Pokemon: The Champion's Revenge

The Opening Ceremony - Part One

xxx

4 Years Before the Crisis in Tandor

The girl gnawed at her nails in frustration as she watched the ongoing battle below her through a crack in the floor. She hit the wall in frustration before returning to pounding away at the floor. The Mask of Ice was weakened by the time of year and was in a particularly good mood. Their one chance. Their one chance to escape the hellhole that they had lived most of their lives in. But it wasn't looking very good.

"Leaf?"

The girl heard a voice behind her. She turned to see a boy behind her.

"What?" She snapped.

"Oh..." The boy said while backing up a step. "I am sorry for making you mad."

The girl sighed. She knew she had overstepped her bounds when she had snapped at him. It wasn't his fault. He probably...no...definately had it worse than her.

Being three years younger than her, the boy was practically a baby when he came in. And he was practically her little brother after all the time they had spent together.

"I'm sorry, Silver," The girl said. "I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Please stop," The boy said.

"Stop what?" The girl asked.

"Trying to get out," The boy said. "You are hurting yourself."

The girl looked down at her fists, only to find them bloodied.

"Sorry," The girl said. "But this is the only way to get Him to notice us."

"But the Mask of Ice will stop him even if He tries to break us out," The boy said.

"The Mask of Ice is weakened now, the weakest we'll ever see him," The girl said.

"Really?" The boy asked.

The girl managed a smile. "Yup."

"I know that it's that time of year again, but the Mask of Ice is still too strong for us to escape," The boy said.

"But the Mask of Ice has lost a grip on his emotions," The girl said. "He helped the Mask of Ice reunite with the Mask's Pokemon, and the Mask feels really happy right now."

"So?" The boy asked.

"The Mask of Ice's hold on us has been weakened," The girl said.

"Oh," The boy said.

"And we can now do this!" The girl said plucking the boy's mask off with one hand while taking her off with the other. "So that's what you look like, Silver!"

Crash

The girl quickly scurried back. The battle was nearly over with the Mask of Ice's Piloswine being almost completely tired out by His Pikachu.

The boy peeked over her shoulder. "We're running out of time, Leaf."

The girl didn't respond but knew that the boy was right. He had to notice them and free them. He was their only hope.

'Ash Ketchum,' The girl thought. 'Please. You have to defeat Pryce, the Mask of Ice, and break us out of here. You are my only hope.'

xxx

4 Years After the Crisis in Tandor ; Present Day

The Tandor region had changed greatly over the past five years. One looking at the pretty and developed region now would have a hard time believing that it was a nuclear wasteland not long ago. It had rapidly grown and cleaned up the mess in no time. And as the region's champion stood over a cliff overlooking the dozens of cruise ships pulling into the Tandor region's ports, none were prouder of its growth.

"Sir, we should leave soon. It is nearing the time for you to be at the opening ceremony."

The champion turned. He paused for a second, glancing at the young woman addressing him and the limousine that was to take him to the opening ceremony.

"Of course, sorry for my last second detour, I just wanted to see the change in this region with my own eyes for one last time before it is opened to the public. It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. And considering that the current state of Tandor is almost entirely the fruit of your labor, I feel like you should appreciate your years of hard work. However, we must really leave now, as the opening ceremony is approaching us quickly."

"Of course, Macy."

The woman, Macy, opened the door to the limousine and the man stepped in.

"Have a safe ride, Champion Red," She said before closing the door and walking to the car behind him.

The limousine took off swiftly without a sound. 'Energy is never created nor destroyed,' Ash thought. The electricity that filled the car was changed into heat when the limousine traveled. Why not change the heat back into electricity to make a self-sustaining car? Having already changed the Tandor region's fuel into electricity for sustainability, Ash jotted the idea of fully sustainable cars down onto his mental list.

You might be asking: why think about stuff like that at times like this? Was it the tournament? Not really. Was it the thought of tough opponents? That would have truly made him excited, but he knew he would be battling none of the sort at the tournament that he hadn't battled before. It probably was... No. It definitely was. It definitely was the chance of meeting someone from his old life. It was almost a guarantee that it would happen. And Ash didn't know what he was going to do about it. If he had his way, he would have hidden, like he was doing now. As much as he hated to admit it, that was the whole reason he built his alter persona: fear. But he couldn't hide. He had to do something about it. For his mom. He had spent five years doing nothing but training. And if he wasn't ready now, he would never be.

