So... Yeah. I'm bored out of my mind during class so I came up with this. A one shot on Ash and Cynthia that was inspired by "When Two Lives Meet" (The Immortal Doctor Reid), and "Desire Unleashed" ( Testing1234567 ) both which I encourage you to check if you haven't already.
This story retraces the lives of both Ash and Cynthia, how they met, what they did, and how they ended up together. So, nothing truly special in itself. But I hope that you'll enjoy this.
Ladies and gentlemen, fans of pokemon and proud Rayshippers, I present to you "A Tale of Two Souls", done by yours truly, MidnightFenrir.
Enjoy.
A Tale Of Two Souls
-Him-
They had always said he was destined for greatness, that the world's most important events were always, somehow, revolving around him. Come to think of it, they had been right. Him meeting most, if not all, of the legendary pokemons and saving the world several times in the process was no mere coincidence. He had just been too dense to notice at that time. It had taken quite some time but, eventually, he had grown out of it.
After that, it had been one thing after another and over the years, those experiences had made him mature, had taught him things he would have never learned otherwise. He had grown up, both as a trainer and as a person.
All in all, it had been ten years. Ten years since he had begun his journey to become a Pokemon Master. He had come a long way since that day but he was still nowhere near it. At least he didn't FEAL nowhere near it.
But what did it mean to be a Pokemon Master? Did it mean that you had captured every single pokemon in the world? That you were the strongest of all trainers? Was it something else entirely? Or maybe all of it at once? Even now, he didn't know the answer to those questions.
But, he had realized, that was the point.
To become a Pokemon Master, one must understand what it truly means, what it stands for. Then, he would work to become one. Then, and only then, would his dream be accomplished. Only then would his journey truly end.
He would find the answer, one day. He knew it. He wasn't the Chosen One for nothing.
And, after all, he was destined for greatness.
-Her-
They had always said that she was different from most women, that she had something that made her stand out like a bonfire amongst torches. Come to think of it, they had been right. The fact that she had managed to earn the complete trust of her Garchomp was the first proof of that. Very few people could say the same and even her fellow Champion, Lance, had admitted that it had taken him a lot of time to earn the same level of respect and trust from his Dragonite. "Dragon types are proud and stubborn pokemons. It takes something special to earn the trust and respect of a dragon type in general", he had said, "but it takes something more to gain their loyalty and friendship. What that thing is, I have no idea, even after training dragon types for more than fifteen years."
Of course, there had been speculation about that "special something". Some had said that it was her fighting spirit, that will of fire that made her shine in battle more than other trainers. Others had said that was because she was calm, gentle and caring with both humans and pokemons alike. And some more had said it was a combination of both. But it didn't matter to her, what did was the fact that she shared a deep bond with her pokemons and that was all that mattered.
People often asked her where did her obsession with ice-cream come from and she would always give the same answer: ice-cream reminded her of pokemons in many ways, there was a near infinite number of flavors that all had some unique traits to them. "For each situation, there is a type of ice-cream, just like there is a different pokemon for each battle" she would say.
Contrary to popular belief, she hadn't become Champion of her region for fame or to prove that women could also be powerful in their own right. Truth was, she had done it because it would grant her access to places and documents only league officials were granted access to. Since her childhood, she had always been interested in history, more particularly in the legends that surrounded the past and archeology. Becoming Champion had simply been the easiest way to fulfill both her desire to battle the strongest in Sinnoh and to develop her other hobby.
Even now, when she was away from her duties as Champion, she would spend her time visiting other regions, trying to discover new things about history and legends.
As they had always said, she was different from most women.
*A Tale Of Two Souls*
-Him-
He had been dense to a lot of things before, that much was true. But he had never been clueless about the girls who had harbored crushes on him. The thing was, he simply hadn't been interested at the time. Beside, most of those girls he viewed as either a friend, a student, or a sibling at best. Definitely not a love interest.
He had thought that ignoring them or acting dense would discourage them but, obviously, he had been wrong. The only one of them who had saw through his act had been, surprisingly enough, Dawn and she had settled for considering him as an older brother, which he was fine to be.
On the other side, he had also (secretly) enjoyed the silent rivalry between them, though it had made him feel like he was a Deerling several Mightyenas were fighting over. Still, eventually, he had decided to tell them the truth, breaking many hearts in the process and earning him multiple slaps and/or punches. Fortunately, for both them and him, most had moved on and were now in a steady relationship.
Keyword being "most".
There was still a few who were pinning for him. And even though he considered himself mature enough to be in a relationship, he knew he would never view them in that light for various reasons.
