Battles with the Past
Been a while, huh? Well, 25 days to be exact. I had the content of the chapter planned for quite a while but you know, I wasn't motivated enough to write. However, as you can see, I am here with a new chapter in this story.
Anyways, I hope you like the chapter!
Almost all the lights switched off inside a huge hall, where several men were seated around a big, rectangular table. In one of the corners of the hall, a massive screen displayed a few pictures; the pictures seemed to be of some ancient towers and relics on which, inscriptions in an ancient language had been inscribed.
A man stood next to the screen; in his right hand was a metallic stick, the foot of which he had firmly placed on the ground. The man holding the stick had medium length, pale green hair in two locks; one sticking out by his eyes and one sticking above them. The man with red eyes, wearing a red eye piece over his right eye and a long black coat sternly observed the people sitting in front of him and as soon as he confirmed that he had everyone's full attention, he spoke out loud.
"Good evening gentlemen!" The green haired man, appearing in his fifties greeted. "As you must know by now, everything is going right according to our plan. Our setup here for the event is almost complete, thanks to the valiant effort of all of you as well as the entire team. All that is left to be done here now is to wait for the time when the legend of this region will come true. And then,"
The man turned his face towards the screen and the images that displayed on the giant monitor disappeared before some new pictures replaced them. Now, on the screen, all the people sitting saw huge statues of two Pokemon across each other; one bipedal and one quadruped, both rock structures glaring at each other. Even though they were just statues, their eyes showed the undying aggression they held towards one another, which would scare anyone who dare oppose them.
All the men present in what was like a conference room watched the picture with utmost interest, some of them gasping when they understood what their leader meant.
"Yes, our next target as some of you already know is the Sinnoh region and these two," The leader of Team Plasma pointed his metallic stick – which by no means was ordinary towards the screen. "are Dialga and Palkia, the rulers of Time and Space respectively and the ones known to have created the land of Sinnoh."
"So, Commander Ghetsis, when does the operation in Sinnoh begin?" A man having blonde hair and wearing a white lab coat asked out loud. "Team Galactic is the one with the most control over the region of Sinnoh, isn't it? I have my doubts that it would be anything but easy for us to start our operations there without Team Galactic interfering." Colress, the head scientist of Team Plasma and also one known throughout all regions as one of the best in the business, stated his queries with a crude grin spreading across his face.
The leader of Team Plasma hosting the conference, now identified as Ghetsis, watched Colress for few moments with a serious expression on his face. But soon, his expression turned into a sly smirk as he answered to his subordinate.
"Team Galactic won't make it easy for us to start a working base in Sinnoh, that's for sure." He explained, still wearing his smirk. "But thanks to you, that task has become much easier for us. We just have to wait for the on-going Sinnoh League to end and then, we can put our plan to actions." Ghetsis announced.
"Ahh!" Colress boomed as he understood what their leader meant. "So, we are going to make use of that plan, afterall."
"Yes, that will be our trump card in taking over the region of Sinnoh." The Team Plasma leader confirmed with a nod of his head. "Speaking of which, this year's Sinnoh League has been making quite a fuss around the world. They're saying that this one has been the most competitive Pokemon League in recent years. Maybe, I'll visit Sinnoh to watch the finals."
"So, you guys have already landed on the Lily of the Valley island?"
The question was asked by Ash and directed to the white-haired old man who appeared on the telephone screen in front of him. There was a three day break between the Top 16 and the Top 8 rounds and in that time, lots of things were set to happen. The Sinnoh League was heading to the last stages of the competition and hence, the island where it was being held was filled with tourists who had come to watch the last three round of the Lily of the Valley Conference.
But even so, the crowd that was building up on the island was much more than the previous Sinnoh Leagues; the reason of which being as obvious to everyone as it could be. People from all around the world had surely flooded there to watch the few final battles of the league, but what had really piqued their interest was witnessing the Legendary Pokemon, Darkrai. They not only hoped to see the Pitch black Pokemon in action, but were also curious to know if the trainer who had stolen the spotlight of the Sinnoh League, Tobias had anymore Pokemon as amazing as his Darkrai.
Needless to say, they would want Darkrai to show them as much of its power as possible, but getting to see another one of a Legendary of Darkrai's caliber would lit up the Sinnoh League even more. Or so they hoped. And that was only possible if a trainer managed to defeat the Pokemon who was undefeated in Sinnoh, defeating all its opponents – from the Gym Leaders to all of the participants of the Sinnoh League with ease.
On the telephone screen, Professor Oak wearing a green shirt and a sun hat along with sunglasses grinned at the trainer from his hometown before replying. "Yes, we just arrived here. We will reach the stadium in a few minutes."
"I was so busy that I forgot to ask you exactly when you guys would be coming here. I would've come to the port if I knew you were going to come today," Ash said with a wry smile on his face.
