Chapter Three

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed before Wally was considered strong enough to leave the infirmary. The doctor said that all the excitement of the Pokémon match had over-exerted his lungs. The young boy needed to be watched carefully, but he was going to be just fine - at least, physically.


Ash and Pikachu were on the main deck, watching the waves churning in the bright sunshine. Beneath the crystal-clear surface, they could see a variety of creatures: a pair of Horsea chasing each other, a couple of Tentacool floating gently along with the ocean current, and there was even a Qwilfish sampling a few food scraps that the cook had thrown out of the galley porthole. The mere sight of the frolicking Pokémon was more than enough to temporarily sponge away the worry he had been feeling for the past forty-five minutes.

During this tranquil moment, Pikachu was the first to notice that Brendan and May had come up onto the deck and walked up to them. May leaned on the railing to her friend's left and watched the Pokémon play as well; Brendan stood to his right. Ash was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to acknowledge them. Suddenly, May took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, and let out a long, soft sigh.

"How's Wally doing, guys?" Ash asked, not even wanting to look up and face them.

Brendan smiled, "Well, he's feeling a lot better now, but he's a little upset with himself - doesn't even want to come out of the infirmary."

"I can imagine how he's feeling," May thought out loud, "collapsing during a Pokémon battle in front of hundreds of people is enough to embarrass any Trainer."

"That reminds me," Ash said, turning his head towards the boy on his right, "why didn't he want me to know he had asthma? I mean, it's nothing to be that ashamed of, isn't it?"

"What?" Brendan asked, sounding very surprised by his new friend's question, "How did you know…"

"I have a friend back in Pallet Town who has asthma," Ash interrupted, grinning, "We've known each other since we were really small - and he's had quite a few of those attacks, so I pretty much know all about it."

"Really?" May asked, "You never told me and Brock that."

Ash spun around and leaned his back against the railing before responding, "There's a lot of things about me that people don't know."

"I guess that means you've battled other wimps before, eh?" snapped a voice from behind.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked in confusion. He and the three humans turned to face the speaker; all were wearing startled expressions.

Standing just a couple of feet away was a young boy. Ash didn't need to look twice to know who it was: he recognized him - by the dark clothes, long red hair, and bad attitude. He then gritted his teeth and frowned at the newcomer.

"Hey, you're that jerk who was teasing my friend during our battle!"

The boy only sniffed at Ash's remark, "You mean that weenie little baby Trainer was your friend? HA! Weak little sickies like him shouldn't even be allowed to train Pokémon."

Brendan scowled, "Hey, bud, why don't you cut Wally some slack? He's actually been doing really well since he started his Pokémon journey back in Hoenn."

"And I suppose that this was the first time he almost suffocated during a match?" the stranger sneered sarcastically.

"Now just a minute," May shouted angrily, "I don't know who you are, but exactly how sick our friend is doesn't mean a thing to anybody - least of all you! And who are you to judge which people are capable of becoming Trainers?" May was so busy scolding the unwelcome guest that she failed to notice Brock and Marina walking in their direction; each holding a slightly depressed Wally by the hand.

Standing next to Marina, however, was a boy neither Ash nor his friends had ever met before. His age and height seemed to be level with Brendan's, but the black-and-yellow cap that covered his dark blue hair almost made him look like Ash. Only the rest of his clothing was very much different: a long-sleeved red jacket and yellow shorts.

No one seemed surprised that this person didn't shout back - it was almost like he enjoyed getting on the bad side of others. The only response he gave to May's outburst was a mere wave of the hand, all the while maintaining his rude grin.

"Chill out, Sweet Cheeks," he snickered, "All I'm saying is that it'd be good for your friend's health if quits right now. Besides, no Pokémon in its right mind would ever want a Trainer who can't even take care of himself."

"I thought that was you, Tyler," Marina suddenly cut in from behind.

"Yeah," added the boy next to her, "who would've guessed you'd be here?"

Upon hearing those two voices, Tyler's expression changed. The once haughty and careless expression melted away into one of pure shock - and even that didn't last very long either: the eyebrows lowered to the point where they could've touched his nose, his teeth clenched tightly, and even his face grew redder and hotter than a Charmander's flame. It was clear to Ash that this boy was not too happy with the two Trainers who were addressing him. After a few seconds of silent fuming, however, Tyler regained his composure; without taking a glance, he turned to the right and started walking casually away.

"See you losers later," he called to them before disappearing around the corner, "I'd stick around longer, but all this ocean air makes me seasick."

Marina directed an uneasy smile at the trio, a drop of sweat falling down her face, "I see you've just met Tyler."

"Humph, I wouldn't call that a meeting," May retorted, "Who was he?"

