Two Badges and a Ribbon

"Awesome buddy. You evolved," Gary said with a huge grin.

Graveler gave him a thumbs up before slamming his hands into the ground, causing yellow light to slam into Manectric and knocking him into the psychic barriers.

"Not bad kid. You now have a huge chance of winning. But, would it be enough? Manectric iron tail."

"Of course it'll be enough. Graveler rollout and finish this."

Manectric's tail attained a metallic sheen as he charged at Graveler, hell bent on knocking him out. Graveler responded by tucking himself into a rollout. As both pokémon neared each other, Graveler attained a silver hue that covered his body and faded. He uncurled himself faster than normal and punched Manectric with a focus punch, sending him to the ground. Graveler jumped up and came down on Manectric with a solid hammer arm, creating a crater.

"Manectric is unable to battle, Graveler wins. Since Gym Leader Surge has lost all three pokémon, the winner is Gary Oak from Pallet Town."

"I won!" Gary shouted as he ran to hug Graveler.

"Congrats kid, You did well. I don't have time to pass out pointers because of your friend there," Lt. Surge said as he gestured for Ash to come down.

"No problem Lt. Surge."

Gary returned Graveler and left the field while Ash came down.

"Nice job Gary," Ash said.

"Thanks Ash, you better win."

"Of course, there's no way I'd lose," Ash said as he high-fived Gary and made his way to the field.

"Hope you won't disappoint."

"I won't," Ash said as he took his place on the battlefield which had already been fixed by the League's Psychic pokémon.

"This is a three-on-three battle between the Challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and the Gym Leader Lt. Surge. The battle will be over when three pokémon from one side are unable to battle. Substitutions are not allowed. Gym Leader release your pokémon."

"Come out, Voltorb."

Out of Surge's pokéball came a Voltorb and it looked angry. If looks could kill, it might have killed Ash from the way it stared at him.

"Voltorb huh? In that case I choose you," Ash said as he threw his own friend ball. Out of it came his Psyduck.

"Using a water type against an electric type is not a very smart thing to do. Don't make me change my view on you."

"Don't worry Surge, I won't disappoint."

"Challenger has the first move. Psyduck vs. Voltorb begin."

"Psyduck, use water gun."

"Voltorb thunderbolt."

As Psyduck's jet of water was released, Voltorb released a bolt of lightning. The electric attack struck the water and electrocuted it, but Psyduck cut off contact before the electricity hit him.

"Ice beam on the field." 'I'll do best if I annihilate Voltorb's movement.'

Psyduck quacked an affirmative as he used ice beam to freeze the entire field, giving Voltorb a hard time to move.

"Trying to eliminate Voltorb's movement kid. That's smart, let's see how it'll play out. Voltorb use thunder wave to hit that duck."

Voltorb sparked up as he sent a paralysing wave of electricity at Psyduck.

"Psyduck dodge and water pulse."

Psyduck dodged the incoming thunder wave by jumping up before releasing a pulse of water at Voltorb.

"Tear it with thunderbolt and hit Psyduck."

Voltorb sparked up once again as he used thunderbolt to destroy water pulse and continue towards Psyduck, only to find out that Psyduck was not there.

"Ice chop."

From behind Voltorb, Psyduck slammed his ice cold hands into the unsuspecting pokémon's face and sending him into the psychic barriers.

"Psybeam and then disable."

Without missing a beat, Psyduck blasted Voltorb with psybeam before using disable to prevent it from moving. Voltorb was trapped and at the mercy of Psyduck.

"Voltorb no way!"

"Yes way! Finish off with muddy water."

Psyduck quacked as he slammed his gusts into the ground, causing an eruption of mud to slam and knock out Voltorb.

"Voltorb is unable to battle. The winner is Psyduck. Gym Leader send out your next pokémon."

"You did well to surprise me kid and take out Voltorb so fast. I commend you for that. Go Jolteon."

"Jolteon huh? You think you can take it out buddy?" Ash asked Psyduck.

"Sure thing Ash," Psyduck replied with an affirmative.

"Jolteon vs Psyduck begin."

"Jolteon shockwave."

Jolteon formed an orb of electricity before launching a bolt at Psyduck.

"Dodge and ice beam."

Psyduck fired the ice attack at Jolteon.

"Dodge and come down on the ground with iron tail."

Jolteon avoided the ice beam and shattered the sheet of ice covering the field with iron tail. That put a dent in Ash's plans.

'Shit.' "Psyduck water gun and launch yourself towards Jolteon."

"Jolteon wait for it."

Psyduck shot a jet of water, launching himself towards Jolteon fast.

"Now ice chop."

Psyduck's fists froze as he crossed them in front of his chest, intending to strike Jolteon.

"Iron tail."

Jolteon's tail attained a metallic sheen as it slammed it into Psyduck and sent him flying. Psyduck hit the ground hard causing a small crater.

"Let it rain thunderbolt, Jolteon."

Jolteon sparked up as he shot a bolt of lightning that struck Psyduck hard, and sent him into the psychic barriers.

"Psyduck try to get up."

Psyduck tried his best but was too weak to get up.

"Finish what you started, thunder."

"Psyduck no!" Ash screamed as the powerful electric attack hit Psyduck and knocked him out.

"Psyduck is unable to battle, Jolteon wins. Challenger send out your next pokémon."

"Jolteon sure is quick with attacks. But I have a way to stop it. Go Bulbasaur."

"Saur!" Bulbasaur yelled as he came out of his friend ball.

"A Bulbasaur huh? This should be interesting."

"Bulbasaur vs. Jolteon begin."

"Start things with vine whip."

Bulbasaur summoned vines from his bud and tried to slam Jolteon, but it evaded the strikes.

'Like most eeveelutions, Jolteon has bad defense. Like the others, it sacrificed all other stats for two others. Now if I can just land a solid hit or three, the match is mine.'

"Jolteon quick attack into double kick."

Jolteon shot off very fast towards Bulbasaur.

"Perfect," Ash muttered.

Jolteon neared Bulbasaur and proceeded to kick him in the face. Bulbasaur endured the hit before wrapping Jolteon in his vines tightly.

"What?!" Surge exclaimed.

"Now power whip!"

Bulbasaur's vines glowed purple as he slammed it and Jolteon into the ground, creating a crater.

"Into the air and follow up with razor leaf."

Bulbasaur tossed Jolteon into the air before unleashing a barrage of razor sharp leaves at Jolteon dealing further damage.

