SZ: Alola folks. It's Seanzilla115 and GammaTron once more to bring ya another chapter...the faves and watches maybe slow, but this story is getting some attention! In fact...let's cut to the chase. GT? Disclaimer and cut to story?
GT: We do not own Pokemon nor BlazBlue. They are owned by Game Freak/Nintendo and Ark System Works respectively. We are merely using their characters for an enjoyable story.
Makoto: Huh...That was surprisingly normal for you, GammaTron. I mean…
Berry: *sneezes and a thunderbolt hits the rope, dropping the curtain*
Makoto: Ah. I see what you did there...
Entry 007: Greetings. This is Kajun Faycott once more. It has been nearly two months since we first arrived in this world. In that time, we are traveling with ten year old Ashton Ketchum on his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, Misty of the Cerulean City Gym on her journey of becoming a great Water Type Trainer, and Brock of the Pewter City Dream traveling to become the world's greatest Pokemon Breeder. The five of us have slowly become used to this world and have even gained Starter Pokemon along the way with Makoto befriending Berry the Pachirisu and catching Needles the Kakuna, Noel winning Yuki the infant Vulpix, Mai befriending Terra the Sandshrew, and myself catching Hikari the Ralts.
While we were travelling through a dense fog, we decided to take a break to wait it out. While Mai, Makoto, and Ashton went to gather firewood, they came upon a group of Pokemon Tech students 'helping' another student by the name of Joe study. The rest of us came along, wondering what had been taking the three so long, just as they were ending their class's fog techniques course. We also found out more about the School, learning that those who graduate gain the chance to participate in the Indigo Plateau Pokemon League without the need for Badges.
While I went off to see how difficult these tests were, the others went with Joe to find a student named Giselle, who was apparently the leader behind the 'helping' of other students. While in the simulator room, Joe put the proverbial foot in the proverbial mouth near Brock and Misty, ultimately setting Misty off and causing her to challenge him to a Pokemon Battle...if by 'battle,' one would mean 'Starmie used Psychic to shove one of the simulation computers into the mouth of the Weepinbell.' I am unsure of what else happened after that, but from what I was told, this Giselle had arrived, 'scolding' Joe for his poor skills in battle more or less, and ended up beating Misty's Starmie with a Graveler using just Rollout….at least I now know what caused that shattering sound I heard earlier while I was busy with these tests.
They reconvened at a pool where Starmie had landed, unable to battle further due to the core being broken. Ashton and Tsubaki attempted to intervene only for Giselle to insult Ashton and his abilities as a Pokemon Trainer due to Pikachu being always out of his PokeBall and only earning two Badges in a two month timespan. Tsubaki was fed up with Giselle's nonsense and attempted to scold her...but she ended up in a Pokemon Battle where if she lost, Ashton would have to attend Pokemon Tech. Considering what he's told us, his current family finances would be incapable of handling the rather high attendance fee.
Since Tsubaki had no Pokemon to her name, Giselle allowed her a Pokemon for the battle. While Giselle used a Sableye, Tsubaki's given Pokemon...was a Riolu. I...I cannot...just...curse me and my curiosity on the difficulty of this school's tests. Ahem! Anyways...Giselle had believed she would win given Sableye is part Ghost Type, which is immune to Fighting Types like Riolu. However, Tsubaki recalled a time when, while we were taking a break on our travel, I had told her about the Pokemon Riolu and Lucario: Pokemon that embody Justice. Using her knowledge on the two, Tsubaki was able to give Riolu an edge in battle by using Foresight and a lucky paralysis from Force Palm. Giselle had attempted a Will-O-Wisp to burn Riolu, but Tsubaki was lucky in her slight gamble as she had Riolu use a combination of Double Team and Blaze Kick, the latter being an Egg Move known only to a very few Pokemon, such as the Chimchar and Torchic line.
With a final Force Palm from Riolu, Tsubaki defeated Giselle and her Sableye. Giselle was in slight denial that she, only to be snapped out of it when...Team Rocket appeared in an attempt to steal the school's Pokemon. ...They're quite tenacious in following us. Though it seems they've decayed in how dangerous they are because they were forced to retreat from just the PokeBalls and not the Pokemon inside hitting them. Later that evening, I managed to regroup with the others after I more or less broke the school's current record for the highest score and received their diploma. I also learned that Giselle had given Tsubaki her the Riolu as part of their little 'bet' during the Pokemon Battle. Sadly, Tsubaki fled before I could ask to study Riolu's Aura ability, the others following suit as I gave chase. Now then...let us see what is in store for today.
"Pidgeotto, Aerial Ace! Go!"
"Pidgeo~!"
"Ahh! Rattata!"
"And so far, that's victory number ten…" Mai noted as Makoto wrote down a checkmark on a small notepad, nine other ones accompanying it.
"You're a really great Pokemon trainer," the Rattata's trainer noted as he returned his Pokemon before shaking hands with Ash.
"Well...I guess I was pretty good there," Ash replied, a bit of a prideful grin on his face as he showed off his Badges a bit.
"Wow! You've got Badges!" the boy gasped in awe.
"Oh? You mean these?" Ash asked, still showing off his two Pokemon Badges.
"You got two?! Cool!"
"And he's getting a big ego from the winning," Makoto sweatdropped.
"Tell me about it," Misty sweatdropped, "I think giving him those Badges were a mistake."
"Pika-pichu," Pikachu shrugged.
"One of us should really shoot that ego down before he gets into big trouble," Mai noted.
"Y-yeah…" Noel slowly nodded, Yuki resting in her arms as she snoozed gently.
"Ooh. I bet you could even beat AJ," the boy added.
"AJ?" Ash repeated.
"Yeah. He lives over there," the boy pointed down the road, "AJ trains savage Pokemon and even built his own unofficial Gym. He's never lost a single match even! Over 97 victories the last time I saw the counter he put up!"
"97, eh? Well…" Ash began with a cocky grin, "He's gonna be sore on losing his winning streak the moment he faces me."
