"It seems that my fate has a twisted sense of humor concerning my past", Ash thought, stretching out within the confines of his sleeping bag. "Not that I can do anything about it. And I'm really surprised that no one's recognized me yet. Yeah, I've grown about a foot and a half taller, my birthmarks have faded, and my voice has dropped about an octave, but I don't really look all that much different from when I dropped off the radar."
After narrowly avoiding a Thunderbolt by gently prodding Pikachu awake, Ash moved on to wake Aurian from her sleep. She was muttering something about how her little brother shouldn't get into the cookies that her mom had just baked, and nearly screamed with surprise when her patonai poked her shoulder.
"Arceus, Red! Don't do that!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms.
Ash shrugged with a devious grin. "You wouldn't have woken up if I had done otherwise. It was a shoulder poke or a bucket of water from the river."
"I take that back," she responded with a Mareep-esque smile. "Thank you for poking my shoulder. When's your battle?"
"Right after yours. We use the same entry tunnel into Stadium A," Ash said, scratching his head. "Do you have any plans for stomping Paul into the ground?"
Aurian gave a rather nasty grin. "Plenty. You said he uses brute power? What better way to overpower attack stats by outrunning them?"
"Good choice. You'll be fine. Gary, on the other hand..."
"Don't worry about that. He fights the same way that you did right after our induction. Rather brash, by our standards. He'll be unprepared for anything unorthodox that you cook up, and you can do that with no problem."
Ash glanced at his Pokedex after switching to the clock function. "First battle's at eight, and it's about seven fifteen. Wanna wake everyone up and go grab breakfast?"
"Wake everyone up, yeah. Go get breakfast... I have a better idea."
As Michael and Max woke up, they inhaled the scent of gently roasting marshmallows over the embers from the night before, which had been reignited by Ash's Typhlosion.
"S'mores for breakfast?!" Max exclaimed. "Do you guys do this every day?"
Ash laughed. "I wish we could, but nah. Only when we're in a hurry to get somewhere on time and when we have enough chocolate left over. Blue and I have to report to our stadium in about twenty minutes to check in for our battles. I bet Misty will bring everyone else over."
"Do you guys know which Pokèmon you'll be using?" Michael asked, scratching his Espeon between its ears.
Aurian shrugged. "I know for sure that I'll be using Empoleon today. I'll come up with a plan whenever I see Paul's team. What about you, Red?"
"Pikachu's a go, along with Gallade. I have some ideas about who Gary will choose, but I can't afford to risk an assumption. I've got too much to lose," Ash answered as he watched his starter stock up on marshmallows.
"Not too much, buddy, I'll be countin' on you this morning," the Pallet native chastised. Ash heard an annoyed 'Chapi' from Pikachu as he finished his last marshmallow and returned to his trainer's shoulder. Footsteps and the sound of crunching leaves echoed through the clearing, revealing Noah, Maddy, and Misty.
"Hey guys!" Max said. "Ready to head out?"
Maddy grinned. "Yep! I can't wait to watch you battle, Blue!"
The older girl smiled at her trainee's excitement. "Let's go check in, now that we're all here. You guys game for that?"
Everyone agreed, and started making their way towards Stadium A.
"Hey, Michael? How do the prelims work?" Noah asked.
"There are three battle venues- Stadiums A, B, and C. Since there are three-hundred twenty of us competing, the League decided to split everyone up so Prelims could move faster," Michael answered, fiddling with the Snag Machine. "After this round is over, we'll all combine into one block in Stadium A, with Mr. Goodshow, Champion Lance, and Shauntal switching off on commentary."
"Splitting everyone up was a good idea," Misty said. "That probably halved the length of the tournament."
By the time she finished speaking, Stadium A loomed over the group. Spectators and trainers alike filed into assorted doorways with cotton candy, popcorn, and sports drinks in hand. Max saw his sister and her coordinator buddies grab a few programs before they walked in. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice his new friends.
"What now?" he asked. "Where's the check-in desk?"
Maddy pointed towards a table near a door and spotted a familiar looking head. "Look, there's Paul! I bet we need to go that way."
"Off we go, then!" Aurian announced. "I wonder if you'll get to stand in the box with us?"
Max sighed at the thought. "I've always dreamed of doing that, so I really hope we can!"
