Sky
"PIIIIIDGOOOOOOOOO!"
"Settle down, Pidgeot" Ash said soothingly.
Pidgeot soared through the sky, slicing through the air like an Air Slash through a Tangela. Upon his back, he carried his trainer and another passenger, as well as several bags of supplies. Right up alongside of them, Mewtwo dashed through the sky on his own. Mewtwo was wearing a brown jacket around his neck, the arms flapping in the wind.
"Gooooooh, Pidgoooooooot!" Pidgeot cried out again.
Ash smiled. "Yeah, I know that it's great to get in a nice long fly, but we're trying to avoid drawing attention to ourselves, you know?"
"Avoid drawing the attention of who, the other trainers Flying halfway across the world on large Flying-Type Pokemon?" Mewtwo asked.
"Hey, you never know who else could be up here" Ash said. "For all we know, there could be some Team Rocket operatives out here. All it takes is a look at some old files in their database, and it doesn't matter how much you erased their memories. They'll be after you."
Mewtwo looked down at the blurred land below. "Fair enough. You would think that after protecting myself for the past ten years, I would be the one to think of that."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, well, I'm the one who's been turning privacy into a lifestyle here."
"That is true" Mewtwo agreed. He closed his eyes and sensed out with his Psychic energy. "If I were you, I would save as much energy as you can. I can use my Recover to sustain Pidgeot, but we still have a very long flight."
"About what's our ETA?" Ash asked.
"We have at least ten hours until we reach the region" Mewtwo answered. "Then from there, I'll probably be close enough to sense Mew's rough location, enough to point us in the right direction."
Ash nodded. "If I can sense out Mew's aura, then we will be able to head right for him, once we arrive."
"Are your powers refined enough for something on that scale yet?" Mewtwo asked.
"Maybe not to lead us directly to him from a distance" Ash said. "But once you point us in the right direction, we can get close enough for me to sense him out."
"Interesting" Mewtwo conceded. "I suppose that it was in good faith after all that my clone gave you that Riolu to train with."
"Your clone?" Ash asked. "Isn't it the other way around?"
Mewtwo growled. "Old wounds still hurt when they're poked."
"Sorry" Ash chuckled.
"How about you get some rest before I use Hypnosis to make you?" Mewtwo asked.
"You don't really care about me getting much rest, you know that I can do without it" Ash said. "You just want me to be quiet, don't you?"
Now it was Mewtwo's turn to smirk. "Guilty."
Ash sighed. "Well, it couldn't hurt to get some rest." He looked down at the Pokemon underneath him. "Hey Pidgeot, you okay without me for a while?"
"Dgoooo" Pidgeot cawed.
Ash smiled at the comforting sound of his Pokemon's voice, and lied his head down on his back. However, he didn't close his eyes immediately. In fact, he struggled to.
"You know, sleep usually doesn't come while the eyes are open without heavy trauma to the head" Mewtwo commented.
Ash pushed himself back up. "Yeah, well, sleep isn't always a good thing."
"What has you so afraid of losing consciousness?" Mewtwo asked.
Ash sighed. "You asked earlier why I choose to go to Mew at this time of year, correct?" Mewtwo nodded, so he continued. "Well, the truth is, I'm still pretty messed up from what happened to bring me to you, all those years ago, and it get's worse around the time it happened. Mew helps me get through the month around it, to cope with it, so that I can make due and get along better for the rest of the time."
"Oh, so Mew is sort of your counselor?" Mewtwo asked.
"In a way, yeah" Ash said. "I just hope I hold it together until we can get Mew. My emotions tend to make my powers go haywire when they get too strong."
Ash felt a hand on his back. He turned around to see the young girl smiling sadly at him. A white light pulsed from her hand and into Ash's body. He immediately felt his stress and pain fade away, along with his consciousness, as he slipped away into dreamland.
Mewtwo looked down at the sleeping trainer. "That boy can sometimes astound me with his endurance" he thought. "After all this time, he has let no sign go of how deep he has been scarred. It almost reminds me of myself. Something's missing, and I know it, but I don't know what…"
Mewtwo shook his head and cleared it. "But that is of no consequence. Protectors such as him and myself have no time to wallow in self pity. If we fall, we pull the world down with us. The suffering of the few for the life of the rest, that is the philosophy of guardians."
Fianga City
"Attention all passengers! We have now arrived at Fianga City of the Vesryn Region. Please dismount the plane with your carry-ons and enjoy your stay!"
Max burst from the plane doors and raced down to the ground. "Wow, we're actually here, I can't believe it!"
Gary stepped out behind him. "The air is cool and moist here, perfect environment for Water-Types and Grass-Types, I'd say. I wonder what species I can find here."
Dawn came strolling down the steps as well, cradling Piplup in her arms. "Look at this place, Piplup! Isn't it gorgeous?"
"Pip, pipiplup!" Piplup cried, taking in the new terrain.
Max turned around. "Where's May? I want to explore this place before we have to take off again towards the tournament!"
"I'm right here, calm down Max" May grouched, emerging from the plane. "Just because you have the energy of a Spoink that just ate its weight in Rare Candy, doesn't mean that we all do."
"I just want you to hurry" Max complained. "We only have about two hours to look around before we have to take off again, and we all have stuff that we want to check out."
"Yeah, I'm going to go check out the lab they have here, to see their studies" Gary said. "I hear their stuff in there is top notch!"
"I'll come with you too" Dawn said, walking up next to Gary and lacing hand hand through his. "I always wanted to see the professor in his natural habitat."
Gary chuckled nervously. "Heh heh, well, I suppose we'd better go find where it is, then."
"Aw man!" Max said as the two walked away. "I don't know about anything in this city. How are we supposed to know what to check out?"
May opened the pamphlet on Fianga City. "Well, they have a Gym here. Apparently the leader is a robot that used to work as a guard robot in another region called Orre. Then they also have a GTS here, where Trainers can meet up and even talk with each other from across the world, and battle, or even trade Pokemon with each other."
"Hey Sis, can I take a look at that?" Max asked.
May nodded and handed it over. Max scanned the pages so fast that his eyes blurred and that May got dizzy just watching. "Hey, apparently there are some tales of a rare Pokemon that lives in the area, one that the scientists at the Pokehadron Collider have befriended. Man, I would love to see it!"
"So we'd be following Gary and Dawn?" May asked. "Why don't we leave them be, and find something else to do?"
"Dangit, that sounded really co, co, coool" Max yawned.
May sighed. "Max, did you stay up all night last night?"
"I couldn't help it, May" Max said. "I was too excited about our journey to even fall asleep."
May crossed her arms. "Well, I say that you should get some real rest then. We're all going to need our energy for the tournament you know."
"But I wanted to explore the town" Max complained.
"We can always come back and look around after the tournament" May said. "But it's important that we get some rest so that we can compete to our fullest."
"Yeah, yeah, I guess there's some truth to that" Max said. "Since when have you been the big bad battle expert?"
May smiled sadly. "Almost three years now…"
Max saw the meaning behind the words. "Oh, right. Well, let's look for a local Pokemon Center. Maybe we could have like an hour of rest."
"Right, and everything counts" May said. "According to the guide, there's a Pokemon Center just a block from here. We can lie down and set an alarm so that we catch our flight with Gary and Dawn."
"Right. After that, it's only another hour until we arrive" Max said. "I wonder how the resort looks. And what kind of trainers will be there."
"Questions for after we get some rest, Max" May chided. "Come on, let's find that Pokemon Center."
Max nodded. "Right."
?
"You know that it's your fault that she's here!"
"So, you decided to go and get my young girl hurt, did you!?"
"I love you, May Maple…"
"Goodbye."
Ash gasped and opened his eyes. He didn't find himself, however, upon his Pidgeot. He appeared on a beachfront, with the wide, expansive ocean in front of him. A thin, white mist hung in the air around him, making the whole place feel ethereal and mysterious.
"Wha- where is this?" Ash asked, looking around at his surroundings. Blank expanses of sand spreaded from out of sight one way, to out of sight the other. Behind him, the fog grew so thick that it appeared as a solid white wall, impenetrable.
Ash looked at his entire area in confusion. Looking down, he jumped in shock as he realized that he was wearing his old blue jacket, rather than his black robes. "How did I get here, where are the others?" he asked.
"Ash…" a voice rang out behind him.
Ash flinched and turned around. The voice had come echoing out of the wall of fog behind him. Almost as if by magic, a hole opened up in the wall, and a scene was introduced beyond. Then, all of the breath left Ash's lungs.
"May?" he asked.
Through the wall, the image of the young brunette came into focus. She looked as beautiful as ever, and not a day older than she was when Ash last saw her. "May, is that you?!" Ash asked, running towards the mist. As he plunged into it, his entire vision was obscured. Then, it cleared, and Ash came running back to where he had just been standing.
"Ash…" May called again.
"May, listen, I'm sorry, it's completely my fault. If I had only acted quicker…" Ash's voice broke as he spilled to May. "May, I tried, I didn't want you to go. I, I love you…"
"Loved her? Yeah, right" a new voice came through.
Ash flinched, and the image of May morphed to Misty. "If you had really loved her, you could have caught her. You've done it sooooo many times before. Obviously it wasn't important enough for you to do it this time."
"No, no, that's not it" Ash moaned, clutching his head as his emotions began to boil.
The picture transformed again, this time taking on Norman's physique. "I should never have let my daughter leave the house if all she was going to do was travel with swine like you who hurt her. You never had a chance with my little girl, and you showed it when you couldn't even keep her safe on a little hike!"
