After arriving at Unova, experiecing a great thunderstorm, Ash was about to partake in his first battle in the region, specifically against the upstart Trainer Hilda.
The field was big enough to accommodate a full on Pokemon Battle. The sun was still out, providing them with the perfect amount of light as they stood opposite to each other. Ash and Hilda stood there, with Hilda holding up her Poke Ball.
"You can use the field to your hearts content. As long as you don't damage the building, it's fine. So, are you both ready?" Juniper asked.
"Ready!" Ash and Hilda nodded.
"Good. Then let the battle begin." Juniper backed up as Bianca and Cheren were on the sidelines, eager to see this battle unfold. "Now, Ash, you have a slight advantage since you've already gotten used to this, but for Hilda, this is her first official battle."
"I know. I won't go too hard on her." Ash remarked.
"Hmph! Don't take me too lightly for a second. Oshawott! Let's go!" Hilda tossed the Poke Ball, releasing her Pokemon as Oshawott appeared before her. "You've got this, Oshawott!"
"Oshawott!"
"Pikachu. Let's show them what we can do." Ash looked to his best friend as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder, standing beside him.
"Pikachu!"
"Seems unfair, if you ask me. Going straight for the Pokemon that's super-effective against Oshawott." Cheren pointed out. "Wouldn't it make more sense to start with Oshawott?"
"Yeah! That's gotta be cheating!" Bianca exclaimed.
"It's fine. I want this." Hilda immediately revealed that she was alright with this decision, stunning Cheren, Bianca and Professor Juniper. "If this is going to be my first battle, I want to see how far I can push myself. I'm sure it's the same for Ash. Am I wrong?"
"Nope. It's the same for me." Ash nodded.
"That's very admirable, you two. And here I thought you'd be a bit more cautious. But if that's your decision, then I won't say anything further." Juniper let out a light giggle, amused by this development.
"However, you'd still better not make this quick, Ash. I don't want it to be over too soon." Hilda smirked, eyeing her opponent.
"You won't need to worry about that." Ash chuckled. "You ready, Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
"Begin!"
"I'll make the first attack. Oshawott, use Tackle!" Hilda ordered.
"Osha!" Oshawott charged right in, running on all fours. Pikachu eyed down his opponent, readying himself for the worst, if that could ever come. However, as Oshawott was approaching him, Pikachu's red sacs would crackle a bit. Not by his own will, but by themselves. Pikachu was a bit surprised by this, but did not pay much mind to it.
"Okay then. Let's play defense, Pikachu! Dodge!" Ash decided to take a defensive approach, with Pikachu leaping out of the way.
"Pi!" With swift movements, Pikachu distanced himself from Oshawott, but perhaps way more than he expected. As soon as he moved back, a strong crackle of electricity enveloped his body, causing him to rapidly zoom back to the point where he almost left the feld. "K-Ka?!"
"Osha?" Oshawott blinked in awe at this speed.
"W-What the?!" Hilda stuttered at such speed. "What was that speed..? "
"Woah, Pikachu. That was faster than what you usually do..." Ash remarked, finding it stunning that Pikachu moved that fast, even leaving behind a trail of electricity.
"Hmph! If you're gonna Pikachu move that fast to avoid an attack, then Challenge Accepted. Keep at it, Oshawott! Use Tackle again!" Hilda commanded.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott was off once more, charging at Pikachu, who was prepared to dodge once more. But this time, Pikachu was expecting the speed he wished to use for such a simple battle. But as soon as Oshawott came close, Pikachu moved faster than he thought he would, easily dodging the attack.
"Again?" Ash blinked twice, seeing Pikachu move at a higher speed than usual. Pikachu wobbled, almost losing is balance after moving so fast.
"Pi!"
"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash asked, looking at his partner. But it was clear that something was off about Pikachu. His red sacs kept crackling with electricity, like he's charged up to the max.
"Osha?" Oshawott was confused. What exactly was he battling?
"Pi...Pikaa!" Just then, Pikachu's body would let out a fierce burst of lightning that shot into the air, crackling violently as everyone covered their eyes from the strong light.
