After saying goodbye to Professor Birch, Ash and the others wrapped up their training and adventure on Dewford Island. It was finally time to move on.
Most importantly, the Pokémon Contest in Slateport City was just around the corner—and both Ash and May had decided to participate.
That morning, May was once again practicing with Beautifly, using Hurricane to gracefully keep the pink frisbee spinning midair.
After breakfast, the group began dismantling their tents, packing up their supplies, and preparing to head back to Dewford Town so they could catch a ferry to Slateport.
Just then, an unexpected guest made a splash—literally. A girl with a bright blue ponytail surfed over from the ocean. As she landed, she dramatically pointed at Ash.
"You there! You're Ash, right?!"
"I am," Ash replied with a polite smile. "What can I do for you?"
"Enough talk! My name is—" But before she could finish, a wave crashed into her, drenching her from head to toe.
Shaking the water from her face, she tried again. "I'm Shauna, Brawly's number one apprentice!"
Wait… number one apprentice? She looks so young! ⊙ω⊙
"Ash! I heard you beat Brawly. I want to battle you!" she declared.
But before anything else could happen—grrrrr~—a loud growl came from her stomach.
...(ㅍ_ㅍ) Everyone just stared, trying not to laugh.
"If you're hungry, we've got some food left," Brock offered, pulling out a few sandwiches.
"Really?! Thanks!" Shauna accepted without hesitation and quickly scarfed them down.
Once she was full, she stood back up. "Okay! Now I challenge you!"
"Pika~ Pikapi~!" Pikachu suddenly pointed toward the sea, squeaking urgently.
Ash narrowed his eyes. "Something's coming…"
He used his Aura to scan the area—and what he sensed made him tense.
"Shauna, hold off on that battle. We need to leave. Now."
"What? Why?" May asked, startled by his sudden seriousness.
"Ash!" a voice called out from the hillside.
The group turned to see Brawly leaping down the slope toward them. "Good! Looks like you've packed up already! I came to warn you—there's a massive hurricane approaching. A small bay like this will be swallowed by the waves in seconds. You've gotta get out of here!"
"AHHH—!" everyone shouted in unison.
Ash nodded grimly. "I had a bad feeling. I didn't think it would be a full-on hurricane."
"That explains why Pikachu kept staring at the clouds," Brock added.
"Pika pika~" Pikachu nodded.
"I even noticed some wild Pokémon behaving strangely earlier today," Ash continued. "They always sense these things before we do."
May hugged Max tightly. "A hurricane? What do we do?!"
"It's too dangerous to stay here. We need to take shelter—fast!" Brawly said urgently.
"Understood!"
"Oh, by the way… Shauna, what are you even doing here?" Brawly asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh! That's none of your business!" Shauna's face turned red.
"Huh? Wait a second… " Brock "didn't you say—"
Before Brock could spill the beans, Shauna slammed a hand over his mouth and dragged him away.
With no time to lose, Ash and the others followed Brawly toward Dewford Town. As they ran, the sky grew darker, thunder began to rumble, and a heavy downpour soon followed.
"The hurricane's arriving faster than expected! There's a cave nearby—this way!" Brawly led them off the path.
"Hey, look—Seedot!" Max pointed out.
Shauna walked over to the little Seedot huddled in fear, knelt down, and gently reached out. "It's okay, little ones. Come with us—you'll be safe inside."
"Wow… I didn't expect her to be so gentle," May whispered in awe.
Along the way, they found more Pokémon stranded by the storm. With every step, their group of evacuees grew.
They eventually reached a narrow trail along a cliff—below them, a bottomless gorge.
"Eeep! This is terrifying!" May squeaked.
"We have no choice. It's the only path to the cave," Brawly said solemnly.
Ash stepped forward and held out his hand. "Come on, May—let's go together."
"Eh?! Uh…" May froze at first, blushing as Ash gently took her hand. She snapped out of it when she realized the danger.
Hand in hand, Ash held May's and Shauna's, Shauna blushing as she held onto Brawly's, then May held Max's, and Max grabbed Brock's.
Rockfalls along the way were cleared by Brawly's Hariyama and Ash's Pikachu. They also ran into the ever-annoying Team Rocket, who ended up getting swept along with them.
When they finally reached the cave, it was already filled with other Pokémon seeking shelter—Wingull, Zigzagoon, and many more.
Thankfully, the cave was large enough for everyone. Brock started a fire to keep them warm.
Max looked around. "So the Pokémon from the forest all came here?"
Brawly nodded. "This is the safest shelter in the area. They've always known."
"We'll have to wait here until the hurricane passes. It should be over by dawn."
Everyone agreed.
Later that night, the topic of Shauna came up again. Brawly revealed that he hadn't accepted her as his disciple—not because she lacked skill, but because she focused too much on technique and didn't bond well with her Pokémon.
Thanks to Team Rocket's goofy antics, the cave was anything but quiet that night. Still, the storm eventually passed, and the next morning, sunlight returned.
Of course, Team Rocket tried one last scheme… and were sent flying by Pikachu's Thunderbolt as usual.
"The Pokémon battle between Ash and Shauna will now begin!" Brawly announced. "Each side may use one Pokémon. No time limit. Begin!"
"Go, Meditite!" Shauna called, releasing her blue-and-white Psychic-Fighting type.
"Show them what we've got, Pikachu!""Pika~pi!"
"Meditite, use Focus Punch!"
Ash blinked. Really? "Pikachu, sidestep left."
Pikachu easily stepped aside, and Meditite missed completely.
"Tch! High Jump Kick!"
Meditite launched another hard-hitting—but easily dodged—attack.
Ash sighed. "Pikachu, Quick Attack, then Iron Tail—wrap it up."
"Pika!"
As Pikachu closed in, something changed.
"Wait—Meditite, dodge right!" Shauna suddenly shouted.
Meditite reacted instantly, avoiding Pikachu's Iron Tail.
"It dodged it?!" Max gasped.
Brawly smiled proudly. "Looks like Shauna's finally understood what she was missing."
"Alright, Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaa~ CHU!"
A burst of electricity surged into Meditite, knocking it out instantly.
"Meditite is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" Brawly announced.
"Well done, Pikachu!""Pikapi~" Pikachu thumped its chest proudly.
After the match, Shauna was officially recognized as Brawly's senior disciple. But from the way she looked at him, it seemed her goals extended beyond just Pokémon…
With Ash having already earned his Gym Badge, the group had plenty of time. This time, they didn't miss the ferry and left Dewford Island behind, bound for the bustling Slateport City—and a new chapter in their journey.
To be continued...