Journey to Mastery

Petalburg

"How far are we?" Leaf asked vaguely as the trio wandered down the path. 

"I reckon we'll be there soon." May replied, 

"Soon?" Leaf asked, not satisfied May's reply.

"Does that answer your question?" Ash interjected, pointing at the crowd of buildings looming ahead. Leaf nodded. 

"Lets hope for no more interruptions." Leaf added. Over the morning, they'd stopped for three battles, each of them battling one of them. May had found a hard fought victory against a trainer with a Geodude and a Wurmple. Her Ralts had made an impressive stand in the end. Leaf had and easy win over a Taillow. Ash, however, had a narrow loss to a determined Taillow, Poochyena had struggled to reach the flying type pokemon, and it was preying on his mind as the trio made it to the point in which the worn trail ended, replaced with the well kept concrete path leading up to the buildings ahead. Clustered in the middle of the outlying buildings, a few tall buildings rose up. Ash looked around, and spotted a patch of smooth rock beside a small river, which was flowing along gently.

"Do you want to have lunch here, before you go home?" Ash suggested. May smiled and nodded, and the trio proceeded over to the peaceful spot. They let out their pokemon, and sat down, the sound of the river a peaceful and calming gurgle. May produced the last of their food form Oldale Town, and she handed Ash and Leaf some, and they nibbled on it as they sat by the stream. The serene moment was interrupted through, by a diving pokemon, who plucked Ash's food away from his very hands. Outraged, Ash leapt to his feet, Pikachu eagerly leaping towards him, from where he had been frolicking in the water.

"Alright Pikachu. I will not stand for this level of crime. Thundershock!" Ash demanded. Pikachu complied, releasing the short burst of electricity, which hit the flying culprit. The flying type pokemon let out a squawk of protest, dropping the stolen food, and retreating to higher ground. Ash watched solemnly as his food hit the ground, charred from the thundershock. After a moment, he turned his gaze towards the flying type, wheeling overhead. As he was about to issue a command, the flying type wheeled down, its beak glowing. 

"I don't think it appreciates you charr grilling its food." Leaf observed. Ash turned to her, outraged.

"It doesn't approve? I don't approve!" He said. "Pikachu, dodge that pokemon!"

"It's a Taillow." May added helpfully. Pikachu leapt out off the Taillow's path, then, before Ash could issue an attack, Pikachu leapt at Taillow, with a burst of speed, knocking the Taillow out of the air.

"Quick Attack!" Ash cried, triumphantly. "Awesome Pikachu." He then delved his hand into his bag, and from it drew one of his four remaining pokeballs. He watched the Taillow defiantly circle back into the air, before lunging at Pikachu with what looked to be also a Quick Attack. 

"Dodge Pikachu!" Ash cried. Pikachu leapt up, and Taillow soared through the gap between Pikachu and the ground, but, managed an extremely tight turn, wheeling back on the electric type, suspended in the air, lancing into it, sending Pikachu into the stream.

"Are you okay Pikachu?" Ash asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice. But any concern was lost when Pikachu erupted from the stream. "Alright, thundershock!" Ash watched Pikachu release a blast of electrical energy, which hit the Taillow, knocking it out of the sky. Ash seized the moment, and tossed his pokeball, hitting the Taillow, and he watched as the ball rocked around erratically. Much like the first time, his tense observation was shattered by the sudden by the successful note the the ball emitted, alongside the brief white glow. Ash grinned, and dashed forward, scooping up the pokeball with a cry of success. He released the Taillow, who immediately took to the air, doing two tight circles around its new trainer, before settling on the rock in front of him. He then proceeded to, with a sigh and a grin, pull out some pokemon food from his bag. And, as his new flying type descended upon the food with a ravenous attitude, Ash took a final moment for the blackened food that he hadn't managed to consume. Leaf and May had been watching on, attention held during Ash's battle, but they lost interest, and began to pack up what little they had brought out. Finally, they recalled their Pokemon, both of their Ralts  from the stream, and their fire types from the streams edge, understandably not quite willing to enter the water.