AAML: Diamond and Pearl version

by EchidnaPower

Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. A Pokeshipping series. Also includes Penguinshipping, Handymanshipping, slight mentions of Contestshipping, and a Brock shipping to be named later. Oh yeah, there's PikachuXBuneary here too.

16. Three Battles, One Galactic

You're probably thinking: "Why is this so chapter so dang long?" Because it's 4 episodes in 1 that's why! All of these episodes I've redone are crucial points in the story, so to cut down on chapters, I smushed them all into one super fat chapter. They all take place within two days, so the episode switch is graceful and easy to point out. It took me forever to write this one, and if you guys think I should stick to individual chapters for each, let me know please. But be gentle, there's a thin line between constructive criticism, and flaming. Enough of my rambling, enjoy this mega-chapter!
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Chapter 16

Misty's POV

After Ash caught that Gligar (and I did some temper taming) we left for Veilstone City. On the way there, we ran into a Hippowdon that my Azurill and Dawn's Pachirisu had inadvertently gotten stuck in. It was a tedious chase over sand-dunes as Hippowdon kept digging all over the place. After running into Team Rocket's so-called "elite" members: Cassidy and Butch, Jessie and James showed up and had a mecha-battle with their rivals. As usual, our stalkers lost, but we managed to pull off yet another decisive victory over Team Rocket, and we got our Pokémon back. I scolded Azurill for doing something so dangerous, but it nuzzled my cheek affectionately, I just couldn't stay mad at it no matter how hard I tried. Ash had said it was nice to see the soft side of me; I flicked his nose in response. He was asking for it after all. I expected an argument to ensue, but he just laughed it off.

We rarely have arguments anymore, and when we do it doesn't last nearly as long as they used to. Ash and maturity go together well, plus I get to do things that I normally couldn't…like kiss him. Nothing drastic, they're still on the cheek, but maybe one day…anyways, we were walking down the path to Veilstone City, enjoying the scenery…and each other's company. I don't think hanging with Ash will ever be boring; excitement seems to follow him and all around him. Although close-calls were known to take place. But that wasn't important now. Things were peaceful, I was close to the boy I loved, and the scenery was beautiful.

"It's so peaceful out here. Back in Cerulean I would've battled at least one challenger by now."

"Yeah, but thanks to your friendly neighborhood Pokémon trainer, you won't have to worry about that anymore." Ash said playfully.

I giggled and took his arm. "Still, I should call Daisy and see how things are going." I figured.

"When we get to Veilstone City, we'll go to the Pokémon Center and you can call your sisters." Ash said.

"We're there! Look out there!" Dawn exclaimed, running towards a roped-off area. Me, Ash, and Brock ran after the blue-haired girl and her Piplup, and gasped in awe at the sight of Veilstone City.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go get that gym badge!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. I still had his arm, so he dragged me along with him, but I didn't mind, I just laughed as we ran down the hill to the city.

"Wait for us you two!" Dawn called out.

Normal POV

Ash and Misty were only a quarter of the way down the hill, when Ash abruptly stopped. "Ash, what's wrong?" Misty asked.

"I…feel something." Ash replied distantly. Dawn and Brock had now caught up to the couple.

"What's up Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Get down!" A blue sphere of energy suddenly came flying in, just after the group did a face-plant to avoid getting hit.

"What in the world are those?!" Dawn asked, as more spheres went flying through the air.

"It feels like the air is shaking!" Brock said.

"T-Those are…'Aura Spheres'!" Ash exclaimed.

"'Aura Spheres'? You mean…" Brock paused.

"Yeah Brock, we gotta get down there now!" Ash yelled. The group ran down the hill, and headed for the source of the spheres.

"Ash? What's going on?!" Misty asked.

"You'll see in a minute!" Ash replied. They saw another sphere flying through a wooden fence, and the group looked through the hole it left behind. They saw a pink-haired girl doing flips and kicks to dodge the spheres, and then Ash's suspicion was proved correct, as a Lucario came into view. "I was right! A Lucario!" Ash exclaimed, pulling out his Pokédex.

"That's a Lucario?" Dawn asked.

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By sending an aura at its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements." Ash's Pokédex chirped.

The Lucario fired another 'Aura Sphere' at the girl, who kicked it with her bare-foot back at Lucario, who dodged easily. "Check out how she's deflecting those 'Aura Spheres'!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"'Aura Spheres'?" Dawn asked.

"It's a mysterious power that some say everyone has. But I've heard that it's stronger in some people than in others." Brock explained.

"But Ash was able to sense the aura from those attacks…" Misty said in awe.

"Ash's aura came into play once before." Brock said.

"Whoa…you've gotta tell me what happened Ash." Misty said, in awe at her boyfriend's unique skill.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." Ash replied. Lucario used 'Bone Rush' on the girl, who narrowly escaped being hurt by the attack. "Awesome!"

"Not awesome Ash! That's way too intense for it to just be training!" Misty screamed.

Brock was about to make a comment, when a 'Thunder' attack came from nowhere and narrowly missed Pikachu and Piplup. Enraged, Pikachu yelled at the source of the attack, and an Electabuzz emerged from behind a tree. "Electabuzz!" the group exclaimed in unison.

The angry Piplup charged towards Electabuzz to get it back for almost shocking him. "Piplup, come back!" Dawn screamed.

Pikachu ran after Piplup to try and stop it. "Pikachu, you come back!" Ash called. Piplup had now leaped to head-butt Electabuzz in the stomach, but Electabuzz merely knocked him back as if he were nothing at all. Piplup landed on top of Pikachu, who had just decided not to stop Piplup, instead, he would help fight. "Pikachu, stop!" Pikachu ignored Ash, and attacked with a 'Thunderbolt' before jumping back into the dust cloud.

Piplup appeared next. "Piplup cut it out!" Dawn screamed. Piplup thought about it, but when he got zapped by a 'Thunderbolt' that Pikachu accidently hit him with, his rage was refueled, and he leaped back into the battle. Further orders to stop were aimed at Pikachu and Piplup, but it resulted in Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock getting zapped by a 'Thunderbolt' that Pikachu had once again aimed wrong. The battle was finally stopped when an 'Aura Sphere' was fired at the battling trio. Out of instinct, Ash shielded Misty with his body as the dust cloud overtook the group.

When the dust cleared, a very shocked Pikachu, Piplup, and Electabuzz were seen. "Pikachu/Piplup!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry." the pink-haired girl said, "Lucario, say you're sorry." Lucario grunted dismissively. "What do you mean it was nothing?" the girl asked.

"Maylene, what happened?" a man with purple hair asked.

"H-Hi Reggie." Maylene stammered.

Electabuzz tried to sneak away when the man appeared, but that was foiled. "And where are you going Electabuzz?" Reggie said accusingly. Electabuzz turned around and gave a guilty chuckle.

"Hey Pikachu, don't you think that looks like Paul's Electabuzz?" Ash asked.

"Pika pika." (Yeah, it does.)

Reggie and Maylene gasped when Ash mentioned Paul. "That must mean you know Paul!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Yeah, we have an…interesting relationship with him." Misty said, anger slipping into her voice.

"Ohhh, and this must be the Pikachu that can use 'Volt Tackle'." Reggie said.

"How did you know Pikachu could use 'Volt Tackle'?" Ash asked.

"Because that's probably why Electabuzz was giving you grief." Reggie said, giving an accusing stare at Electabuzz. Electabuzz sweat-dropped in response.

"Wait a sec, who are you?" Dawn asked.

"I'm Reggie. You seem to already know my brother." Reggie said.

"You're Paul's older brother?" Ash asked in shock.

"And that Electabuzz belongs to Paul alright." Reggie said.

"Hmmph, like trainer, like Pokémon." Misty hissed.

"See, since I'm a breeder, Paul decided to leave all of his Pokémon here with me for a little training." Reggie explained.

"Well, I'm Ash. This is Misty, Dawn, and Brock." Ash said.

"Pleased to meet you." Once Reggie got a good look at the redhead, his expression slightly brightened, "Say, I think I remember you Misty."

Misty was taken aback by that, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Yeah…you're the little girl who was sitting in the stands when I came to the Cerulean Gym." Reggie said.

Misty turned a bit pink from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember you."

"I understand, you couldn't have been older than six years old when I went all those years ago." Reggie said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"So, has Paul had a battle with the gym leader here yet?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, he won. He defeated her." Reggie said, glancing over at Maylene.

Maylene's face grew grim, and she gave a sad sigh which was only loud enough for Lucario to hear. "So she's the gym leader?" Ash asked.

"Yep. Say hello to Maylene, the Gym Leader of Veilstone City." Reggie said.

"Awesome! Wow, you've even got a Lucario! Can we have a gym battle soon?" Ash pleaded.

Maylene looked up from the floor, and gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry…but…would you mind going to another gym instead?"

After she said that, a humming was heard, and Lucario blasted Maylene with an 'Aura Sphere'. "Is that thing crazy?!" Misty screamed.

"No, you see, Lucario's been pushing Maylene really hard like this all day long. Lucario's not happy with Maylene as a battle partner yet." Reggie explained.

"What about all those 'Aura Spheres' we saw?" Dawn asked.

"That must've been Lucario…training the trainer." Brock said.

"Training the trainer?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Now it makes a little more sense, come to think of it, how many times has Pikachu taught you something?" Misty said.

"Good point." Ash replied.

"So Lucario rules." James said from behind a bush.

"While that gym leader drools." Jessie said, stifling laughter.

"Now if we could grab dat dynamo we'd stop drooling and some of dat ruling might rub off on us." Meowth added. And with that, Team Rocket snuck away.

Maylene groaned before getting up angrily. "I told you to stop already!" she screamed.

"Unacceptable!" a man in a dojo uniform appeared with two of his students. He had a goatee that outlined his jaw and well-built muscles, making him look extremely intimidating, "I thought I might find you out here Maylene." the man said.

Maylene ran up to him. "I'm not going back to the gym!" Maylene cried defiantly

"Stop!" the man boomed, "A gym leader does not act in this manner in front of other trainers."

"They should speak for themselves. I acted sad a lot until Ash rescued me from the gym." Misty whispered.

"But I don't think Maylene is as lucky as you are Mist." Ash replied softly.

"Those black-belts are students of the Veilstone Gym, actually, Maylene is well-respected as a battler, but she became the gym leader just six months ago and they're trying to toughen her up." Reggie explained.

"I can understand how she's feeling." Misty said.

"Please understand, I don't want to be gym leader anymore!" Maylene begged. Lucario growled and fired another 'Aura Sphere', but Maylene deflected it without even looking, and gave a small growl.

At this point, Reggie walked up with Ash and Co. "Is it because of Paul?" the breeder asked plainly. Maylene gasped, and looked to the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in sight. "I thought so." Reggie said sullenly.

"What happened Reggie?" Ash asked.

Reggie sighed, "Veilstone Gym is a fighting-type gym, Paul came here using flying-type Pokémon, which is a smart strategy, his Murkrow had evolved into a Honchkrow, and he polished off Maylene's first and second Pokémon in no time flat. Then when he battled against Lucario, he cleverly used Magmar which of course is a fire-type."

Maylene groaned and spoke for herself. "I was totally out of sync…with Lucario…and all of my Pokémon. It didn't even look like a battle with a gym leader…I can hardly blame the challenger for what he said to me."

Ash and Misty looked at each other with knowing expressions. "What did Paul say?" Ash said, with resent for Paul obvious in his voice.

"You're the weakest…the weakest gym leader I ever fought…and this lightweight badge is just like you." Maylene said, quoting Paul's words exactly.

Misty's POV

"I just cannot believe – no, I take it back…I can believe that Paul said that. The more I hear about Paul, the more I hate him as much as Ash does. And now I can understand why, he must be heartless." I growled after Maylene finished. "That…creep." I said, venom dripping from my voice, "He has no respect for Pokémon, other trainers, or even gym leaders."

"I'm sorry Maylene, but Paul's always had a bit of a cruel streak." Reggie apologized.

"But the thing is…he was completely right. I do appreciate everything Lucario's been trying to do for me…" Maylene's bottom lip began to tremble, "I'm sorry!" the Gym Leader ran away, trying to avoid showing everyone her tears.

"Maylene, wait!" I called.

"Just stay away!" Maylene screamed without looking back. I knew exactly how Maylene was feeling; my situation in Cerulean was very similar. Being mocked and made fun of at every turn.

"Master Maylene…" the black-belt said sadly.

"Khanali, I'd like you to let Lucario and me handle this." Reggie requested.

"Ok, if that's what you wish, Master Reggie." Khanali bowed.

"I'm sorry; you traveled a long way…" Reggie was cut-off.

"It's ok;" Ash shrugged, "It would've been awesome to battle Lucario though."

"Come on, let's find another gym." Brock was suggesting we leave! But I couldn't go yet.

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"What is it Misty?" Reggie asked.

"I can't go without trying to help Maylene! If anyone can help it's me because no one knows more about being mocked as a gym leader than me!"

"I want to help too Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. I decided to let her come with me, and I gave her a nod.

"Fine, but let me get to her first." I said. Dawn nodded in acknowledgement. "Lucario, which way did Maylene go?" Lucario grunted, and motioned for me to follow. I chased after Lucario, and Dawn followed with Piplup. "I've just got to help Maylene…I may not be in Cerulean, but I'm still the gym leader, and it's my duty to help other gym leaders in any way possible.

Normal POV

"Good luck Misty." Ash watched his redheaded girlfriend and the coordinator chase after Lucario, wishing he could do something to help them out.

"Well, as long as Misty and Dawn are going to go talk to Maylene, how about we head over to my place to wait?" Reggie suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Brock said.

"How does that sound Ash?" Reggie asked.

Ash didn't reply, he just continued to stare in the direction that Misty and Dawn had run off in, as if he were in a trance. "Ash, come on, there's nothing you can do." Brock said. Ash reluctantly gave in, and followed Reggie and Brock to Reggie's place.

Meanwhile, Maylene was sitting by a river, trying to collect herself after her outburst, when she sensed a presence from behind her. "Please…please Lucario, let me be." Lucario walked up with Misty, who had sympathy drawn all over her face. Maylene turned around and saw her fellow Gym Leader standing behind her. "What do you want?"

"Maylene and Lucario were a famous battling team in Veilstone City; it was big news when Maylene became the Veilstone gym leader." Reggie said, handing bowls of food to Pikachu and Chimchar, "But as you see she's begun to have a few doubts about herself."

"Everyone has doubts in the beginning. Especially Gym Leaders who have to learn how to win under intense pressure." Brock said.

"Yeah Brock, you'd know alright…and so does Misty." Ash sighed.

Back at the river, Misty sat down next to the fighting-type Gym Leader, "You know Maylene; I can understand how you're feeling right now."

"I don't want to talk about it." Maylene said sadly.

"Then don't talk, just listen." Misty placed a comforting hand on Maylene's shoulder. She stayed silent, but she did give the slightest hint of a nod. "I was always being made fun of when I was the Gym Leader in Cerulean City…my sisters always told me that I would never live up to their reputation…runt, scrawny, ugly…they were relentless…but I knew that in the end, they were still my sisters, and they'd have my back when it really counted." Misty looked at Maylene who was now listening intently and gave her a smile. "You have an amazing friend in Lucario, and I'm sure your other Pokémon feel the same way. Because whenever my sisters ever got me down, my Pokémon, my friends, they would build me back up. Your Pokémon will too."

Maylene looked away. "I know Misty, but I let them down."

