Spicy Piece of Work
"Hello." Humans
"Pika-chu." Pokémon addressing humans
"Hello." Pokémon addressing Pokémon
The sun shone high in the sky as Ash, Lillie and Gary worked hard at the lab. Their Pokémon assisted as well, with Pikachu and Squirtle carrying materials to fix the roof after the break in attempt. However, their work was soon interrupted as a loud banging noise was heard from outside.
"What the!?" Lillie said, dropping various files and spreading them all over the floor.
"I swear the neighbors are getting worse." Gary grumbled as the three walked through the front door to check it out.
What they saw however was not anything of what they expected. They saw a figure in a traditional Hisuian samurai robe. The robe was patterned with flames and the image of an Infernape on the front. On his head, the figure wore a rōningasa, a wickerwork, wide-brimmed conical hat reminiscent of a wandering samurai from an old samurai movie. Over his robe, he wore a black colored cloak with crimson red flames along the hems. Behind him was a Charmander in a volcano-patterned robe, carrying a banner, and wearing its own rōningasa hat and, finally, a flying Spearow wearing the same conical wickerwork hat as the other two, the hats obscuring their faces. The banner held by the Charmander had a simple but elegant depiction of a dragon with the Fighting-Type Pokémon symbol behind it.
"I didn't know there was supposed to be a parade today." Ash said in confusion.
"There isn't." Gary said with a roll of his eyes.
Grabbing the hat, the boy slowly removed it to reveal Isaac. "Ash. Lillie. Gary." he greeted the three as the Charmander and Spearow also revealed their hats to reveal Blaze and Ruffian, Ruffian now sporting a scar over one eye that he did not have before.
"Isaac? Why are you and your Pokémon dressed up like that?" Ash asked.
"And why was there a loud bang sound? You nearly gave me a heart attack." Lillie replied in annoyance.
"This is the traditional garb of the rōnin, wandering samurai from the Hisuian era of Sinnoh's past. And that loud bang was me having Blaze fire up an Ember attack into the sky that I had her shoot with a second Ember attack to cause an explosion. My way of signaling my challenge." Isaac explained.
"Of course, this happens while Gramps is off at a conference…" Gary grumbled. "Alright, what's all the song and dance for Isaac-boy."
Looking at Ash with a determined gaze, Isaac nodded to Blaze as she planted the banner into the ground. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, to make up for me missing out on my chance at the entrance ceremony, I challenge you to a battle!" the trainer declared to his friend.
"All this for a Pokémon battle? Really?" Gary and Lillie asked in unison, annoyance painted clearly in their voice.
"Of course! My family have been battling and training Pokémon since the concept was first brought to Sinnoh back when it was called Hisui! We take our traditions, including how we issue our challenges, very seriously!" Isaac declared, moving his cloak aside to reveal his Pokéballs.
"Alright! I accept your challenge!" Ash called out.
"Don't encourage his nonsense, Ash!!" Lillie and Gary snapped.
"This isn't nonsense! It's tradition!" Isaac declared, somewhat offended.
"Alright, fine. Your tradition is nonsense and highly disruptive. Can't you see we're working here?" Gary said crossly, hands on his sides.
"I'll help you later if you allow me this battle. Consider it a break from the work." Isaac offered, trying to extend an olive branch.
"Come on guys, it will be fun!" Ash chipped in, causing both Lillie and Gary to sigh.
"Alright, fine. Let's do it out back then. Last thing we need is wrecking the lab even more." Gary sighed as he led everyone back.
"Ash. Be careful please." Lillie warned nervously.
"It'll be fine, Lillie. It's just a friendly battle." Ash answered nonchalantly.
"A nice, friendly battle indeed. No wagers, no badges on the line. Just a battle to see where we both stand against each other as trainers." Isaac agreed, donning his hat once more as Blaze and Ruffian did the same before Blaze took her banner back up.
"From what I know of Hisuian samurai, pride is also on the line." Lillie chipped in as they stopped at a large field.
