The Ultimate Challenge
Chapter – 1
The Stage Of The Masters 8
Wyndon City, Galar
"C'mon, Goh! We're gonna be late!" Ash Ketchum said as he rushed out of the airport.
"Oh yeah? Well whose partner delayed the flight by releasing a Thunderbolt inside the plane? Huh?" Ash's fellow research partner said, still annoyed over the incident that occurred almost 8 hours ago.
"I said I'm sorry! It wasn't Pikachu's fault! That big Houndoom suddenly jumped out of nowhere, it gave him a jump-scare," Ash said, his partner nodding in agreement.
"Ugh, fine! Let it be! Let's just get to the hotel and check-in before we get late for the opening ceremony!"
A Few Hours Later...
Multiple Rotom Drones flew in the skies, releasing colors that spread to form the World Coronation Series logo, right above the grand stage: Wyndon Stadium.
Ash and Goh rushed towards the entrance, but were mobbed by fans, who had just spotted one of the Masters 8 contenders out in the open, and rushed in for an autograph or a photo.
"Mr. Ketchum, can we have a photo?"
"Mr. Ketchum, what are your plans for this tournament?"
"Hey, Rank 8, I want a battle!"
"Hey, can you sign my shirt!"
"Good luck, kid! We're rooting for you!"
Pikachu, overwhelmed by the crowd, was about to release another Thunderbolt, but was stopped by stadium staff coming out and trying to stop the crowd and let Ash in.
"Hey kid, you mad or what? Coming in here without contacting WCS staff. You famous now, so you gotta move with security," one of the staff said, clearly annoyed.
"OK, I'm sorry but I didn't receive a message nor any instructions for today."
Alright, kid, we'll talk to the heads, now you get to the waiting area for contestants, and you, get to the stands," the other staff member said, pointing Ash to the lounge and Goh to the stands.
"Alright Ash! See you soon! Good luck!" Goh said as he started towards the stands, ticket in hand.
"Yeah Goh, I'll see you!" Ash replied before rushing towards the lounge.
On the way there, he was met by none other than the new Unova Champion, Iris, who was in the same clothes she wore when the travelled together.
"Hey Ash! I see you made it to the top!"
"Sure did, Iris! And I'm gonna win! Just you wait!"
"Oh just you wait, mister! I'll be beating Leon while you watch from the stands!"
"Oh I'll be waiting but to battle you and beat you!"
"So not happening, Mr. ..." She trailed off as they both saw that they had entered the lounge, and all the other members were staring at them, which made then blush in embarrassment and shut up.
There stood, the other six of the top 8.
Steven Stone, Hoenn Champion was dressed in a black suit with purple highlights and a red tie, his signature metal jewellery on his cuffs and a pin with a keystone for his Metagross.
He had been talking with Diantha, the Kalos Champion, wearing her signature outfit: a large blazer ending at the back in cloud-like wing structures, a shirt and shorts, with a pendant on her neck which held her keystone for her Gardevoir. She had stopped mid-laugh and was now staring at the two new arrivals with a smile.
Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, stood near the other end of the room, probably had been looking at a painting of the Galarian legendaries, looking regal in her classic all-black outfit with a cape, a top and pants, with black fur around her neck and at the end of her cuffs.
Lance, the Kanto and Johto Champion, stood silently in the corner, wearing the blue tunic with orange trimmings with a black belt that he wore on G-Men duty. He also had a cloak, tied around his neck.
Alain, the two-time Kalos League winner, was staring intensely at Ash, wearing the outfit he wore all through Kalos, a pair of baggy, grey pants, a black, leather jacket, black boots, a blue shirt with a white undershirt, and a pair of fingerless gloves. He also wore a pale, blue scarf that closely resembled the flames that appear from his Mega Charizard's mouth, whose keystone was on a band on his wrist.
Finally, there was Leon, the Galarian Champion and World No. 1, who had been trying to engage Alain in a conversation with him, to little success, stood in the outfit that he had worn since becoming Monarch: a baseball cap tilted upwards to show off the crown design on the brim, a red fur-lined cape that had logos of sponsors on the back, and a black striped shirt that had a sword and shield on it. He also wore white shorts with white tights underneath with a black and gold diamond pattern down the side.
