Pokemon High School

Chapter 4 Calm And Rage Of The Storm

The girls, Drew, and Gary, after talking it over for awhile, decided it would be best if they went after Ash. It wasn't uncommon for the two to fight, but for Ash to act this grave about it was.

When the group finally caught up, Ash and Paul had started where they left off: Druddigon vs. Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha, use High Jump Kick!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha flung itself forward, kneeing Druddigon in the chin. The Dragon-type stumbled back a little, then prepared for it's own attack.

"Use Iron Tail," Paul commanded. Druddigon's tail became encased in hard metal as it swung it toward Hawlucha. Hawlucha took the blow surprisingly well. Ash commanded an X-Scizzor attack, which Hawlucha used on the foe for massive damage.

"Now, Flying Press!" Ash said in an attempt to finish Paul's Druddigon off. Hawlucha happily complied; it loved finishing off it's foes with Flying Press. The Luchador Pokemon leaped into the air, spun around, and rammed it's body into Druddigon, knocking it out. Paul recalled his Pokemon with no sign of remorse.

"Houndoom, stand by for battle!" Paul said, releasing his second Pokemon. Out of the Pokeball emerged a black and red dog-like Pokemon. It immediately let out a growl after being called into the battle.

"Houndoom is a Dark type, so why use it against a Fighting type like Hawlucha..." Misty said, her voice trailing off. This was something Ash would do, and it was no secret that Paul would use Ash's battle tactics against him.

"Hawlucha, Karate Chop!" Ash called out. Hawlucha ran up to land a super effective attack, but Houndoom dodged under Paul's orders.

Houndoom then retaliated with a super effective attack of it's own: Thunder Fang. It sank its teeth into Hawlucha's arm, electrifying it for massive damage due to Hawlucha being part Flying type. Hawlucha attempted Karate Chop once more, but Houndoom's attack was too much for it, causing it to faint.

Ash recalled Hawlucha and adjusted his cap. "Gabite, I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokeball, revealing a Dragon/Ground type Pokemon with qualities of a shark. It let out a screech, signaling it was ready for combat.

"Gabite, Rock Smash!" Ash called out. Gabite's claw began to glow as it approached it's foe. It struck for massive damage, as it was a Fighting type move.

Paul pulled up the cuff of his sleeve, revealing a small bracelet on his wrist. He tapped a stone within the bracelet, and both the stone and Houndoom glew brightly. When the light faded, Houndoom looked very different, much to everyone's surprise. It had larger horns, many smaller horns emerging from its side, and its similar design on its neck transformed into a large skull. It snarled loudly, causing a breeze to sweep across the battlefield with the scent of fire emerging from its red snout.

"What happened?" Dawn asked. Never before had she seen such an amazing thing happen.

"Houndoom Mega-evolved..." Leaf said nervously. Mega evolution caused a Pokemon's full potential to be released, and this was about to be a prime example.

"Houndoom, Shadow Ball!" Paul demanded. Houndoom formed a ball of dark energy in its mouth before spitting it at Gabite. Gabite barely avoided the attack, as did Ash.

"Gabite, use Dragon Pulse," Ash said. Paul commanded yet another Shadow Ball, and both Pokemon fired energy from their gaping mouths. The attacks collided, causing a large explosion.

"Now, Draco Meteor!" Ash said, deciding to use the smoke to his advantage. Gabite charged energy within its chest, then blasted multiple blasts of light from its mouth. Houndoom, unable to see through the smoke, was pelleted with Draco Meteors, causing it to fall in defeat. Gabite let out a victory cry as all except for Paul cheered. Paul recalled Houndoom, who reverted back to its original form.

Paul sent out his last Pokemon: Scizor. The red Bug/Steel type dashed around the battlefield with unusually high speed.

"Metal Claw," Paul muttered. Scizor's claw became hard as steel as it smacked Gabite right in the jaw. Gabite brushed it off, barely staying in the fight.

"Gabite, use Rock Smash!" Ash said. Gabite ran up to Scizor, preparing for its attack. Scizor was too fast, however, as another Metal Claw took it down. Ash recalled Gabite, proud of how well it had done.

Ash sent out his last Pokemon: Talonflame. The Fire/Flying type flew around the field, spreading embers from its feathers.

"Use Brave Bird!" Ash cried out. Talonflame was covered in blue energy as it dashed into Scizor with great force. The two Pokemon were injured, as Brave Bird deals recoil to its user.

"Now, Flame Charge!" Talonflame then engulfed itself in flames as it flew toward Scizor, increasing speed as it went. This was extremely effective, as it knocked Scizor out with ease.

With Paul losing the three-on-three battle, he did seem quite aggravated. He recalled Scizor as he looked away from the others. It was bad enough he lost with people watching. It was even worse to lose to Ash with people watching. The thought disgusted him.

But I know what'll rub him the wrong way. Paul smirked. Given another opportunity, he may be able to beat Ash using the same method. He glanced back at Ash, who was staring at him with pure hatred, Talonflame and Pikachu eyeing him all the same. He scoffed and continued on his way. Ash battled hard, but his skin wasn't thick. Paul knew how to get under it. He had been, and still was, for a long time.

Ash got up and was greeted by the entire group. They all watched him battle in awe, Dawn in particular, as she had never seen a battle that intense. To think that this was mormal for Ash was mindboggling. Yet impressive, to say the least. They all congratulated him on his victory, which was no easy feat against Paul.

"Hey guys!" Drew said suddenly, an idea popping into his mind. "You wanna go camping this weekend? It'll be the warmest it's gonna get till January," He was right; the rain/snow season was approaching fast. They all agreed, including Dawn, surprisingly. She wrote down directions to the site on a notepad as she went down the road. She stopped writing when she felt a drip on her nose. She hadn't realized the dark clouds overhead, nor the sky opening its flood gates upon her.

She trudged up the hill, trying to get home as quickly as possible. The rain was heavy and freezing, and the wind definitely didn't make it any better. Piplup buried itself into Dawn's chest, shielding itself from the wind. Dawn slipped, flinching from the soon-to-follow fall. She opened her eyes and noticed she was fine. An arm was behind her holding her up. She looked and saw Ash, his hair dripping wet.

"Why are you still out here?" Dawn asked curiously. Ash bit his lip as he lifted Dawn up onto her feet.

"I was worried about you," he whispered, causing the two to colour as they turned away. Dawn started back up the hill. Ash stopped her by putting his jacket around her arms.

"Take good care of it, and give it back this weekend," he said, his face reddening even more. Within seconds, he was out of Dawn's view thanks to the rain.

She barely made it to her door before the lightning started up. She found her mom asleep on the couch, and she dared not to wake her. She slipped out of her boots as she got to the foot of her stairs. She took off the jacket with a slight sigh as she carried to her room.

Ash laid on his bed, then arose to get on his computer. He sat down and put his headphones on, as Pikachu leaped atop the computer to watch. Ash glanced at his partner to find him staring slyly. "Chu Pikaka, pi pi? (You like Dawn, don't you?)" the electric mouse asked. Ash turned red again, partially due to embarrassment, and partially due to anger. "No," he replied, "I just wanted to be nice," Pikachu rolled his beady black eyes. "Pika...(Sure...)" Pikachu said. The Mouse Pokemon then closed its eyes as it fell asleep. It was easy to tell when Ash was lying.