After an interesting encounter with Team Shade down by the river, Ash and his friends have reunited with his old friend, Brock! Not only that, but they encountered a strange lady named Heidi, who helped them repair the commotion. Now, Ash is gearing up for his next Gym Battle against Ironriver City's Leader, Irene.
Right now, Ash was practicing a little with Charmor and Pikachu as his friends observed on the side. "Okay, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Pika!" Pikachu's tail turned a metallic silver and moved straight towards Charmor.
"Now, Charmor!" said Ash. "Try using Rapid Spin!" Charmor spun and knocked Pikachu's tail away without harming it.
"Okay, now try a Quick Attack!" Pikachu charged forward, outlined in white.
"Now use Iron Defense!" Charmor hid inside its hard armor, nullifying the damage.
"Great!" said Ash. "I think we're just about ready."
"Glad to see you've stayed sharp, Ash," said Brock. "But I don't get it. I thought you already became the first ever champion in Alola."
"Wait, what?" said Serena. "Ash, you already became Champion?"
"Oh, yeah, I forget to mention that," said Ash.
"Whoa, whoa, wait," said Serena. "If you're a Champion now, then why are you still journeying?"
"Well, I kept thinking about what being a Pokémon Master actually means," explained Ash, "and I decided it meant being able to master every aspect that comes with being a trainer: caring for and understanding my Pokémon, able to grow out of weaknesses, understand what the world of Pokémon actually is. To me, it's not about winning and losing, it's about being the right kind of trainer that you want to be! And I'm not quite there yet."
"Interesting," said Vernon. "But, still, if you lose a fight, then wouldn't you forfeit your Champion status?"
"Not exactly," said Ash. "It only counts if it's an official kind of match."
Suddenly, everyone heard a small voice say, "Platide, plat!" They looked over to see the Platide from the river waddling up to Ash.
"It's that Platide again," said Ash. "What're you doing here, buddy?"
The Platide suddenly smirked as it stood in a battle position, its tail raised into the air.
"Oh, I see. You wanna help me train, huh?" said Ash. The Platide nodded, and Ash smirked, "Okay, but get ready! We're not going easy on you."
Platide looked over to Charmor and Pikachu, and it threw itself forward with an Aqua Tail attack. "Pikachu, counter with Iron Tail!" Pikachu blocked the move with its metallic tail before Ash said, "Okay, Charmor, use Flame Wheel!" Charmor charged forward in flames, knocking Platide back. However, the Platide quickly dispensed a Scald attack to extinguish the flames, causing Charmor to fall over.
"Don't give up!" said Ash. "Use Rapid Spin!" Charmor spun rapidly, tossing Platide to the side. However, the Platide charged forward with an Aqua Jet attack. "Use Iron Defense!" Charmor closed up its scaly back to block the attack and minimize damage.
"Not bad, you guys!" said RotomDex. "I gotta say, though, that Platide is getting pumped!"
Everyone looked down to see the Platide rearing up on its hind legs, spitting water from its feet as if it were ready for more.
"Yeah, he's a fighter alright," said Ash as he knelt down to Platide's height and petted it. "You've got some moves, Platide, I'll admit. You must like the thrill of a battle."
"Platide, Platide!"
Brock grinned to himself. "Well, looks like Ash has that part of being a Pokémon Master down."
"Hmm?" said Serena. "What do you mean?"
"He understands pretty well how Pokémon feel. Even if they don't belong to him."
"Well, I think that's enough for now," said Ash, standing up. "I think we could use a break."
"Say, if you guys want," said RotomDex, "I heard that there was a big library here in the city. I wanted to check it out so that we can finally learn more about the legendary Pokémon!"
"Sounds cool!" said Ash. "Alright, let's go there now!"
The group walked through the doors of a huge stone building, and were fascinated to see how big it was. The shelves seem to warp around the entire place, and there was higher floor above them.
"Well, they certainly know how to decorate," said Brock. They all went to the shelves. "Now where could there be anything on the Legendary Pokémon?"
"Right about here, I'd say," said a voice, as everyone turned to see Heidi leaning against a shelf and holding a book in her hands.
