The Challenger Returns
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Sinnoh Remakes would be confirmed already.
So, welcome to a brand new story that I've been working on. I'm putting my other stories on hold (namely Ascension) to work on this because I've been wanting to publish this story for a while. Anyway, this will be an Ash returns fanfic, heavily inspired by Younger P's "Revival at the Champion's League," one of my all time favorite stories on fanfiction. The reason why is because that is probably the only story which conveys Ash and everybody else's character seriously, so no OP Ash wins everything and betrayal or anything like that.
By the way, there will be some Serena bashing because I personally think Pearshipping to be superior to Amour, and Serena seems like a desperate character anyway so she's perfect for the role I've given her (Serena fans plz don't hate me for this). But I'm not going to have her be a bad character at all, just some minor hate. Also, Ash will not be overpowered or cold towards his friends and deathly serious. He is the same Ash we all know and love (and apparently hate), but he isn't as dense and is just usually quiet, like our favorite red capped game protagonist from Pallet Town.
BTW, I'm looking for some OC's as well, so if you guys want your OC to be featured in this story, please leave this information in your reviews:
OC Name
Full Party Pokemon (In some battles, there will only be 3 Pokemon used, so leave your desired choices as the first three in the party).
Personality: A brief description of how your OC should act in the story, whether if their good sports and determined trainers or just cold hearted jerks who know nothing except for how to be a douchebag.
Appearance: Well, I need to know how they look. Don't be too detailed, just list the clothes, hair style, eyes and skin color.
That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoy the story! Remember to leave reviews!
~xXx~
Full summary: A loss can sometimes change a person. After Ash Ketchum mysteriously disappeared without a trace, his friends and family were left absolutely devastated. 3 years later, a tournament is being held in the exotic Dahara City, located in the faraway lands of the Kalos Region. Serving as the world's biggest event ever, trainers of all kind will be pit against each other in a battle for the best. Only the strongest of the strong can survive and go through the grueling journey. At first, entering the tournament seemed fun and worth a try, but when the missing trainer from Pallet Town returns to claim his place as the Pokemon Master, everyone has their mind set on finding their long lost friend. However, the Ash they once knew has completely changed and no one knows why. Along with old feelings resurfaced, ambitious rivals, and a dark plot endangering the lives of many, Ash and his friends are in for the toughest battles of their lives...
Normal talk
Thoughts/Letters/Announcements/Flashbacks
Pokemon talk
Talking through aura/psychic ability
~xXx~
~[Chapter 1: New Beginnings]~
-Lumiose Conference-
-3 Years Ago-
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Trainer send out your last Pokemon!" the announcer's voice boomed throughout the stadium. The Pikachu's trainer ran to the middle of the field where the mouse lay and picked it up, cradling it in his arms and thanking it for a good job. He walked back to his end of the field and threw out a Poke Ball.
"Greninja, let's go!" A blue, bipedal frog like Pokemon appeared on the field, letting out a determined "Gren!" at the sight of his opponent. The trainer and the Pokemon appeared to be in sync as they stared at their opponent across the field, fixing them with a determined glare.
The boy threw his palm out and shouted, "Water Shuriken!" Greninja gathered up water in its hands, shaping it to a large ninja star and chucking it at its opponent.
"Charizard, smash that Water Shuriken with Dragon Claw!" the opposing trainer shouted. The black and blue dragon let out a low growl before rearing its arm back and swinging its teal glowing claw, completely smashing the Water Shuriken apart leaving it unharmed. "Now, take to the skies and use Dragon Pulse!"
"Greninja, dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" the trainer shouted. The ninja frog launched forward, running on the ground at breakneck speed with its arms behind its back and leaping up, avoiding the purple beam of draconic energy that crashed down where it stood just a second ago.
"Grennnn...JA!" Greninja exclaimed as it flipped over and kicked out with its feet, letting a blade of aerial energy fly toward Charizard, who swerved out of the way. The black and blue colored drake regained its previous position, hovering over the ground with its strong wings.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" the opposing trainer called out with a pump of his fist. Charizard reared its head back, gathering as much as hot flames as it could, then threw it forward and letting a volley of searing hot fire that soared towards Greninja at insane speed. That attack alone looked like it could do alot of damage, but the Greninja's trainer was ready.
"Dodge it!" he shouted and the Water type rolled out of the way as the flames crashed down on the ground, exploding and leaving a small, smoking crater in their wake. The Greninja stood up straight as it nodded to its trainer, who now stood in a similar position.
"Greninja!" The trainer seemed to be concentrating hard on something. "We'll get stronger! Together, nothing can stop us!"
