Hey Guys! It's LegionZ here with another chapter to the story! I hope you're enjoying this story guys, at is surpasses 60,000 words and continues the push for 100k! If you're new, please make sure you follow and favorite the story so you can stay up to date and show your support for it! Also, whether you like it or hate it, please let me know what you think by reviewing or PM'ing me! As always guys, Criticism is accepted

Now, let's talk: this chapter will hopefully please both sides of my fanbase: The ones who are in it for the Advanceshipping, and the ones who are in it to see Ash kick some ass and get revenge on those who damned him. So in short this chapter is designed to make the entire fanbase happy.

Also, I should mention these next few weeks will be very hectic for me, as I am going back to college for the first time since mid-May. So, don't be alarmed if I don't post next week: I'm just probably moving into my apartment. Now, as for posting in the future, I don't know if I'll stick to the script with my 7k+ chapters; during the summer it's possible because I have more free time but I don't have that during the school year, sorry guys… But, no reason to be down, it's time to get into the story… enjoy everyone!

(NOTE: I am adding this in to say that the chapter was temporarily removed due to the "Auto-Bolding" issue I've had with some chapters as of recently. Thanks to Fawkes Kleiffen for pointing out this issue so fast!)

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 10

Last Chapter…

Misty replied. "We all are Max, we should be talking about more productive things, so say, how we're going to win this tournament and take over the Alola Region." A few heads turned their direction and just about all of them turned back, minding their own business. Max, suddenly fueled with anger. "Yeah! I'm gonna squash Ghost and his stupid Sceptile, mark my words!"

Iris laughed and shook her head. "Don't forget Max, you were overconfident before and look what happened. You're such a kid!" Max growled in anger. "Hey! Nobody asked you Iris!" Dawn put her hands in between them and said in annoyance. "Guys! We're all on the same side here! Don't forget that! And let's also not forget the big picture of why we're here in the first place, right?"

Trip nodded and wrapped his arm around Misty. "She's right: we're here to completely stop the Ghost and take over his spot as league champion! Then, we can do whatever we want! Right guys?"

Bonnie nodded and happily said. "Right! And there's five of us competing in this tournament, so we're almost guaranteed to win! All these people competing are amateurs compared to all of us!"

Cilan suddenly said. "Pardon me, but if there are five of us here, how will we decide who is rightfully champion?" Max scoffed. "Duh. Whichever one of us takes the tournament will become champion and kick Ghost out on his sorry ass and then the new champion will induct all of us as their new elites!"

Dawn frowned. "Won't his elites refuse to go quietly though?"

Again, Max scoffed. "Who cares? I'll clobber them with my team, that outgha shut them up!"

Lusamine smiled a little at her perceptive son before speaking again quietly. "The reason that nobody ever threatened to defeat Ninetales was because of its security: It's a Pokémon that, back all those years ago, was feared by all. It has a name that I will say in just a little bit. This Pokémon, however, was feared for one reason: It's ability to use Sun-Type Moves."

Ash blinked. "You mean fire-type moves?"

Lusamine shook her head. "No; Sun."

Gladion shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't understand how this is happening. You're telling me there's a whole 'nother type of Pokémon to be researched on? How is it that Professor Sycamore hasn't discovered this yet?" After a second, Lusamine quietly spoke. "We only just found out about this Pokémon a mere day ago. We figured getting you all together once again and telling you all about this would fit nicely together."

Ash questioned with narrowed eyes. "I have some questions." Lusamine looked serious. "I'm here to answer them."

"What is this Pokémon's name?"

She was quiet yet again before speaking. "Its name… is Delveon."

Nobody reacted for a second before Gladion suddenly made the connection. "No… it couldn't be… Eevee's lost evolution!" Ash turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" Gladion spoke in disbelief. "At Aether Paradise, I remember Faba speak to me of the lost Eeveeolution, and how it supposedly existed to defend great Pokémon with its strength. I never did ask him what the name of this Pokémon was!"

Lusamine confirmed. "Yes. Delveon is known as the Sun-God Pokémon." She suddenly took a device out of her pocket and shockingly revealed a pokedex that appeared to be modified in many ways. She casually clicked a few buttons before she held it out in the middle of all of the trainers.

"Delveon, the Sun God Pokémon, and the Legendary Evolved Form of Eevee. It is said that Delveon were the ancient warriors defending the Pharaoh Pokémon thousands of years ago. In Ancient Times, Delveon was commonly mistaken for Sylveons. Delveon is the only Pokémon known to have the "Sun Type." Sun type moves are Super Effective against Grass, Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Steel Type Pokémon. In addition, No Pokémon moves are super effective against Sun Types."

Another eerie silence took over the group and Lillie said softly after a moment. "Why is it that Delveon disappeared and nobody knows about it?"

