Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Unwanted Acquaintances ❯ A Two in One Battle ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Recap: Ash and friends made a detour at Lilycove City so that May could enter the Pokemon Contest. The final battle was between her Combusken and a young girl's Absol. The Absol got off to a quick start, but Combusken came out on top as the victor, winning the contest for May. Then she and the others boarded a ferry to Mossdeep Island. A brutal storm had suddenly came in shortly into their journey. Not too long afterwards, the weather went totally awry. The wacky weather was due to Teams Aqua and Magma awakening Kyogre and Groudon. Ash went to Sky Pillar to get Rayquaza's help. But Rayquaza ended up falling victim to Kyogre's Ice Beam. Ash then intervened to prevent Team Magma and Team Aqua from taking Rayquaza. With Ash and his Pokemons' help, Rayquaza was able to end the battle between the Titan Pokemon.
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation
( ) alone is Charizard talking
/ is Zapdos talking
Bold words is Rayquaza talking
(' is Pokemon thoughts
' is human thoughts

&n bsp; Chapter 7: A Two in One Battle

It had been quite a day for everyone in Sootopolis City. It was a routine day at first. Then the next thing that the people knew was that the weather went haywire. On top of that, Groudon and Kyogre, who were thought to be sleeping, had chosen to duke it out in Sootopolis. The battle between Groudon and Kyogre quickly got pretty intense. Their conflicting abilities caused the weather in Lilycove to go completely awry.

Wallace had run into Ash and friends. That is when Ash learned the reason behind the haywire weather, which was Groudon and Kyogre's awakening. Then he and his friends learned of the way to becalm the Titan Pokemon. Ash headed for Sky Pillar to get Rayquaza's help. Rayquaza agreed to help, giving Ash a ride to Sootopolis as well.

Rayquaza did pretty well at first. But Archie and Maxie's attention was now on him. He dodged a Fire Blast but couldn't dodge Kyogre's Ice Beam, which froze him solid. That's when Ash intervened, pitting Zapdos against Kyogre and Sceptile against Groudon. In a brilliant move, Zapdos quickly ended his fight with Kyogre by shooting electricity into the water.

Then the battle with Groudon got underway. Ash then brought out Charizard to thaw Rayquaza. Maxie had Groudon use Mud Shot in an attempt to stop Charizard, but Sceptile intervened with Solarbeam. Groudon's attention turned to Sceptile, allowing Charizard enough time to completely thaw Rayquaza out. Then Ash had Rayquaza use Rest.

The rest was short, but it helped Rayquaza immensely. He was able to end the back and forth battle by shooting a Hyper Beam at Groudon. Then the red and blue orbs healed Groudon and Kyogre before shattering into pieces, ensuring that no one could use them ever again. Then Kyogre had returned to her resting place. Groudon on the other hand had traveled to the center of the earth before he rested once again. But Rayquaza would not return to the Sky Pillar. Grateful for Ash's intervention, he became Ash's sixth Pokemon as a way of saying thanks.

Currently, Ash was speaking with Professor Oak. "Hi Professor," he said.

"Hello Ash. How have you been?" Professor Oak said.

"Things have been interesting these days," Ash said before explaining everything that had happened. He finished explaining several hours later.

"Wow! That's quite a bit for only a week and a half. It's very disturbing that Damien is stalking you. But it's good to know that your Pokemon are protecting you from him. I have to say though, catching two legendary Pokemon is an incredible feat," Professor Oak said.

"I know," Ash said.

"Oh, let me see your Pokedex for a moment," Professor Oak said.

"Okay," Ash said before transferring his Pokedex. He got it back a few moments later.

"I upgraded your Pokedex. It will allow you to carry as many Pokemon as you want," Professor Oak said.

"Thanks Professor. I'm going to be challenging Juan tomorrow and an extra grass Pokemon would help. Can you send Bulbasaur over?" Ash said.

"Can do," Professor Oak said before completing the transfer.

Ash picked up the Poke Ball.

"Well, I'll tell your mother hi for you," Professor Oak said.

"All right Professor. Bye," Ash said before hanging up.

"Bye," Professor Oak said before hanging up as well.

"Who would've thought that someone would actually try to kill Ash," Gary said.

"I know I wouldn't have. But Damien almost succeeded in doing just that," Professor Oak said.

"But things have gotten a lot tougher for Damien now. According to my research, Rayquaza is the most powerful of the legendary Pokemon," Gary said. "Damien's Pokemon would be down for the count before they even knew what hit them," he added smirking.

