Ash Ketchum had just tossed three Poké Balls onto the battlefield. From them, emerged some familiar Pokémon from his Unova journey. Around a year before his journey in the Kalos region. The group of Pokémon consisted of a grass snake Pokémon, a fire pig Pokémon, and a sea otter Pokémon.
Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie looked at Ash's Pokémon with excitement and wonder. It wasn't every day you see Unova starter Pokémon outside their native region.
"Who are those Pokémon?" Serena asked out loud with wonder. She then proceeded to pull out her Rotom Phone to use the Pokédex feature.
Serena directed her phone at the grass snake Pokémon first. That one appeared to have a calm attitude as she had her eyes closed with a neutral expression.
Rotom Phone: Servine, the grass snake Pokémon and the evolved form of Snivy. When it gets dirty, its leaves can't be used in photosynthesis, so it always keeps itself clean.
"So that's Ash's Servine..." Serena whispered to herself.
Then the Rotom Phone scanned the fire pig Pokémon. That one appeared to be snorting fire out of his nose with determination.
Rotom Phone: Pignite, the fire pig Pokémon and the pre-evolved form of Emboar. Whatever it eats becomes fuel and a source of fire. When angered, the flames grow stronger.
Finally, there was the small sea otter Pokémon, who appeared to be jumping up and down excitedly. It was probably very excited to battle alongside Ash again in a battle against an actual trainer.
Rotom Phone: Oshawott, the sea otter Pokémon and Samurott's first pre-evolved form. It fights by using the scalchop on its stomach like a blade. Oshawott tend to be very strong and proud Pokémon.
"Oh my gosh! They are soooo cute!" Bonnie squealed with excitement and stars in her eyes. "Ash better let me snuggle with his Oshawott! That Pokémon is just a cutie!"
"Osha!" Oshawott cried out. He liked the attention he was getting from Bonnie, so he began getting carried away and made several "cool" poses. Servine saw this and used a Vine Whip to get Oshawott to focus back onto the battle.
"Ser-servine..." Servine muttered with a disapproving glare.
'Heheh... that little one is just like Clemont's Chespin...' Serena noted in her head with a smile. She thought the interactions between Ash's Pokémon were always cute.
"Come on, fire warriors! Emboar, Camerupt, and Pyroar! Showtime!" Shamus yelled out, tossing three Poké Balls up in the air. The mega fire pig Pokémon, eruption Pokémon, and the lion Pokémon came out of the Poké Balls.
"Bring it on and prepare to lose!" Shamus taunted with some aggression.
"I don't think so!" Ash yelled to Shamus with confidence. He had no intentions in disappointing his girlfriend and was determined to win this battle.
"Ash! I believe in you! Do your best!" Serena yelled out to Ash.
Ash suddenly looked towards Serena and nodded at her. He then gave her a thumbs up, before returning his sights towards the battle ahead of him.
"Now that the Pokémon are sent out... let the battle... begin!" Clemont announced. He then rushed towards where his sister and Serena were located.
"I'll take the first move!" Shamus declared. "Emboar use Fire Blast on Servine, Camerupt use Rock Slide on Pignite, and Pyroar, you target Oshawott with your Hyper Beam!"
"Wow, very powerful attacks right at the start..." Clemont gasped in acknowledgment. He decided to analyze the battle carefully, so he could get a better understanding of both trainer's battle strategies and styles. Especially since both trainers will be participating in the World Coronation Series Tournament just like him. He was familiar with Ash's battle style, so Clemont decided to watch Shamus more carefully.
'Oh Ash... be careful..." Serena thought with worry as she touched her blue ribbon on her outfit. Back when Serena traveled with Ash through Kalos, she was always concerned over Ash's safety since he was always reckless in battle. This didn't change even when she left for Hoenn. When she was in Hoenn, she watched a live broadcast of the Alola League and was concerned whenever Ash would make some type of daring move during battle. She thought she had a heart attack when Ash used Pikachu's Z-Move against the Melemele Guardian Deity, Tapu Koko.
