Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak. This fanfic spun out of the idea of seeing Ash and others do the fighting for a change instead of the Pokemon. Inspired in part by the "reverse battles" in the Battle Palace as seen in the Latias' Journey fanfic by Ri2. But this time they'll actually fight and not end a match quite like that… lol Also introduces a few OCs as well to round out the cast. Will include some returning friends to join in the mix. (NOTE: This is NOT an altoshipping fanfic. It was only inspired by the reverse battle from that fanfic. It's about Ash and other trainers fighting each other in the ring.)
Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena are traveling through a forest path when they find that they might just be lost again. A scene that has played itself out all too often in his journey to become a Pokemon master…
"Okay! I think the nearest town is this way! Um… Or was it this way? Hold on. Let me check the map again…" Ash says as he checks the map in a less than certain tone.
"Here we go again…" Serena sighs at yet another of example of Ash's infamous sense of misdirection.
Getting lost again has also taken its toll in other ways, as some of the group's smaller members begin to complain about walking around in circles for what seems like an eternity.
"Are we lost?! I'm getting hungry, and so is Dedenne!" Bonnie whines as here small companion's stomach growls loudly.
"Denne!" the Electric Fairy type agrees from inside her bag.
Seeing the problem, Clemont decides to have a look at the map Ash is holding to offer his advice. Sure enough, he finds that Ash isn't exactly using it the right way.
"You know, it might help if you looked at the map the right way. It's upside down, Ash." Clemont corrects Ash as he uses a robotic arm from his Clemont Gear backpack to switch it right side up.
"Huh?! Oh! So it is! Heh heh! Sorry about that guys! Honest mistake. But at least we've taken the scenic route!" Ash puts an optimistic twist on their predicament he caused. Ever the eternal optimist!
"Pika Pi…" Pikachu rolls his eyes, having seen this scenario play out all too often during their many travels together.
Before Ash can lead them into who knows what next, the group hears a commotion coming from nearby, through the trees, that catches their attention.
"RHY!" they hear a Rhydon roar.
"CHAN!" a Hitmonchan also cries out.
From the ferocity in the Pokemon's voices it sounds like a battle is underway. Naturally, this immediately catches Ash's attention.
"Hey! What was that? Sounds like it's coming from over there! Come on! Let's go see what it is!" Ash charges ahead with Pikachu right behind him. Once again running ahead without giving a thought to what they'll find.
"Ash! Wait! We don't know what's over there! Why does he always do this?!" Serena asks before chasing after him.
"That's what I'd like to know. Let's make sure he doesn't get into trouble." Clemont sighs and follows, with Bonnie right behind him.
After running through the woods for a few minutes, they finally come to a clearing ahead. As they draw nearer, the sounds get louder of not only Pokemon shouting, but some people too.
"Whatever it is, it's just ahead! I'll bet it's some wild Pokemon! Or maybe a Pokemon battle! Yeah!" Ash says, starry eyed as he nears the edge of the forest.
Soon, Ash comes to a clearing right by the forest. He finally comes to the source of the all the noise they heard moments ago. But what he finds waiting for him is far from what he was expecting.
"What the…? WHOA!" Ash yells out as he takes the sight in.
Right behind him, still in the woods, Clemont and the others hear Ash yell and assume the worst like he's being attacked or something. Naturally, they run ahead to see what's the matter.
"Ash! Are you okay- and huh?!" Serena runs up beside him and then has a wide eyed look of surprise as she too sees what's happening before them.
Clemont next spills out of the forest, adjusting his Clemont Gear in case he needs a quick invention to help out in case of emergency.
"Don't worry! I'm working on something that'll help! And I- Wait, what?" he stops dead in his tracks too.
Right before them they see that the Pokemon shouting are indeed involved in a battle! But definitely not in the way that Ash and the others were expecting! No, instead of a pitched Pokemon battle between a Rhydon and Hitmonchan that would be like so many other battles, they are not fighting at all! Instead, they're standing on opposite sides of a boxing ring between them! And inside the ring, a couple of kids around Ash's age are duking it out in a fight to the finish! Dressed in shorts (one red and the other green) and boxing gloves, the two boys are trading blows in an intense match as their Pokemon cheer them on! Already both fighters have a few bruises and black eyes.