A Nurse Joy manned the desk, and greeted the foursome with a friendly wave as they approached the table.
"Welcome to the Preliminary Battles! You two must be Blue Katrian and Red Aronshu! I'll check off that you're here. You two and your trainees will be following Dave in the neon yellow shirt over to Entryway number seven. He'll fill you in on the details whenever you get there, alright? I wish you the best of luck!"
"Thank you, ma'am," Ash replied. "Have a good day."
Dave waved the four over, and started leading them towards the entry tunnel.
"Morning, Dave," Aurian greeted. "Any special procedures today?"
"Yer trainees will enter with ya and join in the fun in the box. Wait until the announcer says your name, and then go, I suppose. Nothin too special. This ain't ya first rodeo, so I trust ya know what yer doin'," he replied with a smile. "There's a waitin' area through here, and the blue door leads to the stadium."
"Thank you, sir. Have a good day!" Ash answered.
Dave was right – this really wasn't anything special. The waiting area had two green couches and a refrigerator with bottled water. A sky-blue door emblazoned with a number seven confirmed the rest of the League worker's statement.
"Do all stadiums have waiting areas?" Max asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Ash shrugged. "Some do, some don't. The last time I was here, this area didn't exist."
Aurian poked her head out the blue door and motioned the other three forward. "Mother of Arceus, look at the crowd!"
Ash noted that almost every seat was full, and even more people were filing in at the last second. "Wonder who's announcing for us?"
"Gooooooood morning, everyone!" Lance exclaimed, his voice amplified to rather extreme measures.
Ash put a hand to his forehead, while Aurian laughed at her patonai's reaction.
"I guess that answers that," Max deadpanned. "Go Blue!"
"Remember what our teacher said the first time he saw you battle?" Ash asked.
Aurian raised an eyebrow. "Float like a Beautifly, sting like a Beedrill?"
"While that's good advice, that's not what I was thinking. Do what you can with what you have. Good luck out there," Ash stated, clapping his patonai on the shoulder. "We'll be cheering you on from in here."
As Aurian turned, she heard Ash through Kōkani.
"Don't stick out too much. Save your power for the later rounds."
"You worry too much. I've got this," she responded.
Aurian and Maddy stood in wait as Lance quieted the crowd.
"Thank you all for coming to the Global Invitational Grand Tournament! I'm Champion Lance Luxforde of the Kanto-Johto League, and I'll be the commentator for Stadium A today! Joining me is Steven Stone, the former Champion of Hoenn! Steven, how do you think this first battle will turn out?"
"I'm expecting a lot of surprises, that's for sure," the trainer answered. "These first two trainers have fantastic League records, and I'm looking forward to a great battle."
"Let's get started then! Coming from the red door on the west end of the field is Paul Shinji of Veilstone City!"
The crowd went wild as the plum-headed teen walked onto the field without a smile.
"Coming from the blue door at the east end of the field is Blue Katrian of Canalave City, accompanied by trainee Madeline Cobalt!"
"Now or never," Aurian muttered while she threw open the door. The two young ladies made their way towards the grassy battlefield, waving to the crowd as they reached their painted box.
"This will be a 3 on 3 single battle with no substitutions. You need to win three rounds total to advance to the second round. There will be no time limit, and if either one of you uses excessive force, you will be disqualified. Both of you will release your Pokémon on the count of three. Are we clear?"
Both Aurian and Paul nodded, determined looks crossing their faces.
Maddy stood a little behind her mentor, and quietly observed the building tension between the two trainers.
"The referee has briefed our battlers, and we're set to begin at any moment," Steven commented.
"GO!"
Aurian pulled a Pokèball from the very back of her belt and launched it forward with a grin. Paul tossed his, as well, and the female G-Men member was happy with what had unfolded in front of her.
"Our first round match-up will be between Paul's Electivire and Blue's Chandelure! Let the Global Invitational Grand Tournament begin!" Lance thundered, drawing yells of approval from the grandstands around him.
"Thunder!" Paul ordered. The massive yellow creature in front of him shot an arcing stream of lightning from the appendages on its head. Chandelure shot up into the sky, effectively rendering the attack useless. Aurian pulled Maddy down to the ground as the bolt shot past where their heads were just a split second before, and the two watched in horror as it left a huge dent in the metal door that they entered from.
