The group woke up to see Iris and Excadrill happily chatting after training the whole night. Apparently, Iris took Ash's advice of apologizing to Excadrill, and the two of them reconciled, helping Excadrill perfect a move he wanted to master – Focus Blast. They gave Iris and Excadrill their congratulations.
Excadrill was still sore however at N at his suggestion the day before, sending him dirty looks which left N stung and moody the whole day. Zorua was giggling like a loon which made N sulk more.
"Not so much as a little kid, huh?" Ash smugly snarked to Iris which caused her to roll her eyes.
"Well, I guess you are a decent trainer and it was sage advice," Iris paused. "But your pettiness just now shows that you're still a little kid!"
Ash immediately chased Iris as the young girl ran away laughing. The three merely exchanged exasperated but fond looks before running after them.
"I can't with you, monsters," panted Cilan as they arrived at the Luxuria Town Pokemon Battle Club. Iris, despite being a spright individual, was sweating and N was worse for wear. Only Ash and Misty were the ones who seemed to be fine after that exhausting trek and run, though Misty was catching her breath.
Misty giggled, finding humor at their tiredness. "You'll get used to it, y'know. The first time Ash and I traveled, we'd always stop every thirty minutes or so. You're much better than we were. Although that may be because we were young, but anyway! You're doing good."
Cilan was dubious but Iris nodded along. "I'll take your word for it!"
"Ahhh!"
"What's with you yelling like that?" asked Iris.
"Daniel and Trip are here!"
It seemed that Misty and Cilan knew who this Trip was, Misty and Iris knew Daniel, but N had no idea who those are. He shared a look with Zorua.
"I want to battle them both!" declared Ash, which would normally trigger N but traveling with the group for a short time mellowed him out. He didn't know when this began, but he was gradually accepting Ash's battle-oriented lifestyle – which was troubling, of course.
"Uh, uh! No can do, mister. You've had your battle with Daniel in a battle club, I'll be battling him!" declared Misty.
Of course, Ash didn't like that.
"Er, I would like to battle with Misty, if that's alright," said Daniel, nervously. The resulting response from Ash and Misty would be sullen (Ash) and victorious (Misty).
"Victory!" said Misty. Trip and Daniel had been called over by Don George and Misty and Ash let Daniel decide if he wants to battle with Ash again, or battle with Misty.
"Looks like we're battling again," sniffed Trip as he looked at Ash with disdain. N decided that he didn't like this person and from what he saw from Iris and Cilan, they didn't like him either. He now understood why Misty was shooting Trip a dark look when he entered.
"How many badges have you gotten?"
"One."
"Weak. I have two. I'm sorry, I will have to decline this battle request," said Trip snootily before making his way to leave which just drew the ire of N and Misty. N could almost hear Misty grinding her teeth but he couldn't properly hear them because he was busy gritting his.
"Battling him won't do any harm, will it?"
Iris folded her arms behind her head, her tone as light as if she was commenting about the weather. "You've been kind of complaining about various things the entire time; those types of people are often children, you see…"
Her entire demeanor seemed mostly unaffected, but the goading words and sly patronizing smirk settled N and Misty's ire a little. It seemed that despite Iris's usual disparaging of Ash's maturity (or lack thereof), she was also upset on his behalf.
"Children?" Trip intoned as he glanced back, his shoulders stiffening in irritation.
"I'd like to see it too. A battle between the two of you, I mean," Cilan supported. "Passion and calmness clash, producing a deep taste that is both fresh and sharp. That's how I expect the battle to be, but…"
Zorua smirked. Oh, how sly of these two. They just knew what buttons to push.
"Ash is a strong battler! I've experienced first-hand!" added Daniel to placate Ash which immediately brightened the latter's mood. Trip clicked his tongue.
"I know, I lost to him before," Trip muttered darkly. "But that was because I haven't trained my Pokemon yet! Now, I'm stronger than him given that he only has one badge."
"Fine! I accept the request only to prove how meaningless battling with him will be." He shot a glare at Daniel. "And don't you have more pressing problems to focus on? You'll battle a gym leader, after all."
"Huh? Cilan is the gym leader here," added N.
Trip raised an eyebrow. "She told me she's a gym leader."
