Chapter 52: The End of Rivals The Birth of Enemies!
(Che'val-yere hotel) (Ash's room) (Downtown District) (08:25 AM) (6 days before the Valmarian league)
"Haaaaa……" that was the sound of a certain young Pokemon trainer yawning in the morning. Ash was happily tugged in his bed like the boy he was… but he knew that he couldn't sleep forever. With his alarm clock ringing out loudly and the sun shining in his face, it seemed like the whole galaxy was trying to wake him up from his slumber. The boy squint his eyes and tugged away from the light. He covered himself with the blanket and silently slammed his alarm clock shut.
But in the end, he would wake up by the sound of a very familiar voice. "Your majesty… it's time to wake up now" came Rosa's voice. But no matter how hard she tried to nudge the boy awake, all efforts seemed to deem a failure. However… this didn't seem like something new to be experienced by her. If Hsa was anything like Ash, then there's no doubt that he was lazy as well in the morning. "Come on your highness, your friends are waiting for you at the first floor lobby. You wouldn't want to keep them waiting. They said they're going to the arena district again today"
The moment Ash heard 'Arena District' his eyes widened almost instantly like it was being pulled by the force of nature themselves. "Arena District?! I'm so there! Let's get ready Pikachu!" He quickly dashed off from bed, looked at himself in the mirror, cleaned himself up and changed into his battle attire. Thanks to yesterday's shopping, the boy now had himself an abundance of clothes to select from. His previous set of clothes were so badly ripped and torn from his adventures that his mother 'ordered' him to change into something neat.
Ash still had his trademark cap which was quite worn out to say the least. He quickly put a mental note to himself to get that cap repaired by a tailor in one of the local shops. But putting the headgear away he turned towards his once favorite outfit. He now wore a black T-shirt, covered by a hoodie jacket with the top part dangling at the back of his neck and short sleeves, a pair of fingerless gloves to keep his throws firm, light blue cargo pants for to keep himself warm and some new sneakers for his foot. This was probably just the attire he wore back in the Hoenn region, but hey… I guess he's just one of them old fashion kids.
"Alright… are you ready Pikachu? (Pika!)" the little yellow mouse replied with a determined look on its face, "Great… let's go!"
"Wait a moment!" the Guardian shouted suddenly, freezing Ash on his tracks. "Don't forget this your majesty" she held up the crystal shard gesturing to the old empire's most sacred treasures. "Battle or no battle your highness, I cannot allow you to leave without this"
"The crystal shard?" Ash analyzed, "But wouldn't it be better just to leave it here?" the pink Lucario shook her head, "No your highness. An artifact like this should not be left unattended. Believe it or not your majesty, but you are now in possession of the last remaining proof of our empire. I beg of you to keep it with you at all times" she pleaded till her heart poured out and welled the entire room with her emotions. Though that single shard would probably fetch a high price in the market, Ash knew that it was something of great importance to her…… to everyone on Gregro Island. For Sha-hear to entrust this object to him was probably an honor some wouldn't even believe…… but Ash knows little of the meaning of honor.
"Alright…" Ash said finally with a smile. He took the shard from Rosa's paw and tucked it nicely into his chest pocket where its top piece showed out slightly around the sides. "I promise, I'll keep it with me at all times. Now come on! Breakfast is probably ready and I don't want to be late! Look out Valmarian city, here I come!" Rosa simply let out a satisfying smile off her face before following behind. The boy may be an idiot, but when it comes to promises, she knows that he can keep them… no matter how heavy the weight may be.
(Hotel lobby)
After taking the elevator six level down, Ash was greeted by the sight of all of his friends, having a little meal together on one table. There were bacons and eggs, bread and jam, fruit drinks of different flavors and many more for his brain to count.
"Hey Ash, good morning" Richie was the first to greet him with a welcoming smile. Professor Oak came next, "We were just having breakfast. Would you care for some lemonade?"
"Yes please!" came his instant reply. As the boy looked around, he noticed some of the members weren't around. Scott was probably busy preparing for the Valmarian league along with Frontier Brains, Norman and Caroline should be taking their shopping trip about now, Johanna would definitely still be asleep and Cynthia wouldn't be waking up anytime sooner than them after the little misunderstanding incident that happened last night.
Brock, May, Dawn, Drew, Duplica, Richie, Anabel, Tracey, Todd, Max, Paul, Kenny and Zoey were there, but it looked like the group seemed to have dwindled out a few members. The one that caught Ash's attention the most, would probably be his best friend Misty. She was always by his side, not matter how thick or thin the situations he might be placed in… but now… his side seemed to have been replaced by a hallow chair. A feint ghost of her cheery face appeared before him, letting his imagination take plunder of his vulnerability.
But Ash was not one to fall for his own mind. He quickly shook his head and slapped his cheeks several times to bring himself back to reality.
The meal progressed on without much too much trouble… well at least for the humans. Just when Pikachu was having a peaceful treat along with the gang's other Pokemons, Anabel's Espeon appeared out of nowhere and began poking on the little mouse's ear. (Pikapika?) Pikachu looked back at the psychic cat with an odd face. At first he just thought that the little purple Pokemon (I believe Espeons are purple unless I'm color blind) wanted to play a game with him or something, but then to his surprise, Espeon suddenly began rubbing its cheek on him making the little electric Pokemon blush with embarrassment.
Buneary, noticing the small relationship blooming with the two of them, suddenly began to interfere. The rabbit Pokemon pulled Pikachu away and confronted Espeon head on. Looks like Ash wasn't the only one who had admires in his list.
"So are you all planning to go to the Arena District again?" professor Oak asked taking a sip off his coffee. The gang members who were present gave out positive replies. "Of course" Drew added, "We need to keep ourselves in tip top shape if we're going to battle our opponents. Besides… practice does make us… perfect" he finished up with a smirk.
"We've been able to defeat all the opponents we've challenged so far" May stated, "And there's no telling who's strong and who's weak out there, so the more we train, the easier the competitions will become. Right guys?" she asked everyone around her which was mostly replied with a nod. "Well that's something new coming from you" Max added sarcastically.
But it wasn't long then until Samuel remembered something important. "Oh that reminds me. Speaking of battles Ash, I've brought all of your Pokemons here already. They're all staying at the backyard right now"
"What? All of my Pokemons?"
The professor nodded, "Yes, I knew this league would be a long one so I decided to bring all your Pokemons here just in case you need to switch. Come, I'll show you to them" and with that the whole pack left the table and followed the professor to the hotels backyard. It was a slow walk, but when they Ash got there, he wished he had one of those bullet proof vests they gave to police forces. When he walked through the entryway of the yard, he was immediately assaulted by dozens of his Pokemons. "WAHHH!!!"
Corphish, Noctowl, Torkoal, Chimchar, Bulbasaur and Kingler were among the first to pin him down to the ground, followed by Muk who seemed to still be slithering to the area. Snorlax was sleeping under the shade of an oak tree, Glalie and Heracross were flying around, Sceptile was relaxing on the branch of a tree with a stick still on its mouth and of course his 30 Tauroses were stampeding in the area too. "Hey guys! How are all of you!?" Ash greeted his friends with his usual bright sunny side up smile. They all replied positively with their own smiles as well.
As Ash greeted all of his old friends, the others couldn't help but notice that the boy had caught so many Pokemons already (only 4 percent of the whole collection from what I've heard) "Oh that reminds me May" professor Oak turned to the Hoenn girl, "I also brought your Bulbasaur as well" he pointed towards the grass type Pokemon that slowly approached them with a heart shape mark embedded on its forehead. May quickly recognized the little chump and hugged her back happily. "Bulbasaur! I never expected to see you here!! My my… look how big you've grown hahaha!"
It wasn't long then till Ash got an idea for their morning plan, "Hey guy, why don't we all have our Pokemons meet each other? We can all head to the arena later in the afternoon" the others didn't seem to mind at all. They quickly release all of their Pokemons and allowed them to feed on the food given to them.
Kenny released Prinplup and Alakazam to play with his friends, though the penguin Pokemon still looked like it wanted to be alone.
