(Opening Song: Pokémon World)
So you wanna be the Master of
Pokémon!
Do you have the skills to be
Number one!?
I wanna take the ultimate step
Find the courage to be bold (Pokémon)
To risk it all and not forget
The lessons that I hold
I wanna go where no one's been
Far beyond the crowd (Pokémon) Yeah!
Learn the way to take command
Use the power that's in my hand
Oh hey!
We all live in a Pokémon world
(Po-ké-mon)
I wanna be the greatest Master of them all!
(Greatest Master)
We all live in a Pokémon world
(Po-ké-mon)
Put myself to the test
To be better than all the rest
Ungh!
So you wanna be the Master of
Pokémon!
Do you have the skills to be
Number one!?
We all live in a Pokémon world
(Po-ké-mon)
I wanna be the greatest Master of them all!
Got the power right in your hands
Po-ké-mon!
Having left the Seven Grapefruit Islands with a new Pokémon, our heroes are on their way to a new Island. What sort of new adventure will they encounter this time?
Murcott Island
The gang arrived at Murcott Island not too long ago. They were wondering what sort of adventure would happen this time. Ash had decided to let Snorlax sleep for a little bit before deciding what to ultimately do with it.
Tracey spotted another Island so they headed in that direction.
"Take a nice long rest, you three." Ash returned the three water Pokemon.
Tracey took out two pokeballs, "Okay, Venonat and Marill, go!" He brought them out of their pokeball.
"Venonat (Did you need something)?" Venonat asked.
"Marill (Feels good to stretch my legs)!" Marill smiled.
"You look happy." Ritchie observed.
"How can I not? I've been wanting to come to this Island for a long time." Tracey did sound excited about being on the Island for some reason.
Misty suddenly ducked when a wild Beedrill came out of nowhere, "Heek!" She shrieked in terror.
"What's the matter?" Tracey asked, bewildered by her sudden action.
"There was a Beedrill!" She pointed at the flying Beedrill that disappeared in the trees.
"That was a big one." Misty shuddered.
"That's one of the reasons I'm so happy to be here, Misty," Tracey said, "Murcott Island's famous for having many bug type Pokémon."
"Oh, wow! That means we'll get to see some, too!" Serena wondered what kind of bug Pokemon they'll find out here.
"Fenne (Should be exciting)." Fennekin said.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go catch some!" Ritchie was starting to get excited.
Tracey smiled, then noticed Misty was still sitting on the sand, "Aren't you coming, Misty?"
Misty looked away, shyly before responding to Tracey, "Oh, you guys go on ahead, and I'll just stay right here!"
"You must be kidding me," Tracey was confused as to why she wasn't moving, "If you just stay here, you'll hardly be able to watch any bug Pokemon."
"Oh, well. I guess you can't have everything." Misty wasn't bothered by that in the slightest.
Ash whispered in Tracey's ear, "She's afraid of Bug Pokemon." He whispered.
Tracey was surprised by this but understood, "Oh, I get it! When it comes to bugs, Misty's a chicken!" He teased her.
Misty's response to that was to stomp on his foot.
"Ow!" Tracey helped.
"Who are you calling a chicken?!" Misty growled at him.
"Did I say chicken?" Tracey questioned as he tried to ignore the pain he was feeling.
Ash and Pikachu sighed.
"I must have meant it's a good thing we have you here, checking for big types!" He quickly corrected himself.
"Venonat (But that's what we're here for)!" Venonat reminded him.
"Marill Marill (I think he forgot)." Marill's ears twitched.
The group walks along for a while, Misty was hiding behind Serena. She hadn't let go of the other girl's arm since they started walking. Every once in a while Misty would flinch at any small sound and look around, frantically waiting for a random bug type to come out of nowhere.
"I hate this…an Island full of bug pokemon that can come out of nowhere at any moment." Misty shuddered at the thought of another Beedrill, or—any bug pokemon appearing in front of her.
"It's okay, Misty. We'll make sure to scare them away." Serena soothed the red head's frazzled nerves.
Venonat and Marill stop all of a sudden, having sensed something was wrong.
"Did they find something?" Ash asked Tracey.
"Looks that way." Tracey confirmed.
Misty didn't like the sound of that, "What kind of something?" She really didn't want to know.
"Hold on, let me take a look." Tracey took out his binoculars and started looking around, "Oh, I see some Caterpie."
