Hey everyone! w00t! I managed to update in less than a month! Maybe it's because of how excited I was to get to these episodes, the battle between Ash and Paul was one of my favorite episodes of all time! And now I've gone and made it better, because of the Misty factor, and that factor makes some serious changes! So now, I will respond to anonymous reviews for the last chapter...oh wait...there's only one. xD
Guest: Sorry dude, May didn't fit in the equation, but I don't think I'm done with her yet, she'll probably be back.
Well, that's it then, what are you waiting for? Read the awesomeness! I own nothing except the story.
_
Chapter 55
Misty's POV
Another frame up. This is just too coincidental for words. A few days ago, we ran into our old biker friends Chopper and Tyra, who had since become the leaders of a for real biker gang. They explained to us how they were gonna go through what was called a Pokémon Rumble, which meant that Pokémon fought without being told what to do. Well, as a warm up, Chopper and Tyra challenged me Ash and me to a double battle, and of course we accepted. Piece of cake right?
Well, just when we were about to win, Officer Jenny showed up, and arrested Chopper and Tyra for various crimes around Sinnoh! And even that wasn't the most shocking part. Before they left with Officer Jenny, Chopper and Tyra appointed "Awesome Ash" and me, "Mighty Misty", as the new leaders of their gang! Well…as leaders, we decided to send the bikers away, and we went to the jail to see Chopper and Tyra, and they explained to us exactly what they needed us to do.
Well they were our friends, so we reluctantly agreed. Boy was that a mistake. Dawn and Brock got kidnapped by the opposing gang, we wound up getting dressed up in these awful clothes so we looked like bikers…overall, it was an experience I never wanna relive. Well, all in all, everything turned out alright. Whopper and Myra were sent to jail, Team Rocket blasted off again, and Chopper and Tyra realized their true feelings for each other. Later that night at the Pokémon Center, Ash and I threw our clothes outside, after changing of course, not like we were outside wearing nothing ok? We threw them outside and had Chimchar burn those clothes. I never wanted to wear that stuff again.
Even later, I actually got to talk to Ash a little about his strategy. He said that he wants to throw some new ideas around…and that's all he said! I just don't understand! When did Ash learn to be mysterious? Well one thing was for sure, I was gonna crack Ash like a walnut, either mentally, or physically if that's what it would come to.
About two days before the battle, we got on a train, met a weird guy named Looker, met an Ampharos that runs the train, and ran into Team Galactic again. Same old, same old. I'm not gonna spend four hours talking about this, I have to talk to Ash, the battle's tomorrow!"
Normal POV
"Ash Ketchum, I swear if you don't tell me right now what you plan on doing about Paul, I am going to make sure you don't live long enough to even get to the battle tomorrow!" Misty shouted, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the room. The group had stopped at a Pokémon Center next to Lake Acuity, so they could rest up before the big day.
"Misty, for the last time, I have a plan! I haven't been ignoring the fact that I need a strategy, I just haven't been telling anyone what it is yet!" Ash replied, not even bothering to look up from his Pokémon Trainer magazine.
"But why not?" Misty stressed, "In case you forgot, you're not the only one here who knows how to battle! Need I remind you that you have not one, but two Gym Leaders travelling with you, and a coordinator whose unique styles have been instrumental to your battle style! Why haven't you consulted us?" the redhead demanded to know.
Ash lowered his magazine and sighed, "Ok, I'll tell you this then. I do plan on consulting someone. But not you guys, not yet at least." Ash put his magazine on the desk Brock was sitting at, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to. Come on Pikachu." Ash walked out of the room after Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, leaving a somewhat curious Dawn and Brock and a very upset Misty behind.
"Come to think of it, I am kinda wondering why Ash has been so quiet about this." Dawn said.
"I'm sure he has his reasons, we know Ash well enough to know that whatever he does concerning battling is a pretty good idea." Brock replied.
"Speak for yourself!" Misty spat, "I don't know that! I know that Ash is still stubborn as all get out and that's never changed!" Misty stomped towards the door and opened it, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to eavesdrop on!" Misty slammed the door behind her.
"Wow." Dawn commented.
"With that attitude, she won't be hiding very long." Brock went back to his breeder book, "If at all." He added.
"Pika pika pikachu?" (You sure about this?)
"Sure am buddy. I'm sure he'll be able to help us, he spent at least two years studying this kind of stuff on the road, and there's no way he just stopped when he went home." Ash replied.
"Pika chu." (I guess.)
While Ash and Pikachu headed to the videophones, Misty was busy trying to keep out of her boyfriend's sights, "Who's the 'he' Ash is talking about?" She managed to sneak around a corner and find Ash, where he was now sitting in front of a videophone, "What are you concocting in that weird imagination of yours?"
"Hope he's home." Ash dialed, and a few moments later, a face appeared on the screen. It was the face of a young boy, straight black hair that rivaled Ash's, with the main difference being that it was a little longer than Ash's, he wore glasses and a red and black striped polo shirt, "Hey Max!"
"Wha – Max?!" Misty screamed. She immediately covered her mouth as if trying to push the words back into her mouth, there was no way Ash didn't hear her, practically the entire Pokémon Center heard her.
Ash turned around suddenly, and spotted Misty hiding behind the corner. "Good grief." he sighed.
"What's the matter Ash?" Max asked, confused as to what was going on.
"Nothing, just that my girlfriend is being nosy." Ash replied, "Come on over here Misty, you already know so it's not like hiding does anything at this point."
Misty sheepishly walked over to her boyfriend, who was glaring at her in annoyance. Normally she would take offense to that look, but in all honesty, she knew it was justified; she had been caught in the act of eavesdropping. "Don't look at me like that." She said quietly, her hands folded in front of her waist.
Ash's expression softened and he sighed again, "Sit down Mist." Ash scooted over so that Misty had space on the videophone seat, and the redhead complied, still looking slightly guilty. "You two have met of course." Ash said.
When Max saw Misty, he had to do a double take. He even went as far as to take off his glasses and clean them with his shirt to try and make sure that he wasn't seeing things. When he put them back on, it was clear this was real. "Wow…" Max said adoringly, "Nice to see you again Misty, you look really good!"
Misty's mood brightened when the young boy complimented her, "Aww, thank you." she said with a smile, "And speaking of looks, look at you! You've grown haven't you? I can tell, your face looks much more mature."
Max blushed and shied away a bit from the screen, giggling gleefully, "Heh…yeah." he said bashfully.
"Max, guys don't giggle, try to remember that." Ash said in annoyance.
"Now Ash, be nice! After all, you're the one who called him." Misty replied.
"No, he's right." Max cleared his throat and straightened his back, as he tried to regain his composure, "Guys don't giggle, I was just caught off guard, that's all."
"Don't be tryin' to steal my girl now Max." Ash warned jokingly.
Max laughed, "Don't worry, I won't…" Max turned her attention back to Misty, and he suddenly became shy again, "You really do look pretty though Misty, I love the way your hair looks."
"You're sweet Max; someday some lucky girl will be more than happy to call you her boyfriend." Misty then turned to Ash and smacked his shoulder, causing the trainer to jump, "See? Now why couldn't you be more like that when you were ten years old?"
Ash rubbed his shoulder and glared at the redhead again, "Geez Misty."
Max laughed at the sight of the quarreling couple, "Actually I'm not ten yet, but I will be! In just a couple of weeks I'll be going to get my starter Pokémon!"
"Hey, that's great!" Misty exclaimed, "So which one are you gonna get? There in Hoenn the choices are Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip right? Have you decided?"
"I sure have." Max glanced at Ash a moment, and the trainer smiled at the young boy, "My first Pokémon ever is gonna be a Ralts."
Misty was taken aback by that statement, "A…Ralts? How are you gonna get a Ralts if you don't have a real starter to catch one with?"
"See, Max made friends with a Ralts back when we were travelling In Hoenn, and Max promised that as soon as he was old enough to become a Pokémon Trainer, he'd go back for it!" Ash explained.
"I actually made contact with Ralts a couple of days ago, he told me how excited it was that he was gonna see me again!" Max added.
