Chapter 92 - 51 - Leave Me Alone!

A few hours after the battle, while waiting for his Pokémon to be healed, Rico was at the Pokémon Center. He is doing a maintenance on his smartphone, using his handy tools set. Clemont was doing his tech stuff, while the girls are playing with their Pokémon. The atmosphere was good and quiet.

"I can't believe you could beat a gym leader like me," Clemont commented about the battle. Rico then turned his head in attention.

"You do?" Rico replied back.

"Yeah, do you ever battle a gym leader before?" asked Clemont back in reply. Rico think for a while for that particular question, and then he answered like, "I'm afraid yes, but only one, back at my hometown." Interested by it, Clemont replied, "Wow, who is this?"

"Kolen, the Grass-type gym leader," Rico answered him, "and a popular head gardener of a school."

"Woah, a head gardener?" asked Clemont in question.

"Yes, and that school specializes in botany," Rico shared more information.

"Oh, I get it now," Clemont responded back. Then, suddenly, Ash and Pikachu came in.

"Oh, Ash, you're here," Rico and Clemont greeted upon seeing them.

"So, you guys had a battle?" Ash asked them brightly. Pikachu then responded with happy asking.

"Yes, me and Rico had," answered Clemont back.

"And I won!" exclaimed Rico in addition. Impressed by Rico's victory, Ash replied, "Wow, that was amazing. What Pokémon did you used?"

"Piplup," replied Rico back, "and now a Prinplup."

"Okay, so it had evolved?" replied Ash back. Then to Clemont, "And what Pokémon did you used against him?"

"My Chespin," Clemont answered him in response.

"Woah, a disadvantage wins against an advantage?" Ash commented. "That was... unusual." Rico then smiled in happiness.

Later that day, Rico began to think about his little Pokémon back at Campillo's lab at his hometown. It had been a long time ever since he left it in the hands of his professor, and now he regretted it. So, he phoned Campillo, who was having a free time from work.

"Oh, so you want your Starly back?" Campillo, in the other end of the line, while lying on his chair with a bag of nacho chips, responded back.

"Yes," replied Rico, "how's is it?"

"Oh, Starly's fine, playing with its fellow friends," Campillo replied brightly as he readjust his glasses. Outside at Campillo's wide backyard, Rico's Starly is playing with its friends, flying around and perching in tree branches.

"Great!" Rico responded back. "So can I pick it up?"

"Sure, sure, just wait for a second," Campillo accepted his request. He then put down his telephone, grab Starly's Poké Ball, went to the backyard, and called Starly. Hearing him, Starly flapped its wings and flew to Campillo's desk inside. Starly then asked Campillo what is it.

"Rico will pick you up," replied Campillo to it. "Do you miss him?" Hearing him once more, Starly responded happily to say yes.

"Okay! Into your Ball, you go!" exclaimed Campillo as pointed the Poké Ball towards Starly. He then called it back to its Poké Ball. He then put the Poké Ball into a Poké Ball transporter and activated it, transporting the Poké Ball all the way to Kanto, even separated by waters. In just a few seconds, it arrived at Celadon City's Pokémon Center and Rico received the Poké Ball quickly, saying thank you to him for it.

"You're welcome, Titus," Campillo responded back brightly. "Well, good luck with Starly. And be safe as well;" he then ended his conversation with Rico. Happy that he had his Starly back, Rico ran outside happily.

"Hi there, Starly!" Rico happily greeted it. "How are you!" Starly then happily responded in greeting. Rico then called the rest of his Pokémon team out, and they stepped into the scene in both seriousness and happiness.

"Hey, everyone, don't you remember Starly?" Rico asked them brightly. Upon seeing Starly, they responded by greeting it with a happy welcome. Starly then greeted them back. Rico was happy with this, smiling in reuniting his team. Shortly thereafter, Starly is showing its moves towards its team and Trainer by using Gust on a pile of fallen leaves, spreading them in all directions in a small diameter. This amazes them, with Rico commenting, "Wow! Starly, your move got a lot stronger than before!" Lucario and Litleo then responded with amazement. Starly then landed back on the ground and bowed, like an actor after a play was finished, as they applause its performance.

Meanwhile, back at the city, Ash was wondering where Rico went, and began to search for him, along with Pikachu and Serena.

Back at the forest, suddenly, Red Eye and his team, on their Z.Z. Flyers, intervened Rico's big space and greeted him and his team, "Hi there, meddling kid." Hearing him and became alerted that it was Red Eye, Rico and his team turned around to see them in serious resentment.

"Red Eye!" Rico responded back. "Not you again!"

"That's right," retorted Red Eye in style.

"We won't leave unless we had your precious Lucario," his female grunt added in style.

"Then we won't let you do that!" Rico exclaimed in resentment. His team then responded with resentment and agreement with their beloved Trainer. Angered by this rebellious response, Red Eye retorted, "Alright, that's it! Then a battle will deter!" He them called his Cranidos, and it stepped into battle seriously, so as to his grunts calling their Pokémon, a Vanilluxe and a Geodude. Now, three Pokémon are against a slightly bigger number of Pokémon. The battle was serious and at odds.

Then, as the sun rises towards the center of the day, the battle had began.

"Cranidos, use Zen Headbutt!" Red Eye commanded Cranidos. Cranidos the used Zen Headbutt, focusing its willpower to its head and rams towards Lucario and Litleo.

"Quickly, Lucario, use Force Palm!" Rico seriously commanded Lucario. Lucario then used Force Palm, running up to Cranidos and puts its palm on it. It then fires a huge light green blast from its paw at it, intercepting Cranidos' attack and went back to its Trainer's side in cool action. Cranidos got blasted back in great injury.

"Ugh! What?" Red Eye commented in disgruntled.

"Don't worry, sir, we got this!" one of his grunts responded. Then to his Pokémon," Vanilluxe, use Ice Beam!" Vanilluxe then used Ice Beam, striking Prinplup and Starly with an icy beam of energy, freezing them in a big block of ice, narrowing Rico's team to two.

"Oh, no," Rico responded in alert, "Starly and Prinplup are frozen!" Then to Litleo seriously, "Litleo, use your Flamethrower and melt the ice!" Litleo then seriously nodded to say yes and went to used Flamethrower on the frozen Pokémon, slowly melting the ice.

"Ha! Now your Pokémon is just two!" Red Eye retorted like a psycho villain. " You're going down, kid!" Rico and his remaining Pokémon became more serious and well alert.

"How I supposed to defeat them?" Rico thought seriously. "If I lose, Lucario is gone!"

In the meantime, Ash and his team are searching in the woods for Rico.

"Where is he?" Ash wonders where. Then, his Pikachu noticed something's hovering over some trees, and reports it to Ash.

"What did you see, Pikachu?" Ash asked it in response. Serena then pointed towards the distance Pikachu seen. Seeing the criminals on Z.Z. Flyers and quickly recognized them as Red Eye and his team, Ash became alerted and said to them, "It's... It's Red Eye! I think they're attacking Rico! We have to stop them!" His group then got really alerted and agreed with him, so they and Ash ran towards the scene. Will they help Rico and his team and defeat Red Eye and his team of criminals?