Hi! Chapter 5 is here! Aren’t you proud of me? Oh well, I’m sorry if this isn’t coming along as fast as some of you would like. I get Writer’s Block too! And quite often. Not to mention, I just had final exams…

 

Disclaimer: I DON’T OWN POKEMON! But if you steal my stuff I will flame you.

 

Chapter 5: Remind me, why did we pass through pokemon tech again?

 

 

            “Where are we?” Ash asked. They had left Cerulean three days ago.

 

            “Give me the map.” A.J. said. He studied it.

 

            “Well?”

 

            “We’re close to Pokemon Tech. It’s a snobby private school. People who don’t want to go on pokemon journeys can take classes there and than enter the league without using badges.”

 

            “That’s so cheap!” Ash complained.

 

            “Well, that’s the way it is.” A.J. replied.

 

            “Should we go?”

 

            “Probably. There doesn’t seem ta be any shelter elsewhere. It’s so foggy here.”

 

            “Okay!” Ash said. He and A.J. were near the gate when a student barred their way.

 

            “Halt! Only intermediate students may use this gate!”

 

            “What the heck?” Ash asked, annoyed.

 

            “Since you too are only beginners, you’ll have to use that entrance.” The student said, pointing.

 

            “What’s an intermediate student?” Ash asked.

 

            “One who has the experience level equal to four badges. Since you are new travelers, you’d only have two at the most and are therefore beginners.”

 

            A.J. seethed. “Excuse me?! I have six badges already!”

 

            “Oh, well, I guess you can come in.” The student said contemptuously. “But your companion will have to use that gate.”

 

            Ash scowled as he waved goodbye to A.J. and entered.

 

            Once inside, both A.J. and Ash headed for the cafeteria to get some food.

 

            “Hey! Who are you?” A voice asked.

 

            Ash turned around to face a brown-haired girl. “Who are you yourself!”

 

            “I’m Giselle.” She said.

 

            “Oh. I’m Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.” Ash said.

 

            “Why isn’t your Pidgeot in its poke ball? Is it because you can’t control it?” Giselle asked.

 

            “No. She likes being outside.” Ash said as he patted Pidgeot’s head.

 

            “Oh. Well, you must be a bad trainer then! You’ve had that pidgeot for three years and it hasn’t learned any special attacks yet.”

 

            “Bug off.” Ash said. Pidgeot cawed.

 

            “Yeah, leave him alone. What’d he do to you?” A.J. cut in.

 

            “Oh, you must be A.J.” Another person spoke up.

 

            “Who’re you?” A.J. asked.

 

            “I’m Joe. I’m just a beginner.” He admitted. “But I know I can beat you!”

 

            A.J. shrugged. “Want ta try?”

 

            “Sure! Weepinbell, go!” Joe shouted.

 

            “Sandshrew, go!” Ash shouted.

 

            Ash and Giselle stopped bickering to watch.

 

            “Weepinbell, Razor Leaf!” Joe shouted, confident that the match would be over.

 

            “Sandshrew, Ball attack!” A.J. shouted. Sandshrew curled up into a ball and knocked Weepinbell into the air.

 

            “Now use Fury Swipes!” A.J. said. Sandshrew complied and Weepinbell was down.

 

            “How could my Weepinbell lose?” Joe asked, shocked.

 

            “Simple. A.J.’s Sandshrew is on a higher level.” Giselle said. “I thought you had learned that! Hahaha!”

 

            A.J. petted Sandshrew and recalled it.

 

            “Can you beat me, though?” Giselle asked A.J.

 

            “You’re just a beginner too.” A.J. said. “It wouldn’t be a challenge.”

 

            “Oh yeah. Cubone, go!” Giselle shouted. “Let’s see how well you do without an elemental disadvantage.”

 

            “Zubat, go!” A.J. shouted. He needed to train it anyways. “Use Supersonic!”

 

            Cubone clutched its head in pain.

 

            “Cubone, Bone Club!” Giselle shouted.

 

            “Wing Attack!” A.J. shouted. Zubat beat its wings furiously against Cubone’s skull helmet.