"Jolteon!" Surge exclaimed as he saw Jolteon's hit the ground. Jolteon tried to get up but he was too weak to stand. Surge recalled him with a sigh.

"Gym Leader Surge, do you forfeit Jolteon?" the referee asked.

"Yes," Surge replied calmly. "A trainer is supposed to know when his pokémon can't battle anymore."

"Gym Leader has forfeited his pokémon. The match goes to Bulbasaur. Send out your final pokémon."

"Kid, you've battled well, but it's time I turned the tables around. Go Zebstrika."

Out of Surge's pokéball came a zebra-like pokémon with two white thunderbolt horns and spikes across its back. It bellowed as it came out.

"Zebstrika vs. Bulbasaur begin."

"Zebstrika flame charge."

Zebstrika responded by wrapping its body in flames and charged Bulbasaur.

"Dodge then vine whip."

Bulbasaur dodged the incoming attack and after the flames died, he slammed it with vine whip, but instead of doing damage, the vine whip was absorbed into Zebstrika and it glowed red.

"No way!"

"You see kid, Zebstrika's hidden ability is Sap Sipper, and it means that any grass type move will just be absorbed into it and increase its attack power."

"So that's why you chose Zebstrika. Guess I'll have to think my way out of this one, until then we'll just have to dodge. Bulbasaur I want you to dodge all their attacks. Just do your best to keep it up until I come up with something."

Bulbasaur nodded in agreement as he thrashed his vines on the ground.

"Hmm... How would you do this kid? Use shockwave."

Zebstrika formed an orb of electricity between its horns and shot a bolt at Bulbasaur who avoided it.

"Keep it up with either shockwave or signal beam."

And the assault began. Zebstrika would attack with shock wave or signal beam and Bulbasaur would dodge the attack by running around the field. They went back and forth until a shockwave hit Bulbasaur and knocked him down.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Nice job, now flame charge."

Zebstrika became wrapped in flames as it charged Bulbasaur. Midway, Zebstrika tripped on a crater and fell, cancelling the flame charge.

'That's it. Zebstrika aren't good at running on uneven plains. And once more, damage to the leg eliminates them from battle. I know what to do.' "Bulbasaur use vine whip to damage the field."

Heeding Ash's words, Bulbasaur summoned his vines and began thrashing the field.

"What are they doing?" Surge muttered. "Use shockwave while they are distracted."

Shockwave hit Bulbasaur and sent him flying, but he got up and continued to further damage the field.

"Zebstrika use signal beam."

The super-effective bug move slammed into Bulbasaur and sent him flying.

"Bulbasaur! I think that's enough," Ash said as he watched Zebstrika walk forward. "Perfect, use Dust powder."

Dust powder was a combo move Ash had worked on with Bulbasaur. The move involved Bulbasaur releasing sleep powder and poison powder simultaneously while using his vines to kick up dust to hide them and send them at the target. At this moment the dust was already in the air and had reached Zebstrika who had inhaled them.

"Skull bash, aim for its legs."

Using the dust as cover, Bulbasaur went in and bashed Zebstrika, sending it into the air and crashing down. When the dust cleared, Zebstrika was fast asleep and with a purple glow over it. It was poisoned.

"Zebstrika! Wake up!" Surge shouted.

"It's no use, razor leaf."

Bulbasaur unloaded the barrage of razor sharp leaves at Zebstrika but they were all absorbed.

"Damn it, use growl." 'So Hidden abilities are active even when the pokémon is asleep as long as they have unlocked it.'

Bulbasaur growled as he lowered Zebstrika's attack power, but it was already awake and Bulbasaur ended up receiving a point-blank shockwave and was launched back.

"Oh no!" 'Bulbasaur's on his last legs, I'd better end this now.'

Zebstrika got up, but was covered once more in purple glow as poison took effect.

"Damn poison, we're gonna end this, Flame charge."

"It's now or never, skull bash."

Zebstrika was wrapped in flames once again and began running at Bulbasaur who was running at Zebstrika with a tucked head. Both pokémon collided in a show of dominance, causing a small explosion of flames and smoke. The entire field was covered, when it cleared, Bulbasaur was knocked out with burn marks all over.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled.

Zebstrika got up and bellowed to the crowd.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, the match goes to-"

Just as the referee was about to call the match, Zebstrika was enveloped in a purple glow as poison kicked in. It fell down clearly knocked out.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle, it's a double knockout. Since the Gym Leader has lost all three pokémon, and the challenger still has one left, victory goes to Challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"I won," Ash cheered as he went to hug Bulbasaur. "You did well buddy," Ash said as he returned him to his friend ball.

"Nice job kid, you clearly are a battler."

"Ash!" Gary, Leaf and Misty yelled.

"Hey guys," Ash said as they reached him.

"That was a nice battle Ash, congrats on winning," Misty said.

"Thanks Misty."

"Yeah Ash, that was a well fought battle," Gary said.

"Thanks."

"Come with me out back, I want to show you something."

"Don't worry guys, we'll meet at the Pokémon Center."

"Ok, don't delay you two, I'd like to explore Vermilion City," Leaf said.

"Don't worry, we won't take long," Gary said as they parted.

"First things first, as proof of your win at the Vermilion Gym, here's the thunder badge," Surge said as he handed the badge over to them.

"Thanks Lt. Surge."

"No problem kids. Now release all the pokémon you have on you now."

"Why?" Gary asked.

"Just do it."

Ash and Gary took out their friend balls and released all their pokémon. Out of Gary's friend ball came his Blastoise, Eevee, Pidgeotto, Krabby, Mareep, Horsea, and Abra. Out of Ash's friend ball came his Charizard, Elekid, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scizor, Cleffa, Eevee, Squirtle, and Tyrunt. Each pokémon came out with loud cries.

Surge looked at the pokémon they all released, accessing them silently.

"Perfect," Surge said with a grin.

Scene Change

"Where are we Lt. Surge?" Ash asked.

"This is Kanto's Pokémon Tech Academy or PokéTech for short."

"So why are we here?" Gary asked.

"Basically, we are here to set some kids straight. The PokéTech Academy teaches what it takes to be a battler, but only theoretically. These kids think that they can take on real trainers without proper battle experience. They deal with breeding to get the best traits and attributes in pokémon. I want you guys to battle them and teach them what it takes to be real trainers."

"If it means battling, I'm down for it," Ash responded with a grin.

