A Legend's Journey
Hello my fellow readers, I'm back!
*After the egg barrage finishes*
Okay I deserved that. And yes, a year without any news about my well being or about the future of my stories is too much. But before anyone starts ranting on why I haven't updated in a long while (yes, I repeat almost a year) well what exactly did you expect considering the new quarantined biohazard world we live in? I'm truly sorry for the late update but considering the whole Coronavirus has kept me very occupied due to me being a NURSE! So instead of constant PMs complaining about not having updates you should be thankful I am still around and healthy enough to write some more. Luckily for you, I've been playing Pokemon Emerald during my free time to see if I could get my mojo back. It seems it has returned but don't get too excited. It usually leaves faster than it arrives.
Now onto more pressing matters considering the Pokemon Anime, Ash has FINALLY caught a Dragonite, a Gengar and a freaking Riolu! A Mr Mime and Galarian Farfetch'd too but… meh. I can't believe I've had to wait ages until such a prophetic event to happen. I don't know for how long I'll be able to enjoy this until the writers ruin it but I sure will. Fun fact; with this particular set of Pokemon Ash now has all the 18 types with Gengar his Ghost-type (the one from the Indigo League doesn't count) and Mr Mime both Psychic and Fairy. I can't wait to see what else the Anime brings. The new 8th Gen has brought a lot of cool Pokemon designs…and not so good Attack on Titan forms. And if you are wondering, NO, Dynamax and Gigantamax aren't going to appear in my stories. If I didn't include Megas then I'm not making an exception here. But if you haven't read or if I didn't write it, some Mega or Dynamax designs will appear later on as probably Alolan or Galarian versions of certain Pokemon.
By the way, I've been doing a re-writing of "Unexpected Twist" adding more details, which will be prominently featured during this very long sequel. So do check it out if you don't want to be taken off guard by what's going to happen here. Also a small rewrite of "Champions of Sinnoh" in the hopes of getting the flow back on it.
If you are also one of my DBZ fans then sadly most of those stories are going through a re-write too, as I need to fix a lot of mistakes.
Here's an important question, would you like Lorelei's and Cynthia's mothers to appear and get frisky with Ash? If so, suggest me on the reviews which lady from another Anime I could include to be as their mothers. I don't want to include other ladies from the Pokemon Anime (mostly the one-time appearances) but if those are hot enough then I might do it.
Seriously, only the fourth chapter and it's even LONGER than the last one. More than 15k words. I know I started adding a lot more details since the beginning but come on! Even I can't believe how much I can write. My fingers actually hurt. So please don't complain if a paragraph is incomplete. There are so many words going around that mistakes are just inevitable.
Do leave a Review if you enjoy the chapter, it greatly motivates me to write some more specially if you are feeling so desperate.
There's nothing more to say, let's dive right in!
Chapter 4: Secrets among Champions
"You are up Machop!" A man's voice called out his Pokemon, the creature bursting out in the open field. It resembled a humanoid young boy although with blue skin and a bit more muscle mass than a human youngster could ever develop at such age.
Standing on the opposite side of the clearing was our favorite black-haired trainer from Kanto at the ready, his Pokemon already sent out. Ash's Pokemon was a bipedal feline-looking Pokemon, its body covered in bluish black fur with a red feather as her left ear and three matching feathers as her tail. The hands and feet were of two digits with very sharp-looking claws. Its menacing red-colored eyes were glaring maliciously at the opponent. This Pokemon was Sneazel, a Dark/Ice type Pokemon native from Johto and was one of Ash's most recent traded Pokemon a few days ago after his victory against the Gym leader Roxanne.
For the last two days, the trainer from Kanto had spent most of his time getting to know his two newcomers, the other one waiting inside a Pokeball. He had decided to send back both Muk and Kingler to the Professor Oak's ranch to have more time to concentrate on his newest members of the team. After putting them through a training test to see how well they worked and to see the moves they already knew, the seasoned trainer deemed them to be ready enough to start fighting. After they proved their strength in battle, Ash would have them start the more serious exersises the rest of his partners did on a daily basis.
As such, the Aura trainer had found himself outside of Rustboro City attempting to find some wild Pokemon for his two traded Pokemon to start practicing their skills. Random encounters with the skittish variety of Oddish, and status-inducing Shroomish proved somewhat fruitful in helping his starting Pokemon. However, he had ended up been challenged by a passing trainer. Ash decided to accept the challenge as a trained Pokemon may give his own more combat experience than a wild one. The challenger of the day was a lanky man dressed in a white karate gi with a red bandana tied over his forehead. He also went bare feet.
Apparently the man was some sort of martial arts fighter calling himself black belt Hoi. Seriously, he just outright said he was named or was nicknamed black belt. What kind of name or title is that? Even if he was that good of a fighter it definitely didn't sound unique enough to be remembered. Probably all of the Fighting-type themed Gym Leaders and Elite Four had their own black belt in one or two branches of martial arts. Ash could train just like him earn his own belt and then become Ash 'Black Belt' Ketchum.
The black-haired teenager grinned. He still prefered the 'Dragon Slayer' moniker he came up with a few weeks ago.
Uncaring about Ash's thoughts the martial artist got ready. He knew he was going against a League winner, yet it seemed so obvious that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Seriously, sending out a four-time weak Pokemon against his own Fighting type. The quality of trainers must have plummeted big time if such a guy could claim victory in an official League. "Machop, end this with Cross Chop!" Unknowing of Ash's dilemma, the fighter ordered his first command. The Fighting-type charged forward, both of his forearms in front of him in an X-formation while glowing white.
Ash grinned his focus back on the game. Many would consider him crazy for sending out a Pokemon with dual weakness to Fighting moves. But he hadn't fought so many battles without learning a few things. The most important one been that the type of the attack meant nothing if the attack never hit.
"Attract!" Sneazel winked her left eye, a barrage of glowing hearts racing towards the high-speed incoming Machop hitting him without missing, his momentum leaving him way too close to the Ice-type Pokemon. The native Pokemon of Kanto ceased his offence immediately now his eyes switched with hearts while looking droopily and drooling a bit towards the opponent.
"Sword Dance and follow through with Metal Claw!" Sneazel crossed her hands, an air vacuum creating around her enshrouding her frame in red colors. With her attack double amplified, the Pokemon from Johto charged forward her clawed hands shining in metallic luster. With a series of blurring slashes, Sneazel let loose her volley of attacks, the Fighting type Pokemon never even attempting to fight back due to its status. One final slash made Machop crash into a tree back first, his eyes as swirls and a lot of bleeding cuts over his body.
The martial artist recalled his defeated Pokemon with a stern look. That'd been just luck! Just the luckiest chance! He would not be taken off guard a second time.
"Mankey, you are up!" Another Fighting Pokemon from Kanto appeared in the battlefield. It was bipedal with the body of a monkey but with the facial features of a pig with a long tail coming from its rear covered entirely in beige fur.
Ash recalled his Ice-type Pokemon smiling after such an easy victory. Such was the disadvantage of having one-gender Pokemon line. They were extremely weak to tactic many would consider cheap or even shabby. But that wasn't Ash' business. It was time to go two-for-two. His new Pokeball enlarged at the ready.
"Let's go Vulpix!" In a flash of white the Fox Pokemon materialized. However, this wasn't the same red-furred Fire-type fox Pokemon native of Kanto. This one had glittering fur almost the purest of white as fresh snow, which looked even shinier by the reflecting of the sunlight. The tuff of fur at the top of the head matched the rest, although the fur of the paws was of a cyan color. Its entire body looked like it was made of ice.
"What in the actual hell is that?!" The Karate fighter blurted out in utter confusion. That definitely didn't fit the Pokedex depiction of Vulpix unless it was a shiny.
"It's just my Vulpix. Although apparently in Alola they are Ice type." The League Champion answered unconcernedly of displaying his new rarest Pokemon. At least rare for these regions of the world.
"Another Ice type, seriously?" The martial artist comented with a contemptuous voice and a shake of head. "And I heard rumors that you were some sort of powerful trainer, who has never been bested in combat." Ash raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Did this guy seriously not know what had transpired in the Silver Conference? He shook his head. Looking back, the League winner really shouldn't be too angry and instead very happy for not been considered a big deal yet. Unwarranted attention on him meant placing his massive family at danger, particularly of poachers. And not the second-hand wannabes like the one the Sceptile family took down weeks ago. Now Ash meant the real deal of illegal inter-regional trading organizations, people who actually knew how to command Pokemon in battle.
Ash would cross that bridge when it was truly necessary.
"Considering Sneazel already took out one of your Pokemon with ease, I wouldn't look down on my Pokemon," Ash commented folding his arms across his chest smirking triumphantly. "But ranting is apparently the only way you can hurt them, so knock yourself out."