 

            Cubone got snail eyes and toppled over.

 

            “Cheap!” Giselle muttered.

 

            “He’s not cheap!” Ash jumped up to defend A.J. “He’s a really hard-working trainer!”

 

            “And I suppose you’re the judge of that.” Giselle muttered.

 

            “You don’t believe me?” Ash asked.

 

            “You’re just a beginner too, so I can probably beat you. Graveler, go!” Giselle said confidently.

 

            “Pidgeot, go!” Ash shouted. Pidgeot flew over and landed in front of Graveler.

 

            “How stupid of you, Ash. Rock beats flying! Seismic Toss!” Giselle confidently said.

 

            “Steel Wing.” Ash said, smiling. A layer of steel covered Pidgeot’s wings as it bashed Graveler hard.

 

            “Damn it, Graveler, use Fissure!” Giselle shouted.

 

            “Tsk, tsk. Making the same mistake twice. Ground attacks don’t affect flying.” Ash said. “Mimic!”

 

            Pidgeot cawed and redirected Fissure onto Graveler, which blacked out.

 

            Giselle frowned. “Graveler, return. Pichu, go!”

 

            “Pichu, Thunderwave!”

 

            Pidgeot was partially paralyzed and fell from the sky.

 

            “Come on, Pichu, Thunder!” Giselle said, confident that she would win this time.

 

            “Steel Wing again!” Ash said. With Pidgeot on the ground, when the electricity hit its metallic wings, it was grounded and did not get electrocuted.

 

            “Thunder again, Pichu!” Giselle shouted, annoyed.

 

            “Mirror Wave!” Ash shouted, as the defensive attack canceled out Pichu’s attack.

 

            “Now finish it! Desert Storm!” Ash shouted.

 

            Pichu blacked out. (hey, it’s a baby pokemon!)

 

            “I win.” Ash said, as he poured a Paralyze Heal on Pidgeot.

 

            “It’s not over yet!” Giselle shouted.

 

            “What?” A.J. asked. “He’s already won twice!”

 

            “I swear I’ll win this time!” Giselle said. “Mirage, go!”

 

            “What is that?” Ash asked, pulling out his pokédex.

 

            “Mirage. The psychic puppy. The screen showed a picture of a black lab pup with purple spots on it’s back. This pokemon is very shy and dislikes battling, but it is very powerful when provoked.”

 

            “Pidgeot, return! Clefairy, go!”

 

            “Mirage, Bite!” Giselle commanded. Clefairy shrieked in pain when it’s tail was bitten.

 

            “Clefairy, Double Slap!” Ash shouted, as Clefairy slapped the dog.

 

            “Mirage, Charm!” Giselle said. Clefairy’s attack fell.

 

            “Clefairy, Swagger!” Clefairy forced Mirage’s attack up while it got confused.

 

            “Mirage, Tail Whip!”

 

            Mirage was confused and hurt itself mightily.

 

            “Now, Clefairy! HYPER BEAM!” Mirage was hit with Hyper Beam and fainted. Clefairy fell over afterwards.

 

            “It’s a tie!” Somebody announced.

 

            “Can we leave now?” A.J. asked, getting slightly annoyed.

 

            “Not yet!” A voice called.

 

            “Prepare for Trouble!”

 

            “And make it Double!”

 

            “To protect the world from devastation!”

 

            “To unite all people within our nation!”

 

            “To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

 

            “To extend our reach to the stars above!”

 

            “Jessie!” “James!”

 

            “Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

 

            “Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

 

            “Meowth, that’s right!”

 

            Ash glared at Team Rocket. “Pidgeot, go! Whirlwind! I don’t have time for this!”

 

            Pidgeot cawed as TR was blown away.

 

            “Let’s go.” A.J. said. He and Ash both turned and left.

 

            “No, wait, come back!” Giselle shouted.

 

            Ash and A.J. ran for their lives.

 

 

 

            And so ends our episode!

 

            Remember, review or else Shadow won’t update!

 

            Desert Storm is MY attack. Steal and be flamed.

Completed 4/10/02