The raven-haired trainer from Pallet Town indeed felt bad that he couldn't go and receive the Professor and his mom from the port. Well, it wasn't as if he had a car to pick them up, but he could've made some arrangements and made it easier for them after they'd travelled all the way from Kanto, just to see him battle in the Sinnoh League.
Professor Oak waved a hand at Ash's response. "Don't worry, Ash. We're perfectly fine. Besides, dear old Mr. Goodshow is already here to give us a ride."
As Professor Oak moved a little, Ash saw the President of the Pokemon League, Mr. Goodshow waving at him. But the appearance of Mr. Goodshow didn't surprise Ash; he wondered why and then it clicked to him: Samuel Oak and Charles Goodshow were childhood friends and were pretty close; that being one of the reason Professor Oak revealed his secret about Darkrai to Mr. Goodshow.
"I should've figured that!" Ash chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head. "So, I'll wait for you guys in the Pokemon Center."
"Sure. See you in a while," Professor Oak signed off, waving his hand.
Just as the Pokemon Professor from Kanto said, they had reached the stadium in a few minutes after his call with Ash. Ash was overjoyed to see Professor Oak and even more joyous to see his mother, although he tried to hide the excitement as best as he could, not wanting to seem silly in front of all the people in the busy Pokemon Center of the Lily of the Valley stadium.
Since Ash figured that Delia and Professor Oak must be tired after their trip, he suggested that they rest in his suite for a while. Of course, the reservations for Professor Oak were already done in the hotel; however, he didn't want to decline the boy's offer so they all walked to the room given to Ash in the Pokemon Center.
The good thing was that, after the end of the Top 16 round, all the remaining 8 participants were given new suites as the league understood that some of the participant's friends and family might come to watch the remaining battles. So even if someone stayed along with Ash, Dawn and Brock, they wouldn't have a problem adjusting to it in the spacious 2 bedroom suite.
"Congratulations on making it to the Top 8 of the Sinnoh League, Ash!" Professor Oak commended Ash's efforts in the Sinnoh League so far with a bright smile. His expression soon became a little serious as he continued. "But Ash," The old man called, his tone becoming just as serious and earnest as his expression. "This time, I want you to go all the way. I don't want you to lose after making it so far."
A titter left Ash's lips at the Professor guiding points, which told him to win the Sinnoh League. It wasn't as if he was making fun of Professor Oak or anything, the laugh was just a cover for the disappointment he felt for losing the previous leagues, especially the Hoenn League. He knew that he stood a great chance of winning it if he would have prepared better and not been naïve enough to just use the Pokemon caught in Hoenn. He believed that he could have defeated Tyson – the trainer who went on to win the Hoenn League, if he'd used a team of a more experienced Pokemon against him in the Top 8 battle which he lost by a hair.
"Don't worry Professor!" He confidently assured not only Professor Oak, but also all the others present beside him. "I don't intend to lose the Sinnoh League, at least not by making the mistakes I made last time. It was very stupid of me, wasn't it? Thinking that I could go through a regional Pokemon League with a team which wasn't my strongest."
Ash's face held a visibly annoyed look as he finished his explanation about what he'd learned from his previous failures. Silence took over the room, Ash gazing at the floor in deep thought. The others in the room too, understood what Ash felt, but they also had faith in Ash's determination to pull through for him this time around.
Placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, Professor Oak smiled gently, but also proudly at the young man from Pallet Town. "I believe you can do it, Ash. You can win the Sinnoh League and go on to become a Pokemon Master someday."
The words of encouragement received from Professor Oak made Ash raise his face and glance at the Professor. Ash could see that he meant what he said; that Professor Oak truly believed in him. Upon turning to look at the other around him, Ash realized that they too held the same amount of belief in him.
"Thanks, Professor!" Ash said defiantly, brimming with an even greater desire to win the Sinnoh League, not just for himself, but also for the ones who had supported him throughout his journey as a trainer. "I won't lose this time!"
"That's my boy!" Delia chimed in, delighted that his son had grown so much since the time he left her to become a Pokemon Master. "Go win the Sinnoh League and make your mom, proud!" she cheered, hugging her son with her left hand.
Of course, Ash felt flustered being hugged by his mother like that in front of his friends. He wasn't a kid anymore and the way his mom embraced him was somewhat embarrassing for the boy from Pallet Town as he tried his hardest to get out of his mom's grip, albeit without applying any force. He knew very well that he'd developed enough to overpower her but he would never do that now, would he?
"Mom, you're embarrassing me." He whispered to his mother, a slight blush crossing his cheeks at the love his mother showed for him while all the others burst out in laughter.
Only two days remained before the first match of Round 5 of the Lily of the Valley Conference would commence on the island and it was times for the match-ups for the Top 8 of the Sinnoh League to be revealed to the entire world.