N, Iris, Cilan, and Daniel looked blankly at Misty, who had the gall to look sheepish. "Er, didn't it come up at one point? I thought it came up."
Daniel audibly gulped.
"Misty! Why would you hide something like this from me?" Cilan dramatically whined as Don George stepped into the referee's box to call the match to a start.
"Get a grip, Cilan! Ash and Trip's full battle is about to start."
It was a full battle and it started worse than any of them ever imagined. Oshawott was instantly knocked out without managing to land a hit when Tranquill hit him with succeeding overwhelming attacks boosted by the bird's Super Luck ability.
"That was quick," quipped Daniel which made everyone turn to him. Wincing, he apologized.
"See?" said Trip condescendingly. "This battle just started and you're already at a disadvantage with one Pokemon down. Maybe start from scratch. Or basics, if you would."
This line blew Misty's fuse and made N grit his teeth harder. "You kick his butt, Ash!"
Ash's drive to battle intensified but to everyone's surprise, he was keeping cool. Smirking, he said, "Oh, we're just getting started. Gible, I choose you!"
The land shark Pokemon materialized on the battlefield, with the Tranquill fixating on his target almost immediately. Trip, despite knowing Ash is from another region, was surprised to see that Ash owned a Gible. Taking out his camera, he snapped a photo of it after scanning it on the Pokedex.
"Begin!" Don George announced.
"Gible, Dig!"
"Tranquill, you know what to do!"
Gible was able to dig through the earth before Tranquill could land an attack. Ash ordered Gible to keep digging, resulting to a dozen holes being dug on the ground. Trip was getting annoyed by the way Gible seemed to evade attacks using the holes he dug. It was really appropriate for Gible to be the land shark Pokemon.
"Okay, Gible! Now!"
A shockwave of energy blasted from one of the holes in the ground which coincidentally was the hole below Tranquill. The Dragon Pulse hit Tranquill squarely on its chest, squawking in pain as Trip stood surprised at how Ash thought of this tactic for Gible to land a hit.
GIble came out of the hole as Ash ordered a Rock Smash.
"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!"
Gible jumped to hit Tranquill but the avian proved undefeated in the air as it swiftly swerved to avoid the attack and then pivoted to hit the smaller Pokemon with Aerial Ace.
"Gib!"
Gible cried out as he was hit by the Aerial Ace but Ash ordered a Dragon Pulse just as another Aerial Ace was coming. Both attacks hit which caused both Pokemon to fall down. Gible fell in one of his holes while Tranquill skidded to the ground to a halt.
Immediately, Tranquill recovered and Don George was about to call the match when a light emanated and engulfed the court. The dragon Pokemon came out much bigger, his head and body separated by its long neck. His limbs were longer and sturdier and grew more fins. Ash and Trip immediately brought out their Pokedex to scan the newly evolved form of Gible.
Gabite, the Cave Pokémon. Gabite loves sparkly precious jewels, seeking treasure in caves and hoards the loot into its nest.
The newly evolved Pokemon roared.
"We need to finish this quick! Tranquill, Aerial Ace!"
Ash barked, "Oh no, you don't! Gabite, Dual Chop!"
The two Pokemon rushed into each other, trading blows and hits, each one stronger and fiercer than the last. The two stopped attacking and retreated, and N noticed they looked worse for wear, panting, and catching their breaths.
Tranquil taunted, "Even after evolving, you're still no match for me? Some dragon-type."
This language shocked N to the core, loosening his tight grip on the railings. The others noticed this but reined in their question, as it was fairly understandable what happened. Besides, N was also sure that he would not be able to reply as his focus was fixated on the battle. Gabite growled.
"Don't listen to what he's telling you, Gabite! You're doing great!" shouted Ash. Gabite smiled and wore a determined look.
"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, this match hasn't been decided. Tranquill, Double Team!"
Duplicates of Tranquill surrounded Gabite in the court as if a flock had been there battling Gabite all the time.
"Now, how's that for size? Tranquill, Work Up!"
Increasing its attack power; Tranquill glowed a bright red and turned around, facing Gabite and readying its next attack. Gabite stared at the flock, determined and undeterred.
