Well, here's the next one. This one will have noticeably less fluff than the other chapters so far, mostly because it's hard to be happy with Paul around, am I right? xD I tried to put in a little bit though, so I hope I did good! Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for the support. I own nothing except the story.
_
Chapter 21
Misty's POV
After her Wallace Cup win, Dawn's spirits were riding higher than I've ever seen them before. When she asked me why I stepped down and let her take the win for herself, I had told her that my only goal was to have fun with my Pokémon, and I accomplished that goal.
And as an added bonus, Daisy went back home with even more confidence than when Ash came back to get me weeks ago, I was ecstatic that now it seemed even more likely that I wouldn't ever have to leave Ash again. And I think Ash was happy about that too.
And after we finally got back on the road, it wasn't long before we met a young boy who was trying to capture a Yanma, it seemed familiar to the boy we met in Johto and his Yanma. It almost seemed like history was repeating itself.
At any rate, we tried to help him catch it, but Team Rocket managed to get to it first, and now they have a Yanmega, since the Yanma learned 'Ancient Power' and evolved. Luckily, we did manage to help the kid catch a different Yanma, so it turned out alright in the end.
Now we had stopped by a nearby stream, where me and Ash were doing some training for his Pastoria Gym battle. Since it was a water-type gym, I could give him some tips on how to take it on. I don't think I could call myself his "coach" anymore; I'm more like his battle partner now.
Speaking of partner…our "partnership" took a big step a couple of days ago…me and Ash…we finally…shared our first kiss. It wasn't super-passionate like in the movies; it wasn't what I imagined it would be either…it was so much more than that. It was gentle, tender, loving, and sincere. "I can't wait for the next one."
Normal POV
"Alright! Pikachu, Turtwig, Buizel, I wanna use all three of ya at the water-type Pastoria Gym, 'kay?" Ash said determinedly. His three Pokémon acknowledged, as they faced off against Misty's Staryu, Politoed, and Vaporeon. "Alright Misty, give us all ya got!" Ash exclaimed. "You got it!" Misty replied.
"Staryu, use 'Bubblebeam'! Politoed, use 'Water Gun', and Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. The three attacks were launched at Ash's Pokémon, who awaited orders to counter. "Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'! Turtwig, use 'Razor Leaf', and Buizel use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash countered.
Pikachu effectively countered Politoed's 'Water Gun', just as Turtwig did to Staryu's 'Bubblebeam'. Meanwhile, Buizel charged ahead directly at the 'Water Pulse' attack from Vaporeon, and battled for superiority with the energized ball of water. Buizel fought through it, and successfully countered the attack like his two batting mates did.
"Wow, you three are training really well! Keep this up and that fourth gym badge is as good as ours!" Ash exclaimed. His three Pokémon cheered in agreement. And on the sidelines, Gligar was getting extremely excited.
"And thanks to you and your Pokémon for helping us train Misty." Ash said. "No problem Ash, we're happy to do it." Misty replied. Suddenly, the over-zealous Gligar leaped off the sidelines and hopped onto Ash's face with excitement. "Wow, Gligar's at it again." Dawn said. "I think Gligar wants to get in on the action too." Brock said. "But does it have to do it by tackling Ash?" Misty asked with a sweat-drop.
"I'm sure you know the answer to that." Brock replied. Misty exhaled in exasperation. Ash took Gligar off of his face and held it down on the rocky ground. "Sorry Gligar, but you gotta wait a little longer to be in a gym battle." Ash said. When Ash said that, the sensitive Gligar's eyes formed tears of sadness that threatened to pour out.
"First we gotta get you some more experience battling against lots of other trainers." Ash added. Gligar's spirits lifted, and it jumped out of Ash's grasp and landed back on the ground. But the force from Gligar's jump had put Ash back on his back. "You ok Ash?" Misty asked with concern. "I'm fine Mist, don't worry." Ash replied.
"I think Gligar's just showing off that battling spirit." Brock said. "Well it's that kind of spirit I like!" Ash exclaimed. "So Gligar, what do you say to a little practice battle with us?" Brock asked. "Hey, battling partner's my job." Misty said with a pout. "Uh, Mist, maybe Brock should handle this one." Ash said.
"And why is that?" Misty asked accusingly. Ash moved close to her and whispered something in her ear. "Because I don't want your water-Pokémon to knock out Gligar with one shot, at least it'd have a chance against Sudowoodo." he said.
Apparently understanding his point, Misty nodded and joined Dawn on the sidelines. "What'd you say to her Ash?" Brock asked. "I don't think you want to know." Ash said with a sweat-drop. "I don't think you want to know about how I think Misty's a heck of a lot better at battling than you are." Ash thought.
