Sorry about taking so long to update. I've had a lot on my mind lately along with numerous personal issues to deal with. I'm managing to deal with them and will hopefully be able to get my updates done faster.
Also, I'd like to thank Weasel Master for the use of the three new characters in this chapter.
Chapter 13: A Triple-Shocker
"Alright, we made it!" It had been an interesting trip, but Ash, Nikki and their Pokémon had finally arrived at Lunick Town. Looking it over the town reminded Ash of Pallet Town. There were a few houses scattered all over with the easily recognizable Pokémon Center among them. But what stood out the most was the large domed building near the center of town.
"I take it that's the Gym," Ash assumed.
"That's right," Nikki confirmed. "That's your first step on your road through the Legenda League."
"Well my first stop here is the Pokémon Center to get my Pokémon examined. Then, once I find out what this Gym Leader's specialty is I'll start formulating my team and strategy," Ash said.
"Just remember that you have to use whatever type the Gym Leader does," Nikki reminded. "That's going to make some battles tougher than others." Ash looked at her with his trademark smile.
"Hey, the tougher the better, right Pikachu?" he declared.
"(Right!)" the Mouse Pokémon agreed. With Ash's first Legenda League Gym battle right in front of him the group headed into town on their way to the Pokémon Center.
The walk to the Pokémon Center was a short one. Upon arriving both trainers handed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy.
"I'll make sure they're all in perfect condition," she said. Right before she headed to start their examination Ash had a request.
"Could you make sure to give my Onix a thorough examination? He was injured in a battle with a Rhydon before I caught him," he asked.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he's all healed up," she reassured him. After Nurse Joy left with their Pokémon Ash and Nikki decided to try and figure out what kind of challenge Ash would face at the Gym.
"Well, the best place to do that is in the trainers' lounge. Why don't we ask around there," Nikki suggested.
"That's a good idea," Ash agreed. While waiting for their Pokémon's check-ups to be finished the two trainers decided to check around and find out what they could about the Gym Leader. Upon arriving they began questioning the other trainers to see if any of them had faced the Gym Leader yet. After speaking to a few trainers they found one who recently had a battle with the Gym Leader.
"The Gym Leader specializes in Ground types and prefers to battle three-on-three," he told them. After thanking the trainer Ash and Nikki began discussing Ash's battle strategy.
"Okay, we know the Gym Leader uses Ground types and battles three-on-three. Do you have enough Ground types?" Nikki wondered.
"Well, I've got Onix and Gible with me now, and I have a Donphan and Torterra back at Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town," Ash replied. "That's four, which means one will have to sit out, but who?"
"That's going to be a tough call," Nikki stated. Right then the chime went off inside the Pokémon Center, letting Ash and Nikki know their Pokémon were done with their check-ups. They headed back to the front desk where Nurse Joy was waiting with two trays of Poké Balls, Pikachu and Buneary.
"All your Pokémon are in perfect condition," the nurse reported. "Also, your Onix has completely recovered from the injury you spoke of."
"That's great. Thanks," Ash said. As he and Nikki gathered their Poké Balls Pikachu and Buneary took their spots on their respective trainer's shoulders.
"(So, did you find out anything about the Gym Leader?)" Pikachu asked.
"Yeah. The Gym Leader uses Ground types and battles three-on-three," Ash replied.
"(Well with Onix you have four to choose from,)" Pikachu said.
"I know, which means someone won't be able to participate," Ash pointed out.
"(It's going to be tough leaving one of them out of the battle,)" Pikachu commented. "(How are you going to decide?)"
"Good question. I wish I knew," Ash answered.
"Why don't you gather all four of them and then see," Nikki suggested.
"That's a good idea," Ash said. "But then, who do I send back? I can't have more than six Pokémon with me at a time." After thinking for a bit Ash took out two Poké Balls and tossed them, calling out Pidgeot and Quilava.
"I need to bring over Torterra and Donphan for this Gym battle. Would you two mind heading back to Professor Oak's ranch for a while?" he inquired.
"(I don't mind,)" Quilava said.
"(Nor I. In fact it'll be good to see some of my old friends again,)" Pidgeot stated.
"Thanks, you two," Ash said with a smile. He returned them to their Poké Balls and made his way to the videophones.
"Now all I have to do is let Professor Oak know I need to make a switch," he said. He dialed the professor's number and waited. Seconds later the respected Pokémon professor appeared on the screen.
"Hi, Professor," Ash greeted.
"(Hello,)" Pikachu added.