People who followed the Sinnoh League were excited for the last stages of the League to begin; their excitement was quite justified after they'd seen that the remaining 8 trainers appeared to be strong and the prediction of who would make it to the finals was extremely difficult. However, they had faith that one of them would succeed in doing so without any problems: Tobias, the most talked about trainer in the past month.
Everyone was counting on him on winning this year's Sinnoh League and who could blame them? He'd not even used a single Pokemon beside his Darkrai and he was already in the Top 8. But they also believed that there will be someone in the league who would prove challenging to even Tobias and knew, they might even get to see another one of his Pokemon.
In the middle of the huge clearing outside the Pokemon Center, a crowd had gathered with their eyes glued to the massive screen right outside the Pokemon Center. The crowd included spectators and participants alike, all looking forward for what was about to be displayed on the screen.
As soon as the clock hit 10 am, the images of the remaining eight trainers appeared and as usual, started shuffling. In a few moments, the screen came to a standstill bringing the Top 8 matches into view.
All the trainers observed the screen and as expected, they all had different expressions on their faces; most smiled but a couple grimaced as well. The first battle of the quarter final of the Sinnoh League was between Ash and Paul and they both looked forward to it, glancing at one another and exchanging looks; expressions which clearly challenged one another, saying that both of them were ready for the deciding match in their Sinnoh region rivalry.
The quarter final match between Ash and Paul was just a couple of days away. Ash, like he'd done so often during these last few days, was training in a secluded clearing a fair distance away from the Pokemon Center. The preparations for his match against Paul were all but complete; with the Pokemon he would be using against his rival chosen by the boy right after he saw his match-up.
A glance around the field was enough to make a smile cross Ash's face. His Pokemon were working hard like they always did, giving it their all during training as well as during battle. After his pre Sinnoh League training, Ash had picked up quite a lot in his approach to the way he trained his Pokemon. Even before that, he followed quite a unique and successful training plan but now, his procedure seemed even more refined.
Ash had figured out exactly the amount of time he should let his Pokemon work out in one go before giving them a rest. This not only helped them be in better shape than normal but their training also proved to be way more fruitful following this new plan.
Ash turned his head towards the road nearby as he heard a faint noise of an engine, probably of a vehicle approaching at a quick pace. He had noted that not many people used this road and hence, he appeared curious to find out who would be passing by. As the black jeep came closer, he saw a very familiar face in the driver's seat.
"Cynthia," Ash thought out loud, anxious where the Sinnoh Champion would be going at this time; it was close to sunset.
However, Ash wasn't the only one who'd noticed it; even Cynthia saw the Pokemon training as well as Ash. Her jeep came to a halt right beside where Ash was standing, the blonde sending a genuine smile across to Ash.
"What are you doing Ash? Still training?" Cynthia asked, still seated.
Ash walked towards Cynthia's jeep and answered. "Yeah. Just refining some moves. Where are you headed? You looked like you were in a hurry."
"Yes, I am!" Cynthia replied and her joyous tone didn't go unnoticed by Ash, who wondered why she seemed so happy. "I'm going to the port to pick up a friend. But I'm running a little late."
Ash raised both his eyebrows for a moment, finally understanding why Cynthia looked in such a rush. "No wonder you were driving so fast."
The Champion held her tongue out of her mouth. "It wasn't that fast. Just a little faster than I normally drive," A curious look made its way to her face as she continued. "You haven't experienced my driving yet, have you?" she questioned, evidently interested in knowing the answer she couldn't quite recollect.
"No, I haven't. But the way I saw you drive just now, something tells me that I would be better off if I didn't," Ash chuckled, intent on teasing Cynthia with his words.
However, Cynthia didn't seem too pleased with it, her smile turning into a pout and her eyes narrowing. Her driving skills were pretty good and she'd been complimented for it many a times from her friends. What Ash told her was just a joke, but recently, Cynthia had been taking almost all of Ash's statements including the ones he meant no rudeness with, to heart. Even she didn't know why because she knew that Ash didn't mean such things seriously but she just couldn't let those things go.
In the few seconds that Cynthia had dazed off, Ash noticed that she was deep in thought. He scratched his cheek with his index finger and sighed; he couldn't believe that Cynthia was concerned over something like that.
"Hey Cynthia, weren't you getting late to reach the port?" Ash brought out the topic, just to get Cynthia's attention.
Snapping out of her train of thoughts in an instant, Cynthia's eyes widened. "Yeah, I shouldn't let my friend wait any longer."
"I'll ride with you sometime soon and maybe..." Ash paused a bit as he saw Cynthia look at him with keen interest.
"And maybe?"
"Maybe you could teach me how to drive too." Ash said
"I'll be glad to be your driving trainer, Ash," Cynthia chimed, beaming at Ash as she prepared to start her jeep again. "I better get going now. I'll see you later!"
"See you!" Ash waved towards Cynthia who'd again picked up the speed she drew here with. He couldn't help but smile lightly at the disappearing figure of Cynthia's jeep that soon, went out of his sight.