"Heidi?" said Ash. "You're here?"
"And not a moment too soon, my dear!" said Brock, running up to her. "I had hoped you were the intellectual type!"
"Right," said Heidi. "But I understand that you all want to hear about the legends surrounding Ralia's history, right?"
"Absolutely!" said Serena. "In fact, we want to know about the Legendary Pokémon. The thing is, when we first came to Ralia, there was this huge Pokémon in the sky who saved us from Team Shade."
"What?" said Heidi. "You guys saw a Legendary Pokémon?"
"We didn't get a good look," said Vernon, "but it was huge, spiky, purple, glowing, and it made rocks shoot form the ground."
"Fascinating," said Heidi before she saw a table. "Well, why don't you all sit down? I'll try to explain the legend as best I can."
Afterwards, Heidi set her book down on the table, which everyone sat around. "My family always talked about the legends surrounding the days when Ralia was becoming more and more colonized." She pointed to a picture in the book, which depicted ancient sailboats sailing to Ralia. We then get pulled into a full on flashback...
Before the regions were broken up from each other, a group of people had managed to form a fine settlement upon the land that would one day be known as Ralia. This group of natives flourished on Ralia due to their knowledge and respect for nature. They found ways to work in harmony with the Pokémon of the land, and believed in the power of nature itself.
As Heidi spoke, we see a group of people dark-skinned people with clothes sewn from whatever nature could provide working on growing crops, assisted by various wild Pokémon. The Pokémon helped to sow the crop and plant the seed, and as a reward, they were fed a few treats from the crop by the people.
However, about 1,500 years ago, everything changed when a new group of settlers arrived in the region. They had been driven from their old homes, with nowhere else to go, and sought to colonize Ralia for themselves.
Several sailboats docked on the beaches of Ralia, as some settlers in old-fashioned clothing dropped to the sand. Soon enough, they made their way to the territory of the natives.
The natives tried valiantly to stop this, but the settlers were far more advanced, and the natives were forced to flee the lands they had called home.
An image showed the settlers driving everyone away from their land, as they began work to renovate the land to suit their own needs.
The settlers believed in the necessity of progress, and and put their faith into everything man-made. After a few months, the many tribes of natives gathered together under one goal: to take back the region they had once called home! Fortunately, one chief of a tribe knew the perfect solution.
The chief in question lifted a stone with an image painted on it. It was of a Pokémon, it seemed. It was snakelike, long, slithering in an arch-like position, and its body was colored the darkest shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and indigo.
"Whoa!" said Ash, looking at a picture of this Pokémon in the book. "Is this the Legendary Pokémon?"
"It is," said Heidi. "And it was known as... Ophidarca."
"Hmm," said RotomDex. "I wish I had some data on Ophidarca."
"I'll tell you what I know," said Heidi. "It's a Water and Dragon Type, and some call it the Rainbow Serpent Pokémon. The Legend says that it was the Pokémon to first bring life into Ralia. Its scales had the ability to bring new life and transform just about anything with life in it. They saw it rests inside the deepest water beds of Ralia, and leaps out to rain its revitalizing scales over the region."
"Incredible!" said Serena. As she examined the picture in the book, though, she frowned. "But that definitely isn't the Pokémon that rescued us from Team Shade."
"That's okay. There are more Legendary Pokémon in this story," said Heidi. "Now then, where were we?"
The tribes were able to locate Ophidarca within a large lake. Explaining their plight to it, Ophidarca agreed to give them one of their scales so they could use it to create a Pokémon with the power to defend them. They chose a mere butterfly Pokémon and fed it the scale, transforming it into a mighty beast. This was the Pokémon of Emotion.
The tribe fed Ophidarca's scale to a small, bug Pokémon, and it grew to colossal size, growing pink wings, longer legs, sharp antennae, and fierce, determined eyes, boasting a red body.
With this Pokémon's help, the tribes drove the settlers off of their lands, taking it back for themselves. Unfortunately, there was still a problem. The settlers had come here in desperation for a place to live, a place to be safe again. And now, they had nothing. The settlers were forced to roam Ralia with no clue how to survive, until one day, they learned of Ophidarca's power...