"Me too," Gary said.

"Alright, let's go in."

Few minutes later

Surge had gathered a group of students and they were all assembled in front of Surge, Ash and Gary.

"All right, listen up you brats. You guys are the top six students in your class and you are gathered here because you phonies think you are real trainers. These two boys just won the thunder badge from me on a two badge level."

"That's easy, all of us here are almost at league level. You are barely a match for us right now Lt. Surge," a girl said.

"Oh really, then let's see you punks beat these two young men in a pokémon battle. Listen up brats, if you lose then you'll have to admit that you're not real trainers and accept Battling as part of your regime."

"And if we win, they'll have to drop their trainers license and join PokéTech."

"Deal. Now listen up, Giselle, Ryan and Miley, you're gonna battle Ash here," Surge said as he gestured to Ash. "Jake, Richard and Monica, you're gonna battle Gary," Surge said pointing to Gary. "Are you ready? Gary goes first."

Gary stepped forward as he cracked his knuckles. "So who's first?"

"I am," Jake said as he stepped forward.

"Hope you're ready for a fight. No holding back. Go Mach."

Out of Gary's friend ball came his Pidgeotto.

"You nicknamed your pokémon," Jake said while laughing. "You really are worthless."

"You may say that now but you'll try it after I beat you. A nickname signifies the bond a pokémon shares with his trainer. But enough talk release your pokémon."

"Come out Meowth."

"Pidgeotto vs. Meowth begin."

"Into the air."

"Use shadow ball."

As Mach flew into the air, Meowth sent a shadow ball after it.

"Dodge and quick attack."

Mach evaded the shadow ball before shooting off and slamming into Meowth with a quick attack.

"Now, air slash."

Mach flew back up before flapping her wings, releasing slashes of wind. It struck Meowth and sent it flying towards his trainer.

"Meowth get up!"

"Mach wrap it up, steel wing."

Mach's wings attained a metallic sheen as she launched herself at a staggering Meowth.

"Thunderbolt!"

Meowth gathered up the last ounce of its energy and shot the electric attack at Mach. Thanks to Gary's quick reflexes and expanded cerebrum, he was able to quickly order her to dodge. Mach swerved out of the way with a spin, before hitting Meowth and knocking him out. The impact sent Meowth flying far beyond Jake and into a wall.

"Pidgeotto wins," Surge said.

"That's one of the top students," Gary said. "They must all be weak."

The other students didn't say anything as Gary recalled Mach after thanking her for her work.

"So who's next," Surge asked. "Ash it's your turn."

"Who do I get to battle?" Ash asked with a grin.

"I'll take you on," Miley said as she stepped forward.

"Fine," Ash said as he held a friend ball. "Let's do this Scizor."

Scizor came out of his friend ball with a flip as he stared down Miley.

"How are you doing? This is a battle buddy so let's go all out."

"You talk with your pokémon?" Miley asked.

"Yeah," Ash casually replied. "You should try it."

"Hard pass. It's a waste of time. Come out Solrock."

Out of her pokéball came a Solrock.

"Solrock vs. Scizor begin."

"Solrock flamethrower."

Solrock spun on its axis before spewing a stream of flames at Scizor.

"Dodge with agility into aerial ace."

Scizor increased his speed before switching into aerial ace. Scizor slammed into Solrock and launched it into the air.

"Solrock use psychic."

"Counter with bug buzz."

Solrock launched a blast of psychic attack at Scizor but he countered with bug buzz. Both attacks clashed and cancelled each other out.

"Follow up with steel wing."

Scizor shot off on the ground as his light metal ability activated. His wings attained a metallic sheen as he approached Solrock.

"Psywave."

Solrock's eyes glowed blue as it shot blue rings of psychic energy at Scizor. Quick in his reflexes, Scizor slammed into Solrock and knocked it down. The super-effective move clearly did damage.

"Finish with bug buzz."

Scizor's wings vibrated as he emitted red waves of energy that slammed into Solrock, knocking it out.

"Scizor wins," Surge said.

"Nice job Scizor," Ash said as he watched Miley return Solrock. "You did good kid," Ash said to Miley.

"Umm.. thanks," she said as she left to join the rest.

"I think it's my turn," Gary said as he took his place on the field.

"Who's coming this time?" Surge demanded.

"I will. I'll show this wannabe how to battle. Go Seviper," Richard said.

Out of his Richard's pokéball came the Fang Snake Pokémon, Seviper.

"Seviper," it hissed as it came out.

"An arrogant one huh? Let's do this Eevee."

Out of Gary's friend ball came his Eevee. As he came out, he took on a battle stance on seeing the Seviper.

"An Eevee huh? It's no match for my Seviper. Seviper here is bred for maximum battling here. It's an example of how a Seviper is in its prime."

"Quit yapping about Seviper and let's battle."

"Eevee vs. Seviper begin."

"Quick attack into iron tail."

"Counter with poison tail."

Eevee crouched as he shot off, leaving behind a trail of white. His tail attained a metallic sheen as he clashed it against Seviper's poison tail. They both fought for dominance before Eevee pushed Seviper away.

"Shadow ball."

"Dodge."

Eevee formed the ball of otherworldly energy and launched it at Seviper, but it evaded the shadow ball.

"Night slash."

Seviper's tail end glowed a light purple as it charged Eevee.

"Sand attack."

Eevee launched sand into Seviper's path, blinding it momentarily, and halting its attack, while sending it tumbling.

"Now swift."

Eevee opened his mouth as he launched golden stars at Seviper. The attack sent Seviper into the ground were it staggered to its full length.

"Seviper use iron tail."

"Quick attack into iron tail."

Seviper's tail attained a metallic sheen as it charged Eevee who was coming with a quick attack. Nearing Seviper, Eevee leaped into the air and came down on Seviper with an iron tail. Seviper blocked with its iron tail. They both fought for dominance until Eevee pulled back and blasted Seviper with a shadow ball. The shadow ball carried Seviper into the air.

"Now swift."

Eevee launched the golden stars at Seviper's falling body, knocking it out.

"That's another down," Gary said as he watched Richard return Seviper.

"I'm up again," Ash said as he stepped forward with a friend ball in hand. He tossed it up as he took his place.

"I'll challenge you," Ryan said as he held a pokéball in his hand.

"Hope you're ready?" Ash asked.

"Of course I'm ready. Ready to serve you dirt that is," Ryan said with a smug look on his face. "Come out Cloyster."

