The Very Best

by God of Sun

What if Ash never overslept? With his brand new Pokémon partner, Squirtle, he is going to go on a journey to become the next Champion of the Kanto Region! However, his journey is not going to be even remotely easy. Ash will have to deal with powerful enemies, new friendships, and to learn how to become someone that is worthy of being called a Pokémon Master!

14. The Surge Of Vermillion City!

I have nothing to say except that this is our third Gym Battle for our boy. I've made this chapter as different as I could, and I feel like I did an excellent job for what my little brain could think of. Don't be afraid to comment on any issues related to the story or characters, as I want to make this as consistent as possible. Just don't be too nitpicky during your reviews or PMs. I hope you enjoy the way I treated Surge in this story.

I also have a few people curious about why there have been so few Pokémon evolutions during this story. It's not that I don't want them to evolve. I just worry that a Pokémon would evolve every chapter if I did focus on that. I'll still listen and let one of Ash's Pokémon evolve after this battle, but I cannot guarantee when the next evolution will happen for our boy. It'll be fun to see which one you think will evolve.

Enjoy the chapter!

The Very Best:

Chapter 14:

The Surge Of Vermillion City!

Opening (If you want to): chAngE (From Bleach, composed by Miwa)

---

The group was now so close to arriving in Vermillion City. It was mid-morning as the sun was bright, and the heat still had not taken effect. The trail was rocky as it gradually went down, having to use the plants to ensure they didn't slide down. With these few minutes until their destination was reached, everyone began to discuss what they would do.

"I am going to take a nice bubble bath after all this," Misty said excitedly. "I can just feel how sweaty I am."

"It will be so nice to sleep on a bed again," Ryan added as he was craving something soft to lie on. He massaged his back as he felt the pain, having gotten it at night. "My back needs it."

"Your back still hurting?" Ryan nodded uncomfortably at Brock's question. "I can try messaging it for you again."

"It's fine. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"

May was reading from a brochure on Vermillion as she gained a big smile. "Look at the number of stores they have." May showed the list to Brock. "Vermillion has the largest Bacy's in the world."

Brock lightly smiled as he saw the pure wonder in her eyes. "I'm guessing you want to shop when we get there, and you probably want to take me along for the ride?"

"Wow. Can you read my mind?" May was surprised by how Brock figured out that she would ask him.

"Why, yes. I have been able to read your mind the whole time." May got a small laugh at how Brock played along with her question. "I guess we can spend some time shopping together."

May was giddy at hearing that, as Ryan was surprised. "You enjoy shopping, Brock?"

"Considering I have to shop for nine people back home, I learned to enjoy it."

Misty gained a smile as an idea donned on her. "How about we get you a new outfit, Ryan? You'll see the appeal of shopping with me."

"What's wrong with my current clothes?" Ryan gently grabbed his shirt, and he pulled on it a bit.

"Do you want the calm answer or me telling you every flaw?" Ryan frowned slightly at what Misty said. "It will be fun, I swear."

"Rude," Ryan muttered under his breath as he sighed. "I'm guessing you'll drag me to the store if I don't agree with this idea."

"I was going to get May's help, but you're right." Misty smiled, May agreeing with literally forcing Ryan to go and get a new outfit.

"...Why does Misty always have to be so scary?" Ryan could only ponder as he finally shrugged his shoulder. No use in trying to deny this offer. "I'll join you on your little shop thing."

Misty bumped her fist as she had just obtained another win for herself. May kindly smiled as she wrapped an arm around him. "Don't worry. I swear we won't take too long. You'll be glad when you see the new you tomorrow."

Ryan smiled slightly as he saw how May was trying to comfort him. "Thank you. I'll be optimistic about this whole thing." May was glad to see her friend being more open about this.

Brock looked at Ryan as he came over. "Don't worry. I can tell you that getting an outfit for a boy is much easier than getting one for a girl." Ryan nodded, believing that he already knew what he wanted.

Ash and Wartortle were nearby as Ash was deep in thought. He knew that Surge would be difficult, as his Raichu was a notorious roadblock for many young Trainers. His options were only Nidoran and Bulbasaur, as Wartortle and Pidgey wouldn't last long, and last he checked, you can't make Pokémon Eggs fight.

"Ashie!" Misty's call made the boy, Ash cringing at hearing that name. "Would you like to go shopping with us?"

Ash shook his head as Wartortle walked beside him. "Not today, Mist. I'm ready to go to Surge, get that badge, and then come back out!" He said in a determined way.

"Someone sounds pumped," Brock remarked as he looked at his younger friend. "Sounds like you have a strategy to defeat Surge."

"I have a rough idea. I will use Bulbasaur to slowly chip away at him, as I've heard that his Raichu is surprisingly bulky." Ash answered as he thought it through again. "That may not work."

"It sounds like a decent plan," May responded as she tried to remember the knowledge that the group had given her during the traveling. "Electric-type moves aren't effective against Gass-types. Am I right?"

"Well done, May." Brock complimented as he patted the smiling girl on the back. "I knew you would get the hang of it!"

"Good job, May." Ash complimented as well as he smiled at his friend. He then went back to thinking of the battle. "Raichu will most likely have other moves besides Eletric-types, but I don't think any will be super effective against Bulbasaur. Unfortunately, Raichu will be faster and may even hit harder."

Misty listened in as he heard Ash's deduction. "Raichu will be faster, but I feel Bulbasaur could tank a couple of their hits if he has to. I worry that Raichu will not let him get off any status moves."

Ash continued to think as his brain started hurting from how much planning he was trying to do for this battle. He grabbed his head as he slightly groaned. "I don't know why I'm overthinking this. I wasn't like this during the other two battles."

Ryan placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with wanting a strategy for a battle. If I were in your position, I probably would've devised the same plan you made."

"Let me tell you, Ash, Surge is no joke," Brock said as he tried his best to comfort him. "I'm glad you're thinking so much into this, as most losses come from lack of planning. But also, you should save your energy for when the fight comes."

"I know I should." Ash agreed as he sighed. "I should just let the fight come to me."

Misty looked at her friend with some worry. She knew Ash would want to strategize the battle, but she could tell he was overthinking this. "If you've already beaten two Gym Leaders, why would this be any different?"

Ash thought as he realized that Misty was right. "You're right, Mist." He realized as he looked at her, a smile on his face. "If I could beat Brock and your sister, I can beat this one too on the first try."

"That's the spirit!" Misty shouted as she brought hope to her friend. "I want you to win this, Ash Ketchum! I will not stand you losing your Gym Leader win streak right now!" She pointed at him. "If you don't win, you'll sleep outside!"

"Wow!" That last part took everyone aback. "You don't have to go that far, Misty."

Misty sweat dropped as she realized what she had just told her best friend. "I think I got a bit too carried away. Sorry, Ashie,"

"Thank you, but that's the motivation we need." Ash smiled as he punched his open palm. "Let's show Surge a Trainer that can get the Thunder Badge!"

"Wartortle!" Wartortle ultimately agreed as he mimicked the same pose that his Trainer was in. Everyone smiled at seeing how similar the two were. Their friendship was unbreakable.

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at Vermillion. A massive sign that had the name of the town greeted them as they saw Vermillion in all its glory. They then noticed that the Pokémon Center was dead ahead and slightly to the right. Everyone's excitement was through the roof.

Ash smiled as he looked at the town before him, turning to everyone else. "Going straight to the Pokémon Center, as usual?"

May smiled as she got into position. "Let's make it a race. I know I can beat you this time, Misty."

"We shall see, young Trainer," Misty answered as everyone got into running position. Even Brock joined this little race, deciding to join something like this. "We shall see,"

Everyone became silent momentarily as they waited for someone to make the first move. Wartotle was the first to start running. Everyone quickly reacted and began to right after. May and Ash were in the front, and Ryan was not far behind. Brock was catching up quickly as Misty and Wartortle were in the back, the girl trying her best to get past Ryan.

May looked around as she saw the number of shops at just the entrance, a broad smile on her face. "I'm definitely going to shop tonight!" May divulge to Brock as she ran, knowing it would be a horrible mistake to miss out on a place like this.

---

Vermillion City was the biggest coastal town in all of Kanto and considered a gem in tourism. Not only did it have amazing beaches and the region's biggest port, but the food was well-known for being the freshest in any town. There were very few roads as everything was basically within walking distance here. May was salivating at seeing how many shops and places of interest there were.

The group had reached the Pokémon Center. Ash could barely beat May as Ryan lost third place to Brock, with Wartortle sadly coming in last as Misty had beaten him. The Nurse Joy inside didn't greet them right away. The young woman listened to her music as she had earbuds plugged into her Walkman. Everyone got their trays as Ash walked over with a smile. "Hello, Nurse Joy." He kindly waved to her.

Instead of saying anything back, Nure Joy smiled and waved as she returned to her music. Her favorite part was coming up as she was bopping her head. Everyone looked at one another as Misty rang the bell. "Excuse me," Joy looked up as Misty was pointing down. The woman gasped when she saw the Trainers carrying trays with them.

Nurse Joy quickly took her headphones off as she quickly straightened up, making her hair look tidy. "I am so sorry for ignoring you." She said genuinely as she looked at them. "Please forgive me."

Misty just smiled. "It's alright. I know what it's like when you get into a song that you tune everything else out." Joy smiled as she saw how understanding they were. She quickly took their trays as she got all the Pokémon sorted out. Joy seemed glad that the Pokémon they brought were only tired, coming over as she finished writing something.