However, when Serena looked at Ash, he had a grin on his face. 'Ash must be very confident...' she thought with a smile.
"Servine! Use your agile speed to dodge Emboar's attack! Pignite, use Fire Pledge to destroy the rocks from Camerupt's Rock Slide, and Oshawott use Hydro Pump to disrupt the Hyper Beam!" Ash ordered out.
Servine quickly dodged Emboar's attack with her graceful movements, Pignite summoned pillars of fire to destroy the falling rocks, while Oshawott's Hydro Pump was powerful enough to cancel out Pyroar's Hyper Beam.
"Alright! Pignite, use Flame Charge and Servine use Aerial Ace on Pyroar!" Ash commanded to start a counterattack.
Pignite started stomping on the ground, before being engulfed in a body of fire and charging forward. Servine, on the other hand, jumped high in the air and started spinning her body and dived towards Pyroar.
"Emboar! Get in front of Pyroar and use Hammer Arm to block their attacks!" Shamus countered with a furious look.
Shamus's Emboar stood in front of Pyroar and used his large arms to block Pignite and Servine's physical attacks, causing Pignite and Servine to jump back to their side of the battlefield.
"Everyone, hang tough!" Ash yelled out to his three battling Pokémon.
"Camerupt! Use Rock Slide on Oshawott!" Shamus shouted out.
Oshawott was startled so he quickly got his scalchop from his stomach to try to shield himself from the falling rocks.
"Oh no! Oshawott!" Bonnie cried out with a worried face.
"Servine! Protect Oshawott by cutting up those rocks with Leaf Storm!" Ash ordered.
"Ser-Vine!" Servine cried out, summoning a storm of leaves from her tail. She quickly directed the rapidly flowing leaves towards the rocks, dicing up the rocks into small pieces.
"So annoying..." Shamus mumbled, clenching his jaw.
"Way to go Servine!" Ash praised with a fist pump.
"Pika-chu!" (That was a great move!) Pikachu squeaked out to his friend, telling Servine that she did a great job.
"Osha- Osha." Oshawott thanked Servine by bowing repeatedly. (Thanks for the backup, Servine.)
"Ser. Servine." (No problem. Pay attention next time.)
"Pig-nite!" (We can win this!)
"Emboar and Pyroar! Use a combination attack! Flare Blitz, Emboar! Pyroar, use Overheat!" Shamus ordered his Pokémon.
"Oshawott! This is where you come in! Create a water barrier with your scalchop!" Ash ordered with his quick thinking.
"Osha....WOTT!" Oshawott cried out with determination.
Oshawott jumped into the air and used his scalchop to summon a large barrier of water to surround his fellow Unovan starter Pokémon. Emboar and Pyroar canceled their combination attack and were forced to retreat.
"What the!?" Shamus shouted out in surprise. He then let out a grunt and a glare at Ash.
"That's my Ash!" Serena said with her hands clasped together.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Ash's Pikachu cheered. Serena's Pikachu also shared Ash's Pikachu's enthusiasm.
'Amazing... each of Ash's Pokémon are covering one another's weaknesses with their own individual strengths...' Clemont thought to himself. 'Now that's what I call a strategy.'
"It's so like Ash to come up with these unorthodox strategies mid-battle." Clemont commented with a smile.
"That's what makes Ash so awesome!" Bonnie cheered.
"Urgh... Emboar use Hammer Arm on Pignite!" Shamus ordered.
Shamus's Emboar charged up his fist as it glowed white and struck Pignite with full force. Pignite was knocked to the ground.
"Pignite, are you okay?!" Ash asked his Pokémon. Pignite quickly got up and shook himself off, giving Ash a determined nod in the process.
"Great! Okay then!" Ash said before thinking hard. 'I have to take out each of the Pokémon out one by one. If only I can immobilize..." Ash's eyes widened as he looked over to Servine. "That's it!"
