Chapter 10 everybody! Enjoy.
Brock was the first to awaken. When he got up, the first thing he heard was light snoring coming from Ash. When he looked over, he smiled at what he saw.
On the other bed, Ash was asleep lying on his back, with his arms by his side. Next to him, Dawn was cuddled up to him, probably from moving in her sleep.
I wonder what Ash will think of this when he wakes up. Brock thought to himself. He looked over at the clock, which read 8:15. I'm gonna go get some breakfast in the lobby. I'll just let these two sleep in some.
At that, he walked out and closed the door, which had the unexpected consequence of waking Ash up.
Ash looked over, and was taken aback at what he saw. Dawn was cuddling up to his arm, still fast asleep. His cheeks immediately started turning red. There's that feeling again. Man it always seems to happen around Dawn. I really wish I knew what it means. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to move without waking Dawn, he sighed. I can't move without waking Dawn up, I know! I can look up some of my opponents for today. Although I don't know who I'll be facing yet, I can still size up the competition! He looked over, and saw his Pokenav on the bedside table. He used his free arm to try and grab it, but it was just out of reach. Damnit. Wait, I'll just get Pikachu to grab it for me! He looked over at his sleeping partner, and used his foot to nudge him awake, which caused him to stir.
"Chaaa!" He yawned. He looked over at Ash, and smiled at seeing Dawn cuddling up to him like that.
"Hey buddy, have a nice sleep?" Ash whispered.
Pikachu nodded.
"Can you be a pal and grab my Pokenav for me please. I don't want to wake Dawn up, and I want to see the competition for today."
Pikachu nodded, and went over to the bedside table, and grabbed the Pokenav. He walked over and placed it in Ash's outstretched hand.
"Thanks buddy, you're the best!"
"Pika!" He cooed back, curling back up to ago back to sleep.
"Hmm. Let's see..."
For the next ten minutes, Ash looked up various people, all potential opponents from the Kanto region.
Hey I know! I'll see if Max is entering too! At that, he scanned through various trainers from Hoenn, and he stopped on a particular name. Jake Smith. Says here that he's won the Hoenn league twice. His starter was a Torchic from Professor Birch. Hmm. Just like May. Placed top eight in Johto and Kanto. Top four in Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos. Kalos, I definitely got to go there after the tournament. I've heard that there's a lot of cool Pokémon out there. And something called Mega Evolution? What is that? Anyways, this guy seems to know what he's doing. I'd definitely like to battle him. Ash ranted mentally. He continued scrolling, until he found Max. Aha! So he is entering! Maybe we can battle, just like I promised him all those years ago! I would definitely like to see what Pokémon he has—
Dawn started to stir, causing Ash to lose his train of thought. He looked over, just as she opened her eyes. As soon as she realized what was going on, she started to blush furiously. "Sorry about that Ash!" She said, clearly embarrassed. "I guess I must've rolled over in my sleep or something."
"No need to worry Dawn, I don't mind. It was actually kind of nice," Ash replied, not knowing what he implied.
Am I losing my mind? Dawn thought to herself. I could've sworn I just heard him say that it was nice. Maybe he really is turning over a new leaf. She got up, and started to go into the bathroom to get ready for the morning. "Thanks for not waking me up." She said, before walking into the bathroom.
"Don't mention it," Ash replied, not realizing his face was beet red.
Upon seeing this, Pikachu started having a fit of laughter.
"What?"
"Pika. Pika pikapi."
"What do you mean my cheeks are rivaling yours in color?"
"Pika."
"Oh, what-ever."
Thirty minutes later, Dawn came out, wearing her new outfit. Once again, Ash was speechless.
She really does look good in that. And once again, I have that feeling in my chest. I hope I'm not getting sick.
"How do I look?" Dawn asked flirtatiously, doing a little spin.
"Great!" Ash said, face turning red. "Now come on, I'm starving!"
At least he complimented me, if only for a second. And he blushed! This is progress! Brock was right! Maybe he isn't as dense as we originally thought.
"You coming?" Ash asked, snapping Dawn back to her senses.
"Right behind ya!"
Ash and Dawn headed down to the cafeteria to eat breakfast, and bumped into Brock on the way.
