After saying goodbye to Misty, Ash and his friends continued their journey on foot, heading toward Fallarbor Town. They were currently in a scorching hot wilderness!
"I'm so hot Brock, do we have any water left to drink I can't take it anymore~" May felt like she was about to be dehydrated.
Brock looked at his canteen and shook his head helplessly. "There's none left. Not a single drop. And we're still a long way from the next town!"
"Ah—" May and Max cried out in dismay.
"Oh no, what are we going to do! No water... I'm starting to feel dizzy!" May was about to collapse, and Max and Brock were right behind her.
Ash was at a loss. After all, you can't drink the water from a Water-type Pokémon's Water Gun, right? Ash had to send out Mudkip and Corphish to cool everyone down with Water Gun, which would at least help them hold on for a little while.
Just then, a Camerupt with two volcanoes on its back and a man walked over. "Excuse me, what's wrong?"
Ash briefly explained the situation. "Hello! The weather is too hot, and we've run out of water, so..."
"I see. In that case, please come with me. My house is just up ahead!" the man enthusiastically invited them.
"Really?!" May, Max, and Brock immediately came back to life, which made Ash a bit embarrassed.
Ash and his friends followed the man and his Camerupt to his house. He had a garden and had cleared some land in the wilderness. Since there were very few people around, he was very hospitable. The family consisted of the man, Kiharu, his wife, Noriko, his daughter, Yukie, and his mother, Hanako.
"We're full! Thank you for the meal!" "Pika" "Eevee"
The only special thing was that Max was smitten with a glass of water that Yukie handed him, his face turning red. If Max had dared to take one step forward, Brock would have gone up to get his revenge!!
"By the way, I heard you're planning on entering the Hoenn League tournament, right?" The oldest, Grandma Hanako, asked.
"Yes! To be precise, I am," Ash replied.
"To be honest, my eldest son, Ryohei, is also out traveling to become a Pokémon League Champion, just like you!" Noriko said with a proud look in her eyes.
"I see! So that's why you're all so kind to us!" Ash said with a smile.
"In that case, how about we have a battle?" Grandma Hanako's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. "You know, everyone calls us the 'Winning Streak Family'!"
"Ah~" The sudden battle invitation caught everyone off guard. Kiharu and the other two also showed fighting spirit toward Ash and his friends. The four of them struck a wing-spreading pose and shouted, "We are the Winning Streak Family!"
Ash and his friends (￣ェ￣;)...
Since Ash and his friends had eaten their food, they agreed to a battle.
While leading Ash and the others to the battlefield, Kiharu explained, "Just as my mother said, our eldest son Ryohei is out traveling to become a Pokémon League Champion!"
Noriko added, "With the goal of cheering on Ryohei, our family often holds Pokémon battles!"
"But it gets boring just battling among ourselves after a while!" Yukie chimed in.
"So, how about a 4-on-4 match?" Grandma Hanako suggested with a smile.
"Wait a minute, Max doesn't even have his own Pokémon yet!" May said worriedly, but Max looked at Yukie and insisted on borrowing a Pokémon to battle!!
"Excellent! Kiharu will be the vanguard, Noriko will be the second-in-command, Yukie is the vice-captain, and I, this old woman, will be the general!" Grandma Hanako turned to her family and assigned their roles seriously. "To cheer on Ryohei, we absolutely cannot lose this battle!"
"Yes!" The three of them responded in unison.
"Max, I'll lend you Torchic since you're more familiar with it!" Ash handed Torchic's Poké Ball to Max.
"Got it! Thanks, Ash!"
When they arrived at the battlefield, they found that it was very well-designed. Yukie said that it was all the result of their family's hard work!
The first match was Kiharu vs. Brock. Grandma Hanako was the referee.
It was Zigzagoon vs. Mudkip. Unfortunately, Brock was careless. The Zigzagoon was very agile and could even use Thunderbolt, so Brock was defeated by Mr. Kiharu!
"Mudkip is unable to battle! Zigzagoon wins! The winner is Kiharu!" Grandma Hanako first fulfilled her duty as a referee, then praised him. "Great job! Ryohei will definitely feel your fighting spirit!"
Little did they know, the real Ryohei was not far from home. He had just saved Team Rocket and was pouring his heart out to them, and they were giving him a pep talk!
The second match was Noriko vs. May. Seeing that Noriko sent out a Roselia, May thought back to that smug, green-haired Drew and was filled with fighting spirit. She originally wanted to send out her Combusken but changed her mind and sent out her Beautifly, ready to avenge her past humiliation! She unleashed 200% of her fighting power!