"Agh! Pikachu! Are you okay?!" Ash called out.
"What's happening to your Pikachu?!" Bianca asked. Pikachu would then start flaring lightning from his body continuously, unable to control the electrical power he was emitting.
"Woah!" Ash tried to get closer, but the sheer power Pikachu was giving off was too much. "Pikachu!"
"Pika! Pika-Pi!" Pikachu was trying to control himself, but to no avail. He didn't know why he was letting out so much electricity, and he didn't know how to stop it. A wild sure of lightning just kept pouring out, damaging the field and causing Oshawott to step back in fear and shock. Juniper squinted her eyes as she immediately thought about what could've caused this.
"Could it be...?" Her mind raced to when Zekrom briefly passed by minutes ago, causing that massive thunderstorm. Even though it wasn't confirmed to be Zekrom, Juniper couldn't think of any other Pokemon.
"Kaaa...!" Pikachu was too out of it to do anything. And thanks to this powerful surge of electricity, not only did he shock Oshawott with a stray lightning bolt, but he would also fall over, unable to handle it a all. Both Pikachu and Oshawott would fall to the ground, with Ash rushing over to his partner.
"Pikachu!" Ash held Pikachu up, checking if he was okay. The two of them had fainted as Hilda went over to Oshawott.
"Oshawott!" She exclaimed.
"Osha..." The Sea Otter groaned.
"That was short-lived but...not for the reasons I thought." Cheren said with a shocked expression. "Just what was that?"
"I-I figured he was strong but that was a bit much..." Bianca blinked, her hair being a bit frizzled as a tiny ounce of static electricity reached it.
"Quick. Get Pikachu and Oshawott inside!" Juniper obviously needed to heal them and not only that, had to check up on Pikachu. Something was very wrong with him. And as Ash and Hilda carried their respective Pokemon, they rushed back into the lab, where Juniper led them to a certain room.
In that room, Pikachu was laid down on a table while Oshawott was receiving the usual healing Pokemon receive. For Pikachu, he needed special treatment. Pikachu had these things attached to him, monitoring him and his condition. He was still out, and it seemed like nothing was waking him up.
The computers here were scanning him, Juniper and her assistants looking at the results as Ash was worried sick. "From the looks of it, he went through a Power Surge. It happens when Pokemon have been exposed to a high amount of energy. In this case, your Pikachu was exposed to Zekrom's passing, and that's what triggered the Power Surge. It's a dangerous condition that can be long-lasting if not treated properly."
"Zekrom?" Ash tilted his head. "You think so?"
"It's the only explanation. The timing lines up. From what I'm seeing here, his body was so overwhelmed with all that power. It's like he's overcharged." Juniper explained. "But luckily, I have the tools to help. We'll try everything we can to help him. There are some things that we can use to get him back on course. If he responds to it, then I can work from there."
Juniper and her assistants got to work. Ash had to step aside, watching Pikachu being taken care of. He felt responsible, as if it was his fault this happened. It wasn't, but it was hard to believe otherwise. Hilda watched this, feeling bad for him.
"Hey, uh. Sorry about what happened with Pikachu, Ash." Hilda stepped in. "Not the best start to Unova,uh?"
"Nah, it's fine. None of us saw it coming. But thanks, anyways, Hilda." Ash was appreciative of her kindness, but he was still a bit down.
"Maybe we can have our battle another time. Not exactly the best first battle for me either. I kinda wish I got to see what your Pikachu was really made of, but a part of me thinks I would've regretted it. At least I know I'm not going to be the only one struggling."
"Yeah. I feel the same." Ash looked back to Pikachu. "I just hope he'll be okay."
Time had passed. Roughly 15 Minutes, to be exact. During that time, Pikachu's power surge was coming to an end, his natural status returning. The pain was starting to subside, as his body was becoming stable. "Pikachu..."
"Is he okay?" Ash asked, hoping for the best.
"His Power Surge is over, thankfully. I can safely say he won't be experiencing another one again." Juniper responded. "After the work we did, you won't have to worry about his power going out of control.
"Man...!" Ash sighed in relief.
