The gang has finally arrived in Mossdeep City, with all of them currently having only two things in mind. The first thing is to simply relax for a day or two, as they need it after all that happened on Monsu Island. The second thing is only on Ash's and Serena's minds, and that's to get their seventh Hoenn badge, which will mean they only need one more to be able to compete in the Hoenn League.
It has been a day since the happenings on the Monsu Island, the battle Ash's Pokemon had against the three ancient Pokemon of Hoenn, and everything that happened afterwards, from the revelations of what Ash truly is, all the way to Ash calling Officer Jenny from Mossdeep City, to inform her of what happened, and for her and other policeman from Mossdeep, to come and arrest the members of Team Aqua and Team Magma.
The members of the two villainous teams, didn't even put up a fight. After everything that happened, and what they've witnessed Ash and his Pokemon do, they didn't want to push Ash, and make him angry, as he can, and most likely will end them all.
While the gang was waiting for the police to come to the Monsu Island, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre have left the shore, where they were talking with Ash. Primal Kyogre went back to the trenches in the ocean, while Primal Groudon went to the volcano on the Monsu Island. As for Rayquaza, it used the Black Orb to permanently Mega Evolve, after which, the orb shattered. With the orb gone, no one will ever be able to use it to control any of the ancient Pokemon.
Officer Jenny arrived sometime later, with a bunch of policeman, as well as Nurse Joy, who was brought in just in case there were injured Pokemon. A regular doctor for humans was also brought, just in case, like Nurse Joy. They were explained about everything that happened, and it all ended with almost all members of Team Aqua and Team Magma, being arrested. The only ones who were able to escape were Shelly, from Team Aqua, who managed to sneak away when no one was looking. As for Team Magma, Courtney was also able to avoid incarceration, as she wasn't on the island. She never went there in the first place, after Ash was able to escape from her on the Team Magma's ship. Along with her, there were few more Team Magma Members, who also escaped being imprisoned as they were with Courtney, so they never went to Monsu Island.
With the members of Team Aqua and Team Magma arrested, the gang could finally leave the Monsu Island, which at that point, was quite a bit bigger than it used to be, thanks to the volcano eruptions caused by Groudon during the battle against Kyogre, and then Amaterasu. The eruptions have caused lava to flow all the way to the shores, and after it cooled off, it formed more land, which increased the size of the Monsu Island, by about a third of its original size.
They left the island on the coast guard ship, which Officer Jenny used to come to the island, and with which she transported the prisoners. The gang decided to go to Mossdeep City that way, as it was already night by the time everything was over, and there was no need to spend the night on Monsu Island and then travel on the back of Lapras in the morning, when they could just go with Officer Jenny.
Now that they were finally in the Mossdeep City, and since it was already night, the gang went directly to the Pokemon Center, along with the Nurse Joy, where they booked two rooms, and immediately went to sleep. They weren't even hungry to eat dinner. They were just tired and wanted to have a good night sleep.
XXX
The first day in Mossdeep City, was spent relaxing, and shopping. It was also the day that Ash explained to Serena, May and Max everything that the three Ancient Pokemon told him yesterday, because he didn't have a chance to tell them yesterday while they were waiting for the Officer Jenny to arrive.
The first thing that Ash did in the morning, after he, Serena, May and Max had their breakfast, is to call Professor Oak, and sent him back Ra and Amaterasu, though he did tell the old Professor what happened yesterday, so that the old man wouldn't die of a heart attack once he sees Ash's two Charizard's in their Mega Forms. Ash told him everything, except the conversation with the ancient Pokemon. That, is something he thought that there is no need for anyone except his family and girlfriends to know. He will have to make an exception with Max, but that's about it.
When it comes to Mewtwo, he went back at Oak's Lab, the same way he came to Ash in the first place. By teleporting there.
Ash decided not to return Dusknoir and Swellow to his team, and leave then at the Ranch for now. He did leave his two Lapras's with him, as he will need them to get from Mossdeep City to the Sootopolis City.
It was after he took care of all the Pokemon that he set with Serena, May and Max, and told them about the conversation with the ancient Pokemon.