Lusamine quietly spoke. "As you now know, the Delveon were the ancient defenders of the Ninetales. That night when Ninetales fled, the Delveon were unaware the Pharaoh Pokémon had fled in the first place; Alas… the Pokémon living nearby, were not. They saw their so called leader flee and their anger took over. Mixing Adrenaline with Opportunity, they sealed off the Pharaoh's castle, trapping everyone inside. In their minds, whoever captured the castle held the key to the war."

She hesitated for a second. "The Delveon, as strong as they were, were no match for the thousands of Pokémon by themselves. One by one… they were slaughtered."

The group looked amongst one another nervously, preparing for the worst. "Delveon, being the Sun-God Pokémon, has a special bond with the rays of light that emit from the sun. Even in an alternate dimension, as long as our sun continues to shine here, it's lifespan continues to increase. It is truly one of the most fascinating Pokémon we've ever researched, but also one of the most lethal."

"So… in short… be on your guard. At any moment, the wormhole may open, and you will be called upon for battle." She finished before giving the group a weak smile and walking off into the distance, back towards the group. The youngsters took this time to look at one another in disbelief: clearly, the upcoming battle with Delveon would surely be one they would never forget; they only had to hope it was for the right reasons.

And then, to snap the tension, Ash's pokégear rang. It startled everyone out of their trance. Ash apologized profusely and picked it up. "This is Ghost."

"Hey Boss." A Pokémon's voice said loudly.

The voice got his attention. The day would never end would it? Nonetheless, this was information he'd likely want to hear. He couldn't keep the anticipation out of his voice. "Ah, I was wondering when I'd be getting a call from you all. How was Kanto?"

"The same as always. I hope you don't mind, Boss, but I stopped to quickly grab my eight badge in Viridian City."

"Did you win?" Ash questioned.

"Well of course." The reply came as a slightly prideful but slightly confused tone. Ash chuckled aloud. "Then there's no harm at all. Still, I hope you all picked up the information I was looking for… did you?"

"Of course Boss. We'd never return to you empty handed, wouldn't want to break our flawless streak of missions now would we?" a feminine voice spoke on the other side. Ash couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, I know you wouldn't. You all have too much pride for that. Still, I want to hear this information in person. When can we meet?"

"Pokémon League in Twenty Minutes works for us, we'll be there." The line then went dead before Ash could even say anything.

Present…

Ash grumbled something about "the wrong kind of attention." He was currently pondering what exactly was going on in the head of the person across from him. It was quite simple really; he loved the perks that being champion came with, alas, he despised the attention that it came with at the same time. For example, words couldn't describe how much he loved being able to create a region based on his ideas and style. It was also great that people gave him the utmost respect whenever they saw him; it was like they were respecting his title.

However, with the same amount of people that respected him, there were those people that only tried to use him for the own gain and popularity. Naturally, these were not the only reasons that he despised the attention, but these were the two main ones. It was his goal that, in the upcoming future, he could find a beautiful beach house somewhere in Alola… maybe off a beach somewhere? He could really use that.

Right now, he had much better things to do than deal with people who were just trying to use him, gain from him, or worst of all… get into his pants. The ladder was the topic at hand, unfortunately, although for all the other males, they would consider it a blessing. Ash did not, not in the slightest.

What things did he have on his mind? Well… that was an interesting conversation to say the least, with a legendary trio…

Flashback… About Two Days Prior…

Ash landed on the roof of the Pokémon league and saw three figures standing there, all dressed in different attire. The shortest one had a small white hat and dark sunglasses, and a white tuxedo to go with it. The male of the group appeared to be sporting a waiter's costume of some sort, with his hair tied up back in a man-bun. The female of the group had a large white hat that came down to cover her eyes. She wore a white sun dress.

Ash chuckled. "How I always fell for those damn disguises is beyond me."

James chuckled and took off the disguise. "Be glad you did, it rubbed off on the twerp troop!" Ash laughed at that and said eagerly. "Well? Let's hear it, what do you guys have?" James motioned to his allies and Jessie held out her hand and bowed slightly. "You may go first."

He chuckled. "Very well." He walked over to Ash and gave him a few pictures. Ash investigated them one by one. The first one was of Max and Bonnie laughing and holding hands, with Serena pulling up the rear. They looked like they were walking past some sort of Pokémon toy shop. Max was trying to kiss Bonnie with some unknown substance on his lips, and she appeared to be laughing and pushing him away with her opposite hand. Serena, behind them, was making a face. He decided it really wasn't anything. He moved onto the next picture and saw it was at a restaurant. Bonnie was cuddled up next to Max with a smile on her face and stars in her eyes. Serena was to Max's right looking down at her phone. The rest of the traitors were with them as well.

The final picture he was handed was an odd one. It appeared to be the traitors arguing about something. Bonnie was huddled up next to Max, who was yelling and screaming about something. Serena was nowhere in Ash's sight for some reason. Trip was pointing down at a piece of paper, and Cilan was talking with him about something in depth.

