Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Chosen One's Wrath! If you're new to this story, please make sure you follow and favorite myself and the story to show your support! It would mean a ton to me! As per usual everyone, let's talk relevancy shall we? I've finally gotten a little bit of time to type as of recently thanks to Thanksgiving vacation! I was able to type the majority of Chapter 15 over break. Some things I forgot to mention last chapter: THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR HELPING THIS STORY NAIL 400 FOLLOWERS! Let's keep up the heat and continue on the path to one thousand followers and one thousand favorites!
Also, last chapter, I mentioned the whole section where I said to "Enter Sandman." If you really want a good reference, just look up Virginia Tech Football entrance. It's the most hype football entrance there is out there in my opinion. That was my inspiration for the last chapter when Ghost entered the battlefield. If you haven't read last chapter, I urge you to go back and read it.
I think that's all I've got guys! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 16
Last Chapter…
Ghost smirked. "Did you say unlawful?" Misty retorted. "Yes!"
Ghost's smirk only widened. "That means you were unaware that this camera can only be accessed with a certain key and cannot be viewed on any other device without accessing the camera physically, as a whole." Misty paled and Ghost gleefully said. "That would mean the camera hasn't been tampered with in any way, and therefore giving us access to everything and anything we need."
Abel looked to Ghost. "But we don't need to, right?" Ghost nodded. "Espeon already told me everything I need to know." He motioned to the two officers. He then sighed. "As much as I hate to say this, only one person stole them, and only one person ever had their hands directly on the pokeball as well. While I can put all of you on notice for being involved with a crime, if you did not engage in the act then I suppose there's nothing that can be done except arrest the most likely and most certain suspect." The officers grabbed Misty by her arms and she screamed.
"What are you DOING!?"
Ghost spoke gravely. "Misty Waterflower, you're being arrested for the possession of stolen Pokémon. You will be held in custody in ALT City Jail until you can receive a trial, in which case, you will be tried and most certainly found guilty. By the powers invested in me as leader and champion of the Alola region, the tournaments host, you are now deemed ineligible to battle. Your spot in this tournament is hereby revoked, the trainer you are going against in this round shall receive a very rare gift: a free pass to the next round. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to remain silent." Immediately, there was an uproar of anger. Surprisingly enough, the loudest and most obnoxious of them all was Trip. "What the fuck!? You can't do that to her! You haven't even looked at the goddamn camera yet!"
Officer Jenny finally spoke. "Are you saying that more than one person is at fault here?" Trip retorted angrily. "I'm saying none of us are at fault here!" Ghost scoffed. "Oh? And how do you intend to prove it? We both know looking at the camera would be a waste of time… yes?" He looked at Trip with a glint in his eyes, one that made Trip legitimately consider stopping his verbal assault on Ghost. Unfortunately, Max had other plans, as well as Iris.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Finish it Empoleon! Use your Hydro Cannon!"
Ash sighed. If Barry had stayed on his consistent path, he legitimately may have been able to defeat Infernape, but he had just set himself up for defeat with that move choice. Ash said calmly. "Infernape, dodge left, then use Earthquake." Barry paled when the attack missed Infernape by a considerable margin. He had been banking on Infernape being too weak to move because of the Hydro Pump. In his haste, he had forgotten one crucial thing:
Infernape's resistance to water attacks.
Infernape roared as the ground shook beneath it furiously. Due to Hydro Cannon's drawback, Empoleon could do nothing but stand there and take the damage. Once the attack had ceased, Ash yelled while crunching his fist into a ball.
"Flare Blitz! End this!" Infernape charged Empoleon, flames spinning around it in a blinding fury. "INNNFEEERRRRRRNNAAAPPPPE!" It's body now surrounded entirely by blue fire, it charged a damaged and totally helpless Empoleon. The blue penguin pushed itself off it's back to see the incredibly powerful attack storming towards it. Barry screamed. "No! Empoleon!" Ash heard this and suddenly shouted. "Infernape, abort!" The fire monkey suddenly stopped burning entirely and came to a walking stop a few feet from Empoleon, who was lying in a small ditch. Barry looked confused at the sudden stop, as did Empoleon. The blonde haired boy heard Ghost shout.
"Mr. Jun! I suggest you lay down your arms!" Barry realized why the attack had stopped: Ghost knew the battle was over, and Empoleon could not go on much further. He smiled and realized Ghost was not doing this act out of arrogance, but of humility. Ghost had the smallest of grins on his face as he watched realization dawn on Barry's face.
"I'm grateful Ghost, guess I won't be fining you after all. You're just as powerful as everyone says you are, but they left out just how classy you were!"
He turned to the referee. "I forfeit, Mr. Official. I don't want my Pokémon to take anymore unnecessary damage." The official even cracked a grin and raised his flags. "Green Trainer has forfeited his Pokémon's place in the tournament! Therefore, the winner of the match and the trainer advancing to the next round of the tournament is the Ghost from Alola!"
