Author's Note:

Here it is, the first part of the silver conference. This has been a long time coming and I have got quite a few story lines to close up and maybe even one or two to start. As a hint at what's to come, along with the battles obviously, we have: the Drake, Leaf, Gary love triangle to sort out, Granbull's old 'trainer' returning, Serena getting over Furret and having some other stuff happen, Vincent trying to win Marina off of Jimmy, Brock getting into hot water with Macy and much more. So not much else to say, just know that I will try to keep the POV's per chapter down but due to multiple threads being played out, it might not work out that way. Oh, and with this chapter posted, only ten more remain for Johto, which is a real exciting feeling. Don't forget to vote in the poll, it changes next time and with that, let's begin.


Chapter 90: Silver Conference: Preliminaries

Ash took a deep breath as they walked down the pavement. It long since became a straight and no-longer a forest. His heart was thumping hard against his chest as he took each step. While he knew that his friends, joined by Harrison, were falling behind, he just couldn't help himself. On his shoulder was a familiar friend in yellow as his eyes scanned everything ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, while in actuality they had probably only been walking down the civilised paths for about half an hour, he saw it. A sign to the side that read - 'Welcome to Silver Town, home of the Silver Conference'

"Alright! We're here!" he cheered.

"Well not quite, Ash, we're still on the outskirts of town," Misty commented, with a roll of her eyes.

"I know that Misty," Ash grumbled.

"And we need to find the registration," Misty added, a small smirk forming on her lips.

"Well duh," Ash shook his head.

"Not to mention, we then need to find where their holding the battles before you can compete," she continued, "we don't even know the format decided on."

"Format?" Serena asked, "I know the Orange League was different because it's just a different styled league, but don't all the leagues run on the same four-battle format on the different fields then the top sixteen?"

"Not quite, Serena," Harrison stepped in, "you see, not the same number of trainers compete in each league and the gym close a month before as to ensure no last-minute entries can participate. Each gym sends in a list of badges handed out in the season so the PLA or Pokémon League Association can determine how many competitors there will be and how to match them up as a result."

"It's also how the leagues always seem to have the perfect format for the number of trainers competing," Brock added, "of course, sometimes trainers decide not to compete for whatever reason but they have ways to help with that, like bringing back a promising trainer who was taken out early on."

As they continued down the path, now at a more leisurely pace, Ash noticed that Serena had since collapsed her hands around his. Offering an encouraging smile, she returned the gesture and rested her head down on his shoulder. He knew that she was still upset over loosing Furret, who wouldn't be? He also knew that he offered to speak but she has declined the offer every time, so he just squeezed her hand in a reassuring way.

Casting a glance to the side, he saw Harrison had his Sneasel out. He never really got to know her whilst she was on Paul's team but having gotten to know her over the journey since Brock's battle earlier, she doesn't seem anything like Paul's other Pokémon. All of them seem to have this hidden aggression and even a power complex but guess that's why he was so quick to replace her. At least she has a good trainer now to help her. He was just close enough to overhear the conversation between the Hoenn native and his older brother figure.

"So how are the Sudowoodo doing?" Harrison asked.

"They're good," Brock smiled, "the mother has settled in well with my family. She is officially a gym Pokémon right now, but I think she's waiting to get to know my dad or brother before deciding if she wants to join either of them. And mine is spending some time with her, ya know, making up lost time."

"That's good, at least," Harrison replied, "I just hope I get the chance to show that Paul just what sort of mistake he made by abandoning Sneasel and parting Sudowoodo from her son."

Ash bite his tongue and instead faced forward. While he's glad to have Harrison's friendship and he is without a doubt a strong trainer, he is determined to be the one to take Paul down. Of course, it all comes down to how the matches line up but after everything he has seen that cold trainer do from releasing Cloyster back at the Indigo league to this whole mess with Sneasel and Sudowoodo... not to mention how he dismissed the Orange League early on in Johto.

Continuing down the path, he felt the ground shake as a rumbling echoed from behind them. Turning around, he only caught a flash of flames before his vision was blocked by a large Rapidash which reared up on its hindlegs right in front of them. He took a step back as he tightened a grip on Serena.

"Whoa," he gasped, struggling not to fall over.

"A Rapidash?" Misty questioned.

The fire type landed down and stared at Ash. He looked deep into her eyes, feeling a wave of familiarity fall over him. As he tried to figure out why a random Rapidash would stop him, his eyes wondered down to the bells tied around her neck. His mouth fell open as his eyes widened, "your Drake's, aren't you?"

She nodded, and moved her head over to his, nuzzling against him. Despite the flames being incredibly close, he didn't feel any sort of increased heat as he raised his free hand to rub the side of her head.

"You've certainly grown and opened up," Serena commented.

"I should hope so," a voice called out from behind them, turning around Ash saw his brother walking towards them with his hands in his pockets. Ahead of him, however, was Leaf. Serena let go of his hand to go and greet the energetic brunette in a friendly hug. Ash quickly began walking to greet his twin, "she has been wearing that sooth bell since the day we met, remember."

"I would've thought that you would already be at the heart of Silver Town," Ash commented, as he closed in. Pikachu jumped down to greet his brother's ground type, as he clasped hands together with Drake, pulling each other in with a half hug and pat on the back.

