Chapter 54: Start Off With A Bang!!!

(Old abandoned quarry) (07:57 AM) (3 Days till the Valmarian league)

Ash and the gang were once again on the verge of exhaustion. They had to wake up at 05:30 this morning thanks to Brandon's super duper alarms system and before they could even adjust to the cold weather, they were already instructed to do stretches. Right after stretching the body to the limit, the trainer of trainers ordered them to swim on the river back and forth for about fifty laps with their Pokemons, which was more than enough to get them back to sleep.

Right after the training session was finished, Brandon decided to let them have something to fill their stomachs. Luckily, some of the other trainers have been able to pack more than they require. Food aplenty for some but for Ash and his companions, they had to go search it for themselves.

(Quarry forest patch)

But luck was not with our heroes today… for when they arrived at the forest patch, they discovered that the cruel winter have already taken all the fruits. Some of them were too spoiled to be eaten and some were just frozen up to the core.

"Looks like this one isn't good either" said May as she tried to pluck an Oran Berry from its tree. "Come on Skitty, let's go look for another one" her cat like Pokemon quickly agreed and began moving towards the next tree.

But just when she was about to move on, a sudden rustle in the bushes caught her attention. "Huh? Is someone there?" she called out but no one replied. Having curiosity take over her actions, the girl moved closer to the area. But sadly, the thickness of the forest was proving rather difficult for her eyes. "Hello? Is anyone around here?" she called out again but still to no avail.

But just as she was ruffling through the woods with her hands, a figure suddenly fell off the tree causing her to yelp with surprise. "AHH!" but as she looked closer at the figure, she was able to tell who it was, "Ash?" the boy rubbed the back of his aching head clearly recoiling himself from the pain. "Oh hey May" he greeted back along with his Pikachu, "Are you here looking for food too?" she nodded back hesitantly. "Yeah"

"Well I've got some berries from the trees" Ash quickly pulled out some berries from his pocket which caught the girl's attention right away. "Want some?" he offered which May gladly comply. But as she took a bite off the berry, she discovered that it was… frozen.

"Ah! These are frozen!"

Ash sighed, "Well of course they're frozen. It is the winter seasons after all"

"But how are you going to eat them then?"

Ash simply flashed out a smile, "Why, you heat them up of course. Once they're melted, then you can eat them"

"But won't that spoil the berry?" May pointed out which the boy had thought of already. "Not if you heat it the way I do" he explained. But before he could get to the details on how he was going to make the frozen fruit edible, another ruffle through the trees caught their attention. To their surprise, it was Cynthia, the long blonde haired champ. "Hey there you two" she greeted them as they greeted back, "You out looking for lunch too May?" the girl nodded back in reply.

"Yeah… Ash was just telling me how he's going to cook these berries without spoiling them" but the boy in question simply flustered back in reply, "Oh actually, I learned this method from Cynthia" he clarified. "You see here?" he pointed at the fruit, "When you melt the berry sideways, the water doesn't go directly into the berry but on its roots. If you do it that way, you'll be able to have it fresh"

The blonde champ smiled back, "And in return for teaching him, Ash would challenge me into another battle. Right Ash?" he gave out a nod and a few moments later they broke out a small laugh.

May gave the two of them a puzzled gaze as she could not understand what the two of them had in mind, "Huh? Hey, come to think of it. I didn't see you in any of the caves Cynthia" the battle champion turned her attention back to the girl and gave out another smile, "Oh I'm staying with Ash behind the waterfall" she then looked at her watch and noticed the time passing by faster than she thought, "Oh oh… it looks like we won't have time to cook all these. Let's head back to the quarry before Brandon shows up" the two of them quickly agreed since they wouldn't want to get on Brandon's bad side. The man made it clear that he would punish those who didn't show up on time. And if that is how he trains his students, they surely don't wanna know how he disciplines them.

(Quarry exterior)

The whole training party seemed to be having a nice little dining party for themselves. Even though they were only given two hours to rest and eat, it was more than enough time to cook up a meal and chow down before Brandon returned. Since Brock wasn't there to cook them their meals anymore, the gang had to rely on other food source such as berries, fruits and other delicacies that can be harvested in the nearby forest.

But on one corner, Ash, May and Cynthia were the last to have their meals.

As promised, Cynthia showed them how to cook berries without spoiling them.

"Ok you two listen up" the blonde trainer ordered. "First you have to set up the berry, like this" when the fire camp was finally set, she pulled out the lunchbox Brock gave to her and placed all the frozen berries in it. "Then you make sure that they are positioned correctly sideways. And once they're melted, the berries should still be ripe for eating"

As the woman continued to show them the ropes on how to cook it, Johanna plopped up from behind along with Dawn carrying some mushrooms and fruits they were able to get from the woods. "Hey there you three" the mother called in, "I see you guys are making your own lunch too" the two kids nodded.

"Yeah… Cynthia here is showing us how to cook berries" May explained.

"Oh…" Johanna gave her friend a sarcastic look of suspicion but remained friendly nonetheless, "Well then, mind if we join up? It would be a waste to have these fruits go bad"

"Sure"

After everyone was done with their meal and rested up for, Brandon reappeared from out of nowhere as if he was on cue. "Ok everyone, it's time for another training session" he announced which everyone groaned annoyingly, "Our next training sessions will involve---…" he stopped mid sentence when one of his assistants came up to him.

"Excuse me sir" the assistant interrupted "…but you have a call from the Pokemon headquarters. They said it's very important" Brandon nodded back and quickly turned his attention towards the training group, "Sorry for the interruption everyone. It looks like you'll to train amongst yourselves. We'll continue our training regime tomorrow" and with that, the guy jumped onto the truck and headed off to who knows where.

"Well that's odd" Ash stated, "I wonder what could've happened" but as the boy turned his attention back to the group, the whole pack literally sprung into the air with a jubilant cry of joy. They were probably happy that their torture er… I mean training was cut today.

(With Brandon)

As Brandon rode the truck back to Valmarian city, the assistant handed him the portable phone on the vehicles radio, "Yeah… it's me" the Pyramid King answered the call.

"Hey Brandon" came Scott's voice on the other line, "Sorry to call you during your training, but we have a bit of an emergency here down at the city"

"An emergency?" Brandon sounded a bit surprise, "What is it?"

"A class-B emergency" Scott replied flicking a pen in the air. When Brandon heard of this, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. A class-B emergency is only issued when a city wide threat is in session. "Give me the details" the trainer stated focusing all of his attention to the phone.

Scott knew that he had his undivided attention, "Last night the police caught four more trainers that were unconscious just like those we've found in the slums. They were hit with a powerful amnesia attack which caused them to forget what they've been doing for the last six hours"

"That was included in the report Chief Jenny gave, correct?"

Scott nodded back, "Yeah and from the looks of it. Our suspicions proved right. Someone is after 'The Fountain'. The higher-ups have doubled security around the Central District and some people are starting to get suspicious. I have some of my contacts in the city following up on some leads in the city, but they're having slow progress"

"So why do you need me for?" Brandon questioned looking a bit irritated about the whole situation.

"I just called you to double check on the securities back on the bridge" Scott replied holding his phone on his neck while scribbling something on a piece of paper, "It should take about a day to finish the whole thing. After that you can go back to training your students. Later" and with that he hung up the phone leaving Brandon to think of what he needed to do.

The Pyramid King slowly put down the phone and glared at the open road, "This is going to be a long… day"

(Back with the training group) (02:00 PM)

With no Brandon around to give them another training session, the trainers decided to have a little slack off time. With the sun up high in the sky, the place became somewhat… warmer. While some of the trainers decided to spend their free eating and sky gazing, Ash and his friends settled onto swimming in the river (again). Thanks to Ash's Houndoom and May's Blaziken, they were able to heat the whole section of the waterfall, making it more potent to the body.

With the water all warmed up, the whole gang who were participating in the Valmarian league immediately changed into their swimming attire and leaped in with a loud defining splash. Even some of the Pokemons were having a little down time themselves. But those who are weak against water mostly just hanged around the moat side.

'Fun' was probably the word of the word of the day.

With everyone enjoying themselves to the fullest, Ash decided to take a little breathing time beneath the waterfall to cool his nerves down. Even the hottest head needs a little time to chill.

"Ahh… now this is relaxing" the boy moaned joyfully as the warm water fell on his back creating some sort of massage pattern. His pal Pikachu was there next to him also moaning the same way. Their faces looked so alike that they would almost resemble each other. The two of them closed their eyes and slouched down on the rocks that gave them quite a comfortable position. But just when the two of them got into relaxation mode, a familiar voice caught the boy's ears catching him a bit off guard.

"Hey there Ash" the moment the boy opened his eyes, his sight was greeted by a certain blonde haired trainer in her one piece swimsuit. "AHH!!" Ash yelped out in surprise leaping five feet from his current position. It almost felt like his heart went up from his chest up to his throat. "Cynthia?" the girl chuckled back as Ash tried to recuperate from the shock, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you there" but Ash didn't buy it. From the sound of her voice, it almost looked like she wanted to scare him off his pants. "I just saw you so calm that I couldn't resist tee hee hee" she then sat on the place where he jumped off a few seconds ago and slouched into that comfortable position. "Ahhh… you're right… this is relaxing"

As the woman sat there relaxed by the warm water given to her, Ash and Pikachu couldn't help but stare in awe as the ex-Pokemon champion acted almost like a ten year old. All this time, Cynthia acted like a pillar of strength that was almost impossible to topple down. The poise and grace that she usually gives out seemed to have been sapped away from her body bringing her true self into the land of the living. But Ash didn't bother to try and pry so he just joined up on the sides and relax along with her.