The sky was dark; the air was silent while a beautiful full moon completed a perfect night sky. It was the night before the quarter final of the Sinnoh League would begin; the night before Ash would probably be battling his long-time Sinnoh rival for the last time in his journey; at least for the last time in his Sinnoh journey this time around.
In a small clearing away from the stadiums of the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash Ketchum stood silently gazing at the sky. His expression didn't reveal anything he felt at that moment, because there was nothing to show. Ash had cleared his mind of everything; he didn't want to overthink. The boy from Pallet had full faith in the Pokemon he'd chosen to use against Paul the next day but he still believed that Paul would prove to be quite a challenge to him; or so he hoped.
It was unusual….. very unusual that a trainer fighting to win a Pokemon League would want his opponent to give him a tough fight. There were trainers who wanted to have fun while battling and enjoyed the thrills of a Pokemon battle but what Ash wished to happen in his battle with Paul was totally different.
What he felt at that time couldn't be described by him; even he felt confused as to why he would want to do so good. Wanting your opponent to give you a good and worthy fight wouldn't be unusual, be it was almost as if he wanted the battle to go to the wire; like he wanted himself to be pushed to his limit by Paul.
A few sounds behind Ash's back made him snap out of his daze. The raven-haired trainer turned his head around and found Infernape and Sceptile to be having some kind of argument, both of them starting at the other while his other Pokemon watched from the sidelines. He smiled, taking a few quiet steps towards the creatures, which got their attention.
"You guys seem to be having fun." Ash commented upon seeing that Infernape and Sceptile still appeared to be glaring at one another.
"Sceptile!" The fully-evolved form of the Heonn Grass-type starter hushed, turned his back to Infernape and folded his arms, appearing as proud as ever.
"Fernape!" Infernape took a stance, which showed his anger.
Ash took his hat off and sighed. "What happened between them, Darkrai?" Ash questioned to his most wise Pokemon.
'It's a quarrel between the two to decide which one of them is faster. Infernape says that his punches are faster while Sceptile disagrees saying that his jumps help him move faster than Infernape.' The Pitch Black Pokemon explained the reason behind Sceptile and Infernape's disagreement to his trainer.
"I think both you are fast in your own ways." Ash told his two Pokemon in a calm tone. "Instead of discussing about speed, you guys could have talked about the previous Pokemon Leagues I participated in."
Upon the topic conveyed by Ash, most of the Pokemon around visibly appeared to be interested. Expect for Pikachu and Charizard, who'd been with Ash throughout, Sceptile, Infernape, Darkrai and Heatran who hadn't witnessed Ash's battles in all his previous leagues wanted to know how they went down and how their trainer apparently lost after coming close each time. Well, him losing every regional league was pretty easily figured out by the Pokemon since he'd already informed them that he had never won a Pokemon League before.
A smirk made its way on Ash's face as soon as he realized that his Pokemon wanted to know about his past. "Alright, I'll tell you about how I did in the Indigo, Johto and Hoenn Leagues." The amber-eyed boy sat down on the ground and motioned for his Pokemon do to the same, who willingly obeyed their trainer.
"Where to begin?" Ash pondered in thought, leaning on the grass and putting his hands behind his head.
"Pika Piii!" Pikachu exclaimed, jumping beside Ash with a raised index finger.
Ash clicked his finers, as he too agreed to Pikachu's apparent suggestion. "The Indigo League, the first ever Pokemon League I ever participated in."
As Ash started, his Pokemon curiously listening to him with keen interest. Sceptile closed his eyes, Infernape leaned forward, Heatran's eyes opened agape, Pikachu appeared excited too, with only Darkrai, who could contain his excitement and Charizard who'd been through it all, being the only ones retaining their normal expressions.
"In the Indigo League, I was a pretty inexperienced trainer. I only made it to the Top 16 of that League." Ash looked up into the sky once again, smiling as he recalled the events that occurred during that time. "You know, I could've easily made it to the Top 8 at least, or even farther in the Indigo League but a few unfortunate things didn't let me." The trainer stopped hearing his Pokemon's whispers before continuing. "Well, firstly, Team Rocket interfered as always and in getting out of that mess, most of my Pokemon were tired and I only had a few Pokemon to use. But even that shouldn't have stopped me from winning that match against Ritchie. If only…" Ash glanced at Charizard who, knowing what was coming looked the other way with an expression which didn't look as it was too pleasing. Ash tittered and spoke again. "If only I was a good enough trainer to control Charizard at that time, that match was all but mine."
The moment Ash finished his statement, Charizard huffed, closing his eyes and jerking his head upward. It was clear that he was discontent; frustrated but not because Ash mentioned such an embarrassing event for him. But because he was foolish enough to disobey his trainer; more so at such a crucial time. The battle in the Indigo League was probably the easiest he ever had in a Pokemon League and he even blew that chance.