"Hey Brock, when did you get up?" Asked Ash.
"About 8:15. I saw you two still asleep, so I decided to get something to eat before you decided to eat everything," he replied, casting a knowing glance towards Dawn.
"Oh come on. I don't eat THAT much," Ash said.
"Yeah you do." Dawn said quickly.
"Alright, I'll meet up with you guys at the stadium. I wanna get a head start on reading up on my opponents." Brock said.
"See ya then!" The other two said.
"Come on Ash, you're gonna be late!" Dawn called.
"Can you please let me finish getting dressed? I don't wanna walk out in my boxers in public!"
Dawn blushed at the comment. "Alright, but we gotta be at the stadium in twenty minutes!"
Two minutes later, Ash opened the bathroom door, ready to go.
"Come on Pikachu," he said, holding out his hand so his friend could climb aboard.
"Let's go!" Ash exclaimed.
"Registration card please." The lady behind the desk said.
Ash handed her his card.
"You're in group P. good luck!" She said handing him back his card.
He turned to where Brock was, who was busy scrolling through stuff on a computer. "What group are you in?"
"I'm in group E. my first match is in fifteen minutes," he said, looking up.
"Cool. Mine's in half an hour, so there should be plenty of time for me to see yours. Do you know who you're gonna use?"
"Yep. Based on what I've read, I'm fairly certain that she's gonna use what I think she'll use."
"Mind filling us in?" Dawn asked.
"Oh come on, where's the fun in that?" he asked, before running off.
"Ugh. I hate waiting." She replied. She then turned to Ash. "So, who are you facing?"
"Some guy called Styles Kaizu. Says here his starter is a Glaceon. Keeps to himself and it says his parents were killed by Team Rocket. Dang, I really feel bad for him."
"Yeah, I never knew Team Rocket got that violent." Replied Dawn. "What do you think he'll use?"
"I doubt he'd use Glaceon in his first match. Gyarados would be at a disadvantage because of the lack of water. Hmm. I think I've got it."
"Let me see." Dawn said.
"Here." He handed her his Pokenav, which was stopped on a particular Pokémon.
"I'd bet my lunch that he's gonna use this guy," he said.
"That's a pretty bold statement for you, but I think you're right. Come on, Brock's match is about to start."
Ash and Dawn had gotten there just as the referee was making the pre battle statements.
"This is a one on one match between Brock Harrison of Pewter City, and Laura Jennings of Vermilion City. Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon, and the match is over when either side's Pokémon is unable to battle. The winner gets two points, a draw is one point apiece, and the loser gets none. The scoreboard will determine who will select their Pokémon first. Are both trainers ready?"
"Yes."
"Yep!"
They looked at the scoreboard, and saw that it landed on the green trainer, which was Brock.
"Would the green trainer please send out his Pokémon?"
"Crobat, come on out!"
A purple bat-like Pokémon appeared. He had two long, thin wings near the front of his body, and two slightly smaller, yet similar looking wings where his feet would have been. His face carried a never ending frown.
"Would the red trainer please send out her Pokémon?
"Accelgor, let's go!"
A gray Pokémon with a pink head emerged. She seemed to have cloth wrapped around her body, which ended in two streamers that flowed behind her body. Her head had a black star shape on it, and a menacing look on her face.
"Accelgor versus Crobat, begin!"
"Accelgor, let's start out with Agility!"
"Crobat, chase it with Pursuit!"
Accelgor started to move swiftly, getting faster by the second. However, Crobat was right on her tail by using Pursuit. He eventually caught up, striking Accelgor in the back.
"Use Quick Attack!"
"Stop it with Heat Wave!"
Accelgor shot towards Crobat, borderline invisible. Crobat started flapping his wings, causing the temperature of the air to rise drastically. Accelgor, being weak to fire type attacks, crashed into the ground, fainting on impact.
"Accelgor is unable to battle, Crobat is the winner! The match goes to Brock Harrison!"
"Great job Crobat, take a rest."
"You too, Accelgor." Laura looked up at Brock. "That was a great match!" She said, before walking away.
"Wow Brock! It looks like you still got it!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Yeah, well what do you expect from a former gym leader?"