"Well Sudowoodo, let's do it." Brock said. Sudowoodo saluted its master, and walked onto the open field to stare down Gligar. "Boy, this is one serious practice battle." Dawn said, noting the tense atmosphere. "I don't just battle with Ash because I want to; I battle because I think I do a better job of keeping things a bit more relaxed." Misty replied quietly.
"Ok Gligar, 'Steel Wing', go!" Ash ordered. Gligar attempted to attack, but a sudden burst of strong wind came in, causing Misty and Dawn's hair to fly wildly, and Gligar to fly the same way. "Gligar!" Ash cried. Gligar flew further and further out of sight, as the wind carried the frightened Pokémon high into the air. "Staravia! After Gligar!" Ash yelled.
Through the screaming of Dawn, Misty, and all of their Pokémon, Staravia battled the wind and flew after Gligar. The wind eventually died down, but the hysterics did not. "Come on! We've gotta go after them!" Ash yelled. Ash took off after Staravia and Gligar, with the other three teens following closely.
Meanwhile, Gligar hurtled skyward, and ironically enough, landed right on top of the Team Rocket balloon. "Hey, those claws are sharp!" Jessie exclaimed fearfully. "Off the tarp!" James yelled. "No! If Gligar lets go, we're gonna blow!" Meowth said.
Having no desire to stick around, Gligar took off and glided back down to earth, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. But being the lousy flyer it was, Gligar lost balance once more, and ended up smashing into a rock.
Gligar turned around and saw something he had hoped never to see again: The stern face of the ruthless trainer named Paul, and his Electabuzz. He pressed himself up against the rock in fear, luckily this incident did not go unnoticed by Staravia, who upon seeing its flying friend, alerted Ash and Co. of Gligar's location.
"Staravia found Gligar!" Ash exclaimed. The group of teens and their Pokémon followed the bird to Gligar's location.
"You stopped our training, get out." Paul said menacingly. Gligar's eyes filled with tears of fear, as the purple-haired trainer glared at it with cold eyes. "It's Paul!" Ash exclaimed, as he saw the ruthless trainer bearing down on Gligar.
Upon seeing its master, Gligar made a break for it and ran into Ash's waiting arms, crying. "Are you alright? We were worried!" Ash said, hugging his frightened Pokémon. "Thank goodness Gligar's alright." Dawn said.
Amidst the reunion, Chimchar looked up to see the cold-hearted Paul staring him down. Out of nervousness, Chimchar hid behind Misty's leg, while Pikachu tried to extend a friendly greeting to Electabuzz, which it seemed to reciprocate.
"So, did you have your Pastoria Gym Battle challenge yet?" Ash asked, trying to make conversation. "I can't imagine why a losing coordinator like you would have any concern about gym battles." Paul replied. "What's that supposed to mean?" Misty asked accusingly. "I saw the Wallace Cup." Paul replied simply.
"I entered the Wallace Cup because Wallace the Contest Master asked me to. He thought it would help Buizel's battle skills." Ash said. Paul chuckled smugly. "What's so funny?" Ash asked angrily. "Remember the reason I entered the tag-battle at Hearthome City?" Paul asked.
Ash hesitated, but eventually replied. "Yeah…" he said. "Well YOU gave ME a hard time because I did it to get my Pokémon into better shape for a real battle…but that's exactly what you pulled at the Wallace Cup! Get it?" Paul yelled. "What did you say?" Ash fumed.
"Misty, cool him off before a fight starts!" Dawn said fearfully. "If we're being honest, I'd only hold him back so I could give him a piece of MY mind." Misty replied. Dawn gasped and turned to Brock. "Brock, stop this before something happens!" Dawn squeaked. Brock looked straight ahead and grunted.
"When I was in that tag-battle, the only thing I was thinking about was trying to win it! The only thing you were thinking about was how you could power up your own Pokémon!" Ash yelled. "Well the fact is, I did win it, but you weren't able to win the Wallace Cup, were you? Another perfect example of just how strong you aren't." Paul replied smugly.
Ash growled furiously, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, in his mind he was holding himself back from turning Paul's face into hamburger right then and there. Misty was doing the same in her own mind, although not with the same degree of adrenaline that was coursing through Ash's veins at the moment.
"Look…both of us have the same goal of winning the Sinnoh League someday right? And of course we also want to beat the league champion Cynthia too." Ash said through gritted teeth. "Your point?" Paul replied.
"After you battled Cynthia, you told me to do whatever I want, to battle my own way, and you told me that's what you were going to do too." Ash said. "I…guess I said that." Paul replied, refusing to lower his attitude.
