Chapter 8:
School's Out
Nowtoch City
After taking his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center, Ash had told his friends that he needed to take a walk to clear out his thoughts. All of them, especially Serena, had looked at him with concern, but they had respected his decision. Perhaps they remembered the way Ash reacted the last time he lost a Gym Battle.
True to her word, Natalie had left Nowtoch city in order to catch more Pokemon and do some additional training. And Ash knew he needed to do that too. Not now, though, given that his Pokemon needed to recover.
Ash walked through the beautiful city, not knowing what to do since his Pokemon were out of commission for the time being –and wondered if he should try to find a hobby to fill the time during these kind of moments– before he saw a park, like an oasis of green in a sea of gray and black. There were several kids playing with some small Pokemon, and what Ash presumed were their parents sitting on benches.
The Pallet Town native moved towards one of the empty benches and basically let his body slump against it. While Ash was known as somebody with too much energy to take a moment to relax, defeats like this one left him drained, and the quietude was something both his body and mind appreciated. So for the next half an hour all Ash did was sit on a bench, and relax.
"Hey."
The voice snapped Ash from his thoughts, or better said, from the void that was his mind right now. A little startled, Ash realized that Serena was in front of him.
"Hey," he replied. His voice lacked its usual energy, something that didn't go unnoticed to Serena.
Serena shifted in her spot as she held her blue ribbon with one hand. "Do you mind if I sit?"
Wordlessly, Ash slidded to the side in order to give Serena room, and the honey blonde took a seat besides him. The two of them spent a couple minutes sitting there, completely silent.
"Sooo..." Serena began, hesitating as if carefully choosing her next words. "...still thinking about the loss? "
"Is it that obvious?" Ash sighed. "I'd lie if I'd say I'm peachy. Major defeats are always hard to stomach, no matter how many times they happen."
"I know how you feel. Remember that I lost my very first contest not long ago," Serena reminded him. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. And you shouldn't either. Never give up until the end, remember?"
Ash cracked a hint of a smile upon hearing that. "Using my own words against me, huh?"
"Maybe you needed to hear them from somebody else," Serena replied.
Ash couldn't help but notice a certain edge to her voice. Guessing what was troubling her, he showed her a reassuring smile. "You know Serena, if you're worried that this is going to be Wulfric all over again, I can assure you it won't be the case."
This seemed to alleviate Serena somewhat, given that she looked as if a crushing pressure had left her body. "Good! Because we weren't going to have a repeat of the Winding Woods! Is there anything I can do? If you need to talk to someone, I'm here, and you can tell me everything-"
"Serena," Ash interrupted her, looking at her in the eyes. "I'm fine. I promise."
"Y-You sure?" she asked.
"As fine as I can be," Ash replied. "I... I just need some time, you know? To get my thoughts back in order. And to think what I'm going to do to defeat Maria. She did raise some valid points. I should have trained more before facing her. Maybe I also need more Pokemon."
"You have plenty of Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab. Why don't you have Oak send some of them to you?" Serena asked. As those words left her lips, another realization hit her. "Now that I think about it... how is it that you left all the Pokemon you caught in Kalos back in Kanto? I mean, you weren't even planning to bring Greninja to begin with. I'm sure that if you had Hawlucha or Talonflame or Noivern you would have made short work of Maria's Pokemon."
"Because... well, it's a little hard to put into words," Ash began. "Let's say... it's part of the journey? As in, every region has Pokemon unique to them, and I feel that catching Pokemon native to the region is an important part of the experience of visiting a new place."
"I see," Serena nodded. "Though, maybe you could still bring some of your older Pokemon too as well, and gradually replace them as you catch and train new ones?"
"That's what I tried to do the first time I visited another region," Ash replied. "After returning from the Orange Islands, I went to Johto, and took most of my Pokemon there. I also caught quite a few Pokemon in Johto, but given that my Kanto Pokemon were much more experienced and stronger, I ended up relying on them too much and didn't give the Pokemon I caught in Johto the attention they deserved.
"It's also a matter of keeping my skills honed. I could have brought the likes of Snorlax, Sceptile or Infernape, which would have made this journey way easier, but if I did that, I'd become complacent and my skill as a trainer would stagnate. On the other hand, catching wild Pokemon and raising them into a team able to compete in a Pokemon League? Now that's a challenge that makes all my victories feel earned."
Ash's mind replayed his victory over Natalie's Raptorch using his freshly caught Birbie. The proof of what a well coached Pokemon could do, even if it lacked power and experience.
"I... haven't thought of that," Serena said. "Why did you allow Greninja to come with you, then?"
"Because he asked to come," Ash flatly replied. Sensing Serena's slight incredulity, he decided to elaborate. "Normally, most of my Pokemon feel satisfied after one adventure, and see their stay at Oak as a well deserved retirement. You saw Greninja when he came to us: Kalos wasn't enough for him. He wasn't satisfied with his run through Kalos. And hey... this was Greninja's first big fight in Tandor, yet I was unable to help him claim victory."
Serena placed placed a hand on Ash's knee, and gave him a reassuring look. "Come on Ash, I'm sure Greninja knows you did your best, and that you can't win all the time. The only way Greninja would be truly disappointed in you it's if you decided to give up."
"Never give up until the end," Ash repeated, and he and Serena smiled. "Yes, you're right. We might have lost, but it's not the end of the world. Maria gave us another chance, and we aren't going to waste it."
Serena nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear. What do you plan to do?"
"Maria has already seen what Pikachu, Birbie and Greninja can do. I need to throw her off balance, come up with something she wouldn't expect," Ash began. "Maybe I should go back to Passage Cave to train. The Pokemon there are pretty rough, so Pikachu, Greninja and Birbie could get a pretty good training there."
…
Passage Cave
A few hours later, in the afternoon, Nurse Joy told Ash that all his Pokemon were now fully healed and ready to go. The rest also did Ash some good, as the Pallet Town native appeared to be in a better place mentally than he was in the aftermath of his defeat, and was ready to do anything it took to win that gym badge.
Per Ash's own suggestion, the group decided to return to Passage Cave. Not that they were overly excited with the idea, given what they had to do in order to cross it. Then again, he reassured them that they wouldn't go too far into the cave, just until they ran into a Pokemon. Which they didn't expect it would take long.
"You know... the cave seems awfully more silent than when we first crossed it," Clemont pointed out, as he directed the light from his Heliolisk-shaped lantern forward.
"It's almost eerie," Bonnie added.
"Maybe those groups of Pokemon are still leaderless?" Serena wondered. "I mean, that's why we taught them a lesson, right? So they would calm down for some time."