"GRENNNINJAA!" Greninja shouted, crossing its arms just like its trainer. A veil of water suddenly covered the ninja frog and its trainer had a blue aura glowing around him. Many audible gasps were heard throughout the stadium as the transformation finally finished.
The veil of water dissapeared and revealed Greninja standing in a different form. The most notable thing about the form was the large shuriken made out of water on its back.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken then get in close with Night Slash!" the trainer shouted, making a throwing motion with his arm. In its new form, Greninja appeared to be more enhanced with speed and durability, as it concentrated enough water in its palms to create two large shurikens which were promptly chucked at Charizard at the same time, and then dashed towards the Fire type forming two purple glowing blades in its hands.
His opponent smirked. "Pretty clever, but don't think we'll go down that easily! Fire Blast, then meet Greninja head on with Dragon Claw!" Charizard growled an affirmative and blasted a large, star shaped fireball that flew towards the middle of the stadium and met head on with the twin Water Shurikens. Charizard then flew through the smoke and was face to face with Greninja, lashing out at the Water type with its teal glowing claws, which were each parried with the frog's purple blades.
The two kept trading blows like this for a good amount of time until it eventually led to a pushing contest with the attacks clashing together and remaining in one place. The two Pokemon tried to overcome the other with all their strength, looking each other in the eyes with nothing but pure determination.
"What an amazing battle we have so far, ladies and gentlemen! Both Pokemon here are very strong and neither are willing to give up! Who will go down first?!"
The announcer's words seem to spark something inside the two Pokemon. They both roared and leapt back, glaring at each other. They were going to finish the battle right here and one of them was going to emerge victorious no matter what.
"Dragon Claw!" "Night Slash!"
Charizard and Greninja raced toward each other, brandishing their choice of attack in their hands. The two clashed again, both swiping and dodging each strike with skill. The announcer's voice rang out again, shouting something about an incredibly intense sword fight. The two broke away, and lunged at each other again eager to repeat the same process.
"Greninja, get 'im with False Swipe!" the trainer suddenly shouted, much to their opponent's surprise. As the two Pokemon reached each other, Charizard lashed out with Dragon Claw but Greninja instead ducked and delivered a haymaker to the Fire type's chin with a white blade of energy.
Charizard lurched back, apparently caught off guard by the sudden surprise attack and the trainer jumped to his chance. "Now give him a good ol' Water Shuriken!" Greninja then gathered up the ninja star in its hand and lunged at the dazed Charizard.
"Charizard, block it!" its trainer desperately called out. It was no use however, as Greninja proved to be much faster and smashed the Water Shuriken into Charizard, sending the drake stumbling back. The Fire type let out a cry of pain as the super effective attack sunk in and did its damage.
The trainer wasn't done however. "Quick, use Aqua Jet!" In the blink of an eye, Greninja had shot toward Charizard while surrounded by a veil of water and slammed into its side, making it stagger in the opposing direction. The Fire type seemed to be in great pain and fatigue was slowly catching up from the past two exhausting battles it had before this.
"Charizard, pull yourself together!" the trainer called out, noticing its slouching position. "Come on, fight back with Dragon Tail!"
"Jump over it and use Night Slash!" came the reply. Charizard's tail had a mystical teal glow to it as it was whipped around in an effort to slam into Greninja, but the Water type had jumped over it and landed on the ground.
With a shout, Greninja leaped towards a surprised Charizard and slammed the purple blade onto its face, earning a agonizing "CHAAARR!" in response.
~xXx~
-Pallet Town-
-Kanto Region-
"YES! GO ASH, YOU CAN DO IT!"
The blue haired girl, who had sprung out of her seat all of a sudden, let out an excited shout surprising everybody else in the room. The TV in front of them displayed the intense battle with Greninja viciously slashing Charizard across the face. It had certainly left quite an impact to everyone watching because that looked like it hurt.
"Pip lup?!" the little blue penguin, who was seated comfortably on the girl's lap, was promptly knocked off by the girl's action. It got back up and angrily looked at its trainer, shouting out a stream of curses.
A girl wearing an orange tank top and a large headband on her brunette hair stood up, placing a hand on the blunette's shoulder. She looked about the same age and wore a solemn expression on her face. "Dawn, what are you doing? That's from 3 years ago, not now."
Dawn immediatly recognized what she was doing and embarassingly looked down. "R-right. Sorry, it's just an old habit." Her face had gone from excited to somber.
The brunette sadly smiled. "It's fine. I know how much you cheered for him. We all miss him." The two girls sat down with miserable looks on their faces.
A tan skinned, squinty eyed man frowned as he noticed their sudden mood. "Dawn, May, are you two okay?"
The brunette, May, smiled at him. "We're fine, Brock. You know, just...thinking about him."
Brock nodded, his face now also wearing the same expression. "Yeah, I am too. It's been so long."