The comment didn't sit well with the martial artist, "Use Karate Chop!" The Monkey Pokemon shot forward with his left three-digit paw coming alight again in white coloration. Again the trainer from Kanto patted himself in the back for that strategy. So many trainers had an inflated ego. Especially those who believed themselves to be already Elite by specializing in one type only. As his lover had explained to him, becoming a single type specialist required more than just catching Pokemon of that type, and that was not always necessary. Lorelei had a Slowbro, a Water/Psychic Pokemon, and yet because it could learn Ice moves she was in the clear.
It was obvious this 'black belt' was just one of those simple-minded trainers who believed everything was as he saw it. If you had type advantage then you should instantly be declared the winner of the battle.
"Secret Power!" Ash commanded his counter. His dual-type Pokemon's cerulean eyes started glowing in pink colors, her front paws stomping the bare soil. Around the incoming Fighting-type Pokemon purple vines erupted into presence, lashing out wildly. Mankey was forced to a halt having to fold his arms across his body as the vines whipped him around making him groan in pain. A few seconds later the vines receded leaving a drunkard-looking Monkey Pig Pokemon.
"Get moving Mankey!" The black belt commanded, not wanting to be handed a second defeat to an Ice-type. He was to specialize in one type like his idol Bruno did. How was he going to honor him by having his ass handed to him by a Pokemon with type disadvantage? Yet his only response was a loud snore as Mankey's tilted frame revealed his new status condition.
On the other side of the field Ash smiled. Secret Power was quite a unique move, which side effect depended on the terrain the Pokemon using it was battling in. And by the looks of the swaying Pokemon, grassy field was sleep inducing. The raven-haired trainer sighed to his inside. Lucky shot it was that this Mankey didn't have Vital Spirit as his ability.
"End this with Fairy Wind!" The Alolan Pokemon widened its maw, a gust of mighty glittery wind escaping at high velocity. The sleeping Pokemon was sent careening back into a tree, coincidentally the same one his fallen comrade had been shoved into just a few minutes ago covered in a lot of bruises by the super effective move.
"I guess I forgot to tell him that Vulpix is also a Fairy type," Ash mentally remarked to himself. The teenager merely shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well silly me."
"Great job Vulpix." The Aura trainer scratched his new Pokemon's head, earning a happy nuzzle in response. The Aura trainer saw the black belt trainer recalling his knocked-out Pokemon before walking away without any further banter. Talk about another sore loser.
After recalling his Ice Pokemon, Ash casually walked away from the clearing back into the city checking his Pokedex to see his battle money transfer, his fully-evolved starter walking by his side. The electric-type Pokemon had been on the sidelines, apparently snoring to anyone none the wiser, looking completely uninterested at the battles that had taken place a few minutes ago. But the Lightning Pokemon had kept his eye out for the battles gauging the two 'green' Pokemon of the team. As the most seasoned one in combat experience, Raichu had a knack for finding out the weak spot in the moves a Pokemon used. And with his trainer having such a unique translator, voicing his opinion for further improvement was a great help for Ash.
"Not too bad for their first official battle with a new trainer, especially with type disadvantage," Raichu commented walking alongside his trainer. He shook his body, a cloud of brilliant pixy dust escaping from his orange and brown fur. "Although Vulpix could definitely tone down the glitter." It seemed to be a common feature among Fairy types to expel glitter.
Ash smiled towards his starter's comment, thinking. While he knew that his two traded Pokemon were already strong, sending them out right away against type disadvantage with minimal preparation was a tactic that had came out of the left field solely because of their status-inducing moves. The two brand new members of the team would have definitely gone down without a second thought if the opponents had gotten close enough to land a single blow. Luckily their training sessions to start soon enough would help cover that blind spot of them.
The fact his two brand-new Pokemon were Ice-type also wasn't lost to the Kantonian man. Was someone from above trying to send him a message or was it just a one happy coincidence? Anyhow, he still wanted to contact his ice-themed lover. However, the Pokemarts he had visited over the city, while obtaining a set of evolutionary stones and a few more interesting objects he would try out later at quite a sweet price, held no Pokenav Plus. Either the Marts run out of stock incredibly fast, odd due to how expensive that gadget had to be or maybe because it was still not out for sell. Which again was even odder because the main manufacturer Devon Corporation resided at the center of the city.
As the raven-haired trainer walked back to the Pokemon Centre through the rather empty streets of Rustboro, his sight came across a small party of kids. Half a dozen huddled around a middle-aged man dressed in quite an expensive suit with a winning smile.
"Can you say stranger danger?" Raichu commented towards his trainer with a snicker. Ash grinned to the comment, moving closer to the group to see what had everyone's undivided attention. He noticed that trainers, and apparently coordinators by their colorful outfits, also edged closer. The League Champion took notice that the man was holding up what looked like a melted purple ice cream coop. Although by the looks of it, it had a plastic solid consistency and was not actually just thawing grape-flavored dessert.
"This children, is called Black Sludge," The man explained to the amassed group of children and teenagers alike. "And it is said that only Poison-type Pokemon that hold it during battle can use it to restore their health. However, all other types will instead take damage from it, including Steel-type Pokemon." The gaggle of youngsters looked in awe at the rather not very impressive battle gadget.
Meanwhile on the sidelines, Ash raised an eyebrow in disbelief. A Steel type affected by anything Poison-related? Now that was a long stretch of thought. He would pay a pretty penny to bear witness such a baffling concept.
"Does it work with all Poison types?" A male trainer standing next to Ash asked eagerly. "Or does it only work on double-type Pokemon?" The man had an Ekans by his side so his eagerness was understandable.
The old man rubbed the back of his head innocently. The League winner felt a shift in the man's aura.
"Well, it hasn't been tested yet so who knows?" The elder man said rather sheepishly, making everyone, Ash and Raichu included; fall on their back Anime style. Soon the mood turned one eighty, the mesmerized kids and the interested trainers walking away murmuring about the waste of time it had been the whole show.
Ash, however, noticed how cheery the man looked despite the lackluster performance of his invention.
"You sure don't let a bad review keep you down, do you?" The raven-haired trainer commented getting closer to the elder man. His reply was a heartful chuckle.
"All of us need a wake up slap from time to time, my boy. Otherwise, how can we stay at top of creativity?" The man said sagely, putting away his last gadgets inside his duffle bag. Ash could not dispute that truth in the least. He wouldn't have reached this far if certain red-haired Elite beauty hadn't knocked some sense into him back when he was still fresh out of his defeat.
The sound of car brakes came from behind Ash, who turned around to marvel at the sight of a fancy limo parking up. A bulky man dressed in a suit and black shades walked out, talking to the Bluetooth earpiece on his right ear. He made a beeline towards the inventor disregarding the teen and his Pokemon.
"Mr. Stone, we've been looking all over for you." The apparent bodyguard said with a very decisive tone, obviously not liking to be ditched by his own boss, who he was supposed to protect.
"Alright, alright. Jeez, can't an old man catch a break from his own company?" The apparent VIP person commented downtrodden picking up his bag. As he sat on the back seat of the car, however, the apparent VIP person turned his sight towards the still lingering black-haired trainer with his electric starter, an idea popping up.
"Excuse me young man, I know a trainer like you must be on a tight schedule," The man commented garnering Ash's undivided attention. "But if you could I wouldn't mind having a neutral review for some of my other inventions." An elevated eyebrow framed Ash's face.
His mother and his father used to say to not go with strangers. But neither of them had a lie detector ingrained within their minds like their son did. And the old man was been honest, even if common sense would say otherwise to anyone in Ash's position. However a subtle gesture towards his Electric starter and a mind talk with Lugia told them to be on guard.
"Um, sure I guess," Ash said with a shrug of shoulders. The teenager from Kanto and his Raichu comfortably sat on the backseat of the expensive car. "But where exactly are we going?" The car's engine started taking the group of four away.
Meanwhile Ash had new thoughts running through his brain. "Stone? Where did I hear that name before?" The League Champion asked to himself in remembrance. Didn't Lory and Cynthia mention about someone they knew with their last name Stone?
"You WHAT?!" The League winner blurted out, as he walked alongside the elder man through a narrow corridor inside the lab sector of Devon Corporation. Never in a million years, would Ash have thought of setting foot inside such a prestigious company. And yet here he was leisurely meandering inside the famous company accompanied by none other than its very CEO.
The old man chuckled by the boy's reaction. Not many believed at first sight that such a laid back old man was in reality quite a powerful and influential one. "Like I said Ash, I am the CEO and one of the main researchers in Devon." He flashed a cheeky grin to the teenager. "But isn't that the best disguise? Hiding at plain sight?" Again, the League winner couldn't refute such truth. So many times he had used his Legendary Pokemon in public settings and yet no one had caught wind of his actions.
A man in a lab coat walked pass the old man and teenager looking or attempting to look as inconsequential as he could. But not for Ash and his inner power of aura. The man's bubbling emotions betrayed his nondescript looks and stoic demeanors.
"Here it is!" Mr. Stone said happily bringing Ash's musing about the strange man to a halt. They had walked across a slide door, a great piece of machinery standing in front of them. Maroon liquid bubbled inside two Buchner funnels atop of two Petri dishes. Two small rocks with fossilized remains rested under the glassware almost like if waiting for a single drop of the fluid to fall on top of them. Ash immediately recognized the stones as the Hoenn native Fossils, Root and Claw. From them, you could restore a Cradily and an Anorith respectively.