"All you're Pokémon are well. I'll notify you immediately when they are ready to come out." Everyone gave their thanks as Joy was about to return to her other duties. She then noticed that Brock was still there. "Um. Can I help you, sir?"

"Nurse Joy," Brock began as he talked in a dignified manner. "I bear a message for you! A message that came from your sister from the town that was before Vermillion."

Nurse Joy wasn't expecting this answer. Joy found his talking rather charming as she played along with it. "Reveal what words she spoke! I'll take any news that thou have given me, whether it is marked as good or bad!"

Brock lightly chuckled at how seriously Joy took this as he continued. "She wished for you to hear it with all your ears. Give all attention to me as I convey what she has spoken." Brock stayed silent for a minute as he took a deep breath in, Joy wondering what kind of message her family had given her. "Hi,"

Brock went utterly silent as Joy realized that was all she wanted her sister to hear. Joy suddenly laughed loudly as she looked back on what just happened, bringing her head up as if all the seriousness was for nothing. "Is that all she wanted to say?" Joy asked through her laughing.

Brock laughed as well as he sweat dropped. "Yeah." He admitted as he now felt like a fool for making it like this. "Sorry for making it sound like that."

"Don't be. That got a really good laugh out of me." Joy slowly began to calm down as she gave a final sigh, finally calming down. "I needed something like that to cheer me up." She admitted.

"Has it been stressful lately?"

"Very," Joy then realized that she was telling all this to a boy she didn't even know about. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't be complaining about this whole thing to you."

Brock shook his head as he placed his hand on the counter. "Don't think it's a bother. If there's anything that your beautiful self wants to say out loud, then I can be your ears."

Joy lightly chuckled as she was flattered by what the boy said. "You don't have to flatter me. But if you want to be my ears, I should probably be the same for you." She smiled at the boy.

Brock smiled back as he took a nearby chair, sitting down on it. "Ladies first, right?" Joy lightly chuckled as she nodded, glad that she finally had someone to talk to right now.

As this was happening, everyone was making themselves comfortable. Ryan was back reading his book as May suspiciously eyed Brock and Joy, thinking the boy was back to his flirting self. "Does he do this with every girl he meets?"

Misty quickly recalled all the times Brock was like this. "Yup. Pretty much."

Ryan looked up to see Brock and Joy talking with one another, seeing how Brock wasn't trying to make uncomfortable moves on the girl. "I don't think it's flirting this time."

May shook her head, not believing that idea for a second. "I'm going to help that girl and give Brock another talk on how to treat us."

"Are you doing the usual?" Ash asked, feeling bad that he found Brock being forced to bend down as his ear was tightly grabbed as funny.

"You bet I am. If I pull off his ear one day, that might finally be his wake-up call." May stood up and walked over to Brock. Ash could only watch as his friend was about to drag Brock back to them, finding May's anger a bit extreme for something like this. Then again, he wasn't the guy to come to learn how to treat girls.

Misty hummed to herself as she emptied her bag, making sure to take out the feather that she had found back on the beach. She gently rubbed the feather, seeing it now as a good luck charm. When she had shown the group the feather on the beach, no one knew what it was. Lillie mentioned that she had never seen a feather like that, and Brock could only give the same answer. Misty decided to deem it special as she carried it around with her, wanting to do something so that it wasn't in her bag.

Misty gently rubbed the feather as Ash did the same with his Dratini egg, still not moving yet. "So, is that feather like you're good luck charm now?" Ryan asked as he saw how Misty cared for it.

"I'm making it my good luck charm. It still looks as good as the day that I found it."

Ash gasped lightly as he was reminded what to do with the feather. "Misty," He got the girl's attention. "Let's go show it to Professor Oak. He's got to see this." Misty smiled as she stood up, the two running over to the computer.

Ash and Misty excitingly got to the computer as the two waited by the computer. The ringing stopped as someone had picked up. "Howdy!" Seymour's voice came through.

Ash gained a smile as he heard the goofy scientist's voice. "Seymour! Guess who?" Seymour gained a big smile as he listened to that familiar voice. The once black screen showed the brown-haired man, now having a shaved face and looking far more professional.

Seymour pretended to think momentarily as he decided to humor the kids. "Hmmm. You are Wade, and the girl is Ember."

"Seymour!" Misty said with a playful eye roll.

Seymour then gasped. "By the stars! It couldn't be the Ash and Misty that saved the mountain from danger and who helped a man when he was just a stranger."

Misty smiled as he saw how Seymour was still his same self. "It's good to meet you, assistant of Professor Oak. How has everything been?"

"You haven't missed much. No new scientific discoveries or breakthroughs just yet." He admitted as he took a sip from his cup. "I'll be honest; I'm still getting used to being called Professor Oak's assistant. It feels like a dream."

"I knew you would be perfect for the job," Ash remarked as Seymour smiled at the encouragement. "Speaking of the professor, where is the old man?"

"Oh. That's very simple... he's not here." Seymour answered in a relatively deadpan voice.

"Wait. What?"

"You heard me right. He had some meeting he had to attend too far from Pallet Town," Seymour explained as Oak had revealed this to him two days ago. "Apparently, to collab with other scientists. Not going to be coming back until the end of the week."

Ash gave a sad sigh after hearing that but knew it couldn't be helped. "Well, could you help us out then?"

"Sure!" Seymour struck a pose. "To no help would be a shame, something that would tarnish my name!"

"Alright," Misty took out the feather and showed the silver plume to the man. "I was wondering if you could tell us what this is."

"Oh! Shiny!" Was Seymour's first reaction. The man then corrected himself, adjusting his coat to be professional. "I mean, may I have a closer look?"

Misty brought the feather closer to the screen as Seymour examined it, silently thinking to himself. "Can you see it well?"

"It's fine," Seymour answered as he looked at the feather. Its color was one thing, but the shape it had was unlike anything he had personally seen. "How peculiar..."

"Does it look like any Pokémon that you have seen before?"

"Surprisingly, no." Misty was surprised at hearing that even a Pokémon scientist didn't know what this was. "Then again, I would have to see it in person to truly tell."

Misty could tell what he was going to ask next. "Do I have to give it up?"

"Of course not! Don't think I'm forcing this on you." Seymour quickly assured her. "But if we want to figure this mystery out quickly, you'll have to let me borrow it for some time."

Misty sighed, knowing that he was right. Ash placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "It will only be for a few days, at most. I can tell you want to figure this whole thing out."

Misty nodded, seeing that Ash was probably right. She placed her hand on top of his. "Okay, Seymour. I'll give it up."

"You shan't worry. I'll return your weird feather in one piece, for that is the honor of a scientist." Seymour swore for the girl. "I'll send Nurse Joy there the notification."

"Thank you for doing this, Seymour," Misty said gratefully.

Seymour nodded as he remembered something. "Ash, may I see the Dratini egg again?" He asked as he gained a smile. "I'm inquisitive about its development."

Ash nodded as he brought the encased egg and showed it off. "You haven't missed much. It still hasn't moved yet." Ash told the man.

"That may be so, but I'm just curious about our little egg," Seymour remarked as he saw the egg being as still as a rock, the man just as excited as Ash was for it to Ash. "Just give it some more time."

"That's all I can give it, right?"

Seymour lightly chuckled. "You aren't wrong." Seymour sighed as he felt this conversation reaching its conclusion. "Well, I have no other input to give."

Ash sadly nodded, also knowing this talk would end. "Well, it was great talking to you, Seymour. I can't wait to talk to you again."

Misty also felt bad for having to end it as well, but not as much as Ash. "Take care of my feather, alright? I trust you."

"Your trust is in the correct place, young lady." Misty nodded after hearing that. "May your days be glad, and come to me whenever you are sad."

"I'll... keep that in mind," Misty responded as she gave him one last smile. "Well, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Seymour!" Ash said as well, with the scientist gladly waving at the two before ending the call. Ash hung up the phone as he sat back in his chair, the egg on his lap. "Well, that was fun."

"Yes." Misty agreed as she sat up, popping her neck. "Guess I have to say goodbye to this for the name of science or whatever."

"Don't be like that. I'm really curious about what it will turn out to be."

Misty was also curious, though the idea of this beautiful feather just being part of a standard Pokémon was a bit disheartening. "I'll miss you," She told her good luck charm as she approached Nurse Joy. The nurse was still talking with Brock, and Misty was surprised when she heard their conversation.

"I haven't gotten into the show, but I've heard how good it is," Joy answered as she sighed. "I still have three shows I must finish before I can even start a new one."

"I can recommend a shorter one. There's a really good one that's only twelve episodes." Joy intensively listened as she would give anything to have a show she could finish in a day. That is when Joy realized that Misty was nearby.

"Oh. Do you need something?"

"Could you teleport something to Professor Oak's location in Pallet Town?" Misty asked, Joy not being bothered by the request.

"Is it like a package or a gift of some kind?"

Misty nervously chuckled as she placed the feather on the counter. "It's literally just this." Joy was left weirded out as she looked at the silver feather and then at Misty. "I know it sounds odd, but can you please just do it?"

Joy looked on before shrugging, taking the small item to the back. "I'll look at your Pokémon and tell you how they are."

"Thank you," Misty walked away as she went to sit down with May and Ryan. That's when she noticed that her fellow girl was in deep thought, her eyes widened. "You alright, May Day?"

May snapped out as she gave a slight frown to Misty. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"It's a cute nickname," Misty smiled as she sat down. "But you didn't answer my question."