Now this information caught Ash off guard. "Wait, whaddya mean you made contact?" he asked.
"Oh yeah! Ralts could use telepathy with me! See, maybe I forgot to tell you this, but that's the whole reason I heard Ralts in the first place! He used telepathy to call for help, and it just so happened that I was able to hear it!" Max explained.
"And why couldn't anyone else?" Ash asked.
"Dunno, maybe Ralts's telepathy isn't nearly as powerful as some legendary Pokémon. Take Jirachi for instance, its telepathy was strong enough for all of us to hear it, I guess Ralts can only use telepathy with people that he could build a strong connection with." Max suggested.
Ash suddenly smacked the desk the videophone sat on, "See? This is why I need Max's help; he knows the ins and outs of almost any Pokémon."
"Wait, you need my help? I thought this was just a pleasure call! Wow, Ash needs my help! What can I do?" Max asked excitedly, ecstatic over the fact that the trainer he looked up to the most was asking for his assistance.
"I'm going up against a really tough trainer tomorrow, and he's kinda my rival, and he's got really powerful Pokémon." Ash started to explain.
"Oh yeah…Paul right? I think May told me a little bit about him." Max replied.
"Wait, how does May know about Paul? I never told her about him." Ash said.
"She said she talked to Misty and your other friend Dawn about him a little bit during the Wallace Cup…she also told me about how you guys are together now." Max smirked.
"Typical May." Misty sighed.
"Anyway, Paul's got a battle style that's giving me a hard time, he just keeps overpowering my team, I was hoping you'd be able to come up with a few ideas on how I could have a few extra tricks up my sleeve for the battle tomorrow, since you love studying abilities and special moves and all that." Ash explained.
"Awesome! I'd love to help!" Max exclaimed, "So who do you wanna start with? Sceptile? That awesome Snorlax I met during the Battle Frontier?"
"Uh…" Ash stammered, "They're not with me right now."
"Huh? Then who is? Aipom maybe?" Max asked.
"Aipom evolved into Ambipom and got traded to Dawn for her Buizel; I thought you said May told you stuff!" Ash said.
"She did! Just nothing involving Pokémon."
"Again, typical May. Go with the gossip and ignore everything else." Misty said, "Ash has a new Sinnoh team Max."
"Hmm…then I dunno how much my knowledge will help…I mean, I know about all the Sinnoh Pokémon, but if what May told me about Paul is true, then the fact is, your team just won't be powerful enough. Period." Max shrugged.
Ash whined, "Come on Max!"
"Ash, I think Max is right." Misty said, catching Ash's attention, "He's not dissing your current team Ash, but the simple fact is that Paul's been training his team a lot longer than you've been training your Sinnoh team. With the exception of Pikachu and Charizard, and maybe Staraptor since she's fully evolved now and she's been with you almost since you started Sinnoh, none of your Pokémon are on the same level as Paul's, that's probably why you've had to work so hard to keep up with him."
"So if I'm gonna beat Paul…I have to send some new Pokémon his way." Ash sighed, "This stinks. I really wanted my team to battle Paul."
"Well you know, just because you can't use your team to battle, doesn't necessarily mean they can't watch the battle." Max said.
"How would that work? I can only have eight Pokémon with me at a time. That means that only two of my Pokémon get to watch as it is right now." Ash replied.
"Why don't you decide who you wanna use in the battle, and then send out the Pokémon whose Pokéballs you'll send back to the Professor, you know, as empties." Max suggested.
"Great idea Max!" Ash's face lit up, but then contorted into a thoughtful expression. "Hmm…" Ash then turned to Misty, "Eh…can I consult you on this?"
"Oh now you want my help." Misty rolled her eyes, "Ok, to start with, Riolu has to stay out of consideration."
"Well I know that. I can't send Riolu out there to fight against Paul, that'd be cruel." Ash scratched his chin, "Well I know I'm gonna use Pikachu of course," he said, rubbing the electric mouse behind his ears, "And Charizard's my most powerful Pokémon overall, so using him is a no-brainer."
"Can I make a suggestion?" Misty said.
"That's what consulting is right?" Ash replied.
"I think you should use Chimchar." Misty suggested.
"Chimchar? But why? You just finished saying how he's not on Paul's level. Besides, I already have a fire-type chosen, that's Charizard." Ash said.
"Well he's not on Paul's level, and I know you have a fire-type already, but hear me out." Misty said, "Chimchar has a lot of history with Paul, in battle, his emotions would be riding high, which would make him a valuable asset in battle, you've seen how Chimchar's determination has proven to be the deciding factor in several of your battles, like with Fantina and Candice. Against Paul, Chimchar will battle with more heart than ever before."
Ash smiled, everything Misty said made sense. As usual. "Alright then, I'm going with Chimchar! So that leaves three more slots open…maybe Staraptor could battle…she'd be able to go up against Torterra and Hariyama…"
"I don't think that's smart." Misty said.
"Wha? Now what?" Ash asked.
"Ash, I think you're using your heart when you should be using your head. I know you want to use your Sinnoh team, but I think it'd be best if at least half your team consisted of Pokémon Paul is either unfamiliar with, or have never seen before. He knows you." Misty explained, "Remember when Paul battled Brandon, we saw Torterra use a move we never saw coming."
"That's right…Torterra used 'Stone Edge'! And Electabuzz's electric-type moves would give Staraptor a hard time too." Ash sighed and rubbed his eyes, "This is hard."
"Wow Ash, I've never seen you this intense without it being a life and death situation." Max spoke up, "Is this battle with Paul really that big a deal?"
"You have no idea." Misty replied for her boyfriend. "Come on Ash, use your head."
Ash inhaled and exhaled, trying to clear his mind. "Ok…" Ash pulled out all his Pokéballs and looked at them, "So Staraptor won't cut it, she has too many weaknesses against Paul's main Pokémon…Grotle's defense is great…but knowing Paul he'd use Torterra and just overpower him…so that's out…"
"Good, keep going." Misty encouraged.
"Gliscor's not experienced enough…but Buizel…" Ash paused a moment, "Misty, I'm going with Buizel as my water-type."
"What? Why? You have so many other powerful water-types at your disposal! You could even use my Gyarados if you wanted!" Misty exclaimed.
"I know, but listen…" Ash said, "Not counting your Pokémon, I really don't have that many water-types. I have Kingler, Corphish, Totodile, and Squirtle's out there somewhere…none of those guys with the possible exception of Squirtle are gonna be able to keep up with Paul's Pokémon, I want a little speed, and I need experience…while Buizel's been with me the shortest, I've worked on more special techniques with him than any of my other water-types, the counter-shield, 'Ice Aqua Jet', all of those were inspired by Dawn, and they've worked. Add to that the fact that Buizel is my fastest water-type, it seems to me that it's a no-brainer."
Misty smiled and kissed her boyfriend passionately on the cheek, "I'm so proud of you, that was very well thought out. I approve of your choice."
"Misty…not in front of Max…" he replied bashfully, rubbing his cheek.
"Oh don't worry, that icky stuff doesn't bother me as much as it used to." Max assured.
"Alright, I'm out of Pokémon. So it looks like I'll have to break the news to Staraptor, Grotle, and Gliscor." Ash sent out the three Pokémon, plus Riolu, and they looked at their trainer waiting for what he had to say, "Guys…I'm not gonna use you in the battle against Paul…" Ash was expecting his Pokémon to get all depressed, but they just relinquished a small smile, "Wait…why aren't you guys upset?" he asked.
"Looks to me like they don't care who you use Ash, they just wanna see Paul get what's coming to him." Misty replied. Ash's Pokémon agreed with Misty by shouting out cries of encouragement, with the exception of Riolu who instead hopped into Ash's lap and gave him a hug. "You guys rock, thanks." Ash then dialed Professor Oak, and his face appeared next to Max's, placing the young boy on standby. "Hey Professor!"
"Hello Ash! And hello to you too Misty! How are things?" the Professor asked.
"Doing good, hey, how'd you like the Gateau we sent you?" Ash replied.
"It was divine! I haven't tasted Gateau like that in ages. Thank you. Now, what can I do for you Ash?" Prof. Oak asked.
