After our heroes arrived in Orbarrow City, they were surprised to learn that Vernon's father, Walter, was the Gym Leader there. But they were even more surprised when Vernon asked to be Ash's opponent for his third Gym battle. Sadly, despite Ash's best efforts, Vernon was able to win.

But that's not all. Florian has arrived, and has demanded a Gym battle as well. Vernon then decided to be his opponent as well, and two are currently licked in a difficult battle.

Meanwhile, though, a Pokémon Pageant has begun in Orbarrow, and Serena was quick to sign up. Her friend, Eva is also participating, and now, at the conclusion of the Performance round, we wait to see who will move on to the Battle Round!

Serena, Eva, and the other two remaining girls watched the screen closely, as all the votes were tallied up. From the audience, Ash and RotomDex sat by, looking with anticipation. C'mon, you got this, Serena. Ash thought.

Finally, the bars for Eva and Serena surged past the other two, before finally ending in a tie. "Well, well, well!" said Fenwick. "Miss Serena and Miss Eva are tied for the top spot! But this means they will both be moving on to the Battle round!"

"Yes! I made it!" Eva cheered.

"No, we made it!" said Serena.

"Yeah," said Eva. "And you know what? I'm glad you won, too. Now I can finally face you head to head!"

"Well, don't underestimate me, Eva. I'll show you just what I'm made of!"

"Congratulations, Serena!" Ash said as he and RotomDex met with Serena in the hall. @We knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, guys!" said Serena, before she looked around the lobby. "I guess Vernon still isn't here, huh? It's too bad. I was hoping he'd be done by now."

"Well, I guess Florian isn't someone you take lightly," said Ash.

Suddenly, RotomDex began buzzing. "Uh, I think I'm getting an incoming message," he said. He answered and an image of Nurse Joy came onto his screen.

"Hello? Is this Ash Ketchum?" she said. "I just left you this message to let you know your Pokémon are ready for you to pick up. Stop by the Pokémon Center when you're ready."

The image went away, and Ash suddenly got excited. "Alright! Now me and my Pokémon can get to training for our rematch with Vernon!"

"What? You're just gonna leave now?" said Serena.

"C'mon, Ash, your Pokémon can wait a little bit," said RotomDex. "Serena needs your support, especially since Vernon isn't here."

Ash saw Serena's eyes, which pleaded with him to stay. Finally, he sighed and said, "Alright, I'll stay."

Who's that Pokémon?

Further research enhanced its abilities. Sometimes, it may exhibit motions that were not programmed.

"Jelloater, use Poison Jab!"

Jelloater thrust its tentacle at Deino, but Florian ordered it to counter with Dragon Tail. The two attacks kept clashing until Deino was able to get it close. Vernon yelled at the top of his lungs to use Poison Jab on last time, and thanks to Deino being so close, the move was finally able to hit. Unfortunately, the Dragon Tail managed to connect as well, and suddenly, Jelloater turned into red light and went back to Vernon. Before he could even react, Vatoxic was forced out into the field.

"Vat?" it said in confusion.

"Grr, not again!" Vernon growled.

"Looks like Florian had just what he needed to take control of the pace of the battle, huh?" said Walter. "With moves like these, he can select his opponent."

"Yeah, the kid knows his stuff, all right," said Johnny. Throughout the entire battle, he had been watching Florian with a lot of concern.

"Yeah, we have him right where we want him!" Florian said. However, purple bubbles erupted from Deino's body. "Oh, no!"

"Ha!" said Vernon. "Guess Jelloater was still able to poison Deino, huh? Now, use Venoshock!"

Vatoxic sprayed purple acid at Deino, who was unable to dodge. Florian growled and quickly recalled his Pokémon. "Sorry about that, Deino," he said. "But we're not done yet! Go, Yamask!"

"Yamask!" the ghost Pokémon cried as it appeared on the field.

A Ghost type, huh? thought Vernon. I see what he's trying to do. "Use Sludge Wave!"

Vatoxic poured out a wave of purple liquid, but Yamask was ordered to fly up high. "Use Shadow Ball!" Yamask formed a ball of purple energy and fired it, and it hit its target.

"Grr, jump and use Iron Head!" Vernon growled. Vatoxic leapt up, and bashed Yamask with its head.

Unfortunately, Florian then yelled, "Will o' Wisp!" Yamask formed small embers and hit Vatoxic with them, and its body crashed to the floor before flames erupted from its body.

