All Fired Up, Indigo League Round One!

"Dude!"

"Geodude!"

"Graveler." A family of Geodude and Graveler were peacefully moving about their section of Victory Road while their leader, a Golem, watched on for potential trespassers rather it be trainers on their way to the Indigo League or rival Pokemon. He sure wasn't expecting what was to come as a large purple rift suddenly formed in the center of the area causing the Geodude and Graveler to quickly roll out of range as they suspected it to be an attack, their quick thinking prevented them from being pulled through the time distortion rift as it fully formed in front of them before quickly fading away, disappearing as quick as it had arrived while leaving an unusually large Steelix behind! The Steelix's eyes glowed a menacing shade of red as it leered down at the rock golems.

"STEEL!" He roared out while taking aim at the Geodude as a orange-yellow beam began forming within his mouth.

"Golem!" The leader was quick to act by throwing himself into the attack's range, shielding the younger Pokemon from the powerful attack though it was clear that Golem underestimated Steelix's power as he soon dropped to one knee with a pained grunt. "G-Golem!" The Rock type let out a desperate plea to his family to retreat as Steelix slammed a shining silver tail down against his head!

"G-Golem!" A younger Golem tearfully cried out with a shake of his head before curling himself into a ball as he prepared to attack!

"Golem!" The elder Golem painfully grunted out while shouting at his son. "Golem, go Golem!" He gestured towards the Graveler and Geodude, emphasizing that his son needs to retreat and look after them. "Golem go Golem!" Golem cried while saying that he'd hold off the Steelix for as long as possible but they needed to get moving now!

"G-Golem..." Tears fell from the younger Golem's eyes as he turned to face the other members of his family. "Go Golem go Golem!" He pointed off towards the distance before curling himself into a ball, the Geodude and Graveler followed his example as they all rolled off to safety.

"Golem!" Once his family was safe Golem was quick to act by slamming his foot against the ground, causing the ground to violently shake around them while stalactites began falling down on top of both Pokemon! Golem grunted out and dropped to his knee once more before shooting a hopeful look up towards Steelix, hoping that he'd dealt some serious damage to the Pokemon but much to his chagrin Steelix was still leering down at him while appearing to be in near perfect health!

"Golem..." Golem gritted his teeth as his body began to glow a bright yellow color. The rock tortoise let out a ferocious shout as he charged at Steelix but the giant snake was quick to act and with a swing of his tail, Golem was sent flying towards a nearby wall! Shortly upon making impact, a large explosion sounded off causing the wall to cave down on top of the Golem with stalactites soon joining the collapsing wall leaving Golem buried beneath the rubble! The rubble soon burst as a light red colored fist broke through but it soon went limp as life left the Pokemon's body.

"STEEEEL!" The giant serpent roared out in celebration of his victory!

Ash, Brock and Chloe were currently traversing through Victory Road, unaware of what laid ahead.

"I can't believe we're almost out of here, I can't wait to see to who my first opponent is!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement while the two excitedly clenched their fists with anticipated expressions.

"Don't get too excited, we're not out of the woods yet. There could still be more powerful Pokemon guarding the way ahead!" Chloe pointed out before placing her finger against her mouth. "So you should probably tone it down a bit."

"Huh, you'd think we'd have seen more wild Pokemon than we have." Brock noted while taking a quick glance around as they walked through the passageway. "We haven't seen any Pokemon since we first got here."

"Yeah, Kabutops sure went that Rhydon packing!" Ash chuckled in amusement as he recalled the large rhinoceros running off like a scared puppy with it's tail between it's legs after Kabutops unleashed a flurry of Water type attacks on him! "You don't think that has something to do with it do you?"

"I don't think so," Chloe shook her head with a doubtful expression. "Kabutops is back in his Pokeball so there's no way any Pokemon here could sense his presence."

"Rhy, Rhydon!" Loud footsteps could be heard racing towards them causing Ash to instantly grip Kabutops' Pokeball.

"It's back!"

"Pika!"

The same Rhydon from before came stampeding into view with quite the terrified expression as tears fell from his eyes. "Rhy!" The rhino rushed right on past them without a care while the three quickly dived to the side to avoid getting crushed!

"What was that for?" Ash groaned as he laid against the ground, watching Rhydon rush off down the path they'd came from. "You think Gary or Leaf are ahead of us?"

"I'm not sure," Brock rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I saw what were clearly bite marks along Rhydon's neck as he came running into view, Gary and Leaf would never resort to dirty tactics like that in fact it appeared to be rather deep almost as if something tried to end him!"