"Nothing less." Ash replied. "Come on. My match starts in ten minutes."
Ash headed over to the other battlefield, with Dawn and Brock going into the stands.
"So Dawn, how'd you sleep last night?" Brock asked, smirking.
Dawn blushed. "It was fine. I guess I must've rolled over in my sleep or something. But when I apologized, guess what he said to me?"
"What?"
"He said it was nice. I don't think he knew what he was implying by that, but that's progress. Right?"
"You know, he may not be as dense as I originally thought. It'll just take a little push to get the ball rolling. Just remember what I told you last night, and you should be fine."
"Alright. Hey, his match is starting," Dawn said, turning towards the field.
"This will be a one on one match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Styles Kaizu of Lavender Town. Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon, and the match is over when either side's Pokémon is unable to battle. A win is two points, a tie is one each, and a loss is zero points. The scoreboard will determine randomly who chooses their Pokémon first. Are both trainers ready?
"You betcha!" Ash said excitedly.
Styles nodded in response. He was about average height, with an athletic build. He wore black van slip ons, white skinny jeans, and wore a black jacket with white cuffs. His mouth was covered with a bandana, and he wore his hood over his head, covering most of his shaggy silver hair. On his face was an x shaped scar on his left cheek.
They both looked at the scoreboard, and it landed on red, which was Styles.
"Would the red trainer please send out his Pokémon?
"Go, Rhyperior!" A bulky orange and grey Rock and Ground type appeared with a menacing look on his face.
"Just as I thought. Scrafty, let's go!" Ash shouted.
"Scrafty versus Rhyperior. Begin!"
"Scrafty, let's start out with a Zen Headbutt!"
"Rock Polish, then get out of the way!"
Scrafty charged towards Rhyperior, his head lowered and glowing blue. Rhyperior slammed his fists together, causing his body to glow white. He then easily sidestepped the attack with his newfound speed.
"Earth Power!"
"Scrafty, you gotta dodge that!"
Rhyperior slammed his fists into the ground, causing the ground to split and a yellow energy came out. Scrafty tried to dodge, but he was too slow, and took damage from the attack.
"We can come back from this!" Ash shouted. "Bulk up, followed by Drain Punch!"
"Keep it back with Rock Blast!"
Scrafty took a deep breath, tensing his muscles. He then charged towards Rhyperior, preparing to strike. Rhyperior held out one of his hands, and started shooting rocks at Scrafty. Many of them hit their mark, but Scrafty powered through the not very effective attack and slammed his glowing fist into Rhyperior, draining his energy. This seemed to allow Scrafty to gain a good portion of his energy back.
"Now use Crunch!"
"Protect, followed by Iron head!"
Scrafty then tried to crunch down on his opponent, but hit his head on a protective barrier. Rhyperior then slammed his head, gleaming like metal, into Scrafty's stomach, causing him to fly back.
"Scrafty, use Scary Face, followed by Payback!
Scrafty complied, making a scary face at Rhyperior, canceling out the earlier Rock Polish. He then started to glow with a black energy, which rushed towards Rhyperior, dealing double the normal damage.
Damn, this guy is good. Scrafty can't take much more of this. I can't risk high jump kick, because if it misses, Scrafty is cannon fodder.
"Use Low Kick!"
"Block him in with Rock Tomb! Follow up with Megahorn!"
Scrafty charged towards Rhyperior, preparing to deal a devastating blow, but was suddenly trapped inside of a wall of rocks. Unable to move, he could only helplessly watch as Rhyperior dealt the finishing blow with his glowing horn. Scrafty flew back, crashing in front of his trainer, out cold.
"Scrafty is unable to battle, Rhyperior wins and the match goes to Styles Kaizu!"
"Great job Scrafty, take a nice long rest." Ash said. He then looked up at Styles, who was congratulating his Pokémon, recalling him on the process. "That was a great match!" He exclaimed.
"Yeah, it was." Styles replied, before walking away.
"Wait a second," Ash said.
Styles stopped, turning around. "What?"
"I'm sorry about your parents. Even though it hasn't been to that extent, I've had my fair share of Team Rocket encounters. However, you can't expect everyone to act the way they do. I just want you to know that."