"Still, those Pokemon must be around here somewhere," Ash stated. "I mean, there used to be lots of them."
"Pi?" Pikachu asked, as his ears perked up. He then pointed somewhere in front of them. "Pikapi!"
"Clemont, light over there!" Ash said, pointing in the same direction.
Clemont did so, and the group saw a yellow and blue snake-like Pokemon looking back at them, seemingly startled.
"...parce?"
"Whoa! A Dunsparce!" Ash said, growing excited.
"Dunsparce? I thought that there were only Barewl, Grozard and Tonemy in this cave..." Bonnie said.
"That's true but... didn't the Ranger said that there were a bunch of Dunsparce here as well?" Clemont asked. "Maybe now that the other three groups of Pokemon calmed down, they decided to show up."
Since she had never seen this Pokemon before, in this case Serena pulled her Pokedex out in order to scan it.
"Dunsparce, the Land Snake Pokemon. Normal. Its drill-tipped tail is used to burrow into the ground backwards. This Pokémon is known to make its nest in complex shapes deep under the ground."
"Alright, this time Dunsparce won't escape me! Birbie, go!" Ash said, tossing Birbie's pokeball.
"Bir, birbie!" Birbie chirped after being released. He quickly noticed Dunsparce, and correctly identified him as the opponent to beat.
"This time?" Serena repeated. "Did you try to catch a Dunsparce before?"
"Yeah. But they always got away for one reason or another. Not this time, though," Ash confidently said. "Birbie, Quick Attack!"
"Bir!" Birbie chirped, before diving at Dunsparce, leaving a trail of fading white light behind him.
As Birbie attacked, Dunsparce did something no human or Pokemon expected in the slightest: He coiled into a ball and started to cry.
"Dun! Dunsparce! Duuuuun...!" the Land Snake Pokemon sobbed.
Birbie stopped to a halt mid air, and looked back at his trainer with a confused expression. "Birb?" He asked, almost wondering if Ash really wanted to fight that Pokemon.
"Uh..." Ash stuttered, as she scratched his cheek, taken aback by the unexpected reaction of the wild Pokemon. "I don't think we should attack a Pokemon that won't defend himself..."
"Well... it seems that Dunsparce doesn't have much of a fighting spirit," Serena said, looking at the coiled Pokemon with a bit of pity.
"Yeah Ash, better- WATCH OUT!" Clemont suddenly yelled.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted as well.
Unfortunately, Clemont's warning came too late, and when Birbie had his back turned to Dunsparce, the Land Snake's Pokemon's expression changed from frightened to downright malicious, and delivered a brutal Headbutt at the unsuspecting bird.
"BIIIIRB!" Birbie cried in pain, before turning around, and glared at Dunsparce with anger filled eyes.
"Did... did that Dunsparce pretend to cry and then attack from behind?" Serena asked in shock. It was the first time she saw a wild Pokemon display such an underhanded tactic.
"...what a jerk!" Bonnie yelled.
"Nenene!" Dedenne said, sharing Bonnie's indignation.
"Guess that Pokemon does have a fighting spirit after all. Even if rather unconventional," Ash said. He smirked as his determination did nothing but grow in the face of this new challenge. "But we aren't going to buckle down! Birbie, use Air Cutter!"
"Bir! Birbie!" Birbie chirped, flapping his glowing wings, releasing crescent shaped blades of wind at Dunsparce.
The Normal-type Pokemon dodged one but was smacked by the other, blasting him backwards and landing on his back.
"Now Birbie, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.
Birbie once again dived at Dunsparce, and this time, he wouldn't stop no matter what that snake would attempt to do. Dunsparce coiled into a ball again, not to appear defenseless, though, as he began to spin in place, before rolling at Birbie. The two Pokemon clashed, but Dunsparce was the clear winner of the bout as the Eden Bird Pokemon was smacked backwards.
"That was Rollout!" Clemont pointed out. "It seems that that Dunspace knows something more than mere dirty tricks."
Once again, Dunsparce curled into a spinning ball, and launched himself at Birbie. This time, the speed at which Dunsparce spun and moved appeared to be much greater than before.
"Rollout is a move that becomes stronger if used consecutively. Fortunately, I know how to stop it," Ash thought. "Birbie, use Gust to lift Dunsparce from the ground!"
"Bir, birbie!" Birbie chirped, as he began to flap his little wings as fast as he could.
The winds blown by Birbie formed a tornado that easily lifted Dunsparce into the air. Not sensing the ground anymore, the Land Snake Pokemon stopped rolling and opened his eyes.
"Dunsparce!?" the startled Pokemon yelped.
"Now Birbie, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
Birbie barreled towards the ariborne Dunsparce, slamming his body against that of his enemy, sending Dunsparce flying backwards until he crashed against a nearby wall.
"That must have hurt quite a bit," Ash observed. "A couple more moves, and Dunsparce will be ours! Birbie, Air Cutter again!"
Falpping his wings, Birbie send another pair of blades of wind towards the Land Snake Pokemon. Dunsparce jumped from the wall, began to spin his body becoming a yellow and blue tornado, and drilled into the ground.
"That was Dig!" Clemont pointed out.
"Well, the Pokedex said that Dunsparce dig tunnels..." Serena recalled.
"Alright! Birbie, don't get close to the ground! That way, Dunsparce won't be able to reach you!" Ash said.
"Birbie!" Birbie acknowledged, and did as he was instructed.
As Ash wondered where Dunsparce would emerge, he suddenly felt a small tremor below his feet. Looking down, he saw the ground cracking, before Dunsparce burst from underground and slammed his head against Ash's chest.
"AAAAAAGH!" Ash cried in pain, as he was launched backwards.
"Ash!" Serena, Clemont and Bonnie shouted in unison, rushing to help their friend.
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu shouted, landing on all fours in front of Dunsparce, menacingly releasing sparks of electricity from his cheeks.
Unfortunately for Dunsparce, he paid for that dirty trick almost instantly, as he was left wide open to Birbie's counterattack, the Eden Bird Pokemon nailing Dunsparce with a devastating Quick Attack, sending him flying against another wall.
"Bir, Birbie, BIR!" Birbie angrily chirped, his anger at Dunsparce growing even bigger. How dare that lowly worm attack his beloved trainer!
Meanwhile, Ash's friends helped him to get back on his feet.
"Ash, are you okay!?" A worried Serena asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I had it worse," Ash tried to downplay it, but even he had to admit that attack hurt quite a bit. "That Dunsparce's fighting style is sure something."
