The 'Outcast' - First Year

Part 7

The walk home was a rather quiet one to say the least. From Lumiose to Vaniville it was about 20 minutes walking. Ash did not speak at all and walked at a pace hard to keep up with.

"Slow down, Ash. Jeez what's the hurry?" Leaf asked tiredly.

Ash gave her an annoyed look. "If you can't keep up then just walk alone. It's that simple Leaf," He responds.

"Ugh! What are you gonna do when you get home anyway??" She questioned.

"I'm going to do special training with my new Pokémon and get the second gym badge of this place," He replied. 

Leaf raised a brow curiously. "Ash... with that team you have you could win the Pokémon league easily if you wanted to. Why use a new Pokémon with no experience?" 

"We're talking about gym battles here... not the league. I think it's fine to use a relatively new Pokémon for a simple gym battle. I swept the first one with just Pikachu the other day," He says confidently.

Leaf giggled at his response. "Oh yeah, I heard about that. A few kids were talking about you and how good you are at battling. You're building up quite the rep cuz," She said.

"That crap doesn't concern me. I only want my gym battle," He said. Soon they arrived to his house.

"Alrighty cousin, nice talking to ya. I'll see you soon," She said, giving him a wink before leaving. Ash shook his head in disbelief.

"Later Leaf... a whole lot later I hope..." He muttered that last part. As he entered his home Delia wasn't anywhere to be found. Ash was okay with this as he went into his backyard and released Froakie from its Pokeball. 

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder as Froakie awaited his new trainer's instructions.

"Alright, Froakie here's the deal. The way we battle and our strategic approach is simple. No mercy. Always battle as if you're losing. Don't leave any openings for the opponent to counterattack. Over defend yourself if you have to," Ash continued explaining his strats to his new friend.

Froakie seemed to get what Ash wanted and gave him an approving look.

"Excellent. Now, take this," Ash handed him a rare candy. Froakie took it consuming it immediately. After eating the piece of candy Froakie immediately felt pumped up and ready to train. Ash trained the starter Pokémon to its limits alongside Pikachu for atleast a few hours.

Sunset

Hours later they were finished training for the day and Ash decided they were ready to face the second gym. Froakie viewed Ash so much different than any of his past trainers. Ash was determined to train Froakie to its full potential and Froakie respected that about Ash. Good communication between trainer and Pokémon.

Meanwhile in Santalune city...

Calem and friends were on their way to the gym to find out exactly what had happened. Calem especially wanted to find out what the deal was with the trainer that had caused this in the first place. They soon arrived at the gym.

Calem was the one to knock on the big blue doors. The familiar face of Alexa came into view as she answered the door. 

"Hi there! Can I help you with something boys?" She asked, giving a welcome smile.

"We were hoping to speak to the gym leader Viola about what happened just a few days ago... with that trainer," Calem said. Alexa's smile faltered and was replaced with a slightly gloomy one.

"Oh... she's still taking that battle pretty badly... and her Pokémon have still not fully recovered," Alexa revealed.

Everyone had the same shocked expression on their face, even Paul. Alexa opened the door to the gym allowing them to enter. As they did they all took a seat eager to hear exactly what had happened here.

Alexa sighed and took a seat herself ready to explain what happened.

"The trainer who came in had a mellow but determined presence in him. From the moment he stepped foot in our gym I could tell he was here to win. Losing was not an option for him," Alexa explained.

"Did you remember what his name was? Or what he looked like?" Calem questioned.

Alexa folded her arms. "That I'm not sure of. I don't know. Viola definitely knows though," She replied.

"Oh okay. That's fine," Calem nodded. "Do you know exactly when she will be able to battle again?" 

"She should be just fine in a week and a half," Alexa smiled. Calem nodded and accepted it without further complaint. The rest of the guys felt sympathy for Calem but also for Viola. Whoever this trainer was definitely had gone too far.