Chapter 53: Enter Brandon, The Trainer of Trainers (Chapter inspired by the music 'I'll make a man out of you' in Disney Movie Mulan)

When we last left our heroes back in Valmarian city, both May and Ash suffered a crushing defeat from their long time rivals Soledad and Gary. But even with those defeat, it did not break their spirits. During their battle, Ash and his friends encountered another group which called themselves the Elite Five, a band of trainers that possesses incredible skills. With all of this in mind, the gang was now faced off with a challenge they will probably never forget.

(Che'val-yere hotel lobby) (10:00 AM) (5 days before the Valmarian league)

Ash was sitting alone near the lobby water fountain with a serious look on his face as he stared at the necklace tossed to him by Gary. He did not know what happened to him or why he had said that, but he knew that something seemed to have changed between his rival of today. When he battled Gary back in the Arena District, he could already tell that something seemed… different. Usually most of his battles would be fun and enjoyable no matter if he won or lost. But when he battled Gary, he did not feel the tension at all.

It was like the simple competition was turned into a 'real' fight. Like he wasn't trying to win, but it was more like he had to win! The emotion gripped against his heart, causing him to shake fearfully as he tightly held the necklace. From that point on… the two of them were neither friends… nor rivals…… no…… oh no…… they were now… enemies.

Enemies…

Never before had Ash considered himself to have an enemy… unless of course they were Team Rocket. But they were more of an annoyance rather than enemies.

But as the boy continued down his train of thoughts, Rosa knew that it would be best if no one disturbed him unless they wanted to go through her first. She immediately went into Guardian mode, which means any living thing that comes within a ten meter radius of him will be analyzed and if necessary…… struck down.

However… on the other side of the lobby, Richie and the others seemed to having a hard time themselves. Ever since Ash came back with the necklace, he seemed to have… isolated himself from the others. The boy practically locked himself in his room thinking and didn't even bother to have supper or breakfast.

"Do you think Ash is alright?" Drew whispered quietly, hoping not to let the boy in question hear them. Duplica whispered back, "I don't know… but he's kinda out today" the two of them turned back to the table where a delicious looking meal was prepared for them by professor Oak. "He's not even interested with breakfast" Brock added with a sigh. It was bad enough having Misty out of the gang, but without Ash… nothing seemed to be normal anymore. Everyone seemed to be in the negative mood too, heck even Paul had a slight hint of worry coming out of his face.

I guess it was understandable for Brock on how they all felt. The younger members of the gang all looked up to Ash as a... super man of some sort. They all thought that he was the pillar of indomitable strength, like a tower that would never ever fall no matter how hard the storm was.

But just when they were thinking deeply about this whole situation, Ash suddenly stood up from his seat, catching the attention of every member of the gang. He slowly tucked the necklace into his side pocket, adjusted his hat to fit his head and quickly left the hotel with several of his Pokeballs on his belt. When he left through the automatic doors, none of the gang knew whether to follow him or just sit still and hope for the best.

"Shouldn't we follow him?" Dawn mumbled to the crew as they turned their heads towards her. Several had negative replies while some seemed to be undecided.

(Reception desk)

As Ash walked through the doors of the hotel, three familiar figures stood at the reception desks disguised as employees of the hotel. Not to my surprise, it was none other than Team Rocket, again here to make another attempt to steal Pikachu.

"Well now… there goes the twerp" said Jessie who was disguised as a receptionist. "It's strange that he's not going with the other twerps" Meowth included who was disguised as a busboy. "I wonder where he's going"

"Well who cares!" James stated who was disguised as a Valet door servant. "He's alone! So that means he's going to be at his weakest! Without any help from his allies, he'll be nothing but a sitting duck!"

"Right!" they all agreed. But just when they were about to throw away their disguise and leap into action, Dawn suddenly passed by, causing them to go into incognito mode.

"Hey Dawn, where are ya going?" Brock's voice came along. The blue haired coordinator turned her head around and smiled, "I'm going out to find Ash" she explained, "He might need someone to boost him up. Someone's gotta help him get back on his feet" and with that she dashed off to follow the boy that she cared for the most without even looking back. "Besides…… he helped me get back on my feet a lot of times too" she said to herself with a slight smile on her lips.

Once the girl was out of sight, the trio of bad guys popped out from their hiding place to begin their plan. "Great, now another twerp is joining the lot" Jessie whined along with her partner James, "One is alright, but two is definitely a crowd at this point"

But Meowth disagree, "One or two it doesn't matter! As long as we swipe that Pikachu, we'll swipe all the other Pokemons they have as well!"

"Right! Let's go!"

(Uno Café)

Havic and his compadres were taking a little break in their usual hangout in the Downtown District east point. Ever since Gary had defeated Ash's strongest Pokemon on an even battle, the topic has become the highlight of the city. Rumors and gossips were being thrown around, spreading faster than the plagues themselves. In just about two hours, the audience disbursed from the scene and told all of their associates faster than you can say 'go'.

And just like Havic predicted, the city's secret gang society went into chaos. Gangs were now fighting each other for complete supremacy over the districts, police force were now in full mobilization now that the Jennies were in town, and with the whole war being fought on three fronts, it was up to Havic to keep things in order.

"Man… this stinks" Emma whined as she finished her can of soda. "Hey waiter, one more round"

"Easy on the Root Beer Emma" Steve warned, "You wouldn't want to go to battle too hyper now would you?"

"Mind your own business Four eyes" the girl shot back, "I battled over twenty trainers last night! I drink what I want and when I want to! Hic!" her shouting was followed by a slight hiccup. If one would look at her, she would kinda resemble that of a drunken person, but in truth, she was just tired from all that fighting last night.

"Hey Havic, do something will ya!" Steve turned to their ex-boss for some support, "She's acting all weird on me"

Havic simply let out a boring sigh, "Let it go Steve. We're all just tired from yesterday. A little rest can't be that bad"

"Oh yeah sure, take her side why don't ya!" Steve pouted like an angry kitten and turned his head around, facing the other way.

The ex-boss sighed even deeper again, after slouching back onto his seat. With Gary focusing his attention on Ash and his friends, Havic had been assigned into keeping their borders stable. The Downtown District and Industrial District remains firmly under their control, for now at least.

The Bail Outs controls most of the northern part of the city which includes the Merchant's District and The Residential Areas.

Soledad's gang on the other hand, holds a tight grip in the Old Town District. Her grandfather owns an inn there which made it an ideal place for their Headquarters. But thanks to her small numbers, Soledad's group can only support small idealistic battles.

The Bicento brothers however… were very different. They had no interest in holding or taking territories for themselves. They most likely seek only the thrills of battle, therefore they could attack from anywhere without anyone knowing at all.

The Arena and Central District however, remained neutral zones for everyone, since security there was the tightest.

After a moment, the waiter arrived on Havic's table to serve him his usual morning take out. "Bacon and ham sir" the waiter nodded and left. Finally, the guy could have his peaceful meal. But just when Havic was about to dig in, his cell phone began to ring, making his groan with annoyance. He waited for a minute, to see if the caller would drop it. He waited another minute to try the mute button, but in the end, he had to answer it. "Talk to me…" he said to the caller as he dug in his breakfast.

