Opal the Fairy Master
"Say goodbye to Akari!" A sadistic smirk formed across Shade's face as he stabbed Akari's chest.
"No!" Dawn awoke upon hearing her boyfriend's shout and formed a look of concern upon spotting him tossing and turning on the opposite end of the bed.
The dream transitioned to an unknown time and place but the setting was definitely a volcano of some sort as the intense heat and lava flow was quite distinguishable. Shade stood beside a Mega Alakazam while Gloria and a black colored Greninja stood across from them.
"Alright Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" Gloria shouted out.
"Gre!" The shiny Greninja hurled a large water shuriken towards Alakazam, knocking the Mega Pokemon onto his back shortly before a pink glow surrounded his body, reverting him back to regular form while Gloria uttered out a victorious shout!
"Ha! Did ya really think that ya stood a chance against me?! I'm second in command of Team Neo-Flare for a good reason, ya daft bugger!"
"I wasn't certain so that's why I decided to cheat!" Shade flashed a sadistic smirk as Dusknoir and Metagross flew down into the volcano.
"Meta!" Metagross delivered a quick Meteor Mash against Greninja's body.
"Gre!" Greninja cried out as his body was knocked towards the lava, swirls quickly formed within his eyes to show that he was incapable of saving himself.
"Noir!" A bright blue glow surrounded Gloria's body before she was hurled towards the lava alongside her partner Pokemon.
"N-No!"
"Zach, wake up!" Dawn wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and began shaking him. "You're having a nightmare!"
Zach began breathing heavily as he awoke, sweat was running down his forehead while fear and anxiety flared within his eyes. A look of concerned formed across Dawn's face, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder before leaning her head against him.
"It was just a nightmare Zach, no need to worry about it."
"I-It's not a nightmare... Shade, the guy that killed you-er Akari in the past... he's still alive! H-He's the guy that tried bringing a mountain down on top of me and May!" Zach nervously shook. It definitely wasn't another case of reincarnation where Akari and Irida were reborn as Dawn and May, something was telling him that this was Shade. He was a lot older than he was since the Hisui days and had lost his eyesight at some point, how Shade managed to stay alive all these years was a question for another day though as Zach quickly recalled who Shade was working for. He may be with Team Rocket now but whose to say his true allegiance wasn't with Volo and Giratina?
"Shade?" Dawn tilted her head before uttering out a light sigh as she lightly shook her head. "From what I remember, I-Akari was a lot weaker than I am. You don't have to worry about losing me, if we do cross paths with him then we'll take him on together!" Dawn offered him a loving smile as her hand rested atop of his.
Zach returned the smile with one of his own before glancing towards the bedsheets. "I know, it's not you that I'm worried about..."
"Is it May?" Dawn guessed.
"No, it's-It's Gloria, I-I saw her in my dream. Her and Shade were facing off in a volcano, at first it appeared as if she beat him but then... Metagross and a Dusknoir appeared." He didn't suspect it was the same Dusknoir that orchestrated the Darkest Day, there wasn't a reason to suspect it as it looked like a normal Dusknoir and they weren't aware the pair had teamed up. "A-And then the Pokemon attacked and blasted her t-towards the lava..."
"Oh." Dawn frowned for a moment, her hand tightly wrapped around his as she looked back into his eyes while offering him a loving smile. "I'm sure that it was just a nightmare but if it turns out to be real... just know that I'll be there to support you in stopping it, I won't let you lose the only family you've got left!"
"Thanks Dawn," Zach offered her an appreciative look before planting a kiss on her lips. "You're the best..."
Dawn uttered out a light giggle and silently stroked his cheek for a brief moment before planting a kiss on his lips. "You should try and get some sleep, you've got a match tomorrow and need your rest. Don't need the future Galar champ disappointing his fans, do we?" She playfully teased.
"Heh, you're right." Zach smirked lightly. The two laid back down and snuggled against each other, their arms wrapped around each other's bodies while Dawn's head rested against his chest.
Snores filled the air as Zach's head slumped down against the café table, butter and jelly splashed against his face as he fell against his pancakes.
