Terryland Productions presents:

AFTERSHOCK

A Pokémon fanfic by Terry Wolles

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Satoshi Tajiri and Junichi Masuda.

Those were only a few seconds, but for me they passed as if they were an eternity. I saw it frame by frame, in super slow motion, as if every move my eyes saw was extremely slowed. But there came a point where my heart stopped, the moment my mind was disconnected from my body and the time when disbelief washed over me. It was at the very moment I saw as a stunning Charizard collapse about twenty meters in front of my position, in front of my Greninja, who posed triumphantly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the match and the new, Lumiose Conference champion... Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, Kanto!"

A roar of euphoria exploded in the stadium. Nearly a hundred thousand people shouted excitedly out after the match they had just witnessed. Never in life a Pokémon battle as spectacular as that was produced. The best final in the history of Pokémon Leagues. And I had won it. I won a League. I was the Kalos League champion. For a few seconds, my eyes traced between that human tide for my friends, the people who had accompanied me during the odyssey that was to tour the region from end to end. I could find where they were, in the west stands, a few rows from the stage limit. I saw them visibly moved, crying, hugging and jumping for joy. I saw especially excited a certain honey blonde girl, who couldn't move her hands from her mouth because of the astonishment. An involuntary smile flitted across my face after viewing that. No doubt they had suffered as much as I did, but at least they could bring it to the surface. I, however, didn't know how the hell to react. It was something I pursued for so many years and now that it had become a reality I didn't know what to do. Did I have to shout, mourn, jump, gesture crazily? I really didn't know how to celebrate my first league, I had been completely blocked, and that was because I had been through a lot.

For starters, it took me and Alain two days to finish the fight altogether. Never in my life I thought a trainer like him could take me to the most extreme of my limits. The battle had to be postponed due to the lack of light and, let's face it, because it was midnight and the organizers would not let us battle at 3 AM. Those were very hard days, in which I almost didn't talk to my friends because of my concentration. I was very focused on my Pokémon and the strategies that I could take to defeat Alain. I wanted to beat him, I wanted to defeat him, I wanted to prove him that my trip in Kalos made me a better trainer than I ever was before. And I finally did it. It was the first time I beat him in a battle, and besides that I could finally say I was a League Conference champion. It was a very important moment in my life, but the main problem is that it wasn't able to celebrate, I felt aground...

"Excuse me, Mr. Ketchum, you should accompany me to the stage for the award ceremony."

That voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned out of the blue to see who was talking to me on my back. He was a middle-aged man with short dark hair, some gray hair and gray eyes. He was stuffed into an Armani suit and carried a camera, I guess to immortalize the moment by racks. The man patted me on my left shoulder, before joining me through the gate that just opened. Greninja, still in his special form, and Pikachu followed me a few meters behind. I think they were just as shocked as me. My yellow partner had his eyes opened as big as two Oran berries, stunned by the fact that we had finally reached the last match of a League and, most stunning of all, that we won it. I just couldn't get inside my head that I finally was a champion. I had so many emotions tucked inside my body I think they blocked the exit and didn't allow me to react in any way. For some reason, I preferred to concentrate on the path I was moving on. The man led me through the narrow corridor connecting the arena to the stage from end to end. I remembered the walk I did before the beginning of the final with my friends, who accompanied me to give me one last cheer. I especially remember the face of Serena. She looked visibly excited and emotional, almost crying. I had never seen her so tense, even when she threw me those snowballs in the Winding Woods about a month ago. It was two days after that, and now in that corridor there were only myself, Greninja, Pikachu and the man. In the background I could hear the roar of the crowd, still celebrating my victory and the impressive battle they had just seen. Certainly they had their heart in a fist on more than one occasion with the great match they were witnessing.

"And well, how it feels to be champion, Mr. Ketchum?"

Again the man interrupting my thoughts. What the hell could I say? I didn't know how to feel, didn't know how to react, it seemed like absolutely nothing happened. The words were not getting out of my mouth, even the cheapest of excuses to muddle through somehow. The man began to look at me strangely, impatiently waiting for my answer. I was getting a little more nervous and even stuttering, but some screams that were heard from down the hall focused everyone's attention.

