Ash and Blake woke up the next morning and they went to breakfast with Pikachu and Manaphy. Manaphy was being held by Blake, and it loved being with its new mother figure. Soon enough, the rest of Team RWBY and Emerald arrived. Ruby had fully recovered from yesterday.
Weiss immediately took noticed of Manaphy.
"Aww! It's so cute!" Weiss said.
"This is Manaphy, the Prince of the Sea. Manaphy, this is Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Emerald." Ash said to it.
"Mana!" Manaphy yelled while being greeted by Ruby, who was rubbing its head.
"So how did you meet Manaphy?" Emerald asked as she held Manaphy for a bit.
"Many years ago, me and a few of the traitors saved Manaphy's egg from a group called Team Aqua. It was to return to the Sea Temple known as Samiya, which was created by a group of people known as the People of the Water. It was made to be a home for Manaphy, and the legendary Sea Crown." Ash explained.
"I always thought that it was a just a story." Ruby said.
"Oh it's real. The reason why it can't be found so easily is that it can only be found during the night of a lunar eclipse. Plus, it's always on the move in the ocean….are you alright Yang?" Ash asked her.
"Huh? Oh…yeah." She said.
"You don't look so good sis." Ruby stated.
"Yeah, you've been very quiet than usual since this morning." Weiss added.
Yang sighed as she looked down at her breakfast.
"It's just…I…Ash, I need to talk to you." She said with a bit of a choke in her voice.
"Of course. I'll be right back." He said to the rest. Yang took his hand and they went outside towards the courtyard and sat by a fountain. "So…what's wro-mmph!" Ash was interrupted by Yang as she kissed him hard and held him tight. She pulled back and placed her forehead onto his.
"Ash…please don't leave me! I couldn't stop thinking about all of what you said to me last night. I feel like I've been a little too hostile since the tournament began. I must be the worst girlfriend you've ever had!" She cried.
Ash gasped at what she just said. He held her and pulled her close.
"Yang, look at me." Ash whispered. Yang opened her glossy eyes and looked into his eyes. "That is not true. That will never be true. I just didn't want you to cause any more trouble outside the battlefield. I'm sure that Raven gave you her reason." Ash said.
"She did. It's what you said that worried me. I don't want to break up with you." She whimpered.
"You won't because I love you and I need you. I need you by my side." Ash said while smiling. Tears were escaping from Yang's eyes when he said that.
"Ash!" She cried and kissed him once again. They stayed like that for a good minute until they broke apart for air.
"Now come on, let's get ready for the rest of the day." Ash said as he stood up.
"Can I join you at your spot?" Yang asked. Ash nodded and held her hand. She pulled away from his grip and began to slowly take her scarf off.
"Yang?" Ash asked her. She didn't say a word and just wrapped her scarf around his neck and put it on him. The scarf barely covered the necklace Ruby gave him.
"I want you to have it. Something tells me that it's the right thing to do." She whispered.
"Are you sure?" He asked her.
"I have more back home." She said before hugging him. As she hugged him, she gripped the scarf. The scarf then glowed for a short moment. "What the?" Yang said with shock as she quickly pulled away.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Yang rubbed her eyes a bit.
"I must still be a bit drowsy or something because I saw my scarf glowed for a short moment." Yang said while looking at the scarf.
"Hmm, I bet it's probably just the sunlight or something." Ash said. They shared another kiss. As they kissed, Ash went for her neck. She gasped and moaned a bit from how he was kissing her neck.
They returned to the mess hall where Team CFVY arrived to join the others. Velvet got up and kissed him.
"Hey Ashy." She said while hugging him.
"Hey Bunny." Ash said. Coco joined them.
"You know, I am beginning to question your reliability of seeing each other for breakfast." Coco said before kissing his cheek and then his neck after moving the scarf Yang gave him.
"Hey, when you have a lot to do throughout the tournaments, that kind of stuff comes first." Ash said while holding Coco.
"You are at least going to watch our match right?" She asked. Ash nodded. "Good because I will hate you if you miss it." She warned him.
"Look, my match should be shortly before your match. So it's a win-win for the both of us." Ash said as he and the rest sat down for the rest of breakfast.
Weiss was playing peek-a-boo with Manaphy while Yang was leaning on Ash's shoulder as she ate. Suddenly, Velvet remembered something.
"Hey Ash, have you collected your Pokémon from the center yesterday." Velvet asked him. Ash froze as he was about to eat some bacon.
"Oh, I knew I forgot something!" He said with a disgusted look. Everyone was laughing at him.
He and the love group went to the Pokémon Center to collect Ash's Pokémon.
"Well Ash, your Pokémon are fully fighting fit." Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Thank you…how's Samurott?" Ash asked as he put the Poke Balls onto his belt. Nurse Joy was silent for a moment.
"He's doing just fine but…he's a bit traumatized from what had happened. We have him out in a pool out back for water type Pokémon to rest, but he won't let any of us get anywhere near him." She explained with a sad look.
Ash closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"Perhaps maybe he just needs a friendly face, and maybe a little bit of a soothing song." Ash suggested as he looked towards Manaphy.
"If you insist. Right this way." Nurse Joy said as she took them to the back.
They arrived at a large opened room with a massive pool in it. Samurott was indeed in it, but did not make eye contact.
"Hey big guy!" Ash called out. Samurott quickly looked towards Ash and just starred. "Oh Samurott, what have they done to you?" He asked as he gotten closer.
To everyone's shock, Samurott dove into the pool. Ash sensed its fear rising.
"Mana! Mana Mana!" Manaphy yelled out from Blake's arms.