The lounge was silent, with all the competitors staring at Ash and Iris, before Cynthia broke the silence by walking over and hugging Ash and Iris.
"Ah Ash, I never doubted you, I knew you would make it here! And congrats, Iris! I knew you had the potential when I met you!"
Steven was smiling as he waved his hand in greeting to Ash, with Lance doing the same.
Diantha cheerfully greeted Ash and Iris, "Well, well, the Alolan and Unovan Champions are finally here. Nice to see you again, Ash! And finally, another female champion, nice to finally meet you Iris!"
Iris looked like she was one second away from melting into the ground, all the people she dreamed of meeting were now greeting and congratulating her.
Ash, on the other hand, just greeted the Champions with a smile, before heading over to where Alain was.
"Nice to see you again, Alain. You got a new megastone, from what I'm seeing and you won the Kalos League again, that's great!"
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Ash, but it wasn't anything great, you became Champion in that time, congratulations on that, by the way."
"Thanks, it was a tough one, wasn't it, Pikachu?"
"Pika Pika, Pika!"
"I'm sure it was."
"And now that we are here, I'm finally gonna beat you! And then Leon!"
"I won't make it easy for you, Ash."
"Now that's the spirit needed from you young trainers! Marvelous!" Leon said, clapping his hands on each of their shoulders.
"So, you boys ready for the big stage?"
"Sure am, eh Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
"Bring it on,"
Meanwhile, Iris, having overcome her shyness, was taking photos with Diantha and Cynthia and they were chatting about their lives.
"Man, how do you two handle it? Diantha, you are a top actress along with a Champion, and Cynthia is an archaeologist. How do you do it? I can barely find time for battles."
"You learn to cope with it eventually, Iris,"
"Yeah, it would feel hectic at first, but slowly and slowly you settle into it."
"Believe me," Cynthia said, a goofy smile on her face, "when I first became Sinnoh Champion, I was rushing around like a headless chicken, had no clue what to do."
"Really? The great Sinnoh Champion was such a rookie when she became Champion?"
"Sure was. But I settled into it, the fame, the stardom, the paperwork, and all that."
"Well thanks for the advice. I'll try my best."
"You'll succeed, I'm sure of it."
"Uh...Hey Masters 8 trainers, we are about to begin," a young man, probably from the WCS staff, nervously said, "so if you all could head on to the platforms,"
"OK, sure!" they replied, all of them getting ready and started following the man.
In The Stadium..
"GOOD AFTERNOON, GALAR!" came a loud cry from the commentary box in Wyndon Stadium, "AND TO ALL THE PEOPLE TUNING IN FROM OTHER REGIONS! GET READY PEOPLE! MY NAME IS MIKE AND IT IS TIME, THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE WCS MASTERS 8 TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! LET ME HEAR YOU, PEOPLE!"
Mike said, as the 100,000 strong crowd let out an ear-splitting roar, the sound reaching areas outside the stadium.
"WELL, LET'S GET STARTED!"
As soon as he said that, the lights dimmed down as a large platform with eight holes on it rose up, with the WCS logo printed on the surface.
"FIRST UP, HE MAY BE A KID, BUT HE IS ONE OF THE BEST TACTICAL BATTLERS I HAVE SEEN. PLEASE WELCOME ALOLAN CHAMPION AND RANK 8, ASH KETCHUM!"
Ash rose from one of the holes on a platform, Pikachu on his shoulder and a large smile on his face as he waved to the crowd.
Oak Lab, Pallet Town
Loud cheering could be heard, as all of Ash's pokemon roared with delight at seeing their trainer on the stage, with Professor Oak, Tracey and Delia Ketchum joining in.
Lilycove City, Hoenn Region
A honey-blonde girl with stark blue eyes was watching the broadcast with a large smile on her face, her pokemon around her cheering for her crush.