"Perfect, now use Hex!" Yamask's eyes glowed purple and it summoned a big, red eye, which fired a beam of dark rings at Vatoxic.

"I see what he did there," said Johnny. "Hex will hurt more thanks to that burn."

"Grr," growled Vernon. "Get in close!" Vatoxic charged in towards Yamask.

"You're nuts," said Florian. "Use Hex again!" Yamask summoned its eye once more, but then, Vernon called out for a Sludge Wave. Vatoxic quickly doused Yamask in purple liquid, thanks to ghost Pokémon having no time to react. It washed to the other end of the field, and purple bubbles erupted from its body.

"Ha! And now it's poisoned, too!" said Vernon. "Venoshock!"

Vatoxic jumped up and shot a stream of purple liquid, but Florian quickly called out, "Hex!" Yamask unleashed Hex once again, but both moves managed to connect, creating a small explosion. When the dust settled, both Pokémon were lying on the ground.

"Yamask and Vatoxic are both unable to battle!" said the referee.

Vernon and Florian both recalled their Pokémon, and Florian grumbled, "Guess, you're a bit tougher than I thought."

"Don't underestimate me, Florian," said Vernon, pulling out his next PokéBall. "I'm just getting started!" He threw it, and out came Jelloater.

"And so as I!" Florian said, throwing his own PokéBall out, revealing Deino. Both Deino and Jelloater were looking at each other, and growled.

"Alright, everyone," announced Fenwick, "it's time for the Battle round to begin! Please welcome Miss Serena and Miss Eva to the stage!"

Serena and Eva walked onto the stage and smiled and waved at the cheering crowds. "Alright, Miss Serena won our coin toss backstage, so she will get the first move! Ladies, please bring out your Pokémon!"

"Braixen, you're up!"

"Shellbur, let's go!"

Both Pokémon appeared on the stage and grinned upon seeing each other. "Now, the rules are simple," said Fenwick. "These two will be given point meters and then battle it out. Points will decrease if that Trainer's Pokémon takes damage or if their opponent has a more impressive display. The winner will be whoever KO's their opponent's Pokémon or has more points left when the clock runs out. Now then, battle begin!"

"Use Fire Blast!" said Serena. Braixen waved its stick around before shooting a star-shaped flame.

"Cut straight through it!" said Eva. "Use Breaking Swipe!" Shellbur used its tail to cut through the Fire Blast, which exploded into little embers. Serena's points dropped down.

"Hmph, use Hidden Power!" said Serena. Braixen formed a ball of energy with its hands and threw it. Unfortunately, Shellbur just leapt up as Eva asked for another Breaking Swipe, which knocked Braixen away.

Serena narrowed her eyebrows, but got another idea. "Braixen, let's let them have a turn." Braixen turned and nodded.

"Now, use Flame Wheel!" Shellbur rolled forward, wreathed in flames.

However, Serena smirked and said, "Catch it!" Braixen put out its paws, and it caught Shellbur. Eva gasped, and Serena said, "Send it flying!" Braixen twisted its body and threw it aside, costing Eva a lot of points.

"That won't stop us!" said Eva. "Use Fireball!" Shellbur spat out a fireball, but Serena told Braixen to cut threw it with Scratch. It worked, costing Eva more points, but she didn't look concerned. Shellbur shot out another Fireball, but this one was bigger.

"Scratch again!" Braixen managed to cut through it, but then Shellbur spat out another one. This one was even bigger, and when Braixen tried to slash through it, it was too tough, and it burst, blowing Braixen away. But that wasn't it. Shellbur spat out two more fireballs, even bigger than before, both hit their target. With that, Serena's points went down.

"Whoa, what was that move?" Ash asked.

"It's Fireball. It's a move that hits five consecutive times, and each time it gets more powerful," RotomDex explained.

"This isn't looking too good for Miss Serena," said Fenwick. "Can she and Braixen go on?"

"We're not done yet, right, Braixen?" said Serena, as her Pokémon stood back up. Growling, Braixen pulled out its staff, but then, it suddenly started glowing with purple energy. "Huh?" Serena said. Eva told Shellbur to use Flame Wheel, but as it charged forward, Braixen aimed its stick and blew Shellbur away with psychic energy.

"Whoa!" said Fenwick. "Was that Psychic?"

