After earning the Dynamo Badge, Ash and Wattson made their way to the Pokémon Center to heal their battle-worn Pokémon.
Meanwhile, May and Brock had taken the opportunity to explore Mauville City, enticed by its variety of shops and mouthwatering food stalls. The moment Ash's Gym battle ended, they were off like a shot, leaving Ash and Max behind.
Once his team was healed, Ash stopped by the transfer station.
"I'm sending Donphan and Lairon back for self-training," Ash said, placing their Poké Balls on the machine. In return, he called back one of his favorites—Eevee.
As he stepped out, Wattson approached with his usual enthusiasm and clapped a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"All set?"
"Yup, ready to go, Mr. Wattson!"
"Heh heh! Then how about this—why don't we pay a visit to an abandoned power plant on a small island near Mauville? It's swarming with Electric-types. I go there all the time for training!"
"Really?! That sounds awesome!" Ash's eyes sparkled.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu chimed in, buzzing with excitement.
"I wanna see too!" Max added eagerly.
Wattson ferried Ash and Max over to the old power plant, which was now home to swarms of Magnemite and Electrode.
"The magnetic field here is pretty wild," Ash observed. "This could be one of the rare places where Nosepass evolves into Probopass!"
"Haha, that's right!" Wattson confirmed.
As they walked through the facility, they found nothing but rows of Magnemite and Electrode. Even Max started to feel a little bored. Pikachu, on the other hand, was loving the electric-charged environment.
"Ugh! Why is it just Magnemite and Electrode everywhere?" Max groaned.
Then—
"Wait, what's that?!"
A small, green-furred pup with sparks dancing around its body leapt out from behind a broken generator.
"Electrike!"
"Whoa! It's an Electrike!" Max exclaimed.
"It's rare to see one here," Wattson said. "Looks like it's wild."
Ash knelt down and offered some Poké Puffs and Electric-type Energy Cubes.
"Here you go, buddy. Want a snack?"
"Rike!" Electrike barked happily and munched away, quickly warming up to Ash.
Ash's eyes gleamed. "Electrike, I challenge you to a battle!"
"Rike!" Electrike stood its ground, accepting with a growl of determination.
Electrike – MaleType: ElectricAbility:Lightning Rod (Draws Electric-type attacks and boosts Special Attack)Stage: AdvancedMoves: Discharge, Crunch, Headbutt, Thunder WaveDynamax Type: Electric
"Let's go, Corphish!"
Max blinked. "Is Ash… going for a type disadvantage on purpose?"
Ash smirked. Still too green, Max. Let me show you how to turn the tables.
Electrike launched a flurry of sparks toward Corphish.
"Swords Dance!" Ash commanded.
Corphish spun its pincers, dispersing the electricity and boosting its Attack.
"Using Swords Dance to cancel out Electric moves?!" Max gawked. "That's genius!"
"Now, Razor Shell!"
Water-coated claws slashed across Electrike!
"Rike!!" Electrike staggered, then charged forward with fangs crackling in electricity.
"That's Thunder Fang!" Wattson called out.
"Let's end this—Guillotine!"
In a flash, the two Pokémon crossed paths—Electrike stumbled and fell.
"Now's my chance! Poké Ball, go!"
Ash tossed the Poké Ball with a spin. It struck Electrike and clicked shut—Capture successful!
Ash grinned. "Welcome to the team, Electrike!"
BOOM!!
"Wahaha! Hand over the Electric-type Pokémon!"
Team Rocket crashed the party in their latest mecha.
"Oh no! Not you guys again!" Max shouted.
"Prepare for trouble, and make it—"
"We know the drill!" Ash snapped.
"Corphish, Crabhammer! Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Seviper, Poison Tail! Cacnea—wait, it's over there! Pin Missile!"
The battlefield erupted with attacks.
"Let's give them a real shock! Go, Magneton, Flash Cannon!" Wattson shouted.
BOOOOM!
Team Rocket's mech exploded dramatically.
"What the heck, Meowth?!"
"I told you we didn't have the budget for non-Electric defenses!" Meowth wailed.
"Ugh! Seviper, try again! Poison Tail!"
"Cacnea, follow up with Pin Missile!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Corphish, Bubble Beam!"
A blast of water and lightning sent Team Rocket flying.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again~!""Wobbuffetttt~!"
Later that day…
"Ahh! Electrike is so cute!" May squealed, spotting Ash's newest catch. "But seriously, Ash—you've caught so many Pokémon already! I've only got two!"
Electrike sat on the ground wagging its tail, trying to act cute.
"You're just starting out," Ash said, smiling. "And more importantly, what matters is taking care of your Pokémon. They're our partners."
May nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're right!"
The group gathered to discuss their next destination. They decided to head toward Fallarbor Town so May could compete in her next Pokémon Contest, then on to Lavaridge Town for the next Gym challenge.
"I'm not entering this Akiba Conference," Ash said.
"Aww, what a shame! But that just means I'm definitely going to win the Akiba Ribbon!" May declared confidently.
Ash and friends set out from Mauville City, once again venturing through a forest on their journey. Along the way, Ash continued training his Torchic, planning to use it in his next Gym Battle. May's own Torchic trained alongside it—and both of them mastered Flame Charge!
Ash's Torchic even reached Advanced Stage, making May's Torchic feel a bit pressured—her junior was catching up fast!
As for Jigglypuff, Ash was working on teaching it how to separate casual singing from using the actual Sing move. After a lot of trial and error, he ended up spending 5000 points from the system to finally succeed.
Later, they stumbled upon a watermelon field owned by a friendly farmer named Natch. He challenged Ash to a double battle, using Slugma and Grovyle against Ash's Torchic and Corphish. It was a tough match, but Ash pulled through!
Grateful, Natch shared some delicious watermelons with the group.
Of course, Team Rocket showed up again, dreaming of stealing watermelons to impress Giovanni. Unsurprisingly, they got sent blasting off once again.
After saying goodbye to Natch, Ash and the others resumed their journey.
To be continued…