Present…
The time was ridiculously early. It was likely just after dawn. All but one of the Elites of Alola, however, were fast asleep. An attractive girl with Pink hair and curves to die for was sipping coffee at the common area for all of the elites in the Alola league. She was deep in thought about the past days that had flown by rather quickly. She was trying not to get overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that was flying her way and decided to think about it as logically as she could.
Five days had passed since Ghost had defeated Barry in the third round. Since that time, each of the elites and champions had battled it out and successfully won their fourth round matchup's as well, all with near-perfection. Ghost had taken down Gym Leader Volkner, who had impressed everyone with three straight dominant victories, however, he was no match for a regional champion.
Xavier had gone against Sailor Maiden Anabel of the Battle Frontier. He had quite a bit of trouble at the start, losing his fire type Pokémon Camerupt early. However, his faithful partner Pyroar had burned through Anabel's remaining 3 and he cruised to the 5th round from there with little trouble.
July's opponent was an interesting one: Ghost-type Gym Leader Morty from the Johto region. Morty's Gengar took her a solid ten minutes to take down, but she failed to lose any Pokémon in the fight. Morty was defeated, but he did it by at least putting on a show when it mattered most with his trusted partner.
That left Zandra, and her opponent had been a warmup for the looming battle that appeared seemingly inevitable: Dragon-type Gym Leader Clair. The looming battle was the one person she dreaded having to go against: Lance. She could battle off against anyone because she held no emotions for them. However, there were just two people who could flip that tactic against her: Ghost and Lance. The one who had brought her in at her time of desperate need… and the one who had made her like that.
She pondered the two men. She knew they were not close friends, but they could probably be considered friends or at least close allies. Lance was a good man now. He knew what he had done to her many years ago was wrong and desperately tried to make amends for what he had done. He had been champion at the time of the incident, but it didn't matter in her eyes. He still took what was most precious to her and then left. She would never forget that day.
Then, there was the ever mysterious Ghost. Recently, his entire demeanor had changed for those he held close to him because of someone else that was in his inner circle: One May Maple. She couldn't understand him. She sipped her coffee once then looked down at the mug, concealing her bright blue eyes. How he could find the heart to forgive May so fast was beyond her. 'Why must I feel like this?' She mused.
However, there was really very little doubt to why she felt like this: her Anger towards the pretty brunette girl was the center of this problem. How on earth he could just turn around and like her again didn't comprehend in her eyes. Had she forgiven Lance for what he had done to her?
Yes.
Had she redeveloped an interest in him?
No. Nowhere near it.
He had snapped her heart. He had stolen something that meant so dearly to her. And yet, as soon as he had done it, he had left her all alone. Zandra had nothing for years other than her Pokémon and her knowledge of survival skills. The experience had shattered herself as a person and because of this, she became ominous and dreary for years. She would battle trainer after trainer emotionlessly, set on becoming the best possible trainer she could be. There was no other way in her eyes to get back at Lance.
And then, her train of thought ended. She was frozen in time for a brief period, it could've been minutes, it could've been seconds. However, she now knew why she was so angry. It was because Ghost had taken her in when he had much more powerful trainers to choose from. Ghost had seen through her ominous persona and decided to try and repair the person that had ceased to exist, even when it appeared as though was truly gone. He had trusted her with his personal identity, as he trusted with all of his elites.
She truly began to change when he spoke of those that had betrayed him. She felt her heart breaking when he spoke of how everyone he ever knew attempted to end his life and take his Pokémon's lives as well. She had known at that exact moment that he had suffered just as she had… and of course, now that she was an elite, she would almost certainly have to face the man that had made her this way. But behind Ash Ketchum, as he had just revealed to her, AKA the Ghost… she felt much better. This was not because of his raw power, it was because he had suffered through pain, betrayal, and hurt more than she had.
And if he could become strong with all that worked against him, then she knew that there was no doubt Ghost would be the one to lead Alola out of the Ashes and into glory. Three years later… and here they were. Alola was thriving. Ghost was unrivaled in strength outside of his own elites. Alola was beginning to become a tourist destination as well as a spot to start up a career as a trainer. Ghost held with a firm but not totally closed Iron-Fist. He was the man, after all, that had led Alola to greatness, as he had promised.
But of course, there were still multiple loose ends with this tournament going on. On the bright side of things to begin with, Ghost's entrance of "Enter Sandman" had shook fans to the core. It had shaken them so much that the tournament committee began making T-Shirts that were designed to promote Ghost and the tournament at the same time. It was a black shirt that had a dark orange cutout of what seemed to be a man on one knee and his head held low. Underneath it had the words, "Exit Light. Enter Night."
While the words reflected lyrics of the song, the pose reflected Ghost's routine after a victorious battle. (AN: If you need another visual of Enter Sandman, look up Virginia Tech Enter Sandman Football intro.) They were selling like crazy, and other trainers in the competition had begun to realize that Ghost was becoming the favorite to win the tournament.
