Now that Gwyn has successfully defeated the Celadon gym and earned her first badge, our trio have taken their first step on the road to the Pokémon League. Sadly, the time has come for our heroes to part ways with Ash and continue north to Cerulean City.
Gwyn grinned from ear-to-ear as she stepped out of the Celadon gym, into the afternoon sunlight. She happily held her brand new rainbow badge, cupped in the palms of her hands. Terence and Cyril were two paces behind her, absolutely giddy with their friend's success.
"I told you winning is great!" Terence loudly proclaimed. "Way better than those boring contests!"
Gwyn scowled and glanced to the side. "Spoken like an uncultured knucklehead," she glowered.
Turtee, riding atop Gwyn's back, nodded in agreement.
Terence's eyes widened in indignation while Cyril's shoulders slumped.
"Not again," the third member of the trio whined.
Terence clinched a fist and turned toward his female friend. "Hey, who came up with the battle strategy you used?!"
Gwyn scoffed and turned to face Terence. "Ash…" she said flatly.
Terence hesitated for a moment before barking out a reply. "Uh, no, I came up with that one!"
Gwyn rolled her eyes and spoke in a condescending manner. "After Ash gave you the strategy for your gym battle... You just reused like ninety percent of the idea."
"No, it was like fifty percent my idea!"
"Twenty five, max!" Gwyn said sarcastically.
Terence gritted his teeth and shook a fist. "You know, if you weren't a girl, I'd give you a knuckle sandwich!"
Gwyn laughed harshly. "Sounds about right, coming from a knucklehead…"
A worrying Cyril rocked from side-to-side on his feet, his face pinched in angst. "Come on, guys…" he whined. "Ash said he'd just be a minute, and…"
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON!" sounded the voice of authority, behind them.
Cyril cringed, Gwyn swallowed and Terence grimaced. All three turned to look at a glaring Ash Ketchum, with crossed arms, standing a few steps away. Pikachu sat upon his right shoulder, arms also crossed and brow furrowed. Gwyn and Terence made uncertain sounds, but before either of them could say anything, Ash spoke up.
"You shouldn't call each other names," he said sternly. "Even if you're mad, find a better way to deal with it."
Both of the rowdy children looked dejected and stared down at the ground.
"Sorry," Gwyn murmured.
"Sorry," Terence replied.
Ash watched them for a few moments and then his expression softened. "Look, I know it's been a tough couple of days. I'm sure you're tired, but that's no excuse to get angry over nothing."
Terence glanced to the side at Gwyn and spoke up in a defensive tone. "Yeah, but she called me a knucklehead!"
Gwyn's face twisted up in indignation. "Cause you said contests were boring and gym battles are better!"
"Well…" Terence began, before freezing midsentence; thinking better of voicing his thoughts.
Ash frowned and looked at Terence and Gwyn, in-turn. "So, you're mad because he called contests boring?" he said to Gwyn in a mildly chiding tone; making it clear how petty the complaint was.
Gwyn seemed to shrink in stature. Ashamed, she looked down at the ground and mumbled something inaudible.
Ash turned to Terence and spoke in an equally chiding tone. "And you were talking about punching her because she called you a name?"
Now it was Terence's turn to appear ashamed. He too looked down at the ground and mumbled.
Ash paused for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders and relaxing his posture. When he spoke, his voice was less serious in tone.
"You know, I used to get fired up over stuff like that. If someone called me a name or did something I didn't like, I'd get all mad, much like you."
All three of the kids raised their gazes to look at Ash. The world's greatest Pokémon trainer glanced at them and continued.
"You shouldn't get mad unless it's a big deal. If a friend of yours gets hurt or something bad is happening, getting mad can help motivate you to take care of things." He then sent the kids a stern look. "Terence, was what Gwyn said a big deal?"
Terence shook his head. "No…" he said, sounding dejected.
Ash nodded. "And, Gwyn, is what Terence said a big deal?"
"No…" Gwyn replied in a downcast voice.
