Clash of Titans!
"Wow this takes me back," Ash gazed around the crowded streets as he walked towards the distant stadium. Street vendors could be seen lined up along the way selling food and various other goods.
"Step right up step right up, I have the opportunity of a lifetime here and you don't want to miss out! I have right here a one of a king golden Magikarp that-" Ash narrowed his eyes as he recognized the Magikarp Salesman. "It lies golden eggs which will hatch into more golden Magikarp, it's an incredible gold mine of an investment that I'm willing to part with for a mere hundred thousand Pokedollars so I can feed my wife and many children!" He pretended to weep.
Ash rolled his eyes and was about to intervene before he felt himself knocked to the ground by a sudden rushing force!
"Out of my way, I'm in a hurry! Out of my waaaaay!" Ash groaned out and opened his eyes to see Barry laying on the floor next to him. Barry was quick to shoot up and point at Ash in an accusing manner. "You're lucky that I'm in too much of a hurry buster, otherwise I'd fine you a million Pokedollars for getting in my way!"
"Barry?!"
"Oh hey Ash, what's up?" Barry seemed to calm down as soon as he realized who he bumped into. "Heard you were a Champion or something now, that's pretty amazing! But you better watch out cause now you can pay my fines if you cross me!"
Ash sweated. "I-I'm not rich Barry, the Alola League isn't like the others at least not yet but it will be once I bet Cynthia and become the World Champion!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out.
"Toxel tox tox!" Toxel suddenly burst from his ball and climbed onto Ash's other shoulder. Pikachu flattened his ears at the sight and glared at Toxel as the baby Electric type nuzzled against Ash.
"Pika..."
"Hey Toxel!" Ash laughed.
"Oh hey, that Pokemon is cute!" Barry gushed for a brief moment before quickly shaking his head. "Gah! Sorry Ash but I've got to go, my father's having a battle there and I just can't be late! I have a responsibility to be on time, he's not just my dad anymore but also my boss!"
"Boss? What do you mean by that?" Ash questioned only for Barry to rush off. "Well that was odd, was nice seeing him again though."
"Pika..." Pikachu softly exclaimed while continuing to glare at Toxel.
"Morpek!" Morpeko frantically pointed towards a nearby food truck that resembled a Bewear.
"Oh alright, I suppose we've got a minute or two to get some snacks." Marnie rolled her eyes before approaching the food cart.
"May I take your order, ma'am-Eeeee!" The male worker cried out before covering his face with his hands as he realized it was the new female twerp!
"Huh?" Marnie tilted her head, finding the behavior strange but deciding not to question it. "Yes I'll have two malasadas and-"
"Here you go," Another male worker, one on the shorter side peered over the counter and shoved a bag into her hand.
"But I didn't finish my-"
"We're closed, beat it!" A female worker shouted before slamming the window down, obscuring the three from view. Marnie stood there in shock for a moment while Morpeko leaped head first into the bag before gobbling down the food!
"I sure hope that's enough..." Marnie commented before heading back to her friends. "Somethin' odd just happened I-"
"Ash, Zach!" Marnie was interrupted by the arrival of another individual, she couldn't help but glare as she saw a fairly attractive blue haired girl rushing towards the boys. Her fists clenched and squeezed the food bag causing Morpeko to let out a hack as she was still inside of it! Her grip loosened as soon as she realized that the girl and Ash were just friends much like May.
"Hey Dawn, I'd like to introduce you to our new friend! This is Marnie," Dawn paused for a moment as her eyes quickly flickered between him and Marnie as a knowing smirk formed across her face.
"Heh, pleasure to meet you Marnie, I'm Dawn!"
"Pleasure to meet ya too, Dawn!" The two shook hands before Dawn turned towards Zach who remained silent though a smile did form as their eyes met.
"Hey..." Zach gave off a light wave in response.
Dawn tilted her head as he was acting differently than the last time they spoke. She shot a glance towards Marnie who mouthed 'break up'. Dawn had a look of understanding as she nodded her head, she didn't have experience with it herself but she had seen what it could do to people with low self-esteem. Her eye did twitch ever so lightly upon hearing that he dated somebody but she kept her cool, resting her hand upon Zach's shoulder as she offered him a warm smile. "Well if you guys are here for what I assume, why don't you two sit by yourselves and I'll keep Zach company?" Dawn offered.
Marnie shot a dark shade of red as she hadn't really expected to get handed some alone time with Ash just like that! Marnie was about to open her mouth as the thought made her too nervous. Ash on the other hand wasn't necessarily thinking about himself and Marnie, he recalled how Zach and Dawn had taken a liking to each other back in Pallet Town and thought some alone time with her might do him some good! Not even realizing that it'd leave him and Marnie by himself.
