The Chosen One's Wrath

by LegionZ

Ash is betrayed by those he holds close to him. Six Years Pass by. The Alola Region now has a Pokemon League, with it's Elites and Champion supposedly wielding absurd power. The Traitors arrive in Alola, eyes set on winning a legendary tournament. They think he's dead. They're about to be very disappointed. (Ash and May, Pure Advanceshipping)

6. Untapped Potential

Hey Guys! Welcome back to the story! LegionZ here bringing ya'll the much anticipated chapter 6 to the Chosen One's Wrath! If you all are new, I urge you to favorite and follow the story. It would honestly mean a lot to me if y'all could show the support to the fanfiction! (More on this in a second) In addition, let me know what you guys think in the comments (reviews) down below as well! Criticism is accepted guys, just saying lol.

Now let's talk about what I just mentioned. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with the story, and to be frank, I'm kinda in awe about how fast this story is growing in terms of popularity. So many people have already followed it! My last story, The LOS Chronicles, when it was on my old account, it didn't have this many followers and favorites in the years that it was up! To see this many people flock towards this fanfiction, it may make me reconsider if I even will type up the sequel to the LOS Chronicles… because nobody really seemed to enjoy it. (And it took me forever to type)

I type for you all out there who are craving some Pokémon betrayal fanfictions (and other things.) So honestly, I may have to decide what my next story is prematurely. Then again, it's not the smartest of moves. I have a long ways to go on this story, so I should most definitely work on this one first before I decide to post another one. But, what I'm trying to say guys, is thanks! I'm so happy I'm getting as much positive feedback as I am for this story, and I hope that it's just the beginning.

(I'm adding this portion for a reason. I usually don't do this, but a guest gave me a really good idea: using stage one Pokémon to embarrass the traitors. Now, I've already finished typing up the battle scene, so I can't go back and rechange it, but I wanted to thank 'JustAGuest' for giving me that idea. I think I will end up doing that later in the story! Thanks so much for the idea homie! )

Something else that I wanted to hit before I begin typing: Post dates for the next few weeks. I always try to post once a week, but as you all know, those dates can sometimes be extended if it's not ready, or I catch a mistake, or I'm busy, etc. These upcoming weeks will be very hectic for me for multiple reasons. For one, I have a lot of work to do. However, the biggest reason that I may fall behind is simply because I am going on a vacation to Texas! Yeahhhhh I know! For me, that's essentially travelling halfway across the US (I live on the East Coast) so typing is going to be scarce if not inexistent while I'm there. Then, when I get back, I go to NYC! Sooooo… it's going to be a busy time for me.

That's why, for the first time in this story, I am going to attempt to pretype chapters in order to stay ahead of the game. If I do not post on my regular dates, that is likely why. Just wanted to give ya'll the heads up. That's all to say folks, enjoy the massac… I mean battle with Max and Ash.

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 6

Last Chapter…

"You know…" May murmured quietly. "He had a Pikachu too." Ash didn't really think about the statement too much as she continued. "They were inseparable, they were partners actually. They always got into mischief but loved one another to the end of time. He was with him that day where it happened."

Ghost remained silent. Ash pondered. 'Wow… that's pretty crazy. Her crush and his Pikachu both turned out dead on the same day. Wonder what happened. That's actually pretty funny now that I think about it, it almost sounds like she's talking abou—" His mind froze entirely when he finally understood the sheer irony of the situation.

She was talking Ash about helping out with his own murder case! What were the chances!? But… how did May even know he was killed, and not just a case of an "Unfortunate Accident?" Plus, she had yet to say who this person was, so she couldn't give anything away just yet. He spoke calmly. "What is this boy's name?"

Ash braced himself for the inevitable answer, knowing it was coming. She whimpered quietly and spoke. "A-Ash Ketchum was his name, Ghost." Ash couldn't honestly believe it. After six years, she still claimed to love him? How could that be? He would've figured she would be attached to Drew by now. Why wasn't she? Suddenly, his mind had a breakthrough, and it wasn't a good one. 'Could she have actually been telling the truth? Could she have honestly meant she loved me?! Could she have been serious with me… did… did I see the whole situation wrong?'

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about that fateful day. He remembered seeing her hands on the back of Drew's head, kissing him for all that it was worth. He remembered how broken he had felt at that instant. The anger and sadness that had coursed through him during that moment and every moment he was taken back to it were painful to no end. He opened his eyes.