This was going to be one long day…

(Pokemon center behind Che'val-yere hotel)

Ash was sitting on a couch starring aimlessly onto the ceiling thinking about what had happened. He had given all of his Pokemons, including Pikachu to Nurse Joy to have their usual check up, but except for Rosa of course. With her extraordinary ability to heal and regenerate, she could cure all her wounds with but a single thought… besides; she would rather die than to let the humans mess with her systems.

As Ash waited, flashes of his previous battle began to surface. His mind was confused and unsynchronized with his body, making him act before he even think. He resisted the urge of kicking the trash can beside the couch and locked his leg onto the floor.

You're weak…

Ash gritted his teeth as the words continued to ring upon his head like an annoying fly that can't seemed to be swapped away.

You don't belong here

His hands tightened their grip on his pant's fold nearly ripping them apart. He did not know why he was feeling this great anger rising before him. He had received many taunts and insults before, but this time… it seemed to affect his whole mind and body. He wanted to hit something at that moment. He wanted to hit something, anything!

But before he could go through that train of thoughts, Nurse Joy appeared, startling him out of his mind. "Oh I'm sorry" she apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you Ash. I just wanted to tell you that your Pokemons are done with their checkups. None of them are seriously injured so there wasn't much to do"

"Thanks Nurse Joy" Ash forced out a smile and quickly head towards the reception desk. He was quite amazed by the fact that there were more than sixty Nurse Joys in this Pokemon center and from his POV, they all seemed to look the same. Brock could probably tell the difference but he'd be too busy drooling over each and every one of them.

Once he got out of the Pokemon center, he headed out towards the training area at the back to have his Pokemon get a little stretch. Back in the days, training areas like these would be teaming with trainers, but now that there was an Arena District, trainers didn't even bother to look at the place anymore.

As Ash summoned out his Pokemons from their Pokeballs, he immediately sat out a bit exhausted from everything that's been happening so far. All that thinking was really taking its toll on the boy's weak body. Pikachu and the other Pokemons looked at their master as he slouched down onto the one of the waiting benches. Ash had given them orders to relax and stretch out for awhile, but with him giving out that aura of uncertainty, it was pretty hard for any of them to focus at all.

"Sceptile… Scep…?" (Is he… ok?) the pre-evolutional Pokemon asked, pointing at his master.

"Corphis corphis" (I hope so. He's been looking pretty glum lately) the crab like Pokemon replied.

But as they continued to glare at Ash… Pikachu sulked down to his feet as he couldn't help but feel partially responsible about the boy's condition. In truth, Pikachu seemed to have underestimated Blastoise. Seeing that he was clearly having the advantage in element types and skill, he thought that he let it go easy on the turtle Pokemon. But when Pikachu actually went to battle it, it was taken out by complete surprise and was overwhelmed before he knew what was happening.

After about ten minutes had past, Ash continued to sit on that bench and looked up to the clouds. He did not feel like doing anything today, heck he wasn't even doing anything today. He haven't had breakfast and now lunchtime was passing by already… and if Ash says that he isn't hungry then something must really be wrong.

Rosa wanted to cheer him up from the lost, but all words that she popped through her head seemed to be leading to nothing more than petty words. She was used to being a mother figure to Hsa back in the old days, but right now… she at lost for words. So instead of cheering Ash up, she decided to act professional instead. "Your majesty" she began, "It is almost lunch time. Shouldn't we go and find something to eat?"

But the boy just waved it off, "No thanks Rosa. I'm not hungry"

"As you wish" she replied worryingly, "But at lea--…" she stop with her words when her ears suddenly picked up a slightly unnatural sound coming from the tree nearby. With her lightning fast reflexes, she leaped off the bench she shared with Ash and smashed her paws against the stump of the tree causing it to vibrate violently.

"AHH!" To Ash's surprise, a figure came crashing down from the tree branch a few moments later, making a small crater on the surface. "Dawn?" he checked for a moment and knew right away that it was Dawn. Her hat covered hair was her most likely trend which made her easy to recognize, even from a distance. "What are you doing here?" the girl laughed falsely at the boy's question. "Oh you know… just dropping in that's all ahehehehe"

(Three minutes later)

After getting the girl off the ground and getting reacquainted, the two of them found themselves back on the bench where Ash was sitting to have a little chat.

"Sorry about that" Dawn apologized, "I followed you here after you walked out of the hotel a few minutes ago. I didn't mean to spy on you or anything" but Ash just waved it off, "Its ok. I guess I have been acting a little weird lately. It's just that…… I have so many things up in my mind right now" his face died down, giving out a small frown.

Dawn looked back at the boy worryingly for a second before speaking up, "Is it… about Gary?" she asked even though she already knew the answer. Ash looked back at her with a slightly surprise face before nodding dumbly. The girl smiled back. Even if Ash was still in a very dark and deep depressing state, he was still kind enough to open up to people he trusts. Once again, Dawn gave out her usual 'Don't worry' attitude. "Don't worry about it too much Ash" (daijobu) "Just because you lost one battle doesn't mean it's the end of the world" the boy gave her a strange look, "The Valmarian league is still five days away, and maybe then you'll be stronger than before. Remember that time when I lost the appealing round in Hearthome city?" (See Pokemon Diamond and Pearl episode 49)

Ash thought for a moment to recall that pass even, "Oh yeah" he said finally, "That's where we had our first tag-team battle"

"Right!" she nodded back. "Remember what happened when I lost the appeal round"

"Yeah I remember" he replied, "You ran back to the Pokemon center right after that"

"And that's when Zoey cheered me up" she cut him off, "I can't really remember everything she said back there. But the one thing I do know is that… whenever I lose a contest or a battle… I would always think of that moment I had with her. Besides… you said it yourself that I should never lounge over defeat" Ash's eyes widened considerably to her last words. She was right, ever since he became the girl's master, he had taught her everything, including some metaphors from his adventures. Once he recalled their first travels during the Shinou regions, he kinda felt like a hypocrite.

After a few minutes of reconciling with himself, the boy's spirit raised above the roof causing him to feel like he was born all over again. "You're right Dawn…" he said softly to her, "You're right!!" he shouted this time. "Just because I lost one time doesn't mean that I lost yet! I'm gonna train harder than before and defeat Gary in his own game!"

The blue haired coordinator smiled proudly at him with a hint of love in her lips. "Now that's the Ash I remember!" she stated with her chest raised up slightly, "Come on! Let's have a battle! I won't hold anything back this time!"

"Neither will I!" and soon later, the strength that had been drained from Ash's body returned, causing him to burst with so much power and energy. Heck, the boy even felt like he could take on the whole city!

A few minutes later, the two trainers assembled on the practice field with their heads held high, "Alright Ash, I'll go first" Dawn announced with a smile on her face, "Buizel, spot light!" the sea weasel Pokemon appeared with a prideful smirk on its lips.

"Buizel huh" Ash recognized the strong water Pokemon anywhere, "A perfect Pokemon for battles. Now's my turn then! Burno, I choose you!" the demon dog Pokemon appeared, howling at the afternoon sky with a snarl. "Ok Burno, let's see what you've got! (woof!) Use flame thrower!" taking the initiative, Houndoom quickly let out a stream of fire off its mouth. To both trainers surprise, it was actually more powerful than either of them expected.