But as the gang introduced each other one by one, Paul decided to let his Pokemons join in while he took a stroll on seeing the other Pokemons Ash had caught. The one that was worthy of noticing would definitely be Sceptile and Dophan which Ash already had with him, but it was their strength that snatched his attention. From his POV Sceptile would probably be the only tough looking Pokemon in Ash's arsenal.
"So Ash" professor Oak came to the boy, "Do you want to switch any of your Pokemons today? You're only allowed to carry six, but you can leave the rest here. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little rest from your adventures"
"Sure thing professor" came Ash's instant reply, "I'm sure all my Pokemons are pretty tired. So I'll have them all changed (Pikapikachu!) Hehehe… except Pikachu of course"
"Ahem!" came Rosa's psychic cough.
"Oh… and Rosa too hehehehe"
But just before the boy could switch his Pokemons, the entry door quickly swung open catching both their attentions. To the boy's surprise, it was none other than professor Birch, professor Elm and Professor Ivy, the famous researchers from Johto, Hoenn and the Orange Archipelago and from the sound of their tones; they seemed to be arguing about something.
"I'm telling you! This P-wave goes way over the charts!" Birch shouted at Elm holding a device on his hands. "And I'm telling you, it's a big waste of time!" Elm countered holding waving several document papers on his shoulder.
"Both of you be quiet!" Ivy shouted at them, causing the two to quickly silence. By the looks on the veins throbbings on her forehead and the tension on her neck, she seemed to have been enduring their behavior for quite awhile now. "You're supposed to be renowned scientists and here you are acting like children! Pull your acts together and come up with a solution already! Because if you argue about this one more time, I am so going to separate the both of you!!!"
The two scientists soon felt like they've turned to ants while Ivy morphed into a giant behemoth. They lowered their heads and said together, "Yes ma'am…" silently.
With the two of them finally quieting down, Ivy soon noticed the stares she was receiving from the group, "Oh, professor Oak! I did expect you to be here so early" but then she noticed Ash and the gang, "Oh hello there Ash, when did you get here?"
"Hello there Professor Ivy, Birch, Elm" Samuel replied to all of them, "I was just showing Ash where his Pokemons were. By the way… what were you arguing a minute ago?"
"Oh it's nothing worth mentioning professor" Elm stated waving his hand off, but Birch had to argue with that, "We'll let the professor say if it's worth mentioning! (ahem) Anyway professor, I've been studying the effects of that P-wave that has been going around lately"
"Oh you mean that super psychic wave that's been happening in Kanto, Johto and Hoenn?" Samuel tried to confirm it which was replied with a nod from professor Birch.
"Yes… and since normal P-wave readers couldn't get as much, I decided to develop this!" he held out the device in his hands right in front of him, "It's the Psychic Reader Mk. II. It can hold up to eight times more psychic energy than the ones we use back in the lab. Here… let me show you" he turned the power switch on the device and read it over the area. "This device will allow me to pin point the strongest psychic wave in the room and with any luck I'll be able to find out where that super P-wave came from"
Professor Elm simply shrugged and tried his best to ignore his fellow colleagues ramble, but when the device suddenly began acting strangely, Professor Birch knew that something was happening, "W… what the? Whoa!"
"What's wrong professor?" Ivy looked back at him with a curious eye.
"I… I don't know" he replied while trying to keep the device intact, "The Psychic Reader is detecting a large amount of P-wave in this room. It's going way over the charts again! Ivy, get a reading on this!" the female scientist nodded and quickly scanned the area for anything that could be used to write down. As Birch continued to follow the gizmo's direction, he soon turned it towards Rosa, the Guardian. "My word!" Elm now seemed to be intrigued with the situation. "I have never seen a Lucario with those colorings before. "Is this your Pokemon Ash?" the boy nodded hesitantly in reply.
"Amazing" Birch continued to glare astoundingly at Guardian as the device on his hand continued to go up and up, "The P-wave on her is rising even more than my reader can handle! I must certainly have a look at…" but before the guy could finish his sentence, Rosa got annoyed by the sound of the P-wave reader and cut through it with one focus punch. "WAHHH!! My Psychic Reader Mk. II!!!!"
"Annoying whelp" Rosa thought to herself before moving toward Ash's side. "Are all humans like this your majesty? Or just the ones you know" she spoke telepathically to him to which he replied with an unsure smile.
While Birch was busy salvaging his gizmo, professor Oak decided that it was time for Ash to choose which of the six or five Pokemons he would bringing. He knew that Pikachu and the pink Lucario would be his first choice, but then who knows… he might actually make a change today. "Well putting that aside. Which of your Pokemons will you be bringing today Ash?" once the Pokemons caught the whiff of their masters scent, Ash's Pokemons immediately assembled right in front of him like soldiers preparing to be picked.
It was a tough decision to make for young Ash and he even wished that he could bring all of them with him. "Hmm… which one of you haven't I used for awhile now?" he thought carefully before gazing at each of them. "Man… I can't choose at all… I wish I could bring all of them with me professor"
"Then maybe you need a mother's guidance for this" came a new voice from behind. When Ash turned his head around, he was greeted by the sight of an oh-so-familiar face.
"Mom?" his mother waved back in reply, "Good morning sweetie. Did you have a good night sleep (nod) Great! I was just passing by when I heard you couldn't choose between any of your Pokemons (huh?) That's why I'll be glad to pick three of them for you! Sceptile, Corphish and Staravia would be an excellent start for today"
"Great… but that leaves one more" Ash replied counting with his fingers.
"That's why I wanted you to take this" Delia quickly pulled out a Pokeball from her pocket and showed it to him. When the scientist caught sight of the Pokeball, they all visibly flinched with fear. It looked like a regular Pokeball but if you take a closer look at it, you could see that there was a fire emblem at the center of the ball meaning that this was specifically made for fire Pokemons. "What is it?" Ash asked curiously.
"Oh that's right, I guess I haven't introduced you to him yet" Delia chuckled, "Ash, let me introduce to you…"
"NOOO!!!!!" the four scientists, Samuel, Birch, Elm and Ivy screamed out and hid behind Brock with fear embedded on their faces. But it was too late, the mother had already released the monster. And to Ash's surprise, it was none other than the Houndoom, Burno. "Ash, allow me to introduce to you. Burno, our new house pet" the boy was visibly shocked but at the same time intrigued to see the Houndoom he had saved a few months back. The wounds on its body were completely healed possibly thanks to his mother, and their horns were as sharp as ever.
"Hey, isn't that the Houndoom you saved on the cliff the other day?" Todd noticed this and was mildly intrigued as he begun to take pictures of the demonic dog. Ash welcomed the hot-canine companion and patted its head gently. Burno barked back with a smile and ended up purring on his knee. But when the dog caught sight of the scientist, he snarled at them, sending shivers down their spines.
"Ash" his mother called out, "Would you mind taking Burno for a little exercise? I'm sure that he'll be a great Pokemon just like the rest of them"
"Sure thing mom" Ash replied before kneeling down to Burno's height, "Nice to meet you Burno. I'm glad you're ok. (woof!) Alright then… is everyone ready!? Let's head on out to the Arena District!"
"Yeah!" and with that, Ash and his friends dashed off towards the bus stop where it would eventually take them to the Arena district.
"And there they go……… again…" Delia sighed slightly before taking a little rest on the wall. "Oh that's strange"
"What's wrong Delia?" Samuel noticed her confused reaction.
"I didn't see Misty with him today. Usually that girl is always beside him" but before she could think anything more about it, the Jennies that had been traveling with her suddenly appeared from behind, "Hey there Delia!" they said in unison. "We're here"
"Oh hey there Jenny and…… Jenny" Delia replied, "I thought you two were going to have a family reunion today" the two of them shook their heads in reply, "Some of our families haven't arrived yet so we're taking the time shopping around. Oh by the way, there was a package for you"
"A package? For me?" Delia looked at them slightly surprise as Jenny held out a square shaped boy in front of her. "Yeah, it just came in today at the delivery office. We were around so we decided to take it to you. They said it came all the way from Mahogany town in Johto" the name of the town quickly earned the mother's attention and with speed faster than a quick attack, Delia snatched the box from the Jennies hands and took a slight peek at its contents. A small smile crept over the woman's lips as she analyzed what was inside the box. She then gently placed it on the table and made sure that no one else opens it.