"Before I forget, I had a banner made for you too, Ash. If you and your team will accept it." Isaac offered to his friend.
"Who turns down free stuff? Let's see it, Isaac!" Ash said excitedly, as Pikachu began to do his stretches.
Pulling out one of his Pokéballs, Isaac held it out. "Yokozuna, come forth!" he called out as a burst of blue light came out as soon as the ball opened.
Before them stood a small, pudgy, furred Pokémon with beady eyes and a big mouth, with a sumo belt around its waist. Two black arms reached forwards with a banner pole, containing a white flag with a Pokéball symbol and lightning bolts. Ash smiled happily at that and gratefully accepted it. Then he planted the banner into the ground on his side of the battlefield as he turned to face Isaac.
"Alright, if we are gonna do this, I'll be ref. And no causing collateral damage, you two knuckleheads!" Gary ordered as he climbed up a rock to stand above them.
"Understood." Isaac replied before looking to Blaze and nodding, leading to her nodding back and planting their banner into the ground on their side of the battlefield.
"Got it!" Ash cried as Pikachu raised his fists.
"Pika Pikachu!!" the yellow mouse Pokémon chipped in.
"Be careful, everyone!" Lillie cried out, holding her hands together into a ball out of worry.
Isaac smiled. "How does a three-on-three battle sound to you, Ash?" he asked his friend.
"Sounds good. Didn't know you had three." Ash explained, before pulling out his Pokédex on Isaac's third.
"Munchlax, the Big Eater Pokémon. Much like its evolved form Snorlax, Munchlax is an extremely active eater. Unlike its evolved form, it is a very mobile eater with a penchant for hiding food in its fur." the machine explained.
"Munchlax Munch!" cried the Munchlax before him, as if something the Pokédex said offended it.
"Yokozuna sees himself as above hiding food in his fur." Isaac explained.
"Fascinating." Lillie said, pulling out her notebook to write that down.
"Alright, you two ready yet?" Gary called out to the two of them.
Isaac nodded before addressing his Munchlax. "Yokozuna! Prepare yourself!" he called out.
Looking back and nodding, Yokozuna dropped himself into a low sumo stance, his hands on his knees as he stomped one foot on the ground before stomping the other to plant his feet in a wide stance. The Big Eater Pokémon then pressed one fist to the ground. "Munchlax!" he said, a fire of determination in his eyes.
Ash then pulled a Pokéball off his belt. "Metapod! I choose you!" Ash called out as he threw the Pokéball, soon revealing the Cocoon Pokémon in a flash of light.
"Meta-pod." it replied in its monotone voice.
Facing down his rival for the match, Yokozuna nodded in acknowledgement. Gary then raised his arm up before swiping it down.
"Begin!" Gary called out.
"Metapod, use Tackle!" Ash cried out.
"Charging in!" Metapod cried out, creating a slingshot of silk before using it to lunge forward with all his might.
"Yokozuna, counter with your own Tackle!" Isaac called out.
"Yes sir!" Yokozuna called out before charging in with a shoulder out to Tackle back.
The two Pokémon collided head on, steel hard shell and thick-fatted muscle impacting each other hard. However, soon a winner was quickly made apparent. Yokozuna's bulk and physical strength allowed him to push back hard enough to counter Metapod's momentum, smashing through his Tackle attack and sending him flying back.
"Such power…" Lillie gasped.
"We aren't done yet! Tie him up with String Shot!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand forward.
"Pod!" Metapod nodded, righting himself back upright, before sending strands of silk at him.
Isaac smirked. "Dodge and grab it, Yokozuna!" he called out.
"Munch!" Yokozuna called out before sidestepping the steel hard silk.
"What!?" Lillie and Ash yelled in shock.
With a smirk of his own, Yokozuna grabbed the silken thread and pulled it up from the ground. Isaac smirked and then threw his hand out. "Now use the thread to swing Metapod around!" the young Sinnoh trainer called out.