But Dawn learned that getting surprised by the enemy attack won't get her anywhere, "Buizel, dodge it and use aqua jet!" Buizel quickly regained posture and leaped away from the direction of the fire. Once it was out of range, the sea weasel dove in with water all around it and slammed against Houndoom faster than you can say 'ouch'.

"Burno, don't give in!" Ash cheered on, "Use ember attack to get it out of the way!" Houndoom immediately let out a small volley of fireballs which slammed nicely at Buizel's torso. "Good, now follow it up with fire fang!" the demonic dog Pokemon understood the master's plan and dashed off with a quick attack move.

"Buizel, water gun let's go!" but Dawn wasn't gonna let him win that easily. Learning from the best, the blue haired coordinator continued to give out attacks even when at a slight advantage. She knew that Ash was not a trainer to be underestimated. Even with the advantage on both Pokemon types and field, the boy can still turn the tide of battle with just one move.

The Hat Flip…

Ash only uses that move when he is at his most desperate moments. It mainly deals with his opponent psychologically and in truth, it actually works.

But right now, Ash didn't need to use that move. He was fine just the way he was right now. "Burno, use overheat and finish this!"

"Buizel, hydro pump!" as the two attacks met at the center of the field, a large puff of smoke occurred, causing the two of them to shield their eyes from the recoil. However, their immense power did not go unnoticed. As the explosion occurred, the trainers that were staying in the Pokemon center quickly came out to see what the fuss was all about.

"Hey, what's going on over there?"

"Is there a battle?"

"I don't know"

"Wow! Look! It's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! And Dawn from Twinleaf town!"

"Looks like we're drawing quite a crowd" Ash smirked at his opponent which she agreed totally. "Then let's give them a show to remember" Dawn smirked back equally, awaiting for the boy to make the first move. "Ready Buizel? (Bui bui!)" the sea weasel smirked and went into a combat stance. "Ready Burno? (woof!) Alright then! Let's do it!" but just when the two of them were going to unleash their deadly attacks, a pair of robotic arms appeared out of the sky and snatched the Pokemons before they knew what was happening. "Hey, what the?!" Ash and Dawn were taken by complete surprise.

It wasn't long till a pair of familiar gloating voices came from up top.

"Mwahahaha!" came Jessie's voice, "That was easy"

"Almost too easy teeheehehehehe" Meowth added with a cat like grin. The whole gang were riding on their usual Meowth balloon which seemed to be more deadly armed than usual.

"Team Rocket!?" Ash spat out their name venomously, "I knew I'd see you three sooner or later! Give me back Burno right now!"

"Burno?" the three bad guys looked confused at what Ash had nicknamed one of his Pokemons. "Oh I see" James understood, "He must've given that Houndoom a nickname"

"Nickname smickname" Meowth smug, "Who cares? Let's just swipe that Pikachu and the rest of them Pokemons for the boss!" the cat then press a button on the control panels which released a number of robotic hands up in the air. "Now let's see what's in the Pokemon center menu. Hmm… we have ourselves a Starly, a Jynx, some Pichus, oh and a Meowth that looks just like me" one by one, the Team Rocket balloon began snatching the Pokemons that were out in the field, causing the trainers to panic. "Hahahaha! This almost feels like my birthday presents!"

"Then let's grab some more and get going!" James added with a wide grin. "Ooooo… and grab that Lucario over there too!" this perked Jessie's ears and quickly took a look where James was pointing. "Oh my!" she screamed, "A pink Lucario! Pink is my favorite color! Meowth, grab that Lucario for me pronto!"

"And to think your favorite color was purple" the cat like Pokemon groaned annoyingly. But in the end he complied nonetheless. However… Rosa was a tougher fish to hook up than the other Pokemons. Thanks to her training routine back in the old days, she was able to dodge those mechanical menace with great ease. Heck, she even felt like she was just taking a morning stroll around the boulevard. But with all the Pokemons being taken away, Ash quickly got to work. He ordered up his Pokemon squad to take up positions, "Quick Dawn! We have to save them before they get away" the girl nodded back and quickly released all of her Pokemons to take the spotlight. "Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Bayleef… come on out!" her strongest Pokemons arrived on scene preparing to do battle.

"Oh oh!" Meowth squatted, "We got bogeys coming in from down below!" but James and Jessie were more than ready to take them on. "Then let us take care of them!" the blue haired villain snapped back. "Cacnea, Victreebel, come on out and give them a battle!"

Jessie then followed, "Arbok, Seviper, take to the stage and prepare for battle!" two snake like Pokemons appeared, both looking fresh and eager to fight. "Now you two! Use poison sting attack!"

"Cacnea, use pin missile! Victreebel, use razor leaf!" with all the Pokemons unleashing ranged attacks, the balloon suddenly turned from a regular transportation vehicle to a mobile air fortress. It was nearly impossible for anyone or anything to get near it.

"Oh no you don't!" Ash gritted his teeth in anger as he waved his hand to his Pokemons, "Sceptile, cover the gang with bullet seed! Corphis, use bubble beam as well! Pikachu, get on top of Staravia and fly face! Take them out from the top!" with one single strain of command, the entire platoon quickly got in line and followed their orders to the letter. Both Sceptile and Corphis were able to fight back Team Rocket's range attack and mechanical arms. And after awhile, Pikachu was able to get on top of the balloon with relative ease. "Good! Now Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" (Pika----CHUUU!!) the little mouse unleashed a 10000 volt electricity attack causing it to blow a hole on the balloon. Luckily, the whole thing did not pop, so the Meowth balloon was able to land safely on the ground.

"Burno/Buizel!" Ash and Dawn called out their Pokemons as they returned to their sides.

But as the captured Pokemons returned to their respective masters, Team Rocket came out from their hiding spot to make one last stand. "Hold it right there! Those Pokemons are ours" Jessie boldly claimed even though she knew that she was wrong, "If you don't return them then I'll have no choice but to fight you!"

"Then a fight it is then!" Ash countered with a sneer. "Maybe that's the only thing that'll be able to teach the three of you!"

The bad guys smirked all together at Ash's futile attempt to taunt them.

"Ahohohoho" Jessie began, "To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people within our nation…"

"To denounce the evil from truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to th…" before James could continue his next phrase, the Pokemon center alarm siren went off causing their stop their motto. "What the!? Can't you people see we're in the middle of our motto here!? Don't you have any respect for the bad guys here?!"

With Team Rocket caught off guard, Ash and Dawn knew right away what came after that. "Alright then! Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, bubble beam!" both attack made impact on the trios and before they knew it, they were already blasting off into the sky. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off ag---ack!!!" but due to the city being enclosed with a dome, the trios were unable to go up into the sky and vanishing into another land far-far away. Instead… their faces were imprinted on the glass dome that overlooked the city.

"I forgot to mention" came James muffled voice, "Valmarian city is protected by a dome! We can't go blasting off like we used too!" Meowth sighed, "Thanks for the late warning!" and in a matter of seconds, the trios suddenly felt their faces slipping from the glass and slowly sliding against it. "Well this doesn't look good" Jessie added with a slight bit of sarcasm. After a few moments, their faces completely left the glass, and thanks for being sixteen stories high, they were lucky that they landed in the river rather than the hard ground.