Pignite, you use Flamethrower on Emboar! Oshawott, you use Aqua Jet on Camerupt! Finally, Servine, you use Attract on Pyroar! " the raven-haired trainer from Pallet Town commanded.
All of Ash's Pokémon obeyed and were quickly on the offense. Pignite shot out flames from his nostrils that made a direct hit on Emboar. Meanwhile, Oshawott engulfed himself in a torrent of water and launched himself directly at Camerupt's face. Servine winked and shot out a series of fast-moving hearts that surrounded Pyroar, causing it to be infatuated.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Pyroar! Pummel them with a Hyper Beam!" Shamus ordered furiously.
"He can't..." Ash began to snicker. "Servine's attract immobilized him!"
"Wha- no!" Shamus was afraid.
"That's an amazing tactic that Ash pulled off." Clemont commented. Serena and Bonnie agreed with him.
"Now Oshawott, use Hydro Pump on Pyroar!" Ash ordered out to the sea otter Pokémon.
Oshawott jumped to the air and aimed a Hydro Pump attack at his target. Shamus saw this and quickly shouted out commands to his Pokémon.
"Emboar! Fire Punch on Pyroar! Camerupt take Oshawott's attack head on!" Shamus ordered with a sense of urgency.
"What? But why would he attack his own Pokémon?" Serena wondered out loud.
"Yeah why would he do that?" Bonnie asked with curiosity.
"I see. Emboar knocked out the effects of Servine's attract Pyroar. Now that's what I call strategy." Clemont analyzed.
'So he used the same strategy to cancel out Attract like last time...' Ash thought to himself. Ash then grinned to himself as he began to have a little fun. However, Ash failed to notice that his opponent was scheming something.
"Playtime is over! Everyone! Attack Servine while there is an opening!" Shamus yelled suddenly. This caused Ash to snap out of his random thoughts.
Emboar and Camerupt sweatdropped but obeyed. Emboar used a Fire Blast, Camperupt used an Eruption, All the moves struck Servine and was super effective.
"Ahhh! Servine! Are you alright?!" Ash yelled out with concern.
Servine slowly got up, ignoring the dirt and bruises on her body. She then slowly turned around towards Ash and nodded with a smile.
"Hey! That was just plain dirty!" Serena yelled out angrily from the sidelines. She didn't like how Shamus attacked Servine so suddenly.
"Who cares! It's his fault for losing focus." Shamus snorted with a shrug.
Ash gritted his teeth in irritation as Shamus continued to talk trash about him. However, he had to agree. It was his fault for losing focus and getting consumed by his thoughts. Ash looked over to Servine with concern. 'I need to get Servine an opportunity to rest up a bit...'
Ash then noticed that Pignite and Oshawott were at a good range to attack Camerupt at a close distance. Camerupt was basically wide open.
"Time for a counter move! Pignite, use Brick Break and Oshawott, use Razor Shell on Camerupt!" Ash ordered suddenly.
As a team, Pignite and Oshawott rushed down on Camerupt and quickly delivered Brick Break and Razor Shell consecutively. The latter attack was even super-effective.
The two attacks caused Camerupt to slowly collapse to the ground. Swirls were present in its eyes which meant that it had fainted from too much damage.
"Camerupt is unable to battle! The leading team is Ash with Servine, Pignite, and Oshawott!" Clemont declared.
"Great job Pignite and Oshawott!" Ash praised.
"Pignite!" Pignite cried out as thanks and refocused on the battle. On the other hand... Oshawott started doing a celebratory dance.
"You were just lucky..." Shamus said with irritation as he returned Camerupt to its Poké Ball. "I will still ANNIHILATE YOU!!!"
"Emboar and Pyroar! Both use Flare Blitz on Oshawott!" Shamus ordered.
The poor sea otter Pokémon did not see the double Flare Blitz attack heading his way. It was too sudden and Oshawott was too busy celebrating his small victory. Upon contact, Oshawott had fainted on the spot.