May looked to see that Brock was sitting by the front desk, playing with a pen as he waited for the nurse to come back. "I'm just shocked by how Brock was acting." She expressed. "They were having... a normal conversation."

Misty found how in disbelief May was about all this to be funny. "Wow, Brock is actually a normal person." She said sarcastically. "What a shock."

May shook her head. "There must be something I'm missing. It's only a matter of time before Brock slips up."

Ryan found this to be rather tedious as he flipped the page. "You do you," Nurse Joy emerged from the place as she carried a few trays, Wartortle beside her.

"Brock," She got the boy's attention. "You and your friends' Pokémon are now fully healed up." Everyone began to come to Nurse Joy to reclaim their Pokémon, everyone giving their thanks to the young woman.

"Thank you for doing this, Nurse Joy." Brock was last to show his gratitude. "I was being serious when I said I could help."

"I'll be fine. Intense days like these are just part of the job." She smiled as she grabbed her Walkman, ready to return to her music. "I hope to see you again. Maybe tonight?"

"We can talk again tonight and-"

"We're going to leave without you, Brock," Ryan warned his friend as he pretended to head to the doors.

"Shoot!" Brock quickly turned to Joy as he slowly ran backward. "Tonight! I'll talk with you tonight!" Joy just smiled as she waved the boy goodbye, feeling far more relaxed after talking with someone that understood her. Brock sadly sighed as he had to leave behind Nurse Joy. He looked at Ash and Wartortle as they seemed truly focused.

Ash stepped confidently again as he headed towards the gym, ready for the battle. The egg was in his hand as Wartortle was by his side, a confident smirk on his face. "You ready, oh future Champion?"

Ash just gave a confident smile as he looked at Brock. "You should already know the answer to that one."

Brock smiled back. "I guess I should've."

---

The group stood outside the intimidating gym. The gym was very tall, mostly green in color, and had a large window that showed the darkness inside. Large lightning bolts were all over the outside of the buildings as a set of two large doors were the entrance, a lightning bolt with a blue background painted on the doors.

"This place is way bigger than the gym in Pewter and Cerulean," Ryan remarked as he felt tiny next to it.

Ash took a deep breath as he stepped forward. "No turning back now." He thought as he pushed open the large doors, needing Wartortle's help as it eventually opened.

The creaking doors echoed throughout the inside. Two people, a boy and a girl, greeted the group. They looked like they were part of a biker gang as they smirked at seeing a short boy approach them.

"What do we have here?" The girl asked as she saw the group stop in front of the two.

Ash stood tall as he looked at the two. "My name is Ash Ketchum, and I'm looking for Lt. Surge to claim his badge!"

"Wartort!"

The boy smirked at hearing the little kid speak big words. "Hey, boss, we got another one that wants to fight you."

"Another one?" A booming voice came in as someone entered the light. "Looks like my third victim has arrived."

Surge came out into the light, and May could only gasp at what she saw. Surge stood well over eight feet, his body being incredibly muscular. He had spiky blonde hair, black eyes, and a well-defined face. He wore dark green cargo pants with a silver belt and black boots, gray fingerless gloves with spiked cuffs, a dark green jacket that showed off his six-pack, and a silver dog tag that completed his design. His dog tag had a strange stone that shined like a rainbow.

May and Ryan both felt scared at just the sheer size of this man. Despite seeing him before, Brock was still intimated when being in the presence of Surge. Misty tried her best to keep a calm expression as she saw Surge in person for the first time. Ash still didn't falter as he looked up at the towering man.

Surge's once intimating face suddenly became softer as he looked at Brock. "Ain't no way that you, Brock. Didn't think I'd see you around here."

Brock smiled as he stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to see you, sir. My friend here wanted to come to your gym, and I'm just along for the ride."

"I heard about you leaving to go and reach your dreams with a young Trainer." He expressed as he fist-bumped the teenager. "Didn't expect it to be one of these small fries. Most of the Gym Leaders we're confident you were traveling with that Red kid."

"The one I'm traveling with is Ash." Brock pointed out the cap-wearing kid as he went to everyone else. "That's May, Ryan, Misty, and Wartortle."

"Misty? Surely this Ash kid didn't also get the younger sister of the Sensation Sisters with him." He remarked as he offered a hand to the ten-year-old. "We've never met in person, have we? It's good that we already know each other's names."

Misty took the handshake as she cringed at how firm the man's grip was. "Ahh. It's great to meet you, sir." She said through clenched teeth.

Surge laughed as he let go. "My grip's a bit much? Well, can't help it." He shrugged as he looked at the three remaining, signaling out May. "You don't look like you're here to fight. Not interested in badges?"

May shook her head after getting past the shock of being called out. "No thanks. These two knuckleheads are the ones that want to fight." She ruffled Ash and Ryan's hair.

Surge smiled as he looked at Ash. "I'll take you on first." He told the boy as he turned to Ryan. "Sorry, baby, but you'll have to wait in line."

Ryan shook his head, a bit upset at the nickname he was just given. "I'll wait my turn. Just gives me more time to take you down later!"

"You seem confident!" Surge told with a smile as he turned to Ash, placing his massive hand on Ash's head. "Alright, baby! I'll let you fight me!"

"I'm no baby!" Ash retaliated, pushing the Gym Leader's hand off of him.

"I call everyone that challenges me baby!" Surge laughed. "When you're as tall as me, maybe I'll call you by your name." Ash sent a determined look at the man, watching as he clapped in a certain way.

The once-dark gym began to light up from the lights on the top of the walls and the ones hanging from the high ceiling. Lightning bolts hung from the ceiling, and the enormous battlefield sat in the center. The battlefield had white and red as its borders; a large white Poke Ball was designed in the middle of it.

One Pokémon for each of us." Surge asked as he looked at Ash. "You alright with that."

"You bet I am!" Ash took out a Poke Ball as he got into battle position. Surge widely smiled as he had his hands in his pockets. Everyone knew the fight was beginning as they made their way to the stands on the outside.

"You better win this!" Misty demanded from the boy as she left him.

"We'll cheer you on, Ash!" Ryan assured him with a smile. "Take down this Gym Leader!"

"Wartort war tor!" Wartortle told his Trainer, Ash nodding at all this as everyone sat in the stands. Unfortunately, Wartortle struggled to sit on the benches due to his small height, Brock being there to help the Water-type as he had the Dratini egg safely with him.

Surge sat on the other side of the field as he looked at Ash with interest. "I'm curious to see what you'll send to go against me, baby."

"I'll be using my Bulbasaur!" Ash threw the Poke Ball out into the battlefield, releasing his Grass-type.

"Bulbasaur!"

Surge smirked as he threw a Great Ball out. "You know what we do with babies like this, Raichu!"

"Raichu!" The Electric type yelled out in a determined way.

Raichu was a rodent-like Pokémon that had orange fur with two strips of brown fur on his back. He had long ears and feet but had little stubby arms with no noticeable fingers. Additionally, His electrical sacs were yellow, unlike their previous form's red coloring. He had a plump white belly, and the tips of his arms and toes were brown. The soles of his feet were tan-colored and the paw pads on the undersides were yellowish orange. Raichu also had a long, thin, black tail that ended in a giant lightning bolt shape.

"So that's Surge's Raichu." Ash thought as he took out Dexter to scan.

"Raichu, the mouse Pokémon. Dex Number: 027. from Pikachu. Pokémon Typing: Electric. If the electrical sacks become excessively charged, Raichu plants its tail in the ground and discharges. Scorched patches of ground will be found near this Pokémon's nest. This specific Raichu is a male and at level 31. Pokémon Ability: Lightning Rod (Draws all Electric-type moves to boost Special Attack). This Pokémon has the following moves: Volt Tackle, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Double Team."

Ash knew that Raichu would be strong, but hearing all his capabilities was something else. Ash put away Dexter as he looked at his Bulbasaur. "You ready for this, bud?"

"Bulba!" He answered in a sure tone.

"Brock and Misty stick around you for a reason," Surge told the boy with a smirk, Raichu by his side. "Show me what those four see in you, baby!"

Ash looked intensely at Raichu as he lifted his finger, ready to make the first move. "Use your Sleep Powder!"

Bulbasaur released the glittering powder from his bulb as he directed it to Raichu, who looked at the status move bored. Raichu easily dodged as his tail suddenly became encased in iron. "That trick won't work on us!" Surge told the kid as Raichu went for an attack.

Bulbasaur jumped to the side as Raichu's tail slammed into the ground. The Grass-type used Razor Leaf as he aimed the sharp leaves in a way that would make it hard to dodge, something he had picked up during all that training. Raichu looked at all the leaves, seeing that he wouldn't be able to avoid them through normal means.

"Rai-CHHUUU!" Raichu released a powerful Thunderbolt that destroyed most of the leaves and allowed him to dodge the attack safely.

"Use your Double Team to confuse, Rai!" Surge commanded like a leader would, Raichu making illusionary copies of himself. There were now five Raichus on the field as Bulbasaur looked at all of them, a scowl on his face.

May quickly came over to Brock's ear. "Do you think Ash will win this? This Surge guy looks tough."

Suddenly, Wartortle hit May on the leg. "Tor tl war tort le!" He complained to her, not wanting to even hear about the idea of his best friend losing.

"Pure strength will not be able to win this battle," Brock explained as he saw May caressing the spot she was hit at. "But I feel like Ash has the moves to counter some of Raichu's arsenal. The same thing could be said for Raichu, though."