"E-End him..?" Chloe gulped while shooting a look down the path ahead. "M-Maybe we should take a different route, I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Eevoi..." Eevee's ears flatted as she nervously shook atop Chloe's shoulder.

"Unfortunately there's no time for that, if we backtrack to go down a different way then we'll miss the deadline!" Ash reached out and grabbed his girlfriend's hand while flashing her a reassuring smile. "We can do this, Pikachu and Charizard can handle anything this place throws at us right buddy?!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu gave a thumbs up while offering Eevee a smile of reassurance.

"I hate to say it but Ash is right," Brock spoke while holding up a map of Victory Road, having to resort to the old fashioned way of handling things as their Rotom Phones didn't get any bars inside of the cavern. "If we backtrack then Ash will miss out on the Indigo League, we'll have to just brave the storm and see what lays ahead of us!"

Chloe took a deep breath before nodding in agreement with them. "A-Alright..." She still felt rather uneasy but with them being so close to the exit, they couldn't afford to retreat now! The three quietly continued down the path while keeping an ear out for the potential threat, the only noise that could be heard was Croagunk's croaking until a loud roar echoed throughout the cavern causing the three and their Pokemon par Croagunk to leap up from fright!

"STEEEL!"

"Croa..."

Brock paused as the roar sounded rather familiar to him. "T-That's a Steelix!"

"A Steelix?! That's quite a rare find isn't it? Don't you need to trade-" Ash was interrupted by Chloe.

"You must have fallen asleep during that lesson Ash, it was discovered fairly recently that all you need to do in order to obtain Steelix is simply use a Metal Coat. I'm guessing that this Steelix managed to find one somewhere. Trading is no longer essential to evolve Pokemon."

"But what about Golem and Gengar?" Ash was quick to ask.

"Linking Cords," Chloe explained. "The item's so small that trainers often misplace them, leading to wild Machoke, Graveler and Haunter finding them and evolving into Machamp, Golem and Gengar!"

"Ah, well that's nice!" A smile formed across Ash's face upon Chloe's explanation. The subject of trading even if temporary always left him uncomfortable, it was rather pleasant knowing that if he obtained a Pokemon like that he'd be able to evolve it without any fuss so long as he had the Pokemon's consent first! The three went silent once more as they silently creeped ahead to get a view on Steelix, soon coming across a large open cavern that had daylight shining through the path ahead! However they wouldn't be able to sneak past Steelix as he laid in the center of the room, roaring loudly with it's glowing red eyes glaring menacingly towards the exit as if he just chased somebody out. "Well I guess we're not getting out of this without a fight, Kabutops I choose you!"

"Kabu!" Kabutops clashed his scythes together as he burst out of his Pokeball while shooting a challenging look in Steelix's direction. The alpha Pokemon soon turned around and uttered out a loud roar as it's red eyes came glaring into view causing the three trainers and their Pokemon, Croagunk included this time to freeze up in shock!

"T-That's a rather big Steelix..." Brock sweated.

"No kidding..." Ash nervously sweated.

"I-I think that's an alpha! But they're supposed to have disappeared ages ago, nobody's seen one around Kanto/Johto for centuries!" Chloe gasped.

"Alpha?" Ash questioned.

"Long story short, they're bigger and stronger than their normal counterparts. So basically this Steelix is going to hit pretty hard!"

"STEEEL!" Chloe was proven to be correct as Steelix's tail shined a bright silver color while it came crashing down on top of Kabutops! Poor Kabutops didn't stand a chance as he laid in a defeated slump beneath Steelix's large serpentine tail, swirls filled his eyes as tiny Torchic raced around his head!

"Tops..."

"STEEL!" Steelix raised up his tail once more as he prepared to bring it crashing down on top of the downed Kabutops!

"Kabutops return!" Ash hastily reached for his ball, returning the prehistoric Pokemon just before Steelix could dish out a lethal blow! The tail slammed against the ground causing it to lightly shake while Steelix turned to face the group with an agitated expression.

"STEEEL!"

"Alright time to fight fire with Fire!" Ash reached for Charizard's Pokeball while simultaneously activating his Mega Ring! "Charizard I choose you, let's show this alpha the power of our bond with Mega Evolution!"

"CHAR!" Charizard shot a stream of fire at the alpha upon his release before his body became engulfed by the familiar pink hue of Mega Evolution as his body began transforming into that of Mega Charizard Y! "CHAR!" Charizard shot a stream of fire into the air above him as bright sunlight lit up the cavern causing his tail flame to intensify!