Ash blinked. "What… what are these symbolizing? None of these pictures mean anything!" He was a bit annoyed. To his surprise, James grinned a little. "Take a closer look at the blonde twerpette." Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Looks like Bonnie is just trying to grope her soon to be pummeled boyfriend."

James' grin only widened. "Not that blonde twerpette… the other blonde twerpette." Ash's eyes widened a little and his eyes darted to the pictures. He ran his eyes over the first picture, and it confirmed what James was saying. He saw the face Serena was making, and there was no mistaking it; it wasn't a grossed out picture. She looked rather… sad. James motioned. "Look at the toy in the window."

Ash's eyes bulged open when he saw it. A Pikachu doll. No way, that couldn't be a coincidence… He had to confirm what he was seeing, but no matter how hard he looked at the picture, the big picture didn't leave his mind. He looked at the next picture, and his eyes widened when he saw what Serena was looking at on her phone; A picture of Lumiose Airport. The place where…

He glanced back at the third picture and after a moment of searching, he found Serena in the background with her phone tilted up, almost like…

"She's taking a video of them! But the real question is why is she taking the video in the first place?" James replied. "I didn't take the first two pictures, but I did take the last one and I also followed her around somewhat. I gathered enough information to make a journey to the Kalos Region myself due to pure curiosity." Ash spoke slowly. "Something tells me you aren't telling me all this just to tell me you came up empty handed." His friend grinned. "You bet right. Turns out, Serena's mother went missing a day before she left for her journey in Hoenn."

Ash's eyes narrowed just in the slightest. "Wait, six years ago? She disappeared just before I was pronounced dead? How have I not heard about this?" James explained. "That was bugging me as well. I walked to Vaniville town in Kalos and did some digging, and I came up with stunning information. I found out that she went missing for just ten days total, before her kidnappers returned her."

"Kidnapped?"

James nodded. "Yes, but that isn't the most odd part." Ash questioned. "Then what was it?"

"It was the fact that, supposedly, she was returned home uninjured, and, the kidnappers supposedly didn't get anything from it." He explained, unable to keep the slightly excited tone out of his voice. Ash was silent for a moment, taking this all in. "That's… really odd… she was held for just a week and a half, then she was given back with no ransom? That's almost like… almost like she was a…"

"Bargaining Chip." James finished for him. Ash looked at him and then, everything fit together. When she had kissed him at the airport… Bonnie had been there. She had seen Serena kiss him! That could only mean…

"You think the traitors forced Serena into turning against me by using her Mom as a leverage? How would that all completely fit together?" James explained. "It goes like this: the tiny blonde twerpette knows Serena has feelings for you, and therefore, would be unwilling to betray you. So, to give them more leverage over you, they must make her join them, even if it's just for the time being: so, they take her mother and demand she cooperates with them. She agrees against her will, and once the deed is done, Serena's mother is returned. Because all the traitors are actually backstabbing you, there's no evidence that places them at the scene of the crime, therefore, she cannot confront them since there's only verbal evidence."

Ash pointed out. "Still doesn't explain a few things: why is she filming all of this stuff if she's not going to do anything with it?"

James nodded. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but, you've never met Serena before, yes?" Ash blinked. "What? What do you mean? Of course I've met her before—" James shook his head. "No, I mean, as the Ghost."

Ash frowned and shook his head. "No, I can't say I have."

James grinned. "Exactly; if my prediction is correct, she's filming this for one person: you." Ash realized James' prediction was actually a good one, and it connected all the gaps. Ghost was supposedly someone who got jobs done for prices, the question was, what was she giving him?

"I don't work for free after all, nor do you. What exactly is she planning to do when she finds me, in other words, how is she paying me?"

James frowned a little. "That little piece of information has thus eluded me, I'm afraid." Ash nodded slowly and said with a small smile. "You did good James, thanks." James bowed and said politely. "It was an honor." He then backed off and Jessie came forward and sadly said. "Ghost, I wish I bore the same news James had, but I do not. They are simple and rather dull in all honesty. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge on the situation."

Ash waved it off. "I expected as much from the traitors, don't worry about a thing." Jessie thanked him and backed off. Meowth walked up and handed him a device of some sorts. He nodded to Ash and said calmly. "You better watch this twerp, but not now… later. This video is for your eyes only, you'll know why when you see it, just trust me on this."

Ash took him for his word, and said to the group. "I need you all to stay on alert. I was given word today that a new Ultra Beast may go on the loose soon, so just stay frosty. I may need you all to help defend Alola, but for the time being, you all can go back onto your journey. Keep your phone close to you, I may need your help within time."

Meowth nodded. "You got it, boss!"

With that, all three rockets leapt off the rooftop and Ash turned away and looked down at the odd device. It looked like it had a small screen on it, so if Ash was guessing, it would show a video of some sort. He would look at it in his private chambers, that oughta be safe enough from anyone with prying eyes to get a vision on what Meowth had given him.