To say that they were shocked, would be an understatement. They couldn't believe all the things that Ash told them, but somewhere deep down, they believed it to be the truth, because it would explain everything about Ash. About his powers, skills, and all. They always thought that no regular human could do the things that Ash can do, and they were right, as it turns out that, Ash isn't a regular human. He is something else.
Even though it was a bit hard for them to accept it, Serena, May, and Max ended up accepting everything about Ash, and even said that, although he isn't normal human, they don't care about that, and still see him as a friend (in Max's case), and a boyfriend (in Serena's and May's case). Yes, even May said that she sees him as a boyfriend, even though they have never officially stated that they were, before or after what happened in the sauna in Lilycove City.
By the time Ash explained everything, and there were no more questions coming from Serena, May and Max, it was already launch time. So, they went and had lunch, after which Ash went to the shop, where he bought some potions and healers, as well as anything else he needed, as he has lost a lot of the stock he had, when he was taking care of the injuries his Mewtwo, Amaterasu and Ra, along with the ancient Pokemon, have sustained in their battle.
The rest of that day, was spent just relaxing in their rooms in the Pokemon Center.
XXX
The next day, the gang simply spent going around the Mossdeep City, looking for anything interesting to see or buy. In the end, they saw some interesting things, but they didn't buy anything, as nothing drew their attention enough to spend money on it.
Finally, on the third day in the Mossdeep City, fourth if you count the night they came; Serena and Ash finally decided to head to the Mossdeep Gym, and have their gym battle.
They have already decided on the Pokemon they will use. They knew that the Mossdeep Gym is a Psychic Type Gym, and they both know how troublesome psychic type Pokemon and trainers can be, so they decided to go with a safe bet when it comes to Pokemon and decided on the Pokemon which will have an advantage against the gym leader's Pokemon.
Of course, Ash and Serena know that the best trainers in the world, tend to train their Pokemon to deal with their weaknesses, and the same goes for the gym leaders, but it's still better to go with a type advantage, then to go with some surprises. This time, there is no time for unnecessary surprises, or experiments, as there isn't much time left until the Hoenn League Tournament starts, and there are still two badges that Ash and Serena need to get, including the one here in the Mossdeep City.
The gang found themselves in front of the Mossdeep Gym, not long after they left the Pokemon Center. The gym seems to be rather large, shaped like a dome made out of glass, and some kind of structure encircling the dome. The entrance is at the front of the gym, with the path leading right at the door. Above the door, there is pink heart-shaped symbol.
They went inside of the gym, and looked around to find a gym leader, or to find someone who will point them toward the gym leader. It took a while, but they eventually found two kids, one boy and one girl, both being around Ash's age, and both dressed in a similar cloths.
"Can we help you?" The girl asked, after she saw Ash and the company.
"We are looking for a gym leader," Serena said.
Hearing this, the boy and the girl smiled. "Well, you found them," the boy said, as he pointed at himself, while the girl pointed at herself. "The two of us are the Mossdeep City gym leaders. Tate and Liza, are our names."
"So there are two gym leader," Max questioned? "How does that work? Does a challenger pick one of you to battle, or…"
"Actually, we both take on the challengers at the same time," Liza spoke. "We do two-on-two battles. The two of us use one Pokemon each, while the challenger choses two Pokemon, and then we battle. That's it."
"I see," Ash said. "I can't say that I've had a gym battle like that. Two-on-two battles, yes. But it was always one trainer with two Pokemon."
"Well, we couldn't chose on one of us to be a gym leader, and we wanted something different, so we decided that both of us will be gym leaders, and in the end came up with this way of battling the challengers." Liza said.
"We understand," Serena said. "So, when can we have the battles?"
"Are all of you challenging us?" Tate asked, as he looked at the four kids.
"No," Ash said. "Only Serena," he pointed at Serena, "and me. May and Max are just traveling with us, and are not challenging the gym's just yet."
"Ok," Liza said. "Well, we can have one battle right away, but the other will have to wait until later in the afternoon. We always use the same two Pokemon for the gym battles, so after the first battle, they will have to rest for a few hours, or even visit the Pokemon Center."
"We understand that, so it's not a problem." Ash said, with Serena nodding.
"Well then, we might as well start the first battle," Tate said. "Follow me and I'll take you to the gym, while Liza can go and bring mom, as she is the referee for the gym battles."