Serena perked up at the mention of the bug type pokemon, "I'd like to catch on!" She declared.
"What?! Why would you want to catch a bug pokemon?!" Misty grabbed onto her arm quickly.
"Well, it's because I'd like to evolve it into a Butterfree." Serena said, smiling.
"Oh, right. Caterpie evolve into Butterfree. I knew that." Misty chuckled, letting her go.
Ritchie shook his head, "This is just sad."
"Pika (Sure is)." Sparky agreed.
Molly looked at Tomo, "Let's see if we can find some bug Pokémon, too."
"Sure!" Tomo agreed.
Both children ran off in another direction, but Ash followed right behind them. This Island may have a lot of big Pokémon but there could also be hidden dangers lurking nearby.
Serena got real close to the gathered Caterpie, making sure to keep quiet. Luckily for her one was close by, but it was a different color from the rest. Ash did mention Shiny Pokémon to her a while back. This must be one.
"You ready to do this, Fennekin?" She whispered to her partner.
"Fenne (I'm ready)." Fennekin hopped off her shoulder and prepared to attack.
"Okay, use Quick Attack!" Serena commanded.
Fennekin lunged at the Shiny Caterpie with incredible speed. Before the little bug type knew what hit it, Fennekin had slammed right into it. Instantly knocking it out.
"Okay, here it goes! Pokeball go!" Serena threw a pokeball at Caterpie and watched it make contact. She waited with baited breath as the pokeball moved for a bit before signaling a successful capture.
Serena smiled and grabbed the pokeball, "I did it! I caught my very first Shiny Pokémon!" She declared.
"Fennekin (We did it)!" Fennekin jumped up in the air, happily.
"That was an impressive Quick Attack, Serena." Tracey complimented her.
"You knocked out that Caterpie before it even knew what hit it." Ritchie grinned.
"Thanks, guys. I think I'm finally starting to get used to battling, if only a little bit." Serena would split off from the others for a while to train on her own. Looks like all that hard work paid off.
"Good, Serena caught Caterpie. Now, let's go someplace else." Misty urged them to move elsewhere that didn't have many bug pokémon.
"Venonat (Wait, don't go that way)!" Venonat tried to warn her.
"Marill Mar (There's something dangerous over there)!" Marill also tried to tell her.
Tracey saw this and called her, "Misty, there's something behind these bushes!" He warned her.
"As long as it's not a Caterpie, who cares!" Misty said. But to her horror the bug pokémon that appeared out of the bushes wasn't another Caterpie…but a Pinsir!
Serena scanned it:
[Pinsir. This fearsome Pokémon uses its powerful claws to put the squeeze on its opponents.]
"Not a bug pokémon anyone should mess with." Serena commented as Misty's face went pale before she screamed in terror.
"A Pinsir's even worse than a Caterpie!" Misty screamed, running away.
"Misty, don't run too far!" Tracey yelled.
"There she goes…Misty really doesn't do well with big pokémon, does she?" Serena felt really sorry for her friend as well as sympathized.
"Not at all. Ash told me how she kept screaming her head off when they were in the Viridian Forest back in Kanto." Ritchie wondered how Ash was able to put up with it. Must have a lot of patience. You have to if you travel with someone who screams their head off every five minutes they see a big pokémon.
"We better go get her before she gets lost." Tracey suggested.
"Before who gets lost?" Ash asked, walking back with Molly and Tomo right behind him.
Tracey replied, "Misty ran off when she saw a Pinsir."
Ash smiled, "No surprise there."
"What about you guys? Did you find any interesting bug pokémon?" Ritchie asked.
"None interesting, but we did at least get to see some familiar bug types, didn't we?" He asked Molly and Tomo.
Molly eagerly nodded, "We saw a Weedle, Caterpie, Parasect, and many other bug types!"
"I even saw a Venomoth!" Tomo added, smiling.
Serena smiled back, "That's great! Hey, guess what? I captured a Caterpie but it was a different color!"
"So you caught a Shiny! Great job!" Ash complimented.
"Pika pika (Congrats)!" Pikachu also congratulated her.
She blushed, "Awww, thanks you guys."
"Anyway, we better go catch up to Misty," Ash said, "With all these bug type pokémon roaming around here she might be in the middle of a screaming frenzy."
"How about more likely." Ritchie knew for a fact she was screaming her head off right now.
"Pikachu pika (Sounds like a fool's bet)." Sparky said dryly.
