Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter for this fic.
I know, this is super late, but, managing school, coaching and tests at the same time is very hectic. Now, before we got on with it, let me reply to some of the reviews
Demonkid1 – Yeah I actually might have mentioned that it was randomized, so Diantha is in the 2nd bracket, and since in that bracket she has a higher rank than Ash or Alain, I placed her in the qualifiers.
FashionLuver98 – Nope, the Ash vs Alain battle won't be 5 chapters long, don't worry. 2, maybe 3 is the max I will take it.
The rest of you guys who reviewed, thanks so much for the positive reviews.
Now, on with the story...
The Ultimate Challenge
Chapter-2
The Journey To The Top
Wyndon City, Galar
Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee-
"Yeah, I'm up, so just switch off the alarm, Rotom." The boy with black hair with red highlights said, yawning as he stood up from his bed, his eyes half-closed, "Hey, Ash! It's time, wake up!" he said, turning to the bed next to his, only to be faced with a surprising sight: his companion, the guy who was always late, was actually not in his bed, which meant that he had woken up before Goh, which was practically impossible! 'He sleeps in most of the time, how is he awake so early today?' Goh thought, surprised.
"Well, I guess we'll see him in the restaurant, with breakfast. He's probably stressed out over the battle. Come on, Grookey, we're heading to breakfast."
When Goh got to the restaurant, he didn't find Ash there either. Now, he was worried. Ash not eating breakfast first thing in the morning was a cause for concern.
That's when said trainer entered the hotel, all sweaty. His hair was not in the usual spiky state, but most of them were hanging down on his face, which was glistening with sweat. Pikachu, as usual, was on his shoulder, though the mouse was fast asleep, clutching Ash's shoulder tightly.
"Where have you been! I couldn't find you anywhere! At least leave a note before going out!" Goh said angrily.
His research partner grinned sheepishly, "Uh, yeah, Goh, I was training in the wild area. I was so focused on getting good training before the match, that I, uh, forgot to write a note or message you. Sorry about that. Now, I am starving, so can we go eat?"
Goh pinched his nose, "Fine, but don't forget it again, Ash. And you need to take a bath and change, you smell like shit and there ain't no way the staff would let you sit in the restaurant with those dirty clothes." He said, pointing to Ash's pants, which were brown and green with mud and grass.
"Ah, yeah, I should probably go and get changed. See you in a few minutes, Goh!" Ash said as he got into the elevator.
Goh sighed, before motioning Grookey to get back on, they were going for breakfast.
About half an hour later, Ash arrived looking better with his normal outfit on and no smell of sweat. Pikachu was awake and cheery as well. They both went to the buffet table, and returned with Ash's plate holding the maximum amount of food it could, and Pikachu's tray filled to the brim with Pokémon food and of course, ketchup. Ash sat down, Pikachu sitting near his legs, and they both began scarfing down their food like a pack of hungry lions.
Goh watched all of this with a nonchalant expression, being used to their antics, but many others in the vicinity were staring at Ash.
Ash didn't care about the stares, and once he was done, which took about 5 minutes, he got up, grabbed Goh's hand and pulled him out of the restaurant.
"Hey! Hey, hey Ash! Can you stop, I wasn't finished," he shouted out as he was dragged out of the hotel lobby, "What's this all about?"
Ash stopped outside the entrance, and, with his usual cheeriness, said, "I need to train my team for the battle, and you are going to help out!"
Goh's mouth was agape like a fish, "But, I don't have good battlers in my team! And I need to catch a few Galarian pokemon before your match!"
"Oh come on, Goh! Cinderace and Inteleon are pretty good they would put up a good fight. Plus, the team's been training on their own till now, they need some practice battles for warm-up! Come on, it'll be fun!"
Goh was still resisting, but considering how strong Ash's hold was, he stopped. He sighed, he knew that his pokemon won't be able to handle Ash's team's battle prowess, and he really needed to build-up his pokedex more considering that he had a good chance of catching many new pokemon, but Ash was begging him, so he couldn't say no.
"Fine, I'll go, but only for half an hour, you need to prepare for the interview too."
"Works for me, let's go! I found a good battle field that was empty nearby, got to get there fast," Ash said as he rushed towards said field, Goh steadily following him.
