As they were approaching to the location where Ash was, Lillie, Dawn, and all the others who were with them, saw a large cloud of dust and smoke rise into the distance.
Before that, they felt the earthquake, and then the shockwave, before the cloud of dust rose.
None knew what's going on, but all of them knew that it's nothing good. They just hoped that Ash is fine, and that nothing has happened to him.
While the Professor Rowan, and his assistants were coming with the car, and Officer Jenny was riding her motorbike, Lillie was flying at the back of her Pidgeot. Dawn was flying on the back of Lillie's Aerodactyl, while Garry was riding on his own Fearow.
The three of them could have gone faster than those in the car, or the motorbike, but Officer Jenny didn't want them to rush into potential danger, so she told them to fly just above her.
But, seeing the explosion, and thinking that Ash might be in danger, Lillie, and Dawn decided not to listen to the Officer Jenny; and had Pidgeot, and Aerodactyl fly faster. Garry did the same with his Fearow, so all three of them went to see what's going on with Ash, and the Hunter J, while Jenny, Rowan, and the others, had to take the long road to there.
XXX
It took another five minutes of flying, for Lillie, Dawn, and Garry to reach the place where the dust cloud was located.
Even though they were there, they couldn't see a thing, as the whole area below them was covered in dust so thick, that nothing could be seen.
"What's going on here," Dawn shouted in worry!? "Where is Ash!? And who could have done this!?"
"Only Ash could have done this." Lillie replied to Dawn's question, making the younger girls eyes widen in disbelief.
Garry wasn't saying anything. He was just looking at the cloud of dust, and was wondering what happened to Ash, and why he did this much destruction just to stop Hunter J. Garry us 100% sure that this much damage isn't necessary to stop her.
Before anyone could ask, or say anything else, all three saw it.
In the distance, above the dust cloud, they saw J's ship rising from below the dust, and into the sky. They watched unable to do anything, as the whole ship turned invisible, and disappeared.
"Hunter J must be getting away!" Garry yelled, and was about to chase after the ship, but was stopped by Lillie.
"Don't go anywhere," Lillie shouted at the older boy! "It's pointless, as we can't even see her ship any more. Better stay here, and find out what happened, and where Ash is. That's more important than going after J."
"B-But what about the Shieldon she took?" Garry asked.
"We should hope that Ash saved it, and that they are both fine," Lillie said, with a worried look on her face. "If not…" she didn't finish her sentence. There really was no need. She simply didn't know what she would do if something happened to Ash.
They heard the sounds of engine approaching, and looked toward the ground behind them, where the dust cloud hasn't reached.
There, they saw Officer Jenny, along with the Professor Rowan, and his assistance. They stopped, and got out of the car, and Jenny got off of her motorbike, before they all stood there, watching at the cloud in front of them.
The three young trainers got back down on the ground, and once Lillie's two Pokémon, and one of Garry's landed, all three jumped off of them, and stood in front of Officer Jenny.
"What happened here?" She asked them.
"We don't know," Dawn replied. "It was like this when we got here, and we can't see anything."
"We did manage to see Hunter J's ship fly above the cloud, and fly away after it turned invisible," Garry said. "I wanted to go, and chase them, but…"
"But I stopped him," Lillie interrupted him. "I didn't think it was a good idea."
"You did well, Lillie," Officer Jenny said, before she looked at Garry. "Going after them would have been reckless, Garry. You would have placed yourself in danger."
"I know," he said. "But I just didn't want to let her get away after what she did. She took one of Shieldon, and who knows what she's done with Ash, as we don't even know where he is."
"I don't think that what happened here is because of her," Lillie said, getting everyone's attention. "I know Ash better than anyone here, including you, Garry. Even though you know him the longest, you didn't see some of the stuff I've seen him do, and whatever happened here, I know with 100% certainty, that this wasn't done by J, or even because of her. She doesn't require Ash to do something like this."
"What are you talking about, Lillie," Officer Jenny asked? "How could this friend of yours, do something like this?"
"Ash is an Aura Guardian," Lillie explained. "He can use Aura, and Psychic powers. He's the only one in the history of the world who had both of those powers, and because of that, he can do almost anything."
"So he could have done this?" Jenny asked.
"He could have," Lillie confirmed, getting wide-eyed looks from Jenny, Rowan, and his assistants. "But he wouldn't cause this much damage for no reason. That's why I doubt he did this. He has anger issues, and has gone over the top on some occasions, but this… this could have put all of our lives in danger, and he would never have done that to any of us."
There was a silence for a few moments, before Garry spoke. "I really hope you are right, Lillie," he said. "I thought I knew Ash, as we've been friends since we were practically still in dippers, but I've now come to realize that… I don't know him at all."
By then, the dust cloud has started to come down, and the visibility was getting better. Still, nothing clear could be seen, which means that the group didn't know where Ash is, and what happened.
But then. "HAHAHAHAHA," someone started to laugh. It wasn't a normal laugh. It was almost maniacal, and demonic in nature. "HAHA HAHAHA, HAHAHAHA!"
"This is amazing," a voice spoke from the dust cloud. A voice which Lillie, Dawn, and Garry recognized as Ash's, though it was considerably deeper. "I congratulate you… Zurmudd," Ash spoke though the dust cloud, his voice sending shivers down everyone's spines. "You've done something that no one has done in a very long time… You've injured me."
Then, there was a humongous pulls of aura, which spread around the area, and cleared the dust from the air, as if it was never there. This, allowed everyone to see each other. Ash was able to see Jamil, and Byoln shaking like leaves, as they were holding Zurmudd, who looks more dead, then alive. Ash was also able to see Lillie, and the others in the distance, but he didn't pay them attention.
The others were also able to see the three criminals, and wondered who they were. They also assumed that it was them who have done this. At least they assumed this because of Ash's words… and because of how Ash looks like at that movement.
Ash was also visible to everyone.
Now, compared to his usual look, which is immaculate, as he always looks like there isn't a single hair out of place, now he looks like he's been through the worst war in the history of the world.
The once immaculate look has been ruined. His cloths are all but completely gone, as all that was left were his pants, and even they were damaged. Ash's muscular body was clearly visible, showing his eight-packs, as well as veiny, and hairy arms, as well as some torso hair.
Normally, if any girls sees Ash like this, they would pass out from blood loss, but this time, all the woman, and man were looking at Ash's body, and they weren't seeing his muscles. They were seeing cuts, and bruises all over his body. They were all bleeding a lot, and it made Ash's body completely covered in blood… his own blood, for a change.
"You were able to injure me this much," Ash said with a large smile on his face. He didn't seem bothered by the injuries, or the fact that he's losing a lot of blood. "No one has done this before. NO ONE!
"It's a shame though… at least shame for you. You gave up over a DECADE of your life span to power up that Psychic Attack, and all you did was injure me. Such a shame, so much shame." Ash sang in the end, sending shivers down everyone's bodies. Everyone who saw Ash at that moment, wondered if he was even sane. This went even for Lillie, who knew him better than anyone there, but even she hasn't seen him like this before. Even when she has seen THAT… about a year ago when Ash was still in Alola. Up until now, THAT was the single scariest thing she has seen in her life, but this… this has overcome that by a wide margin. If for no other reason than because Ash was injured much more this time, AND, was injured by another human.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Lillie, and the others heard one of the man yell at Ash. It was the guy with black hair, though they don't know his name. "How could you have survived that!?"