"Ash, you aren't planning to catch that Dunsparce, are you?" Clemont asked in disbelief.
"If anything, this makes me want to catch him more," Ash said, as he looked at Dunsparce.
Dunsparce shook his head to snap out of the dizzyness caused by the hit, and focused his eyes once again on his avian opponent. He raised his drill-like tail, as a swirly, purple aura formed around it.
"Birbie, watch out! That's Poison Jab!" Ash warned, recognizing the attack.
Dunsparce launched tail-first at Birbie, the Eden Bird Pokemon dodged just in time. Dunsparce continued with the attack, forcing the Normal and Flying type Pokemon onto the defensive, until it finally struck him.
"B-bir...!" Birbie weakly chirped, as it coughed some purple bubbles.
"Birbie was poisoned!?" Bonnie asked, a little worried.
"Poison Jab has a small chance to poison a Pokemon. To poison Birbie on just one hit... that was such bad luck!" Clemont lamented. "Fortunatedly, Birbie hasn't taken that much damage just yet."
Ash's brow furrowed in thought as Clemont's words sunk in, as if he realized something, before issuing the nest command. "Birbie, Flash!"
"Biiiir..." Birbie's crest started to glow with a white light. "BIEEEEEE!"
Everybody shielded their eyes as the entire cave was bathed in a bright white light. Unfortunately for Dunsparce, the Land Sanke Pokemon didn't see the attack coming and was blinded by it.
"Dun! Dunspaaaaarce...!" Dunsparce cried, as he flopped on the ground helplessly.
"Time to finish this! Birbie, Air Cutter!" Ash ordered.
Birbie launched two more blades of wind at Dunsparce, both projectiles finding their mark, sending Dunsparce crashing against yet another wall.
"Pokeball, go!" Ash said, tossing an empty pokeball at the downed Dunsparce.
The pokeball connected, and Dunsparce was turned into pure energy before being sucked into the capture device. The pokeball then fell to the ground, and wiggled a couple times, before it finally dinged, signaling a successful capture. Satisfied, Ash walked towards the pokeball, picked it up, and raised it like a trophy.
"Yes! I finally caught a Dunsparce!" Ash triumphantly said, as he raised the pokeball like a trophy. "And this Dunsparce is exactly what I need to win my rematch against Maria!"
However, rather than the usual cheers from his Pokemon upon having a new friend and teammate, Pikachu just crossed his arms and frowned, while Birbie merely glared at the pokeball in Ash's hand.
"Uh...yay?" Serena awkwardly said.
"Uhhhh..." Ash stammered, as he awkwardly lowered Dunsparce's pokeball, and opened his backpack. "I better get some antidote for Birbie..."
…
Nowtoch City
Right after the capture, Ash had taken both Dunsparce and Birbie to the Pokemon Center so they could be healed from the wounds they sustained from their battle. And once that was done, Ash headed towards the Center's battleground in the backyard, ready to introduce Dunsparce to the rest of his Pokemon.
"Come outside, everyone!" Ash said, releasing the pokeballs of Greninja and Birbie. As his two Pokemon materialized, Pikachu hopped from his shoulder in order to join them. "Meet the new member of our team, Dunsparce!" Ash said, releasing the Land Snake Pokemon. "Though Pikachu and Birbie already met him, hehe."
Pikachu and Birbie glared at the newest addition to the team, the former with his arms crossed and a scowl across his face, the attack on their beloved trainer still recent in their minds. Greninja, for his part, merely looked at him with a cautious but neutral eye.
Dunsparce looked at them as if they were below him. Or at least, to Birbie. He looked at Pikachu and Greninja with more caution, as if he could sense that they were on a completely different league than him and Birbie.
"I know we didn't start off on the right foot, but I'm sure we can all get along, right?" Ash hopefully asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, despite his initial reserves.
"Gren," Greninja agreed to, even if more subdued.
"Birb," Birbie agreed. He didn't like Dunsparce, but he was willing to give the new Pokemon a chance if Ash asked him to.
"See? What do you say, Dunsparce?" Ash asked.
After a moment of silence, Dunsparce let out a grunt of agreement. Despite Dunsparce's apparent reluctance, Ash took it as a good sign.
"In that case, let us begin with some training!" Ash said, looking at Dunsparce.
…
At the edge of the battleground, Serena also had her Pokemon out, ready to train some more with them once Ash was done. There was still some time until the next contest, but she didn't want another repeat of Kevlar Town.
"There you go!" Serena said, finishing the last touch. "What do you think, Selkid?"
Selkid looked at her tail, where Serena had tied the Mega Stone with a ribbon. The ribbon was elastic, so if Selkid evolved and her body grew, it would remain in place. She wagged her tail a couple times to test the attachment.
"Selkid!" Selkid happily said with a nod.
"Great! Now let's see if it stays in place during the training," Serena said.
Serena looked at the battleground, where all of Ash Pokemon were training in what appeared to be a double battle of Pikachu and Dunsparce versus Greninja and Birbie. It seemed that Ash wanted to make the unruly Land Snake Pokemon to feel like a member of a team first and foremost, given the unusual choice of spar.
Like all the Pokemon living in Passage Cave, Dunsparce had a fierce temper and enough power to go with it, making him into a force to be reckoned with in the hands of a competent trainer. Then again, Serena was also a little worried that Ash may have his work cut out for him, given his rebellious personality.
Ash had Dunsparce fight against Pikachu this time, the latter holding back to better gauge where the Land Snake Pokemon was power and skill-wise. Dunsparce's battle style was... somewhat odd. It attempted to lure the opponent into lowering their guard by appearing to be less threatening than he was, before delivering a brutal strike. Of course, such tactics didn't work on a Pokemon that had already seen them, such as Pikachu.
Ash was trying to convince Dunsparce to fight like the rest of his Pokemon, mostly by praising the strength of his attacks and his clearly cunning mind. One attack Ash was putting some emphasis on was Rollout. He seemed to be familiar with the attack, and adviced Dunsparce on how he could use the attack without being restricted to move in a straight line.
The Land Snake Pokemon semeed to obey Ash only reluctanctly. Then again, if there was somebody who could do it, that was Ash. There wasn't a Pokemon that could resist the Pallet Town native's natural magnetism and charm.
…
Ash had spend almost the whole day training with his Pokemon, mostly Dunsparce, and went to bed that night with a sense of satisfaction. The next day, he woke up completely reinvigorated, and per his suggestion, the group returned to Maria's Gym for his rematch.
Once the receptionist called Maria to inform her of another challenger, the group headed towards the Gym's battleground, just as Maria and her referee escorted a group of schoolchildren to see the battle, just like the previous time. The children sat on the bleachers while Maria and the referee moved to their positions on the battleground.
