Ash teleported into Nurse Joy's room, where he left her earlier. It was the only room in the Pokémon Center which he knew, so it was the only one where he could teleport, not counting teleporting at the front door.
In his hands, Ash carried Ampharos which he found in the Valley Windworks. The Pokémon needs help, and while Nurse Joy is indisposed after what happened, he will try to get her to save the Pokémon.
When he appeared in the room, he expected to see only Nurse Joy, but there was another person in there. A person, which was currently looking at him with wide eyes, along with Nurse Joy. They weren't expecting him to show up like that, especially the second person in the room.
"Nurse Joy," Ash decided to ask about the girl present in the room, later. Now, Ampharos is more important. "This Ampharos needs help. I know you feel bad right now, but its hurt pretty badly, and will die without the medical help."
Nurse Joy looked at the Ampharos, and recognized it immediately. "T-That's my h-husbands Ampharos." She spoke, while standing from the bed where she was lying, covered in the sheets.
When she got up, she completely forgot – or she didn't care - that she was still naked, and that Ash was in the room, with another girl.
Neither Ash, nor the girl reacted in anyway at this. Ash didn't even blink when he saw Nurse Joy naked. He has seen enough woman naked, so there is nothing new for him to see.
Nurse Joy approached to the electric type, and begin to examine it, while her naked form was leaning over the Pokémon. He back was turned to Ash, which gave him great view at her naked ass. Still, he didn't react, though.
While Joy was examining the Pokémon, Ash gave a good look at the young girl in the room.
She was extremely beautiful. That's the first thing Ash noticed, and he is sure that that's the first thing everyone notices on this girl. She is a brown-haired girl, with golden-brow eyes. She looks to be about 13, maybe 14 years old, and wears mini skirt, and a sleeveless t-shirt.
Ash also noticed a red backpack, and assumed it's hers, as he hasn't seen it earlier.
"Who might you be?" Ash asked.
"My name is Athena," the girl introduced herself with a small smile on her face, showing her pearly-white teeth. Ash noted that she has amazing smile, which increases her beauty, and cuteness. "I arrived here just 15 minutes ago."
"You just came here?" Ash questioned. She nodded. "I'm surprised you traveled in the dark. Most trainers don't bother."
"I'm not afraid of the dark," Athena shrugged. "I've got my Pokémon with me to help me if needed. Also, I knew that there was going to be a Pokémon Center here, so instead of sleeping outside, I traveled for a few hours during the night to get here.
"Though, I wasn't expecting to find what I did." She finished.
"I expected something bad…" Ash said, as he looked at Nurse Joy, still trying to tend to Ampharos's wounds, "not this, though."
"What do you mean, you expected?" Athena asked.
Ash looked at Athena for a moment, before he turned around to look at Nurse Joy. "I found your daughters; Marnie, and Paige." He said.
This drew Joy's attention, as her head snapped toward Ash. He face was red, her eyes red and puffy from crying. On top of that, there were few bruises on her body, which Ash can see clearly, as she is still naked.
"A-Are they OK?" Joy asked.
"They are fine," Ash said, as Joy smiled just slightly, and cried in relief. "I found them in a cave outside of the Floaroma Town, just few hours ago. I took them to Floaroma Pokémon Center, where they are right now, sleeping.
"It's because of them, and what they've told me, that I even came here right now."
"Thank you," Nurse Joy said. "Thank you for saving my daughters. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to them."
"Don't worry about it," Ash said. He didn't need thanks, especially since he failed to save her husband. He knows that he can't save everyone, but still wishes to at least save those he has a chance to.
This time, he failed as he was too late. He couldn't even at least make those man pay for what they've done, as they escaped.
"What about…" Nurse Joy spoke, breaking Ash from his thoughts. Bad, and unnecessary thoughts. "What about my husband?"
Ash locked eyes with her, and sighed. "I'm sorry." That was all he said. There was no need for more. Nurse Joy knew that her husband was dead. In a way, she knew as soon as Ash came with Ampharos, but not her husband. She just didn't want to accept it until she heard it.
She started to cry. She cried because of her daughters, she cried for what happened to herself. She cried for her husband's death… she cried for everything that happened in the last, almost three days.
Athena approached to Nurse Joy, and hugged the older woman, without the care that she was naked. She did this not because she particularly cared about the woman, though she did feel sorry for her. She did this because she needed to gain Ash's… respect, for the lack of better word. She needed him to see her as a nice person, who is comforting someone she just met.