The limousine slowed to a stop. The bright noon sun shone down on the crowd of people outside. Many cameras flashed as he slowed to a stop. Ash saw a girl outside his door with a disappointed yet amused look.

"You're late," She said opening the door and poking her head in.. "Think of the image it paints. The head elite having to wait for the tardy champion? Makes someone look like an irresponsible child, doesn't it Red?"

Ash took a breath. It was time to face his demons.

"Sorry about that," Ash said with a grin. "I guess I owe you. How about you join me for lunch then, milady?" Ash rose out of the limousine and held out an arm for the girl.

The girl showed a small blush before regaining her composure and grabbing his arm. "I'm booked for lunch, but I will treat you to a celebration dinner once I beat you and win the whole tournament." The girl said teasingly.

"I suppose that means we won't be able to dine, after all," Ash said with fake regret. "A pity to miss out on such an opportunity with such a beautiful lady isn't it Green?"

Unsure about how to respond to being complimented and teased at the same time, the girl resorted to giving him a light shove.

"Shut up," She said, before grabbing his arm and steadying him.

"Aww, you saved me," Ash said. "My hero."

The girl rolled her eyes and started to drag Ash down the aisle toward the waiting trio of people.

Ash quickly turned off his smile. His face was emotionless and his now dark blue eyes were cold. Red was online. Just like he always was when Ash was in public. It was for the best. He could do his job without making any unnecessary connections.

It was for the best.

"Hurry up already! We can't have the best trainer entering the tournament be late to the opening ceremony because of his slow friends."

Currently, a group including some of Ash's former friends and many of Ash's former 'friends' were rushing to get to the 'opening ceremony'.

"Chill out Max. It isn't even the opening ceremony, it's just the opening of Tandor Pokemon League tower building. The opening ceremony is tonight."

"Whatever Brock," Max said. "I still want to see all of the people that I'll defeat in this tournament soon."

"You could've stayed in your hotel room all day and you would've still seen all the people you would beat: none!" Trip interjected with a laugh.

"Shut up! I'm five times as strong as you! I bet I could even wipe the floor with this region's pathetic elite four and champion."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Max," Dawn said. "Tandor's elite are supposed to be insanely strong. Even if you manage to beat them, their champion is apparently as strong as the first three elites combined."

"I've also heard that the champion was insanely hot," Misty said.

"He also apparently saved the Tandor region from a huge disaster five years ago," May added.

"That sounds a lot like..." Serena started. "Him."

A silence went through the group. The name of the boy they betrayed was never spoken in the group for various reasons. Some didn't say it because of the deep regret and guilt they felt. Some because they were scared of what would happen to them if the truth ever got out. Some because they didn't know the truth.

"We're here," Serena muttered, breaking the silence.

The gang looked through the crowd to the podium. There were five people there in total, a black-haired man and a brunette woman with clasped arms stood in the center, a blonde stood in front of the microphone and another black-haired man and a pink-haired woman stood to the side.

"Hello, everyone!" The blonde at the microphone said. "Welcome to the Tandor Pokemon League Tower's official opening ceremony. My name is Melissa Robertson, and I am one of Tandor's elites. On behalf of all the Tandor elites, I would like to thank you all for coming. We will start by introducing all of the Tandor elites, then proceed to officially open this building, we have to go get the PLT and ourselves ready for tonight: the opening ceremony for the Master's Tournament and the first time when the public will be allowed into the PLT. A press meet will also be held there so we will answer all questions tonight. Without further ado, let us begin."

"As I said, my name is Melissa Robertson and I am one of Tandor's elite. I specialize in Dragon and Ice Types. The little boy to the side over there," She said pointing to the side, "is Alex Black. He uses Fire types. The pink-haired woman next to him is Vanessa Jones. She specializes in Poison and Psychic types. The brunette in the center is our head elite, Green. She uses Dark and Fairy types. And finally, the black-haired man next to him is our Champion, Red."

Brock looked at the champion. He was stiff, his face emotionless. Almost like a robot. Suddenly, the Champion's eyes flitted to him. His look bore through Brock's soul. The first flicker of emotion seemed to hit him. A hint of a frown showed on his face. As if he was disappointed in Brock for some reason. The Champion's face reverted to its neutral form and his gaze flitted through the rest of the group.

'What was that,' Brock thought. 'He looked at me...like he knew me.'