"That doesn't matter, Gabite – Draco Meteor!"
"What?!" exclaimed Trip. "Tranquill, Aerial Ace!"
The order was called too late, as rocks – comets – fell from the ceiling and hit each duplicate and while Tranquill did a magnificent job dodging most of it, a large rock pummeled him to the ground calling the match in Ash's favor.
At the audience stand, people were gushing over the battle.
"That was crazy! It's just the second match but that was awesome!" exclaimed Daniel, his eyes shining in awe.
"Indeed! It was an exquisite battle full of spices that emphasized the taste! A marvelous recipe for victory!" added Cilan with stars in his eyes.
"Axew! Look at that! A Gabite! It's a Gabite!" cheered Iris while pointing at Gabite, Axew was dancing in excitement. N noticed that Misty was a lot more subdued than she was earlier when Trip kept on mocking Ash, the girl now only has a soft smile on her face as she stated, "Never doubted for a second. Same old Ash."
N was torn between cheering for Ash's victory or being disheartened by the way Gabite and Tranquill violently attacked one another, the latter even choosing to mock and taunt the former to draw the former's ire. This was why he disliked battles but he was even more surprised how Gabite refused to come back and rest, his eyes determined to fight despite Ash giving him a choice.
N knew from his conversation with Charizard and Infernape that it's an innate characteristic for Pokemon to be strong but he still couldn't comprehend this display. Zorua just looked at N forlornly, wanting to help comfort him but at the same time, Zorua knew N needed to face and confront his preconceived notions to help him understand that his mission wasn't going to help anybody in the long run.
The battle went smoothly for Ash after that. Gabite managed to call the third match into a draw, bringing down Trip's Vanillite with him. As he had sustained a lot of damage during his battle with Tranquill, he managed to bring the battle into a draw with a fully healthy Vanillite, despite the type weakness.
Snivy was exceptional, to no one's surprise, as she managed to bring down her own evolved form, Trip's Servine with only Attract and Vine Whip, finishing him off with a critical hit Leaf Blade. Trip was slowly becoming frustrated as his boasts earlier seemed to become empty words. Grudgingly, he admitted, "I didn't expect the Attract."
Trip's fourth Pokemon turned out to be a Litwick, and despite being hit consecutively by Leaf Storm, Snivy succumbed to the burns and flames inflicted to her using Will-O-Wisp and Fire Spin. Litwick faced off with Tepig next, Litwick managed to trap Tepig with a Fire Spin but the piglet escaped the vortex by using the vortex to encase himself in fire and hit Litwick with his newly learned Flame Charge.
"What in the world is Ash thinking?" Iris.
"I'm telling you— Ash is crazy!" Daniel.
"SUCH EXCELLENT SPICE!" Cilan.
"Only you, Ash." Misty.
Tepig hit Litwick again with Flame Charge which proved too much for the candle Pokemon and it fainted. Tepig proudly blows smoke from his snout. Ash let Tepig stay to fight Trip's next Pokemon – a Frillish with Cursed Body. The five spectators expressed their disagreement to Ash's order of Flame Charge to Frillish – Iris and Misty loudly berating him with Cilan and Daniel preventing them from bonking Ash's head while N was nipped by Zorua on his ear to prevent N from leaping out.
"If you go down there, it would be forfeit for Ash!" said Daniel.
The attack hit Frillish, ultimately disabling Flame Charge. Whatever else they had planned to say was too late. Trip smirked, the upper hand on his deck again. "You really don't know the basics, do you? Setting up such an attack against Frillish who has the Cursed Body ability…"
"Cursed Body?"
"It's an ability that threatens to block a move that attacks physically! You really are a child for not even knowing that!" Iris looked like she was about to fling herself out there as well while Cilan gently tried to calm her down.
"Well, if that's the case – Ember!"
"Water Pulse!"
Both attacks hit and canceled each other, but Ash called for another Ember which squarely hit Frillish. Despite the hit, it looked none the worse due to its type advantage. Trip used the split second to order another Water Pulse which proved too much for Tepig and he fainted.
"Alright, buddy, wanna give it a go?" asked Ash to the side just as he recalled Tepig.
"Pika!" Bring it on!