Ash knew they couldn't let Surge draw first blood. "Try to keep your distance for now. Take off with Quick Attack and use Shadow Ball!"

Eevee wasted no time breaking into a sprint, her four legs carrying her across the arena as Surge looked on with confidently crossed arms. Her speed had seen substantial increases since the battle at the Cerulean Gym, to the point where the only reason Pikachu still notably outclassed her was because of his own gains.

Raichu tensed up as the ball of distorted aura appeared in Eevee's jaws, the Evolution Pokemon turning her head to the side to fire the attack off at the electric type, while simultaneously running in a different direction to maintain the distance.

But the moment the Shadow Ball left Eevee's mouth, Raichu sprang forward.

The way she kicked off the floor was astonishing, her four paws carrying her blitzing body across the battlefield at a pace that left Eevee's eyes widening with a sensation of horror. The Shadow Ball missed its mark, and before Eevee could fire off a Swift, she was struck in her lower side by a tail coated in metal.

Ash couldn't stop his mouth from hanging open as Eevee flew across the battlefield, landing with a unceremonious thud as she struggled to her feet, the nasty bruise left behind by the Iron Tail aching.

That one display of speed… was that even faster than Pikachu? He supposed it made sense given that Raichu was his starter's evolved form, but… to see it in action.

Realizing that they were already on the back foot the moment the battle began, Ash called out to Eevee just as Raichu kicked off the floor once again, her arm beginning to glow orange.

"Hyper Voice!"

Eevee turned to face her opponent as quickly as she could, but to her shock, the electric mouse was already on top of her the moment her mouth opened to let the attack loose. Shockwaves erupted from Eevee's throat as she hollered out at the top of her lungs, attempting to push back against Raichu's sheer momentum.

But that momentum was already beyond stopping, and although Raichu mildly gritted her teeth at the newfound resistance that the Hyper Voice presented her with, her legs pressed against the floor as she pushed her way through the shockwaves and closed in on her prey.

Yelping in desperation, Eevee rolled to the side as her opponent's fist collided with the floor where she had previously stood. Shooting back up not even a second later, the Evolution Pokemon coated her tail in metal, swinging it out to catch the orange mouse in the side for a direct hit.

But her strike instead collided with Raichu's tail, coated in metal once again as Eevee snarled through clenched teeth, attempting to push back against Raichu's block. It proved meaningless, however, Raichu's Iron Tail not budging against her own, as the electric mouse's tail easily pushed Eevee's away as though no resistance was being put up at all, launching Ash's partner several feet across the battlefield.

Ash watched Raichu chase after Eevee, leaping into the air as Eevee flipped over and landed on all fours, sliding backwards across the arena as her electric type opponent rose above her.

'Those reflexes… that Raichu's reaction time was…'

"Swift!" Ash broke himself out of his thoughts, trying to stay focused aa he hollered out his command.

The golden stars erupted out of Eevee's throat, sailing a decent bit faster than they used too. The attacks were sent on a diagonal trajectory straight for their airborne target, only for Raichu's body to twirl, her tail once again turning metallic as she spun like a top, stretching her Iron Tail outwards as the golden barrage closed in on her.

The glowing projectiles scattered across the battlefield as the spinning Iron Tail smacked them away without effort, tiny explosions going off across the arena as the deflected stars pelted against the floor, Eevee scrambling away in no particular direction to avoid getting caught up in the onslaught.

Just as she stopped spinning, Raichu righted herself as she raised her tail into the air. Her cheeks violently crackled with lightning before her tail began to flash even more brightly. Doing a quick, downward flip, she thrust her tail in Eevee's direction as a bolt of electricity was sent flying for Ash's partner.

Just as the lightning left Raichu's tail, however, Ash's eyes lit up in recognition as it suddenly took the form of a large net.

Electroweb. And this one was crackling with near-blinding lightning, and a decent bit larger than the one that Ritchie had used against them before.

All Ash could do was shout for Eevee to get out of the way, the young quadruped slipping into her top speed as the net of lightning descended upon her. The electricity was almost too bright for her to focus her eyesight properly, but she was thankfully out of the Electroweb's vicinity just in time for it crash down onto the floor immediately behind her. An eruption of sparks became the backdrop of her retreat as the net exploded upon impact, rather than remaining where it was.

At the same moment, however, Raichu landed a few meters back, effortlessly catching herself on all fours and breaking into yet another blazing sprint. A second barrage of stars launched by Eevee proved useless as the orange rodent left their trajectory long before they had even approached, flashing into Eevee's vicinity before making a sharp turn to ram head-first into the young Evolution Pokemon's ribs. A loud cry echoed across the arena as Raichu's lightning-fast bulk sent a sensation of agony across her opponent's body.

The trainers on the bleachers let out passionate cheers as the quadruped was launched into the barriers nearby, combating the aches felt all across her body while struggling to pick herself up with a snarl. As she did, Raichu stalked towards her on all fours, gaze predatory as her cheeks continued to crackle.

Ash grinded his teeth, heart hammering in his chest. Eevee was already just about on her last legs… and Raichu hadn't received so much as a single scratch as of yet. Any attack that landed seemingly carried the weight of multiple direct hits, and the speed that she operated at, in terms of responding to attacks, delivering attacks, and especially moving across the battlefield, was unmatchable.

Looking over to Surge, Ash realized that he hadn't given a single command yet. The titan-sized Gym Leader just stood still, giant arms crossed firmly against his chest as his powerful gaze stretched across the arena, not offering his partner any input as she raised her tail high into the air, still slowly making her way towards Eevee.

With his quadruped friend almost at her feet, back to the barriers at the far side of the battlefield, Ash cupped his hands. "Eevee, are you okay?"

Eevee was on her feet now, taking just enough time to yell reassuringly in Ash's direction despite her light panting, before refocusing her attention on Raichu, darting off to the side in another effort to close the distance. The adrenaline pumping through her body clashed with the exhaustion and pain as she forced herself beyond her body's limits.

Just as Raichu responded by picking up the pace of her advance, Ash was already calling out to his partner.

She still wanted to fight. So they would.

"Hyper Voice!"

Eevee ceased her sprinting, but still slid backwards at high speeds as she abruptly turned her body around to take aim at her hotly pursuing adversary. The blast of shockwaves erupted from her throat, only for Raichu to launch herself into the air once more, soaring above the Hyper Voice as the attack began to fizzle out. Eevee's head inclined upwards to lock eyes with her rising opponent, just in time to see the electricity coating the orange mouse's body.

"OUT OF THE WAY! HURRY!" Ash's panicked warning was all that Eevee needed to hear (assuming she even needed that) just before Raichu curled her body up into a ball, a passionate battlecry escaping the rodent's mouth as the blinding bolt of golden lightning erupted diagonally downwards in the normal type's direction.

Eevee slipped into top speed right away, her adrenaline and panic completely overriding her aches and fatigue. But the Thunderbolt was just as blazing fast as she was, if not more, and no later than an instant or two after she had kicked off the ground, the enormous lightning bolt was already colliding with the floor where she had once stood.

Eevee was still right next to the explosion that the impact triggered, and found herself howling in a fit of helpless agony as the concussive force slammed into her body without mercy. No longer in control of her movements, she was propelled at least two and a half meters diagonally, before landing on her back and painfully bouncing another couple of feet away, maybe even a few. Even as she landed once more, she continued to slide a few more feet across the floor as she turned around just in time for her opponent to land in front of the large cloud of dust that the attack had left behind.

A couple meters or so behind Eevee, Ash's hand began to reach for his belt as he took not eof his friend's condition. Her knees kept bending, her body refusing to stay upright as the aching sensation shot across her legs, her ribs, and everywhere else. Large bruises and a few bloodied spots outlined her exterior as her gaze dipped slightly to the floor, her desperate attempts to catch her breath bearing little fruit.

But even as his hand gripped his friend's Poke Ball, Ash's eyes widened as Raichu raised her tail, a series of sparks forming into a large ball of lightning.

As Eevee lifted her head, only somewhat hearing her trainer call out to her, the Electro Ball was launched at just as great a speed as the Thunderbolt had been, colliding with the normal type as a second explosion went off.

Eevee's back smashed into the barriers directly in front of Ash, and with his friend's Poke Ball in hand, the rookie's face fell as the quadruped slid down onto the floor, head tilting to the side with no signs of consciousness.

As Raichu turned to walk her way back to her trainer, the referee raised her arms, her authoritative voice stretching across the room for all to hear.

"Eevee is unable to battle!" she gestured in Surge and Raichu's direction. "Raichu wins!"

Ash inwardly drowned out the cheers from the students as he pointed Eevee's Poke Ball in her direction, dejectedly watching his friend being pulled back into the safety of the orb.

"Eevee, I…" what was he supposed to say after a battle like that? Would an apology be enough to make up for such a disheartening experience? But he had nothing else to offer her, and he doubted saying anything else would be any more helpful. "I"m… sorry. This isn't your fault."

Just as he had returned his friend's Poke Ball to his belt, the familiar booming voice redirected his attention back to Surge.

"Is that the first impression you were planning to make in my Gym?" As Raichu stopped in front of her trainer, she turned around to face Ash with a confident stare, the massive man taking the time to crouch down and pat her head. "If the only thing to be expected from you is the same fragile desperation as the rest of your fellow beginners, you don't even deserve to have the thunder Badge in your thoughts." Standing back up, he crossed his arms, the distance between them doing nothing to shield Ash from the impact of his stare. "Your half-assed excuse for a teammate fits right in with their mockery of a trainer."

Ash's eyes blazed, his teeth grinding together as the trainers on the bleachers echoed in agreement.

'Eevee worked herself to the bone to get to where she is right now. Don't you dare make fun of her, Surge!'

But he was pulled out of his thoughts by Surge's voice yet again.

