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A/N: My apologies for the late release. I had some deadlines and exams for uni that completely wacked up my usual Tuesday schedule, and this is the first chance I had to post.
This is an intriguing turn of events… Lysandre mused, slouching backwards in his seat as Ash's Charizard turned and blew a Flamethrower directly at his Trainer's face. But our conquest will become that much easier once we turn him to our side. All that remains is for my agents in Prism Tower to complete the setup…
"Wait, that Charizard is his?" Mairin interrupted, pressing her face up to the glass. "I thought it belonged to that guy he was with who looked like Alain!"
Lysandre looked up. "Hmm? Do tell. Last I heard, his companions were the Gym Leader and his little sister, whom I have yet to meet, and the girl he was dating – Serena, I believe her name was."
Mairin nodded, turning away from the window just in time to miss the clash of Steel Wing versus Steel Wing right outside. Since Lysandre had deactivated the speaker system when he made his request, all she heard was a muffled clank (as if the two Pokémon were on the other side of the arena). "Remember that Honedge that escorted me back? That was his, and I thought the Charizard was his too since Ash never used it. He knew about Chespie, too – and he even said that's why Alain is collecting Mega Evolution energy."
Lysandre rubbed his chin in thought, ignoring the flash of light that heralded Charizard's Mega Evolution. "Now that you mention it, I do recall Alain mentioning a Trainer he met on the day of registration that people assumed was a relative. He said this person gave him some advice that gave him a new perspective on battling – I'm guessing it's the same person. Do you by any chance remember his name?"
Mairin's face scrunched up, and she stared off into space. Halfway across the field, Ash's Charizard slammed a Dragon Tail into the ground to disrupt his opponent's oncoming Blast Burn, but she was so distracted she didn't even notice. "I… think it sounded sort of like one of those fossils we saw being restored once. The round one Steven had in the case with the swirly one."
As Charizard launched himself in for a Steel Wing using the shockwave from Mega Charizard's weakened attack, Lysandre's eyebrow rose. "…Dan? Don? Dolan?"
Mairin shook her head. "Not the fossil, the Pokémon that came from the fossil." In the background, Mega Charizard caught Charizard's steel-hard wings with a last-minute Dragon Claw.
A look of understanding appeared on Lysandre's face. "Ah, you mean Kabuto."
"Kazuto, that was it! He was really nice, even if his Pokémon was a little weird. He kept telling Honedge 'don't call me Master' over and over again, but it sounded like he didn't actually expect it to stop." She looked back at the field to see Ash's Charizard smash another Dragon Tail attack into Mega Charizard's stomach as a wash of blue flame engulfed him, the ensuing explosion pushing both Pokémon apart. Her face grew worried. "Wow, Ash's Charizard is doing a lot better than that other one did, and he still has his Greninja and Pikachu too. It looks like Alain might even lose!"
Lysandre silently agreed with her statement, but decided to humor her by placating her worries. "Maybe so, but Alain's Charizard is in much better condition, see? And has it ever lost to anything short of an Elite Four or Legendary?"
The worry in her expression faded, but didn't go away completely. "I guess you're right…" Down on the field, Charizard escaped the next Blast Burn by flying up to the edge of the explosion's shockwave (after dampening it with a Flamethrower heading the opposite way). "But I'm pretty sure Ash has run into Legendaries too. He even mentioned –"
Lysandre's Holo Caster abruptly rang, and he stood up. "My apologies, but I have to take this. It's a matter of utmost importance."
"Mmhmm." Mairin acknowledged, turning her attention back to the battle as Lysandre left, reactivating the speakers as he did so. "C'mon, Alain – do your best…"
"Is that the best you got?" Charizard roared, breathing heavily as he hovered in the air. "I managed to beat the five strongest Charizard in the Valley all in a row, and I've only gotten stronger since then!"
Across the field, Mega Charizard was also breathing harder than usual. Thanks to his increased stamina, though, he still had plenty of energy. "That explains why you've done so well – you trained yourself specifically to fight Charizard." he observed. "Most other opponents I've faced would have been beaten by now."
