Truck driver Ken Worth's first double battle was first becoming an unwinnable one as he went two-on-two against the Pokémon League hopeful Jackson Donington. Jackson's Vaporeon had just knocked out his freshly-evolved Jolteon, leaving Ken with only his starter Fennekin to take on both of Jackson's Pokémon. Vaporeon still had plenty of fight left in her and Jackson's Mudsdale was waiting in the wings after that. Fighting traditionally would surely lead to defeat but if that loomed at least Ken and Fennekin were ready to go down swinging.
"Fennekin," Ken called out. "Use scratch!"
"Fen," replied the fox.
Fennekin had some powerful fire type moves but against the water type Vaporeon they were useless, leading Ken to have him use his normal type move scratch instead. Fennekin leaped at Vaporeon with claws bared and slashed away but it left little damage.
"Vaporeon, finish this," Jackson replied with a smirk. "Hydro pump."
"VAP!" shouted Vaporeon as Fennekin took a head-on water blast.
The little yellow fox was hit with enough force he was flung back toward Ken, coming to rest upside down. Remarkably the bruised Fennekin rolled back over. Somehow there was still some fight left in him but Ken noted he likely couldn't hold out much longer like that. Ken pulled out a super potion from his trainer bag and sprayed his Fennekin quickly, it would heal him up but he certainly didn't have enough to do this repeated until they could knock out Jackson's monsters.
"Why are you even using that stuff?" Jackson asked. "Do you want to delay the inevitable? Are you two gluttons for punishment?"
Ken shrugged off that remark, looking toward the crowd briefly and smiled at the sight of a woman in blue. His attention turned back to the battle he and Fennekin were continuing to lose. There had to be some way out of this but right now he felt almost as helpless as when he and Fennekin almost had to fight that Onix back at the Pallet Road Tunnel. And then it dawned on him. At his darkest moment he remembered what Fennekin had told him to do and the same advice came to him now.
"Floor it," Ken said. "That's it!"
Fennekin looked up at his trainer with a confused look. Jackson and Vaporeon also looked at the pair like they were speaking Kalosian.
"Fen?" Fennekin said.
"Floor it," Ken said, making the same "push down the pedal" hand gesture Fennekin had back then with his paw. "Our attacks can't scratch that Vaporeon so let's not use attacks at all. Run straight at her fast as you can and ram her like we did that roadblock. Don't stop, just keep running and ramming. We'll use a hit and run approach. Get harder for her to hit."
"Fen," Fennekin replied, fully ready to embrace an unorthodox tactic.
The little yellow fox launched off the line with a reaction time that could make a drag racer jealous. Fennekin dashed across the battle field straight at Vaporeon. Before the blue Pokémon could realize what was happening Fennekin leapt up and rammed her straight, smashing his chest into her face. Vaporeon was knocked back a bit, having essentially just been whacked in the head with a 20-pound weight at high speed. Type advantage or no, that hurt.
"Nice flourish with the jump," Ken said.
"Fen," Fennekin replied happily, still running around the battlefield.
Neither Vaporeon or Jackson fully knew what to make of that. Technically it was an attack but it wasn't an actual move. Vaporeon shook it off.
"Vaporeon, use scald," Jackson called out.
"Vaporeon," she replied.
"Fennekin, hit her from the side," Ken called out.
A blast of super-heated water shot from Vaporeon's mouth but Fennekin quickly raced out of the line of fire and slammed into her side when she tried to turn her head. The attack missed the fox but the impact knocked her off line enough to clip Mudsdale with it. The horse angrily shrugged it off as Jackson directed him to stand down.
Vaporeon tried to get her bearings only for Fennekin to again run and slam into her. This time both Pokémon tripped and fell in the dirt as a result. Ken gave his Pokémon a thumbs up as Fennekin staggered back up. Jackson was unamused.
"What are you doing?" Jackson asked. "Are you going to fight like a real trainer or just keep trying to bludgeon my Vaporeon until your Fennekin knocks himself silly."
"The latter concept sounds promising you ankle biter," Ken replied to Jackson with a smirk. "If we're going down, we'll go down swinging for the fences."