"Pika..." Pikachu's eyes slowly opened as Ash rushed to his side.
"Pikachu!"
"Pika-Pi!"
"You're alright!" Ash hugged Pikachu, with the Electric Mouse hugging him back. "Man, I was so worried about you, Pikachu!" As the duo kept hugging each other, a smile formed on Hilda's face. She didn't really know the two of them all that much, but she was at least glad for them. The worst had passed.
"Now then." Juniper got Ash and Pikachu's attention. "You all have somewhere to be, don't you? And that's the rest of Unova. You can finally start your journey now. You should set off. I'm sure you three will have a lot of fun. And you'll see what Unova really has to offer, Ash."
"Right. Thanks for everything, Professor Juniper. And thanks for healing Pikachu." Ash bowed. "We're gonna be on our way now."
"Take care, you two." Juniper waved goodbye. "Oh, and Hilda. If you find anything interesting, be sure to call me about it, okay?"
"Mm. Will do." Hilda nodded, following Ash out the door. But as they left, Hilda was already thinking of how to improve herself, especially after that experience. She didn't get to do much at all, but she was ready to make sure the next battle she has goes smoothly without any inconveniences.
With Pikachu being healed and taken care of, Ash and Hilda went on their way. Bianca and Cheren were ahead of them, but they all stopped for a moment in front of a route, known as Route 1
"Well, from here on, Unova's all ours to explore." Hilda said, looking back at them each. "I think the nearest place up ahead is Accumula Town. What about you, Ash? Where are you heading?"
"Wherever I can. If I'm gonna reach the Unova League, I gotta see and be and so many places, ya know. But hey. Since we're aiming for the Unova League together, why don't we head to Accumula Town together?" Ash reccomended.
"You mean travel together?" Hilda responded with a brow raised. "I guess it would be a good thing to stick by each other, but we already agreed on doing things on our own. Cheren and Bianca are for sure doing things are their own pace."
"But we'll all meet up from time to time!" Bianca raised a finger. "We'll see each other in the same gyms or places, I bet. No doubt about it."
"That depends. Bianca, it's a toss-up when it comes to how fast you'll get from place to place. You'll either take too long on something or rush through it." Cheren remarked.
"Hmph! I'll prove you wrong!" Bianca puffed her cheeks.
"In any case, I'm going to start catching some Pokemon before I reach Accumula." Hilda adjusted her hat. It'll be a bit of a long walk there. Not too long I don't think. Ash...Since you're already experienced enough, I wouldn't mind if you tagged along. That way, you can show me the ropes."
"No problem." Ash nodded. With that, the four of them all took their first step, entering the route and beginning their journey through Unova. Cheren and Bianca went Left to Right, while Ash and Hilda would go straight ahead.
Elsewhere, far from this area and somewhere in Unova, there was a small warehouse. The place was shrouded in darkness, located near some buildings. Despite how silent it was, it was not empty whatsoever. There were people and Pokemon present. Three specific people and Pokemon to be exact.
The sound of the warehouse door opening up showed three figures standing there. They were none other than Jessie, James and Meowth. Team Rocket. Once more, Team Rocket found themselves in another region, here on another mission, ordered by Giovanni.
"Alright. We're here. Just like the boss ordered." Jessie remarked. "We're looking for three things total. These beauties." In her hands, she held up two images. One was of a White Orb and the other was of a Black Orb, both of mysterious origin. "The first are these and that Pikachu of course. That's priority number one."
"These things are said to hold some powerful Pokemon? Wonder what's even sleeping in there?" James wondered.
"Whatever's in there's gotta be so good that the boss actually wants it just as much as that Pikachu." Meowth added to the conversation. "I betcha it's gonna make us look better than before."
"Asking around is the top priority. I bet someone here knows what these two are called. It'd be nice if we can find out now." Jessie placed the images of the orbs back into her pocket. "Come on, you two. Let's get started. If we're lucky, we'll find them in no time! And after that, Team Rocket will be in charge of Unova!" All three of them raised their hands, their ambitions big as always.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet popped out, enthusatic as well.