Charizard let out a snort, his breathing beginning to even out again. "Sorry to disappoint. I have to say, though, you're definitely on Articuno's level."
Mega Charizard flew up to attack at his Trainer's order, claws glowing bright green. "So you've fought against a Legendary too, huh? Well, get ready to experience déjà vu – cause you're going down again!"
In response, Charizard descended and blocked with Dragon Tail. "I doubt that. You wanna know why?"
"Why?"
Charizard's eyes flashed. "Because I won." Closing his wings, he hardened them into Steel and let gravity drag him downwards – only to jerk himself to a halt in midair and swing his tail in a semicircle, Mega Charizard still attached to the end. Mega Charizard instinctively let go to prevent himself from being swung any further, but that only placed him within Charizard's grappling range.
"Not enough leverage to use Steel Wing, not enough reach to use Dragon Claw." Charizard taunted as he pinned his opponent's arms to his sides from behind. "Now, it's time to show you how I beat a Legendary." Flying in a tight loop, he launched Mega Charizard straight towards the ground at high speed. "Seismic Toss!"
"Oh no you don't!" Mega Charizard responded, tail snaking out behind him to drag Charizard along. "If I'm going down, you're –"
His statement was interrupted by twin thuds, one of which knocked the wind out of him. A cloud of smoke bloomed up from the place of impact, obscuring the audience's view of the field.
"That's it for Charizard." Ash announced from the sidelines, pulling out a Pokéball and sending a beam of energy into the cloud. "Trevor wasn't kidding when he said you were strong. Neither was Professor Sycamore."
Alain smiled back as Mega Charizard hoisted himself back to his feet. "Thanks. Your Charizard is impressive too – with a Mega Stone of his own, he might have even had the upper hand. Now, let's see how your Greninja fares against my Mega Charizard!"
Ash grinned. "With pleasure. Greninja, I choose you!"
"…and carry the six, then divide by three to stay below the limit…" Greninja looked up from the notepad he was scribbling in. "Oh, is it my turn already? From the way Charizard was bragging earlier, I would have expected him to last longer."
Ash fixed him with a Look. "I know you don't really mean that."
Greninja shrugged, tossing the notebook over to his Trainer. "Maybe not, but I wanted to see how Alain's Charizard would react. Leave him guessing and all that."
"Right, the whole 'ninja' thing." Ash looked over to Alain. "Sorry for dragging this out – it just kinda happened. I know it's gotta be worse for you since you can't understand what he's saying."
"Considering what I've seen of you, I'm not surprised." Alain responded. "Besides, the longer you take, the more time Charizard has to recover."
Ash's face grew slightly more serious. "Well, in that case…" Opening up his Bond with Greninja, he slowed the pulse of his heartbeat to match Greninja's. You ready to do this?
Bring it on. With a burst of steam (a strategy for obscuring the transformation inspired by Volcanion, and much more energy-efficient than the original cyclone), Greninja changed into his special Forme and created a pair of Double Team duplicates – all of whom immediately broke off in different directions.
"Flamethrower and spin!" Alain ordered, immediately getting back into battle mode.
When I tell you what to do, have one of your Double Team duplicates do it, okay? "Into the air!" Ash yelled, crouching as if to jump himself.
"Track it with your Flamethrower!" Alain countered. Mega Charizard immediately halted his rotation, turning his head to follow the leaping frog. "Now, grab behind you with Dragon Claw!"
To Ash's shock, Charizard was able to stop Greninja's surprise attack in its tracks. Why didn't that work? he wondered, brain racing to update his battle plan.
"I figured you were going to try something like that after seeing your battle against Sawyer yesterday." Alain said triumphantly. "And now your Greninja has nowhere to go. Flamethrower, now!"
Another idea sparked in Ash's mind. "Quick, spit water into his mouth – as much as you can!"
Alain's mouth twitched upwards in a grin. "Too late. There's no way he can put out fire that hot."
"Who said that was what I was going for?" Ash answered with a grin of his own. "Remember Greninja's transformation earlier? Now, think about what happens when water gets really, really hot."