'…No. I can't trust her. If I reveal myself to her, I risk more than just my cover… I risk this region. People will begin asking questions. I can't reveal myself to her.

---

"I have the mission you all have been asking for since the day you knew I was alive. You know… the mission." Jessie's eyes widened a little. "You… you mean…" Ash nodded with a smirk on his face. "Yep… it's time we took action against the traitors."

James cracked his knuckles. "About time. I've been waiting to get a go at them! I've already clobbered the tiny Maple Twerp in battle twice, but a third time for good measure is just what I need!"

Ash nodded. "In that case, James, why don't you spy on Bonnie, Max, and Serena? Those three are very close together, so I guess it makes sense."

James made a face. "I saw the Maple twerp attempting to hold the backside of the blonde twerpette. That was something I wish I had not seen at all."

Ash looked at Jessie. "Jessilina the Great…" Jessie grinned widely at the nickname. "… I think the douchebag squad will do. That's Misty, Dawn, Trip, and Cilan." Jessie commented. "Aren't the green haired twerp and the other one a pair as well? Shall I investigate the quartet plus one more?" Ash nodded. "Forgot about the little kid. Go ahead."

He looked at Meowth. "Alrighty Meowth… you ready for this? I got the biggest assignment for you." Meowth nodded and looked prepared. "You need to investigate Professor Oak and…" He could believe he was saying this. "… My Mom." Meowth's jaw dropped wide open. "Wha… Twerp… you can't possibly think ya own mother would—"

Ash had a faraway look in his eyes. "I keep thinking about that day… why did my mom not put a stop to what they did… why did she not mourn me? Why… why this why that? Why?" He looked at Meowth. "I don't know what you'll find… but anything matters at this point. Whether you find out battle information or weakness' or information on the betrayal… it doesn't matter to me. All information is good information."

Jessie nodded. "I hope you know twerp… this could take a while."

Meowth nodded. "I gotta go to Kanto to talk to the twerps mom!" James suddenly said. "My Viridian Gym battle is not too far from there!" He looked at Meowth. "Perhaps I'll join you and provide you with assistance!" Ash nodded. "Do whatever you guys want! However… if you could get it all done in a week's time… that would be ideal."

Then, below him, he heard a commotion begin. What was going on down there? Ash turned away and froze for a moment, fearing the worst. He snapped out of it and spoke. "Well the best of lu—" He froze as he saw all three former Rocket members were now gone from the roof entirely. He chuckled softly. 'Same old Rocket.' He thought.

---

Everyone was now gathered around the battlefield to watch the one shrimpy guy in a suit against the only guy in the entire party who wasn't in a suit. A man had decided to hop up on the podium to become the referee. "This is a battle between two challengers. One on One, obviously, with no substitutions. No items are permitted. Challengers, please state your name and title!" He raised his flag to Max first, who spoke confidently.

"Max Maple, Son of Gym Leader Norman Maple, and Future Victor of this Tournament!" He said arrogantly. Bonnie cheered while other people frowned at the boy's confidence. Norman, meanwhile, facepalmed. Max forgot that all these people who were watching were likely his competition.

"And you?" He raised his flag to the other challenger, who stayed quiet. The referee waited before saying again impatiently. "Sir? Please announce your name?"

When the challenger didn't say anything, the referee spoke loudly. "By referee's ruling, the match has been—" Then, the challenger spoke softly. The referee turned to the challenger's voice and said. "Excuse me? Could you say that louder? For all of us to hear?" The man stayed quiet before speaking huskily.

"The Ghost… Champion of Alola."

The crowd gasped loudly in disbelief. Norman's eyes widened in horror. Max, meanwhile, was quite the case. He had managed to avoid taking a leak prior. That was not the case now. He was completely pale at the point, with his entire body pale, with the lone exception of the yellow liquid trickling down his pant leg. He didn't move a muscle.

'This is gonna be fun.' Ash thought with a sinister smirk plastered on his face. 'Very fun indeed.'

Present…

Norman was generally a calm man. He tried to stay focused and not become swayed by emotions. His son was the opposite. He always got into trouble. As of recently, he was making more mistakes than usual. When his friend Ash Ketchum had passed away due a, "Tragic Accident", as Max had put it, Norman regretted that he let Max get away with some things that were frowned upon by everyone else. He just assumed it was Max trying to get over the incident of what had happened.