On Route 1, Ash and Hilda were making their way through the foresty pathway. Along the way, they hadn't yet encountered any Pokemon so far. They were just starting, so it wasn't too bad. While moving, Ash was jogging along, moving ahead of Hilda and already chatting about who he could partner up with first.
"Man, where do I start?! Maybe I could meet a Bug-Type Pokemon first. Or a Grass-Type or a Water-Type Pokemon!" He went on about the decisions he was facing. "What about you, Hilda?"
"Mm. It doesn't really matter to me, I guess. I just wanna catch whatever I can that I think is cute. Maybe even cool if I want. I'm still thinking about what Pokemon I should use, though. I wanna make sure it's the right one for me." Hilda replied.
"Ooooh! What about an Eevee? Sometimes that solves a lot of decisions problems. Well, at least from what I've seen."
"Eevee?" Hilda raised a brow. "I don't think that's in Unova. Well, from what I know so far. But that is a cute Pokemon. Cute Pokemon are just the best, aren't they?" Hilda gushed. "Like your Pikachu over there."
"Pika-Pika." Pikachu rubbed the back of his head, a bit bashful from being called cute.
"For sure. I've seen a lot of cute Pokemon since I started my journey. Like Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Psyduck, Togepi, Phanpy, Hoppip, Skitty and-" But before he could even finish, a rustle was heard, his movements halting. Up ahead, Ash saw something that caught his eye. "Huh?"
"Pika!" Pikachu pointed ahead at the weird sight and soon Hilda saw it as well. In one of the bushes, there seemed to be something purple hiding within them. Ash squinted his eyes to get a closer look, with Hilda doing the same. It was rather hug, having something gold on both sides of its build.
"What is that?" She wondered. "A Pokemon?"
"Could be." Ash muttered, taking out the Pokedex just to see. "Let's see who we're looking at."
"Axew. The Tusk Pokemon. They use their tusks to crush the berries they eat. Repeated regrowth makes their tusks strong and sharp. They mark their territory by leaving gashes in trees with their tusks. If a tusk breaks, a new one grows in quickly."
The image of this Pokemon showed up and it did not match what Ash, Pikachu and Hilda were looking at. It was far too small and lacked the same color palette, confusing the three of them greatly. "Hm... That doesn't seem right." Ash said.
"You sure you used the Pokedex right?" Hilda asked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Ash would shake the Pokedex a bit. "Ah, whatever. I bet that it's under something! Time to see!" Ash was going to approach it either way, strolling along. He wanted to make sure that he was completely quiet so that he wouldn't startle the Pokemon within it. But Hilda felt as if something was greatly amiss. If the image didn't show the right appearance, there was a good chance that wasn't a Pokemon they were looking at.
"Hey there." Ash would speak to the large purple visage in front of him, hoping to gets its attention.
"Xew?" From this thing, the Pokemon that was shown on the Pokedex appeared. Axew. The way he popped up startled them both, causing tthe Ash and Pikachu to scream a bit as they didn't expect it to appear like that.
"Gyah!"
"Pi!"
"Wah!" Suddenly, a third voice bellowed out of fear as well and it was coming from this purple thing that looked like hair. In fact, it actually was Hair. Hair belonging to a young girl who stood up, the berries she held in her hands dropping as she turned around. "Geez! What was that screaming for?!"
"Wait, that's hair?!" Ash was suddenly taken aback by that. The size of her hair caught him off guard. "I thought that was a bush or even a Pokemon at fit!"
"Hmph. So it looks like a Pokemon, does it?" The girl held onto her hair, puffing her cheeks while leaning towards Ash. "And excuse me if it looks too big, but it's not like a bush whatsoever!"
"I guess not. Sorry about that. But it is pretty big though..." Ash would acknowledge its size, but he got over it rather quickly.
"It's fine." The young girl leaned back. "But don't sneak up on me like that...Gave me a scare. Probably to Axew, too."
"Axew, Axew." But Axew wasn't scared whatsoever. Only the girl.