"Don't think I can't see your face from here!" the Gym Leader's expression tightened as he raised his fist in front of his chest. "If you can't work up the courage to voice your thoughts, then you're nothing but a coward for thinking them in the first place!"

Biting his lip, Ash continued to angrily stare down the Gym Leader as his hand ran across his belt.

'It doesn't matter who I choose next.' he silently realized. 'Either way, that Raichu will just outrun and overpower them.' How do you plan for a battle where you'll always be at a disadvantage?

But he had to choose someone. Surge was trying to get them to run away, but he would never disrespect Eevee like that. And he knew Pikachu, Valiant, and Tyrunt wouldn't, either. And Tempest was going to be determined regardless.

Surge offered Raichu a nod as the mouse made her way back to the arena, before the duo looked back at Ash expectantly.

Tempest appeared in front of the boy a few moments later. The Krabby's eyes lit up with pure ecstasy as he took in their surroundings, pincers mashing together with a starvation for combat.

"Tempest, we're at the Gym now." Asha addressed his newest partner as the River Crab hungrily zeroed his gaze on Raichu. "Eevee just got taken out with no trouble. This Gym Leader is dangerous, so be careful-" Ash's words only served to excite the water type further, as Tempest began dancing in place, the intensity of his battle-hungry glare continuously amplifying as he let out a series of loud grunts in Raichu's direction.

The boy frowned, breathing through his nose at the Krabby's antics. No doubt his warnings would incite more excitement than fear. But he supposed the silver lining was that Tempest wasn't deterred. He doubted there was going to be an easy way to get over Surge's team, so they would just have to utilize the water type's strength and defenses as best they could.

Without any words for Ash, Surge simply pointed Raichu's Poke Ball at her back. "Good work girl. Come back for now." Raichu responded with a firm nod as she was pulled back in by a narrow beam of red light. Moments later, Surge had another Poke Ball in hand, a new electric type emerging from the flash.

The creature was pink and bipedal, with a white mane of wool covering its head and upper body. Ash quickly recognized the creature as a Flaaffy. Another electric type native to Indigo. They were known for evolving into Ampharos, a popular pick among electric type specialists.

Despite the cute appearance of its species, however, this Flaaffy immediately hardened her expression into a firm glare upon noticing Tempest, who locked eyes with her with glee as he held a pincer out in front of him, lightly shaking it as if to present a challenge.

Surge smirked bitterly. "Let's see if you can change my mind in this round." he nodded to Flaaffy. "Otherwise, I'll be more than happy to let her indulge as well."

Ash didn't respond to him, simply returning his attention to Tempest with a thumbs up, as the River Crab turned to look back at him with a nod.

"I know you have Shell Armor, but keep your guard up anyway." Ash began as Tempest faced forward towards Flaaffy with his pincers still clicking together. "You have Metal Claw to help bolster your defenses further, and Mud Shot will be essential in this fight. Don't get cocky, but focus on winning, just like you always do." Ash allowed himself a light smile at the Krabby's affirmative grunt.

He wouldn't be describing Tempest as "friendly" any time soon, but his eagerness and convictions were ironically reassuring at a time like this.

"BEGIN!"

"Mud Shot!" Ash started quickly. "Close the distance a bit, but not completely."

Complying immediately, Tempest dashed forward, moving at a surprising speed for his species whilst madly clicking his pincers together. As he neared his target, his pace began to slow, all the while a single, large ball of mud shot out from each pincer.

As both sets of mud shot towards her, Flaaffy kicked off of the ground, rising into the air as the muddy attack passed by beneath her, leaving a tiny section of the large arena covered in mud. As Tempest's gaze followed Flaaffy's rise into the air, pincers clicking together with expectation, the electric type's mane of wool began to crackle with sparks, as a small sphere of lightning formed between her hands, continuously growing.

Tempest instinctively crossed his pincers together as his opponent fired off the Electro Ball. Coated in metal, the pincers intercepted the attack, the Krabby firmly pressing his legs against the floor to keep himself upright as he was pushed back by the explosion.

As Tempest shook off the impact, Flaaffy landed gracefully on the floor, only to kick off the moment she did, shooting forward in the River Crab's direction as her clenched fist became engulfed in lightning. As she neared her target, she ducked under the barrage of bubbles that Tempest sent her way with his left pincer, before driving her fist straight into his stomach.

Tempest weezed a bit as the force of her attack violently pushed back against his defenses, a bruise laced with sparks left behind where Flaaffy had struck him as he was pushed back a few feet. In retaliation, his pincers opened up as two orbs of water began to form in them, the abrupt pair of Water Pulses slamming into Flaaffy and blasting her a few feet back.

Although she was knocked off of her feet by the sudden attack, Flaaffy flipped over in midair, landing cleanly on her feet as she slid backwards across the floor, briefly clutching her front where the Water Pulses had landed as she fixed her opponent with an even glare, which Tempest returned with a far hungrier expression.

Ash observed the battle thoughtfully. She wasn't the blazing blur that Raichu was, but Flaaffy moved quickly. Although, as expected, Tempest's Shell Armor ability seemed to be doing wonders for him, even if they still needed to be on their guard amidst the electricity.

Surge seemed to take note of that as well, however. "Hmm… Well, I suppose your Krabby can take a hit better than the last wannabe you sent out." Ash's face tightened at the comment directed to Eevee as Surge called out to his partner. "Flaaffy, Lightning Meteor!"

Ash perked up at the name of the technique as Flaaffy's eyes flashed a bright purple, her mane once again crackling with sparks as a small sphere of pink light formed in front of her. The orb expanded as it rose into the air just above her head, hardening into a large, brightly glowing pink rock.

Was this… Power Gem?

The next moment, the large rock became engulfed in electricity, before suddenly shattering into several, decently sized pieces that levitated around Flaaffy, all of them completely coated in lightning.

Ash called out for Tempest to defend himself as the electrified Power Gem shot forward towards the Krabby, but he thankfully didn't need to, the water type once again coating his pincers in metal and crossing them defensively.

Some of the electricity splashed over Tempest as the rocks smashed into his crossed pincers, the shockwaves pushing him back with each hit as he struggled to remain steady. Finally, the last rock smashed into him, sending him stumbling backwards and wobbling to maintain his balance as his pincers spread out, no longer protecting the River Crab.

A vicious smirk spread across Surge's face as the Gym Leader held out his clenched fist. "Thunderbolt, Flaaffy!"

"Mud Shot, hurry!" Tempest heard Ash call out.

Kicking off the floor yet again, Flaaffy rose above the arena as her mane became engulfed in bright, golden electricity, as though it were already made of lightning. The next moment, her body erupted in that electricity, the blast of lightning arcing diagonally downwards in Tempest's direction.

Luckily, however, the Krabby regained his balance just in time, and the electrical blast was met with a pair of mud globs that the bolt exploded against. The impact scattered bits of mud across the nearby areas of the arena, some small drops pelting against Tempest, but no electricity hit its mark.

Neither of them had time to relax, however, Surge already issuing another order as Flaaffy descended to the floor.

"Double Team and Thunder Punch!"

The moment Flaaffy landed, she kicked off the floor, shooting forward as the electric type suddenly split into four. Confusion filled Tempest's eyes as each of the Flaaffy darted off in different directions, closing in to circle around him.

Ash inwardly grimaced at the sight. Tempest had no way of knowing which one he needed to defend against, and with Flaaffy's relatively impressive agility, they wouldn't be able to hit all of them in time. Unless they…

"Tempest! Spin around while using Bubble Beam!"

As his targets surrounded him, Tempest began to rotate his body as fast as he could, endlessly shooting glowing bubbles in every possible direction. Flaaffy and her clones leapt into the air to avoid the initial barrage, only for Tempest to aim his pincers upwards, the bubbles extending into the air. The barrage struck two of Flaaffy's clones, both of whom immediately fizzled out of existence.

Surge grumbled in frustration as Flaaffy and her one remaining clone landed on the floor, both kicking off to close in on Tempest. The two of them were both approaching him from opposite directions, and neither he nor Ash still knew which one was the real one, but now they were in a better position.

"Use Scald, on both of them!"

Flaaffy's eyes widened as Tempest stretched his pincers out, steam building up just before he shot a stream of hot water out of each of them. Frantically, the real Flaaffy came to a stop, allowing her clone to fizzle out as she poured all of her energy into hastily erecting a golden cube that encased her from the attack. The Light Screen had been created quickly and inefficiently, with very little time for Flaaffy to react, and the lack of time that she had to form it showed with its lack of strength. Even with all of her efforts being placed into creating the barrier, the cube still rattled as the Scald struck it, the electric type clenching her eyes tightly and straining herself to keep her shield from cracking as the hot steam from the Scald was felt on her skin.

Now with full knowledge of who the real Flaaffy was, Tempest barreled his way forward, raising his pincers to strike at her without mercy.

"Night Slash!"

Tempest's right pincer opened up in full, the claw progressively becoming engulfed in a blackish-purple aura as he lashed out at the cube. Already strained from the Scald, and not at full power in the first place, the barrier shattered as Tempest's glowing pincer struck it, leaving Flaaffy's eyes to shoot open as she stumbled back in disorientation.

Not wasting any time, Tempest held his other pincer out in front of the electric type, firing off a Mud Shot at point blank. The electric type screamed as she was blasted across the arena, not prepared for the force of the ground type move, her guard down after the destruction of the Light Screen.

As Flaaffy tumbled across the floor upon landing, Ash pressed his advantage. Did they actually have Surge on the back foot? They could win this if they kept going on the offensive!

"Move forward, and use Scald!"

Continuing to advance towards his target, Tempest clicked his pincers together for a moment before firing out two more streams of boiling water, which rocketed towards their target as Flaaffy picked herself up.

"Thunder Wave, then Shock Tail!"