That was when they found Ophidarca themselves, and convinced it to give them a scale as well. Ophidarca only agreed when they promised they would only use it to help themselves survive. The settlers dug up a fossil of an ancient, extinct, wolf Pokémon, and used the scale to bring life to it once more. This was the Pokémon of Logic.
The settlers smeared the broken-down scale over the fossil, and it transformed into a living being. It looked like a Thylacine, but with blue energy coursing around its body, a long tail like a blade, and eyes with dark blue calculating behind them, boasting a dark green body.
With this Pokémon's help, they were able to conquer portions of the region so they finally had a place to stay. Unfortunately, after many moons, Both the tribes and settlers came to want too much. They started conflicts with each other, in order to take what the other had that their side still needed. Eventually, they disregarded Ophidarca's warnings, and decided to have their legendary Pokémon battle one another, in order to see who would take the spoils. But that's when things got terribly out of hand.
The Pokémon of Logic and Emotion clashed against each other, created an earth-shattering shock ever time they touched. Their battle grew to catastrophic portions, and began to ravage the very land they were meant to fight for.
The battle was fierce, even deadly, but it ended with no winner. However, as the two Pokémon came to an understanding, they decided that their human masters were the enemy, and teamed up to rid the region of humans.
The two Pokémon unleashed their fury on their former masters, forcing them to scatter.
From then on, it seemed like every man for himself. The settlers and tribes were forced into hiding, until one day, a young settler boy and young native girl met each other and talked.
A handsome young man in Old World clothes walked up to a pretty young lady in tribal wear, and as they drew closer, they held onto each other's hands.
These two were the first of any of the people in Raila to actually try to understand the other side's plight. From there, they resolved to make things right again, and went to find Ophidarca together. Finally, they found it again and begged for its help in stopping the Legendary Pokémon. Ophidarca was pleased to see the two sides finally working together, and brought them to the top of greatest landmark in Ralia, Unumia Rock. Finding a small, scared, lizard Pokémon on it, Ophidarca used another scale to transform it. This was the Pokémon of Unity.
The lizard Pokémon grew to incredible size, its entire body being made from rocks, growing spikes, and turning purple.
"That's it!" said Ash, pointing at the picture in the book. "That's the Pokémon who saved us!"
"Incredible!" said Heidi. "No one has seen most of these Pokémon hundreds of years."
"But what about those Pokémon of Logic and Emotion?" said RotomDex, sifting through the pages. "How much do you know about them."
"No one knows much about them," said Heidi. "And I'm about to explain why."
The Pokémon of Unity met the Pokémon of Emotion and Logic and engaged them in battle. However, to do so, it worked to convince the settlers and natives to finally work together rather than against one another. The settlers and tribes joined in the battle, finally coming to an understanding of one another. But then, the Pokémon of Unity was able to trap The Pokémon of Emotion and Logic inside of stones, before hurling them out into outer space. It is said that these meteors orbit the planet to this day, and the Pokémon can only free themselves if they return to being the noble guardians they once were.
"After that, Ophidarca used its rain of scales to revitalize the ravaged land, and from there, the natives and settlers worked together to build a region where they could all prosper. The Pokémon of Unity, however, chose to rest within Unumia Rock, salvaging its strength just in case it was ever needed again."
"So the Pokémon of Unity," said Ash, "what's it's name?"
"No one remembers," said Heidi. "It's been hibernating so long, people seem to have forgotten. But it seems it's finally woken up for some reason."
Serena looked thoughtful for a second. "I wonder why to came all that way to help us out?"
"Say, Heidi?" said Brock. "I was wondering, how come you know so much about the legend?"
"Simple," said Heidi, grinning. "That settler boy and native girl married, and I am their direct descendant."
"Whoa, really?" said Ash. "It must be so cool to be tied to a legend!"
"Yeah, there's a lot to take in," said Heidi. "Well, I think Irene should be finished with her work by now, Ash. I think she'll be ready to challenge you now."
"Really? Already?"
"Absolutely. Let's head to Wildshore Park now."
Who's that Pokémon?