"Aw, look at that little cutie!" Hilda gushed once she locked onto Axew, seeing him in the flesh. But she wasn't the only one who gushed over a cute Pokemon. So did Iris once she saw Pikachu.
"Woah, no way! Pikachu?!" She crouched, immediately picking him up and hugging him. The girl, absolutely elated, started nuzzling her face against his. "You've got to be sweetest thing ever! So cute! And those jiggling cheeks..." She started flicking his red sacs out of joy. "You can't find anything this jiggly in Unova."
"Pi..." Naturally, Pikachu was uncomfortable, trying to break free of her grasp. "Pika-Pika...!" The more she hugged him, the more he struggled. And in that moment, Pikachu would use Thunderbolt, shocking her entire body with 100,000 volts of electricity.
"GYAHHHH!" The shock was too much for Iris, causing her to drop Pikachu as he scurried back to Ash.
"Pika!"
"W-What power..." The young girl coughed out smoke, her hair all frizzy as she fell flat on her face afterwards. Hilda chuckled nervously at this while currently holding Axew, doing less with him compared to what the girl did with Pikachu.
"Oh, man. Are you okay?" Ash crouched while looking down at the girl, helping her up.
"S-Sorry about that. I got carried away..." Iris laughed, admitting that she got a bit too excited. "I'm Iris by the way... Who are you two?"
"I'm Ash, and this here's Pikachu." Ash introduced himself and his partner. "Straight from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region."
"Pika." Pikachu waved.
"And I'm Hilda." Hilda walked over, handing Axew back to Iris. "I come from Nuvema Town, just like these two. Right now, I'm just starting my journey."
"So, uh, quick question for both of you. Did you all see or hear that Thunderstorm near Nuvema Town? Just earlier today?" Iris switched the conversation back to the Thunderstorm.
"Sure did. It was huge!" Ash spread his arms out to describe it.
"Professor Juniper said that Zekrom was responsible for it." Hilda answered.
"No way! Zekrom?!" Iris was surprised to hear that, her eyes wide open. "Did you see it?"
"Kinda." Ash replied, disappointed. "It was pretty far but I saw something flying away. Not sure if it even was Zekrom. I don't even know what Zekrom looks like."
"Me neither." The same goes for Hilda. Zekrom is a Legendary Pokemon after all. "Well, no time to dwell on it for now. If it was Zekrom, we're not going to be seeing it any time soon."
"Are you kidding me?! If it was Zekrom, that means it's close! It has to be!" Iris thought otherwise, her mind fixated on Zekrom right now.
"Hm?" Ash's attention went elsewhere once he saw another Pokemon nearby. Up on the higher parts of this area, he spotted a Deerling once more. This time, a sole Deerling. "Ah! Deerling right! I gotta see them up close!" Right away, Ash took off to see more of Deerling.
"A Deerling?" Hilda perked up upon hearing this. To her, that sounded like a Pokemon she could try and partner up with. "That's my chance! My first catch!"
"Wait up! You gotta tell me more!" But Iris wanted to know more if possible. More on Zekrom, that is. Soon, she started running after them both once they started following Deerling.
In the grassy fields, Ash and Hilda were out on the search for Deerling, with Iris right behind them. The three of them soon found themselves in a vast grassy area with not just one, but multiple Deerling. A herd of them. "Oho...Nice. And they're all in Spring, right?" Ash was amazed to see them all.
"That beats having to worry about missing the chance to catch a Deerling. This is my chance." Hilda muttered, taking out a Poke Ball. She would try and catch her first Pokemon.
"This is your chance to catch a Pokemon?" Iris asked, now seeing how Hilda was preparing herself. "You must be new to this."
"I am. It's the reason why I came out here. I'm as new as they get. But starting from now, I'll grow and that starts with catching a Deerling. Go, Poke Ball!" Wasting no time, Hilda threw the Poke Ball at Deerling with all her might, hoping to get a quick catch.
"Deer." But it all took was Deerling raising its head to headbutt the Poke Ball, sending it flying. The catch failed as soon as it started.
"...Eh?" Hilda blinked, looking dumbfounded. "W-What happened?"