"And now we will cut the ribbon," Melissa said.

Brock snapped out of his thought as the Champion and head elite cut the ribbon together that symbolized the opening of the PLT. A picture was taken. A smile plastered itself onto the champion's face as the camera snapped and disappeared just as fast afterward. With that, he turned and started to walk towards the PLT.

"Wait, Miss Robertson!" A reporter called as the rest of the elites turned to leave as well.

"Yes?" The elite asked.

"Could we please have a mock battle from one of the elite?"

"No, we will have one of those tonight," The elite answered.

"Please, just a quick one," Another reporter called.

"I told you, we have to..." She stopped.

The champion raised a hand in front of the elite's face, signaling her to stop, before stepping up with a Pokeball in hand.

"Well, that's a pleasant surprise, Champion Red has agreed to have a mock battle with someone from the crowd. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

Brock hadn't expected anyone stupid enough to challenge the mysterious Tandor Champion. When Max stepped up...well...he couldn't say that he was surprised.

"A young man has stepped up and challenged our own Tandor region's Champion," The reporter called. "Will this be our chance to finally see the Champion in action? Due to his request, all of the Champion's official battles so far have been held in private. For all you competitors out there I suggest keeping your eyes peeled as this is the perfect chance to see the man who might be your opponent in action."

"Yeah?" Max said. "Well it's your first chance to see Max Maple's strength first hand. Go Gallade!" Max chucked out a Pokeball which his Gallade appeared from with a cry.

"Fine," Elite Melissa said. "The fight will be one on one with standard tournament rules. Begin whenever you want."

"Thee battle has started!" Another reporter said. "The challenger, Max, has chosen his Gallade. Who will Champion Red choose?"

"Gallade, attack him with Psycho Cut before he gets his Pokemon out!" Max called.

Brock's blood chilled. If Max attacked an undefended regional champion he could go to jail. "Max!" He called out but stopped. Brock watched as just before Gallade reached the Champion, he whipped out a Pokeball with a small sticker on it.

"A contest seal?" Dawn muttered from beside him.

'Why would...' Brock started to think.

The Champion pressed the button, releasing the Pokemon kept inside, interrupting Brock's flow of thought. A Pokemon didn't appear. Instead, a cloud of smoke did.

It suddenly clicked in Brock's head. 'Of course,' He thought. 'The ball capsule and contest seal create a smokescreen and hide his Pokemon's first move. No wonder he's a Champion. He's already shown himself as a smart battler who uses every advantage he can get!'

The smoke started to die out and what remained shocked Brock. A battered and bruised Gallade lied fainted on the floor. It looked like he had been run over by a herd of Tauros. But the weirdest part was that the Pokemon who had done this much damage in one hit was nowhere to be seen.

Max's jaw dropped.

"He must have been cheating!" Max yelled. "He called out multiple Pokemon during the smokescreen to gang up on my Gallade."

The Champion didn't retort, instead, turning and following the rest of the Elites towards the PLT.

As the rest of the group ran over to comfort and/or detain Max, Brock simply stared at the retreating form of the Champion in awe.

"Did you see that coming Brock?" Dawn asked from behind him.

"Kind of," Brock said. "I don't know how useful it would be in a real battle, but in an unofficial setting like this one it's ingenious."

"Why not in a tournament match?" Dawn asked.

"You'd never find this great a difference in a tournament situation. Your pathetic friend had an even more pathetic Pokemon."

"Hey..." Dawn started turning to tell off the person who made the statement but stopped.

Brock followed her in turning around and felt his jaw drop. A person who he had not seen in over five years was standing right before him.

"Paul?" He asked.

Paul merely glared at the pair. Paul Slaid stood there at the now ripe age of eighteen years. He had grown quite a bit, now standing an inch or two below Brock's 6 foot 3 height, but his face and hair were still recognizable.

"What are you doing here?" Brock asked.

"Watching the opening ceremony, obviously," Paul said sarcastically. "But if you want to know why I'm in Tandor, it's to compete in the tournament. What are you guys doing here? Are you spectators, perhaps? After that performance by the brat, I'm pretty sure that none of y'all are actually good enough to compete."

Smiling for the first time in the conversation, Paul grabbed the man standing next to him and pulled him into the conversation. "What do you think Ray?"

Brock looked at 'Ray'. He wore a cloak that covered his body, allowing nothing but his eyes and arms to be seen.