"..." his companions shared deadpan looks aside.
"Thank you for the information," Kajun nodded as she pulled out a Potion and gave it to the boy, "For when your Rattata wakes up."
"Thanks, ma'am," the boy nodded before the group went off in the direction he had pointed to.
"I wonder what these 'savage' Pokemon look like," Mai noted before Terra popped out of his ball, making 'tough' poses and earning a giggle from her, "Maybe, Terra."
"What'd he say?" Makoto asked.
"It's just a guess, but I think he's trying to make it seem like no one's more savage than him," Mai whispered.
"Oh," Makoto noted, giving a small giggle herself, before thinking, "Though...you and him haven't really battled anyone since you caught him."
"Yeah…" Mai nodded as they soon came upon a large gate made of logs with a tent barely visible behind it with a handmade sign with digital counter above it, "I guess this is AJ's gym."
"And just like the boy said, this Gym is an unofficial one," Kajun observed, seeing 'Not Endorsed by the Pokemon League' beneath the sign.
"Undefeated? Big deal! I can beat him!" Ash smirked.
"I'm not sure about that," Tsubaki noted, "He has a winning streak of 97 victories in a row. Ash, you only have 10."
"Your point?"
"Well...and this is just based off the numbers, but he may have more experience in Pokemon Battles than you have right now," Tsubaki replied.
"Hey! I go for quality, not quantity!" Ash argued.
"Um...m-maybe y-" Noel began.
"Are you mah next victim?" a voice spoke up.
Everyone turned to see a young man approach. He wore a black and orange shirt with a blue pack on his back and blue jean shorts. His green hair was set into a flair of spikes while his face was set in a stern visage.
"You must be the one who trains 'savage' Pokemon," Makoto noted, "Kinda fits with the tough look you got."
"Thanks. Fits mah job after all," he grinned, "Beatin' chumps like Junior over there is mah hobby." he walked up to the large gate and easily pushed them open, revealing an elevated standard battlefield by the large training tent, "Ready t' lose?"
"Don't know. Are you?" Ash countered as they walked inside.
"...B...big…" Noel whispered as they looked around a bit.
"Very nice," Misty noted.
"It could easily pass for an official Gym, even," Brock noted, "You've really done your work here."
"Heh. Thanks," AJ nodded before a Butterfree flew over and was given his pack before flying off into the tent.
"Was that your Butterfree?" Makoto pondered.
"Nah. Jest a wild one that likes t' stay here," AJ explained, "When Ah'm not battlin' chumps like Junior here, I go out and bring in wild Pokemon that need toughin' up."
"Interesting," Kajun noted as AJ and Ash walked onto the field.
"We only use one Pokemon each here," AJ explained, "Better choose wisely or it'll be mah 98th win."
"...And what'll happen if you reach 100?"
"Easy. Start collectin' Badges. But jest t' let ya know..." AJ paused as he pulled out a whip, "You ain't competin' in th' Pokemon little League anymore!"
"Whoa!" Ash yelped as AJ whipped the ground.
"That means he's just a few matches away," Brock noted as he looked at the sign once more.
"I wonder what Pokemon they'll both use for this," Kajun pondered as she pulled a notebook out.
"Same here," Mai nodded as Terra popped out again, "You really like jumping out there, huh?"
"...So you have 97 victories and not a single Badge? That's tough luck, AJ," Ash grinned in a cocky manner as he showed off his Badges once more, "I have ten wins and won two Pokemon Badges."
"He's becoming a Tengu…" Makoto muttered.
"Pride goes before the fall," Tsubaki shook her head.
"T-True…" Noel nodded as Yuki let out a whine.
"Am Ah supposed t' be impressed?" AJ asked, "Did ya buy them Badges or steal them? Either that, or you competed in some loser Gyms. Where were they? Loser City or Wimpsville?"
"Don't fall for the taunts," Tsubaki warned as she saw how Misty and Brock were getting upset.
"But he…" Misty began.
"If Ash loses, then you can challenge him to prove otherwise," Tsubaki suggested.
"If y'all are done talkin'..." AJ began as he pulled out a PokeBall, "Let's get started! Sandshrew, go!"
"Sandshrew?" Terra pondered before a Sandshrew emerged from AJ's PokeBall, a bit bigger than him and seemed much rougher.
"Oh! This will be good for you, Mai," Kajun noted, "Maybe you can take notes on how he raised his Sandshrew to help with Terra."
"It certainly looks like a Pokemon that's been through nearly a hundred battles," Tsubaki noted.
"G...Good luck, Ash," Noel cheered.
"Don't worry. I got this. Since Sandshrew's a Ground Type…" Ash began as he pulled out a PokeBall, "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"
"Pidgeo~!" Pidgeotto called as she flew out and onto the field.
AJ whipped the ground and Sandshrew jumped onto the field, "Sandshrew, go!"
"Pidgeotto, Sped Run!" Ash called out.
Pidgeotto flapped backwards before shooting down in a Quick Attack, her wings erupting with Steel Wing at the same time. AJ struck the ground once with his whip and Sandshrew curled up into a ball before spinning in place, picking up RPMs with each second. AJ cracked the whip again once Pidgeotto was nearly upon Sandshrew. Sandshrew stopped spinning in place and shot right ahead before jumping into the air in his spinning. Pidgeotto and Sandshrew collided and knocked one another back. AJ cracked his whip again and Sandshrew barely grabbed Pidgeotto's legs before spinning around once more, taking Pidgeotto with him.
"That's Seismic Toss!" Kajun realized as Pidgeotto was slammed into the ground hard.
"Seismic Toss?" Noel repeated.
"Seismic Toss's power comes from how much experience a Pokemon has with battling," Kajun explained as she saw the crater that formed from the impact, "And judging by it, it's most likely that Sandshrew's been in all the battles AJ's had here."
"...So in short, the more experienced the Pokemon, the more powerful Seismic Toss becomes," Tsubaki surmised.