Dawn walked up from behind a tree, and decided to put in her input. "You're not the only one who's felt discouraged lately Maylene. I didn't make it past round one in two straight contests, I'm taking a break." Dawn sighed, "You know Misty, I never told you this either, but I tell everyone I'm just recharging my batteries, but to be totally honest, sometimes I think I'm just not cut out for contests." Misty gave a sad sigh at that; she thought that Dawn had really gotten over it. She was hiding her true feelings all along.

"I can relate to both of you." Maylene said despondently, "To tell the truth, every time I start to consider that winning or losing a gym battle could change a challenger's whole life, it kinda scares me."

"I know how you feel, when I went back to Cerulean the first time, I felt nervous too." Misty said.

"Then you know what it feels like when you just can't concentrate correctly." Maylene said. Lucario growled menacingly at that. "Please, don't be angry!" the fighting-type leader begged.

"Yeah, come on Lucario; listen to what she has to say." Dawn said.

"I just can't be a Gym Leader feeling this way; especially after what Reggie's younger brother said to me." Maylene said sadly.

"That's just the kind of person Paul is, don't let it bother you." Dawn said.

"What he said was totally uncalled for. From one Gym Leader to another, I think Paul needs to get an ego-check, and I think that one day Ash will give him the whuppin' he deserves!" Misty said.

"Yeah, Paul will get his just-desserts, because what goes around comes around!" Dawn added.

"I know, but what I really want is for it to be fun again, whether I win or lose." Maylene said, leaning back on her arms.

Dawn's expression changed back to sad. "Yeah, I know. I only lost twice and now I'm not even sure what to do anymore. Sometimes, I feel like my contests are holding Ash back from his dreams."

"And sometimes, I feel like I'm just causing trouble for me and my students." Maylene added.

The trio of females sat in silence for a few seconds, before Team Rocket appeared. "Relax, your troubles are history!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Oh no, please tell me it's not…" Misty paused.

"Team Rocket!" Dawn finished.

"Hey, are these friends of yours?" Maylene asked naively.

Jessie: "Friends? Yet another twerpette without a clue."

James: "A meeting of the old and new."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Yippie yahoo!"

Jessie: "We've come here to bring chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"You be careful Maylene!" Dawn exclaimed.

"These bozos have to be after your Lucario." Misty added. "Us bozos? Who's the one with the red clown hair?!" Jessie countered.

"I dunno; let's check under that wig you're wearing." Misty spat right back.

"Well, are you after Lucario?" Maylene asked.

"We're here to offer lucky Lucario a better deal!" Jessie said, regaining her cool.

"What deal?" Dawn asked.

"Any deal you three make always has bad repercussions!" Misty said.

"If you would just be quiet for two minutes we could say it!" Jessie stomped the ground in frustration.

"A winning warrior like Lucario deserves to side with someone stronger than this Gym Leader loser!" James said.

Misty scoffed and crossed her arms, "Sure, let us know when you find someone."

"Dat someone is us you red-headed big mouth!" Meowth hissed, "Lucario, with you on board we'll rule da world!"

"Oh please, even Lugia and Ho-Oh combined couldn't help you three losers rule the world." Misty scoffed again.

Jessie was about to ready to lose it by now, "Just shut up already!" she turned her attention back to Lucario, "What do you say Lucario, you in?"

"I remember this little Chimchar! How are you?" Reggie asked, petting Chimchar's head.

"Char!" (Great!)

"So Ash, I'm sure Paul must've put you through the mill with all those intense battling strategies he comes up with." Reggie said.

"I don't care about any of that stuff! The most important thing about winning a battle is being one with your Pokémon! I'll beat that guy!" Ash growled, squeezing the glass he held in his hand with anger.

"I'd like to see that, a battle between you two." Reggie said.

"Come on, make up your mind! Stay with that sad sack, or tag along with us!" Jessie said cheerfully.

"Act now and dis balloon can be your ride!" Meowth said, trying to sound like a salesman.

"Not to mention, access to my bottle caps!" James added.

They were obviously desperate as Jessie sweetened the offer once more, both literally and figuratively, "Decide in the next ten seconds and you'll get first chunk off of my chocolate bar!"

"I'll give them this, they're annoyingly persistent." Misty mumbled.

Dawn and Maylene sweat-dropped, and Lucario activated his 'Bone Rush' attack. "What a unique way of telling us it's a deal!" Jessie exclaimed happily, not realizing what was about to happen.

"Yay, that's some steel!" James added.

"I think the show's over. Send them away will ya Lucario?" Misty requested nonchalantly. Lucario gladly obliged, and clubbed Team Rocket into the stratosphere.

"Maybe it was allergic to chocolate!" Jessie whined.

"It can't be allergic to bottle caps." James replied.

"I tink it was allergic ta you." Meowth said.

"We're blasting off again!"

*Ping*

"Wow, thank you…I'll bet you're still mad at me though." Maylene said.

"If Lucario's angry, it's only because it really cares about you and wants to you to battle with it, don't you see?" Dawn said.

"Really?"

"The poor girl is absolutely baffled on what to do next. There's just got to be something I can do…hey, maybe a battle!" Misty thought.

"Hey, I know! Let's you and I have a battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I was just thinking of that, except I should be the one to battle Maylene." Misty said.

"And what makes you more qualified Misty?" Dawn asked. "Because I'm a Gym Leader too, and Maylene needs someone who can relate to the pressure she feels." Misty replied.

"But it was my idea!" Dawn shouted.

The redhead got in the shorter girl's face, "I was thinking it, I just didn't say it!"

"Stop! Please…" Maylene couldn't take anymore fighting.

"Ok, I know how to settle this. Misty, heads or tails?" Dawn raised her arm and activated her Pokétch.

"Your coin-toss application?" Misty said, "I choose heads I guess."

"Alright then, coin-toss!" Dawn pressed the button on her Pokétch, and the Magikarp coin flipped, and landed on… "It's tails, I win!" the coordinator jumped for joy.

Misty face-faulted in disbelief. "This just isn't fair."

"Come on Maylene, whaddya say?" Dawn asked excitedly.

"Well…if you say so…I guess." Maylene said. Lucario gave a grunt of thanks to Dawn and Misty, for getting his master back onto the right track.

"Lucario, did you just say thank you?" Misty asked. Lucario nodded to acknowledge.

"Huh? You want to have a battle with me?" Ash asked in surprise.

"I know it's no substitute for the Veilstone Gym but I'd really like to see how Paul's rival stacks up." Reggie said.

Ash quickly got up from his seat, "Awesome, it's a deal!" The boy raised a fist in determination, "Let's use the same three-on-three rules I used with Paul which means two wins takes it!"

"Ok, sounds great!" Reggie agreed.

Ash grabbed his hat and placed it on his head. "Alright, we'll be waitin' for ya outside!" Ash ran out the door, smiling inwardly, "And if it comes down to one last battle, I'm gonna unleash my secret weapon."

"Ash, wait up!" Brock exclaimed.

"Chimchar has really grown up…thanks to Ash's hard work." Reggie said, impressed.

Brock was about to head out himself, when through his peripheral vision he saw several display cases containing various Gym Badges, "Hey, are all these badges Paul's?" he asked.

Reggie smiled, "No Brock, they're mine. C'mon, let's go!"

"The Boulder and Cascade badge…that means he beat my dad and Misty's sisters a long time ago." the breeder stared for a few seconds, then joined Ash and Reggie outside.

By this time, the girls had returned just in time to see Ash stretching out, "What's Ash up to?" Dawn asked.

"Hey guys, perfect timing! Reggie is just about ready to have a battle with Ash!" Brock exclaimed.

"Figures, Ash just can't stay away from a chance to battle." Misty said, sitting down onto the stairs.

"Like you want to miss a chance to cheer him on." Dawn teased.

Misty turned pink, "Show him what you're made of Ash!"

Ash gave Misty a thumbs-up, and called out his first Pokémon. "Gligar, come on out!" Gligar popped out of his ball, and crash-landed onto Ash's face. Ash began screaming incoherently, before ripping Gligar off of his face."On second thought, maybe Gligar should just watch instead." Ash put the flying/ground-type on the ground, "Ok Gligar, I'm gonna have a Pokémon battle with Reggie and I want you to watch closely 'cause I'm gonna want you to team up with me in a battle soon too!"

"Gli gar." (Got it.) it replied.

"Gligar's gonna watch? Sounds like fun. "Maylene, you watch too ok?" Reggie said.

"Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash called out his speedy grass-type.

"Alright Bibarel, you're up!" Reggie exclaimed, "You have the honor Ash!"

"Turtwig, 'Energy Ball' let's go!" Turtwig concentrated his power, and fired a perfect 'Energy ball' at the beaver Pokémon. "Awesome! Great power too!"

"Use 'Super Fang'!" Reggie countered. Bibarel ripped the 'Energy Ball' apart with its powerful teeth, leaving Ash and Co. stunned at Bibarel's power. "Now 'Secret Power'!" Bibarel glowed in a pink aura, and the grass around the area started to glow as well. Turtwig looked both ways in confusion, trying to decipher exactly what was happening, but it made no difference, as the effects of the attack were completed, and Turtwig fell asleep.

"Turtwig! Wake up!" Ash yelled.

"Turtwig's out cold!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Secret Power's effect changes depending on the field. This is a very grassy area so it put Turtwig to sleep." Brock explained.

"Turtwig, come on, you gotta wake up!" Ash exclaimed.

"Use 'Take Down'!" Bibarel rammed towards the sleeping grass-type, and gave him a hard tackle sending him tumbling.

"That's not fair!" Misty screamed.

"That attack was way strong!" Dawn said.

Just then, Turtwig woke up, and got back into battle-ready stance. "Ash look! Turtwig's awake!" Misty cried.

"Yes!" Ash exclaimed.

"Turtwig's awake already?" Reggie asked in surprise, "Use 'Super Fang'!" Bibarel leaped towards Turtwig to bite him.

"Dodge it, and then 'Razor Leaf' quick!" Turtwig waited until the last second to dodge. Bibarel was barely five inches away when Turtwig practically vanished from sight. He slid against the grass and fired multiple 'Razor Leaf' attacks at Bibarel, who took the full brunt of the attack.

"Wow Ash, I like the way your Turtwig moves!" Reggie said.

"Thanks a lot Reggie! That move came from watching Gardenia and her Turtwig at the Eterna Gym! 'Energy Ball' once more!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig concentrated its power, and was about to fire until…

"Bibarel, 'Ice Beam'!" Bibarel fired a freezing ice attack at the small grass-type, but Ash was ready for it.

"Now, jump Turtwig!" Turtwig leaped high into the air, avoiding the 'Ice Beam'.

"Check it out! Turtwig still has the 'Energy Ball'!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's right! Now Turtwig, fire!" In mid-air, Turtwig launched the 'Energy Ball' at Bibarel, who took the full brunt of the powerful attack. When the dust settled, Bibarel had fainted. "Nice going Turtwig! One for us!" Ash said happily. Ash's Pokémon cheered for their friend Turtwig, who had successfully defeated Bibarel's 'Secret Power' and survived with his trademark speed.

"Way to go Ash!" Misty cheered. Ash gave Misty yet another thumbs-up, thanking her for cheering him on.

Reggie recalled Bibarel, but unlike his little brother, Reggie congratulated Bibarel for a great effort. "That Turtwig of yours is sure strong!" Reggie said.

"Hey, thanks for the kind words!" Ash replied just as Turtwig bit onto his arm affectionately. "Wow, that was awesome Turtwig; you've really got the hang of that 'Energy Ball'!"

Maylene gasped in awe at Ash's ability, which did not go unnoticed by Dawn, "Isn't that something? Ash and Turtwig have been practicing really hard, it took a while but they practiced and they kept training like crazy. And now they've got it down pat!" Dawn said.

"That's just the way Ash is," Misty added, "Many trainers should look up to people like him when they train, because when Ash is determined to teach his Pokémon something new, he doesn't quit until it's practically routine."

"That's wonderful! Lucario's done a lot of training too, haven't you?" Maylene said. Lucario glanced down at Maylene's hands, which were now clenched into fists of determination.

"Swalot, you're up next!" Reggie yelled, calling out his poison-type.

"Turtwig, return." Ash called back his grass-type and smiled at the Pokéball holding him. "I'm proud of you." Ash then put the ball back and pulled out his Pokédex to analyze Swalot.

"Swalot, the poison-bag Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gulpin. Swalot sprays a powerful poison at its opponents from its pores." his Pokédex said.

"Ok, Staravia, I choose you!" Ash launched a new Pokéball, and Staravia gave a shrill cry to announce her appearance. "Use 'Quick Attack' go!" Staravia reacted immediately and dive-bombed the poison-bag Pokémon, who awaited orders to counter.

"Now Swalot, use 'Stockpile'!" Staravia made contact and flew back into the sky, but then Swalot seemed to inhale, and grow in size.

"What the?" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"Did that thing just get bigger?" Misty asked.

"Uh oh." Brock stated.

"Staravia's really quick! Obviously well-trained!" Reggie complimented.

Ash didn't hear, he was too focused on the battle. "Alright, 'Wing Attack' go!" Staravia built up speed, and her wings began to glow pure white.

"Use 'Stockpile' once more!" Reggie countered. Just like before, Swalot took the full brunt of Staravia's attack, but then inhaled, and grew in size again.

"Why don't they counter-attack?" Dawn asked.

"It's got to have something to do with the way that thing's growing!" Misty exclaimed.

"It's not really growing at all. At the same time Swalot's flexible body is resisting damage, it's also storing up power using 'Stockpile'!" Brock explained.

"Storing up power?" Dawn asked.

"Right! And look out when they let that power go!" Brock said.

"Oh no, I don't think Ash knows what Reggie's up to!" Misty said with concern.

"Unless he figures it out quick, Staravia's going to take a lot of damage." Brock said.

"Let's finish it with one hit! Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. With incredible speed, Staravia dive-bombed the now twice as big poison-bag Pokémon, ready to finish the battle quickly.

"Staravia's fast!" Maylene said.

"But is it fast enough?" Misty asked with concern.

"Use 'Spit-Up'!" Reggie said suddenly. Swalot opened its mouth and a blinding white beam completely shrouded Staravia, who gave a shrill cry of pain as she was knocked back into the air by momentum. The attack was completed, and Swalot shrunk back to its normal size.

"Wow, that's what you were talking about!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Using 'Spit-Up' released all the energy stored up with 'Stockpile', and the more times you use 'Stockpile' the more damage 'Spit-Up' inflicts on your opponent." Brock explained.

"But could Staravia handle such a painful hit?" Misty asked, looking into the sky. Luckily Staravia gained back her composure, ready to battle once more. "Holy cow! She's ok!"

"Staravia doesn't give in that easy! Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Once again, Staravia dive-bombed Swalot.

"Use 'Sludge Bomb' let's go!" Swalot fired globs of poison sludge up at Staravia, who was moving at too high a speed to get out of the way.

Staravia took the hit, and plummeted to the ground. "Oh no, Staravia!" Ash ran to catch his exhausted flying-type, who landed in his arms with a thud. "Staravia, you were awesome!" Ash said, congratulating Staravia for a job well-done.

"Star." (Thanks.)

"I guess that 'Spit-Up attack was just too much to handle." Misty said sadly.

"I'm surprised Staravia could even handle pulling off another attack." Brock said.

Reggie recalled Swalot. "You were great, thanks Swalot."

"Looks like it's all tied up." Dawn said.

"I wonder who Ash will use this time." Misty said.

"Knowing Ash, it'll probably be Pikachu." Brock predicted.

"I'm completely impressed with your Staravia's amazing athletic skills. But there's a move I'd love to show you though." Reggie said.

"Wow, that'd be great!" Ash replied.

"I think I know who's coming next then." Maylene said.