An explosion of steam took place inside Charizard's maw, the concussive force knocking his head off-target while simultaneously launching Greninja out of his grip. "Steel Wing, now!" Alain ordered frantically, his Charizard's wings hardening just in time to shield him from Greninja's follow-up Cut. "Now fly up to gain some height!"
"I thought you said you watched my battle with Sawyer." Ash responded as Greninja flew up on wings of Water to follow. "Flying away isn't going to help you against Greninja."
Alain raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Charizard, evaporate his Water Shuriken with a Flamethrower!"
"Climb up the Flamethrower to reach him!" Ash countered, mentally communicating his strategy to Greninja. With a mighty flap, he ascended just above the column of flames – and then channeled Water energy through his feet, allowing him to leap higher into the air using localized steam explosions. "Now, jump off his head and then use Water Shuriken!"
Greninja vaulted off the Dragon-type's snout, forcing his mouth shut, and threw his massive shuriken down onto Mega Charizard from above. Thanks to conservation of momentum, the speed of his attack provided a counter-force that held off the effects of gravity long enough for him to regenerate his 'wings.' He then swooped down in its shadow, channeling the energy for an Aerial Ace into his hands and feet.
"Cut through it with Dragon Claw!"
"The neck…" Greninja intoned as he swept in past Charizard's guard, "…and the wings. The three most vulnerable areas in your defense. Sorry about this, but you're grounded." In much the same way as Weavile had done to Noivern, he knocked Charizard's wings out of alignment so that he couldn't fly any more.
His victory was short-lived, however, as Charizard grabbed him with his still-active Dragon Claws while falling. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me!"
"Yeah, yeah. The same thing you said to Charizard and all that." Greninja said, his Water Shuriken diminishing slightly in size as he leached energy from it. "Too bad it won't be true." With another burst of steam, he created several more Double Team duplicates – which immediately vanished, turning back into Water energy. That was okay, though, because his real purpose was the steam burst: once again, Charizard's grip was loosened enough for him to escape. "Bye-bye."
He launched himself into the air, the force of his jump further accelerating Mega Charizard's descent. To the surprise of nearly everyone there, though, the black dragon was still able to stand after the impact.
"Sorry, Ash." Alain said, a note of finality in his voice. "But since I'm guessing you know what I'm fighting for, that also means you know why I can't let you win."
"Maybe so, but I'm not gonna back down either. Greninja, Water Shuriken – give it everything you've got!"
As the two of them extended their hands into the air, shuriken spinning above Greninja, Alain punched his fist forward. "You too, Charizard! Blast Burn!"
Right after he gave the order, something odd happened. The necklace Serena had bought Ash earlier in the day began vibrating, and tendrils of energy similar to a Mega Evolution started to snake towards Greninja from the embedded jewel. Neither Ash nor Greninja noticed, being so focused on their final attack, but Alain and Charizard were startled enough that the latter had to pause to retain control over the explosive mass of energy he had gathered.
The tendrils then connected, and a Vortex of water (the scale of which necessitated Capital Letters) erupted around Greninja before being absorbed by his Shuriken. The projectile grew to a massive size, spinning faster and faster until it resembled a disc more than it did a shuriken.
"FINISH IT, NOW!" both Trainers yelled simultaneously. Charizard punched the ground, sending a seismic wave packed with Fire towards the Water-type as Greninja released his own attack. As the two moves passed by each other, Greninja's shuriken appeared to take on an orange glow – the light of the flames beneath refracted to the point that the water itself appeared to be luminescent. The crowd oohed in appreciation, so transfixed that they almost missed the ensuing explosions.
When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were down on three limbs, struggling to hold themselves up. "I won't… let you… win this…" Charizard grunted out, the words taking all the energy he could spare.
In response, Greninja threw a single Water Shuriken – all he could spare the energy for – muddying the ground under Charizard's claw and causing him to slip. That one last collision with the ground was the final straw, and Mega Charizard's eyes turned into swirls as he de-transformed. "Word of advice: if you're both on your last legs, don't waste your breath talking." Greninja told his fallen opponent, catching his breath and heaving himself into a seiza position.
