Journeys Of A Pokémon Trainer

Episode 32: Ronnie and Mike, New Elite Officers of Team Rocket!

After three minutes of walking through the tunnel, Ashton and his friends had to walk up the hill towards the Indigo Plateau. "I can't believe it we're almost there!" Ashton exclaimed. "Yep! I can't wait to battle!" King exclaimed. "If it's a battle you want, then we can help you with that," They heard someone say.

They turned and saw Ronnie and Mike. "It's them again! Those Team Rocket grunts!" Okotsu said.  Ronnie laughed at this. "Mike, he still thinks we're grunts," Ronnie said, laughing. "Kid, you're looking at the new Elite Officers of Team Rocket," Mike said.

"We heard you beat our boss. We can't let you get away with that!" Ronnie said. He and Mike pulled out their Pokeballs. "Your boss was a gym leader! We were eventually gonna battle him!" King yelled. "We accept your battle! Who wants to help me out!" Ashton asked his friends. "I'll help. I'm trying to get a little more training in before we get to the Indigo Plateau," Justin said. Ashton and Justin threw their Pokeballs and Ronnie and Mike threw theirs. Ashton sent out Blastoise and Justin sent out Venusaur.

Ronnie and Mike sent out Poliwrath and Arcanine. "Justin, I'll get pink hair! You get greenie!" Ashton said. Justin nodded and they both turned to face their opponent. "Arcanine, use Flame Tackle!" Ronnie yelled. Arcanine covered it's body in flames and rushed at Blastoise. Arcanine hit Blastoise, making it slide back. "Blastoise, use Water Gun!" Ashton shouted. Blastoise shot a beam of water out of its left cannon, sending Arcanine flying back.

Meanwhile, Justin and Mike started their battle. "Poliwrath, use Dynamic Punch!" Mike yelled. Poliwrath covered it's fist in a blue aura and jumped at Venusaur. It punched Venusaur, making it slide back. "Venusaur, use Vine Slam!" Justin yelled. Venusaur sprouted two vines and grabbed Poliwrath with them. It lifted it up and slammed it into the ground. "Now use Razor Leaf!" Justin called out.

Venusaur shot out a bunch of leaves, which flew at Poliwrath and cut it all over its body. "Poliwrath, use Seismic Toss!" Mike yelled. Poliwrath grabbed Venusaur and jumped up high into the air. It started spinning and slammed it into the ground.

"Arcanine, use Bite!" Ronnie yelled. Arcanine jumped at Blastoise and bit it's arm. "Blastoise, use Slam!" Ashton yelled. Blastoise lifted its arm and slammed it down. Arcanine crashed into the ground. Arcanine tried to get up, but Blastoise kicked it, sending it sliding towards Ronnie. "Arcanine this isn't over yet! Use Overheat!" Ronnie yelled, trying to end the battle. Arcanine opened its mouth and shot a giant burst of fire. The fire was too much for Blastoise and it fell on its stomach.

"Poliwrath, use Focus Punch!" Mike yelled. Poliwrath concentrated hard and a dark red aura surrounded its fist. It punched Venusaur as hard as it can, sending it tumbling back. Venusaur tried to stand, but couldn't and collapsed on the ground.

Ronnie and Mike began to laugh while everyone else was shocked. "Don't you see! We've been training hard to get revenge on you and steal your Golden Charmander! Now give it here or else!" Ronnie yelled. A shadow covered Ashton and Justin's eyes. "No. It's not over yet! I'm not giving up!" Ashton screamed. "Me neither!" Justin screamed as well.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Ashton screamed. "Use Solar Beam!" Justin yelled. Blastoise started charging a huge beam of water in its cannons while Venusaur started absorbing sunlight. When both Pokémon were done charging their attacks, they fired them at Arcanine and Poliwrath, making the Pokémon faint. Ronnie and Mike were shocked and called their Pokémon back to their Pokeballs.

"Even after all that training, we still lost to these kids," Mike said in disbelief. "Maybe this is how they beat the boss," Ronnie said. "We won! Now let us get to our matches!" Ashton said. Ronnie looked up at him. "Kid. Don't you dare lose this! I don't want to find out that we've been losing to someone who sucks at battling," Ronnie said. He and Mike turned and walked the opposite way. "Is that their way of rooting for us?" Ashton asked Justin. Justin shrugged.

"Anyway, let's get going," Toru said. Everyone walked up the hill until eventually, they reached the building. They walked inside and went to the front desk. "Excuse us. We're here to compete in the Kanto Tournament," Ashton said to the man at the front desk. "Of course. Sign these sheet and I'll set you up for your first match. Are you aware of how the Tournament works?" The man asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"To truly qualify for the tournament, you must battle in four exhibition matches. If you win at least three of them, you qualify for the tournament. We do this so that not just anyone can battle. Once you've qualified, you'll battle many different trainers until it's a final match. The winner of the final match will have to opportunity to battle the champion. If you beat the champion, you'll be the new champion of the region," The man said. Everyone took turns signing the sheet and the man typed their names into the computer.

"Alright. Out of all of you, the first to battle will be the trainer named Ashton," The man said. Ashton had a grin on his face. "Alright! Make sure to watch my match, guys!" Ashton said. "Of course! I wanna see how strong you've gotten!" Toru said.

Ashton and his friends walked away from the front desk. "Ok guys. I'm gonna hurry and get to the stands so we can watch Ash's match. See ya," Toru said. Toru and Leaf both walked to the stands. "I heard there's rooms for Trainers here so I'm gonna go find it," Justin said, walking away. "I'll go with him," Okotsu said.

Ashton and King walked to the waiting room. "I'm kinda nervous King, but at the same time, I'm excited!" Ashton said. "Don't worry man, I believe you can win your Exhibition Match," King said. They noticed a screen on the roof that had a list of all the battles for the first exhibition matches. Ashton was gonna battle against someone named Darius.

A voice came over the intercom. "Would the two trainers Ashton and Darius please head to the arena?" The voice said. Ashton stood up and walked to the gate. Before he could walk through it, a guard stopped him. "Before you walk through, do you know the rules of an exhibition match?" The guard asked. Ashton shook his head. "For the exhibition matches, you may only use three Pokémon. If you win and make it to the tournament, you can use up to six. For each Exhibition match, you must use different Pokémon each round," The guard said.

Ashton nodded and walked through the gate. He had a look of determination on his face. He was ready to win.

End of episode
Next episode: First Exhibition Match!

Word count: 1167 words