"Tyler's just a local punk around the Johto region," the other boy explained, "Officer Jenny's still chasing him because he stole a Pokémon from Professor Elm a while back. Claims all other Trainers are weak, but he refuses to admit that he needs more training himself."

Marina suddenly spoke up at that moment, "I'm sorry, you haven't been properly introduced: guys, this is my friend, Jimmy - he and I both started our Pokémon journeys back home in New Bark Town. Jimmy, these are May, Brendan, Ash, and Pikachu."

"Oh yeah; Marina, Wally, and Brock told me about you," Jimmy said pleasantly as he shook their hands, "It's great to finally meet you all."

"Right back atchya, Jimmy," Ash replied, "So, I guess we're all going to be competing in the Tournament, huh?"

"Yup, and I can hardly wait to get there and start battling. King Lorenzo invited the best Trainers from all the different Leagues to compete in this event. Just think: all those tough young men and women, and their incredibly strong Pokémon…"

"I know what you mean," cheered an ecstatic Ash, "I haven't felt this excited since the day I started competing in the Kanto Indigo League!"

"Oh no," May said melodramatically, slapping a hand against her forehead, "Now we have to put up with two eager-beaver Trainers."

Ash and Jimmy turned bright red as their friends burst out laughing - they couldn't help sharing the same enthusiasm for Pokémon Battles and competing in League tournaments. The two boys just stared at each other for a few seconds before finally giving in and laughing themselves.

While all this was going on, Max came running up to the group. Despite the heavy panting, he had the widest and brightest smile imaginable on his face.

"Hey, everybody," he yelled, "I just saw it; we're almost there!"

Brock gave him a puzzled glance, "Saw what, Max?"

"Windfall Island; it's only a few minutes away! Come look!"

In a flash, all eight Trainers (Pikachu remained on Ash's shoulder) raced over to the front of the ship. Dozens of other passengers and Pokémon were already crowding onto the deck in order to catch their first glimpse of the island. Ash and his friends had to make it through all the pushing and shoving of those around them before finally reaching the guardrail. They were all completely breathless at the sight of what lay before them.

The large island stood proudly upon the ocean's surface. Houses and buildings of every shape, size and color lined the shores and streets; their many windows reflected the rays of the morning sunshine, making them look like sparkling jewels from so far away. The lush green grass and multicolor flowers of a park could be seen near the western tip of the island. Ash guessed that there was a beach on the opposite end because he could see a long strip of sandy shoreline on the eastern side. Everything was almost too beautiful for words, but the one object that really caught their attention was the biggest building, located in the heart of the entire city.

An enormous castle, nearly twice as big as any Pokémon stadium on Earth (at least, to Ash) towered majestically over every square inch of the island. Every brick, from the courtyard to the blue-roofed towers, was made of fine white stone. The brilliant red flags that billowed from the tops of the towers, as well as the front gates, bore pictures of lions embroidered with gold thread. From the battlements and arched windows were hung great blue banners that were also accented with gold. Everyone agreed that this was truly a sight to behold!

While the passengers remained wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the great city, the HMS Zephos slowly pulled into the overly crowded marina. Staff members grabbed the ropes that were thrown to them from the ship's crew, and tied the ship down securely. A pair of muscular-looking sailors pushed back the onlooking people as they prepared the gangplank. During this time, the announcer's voice echoed from the many loudspeakers around them:

"Attention, attention: the citizens of Windfall Island are pleased to welcome the passengers of the 'HMS Zephos'. We hope you enjoy the wonderful sites our people have to offer. If you would like information about upcoming events, tours, and shows, brochures and calendars are available at the Service Desk in the main building. The snack bar and restrooms are located to the right, and the Red Lion Rental Station is to the left. Once again, we hope you enjoy your visit to Windfall Island. Have a nice day."

"Red Lions?" Wally asked, looking at his friends with a baffled expression, "What are those?"

Max took a quick look in his guidebook before answering; "Red Lions are the traditional sailboats of the Great Sea. They're like regular sailboats, but much more decorative. In fact, you can see them sailing in the harbor right now."

Everyone looked to the left as Max pointed. Scattered across the waters of the harbor were many little red boats, their white sails swelling as the wind carried them around. Unlike most common boats, these were made entirely of wood. Carved into each bow (that's the boat's "nose") was what looked to be a Chinese-style lion head, highlighted with both white and gold paint.

Ash leaned farther over the railing as he stared at the small boats, "Wow, I'd sure like to ride one of those."

"Me too," May squealed happily, "they're so adorable!"

By now, Ash was leaning so far that he came quite close to falling overboard. Without warning, a strong hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to safety before anyone had a chance to react.

