Author's Note: Hello, readers. Before you read this chapter of Pokemon NG, we ask that you PLEASE take the time to read this very important message first.
The reason for this delayed chapter is because my co-author, XashXdawnX, is going through a difficult personal issue right now. Having gone through a similar experience in the past myself, I will say that it has been a very hard time for her.
Writing this story would not have been possible without her help, so please show her your support and support for our story by going to her profile page on this site and sending her a quick PM with words of encouragement or simply saying what you like about this story and to keep up the amazing work. It really shows that you care and want us to keep writing.
You readers are our biggest support and it drives us to keep writing this series that you love to read, just as much as we love to write it. So for her sake, my sake, and the sake of this story's continuation, please show that you care in her time of need.
So, with all of that said, let the chapter begin.
My mom and I were on a ship headed to Lily of the Valley Island, where the Sinnoh Pokemon League was going to be held. My dad wasn't with us, since he was already there, needing to finalize some details about the tournament. Darien, Brittany, and my grandma were already there, too. Darien had taken them there after he had come home after winning his eight badges.
I had to admit, I was pretty exhausted. I had had quite the trip to get to where I was. Once I had gotten back home to Pallet Town from Blackthorn City, my mom and I had immediately left for a ship that took us to Sinnoh before boarding another ship to get to the Sinnoh League.
As Lily of the Valley Island came into view, I saw a smile on my mom's face. She glanced over at me and spoke.
"I remember the first time that I came here with your father on our Sinnoh journey. He was so excited that he had made it to the Sinnoh League."
"I'll be battling there someday, too." I said.
"I'm certain that you will. Where will you go next, once your Johto journey is over?"
"Hoenn will be the destination for my next journey. I want to go through the regions in the order that Dad did."
Finally, the ship was docked and everyone began to disembark. Once off the ship, I saw that there was a huge crowd of trainers and fans all over the island. Everyone was talking, training, or checking out the booths that were set up.
"Where do you think Grandma and the others are?" I asked my mom.
"Knowing Brittany and her sweet tooth, they're probably at the snack stands." she replied with a chuckle.
So we made our way through the crowds of people and toward the snack stands. Sure enough, I spotted them by the stand that sold cotton candy. Brittany had some on a stick in her hands. We made our way over to them and Brittany spotted us first, since Darien and my grandma had their backs turned to us. A smile broke out on her face and she squealed, causing the other two to turn.
I walked over to them and was shocked when Darien pulled me into a hug. Once he released me, he shared a warm hug with my mom.
"It's great to see you again, Dawn. I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, and it's great to see you. I'm so happy that you've made it this far and I can't wait to see you battle."
I had to admit, I was surprised by how Darien was acting towards my mom and I. I hadn't seen him since our family vacation through the Orange Islands, months ago. It seemed that over the course of his journey, Darien had gained a better understanding of what it meant to be a part of a family.
I'm glad that my uncle is putting effort into being a part of the family. He's really taken on bettering himself and putting his past behind him. I thought.
My mom knelt down and hugged Brittany, who was more than happy to hug her back. Brittany was always happy to see her. Then, to my surprise, she hugged me, too. She had hugged her dad, my mom, and my grandma, but she had never hugged me before! I quickly hugged her back.
Darien then spoke, saying, "Ash has reserved our hotel rooms in advance. You two should get settled in."
He removed the key and handed it to us. My mom, my dad, and myself were going to be in one room while Darien, Brittany, and my grandma would be in the other one. We made our way through the crowds and headed to the hotel so that we could drop off our luggage.
My mom and I were in our room when the door opened to reveal my dad with the rest of our family. He smiled and enveloped my mom in his arms and kissed her. He then hugged me after releasing her.
"I'm glad that you two got here safely." he said with a smile. "Everything is ready for the tournament. The opening ceremonies will be tonight."
I had to admit that I was excited to see the Sinnoh Pokemon League. I had seen my dad's old videos of him competing, but I was going to actually see a whole Pokemon League tournament in person, instead of competing in it. Maybe I would learn some new strategies from this.