He knew Max made mistakes, and he also knew mistakes could be remedied. After all, everyone made mistakes, so you just had to move past them.

However, watching his son stand opposite to the most powerful trainer in the region, and arguably in the world, he knew he had to try to get his son out of this jam. Max looked confident on the outside after getting into a battle stance, but on the inside (and on the inside of his pant leg, literally) he knew it was a different story. He knew just how badly Max was feeling at the moment. And what was worse, was that Norman could do nothing about it. If he attempted to intervene, both he and Max would be scorned. Since they were on the Ghost's land, there was nothing they could do.

Well, nothing they could do that didn't involve Max battling the Ghost.

The referee announced. "Trainers! Show your Pokémon at the same time, on my cue! Ready…Set…"

Max nervously gripped his pokeball while standing in a poised motion, while the Ghost didn't move a muscle on the opposing side of the field. The referee yelled loudly. "Show!" Max yelled loudly. "Let's go Manectric!" The Ghost spoke quietly. "I need your assistance." A blue and yellow creature roared as it took the field on Max's side, while a green creature with bladed arms and a leafy tail took Ghost's side. The yellow bulbs on its back made its identity known.

"Sccceeeppptttillleeeee!" It roared as it took the field. Ash smirked at Max's awed look. He could tell he had every advantage here; it was time to exploit thus advantage. The referee yelled. "For Max, Manectric, for Ghost, Sceptile! READY? BATTLE BEGIN!"

Max yelled. "Manectric, let's get things going! Use Bite!" Manectric rushed Sceptile, its mouth open wide. Ash ordered. "Avoid it!" Sceptile spun out of the way, and Manectric clamped it's jaws down on nothing but cool air. Max frowned; that Sceptile was clearly fast and agile. "Manectric, use Thunderbolt!"

Manectric jumped up off its paws and roared as it unleashed a massive, jagged lightning bolt. Ash frowned as the bolt of lightning connected with Sceptile, making it gasp in pain. Ash ordered loudly. "Sceptile, use Work Up!"

Max scratched his head in confusion, why wasn't Ghost attacking? Did Sceptile not know any powerful moves, or any super effective ones? That had to be it! If he was the champion, he wouldn't attack until he was ready, and that meant his lane to open fire on Sceptile was clear! He could already see himself humiliating the champion right there on his own terrain! The girls, the fame, the glory! He suddenly backtracked and thought. 'Gotta watch my girl thoughts around Bonnie.'

He shook his head and yelled. "Use Electric Terrain into a Thunder Fang!" Manectric howled as an Electric Terrain took the field, then rushed Sceptile. 'Clearly, he didn't use Electric Terrain to prevent Pokémon from falling asleep… it's to boost Electric type moves.' Ash's mind churned. He knew what he was doing… but everyone else sure wouldn't.

"Sceptile, evade and use Work Up!"

Sceptile hurtled over Manectric and began charging up his attack and special attack once more. Max saw an opportunity though. "Thunderbolt!" Manectric stopped its current course and unloaded a massive thunderbolt into a helpless Sceptile, who could do nothing except get fried by the move. The people in the crowd were whispering in shock… could someone actually be defeating the champion?

Max was getting overconfident. "Charge in with Thunder Fang!" Ash simply ordered. "Evade."

Sceptile was gone in an instant, and Manectric stopped charging forward. Ash called out. "Work Up!" Max countered. "MAX POWER THUNDERBOLT!" As Sceptile once more boosted its stats, Manectric let out a mighty roar. Giving into every last ounce of energy it could use at the moment, it unleashed a torrent of electricity at the grass-type. The crowd gasped when it connected with Sceptile, and everyone covered their eyes from the massive blast.

To everyone's surprise, when the light died down, Sceptile was wincing, but still standing. Max was impressed. "Good Stamina, but it's nothing compared to my Pokémon! Time to unleash our secret move Manectric! Use Fire Fang!"

Manectric howled as its mouth caught on fire. It then charged Sceptile, who was panting from taking so much abuse. Ash yelled. "Roll Left!" Sceptile did as it was told, and did a barrel roll to its left side, and Manectric once more couldn't hit it. He cried out. "Quickly! Work Up!" Sceptile once boosted its attack and special attack. Max yelled. "Hit it with Fire Fang, and don't give up till you do!"