"Ahem!" The three looked towards a girl with orange hair that barely reached to her shoulders. She wore a cream colored cardigan over a white shirt and ripped up blue jeans. "We all miss him and it hurts us equally. But we can't just sit around and mope about it."
"She's right," a boy with blond hair and glasses spoke up, everybody looking at him now. "We did that when we first found out what happened. Now we have to move on and not think about it." However, the boy clearly wore the same exact expression as everybody else.
"Misty and Clemont are right," a tan skinned girl spoke up. Her wild purple hair definitely made her stand out from the group. "Sitting around and thinking about it isn't going to do anything. We need to move on and focus on the future."
"Nice motivational words, Iris," the green haired boy next to May chuckled. "She's right though. With Ash not here with us, it will be hard for us to forget this happened but we need to try."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Brock chuckled. Dawn sadly looked at the TV, which now showed Charizard slamming Greninja down on the ground hard, leaving the frog unmoving. How the battle had turned around so quickly was something no one had an answer to. All they could do was watch as the trainer with the cap ran out on the field and kneeling down next to the frog.
"Greninja is unable to battle! The winner of the Lumiose Conference is Alain and his Mega Charizard X!" The announcer's voice seemed like a stab in the heart for Dawn. 'That was the last time we heard from him,' she thought. She looked at the rolled up letter in her right hand, the sole reason for her to be here right now.
She, along with her friends, had received a invitation from the Pokemon League saying that they were invited to take part in the biggest tournament of history, The Master League. The tournament was said to be used to determine the next Pokemon Master, as only the world's strongest trainers were allowed to compete. Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Frontier Brains, and even Champions competed as well, making the tournament far more difficult. The unique thing about this tournament was that you didn't only have to be a trainer, but rather people of other professions could participate as well such as Coordinators, Performers, Researchers, etc. Hence, that was the reason for why an aspiring Top Coordinator like her was taking part in such a large event.
She and her friends had all found out and had planned to gather somewhere together before the tournament started so that they could train together. Delia Ketchum, the mother of Ash had suggested that they all stay at her house for the well being.
But that wasn't the only reason and everybody knew why. Delia had invited them all because of the loneliness she felt nowadays. After all, it had been a year since the woman had gotten out of her depression.
The core reason for this was none other than their old friend, the son of Delia. Ash Ketchum, a strong trainer and probably the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Nobody knew why or what happened, but it was after the Kalos League, which was coming on TV as a rerun that the group decided to watch. Ash had been a runner up, having made it all the way to the finals where he almost won but ended up losing. He had been so close, so close to achieving his dream only to have it snatched away by his incredibly strong opponent, Alain.
Dawn would never forget the defeated look she saw on the trainer's face as he left the stadium. Even though she had been at her home watching it on live television, she had an urge to go running after her friend and telling him to come back. It was after that everything went downhill. Ash had suddenly vanished without a trace, went completely off the radar. His Kalos companions found all his stuff gone from his hotel room, which was a mess at that time. They had spent so long looking for him, but no one had heard from the Pallet Town native. The only lead Dawn and everybody else had was the fact that a few of his Pokemon had also disappeared as well from Professor Oak's lab. Like trainer, the Pokemon had all vanished as well. When asking the other Pokemon, namely Bulbasaur who was known to be a leader figure amongst everybody, all they got was nothing as they didn't even know what happened.
That was 3 years ago. Since then, some people considered him dead while the rest like Dawn and her friends knew he was still out there. And no matter what happens, they would be waiting to welcome him back.
Dawn looked at her friends and held up the letter. "So, is everybody ready for this? With all the time we've spent training, I think we can handle it."
"You are damn right, Dawn," Misty said holding up a Poke Ball. "I've been waiting for this for a long time now. I haven't had a good battle at my gym for a while now, but I know the trainers over there will definitely give me a run for my money."
A younger boy with glasses chuckled as he stood up. "You can say that, but we all know that I'm gonna beat you! I've built up an arsenal of strategies that no one can break through easily. My Pokemon are gonna floor the competition!"
Misty smirked at the boy. "Oh yeah? And what happened the last time we battled, Mr. Strategy?"
The boy fumed. "That was luck! Luck, I say! Battle me right now and you'll see what I-OW!" The boy rubbed his head and glared at May, who had her hands on her hips. "What the heck, sis?"
"I've told you so many times, Max not to brag like that! It's annoying!" May exclaimed.
"Yeah, don't make promises you can't keep!" Misty added in a teasing tone.
"Oooooh! Now you've done it!" Max shouted. "I'm gonna make you eat those words, Misty! Your Water Pokemon are nothing compared to my diverse team!"