"Use Fireball!" Eva said.

Shellbur spat more fireballs, but Serena said, "Send it back with your new move!" Braixen waved its staff, and caught the fireballs, before sending them back to where they came from.

"Eek!" said Eva. "Quick! Use Iron Defense!" Shellbur curled up into a ball, its scales turning hard. The fireballs didn't seem to phase it.

"Hold it down with Psychic!" said Serena. Braixen waved its staff, and Shellbur was bathed in purple energy. Shellbur tried to move, but couldn't.

Ash saw this and was impressed at Serena's strategy. He looked up at the screen and saw Eva's points were falling fast.

"Now, hit it with Hidden Power!" Braixen jumped above its opponent and threw balls of energy at it. Serena could see the clock was winding down, as were Eva's points, and she grinned, certain she had it in the bag.

"Break free with Fireball!" Eva cried out. Explosions occurred underneath Shellbur, until it managed to launch itself in the air. Before Serena could even react, Eva called for a Breaking Swipe. Shellbur swung its tail, sending Braixen flying. Once it landed, it didn't get up.

"Braixen! C'mon, you gotta get up!" Unfortunately, it did not respond, and Fenwick walked over to see it has swirls in its eyes.

"Oh, my! It seems Braixen is unable to battle!" Serena gasped as Fenwick continued. "So you know what that means. It means the winner of the Battle round, and today's Pageant... is Eva!"

Eva looked stunned. As Shellbur ran back to her, it cheered as she slowly looked around, and saw the audience cheering for her. "I won... I really, really won..." Finally, she smiled and hugged her Pokémon. "We did it!"

Meanwhile, though, Serena was standing by stunned. She ran over to Braixen and picked it up, and it looked at her apologetically. "We... lost..." Serena said.

"Serena lost?" Ash said, shocked.

"I don't believe it!"

"Well done, Miss Eva," said Fenwick, as he held out a bronze medal for her. "We hereby gift you your very first medal, the bronze medal!"

"Thank you so much!" Eva cried, tears in her eyes as the audience cheered for her.

It's Porygon2!

Serena was walking out of the hall, looking at the ground.

"Hey, Serena!" came Ash's voice. She looked up to see him and RotomDex running up to her. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I-I'm fine," said Serena. "I-I thought for sure I could win..."

"Sorry, I guess Shellbur was just too tough," said RotomDex.

"Hey, guys!" came Eva's voice. Everyone turned to see Eva excitedly running up to them. "I can't believe it! I won!"

"Yeah, um, congrats, Eva," said Serena, struggling to hide her frustration. "That was... some battle, huh?"

However, Eva could see something was bugging her. "Are you okay, Serena? I thought you'd be happier for me."

"No, I-I am!" Serena insisted. "Um, say, we should get going! A-ash has to pick up his Pokémon after all. He's gotta get ready for his rematch with Vernon."

"Oh, yeah," said Eva. "Hey, can I come? It'll be fun to watch, I bet!"

"Oh, uh, sure, Eva," said Ash. "The more the merrier!"

Ash picked up his Pokémon from the Pokémon Center, and Serena left Braixen there to rest. Then, they, RotomDex, and Eva made their way to the Gym.

"I wonder if Vernon was able to win against Florian?" Serena wondered.

"I hope so," said Ash. "At least then-"

Suddenly, as they were about to walk through the Gym doors, they swung open to reveal Florian.

"Florian?" said Ash. "No, don't tell me..."

"I'm afraid so, Ash," came Vernon, who walked up behind Florian. "I tried my best, but..."

"Use Venoshock!" Jelloater shot out purple liquid, and managed to hit Deino. Unfortunately, it still didn't stop it.

"Don't hold back now!" said Florian. "Dragon Rush!" Deino charged forward, but Vernon called for an Acid Armor, and Deino phased right threw it.

"Grr, Dragon Breath!" Florian said. Deino spat out a stream of purple fire, but Vernon ordered a Discharge to counter it. The two attacks collided, neither letting up. But the determined voice of Florian rang out through the air.

"Full power, Deino! Don't hold anything back!" Deino mustered all its strength, and blasted all its fire, blasting through the electricity and hitting Jelloater.

"No!" Vernon cried out. When the dust settled, the ref ran over to see Jelloater laying on the ground.

"Jelloater is unable to battle! Deino wins! Which means the battle goes to the challenger, Florian!"

