With Courage I Will Face

Arc III: The Nugget Bridge

Chapter Fourteen: Challenging the Gauntlet

The next morning Ash woke up earlier than Misty and Brock. There was hardly a reason for it beyond excitement, he couldn't wait to start today's training. He took a generously long shower, and Pikachu was awake by the time he got out.

"Pika?" He asked, lightly jumping off of their bed and onto the nearby desk.

Ash put a finger to his lips to shush him as he slipped his backpack on. He gestured for Pikachu to follow him as he opened the door, and the partners went down to the cafeteria.

It was barely early enough to be open, with only a single Chansey behind the counter. Ash waved at the Egg Pokemon as he grabbed a few cans of Pokemon food and food for himself. He surveyed the cafeteria again. He was the only one here, so he shrugged and let Butterfree and Pidgeotto out of their Pokeballs.

"Okay, so today we're gonna do some battling against other trainers again." Ash told them as they all ate. "Consider this your debrief of yesterday, because I want to head over to the Nugget Bridge for those battles bright and early. Butterfree, it looked like you made a lot of progress yesterday. I noticed you got a lot faster at shaking the water away. Was there anything you were doing or just flapping harder?"

Butterfree seemed to think about it before trying to respond with a series of mutterings. Ash tried to keep up, but quickly lost pace. He watched as Butterfree flapped his wings faster and hoped he understood properly.

"You think shaking off your wings eventually works?" He asked. Butterfree nodded. "Do you think it's a quick enough turn around in a battle?" Butterfree hesitantly shook his head and motioned with his tiny hands. Ash hummed. An 'I don't know' then.

"Pidgeotto, I noticed you made a lot of progress yesterday too." He moved attention onto the next Pokemon. "You're definitely using Wing Attack faster than you did before. And you've been gaining stamina too so that's a really good job."

He glanced at Pikachu and smiled before turning back to the flying-type Pokemon.

"For today I just want you two to battle like normal. The experience should be good for you both, and we'll see how you guys are looking at the end of the day before we decide what to do next before the tournament." Ash instructed. "Pikachu, I have another idea for you."

"Pi?" Pikachu inquired.

"You definitely got better at running yesterday, and you should absolutely be fast enough to pull of Quick Attack. But I don't know how to start teaching it, so I think we're gonna have to wing it. I'm gonna have you battle today without using ThunderShock, and I'm gonna try calling for you to use Quick Attack a lot, almost exclusively depending on the other Pokemon." He paused, judging Pikachu's reaction. Pikachu nodded, so he continued. "When I call Quick Attack, I want you to run as fast as you can at them and lunge at the last minute. The Pokedex emphasizes the lunge part, so I hope if we get you used to combining both parts you'll pick it up eventually."

"PI-ka Pikachu!" Pikachu replied happily.

"Good, I'm glad you're up for it." He looked out the windows. "I want to get started as early as we can. I hope there's a lot of trainers on that bridge today, because we're coming for 'em all!" He lightly tapped the tables with his fists for emphasis, still wary of being too loud in the early morning.

After finishing breakfast, Ash returned his flying-types and he and Pikachu set off towards the Nugget Bridge. It wasn't hard to find, and Ash could see the golden rails from the middle of the city. As he got closer, he noticed there was multiple trainers meandering about on the bridge. They were practically lined up to face him.

Oh yeah, this would be fun.

Misty and Brock woke up about the same time. Now it was half past eight in the morning, and neither of them had seen Ash.

"He's probably training again." Brock noted, slipping on his shoes.

"Yeah, I would think he's over on the Nugget Bridge looking for trainers to battle." Misty adjusted her suspender straps. She looked at herself in the mirror, tugging at her shirt some.

"Do you think we go find him?" Brock asked the next question.

"We can. But it's not like we don't know where he's at." Misty replied easily. "Wouldn't have hurt him to leave a note, though."

"What else is there to do besides catch up with Ash?" Brock asked as Misty exited the bathroom.

"We could go see my sisters again. Might be nice to get the days visit done early." She suggested. "And I'm sure Ash would be glad he missed a gym stop where he doesn't get a battle out of it."

Brock shrugged, and just like that the temporarily-a-duo made their way back to the Cerulean Gym.

As they entered the pool area, they noticed a few people meandering about that were not the Sensational Sisters. Most of them were dressed in swim attire, and Misty figured it was probably just a standard recreational pool time for the public; her father used to do it a lot when it was his gym. Daisy had stopped for a while, but it looked like she was getting more comfortable with the place. The return of community pool hours was a good sign. Still, she did need to find her sisters.

"Excuse me," Misty approached one of the ladies who was not dressed like she was about to jump in the pool. "Have you seen any of the girls who run the gym?"

"Just Violet today." She replied. "She unlocked the doors and then ran out, that was about a half hour ago. Said we could help ourselves to the area until eleven."

Suddenly, a splash dragged their attention to the pool as a blue Pokemon leapt out and posed by the lady's side. Misty's eyes turned into stars immediately.

"Oh, a Poliwhirl!" She cried, dropping to her knees and clasping her hands. "I just love Poliwhirl! They're such great Pokemon! So strong and dependable!"

"You have good taste. I'm Kimberly." She and Misty shook hands. "I'm the Poliwhirl Master Trainer, so she's my partner."

"I'm Misty, and this is Brock. My sisters run the gym." Misty replied. "I'll bet your Poliwhirl is crazy strong!"

"We're working on it." Kimberly replied. "I only really got chosen because of my test scores, just like almost everyone else." She noticed their shocked expressions and laughed. "Yeah, we're all mostly book nerds. We got here by knowing our partner Pokemon species the best and taking tests and courses over at Pokemon Tech. There's plenty that are expert battlers, but there's plenty that aren't too."

"I never knew that. I guess that kinda explains why Ash has been running through them." Misty lamented. Ash was pretty good, but he was still very new after all.

"Most of us are learning as we go. We're hoping the Masters Line Challenge gets more recognition and we'll find people better suited for some species. Until then, all we can do it accept challenges!" Kimberly told them.