"Exactly," Kajun replied.
"That Sandshrew is well trained," Brock noted.
"He controls it with just a crack of the whip even," Misty added.
"Whoa/Shrew…" Mai and Terra awed as Pidgeotto got up and barely avoided Sandshrew's attempted rolling attack on her, taking to the skies once more.
"Grr...Pidgeotto, use Aerial Ace!"
"Pigeo~!" Pidgeotto cried out as she swooped down at Sandshrew, giving off a soft glow as she picked up speed.
AJ cracked his whip and Sandshrew dug underground, his tail barely getting grazed by the attack from Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto began to look around, wondering where Sandshrew went.
"What th….where did he…" Ash began before AJ cracked his whip again, his Sandshrew bursting out of the ground behind Pidgeotto, "?! Look out!"
"Finish it!" AJ ordered, giving another strike of his whip.
"Sand…" Sandshrew inhaled before unleashing a barrage of glowing purple needles from his mouth, each one striking Pidgeotto's back before he slammed into it in a spinning ball that crashed down into the crater, making it even larger.
"That was Poison Sting and then a Rapid Spin mixed with Earthquake at the end," Kajun noted, feeling the ground rumbling from the impact.
"And Pidgeotto's out for the count," Maoto added, seeing the swirls in her eyes.
"Heh…" AJ smirked as he held his whip, "Ya got any other Pokemon ya want t' try and beat me with, Junior?"
"Mmm…" Ash frowned a bit as he returned Pidgeotto, "I do. Butterfree, let's go!"
"Reee~" Butterfree called out as he began to fly around Ash's side of the field.
"You can do it! Flying versus Ground should be no problem for you!"
"Did he just forget what just happened with PIdgeotto?" Mai sweatdropped a bit.
"I think his ego is more important at the moment," Makoto deadpanned.
"Triple Shower!" Ash ordered.
"Reee~" Butterfree called out as he began to fly around, releasing Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder behind him with each flap of his wings.
"...Interesting tactic, Junior, but watch and weep!" AJ declared as he cracked his whip once more.
Sandshrew curled up into a ball once more. Instead of spinning like a wheel, he began to spin like a top and unleashed a sandstorm, blowing away the combined move and causing the area to be engulfed in a sandstorm.
"Aw come on!" Makoto complained, 'This sand's gonna take forever to get out of my tail!'
"This isn't good for Butterfree," Kajun noted, "Sandstorm damages Pokemon that aren't a certain Type."
"Grr...Butterfree, use…" Ash began before he noticed Sandshrew had completely vanished, "What the...not again!"
"Huh? Where'd Sandshrew go?" Noel pondered.
"That's Sand Veil," Mai noted, "That's a Sandshrew's Ability along with Sand Rush. Not only are they faster, but they seemingly vanish from sight when there's a sandstorm going on." she pointed down to see Terra was missing...only for Terra to appear from nowhere on her lap, "See?"
"Oh...I-I see," Noel noted.
"Come on...this should be easy…" Ah gritted his teeth, "Butterfree, use Whirlwind to blow the Sandstorm away!"
"Reee~!" Butterfree began to flap as hard as he could, yet the sandstorm wouldn't cease.
"Come on, you can do it!" Ash called before hearing AJ's whip crack once more, "Oh, what now?"
Sandshrew erupted from the ground behind Butterfree before swinging his arms up. A glow came from them before a large amount of rocks appeared above him. Sandshrew swung his hands down and the rocks came crashing down on Butterfree, sending him crashing into the crater.
"That was Rock Slide," Brock realized, "Against a Bug/Flying Type, that's almost four times as normal damage as one would normally get."
"Ahh! Butterfree!" Ash freaked.
"Heh. It's not so free anymore," AJ countered with a confident smirk as the sandstorm ended, revealing Butterfree was knocked out underneath the pile of rocks, "Anything else?"
"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash called...earning no reply, "Pikachu?" he looked around and spotted Pikachu's tail poking out of Makoto's tail, shaking, "Pikachu!"
"I think Pikachu knows when to fold 'em," Makoto noted as Berry fumed at Pikachu
"Pa! Chipa-chip pa!" Berry snapped at the invasion of 'her' tail.
"Chuuu…" Pikachu whined in the tail in refusal.
"Welp...since yer Pikachu looks like he's chickenin' out, ya lose the match," AJ noted, "Which makes victory number 98 fer me."
"Sandshrew!" Sandshrew pumped a paw.
"B...but...that's not fair! I'm the one with the Badges!" Ash complained, "...Best two out of three?"
"Nope," AJ replied, "I only battle a feller once in th' streak. Wouldn't really be considered 100 different victories if'n Ah jest fight th' same feller more than once." he looked over at Mai, "What about y'all and yer Sandshrew? Care t' be 99?"
"Uh, no thanks," Mai replied as Terra hopped onto the stage.
"Sandshrew! Sand-sand shrew-sand!"
"Sandshrew…" Sandshrew chuckled as Terra's eyes seemed to have stars in them.
"But do you think you could give some pointers out to Terra and me?" Mai asked.
"...eh, sure. But jest t' warn ya. Mah methods may be a bit...er, what's the opposite of orthodox?"
"Unorthodox?"
"Yup," AJ nodded as he motioned them to follow him into the tent.
Unaware to them, a familiar trio was spying in one of the trees.
"That Sandshrew...very tempting…" Jessie noted.
"Looks big. You two carry it," Meowth ordered.
"What's with that guy's look? Those clothes look more like they belong in a museum," James noted.
"Eh. At least he doesn't look like he's trick-or-treatin' like you two do," Meowth countered.
"...Meowth?"
"Yeah? Wh-"
*BAM!*
"Meeeeeeee…!" Meowth screamed as he fell to the ground before crashing into it back first, "Owth!...Ow."
"Wh...What the heck?" Makoto gawked.