"I don't know if you are familiar with the FRM," The elder man stated, with quite a lot of pride in his tone, "It's short for Fossil Restoration Machine." He soon commented beating the visiting young man to the punch. While the other regions had developed their own methods to bring ancient Pokemon back to life, Mr Stone could always hold his chin up knowing his company had been the first of their kind.
Ash and his Raichu looked at the gurgling viscous fluid in wonder. Despite his not-so-friendly encounter with the ancient Pokemon of Kanto back in Grandpa Canyon, the trainer couldn't deny that getting one of them would have been quite a great powerhouse to have in the Indigo League. After all, those Kabutops and Omastars had somehow survived a combination of Thunderbolt from Pikachu and Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf, despite been weak to both types. And let's not talk about the cursed Aerodactyl! He had been the sole reason for Charmeleon's evolution after quickly dispatching the disobedient Fire Pokemon with a Rock Blast attack. Considering at the time, the Fire starter had been Ash's strongest Pokemon then forcing him to evolve meant the Fossil Pokemon held a lot of hidden might. And that wasn't to mention what the restored Pokemon from the other regions could bring.
Too bad that Jigglypuff had to cut the fight short with her annoying song. That would have been a real earth-shaking battle for his Charizard.
As Ash mused down in memory lane, the CEO brought one of the newest gadgets up from inside a cabinet. Still a prototype, it could be considered the next step in Pokemon training inside the virtual world that Devon Corp had created with the sole purpose of augmenting the exciting reality that trainers lived day by day. And it would be quite the sellout for those civilians, who had never had any interest in becoming pokemon trainers themselves.
"What's that?" The black-haired Pokemon master asked curiously at the black-single-lens reality augmenter.
The elder man placed the thick visor over Ash's eyes completely sealing away his vision. "And with this visor Ash, you can check out the latest batch of artificial Pokemon we have been designing, a group of Pokemon solely created to function within our own virtual world," Mr Stone said cheerfully while red flags were raised in Ash's mind, who hastily unstrapped the contraption. The CEO kept talking undisturbed. "In fact, we might stop calling them Pokemon all together and call them Digi…"
He was instantly handed the visor back by a rather scared and shuddering teenager.
"Sorry Mr Stone, but the last time someone asked me to test out an 'artificial' Pokemon, I ended up having a seizure attack." Ash commented shivering in remembrance. That fateful day he had met Porygon was still much imprinted in his mind. He didn't hold it against the Computer Pokemon considering it had been Team Rocket's fault for attacking them with those rockets, pun not intended. And yes, one could say his Pikachu at the time had been partly responsible considering his Thunderbolt had made the rockets explode therefore starting the multi-colored flashy scenery to trigger the seizure.
But with the alternative consisting of been hit by rockets and end up dead inside the virtual world, then a few seconds of spasms was a little price to pay.
"That's too bad my boy," The man replied putting the gadget away. He would not put someone's health in jeopardy just to have a field test for an experiment. "And sadly the dream machine we based on Musharna's ability is still not operative," The Company leader rubbed his chin going down the list of many inventions, either ready or in development. "And we no longer produce the Poke-translator after my son Steven proved how unreliable it was."
Ash's eyes widened in shock. Did he just say 'his son Steven?' The one and only….
Alarms started blaring across the facility, quickly turning the peaceful-looking lab into a red-tinted danger zone.
"What's going on?!" The teenager asked in worry. Alarms were never good omen. Dreadful memories of the St Anne's capsize were vividly coming back to the trainer from Kanto and his Electric starter. A man in a lab coat ran up to the CEO, panting a bit by the heavy sprint he must have taken.
"Mr. President, a thief has taken all of the research!" A scientist exclaimed between gasps of air. His sight turned to the trainer not knowing if he should say any further. "The confidential one." That brought even more alarms inside the president's mind, if his ghastly visage was anything to go by.
"Do you know where he went?!" That information couldn't be taken by anyone with ill intentions. It was going to be breakthrough in space research and development that his company would make alongside the Mossdeep Space center and the main investor and provider of the info, a company from Alola.
"Last we knew, security reported he was heading to the top floor." The man replied. He hadn't finished his sentence when Ash had already sped away, his starter along. He might not know what was so important but anyone that dared to attack innocent was already in his black list. Ignoring the elevator and running up the stairs mustering as much of his aura as he could to speed up. The teenager didn't know if he should pat himself in the back for a good job or berate himself with "I-told-you". Ever since first catching wind of an organization up to no good back in Oldale town, Ash had started a mental countdown until his journey would come into collision course with them.
Soon trainer and Pokemon had reached the roof of the building, the apparent thief dressed in a lab coat, black shades and a blue bandana with and odd symbol atop of his head. He was making a call with his Pokegear standing close to the edge. The door slammed shut behind Ash and Raichu, alerting the burglar of the trainer's presence. His call was cut short as he drew a Pokeball to his hand.
"Foolish boy, team Aqua will soon rule all of the oceans in the world!" The man replied in a haughty tone, grabbing the lab coat and getting rid of it. His under attire consisted of a dark blue trousers with black-and-white striped muscle shirt.
"Did these guys always sound as generic villains?" Ash asked bemused to himself. Maybe team Rocket, or at least the three stooges had been flamboyant and obnoxious like they were his personal cartoon archenemies. The Aura trainer didn't know if this particular Aqua team would follow the same trend or it was just this cannon fodder the big boss had sent to be quickly discarded if need came to be.
"Crawdaunt, Water Pulse!" The man tossed the Pokeball, bursting open. A big lobster-like Pokemon appeared with two heavy pincers for arms, and dark crimson armored shell. Both pincers aimed forward, the orb of high-pressure water amassed in seconds and was flung at high speed.
High speed for anyone but Ash and his Raichu.
"Raichu, send it back with Iron Tail!" The fully-evolved starter front flipped with his long limb covered in steel. The sphere of swirling water was swiftly returned to sender, smacking the Rogue Pokemon in the face and sending him backwards towards the thief. However, Ash wasn't going to let the man get a respite now. "Thunder Wave!" Lightning cracked up around Raichu, unleashed at blinding speed and hitting the Water-Dark type Pokemon dead on. The following shockwave sent the robber skidding backwards, close to the edge of the building.
Uncaring of his Pokemon's condition the man pulled out a metallic box from his lab pocket, the gadget opening and revealing its true purpose shaping into a rocket-propelled glider. The robber knew he had to cut his looses and pull out. All for the great Archie and the glory of Team Aqua. The engine started blasting the robber into the sky.
The Aura trainer gazed at the escaping air-bound man, not paying any attention to the fact Mr Stone had already caught up to him, panting a lot after running up the stairs. Ash was not very concerned if the stupid man suffered a great fall by what was about to happen. If this idiot dared hurt innocent then no law would punish Ash for putting the man in his place. "Raichu, bring him down with Thunde…" The trainer's command was cut short when a beam of silvery energy bursted from the streets going for the escaping thief. The apparent Flash Cannon hit bullseye in the glider's engine making it jerk wildly.
A chuckle escaped from the CEO's mouth took Ash off guard by how happy he now looked. "As always the cavalry arrives in the nick of time to make a grandiose entrance."
The Aqua grunt had to hastily aim his device down less he wanted to end up as a bloody smear in the pavement after falling fom the high altitude. Once he reached ten feet of height, he let go the mechanical contraption soon exploding. The shockwave sped up his descent and askew in a very bad angle. His right leg took the full force, cracking the ankle, shin bone and thigh bone in pieces making him tumble in pain in the middle of the street. The Aqua grunt despite his unbearable pain couldn't help but grin. He was a survivor, one that would thrive in the new water world the great Archie would create for all, who followed in his wise words.
The shadow that covered him should have clued him in that the only world he would be going to was pain world.
The man standing in front of him was an intimidating six-foot tall with metallic light blue hair and matching set of eyes. He was dressed in a green vest with an orange shirt underneath, cakey pants and thick trekking boots. Overall, he resembled a spelunker. Next to his left leg was a small quadruped Pokemon with four stubby legs and its body was covered in silver and black metal plates. Definitely the one who had brought him down with the Steel type move. By the looks on their faces, neither human or Pokemon were very pleased by this robber.
"I have my first day off in over a month and some idiotic punk decides to mess with my DAD of all people," The young man said gnashing his teeth in anger, looking down at the despicable man, who was shivering under the murderous glare, "You are going to regret this!" The man bellowed and turned his glare towards his Steel Pokemon. "Aron, Iron Head!" The tiny Pokemon charged forward at speeds belying his size, its plated head glowing in pure white light. The devastating attack hit the robber straight on the sternum, with the following of a sickening noise of something cracking and a cry of agony courtesy of the Aqua grunt.
