Crossroads Chapter 7: Salon Maiden Anabel!

Previously on Crossroads, Ash and Anabel left the Battle Frontier Headquarters and headed to Anabel's home in Tohjo Falls. Ash then attempted to read Anabel's heart, which he could not do. They then settled in at Anabel's house and began preparing themselves for the months ahead.


Tohjo Falls – Kanto Region

It was 7:30 AM. Usually, at this time, Ash and Pikachu sleep peacefully, undisturbed by anything. Today, however, didn't turn out to be one of those days.

Anabel, who had already been up for half an hour, was already in her daily clothes and had something special planned for Ash. It was his first morning of the four months, after all.

"Espeon, use Psychic to lift them," said Anabel telepathically to the Psychic-type eeveelution standing close to Anabel's feet.

Espeon nodded and proceeded to use her Psychic powers to lift Ash and Pikachu into the air while they were sleeping. Once the two were about 3-4 feet into the air, Anabel pulled an air horn out from her pocket and said," ready to give them a rude awakening, Espeon?"

Espeon nodded her head, Anabel then pushed down on the air horn, and the siren immediately woke the pair up.

"Ahhhhh!" "Pikachu!" Yelled the pair as they began flailing their arms and legs in the air.

Anabel laughed loudly at the reaction they got from the pair as Espeon released them from her Psychic grip.

Ash and Pikachu landed back on the bed with a 'thump.' Ash then looked up at Anabel with a dazed look and said, "ugh… what is going on?!"

"Well, Ash, I figured today would be great to give you your first official wake-up call!"

"Wait! You're going to do this again?!"

"You never know, Ash. For all you know, you might be in the same spot tomorrow," said Anabel with a wink.

Anabel continued, "Alrighty, Ash, We have a long day ahead of us, and I have breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen."

Ash shook off this dazed look and said, "Sounds great, Anabel! I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Anabel nodded her head and left the room to give Ash his privacy.

Once Ash finished getting changed, he went into the kitchen, where Anabel already had breakfast waiting for him. Ash immediately began to dig in.

"Wow, Anabel, this is great!" Said Ash enthusiastically as he continued to pile the food into his mouth.

Anabel blushed, "Thank you, Ash. I usually make breakfast daily since I live by myself, so I tend to get a lot of practice. I'm glad you like it."

Ash nodded while eating and asked, "Speaking of which, where does your family live?"

"Well, my family lives in Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh Region. I asked my older brother who lives there to come and visit to help with your training."

"Really? I didn't know that you had a brother? I might know him since I was just in Sinnoh," said Ash curiously.

"I'm not sure, Ash; he never tends to stick around in one place very long aside from the Pokemon Tournaments. Otherwise, he's usually on the move. I'd say he's about on the same skill level as me, but don't tell him I've got the edge!"

"Wow! I can't wait to meet him if he's as strong as you say!" Said Ash as he finished up with his breakfast.

"Well, don't you worry, Ash. He'll be here in a week or two. Until then, it's just you and me. Speaking of which, let's head over to the Battle Tower to start your training."

Ash nodded, and the pair headed out of the house and inside the infamous Battle Tower.


Battle Tower, Tohjo Falls – Kanto Region

It took around five minutes for the pair to walk to the Battle Tower from Anabel's house. When they got there, Ash looked up in astonishment as it looked even taller than when he was previously there.

"I can guess what you might be thinking by the look on your face, and the answer to that would be yes. We have added another ten floors to the Battle Tower since you were last here," said Anabel.

"Wow, that's incredible; I can't wait to see the place!"

"Well, you don't have to wait very long, Ash. Let's head inside," said Anabel motioning towards the door.

The base floor of the Battle Tower was fundamental, with a reception desk in the middle of the room and elevators on four walls of the complex. A couple of information boards stood near each elevator, telling anyone who came in what floor each station was on.

Anabel explained to Ash the different floors, from battlefields to workout room, contest training areas, and swimming pools; the list went on and on.

"Wow, Anabel. I didn't realize there were all these different floors the last time I was here," Ash said as he continued examining the informational board.

"Don't you worry about it, Ash. I know you were focused on your Frontier Battle challenge the last time you were here. However, this time around, I want you to take everything in so when you start thinking about what you want to go into your Battle Facility, you have certain ideas to start with."

Ash nodded as somebody called out, "Hey, Anabel!" The man was Anabel's green-haired assistant Maron.