Sitting opposite the Fire-type, Darkrai noticed Charizard's unpleased look and even he couldn't help but be curious about how Ash's last battle at the Indigo League had transpired.
'So, how did you lose, Ash?' The Dark-type asked using telepathy. 'It's clear that it was Charizard's fault but I would like to hear more if you don't mind.' The Legendary Pokemon teased his fellow Pokemon with his comment but his tone became serious when he asked his trainer about details in his royal speech.
"Heeeet!" Heatran, too, showed his interest in the matter.
Seeing his Pokemon reactions, Ash seemed kind of happy. He was glad that his Pokemon wanted to hear about the way his previous outing in the League went and in his mind, he thought that they could learn and know what they should and shouldn't do in the battles that could turn out to be difficult in those latter stages of the League.
"At that point, I think I wasn't a strong enough trainer to control Charizard, who was my strongest Pokemon at the Indigo League. I know that if I could've controlled him, I could have made it much farther in that league."
He explained the reasons for his defeat in the Indigo League to his Pokemon, most of whom looked at Ash with a face which held a little bit of concern. The expression Ash wore while telling them about his first ever League wasn't the happiest and his Pokemon were quick enough to catch on. However, a puff of smoke released from Charizard's nose afterwards lifted everyone's mood as they laughed at the behavior of their friend, even Sceptile and Darkrai couldn't prevent a chuckle from escaping their mouths.
"The next region I travelled through was Johto and there, I entered the Silver Conference." Ash continued his speech, so much dwelled in nostalgia that he didn't even realize that his Pokemon had a good laugh just then. "I made it to the Top 8 there but it was different from the Indigo League. I lost even after giving it my all. If I would've won that match, I had a pretty good chance of winning the entire Silver Conference. Charizard fought with all he had but in the end, I relied on him too much even during the Johto League."
This time, Charizard seemed to have had enough as he stood up and turned the other way, not wanting to respond to any of the stares that were directed towards him from Darkrai, Sceptile, Infernape and Heatran. He soon snorted and flapped his wings once, brewing up a strong air current, just ensuring that he still held the authority even after the revelation of some of the actions that he considered to be embarrassing. He was a dragon after all, and even had the pride of one.
Finally, Ash noticed the stares that were thrown at Charizard and decided to clear things up. "Well, on both occasions, it wasn't Charizard's fault. He just didn't have enough support because I didn't have other Pokemon on the same level as him. " As the trainer saw his Pokemon's gaze softening towards his first Fire-type, Ash now began to tell them about the Hoenn League. "In the Hoenn League, I decided that I would only use the Pokemon I caught in Hoenn and that mistake proved fatal. The quarter final match against Tyson there was also very close, with Pikachu and Tyson's Meowth both putting their last bit of energy in their final attacks but again, I lost by a hair."
It was now time for Pikachu and Sceptile to look away when mentioned about the region they battle most in. Pikachu's ears dropped while Sceptile just tried to ignore everything happening around him, aware that his trainer had finished talking about the previous Pokemon Leagues he participated in.
Abruptly, Ash stood up from the ground, startling all his Pokemon, who looked up at him in utter surprise, oblivious to why he had suddenly risen from his comfortable position.
"But this time, none of those mistakes will be repeated. I will make sure I don't even come close to doing the same things again." He glanced at each of his Pokemon, making them anxious about what was to come their way. "We will win the Sinnoh League but before that, we'll beat Paul and show him how to raise Pokemon!" The tone in which he spoke was serious, containing truth in each word as they left his mouth and resonated through the vicinity.
The declaration of Ash's had successfully got all of his Pokemon's blood pumping as they all roared to show their full support. Infernape sent a shockwave with a Mach Punch, Pikachu ran on all fours and jumped up to sit on Ash's shoulder, Heatran released bits of lava from his mouth while the other three gazed at their trainer with confident smirks on their faces.
"You have got to be careful. Ash is a pretty strong trainer and in the Sinnoh League, he's performing as good as I have seen him battle."
The voice of Reggie, the elder brother of Paul reverberated through the empty room as the trainer turned Pokemon breeder warned his younger brother about the battle against Ash, which was scheduled to begin at 11 am, almost two hours later. The reason Paul had called his brother was to confirm if the Pokemon he'd chosen were the right one or not. That was not like Paul but even he knew that he had to be at his best to defeat this newly transformed Ash, who had been using Pokemon he'd never seen the Pallet Town teenager use before.
Paul let out a snort at the repeated warning that his brother gave him in this long vide call. "I know. He's been good in the league so far."
Reggie smiled at his brother, who even though proud, was wise enough to accept and acknowledge what needed to be. "But I believe in you, Paul. No matter what happens, defeat Ash and then go on to win the Sinnoh League. I will be watching every moment of your next battle with Ash."
"Of course, I plan to do so." He replied with his lips curling into a smile, ever so slightly.