"Ash! Ash!"

A small smile crossed my face when I saw who those people were, flying down the hall. My friends, my fellow travelers and the people who supported me throughout my adventure on the Kalos region: Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. The three were stomping and shouting my name, Serena and Bonnie even had tears in their eyes. I could only watch as they approached at high speed and pulled the three on me, to hold me tight. My honey blonde friend was the first to pounce on my body, followed by the blond twins. They were ecstatic, jumping and bouncing as if that was a football match, and all the voices spoke to me at the same time.

"You've done it, Ash! You've got it!"

"Congratulations, Ash, you are the Kalos League champion!"

"I'm so happy for you, Ash! Congratulations!"

I felt drunk with the happiness my companions were sharing with me. That warmth, that whirlwind of madness that had struck me was indescribable, but I still had a serious problem. I could not help but smile like a fool at all. I couldn't get anything honest. If I really had to express how I felt at that moment, my face would be cold as the body of a Glaceon. My goofy smile was so exaggerated that got the attention of Clemont.

"Ash... Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, of course, w-wh-why are you saying that?" I replied, so unconvinced.

"Clemont is right... You look weird..." Serena said, with a worried frown.

"What's wrong, Ash? Are you not happy to be a champion?" Bonnie asked.

"O-of course I am! Why I shouldn't be?"

"Well, then, why does you face look so strange? You don't seem very happy..."

From Bonnie's bag, I saw with the corner of my eye as Dedenne and Squishy approached Pikachu, also happy to see a friend win. He seemed to react a little better to the congratulations, but was also hallucinating after the match. At that time, I saw Clemont was two feet from my face, his eyes staring intently at mine with a small flashlight. That left me misplaced, what the hell was he doing? He was looking at my pupils, as if I was a corpse or something. From where did he pull out that quickly gadgets like that one? A few seconds later, he turned away from me and looked first at his sister and then to Serena.

"I think I know what happens. Ash, you're in shock."

"Shock?" His little sister asked, totally dumbfounded.

"Exactly. You know in horror movies when the monster appears or a body is found and people are left paralyzed by fear, not knowing what to do?" The blonde boy explained. "Well, I think Ash is in the exact same condition, but here the feeling is not fear or distress. And it's not a fictional event, but a case of actual shock. Winning the Pokémon League has been so stunning and unexpected for him that has caused a blockage in the nervous system and he cannot react to it. That's why he has that face of not even knowing where he is..."

So shock... I had seen several scary movies where the protagonist finds a corpse and stood stone for a long time, with no idea of how to react to that. Well, apparently I was going through the same thing. I could not react clearly after beating Alain. I tried to celebrate in some way, but I didn't know how.

"Big bro, look, he is shaking..." Bonnie said, pointing my right hand.

Indeed, I had a small tremble in my hands and my whole body. That should be the only manifestation of my body to the victory, because my brain didn't want to get unblocked. My three friends looked at me seriously and concerned, and I was getting more nervous.

"Could we help him somehow?" Serena questioned, still looking at me.

"It's complicated... His emotional reactions are blocked due to the impact of the moment, so we should turn them on, wake some kind of reaction to make him act normally again." Clemont replied, adjusting his glasses.

"That's very easy!" Bonnie said, taking my hand and leading me near one of the few windows that were in that corridor.

From there, I could see all the stands of the stadium, and people were still celebrating my victory and the big fight they had just seen. My gaze fell on a couple of kids who had flags with my face and were jumping as if they were Bunnelbys. I could see in their smiles from ear to ear that they had the time of their lives. I smiled slightly to see how those two little children talked to their parents, probably hallucinating with what they had just seen. Still, I still didn't want to celebrate my victory. It was strange. I couldn't do it, no idea why.

"Does it help a bit to see all these people? Do you feel like jumping for joy and celebrate the victory?" The little blonde asked me, with a huge smile.

"No... It cheers me up a bit to see all these people happy after my battle against Alain, but I still can't get out what's inside me..." I said, with all the sincerity in the world.