A Gust followed by a Silver Wind directly forced Noriko to forfeit! Beautifly seemed to have overcome its insecurities and broke through to the Elite - Mid Stage!
The third match was Yukie vs. Max. It was Marill vs. Torchic. Because of his feelings for Yukie, Max originally didn't want to attack.
Unfortunately, Ash and Max both forgot about Torchic's strong competitive spirit. Getting beaten passively? No way! It didn't listen to Max's commands and kept using Flame Charge. Its Speed Boost ability kicked in, and its speed got faster and faster. Marill couldn't even hit Torchic, which just wore down the Elite - Early Stage Marill until it was knocked out!! It became an easy experience boost for Torchic, which advanced to Normal - Peak Stage! It once again widened the gap that Mudkip and Ralts had just managed to close!
"Chamo~" Torchic looked proudly at the defeated Marill. Seeing the outcome of the battle, May quietly thought, My Combusken is cuter. This one is too brutal!
"Marill is unable to battle! Torchic wins! The winner is Max!"
Max... I wanted to lose! He carefully glanced at Yukie.
"Marill, Marill..." ??? Yukie hugged her Marill sadly.
"Is Marill okay?" Max asked cautiously.
"You're so mean! Why did you beat it up so badly? That's too much!" Yukie glared at Max furiously. "I hate you, Max!"
Crack! This time, it wasn't Brock's heart that was broken, but Max's! His first love ended before it even began!!
Everyone else... Ash thought to himself, I gave you the weakest Pokémon that had a type disadvantage, and you still won. I should have given you Mudkip instead. This competitive spirit is terrifying! Oh well, it's fate! Max, this is all I can do to help you. The rest is up to you!
May clicked her tongue. Max still has a lot to learn! Brock thought, I know this feeling well. Do you want me to teach you how to get over a breakup quickly?
The final match, of course, was Grandma Hanako vs. Ash!
Grandma Hanako put on her victory headband and sent out Camerupt! At the same time, Ryohei, who had been talked into coming home by Team Rocket, arrived and secretly hid behind a rock.
[Camerupt]
[Elite - Late Stage]
"I choose you, Taillow!" "Siba~"
"Taillow, Wing Attack!" Taillow flew quickly to Camerupt and pushed it back with a Wing Attack! "Follow up! Steel Wing!" Its silver wings hit Camerupt, knocking it down!
"Get up, get up, Camerupt! Ryohei, who is working hard somewhere under this sky, must be watching you!" Grandma Hanako activated her revival cheer!
Ryohei, hiding behind the rock, heard this... I am indeed watching!
With the power of her secret move, the revival cheer, Camerupt successfully got back on its feet!
Just then, "Siba~" a blue and white light of evolution burst from Taillow's body. Its body grew larger and evolved into a Swellow!
Everyone... What? It just made Camerupt get back up, and you evolved?!
[Swellow]
[Strength: Elite - Peak Stage]
[Moves: Brave Bird, Air Slash, Hyper Beam...]
"Don't be afraid! Camerupt's hard work is Ryohei's hard work, and Ryohei's fighting spirit is Camerupt's fighting spirit. Camerupt, use Sandstorm!" Hanako encouraged it!
Camerupt exhaled, and a sandstorm started on the battlefield!
"That's it! Camerupt, use Take Down!" Camerupt charged toward Swellow. "Swellow, use Brave Bird to finish it!" "Siba~"
The two Pokémon collided. Camerupt was sent flying and was knocked out!
"I actually lost!" Grandma Hanako said, looking at Ash in disbelief. She then said seriously, "You really are a great trainer! By the way, if you happen to meet my Ryohei on your journey, I hope you can pass on a message for me!"
"What is it?" Ash smiled in response, feeling the aura from behind the rock.
"That boy, Ryohei, is too soft-hearted and doesn't like to compete with others. It's too much to ask him to become a Pokémon League Champion," Grandma Hanako said, glancing at the rock. She had clearly noticed someone behind it, too. These words were meant for Ryohei: "If he's struggling with this somewhere, I want to tell him this: if you find what you truly want to do on your journey, then put all your effort into that direction!"
"Grandma!" Ryohei, from behind the rock, was moved to tears!
"You only live once. If you have a dream, it's not a bad thing to pursue it with all your might. Our family will always support our Ryohei!"
Even Ash and his friends were moved. There's no one who understands and supports you more than your own family!
Ash promised to pass on the message to Ryohei!
Ryohei then took Team Rocket and left to pursue his own dream. Once he succeeded, he would come back and share it with his family!
After telling the Winning Streak Family, Ash and his friends soon met Ryohei and exchanged words of encouragement before continuing on their way to Fallarbor Town!
To be continued...