"You want to try to help?" Blake asked. Manaphy nodded and jumped out of her arms and landed at the edge of the pool.
Manaphy then began to sing its song. Ash and the others listen to how beautiful it sounded. Ash had not heard that song in ages, and it definitely brought in some fond memories.
Samurott heard the song underwater. He looked up at the surface and looked towards Manaphy. He slowly rose up and breached the surface and gazed towards Manaphy. Ash had gotten closer to Samurott. This time, Samurott did not move.
Ash then placed Samurott's Poke Ball on the ground.
"Samurott, what do you want to do? Do you want to come back with me, or do you want to go out into the wilds to at least collect your thoughts? There is no wrong answer." Ash said as he knelt towards Samurott.
Samurott looked towards the Poke Ball and back towards Ash. He growled a bit as he knew all that had happened. His trainer has forgiven him, and now it was his turn to return the favor.
Ash slowly raised a hand towards Samurott. Samurott did not hesitate and leaned forward and his forehead met his hand.
"Welcome back buddy." Ash said. Samurott began to nuzzle him playfully. Everyone was laughing of Ash's situation.
After Samurott was collected, they all left for the Amity Colosseum. Coco and Velvet went to get ready for their upcoming match, and Emerald went off to use the bathroom. Ash took his apprentices to his platform to watch the matches.
They arrived just in time for the start of Team JNPR and Team BRNZ. Suddenly, a young woman entered the platform with black hair tied up in twin tails, and had bright green eyes. She wore mostly black clothing and wore black combat boots.
"Huh? Who are you?" Ruby asked her. The girl then walked towards Ash and placed a hand on his heart and smiled.
"Wait a minute…Neo?" Ash asked her. Yang's eyes widen from that name. She encountered a girl named Neo just before the breach.
The girl blinked and her eyes went to pink and brown. Her hair transformed into pink and brown and flowed down her back. It was indeed Neo.
"You!" Yang yelled in surprise. Neo then hid behind Ash in fear.
"You…know her?" Ash asked as he held one of Neo's arms. Neo slowly peeked behind Ash.
"I fought her just before the breach happened. She tried to kill me." Yang explained. Neo was trying to show that she was ordered to do it. "Just speak already." Yang demanded.
"She's a mute Yang." Ash said. Suddenly, Neo got an idea and pulled out a Great Ball and sent out a Chatot.
Neo's Chatot LVL 60 Normal/Flying Keen Eye
Chatter Uproar Roost Feather Dance
The Chatot flew onto Neo's shoulder.
"Hello! My name is Neopolitan! AACK!" Chatot squawked.
"That's smart. Chatot's are known for being like parrots. She must've trained it to speak for her." Blake said. Neo nodded.
"I was ordered to attack you. They were direct orders by Adam Taurus and Torchwick themselves. Nothing personal. AACK!" Chatot squawked once again.
Yang walked towards Neo, who started shaking in her boots.
"Yang?" Ruby asked her. She did not say a word.
"Don't hurt me! AACK!" Chatot squawked. Neo closed her eyes tight and raised her hands to shield herself. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She gasped and she opened her eyes and saw Yang hugging her.
"I forgive you Neo. Maybe sometime after the tournament, we can have a fair one on one." Yang said as she pulled back but still had her hands on her shoulder.
Neo couldn't believe what she was hearing. First they were enemies and she almost killed Yang. But now she's forgiving her as an ally. She smiled and nodded.
"By the way Neo, how did you change your appearance like that?" Weiss asked. Neo changed back into her disguise.
"This is part of my Illusion semblance. AACK!" Chatot answered for her.
"That is so cool!" Ruby yelled.
Suddenly, Emerald walked in.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to use a different one further away from here and…" Emerald stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Neo. Neo smiled and skipped towards her. She waved while doing a curtsy. "N-Neo?" Emerald asked as fear grew within her.
Neo hugged her on the spot. Emerald went stiff from the impact.
"It's alright Emerald. She's on our side now. She was about to be executed and I saved her life. She says she swore her life to me as my new right hand." Ash explained.
Emerald then looked down at Neo, who looked back at her. Emerald smiled and hugged her back.
Suddenly, Xedrek appeared via teleportation.
"Well, you seem to have plenty of company over here. Emerald, what are you doing out here? I thought we all agreed that you would be with the staff." Xedrek asked her.
"About that, I decided to take a bit of a risk this time. After all, I too owe Ash and even Yang a debt myself." Emerald said.
"Well in any case, I came to let you know that many of the contestants in the Pokemon Tournament have decided to forfeit due to the confirmation of at least one Shadow Pokémon in the area." Xedrek told Ash.
"Who could blame them?" Ash asked as he and the rest watched the fight with Team JNPR and BRNZ.
As the fight progressed, Neo stood right next to Ash while holding Manaphy. Emerald stayed by a corner since she knew that Cinder and the others are at the Colosseum somewhere.
Suddenly, Ash and Xedrek sensed something. Xedrek grunted and looked around.
"You sense it too?" Ash asked.
"Yes…I know this. It's a presence I have not felt since…" Xedrek then got near the barrier and summoned both of his Keyblades. Neo looked towards his Keyblades with shock.
On the battlefield, Nora was about to commence an attack. When suddenly, a white creature came out of nowhere and threw her off balance, causing Magnhild to slip out of her hands.
"YIKES!" Nora screamed as she tumbled to the ground and Magnhild landed onto her head. She yelled in pain from it. Her aura plummeted into the yellow.
"DUSKS!" Ruby screamed in fright.
"I got this one. I got an idea." Xedrek said before he vanished into a teleportation portal.
