Chapter 33: Type Wild

"You're up, partner!" Ash called out.

The electric mouse jumped from his shoulder and went into his battle-ready position.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked enthusiastically.

The raven-haired boy had already decided who his first Pokémon for the main event would be. And no one was surprised.

Instead, the audience cheered louder as they affirmed that it was the Pikachu who had gone through disadvantageous battles and came up on top.

The undefeatable Pikachu of the Preliminaries.

The crowd went wild. And so did certain individuals from Kalos.

"It's Pikachu!" Serena squealed in delight!

"We're in for a show now!" Calem grinned, excited upon seeing the yellow mouse that seemed to defy logic.

"The cutest and most dangerous Pokémon I've ever seen," Trevor murmured in amazement.

The halls cheered once again upon Pikachu's appearance, eliciting a smile from the honey blonde.

Sycamore, although silently watching, was filled with excitement inside as he could not get enough of Ash's performance and kept wondering how the battle would turn out.

"Go, my steady!" Misty called out, summoning her Pokémon.

Ash's grin then warped into a confused look upon seeing Misty's first selection.

A light blue salamander with two dots for eyes and a comically accurate depiction of a smile. All in all, a very awkward looking Pokémon.

"… Eh?" was all the boy could muster. He had never seen it before in Kanto.

"What is that?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Quagsire, you're up!" Misty said with Quagsire giving a confident fist pump to his Trainer.

Back in the glass spectator room, Blue vaguely recognized Quagsire from a book she once read.

"That's… a Johto Pokémon, isn't it?" she asked Gary.

"Yeah," Gary answered.

"Urgh, don't tell me…" he grumbled.

All it took was one look at his rival's dumbstruck face and the emotional dam holding back his long sigh broke.

"That idiot has no idea what he's dealing with… Just look at him!" the orange-haired boy groaned louder.

The girls could only chuckle weakly at Gary's bashing towards Ash.

'Seriously, what is that thing? It looks so goofy,' Ash thought, confused out of his mind.

Unbeknownst to the raven-haired Trainer, he was the only one who did not recognize the Pokémon.

'But since this is Misty, it's gotta be a Water type… right?'

Then a commanding tone shook his to attention.

"Pay attention! We're taking the lead!" Misty declared.

"[Water Pulse]!"

A pulsing jet of water came blasting towards Pikachu. However, the electric mouse elegantly dodged it in time.

"Alright! Looks like a Water type!" Ash stated, not knowing how wrong he was.

"Pikachu, [Thunderbolt]!" Ash called out.

A surge of electricity came crashing on Quagsire.

But the blue salamander came out unscathed with a ('_') face. Clearly unimpressed.

"Electric attacks don't work?!" Ash cried out, taken aback.

Then, as if gathered by some unknown force, certain people from certain regions, including the individuals in Rota Palace, witnessed Ash's blunder and everyone had the same exact conclusion on their minds:

'This guy's an idiot…'

'Oh, Red…' Serena thought sheepishly with a weak chuckle.

"Finish him, Quagsire," Misty said with a smile.

Quagsire jumped up and prepared to stamp his feet.

"[Earthquake]!"

The sandy ground shook and landed a hit on Pikachu.

"Pika!" the yellow mouse cried out in pain.

{ AND PIKACHU GETS HIT BY [EARTHQUAKE]! }

{ IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE! }

{ IT'S GOING TO BE HARD COMING BACK FROM THAT, FOLKS! }

Ash gritted his teeth as he widened his blood red eyes at his realization.

'It shrugged off [Thunderbolt] AND can use [Earthquake] as well?!' he thought with a bead of sweat falling from his forehead.

'A Water and Ground type?!'

Then, once again, Misty's commanding tone caught his attention once again.

"You're so predictable, Ash," the redhead began.

The [Earthquake] left the battlefield covered with sandy fog, a result of the devasting move.

"You always start off strong with Pikachu, even in the Preliminaries," she explained with a harsh tone.

"That's how I knew you'd send him out first once the match began."

"Heck, you probably had the idea of using Pikachu against all three of my Pokémon, right?"

"Just because I'm a Water type specialist."

Misty then crossed her arms, as if disappointed at Ash's performance.

"Don't mock me. Covering for gaps in team composition are just the basics," she continued even harsher.

"You hardly know anything about Pokémon outside of Kanto. A huge weakness if you ask me."

"If you think you can win by simply powering your way to the top then you're going to be sorely disappointed."

"Tch…" Ash clicked his tongue at Misty's condescending lecture.

Then, the crimson orbs caught movement within the sandy fog. It was his partner nodding towards him, raring to go again despite its injuries.

"…Misty."

"As much as I love hearing you rant about my mistakes…" the boy sarcastically replied.

"You seem to forget what it is that I do."

And suddenly, a yellow mouse appeared from the dust, leaving a trail of sand in his wake.

"Never giving up until it's over is my thing!"

"[Quick Attack]!"

In a flash, Pikachu darted his way in front of a surprised Quagsire.

Misty widened her eyes at Pikachu's revival.

'Pikachu must've jumped right before [Earthquake] landed! He only took damage from the aftershock of the tremors!' the redhead surmised in her thoughts.

"Right there! [Iron Tail]!" Ash called out again.

Without even telling which place to hit, Pikachu already knew what his partner was thinking. A testament to their bond that needed no words.

"Pika!"

The [Iron Tail] landed cleanly on the blue salamander's jaw.

But that victorious blow was cut short as Quagsire landed a fist of frost on Pikachu's belly, shards of ice emerging from the blow.

"[Ice Punch]!" Misty commanded.

"Pi…" Pikachu groaned, unable to break free from the ice.

{ OH MY! IT APPEARS PIKACHU HAS BEEN FROZEN AND CAN'T ESCAPE! }

"Use [Swift] to free yourself!" Ash cried out in a panic.

Rays of stars began manifesting on Pikachu's tail. But they would never be unleashed.

"Another [Water Pulse]!" Misty called out again.

And a jet of water blasted the electric mouse to his Trainer's side.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out and ran to the battlefield to cradle his defeated partner.

{ PIKACHU IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! }

{ RED OF PALLET TOWN, CHOOSE YOUR NEXT POKÉMON! }

Ash then made his way back to his side of the battlefield and gently placed Pikachu at near the entrance of his side.

The raven-haired boy's blood red eyes were shadowed by his cap's visor while gritting his teeth. His mind filled with alarms ringing after Pikachu's defeat.

"I told you, didn't I?" a piercing voice alarmed Ash even further.

"That I guarantee this won't be like a Gym battle," Misty reminded the boy again.

Ash began sweating more as his panic got even worse.

But…

"Then dream bigger! The greatest Pokémon trainer in the world? That's nothing compared to a Pokémon Master!"

The blood red eyes shimmered at the memory.

"I don't know what a Pokémon Master is but it sounds cool. And if anyone can become one, it will be you, Red!"

Power welled back into the raven-haired boy.

Misty declared once again to Ash:

"Allow me to show you…"

A faint pulse from the rusty blade.

A finger pointed towards the young Trainer.

'Visualize something you can win with.'

"My true strength!"

T^#s ?w-r! i) m$d# .f c=un:#es+ *&nds.

The crimson eyes that were covered by the cap's visor…

For the ever-distant dream.

Now gazed towards their opponent…

Chapter 33: Type Wild

Whirring into blood red determination.