The Aura trainer recalled his Pidgeot after a quick hover trip to the ground alongside Mr Stone and Raichu. Just a few feet away stood the lanky presence of a mighty trainer, his back turned to them as he gazed down at the writhing thief in despair. The squad of Officer Jennys soon came into the crime scene, making a perimeter around the man twitching in pain and the cyan-haired trainer.
The winner of the Silver Conference, however, only had his undivided attention focused in one particular person accompanied by an Aron.
"Steven." Ash called out in shock. The silver-haired man turned around smiling at the Kantonian trainer.
"Call me Steve. I'm not that old to be called Mister Stone yet." The cyan-haired Steel-type expert of the Hoenn region casually commented as a small crowd started gathering. Many camera flashes suddenly going off were nothing new to the regional Champion.
"Hey, I'm not that old!" The company CEO said faking an outrage. However his smile in seeing his son again was not lost to anyone looking.
Ash couldn't believe it. He was standing right in front of the Champion of the Hoenn region. He had met Cynthia up close and personal but just like her, Steven was no laughing matter. He had been the Champion for the last four years after taking the title from Wallace with a team of Rock and Steel-type Pokemon despite the former Champion having a powerful team of Water types. This was usually not the case as regional Champions, unlike the Elite Four, didn't need to form a circle of advantage-disadvantage between one another. But for a trainer, who had come out of nowhere and prevailed despite having such a glaring type disadvantage was truly inspirational for many.
A few minutes had passed, in which the Officer Jennys took everyone' statement and the apparent Aqua grunt was taken to the hospital under police escort. The chaotic events in the streets had drawn a lot of attention from the pedestrians. However more soon popped up, including reporters when the news that the regional Champion was in the area. Cameras flashed around Ash, bringing back to him old memories of his victory in the Silver Conference. He was glad he hadn't sent out any of his Legendary Pokemon to be recognized. The news of two Champions meeting would be front line all over the region and beyond. Luckily Ash could still keep a small profile, although for how long was to be determined.
"Mr Stone, we recovered this from the suspect." The beautiful blue-haired officer said handing out a hard drive back to the CEO.
"Thank goodness it wasn't taken," Stone senior said with a sigh of relief. He looked at both his son and visitor. "This information should never be used by those with no good intentions."
That brought another question to the front of Ash's mind. "Sir, it might be stupid to ask but what were they trying to take from your lab?" The Aura trainer asked now, his curiosity peaking. Despite already knowing that he would get no answer.
"Sorry Ash. As much as I apreciate your help this is still company' secrecy." Mr. Stone commented pocketing the stolen data. However, right now if this new invention was going to attract this awful kind of attention in escalating madness then he was better off returning the funds he had been given in advance and letting others like Sylph Co or the Pokeball Factory get in trouble. Let the problems of Alola stay there and far away from him, thank you very much.
"By the way dad, I found what you wanted in Granite Cave." Steven said, taking something out of his pocket. He handed out what looked like jagged-edge piece of rock glad to finally get rid of it. Despite not looking very impressive it was the nickel-cobalt core of a meteorite. And boy did he have to go through some serious shit in Granite Cave to finally grasp it. And that was without mentioning those Draconid people trying to chase him away. Steven would have been more eager to hear whatever was their approach regarding the space stone, if the tribe's tactic of 'dissuasion' hadn't consisted of blasting the Champion and his Pokemon by a Screetch from Flygon and a Boomburst from Noivern.
"I knew I could count on you my boy!" Steven senior said looking at the unimpressive stone in delight. "Our friends at Mossdeep Space Center will love to study this Meteori…"
"Let's move to a more secluded place," The Steel-type expert intersected taking his eyes to the side. Better not to discuss private business in public. "Before we start gathering more of a crowd." Considering the 'small' crowd was already a group of two dozens, civilians and trainer alike with three quarters of them been women looking rather lustfully at the regional Champion then Ash had to concur. His previous experience told him that soon panties would rain down on them.
The group of three stepped inside the limo away from prying eyes. Not the most inconspicuous but it would suffice.
"Ash, I can't thank you enough for what you did today." The business man said thankfully towards the League winner. While Ash smiled sheepishly in return, a brilliant idea crossed his mind. It might be too much but a company CEO shouldn't have any problems with a mere request if he was truly so grateful.
"Well, sir. I've been looking all over for a Pokenav Plus but I haven't…" The Aura trainer commented.
"Say no more, my friend!" The CEO quickly replied already knowing what his teenage acquaintance wanted lifting his Pokenav and sending a quick message. Not only was it an easy request but also an underwhelming one. For doing something so helpful to him, Ash deserved more than just a mere electronic device.
The League Champion raised an eyebrow taking a glance towards Steven. The Hoenn Champion was smirking towards him like he already knew what was up.
"And here it is," The CEO said cheerily, a delivery bike with the Devon logo moving up to them, handing a square box wrapped up in brown paper through the open window. Ash soon got it requiring both hands to do so although it wasn't heavy at all. The delivery boy gave a salute to his boss and soon sped away. "Here it is, a brand new Pokenav Plus. And some more 'interesting' objects for you to check out in your journey." Ash was truly gobsmacked now. He hadn't expected THIS kind of gratification for just doing what was right.
"Is he usually so generous?" Ash asked towards the cyan-haired trainer, who folded his arms across his chest.
"As long as you are not asshole, you are in the clear with my dad." Steven commented with mirth in his tone. "I won't even mention what he got for me when I first started." Seriously, why so many Full Restores, when the only Pokemon he had was his starter? He still had some of those at the deepest pocket of his backpack. And why a Pokemon translator? It wasn't even functional.
Steven took a glance at the raven-haired teenager putting away the box with the items while checking out the electronic gadget he had been looking for. The Champion had heard through the grapevine how much notoriety the trainer from Kanto had garnered over just two years in the road. All of this due to how powerful and varied his Pokemon team was. The most notorious thing of all, however, was that he apparently had managed to capture and train the three Legendary Birds of Kanto. For as much as the Steel-type expert didn't like believing in whispers and hear-say, a part of him could feel that those hadn't been hollow rumors.
"Ash, I've heard a lot of things about your battles," The cyan-haired Champion stated towards the amber-eyed trainer. "And I want to ask you for a favor." Ash felt suddenly under a lot of pressure. Being asked for a favor from none other than a Champion could be considered either a privilege or a daunting task that you may not be able to fulfill. But Ash been who he is, wouldn't back down from such a thing.
"Fight me," That earnt a gasp out of the youngster and Steven's dad. The former because he had not expected it despite secretly wanting to ask for it. And the latter because it was usually other trainers calling out his son for the privilege of a battle. But then again, not many days did his son came across a League winner. "I hope you don't mind but I really want to see what the brand-new League Champion is capable off." After years in the proverbial throne, Steven still had to experience a proper challenge. Aside from his regional Elite Four and sometimes mock matches against the other Champions, there were still no previous League victors, who had bested the Elite of Hoenn and in turn deemed worthy of fighting him over the title of Master Champion of the region.
Ash's mind ran at million thoughts per minute. Having already some grueling experience against a Champion Master, Cynthia to be precise, then the aura-empowered teen knew this wasn't going to be like the battle he had earlier that morning. That scuffle would be in comparison infimal and realistically undeserving of someone of Steven's caliber. However, this also brought a great opportunity to once again test some of his family' strength and see how much they had progressed since the end of their journey in Johto.
With a smile of content, Ash could only say one thing. "I accept."
Both Ash and Steven, Champions in their respective fields, stood in front of each other, a few yards of distance between the two men. They had been driven to the outside of the city through the south gate, where both trainers proceeded to get further away by foot returning to Ash' clearing for the morning. As the ensuing battle between two forces of reckoning they knew they had to move their skirmish away, if they did not want to cause a lot of collateral damage across all of Rustboro. Ash was sure that a reinforced League arena, while enough for regular trainers to unleash their Pokemon's strength without much consequences, was definitely not suited for a Champion's Pokemon. The Aura trainer still remembered how much devastation his final battle against Harrison had caused, almost injuring the spectators despite the barriers set in place by Psychic Pokemon to keep any derailed attacks away from hitting the viewers. There's a reason that any official fight against Elite and Champion was in the Victory Road Stadium, the ONLY battlefield reinforced ten times than that of a regular League arena. And Ash doubted that was sufficient.
Ash saw Steven had a grey-colored Heavy Ball clutched in his right palm. He prepared his own holding his pseudo-legendary Pokemon from Johto. Sure he was quite young for all the standards but he had proven his strength time and time again. Now would be no different.
"Aggron, I call for your strength!" The cyan-haired champion threw his Pokeball at the ready bursting open.
"Tyranitar, I choose you!" The raven-haired champion followed with his own toss.
