with the two badges.
"Not bad. I hear Heath is one tough customer," Tommy commented.
"He was, but my Pokémon pulled through and won the battle," Ash replied.
"How's your journey going, Tommy?" Nikki inquired. Tommy took out his own badge case and opened it. Inside were two badges.
"I've still yet to defeat my first Area Boss," Tommy answered. "I'm hoping to find Heath and challenge him for my first Area Crest."
"He was in the Red Sands Desert when I battled him," Ash said. "He may still be there." To help give Tommy an idea on where to go Ash took out his Pokécomm and pulled up the map function.
"There. That's the Red Sands Desert," Ash said, pointing to the large desert to the south of their current location.
"Oh boy… that's a long ways away," Tommy commented.
"It is, but at least there are some Pokémon Centers along the way," Ash told him. "There's even a town not far from here." Looking at the map again Ash pointed out Kamillia Town.
"That is close by," Tommy agreed.
"We just left here. It's where I won my first Contest ribbon," Nikki boasted.
"So you're a coordinator then," Tommy guessed.
"Yeah. I want to follow in my mother's footsteps," Nikki confirmed.
"I hear that can be just as tough as winning the Legenda League," Tommy said.
"It can be, but I plan on winning regardless," Nikki declared.
"I wish you luck with that," Tommy said. He then turned his attention back to Ash.
"Since we're both trying to qualify for the Legenda League what would you say to a quick battle?" he offered.
"I was hoping you'd ask," Ash replied.
"Great," Tommy said. The two trainers went and stood on opposite sides of the field while Nikki and her Pokémon stood off to the side, eager to see the two of them battle.
"What rules do you want to use?" Ash inquired.
"How does a double battle sound?" Tommy suggested.
"Sounds great to me," Ash agreed. He looked to his Pokémon who were awaiting his decision on who would battle.
"Pupitar, Swellow, you two up for a battle?" he asked.
"(You bet!)" Pupitar answered.
"(Always)" Swellow added. The two of them made their way to Ash's side while the remainder joined Nikki and her Pokémon on the sidelines.
"Those two look strong," Tommy commented. "Let's see how they match up against my two strongest!" He threw out a pair of Poké Balls. From them emerged a Charizard and a large green dinosaur with a blue diamond-shaped area in his chest.
"That's a Tyranitar!" Ash gasped.
"(My… evolved form,)" Pupitar said. Nikki took out her Pokécomm and scanned him.
Name: Tyranitar
Species: The Armor Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: The quakes caused when it walks make even great mountains crumble and change the surrounding terrain.
"How does Ash plan to counter that?" Nikki wondered.
"(I have no idea. Swellow and Pupitar are at a major disadvantage,)" Pikachu commented.
"(Maybe Swellow could try and outmaneuver them in the air and create openings for Pupitar to attack,)" Buneary suggested.
"(That may work,)" Pikachu agreed. While they discussed possible strategies for Ash the battle got underway.
"Alright, Swellow! Fly up!" Ash called.
"After him, Charizard!" Tommy countered. With a flap of their wings the two Flying types quickly ascended. At that moment it became clear which of the two had the speed advantage as Swellow climbed much quicker than Charizard.
"Slow Swellow down with Stone Edge, Tyranitar!" Tommy shouted.
"Use your Stone Edge too, Pupitar!" Ash said. The two Rock types launched their respective attacks, but due to be a fully-evolved Pokémon Tyranitar's Stone Edge easily overpowered Pupitar's, easily tearing through it on its way towards the Swallow Pokémon.
"Look out!" Ash warned. Swellow turned his head just in time to see the incoming Stone Edge and, using his superior aerial abilities, dodged the attack.
"Dragon Claw!" Tommy instructed. Even though Swellow dodged Tyranitar's Stone Edge it left him wide open for an attack from Charizard. The Swallow Pokémon squawked in pain as he felt Charizard rake his Dragon-charged claws across his body, sending him into a dive.
"Swellow!" Ash cried.
"Now get ready for Stone Edge, Tyranitar!" Tommy said. Tyranitar kept his eyes on Swellow, waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch his super-effective Rock attack.
"Quick, Pupitar! Use Dig!" Ash instructed. As fast as she could Pupitar vanished underground.