Back on the battlefield, Ren grabbed Nora and pulled her away from the Dusk. There were now many Dusks appearing on the battlefield.
Suddenly, Xedrek appeared on a mountain biome and began screaming at the Dusks. The Dusks immediately turned their attentions towards him. Xedrek continued to scream while now twirling Void Gear. After another scream, he slammed the crown into the ground.
Everyone was now watching as the Dusks were now creeping towards Xedrek. Xedrek prepared to strike until they stopped and surrounded him.
"We have found you my liege." One of them spoke. Xedrek eyed the one that spoke.
"What is your business here Dusk." He demanded.
"We have wondered in the realm of darkness looking for any surviving member of the Organization. We sensed the Heartless here, and a fellow empty shell in pain, and thus it has led us to you my liege." It spoke once again.
Xedrek grew angry and looked towards them.
"How many human, Faunus and Pokémon's lives have you all taken?" He growled at them.
"None my liege. Our enemy is the Heartless." It said.
"Fine. If you are now under my command, the Heartless and the Grimm are your enemies now. Ally with the humans, Faunus and the Pokémon against this threat. Claim your hearts and show no mercy." Xedrek commanded.
The Dusks then disappeared, leaving Xedrek be. Xedrek gave a thumbs up to the staff stating that the match can continue before disappearing. Xedrek returned to Ash and the others.
"So…what happened?" Weiss asked as she stepped forward.
"Everyone…we now have two armies to combat against Salem." Xedrek explained.
"That's great! But…why did those Dusks approach you like that?" Ruby asked. Xedrek closed his eyes for a moment and smiled.
"I am their new ruler now. When Organization XIII was destroyed some time ago, the Nobodies began to wonder in the Realm of Darkness and when they sensed my pain from yesterday's attack, that's how they found me. Now they are under my command." Xedrek said.
"If that's the case, we must report to Arceus and Master Sora. They will want to know of this." Ash suggested. Xedrek agreed before returning to his platform on the other side of the arena.
Soon enough, the match ended with Jaune telling a slightly worn out Nora to attack them. Team JNPR was now moving on to the Doubles Round with Pyrrha and Nora representing.
As Team JNPR and BRNZ went to get some rest, Ren stayed close to Nora.
"Renny…I…" Nora then jumped onto Ren and kissed him. Ren was shocked by the impact, but he slowly returned it.
"Longtime friends becoming a couple, how romantic, right Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she held Jaune and leaned on his chest.
"Yeah, and it was about time to." Jaune said as they watched the newly made couple continue to kiss and they slowly broke apart and smiled.
The next match was between Team CMDS and Team DEMN (Demon).
To those that aren't aware of or need a reminder, this will be the unidentified team that Cinder's Team went against in the first round. Their official names have not been revealed as of yet as far as I am aware of. If this is a team that anyone did make as an OC team, I apologize in advance as this was the first name that came to mind.
As the match commenced, Emerald had to leave since Cinder and her team was present. She went towards the staff box via portal that Ash created for her. Neo and Blake elected to stay behind and the rest decided to get a closer look at the action. Manaphy stayed in Neo's arms as Manaphy saw her as a guardian of source.
What was catching Ash's eyes was Cinder's appearance. He took noticed of Cinder's injuries that he can assume that had something to do with Ruby's silver eye attack yesterday.
Cinder held her own extremely well against her opponent with her marital arts. Dawn and May's weapons worked quite well together. May's ice gun also turned into a spear that she can use for close range and long range by throwing it. Dawn's fire gun can transform into a katana that is empowered by fire Dust. Serena has a sniper rifle, and she uses the high grounds to attack them that use lightning Dust. Whenever close combat was needed, she can transform it into a longsword that is also empowered by lightning Dust.
Suddenly, Ash felt a cold feeling going up his spine when he sensed a dark presence at the Pokémon stadium.
"Ash?" Blake asked with concern.
"I think we have another Shadow Pokémon, and this one looks bigger than Samurott. You want to stick around, or do you want to come with?" Ash offered them. Neo held his arm and smiled.
"I'll go with you." Blake said with a smile.
"Alright, be ready." Ash told them as he created another portal with Divine Elemental.
Back on the battlefield, May saw Ash create the portal and signaled Xedrek that he was now in charge. But what really caught her eye was Manaphy in Neo's arms.
"MANAPHY!?" May screamed in shock. Just before she had time to react, she was kicked in the face so hard, it sent her flying out of the arena.
"May has been defeated by ring out." Port announced. Ash saw this and grinned at that.
"Novice." Ash whispered before the five of them entered the portal.
Upon arrival to the stadium, things were getting messy. Ash noticed that one of the contestants was Brock. He was challenging an old friend of Ash, Ritchie. Ash activated his aura vision and indeed one of the Pokémon was a Shadow Pokemon. Ritchie had a Tyranitar, and Brock had a Garchomp, which was the Shadow Pokémon.
Ritchie's Tyrantiar/Cruise LVL 79 Rock/Dark Sand Stream
Crunch Earthquake Stone Edge Screech
Brock's Garchomp LVL 85 Ground/Dragon Sand Veil
Shadow Break Hyper Beam Dragon Claw Crunch
Ash raised his hand towards the Garchomp and activated his aura. Garchomp began glowing as dark purple aura was radiating from it.
"What the?" Ritchie asked as he and everyone else saw the aura.
Suddenly, the Garchomp began to roar at Ritchie. Ash saw this as an opportunity to intervene.
"Be ready!" Ash yelled to Blake and Neo and ran towards Ritchie. He parkour over the railings and glared at Garchomp after landing next to Ritchie.