Ash nodded and smiled in an encouraging manner. "Exactly, so you didn't really have a reason to be mad." Silence hung in the air for several seconds as the kids all stared at the ground. Ash eyed their expressions and continued in a more upbeat tone.
"Okay, enough of that! Let's go get some lunch!"
The three children instantly brightened. "YAY!" they exclaimed.
Ash chuckled and grinned. "Just make sure you don't eat too much, like the other night," he added dryly.
Pensive expression briefly crossed the kids' faces as they thought back to their fateful dinner at the buffet. Ash had planned to travel to Vermilion City the next day; however, he'd been awakened in the middle of the night by a green-faced Gwyn knocking at his hotel door. The world's greatest Pokémon trainer went next-door to the kids' room and discovered that they were all ill from overeating. The next few hours had been quite an experience for Ash as the kids slowly and unpleasantly expelled the massive quantity of food from their bodies.
The planned travel to Vermilion City had been scrapped as the kids spend the day recovering. Oddly the trio hadn't been all that sad about missing out on the trip. Instead, once they were back on their feet, Ash decided to let them have a go at the Celadon Gym. Impressively, they'd all managed to win badges on their first tries.
As they made tracks to the eatery, Gwyn moved up next to Ash and spoke in a timid voice. "Um, Mister Ash, I was wondering, did I really win my badge fair and square?"
Ash glanced down at Gwyn and raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "Why would you ask that?"
Gwyn briefly frowned. "Well, cause, when we started challenging the gym, I only had Turtee and Swirly. Terence said that cause they're water types, I wouldn't stand a chance against the gym. So… I caught Dusty…"
Ash's eyes brightened in understanding. After Terence had won against the Celadon gym, Gwyn had captured a Pidgey and named it Dusty. The flying type had been pivotal in her victory at the gym. Now Gwyn was feeling like she had, somehow cheated.
Ash chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, that's not cheating. That's just adding a new friend to your team." His expression then became a bit more serious. "Just make sure you treat Dusty like you do all your other Pokémon."
Gwyn's eyes widened and she nodded rapidly. "Oh, yeah, yes! I will!" she said quickly.
Ash looked forward, thought for a moment and laughed mirthfully. "You know, Pikachu and I did some crazy things to win gym battles," he said.
Terence stepped up. "Wow, really?!"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. For our first one, we were at the Pewter Gym. We lost the first time, so, we got the idea of hooking Pikachu up to one of those bicycle generators and supercharging him."
Pikachu snickered at the memory while the kids all gaped in amazement.
"That sounds dangerous!" Cyril replied.
"That's great!" Terence said with a laugh.
Ash chuckled and sent Gwyn a reassuring look. "So, don't worry about catching a Pokémon to win a battle."
Gwyn appeared relieved and she nodded in gratitude. "Thanks!"
As they continued walking, there was suddenly some movement from inside Ash's backpack. The large zipper undid itself from the inside and Dreepy poked its wedge-shaped head out of the pocket. The argument between the kids and later discussion had peaked the Pokémon's interest.
"Hey, you're awake!" Terence said in a happy tone, looking at the dragon type.
Dreepy replied with happy eyes and a coo. It looked at Gwyn and Cyril, each of whom smiled in response.
As they reached the middle of Celadon City, Ash spoke up again. "So, are you guys ready to travel on your own?"
The trio of kids tensely glanced at each other before Cyril answered. "Well, I guess…"
"But we could use some more training!" Gwyn added quickly.
"Yeah, and some help with the next gym," Terence finished.
Ash laughed and grinned in amusement. "It wasn't really a question. I'm saying that it's time for me to head back home. You guy are going to be on your own."
The kids became quiet and looked down at the ground. "You sure you can't stay?" Gwyn asked.
Ash nodded. "Yep, I wanted to teach you guys how to battle and you've mostly figured it out."
"But we've still got a lot to learn," Cyril said.
Ash chuckled. "Of course you do, but that's always going to be the case. I'm still learning, even after all I've done. You've got the basics and that's what's important."
