" So what are you hoping to catch?" Kris asked looking at her fishing friend.

"Nothing really, it's just relaxing." Yellow said with a smile, tilting her straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes.

"Zz!" Kitty buzzed as she flew above Yellow and began flying over the water.

"Careful Kitty." Yellow called after her.

Kitty gave a nod as she continued to fly, happy about being in the air.

Dody just rolled his eyes and looked at Yellow grabbing her hat with his beak to fool around.

Yellow gave a small cry before looking at Dody with a smile. "Give that back." She laughed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gary sat in his bedroom with Wartortle out as he went through his Pokedex going over the different moves he could teach his starter as well as his other Pokemon.

He needed to be more prepared for the Clubsplosion.

He also made plans to go to the Game Corner in Celadon to win enough so he could get the elusive Porygon thinking that would make an excellent addition to his team.

Then he would plan a route for his next Gym Battle.

Gary paused at hearing someone walking by his room before shaking his head thinking that it was nothing.

That was until they knocked.

Wartortle immediately got on guard while Gary tensed before using the peephole to see who was out there.

On seeing who it was, Gary immediately opened the door to show someone that looked like an older version of him wearing a black jacket.

"D-Dad?" Gary asked in surprise while Blue Oak gave him a smirk.

"Gary it's been awhile."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The tournament was back in action, and this time, Austin was on the first list of participants for the second level of the Eliminations. There had been a lot of speculation on the identity of the mystery pokémon that would be awarded to the Top-4, resulting in a rise in enthusiasm amongst the participants, especially considering that the winner would get a direct entry in the Top-32, a mind-boggling thing.

Currently, he was facing a trainer from Goldenrod City of Johto, who had, from the rumours, literally devastated the last match with an abnormally powerful Raichu, defeating the opponent's Hitmonchan and Wartortle without breaking a sweat. The trainer, Jimmy Matthews, was a dangly, tall guy that would've reminded Austin of Lt. Surge, only if the man wasn't just as large. Strangely enough, both of them had a Raichu as their prime battler.

' What's it with tall guys and Raichu? '

Austin looked at Pikachu and said ," Are you going to evolve when I get taller ?"

The electric mouse Pokémon sweat dropped at the sarcastic comment from his trainer.

"Trainer Red will choose first." The white-clad referee declared, turning towards Jimmy, who was standing in the red position.

"Win the battle for me, Raichu!" Jimmy exploded, as he threw Raichu's pokeball into the centre of the battlefield, releasing the final evolution of the Pichu line, as the large, overgrown mouse stood on her hind limbs, her large tail liberating generous amounts of electric sparks out of it.

Austin had a small smile on his face as he remembered his battle at Vermillion city.

" Let's do this ! "

With a flash , Squirtle posed into the podium, flexing his arms as he stood, glaring at the yellowish mouse before him. Almost on cue, Raichu seemed to flex her own limbs as a response, lashing her tail on the floor, making a deep scratch on it.

" A Squirtle ?" Jimmy snorted , "This is going to be easily."

Austin meanwhile snapped his fingers as he was using this battle to test out a new strategy for battling electric types that he had devised with Squirtle.

"So be it," Jimmy declared, "Raichu, show them your power . Use thunderbolt."

Squirtle didn't try to move as the electric attack engulfed him causing Jimmy to smirk thinking that he had this battle in the bag.

The cloud of smoke covered battlefield.

Jimmy looked at his opponent who just smiled in response.

Inside the smoke cloud , Squirtle smiled.

His trainer's strategy of using a Wacan Berry that he had purchased in Vermilion city had worked.

( ~ Whoosh ~ )

Using rapid spin, Squirtle shot out at high speeds towards Raichu whose eyes widened.

" Thunderbolt " Jimmy called out in a panic but before the attack could even be launched , Squirtle came out of it's spinning shell with a glow fist full of fighting energy as he used the momentum of rapid spin to launch a devastating brick break directly onto Raichu's stomach launching the rat high up in the air.

Austin calmly ordered " Scald "

Squirtle released the boiling water as it hit Raichu and crashed it into the ground.

Raichu managed to get up but fell on one knee as a few embers flew out . It had been affected by the status condition " Burn".

Jimmy looked worried for his partner as Austin called out .

" Aura Sphere ."

Squirtle launched an aura Sphere at the damaged Raichu and with wide eyes Riachu tried to dodge but her body was directly hit as the mouse fell down on the ground, her fur charred at several places.

The referee raised the blue flag. "Raichu is unable to battle. The winner is, Squirtle !"

" Your Squirtle is rather well-trained." Jimmy observed. "Let's see how it deals with my next pokémon." He plucked out another pokeball and released it. "Go, Wartortle."

" Aren't you going to switch into a fire type ? " Jimmy sarcastically said as Austin replied with a shrug.

"It's your funeral." Jimmy declared. "Wartortle, show them the power of a real water-type. Use water-gun."

"Dodge, and use Aqua jet." Austin returned, withholding back a smirk.

Unlike what the name suggested, Aqua Jet wasn't a water-based elemental attack. Instead, it was a physical, fighting-based move employed by water-types, to increase their speed momentarily to high levels, not unlike the move Extreme Speed.

Squirtle used Aqua jet, incrementing his speed to nigh-unbelievable levels, as he shot towards the turtle pokémon.

"Withdraw and use Rapid spin!" Jimmy warned.

It was a perfectly good move. A spinning wartortle was a powerful defence and offense at the same time. Against anyone else, it would be a good combination against a speed-attack. However Austin was completely ready .

"Use Aura Sphere , full power!"

Squirtle's right hand shone brightly, as he used aura Sphere within the aqua jet as it created into the spinning drill with the aura sphere at its tip .

Jimmy's mind went blank as he saw the giant water drill being thrown at wartortle , it was too late to stop Wartortle's rapid spin which crashed into the Jet Drill which banished the spinning turtle far away as it slammed against the psychic shields surrounding the podium.

"Wartortle!" Jimmy yelled in shock.

"Ice beam." Austin commanded quickly, as Squirtle opened it's mouth , as a mist of white light materialised within it. With a loud smirk , Squirtle projected it towards the fallen turtle, enveloping it with white light. When the light had receded, Wartortle was encased within a thick layer of ice.

What a way to master ice-beam! Austin thought.

"Wartortle is unable to battle. Squirtle is the winner." The referee declared, raising the blue flag. "Ash Ketchum moves to the next round."

Austin smiled, fondly looking at the way Squirtle was basking in his triumph.

Besides, it wasn't all that bad. After all, one more battle and he would be in the Top-32, and then, the main competition would begin.