I originally wanted to skip this episode, but I decided to keep it in for a special reason that you'll find out as you read it. Hope you'll like the sprinkle of surprise spice!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 7: You Said a Mouthful!

According to our maps, we were getting closer to Rustboro City, but we still had miles to traverse through the Petalburg Woods. We came upon a small town where we decided to take a brief break and stock up on food. May was very happy with the decision because she still lacked enough stamina to travel a long way by foot. We were done shopping and headed to the Pokémon Center when we came upon a large sign promoting a Gym.

"There's a Gym in this town?" Max questioned.

Ash read out the advertisement of this specific Gym. "'Wanna challenge the world's most powerful Pokémon? Come to Anthony's Gym and get the experience of battling a Pokémon beyond your imagination!' That sounds cool!"

"I wanna see the world's most powerful Pokémon!" May cheered.

I was a little skeptical about this Gym. Ash, Brock and I had already met the supposedly strongest Pokémon on the planet, Mewtwo. But there was no way somebody could've caught him, and he wouldn't allow it especially a complete stranger. The silhouette on the poster pictured a Pokémon I hadn't seen with my own eyes before, so I got slightly curious.

"How about we stop by and take a look?" Brock suggested.

"Sounds good to me! My Pokémon and I need training before the Gym in Rustboro City!" Ash grinned.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"I don't know if I should try it…", I said.

"C'mon, guys! Let's go to the Gym! I want to see the most powerful Pokémon in existence!" Max called, already running ahead with eager steps.

"No fair, Max! Wait for us!" May shouted, running after her little brother.

"I thought she said her feet hurt and she couldn't walk anymore…", I mumbled, recalling how she had complained about her sore feet moments ago.

"She's still a new Trainer, cut her some slack", Ash chuckled. "Besides, she and Max are both eager to see all kinds of Pokémon."

"A little motivation will do them good", Brock agreed.

"Well, when you put it like that, it makes sense", I giggled.

We followed the signs leading to the Gym I noticed didn't have an official Pokémon League emblem. Was this like a training Gym that didn't award challengers with a badge? My questions were interrupted by a crying boy who collapsed on his knees after he ran out of the courtyard. "T-This can't be…!"

Ash immediately rushed to aid the spooked Trainer. "Hey, are you okay? What happened?"

The young Trainer was so upset he couldn't speak a coherent sentence. "T-That Pokémon… I-It's just…impossible! I-It's not normal…!" He ran off once his strength returned to his legs, hurrying to the town's Pokémon Center to heal his Pokémon.

"What was that about?" May wondered.

"I think he challenged the Gym and got defeated", Brock assumed.

"Probably, but his reaction was weird", I said. From my observation, that Trainer didn't have the defeated look on his face. It was more like shock or disbelief like something happened that shouldn't have.

"Now I'm excited to challenge the Gym!" Ash rushed to the now empty battlefield. "Hello! I want to challenge the world's most powerful Pokémon!"

A man with a white and blue bird Pokémon with a large beak stepped out of the main building. "So we've got another challenger!" the man chuckled. "Welcome to my Gym! My name's Anthony! Did my ears hear right you wanna challenge us?"

"Yes, sir!" Ash nodded. "My name's Ash and I want to battle your undefeatable Pokémon!"

Anthony laughed heartedly. "I like your spirit, boy! Just to let you kids know, this is not an official Gym so you won't earn a badge if you defeat my ultimate Pokémon, Pelipper!"

His Pelipper flapped its wings eager to battle. "Pelippeeer!"

"Wait!" Max exclaimed while he adjusted his crooked glasses. "You're telling me the world's most powerful Pokémon is a Pelipper?!"

"You're correct there, boy!" Anthony replied. "I've trained this Pelipper that it's reached its capability beyond imagination!"

"Is Pelipper an unusual Pokémon?" May wondered before she picked up her Pokédex.

Pelipper, the water bird Pokémon. Water and flying-type. The evolved form of Wingull. Pelipper searches for food while in flight by skimming the wave tops. When it spots prey, it uses its large beak to scoop up the victim with water. It protects its eggs in its beak.

"To answer your question; no, it's more of a common Pokémon", I told her.

