AN: Welcome my dear readers to the next chapter of Rise of a Legend. I must admit that the journey to this far has been long and very rewarding thanks to all of you. I adore reading your Reviews as it always pumps me up to write up the next chapter. I even met a great friend in my Beta reader QUEENSPELLER67 just to name one of the great many things that came from joining this site and writing this story. That is all and I hope you all enjoy the chapter! The harem is as follows:
Cynthia
Anabel
Korrina
Serena
Ursula
Elesa
Roxie
Hilda
Sabrina
Skyla
Zinnia
Pokémon- Attack
"Pokémon"- Pokémon speaking (people won't understand unless told otherwise)
"Pokémon"- Human Speech
'Pokémon'- Thinking
"Pokémon"- Pokédex Entry
The Man Known as nWore: Thank you my friend, I slowly healing still. Yeah, I have great plans for him. I hope you liked it.
King Reeses: Thank you so much for being so understanding. I'll continue to do my best.
thor94: Yeah they were made to be that way, and it will be a bit longer before that, but the fight will be epic since I have those scenes written out.
UnsanMusho: Thank you!
Pokemonofficial: Thank you so much for the review. The only thing I will say other than that is that Ash wasn't meant to be seen as weak. The trainers in the tournament will just be getting tougher since these are the more skilled ones. Yes and Ash was still holding back, but will slowly take the battles more serious.
Ashura Red Satoshi397: Ash is about 5'9
RED2017: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for how he looks, I'll keep that quite.
WhiteEagle1985: Thank you!
Tod Graymoon: Thank you!
guess: Ash's mother's forgiveness will take a bit. His complete trust in others has been blown down to the while situation. Will he be hostile towards or not, I can't say. All I can say is that his emotions towards her are flip flopping. His ex-friends are an entirely different thing.
Guest (Chapter 6, Aug 19): Yes he does have his Greninja.
Guest (Chapter 21, Aug 19): Lol I'm sorry
nick: I would do that my friend, but all those questions have already been answered. You just have to read the chapters.
Pokemon Chapter 21:
The Threat and A Rough Reunion
(To Ash and Erika)
"Come on Ash," Erika yelled as she ran to the stadium ahead, Ash and Lucario not far behind. "We are already late for the start of Jacob's match!"
"Not like that's my fault," Ash replied as he sped up. "You're the one that got distracted by that perfume shop and lost track of time!"
After buying their ice cream cones, the two trainers and Aura Pokemon made their way to the battle stadium where Jacob would be having his match. As they enjoyed their cones and small talk, Erika paused when she caught the familiar scent of fresh perfume.
Making her way to the smell, with Ash and Lucario behind her, she found a small shop named "Smell from Around the World." It was a cologne and perfume shop that was run by an elderly couple named Martha and Jack. The moment they entered the shop, the couple recognized her and welcomed her with open arms.
Needless to say, the three perfume specialist got along really well.
It was so well in fact that Erica not only forgot Ash and Lucario were with her, but lost complete track of time.
By the time Ash got the Celadon Gym Leader's attention back, Jacob's battle was about to begin.
Now we find the three running to be able to at least not miss the entire match. Running up the stairs and into the audience, they were able to find two seats that were available. Looking to his friend, they spoke through their aura.
"Lucario, I want you to go to higher ground and keep your senses on high alert," Ash said. "There is no telling where or when that Shadow character may strike again and with stronger Pokemon. If you so much as think he's nearby, you have my full permission to strike." Lucario nodded as he ran off and jumped to the top of the Stadium in blurring speed. The crowd was too engrossed in the battle before them to notice or care.
Looking at the score board, it showed that they missed a good amount of the battle. Jacob was in the lead with two Pokemon which were his Vaporeon and Venusaur; in fact, the only Pokemon he lost was his Ludicolo.
His opponent was a girl with dark blue hair, on her last Pokemon, which was an Alakazam. She lost an Absol and a Pyroar (female).
The current two Pokemon, Venusaur and Alakazam, were glaring down each other. Charging up, the two Pokemon shot an Energy Ball and Shadow Ball effectively.
"Alakazam, use Confuse Ray," Jane commanded as Alakazam released the hypnotic waves at Venusaur.
"Venusaur, use Energy Ball on the ground, then follow it up with your Razor Leaf, widespread," Jacob commanded, already knowing how to counter such a thing.
Following its trainers command quickly, the Seed Pokemon slammed the grass attack in front of him. The purpose was not to only hide the big Pokemon among the dust and debris, but to use the loud explosion to block out the Confuse Ray's effect.
Following right behind the attack, sharp leaves raced out of the smoke and cut up the unprepared Psychic type who could only roar out of pain.
"Alakazam, ground your feet," Jane yelled in encouragement. The Psychic type right itself and stopped its movement. "Great job! Go and use your Focus Blast!" Shooting another orb, this one a blueish-white, Alakazam glared at any possible counter Venusaur may have.
"Use Petal Blizzard to guard yourself," Jacob countered. Releasing a loud 'saur', the Grass/Poison type released hundreds of tiny, pink petals that surround Venusaur, making a small barrier that blocked the Fighting type move. "Energy Ball."
The green orb raced across the field with blurring speeds, making Alakazam and his trainer's eyes widen. "Alakazam, dodge it quickly and use Psychic to send it back!"