"Waaah!" Ash yelped as he felt himself being tugged back onto the deck, "Hey, who did that?" He spun around to find out who was responsible. Standing behind him was a large, muscular man. He seemed to be around thirty years of age, and had a dark tan. Although the black hair and beard on his tough-looking face made him seem quite intimidating, the light-brown business suit told everyone that he was not as scary as they all thought. With a playful grin, the man gave Ash a light pat on the back.

"Careful there, youngster," he said, "You don't want to end up fish bait." The man then walked away from the astonished group, and joined four other strange men near the ship's exit. Taking a megaphone from a short man with buck teeth, he cleared his throat hard and put it to his mouth:

"Ladies and gentlemen, Trainers of all ages, may I have your attention please?" All the chattering passengers suddenly fell silent to the man's voice, and gathered closer to hear the announcement.

"Welcome to Windfall Island, home of the Great Sea's Tournament of Champions! My name is Senza; my friends here and I will be your chaperones for the next two weeks. We will show you the sites of the city, take you on tours of the surrounding islands, and we will be your coaches while you prepare for the coming Tournament next week.

"Now, before we get started, we need to go over a few simple ground rules:

…One: No fighting of any kind in the streets - King Lorenzo is very strict about public safety in this region.

…Two: When touring or going out with a group, you are encouraged to stay with that group; we don't want our competitors getting lost before the big event.

…Three: Smoking, drinking, drugs, thievery, or any other kind of unsanitary activities are not permitted. If any Trainers have one or more of these problems, they will NOT be allowed to participate in the Tournament.

…Four: All participating Trainers - and their Pokémon - must agree to a full physical examination before entering; failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification.

…Five: Meals, important events of the day, and bedtimes will be kept on a strict schedule. Missing even one of these will result in a warning; earn three warnings, and you will be put on restriction for one whole day. In other words, you will stay in your assigned room while your comrades get to go outside and have fun - even if it's between Tournament hours.

"There will also be rules concerning the Tournament that the King himself will go over with you later on. In the meantime, as your prepare yourselves, we encourage you all to have a wonderful stay on our beautiful island." Senza paused as the audience gave enthusiastic cheers and claps. As they gradually began to quiet down, he picked up a clipboard full of papers, and raised the megaphone again.

"Alright, let's get started by sorting you all into your tour groups. As you can see, there are five chaperones all together: each one will be leading a group of Trainers - and their escorts - who are currently training for a certain League. For instance, if you're going for the Kanto League right now, you will be with Mako over there." He then pointed to a short young man in an orange shirt and pants, and wearing a pair of nerdy glasses. Several Trainers had already started moving towards Mako as Senza watched.

Jimmy immediately tapped Marina on the shoulder as the crowd thinned from the departing kids, "Come on, let's go," he said. The young girl nodded as they moved away from the others.

"Where are you two going?" Brock asked, causing them to stop.

"That's us," Marina replied, "We were training for the Kanto League when the invitations came."

"Oh," May said, trying not to sound disappointed, "I was really hoping we could all spend the day together."

"Sure we can," Jimmy observed, "All we've gotta do is get settled in first, then maybe Mako and whoever your leader is will let us all hang out."

"We'll see you later then," Ash said. They all waved and said good-bye as Jimmy and Marina followed their group down the gangplank.

Senza then paired up two more guides with their Trainers (both groups were from Leagues neither Ash nor his friends had ever heard of before). One group went with a short, dark-skinned man named Zuko; this guy wore a blue summer shirt, green pants, and had a look of sheer boredom on his face. The other set was turned over to Nudge, a tall light-skinned man dressed all in gray - except for his yellow sunhat. Senza continued as the two groups filed off the ship…

"Hoenn Trainers, Niko will be your guide from now on. The rest of you - the Johto Leaguers - you'll be coming with me."

"Well, guys, that's our cue," Brendan announced.

The six friends soon started tailing the other Hoenn Trainers. As he walked on, Ash happened to notice Tyler out of the corner of his eye: the young redhead just stood there, wearing that same smug look as before.

"Something wrong?" Brock asked when he noticed Ash's scowl.

"I just saw Tyler," Ash answered in a low voice, "I guess he's staying with the Johto group."

Brendan thought for a second, "Yeah, that is weird: Marina and Jimmy are already training for the Kanto League; so why is Tyler staying here? Shouldn't he be on an equal level with those two?"

May huffed at the mere thought of that stuck-up creep, "If that's the case, then he must've lost terribly at the Johto Competition." They all covered their mouths so that no one would hear them giggling. Luckily, Tyler was now too far away to hear, but he did frown at the sight of them leaving together.

"What a bunch of children," he thought silently, "They won't be so cheery once I get into the ring."