Suddenly, the picture in the mist showed something very familiar. A scene that had haunted every dream he had had for the past three years. A stormy night, a steep cliffside, and a body lying at the bottom.
Ash's head began to pound in pain, and his entire body began to glow blue. "No, please, make it go away…" he moaned.
"You made my daughter go away" the image of Norman said. "Maybe I will make it go away, make it all go away, permanently, for you."
The Norman in the mist took out a Pokeball and tossed it through the hole, onto the ground in front of him. Before Ash, a massive Slaking emerged onto the sand. "Slaking, Hammer Arm!"
"Slak!" Slaking roared, bringing his fist up, glowing white. Ash didn't bother to move, or to protest. His eyes closed and he looked down.
Slaking brought its fist down on Ash. However, just as it was about to connect, the entire ground shook violently. Slaking staggered and fell down in the sand, and Ash was knocked on his back. He was dimly aware of another voice calling his name.
"Ash…"
"Ash…"
"ASH!"
Sky
"Wha-?" Ash yelped, sitting straight upright. He realized that he was back on Pidgeot, with his sister behind him and Mewtwo darting next to them. Through the rushing currents of air, Ash realized that he had tears plastered on his cheeks, and his hands glowed faintly blue. Wiping his eyes and shaking his hands, Ash began to realize that something was wrong with the situation, but he didn't realize what until a Hyper Beam streaked past his head.
Mewtwo twisted around in midair and fired off a stream of purple pellets at a hoard of Dragonite chasing after them. There were six in all, and each one was alternately firing off Hyper Beams, aiming at Pidgeot and Mewtwo. Something was also weird about the Dragonite too. Each one was glowing with a faint rainbow hue.
"Mewtwo, what happened while I was out?" Ash roared, having to speak over the wind.
"We flew over a large patch of floating islands" Mewtwo said. "Next thing I know, we have a herd of Dragonite on our tail. Pokemon here are super-competitive, and no matter what I do, it's like they aren't feeling my attacks."
Frowning, Ash digged into his pocket and pulled out an old device that he rarely used anymore. Flipping open his Pokedex, he did a voice search. "Dexter, Dragonite!"
"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokémon. This extremely rare and highly intelligent-"
"No, not the basic information" Ash said. "Dragonite with a rainbow light!"
"When a Dragonite is covered with a rainbow light, it is a sign that its Multiscale ability has activated" Dexter explained.
"What's Multiscale?" Ash asked.
"Multiscale, a rare ability found on Pokemon. Multiscale is active when the Pokemon is fresh and in top form, and has taken little damage. While active, the Pokemon's defense is dramatically increased, making it very difficult to damage. However, once the Pokemon has sustained damage, the Multiscale will fade, leaving the Pokemon normal."
Ash closed his Pokedex and growled. "If these guys are nearly impossible to damage, then how are we supposed to damage them to get it to deactivate?"
"I don't know" Mewtwo said. "My most powerful Psystrikes are just for show against these Pokemon."
"Hmm…" Ash thought, closing his eyes. "Dragonite are very powerful Dragon-Types, but Dragon-Types nonetheless." His eyes snapped open. "Mewtwo, can you do Ice Beam?"
"I can do you one better" Mewtwo said. Putting his hands together, frost gathered and swirled around in the space, before he thrust his hands forward and unleashed a powerful Blizzard attack.
The Dragonite were buffeted in the air and blown back. They shook it off and came back after them, but this time, they were normal.
"Alright Mewtwo, one more Blizzard should do the-" Ash said, before Pidgeot cawed in alarm.
Ash looked down and saw that Pidgeot, who had been in a near constant dive to avoid the Dragonite, was about to hit water. Leaning up quickly, nearly throwing Ash and his sister off, Pidgeot was now skimming the top of the waves. In the distance, Ash saw a very large island.
"That must be the resort!" he gasped.
Suddenly, there was an explosion above him. He looked up and saw that each Dragonite had launched a simultaneous Draco Meteor attack, and Mewtwo hadn't been fast enough to avoid it. Mewtwo plummeted towards the ocean.
"No, MEWTWO!" Ash yelled, standing up and leaping from Pidgeot to catch Mewtwo as he fell. He met him in mid air and caught him, falling towards the ocean again. Just as he was about to hit, Pidgeot swerved under him and caught him.
"Thanks Pidg-" Ash began to say before Pidgeot had to move crazily again, as the Dragonite had just launched another barrage of Draco Meteors at them.
"Dang. I don't know how we're going to survive long enough to make it to the island at this rate" Ash muttered. "Pidgeot can't fight, since he's carrying us. Mewtwo's down, Volcarona doesn't know any effective attacks against Dragon-Types. I'm out of tricks."
Behind him, Ash's sister stood up on Pidgeot. She looked at the oncoming Dragonite with a hard glare. Ash realized what she was planning. "Now, you shouldn't, you could get hurt."
Without acknowledging that she heard him, his sister jumped off of Pidgeot, towards the ocean. As she fell, she began to glow blue, and change shape. Her neck elongated, her legs shortened, her arms grew wider, and wings came out of her back.
"Sha!" Latias cried as she dashed into the sky, through the group of Dragonite before swooping back around.
The Dragonite turned to meet this new threat. They began rattling off Dragon Pulses as she came at them, but she artfully dodged every last one. Then, she opened her mouth, and a large amount of mist gathered. Then, she let rapid-fire Mist Balls fly, striking each Dragonite dead center. Each one took a heavy blow, knocked down towards the ocean, but catching themselves.
Latias began gathering energy for more Mist Balls, but the Dragonite immediately retreated, dashing back to where they had come from, back up the massive mountain behind them.
Latias dashed over and settled back down on Pidgeot, morphing back into a young lady. "..." she didn't say anything, but she smiled.
Ash chuckled. "Remind me to never underestimate you again" Ash said. Looking down at Mewtwo on his lap, he turned back to Latias. "Could you use a Heal Pulse on Mewtwo? He took a bad hit."
Smiling serenely, Latias reached her hand forward and settled it on Mewtwo's head. A white light pulsed from it, going into Mewtwo's body and spreading across it all. A moment after, Mewtwo's eyes opened blearily.
"Ugh, I was taken down by wild Pokemon, I'll never live this down" Mewtwo grouched, hovering back up and flying off to the side of Pidgeot.
"You took a combined six of the strongest Dragon-Type move known from some abnormally powerful Pokemon who are already very powerful as a species standard" Ash summed up. "I think that your honor is intact."
Mewtwo looked at Ash, then looked onwards. "We draw near" he said.
Looking forward, Ash realized that Mewtwo was right. The island spread out before them. Letting out a low whistle, Ash asked "Is that an island, or a small region?"
"You know how to find out" Mewtwo said. "You pointed us this way before you fell asleep. Sense out, see if he's here."
Ash nodded and closed his eyes. Holding out his hand, it glowed blue. Ash felt a familiar presence somewhere on the island. Opening his eyes, he nodded. "Yup, Mew's here."
Mewtwo nodded. "Very well." Noticing something on the island, Mewtwo frowned. "It would appear that we have a welcoming party."
"What?" Ash asked. Peering ahead through the wind, Ash realized that Mewtwo was right. On the beach in front of them, a man with large red hair was waving at them. "Crap" he said.
"What, who is it?" Mewtwo asked.
"It's nothing bad, but we're going to be a bit more well-known here that I thought" Ash said.
Pidgeot approached the beach rapidly, and it was only a few more seconds until he settled there, allowing Ash and Latias to climb off.
The man walked over to them as Ash pulled out Pidgeot's Luxury Ball. "You were amazing, Pidgeot, return!"
"Well, as I live and breath. I didn't expect to see you here" the man said.
Ash turned around to face him, with his cap down to shield his face. "Well, I felt like competing here. I'm guessing that the same reason applied for a Champion like yourself being here?"
"Sure does" Alder laughed. "It's pretty good to see you, I haven't hardly had a chance to properly thank you since you saved my home town."
"You gave me a Pokemon Egg" Ash reminded him.
"Yeah, that reminds me, how did the little Larvesta who hatched turn out?" Alder asked.
"Healthy and strong" Ash said. "It's a Volcarona now."
"Wow, it usually takes several years for a Lavesta to evolve. You must be some trainer" Alder said. "By the way, I never got a name the last time we met."
"My name?" Ash asked. "Uh, my name, it's, uh, Aaron Satoshi."
Inside the cloak, Ash was sweating. "I almost forgot my alias, I better commit it to memory" he thought.
Alder laughed. "Nice to meet you, Aaron Satoshi. I'm Alder, previous Champion of the Unova Pokemon League."
"Previous?" Ash wondered.
"Alder, where'd you run off to?" a voice came out of the small forest beyond the beach.
"Sorry, I saw a commotion, and came to meet an old pal of mine" Alder called back.
Stepping out of the shrubbery, a young woman in a dazzling white dress emerged. "Everyone else is worried about you just running off. We have an appointment to keep, you know?"
"Yeah, sorry about that Diantha" Alder said sheepishly. "But I couldn't resist. Remember that story I told you, about when Team Plasma attacked my town with a Kyurem?" He pulled ash up beside him. "This guy, right here, like something out of a storybook, came riding down out of the sky on a Zekrom, Reshiram beside him, battled, and defeated both the Kyurem and Team Plasma, and saved my town, without breaking a sweat."
"Zekrom and Reshiram just wanted to help, all I did was lead them there and direct them in battle" Ash muttered. "They weren't mine."
"Still, the way you directed them, you are quite the trainer" Alder said. "I wish that you would take your cloak off, I would love to get a picture to go with your story."