"You barely took time to lick your wounds, Ash," Maria said. "Are you sure a single day is enough to get ready for a rematch?"
Ash smirked confidently. "Plenty of things can be done in a day, Maria."
"If you say so," Maria said with a shrug. "You may know what Pokemon I'm going to use, but foresight is useless if one lacks the mean to change the events to come."
The referee raised both her flags. "This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Maria, and Ash Ketchum. The battle will be single format with no time limit, and each trainer will use up to three Pokemon. The battle will be over when one side has no more Pokemon remaining. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Trainers, select your first Pokemon."
"Felunge, go!" Maria said, tossing a pokeball forward.
"Fel!" Felunge said, as she was released from the capture device.
"What do you say, Pikachu? Ready for a rematch?" Ash asked his starter Pokemon.
"Pika!" Pikachu energically nodded, and jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the battleground.
"Pikachu again?" Maria asked, sounding a little disappointed. "Did somebody ever tell you what's the definition of insanity, Ash?"
"This won't be like the last time. We know what your Pokemon can do and you won't catch us off guard," Ash replied.
"Perhaps. But you should keep in mind that I also know what your Pokemon can do," Maria rebuked.
The referee lowered both flags in a chopping motion. "Let the battle begin!"
~Challenger Ash (Pikachu, ?, ?) VS Gym Leader Maria (Felunge, Kinetmunk, Kiricorn)~
"The first move is ours! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called.
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu jumped into the air, his whole body shimmering with electricity. "CHUUUUUUU!"
"Felunge, dodge it with Dig!" Maria shouted.
"Lunge!" Felunge jumped into the air, and began to rapidly spin, becoming a living drill and digging into the ground, just as Pikachu's Thunderbolt sailed past him.
"You should know that Dig is of no use against us!" Ash said. "Pikachu, Iron Tail on the ground!"
"Pika!" Pikachu's tail began to glow with a silver sheen, before the Mouse Pokemon slammed his glowing limb into the battleground, shattering its surface, and sending many rocks and chunks of earth flying in multiple directions. "Chu?"
However, much to Pikachu and Ash's confusion, Felunge was nowhere to be seen.
"Uh?"
"Felunge, now!" Maria said.
Pikachu felt a small tremor under his feet, just before Felunge burst from underground, delivering a brutal swipe at the Electric-type Pokemon as she reappeared.
"But... how...?" Ash asked, wondered how his tactic had failed.
"You weren't the only one who have been training for this rematch, Ash," Maria began, a hint of a taunting smile on her lips. "I instructed Felunge to dig twice as deep into the earth as before, so she wouldn't be pulled out like before."
"Really clever," Ash replied.
"Our turn to attack! Felunge, use Shadow Claw!"
"Pikachu, dodge!"
Felunge launched herself towards Pikachu as she raised one of her paws, as it was encased in a dark purple aura shaped like sharp claws. When the spectral claws came down, Pikachu jumped sideways just in the nick of time, and Felunge's attack hit the ground, opening a small hole. Felunge continued delivering swipes with the Ghost-type move, with Pikachu struggling to dodge.
"Felunge, Attract!" Maria ordered.
"Use Quick Attack to get away from Felunge, now!" Ash ordered.
Felunge shot a flurry of pink energy hearts at Pikachu, who used the speed provided by Quick Attack to put some distance between him and the Nimble Cat Pokemon, while running in circles around her, dodging her attempts to seduce him. Once the stream of hearts started to die down, Ash decided it was time to counterattack.
"Pikachu, Electroball!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu raised his tail, and formed an orb of electricity on its tip, before jumping and flinging it towards the feline Pokemon.
"Use Dig again!" Maria ordered.
Once again, Felunge evaded Pikachu's electric attack by burrowing underground.
"Pika!" Pikachu turned at Ash, asking him what they were going to do now that their usual counter to Dig proved to be ineffective.
"I'm on it!" Ash replied, knowing that he only had a few seconds before Felunge ambushed Pikachu. Ash's eyes scanned the battleground, wondering if there was something they could use to stop Felunge's attack. Then, he saw the hole the cat Pokemon had dug, and he smiled as an idea dawned upon him. "Pikachu, jump into the hole Felunge just dug and use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, and did what Ash told him, already knowing what was going to be the result. "CHUUUUUUUUUU!"
Yellow electric bolts came from the hole, just as another hole was blasted from the underground, as a stream of lightning botls launched Felunge into the air, before she fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"No!" Maria cried. "Felunge, are you alright?"
The Nimble Cat Pokemon, while hurt, had enough energy to continue the battle as she jumped to her feet and shook her head, before she hissed at Pikachu.
"Let's keep pressing on! Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the air as his tail glowed with a metallic sheen, and swung his hardened limb at the Nimble Cat Pokemon.
"Felunge, parry with Shadow Claw!"
Once again, a shadowy aura in the shape of sharp claws formed around Felunge's paws, and slashed at the incoming Iron Tail. Both attacks clashed, producing a burst of kinetic energy that pushed both Pokemon backwards, even if they landed on their feet. Felunge hissed in pain.
Ash noticed this, and smirked, already knowing how to win this. "Iron Tail again!"
"Shadow Claw again!"
Once again, the two Pokemon met in a clash between Ghost and Steel-type attacks, but this time, much to Maria's surprise, Pikachu overpowered Felunge, undoing the shadowy aura of her paws and sending her crashing backwards.
"What?"
"Time to finish this, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
"Pika...CHUUUUUU!"
Dazed from the attack, Felunge had no chance to dodge the incoming Electric attack, and the poor feline took the electric blast head on. Felunge meowed in pain, and once the attack ceased, she fell to the ground facefirst.
"Felunge!" Maria cried.
The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Felunge can't fight anymore! The winner is Pikachu!"
Maria let out a sigh of defeat, and returned her fallen cat. "Good job, Felunge. Take a rest."
"YES!" Ash said, pumping a fist. "One down, two more to go!"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered as well.
…
"Yes! Pikachu won!" Bonnie cheered.
"It shows that this match isn't going to be a repeat of last time," Clemont said with a nod.
"Indeed. Let's see if he can keep it up," Serena said, also feeling more hope for Ash's chances. "Though, how is that the second time Ash used Iron Tail against Felunge, it managed to overpower Kinetmunk's Shadow Claw? You'd think the result would be the same."
"My guess would be Iron Tail's additional effect, a chance to weaken the target's defense," Clemont explained. "Ash must have noticed that the effect was triggered, while Maria did not. Hence why Ash made Pikachu use the same move again, since he knew he'd overpower Felunge."