"It will take much more then what you friend did to take me out," Ash growled, though he was still wearing a wide smile on his face. "That being said… it won't take nearly as much to dispose of the three of you."
As soon as he said that, Ash disappeared from where he was standing, which was dozens of meters away from Jamil, and the other two.
Everyone's eyes widened when Ash disappeared, none more so then Jami's, who knew that Ash has just teleported, and was coming for them. In an instant, fearing for his life, Jamil disappeared as well, just as Ash appeared when he and the other two stood an instant ago.
Ash saw that they've escaped, and roared. "COWERDS!" He was no longer smiling, and now had an angry look on his face, as his eyes glowed black. He wanted to kill something right now, but his targets have run away.
He turned his head toward the other group, and the moment he saw them, and they saw his black eyes; they all flinched, and started to back away from him.
At that moment, seeing that his girlfriend, and two friends were scared of him; it made Ash control himself, and start to calm down. The glow in his eyes disappeared, and his eyes returned back to normal, before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then just fell on his back.
XXX
Ash came back to the land of consciousness, but didn't open his eyes.
He felt that he was lying on the ground, and felt that there was someone doing something to him. It felt like someone was cleaning his wounds, and bandaging them.
Thinking back on what happened, he wasn't surprised, as he did have a lot of injures from the attack of that maniac.
Ash wanted to laugh when he thought of Zurmudd as a maniac. If he was one, then what was Ash himself? The things he's done in his life so far. The way he's acted after what Zurmudd has pulled of… it scared the shit out of Ash's friends, and those who were with them. Ash knew that. He knew that from now on, they will at least be weary of him, if not outright scared.
There was nothing he could do to change that now. He has made a mistake, and has slipped up. Now, he will have to deal with it.
Slowly, Ash opened his eyes, only to see Lillie, and Dawn on his sides, using some disinfection and cleaning supplies to clean his wounds, before they patch them up with bandages. He figured that at least one of his injuries will need to be seen by a doctor, but since there isn't any anywhere close, that will have to wait.
"I'm sorry," Ash groaned out, drawing Lillie's, and Dawn's attention. "I lost it back then, and I acted like I really didn't want to. As such, I'm sorry if I've scared you."
Lillie and Dawn looked at Ash for a few moments, neither saying anything. Finally, after about a minute, Lillie spoke. "We weren't that scared because of how you acted, as much as we were when we saw how your body look like with all the injuries," Lillie said. "I never thought that I will see you like this."
Ash smiled slightly, and wanted to rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he said. "I let that guy's attack hit me because I wanted to see what he was capable of. If I wanted to, I could have escape from it unharmed."
As soon as she heard this, Lillie's eyes flared in anger. "So all this is because you wanted to test some maniac's power," Lillie roared!? "Are you insane? And who the hell were those guy, anyway?"
Lillie's yelling drew the attention of Garry, Jenny, Professor Rowan, and his assistants. They were all a little away from Ash, and the girls, but now they approached them, as they saw that Ash was awake. They also heard Lillie's question, and wanted to know the answer to it, as well as ask few more questions.
"Well, If I say that I'm sane… that would probably be a lie," Ash said with a slight smile, though it quickly disappeared from his face when he saw that no one else was amused. He sighed. "I wouldn't go as far as to say that I'm insane, though. I guess it can go both ways, depending on the situation."
"I'm not amused Ash." Lillie said. "How can you act so nonchalantly after what happened?"
"Nothing happened," Ash said. "I saved the Shieldon which J took, though she was taken away by her man, while those three morons were holding me up."
"Who were those three anyway?" Jenny asked.
"From what I know, they are some criminals from Paldea Region," Ash said, getting wide-eyed looks from everyone. "They came here some time ago, though I don't know why. I know that they are the ones responsible for that crap which happened in the Oreburgh City when the Prehistoric Pokémon were released. They are the ones who stole the restoration machine from the Oreburgh Museum.
"That guy with black hair is also the one who… raped that woman in Oreburgh.
"Not only that, but they are the ones responsible for the attack on the Valley Windworks. The black haired one is the one who raped Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center near the Valley, while the other two are the ones who went into the Valley Windworks for whatever reason, and are the ones who killed the employee of the Valley, who also happened to be Nurse Joy's husband. Karsten, I believe his name was."
"They are some high level criminals, Ash," Jenny said. "All Officer Jenny's and the entire Police Force of Sinnoh has been after them, but we didn't have any leads, and only some sketches of their faces."
"Yeah, well, now you know how they look like, where they are from, and what they've done," Ash said. "I can tell you their names, as I've found out from the two times I've encountered them, though I can't tell you their goals. I have no idea why they are here, and what they really want."
Officer Jenny nodded at that. She will have to make sure that she has all information about those three, if they were ever going to get arrested for what they've done. She will also have to find out if the attacks on the Power Plants all over the Sinnoh Region, are the work of those three guys.
"Now, I want you to explain us exactly what happened back there?" Jenny said. The others agreed instantly. They also wanted to know.
Ash sighed, before he proceeded to tell them everything that happened since he split from Lillie, Garry, and Dawn. He said how he dealt with J's man, before he went to find her ship. He said how he run into those three while they were getting out of J's ship, after they robbed it blind. He said how he defeated them, and their Pokémon, before he got a call from Lillie.
Then there was the encounter with the Hunter J, though here he didn't say what he's done to her. He just said that he took the Shieldon from her, before he was attacked by those three. He said that while he was focusing on them, J and her man left. Then there was the explosion.
They know everything after that.
Everyone listened carefully while Ash was explaining. When he finished, Lillie, and Dawn sighed, while the others were quiet, and thinking of it all.
"So, J managed to escape once again." Jenny said.
"She did," Ash said. "But don't worry. She will fall one day. I'm sure of that."
"I hope so," Jenny said. "She has done a lot of bad stuff so far, and I can't wait to see her in jail."
Ash kept quiet at that. He didn't want to tell Jenny that the chances of J going to jail were minimal. Not if he has any say in it, and kills her before she's arrested.
XXX
Few hours later, Ash, Lillie, and Dawn found themselves in a small hospital, which was about 20 kilometers from where they were before.
The three of them were brought there via Professor Rowan's car, which one of his assistants drove. They were escorted there by the Officer Jenny, while Garry, Professor Rowan, and two of his assistants stayed behind to wait until the third assistant comes back from driving Ash, and the girls to the hospital.
Ash, and Garry didn't really get a chance to talk a lot after everything that happened.
Garry really wanted to talk with Ash, especially to ask him about what J told him, Lillie, and Dawn. He wanted to know if Ash really did what she said he did to her. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that now, but he will the next time they see each other.