Grabbing the silken thread with two hands, Yokozuna whipped Metapod into the air and began swinging the Cocoon Pokémon in a circle above his head. Slowly at first, but gradually and steadily picking up speed. Metapod soon found himself beginning to get dizzy from the momentum of the swing.
"Hang in there, Metapod!" Ash called out.
"What does it look like he's doing!?" Pikachu snapped back at his trainer.
"Getting! Dizzy!" Metapod cried out.
"Now throw Metapod and use Rollout, Yokozuna!" Isaac called out.
"Sir, yes sir!" Yokozuna called out before swinging Metapod towards a tree with all his might.
As Metapod was sent flying, Yokozuna leapt up and rolled into a ball. Rolling forward at high speed, Yokozuna barreled at Metapod like a runaway locomotive before slamming into the Bug Type with the force of a freight train. Metapod cried out in pain as the force of the impact smashed him into the tree. When the dust settled, Metapod lay there fainted as Yokozuna respectfully bowed to his opponent.
"Metapod!" Ash called out as he ran over to his side.
"That's it, fatso. Time to face the thunder." Pikachu growled to his larger foe.
"Your trainer has not yet chosen you to battle, my friend. And I am not fat! I am big boned!" Yokozuna replied before glaring at Pikachu.
"Have you ever tried a salad, tons of fun?" Pikachu quipped, something that seemed to shock Isaac.
"I will have you know that I love salads! Especially with ranch dressing!" Yokozuna growled out.
"Yokozuna! Calm yourself!" Isaac called out.
Flinching, Yokozuna turned and bowed to his trainer. "My apologies, sir." the Munchlax said, looking sheepishly.
Ash soon picked up the unconscious Metapod in his arms and gave a nod to Gary. "Round one goes to Isaac and Yokozuna!" Gary called out, pointing to the Sinnoh duo.
"You get a good long rest, Metapod." Ash said as he returned it to his Pokéball.
"I chose Yokozuna for this battle specifically because he had Rollout, Ash. I knew that it would be very effective against Metapod and Pidgeotto due to it being a Rock Type move." Isaac informed his friend with a grin.
"Oh, you think it will be that easy, huh?" Ash asked with a smirk.
"We'll see." Isaac replied with a smirk of his own.
"All right Ash. What's your next choice?" Gary asked.
"I choose Pidgeotto!" Ash called out as he threw the bird Pokémon's ball.
"Finally! A battle to sate my honor!" Cried out Pidgeotto as it stretched its wings.
"I honor you as my opponent, Pidgeotto. Let us see if your speed and flight shall counter my strength and bulk." Yokozuna told the bird Pokémon, bowing to him.
Pidgeotto merely gave a chuckle to Yokozuna's statement, which confused and annoyed the Big Eater Pokémon. As if the bird knew something that Yokozuna did not.
"Strength merely does not come from one's own form. But perhaps I said too much." Pidgeotto answered cryptically.
"Begin!" Gary cried out.
"Yokozuna, use Rollout again!" Isaac called out.
"Take to the skies, Pidgeotto! Let's show them what real strength looks like with Quick attack!" Ash called out.
Yokozuna leapt up into the air and rolled into a ball. Rolling as he descended, Yokozuna rolled forward at higher speed than before. As he went, he rolled at Pidgeotto only to miss as Pidgeotto took to the air. Pidgeotto then glowed with white light as he dive bombed towards Yokozuna at high speed. Thinking quickly, Isaac had Yokozuna act.
"Use Rock Smash on the ground to throw up a shield!" Isaac called out.
"Time to try out that new move of yours, Pidgeotto! Break the dive and use Whirlwind on the rocks!" Ash called out, catching Isaac off guard with that.
"Muuuunchlax!" Yokozuna roared out as he slammed his fist into the ground, creating a hail of rocks that was sent flying into the air at Pidgeotto.
However, Pidgeotto broke off his dive and flapped his wings hard. The flap of his wings released a powerful gust of wind that blew to rocks right back, turning Yokozuna's own shield against him. Soon Yokuzuna was pelted by shards of sharp rock.