All over the inside the tent were Pokemon. In the air, a Butterfree was dodging the stings of a Beedrill. On the ground, a group of small, purple-furred rat like Pokemon were either jumping through flaming hoops, or balancing on balls. What was noticeable was that each and every single one of them had some sort of device on their bodies.
"This here's how Ah train th' wild Pokemon here," AJ explained, "Those devices ya see on 'em are special harnesses that are meant t' make 'em stronger and faster by constantly trying t' pull themselves in. If'n yer not strong enough, ya end up curled up in a ball. I call 'em Macho Braces. Now then...Sandshrew! Into th' water!"
"What?" Mai blinked as she saw Sandshrew salute.
Sandshrew ran onto the the diving board at the large pool in the middle of the tent where a lone Macho Brace was set up. Putting a paw on it, the device snapped right onto his arms, legs, waist, and neck, before he climbed up the ladder. Sandshrew took in a deep breath before charging and jumping off the board, performing three spins in the air before making a swan dive into the water.
"Shrew?!" Terra freaked as he ran over to the edge, looking around frantically for the other Sandshrew when it shot out of the water and beside him, not looking any worse for wear, "Sand!"
"Sandshrew," Sandshrew shrugged it off as he went back to climb up.
"Sh-Shouldn't that hurt a Sandshrew?" Noel gulped.
"Nope. Y'all are lookin' at th' only Sandshrew in th' world that's strong enough t' withstand water," AJ grinned, "Well...th' only one that ain't like it's mountain counterpart. Them's Ice/Steel Types."
"Fascinating," Kajun noted before hearing a bell.
"Alright! Fifteen minute break!" AJ called.
A light on the Macho Braces dimmed as many of the Pokemon collapsed, panting. In the air, Beedrill and Butterfree landed, seemingly having a small conversation despite the former trying to gouge out the latter just seconds before. Sandshrew, after making another dive, climbed out of the water and shook it off.
"So these are all wild Pokemon aside from your Sandshrew?" Brock asked.
"That's right."
"...They're all in great shape. What kind of food do you give them?" Brock asked.
"Mah own recipe of course," AJ replied, "Come on. Ah'll show ya. Sandshrew, y'all go see if'n ya can find their Sandshrew yer old Macho Brace from th' start."
"Sand," Sandshrew nodded as he pulled Terra after him.
"Since Ah can't really add more weight to th' Macho Braces after Ah make 'em, Ah just make another with more weight to it each time they get used t' th' current one," AJ explained, "Sandshrew's been through fifty weights, each one going up ten pounds. His current Macho Brace is around six hundred pounds at th' moment."
"Six hundred? ...Wow. No wonder your Sandshrew is so big," Makoto noted, "Little guy's packin' some serious muscle."
"Thank ya," AJ nodded as he stood before some closed cabinets, opening them to to reveal rows of large jars, each one having a different Pokemon picture on it, "And as fer th' food, t' get th' results Ah want, Ah have t' carefully monitor th' Pokemon diets. Of course th' recipe is secret."
"Understandable," Brock nodded, "I make my own Pokemon food and I know how hard it can be to make a balanced food for individual Pokemon."
Nearby, Sandshrew led Terra towards a shelve of Macho Braces, Pikachu and Berry following them. Sandshrew pulled out an older-looking device and motioned for Terra to grab it. Terra nodded before it snapped on his arms, legs, and neck, startling him before he ended up curling up into a ball. After a moment, Terra grunted as he started to pull himself open, struggling against the Macho Brace's wanting to retract. Sandshrew took note of the two Electric Types before quickly grabbing two more that were around their size, causing both to start backing away slowly. Outside, Team Rocket were hiding outside the tent.
"Rubber gloves?" Jessie asked.
"Check," James nodded, holding up a pair.
"Big rubber ball?"
"Check, check, check-a-roonie," Meowth replied as he rolled over said object.
"Perfect," Jessie nodded, "Team Rocket will do what it has to do…"
"To snatch that little Pikachu and Pachirisu…" James finished...before frowning slightly, "It doesn't work. Maybe we should go back to our old motto. This one just doesn't...I don't know. Feel right."
"Hey, how 'bout a theme Meowth song?" Meowth offered as he hopped on the ball and did a little dance, "And I can do a little dance solo! Everyone love Me-owth!"
"...Mmm...a song is no good," Jessie frowned a bit as Meowth played about on the ball.
"A dance won't work either," James added, holding his chin in thought.
"Well, here's something I think we can agree on," Jessie noted.
"What's that?" James asked before Jessie pointed at Meowth, who was cleaning his face with a paw on the ball.
"Choreography killed the cat," Jessie replied.
"...You've been silent for a while, Ash," Noel noted, looking at Ash as he looked around, a frown on his face, "I...is everything okay?"
"...I don't like the way he's training his Pokemon," Ash replied with a frown.
"Huh?" Noel pondered.
"Look at most of his Pokemon," Ash said as he pointed at a few Ratata that were breathing heavily, "They're all wiped out."
"They m-must be new," Noel replied as she pointed over at another group of Ratata that seemed mostly fine.
"True, but that doesn't give AJ the right to treat them like dirt!" Ash snapped.
"Like dirt?!" AJ growled, overhearing that as he glared at Ash, "Now you listen here! Th' only reason Ah treat them like that is because we live by th' rule 'no pain, no gain'!"
"Well you should stop that before you hurt them or worse!"
"You're not still angry about that match, are you?!"
Yuki sneezed and the two fell over, their heads in blocks of ice.
"C...cold…" Ash shivered.
"S…sorry," Noel whispered.
"I'm not. You both needed to cool down before you ended up falling into the pool in an argument," Makoto noted.
As everyone began to start breaking the ice on AJ and Ash's heads, Sandshrew climbed down from the shelves and presented Pikachu and Berry with Macho Braces in their sizes. The two shared looks before Sandshrew tapped them both with the Macho Braces, the devices quickly snapping onto them. Terra grunted as he was managing to avoid curling up into a ball and looked over to see two balls by Sandshrew, one white and blue and the other yellow and brown with a fluffy squirrel tail and a lightning bolt-shaped tail sticking out of each. Sandshrew gave a laugh before curling up into a ball after motioning for Terra to follow. Unaware to them, a large red ball began to roll around near them, the voices of a certam trio quietly grunting within it.