(Connecting bride between Old Town and Downtown District)
A conveniently placed hotdog stand was attracting several pedestrians along the main road today having its business boom like never before. However… the clerks that were managing them were none other than Team Rocket, the major pain in the rear that doesn't seem to go away for any particular reason. "Hot dogs! Get your hotdogs here! Get them while they're still hot!" James commercialized to the street along with Jessie.
"I'll take two of them please" came a customer.
"Of course of course" Meowth replied as he happily produced the two products, "Here you go and have a hot doggie day" as the last customer went off with his treats, the three crooks regrouped at the stand to have a short meeting break. "This is great guys" Meowth began, "If we keep this up, we'll be able to make enough money to but ourselves a new car"
James looked pleased with the result of their honest working, "And since Jessie spent the last of our money doing her nails, we might actually turn a profit here"
"Hey!" the red head shot back, "Having beautiful nails is part of my daily life as a coordinator and besides…… doesn't it just makes me look pretty?" she posed for them to which the other two members sweatdrop. But as the team of trios worked on their small time job, a bus paused at the entryway of the bridge, giving them a good look at the passengers on the side windows. To their surprise, it was none other than Ash and several of his well known friends. They didn't seem to notice Team Rocket starring blankly at them since some of them were busy talking inside.
When the bus passed them by, the trios came out from their state of shock. "Hey… was that the twerp and his Pikachu?" asked Jessie to her companions. James nodded, "It looks like that bus is taking them to the Arena District where I've been told that there a lot of Pokemon trainers" this perked up Jessie's ear quite nicely. With a whole district full of Pokemons, who knows what kind of ideas these goons might come up with.
"Alright then everyone! Change of plans!" Jessie hallered the team, "We'll follow the twerps to the other district and steal all the Pokemons there"
"But which one Jess?" Meowth looked back with a questionable face, "I mean, capturing Pikachu is one thing, but capturing an entire load of Pokemons might take some timing" but the woman simply laughed back at the talking cat, "Ohohohohoho. This isn't just some normal Pokemon theft team" she began, "Don't you two know what will be happening next week?"
"The Valmarian league?" James answered in a question like manner.
"Correct. And if we pull of this one big heist of the century, think of what will happen"
(Jessie's imagination image) (Jessie's POV)
Newspapers from all over the world will be bearing the names of Team Rocket. When the world finds out that our organization pulled off the biggest heist of stealing all the Pokemons just right before the Valmarian league, other wanabes like Team Magma and Team Aqua will be walking on our boss's feet like rats!
"And soon, the boss will know of our exploits and when he does…… he will promote us into the highest rank of his elite forces. Our reputation around the headquarters will skyrocket! And the others will be begging to hear our stories hehehehe"
(Back to normal POV) (Still in Jessie's imagination)
Jessie, James and Meowth were walking around the Team Rocket HQ in a line formation. The three of them were dressed in pure black and their shoulders and chest were decorated with many medals and honor rolls. As they walked through the halls, they stumbled upon a number of veteran Team Rocket members. When they caught sight of their faces, the 500 men and women saluted at them with respect. They were now the peek of the organization, the heart of fear itself.
(Back to reality)
As Jessie finished sharing her dream run with her team, she turned to them with eyes blazing with fire, "Alright, now who's with me!?" the two of them held their hands up high with smirks and smiles on their faces. "With that kind of honor, count me in any day!" Meowth replied as he took off his clerk attire. "What better way to show it to Butch and Cassidy's faces than to go out with a bang!?" James added.
The three of them quickly changed back into their original uniforms and pushed the hotdog stand along with them. They needed a ruse to get into the another district without too much problems.
(Time skip, 10:38 AM) (Arena District)
After an hour of sitting and talking in the bus, Ash and his trainer companions finally arrived at the Battle grounds where it was once again it was filled with strong trainers from all around the world. As they set foot inside the area, the care taker of the field was the first to greet them.
"Oh hey there kids. Are you here for another round of battles?" they all to him in synch, "Alright then. Just sign your names here and you can pick the battlefield of your own. But please remember that first come, first serve ok. There are plenty of fast food joints to go around so take your time. Enjoy" just when the last of them signed in the registry, one of the trainers spotted the gang a few meters away.
"Hey everyone look! It's those New Kids! They're here!" he shouted out which caught the attention of many newbies and rookies alike. "Hey New Kid, I want to battle you!" said one
"No way, I was here first so I get to challenge you!" said another.
"Hey New Kid, I'm ready any time!" Ash's gang was probably swamped with trainers who wanted to battle him very badly. After defeating Havic's goons in a tag team battle yesterday, they probably earned more respect and reputation than most of the trainers around here.
But just when Ash was about to pick one of them, a familiar voice came out from behind, catching the attention of many trainers. "Hey, I'll be your opponent!" a voice many of them knew and respected well. With one sight of her, the rookies gladly made way for the woman who issued the challenge. When Ash, May, Max, Brock and Zoey caught sight of her, they instantly recognized the woman as none other than…
"Soledad!!!" the five of them shouted in unison. Yes, it was Soledad, the expert coordinator of Pewter city and two time champion of the Kanto Grand Festival. She was practically an almost living legend. "It's nice to see you all nice and healthy" she replied holding a smile across his face.
May was the first to greet her back, "Soledad, it's so wonderful to meet you again!" she let out a small hug. Soledad returned the hug and was then greeted a familiar red head, "Hello again Soledad" it was Zoey who was second to greet her. "Hey, aren't you Zoey?!" Soledad recognized her almost instantly, "I guess you could say that I expected you to be here. I'm guessing you're all here for the Valmarian league correct?" they all nodded in unison. "Well then, any of you want to have a little practice battle?" May instantly raze her hand in front of her face and was planning to even declare it as a rematch. "Oh me me me! Pick me!"
"Ok ok ok, take it easy May" the Kanto contest champ smirked as she tried to calm the excited girl down. She then turned to one of the referees who seemed to be having a short break for himself, "Hey ref, mind if we have a contest battle on one of the fields?"
(A few minutes later)
After getting reorganized and disbursing the swarm of rookies hounding their every move, Soledad and May finally got themselves a field to play in. Everyone pretty much stopped fighting when they heard that two top coordinators from two different regions were battling it out.
"Are you ready May?" Soledad asked holding a Pokeball on her hand. "You might have won in the Hoenn grand festival last year, but you haven't seen how strong I've become" but the Hoenn coordinator simply smirked back in reply, "Oh yeah? Well me and my Pokemons have become stronger too Soledad! This time, I will defeat you! Come on out, Skitty!" a cat Pokemon appeared out the Pokeball in a chibi form. When Skitty knew that it was out, it immediately began chasing its own tail, giving out that cute look.
Soledad noticed this and smirked, "A Skitty huh?" she began, "Well then I choose… Slowbro, as my Pokemon for the day!" a pink-chubby Pokemon appeared onto the field with a fixed dumb look plastered its face. "Come on May, show me what you've got!"
As both trainers prepared themselves for the fight to come, the referee looked at both sides before raising his flag up, "The battle is about to begin! This battle is between 'ace' coordinator Soledad from Kanto and new comer coordinator May Maples from Hoenn! This is a regular battle with no time limit!" there were several whispers going on around the area during that time as well.
"May Maples? The coordinator who won the Grand festival a year ago?"
"Yeah… I heard that she's really good, but I've never seen it myself"
But Ash didn't bother to listen to them, he was more interested to the title the referee used, "Hey… what did he mean by 'ace'?" he asked to anyone who knows. Luckily for him, Brock seemed to have bought a guidebook that explained why. "Well… from the guidebook here" the squinty eyed boy began, "It says that Valmarian league have the rights to declare 18 trainers and 18 coordinators and declare them as 'aces' this title can only be given when a trainer/coordinator has achieve more than twenty victories without any lost in between. If the ranks are full then a trainer can earn the title of 'ace' by defeating a trainer of the same class. Draws are not counted as a defeat"
"Well that's pretty useless" Drew added with a frown after taking a sip from his pre-ordered orange juice. "It's only a title. There's nothing fancy about it" but then Brock had to decline his comment, "It says here that all aces have will receive a special ID which can be used anywhere within the city. The IDs gives the ace a twenty percent discount on all stores, 'first to go' privilege on every carnival ride, and a lot more" he then paused for a moment to let the information sink in to his companion's heads before continuing. "And last but not the least, 'aces' are also a minor competition between combatants as well. The one who holds the title of ace for more than eight weeks and two days will have their names imprinted on the 'Grand Ace Hall' located in the Old Town District
Dawn already had money signs imprinted in her eyes when she heard of the wonderful discount. Drew also had to consider his comment as well when he heard about the fame and fortune he would receive by becoming an ace.