"What are the rules for this battle?" Ash asked.

"Easy, I battle with only my Pelipper while you can use as many Pokémon as you'd like", Anthony explained.

"Use all my Pokémon?!" Ash was surprised that, if possible, he could use his whole party of six Pokémon, but so far he only had three.

"Yeah, Ash! 'Cause it'll take lots of efforts from your Pokémon to take down my specially trained Pelipper!" Anthony cackled while clapping his Pokémon.

"Interesting concept, but I like it", Brock commented. "This gives equal training to every Trainer's Pokémon."

The others and I sat down on a bench to observe the battle between my brother and Anthony. The battle began with Ash calling out Treecko first who easily dodged Pelipper's first couple of moves before strange things started happening.

Pelipper took down Treecko with Vine Whip and then used Flamethrower against Taillow, two moves that didn't make sense because a Pelipper couldn't learn those even after immense training.

"How is this possible?! Pelipper isn't supposed to know those moves!" Max was in disbelief just like me.

"Maybe the books you read were wrong, Max?" May said innocently.

"No, they're not! Ashley, back me up on this!"

I was almost caught off guard when Max called out my name. "Umm, I know for certain Pelipper cannot learn Flamethrower or Vine Whip, but it can learn other moves like Shock Wave or Twister."

"See?! Even Ashley says so!" Max growled back at his big sister.

May shrugged lightly. "Okay, whatever."

"Pikachu, it's up to you now!" Ash called.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu leaped from my lap and rushed to the battlefield.

"Alright, be careful now, Pelipper!" Anthony warned his Pokémon, clearly knowing Pikachu had a huge type advantage.

"Pelii!"

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Ash yelled.

"You too, Pelipper! Use Thunder!" Anthony shouted.

"Thunder?!" Max and I gasped simultaneously.

"A Pelipper cannot learn Thunder at all!" I exclaimed.

Max clutched his head in disbelief. "What is going on here?! Nothing makes sense!"

Pikachu launched his Thunder from his body while Pelipper opened its large beak and fired a huge lightning bolt. Both moves clashed with each other and threw both Pokémon back, dealing serious damage to one another.

"Pikachu!" Ash rushed to his partner. "Pikachu, are you okay?!"

"Pi-Pika…"

"Oh no, Pelipper!" Anthony picked up his fallen Pokémon. "Hang in there, I'm gonna treat you! You needed to use a more powerful Poké- I mean, a powerful move! Now you know the true power of the most powerful Pokémon! I accept another match once Pelipper is healed!"

That slip of his tongue instantly caught my attention. I was about to ask him a question when Ash and our friends rushed to get Pikachu to the Pokémon Center. I was stuck in between, wanting to coax out the truth about Pelipper's secret but I was also worried about Pikachu. I gave in and ran after my brother. I could check on Anthony and his Pelipper later. It wasn't like their Gym would grow legs and run away, right?

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While Ash's Pokémon were getting treated by Nurse Joy, Max grabbed one of his books he brought along on the journey to look up details about Pelipper's moveset. Even I went through my Pokédex to find clues about that Pokémon's strange power.

"I don't get it!" Max clutched his head in frustration. "The book says exactly what moves Pelipper can learn and none of them are the moves Pelipper used before, except for Wing Attack!"

"Yeah, many bird Pokémon can only learn a certain type of attacks and only a few of a different type, but I've never heard of one that can use that many different types of attacks", Brock hummed.

I read the additional data of Pelipper in my Pokédex and one thing stood out. It said Pelipper could be used as a transporter and sometimes gave smaller Pokémon a flight if they needed to travel elsewhere for food or a new home. What if, just what if, Anthony was cheating by hiding Pokémon inside Pelipper's large beak and those were the ones behind the odd moves?

"Hey, kids! Did you just say a Gym?" A punk-like man in his late twenties approached us with a guitar case on his shoulder and a Mightyena by his side.

Max shrieked in shock, scaring our hearts out. "Max, what was that for?!" May yelled back with her ears covered.

"T-This man is one of Hoenn's Elite Four members! Sidney!" Max stuttered.

"Elite Four?!" Ash gasped as he returned to check the commotion.

