I, AlphaAura, am back with another chapter! You know, writing down a few thousand words can be quite exhausting, right? And typing them down, though much faster, is just as exhausing. But enough on my complaining! I have another installment to this story!
I'd like to thank those who have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed. It brings me joy that my story is well received and that in turn makes me determined to keep the story going!
Some afterthoughts to those that reviewed:
Guest (1): My fic is slightly AU so Red is Ash's father. I know he is Ash's game counterpart but if you think about it, if Red was Ash's father, their traits are similar, 'like father, like son.' Hope that answers your question!
Guest (2): Thanks! You wish has been granted! The next chapter is here!
aboz567: Thank you. Your review is much appreciated. And I hope you follow through my story!
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: I didn't know my writing of Serena's confession was that good, thanks! The next chapter is here to be read and reviewed!
Four things to point out:
1. This chapter will have my first battle scene (quite short). I'm not very good at battles yet so I hope that what I have is enough. And I'll explain the battle in more detail in the author's note at the bottom like I always do.
2. I am not very good at describing my own OCs so it may take a while for me to get better at it. I didn't think thinking of names and attires for OCs could be so difficult...
3. The first chapter stated that death can happen. And it's true with the plot I have planned out. That's why a part of this story's genre is 'Tragedy'. The deaths may include character deaths so be warned. (Rating is T, I won't add very gruesome scenes or detailed scenes involving blood. That stuff gives me the shivers...*shiver*)
4. Ash will be much stronger as a pokemon trainer than the anime. I mean, if he lost the leagues prior to Kalos (5 in total I think), then he should put all those losses to even more stronger training. And so, in the fic, his pokemon are strong enough to win a league (and he did, winning the Kalos League in this fic). He will also be more serious and not so dense (he needs to for the story to flow).
Okay, enough of this top author's note. It's time to read Chapter 2 of Bound to Fate!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own this story and my OCs.
Chapter 2: The Bond of Balance and Disaster Strikes
The stadium audience was roaring in excitement when Ash lost his second pokemon, Greninja, to the last pokemon, Vivillon, that belonged to his final opponent, June Sullivan from Lumiose City.
"Return. You did awesome. Now take a good long rest," Ash said. He looked at the scoreboard. He had three pokemon left while his opponent, June, had only one left and it was on the field, pretty worn out from the fight against his Greninja. He turned to Pikachu. "You ready buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu ran to the field. His cheeks sparked.
"Are both trainers ready?" the referee asked. Ash and June nodded. "Pikachu versus Vivillon, battle begin!"
"Alright Vivillon, let's start with Gust! Make it hard for that Pikachu to stay on the ground!" June commanded.
Ash smiled at Pikachu. "Remember our battle with Viola?" Pikachu nodded with a smirk. "Alright, use your tail to ground yourself!"
As Vivillon used Gust, Pikachu struck his tail into the ground, rendering Gust useless as Pikachu kept to the ground.
"Not bad but let's see if your Pikachu can handle sleep! Vivillon, use Sleep Powder!" Vivillon sent a cloud of green spores at Pikachu. Ash remembered how Viola used it during his rematch and got lucky that Pikachu was able to use Electro Ball on himself before surrenderin to sleep. But here, June's Vivillon is stonger than Viola's so her Vivillon's Sleep Powder can knock out Pikachu quickly. He looked at the field for a strategy to counter because trying to get away from the large cloud of spores will make Pikachu vulnerable to other attacks.
One thing caught his eye: Pikachu's tail in the ground. Ash smiled as he thought of a counterattack.
Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ground below you to send sand towards the Sleep Powder!" Pikachu complied. His tail glowed as it turned into steel and struck the ground at an angle, sending a barrage of sand at the Sleep Powder.
Not only did it negate the attack, but it also flew towards Vivillon who didn't anticipate the counterattack. It was hit by the sand and was temporarily blinded by the sand in its eyes.
"Vivillon, no!" June shouted.
"Now's our chance! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Pika..." Pikachu's cheeks sparked dangerously before-"CHUUU!" A bolt of lightning raced towards the blinded Vivillon.
"Dodge it!" June exclaimed. But Vivillon couldn't see where the Thunderbolt was coming from so it was too slow to dodge. It lit up yellow as the super effective attack hit it. When the thunderbolt stopped, Vivillon fell in a spiral down towards the ground. A cloud of dust covered it when it hit the ground. It had spirals in its eyes.
The referee raised a flag. "Vivillon is unable to battle, Pikachu wins. Because June Sullivan has no usable pokemon left, the winner of this match and Kalos League goes to Ash Ketchum!"
The audience went wild with applause. Pikachu ran towards Ash while June returned her Vivillon. Both she and Ash walked towards the center of the field and shook hands.
"That was one of the best battles I've had," June said. "Thanks."
"Same here June," Ash agreed.