Moving stealthily and silently, it devours the eggs of bird Pokémon. At night, it wraps its long body around tree branches to rest.
The group walked into Wildshore Park, looking around for Irene. Suddenly, they heard a lot of whooping above them and looked up to see Irene swinging around on the tall, spinning ride. The ride came to a stop, and Irene brushed her hair out of her face as she was lowered back to the ground.
"What a blast! I could feel the wind in my hair!" she said, before she saw the group and looked embarrassed. "Oh, um, you didn't see that, did you?"
"Well, you were having fun, weren't you?' said Heidi, smirking.
"Hey, it's not about fun!" said Irene, crossing her arms and attempting to look serious. "It's about all my hard work, and dedication!"
"Oh, come on, Irene, loosen up for a change," said Heidi teasingly.
Irene huffed until she saw Ash. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're ready for that Gym Battle now, aren't you?"
"You bet!" said Ash.
Irene smirked. "Then let's get to the Gym right now and see what you've got!"
Afterwards, Irene led everyone through the Gym. Unfortunately, they had to walk across steel girders to get to the arena. Eventually, they encountered a gap between the girders. Irene whistled, and the Steelix from before appeared and stuck its head in the gap so everyone could walk across.
"This is... a little odd," said Vernon as he carefully walked across the Steelix's head. The Steelix looked up to him and grunted in amusement.
Eventually, they finally reached the arena. Ash and Irene stood on opposite sides as the referee took his place. Brock, Serena, Vernon, Heidi, and RotomDex took the stand behind them before sitting in the metal seats.
"Man, couldn't they have gotten some cushions or something?" said Vernon. Suddenly they heard a crash behind them, and turned to see Steelix emerging from under the bleachers.
"Oh, sorry," said Irene. "Sometimes, Steelix just gets a little excited."
"Platide! Plat!" came another voice. The people on the bleachers looked down to see the Platide waddling up onto a bleachers.
"Platide?" said Serena. "What're you doing here?"
Platide just struggled its way on to the railing, so it had a perfect view of the arena.
"I think it wants to see the battle," said Brock. "After it helped Ash train, it must get so excited seeing a good battle."
"Alright now," said the referee. "The battle between Irene the Gym Leader and Ash the challenger will now commence. This will be a two-on-two match, and the battle will end when both Pokémon on either side are unable to continue. Also, only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions."
"Alright, Ash," said Irene, a determined look on her face. "I always take my work seriously, and that includes being a Gym Leader!" She pulled out a PokéBall and threw it. "Go, Pricklehog!"
The PokéBall opened to reveal a hedgehog-like Pokémon, with a small, cute face, but razor-sharp quills made of shiny metal.
RotomDex quickly scanned it and said, "Pricklehog, the Barbed Pokémon. A Steel and Normal Type. Pricklehogs have to frequently sharpen their quills on whatever they can find, as they are the most important weapon they have against enemies. Evolves into Porcuquill at level 30."
"Here's my first Pokémon!" said Ash, throwing his own PokéBall. Charmor landed on the battlefield, taking a firm stance.
"Char!"
"Is Charmor really ready to do this battle?" said Serena.
"It's hard to say," said Vernon, "but only time will tell. But one thing's for sure. Ash believes in Charmor a lot."
"Wobbuffet!" cried out Wobbuffet as it burst onto the stands.
"Uh," said Brock, taken back in surprise. "I don't think I'll ever used to that."
"Okay, battle begin!" said the ref.
BATTLE BEGIN!
"Okay, Pricklehog, use Pin Missile!" said Irene. Pricklehog unleashed a barrage of white-tipped shots from its quills, launching them at Charmor.
"Use Rapid Spin, Charmor!" said Ash. Charmor spun in place, knocking the Pin Missiles away. "Now send Pricklehog flying!" Charmor shot itself forward towards Pricklehog, but Irene remained calm and said, "Hold your ground, Pricklehog."
Pricklehog understood what she meant, and stuck out its quills. Charmor made contact with it, but reeled back from the pain.
"Grr," said Ash. "It's okay, Charmor, shake it off! Use Flame Wheel!"
