This is the next episode, if you will, in the saga of Pokémon I started with Pokémon: Origins. It isn't necessary to read that story to enjoy this one (since the two storylines aren't connected besides the fact they happen in the same timeline), but it should provide a little back-information. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy my latest story, Pokémon: Ultimate Masters
Pokémon: Ultimate Masters
"Chapter 1: New Day, New Challenge"
Ash Ketchum woke up to the sound of his alarm clock blaring. He quickly shut it off and hopped out of bed. Today was the day he'd been waiting for since that warm, early summer day almost nine years ago when he began his Pokémon journey. He had missed the last two Pokémon Masters Tournaments while he was out on his adventures in the Orange Islands and Hoenn, but there was nothing in the world that could keep him from missing this one.
The Pokémon Masters Tournament is the Olympics of Pokémon training. Taking place only once every four years, this championship unites Pokémon trainers from all corners of the planet. Only trainers who have won at least one League Championship are sent invitations to this elite tournament. As a winner of the Orange and Hoenn Leagues, Ash was excited to have the chance to be in this year's field of 128 trainers and to compete against other League champs to determine the greatest Pokémon Master in the world. He hoped he would be the next to join the rank of Ultimate Master.
After fulfilling his promise to his mom of finishing school, he had trained almost everyday for nearly a year, working off all the rust he had collected in the previous years. That was the most dedication he had shown for anything in his entire life. He was ready. Looking at the alarm clock, he noticed it was now 8:59 AM.
"Still have a whole hour until I have to be at the Professor's," Ash said. He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning Mom," he said, entering the kitchen. He saw Pikachu eating his breakfast and Mimey, Delia Ketchum's Mr. Mime, sweeping up the kitchen floor, but his mom was nowhere to be found.
"Where could she be?" Ash wondered.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, pointing to something on the fridge. Ash walked over to the refrigerator door and noticed there was a note from his mother stuck to it.
"Dear Ash," he said, reading from the letter. "I went to the market this morning. I hope to be back in time to see you off to the tournament, but if not, I want you to know that I love you. Professor Oak and I will be joining you down there tomorrow, so be on your best behavior until we get there. Have a safe trip, and tell Brock and Misty I said hi. Love, Mom."
"Aww, thanks Mom," Ash said. He then noticed there was a P.S. at the bottom on the letter.
"P.S.," he continued to read, "I hope you didn't forget to set your clock ahead for Daylight Savings Time last night."
Ash dropped the letter in shock.
"Daylight Savings Time?!" he exclaimed. He looked up at the kitchen clock, which read 10:05.
"Waaa, I'm late! Pikachu, we gotta get going!"
Ash grabbed hold of Pikachu, pulling his Pokemon away from its breakfast, and rushed out the door just as his mom was coming home.
"Bye Mom, late, no time to talk!" Ash said quickly as he ran past her.
"Why am I not surprised?" Delia Ketchum asked herself as she watched her son run off down the path to Professor Oak's.
*****
"Are you ever on time for anything?" Gary Oak asked. Ash, out of breath and panting heavily from his run over, couldn't answer. He was too exhausted. He hadn't run that fast since he was late for his first day of Pokémon training.
"At least he's here," Professor Oak said. "There's still plenty of time for him to make the boat, but we better hurry just in case."
"Right, Professor," Ash said, regaining his breath and ability to speak. Professor Oak led Ash down to the basement of his laboratory. The room was one massive storage area for Pokémon, holding all the Pokémon both he and Gary had caught over the years, as well as many from the Professor's own collection. They quickly located the shelf where Ash's PokéBalls were kept. Each one contained a Pokémon friend Ash had made over his many journeys.
"Do you know which Pokémon you'll be taking with you?" Professor Oak asked. "You know Masters Tournament rules only allow you to bring six Pokémon with you to the island. Once you're there, you won't be able to exchange any of them with the ones you leave here, except for injury exceptions. I suggest you choose wisely."
"I will, Professor," Ash said, looking over the PokéBalls. "Since I'm taking Pikachu, of course, that leaves me with five more choices."
Ash immediately grabbed of the PokéBalls from the shelf and attached it to his belt.
"There's no way I'm leaving without this one," Ash said. After careful consideration, he chose the rest of the Pokémon he would take with him and attached all their PokéBalls onto his belt. It was tough for him to decide, as all his Pokémon had battled bravely for him during his Pokémon trainer career. Still, he felt confident in his final decisions.
"Are you sure that's the team you want?" Professor Oak asked.
"I'm certain," Ash said. "I know I have the best chance to win with this team."
"Well then let's get you on your way," said Professor Oak, hearing the doorbell ring upstairs. "I think your friends are here."
*****
"About time you got here," Ash said to his best friends, Misty and Brock. "I thought I was going to have to go to the tournament alone."