Ash grimaced as Fire Fang connected after three misses, and sent Sceptile out in an explosion. The crowd behind Max was stunned, this kid was actually beating a champion? Something wasn't adding up!

Zandra murmured quietly to July. "What is he doing? He hasn't even ordered a single attack yet! Why is he not, you know, fighting back? Does he want to lose?" July, however, had a smile on her face. "No… this is exactly what Ash wants."

Axel, who had heard her, said in confusion. "Huh?"

Meanwhile, back on the field, Max was boasting loudly. "Hah! You're the champion of this pathetic region? Your Pokémon is doing nothing but getting attacked and taking damage! I told you I was gonna take this tournament from you nobodies!" Those native from Alola began booing him loudly and a chant began. "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!" Ash waved his hand to the crowd to silence them.

Ash calmly said. "Tell me something, Max. You seem very confident in your own abilities… is that so?"

Max laughed. "Uh… Yeah? You're doing nothing but sucking right now! Some champion you are! You don't even have the balls to meet my Pokémon's attacks head on! Look at your Sceptile! He's just as worthless as you! You need to boost your stats to win! How does it feel to finally get knocked down a peg?"

Everyone was stunned to hear someone talk to the champion with such little respect, going as far enough to insult them to the maximum extent. The crowd was expecting a blowup from Ghost. But, to everyone's shock, Ghost started laughing. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and kept laughing. Max growled. "Hey! What's so funny!?"

Ghost chuckled. "Oh, just you! You think you actually have the upper hand in this battle? Hah! That's grand!" The audience began looking at one another in confusion, because, yes, Max did have the upper hand… at the moment.

Max laughed. "Oh yeah? How is this not going to plan, exactly?"

Ghost, however, smirked. "Oh… you know… just this." He snapped his fingers, and the entire room lit up in a torrent of green. Sceptile slowly arose to its feet and glowed brightly in a shade of light green. It then roared it's name at the top of his lungs.

"SCCCCEEEEEEEPPPPPPTTTTILLLLLLLEEEE!" Max's eyes bulged open in horror. Ghost smirked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about Overgrow… such a hotshot like you couldn't possibly forget a common ability like that one…" His spoke loudly, voice dripping with sarcasm. Norman couldn't believe his son was this gullible of a trainer, how did he possibly forget about it? He knew what Ghost had been planning, but was also intrigued… just why exactly did the Ghost not finish him off ahead of time?

It did not take long to find out the answer. "Sceptile, perhaps we'll show them a dose of our power, hm?" Ash said in a sing-song-like voice. Max, however, cried out. "Fire Fang!" Manectric roared and jumped forward, jaws a bright orange. Ash smirked and called out. "Giga Drain!" Norman's eyes widened in terror.

Sceptile roared and unleashed a large beam from its arms that engulfed Manectric completely as it was running towards the Grass type. The beam didn't appear to harm Manectric… but it did slow him down… a lot. Manectric stopped running at Sceptile, then lost its concentration for fire fang, then collapsed completely.

The crowd was in shock. Then, they looked to Sceptile, and gasped in disbelief. "SCCEEEPTTIIILLLEEE!" He roared loudly and flexed his arms upwards, indicating he was nearly completely healed. The Alola natives cheered loudly at this, while others appeared shell-shocked. What on earth had the Ghost just done?

"It's simple really." Ghost spoke aloud. "I knew Giga Drain would rob Manectric of most of its health, but, it couldn't cover for everything. There's no reason to use Giga Drain if he's not even wounded, it doesn't do as much damage as other moves he knows… but… each of them have consequences." He motioned to Manectric, who was slowly getting up.

Max sputtered, still completely bewildered on how quickly the tides changed. "B-but… h-h-how? H-how did you know what to do?"

Ash laughed a little coldly. "Let me explain: My Sceptile knows Work Up and Giga Drain, as you already know, however, both moves are really only effective within certain scenarios. Giga Drain is used best when your own Pokémon is wounded, and Work Up leaves your Pokémon vulnerable to attack. Now, the other moves he knows are X-Scissor… and Leaf Storm. Leaf Storm lowers my Pokémon's Special Attack Greatly whether it hits or not, and assuming you could either counter it or evade it, it would not be within my best interest to use Leaf Storm until the right moment."

Max was confused. "Then why didn't you just use X-Scissor?"

Ash smirked. "Simple: Your Manectric has Static."