A few minutes later they were at the field. It was near the public park, but was totally empty, a good spot for a Masters 8 trainer to train in.
"Alright, Goh, get ready! Dracovish, I choose you!" Ash called out and the weird looking fossil pokemon materialized, running to Ash and chomping on his head.
"Alright, Dracovish, time to focus up! We're doing a practice battle, but no holding back!"
"Alright then, Cinderace, come on out, let's give them a good battle," Goh called as the soccer bunny appeared with a cry.
"Alright, we take the first move! Dracovish, start off with Liquidation!"
The pokemon responded as it's body was covered in water and it rushed towards Cinderace.
"Cinderace, counter with Pyro Ball, multiple!"
Cinderace fired multiple blazing balls from its foot towards the rushing dragon, which slowed it down.
"Use Blaze Kick!"
Cinderace's feet were enveloped in flames as it started kicking the water surrounding Dracovish, but got hit by a kick from said pokemon.
Cinderace flew through the field and landed in front of Goh, panting.
"Alright, good start! Now, Fishious Rend! Get close!"
Dracovish rushed with great speed, it's lower jaw glowing a bright blue.
Goh knew this could be trouble, he had to block the bite. "Use Blaze Kick!"
As Dracovish got close, Cinderace went for its head, feet ablaze.
"Alright, Dracovish! Jump!"
"Huh?"
Dracovish, with surprising speed, stopped mid-run and jumped, now heading straight for Cinderace and latched onto his foot.
"Now, throw him down!"
Dracovish spun mid-air and launched Cinderace towards the ground. The soccer bunny, already taken damage from the Rend, landed on the ground hard and passed out.
"Alright! Good battle, Dracovish!" Ash said, hugging the fossil pokemon, who was happily munching on his cap.
Goh sighed and called back his partner before turning to Ash, "See, two moves and he's out!"
"Well, they were super-effective moves." Ash said.
"So! Now, I gotta take him to the pokemon center!" Goh said, irritated.
"OK, ok! I'm sorry I went so fast!"
"Well why don't you try a harder challenge, huh, champ?"
The new voice shook both boys out of their argument, and both of them turned to the source of said voice, and were surprised to see none other thank Professor Kukui!
"Professor! What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?" Ash exclaimed, his face lighting up with a smile.
"Oh, Ash! Did you honestly think we would forget about the tournament! We're here to watch and cheer you on, kiddo! And, as for what I'm wearing, well, Galar is a lot colder than Alola, and Burnet won't let me wear my regular clothes even in the morning sun, so I had to wear a different outfit." He said.
Said outfit was his usual attire with a few tweaks. He was now wearing a black t-shirt that read Alola in fluorescent letters and grey pants instead of his baggy shorts. He had swapped his teal coloured shoes for white sports shoes with a black design. His hat was still there, along with his teal frame glasses, and he wore his Z-ring on his left wrist, the Incinium Z on the band gleaming.
"Wait, 'we'? Is Professor Burnet here too!?"
"Of course she is! She just stopped at a store to buy some snacks with Lei. She should be here soon." The Professor said, pointing in a vague direction.
"How did you find me, professor? The WCS didn't release any details about our accommodations, and I didn't call you to tell about it."
"Ash, news travels fast. I first asked Cerise for your hotel, and he told it to me. Also, paparazzi have been roaming all around the city, trying to catch a photo of you guys. And they saw you last night, exiting the hotel with Goh, and posted your photos online. So stay alert, fans are gonna be swarming the hotel pretty soon."
"Well, thanks, professor, anyway, for coming to cheer me on. Thank you!"
"Oh nonsense, Ash! Don't thank me! It was my pleasure. After all, I wouldn't accept little Lei see his big brother become the World Champion on a TV when he can see it in the stadium." Kukui said, "So, how about a practice battle with Incineroar, hmm? He sure would love it!" he said as he took off Incineroar's pokeball from his belt.
"Ohh, sure professor! There's a guy on my team who sure would love to battle him!" Ash replied, excitement visible in his eyes.
As both trainers got ready for the battle, Goh, as referee, called out, "This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash and Professor Kukui! Both trainers, send out your pokemon!"