Athena also thought of how lucky she was to get this chance to meet Ash. She was thinking of how to approach him for a while now, but she was coming up with nothing that wouldn't be too suspicious. What happened tonight is bad, but it did give her a chance, and she will use it to get to know Ash, and maybe learn something which can help her, and the organization in the future when they have to take on Ash, and his family.
Ash watched the two girls hug, and with Nurse Joy being completely naked, it was the image of pure sexiness. If it wasn't for what happened, he would have no problem to seduce both of them, and have his way with them right then and there.
But, with Nurse Joy being raped, and her husband dead, there was no chance that will happen. At least not anytime soon.
"I'll go and call the police," Ash said. "They need to go to the Valley Windworks for your husband, and to check out what those criminals did in there. They must have had a reason for what they've done."
Ash walked out of the room, leaving behind Nurse Joy, and Athena, along with the Ampharos.
XXX
"Ash, where are you?" Lillie yelled into the phone, as she has called Ash.
Ash was currently seating on the ground at the base of the tree, not far from the Pokémon Center near Valley Windworks.
It was now morning, and after a tough night, he decided to sit down a little bit, and rest. He wanted to sleep, but there was no way for that right now.
"I'm near Valley Windworks." Ash replied.
"Why are you there," Dawn asked? She was with Lillie on the phone. They both wanted to know where Ash is, after Nurse Joy told them that Ash left somewhere last night. She also told them about the Suicune, and the two girls which Ash brought. They haven't met the girls just yet, though. "What happened last night?"
"It's a long story," Ash sighed. "I'll tell you when we meet."
"When are you going to come back here?" Lillie asked.
"I won't," Ash said, getting surprised looks from the two girls. "I need you to get here, but I want you to take the two girls I helped last night, and bring them here with you. They live in the Pokémon Center I'm currently at. We will meet here."
"Ok," Lillie said. "I guess we can do that. But you need to tell us what happened as soon as we come."
"I'm sure Marnie, and Paige will tell you some of the stuff," Ash said. "I will fill you in on what happened after I left them in the Pokémon Center, and came here."
Lillie, and Dawn nodded at that. After, the call ended, Ash was left to sit in silence in the middle of the forest.
Ash sighed. "Damn it with all the criminals," he spat. "I'm tired of them, and their crap."
He closed his eyes, and just set there leaned on the tree. He needed rest, and to calm his mind from everything that happened last night.
XXX
The whole day, Ash spent either in the forest, alone, or in the Pokémon Center where Officer Jenny questioned him about what happened, and his participation in everything that happened outside of the Valley Windworks.
To say that she wasn't happy when she heard that he was responsible about the destruction of the gate on the Valley Windworks, would be an understatement. Not to mention all the other damage done to the surrounding area. She actually had a hard time believing that it was humans who fought, and not Legendary Pokémon.
Once he explained what happened, Officer Jenny didn't believe Ash at first, so he had to wait for her to call some people, and verify Ash's story. "You are free for now, but do stay around. I might need you later for something."
Those were Officer Jenny's words to Ash after she verified who he is. He was confused by this, but decided to let it go. It's not like he was planning to leave anyway, as this place is on the way from Floaroma Town, to the Eterna City, which is his next destination, so there was no need to go back to Floaroma, and then return here.
So, he just set in the forest or the Pokémon center, and waited for the crowd to leave, and for his friends to arrive. He will have to wait for another day, though. Dawn, and Lillie will not be able to get there faster, especially since Marnie, and Paige will be traveling with them.
Ash did think about Teleporting to them, and back, but Officer Jenny didn't let him leave. Besides, it's not like it's too much of a problem for him to wait. He needs time to reflect on another failure of his to save someone.
XXX
And so, the night came.
Officer Jenny has just finished her last talk with Nurse Joy, and has called for Ash to speak with him about something.
As Ash was walking through the Pokémon Center on his way to meet with Officer Jenny, he was suddenly grabbed, and pulled into the bathroom.
Not even seeing who it was, as he was grabbed from behind, Ash turned around, grabbed the person who pulled him, and pinned them to the wall.
Much to his shock, it was Officer Jenny.
"What are you doing?" Ash asked the Officer, as he had her back pressed to the wall of the bathroom, while he was pressing into her front. Her chest, pressed by his own.
As he was standing pressed at her, it was clear how big Ash is compared even to a fully grown woman, as he was a whole had taller, and his body is wider. And he is just 16 years old.