Before they left for the hospital, Ash told Garry about the bag he took from Zurmudd, in which there should be Poke Balls with Pokémon, and some other stuff. He said that that was what Zurmudd, and the others stole from J's ship, and would have taken it all if he didn't stop them.
Ash did say that he has lost track of the bag when he was blown away by Zurmudd's attack, but he is sure that at least the Poke Balls were undamaged, and could be found somewhere in a mile wide stretch of land which had its top layer completely peeled off by Zurmudd's attack.
Garry promised he will search for the bag before he and the others leave the area.
The stay in the hospital wasn't long for Ash.
He had a lot of injuries, but they were mostly cuts and bruises, which were easy to deal with for the doctors. He did end up with most of his torso wrapped up in bandages though. Parts of his arms were also wrapped up, but due to the long sleeved jacked he was wearing - which looked exactly like the old one, as he had the whole suit in reserve – the injuries, and the bandages weren't seen by anyone.
Luckily for the gang, the hospital they were taken to, was in the same direction they were heading. That means that their journey toward the Hearthome City was shortened by about 20 kilometers, which is a lot. Probably a full day of journey. Maybe even more, depending on the road through which they are traveling.
And so, with the big problem behind them, and with Ash wrapped-up like a Christmas present, the gang continued their journey toward the Hearthome City.
Ash, Lillie and Dawn have finally reached Hearthome City.
The journey has been long, tiring, and painful, though it was also pleasurable… at least for Ash, as he has spent good time with Cynthia. Then again, it was also painful for Ash, due to his injuries.
The last few days since the encounter with Hunter J, have been slow, though a few interesting things happened.
The first is that Dawn obtained a Coin Toss app for her Pokétch. It's not like its particularly useful, but she was still happy with it. She does hope to get some more apps in the future, though.
The next interesting thing that happened was the encounter with the young girl, around Dawn's age, called Mira.
She convinced the gang to help her find something at the bottom of the lake. There used to be a town there, a town in which Mira lived. That whole place and the surrounding area have been submerged under water when the dam was built.
Unfortunately, when she left the town, Mira didn't have a time to get a Poke Ball which contained a Pokémon she used to care for along with her two friends, and as such, the Poke Ball, and the Pokémon inside it, were submerged under water while still in the old school.
The Pokémon was Sandshrew, and luckily for it, it was inside of the Poke Ball, so it wasn't hurt it any way. As a Ground Type, it would have never survived if the Poke Ball opened while it was hundreds of meters from the surface of the lake.
Getting pass the Gyarados which made the school his home, was no problem with Ash there. From there on, Mira led the way to where the Poke Ball was. She took it, and then they all together went back to the surface.
As a thank you for the help, Mira offered to have her Abra, Teleport the gang all the way to Hearthome City, so they won't have to walk.
Ash couldn't have done that himself, as he has never been in the Hearthome City, and he can't teleport somewhere unless he has there before, or can see it in the distance. Thus, he accepted Mira's offer. Lillie and Dawn didn't have anything against it, and were happy that they don't have to walk for almost two more days which is how much would take them to get to the Hearthome City.
Right now, the three of them are walking through the Hearthome City, on the way to the gym. Normally, they would first go to the Pokémon Center, rest, and have their Pokémon checked, but this time Ash, and Lillie decided to head to the gym, and see if it's even open right now. You never know with gym leaders, as for all they knew, the gym leader could have gone somewhere – like Gardenia was when they first met her - or is busy with something – like Roark was.
By the time they were few dozen meters away from the gym, the gang of three were able to see a familiar face standing in front of the entrance to the gym.
"Nando." Ash said in surprise. Though considering that the guy is also challenging the gyms, he isn't THAT surprised.
"Greeting, my dear old friends," Nando said, as he held his small golden harp, and played few notes. "Regretfully, the Gym Leader is not here." He sang with closed eyes.
Ash, and Lillie sighed as they heard this. "I guess I was right that we should check this place first before anything else." He said, before he cast a look at the Pokémon standing next to Nando.
"Nando." Dawn said with a smile on her face, as she held her Piplup in her arms.
"How nice to see you again, Dawn." Nando said.
Lillie also spoke. "Are you here for the gym battle, too?" She asked.
"Yes," Nando said. "I hoped that this time, I would team-up with my beloved Kricketune."
Dawn saw the Pokémon, and pulled out her Pokedex, to check it out. "Kricketune, the Cricket Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kricketot. It conveys its many emotions with the melodies it composes." The Pokedex spoke.
"I guess a musical Pokémon sounds like a good match for you." Dawn said to Nando.
"You're very kind," Nando said with a smile, but then frowned, "sadly, it doesn't appear that we'll get a chance to battle."
"What are we going to do now?" Dawn asked.
"There is a note on the door." Lillie said.
"The note says," Nando spoke, again pulling the strings of his harp, releasing a soft sounds of music. "I regret I'm going on a journey for quite a long while," he sang, before he added in a normal tone. "And don't look for me."
"That's weird for a Gym Leader." Dawn commented.
"Not that weird," Ash said. "Remember where Gardenia was when we first met her. And that isn't even the first time that we found out the gym leader left the gym.
"Then again. I don't remember one ever leaving like this, and not even saying when she is coming back. We don't even know when she left."
"She?" Lillie questioned.
"Yeah," Ash said. "The Gym Leader here is a woman. If I remember correctly, her name is Fantina, and she uses Ghost Types."
"That's going to be an interesting battle," Lillie said. "Ghost Types are hard to deal with."
"They sure are." Ash agreed.
"Then what are we going to do now," Dawn asked?
"Perhaps entering the Hearthome Tag Battle will be of some help." Nando said.
"What's that?" Lillie asked.
"Only the most famous competition in Hearthome City," Nando said. "It's where trainers from all over the world gather to compete in a challenging tag battle that will decide who reigns supreme."
"That sounds interesting," Ash said. "Well, I'm in. It's not like I've got something better to do," he looked toward Lillie, and asked. "Are you in?"
"I'm in," she said. "I can use a good battle to train my Pokémon."
"You can both register at the Hearthome Stadium." Nando said.
"Are you going to enter, Nando?" Ash asked.
"No, Ash," Nando said. "We have decided to concentrate on the Pokémon Contest, this time."
As soon as Nando mentioned Pokémon Contest, Dawn freaked out as she remembered that she didn't register for it.
XXX
Soon after, Ash and Lillie split up from Dawn, who walked down the street with Nando.
"Have you won any more ribbons since I last saw you?" Dawn asked.
"I still find myself with but one Contest Ribbon, and one Gym Badge," Nando said. "What about you, Dawn?"
"I only have one Ribbon," she said. "Tomorrow will be my first contest in a while."
"You must be quite existed." Nando questioned.
"I sure am," Dawn said. "It will be my first double performance, but thanks from good friends help, I can use combinations."
"Oh, sounds like a great friend." Nando said.
Minutes later, they arrived in front of the Pokémon Contest Stadium, where there are a bunch of people, along with stands with food, and different accessories for sale.
Among the crowd of people, was Zoey. She was seating by the desk, her Shellos in her arms as she was petting it. On the desk are her Glameow, and Misdreavus.