Both Pokeballs bursted open into the improvised arena, unleashing the beast of might hidden inside. Ash, however, was now a bit hesitant in sending out his first Pokemon son. Tyranitars and Aggrons were considered to have a much worse relationship than Snubbulls and Meowths did. Due to the fact that the two Pseudo-legendary Pokemon been found in the same regions, one would expect that there was enough landmass for everyone to live peacefully. But not when it came to these two thunderous species. Tyranitars lived in mountain ranges, where they decimated the landscape to properly build their nests. This in turn was the opposite for Aggron. The Iron Armor Pokemon protected the mountain ranges because they feasted on the iron ores lying beneath the peaks. As such their own nests were built within the mother rock, where the purest ores where to be found. So this brought the two into conflict, leading into real earth-shaking battles.
Ash didn't know if the hatred between species was ingrained down to the gens or it was something that only wild Tyranitars and Aggrons experienced. By the looks on his son's face, there was no real anger. If anything, his Aura emanated anticipation and… fear?
"Holy Arceus!" The trainer of Kanto blurted out in shock his sight finding the opponent. The average Aggron stood as tall as its Johto rivals, almost seven feet tall. But the monster standing in front of Ash and his Pseudo-legendary Pokemon towered with eleven feet of hulking silvery and iron plates, a broad sturdy bulk of reinforced metal with a two meter-long heavy tail thicker than a tree trunk. Ash could hazard a guess that such a massive Pokemon could be used as a sun umbrella, considering how his gargantuan frame would blot out the sun for any tiny prey it may get too close to. The three horns atop of his well-protected head looked extremely sharp to the point they might even cut someone just by the merest of touch. Its entire silver metallic surface glistered upon the noon sunlight looking pristine and without a single stain of dirt. An unperturbed visage on his maw, however, was the last thing Ash would have expected from a Pokemon considered to be extremely dangerous towards humankind.
As always, the Aura trainer brought out his Pokedex. "Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokemon, and the evolved form of Lairon. Aggron claims an entire mountain as its own territory. It mercilessly beats up anything that violates its environment. The more wounds it has the more it has battled, so don't take it lightly."
"Okay Tyranitar, let's not hesitate. We've come too far to surrender now!" Ash said towards his first baby Pokemon. The Armor Pokemon shook his head. It was true. His father had never doubted him and he wouldn't give him reasons to start now. The Sand Stream ability kicked up, enshrouding the area in a hazy whirlwind of hurtful rock storm.
"Let's take the lead now," The Aura trainer commented to himself, not knowing what to expect out of this seasoned fighter and equally experienced Pokemon. "Hidden Power!" Orbs of azure energy amassed and orbited around Tyranitar's body, as he thrusted them forward with speed matching that of bullets.
Steven was not intimidated by the weather change, his sight of his Pokemon and the two opponents across the arena was very clear to him after years of trudging through some serious climatic scuffles. His Aggron was one of his oldest Pokemon and due to its types, immune to the chip damage brought forth by the storm. Although as he rapidly noticed the opposing Pokemon fading in and out across the area like a mirage, it was obvious that this Tyranitar also had the secondary ability Sand Veil. That was definitely something he had never encountered. As such, trying to recklessly order his pseudo-legend to attack, when it had great chances of missing would be a foolish mistake.
He noticed the unique coloration for the incoming Hidden Power. Now that had to be a rarity.
Explosions resounded from inside the storm in rapid succession like small bombs going off. The soil trembled with each explosion, dying out a few minutes later. Ash sighed. Using a Water-type Hidden Power so soon would not be something he would show so early in the game as it was one of his aces to keep under the sleeve. But against someone of Steven's magnitude, then the League Champion knew he couldn't let his Pokemon pull their punches.
However, soon the truth was revealed to the gawking trainer and Armor Pokemon. Aggron stood completely still, mostly drenched and looking as uncaring as he did when the battle had started. The League Champion took a calming breath knowing this was to be expected. If Cynthia's Pokemon could make quick work of his own, then Steven wouldn't be too far behind. But that didn't mean Ash wasn't one to strike hard when the iron was hot.
If the iron wasn't hot enough then it was time to turn up the heat.
"Use Bulk Up and Fire Fang!" A crimson aura bursted into existence around the pseudo-legendary, amplifying his attack and defence by one stage. Charging through the swirling winds, the Armor Pokemon came down on the bigger Pokemon with his fangs bare and alight in red blaze. Tyranitar chewed on Aggon's left arm at shoulder height. A small explosion ensued as the Pseudo legend from Johto backed away feeling quite good with himself. Two powerful moves with type advantage. That definitely had to put a frown of discontent on that armored freak.
How wrong Tyranitar was. Neither Aggron nor Steven reacted to anything that had transpired, still standing unflinching and in the iron-plated monster case barely showing a burn mark.
"Iron Tail!" Ash hastily ordered again. He had witnessed Lory's Ice type Pokemon taking boosted Fire moves with the same stoicism. But this had to take the cake. His son followed the command, spinning clockwise and aiming as high as he could with his back limb covered in silvery luster. His tail lashed out right on Aggron's maw from the front, a metallic clang echoing across the area, wind gust spreading from the impact zone. The hulking reinforced creature of Hoenn finally grunted a bit, Steven noticing that his Iron Armor Pokemon had finally taken some damage for his invulnerable body to notice and had been pushed back. If only a few inches. Too bad for Ash that only the Champion and the rest of his team were the only beings Aggron allowed getting up close to him. Any other creature, which dared venture too near was dead meat.
Which was exactly what the Champion had been waiting for. A bad position in which Tyranitar's ability wouldn't allow him to elude his attack.
"Crunch!" Steven's sudden command took the Aura trainer by surprise, and unable to follow what soon came. Aggron opened his jaws of death, fangs aglow in black energy and struck down hard on the long limb. Despite its hard scaly surface, Tyranitar cried out in agony as his natural robust defence was breached, blood sipping from the wounds licked by the Steel type. "Slam him!" The regional Champion ordered before his rival had mustered any kind of countermeasure. His jaws still biting down on the limb, Aggron spun one hundred and eighty with speed that a creature of that size shouldn't be capable off. His head jerked upwards and in turn flung his opponent with an over shoulder motion, the fellow pseudo-legend landing with a hard thud, the sheer force behind the move making the Pokemon from Johto bounce two times across five yards of dusty soil sending him to crash against a dozen trees toppling them like bowling pins.
"Tyranitar!" Ash cried out in worry alongside Raichu, running towards his Pokemon. The sandstorm subsided soon after, which meant the Pseudo-legendary from Johto was down. The League Champion could see the horrific damage done courtesy of Aggron's sheer strength alone. The blue armored chest showed cracks with blood sipping out, and the spikes on Tyranitar's back were broken in two by his hard landing. Luckily those were like human hair and would eventually grow back. The swirls for eyes showed he was out cold.
The black-haired teenager placed his hand on his Pokemon's forehead, his aura connecting to his. Despite been unconscious, Ash could sense the anger and above all the sadness of loosing. Of been crossed out as a failure to his father and the rest of his family.
"You were amazing, son. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." Ash said proudly towards his first baby Pokemon, his message carried out through the bond he shared with all of his Pokemon family. To have lasted so long against a far superior opponent been so young was no easy feat. Ash recalled his Pokemon for a rest. He would have Lugia heal him after this match was over.
Ash and Raichu returned to his side of the field an angry visage visible on the Kantonian trainer. Even if he couldn't fault Steven for knocking his Pokemon out, the Aura trainer would always see to the welfare of his family.
"What in the actual fuck?!" Ash cursed out loud, the ire in his voice. He knew that a Champion's Pokemon had a level of strength that even Legendary Pokemon would envy. But to take so many effective attacks without nary a scratch? Tyranitar was one of his strongest Pokemon despite his youth. This was because of its natural power, which is what had labeled his species as Pseudo-Legendary and second because of the unique training regime it had gone through. But if Ash had done such rigorous training for barely a year, Steven had the advantage of doing the same for far longer than him.
Steven was now walking around his Rock/Steel type, checking out the damage done by the opponent. Despite not been obvious to many, Ash included, the Champion of Hoenn knew his Pokemon from the inside out. And despite the unyielding exterior, Tyranitar had definitely injured his Iron Pokemon. He turned his head towards Ash almost gleeful.
"Wow Ash, not many can hurt Aggron to such a degree," The Hoenn Champion commented. "Considering his ability is Filter, then not many effective attacks can bypass his tough armor," He chuckled by the awestruck jaw-on-the-floor face of his rival. "Yes, Wallace made the exact same face, when he found out the hard way."
"How the hell do you have an Aggron with such an ability?!" The Aura trainer blurted out. Such ability was simply unheard off within the Aggron line. In fact, Ash had never heard of it. He brought out the Pokedex to check out what Filter was. "Oh are you kidding me?" The teenage trainer read the description of the ability, capable of diminishing the user's damage towards effective moves. Only Fighting or Ground type moves would have been useful against the iron beast, and Ash didn't believe for a second that it would have sufficed.
"I don't know; how did you get a Tyranitar with two abilities?" Steven remarked with a sassy grin.
"Touché," Ash replied. It would be foolish of him to call the kettle black when he was the pot.
The cyan-haired elite trainer walked back to his original position across the field. Now that the warm up was over, it was time to see if Ash could handle the real deal. The dead-serious gaze he was giving made Ash quite uncomfortable.