"Oshawott is unable to battle! Both Ash and Shamus have two Pokémon remaining!" Clemont declared.
"You did well Oshawott..." Ash sighed, returning him back into his Poké Ball.
"Oshawott got too distracted..." Serena said sadly, feeling sorry for her boyfriend.
Bonnie stayed silent as she, along with Serena and Clemont, watched Ash with concern.
Ash clenched his fist and thought, 'Damn. I'm going to have to focus on Oshawott's ability to pay attention in battle for the next month. He gets too careless...'
Servine was irritated that Oshawott was easily knocked out, while Pignite was concerned. He wanted to win the battle for his trainer. He wanted another chance to prove himself that he can defeat his former trainer/abuser.
"Servine vine..." (Oshawott is such an idiot...) Servine sighed.
Out of nowhere, Pignite started stomping his feet on the ground repeatedly and let out a war cry. Moments later, Pignite was suddenly covered in white and blue light and started morphing into another Pokémon.
"Pignite?" Ash whispered with surprise.
"Pika?"
"What's happening?" Serena and Bonnie asked out in unison.
"Pignite is evolving!" Clemont declared.
When the evolution sequence was over, the white and blue aura of lights that initially surrounded Pignite suddenly vanished. Pignite was replaced by a Pokémon that resembled a larger Pignite. It was similar to the Emboar that Shamus had.
"EMBOARRR!" the newly evolved mega fire pig Pokémon roared out, causing vibrations in the air.
"Emboar..." Serena whispered to herself and yet again pulled out her Rotom Phone.
Rotom Phone: Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon and the evolved form of Pignite. Emboar has a big beard of fire to symbolize its great strength and pride. It protects its friends by creating fire with its beard and by using brawn strength.
"Let's go! Pignite evolved into Emboar!" Ash congratulated with excitement.
"Servine!" Servine congratulated with approval in her voice.
Shamus grunted with an irritated look on his face.
"Yeah. So what? Sure, your Pokémon evolved. But don't forget I still have two strong Pokémon left standing, while you have a weakened Servine and a newly evolved Emboar." Shamus pointed out.
"That doesn't matter! My Pokémon won't give up on me, and I won't give up on them!" Ash declared with determination in his eyes.
"EMBOARRR!" Emboar roared out as his eyes glowed with a fiery passion. His large body was engulfed by a golden aura.
"E-Emboar...?" Ash asked with surprise.
"Ash! Emboar activated his ability! Reckless! It powers up moves that cause recoil damage!" Clemont exclaimed.
"Reckless huh? I wonder what moves he has now..." Ash thought outloud. He then pulled out his Rotom Phone.
Rotom Phone: Emboar's Moves: Flare Blitz, Fire Pledge, Head Smash, and Hammer Arm
"Awesome! Looks like Emboar got a whole moveset overhaul." Ash said.
"Alright Emboar, use Head Smash on Pyroar and Emboar!" Ash ordered out.
"Em-BOAR!" Emboar roared out. With a golden aura, radiating around his body due to his Reckless ability, Emboar launched himself, head first towards Shamus's remaining two Pokémon.
"Emboar, and Pyroar! Be on the defensive! Emboar, counteract with Flare Blitz! Pyroar, use Hyper Beam!" Shamus ordered.
"Don't count on it! Servine! Use Leaf Storm to intercept!" Ash shouted.
Ash felt like he was in sync with his Servine and his newly evolved Emboar, as they both shared the same passion to defeat Shamus yet again.
"N-no! Emboar and Pyroar! D-defend yourselves!" Shamus started stuttering. Was he really going to lose to the same trainer for the second time?
The answer? Yes. Emboar successfully collided with Shamus's Emboar and Pyroar head on thanks to Servine's Leaf Storm distracting them. A cloud of dust and smoke surrounded the battlefield.
After a few moments, the cloud of dust disappeared, revealing Ash's Emboar and Servine, who were standing over a fainted Emboar and Pyroar on the opposing side.
