The Hoenn Region

The advanced generation. This region was very well-known and located at the west of Kanto. The pokemon found in this region were useful to people of all kinds. Trainers can find themselves strong, powerful and unique kinds if pokemons, whereas pokemon scientists and doctors can find many research topics from here. Most importantly, this region was also known to give birth to many legendary pokemon that were extraordinarily powerful and very well known across the globe.

As stated earlier, each region has its own National Academy that teaches and turns unskilled people into human resources. There are a total of seven academies in each regions including Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and Galar. Alola doesn't have one yet. Every year, there is a ranking between the academies on their respective performances so, a competition always had prevailed. For the last few years, the Hoenn Academy had secured the top position every single time, leading everyone to believe it was the best, which it actually is. They've been receiving application from students foreign to Hoenn as well.

To get admission here, you had to give the two tests below:

1. Pokemon Battle/ Coordination

2. Written Test.

One who excels at any one of them will get the chance to study here. The class division system here was pretty accordant.

The classes were divided into three categories :

1. Class S
2. Class A
3. Class D

The one who excels both tests and passes with a great score, they are put into Class S. The students residing here are of high merit and have a separate reputation at the Academy. Regardlessly, all the Student Council members are from Class S.

Those who have an average score on both tests are put into Class A. The students here aren't that bad, but just developing themselves to get even better than they were.

And finally, those who have below average scores on both, are sent to Class D. Even if one tops at Battling, but fails the written exam, are still put into Class D and vice versa. Despite this, they're still admitted here with a chance to improve themselves to a better level.

With that out of the way, we are here as our protagonist Ash Ketchum steps off the plane in the Slateport City airport.

"Maaaan, what a trip," said Ash as he stretched out his arms and neck muscles.

"Pikaaaa," the electric rodent on his shoulder mimicked his movements.

"Did you enjoy your flight?" asked Professor Oak as they together walked out of the airport.

"I was never a fan of flights. Why didn't we take the ship instead?" Ash asked as he drank some water from a bottle.

"Sorry, but it wasn't available for the moment," replied Oak, laughing nervously.

Suddenly, Ash remembered about the third party member who also came with them here.

"Hey, where's Brock?" he asked and looked around.

Ash had already informed Brock and Misty about his plans. Being a gym leader, Misty unfortunately couldn't come with him because of her duties. As for Brock, he was actually interested to try out for it. He had started studying to become a Pokemon doctor not to long ago. Learning about the Academy, he thought it would be a good opportunity for him to expand his knowledge about Hoenn region and skills, and thus tagged along with Ash and the Professor, leaving the Pewter City Gym to his brother. But now, he was nowhere to be found.

"He was with us here just a minute ago. Where could he have gone-?" before Oak could complete his sentence, they heard a commotion and looked towards the direction. They face palmed at the very familiar scene.

"Not this again," said Ash, shaking his head.

Oak sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Pika..."

The said man Brock, was apparently holding a beautiful air hostess's hand and kneeling in front of her. The woman was surprised as she kept watching his actions.

Brock was rambling on with his cliche lines, as the people around them kept glancing at the amusing scene.

"I think he really should get a women by now," said Ash, with a bit of concern.

"Pi pika," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"No Ash. He needs Jesus," said Oak with a grim look.

Just as he said that, a blue light materialised from one of Brock's pocket as it went unnoticed by him. Ash started the countdown.

"Gazing beyond those beautiful eyes of yours, I - AARRGGHHH," the breeder yelled in pain, as he collapsed to the ground. A blue, frog like pokemon could be seen behind him, holding up a purple glowing paw. Croagunk then proceeded to pull him away, as the crowd watched him with amusement.

Croagunk brought him outside the airport and returned to its pokeball. Brock slowly stood up, clutching his back.

"Young man, I am very worried for you sometimes," stated Oak, thoughtfully.

"You are not the only one," added Ash with a nod.

"Nonsense," said Brock, standing up as if nothing happened just now. "I've heard that most of the world's prettiest women reside here in the Hoenn region, second to Kalos of course," he said with an imaginary look on his face. Oak sighed defeatedly.

"I worry that someday, you will change your mind and become a human doctor instead, ones who treat women only," Oak said. Brock gave the Professor a weird look but said nothing.