"Ash! Pikachu! Good to hear from you again!" Professor Oak greeted. He then noticed Nikki and her Buneary standing behind them.
"And who's this? A new traveling partner, I presume?" he commented. Nikki decided to take this time to introduce herself.
"Hello. I'm Nikita Lyons, but everyone just calls me Nikki," she said. "And this is my partner, Buneary."
"(Nice to meet you,)" Buneary added.
"Likewise," Professor Oak replied. "So, Ash, what can I do for you?"
"I need you to send over Torterra and Donphan for my Gym battle," Ash requested.
"So, you're preparing for your first Legenda League Gym battle," the professor commented. "I'll have them sent over immediately." After taking a few minutes to get the two Pokémon Ash asked for he went over to the Poké Ball transporter and prepared to send them over. However, he soon found he couldn't. e then returned to the videophone.
"Ash, do you have a full team?" he inquired.
"Yeah, I do," he admitted.
"In that case you'll need to send two back in order to receive any more," Professor Oak stated.
"I know. That's why I'm sending back Pidgeot and Quilava," Ash said. Professor Oak was a bit shocked by what he just heard.
"You got Pidgeot back and Cyndaquil evolved into Quilava?" he gasped.
"Yeah. I ran into Pidgeot when I was passing through the Viridian Forest, and Cyndaquil evolved a few days ago," Ash explained. "I already spoke with them and they agreed to head back to the ranch."
"In that case I'll be glad to keep them here," Professor Oak said. With the professor ready Ash placed Pidgeot and Quilava's Poké Balls in the nearby transporter and sent them over. Shortly after sending them over he received Torterra and Donphan's Poké Balls.
"I received them, Professor," Ash said.
"As did I. Good luck with your Gym battle." The two ended the call and Ash stood up.
"Okay, now to start planning my strategy," he said. He and Pikachu headed outside with Nikki and Buneary following close behind.
Once they were outside Ash and Nikki went around to the back of the Pokémon Center where there was a field big enough for Ash to let all his Pokémon out, which is just what he did.
"Come on out, everyone!" he shouted. He tossed all his Poké Balls and watched as Bayleef, Gible, Onix, Torterra and Donphan all appeared. Ash stood in front of the four Ground types, thinking about which ones to bring for his Gym Battle.
"Man… this is going to be harder than I thought," he sighed.
"Well, since you know the Gym Leader will use Ground types it stands to reason that Torterra will be able to cause some real problems," Nikki stated.
"Good point," Ash agreed. "Okay, Torterra. You're on the team." The Continent Pokémon grunted his approval. With one Pokémon decided the Pallet Town native went back into thought-mode.
"That still leaves two slots open with three Pokémon to choose from," Ash mused. "I wish there was an easy way to decide."
"Why don't you battle with them and see who performs the best," Nikki suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea. Are you offering to be my sparring partner?" Ash asked. As soon as he asked Nikki held up her hands in defense.
"Oh no. You're Pokémon are too strong for mine," she stated. Ash let out a sigh, realizing the girl was right.
"Well I don't want to pit them against each other. I need another trainer to test them against," he said.
"I'll battle you." The duo turned around and saw three trainers, two boys and a girl, approaching them. One of the boys, who appeared to be the elder of the group, was dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off, jeans that were frayed in the back and black shoes. He also had spiky blonde hair, red eyes and what appeared to be tribal tattoos on his left arm. The younger boy, who had brown hair and red eyes, wore a grey t-shirt, jeans and black shoes. The girl had long black hair and sparkling blue eyes and was wearing a blue shirt, jeans and white shoes.
"Sorry if we startled you," the girl said.
"Oh, that's okay. We just didn't know anyone else was here," Nikki reassured her.
"Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Itchy Kokochi from Goldenrod City," the older boy said. "This is my brother Scratchy Kokochi, also from Goldenrod, and my girlfriend Dani Ibu from Olivine City."
"Hi," Scratchy said.
"Nice to meet you," Dani added.
"Likewise," Ash replied. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
"And I'm Nikita Lyons from Pinegrove Town, but everyone calls me Nikki," Nikki added. With the introductions done Itchy looked at Ash's Pokémon.
"These are some powerful-looking Pokémon," he commented. "You wouldn't happen to be getting ready to challenge the Gym Leader, would you?"
"I am, as soon as I can decide who to use that is," Ash answered. "You see, that's what I was doing out here when you showed up." After listening to Ash's dilemma Itchy gazed at Gible, Donphan and Onix.