"I want you," Officer Jenny said. "No. I NEED you. Right now." And with that, she kissed Ash right on the lips.
Ash was in shock for a few seconds, before he let himself go, and kissed back.
This was going to be a fun night. He was sure of that.
XXX
Lillie, Dawn, Marnie, and Paige arrived in the Pokémon Center around 11 in the morning the next day. After a tearful reunion with their mother, the two young girls found out that their father was dead, so they all cried some more.
As for Ash, after a very long, but satisfying night with Officer Jenny (who left back to her office that morning, with a limp in her walk); Ash reunited in the morning with Dawn, and Lillie, and he told them everything that happened after he left the Pokémon Center, the night before last. Of course, he decided not to mention his time with Jenny, as it is unnecessary.
By the time Ash finished talking with his friends, it was already sometime in the afternoon, so they decided to stay in the Pokémon Center for one more night. Ash also wanted to make sure that Nurse Joy, and her daughters will be fine.
Nurse Joy has also spent another long night, but at least she had Athena with her, who helped her with everything she might need. It gave some solace to Joy to have someone with her after what happened, as she isn't sure she would be able to handle it all alone. That's where Athena helped her the most. By being a company.
Ash was also there, but he stayed mostly to the side, and only helped if asked… not that he was asked to many times.
XXX
And so, another day has passed, and it was finally time for Ash, Lillie and Dawn to continue their journey, and leave the Valley Windworks, and the Pokémon Center near it, behind.
At first, it was a plan to stay until after the funeral of Nurse Joy's husband, whose name was Karsten. His body was taken by the police, and the doctors, though, and will not be brought back for the funeral for a few more days. Because of that, Ash and the girls decided to leave, instead of staying behind. They cared for the girls, and Nurse Joy, but they will have their friends, and family to be there with them, and won't be alone.
"Thank you for saving us, Ash." Marnie said to Ash, as she and Paige hugged him.
The three of them, along with Nurse Joy, Dawn, Lillie, and Athena were all in front of the Pokémon Center. Ash and the girls are leaving, so Nurse Joy and her daughters are there to say goodbye.
"And thanks for saving my mother, and Suicune." Paige added. She was very young, and was hit the hardest by her father's death, but with her mother and older sister's help, she will get over it. It will take a while, but all of them will learn to live with what happened. Ash is sure of that, as they are strong. Especially Nurse Joy, who was constantly raped for two days, she was able to somewhat recover by the time her daughters returned.
It probably has something to do with the talk she and Ash had before the girls returned, but no one needs to know about that. The girls don't know what happened to their mother, and the same goes for Dawn, and Lillie. That was a decision made by Nurse Joy, who decided to forget about it and live for her daughters.
Nurse Joy also thanked Athena for being there for her. She gave her a kiss on the cheek, which made the younger girl blush a little, but she still said that it was ok, and that she was happy to help in any way she could.
As for Ash; Nurse Joy also thanked him for saving her daughters, for saving Suicune, and for saving her. She gave him one kiss on each cheek, very close to his lips, and then hugged him a little too closely. He didn't mind though. Why would he?
As she hugged him, Ash decided to say something to Nurse Joy right in her ear, so the other girls won't hear him. "I know what you saw the night before last."
That was all Ash said to Joy, whose eyes widened for a moment, as she and Ash let go of each other, ending the hug.
Ash looked at her one last time, and winked, before he turned around to leave. Dawn, and Lillie, along with Athena walked next to him.
"I'll see you some other time," Ash said to Joy, Marnie, and Paige as he waved at them with the back of his hand. "Under better circumstances, I hope."
XXX
Flashback start:
"What the hell happened to you?" A female voice asked from one side of the video call. The person was shrouded in darkness, so her face, and figure can't be see.
Who she is, though, is known. She is the boss of Zurmudd, Byoln, and Jamil. They were currently on the other side of the video call, and were talking with their boss.
They were all bloodied, and looking beaten up. Cloths torn, cuts on their bodies, and face. They look like they've been through war. Thus, the boss's question.
"We had some problems after the latest mission." Byoln said with a sneer at just remembering what happened.
"What kind of problems," asked the icy voice of the boss? The three man shivered at it.
"We completed the mission," Jamil quickly said, "but we didn't think that someone is going to show up in the end, and try to stop us."