Out of his pokéball came a Cloyster.

"If that's what you think, go Squirtle."

Out of Ash's friend ball came his recently caught Squirtle. As Squirtle came out, it took on a fighting stance and wore its pointed shades.

"Cloyster vs. Squirtle begin."

"Unlike those incompetent fools, I actually have a strategy to defeat you. Cloyster aurora beam."

Cloyster formed a multicolored beam from the horn on its head as it fired it at Squirtle.

"Dodge and rapid spin."

Squirtle dodged the aurora beam before inserting himself back in his shell as he began spinning towards Cloyster.

"Silly move. Use hydro pump."

Cloyster moved backwards as it fired a powerful jet of water from its horn at Squirtle. Squirtle dodged the hydro pump attack and slammed himself into Cloyster.

"Cloyster! Water pulse."

"Counter with water pulse."

Cloyster formed an orb of water in front of his horn and launched it at Squirtle who had also launched his own water pulse. Both attacks clashed, but Squirtle's water pulse broke through and slammed into Cloyster while exploding in a burst of water.

"Now charge Cloyster and use Aura sphere."

Squirtle landed on the ground and ran at Cloyster while charging an Aura sphere. Before Cloyster could get up, Squirtle launched the Aura sphere at it, dealing super-effective damage and creating a crater in the ground.

"Cloyster, use smart strike."

"Focus punch."

Cloyster charged Squirtle intent on stabbing it with its horn while Squirtle focused his power as his right hand glowed white.

"Squirtle be careful, smart strike never misses so get ready as it approaches you."

Squirtle nodded his head and opened his eyes just in time to see Cloyster slam into him. Squirtle took the attack before giving Cloyster an uppercut with focus punch, and sending it flying were it crashed on the ground, knocked out.

"Alright, way to go Squirtle!" Ash exclaimed as he returned him to his ball.

"Final battler for Gary, step forward."

"You are about to face a real battler," Monica said as she stepped forward. "I do not know what luck you possess but it ends here. I will humiliate you and your pokémon. Come out Cacturne, let's do this."

Monica tossed a pokéball into the air, releasing the Scarecrow Pokémon, Cacturne.

"Cac-turne!" It yelled as it came out and stared at Gary.

"Cacturne here is the strongest pokémon in my arsenal, you don't stand a chance. Give up now."

"What ignorance," Gary responded. "The battle hasn't started and you're telling me to give up. You must be really strong but however, I want to get serious too. I introduce you to my strongest partner, come out Blast," Gary said as he tossed his friend ball.

The light from the ball materialized into a pissed off Blastoise. "Blast," it yelled.

"A Blastoise huh. You must be competent enough to raise a Squirtle into a Blastoise unlike that wannabe who still has a Squirtle, however, it's no match for Cacturne."

"Blastoise vs. Cacturne begin."

"Cacturne use magical leaf."

Cacturne spun on its right leg before releasing glowing white leaves from its hands at Blastoise.

"Blast buddy, use icy wind."

Blastoise opened his mouth and fired a breath of chilled air at the incoming leaves, freezing them and continuing towards Cacturne.

"Dodge and needle arm."

Cacturne dodged the icy wind attack and his right arm glowed white as it continued towards Blastoise.

"Lure them in and ice punch."

Blast nodded as he waited for Cacturne's attack. As Cacturne made impact, Blast punched it with an ice punch. Both pokémon dealt super-effective damage to themselves, but Blast dealt more.

"Cacturne use revenge!" Monica yelled.

"Blast dodge with rapid spin and use focus blast."

Cacturne got up and charged Blast with body glowing white. But, before he could hit Blast, he had already tucked himself in his shell and used rapid spin to dodge. Blast landed behind Cacturne and nailed him with a focus blast.

The attack sent Cacturne flying.

"Let's end this before he gets up, Rapid blizzard."

Blast tucked himself into his shell and began spinning rapidly in one position.

"Cacturne get up!" Monica yelled.

"Too late."

Blast released the blizzard attack in his spinning form. The blizzard attack froze Cacturne and knocked him out. The attack also sent chills down everyone's body and it dropped the temperature slightly.

"That's that," Gary said as Blast walked over to him. "You did good buddy."

"Blast."

"Cacturne we lost," Monica said as she returned it.

"Sorry to disappoint Monica, I know you were expecting me to use water attacks. But did you think I wouldn't know about Cacturne's hidden ability, water absorb."

"How did you know that?"

"I'm no fool. Like you guys, I'm a theoretical battler, but in a practical way. I mix the two to create my own battling style. Theory is good but alone it's useless against one who can combine both theory and practical to create his own unique battling style. Your Cacturne was strong, but you couldn't utilise its current strength."

"Nicely said, Gary Oak," Surge said as he patted his back.

"Did you just say Gary Oak, as in son of Champion Blue Oak!" Monica exclaimed.

"Yes kid, you just fought the son of our Champion. Ash take the field so we can wrap it up."

"Alright Lt. Surge."

"Please, you kids have earned the right to call me Surge," he said with a laugh.

"Alright, I think Giselle was your name. Let's do this, I have pokémon to feed."

"Ash... I think, you're gonna be sorry you said that. The pokémon I'm about to bring out is the strongest in this school currently. Do you think you can face him and stand. The others are far below me in battling. Do not think you'll be battling a beginner."

"Oh really, you're on."

"I spared no expense on feeding him rare candies and giving him TMs. I made sure to have him grow to his fullest before evolving him. Here he is, most prized pokémon," she said as she tossed a pokéball into the air.

The light from the pokéball condensed into a Marowak. And not just any normal Marowak, it was a shiny one. It looked to be almost five feet. Giselle was not lying about anything she said.

"A shiny Marowak. You really meant what you said which means that I must do the same. Since you are using your ace, why don't I do the same. I introduce you to the first pokémon that I could call mine. The star battler of my team who has been itching for an all out fight after his evolution a week ago. He is my best friend and my partner. The strongest of my elites, Blaze."

Ash tossed his friend ball into the air and it released a white light. The light slowly condensed into a Charizard. Blaze spat a flamethrower as he roared into the air and stared down Marowak.

"Is this the guy we're fighting?" Blaze said as he turned to Ash.

"Yeah Blaze that's Marowak and that's Giselle. They are our opponents."

"Do I get to go all out?" He asked Ash.