Meanwhile, Ash had released all his Pokemon just outside the Pokemon Center. Bulbasaura tackled Ash and started lickign his face.

"It's good to see you too Bulbasaur," Ash said laughing.

Bulbasaur allowed Ash to stand a few minutes later. Then he looked at Ash's Pokemon in awe, except Pikachu and Charizard, this being his first time seeing them. "Bulbasaur bulba(What's been going on)?" he then asked.

Charizard, Pikachu and Sceptile took turns telling Bulbasaur what has happened.

"Bulba(What)?" Bulbasaur exclaimed

"There have been not only attempts on his life, but also a Pokemon that wants to eat him?!" Rayquaza also exclaimed, but in anger. "This will not do. Ash doesn't deserve to go through trauma like this. I'll do all I can to help in the battle against Damien and Aerodactyl," he added.

"Bulba saur(So will I)," Bulbasaur said.

Just then, a French-looking guy came by the Pokemon Center. He had just finished a gym battle, which he beat the trainer challenging him for the Rain Badge, and wanted to heal his Pokemon. He gasped in awe upon seeing Zapdos and Rayquaza together.

"I never thought that I would see Zapdos or Rayquaza, let alone seeing them together in one place," Juan said.

"Are you Juan?" Ash asked.

"That I am," Juan responded. "You must be an extraordinary trainer to have caught both of them," he added.

"I really don't think of myself that way. Besides, I helped them out when they desperately needed it and they became my Pokemon in gratitude for it," Ash said as Zapdos nodded.

"We sure did," Rayquaza said.

"Whoa he can talk," Juan said.

"Yes he can," Ash said.

"Wallace told me that you want to battle me tomorrow. Is that correct?" Juan said.

"Yes it is. After all the excitement today, I just wanted to rest for the rest of the day," Ash said.

"I had to postpone a match due to the weather frenzy. Wallace told me what had happened. That was probably a battle for the ages," Juan said.

"It sure was," Ash said as his Pokemon nodded.

Juan went into the Pokemon Center. He came back out about five minutes later. "Well I'll see you tomorrow," he said before heading home.

"This place is giving me a boxed in feeling. I would love to get out for a little while," Ash said.

"Well then allow me to assist you," Rayquaza said.

Ash picked up Pikachu and got onto Rayquaza. Sceptile got on behind Ash. Charizard picked up Bulbasaur before he, Rayquaza, Swellow and Zapdos took to the sky. They flew out through the extinct volcano's mouth. They looked down and saw Pokemon frolicking in the water. The frolicking Pokemon looked up and gasped in awe upon seeing Zapdos and Rayquaza just cruising through the sky.

"Tentacool(Whoa)," one of the Tentacool said in awe.

"Pelipper(You said it)," a wild Pelipper said. It flew up to get a better look and saw a human and a Sceptile on Rayquaza's back. It flew back down. "Pelipper peli pelipper(Rayquaza has a trainer now)," Pelipper said.

"Tentacruel tenta. Tenta tent tentacruel(My goodness gracious. I never thought that I would see the day)," a Tentacruel said.

"Pelipper peli pelipper(Rayquaza seems to be very happy with the trainer)," Pelipper said.

"Hiya(Wow)," a Staryu said.

Meanwhile, Rayquaza and the others continued through the air. Ash was feeling a lot more comfortable now.

"This is much better. I wonder how the residents of Sootopolis got used to living inside a dead volcano," Ash said.

"It probably took a good amount of time. Sootopolis is a pretty closed up city. I felt boxed in too," Rayquaza said as the other Pokemon nodded.

About two hours later, Ash and the others returned to Sootopolis. Ash returned all his Pokemon except for Pikachu. Then he and Pikachu went inside the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy led him to a room where he could rest for the night. At about midnight, Ash and friends settled in for the night. But not all was well this night. A wily Pokemon was only hours away from Sootopolis City. It had taken Aerodactyl a while to blast out of the area of fallen trees. Once it did, it was desperate to get back on Ash's trail. Its desperation had eventually paid off.

('That fiery Pokemon is getting very annoying. I would've had that little human if not for him. This time, the result will be different') Aerodactyl thought. He would be somewhat right.

The next morning, Ash and friends had a quick breakfast. Half an hour later, they head to the gym. They found Juan waiting on one side of a large pool. There were floating platforms in the water for non-water Pokemon.