(Valmarian city Pokemon center) (Arena District)

Brendan and his newly found crew were taking a break in the Pokemon center after searching the city looking for Red. With only a few more days before the Valmarian league, they had to act fast before their enemies becomes out of reach.

Frank and his sister Griselda were sitting on the couch along with Rika who was working on some with her laptop. Brendan was still on the phone talking with his superiors and from the sound coming out of the other line, they could already tell that the bosses were not in a good mood. "Yes sir…" Brendan replied with a sigh, "Yes sir, I'll do that… good bye" with a simple click on the phone, his three companions stiffened slightly when he approached them.

"What did they say?" Rika asked, tilting her glasses sideways.

Brendan sighed again but this time, it was lighter, "Their suspicions proved to be correct after all" he began, "Red is after the Valmarian trophy, but they don't have the evidence to prove it. They want us to find out how many trainers he has with him and how they're going to pull it off.

"But how are we gonna do that?" Frank jerked up pulling his arms in the air, "We barely have any leads, and for all we know, he might have ears listening on us now. That guy isn't gonna make this easy chief"

"Which is why I got you all one of these" the while haired trainer quickly pulled out several envelops from his pocket and handed them all one. "These are invitations to the Valmarian league next week. From there we can blend in with the group and find out more information about him. There's also no doubt that Red would be there as well"

"That also came to my attention" Rika interrupted holding her laptop, "I've done a little research on Red's connections and it seems like everything he's been doing so far are within the rule book. His invitation checks out and the rest of his IDs are solid facts. Whatever he's hiding, he's not making it easy for us to follow"

"Which is another reason why I'm putting the rest of you in this mission" the 'chief' answered, "Once we're all in, we find out as much as we can about him and those close to him. I want to know where he sleeps, what he eats and whoever he talks with. Leave nothing out… understood?"

"Yes…" the three of them replied in unison.

"Good… now go and get yourselves registered. The Central District should still be open right now. Once you are done, I'll contact you again. Dismiss" and with that last word, all three of them departed, leaving the boy to reflect upon his actions.

(Back at the quarry) (04:50 PM)

The gang were having a terrific time in the river today. With their trainer out for the day they felt like doing things they don't normally do often. May and Dawn were splashing water against each other with their Pokemons. Drew, Kenny, Richie and Duplica were talking about several forms of strategies along the river shores. Johanna, Zoey and Anabel were chatting on some random topics while Paul quietly sat on a corner, watching their every move. Even people like Paul can change, but he cannot change his own habit of being a loner.

But just when they were in the middle of their fun, May began to notice that a certain raven haired boy was not with them, sharing their good time. "Hey… where did Ash go?" even Dawn seemed to have noticed it too. "Dunno… he was here a minute ago. I wonder where he went"

Johanna noticed their conversation and decided to help them out, "Are you two looking for Ash? (nod) I think I saw him go at the banks of the waterfall with his Pikachu. Please tell him not to play too far ok" the two girls sweat drop as they couldn't believe that Dawn's mother would actually take Ash as a child. The boy has faced death straight in the eye and lived to tell the tale so many times that the grim reaper would put him on the first to kill list. If he can survive death over and over again then playing outside would barely be a challenge for him.

"Wanna go find him?" May asked Dawn to which she gladly replied with a nod.

As the two of them traversed through the waters, true to the mother's words, he was right where she said he'd be. Ash was sitting at the base of the waterfall relaxing peacefully like he had no troubles at all just as they expected. But what they didn't expect was the blonde champion Cynthia to be right beside him. The two of them, along with Pikachu seemed to be enjoying the serenity given to them by nature. They tried to resist the urge of scaring the heck out of the boy, but seeing him so calm and cool made them think otherwise. They quickly hid themselves behind the waterfall and prepared to shout out real loud to wake the two of them up, but just before they inhaled in their breath, Dawn stopped them to eaves drop on the conversation they were having.

"This is relaxing… isn't it?" Cynthia stated, shifting her body a little to expose the aching parts of her body to the water. "Yeah…" Ash replied with a slight moan at the end.

After a short moment of silence, the blonde champ began again, "Hey Ash…… I heard from professor Rowan that you were able to catch an Entei back in Oldale town back in the Hoenn region"

"An Entei?" Ash recalled for a moment and quickly remembered, "Oh yeah. Although I didn't see it back in the hotel along with my other friends. I wonder if professor Oak released it instead"

"Well... it doesn't really matter if you kept it or released it" Cynthia replied with a smile, "The important thing is that you saw it. I've never seen an Entei in real life before"

Ash shifted away from the waters for a moment when he turned to her, "Oh yeah… that reminds me. Didn't you wanted to see Dialga and Palkia before?" the girl simply flashed out a slight smile off her lips as her eyes remained closed. Ash could feel the immense emotion pulsating from her body as she slouched back on the rock she was sitting on. He could not tell why, but he could feel that Cynthia could feel.

"That's right…" she said finally, "I've spent six years looking for those two, but never had any luck of finding them. I joined up with several archaeological digs back in the Shinou region, just to hope to get a glimpse of them…… but so far… all I've been able to find were evidences of it" she then turned to the boy with eyes gleaming of hope, "But from what I've heard. You and Dawn saw them in Alamos town… right?" Ash looked surprise from her unusual expression before nodding back dumbly. "Tell me… how did they look like?" she asked while at the same time closing her proximity with his face, "Were they exactly like the stories told? Did they look majestic and beautiful just like they said in the books? Please… tell me honestly!" her face was so close to the boy that Ash could feel her breath on his nose.

Ash thought back for a moment, thinking of the time he spent back in Alamos town for Dawn to compete in that contest. It was supposed to be a regular contest until Dialga and Palkia stormed through the city creating panic and chaos.

A few seconds later, Cynthia began to notice the boy's discomfort, "Sorry…" she returned to her normal position, "I guess I'm asking a lot from you to remember what happened a long time ago. It's ok if you don't want to tell me. I just… I just…… it's just that I've been dreaming to see them for so long that I'm sort of… desperate" Ash looked back at her and began to notice the blonde champion's feelings. The sight of her eyes was enough to tell anyone that this girl has dedicated her life into finding these legendary Pokemons.

She had spend six years of her life just to get one look at these Pokemons, but here… stood the boy who barely even had to lift a finger to see them. So you could say that she felt kind of envious of the boy.

"Umm… uhh…" but just before Ash could even conjure up a reply, two figures suddenly jumped out from the waterfall, tackling him down into the water. "WAHHH!!"

"Surprise! Got ya!" May smiled as she moved out of the way.

Once Ash was able to get up, he spitted out probably a whole gallon of water out of his mouth like a water faucet. This was the second time he was scared till he nearly wet his pants. After shaking some of the water off him, he turned to the two new surprisers as they laughed at him. "Sorry Ash" Dawn apologized, "We didn't mean to scare you" ha! As if anyone was going to believe that excuse.

Just then, Johanna appeared from the sidelines, waving at the pack, "Hey everyone, the water is getting cold again. You'd better get out soon or you'll catch a cold"

Quickly, Ash and the other two girls walked out from the waterfall and joined the young mother for a little snack. But then Ash noticed that Cynthia wasn't budging an inch, "Are you coming Cynthia?"

"Nah… you go on ahead" she replied with a slight smile, "I'll catch up with you two later"

Ash nodded and quickly followed the others.

(Residential Area 1)

Red, the mysterious trainer from Kanto was making his way through the Residential District with that annoying smile imprinted on his face. Right now he was keeping a low profile due to the gang war currently happening all around the city. During the day, its all squeaky clean, but when the sun goes down, that's when things starts to get ugly. Gang thugs would pour out from their hiding places quickly trespassing to the other territories to find some of their rivaling opponents to battle with. Usually this would result to minor chaos and small property damage, but when one the big role figure hits the scene then people would start evacuating the area.

No one dared move around the bridges that connected the districts at night, for those are the places where gang wars were abundant.

"I'll have one small burger please" said Red as he approached one of the fast food stands in the district. Luckily for him, none of the gang members were around or he'd be filled as one of those who should be thrown out list. Just as the clerk handed him his order, the boy's cellphone suddenly began to ring. "Hello?" he answered cheerfully.

"It's me…" said the person on the other line which could easily be identified as a female.

Red's face did not change expression, "Oh hi there. I was wondering when you'd call" his cheerful expression and laughable face was enough to fool anyone who cannot tell the difference between acting and real life expression. "So what news do you have for me?"

"Before that, I just wanted to tell you that you're playing a very dangerous game, Red"

"Tell me something I don't know hehehehe" the boy smiled as he continued walking.

"I just confirmation that the Pokemon HQ has been alerted by your presence. By tomorrow, they'll have ears and eyes going around you 24/7. Do you still think we can pull this off?"

Red chuckled to the girl's words, "Now now… don't be scared my friend"

"You might as well BE scared Red" the girl cut him off his sentence, "Just by staying with Gary's gang already puts you on their suspect list" this news only made the boy sigh, dropping his act when no one was around, "This is troubling news indeed. I thought staying with Gary's crew might give me an edge over them. I guess I was wrong"

"So what are you going to do now?"

Red looked up to the clouds and thought for a moment in silence. "Hmm…"

"Red?"

