The Surging Chef

Cascarrafa was a fairly moderate sized city that stood at the edge of the Asado Desert and the West Province, though despite being directly next to a desert the city wasn't really that hot. A lot of Water types could be seen moving around the village, most likely on account of the river that stretched around the majority of the city with only the desert exit lacking in water, canals of water also ran in between the city.

"So where exactly is the Gym Leader this time?" Marnie asked.

Ash suddenly paused in place as he realized in all the excitement that he neglected to ask Jacq for that crucial bit of info. "Oops."

"So we'll just look around until we find it then." Chloe shrugged.

"Ash, is that you?" Ash turned to see the Cortondo Gym Leader standing in the street behind them with a basket full of baked goods.

"Morpek!" Morpeko's eyes shot bright red, her fur turned a venomous shade of purple and black as she lunged at the basket. "Mor!" Katy gasped and dropped the basket as Morpeko dived into it, hungrily scarfing down the contents of the basket while Marnie shouted out.

"Morpeko!" She gasped, quickly giving Katy an apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry about that, it's hard to control her when she gets hungry... which is every two hours." She sweated.

Katy stared down at the basket before looking up with a kind smile. "Don't fret about it, I was going to give those to my mentor but I can bake up a fresh batch once I get to his place. I'm willing to bet that's where you're headed right?"

"Is your mentor the Gym Leader?" Ash asked to which Katy swiftly nodded in response.

"Yep, he owns the Kofu Lounge. A small yet successful seafood restaurant."

"Gross." Zach made a face as he wasn't fond of seafood.

"We'll eat somewhere else." Dawn whispered while giving his shoulder a comforting pat.

"It's actually just down the street and around the corner," Katy commented. "Lunch rush should just be about over by now so he'll be able to accept your challenge."

"That's great! Come on Pikachu, we've got a battle to fight!"

"Pika!" Ash and Pikachu shot down the street and raced around the corner, arriving at a modest sized restaurant where an elderly bulky individual could be seen cleaning dishes.

"Excuse me, Kofu is it?" Ash called out over the kitchen counter. The old man glanced his way and waved in acknowledgement.

"You're Ash, I presume? Iono told me you'd be showing up here soon. I'll be with you as soon as I'm done cleaning my dishes." Kofu spoke while continuing to scrub dishes.

"Excuse me, sensei? I can start the Gym Challenge while you finish up." A younger individual spoke up while placing a mop against the wall.

"Trying to get out of cleaning duties again, eh Hugo?" Kofu laughed before waving his arm. "Fair enough, go ahead. But if you lose, you're finishing the job!"

"Yes sir, I won't let you down!" Hugo saluted while nodding to Ash. "Come on kid, let's head for the battlefield."


"A bit weird that Kofu is making Ash battle his apprentice for the Gym Test." Marnie commented while Ash and Hugo got into battle positions behind the local Pokémon Center.

"Look it was either this or go win an auction for Kofu in Porto Marinada." Hugo stated. "It's not too late, I can speak to him and-"

"No! It's okay!" Ash sweated, knowing it'd take some time to head towards Porto Marinada. Besides he'd rather have a battle over taking part in an auction.

"Thought so," Hugo smirked. "This will be a one on one Pokémon battle and as soon as either of us are no longer able to battle, the battle will come to a close. You ready?"

"Of course!"

"Then release your Pokémon on my mark, get set and... GO!" Hugo shouted while tossing a ball into the air. "Floatzel!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu flicked his tail as he leaped onto the battlefield.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuu!" Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks, firing off towards his opponent and giving him quite the electrical shock.

"Float!" Floatzel landed in a collapsed slump as swirls formed within his eyes.

Hugo went pale and immediately hung his head as he recalled Floatzel to his ball.

Marnie gave Ash a look causing him to sweat while rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought he was stronger..."

"Back to mop duty." Hugo sighed out, passing Kofu as he headed for the Pokémon Center. Kofu looked back at him and shook his head lightly before offering Ash a smile as he arrived at the battlefield.

"Sorry about, I finished up with the dishes and am ready for our match now." Kofu flexed his muscle while enlarging a ball with his other hand. "You ready for our battle? It'll be a four against four match up with one substitution on each side and will come to an end as soon as neither of us can continue. Those rules sound good to you?"

"Of course, come back Pikachu!" Ash waved towards the electric mouse. Pikachu nodded and leaped up onto his shoulder while Kofu started counting down.

"We'll release our first Pokémon on my mark, get set and... GO!" He shouted while tossing up a ball. "Veluza!"

"Bayleef, I choose you!"

"Bayleef!" Bayleef burst from her ball and immediately tackled Ash to the ground while affectionately nuzzling his face. "Bayleef!"