Present…

Now, Ash had looked at the video, but as much as he wanted to dwell on it, he found himself unable to due to the situation at hand: a battle. The side of his head had a bulging vein poking out, and after a moment he grumbled in annoyance before muttering under his breath, "Who am I kidding?" The situation at hand was not the battle, it was who he was battling against. It was a rather cute blonde girl with dark grey eyes. She wore a tight black shirt with a pokeball symbol in the middle and cutoff blue jeans as well. Her luscious blonde hair went down her back and ended with a slight upwards curve. She was likely around 16 or 17 years old.

Now, he didn't immediately recognize her, but a ton of other people did. The referee, who was now announcing the rules to the battle, called out. "The battle between Ariana Shirona of Veilstone City and the Ghost of Alola is about to begin! Each side will be allowed to use three Pokémon apiece, and the battle is over when all three Pokémon from one side are unable to continue! Furthermore, in this battle, both sides are permitted to switch out their Pokémon at any time they please!"

Ash, meanwhile, couldn't believe he didn't Cynthia had a niece. Apparently, she had an older sister that kept her last name. Cynthia herself was around 30 or so, if he was guessing, so her older sister was probably at least forty. Unfortunately, there was more than one problem about Ariana being his first opponent.

For starters, she was a whiz at Pokémon knowledge. Ash had done plenty of research in the days before his battle, and he saw her record and stats; he couldn't slip anything past her that involved Pokémon abilities or anything uncommon. That meant he would have to dazzle her with power and his own knowledge of Pokémon moves, with the slightest touch of improvisation. Secondly, since she was a Shirona, it also meant she was a fierce battler in every way, and would not go down without a fight. This was going to be no cake walk. But, by far, the last reason was the worst:

She was flirting with him.

"So you're the famous Ghost?" She smiled seductively at him. "My Aunt really wasn't lying; you are something to look at." Ash temporarily lost his concentration as he realized she was pretty much telling him that Cynthia thought he was good looking, but he tossed that thought out the window. He needed to stay focused. Just before the battle, Zandra had told him a few words to remember.

They were only a few words, but, they were words he had to live by for this battle. They rang in his brain, 'Remember, you are the champion. Put on a show out there, but whatever you do, do NOT give the audience a reason to believe you will lose.' It had only been two sentences, but he knew just how right she was, and there was no denying it whatsoever. He had to crush Ariana with ease, and he had an idea on how to do it.

Ariana was more focused on him rather than the battle. "Mmm… you know, after this battle, I'm free, how about you?"

Ash fought the urge to roll his eyes. 'This is the unwanted attention I cannot stand.' He thought. He replied as calmly as he could. "You know, after this battle, we likely won't talk, how about you?" He sarcastically remarked, playing his cold, icy role of Ghost. However, Ariana was unfazed. She smirked. "Many guys would probably die to get into my pants, I know you're no different."

Ash chuckled. "I'm likely a good three years older than you, Ms. Shirona. As… er… Intriguing… as you are, your Aunt would not be pleased with me. And of course, you're underage."

Ariana appeared a bit surprised at this; clearly, she wasn't expecting him to reject an opportunity to have fun with her. She frowned and said. "I'll make a deal with you then!" Ash rolled his eyes, unable to keep it in this time. "And what deal is that?"

She winked. "I'll buy you dinner, just the two of us, if you beat me! And if I win, you pay for our dinner, deal?" Ash heard other males in the crowd yelling and pleading for them to be taken instead, and Ash sarcastically responded. "I'll make you a counter offer: If you win, you can move on in the tournament, and if I win, I move on in the tournament. How does that sound?" She narrowed her eyes in disbelief, how could one man be so self-controlled? Speaking of self-control, one person in the crowd was losing her cool, little by little.

Ten Minutes Prior… The Maple's…

"May, this will be fun! Plus, isn't Ghost the one who asked you out on that date? He's kind of cute." Caroline teased her daughter. Max, who to May's misfortune, had come along with them instead of his friends, commented. "I still can't believe you went with him May! He's a complete jerk! I bet he's a total wimp too, he's probably all talk!"

May couldn't hold in her snarky reply. "Yeah, and that's why he clobbered your sorry a—"

Norman interrupted. "That's enough you two! Try to keep it down, this is the champion we're talking about here, the most powerful trainer in this entire region, so let's not rush to assumptions Max, keep it in mind that he did beat you before. And I still haven't forgiven you about Manectric, so stay quiet and watch him battle, so that when you battle him again—"

May grumbled. "If."

Norman blinked. "What?"

May spoke. "I said, "IF", as in, "If" they battle again. I wouldn't bet on it." Max put on a hurt look. "But May! It sounds like you want me to lose to him? You wouldn't want that, would you?" May saw both her parents looking at her and May mumbled softly. "…No…" Caroline smiled and nodded. "Good! Now listen to your date's introduction!" May shook her head in annoyance, her parents were never going to let her live this down, were they?

