Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Telepathy"
"What time is it?" An excited voice asked.
An aggravated sigh was his only reply. Brock righted himself quickly. "It's still two o' clock, Ash."
"I want it to be four o' clock! I want to battle!" Ash whined. Why did time always go so slowly when he was waiting for something?
Misty sighed. "Ash, you've asked the time almost thirty times today. The more you ask, the slower time will pass."
Ash whined again and mumbled something about wanting to make time move faster. Misty and Brock resisted the urge to smack him. They tolerated him because they understood he was eager to start his Silver Conference battles. Even with the entertaining things in the shopping district of Silver Town, he was still desperate to battle.
"So Brock, how do the preliminaries work?" Ash asked, not wanting his battle to start without knowing a thing, as usually happened. He had also forgotten most of the explanation he got from the lady behind the desk.
Brock rolled his eyes and took out his Silver Conference Guidebook. "According to this, there are three one-on-one matches held in neutral fields. Both trainers are given a color, either green or red, and then the scoreboard chooses a color randomly. The color it chooses determines which trainer sends out a Pokemon first, meaning that the second trainer will have an advantage because they will be able to select a Pokemon with a type advantage," Brock answered.
"That means it's best if I don't get picked first," Ash muttered. "But what do I do if I do go first?"
"Well, if you are chosen to send your Pokemon second, send a Pokemon with a Type advantage, but if you have to send out a Pokemon first, pick your strongest to be on the safe side, obviously excluding Latios," Brock answered.
"I suggest that you use Pikachu if you send your Pokemon first," Misty suggested.
Ash turned to look at her. "Why?"
"Because it's the most logical choice," Misty answered. "Pikachu's only weakness is Ground-types, and Pikachu is your most experienced Pokemon. If you send in Bayleef first for example, it'll be easier for your opponent to have a Pokemon with an advantage since Bayleef has multiple weaknesses, the same goes for most of your team." Ash nodded, this sounded like good strategy.
"You worry too much. Ash will win, I'm sure of it!" Latias said telepathically, not even a single doubt in her mental voice.
Ash turned to her and smiled. "Thanks."
Latias grinned happily before turning to look to a stand. Her eyes lit up. It was selling sweets. She eagerly walked up to it and inspected the things to offer, her mouth watering. Ash and the others walked up to her. "What can I help you with, young lady?" the stand vendor asked kindly.
Latias turned to Ash. "Can I get one, please?" she asked sweetly, tugging at Ash's sleeve.
"That can't be very healthy," Brock muttered. "No sweets for you Bianca."
"I don't care, besides I always eat your 'healthy' food Brock, one sweet can't hurt," Latias whined telepathically. Brock shook his head. Latias huffed, but it was a good thing that she knew how manipulate Brock very easily. "Let me buy one and I'll let you flirt with a girl."
This caught Brock's attention. "Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes," Latias replied. Brock whistled happily. "You have ten minutes before I stop you," Latias added, sweatdropping.
Brock sighed in disappointment. "Only ten? That's too little!"
"The clock's ticking. Nine minutes and thirty seconds left," Latias continued happily. Knowing that he really couldn't argue with a Legendary Pokemon, Brock quickly started running in search of a pretty girl to try and get a date with.
Misty looked amused at Latias' antics. "We are going to stop him, right?"
Latias nodded. "I said that I would give him ten minutes, you didn't say anything about letting him get away with anything." Getting Latias' hint, Misty grinned and took out her mallet as she began chasing after Brock to save whatever girls he flirted with.
Ash watched in amazement. "Why does he always chase girls anyway? What's so special about girls?" Pikachu started laughing and fell from Ash's shoulder. Inside their Pokeballs Latios rolled his eyes and chuckled and Bayleef sighed. Is he really that dense? (Yes, yes he is.)
Latias wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He blushed at the contact. "That, my dear Ash, is something you will understand when you're older."
"Why does everyone I ask say that!" Ash protested. Larvitar look at them in confusion and wondered what the heck they were talking about.
"Because that's how things are," Latias began. "You'll understand the relations between boys and girls and love later on. Don't rush it. You're still eleven, and you have a lot of time left to learn," Latias finished kindly.
Ash was even more confused. "Can't you explain why boys and girls are supposed to be with each other now? And how do I love someone?" he asked innocently. Latios couldn't take it anymore and laughed wholeheartedly inside his Pokeball. Pikachu laughed even harder on the ground, rolling around in hysterical laugher.
Latias blushed massively and took a step back. "I'll explain it when you're older, I promise." She paused. 'I hope someone else does it, anyone but Brock. If that pervert explained anything to Ash about this topic, he'll traumatize the poor boy for life.'