POW! The boy in the red shorts punches the other kid in the face, sending him to the canvas! A knockout punch! Ouch!
THUD!
"Huff… Huff… Yeah! That ought to do it!" the red fighter cheers as his opponent is clearly down and out!
"Rhy…" the Rhydon sighs nearby, its trainer having lost the fight.
"Um, what's going on here?!" Ash finally breaks their silence as he walks up to the side of the ring.
"Pika?" Pikachu also tilts its head in wonder.
"That's what I was wondering!" Clemeont agrees!
"Crazy!" Serena manages to say.
The winner in the ring finally notices he has an audience. He's about Ash's height and build. Tan skinned and has medium length spiky brown hair.
"Hm? Oh! Visitors! Um, I bet you're pretty confused by what you just saw! Well, I can explain! You see what we just had was a Trainer Fight! Part of the Trainer Fight Grand Prix! And my name's Jason!" the boy says to Ash and the others below.
"I'm Ash! This is Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena!" Ash responds, introducing them.
"Hi…" Serena says, not sure what to say.
"Hello!" Bonnie replies.
"Pleased to meet you. I think." Clemont adds.
"So what's this about a Trainer Fight…?" Ash gets right to the point.
"And why on earth were the two of you fighting like that?!" Clemont chimes in.
"Okay! Well, you see I'm from a town around here called Pugil Town! And around these parts, we do Pokemon battles like everyone else. But we also do things a little differently. You see, we also have Trainer Fights! That's kind of like a reverse battle. Ordinarily, Pokemon do all the battling. But in a Trainer Fight, it's the trainers that do the fighting instead, and the Pokemon cheer from the sidelines!" Jason explains.
"The trainers fight?!" Ash asks, not believing what he's hearing.
"That sounds crazy!" Serena says, a look of surprise on her face.
Jason takes his gloves off and gets his bag from his corner before answering. Then he takes out an ice pack and walks over to help his unconscious opponent.
"That's what some people say. But it can be pretty cool. We've even got our own set of rules too. Pretty straightforward actually. The Fights are pretty open ended, almost anything goes. But you can't use weapons. Has to be hand to hand. Only people can fight, with no help from Pokemon. Plus the matches have to happen in a ring. All matches are fought until knockout. Oh, and you have to wear different clothes too for freedom of movement and so stuff doesn't get ripped up in the roughhousing. Foe guys, it's only shorts and boxing gloves. Tank tops included for for girl competitors. Matches are fought in a boxing ring too. We've got something like a League around here. Keeps tracks of your wins and losses. We hold a few fighting tournaments in the town arena where all the registered fighters from all over compete to see who's the strongest! Just so happens that we're holding an open tournament right now where anybody can fight! Er, fighters are all matched according to age of course." Jason offers a long explanation as he helps treat his opponent's injuries.
"Chan!" Jason's Hitmonchan adds.
"That's…" Ash begins to say.
"Definitely not your usual kind of battle." Clemont comments.
"AWESOME!" Ash says, looking really eager and getting that look in his face again.
"Uh oh…" Serena knows what's coming next.
"So anyone can join right?! Then it's settled! I'm gonna enter the fighting tournament! Yeah! This'll be fun!" Ash throws a few punches in the air to his excitement.
"Pika pika…" Pikachu says in a 'Here we go again…' tone.
"What?!" Clemont can't believe what he's hearing.
"This might not end well." Bonnie shakes her head.
"Are you sure about this?" Serena tries to reason with Ash.
"You bet! I know I can do it! I've been doing Pokemon battles for a while! But me doing the fighting for a change? That's too awesome to pass up! Where do I sign up?" Ash asks Jason.
"You certainly are the excitable type aren't you? Well you can register at the Pokemon Center in town." Jason sweatdrops and replies.
"Thanks! This'll be great! I can't wait to fight!" Ash runs across the field without so Ummuch as a plan.
Soon Ash comes to a stop after running for a bit. He begins to realize he has absolutely no idea where the Center let alone the Town is.
"Um… Where is the town again?" Ash asks.
"Gyah!" Everyone falls over in surprise at Ash's goofiness…
TO BE CONTINUED…