"Well, our friend Ash has been challenging every moving thing he sees to a battle for three days, so if you want a challenger, he's over by the Nugget Bridge." Brock told her. Both Kimberly and Misty laughed.

"I'll definitely try to intercept him; it's been a while since we had a good battle." She patted her Poliwhirl. "But we've actually got to head out of town soon, a friend of mine is asking for our help. We've got to go refill the water tanks by the daycare."

"Alright, well good luck! I should go look for my sisters." Misty pat Poliwhirl as well, and they bid goodbye to Kimberly before heading into the back room of the Cerulean Gym.

"Oh, perfect timing!" Lily's voice rang as they walked through. "Can you do me a favor, Mist?"

"Great to see you too, Lily." Misty deadpanned.

"I've seen you every day for three days, you want a welcome home hug every day?" She replied, straightening papers as she stood up. Misty only sighed as Lily kept going. "Can you go put up a couple of these on the trainer board? It's a schedule for all our water shows for the rest of the month."

"Sure, we're not doing much." Brock accepted the task for the both of them. "What's a little more walking around?"

"Where are Violet and Daisy?" Misty asked the other sister.

"Violet's probably grabbing breakfast still, place can get really crowded on weekend mornings. She's brining you back food too, if you want to wait or stop by on your way back. And Daisy's still asleep since she doesn't accept challenges during the community pool hours." Lily passed a few papers to Brock before snapping her fingers. "Oh, and these too. It's the community pool hours for the rest of the month." She gave him a few more papers with a smile.

Brock was happy, but Misty couldn't help but be irritated.

"What would you have done if we didn't come in here?" She asked. Lily shrugged and sat back down at the desk.

"Asked Violet to do it?" She replied easily.

"Whatever. We'll be right back. C'mon, Brock." Misty gave in to her sisters demands, and she and Brock began the trek to the trainer board.

"Pikachu, dodge and use Quick Attack!" Ash cried out.

Pikachu leapt out of the way, easily dodging a String Shot and running full-speed at his opponent, a Caterpie, and jumping straight at it. He didn't feel any faster, but he easily knocked the Caterpie back with his weight. It was unable to continue, and the bug catcher they were fighting quickly replaced it with a Weedle.

"Weedle, use Poison Sting!" Cale ordered. Weddle wasted no time firing a purple needle straight out of the existing needle on its head out at Pikachu.

Pikachu blocked it with his tail and thankfully avoided the secondary poisoning effect.

"Poison Sting again!" Cale repeated.

"Jump over it and go in with Quick Attack!" Ash countered.

Pikachu grunted again, jumping forward and over another stinger. He landed and broke into another full sprint, lunging at the Weedle as well, even angling downward to avoid headbutting it directly in the stinger. The Weedle was flung back too. Pikachu had defeated it as well but had not succeeded in using a proper Quick Attack.

"You're pretty good. Check out what's coming next. Metapod!" Cale revealed his third Pokemon.

Ash and practically all the trainers on the Nugget Bridge had agreed to use all their available Pokemon if they so choose. It gave them all more opportunities for battles, so even though Cale said he had four Pokemon to Ash's three, Ash agreed to enter into a technical four-on-four battle. Not that it looked like that would be a problem.

"Go ahead Pikachu, hit 'em with another Quick Attack." Ash encouraged.

Pikachu panted before taking off again. Despite his windedness and the aching of his muscles, he did feel like he was running faster. It was a very paradoxical feeling as he ran and lunged again, slamming into the green Cocoon Pokemon. It fell over backwards and rolled away. Cale tried to give it a command, to Harden, but Pikachu took his own initiative to rush forward again.

This time, both he and Ash noticed flecks of white trailing behind him. When Cale's final Pokemon Kakuna appeared, Pikachu was executing an attempted Quick Attack before the words had even completely left Ash's mouth. His legs ached even worse now, but he could feel the energy pooling into them, pushing him to go faster as he slammed into Kakuna. He was slowed enough by his aching limbs that the yellow Cocoon Pokemon had gotten off a Harden, unlike its green brother, and did not topple as easily.

As a result, Pikachu bounced backwards, recoiled by the force of his own attack. But the distance was not far, and he landed swiftly on his feet again. They still ached, but they were so close.

"Let's give it one more shot, Quick Attack!" Ash read his mind.

"Pika!" Pikachu grunted and ran off. His eyes narrowed on Kakuna's. He felt the tiles of the bridge gliding underneath his feet, the riverside breeze in his fur. He pushed his legs harder, trying to push himself further along with each bound. His tail moved behind him, trying to find the place to reduce drag while running until finally, he felt a spark in his chest.

The world blurred around him and before he knew it, he was slamming into Kakuna full-force. The impact was much harsher than any of the previous attempts, and Kakuna was launched back more than knocked and slammed into a pillar on the bridge. Cale gasped at the event, and Pikachu let out a squeal of joy.

"Alright! Pikachu, you did it! That was it, that was a Quick Attack!" Ash scooped Pikachu up quickly. Pikachu reflectively started to use ThunderShock, and quickly tried to stop himself but it was a touch too late. Unsurprisingly, Ash took it in stride and continued to sing him praises. "You really showed 'em what you're made out of!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, nuzzling into Ash.

"Hey," Cale said approaching them again. "That was great, but you promised us all battles, remember?" He gestured at the group behind him. Ash and Pikachu wore matching grins.

"Don't worry, we're just getting warmed up!" He promised them. "So, who's next?"

Jessie, James and Meowth casually walked around the Cerulean City streets. They were dressed in more casual clothes rather than their go-to Team Rocket uniforms. They didn't want to attract the attention of Officer Jenny right away, at least until they were done gathering information around town.

"I wonder what's going on here…" Meowth asked. He was walking on all fours beside the two humans, much more innocuous than walking upright.

There were still signs of police presence, and an entire house was blocked off by police tape.

"Yeah, wonder who's in town." James seconded.