She simply sat there and listened to the entire stadium explode into cheers and roars at Ghost's name. Then, his competitor, Ariana Shirona. May raised an eyebrow; she was not stupid. She knew Cynthia Shirona was the champion of Sinnoh, and therefore, almost by default, that made Ariana strong as she sought to be just like her Aunt.

She rolled her eyes and was failing to keep her rather agitated attitude in. Combine Max's mock-guilt expression that her klutz parents were buying and the constant teasing she was enduring, she was rapidly losing interest in staying nearby, and instead was just going to leave. After another minute of steaming, she suddenly stood up and said angrily. "I'm going."

Norman raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

May muttered. "Anywhere but here."

As she began to make her way out, she suddenly heard a voice. It was odd that she was able to hear it, but all of the sudden, she was able to hear everything both Ghost and Ariana and their conversation.

"So you're the famous Ghost?" May didn't stop moving on her way out of her seat until she heard the next thing she said.

"My Aunt really wasn't lying; you are something to look at." Then, she stopped cold. She slowly turned to look onto the battlefield. She couldn't understand how she was feeling right now, but she felt almost… protective, of Ghost. Why was she acting like this? She barely knew him at all, for Arceus' sake! She shook her head rapidly and tried to discard the rather odd feeling that she was now having.

"Mmm… you know, after this battle, I'm free, how about you?" Her eyes locked onto the beautiful blonde girl who was now making it very known she wanted to date the Alola Champion. Her eyes darted over to Ghost, who was looking emotionless. Then, after a moment, he finally spoke.

"You know, after this battle, we likely won't talk, how about you?" A guy next to her gasped and he yelled out. "Ariana! I'm free to hang out with you!" Another male shouted. "No! Pick me instead Ariana!" May shook her head at the boys around her. Then, she bit her lip as she thought about Max possibly yelling the same thing at her when he had a girlfriend.

Ariana smirked a little, seemingly unfazed by Ghost's comment. "Many guys would probably die to get into my pants, I know you're no different." May bit her lip, she wasn't wrong about the first part, and she found herself silently pleading that she was wrong about the second part. She listened to Ghost's response, still unsure why she was feeling this way about a guy she barely knew.

"I'm likely a good three years older than you, Ms. Shirona. As… er… Intriguing… as you are, your Aunt would not be pleased with me. And of course, you're underage." She stifled a laugh at this; Ghost wasn't taking the bait! He clearly had a lot of self-control. But, to her shock, Ariana still wasn't done trying to persuade the champion to give her a chance.

"I'll make a deal with you then!"

"And what deal is that?"

"I'll buy you dinner, just the two of us, if you beat me! And if I win, you pay for our dinner, deal?" May exploded. That was enough! "Why, the nerve of that Slut!" She roared in anger, almost surprising even herself. Thankfully for her, a hoard of boys yelling that they would take the offer in a heartbeat drowned out her rather loud remark and kept her outburst from being known.

Ghost, meanwhile, shot back. "I'll make you a counter offer: If you win, you can move on in the tournament, and if I win, I move on in the tournament. How does that sound?" May was shocked at how calm and straightforward Ghost was being; every other male in the stadium just appeared to want to get into her pants, and all he wanted was to battle. She couldn't help but look around and notice something else rather odd: there were many females staring down at the field as well as males. She came to the cold hard truth: Ghost was a man who attracted many.

She sent death glares to one or two girls, but then, she stopped and thought about what she was doing. She tried to move the feeling elsewhere that was building up inside her, but it was no use: she was hopelessly jealous. She honestly couldn't believe it, but she had no choice but to accept it. She felt as though she had finally moved on from Ash, and that was what Ash probably would've wanted anyway. There was only one issue: she was now interested in a regional champion.

She found herself staring at the boy in the red vest. She also knew it was hopeless to resist him, even though he wasn't even trying. She knew she liked Ghost now, the catch was telling him, and of course, hoping he felt the same way.

Battlefield…

Ash had finally caught of good streak of luck. The referee had finally decided to speak up after watching the exchange between Ariana and Ghost. He called out. "Ariana will call out her Pokémon first and have the first move! Ready? Battle BEGIN!" The crowd exploded into cheers as Ariana kissed her first pokeball and threw it up high. "Magmortar, come out!" The titanic fire-type Pokémon took the battlefield and roared loudly while shooting a blast of fire up in the sky before getting into a battle stance.

Ash had vivid visions of Paul's Magmortar, and briefly wondered how he was doing. He made a mental note to check on that before he took out a pokeball and called out. "I need your assistance!" The Pokémon materialized and stunned everyone when it appeared. Xavier stared down in utter shock. As a matter of fact, everyone in the battlefield appeared at a loss for words except for one.