"Staraptor, come on out!" Reggie yelled, calling out his final Pokémon. Staraptor gave a shrill cry, and Staravia was surprised to see her evolved form.

"The evolved form of Staravia?" Ash wondered, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staravia. Staraptor's ferocious nature means it has no problem facing much larger opponents." his Pokédex said.

"Staravia, watch closely ok?" Ash said.

"Star avia." (Got it.)

"Pika pika chu Pikapi?" (You want me to go in Ash?)

"Not this time Pikachu." Ash said.

Misty, Dawn, and Brock gasped when they heard they were wrong. "If he's not using Pikachu, then who is he using?" Dawn asked.

"Guess we'll see in a minute." Brock said.

"Get ready for this! Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard emerged from his Pokéball, and gave a roar to announce his presence.

The group gasped again at Ash's choice. "Ash is using Charizard?!" Misty asked in shock.

"Alright Charizard, it'll be just like old times, you ready?" Ash asked with determination. Charizard roared in response.

"Well Ash, Paul never mentioned a Charizard to me." Reggie said.

"That's because not even Paul knows I have Charizard with me!" Ash replied.

"In that case, my lips are sealed. Bring it on Ash!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Charizard, let's start it off with a 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard aimed for the sky, and fired a powerful flame towards the Predator Pokémon.

"Use 'Brave Bird' quick!" Staraptor dodged the 'Flamethrower', and charged towards Charizard with a flaming aura.

"Uh oh, take to the sky and dodge it Charizard!" Charizard opened his wings and took off, narrowly escaping the attack, but Staraptor turned around and nailed Charizard in his stomach. Charizard took the hit and plummeted to the ground, and when he collided with the ground, Charizard was lying in a huge crater. "Oh no, Charizard!" Charizard quickly shook it off though, and roared his rage.

"I'm surprised that someone as big as Charizard can get up so quick." Reggie said.

At that moment, Dawn spotted something strange about Staraptor, "Wait a minute, did Staraptor take damage too?"

"Brave Bird is a risky move because it can also cause quite a bit of damage to the one using it in the first place." Brock explained.

"You have to have a lot of confidence in your speed and power." Maylene added.

"And that definitely isn't something Reggie is short on." Dawn said.

"True, but at least it's not to the point of arrogance like his younger brother." Misty said.

"Staraptor, 'Steel Wing' go!"

"Let's take the fight to him Charizard! Take off and counter with your 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard took off again, and this time made a clean dodge, then turned around and charged towards the large bird with his attack.

"Whoa! That Charizard is fast for something its size! To say nothing of Ash's abilities." Maylene said in awe.

Misty didn't particularly like the tone in Maylene's voice, "Just remember, he's mine." she mumbled.

Dawn leaned in close to the redhead, "Psst, I don't think she cares about him that way." she whispered teasingly.

Misty narrowed her eyes at Dawn, and then averted her attention back to the aerial battle taking place. Staraptor dodged Charizard's attack, and turned to face his opponent. "Use 'Wing Attack'!" Reggie ordered. Staraptor flew towards Charizard with glowing wings, ready to strike.

"Charizard, counter it with 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard spewed a powerful flame at the incoming bird. Staraptor took the hit, but wasn't slowed down much, it managed to hit Charizard with its attack. "Stay strong Charizard!" Charizard blinked and snapped out of his haze, and went back into battle-ready. "Alright, knock it down with 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard flew towards the large bird with glowing wings.

"Use your 'Steel Wing' to counter!" Staraptor flew towards the incoming Charizard, and the two collided with a bang. Size came into play however, as Charizard's attack triumphed over Staraptor, who was now plummeting to the ground. "Oh no, Staraptor!"

"And here it comes!" Misty exclaimed in excitement.

"Here what comes?" Dawn asked.

"Just watch." Brock replied.

"Finish it off with a 'Seismic Toss'!" Charizard flew down to grab the falling Staraptor, who was helpless to do anything as Charizard did three mid-air somersaults, and then hurled Staraptor back to the ground with a painful thud, and when the dust settled, Staraptor was seen lying in a crater, fainted.

"That's two out of three so Ash wins!" Brock exclaimed.

Charizard landed, making the earth rumble a bit, and he roared in triumph. "Way to go Charizard! You were awesome!" Ash cheered. Charizard gave a grunt to acknowledge.

"You were great too!" Misty exclaimed, running up to Ash to wrap him into a congratulatory hug.

Ash accepted the affectionate gesture gratefully, and returned it. "Hey, thanks Mist. But Charizard did most of the work." Charizard grunted again in agreement.

"Wasn't that exciting Piplup? Ash won, and watching his Charizard battle for the first time was something beyond awesome!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Pi pi plup!" (He rocked!)

Reggie called back his fainted Staraptor. "Staraptor, you were great."

"Hey Reggie, thanks for everything!"Ash said with Misty by his side.

"Hey I can't remember the last time I had such a great battle, and I bet Paul will be in a big surprise when he meets that Charizard of yours." Reggie replied.

"Yeah, Charizard and I have a lot of history together; it's nice to have him back." Ash said. Charizard grunted his agreement.

"And now if you still want, I'd like to show you that move." Reggie offered.

"I'll bet 'Brave Bird's' the move!" Ash exclaimed.

"You got it; Staravia will pick it up in a flash!" Reggie said.

"You think so?" Ash asked excitedly.

"The amazing way your Staravia uses 'Aerial Ace'? Ash I guarantee it!" Reggie replied.

"Staravia, whaddya say?" Ash asked determinedly.

"Star avia!" (Let's do it!)

"Oh great, now I'll have to get Vaporeon ready for flying-type moves since she'll be battling Staravia." Misty said in mock annoyance.

"Look at it this way Misty, I'm definitely helping Vaporeon along with her training while this is going on." Ash smirked.

The redhead rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because I really need your help to train my Pokémon." she replied sarcastically.

"Glad you agree." Ash said teasingly. Misty jabbed Ash in the ribs playfully and giggled.

"Maylene, come on, wouldn't you like to have that battle with Ash?" Reggie asked.

"Well I…" Maylene was cut-off by Dawn.

"Now hold on! Excuse me, but I asked Maylene for a battle first!"

"Yeah, but it was my idea first." Misty mumbled to herself.

Ash had heard her though, "Wait wha?"

"I'll explain later." Misty sighed.

"Hey Dawn, mind if we have our battle tomorrow? I'll be at the gym." Maylene said.

"Why not now?" Dawn asked.

"I just need a little time to get myself ready first." Maylene sounded sincere, but Lucario growled as if he sensed something wrong.

"Of course, I don't mind at all! Tomorrow it is!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Now that that's settled, how about we all go by that clearing and do some training?" Reggie suggested.

"Now you're talking! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah! Ash, can you call out Buizel please? I want Piplup to have another water-type he's familiar with to train with him." Dawn requested.

"Sure thing Dawn." Ash replied. The group walked over to the clearing, and called out their Pokémon. Piplup got right to it, and started warming up by punching the air with Buizel.

"Hey Politoed, come over here and get some exercise!" Misty exclaimed. Politoed hopped over and joined Piplup and Buizel in their warm-up. "Looking good Politoed!"

"Piplup's really getting into it huh?" Ash said, noting Piplup's enthusiasm.

"Now Piplup, I want you to keep an eye on how Buizel moves." Dawn said.

"Hey Ash, Staraptor and I are ready when you are!" Reggie called.

"Alright then! Good luck with your battle Dawn." Ash said.

"Thanks, good luck to you too." Dawn replied.

"Thanks."

"I'll go with you Ash." Misty said.

"Sure thing Mist, come on!" Ash ran to Reggie's location, followed closely by Misty.

"And there they go; all they're missing is a sunset." Dawn gushed.

"Yeah, sure." Brock said dismissively, "Anyways, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to use?"

"Well, Maylene uses fighting-type Pokémon, so I've decided to start with Piplup since he can use a flying-type move." Dawn explained.

"Sounds good, and your other two?" Brock asked.

"Next I'll take advantage of all that battling experience Ambipom got with Ash, then Buneary with her awesome jumping skills!" Dawn said.

"Sounds good to me." Brock said.

Back with Ash and Misty, Reggie was getting ready to teach Staravia a brand new move, "Alright Staravia, up!" Ash ordered. Staravia flew up to join Staraptor in the air for training.

"I want Azurill to watch the training. Just so she can get an idea of what real training should be like." Misty called out Azurill who nuzzled her cheek upon release, "Watch closely Azurill."

"Azu zu rill." (Ok Mommy.)

"Good idea Misty, it's always a good idea to let a baby Pokémon get the feeling of training atmosphere." Reggie then ran up and got started, "Now watch closely Ash."

"You got it." Ash replied.

"Staraptor, let's go, use 'Brave Bird'!" Staraptor dive-bombed and powered up its attack. With the momentum of its speed matched with the actual attack, Staraptor cut through a solid rock without feeling a thing.

"Man, what power!" Ash exclaimed.

"With an attack like that, Staravia would be able to knock out almost any Pokémon weak against her type." Misty figured.

"Not necessarily, it always depends on the level of the Pokémon you're battling, and besides, you have to be careful because using power as strong as this takes its toll on Staraptor as well. 'Brave Bird' tests the toughness of both Pokémon and trainer." Reggie explained.

"That means me." Ash said quietly.

Misty picked up on that and poked him in the ribs playfully, "You're not afraid, are you Ash?" she teased.

Ash smiled and raised a determined fist, "No way Mist! I'm ready for the challenge!"

"That's good to hear, so let's give it a try!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Right! Ok Staravia, 'Brave Bird' now!" Staravia mimicked Staraptor's movements, but when the time came to go into full power, Staravia lost her balance and slid on the ground painfully.

"Ooh, that probably hurt." Misty said with concern.

"Staravia!" Ash ran to his flying-type who was sprawled out on the floor, followed closely by Misty and Reggie. "Staravia, are you ok?" Ash asked with concern.

"Looks like Staravia lost her balance right at the moment of power release." Reggie said.

"Well, since it's such a powerful move, it's a lot of power to adjust to the first time around." Misty said.

"Yeah, you're probably right Misty." Ash said, "So what can we do Reggie?"

"Well maybe if we were to use a moving target instead of a rock we could work on improving Staravia's concentration." Reggie said.

"Too bad Team Rocket isn't nearby, we could use them." Misty joked.

"Hey, there's an idea Mist!" Ash said excitedly.

"What, you want to use Team Rocket?" Misty asked.

"No, I'll be the target!" Ash exclaimed.

"What?!" Misty screamed.

"Azu!" (Mommy!)

Misty had squeezed Azurill tightly with her outburst. "Oh, sorry Azurill."

"What's wrong with me being the target Misty?" Ash asked.

"It's too dangerous, that's what! You've already taken a beating over the past few days; if Staravia actually hits you…" Misty shook her head to remove the thought, "I don't even want to think about it."

Ash smiled sympathetically and went over to drape an arm over her shoulders, "Hey, don't worry about me Mist; you know it's my duty as a trainer to give 100% in order to make my Pokémon stronger." Ash then turned to his Pokémon, "You ready Staravia?"

"Star star." (Let's do it.)

"Ash, please be careful." Misty pleaded.

"I will, I promise." Ash ran to the middle of the field, with Staravia flying overhead. "Alright, let's do it!" Ash started running, and Staravia made a bee-line for the running Ash, successfully outputting the power. "Yeah, way to go Staravia, just like that!" Ash leaped out of the way at the last second, and avoided getting hit by Staravia's attack.

"That was too close!" Misty said fearfully, hugging Azurill tightly for comfort.

"Looking good Staravia! One more time!" Ash repeated the sequence.

Curious as to what was happening, Dawn walked up next to Misty, "Ash sure is something." she commented.

"Yeah, he's…one of a kind alright." Misty replied shakily.

"Hey, no need to worry; you know Ash'll be fine." Dawn said.

"Yeah, but I can't help but be nervous, I mean…" Misty watched Staravia dive-bomb Ash again, "Look at that attack!"

Now Brock appeared as well, "That's pretty typical training for Ash, you know that Misty."

"(Sigh) I guess I'll just have to try and relax." Misty said finally, "But I can't help but worry."

"I kinda feel like I should stop him though. He's just the opposite of my brother." Reggie said.

"Yeah, Ash makes his Pokémon stronger the right way." And with that, Dawn went back to her training.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Reggie spoke. "So what's the story with Dawn, Brock?"

"Oh, she's ready to go alright." Brock said.

"But why would a coordinator fight a gym battle? She just doesn't seem like the type to do both contests and battles." Reggie said.

"I honestly think Dawn's going through all of this to help Maylene get her confidence back." Brock explained.

"Even though she hasn't really gotten over it completely herself yet." Misty added.

"That's just it Misty. Dawn knows Maylene's a little shaky right now, and she really wants her to rediscover her love for battling." Brock said.

"Hopefully doing this will help Dawn rediscover her passion as well." Misty said.

Finally Ash came over to the others and wiped his brow, "Phew, ok, I think that's enough for now Staravia." he panted.

"I'm impressed by how fast Staravia's picked up on what to do." Reggie said.

"Hey thanks!" Ash said.

"Um, do me a favor Ash?" Misty asked.

"What is it Misty?" Ash asked.

"Now that Staravia's got the technique, please don't use yourself as a target anymore." Misty pleaded.

Ash saw the concern for his well-being in Misty's eyes and smiled. "Ok Misty, I think Staravia can handle a still target now."

"Star star avia!" (Bring it on!)

"Looks like Staravia agrees Ash." Brock said.

"Thank goodness." Misty said with a relieved sigh.

"I think we should stop for today Ash, remember Staravia can only do that move so many times." Reggie suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Alright Staravia, return." Ash said, recalling his flying-type.

"You guys should probably find yourselves a place to sleep tonight." Reggie suggested.

"Good idea Reggie, we'll head to the Pokémon Center and call ahead." Brock replied.

"Call! Oh my gosh, I forgot to call my sisters!" Misty exclaimed.

"You can call them at the Pokémon Center." Brock said.

"Come on, let's hurry then!" Misty grabbed Ash's hand and ran off, dragging the boy along with her.

"Wait for me you guys!" Brock exclaimed.

"I'll call when Dawn is done with her training!" Reggie called.

Misty's POV

After we got to the center, I went to the videophone to give my sisters that long-due call. I was really curious as to how Daisy was getting along as the new gym leader. But I really hoped that this wouldn't be a mistake, and Daisy would need me to come back to Cerulean again. I heard the phone pick up, and Daisy's voice came over the audio. "Hey, who's there?" she said.

"Turn on the videophone Daisy, it's me, Misty!"

Daisy's face came on the screen. "What's up Misty?"

"Nothing much, only a few life-threatening adventures so far." I joked. "I actually called to find out how you were doing without me." I hoped the answer would be good.

"You wanna know something Misty? I've actually won a few battles!" Daisy said cheerfully. I was beyond happy when she said that, there was even a sense of pride for my sister that had never been there before.

"Are you for real Daisy? Tell me about it!"

"Well, this young kid with a Bulbasaur came in and challenged me to a one-on-one battle, I figured I should use Dewgong because it could use 'Ice Beam'." Daisy explained.

"Smart strategy. I'm impressed!"

"Thanks, anyway, the kid used a 'Razor Leaf' attack, and I told Dewgong to dive underwater to avoid it. The kid totally panicked, it was hilarious! Then Dewgong jumped up from behind the kid, and I told it to use 'Ice Beam'. And that was that." Daisy said proudly.

I was sincerely impressed with my older sister, "Wow Daisy, I can't believe how much you've improved."

"Well what do you expect from a Sensational Sister?" Daisy gloated, I laughed at my sister's haughtiness. "Enough about me, I'm curious…have you kissed your little boyfriend yet?" she asked with a smirk.