"I'll keep that in mind," Styles said blankly, before walking away.
"That was a great battle! Too bad you lost though," Dawn said.
"Don't worry, I still have three more matches today. I just need to win all of them and I'm in!" Ash replied enthusiastically.
"Who are you facing next?" Brock asked.
"Some kid named Al Price." Ash replied, typing the name into his Pokenav. "Ah. I know who I'm gonna use. My next match is in ten minutes."
"Sorry Ash, my next three matches are right after each other, so I won't be able to see yours." Brock said.
"Don't worry about it. I understand. I'll catch up with you later then." Ash replied.
"I think I'll stay and watch Ash," Dawn said.
"Alright then, I'll see you two later," Brock said before running off.
"This will be a one on one match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Al price of Four Island. Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon, and the match is over when either side's Pokémon is unable to battle. A win is two points, a tie is one each, and a loss is zero points. The scoreboard will determine randomly who chooses their Pokémon first. Are both trainers ready?"
Both trainers nodded. They both looked at the scoreboard, and it landed on red, who happened to be Al.
"Would the red trainer please send out his Pokémon?"
"Charizard, go!"
An orange dragon-like Pokémon appeared. She had a cream under belly, and large wings, the underside of which were blue. At the end of her tail was a never ending flame.
Would the blue trainer please send out his Pokémon?"
"Just as expected. Crawdaunt, I choose you!"
The Rogue Pokémon appeared, ready to battle.
"Charizard versus Crawdaunt, begin!"
"Let's start out with Air Slash!" Al shouted.
"Dodge with Dragon Dance!" Ash countered.
Charizard flapped her wings swiftly, sending three blades of air at Crawdaunt, who was dancing out of the way frantically surrounded by a red and black energy.
"Now Bubblebeam!"
"Pop those bubbles with Dragon Claw!"
Crawdaunt opened his claws, and fired a rapid beam of multi colored bubbles at Charizard, who did her best to fend them off, popping many of them with her glowing claws. However, many bubbles still hit their mark, causing massive damage.
"Get in there close with a Brick Break!" Al shouted.
"Counter with Crabhammer!"
Charizard flew over to Crawdaunt, her claws glowing white, and lashed out, only to be met with her opponent's own glowing claw. Unexpectedly, Crawdaunt then used his one free claw to strike Charizard square in the chest, sending her flying back.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Bubblebeam now!"
Charizard opened her jaw, and let loose a massive jet of flames. It was met in the middle of the field by a stream of bubbles, which caused a small explosion, dealing damage to both Pokémon.
"Finish with another Bubblebeam!" Ash shouted, sensing a victory.
That was all it took, Charizard was trying to recover from the previous attack, and was hit by the new one, which dealt massive damage, causing her to collapse in exhaustion.
"Charizard is unable to battle, Crawdaunt is the winner and the match goes to Ash Ketchum!"
"Great job Crawdaunt! Take a nice rest." Ash said, recalling his Pokémon.
"You too." Al said. He walked up to Ash and held out his hand. "Great match."
"Great match." Ash replied, shaking his hand.
The two walked their separate ways, with Ash meeting up with Dawn.
"Great job Ash! Only two more wins to go and you're in!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Yep! I hope Brock won his matches. I got another one in half an hour against a girl named Jessica Lawrence."
"What do you wanna do until then?"
"I just wanna relax. I've already figured out who I'm gonna use, and I'm pooped from two battles in one hour."
"Well, we can't go back to the room, because by the time we got there we'd have to leave again." Dawn stated.
"Nah, I'm just gonna go on the bleachers and lie down for a bit. You can keep me company if you want."
"Sure, seeing that I have nothing better to do."
"You could go watch Brock's matches." Ash suggested, finding a comfy spot and lying down.
"Nah, by the time I find him, they'll probably be over." Dawn replied, taking a seat next to Ash.
"Suit yourself. I'm gonna try and take a quick nap. Could you wake me up in twenty minutes please?" Ash asked, pulling the brim of his cap down.
"Alright," she sighed. I was hoping we could do something together, but I guess two battles in a row is a somewhat daunting task. She looked up into the sky.