"It's not really our problem, you know. This stop isn't technically part of our mission." Jessie reminded them. James shrugged.

"I have a natural curiosity." He replied. "Besides, it would be helpful to know who's here, so we know how careful to be. I really don't want to get seen by anyone from Ariana's squad."

Jessie silently acknowledged that that was a good point. They were all complete tattletales, and if they so much as stepped one boot out of line anyone on the squad would tell Ariana, and then the boss. The only thing that could be worse would be running into Ariana herself.

Thankfully, they crossed most of the city without seeing anything suspicious or resembling Ariana. They walked up to the trainer board, posted in the middle of a small park area.

"A help wanted poster for the bike shop…" Jessie read.

"A Pokemon that knows Cut to trim the trees on the south side of town…" James continued.

"Water the plants and flowers in the community garden…"

"Gym Badge identification and history…"

"Berry Powder Shaman with herbs and vitamins for sale…"

"Attention notice about a burglarized house… says a Team Rocket grunt stole the TM for Dig." James sounded intrigued.

"I never liked that they call us grunts." Meowth spoke up from their feet. They nodded, but otherwise didn't acknowledge that he was the one who spoke.

"A tournament in town? Says a tournament is being held locally here." Jessie said, pointing to the particular flyer. "It says it starts tomorrow or the day after, depending on when they get enough people."

"To be sponsored by Cerulean Cove's very own Bill, the PokeManiac." James read out loud. "He looks like a maniac, alright." He commented, seeing a photo.

"Those eyes are staring right through me from down here." Meowth agreed.

"The tournament is probably what kept the twerp here, otherwise he probably would've run through the gym with that Pikachu and moved on." Jessie theorized.

"We don't know he didn't do the gym first." James argued. "But I guess it doesn't matter, we can do our own surveillance and figure it out ourselves."

"Look at this one." Meowth pointed at a flyer, standing up to do so. Jessie and James both yelled, pushing his head back down to the ground. He couldn't hold in a shout, but apologized with a quick, "I forgot!"

"An old man wants to trade his Jynx for a Poliwhirl." James read.

"Oooh, I just love Jynx. It's the best ice-type in Kanto by far! I've always wanted my own! What a perfect opportunity!" Jessie clasped her hands together.

"Small problem, Jess. We don't have a Poliwhirl." James told her. Jessie was about to reply, when new voices started to approach.

"I still can't believe you volunteered us to do Lily's dirty work." a young girl said.

"This is hardly dirty work, Misty. It's just a walk a few blocks long." A boy replied.

"The other twerps!" The trio collectively recognized them at once. So, the twerp and his Pikachu were definitely still in town.

"I almost don't want to go back there after this." The twerpette complained. She hardly paid them any attention, walking up to the board and quickly assessing the available real estate of it.

"What would we do instead?" The taller twerp asked.

"We could go with Kimberly down to the daycare. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." She held up one paper onto the board and held her hand out to her friend. "Stapler." He handed it to her, and she smacked them together with more force than necessary. "I'd love to get another chance to see that awesome Poliwhirl of hers."

Oh? The thought of the Rocket's was unanimous.

"Maybe. There's always finding Ash." He suggested. She did not seem enthused with the idea and rolled her eyes.

"Please, there is no finding Ash. He's exactly where we think he is, battling every trainer lined up on the Nugget Bridge." She replied, sizing up another space. "He'll be there battling until he's blue in the face. All we'll do is make that bridge even more crowded. Stapler." She slammed the stapler into her second flyer.

"Well, we have to go back to the gym first anyway. We should return these." He gestured with the handful of flyers in his arms. They turned away, and started to leave the trainer board. Their work was done.

"I know. And they did buy us breakfast." She sighed. "She just makes me so mad sometimes when she…" The conversation petered out until the trio could hear them no more.

They quickly looked at the posters their enemies had put up.

"A schedule for the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City Watershow. Every other night for the next few weeks, starts at eight. With a matinee every Sunday. Jeez." James read.

"Communal Access hours to the Cerulean Gym's pools, baths, showers, spas and aquariums." Jessie read the other. "Nothing incredibly interesting there…"

"But maybe we'll have better luck…" James continued her train of thought.

"At the daycare!" Meowth finished.

"Shh!" Jessie and James both covered his mouth, glancing around them.

The coast seemed pretty clear, and they all shared a smile.

"Oddish, use Acid!" Ali called out urgently.

"Blow through it with Gust!" Ash countered.

Butterfree flapped his wings, blowing the glob of purple acid apart in midair while the Gust continued and slammed into Oddish. Ash was a bit surprised when it was strong enough to pick the tiny Oddish up off the ground, displaying Butterfree's growing performance with the attack.

"Release Poison Powder!" Ali called.

Flecks of purple began shaking out of the leaves on Oddish's head and caught in with the gusting winds. They were blown in every direction, and enough of them were blowing towards Butterfree to cause concern.

"Confusion, throw Oddish down!"

Butterfree's eyes glowed red just as Oddish stopped releasing Poison Powder. Oddish became surrounded by a light-blue aura and was forcibly slammed back into the ground. Butterfree, at the same moment, was overcome by a purple hue, causing him to wince. Oddish was defeated and Butterfree was poisoned. Ash and Ali both smiled at each other and recalled their Pokemon.

"Bellsprout!" Ali released her next Pokemon.

It was another grass Pokemon, built like a plant stem with a yellow pear-shaped face and leaves for arms.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash chose his other flying-type in response. Pidgeotto preened at being let into battle, and Ali didn't waste a single moment.

"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!" She began.

Thin green vines shot out from behind the leaves Bellsprout had for arms. They shot towards Pidgeotto and Ash cried to dodge. Pidgeotto moved to avoid one but was struck by the other, giving Bellsprout an opening to attempt to strike again with another few Vine Whip's.

"Wing Attack, knock them away!"

Pidgeotto's wings began to glow, and she swatted at the advancing vines, successfully getting them out of her vicinity for her to retreat further into the sky.

"Use Growth!"