"Quickly, Yokozuna! Use Rollout to plow through the rocks!" Isaac called out.
Leaping up and forward, Yokozuna rolled into a ball mid-jump and began rolling, plowing through the rocks as he shot towards Pidgeotto. Thinking quickly, Ash already had their counterattack in mind.
"Use Gust to slow him down!" Ash ordered.
Pidgeotto flapped his wings with all his might, creating a mighty gust of wind that buffeted hard at Yokozuna. The force of the winds slowed his attack, weakening it as he collided with Pidgeotto. Knocked back, Pidgeotto quickly recovered as the rolling Yokozuna plummeted to the ground mid-roll and crashed, rolling to the side, and hopping back to his feet. Panting lightly, Yokozuna's fire of determination had not dimmed in the slightest as he saw Pidgeotto had a bead of sweat upon his feathered brow.
'I got to get around that Rollout. How do I… unless…' Ash thought. "Pidgeotto! Use Sand Attack!"
"PIdgeotto!" the bird Pokémon called out as he obeyed.
Flapping his wings hard at the ground, Pidgeotto kicked up a cloud of sand that obscured Yokozuna's vision. Coughing, Yokozuna tried to see through the cloud of sand but could not make heads or tails of anything.
"What!?" Isaac called out in shock.
"Alright, Pidgeotto! Hit him hard with Quick Attack!" Ash called out.
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto called out as he glowed with white light and dived into the dust cloud.
"He wouldn't be able to see through his own sand cloud! That's madness!" Isaac called out.
"You forgot, Isaac! Pidgeotto has the Keen Eye ability! Weren't you listening in Kanto Pokémon class?" Ash pointed out with a smirk.
Isaac's eyes widened in shock as Yokozuna took repeated hits from Pidgeotto's Quick Attack. The Big Eater Pokémon cried out in pain with each impact as he tried and failed to track his opponent's high-speed movements through the dust cloud. His foe was too fast.
"Yokozuna! Use a full-strength Rock Smash on the ground! Blow the sand cloud away!" Isaac called out.
"Remind him why that's a bad idea Pidgeotto with Whirlwind!" Ash ordered.
With a roar, Yokozuna smashed the ground hard with his fist. The resulting impact blew the dust cloud away and back at Ash and Pidgeotto while kicking up a hailstorm of rocks while tilting a rock up out of the ground. Pidgeotto used Whirlwind to kick up a powerful burst of wind to knock the rock back. However, it seemed Isaac had been expecting this.
"Use the rock as a ramp to launch yourself up with Rollout!" Isaac called out with a smirk.
"Muuuunchlaaaax!" Yokozuna called out as he rolled into a ball and rolled towards the makeshift ramp.
"Pidgeotto! Catch him when he comes up!" Ash called out, which shocked both Isaac and Pidgeotto.
"What the!?" Isaac called out in disbelief.
"Pidgeotto!?" his own Pokémon cried out.
"Just do it!" Ash cried out.
Nodding, Pidgeotto watched for Yokozuna's approach nervously. Yokozuna roared as he rolled through the cloud of dust and rocks, aimed right at Pidgeotto. Soon, Yokozuna smashed into Pidgeotto only for Pidgeotto to catch him with his taloned feet, following along with the momentum. Smirking, Ash made his move.
"Now use Quick Attack to roll him into the ground!" Ash called out.
Covered in a streak of light, Pidgeotto flew down at high speed while rolling with Yokozuna's momentum. Soon, Yokozuna was slammed hard into the ground as he kept rolling, his Rollout attack going out of control as he dug into the ground. Letting go, Pidgeotto flew up as Yokozuna's Rollout sent him rushing into a tree, crashing hard into it, and kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Yokozuna lay upside down, having fainted from the colossal crash with the tree.
"Round two goes to Ash and Pidgeotto!" Gary called out.
Isaac sighed but smiled as he walked up to Yokozuna. "Impressive move, Ash. I never would've thought of a madcap tactic like that one." he told his friend as he walked over and helped his Pokémon up.
