Ash and his friends, with Petalburg City as their goal, were resting in the forest and eating lunch!
"This is so good! Can I have another bowl?" May's voice chirped.
"We're just a little bit away from Petalburg City now!" Brock said, holding his bowl and addressing the group.
Max turned to Ash, "My dad is really strong, you know! You need to be careful, Ash!"
"No problem, I've been ready for a long time!" "Eevee~"
"Doma~" Just then, a loud roar echoed through the forest!
Everyone quickly looked in that direction and saw a pale purple Pokémon with a large mouth and four teeth blocking their path!
"That's a Loudred!" Max exclaimed.
The Loudred was extremely agitated, charging recklessly toward Ash and his friends. "Cha ma~" Ash's Grovyle stepped forward to shield the group.
"Alright! Grovyle, Slam!" Grovyle slapped the Loudred, sending it flying!
[Loudred] [Elite - Mid Stage]
"Doom~" Loudred bounced off the ground and charged again. "Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" "Cha ma~" Green blades of energy surged onto Grovyle's arms, and two quick slashes instantly defeated Loudred!
"Cha ma!" This was the last bit of experience Grovyle needed, and it broke through to Elite - Peak Stage. Grovyle nodded in satisfaction; its contemporaries had all broken through, and it was the last one.
"Loudred!" Just then, Loudred's Trainer finally arrived late. He sighed in relief when he saw that Loudred was fine.
"Thank you for stopping my Loudred! My name is Guy," Guy said thankfully.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town." "My name is Brock, nice to meet you!" "I'm May." "And I'm Max."
Guy, like Ash, was aiming for the Hoenn League and challenging Gyms. When he learned that Ash already had four badges, Guy said with admiration, "That's incredible! I only have two so far. Collecting eight really isn't easy!"
"It's nothing. I'm sure you can succeed too," Ash encouraged him.
"By the way, thank you again. I don't know why, but Loudred has been extremely volatile lately and won't listen to me!" Guy looked helplessly at Loudred, which was now dozing off.
Ash offered his opinion, "I think I know. Your Loudred is probably about to evolve!"
"About to evolve? Really?" Guy was excited; happiness had come too suddenly.
Ash nodded affirmatively.
"Then what should I do?" Guy humbly asked for advice.
"The fastest way is, of course, a Pokémon battle!" Ash suggested.
"Then I'll battle you, Guy!" May suddenly offered.
Huh? "May" x2 "Sister" Everyone looked at May in shock; she had actually volunteered for a battle.
May was quite embarrassed under their scrutiny. "Well, I just wanted to test my own strength!"
Everyone nodded. Ash had originally planned to step in, but he would have been limited to using Beautifly—his other Pokémon were either too low or too high level to be suitable. May taking the initiative solved the dilemma perfectly.
May vs. Guy: The Loudred Line
"Then I'll be counting on you, Combusken!" "Cha mo~" Combusken pounded its chest, assuring her.
In an open clearing, Loudred and Combusken faced off.
"Combusken, Double Kick!" "Cha mo~" Combusken delivered two sharp kicks, pushing Loudred back!
"Loudred, use Supersonic!" Loudred's large ears emitted a colossal sound. "Combusken, use Flame Charge!"
Combusken charged right through the Supersonic attack, knocking Loudred back. Another kick sent it flying. "Huh? What was that?" May questioned the new move.
"That was Sky Uppercut. It looks like Combusken learned Sky Uppercut!" Ash explained to May.
[Combusken] [Elite - Mid Stage]
Ash nodded; it looked like Combusken had broken through!
"Loudred!" Guy exclaimed, and Loudred stood up. "Doma~" It roared skyward, radiating a blue-white light of evolution! It successfully evolved into the even more volatile Exploud!
May took out her Pokédex and scanned it: Exploud...
[Exploud] [Elite - Late Stage]
"Then let the battle continue! Combusken, Flamethrower!" "Cha mo~" Combusken unleashed a stream of orange flame.
Guy quickly commanded, "Exploud, dodge it!" However, Exploud didn't listen. Instead, it let out a loud roar, releasing a blue sound wave that scattered the flames!
"That's Hyper Voice, but why!" Exploud wasn't listening to Guy at all now and was instead wildly destroying the surroundings!
"Combusken, use Sky Uppercut to stop Exploud quickly!" "Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!"
With the combined effort of Combusken and Grovyle, Exploud was successfully subdued!
"Exploud! Why... why is this happening?" Guy was distraught.
This was the perfect cue for the 'Assist Trio' to make their entrance! Team Rocket had seen Exploud and were immediately interested, dreaming that it could become Giovanni's alarm clock, thus leading to a promotion and a raise!
They never stop to consider what Giovanni actually wants, which would surely be easier than this.
Without hesitation, they launched a rocket with two corks, intended to seal Exploud's sound waves.
But Guy saw it. "Watch out!" He used his body to shield Exploud, hoping to move it. One might think they were all in on a scheme, putting on a show to gain sympathy!
However, Team Rocket's black technology wasn't useless—it had a tracking function! Ash would bet that if the Team Rocket trio hadn't joined the Operations Department but the R&D Department instead, they would already be department heads, and their dreams would have come true long ago.
"Combusken, Flamethrower!" "Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" The two Pokémon destroyed the corks with fire and blade!
"It's you guys again, Team Rocket," May sighed. They were like a persistent rash that they just couldn't shake off!
"Don't interfere, twerp!" Jessie said dominantly, holding the bazooka.
"Who exactly are you?" Guy asked angrily. "No!" Ash quickly tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"Since you asked so sincerely... it is our policy to tell you! Meowth!" "Wobbuffet!"
Ash looked at the Team Rocket trio, speechless. "Don't you ever get tired of that? I'm tired of listening to it!"
The trio—Brock, May, and Max—nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean, twerp! This is our trademark!" Jessie said furiously.
"Then let's send you off! Pikachu, Spark! Eevee, Bouncy Bubble!" "Pika" "Eevee"
Lightning and white light flashed. Bang! Crash!! "Ah~ Twerp, you attacked us again! If you have the guts, fight us fair and square!"
"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet (???)~"
Meanwhile, Exploud finally accepted Guy's compassion. May and Guy continued their unfinished battle!
"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!" "Exploud, Hyper Voice!"
Though Exploud was higher in strength, Combusken used its type advantage to successfully defeat Exploud! Congratulations to Exploud on its first loss after evolving!