"Hey Professor, you mentioned Gary had already joined the Academy about a year ago, right?" asked Ash, recalling. He and Gary had a rivalry ever since they were introduced to each other in the lab.

He was very arrogant and competitive in nature. Still Ash liked having him around. Well as they say, life is boring without a rival. After fighting many times and finally losing to him in the Johto League, they acknowledged each other's strength. Later on, Gary decided to follow his grandfather's footsteps.

"Yes, Gary has been working his way hard to become a Pokemon Professor," said Oak, delightfully.

"Then we'll do the same thing, right Ash?" asked Brock.

"Yeah, I hope so," the boy replied, slightly nervous.

"Don't worry, you'll be alright. I am always here if you ever need anything, okay?" he said reassuringly.

"Thanks Brock," Ash replied with a smile.

"I am sure both of you will do great. And perfect timing, our cab is here too. Let's get going, shall we?" asked Oak.

"Right," they replied in unison before following him out.

During their road journey, Ash was reminiscing the time he came here before. It's been like almost 3 years when he was last here in this region. Professor Oak had sent him here to gather some research material for him. He stayed here for just a week, but boy has that been a blast or what? He had caught a Snorunt just on his first day, which is now a fully evolved Glalie, his only pure and powerful ice type. He had quite a fun time then and even collected more than enough data for the Professor. But something else had happened with him that he still hasn't shared with anyone else to this day. That experience was a bit shocking, yet awespiring for him at the same time. Few people ever get to see it in their lifetime. He smiled unknowingly at the memory.

The cab stopped at a signal. Ash gazed outside the window, when a large company billboard caught his eye. It was a digital projector advertising things to the public. After the ads, a short clip video played of pokemon contest played itself. Ash saw a young and pretty girl, dancing on a stage with a... if he wasn't mistaken, a Kirlia. Her brown hair was flowing around as she performed in sync with her pokemon. Colourful sparkles were flowing around her that looked very enchanting. The Kirlia jumped on her shoulder as its trainer winked and finished the performance with a huge applause. The slide changed as it started advertising again and at the same time, their cab started to move.

That scene had almost taken Ash's breath away for a moment and captivated him to his spot.

"Wow..." his voice spoke out on its own. Brock, who was sitting beside him looked at him.

"Did you say something Ash?" he asked. Ash broke out of his trance and smiled quickly.

"O-oh, it was nothing," he replied, shrugging it off.

"We are here," interrupted Professor Oak, who was sitting in front. The cab finally reached its destination, as the passengers got out. Ash glanced around. They were standing in front of a staircase that led upto an entrance gate, most probably of the Academy itself. It was hard to see it from here, but Ash could tell it was huge. As soon as they were about to decide on what to do next, a familiar face greeted them.

"How nice to see you again Samuel," the voice said, spreading his arms.

"Why, if it isn't the great Professor Rowan," said Oak, teasingly. The said person laughed as both of them shook hands.

"I could say the same," Rowan replied. After interacting, Oak proceeded to the introduction.

"Let me introduce you to them," said Oak, gesturing towards Ash and Brock.

"I hope you remembered me Professor," said Brock, smiling.

"Ah yes yes. You're Brock right?" said Rowan.

"Wait, you two have met?" asked Oak.

"Yes, the time when I was in Sinnoh. Professor Rowan was a great help to me," explained Brock.

"It was nothing," said Rowan.

"And yes. The person I've been wanting you to meet all this time," said Oak, gesturing towards Ash, who just nervously smiled.

"Ash Ketchum, correct?" the Sinnoh Professor guessed, as he extended his hand towards him. Ash returned the gesture and shook his hand.

"Samuel has told me a lot about you..." he started.

"Oh really, I.."

"....Champion," he finished his statement, leaving Ash's mouth agape. He quickly looked around making sure no one else heard it. Pikachu and Brock were surprised as well.

"How did you-?" Ash started asking, but Oak interrupted him.

"I told him Ash," he said, a bit nervously to see how the boy would react. Rowan, being wise, understood the situation quickly.

"You don't have to worry boy. No one else knows except us," he said, reassuringly.
"And besides, it's an honor to meet such a young and talented trainer," he added further. Ash looked a bit relaxed. If Professor Oak trusted him, then he could too. Last thing he wanted, was all the people of the Academy eyeing him differently than others. That's one of the things he really wanted to avoid.