"Sorry, I like my privacy" Ash said.
"Oh, so it is you" Diantha said, walking up to Ash.
"Damn" Ash thought. He had hoped that only one of them would recognize him. However, as fate would have it, both of the Champions that he had helped had to not only see him, but recognize him.
"Looks like you get around" Diantha said. "Not only did you help out Alder in his case, but you saved Lumiose City when I was there too." Raising a finger in a knowing way, she said "I may not have known it was you, but you told the same thing to me, that you like your privacy."
"Huh, you've met him too?" Alder asked.
Diantha nodded. "Yes, one time, Yveltal and Xerneas got into a huge fight. It started off in the wilderness, but soon, they crashed right into Lumiose City. The battle was destroying everything, until this young man stepped in. Using a Pidgeot and that Pokemon there," she said, pointing to Mewtwo, "he stalled them, giving them commands, until he had drawn them back outside. Leaving that Pokemon to distract them, he flew off on his Pidgeot, and get this, came back with the Legendary Pokemon Zygarde!" Looking at Ash puzzled, she asked "You sure have a thing for Legendary Pokemon, don't you? Reshiram, Zekrom, Zygarde…"
Ash shrugged. "I just knew how to call them for help."
Diantha chuckled. "Well, I tried to thank him after the fact, of course, but of course, he didn't want any part of it. I wanted to do something for him, though, so I offered him my Gardevoir's child. As a Champion, I didn't have enough time on my hands to raise it well, so he took it as his reward. How is it, anyways?"
"Same as the Pokemon Alder gave me" Ash said. "Healthy, strong, and already evolved once."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that it's going so well" Diantha said. Her watch beeped, and she looked down at it. "Oh, Alder, we must be getting back. The other Champions are starting to wonder where we are."
"Oh alright, Diantha" Alder said. He turned to Ash. "You know, the Champions and ex-Champions are having a little get together before this thing kicks off, a little luncheon. I would be honored if you would accompany us there."
"Oh, I really don't want to intrude-" Ash began to say.
"Nonsense, you wouldn't be a bother at all" Alder said. "At least let me treat you to a meal. It sure looked like you worked one up. Most people fly around the mountain, going straight over Mount Nova is a sure way to get the attention of the Dragon Pokemon in the Safari Zone."
Ash sighed as he realized that Alder wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Alright, I can come for a little bit, I guess."
"Great!" Alder boomed. "Come on, let's not be late" he said, grabbing Ash and dragging him along.
"Hey, uh, guys?" Ash asked.
Mewtwo and Latias shared a look with each other, then followed Ash towards wherever he was being dragged to.
Champion's Lunch
Ash sat in silence at the edge of the table, quietly sipping the stew that had been prepared.
Ash had had to go through a long and rigorous greeting as Alder introduced him to the Champions, even though he already knew most of them. Lance, Steven, Wallace Cynthia, Diantha, and Alder, of course. The only one he didn't know was an older women named Aria, who was revealed to him to be the champion of the Vesryn Region. There was one Champion who seemed to be running late, however, as that was the main topic of conversation among the Champions.
"Any idea when she'll show up?" Steven asked Alder.
"Not a clue" Alder said, shaking his head. "People got on my case about not being punctual, but my replacement is anything but. Still, she makes up for it with raw energy. I have never seen such an excitable Champion for a League."
"Excitement and energy are fine, but as Champions, we have certain schedules we must follow" Diantha said cooly. "It comes with the title. Even you were never this late to a meeting, Alder."
"Touche" Alder conceded. "I might give her a call here in the next couple minutes if she doesn't show."
Mewtwo and Latias had sat down next to Ash, also enjoying the cuisine that was offered to them. Rather than talk out loud, Mewtwo spoke to Ash through telepathy.
"I thought we were here to locate Mew, not sample dishes with the elites" Mewtwo asked.
"We can't just find and take Mew, Mewtwo" Ash responded. "If we did, we'd be labeled as thieves. Surveillance technology is very common when guarding something. They would find out it was us, then we'd never be able to go on missions again without being tracked and jailed."
"Hmm" Mewtwo growled telepathically. "I suppose that is a worthy worry to hold. Still, we need to register if we plan to participate, right? Why didn't we do that first?"
"Because Alder wanted to at least introduce me to all the Champions first" Ash said. "He's not one to leave a debt unpaid, and after I helped save the town he grew up in, he feels like he owes me big. The least I can do is allow him to thank me with a meal and some introductions."
Mewtwo looked around. "Well, it appears that you've met them all. So what if you miss one. Tell Alder that you have to go register so that we can get out of here."
Ash nodded. Sipping the last of his stew, he looked at Alder. "Hey, I really need to go now. I still need to get registered for the tournament and everything, before it all closes down."
"Wait just a minute, I'm trying to find our missing Champion real fast so that she can meet you. I know that you have business, but trust me, she really wants to meet you. She's got a thing for Dragon-Types."
Lance nodded. "Yeah, she sure does. She almost knows as much about them as me, the leading expert on Dragon Pokemon."
"A thing for Dragon-Types?" Ash asked.
Alder nodded. "Yeah, she's been studying for as long as anyone can remember to become a Dragon Master. Of course, those are few and far inbetween, but it's not a bad goal. In fact, she's hardly got any more to go before it's official."
"A Dragon Master?" Ash thought. Suddenly, he had an idea about this new Champion.
Looking at Mewtwo, he sent another telepathic message. "Mewtwo, can you pretend to collapse? I need an excuse to rush out of here."
Mewtwo looked surprised. "Well that's an odd request."
"Weren't you the one who wanted to leave most?" Ash asked.
Mewtwo rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine."
Mewtwo clutched his head and rolled out of his seat, lying on the floor. Ash jumped up. "My Pokemon's sick. Alder, I can't wait any longer, I have to get him to a Pokemon Center right now!"
Alder looked on in shock. "Well, I guess that I can't keep you here longer. Our Pokemon take top priority. Go on, get him there!"
Ash nodded, secretly grinning over the fact that it worked. Picking Mewtwo up in his arms, he and Latias ran out of the room, down the path and towards the main part of the resort.
Once they were out of sight, however, Ash set Mewtwo down and he stood up. "Well, that got us out of there quickly" he said.
Mewtwo nodded. "Yes. Now we can go find out everything that we need to know about this tournament."
Ash looked down the road, to the point where the facilities started. "When in doubt, start at the Pokemon Center. We need to get registered there, so they are bound to have some information on the tournament. I just hope that it doesn't take too long."
Ash walked down the to Pokemon Center with Mewtwo and Latias by his side. Pushing open the door, he noticed that the place wasn't very full. "Hello, Nurse Joy?" Ash called.
"Be right there" a voice came from the back. Nurse Joy emerged from the back room of the center, and she came to stand behind the counter. "Welcome to the Spearpoint Pokemon Center. How may I help you?"
"I'm here to register for the tournament" Ash said.
"Alright then. Give me your Pokedex and I can get you all signed up" Joy said.
Ash nodded and pulled out the little red device. "Thank goodness I thought ahead and had Rotom hack it to change my name and my picture" he thought.
Nurse Joy scanned his Pokedex into the computer and a little card popped out. "Here you go, your pass and your Pokedex back, Mr. Satoshi."
Ash nodded. "By the way, do you have a guidebook or something for the tournament? I'm a bit short on the details."
"Why most certainly" Joy said. She reached under her desk and pulled out a small paper book. "This has all of the information on the tournament. Also, while you are here, would you like to register for housing?"
"I would, but I'm a bit short on money" Ash said.
"Oh, that's no problem. For competitors and those staying with them, housing is free" Joy said.
"Really?" Ash asked.
Joy nodded. "Yes, although as more competitors arrive, you may have to share the house with some others. Most of our places are three bedroom suites. Things may get a little tight, but you should still be able to live comfortably."
"Awesome" Ash said. "Yeah, you can sign me up for one."
"Very well" Joy said, reaching for a key hanging on the wall. "Over in the residential district of the Spearpoint Resort, look for house number 1023, and that's you."
"Thank you very much, Nurse Joy" Ash complemented.
"Anytime" Joy smiled.
Ash walked out and began studying the book. "So, there will be three rounds of preliminaries due to the large volume of competing trainers. There will be 8 rounds after that, each round being spread over two days. The competitors matched up with each other and the arena they fight in is randomized. Prelims are 1 on 1, so is the 1st round. The 2nd and 3rd are 2 on 2, 4, 5, and 6 are 3 on 3, then the final two are full 6 on 6 battles."
"I can demolish the competition for the one on one battles" Mewtwo said. "We need to get through them quickly."
"Mega Evolution is also banned for the preliminaries, and anyone who breaks that rule is automatically disqualified" Ash read on. "I wonder why they would make a rule to ban Mega Evolution. Do that many people have it nowadays?"
"Who knows?" Mewtwo asked.
Closing the book and sticking it in his pocket, Ash looked up at the sky. It was about 1:00 if he had to guess. "There's going to be an opening ceremony tonight, apparently, then the whole thing kicks off tomorrow morning. We will receive messages on our Pokedexes about who and where we are fighting, and when."
"What do you suppose we do until then?" Mewtwo asked.
Ash shrugged. "We can go check out our room. It's been forever since I've had an actual bed and bath."
"Allow me" Mewtwo said, stepping up. In a quick flash of green light, the three of them vanished into thin air.
Spearpoint Airport
"Alright, guys, just a few more minutes in this direction, and we should be at the Pokemon Center" Gary said.