'Ray' grunted an "agreed" in a low, rough voice.

"This is Ray Koga," Paul said. "Met him on the cruise here. He's a pretty cool guy."

Dawn, now pretty pissed spoke. "Do you actually have anything to say, or are you just going to keep talking shit about my friends."

"Friends?" Paul started. "With the sinning bitches?" Anger starting to form in his eyes.

"Sure they are pretty annoying sometimes, but they have never sinned," Brock tried to reason.

Paul looked like he was about to burst into anger, but Ray placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Paul glared at them for a second before calming himself down.

"That's right," He said. "You don't know."

"Know what?" Dawn asked.

Paul slowly smirked. "Why don't you ask the rest of your friends about it yourself. Or don't. It's not like they'll tell you. We have to go so see you at the opening ceremony tonight. Hopefully, you get yourselves better friends, next time. Like Ray here. "

With that, the pair turned and walked back, presumably to their hotels.

"Don't listen to him, Brock, you know he's spouting a load of crap," Dawn said.

Brock ignored her statement, still staring at the pair of retreating figures in front of them.

"Brock?" Dawn said.

"Not this time," Brock said.

"Excuse me?"

"I think there was at least a bit of truth to his statements. He looked mad to the point of almost assaulting us. Something must have happened."

"Really?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Brock said.

"Should we ask them?"

"No," Brock said. "I'll figure this out throughout the tournament."

"What should I do?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing," Brock said, turning toward his companions, still huddling around and comforting Max.

"Nothing at all."

The Tandor PLT was an amazing place. It was the culmination of everything the Tandor Pokemon League needed to run and the result of the many months Ash spent locked away in his temporary room planning and designing the tower. To say that it was a massive relief when it was finally ready to open, was an understatement. Ash had memorized the floorplan of every single floor of a building that he had never even been in. And he had to say that he was proud of his work. Not a single floor of the fifty in total was wasted. The base of the tower was encircled by a massive courtyard with many amenities, pleasant sights, and even four official tournaments sized battle arenas in each corner of the area. The basement floor was for spectator/competitor reception and sorting out all people affairs and for many shops and restaurants. The first five floors combined to make up the huge center battlefield. Floors five to nine were the floors open to the public and the ones that would be used in the Opening Ceremony. Floors ten through twenty were VIP guest rooms for many people that included Pokemon League Officials other regions' Champions, Elites, and Gym Leaders, etc. Floors twenty-one to twenty-five were for the Tandor Gym Leaders. Floor twenty-six was for recreation, including many indoor pools, gyms. tracks and various sports fields/courts. Floors twenty-seven through forty-four were for League official offices and whatever else was needed. The top six floors were restricted to all except the five elites. Floor forty-five was a sort of common room for the elites to chill and discuss things while the top five floors were each reserved to an elite.

Ash descended the stairs from his penthouse apartment, folding up the cuffs on his white dress shirt. He walked up to the door to the elite common room, securing the last button in place. The sound of screaming filled his ears as he walked in. Alex dashed past him, jumping behind a sofa with Melissa on his heels.

"Let me do your hair!"

"Never!"

"Get a room you two." Ash looked over to see Green holding back a snigger. And Vanessa was staring out the balcony at the edge of the room

Everyone was at different levels of readiness. Mellanie and Green seemed to be completely ready, having already donned pink and white gowns respectfully. Alex was pretty much ready in a blue suit, his hair was just a mess. Vanessa, meanwhile, had a t-shirt and shorts on. Deciding that she was the worst case right now, Ash grabbed his black suit and tie off the rack beside the door and trudged over to the balcony.

"Red saveeeee meeee!" Alex cried.

Ash looked back at him. Poor thing had tripped and fallen. He was crawling away as fast as he could, but it looked like it would be in vain. Melissa would get him. Ash sighed.

"Make sure his hair doesn't look too bad."

Melissa grinned. "Now I've even got the Champion's permission! There's no point in trying to run anymore!"

"I was talking to Green," Ash clarified before walking away.

Ash stepped onto the balcony and walked over to the edge, about a yard away from Vanessa.

"Not gonna lie, the view from here was probably the only reason I made the Pokemon League building into a tower," Ash said.

"I guess I can understand your reasoning, then," Vanessa said. "Hard to believe that we've managed to run this region for so long. They're all a mess."

"As of now, you're the worst case," Ash said.