Bonnie couldn't help but smirk. "Guess that doing the same thing multiple times can yield different results after all."
…
"Kinetmunk, go!" Maria said, sending her second Pokemon.
"Kin!" the Normal and Electric-type happily cried after being released from its pokeball.
"Pikachu, return!" Ash ordered. Pikachu looked a little surprised, but complied anyway. Once he was besides his trainer, he titled his head at him.
"Pika?"
"Don't worry, you were doing fine, but I want to save you for later," Ash explained, as his hand reached for one of his pokeballs.
"Aw, you're returning Pikachu?" Maria asked, placing her hands on her hips. "And here I thought you wanted to know which one of our electric rodents was the better one."
"Perhaps you need an answer to that question," Ash replied, perhaps a little snappier than he intended. "Now, time to put our newest team member to test! Dunsparce, I choose you!"
Dunsparce was released from his pokeball, landing on the ground with a soft 'thud'. He looked far calmer than he was in either Passage Cave or during the training the previous day. "Paaarce..."
"Dunsparce versus Kinetmunk, begin!" the referee said.
"Oh, a Dunsparce. You are bringing something new after all. Did you find it in Passage Cave, I guess?" Maria asked. "Well, let's see how much of a help this Dunsparce will be to you, Ash! Kinetmunk, use Super Fang!"
"Munk!" Kinetmunk cried, as it dashed towards Dunsparce, its buckteeth glowing white as they tripled in length.
"Alright, Dunsparce, counter that with-"
"Dun! Dun! Dunspaaaaaaarce..!" Dunsparce cried as he curled into a ball, his body shaking with fear.
"Dunsparce, no! We talked about this!" Ash shouted, frustrated.
"Munk?" Kinetmunk stopped, cancelled its attack, and looked at Maria, clearly not feeling comfortable fighting a Pokemon that wasn't going to defend himself.
"It seems that Dunsparce doesn't feel very comfortable fighting, Ash," Maria chastised, shaking her head.
"No, it's not that! Dunsparce-" Ash tried to explain, but Maria raised a finger to silence him.
"A trainer as experienced as you should know better than sending such a Pokemon against a Gym Leader. Kinetmunk, keep fight-"
"PARCE!"
While Kinetmunk had its back turned, Dunsparce hit it with a powerful Headbutt, sending the Chipmunk Pokemon crashing against the ground facefirst. Of course, a mere hit, even one from behind, wasn't enough to knock the Normal and Electric type out, who quickly jumped back on all fours, and looked at Dunsparce with incredulous eyes.
Maria was also stared at Dunsparce, dumbfounded. "Okay that... was pretty cheap."
"Sorry! We've been trying to work on that tendency of his..." Ash apologized somewhat bashfully.
"Eh, no need to apologize. Even if it was a cheap shot, it wasn't illegal. Or else the referee would have said something," Maria reassured Ash. "Though, don't think we're going to fall for that trick a second time."
"Don't worry, I'm sure Dunsparce won't do it again. Right, Dunsparce?" Ash asked.
"Parce..." Dunsparce spat, rolling his eyes.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried indignantly, seemingly insulted by that Dunsparce said.
"Let's continue the battle. Kinetmunk, Super Fang again!" Maria ordered.
Once again, Kinetmunk, who understandably looked rather pissed, charged at Dunsparce, its buckteeth once again glowing and enlarged.
"Dunsparce, counter that with Rollout!" Ash said.
Dunsparce curled into a ball, and rolled at great speed towards the incoming Kinetmunk. The two Pokemon clashed, with Kinetmunk trying to sink its empowered buckteeth into the Land Snake Pokemon, but Dunsparce spinning speed was too high for that, and eventually the Chipmunk Pokemon was overpowered and hurled backwards.
"Yes!" Ash cheered. "See Dunsparce? You don't need to fight dirty to show your strength! Now, Rollout again!"
Dunsparce continued rolling, building even more speed as he moved to steamroll Kinetmunk with an attack twice as powerful as before.
"If contact moves won't work, ranged attacks will have to do. Kinetmunk, use Discharge!" Maria ordered.
"Kinet...MUNK!" Kinetmunk's body crackled with electricity, before it launched multiple streams of lightning towards the incoming Dunsparce.
The attack connected, and Dunsparce's Rollout was cancelled as he was electrocuted.
"Paaaaaarce!" he cried.
"Ignore his cries! Quick Attack!" Maria said.
Not willing to let the Land Snake Pokemon any time to breathe, Kinetmunk dashed towards Dunsparce at such speed it almost looked like a yellow and blue blur. Dunsparce didn't have time to avoid the attack, and the slam pushed him backwards.
"Dunsparce, hold on!" Ash shouted.
"Kinetmunk, follow up with Spark!" Maria ordered.
Kinetmunk's body was surrounded by an electric aura, and dashed towards Dunsparce once again.
"Dunsparce, dodge it with Dig!" Ash said.
Dunsparce quickly burrowed underground just as Kinetmunk was about to hit him, but passed above him instead. Once the Chipmunk Pokemon stopped, Dunsparce emerged from underground, hitting its underbelly.
"Good thing he didn't think of attacking Maria." Ash thought in relief.
"Kinetmunk, Super fang, now!" Maria ordered.
As it was taking Dunsparce's hit, Kinetmunk's buckteeth tripled in length as they glowed with a white light, and were sunk into Dunsparce's body. The Land Snake Pokemon cried in agony.
"Dunsparce, no!"
"Hold on and don't let go, no matter how much he begs!" Maria instructed. "Prepare a Discharge!"
That moment, Ash realized that there was one attack of Dunsparce that Ash didn't tell him to use just yet, one that would work great in the current situation. "Dunsparce, Poison Jab!"
As Kinetmunk's body began to crackle with electricity, Dunsparce's drill tail was covered by a purple aura, before jabbing it into Kinetmunk's gut. Kinetmunk's eyes opened wide, releasing Dunsparce and stumbling backwards. The Chipmunk Pokemon's face turned of s sickly pale color, and coughed what appeared to be purple bubbles.
"No!" Maria cried, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Kinetmunk was poisoned? Yes!" Ash cheered, basking on his good luck. "Come on Dunsparce, use Rollout!"
Once again, Dunsparce rolled into a ball and dashed towards the poisoned Kinetmunk.
"Kinetmunk, stop it with Discharge!" Maria said.
"Dunsparce, swivel to the sides to dodge!" Ash commanded.