"Ah, you've arrived. Are you ready to battle for the Rain Badge?" Juan said.

"I sure am," Ash said.

"I'll choose first. You're up Whiscash!" Juan said, releasing Whiscash.

Whiscash belly flopped into the water. He quickly surfaced. "Whiscash(I'm ready)," he said.

"Let's do this Bulbasaur!" Ash said, throwing the ball.

"Bulba(I'm ready)," Bulbasaur said, landing on one of the floating platforms.

"Mud Shot Whiscash!" Juan said.

Whiscash shot a stream of mud from his mouth.

"Cut it down with Razor Leaf!" Ash said.

"Bulba(Right)," Bulbasaur said before firing off razor sharp leaves at the Mud Shot.

The leaves cut up most of the mud, but some of it made contact with Bulbasaur. Unfortunately, it was now in his eyes and now he couldn't see. He turned around wildly.

"Oh no, Bulbasaur's blind!" May said.

"Use Water Gun while it's disoriented!" Juan said.

Whiscash shot the stream of water at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur couldn't see the attack coming at him.

"Bulbasaur do an about face. Let the Water Gun wash the mud out of your eyes," Ash said.

Bulbasaur turned around. The Water Gun came straight at Bulbasaur's face. The force of the Water Gun knocked him into the water. He surfaced and got back onto the platform. He turned towards Ash, showing Ash that the mud had been washed out.

"All right! Bulbasaur can see again," Max said.

"That was a great observation on Ash's part," Brock said.

"Belly Flop to create a wave!" Juan said.

"Use Vine Whip to jump over it!" Ash countered.

Bulbasaur used his vines as a springboard to catapult over the oncoming wave. Then he landed back on the platform.

"Let's finish this Bulbasaur. Use Solarbeam!" Ash said.

"Quick Whiscash, use Hydro Pump before it completely charges up!" Juan said.

Whiscash fired the Hydro Pump.

"You know what to do Bulbasaur," Ash said.

Bulbasaur used his Vine Whip to jump over the attack. He came down, ready to launch the Solarbeam.

"Fire away Bulbasaur!" Ash said.

"Bulbasaur(Here it goes)!" Bulbasaur said, firing the Solarbeam.

The beam rocketed for Whiscash. Juan knew that there was no chance for Whiscash to get out of the way since it wasn't very agile. The Solarbeam made contact with Whiscash.

"Whiscash(Aaaahhhh)!" Whiscash cried in pain as the Solarbeam hit. He fell back into the water. He slowly surfaced and floated over to one of the platforms before fainting.

"Whiscash is unable to battle. Bulbasaur is the winner!" the referee said.

"Whiscash return!" Juan said, returning his Pokemon. "Having Bulbasaur face the Water Gun to get the mud out of its eyes and having it to use its Vine Whip to help it jump over the wave and Hydro Pump was sheer brilliance. You're a pretty good trainer," he added.

"Thanks Juan," Ash said.

"My next Pokemon hasn't been beaten too many times so get ready. Kingdra go!" Juan said.

Kingdra soon appeared in the water. "Doo(Ready)!" Kingdra said.

'Clair had a pretty strong Kingdra. This one is probably just as strong if not stronger,' Ash thought. "Do you want to face Kingdra Bulbasaur?" he asked.

"Bulba, bulbasaur(Yes, I'll do my best)," Bulbasaur said nodding.

"Okay then. Start off with Razor Leaf!" Ash said.

Bulbasaur fired the leaves.

"Agility," Juan countered.

Kingdra quickly evaded the leaves with its agility.

"Now use Hyper Beam!" Juan said.

Kingdra quickly charged up and fired the Hyper Beam.

"Jump quick!" Ash said.

Bulbasaur used Vine Whip to jump over the Hyper Beam.

"Now Kingdra, use Dragonbreath!" Juan said.

Kingdra aimed and fired the attack. Bulbasaur was wide open and had no way of evading this attack. The attack contact, and Bulbasaur landed hard on the platform. He staggered back up.

"I thought that a Pokemon needed to recharge after using Hyper Beam," Max said.

"It usually does. Juan trained Kingdra very well," Brock said.

"Can you continue Bulbasaur?" Ash asked.

Bulbasaur nodded.

"All right. Use..." Ash started to say when he heard a terrifying sound.