"Hey guys! Look who I met on the way here!"
The two trainers were interrupted mid-call by Burnet's cheery voice, and all three turned to the direction of Burnet's voice.
She was near the entry to the field, wearing her usual outfit, holding on to a stroller that held little Lei, who could be seen fast asleep. However, the three trainers' eyes were drawn towards the two people behind Burnet.
Those were two very familiar people, for Ash and Kukui, at least.
The taller of the two was a young man dressed in a green collared t-shirt, an orange vest with brown trimmings, khaki pants with knee stitching and indigo sneakers. Around his neck was necklace that held a keystone. His spiky hair were waving around in all direction in the slow wind, and his face held a large smile, with his eyes looking as though they were closed.
The shorter one was a girl with bright orange hair tied in a side ponytail, wearing a pale yellow vest/sleeveless jacket, with a dark blue button and a collar of the same colour. She also wore blue pants, a crimson leotard under her vest and light and burnt orange high-tops. She was waving her hand excitedly, calling out Ash.
"Misty!? Brock? What are you two doing here?" Ash said, surprise visible on his face.
"You idiot! We're here to watch and cheer you on, of course!" Misty said, holding back a laugh at the look on Ash's face.
"But, you never told me! I called you both before my flight yesterday, and you didn't even give me a hint about your plans!"
"Duh! That's what a surprise is, you dolt!" Misty replied, as the laugh she was holding in finally burst out.
"Besides, you were so busy preparing for the tournament, we thought we shouldn't disturb you." Brock said, an amused smile on his face as he tried to ignore a cackling Misty.
Kukui and Burnet were watching the interaction with large smiles, while Goh looked on in confusion, feeling left out.
"Uh...what's going on here?" the teen said, bringing the argument to a halt as all three friends turned towards Goh, as if noticing him for the first time. The three of them awkwardly glanced at each other, before Ash walked over to Goh and pulled him along to where the other two were standing.
"Alright, you guys, meet my new friend, Goh! Goh, these are my first travelling companions, from when I started my journey. The big guy is Brock, ex-Gym Leader of Pewter City, and the 'good looking' girl is Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader."
"Hey! Watch your tone, Ash Ketchum!"
"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you guys. I'm Goh, from Vermillion City!" Goh replied, weirded out by the three's friendship dynamics.
"Oh we know who you are, Ash talks a lot about you!" Brock said, as Ash and Misty had started an argument on the side, with Kukui and Burnet trying to calm both of them down.
"He does? He never told me that!" Goh replied, surprised. Ash never told him about his old friends.
"Yeah he's a bit, uh, weird, let's say. For him, what is important and what isn't is different from what normal people would consider to be." Brock said with a tone that implied that he had experienced quite a lot of Ash's view of importance and unimportance.
"Yeah, I think I understand you," Goh replied with a sigh, remembering how Ash toned down the events of their adventures, especially with legendary encounters, "So, all that aside, how was Ash at the beginning, was he as good as he is now, or what?"
"You couldn't be anymore wrong, Goh!", Brock said, bursting into laughter at the reminder of 10 year old, with all his bravado and stupidity, along with the many antics he used to pull off, "Ash, at the beginning of his journey, was a total idiot. He didn't know pokemon capturing basics, and he was unique in his outlook toward pokemon, which would be scorned upon by many of the Kanto populace. But, you know, his battle sense, his tactical overview, those were pretty good for a guy just starting out, although he got most of his Kanto badges as favours to the gym leaders," Brock continued, a slight smile forming on his face, "But If grew, slowly but steadily, he grew. I saw it first hand, from the immature kid of Kanto, all the way to a well-proven battler in Sinnoh, and beyond, it was quite the experience, and those adventures will stay with me for the rest of my life." Brock finished and stared at Goh, who looked like he was about to burst into laughter at Ash's initial inexperience but stopped after hearing the full story, a glimmer of admiration and determination in his eyes.
"Well, now the kid from Kanto has reached the biggest stage of them all, and the pressure is showing on him, unfortunately," Brock said, glancing at his two friends still going with the fight, but were slowly calming down.
"How so? He always looks relaxed and confident to me," Goh replied, giving Ash a once-over, he didn't look stressed or pressured.
