You know, when I finished Final Challenge I really didn't have anything set in stone about what I would do next. I started to do a bit of my PikaShipping trilogy conclusion (which I haven't worked on since April), but couldn't remember what I'd been planning to do with the plot. Then I started a sequel to Final Challenge, but I just felt like it was too soon. And then this idea came to me.
Welcome all to the prequel to Final Challenge; in this story (which I plan to keep relatively short) it will be explained what happened in between Ash winning the Sinnoh League (according to the canon of the Final Challenge universe), the Elite Four Challenge, his being awarded the Battle Colosseum, and finally the events leading up to his match against Cynthia. Other plot points from Final Challenge may also get some attention here. We'll focus a bit more on May, and what she did after Drew's betrayal. We'll learn how and why Paul joined Team Rocket, and why Reggie cut off contact with both his father and brother.
In between the Sinnoh League and the match against Cynthia is a gap of almost three years according to my "detailed" canon (as seen on PokeFanon). So please, don't be surprised (or frustrated) if there seems to be massive gaps in between chapters. This story details what led to the events within Final Challenge, and so there will not be any real organized plots. It may not even really qualify as a standalone story, although I'll do my best to make it the entertaining read that you all deserve.
As I've said, this is a prequel to Final Challenge; for those new to this world, you may be better off reading that story before going on to this one. I warn you now, there will be allusions to events that occurred in that story, and so there could very well be spoilers for it too. I'm going to start things off here with a shorter chapter than you might expect (although it's on par with my earlier chapters of Final Challenge). Please keep in mind that I'm now in University; it's part of the reason why I rushed to finish Final Challenge by the end of August, because I knew I wouldn't have any real time starting in September. I can't promise a regular updating schedule, although I will certainly endeavour to write as much as I can when I can.
And I just want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the conclusion to Final Challenge. Too many people have responded for me to write out everyone's names, but the response was overwhelming (and overwhelmingly positive at that!) I took a gamble and... it seems like it paid off. Thanks for everything, guys. I'll do my best to make this the best story you deserve, if not better!
Here's hoping I haven't jumped the shark with it.
Ash watched the battlefield nervously, his stomach clenching at the magnificent display he saw below. Paul stood calmly in his trainer box, hands in his pocket as he gazed across the field towards his opponent whose brow was sweating profusely. To all intensive purposes Paul was at a disadvantage, his Electivire facing off against an angry Nidoking. And yet he was the one in utter control of the match.
"Nidoking, Earthquake!" his opponent yelled.
"Jump with your tail and hit it with a DynamicPunch," Paul retaliated emotionlessly. Electivire jumped high into the sky, its double-pronged tail propelling it powerfully upwards. The Earthquake passed harmlessly across the earth and then Electivire shot downwards, its eyes gleaming red as it swung a gleaming silver fist downwards.
"Block it!" the trainer shouted in panic.
"Rolling Kick!" Paul commanded. The Nidoking leaned upwards and caught Electivire's fist in its hands to halt the attack, but Electivire used the momentum and swung itself underneath the Nidoking's arms. A whoosh of breath left the ground-type's lungs as both of Electivire's legs slammed into its stomach, delivering a Rolling Kick that had double the usual power. The Nidoking staggered backwards, its eyes crossing before it collapsed.
"Nidoking is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. "Electivire and Paul are the winners!" Ash groaned and held his head in his hands; the semi-final match was over and it would have to be Paul whom he battled. He snuck a peak at the scoring screen which now triumphantly noted Paul's victory and felt a pang of nervousness as he noted that Paul still had one unused and therefore unknown Pokemon in his arsenal. Compounding that with the fact that not a single attack had hit Electivire, Ash felt decidedly nervous about his chances.
"Don't look so down!" Dawn scolded from beside him, noting the look on his face. "You were in total control of your semi-final match; Kaede didn't stand a chance against you."
"I've beaten her before," Ash responded, "I know how to battle against her. I've never beaten Paul; the most I've ever gotten from him is a tie. And how many times have we battled now?"
"Every match is different," Brock answered from his other side. "If you go into this match expecting to lose then you will lose. You have to have more confidence in yourself. You didn't make it all the way to the Sinnoh League finals on pure luck. You've got more skill than Paul. Don't give him an advantage!"
"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "What advantage?"
"Think," Brock said patiently. "Every time you've ever battled Paul, what's happened? You start out strong but then he starts needling you, and you lose your control on the battle. You stop focusing on the tactics and get obsessed with just beating him straight-out, which of course doesn't happen. Don't let him take control of your emotions; keep a clear mind and you'll do fine."
"You're right," Ash said, nodding slowly before lapsing into silence as his gaze returned slowly to the battlefield. He could see Paul's opponent approaching, his arm outstretched.