Despite of that, I began to notice that the trembling of my body came into my stomach. Were my emotions starting to get unlocked? That's what I hoped. Anyway, the faces of my companions and the man in the Armani suit still showed much concern. I realized that Serena seemed the most harried of the four. Her hands clenched into fists, and holding them close to her chest, skimming the blue ribbon I gave her in Coumarine City. Clemont then approached me, adjusting his glasses and putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Perhaps the public doesn't convey you much sympathy because you don't know them personally. But with your Pokémon it's a different story! Look at Pikachu and Greninja! They are joyous!"

And he pointed at my two Pokémon, who were jumping along with with Dedenne and Squishy. To be honest, Pikachu seemed to have finally understood the magnitude of the situation. He looked happy, turning around and exchanging electrical bursts with Dedenne. I was delighted to see my friend so happy, after all that we've been through the years. Seeing him with that energy to celebrate our incredible win in the battle against Alain was helping me get my emotions out, which were trapped within my being. I wanted to throw my fists in the air and start jumping, celebrating what had taken me six long years to achieve. I bent down slightly, trying to concentrate on letting out all my frustration and emotions accumulated during that time. My friends looked at me expectantly, hoping my problem would finally be resolved. But no. I failed to refloat the mechanism of my mind to celebrate my victory in a normal way, and I was just standing still in the middle of the corridor, again with a silly face. Clemont's strategy didn't work. It began to frustrate me a bit, I felt very strange not being able to do anything to maintain a face of apparent normality. The next who tried to help me was Serena, or at least that's what I noticed as she stood two feet from my face. I was surprised to see her so close, with a completely flushed face but with a look of determination.

"Ash... I understand how you feel. When I won my first key as a performed I was also dazed, in shock for a few seconds. But I know a trick that will help you release all you got trapped inside. Close your eyes."

Clemont and Bonnie looked us both without understanding what was Serena's plan. She looked at me strangely, as if she had planned to do something else while I wasn't attentive.

"Erm... Serena..."

"Shhh. Don't you worry about anything. You just close your eyes and concentrate on what I'm going to tell you..."

I had to give up, her gaze was making me rarely nervous, like Clemont and Bonnie, albeit somewhat uneven in the little blonde. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, leaving me by the sound of my friend's voice.

"Tell me, when the fighting ended, what was the first thing that you saw? What did you notice first?"

"It was you. I saw you all in the stands, jumping and celebrating in style. I especially noticed you, you were crying your eyes out, Serena. You looked so excited that you made me smile."

Although I didn't saw it at that moment, I'm sure Serena blushed a lot when I said that. Since we returned to Lumiose City for the Kalos League I felt her closer to me, like she was sweeter and kinder to me. It was something that comforted me deep down, as she helped me out of the slump in Snowbelle City and Winding Woods with the snowballs and everything. She has been a great support throughout my trip in Kalos and I thank her wholeheartedly for that.

"W-well..." I heard her stuttering. "Think of someone else, someone who might have reacted like us. Someone who has seen the final and is happy that you won it and finally became champion."

It was at that moment I saw my honey blonde partner's intentions clear. She wanted me to focus on my friends and family, who had certainly seen the final on television. I remembered all the people who accompanied me as I tried to fulfill my dream: Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Cilan, Iris, Tracey... even some of my biggest rivals, like Gary and Paul, sure they also saw the match. I imagined Dawn's Piplup jumping and celebrating, Aura and Max hugging and recalling the years when I was more of a little brat, Misty and her sisters with a satisfied smile on their lips, Brock finally watching me win a big tournament... I began to feel Beautiflies in my stomach when I remembered all the people of Pallet Town. My neighbors, who had seen me grow since I was a tadpole, now were seeing me crowned as champion. Professor Oak certainly did not miss the final. Who would tell him that that ten-year-old boy who arrived late in his pajamas to get his first Pokémon was now the champion of the Lumiose Conference. And my mother... I pictured her crying as she would probably be, like Serena when the battle ended. That was what finally woke my emotions, what unblocked me internally. From that point on I remembered all my adventure as if they were frames. All obstacles, all difficulties, all wins and losses for which I had to pass. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and finally Kalos. The entire trip through this region came to my mind: the battles in gyms, Serena's showcases, Clemont's inventions, the tenderness and playfulness of Bonnie... And that image again, the three jumping and celebrating that I had defeated Alain, Serena's occupying my brain.