"Not sure if that's really a compliment, but let's go with that." Gary said with a shrug.
"Hey, I had to try something!" Ash snapped at Gary.
"Catching a Rollout? Ash, come on, buddy. That should not have worked!" Gary shot back.
"Regardless of whether it should have or not, it did. And I need to give him credit for that. Are you okay, Yokozuna?" Isaac replied before asking his Pokémon as he helped him up.
"Note to self. The two are continuing to go insane." Lillie muttered as she wrote in her notebook.
"Munch-lax." Yokozuna groaned out.
"You battled well, Yokozuna. I'm proud of you. Please rest for now." Isaac told the Munchlax before pulling out his Pokéball.
Pidgeotto bowed his head in respect as Yokozuna smiled. Soon he was returned to his ball as Isaac turned to Blaze on the sidelines.
"It's your turn now, Blaze." Isaac told the female Charmander.
"Char Char!" Blaze said, throwing off her robes and rushing onto the field.
"Alright. Begin!" Gary yelled.
"Pidgeotto! Blow them away with Whirlwind!" Ash cried out.
"Use Ember, Blaze!" Isaac called out.
Blaze launched a forward rain of small fireballs that was quickly blown out by a powerful blast of wind from Pidgeotto's Whirlwind. The force of the wind blew Blaze off the battlefield as Ruffian was blown into it.
"Wait… why wasn't Blaze hurt by that?" Ash asked in confusion.
"... Ash. Whirlwind isn't normally a damaging move. It's normally used to force a Pokémon to either be blown away or called back, forcing another one out in its stead in trainer battles." Isaac told him.
"Lillie said that Whirlwind would hurt my opponent." Ash said, pointing to the girl.
"That can't be right! I said Razor Wind!" Lillie shot back.
"Ohhhhhhh… oops…" Ash said sheepishly.
"Pika Pika chu…" Pikachu groaned, smacking his own face out of embarrassment.
"Regardless, your strategy worked earlier with Yokozuna… somehow…" Isaac sighed as he shook his head in disappointment.
"Alright, Pidgeotto! Let's turn the tables! Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
"Counter with Assurance!" Isaac called out.
Pidgeotto glowed with white light and dived down at high speed. Meanwhile, Ruffian's head was wreathed in black energy as he flew forward. Before the two trainers could react, the two bird Pokémon collided in midair. The two struggled for dominance for a moment before the Spearow found himself pushed back. The two flew around, colliding again and again as they kept clashing. However, finally, Pidgeotto got in a strong enough hit that Ruffian was hit hard and sent flying towards the ground.
"Recover, Ruffian! Pull up and use Peck!" Isaac called out frantically.
"Hit him back with gust Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out.
Pulling out of his dive, Ruffian took flight again before he could hit the ground and flew right at Pidgeotto with his beak extending and glowing. However, Pidgeotto flapped his wings hard and hit Ruffian with a powerful gust of wind as Ruffian cried out in pain and hit the ground. Down but not out, Ruffian got to his feet and cawed in defiance as he took back to the skies.
"Quick attack one more time!" Ash ordered.
"Use Growl to weaken the blow!" Isaac called out.
Taking a deep breath, Ruffian let out a massive, growling caw that hurt Pidgeotto's avian ears. Flinching, Pidgeotto continued his white light-covered dive bomb as he collided with Ruffian, the blow's power blunted by the decrease in attack power. Quickly, panting, Ruffian pulled up before he could hit the ground as he flapped hard to stay aloft.
"We're not going to be able to keep this up much longer. Use Assurance, Ruffian! Full speed and max power from above!" Isaac called out to the Tiny Bird Pokémon.
Taking a deep breath, Ruffian was coated with black energy as he flew up high. He then dive bombed down at Pidgeotto, the glare from the sun behind him obscuring him as his eye glinted.
"Taaake this!" Ruffian called out as he dived at Pidgeotto.
"Dodge this Pidgeotto and use Gust!" Ash called out.