I felt my face heat up as if I had gotten hit by an 'Ember' attack. "Daisy!" I hissed angrily. Daisy started cracking up, and I started getting really upset. "It's not funny Daisy!"

"Listen here girl, you better kiss that boy soon or I'll find you and make you kiss 'im!" Daisy teased.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Ash showed up. "Hi Daisy, make her do what?" he asked.

I had to think quick, but Daisy was quicker. "Oh hey! I was just telling Misty that she needs to…"

I cut her off. "Well, gotta go Daisy, say hi to Lily and Violet for me, bye!" I quickly hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Ash asked with an eyebrow raised.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" I said, hoping his denseness would kick in for once.

It did. "Alright then," he shrugged, "We've got our room for the night set."

"Wait, room? Not plural?"

"Nope, we all get the same room; there should be enough beds for everyone this time."

I was actually kind of disappointed that I wouldn't get to sleep with Ash again; he made an amazing pillow for me. "Well…that's good." I said with a disappointed tone. Ash obviously didn't pick up on my disappointment, because he gave me a smile in response. I gave him a kiss on his cheek, and we walked to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

"Hey guys, Reggie just gave me a call, Dawn's ready to come back." Brock said as he walked up to us.

"Alright Brock, you need Charizard to give you a ride?" Ash asked.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble." Brock replied. Ash handed Brock Charizard's Pokéball, and we watched Brock walk out of the center.

"Now how about dinner?" I said. As we got our Pokémon Center Cafeteria sandwiches, a thought crossed my mind. "Hey Ash?"

"Yeah Mist?"

"How could you feel Lucario's 'Aura Sphere's'? I mean…Brock said that some people's auras are stronger than others, and you said that there was a story behind it."

"Well, it was back when May and Max were traveling with us. We had gone to a sort of medieval Pokémon battle tournament. Basically, we dressed in old clothes from the days of knights and stuff. I won the tournament, and there was a banquet held in honor of the 'True Guardian of Aura'. I was given a scepter that honored Aaron, the hero of their kingdom, and for some reason, I heard a voice crying from the jewel on top. I would find out it was a Lucario that could use telepathy from a long, long time ago."

I stared in awe at Ash as he told his story, the things I missed back at the gym was obviously incredible. We had finished dinner, and had gone up to our room by now.

"Later on, I somehow released Lucario by doing a hero pose, and it mistook me for its master, because our auras read the same. Anyways, we had no idea of the adventure we were getting ourselves into. There was a tree called: The Tree of Beginning. We went to go see it and an automatic security system or something attacked us. Quite honestly, I think I had died for a few minutes, because there are gaps in my memory. One minute, I'm saying goodbye to my Pokémon, and the next, I'm saying an emotional hello." Ash continued.

I felt tears form in my eyes as I imagined Ash being dead. He must've seen me start to cry, because he took a hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze to comfort me. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and motioned him to continue.

"Later on, we found that history was repeating itself, when Mew got sick, the tree itself got sick, and that tree held the key to the kingdom's survival! The only thing that could save both Mew and the tree was the power of aura. Lucario had realized by now that Aaron had sacrificed himself to save the kingdom. Lucario knew that he could do the same as Aaron did and tried to transfer his aura into Mew to strengthen it, but he wasn't strong enough." Ash said.

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. If my theory was correct, Ash would say that he offered up his life to save the kingdom.

"I realized that my aura matched Aaron's and with the help of Aaron's old gloves, I helped Lucario by channeling my aura into Mew along with his. I knew I probably would've died, but at the last minute, Lucario pushed me out of the way and said not to worry, because the aura was with him. He managed to finish the job, but he had been so badly weakened, that he died the same way Aaron did: Crystallized in the tree's chamber. At the very least, I was able to show Lucario that Pokémon and humans could be friends after all." Ash finished.

"Oh…Ash…y-you…almost died…I…I…" I couldn't finish my sentence, I was in too much shock and my heart was hurting too much. Ash shifted over from his spot on the bed and hugged me close. I sobbed in his embrace, the thought of him being dead was too much for me to handle. "Somehow I wish I didn't ask." I said between hiccupping sobs. I tried to relax as Ash hugged me tighter.

"It doesn't matter Mist. I'm here, and so is everyone else. We're all ok. All this happened over a year ago." Ash said soothingly. I eventually calmed down to a slight sniffling. I usually felt vulnerable when I cried, but with Ash it was different. I knew I could cry without shame…that is until Brock and Dawn saw us.

Normal POV

"What happened Misty?" Brock asked. Misty turned beet-red, grabbed her pajamas and ran into the bathroom to shower and to hide her face.

"Ash, what did you do to her?" Dawn asked accusingly.

"Nothing I swear!" Ash said defensively, "All I did was tell her the story of when we met Lucario and Mew. She did ask after all."

Brock nodded in understanding, "It's alright Ash," he said reassuringly, "I think I'll take Happiny and go to the balcony for a while."

"Ok Brock, see you later." Dawn said as Brock took Happiny and went to the balcony to get some fresh air.

"I hope Misty's ok." Ash said.

"I'm sure she will be. No need to worry Ash." Dawn reassured.

Just then, Misty came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, and grabbed Azurill's Pokéball before going out to the balcony, flashing a quick smile to Ash on her way. A little later, after everyone was showered and in their pajamas. They stared at the city from their balcony, with Happiny sleeping in Brock's arms, and Azurill likewise in Misty's. "How ya feeling Misty?" Ash asked softly.

"Better." she replied in a tender whisper, "I guess the fact that you're here now means that it worked out for the best." Misty kissed Ash's cheek affectionately, and went back to rocking Azurill.

"Hey Ash, how's Staravia doing?" Dawn asked suddenly.

"Awesome, even Reggie's amazed at how quick Staravia's getting it." Ash replied.

"Well what do you expect? Staravia's got an awesome trainer to help it through anything." Misty giggled. Ash blushed slightly at the compliment, and stared back into the sky. "And what about you Dawn? How's your training coming along?" Misty asked.

"We're doing great thanks to Buizel, Pikachu and Politoed." Dawn replied, "And what about you Misty? I'm sure that since you're on the road again, you've been able to get some training in."

"As a matter of fact I have." the redhead affirmed, "Thanks to Ash, I've had a sparring partner for Vaporeon, and she's getting really strong really fast." Misty winked at her boyfriend.

"I think I should've battled you earlier today Misty." Dawn said.

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Misty asked.

"Well, this is my first gym battle, and I have to admit I've got a case of nerves. Battling an actual gym leader might've prepared me for tomorrow." Dawn said.

"Well I appreciate the compliment, but you know I'm not the only gym leader here." Misty said.

"Yeah, I used to feel exactly the same way back at the Pewter Gym." Brock added.

"That's right! I remember you used to be a gym leader." Dawn exclaimed.

"A gym leader's biggest priority is to bring out the very best in their Pokémon." Brock explained, "When I first started out I was worried about what I was doing, but after meeting lots of trainers I learned the most important thing of all."

"And what's that?" Ash asked.

"The truth is great gym leaders are shaped by their challengers, through all of those gym battles." Brock explained.

"That's exactly why Dawn's battle with Maylene might really help her, although I admit I still wish it were me doing the battling." Misty admitted.

"You may get your shot Mist; she may need a round two, who knows?" Ash said.

"By the way, Reggie said he'd be there tomorrow, it's gonna be great." Brock said.

"I have to thank you guys for your support." Dawn said.

"No problem Dawn, that's what friends are for." Misty said.

"We'll all be there cheering you on tomorrow!" Ash added.

After a few moments of silence, Brock spoke up again, "It's late gang, let's get some sleep ok?"

"Yeah, sounds great Brock." Ash said.

Misty yawned, "I am pretty tired now that you mention it."

"I may not sleep tonight, I'm too excited." Dawn said sheepishly.

"You'll sleep, don't worry. Come on guys." Brock said, slowly getting up as not to wake Happiny. Ash slowly helped Misty up from her chair so as not to wake Azurill. Misty nuzzled Ash's cheek affectionately and made her way up the ladder to her bunk. Dawn took the other top bunk, while the boys took the bottom bunks, Ash under Misty, and Brock under Dawn respectively. After the team gave their routine good nights, Brock shut off the light and quiet filled the room.

Misty's POV

I couldn't believe it. I was freezing again! Except this time I didn't have any excuse to sleep with Ash for warmth since he was already comfortably snoozing. I peered my head over the side of the bed and saw Ash's figure in the dark, sleeping peacefully. I had gotten used to sleeping close to Ash, I felt as if I wouldn't be able to sleep without his presence, which was actually kind of embarrassing. My mind was now flinging a thought back and forth, should I wake up Ash and ask to share his bunk, and also risk Dawn's practical jokes? Or keep trying to sleep by myself in the cold? When I considered the two choices, it came as an easy answer.

"Ash?" I whispered. Ash didn't stir. "Ash?" I said a bit louder. Ash stirred this time, but didn't wake up. I climbed down the ladder as quietly as I could, and tried to shake Ash to consciousness.

Ash eventually turned over, and opened his eyes a slit. "Misty?" he said drowsily.

Now I was starting to lose my nerve, but a chill that ran down my spine gave it back. "A-Ash? I'm cold." Ash gave me a small smile, and scooted over to make room for me. I crawled under the covers and I immediately felt a feeling of warmth wash over me, I snuggled up to Ash and hugged him, and I released a happy sigh when he wrapped his arms around me. Sleep would come easy for me now, since I didn't feel cold in the slightest anymore. But I did feel a chill run down my spine when I heard a snap and snickering from the other side of the room. "Dawn, you might not have a Pokédex tomorrow."

Normal POV

Misty woke up early the next morning and dug through Dawn's backpack for her Pokédex, she found it and looked through the memory of the camera function, she saw a picture of her and Ash cuddled up comfortably."And delete." Misty thought as she eliminated the evidence from last night. She managed to put everything back in time for Ash and the rest of the gang to wake up as well. "Morning guys!"

"Morning Misty." the group said in unison.

"Today's the day! Let's get going right now!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Uh, Dawn, don't you think you should put some regular clothes on first?" Misty asked.

Dawn was about to run out the door in her pajamas. "Oops, yeah, I guess I should." she sweat-dropped. After everyone got dressed, they went for a quick breakfast, and headed towards the gym. "Here we go! My first ever gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

"I still wish it was me though." Misty mumbled.

"Look at it this way Mist, Maylene needs to fight someone she'll actually have a chance against, not someone who'll kick her can all over the gym." Ash said quietly.

Misty gave a small laugh. "You're sneaky Ash."

"Alright, we're here!" Dawn exclaimed. "Maylene, I challenge you!"

"Awesome, that's how you challenge a gym leader to a battle!" Ash complimented.

"Maybe, but it feels kind of awkward to scream at a building now that I think about it." Dawn said. Ash sweat-dropped at that.

The group walked in and found Maylene and Lucario standing on one end of the field, and Reggie sitting on the sidelines. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Welcome." Maylene said with a bow.

"Thank you, and thanks for accepting my challenge." Dawn replied.

"She's acting as if they didn't agree to this yesterday." Misty huffed.

"We should be the ones thanking you." Maylene said.

"Well here we go." Reggie said as the other teens took their place on the bench.

The referee called out the rules, and Maylene sent out her first Pokémon. "Now let's begin! Go Meditite!" Meditite immediately emerged.

"Wow, so Meditite's her first choice." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex, which for some reason was on camera mode. Dawn narrowed her eyes at Misty, who immediately realized why Dawn was staring at her. "Excuse me whilst I switch to the right setting." Dawn said, not averting her gaze. Misty gave a guilty grin, and Ash looked at Misty with confusion.

"Meditite, the meditate Pokémon. Meditite uses meditation to increase its power, never skipping a day of yoga training." her Pokédex said.

"Looks like Dawn's battling a psychic-type Pokémon." Brock said.

Suddenly, Psyduck popped out of its ball. "Psy?" (Me?)

"Arrgh! He said psychic, not Psyduck!" Misty said angrily before returning Psyduck.

"So now it's Dawn's turn." Ash said.

"Ash, look." Misty said, pointing towards Dawn, who suddenly seemed to go stiff.

"Whoa, what's wrong with her?" Ash asked.

"I think Dawn is starting to feel the pressure that comes with battling a gym leader." Misty replied.

"I can fix that!" Ash exclaimed.

"Huh? What are you gonna do?" Misty asked.

Her question was answered when Ash stood up and yelled. "Hey Dawn, have fun out there! And Maylene, remember that you're a gym leader, so show your strength!"

"Whoa! But Ash…" Dawn stammered.

"Oh my, well thanks very much Ash. Ok Dawn, let's do this, whenever you're ready!" Maylene exclaimed.

"Right, this is going to be fun! Buneary, let's go!" Dawn called out her rabbit Pokémon, and Buneary popped out of her ball and waved at Pikachu. Pikachu waved back, encouraging Buneary to battle her hardest.

"Well Pikachu, do you like Buneary too?" Misty asked teasingly.

Pikachu sweat-dropped. "Pi…ka." (Well…uh.) Misty couldn't help but giggle at Pikachu's flustered expression.

"Alright, let's get this over with nice and quick." Dawn said confidently.

"Meditite, let's make this an early day." Maylene said with the same confident tone.

"Alright, they're both ready to go now!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wow, Ash really did the trick!" Reggie said, impressed.

"Well I'm not surprised, Ash has a knack for instilling confidence for sure." Brock said.

"That's my Ash." Misty said with a wink. Ash's hand flew to the back of his head as his face turned a bit pink. Misty giggled in response.

Dawn rolled her eyes at the couple, "Could you two hold off the flirting until after I'm done here?" Both Ash and Misty blushed this time.

"Pi ka." (Busted.) Pikachu snickered.

"Just watch the battle." Ash said to Pikachu in a mock annoyed tone.

Speaking of the battle, it had just gotten started. "Buneary, use 'Bounce'!" Buneary leaped high into the air, did two mid-air somersaults, and came back down to earth with her foot outstretched to kick Meditite.

"Detect!" Maylene countered. Meditite's eyes glowed in an ominous green color, and it seemingly vanished from sight before Buneary could land the attack.

"It dodged!" Ash exclaimed.

Buneary landed on her back, due to her not regaining balance beforehand. "It's called 'Detect' because it detects and avoids your opponent's move." Brock explained.

"She must've practiced it to use against flying-type Pokémon." Ash said.

"So does that mean that Meditite could just avoid every attack that comes its way?" Misty asked.

"Not necessarily. There are some disadvantages to using that move in succession." Brock replied.

"Alright, now it's my turn! Use 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene exclaimed, doing the movements of the attack with her body. Meditite followed through with the exact same movements as its master.

"Maylene and Meditite are moving in sync!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's just the way Maylene does it. Since she's a warrior, she mirrors her Pokémon's moves which makes herself stronger. She literally becomes one with her Pokémon." Reggie explained.

"Sounds like the water shows my sisters put on back at the gym. Maybe that's why Daisy's actually won a few battles." Misty said.

"Could be, like I said before, being one with your Pokémon is the most important thing!" Ash said.

"Spin and dodge it!" Buneary got up and twirled in the air, but she was hit by shave damage as she grazed the edge of the energy-draining punch, causing her to lose her balance and hit the ground painfully. "Buneary, are you ok?" Dawn asked. Buneary forced herself to her feet, and turned to face her opponent.

"Even with that spin, they still got stuck." Ash said.

"Which only shows how well Maylene and her Pokémon are in sync with each other." Misty said.

"The big problem with 'Drain Punch' for Dawn is that it can take away a lot of power from Buneary, and channel it back into Meditite." Brock explained.