On the topic of Ghost, things with him hadn't changed… much. He had easily run over his fourth opponent, some random no-name trainer that possibly had just gotten there off pure fortune. Zandra shook her head. Even Ash could still be a bit dull at times. Either way, Ash had easily squashed his female opponent, executed another Enter Sandman to perfection to hype up the crowd, and put on another perfect "Ghost-like" performance.
It had started with 512 people. It went down to 256. Then to 128. 64 was after that. Here they were, all at the round of 32. It was really lining up to be an interesting tournament. As a whole, the biggest surprises were Max, Trip and Bonnie, who had totally caught Ash's elites off guard.
Max was by the biggest idiot of the trio. He had no superior battle tactics, no ridiculous Pokémon that stood out as threats, and had a big mouth with nothing to back it up. He had done mediocre thus far, but had managed to crawl his way through the first four rounds.
Bonnie was just a nuisance in Zandra's opinion. From what she knew, she was nothing more than the girl who wished she had it all, yet pretended she did. She also knew that with Bonnie in her bracket, a battle could be coming their way shortly.
It was general consensus that Trip was biggest threat of the trio. Unlike the previous two, who either had Pokémon issues, ego problems, or both, his Pokémon were strong. His Pokémon were calculating and cunning. Trip himself knotted up multiple battle strategies that would actually be helpful in a fight, unlike Max who would panic and make things up on the fly. Trip seemed to be setting himself up for a possible run at the championship, while Max and Bonnie were simply dreaming about it. In Zandra's eyes, Max and Bonnie's goal to win was simply a Dream. For Trip, as much as she hated to admit it, it was a Goal.
By this time, two hours had passed with her pondering her thoughts, and she failed to realize that every one of her elites and her champion were in the room and preparing food to begin the day, all while fiddling with the television remote.
Her train of thoughts continued by pondering what Ghost was doing with his current team. He was currently training as hard as he could with all 15 of his Pokémon. Ash did not believe in acquiring a massive amount of Pokémon. He would slowly add Pokémon to his team if he saw the potential in them. Thankfully, all of his current Pokémon had accepted both Manectric and Delveon to the group. In the 4th round, Ash had opted not to use either one. He seemed to be waiting to use both of them until the perfect time.
Instead, he had used his faithful Psychic-type Espeon for the first two battles, then, he had swapped to Bulbasaur to defeat the girl's final Pokémon: Hitmonchan. After one last PoisonPowder and Vine Whip, the brutal assault on the fighting type came to an end as it finally hit the ground. The roar of the crowd was still ringing in her ears.
Aside from that though, Delveon and Manectric were looking honed and crisp with their moves. She was beginning to guess why Ash decided to not use them immediately: he wanted to know their limits. By knowing what they were capable of, he would be able to monitor them and make sure they were ready before he unleashed them. It was very "Ghost" of Ash to do that. It was also very "Ash" of Ghost to spend personal time with them as well, so he could learn their likes and dislikes. For one, Manectric seemed to adore Rawst berries. This was perplexing of course, since Rawst berries simply cured burns.
Delveon was strange in that it wanted to try and unleash it's full power with Psystrike, another ridiculously strong move. It's complete move set was so dominant that Ash opted not to change it as long as Delveon was content with the moves it knew. Delveon's complete Move set consisted of two direct attacks, one defensive/alternative move, and one status condition move. The two direct attacks were Sun Beam and Psystrike, both special moves with base powers of 120. Sun Beam, however, had a 30% chance of burning its target in any condition, with a total of a 50% chance when the sun was shining brightly.
It's variable move was called Aegis defense. It was primarily used as a defensive maneuver that allowed Delveon to either avoid or break through weaker moves. However, there was a catch with Aegis defense. If the move was a physical one that could possibly leave an opening to Delveon to strike back, Delveon would avoid/break the opposing move and begin assaulting the opposing Pokémon, dealing double the damage that was intended for Delveon itself upon the opposing Pokémon. At minimum, though, it would deal 75 base damage. The downside of Aegis defense, however, was that if multiple attacks combined, it could easily overwhelm the defensive maneuver. Also, moves with base power higher than 120 could easily knock through Aegis defense. The last move, not so climactically, is Calm Mind: a move that boosts both Special Attack and Special Defense in one go.
Ash's Pokémon were happy to accept the golden Pokémon to the group, as well as the electric type Pokémon Manectric. They trained relentlessly almost every morning, with today being one of those exceptions.
"Hey Zandra!" She almost jumped out of her chair. She looked over to the common area nearby and saw Ghost waving her down. "Check this out." She walked over and sat down, wondering what exactly Ghost wanted her to see. She noticed Axel with his arm around July nearby, Xavier rubbing his eyes in one hand and drinking coffee in another, and Ghost watching the TV screen keenly.
She then saw what Ghost wanted her to see: on the screen was a list of all the competitors left in the tournament, in no particular order.