"I want you to go all out and hold nothing back. I want to see firsthand what the new League Champion can do." Steven said towards the fellow league Champion recalling his dual type back to his Heavy Ball.
"All out?" Ash asked almost not believing. "Are you sure?"
"If you think you can't handle it then just say no," Steven comented, his new Pokeball engorged at the ready, "Metagross I call for you strength!" The new Pokemon came into picture landing with a mighty thud. It had pure white metal over its body with ruby-red glaring eyes. The Steel/Psychic Pokemon stood with four massive asque legs ending in three claws. Even with his legs not fully stretched, its body reached up as high as Steven a bit over six feet tall. One could only imagine what its real height would be.
Ash couldn't believe it. This was Steven's starter as a Beldum. But what made it unique was that it was a shiny one. And his aura brimmed with might. Usually the stronger the Pokemon the stronger its aura was. If Aggron had an aura compared to a flare, this Steel/Psychic type had an ignited pyre.
The black-haired trainer soon scanned this Pokemon as well. "Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokemon, and the evolved form of Metang. It analyses its opponents with more accuracy than a supercomputer, which enables it to calmly back them into a corner."
"Very well, this also gives me a chance to test my own team," The League Champion stated, drawing one of his special Pokeballs from behind his vest flap. Ash had complete trust in his Pokemon even if deep down the chances of victory were still rather slim. But slim chances were better than zero chances. "I summon the Titan of Fire, Moltres!" Ash's Pokemon appeared in all of its fiery glory. The elemental mighty Titan spread its blaze-covered wingspan. His shrill cry resounded, the heat around its body creating ember sparks turning up the overall heat of the environment.
"Sweet Jirachi!" Steven cursed out. He had encountered Legendary Pokemon in his many years travelling around the regions prior and after obtaining his title. But coming into contact with one in such a common way was truly shocking.
"Are you ready for this?" Ash asked smiling a bit smugly. It wasn't everyday that you threw a regional Champion for a loop. Sure he had done it with Cynthia but that also had a much more intimate setting. "Use Flame Charge!" The Legendary bird's body exploded with an aura of orange blaze around it, heading forward with amplified speed as side effect.
"It's time to test our full power Metagross!" The Steel-type pseudo legendary nodded at the ready. "Use Rock Polish and take it!" His claws firmly planted on the soil, Metagross' body briefly shone in silver luster before the color faded out. Incredibly, the shiny Pokemon was barely pushed a few inches back. Ash had to admit that equaling Moltres' strength was no easy thing at all. And yet Steven had ordered a speed boost and not an attack one. Why would he…
"Oh this isn't good," Ash muttered to his insides eyes open in realization. Been up close and personal with a Psychic type was not a nice prospect if his memory of battling Sabrina was anything to go by. And getting close to one of Steven's Steel-types had proven to be quite as harmful. "Disengage and use Fire Blast!" With a hasty flap of wings backwards, the Fire type put some ground in between taking a deep inhale before exhaling the flame burst, shaped in the Kanji of 'Fire'. To Ash' surprise, the cyan-colored opponent didn't say or commanded anything, letting the long-range move hit its mark, a shower of embers bathing Steven' side of the field as his starter was left hidden inside a cloud of smoke. But as the Steel type came to sight with Ash hoping to finally take the lead, no real damage seemed to have manifested across its still pristine white plates.
"Gravity!" Steven commanded now. The garnet eyes of the Pseudo-legendary came aglow once more. To Ash' and his Pokemon' shock, the pressure around the forest clearing intensified with the air becoming hazy. As such, Moltres was forced down into the ground, his clawed feet keeping him standing but no longer able to take into the air. Even Ash and his Raichu felt their knees quivering slightly by the amplified gravity. Now that it was grounded, the Pokemon had lost its immunity to Ground type attacks. Not only that but his natural physiology wasn´t very suited for close combat. Moltres may knew physical moves and could dish them out with great force but his avian body didn't allow much mobility for melee combat like other Pokemon, particularly Fighting types could.
"I might as well take advantage of his move," Ash muttered to himself. He knew that fighting a Champion wasn't easy but this was definitely something else. First, Steven was going to tire Ash's Pokemon by letting his own Pokemon receive all damage knowing their stamina from their years of training plus typing would make it easy to take. And second, he was going to cripple Moltres' ranged mobility to literally make it a sitting Psyduck. That definitely had been his plan against Tyranitar, however Steven hadn't taken into account the Armor's Pokemon youth compared to his Aggron and by that the massive gap in power.
"Sunny Day!" Being already grounded, Moltres let loose a bright ball into the sky, bathing the forest in the hot light of summer for the following turns. Better safe than sorry.
Steven raised an eyebrow. Was Ash preparing a big powered-up strike or maybe a Pre-ventive healing with Morning Sun despite not taking any damage? Now those were smart moves worthy of Elite-level trainer. That is if the cyan-haired trainer allowed them to be unleashed. "Hypnosis!" Bluish mental waves escaped from Metagross' sight heading towards his Fire type opponent.
"Double Team!" The Aura trainer ordered the counter, his Pokemon acting accordingly. Moltres suddenly spread into a dozen copies surrounding the Shiny Pokemon eluding the sleep-inducing attack. Even if still affected by Gravity, his Fire Pokemon wouldn't be hit for free if he could avoid it. And something was telling the legendary Pokemon that his opponent would definitely hit harder than any of his trainer's Pokemon did, with Lugia been the exception.
The Master of the Hoenn region looked around the many copies not at all surprised. It may be a basic dodging move but it had been Wallace's specialty with his very annoying Ludicolo. However, he had long developed a way to both eliminate such an annoyance and hastily throw his opponent off balance.
"Miracle Eye and follow with Bulldoze!" Steve easily fought back. His shiny Pokemon made its eyes glow in purple luster. To Ash and his Pokemon' astonishment, all of the duplicates were banished leaving the one and only real Moltres. Before the Titan of Kanto and trainer could even see it coming, Metagross had already slammed one of its front claws into the soil, the tremors spreading over the grassy field for miles, one glowing crack coming towards the Fire legend at blinding speed. The Fire type cried out in pain when the crack bursted upon contact with his body, bashing the mystical bird of Kanto with sharp shards of rock. Moltres stumbled backwards, a lot of bruises already showing over its heated yellow feathers.
The Aura trainer sighed. Even if his Pokemon had trained against their weaknesses, taking effective damage was still not something that he could let it build up for long. Not from someone as perilous as Metagross was proving itself to be. And such speedy attack, it was something that not most of his Pokemon could keep up yet.
But if Ash was to lose, then he wasn't going to let Steven get to call all the shots. Something that his trainer and lover had imparted upon him was to not let someone else lead the dance.
"Overheat!" The aura trainer commanded once more. If Steven wanted his full power, then here it was. Moltres shook off the discomfort, its body glowing in ruby red heat from its insides amassing. The very ground down his talons started melting into puddles of mud, the temperature around the clearing suddenly becoming like been inside a real furnace. Branches of trees afar ignited in flash fires. Even Steven despite his distance was sweating up a storm inside his trekking outfit by the sudden change in weather. The beam of plasma-like fire erupted from the back of the legendary Pokemon's throat closing the gap between the two contestants in mere seconds. Seconds too slow for Ash.
"Light Screen!" Steven knew how much damage his starter could take head on. And such a powerful move hurled by Legendary Pokemon and also amplified wasn't something his starter would be able to shrug off like the other attacks. The reflective barrier briefly glistened into existence before fading out. The beam of super-heated fire hit the shiny Pseudo-legendary with a devastating force. The intensive volcanic ardency washed over Metagross, its red eyes closing with an obvious grimace of distress. The shiny Pokemon was left enshrouded inside a lava-hot thick veil of steam after the attack ended after a few seconds. To Steven' surprise, despite Light Screen in place, his starter had now gained quite a few nasty-looking burns scattered over its white metallic skin. However, been familiar with his starter's behavior, he knew the dual-type didn't look worse for wear and could keep going.
"This kid is really good." Steven thought to himself. For such a trainer, rather new one considering it had only two years as a trainer under his belt; to have such mighty Pokemon follow his command was extremely flabbergasting.
Meanwhile, Ash was cursing to his insides, as Moltres' body was covered in green light indicating the drop of Special attack consequence of the usage of the powerful Fire-type attack. He had foolishly gambled and now was paying the consequences of leaving himself wide open.
"I have to say Ash, this turned out to be quite a day. I sure wasn't expecting to wake up and have my Pokemon experience such good battles in a row," The regional Champion commented with an honest smile. Yet the serious look he brought now with a shift of his Aura told Ash another story entirely. "Meteor Mash!" In a blinding dash of movement Metagross was already on top of Moltres, its front left claw shimmering with a rainbow-colored diamond cover. The attack came down just as fast as it had started; Moltres receiving the equivalent of multiple Giga Impacts on top of the head, the avian Pokemon's body sent careening backwards making three painful bounces, leaving five-meter-deep craters at each contact with the unyielding soil. Moltres final landing left him lying with swirls for eyes, the upside of its head with a very nasty looking bleeding gash coating the yellow feathers in red color.