He smirked behind his lips as he put the phone closer to his mouth, "I think it's time……… I found myself a new friend"

(Time skip) (06:00 PM)

As the gang finally dried themselves up from swimming at the river, Johanna decided to cook up some leftovers from Brock's meal. Knowing of Ash's unending appetite, she had to cook a lot more than for just ten people…… a lot more that's for sure.

But as she cooked up her meal, she turned around and noticed Ash and his friends chattering about their daily lives. It was nice to have a peaceful day like this with nothing unusual happening. After spending a few days with the gang, she could already see why her daughter has been such a hyper little rascal. After spending a week with this group, she practically had more excitement than she had back when she was first traveling back in the Shinou region.

"Children, dinner will be ready in ten minutes" she called out to them to which they gave out positive replies. "Teeheehee… those kids are sure full of energy. Oh it makes me want to wish I was ten years younger"

Cynthia simply smiled back at her questioningly, "Really? I feel good just being myself. Besides, I wouldn't want to be called 'tiny' again"

But then Johanna began wiggling her body disturbingly with a pinkish blush on her cheek, "Oh but think about it Cynthia. What I wouldn't give to be young again. My… if I was ten years younger, I might actually fall for Ash as well" this made the blonde champ spit whatever was in her mouth uncontrollably like she just ate something disgusting. "Oh, what's wrong Cynthia?"

"N… nothing…" the battle champion replied wiping the drool off her lips, "You… you just surprised me that's all" Johanna simply tilted her head slightly curious on what could've caught her best friend off guard like that.

As the two adults continued to watch the kids play with a beach ball, the shriek of lightning sparked at the distance, catching the attention of the gang. When the beach ball fell to a halt, Richie picked up Sparky from the ground and starred at the darker clouds looming over the horizon. "It looks like a storm is coming" Richie stated obviously with a little nerve at his back.

"Yeah…" Ash agreed as he put his Pokemons back into their Pokeballs. When Johanna saw the clouds, she knew right away that the place wasn't gonna be a playground for any of them. "Alright kids, pack it up and get dressed. Get everything inside before the storm comes. We wouldn't want all our stuff to get wet now would we?" the gang agreed to her and began packing up their supplies back into the cave. Even the other trainers that were part of the training group seemed to have agreed to the mother's statement.

And just as quickly as everyone were back in their respective caves, the rain clouds stood right on top of them as if it was right on cue. (Note that the gang genders sleep in different caves not the same ones)

The rain poured down so hard and so fast that Ash was glad he was able to get a warm bath before the clouds came over. But then it was kind of sad since he wasn't able to get any of Johanna's cooking. Right now… he wanted something to fill his stomach, but all he got left were Pokemon food and some fruits that barely even fill a portion of his undying appetite. His stomach growled and his mouth drooled almost like they were in synch with each other. Rosa tried to help by sharing a portion of her fruits with her, but even that was not enough.

As his Pokedex time management struck 06:45 PM, the boy began to see that the sun was slowly vanishing from sight. Taking note of the coming darkness, he quickly lit up a candlestick from Cynthia's pack and placed it on the table where it was most efficient and effective. "There we go. That should give us enough light for tonight" and just right on cue, Cynthia arrived with two plates on her hands. "Hey there Ash" she greeted politely like a wife returning home from work, "Johanna said that you would be hungry so she had me brought you this" with one whiff of the gourmet, Ash's drool became more obvious which made the blonde champ chuckle with delight. The boy can be a real clown at times and to make her laugh was probably something worth celebrating.

When the plates were set on the table, Ash and Cynthia quickly took out their Pokemons so they could have a chow down as well. With all the Pokemons happily eating, the two humans took their respective seats near the table and began chowing down as well. Johanna's cooking was almost like Brock, but hers has more of a mother's touch rather than a father's touch. The creamy sauce was breath taking and the meat just literally melts into your mouth. The odor was so fantastic that it would make you almost feel like you weren't getting enough oxygen. (Man, I'm even making myself hungry!)

And before Ash was finished analyzing every aspect of the dish, he realized that he had already emptied his plate. "Eh!? W… what happened to my food?"

"You were eating it when you were thinking" Cynthia gave out a chuckle before taking another bite off her plate. But then suddenly, Ash's stomach sounded off again, filling up the silent tension in the area. After another moment of silence, Cynthia began to sniffle out a laugh while Ash turned bright red like tomato. The boy felt like he was probably the most embarrassed person in the entire world right at that moment. When the blonde champ could hold it no longer, she cracked out nearly as loud as Pikachu followed by the rest of the Pokemons in the cave (except for Rosa) This only made Ash shrink down to the size of an ameba (very very small)

After a whole three minutes passed by, Cynthia stopped her laugh and placed her cooking utensils down, "Here Ash…" she gestured to her plate, "If you're still hungry, you can have some of mine"

"Really?" Ash plopped back to his original size as he turned to his roommate, "Thanks Cynthia!" any thought of denying that offer was completely rejected from the boy's mind. Without a second thought, Ash began picking through the smaller pieces of Cynthia's plate and placed it on his. As he munched through the food, he began to chew them slower now so that he could get the full effectiveness of the taste. He simply closed his eyes and allowed his brain to process all the info.

As the boy gradually drained the meat into his taste buds, Cynthia took a good look at Ash's face, getting all the details into his head. She had to admit that he looked kinda cute even without his Pikachu on his shoulder. His face still retained some of those baby fats meaning that he was still a child, but his skills in Pokemon training and battle proved to differ. In truth, the boy seemed to have surpassed even her at such a young age. It seemed like the time of the new generation was fast approaching.

"Emm hmm… delicious" Ash said finally, opening his eyes only to noticed that the blonde champ seemed to have locked a stare on him. There was a small smile on her lips and a bit of sparkle coming out of her eyes, twinkling like stars. He looked at her confused on how to start up a conversation. But then a topic came to his head. "Oh yeah… sorry Cynthia…" the woman was caught completely off guard with that apology. She didn't even know what he was apologizing for. "About what Ash?" she questioned.

"We weren't able to have that rematch you wanted ahehehehe" Ash rubbed the back of his head shyly with a fake laugh.

When the blonde champ realized what he was apologizing for she returned another smile, "Oh that's ok Ash. We can have another battle tomorrow then..."

"If Brandon gives us a chance that is…" the two of them broke out a small laugh which was quite entertaining for the time. For the first time in her life, Cynthia felt at ease at the boy's presence. Whenever she was with someone, she would always have to put up a small tough girl act. But with Ash, she felt like she could just drop her mask and be who she truly was. Her shoulders lowered themselves as if they were exhausted. Her legs were loosened, after being stiff for so long and her bodily pressure seemed to have dropped considerably. For the first time in a long while, Cynthia had dropped her guard, feeling like she was protected by an invisible shield that emanated from Ash's aura. His very presence in this cave felt like there was an army of knights shielding her from all kinds of dangers.

They talked over and over again, changing from one topic to another, from battle strategies to everyday living. It was as if they were living together and that cave of theirs was their home. From seconds turned to minutes and from minutes turned to hours. But with all the laugh and talking going around, Ash's stomach suddenly began growling again, making the boy rub his belly with fake agony, "Ohh… I'm still hungry" he groaned.

Cynthia would've laughed again if she could, but right at that moment, she decided to reward Ash for his time. "Here Ash…" she handed him, her plate, and switched it with the empty one. "You can have the rest of mine. I'm not really that hungry anyway" but just the moment she got up from her seat, Ash noticed that her black leather jacket was dripping wet from the rain. "Hey… your jacket is wet" he notified her with his hand.

Cynthia quickly took note of her cold jacket and hastily took it off, "Oh dear… it must've gotten caught up with the rain. It was really pouring out there" but then suddenly her eyes widened when she felt Ash put his jacket onto her shoulders. She jerked her head around only to see the boy flash out his trademark smile, "We wouldn't want to have one of the world's most powerful Pokemon trainer get a cold now would we?" he said with a wide grin. As the girl looked back at him, she began to feel her cheeks suddenly burning as if someone placed heat tabs on them.

Without her jacket, Cynthia had revealed her inner clothing. Her inner shirt was sleeveless, exposing her pale white arms and her black leather wristbands to the world. She had a silver watch on her left arm which told the exact time of the Shinou region and a small jeweled necklace on her neck (duh)

When Ash returned to the table to finish his meal, Cynthia could feel the warmth coming out from the boy's jacket. His scent was imprinted on the inner part of the cotton giving the impression that he must've worn this for a very long time. There were several stitch marks on the outer part, giving the idea that it also must've seen a lot of action as well. By looking and touching the soft fabric itself, the blonde battle trainer could already tell what the boy had been through his life.

The slightly stained part deep beneath every string tells that the boy was a sloppy eater and garble down food at his own pace at times when he's really hungry. The blackened areas that were re-colored tells of dangerous situations that the boy had been through. This could usually be caused by an electric or fire type attack. And of course, the sewn parts seemed to tell that he's been attacked more than once in his life. The boy must've lived through a lot, heck she was even wondering how many dangerous situations he got himself into.

As she tightened her grip around the jacket, Cynthia could feel like the boy was right next to her, embracing her with his two strong arms. When she felt that, she began to believe that she was a princess trapped in a giant castle and Ash was the dragon that protected her from all harms. She truly didn't want this feeling to end. It felt so warm that the winter rain outside was completely forgotten. She could really get used to this kind of treatment.

But just when she was about to say something to thank Ash, someone barged into their cave like some wild animal.