"Is everything okay?" May asked while glancing towards Zach with visible concern.
"Yeah he just had troubles falling asleep." Dawn spoke up.
"I know the feeling, I was so excited that I had difficulty falling asleep!" Ash excitedly exclaimed.
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Speaking of which, isn't your match starting soon?" Chloe asked. Opal scheduled it bright and early as to not interfere with the Galar League schedule.
"That's right," Ash grinned while proceeding to scarf down his pancakes. "I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!"
"Rai..." Zach's Alolan Raichu subtlety reached towards his trainer's pancakes and pulled them out from under him before proceeding to chomp down on them. "Rai rai!"
"Got him?" Dawn asked, one of her arms wrapped around Zach's while she pushed up against him. He'd fallen asleep shortly after the group walked through the stadium entrance.
"Yep," May gave off a light nod as she wrapped around his other arm, giving him proper support as the girls dragged him towards the stands.
"Ah there you are," Opal clasped her hands together as she entered the stadium, Bede and Allister shortly followed her. Bede wanted to impress Opal and show that she wasn't making a mistake by showing up bright and early. "Are you ready for our match?"
"You bet I am!" Ash eagerly exclaimed while clenching his fists. "I can't wait to get started!"
"Heh, you're just as eager as Valerie said." Opal smiled while lightly shaking her head.
"You know Valerie?!" Ash asked.
"Of course she knows Valerie," Bede scoffed. "Opal is the Fairy type Master, those that aspire to become Fairy specialists such as myself and Valerie look up to her!"
Opal sweated lightly. "That and she's my great granddaughter."
"Really? I'd swear you were seventy at the most!" Bede praised. Allister rolled his eyes from behind his mask while Opal blushed and waved her hand at Bede.
"Oh you..." She giggled out before turning her gaze back towards Ash while offering him a sweet smile. "Well Ash, I suppose we better get things started. The Gym will be opening in an hour."
"Right, come on Pikachu. Let's go!" Ash waved towards his best friend before racing towards the locker room.
"Pika!" Pikachu excitedly cried out as he raced after his trainer.
"Good luck, Ash!" Marnie called out after her boyfriend.
Ash shot out of the stadium and quickly took his position on the battlefield while awaiting his opponent's arrival. It took a few minutes as Opal's movement was slower than an average opponent but that didn't mean she was weaker than most, she maintained her position as Galar's fifth Gym Leader for a reason.
"Alright Ash, it might just be my age getting to me but I can't recall us discussing the terms of the battle." Opal offered him a light smile while resting her head against her cane. "Does a four against four matchup sound good to you?"
Ash was visibly disappointed that it wouldn't be a full six on six but he understood the reasoning, Opal had a schedule to keep. "That sounds good to me!"
"And I'll act as referee!" Bede eagerly volunteered.
Allister facepalmed. "You already got the job, you don't have to keep kissing her feet."
Opal lightly shook her head while offering Bede an appreciative smile before turning back to face Ash. "Alright then let's release our first Pokemon on the count of three; One, two and three! Weezing my dear, let's lighten things up!"
"Weezing!" A Galarian Weezing cried out as it burst onto the battlefield.
"Silvally, I choose you!" Ash shouted while hurling a Pokeball forward.
"Silva!" The chimera screeched out upon bursting from his Pokeball.
Opal's eyes widened with interest. "My my, never seen anything like this."
"Huh?" Bede tilted his head as he stared off with a blank expression. "What is that?"
"Activate Steel Memory!" Ash shouted out.
"Silv!" Silvally's head feathers and the tip of his tail began changing to a bright silver color as he transitioned into a Steel type Pokemon.
Opal tilted her head while stroking her chin as a thoughtful expression formed across her face. "Heh..."
"Multi-Attack!" Ash shouted out.
"Silva!" A silver aura flared around Silvally's body as he charged across the battlefield.
"Heat Wave!" Opal shouted out.
"Whoa, she caught on fast!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Well she has been battling trainers for about eight decades." Marnie explained. "She's bound to catch on to tricks like that."