But just when they could continue with the conversation, the referee signaled that it was now time to begin the match. "Trainers! GO!"
"Skitty, use tackle attack lets go!" May, as hot headed as she was, attacked first.
But Soledad remained still and did not waver in the attack. She watched carefully and allowed Slowbro to just stand there and wait for the attack. Zoey also noticed the woman's late reaction and carefully analyzed every move Soledad was going to make. Just as Skitty was about a few seconds away, she counter attacked. "Slowbro, dodge!" even with its slow maneuverability, the lazy psychic Pokemon dodged the attack stylishly using its hard tail as support, "Good work, now use hyper beam!" once again, Slowbro was able to use one of its most devastating attacks which caught Skitty by complete surprise.
"Oh no Skitty!" May looked shocked along with her other friends as Skitty was thrown on the other side of the playing field, but it was still ready for combat. "Alright Skitty, move in for doubleslap attack!"
"Slowbro, stand your ground and use confusion!" the chubby Pokemon quickly began using its psychic attack causing Skitty to slip off the dirt ground. "Good, now use water gun while it's still down!!"
As the battle raged on at the fields, Drew and the other coordinators on the sidelines watched intently on the ace's moves. After watching intently on every perspective, Zoey announced her observations first, "It appears, Soledad is using her trick strategy again" several nods could be seen from several members. "Trick strategy?" Brock questioned not understanding the concept of the battle.
"It's a strategy that many trainers use" Zoey explained, "Its mostly focuses on counter attacks and dodging. She used that strategy against me back in the Kanto Grand Festival. Not only is it effective, but it's also very hard to overpower"
"I see…" Brock noted, "So how do you fight against that kind of strategy?" the others didn't really have a clear reply.
As May's Skitty slouched back after the attack, Soledad now moved on to the offensive, "Slowbro, use hyper beam full power!" the psychic Pokemon immediately unleashed a devastating attack onto the cat Pokemon, sending it high up in the air. "Now Slowbro, hyper beam one more time!"
"Skitty, use tail whip!" Skitty's tail met with the beam attack causing a huge smoke up in mid-air. But this is just what May wanted. She knew what tactic Soledad was using and she knew that there were only a handful of ways to counter it…… and to her luck, this was one of them. A smirk escaped her lips as she prepared for a counter maneuver.
"What is May planning this time?" Dawn questioned as the battle ensued even longer than any of them expected. As the smoke above gradually fell to the ground, Kenny's eyes widened up as he realized what May's plan was. "Hey guys look! The smoke is covering the whole battlefield!" it suddenly hit them! This was clearly May's idea on how to counter Soledad's trick strategy.
With the smoke covering the whole field, Soledad couldn't tell where Skitty was nor where it could attack from. And without knowing her opponent's movements, Slowbro would be unable to dodge. "Alright Skitty, it's time we came up top! Go for a swift attack!" a large number of stars began showing up from one corner of the field causing a large amount of damage to Slowbro. "Oh no! Slowbro, counter it with a hyper beam attack!" the large pink Pokemon released its attack, but by the sound of it, the attack seemed to have missed. In fact, May was hoping that she's use that attack, because now, the smoke seemed to have gotten thicker, which proved beneficial to Skitty.
"Alright Skitty, keep using swift at it and keep running!" the cat Pokemon nodded and quickly unleashed a large volley of stars at Slowbro, making it impossible for Soledad to pinpoint the location of her opponent's attacks. "Slowbro, use endure!" the psychic Pokemon quickly held out its paws and covered its body as best it could. After a rough ten to twenty seconds, the smoke began to vanish.
"Oh no, the smoke's clearing" Max warned his sister, "Watch out May!"
Once the place was clean, Soledad smirked out… but that smirk quickly vanished when she could not see Skitty anymore. "Hey… where'd it go?"
"THERE!" one of the audience shouted as many of them pointed to the front of Slowbro. To Soledad's surprise, Skitty was only a few centimeters away from Slowbro with its cat like smile imprinted on his lips. "Now Skitty, let's finish this with iron tail!" the cat Pokemon somersaulted from the ground sending Slowbro a meters up in the air, "Followed by another wave of swift!" May ordered with her fist pumped up in the air.
But Soledad wasn't gonna be taken down that easily, "Not today May! Slowbro, go for a body slam, full power!" the large water Pokemon flashed out and spread its body wide. Even with the swift attack hitting dead on, Skitty had only signed its own doom. When Slowbro slammed its huge body on the cat… the crowd let out a gasp. A move like that can be very dangerous and yet at the same time, very effective.
After a few moments of intensity, Slowbro finally got up from its prone position and once again became clueless to what was going on. Skitty on the other hand, became incapacitated.
"Skitty is no longer able to battle!" the referee announced, "This match goes to 'ace' Soledad of Kanto!" the audience erupted into a loud roar of cheers and applause like before. Soledad seemed pleased with the results of the match, and quickly returned Slowbro into its Pokeball. May however, went over to Skitty's slouched body. "Skitty, are you ok? (Skit…) You did great Skitty, get some rest. You've earned it" she gladly returned it to its Pokeball with a smile on her face. But what happened next, took her by a slight surprise. Soledad was right in front of her clapping her hands with a smile equally as wide as Ash's.
"Hey there May" she greeted.
"Hey there Soledad" she replied, "That was a great battle back there"
"I could say the same to you May. I even thought that I was going to lose there for a second" Soledad replied modestly, "You've certainly improved quite a lot since we last met in Johto. I would love to have a rematch with you when the league starts" it wasn't long till Ash and the other members of the gang came up to cheer their friend as well.
"That was a great battle May" Dawn cheered her up, "I really thought you had her back there"
Brock nodded in agreement, but he had other things to worry about, "Anyway, you should probably get Skitty to the Pokemon center over there. I'll help ya"
"Thanks Brock"
After getting reacquainted with Soledad and Ash's friends and a little bit of introducing each other, Soledad offered to everyone, "Hey guys, since you're all hanging out for awhile, why don't I treat you all for a little snack? I'm sure you're all hungry after a little show" the gang nodded back in agreement.
(An hour later)
Even with the frequent pleads of challenge offers being given to Ash and his companions, the boy decided that they should all battle with a full stomach at least. Thanks to Soledad's 'ace' ID they were able to get themselves a good price for the food. "So what have you guys been doing? From what I've heard, the lot of you came by yesterday correct?"
"Yeah" Ash replied for them as the others gradually chow down on their grub, "We came here in the morning and battled a few trainers"
Soledad raised a brow of slight amazement as she drank from her tea cup, "I see. So you must be the famous New Kids I've been hearing about for hours. I'm surprise you made it here at all. You're probably the last group to ever make it here in the city" some of them blushed embarrassingly.
"Well… we kinda had a few detours" Drew added, "And not to mention a lot of problems too" he shot a slight look at Rosa who was happily chowing down some Pokemon food as well.
"Anyway" Dawn interrupted, "Soledad, you know a lot about the Valmarian league right, since you've been here longer than any of us. Can you give us on some hints on how it's gonna come out?" the young Kanto coordinator thought for a moment, looking at the clear blue sky before replying, "Hmm… they haven't given out any specific details yet. The only announcement the head chef ever made was that every trainer was to report to the Arena District at ten in the morning at the day of the tournament. I'm guessing, this is where they'll hold the preliminary rounds" the gang looked around and observed the area that they were in. It was probably a good idea to hold the preliminaries here as well. With hundreds of battlefields, referee hold out areas, Pokemon centers and fast food joints, this would be an ideal place to hold out the more initiative rolls.