Misty scowled. "Excuse me, but my Water Pokemon can easily crush your team! Just ask Gyarados and Starmie!"
Max snorted, pushing up his glasses. "That was when I underestimated you. Now I know exactly how you battle, so beating you will be a piece of cake!"
"Max, calm down," the green haired boy suddenly said. He flipped his hair and smirked. "You started your journey last year and made it to the Top 8 in the Hoenn League. While that is impressive, you are still no where on Misty's level of expertise."
Max glared at the boy while Misty nodded. "Damn right, Drew. I may only use Water type Pokemon, but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover."
"Yeah, okay we all know how strong you are Misty," Max rolled his eyes. "You clearly proved that when you lost to Gary's Electivire." Misty scowled.
"He had the type advantage!"
"So? Type advantages mean nothing! It's the trainer that has to think, which you clearly don't know what that means!"
"I'd like to see how long you last in a battle against someone like Gary. He'd use his weakest Pokemon and still sweep your entire team!"
"How would you know, huh?!"
"Because your snobbish and 'know it all' attitude would get you nowhere!"
"Oh yeah? Well you're an ugly spoiled princess who only knows how to whine and scream with your big mouth!"
"Why, you little brat!"
Everybody sweatdropped as the two started going back and forth with numerous insults aimed at each other. This was normal by now, but it was still something to think about.
"Why do I even bother?" May groaned, flopping down on the couch in defeat. Drew smirked. "You're gonna have to get used to it now, June. This banter isn't going anywhere for a while!"
A tick mark formed on May's forehead as she gave Drew a solid death glare. "How many times do I have to effing tell you that my name is-"
"I know what you're name is, April," Drew said not appearing to be afraid of the now red faced girl practically fuming from her ears. "You don't have to remind me."
"Why you-" May started, but the sudden excited shout of someone entering the room stopped her.
"Guys, guys! I finally found it!" A blonde haired girl, roughly about Max's age happily exclaimed from the doorway, holding a large box of said desert. Next to her stood an older, long blond haired girl who sheepishly smiled.
"Bonnie!" Clemont yelped. "I told you not to have anymore ice cream! Save some for us at least!" Bonnie gave him a deadpan expression. "By us, you mean yourself don't you big brother? Well, I have news for you. I'm gonna finish this ice cream right here in front of your eyes and you can't do anything to stop me! This is revenge for finishing the rest of my favorite cereal!"
"De denn!" Dedenne, small yellow mouse, poked its head from atop Bonnie's head and happily exclaimed.
Clemont was forced to watch with pain as the younger girl opened up the box and took out a spoon, devouring the deicious ice cream while he internally screamed. The older girl next to Bonnie nervously laughed and sheepishly looked at the blond boy. "Sorry Clemont, but she wouldn't listen to me no matter what."
"Serena, how could you?!" Clemont wailed. Serena apologetically smiled. Dawn sighed as she looked around the room, which was now noisy due to the loud bickering between Misty, Max, May and Drew.
"What a bunch of little kids," she heard Iris mutter and Dawn could only sweatdrop. Brock then turned to the last person in the room who hadn't spoken yet. Although he had changed over the years, seeing him so quiet was pretty unusual. Then again, Brock knew how much the boy had been affected by Ash's disappearance. Despite that however, the brown spiky haired boy had always been the strongest of the group, helping to pull them through the tough times.
"Hey Gary, what's up?" Brock asked. Gary didn't seem to be paying attention to what was happening around him. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the TV, which was showing the winning hit for the match. Charizard could be seen brutally knocking Greninja off him, then grabbing it by the neck and slamming it to the ground with all its strength.
Gary sighed. "Nothing, Brock. It's just that seeing this reminds me how much I've come so far. You know, since I left all that researcher stuff behind and got back to my old roots." Ever since Ash had disappeared, Gary had felt the need to go back to being a trainer and pursue his old dream of becoming a Pokemon Master himself. He had quit being a researcher and was now a full time trainer, having travelled around various parts of the world and recently returning from the Sevii Islands to take part in the Master League.
"I understand," Brock nodded. "It's not easy to change your goals and what you want to do. I learned that when I quit being a Gym Leader and had my brother take over."
Gary chuckled. "You can say that again. Anyway, you're filling in your brother's role for the tournament, right?"
"Yup. Forrest is sick and won't be able to battle, and since no one else in my family has that kind of experience, he asked me to take his spot for me." Come to think of it, it actually felt good to take the role of a Gym Leader again, even if it was only temporary. Brock was looking forward to battling the many strong trainers and use his old skills as a Gym Leader to help him win.
"Don't think that just because you two used to be strong trainers before that this will be easy," Iris remarked. "I'm in this too and my team has grown stronger over the past few years."