"Oh hey, Maron. How are you today?" Asked the Salon Maiden.

"I'm doing well myself. I see you, on the other hand, have a visitor. It's good to see you again, Ash! Anabel was really sad when you had to leave last time, so I'm sure she couldn't be happier you're back for four months, no less!" Said Maron cheerfully.

Anabel's face turned red upon hearing Maron's comment, and she thought about how to get him back while Ash exchanged greetings with her assistant.

Anabel pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Anyway, Maron… what's on my schedule for today?"

"Well… in about an hour, you're scheduled to have a Frontier Battle with Mike Schultz from last week, but other than that... you are generally free for the rest of the day. It's a perfect day, honestly, to give Ash a tour of the place," said Maron while looking through the notepad he usually kept with him.

"Thank you, Maron; when Mike shows up, please show him to the battlefield, and I will be right there."

"You got it, Anabel. In the meantime, I will check the field to ensure that everything is ready for your battle. Enjoy your little tour with Ash," said Maron with a smirk and ran off before Anabel could respond.

As Anabel was about to respond, the raven-haired trainer grabbed her hand and exclaimed, "Come on, Anabel! I want to see the tower!"

Anabel continued blushing slightly at the contact with Ash's hand, shook off what Maron said, and said, "Yeah, Ash, let's go!" The two then proceeded to get onto the elevator, which would begin its climb up the tower.

The pair's first stop was floor two, as Anabel explained the Battle Tower's structure to Ash. The Battle Tower had ten battle floors, each containing an official full-size battlefield for trainers who come here to practice their skills and hold weekly tournaments. The same complied for Contest Battles. There were another ten floors of battlefields with computerized systems set up to record, add, and subtract points from co-ordinators just like any other Contest Battle.

The next ten floors were a combination of workout/swimming pools to allow all types of Pokémon to train and work out to the fullest of their abilities. Five following floors were designed for Pokémon stage performances, first developed and popularized in the distant Kalos region. Floors 36-38 were some business offices and the security station.

Floor 39 was Anabel's private battlefield where the Salon Maiden would participate in any Battle Frontier challenges for the Ability Symbol. On the top floor of the Battle Tower was Anabel's office, where she did all of her personal work.

The elevator door opened to Anabel's office, revealing lavender was her signature color. The room had a circular shape with large glass window panels behind her desk, allowing her to see the beautiful scenery Tohjo Falls had to offer. There were also pictures of the Salon Maiden hanging around her walls, including battling or hanging out in the woods surrounded by her Pokémon.

"Wow, Anabel, you sure do have a nice office," said Ash as he walked around the office while examining her pictures.

"Thank you, Ash. When your Battle Facility eventually gets built, you'll have an office mine. Although being a Frontier Brain doesn't mean you simply battle, and that's it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… it also involves doing quite a bit of paperwork at times, too," said Anabel as she dug out a small stack of papers inside her desk.

Ash shuddered at the thought of doing paperwork but asked, "What kind of paperwork do you usually do?"

"It's nothing too bad. The main thing I have to do is after I battle a trainer, I have to make a short report on how the battle went and obviously if they were able to win my symbol. Thankfully I've only written a handful of those throughout being a Frontier Brain."

"Oh, that's it? That doesn't seem so bad," said Ash.

"Well, it depends on how many challenges you get. The more challenges pop up, the more paperwork you'll have to do and vice-versa. Here is an example," said Anabel as she handed Ash a copy of a familiar report.

Ash scanned the paper and quickly realized this report was about him and said, "Wait a second… this is the report of when you battled against me when I challenged you for the Ability Symbol!"

"That's right, Ash. The report you are holding is the one I wrote after you beat me, so you made me do double the work since I beat you the first time," winked Anabel.

Ash's response was cut when the intercom announced, "Anabel, Mike Schultz has arrived for his Frontier Battle with you, and we are awaiting your arrival on floor 39."

"Well, that's my cue. Come on, Ash, I was hoping you could watch this battle and remember to watch what I do because I will be testing you on how I performed in this battle once we get back to my house.

"You got it, Anabel. I can't wait to see you battle again after all this time. I'm sure you will be great!"

Anabel blushed at Ash's comment and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Ash. Now let's go. We don't want to keep Mike waiting; you'll see why."

Ash nodded, and the pair headed on the elevator down to the 39th floor.