The Psychic type dodged the attack by jumping to the left and used its Psychic attack to gain control of the Energy Ball. Thrusting its hand forward, he hurled the attack back at the surprised Venusaur.
The attack caused Venusaur to growl in pain from the speedy impact. While the Energy Ball would normally not do much due to it being a Grass type attack on a Grass type Pokemon, the speed hurled along with it being mixed with the Psychic energy of Alakazam made the attack do significantly more damage.
Using that opening, Alakazam fired another powerful Shadow Ball that slammed into Venusaur, pushing the final evolution started back. No longer able to sustain the pain from its earlier battles and now, the Grass/Poison Pokemon fell flat on his stomach and fainted.
Jacob silently returned Venusaur to his Pokeball before taking out another one and with a gentle throw, released his final Pokemon.
In a flash of light, Jacob's shiny Vaporeon appeared in all his glory, glaring at the Alakazam in anticipation. Connecting his aura to Vaporeon, Jacob spoke mentally. "Be ready Vaporeon, it has quick reflexes. You can definitely out speed him, but it also has a good amount of long range attacks, its Shadow Ball being its strongest."
The Water type nodded, not really all that worried. It dealt with many Pokemon with similar skills before, it will be able to handle this like all the others.
Before he could give out a command, a familiar aura connected to his. Allowing it to connect, he heard a voice in his head, not unlike when he speaks to his Pokemon in such a way.
"You seem to be having some trouble my friend," a familiar voice rung in his head. "You better kick it up, you don't want to look bad do you? Besides, I want to battle you myself!"
Jacob smiled slightly as he recognized the voice belonging to Ash. "We will be fine Ash, I refuse to go down just yet. Not until you and I have that rematch."
"Vaporeon, use Water Pulse," Jacob commanded. "Then follow after it with your Quick Attack." Vaporeon shot the orb of water at his opponent, quickly following behind it in such speeds that it was a blur to the audience.
"Alakazam, stop the Water Pulse with Psychic and spread it out as a shield to stop him," Jane yelled. Doing as told, Alakazam took control of the attack and forced it to flatten out into a makeshift shield.
"Don't stop, use Shadow Ball and keep going," Jacob commanded, not at all worried. By watching her body language, he was able to tell that Jane was getting desperate. Just push a little harder and the match will be his.
While still using the speedy effects of Quick Attack, Vaporeon released the Ghost type attack that blasted a hole in the shield Alakazam created using his previous attack. As soon as he ran through the hole, he sped up and took notice that his Shadow Ball was still rushing at the Alakazam.
"Use Skald to push the Shadow Ball," Jacob said. Building up the heated water, Vaporeon released the attack that hit the Ghost type move from behind. The combined attack rushed at Alakazam with renewed speed, too fast for him to react.
The two attack combo slammed into the Psychic type, causing him to yell in pain. Suddenly the still speeding Vaporeon rammed into the taller Pokemon, causing him to sail back. The Water type back flipped through the air before landing in front of his trainer in a battle ready stance.
After Alakazam came to halt, he struggled to keep from falling down. He tightened its grip on its spoons and tried to concentrate. The problem being, he had two battle prior to this one and both were tough. He barely took down Ludicolo and it was more luck than anything (due to it being the Pokemon to knock out two of his trainers Pokemon) and Venusaur was a Pokemon that he barely outlasted.
No longer able to stay on his feet, Alakazam's legs gave out underneath him and promptly passed out. As soon as the Psychic type hit the ground, the referee made the call. "Alakazam is unable to battle, making the winner of this battle Vaporeon and Jacob Matthews!"
(Ash and Erika)
After the announcement was made, the crowd cheered at the awesome battle. As Erika cheered loudly for her boyfriend's win, and Ash clapped while smirking.
'I sadly missed most of it, but I can see Jacob has definitely gotten stronger since we last battled one another,' he mentally thought as he watched Jacob shake hands with his opponent. Looking to the happy Erika, Ash couldn't help but smile at the obvious love she felt for his more quite friend.
"Come on Erika, lets go catch up to him," Ash said to the Gym Leader, who smiled happily as she nodded her head.
"Let's get going then Ash," she said as she looked ready to run out. "I haven't been with him all day." Ash nodded as he stood up and made his way out, Erika right behind him.
(In the tunnel)
Jacob made his way from the stadium, going over the battle in his head. He was looking for any ways to fix any flaws for either himself or his Pokemon. As he walked, he felt a presence nearby and looked up to see a man standing there. He tensed as he clenched his fists and grinded his teeth.
The man wore a red cloak that covered his entire body. The hood was off, revealing his face to the world, along with an amused smirk. Beside him was a bored looking Espeon. The reason for Jacob's anger was who the man was.
It was Shadow.
Jacob was about to reach for his Pokeball, but stopped as the man raised his hand.
"Do you really think that to be a wise decision?" he asked. "By the time you grab one of your Pokeballs, Espeon will already have blasted you to bits. Even if you have the time to release a Pokemon, a battle would take place. A battle between two high level Pokemon would be very destructive and we are under the seats of many innocent people. You wouldn't them to get caught in it, would you?"
Jacob's fists clenched tighter in anger, knowing that Shadow was right. From here, he could tell that Espeon was extremely powerful too, too powerful for any battle to be quick. Plus people, innocent people, would get hurt.