"You have fought with honor, young vagrant. But no more." Pidgeotto said to his smaller counterpart.
However, Ruffian collided hard with Pidgeotto. The larger bird Pokémon's eyes almost bugged out of his head from the impact to his stomach and the force behind it. However, recovering quickly, he flapped his wings hard enough to unleash a powerful gust of wind that blasted Ruffian back upwards and into the sky. Squawking in pain, Ruffian slammed into the ground as dust was kicked up from the wind. When the dust cleared, Ruffian stood standing once more, refusing to fall as his body trembled.
"Ruffian…" Isaac said with concern.
However, the tiny bird could take it no more, and fell onto his stomach, fainting. This left Isaac stunned and deeply concerned. Running over to him, Isaac gently picked him up as Gary raised his arm.
"Round 3 goes to Ash and Pidgeotto!" Gary called out.
"Are you okay, Ruffian…?" Isaac asked in concern.
"Spear… ow…" the diminutive bird weakly let out.
Isaac smiled at his small companion. "You did your best, my friend. You fought with honor, courage, and determination. That's all I ask of any of my team. Now rest easy." he told the Tiny Bird Pokémon.
Ruffian nodded as he soon disappeared in the red light. However, from the sidelines, Blaze's tail flame soon rose to that of a roaring flame.
"Charmander Char!" Blaze called out, rushing onto the field to face the dreaded avian foe.
"You two ready to rock and roll!?" Gary called out.
"Yes!" the two trainers said in unison.
"Yes!" came their Pokémon.
"Begin!" Gary ordered.
"Blaze, use Flame Charge!" Isaac called out.
"Use Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!" Ash ordered.
Blaze let out a roar before rushing forward, covered in flames. Pidgeotto became coated in white light as he flew down. Blaze leaped up as the two collided in midair. However, Pidgeotto, being the more exhausted of the two, lost the clash as Blaze plowed through and hit him square in the stomach. Crying out in pain, Pidgeotto was launched back as Blaze landed on the ground.
"Now, Blaze! Use Metal Claw!" Isaac called out.
"Take this!" Blaze called out as she dropped into a stance like she was drawing a sword, her claws turning metallic and glowing with light.
"Look out Pidgeotto!" Ash called out with concern.
Rushing forward, Blaze slashed past Pidgeotto with her claws as he froze up, the only sound he made being the flapping of his wings. Landing in a crouch, Blaze whipped her clawed hand aside before bringing it down back together with her other hand as if she were sheathing a blade, her claws shrinking back down as the metallic glow disappeared. As soon as it did, Pidgeotto fell from the sky and down to the ground. He tried his best to get up, but he soon fell to the ground, swirls forming over his eyes.
"Round four goes to Isaac and Blaze!" Gary declared as Ash rushed over to Pidgeotto.
Isaac smiled. "Well done, Blaze!" he cheered.
Blaze smiled and bowed to her opponent before turning and smiling to her trainer.
"Pidge-otto…" the bird Pokémon tried to say.
"Easy, Pidgeotto. Easy. You did great. Just try to rest now." Ash said before returning Pidgeotto to his ball.
"Pikachu." came from the Electric Mouse Pokémon defiantly as he marched onto the field.
Isaac smiled a bit. "It looks like it's down to one-on-one, doesn't it Ash?" he asked his friend.
"I hope I haven't disappointed you." Ash replied with a nod.
Isaac smiled. "Not at all. This has been fun. You and your unpredictable tactics have really kept us on our toes." he reassured the Kantonian native.
"Well, let's see how you handle me and Pikachu then! Ready, big guy?!" Ash called out, looking at his partner.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu replied, sparks flying from his cheeks as he looked at Blaze.
"Are you ready too, Blaze?" Isaac asked his Charmander.
"Char!" Blaze called out, taking off her hat and flinging it aside off the battlefield.
"Alright, let's wrap this up, people. My arm's starting to get tired. Final round, go!" Gary ordered, swinging his arm.