"Yeah. You've been feeling lazy so it's time you do some exercise."

"Are we gonna battle or are you gonna keep talking to that stupid Charizard!" Giselle yelled.

Blaze turned to her with a frown and bloodlust in his eyes.

"What a kid. How many weeks into his journey and he already has all three Kanto starters. A feat that not many can accomplish. Marowak vs. Charizard begin."

"Marowak use smack down."

"Into the air Blaze."

Marowak shot off at Blaze but he avoided it by taking into the air.

"Blaze flamethrower."

Blaze reared his head back as he spewed a stream of flames at Marowak.

"Block it with your club."

Marowak spun his bone club in front of him, sending the flames spreading everywhere.

"Use ancient power."

Marowak slammed his bone club on the ground, sending rocks flying towards Blaze.

"Protect."

Blaze held up his hands as a green barrier in front of him. The protect barrier held up against the attack.

"Now metal claw."

Blaze's hands attained a metallic sheen as he flew towards Marowak.

"Marowak use iron head."

Marowak's skull attained a metallic sheen as he ran at an incoming Blaze. As Blaze neared Marowak, Ash issued a command.

"Flame burst."

Blaze's mouth became filled with flames as he pulled back and shot a huge burst of flames that struck Marowak and sent him tumbling backwards into the ground.

"Now metal claw."

Blaze shot off as he struck Marowak in the gut, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Pull back let's give her a chance to regain her footing."

"Don't show concern, this is a battle. I don't need your concern cause I'm gonna win this battle, so you and your stupid Charizard better get ready."

"I was trying to be nice but that does it. After the battle I'll give you pointers. Blaze reinforced pulse."

Blaze roared as he formed a dragon pulse and spewed flames on it merging it, before launching it at Marowak and causing a small explosion.

"Marowak get up."

Marowak slowly dragged itself to its feet but its bone club was far from it.

"Marowak, stone edge."

Marowak slammed his hands into the ground, erecting spires of rocks that hurdled around it. It sent them flying at Blaze.

"Blaze, metal claw and iron tail to destroy the rocks. After that, give them a triple pulse."

Blaze's claws attained a metallic sheen, alongside his tail. He slammed and destroyed all spires of rocks before shooting three dragon pulse at Marowak. The first launched Marowak into the air, the second sent him further into the air and the last one sent it into the ground, creating a crater.

"Marowak! Get up!"

"Fire blast."

Blaze reared his head back as he fired an orb of fire that doin became the kanji for big. The fire type attack slammed into Marowak, creating an even bigger crater and charring the field.

"Use dragon dance then dragon pulse."

"Marowak get up and use skull bash."

As Blaze performed the dragon dance, Marowak struggled to his feet and began his skull bash attack. Blaze finished the dragon dance and spewed flames unto a dragon pulse. He launched the pulse at Marowak's incoming form. The impact caused an explosion that sent Marowak into the air.

"Now dragon rush."

Blaze crouched down as draconic energy surrounded him. He quickly flew at Marowak's falling body and slammed into it, knocking it out on impact.

"The battles are over. Ash Satoshi Ketchum has completed all his battles."

"Ketchum!" all the students exclaimed.

"Is he related to Pokémon Master Red Ketchum," Giselle asked.

"Of course you brats," Surge said with a laugh. "He's his son."

"His son!" they exclaimed.

"Giselle!" Ash called out. "Piece of advice. Never ever insult another's pokémon, no matter how miserable it or the owner is. Those words you spoke really angered Blaze. Thank Arceus, I didn't give him full control of the match. If I had, he would have done more damage to Marowak."

"I'm sorry," she said as she returned Marowak.

"Well punks. Looks like I won the bet. From tomorrow, you'll have battle experience exercises with me. This was on request from our Champion, so I could have implemented this from the beginning. I just wanted you brats to understand battling. So punks, to help me with you guys, I'm gonna require the help of these two. Prepare for it."

With that Surge, Gary and Ash left the Academy.

"Thanks kids. If I had battled those kids, I may have gone overboard."

"No problem Surge," Ash said.

"Yeah, it was our pleasure," Gary responded.

"Well, we meet tomorrow. Prepare yourselves cause it's a win-win. You teach them and your team gains battle experience. Anyways, see you later."

And with that Surge left.

"It's down to the two of us," Gary said.

"Yeah. Let's get back to the others."

"You got it."

Moments Later

Ash and Gary had arrived at the Pokémon Center and had given all the pokémon that participated in battles today to Nurse Joy. They contacted and the others and dropped off their bags in the rooms they had registered.

"Where were you? You guys took too long," Leaf said as she questioned both of them.

"Sorry Leaf. We were with Lt. Surge," Gary responded.

"Yeah. He took us to this building he called the PokéTech Academy to battle some students and set them straight," Ash said with a grin.

"He did?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," this time it was Gary who responded. "So from tomorrow until the S.S. Anne, we'll be having battle sessions with them."

"That's nice and all, but," Leaf said. "I want to explore Vermillion City," she said as she grabbed both Ash and Gary and led them out the door, with Misty following behind.

Few Hours Later

The quadruple had had a fun day that afternoon. They had eaten the local food, went relaxing in Vermillion City's famous spa. After that, they spent the rest of the day playing at the beach. They had all released their water type pokémon. They spent time at the beach playing in the sand and splashing in the sea.

They were currently now strolling around the city when they came across a big Gym-like building from which cheers were coming from.

"What's this?" Gary asked.

"It's Vermillion City's Contest Stadium," Leaf responded.

"It is...," Ash said. "Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"What Ash?" Misty asked.

"Serena has a Pokémon Contest, and I think it's going on now," Ash said as he dashed for the stadium.

"Oh Ash. Seriously in a hurry to go see his girlfriend," Gary said as he crossed his arms.

"Is that so?" Leaf said in a whisper to Gary's ear, sending shivers down the boys back as she followed Ash into the stadium.

"Umm... Gary," Misty said as she snapped the boy out of his daze after moments of silence.

"Oh, sorry. Let's get going," Gary said as he and Misty went into the stadium.

Moments Later

"Where is Ash?" Gary asked as he and Misty caught up with Leaf.

"I don't know," Leaf responded as she continued searching.

"There he is," Misty said as she pointed towards his direction.

The trio headed over to his direction.

"Where have you guys been?" Ash asked as he noticed them. "I heard the finals have already started. Let's go."

And he went ahead with them following behind. The entered the huge room and looked towards the direction of the field. They saw a pokémon battle in progress.