"So it's between these three, huh," he guessed. "Well, you can pit them against my team if you want." Almost immediately a look of determination appeared on Ash's face.
"You're on!" he declared.
"Good. Would you mind being the ref, bro?" Itchy requested.
"Sure thing," Scratchy complied. As Ash and Itchy took their places on each side of the field Dani and Nikki went over to the sidelines.
"So, just how good is your boyfriend?" Dani asked.
"Huh? Boyfriend? Who, Ash?" Nikki questioned.
"Well, yeah. I mean, he is your boyfriend, isn't he?" Dani wondered.
"What? No, no, no! We're just friends! I haven't even known him that long!" Nikki said defensively. Dani quickly held up her hands.
"Okay, okay! I was just wondering," she stated. "In any case they're about to start the battle." Looking back at the field Ash and Itchy were indeed ready to begin their battle.
"Three-on-three, right?" Itchy asked.
"Yeah," Ash answered.
"Okay, send out your first Pokémon!" Scratchy called. Each trainer grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it out.
"Go, Donphan!" Ash shouted.
"Izanami, go!" Itchy shouted. From Ash's Poké Ball came his Donphan and from Itchy's came a female Gengar.
"So he's starting with her," Dani commented. Nikki took this time to take out her Pokédex and scan the two battling Pokémon.
Donphan, the Armor Pokémon. It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
Gengar, the Gas Pokémon. It steals heat from its surroundings. If you feel a sudden chill, it is certain a Gengar appeared.
"This will be an interesting first match," Dani commented.
"Okay… begin!" Scratchy shouted.
"Let's start off with Rollout, Donphan!" Ash instructed.
"(Let get things rolling!)" Donphan roared. He curled up into a ball and began to roll towards the Gengar.
"Float up and dodge!" Itchy shouted. Izanami obeyed her trainer and floated higher into the air, trying to dodge Donphan's Rollout.
"After her, Donphan!" Ash shouted. The Armor Pokémon bounced a few times while still doing Rollout and managed to launch himself up at the Gengar.
"Nice try, but not good enough! Ice Punch!"
"(Chill, big boy,)" Izanami taunted. She drew her fist back as it began to glow a shimmering blue. Then, once he was in range, she punched him as hard as she could. The Ice type attack damaged Donphan quite a bit, sending the heavyweight crashing down to Earth.
"Now finish him with Shadow Ball!" Itchy instructed. His Gengar brought her hands together in front of her, a small black orb of energy beginning to form.
"Quick, use Defense Curl!" Ash shouted. While Izanami readied her attack Ash had Donphan go on the defense. On Ash's command Donphan curled into a tight ball and braced for the attack. He didn't have to wait long, for moments later Izanami finished forming the Shadow Ball and hurled the dark orb down at the Armor Pokémon. As the attack hit Ash hoped Donphan's defenses were strong enough to take it, but his hopes were soon dashed as Donphan was soundly defeated by the Shadow Ball.
"Donphan's out! Izanami wins!" Scratchy announced.
"Izanami never did like taking too long with her opponents," Dani commented. Nikki was shocked to say the least. She never expected Ash to be defeated so easily.
"Itchy made that look so… easy," she said. While she thought about what she just witnessed Ash and Itchy recalled their Pokémon.
"That was a good effort, Donphan. Take a rest now," Ash said.
"Excellent work as always, Izanami," Itchy praised. "So, ready for Round 2?"
"You know it!" Ash replied.
"Good!" Itchy replied. "Let's go, Otohime!" His second Pokémon was a beautiful female Dragonair. Upon seeing his choice Ash began to think about who would be the best choice for him.
"Let's see… Dragon types are weak to Ice and Dragon type moves. In that case…" He grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it out.
"Go, Gible!" he shouted. Ash's Dragon type appeared shortly after.
"So it's Dragon vs. Dragon. This should be interesting," Dani said. With two new Pokémon on the field Nikki once again took out her Pokédex.
Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon. Its crystalline orbs appear to give this Pokémon the power to freely control the weather.
Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It nests in horizontal holes warmed by geothermal heat. Foes who get too close can expect to be pounced on and bitten.
"I wonder who's Dragon is stronger," Dani commented. Nikki wondered the same thing. She didn't know what Itchy's Dragonair was capable of, and she had only briefly seen Ash's Gible in action. To her this battle would be a toss-up.
"I'll let you make the first move," Itchy offered.
"Okay, but you may regret it," Ash warned. "Rock Smash!" On Ash's command Gible charged the Dragonair, his tiny fist glowing white.