"I heard that the first round will be a one on one round battle" Soledad added, "This is meant to show that a Pokemon trainer can adapt to any situation no matter their opponents may be. From the million of trainers you see here… only half of them will be joining the second round"
"Man… bummer" Todd stated with slight pity of those who would lose in competition. "And to think, a lot of them made it all the way here for nothing" the others seemed to have same reaction. But this did not hamper Ash's plan of becoming Pokemon Master. "So what happens in the second round?" he asked finally.
But before Soledad could explain, another voice said it for her, "The second round changes every time" the gang turned around to greet the sight of a blonde Pokemon trainer.
"Cynthia!" the gang cried out.
"Hey there" the blonde champ waved at them. On her side was none other than her best friend Johanna and Norman Maples, the gym leader of Petalburg city. "We knew we'd find you guys here" she added with a smile. And it wasn't long then, till several trainers noticed the woman's presence as well. With the woman's long blonde hair and unique sense of style utilizing her black coat, Cynthia was easily recognized by thousands of trainers mostly from the Shinou regions.
"Hey… isn't that Cynthia?"
"No way… the Shinou champion?"
"Didn't she win the Valmarian league last year?"
"Is she friends with those New Kids?"
And the list of gossips went on and on and on, until people began talking gibberish. "Hey Cynthia" Ash was the first to greet her back. "How are you doing? And… what's with the ice pack?" Cynthia was carrying an ice pack on top of her head where Johanna had slammed her mallet. Though the girl resisted the urge of pointing at J.J. she just waved it off with a lame excuse, "Oh I uh… fell… ahehehe" she then recomposed herself as she changed the topic, "Anyway, you three were talking about the Valmarian league?" they all gave out positive answers. Cynthia and the other adults quickly grab their own seats and joined up with them. "Well… from what I told you guys before. The first and second rounds of the preliminaries are mostly just one on one fight to test the true strength of the trainers. Though sometimes there are chances that the second round could change"
"What about the third and fourth round?" Kenny asked.
"The fourth round is a bit… unusual… at times" Cynthia made a face which gestured to the mix expression, "I remembered it to be a dual battle"
"Dual battle?" Richie noted the familiar term.
"Yeah, it's a battle when one trainer gets to use two Pokemons at once" she explained, "I wasn't used to it back then, but after awhile, you get the hang of it"
As they continued to talk and reminisce about the old times and battle strategies, Soledad suddenly recognized Johanna's face. "Excuse me" the pink haired trainer sounded unsure, "But are you… Johanna by any chance?" Dawn's mother looked at her questioningly before nodding. To the Shinou contest champ's surprise, Soledad rushed on her feet and grabbed her hands like trophies, "Oh my goodness! Ms. Johanna, I can't believe it's actually you! I've heard stories about you back when I first journeyed in Kanto. I never actually thought I would see a living legend like you before my very eyes!" to say the least, Johanna seemed to be quite flattered and embarrassed by her reaction.
After an hour had passed by, the gang finished up with a well deserved lunch filling their stomach to the greatest capacity……… except for one though.
Even though everyone had eaten about three hundred grams of calories, Ash still seemed to be just starting. Burger after burger, sandwich after sandwich and soda after soda all drained into his skinny body like some sort of vacuum cleaner. But just when he was about go on his next meal, a chibi face caught his attention making him halt his eating barrage. "Eh?" he turned his head to the side of the table where a girl who looked like was still six or seven years old. "Can I… help you?" Ash asked trying to get himself back to his meal.
"Hey there oru" said the pigtailed girl with a wide sunny side up smile. "Uh… hey there (Pika?)" Ash replied dumbly, "Can I have that oru?" Ash looked at her with a raised eye brow until he noticed her finger pointing at the crystal shard in his pocket. "Huh? This?" the boy took it out from his pocket and starred at it for a moment. This caught Rosa's attention as well.
"Sorry, but this is…" but before Ash could finish his sentence, the little girl snatched the shard off him faster than he could react. "HEY!!" Ash suddenly plopped from his chair knocking Tracey off his chair and began chasing the little rascal through the fields. To the boy's demise, there were several battles going on and boy it did not look good for Ash.
"Hey watch it!" said one
"We're trying to have a battle here!" said another.
"Hey, what's going on!?" said the third.
During the chase, Ash was engulfed in flame, electrocuted, sprayed with water, slammed to the ground by rocks and harassed by psychic attacks, but thanks to his four years of experience of being killed and resurrected over and over again, the boy became practically used to these pains.
After five minutes of none stop running through the fields and getting attacked, Ash finally caught up to the little girl that stole his shard. "huff huff huff… I huff… got you… now!" as he turned to the next corner, he was suddenly greeted by a small band of trainers. A blonde haired snobby looking rich kid, who looked like the leader of the pack, was carrying the little girl on his arms like a baby. "Now now Eesal… what did I tell you about stealing?" he cooed to the pigtailed girl.
Eesal only smiled back in reply.
"I'm terribly sorry for my little friend here" the rich kid apologized to Ash as he took the crystal shard from Eesal, "She has a certain… fondness of shiny objects and crystals like these are her favorites. I hope she did not cause you too much trouble"
"No… not at all" Ash lied. That girl got him to more trouble than they actually know. "Can I have my shard back please?" the rich kid gladly complied and handed him the crystal piece. "Say… aren't you part of the New Kids that came into the city recently?" Ash nodded dumbly in reply. "My word, I have heard of your skills, but never actually seen them myself. In just one day you became quite famous"
"Oh why thank you" Ash blushed slightly.
But then the blonde haired snob patted his own head, "Oh my dear, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. My name is Kevin, I'm from Veilstone city from the Shinou region. This little angel here is my little friend Eesal, she's also from the Shinou region"
"Hey there oru!" the little girl replied waving her hand at him.
"That beauty over there is my good lady Claire" Kevin continued.
"Hey" Claire replied with a slight smirk.
"The brute over here is Binor, an expert with ground and rock type Pokemons" the big looking guy simply scoffed without saying a word, "And of course, my young blue haired friend over here is none other than Kyle, an expert of water Pokemons"
The blue haired boy let out a pop of his Popsicle and nodded back.
"Nice to meet you all" Ash replied, "Are you all Pokemon trainers by any chance?"
"Why yes, we are!" Kevin said sarcastically, "In fact, I was actually looking for you and your companions"
"You were looking… for me?" Ash looked back dumbly to which Kevin smiled back. "Yes you see… when I heard about the reputation that you and your friends have accumulated in such a short notice, I decided to come and see it for myself" Ash knew right away that it was a challenge being offered and a silent one too. "Hey, if you want a battle, bring it on! I'm ready!"
Kevin let a grin slip off his face as he snapped his fingers, "Binor… you're in" the large brute simply punched his fist together with glee.
Just as Ash reentered the battlegrounds, he was immediately approached by one of the referees. "You there! Young man!" Ash flinched to his yell, "What do you think you're doing going through the battlefields like that! You were lucky there were only light attacks happening or you would be so dead right now!"
"S… sorry" Ash stuttered slightly frightened by the referee's reaction.
"Sorry!? How about talking about damage report, then you can be sorry! And one…" but just before he could finish his sentence, Kevin interrupted. "I'm sorry, did my friend do something wrong?"
"Yes he did! Thanks to his recklessness, he…" the man one again stopped mid-sentence when his eyes came in contact with Kevin and his Elite Five crew. "K… K… K… K… Kevin! Umm… what what umm ahh…"
"I heard you yelling at my friend here and I thought that there was some kind of a problem" the referee darted his eyes back and forth from Kevin and Ash and from Ash to Kevin. "H… h… him? Is he with…?"
"He's with us, yes" Kevin cut him off, "So… is there a problem?" the referee shivered down right to his spine as he turned from a giant into a tiny mice, "Ummm no! No! Not at all sir! I was just uh… explaining the rules to the uh… new kid… right kid ahehehehe" before Ash knew it, the referee already dashed off towards the rest room as if he was going to wet himself or something. Once the ref was gone, Kevin turned back to Ash, "Well then… shall we get on with the battle?"
"But all the fields are taken" Ash replied as he pointed towards the battle area. And to his truth, all the fields seemed to be occupied and there seemed to be a long line for all of them. But this was no obstacle to Kevin. With one snap of his fingers, Binor moved in towards one of the lines.