"I'm gettin' dizzy~" Meowth groaned from inside the ball.
"Stop complaining and look for Pikachu or Pachirisu," James hissed.
"...Roll over there," Jessie ordered as the ball moved closer to the four curled up Pokemon.
"What's that?" James asked once they made a small opening.
"Could it be Pikachu?" Jessie pondered.
"Yeah! Dat's it! Now hurry! All dat rollin' made me nauseous!" Meowth replied.
"Got it," James replied before a bag ended up covering AJ's Sandshrew and was pulled into the ball, "...heavier than usual."
"Must've gotten that Pachirisu as well," Jessie noted.
"Perfect! Dat's a twofer right dere, now let's hurry outta here!" Meowth hissed, "Seriously, I feel...urp. Sick."
"Not in here!" both snapped as they rolled out of the tent and got out of the ball before fleeing.
"Gah! My leg fell asleep!" Meowth freaked a bit as he hung off the bag.
"I wish your mouth would," James hissed.
"Bee…" Beedrill grunted before it finally broke the ice off AJ's head at the same time Luka punched the ice on Ash's head and shattered it, "Drill!"
"Thanks…" AJ grunted as he stood up, dusting off some ice on his shoulders before the bell went off, "...Okay! Break time's over!" he brought his whip out and cracked it, "Back to work, all of y'all!"
'Just like that?' Makoto sweatdropped.
"Hey, where's Sandshrew?" AJ pondered before seeing the three balls, "That's weird." he walked over, "What's yer Pokemon sides yer Sandshrew doin' in Macho Braces?"
"Huh?" Ash blinked as he looked up, seeing the curled up Pikachu, "...ahh! Pikachu!"
"Berry?" Makoto pondered as she picked up the Pachirisu ball, "Guess they were helping Terra find one and ended up caught in two."
"Sand...shrew…" Terra grunted as he uncurled himself.
"Ugh! Gruh…" Ash grunted as he tried to get the Macho Brace off, "It's not coming off!"
"...Here. Give it t' me," AJ ordered before, within a few seconds, AJ had the two Pokemon out of their braces.
"Chipa…" Berry groaned as she gave a glare at the Macho Brace.
"Did y'all see Sandshrew?" AJ asked.
"Pika…" Pikachu shook his head.
"Su," Berry huffed, "Pachi-pachipa su!"
"I think Berry's a little miffed with the Macho Braces at this time," Makoto noted.
"...So they haven't seen him…" AJ noted, worry now evident in his voice as he stood up, "Sandshrew! Where are you?!"
"Maybe it…" Ash began before Tsubaki covered his mouth.
"Ash, think wisely on what you're going to say," Tsubaki whispered, "Wouldn't you feel like what he looks to be feeling if it was Pikachu that was missing?"
"..."
"Look. I know you're most likely upset still about losing your winning streak, but that doesn't give you the right to act like a spoiled child," Tsubaki quietly scolded, "If you keep this attitude up, you'll most likely be no better than your rival, Gary."
"?!" Ash's eyes widened before he looked at his feet.
"So you'll behave?" Ash nodded and Tsubaki removed her hand, "Okay." she looked over at AJ, "We'll all help try to find your Sandshrew, AJ."
"Thank you…" AJ nodded before looking at his other Pokemon, "All of you, spread out and go find Sandshrew."
"Even if they're Wild Pokemon, they seem to really like AJ," Makoto whispered.
"Perhaps the Beedrill and Butterfree were able to evolve thanks to him and maybe the Rattata are able to survive longer thanks to all this," Kajun suggested as she knelt down and began to look in the area the trio had been.
"Those clowns will never catch up with us," Jessie noted quite a bit down the road.
"I'm….exhausted…" James panted, holding the bag over his shoulders while he wore a pair of pink gloves, "You take the bag now, Jessie."
"But a real gentleman always carries the bag," Jessie noted.
"...Is that so?" James frowned as he shoved the bag into Jessie's arms, "Well, as you know, I'm no gentleman!"
The two struggled to make the other carry the bag until a rip formed. A blur shot out of the rip and knocked the two flat on their backs.
"What goin' on out here?" Meowth pondered as he crawled out of a bush while wiping his mouth.
*CLONG*
*CHOMP*
"SHREEEEEEEEEEEWW!" Sandshrew screamed as a knocked out Meowth was chomping down hard on his tail before he shot into the ground and used Dig.
"...What just happened?" James groaned.
"I don't think that was a Pikachu and a Pachirisu," Jessie replied as they looked at the hole.
"Ain't no one's been able t' find Sandshrew?" AJ pondered as the wild Pokemon were all hanging their heads sadly.
"Hello now, what's this?" Kajun noted as she got up, holding up a piece of fabric, "A bit of a rubber-like texture...Mai, come here."
"What is it?" Mai asked.
"Lick," Kajun ordered, offering the tiny scrap.
"Lick?"
"Yes. Lick," Kajun whispered.
"Oh…" Mai's eyes widened before glancing over her shoulder to see the others were distracted, "Okay." sticking out her tongue, she gave a tiny lick on the fabric before her eyes widened, "...Kajun, you're not gonna like this."
"...Why?"
"A male, a female, and a Meowth were inside of what this came from carrying rubber gloves and an elastic sack," Mai replied.
"..." Kajun's eye began to twitch, already figuring out who the three Mai was referring to were.
"Told ya you weren't gonna like it," Mai stated.
"Sandshrew…" Terra sighed sadly by Mai's leg before feeling a vibration, "Sand?"
"What is it, Terra?" Mai asked as Terra managed to get onto his side with an ear to the floor.