The call ended with a wave from Reggie and Paul didn't waste any time to end the call and walk towards the door. However, when he was just about to silently make his way outside, he saw someone standing near the entrance to the room; and to say he was surprised to see him would be an understatement.
"Are you ready, Paul?"
Paul stopped his march outside the door after the question was thrown at him by his rival and quarter final opponent, Ash Ketchum leaning on the door without his hat, a strange sight for him to see the boy who wore a hat even at night to be seen without his trusty hat.
Paul looked at Ash and replied instantly. "Of course. There wasn't much I needed to do in the first place. Whether my opponent was you or anyone else, my team was already decided before the match-ups were released."
A simper escaped from Ash at Paul's unwavering confidence. He could only deduce that, for better or worse, Paul hadn't changed. But Ash didn't feel too bad about it; except for the trait of Paul where he didn't treat his Pokemon well, the raven-haired boy approved of most of his other qualities even if he was arrogant.
"You haven't changed Paul. You have beaten me quite a few times in Sinnoh. So many times, in fact, that I've lost count. But," His tone changed as he started walking outside alongside Paul. "All those results don't count here. You can fight as hard as you want, but you cannot beat me today."
The purple-haired rival of Ash's raised an eyebrow at Ash's declaration. "You've become quite cocky, haven't you?"
"Is that right?" he mocked. "I never realized that. Maybe, it's you who has become less of an asshole?"
"And what makes you think that?"
"Hmm.. There are many things that have changed about you," Walking outside the building, Ash pondered over Paul's question. "For one thing, you have become calmer and don't run your mouth and go commenting about how pathetic everything around you is. At least, you've stopped badmouthing other too often." He said, keeping his hands in his pockets. "Not that I expect you to completely stop but I've seen a difference in your attitude since I first met you and now."
"You're pathetic if you think that!" Paul retorted, fastening his pace. "Instead of worrying about how I am doing, shouldn't you worry if you are ready to face me? You are the one who's always lost to me, so it should be you who needs to think his plans ten times over!" The vice of the trainer from Veilstone City when he said that seemed irritated as well as louder than usual.
Ash grinned at the response he earned from Paul just then. He noted that another thing about Paul had changed, he never got easily agitated before but now, he did after just a couple of comments from him. But that also made him wonder if what Paul had said was true: that he'd changed.
"But isn't my record in Pokemon League better than yours?" Ash continued his bombardment of taunts; he just couldn't let up and allow this chance to trouble Paul slide. Beside he was having the most fun he'd ever had with Paul around.
"How does that matter?!" Paul almost screamed, halting in his tracks, utterly frustrated.
Ash snickered. "Alright. Nothing matters. But you're still going to lose. There's no way for you to win against me now. I know all of your tricks but you still have no idea of what I can do."
Paul couldn't do anything except glare at Ash for seconds what seemed like a long time. "We'll know that in a few hours."
With those last words, Paul hurried out of Ash's sight. Ash could only scratch his hatless head and ponder if he did a little too much to get Paul heated up. Well, the entire reason that Ash even bothered to talk to Paul right before the game was to aggravate him and try to get the best out of him; not that he expected Paul to hold back either way.
But just as Ash was to turn around and leave, he saw a group of interesting faces heading his way. Dawn, Brock and strangely even Cynthia was with them. But he didn't recognize the fourth member in the group.
The girl with long, wavy blonde hair that reached her waist. She wore a white top with a transparent pink cape along with a fluffy, pale pink hat atop her head. The girl with blue eyes, probably in her late early twenties appeared to be talking with Cynthia as if they knew each other pretty well as the group walked forward and closer to where Ash stood.
"Hey Ash!" Dawn called, being the first to notice the boy as she waved with a grin on her face. "What are you doing here?"
Ash removed his gaze from the unknown girl and started walking towards the group as he heard Dawn's question. "I should be asking you that. Didn't I tell you I would meet you back in the Pokemon Center?"
"It'd been quite a while since you left and we ran into Cynthia and her friend. So, we decided to take a walk." The blunette explained the situation to Ash.
After contemplating what she said, Ash nodded. "I see. So, she's Cynthia's friend."
Finally, the group halted besides Ash. But something that'd not been seen by either Ash nor Dawn suddenly came up. Brock got down on one knee, took Cynthia's blonde friend's hand in his own and again did something that he'd probably forgotten since coming to the Lily of the Valley island.
"O fair lady, would you be kind enough to let me show you some of the love I have filled inside my heart?" Brock requested in his romantic tone, the one he usually used when trying to charm women.
Silence filled the air around the group, who had forgotten what to do in such a situation.
Cynthia wore a weird look on her face as she eventually opened her mouth. "I.. don't think Caitlin is feeling very comfortable right now."
Ash and Dawn both looked at Cynthia's friend, now identified as Caitlin and indeed found out the truth. She appeared to have a confused look on her face, tilting her head slightly. Her lips parted a little as if she didn't know what to say to get out of the situation.