"Use Flamethrower!"

"Char!" Charizard opened his mouth once more, releasing a stream of fire that was much larger than his previous ones thanks to the effects of the sunny environment. The intense flame struck Steelix's body but it wasn't enough to take the giant serpent out, merely burn him as small flames remained on his body after the fire faded away!

"STEEEL!" Steelix gritted his teeth as a pained grunt escaped his lips. He narrowed his eyes and leered down at Charizard before slamming his tail against the ground to summon an earthquake!

"Fly up!"

"Char!" Charizard swiftly flew off the ground to avoid getting struck by the attack though he didn't get out of it unscathed as a stalactite got loose and fell onto his back causing the Fire lizard to utter out a pained grunt but he managed to hold himself together.

"Now finish him with Inferno!"

"CHAR!" A massive blast of orange-red fire burst from Charizard's mouth and flew towards Steelix, blasting the alpha causing him to let out a pained roar as the fire seared across his body! Swirls soon filled his eyes as the red hue vanished, calming the alpha down as his upper body began falling towards the ground below!

"That's going to summon another earthquake in here..." Chloe muttered.

Ash gave a quick nod while reaching for an empty Pokeball, he quickly pulled back his arm before hurling the ball across the field! The ball opened up as it approached the alpha, a red glow engulfed Steelix's body as he was absorbed into the ball which soon landed against the ground and began to shake, sparing the cave from another earthquake! The group clenched their fists as they watched on in anticipation, hoping that the wild Steelix wouldn't break back out, before letting out a collective sigh of relief as the Pokeball's familiar chime could be heard indicating that the capture was a success!

"Steelix the Iron Snake Pokemon, the iron it ingested with the soil it swallowed transformed its body and made it harder than diamonds!" Ash's Rotom Phone read out as Steelix's data was registered within his Pokedex, the nearby exit seemingly giving it a signal.

"Char!" Charizard shot a celebratory fire stream into the air while Ash leaped up with an excited shout.

"Alright, we just go a Steelix!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu posed alongside his trainer as Steelix's ball glowed white before transporting itself away to Professor Oak's lab.

"My my, I wonder what the lad caught for us this time." Professor Oak was preparing to leave in order to support his grandson when the machine lit up behind him causing him to quickly turn with a look of curiosity. He reached to press the release button before uttering out a startled shout as the massive Steelix burst out and went crashing through the laboratory's roof, leaving a large hole where his head burst through!

"Steeeel!"

"T-That certainly is one big Steelix!" Cerise sweat dropped as they gazed up at the serpent.

"Heh, well I guess we'll have to release his captures outside from now on." Professor Oak nervously chuckled.

"I'm surprised you didn't after Tauros stampeded through the place and Muk's stench made us fumigate the lab." Cerise laughed. "We're still trying to get his stench out of the carpet!"

"MUK!" The sludge Pokemon suddenly appeared around the corner upon the mention of his name, his arms outstretched as he lunged forward to pin the two Professor's to the floor in a loving embrace. "Muk!"

"Ah!" The two let out a startled shout as Muk pinned them down.

"Well at least that Pokeblock recipe you cooked up for him helped calm down his stench!" Cerise laughed.

"Muk Muk!"

A few hours had passed since the trio left Victory Road and as they neared the town that housed the Indigo Plateau they could hear loud cheers as a large crowd came into view.

"I wonder who they're cheering for," Chloe pondered.

"Gary!" Ash was quick to exclaim as he knew that his rival had gotten quite the fan club, he just didn't know how big it was. He excitedly rushed forward, intending on meeting his longtime rival and best friend only for his disappointment to sink as it was merely the torch bearer racing down the path, carrying the flame that was said to come from a Moltres. Each region had it's own flame that was safely stashed away and upon each arriving League, the Champion would light a torch and pass it on to the torch bearer who'd run down the path before lighting the large flame that overlooked the League's many stadiums! It wasn't known if they all came from the same Moltres or if it was several different Moltres'.

Ash turned to continue down the path before quickly turning around as a shout could be heard, the torch bearer had tripped and began falling towards the ground. Brock was quick to act by reaching out to grab the torch so the man wouldn't get burned, saving him from harm but unfortunately the torch bearer had sprained his ankle!

"GAH!" The torch bearer shouted as the crowd let out an alarmed gasp.

"What are we going to do?!"

"How's the torch going to reach the Indigo League now?!"

Ash stared at the torch that now laid in Brock's hand as a look of determination formed across his face. "I'll do it!" Ash reached out to take the torch from Brock before freezing in place as a police whistle sounded off!