"Hey, I'm next" he openly declared which caught the attention of the trainers who were waiting in line. With one look of the man, they all spread out making it easy for Ash to take the field. Even the trainers who were still in the middle of their battle recalled their Pokemons from the field. With one wave of Kevin's hands, the repair crew moved into the area and repaired the battleground faster than you could say uncle.
After ten minutes past and Ash and Binor taking their position, the rest of Ash's gang arrived to see what the commotion was all about.
"The battle is about to begin" the referee announced as the crowd began mustering in the area. "This battle will be a one on one with no time limit! The field we pick today will be a rock field. This battle is between Pokemon trainer 'ace' Binor from the Hoenn regions and the New Kid from Kanto region" Ash face faulted slightly as his name was changed.
"Another ace huh" Drew noted
"Trainers, choose your Pokemons!"
"I'll go first then" Binor declared, "Let's rock and roll… Golem!" a rock dinosaur Pokemon appeared.
"A Golem huh" Ash smirked, "This will be a good tryout for my old friend… Sceptile!" a grass type Pokemon appeared, holding a wheat straw on its mouth. "Ok Sceptile, it's time to work out! (Sceptile!)" the Pokemon replied with a smirk.
But then Binor simply laughed, "Hahahaha! A grass type?! Of all the things I thought you'd pick, I never expected that one! Hahahahaha!"
After the referee noticed their preparations he waved his flag, "The trainers have chosen their Pokemons! Trainers are you ready? (nod) (nod) Then let the battle……… BEGIN!"
"Golem, let's finish this quickly with a tackle attack!" the rock Pokemon quickly charged in, but Ash was ready. He had analyzed that there were three things you should focus in battle. Speed, Endurance and Attack Power. From his POV Binor seemed to focus on Attack Power rather than balancing them out. "Sceptile, dodge it and use leaf blade!" with speed faster than a mark one jet, Sceptile dodged Golem's tackle with great ease and countered with a leaf blade, sending the rock Pokemon to the other side of the field.
Binor's eyes slightly widened as he never expected a grass type to do that kind of damage to a type of its weaker element. Even Paul, the Shinou trainer seemed intrigued on how strong Ash's Sceptile was. Because from the looks of it… Sceptile seemed to be one of the senior members of the boy's arsenal. Its posture was more than enough proof that it was strong.
"Alright, no more fooling around!" Binor yelled out, "Golem, use magnitude!" the rock Pokemon quickly jumped up and slammed its feet onto the ground causing the entire playing field to shake. But thanks to Valmarian city technology, they were able to keep the velocity of the attack within the field so it wouldn't bother the audience or the other battles that were raging on other fields. Sceptile was caught in the attack, but it stayed firm. "Sceptile, hold on and use bullet seed!" the grass type Pokemon held it grounds and took aim. Once Sceptile got a lock on its target, it quickly unleashed a wave of seed bullets knocking the rock Pokemon down. "Alright, now move into a counter attack and use pound!"
"Golem, use your rollout attack!" Binor ordered out which Golem followed to the letter. "Sceptile, switch to leafblade and jump!"
Binor smirked, "Heh… is this really the famous Ash kid I saw on TV? Everyone knows that leafblade has no effect on rock types when they're moving" he thought slyly.
"Now Sceptile, jump!" the grass Pokemon leaped into the air higher than anyone expected and when it was up in mid-air, it almost looked like it was… flying.
"What the?!" Binor was shocked, "How can Sceptile fly like that?!"
Even some of Ash's companions were wondering how did Ash taught the Pokemon how to fly. But as Brock observed closer he saw through the strategy right away. "Oh! Look at that!" the slanted eyed boy pointed at Sceptiles arms, "Sceptile isn't flying… its gliding! Those leafblade must be light enough to keep Sceptile up there long enough for Ash!"
With a smirk on his lips and a Pokemon in height advantage, Ash let out the order, "Sceptile, use solar beam go!" with one deep breath, the grass Pokemon unleashed a beam so powerful that it sent a shockwave causing the audience to visibly shake in fear. "Oh no! Golem!" Binor panicked as his rock Pokemon returned to his side. To his amazement, Golem seemed to still be able to battle. "Golem, are you alright? (Go… lem)" the little Rock Pokemon struggled on its feet, but not even that could weigh down Ash.
As Sceptile returned to the ground, it took out the wheat straw from its back and plugged it back on its mouth, crossing his arms afterwards with a smug that clearly stated 'is that the best you can do?'
Binor noticed this and believed that he needed to rethink his strategy. "Ok that's it! No more Mr. Nice guy! I'm taking you down New Kid! Golem, go for an all out attack! Give that Sceptile everything you've got!" (Golem!) the rock Pokemon charged in with great speed and attack aggressively, leaving no room for a counter attack. But with Ash's cunning and ability, he was able to make an opening several times and pound that Pokemon back to the dirt where it was born.
But as the battle intensified dramatically, the two trainers knew that this battle had to end at some point. Even after taking such a large amount of beating, Golem was still able to hold its ground which earned him a lot of respect from several trainers watching the fight. But what was more impressive was the fact Sceptile barely even took a hit. It was as if, the grass Pokemon wasn't even taking this battle seriously.
"Alright Golem, use everything you got on this final attack! Double Edge!!" Golem curled itself into position, preparing for one last kamikaze attack. As it charged for one last breakthrough, Ash moved in as well, "Sceptile, let's go for a leafblade attack full power!" the two trainers watched intently like their faces were glued on the two Pokemons battling.
The audience couldn't even dare to blink as their eyes were tightly opened like never before. All sides held their breath… heck even Kevin seemed to be very interested in the battle.
But just when the two Pokemons were about to make their debut, another attack came out from the sidelines, breaking the tension of the moment!
"Blastoise, hydropump!" a powerful jet stream of water rushed out of nowhere, slamming Golem out of the ring. Luckily, Sceptile was able to notice the attack and dodged before it could inflict anymore damage onto him. The whole crowd was stunned! Who in their right minds would interfere with such a great match like this?
"Hey! What gives!?" both Ash and Binor and the crowd looked around to see where the attack came from. "Who interrupted our battle!?" the rock head trainer complained, "I was just about to win!"
"Be quiet you jumbo headed palooka" came another voice from the east. When the crowd turned their heads to the source, they again spread out, making way for another group to enter the field. To Kevin's slight surprise, it was none other that Gary with his Blastoise and his crew who walked in.
"Oh no… it's Gary!" said one of the crowd in amazement.
As Gary and his elite troupe (excluding Red and Brendan) approached the Bail Outs Elite Five, Kevin rose from his seat to greet them in a gentleman like manner. "Why hello there Mr. Oak" he bowed slightly. "To what do I owe this pleasure of your visit?"
"Cut the knot pretty boy" Emma growled with her fist rising above her chest, but Steve calmed her down. "You know well why we're here Kevin" Havic answered, "Your boys have been causing us a lot of trouble. They've been challenging our boys at our territories"
"Oh is that so?" Kevin replied innocently, "I haven't really noticed. I can't keep track of everyone in the group you know hehehehe" he flashed out his annoyingly innocent smile. Emma resist the urged to punching the man to oblivion for it will not benefit anyone in particular.
But before this could escalate into a full scale bar, Soledad interfered, "I'm going to have to remind the both of you, that the Arena Distric is a neutral territory……" she said with a commanding tone, "If you goons have cause any problems, you're gonna have to take it outside" that bold statement was probably almost like signing a contract with death itself. But to her surprise, Kevin just flashed out another smile. "Yes yes yes… I believe you are correct, Ms. Soledad. Forgive us for trespassing without your permission" if the snobby guy's voice could get any more sarcastic, he would probably be recommended to a director for a movie. "We shall take our leave now. Come Binor, we have drawn enough tension here" the rock Pokemon trainer nodded and recalled Golem back into its Pokeball. Once they were done, they all left, without having the match finished at all.
Once the Elite Five were gone, Soledad turned back to the gang, "Geeze, those guys are a real pain in the rear" she complained.
"Who were they?" Richie asked.