"Yes, thank you," he managed to reply.

"Since that's out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we?" said Rowan as he started climbing the stairs. The others followed his suit.

"Business?" asked Brock.

"Yes. I will give Professor Oak a tour of this Academy, while one of my student will take you to the exam hall," he explained, shoving his hands into his coat pocket.

"And it's someone you know quite well," said Oak with a smile.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this," Ash whispered to Brock.

"Relax, there's nothing to worry about," replied Brock, casually.

When they were almost near the Academy gate, a very familiar spiky haired boy walked out of it, clapping his hands together.

"Ho ho ho, welcome to the Hoenn National Academy Gramps, Brock and....Ashy boyyy," said Gary with a smug look on his face.

"What did I tell you?" Ash grunted to Brock, who just smiled awkwardly.

"Now now, don't be like that. I know you are very pleased to see your greatest rival once again, Pokémon Champion Ash Ketc- mmphhh," Gary's voice was muffled, as Ash blocked his mouth with his hands.

"Shut that loud mouth of yours Oak or else..." warned Ash. Gary stepped back from his grasp.

"Or else what?" he provoked him with grin. Ash gave a serene smile. He knew better than anyone exactly how to restrain him.

"You wouldn't seriously want me to release a certain fossil pokemon after you, would you?" said Ash with a sinister smile. Gary gulped, understanding what he meant and recalled his past experience with it.

"Y-you wouldn't dare..." said Gary, narrowing his eyes.

"Try me..." dared Ash, crossing his arms.

"Now students, it wouldn't be wise to pick a fight right before you enter the Academy," said Rowan with a strict tone.

"Sorry Professor," they apologised immediately. But inside, both knew it was just a new beginning of their rivalry, between two old friends once again.

"Let's get moving then. See you later Ash. Good luck on the test," Oak bid off quickly as he and Rowan walked away towards the staff office, leaving the trio to themselves.

"Bromance," muttered Gary.

"Excuse me?" asked Brock, incredulously.

"Nothing. C'mon you two, follow me," commanded Gary as he started walking ahead. Ash and Brock sighed as they followed suit.

Gary gave the new comers a short tour of the campus in the next ten minutes. It was just like any typical school building, but inside it was enormous. There was a huge battlefield in the middle of the field. The corridors had crisscrossed each other in such a way that one could get lost easily without a guide. Gary told them it was a day off due to the admission of new students. Ash noticed there were a few students roaming around outside. Many of them stole glances at him, probably seeing a new face or the fact he has a Pikachu on his shoulder. The battlefield was occupied with many of them. He took a glance and saw some guys of his age having a pokemon battle. The rest were probably in their dorms. Gary also mentioned the Academy Cafeteria and how they served the best meals. There was also an auditorium to held important meetings and programs.

"So basically, that's it," said Gary as he had just finished explaining the class sorting system to them.

"Sounds competitive," commented Brock, in response to which Gary laughed.

"You think? Just see for yourselves," he said, pointing towards a gym. The duo looked in time to see a Mightyena getting knocked out by a powerful Thunder. The attack came from an Electrivire, who looked like it didn't take a single scratch from the battle.

"Mightyena is unable to battle. And the match goes to Paul," one of the students who was acting as the referee called. They saw, as a purple haired guy returned his pokemon and walked away, ignoring all the cheers around him.

"He is Paul Shinji. A third year. Not much of a talker, but one of the members of the Student Council. Also a very strong trainer," introduced Gary.

"Student Council?" asked Ash, as it was his first time hearing that term.

"It's a group of top students who represents the Academy and looks after everything in it," Brock explained.

"Correct. It's a big deal to become a member for all the respect, reputation and cute girls you can get," said Gary as the other two sighed at him.

"Which class are you in Gary?" asked Brock. The young researcher turned around with a frown on that question.

"Seriously? Should you even feel the need to ask that to one of the most brilliant students in this Acade-"

"So, you're in Class D?" said Ash, nonchalantly.

"Yes, I am....What?! No. Jeez, course I'm in Class S Ash," said Gary, exasperatedly. The other two just chuckled to themselves.

"Hiii Gary," a group of girls said in unison, as they passed by the gang. Gary just grinned in delight, mostly happy for their timing.

"See? You still get respect just by being in the S Class," he stated proudly.

