Just as Norman was about to lead Ash to the battlefield, a sudden explosion rocked the house—the wall blasted open with a thunderous BOOM!
"Ah! What was that?!" Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ May cried out as debris flew through the air.
"Wahahaha~!"
A familiar trio emerged from the smoke, striking their usual dramatic pose.
"Ah! It's you guys—and that talking Meowth!" ╭(°A°`)╮ May shouted, pointing at them.
"Oh! So you're May's friends?" Caroline said politely, smiling. "Thank you for always looking out for my daughter."
(•́⍛•̀; ≡ •́⍛•́;) The whole room went dead silent.
Big Sister… Ash blinked in disbelief. *They literally just blew a hole through your house. How could you possibly think they're her friends?!
"Mom! They're not my friends—they're the bad guys who steal other people's Pokémon!" May quickly corrected.
"Exactly! And they just destroyed our wall! How could they be May's friends?!" Max chimed in.
"Hey, hey! We're Team Rocket, the infamous villains of the Kanto and Johto regions! We're no friends of that little girl!" Jessie barked, clearly offended.
"I choose you—Pikachu!" Ash didn't waste time.
"Pika~!" Pikachu leapt from his shoulder, ready for battle.
"Hmph! Doesn't matter! That Pikachu is ours! Go, Arbok!"
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
Weezing belched out thick black smoke, plunging the room into darkness.
"Everyone, be careful!" Norman shouted, shielding his family.
"Ahahaha! Arbok, Poison Sting! Weezing, Sludge! Attack!"
But Ash had already activated his Aura—his senses cut through the smoke, pinpointing their positions instantly.
"Pikachu, dodge right! Go, Pidgeot—use Hurricane! Clear the field!"
"Pika!" Pikachu rolled to the side just in time.
BOOM!! Arbok's poisonous needles struck the floor instead.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash called out.
"Pika~!" Pikachu responded with a confident nod.
"Bi~!" Pidgeot soared through the air, whipping up a violent wind that dispersed the smoke—revealing the panicked Team Rocket trio.
"Wait… how did he know exactly where we were attacking from?" Jessie asked in confusion.
"That's spooky, nya…" Meowth muttered.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Pidgeot, follow up with Hyper Beam! Go, Slaking—Hyper Beam too!" Ash and Norman counterattacked in unison.
BOOM!
CRASH!
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agai—!"
"Wobbuffet!! (˃ʍ˂)~"
The trio exploded into the sky as usual.
"Ugh… the Gym is totaled," Norman sighed, surveying the wreckage. "Looks like it's going to take some time to rebuild. Ash, I'm afraid the Gym match will have to wait."
"That's too bad—but actually, this works out! I'll bring my new Hoenn Pokémon next time and challenge you properly. But… Uncle Norman, would you be up for a friendly match in the meantime?"
[Slaking – Strength: Early Quasi-Elite Tier]
As expected from Norman. This Slaking wasn't even his ace—it probably wasn't even part of his secondary team. Norman was considered a candidate for the Hoenn Elite Four, after all.
"No problem," Norman agreed. "I've got a training ground nearby. Let's go there—the space is big."
They arrived at a wide, grassy clearing.
"Uncle Norman, how about a 2-on-2 match? I've got two Normal-class Pokémon. Could you use just one stronger Pokémon for the second round?"
"Sure! That works."
"I choose you—Eevee!""Eevee~!" The little fox strutted onto the field with pride.
"Go, Slakoth! Ash, you take the first move!"
[Slakoth – Strength: Peak Normal Tier]
[Moves: Yawn, Slack Off, Headbutt, Scratch, Zen Headbutt, Brick Break]
"Alright, Eevee! Use Sand Attack, then follow up with Swift!"
"Eevee~!" Eevee kicked sand toward Slakoth, then whipped glowing stars from its tail straight at it.
"Slakoth! Counter with Brick Break!"
Slakoth endured the hit, then its arm gleamed white and came crashing down.
"Dodge with Dig!" Ash shouted.
Eevee quickly burrowed underground. WHAM! Slakoth's arm struck the dirt, but missed its mark—and as expected, Slakoth's ability kicked in, forcing it into its lazy state.