Galar
"AND UP NEXT, WE HAVE, THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO BECOME A CHAMPION, AND BEWARE OF HER HAXORUS PEOPLE, IT'S A BEAST. IT IS THE CHAMPION OF UNOVA AND RANK 7, IRIS!"
A second platform rose, with Iris standing on it, wearing the dress she wore on official Champion duties.
She was cheerfully bouncing on the stage, enthusiastically waving at the crowd.
Opelcuid City, Unova Region
The Village of Dragons town square was occupied with residents, all looking at a TV Drayden had brought, ready to cheer on Iris
Galar
"HAILING FROM THE KALOS REGION, THIS TRAINER AND HIS CHARIZARD ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. PLEASE WELCOME, TWO TIME KALOS LEAGUE CHAMPION AND RANK 6, ALAIN!"
A third platform rose up next to Iris, with Alain on it who raised his hand high to acknowledge the crowd, before he and Ash looked at the other through the corner of their eyes, giving a small nod to each other.
Sycamore Lab, Lumiose City
Professor Sycamore and Mairin were both watching he broadcast, Sycamore with a look of pride and Mairin with one of admiration, as Sycamore's Garchomp made happy noises seeing him on screen
Galar
"AND NOW, ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED TRAINERS TO TAKE THE TITLE OF CHAMPION, SHE AND HER GARDEVOIR ARE NO PUSHOVERS. PLEASE WELCOME, THE GREAT ACTRESS, KALOS CHAMPION AND RANK 5, DIANTHA!"
Another platform arose near Alain, as Diantha appeared, waving to the crowd.
"NEXT UP, THIS MAN IS CHAMPION OF NOT ONLY ONE, BUT TWO REGIONS! AND A G-MAN, THROUGH AND THROUGH! PLEASE WELCOME, KANTO AND JOHTO CHAMPION AND RANK 4, LANCE!"
Lance rose up on a platform, giving a slight bow to the crowd as he clutched his cloak.
"AND NOW, WE HAVE THE HEIR TO THE DEVON CORPORATION AND A PASSION FOR ROCKS, HE AND HIS METAGROSS ARE READY TO TEAR IT UP. PLEASE WELCOME, HOENN CHAMPION AND RANK 3, STEVEN STONE!"
Steven rose on another platform, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Devon Corporation, Hoenn Region
The current head of Devon Corp. Watched his son with pride, achieving top 3 in a competition as competitive as this was much harder than becoming Champion.
Galar
"AND HERE WE HAVE THE PRIDE OF THE SINNOH REGION, HER GARCHOMP IS READY FOR CARNAGE. PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE GREAT ARCHAEOLOGIST, SINNOH CHAMPION AND RANK 2, CYNTHIA!"
Cynthia rose on a platform next to Ash, waving to the crowd, which went wild.
"AND NOW THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. HE IS THE GREATEST. THE UNDEFEATED CHAMPION. HE AND HIS CHARIZARD ARE READY TO ADD SOME FIRE TO THIS TOURNAMENT. PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER, AND PLEASE WELCOME, GALAR CHAMPION AND RANK 1, LEON!"
Leon rose up on a platform at the centre of the stage, with his signature pose, as the crowd rose up and started cheering wildly. Leon looked at the crowd, before shouting out his catchphrase, "It's A Champion Time!" as the crowd noise hit fever pitch.
Ash was busy in his own thoughts, trying to ignore the loud noise, 'I finally made it. The Masters 8. And I'm gonna win. No matter their strength, I'll reach and beat you, Leon.' He thought, as he gave Leon a determined stare, which he acknowledged with a nod, along with those he was receiving from Alain and Iris.