That was what broke the seal. That was what triggered the mechanism of my mind to finally show my feelings in front of that great event. And what I wanted to do was to cry. Yes, cry. It had been six years since I began my journey and finally touched the glory and the memories of everyone who helped me get to it now softened my heart. When I opened my eyes, I had them humid while Serena smiled at me very sweetly, almost in a motherly way, and opening her arms. I accepted without thinking twice and I hugged her getting bursting into tears and cries. I mourned drowning my cries of catharsis in her chest, over the blue ribbon I gave her. She gently rubbed my back and head, as she whispered in my ear.

"That's it, Ash, that's it... Cry as much as you want, pour it all out, take everything you have inside..."

And that's what I did. For a few minutes I hugged Serena and cried out loud. It was what I needed after so much tension accumulated for six years, and especially in that final that seemed to be eternal. It was an express anti-stress therapy, and when I left her arms I felt free, liberated. It was an incredible feeling; I could finally fully appreciate what I felt after having accomplished what I thought it was impossible. I wiped the tears from my eyes using my thumb and immediately punched the air with both fists.

"Six! Fucking! YEARS!" I shouted, from the depths of my being before taking my hands to my face. "Good grief... It has taken me soooo long to win a damn League. I can finally say I'm a champion."

"Say it as many times as you want, we are very proud of you." Serena answered, smiling.

"Of course. Thank you, Serena. And thank you all, this victory also belongs to you. Without your support I would have never gotten this far." I replied, directing my gaze to the blonde brothers.

"You're welcome, man. You deserve it more than anyone, champ!" Clemont said, before hugging me effusively.

I replied strongly by pressing his body like a sponge, freed from all the stress and the mental block. Serena, Bonnie, Pikachu, Greninja, Squishy and Dedenne joined the hug and assembled a scene worthy of a soccer championship: all of us jumping in a small circle and singing "Olé, Olé, Olé". If this was the feeling of being champion, it was magnificent. So we were like that for about five long minutes, until the man in the elegant suit had to interrupt us.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ketchum, but we should go to the stadium stage. The Kalos champion Diantha is ready to hand you the Conference winner trophy."

"Oh it's true." I muttered, a little sad at having to leave my friends at that precise moment. "Guys, seek for a seat in the stage near Diantha, I need you very close."

Having said that, I dedicated a smile to my colleagues and followed the man in Armani, but I felt a grab in my sleeve and I had to turn around.

"Serena? What are you doing?"

She didn't say a word, but the blush in her face could be a sign that she was very nervous. She pulled my sleeve to her body and, without warning, she kissed me on my left cheek. It was something that left me stunned for a few seconds, and I got to blush as much or more than her. I didn't understand anything.

"Wha... what's this?"

"It's my special way of saying congratulations, Ash. Call it a little celebration gift, an extra if you want." She said, very haltingly. "After the ceremony we'll talk about it. Now go, they are waiting for you, champ."

And she stroked my cheek very sweetly. Honestly, I saw Serena much more affective and affectionate with me in those five or ten minutes than throughout our full trip in Kalos. And truth be told, I wasn't worried at all that she acted like that. Moreover, I could even say that I liked it. I don't know why, but that was the truth. I said goodbye to my friends momentarily with a smile from ear to ear, before following the man in the Armani suit.

When I finally arrived at the stadium stage, the ovation that I received was deafening. All the people gathered began shouting and cheering me as I opened my mouth in amazement. Now I was fully savoring the moment, enjoying what it had resisted to me for so many years. I walked in front of a row of ¡ seats where the relevant authorities were. In the center of the stage, the Kalos champion Diantha was waiting for me, with her particular white dress and the championship trophy of the Lumiose Conference. It was a replica of the Prism Tower bathed in gold and surrounded by a spiral of PokéBalls. It was a spectacular trophy, and I was happy to put it on my shelf. For a second, I could see Clemont, Bonnie and Serena being a few rows down. I made a sign with my thumb up before Diantha spoke into the microphone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the new champion of the Lumiose Conference, Ash Ketchum!"