The kids walked in silence for several long moments. Finally, Gwyn spoke up in a quiet yet sincere voice.
"Thanks a lot, Mister Ash!"
"Yeah, thanks!" Terence quickly added.
"Really!" Cyril tailed on.
Ash smiled appreciatively and replied in a kind tone. "It's been a lot of fun teaching you guys. If you work hard, I'm sure you'll make it to the Pokémon League."
"YAY!" the kids all cheered.
With smiles all around, the four of them made tracks toward their destination. As they passed a busy intersection, Terence glanced to the side at a passerby and stopped in his tracks. He blinked twice, not believing who was standing just a few steps away, the other looking equally shocked.
"YOU!" Vernon and Terence said at the same time; pointing at each other.
Ash, Gwyn and Cyril all came to a stop as the rival boys ground their teeth and started barking at each other.
"What are you doing here?!" Terence demanded.
"Winning another gym badge!" Vernon growled.
"Oh, how many you got?!" Terence challenged.
"Three," Vernon boasted. "Four, once I get this one."
Terence hesitated for a moment then forced a smile. "Well, I already earned a Rainbow badge!" he said smugly.
Vernon scoffed. "So what, this is like the easiest gym. Everyone wins here."
"Hey, it wasn't that easy!" Terence bit back.
"That's cause you're bad!" Vernon sneered.
With an anxious expression on her face, Gwyn leaned toward Cyril and whispered. "Looks like it's gonna be a fight!"
Cyril made a concerned noise. "I just hope it's not a fistfight…"
Terence shook with anger and raised a clinched fist. "I'm better than you!" he yelled.
"HA!" Vernon laughed. "I've beaten you twice!"
"I've been training!" Terence said, pulling out a Pokéball. "Wanna find out! Or are you scared…"
Vernon frowned and pulled out a Pokéball of his own. "Actually, I've got a Pokémon that could use a little practice."
Both boys reared back to throw their Pokéballs when Ash suddenly stepped between them. "Hey! This isn't the place for that!" he yelled.
Both boys looked annoyed. "Hey come on!" Vernon griped.
"I can take 'em," Terence said.
Ash sent the boys an amused yet stern look. "I'm not saying you can't battle," he elaborated. "Just that you can't battle here…" with that, he gestured at the surrounding buildings, sidewalks and roads; all of which were hardly a place for a Pokémon battle.
Vernon and Terence looked around and seemed to slightly shrink with embarrassment as their foolish eagerness was pointed out. Ash pointed toward a nearby park and continued speaking.
"You wanna battle, there's an arena over there."
Vernon and Terence exchanged glares and began stalking toward the park. Ash sighed, shook his head and followed after them. Gwyn and Cyril were a couple steps behind. Meanwhile, Dreepy had retreated back inside Ash's backpack, cowering from the trainer who'd abandoned it.
It didn't take long for the five of them reach the park and move to the battle arena. Terence handed Gwyn his backpack and glanced at Ash.
"I'm gonna win this time!" he said in a determined tone.
Ash offered a subtle smile but didn't say anything. Terence glanced at his other two friends and they offered some cheers of encouragement. Behind Ash, Dreepy slowly slithered out of the backpack and peered over his shoulder.
With his jaw set and hands clinched into fists, Terence stalked to his side of the arena and turned to face Vernon. Without pretense, Ash's protégé pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it forward. Bulbasaur flashed into existence and set its feet in a determined stance.
"Okay, we're not losing this one!" Terence barked.
Bulbasaur croaked in agreement and twisted its neck to the left and then the right, while gritting its teeth; loosening up for the battle in dramatic fashion. Across the battlefield, Vernon retrieved a Pokéball and glanced at it before tossing it up in the air.
"Try and do better this time!" he said coldly.
The Pokéball opened up and white light flashed down to the ground. The energy resolved into a skull-wearing Cubone, who promptly let out a whimpering moan.
Gwyn bounced up-and-down on her heels. "Come on, Terence!" she shouted. Meanwhile, Cyril's eyes stretched wide and he spoke up in an eager tone.