The crowd gasped in shock; the Ghost could tell a Pokémon's ability? That… that was almost unheard of! Max was processing everything he just heard and suddenly, it all clicked together. "So wait! You knew that if you attacked us directly with X-Scissor, it would likely backfire, because then Sceptile would be paralyzed and be unable to evade Manectric's physical moves?"

Ash laughed and said. "Yes Yes! That's precisely what I just said… like, exactly, what I just said." Max wasn't listening, though. "And you knew that Leaf Storm would ruin your only chance at Victory, while it would lower the sheer power of Giga Drain should it hit…" His eyes bulged open. He now realized just how badly he had been played by the Champion; everything fit now.

"So that's why you kept using Work Up and Letting my attacks hit! You kept charging up your special attack with Work Up, then again with Overgrow, and finally unleashing a special move to regain all your health!" He accused in shock.

As Ash replied, Xavier muttered something else to the group. "To make matters worse for Max, he's forgetting one other thing: Manectric won't be able to evade after a blow like that, and he certainly can't overpower Sceptile… especially now that…"

"You're forgetting one thing: Now, Leaf Storm has almost doubled in Power, and your Pokémon is too weak to evade!" Ash said with a grin. Max's eyes widened in shock and horror, before he could yell for Manectric to move, Ash yelled while swiping his hand in a horizontal motion, "Leaf Storm!" Sceptile, boosted with tons of additional special attack, unleashed a titanic wave of leaves that absolutely smothered the electric type, who cried out in pain. The audience was blinded by the sheer power of the move, and they covered their eyes in response.

The move ended, and nobody really needed the referee to know the response. "Manectric is unable to battle, Sceptile Wins! Therefore, the victor of this battle is The Ghost!" A loud cheer emerged from the crowd and Sceptile held up his arm to the sky to show his victory, as did Ash. Max was just watching them with stunned eyes; how could he have fallen so far? All he needed to do was land one more blow on Sceptile and the battle would've been history!

Axel spoke quietly. "Something else about that battle that Ash didn't reveal to Max…" The three elites looked at him as he spoke. "If you noticed, Ash never made an attempt to avoid any moves that were based with Special Attack, yet he made sure that he could avoid physical moves at all costs."

Xavier frowned. "Why's that?"

Axel spoke. "If I'm thinking about this the right way, there are two reasons. The first is the most practical: Sceptile's… in general… have a higher special defense stat than defense. Ash was likely avoiding physical moves as much as possible to monitor just how much damage Sceptile was taking. I'm fairly certain that Ash didn't mean for Fire Fang to hit; Max honestly got that one on him… but, the second reason is because Thunder Fang has a greater chance to paralyze your opponent than thunderbolt does. Ash used Thunderbolt as a distraction for Sceptile's stat boosts while avoiding Paralysis the entire time."

Zandra added. "Of course, there is a chance Sceptile could get paralyzed even if it is thunderbolt… just a much lower chance"

The crowd continued roaring Ghost's name. Then, he surprised everyone when he got on one knee. Everyone began whispering in confusion; was the Ghost injured? He gently lowered his head and Sceptile, who was watching his trainer closely, walked over and mimicked his trainer's actions. Both of them had their eyes closed as they lodged the battle into their memories forever.

Little did Max know, the battle he had just experienced with the Ghost was nowhere near the true power the Ghost wielded. If Ghost truly had felt threatened by the young trainer, he could've swatted him away easily. He wasn't about to reveal that power yet. There were many traitors to defeat. Max was only the beginning.

They would all face his wrath.

After one more moment, Ash murmured quietly to Sceptile. "For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Sceptile murmured back. "Scep-tile…" They both got up at this and Ash said. "Thanks so much for the phenomenal battle Sceptile, please, take a rest." He returned his faithful grass type to its pokeball and Ash walked over to Max, who appeared frozen in shock from his defeat. Manectric was still lying knocked out on the battlefield. The Ghost approached him and held out his hand. Max looked at Ghost's outstretched hand. Norman, meanwhile, was beyond happy. This had gone extremely smooth. The Ghost, unsurprisingly, had defeated his son in battle. Sure, it was a little disappointing, but, it was better than having him as an enemy. By offering him a handshake, Ghost seemed like he was willing to forgive Max and forget what had just happened.