The four of them had just dismounted the plane from Fianga City and were now checking out the sights of the resort. There weren't many trainers in view, they supposed that most of them would be coming later that night. They had arrived rather early in the day, after all.
Max drank in the sights. "You know, just being here makes me in the mood for a battle. Hey Gary, want to train with me later on?"
"Why not, I need a warmup for the tournament tomorrow" Gary replied. "You know, all the Gym Leaders from all of the regions will be here. I'm kind of hoping to be matched up with Blue, just so I can show cuz how it's done."
"Oh, I guess that means that we might have to fight some of our friends here, if they decided to come, I didn't think about that" May said. "That might be difficult."
"Speak for yourself" Max said. "I hope that I get matched up against Paul in the tournament!"
"Why would you ask for an automatic loss?" Gary asked. "Ow…" he said when Max punched him in the arm.
"I'll have you know that I'm a lot stronger that you know" Max said, sticking out his tongue.
Gary laughed. "Not saying you aren't, but Paul is seriously one of the most powerful trainers I've ever seen. Even with Ash's veterans, that was the closest match that I know of, and since then, the only major loss he's had was against Brandon, when he requested that he only use his Regi Pokemon, and against Tobias, the person who beat Ash in the Sinnoh League. Both trainers that he's been defeated by used Legendary Pokemon, hardly any others have done the same."
Max's confidence wavered. "So, Ash beat Brandon. If Paul can't beat Brandon, then that says quite a bit about his power."
"Didn't you hear me?" Gary asked. "He would've won if he hadn't requested a 3 on 3 with Brandon only using his golems, and even then, he took down two of them and had Registeel on the ropes when he went down."
Then the last spark of confidence disappeared. "Oh…" he muttered. "I didn't know that he was in that league."
Gary nodded. Then May turned to him. "Who is this Tobias guy? I've heard of him, but I don't know much about him."
Gary crossed his arms. "Tobias is a very powerful trainer. He is one of the few trainers ever seen publicly owning a Legendary Pokemon. Most any battle he's ever been in, he's only had to use his Darkrai to wipe the floor with his opponent. But Ash was able to take down his Darkrai, at the cost of 4 of his 6 Pokemon. Then he sent out a Latios." Closing his eyes in deep thought, he continued. "I wouldn't think it possible to own Legendary Pokemon, but since he has 2 revealed, there's always a chance that he could have more."
"Wow, a Darkrai and a Latios" May breathed. "Those are some formidable opponents. Do you think that he'll be here?"
Gary nodded. "I told you the other day, I heard from Paul himself when I talked to him. He heard that Tobias would be entering. And there's a very good chance of him tearing through the ranks."
May began shivering lightly, in partial to anticipation, fear, and anxiousness. She began picking up speed down the path.
"Hey, what's the hurry?" Dawn asked as she ran.
"I'm signing up as soon as possible so that me and Ash's Pokemon can train up and be ready for anyone that comes our way" May called back, speeding up to a full on sprint. "I have to be sure to win this!"
Dawn ran faster after her, Gary and Max hot on her tail as they raced down the path. "And she called me a Rare Candy devouring Spoink" Max huffed. "Right now, a Jolteon would struggle to keep up with her."
"She's just excited for the tournament to start, Max" Dawn said.
"Wow, who would've thought we'd see the day where May would be dragging us to battling?" Max asked.
"You know, I really hope that she wins this" Dawn said. "Not just for the rewards, but so that she can finally live with herself and go back to her dream of being a Top Coordinator."
"Yeah" Gary nodded. "Blame can really eat someone away inside, and I feel like there won't be much of the May we knew left if this goes on much longer. She's already become more serious and less jovial, we don't need her changing permanently."
Residential District
Ash, Mewtwo, and Latias all touched down in the middle of the street, surrounded by houses. It looked like the suburbs, almost every house identical.
Shaking his head clear, Ash looked at Mewtwo. "Maybe a bit of warning when you're about to do that. Your Teleports always discombobulate me."
Mewtwo ignored this. "What was the number for the house that we're staying in. Let's get in so that we don't have to lug around our supplies anymore."
Sighing, Ash looked at his key. "House 1023 it says. Let's see where we are now."
Walking to the nearest building, Ash looked at the number near the front door. Looking back at Mewtwo, Ash sighed again. "You just wanted to make me look, didn't you?"
1
0
2
3
Mewtwo smirked, but gave no comment. "Let's head in."
Inserting the key in the door, Ash twisted and pulled it open. "I can live with this" he said.
Inside, the house wasn't massive, but it was fair-sized and very comfortable. Plush carpeting covered the entry hall which opened into the living room, complete with couch, coffee table, and a giant flatscreen television. At the end of the room, in the left-hand corner, Ash saw it lead into a kitchen. On the right, a staircase dipped into the wall and went to a second floor above, where Ash could only assume the bedrooms and bathrooms were.
Hefting his pack over his shoulder, Ash began walking up the stairs. "Might as well mark our territory now, so that when more trainers pour in, their give us some space."
Mewtwo nodded and he and Latias followed. Stopping at the first door, Ash opened it to reveal the bedroom inside. It was definitely designed for comfort, with a queen-sized bed, a desk with a computer, a bedside table with a phone and lamp, and a beanbag chair in the corner. A smaller T.V. hung on the wall.
"Wow, they really did go all out for this tournament" Ash murmured. Throwing the bags in the corner, Ash flopped on the bed, feeling one for the first time in years.
Mewtwo stepped in behind him. "Cramped" he offered. "But I've been in worse."
Latias observed the room with an amused expression. She immediately flopped down in the beanbag chair in the corner. She began glowing, and she turned back into her true self, curled up in the bag.
Ash yawned loudly. "If we didn't have to go to that thing later tonight, I think that I might just crash until the tournament started tomorrow."
"Sleep would do us all good" Mewtwo replied. "If there is one things you humans are good it, it's designing comfortable surroundings. If we lock the door for our privacy, it would do us well to catch a few hours of sleep. The fight earlier drained me, and I have a feeling that your rest on Pidgeot wasn't very peaceful." His tone implied that he had noticed Ash's aura leakage.
Ash nodded. "You're not getting an argument from me. You might want to do something extra to lock the door in case we have extra nosey neighbors."
Mewtwo opened his hand, crackling with blue energy. Pointing at the door, he shot an Ice Beam at the borders of the door, sealing it with the frost. "Perfect" he said.
Reaching into his pocket, Ash pulled out a Luxury Ball. "Riolu, come on out."
The ball opened and the Empathy Pokemon materialized. "Rio?" Riolu asked, looking around.
"Hey Riolu, I figured that I'd let you out of your Pokeball to rest for real" Ash said. "If you want to be a Lucario, I've got to make sure that you have plenty of room to grow and are content."
"Ri!" Riolu cheered, jumping onto the bed next to Ash.
"Good" Ash yawned. Climbing under the covers, Ash was glad that the blinds had been pulled closed when they had entered the room. "Time for a nap."
Pokemon Center
"Here's your tournament passes, and your house keys" Joy said, passing them out to Gary, Max, and May. "If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask."
"I think that we're good" May said. "Thank you very much."
"No problem, Miss, have a good day!" Joy said cheerfully. She turned around and headed into the back room of the center.
May turned away from the counter and let out a deep breath. "Finally, I'm all registered, and all that's left is to prepare and win this thing."
"Don't forget, though, just because you're in it for a noble reason, doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you if we're matched up" Gary said.
"Me neither" Max said. "But I need to train if I'm going to beat you. Gary, ready for some battling?"
"You bet, Max" Gary said, running out the door.
Max turned to his sister. "I hope that you're ok with me going all out."
May smiled sadly. "I wouldn't want anything else. Ash never let his relationships stand in the way of his battles."
"I just wish that we could have had a different kind of relationship" she thought.
She blinked, realizing that her emotions were coming to the surface. Turning around, she quickly wiped her eyes clean of tears.
"Hey, you alright, May?" Dawn's voice came behind her.
May pivoted around to meet Dawn. "Yeah, I'm fine" she said a little too quickly. Thankfully, Dawn didn't seem to notice.
"Well, now that we're all done here, should we go check out our rooms?" Dawn asked.
"Sure thing" May replied, looking at the key in her hand. "Building 394 it says, according to the key."
"Alright, let's go get-" Dawn began to say, then a voice sounded across the room.
"Dawn, May?"
"Huh?" May asked. Turning across the room, a smile was brought to her face. "Brock!"
The dark-skinned Pokemon Doctor stood at the edge of the room, in the doorway. "In the flesh" he said.
May felt a small smile be brought to her face. "It's good to see you again. How long has it been?"
"Well, let's see…" Brock crossed his arms and thought. "You came to challenge the Pewter Gym about eight months ago, so about that long I'd say."
"Wow, that's quite a period" May conceded.
"And I'd say that it's been at least twice that long since you've come to see me" Dawn pouted. "What's the matter? Is it too hard to give an old friend a call every now and then?"
Brock raised his hands in self defense. "Sorry, Dawn, the tests to become a Pokemon Doctor are really rigorous. I've barely had time to eat and sleep most days for the past couple of years. When May stopped by the Pewter Gym, I barely was able to say 'hi' to her."
"Well I suppose I can let it slide" Dawn said. "But if the studying is so long and hard, then how'd you find the time to come here?"
"I took the final test a couple weeks ago" Brock explained. "Now I'm just waiting for the results to come through."
"Well, with all the studying that you've been doing, I expect you to have aced it" May said supportively.
"Thanks May" Brock nodded. "So, where are all of you guys staying?"