Jackson thought for a moment. He'd trapped himself into a battle with more unknowns than he anticipated. Suddenly this battle was going off the rails and he knew it even if he was still likely going to be victorious.
Pokémon League professional trainers or hopefuls of all ages traditionally knew what to expect what facing each other and gym leaders for the most part; usually it will be a straight up battle. Pokémon coordinators often had a few tricks up their sleeves, with combo moves and the like, but they too usually could be predicted to a degree. Even some of the villainous team members could be predicted somewhat when battling. However, when a talented trainer who knows all the tricks of the trade faces a rank amateur who doesn't know much of anything the battle fast can get interesting because amateurs will make moves or take chances pros would not. Most of those outside the norm moves are mistakes that leave them vulnerable but their unpredictability could sometimes make them harder to beat than they should be.
Jackson thought for a second and decided two could play this game.
"Vaporeon, hydro pump but aim for the ground and spin to win!" Jackson said. "Don't hit Fennekin this time."
Vaporeon stared at her trainer for a second, uttering only a confused "Vap?," and then complied. She proceeded to spray her attack down into the ground and spin a full 360 degrees. The result fast turned the dirt field to mud.
The spin did distract Vaporeon for a second though as Fennekin didn't even wait for her to stop to make another attack run. However when his paws moved from the dirt to the mud he immediately loss traction resulting in trip and a wild wipeout. It resulted in a massive, and uncontrolled, head to head impact with Vaporeon that toppled both Pokémon over into the slick mud as they slide away from each other. Neither was quick to get up. Jackson had nullified Ken's ram and run strategy but only with both Pokémon taking big damage first.
"Vaporeon, hydro pump," Jackson said. "Finish him!"
Vaporeon wasn't quite quick to respond. She was starting to look a little dazed and confused.
"Va…por…eo…," Vaporeon was barely able to bark before flinching and falling over into the mud.
"Fennekin, scratch and hurry," Ken said. "This might be our only chance."
Fennekin shook off some mud and steadied himself.
"Fen," Fennekin barked.
The little fox ran back out onto the dirt then turned around running before making a leap into the air right when he reached the mud. He popped his attack in midair and connected with Vaporeon with enough force to put her down for the count. Vaporeon fainted and fell on her side in the mud before Jackson recalled her.
"Vaporeon is unable to battle," William said from the crowd.
"You did good Vaporeon," Jackson said. "We'll still get the 'W' today. You shall be avenged."
"One down, one to go," Ken said with just a hint of confidence.
"Fennekin!" Fennekin barked proudly.
For a moment Fennekin's coat began to take on a white glow and it caught Ken's attention. Could this be his evolution into a Braixen? Fennekin let out a louder bark though and it dissipated. Ken wondered if he was just seeing things as his Pokemon returned to normal. Jackson also took note but turned his attention back to the battle.
"Mudsdale, onward to victory!" Jackson called out.
"MUDSDALE!" shouted the horse as he now galloped into the main section of the battlefield with an intimidating war face.
Fennekin looked up but didn't get much time to analyze the situation must less counter it. The fight with Vaporeon took a lot out of him and what came next was inevitable.
"Mudsdale, Bulldoze!" Jackson called out.
The horse unleashed his devastating ground-type move. With a large stomp from Mudsdale all of the ground on the battlefield shook violently before Fennekin was blasted by a strong shockwave. The little fire type was launched backward and knocked out as he hit the ground and slid over to Ken. This battle was over.
"Fennekin is unable to battle," said William. "Ken is out of Pokémon and Jackson is the victor."
"You did a good job Fennekin," Ken said as he popped his partner a revive, waking him up so he would get to see what was about to happen next. "We made a statement on the field and Jackson is about to get one off it."
Jackson gave Mudsdale a thumbs up for getting him the win before celebrating the moment. He put his hands up in victory.
"YES!" Jackson said. "Victory is mine. Add another notch to the win column. This one is mine! I won. I won. I won!"
Suddenly a hand grabbed one of his raised hands.
"You lose," came a female voice. "Maybe not the battle, but you are getting a citation."
Jackson looked over to see the identity of the woman as she released his hand. His jaw hit the floor when he realized it was Officer Jenny. Clad in blue, Stone Town's top cop held a traffic citation in her hand. Ken and Fennekin were both laughing at the twist of fate.
