Chapter 137: Honey, I Blew Up the Urshifu

A week after their latest adventure in Galar, Ash and Goh went back again, this time to visit their old master Mustard on the Isle of Armor.

"Ah yeah! This will be the perfect place for training for The Masters Eight, right buddy?"

"Pi!"

"And we could use the training for Project Mew, right Cinderace?"

"Cinderace!"

At last, their boat reached The Isle of Armor. Honey was there to greet them.

"Ash, Goh! Welcome."

"Hi, Mrs. Honey. Is Master Mustard in?"

"He is indeed! Come on, he'll be happy to see his favorite prodigies."

They found Mustard in the dojo, watching over his newest crop of students spar. But his stoic demeanor changed when he saw Ash and Goh walking towards him.

"Ah, Ash and Goh, hello!"

His former students bowed, to which he returned.

"Ash, I saw you've reached The Masters Eight! Congratulations. Of course, I expected no less from someone trained by me."

Ash chuckled.

"Thanks Mustard, but I'm not done yet! I plan on going all the way!"

"Oh? Well then, you'd better train long and hard then. The tournament is only a month away, after all."

"Actually, that's why we're here. We were wondering if we could train here until the tournament."

"I may not be in the tournament, but I want to be in tip–top shape for Project Mew."

"Of course! My dojo is always open to my students."

A while later, Ash and Goh's Urshifu were sparring, trading blow for blow as the other students watched eagerly.

"Rapid Strikes!"

"Wicked Blow!"

The two charged at eachother once more, fists poised to strike. Ash's Urshifu struck with multiple, quick blows to critical areas, while Goh's dealt one hard blow to his opponent's gut, ending the match in a draw as their audience applauded.

"Great job, Urshifu!"

"You too, buddy."

The two Fighting types bowed, first to their trainers and then to each other. Mustard chuckled, clapping louder than anyone else.

"Well done, you two! I can tell you've trained them well."

"Thank you."

"Have you thought of Gigantamaxing them?"

"Are you kidding? Every time I try to get him to go into his Pokeball for it, he refuses."

"Yeah, same here."

Mustard tilted his head in confusion.

"That's odd, my Urshifu loves to Gigantamax. Why, when I first made Max Soup for him, he-"

Mustard stopped, chuckled, and slapped his head.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner? Your Urshifu won't Gigantamax because they haven't had their special Max Soup yet."

"Special Max Soup?" Ash repeated as Mustard motioned them inside.

Mustard led them into the kitchen, where a fresh pot of Max Soup was boiling.

"You see, almost every species of Pokemon who can Gigantamax loves Max Soup. All of them except Kubfu and Urshifu, that is. Regularly, it's too spicy for their liking."

"But regular Dynamax is still a thing, so why won't they go for that?"

"It's a matter of pride. They know they can go further, but because they can't reach it they don't want to settle for anything less."

"So what makes their soup so special, then?"

Mustard pulled out a map of the general area, and pointed to an island just off the coast.

"This is Honeycalm Island, home to Vespiqueen and Combee. Because of the Galar Particles surrounding the Max Den on the island, the honey produced by them has a very special flavor to it. Only their honey specifically is enough to satisfy an Urshifu's palate."

Ash got up, excited.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Goh cheered just as vigorously. "We'll get that honey in no time!"

Mustard nodded approvingly.

"Good luck! I eagerly await your success."

WIth their goal set, the two set course for Honeycalm Island. When they got there, they found that there was not much to see. Just a large tree and a couple of Pokemon sprinkled about.

"I don't get it," Ash said, scratching his head. "Where's this Max Honey supposed to be?"

Goh shrugged, leaning against the tree.

"I don't know. Are you sure we have the right island?"

Before Ash could answer, the whole island began to shake, and the Pokemon on the Island flew off or swam away.

Suddenly, a deep roar was heard from above. Goh dove out of the way just as a Dynamax sized Vespiqueen slammed down onto the island.

"I guess we found it."

But instead of being afraid, the two young researchers grinned wildly.

"Let's show this Bug how we do it back home!"

"Sounds good to me! Go, Lucario, Urshifu!"

"Cinderace, Urshifu, let's go!"

Their Pokemon emerged, ready to fight.

"Alright Cinderace, time to go big or go home!"

"Cinderace!"

"Alright Lucario, time to Mega Evolve!"

"Cario!"

With a broad grin, Cinderace returned to his Pokeball, only to come back out a minute later much larger while Lucario Mega Evolved before taking a fighting stance with their Urshifu.

"Alright then, let's do this! Cinderace, Max Lightning! Urshifu, Focus Blast!"

"Aura Sphere, Lucario! Urshifu, use Rock Smash!"

Vespiqueen launched several orbs of green energy, striking her opponents hard and fast. But they were not daunted by the attack, and rushed in to fight. Cinderace struck first, blasting Vespiqueen back with a lightning bolt to the face, followed up by several large chunks of rock and a Focus Blast from his smaller comrades. Lucario, on the other hand, did not launch an attack just yet, instead building up his Aura Sphere.

"Alright, great job guys!"

But Vespiqueen was far from done, and launched a Max Airstream at them.

"Max Guard, Cinderace!"

Cinderace jumped in front of their party, forming a protective barrier around them, keeping them from taking damage.

"Alright then, time to finish this! Cinderace, G-Max Fireball! Urshifu, Wicked Blow!"

"Now, Lucario! Urshifu, Surging Strikes!"

The two Urshifu pounced first, leaping into the air to avoid another Max Flutterby, hitting Vespiqueen with their signature moves on their way back down. Lucario went next, launching his massive Aura Sphere. The attack wasn't very effective, but the size of the sphere was still enough to make Vespiqueen lose control. By the time she had gotten her flight back under control, Cinderace had already launched his massive fireball, the attack leaving a massive explosion as it dealt the final blow.

"Alright, now's our chance!"

"Right! Pokeball, go!"

Goh quickly dynamaxed an empty Pokeball and tossed it, capturing the defeated Vespiqueen. The ball shook three times before it clicked and shrunk down, confirming it was captured.

"Alright! I just caught a Vespiqueen!"

"Cinder Cinderace!"

Ash chuckled as Goh and Cinderace did their high five/foot, before noticing something on the tree.

"Hey guys, check it out!"

Goh stepped over, scraping some off to examine. It was a thick, yellow substance.

"Do you think this is the Max Honey Mustard mentioned?"

Goh looked over at their Urshifu, who were licking their lips when they saw what it was.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go make some soup!"

Once they reached the dojo, Mustard eagerly took the shards of Honey and added it to the soup.

"So…now what?"

"Now we wait!"

They weren't waiting long, though, and soon the soup was ready for consumption. Mustard split it up into two large bowls and gave it to the two Pokemon, who slurped it down in no time. Once they were done, they slammed the bowls down, satisfied.

"Alright, are you guys ready to test it out?"

"Shifu!"

Ash and Goh were once more on the battlefield, their Pokemon eagerly awaiting their next move.

"Alright, Urshifu return!"

"Come back, Urshifu!"

This time their Pokemon didn't resist, allowing themselves to be returned and their Pokeballs dynamaxed without issue. Once their Pokeballs were large enough, their trainers chucked them into the air, revealing their new forms, much to their trainers' delight.

"Aw yeah, this is awesome!"

"Looking good, pal!"

The two Urshifu bowed, gratefully. Ash and Goh then turned back to each other.

"Alright, ready for round two Goh?"

"Only if you're ready to lose!"

"Bring it!"