As they were following Misty's trail, a shadow was looking down at them from the tree top. Its full body couldn't be seen because of the shadow casted upon it by the trees. Although it was watching them with intent it wasn't with hostility. In the blink of an eye…it vanished.
"I hate this place! And I HATE bug pokémon!" Misty yelled for what felt like the tenth time today.
Ritchie's eye twitched, "We know! You hate bug pokémon, blah, blah, blah! Now for the love of Arceus will you please stop screaming." He was trying to keep himself from yelling, but that was a long hard battle itself.
Sparky felt sorry for his trainer.
"Why should I?!" She yelled.
"Cause it's annoying, that's why!" He yelled back, having finally lost his patience. Everyone else was tired of both of them at this point.
Ash sighed, "Will you both stop yelling? I'm starting to get a headache." He was rubbing his temples to prevent one from coming.
Tracey laughed nervously but stopped when he noticed both Venonat and Merrill stopped walking, "Did you guys pick up something?" He asked.
"Venonat (We did)!" Venonat replied.
"Marill marill (And it's close)." Marill confirmed.
Misty hid halfway behind Ash, "I hope it's not another bug type…" She will go off again if it was.
"Pika (It could be something else)." Pikachu said.
Tracey paid attention to where his Pokémon were gesturing to, "Whatever it is, it's over in that direction." He pointed.
"Let's see what it is." Ritchie was already walking forward. The others were following behind, with Misty still hiding behind Ash the whole time. When they arrived at the source they were surprised to find an injured Scyther.
"A Scyther!" Ritchie was a little surprised to see one.
Tracey approached it, "What's the matter? Are you okay, buddy?" He asked.
Scyther opened its eyes, glaring at them. Ash immediately got in front of his siblings and Serena, while Misty flinched behind Ritchie, "It doesn't look too happy…" She stated the obvious.
"This Scyther must have been in a battle recently and still ready to fight." Ash commented.
"I have something that will make it feel better." Tracey rummaged through his bag and brought out a potion. He was about to use it when Scyther got up, moving a few feet away.
"Scyther (I do not require your help)…" Scyther refused.
"Ash, what did Scyther say?" Serena asked.
Ash frowned, "He said our help isn't wanted."
"Why is it denying our help when it's badly injured?" Serena questioned.
Ash knew why it was denying their help but didn't want to say.
Ritchie took out a pokeball, "We can't just leave it out here."
"Wait, what are you going to do, Ritchie?" Tracey asked.
"If I catch it we can take it to a Pokémon Center." Ritchie answered.
"Good idea. It can rest and heal up." Tracey agreed.
"Okay, go!" Ritchie threw it at Scyther but it knocked it away, then had to lean down to keep itself from falling over.
Ritchie grit his teeth, "Scyther still has some fight in it." He doesn't even want to battle it and just wants the Pokémon to rest.
"I hope it's not trying to battle us." Misty worried.
Tracey stared at Scyther with a worried expression.
"If it wants a fight, then we have no choice." Ritchie looked at Sparky, "Sparky, use Thunderbolt—"
"Wait!" Tracey stopped him, "We can't fight Scyther when its already injured." He reasoned.
"Well we can't just leave it here!" Ritchie reminded.
"I know that, which is why I have an idea." Tracey assured him, "Venonat, you ready?"
"Venonat (I'm ready)!" Venonat stood before Scyther. Scyther's intimidating glare scared it a little but Venonat held its ground.
"Stand your ground and use Sleep Powder!" Tracey commanded.
Venonat shakes its body and blue powder comes out of its fur. Scyther tried to fly away but due to its serious injuries it wasn't able to avoid the move. Its eyelids grew heavy before falling asleep.
"It worked!" Ritchie smiled.
"Yeah!" Tracey threw a pokeball and threw it at Scyther. There was no resistance from the bug type and the ball dinged immediately, "Quick, let's get it to a Pokémon Center!" There was no objection as they ran in the direction of where the center would be.
"Scyther (Agh)!" Somewhere on the island a Scyther was sent flying into a tree, knocked out cold. There were others surrounding the one who picked a fight with them in the first place. All the gathering swarms of Scyther faced their unknown attacker, with one of them at the front with a scar on its forehead. This one was considered the leader and stepped forward to fight their assailant head on.
"Scyther (Who are you)?" The leader demanded.