"Of course, have fun you too!" Ash exclaimed.
"I-" Marnie's eyes twitched as her body began shaking from both nerves and excitement. Was this really happening?
"Marnie, you okay?" Ash asked with a concerned expression upon noticing her odd behavior.
"Huh? O-Oh yeah, I'm fine!" Marnie forced out a laugh before taking a quick look around as she changed the subject. "How about we buy ourselves some snacks? I don't think Morpeko's had enough to last through the battle."
"Sounds good to me, I'm starving!"
"Pika pi!"
"Tox tox tox!" Pikachu flattened his ears as Toxel chimed in with them.
"Pika..."
Ash and Marnie took their seats which just so happened to be next to each other as there weren't any other empty seats around.
"Yo Marnie, is that your boyfriend? You two look so cute together!" A female Team Yell member gushed.
Marnie's cheeks burned brightly as the two sat down. "How do they keep finding me?" She turned to look at Ash and the three Electric types before sweating as all four of them were stuffing their faces immediately upon sitting down! "Well it's nice ta see somebody shares Morpeko's appetite." She laughed.
"Oooh and Cynthia's Milotic takes down Palmer's Heatran! Will Palmer be able to come back from this?!"
"Heatran? Ain't that a Legendary Pokemon?" Marnie questioned.
"Yep!" Ash wiped some food off his mouth as he turned his attention towards the battlefield. "A lot of powerful trainers own Legendary Pokemon, heck I once battled a guy that had an entire team of Legendary Pokemon! I wonder what he's doing now..." Ash couldn't help but wonder, it'd be nice to have a rematch against him to show off how much he'd grown in the years since but from what he could tell Tobias practically dropped off the planet after his loss against Cynthia as there weren't any official League records since!
"A whole team of them? Blimey and I thought you owning a Kubfu and Latias was impressive!" Marnie playfully teased him.
Ash couldn't help but smirk in response. "Hey I could probably have several teams of Legendary Pokemon if I asked all the ones I met to join me!"
"Ah yes, I assume that all happened when you saved the world dozens of times?" Marnie laughed. "Probably a good thing you don't own a lot of Legendary Pokemon, you'd be painting a massive target on Pallet Town if the right people caught wind of it."
"I suppose so," Ash laughed.
Marnie smiled as she was thankful that this was going smoother than she anticipated.
"And Cynthia's Spiritomb goes down to Palmer's Dragonite! The excitement is definitely brewing as they're now on an even playing field!"
Dawn glanced towards Zach whose eyes were locked onto the battle the entire time. A smile crossed her face as she brushed her hair aside to look at him. "You know if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you." Dawn softly spoke out. "About your breakup I mean, s-sorry to pry but it looks like you could really use somebody to talk to."
Zach glanced towards her and smiled lightly before uttering out a sigh. "It's nothing really I just-I've been having a hard time lately. My Obstagoon refused to listen to me and nearly got us killed, had it not been for May we'd have met our end... I couldn't even do anything about it! O-Obstagoon listens to me now and is willing to be a team player once his injuries fully heal but I can't help but feel I could have done more to stop Moltres... then I tried to prevent Raichu from drowning only to wind up drowning myself had it not been for my Prinplup! Then May and I encountered Team Rocket and I was powerless to stop them from taking Regice, almost died again but Raichu was able to get us out of there. I tried keeping the danger a secret from Sonia as she flipped out when she heard about what happened to me and Obstagoon, I didn't want her to worry since the danger had passed but then she did find out."
"Oh..." Dawn was able to piece things together from there. "She broke up with you cause she didn't want to worry about you getting into danger?"
Zach simply nodded in response.
"Ah," Dawn placed her hand atop his own while offering him a smile. "Well you like superheroes right? My friend Barry used to watch those sort of cartoons when we were growing up, from what I recall the heroes don't always win and some wind up having a girlfriend who finds out their identity and winds up leaving them cause of the danger they keep putting themselves in. Think of yourself as one of the heroes from your comics, eventually you'll prevail and overcome your losses! And there are plenty more fish out in the sea, I'm sure you'll find another girl who likes you for you are and sticks by you no matter what, who knows maybe you already have!"
Zach stared off in silence for a brief moment before turning to face her with an appreciative look. "Thank you, that's exactly what I needed to hear... wait comics? I thought you said cartoons?"
Dawn's face lit up as she let out a nervous laugh. "Heh, did I? I must have fumbled up my words." The two smiled at one another and sat in silence for a moment before eventually turning back towards the battlefield as the announcer shouted out.
Marnie's eyes locked onto the battlefield as Palmer's Milotic was locked in a heated battle against Cynthia's Lucario, Lucario was dealing some heavy blows but Milotic quickly recovered from each blow with Recover while dishing out some damage of her own before eventually freezing Lucario in a block of ice!