"Well I would've, but Leaf just insisted on dragging me the long way around Mount Silver to finish off her Pokedex," Drake rolled his eyes as the embrace ended. He was quick to throw his hands back into his pockets, as Rapidash returned to his side, "but when we heard your outburst about being here, we figured you must've been close by. Even your voice isn't that loud without echoes, so I sent Rapidash ahead to stop ya."

Before he could respond, Ash felt the air squeezed out of him as he was picked off the ground. His arms and legs failed around before he fell back down and landed on his knees, gasping for breath. As he tried to regain his composure, he turned around to see Leaf stood with a nonchalant whistle.

"Nice to see you too, Leaf," he wheezed.

"Geez Ash, and here I thought you was ready for anything," she commented, "I would've thought you'd at least grow some muscle as well. Serena said you're planning on going to Hoenn after Johto so how do you plan on keeping her interested when you visit their beaches?"

"Leaf," he choked as he struggled up to his feet, Brock offering a helping hand, as his breath slowly calmed down, "nice to see you too."

"Did I miss something or am I seeing double?" Harrison asked.

"Right, yeah, sorry Harrison. This is my twin brother, Drake and our friend from Pallet, Leaf," Ash introduced, "they have been travelling in Johto together."

"Nice," he smiled, "sorry, I think you might've mentioned having a brother back at the Orange league. It must've slipped my mind."

"No worries," Drake shrugged, "so I take it your competing?"

"Sure am," Harrison smirked, "and I plan on winning it."

"We'll see about that," Drake narrowed his eyes.

"Paul's here too," Ash locked eyes with his brother.

"Figures," he rolled his eyes, "hardly saw him at all since the indigo league but I know you've mentioned several run ins."

"Right, we saw him yesterday by the Ho-Oh shrine," Ash commented, "he caught a Sneasel, released his and released the Sudowoodo right when her child, who Brock has been looking after evolved."

"He gets worst," Drake shook his head.

"Ho-Oh shrine?" Leaf pipped up, "oooh, can we go? I really want to check it out, Ho-Oh is the only Johto native Pokémon I don't have in my Pokedex yet."

"You can for sure," Drake dismissed, "but I need to get registered straight away. They already started the preliminary matches a few days back and they finish tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"There are ninety six trainers eligible to compete and to narrow it down to the top twenty four, they are holding what they call caged matches," Drake explained, "four one on one battles where you don't have time to research your opponent. Only trainers who win all four move onto the top twenty-four and those trainers will be a part of the opening ceremony which takes place tomorrow night. As soon as your registered, you can have your name called."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go and get registered," Ash declared.

"I would've liked to get her the day before registration opened," Drake commented, "ya know, to get my battles over with before most arrived and secure my place. It's easier to determine opponents when there's a smaller selection to choose from."

"Well sorry that Suicune sent us running around mount silver in an attempt to see it," Leaf placed her hands on her hips, "at least that Eusine guy helped us and I got it registered in my Pokedex."

"Eusine?" Misty commented, "that guy gave me the creeps."

"Yeah, I got that vibe too," Drake commented, "he's practically been stalking the beasts of Johto for years."

"He did mention that he'd tried to change back when we met him in Eckruteak but-" Ash muttered but stopped himself, casting a discreet glance towards the Hoenn native in the group.

Seeing Harrison's shocked expression, he decided it was best not to continue the discussion of legendary Pokémon. Wouldn't want to advertise about their role as chosen's or anything. Instead, he turned his attention towards his belt.

Maybe before registering, he should do some swaps of his team. After all, some Pokémon never got the chance at a gym battle in Johto and these caged matches sound like the perfect opportunity to test where they are. Like his Granbull, maybe even his Phanpy could get in a battle despite his earlier hesitation.


Ash stood up and from the video phone and finished clipping his Pokéballs to his belt. While it was nice of the Professor to wish him luck in competing, he knew that he would be supporting Gary should it come down to a match between them. Part of him wished he could've brought everyone over, but he only receives that privilege if he makes it into the top twenty-four, as he learnt.

Walking across the room, he found his friends stood next to the front desk. They weren't quite taking up the space as anyone could've walked up but they were close enough that he wouldn't need to strive far to find them once registered. He soon reached the desk where a Nurse Joy greeted him.

"Hello there, welcome to the Silver town Pokémon centre," she smiled, "how can I help you today?"

"I'd like to register for the Silver conference," he explained.

"Certainly," she smiled, "I'll just need your trainers license and eight Johto league badges."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Pokedex and placed it on the desk in between them. Slipping his backpack off from his back, he pulled the badge case out and placed in next to the red device. The nurse smiled and typed onto her computer where he could barely make out the screen due to its angle. She took his Pokedex first and placed it into a slot on the machine, an image of himself appeared on the screen with a bunch of information next to him although he couldn't make it all out, she picked up a self-scanner. She flicked the badge case open and one by one, scanned each badge, with the corresponding badge appearing on the screen. Once all of them were scanned, a dinging noise sounded from the computer.

"And done, Ash Ketchum," she smiled, "your now officially entered into the silver conference. You have half an hour to make it to the battle cages before your name will be called for preliminary matches."

"Thank you," he replied, taking both his Pokedex and badge case back.

Putting both of them away, he turned around to see his friends all stood around waiting for him. They appeared to be having a conversation among themselves but gave small gestures to indicate they noticed his reappearance.

"So, you guys ready to get to the cage-field?" he asked.

"Sure am," Harrison smiled.

"Same," Drake gave a simple nod, as the others also sounded their approval.