As Dawn passed on the road through the crowd of people, along with Nando, she spotted Zoey. "That's the friend I was telling you about!" Dawn said to Nando, as she run toward Zoey.
"Zoey!" Dawn called her friend, as she came in front of her desk. Zoey and her Pokémon looked at Dawn, and Zoey smiled.
"Dawn," Zoey spoke, as she stood up from the chair she was seating on. "You've made it."
"How are you, Zoey?" Dawn asked.
"I'm great, Dawn," Zoey replied. "Thanks for asking."
"Good to hear." Dawn said, as Nando approached from behind her, drawing Zoey's attention.
"Dawn, who's that?" Zoey asked.
"Hello, my name is Nando, Pokémon Bard, at your service," Nando sang. "It was after meeting Dawn, and her friends that I decided to take part in both Gym Battles, and Pokémon Contests."
"Oh, really," Zoey spoke in a… certain tone of voice, which made Dawn, and Piplup look at her with surprise on their faces.
"Indeed," Nando said. "It's an honor to be able to participate in both events."
"Nando's quite a busy person." Dawn said, almost wearing a look of constipation on her face. She knew that Zoey was annoyed, and didn't know how to react, except try and calm Zoey down, so she won't say something she might regret later.
"He really needs to make up his mind." Zoey spoke, not even looking at the tall man.
"My Pokémon guide me," Nando said. "That is a wise way.
"Do you not agree?" Nando asked.
Dawn and Piplup looked between the two with sweat drops on their faces.
XXX
Just like Dawn, Zoey, and Nando have showed up for the Hearthome Contest, so did Jessie.
Jessie's hair is flowing straight down to her mid-back, and the right side of her face, along with her right eye are completely covered with her hair. She wears very tight dark gray jeans, and burgundy colored crop top hoodie, with a zipper which was zipped-up to the middle of her chest, revealing her upper chest, and part of her breasts. Her chest are visible enough to make it obvious that she doesn't wear a bra. (I already described Jessie when she first appeared in Sinnoh, but this is just to remind everyone of how she usually looks. This is her everyday look, while she changes the hairstyle, and cloths when she participates in the contests).
She was currently in the Pokémon Center, by the video phone where she was talking with James. In her hand, she was holding two Poke Balls, with an unknown Pokémon inside of them.
"Thanks for sending these to me, James." She said.
"You're welcome," James said. "That being said, I had to pull them back from the training, so please tell me why don't you use your own Pokémon?"
"I wanted to try something new," Jessie said. "I think I can make it work with these two Pokémon, and pass into the battle round, where I'll use my own Pokémon."
"Fine," James said with a sigh. "Tell me. Have you heard the news about the encounter between the brat, and 'J'?"
Jessie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't," She said. "I honestly thought that they won't run into each other again anytime soon. After what he did to her, I assumed 'J' wouldn't want to be anywhere near him."
"She was hired by some rich old man to acquire the Shieldon," James spoke. "She found a bunch of them at the only place they live at in Sinnoh, which is at Mount Coronet. Unfortunately, she run into that brat, and barely managed to get out of there, though she is in a really bad state."
"What happened to her?" Jessie asked.
"Well…" James went and explained to his partner what he found out.
To say that Jessie was shocked, would be an understatement. "Is that even possible?" She asked.
"I don't know," James replied. "I didn't find out that much, but I do know that the Boss and several others are trying to reverse what Ketchum brat has done to J. So far, they've been unsuccessful."
"Unbelievable," Jessie said. "You know I don't like J, but I can't believe that he would do something like that to her. It's… monstrous. Especially when added to what he's done to her the last time. I would even say that what he did to us is nothing compared to what he did to her."
James gained a dark look on his face. "Speak for yourself," he growled out. "Your stay in prison may not have been so bad, but mine was hell."
Jessie sighed again. "Sorry." She said.
James took a deep breath to calm himself down, before he said. "It's fine. I just hate to be reminded of my time in prison."
Jessie didn't say anything that that. She did thank him once again for the Pokémon he sent her, before they ended the talk.
XXX
"Did you obtain some Prehistoric Pokémon like I asked you too?" A female voice asked from one end of the video phone line. She was shrouded in darkness, so her appearance was unseen… unless you count the middle of her huge breasts, which were the only visible part of her. At least her nipples seems to be covered.
On the other end of the line, were Zurmudd, Byoln, and Jamil.
The three of them stood in front of the video phone, allowing their boss to see the fact that all three of them look like shit. It's like they've been through war and barely managed to escape with their lives.
"No." Byoln said, before he looked down, and expected an explosion of shouting.
He was surprised by a quiet voice. "And why not?" The boss asked.
"We… had an encounter with that brat," Jamil said. "We did find a Pokémon you would want, but there were others who were after it, and then the brat and his friends showed up, and it all went to hell. We barely managed to get out of there, while the other side who was after the Shieldon; run away while we were fighting against the kid."
The boss narrowed her eyes, though the three of her subordinates couldn't see it as her face was shadowed by darkness. "That brat seems to be everywhere you are," she said. "He isn't following you by any chance… is he?"
"I don't think so, boss," Zurmudd said. "We did other jobs, and he didn't show up. Him showing up here, was just a coincidence, just like at the Valley Windworks."
The boss thought about it, and understood that that's most likely how it is. She decided to spare her subjects, as they did explain how powerful Ash is. She will keep them alive until she finds a way to confirm everything they said about Ash. Once she does that, and if she finds out that they've lied to her… they will wish they've never been born.
"How is the other job going?" She asked.
"Good," Byoln said. "We've visited several power plants, and sucked them of the energy using the Athame. The problem is that it's getting harder to do it, as by now the police and the Sinnoh Government have figured out that someone if targeting the power plants, and have increased the security.
"We've checked the next target. It's a power plant which gathers solar energy, and it's the largest in the Sinnoh Region. But as it is known by now that someone is targeting them, there is a large police force protecting the whole place. It will be very hard, and risky to attack it at the moment."
"If that's the case, then wait a little while for that assignment, and focus on acquiring some Pokémon," the boss said. "Especially some prehistoric, and pseudo-legendary."
"Yes ma'am!" All three said at the same time.
With that said, the line disconnected.
XXX
Dawn has expected a lot from the Hearthome Contest.
It was to be her Double Performance Contest, and she has trained hard for it ever since she first found out. Unfortunately… that wasn't enough.
Unfortunately, Dawn wasn't able to pass the Double Performance round, thus, she lost her chance to earn her second Ribbon. (It pretty much went the same as in the anime).
While Dawn didn't reach the next round, Zoey, Nando and Jessie, did.
The two Pokémon Jessie asked James to send her were Mime Jr. and Cacnea. With those two Pokémon, she was able to pass the Performance Round, and reach the quarterfinal match.
Dawn felt really bad for losing. She was angry, and couldn't even face her Pokémon, or friends. Not even the fact that they all told her that she did great, and that she was in perfect sync with her Pokémon, helped her. She just wanted to be left along.