Ash signed. "Okay, Bianca." Ash glanced down at Pikachu. "And could you stop laughing!" Pikachu ignored him and kept laughing.
Latias decided to change the topic. "Can you buy me my sweet please!" She pleaded.
"Sure, pick anything you want," Ash answered kindly. Latias's eyes sparkled in joy as she scanned the stand in search of something that would appeal to her. The stand owner looked at the group in confusion. This was by far the strangest group of trainers he had ever seen, but he made no comment.
Ash took out his wallet and peeked in. He had a little money, as usual, but it was enough to buy Latias a treat. Latias finally decided and grabbed a small chocolate cake in a plastic container along with a fork and napkin. She flashed the owner a cheery smile before nodding to Ash. Ash smiled to her and paid for the cake. They turned and resumed walking. Ash picked up Larvitar and carried him in his arms to prevent accidental screeches. As usual, Latias was helping psychically.
"Psychic powers are awesome!" Ash commented.
"Thanks," Latias said with a smile.
"I wish I had Psychic powers like Latios said I might do, it would be amazing!" Ash said, a dreamy look in his eyes as he thought of all the things he could do with psychic abilities.
Latias smiled joyfully. "Yeah, I hope so too. Psychic powers sure are great."
"If I get them, you and Latios will help me learn how to use them, right?" Ash asked.
Latias nodded. "Sure, we'll help you. However, remember that with great power comes great responsibility. If you get those kinds of abilities, make sure to never misuse them. If you abuse those powers, Latios and I will make sure you regret it, alright?"
Ash gulped. "I'd never do something bad with something so amazing!" he protested.
"I know Ash, but it's fair that I warn you." Latias smiled. She knew Latios would have said the same things.
Pikachu chuckled. "I'll help too. An electric shock is the answer to a lot of things." Latias laughed.
In the distance they heard a scream of agony. They knew it was Brock. Latias giggled and turned to Ash. "Thanks for the cake."
"No problem," Ash replied. He noticed she hadn't started eating it. "Why don't you eat it now?"
Latias smiled and turned to him. "It's because I can only eat in my true form. My human form is just for disguise, I can't live in it."
"Ah, that's why you've never eaten before like this," Ash muttered.
"And you just noticed that now?" Pikachu mocked. Ash ignored the mouse's comment.
"What time is it?" he asked, knowing that even if Latias didn't have a watch, she and Latios were good at telling time with just a gaze at the sun's position.
Latias glanced up. "It's about two thirty."
Ash sighed. He really wanted to start battling. He noticed that in their walking they had exited the souvenir areas, and reached the borderline of trees. Latias sniffed the air. "Hey, let's go to the lake to pass the time."
Ash shrugged and followed Latias as she sped up her stride. Within a few seconds they had crossed the treeline separating the Main Stadium and stalls from the lake. The sun was shinning brightly and the cool damp air created a nice setting. There were no people on the lakefront, most likely because they were all watching the Preliminaries.
After a few glances and psychic probes, Latias sensed that there were no human minds nearby. She handed Ash her cake and resumed her true form in a bright display of blue and white light. She stretched herself as the sun's rays gently hit her face. Ash took a seat near the shore and gently lowered Larvitar to the ground. Latias hovered near Ash and grabbed the plastic container from his hands. She opened it and gently rested herself beside Ash as she began to eat the cake. Ash smiled and took out a pokeball, releasing Latios. "Here, I thought you'd like a bit of fresh air," Ash said kindly. He glanced around. "If any of you sense anyone coming close, turn invisible." They nodded.
Latias smiled. "Hey brother, want some?" she asked, offering Latios some cake.
He shook his head. "No thanks, it's for you."
Latias pouted. "Aw, have a bit bro, it tastes great!" she said, holding a piece near Latios' face.
Latios smiled. "No thanks La-!" Latios didn't get a chance to finish as Latias shoved the chunk in his mouth. He blinked and started chewing. "You're right, it is good," he commented telepathically. Latias offered some to Ash, Pikachu, and Larvitar. Seeing that if they refused she was going to force-feed them anyway, they wisely accepted. Even after sharing, she still had a lot of cake left for herself, and continued eating happily.
"So Ash, ready for the preliminaries?" Latios asked, glancing down at Ash.
He smirked, pumping a fist to the air. "You bet I am!"
Latios smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "I'm sure you'll do fine. The preliminaries aren't that hard, they're mostly to eliminate the hopeless cases."
Ash frowned. "I'm not a hopeless case am I?"
Latios chuckled. "Of course not Ash, how can you call a trainer with two legendaries hopeless?"
Ash laughed sheepishly. "Good point."