"Oh, we know that," Gary said. Iris had been training non stop for this tournament and she was now the second strongest trainer in their group, being only behind the more experience Gary. Behind them in third was Misty, though Max had promised that he would take her place.
"Well, you guys are lucky that you're trainers," Dawn said. "I'm a Coordinator! I don't have the kind of experience to face people like Lance or Cynthia!"
"Even if you're a Coordinator, you'll do fine," Iris said. "There's going to be other Coordinators there as well and knowing you, you'll sweep them off their feet, Dawn!"
"Yeah, don't be nervous," Gary said as he put an arm over her shoulder, causing her to blush. "Remember what I taught you."
"Yeah, I know," Dawn said. She rested her head on Gary's shoulder and smiled at him. "Thanks Gary." Gary nodded at her and smiled back. Iris smiled at the sight while Brock silently weeped about him not finding anyone to love. Gary and Dawn had began dating a few months ago, when they first received their invitations for the tournament. Gary had asked her out one evening while the two were out for a walk and she had agreed. Gary had even offered to train her personally and help her Pokemon grow stronger. Their relationship could be described as nothing but great.
"Ah, you two are inseperable, I can't tell!" Brock said. He looked over at the others and sighed. "If only the same could be said about the two loud females over there."
Immediatly, the bickering stopped and all eyes were on Brock. Said man looked confused but then noticed his impending doom for the first time.
"What did you say?" May seethed, her face more red than the top half of a Poke Ball.
"Yeah, what did you say Brock?" Misty hissed in a dangerously low voice, her face nothing more than pure irritation. The two females towered over him, giving him a look that would give even Darkrai the worst nightmare.
Brock had never been so terrified in his life.
"U-um, I-I just...uh...y-you know," Brock nervously gulped. Honestly, he'd rather have Croagunk give him a billion Poison Jabs than go through this right now. It was like looking at the face of death itself, but maybe a little worse.
Max snickered. "Looks like Brock is done for." May whipped her head around and gave him a death glare, causing him to yelp. "Max. Don't. You. Dare."
Max gulped and shrunk back, internally screaming his head off. 'Oh no, I just had to go and say it, didn't I? I'm so done for! Oh Great Jirachi, how I beg of your forgiveness for this one and help me get out of here PLEEEASE!'
Luckily for Brock and Max, their saviour arrived just in time. Delia hummed as she walked into the room, holding a large suitcase and followed by Mr. Mime, aka Mimey.
"Is everyone ready to go?!" she asked in her usual cheery voice. She noticed the steam practically coming out from Misty and May and the white faces of Brock and Max. "Am I interupting anything?"
Misty sighed and put on a smile. "No Delia, it's fine. We were just getting ready to leave, right?" She emphasized that last part, sneaking a glare at the two cowering males. Brock and Max quickly nodded.
"Yup, everything's fine!" Max squeaked. Brock didn't even say anything. Delia shrugged. "Well, get your stuff everyone. Samuel and Tracey are waiting for us at the lab!"
"Right!" Everyone got up and went to go get their stuff while Delia left. Dawn smiled apologetically at Piplup, whom she had knocked down again with her pink suitcase. Needless to say, the Water type was practically reading out a paragraph of curses at his trainer. Gary had a blue backpack on and carried a suitcase with him as well. He slung a pair of blue headphones around his neck and headed out the door, followed by Iris, Dawn, Drew, and Serena. Misty and May left with Clemont and Bonnie right after, leaving the two remaining in the room.
Max let out a sigh of relief. "I have never been so traumatized in my life."
Brock nodded. "You are right about that."
~xXx~
-Pokemon League Building-
-Kalos Region-
Scott sighed as he made his way through the large, fancy halls of the Kalos Pokemon League Buiding. These past few weeks had been exhausting for Scott. The man had to travel to all the regions and prepare for the upcoming tournament, all in a short amount of time. Now, it was only a matter of a week, and then it would begin.
"When this is all over, I'm gonna head back to my villa and live off the next few months on my couch," the man muttered as he rubbed his eyes, which were hidden by the sunglasses he wore. Right now, he was supposed to attend a meeting with all the regional champions and the president of the League, Mr. Goodshow, to discuss the current situation of the Master League. The meeting was held in the Kalos League Building, due to the tournament's location in another part of Kalos, Dahara City. He didn't know why, but Dahara City seemed like the perfect place to build the Champion's Plateau since it was a great tourist attraction. Of course, it didn't seem like it was that long but then again, 10 years was something.