Bellsprout was surrounded by a glowing green circle on the ground, and the energy crept from the circle into Bellsprout's body. The green glow climbed all the way up its stem-like body before exiting it in a glob-like form after reaching Bellsprout's head. The Flower Pokemon flexed, showing off its stat-buff.

"Send 'em a Gust!" Pidgeotto's counter was as quick as Ash's command, sending a small vortex of wind straight down at Bellsprout.

It was bigger than Butterfree's, but it seemed Bellsprout was sturdier than Oddish and was not carried off the ground.

"Go in for a Quick Attack!" Ash continued.

"Wrap!" Ali replied immediately.

Pidgeotto swooped down quickly, slamming into Bellsprout before it could even start to dodge. It was caught in the wind cyclone after being thrown off balance, but that proved to be advantageous for it as it used the height gained by the winds to follow through on Ali's Wrap command, launching out vines similar to its Vine Whip but colored closer to the brown of its stem-like body and wrapping around one of Pidgeotto's wings.

Pidgeotto swooped back up, dragging Bellsprout with her as it tried to squeeze tighter onto her wing.

"Oh no, not again. Pidgeotto, Wing Attack! Slam it into the ground!" Ash did not want to get stuck in a situation similar to when Misty's Tentacool had attached itself onto Pidgeotto's back.

Pidgeotto obeyed and glowed her wings again. She slammed her one wing downwards, chopping through the air and causing the attached Bellsprout to smack roughly onto the ground below.

"Go in for another Quick Attack!"

"Acid!"

Bellsprout shot a ball of purple acid from its mouth at Pidgeotto just as the flying-type was descending. The only reason the counter was released in time was due to Pidgeotto's limited movement, still being gripped by Wrap.

The bird flew straight into the poison-type attack and grunted but continued flying. Unfortunately, it was just enough for Bellsprout to squirm out of the way and cause Pidgeotto to bang onto the ground herself. Ash noticed a faint glow around her, and she started breathing deeply. Acid had probably lowered her special defense. That could prove to be a problem, considering Growth had boosted Bellsprout's special attack. They had to end this soon.

"You want to stay attached? Alright, hold on tight. Pidgeotto, climb!" Ash ordered.

Pidgeotto followed obediently, shooting into the sky. She climbed for several moments while having no idea of the plan as Bellsprout tagged along, tightening its grip.

"Now dive, straight down!" Again, Pidgeotto acted immediately, diving down in a nosedive straight at the bridge. She dove unflinchingly down, fully prepared to fly into the bridge knowing her trainer had a plan. Ali gasped at the situation, not knowing the right call to make, but Ash was already ahead of them.

"Stop right there!" He cried. Pidgeotto came to a stop as suddenly as she could. It was slower than either she or Ash would've liked, but that was to be expected with the momentum she gained and the extra weight she was carrying.

The extra weight, however, didn't have as much control as she did and was roughly slammed into the bridge with almost the full force of the dive they were in, as Pidgeotto had only stopped a few meters above. She felt the Wrap loosen and wretched her wing from its grip, flying into the air again as the Bellsprout remained motionless. Ash and Ali once again both recalled their Pokemon, with Ali tossing out another Pokeball while Ash let Pikachu jump onto the field.

Ali's last Pokemon was a Pidgey, and Ash almost truly wished he had chosen a different order for his Pokemon in this battle. But now, all that could be done was win.

"Pidgey use Sand Attack!" Ali cried.

"Dodge and use Tail Whip!"

Pidgey seemed to create blobs of sand from nowhere and hurled them at Pikachu with its wings while Pikachu danced around a few of them. He saw an opening to spin around and used it to wag his tail tauntingly at Pidgey. The effect was similar on Ali, as she cried her next order quickly.

"Tackle!"

"Wait for it, Pikachu!" Ash replied calmly.

Pidgey threw itself forward, and just a few days ago it would've probably been a very impressive speed. But Pikachu's speed game had just increased dramatically, and as such had a much easier time even visually keeping up with movements. Just as Pidgey was about to get within physical striking distance, Pikachu's cheeks sparked just as Ash gave his command.

"Nuzzle!"

And Pikachu lit up like a lightbulb. Everything close to him was fried, including Pidgey. If it had gotten back up, it would've been paralyzed and much, much slower and made that much of an easier target. But the Tiny Bird Pokemon was down for the count after a strong blast like that.

"That was an awesome battle!" Ali said as she returned Pidgey.

"It really was! We had a lot of fun!" Ash assured her. Pikachu even agreed.

Ali quickly stepped out of they way, and Ash and Pikachu faced their next opponent; a young boy named Timmy.

"Sandshrew, you're up!" Timmy cried.

Sandshrew appeared, its yellow brick-like body was curled into a ball but quickly unfolded itself for battle. Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, both wondering the same thing. Would Butterfree or Pidgeotto be better for this?

In the end, they trusted their gut. Pikachu was still the freshest one, and this Sandshrew might have a rock-type move.

"Go ahead, you've got first move." Ash waved his hand. Timmy took it gladly.

"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack!"

Ash almost sighed as Sandshrew repeated the same attack Ali's Pidgey had tried. It shoveled sand (again, from nowhere) with its stubby arms out towards Pikachu. The globs moved faster than Pidgey's but still proved no trouble for Pikachu to dodge on his own.

"Scratch!"

Sandshrew charged in, the claws glowing on one of its arms as it swung wildly at Pikachu.

"Growl at them!" Ash ordered. Pikachu had no trouble there, growling both from his usage of the attack and in irritation at once as the Sandshrew invaded his personal space. The ground-type did seem to cringe under his snarl.

"Poison Sting, rapid fire!"

Sandshrew shot out several glowing purple needles towards Pikachu.

"ThunderShock!"

Pikachu reacted instantly, firing the electric bolt forward. Although it had no effect on the ground-type Sandshrew, it easily broke through the poison-type barrage heading towards Pikachu. Timmy gasped at the tactic.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash called.