It was once the contest was over, and when Nando defeated Zoey in the final round, after he first defeated Jessie in the semifinal match; that Zoey, talked with Dawn.
Both of them lost. Both of them felt bad about it. Thus, they were perfect to talk to one another.
In the end, both of them felt better, and promised that the next time, they will do much better than they did at the Hearthome Contest.
Ash, Lillie and Dawn were inside of the Hearthome City Pokémon Center.
It was a day after the Hearthome Contest was finished, but the three of them haven't left the City just yet. There is still the Tag-Team tournament which Nando mentioned.
"Here you go, Dawn." Ash said, as he handed Dawn a card with number 28 on it.
Dawn, who was seating down with her Piplup next to her, looked at the card, and asked. "What is that?"
"It's an entry card for the tag battle," Ash said. "This one's for you."
"Why me?" Dawn asked.
"Zoey suggested you should enter, right before she left," Lillie said. "She thought it would lift your battle spirit a bit."
"She didn't say anything to me about it." Dawn said.
"No matter," Ash said. "I think that it's a good idea, and that it would do you good."
Dawn thought about it. She wasn't sure if she should enter, but in the end, she accepted. "OK," she said. "I'm in."
Ash and Lillie smiled.
XXX
Sometime later, Ash, Lillie and Dawn were at the Hearthome Stadium, which was filled with the fans, who have come to watch what they hope to be some interesting battles.
The mayor of the Hearthome City announced the tournament from a podium which was located at one side of the stadium. Above him, and the podium, there was a large screen, which showed the mayor, so that the crowd can see him better, as the whole stadium was really big, and some from the top rows can't see that well all the way down.
While the fans were on the bleachers, all the competitors of this year's tag team competition, were on the battlefield, listening to the announcement.
Ash, Lillie and Dawn were among those competitors, standing next to each other. Dawn was holding her Piplup in her arms, like she usually does.
"This looks just like the Pokémon League." Lillie commented.
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "There aren't that many competition with this many people watching outside of the Pokémon League, and some of the larger Contests."
"This is so exciting," Dawn said. "I can't wait for it to start."
Near the end of his announcement, the mayor said that everyone should make sure that they have their registration cards, as they will need them to find out who their tag-team partner is.
The screen above the mayor showed the tournament bracket, where the numbers of the 32 trainers who were going to compete for the next three days, will be revealed.
In the bracket, each square contains one number, and the partner of the trainer of that number, is the one from the square right next to it. The winners of the top 32 round go to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, and finally, the final match which will be held on the third day of the competition.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the mayor pressed a big red button in front of himself, which started the shuffle, and the numbers started to appear inside of the squares.
At the end of the shuffle, Dawn was revealed to be in the A-Block, right in the first match.
Ash was in the H-Block, while Lillie is in the E-Block.
From there on, all trainers spread around the field searching for their partners. Ash, Lillie and Dawn did the same.
"Let's see," Dawn spoke to herself, as she walked over the field, Piplup held in her left hand, while her number card was held with her right hand, facing forward so that he partner might see it. "Where is number 9?"
"Well, how are you, #28?" A male voice asked, drawing Dawn's attention.
She smiled, as she looked toward where the voice came from.
"I'm fine." Dawn said, as she finally saw her partner.
It was a guy with green hair going over his ears, and down to his chin, while it's parted at the middle of his forehead. He wears glasses, blue pants, yellow shirt, and green vest over his shirt.
"That's good," the guy said, with a creepy look on his face. "Conway is the name. A pleasure."
Next to him, stood a Slowking, and the two of them looked at Dawn with looks on their face which freaked out Dawn and Piplup to the point that shivers went over their bodies.
"Nice to meet you," Dawn said with a forced smile. She was really creeped out by the guy. "I'm Dawn."
"Dawn, hay," Conway said while playing with his glasses. "My, my, there is a cute name. The perfect person to be our partner."
Slowking agreed with its trainer.
Dawn, and Piplup looked even more freaked out, and were ready to run away from the guy and his Pokémon.
"Who's that Pokémon," Dawn forgot the freakiness of her partner for a moment, as she pulled out her Pokedex, and along with Piplup, she looked at Slowking's entry. "Slowking, the Royal Pokémon. It has tremendous intelligence, and intuition. No matter what the situation, it stays calm and collected." The Pokedex spoke.
"Well Dawn, it appears Slowking has taken quite a liking to you." Conway said, still playing with his glasses. As for Slowking, it smiled as it agreed with what Conway said.
"Isn't that special." Dawn spoke, as she backed away just a little bit.
By then, Lillie has also found her partner. It was a woman named, Holly. She looks to be around 20 years old. Has auburn hair, and blue eyes. She wears white shirt, and mini shorts with a suspender, as well as black stockings.
A Wingull stood on her shoulder, as she and Lillie introduced to one another.
"How cool. A Wingull. " Dawn said as she approached them, and pulled out her Pokedex to see Wingull's entry.
"Wingull, the Seagull Pokémon. It uses its long wings to catch the ocean wind and glide across the sky, and then folds them when resting." The Pokedex said.
"Nice to meet you," Dawn said to the older girl. "I'm Dawn. Lillie and I are traveling together."
"Hi, Dawn. My name is Holly." Holly said, as she and Dawn shock hands.
While Lillie and Dawn have already found their partners, Ash still hasn't, and is still going over the field, looking form them.
Then, a voice spoke. "It just had to be you."
Ash turned around, and saw Paul looking at him. He saw the card in Paul's hand, and the number on it, before he sighed.
"I guess you are my partner." Ash stated the obvious.
To the side, Lillie and Dawn saw Paul, and realized that he and Ash are going to be partners in this competition. "Luck of the draw. Ha." Dawn commented.
Paul looked at Ash, and asked. "What was that about at Amity Square?"
Ash rose his eyebrows. "What are you talking about," Ash asked back, before he decided to mess with him. "All I remember is that you got your ass handed to you by Cynthia."
Paul growled at being reminded of his sound defeat at Cynthia's hands. And she only used one Pokémon, while he used four, all of which were defeated by a single attack.
Talk about embarrassing.
"I'm talking about how you kissed her, you fool!" Paul yelled.
Ash raised his eyebrows again, acting all innocent. "She's my girlfriend," he said. "Why wouldn't I kiss her? Especially since we haven't seen each other in a long time."
Paul was shocked to hear the confirmation of what he already suspected. Cynthia is Ash's girlfriend, as much as that pains him to admit.
"How can she be your girlfriend?" Paul couldn't help but ask. He just didn't understand it.
"Why wouldn't she be?" Ash asked back.
"She's a Regional Champion, and you are not even a member of the Elite Four," Paul argued. "You are just another trainer on a journey. What's so special about you that she'd be interested?"
"I don't know," Ash said. "Maybe it's because I'm a really good looking guy," he still messed with Paul. "Or maybe it's because I'm good at… some stuff. Or maybe…" here his eyes narrowed, "because I'm a better trainer then she is, and the only reason I'm not a Champion is because I'm not interested in being one at the current time."