Charmor rolled forward wrapped in flames, and managed to make contact. However, despite Pricklehog receiving super effective damage, Charmor reeled back in pain once more.
"What's going on?" said Serena.
"It's Pricklehog's ability, Iron Barbs," said RotomDex. "Every time an opponent touches it, it's gonna get pricked by those quills and take damage."
"That's not good!" said Vernon. "Most of Charmor's attacks are physical."
"Ash is definitely fighting an uphill battle here," said Brock. "Charmor may not have been the best choice for Pricklehog." However, Brock looked down at Ash's determined expression, as Ash then looked down at his Pokémon, and flashed it a reassuring grin. Seeing that was all Charmor needed to see to face Pricklehog once more. Brock smiled to himself. "But then again, this is Ash we're talking about here."
"Don't worry, Charmor," said Ash. "We can find a way to beat it!"
"We'll see about that!" said Irene. "Now, use Swords Dance!" Multiple light-blue swords surrounded Pricklehog, clashing together until Pricklehog's body turned red.
"Uh oh," said RotomDex. "What's she planning?"
"Now... use Iron Head!" Prickle hog charged forward straight for Charmor.
"Block it with Iron Defense!" Charmor curled up into its armor, but the Swords Dance-powered Iron Head was just too strong, and it knocked Charmor away.
"Grr," said Ash. "Use Ember!" Charmor blasted a ball of fire at Pricklehog, but Irene commanded it to sweep to the side.
"You know, there's something interesting about this matchup," said Brock, rubbing his chin.
"Huh? What do you mean?" said Serena.
"Both Pricklehog and Charmor are built like tanks. They fight as immovable boulders. But know that they're up against each other, I don't think either of them can move fast enough to catch the other."
"Use Flame Wheel again!" said Ash. Charmor charged forward and bashed Pricklehog back, but still felt Iron Barbs digging into it.
"Ash, please, you can't just do that your Pokémon," said Irene. "You're its trainer so that means you have a responsibility to care for it on the battlefield!"
Ash looked down at Charmor, who was still stinging from Iron Barbs. Feeling a pang of guilt, Ash said, "You're right. "I'm sorry, Charmor. I can't make you win this way." Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea. "But I do know what we can do."
"Hmm?" said Heidi. "What's Ash thinking now?"
"Okay, Charmor," said Ash, "Now I want you to go into Iron Defense mode, and don't come back out now matter what!"
Charmor nodded and curled up again. Irene looked confused, but commanded Pricklehog to use Iron Head. Pricklehog jumped forth, but this time, Charmor's scales proved to tough to break past.
"Grr," Irene growled. "Try again!" Pricklehog did, but to no avail."
RotomDex looked down at Charmor, whose scales were turned a bright silver. "Of course!" said RotomDex. "The longer Charmor stays in Iron Defense mode, the tougher its Defense will get!"
"That won't stop us!" said Irene. "Pricklehog! Use Swords Dance again and again!" Pricklehog used Swords Dance over and over again, quadrupling its Attack.
"Oh, boy," said Serena. "She'll break through for sure if Ash doesn't do something soon."
Heidi looked over to the determined look on Irene's face, and sighed. "You know, I've never known anyone as uptight as Irene. Harder to crack then even the Steel Types she trains. But maybe, just maybe..."
"Use Iron Head one more time!" Irene shouted. Pricklehog charged forward, but Charmor remained motionless. Everyone looked on with trepidation, but suddenly, Ash smirked.
"Unleash your flames now, Charmor!" Charmor's scales erupted with flames, burning just as Pricklehog was about to make contact with, and making it miss its mark entirely. "Quick! Follow it up with Ember!" Charmor uncurled itself and spat a fireball at Pricklehog, burning it up.
"I-I don't believe it!" said Irene. "How'd you come up with that?"
"From Pricklehog," Ash said. "After seeing what Iron Barbs did to Charmor, I thought of a way to give Pricklehog a taste of its own medicine!"
Irene looked stunned, before she suddenly gained a tiny grin and massaged the back of her head. "Well, I'll be. But we're not done yet. Pricklehog, use-"
Suddenly, Pricklehog's body burst into flames. Everyone gasped as RotomDex said, "It was burned by Ember!"