"Blaze, use Flame Charge!" Isaac called out.
"Counter with Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.
Blaze rushed forward at high speed, growling with determination as she became coated in flames. Pikachu, however, became coated with white light as he rushed forward at high speed as well. The two collided, pushing back as they raced around the battlefield and clashed repeatedly. Finally, the two came to a stop as they stared at each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Isaac smirked.
"Blaze, get behind Pikachu and use Ember!" Isaac called out.
Blaze smirked and appeared behind Pikachu in a burst of speed. Inhaling, she prepared to fire an Ember attack right into Pikachu's unprotected back. However, what happened next caught her off guard.
"Pikachu! Use Double Team!" Ash ordered, which caught the three of them off guard.
Pikachu then split into multiple versions of himself as Blaze fired the Ember attack. However, it went through Pikachu as if he wasn't even there, revealing him to be an illusionary copy as a massive amount of illusionary fake Pikachu all popped up around the battlefield.
"What!?" Isaac called in shock.
"Since when has that lazy rodent known that!?" Gary asked.
"Since I remembered to look at his moves with the Pokédex at school." Ash replied, trying to sound smart.
"Good job, Ash!" Lillie called out.
"Thank you!" Ash called back, getting a hint of a nervous blush from Lillie.
"Which one's the real one…?" Isaac asked in confusion.
"Let's help him with that, Pikachu! Use Thunder Shock!" Ash ordered.
As Blaze looked around to try to find the real one, the copies disappeared as Pikachu appeared behind her. Sparks danced off his cheeks before he unleashed a Thunder Shock, zapping her with electricity. Blaze cried out in pain as she was launched back by the force of the blast.
"Counter with Ember!" Isaac called out.
Blaze inhaled and released a barrage of small fireballs that exploded on impact with Pikachu. Pikachu cried out in pain as he was blown backwards by the explosion from the attack. However, Ash wasn't done just yet.
"Alright, let's try out this move then. Use Fake Out!" Ash cried out.
"Fake Out!?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
Recovering, Pikachu rushed up at Blaze. Getting right up in front of Blaze, Pikachu clapped hard in her face. The shockwave from the clap hit Blaze, making her flinch, and leaving her open.
"Hit them with Thunder Shock!" Ash called.
"Let's fry us up some lizard!!" Pikachu cried before sending a bolt of electricity out from his cheeks.
When Pikachu unleashed the Thunder Shock, Blaze got hit hard dead center with it. She cried out in pain as the force of the blast pushed her back. Stopping, she shook her head as the flame on her tail lit up like a Christmas tree. A fire burned in her eyes as she began glowing with a red-orange light.
"What the…" Ash said in shock.
Isaac smirked. "Alright! The ability I named her after has just kicked in!" he called out.
"Oh no…" Lillie said in horror before covering her eyes.
"Time to see some real firepower in this fight." Gary said with a smile.
"Blaze, Use Ember! Maximum power!" Isaac called out while punching his fist forward.
"Let's match that with a full power Thunder Shock, Pikachu!!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand forward.
Pikachu powered up his electricity as a sphere of yellow lightning began to come out of him. Meanwhile, Blaze inhaled, the inside of her mouth glowing with flames. Soon, the two unleashed their attacks, Pikachu unleashing a large blast of electricity while Blaze unleashed a large barrage of fireballs. The two attacks collided, resulting in a huge explosion that hit them both. Everyone coughed as Pikachu and Blaze cried out in pain from the blast.
"Gary! What's going on!?" Lillie called out.
"I can't see! They turned it into a dust bowl!" Gary called back.
"What happened with the match!? I can't see anything!" Isaac called out in disbelief.
"Pikachu! Are you okay!?" Ash cried out.
"Chaaa…" came a weak cry from the cloud of smoke and just.
"Blaze! If you can hear me, speak up!" Isaac called out in concern.
"Charrr…" Blaze weakly replied.