"Charizard is unable to battle – which means that with two Pokémon remaining, Ash Ketchum is the champion of this year's League competition!" the referee announced, breaking the spell of silence that had fallen over the crowd. A wave of applause began slowly, building in intensity as more people joined in. Ash, however, ignored it, walking quickly over to Charizard and sending a pulse of healing Aura into the atmosphere surrounding his wing-joints.
"His wings are going to be sore for a while, but as long as he gets treatment at a Pokémon Center it shouldn't really interfere with his flight." he told Alain, who nodded in thanks before returning his ace.
"Congratulations, Ash. If anyone deserves to have defeated me, it's you." He extended his hand as a display of sportsmanship, and Ash clasped it firmly.
"Thanks a lot. Honestly, that could have gone either way if Charizard had stayed standing – Pikachu and Greninja are a lot better at hitting hard than they are at taking hits."
The corner of Alain's mouth twitched up as the handshake finished. "Huh. Maybe so, but you still beat me fair and square. Besides, I didn't do this for the recognition."
Ash's grin dimmed slightly. "Right. I hope Chespie gets better soon. And you probably ought to talk to Mairin – we ran into her this morning, and she seemed pretty worried about you."
Alain nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I still haven't been able to talk to Professor Sycamore like your friend suggested yet either. I'll try and find time after the award ceremony."
Ash blinked. "Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that thanks to Charizard. Speaking of which, you'd better let Nurse Joy take a look at him while they get it set up. Pikachu already left with Noivern, so Charizard won't be the only one getting a checkup."
"I think I might just take you up on that suggestion." Alain responded, turning to walk back into the stadium hallway. "Let's just hope I collected enough Mega Evolution energy for Lysandre's plan – Chespie's been sick for way too long."
Ohohoho, I see… Going for a little dramatic irony, are we?
Be quiet, you.
"You did it, Ash!" Serena celebrated as he returned to the waiting room, punctuating her statement with a kiss so enthusiastic it literally left him breathless. "Now you're one step closer to completing your lifelong dream!"
Ash wrapped his arms around her in response, resting his cheek on top of her head as it laid on his shoulder. "Yeah, but it's kind of strange. Aside from the same temporary burst of excitement that I recognize from level-ups back when we were trapped in SAO, I don't really feel any different than before. Almost as if the League itself wasn't what was important…"
"Well, you and Klein always told me that the experiences and bonds developed by the journey were more important than the individual destination." Kazuto interrupted, drawing his attention. "Maybe not as concisely, but that's kind of the feeling I got from talking to you about that kind of stuff. Congrats, by the way."
"Yeah, great job Ash!" Korrina chimed in, pumping her fist vigorously. "That Hydro Vortex thingy Greninja did to power up his Water Shuriken was super-duper cool!"
Ash's eyebrows wrinkled slightly. "I don't remember that, but that might just be because Greninja and I were focusing so hard. I'm guessing based on how you just described it that it was sort of like how Greninja used to transform, right?"
Clemont nodded. "It was pretty similar, come to think of it. What I'm curious about is why it made your necklace glow like Alain's bracelet does whenever he Mega-Evolves his Charizard."
"Wait, it did?" Ash nudged Serena to the side so he could fish the object in question out from under his shirt. "I mean, I knew this was special because of who gave it to me, but I didn't know it was special in that kind of way…"
The end of the chain came into view, revealing an empty setting where the diamond-shaped crystal that had caught Serena's eye was originally housed. I could've sworn this looked jewel-ier… he mused, sharing the thought with Serena. On a whim, he examined it with Aura Sight – which allowed him to sense an echo of released power saturating the material. Where did the vendor say this came from again?
He said the guy who sold it to him picked it up on a beach in an island region called Alola. Lemme guess, that's where you want to travel next?
Instead of answering her directly, Ash tucked the necklace back into his shirt. "Well, that settles it. Once I'm done in Kalos, I'm gonna head back home for a while and then head to Alola to see what I can find out about what happened. If it's okay with you, that is." he added, looking at Serena.