"Stop right there!" Officer Jenny and her Growlithe came racing into view. "I'm sorry but only approved challengers can carry the torch, you and your friend will have to move on!"

"But I'm a challenger!" Ash protested while withdrawing his badge case to showcase his eight Gym badges to her.

"Sorry kid but only approved challengers can carry-"

"Now hold on, ma'am." A calm masculine voice spoke up causing the crowd to utter an excitable gasp as a well dressed older man came into view. He wore quite the elegant looking suit and had a golden watch upon his wrist. He had a tanned skin tone and green eyes along with quite the fine looking facial hair consisting of a small beard and mustache. His hair was seemingly fashioned in a way to mask his age and come off as younger as it was well groomed with the left side entirely shaved off with what appeared to be a combover atop his right side. The man offered Ash a friendly smile as a rather beautiful blonde woman stepped out from behind him, followed by a younger boy with curly platinum blonde hair. The boy's eyes silently leered up at Ash as he stood alongside the woman. "I like this young lad's spirits! If he wants to carry the torch then I say we let him, he is Red's son after all!"

"Chairman Rose!" The crowd excitedly gasped.

"Doesn't mean he's special..." The boy sourly muttered out.

"Hush Bede," The woman scorned him before letting out a gasp as Brock, after handing the torch to Chloe, came racing towards the blonde woman before dropping to a knee while hearts filled his eyes.

"Oh my heart! Hello there, my name's Brock and I must say you're quite the beautiful lady! Was that a Galarian accent I detected? I always thought that it was something else! I think it's fate that our paths crossed today and I can just see our lives glistening ahead of us! I'd be honored if you'd go out with me after the League's opening ceremony!" Brock extended his hand to the woman while Croagunk raised a glowing fist, preparing to jab his backside!

"I only have eyes for the Chairman," The woman responded in a cold manner while turning her gaze upwards to avoid looking at him.

"Gah!" Brock face faulted to the ground while his hand grabbed at his chest. "I can feel my heart breaking apart..."

"Croa!" Croagunk was momentarily stunned before chuckling out as he grabbed hold of Brock before dragging the older boy off.

"C-Chairman Rose!" Ash exclaimed.

"And that must be his assistant, Oleana." Chloe added on while giving her a light glare while harshly turning down Brock like that. She didn't have to say yes but she could have been nicer about it!

"Hello Ash," Chairman Rose placed his hands into his suit pockets while offering the boy a smile. "I heard about your progress so far along with your feat at Silph Co and I must say that I'm impressed! You're definitely becoming quite the remarkable trainer much like your father before you, I'm sure that you'll be quite the Champion someday!"

"I don't intend on stopping there, I wanna be the very best like nobody ever was! The World Championship is my true dream!" Ash exclaimed with clenched fists as stars filled his eyes.

"Heh, well I'm afraid that Rex, Cynthia, Mustard, Steven, Alder and Diantha will have words with you. They've become even stronger than they were back when your dad bested them, in fact we haven't hosted a World Championship since as we don't know what's happened to him." Rose shrugged. Personally Rose wanted to move along but Rex, Cynthia, Mustard and Alder refused until they had closure on what happened to Red out of respect for the secretly fallen Champion.

Ash frowned at the mention of his father before quickly shaking it off as he didn't dare cry in front of the crowd, especially with all the cameras around!

"But here," Rose sensed Ash's emotions and was quick to shove the torch into his hand, changing the subject as he didn't wish to have the boy cry on live television. "The torch is yours to carry to the main Indigo League stadium. As soon as you light the torch, you're to meet with your fellow Challengers inside the Stadium grounds. Don't worry about registering, I'll have Oleana handle that for you." Rose gave Oleana a look which she quickly returned with a nod of confirmation.

"Right," Oleana turned to get that taken care of while Bede remained by Rose's side, silently leering at Ash as he didn't appreciate him getting his father's attention.

"And best of luck to you!" Rose added with a wave. "Now you're better hurry, the League will be starting up soon!"

Ash turned to his friends to say goodbye as he wouldn't be seeing them until the elimination round was over, he silently prayed to Arceus that he wouldn't be paired against one of his friends during the round as he'd hate having to take them out this early. A one on one battle was not the right way to end a rivalry!

"Good luck Ash," Chloe smiled while giving off a light wave, were it not for the cameras she'd have kissed him. She may love him but she sure didn't have the courage to kiss her boyfriend on live television!

"Eevoi!"

"Yeah, good luck!"

"Croa..."