Once they reached their destination, the door opened to reveal Anabel's personal battlefield with two people standing at the center.

The first was naturally Maron, while the other had short blonde hair with light blue eyes. Although his looks didn't exactly match his eyes as he wore a leather jacket with a red shirt under it along with dark jeans. Mike also wore a silver cross around his neck and black fingerless gloves on his hands.

"Finally, if it isn't Salon Maiden Anabel. Can we start this battle so I can win your symbol already?" Sneered Mike while pointing his finger at Anabel.

Ash was about to retaliate at Mike for how he talked to Anabel when Anabel responded, "Are you sure you want to battle with me again so soon? I believe it was only last week that you lost 0-3 against me."

Mike's face became visibly angry as he responded, "Just you wait, Anabel! I've trained my Pokémon all week in preparation for this battle so trust me when I say this time will be different!"

"Very well then. If you are so eager, let's begin," said Anabel.

The two trainers settled themselves in their respective trainer's boxes while Maron stood atop the small podium in the center outside part of the field. Ash took the stands on Anabel's side and began watching as he didn't want to screw up on the quiz she would be giving him later.

Maron raised his hands and called out, "The Frontier battle between the challenger Mike Schultz from Saffron City and Anabel the Frontier Brain and Salon Maiden is about to begin! This will be a three-on-three battle with no time limit, and only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokémon!"

"Go, my friend!" Called Anabel as she released her first Pokémon onto the field.

"Al-LA Alakazam!" Called the Psi Pokémon calmly as it prepared itself for battle.

"Electabuzz, let's rock!" Yelled Mike as he released the electric Pokémon onto the field.

"Electa-Buzz!" Roared Mike's powerful electric type.

Maron looked both ways and announced, "Alakazam VS Electabuzz, let the battle begin!"

"As the challenger, you have the first move!" Called Anabel from across the field. She hoped Ash was paying attention.

"You're going to regret that! Now Electabuzz, toast Alakazam with Thunderbolt!"

Electabuzz immediately reacted by shooting a powerful beam of electricity straight towards Alakazam. However, Anabel was ready as she yelled in retaliation, "Use Psychic to deflect it!"

Alakazam lifted its hands and its eyes shined a light blue aura as the same color surrounded the incoming Thunderbolt. The attack turned in the opposite direction and headed toward Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, dodge, and go in with Thunder Punch!" Called Mike as Electabuzz easily dodged the redirected Thunderbolt and headed toward Alakazam with its fist crackling in electricity.

"Alakazam, intercept with Focus Punch!"

Alakazam's fist shined pure white as it headed towards Electabuzz. The two attacks collided at the center of the field, with neither side giving an inch. Although as time wore, Alakazam pushed through Electabuzz's attack and sent it hurtling back towards its trainer.

"No, Electabuzz, get up!" Roared Mike as Electabuzz struggled to regain its footing from the powerful fighting type attack.

"Now, my friend, finish with Psybeam!" Called Anabel as Alakazam put its twin spoons together and fired a colorful beam towards Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, push it back with Thunderbolt! Yelled Mike as Electabuzz, while still getting up from that Focus Punch, pushed its hand forward and fired the electrical attack to try to intercept the Psybeam.

However, the Thunderbolt proved fruitless as the Psybeam cut straight through the electrical attack and struck Electabuzz. Once the attack ceased, Electabuzz fell backward onto the ground in a crumpled heap with swirls in its eyes.

Maron looked over and immediately said, "Electabuzz is unable to battle! Mike, please select your next Pokémon!"

"Darn it! Electabuzz return!" Called a now frustrated Mike as he clipped Electabuzz's Pokeball back on his belt.

"This isn't over yet, Anabel! Now Magmar, let's rock! Yelled Mike as he released the Spitfire Pokémon from his Pokeball.

"Mag-mar" called Magmar coolly as the fire type got ready to battle.

Maron looked both ways and announced, "Alakazam VS Magmar, begin the battle!"

Mike, not even waiting this time for Anabel to say that he had the first move, immediately called out, "Magmar, use Flamethrower!"

Magmar quickly shot a torrent of flames toward Alakazam while waiting for the Salon Maiden's response.

"Same as the last time, Alakazam, use Psychic on the Flamethrower and send it right back!"

"Magmar, cease the attack, run through the flames, and use Fire Punch!"

Anabel's eyes widened, knowing this tactic may also cause a lot of damage to Magmar, but it seemed that Mike held little concern for his Pokemon's wellbeing.