"Hey Ash, isn't that Serena?" Leaf said as she pointed to a girl facing off against another girl.

"And it looks like she's winning," Gary said, pointing to the huge screen which showed Serena's face and her opponent. Serena currently had half of her points while her opponent had less than a quarter left.

"She must be really good," Misty said.

They heard a loud alarm go off as the timer on the screen reached zero. Cheers filled the entire contest hall as Serena and her Braixen were announced winners.

Soon it was time for the award ceremony. Serena was given the Thunder Ribbon of the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. Ash and the gang waited until after the ceremony to go and meet Serena.

"Serena!" Ash yelled as he saw her.

She turned around and was surprised at the people she saw. "Ash, Gary and Leaf," she said as she ran to meet them.

She gave all of them hugs with a big smile on her face.

"I've missed you guys so much," she said as she broke out of the hug with Misty.

"We've missed you too," Leaf said as she hugged the honey-blonde girl again.

"Yeah. Congrats on winning the contest," Gary said.

"You guys saw it," Serena said as she broke out of Leaf's hug.

"Ehm... something like that," Ash said as he scratched the back of his head. "You see, I forgot and when I remembered, the finals had already begun. If I'm not mistaken, we came during the last forty-five seconds of the match. Sorry."

"It's not a problem Ash. At least you guys saw me win the thunder ribbon," Serena said as she showed them the ribbon. It was a yellow ribbon with white streaks and a yellow thunderbolt medallion at its center.

"It's beautiful," Leaf said. "Ash and Gary have already won the thunder badge from Lt. Surge."

"That's good then. All that's left is to hangout until the S.S. Anne, which is a month away," Serena said.

"Speaking of which," Misty said. "How are we gonna get tickets?"

"That's not a problem," Gary said with a grin.

"Why's that?" Leaf asked.

"You see, excluding the badge that Surge gives out, he also gives out tickets to the S.S. Anne to those who beat him," Gary said.

"That's good for both of you, but what about us?" Misty asked.

"We got you guys tickets too. Surge have it to us after the little exercise we helped him with," Ash said as he gave Misty and Leaf their tickets. "Now don't go losing it."

"We won't," they both said.

"That's awesome. I also have a ticket. It's part of the gift for winning the contest."

"That settles it then," Ash said. "We're gonna train until the S.S. Anne comes rolling in."

"Why?" Leaf asked.

"There's a contest on the S.S Anne were the top battlers win awesome prizes. Lots of trainers are gonna be there, so we need to prepare."

"A Contest to win prizes. That sounds good to me," Leaf said.

"Alright then, let's head back to the Pokémon Center. It's already past five o'clock."

"Yep. I'm with you Ash," Gary said.

With that, the group made their way back to the Pokémon Center. As they entered the Pokémon Center, Misty noticed someone.

"Hey Ash," she said.

"What Misty?"

"Isn't that Paul," she said pointing to the counter.

Ash looked closely and noticed the Purple haired trainer. "It is. And his aura is pretty high and calm. He must have won the battle against Surge."

"Who's Paul?" Gary asked.

"He's this awesome trainer I battled in Pewter City to a draw."

"For him to draw with you Ash, that means that he is in our league," Leaf said.

"Yeah. Let's go say hi," Ash said as he led them to the counter. "Hey Paul!"

On hearing his name, the purple-haired trainer turned around. "Well if it isn't Ash," Paul said as he recognized the raven-haired trainer.

"What brings you to Vermillion City?" Ash asked.

"Came to earn my third gym badge," Paul said with a grin.

"Nice to hear, that means Surge gave you tickets for the S.S. Anne?"

"Yeah. And hearing you say that means you already have your thunder badge."

"Yep. Before I forget. You remember Misty right?"

"Hey Paul."

"Yeah I do."

"Okay. These are my childhood friends, Gary Oak, Leaf Green, and Serena Sycamore."

"Hi," they all said.

"I shouldn't be surprised. The son of the Master himself is friends with the son of Kanto's Champion, the greatest Pokémon ranger, Forest Green's daughter and the daughter of Kalos' Pokémon professor. You really are something Ash."

"Well," Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.

"Anyways, I'm Paul Shinji from Sinnoh, Kanto's future Pokémon league winner."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Ash said.

"Calm down. I know deep down you all know who the real winner is... Me," Gary said.

And the three of them got into a three-way argument.

"Boys," Leaf said with a sigh.

"Yeah, all they think about is battling," Misty pointed out.

"I know how to break this up," Serena said. She turned her attention to the boys. "Hey guys, how about we go outside and compare pokémon."

They all stopped at the sound of that. Silently, Ash and Gary tool the pokémon they had left with Nurse Joy and began to walk in the direction of the training yard. They all stopped and turned to the girls.

"Aren't you guys coming?" they asked simultaneously, prompting the girls to run after them.

Scene Change

They were now at the training yard, each of them had their pokéballs with them.

"So how are we going to do this?" Leaf asked.

"I believe it is ladies first," Ash said.

"I'll go first," Misty said. "Come on out you guys."

Misty tossed five pokéballs into the air, releasing five pokémon. As the light materialized, it revealed a Staryu, Gyarados, Goldeen and two Poliwhirl.

"Wow Misty, you didn't tell me that your Poliwhirl had evolved."

"Sorry Ash. I wanted to keep it as a surprise. It happened during the one week we spent before we came here. Gyarados here has also learned twister and iron tail."

"Those are nice improvements Misty. So will you enter the Contest aboard the S.S. Anne."

"Of course and that means more training for us," Misty said as she returned them.

"Ok, it's my turn," Serena said as she tossed four pokéballs into the air, releasing four pokémon. The light condensed into a Braixen, Charmeleon, Clefable and a Sandshrew.

"So you chose Fennekin?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, and now she's a powerful Braixen. I had her for a while before I became a trainer. I evolved Clefairy with the moon stone from Mt. Moon."

"So Charmander evolved."

"Yeah," Serena said as she returned them.

"How come you have two starters?" Paul asked.

"Well, Dad gave me Fennekin as my starter. He also gave me Charmander because that was the starter he received from Professor Oak when he was under him. He originally wanted me to have Charmander as my starter, but I loved Fennekin more."

"Ok."