"I'm gonna send you some Pokéballs." Ash placed two empty Pokéballs into the transport slot, and within moments the Pokéballs arrived in Prof. Oak's lab.
Prof. Oak picked up the Pokéballs and stared at them in confusion, "Ash, these Pokéballs are empty."
"I know. I want the Pokémon I have now to see this battle I have tomorrow, but I can't have anymore Pokéballs with me, so I sent you two empties." Ash replied.
"O…k…" the Professor raised an eyebrow at Ash before putting the Pokéballs on the shelf next to him, "So…who do you want me to send?" he asked.
Ash gulped, "Uh…I don't know…guess I didn't think that through…" Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I think you should just go with your A-game. Take Sceptile and Snorlax, you saw how excited Max was to see them; he's probably already looking for ways to up their game." Misty suggested.
"You heard her Professor." Ash shrugged with a smile.
"I heard her." Prof. Oak also smiled and went to get the two chosen Pokémon, "And here they are." Prof. Oak sent the two filled Pokéballs to Ash, who immediately placed them onto his belt. "By the way, I noticed you have a Riolu; I certainly hope you're giving it lots of love."
"Come on Professor, you know me, would I do anything less?" Ash asked, as he pet the emanation Pokémon on the head.
"I suppose not. Well, I have lots to do today, so if there's nothing else, I'll let you go." Prof. Oak said.
"Nope, we're good, thanks Professor!" Ash hung up on Prof. Oak, and Max's face came back to the front, "Ok Max, I got Sceptile and Snorlax here, my team is ready to go!"
"Awesome! And hey, cool Riolu!" Max exclaimed, "Those are rare!"
"Yeah, I'm lucky to have him." Ash chuckled.
"Anyway, I'm gonna start coming up with battle plans, Call me back in like ten minutes ok? Lemme do some research!" Max said.
"Sure thing Max, good luck!" Ash hung up the young boy, and looked at his Sinnoh team, "Alright guys, this is the big one, I'm sorry I'm not using you guys this time." Ash's Pokémon all spoke up at once, basically saying that there was no resentment whatsoever, "Let's go Mist." Ash hurried to find Dawn and Brock, with his Pokémon following closely behind.
"Ash, you'll never change." Misty shook her head with amusement and chased after her boyfriend.
Back at the room, Ash opened the door, and the people inside noticed Riolu hanging on Ash's shoulder, and Grotle, Gliscor, Staraptor walking next to him and Misty, who had since caught up. "What's up Ash? Is this your team?" Brock asked.
"Nope…these are the guys who aren't battling." Ash replied.
Now the two other teens were confused, "Wait, if you're not using them, then who are you gonna use?" Dawn asked.
"I'll show you." Ash smirked, "Come on in guys!" Ash, Misty, and the non-battle chosen Pokémon stepped out of the way, and allowed the team that would go up against Paul to walk in.
The first three walked in, and those three were Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel. "Ok, but who are the other three?" Brock asked. The ground started rumbling a bit, as the last three Pokémon walked into the door…Ash's powerhouses came in: Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax. "Whoa…impressive." Brock said in shock.
"Wow Ash! Amazing!" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon she hadn't scanned before, which was Sceptile.
"Sceptile, the Forest Pokémon. Its arms are equipped with razor-sharp leaves, and it moves lightly through tree branches in order to attack its enemies." The Pokédex chirped.
"Ash, if this is your team, Paul's in for quite a shock." Brock smiled.
"It sure is, only thing is…Grotle and Staraptor don't have Pokéballs right now, so they'll be hanging here for a while ok? And I'm gonna leave Riolu here for a while too." Ash said.
"Sure, no problem!" Dawn emphasized her point by picking up Riolu and holding him in her arms, "So what's next?" she asked.
"I gotta go back and have another meeting; I just wanted you to see what I was planning." Ash replied.
"And it's about time too." Misty added.
"By the way, who's the meeting with?" Dawn asked.
"Max." Ash replied simply.
Brock's eyes widened, as wide as Brock's eyes could of course. "Max?! Did you say Max?! As in May's little brother Max?!"
"He's been studying strategies ever since we met him Brock, and my plans aren't working, I think it's time to consult someone who actually studies battle strategies. Maybe Max can help me throw a few tricks at Paul." Ash explained.
"I guess you have a point. Alright Ash, go ahead, and good luck." Brock shrugged and went back to his book.
Ash returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs, with the exception of Riolu and Staraptor, and he along with Misty and Pikachu headed back to the videophones. "Let's hope he came up with something." Ash dialed Max again, and the young boy looked up and smiled, "Whaddya got for me Max?"
Max pushed his glasses back onto his face, "Well I did some research, and I think it'd be a good idea to teach your more experienced team members some new moves, moves that you don't expect certain Pokémon to have."
"Ok, like what?" Ash asked.
"Take Pikachu for instance, what moves does Pikachu know right now? What's the usual move set?" Max asked.
"Pretty much the same, 'Thunderbolt', 'Quick Attack', 'Iron Tail', and the big one: 'Volt Tackle'. He can use 'Agility' when he has to, and sometimes we use 'Thunder' but that's too inaccurate for our tastes." Ash explained.
"Right, so Pikachu is pretty much built for offense only, he can't support other teammates with his current move set. After doing a little research into what Pikachu can learn, my suggestion would be to teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', so that he can weaken the effects of special attacks for other teammates." Max said.
"Wow…never thought of that, 'Light Screen' could come in handy, eh Pikachu?" Ash said.
"Pika chu." (Sure could.)
"Alright Max, what else you got for me?" Ash asked.
And so for the next hour or so, Ash, Misty, and Max discussed battle strategies and improving the powers of Ash's Pokémon. Max was able to give great ideas involving Snorlax, Sceptile, and even Charizard. "Well, that's about all I can do for you Ash." Max said after a while.
"That's all huh?" Misty replied, "Max, you are gonna be an incredible trainer! You know more now than Ash ever will."
"Hey!" Ash exclaimed in offense to that statement.
"Oh hush." Misty replied dismissively.
"Thanks Misty, I appreciate it." Max blushed slightly, "I hope I find someone like you when I go on my journey."
"I'm sure you will." Misty assured, "You're a sweet and smart boy, any girl would be thrilled to call you hers."
"Alright Max, thanks for all your help!" Ash exclaimed with a wave.
"No problem! Say hi to Brock for me!" Max waved goodbye and the video screen went dark.
"Well, guess I better get to training!" Ash got up and took two steps towards the Pokémon Center battlefield outside, but then stopped in his tracks, "Uh oh…"
"What's the matter Ash?" Misty asked.
"I just forgot just about everything Max told me! There was too much for me to remember all of it!" Ash exclaimed in frustration, "Why? Why does this stuff happen to me? WHYYYYY?" Ash fell to his knees dramatically; too bad he wasn't trying to be dramatic.
"Get up." Misty ordered. Ash complied and stood back up, her tone of voice had a warning sign attached to it. "I knew you'd forget, that's why I took the precaution of taking notes." Misty showed Ash and notepad that had the basis of everything Max had told them written on them, "See? I got your back."
"Aww, awesome!" Ash grabbed Misty into a tight hug and placed a passionate kiss onto the redhead's lips, "Misty, you're the best! Come on Pikachu, let's get to work!"
"Pi pika chu!" (You got it!)
Ash and Pikachu hurried outside while Misty wobbled a moment, weak in the knees from the kiss, "Wow…that was something." She said to herself. Eventually however she was able to regain her senses and went outside to join her boyfriend, who had already called out his Pokémon to give them a briefing.
"Ok here's the plan. Chimchar, Buizel, I want you guys to go over there and practice your Counter Shield techniques, we'll be needing them against Paul tomorrow, just don't overdo it. If you get tired, take a rest, and then get back to it when you're ready, I'll let you know when we'll do some regular training." Ash instructed. Chimchar and Buizel nodded and went to do just that. "Alright you guys, today's gonna be dedicated to teaching you moves that you didn't know before, so that when we use 'em against Paul, he'll never see 'em coming, you ready?" Ash asked. Pikachu, Charizard, and Sceptile all shouted out determinedly, Snorlax however, laid down and went to sleep, "Snorlax! Come on, it's not naptime!"