"That was Kevin and his crew members of the Elite Five" Soledad explained, "They're the top boss of the Bail Outs gang, which is pretty big for some reason. I wouldn't want to mess with them though. They're pretty tough" she then turned to Gary's gang, "Are you guys leaving too?"
Havic and the others were just about to walk away too, but then Gary's presence seemed to have glued them onto the field. "Gary?" Ash arrived not long after the Bail Outs left and noticed his old time friend and rival there. But when he got a close view of him, Ash saw the new boy's all time scar mark. "What happened to your face!?"
"Nothing important" Gary replied as coldly as his voice could possibly get. "I guess you haven't changed a bit after three months of traveling after all……… Ashy boy"
Shiver…
That was the only word that could describe the feeling that passed through the entire district. With the boy's name finally said out loud it felt as if Armageddon was coming to a close.
"Ash Ketchum!? The champion trainer of all the regions!?"
"I knew I recognized him somewhere before!"
"I thought he forfeited the Valmarian league"
And the list of rumors went on and on and on going further and further like never before. Havic slapped his own face and rubbed it all the way down to his neck. Gary had made a foolish move today for the gang. By telling the whole city who the boy was, there was not a doubt in his mind that this would result in a major war. Trainers will begin to panic, small time gangs will become more independent and the city would be engulfed into chaos in a matter of days.
"Terrific…" Havic mumbled under his breath, "Just when things couldn't get any worst"
To say the least, Ash was quite surprised to see Gary here and seeing him from his point of view, the boy in front of him didn't seem like the Gary he knew back at Pallet town. The expression on his face was a mixture of anger, hate and slight bit of jealousy. The clothes he wore were different too. Usually when Ash met him, he would usually be wearing a lab coat like professor Oak or his favorite purple outfit. Even the aura that resonated from him has changed. It was no longer the rivaling approach he got from him… but more like the deepest, coldest parts of the earth itself.
The two of them starred at each other for a long time, not letting one's ego go over the other.
"Hey… isn't that Gary?" Dawn whispered to Brock, "The one we met back in Shinou when we saved those Sheildon?" Brock nodded in reply. "Yeah, that's him alright. He's been Ash's rival ever since the beginning of his journey…… but…… I don't remember him having a scar on his face before. I wonder if he got that during training"
"But didn't you say that he quit Pokemon battles before?" Dawn asked curiously to which the slanted eyed boy agree to as well, "He did…… but right when Ash won the Hoenn league he just suddenly went back to training again. Even professor Oak wondered why he changed his mind again, but I guess we'll never know"
Just as the gang turned their heads back to the two rivals, not even the gods could tell what thoughts were passing through their minds. How was one supposed to react when they met their opponent?
And so… with the words that would shake the very foundation of the entire world, Gary lifted his hand and pointed at Ash with his face not changing its expression one bit. "Ash…… I challenge you to a battle" he said as coldly as before. The audience gasped deeply like the air itself seemed to have stopped. They've only heard about people issuing challenge to Gary but never even thought about him issuing a challenge. To have him challenge you to a battle was like…… having a Groudon knocking on your doorstep saying 'Pizza delivery!'
Even Ash himself looked quite shock. He knew this day would come eventually when he arrived at Valmarian city, but he never thought that it would come this early. But thanks to his coherent genes, Ash let out a forceful smirk as he accepted the challenge. "You're on!"
Once again, the field was theirs. The audience that were mumbling, whispering and shouting was put to an instant silence when both Ash and Gary took to their position. The cleaning crew immediately arrived on the battlefield, repairing all damage that occurred during Ash's previous battle. But during the repairs, the referee decided to announce the battle.
"The battle will now begin!" he began, "The field we will be fighting today will be a grass field! (the field turned to a soft fluffy grassy area) This is a battle between 'ace' Pokemon trainer … Gary Oaks from Pallet town and Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum, also from Pallet town! Trainers, choose your Pokemons!"
"So Gary's an ace too" Ash noted to himself before choosing his Pokemon, "Alright Pikachu, you're up! (Pika!)"
The crowd let out another gasped when Pikachu took on to the fields. To see the most famous electrical mouse in action, live, was like a once in a life time chance!
"Pikachu huh" Gary stated, "Blastoise, you're in" the water turtle which was already out of its Pokeball took itself to the field. The water Pokemon had many old bruises and battle scars which gave the impression that it was a seasoned warrior. Though it may look wounded on the outside, the gang could see that Blastoise was still ready and able to battle.
"Ash's Pikachu should have an overwhelming advantage over a water type like Blastoise" Dawn analyzed. Brock nodded in agreement, "That's true. But remember what happened when Ash first battled Kenny's Prinplup. Who knows what kind of surprise that Gary might have under his sleeves?"
But Max simply ignored the two of them. He just continued to cheer on for Ash, "Go Ash! You can do it!"
Once both trainers were satisfied with their choice, the referee waved up his flag to signal the cleaners to move out. "The trainers have chosen their Pokemons!" he began, "This is a regular one on one Pokemon battle with no time limit and no substitution! The one with a Pokemon standing wins. Trainers are you ready? (nod) (nod) Then let the battle……… BEGIN!
"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash was the first to strike out this time. As Pikachu charged up to maximum power, the little mouse released a bolt of electricity about 6000 thousand volts. The attack was so powerful and so quick that even Gary didn't have time to order a dodge………… in fact…… it looked Gary didn't even want to dodge. The boy just stood still and let Blastoise take the hit head on.
"Hey what's Gary doing?" Drew looked astounded from the shock, "Is he gonna let Blastoise take the hit?"
"It looks that way" Paul replied to him.
But as the attack made contact, everyone jolted from their seats like Armageddon just happened. Blastoise took the lightning attack dead on just as they all expected, but what caught them off guard was that fact the water Pokemon wasn't even damaged. It looked like it was still fresh and uninjured from the attack.
Duplica's eyes widened considerably, "No way! Blastoise didn't even flinch!" even the crowd was surprise. They all that the water Pokemon would give some sort of painful reaction, but Gary's Blastoise didn't even felt a thing… literally! And to think that lightning bolt was the move that made Pikachu famous.
"Tch… weak as usual" Gary smug, "Blastoise, hydro pump" he said coolly. The turtle Pokemon quickly aimed its cannons downwards and unleashed a powerful splash of water sending the little electrical mouse all the way back to the other side of the court. But Ash wasn't going down that easily. "Pikachu, use iron tail on that water and hurry!!" Pikachu quickly spun around with its tail causing the water to lose its grip. "Now use iron tail on Blastoise!" with lightning fast speed, Pikachu moved in for the counter attack.
"Blastoise, withdraw" Gary ordered with his tone kept cool and calm. The turtle Pokemon hastily hid itself into its shell allowing itself to be a standing target for Pikachu. The iron tail attack slammed again and again, but to no effect. Ash may have hit the target but it wasn't taking that much damage. "Grr…" Ash gritted his teeth, "Pikachu, fall back and use lightning bolt on it one more time!" the little mouse ceased its tail attack and quickly fell back into position before unleashing another powerful lightning attack.
"Now Blastoise, use rapid spin…" Gary ordered out calmly. Blastoise immediately came out of its shell and spinned around fanatically like a Frisbee in mid-air. With the water Pokemon's quick velocity, the lightning attack proved useless, catching Pikachu and Ash off guard. The rapid spin attack damaged Pikachu a lot, but still the little guy was in fighting condition.
"Pikachu, volt tackle!" again Pikachu charged in with another one of his famous moves, but even that didn't surprise Gary. "Blastoise, endure" the attack hit, but it looked like Blastoise seemed to have found its recoil counter. "Now Blastoise, use… hyper beam" with Pikachu so close to the water Pokemon, the attack slammed at the little mouse at point blank range sending the guy up far back to Ash's corner. "Pikachu!" Ash panicked.
The audience gasped shockingly like they've just witnessed a miracle. Even Ash himself couldn't believe what was happening. Every move he struck at Blastoise only returns with a stronger counter attack and it seemed like Gary wasn't making any obvious openings either. With Pikachu badly wounded, Ash had to result to using his ultimate weapon.