"Zzz..." Zach was still fast asleep, his head leaning against May's shoulder. The brunette glanced towards him and blushed lightly. Dawn took notice and smiled lightly but chose to remain quiet as to not disturb him. It was better he rest now than risk him falling asleep while engaging in his Gym Trial.
An orange burst of wind shot across the field and struck Silvally causing the chimera to utter out a light grunt but he managed to pull through the attack, racing up to his opponent before slashing Weezing across it's faces!
"Weez!" The Poison/Fairy grunted out.
Opal's eyes flickered back and forth as she weighed her options. Her Poison type attack was useless and her Fairy type attack wouldn't be effective against a Steel type, especially one as strong as this. She'd wager that Silvally alone could take on most her team if not all of it based on the damage that Weezing had been dealt. She clenched her fists before shouting out.
"Strange Steam!"
"Weezing!" Thick pink gas emitted from Weezing's smokestack, the sparkling gas ventured across the field before meeting it's target. Miniature Staryu began circling Silvally's head as he uttered out a light grunt.
"Poison Fang!" Ash shouted out.
"Silva!" Silvally's fangs flashed a venomous shade of purple as he bit his own leg, fortunately it had no effect due to the typing.
"Heat Wave!" Opal shouted out. She had a plan but needed to play her cards right and not let Ash onto her plan.
"Weezing!" Another orange wave of fire flared across the field and struck Silvally. The chimera uttered out a light grunt before giving his head a quick shake as he snapped out of his confusion.
"Alright Silvally, way to go!" Ash eagerly shouted out.
"Pika pi!"
"Silva!" Silvally beamed.
"Now use Poison Fang!"
"Silva!" Venom covered Silvally's fangs as he shot across the field. Opal flashed a light smirk and patiently waited until Silvally got too close.
"Destiny Bond!"
"No w-" Ash couldn't even get out the words as Opal waited until the last second, Silvally sank his fangs into Weezing's body causing the Poison/Fairy to slump towards the ground in defeat. A bright white light flashed across the field and Silvally soon joined his opponent on the battlefield floor, swirls formed within their eyes as they laid in defeat.
"Silvally wins but is no longer able to battle!" Bede declared while holding up a pair of white flags. "Trainers please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Silvally return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest. The others will continue on from here," Ash recalled Silvally to his ball before reaching for another ball. "Alright Muk, I choose you!"
"Sylveon let's lighten things up!" Opal shouted while tossing an Ultra Ball into the air.
"Sylve!" The Fairy type Eeveelution cried out as she burst onto the field.
"Muk!" Muk turned around and excitedly shot towards his trainer before pinning him down with a hug. "Muk, Muk!"
"Hey Muk, i-it's good to see you too!" Ash chuckled.
"Pika!"
"Muk!"
"M-Mind if we focus on the task at hand? We've got a battle to win." Ash pointed towards Opal and Sylveon.
Muk slowly turned around, determination flared within his eyes as he set his eyes upon his opponents. "Muk!"
"Sylve!" Sylveon covered her nose with a look of disgust.
"Heh, that Muk's ability is Stench." Opal shook her head while cracking a light smile. "Sylveon use Misty Terrain!"
"Sylve!" A thick cloud of sparkly pink smog covered the battlefield, protecting Sylveon from the possibility of getting Poisoned.
"Use Belch!" Ash shouted out.
"Muk!" Muk leaped across the battlefield as he pounced onto his opponent, pinning Sylveon against the ground as he performed his signature hug. "Muk Muk!"
"Sylve!" Sylveon grunted out while struggling to break free of Muk's grasp.
"Muk..." Muk's stomach gurgled shortly before a loud belch emitted from his throat.
"Sylve!" Sylveon's face shot a dark green color shortly before she collapsed against the floor, her tongue lolled from her mouth as swirls formed within her eyes. "Sylve..."
"Alright Muk, way to go!" Ash praised.
"Muk!" Muk sprang towards his trainer and Pikachu before pinning them down with another hug!
"Gross..." Bede formed a look of disgust at how Sylveon had been taken down.