"Some things never change huh?" Misty asked with amusement, "Don't worry about Snorlax right now, we got other stuff to do first."
"I guess you're right. Alright Charizard, we'll start with you." Ash said, provoking a nod from the dragon, "Max says that with your current move set, you're vulnerable to rock-types and water-types, and I know Paul's gonna have at least one of the two ready for you, so Sceptile's gonna teach you how to activate 'Solarbeam', that way you'll have a counter move for water-types and you won't have to get in close with rock-types and ground-types with 'Steel Wing' all the time. Got it?" Charizard nodded and went over with Sceptile to begin the 'Solarbeam' training.
"Ok, let's work on 'Light Screen' with Pikachu." Misty called out Azurill, who bounced up and down happily upon her release.
"Why Azurill Mist?" Ash asked.
"Because I don't nail Pikachu with a really powerful attack while he's trying to activate a move he doesn't know yet, so this way if he doesn't get it the first few times, he won't take much damage." Misty explained.
"Great idea Mist! Ok Pikachu, let's see if we can get that 'Light Screen' up!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded, and his cheeks started sparking as he tried to use the electricity stored in his body to create a screen of light…but all Pikachu managed to do was fire an off-target 'Thunderbolt' that wound up waking up the snoozing Snorlax. "Sorry Snorlax!" Ash exclaimed apologetically. Snorlax shrugged and easily fell back to sleep, "Maybe this won't be as easy as we thought. According to Max, Pikachu should be able to learn 'Light Screen'."
"I'm sure he can, but without another Pokémon to teach him it'll be twice as hard. Teaching Grotle 'Energy Ball' and Staraptor 'Brave Bird' all happened with some help." Misty pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right…" Ash scratched his chin for a moment, but then he snapped his fingers in realization, "I know a Pokémon who can use 'Light Screen'! Hold down the fort Misty, I'll be back as soon as I can!" Ash hurried inside and ran to his room where Brock was still reading and Dawn was playing games with Riolu, "I need to borrow Riolu for a while!" Ash grabbed the baby Pokémon and ran back out, much to Dawn's chagrin.
"Hey! We were playing pattycake!" Dawn whined.
Meanwhile with Ash, he and Riolu were hurrying back to the videophones, "Ok Riolu, today you're gonna meet someone very special to me." Ash dialed the videophone, and after a few rings, Delia answered, "Hey mom!"
"Hi Ash! You're looking well!" Delia replied, "How are things going?"
"Pretty good, I have a pretty big battle ahead of me…and that's part of the reason I'm calling." Ash explained.
Delia laughed airily, "Oh Ash, if you think I can help you with battling, you're quite mistaken. You already know more about Pokémon than I ever did."
"Well I'm not exactly looking for you, I wanna teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', and I know Mimey knows how to use that move, so I was hoping I could borrow it for a while." Ash explained.
"Oh Ash, I would love to help…but…Mimey's the only company I have." Delia said regretfully, "If I don't have Mimey, I'm all by myself."
"I thought about that Mom! I'm gonna send you someone to keep you company!" Ash exclaimed, "I want you to meet my 'son'." Ash used air-quotes, but when Ash mentioned "son", Delia freaked.
"SON?! Ashton Ketchum, what did you do?! Did you really get poor Misty pregnant?!" Delia was yelling so loud, that everyone else in the Pokémon Center was now giving Ash weird looks.
"No Mom no! Shhh!" Ash pleaded, "You got it all wrong! He's not literally my son!"
Delia crossed her arms, giving Ash the kind of look that made children melt with fear, "I'm listening."
Ash picked the somewhat nervous Riolu up off the floor and showed him to Delia, "See, this is who I'm talking about! Riolu hatched from an egg not too long ago, and he considers me and Misty his parents 'cause he's connected to my aura, and he knows how close I am to Misty!" Ash tried to explain.
Upon hearing that explanation, Delia's expression softened, "I'm sorry Ash, I overreacted." she admitted, "But you shouldn't have referred to your little Riolu as your son, that gives the wrong impression to people."
"I'll keep that in mind from now on." Ash nodded, "So how about it? Can we trade for a while?"
"Oh, I suppose. I'd love to get to know that little sweetheart!" Delia said sweetly. Riolu squealed happily at the compliment, and held out his arms to the screen, "Aww, how cute!" Delia gushed.
Ash smiled, both in pleasure and relief, he was happy that Riolu seemed to be excited to be with his mother, but he was more relieved that he had dodged a bullet from his mother. "Ok Riolu, I'm gonna send you to Mom now, I want you to behave, ok?" Riolu nodded and hugged Ash before he allowed Ash to return him to his Pokéball, "Ok Mom, here he comes, get Mimey."
Delia picked up the Pokéball and immediately called out Riolu, and the little emanation Pokémon looked around in awe at his new surroundings, "Hello Riolu, I'm your grandma!" Delia giggled. Riolu smiled widely at the older woman, reading that her aura was very friendly and nurturing, "You're such a cute little Pokémon. Yes you are!" Delia picked up Riolu and raised him up in the air, and the baby Pokémon laughed with glee.
"Mom! I'm glad you like him, but I called to get Mimey! Not just introduce you to Riolu!" Ash exclaimed.
It took a second for Delia to process that Ash had spoken, but when she did, she stopped playing with Riolu and blushed bashfully, "Oh I'm sorry sweetie; it's been so long since I've able to do things like this, not since you were this size!"
Now it was Ash's turn to blush, "Mom…" he mumbled.
"I'll get Mimey now." Delia turned in her chair, "Mimey, could you come in here a moment? And bring your Pokéball!" A few moments later, the psychic-type appeared from the kitchen with its Pokéball in hand…and when it saw Riolu in Delia's arms, it frowned. "This is Ash's new Riolu, say hi!" Delia exclaimed, raising the little emanation Pokémon up to it. At first Mimey glared at Riolu, but after watching the emanation Pokémon squirm in Delia's arms cheerfully, even the somewhat jealous psychic-type fell under Riolu's charm.
"Mimey, I need your help! I want you to teach Pikachu how to use 'Light Screen'!" Ash exclaimed through the screen.
"See, Ash has an important battle coming up, and he wants to teach Pikachu a new move! So I'm going to send you over to Ash for a little while, and once Pikachu learns 'Light Screen', Ash will send you back here, and I'll send Riolu back to Ash. Is that ok with you?" Delia asked. Mimey thought about it for a moment, but eventually gave a reluctant nod. "Oh splendid! Ok, into the Pokéball you go!" Delia took the Pokéball from Mimey's hand and returned it, then sent it over to Ash via the videophone, "There you go Ash! One very special tutor!"
"Thanks Mom!" Ash was about to hang up, but then he got a sudden flashback, "Mom! No dressing Riolu up please!"
"Aww, why don't you just rip my heart out?" Delia whined with a pout.
"I mean it Mom, no little outfits." Ash warned.
"Oh fine, but when you get married, do I have permission to dress up your real children?" Delia asked.
Ash sighed and face-palmed, "Yes mom, you have my permission to completely humiliate my future children."
"Oh goodie!" Delia cheered, "Bye bye Ash! And remember to wear clean underwear!" The screen went blank, and Ash groaned as loud as he could.
"So not only did Mom remind me in public to wear clean underwear again, but I also made sure that my future kids are gonna be dressed up like stupid toy dolls…maybe she'll forget by then…" Ash rethought what he said to himself, "Nope…it's mom…she's worse than a Donphan, she'll never forget." Ash sighed and looked at the Pokéball in his hand, "At least I got what I wanted." Ash hurried back outside, and he saw Misty conversing with Charizard and Sceptile, "Misty, I'm back!"
Upon hearing her boyfriend's voice, Misty turned her head to face him, "Took you long enough!" Misty then turned the rest of her body just as Ash made it to her, "Who did you call anyway that took so long? Lance the Dragon Trainer?" she asked sarcastically.