"Pi!" Pikachu launched forward right away, faster than Timmy anticipated but Sandshrew had attempted to curl up to defend itself. Sandshrew rolled away as Pikachu bounced back.

"Use Rapid Spin, Sandshrew!" Timmy cried.

Already in a ball, Sandshrew took off spinning towards Pikachu. The attack connected, and Pikachu tried to stop it with brute force but was quickly thrown back; the Sandshrew weighed more.

"Poison Sting, then Scratch!" Timmy continued to yell.

Sandshrew shot out another few Poison Sting needles as it charged in behind them, powering up a Scratch attack as well.

"Quick Attack!"

Pikachu shot out, darting through the volley of needles with ease and jumped into Sandshrew's Scratch. Both collided and this time Sandshrew recoiled first, letting Pikachu slam into its belly. Sandshrew fell backwards and Pikachu continued over it, landing on the other side of the downed ground-type.

"Finish it with Brick Break!" Ash encouraged.

Pikachu jumped up and spun around, swinging his glowing tail down onto Sandshrew's vulnerable underside. It wretched up when struck, and Pikachu easily bounced off and back to Ash's side of the field while Sandshrew went limp. Timmy gave a worn smile at his Pokemon's efforts and returned it, switching its Pokeball for another.

"Pikachu, come back." Ash decided. Pikachu ran back, stopping at Ash's feet. "You did great, pal. Let's give Pidgeotto another chance to play, alright?" He unclipped the birds Pokeball. "Pidgeotto, let's go!"

"Ekans!" Timmy shouted at the same time.

Ash smiled. At least it was a Pokemon he was familiar with battling, even if it was only a handful of times. Bellsprout and its unpredictable moves had caused some trouble for Pidgeotto, but he was confident she could handle this.

"Poison Sting!" Timmy shouted.

Ekans shot out a single poisonous needle towards Pidgeotto.

"Block it with Wing Attack!"

"Use Leer!"

Pidgeotto swatted the needle away with her glowing wing quickly but could do nothing about the look shot at her from Ekans that inadvertently weakened her defenses.

"Wing Attack, go!" Ash cried. Pidgeotto acted quickly, shooting at Ekans with both wings glowing.

"Bite attack!" Timmy countered.

Ekans moved just enough that its opened, glowing mouth collided with Pidgeotto's glowing wing. Ekans was not strong enough to stop Pidgeotto's momentum, but it clamped on with its teeth more than deep enough to damage Pidgeotto's wing even through the glowing power of Wing Attack.

"Glare!"

Ekans' eyes narrowed, giving Pidgeotto the side-eye from her own wing. Pidgeotto quickly felt the effects; her joints were starting to lock up and Ash noticed the telltale sign of paralysis dancing across her body.

"Get it off you, use Gust!" Ash reacted quickly.

Pidgeotto swung her wings quickly, whipping up a Gust. Ekans was ripped off her wing and caught in the cyclone while Pidgeotto panted from her attack. The paralysis made it harder to move as effectively as she normally did.

"Ekans!" Timmy shouted worriedly.

"Quick Attack!" Ash's command was swift, and Pidgeotto swooped down as quickly as she could.

Even paralyzed, Pidgeotto was fast enough to dive-bomb Ekans before it could regain its bearings. She backed off, panting as Ekans fainted and dropped back to the floor. Timmy sighed, conceding the battle to Ash.

Another girl stepped in immediately in his place, shooting him a playful smile.

"Hope you're not getting tired now." she teased.

"Are you kidding? We're just getting started!" Ash challenged back.

Kimberly was walking down the path towards the daycare. Just as the roof of the building came into view, the ground fell out beneath her. She found herself looking upwards, seeing she was in a hole deeper than she was tall as she shifted around on her back. The opening was a circle, and she was blinded by the sun directly overhead.

"Smokescreen!" A voice called, and Kimberly's vision was obstructed by thick, green smoke.

"Who's there? Get me out of here!" Kimberly called out in confusion. She heard people laughing at her.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

She could only barely hear them, but she saw their forms lining the edge of the hole. She pulled out Poliwhirl's Pokeball, only for it to be immediately yanked from her hand.

"Hey, what are you doing!" She cried out. They laughed some more.

"Good work Weedle, that String Shot was aimed perfectly." James complimented.

"Get back here with my Poliwhirl!" Kimberly shouted, still stuck in the hole.

"No, I don't think we will. Ta-ta now!" Jessie waved down at her.

"You won't get away with this!" Kimberly continued to shout.

"That's what they all say." Meowth replied, but the girl couldn't hear as they quickly made their escape back into the trees lining the route.

"Nidoran, Fury Attack!" Reli ordered.

Her Nidoran, a male, dashed forward with the horn on his head glowing white. He repeatedly went to stab it into Pikachu, but Ash had called for the electric-type to dodge backwards.

"Nuzzle!" Ash cried.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked to life, and he leaned in, just barely dodging a stab from Nidoran's horn and brushing their cheeks together and letting out a burst of electricity. Nidoran cried out in pain and dropped to its knees, the static of paralysis dancing around his body.

"Use Peck!" Reli continued. Nidoran pushed himself up, horn glowing again as he tried to leap and jump at Pikachu, but the paralysis slowed him down too much.

"ThunderShock, don't let him get close!" Ash's command came next.

Pikachu quickly shot out another bolt of electricity, striking Nidoran while he was midair to attack. The poison-type was quickly thrown back and landed roughly on the ground. He stood up again, but Ash noticed it wince again due to the paralysis.

"ThunderShock, hit it one more time!"

True enough, one more blast was enough and Nidoran slumped to the ground. Reli sighed and quickly recalled her Nidoran male, replacing her with a Nidoran female. Ash hummed.

"Pikachu, come on back." He decided. Pikachu fell back to his side. "Butterfree, it's all yours!"

"Poison Sting!" Reli begun the fight.

"Dodge it and use Gust!" Ash countered.

Butterfree moved swiftly out of the way and used Gust, sending the familiar vortex of wind flying towards Nidoran. Butterfree winced in pain, and Ash noticed the flecks of purple flowing through Butterfree's wings.