Johanna and the rest of the gang suddenly plopped into the room, scaring the heck out of everyone, even the Pokemons. "Hey there Ash!" Johanna greeted, "I thought you might still be hungry so Dawn and I made you some more curry!" when they barged in, it was as if the street carnival had landed into the cave, creating all sorts of noise. Ash would've been angry when they barged in like that, but the rice curry persuaded him to reconsider. With one whiff of the platter, Ash's stomach began to growl more and more, causing him to blush even brighter.

"Don't you people know how to knock!?" Cynthia burst out suddenly, which frightened the group a little bit. Never before had she yelled before during their trip unless of course it was sending out an order to one of her Pokemons. Not even Johanna was able to comprehend as well.

The reason why the blonde champ was angry was because her guard was down. She never expected them to come in here and so she couldn't possibly expect to welcome them with open arms. As she looked back at their stares, she felt so… so… vulnerable. Her usual barrier was not there to protect her and even then… she almost felt like a helpless kitty that was lost in the city.

"Is… something wrong Cynthia?" Johanna asked with a slightly puzzled face. The blonde champ had to think of an excuse fast or risk embarrassing herself even more. She then turn a pouting face as she looked away, "S… someone could be changing! (yeah, good one) Next time, knock on the rock before you enter" the gang let out a soft chuckle to release the tension of the moment. But for Ash, he was now more focused on the bowl Dawn was carrying.

When the gang finally settled in, Cynthia decided to put her old wet jacket back on as she sighed heavily upon herself. She could not tell why she was feeling this way, but with everyone here in one cave, the oxygen in the air seemed to have thickened slightly. With Ash being occupied by the others, the blonde champ simply took her book and sat on one of the corner to try and get some peace on her own.

(The next morning) (2 Days before the Valmarian league)

When the next morning sun kissed the face of the quarry, the whole gang awoke from their slumber to begin their next training regime. To their depressive sighs, Brandon was there and it looked like he brought in more equipment than usual. The whole training group awoke all together at the sound of the Pyramid King's whistle at exactly 07:00 AM. Considering how early it was and how late the gang slept last night, everyone could tell that Ash and his friends were not in their peek right now.

"Alright troops listen up!" Brandon yelled out, snatching their attention, "Today you and your Pokemons will be carrying these weights from here to that mountain over there!" he pointed towards a small hill about six or seven kilometers from the quarry, "Once you get there, one of my assistants will explain the next exercise. You all have three hours to get there. Now go!" and with commanding voice, the group quickly called out their Pokemons and attached weights onto their bodies. Ash was the first to get up in front followed by three other trainers then the rest followed up.

When the pack was finally able to get up and running, the gang didn't seem like they have the strength to move on. Thanks to Johanna's hangover party, they all didn't have enough time to get some shut eye. Ash and the others had bangs under their eyes and their feet were wobbling… but that wasn't going to stop them. They kept on running even when their minds were telling them to shut down.

But as Ash ran in front of everyone else (thanks to his incredible stamina) Johanna seemed to have caught a wind off herself, "This brings back old memories from when I first started on my journey" she smiled happily which was quite disturbing for the others since they were all pretty much beat up. "This is almost just like the time when I had to carry a wounded Pokemon on my back all across the mountain to get to a Pokemon center"

But this only caused Dawn to sulk her face down in shame. To have her mother reminisce about the old times of her journey in front of everyone was quite embarrassing to say the least. She had to hide her face from the gang as they chuckled behind her back, heck even Zoey was sniffling a giggle.

(Behind the bushes)

Team Rocket, the most annoying pest this world has ever known was hiding behind the bushes with binoculars and a pair of walkie talkies. From the looks of their uniform, they appear to be having one of those stealthy camouflage moments. "Look there" said James, "It's that twerp and the other twerps"

"And it looks like there are some non-twerps in the pack" said Meowth as he referred to Cynthia and Johanna.

"If you stick with the twerps long enough, you might actually get a chance to see a celebrity or two along the way" Jessie added with a slight smirk, "But who cares about that!? Let's nab that Pikachu while they still have their hands tied!" the three quickly agreed and quickly entered their new mechanized robot, the TR Wobunator! And with the gang still carrying their weights, they were bound to be caught off guard that's for sure.

"Hey Jessie" James perked up, "I have a question. Since that twerp has been destroying our robots over and over again, what makes you think that this robot will make any difference?"

"Oh don't worry James, this robot will work just fine… hehehehehehe. With my designs, this baby will teach those twerps not to mess with Team Rocket ever again… ahohohohoho"

(Jessie's imagination run)

Team Rocket was standing on top of a jagged rock in the middle of a battlefield with their machine standing right behind them. As they looked down, Ash and the rest of his companions bowed their heads in defeat. They had been battling for so long that they knew that defeat was soon to come.

"Oh great Jessie" Ah began, "I should've known that not even every trainer in the world can match against you and your robots. For this, we surrender. Please accept my Pikachu… because I am not worthy…"

In an instant, the trios began laughing in a very villain like manner, cheering for their victory.

(Back to reality)

Also in real life the trios were still laughing like they were in Jessie's dream.

(Back with the gang)

As half the gang finally caught up to Ash, they slowed down their pace slightly as they now climbed up the steep slopes of the hill. Ash was still up front along with his Pikachu and his other Pokemons (Sceptile, Lucario [Rosa, Corphis, Staravia and Houndoom) but as they went up higher and higher, their speed seemed to have gone down hill.

"Man… I wonder how much further, till we get there" Ash questioned to which they all agreed. After traveling for almost an hour, the whole troupe felt like they could collapse at any minute. Heck, even some of weaker trainers seemed to have dropped to the ground half way there. "Come on guys, let's keep moving!" he encouraged his friends to push forward even though all hope of getting there seemed rather bleak. "If Brandon can do it then so can I! (Pikachu!)" with his awe inspiring determination to be the best of the best, Cynthia let out a smile as she pushed herself beyond her limits to get up to the top.

"Come on everyone!" the blonde champ passed down her encouragement, "We don't want to get left behind now would we?" with a move that would surprise even the gods themselves, Cynthia quickly removed her long jacket and tied the long sleeves around her waist, giving her that bad-boy-adventurous look. And for one last touch, she even tied her hair with a blue ribbon to make a ponytail that goes a few inches below her neck. If she was still back in college, I wouldn't be surprised if someone confessed to her once a week. She would probably look like the most popular girl you would find in school. With her new appearance, her slim like curves were more visible and her eyes sparkled like they were just rekindled by a torch light.

When some of the boys in the training group saw her, their faces started to blush up like they were on fire. But when Johanna saw her old childhood best friend dress up like that she knew right away that something was up. The only time Cynthia was ever that excited was when she was on one of her proud adventures and the last time she had one of those was probably three years ago. But not wanting to pressure her, Johanna simply took a mental note to ask her about it later. To see the blonde battle champion so invigorated was like feeling that she was back during her early days of adventuring.

Once the training group finally arrived at the hill, they immediately drop their weights onto the ground and land their rears onto the floor like pack of cattles that had been hoarded into this place for some reason. True to Brandon's words, one of his assistants was there with a stop watch on his hand. "Alright… that seems like everybody" he stated as he stared at the weakened group that approached him, "You may all take a break here. Whoever is ready to take the next exercise can come to me at any time" as usual, Ash was the first one to get up. He wanted to get to the next challenge that Brandon had to offer him.

"I'm ready!" he stated with a proud smile.

The assistant nodded, "Very well..." he then handed Ash a set of grappling hooks and a belted vest that was attached to a long stretch of rope. "Your next challenge will be to cross this ravine…" the moment Ash looked at the other side of the hill, a wide chasm seemed to have opened up to him giving that chilly feeling down the hair on his skin. He took a large gulp of his breath down his throat as the tasked seemed to be more dangerous than your usual normal everyday exercise. "You may take with you your Pokemons. But please be very careful" the assistant warned.

"Alright…" the boy tightened the grip on the crystal shard on his chest as he prepared for the challenge. "We came this far now, there's no way I'm turning back (Pika pika pikachu) Your with me Pikachu. Everyone return" with all of his regular Pokemons back in their Pokeballs, he turned to his Guardian, "Rosa, do you mind waiting for me on the other side? I promise I'll be there before dinner" Rosa nodded back quietly and with her great agility, she was able to cross the chasm with relative ease.

But just before Ash suited up, another figure came up from behind taking another vest as well. To his surprise, it was none other than Cynthia, his roommate (or cave-mate or whatever) "I'm ready too…" she said with a great deal of determination coming out of her voice. The assistant nodded and handed her one set of grappling hooks.

As the two of them got into positions above the chasm, they turned to the gang who looked like they still needed some time to rest. "I'll see you guys on the other side then!" Ash gave out a thumbs up to them as a morale booster. "You ready Cynthia?" the girl nodded back with a wide smile, "Alright then… here we go!" with one good leap, the two of them jumped down and slid their way down the ravine leaving behind a tired and exhausted group.

But Johanna seems to suspect something. Oh yes… you can't hide anything from a mother's eye that is for sure. "Something… is… up…"

(Back in the chasm)

As Ash slid down the chasm with Cynthia, the boy decided that it was too dangerous for Pikachu to go with him the normal way so he tucked the little mouse into his jacket where it could snuggle perfectly through the warmth of the boy's body. Hopefully he will stay that way and not electrocute him when he's jumping.

After taking the first few leaps, Ash suddenly began to feel a bit more… assured, "Hey… this isn't as scary as it looks" he let out a small smile which reassured Pikachu greatly, "This is actually kind of fun"

Cynthia agreed, "Yeah… this isn't exactly my first mountain climbing experience either" she began, "Back when I first began my journey, I had to climb over so many mountains and hills that I grew a habit of climbing high places. How about you Ash? Is this your first time climbing up and down a chasm?"