"You won't be able to see it unless you start seeing the signs. Him already starting an argument with Misty so soon, and going at it full force with her, shows that he is clearly stressed about the battles ahead, and some of that stress is being vented with Misty here. He also looks like he hasn't had his usual sleep, with the way his eyes look, and the way he was walking around, not the usual amount of energy."
"Oh, wow," Goh said, surprised that he hadn't noticed it.
"Don't feel bad about not noticing, Goh. I know him well and I am a doctor, whether it be pokemon or humans, we recognize the signs."
Finally, the argument was broken up, with both Ash and Misty refusing to look at each other.
"Alright, you two, stop acting like kids, come on!" Kukui said, exasperated as Burnet looked at her husband in amusement as she held the stroller which held Lei in it.
"Alright fine, you want to act like kids, go ahead! Don't trouble me! Now, Ash, we were doing something before we got interrupted, shall we continue?" Kukui said, a grin on his face.
Ash demeanor changed instantly from angry and brooding to cheery and excited, "Yeah, professor! Let's continue with our battle! I was going to show you something awesome! Just you wait!" Ash said as he ran off to the opposite end of the field and took out his pokéball.
Misty sighed and went to the entrance of the field, sitting down on a bench, thinking, 'And there he goes, his mood totally does a 360° whenever it comes to pokemon.' Brock and Goh continued their chat about Ash's adventures, which left Burnet as the person to be referee.
She quickly looked around, hoping to get the other three to officiate, but couldn't, so she took the stroller and handed it to Misty and finally stood at the refereeing end of the field, and sighing, held up her hand and called, "This is a practice match between Kukui and Ash, 3v3, are both trainers ready?"
"Yes!" both of them replied, clutching their pokéballs.
"Well, then, battle begin!"
"Let's go, Incineroar!"
"I choose you..."
Sometime later...
"Empoleon is unable to battle, Dracovish wins!" Burnet called as Kukui's emperor pokemon fainted.
"Yes! Good job, Dracovish! Now keep up that form and Alain won't know what hit him!" Ash exclaimed, hugging the fossil pokemon who was trying to bite Ash's head again.
"Well, Ash, I gotta say, Dracovish looks much stronger than before, he's been training hard, huh?" Kukui said, just as Ash freed himself from said pokémon's clutches.
"Oh yeah, professor, he's been one of the hardest workers on the field, along with Lucario and Sirfetch'd." Ash replied, returning the fossil pokemon to his pokeball.
"Well, glad to see training's been going well, now let's see how well you do against the best of the best. We'll be cheering you on with everything we have, so don't mess up, alright, Champion?" Kukui said with a warm smile on his face.
"Oh I'm going all the way, professor, just you wait. The Champion of Alola is here to win!"
"Well, champion, in case you missed the time, if ya don't wanna be late, you might have to rush to the stadium, cause it's 10:40! The press conference is in 20 minutes!" Misty exclaimed, her hand holding up her phone, which, sure enough, showed the time as 10:40.
"Oh crap! Alright, see you guys at the stadium, I gotta rush, hey Goh, come on!" Ash frantically said, grabbing Goh's arm and sprinting off.
"The guy will never change, huh, Misty?" Brock said, chuckling.
"Yeah, you can bet on that, Brock," the girl replied, a small smile on her face.
"Well, we should head over to the stadium area too, the match begins in a little more than an hour," Kukui said and the group started moving towards the nearest Corviknight taxi stand.
Wyndon Stadium
"Huff, huh, we made, huff, it, just in time!" Ash said, out of breath from all the running. Goh was standing next to him, clutching his arm, "You almost ripped my arm off, Ash! A little warning next time?"
"Uh yeah, sorry about that Goh, but I was afraid we were gonna be late for the press conference, so I just rushed.."
Goh gaped at his partner, unable to believe hat he had actually actively worked to get to an event early.
As soon as the boys entered the stadium, Mike was in the hallway, who looked as though he had just been saved from so murderer when he saw Ash. He rushed over, shouting out, "Oh finally! You know, you almost lost me a month's salary, Ash!"
"Huh, but how?"