Latias giggled and hovered closer to Ash. "So Ash, did you ever imagine when you started your Pokemon Journey that you were going to eventually have two legendaries with you?"
Ash looked up to the sky, contemplating his answer. "Honestly, no. The thought never even crossed my mind, I mean, legendaries are gods, and there are people who devote their lives to just seeing a legendary without ever getting a glimpse of one, so I never really got my hopes up." He laughed a little. "Just imagine my shock when I saw Ho-Oh on my first day as a trainer, even if I didn't know what a Ho-Oh was back then. Even so, it's like I knew by instinct that Ho-oh was a legendary." He smiled fondly at the memory. "And I've only spent a year and a half, well, almost two years traveling, and I've seen a lot of legendaries since then, something that people have tried to do for ages without finding a single one." Ash paused, recalling a few tales his mom used to tell him. "My mom told me stories about real people who spend nearly sixty years of their lives looking for just one legendary without succeeding." He turned to Latios. "Latios, do you think that when I saw Ho-Oh on my first day as a trainer it was just luck?"
Latios shook his head. "No Ash, Lady Ho-Oh is a very powerful and wise legendary. She only reveals herself to people with a pure heart and a noble soul. The fact that she let you see her, even if only for a few seconds, indicates that she was wishing you good luck and offering you her blessings," Latios answered calmly.
Ash's eyes widened in surprise. Latios continued. "Also, the fact that many legendaries have willingly revealed themselves to you, me and Latias included, means that you are a really good human, good enough to be Lugia and Lady Ho-Oh's chosen one. And yes, Lady Ho-Oh also participated in choosing a human to help the legendaries in times of need."
"Wow, amazing," Ash muttered. He paused. "Wait, she? Lady Ho-Oh? Ho-Oh is a girl?"
Latios chuckled. "Yes."
"Why do you call her 'Lady' then, is she a queen or something?" Ash asked.
"No, I call her that out of respect; she is older and wiser than me, as well as stronger," Latios admitted, admiration clear in his voice.
"Have you met her before?" Ash asked.
Latios nodded. "A few times."
Ash looked confused. "How? I thought you and Latias never left Altomare."
"Well," Latios began. "Latias has never left Altomare since she hatched, but I've left a few times, for short periods of time, usually when Latias or I needed to discuss something with another Legendary. She stayed to protect Altomare and I left to talk with the other legendary. Then, once my business is finished, I return."
"How old is Ho-Oh?" Ash asked curiously.
"I won't tell you her real age since I don't know it, just an approximate that she told me. She's about uhh, over a million years... That's all I know, how much after the million I have no idea." Latios answered.
Ash paused in pure shock. "She's over a million!" Ash shouted, shocked that anyone could live that long. Pikachu was also impressed, he knew Legendaries were old, but not that old. Larvitar didn't really care as he was barely half a month old. Latias giggled at his expression. Ash recovered enough to speak. "How can someone be so old?"
"Well, she can revive people and Pokémon easily, including herself. Additionally, she is immortal." Latios answered. Ash's eyes widened, clearly impressed.
Ash looked at him. "Latios… how old are you and Latias?"
Latios looked at Latias. She nodded, her mouth still stuffed with cake. "Well, I think we'll finally tell you. Latias and I are both one-hundred and nine years old, and I'm older than she is by three days," Latios answered, eyeing Ash to see his reaction.
Ash's jaw dropped. "You… are… HOW OLD!" Pikachu also looked utterly baffled. Larvitar… still didn't care. Ash nearly fainted. They were older than a century!
"I hatched before Lorenzo's father. He took care of us in our youth. It was hard as we didn't have parents." Latios and Latias glanced at Larvitar at this point. He cast a small downward look, once again wondering if his attitude was correct around his only friends. "So I tried to behave like a parent would even as a kid, all for Latias. I'm glad that she appreciated it."
Latias hugged Latios. "I'm still grateful. Thanks a lot bro." She had finally finished her cake.
"I know, sis," Latios said, but laughed as she had some cake crumbs on her cheeks. Ash laughed too. Latias pouted. Ash thought she just looked adorable.
Ash grabbed the napkin, gently cupped Latias' head, and cleaned her cheeks. She giggled. "Thanks." She tackled Ash playfully and nuzzled him on the neck. He fell on his back laughing as Latias nuzzled him. He hugged her back, loving the feel of her soft feathers against his skin.
Latios smiled at them. He glanced up at the sun. "Mm, Ash, your battle is in about twenty minutes, we should head to the field."
Latias backed off to let Ash stand. He got up and nodded. "Finally! Let's go."