The most important one being that; his heart already belonged to someone else. Someone who he had made a promise to, several years ago.
-Her-
With the status of being Champion came, unfortunately, fame and popularity on a grand scale. As such, she knew that a lot of men were infatuated with her. She was out of reach, like a star shining upon the world and, thus, an object of desire and lust. More men that she could count had tried to win her heart, including her fellow Champions Lance and Alder, but she had known better and had pushed them away. For she knew that it wasn't love they felt for her. And she wasn't found of one-night stands.
But, rather than discourage them, it had reinforced her position as the "Untouchable Queen", a sort of "Ultimate Price" that was impossible to obtain but that you couldn't help but sought and go after.
If someone would have asked her why she had never took a boyfriend, she would have answered that most men she had met didn't have what she was looking for in a man or, if they did, were either in a relationship or, again, simply desiring her for what she was, not who.
But that didn't mean she hadn't felt lonely at times. She had often discussed about men with her fellow Champion Diantha and the female members of the different Elite Four. Such discussions would often end with "sometimes, you just have to wait for the right one".
If someone was to ask her now, however, she would answer that it was because her heart already belonged to someone, and that she was simply waiting for him.
*A Tale Of Two Souls*
-Him-
The first time he had seen her, he had been fourteen, still dense and interested in nothing but pokemon training. He had indeed noted that she was beautiful, gorgeous even, but at that time, she had been nothing more than a goal, someone he had to overcome, another obstacle in his quest.
He certainly hadn't expected to meet her later in his journey, face to face this time, and get to know her. Neither had he thought that they would face Team Galactic together in order to protect the fabric of reality. He had met, and even worked with, other champions beside her but only Lance had left an impression as strong as hers on him. She was one of the people he both admired and respected the most.
He had met her again, a year later, during his journey in Unova. It had been a surprise, of course, but with it had also come something else. She had stirred something within him, though he hadn't known what at the time. It had felt as if he had suddenly realized he was missing something. Something he had during his journey in Sinnoh. But he had dismissed it, choosing to focus on the task at hand. And when they had parted ways, the feeling of loss had came back.
His time in Sinnoh, he now reflected, had been the pinnacle of his youth as a trainer. He had fought at the best of his abilities and swept through every single battle of the Lily of the Valley Conference, even winning against Paul (probably his toughest rival) until Tobias crushed him. Otherwise, he would have won and gained the right to go for the Elite Challenge. That defeat, more than any other, even his loss in the Kanto League because Charizard didn't listen to him, had almost crushed him. But he had tried to shrug it off, deciding to go to Unova instead of pondering his future actions with a clear mind. It had felt as if he was starting all over again, from zero. That he had been once again a ten years old inexperienced kid.
For a long time, he had wondered why he had so poorly performed in the Unova League. What he had lost and why he had lost it.
That "something", he had realized, had been a drive. A reason to fight, to win. A goal.
She, he now knew, was all this and more. Much more.
-Her-
The first time she had met him, she had been twenty-one, a Champion since six years and visiting ruins in Amity Square. She had heard about him from Lance and, later on, Steven but hadn't feel the need to learn more about him. At first glance, he had appeared to her like the usual newbie trainer: Loud, bold and inexperienced.
But as loud and bold as he had been, he sure had proved her wrong in the matter of experience. Seeing him battle, she had realized that him making past the top ten in three major League competitions hadn't been due to luck, but to skill. After that, she had decided to keep an eye on him.
He had surprised her again when, not even a month later, he and his friends had teamed up with her in fighting Team Galactic. First out of Celestic Town, her own home, and then at Spear Pillar. And apparently, it hadn't been his first time dealing with this kind of criminal organization, seeing how multiple reports of the G-men mentioned him fighting against Team Rocket, Aqua and Magma during his journeys. This kid -no, this young man, she had decided, was probably one of the most interesting persons she had ever met.
She had watched him compete in the Lily of the Valley conference and win against every single of his opponents, even against his rival/friend. His skill, combined with the bond he shared with his pokemons, would have made him win hadn't it been for Tobias and his team composed of legendaries. Legendaries that, the League would discover several years later, were in fact clones made by Team Galactic's scientist, Charon.
Meeting him again in Unova after this had been a bit of a shock. She had expected him to lay down for a bit, not going on another journey. But what had shocked her the most though, had been how weak he was compared to how he had been during the conference in Sinnoh. Where had the superb trainer who had caught her interest gone?
Looking underneath his hyperactive behavior, she had seen how his loss in Sinnoh had nearly shattered him. It had pained her to see him like this, more than she would ever admit it.
Looking back, she could have done more. She could have helped him.
No.