"This isn't good…" Ash thought to himself, "If I don't do anything soon, Pikachu won't be able to last much longer. That Blastoise can really take a punch. I guess I'll have no choice but to use 'that'…… but…" at that moment, Ash shook his head to throw away the thought before ordering, "Pikachu, use absorb now!" his companions let out several shocking gasps as they all knew that technique well. Ash was going to perform his ultimate move… the Lightning Storm.
"Is he…" Drew uttered coherently
"I think he is…" Brock answered worryingly, "But I never thought he would use it this early.
Paul only gave out a slight look of interest as he had seen that powerful move only on TV. The ultimate attack that left so many trainers shaking in their boots was now about to performed right in front of his face.
Though some of Gary's gang looked quite frightened, Gary himself only smug back, not caring what was going to happen. "Blastoise, use tackle…" the turtle Pokemon quickly rushed in, hoping to end the battle quickly. But just as its body was about to make contact, the electrical shield that Pikachu generated took effect and shock the water Pokemon unexpectedly.
"Alright! The electric shield worked!" Max cheered in victory, "And that Blastoise is paralyzed! Go Ash! This match is all yours!"
With Pikachu recharged to full power, Ash knew right then that victory was his. With one chain of command, he may as well seal victory over the whole stadium. "Alright Pikachu, let'em have it! Lightning Storm!" with Blastoise still paralyzed from the tackle attack, there was no way for it to defend itself against the onslaught brought upon it. Pikachu leaped high into the air, just a bit further away from Blastoise. And with one super power charged up, the little mouse unleashed a wave of lightning all across the battlefield, destroying everything it touched.
The attacked lasted for about ten to twenty seconds the most and when Pikachu was done, it looked as if it was still fresh and ready for battle!
"Alright! A direct hit!" Tracey cheered.
"There's no way a water Pokemon can stand up to that!" Dawn added with Buneary cheering with pompoms on its paws.
The whole crowd seemed to have agreed as well. There was not one Pokemon in the entire world that could take on that many blows and still stand. But when the smoke finally cleared… they all stood and sat corrected.
Blastoise… was there……… and……… it was still standing.
Ash and his friend's jaws would've dropped right off their heads if they could. They couldn't believe it. Of all the Pokemons that they had faced, none could match up to that kind of attack. Even Drake's Dragon Pokemons barely stood a chance against that move. But here it was….. a water Pokemon, still standing with both its head and hands well and ready.
"Is that the best you can do Ashy boy?" Gary smirked tauntingly as he turned back to the battlefield, "Blastoise, show him what real power is all about! Hydro beam cannon!" the turtle Pokemon nodded and aimed its cannons right at Pikachu. And to everyone's surprise, a beam was fired right out of Blastoise's cannons, creating an explosion so big that it would make a TNT look like a bonfire.
Right at that very moment, the whole crowd couldn't help but stare. Brock, Dawn, May, Duplica, everybody……… None of them could believe it. Something that they thought that could never ever happen in a million years had come true. Their jaws hung slightly open and their eyes widened considerably like saucer plates. For once in their tiny existence, they wished that this would all have been one terrible nightmare… because right now…… the unsuspecting truth had been thrown right in front of their faces……
Ash Kechum…… lost…
(Bridge connecting from Arena to Merchant's District)
Kevin and his band of Elite Fives were taking a stroll further away from the Soledad's territory and back to theirs. He knew right then that Ash's identity would be revealed and he really needed to prepare himself for the coming chaos. So to make sure his territory goes undisturbed, he decided to have a little group meeting on the bridge.
"What do we do now boss?" Binor asked out while putting his hands on the railing of the bridge, "There will be a wide spread panic going on around soon and I don't think it will be beneficial for anyone when it happens"
"All the smaller time gangs will rise up immediately" Claire, the fire Pokemon trainer added, "The minor skirmish with them will soon turn into an all out war unless we have a strong presence there" she then paused for a moment before speaking her idea, "I suggest that we should stop attacking Gary's territory, at least until we can stabilize our position"
"No way!" Binor argued, "We'll be showing ourselves weak to our bigger enemies! I'd say we fight all of them head on!"
"We'll be fighting on three fronts then" Kyle, the silent water Pokemon trainer interrupted surprisingly. He was not one to speak unless it was absolutely necessary. "We don't have the man power to take on Gary's men, Soledad and the Bicento brothers… and with that Ketchum boy here, it may be possible for him to be another thorn"
Binor and Claire immediately stopped fighting and began using their heads to think of a plan.
"Then I guess it's settled then" Kevin said finally, "We strengthen our position first before going against the others. I doubt we'll have anything to worry about Gary and his men. Because from what my sources tell me… he might divert some resources on focusing on Ash rather than us" he let out a small smirk pass his lips while the others nodded in agreement. "Binor and Claire you take the Residential Area 1 and 2. Kyle, you take the Merchant's District and…" but before he could continue that sentence, a small emotional feeling came from the Arena District catching his attention, "Oh my… it looks like something big just happened at the Arena District" he let out a sarcastic grin before moving out. "Come on Eesal, let's go get some ice cream"
"Yay! Ice cream for me oru!" the pigtailed girl squealed with delight.
And with that, the whole group moved out, completely oblivious to what their leader had just said.
(Back in the Arena District)
"Pikachu!" Ash quickly leaped from his stands and approached his little yellow buddy as it fell unconscious on the grass field. With swirly eyes and a wounded body, the referee waved his flag up high to signal the victor, "Pikachu is no longer able to battle! The match goes to Gary and Blastoise!" even though there were no sounds of applause nor the cheers of the crowd, Gary didn't seem to mind it at all. He returned Blastoise into its Pokeball and returned to his crew.
"You did great Pikachu" Ash cheered up the little young fella, "You did your best and so you deserve a nice good rest" he tugged the little mouse onto his shoulder and let out a small smile until his friends approached him.
"Ash, are you ok?" Anabel asked worryingly. But to their surprise, Ash seemed to be taking his lost quite well. "Yeah, I'm ok. It's Pikachu I'm worried of (Pika) hehehehe… I guess that took out a lot more than I thought"
"Well… it's just like you said…" May smiled proudly at the boy. "You can't win'em all in one day"
"Yeah…" Ash replied a little disheartened by his inglorious defeat. But just when things were starting to slow down a bit, Gary and his crew approached them with an annoyed look. Ash was the first to notice him and decided to be a good sport and congratulate his victory, "That was a great match, Gary" he extended his hand for a game well played. But then to his surprise, the purple clad boy didn't even bother to return the gesture. He just starred at him with burning anger raging in his eyes.
"You're weak…" Gary boldly claimed, "I always thought of you to be strong Ash…… but I guess I must've overestimate you. I never thought you'd be this easy to beat"
"What was that!?" Ash groaned angrily, "Listen here buster! Just because you won one round doesn't mean you've won the Valmarian league. Just you wait! I'll come back and beat the pulp out of you yet!"
But those words didn't even look like they bore any meaning. Gary felt this and was clearly not bothered by his words, "You should think before making empty promises… Ashy boy. If your Pikachu can't even handle Blastoise, then you're as good as lost. "Your Pokemons are poorly trained… and they haven't reached their fullest potential…… I'm disappointed"
Ash's hand dangled in the air, as he stood there, shocked on what just happened. He never expected that to come from him… especially 'him'.
"And to think that I was expecting something better from you"
The crowd let out a soft gasp all together. Gary wasn't just insulting him, he was taunting the boy, throwing mud in his face. "Gary… what are you…" but before Ash could finish, the 'boss' cut him off.
"You don't belong here Ash…" he then turned away and began walking with his crew. But just then, he stopped and turned around, to add one last grain of salt to the boy's injury, "Oh… and by the way... you can have this back…" he quickly took off the necklace on his neck and threw it right in front of the ground. It was a silver chained necklace nicely made by those who loved their craft…… but what struck Ash the most… was the object it was attached too. It was the other half of the Pokeball he shared with Gary.
The impact of that action wounded Ash's heart even deeper than anyone could possibly think. As he took the necklace onto his hands… everything seemed to have died down… like someone pressed the mute button on the TV.
And so… the rivalry between two great friends had finally ended…… with all ties gone and the chains broken… this single day marked the very moment… when two powerful trainers… became enemies. With the Valmarian league closing in fast, will Ash be able to strengthen himself beyond his own limits again? Only time… can tell.