He took out a pokeball. "Latios, return." A red beam shot from the Pokeball in Latios' direction, but Latios quickly dodged to the side. Ash frowned. "Why did you move out of the way?"
"Because I was going to ask you if I could see the battles from outside my Pokeball, but you didn't let me even ask," Latios answered.
Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Sure you can, just don't let anyone see you."
Latios nodded and used his light-refracting feathers to become invisible, disappearing into thin air. Latias shapeshifted into her human form and picked up Larvitar. He was about to whine and struggle, wanting Ash to carry him, but a gentle smile from Latias was enough to calm him down. Together the group walked (and floated in Latios's case) to the arenas, which weren't really that far away.
Ash sighed, 'Now, where was my battle again?'
"If I recall, it was field six," Latias informed him.
'Hey! Stay out of my head!' Ash shouted.
"I wasn't peeking at your thoughts, honest. I picked up the thought automatically, sorry," Latias replied truthfully.
"She's telling the truth Ash," Latios also said.
"Alright. Sorry Latias for errr…Shouting in my head," Ash apologized, turning to glance at her.
Latias made giggling motions and laughed telepathically. "It's okay."
Ash smiled before walking to his designated field. The battlefields were crowded with people, each with a fence separating it from the others. Each enclosure had at least a hundred people behind the fence watching the numerous battles taking place.
"There, field six," Ash said, looking at the battlefield number. Inside the battlefield were a Nidoking and a Tauros fighting fiercely.
"Hey Ash!" Misty called. She was near a small door in the battlefield's fence. Beside her was Brock… with a nice lump on his head, courtesy of Misty's mallet.
"Hi," Ash greeted.
"Where have you been? We have been looking for you all over the place," Misty asked.
"At the lake, chatting with Latias and Latios to pass the time," Ash answered. Suddenly the Nidoking slammed against the fence next to them, completely defeated. "Guess that means I'm up," Ash muttered.
Brock and Misty laughed. "Good luck Ash!"
The speakers started announcing the next match. "Will Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Bruce Larkings from Azalea Town please report to field six!"
A rather tall and muscular man entered the field. Ash blinked, the man was huge! He was bald and had a black shirt and pants. "So, who's my opponent?" Bruce shouted. The audience that had gathered around the field cheered, apparently driven by the man's apparent toughness.
"Good luck Ash. Beat the crap out of him!" Brock cheered. Ash shrugged and entered the field.
Latios mentally laughed. "Ash, I assure you the guy is more bark than bite. He'll be an easy opponent; he's just trying to intimidate you," Latios telepathed. He was currently floating a few feet above the battlefield. Once Ash entered the arena, he hovered beside him. Ash nodded, he knew he could trust Latios' words.
Bruce looked at Ash. "Well, well, I have a small kid as my opponent! Great, why don't you give up now and save me the trouble, brat?" The audience cheered, expecting Ash to back down.
Ash grinned. "Nope, let's battle!" Bruce growled lowly, the brat wasn't intimidated the least bit! Ash mentally chuckled. 'You wouldn't act so tough if you knew I happened to have a Legendary Pokemon beside me.'
"Trainers, take your positions!" the Referee called. Ash shrugged and walked to the green box, while Bruce proceeded to walk to the red one.
Numerous shouts of "The kid's gonna lose!" and "Poor kid" whispers were heard among the audience. Bruce laughed. "I'll go easy on you, kid!" He chuckled darkly. The audience started cheering again. Ash was getting a little nervous of having the audience against him.
Latios mentally growled. How dare they regard Ash so lowly! He was resisting the urge to use his psychic powers and give everyone a massive headache, oh that would be so nice! "Latios!" Latias mentally scolded her brother.
Latios chuckled. "Sorry, I was getting carried away," he replied sheepishly. Latios put a claw on Ash's shoulder, calming him down. Ash smiled at his invisible friend. Pikachu's cheeks sparkled, wanting to fight.
In the meantime, a large screen on the side of the field flashed and Ash and Bruce's faces appeared. A Circle appeared in the middle, divided into green and red segments. The segments started flashing in a circular pattern until the light stopped…in a green segment, meaning Ash went first. He growled slightly. The Referee raised his green flag. "Ash Ketchum chooses first, followed by Bruce Larkings!"
Ash smirked. "Pikachu, go!" Pikachu nodded and jumped from Ash's shoulder, landing in the battlefield. Pikachu's image appeared beside Ash's on the screen.
"Pikachu, give that guy a nice beating," Latios telepathed to the mouse.
Pikachu smirked. "Oh, I plan to."