"What was that?" Juan asked. He looked up and saw a flying Pokemon heading towards the gym. He looked back at Ash and saw the most terrified expression on Ash's face. He immediately knew that this Pokemon must be going for Ash. "Kingdra, use Hydro Pump on that Pokemon!"

"Doo(Okay)!" Kingdra said before firing at Aerodactyl.

Aerodactyl evaded the attack. It swooped down and grabbed Ash before flying back up again.

"Ash/Bulba/Pikapi!" Brock, May, Max, Bulbasaur and Pikachu cried.

"There's nothing we can do," May said helplessly. She would fortunately be wrong.

Sensing that their trainer was in serious trouble and being able to feel that they were in the air, Charizard, Swellow, Rayquaza and Zapdos came out of their balls. Charizard growled upon seeing Ash's situation. He flew up and cut Aerodactyl off from the front. Aerodactyl fired off a Hyper Beam at Charizard, which Charizard easily countered with a Flamethrower attack. Aerodactyl then turned around to go the other way. Zapdos quickly blocked off Aerodactyl's path. Swellow and Rayquaza then completed the circle, now trapping Aerodactyl on all sides. Aerodactyl was panicking now. It knew that it didn't have much of a chance against Zapdos or Rayquaza.

Rayquaza took advantage of Aerodactyl's indecision. He prepared to fire a Hyper Beam at Aerodactyl's legs. Still panicky, Aerodactyl lifted Ash in the line of fire. Rayquaza powered down, not wanting to hit Ash. But Aerodactyl was so focused on Rayquaza that it never noticed Charizard coming up from behind. Charizard gently gripped Ash before biting Aerodactyl in the leg. Aerodactyl screeched in pain before letting go of Ash. Charizard then put distance between himself and Aerodactyl before readjusting his grip on Ash, now holding Ash Bridal style. Before Aerodactyl could recover, Swellow came in with Wing Attack. Then Charizard used Dragonbreath. Zapdos used Thunder, and Rayquaza used Dragon Rage. Aerodactyl fled before the attacks could strike it.

"Thanks guys," Ash said.

(No problem) Charizard said.

"That is one persistent Pokemon isn't it?" Rayquaza asked.

"You said it," Ash responded. "Let's head back down. I've got a battle to finish," he added.

Charizard flew down and landed near the pool before setting Ash down. Then Rayquaza, Zapdos and Swellow landed as well. Ash was about to return them.

"Wait Ash. I think that we should remain out. Aerodactyl might come back," Rayquaza said.

"He's got a point Ash," Brock said.

"All right then," Ash said.

"Are you ready to continue?" Juan asked.

"Yes I am," Ash responded. "Use Vine Whip Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur lashed out his vines.

"Agility Kingdra!" Juan said.

Kindra easily maneuvered around the vines, getting closer to Bulbasaur as well. Soon, Kingdra was right in front of Bulbasaur.

"Now Kingdra, use Hyper Beam!" Juan said.

Kingdra complied. Bulbasaur was sent flying into the air. He sailed over Ash's head and kept going. He would've gone further if not for Charizard catching him. Charizard landed next to Ash and deposited Bulbasaur. It was clear to see that Bulbasaur was down for the count.

"Bulbasaur is no longer able to battle. The win goes to Kingdra," the referee said as Kingdra returned to Juan's side of the pool.

"You did your best Bulbasaur. Return," Ash said. "Your Kingdra is pretty fast. But I know how to counter it. Pikachu, it's your turn pal," he added.

"Pika(All right)," Pikachu said. He came onto the field and got onto one of the floating platforms. "Pika(Ready)," he said.

"Use Dragonbreath Kingdra!" Juan said.

"Doo(Take this)," Kingdra said, firing off the attack.

"Into the water Pikachu," Ash said.

Pikachu quickly dove into the water. The Dragonbreath hit where Pikachu stood only moments ago. Pikachu surfaced and swam to another platform since the one he stood on was now gone.

"Use Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash said.

"Pikachu(Here it goes)!" Pikachu said, unleashing the attack.

"Use Agility to get around it!" Juan said.

Kingdra used its agility to get around the electricity.

"Use your Agility too Pikachu," Ash said.

Pikachu then began speeding down the platforms. Kingdra began chasing Pikachu down. Pikachu then began jumping from one platform to chasing Pikachu down. Pikachu then began jumping from one platform to the other in various patterns to stay one step ahead of Kingdra. Every time Kingdra would close in, Pikachu would jump in a different pattern.

"Good job Pikachu," Ash said.