"It's my turn," Leaf said as she tossed twelve friend balls into the air, releasing twelve pokémon. The lights condensed into a Venusaur, Skitty, Paras, Clefairy, Houndour, Spearow, Sandshrew, Onix, Pinsir, Pineco, Raticate, Nidoran male and female.

"So many pokémon," Paul said.

"If you think that's all, you're mistaken. She has others at home," Gary said.

"Are you a battler?" Paul asked.

"No. Future Pokémon ranger and field researcher."

"No wonder," Paul said as he watched her return her pokémon.

"That reminds me Misty," Ash said. "Your Omastar and Kabuto are ready for you to take them. I'll send for them this night."

"Oh, thanks Ash!" Misty exclaimed.

"I'm up," Paul said as he tossed six pokéballs into the air, releasing six pokémon. The light condensed to reveal an Infernape, a Grotle, an Elekid, a Fearow, a Sandslash and a Skorupi.

"Oh my, an Infernape!" Leaf exclaimed as she began taking pictures of it, Grotle and Skorupi.

"Who's that pokémon?" Misty asked, pointing at Skorupi.

"This is Skorupi. A dual poison and bug type. He was a gift from my elder brother," Paul responded.

"You also have two of the Sinnoh starters," Gary said, mouth agape.

"Yep," Paul said. "I'd like to see yours."

"Paul, when we battled did you have Fearow and Sandslash?" Ash asked.

"No. I caught Sandslash in Mt. Moon and I caught Fearow in Cerulean City," Paul said as he returned them.

"It's my turn," Gary said as he regained composure. He tossed ten friend balls into the air, releasing ten pokémon. The light condensed into a Blastoise, an Eevee, a Graveler, Growlithe, Krabby, Mareep, Pidgeotto, Nidorino, Horsea and Abra.

"A Blastoise. A fully evolved starter. Not bad."

"Not bad?"

"Yeah. You even have a rare Eevee and the very hard to catch Abra."

"Of course, I'm amazing. Bet you haven't seen a Kings Species Growlithe and a shiny Pidgeotto."

"Okay, okay don't turn this into a who captures rare pokémon contest," Leaf said as she pulled Gary's ear.

"Ouch!" Gary yelped as he rubbed his ear while returning his pokémon.

"Now's my turn," Ash said as he tossed eleven friend balls into the air, releasing eleven pokémon. The lights condensed into a Charizard, Psyduck, Elekid, Scizor, Butterfree, Beedrill, Tyrunt, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee and Cleffa.

"Nothing you do surprises me Ash Ketchum," Paul said with a sigh. "All three Kanto starters in your possession. An Eevee and a Kings Species Tyrunt. A Cleffa and the infamous flying Scizor."

Ash scratched the back of his head while laughing sheepishly.

"How did you get all three Kanto starters?" Paul asked.

Ash sighed and narrated how they were attacked by Bulbasaur at night and how they came across the Hidden Village. He went on about how Bulbasaur was at first and how they were able to help Melanie and how Ash got through to Bulbasaur and became friends with him. He told him how they fought and he captures him.

Ash proceeded to tell him about their first encounter with Squirtle and his gang. How they found out he was terrorising the city. He told him about his plan to capture Squirtle and how it pissed off Blaze. He narrated how Blaze defeated Squirtle and evolved after the battle. How they purposely caused a fire so that the city would accept the rest of the Squirtle Squad.

After the story they fed all their pokémon. By the time they were done, it was already seven after eight.

"Oh no!" Paul exclaimed.

"What, Paul?" Ash asked.

"I forgot to register for a room."

"That's okay. You're welcome to stay with me and Ash," Gary said.

"Thanks a lot. I need to get up early tomorrow. I have a little biz with Surge."

"And what's that?" Misty asked.

"I'm helping set some students straight at the PokéTech Academy."

"Really, so are Ash and Gary," Leaf said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Gary responded.

"If that's the case, we should get some shut eye," Ash said as he returned all his pokémon. "We're going to be staying at the Pokémon Center until the S.S. Anne, I've missed the sweet softness of the bed."

With that, he made his way to their rooms. "Tomorrow we'll request a spare card key for Paul," he said with a yawn. The others followed and they all fell asleep after saying good night, with Serena joining the girls.

The Next Morning

Morning came quickly, but due to the stress of the previous day, they did not wake up early. Serena was the first to wake up around nine o'clock. She lazily got up and woke Misty and Leaf who also lazily got up. She went outside to the door of the boy's room. She knocked on the door for about twenty minutes before she heard a reply. Gary was the one who got up to open the door.

"Good morning Serena."

"Morning Gary. Check your Xtransceiver. What time is it?"

He looked at it before giving a reply. "It's almost ten."

"Mm hmm," Serena said as she crossed her hands.

Then it hit Gary. "Almost ten!" he exclaimed as he ran back inside. "Paul, Ash wake up. It's almost ten."

Ash and Paul got up. "We're late," Ash said as he got up.

They hurriedly prepared themselves before running down to the gym. They ran in and met those two hulking guys at the reception area.

"Where's Lt. Surge?" they asked.

"He's out.. back, in the training area," one of them responded.

"Thank you," they said as they took off running again.

"What was that about?" One asked.

"They looked pretty crazy to me. Damn kids."

At The Training Area

"Sorry we're late Surge!" They yelled as they entered. Surge turned his head towards the door and saw them.

"What's up kids?" He said as he halted his pokémon training and went to meet them.

"We're fine," Ash said as they caught their breath.

"Yeah," Gary and Paul said.

"I guess you kids are ready to set some brats straight."

"Yes... Yes we are," Gary said.

"Just give us a second to catch our breath," Paul said.

After recovering themselves, they looked up to see Surge's electric pokémon resting. His pokémon ranged from the big ones like Electivire and Magnezone, to the small ones like Plusle and Minun.

"Did you bring your pokémon with you?" Surge asked.

"Yes we did."

Noticing their awestruck nature, he understood what was going on.

"So, you boys like what you see right?"

"Uh-huh," they responded.

"Which one of them is the strongest?" Ash asked.

"That would be Raichu," he replied. "Thor, Zone and Jolt, come," he said in a commanding voice.

They watched as an Electivire, Magnezone and Jolteon came towards them.

"Are these the pokémon you'll be taking with you?" Paul asked.

"Yes," Surge replied. "Now let's go," Surge said as he returned those three to pokéballs.