To Ash's disappointment (yet amazement), Flaaffy had already regained her focus enough to counterattack. Pieces of mud clung to her torso as her mane lit up with electricity, firing a condensed beam of lightning into the incoming blasts of water. Upon impact, the the boiling water splashed across the nearby sections of the arena in all directions, and Tempest felt minor jolts of static pelting him as he advanced forward, droplets of the boiling water pelting against his exterior. It was mildly painful, but didn't slow him down.

Before Tempest could attack again, Flaaffy kicked off the floor, her tail becoming encased in metal and coated with sparks. Tempest recognized the attack immediately. It was the same kind of move that Pikachu used, just with a different name…

As Flaaffy thrust her lightning-filled tail forward, her offense was suddenly met with a metallic pincer, sparks scattering as her Shock Tail and Tempest's Metal Claw grinded together.

As Flaaffy snarled through her teeth at the strain of the clash, struggling to push her opponent backwards, Tempest raised his other pincer, opening it in preparation to blast his adversary with another Mud Shot.

"Confuse Ray!"

Ash recoiled in horror as Flaaffy's eyes glowed a deep purple. All he could do was futilely shout for Tempest to get out of the way, but the Krabby's eyes were already widening as a disorienting sensation filled his brain and spread across his body. With his strength lost, his Metal Claw was easily parried away by the Shock Tail, and as he staggered backwards, Flaaffy spun around the drive the attack into his gut.

His guard down from the Confuse Ray, Tempest weezed loudly from the pain of the unexpected blow, sliding backwards several feet as Surge pressed on.

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

Before Tempest had even stopped sliding, Flaaffy was already in the air, her wool becoming coated in electricity before the bolt of lightning arced downwards to strike him. Ash called out for the Krabby to use Mud Shot, but the water type didn't regain his bearings in time as the electrical blast engulfed him. The rookie's partner screamed in agony as the lightning charred his exterior, his eyes and pincers tightly clenched shut as he struggled to combat the pain. Even with his Shell Armor ability, a direct hit from a fully powered Thunderbolt while being thrown off by Confuse Ray wasn't doing his weakness to electricity any favors.

As Flaaffy landed on the floor, Tempest panted in frustration as his enraged eyes locked onto the electric type. His skin was covered in burns from the blast, along with a charred bruise on his front where the Shock Tail had struck him. The effects of Confuse Ray had thankfully worn off, but it had already done its job.

Flaaffy was also bruised on her torso where she had been struck by the Mud Shot, the lingering mud having since evaporated and/or scattered off of her in the midst of the fighting and usage of Thunderbolt. As she fixed Tempest with a far more even and sophisticated glare of her own, she was breathing hard as well, but not to the same extent.

Ash was about to give Tempest some encouragement when Surge beat him to the punch. "Great work, Flaaffy! Now shut that sucker down with Wild Charge!"

Ash paled, a startling feeling of minor sickness overtaking him. This might have been even worse than Confuse Ray…

From what he knew, Wild Charge was a similar move to Volt Tackle. Although he didn't have the full details on how strong the move was, he knew that it wasn't as inherently potent, but still dangerous.

As sparks began to sinisterly dance around Flaaffy's mane of wool, Ash took action fast. "Defend, Tempest!"

The lightning filling up Flaaffy's mane erupted across her body, engulfing her exterior and coating her in a bath of vicious, golden electricity. Outlined within the encasement of lightning, Flaaffy let out a passionate howl before stamping her way towards her target, the ground around her mildly shaking as she blazed for Tempest.

Fighting back against the fatigue and pain, Tempest struggled to coat his pincers in metal as he crossed them in front of him defensively. He managed to do so just in time for his opponent to ram into him, a loud shockwave spreading across the arena from the impact.

Both combatants snarled through clenched teeth as they continued to push forward against one another. Tempest's legs grinded against the floor as he found himself gradually sliding backwards, Flaaffy pushing her feet against the floor with as much force as possible in order to propel herself forward, her arms aching as she pressed them firmly against her opponent's sturdy, metallic pincers. Both Pokemon felt their muscles threatening to give out from the strain as they continued to fight back, before finally becoming engulfed in a point-blank explosion as the Wild Charge detonated.

The windforce slammed into the barriers in front of Ash as a large cloud of dust formed from the impact of the blast, the shockwaves spreading the dust and smoke all across the area of the arena where the clash took place.

Tempest let out a loud growl of pain and frustration as he was forced back by the blast, collapsing backwards about a meter or two in front of his trainer as Flaaffy slid backwards as well. The electric type stopped somewhere past the center of the arena as the smoke gradually began to clear up, hands on her knees as she gasped for air, new bruises covering her body, and red marks on her hands where she had been violently pushing back against the Metal Claw.

While Flaaffy struggled to straighten herself out, eventually managing with difficulty, Ash found himself letting out an accepting sigh as he observed the fallen water type.

"Krabby is unable to battle! Flaaffy wins!"

More cheers from the crowd as Ash silently returned Tempest to his Poke Ball, regathering his thoughts for a moment before giving the orb a sad smile.

"You did really good, Tempest." he spoke honestly. "Take a rest for now, we'll keep training later."

Ash took solace in the fact that out of everyone on the team, Tempest was probably the least likely to take a defeat harshly. That was the bright side of his mindset, the rookie supposed to himself.

But now they had taken another loss. With only three teammates left, they still had yet to even knock out one of Surge's five. And Raichu was still unfazed from her fight with Eevee. Regardless of how the battle went, they would need to find a way to get over her if they wanted to win.

But this battle hadn't been a total failure, Ash reminded himself as he observed Flaaffy's condition. She was fairly battered after the bout, and most certainly exhausted. He wasn't sure if this meant she was no longer in fighting shape, but at the very least she was on her last reserves, if not even beyond that. Tempest had not gone down in vain.

Surge didn't seem to be nervous about this, however. Gruffly crossing his arms, he simply stood there, and silently awaited the arrival of Ash's next teammate.

Clipping Tempest's Poke Ball back to his belt, Ash racked his brain for a moment before selecting his next Pokemon. Flaaffy was worn down now, and he wasn't sure if Surge was going to have her keep fighting or if he was going to immediately switch her out. Just in case, he would pick someone who could overwhelm her quickly.

Pikachu appeared in front of his trainer on all fours, ears perking up as he took in the sight of the battlefield, and his opponent.

"Eevee and Tempest are down." Ash's words caught the young mouse's attention, although the electric type didn't take his eyes off of Flaaffy. "Are you ready for this, buddy?"

As Pikachu silently nodded, Surge's lips spread upwards at the sight of the rodent.

"Heh, so the wannabe has even brought his own electric type, eh? Let's make things interesting then…" Ash suddenly perked up in realization as Flaaffy was returned to her Poke Ball.

Raichu reappeared in front of the Gym Leader, eyes widening for a brief moment as she caught sight of Pikachu, who's face also lit up in surprise.

'So that's his plan…' Ash thought to himself as his first partner curiously stared down his evolved form.

"Alright Raichu, you can have your fun with this one, but keep your eyes on the prize." As Raichu's lips shot upwards into a grin, Pikachu looked back at Ash with an expectant gaze.

Feeling some minor beads of sweat on his face, Ash exchanged a nod with his starter Pokemon.

"I'm counting on you…" the rookie eyed Raichu carefully. "But be careful. That Raichu is the one who took out Eevee. She's fast, quick thinking, and incredibly powerful. And since she's your evolved form and likely knows all about what your species is capable of, I doubt there's much we can do to surprise her."

That got Pikachu nodding anxiously, as he felt some sweat of his own building up on his face, but he tensed up in preparation nonetheless.

Ash frowned. "Speaking of which… I know we haven't mastered Agility yet, but it probably isn't a good idea to hold back. I'm certain she's faster than you, so give her everything you've got!" His partner's cheeks sparked in determination at the declaration as Pikachu nodded back in affirmation. They were up against somebody who had the advantage against them in every way possible. There would be no warm up.

The referee gave the signal. Both combatants acted as their respective trainers gave their orders.

"Full speed ahead, Pikachu!"

"It's all yours, Raichu!"

Pikachu's eyes widened, glowing with a blue aura that lightly wrapped around his body, similar to the crimson aura of Nebula's Reckless ability. A moment later, the young mouse kicked off of the floor, moving at a pace far beyond what even he was used to.

Agility was a move that utilized psychic energy, rather than physical abilities, to increase the user's speed for as long as they maintained the technique. Ash wasn't fully aware of the science behind such a move, but being a psychic type move, he knew that it had something to do with mental prowess. Being new to psychic type moves, Pikachu still needed to polish the technique, but was still able to make enough use of it to receive notable benefits. Especially now, where he was coupling the already exponential boost of his speed with his Quick Attack.

The downside to the technique was different from that of several other power-up moves, however, as instead of being physically taxing on the user, it would instead take a mental toll on them, exhausting their mind and leaving them mentally tired, rather than straining or fatiguing the rest of their body itself. Sadly, Pikachu wasn't nearly as well-trained in that department, which made it a risky move to use. He likely couldn't maintain it for nearly as long as Quick Attack.

But right now, it was do or die for them, and both of them knew that.

As Pikachu launched himself forward, darting from side to side as he made his way across the battlefield and towards his evolved form, Raichu shot forward, raising her tail into the air as it became coated in metal.

Feeling the air pushing against his face from the speed of his sprinting, Pikachu swerved to the side as Raichu approached him. In response, Raichu darted in the opposite direction, both fighters circling back.

Pikachu's eyes widened a bit as Raichu began to close distance, the younger mouse quickly making another sharp turn in an attempt to outmaneuver his opponent. In response, Raichu performed an abrupt u-turn, altering her trajectory to line up with her target.

Pikachu's heart pounded as he made yet another swerve, both fighters continuing to change direction with the intention of catching the other off guard.

Unfortunately, one was clearly faster than the other, and even with all of the vigor Pikachu poured into his movements he soon found himself on a collision course with his enemy as Raichu lined herself up with him and closed in.