Alakazam proceeded to use Psychic just as before, but instead of dodging as Electabuzz had, Magmar ran through the incoming flames while engulfing its fist in flames. Magmar emerged from the other side of the fire and struck Alakazam in the stomach with its powerful Fire-type attack, which sent the Psychic-type Pokémon skidding across the field.

"Alakazam, are you alright?" Asked Anabel urgently.

"Al-la… Alakazam!" Called Alakazam while standing back on its feet.

"Alright! Way to go, now use Psybeam!" Yelled Anabel while pointing her finger towards Magmar.

Alakazam complied by shooting the same colored beam as before towards the Spitfire Pokémon, but Mike was ready as he quickly responded by yelling, "Magmar, use Smog to hide. Then move in with another Fire Punch!"

As the Psybeam approached its target, Magmar shot out a cloud of poisonous smoke from its mouth, effectively concealing it from view. Once the Psybeam made contact with the toxic smoke, it created an explosion and canceled out the two attacks.

Magmar then used this opportunity to leap through the smoke with its fist engulfed in fire. As it came through the other side of the smoke and came down on Alakazam, Magmar made a punching motion, but Alakazam managed to evade the attack and then threw its surprisingly glowing fist into Magmar's jaw.

The force of the attack sent Magmar crashing into the ceiling before gravity took over, causing Magmar to fall to the ground. When Magmar hit the ground with a 'thud,' it was obviously out cold as the Spitfire Pokémon was unmoving with swirls in its eyes.

Maron looked over and announced, "Magmar is unable to battle! Mike, please select your last Pokémon!"

"NO WAY! How did Alakazam use Focus Punch when you never called it!" Roared Mike in disgust as he recalled Magmar back to his Pokeball.

"Well, it's quite simple. I didn't show it in our last match, but I can communicate telepathically with all Pokémon. Nobody heard me tell Alakazam to use Focus Punch because I told Alakazam telepathically to use it," said Anabel informatively.

"WHAT! Come on, ref, that has to be against the rules! I've never heard of a person being able to do that in my life!"

"Sorry, Mike, but what Anabel can do is completely legal. Each Frontier Brain presents a unique challenge, and Salon Maiden Anabel is no different. Now please select your last Pokémon."

"Fine, have it your way! Scyther, let's rock!" Roared Mike as he released his last Pokémon onto the field.

"Scyther, Scy! Called the Mantis Pokémon in its high-pitched voice as it got itself into battle position.

Maron looked both ways before announcing, "Alakazam VS Scyther, let the battle begin!"

"Scyther, start with Swords Dance!" Scyther quickly crossed its blade-like arms, and a dim white aura engulfed Scyther, meaning its attack power got a significant boost.

"I see you are using a Bug-type to try and defeat my Psychic-type. It's a good strategy, but it isn't going to work. Alakazam, use Psybeam!" Called the Salon Maiden.

"Scyther, use agility to dodge, then go in with X-Scissor!"

Alakazam quickly fired the colorful beam towards Scyther. Still, Scyther zoomed around the beam and instantly appeared in front of Alakazam.

"No way!" Yelled Anabel in shock at its speed, but before the Salon Maiden could call an attack, Scyther crossed its blade-like arms like an X and shot through Alakazam with its X-Scissor, leaving the Psi Pokémon only to crumble to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

Maron looked over at Alakazam before calling, "Alakazam is unable to battle, Anabel; please select your next Pokémon."

Anabel nodded and returned Alakazam to his Pokeball, saying, "That was an amazing battle, my friend, now get a good rest," before pocketing the Pokeball.

"Ha! What were you saying about my strategy not working?!" Laughed Mike while pointing his finger toward the Salon Maiden.

Anabel pulled out her next Pokeball and called, "When I said that, I wasn't talking about Alakazam but the Pokémon I am about to show you! Go, my friend!" The Pokémon was released from its Pokeball and was the last Pokémon Mike would have ever wanted to see.

"Meta, Metagross!" Called out Anabel's powerful pseudo legendary Pokémon.

Mike mentally cursed himself as he knew taking this thing down would be a task in and of itself. He didn't have Magmar anymore, which would be super-effective against Metagross.

Maron looked at both of the trainers for what seemed like to him to be the final time as he announced, "Metagross VS Scyther, begin the battle!"