"...Sand! Shrew-sand-Sandshrew!" Terra jumped up, ending up as a ball for a few moments from the Maho Brace.
"Hey. What's yer Sandshrew doin'?" AJ asked as Terra walked over to a spot and put an 'X' on the floor.
"I honestly don't know," Mai admitted before the ground began to rumble, "...On second thought, you might want to move back a bit."
"Huh?" AJ blinked before his Sandshrew erupted from where the 'X' was placed, still screaming in pain with Meowth still biting his tail, "?! Sandshrew!"
"Interesting. It seems that Sandshrew can sense the vibrations another makes in their digging," Kajun noted, writing in her notebook.
"Looks like. But why is there a…" Tsubaki began before facepalming with a groan, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…"
"That's Meowth!" Misty realized as AJ grabbed the knocked out cat and began to try to get it off Sandshrew's tail.
"Come on, ya no good furball! Get off!" AJ grunted as he tried to pull Meowth off.
"...Gonna take a shot in the dark with this, but…" Makoto paused as she cleared her throat a bit, "Free catnip for sale!"
"?!" Meowth's eyes shot open, letting go of Sandshrew's tail as he looked around frantically, "What, what?! Where's da 'nip?!"
"...h-how did you…?" Noel began.
"He's a cat, and if there's one thing I know, it's that cats love catnip," Makoto shrugged.
"...Shoot. Dere's no…" Meowth began before he took notice of his surroundings, "Hey, where am I? What's goin' on here?!"
"Pachi…" Berry's cheeks sparked.
"Should've known it was Team Rocket involved with a missing Pokemon," Makoto cracked her knuckles.
"Ahh….uh, hold on!" Meowth held his hands up before putting on a pair of glasses, "Ya wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would ya?!" Terra walked up as best he could, grabbed the glasses and whacked him with them, breaking the glass in them, "Oh! I see...you literally hit a guy with glasses. Dat's….okay, dat's well played right dere."
"Gotcha!" Ash shouted as he grabbed Meowth by the tail.
"?!"
*SCRATCH*
"Hands off da tail!" Meowth barked as he jumped away from Ash, who was grabbing his face where the claw marks were.
AJ cracked his whip. Within a second, Meowth was surrounded by the Rattata, Butterfree, and Beedrill. Berry hopped out of Makoto's tail and she and Pikachu began to spark their cheeks while glaring at the cat.
"...Uh oh," Meowth meeped, "...How am I gonna get outta dis mess?"
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"...Why, just...just why?" Kajun sighed before webs shot out and covered the mouths of everyone there, 'They're determined to finish their motto.'
"To Protect the World from Devastation."
"To Unite all peoples within our Nation."
"To Denounce the Evils of Truth and Love. To Extend our Reach to the Stars above!" Jessie and James recited.
"Jessie!"
"James."
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie declared.
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James added, Koffing, Ekans, and Ariados growling at their sides.
"Meowth!" Meowth finished as he hopped on Ariados's back, "Dat's right!"
"So perfect," Jessie sniffled as all three started crying.
"No interruptions nor accusations...Just pure motto," James choked back a sob.
"We don't need a theme song…"
"It's a classic...a pure classic."
'Yeah...They really like their motto…' Makoto sweatdropped as they managed to get the webbing off.
"Who are these weird fellers?" AJ asked.
"They're the ones that probably kidnapped Sandshrew," Brock replied.
"It was just a minor mix up," Jessie waved that off.
"Indeed. We have no interest in your second-rate Sandshrew," James added.
"Second rate?!" AJ snapped as AJ's Pokemon began to growl.
"All we want is the Pokemon belonging to those twerps over there," Jessie stated.
"You can keep those other wimps," James added once more.
"Wimps?!" AJ growled as the growls began to increase from his Pokemon.
"Okay that's it!" Ash snapped as he stepped forward, only for AJ to block him.
"Ah'll take care of this," AJ stated with a frown, "No one insults mah Pokemon and gets away with it."
"Oh? Someone's mad," Jessie noted with a smirk.
"Oh Ah ain't mad…" AJ began with a growl as he brought his whip out, "Ah'm just absolutely livid with you three punks right now!"
"Looks like we're going to witness victories 99 and 100 here and now," Kajun noted.
"...Yeah," Ash nodded, seeing the look on AJ's face.
"Team Rocket has insulted our Gym! We'll answer them with victories number 99 and 100!" AJ declared as he cracked his whip, the group outside as the Wild Pokemon Trainer and Team Rocket stood on opposite ends of the arena.
"Makoto, when did you buy those?" Tsubaki frowned as Pikachu and Berry were waving paper fans while Pikachu was dressed in a white open jacket with a white headband and Berry dressed up as a cheerleader with pom poms.
"When Berry went into the toy store for the dress," Makoto replied.
"Ariados, Ekans, go!" Jessie ordered.
"Koffing, get them!" James commanded.
"Don't ferget Meowth!" Meowth added as he ran onto the field.
"Four on one?! That's not fair!" Ash frowned before looking over at Kajun, "Is it?"
"No. But there is five on one battles known as Horde Battles over in Kalos and Hoenn," Kajun replied as she looked at her Pokemon Battle rulebook, "And three-on-three Triple Battles that were invented in Unova."
"Bring on a hundred! It won't matter!" AJ declared as he cracked his whip and Sandshrew jumped onto the field, giving a growl, "Mai, y'all make sure t' keep notes with yer Sandshrew!"
"Y-yes sir!" Mai nodded, holding up a spare notebook Kajun gave her.
"Good! Now Sandshrew…" AJ began as he cracked his whip, "Go!"
"Spider Web, Ariados!" Jessie ordered, "Ekans, Poison Sting!"
Ariados fired a large web from his mandibles as Ekans released a barrage of poison-made needles. Sandshrew curled up into a ball and began to spin rapidly, almost becoming a blur as he tore through the web while the needles bounced off.
"Rrr...Ekans, use Acid! Ariados, Sludge Bomb!"
"Koffing, Sludge!"