"Yeah, well ever since that time, I've been thinking more and more about what it really means to be strong, and that means believing in the strength of my friends and Pokémon, and that's because I trust and love them!" Ash yelled. Ash's Pokémon cheered their master on as he defended them on their behalf.
"That's why I'm working so hard to make my Pokémon as strong as they can be, the way I know how, we both have the same goals, but the way we get them couldn't be more different." Ash said. "Hmmph, you sure get worked up." Paul replied smugly.
"What?" Ash fumed. "Cool it Ash." Misty said. "Misty, just let me…" Ash was cut-off. "Don't do anything hasty." Misty said sternly. Ash growled and lowered his fist. Misty had managed to hold Ash back, but she was getting really close to doing what Ash wanted to do to Paul. "Paul's getting real close to crossing the line, he better back off or he's gonna have a lump on his head the size of a Snorlax." Misty thought.
"Didn't any of the things Cynthia said mean anything to you Paul?" Brock asked. "That's not my thing." Paul replied. "Of course not. Why would you do anything half-decent?" Misty said disapprovingly. "There's that mouth again." Paul said smugly. "That's it!" Ash fumed.
Ash attempted to charge ahead, but Brock held back the snarling Pokémon Trainer by holding him firmly by his collar. "We're wasting our time. Return, now." Paul said, returning Electabuzz to its Pokeball. "Fine, if they won't let me use my fists, I'll use my Pokémon!" Ash thought.
"Not so fast Paul! Let's have a battle; I wanna show you how strong we've gotten!" Ash yelled. Paul ignored Ash and continued to walk away. "Ash, it's over, just relax." Brock said. "Are you nuts? I have to defend the honor of my Pokémon AND Misty! No one says that about my friends and gets away with it! Paul!" Ash yelled again.
"I'm touched by your concern, but I already told you I don't care what he says." Misty said. "Well I do!" Ash replied. Suddenly, with a surge of anger and determination, Chimchar ran towards Paul and challenged him. "Chim char!" (Let's brawl!) it screeched. Upon hearing Chimchar's cry of determination, Paul turned around and smirked.
"Fine by me. How's three-on-three sound?" Paul suggested. "You got it!" Ash replied determinedly. "Well, there's no avoiding it now, so good luck I guess." Misty said. "Thanks, and I think now is the perfect time to unleash my secret weapon." Ash replied. "What secret weapon?" Dawn asked. "Ash, you're not gonna…?" Brock asked knowingly. "Oh yes I am." Ash replied.
"Hey, thanks a lot Chimchar." Ash said. Chimchar replied with a friendly chatter. "Let's do it everyone!" Ash exclaimed. Ash's Pokémon cheered, ready to go when Ash gave the word. "Just remember Ash, don't get careless!" Misty warned. "Right, thanks Mist." Ash replied gratefully.
Ash took a deep breath to try and relax his nerves. "Dawn, we'll need a coin toss." Ash said calmly. "Alright, choose it you guys, is it gonna be heads or tails?" Dawn said, readying her watch for the coin-toss. "Your move Paul." Ash said. "I choose tails." Paul said.
Dawn flipped the virtual coin, which landed on heads in favor of Ash. "Alright! Now, who should I start with?" Ash wondered out loud. Gligar started jumping up and down with excitement, begging to be chosen. "Whoa, Gligar is psyched!" Brock exclaimed. "Gligar wins first prize for enthusiasm." Dawn added.
"Ok Gligar, I like your attitude, this'll be your first battle!" Ash said. Gligar happily took the field. "Gligar's gonna be my first choice!" Ash announced. "And foolish too. Now Gliscor, stand by for battle!" Paul exclaimed.
Paul's newly captured Gliscor popped out of its ball and gave a menacing growl at its smaller opponent. Gligar whimpered in fear, as its former leader glared at it with a threatening gaze. "That's a low blow, choosing Gligar's evolved form." Misty hissed. "That's part of his strategy. Paul's way of putting pressure on Gligar." Brock said.
"Hey Gligar, don't worry! You just do what I tell you and stay calm!" Ash exclaimed. Reassured by its master's words, Gligar went into battle-ready stance. "Gligar, 'X-Scissor', let's go!" Ash ordered. Gligar leaped into the air to slash its larger opponent. "Gliscor, 'Knock Off'." Paul countered coolly.
Gliscor bashed Gligar's head with the Dark-type attack, sending Gligar to the ground. "This is bad." Misty said. "That one's gotta hurt." Brock said sullenly. Gligar's eyes formed tears from the pain, but were cleared when Ash barked out another attack. "C'mon Gligar, 'Sand-Attack'!" he ordered.