"Scyther, quick, use Air Slash!" Upon command, Scyther flew up into the air and created a swirling ball of air and energy in its blade-like arms before launching it towards Metagross.

"Now Metagross, use Meteor Mash to dissolve the attack. Then follow it up with Hyper Beam!"

Metagross pulled one of its iron legs back, and a colorful spiky aura surrounded the leg. Metagross then launched it forward into the incoming Air Slash and, upon contact, broke through the attack with ease. Metagross then turned its attention towards Scyther as it created a powerful orange ball in its mouth and fired it as a beam toward the Mantis Pokémon.

"Scyther! Use your speed to evade it! Then go in with an X-Scissor!" Knowing if Scyther got hit with the full brunt of the attack, it could be game over for him.

However, the attack came in faster than Scyther anticipated. As it attempted to evade, the beam connected with Scyther's right shoulder, leaving a visible mark.

Scyther attempted to shrug the attack off as it charged toward Metagross with its blade-like arms crossed. When Scyther came in contact with Metagross, Scyther almost bounced off from Metagross's sheer defense power as Scyther ceased the attack and headed back towards Mike, now breathing heavily. At the same time, Metagross recovered from using Hyper Beam.

Mike was about to call out another attack when Anabel shouted, "Enough, Mike! This match is over!"

Mike had a confused look on his face and retaliated by saying, "What do you mean this match is over?! My Pokémon is still standing, so I'm still in this!"

"Look, Mike; when I can, I would prefer not to harm another Pokémon if I don't have to, and this is one of those times, so I ask you to forfeit the match. Look at your Scyther; it looks exhausted."

Mike couldn't ignore his Scyther was probably a little tired, but that wouldn't stop his ego from getting in the way as he yelled out, "NO! My Scyther is perfectly fine, you'll see! Now Scyther, use Night Slash!"

Upon hearing his trainer's call, Scyther charged toward Metagross again, this time with its blade-like arm engulfed in a dark aura.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice! Now, Metagross, finish this with Meteor Mash!" Called Anabel as Metagross pulled its iron leg back just as before and prepared its attack.

As soon as Scyther came into range, Metagross swung its arm forward at high speed, hitting Scyther right in the face and sending the Mantis Pokémon hurtling towards the outer wall. Once Scyther hit the wall, it was clear the battle was over as Scyther slid down the wall and into a slumped state with swirls in its eyes.

Maron looked over at the scene and announced, "Scyther is unable to battle. With that said, Mike has now lost all three of his Pokémon, and the winner of this Frontier Battle is Anabel the Frontier Brain and Salon Maiden!"

"Yeah! Way to go, Anabel!" Yelled Ash from the stands. He was quiet throughout the match as he observed his first lesson.

Anabel blushed upon hearing Ash cheer for her while recalling Metagross and telling the Iron Leg Pokémon it did a fantastic job and deserved a nice long rest.

Mike recalled Scyther to his Pokeball and, without even a goodbye, stomped towards the elevator while yelling about how he would be back or something like that.

Maron came up to Anabel, "Stubborn as always, isn't he…."

"Well, I guess that's Mike for you. I'll never understand what Scott saw in him to let him challenge the Battle Frontier in the first place," said Anabel, shrugging.

Ash came down from the stands and said enthusiastically, "Anabel, that was fantastic! You showed him the power of a Frontier Brain in action!"

Anabel blushed again at Ash's compliment, "Thank you, Ash; I know you won the Battle Frontier, but at least from this side of the coin, I hope it was a good example of how a Frontier Brain conducts itself during a battle."

"Oh yeah, for sure, Anabel! I can't wait to see more of your battles! I bet you have even more tricks up your sleeve!"

Anabel nodded and said with a wink, "Don't you worry, Ash! You haven't seen everything quite yet. Anyway, after that battle, I'm tired so let's head back to my house. I'll fix us up something to have for lunch!"

Knowing he couldn't resist a good meal, Ash wholeheartedly agreed with the Salon Maiden. After saying goodbye to Maron, the pair headed back to Anabel's house for a well-deserved break.


Author's Note:

As I stated in my original post from the story's beginning, I created a couple of OCs from back in the day, and apparently, Mike Schultz was one of them. There's another more meaningful one in a couple of chapters, but otherwise, that's it for the time being.

That's about it, so here is the title for the next chapter!

Crossroads Chapter 8: Quality Time
Cyclone20