Ash and his group were enjoying lunch in the forest as they continued their journey toward Petalburg City.
"This is so good! Another bowl, please!" May beamed happily as she reached for more.
"We're getting close to Petalburg City now," Brock said, holding his own bowl.
Max turned to Ash and warned, "My dad's really strong! You better be ready, Ash."
"No worries—I'm totally prepared!" Ash said confidently. "Eevee!"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from deep in the forest.
"What was that?!" May asked.
They turned to see a large, violet-colored Pokémon with a huge mouth and four blunt teeth standing in their path.
"That's Loudred!" Max identified it quickly.
The Loudred was clearly agitated and immediately charged toward the group.
"Grovyle, let's go!" Ash called out, sending his Grass-type in to intercept.
"Use Pound!" Grovyle dashed forward and smacked Loudred aside with a powerful strike.
[Loudred – Mid-Stage, Elite Tier]
Loudred rebounded from the ground and charged again.
"Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!"
Green energy surged from Grovyle's arms as it slashed through Loudred's defense, knocking it out cold.
With that final attack, Grovyle gained enough experience to advance to the peak of the Elite tier. Grovyle looked satisfied—finally catching up with its teammates.
"Loudred!" A voice called out. A boy rushed onto the scene and checked on the fainted Pokémon. When he saw that it wasn't seriously hurt, he sighed in relief.
"Thank you for stopping it. I'm Guy," he said gratefully.
"I'm Ash, from Pallet Town."
"I'm Brock, nice to meet you!"
"I'm May!"
"And I'm Max!"
After chatting, Guy learned that Ash was also competing in the Hoenn League and had already earned four Gym Badges.
"Wow, that's amazing! I've only got two so far. Getting all eight is harder than I thought."
"You'll get there," Ash encouraged. "It just takes time and determination."
"Thanks. But lately, Loudred has been acting strange… it won't listen to me anymore."
Ash thought for a moment. "I think I know why—your Loudred's probably close to evolving."
"Evolving? Really?!" Guy's eyes lit up.
"Yeah. When a Pokémon is about to evolve, they sometimes get restless or disobedient. The best way to push them over the edge—"
"—Is a Pokémon battle!" Ash finished with a grin.
Just then, May stepped forward. "Then let me battle him!"
"Huh? May?" Ash, Brock, and Max all blinked in surprise.
May blushed slightly. "I just want to test how strong I've become."
Ash nodded. It actually worked out—most of his Pokémon were either too strong or too weak for this matchup. May taking the lead was perfect.
The Battle Begins
"In that case, let's go, Combusken!" May shouted.
"Cha-mo!" Combusken stood tall, full of confidence.
Guy sent out Loudred again. The battle was on!
"Double Kick!" May commanded.
Combusken leapt forward and struck Loudred with two quick kicks, sending it staggering backward.
"Loudred, use Supersonic!"
Loudred's ears emitted a powerful disorienting wave.
"Break through it with Flame Charge!"
Combusken charged straight through the attack, engulfed in flames, and landed a fiery punch that sent Loudred flying.
"Huh? What move was that?" May blinked.
Ash grinned. "That's Sky Uppercut! Looks like Combusken just learned a new move."
[Combusken – Mid-Stage, Elite Tier]
"Awesome!" May smiled as Combusken flexed proudly.
"Loudred!" Guy called out as his Pokémon roared, bathed in glowing white light—it was evolving!
Loudred transformed into Exploud, now more ferocious and imposing.
[Exploud – Late-Stage, Elite Tier]
"Let's keep going! Combusken, use Flamethrower!"
Combusken fired a stream of flames toward Exploud.
"Exploud, dodge it!" Guy called out—but Exploud ignored the command and instead released a powerful Boomburst, scattering the flames with an ear-splitting shockwave.
"Why won't it listen?" Guy asked in dismay as Exploud began attacking everything around it uncontrollably.
"Combusken, stop it with Sky Uppercut!" May ordered.
"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" Ash added.
Together, Combusken and Grovyle managed to restrain Exploud and calm it down.
Just then—who else but Team Rocket showed up, watching with wide eyes.
"That Exploud… just imagine the boss waking up to those soundwaves!" Meowth drooled.[1]
"We'll be promoted and get a raise!" James added.
Without hesitation, they launched two special corks from a bazooka, sealing Exploud's ears and muffling its voice.
"Watch out!" Guy cried, shielding Exploud with his body.
Despite the dramatic gesture, the corks latched on.
Team Rocket's tech might have been ridiculous, but it worked—if they'd joined a research division instead of fieldwork, they'd probably be rich by now.
"Combusken, Flamethrower!" May called.
"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" Ash followed up.
The attacks destroyed the corks.
Team Rocket stepped out of the smoke. "Don't get in our way, twerp!"
"Who are you people?!" Guy shouted.
"No—wait—don't ask that!" Ash shouted, too late.
"Since you asked so sincerely…" "We'll answer properly, meow!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Ash sighed. "I'm honestly sick of hearing this every time."
"Same here," Brock, May, and Max chimed in.
"Hey! This is our signature style!" Jessie snapped.
"Fine—then take this! Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Eevee, Zippy Zap!"
"Pika-chuuu!""Eevee!"
The electric attacks exploded against Team Rocket, sending them flying.
"Ahhh! Ash, you coward! Fight fair next time!"
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Back at the battlefield, Exploud seemed to have finally accepted Guy. Now that things were calm again, May and Guy resumed their match.
"Combusken, Sky Uppercut!"
"Exploud, Boomburst!"
Despite Exploud's power, Combusken's type advantage and sharp new move sealed the deal. Exploud went down.
"Nice job, May!" Ash cheered.
"Yeah! Way to go!" Max added.
To be continued...
[1] He will be deaf on the first day lol!