She had WANTED to help him.
But the truth was, she had been afraid. Afraid of worsening the damage even more and break him completely. And it would have broke her as well.
*A Tale Of Two Souls*
-Him-
It would be five years before he would see her again, this time as the winner of the hundredth Sinnoh League. After Unova, he had journeyed to Kalos, where he had managed to place second in the league. At that point, he had ended up wondering what he should do next.
He had asked his friends, his mother, prof Oak and even his rivals for advice. The answer had been, more or less, "look around yourself, and you will find the answer. But remember: no one can decide for yourself what you should do."
And he had done just that. Watching his pokemon, his companions, his partners for all the battles he had done, had convinced him. It was time to train, train like he had never before and come back as strong as possible.
The first two years, he spent them training his pokemon in places like Mt Silver or the Cerulean Cave. An entire year of physical and psychical training against the toughest wild pokemons. Strangely enough, he had also encountered some trainers, who had been curious about a certain "Ghost of Mt Silver" and he had humored them. Maybe a bit too much, in fact, since dozens of people ended up climbing each week to challenge him.
By the time he came down, most of his pokemons had attained their final evolutions. He had swept through the Indigo League like a hurricane, winning his matches almost effortlessly. Goodshow had congratulated him with a bright smile that had all but screamed "I knew you would do it!"
A month later, he was challenging the Kanto Elite Four.
Lorelei had congratulated him for winning and commented how much he had changed since their first battle back in the Orange Islands. "Show me how strong you have become since that day!" she had told him before they engaged in a ferocious battle.
Bruno had stayed silent from the beginning to the end, only speaking to give orders to his pokemons when necessary. "It was a good battle." he had said before leaving.
Agatha had welcomed him with a smile not unlike a grandmother's. "I've been wondering how long it would take you to reach this level. Four years might be a long time for you, but for me, it seems like it was only yesterday that we battled. And it looks like today, I won't need to hold back at all. Come!" she had said as her Gengar faced Pikachu. He had to admit, she was at least as strong as she was old and not ready to resign yet. He had wondered if he would be able to be the same when he would become as old.
When Lance had appeared before him, the Champion of both the Kanto and Johto regions had given him a proud smile, the kind of smile a master gives his apprentice once he knows they have become equals in terms of skills. A smile that had been returned with a challenging grin. No words were spoken between them, but their earth-shattering battle had spoke for them, ultimately ending in the dragon master's victory.
But even so, he had been satisfied. Being able to go toe-to-toe with his idol had left him with a feeling of victory, in a way.
Lance had parted him with those words: "You have come this far, now it's just a matter of knowing why you wish to go farther. Find your goal, your motivation, and become even stronger. We'll be waiting at the top." Another smile and a pat on the shoulder later, and he was gone.
-Her-
It would be five years before she would see him again, this time congratulating him winner of the hundredth Sinnoh League. But that didn't mean she hadn't watched him. She had asked Diantha to keep an eye on him and his companions when he went to Kalos and tell her if she heard anything interesting.
She hadn't been disappointed, that's for sure. Not a day had passed since he had arrived that he was already on the news for stopping a rampaging Garchomp from destroying Lumios City and jumping from the top of the Prism Tower to save Pikachu. She was pretty sure most people who knew him, herself included, almost had a heart attack that day.
When the Kalos League had ended, with him placing second, she had found herself wondering what he would do next. Not much people could say that they had journeyed through the six whole regions, by walking the majority of it no less. She doubted he would go to Orre, the place was too far and too dangerous, and since he had already completed the Battle Frontier, she didn't see the point of him doing it again.
She had been quite surprised to hear that he had chosen to go to Mt Silver for training. She had considered visiting him, but had decided against it. Training was something that should be done alone, unless you wish to study under a master. And she knew he wasn't one to learn by being taught, but by trial and error. Just like herself.
Watching him win the Indigo league almost single-handily and go straight for the Elite Challenge had honestly made her wonder what kind of training he had pulled his pokemons and himself through to reach this level. She had always said that he was good, but could be great. And it seemed he had become that and more. Being able to match Lance and his dragonite blow for blow with a Pikachu of all pokemons was something that went beyond the skill of a trainer or the bond between him and his partner. It was something only him could do and that would stay in the people's memories for a long, long time.
She would have gone and congratulated him in person, had Tobias not decided to take on the Elite challenge for the second time. She didn't know if the guy had simply been a sore looser, or if he had really thought he could win with sheer power only. The first time he had tried, he had managed to win with ease against Aaron and effortlessly against Flint, almost loosing against Bertha to finally loose against against Lucian.