"You are an extremely talented and strong trainer, taking three of my pokemon with your first and two more with your second. Very impressive!" Ash smiled.
"I trained my pokemon to their fullest and believed in them. I could tell you did too. I wish you good luck on your future leagues!"
"Thanks! And congrats on your win!" June said before walking away, leaving Ash and Pikachu in the midst of the roaring crowd. Ash turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, we finally won our first major league!"
"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu said, sharing the happiness of his trainer.
Ash couldn't hold his excitement any longer. He jumped up in joy and yelled, "We did it!"
Ash woke up from the memory. It made him smile. He saw Serena sleeping peacefully on his bed. He remembered that his mom wanted Serena to sleep in the guest room but she declined and instead wanted to sleeo in his room. His mom accepted but told him to sleep on the couch (guest room was for guests only), but Serena asked if Ash could sleep with her in the same room. Delia allowed it on one condition: that Ash sleeps on the floor. She said she wasn't ready for grandchildren and that caused both Ash and Serena to blush heavily. And following her conditions, Ash slept on the floor while Serena slept on his bed.
Last night's dinner was more of a party than a regular family dinner. It was a celebration dinner for Ash's win in the Kalos League. If you combine Ash's excitement, appetite, hungry stomach, and a dinner party loaded with food...well, let's just say that the outcome was quite a mess (to which Serena only giggled at Ash's table manners. She had seen him eat time and time again, from day one to now).
Deciding not to wake Serena, Ash quietly changed clothes in the bathroom and got ready for a brand new day. He glanced at a nearby clock. It read 7:35 AM. He was surprised. He usually slept in until 10 and that's when Pikachu becomes his painful alarm clock.
By painful, he meant an-Iron-Tail-to-the-face painful.
Since he was quite resistant to electrical attacks thanks to Pikachu, thunderbolts didn't wake him up anymore. So Pikachu had to use an alternative and that happened to be his Iron Tail attack.
The first time he used the move to wake Ash up, even though he toned town his attack to minimum levels, when he smacked Ash's face with an Iron Tail, not only did Ash wake up, but he also had a significantly noticeable bruise in the shape of Pikachu's tail.
The only thing that Ash said was, "Ouch..."
During the course of the morning, Ash and Serena were at the ranch where Ash told Serena about his pokemon from other regions. Serena was amazed at the wide variety of pokemon, each having unique traits that were region specific.
There was much more to talk about but Professor Oak had come out and told them to see him in the lab. He had important details on the 'special bonds'. When they arrived inside the lab, Professor Oak was ready to talk.
"What's up Professor Oak?" Ash asked. "Any new findings on those bonds?"
"Actually yes," Professor Oak replied, nodding his head. "Recent research just came by and the details state that the bonds can be formed if the person's aspects are similar to that of the pokemon in question."
"A person's aspects?" Serena wondered.
"Emotions, personality, and even physical or environmental attributes are part of a person's aspects, my dear," Professor Oak explained. "With this data, we have a potential suspect that could have a 'special bond'."
"Really? Who could it be?" Ash asked in wonder. Serena was just as curious. Professor Oak cleared his throat before continuing.
"Ash, you should know her. Serena, have you heard of a girl named Leaf?"
"Leaf?" Serena asked.
I know her? Ash thought.
"She started her pokemon journey just a year before you did, Ash," Professor Oak said. "She is quite special, having achieved something that no one else has ever gotten close to."
"What did she achieve?" Serena asked.
...
"She has completed the entire Kanto Pokedex, minus the Kanto legendaries."
"WHAT?!" both Ash and Serena exclaimed. That was definitely nearly impossible to achieve! Professor Oak looked calm, as if he knew what reactions to expect.
"Also, we believe that she has a special bond with the legendary Pokemon, Lugia."
Delia and Mr. Mime looked in the direction of Professor Oak's lab when they heard a faint shout that sounded like the word 'what'. They shook their heads, thinking it was the wind, and went back to gardening.
Professor Oak had spirals in his eyes. He had expected the reactions from Ash and Serena but he did NOT expect how loud they would shout.
He shook off his daze and looked at Ash and Serena who were still too shocked to even blink. "We had suspected her of having a bond and a note from Red confirmed our suspicions."
"How does he know?" Ash asked. He had snapped out of his shock.
"We aren't sure but I believe that these 'special bonds' connect to all those who have bonded but since it is only my assumption, we actually have no idea."
"Oh. Then why is she bonded with Lugia?" Serena asked.
"We believe that her balanced personality must be a key factor," Professor Oak explained. "Lugia is the legendary pokemon that keeps the Legendary Bird pokemon, Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno in balance. And since Leaf has every non-legendary pokemon known in the Kanto region, it means that she keeps her pokemon in balance. Anybody with that many pokemon would have to anyways."
"So she has the Bond of Balance," Serena summed up.
"Whoa...that's so cool!" Ah exclaimed.