Paul's eyes narrowed, before he growled in anger. He isn't sure if Ash is messing with him, or if he's telling the truth. He does now that Ash is a great trainer, but if he's truly better then Cynthia as he says… of that, Paul isn't sure.
In the end, Paul decided to just drop it, and moved away from Ash.
As Paul was walking away from him, Ash asked. "Why are you here?"
Paul, as well as his Elekid, stopped when they heard Ash's question. "I'm here to meet some Fire Types."
That's all that Paul said, before he walked away.
Ash thought about what Paul said, and it didn't take him long to understand what Paul was aiming for. He plans to use Fire Type Pokémon to power up his Chimchar.
The mayor of the Hearthome City announced that the winners will receive Soothe Bells as a prize. He also announced that the tournament won't begin until later in the afternoon, so the tag-partners have time to meet each other, and make plans.
Conway approached to Dawn, and said that she was lucky to have been matched with him.
When she questioned that, Conway responded. "You see, after careful analysis of every league battle up to, and including the present, I calculated the proper formula for insuring that victory is ours."
"Ahm, great, Conway." That was all Dawn said.
Lillie, and Holly talked about strategy for their battles, while Ash simply stood there, and waited for the tournament to start.
Paul was doing the same thing as Ash, only a little away from him.
XXX
Sometime later, the first match of the tournament came, and passed.
Dawn and Conway had their battle, and managed to defeat their opponents, which means that they went to the next round. (It went the same as in the anime)
Off to the side, Ash and Lillie were commenting about Dawn's, and Conway's match, and about their strategy, which they agree to have been a good one.
Holly was also there, though she didn't say anything.
XXX
Several battles later, Lillie and Holly had their turn. Holly used her Wingull, while Lillie chose her Sealeo, to battle against their opponents Yanma, and Bagon.
The two girls were able to win their match against the two boys, taking them into the next round, where they joined Dawn, and Conway.
XXX
It was finally time for Ash's and Paul's first round battle. They went against two other guys, in a battle where Paul chose his Chimchar, while Ash used his Shinx. Their opponents used Magmar, and Rhydon.
Paul was very satisfied at the fact that he will have a chance to pin his Chimchar against a powerful Fire Type right in the first round, while Ash was calmer and more reserved, as he knew that his Electric Type, will have a disadvantage against a Ground and Rock Type Pokémon like Rhydon.
(This one also went similar as in the anime, though with some differences, since Ash used Shinx instead of Pikachu, and is a better trainer. I'll focus more on later battles, which is why I skipped first ones).
"I'm glad they won," Dawn commented from where she was standing with Lillie, Holly, and Conway. "But it certainly wasn't the greatest example of teamwork I've ever seen."
"Well my analysis is telling me that their win was the result of excellent separate efforts." Conway said.
"This has worked today, but tomorrow, it might not go this easy," Lillie said. "Especially if they don't learn to work together."
"You know that their problems are because of Paul, right?" Dawn questioned Lillie.
"I know," Lillie said. "The guy is just too different compared to Ash, and believes in different things, and ways of doing them. He's just stuck in his ways, and doesn't want to acknowledge that Ash is better than him, and not some ignorant punk."
XXX
That evening, while Ash, Lillie and Dawn were in the Pokémon Center, Holly and Conway were there as well.
Ash also brought Paul's Chimchar to the Pokémon center earlier, after he found them in the forest where Paul was training his Chimchar by having him defend against all of the other Pokémon which Paul had with him that that moment, which were Torterra, Ursaring, Murkrow, and Elekid.
Now, Ash is known for training his Pokémon really hard. Some would say he's putting them through hell, but even he knows when to stop, and how much to train them before he lets them rest.
When Ash saw how Paul was training Chimchar, and that the situation was getting out of hand, he took Chimchar, and brought him to the Pokémon Center. It was while Chimchar was checked by the Nurse Joy, that Ash finally found out why Paul is putting Chimchar through such training, when he isn't doing that to any of his other Pokémon.
Admittedly, it was Lillie who asked Paul this, and he decided to simply explain, as he knew that neither Lillie, nor Ash would give up.
Paul said that when he first found Chimchar, he was being attacked by a pack of Zangoose. At that moment, Chimchar was so afraid that he activated his true powers, and defeated all those Zangoose.
Paul knew right then and there that with that much fire power, he would be able to win a Regional Tournament. The problem is that ever since then, Chimchar hasn't been able to recreate those flames, no matter what he's been through, or better said, what Paul put him through.
Hearing Paul's explanation, everyone understood what he was doing. Did they agree with his methods though… that's questionable?
None said anything, though, so Paul just stood up from his chair, and left. Ash, Lillie, Dawn, Conway and Holly were left behind thinking on what they heard, and how would THEY try to bring out Chimchar's powers out. Would they do the same thing that Paul was doing? Or would they do something different?
XXX
The battles the next day went well for Lillie, and Dawn, as they both passed into the semifinal round.
Ash, and Paul also passed, but for them it was really hard to do so, to the point that Paul even gave up on Chimchar, which led to Ash giving orders to Chimchar, as well as his own Turtwig.
In the end, Ash won; thus, leading himself and Paul into the semifinal round, where they will go up against Holly and Lillie.
Ash felt like ripping Paul a new one after what the idiot did during the match, but contained himself. But then, Paul did the unthinkable, and released his Chimchar, as he didn't want to deal with it any longer.
Ash wanted to strangle the guy right then and there, and if it wasn't for Lillie and Dawn stopping him with great trouble, he probably would have killed Paul. He just couldn't handle the fact that after everything Paul put Chimchar through, he would just release him like that.
Seeing Chimchar look pitiful, as he walked away after Paul released him; Ash decided to take the Fire Type for himself. If Paul doesn't want him, Ash most certainly does want him. He will train him to become one of his strongest Pokémon, and show Paul the kind of mistake he has made.
XXX
The third, and last day of the tag-team tournament has finally come, and it was time for the semifinal battles.
Dawn and Conway have already had their semifinal battle earlier, and have passed into the final round.
Now, it was time for the battle between Ash, and Paul on one side; against Lillie, and Holly on the other side.
All four trainers stood at their sides of the battlefield, ready for the start of the battle, while the mayor of the Hearthome City, announced the start.
With his newly caught Chimchar perfectly healthy after a good night rest at the Pokémon Center, Ash released him from his Poke Ball, and had him stand next to him to watch the match.
"I know you and Ash are friends," Holly spoke to Lillie. "But don't hold back."
"Actually," Lillie spoke, "Ash is my boyfriend," Holly was shocked to hear this. "Don't worry though. I never hold back against him. I would be ruined if I did."
Holly was curious about what Lillie meant by what she said, but didn't ask anything. She decided to wait and see.
Off to the side, Dawn, and Conway were standing and watching as the match was about to start. "Just think, Dawn," Conway spoke. "We will be facing whoever wins this battle."
"It will be Ash, or Lillie," Dawn said. "I don't know which is worse."
"Staravia, I chose you!" Ash released his Pokémon for the battle.
"Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul did the same, and released his strongest Pokémon.