Shadow had him stuck and he knew it!
"So what do you want from me?" Jacob asked as he gathered his aura, hoping to alert Ash discreetly. "I doubt you would reveal yourself to me so casually." Shadow nodded, his smirk turning to a more serious frown.
"You are correct," Shadow said. "I don't have the time to waste on pointless visits. I am here to give you a warning instead." Jacob rose an eyebrow at Shadow's words. "Stay out of my way, what goes on does not concern you. If you continue to get in my way, well I won't be as merciful to you as I was to Alex and Umbreon or to Gengar."
"Why are you after her?" Jacob asked as he flared his aura more violently. 'Where are you Ash? I need your help or he will get away!'
"That's not any of your concern Jacob," Shadow replied. "All you need to concern yourself with is this: Is getting in my way worth the life of myself and my Pokemon? I will not hesitate to devour them." He saw Jacob's fists clench even tighter, to a point he was drawing blood. Shadow's eyes seemed to light up at the sight and his smirk threatened to split his face.
He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when his Espeon's ears pointed upwards. The Psychic type quickly charged a Shadow Ball and turned around before firing it.
The attack collided with an incoming Aura Sphere, canceling it out in a small explosion. Glancing back, Shadow saw Ash and Erika running up to them. Next to Erika was a Roserade that did not look happy and next to Ash was Milotic who was ready to attack on command.
"Well look what the Persian dragged in," Shadow said, not at all worried about his predicament. Looking back at Jacob, he saw that Ash's Lucario found them as well. "All of this for little old me, how flattering."
Jacob looked on in relief as he saw his friend and girlfriend arrive to help. 'Better late than never honestly,' Jacob sighed mentally as he grabbed the Pokeball containing one of his more fresher Pokemon. Tossing it, he released a Leafeon that had a slightly darker coating than its normal bright green. "Your done Shadow, your going to jail and answering for those you have hurt."
Shadow began to chuckle lightly as his shoulders shook in his laughter. "Your plan has so many holes that I don't know where to even begin, Jacob," he said as he looked around. "First off, my point still stand that a battle here in this narrow hallway, under the seats of the audience above us, will cause untold amounts of chaos and pain due to the destruction such a battle will cause. Second, you suspect that just because I'm surrounded, that I won't fight back. You would be very wrong in that aspect since I would fight to my last breath.
Third, even if by some miracle granted to you by Arceus that you DID capture me, what are you going to say to the authorities? 'He eats Pokemon so he is bad.' Newsflash Jacob, Pokemon consumption isn't anything new. Pokemon are eaten all the time, hell Slowpoke tails are considered a delicacy.
And lastly, you and Ash have captured nothing!" In a blurring speed, Shadow took out a small black pellet before slamming it on the ground beneath him and Espeon. The pellet popped open and released a thick cloud of white smoke that quickly clouded everyone's vision.
Stretching out their auras; Ash, Jacob, and Lucario sensed the aura of Espeon vanish. When the smoke finally cleared away and everyone could see once more, Shadow and Espeon were no longer there.
'Teleport,' Jacob thought as he looked around. 'No doubt that was how they vanished in a split second, meaning that they could be anywhere by now.'
"So did you sense the same problem that I did Jacob?" Ash asked, knocking his friend from his thought as he returned Milotic to her Pokeball.
Thinking it over, Jacob instantly realized what Ash meant as he nodded. At his last encounter, Jacob didn't notice it too much due to his anger clouding his thoughts, but this time he was able to pick it up. "Shadow has absolutely no aura in his body, and if he does, its so miniscule that its easily overlooked."
Leafeon looked at Ash's Lucario who kept his aura sense active, in case they appear somewhere nearby. "Anything yet, Lucario?" The silver furred Lucario simply shook his head as he relaxed slightly.
"No, not at all. No doubt they teleported far from my range. Shadow can't be detected, but his Pokemon can. Unfortunately I don't sense them anywhere." Leafeon nodded his head as he made his way back to his trainer.
"Lets continue this conversation at the Pokemon Center," Ash suggested as he pat the Pokeballs on his belt. "My Pokemon deserve some rest after our last match, plus I'm curious who my next opponent is going to be. We can think of a way to search for Shadow there."
Jacob nodded his head as he walked next to Erika, who immediately latched her hand with his. The two shared a brief kiss, happy to be in the presence of the other.
Ash watched this in both joy and jealousy as a pang of pain made itself known in his heart. He felt joy that his two friends were so happy together, but he couldn't help the jealousy he felt for them too.
Its not that he was jealous of them per say, he was jealous of the fact that he didn't have that with anyone. Yeah he met many gorgeous woman, but he was so focused on his dream and training that he never pursued anyone of them. Now that he's a champion of a very accomplished region, he can't ignore that lonely feeling anymore.
He's now standing alone at the top with no one to hold in a lovers embrace. As time went on, his Elites even found love at the top before he found his and he traveled all over the world.
Shaking his head from those thoughts, especially since he felt more pain and darkness grow from it, Ash grinned at the couple as walked ahead of them. "Come on lovebirds, you guys have all night to make-out with each other, preferably without me as your witness." He winked at the blushing couple as Erika stuttered over a retort to Ash's teasing.
Lucario and Leafeon chuckled at the blushing couple, glad that Ash was able to lighten the mood so easily.