"All right, then," Aurian said, standing up and dusting herself off. "Two can play at this game. DoubleTeam!"
Twenty-five copies of the ghostly chandelier surrounded the electric-type, which threw Paul off guard. Before the Sinnoh native could call another attack, Aurian shouted "Will-O-Wisp!"
Paul could only watch in horror as twenty-six Will-O-Wisps found their mark. The area surrounding Electivire went up in blueish-purple flames. Once they cleared, Paul's smile turned quickly to a frown as his eyebrows travelled up his forehead.
I know that only one attack out of those was the real one, but dang...
"Thunder, again!" Paul commanded. "Get rid of the copies!"
Electivire spun in place, sending its attack spiraling through the copies. Only two- the original Chandelure and a copy- made it out unharmed. Paul smiled a cruel smile, knowing that the girl, though weak, could prove to be a formidable opponent if he pushed her hard enough.
"Hex!" Aurian yelled. The two Chandelure began to glow with a dusky purple light, which started concentrating around the ghost-types' mouths. The attacks concentrated themselves into a beam, which hit its opposition between the eyes. The last copy faded away into nothingness.
"And Electivire takes a hard hit from Hex! What will Paul do now?" Steven pondered.
"Thunder again! Don't let it get away!"
Aurian bit the inside of her lip. "Dissolve yourself."
The lightning would've been dead on... had Chandelure still been there. The ghost-type reappeared behind the powerful electric-type, and fired off another Hex. Electivire, now enraged from not landing a single attack on the ghostly chandelier, roared to the sky.
"Charge beam," Paul ordered. As soon as he finished speaking, the attack made contact with Chandelure, who shook it off with a sinister smile.
For the second time in one battle, Paul was caught way off guard.
"From the looks of things, these next attacks will decide the round," Lance added. "Who will come out on top?"
"Overheat!" Aurian cried.
"Thunder."
The attacks met in a swirling vortex of white lightning and blue fire, and pushed each other back and forth. A ghostly wail from the blue side of the field signaled one last push from Chandelure, who managed to send her attack forward into Electivire.
When the smoke cleared, patches of grass had been set on fire or burnt completely. Electivire lay belly-up on the ground, with swirls in its eyes.
"Electivire is unable to battle! Round One goes to Blue!"
The stadium erupted with cheers as Paul returned his Pokémon. Aurian called the ghost-type back for a short conference.
"You were great out there, buddy!"
The ghost type grinned. "Luuuuuuuuuuure."
"Unfortunately, I have to call you back now. Thank you, friend." An indigo light encased Chandelure, and she returned to her Pokéball.
"What a first round!" Lance commented. "Blue looked like she knew exactly what she was dealing with, and handled everything beautifully."
"Paul, on the other hand, looked a little taken aback by Blue's masterful maneuvering. I've never seen anyone order a ghost to simply dissolve before! Let's see what unfolds next," Steven added.
Paul caught Aurian's spectacularly blue eyes with his own pitch black, and smiled. Aurian returned the action, and disconnected another Pokéball from her belt.
"Round Two will now commence!"
"Aggron!" Paul announced. "Don't let me down."
Aurian smirked. "Let's shake things up a bit. Togekiss, let's go!"
"Whoa there, did Blue just send out a Flying-type against a Rock-type?" Steven announced. "This should be interesting."
"This young lady has proved herself to be more than capable so far- maybe she'll amaze us again!" Lance said.
"Aggron, use Rock Slide."
"Dodge those with an ExtremeSpeed combo!"
Rocks materialized from nowhere and launched themselves at the Jubilee Pokémon, who sped out of the way so quickly that she nearly vanished from sight.
"That's one fast flying-type! I think it could give my Salamence a run for his money!" Lance laughed.
A blue light flared from the tip of Togekiss' right wing, and the modified Aura Sphere exploded on contact with the Aggron, who roared in confusion from the two-faceted attack.
"Flash Cannon!" Paul yelled. A silvery-white sphere of light gathered around his Pokémon's mouth, and shot directly at the flying-type.
"Up and out!" Aurian called. Her Togekiss rocketed up into the air, causing a misfire from the Iron Armor Pokémon. "Sky Attack!"