"It's a good thing that Raichu's ability is useless here," Ryan remarked, Jangmo-o now on his head as he looked at the battle. Of course, the Dragon-type wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see a battle and study from it.

Ash looked at the situation as an idea came to mind. "Use Seed Bomb to cover them!" Bulbasaur released a barrage of hard-shelled seeds on the Raichu's, entirely random to ensure they didn't have somewhere safe to go. The Eletric-types were forced to scatter as the seeds came down at surprising speed.

The copies all went their ways as the real Raichu came out of the blast zone, having taken a few seeds to the back. "Bubla!" Raichu saw another Razor Leaf being thrown at him. Raichu didn't have enough time to launch a Thunderbolt as he took some damage from the move. Raichu was pushed back as his mind realized what had just happened.

A massive smile came across his face as he looked at Bulbasaur, happy to finally fight someone who could challenge him. "Rai." He complimented. "Ic rai."

Raichu's tail began to be covered in hard metal again as he chased after Bulbasaur. Raichu swung his tail wildly as Bulbasaur was forced to duck and jump over the tail, which was now used more like a whip. "Don't let them breathe!" Surge told Raichu, the Eletric-type nodding as he made the Grass-type have to back off.

Ash looked at the battle as he knew dodging forever wouldn't work out. "Use your Sleep Powder again!"

Bulbasaur released the powder as he still kept dodging. Raichu was forced to stop his chase as he had to back away from the powder. Raichu used this moment to launch a Thunderbolt, which Bulbasaur wasn't unprepared for. "Saur!" Bulbasaur yelled as he was hit with lightning, getting pushed back from the critical hit. He lay right next to the battlefield's borders.

"Oh no!" May called in worry; Wartortle also worried for his friend. Everyone knew it would take more than a Thunderbolt to take down Bulbasaur, but the one that Raichu used looked rough.

"Roll to the side!" Bulbasaur listened just in time as he dodged an Iron Tail coming from above. Raichu smirked as he approached his opponent, maneuvering his tail as Bulbasaur stood on all fours. Bulbasaur launched a Seed Bomb as Raichu used his metal to block most of the hard seeds coming towards him. Raichu took slight damage as the two looked at each other.

"Use another Double Team!" Raichu brought in even more copies as Bulbasaur would now have a more challenging time finding the real one.

"Come on, Ash!" Misty muttered as she saw the battle. "A Sleep Powder landing could easily win you the battle."

"Jang! Mo-o!"

Bulbasaur skillfully dodged a Thunderbolt coming at him as he used Razor Leaf. Instead of going for a specific opponent that could be fake, he diluted the leaves so that all the Raichu would have to dodge. Among the Raichu's that evaded, he noticed that one of them had a nervous look as he avoided the leaf coming for his head. "Saur!" Bulbasaur began to run straight at that Raichu, figuring him to be the real one.

As Bulbasaur ran into Raichu, it was revealed to be nothing more than a copy as the clone disappeared. "Behind you!" Raichu was about to attack Bulbasaur with his Iron Tail as Bulbasaur rolled out of the way. Bulbasaur didn't have enough time as Riachu moved his tail to slash across the Grass-type's leg, causing him to cringe as he backed away.

Bulbasaur looked at Raichu as his body suddenly became enveloped in green light. Raichu gasped as he saw Bulbasaur's wounds healed themselves, the Grass-type ready to fight with complete focus. "A self-healing move?" Surge asked after he saw the Grass-type use Synthesis. "This fight is actually getting interesting!"

The Raichu scattered as Bulbasaur was having difficulty tracking all of them. Even though the clones did behave like the original, they were unable to use moves or physically affect the battlefield. Bulbasaur and Ash knew this as they saw a Raichu launching Thunderbolts from afar. "He's over there!" Ash signaled out a specific Raichu.

Bulbasaur dodged the electricity coming at him as he got close enough to release a mighty Razor Leaf. "Saur!" He shouted as he launched the move. Raichu gave a mighty growl as instead of dodging or canceling out the attack, the Eletric-type ran right into Bulbasaur's move. Everyone was shocked as Raichu tanked the attack and got next to Bulbasaur.

"CHHUUUUU!"

Raichu released a Thunderbolt right next to Bulbasaur. The Grass-type could only resist so much as he was pushed back, breathing heavily after that unexpected event. "Raichu is a lot more durable than I thought," Misty remarked as she looked at the battle, impressed by how confident the Eletric-type was. "He passed through that move without a second thought."

"Try to use Seed Bomb from a distance!" Bulbasaur struggled to execute this plan as Raichu's Iron Tail swung wildly. Bulbasaur tried to get up close to ensure he did the most damage, dodging the tail being swung with such ferocity. Bulbasaur got close as Raichu moved to the side to avoid the Grass-type's body.

"Bulba saur!" Bulbasaur was about to activate his move, but Raichu was there to stop him. The strong Electric-type grabbed the Grass-type by the neck, using his whole arm strength.

Bulbasaur looked on angrily as he was held by the throat, releasing multiple seeds in Raichu's face. Raichu struggled as the seeds hit him, about to release another Thunderbolt in anger. "Bulbasaur!" May cried out in worry at seeing the situation.

"This isn't good," Brock said, seeing that Bulbasaur was helpless in this scenario.

Ash gasped as he saw his partner in this state, his eyes widening. Of course, he was entirely concerned for his partner, but something stopped him completely as he saw the situation. His breathing became unstable as he couldn't help but be reminded of something dark. A memory came to mind as he saw his own Pokémon being choked by Raichu.

It was just like how Feraligatr did it to Squirtle and Wartortle.

"WAIT!"

The arena went silent after hearing that shout of pure concern. Raichu stopped his attack as he looked at Ash, Bulbasaur being the same as his eyes widened. Surge raised his eyebrow as he looked at the young Trainer. The group was bewildered when they heard Ash, Brock and Ryan instantly seeing Ash shaking after what he had just said.

"Huh?" Misty was confused as she looked at Ash.

"War tor?" Wartortle was wondering what was going on, knowing that ending a match early was something Ash would never do.

Ash realized what he had just said out of instinct, looking back up as he shook himself. "Wait, no!" Ash yelled as his fear went away. "Resume the match! Forget what I said!"

Raichu and Surge looked at one another as they saw the boy that had shouted out in fear suddenly wanting to match to start up again. Surge looked at the boy as he knew something was going on here, that something was going on with this kid. "You can't just pause and resume a match like one of your little games."

"I didn't mean to act that way!" Ash explained as he wanted this to keep going. "Come on! Let's finish this!"

However, Surge shook his head at this request. "Sorry, baby, but I'm not doing that." He explained as he whistled for Raichu to come to him. "Drop the Bulbasaur, Rai." Raichu complied as he sent one last look to the boy and his Pokémon, his face unrecognizable as he went to his Trainer.

Ash was getting angry at himself, knowing that all this was happening because he let stupid fear get the better of him. "No! I'm ready! I want us-"

"Ash." The boy looked as he saw Brock come over, a look of concern as he approached him. "If Surge doesn't want the fight to resume, it must be for a reason." Ash seemed to calm down a bit after hearing that.

Surge looked at the boy closely as he tried to read him. "Listen, baby, you're the one who wanted the match to stop. It's my job as a Gym Leader to listen if my opponent doesn't want to fight anymore." He explained in a surprisingly calm tone. "You show me you can handle a full fight, and then we'll talk about getting a rematch."

Ash knew that Surge was right as he looked down, deflating as he tried to release all his anger. Bulbasaur quickly came over to his Trainer, and he gently touched his shoe. "Saur bulba. Bulb as aur sa." Bulbasaur apologized, promising not to let himself be caught in a position like that again.

Ash knelled down as he petted his partner. "It's not your fault." He assured his partner as he hugged him. "It's not your fault, Bulbasaur."

Everyone in the group looked at Ash worriedly as the boy held his Pokémon close to him. "Tor..." Wartortle came up to his Trainer. Ash gently picked up his partner as he had him close, Wartortle not caring that the grip was tight. Ash gave a somewhat sad sigh as he held his friends close.

"Ash..." Misty began, unsure what to say as she wanted to comfort her friend. Ash looked at her as he gave a smile.

"I'm okay," He assured as he looked down. "I just... I just need some time alone. I'm sorry for making you worry like that." He apologized to the group as he looked at Surge. "I swear, I'll come back and finish our match, no excuses."

Surge said nothing back as he saw Ash walk out with his two Pokémon. Ryan instantly went to follow him, but Brock stopped him with his free hand as he looked at Ryan. "Leave him be. If he wants to be alone, then let's give him some time."

Ryan knew that Brock was right as he saw Ash leave, making no noise as the massive doors closed behind him. The room was silent as everyone stood there, feeling like they didn't belong as no one made any real movement. "Ash..." Misty thought as she cupped her hands close to her. "You're hurting, aren't you?"

That was when Surge suddenly began to walk to them, standing right beside them as he looked at the massive doors. The older man was silent before he spoke. "Alright. Do you babies want to me what's going on, because I can tell that this was not how it was supposed to go?"

Everyone looked at each other as they didn't want to talk about what they had experienced. Ryan finally spoke up. "We... had to deal with something a bit much for us." He said in a slow tone. "We all thought Ash had simply bounced back from it, but it seems that wasn't fully the case."

Surge let the boy finish. "Are you talking about when you guys got attacked by Team Rocket?"