"That's good. For a moment, I thought it was your old cheerleader squad," said Ash. 'In fact, I am sure those girls right now where set up beforehand just so he could show off his influence in front of us.'

"Took the words out of my mouth," added Brock with a nod.

"Heh. Make fun of me all you want, but I'll surely become a council member someday," said Gary, when he suddenly remembered.

"Oh right, we are here," he said pointing towards a classroom.

"You guys will give the written exam here, and then the practical will be held next which includes either battling or coordinating," he explained further.

"Alright. Thanks for all the help Gary," said Brock, appreciatively.

"No prob. See you guys in S class," he said and walked away with a smirk.

"Well then, let's go inside," suggested Brock as he glanced at his friend, who seemed to be spacing out.

"Ash?" said Brock, snapping his fingers.

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking?" he asked to which Ash just shrugged off.

"Nothing important. Now c'mon let's hurry, or we are gonna be late," Ash said, quickly changing the topic as he headed for the classroom.

Brock looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but shrugged it off as he followed suit.

After the Exam

"Wonder what's taking them so long?" Gary said to himself as he strolled around the corridor.

"Hey Gary," some voices called out to him, as the researcher turned around to see Ash, Brock and all the other participants getting out of the hall.

"How did you do?" asked Gary, eagerly.

"It went pretty good for me. What about you Ash?" asked Brock. The raven haired  barely nodded and replied.

"Yes, good."

However, the other two weren't satisfied with his answer.

"Are you sure you didn't goof up? You seem unsure," asked Gary. Brock spoke after him.

"Yeah. The written test should've been easy for you since you've been studying under Professor Oak for a long time. As for the battle, though it was held privately for each student..."

"Oh please. I am sure the battles were all easily taken care off just by Pikachu," said Gary, waving off Brock's statement. The mouse however, gave a narrowed glance to Ash which went unnoticed by them.

"Hehe, yep. Anyways, I am hungry after all that. Let's eat," Ash suggested quickly.

"Always with the food," Gary commented with a smirk. "Sure. Let's head to the cafe." Ash and Gary took the lead ahead while the former gym leader trailed behind them, deep in his thoughts.

'He is hiding something,' thought Brock.

On their way to the cafeteria, the trio was discussing on different topics. When they were about to enter through the door, a girl came out right that moment. She had an eye-catching, long hazelnut hair with bright, blue eyes, which complimented her long, black eye lashes. She was wearing casual cloths, a blue top followed up by a red skirt. She was scrolling through her phone screen on one hand and drinking a smoothie on the other. She and the boys came face to face with each other. Gary smirked and immediately went to greet her.

"Hey Leaf," he said as the girl looked up from her phone and smiled cutely.

"Gary, what a surprise," said Leaf, putting down her phone.

"I know right? How have you been? I hope the council hasn’t been pressurizing you too much," said Gary, with concern. Leaf laughed.

"Oh jeez, don’t worry. It’s no trouble at all. I have to do my duty properly after all, right?" she said.

"Hmm, that's true. Hey, since you’ve working so hard, why don't I help you relax a bit?" offered Gary with a grin.

"What do you mean?" asked Leaf. Suddenly, her eyes caught the two individuals standing a bit away from them, who were apparently getting overshadowed by the simping of Gary Oak.

"You know, like grabbing a dinner together or something...." Gary tried to offer, but Leaf got more interested in them. She quickly used it as an excuse to ignore that offer. Ash mentally pressed an F for him.

"Oh my. Are you guys one of the new students?" she asked clasping her hands with an excited tone.

"Yes, they are friends of mine. I was just about to introduce them," Gary said with a nervous laugh.

"Sure you were," muttered Ash.

"It's always nice to meet new people. Hi, I am Leaf. I am a second year in this Academy. It's very nice to meet you," she said with smile.

"My name is Brock. Pleasure to meet you too" the gym leader said formally, with a little bow.
Ash was nervously glancing around, not knowing what to do. He was always a bit awkward around new people. Hearing no response, Leaf just tilted her head and slightly raised her eyebrows, still smiling as if expecting a response.

"Oh...uh I'm Ash Ketchum. It's nice to meet you too," he quickly replied.

"Pika..."

"Oh, and this is...." just when Ash was about to introduce Pikachu, Leaf almost jumped on him with sparkling eyes, full of energy.