Arceus Bracket:
July Ruftulis (Elite, Alola)
Abel Winchine (Trainer, Alola)
Steven Stone (Champion, Hoenn)
Scarlett Underwood (Trainer, Kanto)
Wulfric Coldform (Leader, Kalos)
Aaron Readkin (Elite, Sinnoh)
Max Maple (Trainer, Hoenn)
Paul Jackson (Trainer, Sinnoh)
Zekrom Bracket
Ghost (Champion, Alola)
Axel Fractera (Elite, Alola)
Cynthia Shirona (Champion, Sinnoh)
Bobby Johanson (Trainer, Hoenn)
Karl Miller (Trainer, Johto)
Falkner Corsto (Leader, Johto)
Erika Grassal (Leader, Kanto)
Bella Treesdale (Trainer, Hoenn)
Yvetal Bracket
Kung-yo sin (Trainer, Hoenn)
Korrina Pillar-Yates (Leader, Kalos)
Clay Earthbound (Leader, Unova)
Xavier Blackmon (Elite, Alola)
Trip Craggier (Trainer, Unova)
William Sedasta (Trainer, Johto)
Malva Keenfire (Elite, Kalos)
Alder Forevaborn (Champion, Unova)
Giratina Bracket
Koga Briarwood (Elite, Kanto/Johto)
Samantha Johnson (Trainer, Unova)
Zandra Polisik (Elite, Alola)
Gary Oak (Trainer, Kanto)
Sally Redawl (Trainer, Hoenn)
Lance Dragonwright (Champion, Kanto/Johto)
Bonnie Yates (Trainer, Kalos)
Candice Frozenul (Leader, Sinnoh)
All of the people in the room suddenly shot out of their seats at once. All of them exclaimed at the same precise moment.
"Pillar-Yates!?"
"Diantha from Kalos got eliminated!?"
"Paul and Gary are here!?"
"Malva is in my bracket!?"
"Where are the matchups!?"
Everyone turned to stare at one another in surprise. The room was silent for a moment, other than the announcer claiming the matchups for the 5th round (the Bracket-Quarterfinals) would be out momentarily. Axel told Xavier. "Yes Xavier, Malva has always been in your bracket. Haven't you studied your opponents?"
Xavier snorted and before he could respond, Ash joked. "Pretty sure he's been studying her body more than anything." That got a groan from Zandra, and shake of the head from July, and a laugh from both Axel and Xavier. Xavier agreed immensely. "You got that right Ghosty, but you can't say you've been studying your opponents too. Who the hell are Paul and Gary?"
Axel turned to his leader. "I'd be curious to know this information as well, oh champion my champion." Zandra just crossed her arms, while July appeared impassive. "Both of them were my friends back in the day." That got the attention of the entire group. Zandra began to go on a rant about revenge and payback while July appeared to look very angry at the sudden development. This was before Ash finally shut down the rumor mill. "No no, not those ex-friends. These guys were calm, cool, collected and down to earth. Well…" He thought back for a split second about both the bad sides of Gary and Paul back in the day.
"… most of the time at least. These guys are dead-against the traitorous-douchebags. I'm not certain on it, but I'm fairly certain."
"Do they know you're alive?" July spoke for the first time.
"No, they don't, at least, they shouldn't know." Ash said.
"Moving on, Pillar-Yates!?" July squealed at her own comment. The rest of the room was silent before Ash muttered. "Where does that sound…" His eyes widened. "Wait, you mean…"
"Clemont proposed to Korrina!" She exclaimed. The room cheered aloud, regardless of the fact that Clemont was nowhere to be found. Xavier chuckled. "Guess we'll have to congratulate them the next time we see them." Zandra nodded, the slightest of smiles on her face.
"So, when did Diantha get eliminated?" Axel said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. July giggled at her boyfriend. "Hun, she got eliminated by Alder." Axel laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, must've missed that in ALT City Daily."
"And for your question Zandra…" July began before the television cut her off.
"And Now, the Matchups for the Bracket-Quarterfinals… the round of 32! Here they are, posted right here on the screen!"Everyone's eyes darted to the screen, set on finding their matchups.
Arceus Bracket:
July Ruftulis vs Paul Jackson (1)
Abel Winchine vs Steven Stone (1)
Max Maple vs Scarlett Underwood (2)
Wulfric Coldform vs Aaron Readkin (2)
Zekrom Bracket
Ghost vs Erika Grassal (1)
Falkner Corsto vs Bobby Johanson (1)
Axel Fractera vs Bella Treesdale (2)
Karl Miller vs Cynthia Shirona (2)
Yvetal Bracket
Alder Forevaborn vs Clay Earthbound (1)
Korrina Pillar-Yates vs Xavier Blackmon (1)
Trip Craggier vs Kung-yo Sin (2)
William Sedasta vs Malva Keenfire (2)
Giratina Bracket
Koga Briarwood vs Candice Frozenul (1)
Samantha Johnson vs Gary Oak (1)
Lance Dragonwright vs Sally Redawl (2)
Bonnie Yates vs Zandra Polisik (2)
AN: The winners of (1) battle each other, as those with (2) battle each other. Then, the last person standing in each bracket with (1) battle the last person standing in each matchup with (2). Winner of that matchup wins their bracket.