The boy shook his head, "Not really. I climbed a lot of places back in the Orange Islands. I guess I haven't really done this in awhile so it's still kinda new for me"

The blonde champ then grew out a grin, "Well then…… wanna have a race?" before the boy could even let out a reply, the woman had already gone down way ahead of him, "Last one there is a Slowbro hahahaha!"

"Hey no fair, you started off first!" Ash laughed back, quickly fastening his pace to follow the girl to the bottom of the chasm.

When the two of them finally arrived at the bottom, they let out a hearty laugh all together while unfastening their ropes. The place below the chasm was amazing! A small shallow river was flowing through the ravine, creating some sort of like a snake pattern or something. At first, Ash and Cynthia thought the place to be empty, but heck this place was more than they could expect. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also very warm. The snow that were able to drift into this area seemed to have evaporated before they could even touch the ground of this magnificent place.

As the two of them looked around some more, Cynthia turned to her partner and smiled, "There's still plenty of time before the others get here. Wanna have lunch before we climb back up the other side?" the boy obviously agreed as he was not one to reject an offer of food. Thanks to Johanna, he was able to save a plate full of that delicious curry she made and stuffed into the lunchbox Brock gave to him before they left for this training regime.

As they unload their supplies the two of them began chowing down on their food, "Let's eat! (ittedakimasu!)" they said together.

(Che-val'yere hotel)

Professor Oak was having a cup of afternoon tea alone at the hotel lobby after cross examining some documents from professor Birch's research. The man was clearly obsessed with the P-wave signatures that appeared about a few months ago. But after weeks of listening and waiting, there had been so signs of that psychic energy anywhere.

"Here's your order sir" said the waiter as he placed a small sandwich on the table. "If you need anything else, just give any of us a call"

But just before the professor could take a bite off that delicious treat, a voice crept up behind him, nearly catching him off balance, "It's good to see you again Samuel" Jerking his head back, his eyes came into sight of an equally old man wearing the same lab coat he was wearing. "Professor Rowan?"

"The one and the same" Rowan smirked back along with his assistants. Professor Oak quickly stood up and was more than glad to shake his hand, "I knew that you always like to have your afternoon tea in cool places so I thought of looking for you here first"

"Hehehehhe…… I guess old habits are hard to go away huh"

Rowan nodded, "It sure it Samuel. Oh and before I forget… here…" he handed professor Oak a Pokeball with an odd mark on the top.

"What's this?"

"That's the Entei you sent me a few days ago" Rowan explained, "I thought I'd give it back before Ash returns. I heard he and Dawn and the others went with a training group some time ago"

"That's correct" Samuel reconfirmed it, "He's trying to become stronger than he is now. Though it's hard to believe how much stronger he can actually become. Why don't you have a seat? I'm sure you must be really tired after your trip to Valmarian city"

"I'd love to" Rowan then quickly turned to his assistants, "The rest of you take the day off. We'll meet at the Pokemon HQ tomorrow morning"

"Yes professor" the three assistants said in unison before walking towards the registration desk.

As the two renowned scientists sat together on the couch, the waiter returned to take on a few more orders. "So I hear that this year's tournament is going to be a big one" Rowan began, "I heard that Kanto is sending their best and brightest trainers to win the cup for their region"

Samuel nodded back, "Emm hmm… with everything that's been happening, I'm not surprised that there are a lot more trainers than last time. I even hear Hoenn and Johto and bringing out their most powerful trainers. Even the Elite Fours are competing"

"Well that goes without saying now doesn't it?" the two of them let out another laugh. "Anyway Samuel, I've been meaning to ask you something" professor Oak quickly put down his tea cup and focused his attention back onto the white haired man, (Rowan has white hair while Samuel has gray hair) "Have you seen Ash's Lucario lately?"

"You mean the one he calls Rosa?"

The old Shinou scientist nodded back, "Yes, I've been keeping a little eye on that one and it seems to be very powerful indeed. I was wondering if Ash could spare her for me to do some analysis, but I guess Entei will have to do. I have never before seen a Lucario with such magnificent colors. I hear, even professor Ivy have even taken a small interest in that little one. But enough about Ash. What about you Samuel? What have you been doing lately?"

"Oh just the usual" professor Oak began, "Birch keeps nagging about that P-wave detector of his and is currently trying to keep things in order in his lab. But now he's currently taking a slight vacation here in Valmarian city. I just hope he gets some rest"

(Back at the chasm)

Right after Ash and Cynthia were done eating, they quickly packed up and prepared to climb up the other side. "Alright, I'm ready!" said the boy from a well earned rest. "Come on, the last one up there makes dinner!"

"Ha you're on!" the blonde champ agreed. But just when they were about to clip onto the top, a sudden rumble occurred at the mouth of the ravine causing the two of them to stop and look. "Hmm?" Ash tilted his head as he focused his eyes on the far off distance. From the looks of it, a large figure was approaching them at an incredible speed and it looked like a…… Wobbuffet?

"Is that a Wobbuffet?" Cynthia asked pointing at the Pokemon that was coming their way. As it came closer and closer and closer towards them, the two trainers could identify that the Pokemon was actually a giant tank shaped like a Wobbuffet.

"It's a… robot?" Ash said confused. But after a moment, a thought hit him. Who else would actually build a robot Pokemon? "Oh… no… not them again…"

"Prepare for trouble you poor little child…"

"And make it double cuz we're gonna get wild…"

"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 the stars above…"

"Jessie"

"Jamaahh!!!?" just when they were about to finish, the tank seemed to have gotten into a pothole, creating a slight bump, ruining their whole motto. "Meowth! Watch where you're driving, we were almost finished with our motto!"

"You try piloting a machine with three controllers!" the cat shot back.

"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted, "Not you guys again! Why can't you ever leave me alone!?"

"It's called 'persistence' twerp" Jessie replied with a proud smirk, "Something that you should know very clearly. With your attitude, I'm not surprised that you haven't given up yet. But anyway… back to business. Give us that Pikachu and the rest of your Pokemons and no one gets hurt!"

"Dream on! Pikachu, give them a taste of your thunder bolt attack! (Pikachu!!!!)" the little mouse quickly unleashed an array of electricity but upon impact, it seemed to made very little effect. "What the?"

"Ahohohohohoho. Nice try twerp" James countered, "But this machine is made of pure titanium steel. There's not a force on earth that can take this baby down"

But then Cynthia came in, "We'll just see about that! Garchomp, to my side!" the dragon like Pokemon appeared out of its Pokeball, prepared to fight to the finish. "Now Garchomp use Brick Break!" the wings of the Dragon quickly shone out as it slammed against the machine, sending it a few meters back but with not much damage. "Ash, it looks like if we can concentrate on hitting it at one spot, we can break through its armor!" the boy nodded and quickly called out Burno to aid him. "Aim for that same spot it struck and we can take it down!"

"Right! Burno, use fireblast on that crack!" the Houndoom quickly released a blazing inferno out of its mouth. Upon impact, the cracked part of the machine began to heat up, creating some sort of steam.

"We have to do something!" Jessie shouted to her companions, "Mewoth, doesn't this thing have any weapons!?"

"Already on it!" with a press of a button, the Wobbunator suddenly opened out its hatches, revealing many missiles and rockets. "Have a taste of this one twerp! It's time you guys blast off for a change!" with a press of another button, all the missiles were immediately fired off, destroying everything upon impact. But sadly, the targeting mechanism of the Wobbunator needed readjustment because they can't even shoot properly. As several missiles headed directly to Ash and Cynthia, they suddenly turned away and missed… but destroyed everything else around the ravine.

"We got to get out of here!" Ash recommended to which Cynthia most certainly agreed. The blonde champ quickly returned Garchomp back into its Pokeball and quickly turned to Ash for a fast getaway "Staravia, I choose you! (Star! Staravia!) Staravia, I need you to get these grappling hooks to that rock on top there! Go as fast as you can! Hurry!" the bird Pokemon quickly grab both Ash and Cynthia's grappling hooks and flew up top. Once Staravia was able to hook the grappling on the rock Ash mentioned, it quickly flew back down to give them the all clear signal. And not a moment too soon too, for as they got up, the rocks around them began to crumble.

"Alright, let's go!" and with that, the two of them began climbing the chasm, hoping to get to the top on time.

And just when the last missile hit, a giant chuck of rock suddenly crumbled down from the chasm, smashing the top part of the robot. "Uh… Meowth…" Jessie began, "Why can't we move?"

"It looks like one of them rocks smashed up the roller blades" the cat replied calmly, "In a matter of seconds, the whole thing will explode…"

"Oh… ok…" the red head said also calmly.

After a few moments of silence, they all cried out together, "NOT AGAIN!!!!!" BOOOOMMMM!! A massive explosion occurred in the cockpit, sending the trio back into the sky.

"You know… we should really find a way to capture that Pikachu when that twerp is not with him" James suggested even though they were still in mid air. "Yeah… but the only time he ever leaves his side would be when they go to the Pokemon center" Mewoth replied after having his four whiskers burned. With one last sigh, they shouted out their closing remark, "Looks like Team Rocket is… falling down again…"

"Well that's that I guess" Ash added with a slight bit of sarcasm in his voice. "I hope we didn't hurt then\m too bad"

"Don't worry" Cynthia assured, "I'm sure this isn't the first time they got blown off like that. Besides, I have a feeling those guys have more than a hundred cats with nine lives" but then suddenly, another rubble could be heard coming from up top. When the two of them turned their heads, they noticed that Cynthia's rope was severely damaged by the explosion. "Oh no… Cynthia, take off your vest hurry!" with a snap sound coming from the rope, the blonde haired trainer quickly remove her belted vest but was too late, she fell.