"Pidgeot, let's do this!" Lillie released her own strongest Pokémon.
Holly went last, and released her Pokémon. "Farfetch'd, you are the one!"
The four Pokémon appeared out of their Poke Balls, with two standing on the battlefield, while two were floating above it, and next to their partners.
Dawn saw Farfetch'd, and since she didn't know anything about it, she pulled out a Pokedex, and looked at its entry.
While she was doing that, the battle has officially started.
Ash started the battle with his Staravia using Aerial Ace on Pidgeot.
Lillie counted with her own Aerial Ace, which led to two Flying Type Pokémon colliding mid-air. In this battle, Ash's Staravia came up short as she was weaker, and was blown backwards from the force behind Pidgeot's attack.
Holly told her Farfetch'd to use Air Slash on Torterra, but Paul countered with Hyper Beam, which completely blew away the Air Slash, and hit Farfetch'd head-on.
Holly's poor Pokémon didn't stand a chance, as it fell on the ground, defeated in one move.
Farfetch'd was declared unconscious, and unable to continue, thus, Holly was out, and Lillie was left alone against Ash, and Paul.
Holly apologized to Lillie, with a sad look on her face, but Lillie said that it was fine, and that she shouldn't worry, as even though she was defeated, it doesn't mean that the battle is over.
Lillie turned toward the battlefield, and told her Pidgeot to use Heat Wave, much to the shock of many, including Paul, as he knew that a Fire Type attack like that is going to do a lot of damage to his Torterra.
Pidgeot flapped her wings, starting up an orange-colored wind which spread toward Torterra, who didn't even try to block, and was hit head on. Torterra gave a cry of pain, as it was burned.
Conway had to explain to Dawn that since Torterra used Hyper Beam earlier, it has to recharge, which is why it didn't even try to dodge… not that it could dodge, as Heat Wave is the kind of attack which is really hard to escape from.
Paul greet his teeth, as she wasn't expecting this. He ordered his Torterra to use Leaf Storm, which the large Grass Type did.
The cyclone of leaf's went toward Pidgeot, but Lillie had a counter for this as well. She told her Pidgeot to dodge by flying up, and then use Steel Wing.
Pidgeot dodged the cyclone of leaf's, and then flew back down toward Torterra, with her wings glowing white. She was so fast that Paul didn't even have time to tell his Torterra anything, before it was hit on the head by a very powerful attack.
Torterra cried in pain, from the force of the attack, but it wasn't defeated just yet.
Paul told Torterra to use Stone Edge.
Torterra created a bunch of rocks around itself, which were sent flying at Pidgeot.
Pidgeot flew through the air, dodging the rocks, but eventually one of them clipped her, which slowed her down. Then, several other hit her, and sent her on the ground.
Pidgeot got up, and Lillie told her to use Air Slash.
Torterra used Giga Drain, as per Paul's command. The three mountains on Torterra's shell glowed green, and matching energy beams extend from their tips.
The Air Slash did hit Torterra at that moment, dealing it more damage, but Pidgeot was caught by the energy beams, and her energy started to be sucked out of her.
Lillie knew that she was in trouble at that moment, but there was nothing she could do.
She looked at Ash, and wondered why he wasn't attacking her. He was just standing there, much to her, and everyone else's surprise.
Could it be that he wants to see how the battle between her strongest Pokémon, and Paul's strongest Pokémon would go.
The energy beams created by Torterra retracted once it sapped enough energy to heal itself. This also means that Pidgeot was weakened, as she was now standing on the battlefield instead of floating above it.
Paul told Torterra to end the battle with another Hyper Beam.
Unfortunately for him, he miscalculated how much energy has been sucked out of Pidgeot. He thought that she won't be able to do anything, but he was wrong.
Lillie has trained her Pidgeot very well, and hard. She has a lot of stamina, and won't be taken down that easily.
Seeing that the Hyper Beam is coming toward her Pokémon, Lillie told her to fly up to dodge it, which Pidgeot did, thus the Hyper Beam passed bellow her.
Paul was shocked by this. He really wasn't expecting this, and growled in anger. He looked at Ash, and saw him smirking. Paul figured out quickly that Ash won't do anything, and will simply wait to see how the battle between him and Lillie will end.
Pidgeot used Steel Wing, and hit Torterra as hard as she could, slamming the large Pokémon's head into the ground.
Lillie saw her chance to end the battle, so she told her Pidgeot to use Hyper Beam right away.
Pidgeot fired a yellowish beam of energy at the Torterra, who was hit head-on by the very powerful attack. The hit caused a large explosion which completely covered Torterra in a cloud of smoke, leaving everyone to wait for the dust and smoke to clear out, so they can see if the battle was over.
It would seem that the wait won't be that long, though, as Paul suddenly told his Torterra to use Frenzy Plant.
Much to everyone's shock, a forest of roots sprung from the ground and from the inside of the dust, and went toward Pidgeot.
Pidgeot was high in the air, but the roots were long, and Pidgeot wasn't expecting them. Pidgeot was hit by the roots, and then fell to the ground in the middle of the battlefield.
Right after Pidgeot fell to the ground, Torterra followed it.
The referee looked at the two Pokémon, and saw that they are both unconscious, before he declared that they are both out of the battle, and since Ash still has his Staravia, he and Paul are the winners, and are going to the final round.
Almost everyone was shocked by the turn of events, Paul more than anyone else. He really wasn't expecting his Torterra to practically be defeated by Lillie's Pidgeot.
At that moment Paul realized that Lillie, is a much better trainer then he though.
The crowd cheered for the great battle they've witnessed, and hoped that the final round, will be just as good, if not even better.
XXX
"What the hell was that all about?" Paul yelled at Ash, once they were outside of the Hearthome Stadium.
Ash was just standing there with Lillie, and Dawn, when he was approached by Paul.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked back, once he looked at Paul, and saw his angry face.
"You know what I mean," Paul yelled! "Why didn't you battle?"
"Oh, that," Ash said, acting naïve. "Well, I wanted to see how you and Lillie compare to each other. Your strongest Pokémon, against her strongest. It was a good battle, you got to admit."
Paul looked at Ash with an angry look on his face, before he looked at Lillie. "You are a new trainer," Paul said to Lillie. "How can you have a Pidgeot that strong?"
"That was actually my first Pokémon," Lillie said. "I've had her since she was a Pidgey, and that was almost four years ago. So you see. I've had a lot of time to train with her, before I even became a trainer. Not to mention that I went to the Pokémon School in Alola, where Ash was a teacher… for a full year."
Paul looked at Ash in shock. "You were a teacher?" He couldn't believe it.
"I agreed to be a teacher for one year," Ash said. "It was a request from a friend, and I just couldn't refuse. Lillie was my student, though I knew her from before that. So you see, if you though that she's some weak girl, and a newbie trainer… you were wrong, as I've trained her, and taught there many things.
"To tell you the truth, I really think that she would be a nice rival for you, just as you would be for her," this surprised both Paul, and Lillie. "You are older, and have traveled more. She is relatively new trainer, but has had training from me, thus, you are relatively close to each other in skill, though Lillie's overall knowledge if greater than yours. As such, I think that you would be perfect rivals, who can help each other to improve.