"Cubone's a ground type! Terence's got a big advantage!"
Matching Cyril's reaction, Terence laughed a couple of times and spoke in a confident tone. "All right! Easy win!" A second later, the young man tensed up and turned his head to look back at Ash. The world's greatest Pokémon trainer had his arms crossed and was casting a stern look at Terence. The boy swallowed and turned back to his Pokémon.
"Okay, we may have an advantage, but we can't get overconfident!" he said, his voice now humbled in tone.
Bulbasaur glanced back and nodded. The grass type refocused on Cubone and growled menacingly. The ground type seemed to waver and let out a whimpering cry. Vernon frowned and responded in a disapproving tone.
"If you wanna be a part of the team, you're gonna have to prove yourself!"
Cubone moaned and clutched its bone in its hands. Behind Terence, Ash frowned at Vernon's behavior but said nothing. Ash's student changed his stance, pointed at Cubone and shouted a command.
"Let's start with Razor Leaf!"
Bulbasaur growled, planted its feet and fired a series of spinning leaves at the ground type.
"Block it!" Vernon shouted.
Cubone let out a determined cry, raised its bone and began spinning it rapidly in front of itself. Terence grinned as the Razor Leaves flew toward the ground type; eagerly anticipating the impact. The leaves closed in and slammed into the spinning bone; shattering harmlessly into tiny, green shards!
Terence let out a surprised shout and briefly froze. He glanced over his shoulder at Ash, looking for some sort of advice or direction. Ash merely stared back and subtly shrugged; making in clear that Terence was flying solo for this fight. The young man swallowed and turned back toward the battlefield, a tense expression on his face.
"Okay, if that didn't work… USE SLEEP POWDER!"
Bulbasaur croaked and dashed forward a few strides. Vernon furrowed his brow and responded with a shout.
"Use Mud-Slap!"
Cubone reacted and lunged forward! The ground type spun around and swept its stubby tail into the earth, digging up a large furrow of dirt! With a grunt of effort, Vernon's Pokémon hurled the wave of soil at Bulbasaur, just as it was puffing up its bulb for Sleep Powder!
Bulbasaur let out a dismayed cry as mud rained down on it! The previously green Pokémon was now covered from top to bottom in grimy filth. A small puff of blue powder escaped from Bulbasaur's bulb, but the rest of the attack was completely smothered.
"Now, use Bonemerang!" Vernon commanded.
Cubone cried out in effort and hurled its bone at Bulbasaur! The white bone spun rapidly and flew in a tight arc as it buzzed toward its target!
"Quick dodge!" Terence called out.
Still suffering from the debilitating Mud-Slap, Bulbasaur stumbled to the side, but failed to move far enough. Terence grimaced as the spinning bone slammed into his Pokémon's head and ricocheted into the air.
Gwyn gasped while Cyril whined. "Oh no!" the young girl cried out.
Terence made a series of distressed noises and clutched at the sides of his head. Meanwhile, Cubone dashed forward, leapt into the air and neatly caught its bone on the rebound!
"Use your bone again!" Vernon commanded.
Cubone responded and spun its bone around its head before raising it high and aiming a blow at Bulbasaur. The ground type was falling from the sky, toward Terence's helpless Pokémon. At the last second, Ash's student chirped as an idea popped into his head.
"Use your vines to jump!" he shouted.
Without hesitation, Bulbasaur obeyed and slammed its vines into the ground. The quick move propelled the grass type up, into the air and out of Cubone's line of attack. The ground type slammed its bone into the earth, where Bulbasaur had been moments before.
In the air, Bulbasaur shook itself and threw off most of the mud caking its body and head. Terence grinned while Ash nodded in approval.
"Okay, let's hit back with Leech Seed!"
Bulbasaur turned around in midair and pointed its bulb at Cubone. The grass type grunted and fired a glowing seed at its opponent. Still recovering from the hard landing, Cubone was squarely struck by the attack and immediately engulfed by leafy vines.
"All right!" Terence shouted, jumping up in the air.