I just wish I could talk to someone about all this. I mean Brock is great and all, but I'd just like to have some girl talk. Maybe in Driftveil, May and Max will be there. It would be great to see her again, and I'm sure she'd listen to what I have to say. That would definitely take a load off my chest. She continued sitting there, thinking up various scenarios of where Ash professed his undying love for her over and over. So much that she almost forgot to wake up Ash.
"This will be a one on one match between Jessica Lawrence of Saffron City, and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon, and the match is over when either side's Pokémon is unable to battle. A win is two points, a tie is one each, and a loss is zero points. The scoreboard will determine randomly who chooses their Pokémon first. Are both trainers ready?"
"Yes!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"Ash nodded in response, feeling refreshed after his nap.
The scoreboard landed on green, who happened to be Ash.
"Please send out your Pokémon," the ref said, looking at Ash.
"You ready, bud? Time to get in there!" He said, looking at Pikachu.
"Pika!" Came the reply, his cheeks sparking in anticipation.
"Would the red trainer please send out her Pokémon."
"Jigglypuff, let's do this!"
A small, round, pink Pokémon appeared. She had a little tuft of fur on her forehead.
"Jigglypuff versus, Pikachu, begin!"
Wow. I would've expected her to at least go with an evolved Pokémon. I guess she underestimated the fact that Pikachu's just a Pikachu. No matter. As long as I can avoid Sing, this should be a fairly short battle. Ash thought to himself.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"Wait for it, then use Doubleslap!"
Pikachu shot forward in a streak of light, slamming his body into Jigglypuff. She quickly recovered, and started to repeatedly smack Pikachu over and over.
Maybe I was the one to underestimate her.
"Pikachu, get away with Agility, then use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu dashed out of the way, then sent a massive bolt of electricity, dealing damage and paralyzing Jigglypuff.
"Finish with Volt Tackle!"
"Jigglypuff, you gotta move! Get out of the way!" Jessica shouted, panicking on the inside.
"Pikapikapikapikapika-PIKA!" Pikachu shouted. He started running towards the immobilized Pokémon, surrounding himself in an electric energy. He then slammed into Jigglypuff, knocking her out cold.
"Jigglypuff is unable to continue battling, Pikachu wins and Ash wins the match!"
"Great job buddy!" Ash said to his partner.
"Good job Jigglypuff," Jessica said, trying to hold back her tears. "Take a good rest." She whispered. She then walked away.
"That was a great battle Ash!" Dawn congratulated. "Even if it was against some lousy Jigglypuff."
"Oh come on," Ash defended. "Some trainers are just beginners. It's obvious that she doesn't have that many battles under her belt. She looked like she was ten. She probably just started out this year, and entered the tournament for fun."
"I guess you're right. When's your next match?"
"My next and last match for the day is in fifteen minutes. It looks like another beginner. Between him, Jessica, and Styles's talent, I think Styles and I be the two moving on in this group."
"Okay, do you know who you're gonna use?"
"Yep. I just need to make a quick call to Professor Oak's lab, then I can get my new team member."
"Who's it gonna be?"
"You'll see. Come on, I don't want to be late."
"This will be a one on one match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Ben Lloyd of Lavender Town. Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon, and the match is over when either side's Pokémon is unable to battle. A win is two points, a tie is one each, and a loss is zero points. The scoreboard will determine randomly who chooses their Pokémon first. Are both trainers ready?"
Both Trainers nodded.
The scoreboard landed on green, who was Ben.
The ref nodded over in Ben's direction, signaling him to call out his Pokémon.
"Venusaur, let's get ready to rumble!"
A massive green quadruped appeared. The most noticeable thing about him was a massive flower that covered his entire back.
"Would the red trainer please send out his Pokémon."
"Just as expected. Staraptor, let's go!"
A bird Pokémon emerged, immediately taking flight. His body was mainly gray, with a zig zag pattern on his chest. He had a gray crest with a red tip on the top of his head.
"Staraptor versus Venusaur, begin!"
"Staraptor, Aerial Ace!"
"Block it with Vine Whip, then use Sludge Bomb!"