(Back with Ash and Dawn)

Right after Team Rocket were blasted off to who knows where, the Pokemons that were temporarily kidnapped were finally reunited with their masters thanks to the efforts of Ash and Dawn and of course… their Pokemons. It had been a straining day to say the least, but thanks to Jessie, James and Meowth, Ash felt like he could take on a few hundred more fights. But just when things were finally starting to die down a bit, the head Nurse Joy of the Pokemon center approach the boy. "That was a terrific battle there you two" she complimented the pair.

"It was nothing" Dawn replied with a smirk, "We've been fighting those two for so long, it kinda feels like a routine"

Ash nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I can't even remember how I met those guys in the first place" but just as they laughed all together to relieve some stress from the growing tension, a number of police sirens came in from the distance. It looked like the police noticed the explosion and were quickly on their way to the scene of the 'almost-crime' "Hey look… it's the police" Ash pointed at the head vehicle that stopped a few meters away from him.

Right then, Ash and Dawn wouldn't be surprised to see one Jenny, but when the officers came out the vehicles, the two of them were nearly stunned when fifteen Jennies appeared. From their POV they all seemed to look the same.

"Uh… can I help you officers?" Ash looked at them worryingly as the Jennies looked at him with death praying eyes. He didn't know what he had done to anger the Jennies, but whatever it was… he was regretting it already. Even Dawn seemed to be getting some of the glares too. "Eh… Ash… why are they looking at us like that?"

Before the boy could even conjure up an answer up his mouth, the head Jenny of the group blew out her whistle, "Take them down girls!" immediately the Jennies tackled both Ash and Dawn to the ground, scaring Nurse Joy off her wits. Neither Ash nor his companion had a chance to defend or explain themselves when they were thrown on the dirt. "Hey, what's going on!?" Ash shouted, but was muffled up when handcuffs were placed on his hands.

"That'll teach you to have a battle during the day mister" the head Jenny said to them like they were the bad guys, "You two should know the rules that all unauthorized battling in the streets are prohibited!"

"But…"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm saying your rights!" the police officer yelled out frighteningly, "Now where was I? Oh yeah, your rights. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to call your lawyer and (blah blah blah blah) And now that I've caught you two red handed, I'm putting you behind bars for a LONG time…" she smirked at them before ordering her younger sisters/cousins/nieces to put them in the car.

But then Nurse Joy came along, "Hold on a minute there Jenny!" all the cops halted on their tracks, "I'm thankful for your arrival, but I believe you have the wrong perpetrators" the head Jenny gave her a 'huh' look. "These two children weren't violating any rules at all. They were battling in the practice range which is quite alright in the rule book"

"But then… what caused the explosion?" Jenny asked with a curious brow.

"A trio of thieves was attempting to steal the Pokemons that were being cared for in the Pokemon center" Joy explained, "Luckily these two trainers were around and defeated them"

"Oh really?"

"YES!!" Ash and Dawn said in unison.

After finally explaining the whole inchalada of the event that happened a few minutes ago in brief moment, the head Jenny smiled apologetically, "I am soooooo sorry about this!" she bowed slightly as the other officers released the two trainers from their handcuffs. The grips of those metallic chains were so tight that it almost felt like Ash's hands have lost their blood circulation. Dawn on the other 'hand' wasn't as bad. Thanks to her slim figure, her hands could easily slip through those chains with a slight use of force of course. "With all the gang fights happening around town, it's hard to tell who the good guys are nowadays" Jenny explained with a slight hint of apology.

"That's ok Officer Jenny" Ash waved it off, "We all make mistakes"

"Yeah… like a certain someone I know" Dawn glanced at Ash making him blush slightly in embarrassment.

Jenny was relieved that the two of them didn't take their false arrest seriously or it would've been a catastrophe for her career. "Thanks a lot you two" she bowed slightly again, "Please, let me make it up to you. Is there somewhere you would like to go? I can take you with my cruiser" but they just waved it off altogether. "No thanks" Ash began which Dawn quickly agreed too, "Yeah… we have to get back to our hotel. Our moms would be worried about us by now"

"Well… if that's what you want" Jenny sulk down a little, "But if you two need any favor, just call any of my relatives. They'll be sure to help you out with anything"

(An hour later, back at Che'val-yere hotel lobby)

When both Ash and Dawn returned to the hotel, they arrived looking like total rags. Their clothes were dirty thanks to the battle they had with Team Rocket, but it only became worst when the police tackled them to the ground.

"Awww man! I just did my hair six hours ago!" Dawn whined as she pulled out her hair brush to fix the split ends. "Fighting Team Rocket is one thing, but being attacked by the police wasn't something I expected" Ash gave out a soft apologetic smile, "Ahehehe… sorry about that Dawn. I guess it's kinda my fault that you're all messed up"

But the girl simply scoffed, "Don't worry about it. This happens all the time back in Shinou. Besides………… I think it was worth it" she flashed out a bright smile in reply which made Ash blushed back slightly. "Thanks… Dawn" he replied shyly.

"Hey now, don't worry" again, her 'don't worry' attitude returned, lightening the tension of the place. "I'm only returning the favor. You shouldn't let people worry about you like that you know"

Ash's ears and eyes perked up a bit, "You… you were worried about me?" this made Dawn curse herself with her misuse of words. It was now the girl's turn to blush, making her turn away from the boy. "D… don't get the wrong idea here!" she fumbled through her sentences as she tried to come up with a good excuse, "I was just uh… I was just repeating… what uh… what the professor said! Yeah that's it!" but Ash didn't buy it. Dawn was hiding something and he was going to find out what.

But before their conversation could go anywhere else, a certain afro headed mother came in from the reception desk. "Oh hi there Ash… Dawn. Oh my, what happened to the two of you? You look like… like…" she dangled the sentence up her throat as she couldn't tell how to explain what she thought on how the two of them looked. If you could see through her POV, the two of them looked like they've jumped into a mud pile together and laughed about it.

"It's my fault Johanna" Ash happily submitted to fault, "I was kinda practicing in the field along with Dawn and my Pokemons until uh… we went a little overboard" Dawn nodded in agreement to the excuse that he made up. Fortunately for the two of them, Johanna seemed to have bought it.

"Oh well" the mother sighed, "Before you two clean up, why don't you head to the dining area first?" the two young trainers simply gave out a confused look, but they complied anyway. Other than being a five star accommodation, the Che'val-yere hotel had a lot more on the first floor than the reception desk and lobby. It also held a four star restaurant and several recreational centers to the guests well entertained. There a message parlor at the back along with a spa at the corner side overlooking the park. On the third floor, there was an outdoor pool fit for a small party and it also came equipped with a mini-bar to keep those throats wet.

As Ash and Dawn finally arrived at the dining area, the valet quickly let out a warm welcoming smile, "Ah, senor Ketchum yes? We have been expecting you"

"You have?" the two of them looked slightly confused except for Johanna who seemed to have something up her sleeves. Ash and Dawn both looked at her with a curious brow, knowing quite well that something was behind those doors. As the valet moved in to open the door, Johanna gave the two trainers a slight nudge to follow him.