Ash couldn't believe it. He knew that with speed amped up like that, even Metagross shouldn't have moved like a freaking Ninjask. Yet apparently it had. No wonder Steven has remained the undefeated Champion for so many years. It was obvious that the current set of Champions weren't going to be beaten so easily, Legendary Pokemon assisting him or not.
"Although…" Ash thoughts came down to Lugia. His Legendary dual-type Pokemon was the strongest member of his team, exceeding both physically in strength, good defence with greater special defence and in the long-range attack with unparallel speed (at least when he was in its natural flying turf). However, the Aura trainer didn't want to reveal what could be his greatest ally so early on in his journey, even if standing against a Champion Master requiered exactly that kind of Pokemon.
The Aura trainer had some experience fighting against Champions as he had tested some of his team members against Cynthia's own before he had departed towards Hoenn. However, just because the blonde beauty was sort of dating him, it didn't mean her Pokemon would go easy against his. Her Gastrodon alone took out five of Ash's Pokemon with little problem. And once those had been healed back, her Garchomp proceeded to put down almost ALL of Ash's team, both old and new in record time of five minutes, one move needed in the form of Draco Meteor. And that included the three legendary birds.
Only Sylveon and Lugia had survived the blast, the former because its immunity and the latter for simply not been part of the fight, merely a spectator who watched and learned. And the Fairy-type from Kalos hadn't lasted much longer, one Steel Wing putting her down for the count. Despite Cynthia's and even Garchomp's desire to fight against the Diving Pokemon fom Johto, Ash and Lugia had refused. Trainer and Pokemon alike knew how strong the latter was and it was a power too great to be publically displayed.
"Ash, that was an incredible battle," Steven said recalling his starter to the Pokeball and breaking Ash's train of thoughts. He stood in front of his fellow Champion, his right hand forward. "Thanks for the chance to fight against a Legendary Pokemon. It's not every day that Metagross and I have a good challenge."
"I knew the outcome already, Legendary Pokemon or not," Ash said smiling despite the defeat, a challenging grin on his face manifesting as the two trainers shook hands. "But don't think Moltres will be taken down a second time if we ever meet."
"I wouldn't dream about it," Steve comented making a short head bow. "And again, you have my gratitude for saving my dad's company."
A light bulb instantly appeared a top of Ash's head.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you now for a favor." The Aura trainer chimed in, giving the fellow trainer the hand motion to get closer and Steven following so. Ash whispered the words into his ear, even with no one to snoop around them.
"Really?" The Champion asked rather bemused. Not by how crazy or eccentric the request was but rather how…easy it was. In fact it could be plainly considered a pep talk.
The cyan-haired trainer had to admit that that this trainer, despite the power and experience he wielded was quite a humble one. If his actions with his father hadn't been enough then this was proof of it.
Both League and Regional Champion returned to the outskirts of Rustboro, after making a quick call to Steven father to pick him up there. He didn't need any more fans attention for the day, a thought Ash would make a standing ovation for. Meanwhile, the Aura trainer would take off the other way, ready to take the show back on the road now that he had the Pokenav he had been looking for. Although he would make a quick stop in the forest to treat his two injured friends.
Both Pokemon trainers were making small talk along the way about their respective adventures, with Ash retelling his adventure that got him 'three' legendaries in one go. In turn the Champion Master of Hoenn spoke of his own crazy escapades back when he had first started. How his Beldum, despite been limited to only knowing one move Take Down, was the only thing he had needed to obtain three badges until his shiny had finally evolved. Ash listened in rapture and with thirst of knowledge as he was pretty interested in one day catching his own Beldum. No better way than listen to the guy who had started with one.
As they reached the southern path into the city, they could both see a limousine was at the waiting with a chauffeur waiting outside the back door.
"Have a good trip Ash," Steven said shaking hands in camaraderie with a fellow trainer grinning at him. "We'll be seeing each other again sooner than you think." The League winner was left quite puzzled as Steven marched up to the luxurious car.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked out loud intrigued. His response was only a sly smirk as the regional Champion entered the car and was soon driven away. Trainer and Electric Pokemon alike sweat-dropped after being left high and dry. "Are all Champions just cheeky bastards by choice or does it come with the job?"
One week later, Ash found himself trudging through the inside of the thick rain forest. After his chaotic time in Rustboro, our League Champion had headed farther south of the Hoenn region, now in the northern part of Dewford Island. The newest Pokenav was truly a marvelous guide to help him across this foreign nation. The recent rains had left the soil in a muddy state. But by concentrating Aura on his feet, the trainer managed to walk without sinking at all. It had taken him a lot of tries and a lot of pairs of wet socks to work that little trick out with his Aura powers. Mud was always shifting like sand and snow, so properly applying his aura to have firm ground to stand on had been a challenge unlike walking on trees or concrete objects as they were static and with a sturdy surface. But easy does it and now Ash had finally gotten a proper footing. Still a bit woozy and almost drunkard but it was better than nothing. It beat walking around with the awful sensation of wet socks.
The black-haired trainer walked on the riverside of the flowing stream his Electric Pokemon yawning from atop his trainer's back. Normally Raichu didn't care about getting dirty. But considering how many grueling training he had been going through then he felt some rest was necessary and was not in the mood to tread down through the splashy soil. His trainer sure didn't mind, his physical strength barely strained by the fifty pound Mouse Pokemon.
Soon the ground became sturdier as Ash reached a shallow pond. It connected to the left by a less powerful stream into the main river. Small figures became visible through the foggy area playing close to the shoreline.
"Mudkips!" Ash commented in shock. Trainers were never lucky enough to meet other starters in the wild. Ash so far, had six of six and was definitely going for nine of nine. "And a lot of them apparently." Tiny quadruped blue-scaly Pokemon with white underbelly, orange gill-like sensors on their cheeks, a bluish head fin and a slim tail fin ran happily around one another. Many seemed to be freshly-hatched babies, no larger than five or six inches long and barely as big as an open palm.
Ash soon brought out his Pokedex. "Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokemon. Its large tail fin propels it through water with powerful acceleration. It is strong in spite of its size."
A splashing sound came to Ash's ears, seeing one of the baby Mudkip been flushed down by the current. Ash knew that despite been Water-type, this particular batch of starters were too young to be swimming in such powerful stream already. However, that wasn't important now. What mattered was to save the tiny Pokemon. He selected his Pokemon quick enough.
"Blastoise, I choose..." Ash's movement was interrupted when another Pokemon came into picture, jumping into the water to rescue the baby Pokemon. It was a Mudkip and a far larger one than the rest of them but definitely unique in other sense. "I-Is that a shiny Mudkip?" Instead of blue scales, the Water starter of Hoenn had an electric-blue scaly body. And his orange branch detectors were dark red. This was certainly different from the usual purple-colored shiny Mudkip the Pokedex described off.
The shiny Pokemon dragged his smaller fellow against the water flow using his powerful mouth to grasp the head fin.
"Are you okay?" The League winner and his starter got closer to the pack of Pokemon. He saw the shiny Mudkip's change in stance and aura brimming with caution aimed at the intruding human ready to attack. Ash raised his hands trying to play peacemaker. "Easy, I'm not here to start trouble," The Aura trainer looked around the small pond. Without the fog the place didn't look welcoming at all. Definitely not the proper environment for freshly-hatched Pokemon to be raised in peace. "You know this place isn't safe for you and the rest of the babies."
"We can't leave, the forest is very dangerous for us," The shiny Water starter said his head moving left and right in precaution. Its red feelers twitched as its sight landed on the water stream, which headed towards the open ocean. "And downstream isn't an option either." A fin was moving through the water heading towards them.
"Wow these guys sure aren't having a good time," The raven-haired trainer commented, his inner powers sensing the incoming presence of wild Pokemon nearing from the water and a second one from the nearby trees. And their auras showed they had no good intentions.
"Raichu, use Iron Tail on the water!" Ash ordered not wanting to be taken off guard. The Electric starter flipped forward his long limb glowing silver slamming into the liquid surface. The powerful shockwave made litters of water burst apart and a Pokemon was pushed from underneath the surface. It had a conical body resembling a blue and black scaled shark with a scary-looking glare. Its matching set of sharp teeth with a wide jaw didn't add any cuteness whatsoever. "Of course it was a Sharpedo."
But what was it doing here? Just like the last encounter he had with the species in Johto, the fully-evolved Pokemon was supposed to reside across the seas and oceans of the world, not in the shallower river streams. Usually that only happened during their pre-evolution of Carvanha.
His train of thoughts was stopped, however, when a new energy came charging though the forest making Ash and his starter to hastily move away. A serpentine Pokemon had struck down Ash's previous position with a powerful strike delivered by its purple-colored blade-ended tail. The almost three meters of violet-scaled reptile hissed towards the human and Mouse Pokemon uncaring of which one would be its prey for the day.