"Pricklehog!" Irene called out. Pricklehog managed stop burning for a second, before looking at Charmor determined. "You got this, buddy!" said Irene. "Use Pin Missile!" Pricklehog's spines erupted in a series of Pin Missiles, before they bombarded Charmor.
"Charmor, hang in there, buddy!" Ash called out. However, Charmor stood back up, almost unfazed.
"Now that's some fighting spirit!" said Brock.
"Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet.
The Platide looked at the battle with amazement. The battle was so epic, Platide's heart pounded, almost like surfing the roughest of waves.
"Use Pin Missile again!" Irene said. Pricklehig felt another pain of its burn, but pushed through it to unleash more Pin Missiles. However, seeing the flames on Pricklehog's body, Ash had an idea.
"Charmor, use Rapid Spin and Flame Wheel together!" Charmor spun its body wildly, flames spewing from under its scales as the Pin Missiles hit. Charmor still felt the damage from the Pin Missiles and cringed, but Ash encouraged, "Don't give up, Charmor! I believe in you! Send those Pin Missiles back where they came from!"
Charmor spun harder, but succeeded in performing Ash's command. Everyone gasped again as they saw the Pin Missiles lit up with flames, rocketing back to pummel an unsuspecting Pricklehog.
"Now, use Ember one more time!" Charmor spat a fireball at Pricklehog, who would have defended, but its burn acted up again, and the Ember hit dead on. When the smoke cleared, Pricklehog was on the ground, swirls in its eyes.
"Pricklehog is unable to battle!" said the ref. "Charmor wins!"
"You did it, Charmor!" Ash praised. Charmo looked at Ash weakly to get a satisfied nod before collapsing on the ground.
Ash gasped. "Charmor, no!" He ran out onto the field to pick up his Pokémon.
"Scratch that," said the ref. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle."
"I'm sorry, Charmor," said Ash. "Still, you were incredible out there." He pulled out his PokéBall and recalled Charmor. "You deserve a good rest."
Irene walked out to see her own Pokémon. "That was very good, Pricklehog. You earned some rest. Here." She recalled Pricklehog into its PokéBall.
As she walked back to her side of the arena, Heidi noticed a small grin on her lips. Grinning to herself, she said, "Looks like someone's having a good time."
"Well, you did well on that first battle, Ash, I'll give you that," said Irene. "But we're not done yet! "Go, Cubronze!"
She threw her next PokéBall, and Cubronze appeared before her, ready for battle.
"Cubronze, huh?" said Ash. He looked to Pikachu on his shoulder and said, "Are you ready, buddy? Looks like it's up to you."
Before Pikachu could respond however, they heard a voice crying, "Platide, Platide!" Ash looked at the arena to see Platide standing before him, a fierce expression in its eyes.
"Huh?" said Ash. "Platide? What are you doing?"
Platide looked back at Ash with fire in its eyes. Quickly, Ash understood. "I see. You want to battle with me?" Platide nodded.
"Can he do that?" said Serena.
"The rules only say that a combatant needs two Pokémon his side," said the ref. "They doesn't necessarily have to belong to the trainer."
"Okay, then I say let's do it, Platide!" said Ash. "You okay with sitting this one out, buddy?"
Pikachu looked disappointed, but nodded.
"Plat!"
Irene looked on surprised. As she looked at Cubronze, she say her Pokémon was thinking the exact same thing. "He's quite the interesting trainer, alright," she told Cubronze. "But I guess we'll just have to be better!"
It's Ekans!
"Okay, Cubronze, use Metal Fist!" Cubronze's fist turned metallic silver, and it charged forward towards Platide at full speed.
"Dodge it!" said Ash, and Platide slipped its way to the side.
"Hmm," said Irene, "slippery little guy, isn't he? Okay, use Bite!"
Cubronze jumped forward, and succeeded in chomping down on Platide's tail.
"Shake it off, Platide!" said Ash. "Try an Aqua Tail!" Platide's tail became surrounded by a veil of water, as it spun faster and faster until it launched Cubronze away.