Everyone was surprised as to how Surge himself knew that. "How did you know that we-"

"You think Lance wouldn't mention that to us? You think you could sweep that event under the rug and act like it didn't happen?" Surge answered as May backed down, knowing that he was correct. "I'm guessing that baby of yours feels responsible for letting that happen."

Brock was silent as he looked down. "Ash did blame himself, even though we told him it wasn't his fault." Surge nodded as his hands were in his pockets, the massive man thinking about the kid.

Surge looked straight up as he knew what to do. "Fine. I'll help the little brat out." Everyone was surprised as the prideful Gym Leader offered his help. "Got nothing better to do today."

"You don't have to do that, Surge," Misty told the older man. "Ash will figure this out on his own, and we can help him if we know he needs it."

"That's cool, but I don't remember asking for your opinion." Surge was a bit blunt in his tone. "Let me help this kid out my way."

Everyone could tell that Surge wouldn't be told otherwise, and it's not like they could physically stop the massive man from just leaving the place. "Well, just be careful with Ashie," May told the man with seriousness. "You better not hurt him."

Surge laughed as he saw how May was worried for Ash. "Don't worry, girlie. I got something that'll help him out." He assured the group with his big smile.

---

Ash sat outside on a bench underneath a tree, staring off into the distance as Wartortle was by his side. The two were silent as they let the environment's natural beauty envelop them, giving them peace and security. Ash reflected on all that had transpired as he knew that changing it now would be impossible, but he still regretted allowing this to happen. A leaf suddenly floated down and landed on his lap.

Ash gently picked up the leaf, and he brought it to eye level, looking at the plant as he gave a sigh that showed his tiredness. "You're lucky, leaf. You didn't make yourself look like a fool."

The sound of a motorcycle coming quickly shook him out of his thoughts as Wartortle pulled on his jacket. "Tor! Tor!" A motorcycle painted yellow and black with red accents approached them, giving a sharp turn. Ash looked as he gasped at who he saw on the motorcycle.

Surge's sunglasses shined as he stopped right beside the boy. Ash stood up as Surge pulled his glasses down, smiling as he revealed his eyes. "Sup, baby! Didn't think you'd be out here."

"Surge!" Ash quickly adjusted himself in the man's presence. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay at the gym."

Surge shrugged. "Got a bit stale without you around." He replied. "I ain't the emotional type, but what you did was something that even I couldn't ignore."

Ash looked down as he heard him same that. "I'm sorry for letting tha-"

"No, no. I ain't looking for an apology!" Surge raised a finger to make the boy quiet. Surge suddenly sent a terrific smile at the boy, patting his seat. "Take a ride with me!"

Ash and Wartortle were surprised at what Surge asked them, the two looking at each other and then at the Gym Leader. "You want me to ride with you?"

"Are you deaf? That's what I said!" Surge yelled at the boy. He sighed as he became honest with the boy. "Look, baby. You got something on, and just sitting here twiddling your thumbs ain't going to fix that. You got to man up!"

Ash looked at Surge as he agreed with the Gym Leader. He looked down to see Wartortle having stars in his eyes at seeing the awesome motorcycle, not believing that he was being offered a deal like this. "Tort! Tort!" He begged like a child would for a toy.

Ash grew a confident smile. "You know what?" He began to walk over as he got his backpack on. "What do I have to lose?"

"Sorry," Surge suddenly revved up the engine as he acted like he would take off. "You missed your chance, baby!"

"Wait!" Ash quickly touched the motorcycle. Surge gave out a massive laugh at seeing how scared Ash was for a second. Ash rolled his eyes as Wartortle sat between the two Trainers, Ash in the back. "Haha. You must be a hit at parties." He said in a sour tone.

"I am! Those girls are always chatting up a storm for me!" Surge laughed as he tossed Ash a helmet, the boy quickly adjusting it as he put it on. "You might want to hug me. Don't want to fall and your head to be split down the middle." Ash wrapped Surge in a hug around the torso as Wartortle did the same, Surge making sure that everyone was in a safe position.

The motorcycle then took off. "WOW!" Ash wasn't expecting it to go so fast, but he managed to hold on, accidentally squishing Watortle as he was stuck between the two. The two sped along the roads as Surge showed off his skill and experience with the vehicle. Surge went throughout the town as they saw the sights, driving beside the open beach.

Ash slowly looked up and saw how amazing this was, the wind blowing past him as he smelled the seawater in the air. Ash raised his head fully up as he looked around, Wartortle being the same as the biggest smile possible was on the Water-type. They took in the sights as Ash felt so free and liberated, the doubt he once had slowly being pushed back.

"Take a picture. It will last longer." Surge joked to the boy as he rode the motorcycle.

Ash chuckled as he responded with his banter. "That's a good idea, but I don't have a camera to pull whenever I feel like it."

"Then how about you lift one of your arms up?" Surge dared the boy as he sent a smile. "Unless you got no arms either."

Ash thought as he cautiously raised one of his arms in the air, worried that something terrible would happen if he loosened his grip. Ash saw that everything was fine as his arm struggled against the wind. The boy grew a smile as he suddenly pumped his free arm. "WOW! He screamed with full energy.

"WWWAA!" Wartortle followed his Trainer's example as he pumped his arm as well. Surge smirked as seeing the two brats having the time of their life right now.

They drove around as Surge suddenly made way for one of the exits, surprising Ash as he turned around. "Where are we going? The gym is the other way."

"You don't think I know this town inside out?" Surge questioned the boy as the road they were on was dirt. "Just hold on tight, 'cause this road will get real bumpy in a minute."

Ash decided to comply as he could tell that Surge wouldn't do anything to harm them actively. They went on a path that Surge seemed to know about as they slowly went uphill. It would not be until several minutes later that they would reach the flat ground again as Surge began to slow down, eventually reaching a stop on a tall hillside outside the city limits. Wartortle popped his head to look at his surroundings. "Tl?"

"Alright, get off my bike, or I'll push you off." Ash quickly got out as it felt weird to stand on the ground again, taking off his helmet as he left it on the bike. He began to step out as he saw Surge walk to the edge, the two quickly following the man. Surge stopped by the edge as he rested his arms on his hips, Ash and Wartortle finally seeing what Surge wanted to show them.

The sight of which made Ash gasp loudly.

They saw Vermillion City in full as they stood on the hill, getting one of the best views possible of the town. The sun was coloring the sky orange as it slowly made its descent, causing the lights of the city to come on as they shined. A gentle breeze passed through as Ash took everything in, which he rarely did when it came to his surroundings. Seeing the beach town in full view as the sun came down was one of the best sights of this trip, at least for the two. It was a view that one could look at for minutes and still not be bored.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Surge asked as he looked at them.

"Try amazing!" Ash answered as he had stars in his eyes, pointing at the spectacular view. "Look at this! How did you know about it?"

"When you've been in this for a few years, you get to learn some things that most Trainers don't get the chance to."

Ash looked back at the view as he sighed, feeling so energized and relaxed after all this. "It's... so beautiful." The eleven-year-old struggled to find the correct words to say.

"Wartort," Wartortle ultimately agreed as he sat down, feeling the sunlight on him.

Surge sent a smile as he looked at the two. "We can agree this is better than just sitting at a bench."

"Your right." Ash had to admit as he looked back at that moment, not believing that he almost passed up this incredible moment. A deep sigh came from him. "Sir. About what happened earlier-"

"You don't have to explain, mostly 'cause I ain't going to listen." Surge paused as he placed a massive hand on Ash's shoulder, making the boy face. "All that doubt and fear you got is up there," He pointed at his before he pointed to his chest. "But you're acting like it's a real thing. Mind telling me why?"

Ash knew that he had to be honest with the man, that acting like everything was okay would not work anymore. "I care about my friends a lot. I always want to make sure that they are safe and happy." Ash looked down as he had to admit. "But something came up, an enemy I thought I could win against, and I dragged my friends with me."

"I see the issue. You think that one mistake will tear down everything you've done. You want to be the next Champion, but you think you can get there if this is how you treat one loss?" Ash was silent before he shook his head.

"I know I'm being stupid," Ash answered as he looked up at Surge, pure honesty in his voice. "I know it's not easy, and I don't want it to be easy. I wish that I could be strong so that me and my friends don't have to deal with failures let that."

Surge suddenly laughed. "You think you can get by without any failure? Those losses will suck," His hand then softened on Ash. "But that's how you are going to become stronger, smarter. You get me?"

Ash nodded as he saw Wartortle gently grab his hand. "Wart..." He told his friend as he smiled for him, now seeing what Ash was hiding in him. Ash gently moved his thumb on Wartortle's hand as he looked at Surge.

"I wasn't just born with the great body or these skills, you know." Surge revealed as his voice became less gruff. "I gained them through years of sweat and experience. I've seen a lot of bad things when I was in the war, some things I wasn't given a chance to change."

Ash looked at the man with sympathy after hearing that. "I can only imagine what that's like. I've never been to war, but I know that people like you give up much for us."

"You got that right. The Orre War is what I was part of since I grew up there, and it wasn't exactly a pretty experience. Would you like to hear about my time in the army?" Surg then laughed before Ash answered. "Of course not! Kids like you probably don't provably care about history."

"I wouldn't mind hearing about your time there," Ash answered to contradict Surge's answer. "You sound like someone that would have good stories to tell."

"You're right there, but you're going to make me feel like an old man if I spend hours telling you my life," Surge remarked as he looked at the sky above, taking a breath in as he smelled the warm air. "You ready to go?"

Ash sighed as he looked back at the view, not wanting to say goodbye already. "Can we stay for just one-two minutes?" He asked the Gym Leader in a slight beg.