The girl believed that this was over. No way, could anyone survive a fall like that, not even Brandon. As she closed her eyes, she could see her whole life flashing before her. The day when she got her first Pokemon, the day when she became champion of the Shinou region… and when… she lost… it all came to her in a flash of a second.

But as the seconds turned to minutes, she now believed that she was in heaven. She could no longer feel the earth under her feet, she could not hear the sounds of the wind, just the rhythm of her own breathing. As she finally opened up her eyes, she could see that she was floating over the ravine she was supposed to fall in. She knew right at that moment that she was dead. Why else would she be floating over objects?

But then her death thoughts were interrupted, when a familiar voice cut in, "You ok Cynthia!?" when she looked up, her eyes widened when her sight came into contact with Ash. Apparently, the boy was able to slide back down just moments before she hit the ground. His hand was tightly gripping upon her amazingly small wrist and with enough strength, he was able to pull her up, "I'll take that look of yours as a yes" he joked as he answered his own question. "Hold on, I'll try to pull you in" with the boy's amazing strength, he was able to pull her up with relative ease, "Now hold onto my back and I'll have us out of here in no time" she simply nodded back dumbly, unable to reply with words. When the girl locked her arms around Ash's neck, the boy quickly let Pikachu out of its jacket to make some room. "Alright Staravia, pull in"

The bird on top quickly began aiding Ash by pulling his rope so that it won't break like Cynthia's.

As they pulled themselves closer to the top of the chasm, our blonde champ began to feel rather… odd. Her cheeks began to heat up as if there were heat tabs placed on them. Her body felt so warm that winter felt the hottest time of summer. Her heart suddenly began to race against the clock and her blood value began to go faster and faster with each passing second. But she didn't despise this feeling one bit. In fact, she loved it. With her arms wrapped around the boy, she could feel like she was protected by a castle with hundred of soldiers. With Ash around, she felt… safe… secure… and most importantly… calm…

When they finally reached the top, one of the assistants came by with a medical kit on his hand, "Are you two alright? I heard an explosion down there and so I thought something must've happened!" but Ash just waved it off, "It was nothing big… just a little quake… ahehehehehehe"

(Uno café)

Havic, Emma and Steve were at their usual hangout for another one of their less important meetings. From the look on their faces, they seemed to be having a normal day. "So what's new Havic?" the Dark Queen asked with her usual scowl. "You didn't call us here just because you wanted someone to eat with right?"

The Spiked Armor (Havic) gave out a 'hmph' sound, "Steve… what have you got on that Ketchum kid?" the nerd-hippy quickly unfolded his laptop and typed something on the screen, "Well ever since Gary defeated Ash's Pikachu, our numbers have been rising considerably. We even have some boys from the Bail Outs joining us too"

Havic nodded and gave out that look where it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. After a few seconds of silence, Emma finally got irritated, "Hey what's with all that skulking? Come on Havic, Gary beat Ash, shouldn't we be happy about that? If he can do that again in the Valmarian league, that money is as good as ours!"

"Yeah…" the ex-boss said finally, "But I don't wanna take any chances"

"So what do you have in mind?" Steve asked also a little irritated by the look on Emma's face. "Want me to try and get him to quit?"

"No… I doubt any attempts to persuade him will only be a waste of time" he explained to them, "The only way we can get him to quit… is to… get him to quit himself…"

"How do we do that?" Emma tilted her head slightly.

"Teehehehehehe… I think it's time we spread a little rumor…"

(Back with the gang) (06:00 PM)

As the rest of the training group finally made it to the other side of the chasm, Brandon arrived a few minutes later, to congratulate them. "Congratulations everyone. It seems like you all managed to make it through the chasm after all. I must say I had my doubts. This training exercise was meant to test every aspect of your ability. When you ran with water buckets, that was test your endurance. When you swam across the river, that tested your perseverance and when you ran to that hill and cross the ravine, it was meant to test your cooperation with your Pokemons. I'm glad that all of you managed to make it without too much injury… so to congratulate you all… I set up a little something for you!"

With a flick of his finger, the truck on the back suddenly plopped open revealing a buffet set up just about everyone. With the sight of food in front of them, the gang quickly rushed in and grab themselves a plate full of their own favorite dish.

"Alright food!" Richie and Ash said together as they rushed in towards the table. The moment they managed to put everything into one single plate, they began chewing and gulping down like crazy. In a matter of minutes they were already on their fifth plate.

When the others saw this they immediately let out a tiny sweat drop, "How many stomachs do those two have?" Kenny asked with a tiny fake laugh. "As much as those two could possibly eat" Duplica replied also wondering how much they could eat. Heck even Brandon believed that not even their buffets could fill their appetite.

"By the way Cynthia" Johanna called in the blonde girl, "What happened in the ravine? We all heard an explosion there and we all got worried" but the battle champion simply waved it off, "Oh it was nothing" she replied with a bright sunny side up smile, "There was just a little earthquake but we were ok. I did lose my vest though ahehehehe"

"Oh really?" Johanna replied not believing a single word she said. "Something's not right with her… she seems too happy to be the Cynthia I know. Something's going on and I'm gonna find out what, even if it's the last thing I do!" she nearly thought out loud with that pulsating aura of hers.

It wasn't long then till Drew came out from the sidelines, "Hey guys. Ash and Richie are gonna battle it out who can eat the most! Come on and see!" Kenny immediately lifted himself up and headed towards the growing crowd.

"Not again…" Dawn sighed to which Zoey looked back at her questioningly, "What's wrong Dawn?"

"Nothing really" she replied, "It's just that whenever Ash eats too much, he usually gets stomach lumps. I should know. He ate a lot back when we were traveling back in Shinou"

May chuckled in agreement, "I guess that's Ash for you. Never a time where he'll back out from a fight" after that, the two of them dashed off to see the food competition. Ash was there along with Richie… and from the looks of it, two more competitors were in the field also ready to be crowned king of foods.

Strangely enough, Paul seemed to be one who's refereeing the whole competition. "Alright you four listen up. The main dish will count as five points whenever it's finish. The side dish and soup all counts as one point. The one with the most points wins (nods) Alright then…… begin…" even though he said the magic word so calmly, the crowd around seemed to be enticed. With a press of his stopwatch the whole crowd roared out a series of cheers and laughs. The only thing the gang could find similar was the word 'eat eat eat eat eat eat'

Richie was ahead first with twenty points, finishing his side dish first then go for the main dish. He was followed by Ash and the other two came in third and fourth place. Pikachu and Sparky were dressed in their Kimonos waving their fans to cheer their masters (you can see Pikachu in his Kimono in various episodes)

Trying to get over the edge, Ash hastened his eating speed and began chowing things faster and faster, earning him several stares from the audience. Heck, just watching the four of them eat was making every feel like they wanna barf.

But during the process of eating, Ash seemed to have swallowed something to fast. He choked on the piece of meat like he had a sore throat. "Oh oh! Ash swallowed a bad meat!" said one of the spectators. When Rosa caught a scent of trouble she immediately got to her king and punch him at the back, forcing him to spit the bad meat.

"Ash spit out a meat" Paul stated with his hands pointing at him, "Therefore he is disqualified" with that statement done, Richie held out his stomach proudly and drank a whole glass of water to drown the whole thing down.

With tonight's fun over the group turned to Brandon for his kind words, "Alright everyone… the Valmarian league starts tomorrow afternoon and everyone is expected to be there early. So I want you all to have a goodnight's rest back at the quarry and I wish you all good fortunes. We will come and pick you up in the morning and from there we will bring you all to the Arena District at first light. No one gets left behind alright" with a couple of nods from the group, the entire gang packed up and quickly headed back towards the quarry via truck that was kindly provided by the Pokemon League society.

(1 hour later) (Back at the quarry) (18 Hours till Valmarian League begins)

After saying their goodnights and cleaning themselves off, the gang quickly head back to their respective caves so that they could sleep early and wake up early as well. With the Valmarian league being so close they could already feel the tension growing with each passing moment.

"Ahh… bed… it never felt so good…" Ash moaned with great pleasure as his body made contact with his sleeping bag. The softness of the cotton made him forget about the pain happening on his back and the wounds he suffered during the times in Fort Gregro. It was amazing that the boy was still intact after receiving so many hits, but I guess years of training must've solidified his weak muscles till they were as nearly as hard as iron.

But just as Ash was about to go to sleep, he noticed that his room mate was packing up her things. "Cynthia?"

She jerked her head around and smiled back, "Oh sorry Ash. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm just packing up my things so that we can leave early tomorrow without any troubles. You should pack up too if you don't want to pack up in the morning" Ash quickly found that her statement had a point and knew that he wouldn't want to work so early in the morning. So taking her word for it, the boy agreed and began packing his things. He didn't really bring much to begin with.

Just as he packed up his last essentials, Ash suddenly felt something deep within his backpack. "Heh? What's this?" as he ruffled deeper into his sack, he pulled out another one of those rare medallions that he had been giving to all of his friends lately. But this was different from the others. It was a Riolu this time. It was made of silver just like the others, but the figure it mimicked was very detailed. As he dangled it in front of his face, the light from the candlestick seemed to reflect upon it perfectly like it was made out of crystals.