This time, however, he had managed to defeat all of her elites to challenge her. She had gone all out form the start and beaten all of his pokemons withing minutes with her mega-evolved Garchomp. "Legendaries may be powerful, but if you don't have the skill to use their abilities to their full potential, then you're not good enough as a trainer." she had told him. The first time, he had lost had been because he had been negligent with his other pokemons, focusing on Darkrai only, and this time because he was relying on power alone to win. "If you think you can win with power alone, then you are not fit to become a champion." she had added before leaving the arena.
But there was still a risk that the next time he would challenge her, she would loose. Sure, she had no intention to. After all, she had to uphold her tittle of "Champion Master". But being prepared had never hurt anyone. Idly, she had wondered if anyone would be ever win against Tobias in the Sinnoh League itself. She wished that someone other than a Champion or Elite could defeat him.
Little had she known that her wish would come true.
*A Tale Of Two Souls*
-Him-
After his battle against Lance, he had thought long and hard about the Champion's words. "Find your goal", he had said. His goal, his only goal, had always been to become a Pokemon Master, to be the very best. But that had been before, when he was but a child starting his journey. He had learned by now that one can only stay at the summit for so long and that, eventually, someone stronger would come. As for being a Pokemon Master, he was no closer that he had been before to know what it meant.
"So what is the next step?", he asked himself. He had no interest in capturing all the pokemons in the world, that much was a given. So was the only thing he could do train in hopes to become a Champion? Maybe once he was "at the top", as Lance had said, he would understand the dragon master's words.
So, in the end, it was back to training. For two more years, he had traveled between the six regions to train in the places where the thoughest and strongest wild pokemons could be found. Again, this training hadn't been for his pokemons only. He had trained himself along with them and, at some point, had made his aura powers come to the surface.
He had known from his time in Cameron that he had the potential of an Aura Guardian and was, supposedly, a direct descendant of Sir Aaron himself (which would have explained why his and Sir Aaron's auras were so similar, as Lucario had said). But after the events at the tree of beginning, his powers had gone back to a dormant state once again. Why they had manifested again at this point, he had no clue, but he had immediately sought the help of the only aura user he knew. Riley had taught him all the basics of aura manipulation before telling him that since each Aura User had a specific aura, he had to learn how to use his by himself. At the end of his training, Riley had deemed him worthy of the title of Aura Guardian.
Choosing the Sinnoh League as his next goal hadn't been decided on a whim. He had heard from other people that Tobias was still winning every two years to take the Elite Challenge and the perspective of battling him again had been very appealing. Also, it was a loss he had promised himself to erase. And he had always kept his promises.
His match against Tobias in the final of the hundredth Sinnoh League had been both satisfying and yet unsatisfying. Sure, he had won, but the "Legendary Trainer", as the medias had dubbed him, hadn't gave him the challenge he had expected from him. Still, he had guessed, it had to be expected from a trainer of average skill battling with overpowered pokemons.
-Her-
She had always thought something was fishy about Tobias. First the fact he had seemingly appeared out of nowhere with a full team of legendaries. A trainer with such pokemons wouldn't have escaped the attention of the medias and the League for so long until the Sinnoh conference. Thinking about it, it was a wonder why the League hadn't investigated him before.
Truth was, the guy had been an undercover agent of Team Galactic tasked with the objective of becoming the Champion and turning a blind eye on Team Galactic's operations. The means to that end had been the entire platoon of legendary clones he had competed with in the tournament, made by Charon with the help of Team Rocket's data on a pokemon named Mewtwo. After Team Galactic had been defeated at Spear Pillar, Tobias had decided that he should still complete his task before reviving the organization afterward. Needless to say, that plan had been put to an end before it even began, courtesy of a certain Aura Guardian.
In the days following those revelations, the League had debated for a long time over what they should do with the clones. In the end, they had agreed to put them under the responsibility of the one who had foiled the agent's plan to begin with. She had personally came to deliver him the news and had laughed loudly when he had fainted upon hearing he was now in charge of several legendary beings, something she hadn't done in years.
It was strange, how he always seemed to make her loose her usual composure by simply being himself. When she was with him, it felt like she wasn't just a Champion, a tittle, but a normal person. He respected her instead of desiring her, admired her for who she was, not what, and acted around her like he would any other person. He was, dare she say, her first trainer friend to do that, other than her family and colleagues, since she had become Champion. It had been refreshing, to say the least, to see that she could still be a young woman around some people.