Ash looked at his opponent once more and sighed in relief. Erika, while a dominant leader, was no match for him. He could most definitely run the show against her, and he knew it wouldn't be close. On top of it, it would appear as though that even his 6th round matchup shouldn't be too difficult. Bobby Johanson specialized in nothing in particular, but he hadn't received all too much of a difficult workload since he had entered the tournament. Falkner had gotten much stronger, but had failed to adapt out of his type specialty either. As Ash saw it, both would be easy to defeat.
However, what intrigued him was his matchup after that. He stared at the battle that was seemingly inevitable: His elite Axel against Champion Cynthia. He knew it would be an interesting battle, to say the least. It would still be 3 on 3, 6 on 6 did not begin until the semi-finals of the entire tournament, when the winners of each bracket would go head to head in a battle to try and claim a spot in the final round.
"Hey Zan, looks like you've got some shit to wipe off your foot eh?" Xavier joked with the pink-haired elite. Ash noticed the name that Zandra had gotten paired up with and his mood darkened considerably. Zandra looked once at Ash and shook her head at Xavier. "You really had to say something?"
Outside the Pokémon League…
A trio stood outside the Pokémon league and was looking up at it with different expressions on their faces. One of them was very short, while the other two were around the same height at first glance. The shortest one said with a slight edge in its voice.
"You sure what we got planned will work?"
One of the two tallest one's said with an indifferent look on its face. "Thanks to what your… said… we have a plan to take out both of our two most dominant enemies."
The shortest one said again. "Yeah, but like, do ya think it will actually work?"
The other taller figure said with a grin. "My plan will go in motion tonight, but first, it's time to go into town and get things ready." The figures walked off into the distance, not leaving a trace that they had been there.
Later that Day…
Zandra found herself standing out in a secluded area surrounded by trees. She watched as her five most powerful Pokémon trained relentlessly. She was watching them with the smallest of smiles on her face. She knew very well which Pokémon Bonnie would be using; it wasn't too hard to predict everything that the girl did.
Her team would consist of her three most dominant Pokémon: Glaceon, Swampert, and her trusted partner, Aurorus. Bonnie would almost certainly be using her Panpour, Dedenne, and Flareon. She knew all of Bonnie's tactics and she was currently making final decisions to see what items she should give them and if there were any TM's that they should know before the battle.
"A little pre-match training Zan?" A voice said. In an instant, Zandra whirled around and her Pokémon mimicked her motion. The catch of it was that her partner fired off a rather nasty Blizzard attack in that direction, completely freezing the person that had spoken. Zandra noticed the person standing there and she immediately tapped her earpiece, which every elite and champion in Alola was required to wear in case of emergencies. (AN: Remember a chapter or two ago, Ash had one in his ear to communicate with Aether Paradise and the Guardians)
"Ghost, come in. I need you on my location ASAP."
After a split second, the response came. "Copy that. Standby."
The line shut dead, and then she was left in silence while staring at the person in front of her who remained completely frozen in ice. She heard her Pokémon slowly gather behind her and she murmured quietly. "Lance."
Sure enough, the man was frozen solid in front of her, a surprised look etched all over his face. He seemed to not be angry though while still frozen. Thankfully, it was only a few more moments before Ghost appeared, flying in on his Charizard. He leapt off and landed on his feet. He said. "What is it Zandra? What hap—" he stopped talking when he noticed Lance frozen in ice. He turned back to the pink haired elite with an eyebrow raised. She sheepishly said to her champion. "What? He surprised my Pokémon?"
Ghost's look didn't change. She sighed. "Fine. He surprised me too."
Ghost nodded once and ordered. "Charizard, thaw Lance out."
Charizard roared in response and unleashed a wave of flames. Lance hit the ground facefirst and Ash even let out a laugh. Zandra rolled her eyes at her champion and got to Lance's side. She began to search for any injuries. "Lance… I'm so sorry…"
He groaned and sat up, his usual black cape still on. "I-it's alright… shouldn't have startled y-you in the first place…"
Zandra crossed her arms and looked at the champion. "Why exactly are you here Lance? It's not like I called you and told you to come…" Ash chuckled from behind Lance. The red-haired man turned around and saw his friend leaning up against a tree, a small smirk on his face and his arms crossed on his chest. He chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. He then raised out his hand, knowing what Ash would want. Ash shook his hand and Lance said. "Good to see you again Ghost."
Ash nodded curtly, the smirk not leaving his face. "Likewise Lance. Why don't you tell Zandra and I why exactly you decided to make an unprecedented appearance here, in the middle of nowhere?"