"Stop him with Protect!" Itchy instructed. Gible swung with all his might, but his attack was stopped easily by Otohime's Protect.
"Now blow him back with Twister!" Itchy shouted. With a flick of her tail Otohime conjured up a Twister attack that blew Gible back towards Ash, damaging the Land Shark Pokémon a bit in the process. Ash was amazed by the power of the Twister.
"Looks like we're going to have to try something that hits harder," he commented. "Draco Meteor!"
"That little guy knows Draco Meteor?" Dani gasped. Nikki smiled as she watched Gible form the orange ball of energy in his mouth.
"Let it rip!" Ash cheered. Gible aimed skyward and fired the attack. Once it reached its apex the orb exploded into multiple smaller ones, each one plummeting towards Otohime. Itchy was so amazed by this it took him a while to call out his next attack.
"Gather up that attack with Twister!" he shouted. His Dragonair flicked her tail again and conjured up another Twister. The two attacks met in mid-air, but in stead of canceling each other out the Draco Meteor began to swirl around the Twister.
"This doesn't look good," Ash gulped.
"Now send it back where it came from!" Itchy shouted. Otohime canceled her Twister and allowed the Draco Meteor to continue to fall, this time heading for Gible.
"Quick, use Dig!" Ash shouted. Sensing the urgency in his trainer's voice Gible quickly dug underground, just barely escaping the incoming Draco Meteor. Unfortunately as the attack made impact it shook the ground violently, forcing Gible back to the surface. The Land Shark Pokémon was left dazed and slightly exhausted, something Itchy was looking to take advantage of.
"Get in there with Dragon Rush!" he instructed. With a loud bellow his Dragonair charged Gible, her body giving off a bluish aura.
"Quick, Gible, stop her with Dragon Pulse!" Ash shouted in a slight panic. Though he was slowly running out of energy Gible still managed to gather enough power to fire Dragon Pulse. However, in his exhausted state, his aim was way off as the attack sailed wide right, missing Dragonair completely. After that Ash noticed just how tired Gible was.
"He doesn't have enough strength to fire off another attack," he said. All he could do was watch as Otohime slammed into Gible with her Dragon Rush, knocking the little Dragon type out of the battle.
"Gible's out! Otohime wins!" Scratchy announced. Itchy recalled his Dragonair and thanked her for a job well done. Ash, on the other hand, ran out onto the field and scooped up Gible in his arms.
"Gible! Are you alright?" he asked.
"(I've… b-been better,)" he replied. "(S-Sorry I… c-couldn't win.)" Ash smiled and shook his head.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for. You did great out there," he said. Gible managed to flash an exhausted smile as Ash returned him to his Poké Ball.
"Okay, this is the final match! Choose wisely!" Scratchy called. Ash reached for a Poké Ball and threw it out.
"Go, Onix!" he shouted. The massive Rock Snake Pokémon emerged with a thunderous roar.
"He sounds ready to go," Itchy commented. "Then again, so are we! Go, Amaretsu!" His last Pokémon was a female Typhlosion, and from the look of her she appeared to be quite strong.
"I was wondering if he was going to use her," Dani said. Once again Nikki took out her Pokédex and scanned Itchy's Pokémon.
Typhlosion, the Volcano Pokémon. If its rage peaks, it becomes so hot that anything that touches it will instantly go up in flames.
"Pretty hot stuff," she commented.
"Ready to go?" Itchy called.
"Just a sec," Ash replied. Since he was a bit unfamiliar with Onix's moves he took out his Pokédex to see what they were.
Onix's known moves are: Iron Tail, Dragonbreath, Screech and Rock Throw.
"Nice set of moves," Ash commented. "Okay, let's start off with Rock Throw!" Onix bellowed loudly and slammed his tail on the ground. A small white sphere then appeared next to his tail. The sphere grew in size and materialized into a large rock. Then, with a flick of his tail, Onix sent the rock hurtling towards Itchy's Typhlosion.
"Smash it with Rock Smash!" Itchy instructed. As the rock drew closer Amaretsu pulled her fist back. Right before the rock made contact she threw a punch, shattering the rock into hundreds of pieces.
"Now use Sunny Day!" With a loud roar the sunlight in the area grew more intense, forcing everyone to try and shield their eyes.
"I can't see!" Nikki shouted. As she tried to see through the blinding sunlight Dani handed her a pair of sunglasses.
"Put these on," she said. Nikki thanked her and quickly put the sunglasses on.