"Another medallion?" Cynthia smirked, "I used to have a lot of those when Johanna and I were back in high school. When we were kids, we couldn't get enough of those things. I wanted to collect the whole set, so I spent all of my allowance into buying them"

"Wow… so you have the whole set Cynthia?" Ash asked a little amazed by the fact.

But she only shook her head in response, "No… after a few years, I suddenly lost them during a typhoon storm back in my home town. I tried collecting them again after awhile, but when I heard that the company stopped making them, I kinda forgot about it. I was particularily interested in the legendary Pokemons like Lugia and Moltres, but they never showed up"

"Is that how you became interested with Dialga and Palkia?" Ash asked with a curious brow raised. The blonde girl thought for a moment before replying, "Hmmm… now that you mentioned it. Yeah… I think it is. Every time I was able to get a rare medallion like those, I would always believe that someday I would see one of them for sure. I guess that was the only thing that kept me going during that time. It's pretty silly isn't it?"

But then to her surprise, Ash flashed out one of his widest grin, "I don't think it's silly at all" he replied frantically with his smile, "I think it's great that you have something to remind you of your goals. My goal is to become a Pokemon Master… but I don't really have anything to remind me of it. Sometimes… I even forget why I'm even doing this (Pikapika) Hahahaha…"

"Thanks Ash" Cynthia smiled even brighter than before.

"Hey… we all have our own dreams right? Then here…" with a fast move, Ash grabbed the woman's wrist and place the medallion on her hand. "I think you should keep this. This is what inspired you to continue on with your dream. As long as you know what your dreams are, then I know you'll never lose your way of finding it" as the two of them locked gaze upon each other, Cynthia just seemed to have lost herself in those golden eyes of his. His eyes were as black as the black hole in space. They were so deep that the vast ocean would pale in comparison. "So don't forget it…… ok?"

(The next morning) (6 hours till the Valmarian league begins)

Morning… the time when you can only say that a new day has finally arrived. The only time when you can look up to the sky and shout till your heart's content. The only time when you can wake up from a long nap... Ah… yes… morning.

But today was not like any morning. No… today was not gonna be like the morning you would see like yesterday or tomorrow. No…… because this morning… is the beginning… of the Valmarian league.

Noises filled the air like chaos ensuing the world, trainers from all over the city left their sanctuaries and kissed their love ones goodbye like they were going to war, shops in the area opened two hours earlier than usual to prepare for the coming battle, and both men and women come today… for a journey that will undoubtedly make them…… heroes.

But right now… let's focus on our 'heroes'

(Back at the quarry)

Johanna was irritated… no wait scratch that… she was annoyed… no wait not that… she was ticked off beyond reason! 'Why' you ask? Well apparently, it has to do with something about her best friend smiling and singing as she packed up her things on the truck And it looks like the other members of the gang seemed to notice it as well. Cynthia was happy, disturbingly happy. Everything she did she was doing it with a smile. She was not only helping the gang, but everyone else in the training group. She was so happy, that not even pain could turn that smile upside down.

When the truck was fully loaded, they all decided to have a little breakfast meal to pass up the time. The city was only a two hour drive away and the league wasn't about to start in another six hours or so… but still… the tension that was brewing up was more than enough to get Ash all hyped up. The boy was so intense by the match that he went off to get a little warm up with his team. He promised to come back after doing fifty laps around the quarry.

Once the rest of the younger generation were off goofing or training, Johanna decided that this was the time to get the scoop on what was Cynthia so darn happy about. If one didn't know better, some would already think that she was going crazy. "You seemed oddly happy this morning Cynthia" the mother smiled as the blonde champ sat down to take her share of the morning breakfast.

Cynthia simply looked back with her usual smile and replied, "Oh nothing. I'm just glad that the Valmarian league is starting that's all" Johanna seemed to buy it, but somehow she didn't seem convince, "Oh Johanna, do you mind if I use your makeup kit?" the mother nearly choked on her own saliva when she said that. Not only did she want to use her makeup kit, but she was more surprised that she called her by her real name rather than her usual, J.J.

"Uh… sure…" she replied. But as the blonde champ unconsciously applied makeup on her face, Johanna was now certain that something was up. Cynthia was not the kind of girl who would worry too much on her appearance. Heck even without the makeup she was definitely a total hottie. With just one stroll around the park in her new getup, she can attract more eyes than a monkey going through town with a sledgehammer. "What's wrong Cynthia? You never worried about how you look before" she said.

"Oh I just thought that it was time I changed a little. You always did say that you must look good when you're on stage" Johanna simply cracked a knuckle. Since when did she ever take any of her advice?

"Oh really?" the mother was now getting really annoyed by the blonde's continuing smile. It was like her lips were locked onto happy mode or something. "Are you sure you're not doing it to impress a certain someone?" she snickered out which hopefully, she would be able to get a reaction.

But Cynthia was a talented actress and was able to hide her emotions with her plain act, "Don't be silly Johanna. You know I'm not in to those"

ACCESS DENIED!!!

Johanna was close but she wasn't able to penetrate her invisible defense. She was running out of cards to play so if she wanted for Cynthia to open up she was gonna have to fight fire with fire…… or at least in this case… acting with acting.

Quickly putting on her mask, Johanna slowly turned her head to the side and waved, "Oh hey there Ash" in an instant, Cynthia's face turned to crimson red and the make up she just applied seemed to have gone to waste. Steam began generating from her ears as she turned around, "Wha?! Where!? Where?!" but as she looked at the direction her best friend was looking, there was no one.

"AHA! I knew it!"

It was then the blonde battle trainer knew that she had fallen right into Johanna's acting trap. It was so obvious since they went to drama club together when they were in highs school.

"I knew something was going on between you two! I should have suspected it when you were holding hands in the beach! Oh Cynthia, I'm disappointed in you!"

But then Cynthia began waving her hands in her defense, "No wait Johanna, you got the wrong idea! It's nothing like that with Ash!"

Hook… Line… and sinker

"Who said anything about Ash?"

For the first time in her life, Cynthia was caught between a web and a spider with no way out.

Faced against a mother who was prepared defend her daughter's lover to the very end, she was now faced with a serious problem……… a very serious problem.

A moment of silence flew by before any of them would talk again.

"So… what's this about Ash…… Cynthia…?" the cave they were in suddenly turned from a nice cozy home into an interrogation room. Johanna circled around her, pretending to be some sort of investigative officer trying to get a crack on a criminal. "You stay together in the same cave for three days straight. You traveled together and had one heck of an adventure down at that ravine. Now you've changed your style and applying makeup. And now… your face seems to turn red whenever I mention his name…" to her truth Cynthia's face did turn a bit red when she even gestured to the boy, "What are you hiding Cynthia…? Come on… you can tell me… we're best friend… right" the slyness of her voice was so snakelike that it would make Giovani's skin crawl.

"I uh… I… I don't know what you're talking about!"

But then Johanna had more than one way to get someone to talk. "Not talking huh? Well… there's more than one way to skin a Raticate" with one swift move, Johanna pulled out her wallet and slit out a picture from the credit card holder. "Tell me Cynthia… what do you feel when you see… THIS picture" it was a picture of Dawn wrapping her arms around Ash's shoulder. With one look, the blonde champ turned away, "Come on Cynthia… tell me how you feel when you look at this picture. Is it jealousy? Envy? Or maybe even… anger? Ahehehehehe!"

"Ahh! What are you doing J.J?!"

"Oh nothing… just doing a little experiment" she replied sarcastically. "Because I think there's something going on between you two"

"What?! That's absurd!"

"Is it?" with a surprise move, Johanna quickly took the Riolu medallion from Cynthia's right pocket and dangled it in front of her face. "Then what's this? A medallion?"

"AH! Hey give that back!"

"Ummm let's see………… umm…… no…" Johanna replied mockingly, "Not until you tell me what's going on between you and Ash!"

"Nothing!" Cynthia replied in a begging tone, "Now give that back"

"Well you're gonna have to come and get it" again she mocked, but this time, Cynthia was through playing games. In a move that surprised even Johanna herself, the blonde trainer leaped from the ground and tackled her down to the ground. The sound of fighting was so intense that everyone outside could hear it.

"Just what is going on in there?" Drew said worryingly, a little frightened of what might happen when he goes in. But then suddenly, Ash arrived just in the nick of time to see what was happening. "Hey Drew… what's going on?" the green haired boy shrugged, "Who knows? Looks like Johanna and Cynthia are fighting over something" then suddenly a table was thrown out of the cave, landing several feet close to the truck. "But right now… I think it's safer for us to wait out here"

"But the Valmarian league is starting soon!" Ash whined, "I'll go check them out" the others made no attempt to stop him. If that kid wanted to knock on death's door so bad then let him.

Just as Ash got closer and closer to the cave, the fighting sound seemed to intensify. But after a moment, everything seemed to have died down. He wondered if the two of them beat each other to a pulp already. "Um… Cynthia, Johanna… it's time to go…?" it was a half statement half question kind of offer. But then suddenly, the two adults appeared and from the looks of it, they seemed to be cleaned up. "Oh hello there Ash" Johanna said cheerfully, "We were just having a… a… a little exercise before we left ahehehehe. You know we have to stretch those old bones before anything else happens. Come on come on. Let's go before the Valmarian league starts!"

"Uh… ok…"

(Valmarian city) (Arena District) (3 hours till the Valmarian league)

Fireworks shot into the air, people paraded through the streets, restaurants put up a sign saying 'open 24/7' there was no doubt that this was only beginning. With people coming through the gates of the Arena District in hordes, only a fool would want to create chaos in this kind of mess.