Zandra had a smile on her face. "He's really playing this more unique than I thought he would…"

The referee looked a bit confused, but raised his flags and said. "Magmortar vs. Bulbasaur… Begin!"

Ariana smirked. "My my Mr. Champion, just what has gotten into you? You don't think that Bulbasaur can beat my Magmortar… or do you? Either way, this battle is over. Magmortar, Flamethrower, burn it!" The fire-type raised its arm and fired off a flamethrower towards the grass type. Ash calmly said. "Jump backwards, you know the plan." Ariana raised an eyebrow when the Flamethrower connected and a small explosion covered the field. Then, everyone saw a figure fly out on an arc straight towards Magmortar.

Ash smirked. "Poison Powder in mid-flight." Ariana yelled. "Nail in with Flamethrower before it hits!" However, it was far too late. As it flew directly over Magmortar's head, Ash's faithful grass-type shot a puff of purple gas in the air straight at the fire-type. The flamethrower was launched about two seconds too late, and missed it's mark completely. Ariana gritted her teeth together tightly: that little grass-type could move!

She also knew that with Poison Powder in affect, Magmortar wouldn't last long: she had to finish this. She called out. "Flamethrower again, then follow up with Fire Punch!" Magmortar grimaced but nodded and obeyed. It raised both arms and fired off two flamethrowers before charging in, fist's lighting on fire.

Ash shook his head. Overconfidence killed trainers these days. He would wrap this battle up quickly and strongly. No moves could hit his Pokémon; therefore, no moves would hit his Pokémon. He suddenly realized the irony of his previous thoughts but shook them off, staying concentrated on the battle. "Bulbasaur, first dodge the flamethrowers!"

Bulbasaur, using it's small frame, slipped by both flamethrowers by running towards them. Unbeknownst to Ash, this was what Ariana wanted. She cried out triumphantly. "Now that they're too close, they can't dodge! Hit it with your Fire Punch, GO!" Magmortar roared and charged the tiny grass Pokémon, who looked utterly helpless in front of it. Ariana couldn't help but think to herself, 'He made that awfully easy for me… it's almost like… he wanted it to—' Her eyes widened and she yelled. "Quick Magmortar, get out of there!"

Ash smirked again. "Too Late! Trip it with Vine Whip and jump up!" Bulbasaur leapt at the fire type and swung it's vines at its legs. Magmortar stumbled and rolled forward before landing on its back. Bulbasaur was already in mid-flight. Ash waved his arm downwards and commanded. "Finish this! Venoshock!"

Ariana's eyes bulged open in horror. "No!" There was nothing she could have done. The double-powered poison move struck Magmortar head on, and an explosion blanketed the area. Bulbasaur landed perfectly on its legs while the smoke cleared and revealed a knocked out Magmortar. The referee was a bit surprised but raised his flag. "Magmortar is unable to battle, Bulbasaur wins!"

The crowd exploded into cheers for their champion. Ariana was stunned, how was she so easily swatted aside? She returned Magmortar quietly before saying with a smirk on her face. "I will admit Ghost, you caught me off guard once; it won't happen again." She tossed another pokeball up into the air to reveal a Samourott. Ash had another vivid vision of his Oshawott from back in the day, but stayed emotionless. He returned Bulbasaur and murmured. "Thank you, old friend."

He then took out another pokeball and called out. "I need your assistance." The Pokémon materialized and took form. It was a familiar sight to some people, and it cried out loudly. "Sceeeeptttiiillleeee!"

Somewhere in the stadium, a small voice could be heard screaming, "It's that Pokémon again!" Ash stifled a chuckle, knowing this Pokémon was bound to be recognized after it's first battle ended so well.

That was why this battle was going to end in his favor.

The referee raised both flags and yelled. "Samurott vs. Sceptile… Begin!"

Ariana knew she didn't have any help this time. She had to make something happen with type-disadvantage. She did, however, have a few moves that could help. "Ice Beam, but on the ground!" The water type nodded before freezing the ground entirely. Ash grinned; this was more like it! He wanted a good fight, not an easy one. That was, it was tougher to actually make it an easy fight.

"Sceptile, Hone Claws. Let's jack up that attack stat." Ash left out the other part just in case Ariana forgot. She didn't appear to notice and she called out. "Now! Force it onto the ice by using Ice Beam!" Ash groaned and shook his head; now she was making obvious plays again, not good for her.

Ash yelled. "Skate onto the ice!" To her complete surprise, Sceptile began nimbly skating around on the ice and Ash called out. "Shadow Claw!" The Pokémon struck Samurott in its side, who collapsed in pain before getting up after a moment. She narrowed her eyes. She was beginning to realize why Ghost was champion: he was simply relentless in battle. He had a tactic for every tactic.

Unfortunately for her, while lost in thought, Ash called out another move. "Hone Claws once more." She suddenly yelled. "Surf! Ride your own wave and crush it!" Ash's eyes widened a little at that command, and just as Sceptile finished charging up his stats, he saw the massive wave of water about to smoother him. Ash thought rapidly for a tactic, and to his shock, he came up with one.