"You know we'd never let you go and make a fool of yourself on the world's biggest stage without us," Misty teased, giving Ash a hug and a kiss.
"Having been there for you at the Indigo, Johto, and Hoenn League Championships," Brock said, "and knowing what kind of trouble you got into at all three of them, I felt I had to come along to watch out for you."
"Yeah, right Brock," Ash said with a chuckle. "I'm glad to have both of you with me for this one. It means a lot. With you and my Pokémon by my side, there's no way I can lose!"
Ash gave his familiar V-pose, which brought a smile to Misty's face. She hadn't seen that side of Ash in awhile. It reminded her of the over-confident, loudmouth, annoying little 10-year old she met all those years ago. After all, that over-confident, loudmouth, annoying little 10-year-old was the boy she fell in love with. She missed that Ash. He had become so serious in past years, ever since the incident with Team Rocket and giving up Pokémon training for school. She knew that he had grown up. They all had. She would love him no matter what he became, but still, seeing he still had that inner child within him brought joy to her heart.
"So are we ready to go?" she asked, with that beaming smile still upon her face.
"Yup, all that's left are the good-byes," Ash said, turning to his mom.
"Don't worry, I won't get all choked up this time, honey," Delia said. "Just take care of yourself and I'll see you down there before you know it."
"I will, Mom," Ash said, giving his mom a hug.
'Good luck, Ashy," Gary said, giving his former rival-turned friend a thumbs-up. "You're going to need it."
"Thanks, Gary," Ash replied. "After I win, I'll let you come over and look at my trophy as much as you want."
"Take care, Ash," Tracey said. "I'll make sure to watch your matches on TV while I stay here and take care of the Professor's lab. Try you best and never give up."
"Thanks Tracey, I won't forget that."
"Ash," Professor Oak said, putting his hand on his pupil's shoulder. "You're the most gifted Pokémon Trainer I have ever had the good fortune of meeting. I've had my doubts at times, but I knew since day one you were destined for something special. I'm just as proud of you as your mother is. Here, take this."
Professor Oak handed Ash a new and improved version of the Pokédex. Ash hadn't received a new Pokédex since he set out for Hoenn years ago. That version had long-since become obsolete, as new Pokémon were being discovered every year.
"Since Trainers from all over the world are going to be competing," he said, "you're probably going to face a lot of Pokémon you've never seen before. Pokémon even I know little about. This should help you out. Good luck."
"Thank you, Professor. I'll make all of you even more proud, I promise."
With that, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu turned and headed down that path that would lead them to the docks and the boat to Master's Island, and Ash's date with destiny.
Pokémon: Ultimate Masters
"Chapter 1: New Day, New Challenge"
Ash Ketchum woke up to the sound of his alarm clock blaring. He quickly shut it off and hopped out of bed. Today was the day he'd been waiting for since that warm, early summer day almost nine years ago when he began his Pokémon journey. He had missed the last two Pokémon Masters Tournaments while he was out on his adventures in the Orange Islands and Hoenn, but there was nothing in the world that could keep him from missing this one.
The Pokémon Masters Tournament is the Olympics of Pokémon training. Taking place only once every four years, this championship unites Pokémon trainers from all corners of the planet. Only trainers who have won at least one League Championship are sent invitations to this elite tournament. As a winner of the Orange and Hoenn Leagues, Ash was excited to have the chance to be in this year's field of 128 trainers and to compete against other League champs to determine the greatest Pokémon Master in the world. He hoped he would be the next to join the rank of Ultimate Master.
After fulfilling his promise to his mom of finishing school, he had trained almost everyday for nearly a year, working off all the rust he had collected in the previous years. That was the most dedication he had shown for anything in his entire life. He was ready. Looking at the alarm clock, he noticed it was now 8:59 AM.
"Still have a whole hour until I have to be at the Professor's," Ash said. He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning Mom," he said, entering the kitchen. He saw Pikachu eating his breakfast and Mimey, Delia Ketchum's Mr. Mime, sweeping up the kitchen floor, but his mom was nowhere to be found.
"Where could she be?" Ash wondered.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, pointing to something on the fridge. Ash walked over to the refrigerator door and noticed there was a note from his mother stuck to it.
"Dear Ash," he said, reading from the letter. "I went to the market this morning. I hope to be back in time to see you off to the tournament, but if not, I want you to know that I love you. Professor Oak and I will be joining you down there tomorrow, so be on your best behavior until we get there. Have a safe trip, and tell Brock and Misty I said hi. Love, Mom."
"Aww, thanks Mom," Ash said. He then noticed there was a P.S. at the bottom on the letter.
"P.S.," he continued to read, "I hope you didn't forget to set your clock ahead for Daylight Savings Time last night."
Ash dropped the letter in shock.
"Daylight Savings Time?!" he exclaimed. He looked up at the kitchen clock, which read 10:05.