Butterfree was still poisoned, Pidgeotto was still paralyzed, and Pikachu was… well, just tired. The trainers had challenged him to a gauntlet, and if he ran through all the trainers on the bridge in one go without returning to the Pokemon Center they would give him a prize.

Ash did mention the battles were prize enough, and the challenge very much interested him anyway, but they insisted. He knew they could do it, even still, but his Pokemon were not in peak form anymore.

"Use Scratch!" Reli yelled as soon as the winds released Nidoran.

She ran forward, the claws on one of her paws glowing a bright white and jumped up to strike Butterfree. Butterfree moved backwards to dodge and Nidoran passed by, landing on the ground but Reli kept going.

"Switch to Fury Swipes!" After that Nidoran jumped again and since Butterfree was closer than before, the attack landed and Nidoran tackled Butterfree out of the air. With Butterfree pinned, Nidoran slashed away with Fury Swipes repeatedly.

"Confusion! Get 'em off you!" Ash clenched his fists. Beside him, Pikachu did the same.

Butterfree threw Nidoran off himself, eyes glowing red and pushed back into the sky. He winced again, feeling the effect of the poison as Reli threw out more commands.

"Tail Whip!" Reli called.

"Harden!" Ash countered.

Nidoran attempted to tease him, wagging her entire form back and forth but Butterfree steeled himself, raising his defense back to normal and taking a breath. Ash smiled and Reli growled, thrusting her arm out now.

"Fury Swipes, again!" She yelled, but Ash was ready now.

"Tackle, go!" Ash countered.

Nidoran jumped up and Butterfree flew down, colliding in the air for a moment before Ash grinned wildly.

"Gotcha! Use Confusion!" He cried happily.

Butterfree reacted before Reli could even think and slammed Nidoran back to the ground shrouded in the classic light-blue aura of the psychic attack. Butterfree flapped about for a moment and winced again from the poison damage he felt until it was clear Nidoran was in no condition to stand back up.

"Return, Butterfree. You were great as always." Ash said as Reli recalled her Nidoran.

"You're not half bad there." Reli complimented him. "What say you come back sometime for a rematch?" She winked at him playfully and Ash grinned.

"You bet! That's a promise." Ash agreed, and Reli's place was taken by another trainer, a boy Ethan.

"Mankey!" He cried and released his Pokemon.

Ash's fingers twitched in excitement, seeing the simian-like Pokemon for the first time. He had always admired Mankey and their resolve to battle and grow stronger. It was high on his list of Pokemon he felt would be perfect for him. As he selected Pidgeotto's Pokeball again, he still couldn't help but smile.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash released her once again. She was still visible more tense, a symptom of paralysis, but was already looking much better with her brief moment of rest.

Ethan seemed as restless as Mankey and took the first move.

"Karate Chop!" Ethan ordered enthusiastically. Mankey took off running, its right arm glowing, and it jumped straight into the air to be level with Pidgeotto immediately. The attack connected and both Ash and Pidgeotto were shocked at the speed. "Karate Chop, again!"

"Quick Attack!" Ash's counter came just in time.

The tactic didn't work twice, and the priority Quick Attack provided Pidgeotto came in handy. Both Pokemon collided and were thrown back.

"Fury Swipes!" Ethan cried out immediately.

Ash grit his teeth. Ethan didn't like to give them a moment to breathe, it seemed. But then again… that could prove to be his own downfall. If they could just put some distance between each other. Ash grimaced as Pidgeotto took a few Fury Swipes across the face, pushing them back towards Ethan, when Ash got an idea.

"Use Quick Attack but come back to me!" He called to Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto started the maneuver instantly, anything to get away from underneath Mankey's constant slashing, and blitzed her way back to Ash's side of the field. She didn't stop until she was inches in front of him and quickly turned to observe Mankey chasing after her while Ethan seemed puzzled by their use of Quick Attack.

"Gust, straight ahead!" Ash called.

A Gust was kicked up, and Mankey tried to jump straight through it using Karate Chop. Unfortunately, the vortex was stronger, and it swept Mankey up while Ash grinned.

"Throw some sand in there with Sand Attack!" He continued. Pidgeotto happily did, throwing blobs of sand from her wings into the small cyclone. They became scattered and broken up by the wind quickly, but a lot of the particles still found their way towards the flailing Mankey.

Moments later the Gust dispelled and Mankey roughly fell to the ground. It quickly jumped up, raring to go but panting now. And Ash could see it's eyes were narrowed now. It probably had sand in its eyes.

"Scratch, go now!" Ethan yelled.

Mankey ran forward, but hesitated about halfway there about which direction Pidgeotto was in; the poor thing was seeing double. Good thing, because Ash noticed Pidgeotto's wings have a small muscle spasm as the paralyzing electricity displayed itself again.

"I said use Scratch!" Ethan pleaded. "It's right in front of you!"

Ethan's cried went on deaf ears and Mankey slashed wildly in front of itself, but it wasn't close enough to Pidgeotto to land the hit.

"Wing Attack!" Ash capitalized on the moment.

Pidgeotto steeled her wings and moved forward, flying right over one of Mankey's wildly thrown Scratch attacks and slamming her glowing wing into his face, knocking him back to Ethan's side of the field. Pidgeotto landed to catch her breath, but Mankey did not move. Ethan sighed and recalled Mankey.

"Mankey was my only Pokemon, you beat me fair and square." Ethan admitted.

"Alright!" Ash pumped his fist. "Who's next?" He asked. Another boy approached. Shane, Ash remembered from this morning.

"Hope you're ready! Go Rattata!" Shane released his Pokemon. Ash grinned.

"You bet! You okay to keep going, Pidgeotto?" Ash asked. The bird nodded.

"Rattata, use Quick Attack!" Shane called.

The purple colored Pokemon took off right away, slamming into Pidgeotto's stomach before Pidgeotto could think of moving. Damn paralysis.

"Tail Whip!" Shane continued.

"Wing Attack!"