"Well, doing it like that isn't gonna work," Ash chuckled, walking next to Hilda. "Usually, the way to catch a Pokemon is by buddying up with them. Usually, I get to know the Pokemon a lot, seeing what they're doing and all that. But there's option two. You gotta battle it first. Totally depends on what you want.
"Yeah. Everyone should know that." Iris shrugged while smiling.
"Hmph. Well, I didn't..." Hilda puffed her cheeks before taking out another Poke Ball. "I'm going with option two. Since we didn't get to have a proper battle earlier, I want to have a real one right now." Opting to battle Deerling instead, Hilda would point straight at Deerling. "You're mine, Deerling!"
"Deer!" Deerling huffed.
"Go, Oshawott!" By throwing the Poke Ball forward, Hilda summoned her Oshawott.
"Oshawott!"
"Okay.." Hilda slapped her cheeks for a bit. "All I have to do is what I did back at Professor Juniper's lab. But this time, I don't have to worry about any crazy lightning or speed. Let's try this again. Use Water Gun!"
"Shaa!" Oshawott opened his mouth, firing a stream of water at Deerling.
"Deer!" Deerling moved out of the way, evading the attack. It then charged straight at Oshawott, ramming into him.
"O-Osha!" The Sea Otter Pokemon stumbled and slid back from the tackle.
"Take offensive, Hilda!" Ash raised his fist, giving Hilda some tips. "Now that the battle's started, you gotta feel that flow and keep up that momentum!"
"Pi! Pika!" Pikachu cheered, agreeing with Ash. The two of them would know a lot about that since they do it all the time.
"Feel the momentum? Uh, I'll try." Hilda looked back before facing Deerling once more. "Use Tackle, now!"
"Osh! Oshawott!" Oshawott would rush in, thrusting himself at Deerling. He slammed into it, his head ringing a bit. Successfully, Deerling was knocked back, allowing Hilda to think of her next move. How was she going to follow up? Taking Ash's advice, she would try and feel that flow. "Then..Use Water Gun next!" She quickly said.
"Oshaaa!" Oshawott followed up right away, shooting out another stream of water at Deerling, striking it directly. Deerling's body was being pushed back by the force of the water, but it wouldn't budge.
"Deerling!"
"Gh! That's all it did?!" Hilda raised a brow, confused.
"Deerling's a Grass-Type! Water attacks aren't that effective!" Iris hollered. "How new are you to this actually?!"
"Effective or not, you can still win this!" Ash had a different opinion, believing that the Types did not matter. And he would know.
"Deer...Ling!" Deerling would then raise its leg, slamming its hoof into the ground. By doing so, the Season Pokemon would use Grass Knot as vines started travelling through the ground, wrapping around Oshawott's feet.
"O-Osha?!"
"Huh? What's happening?!" Hilda was confused by what she was seeing.
"It's Grass Knot! That stuff's gonna use Oshawott's weight against it!" Ash prompted, causing Hilda to gasp. "You gotta get rid of those vines!"
"Get rid of them?! Um...Uhh...!" Hilda tried thinking of a way to remove these vines from Oshawott before it was too late. Ash then recalled something. When reading the Pokedex entry for Oshawott, it mentioned something about its scalchop.
"The scalchop on Oshawott's chest! Try that out!"
"Pika!"
"The Scalchop? Oh, right!" Hilda nodded, remembering that vital part of Oshawott's physique. "Oshawott, use your scalchop to cut the vines!"
"Osha!" Oshawott grabbed hold of the scalchop, using it to slice the vines away. And it worked like a charm, the scalchop cutting throug hthe vines like butter.
"That's it! Nice job!" Ash exclaimed.
"Good work, Oshawott!" Hilda complimented.
"Osha!" Oshawott puffed his chest out after pulling ot off.
"Now, let's finish this! Use Tackle, one more time!"
"Sha! Oshawott!" Oshawott would advance on Deerling once more, aiming to make this the last hit on the Season Pokemon. Deerling would respond by using Tackle as well, charging at the Sea Otter Pokemon. "Osha!" Oshawott butted heads with Deerling, the two clashing in a head-on collision. But eventually, Oshawott would be the one to push forward, pushing Deerling back.
