I was laying on my bed, in my room, with my pokemon. I was practically laying on Mightyena, using her as a pillow, with Shroomish and Shuppet cuddling me each on one side, and Raltz on my chest. We had just come back from helping out dad with his gym duties, and we were exhausted. However, that did not seem to be enough for May or Kirlia, both of them decided to barge into my room.
"May!" I complained, not moving an inch. "I am happy that you've got all five ribbons and decided to come back to Petalburg for a visit before going back to Johto. But there's something called privacy!"
"So, you don't want to come with me to Alola to watch The Saint Festival?" May asked with a fake pout. "I'll have to invite someone else then. Do you think mom would like a tropical vacation?"
"Wait!" All of my pokemon and I jumped off the bed and exclaimed at the same time.
"How did you get the tickets?" I demanded to know. "They were given out in a lottery!"
"Jessie invited us to James' family's beach mansion in Alola!" She informed me with a smile, while Kirlia twirled around the room. "You better start packing, we are leaving tomorrow." With that said they both left my room, closing the door behind her.
I looked at my pokemon, all wearing the same shocked expressions before we all jumped and started shouting in excitement. If I'm a fan of Ash's, my pokemon are huge fans of his. We can't wait to see his fights! Especially, now that he is going all out! So, of course, we rapidly packed our bags, made the arrangements with my dad, so I would be allowed to take my pokemon with me under May's supervision, and celebrated with my mom and pokemon. None of us were able to sleep a wink that night from all the excitement, but it was worth it when the next day we left for Alola after saying our goodbyes. We were received by James' butler and taken to their beach house... sorry, beach mansion.
Unfortunately, Ash was not there, he was out with Gary, helping him do something. What? I have no idea. However, Misty, Brock, Riley, Professor Oak, and Mrs. Ketchum were there. The Kojiros were out, making sure the last details of the festival were taken care of, with the aid of Dawn, as she and Jessie were the opening act.
"Oh, Arceus! Are those a Pyukumuku and Comfey?!" I exclaimed looking at the pokemon beside Brock and Misty.
"Yes, after helping out the beautiful Nurse Joy in the Pokemon Center, she gave me my new friend to help me with my studies as a pokemon doctor!" Brock exclaimed, twirling around at the reminder of the beauty of Nurse Joy. I sweatdropped at what used to be a very common scene during our travels. However, this time it ended up different when out of nowhere, a Croagunk came out and hit him with a Poison Jab, stopping his moaning.
"Emm..." I muttered confused.
"That's new, it takes time to get used to." Misty chuckled, kneeling to pat her new pokemon. "I was walking down the beach when I found a group of them by some rocks. This one was the only shiny one, I just could not stop myself from catching them."
"That's a shiny?!" I shouted in excitement. "That means that Ash is no longer the only one in our group with a shiny pokemon! Congrats!"
"Thank you!" Misty thanked me, eyes shining with a competitive fire that had me take a step back.
Good luck, Ash. I thought nervously.
We then proceeded to our room to unpack and later to grab a bite from a local restaurant called Aina. The food was delicious! We enjoyed ourselves immensely before heading straight towards the Manolo Stadium. The place was huge and bursting with life. It was incredible! I could not believe Ash would be fighting there... that he was the one people who came all over the world to fight and watch battle! The crowd was going wild as Professor Kukui stepped into the battlefield.
"Welcome to the grand opening of the Manalo Stadium!" Professor Kukui yelled into the microphone and got the crowd excited. "We are thrilled to announce that this will be the stadium for the future Alola League. Of course, there is still paperwork and such to be done before then so it is still a ways away. First of all, I would like to thank our kind contributors and their companies for helping build the stadium. I will turn it over to one of them now." Professor Kukui said as he handed the microphone to Lusamine.
"Thank you for the introduction Professor Kukui. On behalf of the Aether Foundation and all the other companies involved, thank you for attending. To welcome this new stadium into the world, we welcome the famous Ace Ranger, also known as The Saint, Ash Ketchum. However, before that, we have asked two coordinators to do a dual performance, to open the Manalo Stadium. Please welcome Dawn and Jessalina!" Dawn and Jessie walked out with Dawn waving to the cheering crowd and Jesalina blowing kisses.
"Thank you, Thank you. Kiss kiss. The Dawn and Jesalina dream team are here." Jessie said as both coordinators stopped in the middle of the battlefield. "Ready to blow their minds?" Jessie asked readying her Pokeball.
"Absolutely," Dawn replied readying her own.
"Piplup/Arbok, spotlight!" They both shouted as they released their pokemon.
Piplup and Arbok emerged with Piplup on top of Arbok's head.
"Bubble Beam/Poison Sting!" Arbok Jumped as he spun counter-clockwise and used Poison Sting. While Piplup spun clockwise and used a Bubble Beam. Arbok spun counter-clockwise and used a poison sting. Each poison sting popped a bubble, creating blue and purple sparkles around them.
"Whirlpool," Piplup followed Dawn's command and created a massive whirlpool that enveloped both Arbok and himself. Suddenly, Pachirisu riding on Yanma flew through the whirlpool and then over it. Dawn and Jesalina had used the whirlpool to cover up the switch and prepare the next combo.