"Wouldn't you agree?"
Neither Paul, not Lillie said anything. Lillie though about it, and kind of agreed with Ash, though she didn't say it. Paul on the other hand, just stood there for a few more moments, before he turned around, and walked away without saying anything.
XXX
The final match of the Hearthome City Tag-Battle has finally started. It was a match between Ash and Paul on one side, against Dawn, and Conway on the other side.
Before the battle started, each trainer chose their Pokémon for the final match, with Ash choosing his new Chimchar, and Paul chose his Elekid. Their opponents are Heracross, which was chosen by Conway, and Dawn's Buizel.
The battle was started by Ash who had his Chimchar fire a Flamethrower at Heracross.
Paul followed it up with his Elekid using Thunder.
Dawn returned the fire first with her Buizel using Aqua Jet to break through Chimchar's Flamethrower, and then crush into Ash's Fire Type.
Elekid tried to attack Buizel, but Conway told his Heracross to use, Revenge.
Heracross flew in front of Buizel, intercepting the Thunder fired by Elekid. Heracross was hit by the Electric Attack, but then once Elekid's attack ended, Heracross flew at it, and hit it hard with its horn.
Because it was hit by the attack first, Heracross power was doubled, as that's the power of Revenge. This means that Elekid has been dealt quite the damage.
Ash went with Dig as his next move, while Dawn tried to attack Elekid. It was the plan made up by her and Conway. They chose to take Elekid out first, as they considered it a bigger threat.
Elekid defended itself with Protect, which created a barrier in a form of a sphere around its body.
This was Dawn's and Conway's plan all along, as Conway's Heracross used Feint, much to Paul's shock, as he didn't think that Heracross can use Feint.
Heracross's horn glowed white as it flew from behind Buizel, and broke the barrier protecting Elekid.
Even Ash was surprised by this, as he watched Heracross hit Elekid with its horn, before it sent the Electric Type flying through the sky, and then fall on the battlefield.
Paul realized that this is going to be tough, as he has used Protect a lot to avoid attacks. The same goes for Ash, as he is known for teaching all of his Pokémon to use Protect. In his case, though, his Chimchar is a new Pokémon, so he still doesn't know Protect. Thus, it's pointless to think about it.
Buizel fired a Water Gun, which hit Elekid, but at that moment, Ash's Chimchar broke through the ground below Buizel and hit him in the chin.
Dawn quickly reacted, and counter-attacked with Aqua Jet. Buizel hit Chimchar, and sent it bouncing off of the ground.
As soon as Chimchar got up, Ash told him to use Flamethrower. Dawn countered it with Water Gun.
The two attacks collided at the middle of the battlefield, where they exploded, which caused the steam to cover that part of the battlefield.
Paul attacked again, as his Elekid used Thunder Punch.
Before Buizel, or Heracross could be hit, Conway told Heracross to use Megahorn.
Heracross and Elekid clashed mid-air, and were evenly matched. Again, both attacks exploded, and sent both Pokémon backwards.
At that point, Elekid was barely standing, which is clear to everyone. It was down to one knee, and his eyes were closed in pain.
On the other side, Heracross was undamaged. Its partner, Buizel was also undamaged. As for Ash's Chimchar, he was mostly fine.
Elekid wasn't giving up, though. It got up, and then started to glow, much to everyone's surprise, and Paul's satisfaction.
Moments later, the glow stopped, and in Elekid's place, stood Electabuzz.
Dawn who has never seen an Electabuzz before, pulled out her Pokedex, and looked it up. She has to admit that it's an interesting Pokémon.
Paul told Electabuzz to use Thunder as its first attack. First after evolving, that is.
Dawn, and Conway decided to attack first before Paul has a chance. So, Heracross used Megahorn, while Buizel tried to use Water Gun on Chimchar.
Chimchar dodged the Water Gun by jumping in the air, right in front of Heracross, and the fired a Flamethrower at the Bug Type.
At the same time, Electabuzz fired Thunder, which hit Buizel.
Heracross fell on the battlefield, completely covered in flames. Then, Buizel was sent flying by the Thunder, and crushed directly at the downed Heracross. The collision of the two Pokémon caused a large explosion which completely covered them in smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Heracross, and Buizel were seen standing next to each other, one of each of their hands supporting the other Pokémon so they won't fall down.
For a few moments, the Bug and Water Type Pokémon stood there, looking at their opponents… but then they just smiled, and fell forward. They were defeated,
The referee announced the end of the match, with Electabuzz, and Chimchar being the winners. The mayor announced the end of the tag-team tournament, and declared Paul, and Ash as the winners, and the receivers of the Soothe Bells.
XXX
About half an hour later, Ash and Paul were standing at the podium which was placed at the middle of the battlefield. All the Pokémon they've used in the tournament were standing next to them as well.
The mayor of the Hearthome City was also at the podium with them, where he presented each trainer with the Soothe Bell.
While this was happening, all the other participants were standing at the bottom of the podium, from where they were watching the presentation, and cheering for the two young winners of this year's Tag-Team Tournament.
XXX
Later that evening, Ash, Lillie, and Dawn were seating at the booth in the Pokémon Center. Dawn's Piplup, and Ash's Chimchar were also out of their Poke Balls, and were seating with the three trainers, who were drinking some juice, as they were talking.
"Congratulations, Ash," Dawn said, as she held his Soothe Bell. "You've earned this."
"Thanks, Dawn." Ash said.
"It's never fun losing a competition, but we'll win the next one." Dawn said, while looking at her Piplup. "Right?"
Piplup agreed with her.
"This was a great experience for all of us," Lillie decided to say. "I'm glad that we entered this competition, even if I lost in the end."
"Yeah, you lost," Ash said. "But you had a great match against Paul, and I think that you've got yourself a rival. I still stand by what I said earlier today. I may not like the guy, but he's a descent trainer, and you will only get better if you occasionally have a battle against him."
"If you says so, Ash," Lillie said, but then she motioned with her head behind Ash. "Speaking of Paul."
Ash turned around, and saw the guy was passing by then on his way… wherever he was going to.
Paul also noticed them, and stopped. He looked at Ash for a moment, and then pulled a Soothe Bell from his pocket, and threw it at Ash. Ash caught it in his hand, and looked at it. He was surprised.
"What's this about?" Ash asked.
"I have no need for that." That was all Paul said, as he walked away, leaving the other behind. They all looked at him strangely for a few moments, before they decided to let it go. By now, they all know perfectly well what kind of person Paul is.
Conway was also there, though he was seating few meters away from the gang while also drinking his juice. Once Paul left, he decided to say. "I've got an idea," he drew everyone's attention. "Why not go to the Veilstone Gym in the Veilstone City?"
"Isn't that where Paul is from?" Lillie asked Ash.
"I guess so," Ash said, as he thought about it. "Well, that's as good place as any for the next gym battle. So… I guess we are leaving in the morning."
Lillie, and Dawn agreed to that.