Garchomp then fired a Hyper Beam at them. Ash summoned Oathkeeper and used it along with Divine Elemental to block the attack.
"YIKES!" Ritchie screamed as he ducked and covered behind Ash.
"ASH!" Blake and Glynda screamed with fright. Neo silently screamed while Manaphy hid its face in her chest.
Ash continued to hold back the attack.
"ATTACK IT!" Ash ordered Ritchie.
"Okay! Cruise use Earthquake!" Ritchie called out to it. Cruise then slammed its hands to the ground and created an earthquake that forced Garchomp to stop the attack, and for Ash to jumped down and get by Glynda. "Now use Crunch." Ritche said. Cruise then charged forward and chomped onto Garchomp's neck hard. The Garchomp roared in pain.
Suddenly, Blake joined Ash and summoned Panther's Claw. Neo followed her and Manaphy was still hiding its face in her chest of fright.
"Garchomp, finish it off with Shadow Break!" Brock called out. Grachomp glowed dark purple and charged forward. The attack collided with Cruise and it was knocked out.
"Tyranitar is unable to battle. Garchomp wins." Glynda announced. Ritchie only had one Pokémon left.
"Okay buddy, come on back." Ritchie said as he returned his fainted Pokemon. "You earned this rest. Now I will avenge you. Zippo, GO!" Ritchie shouted as he sent out his Charizard.
Ritchie's Charizard/Zippo LVL 84 Fire/Flying Blaze
Flamethrower Wing Attack Smokescreen Blast Burn
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Garchomp, use Shadow Break." Brock yelled. Garchomp charged up its move again and charged towards Zippo.
"Use Smokescreen!" Ritchie said. Zippo fired off a blast of smoke at Garchomp. The smoke did its effect and Garchomp was surrounded in smoke. "Now finish it." Ritchie yelled. Zippo then began glowing as flames erupted from its body. It then punched Garchomp's head and a massive explosion erupted upon impact. The Blast Burn did the trick and Garchomp was out.
"Garchomp is unable to battle. Charizard wins. The winner of this match in the 2nd round goes to Ritchie from Frodomar City!" Glynda announced.
"Alright!" Ritchie yelled with happiness while the stadium cheered.
Suddenly, Ash sensed that Brock was getting hostile. Before Brock could return Garchomp, Ash fired a stopping spell on Brock.
Ash then aimed at Garchomp and fired a beam of light at it. The dark aura from it escaped from it and formed into a shadow monster like the one from Samurott. The stadium panicked from the sight of the monster.
"Ready? Together!" Ash said to Blake and they both aimed their Keyblades at it. The monster then charged towards the two of them, and they fired a beam of light at it. The monster roared as it was disintegrated.
After the shadow monster was destroyed, the stadium cheered as the threat was gone. Suddenly, the stopping spell was broken on Brock and he returned Garchomp with anger. Blake caught on and she prepared herself.
Brock then pulled out two objects from his backside and he pushed a button on both of them. They formed into twin katana swords and he charged towards Ash. Blake pushed Ash aside and she retaliated against him.
Ash quickly pulled Glynda away and shielded her. Glynda was flattered that Ash protected her, seeing the guardian that he was destined to become.
Blake, with her use of her shadow clones, was able to overpower Brock and eventually brought him down. Neo handed Manaphy to Ash and slowly walked towards Brock and she eyed him as he was down.
"This…isn't…over!" Brock yelled. Neo leaned forward with a grin. She then blinked and her green eyes turned back to pink and brown and she grinned more sinister-like. She then stomped on his face and knocked him out.
Ash walked towards them and Ash looked down at Brock.
"I'll take this." Ash said as he took Garchomp's Poke Ball and placed it in his pocket. Just then, members of the Atlesian Military entered the battlefield.
"We will take care of him." One of them spoke.
"Very good. I highly advise that you all take him back to Kanto." Ash said while placing a hand on the soldiers shoulder.
"Yes sir. We'll have him out of here in no time." He said before taking Brock away.
Ash then turned towards Blake and Neo.
"Excellent work you two. Another traitor down, some more to go." Ash said.
As they left the field, Neo deactivated her semblance and wore her usual outfit. Later on, they were stopped by Glynda.
"Ash…you always show up at the best possible moment. I can't thank you enough." Glynda said while smiling.
"It's what I do." Ash said. Glynda then grabbed the collar of his coat and yanked him into a kiss. Blake and Neo smiled as they watched Glynda kissing him. When they broke apart their eyes met. "Good thing no one else was around to see that." Ash stated.
"True. Your match will be beginning shortly. Good luck." Glynda said before kissing him one last time and walked off.
"I don't think I've ever seen Glynda kiss you yet Ash." Blake said. Ash chuckled a bit and scratched his head.
"Hey Ash!" Ritchie's voice echoed nearby. They all saw him running towards them.
"Ritchie! It has been far too long." Ash said before gave each other a bro hug.
"Pika!" Pikachu yelled with happiness.
"Yeah. Damn you changed a whole lot." Ritchie said while noticing the scars.
"Well you missed some things. You, on the other hand, barely changed at all. You just got older." Ash said.
"RITCHIE!" A girl's voice screamed nearby.
All of them looked towards where the scream came from. They then eyed a girl with maroon hair and wearing a button up light blue shirt, and a white skirt. She wore long white socks that reached up past her thighs and wore high black ankle strap on heels.
The girl then hugged Ritchie tight.
"Giselle!" Ritchie yelled as he returned the hug.
Ash then eyed her, and indeed this was Giselle. The last time they met was from the Pokémon Tech School many years ago. She really had grown so much, and more beautiful.