"And a Seviper," The Aura trainer dryly commented, bringing out his Pokedex to scan the Poison Pokemon. "Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokemon. Seviper shares a generation-long feud with Zangoose. The scars on its body are evidence of vicious battles. This Pokemon attacks using its sword-edged tail."
Considering Muk's departure to the Alolan region then adding a new Poison-type, who would be more battle oriented wasn't a bad idea. And by the looks of it, the venomous snake didn't look like a pushover if its bright feisty aura and attitude were anything to go around, "Phanpy take care of this!" The Elephant Pokemon materialized out of its container, the front legs stomping the boggy soil ready to roll. Meanwhile Raichu kept his sight sharp at the wild dual-type Pokemon, who looked ready to jump out of the water to have any of the Pokemon or human for a snack. Ash looked from one wild Pokemon to the other sweat dropping. "I didn't know wild Pokemon also had double battles," Ash mentioned looking at his starter with a decisive look, "Raichu, handle this quickly and don't let it get to the Mudkips." The Aura trainer had no qualm in letting his oldest Pokemon fight without his command. His level of strength and experience requiered no order against a wild Pokemon.
The Poison Pokemon wasn't deterred at all by the conglomeration of gathered Pokemon, slithering forward at high speed with its blade-ended tail glowing in hazy purple.
"Use Defence Curl!" The trainer of Kanto ordered recognizing the Poison Tail attack. Phanpy curled into a ball greatly amplifying his defence. The poison attack slashed down hard on the Ground type making it roll backwards by the momentum but barely leaving a scratch on his light blue hide, "And now Roll Out!" The Elephant ball accelerated straight forward, the Rock-type move doubling its damage thanks to the previous defensive amplification. Seviper was sent flying crashing into a tree leaving it a bit dizzy. Yet the Serpent Pokemon shook its head regaining his bearings at again incoming barrel. Widening its maw Seviper unleashed a thick cloud of smoke. The Haze attack shrouded the place. The rolling Ground type missed his mark this time, hitting a tree instead making it shatter into splinters by the sheer force. Phanpy unrolled itself after the collision shaking its head.
"Phanpy, look out!" Ash called out, his aura sight letting him see completely unhindered. And viewing in full clarity the incoming danger at high slithering speed. The Tusk Pokemon, however, couldn't react fast enough, suddenly been tightly wrapped by the Serpentine Pokemon in a vice grip. Yet Phanpy remained strong not wording a single cry of pain despite the very precarious position it was in.
Precarious for others that is.
Ash could barely contain his smile of approval. The Poison-type Pokemon was definitely going to be a perfect member of his family, once it had mellowed down a bit. "Use Ice Shard!" Lifting its trunk, the baby elephant pelted the Snake Pokemon right on its face with sharp shards of ice. Seviper cried out in pain, the grip on its prey loosened. A fact Ash took instant notice off. "Earth Power!" Phanpy stomped hard. Not on the ground though but right on Seviper's body. Soon the ground quaked by the use of the Ground type move but not as much as the snake did, shrieking in white-hot agony by been literally the epicenter of the tremors, taking a lot of super effective damage.
As the trainer kept ordering Phanpy to use his moves against Seviper, Raichu was meanwhile glaring at the leering Sharpedo. The dual-type Pokemon growled its fanged mouth unleashing a Water Gun attack. Yet the Mouse Pokemon's quick reaction came instantly moving at blurring speeds with only a dash of Quick Attack his left fist cackling with yellow electricity. Without the Shark Pokemon capable of reacting against the far more experienced Pokemon, Raichu's left Thunder Punch stroke in a haymaker fashion right on the upper side of head. Sharpedo cried out in pain, the voltaic current spreading over its body. After a few seconds Raichu ended his attack, leaving the Shark Pokemon floating on the water surface smoke wafting from its churned scales and swirls for eyes.
Raichu casually landed after performing a back flip, grimacing despite his victory, rubbing his left hand with his right. He noticed the deep bleeding cuts it had on. How he hated that ability. Most Pokemon already had skin or hide naturally stronger than that of human skin. But Pokemon with Rough Skin took that concept to the extreme making themselves living barbed wire for anyone, who dared lay a physical attack on them.
As both skirmishes took place, a certain shiny Pokemon looked in amazement at the selfless action this human was doing. He and his Pokemon were fighting to keep everyone save despite not knowing them. The starter turned to look at his small family. The shiny starter didn't need to ponder too much on the matter. With only six remaining and growing up fast, the shiny Pokemon knew it was time to move away and let each of them find their own path before more predators could take them. Their breeder had gone missing not too long ago, after some humans dressed in blue had threatened him in handing over to them all of the Mudkip eggs he had. He had not been seen again and the oldest Mudfish Pokemon had been taking care of the remaining eggs, hiding them inside the forest close to the water stream. But it had not been an easy task, as the original group of ten had been slowly hunted down by Zangoose and Swellows. Hopefully this human could be a protector to them and not one of those dastard people.
And after witnessing how strong his Pokemon were then the leader of the pack had no doubt that this human could make him powerful as well.
With Phanpy returning to stand next to his right side, Ash noticed how both wild predators were down for the count. No better time than the present to test out one of Mr Stone's gifts. Ash hastily got two Pokeballs, one been a completely light blue colored. It was called Dive Ball and was more effective when attempting to capture Pokemon inside water.
"Pokeball go!" Ash threw the regular Pokeball at Seviper and the Dive Ball at Sharpedo, both wild Pokemon swiftly captured inside the devices. Both shook for eerie seconds until the capture 'ping' appeared. The Aura trainer sighed in relief picking both of his two newest members.
The trainer felt a tugging at his trousers. Looking down he saw the shiny Mudkip and his small gaggle of six looking up at him expectantly. Ash was quite surprised but not for long. It was dead obvious the Pokemon had been threatened one too many times to be comfortable in this place.
"So can I guess that ALL of you want to come with me?" Ash asked towards the shiny Mudkip leader, who nodded eagerly.
Ash smiled wanting to look up into the sky. He was rather used to this kind of things by now. If this is what the "Chosen One" got for been Arceus's favorite human then he welcomed it wholeheartedly. A part of him, however, knew to not look at this gift Rapidash in the teeth. For all the good that the title brought it would also bring its own batch of craziness. If a legendary scuffle of prophecy that sent Mother Nature out of balance hadn't been bad enough.
"Okay little guys, get ready." Ash said smiling in happiness taking out seven empty Pokeballs. He tossed them at each baby Pokemon hitting home every time. Soon they were all sucked into the Pokeballs and were an immediate capture. The League winner clipped the shiny Pokemon's ball and pressed the button on the underside of the other six. Soon the capture devices faded out instantly transferred to the regional Professor's lab in Kanto.
Ash had barely taken ten steps to get away from the forest, when his ringtone went off inside the flap of his vest. The Kantonian trainer took out the vibrating Pokenav flipping it open to answer the incoming call. The wet face of Professor Oak came into picture, with the background view of many water-type attacks firing off and the baby starters of Hoenn playfully sliding across the wet tiles of the lab.
"Ash, my boy, care to fill me in why there are suddenly half a dozen baby Mudkips drenching all my equipment?"
Notes from Chapter 4:
A small jab at Digimon and Pokemon GO if you could find it.
How many of you still remember the banned episode with Porygon?
Steven met certain female character from ORAS, if you know who the Draconid people are.
For those wondering, Steven's Metagross has the ability Light Metal making it half its weight. Alongside a speed boost then it becomes incredibly fast.
I know that maybe the battle against Steven wasn't as long as you would have expected. But remember that Ash wants to test his Pokemon, and IF possible, win. But against a Champion those chances are almost zero without counting ONE of his Pokemon.
Ash captured the Mudkip that Brock did in the Anime. But of course shiny. As I said, one of the starters is going to be a shiny. And that shiny Pokemon will be the one that has double ability.
Also now Ash has a lot of Mudkips. If he can get new Pokemon just from Tauros imagine what Pokemon will be offered by trading Water starters.
I decided to start using the other Pokeballs. Some of course will have different effects or will only have aesthetic purpose because some effects from the Games don't translate properly to the Anime.
If you wonder, Alolan and Galar versions of the Pokemon will be credited from that region and not from the region of the original Pokemon. Including many OC versions.
If you are wondering, Ash bought Evolutionary Stones while the new Pokeballs were the gift Mr Stone gave out. And you know what UNIQUE Pokeball you can obtain in the Games.
Ash's Pokemon:
From Kanto: Raichu, Venasaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Pidgeot, Muk, Kingler, Tauros (x25), Rhyhorn, Nidoqueen, Snorlax, Haunter, Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno.
From Johto: Bayleef, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Heracross, Noctowl, Gligar, Phanpy, Sneazel, Tyranitar, Lugia.
From Hoenn: Taillow, Treecko, Mudkip (x7), Sharpedo, Seviper.
From Kalos: Sylveon.
From Alola: Vulpix.
And now what awaits Ash for the future? See you next chapter!