"It's obvious that Maylene is a lot more accustomed to battling." Reggie added, "If Maylene keeps this up, I'm afraid it's going to be a rough day for Dawn."

"Don't give up Buneary! 'Ice Beam' let's go!" Buneary fired a powerful, freezing beam at Meditite, who was frozen in a block of ice after getting hit dead-on.

"Bull's-eye!" Ash cheered.

"But wait a second." Misty said, getting Ash's attention, "Maylene doesn't seem to care that Meditite was frozen."

Taking a closer look at Maylene's facial expression, Ash realized she was right, "Waah! You're right! Maylene must have something up her sleeve!"

"Now's our chance!" Dawn exclaimed. Buneary charged towards the frozen psychic/fighting-type to attack while it was still frozen.

"Alright Meditite, 'Confusion'!" Meditite's eyes glowed in an ominous pink color within the frozen prison, and the ice encasing it broke into pieces, controlled by the psychic attack. It then used the ice to attack Buneary.

"Dodge it!" Buneary started jumping back and forth, dodging ice chunks all the way.

"Once again Meditite, 'Confusion'!" Its eyes glowed again, and this time it took control of Buneary's entire body, which started floating in mid-air under the influence of Meditite's attack.

"That's the same thing that Brad did with Slowpoke!" Ash exclaimed.

"Now, to the ground Meditite!" Meditite swung its arm downward, and flung Buneary towards the ground.

"Just like when Brad did it!" Misty exclaimed.

"But thanks to him, we're ready!" Dawn exclaimed, "Buneary, land, and then 'Bounce'!" Buneary landed on her ears, and bounced up into the sky for a downward kick.

"Awesome rebound!" Ash exclaimed.

"Who would've guessed that the battle with Brad would prepare her for this?" Brock said.

"I guess there's a reason for everything." Misty added.

"Use 'Drain Punch' let's go!" Maylene ordered. Meditite charged towards the incoming rabbit with a powerful energy-sapping punch, the two attacks collided, challenged each other for superiority, and then an explosion took place in mid-air.

Both Buneary and Meditite landed in the same manner, and it seemed like the two attacks would be a draw. "Buneary's bounce landed great…" Ash said.

"But so did Meditite's 'Drain Punch'." Brock added.

Just then, Buneary fell to her knees, and then fainted right on the spot. "It was too much to take." Misty said sadly.

"Pika pika." (Yeah, guess so.)

"Meditite, that was excellent." Maylene said proudly.

On the other end of the battlefield, Dawn recalled Buneary. "Thank you Buneary…all of your hard work won't be wasted!" Placing the Pokéball back on her belt, she reached for her next choice, "Ambipom, you're next!" Ambipom emerged in battle-ready stance.

"Get 'em Ambipom!" Ash yelled. Ambipom made her friendship symbol in response to her former master's encouragement.

"Since Ambipom used to be Ash's Pokémon, she has more experience with the pressure of gym battles than any of Dawn's Pokémon." Brock said.

"Then this should be interesting to see." Misty added.

"Ambipom, 'Swift' let's go!" Ambipom jumped, and fired a flurry of stars that flew in a circle around Meditite.

"That looks like how she starts 'Rainbow Swift'!" Misty pointed out.

"Hey, you're right!" Ash exclaimed.

The stars suddenly attacked Meditite from all directions, so Meditite could do nothing except take the attack. "Meditite, 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene countered. Meditite charged through the remainder of the stars, and went to drain the energy from the two-tailed Pokémon.

"Block it quick!" Dawn countered. Ambipom chattered with determination, and her tails negated the effect of the 'Drain Punch'.

"Wow." Reggie said in awe, "Ambipom clearly already had instincts on what to do next, thanks to Ash's training, so Dawn simply followed through with the command."

"Alright, 'Double Hit'!" From above, Ambipom swung her tails to gain power, and then brought them down hard onto Meditite's head. It landed on the ground with a painful thud, and Meditite lied there, fainted. "Awesome! Ambipom, we did it!". Ambipom did the symbol and chattered happily.

Maylene returned Meditite with a forlorn look. "Meditite, thanks for your effort." she said. At first she seemed sad, but a smirk slowly crept onto her face. "Interesting. It seems…you approach a battle like a contest." Maylene predicted.

"I guess so." Dawn admitted, "And I'm having a lot of fun doing it!"

"I guess once a coordinator, always a coordinator." Brock chuckled.

"All of a sudden I'm glad it's Dawn doing the battle." Misty said.

"And why's that?" Ash asked.

"They're both enjoying themselves out there; this battle may prove to help Dawn as much as it'll help Maylene." Misty explained.

"Our next go-round will not be easy. Lucario, you ready to go?" Maylene asked. Lucario leaped onto the field, and growled at Ambipom with determination.

"Lucario sure looks ready." Dawn said to herself.

"Lucario, don't be taken in by her contest-like moves!" Maylene warned. Lucario grunted to acknowledge.

"There's something about Lucario that's different." Ash said.

"The bond between those two is strong. Lucario must be sensing the confidence welling up inside Maylene." Reggie explained.

"Let's go Ambipom, use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom leaped to attack.

"Bone Rush!" Maylene countered. A bone made of energy appeared in Lucario's paws and it countered Ambipom's attack without issue. It then twirled the long bone threateningly, and bashed Ambipom into the dojo wall. The impact was too much to take, as Ambipom immediately fainted.

"Ambipom!" Dawn screamed.

"That was a great 'Bone Rush'." Maylene congratulated. Lucario twirled the bone in triumph before it dissipated.

"It took out Ambipom with just one hit." Misty said in awe.

"That was amazing." Ash added.

"Every movement with a purpose." Brock added.

Reggie nodded at their awe, "Exactly, when Maylene and Lucario are working perfectly in sync, let's just say I defy anyone to find any kind of opening." Reggie smiled as he watched what was taking place on the battlefield, "It looks like Dawn has reawakened Maylene's passion for battling, and ignited her team spirit."

"And it looks like she's awake now too." Misty said happily.

"Now, Piplup, you're up next!" Dawn screamed, calling out her third and final Pokémon.

"Alright, give me everything you've got!" Maylene exclaimed.

"I wouldn't think of doing anything else! 'Bubblebeam'!" Piplup jumped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles at the fighting/steel-type.

"Dodge it, and then use 'Aura Sphere'!" Maylene countered. Lucario easily dodged the attack, and then fired a ball of aura directly at the small penguin, who took the hit dead-on.

"That was a direct hit!" Brock gasped.

Piplup rebounded, and stared its opponent down. "Hmm? It did nothing?" Maylene gasped.

"Piplup, way to go!" Ash cheered.

"Show her what water-types are made of!" Misty cheered, punching the air.

"Piplup, use 'Whirlpool', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Piplup formed a giant whirlpool and fired it at Lucario, who became surrounded by water. "Alright, Lucario's trapped! Piplup, it's time to use 'Peck' let's go!" Piplup surfed on the waters of the whirlpool, and charged towards Lucario to use the flying-type move.

"Check it out!" Ash exclaimed.

"I have to admit, that's not the way I would've approached it." Misty said.

"Using contest techniques to cover up their bad match-up! Nice strategy!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Lucario, quick, 'Metal Claw' right now!" Maylene countered. Before Piplup could land the attack, the spikes on Lucario's paws turned into sharp, steel claws, which disassembled the whirlpool and stopped Piplup cold.

"Awesome move!" Dawn complimented.

"Hey, you too!" Maylene replied.

"They're both looking great!" Ash exclaimed.

"Maylene and Lucario are totally in sync! And it has everything to do with Dawn's passionate battling style stirring things up!" Reggie explained.

"Now Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired again.

"Lucario, let's go!" Maylene screamed. Lucario ran right through the 'Bubblebeam' without getting hit once, and grabbed onto Piplup with its palm, much to Dawn's audible shock, "Use 'Force Palm'!" A large beam of energy came out of Lucario's palm, and a cry of pain was heard before Piplup was seen flying through the air, and landing on the ground with a thud. Piplup forced himself to his feet once more, and stared angrily at Lucario.

"Whoa, what kind of move was that?" Ash asked in awe.

"Force Palm'. 'Force Palm' is a fighting-type move. First you get past your opponent's defense, and then hit them with massive energy focused in your palm." Reggie explained.

"She's some gym leader…what strength." Dawn said in awe. Piplup managed to shake off his weakness, and went back to battle-ready stance. "Alright Piplup! That's the way it's done!" Dawn praised.

Lucario gave a grunt to Maylene. "You're right Lucario…" the Gym Leader said in response, "How much fun is this battle? It's been a while since I felt so good!"

"Wonder if this Maylene would've been beaten by Paul?" Reggie wondered out-loud.

"Now Lucario, use 'Aura Sphere'!" Lucario fired an 'Aura Sphere' at the small penguin.

"Piplup, 'Peck'!" Dawn countered. Piplup ran right into the sphere with a glowing beak, which broke up the sphere upon contact. Maylene and Lucario gasped in shock, as Piplup poked Lucario in the stomach with a sharp beak.

"You ok?" Maylene asked. Lucario grunted in acknowledgement.

"Since 'Peck' is a flying-type move, it's a good match against the fighting-type 'Aura Sphere'! Of course that means we can still win this thing!" Dawn exclaimed.

Lucario grunted to Maylene again, proposing an idea. Maylene nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's do that." she said, "We'll break down their combinations! Lucario, use 'Aura Sphere' once more!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" The two attacks collided, causing the field to be covered in smoke. "And now use 'Peck'!" Piplup charged through the smoke, ready to stab Lucario on the other side, but when the smoke cleared, Lucario wasn't there. Piplup looked around in shock, and finally looked up to see Lucario bearing down from above. "Look out Piplup!"

"Force Palm!" Maylene ordered. Lucario grabbed onto Piplup, and used all the energy it could muster into one ultra-powerful 'Force Palm'. Dawn gasped in horror at the sight of Lucario concluding the brutal attack. When the dust settled, Piplup had fainted.

"I guess…that's it." Ash said sullenly.

"But hey, for her first gym battle, Dawn was great." Brock said.

"Lucario, thanks so much." Maylene said gratefully. Lucario responded with a soft grunt.

Dawn picked up her exhausted water-type. "Thank you Piplup, you battled hard." she said as she embraced the exhausted penguin.

"You both battled hard." Ash said.

"We couldn't be prouder, and that's speaking for all of us." Misty added.

"Thanks, but, we lost." Dawn said.

"Come on Dawn, that was an awesome battle! You should be proud of yourself too." Ash said.

"Thanks you guys. I mean it." Dawn said gratefully.

"And I don't know how to thank you Dawn." Maylene said, "Or you either Misty."

"Of course, we gym leaders need to stick together." Misty said.

"You both managed to make me forget my fears about winning or losing, and all I could think about was how much fun it was. Wow, it sure felt like old times." Maylene said gratefully.

"That really means so much to me, hey, and I bet you'll have at least that much fun when you have a battle with Ash." Dawn said.

"That's right, I guess I forgot." Maylene replied.

"A battle between you two will be a real gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ok, I'm starting to get the whole picture now. And I realize, I've got to stay on as gym leader, especially after you reminded me how much fun a great battle could be!" Maylene said.

"Although for some gym leaders, they prefer to follow different dreams." Dawn said, looking at Misty and Brock.

"Maylene, I can guarantee you'll have a great time going up against Ash's battling style!" Reggie exclaimed.

"If that's the case, I've got another fun battle to look forward to." Maylene said.

"Great, when can we do it?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Give us a few hours, and me and Lucario will be waiting for you." Maylene said.

"And then we can all cheer for Ash!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

"Dawn, you're not gonna…" Brock was cut-off.

"C'mon Misty, I've got something to show you back at the Pokémon Center!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Um, sure?" Misty said unsurely. Dawn grabbed Misty's wrist, and dragged her back to the Pokémon Center.

"Well, I guess we'll see you later Maylene." Ash said.

"Alright then, we'll be waiting!" Maylene said.

"I'm proud of you Maylene, see you later." Reggie said.

"Bye Reggie, and thanks." Maylene replied. The trio of boys walked out of the gym, and Reggie split up with the two teens to head back to his house.

Meanwhile, Dawn was gushing over an idea of hers at the Pokémon Center. "Lock the door Misty!" Dawn said excitedly. Misty obliged, and locked the door. Suddenly, Dawn called out all of her Pokémon.

"Dawn, what are you doing?" Misty asked.

"Since we'll be cheering for Ash, I figured we should dress the part."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Misty asked suspiciously. Her question was answered when Dawn reached into her backpack and pulled out a bunch of mini-cheerleading outfits for her Pokémon. "Wait a minute…I know where this is going Dawn, I'm not putting on a cheerleader outfit!" Misty screamed.

"Oh come on! You've just gotta look your role, and besides, Ash will think you're a knock-out!" Dawn said with a wink.

Misty blushed a bit and then allowed Dawn to dress her in the outfit. After putting it on, Misty looked in the mirror and examined her image. The outfit did accentuate her body nicely, but it just didn't feel natural to her. "Dawn, are you sure about this? It just feels…weird." Misty said hesitantly.

"Of course! I guarantee Ash won't be able to take his eyes off you!" Dawn exclaimed cheerfully.

"You really think..." Misty then realized what Dawn was suggesting and quickly pulled the uniform off, "Hey wait a minute! That's the last thing he needs!"

"W-What do you mean?" Dawn asked, shocked by Misty's sudden outburst.

"If Ash is looking at me, how will he be able to focus on the battle?!"

"Hmm, I guess you have a point there." Dawn shrugged, "Oh well, I can still wear my outfit, Ash was always too focused to even look my way."

"Fine then. As long as you don't distract Ash during the battle." Misty said as she slipped back into her regular clothes.

"No need to worry Misty. I guess all that matters to Ash is the fact that you'll be there. This'll be his first gym battle since your arrival!" Dawn exclaimed as she changed into her own outfit.

"I'm really curious to see how much Ash has improved."

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed!" Dawn exclaimed, now fully in her cheerleader attire. Dawn returned her Pokémon, and the two girls walked out of the room and found Ash and Brock in the cafeteria. "Hey guys!"

"Hey, you gonna wear that outfit again Dawn?" Ash asked.

"Of course, you have to look the part!" Dawn exclaimed.

Brock shook his head. "Same old Dawn, always wanting to make the best of appearances."

"And you're not going to wear one Misty?" Ash asked.

"Uh…I wasn't planning on it." Misty said.

"That's cool; all I really care about is your support." Ash said.

"And that you shall have." Misty smiled and sat down next to Ash and kissed his cheek.

"Better load up on carbs Ash, you'll need the energy." Brock said.

"Good idea Brock!" And with that, Ash ran inside the cafeteria.

"So Dawn, you seemed to enjoy yourself during your battle." Misty said.

"Yeah, using the contest moves to battle with was a lot of fun!" Dawn replied.

"So that means you'll be back on the contest trail soon?" Brock asked.

"Without a doubt!" Dawn replied.

Just then, Ash came back with a plate-full of food. "You want to load up on carbs Ash, not overload!" Misty said.

"Hey, when I get psyched up, I need a lot to eat!" Ash said in defense.

"Psy?" (Huh?) Psyduck popped out of his Pokéball upon hearing something similar to his name, much to Misty's annoyance.

"(Sigh) He said psyched, not Psyduck." Misty groaned as she recalled the duck Pokémon.

"What's up with that Psyduck of yours?" Dawn asked.

"Me catching Psyduck was strictly an accident, believe me." Misty said.

"Can it do anything?" Dawn asked.

"Only when its headache gets really bad. Otherwise, it's useless." Misty sighed.