"They're acting like little kids," Vanessa said.

"And you're acting like a baby right now," Ash said.

Vanessa turned and looked at him for the first time in their conversation. A short staring contest ensued as Ash stared the girl down.

"Fine," Vanessa said, pouting. "I'll get dressed."

"You have five minutes."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and smiled before turning and walking out.

Ash looked over the balcony once more. Everything he had done and been through for the last five years would all come down to this. He had gained the strength to defend himself, the smarts to outsmart anyone else, the position to control whatever he needed to, and allies that he trusted more than he had ever trusted his old 'friends'. Now was his time.

'Mom', He thought. 'I think I'll be ready to join you once again. I honestly don't care what happens to me as long as I accomplish my goal. So I won't keep you waiting for too long. When you meet me once again in Arceus's realm you will see a changed man. So don't worry about me. Pikachu and all the others, I hope that you are doing all right. Once this is over, I will try to see you all again at least once before I go. Thank you, Arceus, for this opportunity. I won't waste it.'

It wasn't Melissa's fault. Anyone would have put a mohawk on Alex like she did. Stupid Red for making her take it off. Red.

Melissa internally sighed. He had been pretty suspicious since he had come to Tandor. Crashlanding on the verge of death into an unfamiliar region and managing to save a Pokemon from a Nuclear Pokemon all while bleeding out and suffering amnesia? Amazing and off at the same time. And when she had first met him. He emitted the aura of a war veteran that had seen it all: mature, yet saddened. His actions hadn't been consistent. He was too good for a 'new trainer'. And his Pokemon improved at unreal rates. So when she finally learned about his past, everything made sense. He hadn't told her everything though. Just the general details. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to become an elite when she was first offered the job by Red. But after he had told her, it made her want to stay, to help her friend who had been through things that she couldn't imagine. And she was glad she did. Becoming an elite was the best thing to happen to her thus far. She had a family in her fellow elites and was a million times stronger than she had ever been before, mostly thanks to Red. So with Green fixing Alex's hair and Vanessa getting changed, Melissa had decided to tag along with Red as he made the final preparations before the ceremony kicked off.

The elevator the pair was riding through was clearly not designed by Red. Smooth jazz was probably the furthest thing from what Red would listen to. Nevertheless, he seemed to be baring it.

"You ready for today?" Melissa asked.

"Honestly?" Red asked.

Melissa nodded.

"Not really," Red replied.

"Will they be here?" Melissa asked.

Red grimaced. "Probably."

"We're all with you. Even Green."

"Don't..." Red started.

There was a ninety-nine percent chance that Red knew exactly what was about to come out of her mouth at that moment. There was a hundred percent chance that he wouldn't like it. But Melissa said it anyway.

"Why haven't you told her yet?" Melissa asked. "We all know except her."

"I have my reasons," Red said.

"Stop being such an edgelord," Melissa said.

"I want to tell her, but I can't," Red said. "At least not yet. And you can't either."

Another one of Red's countless mysteries. Green and Red were arguably the closest of the Elites. So it was even more confusing when Red didn't trust her enough to tell her about his past. Melissa didn't push it, though, because she knew that she wouldn't get anything else out of him.

"Anyway, today isn't about me," Red said. "Today isn't about me. We've got to come out swinging in our exhibition matches. Normally, we wouldn't want to paint a target on our backs, but for today we have to show that Tandor's elites can contend with all of the other regions' elites."

Melissa frowned. "That's easy enough. We'll all win without a sweat. I'm more worried about you. You may not be able to fool us, but the rest of the world thinks that Tandor's champion is a robot who does everything that needs to be done on time and never says more than he needs to say. Calm and confident. But look at yourself right now!"

Melissa knew she wasn't wrong. One look at Red and he looked more like a five-year-old lost at a mall than the Champion of a region. His foot bouncing up and down, his hand shaking as he ran it through his hair, his voice jittery as he talked. Melissa sucked at reading people, but even she could read those signs. She glanced up at the elevator's display. Floor 23. She had to act fast before they got down to the first floor.

Melissa grabbed Red and pushed him against the side of the elevator. It was hard to intimidate a man of Red's size and stature, but she thought that she had done a damn well job.

"Listen up!" Melissa yelled. "You're the Champion of a freaking region so act like it! I don't care that your mom's murderers will be in attendance! This is your one and only chance to fix your life up! Go out there like a champion, beat the shit out of whoever you have to beat, and get your revenge like a Champion! Do you know who inspired me to become this strong? Champion Red! Not wussy Red. So go out there and show everyone champion Red."