Scott opened up the large double doors, and made his way inside an incredibly spacious meeting room. The room itself consisted of a large, fancy oval shaped table in the middle of the room, which was occupied by everyone else. On the other side of the table, a large holographic screen sat displaying a large building in the middle of a huge city. The building's roof had see through glass, so a large stadium with many neon lights could be seen inside the building's top floor. Back to the room, there was a another fancy table, though smaller, on the side of room which held many foods and beverages. And on the right side was a wall full of windows that held a great view of the region itself. Not to mention, the room's walls were filled with various old paintings.
Scott made his way to the remaining seat on the table, which was occupied by other people. He sat besides an old man on the front of the table and the rest of the seats were on the side, taken by none other than the regional champions. Lance, the spiky red haired, cape wearing Dragon Master who was the champion of both the regions of Kanto and Johto, and also former Pokemon Master. Cynthia, the beautiful blond haired woman, wearing a black coat, champion of the Sinnoh region and also the current Pokemon Master. Steven, the young blue haired man, wearing a formal suit, former champion of the Hoenn region. Wallace, the green haired man, wearing a rather flashy outfit and former Contest Master and current Hoenn Champion. Alder, the flamed haired old man, wearing an old aged outfit and former champion of the Unova region. Hilda, the young brunette girl, wearing a normal teenager outfit and current Unova champion. Finally, Diantha, the marvelous actress, wearing a fancy and luxurious outfit, champion of Kalos. All of them were known to be the strongest trainers in the world and were highly respected. Each of them maintained and helped control their regions and help it grow powerful.
"So," Scott looked at the old man besides him. "Let's get this meeting started, shall we Mr. Goodshow?" Charles Goodshow was the president of the Pokemon League and like the champions, was highly respected. Though due to old age, he would be retiring from his position soon. He nodded. "Indeed. Let's start by discussing last year's tournament. Cynthia, you are now the current Pokemon Master after you beat Lance last year in the finals."
"That is correct," the Sinnoh champion replied. "Though it was a very close match between my Garchomp and Lance's Dragonite." The spiky red haired champion silently nodded. Lance had been the former master and held that position for a good four years before he barely lost to Cynthia last year. Despite the fact that his streak had ended, Lance was proud and had high respect for the Sinnoh champion.
Scott cleared his throat. "Alright, so let's see what we got so far. Since this is supposed to be for the strongest trainers in the world only, we have sent out invitations to those who have made great achievements so far and have been heard of around the world. This includes league winners, runner up, Coordinators, you know what I mean. Anyway, the total number of people participating, including the league members, are 256. So, what's the plan?"
"256 isn't exactly the biggest number of people, but only the strongest are to take part in this so it makes sense," Steven said. "We have the preliminary rounds first, right? And even us champions take part in them?"
"Correct," Scott said. "The reason why is to see if these people we've invited are prepared for battles like this. That's why we've shut down all gyms and other events temporarily until this event is over."
"What about the trainer placements?" Diantha asked. "Surely we have to be fair on this, as pitting us champions against a mere trainer in the preliminaries itself wouldn't be fair to the trainer, who had little time to prepare."
"Correct. That's why you champions will be facing off against the toughest opponents in the beginning," Scott said. "For example, we've got league winners like Tobias, who uses legendary Pokemon competing. He once almost beat the Sinnoh Elite Four, but it was Cynthia who ended his streak. So you will all be facing people like Tobias or you might even face each other in the preliminaries itself."
The champions looked at each other at the sound of that. Despite the friendly atmosphere, one could see the determination that sparked in everyone's eyes, even the lazy Alder.
"Huh, that sounds pretty fair to me," Hilda said. She looked at her fellow champions. "What about you guys?"
"I think it's good," Cynthia said.
"Fine by me. I just want to go out there and battle," Alder gruffly said.
"Of course. Everyone should be given a fair chance," Wallace nodded.
Steven looked at the screen. "And what a beautiful place to hold this tournament. That tower, it's the tallest in the world, right?"
"That's right, Steven. Heaven's Summit is the talles tower built in the world and has a huge stadium inside the top floor," Diantha explained. She smirked. "Not something you'd find in Hoenn, no?"
Steven smirked back. Hilda looked between the two and held back a snicker. 'Those two...they go so well yet they don't realize how they feel about each other.'
"The financial situation shouldn't be a problem as well, considering how much money we have," Alder said. Scott nodded. "Correct. However, the problem isn't the money rather it's you guys."
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Goodshow decided to take over. "We know how dedicated you each are to your position as champion and how proudly you hold it. I can see you all have great qualities and sportmanship and like to play fair. However I should tell you that in this tournament, do no, and I repeat, DO NOT, hold back your strength on anyone at all. You need to give it your all and show everyone why you're champions!"
Everyone seemed surprised for a second before Lance finally spoke up. "We understand what you mean. This tournament is only for the strongest and I promise to not hold back at all."