Giselle looked like she was traumatized.
"I was so worried about you Ritchie." She whimpered.
"Hey, don't be sad. I'm alright." Ritchie said. Giselle pulled back and pulled him into a loving, passionate kiss.
"Well Ritchie, I see you two are doing well." Ash stated with a grin. The two broke apart and looked at Ash.
"Ash! What happened to you!?" Giselle asked with fright as she got in front of him and touched his scars.
"It's been a rough many years. Anyway, this is Blake Belladonna, and this is Neo. Forgive her, she's a mute." Ash said as he introduced the girls to Ritchie and Giselle.
"Hello." Blake said as she stepped forward. Giselle and Blake shared a hug and they complimented on their looks. Meanwhile, Neo and Manaphy were staying with Ash.
"Is that a Manaphy?" Giselle asked as she eyed Manaphy.
"Yep. Manaphy, this is Ritchie and Giselle. They are old friends of mine from many years ago." Ash said to it.
"Mana Mana!" Manaphy said.
"Anyway, I should get going. My match is about to begin." Ash said. Giselle gave him a quick hug and scratched Pikachu's ears.
"Chaa!" Pikachu said from the friendly scratch he was getting.
Blake then pulled Ash into a passionate kiss. She broke the kiss and leaned her forehead onto his.
"Go get em my handsome knight." Blake purred at him.
"Will do." Ash said before kissing her forehead.
Before Ash left, Neo handed Manaphy to Blake and jumped onto him and hugged him while wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Aww. She likes you Ash." Ritchie said while holding Giselle by the waist.
"Seems like it." Ash said while returning the hug.
Suddenly, Neo pulled back and kissed him passionately. Everyone was caught off guard of what was happening, Ash and Blake especially.
Neo then broke the kiss and her heterochromia eyes looked deep into Ash's eyes
"I stand corrected." Ritchie said.
Ash was still processing all that had happened.
"Blake…do I have a very kissable face or something?" Ash asked her.
"Yes, yes you do." Blake said while smiling.
Neo then let go of Ash and smiled at him. She then formed a heart with her fingers for him, signaling that she loved him.
Ash smiled and rubbed her head. She silently chuckled as he was doing that. He then made his way towards the lift.
As he arrived, he was lifted back into the arena where people cheered upon his arrival.
"GOOD LUCK ASH!" Ruby screamed nearby.
"TEACH HER SOME RESPECT BABE!" Yang screamed next to Ruby.
Ash looked towards where they were screaming at and he saw most of the love group, including Neo and his mother sitting near the field. Emerald remained at the stadium for safety reasons.
"Thanks girls." Ash whispered while smiling at them. His face then turned to serious when he eyed his next opponent…Iris.
"The next battle of the 2nd round is about to begin. Iris Ariusu from the Village of Dragons will be facing off against Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. This will be a 3 vs. 3 match and whosoever's Pokémon is unfit to battle will be eliminated. Furthermore, there will be no substitutions throughout the match." Glynda announced.
"Let's get this over with. Excadrill, get them." Iris said while sending out her first Pokémon.
Iri's Excadrill LVL 80 Ground/Steel Sand Force
Sandstorm Metal Claw Swords Dance Drill Run
"Very well. Lucario, I choose you!" Ash yelled as his aura Pokémon arrived. Ash then knelt down and began to meditate.
"What the hell is he doing!?" Yang asked with confusion.
"He did this the last time. He just sat there and his Pokémon did all the fighting for him." Miette explained.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Alright Excadrill, use Sandstorm." Iris yelled. Excadrill then used its claws and slashed at the ground. It was creating a large sandstorm. Ash had to activate his Keyblade Armor because of it.
Lucario used his aura to create swords all around him. The swords began to spin around and absorb into him. He was using Swords Dance.
"Now use Drill Run." Iris said. Excadrill then went into its drill mode and began to spin towards Lucario. Lucario then used a Powered-Up Punch and it stopped the attack while dealing tremendous damage.
"Predicatble." Ash whispered before snapping his finger. Lucario then jumped up and fired a powerful Aura Sphere and the attack was successful. Excadrill was knocked out.
"Exadrill is unable to battle, Lucario wins!" Glynda yelled. The stadium cheered from the win.
Iris returned Excadrill and glared at Ash.
"You won't win this easily. Haxorus, get out there!" Iris yelled while sending out her fully evolved Axew onto the field.
Iris's Haxorus LVL 85 Dragon Mold Breaker Lum Berry
Swords Dance Dragon Claw Outrage Draco Meteor
"Yeah? Lucario, return." Ash said while bringing back his Aura Pokémon. "Pikachu, I choose you." Ash said and Pikachu jumped onto the field.
"Battle commence." Glynda yelled.
Pikachu didn't hesitate to use Agility. He needed to keep up with his speed.
"Haxorus, use Swords Dance." Iris said. Haxorus's axe began to glow red. The attack stat increased dramatically. Suddenly, both Pikachu and Haxorus got damaged by the sandstorm.
Pikachu then jumped up and fired off an Electro Ball. The attack was successful, but it didn't do much.
"Come on babe." Ruby whispered. Miette held her hand to comfort her. Ruby then smiled at her and went back to watching the match.
"Use Outrage!" Iris yelled. Haxorus began to glow red and charged forward. Pikachu barely dodged it and fired off a powerful Thunderbolt. Haxorus was angrier now. The sandstorm damaged them once again.
"Keep up the pressure my friend." Ash said to Pikachu.
"Pika!" Pikachu yelled as he jumped towards Haxorus and used Iron Tail on its head. It was enough to knock it out.