"Darien definitely has the best odds at winning the tournament, mostly due to the fact that the other trainers are all kids or teenagers. He's the only adult battling, meaning that he has the most experience training his Pokemon, starting years before they did. I wouldn't have such high expectations of him if I didn't believe that he could win." said my dad.
"I appreciate that, Ash." Darien said.
"Every trainer who wins the Pokemon League gets the right to challenge that region's Elite Four whenever they wish. Most trainers don't challenge them until they feel that they're ready. They may have won the tournament, but they're not THAT strong just yet. But I told the Elite Four that this year, they'll probably be challenged very soon by the tournament's winner."
Darien smiled and nodded his head at my dad's words. But my dad had a point. Darien was very skilled and I was excited to see just how powerful he had gotten since traveling through Sinnoh and collecting his badges.
Normal POV
That night, the opening ceremonies were about to begin. The stadium was packed with cheering people. Ash was up in a special booth above everyone else with Cynthia, Lucian, Aaron, and Flint. All of the competing trainers were down on the field.
The Sinnoh League flame was lit and fireworks lit up the night sky, signaling the start of that year's tournament. Then the first round battles were shown.
The next day, Darien was preparing to enter the stadium for his first battle.
"All of the battles are three-on-three for the first three rounds and then six-on-six for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals." Ash explained.
"Good luck," Adam said to his uncle.
"You'll do great, Darien. You can do it." Dawn said, hugging her brother before leaving with Adam to find their seats.
Brittany and Johanna stayed behind for a few extra moments to give him some extra words of encouragement.
"I believe in you, Daddy. I know you'll do well. I'll be cheering the loudest for you." Brittany said, hugging him tightly. "I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart." Darien said, kissing her forehead.
"I'm proud of you, Darien. You've really turned your life around. By competing in this tournament, you're making a new name for yourself. Soon, you'll no longer be remembered as Darien the Pokemon hunter, but as Darien the Sinnoh League champion! You'll do great out there, just battle the way that you always do and you'll be fine. Good luck." Johanna said to her son.
Darien's Pokemon were tough, compared to the other trainers' Pokemon. He easily breezed through his battles.
For his first battle, he started with Manectric while his opponent used Crobat. Although Crobat was faster than Manectric, Darien's Pokemon didn't falter. Manectric was able to use Discharge, followed by Quick Attack. Crobat was only able to land a few attacks. Each time Manectric tried to strike with a long range Electric attack, it always landed. Darien had obviously done a lot of training for this to be as successful as it was. The match between Crobat and Manectric was over when Crobat's Swift was overcome by Manectric's Thunder.
The next battle was against a Hippowdon, resulting in Darien sending out Seismitoad. The battle between these two Pokemon had been interesting, since Hippowdon kept using Dig and creating multiple holes in the field. Eventually, Darien had Seismitoad use Hydro Pump into one of the holes, forcing Hippowdon out because of the force of the water from the attack. From there, Darien quickly had his Pokemon use Supersonic to confuse his opponent's Pokemon and that ended up winning him the battle, since Hippowdon kept hurting itself.
The opponent's final Pokemon was Magmortar and Darien let Seismitoad battle again. The match was over quickly, thanks to Darien's type advantage. Seismitoad only had to time the attacks at the right moment when Magmortar's defenses were down.
... ...
In the second round, Darien made quick work of his opponent's Pokemon. His Infernape had easily defeated the Torterra that his opponent had and Infernape was now locked in a battle with Drapion.
Darien's opponent had been smart and had his Pokemon use Toxic Spikes to poison the field, so whenever Darien swapped Pokemon, they would be hurt. Infernape was obviously getting tired and thanks to the effects of being poisoned, his strength was wearing thin. However, before Darien swapped his Pokemon out, he had Infernape use Dig and then use Flamethrower underground, burning out the Toxic Spikes. Darien then sent out Glalie. Glalie proceeded to freeze Drapion in place with Ice Beam and then assault it with multiple attacks, causing Drapion to faint.
The final Pokemon that Darien's opponent sent out was Ninetales, which caused Darien to send out Gallade in place of Glalie. Ninetales used Will-o-Wisp, which Darien quickly countered by having Gallade jump and use Double Team to surround Ninetales. Using combinations of physical and Psychic attacks, Darien was able to keep his opponent guessing what unpredictable attack would come next and he triumphed.