Once again, Kinetmunk fired multiple electric bolts at the incoming Dunsparce, but the Land Snake Pokemon moved to the sides in order to avoid them, until Dunsparce's spinning body slammed against Kinetmunk, sending him tumbling backwards. Still, Kinetmunk appeared to have some fight in it, given that it was trying to stay on its feet, even if its legs were shaking badly. The Chipmunk Pokemon coughed more purple bubbles, before it finally collapsed on the ground.
The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Kinetmunk can't fight anymore! The winner is Dunsparce!"
…
"Yes, yes, yes!" Bonnie cheered, bouncing on her seat. It was quite the contrast compared to the schoolchidren, who were obviously not cheering, but murmuring in disappointment that their teacher was losing so badly. "That's two of Maria's Pokemon that go down! One more and Ash will win!"
"Ash was surely lucky that that Poison Jab poisoned Kinetmunk," Serena said. "I know it has a chance to cause poisoning, but said chance isn't too big."
"I think it has to do with Dunsparce's ability, Serene Grace," Clemont explained. "Which increases the chance of attacks causing additional effects. Remember how Dunsparce also poisoned Birbie when they battled each other? I have the feeling Ash realized Dunsparce had such an ability."
"Serene Grace? That's the name of an ability?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with it?" Clemont asked.
"Well, aside from the fact that 'serene' is a letter away from my name, my mom's name is Grace," Serena reminded Clemont and Bonnie.
"Haha, I haven't realized of that!" Bonnie laughed. "Maybe your mom named you after that ability?"
"Now that's a conversation I'll be forward to have," Serena deadpanned, before her eyes returned to the battle. "That Dunsparce might have an attitude problem, but Ash caught himself quite the strong Pokemon," Serena commented.
"Well, at least he isn't disobeying Ash," Bonnie pointed out.
"No, he won't. While I saw Ash training Dunsparce yesterday, I could see that Dunsparce had a flippant attitude and poor sense of teamwork, but he also has a begrunding sense of respect for Ash," Serena began. "Dunsparce is the kind of prideful Pokemon that only respects strength, and Ash has that in abundance. Hopefully, Ash will make him understand that strength isn't all that there's to it."
…
"Kiricorn, go!" Maria said, tossing her last pokeball.
As Kiricorn was released from the capture device, it reared once again while letting out a powerful neigh.
"Dunsparce versus Kiricorn, go!" the referee said.
"Dunsparce, Rollout!" Ash ordered.
Once again, Dunsparce curled into a ball and rolled towards the white and pink Pokemon.
"Counter it with Mega Horn!" Maria said.
Kiricorn's antler-like horn began to glow with a greenish-yellow aura in the shape of a spike, and the moment Dunsparce was close enough, Kiricorn gored Dunsparce, launching him into the air, before it landed on the ground with a painful thud.
"Dunsparce!" Ash cried.
"Now, follow with Moonblast!" Maria said.
"Rollout again!" Ash said.
As Kiricorn summoned a sphere of pink and white swirling light above its head, Dunsparce once again rolled against his foe. Kiricorn then fired the attack.
"Swerve to the left!" Ash ordered.
Dunsparce did as Ash said, and managed to avoid the attack, if barely, as it exploded behind him, leaving a cloud of pink and white dust sparkled, before he finally slammed against Kiricorn, who neighed in Pain.
"Double Kick!" Maria ordered.
Before Dunsparce could attack again, Kiricorn delivered a powerful kick with its hard hooves, pushing Dunsparce backwards.
"Follow with Flamethrower!" Maria commanded.
"Avoid it with Dig!" Ash replied.
Kiricorn gathered flames inside its mouth, before releasing them in the form of a blazing stream. Dunsparce quickly burrowed underground, just as the burning torrent passed above him, safely avoiding the attack.
"That was a pretty big mistake, Ash," Maria said, smirking confidently. "Kiricorn, Earthquake!"
"No!"
Kiricorn reared as the hooves of its front legs began to glow with a white light, before he brought said legs down. The moment the hooves touched the ground, they sent powerful seismic waves through the earth, causing the whole battleground to quake, twist and break apart. Multiplie fissures were formed, as Dunsparce was blasted away from underground, falling on his back.
Dunsparce didn't made any attempt at getting back to his proverbial feet.
The referee raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Dunsparce can't continue the battle! Kiricorn is the winner!"
The announcement was followed by the crowd of children cheering for Maria, as Ash returned Dunsparce to his pokeball and whispered a few words of gratitude. Ash then looked at Pikachu.
"Ready to go, buddy?" Ash asked.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu replied, eager to battle again, and quickly dashed towards the battleground.
"Pikachu versus Kiricorn, begin!" the referee said.
"Pikachu, start with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"Counter it with Flamethrower!" Maria replied.
Pikachu jumped into the air, his body glowing yellow with electricity, as Kiricorn's mouth overflowed with flames, before the two Pokemon released their attacks. Lightning bolt and stream of flames met in the middle, producing a loud explosion.
"Don't let Pikachu time to breathe! Moonblast! Rapid Fire!" Maria ordered.
"Dodge them with Quick Attack!" Ash said.
Kiricorn summoned and fired Moonblasts as fast as it was able to, while Pikachu dashed across the battleground in a zigzagging pattern, dodging all the pink and white projectiles that ended up exploding beneath him, until he was close enough to the Unicorn Pokemon.
"Use Double Kick!" Maria ordered.
"Jump and use Iron Tail!" Ash said.
Pikachu jumped in time to avoid being crushed by Kiricorn's hard hooves, just as his tail began to glow with a metallic sheen. The moment Pikachu was eye to eye with the equine Pokemon, he slammed his hardened tail into Kiricorn's forehead. The equine whined in pain caused by the supereffective attack as it stumbled backwards.
"Yes! Direct hit!" Ash cheered. "Now use Thunderbolt!"
"Earthquake!" Maria shouted.
As Pikachu prepared his strongest attack, Kiricorn slammed its front hooves into the ground, causing against another earthquake. The ground twist and shifted violently under Pikachu's feet, and the electric mouse was blasted away by the seismic shockwaves.
"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried, seeing his starter Pokemon landing on the ground. Pikachu tried to get back to his feet, but the Ground-type attack had made a number on his body, and collapsed.
The judge raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Pikachu can't fight anymore! The winner is Kiricorn!"
Once again, the announcement was met by a roar of cheers from Maria's schoolchildren. Ash walked towards Pikachu, and carried it back to his side of the battleground.