The Flying-type decided to bide her time until the attack gained its full power by shooting off into an orbit around Aggron.
"Rock Slide." Once again, boulders flew across the field at a breakneck pace. Togekiss started corkscrewing towards the Aggron, her form cloaked in a harsh white-blue glow. Paul's Pokémon kept the rocks moving at a relentless pace, but none of its efforts slowed the Jubilee Pokémon down. She sped towards and shattered six individual boulders before making contact with Aggron.
Togekiss pulled up from the dual-type, who swiped at her wing with a Metal Claw. She spun out of the way at the last second, leaving Aurian just enough time to ask for an Aura Sphere.
The silvery-blue attack hit the Aggron right between the eyes. The crowd was silent as every eye in the stadium watched the Iron Armor Pokémon fall to the ground, unconscious.
"And a super-effective Aura Sphere takes Paul's second Pokémon down! He really seems to be floundering around down there," Steven commented, struggling to make himself be heard through the roar of the crowd.
"I second that," Lance answered. "Blue is dominating so far, having quickly eliminated two of her opponents within the course of about seven minutes. Round three is starting now!"
"Torterra!"
"Empoleon!"
The two Sinnoh starters shared a cool glare, and waited for their trainers to call their first attacks.
"Begin!"
"Giga Drain."
"Take it, Empoleon. Show him what you're made of!"
"Unorthodox strategy from Blue," Steven pondered. "What's she up to?"
A green mist engulfed Aurian's starter, and the Water-Steel type didn't seem the least bit fazed as Torterra siphoned her energy away. The drain ceased, and Paul finally figured out what his opponent's strategy was.
She's playing with me! She's been running circles around me... All this time, she's been strong enough to take me down in a single hit... but why hasn't Blue done that yet?
"Ice Beam!"
A blast of freezing matter emanated from Empoleon's jaw, completely encasing Paul's starter.
"Torterra, use Frenzy Plant to fight your way out!"
Aurian bit her lip, and a crazy idea came to her.
"Brick Break and Hydro Cannon, back to back! Don't let that Frenzy Plant get in your way!"
Empoleon rushed towards her opponent while dodging vines and the occasional tree branch that had been summoned from deep within the earth. Aurian's starter leaped into the sky, and spiraled into the mass of ice that was Torterra, her right fin extended. A satisfying crack resounded throughout the stadium, freeing Paul's starter from its frozen prison. Empoleon, who had been catapulted into the air upon impact, fired off a quick and extremely powerful Hydro Cannon from her mouth.
The attack's swiftness was no match for Torterra's Frenzy Plant. The compact sphere of water shattered the vines that were thrown in front of it, and landed between the Pokémon's eyes.
Smoke cleared once again, revealing an unconscious Torterra and a very proud Empoleon.
"Paul's Torterra is down and out, which means that Blue Katrian, the Sinnoh Sharpshooter, has won the first round!" Lance roared over the deafening screams from the crowd.
Aurian and Maddy approached the middle of the field, where they were met by a rather Flaffy-ish Paul.
"What I said earlier about female trainers being weak... I take that back," Paul said, extending a hand.
Aurian took his hand and shook it. "Thanks for a great battle."
The Veilstone native nodded once and exited the stadium through his red door.
"That. Was. Incredible!" Maddy noted, awe permeating her voice.
Aurian laughed. "Thanks, kiddo. You want to know a secret?"
Her trainee nodded.
"I was holding back. I could've slaughtered the guy in three hits, but it wouldn't do any good to make myself stand out this early in the tournament."
"Why not?" Maddy asked, twirling the end of her ponyta-tail.
Aurian sighed. "I had this feeling in my gut that it wouldn't be a good idea, and my instincts are nearly always right. Let's head back and cheer for Red."
The pair re-entered their blue door, and were greeted with an ecstatic Max and a content-looking Ash.
"That was awesome!" Max yelled, trading high-fives with Aurian and Maddy.
Ash grinned as he hugged his patonai. "Way to show that ignorant jerk! Those combinations were spot-on. I think our teacher would've been proud."
"Your turn, Red. Go get'em!" the Sinnoh native responded, nudging him in the shoulder.