Liza moved away from the group to go and find her mother, while the gang followed after Tate. "So, your mother is a gym referee," Ash questioned?
"Yes," Tate replied. "It's not exactly a family gym, but my family is very well known here, because my parents work in the Space Center, and my dad is an astronaut, so we were allowed by the Pokemon League to have two gym leaders, as well as our mother to act as a referee. It actually helps a lot, and it runs things smoothly."
"Good to know." Ash said.
Few minutes later, the gang found themselves inside of a rather large gym, definitely taller than most of the other gyms they've been in so far. The surface of the gym seems like the surface of another planet, or even the Moon. There are also a bunch of small planets floating mid-air. The way the gym looks-like is almost like being somewhere in space, and with different planets all around you, looking almost like you can touch them by jumping a little.
"This is a really cool gym." Max said as he was looking around with curious eyes.
"Yes, it is," Tate said with a smile. "I'm glad you like it."
A minute later, Liza walked through the door, followed by a blue-haired woman with glasses and wearing white skirt and green sleeveless shirt. She introduced herself to the gang, her name being, Rachel, after which, she moved to the referee spot.
Serena and Ash spoke, and decided that Ash will go first. He stood on the challenger's side of the field, while Serena, May and Max, went to the set of bleachers on one side of the field, though a bit elevated, so they are watching from above, as they stood right next to the railings.
With all trainers on their spots, Rachel announced the match.
"All battles here are modified double battles," Rachel spoke! "Gym Leaders, Liza and Tate, will use Lunatone and Solrock; and you, Ash, must chose two Pokemon to compete against them! No Pokemon substitutions are allowed by any trainer during the battle, understood?"
"YES!" Ash, Liza and Tate, said at the same time.
"We won't keep time," Rachel spoke again. "The contest will be decided only when one of the contestants find both of their Pokemon unable to continue!"
Off to the bleachers, May looked at the planets floating above them, and wondered. "I wonder how those planters are affecting the battle."
"Yeah, and since Ash doesn't know either, it doesn't seem fair." Max said.
"I'm sure that Ash will find a way to deal with any obstacles that appear on his way," Serena said. "Besides, I doubt that this battlefield will present as much challenge, as battling against two trainers at the same time, who are used to battling together and most likely have some combination attacks. If Ash can find a way around that, then the battlefield shouldn't be a problem."
Back on the field, Rachel just told Ash to release the two Pokemon he will be using. Ash though for a moment, on which Pokemon to choose. Before he came here, he did chose some which he could use, but he didn't know which Pokemon the gym leaders will use, only that they will be Psychic Types. Now that it will be a battle against a Solrock and Lunatone, two part Rock and part Psychic Types, he wonders if he should go with Grass, Water, or Psychic Type Pokemon.
In the end, he decided on… "I chose Metang and Grovyle!" Ash said, as he released his two Pokemon.
Ash's two Pokemon came out of their Poke Balls, and stood/floated on/above the battlefield. The appearance of Shiny Metang, really draw the attention of the twins and their mother, as they have never seen a Shiny Metang, though they have seen Steven Stone's Shiny Metagross.
The two decided to ask Ash about that later, while now it's time for a battle. "Solrock, come on out," Tate released his Pokemon! "Lunatone, let's do it!" Liza followed right after.
"BEGIN!" Rachel shouted the start of the match.
"Solrock, Tackle!" Tate started the battle!
Solrock flew at Grovyle, and hit him right in the torso, folding Ash's Grass Type, and sending him flying backwards.
"You use Tackle as well, Lunatone!" Liza went with her attack, with her Lunatone crushing into Metang. Unlike Solrock, though, Lunatone was the one bouncing backwards after it hit Metang.
"Metang is quite sturdy Pokemon with great defense," Ash said to Liza, who was surprised by what happened. "Tackle won't work on it. You will need at least a Take Down, if you want to attack like that."
"I see," Liza said. "I'll remember that for the next time."
Ash then told his Grovyle to use Quick Attack, and Grovyle did, as he ran at Solrock, but Solrock moved out of the way quickly, making Grovyle miss, and crash straight into one of the planets floating mid-air. Grovyle stayed partly embedded into the planet for a few moments, before he fell back on the battlefield.