"My, that Muk sure is powerful." Opal could tell that it's friendship with Ash was incredibly strong, she wagered that he was one of Ash's earliest captures and potentially one of his most experienced. She recalled Sylveon to it's ball before grabbing hold of another Ultra Ball. "Alright Togekiss, let's lighten things up!"
"Togekiss!" Muk's hugs were out of the question this time as Togekiss hovered above the battlefield.
"Tri Attack!" Opal swiftly ordered out.
"Toge!" A barrage of fire, ice and electricity shot from Togekiss' mouth and flew towards Muk before striking his body, knocking him across the field as he uttered out a light grunt.
"Muk..."
"Stay strong Muk, you can do this! Use Sludge Bomb!" Ash shouted while throwing his arm forward.
"Muk!" A large glob of purple sludge hurled out of Muk's mouth and flew across the field before splattering against Togekiss' face.
"T-Toge..." Togekiss grunted out while performing a shiver of discomfort.
"Psychic!" Opal shouted.
"Togekiss..." A bright blue glow surrounded Muk's body while a similar glow appeared within Togekiss' eyes. Muk was lifted off the ground and flung into the air before Togekiss slammed him against the ground with great telekinetic force!
"Muk..." Muk's body splattered against the ground before quickly reforming, showing that the Poison type still had some fight left in him.
"Go Muk, you can do it!" Marnie hadn't seen much of Muk but he quickly became one of her favorites. It was hard not to root for the loveable Poison type.
"Muk!"
Ash flashed a light smirk upon hearing his girlfriend's cheer. "Use Sludge Bomb one more time!"
"Muk!" Muk hurled another glob of sludge from his mouth, launching it across the field where it'd soon splatter across Togekiss' face!
"T-Toge..." Togekiss grunted out.
"Hmp, let's wrap this up with Psychic!" Opal ordered with a light tap of her cane.
"Toge!" A bright blue glow surrounded Muk's body as he was hoisted off the ground before Togekiss flung him into the air, Muk soared over the battlefield before Togekiss slammed him back against the ground with a powerful telekinetic force!
"Muk..." Muk groaned out, the sludge Pokemon began reforming but had the familiar signs of fatigue forming across his body.
"Wish!" Opal exclaimed.
"Toge!" A bright flash surrounded Togekiss' body as she restored half of her health. Ash clenched his fists and uttered out a light grunt of frustration.
"Muk return and rest up for now!" Ash held up Muk's ball and swiftly returned him to his Pokeball, he had the advantage in numbers so there wasn't a point in letting Muk wear himself out just yet. "Alright Snorlax, I choose you!"
"Snorlax, snor!" The battlefield shook lightly as Snorlax burst onto the battlefield.
"Alright Snorlax let's use Hyper Beam!"
"Snorlax!" The bright orange-yellow energy beam erupted from Snorlax's throat and shot across the field before exploding against Togekiss' body!
"Toge!" Togekiss cried out as bruise marks formed across her body.
"Wish!" Opal shouted out once more.
"Toge!" Togekiss cried out as she restored her energy.
"Alright Snorlax, let's try Heavy Slam!" Ash shouted out.
"Snorlax, snor!" Snorlax raised his arms up as he shot off the ground before hovering above the battlefield.
"Toge!" Togekiss gasped out, the world seemed to slow down around her as Snorlax began falling towards her before ultimately squashing her against the battlefield! "Kiss..." Togekiss groaned out as she was crushed beneath Snorlax's heavy weight, swirls were visible within her eyes as Snorlax rolled off her body.
"Togekiss is unable to continue battling!" Bede declared.
"Alright Ash!" Chloe cheered.
"Eevoi!"
"Way to go!" Marnie shouted.
"Morpek!"
"Togekiss return," Opal gazed towards Ash with respectful admiration. She was trying her best and using her strongest team members against her yet it was as if she wasn't even trying, the 'boy' that Valerie had mentioned had certainly grown and Opal was fairly certain that she was going up against the next World Champion. 'I hope I live long enough to see it happen. That'll be a match for the ages!' She thought, envisioning Ash and his team facing off against Cynthia's team. "Alcreamie, let's lighten things up!"