"Who could have done that to you," the boss asked the question? She was very interested. "Even if someone did try to stop you, you shouldn't have been that beaten up if you had a Pokémon battle."
"It wasn't a Pokémon Battle," Zurmudd said. "We were attacked by a person who can use Aura, AND Psychic powers."
"What?" The boss growled. "That's impossible."
"We thought that as well," Byoln said. "But it seems that there is a person here who can use both powers. How? We don't know. What we do know is that he is very powerful. Especially considering that he seems to be just about 16, maybe 17 years old."
"That's interesting, and disturbing," The boss said. She was thinking on this, and how could it be possible for a single human to have both Aura, and Psychic powers. They are opposites, and don't go well together. It shouldn't be possible for a single person to have both, and live. "What can you tell me about him, and his powers?"
"Well, from what we've seen we can say that he is very strong," Byoln said. "He can shape his Aura for attacks. I guess he can cause omnidirectional waves. He can Teleport, and he's physically strong, and fast. He's quite good in combat, I'd say."
"He does have a problem, though." Zurmudd said, drawing the boss's attention.
"What problem?" She asked.
"His eyes, and Aura seem to be turning more toward black as he gets angrier," Zurmudd said. "I think that it's a byproduct of him having Aura, and Psychic powers. He probably has a problem controlling them. Especially when he's angry."
"That is certainly a possibility," she said. "No one has ever had both powers at the same time… at least as far as I know. Having to control them all the time, and not be destroyed by them, would be a hard job. The fact that he is that good, and combat-capable, proves that he is going to be problematic. If he was weak, he would have been destroyed by his powers, long ago."
There was a silence from both sides for a while. None said anything, as the boss thought on what to do, while the three subordinates waited to hear their new orders.
Finally, the boss spoke. "Listen well, you three," she said, and immediately gained the attention. "You've done your job, as I asked, so everything that happened afterwards, I can't count as a mission failed, so… good job on that one."
Zurmudd, Byoln, and Jamil were surprised by this development, but they knew that they did a job, and that they didn't deserve punishment, if the boss decided to give them one… not that they would say that. In the end, it's a good thing that they won't have to.
"As for this kid… what did you say his name was?" She asked.
"We don't know," Jamil said. "He never introduced himself."
"Well, no matter," the boss spoke. "I want you to stay away from him, but in the event that you do see him, try to find more about him. We need to know as much as we can about him, to know how to deal with him if necessary.
"Is that understood?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am!" All three said at the same time.
"Good," she said. "Now, the last job you did was successful, but we need more energy, so you will need to visit power plants, and other places where you can gather it. Use the Athame, until it can't contain more. I'll send you another one then, and you will send me that one.
"Understood?"
"Yes!"
Flashback end:
That was a conversation the three had with their boss, right after they escaped from Ash. Now though, they were far from the Valley Windworks, and away from Ash. They were also better then three days ago, but the problems which Ash caused them, will not go unpunished. They promised to their boss that they will stay away from Ash unless there was no other way, still, they promised to themselves, that they will have their revenge on Ash, for the beating he gave them on that night, and for causing them to nearly fail their mission.
That is unforgivable.
XXX
Once they left the Pokémon Center near the Valley Windworks, Ash and the three girls, one of which was Athena, headed toward the Eterna City, which is where Ash's, and Lillie's next gym battles are supposed to be.
With Athena going with them, Ash wanted to know where she was heading, and what she was currently doing on her travels, as he doesn't know anything about her.
"So…" Ash started to speak, drawing the attention of the three girls. He did look toward Athena when he spoke, though. "Where are you heading?"
"I'm going to the Eterna Forest," Athena said. "I plan to spend a little while there, maybe catch some Pokémon, and if I'm lucky enough, find a Moss Rock. That's one of the few places in the world where you can find some."
"I guess you have an Eevee, which you want to evolve into Leafeon?" Lillie questioned.
"I do," Athena said. "I like the other Eeveelutions, but Leafeon seems the best to me, and I want one."
"I can respect that," Ash said. "Well, since we are heading in the same direction, I can understand why you are going with us. We don't know each other that well, to be traveling companions."
"There will be sometime until we get to the Eterna Forest, so there will be enough time for us to get to know each other." Athena said, as she winked at Ash.
Ash rose his eyebrows at this, before he smirked a little. Dawn, and Lillie also saw this, but they didn't seem happy. Dawn looked angry, while Lillie looked annoyed.