Chuckling softly, Ash looked at the light which signified the exit of the tunnel and couldn't help but think.
'I wonder when I will find someone special to kiss and be embarrassed with like that one day.'
Stadium C
"And Snorlax is unable to battle, the winner is Zebstrika and Elsa of the Unova Gym!"
The crowd cheered happily for the blonde Gym Leader's victory, the fans of her fashion show cheering the loudest.
Elesa waved to the crowd as she pet Zebstrika down his spikey mane, rewarding him for a well fought battle. After blowing them a few kisses. She returned the Electric Pokemon to his Pokemon and left the field.
"My, another dazzling performance made by you all," Elesa said to her Pokemon that were in their Pokeballs as she exited the tunnel. "You all fought so hard that our opponent was blinded by your radiance!"
She walked through the town and stopped at a shop here and there. She also signed a few autographs whenever a fan had recognized her. Elesa didn't mind it though since she adored all of her fans, both young and old.
The blonde Gym Leader just left a clothing shop where she bought a new dress that she thought was cute. As she walked out joyfully, she took notice if a couple sitting on a bench happily together. The woman giggled as she leaned in and kissed her boyfriend gently before laying her head on his shoulder.
'That was so cute!' Elesa shouted mentally as she smiled brightly at the sight. As she watched them, she couldn't help but replace herself with the woman and the man with a certain Kalos champion. Her faced flushed at the thought of her and Ash together. She placed her hand on her chest as her heart rate increased.
Ash was the only man she ever fell for, it was so easy for her to do so. For one, Ash was the only man that she couldn't dazzle so easily which she saw as a personnel challenge. She's not arrogant by any sense of the word, but she knows she's one of the most beautiful women in Unova, if not the world. She could easily charm anyone with a smile, but Ash was different.
He saw her as not only a challenge, but in equal standing too. Ash had effectively beaten her, even through questionable yet dazzling skills, but he did something else that caught her by complete surprise.
He gave her one of the most amazing smiles that she had ever seen.
The joy and happiness he had for his victory was so blinding to her, stunning the beautiful Gym Leader. She can't see aura like some people she heard could, but she was sure his aura at that moment could light up a dark cave. That dazzling smile, that radiant joy, that warm heart all caused her heart to soar.
No one had ever made her feel such a way before and she loved it. As time went on, she looked more things up about him as she couldn't get him out of her mind. She asked about him from different people and he surpassed any expectations she may have had.
He has helped so many people; ranging from helping others try to reach for their own dreams, to bringing families together. He's also helped many Pokemon like the legendary red Gyarados that's owned by Lance.
A story that he was all too happy to retell.
She even learned from witness reports of the amount of legendary Pokemon that he not only met, but saved from either themselves or evil organizations. The fact he held himself back from the urge to try and capture the legends when he had the chance, impressed her as she didn't think she could fight the temptation at the chance to own a Pokemon like a Zapdos.
All of that just made her growing feelings for Ash skyrocket. It also helped put Ash into a whole new light for her, and made her desire to be by Ash's side to grow.
That plan, unfortunately never came to fruition as she found that Ash had disappeared. She, along with every other Gym Leader, went looking for him with no success. Ash had somehow kept himself hidden so well that even the G-Men, the best battlers and spy network (excluding Gym leaders, Elite Four, etc.) that the Pokemon League had.
She had searched high and low for her crush, even going so far as to use her wide fanbase to look for any rumors of Ash anywhere. The results were a complete bust every time though. The rumors always ended up with her on a wild goose chase. The only good thing that came out of those chases was that she made a new friend by the name of Ritchie, who was so like Ash that they could have been parallel twins. He should be about finishing his match soon.
Elesa shook her head as she continued her walk to the Pokemon Center; needing to heal her Pokemon, find out where her next battle will be, and find out if she could meet up with her best friend Skyla for lunch.
The blonde Gym leader walked leisurely as a thought crossed her mind, 'I wonder what my dear Ash is up to?'
(At the Pokemon Center)
"Here you go everyone, all your Pokemon have made a full recovery," Nurse Joy said happily as she stood in front of a three different trays, each holding a set of Pokeballs.
Ash and Erika thanked the Joy as they picked up their Pokeballs, Jacob only giving her a nod and a smile in thanks. Ash turned around as he released his Lucario from his confines, who stretched upon being released.
True that Lucario didn't need to be healed since he didn't battle in the first place, Ash still wanted him to go through a check-up.
"How you feeling, buddy?" Ash asked his partner who responded with a nod.
Ash turned to Jacob and Erika. "Do you guys want to go grab a seat and finish our talk?" Jacob nodded as he grabbed Erika's hand and made his way to the eating area of the Pokemon Center, Ash and Lucario right behind them.
Before they could get to the eating area though, a small explosion from the battlefield out back caught their attention, mostly Ash's. That meant a battle was most likely going on, making him curious about whom it was. He made his way over to the battle silently.
Seeing Ash has gained a new interest, Jacob sighed. He cared for Ash, he really did, but the guy was too obsessed with battling for his own good. He looked at his girlfriend as he gestured to Ash with his thumb. "Shall we follow?"
Erika giggled, happy to see Ash still had some of his old self's habits in him after all this time of being gone. "Yeah let's go, Ash tends to be a trouble magnet."