A yelping Pikachu halted his sprint, his momentum continuing to slide him forward as Raichu lashed out with her tail.

Instinctively, Pikachu channeled Brick Break into his fist, taking a swing at the incoming Iron Tail to protect himself. As the two attacks collided, Pikachu felt a sharp pain in his fist as he was sent sliding several meters backwards, thankfully managing to remain upright as Raichu's body became coated in electricity.

With a passionate holler, the larger mouse fired the Thunderbolt in pursuit of Ash's partner, who quickly split into two Pikachu, both darting to the side in different directions as the bolt of lightning struck the floor where they once stood.

With the dust cloud triggered by the explosion serving as the backdrop for their escape, both Pikachu circled around to line themselves up with Surge's partner, who looked between the two of them with mild surprise before darting for one of them.

Pikachu watched as Raichu closed in on his clone, her fist glowing with the orange aura of Brick Break as she cleared the distance at an astonishingly speedy rate, zipping across the battlefield as though she were powered by the engine of a rocket. With his opponent preoccupied, he reactivated Agility, tailing her in hot pursuit as he raised a metallic tail, coated in lightning.

As Raichu's Brick Break passed through the clone of Pikachu, which immediately fizzled out of existence, the larger mouse's eyes widened as she whirled around, just in time to see the real Pikachu closing in on her, the younger mouse leaping into the air to take aim for her head. Even as her momentum carried her backwards, her feet sliding across the floor of the arena, she defensively raised her tail, coating it in metal before lashing out to meet Pikachu's Zap Tail.

Sparks flew in all directions as the two attacks made impact, metallic tail grinding against metallic tail as Raichu parried Pikachu's offense with perfection.

"Brick Break!" Hearing his trainer's orders, Pikachu used his momentum to flip his body over as Raichu pushed him away into the air. Firing off a quick, upwards Electro Ball, putting just enough strength into the attack to propel himself forward again, Pikachu launched towards the orange mouse to drive his fist into her gut.

Only for his Brick Break to strike the air as Raichu sidestepped out of his path, spinning around to catch with an Iron Tail. Pikachu screeched as the metal smashed into his ribs, sending him flying across the battlefield as Raichu grinded her feet against the floor, putting a stop to her backwards momentum to rush forward and pursue her target.

"Slam!" Pikachu's ears perked at Ash's order. Driving an Iron Tail into the floor to break his fall, the young mouse launched himself forward, body once again becoming outlined by the blue aura of Agility as he slipped into Quick Attack. Immediately afterwards, an orange aura began to cover his body, the blue aura of Agility wrapping around it.

At the same time, however, Raichu's own body began to take on a deep, orange aura, Pikachu's evolved form preparing a Slam of her own. As the two closed in on one another, Pikachu let out a loud battle cry as he launched himself forward, striking at his opponent with his full body. Raichu did the same, both combatants ramming into each other's sides. A shockwave spread across the nearby area as Pikachu felt a burst of pain in his side, his opponent's attack launching him back into the air as Raichu's strength and momentum forced him away.

Tumbling across the floor, Pikachu only had what felt like an instant to pick himself up as Raichu blurred across the arena, blazing towards her target as her fist began to glow orange.

Pikachu's body once again became outlined by the aura of Agility. Ash's starter was already beginning to feel the strain of the technique. Having not yet mastered it, he was meant to only use the move in short bursts, or as a last resort. But against this opponent, it felt as though he needed the technique at all times just to stay in the game.

But he did everything he could to power through it, launching himself forward at no lesser speeds than he had been running at before. He knew he couldn't outrun Raichu, so any attempts at dodging her incoming Brick Break would just be delaying the inevitable while consuming even more energy, needing to maintain Agility for even longer in order to even make an attempt at dodging.

So instead, he met her head on, bathing his Iron Tail in lightning as the two combatants mutually closed the distance. Raichu's Brick Break slammed into Pikachu's Zap Tail, and Pikachu could feel the aching sensation rush through his tail as part of the metal coating shattered upon impact. He remained firmly on all fours as the collision sent him sliding backwards, even as his opponent continued her advance.

'He's trying everything he can.' Even with the overwhelming predicament, Ash couldn't help but smile at the sight of his first partner's efforts. No matter how much effort Pikachu put in, Raichu was meeting everything that they had with something better, Pikachu's upper limits not enough to clear the threshold. Even when he pushed himself past the breaking point, his highest efforts were only able to somewhat approach her speed, but not actually reach it, to say nothing for how much she clearly outclassed him in strength. She certainly cleared the expectations that she carried as his evolved form.

But perhaps that was just encouraging his friend even more. Was Pikachu viewing it as an invitation to break free of those limits?

Raichu swerved around as she lined herself up with her opponent, eyes locking onto Pikachu's from a distance as an orb of lightning formed at the tip of her tail.

Pikachu heard Ash's warnings loud and clear, not that he needed them, and quickly tensed himself up to dodge to the side as the Electro Ball grew in size, before his evolved form flipped herself over and hurled it like a record-breaking baseball pitch. The electrical sphere passed by Pikachu as he swerved out of its path, but the young mouse let out a brief yelp of surprise as the sheer windforce from the attack's travels pushed him off balance.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Taking advantage of the opening, Raichu blitzed forward yet again, and it was all Pikachu could do to catch himself on his front paws, twirling his body around to meet her Brick Break with an Iron Tail. Once again, chunks of metal were chipped off of his tail as he recoiled in pain, the impact launched him off of his paws and into the air, before landing and sliding backwards yet again as his paws grinded against the hard floors to halt his forced momentum.

"Double Team!" Ignoring the sweat that the stress of the situation was producing on his face, Pikachu sparing forward yet again, once more splitting into two as both he and his copy speedily traversed the arena in separate directions.

Raichu was not deterred, however, instead slamming an Iron Tail into the floor to propel herself into the air. As Pikachu watched her soar above the battlefield, the larger rodent's cheeks crackled as her lips formed into a grin. Still in midair, her body began twirling around like a top, her tail lighting up with electricity as a barrage of bullet-like lightning bolts scattered across the arena in all directions.

Pikachu let out a surprise yelp as he was suddenly forced to swerve from side to side, as the onslaught of lightning rained down on the battlefield, tiny explosions going off wherever they landed. As Pikachu desperately scrambled to avoid the barrage, nearly getting hit on more than one occasion, his copy fizzled out of existence as one of the lightning bullets grazed its body.

Just as the onslaught subsided, Raichu flipped herself over and charged downwards towards the arena, utilizing Body Slam to speed up her descent. The floor around her seemingly shook as she slammed an Iron Tail downwards to break her fall, before launching herself forward and sprinting for her target. As she advanced, her body took on the familiar orange aura of Slam. Having just finished avoiding the last of the lightning barrage, Pikachu's eyes widened, crying out in shock just before Raichu rammed her full body into his side. Every corner of Pikachu's body was overtaken by pain as the bulk of his opponent rocketed into him, her momentum catapulting him across the arena as Ash called his name in desperation.

Pikachu's world was upside down as his body sailed through the air at a velocity almost rivaling that of his own running. Trying to maintain his focus, he could see the bleachers rapidly approaching him. Realizing he was going to smash head first into the barriers, Pikachu squeezed his eyes shut, doing everything that he could to ignore the pain in his body as he twirled himself in midair, coating his tail in metal just in time to swing it into the fast approaching barriers.

The metal coating held up against the impact as Pikachu's momentum halted, allowing him to collapse onto the floor, paws clenched into fists as he struggled to stay upright. Unable to lift his head, his gaze not straying from the floor, tears began leaking from his eyes as his knees and fists kept him propped up, all the while he gasped for air.

His body and mind were both equally spent, and the aching sensation wouldn't go away, a constant reminder of the bruises covering his exterior. As he struggled to raise his head, he saw Raichu several meters away, eyes completely locked onto her prey as she stalked towards him on all fours.

Ash's teeth chewed away at his lip as he took in the state of his partner. Nothing they did was working, and now…

"That's what happens when you bring a runt to a gladiator match, kid." Surge's voice boomed across the arena and into his ears. "A weapon made of plastic will never compare to the real thing, just as a second-rate trainer exists only for the purpose of being crushed under my foot!" His giant hand pointed a finger forward, and even from a distance, it was as though Surge was targeting him with a gun. "Pack up and leave this place at once! Along with your hopeless excuse of a team!"

Ash's teeth clenched together at the accusation. He wanted to say "Never." or "We're not done yet." But…

What else could they do?

Surge and Raichu had taken every ounce of conviction he and his friend could muster, and nothing had bore fruit of it. The Gym Leader still had three Pokemon he hadn't even revealed yet, and Raichu was essentially unscathed. Even Flaaffy, who had been pushed to her limits by Tempest, still had yet to be eliminated, despite it not being clear if she could still effectively battle.

What did their side have left? Pikachu had lost his last reserves to Raichu's strength. Eevee and Tempest were already eliminated. Valiant and Tyrunt were the only others remaining…

He inwardly frowned at that. Maybe choosing Tyrunt over Nebula really had been a mistake. It was too late to go back on that now, but…

His fingers found their way to Pikachu's Poke Ball, pausing for a second before taking the orb in hand.

"Do you hear what I'm saying, kid?" Ash was broken out of his stupor by Surge's loud voice. "You should be ashamed you came here! Quit disgracing my Gym and-"

A loud grunt brought everyone's attention back to the battlefield. Raichu halted her advance as her eyes narrowed in Pikachu's direction, the mouse's body lightly shaking as he further pressed his fists and knees against the floor to push himself up.