"Thanks you two," Ash smiled at his girlfriend and best friend before turning towards the path that laid ahead. "Alright Pikachu, let's get going!"

"Pika!" The two raced down the path ahead and as he passed several crowds, Ash could swear he recognized some people like Brock's massive family, Todd Snap, Archer, Mr. Sukizo and Mr. Contesta, Misty's sisters, and Solidad but he couldn't afford to stop and say hello as he continued racing down the path before coming across a large set of stadiums, the crowd lined up the path leading to the main stadium so he didn't bother having to stop and ask for directions as he raced on into the stadium, passing by Samurai and his Scizor who'd just entered the building before racing on towards the bleachers, soon racing up the stairs before stepping at the top in order to light the massive torch that sat atop the stadium. Upon it getting lit up, Ash had to momentarily shield his eyes as a fiery bird shaped spirit appeared within the flame.

"TRES!" The bird screeched out followed by a loud cheer from the crowd.

"Whoa..." Ash breathed out in amazement before the fiery spirit disappeared.

"Alright! Welcome to another year of the Indigo League competition folks, it's me Tim the Intern! Still filling in for DJ Mary as they haven't found a replacement yet. This is a big year folks as we've got 256 challengers competing and that number will be down to 128 by the end of the day thanks to a series of one on one elimination matches spread throughout the stadium!"

Ash quickly leaped over the stadium's wall and landed on the battlefield alongside Pikachu before taking a quick look around at the gathered trainers. He could see Leaf and Gary standing rather close to each other while Flash and Giselle remained side by side with their arms wrapped around the other's shoulder. Samurai was further away but remained noticeable thanks to his helmet while next to him appeared to be some trainers from the SS Anne, Elaine and Chase! Gary happened to glance and notice Ash causing him to smirk before giving Ash a wave of acknowledgement.

"And now if you will turn your attention towards the screen, you'll find your opponent for the coming round!" The screen lit up and upon seeing the familiar tanned faces of Elaine and Chase, it was clear that he wasn't mistaken! AJ could also been seen, indicating that he'd also managed to get there! The vast number of images began shuffling around before pairing off. Leaf and Giselle were sent to Stadium D while Flash was grouped in Stadium C, Gary and that blonde girl from Cinnabar Island, whose name Ash could no longer remember thanks to Mewtwo erasing his memory, were put in Stadium B while Ash was thrown into Stadium A, the main stadium, alongside AJ, Samurai, Elaine and Chase! The images were then finally grouped with a partner, pairing Ash against AJ while the others were paired off against random trainers he'd never encountered!

"You all have one hour to get to your designated locations, spectators are free to move between stadiums in the meantime and don't forget to grab some nice refreshments! My personal favorite is Red Tauros!"

Gary and Leaf turned to give Ash a nod, seemingly wishing him good luck before turning to take their leave. Giselle and Flash shared a quick kiss before separating as they went separate ways for the elimination round. Samurai passed by Ash and shared a silent smirk but didn't say a word as he took his leave. AJ meanwhile raced towards Ash before thumbing at his chest.

"Aha, it's time for my revenge! I have been dreaming of this day Ketchum, I have been tirelessly training and working hard since you last bested me and I've regained my ninety nine win streak! It's only fitting that you and I are paired off against each other so my one hundredth win will be against you!"

"Slash, Sandslash!" AJ's Sandslash clashed his claws together in a menacing fashion.

Elaine and Chase silently sweated before taking their leave as they had time to greet their friends and loved ones seeing how they didn't have to change stadiums.

Ash sweated as well but shared AJ's cocky smirk. "Nothing's settled yet AJ, I intend on coming out on top so I won't be easy to take down!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

AJ let out a laugh before giving Ash a quick wave of his hand.

"You may be the son of Red Ketchum but that doesn't make you invincible, I will take you down!" AJ boasted with a cocky expression before turning to take his leave, allowing for Ash to quickly rush off to find his friends.

Brock and Chloe were waiting for Ash at the entrance to the stands, giving him a wave and a shout to get his attention as he began walking towards them.

"Ash!"

"Hey guys, I-" Ash began to cough as a smoke pellet was thrown against the ground. Brock and Chloe began coughing as well while shooting quick looks around as if they were expecting Team Rocket to appear.

"Surprise!" Janine gave the group an eager wave as she arose from the smoke. "It's good to see you all again!"

"Janine!" The three simultaneously shouted with excited expressions as they were pleased to see their friend again.

"Say cheese!" A camera flashed off, blinding the four of them while Janine was quick to reach out to grab the culprit.