When the doors finally opened, Ash was suddenly greeted by the sound of poppers popping and New Year's whistle blowing in the air. A bright astounding golden light illuminated from the center of the room, causing the boy to squint his eyes. When his visions finally refocused, a big welcome banquet was displayed before him surrounded by all of his friends and family.

"Surprise!" the gang said all together.

Ash and Dawn were both confused. Was this a surprise party for them or for one of them? Their jaws were slightly wide open and their bodies were frozen solid.

Balloons were decorated all over the place and confetti were littered almost everywhere. If one would look at it, they would probably say that the whole thing was a major rush job. Some of decorations weren't properly hung and the plates were barely in place. I guess they didn't expect the boy to be back in a couple of more hours.

"Hey guys…" Ash said dumbfounded by the whole thing, "What's this party all about?"

"We thought you needed a little spirit boost since you were so gloomy this morning" Richie explained, "So we decided to hold a party to dedicate our arrival at Valmarian city. Besides, we could all use a little time out once in awhile"

"It was all Brock's idea" Max added as he grab Ash's hands, "Come on, you got to see the side dish! They're awesome!" as the little young Maple toured Ash around the dining room; he came across so many materials and unfinished work that was hard to believe that all of this was just for him. He once had a whole village party for him, but this seemed to feel a lot more than that. "You guys… did all of this… just for me?"

"Well that's what friends do, right?" Brock replied with a prideful smirk on his face, "Sorry it doesn't look as good. I didn't think you'd be back so quickly. I had to ask professor Oak's friend to rent this place"

Ash flushed down embarrassed by the whole situation, "You… you didn't have to do all of this guys" he said modestly while rubbing the back of his head. But May denied that statement, "Well we had to get you to smile again" she openly stated with a smile, "Max was getting so worried about you that he almost cried" the young boy wearing glasses blushed angrily at his sister, "Hey! He didn't need to know that!"

"Oh stop being a baby Maxie" she grunted back with an irritating voice and before the gang knew it, the little siblings were having another fight all over again.

But the mere sound of their argument was more than enough to make the gang laugh again. With the mood finally lifting up from Ash's heart, the boy felt like he could do anything.

"You see Ash…" Cynthia came through the ruffled crowd and stood besides the spoken boy with a glass of water in her hand, "No matter where you go… or what you do… you will always have friends here. You should always remember that you're never alone" she gestured to all the guests that were attending the party. Some were already eating and some were already chatting with each other. "Even though you are apart… as long as you remember them here…" she pointed at his head, "… and here" she pointed at his heart, "Then, I guarantee, that you will never lost" when she meant lose… she probably meant it as metaphorically, not literally.

Ash touched the places where Cynthia had pointed out with a little hint of confusion imprinted on his face. He didn't quite understand the deeper part of the meaning of the metaphor, but he understood the basics, "I'll remember that one Cynthia… thank you" he bowed slightly at her which made the blonde champ turn a little red from shyness. "I know now that even when I'm on the battlefield… I have my friends with me… right Pikachu? (Pikachu!)"

"Hey, don't forget me!" Brock said suddenly, pointing his thumb at himself. "I've always been there for you haven't I?"

"Yeah, you too Brock" Ash flashed out another smile.

"Hey, you can also count on me too!" Richie waved his hand up high making his presence noticeable. "I haven't been around as long as the others but that doesn't mean I can't help you out"

"Don't forget us too" May grinned from behind along with her brother and Drew. "We've been with you this long, so we're going all the way in!"

"Yeah me too!" came Todd's voice. "Even though I don't know what I can do to help. Still… if you need me to do anything, just ask!" and the offer of support went on and on and on.

Ash couldn't believe it himself. Right at that moment, he almost felt like Mewtwo back in Fort Gregro Island. With all those wonderful emotions pouring in and out of his body, the boy let out a small sniffle as he lowered his cap to cover his crying eyes.

As the party progressed on… the boy swore silently to himself… that he was somehow going to return this kindness… in anyway possible.

(Uno Café) (06:37 PM)

The café was strangely empty this afternoon for manager of the establishment. Usually by now, Gary and his crew would be eating their usual meal. Havic would argue with Steve and Emma, and Gary would just be hanging with Jaques for another game of chess… but no… today the establishment was a ghost building. The meal that the manager personally prepared was still steaming hot, but with no one to eat them… it almost looked like a waste of calories.

"Where are they?" the manager asked the waitress who was also looking at the direction of the door. "I'm not sure sir" she replied, "But I'm sure they usually come during this time of night for dinner. I wonder if something happened" but then suddenly, the door bell rang signaling a customer had entered the café. "W… welcome!" the waitress stuttered out with a slight bow. "Welcome to the Uno Café. Can I take your…" she stopped mid-sentence when she realized that it was none other than Red, the crimson colored trainer.

The boy in red looked around for a moment to see if anyone was around, but to his luck, he had the place all to himself. "Well this is unusual" he said in his usual cheery voice. "I would've thought they'd be here by now. I guess I'll have to wait" even the manager couldn't help but get the chills from the boy. No matter how you looked at him, that fake smile could only fool an idiot who doesn't really know him. The boy was plotting something, and everyone could tell that it was something bad… really bad. "I'll take my usual…" the boy said to the manager which plopped him out of his daze. "Uh yes… right away sir"

With the manager off to get his 'usual' meal, Red took a seat on one of the tables and simply starred at the night sky. He didn't expect anyone from the gang to be here, heck he even knew where they were right about now. Havic and his friends were probably too busy patrolling the bridges that connect to the Downtown District and Gary would probably be preparing for another battle with Ash.

Knowing that no one was coming, Red decided to have a little down time for himself.

(Time skip, the next morning) (09:00 AM) (Che'val-yere hotel) (4 Days till the Valmarian league)

It was another perfect morning here in Valmarian city. With the sun rising high and the clouds moving in every direction, it seemed like the perfect time to go out and have a blast. And as a matter of fact… that was exactly what the gang were about to do. After the party that Brock dedicated for the team, every trainer who are part of the Valmarian league were up early and preparing for a whole day of training. But little did Ash and the others know… that their training regime will have a slight change of plans.

"Absolutely NOT!!!!" came a yelling voice from the lobby. The voice was so rough and so loud that even Paul got the shivers going down his spine. The whole gang turned their heads around and was surprised to see Scott talking with a very familiar trainer.

"Come on Brandon, think about it for a second" the Battle Frontier owner pleaded to one of his employees, "I've already said yes to the higher-ups in the Pokemon headquarters. You can't back down on me now" but the Pyramid King simply folded his arms together to give out that 'no way' look. "I'm sorry Scott, but I can't do it. I've seen what those trainers can do and I'd rather face a death trap dungeon than to go with them"

"Is something wrong Scott?" Ash asked breaking their attention. The chubby Hawaiian dressed man jerked his head around with a slight sigh, "Oh hey there Ash. It's nothing to bother really" he replied with a little waving gesture.

But then Brandon snapped back at him, "Of course it's something to bother! You're asking me to do the impossible!"

"Come on Brandon" Scott pleaded, "Just four days! Can't you hold out just for four days for me?"

It wasn't long till Anabel interrupted, "Is there a problem Brandon?"