Brock was the one to lead the group out of the Pokémon centre, and down the path as he had the map of Silver town already out. Before they got too far, however, a voice called out to them making them all stop in their tracks.

"There are my little boys," the familiar female voice screeched. His eyes widened and he turned to Drake, who had the same surprised expression, turning towards the source his vision became blurred as he was pulled into a warm embrace. As he struggled to make anything out, he saw Drake also in a similar position. He was soon able to see the source as his mother, causing him to return the gesture, "oh, I've missed you both so much."

"Mum, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to watch my two little boys compete in the silver conference," she smiled, "but it's not just me. Daisy came as well from Pallet Town."

"Daisy? Professor Oak never mentioned it when I called him just," Ash shrugged.

"Well we haven't long arrived, maybe he thought we were still travelling from the airport and didn't want to spoil the surprise. Daisy went to find Gary, naturally," she explained, "so now, want to tell me where you were all heading in such a hurry?"

"For the preliminary matches, mum," Drake explained, "there one on one battles held outside of the stadium fields and our names could be called for them at any moment."

"Well what are we standing around for, lead the way," she gestured. Brock did just that, resuming the walk over towards the caged field, as they entered a comfortable pace Delia glanced over to both Serena and Leaf, who had been catching up, "sorry that neither Rose or Grace could come with us but they both said to tell you both that they love you and wish you called more."

"Thank you, I'll be sure to give her a call a later," Serena smiled.

"Same," Leaf chirped in.

"And boys," she continued, drawing in both Ash's and Drake's attention," your father wanted me to tell you that he'll be supporting you both but unfortunately, he won't be able to make it down to watch you compete in person."

"Typical," Drake muttered under his breath, with a roll of the eyes.

"Do you know where he is?" Ash decided to ask, to draw away from his brother's disappointment. He was always more out for Red's attention, which would explain his bigger disappointment. While Ash would've liked for him to be here, he knew somethings just can't be avoided.

"I believe its somewhere up North," she explained, "Sinnoh maybe, but I'm not entirely sure."

As they continued down the path, Ash looked ahead of the breeder to see a short man with a large white beard. Dressed in a striped shirt and cargo-shorts, handing out balloons to everyone who passed by. His mouth dropped open at who it was.

"Mr Goodshow!" he exclaimed, running ahead to meet the man.

The man in question turned around just in time to see him arriving, a massive adorn over his face, "ah, the Ketchum brothers and their friends. Always a pleasure, I take it your hear to compete in the Silver conference?"

"We are," Drake confirmed, "and we're on the way to the caged matches."

"Well less be me to stand in your way," Charles smiled, his eye casting over towards the two girls, "but it might just be my lucky day. I believe we met last time, Serena Yvonne. Of course, back then you hadn't earnt the title of top coordinator. Well deserved, if I do say so myself."

"Oh erm, thank you," she stuttered.

"If I may, could I borrow you as there's something I'd like to discuss," he asked, "you see, I have run into a little issue and I believe you might be able to help with it."

"I erm, guess that would be okay," she turned towards the others.

"It's fine we me," Ash offered.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Leaf offered, "just don't go losing any of the caged matches. I want to see you both competing in the league."

"Oh, and who might you be?" Charles asked.

"Leaf, Leaf Green," she smiled, "I've been travelling with Drake and working on competing the Pokedex. I already completed it in Kanto and ninety-nine percent done for Johto as well."

"That's quite a task you've taken upon yourself," he smiled, "and your certainly more than welcome to accompany Serena. Although time is of a matter, I'm afraid."

Ash watched as the two girls approached the bearded man, Serena did a swift twirl when next to him, however, and stole a kiss from him. Despite its swiftness, the lingering taste of her Nanab berry lip gloss. While the berries themselves are very sweet, it was also a combination of seeing her developing figure as she moved in. She also whispered a word of good luck, with a wink before running off with Leaf and Mr Goodshow bringing up the rear.

"Yo Ash, snap out of it," his brother waved a hand in front of his face, "what's wrong with you, it's not like it's the first time she's kissed you."

"You'll understand when you get a girlfriend," Ash muttered, trying to get out of the trace.

"Unlikely," he shook his head and continued down the path towards the caged matches.

"Oh, my little boy has grown up," Delia cooed, "I always liked Serena. She has been a good influence on you. And Drake, Ash made a good point. Its time you settled down and found a nice girl-"

"Nope," Drake cut her off, "not having this conversation. I've got absolutely no interest in dating anyone. I barely have interest in other people in general."

"The sooner Leaf figures that out the better," Marowak added from beside him.

Ash glanced down at the ground type; he never really took him as someone who disliked Leaf but maybe he has started to take after his trainer. Then again, she can be very similar to Pikachu, running around, filled with energy with some sarcastic joke and he always seemed to get on the ground types nerve.

"So, what do ya'll think Mr Goodshow wanted to speak to Serena about?" Misty asked.

"Well she did win the Grand Festival, maybe it's some sort of celebrity thing at the league or to do with that, at least," Delia suggested

"Maybe he wanted her to do some sort of performance," Pikachu pipped up, "so she could put on a Good show."

Glancing at his starter's smug expression, he sighed and shook his head. He bets everyone else is glad they couldn't understand the electric type for that single joke, "even for you that was bad."

"What did he say?" Harrison asked, before laughing and shaking his head. Luckily, it's not uncommon for trainers to get an understanding of what their Pokémon are saying so he doesn't need to be careful about the Hoenn native getting a hint about his other abilities.