Ash then told Metang to use Meteor Mash on Lunatone, making Metang's right arm glow, and it tried to hit Lunatone, but just like Solrock, Lunatone dodged, though Metang was luckier than Grovyle as it didn't slam into a planet or anything else.
Liza told her Lunatone to use Ice Beam on Grovyle, who was just starting to get up from the ground where he fell after he crashed into the ground.
At the same time, Tate told his Solrock to use Solar Beam, also on Grovyle.
The two Pokemon fired their attacks at the same time, aiming at Ash's Grass Type. Ash was about to tell his Grovyle to use, Protect, but then much to everyone's surprise, Ice Beam and Solar Beam collided with each other mid-air, causing them both to cancel each other.
This led to the argument between Liza and Tate, and it made Ash realize that the two don't really get along well, at least while they are battling. He thought on how to use this in the match and win as soon as possible. There is no need to prolong the battle more than necessary.
Ash told his Metang to use Metal Claw on Lunatone, while he told his Grovyle to use Leaf Blade on Solrock.
Both attacks landed, causing some damage to Lunatone and Solrock, and also making Liza and Tate stop arguing, before they went back to the battle.
They both told their Pokemon to use Tackle, on Grovyle, as they now knew that that attack, won't work on Metang, and neither will the Psychic attacks, which Lunatone and Solrock know. Both part Rock part Psychic Type Pokemon flew at Grovyle, about to slam into him, but they were unlucky, because Grovyle followed Ash's order, and jumped high in the air, just before he was about to be hit. This cause Solrock and Lunatone to collide with each other, before they cried in pain and fell on the floor.
Liza and Tate started to argue once again.
"Here we go again." Rachel said with a smile on her face, but there were also a few sweat drops because of what's going on.
"Those two make us seem like best friends, May." Max commented from where he was watching the battle, and the argument between siblings.
"I guess having two gym leaders, isn't such a good idea." May said.
"It doesn't matter if they argue," Serena said. "If they do, they are just making things easier for Ash, and if this continues in my battle against them, then it will make things easier for me to."
Now normally, Ash would be amused by the sight of the siblings arguing like this, but this is a gym battle, and in a gym battles, there is no time or room for arguments of any kind, as it only leads to mistakes. He decided to show the two siblings, that it's a really bad time for them to argue, when they are battling against him.
"Grovyle, Bullet Seed, Metang, Metal Claw!" Ash voice stopped Liza and Tate from arguing, as they saw their Pokemon about to be attacked. They reacted quickly and dodged the attacks, but that only led to Ash telling Grovyle to use Quick Attack, followed by Leaf Blade, while he also told Metang to use Flash Cannon, followed by Bullet Punch."
Solrock and Lunatone proved that they have speed, when they dodged the Quick Attack and Flash Cannon, even though they were surprised by how quickly after the previous ones, they came. Ash counted on this though, which is why he told his Pokemon to use Leaf Blade and Bullet Punch right after the previous attacks. Lunatone and Solrock weren't able to dodge those two attacks, as they came far too quickly, and Lunatone was hit by Leaf Blade, once again, while Solrock was hit by a serious of rapid punches from both of Metang's arms.
Lunatone fell to the ground after being hit by Leaf Blade, but it was still conscious and able to battle. Solrock though… the amount of times it was hit by Metang, along with the power behind the attacks, was more than it could handle, and it fell on the ground, passed out.
"Solrock is unable to battle," Rachel as the referee of the match, announced. "The Gym Leaders only have one Pokemon left, while the challenger still has two." Liza and Tate, but especially Tate, watched in horror, as his Pokemon was taken out just like that. They were shocked, and didn't know how to react.
Fortunately for them, Liza managed to snap back to her senses, and got back to the battle, before her Lunatone was taken out as well.
Just as Tate returned his Solrock back to its Poke Ball, Liza reacted and called her attack. "Use Ice Beam on Grovyle!"
"Grovyle, dodge, and use Solar Beam!" Ash said.
Grovyle used Quick Attack to dodge the Ice Beam before it could hit him, and then started to gather energy for his next attack. Since it was a slow process as they are in a closed-up space, Liza decided to try and stop him before Grovyle can gather enough energy to fire a Solar Beam.