Red stared at her.

'Shit!' Melissa thought. 'Did I just scream at the strongest man in the nation, not to mention my boss?' Melissa closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst to come. 'Shit Shit Shit Shit...'

"YOU HAVE REACHED FLOOR NUMBER ONE," The elevator blared.

Melissa heard a large sigh. And then...

"Thanks."

Melissa opened her eyes abruptly. "What?"

Red smiled. "I said thanks for talking some sense into me. You were right. I will win. I will get justice. All like a Champion. So thanks a lot."

"Oh..." Melissa said.

Red grinned at her. "I've got to go get my side of things ready so I'll be off now. See you soon!"

Melissa stared, dumbfounded, at Red as left the elevator. She had just screamed at him and he grinned back and thanked her? She had never seen Red act like that. Not wussy Red or edgy Red or Champion Red. That was a new Red.

Melissa glanced up into the corner of the elevator.

"PLT dedicated to Ash," She read.

Ash. For some reason, it felt right. This new Red. She would call him 'Ash'.

Melissa smiled as she exited the elevator to start preparing for the ceremony, hoping that she'd see more of Ash in the future.

xxx

"Serena," Ash said grabbing her hands in his.

"Yes, Ash?" Serena said looking into his face. Feeling her face heat up, Serena quickly turned away from him.

With a gentle hand, Ash turned her chin back to face him. The sun was shining. Birds all around them were chirping. Serena didn't know where they were. She didn't care. The field filled with flowers that they were in was beautifully romantic. A gentle breeze swept through the meadow. As flower petals rained down on the pair, Serena's eyes met Ash's own. A look of pure love and bliss passed between the pair. Ash's voice sounded like honey when he spoke.

"Do you love me?"

It was perfect.

"Yes!"

A little bit too perfect.

"Well..."

The bright sun started to dim. The breeze started to pick up. Flowers all around Serena started wilting and catching flame. Ash's voice slowly turned demonic as he continued to speak.

"... I did too. But you ruined it. It was all your fault. You deserve to die a terrible death."

Ash's face twisted with anger and malice. The sun had turned a dim red. The wind was howling, spreading flaming petals everywhere. Everything around Serena started cracking, breaking apart.

"I hate you!"

Serena gasped and turned. To her horror, another broken and demented Ash stood behind her.

"You did this to me!"

To her left was another.

Serena was heaving in the air around her, but it seemed to be resisting. Panic started to fill her body. She started clawing at her throat.

"We could have had everything!"

Another demonic Ash to her right. The breaths stopped coming in.

"But you!"

In front of her.

"Killed my mom..."

Behind her.

"killed my best friend..."

Next to her.

"killed all my hopes and dreams..."

Right Next to her

"and killed me!"

All around her.

"The one who loved you."

All around her.

"The one who cared for you."

All around her.

"The one who thought about you."

All around her.

"The one who protected you."

All around her.

"The one who did everything for you."

All around her.

"The one who would have married you."

All.

"The one who was your everything."

Around.

"The one you killed."

Her.

Serena collapsed to her knees, losing air. She couldn't breathe. Images of Ash hit her all over her body. Dull blows breaking what was already broken.

The whole world shattered and collapsed. Only Ash remained.

A bloody, beaten, bruised, nearly-dead Ash appeared, chained to a wall in front of her.

Another Serena appeared next to Ash. The other Serena started hitting Ash. Every blow that hit Ash, sent unimaginable pain throughout her body. Her limbs started to go limp from the lack of oxygen.

"It was your fault." Was chanted from all around her. a new chant from a new Ash that appeared pierced her ears every time the other Serena landed a blow on the real Ash.

The pain from the words said, the pain from the afterimages of Ash hitting her, the pain from the lack of oxygen in her body, the mental pain from all of the different Ash's the pain the felt when the real Ash was hit. She was experiencing all at the same time. But none compared to the pain she felt when she looked Ash in the eyes. The look of betrayal that he showed.

Serena wanted to stop everything. To kill the other Serena and save Ash. But she couldn't. The pain was too much. Her whole body had gone limp from suffocation.

"You killed him," Serena heard the other Serena say. "You took his life. You don't deserve anything, scum."