Ash made an annoyed face at the redhead, "No, for your information I called my mom, and I had to go and get Riolu from Dawn so I could send him to her in exchange for this," Ash held up the Pokéball, and then tossed it to the ground, revealing a Mr. Mime from within.
"Ash, is this Mimey?" Misty asked.
"Sure is! See, I knew Mimey knew how to use 'Light Screen', so it'd be perfect to teach Pikachu!" Ash then turned his attention to the psychic-type, "Ok Mimey, go over there with Pikachu and start teaching him how to activate 'Light Screen', I'm gonna check on the other Pokémon, we have a lot of work to do before tomorrow." Mimey nodded and went over to where Pikachu and Azurill were, and the electric mouse greeted the Barrier Pokémon cordially. "Ok Mist, where are we at with the 'Solarbeam' training?"
"I'll show you." Misty replied with a smirk, "Alright you guys, 'Solarbeam' that rock over there!" Misty pointed at a large rock, and together the two Pokémon charged energy from the sun, and fired. While Charizard was able to fire the blast, Sceptile's attack was clearly more powerful and better executed due to his experience. "See how awesome your girlfriend is? Charizard went from knowing nothing to being able to pull it off in almost no time flat!" Misty bragged, her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out in pride.
"Wow Mist, impressive, I didn't know you could use 'Solarbeam' to teach Charizard!" Ash said sarcastically, which earned him an annoyed look from Misty, "And just a second ago you were complaining about how long I took!"
"Ash, I'm helping you train here, don't make me mad." Misty said simply.
Ash chuckled and put his hands up in self-defense, "Ok Mist, I get it. In all seriousness though, you did an awesome job with the move training. Thanks." Ash said gratefully.
Misty smiled, "No worries Ash, you know I'm more than happy to help you out." she said.
Just then, Dawn and Brock came out as well, watching all the Pokémon train, "Wow, this is serious." Dawn commented.
"Ash has a lot on the line with this battle with Paul." Brock replied.
Ash spotted his other two friends and waved, "Hey guys!" he hurried over to them with excitement, "Check it out! I got Sceptile teaching Charizard 'Solarbeam', Chimchar and Buizel are working on their special Counter Shield techniques, and over there, Pikachu's learning how to use 'Light Screen' from Mimey!"
"Mimey?" Brock looked over and glared at the Barrier Pokémon, who took a moment out of its instructing to glare right back at its rival in housekeeping, "Nice to see it again." Brock grumbled.
"Looks like you got the whole gang working here!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly, "What can we do to help?"
"Well, Chimchar and Buizel could use some opponents, why don't you go over there and give them someone to battle while they practice?" Ash suggested.
"Aye aye Ash!" Dawn gave a playful salute, "Come on Brock, we've got Pokémon to train!" Dawn grabbed the breeder's wrist and dragged him away, but Brock never averted his gaze from the psychic-type teaching Pikachu, who had long since gone back to explaining how to use 'Light Screen', "What's with you and that Mr. Mime anyway?"
"Ahh Brock, you'll never change." Ash shook his head with amusement.
"Hey Ash?" Misty called.
Ash turned and jogged over to Misty, "What's up Mist?"
"Now that Charizard's got the basics of 'Solarbeam' down, all that's left is to practice. I think we should work on getting Sceptile his new move." Misty suggested.
"Good idea Mist…hmm…but where are we gonna find someone who can use 'Focus Blast' to teach Sceptile?" Ash scratched his chin in thought, but then he heard an explosion on the other end of the Pokémon Center, and then someone barking out orders, "Misty…that sounds like…him." Ash ran off, with Misty following close behind. When Ash reached the corner, he peeked around it, and gasped at who he saw, "It is Paul!"
The purple haired trainer had taken the other battlefield, and was squaring Electabuzz and his Ursaring against each other. "Electabuzz, 'Light Screen'!" he ordered. Electabuzz acknowledged, and a cube of light appeared for a moment and then dissipated, signaling 'Light Screen's' activation, "Now Ursaring, use 'Focus Blast'!"
"Ash, quick! Gimme your Pokédex!" Misty whispered. Ash complied and pulled his Pokédex out of his pocket and handed it to his girlfriend, "Time to learn by television!" Misty activated the Pokédex camera mode, and took a video of Ursaring using 'Focus Blast', and hitting Electabuzz with it. However the 'Light Screen' kicked in and halved the damage that Electabuzz would've taken without it active, "Whoa, looks like Max was right about the 'Light Screen'."
"Yeah, let's get out of here before Paul realizes we're watching." Ash carefully headed back to his end of the Pokémon Center, trying to make his footfalls as light as possible. Misty followed suit, and got up next to him, "So now we can show Sceptile 'Focus Blast', guess this kinda works out." Ash said dejectedly.
Misty picked up on Ash's suddenly melancholy attitude and became concerned, "Hey, you ok?"
Ash looked into the sky, but then he shook his head vigorously and pasted a smile onto his face, "I'm alright, let's go!" Ash ran over to Sceptile with Pokédex in hand, and began to show the Forest Pokémon what Misty had recorded.
Misty however, was now deep in thought, "That smile was faker than the chests of some supermodels…something's bothering him." Misty decided to shake it off for a while and concentrate on helping Ash train his team, if her suspicions were correct, he'd need her now more than ever.
By the time the day was over, the Pokémon had done several sparring matches with each other to test their new abilities, and it seemed to be an effective day, as all three Pokémon taught new moves seemed to be able to pull them off without much effort at all. "Ok Sceptile, one more time! 'Focus Blast'!" Ash ordered. Sceptile acknowledged and put his claws together, and slowly a ball of energy formed in his hands, and he fired it just like Paul's Ursaring did.
"Buizel, counter that by spinning and using 'Aqua Jet'!" Misty ordered. Buizel acknowledged the water-trainer's order and did just what she said. Standing in place, Buizel used 'Aqua Jet' and spun around, which made a barrier of water that effectively blocked the power of 'Focus Blast' and deflected it away. "Nice job!"
"Ash." Brock walked up to the black haired trainer with a somewhat stern look on his face.
"What is it Brock?" Ash asked, turning his head enough so that he could see his older friend.
"That's enough training for today, you've been working them all day long, they need rest." Brock said, his arms crossed over his chest.
"But Brock, tomorrow is…" when Ash turned back to see his Pokémon, he noticed that Buizel and even Sceptile was panting in exhaustion. Gasping, Ash looked around, and everywhere he looked he saw his Pokémon about ready to keel over, their energy had been depleted from all the training, but nevertheless they were still going at it. "Stop! Stop it, everyone!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.
All the Pokémon stopped their training and looked at Ash, who was now breathing heavily and looking down to avoid anyone's gaze. Upon seeing his master's apparent distress, Pikachu bounded over to him, "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Ash looked down at Pikachu, his eyes only open a slit, but then he bolted, back into the Pokémon Center with no warning at all, "Pikapi!" (Ash!)
"What happened?" Dawn asked worriedly.
"I knew something was wrong." Misty sighed, and then turned to her breeder friend, "Brock, take care of these guys, I'm gonna go take care of Ash."
Brock nodded, "Do your thing Misty." Brock went over to the Pokémon and started feeding them handfuls of special Pokémon snacks, while Misty went inside the Center to look for Ash.
"Come on Ash, where are you?" Misty ran through the Pokémon Center, looking for where Ash was, "He's not in our room…" Misty was quite honestly stumped. "Where on earth did he go?" Misty scratched her head as she tried to imagine where Ash could've gone, then she snapped her fingers as she figured something out. "I know where you are, hang on." Misty ran up the nearest set of stairs, as she remembered how this particular Pokémon Center had a balcony, and sure enough, there was her Ash, leaning over the railing.
Ash heard the footsteps coming up behind him, and he tried to wipe his eyes as discreetly as he could, "H-Hey Mist." He stammered, his voice unintentionally cracking. Ash punched the railing; he knew he had given himself away once his voice cracked.
"Don't 'hey' me." Misty went over to Ash and gently used her hand to turn his face towards her, "What's wrong?"
Ash sighed and turned away, "I can't believe this is happening."