"I agree," Ash said. "There will be enough time for everything."
XXX
Ash, and the girls were running through the forest, on their way toward the Eterna City.
They've left the Valley Windworks about a week ago, and have had a peaceful travel so far. They've made regular stops to rest, eat, and occasional training with their Pokémon, but beyond that, nothing happened.
As they were closing in on the Eterna Forest, they've made a stop to rest, but as soon as Ash released his Pokémon; his Aipom started running toward something, jumping from three to three, with a large smile on her face.
Thus, the reason for the run through the forest.
"What's up with Aipom?" Dawn asked as she was running behind Ash, and next to Lillie, and Athena.
"I don't know." Ash replied, without stopping, or even looking at Dawn. He was very curious about Aipom's behavior. He has seen her run around before, but nothing like this. She seems almost ecstatic about something, and Ash wanted to know what.
After a little while of running, Ash and the girls noticed a large tree, with yellow leaf's, unlike the other trees in the forest, which all have green leaf's.
And then, Aipom jumped up the tree, and joined several bug type Pokémon, in licking the honey which was smeared on the trunk of the tree.
Ash, and the girls came close to the tree, and saw what's going on.
"Is that, honey?" Dawn asked.
"It is," Lillie said. "Pokémon are attracted to the sweet smell of honey, so that must be why Aipom was running like that. It smelled the honey, and wanted some, just like all those Bug Type Pokémon."
Suddenly, from behind the rustling leaves, a Burmy shows up, prompting Dawn to smile as she saw it.
Burmy tried to get up on the tree, and lick some honey, but it fell down, while the leaf's which were covering it, fell off of it. Burmy freaked out, and quickly picked the leaf's to cover itself.
A green haired woman, wearing a long green skirt, and blouse, appeared behind Burmy, drawing its attention at her.
Ash and the girls also saw the woman, and her Pokémon, and were interested in who she is, and where she came from, as she suddenly appeared from behind the bushes.
"Chansey, use Attract!" The woman told her Pokémon. Chances sent yellow hearts at Burmy, who was hit by them, and instantly its eyes turned into hearts. This indicated that the Burmy is male.
"It's working," the woman said with a large smile on her face. "That means that you are just the kind of Burmy I've been waiting for. How beautiful."
"You need to attack that Burmy if you want to catch it!" Dawn shouted at the woman, who looked at her in surprise.
"I'm grateful for such a good advice from a girl I've never even met." The woman said with a smile, before she attacked. "Chansey, use Double Slap!"
Chansey started slapping the small Burmy several time, but then Burmy dodged one slap, and tackled Chansey.
"What a great Tackle," the woman gushed at the Burmy. "Chansey, use another Double Slap!"
Chansey started attacking again, but this time, Burmy activated, Protect, which enclosed it inside of the greenish barrier, and protected it from Chansey's attack.
"That Protect makes Chansey's attacks, useless." Dawn commented.
"Chansey, use Egg Bomb!" The woman said. Chansey took an egg she was carrying in the pouch on her stomach, and threw it at Burmy. The egg fell in front of the barrier, and caused an explosion which broke Burmy's barrier, and defeated the small Bug Type.
"Go, Poke Ball!" The woman threw her Poke Ball, which hit Burmy, and sucked it inside of it. After several seconds, the ball pinged, and Burmy was captured.
"I've finally done it," she said. "At last, this Burmy is mine!"
"That was a good job," Ash said to the woman. "Congrats for a new Pokémon."
"Thanks'," she said. "And who are you kids?"
"I'm Ash," Ash introduced himself. "These are Dawn, Lillie, and Athena."
"Are you the one who put that honey on the tree?" Dawn asked the woman.
"I did," she said. "People call me, Cheryl - The treasure Hunter. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and thanks' for the help."
XXX
Not long later, all of them were seating on the grass, while in between them, there was a blanket with some food, and drink placed on it. It seems that they've stopped for a picnic, and Cheryl is with the group.
"What's an Enchanted Honey?" Lillie asked.
It seems that they've been talking for a while, and Cheryl mentioned what she was after.
"It's a honey which is said to be hundreds of time sweeter than normal honey," Cheryl said. "It's what I came here to find."
"Hundreds of times," Dawn said in awe. "One lick from that could probably cause a person to have a heart attack."
"Maybe," Lillie said. "But Pokémon would definitely be attracted to something like that."
"What makes you think that you can find that honey, way out here?" Dawn asked.
