The morning sunlight cast a warm glow over Dewford Island as Noah walked toward the beach. He had one goal today—ask Brock about Mirror Move.
The move had been sitting in Aeris's skillset for a while now, but he still didn't understand how it worked. If anyone could help, it was Brock.
As he neared the shore, Noah saw the team gathered near the water.
Ash, May, Max, and Brock were all there, playing in the ocean waves.
Noah stopped walking. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
Ash and Max were already waist-deep in the water, while Brock stood on the sand, watching over them. May was sitting near the shore, letting the waves wash over her legs.
The Pokémon were enjoying themselves too.
Pikachu sat on a small floating board, his tail twitching as he balanced. Torchic was hopping around in the shallow water, chirping excitedly every time a wave touched her feet.
Even Brock's Mudkip was there, swimming happily.
Noah sighed. I just wanted advice, not a beach day.
But before he could leave, May spotted him.
"Noah!" She waved. "You're finally here! You should join us!"
Noah instantly frowned. "No thanks. I'm just here to ask Brock something."
Before he could turn away, Ash grinned and splashed water at him.
"You sure? The water's great!"
Noah barely dodged the splash, taking a step back.
"Don't" he warned.
But Max was grinning now. "Oh, come on, Noah! What's wrong? Afraid of a little water?"
Noah glared. "I'm not afraid—"
Then, before he could react, Aeris swooped down and grabbed his shirt.
"Wha—HEY!"
With surprising strength, the Pidgey lifted Noah into the air and dropped him straight into the ocean.
SPLASH!
Everyone burst out laughing as Noah resurfaced, coughing up seawater. Aeris fluttered above him, looking pleased with herself.
Noah wiped his face, glaring up at his bird. "You're lucky I need you for battle…"
May grinned joining in the water. "See? Now you're already in the water. You might as well stay."
Noah groaned, accepting his fate.
Just as Noah was getting used to the water, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Something felt… off.
Then, from beneath the waves—dark shadows appeared.
Four fin-like shapes cut through the water.
Max was the first to notice. "Uh… guys?"
Brock's expression turned serious. "Everyone, get back to shore—NOW."
Noah's eyes widened. Sharpedo.
The group of torpedo-shaped Water-types swam straight toward them, their yellow eyes locked onto the trainers.
"They must've seen us splashing and thought we were prey," Brock said quickly. "We need to get out of here before they—"
Before he could finish, the Sharpedo lunged.
"Grimm, go!" Noah shouted.
His Impidimp materialized on the water's surface, standing atop a piece of floating debris.
Low Kick wouldn't trip them, but it still had type advantage.
"Use Low Kick!"
Grimm grinned and swung his small foot forward—his attack connected with the closest Sharpedo's lower jaw, knocking it back.
The other Sharpedo didn't stop.
Another one lunged for May.
Noah reacted fast.
"Aeris—get me out of here!"
Aeris dove down, grabbing Noah's arm with her talons.
It wasn't easy, but with great effort, she managed to lift him.
With Noah dangling in the air, Aeris flapped her wings frantically to gain altitude.
"Go help May and Max!" Noah shouted.
Aeris dropped him near the beach before turning back, diving straight toward May.
May had frozen in fear, but before the Sharpedo could strike—
Aeris slammed into its head with Quick Attack.
May gasped as the impact sent Sharpedo reeling backward.
"Aeris!" Noah called. "Get them out of the water!"
Aeris grabbed Max first, lifting him with difficulty and carrying him toward the beach.
Meanwhile, Grimm was still fighting.
The small Impidimp wasn't running away. Instead, he was grinning like crazy, dodging each incoming attack and swinging Low Kicks whenever he could.
He was actually enjoying this.
"Grimm, stop messing around and get back!" Noah yelled.
Grimm ignored him. Instead, he jumped onto a Sharpedo's back, gripping its fin and riding it like a surfboard.
Noah felt his eye twitch. This idiot.
The Sharpedo buckled wildly, trying to shake Grimm off.
But instead of letting go, Grimm used Low Kick while still hanging on!
The attack hit its mark, making the Sharpedo panic and dive underwater.
Grimm finally decided he had enough.
With a mischievous laugh, he grabbed onto Aeris's leg just as she finished rescuing May.
Aeris flapped desperately, struggling to carry Grimm's extra weight.
With effort, she finally dragged them both back toward Noah.
Once everyone was safely on the beach, Brock immediately stepped forward.
"Everyone okay?"
Max was panting. "That was WAY too close!"
May clutched her chest. "I thought I was gonna die…"
Ash clenched his fists. "Man, I should've brought Corphish out…"
Noah let out a deep breath, glaring at Grimm.
The Impidimp grinned smugly, as if proud of his performance.
"You're insane," Noah muttered. Grimm just snickered.
Noah glanced back at the ocean. The Sharpedo had stopped chasing them, retreating into the deeper waters.