Surge smirked as he saw that his plan worked a bit too well. "Sure thing, baby." Wartortle and Ash smiled as they quickly sat down, taking in the view they probably wouldn't see again. Surge got a good idea as he looked at the kid. "Whenever we're done, I want to show you something from my office. I feel like you're good enough for it."

Ash wasn't paying attention as he nodded. "Alrighty," Surge just shrugged as he saw the kid go along with it, resting by his motorcycle as he decided to enjoy the view. He placed his sunglasses back on as he looked on.

---

The drive back to the Pokémon gym was quick as Ash and Surge got off the motorcycle after it had been parked. Ash walked back in as he saw the group was still there, coming over once they saw their friend.

"There you are," Misty said as he came to Ash. "Everyone else has been worried about you, but I was there to calm them down."

"Oh, please." Ryan walked over. "You're easily the one that worried the most." Misty ignored that fact as she came to the boy and his Pokémon.

"You alright, man?" Brock asked his friend as they shared a fist bump.

"Yeah. I'm feeling a lot better." Ash admitted with a smile as he quickly gave a hug to May. "Sorry I made you worry like that."

Ryan placed a hand on Ash. "That's okay. You know we're here for you, alright?" Ash nodded in understanding. Surge was walking away from them when he saw Ash chatting with everyone.

"I know. I promise to always be-"

"You just going to stand there? I can leave you behind if you want me to." Ash quickly got himself ready as he and Wartortle ran to Surge.

"Sorry, guys! Surge wants to show me something cool!" Ash quickly explained as he went with the massive man. "Need to go! Bye!"

Everyone heard that Surge wanted to show something to Ash, something that impressed Brock. "Looks like Ash got on Surge's good side." The fifteen-year-old remarked as he smiled. "How does he always seem to make friends with everyone?"

"Friends may be a stretch." Ryan corrected, feeling like Surge may be too prideful to want to be friends with a ten-year-old. "I wonder what this man wants to show Ash. At least he wasn't wrong about his help; Ash seems much more joyful than before."

May sighed. "Man. Please be fast, Ash. I don't want to stay in this building anymore." She painfully thought.

Ash was led into the personal office of Surge as the man played with the keys that led them in there. A large wooden desk sat in the middle, and an old fan moved slowly right above. There were a few cabinets as many pictures rested on the walls, showing a much younger Surge with people Ash didn't know about. The walls also had various military achievements, all in Surge's name, with an authentic jacket in full display behind some glass. The place seemed mostly clean, but there were still a few things that Surge didn't seem interested in cleaning up.

Surge looked for something in one of the drawers of his desk as Ash and Wartortle looked at the map that was hanging on the wall. A map of the entire Orre region was shown as it had marked locations, a red circle around a town called Phenac City. "Is the region just a dessert?" Ash asked, not knowing much about Orre.

"Not as bad when I was younger," Surge answered as he got what he wanted. "That's a map from when I was your age. Still hot, but you'll find a lot more forest if you go now."

Surge calmly carried something with two hands as he presented it to Ash. Ash looked surprised as he saw a military uniform, pants and all, neatly folded in front of him. He gently took the clothes in bewilderment. "What is this? Are you giving me a uniform?"

Surge burst into laughter after hearing what Ash said. "You're a funny kid! A bit dumb, but funny." Surge quickly calmed down as he sighed. "That is the uniform that a solider of the Orre Region is given. The one you have is not my personal one, but my best friend's."

Ash looked at it as he felt the material. Durable, yet not stiff. "Why do you have their uniform?" He asked, not realizing the significance of all this.

"Well, we have a tradition in the army. It's called 'Deliver the uniform.'" He began to explain as Ash and Wartortle intently listened. "We deliver the soldiers' uniform to their families, the soldiers that aren't around anymore."

Ash lightly gasped as he realized what he was saying. He looked down at the uniform as he realized what he was holding, feeling sympathy as he looked back at the man. "So... this uniform belonged to your friend. The one who isn't here anymore." He said in a low tone.

Surge slowly nodded as he placed a gentle hand on the uniform. "He was my best friend. We went through so much together and always had each other's backs." He said as he remembered his friend, remembering how he was. He sighed as he continued. "I gave the uniform to his family, and you should've seen the heartbreak on their face. I took the uniform 'cause it was just causing so much pain for them."

Ash felt so bad for the soldier that Surge had spoken of. No one deserved to have their life cut short like that. "I'm so sorry."

Surge just lightly scoffed. "Why are you apologizing, baby? I didn't see you during that war." Surge said as he took back the uniform, gently touching it as he looked down at the clothes of someone he once knew. "Not everyone is lucky to have all their friends with them. You should be lucky that you and your group are still around because I can name a few people that wouldn't have been so generous."

Ash feared the thought of losing one of his friends like that. He was lucky that he got out with only mental pain and that all the Pokémon that fought were still around for another battle. He took a deep breath in with closed eyes. "I understand now." He said as he opened his eyes, a new sense of purpose and hope in them. "I'll stop letting the past bring me down."

Surge smiled as he heard this, wanting to do one last push for the boy. "Tell me. Who are you, and what do you want to become?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I want to be the next Champion."

Surge shook his head as he raised his voice. "You call that loud? I've seen little girls give more emotion than you!"

"I am Ash Ketchum! Someone who will be a Champion and will always look ahead!"

"I can't hear you!" Surge mocked as Ash stomped his foot on the ground.

"I AM ASH KETCHUM! THE FUTURE KANTO CHAMPION!" He finally shouted, taking out all the air in his lungs. Surge looked down at the boy with eyes that pierced right through him. Surge judged closely as the boy looked up, his teeth clenched together as energy coursed through him. The silence went by for a few seconds.

"If that's the case," Surge placed the uniform away as he calmly walked to the door, holding it open for the boy. "Then you're going to need my badge. So why don't we fight already?"

Ash suddenly gained a smile as he truly knew that he was ready to fight and claim that badge. Ash and Warotrtle walked through as Surge closed the door behind them. They walked to the arena, as Ash looked up at the man in admiration. "Thank you for this, sir."

"Don't sweat it."

A question came to the boy as he looked at Surge, worried that this may not be the right thing to ask. "Can I ask you something?" Surge just shrugged. "How was your soldier friend like?"

Surge looked up as he continued to walk, a sad smile on his usually upbeat face. "He was one of the nicest people you could ever meet," Surge replied as the comforting memories came to him. "He got drafted in without choice, and he always ensured that we were alright. Always telling us to eat our meals or making sure we got good sleep. We straight up called him 'Ma' since he basically acted like one." Surge chuckled as he remembered those moments. "He never had the heart of a soldier, but he had the skills and drive of one."

Ash smiled after hearing that description of the man. "I wish I could've met him. He sounds like a great person."

"War tl," Wartortle agreed. Surge looked at the two as he nodded, glad that these two had listened to him about all this.

---

The combatants were ready as Ash and Surge stared each other down.

The group was now back on the stands as they would watch a, hopefully, completed battle. Everyone seemed much more upbeat as they showed their full support for Ash, knowing the boy might need the extra encouragement. "You got this, Ash!" Misty cheered for the boy. "If you try to end it early, I will make sure you regret it!" Some were more passionate than others, as even Wartortle threatened the same thing.

Surge smirked as he tossed around his Great Ball. "Try not to run away again, baby." He told the kid.

"After this battle, you'd wish I left before we started," Ash said with complete confidence, taking a foot back as he got into battle position. A Poke Ball came out of his pocket as he looked at the tall man.

Surge stopped playing around with the ball as he felt excitement, which he rarely had when he fought Trainers. "I hope you're not all talk! Raichu, go!" He released his fully healed Eletric-type as Raichu smirked, hoping for a finished battle.

"You can do it, Nidoran!" Ash sent out his small Poison-type as Nidoran bounced around, eager to get this fight started.

"Nidoran, huh?" Surge observed. "Why not send out your precious Bulbasaur?"

"Bulbasaur would be better with his immunity to Eletric-type moves, but using a strategy my opponent already knows about will not get me the win," Ash explained as he gently petted his Nidoran. "Besides, he was interested in fighting Raichu."

Surge nodded after hearing all that. "You may not be the strongest, yet, but you definitely know what you're doing." Surge complimented, wishing more Trainers had that kind of common sense. "Let me see what Brock and Misty see in you!"

"Nido!" Nidoran got into attack position as Raichu did the same, the Eletric-type feeling strength in the little Pokémon. Silence rang through as Ash finally made the first move.

"Use Ice Beam!" Nidoran launched a beam of ice. Raichu was surprised by such a move, skillfully dodging as he charged in with Iron Tail. Raichu used his tail as a whip again as he noticed it was far harder to hit Nidoran than Bulbasaur, the Poison-types' small size being an advantage in this scenario.

Nidoran dodged the attacks as he was surprisingly fast, closing the gap as his horn became sharpened. "Doran!" Raichu was hit in the guy by Horn Attack, doing decent enough damage as Raichu narrowed his eyes. His tail moved to attack his close foe as Nidoran wouldn't be able to dodge in time, and yet Nidoran didn't look concerned about the attack coming at him.

Metal spikes stopped Raichu's metallic tail as Nidoran used his back to stop the attack. Raichu widened his eyes as he saw the small Pokémon use Iron Tail but quickly calmed himself as he used more force. Nidoran struggled with the Electric-types brute strength as he quickly pushed back, jumping away a safe distance. Raichu's tailed returned to normal as he looked at his unique opponent.