"Hmm… they're not here either" said Brock as he searched through the crowd looking for his friends. Max was beside him and he too wanted to see his sister and 'brother' as fast as he could. "Where are they?" the little boy asked with a worried face, "If they don't get here soon they'll miss the opening ceremony"

A few moments later, Todd and Tracey appeared, "Hey Brock, there you are" said the photographer.

"Oh hey Todd. Did you guys find them?"

"No…" he replied disappointingly, "I was hoping they'd be the first people here. I hope they make it time. The opening ceremony is about to start in three hours"

"Why don't we wait at the food court?" Brock suggested, "If my suspicions are right, that will the first place Ash would go. He wouldn't start the day without a little food in his stomach" they all hastily agreed. They knew of Ash's famous stomach and his unending appetite and to tell the truth they all had the same idea. But just they could take a step forward, the spectators of the battle arena began to scream like a bunch of fan girls. It reminded Brock of the time when Gary had his own personal cheering squad.

"Oh my goodness! Look over there girls! It's Kevin!"

"Oh my! Kevin, over here! Please look over here!

"(scream!) He's sooo dreamy…"

Bu then the other trainers seemed to have a different opinion about him.

"Hey look, it's Kevin and the Elite Fives…"

"Oh great… I hope I don't paired up with him during the first preliminaries"

"He'll take one of us out with a flick of his finger"

And the list went on…

"Looks like that Kevin guy is pretty famous around here" Brock said with a little hint of jealousy in his voice. "How come girls don't fall for me like that?!" he thought to himself.

But after a few minutes later, another group walked through the gates of the district, which quickly silenced every word and whispers that passed out. Brock and the others looked very confused. A few minutes ago, this place was as lively as the Downtown District, but now it seemed like everyone's attention seemed to be focusing at the gates.

As Tracey moved up to higher grounds along with the rest, their eyes widened at what they saw.

Gary and his crew… were in the zone…

All talks became whispers and whispers became squeaks. Fear ran through the minds of every trainer in the district and by the looks of it, they all seemed to be afraid of Gary.

"Hey… isn't that Gary?" Max questioned which Tracey replied with a nod, "Yeah it is… but who are those guys he's traveling with?"

Havic, also known as the Spiked Armor was at his left hand smirking at the facial expression given out by the others. The trainers that were with his gang were alright, but to those belonging to the others were the ones he needed to watch out for.

Jaques, Gary's personal bodyguard was at the boy's right hand, making sure no harm comes to their boss. His very presence was like that of an impenetrable shield that could not be overcome without a strong enough force.

Emma, the Dark Queen, was at the left most edge. Her snakelike smile was so sinister that some of the men would step back the moment she approach them.

Steve, or as some known as the Bad Mix, was next to Jaques, listening to his earphones rather than to listen to the crowd.

Surprisingly for some, Brendan and Red seemed to be there as well. But from the looks of it, they did not seem to be part of the main group for some reason. Brendan kept eying Red, trying to see if that guy would make any wrong moves so they could catch him red handed.

"Looks like competition is going to be tough this year" Brock noticed with a little frown, "I hope Ash and the others are ready for this" But then Max noticed several familiar figures walking through the southern entrance of the district, "Hey look! There they are over there!" and to the boy's truth, there they were… all in one line formation.

"Whoa! Look at all of them!" Ash said in awe, "Are everyone of them, trainers?!"

"It looks like it" said Anabel from behind, "I've never attended something this big since Scott held out an opening ceremony about the new battle facility"

Duplica looked out from top and it looks like the whole district seemed to be fully loaded. There was barely any space anywhere at all to move around. "Wow… there must be more than a million trainers out there! Maybe even more"

But then Ash rolled his fist with excitement, "It doesn't matter how many there are!" he began, "I'll take them all down and when I do, the Valmarian cup will be all mine! Bring'em on by the dozens if you have to!"

With his spiritual energy flaring up like a million suns glowing in one spot, Cynthia couldn't help but smile back at him with a slight blush on her cheek.

"You seem oddly happy again Cynthia…" Johanna said slyly behind the woman's back, which woke the blonde champ from her daze.

But then to their surprise, Brock and the others came by, "Hey guys!" the slanted boy shouted, "You guys are late. How did the training routine go?" the others let out a small smile, "Well… it was… interesting…" May began, "You could say that we did a lot of things together"

But before any of them could continue, a loud ringing sound flowed out of the stage which caught everyone's attention. "Attention trainers and coordinators all! Listen to me and listen up close and shut your yap hole!!!!!!" the others quickly fell into a deep silence as the man continued, "I am Major Adam Vile! You may address me as Mr. Vile or Major Vile! I will be the one in charge of the first and second round of the preliminaries for Battle Trainers! Listen well because I won't explain this again!"

The gang perked up and listened closely to every word the man said.

"The rules of the first preliminary round are simple! There will only be one Pokemon from both sides so I expect you to bring out your best! If anyone here is caught cheating in anyway, they will be immediately disqualified! The Valmarian badges you hold are proof that you are in still in the league so if you lose them in anyway… then we have a problem! And lastly…… all decisions I make is final! When I say 'you're out' that means YOU ARE OUT!! Are there any questions!?" no one said a word, "Good! Take of from here Jewel"

"Gladly Major Vile" said the woman who looked like the man's sister, "Welcome everyone, my name is Sabrina Vile and I will be the one handling the contest preliminaries. The first round of the contest will of course be an appeal round. So please kindly sort yourselves out. The trainers please follow my brother Adam to the battleground, while the coordinators please follow me. You must all however register here before you may participate. I hope you all brought your Pokedex with you"

A few minutes later, the whole million trainers and coordinators lines up in front of the registration area just to get things done. The process was rather quick, thanks to the super computer that was linked to the Central District.

"So you're name's Richie from Goldenrod city in Johto?" the clerk asked as he checked the boy's Pokedex. Richie nodded back, "Yeah… I am" after a few moments, the clerk returned his Pokedex, "Alright, you're a trainer. Please report to the east side with Major Vile"

Dawn was next, "Ah, Ms. Dawn, it's pleasure to meet you" said the other clerk, "My daughter is one of your biggest fans back in the Shinou region"

"Really?" she said with a surprised look, "Why thank you"

"No problem (ting) Ok you're good to go young coordinator. Please report to Sabrina" and with that the girl left.

With everyone going through their different areas, Ash came next, "Mr. Ketchum. Welcome to Valmarian all out league" the clerk began. "Please insert your Pokedex into the computer please" the boy simply complied and inserted his newly acquired Pokedex into the slot. After a few minutes later, the clerk seemed to have raised a curious brow, "Eh… now this is odd…"

"What is?" Ash asked.

"Well you seem to have acquired the necessary badges to compete… but it says here that you also have contest passes from every region"

"Oh yeah… I did a number of contest back in the days" Ash explained, "But Pokemon battle is definitely for me" the clerk nodded to his explaination, "Well, it says here: you can register as a Pokemon trainer and a coordinator. I'll just put you in the trainer slot" and with that, the Pokedex flipped back to the boy.

After everyone was finished registering, the gang was quickly separated from each other to compete in the area they excel. With the afternoon coming fast, the audience closed their mouths and watch intently as each match began.

(Trainer's corner)

Major Adam Vile moved at the center of one of the battlefields as he held a cordless microphone in his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen! Trainers all!!! The match will begin in one hour! Choose well which Pokemon you will use, because there will be no rematch after this! But before we begin…… please put your hands together… for our glorious governor! Mr. Winston Valmarian!!!" a round of applause could be heard throughout the district as an old middle-aged man entered the center stage.

With fireworks filling the clear blue sky, the man known as Winston couldn't help but smile at all the young faces he saw today, "Welcome… welcome all of you" he began, "As you may all know… I am Winston Valmarian… governor of this wonderful city" the crowd went silent, "Every time I walk up these steps I would always be glad to see so many young faces. You youngsters are always filled with hopes and dreams that even I can't imagine. Never before have I seen so many trainers gathered in one place. But we're not here to listen to me speak now, are we? You're all here to see a match and a match you shall have! Ladies and gentlemen! People of Valmarian city! With this flag, I hereby declare the Valmarian All Out League… to begin!!!!"

And just as they expected, the whole district went into a roar! Cheers were coming from all around, even from the trainers themselves!

But not all seemed to be cheering.

Gary… had other plans. "Hey Steve…" the hippy boy quickly turned his attention back to his boss. "Yeah boss?"

"I want you to (cheer) and… (more cheers) got it?"

"GOT IT!"

With the crowd still cheering like New Years Eve, Major vile believed that it was now time start up. "Ok, you heard the governor! The battle is now beginning! And his words are law! Let's the first match up begin!" in an instant, the main computer began randomly selecting trainers via picture frame. "This little gizmo here is the Randomizer! It will choose two trainers and match them up with whoever, randomly!"

But when the match up stopped… everyone seemed to have let out a gasp of great shock!!!!

"Ok… let's see who's going to be leaving the arena fir……st………?" when Adam turned around to look back at the machine, his heart would've leaped out of his throat still throbbing like crazy. The first match up was…

Ash Ketchum VS Gary Oak!

And so the first round preliminary was well on its way, but what an unsettling turn of events? Two strongest trainers of the world were coming up at the very beginning. Will Ash be able to score a victory and make it to the next preliminary round? Only time… and I… can tell…