"I agree. My beautiful Pokemon will bring havoc upon the challengers!" Wallace exclaimed.
"As Pokemon Master, I will show my full strength and not let my opponent think for even a second that they have the battle in their hands," Cynthia said. She got agreements from the rest of the champions, making Goodshow nod his head in a pleased way.
Scott turned around and gazed at the screen, which was now showing the interior of the building: the stadium.
"This is going to be one hell of a tournament."
~xXx~
-Veilstone City-
-Sinnoh Region-
Paul stood in place, watching the two Pokemon in front of his battle out with their full strength. His arms were crossed and his usual stoic expression never ceased to intimidate anyone. His eyebrows furrowed as the two Pokemon, who were locked in a pushing contest, broke away and stood in one place panting heavily.
"Come on, you could do better than that! The tournament is within a week and you two need to work on your power!" Electivire and Magmortar, who had been sparring for the past two hours, nodded in understanding and lunged at each other again. Both Pokemon had numerous cuts and scratches, their bodies dirtied and beat up.
Despite this, neither showed any signs of giving up. Electivire growled, his fists both crackling with electricity. Magmortar micmiked his expression, his dual arm cannons igniting in red hot flames. The two jumped at each other, rearing their arms back and punching forward, both Thunder Punch and Fire Punch colliding with each other. The two pushed with all their strength and appeared evenly matched. Paul nodded in approval. Other than his faithful Torterra, Magmortar was the only one out of all his Pokemon who could even up with Electivire in terms of raw strength. Not even Ursaring, who was known to be a tank in the team.
Ever since he'd received the invitation to the Master League, Paul had been training nonstop knowing he would have to pull all punches if he ever wanted to win. Only the strongest trainers would be allowed to compete and Paul knew none of them would be easy to beat. After his journey in Sinnoh, Paul had softened up and changed his ways on training his Pokemon. He no longer pushed them past their limits and formed a deep bond with them, though he never showed it. Despite changing his ways, Paul's training regiment was still rough.
"ELLLEEECTA!" Electivire managed to overpower Magmortar and crash his electrified fist into the Blast Pokemon's face, sending him stumbling back in pain. The Fire type trembled as the electricity did its work. Electivire held out a palm and a ball of electricity began to form. Magmortar scowled and tried to move out of the way, but fatigue caught up and he collapsed onto his knees in exhaustion. Electivire was about to finish him off before Paul's voice broke out.
"Enough!" The Electro Ball dissipated and Magmortar was helped to his feet by the Pokemon he just fought. The two exchanged a brief nod as Paul made his way over to them.
"Good work. Your defense and speed has greatly improved, Magmortar. Your attack was already strong enough but that's increased as well," Paul commended. "You are definitely strong enough to be on my main team." Magmortar saluted him and felt excitement in his body. Paul had been training very hard in order to select the main team he would use in the tournament and Magmortar was the third to earn his position, the other two being Electivire and Torterra.
"Paul!" Said teenager turned around to see his older brother Reggie waving at him. "Let's go! Our flight is in two hours and we have to be at the airport in one! Hurry it up!"
Paul nodded and returned the two Pokemon inside their Poke Balls, clipping them onto the belt where four other Poke Balls remained. He followed his brother inside the house and grabbed his bag. Paul's eyebrows narrowed, thinking about the tournament. Of course, achieving his dream wasn't the only reason he was participating. No, the main reason was that he would be there. After all, it had been 3 years since he was missing and there was no way he would turn down something as big as this.
"You better be here, Ash," Paul growled. He wasn't one to be concerned so easily, but 3 years was a long time. "I've been waiting a long time for a rematch."
~Team Rocket Base~
~Unknown Location~
"Ooh, what could da boss want now?"
"Maybe he might be giving us the promotion we've desired for a long time! We have showed progress in our work so far!"
"Don't be stupid, you two. The boss is probably going to yell at us for that little incident you two caused."
"Aw, but it wasn't even our fault!"
"Oh reaallly now? If I remember correctly, it was YOU two who were in charge of the machine while I did the talking! It was your fault that the damn thing broke and we lost all those Pokemon we were going to capture! Not to mention that we have the police hounding after us because of that!"
"Oh come on Jess! How was we suppose' ta know how dat thing turned on in da first place? 'Sides, it was James who bumped in ta me!"
"Don't go putting the blame on me, Meowth! You were the one who got all angry and tried to attack me in the first place! You're equally at fault too!"
"You stepped on my tail! Do ya know how sensitive a cat's tail is?! And you were da one who 'accidentally' flicked da switch!"
"Well you shoul've warned me!"
"Warned ya?! How was I supposed ta warn ya?!"
"BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT UP OR I'LL TEAR YOU TWO APART LIMB FROM LIMG AND FEED YOU TO A PACK HOUNDOOM!"