"And Ash, you'll be useless if you don't slow down. Take your time, Maylene isn't going anywhere." Brock said, trying to stop Ash from eating too fast.

"Sorry Brock, I'm just way psy – uh, excited." After Ash finished lunch, and Misty soothed his hurting belly, they walked back to the gym, where Ash yelled into the building. "You ready to go Maylene?!"

They walked into the gym, and found Maylene and Lucario standing at the end of the field. "Get comfortable everyone, Lucario and I are ready to put on a show!" Maylene said determinedly.

Dawn called out her outfit-wearing Pokémon, and gave them their pom-poms. "Alright, let's all cheer super-hard for Ash and Maylene!" Her Pokémon announced their approval.

"Wow Dawn, cheering for both sides?" Brock asked.

"Well, I want to witness the greatest battle of all time!" Dawn replied.

Ash looked over to the sidelines and saw Misty. She blew a kiss in his direction, and adrenaline suddenly coursed through his veins. "Alright Maylene, I'm pumped and ready to go!"

"So am I! Alright Machoke, come on out!" Maylene launched her first Pokéball, and out came her Machoke.

"She's got a Machoke huh?" Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex and scanned the muscled creature.

"Machoke, the Superpower Pokémon, and the evolved form of Machop. Machoke has enough strength to lift a truck with one hand, and are often used for extremely heavy work." her Pokédex chirped.

"Now it's my turn. Staravia, I choose you!" Ash called out his flying-type, who gave a shrill cry upon release.

"No surprise to see Staravia make an appearance." Misty said.

"Right, because now he has the type advantage!" Dawn added.

"Staravia, 'Quick Attack'!" Staravia charged toward the muscular Pokémon at incredible speed.

"Now Machoke, use 'Brick Break'!" Machoke brought down its hand in a karate-chop fashion, and stopped the 'Quick Attack' cold.

"She's using 'Brick Break' as a defense." Dawn said in awe.

"Sounds like what a warrior like Maylene would do." Brock added.

"That was impressive, but I know Ash has something ready." Misty said.

"That's right Mist! Staravia, push back!" Staravia backed away from her opponent, causing a huge gale of wind to fill the room. Maylene growled as Machoke was pushed back by the gust. "Alright, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia backed up some more, and then charged toward her opponent for a powerful flying attack.

"Dodge it, and then use 'Cross Chop'!" Machoke ducked, narrowly escaping Staravia's swooping attack, and then nailed Staravia with a two-way karate-chop.

"Ash wanted Staravia to get closer with that 'Aerial Ace'." Brock said.

"But it looks like Maylene saw that coming and was ready for it." Misty said.

"Now keep using 'Brick Break'!" Machoke started bashing Staravia with multiple 'Brick Break' attacks, causing extreme damage to the speedy flying-type.

"I don't think Staravia can afford to take many more hits!" Brock said.

"Ash, do something! Staravia won't last much longer!" Misty screamed.

"Right, time to finish this…with 'Seismic Toss'!" Misty, Dawn, and Brock gasped as Machoke acknowledged Maylene's order and moved to grab Staravia and throw her into the ground, until…

"Quick Attack' let's go!" With near blinding speed, Staravia countered the attack with a smooth 'Quick Attack'.

"Alright! Staravia's back in the battle!" Misty cheered.

"That was a smart move on Ash's part." Brock added.

"Alright, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia backed up again, and built up speed for the swooping attack. This time Staravia made contact, and Machoke groaned in pain after the super-effective move.

"That was a critical hit!" Dawn exclaimed.

"And because of the intense speed from that 'Quick Attack', all of its effects were doubled!" Brock added.

Machoke fell to the ground with a dull thud, fainted. "Way to go Ash!" Misty cheered.

Ash looked to the sidelines and gave Misty a thumbs-up and a smile. "You were great too Staravia."

"Star star!" (Thanks!)

Maylene recalled Machoke. "Wow, you worked really hard Machoke, now you deserve a good rest…and you Ash…the way you switched from 'Quick Attack' to 'Aerial Ace'…I'm impressed!"

"Thanks!"

"Now, time to bring out my second Pokémon."

While the battle was going on, Team Rocket was snooping around the building, looking for Pokémon to snatch. "We mustn't disturb the twerps' gym time." Jessie whispered.

"Otherwise they'll disturb our Pokémon poach time." James said.

"Bet dere's Pokémon plenty through dis door." Meowth said.

They opened the sliding door, and found two men and a woman in meditation. "Welcome." they said in unison.

"Would you care to treat yourself to a relaxing massage free of charge?" the oldest man said.

"Free? I'm relaxed already!" Jessie exclaimed.

"That's just what we need!" James said.

"Da poifect ting for us woiking stiffs!" Meowth added. They would soon regret agreeing to the massage, as their masseuses turned out to be students of the trade, who were obviously new due to their painful techniques.

Meanwhile, Maylene was calling out her second Pokémon. "Alright then Meditite, you're up next!"

"Now why am I not surprised?" Brock asked.

"Ash got to get a good look at Maylene's techniques with Meditite, so that helps him out." Misty said.

"But he'll have to watch out for those psychic moves." Dawn covered her mouth with her hand, and looked over to Misty, whom Psyduck had just appeared next to. She had unfortunately realized her slip of the tongue slightly too late. "Sorry Misty."

"I need to find a lock for your Pokéball." Misty growled as she recalled the dopey duck Pokémon. Dawn and Brock sweat-dropped.

"Staravia, use 'Quick Attack' now!" Staravia charged towards the floating Pokémon.

"Now 'Detect'!" Meditite's eyes glowed green, and a picture perfect dodge was executed. "Meditate!" Meditite glowed in a white aura as it meditated.

"What's 'Meditate'?" Dawn asked.

"A move that raises attack power." Brock replied.

"Staravia, 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia backed up once more, and built up speed for the attack.

"Detect!" Again Meditite's eyes glowed, and it avoided the attack entirely.

Misty huffed, "Geez! It keeps dodging everything Ash throws at it!"

"Now 'Meditate'!" Maylene ordered. The aura returned as Meditite raised its strength again.

"Why the same attacks?" Dawn asked.

"Maylene's maxing out its attack power so it can finish it all in one hit." Brock predicted.

"You heard that, right Ash?" Misty asked.

"I heard, and I won't let ya! Staravia, push back!" Staravia created a gale of wind with her wings, which interrupted Meditite's meditation.

"Bounce off of the wall and then use 'Drain Punch'!" Meditite recovered and pushed off of the wall, and made a direct hit with the energy-sapping punch.

"That was some attack!" Brock exclaimed.

"And Meditite's attack power was way up!" Dawn said.

"Stay strong Staravia!" Misty called.

"You heard her Staravia, stay strong and use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia charged towards its opponent once more.

"Use 'Confusion'!" Meditite's eyes glowed purple, and it took control of Staravia's movements, making Staravia slam to the floor.

"Oh no!" Dawn cried.

Staravia's eyes were purple when she opened them, and she started slamming her head into the floor.

"Staravia got confused by that attack!" Misty cried.

"Staravia, return!" Ash pointed her Pokéball towards her and returned her to safety.

"As soon as Staravia returns, the confusion's erased!" Maylene said.

"That was a smart move on Ash's part." Brock said.

"Hopefully Staravia can take enough of a break to get her strength back." Misty said.

"So Ash, are you gonna use that Charizard of yours?" Maylene asked.

"Nope, but that's a close guess! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash launched a Pokéball and out came Chimchar, "Use 'Scratch' now!" Chimchar swiftly scratched Meditite's face, knocking it back.

"Your Chimchar's got great speed! But, so does Meditite! 'Drain Punch'!" Meditite matched Chimchar's speed, and landed a direct hit on the flaming monkey.

"That was a direct hit!" Brock exclaimed.

"Keep using 'Drain Punch'!" Meditite attacked with multiple punches, each one taking away Chimchar's energy, and refueling Meditite.

"If Chimchar doesn't get moving, Meditite will have taken all of poor Chimchar's energy!" Misty cried.

"Not gonna happen! Dodge and keep using 'Scratch'!" Chimchar dodged a punch, and proceeded to follow through with the command.

"Detect." Maylene said calmly. With glowing eyes, Meditite dodged Chimchar's attacks.

"That's just so unfair! It seems like Meditite knows what Chimchar'll do for before he does it!" Misty exclaimed with frustration.

"Poor Chimchar can't land a thing!" Dawn added.

"True, but like I said before, you can use 'Detect' too much." Brock said.

As if on cue, the effects of 'Detect' wore off, and Chimchar finally managed to nail Meditite with a 'Scratch' attack. "Your Chimchar's got some impressive battling skills!" Maylene complimented.

"Check out some fire-type moves! 'Flamethrower' let's go!" Chimchar fired a burning flame, which made contact with the now squealing Meditite. "Now let's show 'em 'Flame Wheel'!" Chimchar enveloped himself in fire, and rolled towards Meditite.

"Yeah! Ash is on the attack!" Misty cheered.

"Looks like things are going his way at last." Brock said.

"Meditite, 'Confusion'!"

The group gasped. "I think I may have spoken too soon!" Brock exclaimed.

Meditite's eyes glowed, and Chimchar's direction was altered. He rammed into the wall painfully. "Chimchar, are you ok?" Ash asked. Chimchar got to his feet, but then started attacking a nearby pole.

"Oh no, now Chimchar is confused too!" Misty cried.

"That psychic-type move Maylene uses always seems to cause trouble!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Chimchar, return!" Ash called the monkey back and gave him some relief, "Thanks buddy, you need a good rest."

"So who's next?" Maylene asked confidently.

Ash ignored her smug attitude and made his choice, "Staravia, I need you again!" Staravia appeared once more, clearly ready for battle again.

"Looks like Staravia's confusion is gone...Meditite, 'Drain Punch'!" Meditite charged to punch down Staravia.

"Quick, push back!" Staravia backed up, using 'Gust' to slow the momentum of Meditite.

"Wow, Meditite's worn out from battling with Chimchar!" Brock exclaimed.

"Now's your chance Ash!" Dawn cheered.

"Finish it while you can!" Misty added.

"You heard 'em Staravia! Let's show 'em 'Brave Bird'!" Staravia charged towards Meditite with a flaming aura.

"Confusion' again!" Maylene screamed.

"She's gonna change Staravia's flight pattern!" Misty exclaimed.

"No, look again!" Brock exclaimed. Meditite attempted 'Confusion', but it was too worn out, and took the full brunt of the ultra-powerful flying attack, and fainted.

"Yeah, you did it!" Ash praised the panting Staravia.

"Wow, they've really mastered 'Brave Bird'!" Dawn said.

"That attack did the trick!" Misty exclaimed.

"It did the trick on Meditite, but it may have done the same to Staravia since it causes damage to the user as well. I don't know how much longer Staravia will last." Brock said sullenly.

"Meditite, thanks for your hard work..." Maylene returned Meditite and then turned her attention to Ash, "Ash, you and Staravia have 'Brave Bird' down pat, you should be so proud!"

"Thanks Maylene! We learned it just in the nick of time, thanks to everyone's awesome help." Ash said, giving a thumbs-up to his friends.

"And now it's time for my third Pokémon! Lucario, come on out!" Maylene launched her last Pokéball, and Lucario emerged with a low growl.

"Finally, Lucario's up!" Ash said excitedly.

"Get to it Ash!" Misty encouraged.

Ash gave another thumbs-up, this one directed straight at Misty, and Misty winked in response. "Let's rock and roll! Use 'Brave Bird'!"

"Ash shouldn't be using 'Brave Bird'!" Brock warned.

"Why? What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"It's not like any small moves will have that much of an effect." Misty added. Staravia charged toward Lucario, and it seemed as though the attack would hit...until…

"Use 'Metal Claw'!" Lucario lashed out at the bird with steel claws, and the combination of Lucario's attack with the recoil of 'Brave Bird' left Staravia fainted.

"Staravia!" Ash exclaimed with concern.

"I warned him about using 'Brave Bird'." Brock sighed.

"Ash didn't really have any choice though." Misty said.

"That 'Metal Claw' sure didn't help anything." Dawn added.

"Thanks Staravia, you really deserve a good rest." Ash returned the bird to her Pokéball before reaching for his next choice.

"Lucario, excellent as always." Maylene said confidently.

"Man oh man…Lucario's tough." Ash said.

"Yeah, but you're tougher Ash! Don't you forget it!" Misty cheered.

"Subtle much?" Dawn asked.

"Said the girl in the cheerleading outfit." Misty countered.

"Touché Miss Waterflower." Dawn replied.

"Alright, Chimchar, back at it!" Chimchar made his second appearance of the day, ready to battle the fighting/steel-type Lucario.

"Chimchar versus Lucario should be a perfect match!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright! Ash is on the right track!" Misty cheered.

"Hate to burst a bubble, but Maylene and Lucario have shown that they can beat type advantages." Brock said.

"Let's go Chimchar! 'Flamethrower'!"

"And dodge it!" Maylene countered. Lucario let the flames go right by it.

"Keep it up Chimchar! 'Flamethrower'!"

"And you keep dodging!" Lucario dodged the multiple flame attacks.

"Lucario doesn't even look like it's trying!" Misty said.

"That's because when it comes to speed, Lucario rules!" Brock said.

"Come on Chimchar!" Dawn encouraged.

"Let's try getting in closer, use 'Scratch'!"

"Dodge, and use 'Force Palm'!" Maylene countered.

"Uh oh!" Dawn panicked.

"Ash, look out!" Misty cried.

Chimchar's attack was a clean miss, and Lucario released a powerful energy that sent Chimchar flying. "Stay strong Chimchar! 'Flame Wheel' let's go!" Chimchar recovered and rolled into Lucario in a fiery wheel, making a direct hit.

"Bulls-eye!" Brock said.

"With maximum power!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Looks like Chimchar is pretty fast himself!" Misty added.

"Alright, do it one more time!" Chimchar got up to attack again, but was held back. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh no! Chimchar's paralyzed! But how?" Misty gasped.

"It must've been that 'Force Palm'!" Brock figured.

"Now's our chance! 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered. Lucario started pounding Chimchar mercilessly with its attack.

"Use 'Dig' to get away!" Ash yelled. Chimchar dug a hole, trying to escape his beating.

"Just try and sense Chimchar's aura!" Maylene said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Misty groaned.

"Lucario can sense auras, so hiding is virtually pointless." Brock said.

Lucario closed its eyes, feeling the auras around him. It managed to point out one aura under the ground. "You found it! Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!" Lucario fired the sphere towards the ground, and Chimchar was forced out of the ground. "Now that you've flushed it out, 'Metal Claw'!" Lucario slashed Chimchar with its claws, and the hit was too much for the fire-monkey to handle, as he fainted.

"You did your best, like you always do. Lucario was too tough." Ash returned Chimchar and reached for his final Pokéball. "Ok, Buizel, I choose you!" Buizel appeared with his arms crossed, ready to go up against the fighting/steel-type. "Buizel, it's up to you now!"

"It's obvious your Buizel is strong. We'll see how strong." Maylene said.

"Alright Buizel, show her what water-types are made of!" Misty cheered.

"You hear that Buizel? You've got a water-Pokémon master cheering you on, so let's not disappoint her!" Ash exclaimed. Misty blushed a bit at the compliment.

"Looks like it's down to the last two, eh Croagunk?" Brock looked over to where Croagunk had been quietly croaking during the whole battle, and found he wasn't there. "Wonder where Croagunk went?"