"We're in house 394" Dawn piped up. "Maybe you could get a house near us so that we can be neighbors. After all, this tournament is going to last at least around three weeks. That's plenty of time to catch up."
"Yeah, that sounds good to me" Brock said. He walked up to the counter and rang the bell. "Hello, may I please receive some lodgings for the tournament?"
"Be right there" Joy's voice came.
"Any second now, Croagunk is going to pop right of its Pokeball" Dawn muttered to May.
"The world-class Poison Jab, has to be, based on how often it's practiced it" May said back.
Joy came out of the back room. "Hello there, you wanted a house? Any particular area?"
Brock nodded. "Yeah, if you have one, close to my friends please."
"Alright then" Joy ducked behind the deck, coming back up with a key. "Here you are, the key to house 389."
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy" Brock said.
"Any time" Joy replied.
Dawn and May's jaws dropped to the floor. Brock noticed this and raised his eyebrows. "Are you guys ok?"
"Are you?" Dawn asked. "You didn't flirt with her, declare your love, make some obscene promise of romance, anything. Did reading about fevers too much give you one?"
Brock chuckled. "No, I'm just done with that stuff. Besides, I have someone now, so that would just be wrong of me to keep going with it."
"You have a girl?" May inquired. "Someone actually fell for you?"
"You know, sometimes picking certain words can hurt, May" Brock said. "Was it really necessary to say 'actually?'"
"Sorry" May apologized. "Who is it?"
Brock pumped his fist on his chest. "Lucy" he declared.
"Lucy who?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, which Lucy? I've met a lot of Lucy's" May said.
Brock fell over anime style. Getting back up, he said "You know, the Lucy we met in Kanto. She's the Pike Queen."
"No way, Pike Queen Lucy?" May gasped. "I thought that she was closed off, and that she wasn't very friendly."
"Well get this" Brock said. "Turns out, she liked me when we met her for Ash's Battle Frontier challenge. So when I met her again, we went on a date, and we've been together ever since."
Dawn clasped her hands together. "Aw, that's soooo romantic."
Brock chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Come on, Dawn, you don't have to make such a big deal out of it."
May chuckled at her friends' antics. "So Brock, is your brother here?"
Brock nodded. "Yeah. All the Gym Leaders are obligated to come, including Forrest. You should know, right? You're dad'll be here, he must have told you."
May's gaze hardened. "I haven't talked to my dad since, you know…"
"Oh…" Brock said.
"At any rate," May said with a fiery tone, "I hope I don't have to see that man the entire time that I'm here. I don't even want to give him the dignity of battling me."
Dawn chuckled. "Don't even want to give him the dignity, eh? Someone has a high opinion of themselves."
May gripped her fist tightly. "Don't go there, Dawn. I hate that man for what he did to Ash in his final moments. He attacked him for saving me. How does that sound like something forgivable?"
Brock studied May. "May, he is your father, after all, and in his defense, he didn't know what Ash had just done, just that you two had been out together and you got severely hurt."
"I don't care about that, he should've known that Ash would've never done something like that on purpose" May said, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. "After Ash nearly killed himself too rather than let me die, then he sacrificed everything to save me, all that man did was try to make him miserable in his last moments. No matter what you say, that's unforgivable."
The tears now free flowing down her face, she turned tail and ran outside of the Pokemon Center, leaving Dawn and Brock standing dumbfounded. Turning hesitantly to the Pokemon Doctor, Dawn said "I guess that that's a sensitive subject for her. I feel really bad for her."
Brock looked as his feet. "I forgot, it's almost that time again, isn't it? She's always felt it stronger than any of us, and it's always made her really emotional, and no wonder, with how she felt about Ash."
"How did she feel about him?" Dawn asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Oops, forget I said anything" Brock said, covering his mouth. "That's her private business."
Dawn's eyes widened. "Brock, are you saying that May-"
"I'm sorry, Dawn" Brock said firmly, cutting her off. "That's her business, and I have no business telling you."
Brock turned heels and walked out of the Pokemon Center. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder. "If you want to know, I would ask her yourself. But I would give her some space tonight, and maybe for the next few weeks. It's a hard time for anything close to the subject."
Walking out the doors, them closing behind him, Dawn was left standing alone on the tile floor of the center, mind working furiously. "No wonder May has been blaming herself so much" she realized. "If she really felt that way, if she loved him, then she would've felt it more than twice as hard as any of us."
With this realization in hand, it suddenly dawned on Dawn just how much emotional turmoil May must be feeling just beneath the surface, and how strong she must have been the entire time to keep it under wraps.
Nodding, Dawn straightened her cap. "I'd better give her some space, like Brock said. But as soon as she opens up again, I'm going to let her know just how many people she has that can support her."
Last, but not least, Dawn too walked through the glass doors of the Center, back out into the resort. Turning towards the center of the island, Dawn made way for the residential district. "Brock's known this whole time" she also realized. "That she's been so vulnerable around this time of year. Well, if the tournament has to happen right now, then she's going to need all the help she can get to make it through alright. And I'll be there to give it."
Five Hours Later
Landing lightly outside, Ash looked back up at the window he had just climbed through. "Well, I want to scout the island for a while anyways. This way, I can at least have some alone time."
Ash turned away and began making his way back down to the main area of the resort, when he heard light footfalls behind him. "Ro, Rio" he heard.
Turning around, Ash saw his companion Riolu on the ground behind him. "Can't fool you, can I?" Ash asked.
"Ri, Ri" Riolu shook his head. Running forward, he placed himself behind Ash. "Riolu, Ro Rio."
Ash stepped backwards, aligning himself alongside Riolu. "Come on, why do you insist on me being on top of you? We're equals, Riolu. You don't have to go to such lengths to act so subservient."
"Lu" Riolu said, stepping in pace with Ash.
Ash chuckled. "I swear, I thought that Lucario was a special case when he would only refer to Sir Aaron as 'Master.' But I'm guessing that it must run in the family. I don't like lording over my partners, all Pokemon are equals to me."
"Roh…" Riolu growled affectionately, nuzzling Ash's leg as they walked.
Ash smiled a little and rounded the corner from the housing, walking down the path towards the main attractions. He already noticed that there were many more trainers there than there had been earlier. The entire place was flocked with people from all around the world. News reporters, trainers, everyone. Boats were arriving on the beach, presumably for the trainers coming straight from Vesryn.
"Wow, look at the size of that arena" Ash breathed. To the left of the path, in front of the beach, the battle facilities began. The closest arena to him and Riolu was the size of a coiled Rayquaza, something Ash was familiar with. "I can't imagine how big the field inside it is."
Ash took in the sights all around him. Everything seemed so foreign to him, partly because he was in a new region, but mostly because he hadn't been around such an urban area for a long time. Stands were set up everywhere, selling food and souvenirs and other merchandise to visiting people. Past the initial arena and shops, Ash saw more battlefields set up. One reminded him very strongly of the Fortree Gym, although much higher, and with floating chunks of terrain spaced throughout the air in between. There was a boardwalk that led out to the ocean, and a marked section of water to make up another battlefield, with chunks of ice floating in the water. There were many others further away, all over the island according to the maps he saw. It had extremely varied terrain, which made it perfect for a battle resort. In the crags of mountains, through the treetops, in a narrow canyon, just about anywhere he could think of.
The town that took place on the island was also spread out as well, dotted throughout the entire place, mostly around the beach. It seemed that it was divided into five sections, each place being more or less the same, allowing space to not be too cramped. Ash nodded in agreement. "This place is just about as perfect as you could want it for a battling paradise" he noted.
Ash was too busy taking in all of the sights to notice where he was walking, and he ended up crashing into a man. "Ooof, sorry about that" Ash apologized as he stumbled.
The man stood back up easily. "No problem, young man. It's understandable."
The man spoke with a rich and familiar accent, kind of serious. Ash recognized it, but he couldn't tell from where until he looked at the man. Dressed in a red cloak, and grayish blue hair parted over one eye, Ash recognized him as one of the most powerful trainers he knew.
"Tobias" Ash said.
The Darkrai trainer smiled upon him. "Have we met?" he asked.
Ash quickly shook his head. "No, but I've seen you battle. You and your Darkrai."
"Then I suppose that puts me at a disadvantage, for I know nothing of you" Tobias said, offering his hand. "Tell me, what is your name?"
"Uh, Aaron, Aaron Satoshi" Ash said, reaching out to shake Tobias' hand.
"Nice to meet you, Aaron Satoshi" Tobias said gracefully. Bending down to look at Riolu beside him, he examined the Pokemon. "I must say, this Riolu of yours seems to be in top condition. I can just tell from a look that you must be a powerful trainer."
"Thank you" Ash said. "Riolu's been with me for a while now. It wants to evolve, but we're having trouble doing so."
"I see" Tobias said, standing up. "Riolu take a very special kind of bond to evolve from. They need to have a connection so strong, it makes them almost reliant on the one whom they bond with before they can advance."
"Well, this guy's a special case" Ash said, leaning down to pet Riolu. "He comes from a very powerful family line, but his family also has tended to be very independent. I think that's what's making it harder for him to get that necessary bond."
"Oh, a powerful line of Lucario?" Tobias asked.
Ash mentally facepalmed. He had no idea why he was blabbering on so much to Tobias. Perhaps it was because he respected him as a great battler, perhaps because he had known him from his 'previous life.' Either way, he knew he needed to wrap things up. "Yeah, he's descended from a Lucario that served under an ancient Aura Guardian in Kanto" Ash said briefly.
"Interesting" Tobias conceded. "The only legendary Aura Guardian I've heard of from the Kanto Region was known as Sir Aaron. Perhaps he was the one that had the Lucario of whom this Riolu is descended from."