Bruce grinned coldly. "Kid, you are so doomed. Rhydon, I choose you!" Bruce threw a Pokeball to the field. A massive gray pokemon appeared. It had a cream-colored drill-like horn on its snout and many spikes on its head. It had a long tail with skinny black stripes, a cream-colored stomach, and a ridged back. The Rhydon roared.
On the screen beside Bruce, Rhydon's image appeared. The referee nodded. "Begin!"
"Let's score a quick win, use Earthquake!" Bruce shouted. The drill Pokemon roared again and slammed a hand to the ground hard, sending powerful shockwaves across the battlefield.
"Pikachu, use your tail to jump!" Ash shouted. Pikachu followed the command and slammed his tail to the ground, using it to push himself up off the ground. The Earthquake passed harmlessly underneath Pikachu as he was now a dozen feet in the air. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, eager to see how Pikachu pulled off the move during a battle. As he descended back towards the ground, Pikachu's tail began to glow a bright white, becoming hard as steel.
"Rhydon, use Hyper Beam!" Bruce ordered.
"Take this you little rat!" Rhydon growled as he began gathering a large amount of volatile orange energy in his maw, releasing it in the form of a powerful beam.
"Pikachu, twist in midair!" Ash shouted, not wanting Pikachu to get hurt by such a direct attack.
Pikachu did a quick spin, causing the Hyper Beam to roughly miss him by a few inches. He swung his tail in a wide arc, the speed of the fall adding more force to it as he slammed it into Rhydon's head. The Rhydon shrieked pain as the super-effective attack took its toll on him, stumbling back a few meters.
Bruce growled. He knew his Rhydon had taken a lot of damage from that Iron Tail. The audience seemed to be impressed and started to cheer Ash. He smiled. "We aren't done yet!" Bruce started. "Rhydon, Horn Drill!" Rhydon grinned as the Horn adorning his nose began to spin. He began to run towards Pikachu.
"Ash, don't let Pikachu get hit by that, if it makes contact, Pikachu is finished!" Latios warned Ash mentally.
"Pikachu, use Agility! Stay away from Rhydon until the Horn Drill ends!" Ash commanded. Pikachu nodded and started running around the battlefield at high speeds, his form blurring constantly from the sheer speed.
Rhydon looked around in confusion. Every time he charged at Pikachu, he would quickly disappear and reappear elsewhere. Soon, after a lot of failed attempts to hit Pikachu, his horn stopped spinning. Rhydon panted in tiredness, trying to recover his strength.
Ash smirked. "Time to end this! Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Power it up with your agility!" Ash ordered. Pikachu was still running around at high-speeds. Rhydon was turning his head from side to side quickly, trying to locate Pikachu. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see Pikachu slamming an Iron Tail into his gut, the Agility and momentum from his dash adding to the power Rhydon was actually flung back until he collided with the Fence behind his trainer, who stood there completely shocked. Rhydon's rock skin was actually cracked where the Iron Tail had struck, and he fainted.
The Referee nodded. "Winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Ash's and Pikachu's faces filled the entire screen. "Yeah!" Ash cheered, running to the field and hugging Pikachu. Latios smiled.
Bruce grunted in anger. He recalled Rhydon and stomped off the battlefield without uttering a single world. Latios laughed mentally. 'What a sore loser.'
Latias laughed in her head. "I couldn't agree more."
Many of the spectators were shocked. They hadn't expected the kid to win. There were many whispers of "That Pikachu is strong" and "The kid's good" or "He's too young to be so tough!" Regardless, most of them cheered.
"Seems all that training really paid off, didn't it Pikachu?" Ash praised, happy that Pikachu had performed so well in the battle.
"Yeah, but my tail was sore most of the time, and Latias wouldn't even let me rest!" Pikachu complained. Ash laughed
"Well, let's go," Ash said happily, exiting the field. He was greeted by a double hug courtesy of Latias and Misty.
"Congratulations on winning your first battle," Misty said, glad that Ash hadn't done something stupid mid-battle.
"Yeah," Latias agreed telepathically, tilting her human-form's head in a smile.
Ash smiled back at them. "Thanks."
"Well, well, well Ashy-boy, which of those two is your girlfriend? Or are you dating both of them?" Gary taunted, walking over to them with a smirk on his face. Latias and Misty released Ash from the hug, looked at each other, and blushed furiously. Ash blinked in confusion. Brock cried in a lone corner at the fact that Ash got a double girl hug. Gary laughed. "That was a nice battle; you defeated a trainer despite your type disadvantage without even taking a single blow. You've become strong Ash, but you're still under me. I look forward to our battle, unless you're eliminated sooner." Gary laughed again and walked off.