Marnie's eyes flicked towards Ash and noticed his hand resting on the seat arm that sat between them. She bit her lip lightly as she thought rather or not she should make her move. Pikachu noticed her hesitation and smirked before motioning with his hands for her to make her move. Morpeko gave a swift nod of her own and that was enough to help with Marnie's decision, she slowly began to reach for his hand but right as she was mere centimeters from touching it a loud cheer erupted throughout the stadium as people shot up from their seats including Ash! Marnie couldn't help but utter a frustrated growl that was drowned out by the loud cheers!
"And Garchomp has avenged his fallen comrade, this is is folks! Both of these incredibly strong titans are down to their final Pokemon! Will Palmer's final Pokemon have what it takes to take out Garchomp or will he be taking home another loss? Let's see what his fellow Frontier Brains have to say!"
The scoreboard briefly changed to showcase Barry and a group of men and women that Ash had never seen before, his attention was primarily focused on Barry though as he was surprised to see him standing there!
"Go dad, you can do it!" Barry eagerly shouted out while punching at the air!
"Barry's a Frontier Brain?!"
"Pika pi?!"
"Rock Wrecker!" Palmer called out.
"Rhype!" Small rocks began flying from Rhyperior's hands as he clamped them together, the rhino Pokemon's eyes locked onto Garchomp's body as the small rocks began forming a large boulder. Rhyperior let out a grunt as he hurled the stone towards Garchomp!
"Giga Impact!"
"GAR!" The orange-purple aura formed around Garchomp's body as he rocketed forward, blasting right through the rock and shattering it as if it were nothing but a pebble before crashing against Rhyperior, knocking the rhino Pokemon to his knees!
"Rhy..." Rhyperior grunted out.
Palmer clenched his fists before uttering out another shout. "Blizzard!"
"Rhy!" Rhyperior stood back to his feet and stretched out his arms as a fierce cold wind blew across the battlefield before Garchomp was pelted by a series of snow and ice!
"G-Garchomp..." Garchomp shivered.
An impressed smirk appeared on Cynthia's face. "I see you taught him an Ice attack, a remarkable tactic. Garchomp use Earth Power!"
"GAR!" Garchomp slammed his foot against the battlefield resulting in cracks forming along the ground as they made their way towards Rhyperior before opening up beneath his feet!
"Rhy!" Rhyperior grunted out.
"Mega Horn!"
"Rhy!" Rhyperior's horn shined brightly and extended outwards as he charged head first towards his opponent!
"Meet him head on with Dragon Rush!"
Garchomp's body became engulfed in a light blue aura as he charged towards the stampeding rhino, the two met head on and were knocked back from each other with neither looking ready to back down just yet.
"Hit them with another Blizzard!" Palmer shouted.
"Rhy!"
"Counter with Earth Power!"
"Rhy!"
"Gar!" As Rhyperior unleashed another blizzard Garchomp countered by stomping the ground, both Pokemon let out pained grunts and Rhyperior began looking rather worn out while Garchomp still appeared raring to go!
"Looks like we're running out of options, Rhyperior use Surf!"
"Rhy!" Rhyperior raised his arms up as a massive wave of water formed beneath his feet, Rhyperior rode the wave and guided it towards his opponent.
"Draco Meteor!"
"GAR!" Garchomp shot an orange energy sphere into the sky which promptly exploded into a series of meteorites that began raining down upon Rhyperior and his wave, Rhyperior flailed his arms about as he tried keeping his balance due to the wave growing wild from the impacts before falling head first into the wave as a meteorite knocked him off his feet!
The crowd went silent as the waves crashed down upon Garchomp, both Pokemon disappeared from view creating a moment of tension and anticipation as people were wondering if Palmer had managed to take down Garchomp or at least tie with it but as the water level began shrinking Garchomp could be seen standing on his feet while Rhyperior laid on his back with swirls present in his eyes.
"And Rhyperior is out! Once again Cynthia's Garchomp has proven itself to be unbeatable, will anyone be able to change the status quo? Find out as the World Championships continues! The next major match up will be the Unova Champion Iris facing off against Hoenn's own Steven Stone in a few weeks from today, we hope to see you all there!"
Palmer watched as his score dropped from 40 to 1,402. He didn't seem bothered by it, merely shrugging it off and offering Cynthia a smile as he recalled Rhyperior to his Pokeball. "We'll get her next time."
"Will anyone be able to change the status quo?"
"Just you wait, Pikachu and I will do just that!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Marnie watched as the two leaped out of their seats with clenched fists and excited expressions, she couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
"Sounds like ya still got a bit of work to do from what you've told me before in previous matches, you've only been able to take out two Pokemon while Palmer managed to knock out five of her Pokemon!"