"Just making a bad joke," he dismissed, "although it will be a shame that she won't see me compete."

"Well you'll just need to make sure you win, then she'll see you compete in the latter rounds," Misty smirked.

"Or she could just watch the highlights later," Drake shrugged, "all the battles are televised but due to so many battles taking place, they don't get the same sort of attention the bigger battles do. But they show the highlights for the twenty-four who move on."

"Cool," Ash punched the air.

"Could Koji Yūji and Harrison Hazuki make their way to battle cage A-1 for their preliminary face off," a voice asked over the PA system.

Everyone looked between each other as they realised that this would be the start of a long elimination process. Without any more words being uttered, they took off as fast as they could towards the cage-arenas. Harrison was leading the pack, but Ash wasn't far behind.


Serena felt the cool air wash over her as she entered the building Mr Goodshow was taking them too. Leaf was walking beside her, seemingly dejected since getting away from the others. The president of the PLA was slightly ahead of the ground, and reached the reception desk, conversing with a women there.

"So wanna tell me what's the matter?" she asked her usually energetic friend. After a few moments of not getting a response, she sighed, it was a pretty easy guess to make, "so you've still not had any luck with Drake?"

Leaf shook her head.

Serena wanted to tell her friend that it was all okay and only needed time, like what she was told about her feelings for Ash... but Drake has been pretty blatant about not being interested in any sort of romantic relationship. Why is she so certain that Drake is the one, anyway?

"Maybe it's just not meant to be-" she was cut up.

"What?!" Leaf yelled, quickly looking around to see some people stopping to look at her but they quickly returned to whatever they were doing. Her cheeks flushed red before moving closer with almost a whispered voice, "what kind of friend would say that? I always supported your endeavour with Ash."

"I know you did, Leaf, and if it wasn't for your support I probably wouldn't have pursued it for so long," she admitted, "but... okay, why don't you tell me why your so adamant that its Drake. He's the one your meant to end up with?"

"Well... because of you and Ash. You both discovered your feelings by travelling together and it's pretty obvious that you're not gonna get split up or anything. It's kind of feels like if I don't find someone through travelling then I'll never-" she admitted.

"That's ridiculous, Leaf, you can't compare our experiences to your own. You've done loads of things I haven't, and Ash haven't," she reassured, "I mean, we only really travelled through the caves or over mountains between the cities we we're heading to but you went out of your way to explore every nook and cranny in Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto. You even saw every Pokémon in those regions, the only other person to accomplish that was Professor Oak."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"I know he's said that there were some Pokémon that even he couldn't find but knowing you, Leaf, you'll find them somehow," Serena continued, "so you can't keep comparing your adventures to ours and you can't try to make it the way you want it to be."

She sighed, "I guess you're right."

"Besides, there are plenty of guys out there," she encouraged, "like Gary or-"

"Not funny, Serena," Leaf rolled her eyes before affectionately punching her arm. She nervously laughed along with the brunette, as if to play it off like she was joking all along. After all, she doesn't want to reveal what she knows about the Oak-boy without his permission.

Mr Goodshow soon returned as the laughter died down, "forgive my absence young ladies. Now if you'd follow me, there is someone to find you."

Nodding, they followed the short man across the lobby. Reading the signs down the corridor, she figured out that they were going to the ball room. As to why, however, was still a massive mystery to her. Reaching a large pair of double doors, Mr Goodshow help one open for them to step inside. It was a massive room with a super high ceiling. An empty dance floor took up most of the room but to the side was the only other occupant, a women in her early twenties sat on a chair, with one leg in a cast, resting on another chair. She had very stylish clothes and medium length pink hair. Stood beside her was a Delphox.

She held a smile as they approached her, "Serena, Leaf. It's my pleasure to introduce you to the Kalos Queen of showcases and a massive influence in helping those expand out to other regions, Aria Sheppard. Aria, this young lady is Serena Yvonne. A coordinator who won this year's Johto grand festival and also made a stir when the battle chateau's first opened in Kanto."

"Bonjour, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer," she giggled, "forgive me. I have always had a habit of greeting new people in one's first language."

"C'est bon, c'est ravi de vous rencontrer aussi," Serena replied.

"You speak Kalosian?" Aria asked, "quite a surprise, if I do say so myself."

"I was born in Kalos and grew up there until moving to Kanto," Serena explained, "I'm probably rusty but I still know a good deal of Kalosian."

"Well if you could keep it in a language that we all understand, that would be great," Leaf commented.

"I must concur, as this is quite an urgent matter," Mr Goodshow added.

"What matter?" Serena asked.

"As a way to help compliment the first showcase season in Johto next year, I was here to preform for the opening ceremony in a traditional showcase inspired by the freestyle performances in the competition," Aria explained, "but as you can see, I injured my leg yesterday whilst rehearsing and thus."

"So, Miss Serena, I was hoping you'd fill in for her at the performance," Mr Goodshow explained, "as a top coordinator, I know you've got a talent for the stage and if what I read in the magazines are true, then you're considering entering showcases in your next adventure."

"What? Since when am I in magazines and-" she was cut off.

"You're a celeb, girl, wait to go," Leaf cheered, "just careful those tabloids don't get you in trouble with Ash through some sort of saucy scandal or anything."

"Leaf!" her face burst into flames, "not helping!"

"Your friend is correct, though, a top coordinator as just as much a celebrity as a league winner or even showcase queen," Aria explained, "so would you be willing to let me prepare you for this performance?"