Lance's voice boomed through the stadium. "Sorry for the wait, ladies and gentlemen! Now that we've replaced the field, lets' welcome our second pair of battlers! Coming from the red door all the way from Pallet Town, Kanto, is Gary Oak!"
The researcher entered the field to the sound of a roaring crowd- and a lot of feminine screams.
"And coming from the blue side of the field is Red Aronshu of Kanto, accompanied by trainee Max Maple!"
Ash and Max waved to the crowd as the battlefield came into view.
Well, better a rock field than ice. This isn't what I was hoping for, but I can make it work. Takes me right back to the Silver League...
"This will be a three-on-three battle! There will be no substitutions and no time limit. No excessive force is to be used. Both Pokémon will be released on the count of three. Ready?"
Both trainers nodded. A deathly silence hung over the stadium.
"One. Two. Three!"
Gary tossed out a Pokéball in a manner which looked highly theatrical and rehearsed. "Umbreon!"
Ash smiled, and summoned Gallade, who gazed upon the dark-type in confusion.
"Master, why are you having me battle this novice?" Gallade thought.
Ash let out a mental sigh. "Patience, Xiphos. This will be good practice in delaying tactics for later missions."
Aye, Master.
Gary looked a bit disconcerted, but regained his cockiness and swagger in a second. "Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!"
"Deflect it and teleport," Ash replied, playing with the end of his ponytail. His Gallade did so, and the ghost-type attack found itself bisected by Xiphos' right blade. The Gallade disappeared, leaving Umbreon frantic and jumpy.
The Pokémon researcher pulled an exaggerated face. "Urgh! Find it with Psychic!"
Umbreon's eyes flared, displaying an unnatural blue light. Ash grinned- this was just what he wanted.
"Formation Gamma!" Ash commanded. Gallade appeared directly behind the dark-type, and fired off three rapid-succession Leaf Blades. All the attacks found their mark, and smoke cleared to reveal a badly bruised and beaten-up Umbreon.
"Umbreon, use Reflect!"
A yellowish-clear hemisphere surrounded the dark-type, who used the little time he could to regain some energy. Ash called upon his Aura skills to observe the Reflect, and ordered Gallade to use Brick Break to destroy the barrier as soon as he could tell that the Umbreon was having trouble keeping it up.
What looked like shards of glass scattered across the rocky field, leaving Umbreon exposed.
"Keep it away with Psychic!"
Ash smiled. "Break through, please."
A haunting blue-white light encased Gallade, and lifted him several inches off the ground. Xiphos summoned his psychic power, and vanquished Umbreon's hold on him with a flare of pink light.
"Quick attack!" Gary yelled.
"Dodge and return fire with Close Combat."
The Blade Pokémon sidestepped the eeveelution's attack, and launched himself into a fury of fists, arm blades, and feet. Umbreon was sent flying back into the stadium wall, defeated.
The crowd turned from deathly silent to raucous with cheers in a millisecond.
"And Red's Gallade takes down Gary's Umbreon, giving the former a one-zero lead!" Steven yelled. "That was unusually quick."
"Gallade are known for saving their strength until they're certain they can eliminate an opponent," Lance explained. "Red's done a fantastic job of teaching his Pokémon how to do that. Let's move on to round two!"
"Electivire!"
Ash grinned. "Pikachu, get out there."
The little electric mouse catapulted himself off of his trainer's shoulder and landed gracefully on all four limbs, his cheeks sparking in anticipation. The Electivire towered over Ash's starter, and emanated a cocky aura- just like his trainer, Ash noted.
"Go!"
"Thunder Punch!"
As Pikachu dodged, Gary wasted no time in ordering his electric-type to rattle the ground with a Thunder. Pikachu jumped, and managed to avoid the initial shockwave. As Pikachu began to fall, the ground rumbled, and rocks shot up into the air around him.
"Use the rocks to your advantage!"
His starter launched himself off of the rock below him, and used the momentum to propel himself from rock to rock, reversing each boulder's direction. Pikachu landed on the ground just as the rocks intended to be his doom turned into his second chance.
Electivire found himself buried under an avalanche of boulders up to half his size. As he dug himself out, Ash saw his chance.
"Thunderbolt and Iron Tail!"