Vernon gritted his teeth while Cubone whined from pain as its energy began to be drained.
"Don't just complain!" Vernon growled. "Use Fire Punch and get out of there!"
Terence's eyes widened. "Fire Punch!" he exclaimed.
Gwyn grunted in shocked dismay. "How can that use Fire Punch?!" she warbled.
Cyril held up his Pokédex and frowned at the result. "Hmm, says it can learn it, right here…"
The two friends looked out at Terence and glum expression crossed their faces. Their shoulders drooped as the chances of victory appeared to be dropping by the second. Dreepy continued to mostly hide behind Ash; occasionally stealing peeks at the ongoing battle.
Cubone pulled back a fist and it immediately became engulfed in flame. With a furious cry, the ground type swung wildly and incinerated the vines wrapped around its body.
Bulbasaur landed on the ground and Cubone turned to face it. The two Pokémon stared each other down while their trainers exchanges brief glances. They turned their attention back to the battle and Terence called out his next command.
"Okay, use Razor Leaf, but shoot a lot of them this time!"
Bulbasaur planted its feet, cried out and unleashed more than a dozen spinning leaves at Cubone. Vernon swept his right hand to the side and called out his response.
"Charge and use Headbutt!"
Cubone yelled a battle cry, lowered its head and charged straight at Bulbasaur. Terence saw the leaves all closing in and grinned in victory. A moment later, the barrage of foliage began slamming into the solid skull atop Cubone's head, leaving the ground type seemingly unaffected.
"Hey, what?!" Terence cried out in surprised dismay; his grin morphing into a look of distress.
Ash frowned and slowly shook his head. Vernon, meanwhile, smirked and spoke up in a gloating tone.
"Cubone's skull can act like a shield. It can block all kinds of attacks."
Terence let out another squawk of dismay right before Cubone slammed its head into Bulbasaur. The grass type was knocked backward and tumbled head-over-heels before landing on its feet. Bulbasaur shook its head and let out a groan. Uncertainty gripped Terence's features as he stared at the battlefield.
"Uh, okay, let's try Vine Whip!" he commanded.
Bulbasaur obeyed and shot out its two vines, aiming both of them at nearby Cubone!
"Use your bone to block it!" Vernon responded.
Cubone promptly raised its bone and swung it in an arc at the incoming vines. The deflection successfully smacked the vines aside, resulting in them wrapping around the bone.
"Now pull!" Vernon shouted.
"Uhhhh!" Terence warbled, freezing in place.
Cubone yanked on its bone, pulling on the vines, sending Bulbasaur flying toward it! The ground type then began twirling the bone in a heavy, circular motion above its head, causing Terence's Pokémon to orbit around it, like a toy attached to a string! Ash continued to frown and slowly shake his head.
Terence clutched at the sides of his head and made a series of distressed noises. "Come on, come on…" he whined desperately.
"Now hit it again!" Vernon commanded.
Cubone did just that and yanked Bulbasaur so the grass type hurtled toward it. Cubone raised its bone and brought it down on Bulbasaur's head with a solid *WHACK* sound. Bulbasaur was slammed down into the ground and let out a weak groan before becoming still.
Vernon smiled smugly. "Good, you pulled your weight this time!" he said flatly.
Cubone turned around and let out a series of joyful noises while dashing toward its trainer. Tears flowed from its eyes and it gave Vernon's leg an enthusiastic hug. Meanwhile, Terence trekked to his defeated friend and examined its condition.
"Sorry, Bulbasaur…" he said quietly.
Vernon recalled his Cubone, picked up his backpack, shrugged it over his shoulders and made a scoffing sound as he glanced at Terence. With his eyes moist, Ash's student looked up at Vernon and spat out a declaration.
"I'll beat you at the Pokémon League!"
A dark, amused grin formed on Vernon's face. "You won't even get to the League…" he said snarkily.
Terence struggled to keep from crying. Without another word, Vernon turned away and started walking. Behind Ash, Dreepy let out a small whine while continuing to stay out of sight.