PokéTech Academy

They had arrived at the school and Surge had gathered all the students in the school. They were all rich kids. He had addressed them, telling them that they are going to be undergoing battle training and that it was going to be practical and not theoretical. He divided the students into four groups. He gave Ash, Gary and Paul three students each to handle, while he took on the rest of the students. He had already told them what to do. They were to give the students battle lessons, Dodging, attacking and defending while also evaluating their pokémon and having battles with them.

He gave Ash, Paul and Gary the same students they had battled the previous day.

Ash took his group to a part of the training area to begin lessons.

"Hello everyone. As you know, I am Ash Satoshi Ketchum, and by request of Lt. Surge and I'm here to help you guys improve your battling skills."

To them he sounded cool, but he clearly did not know what he was doing. A thought entered his mind.

"Come out Scizor," Ash said as he tossed Scizor's friend ball into the air. The light condensed into a Scizor. "This is Scizor. He's going to be the principal pokémon I will use to teach you."

"Greetings Master Ash," Scizor said.

"I've told you not to call me that," Ash said in a frustrated tone.

"I apologise Master Ash," Scizor said.

Ash groaned as he turned to the students. He laughed slightly as he saw the confused looks on their faces.

"Anyway," Ash said to them. "Release your main pokémon."

They nodded as they took their pokéballs from their belt. Giselle released Marowak, Miley released Solrock and Ryan released Cloyster.

"Wow," Ash muttered. "It's surprising to see them obey me because I beat them."

"It is true Master."

"Damn you Scizor," Ash said with a sigh before turning to the students. "Now who can tell me the most important thing in training pokémon."

"Strategy," Ryan said and the others agreed with him.

"Wrong," Ash said. "The most important thing is trust."

"Why is that?" Giselle asked.

"This is because. When your pokémon trusts you. It is willing to go an extra mile just to make you happy. And when you trust your pokémon, you'll be willing to go the extra mile just to make them happy. That's the relationship I have with my pokémon and that's why we're as strong as we are."

"So in all things pokémon, trust has to be there between both parties. Strategy is also important in a battle, but it is also good for you to be able to perform crazy attacks out of the blue. Each Gym Leader has a strategy they use to form their battling style. Surge's battle style is a combination of force and speed. All his pokémon can perform speedy an at the same time powerful attacks and a bonus, electric pokémon are all fast. That is Surge's battle style."

"In training your pokémon, you have to take these following things into consideration. It was Professor Oak who told me this. Number one and make sure to take note. Dodging and evading. The first thing you should teach a pokémon how to evade. No pokémon is born with powerful moves, so they need to know how to evade powerful attacks. That was the first thing I thought my Charmander now a Charizard."

"The second thing is attack training. Constant practice of a particular move in order to increase its power will end up strengthening a pokémon's attack strength. Another thing to note is that the speed at which the attack is used also increases."

"The third is defense training. In order to increase their defense, pokémon need to make multiple attacks at a time. Doing this continuously, you will discover that it would take longer to drop the pokémon than the first time. The same can be said for defense moves and resistance to vulnerable attacks."

"The fourth thing to know is speed training. Running laps around designated areas help improve a pokémon's speed alongside its stamina."

"The fifth is accuracy training. Improving a pokémon's attack accuracy is very important."

"The sixth but not the least is bonding. You should take time once in a while to bond with each of your pokémon and improve the trust you have in each other."

"That is that. Now I want to see you guys attack each other."

With Leaf, Misty and Serena

The trio were currently in their room, chatting with themselves.

"So the boys are out battling with students. What say we practice?" Leaf said.

"It's a good idea. We need to be in top form for the S.S. Anne tournament," Serena said.

"Yeah my water types need a good workout."

"It's settled then. To the training yard," Leaf said as she led them to the open field.

"Come on out everybody!"

Hours Later At PokéTech Academy

Ash was currently panting and so were the students under him. He was with Beedrill, Butterfree, Scizor, Eevee and Cleffa. He had used these pokémon to drill the students for the time being. His pokémon were all panting but the opposition were all knocked out.

"I think we're done for today. Battling is not just an act but a lifestyle. Lt. Surge I'm done here!" Ash yelled.

Soon Surge rounded up the battle session, and dismissed the trio.

And that was how it went. For the first week they had taught the students battle tactics and for the remainder of the period till the S.S. Anne, they had battled the students at the Academy daily, increasing all their pokémon's experience. And after that, they trained with the girls at home. They had all grown individually alongside their pokémon and improved greatly.

Surge had sent their details and accomplishments to the other gym leaders for all their help in setting the PokéTech Academy students straight. The training exercise they had used was brutal for Ash, Gary and Paul. After training at the Academy, they'd come and join the girls in battle training. None of them slept until it was two in the morning. They were on strict discipline. They wake up by eight. Ash, Gary and Paul go to the Academy while Leaf, Misty and Serena undergo battle training. After finishing from the Academy, Ash, Gary and Paul heal their pokémon. After they collect their pokémon from Nurse Joy, they resume another set of training alongside the girls. Learning moves, improving attack and attack power, increasing defense and improving speed. It was during this period that Ash had found out that Bill had met with Paul and had given him assistance.

The training paid off and it was the day that they were to board the S.S. Anne. They had already signed out off their rooms in the Pokémon Center. After giving their pokémon one last check-up at the Center, they left and went to stock up at the PokéMart. From the PokéMart they stocked up on berries in their unlimited berry pouch. Ash and Serena shared his pouch. The berries they stocked up on were type protection berries and they also got vitamins like iron, protein, carbos and the rest.

Ash finally decided it was time for him to get TMs. He decided to surprise himself and got eleven TMs, one for each of his pokémon. After getting all they wanted, they left the PokéMart and began their trek to the Vermillion Harbor. On reaching the Harbor, they were in awe at the size of the ship in front of them.

"This thing is humongous!" Misty exclaimed.

"You're right," Leaf agreed.

"Well, according to PokéWorld today, the S.S. Anne or the St. Anne is a cruise ship three hundred and sixty meters long and with a passenger capacity of two thousand at the least and a maximum of five thousand. It houses two thousand five hundred plus rooms and weighs two hundred and twenty eight thousand tonnes," Serena said as she looked up from her Xtransceiver.

"Amazing," Ash said as he looked up at the amazing cruise ship.

The cruise ship was coated with white paint and with impeccable glass windows. The deck looked like it take three pokémon battle field easily. They watched as the large doors of the St. Anne opened and the stairs extended. It was time for people to board. The crowd of people boarding the St. Anne was large.