Ash turned to the still blushing Latias and Misty. "What's a girlfriend? Is it a friend who is a girl? That means you two are my girlfriends, right?" he asked quite innocently. Pikachu facefaulted. Latios had to exert a lot of self-control in order to not burst out laughing and thus lose his invisibility. Brock kept crying.
Latias and Misty blushed even harder. Misty growled in annoyance, handed Togepi to Brock, and took out her mallet. Still blushing, she walked over to Ash slowly. "What did you call me?"
Ash blinked in confusion and gulped. 'Why is she going to hit me? Is calling a girl your girlfriend bad? Girlfriend has to mean a girl who is your friend, but why is Misty mad?' Ash thought desperately, wondering why Misty was acting like this. 'And why did Latias and Misty blush?'
Sensing his thoughts, Latias decided to intervene. She stepped forward and stood in front of Ash. "Wait Misty, he doesn't even know what a girlfriend is, give him a break," Latias telepathed, probably saving Ash from a painful mallet-beating.
Misty sighed and nodded, agreeing that she probably overreacted. Ash sighed in relief. "So, what's a girlfriend?" Ash asked again, wanting to clear the topic and ensure he didn't get into trouble again.
Latias and Misty sighed. "You tell him," both girls said at the same time to each other. They sweatdropped.
Brock stepped forward eagerly. "I'll tell him!"
"NO!" Everyone roared. Nobody wanted to deal with a traumatized Ash. Misty grabbed Brock's ear and dragged him away.
Latias sighed. 'Guess I'll have to tell him about this, again.' She turned to look at Ash. She was a bit astonished that Ash was so clueless about love. 'Then again, I gave him a kiss and he looked like he didn't even know what was happening.' She smiled fondly at the memory of her feathery cheeks brushing against his own. It had been a little awkward since in her pokemon form her mouth was located underneath her pointed nose, but it was still a nice kiss.
"YOU WHAT!" Latios screamed in Latias's mind.
Latias winced. 'I shouldn't have thought that so loudly.' She grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry brother; it was only on the cheek." Knowing that he really didn't have much of a say in this, Latios dropped the matter, but made a mental note to watch Latias and Ash a bit closer.
Latias nudged Ash, getting his attention. "Okay Ash, remember that I said you would understand some things when you were older? A 'girlfriend' fits in that category. Basically, when two people are in love with each other and they agree to be together, they become a couple. The girl is called a 'girlfriend' and the boy is called a 'boyfriend'. End of story, for now." Ash nodded dumbly, sorting out what Latias said.
As they walked to the arena that would house Ash's second preliminary battle, Latios chuckled and floated closer to Latias. "So, how was the kiss?" he asked teasingly. Latias would have squealed in surprise had her human form not been incapable of sound.
Latias smirked, getting an idea. "See for yourself." With that, she used her psychic powers to 'pull' Latios's presence inside her mind and show him her memories of the kiss. Latios blushed, not expecting Latias to show it to him so directly. Latias laughed.
"I just had to ask…" Latios muttered.
After a few minutes of walking and about half an hour of waiting, Ash was finally called for his second preliminary battle. "Will Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Salvador from Cherrygrove City please report to field one?" the speakers blared.
Ash grinned eagerly. "That's my cue!"
He rushed forward and entered the battlefield. Soon another kid entered the field as well. He seemed about a year older than Ash with dark blue hair, a yellow shirt, and black shorts. "Hello, I'm Salvador!" He introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Ash, ready to battle?" Ash asked, eager to win his second battle. He stood on the green side, and Salvador on the red.
Ash and Salvador's photos appeared on the screen. The small red and green segmented wheel started spinning rapidly, until it stopped… on a red segment. The Referee nodded. "Salvador of Cherrygrove City chooses first, followed by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
Salvador grabbed a Pokeball. "Furret, Let's go!" He tossed the Pokeball, releasing a long weasel-like pokemon with soft brown and white fur.
'A Normal Type, no one I choose will really have an advantage and Pikachu's already battled.' Ash thought. He grabbed a Pokeball. "Bayleef, your turn to battle!" Ash threw the Pokeball and released the Grass-type. On other occasions she would have tried to Body-Slam him affectionately, but decided not to as the moment was a serious one.
Furret and Bayleef's images appeared on the screen. "Begin!" The Referee shouted.
Salvador took the initiative and attacked first. "Furret, use Headbutt!" The small furry Pokemon charged at Bayleef at startling speeds.
"Bayleef, use Body Slam!" Ash shouted, knowing that Bayleef's superior weight was going to give her an advantage in close combat.
Salvador seemed to have noticed this as well. "Furret, get out of the way!" Furret complied and changed course, passing just beside Bayleef.