Gligar jumped back and flung sand into the eyes of Gliscor. "Not a bad idea. Using 'Sand-Attack' to lower Gliscor's accuracy." Misty said. "But look at Gliscor! It's acting like it doesn't feel a thing!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's probably because it doesn't." Brock moaned. "That means Ash just wasted a move?" Misty figured.
"As much as I hate to admit, Ash has a serious disadvantage here." Brock said. "Use 'Guillotine'!" Paul ordered. Gliscor leaped up into the air and dive-bombed its devolved opponent. Ash was caught by surprise and gasped. "Quick, counter-attack with 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.
Gligar leaped into the air to meet Gliscor in the air, but was immediately sent back down when Gliscor grabbed Gligar by the neck, and drilled it into the hard, rocky ground. "Oh man…Gligar." Ash moaned. "Just one hit…" Dawn said. "You see, 'Guillotine' is a move that will instantly knock out your opponent if it manages to make contact…Paul's a tough one." Brock added.
Misty stayed silent, as she watched her beloved Ash console the sad and pained Gligar. "Come on, you did your best." Ash said. Paul returned Gliscor and spoke. "I think now would be the perfect time to let your Gligar know that a loss is the trainer's fault." Paul said. Ash turned his head to Paul and growled.
"So who's fault is it when YOU lose?" Misty screamed. Paul was taken aback slightly, but maintained his smug composure. "What difference does it make since I don't lose?" Paul replied smugly. "I'll make him lose…you stay here and cheer for the rest of us, ok Gligar?" Ash said.
"Now, Ursaring, stand by for battle!" Paul called out his giant bear Pokémon, who roared upon release. "Whoa, Ursaring." Ash said. "You gonna unleash Charizard on this creep yet?" Misty whispered, making sure to keep Paul from hearing.
Ash reached for the last Pokeball on his belt. "I think I just might." Ash replied. Suddenly, Chimchar ran in front of Ash, determined to get into the battle and show its former master what it could do. "You wanna go next?" Ash asked. Chimchar chattered determinedly in response. "Well, I guess Charizard will have to wait his turn." Misty said.
"Alright Chimchar, get in there!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar charged onto the field, screeching angrily at Paul. "This is interesting." Paul said smugly. "Ok Chimchar, go for it!" Dawn cheered. "Alright, 'Flamethrower', now!" Ash ordered.
Chimchar spewed a powerful flame at Ursaring, who merely crossed its arms and took the hit head on. "All that power…" Misty said. "And it didn't even dodge!" Dawn finished. "I guess that's what confidence does." Brock said. "Confidence nothing, pure arrogance is what it is." Misty spat.
"Flamethrower's a bit more powerful now, ya think?" Ash asked confidently. "Hmmph, 'Focus Blast'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring formed a ball of focused energy in its paws, and then fired it at the small fire monkey. Instead of dodging though, Chimchar was determined to show its power, so it took the hit and withstood it almost miraculously.
"Chimchar just pulled the same move…" Dawn said in awe. "Which only goes to prove that anything Paul can do, Ash can do better." Misty boasted. "Awesome, the way you took that! Now use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug underground to try and hit Ursaring from below.
"Hammer Arm', in the ground!" Paul countered. With a mighty swing of its arms, Ursaring pounded the ground, causing the ground to rumble around the entire area, and Chimchar was sent flying into the air. Ash growled and barked out another move. "Use 'Flame Wheel'!" he ordered.
Chimchar came out of free fall and charged towards Ursaring in a flaming wheel of fire. "Catch that!" Paul countered. Ursaring caught Chimchar in mid-air, while it was still in its attack. After the attack was completed, the two Pokémon growled at each other.
"Oh yeah? Now use 'Scratch'!" Ash ordered. "Secret Power'." Paul countered. Before Chimchar could react, Ursaring glowed in a pink aura, activating the attack. After the effect was done, Ursaring mercilessly bashed Chimchar's skull with its head, leaving Chimchar lying on the ground.
"Come on Chimchar, 'Flamethrower', go get 'em!" Ash ordered. Instead of obeying, Chimchar looked on, whimpering in fear. "Hey Chimchar, what's wrong with ya?" Ash asked with concern. No one but Chimchar could see the sight in its mind: A giant Ursaring bearing down on it, waiting to obliterate it at the move of a muscle.
"What could've gotten into Chimchar?" Dawn asked. "Chimchar's flinching with fear." Brock said. "Don't tell me…that 'Secret Power' did that, right?" Misty asked knowingly. "Right. In rocky terrain like this, 'Secret Power' can cause the opponent to flinch in fear." Brock explained. "Are you sure it's the 'Secret Power' that got you so scared?" Paul asked menacingly.