"Not bad," said Irene. "Use Metal Sound!" Cubronze unleashed a searingly loud noise, causing pain for every Pokémon in the room.
"Wooooob!" Wobbuffet complained, holding onto its ears.
"Perfect!" said Irene. "Now use Focus Blast!"
Cubronze formed a sphere of energy in its hands and launched it at the now weakened Platide, blasting it back.
"No! Platide! Hang in there!" said Ash. Platide suddenly got a determined look on its face, and it raced forward to bash Cubronze back with an Aqua Jet. Unfortunately, Irene quickly commanded Cubronze to use Metal Fist, and Cubronze quickly bashed Platide down to the ground.
"Platide, you've gotta be more careful!" Ash called out. However, Platide ignored him and began racing around Cubronze, propelled forward by Aqua Jet.
"Ugh, why doesn't Platide listen?" said Serena.
"Isn't it obvious?" said RotomDex. "It's too full of the thrill of battle right now."
"What does that mean?" said Serena.
"I think it's kind of like with Humbeat before," said Vernon. "Platide has it's own way of battling, and it won't accept a substitute. For Platide, it's staying in motion, keeping the adrenaline pumping."
Platide kept racing around Cubronze, who eventually got fed up, and broke out a Metal Claw attack, slashing Platide in its path and knocking it away.
"Platide, stop!" Ash said. "You've gotta try listening to me! You just charge in like that, Cubronze will see all your moves coming!"
Platide looked back at Ash with a determined look. As Ash saw the look in its eyes, he suddenly had a realization. Platide just couldn't resist the thrill of its own way of battling.
Suddenly, Ash thought back to the story that Heidi had told him. The Pokémon of Unity, it didn't save the day by constant fighting. It helped people work together, trying to make a world where everyone could win. Of course. Compromise.
"Listen, Platide?" Ash said, making Platide look up at him curiously. "I understand how much you like the rush. But it may not work the way you want it to. I wanna help you win this. Can you work together with me? You don't have to give up the rush. If that's the way you want to do it, then I'll help you find a strategy that works."
Platide looked at Ash surprised, but then nodded as it faced Cubronze again.
"See? What did I tell you?" said Brock. "Ash is so good at getting in sync with Pokémon because he takes the time to understand what they're feeling."
"Okay, Platide, just wait for my word, then attack," said Ash.
"You're not gonna win if all you do charge in recklessly," Irene said. "Cubronze, use Focus Blast!" Cubronze gathered some energy and threw it at Platide, but Ash commanded it to stay still.
"Don't move, not yet," Ash said. Platide, despite itself, remained still as the Focus Blast drew closer. Finally just as it was about to hit Platide, Ash yelled, "Now! Aqua Tail!"
Platide's tail became veiled in water, as it bashed the Focus Blast away. Irene looked on surprised, before regaining her composure and saying, "Try a Metal Claw!" Cubronze charged forward, but Platide remained still as Cubronze drew closer.
Just as Cubronze was upon Platide, Ash yelled, "Use Aqua Jet to surf away!" Platide surrounded itself with water as it slipped away. Cubronze struggled to chase it with Metal Claw, but Platide's skill with water allowed it to remain ahead.
"Ugh," said Irene. "Use Focus Blast again!" Cubronze threw more energy at Platide, but Platide kept dodging. Irene commanded her Pokémon to launch more, but Platide kept surfing around the arena.
Eventually, Platide drew close to Cubronze, and Ash yelled out, "Now! Use Aqua Tail!"
Platide smacked Cubronze with an Aqua Tail, and Cubronze found itself on the receiving end of one of its Focus Blasts.
"Nice one!" said Brock.
"And that should be supereffective!" said Serena.
Heidi looked over to Irene again, and saw her looking shocked. However, then she saw Irene give an amused chuckle to herself, as she said, "Not bad, not bad at all!" Heidi then smiled satisfied.
"We're not done yet!" said Ash. "Use Scald!" Platide blasted Cubronze with a jet of boiling hot water, but Cubronze easily shook it off.
"Neither are we!" said Irene. "Use Metal Fist!" Cubronze charged forward and threw many Metal Fists at Platide. Though it was able to dodge the majority of them, Cubronze eventually managed to strike a few hits.