"Bayleef, spin around and use Razor Leaf!" Ash ordered, knowing that Furret's speed was going to be a big problem. Bayleed planted her feet on the ground and twisted her body, using the momentum to shake her head leaf with more force than usual. Several leaves were sent at Furret, flying through the air at high speeds.
"Furret, dodge!" Salvador shouted, seeing the power behind Bayleef's attack. He had to admit, that Bayleef seemed tough, but so was his Furret. Furret twisted his body gracefully, effortlessly dodging Bayleef's Razor leaf attack. Bayleef's jaw dropped slightly. "Furret, use Headbutt," Salvador commanded, having an idea on how to hit the Grass-Type.
'If I counter with Body-Slam, Furret will simply move out of the way. Maybe I can tangle him up?' Ash thought. "Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"
"Take this!" Bayleef shouted as her vines extended, heading directly at the Furret.
"Furret, use Double Team!" Salvador countered. Furret blurred as several copies of himself appeared, all surrounding Bayleef. Her vines passed harmlessly through one of the copies.
"You missed!" Furret taunted happily.
Bayleef looked around in confusion, wondering which of the at least thirty Furrets around her was the real one.
"Furret, use Swift!" Salvador called calmly, knowing that he had control of the battle.
Suddenly, star-shaped projectiles started hitting Bayleef from every direction. She cried out in pain at the multiple hits. Even if some of the throwing stars were also illusions from the Double Teams, it was still perfectly masking the real one's movements. It also didn't help that he was moving around throwing stars from every direction, making it impossible for Bayleef to locate him. Ash growled. "Bayleef, Razor Leaf!" he ordered. Bayleef swung the big leaf on her head sideways, launching a barrage of smaller Razor Leaves. They dispelled a few of the Double Teams, but none hit the real one.
Ash began to get desperate. If he didn't act fast, Bayleef would be defeated. "Ash, calm down and think. You can detect the real Furret, just concentrate," Latios telepathed helpfully. He was floating a foot behind Ash, masked by his invisibility.
'What do you mean?' Ash thought.
"Just concentrate and you'll find the real Furret. Feel the world around you and you'll see through Furret's illusion. Trust me and trust in yourself. I already found the real one, but let's see if you can do it," Latios answered.
Ash decided to trust Latios and closed his eyes. He began to think, and feel the world around him, like Latios had told him to. He began to feel a strange sensation, like he could see everything around him, even with his eyes closed. It felt pretty much like when he had sensed Latias and Latios' location. But now he could sense everything around him, not just the eon siblings. He began to sense how Furret was moving around attacking Bayleef, hidden in the illusions. All the copies felt… hollow to him. Yet one of them felt more alive, more solid, more real… "Bayleef, Vine Whip to your right!" Ash shouted.
Bayleef thought that Ash had lost it. He was ordering her to attack a specific point, and the attack would simply pass through it! But still, she decided to trust Ash. Between the constant hits she was taking, she extended a vine to her right side. She didn't get her hopes up much, expecting the attack to pass through the Furret. To her utter surprise, scratch that, to everyone's surprise, Furret cried out in pain as Bayleef's vines struck him powerfully, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Bayleef's eyes widened in shock, her admiration of Ash skyrocketing. 'How did you know he was there?'
"Hold him in place and use Solar Beam!" Ash shouted. Bayleef was interrupted from her thoughts by Ash's voice. She quickly coiled her vines around Furret's feet and midsection, effectively holding him in place. She began to absorb the sun's energy through her neck leaves. Surprisingly, the cuts she had gained from Furret's continuous swift attack started to vanish and heal as she absorbed the sun's rays, her entire body giving off a soft glow.
Brock was the first to realize what was happing. "She's using Synthesis!"
Ash looked confused. "Synthe-what?"
Latios sweatdropped. "Synthesis is a Grass-Type move that is used for healing wounds by absorbing the sun's rays, pretty much like Recover. Bayleef must have learned it after taking so much damage and then absorbing the Sun's rays through Solar Beam."
"Great job, Bayleef!" Ash praised. Bayleef blushed a little. "Now, finish that Furret!" Bayleef nodded and began to concentrate all the energy she had gathered into her mouth, releasing it in the form of a blinding white energy beam.
Furret began to squirm and struggle against Bayleef's vines, but it was to no avail. The Solar Beam struck him in the chest, causing a bright explosion of light. When the light dispersed, a defeated Furret was lying on the ground, his eyes turned into swirls.
"Furret is unable to Battle!" The Referee called, raising his flag. "Ash Ketchum is the winner!" The screen flashed Ash and Bayleef's photo.
"Yeah! That's two in a row!" Ash shouted happily, running forward and hugging Bayleef. She nuzzled him affectionately. "Congratulations, Bayleef!"