"It's a big problem actually" the Pyramid King explained, "Scott wants me to hold a training session for the trainers who are competing in the Valmarian league, which is quite ridiculous if you asked me"

"What so ridiculous about that?" Ash titled his head slightly curious on what could possibly be wrong about training a few trainers to prepare for the worst. Brandon shot him a look, "Why don't you see for yourself?" he gestured them to follow him to a window on the second floor. He gestured them to look outside, "Look out there and tell me what you see" and when they did, all they saw were several young trainers and their Pokemons. "I only see a few trainers and their Pokemons" Ash described which was followed by several nods from the others.

"They're good trainers, I'll give you that" Brandon exclaimed, "But most of them still don't understand the principle of being a true Pokemon trainer. Therefore, I refuse to teach them"

"But isn't that the point of this training?" Brock pointed out, "I mean, you could teach them the principles during your training… right?" but Brandon just shot his an angry look which sent the chills down his throat, "Some things in life Brock… cannot be taught… It can only be experienced" the man added deepening his frown if that was even physically possible. "These kids need to learn things on their own. We cannot pamper them all the time"

"I'm not really sure what you mean Brandon" Ash notified him with a half puzzled half understood face, "But I'm guessing that you don't want to train them, am I right?" he was replied with a nod.

"Then, what if we decided to train with you?" May stated suddenly, "A little training to prepare for the Valmarian league couldn't hurt now could it?"

"Yeah! It sounds like fun!" Dawn added with a smile equal to May's. "Count me in" the two girls both raised their hands like they were kindergarteners playing in the playground.

Ash saw them and was immediately interested as well, "Yeah. So how about it Brandon? All of us here are great trainers. We can help you with your training" the other members of the gang quickly followed behind with positive attitudes to bolster Ash's statement.

"So how about it Brandon?" Scott said slyly, "With them around, I think you'll make an excellent 'trainer' for the young ones" but the Pyramid King was a persistant little runt. A vein throb could be seen bulging on his head as he tried to keep his cool.

"Absolutely not!!!" he snapped back finally, catching them off guard, "I don't care if Cynthia herself were to join the training session, I am never going to train any of them! I can bet my life on that!"

(Ten minutes later…)

"All right everyone… gather round…" Brandon sighed through his mouth as he assembled the trainers to the city's Northern Gate. There were about a hundred trainers that were attending the Battle Frontier Training session and surprisingly for the Pyramid King, Ash and the whole gang were part of it. Cynthia, had made a surprising appearance for all of them too, which put Brandon in a little tight rope position. As the trainers gathered together, they all turned their attention to the adventurer. "Ok…" Brandon began, "As some of you might know: My name is Brandon, also known as the Pyramid King of the Battle Frontier. The Pokemon HQ is holding this training session to help you youngsters keep up with the veterans"

Several trainers looked a little astounded to the man's identity, but Ash and the others didn't even look surprise.

When the whispering stopped, Brandon continued, "We will be having our training session at the old abandoned quarry outside this gate. We will return from there in four days time… and hopefully… you will become better trainers. When we leave this gate, no one will be allowed to enter the city again, until the training is finished. If your Pokemon is injured, there's a settlement nearby that has a Pokemon center. Is everybody clear?" a moment of silence passed by the whole crowd until one of the younger trainers raised his hand up, "Yes? What is it?"

"Um… so are we gonna sleep in town too?"

"No…" Brandon replied plainly, "We're going to sleep in the quarry. The caves there will provide as shelter for all of you"

"What!?"

"No way!"

Immediately the trainers began to whine and get really annoyed by the whole thing. Though Ash and the others didn't really have a problem with it, they were quite surprised on the number of complaining trainers. Brandon simply smacked his forehead and dragged it all the way down his face, grunting some words along the way.

Just when he could no longer take the whining, he immediately let out a burst! "ENOUGH!!" the whole crowd went silent, "If you cannot handle four days sleeping in the wilderness, then I suggest the rest of you leave now. I won't waste my time pampering you" again there was silence, "Good. Now let's move out"

In an instant, the northern gate opened up with a slight vibration. The weight of the gate must've been so heavy that it would make the besiegers use the statue of liberty as a battering ram to knock it down.

But before the gang left, Brock's voice came by from behind, "Hey guys, wait up!" he called their attention. "Sorry I took so long. I won't be able to go with you… so here…" he handed each and every one of them a packed up lunch box each with different colors, "This should be something that will get you through the first day. The rest you'll have to find or cook yourselves" the gang inspected their lunch boxes and were surprised to see their favorite meal all in one package. "Wow! Thanks Brock" Ash stated with a smile.

"No problem" the slanted man replied smirkfuly, "You guys better go. You don't want to get Brandon angry now"

But then suddenly Max came by to follow them, however… he did not get far when May pulled the collar on his shirt. "Sorry little bro, but this training session are for those who are competing in the Valmarian league only"

"What!?" the little boy screamed, "Aww… no fair! I want to go too"

"Sorry Max" Ash added with the apology, "We need to be in complete focus on this training so you'll just have to stay here for a few days. I'm sure Brock can keep you company"

The young boy looked at Ash for a moment before sulking his head downwards with a hint of disappointment, "Ok…" he said finally.

With no ties left, the gang packed up their gear and settled off, "Well… we're off now! See ya in four days everybody!" as the door closed on them, Brock, Tracey, Max, and Todd waved their goodbyes as the heroes of today begin their preparation for the upcoming Valmarian league.

"I hope they'll be ok" Max said worryingly. Brock noticed his sigh and immediately lightened him up, "Hey… don't worry about them. If those guys can make it to the city, then this training routine should be a snap" unfortunately, that didn't exactly make the boy feel any better at all.

(Joke Time!!!!)

1) Spell 'Racecar' backwards

2) Say 'FORT' twice, spell it twice, say it six more times and spell it six more times. Then answer the 3rd question

3) What do you eat soup with?

(Abandoned Quarry)

The training group arrived at the abandoned quarry faster than they expected. At first they were gonna travel for about six hours to get there, but to their surprise, the place was only a few miles away from the city.

The quarry itself was located right next to a river that was connected through a waterfall right on top of the mines themselves. A wild guess would say that it was used to supply the workers with water. On the other side of the quarry was a small forest patch with a narrow dirt road that cut right through it. From the looks of it, the woods were sparsely cut down to make way for the quarry's bigger equipments. If they came here during the spring, the whole place would look absolutely beautiful, but its beauty have been marred by the cold harsh winter.

"Alright everyone" Brandon announced, "We're here" as the group all turned to the quarry, they had to say it was quite hospitable for a mine. The caves that were dug at the bottom must've served as the accommodation for the workers when they changed shifts. Each hole was large enough to house at least a dozen people without fighting for much space. On the second floor, they could see dining tables and several old tankards that were used by the miners back in the days when the quarry was still in active.

"I'm assuming you all brought your own gear" the head trainer continued, "So you guys find a spot for yourselves to call home and rest up for a moment. We'll begin training in an hour so I expect you all to be in tip top shape" and with that the whole group disbursed all at once to find themselves a cozy place to live in.

As Ash and the others entered upon one of the caves, they were awed by the sight that was struck before them. The place wasn't just randomly dug to fit in, but it had been carved to the workers that home welcoming feeling. There were still several jagged corners that looked very uncomfortable to sleep on, but other than that, the place was well enough to be called a home.