Another grunt escaped the younger mouse's throat, the electric type now on one foot as he attempted to control his breathing. And then…

Pikachu threw his head back and hollered towards the ceiling. Despite the childish pitch, his voice was raw and pure, like a battlecry that echoed across the room. Sparks crackled all across his fur as he lowered his head to lock gazes with Raichu, who was staring at him in mild surprise before he turned his head to look at Ash. Tightly clenching a fist, Ash's starter nodded to his trainer, the gaze in his eyes a sharp glare as the lightning danced along the exterior of his fur.

Ash's expression turned into one of mild astonishment as he took in the electric type's display. "Pikachu…"

A few seconds later, a light grin formed on his face as he returned his starter's Poke Ball to his belt.

Surge's face tightened at Pikachu's actions. "Have all of you not learned enough lessons already?"

Ash ignored him as the rookie held a fist out in front. It was time they taught Surge a lesson.

"Alright, Pikachu, we'll show all of them what we've learned right now!" his voice raised in volume as it stretched across the arena. "Double Team again!"

Despite everything that his body and mind were going through, Pikachu took off sprinting yet again. Although he did not activate Agility, he immediately slipped into Quick Attack and powered through the relentless combo of aches and fatigue. As he did so, his body split into two, a second Pikachu sprinting off in a different direction.

Raichu reacted once more, kicking off into a sprint of her own. But just moments later…

A second clone spawned from Pikachu's body.

Ash's eyes blinked rapidly, the young boy forcing himself to do a double take, and then a triple take.

Pikachu had never used Double Team to split into three before. Not to spawn two mobile copies of himself…

His face split apart into a smile. Pikachu didn't care if he was at his limit. The pressure of this battle had launched him beyond all of that. Even in the middle of a fight, where he was probably on his last legs, he was creating a new limit for himself.

Raichu's eyes widened in surprise just long enough for her to take in the arrival of the latest clone, before shifting into an even glare as she blurred across the battlefield. Now she had three targets to choose from, and only one of them was actually real.

The three Pikachu all darted off in separate directions, weaving around the arena with expert mobility as they attempted to line themselves up with Raichu, who in turn prepared to launch herself at one of them at any given notice, blazing across the floor to get out of their range and launch an attack of her own.

It was a game of chess. The pieces were moving at high velocities, a race between Pikachu's attempts to find an opening, and Raichu's attempts to guess correctly.

All four figures bordered on taking the form of blurs as the mice darted around in every direction, legs and paws carrying them across the battlefield in a spectacle of speed and fluidity.

Finally, Raichu lined herself up with one of her targets, blazing forward to tail them from behind.

Her orange fist passed right through it, as the clone of Pikachu fizzled out of existence.

Ash's eyes widened, determined passion adorning his gaze. She had chosen wrong, and this was their only chance.

"Now, Pikachu! Use SLAM!"

Pikachu's ears jolted upwards as he swerved around to take aim at Raichu. The younger mouse allowed his remaining clone to fizzle out of existence as he poured all of his mental energy into reactivating Agility. All signs of physical and mental fatigue were pushed to the side as his body became outlined by the blue, psychic aura, his body carrying itself forward at a greater speed than he had ever traveled at before. Not even an instant later, he engulfed himself in the deep orange aura of Slam, the blue aura around his body clinging to the orange aura just beneath it.

Pikachu's body was like a bullet as he smashed shoulder-first into Raichu's side, screaming a battlecry that shook the room as much as the shockwaves that spread across the arena from the impact. Raichu's pained holler traveled along with her body as she was launched across the battlefield, right on a course for the barriers nearing the arena's left corner.

Before her face could ram into them, however, the larger mouse flipped herself over in midair, her Iron Tail smashing into the barriers and halting her momentum. Ignoring her aching side, her eyes darted across the arena until her gaze finally landed on Pikachu, who forcibly slowed to a stop to catch his breath, panting for air on all fours as his gaze shifted to the floor.

Ash's face formed into a frown. They'd gotten a good hit in, but at this rate…

An unfazed Surge held a giant fist in front of his chest. "Let it be known, rookie. Anything a Pikachu can even attempt, a Raichu can and will do infinitely better!" Opening his fist back up, he shot his arm forward, finger pointing across the arena as he addressed his partner. "Show them what I mean!"

Tensing up her muscles, Raichu launched herself off of the barrier, soaring even higher into the air as her battle-hardened gaze remained trained on Pikachu. Her cheeks crackled with lightning, the electricity rolling across her body until she was finally engulfed. Her body became outlined by the lightning storm that coated her fur like a suit of armor, until she finally let out a battle cry that would have drowned out Pikachu's own like a raindrop falling into the ocean of Vermilion Harbor.

The attack that escaped from Raichu's tail was not a bolt of lightning. It was a blast akin to the likes of Hyper Beam, or Solar Beam. Made up completely of electricity.

He didn't even have time to holler lout in concern as the giant, blinding beam descended upon the arena. Pikachu's eyes resembled that of dinner plates as he turned around and bolted forward, the blast striking down the area behind him an instant later. A deafening explosion of electricity erupted from the impact, generating a merciless shockwave that traveled across the arena at an unrivaled pace. Although the barriers shielded all outsiders from the effects, the arena within them shook violently like an earthquake as the lightning poured out onto the floor. Ash's starter screamed as loudly as his lungs and vocal cords allowed him to muster as the windforce painfully slammed into him from behind, knocking him off his feet and transitioning his momentum into flight as he helplessly sailed through the air.

Mere moments later, Raichu had landed, kicking off the floor the moment her paws struck it, and blurring towards her target. In what felt like an instant, she was directly under the airborne mouse, metallic tail bathed in lightning.

SMASH!

Raichu drove her tail upwards into Pikachu's back, catapulting him far above the battlefield and towards the top of the bleachers.

"PIKACHU!"

The mouse did not hear Ash's call, and lost consciousness before his body struck the floor.

The cloud of dust and smoke generated from Raichu's impossible blast of lightning spread out across the arena, bathing everything in obscurity for what felt like an eternity. Had the barriers not been in place, Ash couldn't imagine what the smell of the aftermath would be like.

It probably hadn't taken that long for everything to clear up enough for the end result to come into view, but for Ash, he couldn't help but feel as though he had lost track of time.

Pikachu had landed only a few feet from him, face planted firmly in the floor as Ash's shaken eyes took in the fallen sight of his partner. The rookie's face was pale, and he couldn't prevent his mouth from opening a tiny bit.

A few meters back, Raichu clutched the part of her side where Pikachu had landed his blow, taking a few moments to catch her breath before straightening out and pressing her fists against her hips. There was no smirk or battle-hardened glare on her face. Just an even gaze.

Raichu's attack replayed in his mind. The blinding blast of lightning that would stand side by side with the likes of a Solar Beam or an Overheat. The explosion. Pikachu's screaming…

Was this… a glimpse of Surge's true power?

"What… what was that…?" Ash's question escaped his throat involuntarily as Surge crossed his arms, the look on the Gym Leader's face unflinching.

"Supercell Cannon."

The silence only lasted a few seconds longer, as if just enough for the mountainous man to deliver his response.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Raichu wins!"

Once again, Ash tuned out the sound of the crowd's cheering as he removed Pikachu's Poke Ball from his belt once more, this time returning his starter.

"Thank you…" a sad smile adorned his features as Ash spoke to the confined mouse. His voice struggled to remain even. "You are incredible, Pikachu. I'm glad to have you as my starter."

His face fell as he returned the Poke Ball to his belt, eyes tracing back to the battlefield as the last of the smoke cleared up. Raichu had turned around to head back to Surge.

Surprisingly, there were no scorch marks on the floor. In fact, the whole battlefield was essentially unscathed, although it immediately made sense to Ash. This arena was most certainly built to be resistant to electricity.

With absentmindedness, his upper front teeth chewed on his bottom lip.

What… now…? Was there anything left they could do after that? What else cloud possibly-

"You've already figured out you've lost."

Ash's gaze jolted back up to Surge, whose expression sternly bore a whole through the boy's forehead.

"W-...What?"

"That look on your face. It's not a look that says "I'm going to lose." It's a look that says "I have lost."" The Gym Leader's face tightened. "Don't take my eyesight for granted, kid. Why are you still here?"

Ash's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and the young boy couldn't suppress his gulp as the opposing trainer leered at him across the battlefield. He couldn't make out Surge's specific features nearly as well as the opposite seemed to be true, but he felt as though a series of lasers were piercing through his chest, tearing hole after hole into his heart…

He was here… because…

'We wanted to see if we had a shot at getting the badge. But this…'

Another event replayed in his mind. Pikachu hollering towards the heavens in defiance of his imminent defeat. His starter's consecutive use of Agility, a move that they had not even mastered yet. Using Double Team better than he had ever done before, right in the heat of battle…

Ash's face tightened. Pikachu had committed himself to taking the leap, and symbolized that conviction by breaking free of his limits in the middle of the match. Shouldn't he be following his starter's example? Did Valiant and Tyrunt feel the same?

He had to hear it from them.

"I'm not leaving unless my team wants us to!" Ash fixed Surge with the strongest glare he could muster. "If someone wants to succeed as a trainer, they can't run from a fight just because they know they're going to lose!"

Surge's laughter was a raw, morbid rumble of thunder as the Gym Leader's massive fists pressed against his hips.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What a farce, kid! You actually think you've earned the right to say that!" his expression one of either condescendence or amusement (Ash couldn't tell from here), the Gym Leader stretched his arm out in a provoking gesture. "Very well, then. If you're not smart enough to run for the door like at least a few of the others are, then feel free to send out the rest of our prey."

Ash didn't respond to that, simply releasing his next teammate, and watching as Valiant materialised in front of him.

Crouching down to meet his psychic friend's gaze, Ash did his best to look brave as the two of them locked eyes.