She smiled brightly. "Thanks!"
Ash's friends sprinted up to him. This time neither Latias nor Misty hugged him, not wanting another girlfriend mistake. "Ash, how did you detect the real Furret? You had your eyes closed the whole time," Brock asked.
Ash paused. "To be honest, I don't know exactly what I did."
Brock frowned. "Did a certain dragon tell you? Because if he did, that's cheating. I think."
Ash shook his head. "No, he told me to calm down and 'feel' where the real one was. I tried it and managed to find it."
"Impressive," Brock muttered.
"Let's watch other battles until my next one comes up. Its on the field beside this one," Ash suggested. They walked to field two next door and leaned against the fence, waiting for the current battle to finish and for his name to be called up.
"So, how have I done so far in my matches?" Ash asked, curious to hear what his friends thought of his battles.
Brock pursed his lips in thought. "So far, I'd say great. You won the first with Pikachu without taking a single hit, but in the second one you lost control for a while."
"Yeah," Misty agreed.
"I think you were okay," Latias commented telepathically. She was playing with one of her Bianca-form's locks to pass the time.
After what seemed like an eternity, the last battle ended and the speakers boomed, "Will Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Ann Katie of New Bark Town report to field two!"
Ash smiled. "Well, final battle, here I come!"
"Don't mess up," Misty muttered. Ash sweatdropped but entered the field anyway.
A young woman entered from the other end. She had long blonde hair and wore a long red skirt with a white blouse. She smiled and walked up to Ash. "Greetings young Trainer, I'm Katie. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Ash nodded. "I'm Ash. Let's have a great battle!"
Both Katie and Ash's photos appeared in the screen. The segmented wheel started spinning and stopped on a red segment, meaning Katie would go first. Ash smiled. 'That's the second time in a row I have the advantage, even if I didn't get much out of it in the last battle.'
Katie grabbed a pokeball. "Ariados, Go!" She hurled the Pokeball, releasing a rather large red spider Pokemon with yellow and purple segmented legs. The sight of the Ariados didn't really dredge up nice memories to Latias and Latios. Both resisted the urge to charge at the large spider and tear it apart.
"Ash, you better give that Ariados a nice beating," Latios commented telepathically.
"I second that," Latias added. Ash sweatdropped but chose his next Pokemon.
"Cyndaquil, I choose you!" The small fire mouse Pokemon appeared on the field.
"Ah, great now it's my turn…" Cyndaquil said lazily, yawning a little.
"Begin!" The Referee shouted.
Katie attacked first. Knowing that she had a severe disadvantage, she had to be cautious. "Ariados, use pin missile!" The Ariados opened its mouth and fired a barrage of small needles in rapid fire at Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower!" Ash countered. The small Fire-type opened his mouth as his back flames came to life and launched a powerful stream of fire at the incoming needles. The needles were reduced to cinders in a matter of seconds, and the Flamethrower kept blasting towards Ariados.
Katie growled. "Ariados, Protect!" The Ariados was covered in a protective sphere of green energy, causing the Flamethrower to bounce off harmlessly.
"Cyndaquil, smokescreen!" Ash shouted, getting an idea. Cyndaquil opened his mouth and released a large plume of smoke, covering most of the Battlefield. "Now, finish this with Flame Wheel!"
Cyndaquil charged at the smoke and spun into a ball, his body covered in flames. Katie blinked in confusion. "Ariados, use Nightshade!"
The sounds of combat could be heard from inside the cloud, along with a few explosions, until everything got quiet. When the wind finally removed the smog, a defeated Ariados was lying on the field, Cyndaquil standing calmly a few feet away.
The Referee nodded. "Ariados is unable to Battle. Victory goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
"Yes!" Ash cheered, thrusting a fist to the air. "I'm in the next round!" Cyndaquil smiled and… fell asleep, probably to resume the nap he had been interrupted from. Ash sweatdropped. 'How enthusiastic,' He recalled Cyndaquil back to his pokeball.
Katie returned her downed Ariados and bid Ash farewell. "Congratulations Ash!" Latias cheered, hugging Ash. He smiled.
"So, ready for the second round?" Brock asked, happy that his friend had passed.
"You bet I am!" Ash shouted eagerly… until his stomach growled loudly. Everyone facefaulted.
"Guess dinner comes first. Besides, it's still about two days until the start of the Second Round." Latios said. With that, the group headed to one of the many restaurants of Silver Town to grab a bite to eat, eagerly awaiting the second round of the tournament.
This Concludes Chapter 11, hope you all liked the preliminary battles… And Ash's cluelessness. Review Please!