"It's good to see you too, Bayleef!" Ash laughed while Kofu and a large metallic fish Pokémon chuckled out at the sight. Its appearance was almost robotic as it appeared to be made from metal and its sharp magenta fins were quite shiny while its fangs looked sharp enough to pierce rock itself! "Whose that Pokémon?"

"Veluza the Jettison Pokémon, Veluza has excellent regenerative capabilities. It sheds spare flesh from its body to boost its agility, then charges at its prey."

"Night Slash!" Veluza's tail shined purple as he shot across the field, slashing Bayleef with his sharp tail.

"Bayleef." Bayleef grunted out while recovering from the attack.

"Magical Leaf!"

"Bay!" Bayleef cried out as multiple glowing green leaves flew from the leaf atop her head, soaring towards Veluza and piercing his tough skin.

"Veluza..."

"Blizzard!"

"Veluza!" A fierce blizzard kicked up around them, pelting Bayleef with ice and hail.

"Giga Drain!" Bayleef's body shined bright green as she began sapping away Veluza's energy, absorbing it for herself as she restored her health.

Veluza grunted out before collapsing against the ground as swirls formed within his eyes. "Veluz..."

Kofu smiled as he recalled Veluza, seeming rather cheerful despite the circumstances. "Alright Clawitzer, it's your turn!"

"Clawitzer!" The blue shrimp cried out while eyeing his opponent.

"Aura Sphere!" Kofu shouted while extending his arm towards Bayleef.

"Claw..." The blue aura formed within Clawitzer's launcher before firing off across the field, blasting Bayleef.

"Oof." Chloe flinched. "You can't avoid Aura Sphere..."

"Not to mention all Clawitzer have the same Mega Launcher ability, moves like Aura Sphere and Water Pulse will be more powerful than normal." Zach commented.

"Magical Leaf!" Ash shouted out.

Bayleef gave her head a shake as she fired off another set of glowing green leaves towards Clawitzer, striking the shrimp.

"Dark Pulse!" Dark energy began forming within Clawitzer's launcher before firing off towards Bayleef, exploding against her body.

"Bayleef..." Bayleef's eyes rolled upwards as she fell to her side, swirls formed within her eyes as she laid in defeat.

"Bayleef return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest." Ash swiftly returned her to her ball and enlarged a separate ball. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur cried out as he took his place on the field.

"Solar Beam!"

"Saur!" Bulbasaur cried out, his bulb began shining brightly as he absorbed the sun's rays.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Claw!" Clawitzer shouted while firing a pulse of dark energy at Bulbasaur, blasting him back.

"Saur..." Bulbasaur gritted his teeth as he continued charging up.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Saur!" Bulbasaur fired off the beam of solar energy right as Clawitzer fired off the aura sphere, the two attacks met and clashed briefly before Bulbasaur's attack quickly overpowered it. The solar energy resumed its journey towards Clawitzer before exploding in his face.

"Claw..." Clawitzer dropped to the ground as swirls formed within his eyes. Bulbasaur may not be evolved but he was still strong enough to rival Sceptile as Ash's strongest Grass type Pokémon.

"Not bad," Kofu complimented while recalling Clawitzer to his ball. "Wugtrio!" He shouted while tossing a ball into the air.

"Wugtrio!" Three red heads that resembled Dugtrio stretched out of a rock that appeared upon the battlefield.

"Wiglett's evolution!" Ash exclaimed while reaching for his Rotom Phone.

"Wugtrio the Garden Eel Pokémon, a variety of fish Pokémon, Wugtrio was once considered to be a regional form of Dugtrio."

"Poison Powder!" Ash shouted out.

"Saur!" Purple powder flew from Bulbasaur's bulb and began spreading across the field, splattering against Wugtrio as their faces turned purple.

"Trio..." Wugtrio sickly groaned out.

"Sucker Punch!" Kofu shouted out.

"Trio!" Wugtrio swiftly moved across the field before slamming its multiple heads against Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur grunted out.

Ash grabbed his ball and swiftly returned him. "Return for now," Kofu had one more Pokémon so it was best to keep Bulbasaur in reserve just in case he was needed. "Alright Snivy, I choose you!"

"Snivy!" Snivy raised her head while smirking at her opponent as she emerged from the ball.

"Leaf Storm!"

"Sni!" Snivy cried out as a flurry of leaves formed in front of her, spiraling about as the leaf tornado flew towards Wugtrio.

"Trio!" Wugtrio cried out as the leaves repeatedly struck against their body.

"Throat Chop!"

"Trio!" Wugtrio shot across the field and struck Snivy's throat causing her to cough out for air for a brief moment.

"Snivy..."

"Grass Pledge!"

"Sni!" Multiple columns of grass burst from the ground, surrounding Wugtrio before swiftly closing in on them.

"Trio!" Wugtrio cried out as they became buried beneath a large pile of leaves. The leaves eventually faded away, revealing their unconscious form.