There was no answer, only silence. A piercing gaze expressing nothing but wanting to fight.
And the leader was more than happy to oblige.
Meanwhile at the Pokémon Center, the group observed through the glass as Nurse Joy tended to Scyther's injuries. But even through the glass they could see the bug type glaring at them—more like Tracey, actually.
"Is it just me, or is Scyther mad at us?" Ritchie voiced his thoughts.
"I think it is. Just look how its staring at Tracey." Misty agreed.
"More like glaring." Ash said.
Serena looked at him, "But why would it be glaring at Tracey? He only captured it because it was badly hurt." She asked, confused.
"Scyther was already defeated by another Pokémon, then got captured by Tracey. It feels humiliated." He explained.
Misty caught on to what he meant, "So, it's a pride thing."
Tracey was listening to what they were saying, but his worry for Scyther kept his full attention on it. The red light went off and they saw Nurse Joy and Chansey come out with a bandaged Scyther.
"Nurse Joy, how's Scyther doing?" Ritchie was the first to ask.
"Scyther's still very weak. It's going to take a while for it to get its full strength back." She gave a full analysis of its injuries.
"How do you feel Scyther?" Tracey asked.
Scyther glared up at him on the gourney, "Scyther (You—)!"
Tracey wisely stepped back from the hostility he received from Scyther.
Nurse Joy chided Scyther, "You've got to relax or you won't heal properly, Scyther."
Scyther weakly shifted its attention over to her, "Scyther (Do as you please…)"
She frowned at Scyther then turned to Chansey with a smile, "Chansey, would you take Scyther to recovery?"
"Chansey (Understood)!" Chansey rolled Scyther away.
"I guess the old warrior finally lost a battle for leadership of its swarm." Nurse Joy commented.
"Leadership of its swarm?" Ritchie questioned.
Ash knew what she was talking about, "That explains Scyther's injuries. It was a battle to decide who will lead the swarm." It was a common thing for wild Pokémon who live in groups. Most do this for survival and safety in number. So if a Pokémon hunter were to try and take one Pokémon from the pack, the other pack members would attack as a group and overwhelm the hunter.
In traditional Pokémon packs there's always an Alpha, which is considered the strongest and leader of the pack. But of course, the role doesn't last forever. Once the Alpha grows too old to lead, a challenger will step up and challenge the Alpha for leadership of the pack. If the Alpha wins, they stay in charge of the pack. However, if the challenger wins, they become the new Alpha leader and force the old one to leave.
"Do you know something about this Ash?" Serena asked.
"I do. Scyther used to be the leader of its swarm and considered to be the Alpha, which is the strongest to lead the swarm." He explained.
"Wow." Molly and Tomo said.
"That's right. An older Scyther could only get these injuries from another Scyther." Nurse Joy said.
"So stay leader." Misty said.
"That other Scyther must have been stronger." Ritchie could guess what happened next.
Nurse Joy nodded, "Usually it's a younger, faster Scyther that challenges the leader. Sometimes speed and power can overcome the most experienced pokémon."
"How come Scyther was all alone when we found it?" Misty questioned.
"Because it lost to the challenger," Ash answered, "Once the Alpha loses the challenge of leadership it can't stay with the rest of the pack and has to leave. And that's exactly what happened to Scyther."
"No way…even if it's seriously injured?" Ritchie couldn't believe it, but seeing how Scyther was pretty much left to die he had no choice but to believe it.
"Doesn't matter. It's the rules of the pack. When a leader falls, it has to leave." Ash didn't like it either but like Master Silver told him before: 'The rules of the wild must be respected amongst pokémon and humans alike.'
"But still…" Serena felt really bad for Scyther.
"And unless it wins another readership battle, it has to live all by itself." Nurse Joy added.
Tracey listened to both her and Ash explain about Scyther's situation and started thinking to himself.
'Then…did I do the right thing?'
Later they all gathered by the phone booths to talk to professor Oak and explain the situation to him. The kind professor listened and gave his opinion on the matter.
["Well, first congratulations on your capture, Tracey. You should be very proud."]
"Thanks, but it wasn't like a real capture, Professor." Tracey said.
"Yeah, it doesn't feel like one." Ritchie agreed.
["You don't seem very happy, Tracey."] Professor Oak noticed.
"That's because Scyther doesn't seem very happy with me. It's been glaring at me ever since I caught it." Tracey explained.