AJ cracked his whip and Sandshrew went into a Rapid Spin. The three poison attacks washed right off the spinning Sandshrew upon contact as he kept going like nothing touched him.
"...Meowth don't just stand there!" James barked.
I'm on it!" Meowth declared as he jumped on the Sandshrew and began to roll him around like the ball earlier, "La-da-dee~dee~de-de-dee~!"
"...Is it wrong I find that cute?" Noel asked.
"I...I'm not sure," Misty replied.
"Meowth, you idiot! Stop pussyfooting around!" Jessie snapped.
"I know, I know!" Meowth replied as he looked at the rolling ball, "Just needed ta do dis fer…"
*CHOMP*
"SHREW!-!-!" Sandshrew screamed as he shot into the air as Meowth had a tight bite on his tail once more.
"I get it now!" Brock realized as Sandshrew started running out, trying to get Meowth off his tail, "Meowth was rolling Sandshrew around like that to find the end of his tail!"
"Spider Web the floor!" Jessie ordered.
"Aria!" Ariados complied as he sprayed web all over the arena floor, covering every part of it
"Shrew!" Sandshrew cried before Ekans slid before him, tripping him, "Shrew?!" Sandshrew fell onto the webbing, becoming trapped, "SANDSHREW?!"
"Guess your wimpy little Sandshrew's all tangled up," James noted.
"Welcome to my Ariados's parlor, little Butterfree," Jessie smirked.
"Grr…" AJ growled as he glared at them.
"Come on, Sandshrew! You can get out of it!" Ash called.
"Sand…" Sandshrew grunted.
"Come on! Git outta there!" AJ called, "Don't fergot out dream, Sandshrew! We're so close! Y'all can do it! Get outta there!"
"SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!-!-!" Sandshrew screamed as a bright light began to erupt from him.
"What th...what's going on?"
"Sandshrew's evolving!" Brock realized.
Sandshrew began to grow bigger. As it grew, the webbing was being torn apart by the growing brown quills emerging on its back and top of his head while long claws emerged from its hands. His face became sharper with a narrowed muzzle while his tail grew thicker, forcing Meowth to let go before he lost a tooth.
"Sand…" the Pokemon trembled before letting out a Sandstorm, blowing away the Spider Web, "SLAAAAAAASH!-!-!-!"
"Whoa!" Mai yelped as Ash pulled out Dexter.
=Sandslash, the Mouse Pokemon, and the evolved form of Sandshrew. Sandslash's body is covered by tough spikes, which are hardened sections of its hide. Once a year, the old spikes fall out, to be replaced with new spikes that grow out from beneath the old ones. Sandslash can roll up its body as if it were a ball covered with large spikes. In battle, this Pokémon will try to make the foe flinch by jabbing it with its spines. It then leaps at the stunned foe to tear wildly with its sharp claws. If its quills or claws are broken off, they will regrow in a single day= Dexter analyzed.
"So...that's what Sandshrew evolve into…" Mai noted as Terra looked at Sandslash in awe, stars in his eyes as he started bouncing in place in excitement.
"Sandslash…" AJ whispered before he nodded, his features smoothing into his normal fierce look, "Go get 'em!"
"Slash!" Sandslash snarled in compliance as he glared at the four Pokemon.
"Gh!" Meowth tensed with Ekans, Ariados, and Koffing, "N-now now. I know what yer thinkin'. And da answer may surpri…"
"SANDSLASH!"
"Dere's no call fer language!" Meowth yelped.
"SLASH!" Sandslash roared as he jumped high into the air and vanished into the sandstorm around them.
"He still has Sand Veil," Tsubaki noted.
"There!" Misty gasped, seeing a blurred image behind Ariados.
"Ariados, look out!" Jessie called.
"Ari…" Ariados began before Sandslash erupted from the storm, his claws erupting in a blazing blue energy.
"Sandslash!" Sandslash roared as he struck Araidos with both claws, creating a large explosion that sent Ariados into Jessie, knocking her over.
"That's Crush Claw," Kajun noted, "It's a powerful attack that has a one in two chance of lowering the opponent's defense."
"Slash…" Sandslash growled as he vanished into the storm once more.
"S-Stay close together now…" Meowth trembled as the three bunched together, their backs to one another, "H-He can't get all of us if we stick together!"
"Heh," AJ smirked before cracking his whip.
"Do either of ya see anything?" Meowth asked.
"Slash."
"Good. For a moment I…" Meowth began before blinking a bit, paling in realization as he slowly looked over to see Sandslash looming over him, Koffing shoved into Ekans's mouth, "...Mercy?"
Sandslash's response was slamming Ekans into Meowth, sending all three into James. Sandslash opened his mouth as his quills began to shine. He got onto all fours before a beam erupted from his mouth, slamming into Team Rocket and creating a large explosion.
"Why?! Just why?!" Jessie snapped as Team Rocket flew through the air, "We were close to victory, and it was snatched away!"
"Well, given that record board I saw on our way onto the field, that Sandshrew's been in almost a hundred battles," James noted, "So maybe it just needed a push to evolve...one that we ended up giving it!"
"Butt out, James!"
"It could be woist… We could be chased by a Bewear…" Meowth noted, "I hoird dey break backs from deir huggin'."
"...Meowth?"
"Yeah?"
"DON'T JINX IT!" Jessie and James snapped.
"Looks like Team Rocket's Blasting Off Again!" All three screamed as they became a twinkle in the sky.
"So that's what Hyper Beam looks like from a Sandslash…" Kajun noted as the Sandstorm ended.
"And since they were two Trainers... " Misty noted as the sign changed from 98 to 100.
"We did it! We finally reached our hundredth victory!" AJ cheered.
"Sandslash!" Sandslash cheered as he ran over to AJ, showing he now reached AJ's chin in height.
"Today all our sacrifices and hard work paid off!" AJ began to cry happily as the tent Pokemon cheered as they ran/flew over, "Now we can start winnin' our Badges!"