Meanwhile, Team Rocket had finally finished their so-called "massage", and were now trudging through the walls of the building, complaining about their pain, but still looking for Pokémon to steal. They opened yet another door, and found a Croagunk, using 'Poison Jab' on something in a cooking pot. They reminisced on their previous Croagunk stealing, and closed the door. They were about to move on, when Brock's Croagunk appeared in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. They sweat-dropped simultaneously. "Déjà vu." they said. With one powerful 'Poison Jab', Croagunk sent Team Rocket flying.

"Another crazed masseuse!" Jessie screamed.

"My back's whack!" James yelled.

"I'm in such shabby shape, my charm hurts!" Meowth added.

"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *Ping*

Back at the battlefield, the final match was getting underway. "Buizel, 'Water Gun'!" Buizel fired a powerful stream of water at his opponent.

"Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!" The attacks collided, and an explosion was seen.

"That looks like a draw." Dawn said.

"Look again!" Brock exclaimed.

The sphere cut through the steam, and hit Buizel dead-on. "Lucario, 'Bone Rush'!"

"Dodge it!" Through a series of jumps and ducks, Buizel dodged the attacks.

"Check out that speed!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Thanks to that water-type slipperiness, Buizel's speed rules!" Misty exclaimed. But at the last minute, Misty almost took back what she said, as Lucario tripped up Buizel with its 'Bone Rush'.

"See what you think about this! Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel enveloped himself in swirling water, ready to attack.

"That looks a lot like a contest move!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's because it's the combination we worked on when Buizel was training with me!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"That makes sense; it's great for a contest." Maylene commented, "Now 'Metal Claw' go!" Lucario tired to slash at Buizel, but the spinning 'Aqua Jet' was too much to handle. But Lucario wasted no time getting back to its feet.

"There are some advantages in spinning, it can increase attack power in moves like 'Aqua Jet'." Brock explained.

"I should've known Ash would figure that out." Misty said proudly.

"Alright, 'Sonic Boom' go!" Buizel leaped into the air and fired powerful sound waves from his tail.

"Defend with 'Bone Rush'!" Lucario twirled its bone, and deflected the 'Sonic Boom' attacks. Then under the orders of Maylene, Lucario fired multiple 'Aura Spheres' at the water weasel.

"Knock it back with 'Sonic Boom'!" Buizel's tail disintegrated the spheres, similarly to how Lucario defended, but then Lucario appeared in front of Buizel, grabbed him, and launched its 'Force Palm' attack, then it prepared to finish the battle with another 'Aura Sphere'.

"Buizel, you gotta get up!" Ash shouted.

"This might be it." Brock said sullenly.

"No way! Buizel, stand up!" Misty screamed.

"You hear that Buizel? Now you've just gotta get up!" Ash exclaimed pleadingly. Under the urgings of Misty and his master, Buizel forced himself to his feet, and everyone was surprised when a blue ball started materializing in his hands.

"Am I seeing things?" Maylene said in awe.

"That's 'Water Pulse'!" Misty exclaimed, immediately recognizing her favorite water-type move.

"Awesome! Buizel can use 'Water Pulse' now!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well I don't intend to give it the chance to use it! Fire Lucario!" Maylene ordered.

"Buizel, 'Water Pulse'!" The two attacks collided, and this time they were tied for power.

"Look at that power!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's why water-types rule!" Misty cheered.

Lucario grunted to Maylene. "Yes Lucario, I'm happy too. It's great to have an opponent that strong!"

"Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!"

"Force Palm'!"

The two attacks collided, and both Lucario and Buizel were knocked into walls of the dojo. Under encouragement from their respective masters, the two Pokémon then leaped into the air.

"Aura Sphere'!"

"Water Pulse'!"

Again, the two attacks collided, and the resulting explosion caused the roof to weaken, and start to cave in next to the sidelines. "Look out!" Brock yelled.

They dodged pieces of tile and wood that were dropping onto them. "Oh no, Misty!" Ash thought. "Charizard, protect them using 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard appeared after Ash tossed his Pokéball, and Misty, Dawn, and Brock huddled underneath the outstretched wings of the powerful dragon, whose wings that were under the influence of the attack were now as hard as steel.

"Those attacks had power beyond belief!" Brock exclaimed in awe.

"You guys ok?" Ash asked with concern.

"We're fine Ash, just make you sure you win this thing!" Misty replied. Ash gave another thumbs-up, and the battle continued. Lucario attacked with another 'Metal Claw', and Buizel landed on the floor in pain. The referee was about to declare Buizel unable to battle, when he slowly pushed up, and forced himself to his feet.

"That's the way water-types roll! Way to go Buizel!" Misty cheered.

"We'll never give up!" Ash declared.

"Now that's what I call courage, but this is it! 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered.

"Buizel, dodge it!" Ash yelled. Buizel tried to move, but his energy was too low.

"Guess this is it!" Brock exclaimed.

"Buizel, dodge it!" Dawn screamed. Just then, a rain-drop came from the sky. But they managed to avoid getting wet thanks to Charizard.

"It's raining?" Brock wondered. Dawn and Brock looked at the water-type Pokémon trainer.

"Don't look at me, none of my Pokémon know 'Rain Dance'." Misty said.

"Then this weather couldn't have come at a better time!" Brock exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Just watch."

With newly rejuvenated energy, Buizel dodged all of Lucario's attacks. "Whoa! As if Buizel wasn't already fast!" Misty said in awe.

"But now it's almost a blur!" Dawn added.

"That's Buizel's special ability: 'Swift Swim'. When it rains, Buizel's speed increases!" Brock explained.

"Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!"

"Force Palm'!"

The two attacks collided again, but this time Lucario gained the edge, and Buizel was knocked back once more, and what was worse, the 'Force Palm' had paralyzed him. "Oh no, now Buizel can't move at all!" Misty gasped. Dawn started doing a cheer routine, which Misty sweat-dropped at."Yeah, now is a good time for something so peppy." she thought sarcastically.

"Use 'Water Pulse'!" The attack was fired once more despite the paralysis.

"Now Lucario, 'Force Palm' at max power!"

"Oh no, we already know the outcome of this!" Misty screamed.

"Not yet you don't!" Ash yelled. That caught Misty's attention, he had heard her, and was about to prove her wrong. "Buizel, spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel fought off the paralysis again and charged towards Lucario, enveloping himself and the 'Water Pulse' and merging it into a super-powerful attack.

"It's now or never!" Brock yelled. The attacks collided once more, both battling for victory over the other. Steam covered the entire field, which forced them to wait for the outcome.

When the steam finally dissipated, the two Pokémon were seen staring each other down, before they both fainted at once, leaving the battle in a draw. "Well what do you know? Hey Buizel, you were great." Ash said, congratulating his Pokémon.

"Lucario, you fought hard." Maylene said.

"Wow, both sides really gave it their all." Dawn said.

"Ash and Maylene should be proud of themselves." Brock said.

"And I'm glad I was here to cheer Ash on. And I'm even gladder that I'll be here to cheer him on for the rest of his battles." Misty said happily.

"I think Ash is happy too." Brock said, pointing over to where Ash was waving to his friends. Misty gave a wink in response.

After cleaning up the mess, Ash and co. along with Maylene stood outside the gym for their farewell. "Since the battle ended up a tie, what happens to the badge?" Dawn asked.

Maylene had been told that it was her choice to make. "Well, Ash challenged me to the greatest gym battle I've ever had." Her Pokémon all agreed. "What do you say Misty? From one gym leader to another?" Maylene asked.

"I say, if you feel he deserves the badge, then you give him the badge." Misty replied with a smile.

"In that case, Ash, please accept the Cobble Badge." Maylene held out the polished badge to the young man.

"For me?" Ash asked in shock.

"No Ash, she's giving it to Dawn." Misty said in mock annoyance, "Of course you!"

Ash chuckled sheepishly, and graciously accepted the badge. "Thanks a lot Maylene."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you and your friends, I've got the courage to continue as gym leader!" Maylene exclaimed.

"That's great!" Dawn said.

"You make sure you stay strong!" Brock added.

Ash suddenly got a gleam in his eye as he held up the badge into the setting sunlight. "Alright! Check it out! I just got the Cobble Badge!" His Pokémon cheered along with him.

"Well, I guess you'll be on your way?" Maylene figured.

"Nah, we're gonna sack out at the Pokémon Center tonight." Ash replied.

"Sounds good to me, I got exhausted just watching." Brock chuckled.

"Admittedly, same here." Misty added.

"You're tired? I battled with Maylene today too, and then I cheered all the way through the battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Maylene sweat-dropped at Dawn's outburst. "Well, I guess we'll see you around. Good luck on your future battles Ash, and good luck on your contests Dawn." Maylene said.

"Thanks." Ash and Dawn replied. And with that, the group started the short walk back to the Pokémon Center.

About three-fourths through the walk, Ash and Misty had intentionally fallen a bit behind the other two teens. "You did great Ash." Misty said softly.

"Thanks Mist, quite honestly, I don't think Buizel would've made it without you cheering him on." Ash replied. Misty blushed a bit and smiled. "I'm really you were here to cheer me on. I felt more focus and energized than I have in a long time, and it's all because you were there to watch!"

"You sure it wasn't Dawn's cheerleading?" Misty asked teasingly.

"Nah, all I need is the support."

The redhead leaned her head against Ash's shoulder, "And that you shall have, and this time it isn't temporary."

"Hey, we're here!" Brock exclaimed, "And isn't that Reggie over there?"

"Sure looks like it. Come on; let's go tell him about the battle!" Ash exclaimed.

They would find though that Reggie already knew the outcome. "Maylene gave me all the details; it must've been intense if it ended in a draw."

"Yeah, the Pokémon really gave it their all." Ash replied.

"True, the Pokémon deserve a lot of credit, but I think we have to thank Dawn as well." Brock said.

"That's right! If Dawn hadn't have battled with Maylene, her battling spirit would still be down, but now it's back where it belongs." Misty added.

Dawn blushed out of embarrassment. "Well, let's just say that I was going to do anything I could to see an awesome gym battle between Ash and Maylene."

"Although next time something like this happens…can I do it instead?" Misty asked.

"I have no problem there. Gym battles are fun, but they're way too much pressure, so any future issues are all yours." Dawn replied.

"Cool, which means I may get to cheer Misty on for a change." Ash said.

"Well, if you'll all follow me, I'd like to show you something." Reggie said.

"Uh, sure." Brock said.

They walked in silence a bit before Dawn broke it. "So Reggie, why don't you fill us in on where we're all headed now?"

Reggie chuckled a bit. "Can't wait huh? Relax, you'll see."

"I get the feeling that if he's keeping it a surprise; it's gonna be something awesome." Misty whispered.

"Yeah, it's fun to wonder what it might be." Ash replied.

They reached their destination, and they gasped in awe at the sight. "You like it? Pretty neat huh? Since you're probably leaving Veilstone City bright and early tomorrow, I wanted you to see our city landmarks tonight." Reggie explained.

"City landmarks huh? You mean that bunch of rocks?" Ash asked.

"Those aren't just any rocks Ash! Those are meteorites, right Reggie?" Misty said.

"Exactly." Reggie confirmed.

"There are so many." Brock said in awe.

"These meteorites are part of what put Veilstone City on the map." Dawn explained.

"And how do you know that?" Misty asked.

"I read about it a couple of years back." Dawn replied.

"Our city's been called: The City Hued from Rock, and these meteorites are part of it." Reggie explained.

"They're so beautiful; they look like they're glowing in the moonlight." Misty said dreamily.

With the light-hearted atmosphere, Ash found himself staring into Misty's radiant green eyes. "They're not the only things that glow." Misty caught Ash staring at her, causing him to look away, and her to blush.

"These meteorites have been honored as guardians since ancient times, of course as the meteorites' fame grew, people came traveling here from all over to see them, and that's how Veilstone City gradually began taking shape. Now, the fair people of this city are watched over by all of our guardians." Reggie explained.

Misty sweat-dropped. "You don't really think those things can protect a city, do you?"

"Of course not, but it's part of the legend, and it's fun to imagine." Reggie said.

"Well, they're still cool either way." Ash said.

"I can't help but wonder where they came from; I just love a good mystery!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, think of all the people all over the world, moving here all those years ago, creating what turns out to be Veilstone City." Brock added.

"It really makes you think." Misty said softly. The group admired the relics a little while longer, before returning to the Pokémon Center, saying bye to Reggie in the process.

As soon as they went inside, Ash began his usual ritual of polishing his newly earned gym badge. "Ash, it's so great that you've got three gym badges now!" Dawn exclaimed.

"And what a battle Buizel put up, that water-type of yours sure is something." Misty added.

"Thanks guys, but I still need five more to get into the Sinnoh League! This is no time to get too confident." Ash said.

"That's why I'm here right? To deflate that big head of yours." Misty said teasingly.

"Yeah Mist, but something feels wrong about this badge…I didn't get it by beating Maylene fair and square." Ash said despondently.

"Come on, she gave you that badge because she recognized you and your Pokémon's strength and determination, so you should be proud." Brock said.

"And besides, that's how you won the Cascade Badge from my sisters, it didn't stop you then." Misty said.

"I guess…but that was years ago…" Ash replied, "I don't want to earn badges on sympathy anymore, I want to earn them because I won."

"Who said anything about sympathy?" Dawn asked.

"You put up an incredible battle, and if you want to get technical, a tie isn't a loss." Brock said.

"Yeah, but it isn't a win either." Ash said sullenly. Just then, Misty started pretending to inflate something. "Uh, Misty? What are you doing?" Ash asked in confusion.

"I'm not just here to deflate; I'm here to inflate too." Misty explained, "Chin up Ash, you did your very best, just like always, and that's all it takes to say you earned that badge." And with that, Misty kissed Ash's cheek, causing a smile to appear on his face very quickly.

"Awww." Dawn gushed quietly, so she didn't embarrass them too badly.

"You know what? You're right Mist. I'm just gonna have to keep battling as hard as I can, and prove that what Maylene did was the right thing!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pi pi ka chu!" (I'm with you!) Pikachu agreed as he jumped into Ash's arms.

"That's the Ash we all know and love." Dawn said.

"Although some more than others eh?" Brock said teasingly. Ash and Misty blushed a bit, knowing exactly what he meant. "Anyway, why don't we figure out where your next gym battle will be?" The breeder pushed a button on a remote control, causing a map of all the gyms in Sinnoh to appear on the nearby projector screen. Nurse Joy, having heard their conversation, appeared with refreshments, and pointed out that the gym in Pastoria City would be the best choice.

"You think so Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

"There's a resort on the shores of Lake Valor on the way, so you can break for a little rest. I've heard that the gym leader there is an expert with water-type Pokémon as well." Nurse Joy explained.

"Water-types? Cool!" Ash exclaimed, "Well Mist, looks like I'll be doing a lot more training with you now!"

"I'm ready and willing!" Misty replied.

"You're lucky Ash; you have a water-type gym leader to train with coming along with us." Dawn said.

Brock then started flirting with Nurse Joy. "Perhaps you'd like to come too?" he said smoothly, "And together we'll find what we've been seeking, a love…our love burning like a fire deep within our hearts!" Brock would've continued, but Croagunk had stopped him in his usual manner. "Of course, fire burns in other places as well." Brock strained before falling over like a statue.

Croagunk dragged Brock away and the trio of teens sweat-dropped at their love-struck friend. "So Dawn, how about your next contest?" Ash asked.

He didn't notice, but Misty's face had drooped when he brought that up. "Ash, you'll never guess! We're working on a brand new combination right now!" Dawn said.

Misty's POV

"That look on her face says she's lying. I was really hoping that her battle with Maylene would get her back to normal, and it seemed like it did…up until now." I was sad that Dawn still hadn't recouped after the contest, I was running out of ideas on how to help her too. But I was jarred from my thoughts when I heard a strange hum, and then saw a pillar of light from outside the window.