"The only thing scary about you is your attitude!" Misty screamed. "Why don't we ask little Chimchar about that?" Paul chuckled. Misty growled and got her mallet at the ready, but was held back by Brock. "He's asking for it!" Misty said angrily. "Let Ash handle this." Brock said sternly. Misty glared at Paul once more, but eventually lowered her weapon.
"C'mon Chimchar, snap out of it!" Ash exclaimed. "You can do it Chimchar!" Dawn encouraged. "Show that creep what you're made of!" Misty added. The group, both humans and Pokémon alike, cheered Chimchar on, trying to encourage it to fight back.
"This is pathetic. Finish it with 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring swung its arms, ready to pound Chimchar into the ground. "Chimchar, quick, use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash countered. Chimchar looked at its opponent, only to see the monster in its mind attacking before blacking out. "Ash, return it quick!" Misty cried.
"Chimchar, return!" Ash yelled. Ash managed to return Chimchar to its Pokeball, just before Ursaring slammed its sledgehammer sized arms into the ground. "Take a break Chimchar." Ash said. "Running away huh? Typical strategy for non-trainers like you." Paul said smugly.
Ash growled with pure fury, as he grasped the Pokeball that held what he hoped would be a humiliating loss for Paul. "He's asking for it Ash! Show him what you've got!" Misty cheered. Despite Ash's Pokémon knowing exactly what Ash was now planning, they greatly approved of getting revenge for what Paul had done to poor Gligar and Chimchar.
"Now you're gonna get it! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard emerged and roared with more ferocity than it had in a long time, as it shot icy-glares at the slightly intimidated Paul. "When did he get that?" Paul wondered. "Meet my old friend, Charizard!" Ash said confidently. Charizard roared with flames spewing out of its mouth.
"It's about time you chose a Pokémon who's at least half-decent." Paul said smugly. Ash growled and clenched his fists, with Charizard doing the same.
"Now we'll show you what raising a Pokémon the right way can do! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard fired the flaming attack at the bear Pokémon, who once again tried to cross its arms in an 'X' formation and block it off. But Charizard's flame was much more powerful than Chimchar's, so Ursaring was knocked onto its back.
"Get up right now!" Paul ordered. Ursaring stood up and glared at Charizard, who glared right back. "Use 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring swung its arms and readied the mighty attack. "Dodge, and then use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash countered. Charizard took off into the air to avoid the attack, and then swooped down and nailed Ursaring with the powerful 'Steel Wing'.
"You do NOT want to lose to this, do you hear me?" Paul threatened. Ursaring slowly got back to its feet, but was obviously in pain. "Let's finish this up Charizard, use 'Seismic Toss'!" Ash ordered. Charizard charged ahead to lift the bear into the air. "Use 'Focus Blast'!" Paul countered. Ursaring tried to form the ball of energy, but Charizard moved too quickly, and grabbed the bear before it could react.
With three mid-air flips, Charizard lifted Ursaring over its head and threw it down as hard as it possibly could. A huge crater was left where the pained Ursaring fell. "Get up right now!" Paul ordered. Ursaring gave a valiant effort to stand, but eventually fainted from the harsh beating Charizard had given it.
"Way to go Charizard!" Ash cheered. Charizard landed and roared in celebration, as did all of the other Pokémon, who cheered for their powerful friend. "I'll deal with you later." Paul growled, as he returned Ursaring to its Pokeball. "So Paul, whose fault is it when a battle is lost again?" Misty asked smugly. "I told Ursaring what to do, it didn't move fast enough." Paul replied.
Misty growled at Paul's hypocritical reply. "How do ya like that? Not only does he have serious attitude problems, he's a hypocrite too!" Misty hissed. "Paul must think of himself as the perfect trainer." Dawn added. "Although the reality is far from it." Brock added.
"Whaddya think Paul? Charizard's the perfect example of what real training can do!" Ash exclaimed. "It's also the perfect example of your failures." Paul replied. "What do you mean?" Ash asked angrily. "I recognize your Charizard's battle-style as the same one used in the Charicific Valley in Johto, which only further proves that YOU can't train Pokémon to be strong." Paul replied.
"What did you say?" Ash fumed. Charizard roared and fired a 'Flamethrower' at the feet of the ruthless Pokémon Trainer, who didn't even flinch from the attack. "Paul didn't even jump." Dawn said in awe. "That just goes to show that Paul's arrogance keeps him from seeing danger." Misty spat. "Any Pokémon raised by you wouldn't have the nerve to actually hit me with an attack." Paul sneered.