"Haxorus is unable to battle, Pikachu wins!" Glynda yelled.
"Yes! In your face!" Yang yelled at Iris, who returned Haxorus with anger.
"I will not be defeated like this. I didn't want to do this, but you left me with no choice. Tauros, GO!" Iris yelled and she sent out the bull Pokémon.
Ash immediately sensed something off about Tauros. He activated his aura vision and saw that Tauros was a Shadow Pokémon. He revealed the dark aura to everyone while using his semblance.
Iris's Tauros LVL 88 Normal Intimidate
Shadow Sky Horn Attack Double-Edge Giga Impact
Tauros bellowed at Pikachu, causing it to lose a bit of his attack stat.
"That's enough! Pikachu return!" Ash yelled. Pikachu dashed off the field and sat next to Ash. "Gardevoir, I choose you!" Ash yelled while sending out the Embrace Pokémon.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Tauros, use Shadow Sky!" Iris yelled. Tauros bellowed into the sky and fired off a dark aura at it. The sandstorm vanished and a pitch black cloud formed above them. Suddenly, dark aura was falling out of it like rain. Ash decided to remove his helmet to get a better look.
Gardevoir had to go on the defense. She activated Reflect to raise her defense. The dark aura from Shadow Sky began to injure her badly.
"Be careful Gardevoir." Ash said to her.
"Use Giga Impact!" Iris said. Tauros began to charge towards Gardevoir. Streaks of aura were beginning to build up around it until it was consumed by a bright purple aura.
Gardevoir fired off a Moonblast to stop the attack. The attack was successful and an explosion erupted from the impact. Tauros continued to charge towards her from the smoke. Gardevoir's eyes shrank from fear until Tauros slammed onto her.
"NO!" Ash shouted as he saw Gardevoir was sent flying and collided onto the lift, knocking her out cold.
"Gardevoir is unable to battle, Tauros wins!" Glynda yelled. The stadium went silent from the attack.
"Poor Gardevoir." Blake whispered as she watched Ash return her to her Poke Ball.
"Gardevoir, I won't let this be in vain. You just rest up. Pikachu, go!" Ash yelled. Pikachu jumped off the lift and onto the battlefield.
"This will be over soon." Iris said with a grin.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled. Due to Giga Impact's side effect, Tauros can't make a move. Pikachu took full advantage of this. Pikachu jumped up and unleashed a wicked Thunderbolt at Tauros. Tarous bellowed in pain as the attack was successful.
"Oh no!" Iris yelled as an explosion erupted from the attack. The smoke cleared and Tauros is down and out.
"Tauros is unable to battle, Pikachu wins! The winner of this match of the 2nd round goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" Glynda announced.
"YES!" Yang screamed while everyone else cheered.
Iris was beyond infuriated. She took out Tauros's Poke Ball and threw it to the ground. Ash saw her attempted to smash it.
"Oh no you don't! STOPGA!" Ash said after he summoned Divine Elemental and fired the stopping spell on Iris. "Pikachu, get the Poke Ball!" Ash yelled.
"Pika!" He said while running to the other side of the field and snatched the ball.
Ash then fired a beam of light from his Keyblade and the light hit Tauros. The shadow aura was released from Tauros and it turned into another shadow monster. It growled at Ash. Ash then fired off another beam of light at it as it was charging towards Ash. It roared as the light hit and it disintegrated.
"Tauros, come on back." Ash said while returning the freed Tauros back into the ball that Pikachu retrieved. "Don't worry. I'll get you medical attention." Ash said to the ball.
The stopping spell wore off and Iris slammed her foot onto the ground.
"What the?" Iris said with confusion. She then saw Ash with the ball she was about to smash. "NO! This wasn't supposed to end like this!" Iris said while pulling out a box from behind her hair. She pressed a button and it transformed into a repeater crossbow.
"Saw that coming." Ash said while summoning Oathkeeper. Iris began to fire off fire Dust arrows at Ash while Ash was deflecting as much as he could.
"Not my boyfriend you bitch!" Ruby yelled as she and her team vaulted over the railing and joined Ash.
Ash then charged towards Iris while she was reloading and struck at her. Iris was very agile and transformed her crossbow into a double bladed sword. Ash and Iris fought each other until Ash got the upper hand while they were in a lock.
He grinned as he dismissed Oathkeeper and elbowed her in the gut and then in the face. Iris grunted in pain and she was knocked onto the ground by being tripped by Ash. Ash kicked the weapon away and had his Keyblade to her neck.
"Who's the little kid now bitch!?" Ash yelled at her. Team RWBY joined Ash and aimed their Keyblades at her.
Suddenly, Winter as well as a few guards ran towards them and grabbed Iris.
"Iris Ariusu, you are under arrest for the possession of a Shadow Pokémon, and attempted Pokémon abuse. Take her away!" Winter ordered the guards. The stadium cheered as the guards took Iris away.
"Excellent work all of you. Another traitor has bitten the dust." Ash said.
"No one messes with our Ash and gets away with it." Weiss said.
As they were leaving, they met up with Delia, Neo and Miette. Miette jumped onto Ash and kissed him. She broke the kiss and hugged him.
"Well done out there sweetie." Miette said.
"Thanks Miette." Ash whispered before kissing her cheek. Ash put her down and Miette continued to hug him.
"I'm so glad that you are safe." Delia said.
"Mom, I don't think we are out of the woods yet. With all these Shadow Pokémon popping up, I think we are in greater danger than ever." Ash said.
"By the way Ash, Team CFVY is about to start. You better drop off your Pokémon and get over there before Coco has a bigger fit." Blake warned him.