"Lunatone, use Psychic on Grovyle!" Liza said. Lunatone' eyes started to glow blue, before Grovyle become outlined in blue and was lifted into the air, effectively stopping him from attacking, though not stopping him from gathering the energy for the attack.
"Slam him into the ground, Lunatone!" Liza said, with a smirk on her face, thinking that she is back into the fight, even though she was now alone against two opponents.
"Meteor Mash." Ash said, before suddenly, Metang was in front of the Lunatone, and hit it hard with its glowing right hand, sending it flying backwards.
This has interrupted Lunatone' hold on Grovyle, who stood on his legs, gathered the remaining energy needed to fire a Solar Beam, and then he fired it just as Lunatone got back up in the air.
Lunatone was hit by a powerful Grass Type attack, one of its weaknesses, which caused an explosion.
Few moments later, when the smoke cleared, it showed Lunatone lying on the battlefield, passed out.
"Lunatone is unable to battle," Rachel announced! "The winner of the battle is the challenger, Ash Ketchum!"
XXX
After the battle was over, and Ash was given the badge, he talked with Tate and Liza, and told them that, while they are good trainers with good Pokemon, and a nice idea for the gym battles, they need to stop arguing in the middle of the battle, and find a way to cooperate with each other, otherwise, they will be losing a lot in the future.
The twins decided to listen to Ash, as they knew that he was right. They said that from there on, they will try to find a way to deal with their different battle styles, and make them be able to work together.
With that over, Liza and Tate told Serena to come later in the afternoon, as by then, their Pokemon will be ready for the battle. Serena nodded, after which, she, Ash, May and Max, left the gym and went back to the Pokemon Center, to relax for a little while, before they go to have lunch. After lunch, they will rest a little while longer, then they will head back to the Mossdeep Gym for Serena's battle.
XXX
Serena was able to win her gym battle against the twins, earning herself her seventh badge in the Hoenn Region. Her win though, wasn't as easy as Ash's might have been.
Serena has used her Delphox and Marshtomp to battle against Lunatone and Solrock, and those two Pokemon were quite powerful, especially Delphox, so Serena shouldn't have had a lot of trouble to win. Unfortunately for her, Liza and Tate have taken Ash's advice very seriously, and during the entire battle against Serena, they have worked perfectly and haven't argued even once, not to mention that they haven't made a single mistake in that battle, and the only reason they lost, is because they were overpowered by Serena's Delphox. Though, they were able to take out Marshtomp, which gave them the initial advantage.
In the end, Serena won the match, and her seventh gym badge, meaning she only needs one more to be able to enter the Hoenn League Tournament.
For her to win that badge, Serena has to go to Sootopolis City, where the last gym in the Hoenn Region is located. But, as it's already late in the afternoon, the gang decided to spend one more night in the Mossdeep City, and they will head to the next island in the morning.
The next morning, Ash, Serena, May and Max, went toward the shore, from where Ash planned to release his two Lapras's, so that they can head to the next island on their way to the Sootopolis City.
Before they left the island though, they planned to have breakfast in one of the restaurants by the sea, unfortunately, they had to make a small stop as Ash was challenged by some trainer who recognized him and wanted to battle against him. Ash being who he is, and never being willing to deny someone a chance to battle him, accepted the challenge.
Since this isn't a gym battle, or a battle of any real importance, Ash decided to use on of his new Pokemon, and see how they battle. He has trained them a little bit in the last few days, but didn't have a chance to see them in a real battle, and this is a chance to see at least one of them.
For the match, Ash chose Frigibax, a Dragon/Ice Pokemon from the Paldea Region, and the Pokemon which would one day evolve into a Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon called Baxcalibur.
As the battle progressed, Frigibax showed his inexperience in battles, though he also showed the potential it has as a Pokemon with Dragon and Ice as a typing, which makes it as only one of… maybe two Pokemon with that typing, along with the Legendary Pokemon Kyurem.
In the end, the battle ended in a draw, which was fine with both trainers, as Ash has used a Pokemon which has never battled before, while the other trainer, who used Scizor, will be able to tell everyone that he has tied in a match against someone like Ash Ketchum.