"Paul obviously doesn't know Charizard very well." Misty snickered. As if on cue, Charizard fired the 'Flamethrower' directly at Paul, who merely crossed his arms and stepped out of the way. "Impressive. How'd you like to join a real team?" Paul suggested.
Charizard's eyes grew wide with fury, as did everyone else's. "I can't believe Paul would just come out and say something like that." Dawn said. "How can you not believe it?" Misty asked. "Ash and Charizard have been through more together than a lot of Ash's Pokémon, Charizard may have an attitude, but it's loyal." Brock added.
"Forget it Paul, he's got a real team, with real friends!" Ash yelled. Charizard roared to acknowledge. "Too bad. Charizard could've been made stronger. Now I'll have to just finish it off." Paul said smugly. "Bring it on!" Ash yelled.
"Gliscor, back out here!" Paul called out his fang-scor Pokémon, who had previously defeated Gligar in no time flat. "Let's show him what you've got Charizard!" Ash encouraged. Charizard grunted and got into battle-ready stance. "Gliscor, use 'Sand-Attack'!" Paul ordered. Gliscor shot sand into the eyes of Ash's dragon, who unlike its opponent, could not merely ignore the sand in its eyes.
"Stay with me Charizard! Use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard shook itself out of its haze, and fired the Dragon-type attack at Gliscor. "Dodge that!" Paul countered. Gliscor leaped into the air and avoided the fiery breath attack. "Take the fight to him! Use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.
Charizard took off and charged toward Gliscor to hit it with its wings. "Use 'Screech'." Paul countered. Gliscor gave an ear-piercing shriek that completely distracted Charizard. "Now use 'Guillotine'!" Paul ordered. "Oh no, not again!" Ash cried.
Gliscor grabbed onto Charizard's neck and charged downward. "Quick! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash panicked. Charizard fired right into Gliscor's face, but despite the pain, Gliscor stayed strong and knocked Charizard out.
"…Charizard…" Ash moaned. "Charizard was Ash's strongest Pokémon." Misty said sadly. "And even it couldn't win." Dawn added. "Charizard is Ash's strongest Pokémon, but you can't expect it to beat Paul single-handedly." Brock said. "You were awesome Charizard, thanks for everything." Ash said, as he held the tired head of his dragon in his hands. Charizard gave a tired whine in response.
"Your so-called friendship with your Charizard is probably what's keeping it from reaching its full potential." Paul said, as he returned Gliscor to its Pokeball once more. Ash growled at Paul for what seemed like the tenth time that day. Paul had been preying on Ash's temper the whole day through, and he had just about had enough.
But as he looked at where it had gotten him, he had second thoughts on continuing. Gligar had gotten clobbered, Chimchar was scared out of its wits inside its Pokeball, and one of his oldest friends had been defeated by the Pokémon of the ruthless trainer. "I guess…you…" Ash was cut-off by a shrill voice. "Don't you dare give up Ash Ketchum! You started this battle, and now we're gonna cheer you on all the way through to the end!" Misty screamed.
All of Ash's Pokémon cheered to signal their trust in their master. Ash walked up to Misty and looked her in the eyes. "Thanks Mist." he said gratefully. "Just doing my job." she replied softly. Ash turned his gaze to his friends and Pokémon, who all simultaneously gave him a thumbs-up. Ash nodded and turned his gaze back to Paul.
"It's not over yet Paul! I've still got one shot!" Ash yelled. "Fine by me, I'll just knock out that wimp Chimchar and be done with it." Paul replied.
"Alright Chimchar, I need you again!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar popped out of the ball and growled at Paul. "Hmmph…Magmar, stand by for battle!" Paul exclaimed. Paul's replacement fire-type appeared and glared at Chimchar.
"Ready to go Chimchar?" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar nodded at Ash, but when it turned around, it suddenly seemed scared again. "Chimchar, what's wrong?" Ash asked with concern. "Chimchar's still scared from Ursaring's 'Secret Power'." Brock explained. "But shouldn't the effect have worn off upon recalling?" Misty asked.
"No." was the simple reply. "C'mon Chimchar, you've got a chance to win this, so don't blow it!" Ash encouraged. "You've got to try Chimchar, use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. After some hesitation, Chimchar dug a hole to attack its opponent. "Way to go Chimchar! Face your fear!" Misty cheered. "Brace yourself!" Paul countered.
Chimchar popped out of its hole and attempted to hit Magmar, who merely stepped back and let Chimchar fall onto the ground. "C'mon Chimchar, get up!" Ash encouraged. The group of teens and Pokémon cheered again for Chimchar, who forced himself to stand up and face the monster in his mind.