Sidney laughed with a toothy grin. "I like your loud vocals, kid! You could become a musician when you grow up!"

"Groor!" Mightyena barked.

"This is so cool! I've never met an Elite Four member from Hoenn!" Ash smiled.

"I take it you're not from Hoenn, kid?" Sidney asked.

"No, I've come all this way from Kanto with my sister", Ash explained. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town."

"Sounds to me you've been a Trainer for quite some time", Sidney grinned before his expression turned serious. "Anyways, I'm not here for chitchat. I overheard you kids talking about a Gym. Are you talkin' about Anthony's Gym?"

"Yes, sir", I nodded. "My brother challenged that Gym and his Pokémon were defeated by a Pelipper that uses illegal moves."

"Illegal moves?" May repeated.

"It's a term when it comes to Pokémon that use moves they aren't supposed to know at all, like in this case", Brock explained.

"The Hoenn League committee has received multiple complaints about this fishy Gym and I was passing by when I was asked by the League to investigate", Sidney explained. "You think you can show me the way to the Gym?"

"Sure, we can do that after I get my Pokémon back", Ash nodded.

Like clockwork, Nurse Joy exited the examination room carrying Pikachu and Ash's Poké Balls containing his other Pokémon. "Your Pokémon has fully recovered, Ash."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Ash put away his Poké Balls while Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder. "How're you feeling, Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped happily before he noticed the adult. "Pika pi?"

"Pikachu, this man is Sidney and a member of Hoenn's Elite Four", Ash explained. "And that's his Pokémon… Um… Excuse me." He picked up his Pokédex to learn about Mightyena.

Mightyena, the bite Pokémon. Dark-type. The evolved form of Poochyena. Mightyena travel and acts as a pack in the wild. The memory of its life in the wild compels the Pokémon to obey only those Trainers that it recognizes to possess superior skills.

"Wow, it's a cool Pokémon", Ash smiled.

"You said it." Sidney patted his Pokémon, gently caressing Mightyena's fur. "Mightyena's been with me since the date I began my journey. He's my trusted partner."

"Oowl!"

May went to the bathroom but now she hurried back with a panicked face. "Guys, come quick! Something's happened!"

We rushed to the lobby and found a large group of people looking very defeated and sad. "What's with this crowd?" Ash wondered.

A man whimpered as he wiped his tear. "W-We challenged Anthony's Gym and lost to their Pelipper. A-A-And we had to give our Pokémon to them!" He started crying waterfalls after losing his precious partner.

"What?! That's not what I've heard in the report!" Sidney exclaimed.

"Anthony never said you had to give your Pokémon to him, Ash", I spoke up.

"This isn't like Anthony!" Nurse Joy growled. "He may have his pride, but he would never forcibly take a Trainer's Pokémon!"

"What made him change his mind in an hour after our battle?" Ash wondered.

"That's what I'm gonna find out!" Sidney announced. "It's time to start working, Mightyena!"

"Grrr!"

We showed Sidney the way to Anthony's Gym while passing by several other Trainers who lost not just the battle but also their Pokémon. Instead of getting greeted by Anthony, we were met by two strange people dressed up in suits. "Who are you guys?! You weren't here last time I challenged Anthony!" Ash exclaimed.

"We're his new coaches, young man!" the female person replied.

"Anthony decided to take a break so he asked us to take care of the Gym and his Pelipper while he's on vacation!" the male coach explained.

"Vacation? That soon?" Brock frowned, scratching his head.

Sidney stepped forward to take care of this mess. "Are you the ones who installed the new rule that you take challengers' Pokémon if they lose the battle?"

"Yes, but it's for a good cause!" the woman replied. "We'll train them so they can become just as powerful as this glorious Pelipper!"

Pelipper bounced to the battlefield, but its beak didn't look as sleek as before, like it was stuffed with something. "P-Pelip!"

"Tell me, gentleman! Are you and your Mightyena here to challenge us?" the male coach wondered.

"You bet I am!" Sidney grinned confidently. "But! I'll only challenge you lot if you accept my condition!"

"And what's that?" the woman asked.

"You give back all the Pokémon you've taken from the previous challengers!"

The woman pondered about that before she snapped her fingers. "Deal!"