And that was when the miracle saved the girl again. In a bright flash of light, Brock's Croagunk came out of its Pokeball on its own and did its job without any delays. The Poison-Type Pokemon's right fist glowed and it jabbed it into Brock's gut. The tan-skinned breeder was forced to let go of Caitlin's hand as Croagunk dragged him holding on to his trousers.
"Well, that was…. amusing." Cynthia commented on the bizarre event that just took place in front of them.
"Don't mind him. He's kind of crazy when it comes to beautiful girls." Dawn said, clearly embarrassed by the older companion's actions.
Cynthia nodded, letting a loose titter escape her lips at what Dawn said. She had seen Brock act like that a couple of times, even to her. But she didn't pay much mind to that.
"Anyways, Ash," Cynthia called. "You remember I told you I had to pick up a friend from the port two days back when we met?"
His eyes narrowed, Ash thought about it and instantly remembered. "Yeah, I remember. You mean she is that friend?"
"Yes, this is Caitlin," Cynthia pointed her hand graciously at her friend. "She's one of the Unova Elite Four."
At the mention of Caitlin being one of the Unova Elite Four, expressions showing shock appeared on Ash as well as Dawn's face. They just thought that Caitlin might be an ordinary friend of Cynthia's but it was now confirmed that it was impossible for Sinnoh's Champion to have ordinary friends. All of them who the duo of Ash and Dawn knew of Cynthia's friend was someone either from the Elite Four or a high official of the Pokemon League like the President, Charles Good show. It even made Dawn think if she could be called Cynthia's friend, while no such thought of confusion passed through Ash's mind. To Ash, Cynthia had become a really close friend and he believed that she thought of him the same way.
"And Caitlin, this is Ash. I've told you about him." Cynthia introduced Ash to Caitlin.
The raven-haired trainer decided to act like a gentleman. He offered Caitlin his hand and greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Caitlin."
The newly arrived friend of Cynthia's and also the member of the Unova Elite Four shook Ash's hand and smiled. "Likewise, Ash. I've been looking forward to meeting you since a few days now. Cynthia has been mentioning you quite a bit in our conversations these past few days."
"She has?" Ash asked with a snicker. "I wonder why?"
Caitlin's response was instantaneous. "Yes, I wondered that too, but I think I may have a clue as to why."
The blonde from Unova came ever so closer to Ash before turning around to look at Cynthia. She winked at her and leaned towards Ash's face, whispering a few words in his ear.
Ash's eyes widened at the words she'd just spoken to him. He blinked, then looked at Cynthia with his lips curling to the right. "I had no idea you thought of me that way, Cynthia."
Caitlin retreated a few steps back and smirked at the Champion of Sinnoh. "I was quite surprised when she told me about it too," she said, patting Cynthia on the shoulders. "But don't worry, Ash, she only feels that way because she holds you in high regard."
"What did you just say to him?" Cynthia glared at Caitlin, placing a hand on her hip.
"Something that you were too afraid to tell him," Caitlin retained the smirk as she playfully nudged her friend's shoulder.
"You!" Cynthia's eyes narrowed.
Dawn could only look at the two older blondes in stupor. She had no idea what had just happened. "What's happening, Ash?"
Ash glanced at Cynthia and Caitlin before looking at Dawn, and sighed. He shook his head before smiling slightly at Dawn. "It's nothing, Dawn. Forget it."
Ash could only scratch his forehead. The way Caitlin was acting, maybe, he shouldn't take her words to heart. She appeared to be joking around, looking at how she was teasing Cynthia. But Cynthia's apparent defensiveness at the act made him think otherwise.
"Cynthia is afraid you'll get stronger and take her place as the Champion of Sinnoh, so she's trying to keep an eye on you. Don't let your guard down around her."
Those words that Caitlin had whispered to him reminded him that he'd met and spent time with Cynthia a lot in the past few days. But that couldn't have been true. This was Cynthia, after all: the youngest ever trainer to become a Regional Champion and currently considered to be one of the strongest trainers in the world. There was no reason for her to give a trainer like him any mind at all. Even beyond that though, he felt good around her. Was this because she was the Champion? That was one of the reasons, yes, but his gut told him that it wasn't all.
After the remaining hours passing by seemingly quickly, it was finally time for the long awaited, first match of the quarter final of the Lily of the Valley island to get underway. The massive stadium was full of people, the tickets being sold out well before the match day. Amongst the crowd, in one part of the stadium comfortably seated were Dawn, Brock along with Delia and Professor Oak.
On the ground, Ash and Paul stood on opposite ends of the field, ready to commence the battle at any moment. They both had serious looks on their faces; they both realized that this was it. This was their chance to advance to the semi-finals of a League for the first time, a feat which neither of them had achieved in their careers as Pokemon trainers.