Jacob nodded as he knew Erika was right, Ash seemed to always attract some form of trouble his way without ever trying (even if he had no room to talk with all the things he has been through himself).
Ending that thought, the couple followed after trainer and Pokemon.
When Ash made it to the field, he took notice of a clash between a Koffing and a Kirlia, one using Gyro Ball and the other using Protect before using Teleport to gain some distance.
Ash looked towards the two trainer's that were battling and was pleasantly surprised to see the ones battling. The one on the right was Sabrina, the Psychic Gym Leader of Saffron City. She had an annoyed expression on her face as she commanded Kirlia to dodge an incoming Tackle from Koffing.
"Koffing, use Sludge Bomb!" The girl on the left yelled, causing Ash to turn to see her. The girl was Roxie, the rock star, bass guitarist Gym Leader of Virbank City in Unova. Her specialty was Poison type Pokemon as seen with her skilled used of Koffing, who dodged a Shadow Ball from Kirlia with blurring speed.
Roxie had both a grin, most likely from the tough battle, and an angry look in her eyes that she directed at Sabrina.
"Let's go Koffing, don't give in to Miss Prissy Pants and use Gyro Ball!" Koffing moved with insane speeds, looking like more of a blur, and spun in a rabid pace.
"It's called having proper etiqute little girl," Sabrina replied at the Poison trainers insult. "Kirlia, counter with Protect then send it away with Psychic."
Koffing slammed into the powerful barrier, not leaving a dent in the dome. Roxie smirked, knowing of a counter should something like this happen.
"Koffing, use Clear Smog to get out of there!" Koffing stopped his spinning and released clear white smoke from his mouth, pushing Kirlia away before Psychic could be used. "What's the matter Sabrina, can't rock it with the big kid?!"
"You are such a child," Sabrina replied calmly, though the twitching of her eyebrow showed otherwise. "No wonder your so loud, Kirlia use rapid fire Shadow Ball."
Kirlia quickly used her hands to create two powerful Shadow Balls and nbegan throwing them in rapid succession, creating more.
"Of course I'm loud you prude," the Poison Gym Leader replied, only annoyed by the child comment. "My music and battles are always cranked to the max! Koffing, dodge them all!"
Koffing quickly dodged each of the flying orbs with his high speed, weaving and spinning through the storm of attacks. "Now counter with Will-O-Wisp!" Dodging once more, small orbs of purple fire surrounded Koffing. The Poison Pokemon shot the fire attack forward with a spin, having them cancel out the Shadow Balls.
Roxie gave Sabrina a smug grin, confident that the Psychic Gym Leader was caught off guard. "How do you like that, you stuck up queen? Not so great now!"
Sabrina scoffed at her opponents taunt and confidence. "Just like an uncultured child to get overconfident over such a lucky maneuver. It's too bad that your luck is about to end, just like this battle. Kirlia, use Teleport and Psybeam."
(To Ash, Jacob, and Erika)
The three trainers who were watching the battle, two (Ash and Jacob) with a calculating gaze as they analyzed the battle, and the sole woman had a very confused face on.
She knew Sabrina personally, they were pretty good friends actually, and she knew for the Psychic type specialist to be this angry, Roxie had to be either really irritating to her or said something pretty bad.
She also knew that Roxie was definitely a really good trainer to be able to keep up with Sabrina, who has made a name for herself as one of the strongest Kanto Gym Leaders. She was even offered to move higher in the Gym ranks but chose to stay where she was.
Ash watched as Kirlia and Koffing dodged and counter one of another's moves, happy to see that both woman were as strong as he remembered.
'I wonder what they are fighting about though, this is definitely not just a simple battle,' Ash thought was he crossed his arms. 'The insults and taunts show that quite easily. I should probably step in before someone says something that they will regret later.'
Before Ash could do so though, one of Sabrina Pokeballs opened up and a Gengar appeared in a flash of white. Everyone paused as they watched the Ghost/Poison type look around before his eyes locked onto Ash and yell out in joy.
'Ash!' Gengar flew towards Ash in blurring speeds, hugging the young champion in joy.
Ash looked at the Gengar in confusion for a second before his eyes widened and a smile made its way on his face. "Haunter, is that you?!" The Gengar nodded happily, causing Ash to hug the floating Pokemon while laughing in joy. "Wow look at you! You're a Gengar now, wow! Its so great to see you!"
Jacob looked at Ash, surprised that Ash either knew or once owned the Gengar in front of them. He battled the Gengar before when he last met Sabrina, it was definitely tough. It wasn't because it was stronger than his Pokemon (in power his Pokemon had it beat), it was just extremely agile and tricky. Hitting it was a huge challenge.
Erika was not too surprised since Sabrina had mentioned that Haunter was left with her by someone else. It decided to join her team later on after playing and joking with her. The only thing that she didn't know, was that Ash was the original trainer.
The two battling trainers stopped as they watched Ash and Gengar hug and laugh. They were both confused, Sabrina especially, at how excited the Shadow Pokemon was to see this unknown person.
Gengar, while friendly to even strangers, isn't the type to joyfully hug random people. Gengar had to have known this man on a personal level for this reaction to happen, and only two people fit that bill.
'My father who is watching this tournament back at the Gym, and Ash…' Sabrina thought as her eyes widened in realization. "Ash," Sabrina whispered in shock, staring at the laughing trainer.