Pidgeotto smacked Rattata away while its back was turned, attempting to lower her defense. Rattata quickly turned back around and growled.

"It's okay Rattata, use Tackle!"

"You too!" Ash countered.

The two Pokemon flung themselves at each other wildly, and thanks to Pidgeotto's bigger frame she won and threw Rattata backwards. It pushed to its feet right away and Shane glared.

"Laser Focus!" Shane called. Rattata adapted a glare to match its trainer and its eyes flashed a deep yellow, with pupils flaring akin to a camera flash. "Now Quick Attack again!"

Rattata rushed forward again, not giving Pidgeotto any time to react and slammed into her again. This time it appeared as if all the wind was knocked out of the flying-type, and she visibly had to keep herself from falling over as Ash and Pikachu gasped.

"Are you alright, Pidgeotto?" He asked concerned. Pidgeotto shook off the pain and shock and began flying again. Ash smiled while Shane grunted.

"Tail Whip again!"

"Your turn, use Quick Attack!"

This time Pidgeotto swooped down before Rattata could react and slammed into the normal-type. Rattata rolled backwards, but Ash didn't want to take any chances.

"Wing Attack!" He cried.

"Quick Attack!" Shane countered.

Rattata ran out and leapt at Pidgeotto. It did strike first, but the damage dealt was much closer to the first hit than the last, and Pidgeotto didn't falter in her attack. While Rattata was bouncing back, Pidgeotto helped out and swatted it with her wing. By the time it landed, it was out cold.

Both Ethan and Ash recalled and thanked their Pokemon before selecting another Pokeball.

"Ekans!"

"Butterfree!"

They appeared at the same time. Ekans uncoiled and glared while Butterfree swayed from side to side in the air waiting for a command. Shane went first again.

"Glare!" Shane begun. Ekans did its best attempt to inflict paralysis on Butterfree, but the Butterfly Pokemon went unaffected. It did, however, suddenly feel the effect of its other status condition. Shane seemed to notice the purple hue on Butterfree's face now, indicating that it was poisoned.

"Use Gust!" Ash ordered.

Butterfree shot another Gust out straight towards Ekans, who had switched to trying a Leer. Luckily it was interrupted by the flying-type attack.

"Tackle it!" Ash continued. Butterfree flew straight towards the airborne Ekans, slamming into it headfirst.

"Bite!" Shane's order followed and Ekans quickly clamped down onto Butterfree's midsection as they flew.

Butterfree cried out in pain as Ekans shook its head vigorously trying to inflict maximum damage to the dual-type.

"Poison Sting, too!" He added in.

Ash gasped as Butterfree was struck with multiple needle-like objects at close range while bumbling around in the air trying to shake off Ekans. The needles had to hurt even more at such close range.

"Confusion, throw it off you!" Ash cried out.

Butterfree's eyes glowed momentarily, but seemed to flinch closed as it took more poison damage. It attempted again and flinched closed due to the pain from Ekans Poison Sting barrage. Butterfree's eyes snapped open again but this time they weren't glowing red; they were glowing pink, and he fired a zig-zagging beam of bright pink energy down into the top of Ekans' head.

The impact ripped Ekans off and shot it back to the ground. Butterfree fluttered down to the ground weakly but landed standing. It was more than could be said for Ekans, who was quickly recalled by Shane, ceding the battle to them.

"Butterfree, that was amazing! You learned Psybeam? I didn't know you were that close to learning a new move already!" Ash praised.

Butterfree weekly accepted the praise, and Ash quickly moved on to recall him back to his Pokeball. There at least he wouldn't be eaten away at by the poison. Ash and Pikachu looked around and the only one they hadn't battled so far was a man in a red vest just ahead.

"Excuse me, mister, are you part of the Nugget Bridge Challenge too?" Ash asked as they approached.

"No, no, I'm just here to observe the challengers. I can give you your prize now as well." He replied, reaching behind him. "You defeated all of the trainers here today with an impressive show of skill. Even Shane, he normally camps out over there."

"Thanks, we had a lot of fun!" Ash replied. Pikachu was beside him, looking up at the man as he reached behind his back.

"Congrats, kid. You can take this nugget as your prize." The man said, handing Ash a golden sphere. "Say, have you ever thought about… joining Team Rocket?"

Ash's gaze turned into a glare.

"What did you say?" He practically shouted. Pikachu balked from next to him, leaping backwards away from the man.

"We're a group of professional criminals that specialize in Pokemon! We could use someone with skills like yours." He waved his hands about. "Want to join?"

"We know all about Team Rocket, thanks! I'd never join up with you guys!" Ash clenched his fist around the nugget in his hand.

"Are you sure?" He seemed to try to pressure the decision out of him, but Ash stood firm. "Fine, play time's over kid. I'm telling you to join!"

"I told you no!" Ash said. "And I'm telling Officer Jenny about this!"

"Alright then, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse." he said, ripping open his vest to proudly display the huge red 'R' logo on his shirt and grabbing a Pokeball. "Ekans, go!"

"Pikachu, this one's all yours." Ash turned back to fully face his newest opponent.

Butterfree and Pidgeotto were way too tired now, this last fight was entirely up to Pikachu. The electric-type stood proud still, glaring out at the snake.

"Glare!" The Rocket shouted.

"Quick Attack!"

Pikachu was faster, slamming into Ekans' head before the Snake Pokemon could even start to close its eyes.

"Poison Sting, then!" Ekans shot out a poison-coated needle towards Pikachu, who quickly jumped backwards. "Wrap!" Ekans lunged forward and quickly constricted itself around Pikachu, wrapping tightly around his small from.

"Nuzzle!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu ducked his cheek into Ekans' side and began to release electricity. Ekans was shocked as Pikachu enveloped them both in a huge shock, forcing Ekans to let to of Pikachu to seek reprieve from the shocking sensation. Once it slithered away, it was noticeably slower than before.

"Go back in there and use Bite!" The Rocket commanded.

Ekans turned again and lunged, but it was still noticeably slower, and Ash easily gave a counter-command.

