Welcome everyone. Another one-shot, another story for all my pretty ones and this time it isn't based off of any dream I have ever had. No, for as long as I can remember I have loved stories about brave knights, tales of chivalry, epics of jousting and so I bring you this story. Enjoy and review.
One hundred and twenty-eight years had passed since the Battle of Viridian. In that time the native Kanto, whom had at one point been invaders themselves, and the conquering Johto had yet to fully let go of the old hatreds and so it was that at the Pallet Tourney upon Brock of Harrison Hall's defeat at the hands of Falkner de Violet, Prince Giovanni and Baron Rudolph Trovita mocked the defeated Kanto. The former did not have the stomach for peace between his subjects that his elder brother Elm did but Elm was not in Kanto, for this was the time of the Crusades in Hoenn.
"Ha!" laughed Rudolph. "Another Kanto pignite in the dust!" The unconscious form of Brock was taken from the field. It did Rudolph's heart good to see the he who had unhorsed him in the dust.
"Just like at the Battle of Viridian." Commented Giovanni.
"How dare you!" cried a voice from the audience. It was Samuel the Kanto, the Thane of Oak Hall. Along with his grandson Gareth and his ward and Gareth's fiancée, the Lady Misty, Samuel was present and he stared furiously at the prince and his chief of military operations. "The best men in Kanto fought and died at the Battle of Viridian!"
It was at this point Sir Falkner came riding up. He removed his helmet, upon which was an ornament in the likeness of a pidgeotto. "Perhaps the old windbag would be better off defending his ancestors with lance in hand, Prince Giovanni."
"Indeed." Giovanni scratched his chin and smiled. "What say you, Sir Samuel? Will you accept the challenge?"
"Indeed I—" Samuel never got any farther. Gareth stood up, removed his glove and threw it as Falkner.
"Joust with me, Violet!" he cried. "I shall defeat you and all shall bow down to Kanto greatness!" Gareth then turned to two servants: Tracey the Pigniteherd and Todd the Jester. "Tracey! Todd! Fetch my rapidash and armor!"
"Sir!" Tracey bowed and soon enough Gary of Oak Hall would be jousting against Falkner de Violet. Alas, if only he had won. Alas, if only he had survived. It was that day that Misty was freed of her arranged marriage to Gareth and would be free to marry he whom she loved Sir Ash of Ketchum Castle. It was also that day that Samuel saw another of his male heirs die that day.
"Your grandson fails both you and your ancestors, Sir Samuel." Commented Giovanni.
"The fool rushed in like a miltank to the bloodbath!" mocked Rudolph viciously.
Samuel hung his head in shame. If only Misty had been born a man, it would take ten such as her to bring glory back to the old Kanto, the Kanto of their forefathers. Yet all the same, Misty stood up.
"My lord, there is a knight better than Sir Falkner amongst us Kanto! He is Sir Ash of Ketchum, the loyal vassal of your brother King Elm. He followed Elm to the crusades and when he returns, your brother will not be far away to put an end to your tyranny."
"And where is your heroic knight in shining armor now, Lady Misty?" asked Rudolph, his eyes having never left her.
At that moment, a cry of "A knight! A knight!" could be heard and sure enough a knight did appear. With the ornament of a Pikachu upon his helmet, the symbol of a butterfree upon his surcoat and a Bulbasaur upon his shield it was very clear who this mysterious knight was.
It was the Knight of Ketchum. Ash had returned.
Ash rode up to Falkner and touched Falkner's shield with his lance.
"Are you so eager to depart his life?" asked Falkner.
Ash replied. "I am fitter to meet death than you are, Falkner, and less likely."
"To your place then, braggart! And look your last upon the sun!"
The two knights took their places, charged and it was ultimately Falkner that fell. It was such a shock to all present. The knight who had been dominating the field had been unhorsed the knight who had never been unhorsed in his life was now lying upon the ground.
Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, Giovanni turned to Rudolph. "Rudolph, don armor and mount your rapidash! I will not allow a Kanto to be champion of the tourney!"
"W-What? Me?" Rudolph was absolutely shocked. The challenge was to single combat and he was terrible when it came to single combat, Rudolph failed miserably.
"Let go of your worries! The challenge won't be to single combat."
Rudolph donned his armor and mounted his rapidash. When he took his place, he was glad his helmet hid the look of fear on his face. The two knights charged like two crashing waves and once there were both at the other end of the lists, the two were holding broken lances.
Ash and Rudolph threw their lances aside and drew their swords! Once more the two combatants charged at one another. It would have gone as expected: a duel to the death with a foul stroke being answered by the royal archers. Only it didn't go as expected. Some four soldiers dressed in their lesser armor but with weapons as great as their master's, charged and Ash soon found himself outnumbered.
A sword was plunged into Ash's side and pulled back. The sight of his enemy's blood upon the sword of his lackey caused Rudolph to become braver and so it was he brought his sword down upon Ash's shield harder and harder.
And then the chain of a flail wrapped itself around Ash's neck! The lackey holding the flail pulled Ash from the saddle of his rapidash only for Ash to reply by cutting the chain with his sword.
In the end it seemed hopeless. Ash was unhorsed, he was outnumbered, he was wounded, all of his opponents were mounted and now he had his back against the wall of where Giovanni sat. So this was how Ash would die.
He would have had not Samuel stood up and turned to face Giovanni. "The challenge was to single combat and the Orange islander turns it into a battlefield! Disqualify the Orange islander and name Ash of Ketchum the champion of the tourney!"
Giovanni would have ignored the Kanto but all eyes were on him. Kanto, Johto, Orange Islanders, the eyes of Falkner's Hoenn slaves, all eyes! Even the combatants had stopped fighting to look to Giovanni.
It was with a groan that Giovanni said: "Rudolph Trovita! I disqualify you!" Rudolph rode away, his men following him. "As for you, Sir Ash, it would seem you are the champion of the tourney."
And so it was that Ash was crowned champion of the tourney. After the tourney, while his wound was tended to, he and Misty spoke as they had not done in a long time.
Notes
I am fully aware that Giovanni is not from Johto but for the sake of keeping one of my favorite villains/antagonists in such roles I took some liberties. As for Falkner, I figured having the first Kanto gym leader going up against the first Johto gym leader would be an interesting idea.
As you might have guessed Gareth and Gary are one and the same just as Rudolph and Rudy are one and the same.
Obviously, Elm and Giovanni are not brothers but it makes for a good reference to King Richard and Prince John.
It is rather funny that Ash says he is less likely to die than Falkner. Who is the guy who keeps dying again?