The area was silent for a moment before Lance said with a sheepish chuckle. "In all honesty, I just happened to see Zandra come out here and followed her, I just wanted a conversation with her in private."
Zandra smiled at him, almost seductively. "I believe anything you can say to me, you can say to Ash here as well."
Lance looked over at Ash again with an eyebrow raised. "It's okay to say your name here?"
Ash shrugged. "I believe so."
Lance sighed. "Okay then. I just wanted to talk to you about what would happen if we both win our next matchups. If that was to happen—"
Zandra finished for him. "Yes. I know. We would battle one another, and knowing our past "history" it could make the battle awkward. Is that it?" Lance looked quite embarrassed for a moment or two before nodding. Zandra sighed and walked to her Pokémon. She put a hand on Aurorus' skin and pet it. The Pokémon cooed in response. She then spoke to Lance with an emotionless tone. "Look Lance, I honestly have no quarrel with you, but I feel as though we must talk about our past if we are ever to shake it."
Lance remained quiet for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. Zandra turned to her Pokémon and said calmly. "I want all of you to continue practicing. Aurorus?" The prehistoric Pokémon turned to its longtime trainer. "Return. In case things go…" she hesitated for a moment to look at Lance. "Awry…" she said with the smallest grin on her face. "I'd like to have you at the ready."
The Pokémon trilled in agreement. The two men watched as the Pokémon was returned into Zandra's pokeball. She attached it to her belt and then looked at Lance, who had an unreadable expression on his face. She then turned to Ghost, still wearing his usual red vest, gray jeans and red cap. She opened her mouth to say something but instead, Ghost cut her off, seemingly reading her mind.
"Don't worry. I know the drill. Take care of yourself."
He turned to Lance. "Keep her safe."
He then hopped on Charizard's back once more and took off to the skies in the direction of ALT City. Zandra murmured. "Hope his date goes well…"
Lance questioned politely. "What was that?"
Zandra smiled back in his direction. "Ghost has a date."
They had begun walking into the forest by this time. Lance couldn't help but be legitimately surprised. "Ash actually managed to get a date? Who the hell did he actually want to go out with?"
Zandra chuckled. "You're implying that he wouldn't want to go with anyone?"
Lance cocked his head to the right and gave her a knowing grin as they walked. "Please Zan. I may not see him nearly as much as you do, but we both know whichever girl he's got his eyes on has to be pretty damn special for him to want to go out with her. The last chick he had his eye on according to him was—"
"May. I know." Zandra said, a hint of distaste in her voice.
Lance was quiet for a moment before he spoke, choosing his words wisely. "You don't seem to like May."
Zandra dryly replied. "What gave that away?"
Lance laughed a little. "Do you want the more simple answer or the less simple answer?"
"Amuse me."
Lance laughed and said with a small chuckle. "I don't think you'd want to hear it."
Zandra gave him a curious look. "Which one?"
"Both."
She shook her head and laughed. "Indulge me."
Lance appeared to hesitate for a moment. Zandra stopped walking and Lance eventually slowed down to a halt as well. She walked to meet him and she said with a raised eyebrow and her voice levelled to a challenging tone. "Are you really that afraid to tell me? Is your opinion so low that you can't say anything about it to me?"
Something flashed across Lance's face but he didn't say anything or have any other visible reaction. He then motioned for her to follow him. After another moment of walking, he spoke quietly. "I trust you won't let your emotions out at me. At least, not the wrong ones?" Zandra shook her head in disbelief. Lance was usually self-confident, emotionless, and at the top of his game. This was most unlike him. "What on earth is it Lance? You're nothing like I remember you."
"Do you harbor romantic feelings for Ash!?"
There had been a lot of things that Zandra suspected Lance would question. However, that had not been one of them. Of course she had no feelings like that for Ash! She knew how much May meant to him… regardless of how much she disliked May.
She expected herself to immediately tell him off, exclaiming that she bore no feelings towards the black haired trainer. She could've seen herself lying and saying she did just to get Lance off her back. However, what she did end up doing was something that she herself didn't even expect to do.
She began laughing. Lance stared at her as they walked. Not once could he remember Zandra laughing like she was right now: happy, care-free, relaxed. She turned to Lance as they continued walking. "That's what you were worried about Lance? You thought I had sexual feelings towards my own champion?"
Lance was flushing a little bit. "Were my thoughts truly that misplaced?"
She giggled once or twice. But then, the smile left her face. This entire thought could easily have been conjured, and she just referred back to her thoughts in the morning as proof.
That Morning… Flashback…
How he could find the heart to forgive May so fast was beyond her. 'Why must I feel like this?' She mused.
However, there was really very little doubt to why she felt like this: her Anger towards the pretty brunette girl was the center of this problem. How on earth he could just turn around and like her again didn't comprehend in her eyes. Had she forgiven Lance for what he had done to her?
Yes.
Had she redeveloped an interest in him?