Facepalming again, Ash found himself wishing he had known Tobias was so well educated. "Yeah, maybe." He was in a hurry to end things now, he was getting frazzled. "Well, it was nice meeting you. Maybe we will have a chance to fight in the tournament."
"I would look greatly forward to that" Tobias nodded. "Good luck."
Ash nodded. "Thanks, you as well."
As Tobias walked away, Ash began to feel the stress of how close he had come to slipping. "Riolu, let's go cool off on the beach, whaddya say?"
"Ri!" Riolu cheered in affirmation.
Ash smiled. "Alright, then let's head down to the beach."
Cutting through the hoards, Ash wormed his way down to the beachfront, Riolu dashing along right by him. Weaving in and out, he realized that he and Riolu were beginning to race each other, avoiding people and trying to make it to the beach before the other.
As the crowd broke, Ash saw the home stretch in front of him. Pulling out all the stops, Ash sprinted at full speed towards to sand. However, in a flash of white light next to him, Riolu dashed forward, easily surpassing Ash's sprint. Landing in the dunes, Riolu did a little victory pump.
Ash panted slightly as he walked up. "Really? Quick Attack? You realize that that's cheating, don't you?"
"Rio" Riolu shrugged.
Ash let out a sigh. "You know, this reminds me of something that happened to me. Just when I was getting back from my Unova journey, back when I was still just a little kid with a dream bigger than myself."
"Ro, Riolu ri?" Riolu asked.
"Yeah, I was pretty foolhardy back then" Ash admitted. "Just some random kid from Pallet Town, set off on a quest to become the 'world's greatest Pokemon Master.' I should've probably realized it as I went along, but I never even won a league. My biggest, official completion to date was my beating of the Battle Frontier, and even that wasn't much in the broad scope of things…"
Ash trailed off as his mind began to wander, back to the old days.
A pair of trainers stood on a battlefield, one down to his last Pokemon, the other still having five remaining.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, nonstop!"
"Latios, use Light Screen, then swerve to try and though it off!"
"Sho!" Latios cried, glowing with light and deflecting the electricity, before bucking upwards and tossing the Pikachu high into the air.
"Latios, end it now, with Luster Purge!"
"Pikachu, don't give up! VOLT TACKLE, FULL POWER!"
The Pikachu righted itself in midair, then plunged downwards, cloaked in electrical energy. It connected with the oncoming stream of purple energy, and kept racing through it, running through the air.
"What?" the trainer with the Latios exclaimed.
"NOW, IRON TAIL!"
The Pikachu twisted once more, tail glowing like metal. Cloaked in the electricity, The Pikachu struck downwards, tail connecting with the full force of the momentum from the fall and the power of the Volt Tackle. A massive explosion sounded in the air, and black smoke covered the field.
Letting out a deep breath, he wondered if his remembering that battle was the by-product of his recent meeting with Tobias.
Letting out a deep breath, Ash felt his mind wander further into the past. He was interrupted, however, when he heard Riolu let out a low growl.
"Riiiiiii…"
Ash looked up. "What is it Riolu?" he asked.
"Rio…" Riolu growled again, pointing across the beach, his ear flaps raised.
Looking across the beach, Ash saw three men gathered around something further down. "What's going on?" he asked. He began walking over, Riolu right near him.
As he drew near, he began to make out more details. The men were dressed in biker gear, giving them a mean look. They seemed to be surrounding a large blue Pokemon that was on the shore. Suddenly, the scene felt all too familiar.
A group of thugs, gathered around an innocent Pokemon. He began to hear lots of jeering and threats being issued by the bikers, and the final nail in the coffin, he realized the Pokemon that they were bullying. A baby Lapras.
Ash imagined his aura lighting up like a fire around him, swelling with anger. He thought back to the Orange Islands, were a group of thugs had tortured a beached Lapras, and he had battled them away.
Approaching the bikers, Ash felt his rage coming to the surface as his hands exuded blue energy. "Hey, what do you punks think you're doing?" he asked vehemently.
The three bikers looked over at him. "Get lost, kid, this is none of your business."
"That's where you're wrong. I can't stand the sight of thugs like you, beating up innocent Pokemon" Ash declared. "Now leave before I make you."
One of the bikers pushed himself away from the group. "Yeah, you would make us? Kid, don't make me laugh, I beat up men twice your size without breaking a sweat. Try all you want, you'll only get yourself hurt."
Ash let out a low, almost evil chuckle. "Oh, you are really trying to push my buttons, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah, what are you going to do about it, shrimp?" the biker laughed, shoving Ash backwards.
Standing up, Ash was no longer laughing. Beneath his cloak, his eyes glowed blue. "I'm normally a pacifist. But you just happened to catch me at a bad time."
"Oh, I'm sooo scared" the biker said sarcastically. "Get lost if you know what's good for you" he said, turning to walk away, back to the Lapras.
"You asked for it" Ash growled, stepping up. Riolu stood beside him, growling as well.
"You just don't know when to give up!" the biker shouted. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a knife. "Last chance, kid."
"I would say the same, but you just used it up" Ash said scathingly. "I hope you're proud, I don't usually get this mad about stuff."
He and Riolu mirrored each other's movements, putting their hands out in front of them, parallel to each other. A blue light stretched between each hand for the both of them, turning into a staff that was knobbed at each end, growing until it was as tall as either of them. Ash and Riolu both formed their own Bone Rushes.
"Whoa, what the-" the biker began to say, but he didn't have a chance to finish.
Ash jumped forward and swung the bone upwards at the first biker, connecting on the bottom of his jaw and knocking him into the air, before landing hard on the ground with a thump.
"Hey, just what do you think you're doing?" the other two came rushing around to Ash.
Silently, Ash swung his bone sideways, crippling one with a swing to the gut. The remaining biker pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Weav-!" he began to say, before Riolu dashed forward and knocked the Pokeball out of his hands into the air, before bringing it down on the top of his head, sending him stumbling backwards.
Spinning his Bone Rush, Ash jabbed forward again, striking his biker right in his chest, flooring him right next to his partner. Riolu dissipated his Bone and slammed into the biker with a Quick Attack, knocking all three of them into one Lillipup pile.
Dusting off his hands, Ash's Bone disappeared also. "Guys like that really tick me off" he said.
"Laaaaa…" the young Lapras on the beach moaned.
"Oh" Ash realized. He walked over slowly to the Lapras to not spook it. "Hey little guy" he said soothingly, kneeling down near it.
The Lapras flinched. "La!" it cried out, flailing around.
"No no no, it's ok" Ash said reassuringly, but he couldn't calm the young Water-Type down.
"Pris, La, Lapras La!" Lapras squealed, trying to get away from Ash.
Ash stood up. "If I can't get close enough to it to touch it, then how will I help it?" Then the answer hit him. "Of course."
Pulling out a Pokeball, Ash tossed it towards the sea. Popping open, a beam of light shot out and materialized in the water. "Laaaa!" Ash's Lapras cried out joyfully.
Ash walked over to his Pokemon. "Hey, Lapras. You remember that time that I met you in the Orange Islands?"
"Lap" Lapras nodded.
Looking back at the young Pokemon, Ash continued. "That guy there just went through something very similar. It doesn't trust me. Could you do your best to console it?"
"Lapras!" Lapras said affirmatively.
Lapras got as close as it could to the shore. "Lapras, Lap Lap Lapras Lap" she communicated with the young one.
The baby Lapras looked up hesitantly. "Laaa?"
"Lapras, Pris Pris Lapras" Lapras said.
"Lapras?"
"Lap Lap Lapras."
"Lap?"
Ash's Lapras nodded. "Lapras!"
The baby Lapas looked at Ash. "Laaa?"
Ash smiled. "Thanks Lapras" he said gratefully to his Lapras. Walking over to the young one, Ash knelt down once more, hand outstretched.
The baby Lapras closed its eyes tight as his hand drew near, but opened them hesitantly as it felt Ash's soothing hand rubbing his neck. "La?" she asked.
Ash smiled. "It's ok, don't worry, I'll make sure that it'll all be fine."
Ash began examining the young Lapras' body. He wasn't terribly injured, but he had several bruises up and down his neck and just under the edge of his shell. A few cuts were also present spotted around his body. "I can't believe these jerks were capable of something to heinous. Don't worry, I'll help you get all fixed up."
Pulling out the bag of Sitrus Berries he and Mewtwo had gathered and picked one out. Holding it out, the Lapras took it, then swallowed it. Ash then took out one of his few Potions. "This might sting a little, but it's going to help those cuts and bruises heal faster."
He began spraying down the damaged skin with the Potion. Lapras flinched as it it made contact, but began to sigh in content as it took effect. The bruises looked a bit lighter, and the cuts had their swelling go down a bit.
Ash stood up and pocketed what remained of the Potion in the bottle. "Now that I've treated you as best as I can, we need to get you back out to the water. But, I don't know how I'm going to get you there. I can't lift you, neither can Riolu." Then he had an idea. "Oh yeah!"
Ash turned back to his Lapras. "Hey Lapras, can you use Ice Beam to make an ice path back down to the water?"
"Lapras!" Lapras nodded. Opening her mouth, Lapras sent out bolts of icy blue energy streaking across the sand. Wherever it hit, chunks of ice appeared on the ground, until a smooth pathway went from the little Lapras to the ocean.
Ash got around the side of the little one. "Alright, Lapras, on the count of three, I'm going to push you onto the ice so that you can get back out there. Ready?"
"Lap" Lapras said, nodding.
"Alright" Ash said. "One... two… THREE!"