"Skate the opposite way, and use your claws to navigate!" He knew the blind speed of his Pokémon could possibly outwit Samurott, as unlikely as it was. Ariana laughed. "Ghost! Come on! I know it's a longshot but seriously, you don't think it's actually going to—" She was cut off when she suddenly saw Sceptile launch itself above the wave. She sputtered. "H-huh!?" Ash roared. "Unleash Focus Blast!"

A massive explosion was sent out, with Water and smoke going everywhere. When the smoke cleared a few seconds later, the crowd cheered when they saw both Sceptile and Samurott both standing.

Meanwhile, up in the stands…

The traitors were watching the battle with interest. Trip was watching with the most invested, however, as he knew that even though Max said he was going to beat him, he refused to believe it. Max was slightly delusional in a "reality" sense. He was always overconfident, while he himself felt as though he was more on a line of "Cautiously optimistic." He knew he could clobber Max and anyone else as long as he struck first and struck often. Next to him, Max was bewildered. "I don't get it."

Trip raised an eyebrow towards him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Why did he make his stupid Sceptile learn an entire new move set?!" Misty, who was sitting close to her boyfriend, questioned. "Maybe it's to throw us off? Maybe he knows we're keeping track of him."

Trip shook his head. "I doubt it. Plus, three new moves in such a short time isn't easy to do, even for Ghost's standards."

Cilan pointed out. "He is the champion. Maybe he just has more than one."

Now that, Trip couldn't argue. He looked back to the battle, lost in thought. He knew something was off, but he just couldn't place his finger on it…

Battlefield…

Ariana knew she had to try something. Sceptile hadn't been hit once and her last Pokémon would be forced to knock out all three of Ghost's if she wasn't careful. She had to think carefully. She called out. "Use Scald and Melt all the ice! Let's take away his speed advantage!" Samurott let loose a titanic stream of hot water to melt all the ice.

Ash had to admit; it was smooth thinking. It was too bad for her, because Samurott had sustained so much damage already that by this point one more attack and it was out of the battle for good. As long as Sceptile didn't get hit, there were no problems to be had. Ash called out the move he hoped would be the dagger.

"Use Shadow Claw and wrap this up!"

As Sceptile charged in, Ariana finally saw an opening. "Now! Megahorn!" Ash's eyes widened just in the slightest at the command. He saw in slow motion as Sceptile struck Samurott on the side of its neck with the attack, but at the same time, Samurott drilled into Sceptile's side with the super-effective bug type move. Both Pokémon hit the ground, but Sceptile slowly got up. Samurott, did not.

"Samurott is unable to battle, Scept—" he was cut off when a light flashed around Sceptile and revealed a black and red Pokémon that seemed to look like a fox. The crowd gasped in surprise. Ash chuckled and said. "Guess there's no point in denying it; my second Pokémon was Zoroark."

The referee nodded and announced. "Samurott is unable to battle, Zoroark is the winner!" The picture of Samurott faded away and Xavier chuckled. "Well, I suppose we know whose coming out to battle now."

Ariana was now in a slight state of panic. How on earth was she going to win now? The only bright side of this entire situation was that she now knew Ghost's final Pokémon. The downside was that it hadn't even seen the light of battle yet. She frowned and tossed her final Pokémon into the air once Samurott had been returned and released her final Pokémon: A Medicham.

Ash frowned at this choice: he had to be careful. He suddenly realized he could have a way out of this if he played his hand right. He told the referee. "I'll be sticking with Zoroark."

The referee nodded and Ariana was confused at this choice. Why was he not swapping to Sceptile or Bulbasaur? Both of them had not taken damage. So, why was Zoroark, the Pokémon that had still sustained a super-effective move, still in the battle? Ghost had a trick up his sleeve, but Ariana was bewildered at what it could be. There was only one way to find out.

"Medicham vs Zoroark… Begin!"

Alola Elites…

Zandra grinned. "Ash is on point right now."

July questioned her friend. "I don't like that last decision, with the cat out of the bag for Sceptile, why is he not in the match right now?" Xavier suddenly spoke. "Ah…"

Axel narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

Xavier laughed. "Ah, I just realized why Ash stuck with Zoroark, it's more simple than you'd think, actually." Axel shook his head. "Care to enlighten us?" Xavier shrugged. "It's because of the stat changes. Zoroark may have been damaged, but it also jacked up it's stats in that fight, and if he gets removed, Zoroark loses its stat changes."

July blinked. "It's that simple?"

Zandra nodded. "Yep, and on top of that, Medicham isn't really known for special attack moves or having high defense, and my money says Zoroark is faster than it. If I'm thinking about this correctly… Ash is going to go for the all or nothing shot." Axel couldn't believe it. "You're saying he's just going to try and end it in one move? That's not like Ash at all."