"Are you kidding? Why would I pass up the chance to take a vacation like that, especially if it means I get to keep traveling with you?"
Kazuto cut in cheekily. "Well, you know what they say: 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' and all that."
Serena turned to fixate him with a stare. "You'd better watch yourself, or you might just have another shoelace incident."
The black-haired swordsman blinked several times before facepalming. "Of course that was you – I should've guessed once I heard about your weird psychic superpowers. Klein said it happened to him too when he and Silica were trying to trick you guys into admitting you liked each other, which should have been a major clue, but Silica claimed it was a running gag or something like that."
"I am confused, Master. What is this 'shoelace incident' your companions speak of?" Genos asked.
Ash grinned as a look of horror began to grow on Kazuto's face. "Well, you see, it was like this –"
"Ash Ketchum, would you please return to the stadium? The ceremony is about to begin." an official interrupted, poking his head in through the door.
"Go on, Ash." Serena told her boyfriend, unwrapping her arms and stepping back. "This is your moment of recognition, so head on out there and give them something to cheer for!"
She tilted her head up to give him one last bit of encouragement, but he pre-empted her by moving in first. "Sure thing, Serena." he said as he pulled away and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I already know you'll be cheering the loudest of all."
He turned to walk out the door, only to pause halfway through the doorway. "Although if you'd rather not lose your voice, I understand – I'll be able to hear you no matter how hard you cheer."
"That's sweet and all, but go." she responded, shooing him out the door.
"All right, already…"
Ash walked out into the hallway, the roar of the crowd already growing in his ears. That's one step down on my journey to become a Master. Let's see where the road of life leads me next.
Omake: I Have No Excuse for This One
…This is so not where I expected that road to take me. Ash thought, sweatdropping. That kid's so hyperactive, he's even worse than Bonnie on a stomach full of sugar! His friend sitting over there by himself reminds me way too much of Paul for his own good, and their other friend…
"YOU'RE LATE!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, bangs slipping out from under her headband in a flurry of pink. "We've been here waiting for you to show up for two hours!"
Which is what confuses me… he thought, idly brushing chalk dust out of his hair as he caught the eraser that had been wedged in the doorframe above him. I didn't think I was expected anywhere. Eh, may as well go along with it. "Sorry about that." he apologized. "I sort of got lost traveling on the road of life – it's kind of an accidental habit of mine."
Unfortunately, all this seemed to do was enrage her further. "Are you saying you're going to be this late ALL the time?"
"Maa, how adorable." a voice interrupted from the corner. "So my cute little students believe that you're their new jōnin-sensei, do they?" As he spoke, a silver-haired man emerged from the shadows, visible eye crinkling to indicate a smile beneath his mask. "Any chance I could convince you to take over the teaching for me?"
The blond boy whipped his head around to stare at the new arrival. "Wait, you're Kakashi-sensei? How long have you been here?"
Kakashi eye-smiled again. "I just snuck in through the door while you were distracted, and only he was able to see underneath the underneath and detect me. And before you ask, I ran into a black cat and had to take the long way around so the bad luck would wear off."
"Then what's he doing here?" the loner asked brusquely, ignoring the other two's protests at the lame excuse.
"Maa, Sasuke-kun, can't you guess? I needed someone to fall for the eraser trap." Kakashi answered, straight-faced. (Admittedly, it was much easier for him since only a quarter of his face was visible.) "Actually, I don't know." He lifted his makeshift eyepatch to reveal a red eye that appeared to contain three black commas swimming in circles, and Ash sensed a spike of energy pass through it as it scanned him.
After several seconds, Kakashi nodded. "Maa, maa, I see. We are currently trapped within a rare form of genjutsu known as an omake. It is incredibly strong and incredibly specialized, and must be dispelled using a specific set of trigger words." Crossing two fingers from each hand in a ram seal, he pulsed his chakra outwards in a burst while shouting.
"NEXT CHAPTER!"