After they parted ways with the happy trainer, the gang went to a close-by restaurant, where they set to have lunch. None of them have noticed an old man which was standing behind the wall of a nearby building, from where he has been watching the battle.
XXX
As they were seating on the outside of the restaurant, waiting for the waiter to show up, the gang were discussing Ash's battle.
"I'm surprised you didn't defeat that kid, Ash?" May said. "He wasn't anything special, and neither was his Scizor."
"You're probably right," Ash agreed. "But remember that that was the first time I've used Frigibax in a battle, and even before I got him, he didn't have battle experience, so I can't say that I was expecting him to win. That Scizor might not have been strong, but he had more battle experience and power then Frigibax, and that's something I can't change or get-over by just being a better trainer then the opponent. In the end, it's the Pokemon which are battling, and not the trainers."
"Do you think that your three newest Pokemon will be ready for the Hoenn League?" Max asked.
"For the preliminary rounds, yes," Ash said. "As for later rounds, I doubt it. There is only a little over two months left until the League and they can't progress that much in such a short amount of time.
"Besides, I've got enough Pokemon to compete in the Hoenn League, even without Finizen, Frigibax, and Gholdengo."
Serena, May and Max nodded, before they were approached by the waiter, who asked them about their order. Once they ordered the food and the drink, and it was brought to them, they ate in peace and quiet.
When they were finished, over half-an-hour later, the gang was about to leave the restaurant, with Ash leaving some cash on the table for the bill; they were suddenly approached by the same old man who was watching Ash's battle from before.
"Hello, kids." The old man addressed them from behind Ash.
They all looked at him, Serena and May with confused looks on their faces, as they were surprised that this guy would approach them just like that and say 'hello'. As for Ash and Max, they took one look at the old man, and recognized him.
"Hello, Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four." Ash said, surprising Drake, and shocking Serena and May.
"I see you recognize me," Drake said. "But I recognize you as well, Ash Ketchum. It's kind of hard not to, considering what you have managed to accomplish in such a short time as a trainer."
"Well, I try." Ash said with a smile, before he went and introduced his friends to Drake.
"Yes, I do recognize you three," Drake said to Serena, May and Max, surprising them. "I knew your father," he said as he looked at May and Max, who gained a sad look on their faces, when they were reminded of Norman. "I'm sorry about what happened to him. It was such a tragedy.
"As for you, Serena. I made it my business a while ago to watch the matches of the League Tournaments, so that I can see how the younger generations are coming, and if there are some interesting trainers. I was quite surprised and pleased when I saw you battle in the Silver Conference. Your skill, battle talent, your communication with your Pokemon. It was all superb, especially since you were a trainer for just a year at that point."
Serena thanked the man for the compliments. She was very proud of herself to be praised by a member of the Elite Four.
"So, Mr. Drake," Max spoke. "What are you doing here? Do you live in Mossdeep, or are you just visiting?"
"No, I'm actually from the Meteor Falls," Drake said. "But I don't live there any longer, though I visit from time-to-time. Now, I like to travel around the Hoenn Region, and visit different places. It gives me a chance to meet young trainers, and see the new generations of Pokemon Trainers."
"Meteor Falls," Ash spoke. "So you know Zinnia?"
"Yes, I do," Drake said with a smirk. "Her grandma is an old friend, so I knew the girl since she was a baby. I remember her talking a lot about you, you know."
"Really?" Ash was surprised, but he also smirked.
"Oh, yeah," Drake nodded. "It was after she came back from her training in Rota Kingdom. She spoke about the boy she met there, all the time. She wasn't speaking about anything or anyone else for a while. Then, couple of years later, I watched the young man win the Indigo League, and when I heard your name, I was reminded of the boy Zinnia was talking about. I was quite surprised by your skill, which is saying a lot, considering I've met many trainers in my life, and some of which, like you dad, were REALLY good."
"Yeah, he really is good." Ash said, thinking of his father's skill as a Pokemon Trainer.
"Anyway, I've come here to see if you want to come on my ship," Drake said, getting a curious look from the others. "I'm really interested to have a battle against you, Ash. My ship will be a perfect place for that."
The gang all looked at each other, before they all nodded. "Sure, why not?" Ash said.