Cheryl pulled a map from her bag, and showed it to the group. "Look at this." She said, as she held the map.
"What's that map?" Athena asked. She was mostly quiet so far, but she can't lie, and say she wasn't interested.
"This is the map which would make it all possible," Cheryl said. "This is the map of the Eterna Forest," she then pointed at the X mark on the map, and added, "This X, is where I'm going. This is where the Amber Castle is located."
"A Castle?" Ash questioned in wonder. He hasn't heard about it so far.
"It's a secret castle that no one has been at so far," Cheryl said. "That's where the enchanted honey is rumored to be."
"Awesome," Dawn shouted as she jumped to her feet! "It all sounds so exciting and mysterious!"
"Maybe we can come with you, and help you look for it." Amber suggested. There is no way she was going to miss this chance to see something no one else has ever seen. And who knows. Maybe the Amber Castle could have something which could be useful for the organization.
XXX
Once they finished lunch, Cheryl went and released her Burmy, while the gang was standing a little away, and watching to see what the woman will do.
Cheryl kneeled in front of her Burmy, and looked it in the eyes. "Burmy," she spoke. "I need to use Mothim's powerful sense of smell to guide me to Amber Castle, and the Enchanted Honey. So, I'll need you to evolve into Mothim before anything else."
"If you need a Mothim, why don't you just catch one?" Dawn asked. She was confused by the reason for catching Burmy, if Cheryl needs its evolved form.
Cheryl stood up, and looked at Dawn. "My grandfather always used to say," she spoke. "All roads begin with Burmy. I've got three Burmy so far, but…" she pulled out three of her Poke Balls, and threw them in the air, thus, releasing the three Pokémon.
Out of the Poke Balls, came three Pokémon which look similar, though with some small differences.
"See, all three of the Burmy I've caught, evolved into Wormadam." Cheryl said to the gang, who all looked at the three Pokémon in interest.
"If I remember correctly," Lillie spoke. "A male Burmy evolves into Mothim, while a female one evolves into Wormadam."
Dawn pulled out her Pokedex, and looked at Wormadam's entry. "Wormadam, the Bagworm Pokémon, and the evolved form of a female Burmy. Its appearance changes depending on where it evolved." The Pokedex said.
"So, does that mean that these three evolved in different places?" Athena asked. She was very smart, and knowledgeable, but not as much as Lillie, who learned from Ash, and nowhere near as knowledgeable as Ash, who has spent years learning many different things, and still he doesn't know everything.
"Of course," Lillie said. "The green one evolved in a forest, and it's a Dual Bug/Grass Type. The pink one evolved in a City, and it's a Bug/Steel. Finally, the brown one is Bug/Ground, and it evolved in a mountains.
"As for the male Burmy, it evolves into Mothim, and only has one form, regardless of where it evolves. Mothim is a Bug/Flying Type Pokémon."
"You seem to be very knowledgeable?" Athena asked Lillie.
"I learned a lot from Ash while in the Pokémon School." Lillie said with a smile.
Athena, and Cheryl looked at Ash, but neither said anything. Instead, Cheryl turned back to her Burmy.
"I've been waiting for a male Burmy like you for a very long time," Cheryl said to her Burmy. "I'm so glad you'll help me."
"If you want your Burmy to evolve, he needs to battle, so he can grow stronger, and gain experience." Ash said to Cheryl. She looked at him, and nodded. "I guess we can help you there. You can battle against one of our Pokémon, so Burmy can get stronger."
"That's very kind of you to offer, Ash," Cheryl said. "Wormadam, would you all cheer for Burmy, please."
All three Wormadam smiled, as they nodded.
"So, who is going to fight?" Lillie asked.
"I'll give it a try," Athena said, drawing the attention at herself. "I've got a perfect Pokémon. I've caught it not long ago, so I haven't trained it that much."
Everyone was fine with it, so Athena walked forward, and stood across from Cheryl, and her Burmy. In between them, there was a large open space, big enough for the battle. As for Ash, Lillie, and Dawn, they stood at the side to watch the training battle.
Athena took one of her Poke Balls, and released her Pokémon. Much to everyone's surprise, it turned out to be a Beldum.
"Hm, that's actually a good choice for this." Ash commented.
"Why?" Dawn asked.