"Don't forget the warning, Ash," Professor Oak reminded him. Instantly, both Ash and Serena's expressions turned pale and full of fear. Serena instinctively took hold of Ash's hand.
"What could the disaster be?" Serena fearfully wondered.
"It could be a war, storm, or anything destructive or guaranteed to take lives, but nothing is certain."
Without warning, the ground rumbled, knocking everything on the counters and shelves to the ground. Professor Oak, Ash, and Serena were knocked off their feet. The pokemon outside held their ground but were alarmed. When he rumbling stopped, everything was quiet. Ash, Serena, and Professor Oak got up.
"Is everyone okay?" Ash asked. Professor Oak and Serena nodded. "What was that?! And earthquake?"
"There are no fault lines or pokemon in this area for that," Professor said. "Something must have happened somewhere and the aftershock hit us."
"Ash! Come here quickly!" Serena shouted. Her face showed fear. When Ash came to her, she pointed towards the outside of a window. Black smoke was ascending into the sky in the distance. Ash gasped.
"That's coming from the direction of Viridian and Pewter City!" he shouted. He was about to go get Charizard and fly over there, more specifically Pewter City to see if Brock was okay. But Professor Oak and Serena held him in place.
"It's too dangerous, my boy!" Professor Oak said.
"I'm not letting you go into danger, Ash!" Serena also said. Ash reluctantly stayed in the lab where Professor Oak turned on the TV hoping for the news and answers to what caused the explosions and rumbles. There was no signal for half an hour before the signal returned.
...
"This is Kanto News live with devastating news about the recent disaster. We have reports that approximately half an hour ago, all gyms in all cities in Kanto were completely destroyed by what seems to have been a timed explosion. So far, there have been no casualties but all gym leaders and their personnel have been hospitalized. Eyewitnesses say that they say a blinding light in the sky just seconds before the explosion too place and this has been reported in all cities. However, there is no evidence of the perpetrators, making it difficult for Officer Jennys' police forces to track them..."
...
Professor Oak muted the TV. "Oh my Arceus..." Serena was equally shocked. Ash, however, was more worried than shocked. Brock and Misty, his first travel companions, were gym leaders. And they were hospitalized. Then he thought of hisother traveling companions who were also gym leaders or part of the gym leader's family: May and Max in Hoenn, Cilan in Unova, and Clemont and Bonnie in Kalos. If all of them had been attacked and hospitalized...
It was too much for him and he collapsed to the ground, blacking out.
"ASH!" Professor Oak and Serena shouted at the same time. They rushed to him.
A figure is seen flying in the warm blue sky. Upon closer identification, the flying figure is the legendary pokemon, Lugia. How it is out of its deep slumber under the sea is unknown. On top of it is a human figure.
The long, soft, brown hair tells us readers that the human figure is female. She has a slender body and is wearing a turquoise sleeveless shirt coupled with a bright red skirt. Oh her head is a white hat with what seems to be half a pokeball outlined in pink. Along her waist is a yellow waist-bag. And last but not least, she is wearing green, almost turquoise, socks and white shoes.
She is Leaf Green. She seems to be tense of her surroundings. She looks at the horizon with a look of sadness.
In a soft, angelic voice, she says, "The disaster has begun."
'Indeed it has,'a voiceless voice agreed. Leaf did not look surprised because she knew who had spoken.
"Lugia, I do not know if others with this kind of bod will make it through." She knew that she might not make it either.
'It cannot be forseen,' Lugia agreed. 'However, we must not give up hope.'
Leaf's sad expression turned into one with determination.
"Right. We'll make it through no matter what happens!" She smiled, ready for anything. Sensing her determination, Lugia sped into the horizon, disappearing into the distance with Leaf.
Nothing but the soft blue sky remains. However, the winds send us one last thought to think about. It came from Leaf's thoughts.
'I know you do not remember me, but I do. Your memories of me were erased when you were in an accident shortly after I left to become a pokemon trainer. But I know that you play a role in the disaster that has begun. A bond, a fate, a destiny like no other lies with you. Just don't give up, Ash.'
The disaster has begun. What will be in store for the people that will be affected by it? More importantly, how will Ash act when the people around him are endangered?
And there's the end of Chapter 2! Hopefully this chapter met your expectations.
The battle scene probably looked too easy for you guys considering it was the final battle but since I started at the last of the pokemon battle, the previous battles you can imagine Ash using every technique he learned during his journey to keep his pokemon in battle and dealing damage to his opponent's pokemon. If you can imagine that, then the battle scene would make sense. Even with losing just two pokemon after defeating five.
I'll probably attempt battle scenes again soon but whether they are trainer battles or disaster related battles depend on the plot.
Next time: Chapter 3: The First Test
Comments? Suggestions? That button down there is pretty irresistible, isn't it?
It could take even longer for me to update the next chapter so I'm letting you know beforehand!
AlphaAura is signing out. See you next time!