Looking between the president of the Pokémon League Association, her best friend and the Kalos queen. A smile formed on her face as she felt her heartbeat hard against her chest. After what felt like an eternity, she gave a small nod. "Yes, I'll do it."

"Well then, I guess you should get to meet my team as they'll be as much your teachers as myself," Aria smiled, one by one releasing her team of four.

The first one was obvious, it was a Delphox, but it was much bigger than Serena's own one. Flying above it was some sort bug Pokémon that vaguely resembled a Butterfree, but its body was much smaller and a combination of grey and white, while its wings were different shades of pink and seemed to shiny under the hall lights. Leaf already had out her Pokedex, scanning it:

Vivillion, The Scale Pokémon. The final evolved form of Scatterbug. The patterns on this Pokémon's wings depend on the climate and topography of its habitat. It scatters colourful scales.

Her next Pokémon was also a familiar one, being a Starmie as it stood to the side. Although behind it was a large bipedal-avian Pokémon. Its body was covered with fluffy purple feathers and around its lower body was an even fluffier mass of pink feathers. It had a white face with a small, curved beak that resembled a mask used by masquerade dancers. Its eyes were black with red sclerae and pupils and full, black lashes. It had feathery ears with yellow centres. Each hand had three yellow claws and it has paw-like feet with three toes. Leaf was quick to scan it as well:

Aromatisse, The Fragrance Pokémon. The final evolved form of Spritzee. It devises various scents, pleasant and unpleasant, and emits scents that its enemies dislike in order to gain an edge in battle.

Serena smiled as she looked at the four Pokémon and showcase queen. She had been trying to learn as much as she could so the chance to learn from a master is a once in a lifetime opportunity. She was already going through her team options.


"Sandslash is unable to continue. Making the winners of this battle Harrison and his Shiftry."

Ash smiled as he watched the Hoenn native walk out of the arena with his Pokémon by his side. It wasn't the tallest of Pokémon, standing at barely over four feet. Its body appeared to be made out of wood. A Shaggy white mane covered most of its face and trailed down their back. Long pointed ears poked out the top of its mane, and they had a long, pointed nose and a large mouth with teeth that were borne. Its eyes we're yellow with black sclerae. This Pokémon's feet resembled traditional tengu-geta footwear. Three broad leaves with brown spokes form each of its hands, which as the last battle demonstrated, could create very powerful winds.

"So that's a Shiftry, huh," Ash mused to himself, pulling out his Pokedex:

Shiftry, The Wicked Pokémon. The final evolved form of Seedot. Shiftry's large fans generate awesome gusts of wind at a speed close to 100 feet per second. The whipped-up wind blows anything away. This Pokémon chooses to live quietly deep in forests.

"Sure is," Harrison smiled, "this guy was the first Pokémon I ever caught. Of course, he was just a little Seedot back then but together we grew and I think his fighting style helped me realise that I tend to work best with speedy battlers who can uses some tricks to turn the tide of battle."

Glancing back towards the arena, Ash watched the younger boy carry his fallen ground type away, cradling him in his arms. It was a surprise to see that it was the same trainer who wanted a Cyndaquil all that time ago but it was nice to see he had grown out of that arrogant streak, even if him losing in the preliminaries was upsetting. He briefly wondered how many more trainers they met would be here.

Sighing, he took in the actual fields instead.

There were seemingly endless battlefields laid out beside each other, some being used for battles. Each one having a small electronic screen and ref. Each cage had a letter and number combination on top of the single door entrance, clearly indicating which field it referred to. This went on for as far as Ash could see but the biggest difference was the size. They we're incredibly small, possibly the smallest official fields Ash has ever seen.

"Calling Ash Ketchum and Fernando Mitsuji to cage E-6 for their first caged match," the speaker system announced.

Not wasting a second, he began walking down the path for the E-division of cages. Some battles were ongoing but not nearly all of them. He soon found the cage with a boy a couple years older than himself outside. He was dressed in a slick grey shirt with the colour up and medium length brown hair flicked to the side. Beside him stood a strong looking Tauros, who grumbled something causing the trainer to turn and look at them.

"I take it one of you is Ash Ketchum?" he asked.

"That's me," Ash replied, "and your Fernando, right?"

"Right, and this here is my partner Tauros," he raised his arm, gesturing to the large normal type, "ya see, my folks run a farm between Goldenrod and Eckruteak and I raised this big guy from when he was just an egg. He's my strongest Pokémon and likes full on, head to head combat."

Looking at the normal type, Ash began running through the options of his team. Other than Pikachu, he decided to bring those Pokémon who never got a chance at a gym battle in Johto: Primeape, Tauros, Aerodactyl, Phanpy and Granbull. While he could go for a head to head battle between the two wild bulls, he needs to play it smart if he wants to win. Luckily, he has one Pokémon whose training partner for over year has been a Tauros.

"We'll be sure to give him just that, then," Ash smirked.

His attention was drawn by a metal clang, turning towards the battle cage, he saw a referee dressed in the tradition green scout uniform opening the door and inviting them in. Fernando took the closest trainer's box, but Ash noticed how much smaller the cage looked from the inside. Aerodactyl wouldn't be able to fly around much and Tauros would struggle to pick up momentum on such a small field. As he walked over to the other side of the field, he noticed his friends had to stand outside behind the metal fence. He soon made his way to the trainer's box and turned to face his opponent.