Kingdra eventually started to wear down from trying to catch Pikachu. On the flipside though, Pikachu was also starting to wear down. Both Pokemon stopped using Agility. Juan could see Kingdra sweating. Ash could hear Pikachu panting a little.

"Let's finish this Pikachu. Use Thunder!" Ash said.

"Quick Kingdra, use Hyper Beam!" Juan countered.

KIngdra got off the attack first, not only striking Pikachu, but also causing the platform to flip Pikachu into the water. But Pikachu was still able to give off his attack. Because Pikachu was completely underwater when he fired the attack, the attack's strength was greatly magnified. Kingdra screamed in pain as the magnified attack did some major damage to it. Several moments later, Kingdra was floating on its back, Xs in its eyes.

"Kingdra is unable to battle. Pikachu wins," the referee said.

"Great job Pikachu," Ash said as Pikachu surfaced.

"Pika(Thanks)," Pikachu said tiredly. He managed to get onto the platformed before he fainted as well.

"Pikachu is also unable to battle. It's a double knockout," the referee said as Swellow picked up Pikachu and brought him over to Brock.

"You're pretty impressive Ash. Now we're both down to one Pokemon each. But my last Pokemon has even given the Elite Four a run for their money. Let's go Milotic!" Juan said.

Milotic appeared in the water. May went starry eyed upon seeing it.

"That Milotic is even more beautiful than the one I saw at the contest in Slateport City," May said.

"It looks pretty strong too," Brock said.

"I wonder if Ash will used Zapdos against it," Max said.

"He won't. He knows that using Zapdos would be a very unfair advantage," Brock said.

"Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash said, releasing Sceptile.

"Sceptile(Let's get it on)," Sceptile said. He and Milotic squared each other up.

"Let's end this now Milotic. Use Ice Beam!" Juan said.

Milotic fired the super cold beam.

"Jump to the platform on the right Sceptile!" Ash said.

"Scept(Roger)," Sceptile said before jumping over to the platform.

The platform that Sceptile stood on seconds before was now a block of ice.

"Bullet Seed!" Ash said.

Sceptile fired hundreds of seeds from his mouth.

"Counter it with Twister!" Juan said.

Milotic unleashed a cyclone from its tail, which blew the seeds away.

"Wow! Milotic is pretty tough," Max said.

"That can mean big trouble for Ash. Unless he can get a hit on Milotic somehow, it can simply wear Sceptile down," Brock said.

"Use Blizzard Milotic!" Juan said.

Milotic launched a barrage of ice and snow towards Sceptile. Sceptile quickly dove into the water to evade the attack.

"We've got it now Milotic. Use Ice Beam to freeze the water!" Juan said.

Milotic complied. Soon, the pool was frozen over. Milotic had made sure to get on top of the ice so it wouldn't be trapped as well.

"Oh no! Sceptile's trapped!" May said in worry.

Brock looked at the frozen pool and saw the ice starting to crack near Milotic. "No he's not," he said.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"Look over next to Milotic. The ice is cracking," Brock responded.

May and Max looked where Brock said and saw that the ice was cracking. Several minutes later, Sceptile came out through the crack, a Leaf Blade at the ready.

"Go ahead an use Leaf Blade Sceptile!" Ash said.

Sceptile struck Milotic with Leaf Blade. Milotic was sent reeling but recovered several minutes later.

"Use Twister again Milotic!" Juan said.

Milotic unleashed the attack towards Sceptile. Sceptile slid on the ice to evade the attack. Milotic unleashed another Twister attack only for the same result. Sceptile slid on the ice to avoid it.

"Two can play at ice skating right Milotic?" Juan asked.

Milotic gave a confirmation noise before also starting to slide a long the ice.

"Use Bind!" Juan said.

Milotic managed to catch up with Sceptile. Then it wrapped its long body around him before squeezing him.

"Sceptile can't move," Max said.

"Ash needs to think of something fast or else this battle is over," Brock said.

Ash could see that Sceptile was having trouble breathing now. "Sceptile, try to face Milotic," he said.

Sceptile struggled but was able to look Milotic in the eyes.

"Now use Bullet Seed!" Ash said.

Sceptile took a little breath before firing off the attack. Milotic screamed as the attack hit its face. Soon, it was forced to let go of Sceptile. Sceptile took several deep breaths, welcoming the oxygen back into his lungs.

"Use Leaf Blade while its disoriented!" Ash said.