"Magmar, finish it with 'Fire Punch'." Paul said coolly. Magmar charged a fire-powered punch, and swung its arm to hit Chimchar. "Dodge it Chimchar!" Ash countered. Chimchar's fear had gone into full swing again, and it stood frozen in fear as Magmar hammered it into the ground.
"Chimchar!" Ash cried. "And that's that." Paul said smugly. "C-Chimchar?" Ash said worriedly. A few seconds passed, and no movement was made underneath the rock pile Chimchar had been buried under. "It can't be…" Dawn said. "Look there!" Brock said suddenly. Magmar stepped back with fear, as the rock pile suddenly blasted open, and a flaming Chimchar jumped into the sunlight. "I don't believe it!" Misty exclaimed. "You're alright!" Ash cheered.
Chimchar landed, and screeched maniacally as flames flew out of its tail like a 'Fire Blast' attack. "Whoa, what happened?" Ash asked. "Is that what I think it is?" Dawn asked. "It's Chimchar's special ability: 'Blaze'!" Brock explained. Ash and his Pokémon, including Charizard, stood in awe at the flaming monkey as it screeched in a craze. "Wait a second Brock; I've never seen 'Blaze' react like that!" Misty said.
"So, Chimchar's finally awake." Paul said. "Awake? What's that mean?" Misty asked. "This must be what Paul was talking about!" Ash exclaimed. "Paul couldn't get that to happen even after all the special training they did!" Dawn said.
"But Chimchar wasn't being cheered on by its friends…Chimchar wants Ash to win, and Chimchar also wants to show Paul what it can do, and when you combine that with all the support of Ash's Pokémon, that would explain where all the massive power comes from!" Brock explained. "Something still seems wrong though." Misty said.
"Looks like we really got through to Chimchar! Time to show Paul what Chimchar's really made of! Full power 'Flame Wheel', go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar leaped into the air and charged ahead with a doubly-powerful 'Flame Wheel'.
"Magmar, 'Flamethrower'!" Paul countered. Magmar fired its attack to at least slow down the flaming monkey, but Chimchar ignored the attack and charged right through it. Magmar tried to dodge on its own, but Chimchar was determined to hit its target, so it slammed into Magmar's face, and Magmar hit the ground, fainted.
Chimchar screeched with rage as it continued to spew flames, even after Paul recalled Magmar to its ball. "That was the most powerful 'Flame Wheel' I've ever seen." Paul admitted. "Hey Chimchar, you won it." Ash said. "The battle's over already, please stop!" Dawn cried. "I don't think Chimchar even hears you!" Brock exclaimed. "I knew something was wrong! Chimchar's gone berserk!" Misty screamed.
"Chimchar, stop it!" Ash yelled. Chimchar turned to face Ash and charged to attack in a ball of raging fire. "Ash, look out!" Misty cried. Misty dived to knock Ash out of the way of Chimchar's flaming attack, and just barely missed getting singed herself, as she landed on top of Ash after her diving tackle.
"Chimchar's out of control!" Misty cried. Chimchar changed targets and rammed toward Paul. "Paul, look out!" Ash yelled. Knowing that Chimchar had no control over its current actions, Paul jumped out of the way to avoid getting fried right then and there.
Chimchar then leaped into the forest, putting everything it touched on fire. "Chimchar's started a forest fire!" Brock yelled. "This is my department! Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!" Misty exclaimed, throwing out a Pokeball.
Politoed emerged from its ball and quickly fired a stream of water at the blazing fire. "Let's help her out! Quick Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup formed a giant whirlpool and hurled it at the flames that threatened to engulf the entire forest. "Now Buizel! 'Water Gun', go!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired as well, and the combined water attacks extinguished the fire, but Chimchar was still out of control.
"Chimchar, stop!" Ash yelled, blocking Chimchar's path by spreading out his arms. Chimchar changed direction, and was stopped by Pikachu this time. Chimchar continued to try to escape, but was blocked by Piplup, Buizel, Turtwig, and Politoed. Chimchar jumped onto a rock and screeched, as if it was possessed by its 'Blaze' ability.
Ash ran up to Chimchar and held it tightly in its arms, trying to calm it down. But Ash was hurting himself as he did so, as Chimchar's flame was still as strong as ever. "Stop Chimchar, it's over, over!" Ash cried. Chimchar bit down on Ash's shoulder, and Ash gave a cry of pain. "Ash!" Misty shrieked. Misty and Dawn tried to go help him, but they were held back by Brock. "Guys, stay here!" Brock exclaimed. "Let me go! He needs help!" Misty cried. "Ash can handle it." Brock said. "I can't just stand here Brock! Ash is in pain!" Misty cried.