"I'll teach you to sneak attack me, hiya!" Janine was prepared to throw the man to the ground before Ash and Brock raced forward to grab her arm.

"Janine wait!" Brock shouted.

"That's our friend!"

"H-Hello there," Todd Snap nervously shook while a girl stood beside him with a horrified expression. She had a darker skin tone than Todd and her eyes were a bright green color, her long purple hair was fashioned into a set of double ponytails that resembled a Goodra's horns. A white and purple satchel was slung over her shoulder while she wore a black/purple t-shirt beneath a purple and pink vest. She wore a rather short pair of pink shorts while her legs were covered by a pair of black leggings, a pair of purple and black sneakers covered her feet. "I-I'm Todd and this is my g-girlfriend, Rita!"

"H-Hello!" Rita gave Ash, Brock and Chloe a nervous wave before turning her attention back to Janine. "Please don't break my boyfriend's arms, he needs them!"

Janine leered at Todd as if she didn't fully trust him, she pointed at her eyes before pointing at him as she released her grip on him. Todd let out a gasp of relief while Rita was quick to race forward to pull her boyfriend into a hug.

"Todd's told me all about you three, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" Rita offered the three a smile.

"Hey Rita, it's an honor to meet you." Chloe smiled.

"Yeah, we were expecting Todd to show up but you're certainly a surprise!" Brock remarked.

"Yes well I wasn't about to let my boyfriend snap a picture of a crystal Onix without me! Something that beautiful must be admired in person!" Rita gushed.

"There's a crystal Onix?!" Ash and Chloe eagerly exclaimed with excited expressions. "Got a picture?!"

Todd and Rita nervously sweated. "Actually no, we're off to the Orange Islands to find it once the Indigo League is over."

"Right," Rita nodded. "We're taking a bit of a break from photographing until then."

"Aw, I hope you share the picture with us if you find it!" Chloe spoke.

Todd's eyes shifted between her and Ash before a lightbulb went off. "Speaking of which, are you two together?"

"Yes." Janine promptly responded causing Ash, Brock and Chloe to give her a look as they wondered who she knew that given that they hadn't seen her in several months. Janine nervously sweated. "Er... nice weather today, right?" She awkwardly tried changing the subject and was spared from further questioning by the arrival of Delia, the mother rushed towards Ash before throwing her arms around him as she pulled him into a hug!

"Ash, I'm so proud of you!"

"Mom! Not in front of my friends!" Ash breathed out as his mother gave him a tight hug.

"Oh Ash, everyone's mother loves them! I'm not sure why you're so worried!" Brock frowned slightly at Delia's words.

"Ash my boy, so good to see you!" Professor Oak waved at Ash while Rex, Lance, Lorelei, Agatha and Bruno could be seen entering behind him. The Champion and Elite Four members silently walked to their private area in the upper stands while the crowd excitedly muttered around them. "I can't stay for long, Gary's across the ways but I just thought I'd stop by and wish you luck! I also gave that Steelix you captured a quick glance over before I left and I can assure you that he's in perfect battling form, Cerise will send him over if you want to switch out your team!"

"Thank you Professor, I can't wait to battle with him!" Ash exclaimed as he broke from his mother's tight grasp.

"Wooo, my son's going to win the Indigo League! Woooo!" A shirtless Lt. Surge could be seen racing outside, a foam finger labeled "Go son!" sat on one hand while a flag with his son's face sat in the other. He even had army face paint covering his face, gathering quite the attention as he ran towards Stadium C. Everyone sweat dropped at the sight.

"Oh right, I forgot the Gym Leaders are here along with the Elite Four members." Ash sweated before turning to Janine. "Where's your dad then?"

"Right behind you." Ash jumped and turned around but didn't see Koga anywhere!

"Koga?"

"Yes?" Koga's voice carried from a different direction causing Ash to turn around before shrugging as he couldn't find the older ninja. An experienced ninja could only be found when they wanted to be found!

"Hey Ash, it's good to see you again." Misty waved as she and her sisters stepped into the Gym. Blaine and Erika could be seen walking past the stadium as they were apparently interested in other matches.

"Misty, hi!" Ash waved at the Water Gym Leader.

"Whose that? He's cute!" Violet gushed while giving Todd a flirtatious wave.

"He's taken!" Rita snarled while throwing her arm defensively in front of Todd.

"Oh wow!" Steam flew from Brock's ears as he leapt forward to greet Misty's sisters while pulling a bouquet of roses from out of nowhere. "I see that the three of you can't deny your feelings towards me any longer but oh how could I possibly choose between the three of you?! You're all equally beautiful and elegant! It'd mean the world to me to go out with any one of you!"