He sighed.
"That's enough fun for today," Noah muttered. "I'm going to train."
Max's jaw dropped. "AFTER THAT?! Are you serious?!"
Noah was already walking away.
Brock chuckled. "That's Noah for you."
May just shook her head. "He's so crazy"
Noah ignored them.
There was only one thing on his mind now. He needed to prepare for his battle with Brawly.
The sun barely peeked over the horizon as Noah stepped onto the training grounds near Dewford's rocky terrain. The ocean breeze carried the scent of salt, but he ignored it.
This was the last day before his Gym battle. He couldn't afford to hold back anymore. His team was ready—but ready wasn't enough.
Brawly's battle style was all about endurance, dodging, and countering with overwhelming power. If Noah wanted to win, he needed precision, strength, and most importantly, endurance.
"Alright, listen up," Noah said, glancing at his Pokémon.
Aeris, Sage, Grimm, and Tide all stood before him.
Tide, as usual, looked completely uninterested. The large, rocky Pokémon simply sat there, staring at the ground.
Noah sighed. He'd deal with that later.
"For today, we're pushing past our limits," Noah declared.
Aeris puffed up her chest, Sage clicked his mandibles, and Grimm grinned wildly.
"Grimm, we need Low Kick to hit harder and faster. If we don't take advantage of Hariyama's weight, we'll lose."
Grimm's grin widened. He loved a challenge.
"Since I don't want you using me as a training dummy," Noah continued, "you'll be using that."
He pointed at a large, sand bag which from a glance looked like it had stones filled in it.
Grimm blinked.
Then, he burst out laughing.
Noah crossed his arms. "You think I'm joking?"
Grimm looked at the big sand bag… then at his tiny legs.
His laughter stopped.
"You wanted a real fight, right?" Noah smirked. "Then show me what you got."
Grimm grumbled but stepped forward.
"Keep hitting it until you can actually make it move."
Grimm let out an annoyed huff but swung his foot forward.
THUD. Nothing.
Grimm's foot barely made a dent.
Noah's voice was calm. "Again use your energy to not hurt yourself"
Grimm kicked again. Nothing.
"Again."
Grimm gritted his teeth and kept going.
Every Low Kick sent a small jolt through the heavy sand bag, but it wouldn't budge.
He needed to put more technique behind it.
Noah watched silently, arms crossed. He knew Grimm wouldn't quit.
Noah turned to Aeris next.
"You're already fast, but your Quick Attack needs more impact."
Aeris tilted her head.
"You won't hit Brawly's Pokémon if you don't push yourself harder. You need to move so fast that dodging isn't an option for them."
Aeris flapped her wings confidently. She got into position, focusing her energy. Then—she shot forward.
Her Quick Attack was fast, but Noah could tell it wasn't at its max potential yet.
"Faster," Noah ordered.
Aeris turned around and tried again.
Still not fast enough.
She growled in frustration.
Noah smirked. "I thought you wanted to prove you were the strongest?"
Aeris narrowed her eyes. She flapped her wings, picking up more speed.
Then—she blurred forward.
BOOM!
A sudden burst of wind followed as she moved faster than before.
Noah nodded in approval.
"Now keep going." Aeris repeated the move again and again, pushing herself to go even faster each time.
Meanwhile, Sage was waiting patiently for his turn. Noah looked at him.
"Your attacks need more precision," Noah said. "If you don't aim carefully, Brawly's Pokémon will dodge and counter."
Sage nodded.
"Use Infestation and make sure every hit counts."
Sage clicked his mandibles and fired.
A swarm of bug energy shot forward, forming small energy-like insects.
The attack hit its target, but Noah wasn't satisfied.
"Too spread out. Again."
Sage focused harder, shrinking the range but increasing the intensity.
Noah could tell—this was better.
If he could trap an opponent in Infestation, it would deal continuous damage.
"Keep going until you can land every hit perfectly," Noah instructed.
Sage nodded and continued.
The hours dragged on.
Grimm kicked the sand bag repeatedly, gritting his teeth with every impact. His feet had not visible injury but were aching, but he refused to stop.
Aeris kept speeding through the air, refining her Quick Attack.
Sage focused on precision, hitting the same spot over and over again.
And Tide…
Well, Tide was chewing on rocks.
Noah sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Tide, you're seriously just here for food, huh?"
The Nosepass didn't even glance at him.
Noah muttered under his breath. "At least someone's having fun."
The sun began setting.
Noah glanced at Grimm.
He had stopped laughing a long time ago. His kicks had gotten stronger. More forceful.
The sand bag shifted more than slightly.
Grimm stumbled back, panting.
Noah smirked. "Took you long enough."
Grimm scowled but smirked back.
He was ready.
Aeris, Sage, and Grimm had all pushed themselves beyond their limits.
Noah nodded in satisfaction.
Tomorrow was the real test.
Brawly wouldn't know what hit him.