Ash gave a terrific shove, pushing Lapras forward, onto the ice. Lapras went over the edge and began sliding down the slope towards the water, coming down with a splash.
Ash stood up, breathing a bit heavier for it. "There you go, all safe again."
"Lapras Lap!" the little Lapas splashed around joyfully.
Ash grinned at the sight. "Well, what are you waiting for, little guy? It's time to go free. I bet your family's worried sick about you.
At this, the Lapras bowed his head, sinking low until it almost touched the water. "Laaaaaaa…" he cried.
"What?" Ash asked. "What's wrong?"
Ash's Lapras swam over to the baby. "Lapras La?"
"Laaaaap, Lapras Lap" the little one cried.
Ash's Lapras opened her eyes wide. "Lapras…" she said, nuzzling the little one with her head.
"Man, I wish I knew what was going on" Ash said. "Something has the little guy upset. I just wonder what."
"Perhaps you need a translator" a voice behind him said.
"Good idea" Ash said, turning to face Mewtwo. "You can speak with both Pokemon and people."
Mewtwo nodded. Hovering out over the water, he halted in front of the two Lapras. Turning to the one he knew more, Ash's Lapras, he asked what had happened.
"Lapras, Lap Lapras La, Pris, Pris Lapras Lap" Lapras explained.
Mewtwo's eyes grew wide. "Indeed, that is a terrible story." Turning to the young one, he bowed low. "You have my condolences."
"What was it?" Ash asked.
Mewtwo hovered back over. "The Lapras doesn't have a family to go back to. Usually, they don't come anywhere close to here, but while they were travelling, a swarm of Sharpedo attacked his entire herd. His parents shoved her away, into a strong current to carry him away. The last thing he saw of his parents was them being pulled under by the Sharpedo."
Ash covered his mouth in horror. "I, I can't believe it. That's awful!"
Mewtwo nodded. "The Sharpedo began to come after him too, but he swam as fast as he could, riding the current, until he had escaped, but he landed himself on this island without even noticing until it was too late."
"So he doesn't have anywhere she can go…" Ash said.
"Yes, that is correct" Mewtwo said. "He's all alone in this world now."
Ash walked down to the edge of the water. "Little guy, I'm so sorry. I didn't know about what had happened."
Tears free flowed down the Lapras' cheeks. "Laaaaaa…"
Ash grimaced. "I don't know what you can do. But, if you'd let me, maybe I could help you find a new home."
"Laaa..?" Lapras cried out again, looking up at Ash.
Ash smiled sadly. "After I get done here, I can probably find somewhere for you to stay. The Lapras right next to you comes from a big herd anyways, and they are very kind."
Ash's Lapras nuzzled the baby Lapras again. "Lapraaas…" she said.
The baby looked hesitantly at the older one. "Lap?"
Lapras smiled sadly. "Lapras Lap" she nodded.
Ash took out one of his spare Luxury Balls. "I make sure that all of my friends are comfortable, even when they are in their balls. This way, I can take you with me and care for you, until we find you a home. That is, if you want to come with."
The young Lapras looked at Ash with sparkling eyes. "Lapras!" he squealed.
"Alright then" Ash said. Tossing the Luxury Ball at the young Lapras, the ball opened up and sucked him inside in a flash of light. Dropping on Lapras' back, the ball began to shake. Swimming right up against the shore, Lapras leaned so that the ball fell onto the sand, just as it clicked and sparked.
Ash picked up the ball. "I promise, I will help you find a new home. You have my word." He turned back to his own Lapras. "Hey, you ready to go?"
Lapras nodded. "Lapras."
"Ok, Lapras, return" Ash said, recalling his Pokemon.
"I looked at the information for myself" Mewtwo said behind him, now that Ash was done. "This opening ceremony starts in less that half an hour. We might as well attend, we could learn some more about things here."
Ash nodded. "All the information we get is one more small advantage we have in saving Mew."
"Yes indeed" Mewtwo agreed. Looking around at his surroundings, Mewtwo said "I believe that the opening ceremony is supposed to take place on this very beach, if only down a ways. With it starting soon, I suggest we stay."
"Good plan" Ash said. "But let's stay out of the way. I met someone from my past life earlier, and it was uncomfortable to say the least."
Mewtwo chuckled. "That bad, eh? Fine, I don't like all of this social activity anyways."
Ash nodded. "By the way, the trainer I met is extremely powerful. Would you be ready to go in as my Pokemon is it came down to a battle against a Trainer like him?"
"Just what kind of Trainer could have you so worried?" Mewtwo asked.
"A Trainer who uses Legendary Pokemon" Ash said. "Pokemon like Darkrai and Latios, Arceus knows what else."
"Really?" Mewtwo mused. "As far as I know, I wouldn't do as well against a Darkrai. As another Legendary Pokemon, it's one of the few who can fight on par with me. I may have to practice my Fighting-Type moves."
"Remember, Mewtwo, we have an advantage with X" Ash said. "I think that we will really have to think almost scientifically about this fight, because there is some stiff competition here. If Riolu evolved before I had to fight him, then I may use him instead. Either way, I'm feeling it pretty strongly that I will have to end up fighting him sooner or later. He may be the most powerful Trainer here, I just wish I had a good estimate about how I stack up against him."
"Worry not" Mewtwo responded. "If it comes down to it, you have my word, I'll step in as your battler."
Ash chuckled lightly. "You know, it's starting to sound like you care more about Mew more than you let on."
"Hrr?" Mewtwo grunted.
Ash laughed a bit more openly. "We only have a few more minutes until the trainers start flooding over here, let's find a good place out of the way."
Mewtwo shot Ash a small death glare, then proceeded to walk off, out into a corner of the beach.
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "So that's how I can get him to stop talking in the future, eh? Good news."
House 394
"Alright, May, you've had enough time to cool off. Now, I'm coming for you."
A key rattled in the lock, and the door swing open. "Hello, May?" Dawn called.
"Piplup Pip?" Piplup called out as well.
Closing the door behind her, Dawn and Piplup walked inside. "Come on, May, come talk to me."
"Pip?" Piplup asked Dawn.
"No need to worry, Piplup" Dawn said. "About me at least. I'm worried about May, personally."
Throwing her bag off behind the couch, Dawn wandered up the stairs. "Nope, laundry room" she said, opening one door. "Bathroom" she said at another. Walking to the back of the hall, she came up to the last door and pushed it open. "May?" she called.
When she didn't get a response, she went to close the door. However, as she turned, she saw a peak of brown just behind the bed. Stepping back in, quietly, she walked through the room and came around the side of the bed. Sitting on the floor, back against the bed, May sat hunched over, head in her arms. A piece of ribbon stuck out of one of her closed hands.
Dawn kneeled down next to her friend. "Hey, May" she said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"If you're here to try to convince me to make up with my father again, you're wasting your time" May's muffled voice came out. She sounded like she had a sore throat.
"No, May, it's not about that. I came to talk with you and cheer you up" Dawn said emphatically.
"You can't cheer me up, Dawn, you have no idea how I feel" she said miserably.
"Yeah, well, you're wrong" Dawn said slowly. "Brock, kind of, let enough slip on accident that I could deduce something."
May's ragged breaths continued, but she didn't respond, so Dawn continued. "May, did you, love, Ash?"
Abruptly stopping, May's eyes emerged over the top of her arms. "What?"
Dawn put her hand on the hand with the ribbon in it. "May, we all knew Ash like family, yet you're the only one who's taken it this hard, and reacts this badly to any remembrance of that day. You took it upon yourself to take care of Ash's Pokemon and fulfill Ash's dream. And here you are, clutching your half of the Terracotta Ribbon for comfort. May…"
"Yes..." May mumbled.
"What?" Dawn asked, having barely heard her.
"I said, yes…" May mumbled a bit louder. Her head disappeared back into her arms, and a hacking sob came out.
Dawn's mouth formed a perfect O. She'd had her suspicions for a few minutes now, but actually hearing it was still a shock.
"May, I really-" Dawn began to say, but then May began to speak.
"I had those feelings since Hoenn" May choked out. "Then, by the time I finally got up the courage, to even try to confess, I went and fell off of a cliff, which made Ash feel like he had to go, and kill himself, just to give me back a life. So yes, I'm doing this because, I… I…" her voice completely broke, and she completely collapsed.
As if the sadness that May was feeling was leaking out into the air, Dawn began to feel the pervading despair as well. Seeing her friend so completely broken and miserable nearly brought her to her knees also.
"Come on, May, it's not your-" Dawn began to say, but she was cut off again.
"Everyone keeps telling me that it's not my fault, but I don't care!" May yelled. "But if I hadn't been so careless, I wouldn't have fallen. If I had talked to Ash earlier, we wouldn't have even gone up there. So tell me, who's fault is it then?!"
"Shut it May!" Dawn shouted. "Do you really think that Ash would give his life up just to have you life the rest of your life in guilt?! No, he wouldn't! So quit blaming yourself for what Ash chose to do!"
"D-Dawn?" May stuttered, shocked by her friend's outburst.
Dawn stood up. She took a deep breath and grounded herself. "You know, May, I don't think that Ash would have given up his life for the rest of us. He knew that none of us would want him to do that, but I don't think that he wanted to have a life without you."
"What, what are you saying, Dawn?" May asked.
Dawn's serious look softened slightly. "I think you know exactly what I mean, May."
May's breath caught in her chest. Bringing the Terracotta Ribbon to her chest, she closed her eyes tightly. "Ash…"
Dawn stooped down and held her hand out. "Come on, May, let's get you cleaned up."