"Right!" Ash said before creating a portal. All of them went through it and they arrived at the Pokémon Center.
"We saw your match Ash. You were amazing out there." Nurse Joy said.
"Thank you. Think you can take a look at Garchomp and Tauros? They were freed from the shadow aura and they are in need of medical treatment." Ash said while handing her Pikachu and the rest of the Pokémon that was used in battle.
"No problem Ash. You're Pokémon will be ready in about an hour. I'll also take a closer look at the other two pretty soon okay?" She asked.
"Alright. Thank you." Ash said before he and the rest walked off. Just as they left, Blake had gotten closer to him.
"So…do I see…ten?" Blake teasingly asked as she bumped her ass onto his.
"H-hey!" Ash yelled. He then retaliated by smacking her ass.
"EEP!" Blake squeaked from the smack. "Oh…you little!" Blake yelled before grabbing him and kissing him hard. Just as she broke the kiss, she then hissed and shoved him, causing him to fall to the ground.
Everyone was now laughing, even Neo was laughing.
"Seriously though, is Neo number ten?" Blake asked as Ash got up. Neo got in front of him and smiled.
Ash just looked down at her and could tell that she did owe her life to him for saving her.
"You know what….get over here Neo." Ash said while opening his arms up. Neo silently shrieked and hugged him.
Just then, Ash sensed a traitor nearby.
"HEY!" It was May screaming at them. Ash glared at her while letting go of Neo.
"What do you want May? Can't you see that I'm a timeclock here?" Ash asked.
"You have something that belongs to me." May said. Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Manaphy! Give it back to me!" May demanded.
"No way! This Manaphy chose to stay with us. You'll just have to pry it out of my hands." Blake hissed at her. May began to get angry.
"Plus, you were the one that released it years ago. So to put it in English, you are no longer its owner." Ash added.
May began to channel her aura and began to release it.
Suddenly, a large Grimm that looks like a dragon began to emerge behind the stadium and flew above them. It looked like a monstrous behemoth with multiple wings, spikes all over its back and wings, several pairs of eyes with a gigantic eye on the forehead. It has razor sharp teeth and a long tail. It was the size of a building.
"What the hell?" Ash asked with shock.
The dragon then roared at them. Blake had to cover her ears while forcing to drop Manaphy. May quickly dashed towards it and grabbed it.
Semblance Analysis
May Maple: Illusion
A semblance that creates a figment of an imagination that the target(s) see that really isn't there, like a hallucination. The most aura is used, the greater the semblance.
"NO MANAPHY!" Blake screamed. The illusion faded and May held Manaphy.
"Oh Manaphy! I missed you!" May said while happily holding it. She looked down at Manaphy, only to lose her smile as Manaphy was looking at her with anger. "Manaphy? It's me." May said
Manaphy took a deep breath and fired off a BubbleBeam at her face. She yelled as she fell backwards and Manaphy escaped her grip. It returned to Blake and she held it.
"NOT THE MAMA!" Manaphy yelled at May. If there was anything that was heartbreaking for May, this would be one of them.
"Manaphy…why?" May asked.
"YOU ALMOST TOOK PAPA AWAY! MANAPHY HATE YOU!" Manaphy screamed at her. May's heart twisted from those words. This pretty much broke her.
"Looks like Karma hit you hard May. Manaphy has spoken and now you will never take it away. Now if you will excuse us, we have a match to watch." Ash said while creating a portal.
As they were entering, May's anger grew, and she was getting hostile. Ash immediately sensed it and aimed his Keyblade at her.
"KETCHUM! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR MANIPULATING MANAPHY'S MIND!" May screamed at him.
"I don't have time for this. Stopga!" Ash yelled and May was frozen in time just as she was running towards him. Ash was the last to enter the portal and it closed.
After Ash exited the portal, the rest were waiting for him. Ash and his apprentices went to his spot while the rest went off towards seats nearby to watch the fight.
As Ash and Team RWBY entered, they were greeted by Xedrek.
"Ash, Team CFVY's match is almost over. Team CMDS won and Cinder and Serena are representing in the Doubles match. Team FNKI won against Team LAKE and is scheduled to challenge Team RWBY first thing at the start of the Doubles Round after a two hour recess with Neon Katt and Flynt Coal representing." Xedrek explained.
"I see. Anything else?" Ash asked.
"Team CRDL will be after this match against Team SPHR (Sapphire), Team SSSN will be facing off against Team NDGO, and Team CAPL (Capital, basically Penny's team) will be facing off against Team CLOD (Cloud) in the last match of the Teams Round." Xedrek said.
Back on the battlefield, Coco has been looking up at the spot where Ash usually was, and was getting nervous and frustrated that he wasn't there, until now. While hiding behind a collapsed building on the field with the help of Yatsuhashi, she looked back up and Ash was there.
"Finally, you made it." She whispered as his presence gave her the confidence needed to win this fight.
Finally, after some intense fighting, Team CFVY won and Coco and Yatsuhashi will be representing in the Doubles Round. Ash and Xedrek watched as the rest of the fights commenced and Team CRDL won with Russel and Sky representing, Team SSSN won and Sun and Neptune will represent and Team CAPL was also moving on to the Doubles Round with Penny and Ciel representing.
The end of the Team's Match has finally come to a close. The Doubles Round is to commence after a two hour recess. In the meantime, Ash and Xedrek went to get some chow at the festival grounds. Ash and Xedrek met up with Team RWBY met up at a noodle stand where they were having lunch.
Suddenly, Ash sensed a traitor nearby.
"I'll be right back guys." Ash said while getting up and leaving some money for the chef.
