Author's notes: Crossover, more than likely oneshot. Enjoy the mix!
Thousands had gathered to watch, filling the stadium seats with the colors and voices of people from all over the world
Thousands had gathered to watch, filling the stadium seats with the colors and voices of people from all over the world. All of them had come to watch Ash fight his challenger, the one man in a decade who had defeated the Elite Four. Ash already stood on the field with his Pokemon, waiting for his challenger to emerge from the gate opposite him. Pikachu sat perched on his shoulder, as it had for years. Looking at the legendary trainer play and talk with his Pokemon, it was impossible to forget that this man was once a boy, traveling the globe in the hopes of becoming the greatest Pokemon master of all time. After years of endless devotion to his craft, and with lessons learned from both friends and enemies, he attained his goal. Now, however, his legacy was on the line.
The gate opened. The challenger carried a brief case and wore a gray two piece suit. He approached the battlefield with slow, long strides. The announcer started to ramble.
"We have our challenger, a mysterious unknown who has almost effortlessly defeated the Elite four, and who has not, until this very match, allowed us to broadcast his matches! No one knows for sure just what pokemon he uses, how long he has trained, or even what his name is! Please welcome, for lack of a better introduction, our first challenger in ten years!"
The crowd was hardly stirred. They had no idea how to respond. He was the reason they had come, and yet they could neither cheer nor jeer.
Professor Oak sat on a bench in front of the stadium with Ash's long-time friends, Misty and Brock. His brows narrowed to a scowl. He wondered if, after all these years…
It was almost time to begin. "Trainers, please choose your starting Pokemon!" came the command over the speaker.
Pikachu tensed up on Ash's shoulder, glaring fiercely at the man in the suit. "You look like you really want to give it a go, huh Pikachu?" said Ash. "Pika!" came the excited reply as the rodent jumped from his shoulder and stepped forward. "All right then," Ash chuckled, and then announced loudly "Pikachu, I choose you!"
The man in the suit grinned momentarily, but it betrayed neither arrogance nor fear. It seemed as though he was smiling at something different from the battle at hand, something nobody else could perceive at all. Oak saw the smile. He squinted and studied the challenger's every subtle motion. The man opened his briefcase and removed one Poke-ball, the only one in the case. He held the ball out at arm's length, and looked at it. "It's that time again." he said, and dropped the ball on the ground. The ball opened, and a bright light shot from it, forming into a bright cloud, and then into a shape. The shape of a man.
Professer Oak's eyes widened. He was dumbstruck, unable to move or speak, until the light dimmed, and the creature the challenger selected was clearly visible. "Gordon" whispered the professor, "it can't be…"