Roxie heard the whisper and her eyes too widened in shock. She had been searching for Ash for a long while now. Whenever she went on tour with her band, especially to Kanto, she kept her eyes out for him.
She was not the type that dwelled on things too long, so she had no trouble figuring out nor admitting that she gained a crush on Ash. After they parted, she get him off her mind, even if she played her bass guitar loudly.
His attitude, his guts, his perserverence, his battle skills, and even his cocky smirk; they just light the fire in her stomach and soul.
Shaking her head from her thoughts, the Poison Gym Leader called out to her crush. "Ash, hey!" The Unova Gym leader waved at him wildly.
Ash stopped talking with Gengar and grinned at Roxie. "Hey Roxie, its good to see you again," Ash replied as he returned the wave.
"Yeah, its good to see you too," Roxie replied as she fought back the blush that threatened her freckled face. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since our battle in Unova!"
"I know," Ash replied. "We have a lot to catch up on when we get the chance." Roxie chuckled as she nodded at him. Turning his head to Sabrina, Ash gave her a warm smile too. "Its good to see you again too, Sabrina."
Sabrina gave the young championa small smile, glad to see the man she held a form of affection. "It's a pleasure to see you too, Ash. I'm glad you are all well and hope we can get together when we both have more time to do so." The young Psychic blushed at the double meaning behind her words, hoping her crush/friend will say yes.
Ash nodded happily, not even noticing the double meaning. "I would love that, its been while since we talked as well. Plus I would love to see how things have been for you and Gengar here."
Sabrina smiled happily at his acceptance, not noticing Roxie giving her a dirty look.
'She better stay away from my man!' The white haired girl raged mentally.
Kirlia and Kffing just stood in their positions, watching how everything unfolded. Kirlia didn't know Ash so had no idea what was going on while Koffing chuckled at his trainer, knowing of her crush on the male trainer.
"Have you met miss know-it-all here, Ash?" Roxie asked, both curious and annoyed by how close they seemed to be. Of all people, why did Ash have to get along with Sabrina?!"
Before Ash could reply, Sabrina beat him to it. "We met years ago, where he battled my gym and got his Marsh Badge. He even saved me due to some regrettable circumstances that you don't need to know. What I would like to know is, how does he know a degenerate child like you?"
The fact that Sabrina said this in a monotone way seemed to annoy Roxie, as her eyebrow twitched. The fact she insulted her with big words AND called her a child only made her angrier.
"I told you already you damn robot, I'm NOT A KID!" The Poison Gym leader yelled in anger. "Koffing, let's get ready to show this machine it's place by turning up the volume in our battle!" Koffing cried out as he quickly flew in front of Roxie, ready to continue its match.
"How impudent for you to STILL think your Poison can match my Psychic Pokemon," Sabrina replied as her eyebrow twitched in irritation. "But if you wish to be put in your place then we will gladly show it to you. Kirlia, get ready to put down this loud brute!" Kirlia back flipped agilely until she landed in front of her trainer, crying out in determination for her victory.
"Shadow Ball/Gyro Ball!" The two powerful attacks collided as a bright light shone before an explosion took place, the smoke covering Koffing.
The three trainers on the sideline sweatdropped at the battle, Lucario sighing as the battle continued. Ash looked to the couple behind, a curious look on his face. "What are they even fighting about?"
Jacob and Erika wanted to facepalm at the denseness of the young champion, not believing that he couldn't tell they were fighting over him right now. Erika looked at Jacob, questioning him with her eyes.
Jacob shrugged at Ash's questioning, believing it wasn't his place to tell him. "I have no idea Ash, could be something before we got here. What do you think Erika?"
Erika shook her head, deciding to go along with it since she knew Jacob was lying. "To be honest, I have no clue. I've known Sabrina for years and I know she is not easily angered. She's also not easy to get along with sometimes too because she is pretty blunt with her words, so it could be anything." 'Really, I don't know how you can be so dense, Ash?'
Lucario looked at the two humans and his master, and had to fight the urge to chuckle. He knew what Jacob and Erika were thinking and he agreed with them. 'Master is a genius on the battlefield and on how to interact with Pokemon of all kinds. Outside of it, he's still pretty smart, even if some things elude him. When it comes to things like love and romance, Ash is pretty clueless. I mean, it took him forever to realize Alex and Suzaku liked each other, when it was obvious to everyone else.'
Ash looked back to the battle in time to watch Koffing slam into Kirlia with Tackle, who recovered enough to slam a surprise Shadow Ball into the Poison type. As the two shook off the pain, Ash felt he should stop this battle, since he could tell it was more of a grudge match than anything else.
Before Ash could do anything, a fast moving Shadow Ball (which was dodged by Koffing) rushed towards Ash. Time seemed to slow down as the Ghost type move was in reach, causing an explosion that covered Ash in thick smoke.
This caused Koffing and Kirlia to pause in both worry and guilt, not meaning for the attack to hit anyone else except each other. Now they might have harmed their respective trainer's crush unintentionally.
Sabrina and Roxie froze in shock and panic as they stared fearfully at the slowly dissipitating smoke that hid the boy that stole their heart from view. They both wanted to scream out and run to him, but they found they could not. Their panic caused their bodies to refuse any orders given other than breathe and stare.