Her companion was surprised by her agreement. "But, Jess-!"

The woman quickly covered her partner's mouth before he could utter more words. "We have nothing to lose, so why not add a little more spice to the battle? Besides, your Pokémon will be ours in the end."

Sidney picked up a Poké Ball from his pocket. "That's what you think! Go, Shiftry!"

"Shiiiftry!" A Shifty was released from the Poké Ball, ready and eager to have a battle. Judging from the size of its leaf fans, I knew it was a male.

"Whoa! A Shiftry! I've never seen one before!" Max's eyes glittered in awe.

Now it was my turn to check data of the new Pokémon with my Pokédex.

Shiftry, the wickid Pokémon. Grass and dark-type. The evolved form of Nuzleaf. Shiftry is a mysterious Pokémon that is said to live atop towering trees dating back over a thousand years. It creates terrific windstorms with the fans it holds.

"I guess this confirms that Sidney is a dark-type specialist", Ash commented.

"Piika…", Pikachu hummed in awe.

"Go, Pelipper!" the male coach commanded.

"P-Pelii!" Pelipper could barely chirp like it had its beak full.

Sidney snagged his electric guitar from his case and played it. Even if it wasn't connected to an output, it still made sounds, so I assumed there was an in-built battery and speaker. "Shiftry, use Fake Ou-ooo-ooo-t!" Sidney shouted with a musical tone.

Shiftry took a huge leap in the sky and slapped Pelipper's beak with his large leaf fans. The bird Pokémon flinched bad, preventing it to use a move. Or that was what I thought.

Without a command from the coaches, Pelipper fired Razor Leaves from its beak. It was another move it shouldn't be able to learn.

"Dodge with Double Te-eeam!" Sidney sang.

"Shiiftry!" Shiftry swiftly made hallucination clones of himself and hid amongst them, so the leaves hit one of those instead.

"That was odd", Brock spoke up. "Pelipper shouldn't have been able to use an attack straight after that Fake Out."

"Why is that?" May wondered.

"Fake Out is a move that causes the target to flinch, and that in turn causes them to need time to get out of the shock to move", I explained when Max didn't speak up.

Speaking of Max, I just realized he wasn't with us. Where did he run off to without telling us?

Pelipper had the next move and breathed Smokescreen as Shifty dispersed its clones. Sidney fixed the strings on his guitar before he strummed them. "Shiftry, faa-aaan it away!"

"Shiift!" Shiftry fanned his fans and easily blew the smoke back at Pelipper. Pelipper coughed so much that it actually threw something out of its beak. A couple of Poké Balls fell through the smoke like raindrops and landed on the battlefield. The coaches panicked when the capture devices were scattered around.

"Hey, where did those Poké Balls come from?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika pikaa!"

"Ash!" Max yelled. He came running out of the building with an ashamed Anthony. "Everyone! This is a trick!"

"Oh-uh!" the female coach gasped.

"I'm sorry!" Anthony instantly apologized. "I've been cheating this whole time, and then these people threatened to spill the beans if I didn't do what they told me!"

"Meowth, do something!" the male coach shouted.

"I'm the only one around here who's allowed to play tricks!" Sidney smirked. "Mightyena!"

"Ooowl!" Mightyena dashed toward the coaches and ripped their clothes off. I panicked at first thinking Sidney had lost his mind, but then I saw why he did that. The two coaches had hidden their true identity behind those odd suits.

"Team Rocket!" my group exclaimed angrily.

"Shoot, we're busted!" James panicked.

"Pelipper, listen to me! Spit everything out of your mouth!" Anthony yelled.

"Pelippeer!" Pelipper didn't hesitate to turn its body in an angle before it opened its large beak and threw out more Poké Balls, including Meowth who had been hiding in there this whole time.

"So that's the secret behind Pelipper's illegal moves!" Brock gasped.

"I knew it! What a dirty and cheap trick!" I growled. If there was one thing I hated, it was cheaters. Anthony bowed his head in shame. He had clearly learned his lesson, so I didn't stay angry for long.