"Awww, a Pikachu!" she exclaimed childishly and started to poke its cheeks and stroke it affectionately. The mouse laughed in response to the contact.

"Your Pikachu is really cute..." she commented, before she stood on her toes and leaned towards Ash. "Just like its trainer," she whispered the last part in his ear. Ash was caught off guard from that comment. Leaf giggled and turned away from him.

"I hope you two have liked our Academy so far," she said.

"Yes, it's really fascinating," said Brock. Ash just nodded.

"I'll leave you guys for now, but if you ever need anything, feel free to ask me," she offered politely.

"You see, Leaf is a member of the Council too," explained Gary.

"Yep. Alrighty then, see you around," she said and started to leave, not before turning around and sending a wink, specifically at Ash. She quickly disappeared from the sight with another fit of giggles.

"How do you do that?" asked Gary as he glared at Ash. He looked clearly mad.

"Do what?" asked Ash instead, oblivious of what happened just right now.

Brock just laughed to himself.

"I will... go on ahead," Ash said and entered the cafe with Pikachu. Gary slumped down disappointedly as Brock put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You have to get use to it. He is the main character," he said.

"Yeah, you're right," Gary replied in agreement, as both of them followed the trainer.

It was an odd time so, the cafe wasn’t filled with students. Even still, there were still a few people chattering here and there. Some of them turned around and looked at the unfamiliar faces. Seeing Gary with them led to think that they were close. Ash spotted a table in the corner as he walked towards it. A few girls were stealing glances at him occasionally. Who could blame them? For a teenager, Ash was quite good looking with his attracting features. He wad tall, had a slender, yet muscular body figure. His long, dark hair and auburn eyes just added to the charm. It was enough to grab the attention of the opposite sex. That would explain Leaf's behaviour earlier.

Ignoring the stares, he took a seat to himself, as Pikachu sat on his lap. Brock took a seat opposite to him as well Gary, who was apparently grunting under his breath.

"What's with him?" asked Ash, looking at Brock.

"Personal insecurities," he replied.

The trio soon ordered their desired dishes to the waiter. Gary decided to give them the thing while they were waiting. He pulled out two phones and handed each to Ash and Brock.

"Isn't it like one of those things we saw with Leaf," Ash recalled, as he examined it.

"What are these for Gary?" asked Brock.

"Professor Birch told me to give them to you," replied Gary.

"Who's he?" asked Ash, raising his eyes.

"He's the Headmaster here Ash," Brock informed him, as Gary continued.

"Right. So, everyone around here has one. You can find the contact number of all the students and teachers in your phone. Every important announcements will be delivered to you, as well as your class schedules," he explained.

"No wonder Hoenn Academy has such a reputation," praised Brock.

"There is more to that. You'll see," Gary said with a smirk.

"Hey isn’t that-?"

"Oh look, it's him."

Some of the girls voices grabbed their attention. They looked towards the counter in time to see a boy entering the cafe. He was wearing a light purple jacket with black long sleeve t-shirt underneath. He had green hair and green eyes which were filled with pride and arrogance. The red rose on his hand was quite noticeable. He just ignored everyone and started to order something from the counter. The staff looked alert at his presence.

"Who's the green head?" asked Ash in a nonchalant tone, causing Gary to almost fall off his chair. He looked around in caution, but fortunately no one seemed to have heard him. He shot a glare at Ash.

"Watch your mouth Ashy boy. He is Drew Hayden, the Student Council Vice President," he said in whisper.

"Hm good," replied Ash as he petted Pikachu, not interested in the conversation at all. Gary sighed defeatedly.

"You need to keep your guard up
around him. He's not really much of a nice guy to strangers, if I am being honest," said Gary.

"Why is that?" asked Brock.

"Well...." Gary was about to reply when a voice interrupted him.

"Gary," the voice from behind sent chills up his spine. He immediately stood up and turned around to come face to face with Drew himself, who was standing near their table out of nowhere.

"D-Drew? Hehe, what brings you here?" asked Gary, sweating and completely nervous. Ash was finding it very amusing.

"I came to remind you about our S Class meeting today. But why do you look so nervous?" he asked, a bit suspicious.

"Oh nothing, you just startled me. But yeah, I will see you later," said Gary.