Naturally… "Hah! You're nothing special. If my Manectric wasn't so weak, I would've easily won!" He scoffed and ignored the hand outstretched. Norman smacked his hand to his forehead, could his son be acting any more immature?

The Ghost replied. "If you truly believe it is your Pokémon's fault, then you do not deserve to be its trainer. Your Pokémon fought with everything it had and didn't give up until the very end and trusted you with its life. Are you still adamant on blaming Manectric for your own stupidity?"

Ash honestly expected Max to reconsider his words and apologize. He truly did. He thought Max would see the error of his ways. That was not the case. He gripped Manectric's pokeball and held it out for Ash to see. "How's THIS for adamant!?" He yelled. In one motion, he threw the pokeball on the ground, and then, to the horror of everyone, he smashed it with his foot.

Norman's eyes bulged out so far they were nearly out of their sockets. What on EARTH was Max thinking? The next thing Norman knew, his son was being held up in the air by the Ghost who looked like he was ready to kill the young boy for what he had just done. Max, meanwhile, was back into pissing mode as he stared at the man who seemed ready for extreme measures. The Ghost spoke in a whisper. "You will regret that decision Max Maple. You best hope you lose in this tournament before you face me… for if you do… you. Will. Suffer."

Ghost then tossed Max on the ground, who quickly stumbled away from him in a panic. Ghost spat. "You're the kind of person who makes this world toxic. You're simply nothing more than a disease, a walking disease at that, infecting everything you touch." Two men in black suits came up to Ghost and Ash said angrily. "Take this man out of here. While I cannot arrest you since there's no proof you harmed Manectric, I refuse to allow you to remain here any longer."

Max was held up by both the guards, one on each arm. Ghost got very close to Max's face and whispered. "You will pay for what you've done. From now on… we are enemies. Do not forget it…" Ghost motioned with his hand, and the guards took Max away, who was yelling about, "The barbariac actions" of Alola and how they treat their guests. Guests were now murmuring softly as they watched Ash approach the still-fallen Manectric.

He got down on one knee and pet the electric type's head. It weakly looked up at him, still not having the strength to move. The audience, including his own elites, were silent at the scene in front of them. Ash spoke quietly. "Manectric, your own trainer just abandoned you, and destroyed your Pokeball."

Manectric didn't move but it's eyes began to lightly shine, signaling tears were about to fall. Ash spoke again. "You're clearly injured Manectric, and I want to heal you. But to do so, I need to capture you and take you to the Pokémon center here in ALT City. However, I won't do so unless you allow it. Unlike how your previous trainer felt about you, I truly care about all Pokémon's feelings; I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. Of this, you have my word." He held out a pokeball and watched the Manectric with calm and collected eyes. The Manectric had stopped the threat of shedding tears, and after a moment, it nodded it's head at him, agreeing to be caught for the time being.

Ash gently pushed the pokeball on Manectric's head, and a red light sucked it into the object. It shook three times in the Champion's hand before stopping. It then flashed white, signaling it's capture. He stood up, and Pikachu, who had been watching the battle next to Ash, ran up to him and hopped on his shoulder.

"Pika Pi?" He questioned.

Ash told his partner. "To be honest Pikachu, I didn't see it coming." Ash growled in anger under his breath. People like Max made him sick to his stomach; it was everything he strived to stop. He pushed himself to his feet and then walked to the sidelines, where his four elites stood waiting his next command.

Ash told them. "It's time to leave. We have plenty to discuss, and we'll do so at the Pokémon Center. I will find Kiawé and let him know that he and Jac are in charge for the rest of the party. I'll let the head of security know they should listen to the two of them at all costs as well. Someone needs to make sure nothing gets out of hand again."

Later that Night at the Pokémon Center…

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" A voice exploded. The elites flinched visibly at their champion's outburst. They knew this was coming, but that didn't make it any better. He was very distressed, and rightfully so. They had nearly just been arrested for assault, after all. Especially since Ash had threatened Max with attempted assault, it would seem odd that he didn't get angry with his own elites for doing so as well.

"YOU ALL COULD HAVE JUST COST YOURSELVES YOUR ELITE SPOTS! DO YOU REALIZE THAT?" He roared. Xavier wouldn't meet his eyes. Axel was looking at him guiltily. July looked indifferent and Zandra appeared angry.

"If I may point something out, that Bitch punched July merely because—" She was cut off as Ash yelled. "Because SHE gave her a reason to! The fight was between Xavier and Max, and she had to cut in, involving everyone else!"