"We've lost." the boy stated, trying to keep his voice even in mild acceptance of Surge's declaration. "Eevee, Tempest, and Pikachu have all been beaten. We haven't scored any knockouts for ourselves, although we did wear down his Flaaffy, thanks to Tempest." he pointed forward, prompting the young Kirlia to turn his head in Raichu's direction. "That Raichu is almost untouchable." as Valiant turned back to Ash, the rookie noted the look of disappointment on the Kirlia's face. Clearly, the young psychic had gone into thai bout with the hope that they would win. "You'll... just be getting hurt. Pikachu wanted to keep fighting to challenge himself, but that doesn't mean you have too."

A few moments passed by, and Ash noted the brief look of confusion on Valiant's face. At first he wasn't sure what was making the Kirlia feel so bewildered, as it didn't seem to have anything to do with what he had just said.

The realization hit him eventually, however.

"Are you trying to talk to me telepathically?" The boy scratched the side of his head as Valiant nodded. "I… guess the barriers are preventing that."

Realization adorned Valiant's features as the young Emotion Pokemon's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, before shaking it off and turning around to sink into a battle stance.

"You… still want to fight?"

Valiant wanted to tell his trainer something along the lines of "I have nothing to lose." or "Let's wait and see." But with the barriers in place, he had to settle for a simple nod.

A nervous smile spread across Ash's face. They had come here to gauge their capabilities, after all. Even after the gap had turned out to be much bigger than expected, Valiant had still chosen to stay true to their mission statement.

Surge merely grunted, returning Raichu back to her Poke Ball. "Do you understand how it works for a trainer to play their part in battle? It's true that you don't have to, and shouldn't, command your Pokemon for the entire fight, but you do need to guide them. Play a part in strategy by acting as an additional source of judgment. Sometimes it's not needed, but when it is, leaving everything in their hands isn't teamwork. Not anymore than it is to make all of the decisions for them. A trainer is only supposed to let their teammates make choices for themselves if they know that the choice isn't the wrong one."

Before Ash could respond, Surge took out another Poke Ball, and a new creature emerged. As the Gym Leader's next Pokemon emerged from the light, Ash and Valiant's heads tilted at the newcomer's appearance, and both could hear a few murmurings from the bleachers.

It was a horse-like creature, like Ponyta, but its body was black, with pointy white stripes. Its white mane stretched into what looked like a lightning bolt at the top of its head.

'I've… never seen this one before…' the boy inwardly commented on the obvious.

"This is Blitzle." Surge took note of Ash and Valiant's expressions as his latest revealed partner scraped his hooves against the floor, fixing the duo with a glare while lowering his head in anticipation. "He and I will show you real coordination, even if it's not needed to clean this up."

His expression turning neutral, Ash tilted his head down to his friend.

"Valiant, you and I will work together too." he smiled as the psychic nodded back at him.

The odds may have been more than stacked against them now, but the least they could do is walk out of this battle with something to show for it. There was still time to score some knockouts.

"BEGIN!"

"Thunder Wave!" Surge didn't waste any time as Blitzle lowered his head, charging forward while firing off the narrow bolt of lightning, which arced across the arena towards Valiant.

Valiant rolled to the side, cleanly dodging the attack, but his eyes widened as Blitzle was suddenly upon him just a few moments later.

'He's so fast…' Ash inwardly commented to himself. Valiant's agility had improved as of recently, but they still hadn't been working on it for a while. It didn't seem like he would be agile enough to keep up with this opponent.

Blitzle whirled around, his hind legs glowing with a deep, white aura as he thrust them forward in a downwards angle. To the electric type's surprise, however, Valiant sank into Shadow Sneak, maneuvering under Blitzle's figure before stopping on the other side.

This was their chance. "Fire Punch!"

As Valiant rose out of the shadow, his fist became clenched, flames beginning to build up and surround it. The Kirlia wasn't very skilled with the move yet, and likely wouldn't be able to execute a particularly powerful version of the move without taking a lot of time to gather the flames together, but even with just a small amount of fire, they could at least do something.

Blitzle's eyes widened in surprise as Valiant rose up in front of his face, with little time to react before the Kirlia socked him in the jaw, the electric type yelping as the flames smashed into him.

Valiant took a small leap backwards, avoiding Blitzle's forelegs as the quadruped reared his body back and began kicking at the air, before forming a sphere of pink light between his palms. Moments later, the Dazzling Gleam slammed into Blitzle's chest, sending him skidding backwards, grinding his hooves into the floor to remain upright.

"Shock Wave!"

"Magical Leaf!"

Successfully halting his backwards momentum, Blitzle let out a howl as another bolt of lightning was fired off of his body. This attack, however, soon widened as it flew towards Valiant, becoming less condensed, but taking up more space. In response, Valiant was already forming the orb of green light in his palms, hollering in defiance as the glowing leaves intercepted the blast. Swaying his body from side to side, Valiant ensured that the leaves were spread out enough to collide with the entirety of the Shock Wave. The move's grass typing would likely come in handy, hopefully to act as a shield to protect its user form the incoming lightning.

But as the leaves absorbed the majority of the electricity, Surge was already issuing another order. "Quick Attack!"

Kicking off the floor the moment he stopped firing, Blitzle charged through the lingering sparks from the shockwave, his form nearly a blur as he slammed head first into Valiant. Unable to react in time, the Emotion Pokemon let out a cry as he was knocked off of his feet, the impact of the collision catapulting him a couple of meters through the air.

Blitle continued running even after smacking into Valiant, dashing past the psychic's form as Ash's friend regained his bearings just in time to land on his feet, before circling around near Surge's side of the arena, preparing to charge forward again.

'Not this time.' Ash thought to himself. Now that Blitzle was a greater amount of distance away, Valiant had more time to react.

"Psybeam, Valiant!"

"Bounce!"

The rainbow colored blast that Valiant fired off towards his advancing target was deftly avoided as Blitzle's hooves pressed onto the floor, the electric type launching himself high above the arena while keeping his gaze locked on his psychic adversary.

Ash inwardly grimaced. They had no way of knowing what kind of moves this Blitzle creature would use. Being a Gym Leader's Pokemon made him unpredictable enough, but unlike Raichu and Flaaffy, they didn't even have any predetermined knowledge of the species.

"Reflect!" As Blitzle came barreling down, prepared to smash his hooves into Valiant's head, the young psychic reared his body back, angling his view upwards as he held out his hands. A thick wall of glass materialized in front of him, not protecting him from all directions like a cube would, but much more layered and durable.

Blitzle's attack met the glass head-on, the electric type's bodyweight and momentum carrying him forward as he smashed a glowing hoove into Valiant's barrier. The shockwaves of the impact left Valiant suppressing his pain through clenched teeth as chunks of the barrier scattered nearby.

"Thunderbolt!" Surge's voice roared across the arena as Blitzle kicked off of the cracked barrier, angling his body around to fire the bolt of lightning to shatter what was left of Valiant's defenses, and likely deal some notable damage as well.

"Teleport out of there!" Ash shouted as quickly as he could. With impressive speed, Valiant shook off the minor disorientation that the disruption of Reflect had triggered, allowing what remained of his barrier to fizzle out of existence before flashing away, reappearing a few meters ahead as Blitzle landed and began to build up speed once more.

Before his opponent could gain too much momentum, Valiantbegan gathering energy as quickly as his body allowed, before firing off a pink blast in the direction that Bliztle was headed. Spotting the Dazzling Gleam from the corner of his eye, Blitzle whirled around and halted his growing sprint, sliding backwards a bit as a faint, golden cube materialized around him.

Valiant's attack smashed into the Light Screen, which wasn't strong enough to hold up against the offense. It was just enough to block the attack completely, however, but as the golden barrier shattered from the explosion, the shockwaves slammed into Blitzle, leaving him yelping in mild pain as the disoriented electric type was sent sliding backwards further.

"Shadow Sneak and Fire Punch!"

Knowing full well that it was still too early for him to rest, Valiant only took just enough time to catch his breath before sinking into the ground, his shadow rapidly traveling across the arena in Blitle's direction.

"Use Bounce!"

It was all for naught, however, as Blitzle launched himself back into the air the moment he regained his bearings, Valiant's fiery fist striking nothing but empty space as his opponent soared above him.

Ash didn't let up, however. Blitzle was likely going to come crashing down to strike Valiant and complete the attack, so they would just have to blast him out of the air before that happened.

"Dazzling Gleam!"

"Thunderbolt!"

Just as Blitzle's jump reached its peak, a blast of pink light burst out of Valiant's hands, on a collision course for the electric type. In the same moment, however, sparks began to crackle across Blitzle's form as he angled his body downwards, a bolt of lightning erupting out of him to intercept the fairy type move.

The two attacks exploded against each other, the windforce from the shockwaves reaching Valiant as he defensively crossed his arms. The psychic's eyes widened as a smaller portion of the Thunderbolt broke through, continuing onward and nearly knocking the Emotion Pokemon off of his feet as it slammed into him. The young Kirlia clenched his teeth into a snarl, stumbling backwards as the static assaulted his body, but it thankfully wasn't nearly as painful as it would have been at full power.

"Flame Charge!"

Blitzle landed nearby just in time for Surge's order. Pounding his hooves into the floor, the electric type let out a battle-hardened holler as his body became coated in fire, his muscles tensing up in preparation to spring forward.

"Reflect!" Once more, Valiant raised a glass wall in front of his body, but didn't have as much time to do so as before, Blitzle's speed carrying him across the battlefield at a breakneck pace before smashing headfirst into the barrier, which was only mostly complete. The Kirlia yelped through clenched teeth as the flames seeped through the cracks of his damaged shield, leaving his arms mildly scorched. Ash's partner pressed his feet firmly against the floor in an effort to remain steadfast as Blitzle continued his advance, his momentum progressively pushing the psychic back before a final shove sent Valiant sliding a few feet away, just in time for Blitzle's body to crackle in preparation for another Thunderbolt.

"Teleport!" Ash repeated his order from before, but the Reflect had suffered greater damage this time, leaving Valiant just shaken enough to be vulnerable. Unable to recover in time to respond to his trainer's order, Valiant was sent flying backwards as Blitzle's Thunderbolt shattered the remains of the barrier.