"This quarter final battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Paul from Veilstone City will now begin." The referee began the formalities. "It will be a six-on-six battle and both the trainers are allowed to substitute Pokemon at any time. Paul gets the first move." Like always, the man in the middle of the battlefield raised both the flags at once and announced. "Begin!"
As told by the referee, Paul tossed his Pokeball on the field first. As soon as it hit the ground on his side, it snapped open and his first Pokemon came out, revealing itself to be a massive, green, turtle like Pokemon.
"Torterra, standby for battle!" Paul shouted after throwing the ball on his field.
"Tor terraaaa!" Paul's fully evolved starter Pokemon roared as loud as it could, announcing its arrival on the field.
At the sight of Paul's Torterra, Ash was a bit surprised. He knew that Torterra was Paul's starter and one of his strongest Pokemon, if not the strongest. Hence, he didn't expect him to use it so soon in the match. It was as if Paul expected a repeat of what happened at Lake Acuity.
"So, you want to start strong, do you?" Ash threw his own Pokemon on the field and calmly said. "Torkoal, I choose you!"
"Torkoaaaal!" The Hoenn-native Fire-type shouted his name upon freeing himself from the Pokeball.
Just then, something that everyone least expected happened; Paul called his Torterra back in its Pokebal, taking everyone by surprise. Tactically, it wasn't a wrong move but the timing of it was surprising. Without even trying to fight, just to check whether he could win at a type disadvantage or not, Paul had retreated and recalled his Grass-type Pokemon back.
"That was quite a move by Paul. Before I even got to introduce you to our commentary team for today's match, Paul had made a huge move that could affect the battle hugely!" The MC shouted in a clearly shocked voice. "Now, before Paul makes any more of such mind blowing moves, let me welcome out special commentators for the quarter finals : From the Sinnoh Elite Four, Flint – The Fire-type expert and Lucian – the Psychic type specialist. And to accompany the two gentlemen in the commentary box will be the beautiful princess and Elite Four member from Unova, Caitlin, another Psychic-type specialist."
Right after the MC spoke of the three Elite Four members, the entire crowd erupted and all their gazes left the battlefield and turned towards the commentary. Another huge roar left the crowd when it was confirmed that the commentator wasn't lying; the three big shots that he just mentioned were indeed seated in the box and displayed on the huge screen.
The crowd just cheered for the Elite Four for a few moments before they finally realized that they had come to watch the battle, not the commentators. Their gazes returned to the battlefield where a slightly confused referee was made to stop Paul from releasing his next Pokemon.
"Resume the battle!" he exclaimed.
On queue, Paul who'd been ready with his second Pokeball for ages grunted before releasing his second Pokemon for the match. "Gastrodon, stand by for battle!" In a flash of light, now, Paul's Gastrodon took its position on its trainer's side, yelling its name once like all others.
"It's ironic." Ash said in an amused tone. "Something very similar happened in our battle at Lake Acuity as well. That time, I was the one on the defensive and this time it's you."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't recall Torterra because I thought it might lose to your Torkoal just because of a type disadvantage. I just have a particular time in mind to use it." Paul retorted in his usually cold voice.
"Let's see if that ploy works. Torkoal, start off with Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.
The Coal Pokemon gaped open his mouth, summoning red hot flames from his belly. In the very next moment, Torkoal fired a jet of red-orange flames towards his opponent, Gastrodon, who didn't move in the slightest.
Paul saw the incoming Flamethrower and tried to counter. "Gastrodon, use Muddy Water!"
Gastrodon released spiraling brown water from its body and just before the Flamethrower hit it, the Water and Ground-type let the stream of Muddy Water crash into the Flamethrower. Smoke arose at the collision of opposite types, concealing the condition of Paul's Gastrodon.
I know, I know, this chapter didn't contain a lot of action. But, this is a really significant chapter as far as plot goes. I went through the previous couple of chapters before starting this one and I noticed that the rhythm of the story would be off if the battle between Ash and Paul too soon. Of course, all the event in this chapter are no filler, they are pretty relevant in the upcoming chapters; well at least, most of them.
What kind of plot are Team Plasma planning? Who knows.
A few questions were asked in the reviews so I'll answer them here :
Q1. Is there gonna be romance with Cynthia?
A. Do I really need to say?
Q2. How will romance between Ash and Cynthia work when they choose different paths?
A. I don't know, honestly.
Q3. Will Ash go to Unova and Kalos in this fic? Will Tobias have more than just Darkrai and Latios?
A. Yeah, he will go to Unova, that's for sure. I plan on taking him to Kalos too, but it might conflict with the "Prince of Kalos" story I have. Besides, it's still far away so no need to worry about Kalos yet. About Tobias' Pokemon, I can't reveal them just yet. He may have one or two more or he may not. Either way, revealing that now would just take the fun away.
Again, sorry for the long wait. I will try to finish and publish the next chapter ASAP!
I hope you were pleased with the chapter and enjoyed it! See you guys next time!