July quietly murmured. "We're just protecting you from—" Ash was in her face in a moment. "You know this is my fight. Not yours. You all have your own fights, correct?" When nobody spoke after that, he yelled. "CORRECT?"

Axel spoke quietly. "Yes sir."

Ash pointed at him. "Never call me Sir. I told you that no matter the circumstance, never call me that. We, though have different titles, are still simply humans. There's no reason to not have mutual respect with one another." He began pacing the room they were in; Ash had questioned Nurse Joy if it was at all possible to lend them a room to discuss the night's actions in private. Naturally, him being Champion had perks. She lent him a room for a small time, claiming the guests were supposed to show up that night, but they could use it for awhile. Ash shook his head and wondered what he was going to do with his elites for this incident.

He looked at the facts he had gained from asking witness'. Although Bonnie had been the first one to become a bother, Xavier had been the first one to make physical contact. Then when Max had intervened to defend Bonnie, July cut in to defend Xavier. When Misty attacked July, Zandra attacked Misty. He glanced at his partner, who shrugged his shoulders, and quietly murmured. "Piiiii…"

Ash sighed and spoke again. "Axel, I'll begin with you." Axel hung his head. "You did the right thing tonight." Axel's head flipped up. "Huh?"

"You were the only one tonight that attempted to not fight at all. You tried to stop the fight by holding Xavier back, who, after I talk to him, will be very grateful you did so. You were a peacekeeper today… as you have been most of your life. You did well." Axel blushed a bit at the praise, but Ash wasn't done. "There is something I need you to do. Go to Manectric's healing facility. You know Electric type's like Xavier knows how to flirt. I want you to run a full analysis on Manectric. Nurse Joy is good at what she does, but there's no better expert on Electric Types than you. Go please." Axel nodded, stood up, and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

That left his other three elites in the room. He frowned and considered the situation with all three of them. From what he had figured out, they could all be at fault, and yet, they also could not be. July was only defending Xavier when nobody else was, as Max had defended Bonnie. Zandra had only attacked Misty because Misty had attacked July. Xavier had only gotten Physical with Bonnie because of her actions with Clemont. In a way, they could all be punished and disciplined for what they had done, but at the same time, perhaps not.

"I'm going to regret this…" He muttered softly. He took a deep breath. "I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you three off the hook as well."

Now, Axel had been surprised when he was off scot-free, but his other elites looked entirely baffled. Xavier stuttered. "A-A-Are you s-serious?"

Ash nodded and ran a hand through his hand. "The way I see it, you could be viable for what happened. But, at the same time, perhaps not. Misty, Bonnie, and all of the others who were involved in a fight fled the scene when it happened to escape questioning, while you all remained behind. That looks good for you, not so much for them. At the same time, Zandra only was involved because Misty attacked July. July was only involved because she was defending Xavier as Max had defended Bonnie. And Xavier was only involved because of the altercation between Bonnie and Clemont."

Ash nodded his head slowly. "So, in result, yes, you all may be held responsible. However, I can see why you did why you did. You did itto defend your friends, which I have always told you to do. I cannot argue with that."

Zandra smiled a little bit. "… Thanks Ash."

Ash smirked a little. "Don't thank me yet. This is a one-time thing. This will not happen often, you can count on that."

Just then, the door to the room opened and Axel poked his head back into the room. He spoke to Ash. "Manectric is doing well in my opinion, but something about him still seems off. I think it's best if you see him for yourself Ash, you know… just in case." Ash nodded and said to his blonde-haired elite. "You're correct. I'll be there in a moment." He then looked back once at his now full group of elites and spoke. "The Traitors know we are their enemies now. The opposition is in front of us. When the bracket comes out shortly, we must be ready." He then walked out of the room, allowing his elites to talk amongst themselves.

Ash was met by Nurse Joy outside Manectric's room. He questioned the pink-haired lady as calmly as he could. "How is Manectric Nurse Joy?"

Nurse Joy smiled at the Champion. Even though this Pokémon was "Technically" his at the moment, he still had the common decency to be worried about it as though it really was his. Of course, Nurse Joy didn't know just how much Ash cared for every Pokémon. It wasn't just Manectric; he loved every Pokémon in its own way.

"Manectric is doing well Ghost. Would you like to see him?" Ash replied. "Yes, I would."