Sceptile complied and Milotic slammed the frozen ground. The force of impact had actually caused the ice to break. Milotic sank into the water but came back to the surface a few minutes later. It was clear that Milotic was really wearing down. Sceptile was feeling a little worn down as well, but now as worn down as Milotic was.

"Let's try a different tactic Milotic. Combine Blizzard with Twister," Juan said.

Milotic unleashed the Twister attack. But Ash could see ice and snow mixed into the cyclonic attack. Sceptile did the best he could to evade the attack. But his lower arms ended up frozen. Sceptile flexed and was able to break the ice around his arms. Ash could see that Sceptile was wearing down more.

"We need to end this now Sceptile. Use Solarbeam!" Ash said.

"Counter with Ice Beam Milotic," Juan said.

Sceptile fired the Solarbeam from his mouth. Milotic then fired the Ice Beam from its tail. The two attacks met in the center, trying to get the better over the other.

"You can do it Sceptile," Ash said.

"Hang in there Milotic," Juan said.

Both Pokemon gave it their all. Finally, Milotic began to cave. The Solarbeam then started pushing the Ice Beam back. Upon reaching Milotic, the two attacks exploded. When the smoke cleared, Milotic was nowhere to be seen. Then a shadow appeared on the pool's surface. Milotic surfaced, swirls in its eyes.

"Milotic is no longer able to battle. Sceptile wins. Victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," the referee said.

"All right. We did it Sceptile," Ash said.

"Sceptile(We sure did)," Sceptile said, giving Ash a thumbs' up before walking off the ice and standing next to Ash.

Juan returned Milotic. Charizard then used Flamethrower to thaw the frozen pool. Brock, May and Max then came out of the stands.

"That was great Ash," Brock said.

"Thanks Brock," Ash said.

Then Juan came over. "Well Ash, that was the greatest battle that I've ever fought. It will be a battle that I will always remember. Our Pokemon were going back and forth so much that there was no telling who would win until the very end," Juan said.

"Thanks Juan," Ash said.

"To commemorate your victory over me, I present the Rain Badge to you," Juan said, handing over the badge.

Ash took the badge from Juan. "All right," he said, holding the badge out.

"So I take it that you're going back to Mossdeep to get it's badge," Juan said.

"Yes I am, after I take my Pokemon to the Pokemon Center," Ash said before returning Sceptile and the rest of his Pokemon. Then he and his friends headed to the Pokemon Center.

Nurse Joy was tending to another Pokemon when they arrived so tey sat down to wait. Five minutes later, Nurse Joy came back out to the front.

"Oh Nurse Joy, do you want to have a candlelight dinner with me?" Brock asked, clearly in flirt mode.

"Knock it off Casanova," Max said, dragging Brock by the ear.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I would like to have my Pokemon healed please," Ash responded.

"All right," Nurse Joy said as Ash handed his Poke Balls and Pikachu over.

Ash got Charizard, Swellow, Rayquaza and Zapdos back in only a couple of minutes. He got Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Sceptile half an hour later. Then they left the Pokemon Center.

"Well how will we get to Mossdeep?" Max asked.

"I'll show you how," Ash responded before releasing Rayquaza. "Can you give us a ride to Mossdeep?" he asked.

"Of course. Climb aboard," Rayquaza responded.

Ash and friends got aboard Rayquaza.

"Make sure that you have a good grip on me," Rayquaza said before taking off into the sky.

"Do you need any directional help?" Max asked.

"No, but thanks for the offer. I've been all over the Hoenn region many times," Rayquaza responded.

No more words were spoken as Rayquaza cruised through the sky, heading for Mossdeep Island and Ash's final gym battle.

And that's a wrap on this chapter. Now Ash has his seventh badge and heading for his eighth. Preview for Chapter 8: Strategic Thinking: Ash and friends arrive in Mossdeep City. But things get off to a terrible start as Damien enters the picture once again. But Ash's Pokemon easily deal with him. After recovering from the brutal attack, Ash challenges Tate and Liza for the Mind Badge. The match proves to be a true battle of wits. Will Ash and the Pokemon he choose have the winning strategies? Stay tuned to find out.

Oh, and as far as Ash being able to carry as many Pokemon as he wishes, I really never liked the rule that a trainer could only carry six Pokemon. So I decided to let Ash carry as many as he wanted from now on. And this will prove to be a very beneficial factor in chapter 9 so it's a little heads up for you guys.