Croagunk raised his purple fist as he prepared to jab his trainer however much to his surprise a furious looking Misty grabbed hold of Brock's ear, giving it a good tug as she always got jealous when people admired her sisters while not giving her the least bit of attention! "Calm down Romeo, they're not interested..." She dragged him off while Croagunk followed, croaking from amusement.

Ash and the others nervously sweated at the sight before turning their heads as the doors opened once more to reveal Giovanni, accompanied as usual by his loyal companion Archer. Archer silently leered at Ash from behind Giovanni's back but didn't say anything as Giovanni gave Ash a wave. "Hello Ash, there are many talented trainers today but seeing how I'm sponsoring you I must show good faith by being in attendance for your matches! I wish you good luck in your coming match."

"Yeah, good luck..." Archer lightly growled out.

"Thanks Giovanni," Ash gave his sponsor an appreciate smile. "It's nice to see you again!"

"You're Giovanni?" Delia questioned before offering Giovanni a smile of her own. "It's so nice to finally meet you, thank you so much for sponsoring Ash it meant the world to him! He won't let you down, I'm sure of it!"

"Ah, you must be the lovely Delia." Giovanni bowed while reaching out to grab Delia's hand before giving it a quick peck. "I must say you raised up quite the fine lad."

Delia's cheeks couldn't help but light up, she didn't really know if Red was still alive or not but this was the first and most intimate contact she'd had since Ash was a baby! A light giggle escaped her lips before she stopped it, shooting a quick glance towards Ash before continuing. "Well Viridian City's close by, feel free to stop by and I'll cook something up for you sometime!"

"I'd like that." Giovanni smirked while looking at her with interest. Archer's mouth dropped as he looked between the two before softly growling out.

Ash blinked. He was certain his father was dead so Delia moving on didn't really phase him, she lived all alone with Mimey after he left and seeing how he'd likely never return before getting a place of his own, her moving on was honestly a good thing! He wanted her to be happy and not alone. Besides Giovanni was a good man!

"May I have your attention please?" Tim's voice sounded over the speaker. "We'll be starting up the battles in a few minutes so spectators if you will take your seats, vendors return to the stands and challengers please return to the waiting room!"

"On the way!"

"Wobbu!" What was clearly the Rocket Trio and Wobbuffet walked by in vendor attire, holding trays of food and drinks. The four looked at Ash and gave him a respectful nod as they passed by, keeping their word on not attacking until the League was over. Besides they were already making some decent amount of money selling to the spectators and the Indigo League hadn't officially started yet!

"Well good luck," Chloe leaned towards Ash, pulling him into a light hug before kissing him on the lips which he was quick to return. Delia beamed brightly and quickly snapped a picture of their kiss.

"Thanks, and I appreciate all of you coming here to watch!" Ash smiled at his friends and family who were all gathered around. "I promise to give you all a good show!"

The group cheered and clapped for him as he turned to walk towards the waiting area while they all walked to the stands to take their seats. Ash's battle with AJ was the last one of the elimination round so he had a bit of a wait, jealously watching on as Elaine, Chase and Samurai successfully overcame their opponents. Eventually his turn would come while the sky turned orange as the sun began to set.

"And last but certainly not least, Ash Ketchum son of Red Ketchum! Give him a round of applause!"

The crowd cheered loudly for Ash as he stepped onto the field while his friends watched on. Gary, Yellow, Leaf, Flash and Giselle now in the crowd and watching on with interest as they'd already finished their battles.

"Ketchum..." The Masked Man watched on with interest from his hideout, his eyes set upon the television set.

Gloria was walking through the crowded streets of Lumiose City, intending on starting her next adventure when the television sets of a nearby store caught her attention. She walked closer for a closer look before smirking as she saw Ash. "Ketchum..."

Mewtwo and Mew silently watched from a television screen within an undisclosed area. While Scott watched from his home in the Hoenn region, looking on with interest while Cerise opened a window and moved the television close to the window so Ash's Pokemon could all watch the upcoming match.

"Steeel!"

"Muk!"

"Moooo!"

"Gengar!"

"Beedrill!"

"Freeee!"

Rex and the Elite Four watched on with interest as Ash and AJ got into battling positions, Ash's hand reached for a Pokeball while AJ simply threw out his arm.

"Time to get our one hundredth win, Sandslash let's go!"

"Slash!" Sandslash raced onto the field.

"Sandslash I choose you!" Ash threw a Pokeball forward which burst to reveal the form of his Alolan Sandslash!