Ash continued standing with his arms crossed. He glanced at Vernon and watched the boy retreat. He then looked at Gwyn and Cyril who were still standing at his side, appearing forlorn and downcast. Ash caught their gaze and gave a subtle nod in Terence's direction, indicating them to go to his side. The two youths blinked once and then started moving. They gingerly walked to their friend's side and said a few encouraging words to him.
Ash waited a few, strategic seconds before stepping forward to join them. He walked toward Terence and stopped when he was a couple of paces away. Bulbasaur was now conscious and Terence was spraying a potion over its body. After finishing the treatment, Terence recalled his Pokémon before turning to face Ash.
The young boy could barely raise his gaze to Ash's chest. "Sorry mister Ash…" he said, tears filling his voice.
Ash's frown slowly turned into a sympathetic smile. He knelt down and placed his right hand on Terence's shoulder in a reassuring gesture.
"Do you know why you lost?" he said in a soft, inquiring voice.
Terence appeared at a loss. He thought for a few seconds before finally shaking his head and letting out a helpless squeak. Ash lowered his hand and spoke in a kind tone.
"You treated the battle as if it was just a grass type against a ground type," Ash said. "You made a bunch of attacks and hoped it would work."
Terence's shoulders slumped and Ash continued.
"It wasn't a grass type against a ground type, though. It was Bulbasaur against Cubone. You didn't use any of Bulbasaur's strengths or account for Cubone's strengths."
Terence wiped at his nose and sniffed back tears. "Yeah…" he said in a ragged voice.
Ash eyed Terence for several long seconds before speaking again. "Next time, make sure you think about which Pokémon you're using and what Pokémon your opponent is using."
Terence nodded several times and sniffed back more tears. Ash smiled, gave the boy another reassuring pat on his shoulder and then stood up. Gwyn, her own eyes wet with tears, let out a feminine squeak and stepped up.
"It'll be okay, Terence!" she said, her voice cracking. Terence looked at her and she threw her arms around him in a hug.
Ash smiled even broader. Just a few minutes ago, Terence and Gwyn had been at each other's throats. Now, they were great friends again. This kids stuff was easy!
A few minutes passed while the kids reassured each other and Terence dried his tears. Once his students were their usual, cheery, selves, Ash turned toward them and spoke in an optimistic tone.
"Well, it's time for you guys to start forging your own path!"
Instantly, all three of the children appeared sad. They'd known this time was coming, but they still didn't want Ash to leave.
"Do you really have to go?" Gwyn said in a mournful tone.
Ash grinned and chuckled. "Yep, I think you guys are ready. You've got one badge. Now you can earn the rest."
Terence, Gwyn and Cyril all looked at each other and their expressions gradually brightened. Though still clearly unhappy, they turned toward Ash and sent him grateful smiles.
"Okay, we'll go win the rest of the badges!" Terence said.
"We won't let you down!" Cyril said.
"Thanks a lot for everything!" Gwyn added.
Ash laughed and planted his hands on his hips. "That's the spirit!" he said happily.
Pokémon master and children regarded each other for several long seconds. Finally, Ash hefted his backpack, gave the kids a small wave and took a step backward.
"I'll see you at the Pokémon League!" he said.
Upon his shoulder, Pikachu chirped happily and waved at the children. The kids all laughed and waved as well. They glanced at each other and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Terence immediately looked at Gwyn and spoke up in an eager voice.
"So, where are we headed?"
Gwyn tapped her phone and brought up a list of tasks. "First up is Cerulean City. We go there first."
Terence clinched his hands into fists and grinned. "All right, a water gym! We can beat that!"
Gwyn's eyes narrowed and her expression became critical. "Just don't get overconfident…" she chided.
Terence instantly looked embarrassed and nervously chuckled. "Heh heh, right…" he said sheepishly.