"Use Aqua Jet!" Platide charged forward veiled in water, but Cubronze was told by Irene to catch it. Its fists still silver with Metal Fist, it blocked the shot, stopping the Aqua Jet in its tracks before throwing another Metal Fist to knock Platide back.
"Platide!" Ash cried out. As Platide stood up again, it almost looked like it was sweating.
Wait. Sweating. That's it! "Platide, use Aqua Jet again!" Everyone looked at Ash surprised, but then he added, "But this time, make the water out of Scald!"
Platide shot steaming hot water out of its mouth, surrounding itself with a new veil. The water almost looked red, but as Platide charged forward again, it didn't even seem bothered.
"Block it!" said Irene. Cubronze tried blocking with Metal Fist again, but this time, the water was too hot for the Steel Type to take. It might as well have been dealing with a Fire Type move. It was quickly knocked back, before its body was covered in flames.
"They just burned Cubronze too!" said RotomDex.
"C'mon, let's finish this!" said Ash, boldly clenching a fist. "Use Aqua Tail one more time!"
Platide jumped up and veiled its tail in water, but Irene commanded, "Metal Claw!" The two attacks collided, and both Pokémon struggled to overpower the other, but then, Cubronze felt damage from it burn, allowing Platide to break past the Metal Claw and slap Cubronze in its face.
Cubronze was sent flying across the arena, and when Irene saw it again, it had swirls for eyes.
"Cubronze is unable to battle!" said the ref. "Platide wins! So the winner of our match is Ash the challenger!"
"Alright, you did it, Platide!" Ash cheered as Platide jumped upward in another Aqua Jet in excitement.
"Alright! Ash won!" Serena cheered.
"Just like always!" said Brock.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said.
"He never ceases to surprise me," said Vernon.
"Data updated!" RotomDex said.
Irene recalled her Pokémon, saying, "Thanks, Cubronze. That was a very good battle."
"I'll say it was!" called out Heidi, making Irene look at her funny. "C'mon, drop the serious act! Admit that you felt thrilled!"
Irene looked at Ash and Platide celebrating their win, Platide racing around on water in excitement. She then smiled to herself and said, "Yeah, that was thrilling wasn't it?"
Outside the gym, Ash had let Charmor back out of its PokéBall, and he was standing before Irene, who had let her own Pokémon back out, as Serena, Wobbuffet, Vernon, RotomDex, Brock, and Heidi stood behind Ash.
"Well, Ash, you have excellent skill as a trainer," said Irene professionally. "I must thank you for such a thrilling battle."
"Hmm, you don't sound all that thrilled," said Ash.
"I am a Gym Leader. I am a professional," said Irene, which made Heidi roll her eyes. "Still you've mastered this Gym, and so, you deserve a reward." Steelix suddenly appeared behind her, and dropped a badge shaped like a metal screw-in bolt in her hand from its mouth. "Here you go. I give you the Rivet Badge."
"Thanks so much, Irene," Ash said as he took the badge. "Alright! I just got the Rivet Badge!"
"Pikachu!"
"Charmor!"
Ash snapped the Rivet Badge into is badge case as he looked back to Irene. "Well, thanks for the battle, Irene."
Suddenly, he felt something on his pant leg, and looked down to see Platide leaning with its forelimbs on his leg.
"Aren't you forgetting something, Ash?" said Irene. "I think it's clear that Platide should come with you."
"Really?" said Ash.
"Of course!" said Irene. "You showed it the trill of battle! Now it's gonna want more, and only you can give that to it."
Ash looked down at Platide again, and said, "Are you sure? You wanna come with me?"
"Platide! Plat, Platide!" Platide said excitedly.
Ash grinned. "Well, okay." He pulled out a PokéBall and pressed the button on Platide's bill. Platide went inside the PokéBall, which shook three times before clicking.
"Yes, I just caught a Platide, too!" he said, holding the PokéBall in the air.
Looks like Ash has earned not only his second Gym Badge, but a new friend too! More to come, as the journey continues!
TO BE CONTINUED...