"Ice Beam and Iron Tail?" Surge thought as he was impressed by how versatile this move set was. "This is the most decked-out Nidoran Raichu's ever fought."

Misty cheered as she smirked to herself. "I knew those TMs would come in handy." She said to herself, May now saw just how valuable TMs were as they made Nidoran worthy enough to fight Raichu.

"Alright!" Ash cheered for his Pokémon as he looked at his Pokémon. "Try to get up close, Nidoran. Both of you have moves that can be used in close distance, but Horn Attack is meant for you to get right next to him."

Nidoran nodded as Raichu gained a big smirk, feeling the blood pumping through his veins. "Use Double Team, Rai! It looks like Nidoran can only attack one at a time!" Raichu made three copies of himself as Nidoran looked at what he was now up against.

"RAI-CHUUU!" Raichu released a mighty Thunderbolt. Nidoran quickly dodged the electricity as he saw two more coming at him. Raichu was doing his best to keep Nidoran as far away as possible. Nidoran could see right through this as he ducked underneath the move. Nidoran tried to close the gap, slowly getting closer.

Raichu made a signal with his hands as all the clones quickly scattered before Nidoran could get close. Nidoran stopped as he saw all the Raichu's forming a running circle around him, chuckling at the confused Poison-type. Nidoran had no way of telling who was the original as they all looked the same. Nidoran stood still as he calmly closed his eyes, remembering Brock's lesson.

When you are unsure of something, take a breath and close your eyes to ease your mind.

Nidoran closed his eyes as he let his mind calm and truly listened to everything around him. He heard a slight noise as his body moved, opening his eyes to see that he had just dodged an Iron Tail that would've hit his head. He saw the Raichu it came from as he knew who the real one was. "Ran,"

Raichu quickly tried to move his tail as Nidoran came right at him. Raichu was hit with another Horn Attack as he looked down in annoyance. Raichu harshly kicked Nidoran away from him as the Eletric-type had electricity from his cheeks. "CHUUUU!" Raichu released a Thunderbolt to the close Nidoran.

Nidoran panicked as he launched an Ice Beam. Ice and electricity clashed as they stopped in the middle. Raichu put more force into the attack as Nidoran did the same, but the Thunderbolt was slowly consuming the Ice-type move. The collision suddenly caused an explosion as the two Pokémon were pushed back.

"Oh no!" May called out in worry; everyone in the group was also concerned after that interaction. Raichu could skillfully land as he took minimal damage from the clash, but Nidoran wasn't lucky. Nidoran rolled on the ground before he was able to stand up properly. Nidoran was breathing slightly heavily as he looked at Raichu.

"You okay, bud?" Nidoran quickly nodded as he was ready to attack again. Nidoran saw Raichu make even more clones to deal with as he tried his best to have good breath control. "Use Focus Energy!"

Nidoran took an extremely controlled breath as he felt himself become stronger, Raichu seeing Nidoran now more focused than ever. Nidoran moved with surprising speed as the Raichu began to scatter once more. Nidoran could not tell which was the real one as he attacked any close to him. He went through two clones as they dissaperead, the real Raichu seeing that Nidoran was distracted.

Ash spotted the real one as he saw him charge an attack. "To your left!" Nidoran turned as he dodged the Thunderbolt, smiling as he saw the real one. As he was in the air, he launched an Ice Beam to attack back, Raichu avoiding the attack like Nidoran did to his. Nidoran sprinted to Raichu before the Electric-type could escape, covering his entire back in metal.

Nidoran launched himself as he made his backside hit Riachu. Raichu felt intense pain as the Iron Tail was a critical hit. Raichu slowly started to lose his health as Nidoran was more of a challenge than he gave credit for. Nidoran was about to run to safety again until something grabbed his foot.

The Poison-type stared in shock as Raichu grabbed his foot. Raichu smirked as he charged up an attack. "Shock them good, Rai!" Surge commanded as Nisoran was with a close-range Thunderbolt. Nidoran cried out in pain after feeling the strong move.

"Oh no!" Ryan called out in worry as he saw. Brock was also worried, knowing that a Pokémon with low defenses like Nidoran would struggle against a move like that. Raichu finally stopped as he let go of the Poison-type.

"Nidoran!" Ash called out in worry as he saw his Pokémon on the ground, breathing heavily and unevenly. Wartortle was scared for his friend as he saw the Poison-type slowly standing back up, Raichu and Surge watching him get on all fours.

"Ni do ni ran?" He asked Raichu if that was his best, mocking him after all that.

Raichu smiled as he worried that the battle would end like that. "Rai chu hu." He told Nidoran that he could make it worse for next time. Nidoran tried to catch his breath as Raichu was ready to finish this battle.

"NIDO!" Nidoran gave a mighty battle cry as he charged right at Raichu. The Electric-type grabbed the charging Pokémon with both hands as he looked down at him, about to launch a Thunderbolt to finish this off.

Ash knew this would most likely be his last chance to bring down Raichu, knowing to go all out. "Use Ice Beam!"

Raichu saw a ball of blue energy be formed right in front of his chest, feeling just how strong it was. Raichu turned his tail to iron as he aimed for the move to hit Nidoran's back and stop the attack. Nidoran launched the attack just a moment before he was attacked. Raichu was blasted back with a critical hit Ice Beam as an Iron Tail slammed down Nidoran.

Raichu rolled away as he stopped, lying on the ground. Everyone became silent as they thought that both of the Pokémon had fainted at the same, meaning that this battle would be a tie. Surge crossed his arms as he looked at Raichu, seeing the Electric-type weakly wobble to his feet. Nidoran slowly stood up as one of his eyes was closed in pain, crying a bit as his legs hurt so much.

Raichu looked at his opponent as he slowly came to him, grabbing his shoulder in pain as he came to Nidoran. "What is he doing?" Ryan asked, not believing that Raichu still wanted to fight after all this. Everyone watched in silence as Raichu finally came to Nidoran.

Nidoran forced himself up as he saw his foe was still standing, going into battle stance with the little energy he had to finish this. Instead of attacking or making any moves, Raichu stood there as he was just as exhausted as Nidoran. He looked down with gentle eyes as he suddenly spoke.

"Ic chu," Raichu began to speak slowly as Nidoran looked up in surprise. "Rai Raichu ch? Raic ch aic ra?" He asked Nidoran, with no intention of fighting him anymore.

Nidoran clenched his teeth. "Nido do id oran! Or nid id nid! Nidoran nido ra dora!" Raichu listened as Nidoran spoke every word.

Raichu suddenly released a small smile of respect. "Ichu ra u..."

Suddenly, Raichu closed his eyes as he fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud. The whole arena went in silence as they saw the once-powerful Pokémon now on the floor. Nidoran cautiously approached as he saw his suspicions being true. He, Ash, and Warotrtle were stunned as the battle was now over.

Raichu had fainted!

Ash's breathing became rapid as the victory hit him, a smile slowly growing with every breath. "We won," He said in a low voice before suddenly shouting. "WE WON! NIDORAN WON!"

The whole group cheered at seeing that Raichu had fainted as Nidoran still stood tall. Wartortle quickly dashed over as he went over to his friend, patting him gently for what he had just accomplished.

"That was amazing, Ash!" May told the boy, as she had never seen a Gym Leader fight that didn't have her father in it. "You did so good!"

"Great work, Ash!" Ryan complimented his best friend as they shared a hug. "I swear, I'll ensure my battle will be just as impressive as yours!"

"I was hoping that'd be the case." Ash's hair suddenly got ruffled as Brock smiled at the boy. "Hey!"

"You're certainly something else, Ash. Beating three whole Gym Leaders so early in your Pokémon career." Ash just smiled as Misty offered him a high-five, something the boy gladly took.

"Ash Ketchum," She spoke with a smile. "What you did out there was great. I guess you are worthy of my respect."

Ash sweat dropped as he heard this. "Are you saying I didn't have your respect until this battle happened?'

"You did, but I know I'm putting it in the right place." Ash rolled his eyes as he knew that Misty was playing around.

"That's good to know. Maybe one day, you'll be worthy of my respect too." Misty rolled her eyes back as the two shared a good laugh. Misty was happy for her best friend, knowing that they had grown so much in such a short time.

"Baby!" Surge's voice suddenly called out. Surge approached the boy as he had his arms crossed. His once stern face softened as he saw someone that did have strength. "That fight was good, but I want you to promise me that you'll strive for more than just good. I see a drive that very few Trainers match."

Ash smiled as he took the compliment with gratitude. "Thank you, sir. If I want to be Champion, being just good enough won't cut it. The next time we meet, I'll be at the Indigo Plateau to claim the title of Champion!"

"...I had a feeling you'd say that." Surge took something from his chest pocket as he brought Ash's arm out, dropping it in the boy's open hand. "Take the dang thing. You earned it fair and square."

Ash looked at the renowned Thunder Badge, a badge that looked like an eight-pointed sun with orange in the center and yellow surrounding it. Ash gently touched the badge with his finger as he felt the soft metal of it. "Thank you for this."

"No problem," Surge brushed off as he suddenly pointed at Ryan. "I heard you wanted to fight me too. Name the time, and we can get to it." The boy nodded as he was glad to have more time to train and think of a strategy.

Ash showed off the badge to Nidoran as the Poison-type came over. "You see this right here? You got me this, and I can't thank you enough for it."

Nidoran gave a weak smile as he finally felt ready, now feeling it would be the perfect time. "Nido..." All of a sudden, Nidoran became enveloped in white light.