"This will be a one on one match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet and Fernando Mitsuji from the Palmpona ranch," the ref declared, "both trainers shall reveal their Pokémon at the same time and neither side can make substitutions. After three minutes, if both sides are able to battle then a victor shall be judged based on a combination of the two Pokémon's overall condition and the battle prowess seen. Understood?"

"For sure," Fernando smirked, his Tauros scrapping his hoove over the ground.

Smirking, Ash unclipped his own Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it in his hand, "same here."

"Then reveal your Pokémon!" The ref shouted.

Tauros charged forward, shaking the ground with every step. He let out a grunting noise as he crouched low, scrapping his foot across the dirt in an aggressive manner. He seen his often enough to know when one was preparing to charge.

"I choose you, Primeape!" he shouted, as his pure fighting type appeared from his Pokéball. A smirk formed on his face as he took in his opponent, slamming both fists together, he crouched down and slammed them against the floor whilst frankly making bazaar battle cries.

Ash knew that he became almost like a student of the retired herd leader so the chance to prove his training would be great for him. Of course, he had also become a sort of teacher for Heracross but without the normal type's mentorship, he doubts that would've happened. Primeape, while still a little bashful, has truly opened up and only really gets flustered when in front of big crowds so maybe partaking in these caged matches is perfect for him.

"Tauros versus Primeape," the ref raised both flags, "let the battle, begin!"

Tauros was first of the mark, charging forward. He barely got two steps in before rearing his head around to hit Primeape horns first.

The pig monkey Pokémon dodged to the side, responding with a quick one-two punch into the bulls' side. It appeared to have little effect.

Lifting his front hoove up, Tauros slammed it down. The ground shook but not hard enough to be a full earthquake. Primeape was knocked off balance.

Fernando's normal type spun around and slammed his head into the wobbling fighting type. Rearing it up, he sent Primeape flying back and he hit the metal fence. Falling down on the ground, he landed on his stomach, wincing as he pushed himself back up.

Sparks formed around Tauros' body as he prepared to charge again. Zooming forward, his hold body was charged with electricity.

"Roll to the side and counter with Fire Punch!" Ash shouted.

The fighting type nodded and did a dodge roll, although his leg was caught by the static as Tauros slammed into the metal fence.

Rolling onto one knee, both his fists clenched tight and burst into flames. Jumping at the recovering normal type, he unleashed a flurry of Fire Punches.

"Very clever Ash, using fire punch to protect Primeape against wild charge," Fernando praised, "but it'll take a lot more than that to stop my Tauros!"

As if to emphasise that point, Tauros cried out and a ball of blue psychic type energy formed between his horns.

Primeape's eyes widened and he jumped behind the normal type, still punching with his fiery fists. Fernando's normal type continued to struggle as he attempted to turn and face the pig monkey Pokémon but Primeape was a little swifter in his movements.

As each fire punch landed, Ash watched closely until he finally saw it. Some of Tauros' furs remained lit and moments later it spread across his body.

The wild bull Pokémon became a complete fire ball, before the burn fade. Realising that he likely couldn't out power or defeat such a powerful opponent within the time, he decided the burn could help with the judging stage and give Primeape the edge he needs.

"Alright Primeape, now you can go all in!" Ash cheered.

A smirk formed on his fighting types face as he charged forward. Leaping onto Tauros' back, he began wailing down with a painful close combat.

Fernando's normal type began shaking violently as he burst into flames once more. This combination proved too much and Primeape was sent flying.

Twisting his body around, Primeape landed on one knee. The wild bull Pokémon charged forward once more. He barely had chance to grab Tauros by the horns as he pushed against him. Luckily, he was able to get a solid footing and brought his opponent to a stop.

Releasing one hand he raised it above his opponent, clenching it tightly shut it glew white. Pushing down on Tauros' head, he took a little hop. Jumping over the downed normal type, he punched down on Fernando's Pokémon back. Tauros slumped down on the ground as he burst into flames once more as his fighting type stood over him, a loud buzzer sounding through the cage. Turning to the screen behind the ref, Ash saw the three-minute time limit was over.

"And that's time," the ref declared, "due to both Pokémon still being able to battle, I declare the victor as Ash and his Primeape for countering brute force with a more strategic play and inflicting a burn status on their opponent."

His Primeape was the first to react as he slammed his fists down in celebration, jumping around like the pig monkey Pokémon he is whilst making a bunch of bazaar calls in excitement. Ash ran over to congratulate him, "awesome job, Primeape, I guess all that training paid-"

He was cut off when his fighting type delivered a right hook straight into his stomach. He curled over and coughed as all the wind was knocked out of him, landing on both knees. It took who-knows how long to regain his senses but when he did, Primeape was kneeling beside him with a sorrowful expression.

"Sorry about that... guess I was excited," he apologised.

"No worries, you were just excited," Ash reassured, "and besides, between getting shocked by Pikachu, slashed by Sandslash and rolled over by Phanpy, I think I'm getting use to my Pokémon attacking me."

He found a hand reaching down and looking up he saw it belonged to Fernando. His Tauros was stood behind, looking a little worse for wear but didn't seem too bad. Accepting the gesture, the older trainer reached down and pulled him back to his feet.

"That was a great battle, Ash, too bad Tauros couldn't pick up his momentum otherwise I'm sure the battle would've ended differently," he smiled, "it's a shame, for my first conference to end like this but there's always next year."