"Don't worry buddy, you did great," Ash reassured his fallen Pokemon, before gently setting him on the floor next to him. Ash looked at Kiricorn before he reached for his final pokeball. "Thanks to Pikachu and Dunsparce, Kiricorn should have been softened enough to make the final fight easier. It all depends on you now. Greninja, I choose you!"
…
"Man, that Kiricorn is sure something," Serena said, feeling worried for Ash, but unable to surpress a sense of admiration for the strong and beautiful equine Pokemon. "It alone managed to neglect Ash's advantage."
"Yes, but this isn't like the other time. Even if they lost the same number of Pokemon, Ash still has the advantage," Clemont replied. "If he's careful and plays his cards well, he can win this."
"And thus it comes down again to Greninja versus Kiricorn," Serena's attention was drawn to Maria, who began to speak. "The last time, your Greninja was tired and afflicted by paralisys, while now it's completely fresh, while my poor Kiricorn has expended quite a lot of energy taking down your other two Pokemon."
Despite the summary of the situation, Serena didn't feel that Maria was too worried. If anything, she sounded... almost excited?
"I already told you that this match wouldn't be a repeat of the last time," Ash confidently said.
Maria's confident smirk not only matched Ash's, it surpassed it. "Oh, you have no idea of how right you are, Ash," Maria said, as she moved a lock of black hair back, revealing one of her ears, and most importantly, an earring she was wearing. She took it off and showed it to Ash. "You come from Kalos, Ash, so you should know what is this, right?"
The Kalosian teens (and one Kalosian kid) gasped. Maria was holding a multicolored, marble-sized orb with a symbol that looked like a DNA helix.
"That's a Keystone!" Bonnie loudly pointed out.
"Can... can Kiricorn Mega Evolve?" Serena asked in shock.
"You see, Mega Evolution is also pretty big in Tandor, Ash. Though, I'm not able to use it as often as I'd wish, because most of my challengers aren't that experienced, so it would be a little overkill," Maria began, shaking her head and looking down. She then raised her head, and beamed at the Pallet Town teen. "But you Ash... you are the kind of challenger that I love the most. The one that pushes me and my Pokemon to our limits. The one that allows us to go all out! I was a bit disappointed with the way our first match ended, but Aotius and Mutios blessed me with this wonderful second chance. Now Kiricorn, unleash your true power! Mega Evolve!"
As Maria's Keystone shone brightly, Kiricorn's Mega Stone, on a clip hidden beneath its mane, began to glow as well. Both Keystone and Mega Stone shot beams of energy towards each other. The beams clashed, merging into one, and as the link between trainer and Pokemon was forged, Kiricorn began to glow and change its shape.
"Oh my goodness..." Serena said, almost blushing, while covering her mouth with her hands. "It's so..."
"CUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEE!" Bonnie almost screamed.
If Kiricorn was beautiful then, its beauty had now reached an otherworldly level. Its mane had grown in length, now covering almost its entire body, falling to its sides like the coat of a king. Its bushy pink tail had grown as well, now extending to the ground. Its antler-like blue horn had split into three, while its side horns had grown considerably longer. Blue tufts of hair surrounded its hooves, looking like small boots. Lastly, three rhomboid blue crystals floated at each side of its body, almost looking like wings.
Besotted by such majestic Pokemon, Serena just couldn't take her eyes away from Kiricorn.
…
While Ash wasn't expecting Maria to have such a trump card hidden, he wasn't taken aback either. Kiricorn could Mega Evolve, so what? Ash had already fought and defeated many Mega Evolved Pokemon before, and he would do it again. As many times as were necessary.
"Alright Greninja, time to go all out!" Ash said, throwing a fist forward. "Let's do it, together!"
"GRE!" Greninja shouted, crossing his arms in front of his face as a spiraling tower of water formed around him. As trainer and Pokemon synchornized their minds and spirits, Greninja began to transform as well. The water then began to recede, condensing in the shape of a shuriken on Greninja's back, revealing the Kalosian water type's empowered form.
"Greninja versus Kiricorn! Begin!" the referee said.
"When I saw that Greninja of yours on TV, I never imagined I'd have the chance to battle him myself," Maria said, sounding almost giddy. "Come on Kiricorn, let's give it our all! Moonblast!"
"Parry with Night Slash!"
As Kiricorn summoned an orb of pink and white swirling energy, noticeably larger than the ones it created before Mega Evolving, a pair of swords made of dark energy formed on Greninja's hands. The Moonsblast was fired, and Greninja dashed forward, spinning into a tornado just as the Fairy-type attack was about to hit, and slashing it, causing it to burst like a balloon into thousands of tiny sparkling bits.
"Now Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash emphatically ordered.
Greninja vanished, and the next second he reappeared in front of the startled Kiricorn, his arms and legs glowing white, before delivering a brutal swipe to the Unicorn Pokemon's face. Greninja then vanished and reappared at different positions around Kiricorn, continuing his assault with more swipes and kicks, causing the Mega Evolved Pokemon to whine and stumble backwards.
"Defend yourself! Use Double Kick!" Maria shouted.
Overcoming the surprise of the attack, Kiricorn reared once again and tried to block and kick Greninja's frontal attacks back with its front hooves. Horse and frog traded blows, until Kiricorn was able to land a kick on Greninja's chest, pushing the Ninja Pokemon backwards, making him wince in pain.
"ARGH!" Ash growled, as he clutched his chest with one hand.
"Ash? Are you okay?" Maria asked, a little concerned.
"Yes! It's a Battle Bond thing, but pay it no mind! Keep fighting!" Ash insisted, fighting off the pain.
"If you say so, we'll keep fighting without holding back! Flamethrower!" Maria ordered.
"Dodge it!"
Kiricorn took a deep breath, and exhaled a massive stream of flames from its mouth. Greninja moved backwards by doing several backflips, before jumping backwards into the air, letting the blazing torrent pass over him.
"Now, strike him with Megahorn!" Maria ordered.
"Double Team!"
A spike-shaped yellowish-green aura formed around Kiricorn's central horn, before the Unicorn Pokemon charged towards Greninja, who was about to land. The moment he touched ground, however, he filled the battleground with fake duplicates of himself, causing Kiricorn to stop on its tracks and cancel the attack.
"Remove those duplicates with Earthquake!" Maria ordered.
Once again, Kiricorn reared, and brought down its front hooves to the ground with great force, producing a shockwave so powerful it shattered the battleground even further, sending large chunks of rock and dirt into the air, dispelling all the copies and blasting Greninja into the air.
"Now that he can't dodge, use Moonblast!" Maria ordered.
"Greninja, use those rocks in the air as stepping stones!" Ash shouted.