"Deer...Ling!" Deerling was losing its balance, almost falling over. This was Hilda's chance to throw a Poke Ball while Deerling was this staggered.
"Okay! Now's my chance. Let's do this!" She took out another Poke Ball, ready to catch her first Pokemon. "I hope this works!" With all the power she could muster, Hilda tossed the Poke Ball at Deerling, hoping that it would be able to successfully capture it.
"Deerling!" The Poke Ball smacked Deerling on the forehead, causing it to open up as Deerling got sucked in. After shaking thrice, the Poke Ball finally stopped moving, the button flashing red. Gotcha! Deerling was caught. Hilda paused for a moment, realizing that this was indeed a successful catch. Her first-ever catch.
"YES!" Hilda raised her arms in victory, cheering for herself. "I did it! I caught my first Pokemon!"
"Nice one, Hilda!" Ash cheered on, as did Pikachu.
"Pika!"
"Hm. Not too shabby for a beginner." Iris said. "Even if you did have some help from this guy."
Hilda picked up the Poke Ball, holding it close to her face with a smile that went from ear to ear. "It's all thanks to you, Oshawott. This is a start of something great. Glad to meet you, Deerling."
With her first catch being a success, Hilda was ready to advance from here. But before she can do anything else, she was recommended to have Oshawott and Deerling heal up after the battle. With Accumula Town being the nearest, she would have to stop by its Pokemon Center for that.
"Alright. I think we can head-" Before Hilda could finish, right behind Oshawott, a massive claw came flying in, grabbing the Sea Otter Pokemon all of a sudden with great force.
"O-Osha!"
"Oshawott?!" Hilda was shocked to see this, turning around to see what it was. Behind her, it was a massive machine with four arms, the lower ones having claws. It was none other than Team Rocket's many inventions, and in the cockpit, the trio were there as always.
"You guys, again?!" Ash looked up, seeing the trio. A part of him shouldn't be surprised that they would apear once more, especially in a new region, yet again.
"My Oshawott! Who are you guys?!" Hilda bellowed at them while Oshawott was squirming.
"What a question, twerpish indeed!" Jessie started the motto, her arms crossed.
"We'll answer these questions when we feel the need!" James continued.
"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future!" Jessie would proudly raise her arms while looking out into the vast blue skies.
"Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the black darkness of the universe!" James also did the same, following suit.
"And carving our names in the rock of eternity!" Meowth finished, raising his paw.
"The Fiery Destroyer, Jessie!"
"And with thunderous emotion, I am James!"
"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!" Meowth finally spoke up, flipping in between them both.
"Now, together!" All three would say in unison.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"...That was so lame." But Hilda didn't thin it was all that impressive whatsoever, causing Team Rocket to stagger and Jessie to lash out immediately.
"Shows what you know, 4th Twerpette! You wouldn't know style if it hit you in the face!" Jessie angrily shouted at Hilda for insulting the motto.
"Hang on a second..." James noticed that the machine was holding onto Oshawott and not the intended Pokemon. "Hm. Missed by a large mark. We didn't grab Pikachu. Oh well."
"Worth a shot." Meowth shrugged. "Oh, well. Guess we'll have to try again. Plus we've got one already!"
"And I won't let you take Pikachu! Give Oshawott back!" Ash demanded.
"You're in no place to give us demands, Twerp! Not now, not ever!" Jessie said, getting back in the cockpit. "Now, cough up that Pikachu and make this easy on us for once!"
"Thrusters on max!" Meowth would pull on a lever, causing the machine to unleash all four of its arms at high speeds. Ash, Pikachu and Iris had to quickly move out of the way, all three of them splitting up.
However, the arms would swerve, changing their directions immediately. By doing so, one of them managed to grab a hold of Axew, gripping onto the Tusk Pokemon. "Xew! Axew!"
"Axew!" Iris cried out. "Give him back!"
"Not a chance. He's ours now!" Jessie grinned, seeing Iris' anger. "Two down, one more to go~ And it's the best one!"