The only one's not panicking were Lucario, Jacob, and Erika. Jacob and Erika weren't worried since Lucario wasn't, knowing he would have acted if Ash was in any real danger. Lucario just stood and looked to the two panicking Pokemon, eyes full of pity.
'I'm sorry for you,' he said mentally, knowing that they are screwed.
When the smoke cleared finally, Jacob and Erika finally saw why Lucario was both not worried and looking at Koffing and Kirlia with pity. In front of an unscathed Ash, stood a very angry Glaceon, who was glaring at the two Pokemon on the battlefield.
Jacob paled at seeing the growling Glaceon, due to witnessing how protective the Ice type was of Ash. 'And those poor Pokemon have just angered her,' he thought as he too felt pity for them.
Sabrina and Roxie wanted to breathe sigh of relief, seeing that Ash was ok, but that glare from Glaceon held, made them hold their breath instead. They felt like they should return their Pokemon and run as fast as they could.
"How dare you try to harm ASH!" Glaceon yelled out in complete fury. Her voice was the opposite of her type, burning with utter rage. Her eyes seemed to glow with her anger as her glare intensified at the now terrified Pokemon. "I will make sure that you pay!"
Before Ash could attempt to stop her, Glaceon took off in a blue blur of speed. In a second, Glaceon was next to Koffing and slammed an Iron Tail into the Poison which caused the purple Pokemon to hit the ground hard. The moment Glaceon's feet touched the ground, which seemed to go in slow motion for the others, she vanished once more.
Kirlia looked around in a panic, unable to locate where Glaceon was. Next thing she knew was a pain in her leg that made her cry out in pain. Looking down, she found Glaceon had its teeth clamped tightly around her right leg, the glare from the Ice type piercing sharply into her frightened gaze.
With a powerful tug, Glaceon lifted Kirlia off her feet and sent her sailing through the air, crashing into a slowly rising Koffing. The two Pokemon stumbled into a groaning heap, Kirlia ending up under Koffing. Glaceon then fired a quick Blizzard, ready to knock out the two Pokemon that tried to hurt her master/friend.
Ash stood there and sighed, knowing something like this was going to happen. 'Stop the Blizzard with your Bone Rush Lucario,' Ash commanded mentally to his Aura Pokemon, who took off in a blue blur.
Lucario appeared in front of the two injured Pokemon and smashed the sides of his fists together. Pulling them apart, a glowing blue staff made of aura formed in between, With a mighty roar, Lucario spun the staff in front of him, making it barely visible except for a blue circle that seemed to get wider, as Lucario spun faster.
The powerful Ice type move, slammed into the makeshift Bone Rush shield, breaking away from its targets due to being unable to get past the shield.
As the Fighting/Steel type Pokemon blocked the Blizzard, everyone looked on in complete shock. First Glaceon easily crushed two high level Pokemon with incredible speed, then Lucario moves even faster while blocking a very powerful Ice type attack.
Sabrina and Roxie were shocked stiff by the two Pokemon owned by their crush. Glaceon and Lucario were both obviously strong and extremely skilled by their actions.
They did NOT want to be on the receiving end of any of the attacks from the two Pokemon.
Jacob's fist tightened, not in frustration, but in excitement. He knows Ash is strong and really wanted to test how strong they really were. He especially wanted to take on Lucario due to him being Ash's aura partner.
With a mighty swing of his aura staff, Lucario cancelled out the Blizzard completely. Glaceon was not pleased that her righteous fury was stopped by her ally and friend.
"Lucario, why did you stop me?!" She yelled at the Aura Pokemon. "They deserve it for almost hurting Ash!" In her eyes, anyone that hurts Ash needs to be punished. Its why she hasn't approached Delia at all; the mother hurt her trainer and should be nowhere near him because of it. She would have done something about it if Ash wasn't the one that let her stay.
Lucario shook his head at her words, knowing she was going to say that. The Aura Pokemon looked to his trainer and nodded, hoping he would step in (more like telling him to).
Ash quickly stepped forward, gaining the Ice type's attention. "Glaceon, thank you," the champion began as he smiled at her. He stopped in front of the eeveelution and pet her head, causing her to smile in pure delight and rub her head into his touch.
The once threating and enraged Glaceon has now become a docile and happy Glaceon with a single touch.
"Thank you so much for not only protecting me, but caring about me so much," he continued before his smile dropped slightly. "At the same time, they didn't mean it Glaceon. The attack went astray and came into my direction, it wasn't their intention for me to be hurt."
"But Ash!" Glaceon yelled out. "They still did it and you could have been hurt because of it." Ash shook his head, chuckling slightly at her stubbornness.
"That's true, but they didn't mean to," Ash replied. "Their intentions were far different from what actually happened. They shouldn't be hated since they never wanted to hurt me and they feel…bad…about it." Ash's words began to slow as his mind began to race.
He remembered how his mother told him about her true intentions, that she never meant to hurt him. She only wanted to help him like a mother should and even feels terrible for what happened. Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, focusing back on a concerned Glaceon.
"Glaceon, please just let this go," Ash said as he continued rubbing her head to calm her. He didn't want Glaceon to worry about him and then get everyone else to worry too.
Glaceon, her body warm from his touch, reluctantly nodded her head in acceptance. "Fine Ash; only for you," she replied before her eyes narrowed at the two Pokemon behind Lucario. "BUT, I will keep my eyes on them."