"Ah, much better," she said. Thankfully for Ash his cap kept the sun out of his eyes, which meant he could see what was coming, though he wouldn't like it.
"Use Solarbeam!" Itchy shouted. Due to the intense sunlight Amaretsu was able to charge up the attack in a short amount of time.
"Counter with Dragonbreath!" Ash shouted. Onix managed to get his Dragonbreath off at the same time Itchy's Typhlosion fired her Solarbeam. The two attacks crashed into each other and began fighting for dominance.
"Keep it up, Onix!" Ash cheered.
"Don't give in, Amaretsu!" Itchy urged. Both Pokémon kept up their attacks with each side appearing to be on even footing, but then the intense sunlight began to fade, and with it the power of Amaretsu's Solarbeam died down.
"Now's your chance, Onix! Pour it on!" Ash urged. With his opponent weakening Onix increased the power of his Dragonbreath, slowly pushing back the Solarbeam.
"Switch to Flame Wheel!" Itchy instructed. With Solarbeam not having enough power to match up with Dragonbreath Amaretsu switched tactics, curling into a ball and surrounding herself with flames.
"Now head straight for Onix!" Fully engulfed in Flame Wheel the Typhlosion charged her larger opponent.
"Intercept with Iron Tail!" Ash instructed. Onix stopped his Dragonbreath and switched to Iron Tail, slamming his Steel-powered tail right in Amaretsu's path.
"Don't let that stop you! Take that Flame Wheel right up to Onix's face!" Itchy urged. His Typhlosion used Onix's missed Iron Tail as a ramp and used it to travel up his body right to his face.
"Now use Rock Smash!" With a mischievous grin she struck Onix with her fist, rocking the Rock Snake Pokémon.
"Now finish him with a quick Solarbeam!" Itchy shouted.
"Quick, use Dragonbreath to defend yourself!" Ash shouted. With a sense of urgency Onix fired a desperation Dragonbreath. Unfortunately in his haste his aim was off and he completely missed Amaretsu, allowing her to power up her Solarbeam and fire it at point-blank range. Needless to say Onix couldn't handle the attack from that close and was promptly defeated.
"Onix is out! Amaretsu wins! That means my bro Itchy sweeps the battle!" Scratchy announced.
"Way to go, sweetie!" Dani cheered. While she and Scratchy went to congratulate Itchy on his victory Nikki went to see how Ash was taking the loss.
"That was a tough loss," she said once she reached him. "How are you?"
"That guy… he completely dominated me the entire battle. I never stood a chance," Ash sighed.
"I know, but you shouldn't let that get you down," Nikki stated.
"Get me down? Are you kidding? After this I'm more determined than ever to beat him!" At that point Ash looked up. Rather than a look of disappointment his face was one of sheer determination.
"One of these days I'm going to beat him," he declared.
"(Ugh… what hit me?)" Onix groaned. Ash and Nikki knelt down next to Onix's head.
"How you feeling, big guy?" Nikki wondered.
"(Like a herd of stampeding Snorlax just ran me over,)" Onix grunted. Ash gentle pet Onix's head.
"Don't worry. I'll get you and the others to Nurse Joy as soon as possible," he said. With a grateful smile Onix nodded as Ash returned him to his Poké Ball. Then he, along with Nikki, Pikachu and Buneary, walked over to congratulate Itchy.
"Well, you beat me this time," Ash said, extending his hand.
"Yeah, but I had a lot of fun," Itchy replied, shaking Ash's hand.
"Me too," Ash agreed. "Your Pokémon are strong."
"Thanks. I've been training with them for a long time," Itchy explained. "In fact, all of our Pokémon have been with us for a long time."
"I'd love to meet all of them," Nikki said.
"We'd be glad to show them to you, but for now I think our Pokémon need another quick check-up," Itchy suggested. Ash agreed with him as the five trainers headed inside. As soon as they entered the Pokémon Center the trio of Jessie, James and Meowth appeared from within the bushes on the edge of the field Ash and itchy used for their battle.
"The twerp just got his clock cleaned," James commented.
"Now's our chance to swoop in and snatch up Pikachu," Jessie said. Just as the two of them were making their move Meowth stopped them.
"What gives, Meowth? Why did you stop us?" James wondered.
"Because we don't have the power to stand up to all five of those twerps," the Scratch Cat Pokémon said. "If we try anything we'll get blasted off faster and further than ever."
"You may have a point there," Jessie said.
"Then what do we do?" James wondered.