"Good match, Paul," he said sincerely. "You really deserved this win."
"Too right I did," Paul snorted, ignoring the offered handshake. "You were just pathetic out there; that was my easiest win of the whole tournament. I expected more of a challenge in the semi-finals." His opponent looked after him, stunned by the harsh words as Paul turned without further comment and trudged off the battlefield.
"What a jerk," Dawn muttered, glaring after him. "You'd better beat him after that, Ash."
"Remember, Dawn; no unnecessary pressure," Brock cautioned as Ash stood up. "Where are you going, Ash?"
"I need to make a phone call," he answered without looking back, leaving them in the stands as he moved into the maze of tunnels that composed the spectator's section of the Stadium.
"Hey Ash! I saw your match on TV over here!" May beamed. "I wasn't expecting you to call; this is quite the surprise! Imagine beating Kaede twice! And now you're in the finals!"
"Hooray," Ash said without much enthusiasm. May's cheery enthusiasm demeanour instantly vanished.
"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.
"I have to go against my worst rival," Ash said. "Out of all my rivals he's the one I've battled most over the years; and I've never beaten him."
"Oh, is that all?" May scoffed. "Come on Ash, I thought there was something seriously wrong for a moment. Don't scare me like that." He looked at her, amazed.
"Nothing seriously wrong?" he repeated.
"We've all gone against people it seemed like we'd never meet," May said. "You never beat Gary until the Johto League, remember? And how many tries did it take Harley before he finally beat me?"
"Yes, that's true," Ash said before hastily changing the subject. "So tell me, how is Harley nowadays? Still up to all his nasty tricks?" May coughed slightly before answering.
"Err, well... truth be told, he's been really nice towards me lately," she said. "He helped me out with some trouble a few weeks ago..." Ash was surprised.
"Well that was good of him! I never expected Harley to do something nice for you," he said. "How's Drew doing?"
"He's fine," May said coldly, an emotion that Ash missed completely.
"That's good," he said absentmindedly. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Grand Festival. When is it? Sometime in the next month, right?" May gave another little cough.
"Well you see... the thing is, I didn't qualify," she said sheepishly. Ash looked at her, completely open-mouthed.
"What? But you had three ribbons so early on! How could you not have qualified?"
"Some stuff came up..." she muttered. "I'm actually catching a ferry back to Petalburg City in two days time. I'm not sure what I'll do after I get home..." She added some words under her breath that Ash couldn't hear, and when he enquired what they were she smiled sweetly and answered that she hoped she could get bumped up to a better cabin. Accepting this, Ash nodded.
"Well, I guess I'd better go," he said. "I need to pick my roster for tomorrow. Good luck with what you do next, May."
"Yeah... you too, Ash," she said a little sadly before terminating the connection.
He stared at the blank screen, a little perplexed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen May in such a topsy-turvy mood. For a moment he contemplated calling her back, but reason set in. She's probably just disappointed she didn't qualify, he decided. She just needs some space while she decides what to do next. I'll call her again in a few days; hopefully she'll be a little happier then. He turned and found himself staring straight into Paul's eyes; they held a curiously satisfied gleam.
"Just as I expected," his rival snorted. "You already know you can't beat me. Why not just forfeit that match now? You don't have any more chance against me than that idiot I beat today did." Ash glared at him, a familiar fire beginning to race through his blood.
"You've only ever beaten me one-on-one or three-on-three," he retorted angrily. "Six-on-six is a lot more challenging; do you think you can beat me at my speciality?"
"I can beat you at any kind of battle," Paul answered cockily. "Tomorrow is the day I'll finally win a League."
"Oh really?" Ash asked softly. "Remind me, Paul; which one of us has actually won a League? Err, Leagues?" Paul's gaze darkened considerably, and Ash's hands clenched in the knowledge that when it came down to League matches he was the more successful, thanks to his victories in the Orange League and the Battle Frontier. And it seemed that Paul was unable to offer a retort for this, as he held his stance there for a few seconds before sweeping off without further comment.
"I think Paul just made a big mistake," Brock commented to Dawn from where they stood on the stairs, unobserved by either Paul or Ash. "He just gave Ash his confidence and will to win back."
"Do you think Ash has a chance?" Dawn asked.
"With that kind of charge?" Brock asked. "I think Ash will want to beat Paul more than ever now; not just for himself, but for all the trainers who Paul has beaten and belittled. One thing's for sure; only one of them actually deserves to be the League Champion, and the whole of Sinnoh knows it after Paul's post-match display today. And Ash can work wonders when he has the support of the crowd behind him."
Thanks for reading everyone, and please let me know what you thought about this first chapter. Again, I can't promise a regular (or even reasonable) updating schedule, but I will write and update as often as I can.