May opened her eyes, now slightly moister for it, and reached up. Taking Dawn's hand, she pulled herself up. "Thank you, Dawn."
Dawn nodded. "I don't usually play it, but someone has to be the voice of reason in our little group, you know?"
With a faint grin, May nodded. Just then, the entire house began to vibrate and shake, sending tremors up the two. "Who-o-o-o-a-a-a-a, wha-a-a-a-a-a-t-t-t-s g-g-o-o-o-i-i-i-i-ng o-o-o-o-o-n?" May asked.
Stumbling over to the window, Dawn threw the blinds up. Even though the sky was still dimly lit in the late afternoon sun, there was no light coming in, as if a shadow was covering up the sky. Sticking her head out the window, Dawn looked straight up. "Ah!" Dawn gasped.
May caught herself as she was knocked down by a particularly strong quake. "Ah! Wh-a-a-a-t-t is it?"
Dawn merely grabbed May and pulled her over to the window, pointing into the sky. May gasped as well. "Oh…"
Beach
"Wow, there's really going to be some fierce competition, isn't there?" Ash asked.
Clouds of sand were kicked sky high by a terrific gust coming down out of the sky. Mewtwo stuck his hand out and formed a Reflect to prevent grains of sand from streaking into their eyes. Above them, a massive, flying object descended onto a particularly large and flat expanse of beach turf.
"So, I take it you know just what that is?" Mewtwo asked.
Ash nodded. "Home to one of the toughest battles I've had but actually won, yeah, I remember it."
The large structure was a massive pyramid, elongated along the corners, where the engines stood, keeping the thing afloat. The Battle Pyramid touched down with a final thud on the sand. It had attracted quite a crowd of trainers, even more so than those who had already gathered.
The front of the Pyramid opened wide, and spotlights came on all around the beach. Three hulking figures appeared in the doorway, enshrouded behind the light. Then, three lights began to glow on them, and a red orb appeared in midair. A stream of silver, orange, and blue blasted outwards and collided in the orb, exploding like fireworks.
Ash raised his eyebrows. "Flash Cannon, Hyper Beam, and Ice Beam? That could only mean…"
Stepping into the light, the trio of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel revealed themselves in a the glorious glitter raining down. Stepping down behind them, a stern-looking man, dressed in a green coat walked in front of them.
Ash couldn't help but feel his mind wander back to old times. "Still going strong, eh Brandon?" he chuckled. "I could have sworn that his golems were staying in the Snowpoint Temple as pillars. Maybe he found a way to free them without breaking down the pillars."
Brandon and his Regi Pokemon went to stand off to the side, and two more figures appeared in the gateway. A blast of fire and a stream of bubbles came flying out, swirling together and crackling with energy.
"Combination of Fire and Water?" Ash asked. "Well that must be…"
Before he could finish, a handsome man in white clothes with purple hair stepped out. Ash suspected that if it was not such a serious competition, he would have been immediately mobbed. "Tucker, nice to see you here too" Ash thought.
A tremor raced through the ground, causing a pillar of stone to erupt out. A bulky figure raced out, and with a single blow, shattered the rock into countless shards of stone. A Hariyama stood among the rubble. A single fair sized plate of the stone spun up into the air, above Hariyama. As it came down, another figure lept over Hariyama, and with a flying kick, shattered that plate as well. Landing gracefully, Greta made quite the entrance.
Following quickly, a large figure emerged from over the back of the Pyramid. Soaring over, just out of clear view, faint blue glitter rained down, causing a chill to permeate the air. Diving into the spotlight, a majestic Articuno came into view. Dropping off of its back, a man in a white coat dropped off. Looking like he was fresh from the Battle Factory, Noland dropped off and stroked Articuno's feathers.
A figure cloaked in a blue light suddenly flew forward, out of the Pyramid. Flying through the sky, she settled down gently on top of the wide top of a Metagross. The glow of Psychic fainted, and Anabel came into view.
Two twisting, serpentine Pokemon spiraled out, one dark, one light.. Spiraling together in a double helix fashion, they separated, revealing another person inside. Tall, thin, and almost goth, Lucy was revealed, standing as serious as ever. Right after her, shaking the ground, a massive Venusaur stomped into view, Spenser riding atop his back.
Ash let out a low whistle. "Wow, the entire Kanto Battle Frontier showed up? These guys aren't messing around."
Hearing his whistle, Brandon turned his head over to where Ash was standing. Ash tried to shrink back into the shadows, but it was hard to be unoticable when you were shielded by a glowing barrier of energy.
"Hey, why's Reflect still up?" Ash hissed.
"Hmm?" Mewtwo grunted. "Oh, sorry." He waved his hand, and it vanished. "Sorry, it was so effortless, I didn't even realize I was keeping it up."
"Backdoor brag much?" Ash asked. Ash pulled his hat low over his face and did his best to ignore the almost physical feeling of Brandon's gaze in the top of his head.
He heard another figure emerging from the Pyramid. "Well, I've been accused of being a crazy driver in my days, but I have to say, that flight over was a bit too turbulent for me."
Raising his cap enough to see, Ash saw the main man himself, Scott, walking out off of the ramp. Out on the sidewalk, Ash saw the Regional Champions walking down where the Frontier Brains and Scott stood.
"This must be the opening ceremony" Ash realized. "Well, it was a bit flashy for my taste, but oh well."
A few workers hurried over with a podium and megaphone, setting them down right in front of the Battle Pyramid. Scott walked forward and tapped the mic. "Testing, testing?" his voice boomed out. "Alright."
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, Trainers of all ages. By now, I assume that you all know why you're here, and if you don't, hoo, you're pretty lost, aren't you? But enough with that. We all came here today to give you the rundown of how this whole thing will work."
"Now, first off, this tournament will consist of 8 rounds of elimination, besides the given preliminaries, of course. Many of you know the basics, like team count per round and all that, but here's a rule that we didn't really reveal to the general public."
The front of the Battle Pyramid opened up into a giant screen. Appearing on the screen, some sort of roulette was shown. "Each round you participate in, this wheel will spin, giving you a random battle type. Some battles you fight may be singles, some may be doubles, some triples, some 4 on 4 battle royals, and sometimes, your opponent will become your ally in a tag battle against another duo. This will add an additional element of difficulty and surprise to this thing, and force trainers to adapt accordingly."
Scott backed away from the mic, and a familiar blonde woman approached. "Please welcome, Cynthia!" Scott called as he backed away.
Cynthia walked up to the podium, calm and collected. "Welcome Trainers. Many of you know me as the Sinnoh Champion, but as of today, I'm just another contestant in this tournament."
"Now, today, I am here to give you an exhibition match, to allow you all a taste of the battles that you will all get a chance to view in this competition. I hope that you all enjoy!"
"As much as I'd like to watch" Ash muttered to Mewtwo, "I think that it doesn't really matter. Can you Teleport us back into our room?"
"Dear Arceus, I thought you'd never ask" Mewtwo said with a sarcastic tone, but telling the truth. Swiping his hand back across the three of them, they all disappeared in a flash of green light.
House 1023
One second, his feet were in the sandy turf. The next, he was settling down on the carpeted floor of his room with a thump.
Riolu hopped down and sat down against the bed, while Ash collapsed on top of it himself. "So, I guess tomorrow, things get started, huh?"
Mewtwo nodded. "Yes, and it looks like we'll be here for a while. If each round consists of two days, and there are 8 rounds, not counting the preliminaries, we are looking at almost 3 weeks on this rock."
"I hear you" Ash nodded. He pulled his cloak off and tossed his hat across the room, onto the chair by his desk. "So we'll get a message on my Pokedex later about who and where to go for our battle. I just want this to get over with so that we can head back to Mt. Quena."
"I am in great agreement with that as well" Mewtwo said. "It's been just under 24 hours, yet I already feel like I want to go home."
"Wow, I didn't know you got homesick" Ash said.
"It happens to everyone" Mewtwo said offhandedly.
Ash sighed. "That's true enough…" he muttered.
A thump sounded downstairs. Looking at the door, Ash shrugged. "I guess that we have roommates now. As long as they leave me alone, I don't care. We have a freeze-locked door anyways."
"Hmm…" Mewtwo nodded.
Laying doing on the pillow, Ash rolled on his back. "Well, I ought to get some sleep. I may have to get up early for my battle, at any rate."
"Yes. Let us sleep" Mewtwo agreed.
Reaching over, Ash flipped off his lamp and plunged the room into darkness.
Downstairs
A young man came walking down the stairs. "Well, someone's definitely in there, the light just went off."
Another person, a young woman, stood up from the couch. "Then if they are here, they certainly like their privacy. Hardly a sound all night from up there, no response when we knocked to say hi, nothing."
"Yeah, well, some people have their own preferences" the man shrugged.
"Yeah, that's true enough. I just wonder who it is. Do you think it could be someone famous who's just trying to catch a break?" the woman asked.
"Nah, and you'll probably run yourself into the ground if you stay up, trying to figure things out" the man said. "Come on, let's go get some shut eye so that you can show up the competition tomorrow."
"Good plan" she said. Tiptoeing up to the man, she reached up and pecked him on the cheek. "Sleep well, Tracy."
Tracy smiled and returned the favor. "You as well, Misty."
Okay, now that was the longest chapter that I've ever written. I sure hope it was worth the wait. Next chapter, we'll get started with some preliminaries, and a little bit more plot as we delve deeper into the story. But this was that one chapter, you know, the one that's the turning point for the main story to start, and I wanted to do it right. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it! Please, drop a review in the review box on the way out, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Cya!