"Waaa, I'm late! Pikachu, we gotta get going!"
Ash grabbed hold of Pikachu, pulling his Pokemon away from its breakfast, and rushed out the door just as his mom was coming home.
"Bye Mom, late, no time to talk!" Ash said quickly as he ran past her.
"Why am I not surprised?" Delia Ketchum asked herself as she watched her son run off down the path to Professor Oak's.
*****
"Are you ever on time for anything?" Gary Oak asked. Ash, out of breath and panting heavily from his run over, couldn't answer. He was too exhausted. He hadn't run that fast since he was late for his first day of Pokémon training.
"At least he's here," Professor Oak said. "There's still plenty of time for him to make the boat, but we better hurry just in case."
"Right, Professor," Ash said, regaining his breath and ability to speak. Professor Oak led Ash down to the basement of his laboratory. The room was one massive storage area for Pokémon, holding all the Pokémon both he and Gary had caught over the years, as well as many from the Professor's own collection. They quickly located the shelf where Ash's PokéBalls were kept. Each one contained a Pokémon friend Ash had made over his many journeys.
"Do you know which Pokémon you'll be taking with you?" Professor Oak asked. "You know Masters Tournament rules only allow you to bring six Pokémon with you to the island. Once you're there, you won't be able to exchange any of them with the ones you leave here, except for injury exceptions. I suggest you choose wisely."
"I will, Professor," Ash said, looking over the PokéBalls. "Since I'm taking Pikachu, of course, that leaves me with five more choices."
Ash immediately grabbed of the PokéBalls from the shelf and attached it to his belt.
"There's no way I'm leaving without this one," Ash said. After careful consideration, he chose the rest of the Pokémon he would take with him and attached all their PokéBalls onto his belt. It was tough for him to decide, as all his Pokémon had battled bravely for him during his Pokémon trainer career. Still, he felt confident in his final decisions.
"Are you sure that's the team you want?" Professor Oak asked.
"I'm certain," Ash said. "I know I have the best chance to win with this team."
"Well then let's get you on your way," said Professor Oak, hearing the doorbell ring upstairs. "I think your friends are here."
*****
"About time you got here," Ash said to his best friends, Misty and Brock. "I thought I was going to have to go to the tournament alone."
"You know we'd never let you go and make a fool of yourself on the world's biggest stage without us," Misty teased, giving Ash a hug and a kiss.
"Having been there for you at the Indigo, Johto, and Hoenn League Championships," Brock said, "and knowing what kind of trouble you got into at all three of them, I felt I had to come along to watch out for you."
"Yeah, right Brock," Ash said with a chuckle. "I'm glad to have both of you with me for this one. It means a lot. With you and my Pokémon by my side, there's no way I can lose!"
Ash gave his familiar V-pose, which brought a smile to Misty's face. She hadn't seen that side of Ash in awhile. It reminded her of the over-confident, loudmouth, annoying little 10-year old she met all those years ago. After all, that over-confident, loudmouth, annoying little 10-year-old was the boy she fell in love with. She missed that Ash. He had become so serious in past years, ever since the incident with Team Rocket and giving up Pokémon training for school. She knew that he had grown up. They all had. She would love him no matter what he became, but still, seeing he still had that inner child within him brought joy to her heart.
"So are we ready to go?" she asked, with that beaming smile still upon her face.
"Yup, all that's left are the good-byes," Ash said, turning to his mom.
"Don't worry, I won't get all choked up this time, honey," Delia said. "Just take care of yourself and I'll see you down there before you know it."
"I will, Mom," Ash said, giving his mom a hug.
'Good luck, Ashy," Gary said, giving his former rival-turned friend a thumbs-up. "You're going to need it."
"Thanks, Gary," Ash replied. "After I win, I'll let you come over and look at my trophy as much as you want."
"Take care, Ash," Tracey said. "I'll make sure to watch your matches on TV while I stay here and take care of the Professor's lab. Try you best and never give up."
"Thanks Tracey, I won't forget that."
"Ash," Professor Oak said, putting his hand on his pupil's shoulder. "You're the most gifted Pokémon Trainer I have ever had the good fortune of meeting. I've had my doubts at times, but I knew since day one you were destined for something special. I'm just as proud of you as your mother is. Here, take this."
Professor Oak handed Ash a new and improved version of the Pokédex. Ash hadn't received a new Pokédex since he set out for Hoenn years ago. That version had long-since become obsolete, as new Pokémon were being discovered every year.
"Since Trainers from all over the world are going to be competing," he said, "you're probably going to face a lot of Pokémon you've never seen before. Pokémon even I know little about. This should help you out. Good luck."
"Thank you, Professor. I'll make all of you even more proud, I promise."
With that, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu turned and headed down that path that would lead them to the docks and the boat to Master's Island, and Ash's date with destiny.