"Be on your guard, Tyranitar! Ash's Pupitar is underground somewhere!" Tommy warned. Tyranitar changed his focus from the air to the ground as he tried to figure out when and where Pupitar would emerge.
"Stone Edge, now!" Ash shouted. Moments later Pupitar erupted from the ground to the left of Tyranitar. By the time the Armor Pokémon notice her she had already fired off her attack, pelting him with dozens of sharp rocks. Tyranitar was surprised by the amount of power behind Pupitar's attacks as he was forced to cover up. Charizard saw this out of the corner of his eye and looked to give his partner some assistance.
"Aerial Ace!" Ash called. By now Swellow had recovered from the hit he took earlier and was looking to retaliate. He ascended quickly and struck Charizard in his mid-section, knocking the wind out of the massive dragon.
"Way to go, Ash!" Nikki cheered.
"(Looking good so far,)" Pikachu commented. Even Tommy had to admit that Ash's Pokémon had taken him and his own Pokémon by surprise.
"You've got some good Pokémon there," he praised. "Looks like we're going to have to step our game up. Do it, Tyranitar!" Tyranitar threw his head back and let loose a monstrous roar. Moments later sand erupted from the vents all over his body and swirled into a massive sandstorm.
"What in the world?!" Ash shouted.
"That's Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability! It allows him to summon a sandstorm during battle!" Nikki informed him. Ash knew this was a problematic situation. Not only did the sandstorm conceal Tommy's Pokémon but it was also doing damage to Swellow. Of course the same could be said of Tommy's Charizard, who Ash knew was also taking damage from the sandstorm.
"Stone Edge, Tyranitar!" Tommy shouted.
"Counter with your Stone Edge, Pupitar!" Ash instructed. Pupitar quickly fired her Stone Edge into the sandstorm, hoping that she had hit her mark and canceled out Tyranitar's Stone Edge. Unfortunately her hopes were dashed when Tyranitar's Stone Edge emerged unabated and struck Swellow, causing critical damage to the Swallow Pokémon.
"Swellow!" Ash called. He could do nothing but watch as the super-effective Rock attack rendered the Flying type unable to continue. It appeared as though Ash would have to continue this battle in a two-on-one situation, but a sudden roar of pain followed by a loud thud caught his attention.
"No, Charizard!" Tommy cried. Through what Ash could only assume was blind luck Pupitar's Stone Edge managed to strike Tommy's Charizard and knock him out, meaning that the battle was one-on-one. Despite this Ash still faced an uphill battle. Even though it was one-on-one Tyranitar was Pupitar's evolved form, which meant that Tommy's Pokémon had a clear strength advantage.
"Stay on guard, Pupitar! We can't let them get the upper hand!" Ash advised.
"(Got it!)" she responded. The two of them waited to see what Tommy's next move would be.
"Stone Edge!" Tommy shouted.
"Underground!" Ash countered. Tyranitar launched his attack as fast as he could, but he was still too slow. By the time the sharp stones reached their destination Pupitar was already safely underground.
"Not this time, Ash!" Tommy declared. "Use Earthquake to force her back to the surface!" Tyranitar raised his foot up and stomped down hard, sending massive shockwaves through the ground. The force was so great that everyone except Tommy and Tyranitar was having trouble staying on their feet.
"T-That's one s-strong Earthq-quake!" Nikki stuttered. The powerful quake unfortunately served its purpose, for moments later Pupitar was violently tossed into the air.
"Now catch her with Crunch before she hits the ground!" Tommy instructed. Tyranitar charged forward and caught Pupitar in his mouth. The Hard Shell Pokémon cried in pain as Tyranitar's jaws clamped down on her body.
"Be strong, Pupitar!" Nikki urged.
"Slam her to the ground!" Tommy shouted. With Pupitar still in his mouth Tyranitar slung her to the ground. Pupitar's rock shell protected her from taking a great deal of damage, but she was left stunned by the violent impact.
"Come in, Pupitar! Shake it off!" Nikki shouted.
"Time to win this, Tyranitar! Stone Edge!" Tommy said. With victory seemingly close at hand Tyranitar used his Stone Edge.
"Look out, Pupitar!" Ash warned. The Hard Shell Pokémon recovered and looked up in time to see the incoming Stone Edge. Ash wracked his brain trying to think of a counter, but before he could come up with one Tyranitar's Stone Edge made contact, kicking up a small dust cloud in the process.