Drew nodded. As he was about to turn back, his eyes momentarily met with Ash's. Normally he always ignored the stares, but something about the unknown trainer intrigued him. The sharp look in those auburn eyes pierced through his, and somewhat forced to stop him in his tracks.

"New students?" asked Drew, addressing Gary, but still looking at Ash.

"Yeah. They're friends of mine. Going to start from this week," he explained shortly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Brock," he politely introduced himself, but Drew completely ignored him and kept staring at Ash.

"You want something?" asked Ash in a casual tone, causing Gary to yelp. His staring was irritating him. People around them watched and whispered among themselves.

Drew smirked and flicked his hair with his right hand, known to be his signature gesture.

"Lack of manners is not something that is to be accepted if you're going to study in this renowned Academy," he said in calm yet provoking tone. Hearing no response from Ash, he smirked and turned around to leave. After all, no one had ever dared to talk back to him before.

"I guess that would explain why you are here then," replied Ash.

His response earned lots of gasps from the people around. Gary froze in his spot. Drew slowly turned back with a raised eyebrow, his eyes dangerously threatening.

"Your name?" he asked in a cold tone causing everyone around to flinch, but the Champion remained unfazed.

"Ash," he replied in a similar cold tone, as if telling him 'what are you gonna do about it?'

Drew glared at him for a while, before he grabbed his food from the counter and walked out of the cafeteria without another word.

The tension broke down as everyone started to chatter all at once.

"Talk about disrespect."

"Dude is a sigma."

"He actually shut off Drew, impressive."

"Must be a transfer student. No one would be stupid enough to mess with him."

The people who saw the scene discussed among themselves.

"DAMMIT ASH! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" asked Gary, slamming his hands on the table, unable to control his anxiousness.

"To think he hasn’t even joined here," said Brock with a sigh, not much surprised of his friend's bold actions. 

Ash just scratched a sleeping Pikachu's ears with an unfazed expression on his face.

"Sorry Gary, but you know that I can't stand people like him," he replied. Gary didn’t say anything. He knew how much struggle Ash had gone through in his childhood. He had been ridiculed by rich and boastful people many times as he can count. Not even their children behaved nicely with him. This caused to form a negative image of influential people in his mind a long time ago. Drew just happened to trigger those emotions, leading to Ash's behaviour just now.

"Look Ash, I understand how you feel. But the circumstances are different here and you need to compromise with it. And Drew will start acknowledging you too once he learns who you really are," Gary tried to persuade him. It was the truth and Gary knew it. Powerful as Drew was, he didn’t hold a candle to someone like Ash.

"He is right Ash. It will take time, but I know you’ll pull through like always," said Brock, encouragingly.

The waiter came right at that moment and placed their food on the table. 

"First off, let's eat," suggested Brock as he took a sandwich. Ash and Gary took one too as they quickly gobbled it down.

"Wow, it's really good," praised Ash as he took another from the tray.

"Told ya," replied Gary with a proud look.

"Say Gary, when will the results of our test be published?" asked Brock.

"Soon. It's going to come on your phones that I handed you earlier," he replied and looked at Ash. "I suggest you watch your back from now on, since you’ve marked yourself on Drew's blacklist."

The trainer just ignored him, as he kept himself busy feeding Pikachu the pokemon food. Gary just sighed, knowing threats like that wouldn’t matter to him.

"Speaking of Drew, you were telling something about him earlier," reminded Brock. Gary swallowed his food properly before he replied.

"His father is an influential person in Hoenn, with a large conglomerate business. Drew has quite a reputation for being a coordinator. He is a strong trainer too, if I am being honest. Becoming a Council member and concurring one of its highest position in just his second year was just a stepping stone for him," explained Gary.

"Wait. If he is the Vice-president, then who is the President of the Council?" asked Brock curiously. Gary bit his tongue.

"Guess it slipped my mind. Its -"

Before he could say, a message popped up on their phones. Brock took it out and saw that the results were published.

"So?" asked Gary.

"Class A. Not bad if I say. I guess my battling skills has become rusty in the last few years, that's why they evaluated me this way," said Brock grimly.

"I see. How about you Ash?" asked Gary, looking at him.

"Class D."

"Haha, see? I had no doubt that you would make it to-" Gary started to say before Ash's words finally settled in his mind.

"CLASS D?!!" he yelled, shooting out of his chair for the umpteenth time.