"Dibs on the corner" Drew stated out as he hopped towards comfortable looking corner. Paul simply shrugged and moved on to another spot to set up his sleeping bag.

As everyone began to settle in, Ash decided to move on to the next cave seeing that this place was getting a wee bit crowded. But just when he was about to enter another cave, he found out that it had been filled up too by the other trainers. He frantically traveled from one cave to the other, but sadly, all of them seemed to have been filled up as well. Even the dining halls on the second floor were now heavily occupied.

After twenty minutes had finally passed, Ash finally found himself a nice secluded spot behind the waterfall. The cave was cold and a little more damp than the others but it was way better than sleeping out there under the snow. "Well Pikachu, looks like we'll be staying here for now (Pika?) I guess it's better than sleeping outdoors" in a minute, Ash unloaded all of his things onto the ground and gladly made himself feel like at home. The supplies he had with him were very limited thanks to his small bag, but at least his survival skills will be able to get him through the week.

All he had with him right then were a bag of fruits for his Pokemons (from his mother), a flashlight with extra batteries, a pair of flint stones to make a camp fire, a water canteen and of course, Brock's special meal. Luckily for the boy there was a table at the center of the room where he could lay out all his stuff. After getting all of his things out and setting up his sleeping bag, the boy checked the time on his Pokedex and realized he still had a good thirty minutes before Brandon comes back for their training.

He decided for a little nap, but just before he could close his eyes, a shadowy figure walked into the cave which caught his attention. "Hmm… this looks like a nice spot" to Ash's surprise, it was none other than Cynthia, the ex-champ of the Shinou region. "Cynthia?" he called out to her.

"Hmm? Oh hey there Ash" she greeted him with a warm smile, "I didn't know this place was occupied. Mind if I crash in?" she didn't really needed his permission since she already dropped her backpack onto the ground with a defining thud. "The other places are already full so we'll be staying here for a few days huh" the boy gave out a slight chuckle to give the gesture that it was alright for her to stay.

The girl didn't really bring much with her. Just some few good assortments that was necessary for her survival. Even though she was a highly recognized Pokemon trainer, she still needed to keep in touch with her outgoing self. She also had one of Brock's homemade cooking with her which would probably be eaten later today. But other than that, she had brought along some Pokechow for her Pokemons, some perfumes for those bad smelly days, some instant noodle foods and several bottles of water. Once the blonde champ put all her things out and settled her sleeping bag, Ash could instantly tell that she was a mix blend between May-Dawn-Zoey and Anabel.

May- because of her happy-go-lucky attitude

Dawn- because of her alerting sense to look good

Zoey- because of her natural talents to train Pokemons

Anabel- because of her poise and that amazing aura around her

The boy chuckled between his thoughts humerously before getting up from his sleeping bag to help the girl unpack. Cynthia could only stare back at him with a puzzled face, curious on what caused him to laugh.

By the time they finished, the entire training group assembled outside in their battle attires awaiting for Brandon's eventual return.

(Fifteen minutes later)

As expected, the guy was right on time. An hour just after the man left, Brandon returned with a truck and a whole company of training assistants. Once everyone was assembled outside the quarry the Pyramid King blew out his whistle to get their attention. "Alright everyone, listen up and listen well because I'm only going to explain this routine, once" the assistants quickly began bringing out several buckets of water from the truck as he explained, "Our first training session will focus on endurance. Each of you will carry a pair of buckets filled with water along with your Pokemons. You will start from here… until you reach the top of that quarry over there and back. I want all of you to do fifty laps at least. If you spill any water, my assistants here will be refilling you when you return from your lap. Any questions?" the crowd quickly gave out a sound of disbelief.

"What? No way! I'm not doing some routine exercise" said one.

"We're not here to train ourselves. We're here to train our Pokemons remember?"

"QUIET!!!" Brandon silenced them once more with his loud commanding voice. All that stress of ordering these young trainers was like holding a fieldtrip for your usual high school university. All that was missing was a guide. He then began messaging his head to relieve him of headache. "Just because a Pokemon is strong doesn't mean its master should be weak. No more questions. If it's too hard then I suggest you spend the rest of your time in the Pokemon center. Now move it!" before the gang knew it, the trainers were now huffing 'one two one two one two' over and over again.

"Well, I guess we should go too" Ash quickly summoned out all of his Pokemons and gave them one pair of buckets each. Those with no paws were given slightly smaller buckets and had theirs wrapped around their bodies with ropes. "Alright everyone, let's go!" with the boy's encouraging aura, he began leading the gang before they were even finished getting the buckets in. About an hour later, the whole group were finally prep and were on their way towards the top of the quarry.

But the first few rounds weren't exactly that amazing……… as a matter of fact, it was even worst that Brandon could've imagined. The leading trainer that was at the head of the group accidentally tripped over a rock and tumbled back down when climbing the stairs, causing those behind him to knock over like dominos. After the fifth lap things went from bad to even far worst. Just when the trainers and their Pokemons were able to get running again, one of the trainers suddenly slipped causing another human avalanche, but that wasn't the bad part. The bad part was when the mass of people came through, it blocked the path that continued the line making it impossible for the others to continue.

Brandon sighed heavily to himself as more and more accidents kept happening over and over again. If he's lucky, he might just be able to send all of them to the hospital and he'll be sent back to doing paperwork. IF HE'S LUCKY of course. But just as he was about to take a break from all this work, he noticed a certain pink Lucario starring at him just a few feet from his side. Her eyes didn't give any hint on what she felt or thought of him… they were just… there… and those eyes were starring at him. It creep him out slightly.

As time moved on, the gang once again felt like they were in one of those military boot camps back in the Hoenn regions. But thanks to those reluctant training in their previous adventures, the training course here felt like a breeze.

After the last trainer finished their lap with their Pokemons, they all dropped to the ground completely exhausted like they've just ran from Pallet town to Cerulean city back and fourth three times without stop.

Once the last of them dropped in, Brandon clicked his stopwatch and found out that it took even longer for them to complete the laps than expected. But those were probably due to the minor accidents happening along the way.

"Alright… it looks like you've all finished your warm-ups" he announced to them which left some of the trainers gawking in disbelief. If that was just a warm up than they weren't gonna stick around when the real training begins. "Let's move on to the real training"

And so the first day of training began… only three more days to go…

(Time skip) (06:15 PM)

The whole company dropped to the ground with their feet wobbling like they were jellies. Brandon's training routine seemed to be too much even for Ash and his gang, but it was effective nonetheless. Some of Ash's Pokemons felt like they've grown twice as strong as they were before, but that would probably just be exaggerating.

When the Pyramid King dismissed them from the field, the whole company dragged their exhausted bodies back into their caves. None of them were in the mood to have supper and heck… even Ash didn't feel like eating. All that training seemed to have drained the energy out of his body like a vacuum. Right now, he just wanted to get back into his cave and sleep.

The boy's sweat was soaking onto his clothes making him look like he jumped into the river and stayed there for two or three hours. He was tired, no question about that. His body was aching is so many places that he thought that was even impossible to ache. Every action he pulled out needed a little bit more force than usual, heck even speaking looked like an accomplishment of the day.