"Okay, we should still be here." Yang said while getting back to her bowl.
Meanwhile, Blake was drooling over a bowl of noodles with Magikarp on top. She savored it and she purred after eating some of it. Her cat instincts were going into overdrive.
Back with Ash, he spotted Max and a few other traitors.
"Ketchum…our queen wishes to speak to you." Max said.
"Oh? So Salem has finally decided to show herself? Fine, take me to her." Ash said. The traitors took him deep into the Emerald Forest and they took him to a clearing.
Just then, a Seer was hovering towards them. Ash was confused, thinking if this really is their queen.
"He is here, and is ready to speak to you." Max said to the Seer. The Seer began to hover away and the traitors knelt down as a portal opened up.
Ash watched as the Black Queen herself emerged from the portal and her dark eyes met Ash. Ash sensed her extremely powerful dark aura. This was her that he sensed that day of Torchwick's death, and it was undeniable now.
"Ash Ketchum, Keyblade Master and Guardian of Vale." Salem spoke.
"Queen Salem…son of….a bitch you're more beautiful than I thought you were gonna be. I thought you were gonna be a hideous monster of sorts like a Vespiquen of a Combee hive." Ash said with amazement. Salem chuckled from that.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, but the compliment is not unwelcomed. Hello Ash…it is an honor to finally meet you." Salem said while slightly bowing at him.
"Agreed, but let's just cut to the chase. Why do you want the Keyblades power? To continue on with Xehanort's plans, complete world domination?" Ash asked.
"I seek to gain enough power to take over this Remnant world of Pokémon and let the darkness consume this world. And what better way to do it than with the Keyblade?" Salem asked.
"Look Your Darkness, there is something that you should know. The Keyblade chooses its wielder, not the other way around. Just like the old saying, beggars can't be choosers." Ash said with a hint of disgust.
Salem chuckled and began to use her powers to lift Ash into the air and brought him closer to her, while immobilizing him.
"This world will be under my foot when I'm through with you, just like how I was supposedly through with Ozpin centuries ago." Salem sneered at him. Ash was beyond confused from what she meant by that.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! What a second! Centuries ago? What was there another Opzin that is an ancestor to this Ozpin?" He asked.
"Have you ever heard of the story of the Maidens and the Wizard that has been told of in stories for generations?" Salem asked.
"I've heard of the Maidens, but a wizard?...Nope. I am what some call local." Ash said.
"Everything has an origin. The seasons are no exceptions. The Story of the Seasons. A wizard was visited by four sisters that showed kindness towards him. He then gave the sisters amazing powers that will allow them to spread their gifts. Soon enough, that power would be used against me. The wizard failed to defeat me and was cursed by the gods of immortality for his failure. To this very day, I now seek a greater power to not only overthrow the world, but even more." Salem explained.
Ash was completely baffled by this. The headmaster being the wizard? He needed answers.
"Okay so let's just say for argument sakes that I believe this tale, you believe that the Keyblade will bring you more power?" He asked.
"You catch on fast. This is why we need to keep you alive until you give me the power. Once the power is mine, this world will witness Ragnarok." Salem said.
"Ragging a what?" Ash asked with sheer confusion.
"Ragnarok, the fall of this world. It has already begun for centuries. The Hunters have only been prolonging the inevitable. It cannot be stopped. Since I'm being generous, I will prolong it a little while longer. So enjoy your last few days Ash. Just so you know, the longer you refuse to give me the power of the Keyblade, more lives will be lost, and it will be all on your head." Salem said before releasing him.
Ash grunted as he hit the ground and summoned both Keyblades. Salem laughed and used her powers to immobilize him once again.
"You won't get away with this. In case you haven't noticed, your pawns have already fallen, and their Shadow Pokémon has already been dealt with. Face it Salem, your losing at your own game." Ash growled at her.
From simply just being called Salem, all of the traitors quickly got up and activated their weapons and aim them at him for his disloyalty.
"We will not have you speak out of hand like that to our queen!" Dawn snapped at her. Salem slowly raised a hand to ease their tensions.
"It matters not. We'll let him continue our game. In case you feel like being neighborly and surrender the power to me, just speak to one of my henchmen. Good-bye for now." Salem said before releasing Ash and disappeared into a portal.
Just as Ash was freed, he grabbed Max by the throat with anger.
"WHY!? WHY DID YOU SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO HER!?" He shouted at him. Max released himself from his grip and pushed him away.
"She gave us a purpose, and future so that one day we will be the absolute best." Max sneered at him.
"You are all walking down a darker path than when you all caused my disappearance. You are all her puppets now. When you all served your purpose, she'll cut your stings, leaving you all with nothing!" Ash yelled.
"We'll see about that. Now if you'll excuse us, we have tournaments to dominate. See you on the battlefield. Smell you later." Gary said while he and the rest walked off. Ash growled and his aura was being unleashed from him from anger. Ash left to rejoin the others.
Ash had finally met Salem for the first time and he understood more of a backstory that was needed to be explain by Ozpin himself. Now that the Teams Round has finally come to a conclusion, the Doubles Round can commence and the tournament can continue as planned. What new dangers will arrive for Ash and his friends? Find out more as the story continues.
And there you have it fellow readers. The Teams Round has come to a close, and Neo is number ten of the love group. Look, I know I said that there would only be eight from before but...I accidentally lied a bit. But I will say one thing, there is going to be one more for the group, for reals this time. So Ash and Salem have finally met, and a hidden secret may have been revealed. What will happen next? Well DUH! The Doubles Round of course. The real climax is coming, shits getting crazier, TheD-Rock900 is signing off, see you next time y'all!