AN: Uploading this chapter early in case I forget to do so tomorrow as originally planned. So last chapter I actually had some fun with, but this is the chapter I've been waiting for a while now because of a very specific factor in it. If you've looked on my DA page, you'll already know. But for those who didn't, you're in for a treat.

Truth and Ideals Chapter 37:

Ash's Challenge:

Ash had no idea what the audience would think of him here. Every other time he got applause, yes, but now that he was wearing some of his father's old clothes and had a Riolu at his side right now, would he end up reminding the public about who his own father was? Or would they still recognize Ash as being Ash?

"Now then, now that he's finally arrived, let's introduce our third and last challenger! Hailing from Nuvema Town..." The announcer began to introduce Ash, but soon began to stutter once she saw Ash moving up towards his side of the arena, with Altair slowly following him, staying in close range within Ash's cape to hide.

"O-Oh... Oh my... We have a very special challenger here, it seems...! As I was trying to say, hailing from Nuvema Town, this young man has lived a life of safety and reassurance from his family and friends. His father having disappeared before his birth, this new challenger allows his father's legacy to still be known! Introducing, Ash Ketchum!" The announcer finished.

With that, the audience began to applaud for Ash, all the while Ash maintained a chill and cool demeaner to try and not to allow himself to get too distracted by the crowd; he'd need it to allow his Aura Mode to work properly.

"So, Ash, I see you're properly dressed for the occasion! Mind I ask why you decided to dress up like this? Or is it not really that important?" Elesa asked Ash, as Ash simply shrugged.

"Well, let's just say I wanted to test and see if the audience will see me as me, if they'll instead see me as my father." Ash told her, as Elesa blinked.

"So you want to be seen as yourself even while invoking your father's image?" Elesa asked, as Ash nodded.

"Let's just get this battle started with our first Pokémon? I'm only going to be using a single Pokémon for this, just so you're aware." Ash told Elesa, as Elesa nodded.

"… Might I ask why you're going to be using Dewott?" Elesa asked, all the while she sent out Eelektross, while Ash responded by sending out Dewott, but refused to answer Elesa's question… yet.

"You'll see what I mean in a few moments… I've been working on something, you see…" Ash told Elesa, as the announcer was surprised.

"Oh…! Ash sends out a Water Type to an Electric Gym? What is he playing at…?" The announcer asked, before adding "Oh, either way, Pokémon, GO!" The announcer called, as Ash's Aura Mode activated and was solidified around his body immediately upon activation instead of taking a few moments first. As a result, it took even less time to get Dewott charged up with Aura as well.

"Alright, Eelektross, be careful about Dewott!" Elesa ordered, ah the while Ash grinned.

"Sadly he won't get much of a chance; Dewott, brace yourself and use Counter Shield!" Ash ordered, as Dewott grabbed hold of his scalchops and immediately threw them in a circular fashion around himself, while watering currents formed and encircled them.

"Alright, Eelektross! Shock Wave!" Elesa called, as Eelektross grappled hold of the ground and fired an unavoidable blast of electricity towards Dewott…

… Which was completely absorbed and nullified by the encircling scalchops. Dewott, calling them back to his side, braced for his next attack.

"Alright, good shot, Dewott! Let us begin with Mysterious Samurai!" Ash called, as Dewott summoned a jet of water to erupt from underneath Eelektross, forcing the EleFish Pokémon high up into the air as Dewott proceeded to deliver cut after cut with his scalchops. Normally, after nearly a dozen cuts, Dewott would've already appeared to deliver the finishing blow against the target…

… But when Dewott began to appear again, his body began to glow with an intense ferocity as his body changed shape, his scalchops changing in shape into more sword-like variants called "seamitars", before "Dewott" appeared again in plain view as his fully evolved form to deliver tree more slashes to Eelektross, before sending Eelektross plummeting to the ground with one final slash from both seamitars combined.

The audience gasping in surprise, watched as Elesa called back Eelektross and called out her next Pokémon, while the audience remained silent during the next part of the battle.

"Looks like Galvantula is up next… Ash is… startling, to say the least thus far…! Dewott has evolved into Samurott from merely defeating Eelektross! I'm interested to see how this will play out next with Galvantula!" The announcer spoke, as Elesa's Galvantula, immediately knowing it wasn't going to land a hit on Samurott so easily, proceeded to use numerous electrical attacks at once alongside Thunder from above.

Samurott, in response to this, threw aside from his seamitars outwards towards the weaker electrical attacks, using them as lightning rods all the while Samurott looked upwards and proceeded to fire a blast of frigid air turned icy bolt of energy and promptly froze Galvantula's summoned bolt of thunder sold before it could even impact Samurott, and then promptly shattered it into particles that immediately caught the attention of the audience as the applause from the audience began to skyrocket back to normal levels, but now beginning to exceed normal levels at this point.

… Then Samurott's entire body began to become covered in a watery veil as well. Ash, turning his hat around by 180 degrees, motioned his hand forward in a fist.

"Alright, Samurott! Let's show them how strong our bond truly has become! Now, Hydro Cannon!" Ash called out, as Samurott let out a fierce, mighty howl towards Galvantula, before proceeding to be blasted by an extremely potent, powerful jet of water fired from Samurott's mouth, and Galvantula, like his previous two defeats, was sent flying out of the battlefield as a result.

… But Samurott wasn't done just yet.

As Elesa called back Galvantula while Galvantula was still in range, Elesa looked towards Ash with a bit of a smile.

"Excited, aren't we? Got anybody special on mind with this attitude?" Elesa asked.

"Well… Let's just say… there's a certain redhead I want to impress." Ash spoke out, before gesturing his hand out towards Samurott again. Altair, meanwhile, watched with amazement as he saw just how strong Samurott was despite having only just evolved from a Dewott mere moments ago.