"Well the organizing committee were getting a bit antsy since the conference was about to begin and you weren't there, so they went after me, told me to get you here since I informed you of the event, or they will cut this month's paycheck for me, but thank Arceus, you're here! Now come on, we don't have much time!" the announcer said, as he began dragging Ash along with him to wherever the conference was being held.
"Hey, wait! Ugh! See you, Goh! I'll meet you after the conference!" Ash said as he was slowly rushed out of Goh's sight.
Goh let out a long sigh as he rubbed his arm, "You just can't get this guy, sometimes! One minute, he's an all-out serious battler, and the next second, he's acting like an idiot who can't keep track of time."
The boy headed towards the ticketing booth to confirm his ticket for the match.
With Ash
Ash was dragged into a large room which held a desk with mics with the background a large logo of the WCS. All around the room, reporters from different newspapers and channels could be seen setting up their cameras. Before anybody could notice him though, Mike dragged him behind the large wall with the logo, and now they were standing in a dimly lit backstage area.
"Alright, the conference begins in about 2 minutes, I'll just get Alain and brief you two, so don't you move!" Mike said as he went out.
Ash stood there for at least a minute, tapping his foot impatiently as Pikachu yawned on his shoulder, the mouse was still feeling sore from the training session and all the running around didn't help his tiredness, even if he was sitting on Ash' shoulders.
Finally, Mike arrived with Alain and the two rivals shared a greeting and Mike started briefing them on the conference, "Alright, so as soon as you go out there, sit on your designated chairs. Answer all questions truthfully, the press will know when you lie, and above all else, don't lose your cool of any enthusiasm the reporters annoys or troubles you, alright? Now go!" Mike said as he pushed the boys out of the backstage area and onto the stage.
Both the boys stared at all the lights and cameras, a dozen thoughts running through their minds. They slowly calmed down and calmly sat on their chairs, bringing the mics closer. As soon as Mike gave the all good signal from the side of the stage, the reporters exploded into chaos, each of them bursting to get their own questions answered.
"Mr. Ketchum, Sandra from Wyndon Daily, now do you think..."
"Mr. Ketchum, Antoine from Lumiose Times, would you say..."
"Mr. Alain, how do you rate..."
Alain, Alain! What do you think your chances are compared to last time?"
"Alright! Alright! One question at a time, people! Yes, you.." Mike said, stepping in and taking control, pointing to a man with slicked back hair, wearing wire-frame glasses and a suit that looked pretty expensive.
"Ah yes, I'm Lionel, from the MCJ News Network. Now, my question, first of all to you, Mr. Ketchum, how can you describe the feeling of making it, all the way to the top, in what is essentially your first try?"
"Well...uh..." Ash was fidgeting nervously, not used to this much attention, "yeah...so...uh, the feeling's absolutely amazing, it's been my dream, and I'm finally one step closer to achieving it, battling it out with some of the world's best trainers at the biggest stage, it's truly a dream come true, for sure." Ash finishes, a gleam in his eyes.
"Wonderful, thank you, Mr. Ketchum."
The next reporter gets up, "Mr. Alain, do you believe that you will be able to get over the line again, after your last encounter in the Kalos League finals?"
"Well, only time can answer that, but the League final was the most exhilarating battle I had ever had, and I'm expecting something similar today."
"Mr. Ketchum, will we be seeing the rare Greninja you used against Alain in the Kalos League?"
"I will not be revealing my line up, now, would I? Next question please." Ash replied coldly, the memories of the Kalos Crisis swirled in his mind.
"So, Mr. Ketchum, do you still think about your loss on the final hurdle?"
"Of course I do, I mean, who wouldn't? But I have grown a lot since then, and I'll try my best to do one better this time, you better watch out, man."
"Oh I'm ready, come at me with everything you've got, Champion." Alain replied, staring at Ash with a slight smile on his face.
"Alright, please continue," Mike said, sighing.
"Mr. Alain, do you consider Ash your rival?"
"Yeah, I do. He's the greatest rival I've ever had, and he helped me grow a lot, so we're more like friendly rivals."
Some time later...
"That drained me, physically and mentally," Ash said, looking like he had just run a very long marathon, "I'm never doing shit like this again."
"Pikaaaa.." Pikachu chirped, he'd been hiding behind Ash, but he was feeling just as tired.