"Pupitar!" Ash shouted.
"Well Ash, it was a fun battle but it looks like… what?!" Everyone was expecting to see Pupitar left unconscious once the dust cleared, but what they found was the hole she dug underground in order to escape.
"She managed to get away," Nikki sighed.
"(But what's going to happen next?)" Buneary wondered.
"Okay, Tyranitar! Time for another Earthquake!" Tommy called. Tyranitar raised his foot up and was about to stomp down again when the ground underneath him exploded upward and Pupitar emerged, knocking the much larger Tyranitar off his feet.
"(She took him down!)" Buneary cheered.
"(The battle's not over with yet,)" Pikachu stated. Even though Tyranitar was down he was still able to battle.
"Use Stone Edge!" Ash shouted. As she hung in the air above him Pupitar took aim and rained down a Stone Edge on Tyranitar, showering him with dozens of razor sharp rocks. Tyranitar covered up as best he could, but the rocks still caused a great deal of damage.
"Quick! Hit her with Stone Edge while she's still in the air!" Tommy instructed. Even though he was on his back Tyranitar still managed to fire his Stone Edge.
"This is bad! Pupitar can't dodge that from the air!" Nikki panicked. As the Stone Edge closed in Pupitar did something that no one expected. She vented a great deal of air from her body and launched herself down towards the attack.
"(What is she doing?! She needs to avoid it, not charge head-on into it!)" Buneary screamed. Right before the attack reached her she began spinning around. As she dove through the attack the spinning motion caused the rocks to bounce harmlessly off her hard armor-like shell.
"Nice one, Pupitar!" Ash praised. Now that she was clear of the attack Pupitar continued her dive, plunging right into Tyranitar's stomach. The impact knocked the wind right out of the Armor Pokémon. Combining that with the Stone Edge moments earlier was enough to knock out the massive Pokémon, securing the win for Ash.
"Yes! Way to go, Pupitar!" Ash cheered.
"(Y-Yes… I won,)" Pupitar panted. Ash, Nikki, Pikachu and Buneary all gathered around her. They were all very impressed by her efforts in the battle.
"You really showed a lot of heart out there, Pupitar," Nikki praised.
"(I'll say she did,)" Buneary agreed.
"(I know what it's like to battle against and defeat your evolved form. It's no small task, so you should feel proud,)" Pikachu commented.
"I know I'm proud," Ash said. Despite being in a difficult battle Pupitar still managed to beam with pride. The sound of approaching footsteps caught everyone's attention. They looked up and saw Tommy approaching, a huge smile on his face.
"I've got to hand it to you, Ash, that's one tenacious Pupitar you've got there," he complimented. "She's going to be one powerful Tyranitar if she ever decides to evolve."
"That'll be entirely up to her, but I have a feeling she's looking forward to that day," Ash said.
"(You bet I am!)" Pupitar confirmed.
"I wouldn't mind seeing a Tyranitar versus Tyranitar battle between you two," Nikki admitted.
"That could happen. After all we are both trying to qualify for the Legenda League," Ash stated.
"Then I'll have to make sure Tyranitar and I are ready," Tommy declared. The two trainers faced each other and shook hands.
"Until we meet again," Tommy said.
"Until we meet again," Ash reciprocated. With a few final words of farewell Tommy was on his way to Kamillia Town.
"You know, he's going to be one tough customer if you ever face him in the Legenda League," Nikki commented.
"Hey, the stronger the opponent the better," Ash replied. "Right, buddy?"
"(Right!)" Pikachu agreed.
"But for now we've got some work to do," Ash stated. He then glanced down at Pupitar.
"We've got to help you evolved into a Tyranitar," he said.
"(I promise to work real hard. I'll be the strongest Tyranitar you've ever seen,)" the Hard Shell Pokémon declared.
"I know you will," Ash responded. He recalled Pupitar and, after packing up their temporary campsite, he and Nikki continued on their way towards Mineva Town.
An encounter with yet another rival has given Ash more of a reason to sharpen his skills. How much stronger will he and his Pokémon be by the time they reach Mineva Town? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
Author's Note: Thomas "Tommy" Wortham belongs to TheLeadBrick.
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