James and Meowth jumped from their partner's loud voice, not expecting it to come out of nowhere.
"Was it neccesary to be graphic, Jessie?" James sighed. He hadn't even noticed the apparent danger he had walked into. Meowth had noticed and elbowed James sharply before moving away, not wanting to feel the oncoming wrath.
Jessie slowly turned around, a huge tick mark already on her forehead as she hissed at the now cowering James. "Are you seriously testing me right now, you pompious little gnat?!"
"N-n-no m-m-ma'am...," James muttered in fear. His life was flashing before his eyes right now.
Not wanting to see his partner die today, Meowth stepped up and quickly disfused the bomb. "Uh guys, let's not keep the boss waiting! If he's already mad at us, let's not make it worse!"
Jessie abruptly turned around and walked off, letting James deflate like a balloon as he let out all the breath he held in. Meowth tapped him on the shoulder. "Next time, remember not ta say anything when she's mad." James gave him a look that read "You think?!" and followed after Jessie.
The three entered a dimly lit room where a bunch of other people were standing around, in front of a large desk. They walked over and stood beside two people who looked about their age. A blond woman and a green haired man.
"Late as always, filth," the woman smirked. Jessie scowled. "Not now Cassidy. Unless you're asking for a death wish." She made a silent motion towards the man sitting behind the desk, shutting the blond up. The green haired man, Butch, smirked and shook his head.
Other than the five of them, there was also another blond haired woman, Domino, a teal haired man in the black Rocket outfit, Proton, a violet haired man in similar clothing, Petrel, a red haired woman in a white suit, Ariana, and another teal haired man in a white suit that seemed to be the leader, Archer. Then there was their boss of course, known as Giovanni.
"Well, now that everyone's here let's get right down to business," Giovanni spoke in a cold voice. He was dressed in a formal suit under a large trench coat and wore a hat that covered his eyes. A Persian was curled up on the floor, looking at everyone. Giovanni held up a letter that had the symbol of the Pokemon League on it. "As you know, the League doesn't know me as the leader of Team Rocket and merely as the Viridian Gym Leader. Therefore, I have received an invitation to take part in their little tournament."
"The Master League?" Archer asked. "Yes. Now, I am going to participate and fill my role as the Gym Leader, but I have a job for you guys," Giovanni replied.
"Well, what is it?" Ariana asked. "Whatever it is, we'll be sure to do it."
"I'm sure you will. You guys are aware that the winner of the tournament is awared the title of Pokemon Master and an incredible amount of prize money that basically makes them the richest person in the world."
Everyone's eyes grew wide at that. "What's the amount?" Proton asked with more interest.
Giovanni smirked. "100 Billion Pokedollars." Many gasps were heard around the room. "However, as strong of a Gym Leader I may, even I have my weaknesses and the fact that there are champions that are competing too, there is almost no way I would win. Which is why we do something about it."
"You mean steal it," Petrel said. "It should be a piece of cake. We've never failed to rob anything."
"But this is literally hosted by the ENTIRE Pokemon League," Domino said. "The security will be absolute hell to get through! And if we're caught, it's all over!"
"I agree with Ms. Domino, Boss," Archer said sullenly. "Think about it. It's the biggest event in the world and with that kind of money, there's no doubt that there will be far more advanced security then we ever imagined. It is next to impossible!"
Giovanni smirked. "My friend, NOTHING is impossible. And besides, the money is not the only thing I'm going for. There will be many strong Pokemon there since this is only for the strongest trainers. If we get our hands on the Pokemon AND the money, then Team Rocket will be unstoppable!"
Archer and Domino looked like they were about to protest, but Giovanni held up a hand. "And don't worry, I've already got a plan. A flawless one too." The executive and agent looked at each other in confusion like everyone else as Giovanni faced the large holographic computer behind him and typed in a few words. Everybody's eyes widened as they saw the massive holographic building where the tournament would take place. There were many marks and words written around the building.
Giovanni faced everyone. "This is the Heaven's Summit, the tallest tower in the world. As you can see, I've selected the main points of where we need to go and what to do."
"This...this is incredible," Archer gasped. "But what do we do? How can we help?"
Giovanni wore an evil smile on his face. "Just follow the plan."
~xXx~
No Ash this chapter? Don't worry, he'll show up soon. I have to build up his epic appearance. Anway, how'd you like the multiple point of views from the different characters? This will happen frequently throughout the story, when more characters are introduced. Team Rocket will also have their own little arc, as it is essential for the story.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Remember if you want your OC to be featured in the story, read the information above and submit it with a review to the story (I'm not going to accept your OC if you don't list the information I've given and don't leave a review along with it).