Florian held up his new badge, a square-shaped, open mouth of sharp teeth.

"The Venom Badge. And it's all mine."

Ash growled. "Well, I'm sure you just got lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," said Florian. "Your friend was just too weak."

Vernon growled at his words, but Ash quickly interjected. "Hey, that's a little uncalled for!"

"I mean it. It wasn't even a challenge. It's disappointing you couldn't beat him."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Clearly, you're both weak. I can see why you're friends."

Ash was boiling under his skin, but Johnny suddenly stepped up. "That's enough, Florian. You won through a hard-fought battle, but that does not give you the right to treat Vernon or Ash like that."

"Please, I could beat both of them any day," Florian said, eyes closed and arms crossed.

Ash growled, but then he had an idea. "You know what Florian? If you think you're so tough, why don't you prove it to me? Let's you and me battle, what do you say?"

"You? You wanna battle me?" Florian said. He saw the determined look on Ash's face, though, and he said, "Well, how can I turn down an offer like that? Okay, fine. Meet me at the Pokémon Center, and I'll teach a lesson you won't soon forget."

He began walking away as Ash glared at him, but Johnny spoke up. "Ash, are you sure about this? You don't have anything to prove to him."

"Yeah, I do!" Ash insisted. "I'm not just gonna let him insult me or Vernon like that!"

"You best not underestimate that kid," said Johnny. "He's tougher than you think."

"Don't worry, I teach him what I'm made of," Ash said.

He began walking away, before Vernon then looked at Johnny. "You know, you seem to know a lot about Florian, Johnny. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Unfortunately, Johnny just began walking away, saying, "Sorry, but that's none of your business."

Later at the Pokémon Center, Ash and Florian stood on opposing sides of a courtyard. Johnny stood between them, ready to be the referee. Serena, Eva, Vernon, and RotomDex were sitting off to the side in benches.

"Man, this Florian guy's a real piece of work, isn't he?" said Eva.

"Tell me about it," said Vernon, his arms crossed. Suddenly, he looked over at Serena and said, "Hey, I heard you lost the Pageant, Serena. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I-I'm fine, Vernon," said Serena.

"Are you sure? 'Cause-"

"I said I'm fine!" Serena said. Both Eva and Vernon looked at her unconvinced, but Eva especially was concerned.

"Alright, boys, this will be a three on three," said Johnny. "If you're ready, send out your first Pokémon."

"Pikachu! You're up first!"

"Yamask, let's go!"

Both Pokémon appeared on the field, staring each other down.

BATTLE BEGIN!

"Use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu ran towards its opponent, its tail turning silver and preparing to make contact.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Yamask quickly dodged out of the way and threw a Shadow Ball at Pikachu, hitting it.

"Grr, it's okay, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chuuuu!" Pikachu jumped up, blasting its opponent with electricity.

"Will o' Wisp!" Yamask quickly recovered, and threw embers at Pikachu, quickly burning it.

"Thunderbolt, again!"

"Hex!"

Both Pokémon launched their attacks, blasting the other back. After that, they tried to stand up, but both fell down.

The boys both looked on stunned as Johnny declared, "Both Pokémon are unable to battle!"

Florian grumbled as he recalled Yamask. "Don't worry, Yamask, you did just great."

Ash picked up Pikachu, who opened its eyes. "Pika...?"

"Don't worry, bud. You did great!" Ash reassured as he set it down on his side of the courtyard. "We're not done yet!" He pulled out his second PokéBall and threw it to reveal Platide.

"Tiiide!"

"Hmph, okay then, Hawcipiter, you're up!" Florian threw his own Pokémon onto the field.

"Use Aqua Tail!" Platide's tail got surrounded by water as it slapped Hawcipiter away.

"Acrobatics!" Hawcipiter quickly flew over and pummeled Platide at blistering speed.

"Use Aqua Jet and escape!" Platide bathed its body in water and launched itself into the air, before coming crashing down on Hawcipiter.

But Florian had a plan. "Grab it!" Hawcipiter grabbed Platide in its talons. "Now use Circle Throw!" Hawcipiter flipped Platide over its head, sending it crashing to the ground. Vernon was surprised when it didn't go back to its PokéBall, but as Johnny stepped forward to see Platide sitting in the ground, he soon found out why.

"Platide is unable to battle!"