But just as Rosa helped him back into his temporary shelter, they were greeted by Cynthia, who didn't look like she was tired at all. "Oh hi there Ash, welcome back" she greeted as she sat on the chair that she found in the corner. She was reading a thick paperback book while eating the meal that she received from Brock. From Ash's POV she looked kind of like those professors back in those college schools back in Kanto except a lot prettier. "Wanna join me for dinner?" she gestured to the other chair which seemed to be a little worn out. Ash was going to deny it at first, but when he heard his stomach growling, he knew right away that he couldn't decline.

Though neither of them felt hungry at all, the two of them knew better that it was best to eat even though you don't feel hungry. Sometimes, the mind can lie to your body, telling you that you still have plenty of energy, but when you go into action, you suddenly feel like you haven't eaten in weeks.

Ash quickly pulled out the lunchbox Brock made for him and joined the blonde champ on the table. But before that, he quickly gave all of his Pokemons the fruit basket his mother prepared for him. Hopefully it would last them for at least a day or two, after that he'll have to go looking for food in the forest.

The meal Brock prepared for him was just as Ash wanted it. His lazy boy-stew with extra meat and veggies just the way he liked it. Before Cynthia knew it, the boy was already digging through his lunchbox faster than a pack of piranhas on a cow. The kid was practically inhaling the thing rather than taking bites to get the taste.

Seeing Ash at such a situation made her crack a chuckle which seemed louder than her normal ones. This made Ash stop digging through his meal and quickly flushed with embarrassment. He then remembered that there was someone else in this room and eating like a pig in front of her was just plain rude even for him. "S… sorry…" the boy apologized, "I guess I forgot my manners"

But Cynthia simply waved it off, "Oh don't be sorry Ash" she gestured, "You're actually the first person in a long while who actually ate like that in front of me" this made the boy felt even smaller than before. He must've been eating so loud and so fast that the blonde champ couldn't help but stare at him with amazement. Ash turned to a slight crimson red as he turned around slightly embarrassed by the whole deal.

Seeing his discomfort, Cynthia decided to start up a conversation before things get anymore complicated than they actually were. "So Ash" she began, which made the boy tore away from his embarrassing moment, "How do you feel about the Valmarian league?" Ash starred back dumbly at her question. She probably already knew the basis of his answer, but she wanted to hear it from the boy's throat anyway. "Well… I don't really know" he replied modestly, "I mean… I know there are going to be a lot of trainers to fight against, so I can't really tell what to expect"

The woman flashed out a smile, a true smile. In all her life, she seemed to have been hailed and worshiped because of her status as a Pokemon champion. Every time she meets someone they would always shout 'Oh my goodness, it's Cynthia!' or perhaps 'It's the Pokemon champion!' and usually it was followed by either a straight forward handshake or mostly that person would just faint. Heck, she couldn't even ask for direction without getting hazzled by her fans.

The only people she was ever able to cope with are mostly her friends in the Elite Four back in Shinou. But she rarely gets a chance to talk to either of them due to the fact that they were traveling all the time like her.

But now… here she was… having a nice average meal with a boy who couldn't care who or what she was. He was just being himself and wasn't a bit bothered by her presence until now.

"Good answer" Cynthia said finally before taking another spoonful of her delicious meal, "Want me to let you in on a little secret?" she moved closer to his proximity and toned down her voice, "Back when I first battled here in Valmarian city five years ago, I wanted to resign from the tournament"

"What!?" Ash yelped in disbelief, "Really? (nod) How come?"

"Well…" she rubbed her index finger on her cheek with a slight embarrassment, "You could say that I was quite nervous during my first few matches during the preliminaries. During my first and second rounds I was pushed to my limits already. My opponents kept getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. I was really scared that they might all might be stronger than me"

"Wow… those must be some tough trainers" Ash looked at her with a bit of amazement in his eyes, "So what made you NOT quit"

"Well… now that's the funny part" Cynthia replied jokingly, "You could say that: I was too afraid to quit. When I was at the Pokemon HQ to give them my letter of resignation, I kinda… turned tails and ran away ahehehe" Ash sniffled down a chuckle down his lips trying to contain his laughter. He could already picture it in his mind how it would look. A five year younger blonde champ running away from the reception desk was probably the last thing you would expect.

Cynthia got irritated with his chuckle and pouted, "It wasn't that funny you know" she turned away with a shrug.

"Sorry hehehe" Ash apologized through chuckles, "It's just that, whenever I look at you, I always thought that you were a strong, brave and intelligent person. Like someone who wouldn't do anything wrong. But hearing you do something like that is just too funny ahehehehe" he paused for a moment as he noticed the girl was still pouting like a puppy, "But anyway… I'm glad that you didn't quit" this caught the woman's attention which made her jerk her head back towards him. That was probably something she didn't expect him to say, "I'm not really sure how to say this Cynthia, but maybe that was your heart telling you what to do. (huh?) You see… Brock told me once that your mind and your heart can never think the same things. They will always disagree with each other no matter what the situation is. Your mind was telling you to quit but your heart was telling you to stay and fight on until the end. I'm glad you made the right choice" he flashed out his trademark smile which made the girl blush slightly.

"W… well uh…" for the first time in all her life, Cynthia was at a lost for words.

But then Ash decided to change the topic again, "So what book are you reading?"

"Oh this?" she tapped the book next to her lunchbox, "It's something I bought back in the city. It's called The Lost Happiny Brothers. It's not much, but it sure passes up the time"

(Outside the cave)

Dawn, the Shinou coordinator came out of her cave changed in her pajamas with a toothbrush in hand. Even though they were out in the wilds, she still had to consider her personal hygiene. "Man… what a day" she groaned out as she rubbed the back of her aching body. Even at such a weak state she was still able to walk a few more meters to wash up along the river. "That training routine really wore me out (Pi piplup)" even Piplup had to agree with her.

As the two of them reached the river, Dawn suddenly began to hear a feint laughter coming from behind the waterfall. She wondered who could be laughing at a time like this. With all of Brandon's training regime, she expected everyone to be asleep or dead tired pooped to even crack out a chuckle. Having curiosity take over her actions, the girl stood up on her feet and decided to follow the sound. She walked pass several caves which most of them had loud snores coming out and other strange sounds.

By the time she reached the back of the waterfall, she was surprised to see that the cave interior was lightened up brightly. She took a slight peek from the side lines to get a look on what was going on. But when she was able to get a clear view, her eyes were greeted with the sight of Ash and Cynthia and their Pokemons. And they were…… laughing.

Ash's Pokemons were playing with Cynthia's Pokemons like they were best buddies. Pikachu was riding on Garchomp's head giving out the impression that it was saying 'I'm king of the world' which was pretty funny if you asked me. Cynthia's Milotic was taking a peaceful nap on the sides along with Ash's Sceptile while the others had their fun.

The two Pokemon trainers were having a normal conversation just like any other, but for Dawn, it was probably a sight she could be behold.

As she turned to Ash, she could see that he was now relieved from all the previous stress that had been gathering up his mind. He was now more calm, cool and absolutely had no care of the world. It was like the boy didn't think of even becoming Pokemon Master at all.

This made Dawn smile to herself as she watched as the two of them continued to trade jokes around.

With the boy smiling happily again, she left the two of them alone, content with what she had done for the day.

The first day of training had begun and the Valmarian league was coming close. Who will prevail?