"Alcreamie!" An Alcreamie burst from her Ultra Ball however unlike Zach's Alcreamie, Opal's appeared to be vanilla flavored with strawberry toppings.
"Huh." Ash tilted his head. 'So Alcreamie's similar to Spinda and Vivillon?' He theorized.
"Snor..." Snorlax lightly drooled at the sight of Alcreamie but was able to keep himself in check.
"Right well seeing how we're pressed up against a wall, I say it's time to Gigantamax!" Opal exclaimed while activating her Dynamax Band. Scarlet and violet clouds surrounded Alcreamie's body as she began morphing into a giant kaiju sized five tiered cake covered in quite the fancy décor!
"Wow..." Ash's stomach rumbled loudly at the sight of the cake.
"Pika..." Pikachu's stomach rumbled out as well.
"Snor!" Hearts filled Snorlax's eyes as drool gushed from his mouth like a waterfall. The large Pokemon began eagerly racing across the field with quite the delighted expression upon his face causing Ash to utter out an alarmed shout.
"Gah, Snorlax return!" Snorlax was returned right on the nick of time, a glob of icing disappeared from Alcreamie's bottom layer as Snorlax managed to get in a quick lick.
"That was close..." Marnie breathed out a sigh of relief.
Ash gave Alcremie a look before reaching for another ball, he recalled Tracey mentioning this Pokemon undergoing a mysterious transformation during Darkest Day and wanted to see it for himself!
"Melmetal, I choose you!"
"METAL!" Melmetal flexed his arms as he burst from his ball.
"Let's Gigantamax!" Ash shouted while activating his own Dynamax Band.
"Metal!" The scarlet and violet colored clouds surrounded Melmetal's body as he began morphing into his Gigantamax state.
"Wow!"
"Pika!" Ash and Pikachu breathed out while tilting their heads back as they gazed up at their friend's transformation.
"Huh..." Opal trailed off as she'd never seen anything like it before. 'First Silvally and now this, he sure has a knack for capturing rare Pokemon.' "Max Flare!"
"Alcreamie!" Alcreamie shouted out while a powerful geyser of fire erupted from her body.
"Metal!" Melmetal grunted out as the fire blasted against him.
"Counter with-with..." Ash clenched his fists as he couldn't recall the proper term for the Steel type equivalent. "G-Max Meltdown!" He randomly blurted out.
"Pika..." Pikachu's ears flattened as he faintly sweated.
"Metal!" Melmetal slammed his feet against the battlefield floor causing the field to vibrate shortly before a series of large spiked metallic objects erupted from the ground, the metallic objects swiftly rushed across the field before piercing Alcreamie's body causing the cake Pokemon to utter out a pained shout as the scarlet and violet clouds formed around her, reverting her back to her standard form.
"T-That wasn't Max Steelspike." Marnie sweated.
"Alright Melmetal, you did it!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Ash and Pikachu praised their Alolan friend.
"Metal!" Melmetal flexed once more as he began reverting back to his standard form.
"What a load of Tauros, I can't believe he won as easily as he did!" Bede growled out in a sour fashion.
"No need to get worked up about it, he did beat Raihan and he's stronger than all of us." Allister reminded him.
Opal returned Alcreamie to her ball before approaching Ash while offering him a sincere smile as she congratulated him on his victory. "Congratulations Ash, you certainly proved yourself the superior trainer. I have no doubt that you'll accomplish your dreams someday."
"Thanks, you were pretty great yourself. That battle was awesome!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"I just wish that there was something that I could give you..." Opal trailed off while gazing towards the ground.
"Well it would help if you knew where Alder and Diantha were." Ash chuckled.
Opal silently looked up towards him. "I believe I can help you with that..."
"Huh? Wha...?" Zach sleepily grunted out as May and Dawn woke him up.
"Wake up sleepyhead," May playfully giggled out.
"It's time for your battle!" Dawn exclaimed.
"I-It is...? Y-You mean I slept through Ash's match?!" Zach's eyes had trouble staying open but guilt was clearly visible.
"You had trouble sleeping last night, we didn't want to disturb you and risk you falling asleep during your performance!" Dawn explained while placing a hand upon his shoulder.