The last thing she remembered seeing before the lack of oxygen got to her head was Ash being murdered. By her.

xxx

Serena threw her eyes open and heaved in a breath. It was all a dream. The world was fine. She was in her bed. There was no other Serena. There were no Ash clones. Serena was safe. Ash was sa...

Serena pulled the sheets off her and got out of her bed. She found herself stripping, taking off her pajamas. She walked toward the bathroom and opened the door. The shower somehow turned on. The next thing she knew, the cold water was flowing down her body. It was cold. Good. She didn't deserve the warmth of hot water.

She stepped out of the shower without turning the water off, droplets of it still dripping down her. She walked up to the mirror and took a good look at herself. Makeup. To hide her insecurities. Serena messily applied makeup to her still wet face. She knew it would get ruined, She didn't care. so much for hiding her insecurities.

Serena glanced over at the closet. She didn't even deserve clothes. Serena walked out of the bathroom dripping wet, with messy makeup and no clothes on whatsoever.

Serena marched over to the door leading to the hall of her hotel. She grabbed the doorknob. Serena took in a deep breath. She was ready to go outside. This was all she deserved. She was a fool to think so otherwise the five years leading up to that moment. Ever since that one day, she didn't deserve anything.

But she couldn't open the door in time as it was opened for her. Part of her was furious, part of her was relieved.

"Serena?" Dawn said, opening the door. "What the hell are you doing?"

Serena didn't respond.

"Come on," Dawn said, entering their room and closing the door behind her. "I get that you're tired and just woke up, but you can't go out wet and naked like that. And the Serena I know would never go out with her makeup done that sloppily. Much less to the opening ceremony of the Pokemon Master's Tournament. Let's get you fixed up," She said with a smile.

"Why?" Serena said.

"What?" Dawn asked confused.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Serena reiterated.

"Because we're friends, dummy," Dawn said.

As Dawn worked on fixing her appearance at a frighteningly quick pace, Serena struggled to comprehend what Dawn said.

"Done!" Dawn said a few minutes later.

Serena looked at herself in the mirror. She looked stunning.

"We shouldn't be friends," Serena muttered.

"What?" Dawn said. "Why? Did I do anything to you?"

"No," Serena said. "It was nothing. I don't know why I said that. Thanks." Serena forced herself to smile. It was very fake.

"Oh," Dawn said. "Then let's go quickly, everyone's waiting and the opening ceremony is about to start!"

"Okay," Serena muttered.

As Dawn rushed out of the bathroom door, Serena paused.

She was more disgusted in herself than she was before. She wasn't even brave enough to say the truth to Dawn's face.

"I don't deserve to have friends."

Ash took in a deep breath. Now was the time. His suit felt hot as he stood behind the doors of the PLT. One peek through the window showed Ash the conglomeration of people that were outside. They took up the entire courtyard and even spilled over out into the path to Legen Town. All of those people. The old Ash might've been excited. Maybe even happy with all the attention. But now, Ash was nervous. Not something that any regular people would think of a Champion, especially not about Red, the cold and confident leader of Tandor. But the fact that Ash, though extremely mature for his age, was still an eighteen-year-old compounded with the fact that Ash knew that he would face them make his stomach do somersaults. But he couldn't let it show. For his image and for knowing Melissa would murder him if he did after her whole speech.

"You're a wreck," Green said approaching him.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked trying his best to mask his nervousness.

Green looked at him for a second. "Nice try."

"What gave it away?" Ash asked.

"Apart from seeing you waiting earlier?" Green asked.

Ash nodded.

"5 years," Green said. "I've known you for five years, Red, and have spent the vast majority of those years with you. You pick up on stuff after a bit."

"I guess so," Ash said.

"Don't worry," Green said. "You won't have to do anything. Just stand and smile. Or stare menacingly at random people in the audience like you did this morning."

Ash smiled. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"Are y'all ready?" Macy called from the side of the room.

"All good!" Melissa called back.

"Okay!" Macy called back. "We will open the doors to the public in 10 seconds for you to address them."

"Okay!" Melissa called.

As Ash took in one final breath to calm himself, he heard a familiar sound of footsteps echoing in the hall behind him.

"Nucleon?" Ash said as he turned to find his partner dashing towards him. "What happened?"

Nucleon made eye contact with Ash before turning and immediately dashing back towards the elevator and stair access.