["Well, Scyther's sense of pride could be injured, too."] Professor Oak said.
"Ash said the same thing." Tracey said.
["Scyther was defeated by another Scyther, and then it was captured by you, it must be feeling low."] Professor Oak explained a bit more.
"Just like Ash said." Serena said. It always surprised her by just how much Ash knows about pokémon, and to hear the same thing from someone else was just as surprising.
"So, what am I supposed to do now? I know I did the right thing by bringing Scyther here, but I'm starting to have doubts." Tracey admitted his feelings.
["You always have to keep in mind that every single Pokémon has its own unique feelings and personality. You must try to help Scyther regain its confidence in its strength and in itself."] Professor Oak offered his advice.
"Right." Tracey nodded.
Having received helpful advice from Professor Oak, they went to Scyther's room. Tracey laid a hand on Scyther's head and spoke softly.
"I understand how you must be feeling, Scyther. And I can imagine how low you feel about me capturing you without having a real battle." He said.
"Scyther (What could a young one like you possibly understand)?" Scyther looked away from Tracey as he spoke.
"But as a trainer, I couldn't just leave you there hurt and all by yourself. I just wish I knew how to make you happy." Tracey was being honest.
Ritchie had an idea, "Hey, what if Scyther challenges that other Scyther again?"
"You mean like a rematch?" Tracey asked, then looked over at Ash.
"Why not? Nurse Joy said it herself, Scyther can challenge the new leader of the swarm if that's what it wants." Ash said.
"Pika (Sounds like a good idea to me)." Pikachu agreed.
"Scyther's are natural born warriors, right? Battling is what makes it happy." Ritchie grinned.
"Pikachu (That's right)!" Sparky smiled.
Tracey smiled, "You're right."
Misty smirked, "Well, I guess Ritchie had to be right about something sometime."
Ritchie's eyebrow twitched, "You say something, Scream Queen?" He insulted.
"Hey, who you calling, Scream Queen?" Misty growled.
"You." He smirked.
"Why, you little—!" Misty looked ready to smack him.
"Pikachupi (Misty…)" Pikachu smiled, nervously.
Tracey turned his attention back to Scyther, "How about it, Scyther? When your batter you can battle again. Maybe I can even help you train if you want me to."
Scyther said nothing, but the look on its face showed it was thinking about Tracey's offer.
Who's That Pokémon?
It's…Pinsir!
"Pinsir!"
While the gang was busy with Scyther at the Pokémon Center, the rest of the same were still in battle with the unknown attacker…and they were losing badly.
More Scyther fell by the attacker's clear overwhelming strength and speed. Just as Scyther was prepared to attack, the attacker would zoom away and strike right back.
The odds were not in the swarms favor. And the new leader didn't know what to do.
Before it could attack, the assailant was already in front of it—
—a fist closing in on its face and a scream was heard.
"Scy (That voice)!" Scyther's eyes widened.
Ash frowned, "What?"
"What is it?" Misty saw the look on his face.
"I think Scyther heard something." Ash replied.
Tracey became concerned, "Is that true?"
Scyther didn't answer him even as Nurse Joy was unwrapping the bandages, "It still has a way to go, but Scyther's healing nicely."
"Good." Ritchie smiled.
"Pikachu (Still needs to rest though)." Sparky reminded.
Scyther's wings moved as it rose up from the bed, "Scyther, wait your way too weak to—" It ignored her and went out the window.
"Scyther, come back!" Tracey called out.
Scyther didn't fly far as it was still too weak and fell to the ground, "Scyther!" Tracey jumped out the window and ran to it.
Scyther slowly sat up just as Tracey reached it, "Scyther you have to rest now." He tried to reason with it.
"Scyther (Unhand me)." Scyther rejected the help and flew off again.
"Scyther!" Tracey called out to it again but was ignored.
"Tracey, we need to follow Scyther! I think something might be wrong with the swarm." Ash said.
"Why do you say that?" Tracey asked.
"I heard it say, "That voice" before it flew away. I think it heard a cry for help." Ash explained.
"Then we need to go after it and help." Tracey already decided to follow after Scyther.
"Then let's go!" Ash said to the others.
"Okay!" All of them ran after Scyther and left behind a worried Nurse Joy.
They ran after Scyther and came upon something horrifying. All around them were defeated Scyther's with only one standing and not in good condition.
"What happened? Who did this?" Misty questioned.