"Finish it up with Wild Charge!"

Ash's eyes widened as Blitzle let out an even more ferocious howl, his body becoming outlined as his own electricity engulfed him. With Valiant off balance from the barrier's destruction, Surge was trying to end it right here.

"Valiant, I need you to stay strong!" Encouragement was all that Ash could provide as Blitzle took the opportunity and blazed forward, prepared to smash into Valiant before the psychic could even have a chance to hit the ground.

But just before the decisive finishing blow could be landed, Valiant's eyes shot open, flashing as he suddenly vanished from his opponent's sight.

Surge's eyes lit up with frustration as Blitzle passed through the empty space that Valiant had once occupied. "What?!"

With the electricity fizzling out, Blitzle began shaking his head with mild disorientation, the after effects of Wild Charge making themselves known as Valiant reappeared a few meters behind him.

But Ash's relief was short-lived as he noticed his partner sinking to the floor on one knee.

'Using Teleport while off focus is impressive, but no doubt it made his own disorientation worse.' Ash bit his lip. Valiant hadn't recovered in time to use the move, he had simply powered through and used the move despite not yet recovering. And now he was paying the price for it.

It was better than being knocked out, but would it save him in the long run?

"Stomp!"

Blitzle recovered first, turning around to face his opponent before rushing forward once more. Valiant regained his bearings just in time to see the electric type rearing back on his hindlegs bringing his forelegs down to strike the Kirlia's head.

In defiance, Valiant coated both of his fists in fire, raising them up to meet the incoming, glowing hooves. Blitzle clenched his teeth in pain as his legs slammed into the fire, but maintained his momentum nonetheless, forcing Valiant down onto his back as the electric type's hooves painfully grinded against his fists.

Valiant could feel his arms giving out as a sharp pain shot across his limbs, feeling as though the bones in his hands might shatter. Just when it seemed like Blitzle was going to crush them, Valiant's eyes flashed, the young psychic powering through the pain one more time as he and his opponent suddenly became encased in a golden cube. Before Blitzle could even express any surprise, the inside of the cube erupted in electricity, Valiant screaming in pain as he assaulted both his opponent, and himself, with a point-blank Thunderbolt. The electricity violently burned against his skin, his body spasming as the lightning flowed around the inside of the cube, indiscriminately zapping both combatants.

Ash couldn't even see the inside of the cube, the lightning obscuring everything from view as Valiant pressed on his assault for as long as his body allowed him. His mind immediately flashed back to the battle against Daisy's poliwhirl, in the previous Gym battle, where this same exact strategy had been used. It was Valiant's last resort.

The thought made Ash grimace, however. Valiant was likely causing more pain to himself than he was to Blitzle. Their opponent would be far more resilient to electricity, so there was little hope that this would end in a victory.

No doubt Valiant knew that, however. Was he trying to force a draw?

After a dozen or so seconds that felt like an eternity, the cube finally lowered, leaving both Pokemon obscured by smoke. Surge simply stood still with crossed arms, and Ash suddenly found the Gym Leader's lack of concern to be worrying.

Finally, Valiant came into view, and Ash's heart sank at the sight of his fallen partner. He had already known that the young psychic would not come out of this final attack in a pleasant manner, but actually seeing it with his own eyes was completely different form simply imagining it.

Blitzle's hooves firmly pressed the young Kirlia against the floor, Valiant's skin scorched black in certain areas. The young Emotion Pokemon's head was tilted to the side, his figure completely still.

And as if to rub salt on the wound… Blitzle seemed perfectly unaffected. The electric type was completely upright, as though nothing had happened to him at all. He wasn't unscathed from the battle itself, but the damage that he had sustained came from the previous attacks. Not the Thunderbolt.

"Motor Drive." Ash's attention shifted to Surge as the Gym Leader spoke up. "It's too bad your friend didn't know that Blitzle can absorb electricity." the massive man's grin turned bitter. "It must be quite degrading to watch your comrade fall by his own hand."

Ash… couldn't say anything to that.

Blitzle sniffed and prodded at Valiant's body with his snout for a few seconds, before walking a few feet away from his fallen opponent, rearing back his head and letting out a not overly loud, but still victorious, cry into the air.

"Kirlia is unable to battle!" Blitzle wins!

Ash ignored the cheering from the audience as he returned his friend.

"Great job as usual, Valiant. You did everything you could." And he meant that. Valiant had simply used the best strategy available to him at the time, even if the implications of such a tactic still troubled Ash. Unfortunately, neither of them could have accounted for Blitzle having such an ability.

After clipping Valiant's Poke Ball back on his belt, Ash took out Tyrunt's, staring at it with a frown.

This was it… the last remaining member of his team.

No doubt Tyrunt would want to keep fighting. But still, he needed to ask him first.

"Are we going to be finishing this or not?" Surge's voice prompted the boy to activated the Poke Ball.

As Tyrunt stepped out of the flash of light, the audience began to let out somewhat startled murmurs at his appearance.

Surge's brow raised at the sight of the dinosaur. "A dragon?! On a rookie's team?!" he couldn't hide his bewildered expression as he lightly scratched at his cheek, "Huh… I guess even infants are allowed to hold swords these days."

Ash ignored him as he knelt down to lock eyes with his youngest companion, he turned around and offered a cheerful wave to the trainer.

"Hey, buddy." Ash couldn't hide the awkwardness in his voice as he greeted the dinosaur. Tyrunt tilted his head in mild confusion at Ash's mood. "Listen… you're the last one left, and… Surge is a lot stronger than we thought. We don't have any knockouts. Are you sure you want to do this?" He watched his friend's expression closely, the dinosaur's eyes widening in surprise as he took in the unexpected information.

He had a feeling he knew what Tyrunt's answer was going to be. Even if the hatchling preferred to win, he also just loved battling in general. No doubt he'd at least want to try.

And that made him conflicted. He'd be willing to do it if Tyrunt was, but a part of him did think that it would be better to simply quit and leave before anymore damage was done.

Unfortunately, that part of him didn't have time to voice itself as Tyrunt nodded back at him. The Royal Heir Pokemon's expression was a lot more determined than before as he turned around and growled at Blitzle. His voice is clearly anxious, but also had an undertone of viciousness to it. He had made his choice.

Ash sighed to himself as he picked himself up. That was that, then. Even if quitting was probably the better idea, he had to admit that he liked the thought of having one more chance to score a knockout. But thinking along those lines just made him feel selfish.

At the same time… Tyrunt wanted the same thing, and he wouldn't have forced anything on the dinosaur if his partner had chosen to quit. At this point, they would simply try their best.

Surge shrugged with mock exaggeration. "Hmph. So the lizard is just as stubborn, I see." He took out Blitzle's Poke Ball and returned the speedy electric type. "Very well then. This won't be lasting much longer anyway."

Ash grimaced as Raichu reappeared on the field.

"Watch out, Tyrunt. That Raichu already defeated Eevee and Pikachu. And she's…" the ending of Pikachu's battle flashed through his mind. "Incredibly powerful."

As Tyrunt took in his words, Ash began racking his brain for ideas. Raichu was far beyond the rock-dragon type in just about every way. They couldn't outmaneuver her. They couldn't overpower her.

They'd have to find a way to get a lucky hit in. Maybe Tyrunt's Strong Jaw can-

"BEGIN!"

Raichu burst into action, and Ash quickly shouted out before she could close the distance between her and Tyrunt.

"Use Roar!" if they were going to land any hits, they needed to knock her off balance.

The blast of shockwaves produced by Tyrunt's shout slammed into Raichu as she approached her target. Her momentum wasn't halted, but she did begin to stumble.

Even as Tyrunt went through with the order, Ash cupped his hands around his mouth to holler over the commotion. "Rock Blast!"

The moment Tyrunt finished executing Roar, he opened his mouth yet again, this time allowing a barrage of rocks to escape. Even as Raichu continued stumbling forward at high speeds, she was pelted by the onslaught, clenching her teeth and wincing in pain as the stone projectiles shattered against her body.

Ash's breath almost caught in his throat as he saw the electric type lose her footing, the barrage eliciting a surprised yelp from her as she was knocked backwards. This would be the last chance they would get in this battle.

"Poison Fang! Go for the head!" Normally Ash would grimace at the thought of such a brutal tactic, but this Raichu had more than proven that she could handle it.

Crying out in determination, Raichu sprinted for his target, jaws opening wide as his teeth became submerged in a purple glow. He tensed the muscles in his legs in preparation to jump forward-

Raichu landed on her forepaws, spinning around to shoot a stream of lightning from her tail. The sudden Thunder Wave smashed into Tyrunt, his Poison Fang gradually dissipating as the electricity traveled along his body, locking his muscles in place as he screeched in pain. His resistance to electricity came through to an extent, cushioning a decent deal of the surprise counteroffensive, but the disruptive properties of the move worked against him just as much as he struggled to maintain his Poison Fang, which was fading fast.

Surge's voice boomed across the arena. "The game is over, pipsqueak! Iron Tail!"

Her balance having now returned to her, Raichu blitzed forward, and all Ash could do was call tyrunt's name as the metallic tail struck his youngest partner square in the jaw, catapulting him backwards until his back slammed into the barriers.

As Tyrunt slumped to the floor, his head tilted to the side, his figure not moving.

"Tyrunt is unable to battle! Raichu wins!" The referee extended her arm towards Surge. "The victory goes to the Gym Leader, LT. Surge!"

The audience erupted into a deafening chorus of triumphant cheers as Ash cradled the fallen dragon in his arms. Rubbing the unconscious Tyrunt's head, he frowned to himself.