She opened the door and saw Manectric lying on a fluffy bed in the middle of the room. The bed itself was a few feet off the ground. However, something was most certainly bothering him. Ash took a seat next to him and spoke. "Hey there, how you doing?" When Manectric didn't even look his way, Ash frowned a little and decided to think of something else to say.

"Do you want something to eat? I can always grab something for you…" He trailed off when he saw Manectric was still not looking over at him. Nurse Joy spoke from behind him. "I'm sure your elite Axel spoke to you about a problem regarding Manectric. This is the issue he was speaking of: Manectric just hasn't been acting normal. Axel said it should be vying to get out and get stronger, but this Manectric isn't like that. I don't exactly know why this is, and I honestly don't know what to tell you."

Ash knew what was bothering Manectric. It was alright that neither Nurse Joy nor Axel really knew the truth about it, but since Ash did, an idea came over him. He turned back to the nurse.

"Can you please give and Manectric some privacy? I'd like to talk with it alone." After a moment, she nodded slowly with a small smile on her face and left the room, closing the blinds on the way out. Manectric still hadn't moved from the bed, looking away from Ash. "Can I sit down?" Ash spoke to the electric type. When Manectric said nothing, he took initiative and sat down next to the distraught Pokémon.

"You're not upset that Max abandoned you. You're upset that you believe you won't be good enough for any trainer, is that it?" Manectric, for the first time since he had entered the room, lifted its head to look over at Ash. The surprise in its eyes was clear. Ash smiled at it. "It's alright, I know how you feel."

Manectric snorted, as if not believing him. Ash looked up to the ceiling and spoke quietly. "Honest. Before I became champion, I was training my Pokémon to try and win a Pokémon league. No matter how hard I trained, it seemed like I fell just short. But… even so… I never gave up! It was my dream, after all."

Manectric looked at him with curiosity and Ash continued. "But… for the people who I used to call my friends, they told me to give up on my dream. They betrayed me and attempted to end my life when I refused." Manectric's eyes widened a little at that. Ash grinned lightly. "Yeah, and they think I'm dead right now. But, even presumed dead, I couldn't just give up on my dream! It was my goal to become a champion, and I achieved my dream because I never gave up."

Manectric was silent and Ash finished talking. "Manectric, your old trainer was the one who betrayed me. Max was one of my old friends who tried to get me to give up my dreams. That was about six years ago… maybe a little bit more." Manectric was staring at the trainer in front of it in shock, his old trainer had betrayed the Alola champion before he had become the champion? Why?

Ash stood up and looked at the electric type one more time before taking out Manectric's pokeball and laid it in front of Manectric. "Manectric, what I'm trying to say is that some people out there are just cruel. You and I both suffered from the same trainer. If I can overcome him, you can too, because I know how strong and loyal you are. Never forget that." He turned to walk out of the room. He was only about a foot from the door when he heard it.

"Mana!" Ash looked back and saw Manectric was standing up at attention in front of its pokeball. Ash walked closer and got on eye level with the electric type. The Pokémon nudged the pokeball back to Ash with a happy. "Mana! Mane-ctric!" Ash grinned and spoke softly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to stay with me. Am I right?"

Manectric grinned and gave out an affirmative bark. Ash laughed and said. "You ready to show the nerd not to mess with us?" Manectric licked Ash's face and barked in approval. Ash chuckled and rubbed Manectric's head with a smile on his face. Max wasn't going to know what hit him.

AN: Andddddd that's a wrap folks! Next chapter will likely have the first matchups of the story, but it's unlikely that I actually put it in the chapter. I also don't really know when the next chapter will be posted. As I mentioned, I have a very busy few weeks coming up here: I have a trip down to Texas on Friday that lasts nearly a week, then a trip to New York right after. Sooooo, at this point in time, I don't know when the next chapter will be prepared. Hey, maybe if I luck out, next Monday will still be an upload day.

This chapter surpassed 7,000 words, which is very solid. Manectric is now under Ash's guidance as Max had decided to Abandon it for losing against Ash's Sceptile. Are all of Ash's Pokémon this strong? What other tricks does the Alola Champion have up his sleeve? Make sure you keep up to date with the story so you never miss anything!

Please follow, favorite, and review if you all enjoy the story! I try to respond to everyone as long as there is a reply link. Thanks so much for reading everyone! Till the next post, whenever that may happen to be!

LegionZ