Ash stood up and gasped in shock, everyone else having the same reaction. Surge's eyes widened a bit as he saw what was going on. "Now, that's something you don't see every day." The transformation stopped as Nidoran was no more.

"Nidorino!" The Pokémon present looked similar to his previous form, but bigger and with a couple of changes. There were far more dark purple patches across his body. His large ears were spinier, his long snout having two pointed teeth protruding from the upper jaw. The spines on his back were more prominent and more rigid, his horn being sharper than ever. His short legs have three claws on each foot.

Ash knelt as he looked at the new Pokémon, touching a particular spot as Nidorino relaxed. Just like how he did when he was Nidoran. "Wow!" May said from behind, as she had never seen a Pokémon evolution in person before. Ash took out Dexter.

"Nidorino, the poison pin Pokémon. Dex Number: 034. Pokémon Typing: Poison. Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. Nidoran can only be male, and this one is currently level 29. Pokémon Ability: Rivalry (Boost the attack of a Pokémon if they fight against an opponent of the same gender). This Pokémon has the following moves: Iron Tail, Focus Energy, Ice Beam, Horn Attack."

Ash looked at his friend's new form, a gigantic smile growing when he finished. "You look so cool!" He said in pure excitement. He looked at Nidorino's face. "I like the fangs you got!"

Wartortle came over as he saw fellow evolved Pokémon, agreeing with the whole fang thing. "War tor arto!" He pointed to his ears, liking the new look they had. Wartortle's ears were still superior.

"Dang!" Ryan was just as excited as Ash as he came over. "I love the new spikes you got back there!"

Brock came as he knelt. "I like the new look. I'm glad you finally got the courage to do it." He then scratched underneath Nidorino's neck since that was Nidorino's favorite spot to be scratched, and the Poison-type gave the same look that he always did. "You're such a good boy."

"Aww. I wish my Pokémon would evolve." May was jealous but showed respect and excitement for Ash and his new Pokémon. Misty just stood by, knowing she didn't have to say anything. Everyone already knew she was happy for Ash and Nidorino.

"Not bad, Ash." Ash looked up in surprise as Surge called by his real name. The man came over as he saw the newly evolved Pokémon. "I didn't take the battle too seriously when I saw the little Nidoran, but now his looks finally match his strength." Nidoran took the praise the man had given him.

Ash smiled as he stood up to face Surge. "I really should be thanking you. That battle with Raichu gave him the courage to finally evolve since he was worried about doing it before."

"Oh. Now you're just being too humble." Surge suddenly took out a piece of paper and a disc. "If you got no plans the change your mind, then at least make sure your body is toned." Ash took the paper as he saw it was a full seven-day workout sheet. Ash looked at the form and saw various exercises with sets and reps; each day meant to test out something different.

"Thank you for this. I promise to-"

"Does it look like I'm done?" Surge suddenly gave another thing to the kid as Ash lightly gasped. It was a disk, just like a TM, except the outside was completely black as yellow was on the inside. Ash took the disk as he read what it was. The name imprinted on there was: 'TR 08 / Thunderbolt'.

"A TR!" Ryan exclaimed in surprise, May being confused by the name.

"TR?"

"It's just like one of the TM's we have," Misty explained as May closely listened. "Except we use this one however many times we want. It can only be used on one Pokémon before it becomes useless."

"The girl is right," Surge said as he pointed to Ash and Co. "You better use this correctly. You got shot, and don't think I will just hand these out like candy."

Ash nodded as he took the disk and paper, placing it in his bag for safekeeping. "Thank you so much, sir! I promise to use these two responsibly!"

"Rino!" Nidorino and Wartortle swore as well, Surge knowing that he gave these things to the right people. The group went back to talking about how great the battle was and how proud Nidorino and Ash should feel about this. Surge smiled at seeing just how genuine the group's relationship was. Surge thought back to the battle as he remembered telling Raichu not to bring out the strongest move for the fight since he wanted to give some leeway to the Kid and his Pokémon.

Not like Ash ever had to know about that fact.

Everyone continued to celebrate Nidorino as the Poison-type gladly took in the praise. Everyone showed their gratitude to Lt. Surge as they saluted for the man, Surge cracking a smile as they conducted themselves like little soldiers for him. The man had never felt this pride for anyone as he was rooting for Ash, but you would never get him to say that. As everyone was about to leave, Surge gave Brock some news he knew the boy would like.

"Big baby," Surge whistled as he called for Brock, the teenager coming over with a confused look. "Got some news for you. Remember that gym in Pewter you left behind, and we had a substitute until we got someone else to fill the role?"

Brock nodded as he was still confused. "What about it?"

Surge tried to think of how to be blunt as possible. "Well, running gyms is going to be a family thing." He joked as he finally revealed the truth. "It turns one of your brothers; I think his name was Wood or something like that. Anyway, your little brother just became in charge of the Pewter City Gym!"

Brock's face was frozen in shock as he heard that. Not only was his brother Forrest now a Pokémon Trainer, but he had somehow become the Gym Leader in the older boy's place. "WAIT! WHAT?!"

---

The rest of the day went by as they got two rooms in a hotel for a whole week. Ash's interaction with Surge made him realize that he just couldn't blow past everything so quickly and that he needed to appreciate this journey for what it was. He also knew that the girls would enjoy all this free time as he could use the break. What was one week compared to the whole rest of the summer?

Brock had a hilarious interaction with his family as he immediately went to call them. It was true that Forrest had become the Pewter City Gym Leader as he was now recognized as an official member of the Pokémon League, the boy already being invited to the Indigo Plateau by the start of August. Brock felt so proud yet so worried for his little sibling, worried that he was growing up too fast for him.

It was now night. Ash was ready for some good sleep, sitting on the comfy bed as the egg rested on the table between him and May. He looked through the workout routines that Surge had given him, seeing exercises he had never even heard of before. May walked over to her bed as she sighed. "What a long day."

"You can say that again."

"What a long day." Ash sweat dropped as he heard May take his words too literally, the girl having a nice chuckle to herself. May walked over to go and check on him, seeing Wartortle sleeping on one of the pillows he stole. "How is he already asleep?"

Ash shrugged as even he didn't know. "Wartortle will fall asleep anywhere and sleep through anything. He takes his naps very seriously." He told the girl as he looked up at her. "What do you want to do tomorrow? We have plenty of free time now."

"You know me. Shopping to my heart's content!" May gave her answer as she took pride in her shopping abilities. "Thank you again for letting us have this week. I am going to enjoy every minute of it."

Ash smiled as he heard that. "I would hope so. By the way, do you want to work out with me tomorrow morning? We could both learn what a deadlift is."

"Tempting, but I'd rather not be sweaty." Ash sighed sadly after hearing that, but May was quickly there to cheer him up. "How about this; I promise not to force you to shop with me for two-three days."

"How is that a fair deal?"

May suddenly laughed after hearing that. "You must not know, but I will drag someone by their collar to come shop with me. If I could make Ryan submit, I can do the same to you." She said in a slightly serious way because she meant it.

"Then I guess I do have a good deal after all," Ash remarked as he yawned, putting the piece of paper in a drawer with the TR. "Good night, May. I'm sorry if I accidentally wake you up too early tomorrow."

"It's alright. I should probably start waking up earlier, now that I think about it." May pulled the covers over her as she turned away. "Good night,"

Ash smiled as he saw his two friends drifting off to sleep as he was about to turn off the light, but he looked at his egg as he gently touched it. "Probably should've said this earlier, but I'm sorry for us being so loud back there." He quietly told the unmoving egg as he looked at it lovingly. "I really want to meet you. If you can hear me, just know that me, my Pokémon, and everyone else is here for you."

The egg, of course, didn't reply as Ash sighed, knowing that he sounded weird talking to the egg. He didn't care as he turned off the light as he slowly drifted off to sleep, not dreaming of anything in particular. In the middle of the night, as everything was quiet and calm, something happened. It's an event that no one was sadly around for.

The egg suddenly moved within its glass case.

END OF CHAPTER 14

---

Writing this version of Surge was one of the things I was most excited for when coming to write this chapter. I wanted to show off his war side and that he does come from the Orre region. So yes, the GameCube regions are canon to this fic, but I'm debating whether to include the characters from those places. Ryan will be getting a proper fight against Surge next chapter, along with some other stuff. I will not be letting the group on the S.S. Anne, but I have something else planned that does involve Team Rocket. I'm God of Sun and thank you for following this story!

Edit 08/10/23: Glad that we were able to fix this somewhat awkward chapter. Brock originally got something that should never have been considered, but my dumb younger self thought was a good idea. My goodness, did I know how to write actual dialogue back then? Why did I make Ash so out of character during these chapters? I should probably stop aggressively cyberbullying my past mistakes. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, as this will be the last one fixed for some time. I'll fix up the last few chapters before posting the new ones. I hope you look forward to that.

Ash's Team: Wartortle (M), Pidgey (F), Nidorino (M), Bulbasaur (M), Dratini Egg (N/G)

Misty's Team: Starmie (N/G), Azumarill (M), Horsea (F), Magikarp (M), Jigglypuff (F), Squirtle (F)

Misty's Other Members: Seaking (F)

Ryan's Team: Pinsir (M), Butterfree (M), Jangmo-o (M), Oddish (M), Slowpoke (M)

Brock's Team: Geodude (M), Onix (M), Zubat (M)

May's Team: Beldum (Shiny, N/G), Charmander (M)