As the crowd noise slowly subsided, Mike continued, "AND NOW FOLKS, WE HAVE THE DRAW THAT WILL DECIDE WHO WILL FACE WHO IN A BATTLE FOR THE TITLE OF MONARCH. THE 8 TRAINERS HAVE BEEN DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS OF 4 EACH, RANDOMLY. IF YOU FOCUS ON HE SCREEN, YOU WOULD SEE THEM,"
The large stadium screen, which had been showing the WCS logo, now switched to showing two columns, as names of the 8 appeared
Group 1: Group 2:
Leon Alain
Lance Ash
Steven Cynthia
Iris Diantha
"NOW, THE ROUNDS WOULD BE AS FOLLOWS:
FOR GROUP 1:
Qualifier 1: Leon vs Steven
Eliminator: Lance vs Iris
FOR GROUP 2:
Qualifier 1: Cynthia vs Diantha
Eliminator: Alain vs Ash
"NOW THE RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
ALL BATTLES WILL BE 6V6
ONLY ONE OUT OF MEGA EVOLUTION, Z-MOVE OR DYNAMAX WILL BE ALLOWED PER BATTLE.
WINNER OF QUALIFIER 1 WILL HEAD DIRECTLY INTO THE FINAL MATCH WHILE THE WINNER OF THE ELIMINATOR HAS TO FACE THE LOSER OF QUALIFIER 1.
TRAINERS WHO LOSE IN THE ELIMINATOR ARE OUT FOR THE REST OF THE TOURNAMENT.
WINNER OF QUALIFIER 2 WILL BATTLE THE WINNER OF QUALIFIER 1 AND THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH WILL DECIDE THE TWO TRAINERS WHO WILL BATTLE IN THE FINAL FOR THE TITLE OF MONARCH
Iris looked nervously at Lance, who just gave her a warm smile, promising a good battle.
Leon and Steven bowed to each other.
Diantha and Cynthia smiled at each other, both of them good friends who wanted a great battle.
Ash and Alain just nodded at each other, giving each other a determined stare, Ash clenching his hands, ready for a win this time.
"AND HERE WE HAVE IT PEOPLE! THE DRAW HAS BEEN MADE! WE HAVE SOME AMAZING MATCHES AHEAD! THE TOURNAMENT BATTLES BEGIN TOMORROW WITH THE BATTLE BETWEEN...ASH AND ALAIN! THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN, I AM MIKE AND I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW!"
This indicated the end of the opening ceremony and so, the crowd stood up once again to give a standing ovation to all the trainers competing, before heading out of the stadium, which created a little bit of a ruckus.
On the ground, the 8 met at the centre of the stage.
"Oh my, Ash and Alain, the seems the League final is getting a rematch," Diantha said, a large smile on her face as she remembered the battle those two had at the Kalos League.
"Well, Diantha, are you ready to be beaten, or are you going to give me a good match?" Cynthia said teasingly, to which Diantha replied with a confident tone, "Oh I won't be going down that easily, 'Ms. Sweet Tooth.' You better watch your back, or you might just lose."
"We'll see about that, 'Ms. Master of Disguise'. I'll look forward to it."
"OMG, Ash, I gotta fight Lance. The Champion Lance. I'm already out." Iris said to Ash, feeling dejected.
"Hey, hey, Iris! Don't lose hope! Don't give up now. Even if you lose, you gotta give it all you got, or you might as well have lost before the battle began."
"But, it's impossible! Have you seen his Dragonite, or any of the other Dragons he has! He's the literal Dragon Master. I just..."
"You can do it, Iris. There's a very small chance, but there is a chance! You gotta give it your all. Don't give up until it's over. That's what I always say."
"OK, ok. I'll try... I guess. I'll give him one of the hardest battles he has ever had, even if I lose."
"That's the spirit! You give it your all, and I'll do the same against you, Alain!" Ash said, switching the conversation over to Alain
"I won't be expecting anything less, Ash. Me and Charizard will be waiting for you. And this time, you don't know 5 of my pokemon, I don't know 5 of yours. Just like last time. I expect a great battle."
"You won't be getting anything less, Alain, I can promise you that."
As the banter continued, Mike finally came down from his box, heading over to the field.
"Hey guys! I must say it feels good to see all of you here. So, you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day. Oh, and before I forget, Alain and Ash, I want you here at least an hour and a half before the battle tomorrow."
"But why?"
"Cause there will be a press conference before every battle, and since your battle is tomorrow, you got to attend, all right?"
"Fine by me."
"Alain?"
Okay, I'll attend it."
"Perfect! So you can head over to the hotel, and if you have any problems regarding accommodations or anything that is being provided by the WCS, contact me and I'll sort it out."