"Now's our chance! Eevee—use Mimic! Copy Brick Break!"
"Eevee~!" White energy flashed from Eevee's paws as it sprang out and struck Slakoth with a copy of its own move!
"Oh no! Slakoth!" Norman gasped.
Thankfully, Slakoth just barely held on.
"Whew… that was close. Slakoth, use Slack Off! Recover some energy!"
"Slakoth~" The sloth flopped over and began lazily regenerating stamina.
Ash smirked. "Impressive. But we're not done yet! Eevee, use Double Kick!"
"Eevee~!" With a spin, Eevee landed two clean kicks, sending Slakoth flying.
Slakoth crashed down—unable to battle!
'What?! That was a clean knockout…' Ash blinked 'There's a level gap… even with a type advantage, that shouldn't have been enough.'
"Eevee~" Eevee puffed up proudly beside the fallen opponent.
[Eevee – Strength: Peak Normal Tier]
[Moves: Mimic, Swift, etc.]
Ash's thoughts raced: So Eevee leveled up mid-battle… that explains it. No wonder it managed to KO Slakoth so cleanly.
"Great job, Eevee! Return!" "Eevee~!" Eevee shook its head and trotted to Ash's side, standing proudly next to Pikachu.
"Looks like she wants to watch the rest of the match," Ash said with a laugh.
"You've been holding back on me, Ash," Norman chuckled.
"Whoa! Dad actually lost!" Max shouted in disbelief.
"Max!" Norman scolded. "How many times do I have to tell you? Winning and losing is part of training. If you only care about winning, you'll miss the point of getting stronger."
"But…!" Max protested.
"No buts. Think about it."
"For the second round… Go, Kecleon!"
[Kecleon – Ability: Color Change]
[Strength: Mid Elite Tier]
[Moves: Thief, Disable, etc.]
Ash gulped. Yikes. This isn't just a level gap… this is a different class altogether.
"Go! Phanpy, I choose you!" "Bubu~!" Phanpy rolled onto the field, ready for battle.
"Start with Rollout!"
Phanpy curled into a ball and charged straight at Kecleon.
"Kecleon, Camouflage! Then use Grass Knot!"
Kecleon vanished, reappeared behind Phanpy, and tripped it mid-roll with vines from the ground.
"Phanpy, quick—Dig!"
Just before Kecleon's follow-up Slash landed, Phanpy dove underground.
"Kecleon, stay alert!" Norman called out.
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Now! Iron Head! Burst up and strike!"
"Bubu~!" Phanpy burst from the ground, forehead gleaming with steel energy.
"Kecleon, use Substitute, then Disable!"
Kecleon created a decoy, which took the blow—then used Disable, sealing off Phanpy's Iron Head!
"What?! Oh no—Phanpy, watch out!"
"Slash!"
Kecleon lunged, claws glowing—CRACK!
"Bubu~!" Phanpy barely held up a shimmering barrier.
"Protect! Yes!" Ash cheered. "Phanpy, Stomp! Let's push him back!"
"Bubu~!" Phanpy slammed the ground, sending a shockwave Kecleon's way.
"Very clever," Norman said. "But try withstanding this! Kecleon, Sunny Day, then Solar Beam!"
Kecleon raised its arms, firing sunlight into the sky. The air grew hot and dry. It immediately absorbed the sunlight, unleashing a devastating beam.
"Phanpy, Protect again!"
But this time… nothing happened.
"Protect failed!"
BOOM!
Phanpy collapsed.
"Phanpy is unable to battle!"
"You've come a long way, Ash," Norman said, smiling. "You challenged across tiers and held your own—that's no small feat."
"Thanks… but I've still got a long way to go," Ash replied.
"Luck or not—it's part of a Trainer's strength. No need to be modest."
"Yes! Dad won!" Max jumped up gleefully.
"Max!" Norman scolded again. "It was just a practice match. Winning and losing isn't the point—it's about learning."
"Fine…" Max grumbled, but nodded.
"Ash, I'll be looking forward to our real Gym Battle next time," Norman said.
"Count on it! I'll be much stronger the next time I challenge you!" Ash said with determination.
The next morning—
As the sun rose, four shadows appeared outside the damaged Petalburg Gym.
To be continued…