"Besides it honestly doesn't bother Ash, Professor Oak and his mother didn't show up for the Vertress and Lumiose Conferences and he barely reacted to that." May added on.
"She's right so no need to worry about that!" Dawn gave his cheek a quick peck as the two began guiding him down the stands. "Now let's get going, Opal's waiting for you and it's impolite to keep a lady waiting!"
"Welcome one and all to yet another day filled with excitement and action packed battles, our first competitor is a bit of a celebrity as he is one of Galar's heroes and the long lost descendant of the Galar royal bloodline! So give a round of applause for Challenger sixty four, Zach!" The announcer shouted out followed by the loud roar of the crowd.
"Er-Where's the Challenger?" The announcer asked after awhile before Lucario and Cinderace came into view, supporting Zach as he walked onto the field. His eyes still showing signs of fatigue. "Oh there he is!" The crowd began cheering but Zach oddly wasn't as bothered by it as he was too tired to really take notice.
"As you know the Ballonlea Gym Challenge consists of a quiz-"
"He's doomed." May and Dawn gave each other looks of concern as they waited in the locker room while wondering to themselves if they should just run out and grab him.
"Hosted by a very own lady Opal, give a round of applause to Opal!" The crowd cheered as Opal walked onto the field.
'I've been looking forward to this, Mustard's told me he knows all about us Gym Leaders.' Opal thought to herself. She may be older than Mustard but the two were still good friends, she'd even challenged his claim to Galar's Champion title several times during her prime. "Greetings Zach," Opal gave him a nod of acknowledgement as she shuffled through her notecards. "First trivia question, what is my nickname?"
"The... the..." Zach trailed off for a moment. "The wicked witch?"
Opal's jaw dropped as her face turned pale.
"I-I... well that's technically not wrong." Some actually referred to her as such back when her personality mirrored that of Bede's. "Okay second question, what is my favorite color?"
Zach was silent once more as he trailed off in thought. "Violet?"
"Not what I was looking for but you're not wrong." Opal shrugged. Violet was a variation of purple after all. "Third question, how old am I...?"
"Y-You're... over a thousand years old!"
"Gah!" Opal face faulted while May and Dawn shared horrified expressions.
"We shouldn't have let him go down there..." Marnie grunted out while facepalming.
"W-Well I suppose two of of three ain't so bad, hardly anyone gets that last one right anyways." Opal uttered out a light laugh as she slowly rose to her feet. "You may proceed to the battle round." Opal gave him a nod of approval before walking away from the battlefield.
"Car?" Lucario tilted his head while a similar look of confusion formed across Zach's face.
"Where are you going...?"
"Oh?" Opal glanced back towards Zach and flashed him a smirk of amusement. "I thought it'd be fun if Bede's first official match as Gym Leader was against his best friend, good luck!" Opal gave him a friendly wave while Bede walked out onto the field, dressed in a Gym Uniform that matched the color scheme of Opal's dress, his Hatterene silently trailed after him as he made his way towards the battlefield.
"Bede?!"
"Car?!"
"Ace?!" Zach and his Pokemon partners gasped out. They knew that Opal was making Bede her replacement, they just weren't expecting it to happen so soon!
Bede placed his hands into his pockets while offering his best friend and rival a challenging smirk. "Looks like you'll have to go through me if you want to earn that Champion title!"
Next time, Zach and Bede have their long awaited showdown. And yes, Gloria's Scottish. I can't imagine her personality being anything else, a nice and polite Gloria just doesn't have the same appeal as a feisty teenager with anger issues.
I debated using Pikachu here but then I realized, 'Well if I don't use G-Max Melmetal here then when?'. Ash potentially has the only one in existence. Besides Pikachu honestly would have been overkill. And yes, Snorlax got in as I couldn't resist the joke. That and I love Ash's Snorlax! I hated doing Silvally like that but he did technically win, he'll get redemption later. I just wanted to show that Silvally's on the team, it just felt disrespectful to throw in a "Oh by the way, Silvally's ready to go with you!" line while Gladion and Lillie are worried and depressed about their father's condition.