"Wait. This is your first conference?!" Ash gasped, "but... you've got to be sixteen, at least."

"I am," Fernando smiled, "and most of my team I had since before I turned ten. I raised them on the ranch along with Tauros here, but I was so busy helping ma and pa out there that I didn't see a point in competing in the regional league. Tauros and I did travel to some Tauros only competitions though, he always loved a good head on clash like that."

"Hehehe, makes me glad I didn't go with my Tauros then," Ash chuckled nervously, "sounds like yours has so much more experience fighting other Tauros."

"You have a Tauros?" he asked, to which Ash nodded, releasing his normal type. Compared to Fernando's, he was certainly bigger and slightly taller, the only counter being Fernando's had thicker legs... maybe as a result of working on a ranch for most his life, "he looks really strong, almost ashamed we didn't get to face him. Then again, it probably wasn't a smart idea of me to showcase my own Pokémon before we started."

"I'm sure you'll do better next time," Ash encouraged.

"Right," Fernando smiled, "but just make sure you win this whole tournament. That way I can say I lost to the overall winner."

"Sure thing," Ash smiled.

"Excuse me trainers but your required to leave the field now. I need to prepare it for the next match up," the ref explained.

Without a second's hesitation the two trainers and herd of Pokémon walked out. Ash was instantly swarmed by his friends and family congratulating him on the victory. He also couldn't help stop Primeape, who used the opportunity to take Ash's hat. Sighing, he shook his head and took the opportunity to recall both his Tauros and Primeape. When he looked up, Fernando had already left.

"Can Drake Ketchum and Darren Takashi please make their way over to cage C-3 for their match," the voice announced.

Without any further ado, the group began making their way towards the next match. Ash watched his brother, as his hand danced around his belt of Pokéballs, as he was clearly trying to decide on who to use.


Drake plucked one of his Pokéballs off his belt and rolled it around threw his fingers. He couldn't research his opponents for these caged matches but based on Ash's battle, he wouldn't want one of him speedy fighters like Rapidash or Jolteon, due to not having much space and would want someone who could take a hit if needed to stay in the best condition.

Reaching the cage marked for his battle, he saw a trainer leaning against it with a smirk on his face. He was dressed in an orange and red jacket with nepeta-green hair. He was tossing a Pokéball up and down with a wave of confidence radiating off him. Narrowing his eye, he put the Pokéball he previously picked back onto his belt and reached for another one.

"Hiking boots and pretty obvious climbing cloths... bet he has a ground type," he thought to himself.

"One of you must be Ketchum. Drake," the boy pushed off the fence to greet the group.

"I am," Drake stepped forward, "and I take it your Darren."

"Damn straight, and it's about time you showed up," he declared, "you'll be my third victory. After you I only need one more before I make it into the top twenty-four."

"We'll see about that," Drake shrugged, glancing at the gate as the referee opened it up for them.

As soon as it was open, Darren made a beeline straight for the first trainers' box. Seeing him impatiently tap his foot, Drake inwardly smirked and made a nice cool stroll over to the other side. Soon both sides were in place and he saw the group on the other side of the metal fence.

"This will be a one on one match between Drake Ketchum of Pallet and Darren Takashi of Cianwood city," the ref declared, "both trainers shall reveal their Pokémon at the same time and neither side can make substitutions. After three minutes, if both sides are able to battle then a victor shall be judged based on a combination of the two Pokémon's overall condition and the battle prowess seen. Understood?"

"Yes," Darren growled, his hand already twitching to throw his Pokéball. Glancing over to the referee, Drake waited just a moment longer before answering with a simple head nod. Raising both flags up, the ref glanced between the two of them once more.

"Then reveal your Pokémon!" The ref shouted.

"Donphan! Flatten them!" Darren shouted, as his Pokémon appeared on ground with a heavy thud.

"Piloswine, you're up!" Drake shouted, as his own Pokémon also thudded down on his landing.

With his Pokémon selected, Drake took in his opponent. It was a grey, almost oval-shaped Pokémon with a long trunk covering most of its face. The truck pattern continued over its back while the sides of it were a lighter colouring. A pair of white tusks extended from the corners of its mouth. It had thin, elongated ears held out almost perpendicular to its body. It had four short legs which were encircled with a broken, black band and have three toes.

While he has seen one before, thanks to Leaf's insistence on exploring every nook and cranny whilst on the road, he never faced one in battle. Taking out his red device, he scanned the ground type for a refresher on it:

Donphan, The Armor Pokémon. The final evolved form of Phanpy. Donphan's favourite attack is curling its body into a ball, then charging at its foe while rolling at high speed. Once it starts rolling, this Pokémon can't stop very easily. They are also known for a keen sense of smell, being used to sniff out rare gems underground.

"Donphan versus Piloswine," the ref raised both flags, "let the battle, begin!"

The pure ground type charged forward and leaped. Curling up into a ball, he began rolling around. Instead of going directly for Piloswine, however, he soared past him, rebounding off the fence. Clearly just trying to pick up speed, not to different to when he faces Whitney and her Miltank.

"Powder snow all around you," he instructed.

Piloswine let out a battle cry and shook violently. The small fur tuffs around his base flew out as an icy cold wind followed. Piles of snow surrounded him, covering the field with him at the centre. He also formed a small ice ball at his mouth.

Donphan rebounded off the wall. As soon as he hit the snow-covered field, he began shaking and thrown off balance, uncurling as he went flying.