Ash growled under his breath, but recalled his Pokémon. "Sorry, Platide. I really thought that would work."

"Pika, pika," Pikachu said by his feet, feeling a bit concerned.

"It's okay, Pikachu," Ash said. "I still have one more ace in the hole." He threw his final PokéBall and out came Charmor, who puffed out some smoke as it was ready for battle.

"Use Acrobatics!" Hawcipiter dove down at blistering speeds, but Ash called for Charmor to use Iron Defense. Charmor hunkered down inside its armor, and Acrobatics just bounced off.

"Rapid Spin!" Charmor spun around and crashed into Hawcipiter out of the air. As Hawcipiter struggled to recover, Ash said, "Rapid Spin, one more time!" Charmor crashed into Hawcipiter, and it fell over defeated.

"Hawcipiter is unable to battle!" Johnny announced.

"Yeah! Nice job, Charmor!" Ash cheered.

Florian recalled his Pokémon annoyed before pulling out his final PokéBall. "It's all up to you! Go, Deino!"

"Deeeiiii!" Deino cried out as it appeared on the field.

"Yeah, I figured he'd save Deino for last," said Ash before he looked at Charmor. "Don't let him pressure you, Charmor. You can beat him!" Charmor looked back at its trainer and nodded.

Johnny, however, looked at Ash and Charmor concerned. He could tell, Ash's determination to win was clouded his judgement.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Charmor charged forward wreathed in flames, but Florian calmly commanded Deino to use Dragon Rush. Deino charged forward and easily knocked Charmor back.

"Grr, that won't stop us!" said Ash. "Use Ember!" Charmor spat out a burst of flame, and it hit Deino. Deino tried to recover, but suddenly, it's body was wreathed in flames.

"Yes! A burn!" said Ash. "Rapid Spin!" Charmor spam around and rammed into Deino.

"Grr," Florian growled. "No... I won't lose... I can't lose..."

"Deeeeiiii!" Deino cried out, standing up to face Charmor. Despite its burn and its injury, it remained at determined as ever. As it towered above Charmor, the armadillo Pokémon looked up at it amazed.

"Deino..." said Florian. "Okay, use Dragon Breath!" Deino breathed purple fire in Charmor's face, blowing it away. As it stood up again, yellow sparks erupted from its body.

"Grr, paralysis," Ash muttered to himself. "Come on, Charmor, let's finish this! Use Rapid Spin!"

Charmor spun faster than ever, but unfortunately, the paralysis slowed it down. Florian calmly said, "Slam." Deino jumped up and brought down its tail on Charmor. Charmor continued to spin with all its might, but sadly, it wasn't enough, and Deino sent it back down to the ground.

Johnny walked up to Charmor and the ground and rose his hand to say, "Charmor is unable to battle. The winner of this fight is Florian."

"No..." Ash moaned, before he ran out to pick up Charmor. His Pokémon opened its eyes, looking up at Ash apologetically. "No, it's okay, Charmor. You did your best..."

Charmor looked over to see Deino being fed a Rawst Berry to cure its burn. It suddenly got angry, and small flames burst from its back. "Char, char!"

"Whoa, take it easy, Charmor," said Ash.

"Oh boy, I think Charmor just found a rival of its own," said RotomDex.

"Well, are you satisfied now?" said Florian. "What's I tell you? You never stood a chance."

Ash growled under his breath, but Johnny suddenly walked up to Florian. "Florian, please, don't you agree Ash gave you a good fight? There's no reason to put him down like that."

"A good fight? Please. That was nothing," said Florian.

At this point, even Johnny seemed to have had enough, and suddenly said, "Say, if Deino still has some energy left, how about one more battle?"

"Huh?" said Florian.

"But this time, you will face me," said Johnny.

"Huh?" everyone collectively said. Just what was Johnny doing here?

"Hmm, well, we could use the experience, I guess," said Florian. "Fine. One more battle."

"Good. You best brace yourself, understand?"

A little while later, Johnny and Florian were ready to fight. This time, Ash himself offered to referee.

"Let's do it, Deino!" Florian said, as Deino took the field.

"Haxorus, let's go!" Johnny threw his own PokéBall, and Haxorus appeared with a glimmer.

"Huh? Haxorus?" Florian said surprised.

It seems it may be up to Johnny to teach Florian a lesson. But does he have the night to pull it off? Find out next time, as the journey continues!

TO Be CONTINUED...