It took a second for it to register into Ash. He knew that look. With Nucleon being one of his two closest Pokemon, their bond was like that of the one that Ash had with his Pikachu back in the day. So when he saw that look, he knew what he had to do.

Ash immediately broke into a sprint towards Nucleon.

"Red?" Green called from behind him.

"5 seconds!" Macy called.

"Cover for me guys!" Ash called back as he reached the stair access.

As Ash dashed out of view and the doors opened, somehow, someway, he managed to see one last thing: the faces of his so-called 'friends' in the crowd.

AN: Hey Guys! It's late. I know. I'm sorry. But I had a situation with covid and had to get quarantined and wasn't able to update. I wrote about it in more detail on my profile, read that if you want more details on it. From now on, updates on the progress of all of my stories will also be on my profile. So check those out there too.

For the people that hadn't guessed by now, the 4 elites are the four people who Ash traveled with in the Prologue. You can reread it and based on their descriptions you can figure out who is who. Also, this chapter is the first part of two for the opening ceremony so if it feels like the ending was kind of abrupt, that was because it was.

On a miscellaneous note, this chapter was really fun to write. Especially the Serena part. She is going to be a pretty broken character, so it's going to be fun. Let me know if yall feel a bit bad for her because, even after what she took part in, I feel a bit bad for her. Like her, many other traitors will have motivations or reasons or at least feel bad for their actions. And some won't So keep reading to find out.

Finally, Answering reviews.

Mark Andrew said: Hmm okay. Can see your thoughts as well... compromise and we say 15?
Least why I sorta lowballed my number. I agree and feel 22 would be too old. My opinion 13 still too young, but this IS your story so you're "Boss" as Meowth would say it.
I wonder, you say its Ash/Leaf. But I almost feel like he's made some gals from Tandor swoon for him as well now heh. Poor Ash
What will occur with Ash's Champion Team? I do hope he gets them all back!

Yeah. The age thing is kind of iffy, but it's not too major so i'll keep it as it is. I can't tell you specifically what will happen to Ash's old Pokemon, but I can tell you that some (especially the important one) will make a reappearance.

To guest: Thank you and I hope this story meets your expectations.

Nick said: One of the things I don't approve of is Ash being betrayed by any of his friends, Pokémon, or his mother. Something isn't right. So I have a few questions to ask you, concerning this whole thing. 1. Any idea of what locations are going to be used in the fanfic? 2. Could you be specific on when it will take place? 3. Who all will be in it? 4. How old will everyone be? 5. What Pokémon will be owned by any of the main anime characters in the fanfic? 6. How will have they gotten those Pokémon in the fanfic? 7. How long will they've had them for in the fanfic? 8. What was going on when the fanfic began? Be sure to answer these questions.

1. The Tandor region. It is the region used in the game Pokemon Uranium. The Pokemon in this fic might also be fakemon from said game. 2. Five years after Ash's championship run in Alola. 3. Ash, the OCs I made as elites, Macy (Ash's secretary who is also an OC), the traitors, and a few other people from his past (Gary, Paul, Dawn, Brock etc.). 4. Most people in this will be 18 - 30 unless they are really old (say Prof. Oak) or younger than Ash (say Max or Bonnie). 5. All of the elites will have Pokemon from Tandor that match their type specialties. If y'all want, I can put a list of Pokemon owned by all of the mcs on my profile. 6. Most of them will be regular wild encounters that they caught. Any special ones will be specifically pointed out in the story. 7. That's on a case to case basis. 8. To sum up the prologue, Ash wins Alola championship, gets betrayed by many friends and his mom gets killed by Tobias, lands in Tandor and meets Green and Nucleon, proceeds to travel around Tandor, slowly warming up to his new friends while meeting Alex, Melissa, Vanessa, and catching all of his new Pokemon, find out that there is a crisis about t happen involving the nuclear Pokemon that had been destroying Tandor, saves Tandor from the crisis by defeating the huge Nuclear Pokemon (Urayne for those of you who are familiar with Pokemon Uranium), gets appointed as Champion of the region and makes his companions his elites, rebuilds Tandor into a modern and prosperous region, and finally prepares his next move for when the Master's Tournament when the traitors and everyone else come to Tandor.

So that is pretty much it, I will update the second part of the opening ceremony next time and until then, thank you so much for reading and a special thanks to all my followers, favorites, and reviews and review for any questions or comments. Thanks a lot - Atomic Rush