Xavier grinned. "Exactly. Ariana has done her research on him, and this isn't anywhere in his battle files. She won't know what he's planning. I'd be willing to bet my position in this tournament that she knows Sceptile's move set, and while she does know Zoroark's moves, she doesn't know one of them yet. Ash will either go for the kill shot or likely flex Zoroark's last move in order to take out this Medicham, mark my words."

Battlefield…

"Zoroark, use Hone Claws!" Ash ordered. The dark type nodded before building up its stats once more. Ariana ordered. "Medicham, we'll need to build up our stats too! Use Swords Dance!"

As Medicham powered up its attack, Ash yelled. "Hone Claws! Keep pace with it!" Ariana grinned, knowing she was going to win this fight. She commanded. "Swords Dance! This is our chance to maximize our attack!"

And so, it became a stat battle, but it was clear that. Zoroark was on the losing side. Swords Dance almost doubled your attack for each time you use it, but for Hone Claws, it gained both Accuracy and Attack at a much slower rate. The crowd was murmuring softly, knowing that this battle could be decided in one simple move. Both trainers didn't say a word for a time being, both looking at one another with darted glances, almost daring the other to attack first, and seeing who would break the silence.

It was Ariana who snapped first. "Now! Close Combat! End it!" Medicham hopped around and cried out as it attempted to knock out Ash's dark-type. Ash calmly said. "Evade it!" Zoroark leaned right and dodged the incoming blow. Ariana frowned, even damaged, Zoroark was still nimble and evasive.

Ariana ordered. "Keep going till you get it!"

Ash smirked. "Keep evading!"

Medicham continued to throw punches and kicks every which way while Zoroark continued to slip by each one. Ariana was getting more and more agitated as Zoroark seemingly had endless reservoirs of stamina. She knew she had to end this, and Close Combat was not working. It slightly pained her to unleash her secret weapon move, but she knew it was now or never if she wanted to beat the champion. She raised her arm and yelled. "Charge up Focus Punch and Unleash it!"

The crowd gasped a little as Medicham began to charge up a move that would most certainly knock out Zoroark. What was even more stunning was that Ash was not giving Zoroark any command. Medicham cried out. "Medi!" Ariana cheered and lowered her arm. "Go!" Medicham rushed Zoroark and unloaded into it.

Ash gave one simple command that would essentially decide the battle. "Counter."

Ariana had heard it, and she felt her heart drop. Just as Medicham's fist connected and before it could do any damage, it was sent hurtling in the air from the Counter. While it was hanging in midair, Zoroark appeared, both claws already glowing a dark purple. Ash grinned. "Finish it."

Zoroark didn't need to be told twice. "Zzoooooooorrraaaa!" It roared as it drilled the opposition with a duel shadow claw tactic. The force of the move sent Medicham into the ground, and Zoroark landed on its legs. Medicham could be seen in the bottom of a ditch created by the two moves with swirls in its eyes. The crowd exploded into cheers and the referee made the announcement.

"Medicham is unable to continue, Zoroark is the winner! Therefore, the winner of this match and the trainer moving onto the second round is Ghost, the Champion of Alola!" As he said it, Ariana's picture was greyed out and Ghost's picture was put into the center of the big screen.

Ariana fell to her knees in shock. She was out. She had been eliminated. All the time she had practiced into being the very best she could be was gone. She had done it all for nothing. Cynthia would most certainly be disappointed in her, now what was she going to do? She stood up slowly and saw Ghost approaching her. She expected her to say harsh words, but to her surprise, it was nothing of the sort.

"You battled well. Become bonded with each of your Pokémon," He held out his hand. "And good things will happen." She stared at the hand for a moment before smiling and shaking it. As she walked off the field, Ghost walked back to his side and once he got into the battler's box, he got down on one knee. Zoroark approached him and did the same thing. He stayed down for another moment or so with his eyes closed. After a few more seconds, he spoke quietly.

"For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Zoroark murmured. "Zo-ra…" He then pushed himself to his feet and took out Zoroark's pokeball. He said quietly. "Thank you Zoroark, you battled well." He then clipped the pokeball to his belt and walked out of the stadium to a thunderous applause. He didn't acknowledge the crowd once, because that was the face he found himself putting on: The mask of an unknown.

AN: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! My apologies for this coming out a day later than intended, but as I predicted, it's been tough with college around the corner again for me! Just hang in there guys! In Heinz sight maybe I should've made the May section a little bit longer but it didn't turn out that way, sorry guys!

Either way the chapter is over 8k words, so that's good! A recap: Serena is suddenly painted in a different picture, May is now officially into the Ghost, Ash clobbered his first opponent, and what exactly did Meowth give to Ash? Guess you'll have to keep on reading the story to find out!

If you're new please follow, favorite and review! It would mean a lot to me and the story if y'all did so! Thanks guys! Until the next one!

LegionZ