"Thanks Mike! Will do!", Ash and Iris replied, the three younger trainers the only ones left as the others had left, saying their goodbyes.
They all got out of the stadium, reaching the hotel and finally reached their rooms. 8 rooms on the top floor had been allocated for the Masters 8, with the next two floors below them reserved for any guests they might receive during the duration of the tournament.
In Ash rooms, Goh was lying on the bed, rubbing his ears, still feeling the crowd noise, as Ash walked around the room, thinking about ways to beat the one rival he hadn't been able to defeat. He was also thinking about the advice Gary had given him over the phone, before the opening ceremony, his words constantly rolling sound in his head.
"You need to use your old pokemon, Ash."
They had broken into an inconclusive discussion over the topic, with Ash saying that his team was good as it was, but Gary arguing that for so long, he had been using new pokemon in each region, and that had led him to so many losses. He asked what would have happened, if Charizard had been there to battle Tobias in Sinnoh, or if Sceptile hadn't been there.
And now here he was, stuck in a dilemma over it. He'll have to work it out soon, if he needs a suitable team for tomorrow's battle. So he spent the whole evening thinking about it, even talking to his current team and the topic, and asked Goh not to disturb him until dinner.
He had finally reached his decision. He would be bringing them back, but his team will not suffer. They had made this far, they deserved their own chances.
"Hey, Ash you done with your planning? It's time for dinner. You gotta sleep early so you can get ready for your battle tomorrow on time." Goh asked, coming into the room after a long day outside catching wild pokemon.
"Yeah, uh, I'm done, Goh. I'll just come down to the restaurant. You go, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"OK, sure! See you downstairs," his friend replied, packing his pokéballs with his new pokemon so he could send them over to Cerise Park.
'Now, I gotta decide who I am gonna use, and I'll bring them over tomorrow morning' Ash thought as he headed down in the elevator.
They both had dinner with the usual rowdy crowd of pokemon around them, which drew more shares on top of those staring at Ash.
As they headed to their room, Ash suddenly felt a wave of energy crash into him, and he almost fell down. He felt as though there was somebody hammering something on the back of his head, before it calmed down and he felt as though he was he was standing on a beach, feeling water touch his feet before it slowly warped around him and covered the beach.
'I know this feeling, but it can't be! He can't be done with his work already!' Ash thought, as Goh tried to shake him out of his thoughts, asking if he was alright.
"We got to go!"
"Where? Ash are you alright?"
Just follow me, you'll find out!"
The two boys silently went downstairs, and slowly crept out the lobby, afraid of attracting more fans.
Meanwhile, in the other region, many of Ash's friends were booking their tickets to get to Galar and meet up with Ash in time for his battles.
Kukui, Burnet and Lei were already on the flight to Wyndon, while the Alola Gang would follow them soon after.
Delia Ketchum was at the Viridian City Airport, ready to go meet her baby boy.
Serena Yvonne was packing her bags, her pokemon helping her, as she got ready to meet her crush, as she was actively gathering the courage to confess.
Dawn Berlitz was feeling sorry for she was going to miss Ash's first battle live at the stadium, but she was going to meet him after it, as soon as she reached there.
Similar plans were being formed by the Maple siblings, Cilan the connoisseur as well as Clemont and Bonnie, who would be heading to Galar the next day from Lumiose.
Gary Oak, currently at Professor Rowan's lab in Sinnoh, was preparing to head to Galar on his Fearow at sunrise the next day.
And finally, at Wyndon City Airport, Kanto Gym Leaders Misty and Brock were getting off their flight, ready to head over to their hotel before surprising Ash first thing next morning.
There was one thing for sure: this reunion was going to be the largest and most exciting one.
To Be Continued...
Woah, that took longer than I expected, but there you have it guys! The rewrite for the Ultimate Challenge is here. Now, as like TSTGH, this one will also have sporadic updates. If you are confused about the battle format, check the IPL playoff format, and you may understand. I got the idea from there only. As always, R&R. Until next time, Animefan1112 is out! Adios!