"ThunderShock!"

Pikachu unleashed more electricity, shooting a stream of electricity slamming into the advancing Ekans. Ekans shouted in pain as it was electrocuted, and Pikachu did not let up for way longer than usual. After the shock was over, Ekans stood on a wobbly body and the Rocket yelled another command.

"Poison Sting, again!"

"Quick Attack!" Ash and Pikachu were faster again, with Pikachu slamming into Ekans' throat as it reared up to shoot more poison needles out and throwing the poison-type to the ground.

Their opponent unceremoniously returned Ekans and quickly replaced him with another poison-type; a Zubat.

"Use Astonish!" He told the bat.

"Quick Attack!" Ash could certainly get used to spamming that, he thought as he watched Pikachu interrupt Zubat's attack as he had Ekans'. The Rocket growled out.

"Supersonic!" He tried.

"Thunder Wave, cancel it out!"

Zubat shot out a volley of clear rings that headed towards Pikachu while Pikachu sparked his cheeks, creating circles of electricity in the shape of his cheek pouches that shot out and expanded in size. The two ring-like attacks collided in midair and seemed to nullify each other, neither being able to break through the other.

"ThunderShock!" Ash cried, and Pikachu jumped up straight through the last of the circles provided by Thunder Wave as if he was performing a circus trick. From right in from of Zubat he released a ThunderShock that dropped the blue bat to the ground.

Pikachu landed at the same time as the Rocket recalled Zubat. His cheeks sparked again and he was ready to release another attack on the human, but he threw a smoke bomb down before Ash could approve the action.

Ash and Pikachu coughed until the smoke cleared, then they both sighed. The other trainers were still around and tending to their Pokemon, so at least it didn't seem like they were all involved with Team Rocket. He looked down at his hand and the nugget he had received.

"We should give this to Jenny, right? In case it's stolen?" He asked Pikachu.

He did not pretend to understand the ownership of human possessions. It had nobody else's scent on it, so in Pikachu's opinion it was either that man's or his trainer's by customs of the wild. But he doubted he would be able to explain his thought process to Ash, so he simply shrugged and gave a,

"Pi." Of support to whatever his trainer thought was best.

"C'mon, let's get to a Pokemon Center first." Ash bent down to let Pikachu get onto his shoulder a easier in his fatigued state. "You were incredible today, buddy. You learned Quick Attack already and you took down two of those guys all by yourself."

"Pi-ka. Pikachu." Pikachu replied, rubbing his cheek to Ash's. Both of their cheeks seemed to spark at the interaction.

"And Butterfree and Pidgeotto were so great too! We went undefeated today! I couldn't have done it without any one of you guys." Ash praised them even in their Pokeballs, his hand gently hovering over them. He hoped they could feel how roud he was of them already.

As Ash walked back down the steps he once climbed onto Nugget Bridge and back into Cerulean City, a very familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Well, I'll be, if it isn't Ashy-boy!"

Well I wasn't lying when I said this one would be longer than usual, huh? This one is the longest chapter yet! Without the Author's Note section and the Pokemon biographies it's 8446 Words. That's a thousand more than my second longest chapter INCLUDING the Author's Note and biographies. It was worth it, I really like how this one came out especially since I changed gears pretty recently in terms of a story beat. Originally the Nugget Bridge tournament was going to replace pretty much everything that would take place ON the Nugget Bridge and all these people would've been competeing in the tournament but I got... other ideas :D

I think it flows well and it makes sense for Ash to sweep through a couple of lower-leveled, less experienced battlers. I hope Ash isn't coming across as too OP. Just because he hasn't lost yet doesn't mean he isn't struggling and he is actively working to overcome his shortcomings so I think it's only fair to have that pay off for him, at least in the short term. His reckoning is yet to come, trust me.

Jessie and James did just successfully steal a Pokemon! I told you they would be more competent here than in canon! And make no mistake, they DO get away with this. Ash is not yet at his "all-knowing, ever-present crime busting" self we see from Journey's.

And lastly we have a surprise guest? Kidding, obviously we all know its Gary mfing Oak! Everyone's favorite rival has entered the chat! Hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter!

Ash's Team: Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto

Pikachu: Electric - Male - Static - Rash | ThunderShock, Tail Whip, Growl, Nuzzle, Charm, Thunder Wave, Brick Break, Quick Attack

Butterfree: Bug/Flying - Male - Compound Eyes - Hardy | Tackle, String Shot, Harden, Gust, Supersonic, Confusion, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Psybeam

Pidgeotto: Normal/Flying - Female - Keen Eye - Hasty | Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Wing Attack

Misty's Team: Staryu, Goldeen, Tentacool

Staryu: Water - N/A - Natural Cure - Modest | Tackle, Rapid Spin, Harden, Water Gun, Confuse Ray, Swift

Goldeen: Water - Female - Swift Swim - Careful | Peck, Tail Whip, Supersonic

Tentacool: Water/Poison - Male - Liquid Ooze - Hardy | Water Gun, Poison Sting, Acid, Supersonic, Wrap

Brock's Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat

Onix: Rock/Ground - Male - Rock Head - Calm | Tackle, Bind, Screech, Harden, Rock Throw

Geodude: Rock/Ground - Male - Sturdy - Relaxed | Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Throw

Zubat: Poison/Flying - Male - Inner Focus - Hasty | Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish

Jessie's Team: Ekans, Spearow

Ekans: Poison - Male - Shed Skin - Serious | Poison Sting, Bite, Wrap, Leer

Spearow: Normal/Flying - Male - Keen Eye - Hasty | Peck, Growl, Leer

James' Team: Koffing, Spearow, Weedle

Koffing: Poison - Male - Levitate - Bashful | Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen

Spearow: Normal/Flying - Female - Keen Eye - Lax | Peck, Growl Leer

Weedle: Bug/Poison - Female - Swarm - Jolly | Poison Sting, String Shot

Meowth: Normal - Male - Pickup - Sassy | Fury Swipes, Scratch, Growl, Fake Out