After his victory against Tobias, she had spent hours catching up with him and talking about anything and everything. She had noticed how much he had changed over the years. He had become taller, surpassing her own height a few inches, the z on his cheeks had disappeared, his face had overall become more mature and he had been working out a lot, if the muscles of his arms had been anything to go by. But while having matured both physically and mentally, he had still retained much of his original personality. Some things, she had decided, never changed no matter what happened.
She had been surprised when he had told her, in answer to her questioning if he would take on the Elite Challenge, to wait for him at the top and that he would join her soon. She had responded with a feral grin before telling him that she would be looking forward to it.
And there he was, a mere month later, standing at the other end of the field, ready to challenge her for her tittle.
*A Tale Of Two Souls*
-Them-
"Garchomp, Dargon Rush!"
Those words, coming from both him and her, had settled the match. The two pseudo-legendary pokemons had roared before colliding for the umpteenth time since the beginning of their battle. But this time, only one would come out of this clash standing on its two feet. One would be victorious, and the other defeated.
Another thunderous roar rocked the entire arena, a victory cry telling the world that the winner had been decided. When the smoke had cleared, one of the dragons was seen standing over the other, his head reared back as he roared to everyone present and watching that day that he and his trainer had proved being stronger than their opponents.
"Cynthia's Garchomp is unable to battle! The victory goes to the challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
Those words had been welcomed by a silent audience and for several seconds, no one moved or said anything. Then, someone started to clap his hands. Surprisingly, it had been Cynthia herself that was applauding the man standing across the arena for surpassing her, with a smile adorning her face. Slowly, but surely, other people had begun to stand up and clap too until the whole stadium was applauding the new Champion of Sinnoh.
It had just been too much for Ash and he had raced up to his Garchomp before swinging his arms over his pokemon in a crushing hug, laughing all the while and, soon enough, Pikachu and his other pokemons had joined the hug to congratulate their trainer.
Cynthia's smile had widened at the scene, while it was true that she had lost, this battle had been the best of her career as a Champion and she hadn't regretted it one bit. Approaching her fallen partner, she had knelt down to gently pat her Garchomp on her head and the land-shark had growled softly, as if apologizing for her defeat. The ex-champion had simply shook her head slightly, offering her pokemon a small smile before recalling her into her pokeball.
She had then turned to Ash, who had recalled his pokemons too and been watching her with a gaze full of mirth, smiling at her. Still smiling, he had extended his open hand to her. She had took it, only to find herself in an unexpected bear hug which she had returned to the best of her abilities. Meanwhile, the audience had started to go wild, cheering and whistling at them.
Deciding that the formalities could wait, Ash, still holding her hand, had broke into a run out of the stadium, deciding that they should go to a more quiet and private place. Somehow, they had ended up in Cynthia's room, talking over some Ice-cream.
Neither know who had been the one to take the first step, but one thing led to the other and, suddenly, hands were roaming, lips kissing and tongues battling for dominance. Soon enough, clothes were discarded, names were moaned and cried out of pleasure as their joined bodies rocked against each other. The world didn't mattered, there was no thoughts of age difference, pokemon training, Champions, or anything else. Between those four walls, there had been nothing but a man and a woman in love with each other engaged in passionate love-making. Both had been inexperienced in the ways of love and sex, never having been in a romantic relationship before, but they hadn't cared. All that mattered was their feelings for each other and what they felt in that intimate moment.
For the two of them, it had been the start of a new life together. The weeks that followed their night of passion had been eventful, to say the least. First had been the constant assault of the medias and paparazzis wanting to interview them all day long (be it on their relationship or the Champion business), followed by the fanboys/fangirls who had been grasping at every single rumor that came from the medias and demanding explanations. Next had been the questioning from the League itself, along with the teasing from most of Cynthia and Ash's colleagues, which they had endured to the best of their abilities.
And finally, their friends and parents either congratulating or threatening them, sometimes both. Ash would usually shiver at the memory of Cynthia's grandfather looking at him with an ominous look in his eyes and Cynthia herself would slightly pale at the mention of Ash's mother. But things had worked out, in the end. Two years after Ash had been crowned Champion of Sinnoh, they had married in Celestic Town before leaving to Kanto for their honeymoon. A few years later, the Ketchum and Shirona families would count two more members by the names of Satoshi and Serah Shirona Ketchum, son and daughter of Ash and Cynthia.
As for what it meant to be a Pokemon Master? Ash was still searching. But it wasn't his purpose in life anymore. He would probably never find the answer to that question, but he was fine with it.
His place was at his wife's side, as the father of their children and Champion Master of Sinnoh. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
And done! I hope you enjoyed that.
Review if you feel like it! I accept everything beside baseless flaming.
This is MidnightFenrir, author of "A Tale Of Two Souls", signing out.