"Sla-a-a-a-ash~!" Sandslash agreed, crying his own tears of happiness.
"A friend of mine will be keepin' th' Gym in runnin' order fer any Wild Pokemon t' train in," AJ noted as the group stood outside the gym, Butterfree and Beedrill flying behind AJ with Sandslash an a Rattata by his legs, "Give a good last look, y'all. We ain't comin' back 'till we get all our Badges."
"Why don't you come along with us?" Ash offered.
"Nah," AJ shook his head, "We've got our own path t' take. But next time we meet, Ah hope y'all can give me a better match than today." he then looked over at Mai, "And Ah hope y'all are ready. 'Cause next time we see y'all, Ah'll be wantin' t' see how yer Sandshrew's been trainin'."
"You got it," Mai nodded as Terra looked up at Sandslash, a determined look on the smaller Ground Pokemon's face.
"Alright. Take care, y'all!" AJ nodded as his group walked off.
"He's tough, but pretty cool," Misty noted.
"When we get to the next Pokemon Center, I'd better call home to tell Dad to use a higher Badge Runner team if he goes there first," Brock noted.
"...AJ," Ash whispered as he looked onward, "I'll train hard to become a Pokemon Master...and follow my own path."
"Just don't get a swelled head from a winning streak again, okay?" Makoto noted, "Cause if you do, I'll ask Pikachu and Berry to zap ya."
"Pika/Chipa," the two nodded, looking way too eager for Ash's liking.
"Noted," Ash replied, sweating a bit nervously at that.
"Professor Kajun's Pokemon Study!"
The curtains were blown away by a sandstorm. The backdrop was torn by the harsh winds while Terra and Sandslash were on/by the table. Nearby, Kajun was dressed up in desert clothes while Hikari was dressed up as a desert nomad.
"Greetings once more! Kajun Faycott here once again with my assistant Hikari," Kajun greeted, "As you can see, today's Pokemon are Sandshrew and Sandslash. We were going to continue studying Riolu, but only one we have is currently..."
-Alola-
"...She will never find us here," Tsubaki stated, peeking out of a large field of yellow flowers.
"Ri…" Luka agreed, peeking out and covered in sap from the flowers.
-Kanto-
"...Unavailable. Anyways, let's move on."
"Ralts," Hikari nodded as she pressed a button, changing the screen to a split image of two Sandshrew, the one on the left looking like it was wearing an eskimo/igloo.
"Due to volcanic eruptions in Alola, Sandshrew and Sandslash there had to relocate to colder areas, resulting in their typing to change to Steel/Ice," Kajun explained, "It also changes their evolution requirements. Instead of experience, they require an evolution stone with their new Typing." Sandslash cut the screen in two, "And that's enough for the Alolan variants, I suppose. We'll now focus on their main selves."
"Ralts…" Hikari nodded as she pressed another button, causing the screen to change to just Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew and Sandslash are both known as the Mouse Pokemon, but are more based upon pangolins and armadillos," Kajun explained, "Sandshrew spends much of its time hidden underground in deep burrows. It only emerges to hunt, which it does by waiting within its burrow to instantly lunge out and drag in passing prey. Sandshrew can quickly curl into a tight ball to protect itself from great falls and opponents, but may also throw sand at attackers. While its body can efficiently absorb water to facilitate life in the desert, Sandshrew has been found in caves as well." the screen changed to a stone wall...until an outline of a Sandshrew was displayed, "Their unique pattern also lets them blend into certain kinds of backgrounds for added camouflage. Fitting since their ability, Sand Veil, hides them during a Sandstorm while their other ability, Sand Rush, boosts their speed in Sandstorms. It's often said that if you think there's something in the desert during a sandstorm, it's most likely a Sandshrew or Sandslash curious about you."
"Ralts…" Hikari nodded as she pressed one more button, causing the screen to change to images of Sandshrew and Sandslash using various moves.
"Both Sandshrew and Sandslash can learn a variety of moves, such as Rapid Spin, Gyro Ball, Sandstorm, Metal Claw, Earthquake, and Magnitude, which is known to hit up to 12 in...wait…" Kajun paused as she looked at her notes, "Oh, wait. Small mistake. It only goes up to Magnitude 10. But it doubles in power if a Pokemon is underground. But if used in a large grass area, such as one created by Grassy Terrain, Magnitude only does half damage."
"Shrew!" Terra hopped up onto the desk.
"...why do…" Kajun began before she noticed the Sandshrew jumping into the air, spinning like a drill, "?! Uh oh...Fissure. Hikari, Teleport us out of here, please."
"Ralts…" both vanished before Terra impacted.
GT: Well, this was a good chapter. Glad we got someone to call Ash out for his attitude in this episode.
SZ: Indeed. Ash was kinda...jerkish in the actual episode...but hey. That's what an ego does to ya.
GT: Eeyup. Still, I do have to ask; why did Sandshrew not evolve in the anime by that 100th match? Seriously. With all the experience and stuff from a hundred battles...and if they had more than one Pokemon like with Ash...It should've evolved by then.
SZ:...huh. That's a very good point. In fact, there are quite a few things that didn't make sense in the first season of the anime….such as the infamous episode featuring the Celadon City Gym.
GT: We shall get there...eventually.
SZ: Yeah…One thing I do know...Kajun is gonna do some major scolding once we get there.
GT: Yep. Until then, make sure to Read and Review!
SZ: Bye bye!
Ash Ketchum: Pikachu [Starter], Butterfree, Pidgeotto
Misty: Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie [Starter]
Brock: Geodude, Onix [Starter], Zubat
Makoto Nanaya: Berry(Pachirisu) [Starter], Needles(Kakuna)
Noel Vermillion: Yuki(Alolan Vulpix) [Starter]
Tsubaki Yayoi: Luka(Riolu) [Starter]
Mai Natsume: Terra(Sandshrew) [Starter]
Cajun Feycott: Hikari(Ralts) [Starter]