(Ash… Will I eventually become that strong as well?) Altair asked, as Ash looked down at Altair and carefully petted him.

(Don't worry, you'll become strong in no time at all once you're grown and healthy enough to begin training proper.) Ash told him, as Ash looked over towards Elesa.

"Alright, my final Pokémon! Manectric!" Elesa called, calling forth a blue and yellow, Wolf-like Pokémon with an intimidating, stoic glance that eyed at Samurott. Samurott, still glowing with an intense watery veil, looked back towards Ash with a nod.

"Mega Evolution! Mega Manectric!" Elesa called, as she tapped a keystone hidden on her headphones, all the while Manectric became encircled in a sphere of energy and transformed into a slightly bulkier, sharper looking version of itself in the form of Mega Manectric, letting out a piercing, echoing howl in the process.

"Oh, wow! Mega Evolution! I wonder if Ash has anything to counter Mega Manectric here…" The announcer spoke as Ash, beginning to feel his heart pumping with adrenaline to where he himself took on a similar watery veil over himself as Samurott, noticed as Samurott began to change in shape in different, sometimes minor ways.

"Alright, Samurott! Let's show them our last big surprise for this fight! Synchronization!"

Samurott, his moustache disappearing and forming again further back on his snout, with his beard growing larger enough to effectively hide all but one part of his lower jaw from plain view, slowly began to grow in size slightly by about a foot taller. His eyes, chest, and tail soon gained markings that resembled the one on Ash's hat, and Samurott's helmet grew both bulkier and spikier in nature. Soon developing stronger back legs and nearly almost entirely standing on two legs, Samurott drew out his transformed seamitars, now called "seamitanas", and held both of them in hand at once all the while the newly transformed Samurott roared over towards Manectric with a fierce ferocity.

Cheren and Bianca, staring agape at Samurott's transformation, tried to scan Samurott in their Pokédex to try and determine what all had changed.

"Warlord-Samurott, the Indomitable Pokémon and the Synchronization Form of Samurott. Adapting into a fierce appearance with enhanced close range weaponry, Warlord-Samurott adapted a Ground Type specifically to deal with its own rivals in a more adept fashion." The Pokédex scanned Samurott, called Warlord-Samurott in this Forme, as Mega Manectric and Warlord-Samurott both roared at each other as the audience began to go into a full blown cheering and applause.

"Now the real battle begins." Ash spoke, as Elesa nodded, before commanding Mega Manectric to attack, Manectric firing a green ball of energy towards Warlord-Samurott, before noticing Warlord-Samurott quickly maneuvering out of the way, and with each repeated attempt to try and strike down Warlord-Samurott, each attack missed all the while Warlord-Samurott faked getting hit once…

… Only to immediately appear directly behind Mega Manectric and knock it into the middle of the arena with a powerful strike from his seamitanas, as Mega Manectric soon managed to finally hit Warlord-Samurott with the attack it was going for. Warlord-Samurott, doubling over in pain but avoiding falling over, looked over towards Ash quickly to see if he was alright.

"Oh! OH! Is Ash alright?! He looks like he was nearly about to collapse after that one!" The announcer asked in shock, as Ash soon stood up and looked over towards Warlord-Samurott.

"It's okay, buddy; keep on at it!" Ash called out, as Warlord-Samurott growled towards Mega Manectric and quickly dodged an incoming attack form it once again and then suddenly struck Mega Manectric with a powerful force of energy that sent him colliding into the ground.

"Now, let's finish this fight, Samurott!" Ash called out, as Warlord-Samurott blasted Mega Manectric into the air with Hydro Cannon, before proceeding to jump up and slice and dice away at Mega Manectric's stamina with Mysterious Samurai, repeatedly striking a Mega Manectric until sending it crashing into the ground.

Mega Manectric, reverting back into a Manectric after all of the intense amount of damage it had suffered, was called back to its Poké Ball by Elesa as Elesa walked up onto the stage to prepare to give Ash his badge.

"Wow, I'm actually legitimately impressed, Ash! I never knew you had so much of your father in you!" Elesa congratulated Ash, as Ash nodded as he walked up towards her with Altair sheepishly following and hiding within Ash's cloak.

"Thanks... But, uh, before we get to you giving me my badge, there's something I want to reveal to everyone on live TV." Ash said, as Elesa blinked, all the while Misty rushed up onto the stage and shocked everyone in the audience.

"Oh?! Is this Misty?! The Water Type Gym Leader of Kanto?! What is she doing here and- Oh my…!" The announcer said, before being interrupted as the audience soon began to go into another burst of an applause towards Ash yet again.

For Ash, upon Misty's approach, was quick to embrace her and kiss her as she did the same in return. Elesa was stunned silent, all the while smiling on the inside for Ash's sake.

Ash and Misty, breaking the kiss after a few moments, smiled at each other, before Ash went to retrieve his 4th badge from Elesa.

"Well done, Ash! Do you have any plans for what you truly want in life?" Elesa asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"To be honest, I don't know exactly what I truly want in life… but…" Ash said, turning around to face Misty again.

"I do want to live much of my life with Misty, here…" Ash said, as he moved to hug Misty, as Misty hugged him back as well.

"Misty, I love you…" Ash spoke, as even though Ash didn't catch what happened next, nor did anyone else…

"I love you too, Ash…"

To Be Continued…

AN: And on AO3 I officially have surpassed 100K words on this story. On this site alone, I had already surpassed this number, but I take AO3's word count more seriously for good enough reasoning. Mainly because this site has to have me include the Author's Notes directly on the chapter pages themselves.