Drake's ice ground type launched his Ice Sphere, and it struck the ground types underbelly before crashing into a snow pillar.

Darren growled in annoyance, his eyes bulging out of his head as he pulled on his hair, "if you can't hit it head on then finish it with Earthquake!"

"Blind and strike," Drake countered.

Donphan reared up onto his hindlegs, clearly intending to follow out his trainer's instructions.

Piloswine, however, planted his tusks into the snow and used them to launch a combination of snow and mud at his opponent. It struck Darren's ground type in the eyes, moments before his front legs made contact with the ground. Knocking him off balance, Piloswine charged forward with his tusks extending whilst covered in ice. Donphan landed on his side, unable to move as the ground shook with each step of the swine Pokémon.

The ice fangs struck Donphan hard, who cried out in pain. Smirking at the helplessness his opponent had been put in, Drake made his final move, "now finish it with Icy Wind!"

Piloswine let out a grunt and launched a strong icy wind out of his mouth. At such a close range, Donphan had zero chance of dodging, not like he was in a position to anyway. Darren's Armor Pokémon was sent crashing in front of his trainer, covered in ice. Sliding into a pillar of snow, he was on his side and swirls replaced his eyes. The ref moved closer to inspect the pure ground type.

"Donphan is unable to continue," the ref declared, "making the winners of this battle Drake and his Piloswine."

"What! No fair!" Darren cried out, "he didn't let Donphan hit once! It was totally uncalled for; Pryce never used that battle when I got his badge!"

"And that's exactly how I was able to beat you," Drake informed, as his ice ground type made the trek across the field, "you're not the only one who found a way to beat Whitney and her roll outing Miltank, taking her battling style without adding anything was practically handing me the match."

Kneeling down, Drake scratched the top of his swine Pokémon's head, who cooed under the affection. While getting stronger since evolving, he is still child-like in many ways. Smiling at the ice ground type he rested a hand on his back, "great job, Piloswine, you're even getting better at making calls for yourself. Do you want to stay out for a bit?"

He grunted a happy noise with a smile on his face.

Smiling, he patted him a couple more times before standing up and walking towards the exit. As he did, he saw Darren having a confrontation with the referee and his Donphan still unconscious in the muddy snow. They soon reached the gate where Ash was the first one to greet him, as he put his Pokedex away.

"Awesome job, Drake!" he praised with his child-like enthusiasm, "I take it that this Piloswine is the same Swinub that Phanpy and I faced all that time ago."

"Yep," Drake replied, "but he still has trouble forming more complex moves like Ice Beam or getting enough power for Blizzard or Earthquake."

"I'm sure he'll get it," Ash smiled down at the ice ground type, "come on, it seems like we have some time before either of our names are called. Let's check out the rest of the competition, see if we can see any trainers that look familiar. I wanna know if Jimmy or Gary or Calem is here yet."

"Well they are holding these caged matched for the next three days so they still have time," Drake shrugged, "but scooping out the competition can't be a bad call either."

As they walked down one of the paths, Drake's eye wondered towards the field. He saw one battle that looked interesting, someone appeared to be using a Misdreavus to tire out their opponent, an Azumarill by fade in an out timed with the attacks. Even if not landing an attack, it was clearly tiring for their opponent as the water fairy type was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

"So, who else do you plan on using for these caged matches?" Misty asked, turning his head she appeared to be speaking to both himself and Ash.

"Well I was gonna go with everyone who never got a gym battle in Johto, but the cage is a little small for Aerodactyl and as my first battled showed, Tauros couldn't properly build up momentum. So already used Primeape, but gonna go with Granbull and maybe Phanpy. Then depending on each of their conditions, maybe one of them could have a second go."

"And you Drake?" Brock asked.

"The Johto Pokémon, I caught. Piloswine, Ariados and Xatu... unless I face someone, I know is a strong opponent then I'll need to call in one of my originals. I would've gone with Rapidash as she might've well have been part of the Johto team, but these cages aren't suited for her."

"Oh, my little boys," Delia cooed, "your both so much like your father."

Drake's eye-line drifted away from the conversation and back towards the caged matches. His steps shortening into more of a shuffle as any sort of conversation died in his throat. It's not that he has a problem being compared to his father, back when he first started his journey, he wanted nothing more, but the truth is, he isn't anything like him. Ash naturally bonds with all Pokémon, while he struggles to bond with few, and he isn't exactly the heroic type. He doesn't even have the family aura abilities. That alone should tell how far away he is from being like Red Ketchum.

He heard a familiar voice call out, "Golem use defence curl and take it!"

Turning towards the cage where the voice came from, he saw none other than Gary Oak stood behind a Golem. It was in a defensive position as his opponent, a powerful looking Ursaring, slashed down but it didn't appear to do anything.

Golem began glowing red as it clenched a fist. He punched the normal type in the stomach and sent him flying backwards. He slammed into the metal fence before slumping down with swirls in his eyes. Turning towards the screen behind the battle, it showed the timer with still well over a minute left. The referee moved closer to the pure normal type before raising a flag in Gary's direction, "Ursaring is unable to continue. Making the winners of this battle Gary and his Golem."

The other Pallet native walked over and appeared to congratulate his rock ground type before recalling him. Watching the trainer walk towards him, whilst putting the device away. He realised they were stood next to the entrance. As he stepped out, the brown-haired boy stood in place and his eyes narrowed.

"Drake."


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