Mercifully for all involved, a weak breeze blew the cloud away into a mere haze. Yet what everyone saw shook them all. Both Pikachu and Blaze lay on the ground, both having fainted from the clash. Gary looked things over and sighed in frustration at what he had to say.
"All right, people. After all that, it's a draw." Gary groaned out. "Waste of time…"
"Blaze!" Isaac called out in concern, rushing up to his Charmander to check on her.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as he rushed to his partner.
"What in all the blue blazes is going on over here?" Came a voice from behind them.
Everyone then froze up and turned to look at the source of the voice. To their shock and horror stood Professor Oak carrying a few files. His stern face, however, didn't give them any indication of what he was feeling about this, making them all even more nervous.
"It was just a friendly Pokémon battle, Professor." Ash said as he picked up Pikachu in his arms.
"The definition of friendly is certainly different from mine. The entire town heard that explosion." Professor Oak replied.
"My apologies, Professor Oak. Ash and I got a little too into the battle…" Isaac sheepishly told the Pokémon Professor.
"I understand, young Isaac. Though I do hope the hole in the roof isn't from this battle." Professor Oak answered him.
"No, that's… a different story entirely…" Isaac told him.
"We nearly got robbed." Gary said with a shrug.
"Oh, come on!!" Ash, Lillie, and Isaac screamed in unison.
"We nearly what!?" Professor Oak asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. Team Rocket nearly robbed the Lab while you were gone, Gramps. But Ashy boy and Pikachu sent them packing. Okay packing through the roof, but still." Gary explained, trying to lessen the blow.
"To be fair, it was impressive. I've never seen a Thunder Shock that powerful from a Pikachu before…" Isaac noted.
"But why did they explode…?" Lillie asked in confusion.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head on that, Lillie." Gary said, gently patting her head.
"And Isaac has done a lot trying to help us fix the roof, Professor. We wouldn't be nearly as close to done without him." Ash explained, which got Isaac a bit sheepish.
"I-It's nothing, really…" Isaac nervously said.
"And he's been a big help also while you were gone, Gramps. Its kinda nice having another set of hands beyond us three." Gary chipped in.
"And he is good around the Pokémon." Lillie added.
"Also, he did fix that faulty wire that I had a hard time fixing." Ash explained.
"You mean the one you hit with the cutting torch?" Gary asked.
"Moving on." Ash sheepishly said.
"I see…" Professor Oak said, rubbing his chin inquisitively. "Tell me, young Isaac. Do you like working here?"
"I-I do, Professor. It's a lot of fun and I'm learning more about Kantonian Pokémon." Isaac sheepishly admitted.
"You are?" Professor Oak asked.
"Y-Yes, sir. For example, the fact that Squirtle tend to withdraw into their shells as a defense mechanism when frightened. Or the fact that, upon activating the Blaze ability, a Charmander's tail flame will burn brighter and hotter right before it activates." Isaac told him, becoming a bit excited to share what he learned.
Professor Oak stayed silent for a second, as if pondering something. It made the previously chaotic yard into an eerily quiet one. To the point where all of them could hear their own heart beats. Until, finally, Professor Oak spoke.
"How would you like to join me as a Junior Lab Assistant like Lillie?" Professor Oak asked.
Isaac, surprised, excitedly smiled. "More than anything! I love researching Pokémon! I even have my own homemade notes on Sinnoh Pokémon from back home with me!" he exclaimed.
"Well then. You're part of the team, young Isaac." Professor Oak said with a smile, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Isaac smiled happily. "Thank you, Professor." He replied.
"I would love to look over your notes once you're done helping your colleagues clean up this mess you and Ash made." Professor Oak said without skipping a beat.
Isaac saluted before pulling out some Potions to help heal the Pokémon so they could help. "Yes, sir!" he called out, beginning to fork on patching up his team.
Professor Oak smiled as the four and their Pokémon healed up to get to work. It was times like this that made him miss the inexhaustible energy of youth. However, it was nice having some help with that inexhaustible energy as well. He just hoped, as he walked through the back door to the lab, that it didn't put any more holes in the ceiling.