"Simple. We go out and add to our own team," Meowth suggested. Jessie and James looked to each other briefly before looking back at Meowth.
"What, you mean go out and catch more Pokémon?" Jessie questioned. Meowth nodded.
"But why?" James asked.
"Think about it. Whenever the twerp has to battle a Pokémon he's not used to battling against he struggles," Meowth explained. "If we go out and catch some new Pokémon and then battle him he'll have a hard time against us." Now his companions were beginning to see where he was going with this.
"So we get new Pokémon, surprise the twerp, snatch all his Pokémon, present them to the Boss and get ready to shoot up the ranks of the Team Rocket empire," James said.
"I like it," Jessie added.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" Meowth shouted. With a resounding cheer from his two partners-in-crime the trio left the vicinity of the Pokémon Center to go find new Pokémon to add to their evil team.
While waiting for their Pokémon to be returned Ash, Nikki, Itchy, Scratchy and Dani were sitting in the lobby discussing their goals. Ash was just finishing up retelling the events of the Sinnoh League.
"… and that's how it all ended. I really though I had a chance, but he utterly destroyed my team in the finals," he finished.
"Man, that's rough," Itchy commented.
"Tell me about it. I never felt so low in my life," Ash said.
"So, does that mean you're here to try and win the Legenda Championship?" Scratchy wondered.
"That's the idea. I hope to win and find a way to get stronger," Ash explained. "What about you guys?"
"I'm training so I can try and win the Johto League. After that I plan to open my own Pokémon Gym," Itchy answered.
"I'm traveling with my brother so I can learn as much about Pokémon as I can before I start my own journey," Scratchy said.
"I'm traveling with my boyfriend to find inspiration for new Capsule Seal designs," Dani answered. Upon hearing this Nikki immediately became more interested.
"You design Capsule Seals?" she asked.
"Yeah, or at least I want to," Dani answered. "Why? Are you a coordinator?"
"Yeah, I am. I'm trying to follow in my mother's footsteps and become a top coordinator," Nikki explained.
"Really? Then I may have you try out some of the Seals I design," Dani said.
"I'd be more than glad to try them out," Nikki said. Right then a chime went off inside the Pokémon Center.
"Looks like our Pokémon are ready," Itchy commented. The group headed for the front desk where Nurse Joy handed Ash and Itchy their Pokémon.
"Your Pokémon are all healthy now," she reported.
"Thank you," Itchy and Ash said simultaneously.
"However, I wouldn't recommend letting your Gible battle for a while, Ash. His exhaustion level was quite high," Nurse Joy said.
"I won't," Ash promised. With their Pokémon returned the group headed back outside.
"Okay, everyone! Come on out!" All five of them released their Pokémon. Along with the three that Ash battled against Itchy also had a Lanturn, a Ninetails and a Kadabra. Dani had a Scyther, a Pinser, a Growlithe and a Vulpix. From Scratchy's Poké Balls came a Flaaffy, a Machop and a Meowth.
"Wow! You guys have some nice Pokémon!" Nikki gasped.
"Thanks," Itchy replied. "You already met Izanami, Otohime and Amaretsu. This is my Lanturn Susanoo, my Ninetails Inari, and my Kadabra Omoikane."
"And these are mine. Flaaffy's name is Thor, Machop's is Odin and Meowth's is Loki," Scratchy said.
"Mine… don't have special names, but they're pleased to meet you," Dani said. All their Pokémon greeted Ash, Nikki and their Pokémon kindly.
"Nice to meet you all," Ash replied. It didn't take long for the Pokémon to begin playing amongst themselves, leaving the trainers to their own devices.
"So, any idea on a strategy for the Gym Leader?" Itchy questioned.
"Not yet, but that's never stopped me before," Ash declared.
"What if you can't come up with one?" Dani wondered.
"Then I'll just do what I always do… wing it and hope for the best," Ash answered.
"That may not work," Nikki stated.
"We won't know until I try," Ash countered. Nikki just sighed. In the short time she knew Ash she discovered that he had a way of making things work out in the end, no matter how unlikely it seemed at first. So rather than keep on the subject she joined the others in watching the Pokémon play. By this time tomorrow Ash would be challenging, and hopefully defeating, the Lunick Town Gym Leader.
Upon arriving in Lunick Town Ash and Nikki encounter a friendly trio of trainers. A battle follows soon after which ends in Ash being soundly defeated. What does this mean for his upcoming Gym battle? Will he find a way to win and earn his first badge? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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