... ...
In the third round, Darien was beginning to stand out in the media as being the old competitor in the tournament, but was also seen for his Pokemons' strength.
Darien's Seismitoad knocked out his opponent's Rapidash with little problem, since it had a type advantage. Seismitoad had been swapped out after Darien's opponent had sent out Sceptile. Darien was now using Glalie. It was obvious that his opponent was getting frustrated as he kept making careless mistakes that allowed Darien's attacks to hit.
After defeating Sceptile, Darien used Gallade against Toxicroak. Darien was able to counter most attacks with Psychic and send the attack in a direction that Gallade wouldn't get hit. Darien ended up winning again, qualifying for the quarter-finals without any of his Pokemon being defeated in his victories.
... ...
In the quarterfinals, the battles were now six-on-six. Darien's Hydreigon had finally made an appearance after not being used in the previous three rounds. This was, by far, Darien's strongest Pokemon and one that he trusted a great deal. He had been waiting for the last three rounds for his strongest and most trusted Pokemon to make its appearance and oh boy, had everyone been excited, especially in regards to the opponent's choice of Pokemon.
Hydreigon was locked in a battle with Salamence. It was a battle of dragons, which was definitely interesting for one of the early matches of the quarter-finals. Salamence used Dragon Breath, which Hydreigon countered with Dragon Pulse and both moves fought for dominance over the other. Neither side was giving an inch and the battle was close. But eventually, with two Dragon Breath attacks being used, Hydreigon's overpowered Salamence's and knocked out the first of six Pokemon.
Darien returned his Pokemon as his opponent sent out Altaria and he sent out his Glalie. Darien's opponent wasted no time, having his Pokemon use Dragon Pulse, which Glalie countered with Ice Beam. Altaria was quickly defeated and in its place, Gabite was sent out.
Darien decided to stick with Glalie since Gabite, like Altaria, was a Dragon Pokemon. Once again, he had an advantage over his opponent, who seemed to like Dragon types. Gabite was commanded to use Dig, which Darien stopped instantly with Glalie using Powder Snow. The battle quickly ended once Darien was able to have Glalie freeze Gabite in place, starting with its leg, and then the ice engulfed its entire body. Once Gabite broke free, the ice had taken its toll and it collapsed.
After defeating the last three Pokemon and qualifying for the semifinals, people began to see that Darien was the real deal and that his ultimate victory was all but inevitable.
... ...
In the semifinals, Darien was going strong. His Manectric had won against his opponent's Shelgon, although it had been a close match. Neither side had given an inch and ended with a clash between Thunder and Dragon Breath. But Thunder won out and Shelgon fainted. Darien returned Manectric so that it could rest after the battle and sent out Glalie while his opponent sent out Scyther.
Scyther used Agility to move even faster and Darien's opponent was quick to command Scyther to use Fury Cutter. Darien quickly countered with Ice Beam. Scyther eventually fainted after Glalie managed to freeze it in place and use Crunch to finish things off. Darien's opponent sent out Magmortar next and Darien sent out Seismitoad.
The battle between these two Pokemon didn't last long, since Darien had the upper hand due to the type advantage. All it took was Darien being able to avoid the attacks or counter them. Once the moves canceled one another out, Darien was quick to follow up with another attack before the smoke cleared and landed direct hits on Magmortar.
Next, Darien's Gallade was locked in a battle with Medicham. Both Pokemon were Psychic and Fighting types, so the battle was decided not with types, but with the placement and execution of their attacks. The two Pokemon traded blows for quite a while before Gallade ended it with a well-placed kick to Medicham's head.
After that bump in the road, the rest of the match went smoothly for Darien as he won yet another battle.
... ...
And so, after many days of battling through the tournament, Darien made it to the finals. He had already battled through three of his opponent's Pokemon.
Darien's opponent sent out Yanmega and Darien sent out Infernape. Yanmega started off with Double Team but Infernape remained calm, despite being surrounded and having Sonic Boom heading towards it from multiple directions. Darien had his Pokemon use Fire Spin to avoid getting hit by the attacks and make each copy disappear before hitting the actual Yanmega. Once Yanmega had recovered from the hit, Darien's opponent ordered Yanmega to fly higher into the air and use Ancient Power. Infernape dodged the attack and then used Flamethrower. With each attack that landed, Yanmega quickly reached its limit and fainted. Darien returned Infernape and sent out Gallade, giving his Pokemon a rest. His opponent sent out Empoleon.