No. Nowhere near it. He had snapped her heart. He had stolen something that meant so dearly to her. And yet, as soon as he had done it, he had left her all alone. Zandra had nothing for years other than her Pokémon and her knowledge of survival skills. The experience had shattered herself as a person and because of this, she became ominous and dreary for years. She would battle trainer after trainer emotionlessly, set on becoming the best possible trainer she could be. There was no other way in her eyes to get back at Lance.
And then, her train of thought ended. She was frozen in time for a brief period, it could've been minutes, it could've been seconds. However, she now knew why she was so angry. It was because Ghost had taken her in when he had much more powerful trainers to choose from. Ghost had seen through her ominous persona and decided to try and repair the person that had ceased to exist, even when it appeared as though was truly gone.
End Flashback…
She had lied to herself. No. She had lied to herself about the entire thing; that was not the reason she was so angry at May. She had not forgiven Lance. And yet… she was interested in him. How could she be interested in someone who…
Her breath hitched.
… everything made sense now.
She legitimately knew now why seeing May made her angry in the back of her mind. It was because Ash and her were one of the same. Ash had been betrayed by everyone he held close to him, especially May. And yet, he had found it in his heart to forgive her and let her back into his life even after she had pretty much destroyed it.
She wasn't as forgiving. She only saw May as the one that had stolen years away from someone close to her. The thing was, this was nearly identical to how she viewed Lance: He had seduced her, even if it was simply a one night stand. He had taken her virginity and then left her to rot… even if was much more complicated than that. But the bottom line was, he couldn't give her virginity back.
It was because of this that she refused to forgive him. She had been broken by him, and she found no reason to resolve the anger that boiled up in her every time sex was mentioned. Every time she saw Lance, she would either bottle up her emotions and try to make a small conversation with him, just so that she could have an excuse of saying that she talked to him for a miniscule period of time, and that she wouldn't have to do it again for ages.
She would be fine without talking to Lance in forever, regardless of how she bore those feelings towards him all those years ago.
He made her act like this.
He broke her.
He took what was most precious to her.
… He was the source of this sadness that had eaten her up for years.
That was why she hated May: because the one who had taken her out of the spiraling darkness had been betrayed by her. And because she could not forgive Lance for his deeds, she could not forgive May for hers.
Lance betrayed her and sent her through years of hell. May had done the same to Ash. That was why she could not forgive May: because she could not forgive Lance.
It had been a full half-minute before she spoke. "… no Lance. Your thoughts were not that misplaced. I do have feelings for someone, though."
Lance was surprised at her openness. "Who…who is it? If I may ask?"
She looked emotionlessly at him. "You."
Lance was taken aback. His mind was flooded with happy thoughts for the time being, but then, he noticed the emotionless look that covered Zandra's entire face and body posture. His face fell, and he could feel his heart mimicking his face. "But…?" He said softly, almost predicting the answer.
"Yes. We can't be together."
Lance threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "W-why? I-Is it still about what I did to you all those years ago?"
Zandra paused from walking and turned to Lance. "Yes… and no."
Lance exclaimed, still slightly exasperated. "Well? What is it then? Why are you denying me if we share the same feelings?"
Zandra twirled her pink hair instinctively before she sighed and said. "The reason I cannot be with you is because, yes, you did scar me for life. However, it is not the incident itself that is forcing my hand, it is because I cannot forgive you for the incident."
Lance was silent for a moment or two before saying in disbelief. "I've… I've told you how sorry I was countless times—"
SMACK! Lance toppled to the ground, holding his cheek in shock, caught completely off guard. Zandra lost her temper for a moment. "Don't you DARE say that saying SORRY makes up for scarring me for years?!"
Lance, affected by emotions as well, yelled at her as he struggled to his feet. "Get OVER it! I've bet you shagged countless men since you became a—" He never finished his sentence, nor did he ever remember what had just occurred seconds prior.
SMACK! Down he went again. Zandra had tears streaming down her cheeks. "And that is why you and I cannot be together Lance! You weren't thinking clearly that night, and you're not thinking clearly now! So let me make this very clear, if you have to remember one damn think right now, remember this!"
She snagged Lance by his collar and snarled. "We will never be a couple. We will never be together. And you can sure as hell bet that we will never fuck again! And for your damn information, you were my first, and you were my last! Get that through your thick skull, and you should know that if we battle in this tournament, which we will, I am going to kick your ass so badly you'll be stuck in an emergency care unit until I win this damn tournament. So shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone until you know what you're doing wrong, and… and…"
She stopped speaking and tossed him to the ground, the back of his head colliding with the dirt beneath him and making dazed for a short period of time. It was more than enough seconds for Zandra to walk back to the Pokémon league.
Sometime later…
Night had fallen, as had a massive storm. The weather was slowly getting worse and worse. She walked into the Pokémon league, slightly wet from water. She nodded twice at the guards out front, who both nodded back in understanding. Just before she walked inside, blood still boiling even after a decently long walk back, she questioned.