Ash nodded, knowing that's the best he could get out of her right now. Standing up, Ash took out two sitrus berries and walked to the two downed Pokemon. When he was in front of them, he knelt down and offered them the berries with a warm smile.
Koffing, knowing Ash already, ate the sitrus berry with a smile and a quick 'Thanks!' Kirlia, on the other hand, had no idea who Ash was and didn't trust him. Kirlia looked at Koffing, looking for ANY signs of foul play, only to see the Poison types wounds heal and for him to float up happily.
Ash smiled warmly, feeling her surprise and distrust. "You have nothing to fear Kirlia," Ash said soothingly, causing the Psychic/Fairy to become less tense, unknowingly. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to help you. This berry will help you feel a whole lot better, just like Koffing here."
The said Poison type floated down with a smile on his face as he encouraged the injured Kirlia to trust Ash. Kirlia looked at the berry for a few more moments, debating whether to trust them or just endure the pain. Giving one final look to the grinning Koffing, Kirlia made her decision.
"Okay," she whispered softly as she gently grabbed the sitrus berry and began to eat it slowly at first before almost devouring it completely (yet somehow maintaining a hint of elegance). Ash chuckled as he watched Kirlia's wounds began to disappear. Hearing his light chuckle, Kirlia blushed embarrassed as she looked down.
"Thank…you," she said shyly, before feeling a warm hand rub her head gently. Looking up, she saw his warm smile brighten.
"Your welcome Kirlia," Ash replied as he stood up. "I'm just glad that your feeling better." Using his aura to discreetly feel out any leftover injuries, he was relieved they were all taken care of. Standing up, Ash looked to the happy yet confused trainers, Sabrina and Roxie. "I'm sorry for my Glaceon's actions, she has been very protective of me ever since I found her. I hope you're not too mad, but I understand if you are."
Sabrina and Roxie both shook their heads, not mad at all. After all, if it wasn't for Glaceon, then Ash could have been seriously hurt. Any loyal Pokemon would have been furious by such a thing.
"That's good," Ash sighed relieved. "Actually, me and my friends were going to get something to eat. Would you two like to join us?"
"Yeah!/I'd be happy to," Roxie and Sabrina replied simultaneously before quickly glaring at each other.
Looking back, Sabrina tried to address the issue. "Ash, you may want to rethink your invitation to this uncouth child. Her horrible manners would probably just spoil your meal." Roxie glared harder as a tick mark formed on her forehead again.
"Listen you damn robot!" Roxie yelled. "Just because your so anti-fun doesn't mean you should ruin it for everyone else! Also, for the last time, I'm not a damn child!"
"Oh really, with the way you act it would make it hard to tell," Sabrina countered while crossing her arms. Roxie was about to explode before she felt a calming and soothing sensation washed over her. This caused Roxie's anger to vanish, feeling at peace with the warmth she was feeling. If she cared to look, she would have noticed that Sabrina was feeling the same effect she was.
Ash stood as he watched the two trainers relax due to feeling his aura that he transmitted to them, his attempt to stop their argument. 'Why are they even fighting?' he wondered.
"Let's not fight you two," Ash said, gaining their attention. "Our Pokemon have been through very tough battles and deserve to be in an environment where they can relax. Bickering is only going to make them tense."
Ash's words caused Sabrina and Roxie to think and realize that he had a point. Their Pokemon should be allowed to relax, not to be on guard because of them.
"I apologize, Kirlia," Sabrina apologized to her Psychic Pokemon. "I was being selfish in my endeavors and forgot about your feelings. I hope you can forgive me." Kirlia smiled at her trainer and waved off her apology as she gently hugged her.
"It's quite alright, My Lady," Kirlia elegantly replied. "It's my duty to help make you happy. When your happy, then I am too."
"Same here Koffing," Roxie said to her Pokemon. "I let my emotions rock out so loudly that I totally ignored how you may feel. Please forgive me." Koffing circled Roxie happily, not at all upset with her.
"Not a problem, Roxie!" Koffing replied. "As the great rockers that we are, we have to give it our all at everything we do! I'll always have more in my tank for another round." He quickly snuggled into Roxie's chest, causing her to chuckle and hold him closer.
Ash gave a small smile at the bond between the two trainers and their respective Pokemon. It made him think of the bond he has with each of his Pokemon.
Jacob smirked at how Ash handled the entire situation, relieved that he didn't need to step in, having trusted Ash to be able to take care of it. He just knew that calming an angry Roxie could lead to a headache.
"Can we go eat now?" Erika called out to the three trainers, gaining their attention. "I'm actually very hungry and we have a lot to talk about."
Ash nodded, a slightly more serious look crossing his face. Facing back to Sabrina and Roxie, Ash pointed his thumb back to the Pokemon Center. "Let's go get some food ladies or Erika is going to get angry."
Jacob chuckled at his girlfriend's pout that she gave Ash, finding it adorable. Taking hold of her hand, which got him a loving smile from her, he turned to Ash. "Let's get our game plan set up."
AN: That's a wrap folks! This is where I'm going to end this chapter. I don't have much to say to this, just that I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and at least this one didn't take nearly as long. Now that school is back up, getting use of my little brothers laptop will be sporadic at best so please bare with me. Remember to Review, Follow, and Favorite! Peace out my readers and until next time.
Dragon Soul94 is out!