Empoleon wasted no time in using Aqua Jet and shot towards Gallade, who used Teleport to avoid the attack. Darien had Gallade use Close Combat, since it was behind Empoleon. But to the shock of everyone in the stadium, Empoleon was able to spin and use Metal Claw, so now both Pokemon were locked in a battle of strength. Darien suspected that this was his opponent's starter Pokemon. The bond and technique that the two shared seemed stronger than all of the others. Eventually, Gallade was able to land a hit and the Close Combat fight stopped. Empoleon shook off the attack and used Whirlpool, sending it towards Gallade. Darien had Gallade stop the attack with Psychic and manipulate the water so that it just fell towards the battlefield. Darien quickly followed that by having Gallade use Double Team to surround Empoleon. Empoleon was looking around wildly, despite its trainer telling it to remain calm. Darien had Gallade use Slash. Unable to dodge when the trainer commanded it, Empoleon took the hit. Not too much longer and Empoleon had fainted after getting hit by its own Ice Beam attack because of Gallade's Psychic attack.
Now down to the last Pokemon, Darien's opponent sent out Houndoom. Darien returned Gallade and sent out Seismitoad to allow Gallade to rest. This would be a quick match because of the type advantage. Unable to cause much damage, the battle was clearly in Darien's favor and Houndoom was quickly wearing thin. The battle ended as Houndoom was unable to dodge Muddy Water and once it finished, Houndoom was lying down on the ground.
"Houndoom is unable to battle. Hydreigon wins! The winner of this battle and the new Sinnoh League Champion is Darien Berlitz!" the ref announced.
There was a moment of silence before the crowd erupted into a loud cheer. If anyone in the audience had had a bad opinion of him before, due to his past, it was all but forgotten now. Darien had proven his worth to everyone today by winning the tournament.
"Congratulations, Darien. As Pokemon Master, I now present you with the Sinnoh League trophy." Ash said, extending the trophy to Darien.
Darien accepted it and then pulled Ash into a hug, saying, "Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to turn my life around. Because of your words after my father's downfall, I was spared and given a second chance at making things right in my life. Because of you, Brittany has a better life and I'm bettering myself for her."
"You had in you all along, Darien. You just needed a push. I knew that you could win this, too." Ash replied with a smile.
Darien turned towards the crowd and spoke to everyone. "I never imagined that I would be here, competing on this battlefield, let alone winning the whole tournament. I owe everything to my family, who have always supported and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. I owe it to my mother, Johanna, for never turning her back on me. My sister, Dawn, for always believing in me and showing her love for the brother that she never knew she had beforehand. My brother-in-law, Ash Ketchum, for helping me to better myself. My nephew, Adam, for helping me to find the courage to stand up and change who I was. And finally, my little girl, Brittany. Thank you for never giving up on me and for being the reason why I chose to better my life in the first place. I love you so much and I only want the best for you."
"As the winner of the tournament, you now have the right to challenge the Sinnoh Elite Four and whenever one of them is challenged, they can't refuse." Ash said.
"My entire Sinnoh journey and this tournament were just stepping stones on the path that lead me to my true goal: challenging the Elite Four and joining them as their newest member."
Darien paused for a moment before boldly saying, "I will battle them tomorrow."
Shock filled the stadium. Nobody had ever dared to challenge the Elite Four so soon after winning the Sinnoh League! Not even Ash had done it that soon!
"Folks, this year's tournament may have ended, but the real excitement is just beginning! Everyone is invited back tomorrow for the first of four battles!" the announcer declared.
The crowd roared with excitement. This was going to be exciting! They were all in for the show of their lives!
Author's Note: Darien has easily triumphed and is the new Sinnoh League Champion! But now the real challenge begins as he challenges the Elite Four, where his strength will really be put to the test!
How will he fare against Aaron, Lucian, Flint, and Cynthia?
Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!