"Can't believe what is happening? I don't understand." Misty turned Ash's head back to her again, "I want you to look at me Ash, talk to me, what's wrong?"
"Misty, I looked at all my Pokémon, I saw them killing themselves to train for the battle tomorrow, I've never worked them that hard before in my life, how could I be so insensitive to my Pokémon?" Misty was about to respond, but Ash continued, "Do you know why I called Max for help?"
Misty shook her head, "No…why?"
"Because I don't trust myself." Ash slumped his shoulders and leaned on the railing again, "I knew I couldn't beat Paul with my own training techniques…I mean, every time I battled Paul, someone got hurt. Look at what happened to Chimchar, a traumatizing experience with 'Blaze' thanks to my own failure to give orders; Grotle evolved from Turtwig during a battle with Paul that led him into a depression, once again because I couldn't step up to the plate. So I knew that doing more of the same would lead to someone else getting hurt. I called Max, hoping that his knowledge of Pokémon battle strategies would be able to give me an edge over Paul that I didn't have before, but instead I'm using two Pokémon, three if you count Charizard, that have never met Paul before, which means I'm depriving three of my Sinnoh Pokémon the chance to beat Paul…and even then…I'm hurting my Pokémon, pushing them beyond their limits just like Paul would…if this is what happens when I go up against Paul, maybe I should just call it all off."
Misty had heard every word that Ash said, and she couldn't believe the words that had just oozed out of his mouth, "Ash, are you kidding me?" that comment got Ash to look at her again, "Your Pokémon are down there right now, training their hearts out, pushing their limits, all because they love you! They want to see you succeed! In no way, shape, or form are you in any way related to Paul, you and Paul are polar opposites. His Pokémon train because Paul makes them train, your Pokémon train because they want to train." Misty looked down, and saw all of Ash's Pokémon interacting, happily socializing and laughing with each other, "Look down there Ash," Ash complied to Misty's request, "Those Pokémon spent all day training because they want the same thing you want, and that's to give Paul what he deserves! Do you really think that Staraptor, Grotle, and Gliscor would've volunteered to stay out of the battle so that you could call on your powerhouses Snorlax, Sceptile, and Charizard, if they didn't wanna see you win? I can guarantee you they would've objected the first chance they got."
"So what are you saying Mist?" Ash asked.
"I'm saying that there's no reason for you to feel guilty for working them. They would've told you if they felt you were pushing them too hard, that's the kind of connection you have with them. And that's something Paul can never take away from you, no matter what. And there's nothing wrong with asking for help, Max gave you some really good advice! Teaching Sceptile 'Focus Blast', Charizard 'Solarbeam', and then you came up with the idea of borrowing Mimey to teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', and Snorlax…I mean Paul's gonna be in for quite a shock with Snorlax."
Ash breathed out a chuckle at that, "Yeah…Max had some great ideas for Snorlax…I just hope it doesn't come down to that…"
"Even if it does, it's all a part of battling." Misty got up close and hugged Ash tenderly. Then she backed up a little so she could look into his brown eyes, "We're all behind you Ash, you've done nothing wrong for you to feel guilty about, now I want you to go back down there and talk to your Pokémon, they need you to get them ready for tomorrow."
Ash finally relinquished a sincere smile, and returned Misty's hug with interest, kissing her forehead, "Thank you Misty. I was really feeling down."
"I know, and that's ok Ash, you're human, no one expects you to be perfect. You're allowed to have feelings too." Misty kissed Ash's nose briefly, "Just don't let those feelings get in the way of what you do best, train your Pokémon in a loving and masterful way, just like you always do, just like you've done just now."
Ash smiled, and this time pulled Misty in for a passionate kiss which she was more than happy to reciprocate. When they finally pulled away, the couple gasped for air, "I needed the talk, but I really needed that." Ash said cheekily.
Misty smirked and whacked the aspiring trainer in the back of his head playfully, "Get outta here Ash, you've got Pokémon to take care of."
Ash nodded and ran back downstairs, once he reached the battlefield, he saw all his Pokémon looking at him with concern. "I'm ok now." Ash said. The way Ash said "now", the Pokémon couldn't help but smirk as they knew all too well what that implied, "Wipe those smirks off your faces." Ash mumbled with a blush on his face. Ash glanced over at Snorlax, and saw the Sleeping Pokémon wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Snorlax!"
The whole team laughed, even provoking Ash to laugh as well. But then Brock came up again, looking somewhat apologetic, "Sorry for being so stern with you Ash, I didn't mean to make it sound like you had done something wrong, you didn't." Brock had realized what set off Ash about five minutes after he ran off, and he was feeling pretty bad about it.
"I know that now, don't worry Brock." Ash turned to his team, "Alright guys, tomorrow's the big day, I want you all to get a good night's rest, we're in for a battle none of us will ever forget." After a determined cheer from his Pokémon, Ash returned his battle team to their Pokéballs, while Grotle and Staraptor stayed out. "Ok Mimey, time to send you home." Ash looked around and saw that Mimey was nowhere to be found, "Mimey? Mimey?!" Ash panicked, "Brock! I lost my mom's Pokémon!"
"No you didn't!" Dawn came out of the Pokémon Center with Misty, who was currently holding Riolu in her arms, "Misty told me earlier that I should send Mimey home as soon as the training was over, and I think that was a good idea, your mom said that even though Riolu liked her and all, he was starting to miss you and Misty." To emphasize her point, upon seeing Ash, Riolu leaped out of Misty's arms and scurried over to Ash, jumping into his arms instead. "See what I mean?" the coordinator giggled.
Ash laughed as he hugged Riolu, "Did you have fun with my mom today Riolu?" he asked. Riolu nodded and squealed happily, just thrilled to be back with his trainer. "I take it Mimey wasn't too happy about Riolu." Ash predicted.
"Mimey was a little jealous," Misty replied, using her hand to show how little, "But once Mimey was home, everything went back to normal."
Ash smiled, but then he frowned when he felt Riolu suddenly dig into his chest, as if he was trying to hide, "What's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked. Ash looked around the corner, and he saw what was wrong. "Paul."
"I hear you've been training for me, at least you have that much sense." Paul scoffed, and then looked at Riolu, who was still trying to avoid looking back at Paul, "That Riolu has serious issues, you've been coddling it for too long."
"Leave him alone! He doesn't like your aura!" Ash growled.
"Excuses, excuses." Paul turned to leave, "I'll be waiting for you at the lake tomorrow, if I were you, I'd just forfeit, you're outmatched." Paul disappeared from sight, and Riolu finally calmed down once the ruthless trainer was gone.
"We'll see about that." Ash looked at his friends, and they nodded at him, then he looked at Pikachu and the other two Pokémon that currently had no Pokéballs, and they too nodded at him. "We'll see about that."
The following morning, Ash woke up and didn't hesitate to prepare himself for the battle that was about to take place in no less than an hour, he went into the bathroom, layered his favorite deodorant about four times, "The last thing I want is for Misty to get a whiff of me after this battle, there'd be no victory hug." He thought cheekily, a smirk creeping onto his face as he thought it. Ash changed into his clothes, and when he came out, his friends were all awake, waiting their turn, "You guys ready for this?"
"Yep. Are you?" Dawn asked.
"I sure am, I've got my team ready, I've got my friends behind me…this is gonna be a battle that'll I'll remember the rest of my life." Ash pumped his fist, and Pikachu did the same after hopping onto his shoulder, "Let's do it!" the group headed downstairs, and Ash met Nurse Joy at the desk, "Hey Nurse Joy, could you give my team a quick recharge before my battle?" Ash asked.
"Of course," Nurse Joy took Ash's battle team, which included Pikachu. "I'll be back shortly." the nurse walked away, luckily Brock hadn't noticed, he was watching something else.
"Brock, what are you looking at?" Misty asked.
"See for yourself." Brock replied.
The group did just that, and saw that there were dump trucks and workers outside on the battlefield, "What's going on?" Dawn wondered.
They headed outside, and saw three somehow suspicious workers working on the battlefield, "Hello!" Ash exclaimed.