"Discharge/Air Slash." Pachirisu jumped off of Yanma and electrocuted the whirlpool, as Yanma cut the whirlpool with an Air Slash sending blue and yellow sparkles everywhere. Yanma then caught Pachirisu, as he landed on her.
"Silver Wind." Pachirisu held on tight as Yanma started spinning and using the Silver Wind to obscure them by making a vortex. When the Silver Wind vortex vanished Pachirisu and Yanma were swapped with Buneary and Dustox.
"Ice Beam!" Buneary jumped and used the Ice-type move and created a huge structure. Dustox flew over the structure, while Buneary jumped all the way up before landing on the Bug-type pokemon.
"Psybeam!" Dustox launched the Psychic-type move on the tip of the structure causing it to glow for a few seconds before shattering into rainbow sparkles. "Ominous Wind!" Dustox did the same thing as Yanma and sun around except this time with Ominous Wind. When the Ominous Wind vortex died down, Gloom and Seviper swapped in.
"Moonblast/Flamethrower!" Gloom unleashed a ball of fire-type energy while Seviper shot out a flamethrower. The moves collided, causing orange and pink sparkles to fall from the sky.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Gloom released a pink and rainbow light enveloping Seviper and obscuring them. Suddenly, two tails emerged from the light as Ambipom and Wobbufet took their place.
"Water Pulse!" Ambipom shot out the Water-type move at Wobbufett.
"Mirror Coat!" Wobuffet then sent the Water Pulse back to Ambipom. Who received it with a well-timed Swift. Ambipom let loose the Normal-type move which caused the release of yellow and blue sparkles. "Swift!" Ambipom used the Normal-type move again, this time to obscure both of them. When the Swift vortex disappeared in a blast of gold sparkles, in their place were Ribombee and Mimikyu.
"Fairy Wind/Shadow Ball!" Mimikyu launched the Ghost-type move as Ribombee created a pink sparkling wind. The Shadow Ball absorbed the Fairy Wind and was redirected up and then it exploded making a firework out of the move. When the audience looked down they saw that Jesalina and Dawn had all of the pokemon they had used out in a circle around the two coordinators.
"Everyone," Dawn started as she and Jessie held hands. "Together!" Jessie finished as they rose their held hands to the sky. Piplup used Bubble Beam, Pachirisu used Discharge, Buneary used Ice Beam, Ambipom used Swift, Gloom used Moonblast, Ribombee used Fairy Wind, Arbok used Poison Sting, Dustox used Psybeam, Yanma used Silver Wind, Seviper used a Flamethrower, and Mimikyu used Shadow Ball. They all collided together in the air creating fireworks of various colors. Wobuffet then used Safeguard to make all the pokemon glow under the fireworks above them.
The crowd gave them a standing ovation, clapping and cheering, as the coordinators and pokemon bowed, before leaving the stage.
"It was simple... yet so satisfying," I commented out loud. "I thought that they would go all out seeing that this is such a groundbreaking event."
"It is because it is a groundbreaking event that they decided to go for simple." Professor Oak explained. "This is a battle event, one that will give way for the making of a new Pokemon League. It is not a coordinator event and they are not the main stars. They realized that and decided to give a show to compliment the event and not try to fight for the attention."
"The use of fireworks is good for any kind of celebration, especially one that shows teamwork and harmony, which they showed during their performance until the end. Which they are also trying to show in the event, as it is a pillar of Alola's traditions. Why do you think Ash chose for the event to be double battles?" May asked me with a huge smile, she truly enjoyed the performance. "The addition of the disappearing act just added something else to the show!"
Before I could ask another question Martin and Madelyn walked out into the battlefield.
"Thank you ladies for opening The Saint Festival. Now then before we bring out The Saint there are some things to disclose. To all those that bought a ticket and did not win, we still thank you for participating. To all of you who are watching on television or are here in person, thank you. Now then each winner has been put into a category based on which level they are. There will be 30 battles in the Beginner Stage, 30 battles in the Advanced Stage, and 30 battles in the Ace Stage. Ash himself does not know who he and his pokemon are up against. Furthermore, we have Nurse Joys and assisting pokemon on standby. Should one defeat Ash, they will receive all of the following: a weekend training camp with him, an evolution stone of their choosing, and a travel kit. All profits will go to a charity. With all that said, let's bring him out!" Martin said as he gestured to the wing where Ash walked out with Pikachu on his shoulder and Rowlet riding on Torracat's back. When Ash got to where Martin and Madilyn were, they were Joined by Lusamine and Professor Kukui.
"Thank you for coming Ash," Madilyn said.
"Thank you for having me," Ash replied.
"Any words for our contestants?" Madilyn asked.
"Thank you to all who participated and to those who made it, good luck and let's have a great battle," Ash said.
I chuckled, that response was just so Ash!
"Thank you, Ash. Now then we will hand it over to Anna who will be announcing and refereeing." Anna then flew in on her Magnezone and were hovering above the battlefield as Ash, Kukui, Lusamine, Martin, and Madelyn took their places.
"Now Ash are you ready for your first beginner?" Anna asked as soon as the mentioned people were in the viewing deck.