"Slash!" Ash's Sandslash clashed his icy claws against each other as he stared down his Kantonian cousin!

"Whoa..." AJ breathed out.

"I didn't know that Ash went to Alola as well!" Flash gasped out.

"He didn't, it was a gift from Scott." Chloe explained.

"Who the heck is Scott?!" Flash questioned.

"We'll talk about it later, now hush!" Leaf hushed the Unovan boy as the battle was getting underway! Delia was quietly snapping away at her camera the entire time.

"Earthquake!" AJ was quick to shout.

"Use Ice Beam to launch yourself into the air!"

"Slash!" Sandslash looked at the ground before firing off a beam of ice, sending himself flying up into the air safe from the effects of the shaking ground!

"Now use Gyro Ball!"

"Slash slash slash!" Sandslash burled himself into a ball and rapidly spun in place before rocketing back towards the ground, striking AJ's Sandslash head on! AJ's Sandslash was visibly stunned as their heads crashed against each other, tiny Torchic raced around his head as he teetered back and forth.

"Slash..."

"Bulldoze!"

"Slash!" AJ's Sandslash slammed his foot against the ground causing large parts of the field to splinter up and rush Ash's Sandslash before making impact with his body! The Alolan Sandslash grunted out as he was knocked onto his back, he wasn't out yet though as he soon hopped back to his feet.

"Slash!"

"Alright Sandslash, let's end this! Use Blizzard!"

"Slash!" Sandslash stretched out his arms and cried out as a fierce blizzard blew across the battlefield, pelting the Kantonian Sandslash with a flurry of cold wind, ice and snow before leaving him frozen in a block of ice!

"S-Slash..." AJ's Sandslash's eyes turned to swirls as he laid frozen in the block of ice while the crowd cheered loudly for Ash's victory!

"Nooooo, not again!" AJ cried out while dropping to his knees. For a moment it looked as if he'd cry but he soon sprang to his feet as he pointed towards Ash with new resolve. "You better watch out Ash, I'll get back my ninety win streak and then I'm coming for ya!"

"That's the spirit, never give up on your dreams!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

The two trainers shook hands while giving each other a smirk.

"May I have your attention please? Now that all the elimination rounds have been wrapped up, we're down to 128 competitors. That number will soon be a nice and even 16, for we'll be grouping you in batches of four and the trainer with the most wins of the four will be advancing into the next round! The battles will also be three on three so make sure you properly adjust your teams beforehand!" Ash turned his attention to the screen as it lit up to showcase those that advanced. As the images shuffled around, he found himself grouped up with Samurai, Elaine and Chase. Thankfully Leaf and Giselle weren't paired against each other, facing different challengers from Stadium D rather than each other.

Ash turned his attention towards Samurai, Elaine and Chase as he stepped out back into the waiting room. Chase and Elaine offered him a wave while Samurai withdrew his sword, having obtained a new one after Sabrina broke his old one, while giving Ash a challenging stare.

"Tomorrow we have our final duel, it's an honor to fight you once more Ketchum."

"Likewise, I'm looking forward to our battle tomorrow! May the best trainer win!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Sandslash!"

"Scizor!" The two and their Pokemon sized each other up as Ash and Samurai shook hands, while eagerly awaiting tomorrow's match!

Originally it was supposed to be a giant Onix that Ash caught but after Legends, I decided to simply make it an alpha Steelix instead! Trade evolutions now work the same way they do in Legends, as will Pokemon that aren't in Legends such as Milotic and Swirlix as it's vastly superior over the silly 'need friends that play or two systems to get this' method. Just so you know, alpha Steelix will be the only Hisui Pokemon appearing until Sinnoh. I still plan on Zorua joining the cast in some manner but I don't really have a plot outlined for Sinnoh other than Dawn and Paul getting bigger roles while somebody, either Ash or Chloe, get thrown to Hisui times as Johto's is finished(Again it's shorter than the others due to being plot and action focused, I just find Johto and gen 2 boring despite some of my favorite Pokemon coming from there) and I'm working on Hoenn's outline.

I didn't give the Linking Cord much of an explanation but I will give it a backstory later on, when it's actually relevant to the plot.

Also, Elaine resembles her appearance in Evolutions. I think it made her look cuter and less of a 'Leaf clone', while also doing the same to Chase as he doesn't look like Ash/Red Jr haha!

Next time, Ash's battles with Elaine, Chase and Samurai get underway as he makes his way towards the top 16! Hope you all enjoyed it, until next time! :)