"Which is exactly why I'm entering the Battle Frontier, it'll be some great experience for my team and help prepare ourselves to face him! If we can take down Palmer then there's a good chance that we'll be able to do the same to Cynthia!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Oh man did you see Garchomp just annihilate Palmer's Regigigas like it was nothing? Man that was awesome!" Zach excitedly shouted out as the four grouped back up while the crowd dispersed around them.
"And that's no small feat either," Ash had to admit as he began thinking strategies over within his head. He was expecting to face off against a Regigigas when he crossed paths with Brandon again but it looked like he'd be facing one sooner than he expected, the Pokemon moved slow but packed a hefty punch! It wouldn't do to overestimate it, especially as Palmer's Regigigas took down one of Cynthia's Pokemon with a singular attack which had forced her to briefly release Garchomp in order to take it down! 'Maybe Infernape will do the job...?'
"So where did Scott say the Battle Facility was again?" Marnie couldn't help but ask, she wasn't exactly familiar with Sinnoh so one couldn't fault her for not memorizing the locations.
"The Battle Castle, it's actually not that far off from Lake Valor." Ash recalled while retrieving his Rotom Phone to check Sinnoh's map. "So we could grab a boat that takes us back to Sunnyshore and-"
"Wait hold up!" Marnie held up her hand as she noticed Snowpoint wasn't far off from where they currently were. "You two know that I rarely ask for anything so would ya mind if we head to Snowpoint first? I've been wanting ta catch a Sneasel for ages but those little weasels only dwell in cold weather!" She had a chance during their meeting with Glacia but the whole situation with Pokemon Hunter R and Team Rocket caused her to get sidetracked and forget her original intention.
"Snowpoint? Well if you head off in that direction you may be in luck as Bertha's in the area." Cynthia spoke, she couldn't help but overhear them as she was passing by.
"Bertha?" Ash flashbacked to the brief battle the two had during his first trip to the Sinnoh region, he was itching for a rematch and he was sure Torterra felt the same way! "Well then I guess we're going to Snowpoint City, thanks Cynthia!"
Cynthia offered the group a light smile before waving her hand as she walked towards an ice cream cart.
"Alright, I'm gonna catch myself a Sneasel!"
"Morpek!"
Ash felt a rather warm feeling growing inside of him at the sight of Marnie's excitement, he smiled before turning his attention towards Zach whom he noticed looked a bit better than he had the past few weeks. "Is that alright with you?"
"Of course it is, I never really had the chance to catch an Ice type... at least not one I could keep." Zach smirked lightly while glancing in Dawn's direction. "I guess this is where we part ways, eh?"
"Maybe not, if you all don't mind I'd like to tag along. It's been quite some time since I've traveled in a group and I think it could be fun traveling through Sinnoh again with old and new friends!"
"That's alright with me, now let's get those tickets. I'm itching to face off against Bertha!" Ash excitedly exclaimed before rushing off towards the docks to fetch the group some tickets.
"Pika pi!"
"Tox tox!"
"I suppose it's alright, the more the merrier!" Marnie smirked as she held her hand out to Dawn. The two shared a smile as they shook hands with each other.
"CUNO!" A large bird screeched out as it flew above the snowy mountain region unaware that it was being watched.
"At last, Articuno is within our grasp!" Sasuke clenched his fist as he watched Articuno's flight movements through a pair of binoculars.
"Nine!" A beautiful pale blue Ninetales raced along the snowy route, she blended in perfectly with the forming blizzard and was practically invisible to the naked eye as she sought to escape her pursuer.
"Thought ya could escape me, didn't ya?" Pokemon Hunter A, now wearing a hooded black parka and an assortment of weather friendly attire, was hot on her trail thanks to a pair of heat sensor goggles.
"Helloooo? What's taking you so long? My mother's birthday is tomorrow and that Ninetales will make the perfect gift for her as a winter coat, it's the latest fashion fad!" Chad's voice shouted out. "I'm paying you top dollar so you better stop stalling and get to work!"
"Hey it's not my fault that a stupid bird sent me bird crashing out of the sky, you're lucky that both of us survived or you wouldn't be getting that coat at all!" Pokemon Hunter A shouted.
"It's still alive?! What the heck man, you said you were a poacher! It should be nothing but a pelt by now!"
"What you expect me to lug my tools up Alola's highest mountain range? Nah, I do my work at the comfort of my home thank you! But I promise you as soon as I get hold of that Ninetales that'll be the end of her, I ain't taking anymore chances!"
"You better not, having a winter coat like that would net me so many followe-I mean mother dearest would appreciate it greatly!"
Pokemon Hunter A smirked to himself and silently shook his head as he continued following the Ninetales' trail.