"I think that strange Pokémon over there has something to do with it." Serena points to a strange looking Pokémon standing there casually in front of the leader.
The Pokemon in question is primarily white with a thin build. Its torso is composed of five thin discs that droop slightly downward. The widest disc makes up its shoulders, the second widest its hips, and the two smallest its chest and waist. There is a gold ovoid inside of the widest disc, where its long, thin neck protrudes from. Its arms and legs are also long and thin with gold joints. Its hands and feet are both composed of two golden claws. It has a small, semi-flattened head with a yellow, crown-like structure on top. The two tallest points of the crown point to its long, thin antennae, which are white with small gold balls at the tips. Attached to the back of its head are two structures resembling insect wings. The wings are transparent, curve slightly inward, and reach nearly to the ground. It has narrow, purple eyes with bright blue pupils.
"What kind of pokémon is that?" Ritchie scanned it with his Pokédex:
[There is no data. There still are Pokémon yet to be identified.]
"No data?!" Ritchie explained.
"Does that mean this Pokémon isn't from this region?" Serena was honestly scared of it.
The Pokémon in question charged at the leader again at blinding speed, "Watch out!" Tracey warned, but it came late as the attacker sent a kick to Scyther's face, only for Tracey's Scyther to stop it in its tracks.
"Nice! Your Scyther blocked it just in time!" Ritchie smiled.
"Pikachu (That was still a close call…)" Sparky sighed.
The Pokémon stepped back and stared at its new opponent.
Scyther glared at the Pokémon as it stood in front of the new leader, "Scy! Scyther (You! Who are you)?!" It demanded.
"Scyther…scy scyther (It's pointless…it won't respond)." The Scyther leader said, standing up slowly.
"Scyther! That Pokémon is too dangerous for you to fight against it alone! Let's battle it together!" Tracey said.
Scyther wanted to ignore Tracey's words but even its pride wasn't large enough to ignore this threat, so it obliged.
"Scyther (Very well)." Scyther relented.
Ash translated that Scyther would let Tracey help it battle this unknown Pokémon. The two bug type pokémon stood battle ready as the unknown bug type made the first move.
"Dodge, Scyther!" Tracey urged.
Scyther did just that, along with the leader. And just in time, too as the two would have been sent flying with the kick it sent at them. The powerful force behind the kick actually knocked down two trees.
Ritchie couldn't believe what he was seeing! All it did was send a kick at the two Scyther's and it was strong enough to knock down two trees! Just how strong is this bug type pokémon?!
"This is impossible…how can a bug pokémon be this strong…" Misty's heart was pounding loudly.
It went to attack again, but Tracey wasn't going to let it hurt Scyther, "Double Team!" Multiple copies of Scyther now surrounded the confused bug type.
'Now's the chance to attack.' Tracey thought, "Use, Slash!"
Scyther charged at the Pokémon and slashed it with its claws, like with the leader. The attack seems to do some damage.
"Let's finish this! X-Scissor!" Tracey ordered.
Scyther crosses its scythes as they start to glow light purple. It then flies towards the opponent and slices them in an 'X'-like fashion. The attack did its job as the Pokémon was sent flying, falling to the ground.
"You did it!" Ritchie grinned.
"Pikachu (That was good)!" Sparky smiled.
Serena smiled and turned to Ash but stopped what she was about to say after seeing the frown on his face.
"Ash, what's wrong?" She asked.
Ash never took his eyes off the mysterious Pokémon the entire time it was battling against Scyther. There's no way those attacks were enough to defeat it.
And he was proven right.
Because it opened its eyes and got right back up, much to the horror of everyone.
"Are you kidding me?! Even after taking a hit like that from Scyther it still got up?!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"It's too strong!" Molly said.
"Ursa (It's scaring me)!" Teddiursa shivered.
"It's probably one of those high level pokémon!" Tomo couldn't believe it got right back up and didn't really look all that hurt.
Tracey was worried it would go after Scyther again, but it didn't. Instead it changed its target—
—by charging right at Ash!
"Oh, no!" Tracey said.
"Ash, move!" Misty yelled.
"Pikapi (Ash)!" Pikachu was about to step in between his trainer and the Pokémon when Charizard's pokeball opened. The fire/flying type Pokémon used Dragon Claw to the opponents face, sending it flying back. It landed in a crouch and eyed Charizard.