"Well, you're unlucky, cause interviews and press conferences are a big part of being the Monarch, so you'll have to learn how to deal with them, eh Ash?" Mike said, smiling.
"Huh!? Nobody told me that!"
"Well, it's true, that's all I can say, so man up and get ready to face it head on."
Alain was silently listening to their conversation, his thoughts on the battle ahead.
"Alright, so the battle will star in, uh, about 15 minutes," Mike said, checking his watch, "so you two get to your specific ground entries. Alain, you go straight ahead and then take a left, you'll see your locker room. Get there and wait for further instructions, all right? Ash, you come with me and fast, we have to get to the other end of the stadium, all right?" Mike told the two and started running towards another passageway, Ash following him closely.
This left Alain on his own, walking down the hallway to his locker room, and he was again lost in his thoughts, 'I have a stronger team than last time, they're not Lysandre's pokemon, they're mine, and I'll show you just how much stronger I can be on my own. You better be on your feet, Ash.'
A few minutes later...
"Alright, here we are, get in there and wait for my call, ya got that? I gotta get to the commentary booth, see you on the battlefield!" Mike said to Ash, getting into an elevator that would take him to the commentary booth.
"Sure. See you, Mike, and thanks for helping out!" Ash said, cheerfully waving off the commentator.
"It was my pleasure Ash!"
As the doors shut, Ash turned towards his locker room and entered it.
The room was spacious, even for it to hold one person. There were two grey lockers, the type you would generally see in schools, a cabinet that held some food and drinks for him and his pokemon, and even a shower, which even Ash felt was a bit unnecessary, but to each their own. The walls were painted black and white, with a few WCS posters, some of which featured the Masters 8 roster, and Ash felt proud on seeing his face on the roster, of the thousands of people who would come to watch his battles, and he was ready for it.
Suddenly, he heard the door click behind him, and he turned around, and to his surprise, saw his mother standing there, with a large smile on her face, tears in her eyes, and she wore the nicest set of clothes he had ever seen her wear.
"Mom, what are you wearing?"
"Oh come on, Ash. No hi, no hello, you straightaway go to the clothes I'm wearing?"
"Well, I was surprised, that's all, you never wear expensive clothes, after all."
"That's true but I just felt like wearing it today, that's all. It's the biggest day of my son's life, after all. But leave it at that. Tell me, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, why?"
"Don't lie to me, Ash. I'm your mother, I can tell when you're lying or not. Now tell, how you really feel about this moment."
"It's nothing Mom, just leave it."
"You go to a battle with something on your mind, you would lose focus quickly, you planning on doing that, huh?"
"Of course not! I ain't an idiot!"
"Well then let it out! Come on! Whatever's on your mind, let it out. Clear it out. Don't keep anything in."
"It's just. I'm scared, Mom. The last time me and Alain battled, I lost. I haven't beaten him in any of the battles I've had with him so far, and if I lose now, I don't think I'll be able to get back up again."
"Oh, you silly boy! Come here!", Delia said as she spread her arms and hugged her son, "Who cares if you lose or win. In the end, a battle is a battle. It's not life or death. You give it your all, and whatever happens, happens. You accept it, you move on, you try and you keep trying until you're down and out. Have fun, enjoy your life, Ash. And mark my words: you will get back up if you lose. It will take time, but everything will be alright eventually. You go that?"
"Sure." The young trainer said, slowly extricating himself from his mother's arms. Pikachu chirped in agreement to Delia, staring at Ash.
"Your dad was the same, you know." Delia said, her mind wandering to old memories.
"Really?", Ash exclaimed, surprised. It had been a long time since his mother had last talked to him about his dad.
"Yeah. Always fired up about battling and anything pokemon related. He used to get worked up over battles a lot to. Looks like you're picking up some of his traits. But he was also the type to push trough his problems, to give it his all, so you better learn from that aspect of him too, ok?"
"Yeah, mom. I think I'm ready to face whatever happens next. Even if I lose, I'm not backing down." Ash said, Pikachu chirping in agreement, both their eyes blazing with determination.
"Alright, now the battle begins in about 5 minutes, so I'll head over to my seat, you get ready. Good luck, Ash!" Delia said, exiting the locker room.