"Emboar and Pyroar are unable to battle. Therefore, the battle goes to Ash!" Clemont declared with a grin on his face.
"Ash won! Ash won!" Bonnie cheered as she and her Pokémon excitedly rushed towards the battlefield.
'I knew you would win...' Serena thought with a smile. She giggled and then followed an excited Bonnie to congratulate her boyfriend.
"Let's go Servine and Emboar! We did it!" Ash exclaimed as he rushed towards his Pokémon. He then decided to let out an exhausted Oshawott from his Poké Ball.
"Urgh! I'll get my revenge at the World Coronation Series. Mark my words." Shamus gritted his teeth, angry that he lost to a trainer he deemed a novice.
Shamus recalled his Pokémon and left the battlefield of the Lumiose City Pokémon Center.
"Congratulations Ash. I didn't expect any less from you." Clemont congratulated with a handshake.
"Of course not." Ash replied with a cheeky grin, returning the handshake.
"Ash! You and your Pokémon were so cool!" Bonnie shouted excitedly as she jumped up and down.
Ash chuckled amusingly at Bonnie's behavior. However, he felt a weight on his shoulder and then felt someone embrace him from behind.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu squeaked happily, nuzzling Ash on the cheek before going to congratulate his Pokémon friends.
"You did amazing, Ashy." Serena praised, planting a kiss on his cheek. "You really taught Shamus who was the better trainer."
"Thank you, Serena, but Servine, Emboar, and Oshawott deserve a lot of the acknowledgment. They worked super hard." Ash chuckled lightly. In one swift motion, he kissed Serena on her cheek.
When Ash's lips made contact with Serena's cheek, Serena felt that his lips were dry. She got out her water bottle from her bag and offered it to her boyfriend. Ash gratefully accepted it and drank nearly half the water.
"Thank you, Serena. Sorry I drank so much." Ash apologized to her.
Serena shook her head and just smiled, taking a sip of water for herself.
"Don't worry. You're my boyfriend. We make sacrifices for each other in a relationship because of our love. You would have done the same thing for me." Serena said, before kissing Ash on the lips. Ash immediately reciprocated the kiss.
"Much better..." Serena moaned with bliss.
After separating from their kiss, Ash and Serena then glanced towards the Pokémon. Bonnie was simultaneously cuddling Oshawott, petting Servine, and hugging Emboar. Clemont, on the other hand, was offering potions and berries to Ash's exhausted Pokémon.
Emboar was enjoying the attention and started flexing his arms and snorted fire from his nostrils in front of everyone. The smaller Pokémon like Bonnie's Fennekin and Dedenne looked at him with admiration, while Serena's Delphox, Sylveon, and Ash's Servine sweatdropped.
"Oh no... don't tell me you picked up on Incineroar's flexing habits!" Ash groaned with a facepalm. 'Man, I'm gonna have a word with Incineroar when we get back to Pallet.'
"Em-boar!" Emboar boomed proudly.
"Hey guys, I think we should head back to Professor Sycamore's Laboratory. Ash's Heracronite should be ready by now." Clemont suggested, while looking at the time. It was nearly the afternoon.
"Yeah, good thinking Clemont." Ash said.
Ash got out three Poké Balls to return his Pokémon. "Alright, great job you three. Take a good rest."
Servine, Emboar, and Oshawott were absorbed by the red beams of light from their Poké Balls.
Afterwards, Serena and Bonnie followed suit and returned their Pokémon too.
With their Pikachu on their respective shoulders, Ash and Serena held hands and walked towards Professor Sycamore's research laboratory along with their friends Clemont and Bonnie.
While walking, Ash was occupied with his internal thoughts.
'If I learned anything from this battle against Shamus. One thing is for certain. My Pokémon and I will need to give it our all for the entirety of next month.' Ash thought with a serious expression. Ash clenched his other fist, since his right hand was held by Serena.
'The training has just begun...'
To be continued...