XXX
Seeing the ship that Drake sails on, the gang was reminded of the stories of old, where Pirate used to sail on the ships, just like Drake's. The fact that Drake even has a crew on his own, which call him captain, and that he is even dressed as a pirate, makes them all think that Drake is far too much into the old Pirate Stories.
Still, the gang was all interested in how the life on the ship is like, and what it would be like to travel all over the world on a large ship, which can go anywhere you want, and whenever you want.
They all spent a nice few hours on board Drake's ship, where they met the crew, and were shown around the ship. At one point, Drake expressed desire to battle against Ash, with Ash accepting, though he asked Drake if he wants them to battle with their stronger Pokémon, or if Ash should use one of the ones he currently has with him.
Drake was fine with battling against the Pokémon Ash currently has with him, as he knows that his old ones are strong, but he wants to see how the newer ones are coming along.
In the end, they agreed on one-on-one battle, with Drake deciding to go with his Altaria, while Ash chose Grovyle. He chose him because he feels that Grovyle is close to evolving, and wants to give him some more battle experience before that happens. It's also one of the reasons for using him in the gym battle against Liza and Tate, and not just because as a Grass Type, he had an advantage against Rock Types. Now though, with Grovyle being a Grass Type, and Altaria Dragon/Flying, Grovyle will have a type disadvantage, and Ash wants to see how his Pokémon will handle that.
During the battle, both Pokémon went all out, though most of the time, Altaria had the advantage, as it could fly, has more battle experience, and power behind her attacks. Grovyle has Ash on his side, who is technically speaking, a better trainer then Drake, though he has less battle experience. Grovyle also has enthusiasm to prove himself, as he didn't do that good in the gym battle, and had Metang not been there, he would have lost.
While Altaria would fly around above the ship, Grovyle would use the masts and everything he could around him to jump around, in order to land attacks on Altaria. Both Pokémon have landed powerful attacks on each other, with Altaria landing two quite brutal Sky Attack and Aerial Ace, which nearly ended Grovyle. Grovyle was also able to dodge some of the attacks, like Dragon Breath and Take Down, while he countered Solar Beam with his own Solar Beam. He landed some hits with Leaf Blade and Bullet Seed, though they haven't done as much damage to Altaria, as Altaria's flying attacks, have done to him.
In the end, the battle has ended with Drake and Altaria as winners, and Ash and Grovyle as losers, marking this as one of the rare times that Ash has actually lost. Still, he didn't feel bad. Drake is an Elite Four Member, and his Altaria is strong. Grovyle though, while he is strong, he is still not Elite Four level Pokémon, but after he evolves, he will be very close. Ash guesses that by the time the Hoenn League ends, and his journey through the Hoenn Region is over, Grovyle will be one of his Hoenn Pokémon, who will reach the Elite Four Level.
"That was a nice battle, Ash," Drake said to Ash, as they shock hands, after they both returned their Pokémon to their Poke Balls, so they can have a well-deserved rest. "You have proven that you are indeed a great trainer. Not many can battle against my Altaria like your Grovyle did, after only several months of training."
"I train my Pokémon hard, as I want them to be the best they possibly could," Ash said. "That is the main reason why they are so strong, and not because I'm a great trainer, or anything."
"You're being modest," Drake said. "But that's fine, as overconfidence can prove to be the undoing of even the best trainers in the world. I can't recall the amount of time I've lost in my youth because of my overconfidence. I think it's great that you don't have that problem."
The rest of their stay on Drake's ship was spent with the gang speaking with the old man, and him telling them how to better themselves as trainers. As someone who is old and has been a trainer for decades, he has a lot of knowledge and experience, so he was able to share with them some of his knowledge. Even Ash with everything he knows, has learned some new stuff. As for Serena, May and Max, they have learned a lot.
By the time they have finished the conversations, it was already 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so the gang has decided to go, as if they were to stay any longer, they would have to spend another night in Mossdeep City. Since they didn't want that, they decided to leave immediately, so they would be able to reach the closest island on the route to the Sootopolis City, in about five hours, just in time before the night fully falls.
The gang said their goodbyes to Drake and his crew, before they left the ship, went to the shore where Ash released his two Lapras', and then left the Mossdeep City.