Brock glared at Misty with a grimly serious expression. "Ash will handle it." Brock insisted. Misty continued to resist Brock's grip, as the sound of Ash's voice rang in her ears like a cry for help. "Hold on, 'Blaze' is a special ability that's supposed to power up a Pokémon's fire-type moves when they really need it, but to totally lose control like that?" Dawn said.
"Dawn, for all we know, this could actually be Chimchar's true power." Brock said, still holding a firm grip on the girl who was desperately trying to get to Ash. "Please Brock, let me help him!" Misty cried. "What could you do?" Brock asked. Upon hearing that, Misty stopped tugging and stared at the ground, realizing that there wasn't really anything she could do.
Misty stared at Ash and Chimchar, hoping with all her heart that they would both come out ok. "Stop it Chimchar, that's enough, you won already! You won Chimchar, it's over!" Ash cried. Chimchar continued to shriek uncontrollably. Misty, Dawn, and Brock watched with concern for their friend, while Paul's only interest was to see what the outcome would be.
With one last cry of desperation, Ash yelled at the top of his lungs. "Chimchar stop!" As if someone had turned on a light in its head, Chimchar suddenly stopped screeching, and its flame burned with its normal intensity. Upon seeing that the danger had seemingly vanished, Misty ran up to Ash as quickly as her legs would allow.
"Ash, are you alright?" she asked with extreme concern. Ash turned his head and gave a warm smile to his red-headed girlfriend. "Just fine Mist. We're both fine." Ash replied. Misty sighed with relief and knelt down next to Ash, just to have the satisfaction of having him close to her. "That was pretty intense, but you're ok now." Ash said, consoling the whimpering Chimchar.
Chimchar curled up into a ball, and whimpered fearfully. "Still frightened." Dawn moaned. "After going through all that, I'm not surprised." Brock said. "Hey, Chimchar, you were great. I guess you just surprised us with all that power you've got." Ash said, softly petting Chimchar's head.
Overwhelmed by the moment, Chimchar leaped into Ash's arms and hugged him tightly. Ash's smaller Pokémon all came close and formed a group hug around the frightened Chimchar. "You're in good hands Chimchar, I guarantee it." Misty said, getting her turn at consoling the small fire-type.
Chimchar jumped out of Ash's arms, only to jump into Misty's, which brought a giggle from the red-headed trainer. Paul walked up and confronted the two kneeling trainers, who quickly stood up at Paul's presence. "You really think you'll be able to control that?" Paul asked.
Misty handed Chimchar back to Ash just before he answered. "Who knows? I sure don't yet. But if anyone can, Chimchar can, no doubt." Ash replied. "Spoken just like a fool." Paul said. Ash and Misty growled at the ruthless trainer, who obviously had no sympathy whatsoever at the emotional event that had just taken place.
"When you and Chimchar figure out how to control that flame, we'll battle again." Paul said. "Ok Paul, it's a deal." Ash replied. Paul picked up his backpack and walked away without another word. "I can't believe that after all that, Paul still doesn't care about anything." Misty hissed. "But I think one thing was shown today." Dawn said.
"Oh? And what's that?" Misty asked. "Paul wasn't able to tap into Chimchar's true power, but Ash was. That's just gotta mean something!" Dawn said. "You're right. It means that the best way to train a Pokémon is through friendship. Chimchar and even Charizard are perfect examples of that." Misty replied. Charizard grunted to acknowledge.
"It also shows that no one knows a Pokémon's potential, not even Paul. So trainers have to trust their intuition as best they can, and the way Ash learns to deal with Chimchar's power is going to have a huge effect on how his next battle with Paul turns out." Brock explained.
"I heard that Brock." Ash said. "Sorry big guy." Brock replied. "Don't worry about it Brocko, I know you're right, but we'll work hard to make sure that we'll be ready." Ash said. "And we'll be with you every step of the way." Misty said. "Thanks guys, with your help, we'll be able to win the whole Sinnoh League! Ain't that right Chimchar?" Ash said, holding his small fire-type in the air.
No longer frightened, and in the comforting presence of its friends, Chimchar chattered happily, vowing to work hard to master its power. "After all that, I think we could all use a break." Dawn said. "You bet. So long before we get to Pastoria, Brock?" Ash asked.
"It shouldn't be much longer, but I think we should find a place to set up camp, I don't know about you, but I'm planning on going to bed early tonight." Brock replied. "Yeah, I guess we're all pretty tired." Ash admitted.
"But tomorrow, we'll do some training and get ourselves another gym badge!" Ash cheered. Ash's Pokémon roared their approval, and the group continued their journey to Pastoria City, and Ash's next gym battle.