Team Rocket quickly scrambled to get the Poké Balls they had taken from previous challengers. "Maybe, but we've got a high price!" Jessie cackled. They were very quick on their feet so they ran to the back of Anthony's building and jumped into their balloon where Wobbuffet waited for them. They lifted off with a large bag containing more Poké Balls dangling under the basket.

"Try catching us if you can!" James taunted.

Meowth and the human duo put up a suit with a protective gear. "And none of your attacks will work on us thanks to our gear!"

"Come back here!" Ash yelled.

"What do we do?! They'll get away with everyone's Pokémon!" May shrieked.

"No, they won't", Sidney said with his Pokémon by his side. "Not if we work together. Anthony, you want to make amends for cheating?"

"Yes, sir!" Anthony nodded.

"Then use your Pelipper to retrieve those Poké Balls and then dose the balloon with water."

"I get it!" Ash snapped his fingers. "Pikachu, be on standby!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded with a hiss.

"You heard him, Pelipper! Use Wing Attack!" Anthony called.

"Peliiip!" Pelipper flew gracefully with its glowing wings toward Team Rocket's balloon. They panicked at first, thinking it was going to slash the balloon itself, but their cries turned even higher when Pelipper cut the rope of the bag with the Poké Balls.

"Shiftry, catch i-hii-hiit!" Sidney sang.

"Shiftryy!" Shiftry jumped high up and caught the sack with ease, proof that he had been trained exceptionally.

"We got the Pokémon back!" Max cheered.

"The rest is up to you guys!" I nodded.

"Pelipper, use Water Gun!" Anthony shouted.

Pelipper spat water all over Team Rocket's balloon. They laughed it off thinking the bird Pokémon had lost its mind. Their laughs died down when Pikachu leaped up and fired a Thunder electrocuting them until their balloon exploded, sending them flying far away.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaiiin…!"

"WOOOBBUuuffet…!"

Sidney strummed his guitar one more time. "Excellent team wo-ooo-oork, everyone!"

"Oo-oowl!" Mightyena howled in the same note as its Trainer.

Ash inspected the Poké Balls we managed to save from Team Rocket's evil clutches. "The Poké Balls are safe! Now we just have to return them to their Trainers."

"I owe you all an apology and a thank you", Anthony said after he finished cuddling with Pelipper. "My dream has always been to have the most powerful Pelipper, but I guess my methods were wrong."

"Yeah, you may have cheated, but you handled Pelipper's power really well now when push came to shove", Max said.

"He's right", Brock nodded.

"If you and Pelipper train together, you'll become even stronger you don't need to cheat", Ash said.

"But that's up to Sidney if you can keep your Gym", I pointed out.

Sidney had put away his guitar and returned his Shiftry before he turned to Anthony. "You know what; you made amends now by retrieving those stolen Pokémon. And you repent and admit cheating is wrong, so I'll let you off the hook."

"Really?!" Anthony's eyes lit up with hope.

"But!" Sidney raised his hand up. "If the Pokémon League community hears about abnormal activities again, your Gym will get instantly closed! So do your best to prove yourself worthy by training your most trusted partner into the most powerful Pelipper, bro!"

"Owl!" Mightyena barked.

"I will! I promise, Sidney, sir!" Anthony shook hands with the Elite Four to seal the deal. "Next time I see any of you people again, my Pelipper will be ten times stronger than today!"

"That's great! I can't wait to come back and challenge you again!" Ash smiled.

"Maybe I'll also challenge you if we ever come back here", I nodded.

"This Pokémon stuff keeps getting better and better", May giggled.

"You can always find lots of wonders in the world of Pokémon, May", I smiled softly, liking how she giggled. "Just wait until we reach Rustboro City for a real Gym battle."

"Well, it's time for me to go. I've got a concert waiting for me", Sidney said. "Good luck with your training, kiddos! I'll see you at the Ever Grande Conference!"

"We will, Sidney!" Ash nodded. "And I'm gonna win this time!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu grinned.

I jumped onto my brother's back, catching him off guard. "Not if I win first, Ash."

Ash grinned with a chuckle. "We'll see about that, sis!"

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Ashley's party:
Emerald the Treecko (male)
Ruby the Ralts (female)

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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Tallow (male)
Treecko (male)

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May's party:
Torchic (male)

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Brock's party:
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)