Pikachu charged towards the larger Pokémon in a sunshine-yellow and steely grey blur. At the last second possible, he rotated so that his Iron Tail would absorb the electricity that he had generated. The double attack hit Electivire in the center of the chest after burrowing through a few layers of rock.
I'm surprised that Electivire is still standing, Ash noted. Gary must've improved a lot during his researching days.
"Thunder!" Gary cried.
Ash smiled. "Agility and Volt Tackle."
Pikachu landed the attack on his opponent before Electivire could even blink. Gary stared in shock as his Electric-type toppled over, unconscious.
"Red wins the second round!" Steven yelled. "He now leads, two to zero!"
"Round three is coming up next!" Lance answered. "What will we see next?"
Gary angrily returned Electivire, and tossed out Blastoise without a word.
"Let's go, Heracross," Ash answered. Gary's sudden change in tone concerning his starter- who Ash knew he cared for especially much- was concerning.
"Hydro Cannon!"
Gary's Blastoise angled its blaster cannons towards the navy bug, who jumped into the air as the attack neared. Gary realized his mistake as his starter froze in place, rendered immobile by his own attack.
"Megahorn."
Heracross's horn glowed a faint crimson as he rammed into his opponent, sending the massive water-type into the ground.
"Can you move yet?" Gary asked angrily.
Blastoise responded to his trainer's statement by shooting off a Hydro Pump without a command, which clipped Heracross' wing. Gary grinned at the surprising turn of events, but was caught off guard when Heracross stood up on the ground, looking unhurt except for a sprained wing.
"We've got you now! Use Skull Bash!" Gary yelled.
Ash waited until the large tortoise was barrelling towards Heracross to make his next move. "Spin into Takedown!"
Heracross jumped over his opponent, who spiralled into the wall, and tackled Blastoise just as he was emerging from his shell.
"Focus Punch!"
Both trainers stared as both of their Pokemon prepped to use the same move.
A three-clawed arm and a pudgy blue paw met in an explosion of red and blue light, and smoke cleared to reveal Heracross standing victorious over a collapsed Blastoise.
"That's the end of the third round! The winner is Red Aronshu!" Lance yelled, and the crowd roared once again.
Ash moved forward to shake Gary's hand, but the researcher turned over his shoulder and exited the stadium before Ash could even get a word out. Pikachu shrugged, and Ash decided to follow his old rival.
Gary ran out of the stadium after returning his starter, and quickly found a deserted alcove in the stadium. He sat down on a concrete cross-support and buried his head in his hands.
"I'm the incredible Gary Oak! I've conquered ten of the Kanto gyms by storm! I'm Johto's heartthrob, I'm was the next great researcher who can continue the Oak family legacy! How could I lose to a virtual no one?" he yelled.
He stood up and started pacing, and counted the ways he could take Red out without Pokémon. A punch to the eye? A slug to the stomach?
"Argh! Stupid Red!" he exclaimed, kicking the floor.
"You called?"
Gary turned around to find Red and that Pikachu of his standing about eleven feet away from him. Red was holding a cap in his hands, and looked slightly nervous.
"How'd you find me?"
Red shrugged. "I've got a way with finding things. Ask Pikachu, if you ever get the chance. May I join you?"
Gary sighed. "I don't care!"
"It seems like you do," Red replied as he sat down next to Gary on the concrete support. "Would you like to talk about it?"
He pouted. "No!"
"It's impossible not to care about anything," Red answered, his eyes narrowing. Pikachu hopped down off his shoulder and into his lap.
"Hmph."
Red sighed. "Will you please stop acting like a preschooler?"
Gary stood at his opponent's last statement. "I am not acting like a child!"
"This is why you're not successful," Red answered.
The researcher halted in his tracks and fixed his nastiest glare on Red. "Care to explain that?"
"You're cocky, temperamental, and too self-focused to take anyone's advice."
Gary's face reddened. "I'm not cocky!"
"What were you saying back there about being Johto's heartthrob?"
"Shut up!"
Red stood up and backed away, his hands up in surrender. "Breathe, Gary. Calm down."
"I AM CALM!" Gary bellowed, then clapped his hands over his mouth.
Red raised an eyebrow. "Take a look in a mirror, Gary. Not just to fix your hair or check for pimples, but look deeper. I want you to analyze the person you see in your eyes. You'll see what I've talked about, Gary. You are not indestructible or invulnerable, like you believe you are. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe that Blue is waiting on me upstairs."