The workers stopped, and the shortest one mumbled something that got the two taller ones to bonk him on the head, "Sorry, someone came yesterday and pretty much demolished the field, no battles today!" the female exclaimed, somewhat nervously however.
"Oh man." Ash groaned, slumping in disappointment.
"Seems legit though, we did kinda beat this battlefield to a pulp yesterday." Misty added.
"So what'll we do then?" Ash wondered.
"Excuse me, are you Ash from Pallet Town?" a voice asked.
The group saw a man in a referee uniform walking over to them, "Yeah, that's me." Ash replied.
"I've been looking for you!" the man said, "The name's Olivier and I'm a travelling referee! I got a call from Reggie a few days ago, asking me to come to Lake Acuity and officiate the Pokémon Battle between you and Paul." He explained.
"Well that's great, but if the battlefield's closed…" Ash was cut off.
"Don't worry, Reggie told me he's got a backup plan just in case! You and Paul are gonna battle right by the lake!" Olivier exclaimed.
"Really? That's awesome!" Ash exclaimed, "Alright then, I'll go get my Pokémon and we'll meet you there!"
"You got it!" Olivier started the walk to the lake, while the others went back into the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy was waiting for them.
"Your Pokémon are all ready for your battle, now everybody's in tip-top shape!" the nurse said happily. The Pokémon all cheered in agreement.
"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash then turned his attention to his Pokémon, "You guys look ready for anything!"
"I'll say! You all sure look confident!" Dawn exclaimed, "You're all ready to battle for sure!" Dawn then turned her attention to Ash, "And you can count on us to cheer you on big time!"
"Thanks Dawn, I sure could use the encouragement." Ash turned his attention to his Pokémon once again, "Alright guys, we're gonna win this battle, and as soon as we do, Paul will have no choice but to give us a little respect for the way we train!" Ash's Pokémon cheered at that, "Alright! So let's move it! We're gonna give Paul a taste of what real training can do!" The Pokémon cheered again, but one Pokémon was more determined than any of the others, "Wow Chimchar, you're all fired up aren't you?"
"Watching Chimchar reminds me of what Cynthia once told us." Brock commented, as Ash gave his battle team one last rundown of the plan.
"You mean when she said 'when one life meets another life, something will be born'?" Dawn asked.
"Right…but that's not all." Brock replied.
"Then what's on your mind Brock?" Misty asked.
"She also spoke of a larger than life destiny waiting for Chimchar…and that Chimchar is the touchstone for Ash and Paul's relationship." Brock explained.
"So what are you saying? That Ash and Paul will become friends through Chimchar?" Misty asked, not really believing her own words.
"I'm not saying that, all I know is that Chimchar will do something for Ash and Paul…guess we'll have to wait and see what that something is." Brock replied.
By this time, Ash was finished giving his team the plan, "Alright, you guys ready for this?!" Ash's Pokémon all cheered determinedly, "Then let's do it!" Ash returned his battle team to their balls, while Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder, and within minutes, the whole group was standing in front of Lake Acuity, "Finally…Lake Acuity…"
A soft breeze blew through the group's hair, and ripples were made in the water because of it, and that also triggered a thought in Dawn's mind, "You know, I just remembered, there's supposed to be a legendary Pokémon here!"
"That's right, Uxie!" Brock added, confirming the coordinator's thoughts.
"That means Uxie could be watching our battle today…" Ash shook his head and decided to not think too much into legends, he had a battle to focus on, "Come on, let's get over there, if I know Paul, he's there already." The group sprinted towards the other side of the lake, and sure enough, there were the two brothers Reggie and Paul, the latter of which was returning Electabuzz to its Pokéball. "Well, there's one member of his team." Ash mumbled to himself. As soon as they stopped, Ash and Paul immediately got into a silent but heated stare-down, they both knew what was at stake today, and neither one wanted to show any kind of weakness.
"Thanks for coming Ash, welcome." Reggie got up and walked down the hill he was sitting on, "I really believe the two of you were destined to battle each other this way."
"The two of us?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, you see, you and Paul are completely different, yet at the same time you're a lot alike too!" Reggie didn't notice, but Misty seemed offended by the notion of Ash being in any way like Paul, "You both wish to become strong with your Pokémon, yet your training methods are complete opposites…so as long as you're this tuned into each other and also have the desire to become stronger, I think a full battle between you two was unavoidable! As rivals you need to know each other's current strengths, you need to learn how powerful you each have become, and that will lead to your own evolution as a trainer."
Reggie's explanation kind of made sense to Ash, but like Misty, he didn't like being compared to Paul in any way; out of respect for Reggie however, he kept quiet about it. "So I guess we're battling right here then?"
"Yep, since we can't use the battlefield, I thought it'd be a great idea to go all out here in the great outdoors!" Reggie said, "That ok with you Paul?"
"Makes no difference to me." Paul replied apathetically.
"Good, then we're all decided!" Olivier suddenly showed up, in a huge Pokéball themed hot-air balloon, "I'm here and ready to referee, and so are my helpers for the day!"
Three people appeared from the balloon basket, all wearing masks, "That's us!" they exclaimed. The shortest one pushed a button, and the balloon retracted into a metal container above the basket, and a huge screen appeared and extended outwards.
"Wow, awesome! What's that?" Dawn asked.
"It's a potable reference monitor," Olivier explained, "Ok team, all set?"
The three helpers saluted the travelling referee, "Right! Couldn't be any more setter!" with another push of a button, the monitor turned on, and Ash and Paul's trainer profiles appeared on the screen.
"This is it guys!" Ash exclaimed.
The spectators took their place on a makeshift bleacher, a log that was lying there, but Misty made sure to take a moment to wish her boyfriend luck, "Take him down Ash, this is your moment!" with a quick kiss on the lips, Misty took her place on the log, just as Riolu and Buneary appeared from their Pokéballs, also wanting to see what would happen.
"I take it that since Grotle, Gliscor, and Staraptor are here, Ash has some new Pokémon to throw at Paul." Reggie said knowingly.
"He spent all day yesterday training for this; Paul has no idea what he's in for." Misty replied.
Olivier finally took his place on the field and began to announce the rules, "Representing Kanto is Ash from Pallet Town! And representing Sinnoh is Paul from Veilstone City! We now begin a six-on-six full battle, there is no time limit and both sides can exchange Pokémon freely as desired! The battle will be over when all six Pokémon on either side are unable to continue! We will now use coin toss to see who will unleash the first attack! Alright then trainers, heads or tails? What will it be?"
"I call heads." Ash said.
"Then tails." Paul replied.
The monitor showed the electronic Magikarp coin, and after the coin flipped, it landed on heads in Ash's favor. "Heads! So Ash has the honor!"
"Ok Pikachu, let's do this!" Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and held it tightly, while Paul just waited patiently with the ever-so-familiar cold glare he always wore.
One of the spectators however was beginning to get nervous, easily spotted by a squirming Piplup, "Sorry Piplup." Dawn eased up her grip on her starter Pokémon, but her anxiety wasn't easing up at all.
"Dawn, relax." Misty said soothingly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Ash did not come unprepared, he's got his strongest Pokémon, his best techniques at the ready, and best of all, he's got us backing him up, that's one advantage Paul can never replicate."
As much as Dawn wanted to be reassured, she couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety, it felt like the air was too thick to breathe. To Reggie this was just a friendly battle between rivals, but everyone else knew the truth. "I know Misty…but I still feel nervous."
"This is it Pikachu, we either go big today or go home." Ash started his windup, "Alright, Buizel, I choose you!"
At the same time, Paul made his choice, "Torterra, stand by for battle!"
The two Pokémon made their appearances, calling out their names with determination, "Torterra huh?" Ash said to himself. The monitor beeped briefly thanks to the work of the three helpers, and the pictures of the two Pokémon came up, and seeing it caused Ash to think, "This is not a good matchup…"
"Alright!" Olivier shouted, "Let the battle begin!"
Before anything could happen, Ash grabbed Buizel's Pokéball, "Buizel, return now!"
"Ash is retreating?" Dawn wondered worriedly.
"Not because he's scared Dawn, he knows that Buizel is a terrible matchup versus Torterra, Ash has got a bunch of Pokémon that can take it on though." Misty replied.