In a matter of seconds, over a dozen Hoenn Trainers were gathering around the buck-toothed little man. Despite his size, Niko looked very much like he knew how to handle such an assignment: his face glowed with a proud sense of duty as he surveyed the children crowding around him.

"Ahoy there, swabbies!" he shouted, trying his hardest to sound like a military officer, "As of today...EH-HEH-AHEM...I am your superior, Niko, and I'll be your buddy during this little shindig, so you do as I say, OK? Right, now those rules Senza read to you have been approved by the Great King Lorenzo, so don't get any funny ideas.

"The first stop for the day will be the palace, where you will be briefed on the coming Tournament, review the daily schedule, and get settled into your living quarters. Your Pokémon are more than welcome to join in...as long as you keep them under tight control. And, most of all..." here, Niko began to eye them all seriously, "you're all to be on your absolutely best behavior: remember, His Majesty is a real King, and he won't tolerate any crude remarks or foolishness of any kind."

Niko took a deep breath after that speech before resuming; "Now that that's all been taken care of, are there any questions before we move on?"

Ash instantly raised his hand with great curiosity; he was hoping to clear up something that Niko had just said...

"Yes, you...the one with the Pikachu...(gosh, I really need to take a role call when we get on the bus)...what's your name, Junior?"

"Who, me? Um...Ash."

"Okay, Ash, you have a question?"

"Well, sir...uh...it's about what you said about us 'getting settled in' at the palace: does that mean we're all going to be staying there?"

Ash's question triggered a lot of loud gasps from the other Trainers. Everyone expected to be living in a hotel, not a castle! The very thought of taking up residence in such an extravagant building was more than overwhelming...even Pikachu gave a soft "Kaaa" in surprise.

Niko seemed stupefied by Ash's question. "This kid wasn't exactly the pick of the litter, was he?" he thought to himself, but then he cleared his throat lightly and replied, "Why of course, young man; His Majesty has provided all the necessary accommodations for the competitors. But don't start thinking that getting the star treatment will get you off the hook for any rule breaking: all rules for this Tournament will be strictly enforced, so I strongly urge you guys to..."

Apparently, not many people heard Niko's last sentence: there were hoots and hollers all around as the Trainers celebrated their great luck. The girls proved to be the most excited of all as they started gabbing about the beautiful clothes and jewelry that royal ladies always wore, elegant balls, gardens, and all that gorgeous furniture. The only thing that turned the boys on was the prospect of eating some of that fancy cooking at the castle.

What snapped everyone out of his or her daydreams was an ear-piercing blast from Niko's whistle. The chatter abruptly stopped, and they stared directly at him.

"That's better," he snorted, "Now, let's get on the bus and get this day started. Forward march!" Only too eager to get to their destination, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and all the other Trainers followed Niko out of the marina to the bus stop with eager steps.


Five average-sized buses were standing in wait along the curb of the street. One bus, obviously filled with Trainer already, was just pulling out when Niko's group arrived; Zuko and Nudge were in the process of ushering their herds onboard. Niko took a piece of paper out of his pocket as he walked up to the door of an empty bus.

"Alright, guys, each of you will get on the bus with your parties as I call your name - that way, we'll know that everyone's here: Jenny Arrgus, Ronald Baker, Amy Benson, Brendan Birch..."

Brendan took Wally and Max by the hands, and they followed the others onto the bus. Many more Trainers boarded as well; some brought two people, some had one, and there were even a few who came alone. As the bus seats slowly filled up Niko began to hope that there would be enough room for everybody.

"Anthony Harris, Megan Jacobs, Ira Johanson, Brad Karson, Ash Ketchum..." With Brock and May in tow, Ash wasted no time in climbing the steps of the vehicle.

The many soft padded seats were big enough to fit only two people. The three friends just stood there for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to do. It was then that Max signaled to his sister from near the back that the seat next to him was open; Brendan and Wally sat in the opposite row. As May walked over to join him, the two boys found seats on the left side and sat down. More kids filed onto the bus while they fastened their seatbelts.

"Isn't this exciting, Ash?" Brock asked. "We're actually going to be staying in a real castle."

Ash's face beamed with anticipation, "Yeah, and I really want to check out the Colosseum when we get there; I bet it's gonna be huge!"

Brock nodded, "It must be, by the size of the courtyard; that's probably where the Tournament will take place."

Just as the last of the Trainers sat down, Niko suddenly boarded the bus too. He gave the okay to the driver, and they were soon on their way. Everyone gazed out the window as the large white ship slowly disappeared from view, and images of boats, docks, and queues of people passed by as well.

No one knew what the next two weeks would bring as they continued to watch the world go by outside, but they were more than certain that they would be the most memorable weeks of their entire lives.