"Gren!" Greninja agreed, and as soon as he regained his footing, he started to jump from one rock to another, dodging Kiricorn's Moonblasts.
"Get close and use Night Slash!" Ash commanded.
"Fry him with Flamethrower!" Maria shouted.
Jumping from one of the airborne rocks, Greninja nosedived towards Kiricorn as he summoned a purple glowing swords on each hand, who once again took a deep breath and exhaled a cone of roaring flames. Then, much to Maria's surprise, Greninja delivered a vertical slash, splitting the sea of flames in two, giving the Ninja Pokemon a direct path towards Kiricorn, striking the Unicorn Pokemon with the other sword the moment he was in close combat, the swing carrying so much force that Kiricorn was launched backwards.
"Night Slash one more time!" Ash ordered.
"Parry it with Megahorn!" Maria countered.
Two more swords formed on Greninja's hands, and the Water and Dark-type Pokemon dashed towards his Mega Evolved foe, as Kiricorn's middle horn was surrounded by a spike-shaped aura. This time, Kiricorn was able to parry Greninja, and the two Pokemon engaged in a surreal fencing duel, trading blows, thursts and parries.
"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.
"Kiricorn, use Double Kick with your back legs!" Maria ordered.
That moment, Greninja's dark swords disappeared as his hands and legs glowed white, before vanishing and reappearing behind Kiricorn. Fortunately, thanks to Maria's warning, Kiricorn managed to deliver a double kick on Greninja's chest, sending the Ninja Pokemon Tumbling backwards.
"Press on, Kiricorn! Moonblast!" Maria ordered.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash said, already savoring victory.
As Kiricorn created another swirly orb of pink and white light, Greninja jumped into the air as he grabbed the water shuriken attached to his back, and raised it above his head, tripling in size, before tossing its at his foe.
Both attacks met in the middle, but unlike the previous time, they didn't cancel each other, resulting in an explosion. The enhanced Water Shuriken broke through the Moonblast, shattering it into thousand of sparkly bits, before it continued its way towards Kiricorn. The gigantic watery star found its mark, exploding into a torrent of roaring water that drowned the Normal and Fairy type Pokemon.
"Kiricorn!" Maria cried.
The torrent of water finally calmed and dispersed into a large puddle, revealing Kiricorn, no longer in its Mega Evolved form, lying sideways on the ground, completely unconscious.
The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Kiricorn is unable to battle, Greninja is the winner! And since Maria has no more Pokemon, the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!"
"Yes!" Ash said, pumping a fist into the air. "We did it, Greninja!"
Greninja turned around, the Battle Bond coming to an end, returning Greninja to his normal form. "Gre," Greninja nodded.
"Ash!"
Ash turned around, and saw Serena, Clemont and Bonnie running towards him.
"Ash, you did it! You beat Maria!" Serena almost squealed, beaming proudly at him.
"Greninja was so awesome!" Bonnie cheered.
"Indeed. Both you and your Pokemon remain as sharp as you were in Kalos," Clemont complimented.
…
Meanwhile, Maria sighed, and recalled her defeated Kiricorn. "Good job, Kiricorn. It was a great battle," she said, before walking towards Ash. "I may have lost, but I'm happy. Happy to be part of such an amazing battle."
"Hehe, thanks!" Ash chuckled, as he rubbed the back of his head. "You were such a tough opponent! If other Gym Leaders are just as strong as you are... boy I can't wait to fight them!"
"I'm sure you'll find them challenging enough," Maria said, as she began to dig for something on her pocket, before pulling it out. "Anyway, I guess I should give you this. The Normal Badge is yours. Congratulations."
Ash took the badge from Maria's hands. It was rather simple in design, a square with a diagonal cut, the left half yellow and the right half pink, surrounded by a silver frame.
"I got the Normal Badge!" Ash excitedly shouted, rising the badge for all to see.
"Pi-pika!" Pikachu cheered.
Ash then took out his badge case, and placed his first badge inside it. Seeing that the case was no longer empty filled Ash with encouragement.
"One down, seven more to go," he said, before closing the case.
"So, Ash, what do you plan to do now?" Maria asked. "Do you have your next destination in mind?"
"Uh..." Ash scratched his cheek. "Well, not really, hehe. Guys, do you know where are we going next?"
"The closest town that will hold a contest in the near future is Moki Town, so I think we should go there," Serena suggested. "Though, Moki Town doesn't have a Gym..."
"That can't be helped. Once you're done with the contest, travel east through the Seabreeze Way, and you'll reach Burole Town," Maria explained. "There's a Pokemon Gym there that you can challenge."
"Alright then! First Stop, Moki Town, and then, Burole Town!" Ash said, recovering his earlier excitement.
Maria escorted the group to the Gym's exit, and watched them go. They waved her goodbye, until they finally disappeared into the distance. The Normal type specialist couldn't help but smile.
"I have the feeling this year's Pokemon League is going to be unforgettable," she said.
Maria had no idea how right those words would prove to be.
…
As Ash and their friends exited Nowtoch City, they were being followed from a distance by somebody: the same blond biker woman who had spied on them in Kevlar Town. Once they saw them heading towards Owten Nook, she took her Pokegear and dialed a number.
"Richard? It's Amber again," Amber replied. "Yes, the kids have left Nowtoch City and are heading back to Kevlar... no, they don't appear to suspect anything. Shouldn't we...? Alright... okay, I'll continue trailing them. I'll call you soon."
As the call ended, the woman got back on her bike, and continued following the group of teens.
Author's Notes: So many things happened on this chapter, huh? Apart from Ash digesting his previous defeat and then winning his rematch against Maria, earning his first badge, he also caught his second Tandorian Pokemon! Well, not exclusive to Tandor, but you know what I mean.
If Birbie was this precious, wide eyed boi that needs to be protected, Dunsparce is... an asshole, plain and simple. Well, not as plain as simple, there's more to the Land Snake Pokemon than meets the eye. Without spoiling much, let's say that his backstory and how it led him to develop his current personality are a mirror to Birbie's. Though, before anybody raises the question, no, as bad as he is, Dunsparce isn't going to disobey Ash in battle, though that doesn't mean he won't cause him a few headaches here and there.
Speaking of Dunsparce, the Dunsparce Gang is still tracking Ash and his friends' moves and actions. They will finally make their proper debut the very next chapter. Though I'm sure that whatever they do, Ash and co. shouldn't worry too much about them :D
Ash had won his first badge, but things won't get any calmer in the near future, as an epic clash approaches. In the meantime, don't forget to drop review. Seriously guys, it takes no effort and you have no idea how happy they make me.