"As much as I wanted to battle with you Buizel, water-type moves don't work too well against grass-types like Torterra, so hang tight, you'll get your chance." Ash placed Buizel's Pokéball back onto his belt, and reached for another one, "You're up instead! Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard emerged and roared, spewing flames as he did so.
"There's that awesome Charizard again." Reggie said, "Just one thing though…" That comment caught the attention of the teens, "Paul knew Charizard would be on Ash's team, simply because he recognized in their last battle that Charizard was most likely Ash's strongest Pokémon, and he adapted accordingly."
"So Paul isn't surprised to see him…" Dawn said, "But still, it's…Charizard! There's no way Paul would try to use Torterra against him…would he?"
"Alright Charizard, unleash your 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard complied and fired a powerful blast of fire at the Continent Pokémon, who had no choice but to take the super-effective hit.
"Hey! That looked pretty good!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Yeah, but remember this is still Torterra, I have no doubt that it felt Charizard's attack because of how powerful he is, but I'm sure Torterra's powerful enough to keep battling." Reggie replied.
"I'm sure Ash realizes that, he's seen Torterra enough times to know what it can do." Misty added.
"Alright, use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened its mouth again, and this time Torterra took the hit and barely gave an inch, this move was not one that would bother it.
"Now, 'Stone Edge'!" Paul ordered. Finally getting a chance to attack, Torterra's eyes glowed blue, and sharp pieces of rock came flying at the dragon.
"We knew that was coming!" Ash exclaimed, much to Paul's shock, "Use 'Steel Wing' to block it!" Charizard's wings became hard as steel, and the dragon folded them in front of him, allowing the rocks to bounce harmlessly off of his wings, "Nice job Charizard, you negated its power! Now, use 'Flamethrower'!" After the last of the rocks fell to the ground, Charizard fired another blast that hit dead on again, causing Torterra to groan in pain.
"Wow! I can't believe it! Ash knew Paul would use the super-effective 'Stone Edge' against Charizard and he was able to block it with that 'Steel Wing'!" Reggie said in awe.
"Ash learned a lot from Paul's battle with Brandon, that's when he first saw that Torterra had learned that move, so he was ready for it when it came." Brock replied.
Paul was beginning to get frustrated, he was hoping 'Stone Edge' would be the move that gave him the edge, and Ash had just eliminated that possibility. "Use 'Giga Drain'!" he ordered.
"Quick Charizard, take off!" Ash countered.
Just as the green energy sapping attack came up through the ground, Charizard became airborne, and the 'Giga Drain' became a wasted move. "Awesome! Paul can't seem to do anything with this matchup!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Don't get too excited." Reggie warned.
"Now, get in close and use 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered. Charizard swooped downwards, bombarding Torterra with waves of heat that weakened Torterra further, "We got this Charizard!"
"Stone Edge'!" Paul barked.
"Huh? Oh no! Pull up Charizard!" Ash had made a grave mistake, Charizard was forced to take the hit and with a pained roar, the dragon fell to the ground with a loud thud, and panted in exhaustion as the super-effective move took its toll.
"Just one 'Stone Edge' did that much damage?" Dawn asked nervously.
"Stone Edge' isn't just super-effective because Charizard's a fire-type, which of course are weak against rock-type moves, but it's actually doubly super-effective because Charizard is also a flying-type, which are also weak to rock-type moves, so Charizard actually took four times as much damage as usual. Paul saw that Ash was getting too comfortable and tried to get Charizard airborne, knowing that while flying, Charizard had no way to block the attack since his wings were busy keeping him airborne." Reggie explained.
After getting the attack in, Paul returned Torterra, knowing that Ash was smart enough to not fall for the same trick twice, not that he would ever admit it. "Now Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Electabuzz emerged and smirked at the weary dragon, who snarled back at the electric-type.
"Now Paul has the type advantage." Dawn gulped.
"Paul knows that Charizard is powerful, so he had a backup plan in case something like this happened." Reggie explained.
"Alright Charizard, I think it's time to go all out! Use 'Overheat'!" Charizard growled, and his body turned red with power, and when he opened his mouth, a white flame with a yellow-orange fire spiral came shooting out of it, heading straight for the electric-type who actually seemed intimidated by the sheer power.
"Hold your ground! 'Light Screen'!" Paul countered.
"What?! 'Light Screen'?!" Ash watched in horror as Electabuzz activated the damage cutting move, but even through the cubed barrier, Electabuzz seemed to feel the heat, "So Paul has 'Light Screen' at the ready too." Ash growled to himself.
"Oh no, Electabuzz can use 'Light Screen'!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.
"And after all that time we spent working on it too. Now Ash has to deal with it." Misty added.
"I knew Paul was going for type-advantage, but I never saw that coming." Brock also commented.
"See, Paul switched in Electabuzz not just because he knows that he has the type-advantage, but he realized that the majority of Charizard's moves so far have been special attacks, which of course 'Light Screen' cuts their power in half. So now as long as Ash goes with Charizard, almost every move he uses won't do nearly as much as it should for a while, until 'Light Screen' wears off." Reggie explained.
"Charizard, return!" Ash returned his worn out dragon, "You did an awesome job Charizard, take a good long rest, I get the feeling I'll be needing you again."
"Electabuzz, return." Paul did the same, leaving both trainers unsure of what the next choice should be.
"That was a smart move by Paul." Reggie's comment got Misty and Dawn's attention, Brock however had already figured it out. "Paul didn't want to give Ash an advantage by letting him know which Pokémon he was using, and since 'Light Screen' carries over to the next Pokémon, any Pokémon Paul picks next will have the same defenses."
"Wow…I know this battle's just getting started…but I can hardly breathe just from watching!" Dawn was certainly able to tell the air between Ash and Paul was thick, and she wasn't the only one.
"Calm down Riolu, it's ok." Misty tried to soothe the Emanation Pokémon by rubbing his arm, but Riolu continued to whine in discomfort, as he could sense that Ash was tense through his aura. He had never seen his master this wound up before, and their connection almost actually hurt the child.
"Ok…let's see…" As Ash thought about his next choice, Pikachu spoke up.
"Pikapi! pika pika chu!" (Ash! Let me try!)
Ash smiled, "Alright then buddy, get in there and we'll show Paul some of your real power!" Pikachu nodded and scampered onto the field, standing on all fours with cheeks sparking furiously with electricity.
After seeing the choice of Pokémon, Paul made his move. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out his Pokéball, and a huge, powerful Pokémon emerged from it, glaring down at Pikachu.
The teens on the side gasped in shock, they were by no means ready to see that. "He evolved his Magmar, figures. He couldn't stand how badly he got beat by Brandon, so in Paul's mind the only move would be to evolve it and make it stronger." Misty hissed.
"Magmortar…" Ash was now starting to feel the pressure, he wasn't ready to see one of Paul's Pokémon being raised to the next evolution level, especially since a week ago that particular Pokémon was still just a Magmar. "I can't believe it…he really evolved his Magmar!"
One thing was for sure, the battle was very quickly getting more and more intense, even though neither side had yet to have a Pokémon fall. While Paul's strategy hadn't been working as he had planned it so far, he still felt more than confident in his sheer power, while Ash was beginning to feel the pressure due to Paul's powerful Pokémon, but his faith in his Pokémon still remained unbreakable, and his confidence in the counsel Max provided, combined with the training he had done with Misty, Brock, and Dawn, still left him feeling confident in his own chances to win. As to who would come out on top, was yet to be decided.
_
A/N: Well it looks like a lot of you were right, I went with the powerhouses. You've already seen Charizard in action, and let me apologize beforehand, but I'm sorry, even in the games, one 'Stone Edge' from any decently leveled Pokemon would KO Charizard, so I was being nice letting Charizard stay in the battle. Now Pikachu's coming in against Magmortar, and with a new trick up his sleeve too, but Paul has some tricks too, and Sceptile and Snorlax are waiting in the wings for Ash to call their number. And what's the big plan with Snorlax that I've yet to reveal? The answer, in the next update. R&R please!