"Whoa…that's weird." Ash said. That looked like the same glow that the meteorites gave off, only now it was a lot brighter.

Normal POV

Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock weren't the only ones who noticed the strange phenomenon, as Reggie had seen the pillar as well, and Maylene and Lucario sensed something was wrong as well. "You sense something too, don't you Lucario?"

The light eventually dissipated, leaving everyone in a haze as to what had just happened. All of a sudden, with no reason or explanation, all systems in the Pokémon Center, and Reggie's home, had decided to just shut down. "Nurse Joy, what's happening?" Brock asked with concern.

"Something's gone terribly wrong with all of our medical equipment! And it's affecting the recovery of the Pokémon!" Nurse Joy explained.

"What?!" Ash gasped.

"And you don't know why?!" Dawn added.

Just then, Maylene came rushing in with Lucario by her side. "We sensed something was wrong, and we came as quick as we could! We've got to figure this out!" she exclaimed.

Misty snapped her fingers. "It's got to have something to do with that light we saw!"

"What light? And where was it?" Maylene asked. Misty pointed out where the pillar of light had formed. "(Gasp) That's where the meteorites are!" Maylene blurted in horror. The group gasped at her quick announcement. "We've got to get there now!"

The group nodded, and ran back to the park where the meteorites were. "Check out those helicopters!" Ash yelled.

"They've been there all day long, so they have to have something to do with it!" Dawn added.

They reached the park, just in time to see Team Rocket sprawled out on the floor, and a bunch of other soldier-like people behind them. "It's Team Rocket!" Ash yelled.

"But where are the meteorites?" Maylene asked.

"And who are those guys?" Dawn added, referring to the strange group of people standing over the Team Rocket trio.

"Well Team Rocket? Are those bozos friends of yours? They match your style!" Misty insulted.

"Sure! Best friends like you!" Jessie screamed sarcastically.

"And what about that Pokémon?" Ash yelled, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Toxicroak, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon, and the evolved form of Croagunk. The poison produced in its sacks is carried through tubes in its arms to its knuckle claws." the Pokédex chirped.

"Fashion freaks or not, dey stole our meteorites and dey're no friends of ours!" Meowth yelled.

"Fashion? Since when?" Dawn asked.

"Hey…I think I remember them now!" Brock gulped.

"I think I get it now…they're the ones who were behind making the Unown all upset!" Ash yelled.

"You mean you creeps are the ones who stole whatever they were guarding?!" Misty screamed accusingly.

"Maybe, and maybe not. Toxicroak, 'Dark Pulse'." the leader said coolly. The Poison frog fired a stream of dark rings that Lucario countered with its 'Aura Sphere'.

"It didn't even hit them?" Ash asked.

"That Toxicroak must be strong!" Dawn added.

"We don't care about your landmarks, but these meteorites must take their necessary forms." the leader said ominously.

"What are you creeps talking about?!" Misty screamed.

"We're talking about the necessary forms to build a new world!" the leader replied.

"A…new world?" Dawn asked.

"Sounds bad to me." Ash said.

Just then, Officer Jenny appeared, riding her motorcycle and stopping with a skid. "Thanks for the tip-off Maylene."

Maylene gave a salute. "Just doing my civic duty!"

"They make me sick." James said.

"At least the heat's off us." Jessie said.

Officer Jenny averted her gaze back to the men and women in silver. "You took the meteorites right? All communications are down thanks to your tricks!" she accused.

"Maybe, and maybe not." the leader said again.

"I'll bet they're responsible for the Pokémon Center breakdowns!" Brock said.

"And not just the Pokémon Center, every piece of equipment in Veilstone City is down! Thanks to you, Team Galactic!" Officer Jenny said, pointing an accusing finger at the now exposed team.

"Since you know who we are, I need not waste any more time here. Toxicroak, 'Dark Pulse' go." the leader said coolly. Again the attack was fired.

"They mean business so let's show 'em we do too!" Misty exclaimed, tossing out a Pokéball.

"Right!" the group said.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Staryu, 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!"

The attacks collided, and the 'Dark Pulse' exploded into individual rings, and one of them headed directly for the panicking Brock. "Brock, look out!" Ash yelled. Just before the attack made contact, Croagunk appeared and deflected it with a powerful 'Brick Break'. "Awesome job Croagunk!" Ash cheered.

"Thanks Croagunk, you saved me." Brock said, trying to catch his breath. Toxicroak stomped over to his devolved form, and they stared each other down with angry croaks.

"Surrender peacefully while you can, unless you'd rather leave here screaming and kicking in handcuffs!" Officer Jenny threatened. Having heard the notion of jail, Team Rocket tried to sneak away.

"Clear the way now!" the leader ordered. The lower members of Team Galactic threw out multiple Pokéballs, and a swarm of Golbat filled the air.

"What are those things?" Dawn asked fearfully as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Golbat, the Bat Pokémon, and the evolved form of Zubat. Being nocturnal, Golbat fly at night in search of prey." her Pokédex chirped.

"And I think we're the prey!" Dawn screamed. The Golbat started attacking them with 'Air Cutter' attacks, and they did their best to dodge them.

"We need some help now!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Toxicroak, what are you doing? Destroy Croagunk!" the leader ordered.

"Now Croagunk, use 'Brick Break'!" Brock countered. The two frogs put distance between themselves, before Croagunk attempted to bring its hand down hard on the larger Pokémon. It easily dodged, and Croagunk was knocked back. "Alright Croagunk, 'Poison Sting'!"

"Use 'Sludge Bomb'!" the leader countered.

Unfortunately for Team Rocket, they were caught in the crossfire, and were sent blasting off when the attacks collided. Meanwhile, thanks to all the Golbat distracting the group, Team Galactic was able to pull up the meteorites. "There are so many Golbat that we can't get close to the helicopters!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

One Golbat had decided to sneak up behind Pikachu and Piplup and fire a 'Shadow Ball' at them. "Pikachu, Piplup, look out!" Ash dove to snatch the two Pokémon from danger, but the undeterred Golbat charged another attack. Fortunately it was stopped when a bolt of electricity struck it. "It's Reggie and Electabuzz!" Ash exclaimed.

"Reggie, they're getting away with the meteorites!" Dawn screamed.

"We've got to combine all of our Pokémon's attacks and destroy those lines!" Reggie shouted over the noise.

"Let's get these Golbat out of the way then! Staryu, hit them with 'Swift'!" Misty exclaimed. Ash, Reggie, and Dawn followed through with 'Thunderbolt', 'Thunder', and 'Bubblebeam' respectively. Under the heavy barrage of attacks, Golbat started falling out of the sky one by one.

"It worked!" Ash cheered..

"Then let's move!" Reggie yelled.

They charged towards Team Galactic, who by now was starting to lose some of their cool. "Toxicroak, use 'Sludge Bomb'!" the leader yelled. With Croagunk attacking its head, Toxicroak turned around and fired blobs of poison at the group. Reggie was knocked away, while Electabuzz got surrounded by the remaining Golbat. Out of instinct, Pikachu fired 'Thunderbolts' at the Golbat, to protect its rival electric-type. While Pikachu checked on Electabuzz, one weak Golbat managed to get off a 'Shadow Ball' before fainting. It would've hit Pikachu dead-on, but Electabuzz repaid the favor, by disintegrating it with a 'Thunder Punch'. They put their backs to each other, and combined their electric attacks for one strong blast, that knocked out all of the remaining Golbat simultaneously.

"Looks like Electabuzz just paid off his debt." Reggie said.

"Alright Pikachu, let's knock out those cables with 'Volt Tackle'!" Pikachu ran at top speed, building up more and more energy with each bounding step.

"Electabuzz, help him out with 'Thunder'!" Pikachu leaped onto Electabuzz's head, and was propelled upward by the powerful electric attack.

"Wow! Power to the max!" Misty exclaimed. Pikachu smashed the cables to bits, and the meteorites encased in boxes plummeted to earth.

"Alright Lucario, 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered. With swift strikes, Lucario destroyed the boxes.

"Now Piplup, catch the meteorites with a 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup's 'Whirlpool' easily caught the meteorites, and they were gently placed on the ground. "Wow it worked!"

"That was good work everyone." Officer Jenny said.

"Commander Saturn…" one of the grunts said.

"I know there's no choice. Retreat now! Return Toxicroak!" Saturn said, returning the larger frog. When Toxicroak vanished, Croagunk fell to the ground with a thud since he was grappling with Toxicroak.

"They're getting away!" Brock yelled.

"Oh no they're not! I won't let them! Charizard, let's go!" Ash called out his flying dragon, who roared upon release and allowed Ash to hop onto his back.

"Ash, be careful!" Misty pleaded.

"I will," Ash nodded, "Let's go Charizard!" Charizard took off after the helicopters at high speed.

"We've got to follow them!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. She hopped onto her motorcycle and started the engine.

"Let me go too Officer Jenny!" Misty exclaimed. Officer Jenny nodded, and allowed Misty to hop on.

"Misty, take Happiny's Pokéball!" Brock exclaimed.

"B-But why?" Misty asked.

"Just in case! Happiny will know what to do!" Brock explained. Misty gulped audibly, and nodded.

"Hang on tight!" Officer Jenny ordered. Misty obliged, and gripped Officer Jenny's waist before speeding off after them.

Ash's POV

There was no way I was going to let them escape, I had a way to catch them and I was going to use it! Although I didn't exactly know what I would do once I caught up with them.

"Pikapi, pi pi pi ka chu?" (Ash, what are you going to do?)

I shrugged. "I dunno Pikachu; I'm making this up as I go!" Charizard finally caught up with the leader's helicopter. "Pikachu, nail 'em with a 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu fired, but it missed by inches. "Oh no, there was no way they didn't see that!" My suspicions were proved correct when Toxicroak appeared from the side door of the helicopter. It opened its mouth and fired globs of poison. "Dodge them Charizard!" Charizard moved from side to side to avoid the attacks. "Now hit it with 'Dragon Breath'!" Charizard breathed out a fiery breath, which hit Toxicroak before it could avoid it. Toxicroak was now obviously angry, and it fired a 'Dark Pulse' attack at us. "Charizard, counter it with 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard obliged, and the attacks exploded, but I had forgotten what happened the one time we did that. The rings of the attack were now individual, and I gasped in horror when the leader appeared from the door and gave me a 'farewell' salute. Charizard was in the wings by the rings, and lost its balance. "Charizard, you've gotta pull up!" Charizard tried, but the downward momentum was too much to take. I thought that this was the end for me and my friends, until I saw a little pink dot appear on the ground below.

Misty's POV

"No, Ash!" I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw Charizard take the hit and plummet to the ground. I could hear Ash screaming, probably trying to encourage Charizard to pull up, but it didn't seem likely. I thought Ash was done for, but I remembered that Brock gave me Happiny's Pokéball."That's it!" I realized now what Brock had meant. "Happiny, get out there and catch them!" I threw out Brock's small but mighty Egg Pokémon, and I gave a sigh of relief when Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard were caught, alive and well. Officer Jenny stopped the motorcycle, and I immediately jumped off to have an emotional reunion with Ash.

Normal POV

Misty embraced Ash tightly with tears flowing. "Ash, I almost lost you again!" she cried, "Quit doing that will ya? I swear you like seeing me cry."

Ash hugged her back tightly, reassuring her that he was alright. "Not true Mist. I'm sorry." Ash then looked down to Brock's Pokémon, "Thanks Happiny, you bailed us out of a big-time jam."

"Happ happiny!" (You're welcome!)

"You did great too Charizard, are ya hurt?" Ash asked.

Charizard grunted. (Just my pride.)

Ash gave a chuckle, and returned Charizard, while Misty returned Happiny. "I'm sorry I let them get away Officer Jenny." Ash said sullenly.

"We did manage to get the meteorites back, for that I thank you for your help." Officer Jenny replied. The trio hopped onto the bike once more, and rode all the way back to the meteorite clearing.

"Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, but I let Team Galactic get away." Ash said sullenly.

"That's alright for now; I just wish we knew more about their plans." Officer Jenny said.

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Reggie asked.

"No, all of you go home now; I'll call for backup now that communications are back up, and take it from there." Officer Jenny said.

Brock took this moment to attempt a flirt, "Good idea making the children go to bed, now we can have this romantic area all to our…" Brock was cut-off by 'Poison Jab'. "Hey…that…hurt…more…than usual." Brock fell over and Croagunk hastily dragged Brock away.

"Wonder what's up with Croagunk?" Ash asked.

"Losing to its evolved form probably made it upset." Reggie explained.

"That makes sense I guess." Misty said.

"Yeah, well, goodnight everyone." Reggie said. The team bid Reggie a goodnight, before Maylene said the same and headed back to the gym.

"Come on, let's go back to the Pokémon Center and get some sleep." Misty said.

"Sounds good to me." Ash replied.

"I could sure use some sleep after all this excitement." Dawn added. The trio walked back to the Pokémon Center, following the frustrated Croagunk all the way.

After Brock recovered in the bedroom, he tried to soothe the rage of his poison frog. Croagunk seemed to listen, so Brock decided to return him to his ball. "Let's get some sleep gang; we have a long day tomorrow."

"Right." they replied. After getting changed, Dawn and Brock took their respective bunks, while Ash and Misty automatically went to share the bottom bunk.

"What gives you guys?" Brock asked.

"The room gets too cold, I…need warmth." Misty said blushing. Ash blushed as well.

"Aww man! I'll never get to sleep knowing that you two will be all cozy while I have no one to be with!" Brock cried out.

"Oh is that all Brock? You need to sleep?" Misty asked. Brock nodded. "I can get you to sleep, no problem." Misty said.

"Really? How?" Brock asked. Misty bashed Brock's head with her mallet, and Brock fell into his bed, unconscious.

"Well, he asked for sleep." Dawn sweat-dropped and shut off the light, then the trio of teens bid their goodnights.

"I'm glad you're ok Ash." Misty whispered.

"I am too." Ash replied. Misty giggled, and kissed Ash's cheek before snuggling close to him. It didn't take long before everyone was out like a light.

Early the next morning, the team packed up their things, and walked out of the Pokémon Center with Brock rubbing the lump on his head. "That's not what I meant by sleep you know." Brock said bitterly.

"You should've specified." Misty teased. Reggie and Maylene met up with the group to say their goodbyes.

"All the best for a safe and happy time on the rest of your journey." Maylene said.

"Thanks Maylene, you stay well." Ash said.

"I'm sure we'll see you again someday." Dawn added.

"Yeah, in the meantime, I'm looking forward to watching you win your next contest!" Maylene exclaimed.

"Paul told me last night that his next gym battle is in Pastoria City too, now have a safe trip and make sure you win your fourth badge there." Reggie said.

"Thanks, I'll do my best!" Ash replied. And with that, the group waved goodbye to their friends in Veilstone City, and got on the trail to Pastoria, and Ash's next gym battle. "So Misty, when do you want to start training?" Ash asked.

"Anytime's good for me." Misty replied.

"Then how about right now?" Ash said excitedly.

"S-Sure! Bring it on!" Misty stammered. They called out Turtwig and Staryu, and battled right there on the spot.

"They're training already?" Maylene noticed.

"Ash is sure dedicated. I wonder if he knows we're watching." Reggie wondered.

Maylene giggled, and whispered something in Lucario's ear. Lucario nodded, and fired an 'Aura Sphere' at the sparring couple, which caused them to jump. "You guys should get out of the city first!" Maylene teased. And with that, they ran out of the city to avoid anymore 'Aura Spheres'. "That should do the trick." Maylene said with satisfaction.

Reggie just sweat-dropped.