Ash was shocked Charizard came out on its own. Must because he was in danger of being attacked.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness…" Charizard came out just in time.
"Fennekin (You said it)." Fennekin sounded just as relieved.
"I don't get it. Why did it suddenly charge at Ash?" Tracey wondered.
"Who knows, but let's see how Ash does." Ritchie hoped Ash could beat this pokémon.
"Charizard, gets ready." Ash's tone was serious.
Charizard responded by growling at the Pokémon that charged at his trainer. For a moment there was tense silence as both opponents stared each other down. The Pokémon was the first to attack by throwing a kicks
"Block it!" Ash ordered.
Charizard did just that, but this Pokémon really is strong because Charizard almost buckled under the weight of its kick.
"Dragon Claw!"
Charizard's hands become surrounded in a light green, claw-shaped aura. It strikes the Pokémon right in the face again.
"Don't let up, Dragon Breath!"
Charizard releases a green and yellow beam from its mouth at the opponent, making it another direct hit.
"Finish this for good! Use, Flare Blitz!"
Charizard's body becomes surrounded in red-orange fire, and it charges at the pokémon, who didn't have time to recover as Charizard slammed into it. The Pokémon slammed hard into the tree behind it and slid down. Charizard landed before Ash and watched as the Pokémon opened its eyes weakly but didn't try to attack them.
Ash knew this was the perfect time to use that pokeball he got at the Indigo League. The blue, purple one with the yellow rings around it, "Pokeball, go!" He threw it and the ball made contact with the defeated pokémon. It sucked the Pokémon in and it dinged immediately.
He caught it.
Ash approached the ball slowly, with Charizard and Pikachu right on his heels. He picked it up and stared at the ball for a moment. That pokémon felt so familiar…
"Ash?" Serena called out to him.
He didn't hear her, his eyes focused on the pokeball that glued the strange pokémon.
"Pheromosa (We will meet again)."
A sharp wince went through him as he clenched his head in obvious pain, "Ngh—!"
"Pikapi (Ash)!" Pikachu called out to his trainer.
Charizard hovered behind him in case he fell backwards.
"What's wrong? Does your head hurt?" Serena asked, worried.
And shook his head after letting the pain subside, "No, I'm okay." But he still couldn't shake the familiar telling of meeting this pokemon before.
"Pheromosa…" He muttered.
Even that sounded familiar.
All the Scyther's that were beat up by the mysterious Pokémon were feeling okay. The new leader and Scyther crossed blades with each other, as a show of respect. Scyther entrusted the swarm to the new leader and watched on as they walked away.
"Scyther (Be safe on your journey)." Scyther wished them well.
Tracey was happy for Scyther. It got its confidence back.
"Looks like that battle did the trick." Ritchie said, smiling.
Ash nodded, "It has its confidence back. And that's important for any pokémon."
Scyther turned to Tracey, "(Shall we depart)?"
Tracey nodded, holding out a pokeball, "Let's both get even more stronger together. Scyther, return." He returned the bug type, "Let me do this right." He coughed and did a pose, "I caught…Scyther!"
Ritchie shook his head at Tracey, "Tracey, that's not how you do it."
"Oh, really?" Tracey questioned.
Ritchie sighed, "Here, let me show you how it's really done."
While they were doing that, the others sat down and observed. Good grief.
Misty sighed, "Oh, great. Another Ritchie."
"Pikachu (Yup)." Sparky agreed.
Ash and Serena thought it was amusing to see Ritchie try and show Tracey how to do a pose when catching a new pokémon.
"All's well, that ends well." Serena smiled.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Ash chuckled.
Tracey's perseverance and patience finally paid off. He has a new Pokémon, and a new friend. Scyther has a new friend, too—and a new reason to believe in itself. We can find those same things, but only if we look.
Pokémon On Hand:
Ash: Pikachu (Male), Charizard (Male), Young Lapras (Female), Blastoise (Male), Gyarados (Female), Snorlax (Male), Unknown Pokémon (Genderless)
Ritchie: Sparky (Male)
Molly: Teddiursa (Male)
Tomo: Kangaskhan (Female)
Serena: Fennekin (Female), Rhyhorn (Male), Butterfree (Female)
Misty: Togepi (Male), Goldeen (Female), Starmie, Staryu, Psyduck (Male)
Tracey: Marill (Male), Venonat (Male)
Next Time: Ice Cold Lorelei & Gitty Up, Magnemite!