"Jackson Donington," Officer Jenny said. "By the authority of the Stone Town Police I'm issuing you a traffic citation for failure to yield the right of way at an intersection, disobeying a traffic signal, and careless riding for that little stunt you pulled earlier at the intersection in front of that big rig."
Jackson played coy.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Jackson said. "Did the truck driver call you about that? He's probably lying to cover for the fact he knew I'd win this battle. He threatened to turn me in but it's his word against mine."
"Actually, he never called us at all," Officer Jenny replied, pulling her phone from her pocket. "We installed a traffic camera at the I-Route 13 intersection when we built the bypass to get truck traffic off Route 13 a few years ago. The camera caught your little stunt earlier."
Jenny pressed a few buttons and pulled up a full color video of Jackson darting in front of Ken's truck and Ken spiking the brakes. The smoke coming off Ken's brakes is visible before his truck drives off.
"The camera set off an alarm at our office and automatically saved the footage," Officer Jenny said. "I had another call I had to respond to first but based on your direction I thought you might be a trainer heading for the Pokémon Center. Good thing you had this battle so you were still in town for me to find you. I'm impounding your Mach Bike for 48 hours as punishment unless you can pay a fine for your traffic violation."
Jackson turned to Ken who had a slightly naughty smile on his face. Jackson did himself in here.
"Are you alright sir?" Officer Jenny asked Ken.
"Yeah," Ken replied. "I just lost my first trainer battle but I'm none the worse for wear."
He turned to Jackson.
"That serves you right for abandoning that Eevee on Route 13 this morning," Ken said. "Can you cite him for that too? Poor thing jumped on my truck before I caught him. Eevee could have caused a wreck if it ran out on I-Route 13."
Jackson and Jenny both shrugged that off, although regrettably in the latter case.
"While releasing Pokémon is morally questionable if not done properly it is not illegal," Officer Jenny replied before turning to Jackson. "As for you I am going to clamp your bicycle wheels. If you pay the fine for your misdemeanors, I can have it unclamped later this afternoon. Be glad it's a citation you are paying and not a hospital bill, if you don't ride safer in the future you'll luck will run out some day. Have a good one."
"Not sure that is possible after getting in trouble with the law," Jackson replied, humbled. "I'll weigh my options and see if I can get the cash together for the fine."
"Stay safe Officer," Ken added as she departed.
The crowd began to disperse, leaving Ken, Jackson, and William as the only ones left at the battlefield. Officer Jenny indeed did clamp Jackson's bicycle. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. One trip inside the Pokémon Center later and all of the Pokémon were fully healed and cleaned up. Jolteon and Vaporeon were both out of their balls and looking healthy. Jolteon struck a pose in front of his mother only for Vaporeon to reach up and put her paw to his face as if brushing off some dirt, showing a little pride but causing a little embarrassment for her offspring.
"I will say that a better battle than I thought it would be," Jackson said. "If you never lost before you must not do many trainer battles."
"That's only my third one," Ken said. "I beat William once and Team Rocket in an over the road battle. I may need to do these more often though. Losing to you, no offense, isn't really going to get me down for long. But if I come across someone more skilled on the road looking for trouble I need to be ready. Maybe I'll find a battling group back in Celadon City when I get home."
"You road battled someone?" Jackson said. "You are nuts. But I will say your Fennekin is stronger than I'd expect for a first stage starter to be and an unusual choice at that. His level must be good."
Fennekin smiled at this. Jackson thought back to the battle and Fennekin's white evolution-like flash.
"However, I don't know your style of training when it comes to evolution but that sure looked like your Fennekin overrode one out there," Jackson said. "I've seen it before. Pokémon can do if they choose even with a leveling-related evolution."
The comment caught Ken off guard as he looked at Fennekin. He wasn't seeing things out there. Fennekin looked away for a moment, perhaps not wanting to discuss this.
"There's plenty of reasons a Pokémon may not evolve, personally I prefer to push them toward as natural progression, but if your Fennekin doesn't want it there are ways to approach it," Jackson suggested. "If you give him an Everstone he wouldn't have to use energy in a battle to cancel it."
Ken looked to Fennekin again. The fox walked away.