"Thanks, mom!" Ash replied. Now that his fears were dispelled, he could think clearly. And his mind was focused on only one thing: the best strategy to beat Alain.
"Alright everyone, come on out!" Ash said, releasing all six of his pokemon on his battle team, "Alright guys, just a few minutes more, and we'll be on the biggest stage of all. Now remember, just stay calm and listen to me. I have a good strategy planned out, so listen," Ash told the six his strategy.
"COMPETITOR KETCHUM, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE BATTLEGROUND ENTRANCE."
"Alright, now, let's get out there and give it our all, okay?" Ash said and all his pokemon cheered, ready to get the battle underway.
Ash recalled all of them as Pikachu got to his perch on Ash's shoulder. He picked up his hat, put it om and straightened it. Finally checking his appearance, he stepped out of the locker room and walked over to the battleground entrance.
"I'm ready, as ready as I'll ever be. I'm going to win today, and I'll finally battle Leon. Let's get this battle started."
In the arena...
"WELCOME, GENTS AND LADIES, TO THE OPENING MATCH OF THIS YEAR'S WORLD CORONATION SERIES MASTERS 8 TOURNAMENT!", Mike exclaimed, sitting in the commentator box.
"ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE BATTLE ABOUT TO COME?" he called out to the 100,000-strong crowd, who let out a huge roar in response, "ALRIGHT! LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! FIRST, WE HAVE THE TWO-TIME KALOS LEAGUE WINNER, WITH A FEARSOME CHARIZARD TO WREAK HAVOC, PLEASE WELCOME, ALAIN!"
Alain walked out of the tunnel and onto the battlefield to loud fanfare, he and Ash were wildcards, compared to all the other established trainers in the tournament, at least. And it was common knowledge, that everybody loved a wildcard. Alain acknowledged the crowd, particularly seeking out Mairin and Professor Sycamore sitting in one of the higher stands, cheering him on, and headed over to the trainer box.
AND NOW, ON THE OTHER END WE HAVE THE FIRST ALOLAN CHAMPION, A VERY SKILLED AND UNPREDICTABLE BATTLER BOASTING ALL THREE OF THE MAJOR BATTLE ITEMS ON HIS PERSON, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR KANTO'S GOLDEN BOY, ASH KETCHUM!"
Ash stepped out of the tunnel and shakily waved to the crowd, his Z-ring, Dynamax band and Mega Glove clearly visible, Pikachu confidently sitting atop his shoulder.
He scanned the crowd for his friends and mother, and he was surprised once again: along with Professor Kukui, Burnet, Goh, Brock, Misty and his Mother, Gary Oak was also in the crowd, staring straight at him with confident smile on his face, urging him on.
Masters 8 Box
"He looks a bit nervous, doesn't he?" Steven Stone said, to which Lance agreed.
"Well it's his first time at the receiving end of the reception of such a big crowd, everybody gets nervous." Cynthia said, staring at the battlefield.
"I can't wait for this." Iris said excitedly, just about ready to jump out of her seat.
"Oh you haven't seen anything yet. Their last battle was quite a spectacle, and I'm expecting something similar." Diantha said, smiling.
"Well, I for one can't hold my excitement, so let's just watch." Leon said.
Back To The Battlefield...
"Both trainers ready?" the referee called out, floating on his Aegislash.
"Yes."
"I'm ready."
Alright then. This will be a 6-on-6 battle between Alain and Ash, switching is allowed, both trainers are allowed to use only one of the three battle items. Battle Begin!"
"I choose you,..."
"Let's go,..."
To Be Continued...
And scene! Whew! This took long. I apologize for such a long delay, but I have a pretty bad habit of procrastination, and with tests going on left and right, this got pushed back a lot. Do tell me if you fin any errors. I'll try not to be so late with the next chapter, but I can't promise.
In other news, the anime battles were getting lacklustre, but with Ash vs Cynthia and now the finals, I guess they were just saving up their budget for the finals. First part of the finals was good, I can't wait for the next three. By the way, who the hell divides a 6v6 battle into 4 episodes!? It irritates me to no end.
Anyways, read and review, see you. Until next time, adios!