"The only move Beldum can use, is Tackle," Ash said, surprising Dawn. She didn't know that. "Until it evolves into Metang, Beldum can't learn any other moves."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that it's useless," Lillie said. "Beldum is a Steel Type Pokémon, so there is a lot of power behind its Tackle. It could defeat many Pokémon with just that one move."
"Let's see how this will turn out." Ash said, as he looked at the two Pokémon, which were about to battle, so one of them can gain the experience and evolve. Ash also realized that Athena chose to battle, and using Beldum, for the same reason as Cheryl wants Burmy to battle. So it can get experience, and evolve.
Both Pokémon started by using Tackle on each other. This ended with Burmy being sent flying backwards, where he fell right in front of Cheryl. Beldum on the other hand, didn't even budge.
"Are you ok, Burmy," Cheryl asked, as her Burmy stood back up? "Great. Now use Tackle, once again."
Ash rose his eyebrows. "Why is she going with Tackle, again, when it's ineffective against Beldum?" Ash questioned.
"Maybe she's got some strategy." Dawn suggested.
"Let's hope so, or this won't end well for her and her Burmy." Ash said.
Athena also went with another Tackle, not that she could do anything else, as Beldum can only use Tackle.
The two Pokémon clashed again, and this time, Burmy held on for a little while, but was again sent flying, while Beldum stayed where it was.
Athena told her Beldum to use Tackle, once again, and to end the battle.
Beldum flew and hit Burmy, who has just gotten up, and sent it flying all the way back to Cheryl. Burmy fell at Cheryl's feet, and passed out.
"Damn, that Burmy is really weak." Ash commented, as he saw how Athena's Beldum, whipped the floor with Burmy.
"Maybe we should try something else," Lillie suggested. "Since we offered to help Cheryl, we can't back away now."
"I wasn't planning to back away," Ash said. "But I don't have a single Pokémon which is weaker then that Beldum."
"Maybe is doesn't need to be weaker," Lillie offered an opinion. "Maybe all it needs to do, is know how to lose on purpose."
"Piplup," Dawn looked at her Pokémon, and asked. "Do you think we can help Cheryl?"
Piplup asked, how?
"All you need to do, is let Burmy hit you a few times, and act like you lost," Dawn said. "You can try to attack him, but don't go to hard, or you'll defeat him."
Piplup thought about it. He doesn't like this. He's a proud Pokémon, and losing on purpose is against what he wants, and believes in.
Still, Dawn wants to help that woman, and she wants to find Enchanted Honey. If her Burmy doesn't evolve, then she won't be able to find it, thus; Piplup won't be able to try some of it, and he really wants to.
Piplup sighed, and said that he will help.
"That's great, Piplup," Dawn said with a smile. "Thanks a lot."
Piplup nodded, before he and Dawn looked at Cheryl, and her Burmy, who has just managed to get back up.
"We will be your next opponents, Cheryl," Dawn said. "Are you ready?"
"Are you ready to give it another try, Burmy?" Cheryl asked.
Burmy nodded, and stood across Piplup.
Cheryl started the battle by having her Burmy use, Tackle.
Piplup let himself be hit, even though he could have gotten away from it. He didn't like it, but it was to help the Bug Type to evolve, so he will play along this one time.
He was sent flying a few meters, but quickly got up.
Dawn retaliated by telling Piplup to use Bubble Beam.
Burmy used Protect to defend from the Water Type attack, which just bounced off of the barrier, leaving Burmy was unharmed.
Cheryl told Burmy to use Hidden Power. The attack was quite powerful, and hit Piplup. Piplup fell on the ground once again, and this time, he decided not to get up. He figured it's better than to be hit by more attacks. Besides, winning this easily, might boost Burmy's ego, and make him evolve quicker.
Cheryl and Burmy celebrated the win, though Cheryl knew that it was staged. She knew that there is no way that her Burmy was able to defeat Dawn's Piplup with just two attacks.
"Well, I guess that went well," Ash said, as he saw what happened. "Few more rounds, and Burmy might actually evolve."
"Yeah, but who is going to fight next," Dawn asked? "This is humiliating, I'll tell you that much."
"Yeah, it is," Lillie said. "But it's for the good cause, so we can handle it."
"Does that mean that you are going to try next?" Ash asked.
"Sure," Lillie said, as she walked forward. "Why not."
And so, for several more rounds, this went on, until Burmy finally evolved.
Once Burmy evolved into Mothim, not only that he already knew Psybeam, but immediately picked up the scent of the Enchanted Honey, and started flying toward it, thus, the gang run after him.