"Bring them in," Ash responded. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and sat next to Torracat and Rowlet. Ash then released his first two pokemon: Plusle and Minun.
"Our first contestant is Kiawe from Akala Island!" Anna announced as a dark-skinned shirtless teen about Ash's age walks over to meet him.
"You must be the grandson of Kaeo. He has mentioned you are an aspiring fire-type user." Ash commented as they shook hands.
"That's right. It is an honor to battle against the chosen of the Tapus." Kiawe responded.
"Likewise Kiawe," Ash replied. Even though he was a beginner-level trainer I could tell he was strong. I could tell Ash could feel it too, as he couldn't help but grin. They went to their spots on opposite sides and Plusle and Minun stood in front of Ash. "Ready when you are," Ash said as Plusle and Minun tensed.
"Turtonator, Charizard." Kiawe threw out two Pokeballs and out came the two fire types ready to battle.
Those are some powerful pokemon... but I could tell that Charizard is not even close to Ash's.
"Let the battle begin!" Anna announced.
"Turtonator Dragon Tail!" Turtonator's tail glowed green as he swung it at the two.
"Agility both of you!" Plusle and Minun both jumped out of the way with agility.
"Flamethrower," Charizard launched the fire-type move from its mouth directly at Plusle and Minun.
"Charge Beam, Minun Trump Card." Plusle shot out a yellow beam from his hands and Minun summoned red, blue, and yellow cards and shot them at the Flamethrower. The two moves neutralized each other.
"Charizard, circle around them," Kiawe commanded. Charizard flew around them stopping in front of Plusle while Turtonator appeared in front of Minun. "Flamethrower both of you!" Both Fire-type pokemon launched Flamethrowers at the respective cheering pokemon.
"Charge Beam and Trump Card." Plusle and Minun used the same moves again. But the Flamethrowers overpowered both moves and landed on the two, sending them both back.
"Not bad," Ash commented as both Electric-types got back up. "But we are just getting warmed up. Plusle, Minun Magnet Rrise!" Both Electric-type pokemon started glowing, and when the glow died down both levitated off the ground.
"They can fly?!" Kiawe exclaimed in shock.
"The proper term is levitating using magnetism." Ash corrected. I could not believe the day Ash would pause in the middle of a battle and correct a technical point is finally here. "Plusle Sweetkiss on Charizard." Plusle floated over to Charizard and sent him an air kiss which manifested into a heart and landed on the fire type confusing Charizard in the process. Charizard then nosedived and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Charizard! Turtonator us Flamethrower!" Turtonator launched the fire attack at Plusle.
"Trump Card." Minun floated in front of Plusle and summoned more cards which negated the Flamethrower this time.
"Wait, is it getting stronger?" Kiawe questioned, making me realize Ash's plan.
Smart! I thought. And sneaky!
"Plusle Thunderwave, Minun Trump Card." Plusle shot a small beam of electricity at Charizard while it was down. This did get rid of the confusion but left Charizard Paralyzed and unable to get up. Minun shot the cards at Turtonator.
"Flamethrower." Turtonator launched the Flamethrower at the cards. But Trump Card was now strong enough to cut through the Flamethrower. Turtonator had to stop to be able to dodge the attack in time.
"Everything is set," Ash announced, smiling in victory. "Plusle, Minun Helping Hand." A yellow aura erupted from Plusle and went into Minun, while a blue aura went from Minun to Plusle.
"This isn't good," Kiawe commented as even Turtonator and Charizard started to get nervous.
"Trump Card and Elecrto Ball!" Minun summoned the red, blue, and yellow cards which were combined with the yellow ball that Minun shot, hitting both pokemon.
"Turtonator! Charizard!" Kiawe yelled as Turtonator and Charizard could do nothing but let the moves hit them. It caused a big explosion. When the dust settled Turtonator and Charizard had fainted.
"Turtonator and Charizard are unable to battle! The winners are Plusle and Minun!" Anna called out.
We all stood up with the crowd and cheered for Ash, Plusle, and Minun!
"What had just happened?" Kiawe asked still in shock.
"Trump Card and Electro Ball are very unique moves," Ash said as he walked to Kiawe with Plusle and Minun hanging on his shoulders, while Meganium, Gloom, Chansey, and Nurse Joy Ran to check on all four pokemon.
"I know about Electro Ball but what is Trump Card? Each time you used it, it got stronger" Kiawe asked.
"It is a move that can only be used 5 times in a battle. Each time it is used it gets stronger, on the fifth time it is used its power is stronger than that of Hyper Beam." Ash explained.
"Tapus..." Kiawe muttered stunned, looking at the small pokemon in shock.
"He'll no longer underestimate a small and cute pokemon!" May laughed next to me.
"Well, it is Ashy's specialty to surprise everyone," Gary commented close-by. He looked especially cheery for some reason. "Also, don't expect another pair of Plusle and Minun to be able to take down a Charizard and Turtonator. Ashy is the only one capable of training such monsters."
"Preach!" Misty chuckled in agreement.
This has only started and I'm already this excited! I thought, practically vibrating on my seat. I can't wait for the next battle!