The stadium responded with a thunderous roar, while I was moving towards Diantha and waved timidly, it was surprising to see a hundred thousand people cheering for me at a time. The Kalos champion shook my hand and went back to using the microphone.

"Ash, congratulations on your victory in the final. It has really been a fight that will enter the history books within a few years. How do you feel?"

"Well ... it's unbelievable, I still can't process it completely yet." I replied, causing a reaction of sympathy in the audience. "It has taken me a long time to assimilate it, after six years traveling around the world I can finally say I've won a Pokémon League. I thank my mother in Pallet Town and all the people there, and also my friends whom I have shared so many memories with all these years and the support they have given me. Without them I would never have succeeded and become champion."

The audience applauded after my words, including my friends. They didn't know the whole story, but they knew I had gone through many setbacks and disappointments before reaching this perfect moment.

"Sounds great." Diantha said. "With this victory, you have earned the right to challenge the Elite Four of Kalos. If you manage to beat all its four members, you will have the opportunity to face me for the title of Kalos Champion. Do you think you're ready for the challenge that entails?"

"Of course. My dream since I was a child is to become a Pokémon Master, and I will overcome all the obstacles that get in my way." I replied, with a smiling and defiant look.

Diantha looked at me in the same way. I noticed in her the desire to fight with me, this time without fainting like last time. After this exchange of glances, the champion of the Kalos region handed me the trophy of Lumiose Conference winner. With Pikachu smiling over my shoulder, I kissed the trophy and lifted it into the air with a cry of joy. Fireworks and confetti began shooting out the sides, while the audience applauded enthusiastically and my friends smiled at me from ear to ear. Redemption was over, disappointment was over, the years of inner search and always being a step away from glory were over.

Finally, I was a champion.

Sweet Lord, such a long time without uploading anything here. XD I hope you liked Aftershock, this was an idea that occurred to me while trying to unclog Sparkling Dreams (in coming weeks I should finish Route 8, you have no idea how hard it is to write Pokémon battle). The fact of getting into Ash's head and know what would happen if he won the Kalos League seemed very interesting, especially knowing that he already participated in five previous and unsuccessful tournaments, so I wanted to know how it would feel when the time came. And perhaps that time might come, since a huge date is coming for the Pokémon community. Right now I am going to comment it, but be aware that there are SPOILERS ahead, so if you don't want me to eviscerate the anime stop reading.

Well, as I suppose you know, a few days ago new titles of Pokémon episodes XY&Z for August 11, 18 and 25 filtered. These confirm Ash vs. Alain in the Kalos League finals, the arrival of Team Flare and awakening of Zygarde, but above all an unprecedented event... something that will enter the history books of anime. Because finally, on August 18, after 19 years on air, Pokémon will see how its main character, Ash Ketchum, becomes a League Champion. The title pretty much says it all: "Kalos League Victory! Ash's Ultimate Match!", so now we can get ready to celebrate.

Continuing with the anime, yesterday the film number 19 in the series premiered, "Volcanion and the Ingenious Magearna". I don't think we'll be able to see it with a decent quality video and subtitles up within a few months, but more interesting is that at the end of it they showed the teaser for the 2017 movie. In that 20 second video, you can see Pikachu running down a path where all the titles of the previous 19 films appear, as well as all of the starters for the seven generations (yes, also the Alola one). In the end, they emphasized on celebrating in a "spectacular" way the movie number 20 in the summer of next year and the twentieth anniversary of the anime, which will occur on April 1st, 2017 (the same year the series should reach its episode number 1000, another huge milestone).

Regarding Sun and Moon, in recent weeks we have discovered up to ten new Pokémon, including Mimikkyu which is the cutest thing in the world. :3 But another thing we found was the use of the bracelets of the protagonists: on the front they have that gem to do with your Pokémon a special and very powerful move (a fifth attack), after making a dance worthy of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. And in the back, there's has a circular hole, in which I think will go a Key Stone. In other words, we should get Mega-evolutions. Hopefully in this week's Pokénchi or in the mid-August CoroCoro we know more.

With that said, I wave you goodbye with a warm greeting. Until the next time! :)