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachuuu!" Quickly, Pikachu released a blast of electricity at the claw, wanting to get Oshawott and Axew free. But to his surprise, the claw held on. "Pika?!"
"You should know by now that we're more than equipped to handle your lightning! Years of getting shocked by you has made it so that no matter what, all our creations will be perfectly lightning-proof!" James boasted. "Of course, this will be the last time you see any of our creations!"
"Team Rocket's got what they want!" Jessie laughed.
"Hm. That so?" Ash would suddenly smile, staying calm. He had something to offer to Team Rocket, ready to disprove that. "In that case, Oshawott, I choose you!" Ash would throw a Poke Ball forward, summoning his own Oshawott into the fray.
"Oshawott!"
"Ah! Another one?!" Jessie said in disbelief. "Doesn't matter! We'll grab it too!"
"Counting on you, Oshawott! This is our first battle together so let's do this! Use Water Gun!"
"Osha!" Oshawott used Water Gun, hitting the claw that was holding onto Axew. The strength of the water was enough to knock it off, allowing the Tusk Pokemon to be free once more. Team Rocket gasped at this as just one touch of the water would fry that arm, much to their shock. It was so easy too. No sign of struggling whatsoever.
"Xew!" Axew cried out after being released, with Iris thankfully catching him in time.
"That easily?!" Team Rocket said in unison, confused by this.
"Water Gun! One more time!"
"Shawott!" Oshawott would hold his breath in, ready for a second Water Gun. Team Rocket refused to let this happen again, unleashing their arms at Oshawott to try and stop him.
"Pika! Chu...Pika!" Intercepting these arms was Pikachu, who had used Iron Tail to do so. His tail glowed bright as he managed to block off all of the arms, protecting Oshawott.
This allowed the Water-Type to leap into the air, unleashing his attack onto the machine for a second time, this time targeting the very center of it. The blast of water was powerful enough to shake the entire thing, forcing Team Rocket out of the cockpit. The entire achine malfunctioned, releasing Hilda's Oshawott from its grip. Team Rocket shrieked as their machine failed rapidly, combusting right afterwards. And as always they were sent hurtling into the skies.
"It was completely Lightning-proof...but we ended up sacrificing any resistance to Water." James sighed.
"Either way, they were always vulnerable to water. What's even the point of machines?!" Jessie ranted, aggravated by this.
"Trial and error as always." Meowth shrugged as their movement through the air accelerated, causing them to go even further away.
"We're blasting off again!" The trio yelled as they vanished from sight.
After defeating them, they made their way to Accumula Town. A small town located in southeastern Unova. Known as a fast-growing town, This town offers great views due to its many hills. And like most places, it had a Pokemon Center. It was straight to that center to get them all healed up as the warm orange glow of the afternoon sun shone down on Accumula.
"Thank you for waiting. Your Pokemon are back to full health." The Nurse Joy of this town returned the Pokemon to their trainers.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy. Than you so much!" Hilda bowed her head before looking over at her Oshawott and Deerling. "That could've gone badly for you, Oshawott. Glad you're okay. All thanks to Ash."
"Osha!"
"Yeah. Thanks for that, Ash." Iris smiled, grateful for him saving Axew. "If you hadn't helped out, I would've lost Axew. That's for sure."
"No problem. Happy to help." Ash replied, happy to see everyone safe. "I'm just glad everything turned out fine in the end."
"Well, there's another thing to thank you for." Hilda nodded. "If you weren't there, I don't think I'd be able to catch Deerling. Or even Oshawott. You're good at this, Ash. I'm probably not going to ask for tips every time, but...I'm grateful."
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, acknowledging what Hilda said.
"You're more experienced than I thought you were. And since you saw Zekrom, you have to tell me more! I'd love to meet Zekrom more than anything!" Iris gushed as the three of them started walking off.
"Well, I'm still not sure about that, Iris." Ash chuckled, repeating that he only saw a bit of Zekrom but he still wasn't sure if it was the Legendary Pokemon. The trio continued chatting while leaving the area, as the journey continues from here, with obvious new friendships being formed at this very moment.