And so, with Terence having suffered another tough loss against Vernon, our heroes have learned a hard lesson to not be overconfident. Now, with Ash returning home, the road ahead is full of uncertainty but also optimism. Will they be ready to challenge the Cerulean Gym leader? Find out, when the journey‑‑
Suddenly a determined, pitchy whine sounded from behind the kids and they all stopped in their tracks. They turned around and saw Dreepy zipping toward them. The body of the small dragon type undulated as if flew, creating the appearance that it was swimming through the air. The creature flew once in a circle around the trio of kids before coming to a stop. Ash came jogging up and chuckled, eyeing the wayward Pokémon.
"Well, looks like Dreepy doesn't want to leave," he said wryly.
The kids all looked puzzled. "Huh?" they said.
Ash grinned and chuckled again. "I mean, Dreepy wants to go with you."
The kids all looked at Dreepy and suddenly their expressions became supremely joyful.
"OH BOY!" Terence exclaimed.
"That's great!" Gwyn beamed.
"You're really strong!" Cyril said.
Without pretense, Terence stepped up and posed next to the dragon type. "Bulbasaur and you will make great friends!"
Gwyn abruptly stepped up and shoved Terence aside. "No way! Dreepy's gonna be Squirtle's friend!"
Not to be outdone, Cyril elbowed Gwyn aside and spoke up in a charming tone. "How'd you like to be my friend?"
Ash and Pikachu let out a sigh while exchanging amused and exasperated looks.
Dreepy's eyes were wide and shimmering with appreciation. It glanced between the trio of beaming children and hesitated, struggling to make a decision. Finally, after some squeaks and coos, the dragon type slithered through the air and hovered around Terence's head. The young man gasped and then shouted with joy.
"YIPPEEE!" he said, jumping up and down. "I GOT A DREEPY!"
Gwyn and Cyril briefly appeared disappointed but they quickly smiled at their friend.
Terence pulled his new Pokémon into a hug and continued celebrating. "You're gonna be the best!"
To the side, Ash glanced at Pikachu and smiled in satisfaction. "Now Dreepy's got a trainer who really appreciates 'em."
Pikachu nodded and chirped in agreement.
Dreepy let out a happy cry and flew in circles around the trio of kids. All of them laughed and watched their new partner rejoice in its new home.
As I was saying, with Dreepy now added to his team, Terence is even stronger than before. Surely this will help them conquer the Cerulean gym, next time, when the journey continues.
I intently watched as my love picked up an Oran berry with his teeth and then blew out a super-chilled burst of air. Instantly, the skin of the berry was covered with frost and my love let out a small chirp. I smiled, leaned forward and used my lips to take the berry from his mouth. I made sure that my lips brushed against his, causing us to playfully chuckle. I felt the coldness of the berry on my lips and paused a moment before taking the treat into my mouth. I bit down and was rewarded by the pleasant crunch of frozen fruit. I chewed the cold treat and sent my mate an approving glance. He'd come up with an excellent idea.
The sound of battle drew our attention away from each other. We looked down from our perch of sitting atop a grassy ridge and eyed the pair facing off against each other. Delphox was twirling her stick in extravagant fashion and Lucario was gleefully flexing his arms in anticipation of another clash.
The fire fox let out an over-the-top growl of encouragement and I rolled my eyes. Ever since we'd returned from the Ultra Beast mission with Lillie, Delphox had been chatting up Lucario about all things related to Pokémon battles. Though Delphox wasn't truly a battler, she could hold her own in a fight. Compared to Lucario, however, she was an amateur.
Under the guise of improving her skills, Delphox had taken to sparring with Ash's elite battler. The sly fox had deployed every seductive trick in the book; from asking Lucario to help her learn to better aim her fire attacks, requiring him to stand very close to her and adjust her stance; to requesting Lucario help her smooth out her fur after each clash. The fire type had made certain that Ash's very oblivious Pokémon ran his paws up and down her curvaceous body. Despite all her overtures, there was no sign yet that Lucario had the foggiest idea of Delphox's intentions.
With a hungry grin on her face, Delphox dashed forward and sent a burst of flame at Lucario. As the fire flew, she playfully called out for Lucario to stop the attack. Lucario slammed his clinched paws together in an enthusiastic gesture and promptly summoned an Aura Sphere. He threw the sphere at the oncoming flames and both attacks exploded in a cloud of smoke.