"Sni!" Snivy uttered out a cry of celebration while a bright white light consumed her body. Her body grew a few inches while her green coloring began shrinking away as her cream coating now covered a majority of her body. Her tail grew sharper and more jagged while multiple leaves stuck out like spikes along her backside while two long yellow colored leaves formed a v-shape around her neck. "Servine!" The newly evolved Pokémon cried out.

"You evolved!" Ash excitedly cried out.

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Servine!" Servine flashed a cocky smirk.

"Servine the Grass Snake Pokémon, Servine's one weakness is its inflated sense of pride. It takes a while for Servine to be able to cooperate with other Pokémon."

"Crabominable!" Kofu shouted while tossing a ball up into the air. Worry flickered in Ash's gaze for a brief second while Servine resumed her cocky expression.

"Serv!" She cried out, telling Crabominable to bring it!

"Ice Hammer!" Ice covered Crabominable's fist as he lashed out, swiftly delivering an icy punch upon Servine and instantly knocking her out.

"Servine..." Servine groaned, muttering how she wasn't ready as swirls formed within her eyes.

"Servine return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest. We'll take it from here," Ash recalled her to her ball and stared thoughtfully at his opponent for a moment before throwing a ball into the air. "Sceptile, I choose you!"

"Sceptile!"

"I get it, he chose Sceptile cause he's faster than Bulbasaur." Chloe commented. Crabominable had moved pretty fast, Ash needed speed to avoid his punches.

Kofu smirked as he retrieved a Tera Orb from his cooking apron. "Time to Terastallize!"

"Time for us to do so as well!" Ash shouted while activating his own Tera Orb. Bright protective crystals formed upon both Pokémon and while a bright yellow flower formed atop Sceptile, a blue water splash formed atop Crabominable. It may seem stupid to turn an Ice type into a Water type but the Gyms were made for Paldea Gym Challengers in mind and the average trainer didn't have an entire team of Grass types. Normally Ash wouldn't be bringing in his older Pokémon to take on Gyms but it wasn't as if he had time to catch and train an entire team and still get back to the World Championship on time.

"Ice Hammer!"

"Dodge and counter with Leaf Blade!" Ash shouted out.

"Tile!" Sceptile swiftly evaded the icy punch as Crabominable lashed out before coming up from behind, striking Crabominable's backside with his arm spikes.

"Crab...ominable..." Crabominable dropped to the ground with a thud as swirls formed within his eyes.

Kofu began clapping his hands, showcasing a smile. "Great job, Ash." He recalled Crabominable and reached into his cooking apron once more, producing a silver badge that had a single water droplet etched onto it. "Take the Water Badge, I'll let Larry know you'll be headed his way soon."

Ash thanked Kofu as he took hold of the badge. "Alright, we just got the Water Badge!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Sceptile!" Pikachu and Sceptile posed alongside their trainer.

"Larry..." Zach trailed off. "Wait a second, that's the guy! The one doubling as a Gym Leader and Elite Four member!"

"He'll definitely be going easy on you the first go around." Marnie commented. "So make sure you don't get a full head just because you already beat him."

"I'll be fine." Ash assured her with a smile. "I know about power dampeners now." Though Larry would likely adjust his up to be on level with the other Gym Leader's full strength rather than what was normally expected of him to help keep things interesting.

"Now that everything's settled, how about you guys come back to my restaurant? My treat, Katy's baked a lot of desserts for us!"

"Morpek?!" Morpeko's eyes shot bright red as her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Already?! It's only been an hour and a half!" Marnie groaned.

"Mor!" Morpeko greedily cried out.

"Okay okay, you win!" Marnie sighed out, knowing if she didn't let Morpeko have her way that Morpeko would likely terrorize a nearby restaurant and cost her a fortune.


"Mor!" Kofu and Katy sweated as Morpeko rushed around the restaurant in a blur, eating nearly everything that was edible before returning to her trainer upon returning to her standard form. "Morpeko!" Morpeko beamed brightly while Marnie sweated.

"Sorry about that."

"Oh don't worry about that, that stuff was too cold to serve to customers anyways." Kofu waved it off. "I needed to prepare another batch anyways."

"You got lucky this time," Marnie gave Morpeko a light glare while Morpeko sheepishly looked away.

"You guys aren't going back to Mesagoza with us?" Chloe asked.

"Nah, we're staying here since the Asado Desert is right outside of town." Zach stated while thumbing towards the east. "We've got a Titan to take care of."

Chloe shot a brief look towards Marnie who faintly coughed, displaying signs of the sickness that Ash had a few days ago. "Mind if I tag along? She'll likely be resting when we get there and I don't got anything better to do." Plus she was interested in seeing this mysterious Pokémon that the futuristic trainer said Zach didn't know of, she wanted to see it for herself since it was likely the Titan would disappear just like the others had.

"Sure, we'd love to have you with us!" Zach exclaimed while Dawn nodded in agreement.

"The more the merrier!"