"I'll look at my options," Ken said. "Thank you for the advice and good luck at the League."
"Thank you," Jackson said.
"Do you still want to trade the female Eevee?" William asked. "I've still got a spare Heracross."
"Yeah I take the trade," Jackson said.
"Sweet," William said.
"I've got nothing but time with my bike impounded unless I can get some money for the fine," Jackson said. "I can probably cover it, they don't charge kids much, but I may save funds for Ultra Potion so my Pokémon are ready and fighting tough for my next gym battle."
"Can I see your ticket?" Ken asked.
Jackson handed it to him. Ken looked at the fine and it wasn't much. He'd made five times more money than that just on this morning's load and he'd get more for his backhaul. Ken smirked than handed Jackson back the ticket.
"I'll offer you a deal," Ken said. "You beat me fair in that battle and I learned a few things. I'll pay your ticket and get your bike back but in exchange you never release another Pokémon on the side of the road again and stay out of the way of big trucks too. No more reckless breeding, releasing, or riding. Keep it proper if you decide not to add one to your team. Deal?"
Jackson's eyes got large for a moment from surprise. That was an unusual offer. On the one hand that would require changes in training but on the other hand it would also get him to Fuchsia City about two days quicker and two days closer to the league. He'd heard rumors of mints that could change a Pokémon's nature going on sale in Galar, maybe he could look into those too. Breeding less could save him some money if those mints worked. That was too good to pass up.
"Yeah, I'll do that," Jackson said. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because I'd rather not be cleaning the next one you release or what's left of your Mach Bike off my front bumper one day," Ken replied. "And perhaps a few bucks now are worth not doing that later. The lesson of needing to do a little more casual battles to be ready for the next time I get a fight that isn't also likely pays for itself too."
Ken reached into his wallet and handed Jackson a few bucks. As he did his phone buzzed with a text message. His load of evolution stones was ready at the mine. He recalled Jolteon into his Quick Ball, with the later getting in a wave goodbye to his mother first, and signaled Fennekin it was time to go.
"Keep between the ditches on the road of life," Ken said to William and Jackson as he and Fennekin walked out the door. "Oh, and always ship with GS. We always try our very best."
Jackson and William looked at each other confused, understanding it was a slogan but wondering why he asked them about it. Jackson still made a mental note of it.
With the battle over Ken and Fennekin got back in Truck #653, fired it up, and started making their way back to the mine. Within the hour Ken was loaded up and ready to go. As he drove out of town with his load of stones he noticed Jackson on his Mach Bike heading out of town in the other direction. He gave him a friendly blast with the truck horn and got a wave in return as he headed out of town.
The run back to Celadon City was thankfully uneventful with light traffic. By the time they were back on I-Route 11 the sun was starting to set and everything had an orange glow to it. The run had mostly been silent with Fennekin staring out the window a lot. Ken was relaxed with both hands on the wheel. An instrumental song was playing on the radio.
"So do you want to talk about evolution for a bit," Ken asked. "You seemed prime for it today and yet you canceled it? Do you want to evolve?"
"Kin," Fennekin replied. "Kin ne fen ne Fennekin."
Ken looked over to Fennekin for a moment and then back to the road. There was some proverbial fire in his eyes. Ken had seen his sister Sandra with that expression before when a pompous trainer beat her at the Johto League in the round of 128 one year and she swore she would get back at him. It was one of unfinished business. He didn't know what it was yet but Fennekin had a reason to want to stay a Fennekin. Sandra did beat that trainer in the Sweet 16 at the Hoenn tournament and Fennekin likely had a goal he needed to achieve. Hopefully he'd find a way to help his friend achieve it.
"Alright, we'll work it out," Ken said. "If that's what you want for now, we'll find a way to do that. We're a team and you get a say in this."
Truck #653 would arrive at the Celadon Department Store on time to unload its cargo. The delivery was uneventful and the evolution stones were on the shelves for trainers before the store closed for night. Ken and Fennekin made their way back to the GS Transport distribution center to call it a night but what neither knew was this day still had one more twist up its sleeve. GS lawyer Hab Cornwell was waiting for Ken and watched as his truck pulled in and the small white box remained at his side.