Lucario's eyes shimmered with happiness and he shouted out an approving comment; telling Delphox that she was getting better. Delphox blushed and her fur crackled with sparks. I didn't need my ribbons to sense the lust radiating off of her. I rolled my eyes again and mumbled an incredulous comment to Glaceon. Pokémon should be driven by more than just eating, battling and mating.
A cheeky grin spread across my love's face and he retorted that, given our activity of the last few days, I wasn't one to talk. I felt a small spike of embarrassment and mewed shyly as my cheeks reddened. It was true, the last week, Glaceon and I had often partaken of the activity Delphox was angling to engage in. I giggled and sent my mate a sneaky, sidelong glance. Intimacy was still something new to us and every time was a fun adventure.
A loud *crack* sounded from below and we looked down to see Lucario and Delphox sliding apart, having just clashed face-to-face. Each of them took several steps backward and assessed the other. Lucario's eyes flashed with the eagerness of battle. Delphox's eyes flashed with eagerness of another kind…
Lucario shouted another compliment and Delphox let out a sing-song growl. She raised her left hand and motioned with her fingers for Lucario to come at her. She added to this a challenge for the fighting type to 'hit her with his best shot.' The tone of her challenge was dripping with innuendo, but Lucario was oblivious.
I sighed at the heavy-handed nature of Delphox's flirting and shook my head. Glaceon and I looked on as Delphox and Lucario took a few steps backward and then charged toward each other. Delphox, her stick afire and her fur billowing, let out a battle cry and summoned a wedge of flame. Lucario, his eyes burning with fierce passion, charged forward with his head down and arms angled behind him. The fighting type waited until the last second to rear back, cock a punch and unleash an attack.
Delphox's fire and Lucario's glowing, blue punch came together in an explosion of energy… and Delphox was instantly hurled backward at great force! Serena's first Pokémon, her limbs flapping loosely like a ragdoll as she flew in a straight line, smashed through a cluster of bushes before plowing a gash in the top of a ridge. The fire fox finally slammed into the side of a hill, leaving a Delphox-shaped hole where she'd impacted!
Glaceon and I gritted our teeth and cringed at the intensity of the impact. In her fervor to mate, Delphox had forgotten that Lucario was one of Ash's strongest Pokémon. Simultaneously, in his eagerness to battle, Lucario had forgotten that he was vastly more powerful than Delphox. It was the perfect confluence of desire-fueled disaster.
As the smoke cleared, Lucario stood, frozen in the same pose as when he'd delivered his attack. He blinked a couple of times, clearly surprised at the one-sided outcome of the exchange. The aura Pokémon awkwardly shifted to a casual stance, waited a few seconds and then called out to Delphox. No response was forthcoming from Serena's first Pokémon.
Lucario continued to look awkward and rocked from side-to-side before raising a paw to his mouth and calling out to Delphox in a louder voice. Again, no response was forthcoming. Some more uncomfortable seconds ticked by before Lucario cringed and began sheepishly trekking toward the Delphox-shaped hole, a short distance away.
I let out a heavy sigh and rose to my feet. I told my love that we'd better go find a Blissey; my performance partner would no doubt need a fair bit of medical attention. Glaceon rose and fell into step beside me. As we walked, he sauntered up and playfully asked if I would like to get blasted, as Delphox had, on our next date. I giggled and looked over my shoulder at my mate. I snapped one of my ribbons and struck him on his rump; infusing the blow with just enough fairy energy to leave an impression.
My mate yelped in surprise and stared at me with astonishment. I was a little surprised by the move as well. Perhaps Serena's erotic emotions were rubbing off on me…
We continued to lock eyes. Finally, I bounced my eyebrows, mewed and turned my head to look forward. Behind me, Glaceon let out a low, sultry growl; a declaration that our next time together would be quite the adventure! Every hair on my body stood on end and my insides churned with warm, gooey emotions. There was no doubt; Serena's emotions were definitely rubbing off on me…