Staraptor climbed, before diving straight at Venusaur, surrounded by white streaks of air. He then disappeared right before hitting Venusaur, appearing behind him, causing a good bit of damage. Venusaur retaliated by grabbing him with his vines, then spitting a glob of poisonous goo at the immobilized bird.
"Staraptor, break free with Close Combat!"
"You can take it Venusaur! Razor leaf!"
Staraptor immediately lashed out over and over, trying to get free of the vines. While doing this, Venusaur shot dozens of razor sharp leaves, causing small cuts to form on Staraptor's skin. He was finally able to break free, albeit coming off worse from the assault.
"Get some distance, then use Air Slash!"
Block it with your Vine Whip!"
Damn, this kid is better than I thought! Ash scolded himself mentally. Staraptor is getting tired, I just have to gain some distance and allow him to roost. Finding the opportunity is going to be a problem though.
Staraptor backed up, leaving a significant distance between the two, then sent several blades of air straight at his opponent. Venusaur tried to block them with his vines, but instead ended up hurting himself. The super effective attack caused massive damage, and Venusaur started panting heavily.
"Roost, and wait until I give the signal!"
"Prepare your most powerful leaf storm! Hit him when he's vulnerable!"
Staraptor landed, glad to be able to regain his energy, still alert. Meanwhile, Venusaur's flower started to glow, and a few seconds later he let loose thousands of leaves aimed at the defenseless flying type.
"Dodge with Fly, then go into Brave Bird!"
Staraptor reacted quicker than Ben had expected, and rapidly gained altitude. He then dove down, covering himself in blue flames, leveling out just before he hit the ground. He then slammed into Venusaur, causing a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, Venusaur was fainted in front of a heavily panting Staraptor.
"Venusaur is unable to battle, Staraptor wins and the match goes to Ash of Pallet Town!"
"Great job! You deserve a rest, use Roost, and let me know when you're good to go!" Ash instructed. He turned to Ben. "I underestimated you, great match!"
"Great match," he said, recalling his Venusaur.
"That was awesome!" Dawn exclaimed. "That last Brave Bird was incredible!" She said, turning to Staraptor. He smiled in response, looking less worn out by the second.
"Yep! I'm in the qualifiers!" Ash exclaimed, striking a pose, with Pikachu and Staraptor joining in. "I guess you're feeling better?" He asked his bird.
"Staraptor!"
"Alright, return! You deserve the rest."
"So what are you gonna do now?" Asked Dawn.
"Well, first I wanna find Brock and see how he did. Then I wanna relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'm gonna train, since I get the day off."
"Sounds good. Let's go find Brock!" Dawn exclaimed.
"So I'm in, how did you do?" Ash asked Brock.
"I qualified. Swampert and Steelix really pulled their weight. They deserve to have the day off tomorrow." Brock replied.
"Speaking of which, what are you gonna do tomorrow?" Asked Dawn. "Typical Ash over here said he's gonna spend the day training."
"I don't know, I'll think of something." He replied.
"I know what I'm gonna do now!" Ash exclaimed.
"What?" The other two asked, taken aback by Ash's sudden outburst of enthusiasm.
"Eat lunch!"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I guess we could eat. What do you say Brock, you up for a quick lunch?"
"Considering its almost five o'clock, wouldn't we be better off eating dinner?"
"Even better! After all that battling, I'm not gonna turn down a full-fledged meal!" Ash exclaimed.
"Come on guys, I know a place where participants and their guests eat for free." Brock replied.
"They might change that policy after Ash is done eating there." Dawn replied, a triumphant look on her face.
"Hey, that's not funny!"
At that, the trio headed off to eat.
I thought that was a good place to leave off. Anyways, a bunch of battles in this chapter. This one really took a long time to write. Moving on. I hope I'm not making Dawn too clingy, especially after her little mini rant when Ash was napping. I hope the battles weren't that boring, I tried my best to keep them interesting, but five in one chapter is a lot.
Brock moves on! I wonder how long he'll last?
Styles Kaizu belongs to Saiyan Styles. I hope I got his personality and battling style right. Please tell me how I did. That being said, some other Kanto native OCs will appear soon, so stay tuned. Next chapter will go back to Jake and May, and the battle between the former and Max. As always, R&R!