"Are the other elites and champion in?"
The one guard, a female presumably in her early twenties replied. "Not sure Ma'am. I believe the elites are out at The Party Starter. I believe I heard Mr. Blackmon speaking a short time ago about it."
She raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear what he had to say?"
The guard thought for a moment before answering. "I… I cannot say for certain Ma'am… In all honesty. But, I thought I heard something about gambling."
'That's nothing out of the ordinary, especially for the Player, Xavier Blackmon. Axel does like to go once and awhile, and I suppose July wished to accompany them, as did Ash if his date is already over.' She pondered.
"I see. Well, I suppose I'll have league to myself for a bit." The guards looked at one another before the other one, a man possibly in his forties spoke, his golden armor shining brightly to signify that he was not to be trifled with. "Ma'am… the champion is here. He came into the league in quitea rush. We thought it would be best not to disturb him."
'That IS out of the ordinary… did something happen?' She couldn't help but wonder. She turned back to the guards and said calmly. "Do you know if he's in his chambers?" The male guard admitted. "I do not know for certain, but yes, I would say that is your best bet Ms. Polisik." She nodded.
She then walked past the guards and calmly said. "Glaceon, Swampert, please aid me." She had went back and first returned her starting four Pokémon, since her Aurorus had already been with her. Her Swampert and Glaceon materialized and cried their respective names. She sighed and said calmly. "Listen, I have a feeling something is not right here with Ghost. According to the guards, he came here in a rush, which usually can not mean good things. I need both of you to stay close to me, it's simply a precaution, but if today continues on the path that it's on, I expect bad things to happen. Call it a hunch."
The Pokémon nodded once at their trainer. "Let's go. We're going to check around and see if anything is out of the ordinary." A clap of thunder boomed in the distance.
But they searched the entire first, second, and third floors and found nothing out of the ordinary. She even checked in Xavier's, July's, and Axel's chambers on the second floor, but it appeared the guards were correct: Her fellow elites were nowhere in sight. She sighed and said with a sheepish chuckle. "Well… I suppose that we should've started here instead of ending with it here…"
She walked into his chambers and raised an eyebrow. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary… or was there? She then realized something was wrong: there were no Pokémon in the room. Why? Pikachu was usually around and would always greet her with a happy smile. Why wasn't he doing so?
"Why are you here?"
She was startled as she looked towards the balcony. She saw a figure sitting there on the ledge of the balcony. She had no doubt in her mind it was Ash, and she walked towards it. "Ash! What the heck are you doing? You probably shouldn't be so—" She stopped walking and gasped when she saw him. He was no longer wearing his red vest and gray jeans. He was no longer wearing his red cap, or his gray and red gloves.
He was wearing a black cloak that bellowed behind him as the wind carried through his room. He was also sporting a large black hat that covered his eyes, and a piece of black fabric that covered his mouth and neck-area. He stood up on the balcony, his dark black boots gripping the rocks beneath them and his midnight black pants with a leather black belt completed his entire appearance.
Zandra was too stunned to speak in coherent sentences. "Wh..Wh-wha…h-ho-how…"
Ash nodded slowly. He stared at her and her two Pokémon behind her. Zandra whispered, totally shocked. "W-Why?"
Ash held his head low for a moment. A single tear rolled down his face, but Zandra didn't notice at the costs of the heavens opening up and letting the rain pound Alola, ALT City, the league, and Ash's heart all combined. He then looked up and a titanic streak of lightning danced across the night sky atthat exact moment, lighting up Ash's face, or rather, what he chose to reveal: his blue eyes and nose, plus everything in between. For Zandra, it was frightening.
His whispered one singular word.
"May."
In that instant, the tear that fell down his cheek hit the ground. In that instant, the lighting died out, and a roar of thunder could be heard nearby. The light faded from Ash's face, as well as the light that had been in his heart.
AN: Huh? What happened? Why is Ash wearing his old clothes, and what happened with May? How will Zandra help her champion, or will she be unable to? Keep reading the Chosen One's Wrath the find out! Sorry for the long wait guys. Usually I like to get one out once a month, turned out to be 10 days or so behind schedule. I'll try to keep things up at a more consistent pace. I already included a major chapter about Axel and July (Two of my OC's) so I decided to have a major chapter about Zandra, the third of my OC's. She has a dark past, and she reflects on it and how it connects with May and Ash, and their relationship as well. But what happened with May? What has Ash so emotional? Eh, I guess you'll have to come back when I get the next post off! I hope ya'll enjoyed! If you're new guys, follow and favorite the story! It would mean a ton to me, and if you got the time, follow myself as well so you don't miss any of my stories! This is the only one I'm currently editing, but more will likely come. Check out my other stories as well! Oh also, Happy Holidays! I haven't posted since Thanksgiving, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. That's all I got boys and girls! Till next time everyone! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!
See ya guys! LegionZ