Gary harrumphed as Red walked away. Who did he think he was, insulting the grandson of the greatest researcher ever?
As he left the stadium, he came upon a lovely pond filled with Ducklett, Swanna, Goldeen, Magikarp, and Basculin,and looked down to see his eyes.
Dangit, Red was right.
Aurian was pleasantly surprised when Brock decided to keep her and Misty company while they watched Michael's battle from the grandstands. Red was most likely off speaking with Gary, Noah was with his mentor on the field, and the other trainees had run off to the concession stand to buy snacks.
"You don't think Red will chew Gary out too harshly, do you?" Misty asked.
Aurian laughed. "Nah. I think he's sincerely interested in helping Gary improve as both a trainer and a person."
Brock frowned. "Awfully nice of him, considering that Gary ordered an attack on him under a week ago."
"That's Red, though. Willing to overlook the small things and help anyone who needs it," the female trainer replied while smoothing her ponyta-tail. "He helped me when we first met, and I've spent the last three years trying to pay him back."
"How'd he help you, Blue? Seems like you've got everything together."
Aurian's eyes darkened considerably. "When we first met, I had just come back from a tour of Johto, which was my fourth League, after Sinnoh, Unova, and Kanto. I had walked back into the house the week before to find my mom screaming at my dad that she had never loved him and was never coming back. She filed for divorce the next day. Dad filled me in on all the stuff that she conveniently left out of our video calls- she had been having an affair with a sailor from Almia, and was slowly draining all the money that Dad worked so incredibly hard to earn out of their joint bank account."
"Wait... when we all were eating s'mores back at the campfire, you said you lived with your parents," Misty pondered. "How's that possible?"
Blue sighed. "I'm getting there. The divorce was... nasty. I thought we were through the worst of things when the custody battle began. Since I was of age, I was exempt from the argument. But my brother, however..." she trailed off.
"I wish I could tell someone the truth about my past, instead of resorting to another alibi about how Ash and I met. Guess that's just part of life as a G-Men member."
"He was six," she began, struggling to keep the raw anger out of her voice. "He didn't quite understand what was going on, but he knew that Dad and Mom weren't gonna stay together. My mother stopped caring about him, and only wanted custody to further scar Dad. He used conversations they'd had about him during the divorce as evidence that Dad should retain custody. It worked. My mother moved off to Almia with her lover, and left Dad, Matt, and I in the dust. Dad encouraged me to get back to training, and I was somewhere outside Sunyshore two weeks after the custody battle ended when I met Red. I was still an emotional wreck when we met, and he immediately saw through the facade that I had created. He helped me get through those next few months. Don't know what I would've done without him."
Misty smiled. "Wow. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Looks like you gained a fantastic friend out of it, though."
"Red was there when Dad called and told me that he was gonna remarry," Blue continued on, her hands propped under her chin as she leaned on the railing, "and he went with me to the wedding. I really like his new wife, Marcie. She's been a great person for Matt to spend time with, and convinced him to try the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. And Dad... he's doing all right. He really deserved a second chance at love after the first one crashed and burned."
Brock saw an opportunity to get more information out of the trainer. "Speaking of love... kind of an awkward question, but are you and Red dating?"
"Nah. Red and I do almost everything together, and I consider him to be the older brother I never had, anyways. We've been accepted into each other's families, as well. He's just as welcome on my Dad's doorstep as I am, and vice versa. Don't worry about the awkwardness- I get that question a lot. Maddy asked me three hours into her apprenticeship," Blue answered, motioning to her trainee.
"How'd you know we were back?" Maddy asked in between mouthfuls of popcorn.
Blue shrugged. "I'm just magic like that."
"I could tell your aura from everyone else's with no effort whatsoever," Blue thought.
Max happily munched on his two-scoop rocky-road ice cream cone. "We would've been back sooner, but we got stuck behind Champion Cynthia in line."
Everyone jumped when Ash suddenly appeared. "Oh, I've been in your shoes, Max. I'm surprised that you managed to get your food in under fifteen minutes. When I was stuck behind her, it took her a good half-hour to decide what to choose."