He had known going into this battle that getting the badge was going to be tough. Maybe impossible for them at the moment. But to lose to this extent…

It was more disappointing than anything else. They had come here to take a gamble, with the hope that even a defeat would help gauge how much they needed to improve. Instead, they didn't even get that. He had known that Surge was feared by rookies, but this battle had shown him that it was more than that. There was no leap to take. They hadn't even been ready to attempt this Gym.

"Thanks for trying, Tyrunt. I promise, our next battle will go better." Tapping Tyrunt's Poke Ball against the dragon's unconscious form, Ash watched his youngest friend get sucked in, just before his world turned dark and a giant shadow covered his surroundings.

The boy flinched as he looked up to see Surge towering over him, even more so now that he had been leaning down to pick Tyrunt up. The Gym Leader's eyes fixed him with a cold glare, and Ash suddenly felt a frigid sensation in his spine as the fierce gaze bore through him.

"Didn't expect anything more from a newbie." the electric specialist gruffly stated as Ash picked himself up. "You're all the same, you either think you're entitled to be spoon fed your achievements and act like the whole world's turned against you when reality makes itself known, or you rush on into the storm in hopes of seeing how you fare, only to freeze up after failing your own test."

Ash's head slightly angled to the floor at that. He couldn't think of any retorts, as though the man's presence had robbed him of his voice, and he could feel every pair of eyes in the Gym focused on him…

The worst pair, however, belong to Surge, who thankfully didn't bother to maintain it for long. With Raichu making her way up to his shoulder, he began to turn away from the boy with a scoff.

"You've only experienced a taste of this profession, kid. If the real deal came sooner than you thought, it's your fault for not being prepared. Come back when you've learned the difference between a quality trainer and a flimsy knockoff."

Ash remained still for a few moments as Surge walked off, Raichu sparing only a second to glance back at the rookie as the large mouse's trainer scratched her behind the ears.

The world had already moved on from Ash's presence as Surge's thunderous voice addressed the gym trainers on the bleachers. "Alright everyone, entertainment's over, so back to class! And you better have been taking notes!"

/

"We'll look them over right away." Nurse Joy was as comforting as ever as Ash placed the five Poke Balls in her tray. The trip back to the Pokemon Center had been relatively uneventful, outside of the dejected sigh that the young boy had let out upon exiting the Gym. He wondered how long he had been holding that in.

Being here immediately made things feel a little bit better, however. The Pokemon Center seemed to have that kind of magic, and he was grateful for it.

The memories of the battle were still perfectly fresh, however, and Ash shivered whenever he thought of them. It'd be a long while before he could look back at this without feeling uneasy.

The pink-haired woman clearly noticed his expression, her smile saddening, and the look in her eyes sympathetic. "Coming from the Gym?"

Ash was only surprised for about a split second. She was probably used to this.

"Y-Yeah." he replied, doing his best to smile and not look too disappointed. "I'm not too surprised that we lost but… it was a lot more than I thought."

She sighed in understanding. "Believe me, that's how it usually goes around here. Especially when the Season is still so early in. Sometimes it feels like all of our patients are some sort of variation of it. Surge's reputation attracts just as many challengers as it discourages." she fixed him with an even look. "I'd just take it easy for now, if I were you. It's normal for a trainer to run into a fight like this every now and then, but it's also normal for that to throw them off course. Take the time to gather your thoughts, Mr. Ketchum."

As Ash nodded gratefully to her, she lifted the tray up, rising out of her seat to turn to the door. She looked back at him one more time, however. "By the way, Professor Oak called a couple hours ago. He was looking for you. I think it might have been right after you left."

Ash perked up at that, the life returning to his expression in full. "Oh, thanks!"

It felt like it had been ages since he and the Professor had last spoke. This was as good an opportunity as any…

/

"It's good to see you again after so long, Ash!" the boy smiled as Professor Oak appeared on the other end of the screen.

"You too, Professor. How's he doing?" Ash pointed to the young Heracross next to the Professor. The bug/fighting type seemed to have grown a decent bit bigger since he had left on Opening Day. No doubt he was no longer a baby at this point.

Oak patted the Heracross on the horn as the bug waved at Ash from the other end. "He wanted to be here when I told him we'd be talking. He's still been spending a lot of time with Sobble as usual, and both are growing healthily. Thankfully a bit more well-behaved than some of the other younger ones here."

"Heh. Glad you're being good. I'll come by to visit at some point, okay?" Ash smiled at the bug, who nodded enthusiastically.

After a few minutes or so, Oak sent Heracross on his way, his face turning somewhat more serious (but not too much) as he turned to face Ash again.

"Anyway, I've actually been wanting to check up on you, since you haven't called in a while. I knew you were okay, since you've been talking to your mother, but I just wanted to speak to you myself."

"About what?" Ash asked.

Oak let out a sigh, as if dreading the subject. Ash suddenly began to catch on.

"Well, for one thing, I know you were… involved in what happened at Mt. Moon."

Ash felt the pit in his stomach as the Professor sent him an apologetic look. "Oh…"

"Sorry… I don't want to open up old wounds. I was just… in for a shock when I saw your name on that report." another sigh, much deeper this time. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but you did the right thing by not telling your mother about that. It would've been one thing if you had been seriously hurt, then I would have had to tell her, but…"

Ash's face scrunched up in displeasure at the thought. "Of… course. If she had known I don't know what would have…" he shook away the thought as his voice trailed off. Yeah, she couldn't know about this. As long as he wasn't harmed in any incidents there was no need for her to worry, as much as he hated the idea of lying to her.

"Either way, I'm just happy you came out of it." Oak said sincerely. "There's been recent activity, too. The officials have been on guard as of late." He shook his head. "But enough of that, right now. Where are you at the moment?"

"Vermillion City." Ash answered. He looked off to the side awkwardly as the Oak's expression turned concerned again. No doubt the Professor was already filling in the blanks. "I… just battled Surge."

After a moment to take the information in, understanding adorned Oak's features as the Professor rubbed his forehead. "I… was worried about that."

"He… was a lot stronger than I thought." Ash sighed. "I knew we might not win, but I just thought it would be an opportunity to see how far we could get. If… I had known the gap was that big, I wouldn't have even bothered. "

"So you went in expecting an uphill battle and ended up with a mountain climb." the Professor confirmed. "That checks out. I guess now you know the extent of those stories for yourself. Every Season sees a new batch of rookies throwing themselves into the abyss in order to either beat Surge and stroke their own ego, or worse, because they think the talk about him is exaggerated fiction. It always ends the same. As for you, there's nothing wrong with testing yourself, but that's not always going to pay off. I should have gotten a hold of you sooner to dissuade you from it."

Ash inwardly chuckled at that. It was true… he definitely would have just headed for Celadon first if Oak had advised against challenging Surge.

"Well, don't worry. I'm not going to be going back for a rematch for a while. Speaking of which, Celadon is to the northwest, so we'll be heading there either tomorrow or the day after. I just have to stock up first."

Oak nodded in approval. "I was going to advise not going to Fuschia next. Koga is a bit more flexible on a good day, but for the most part, he's just as bad as Surge. Not to mention the road leading to his city is dangerous. Much more than anywhere else you've been. You'll be better off in Celadon or even Saffron right now. Just make sure you don't rush it. Your team will need time to get over it themselves. And how are you faring?"

"It was… a lot to take in." An understatement, really. From the atmosphere of the Gym, to the battle itself… "It definitely set a new standard…"

"Take all the time you need." Oak nodded in understanding. "Just try not to dwell on it too much for now. It won't do you any good until you're strong enough to go back there again. You're a good trainer, you wouldn't have gotten this far so quickly if you weren't. But everyone is going to bite off more than they can chew at some point, whether they go looking for trouble or not. It's normal to feel the way you do right now, but it'll pass, so just focus on the road ahead of you." he smiled. "And if you ever need anything, you don't have to wait for me to call you."

Ash's lips curved upwards at that. "I know. Thanks, Professor."

/

Nebula perched herself on the table as Ash examined the map of Kanto. They were back in the hotel room for now. It was going to be a while before everybody recovered, due to the severity of the injuries that some of them received (and Nurse Joy had recommended extra hours of sleep for Pikachu and Valiant, to help mentally relax them), so Ash had chosen to remain in doors for the rest of the day.

Nebula didn't seem to be too disappointed about not taking part in the battle… which could be because of how it had turned out. No doubt she felt as though she didn't miss much.

The Staravia smiled a bit as Ash stroked her feathers, his eyes traveling across the map as he thought about their next course of action. The northwestern path to Celadon was off the road, not that it was relatively uncommon for trainers to do such a thing. Theoretically, it would save time if they took this direction than if they had gone back up to Saffron immediately. Even if they had chosen to challenge Sabrina first, they would still need to head to Celadon afterwards, in which case their only way forward would be to backtrack to Saffron, or go to Vermillion by taking the off-road path anyway. They had time to spare, but Ash was still hoping to manage that time whenever feasible.

Of course, after Celadon and Saffron, he'd have another choice to make, regarding whether or not he went back to Vermillion right away. He could go to Fuchsia beforehand, but based on what Oak had said, the young rookie was right to be wary of that place. Neither choice would be an easy one, it seemed.

They'd just cross the bridge when they came to it, he supposed. It was like the Professor had said: Dwelling on a problem that they weren't yet equipped to solve wouldn't get them anywhere.

Ash gave Nebula an apologetic grin upon seeing the concern on her face. "Don't worry, I'm just thinking." he gave the map a final glance before turning back to his feathered friend. "We could do something a bit more fun if you're bored."

Grinning, Nebula pointed her wing to the flat screen. Although amused, Ash couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, good idea. I could probably go for that myself. Let's see what's on."

Rolling up the map, Ash watched Nebula carefully fly to the desk near his bed, where she perched herself expectantly. They'd have plenty of time to think about the bigger challenges ahead of them when they were ready, but for now, their journey was one step at a time.

They'd still take leaps, but only after examining the cliff.