"Geez, Red! Why'd you sneak up on us like that?" Max exclaimed, nearly dropping his cone.
Ash smiled as he gave Pikachu a Sitrus berry from his backpack. "I wasn't sneaking around. You weren't perceptive enough to hear me coming."
Brock's reply was cut off by the boom of Steven's voice through the stadium as the Champion introduced Michael and his opponent, Jasmine, the Gym Leader at Olivine City in Johto. The referee gave his standard pre-battle speech, which sparked some curiosity in Max's inquisitive mind.
"Hey Red, I've got a question. What's the excessive force rule for? I've been to a few other League competitions, and I've never heard of it before now," Max asked.
Ash frowned as Pikachu jumped to the railing to sit beside his trainer's trainee. "Blue, do you mind answering this one?"
"Flint explained this to me once," Aurian explained. "During his third League competition, one of his opponents used a Metagross against his Monferno. Instead of attacking him, one of its Psychics 'missed' and hit him instead."
Misty's eyes widened. "Isn't that illegal?"
Aurian shrugged. "There was no rule against it at the time, so the guy got away. He managed to push through the rest of the battle, and they tied, actually. Monferno pulled him against his will to a doctor's office, and it turns out he had gained a concussion from the attack and was unfit to battle."
"How close was he?" Maddy asked.
"Top eight," Aurian sighed. "Flint said that having an attack invade the deepest corners of your mind..." she shivered. "I've had it happen to me, outside the League. It's not fun."
Ash put an arm around his patonai, who looked a little distressed from the flow of bad memories she was experiencing again. "Hey, Michael's about to kick some serious rear end, so let's cheer him on."
His patonai grinned. "Mikey would probably kill us if we didn't."
Michael's preliminary battle began with a bang- literally. Jasmine's Magneton and Michael's Espeon were almost evenly matched, and their first attack exploded in a manner normally found only in Contests.
Ash was enjoying watching his friend battle until his Pokégear started vibrating in his pocket.
"'Scuse me," he muttered, exiting their row into the hallway that encircled the top level of the stadium.
Gotta find somewhere quiet and out of the way...
Ash found an abandoned janitor's closet, ducked inside, and answered the call. "Hello?"
Lance's face appeared on the screen as a small thump hit the wall. Ash decided to ignore it.
"Lance?! You're supposed to be commentating!"
The Champion chuckled. "Excused myself to use the bathroom. Where are you, Red?"
"Abandoned janitor's closet. You taught me well. Any news?"
"We've recovered the five people that attacked you and Blue." Lance answered.
Ash frowned. "Do you need us to interview them?"
Lance shook his head. "Already taken care of. They gave us a lot of new info. I'm sending an email over. Read it, forward it to Blue, then delete it."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?"
Lance shook his head. "It's all in the email. Got to go now. Be careful, Red."
Ash smirked. "No guarantees. Later."
The call went dead, and the G-Men captain left the room...
...and ran into an eavesdropping Max.
(A/N): Hello, everyone, and thank you so much for reading chapter eleven of Primary! As of this update, the poll on my profile has closed. Thanks for all your feedback. I wasn't expecting you guys to like Aurian so much, since she's one of my very few OCs for the Pokémon world. I'll take some time to respond to last chapter's reviews.
japaneserockergirl: Hey, nice to see you again! I'll see what I can do concerning the setting in the next few chapters.
CountTyranus: Thank you so much for all the complements, and please don't worry about your English. Your grammar is better than about half of my school's.
Eclipse Wing: I'm glad you're enjoying this so far, and I hope this chapter meets your standards!
Aprotny: Thank you so much!
freddycoops: I understand why you've said what you've said and will definitely take your ideas about POV into account, but I'd like to clear a few things up. The opening rounds of this tournament are supposed to be really easy for Ash and Aurian. They've been in intensive training for three years to prepare for something like this, so they'll have a leg up on a lot of the contestants. It will eventually get harder for them, but not quite yet.
Also, as of August 7th, I've been a member of this site for one year! It's been an amazing ride so far, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. I'd like to thank everyone for making the past year be such a wonderful experience, and for bearing with me during my rather... interesting... first fanfiction. You guys are awesome. Don't forget that!
I'm about to run out of summer (boo), so updates will be a lot less frequent than before.
PL, signing off!