"Steven Stone!" Professor Oak said, trying, and failing to hide the grin that split his face as he said it.
The only response Ash could muster up was a soft 'what' as his eyes bugged out. He genuinely could not believe what he was hearing. The Steven Stone was going to train him. How did Professor Oak manage to even get a hold of him, never mind getting him to agree to this?
"How? Why?" Was Ash's next response. Sure, he had created history, but Steven Stone didn't know who he was. He wasn't even native to Hoenn.
"Because you have earned the right Ash!" The professor replied. "And because your timing is impeccable, you will be his very first student, as he likes to call it."
"Of course, there will be caveats as previously discussed. Steven will pass these on himself but from my understanding they include completing an ACE programme. All the inter-regional ACE programs are similar for Indigo, Hoenn and Sinnoh so prepare for all conditions. The reason for this is that he wants you in shape, both physically and mentally, in case he is required in the field at short notice. Basically, he doesn't want tot worrying about you if something goes south." The professor continued, getting into lecture mode. Ash was making sure to sear every bit of information into his brain. He was still stunned that the Steven Stone would be teaching him, and he wanted to be as humanely prepared as possible.
"I told him that you were in excellent shape and could handle yourself, however Steven, as you will come to learn, is a man of facts and statistics. As he hasn't met you yet and has very little to go on other than my word, which goes a long way by the way, he wants you to complete the program in the standard 3-month timeline. This will allow him ample time to teach you while you collect the necessary badges to compete in the regional conference that you will be travelling in." The professor took a large breath as he completed his spiel. He still looked rather smug at how he managed to pull this off. Ash didn't blame him. He was a very lucky boy and he would make sure that whatever word Professor Oak put in for him, that he would live up to it.
As he continued to process the enormity of what had just been announced the good professor spoke again. "Ash, from what Steven has told me your affair will be generally relaxed and at a slow pace, however you might be called in to action to stop criminal organisations, I'm sure you have heard of Team Rocket, they could be one of them. If the former champion of Hoenn is to be called to assist, then the situation will be dangerous." The professor stated clearly, making it apparent that Ash should take his words very seriously. "Just remember to listen to Steven and don't put yourself in a situation you cannot get out off. I don't want to be the one to tell your mother that you have been killed needlessly." He finished, looking Ash directly in the eyes.
Happy that the young teen had got the message, the professor adopted a calmer demeanour. "Now, I think it's time for a celebration, don't you think? I told your mother in advance of the good news, and what with Gary getting ready to leave, we thought it would be nice to throw you two a going away party."
Ash smiled at the sentiment, he could only imagine his mother swatting over the food and decorations, making sure that everything was perfect for her baby boy. He idly wondered who all would be there. Maybe the professor would let his staff have the night off. He knew most of them after all. Maybe a few of the trainers that had passed the PTE at the same time Ash and Gary did would be about. He wasn't particularly close with any of them, but it would be nice to compare teams at least.
"Thank you, professor, for everything. I won't let you down." Ash said sincerely.
"You never have Ash; I don't think you will start now." The professor replied chuckling at his own response.
Smiling, accepting the praise from the professor, a question that had been on the tip of his tongue since the announcement of who his teacher would be. "What's he like, Steven Stone?"
Ash was genuinely curious, and a bit nervous, of what a champion acted like. Steven, from the outside looked very prim and posh, something Ash certainly wasn't. His father owned the Devon Corporation in Hoenn, and he would certainly be the successor, their version of Silph Co. which was Kanto's main technological company for Pokemon accessories.
From what else the he could gather from searching the former champion, other than being immensely strong, was that he was a keen collector of rare gems and stones, which Ash found mildly amusing given his surname, and it was rumoured he would go to extreme lengths to acquire said minerals.
Other than that, the only information available on the normal databases, were that he obtained his master rank at 20, still relatively young, before becoming champion a few years later. His Metagross was rumoured to be the strongest trained Pokemon in the world, more powerful than Lance's Dragonite and Cynthia's Garchomp respectively, although the rest of his team didn't quite match up.
Ash was under no illusions that his whole team would get creamed by the behemoth, but from what he had read about the silvered haired man, there was a bit of hope about taking down at least one or two members from the rest of his team.
"He is a good man Ash, strong in body and mind, not afraid to put someone in their place when required, but he tries to stay out of the limelight when possible." The professor started, answering Ash's question before smirking a little bit as if he remembered something about the man. "Unlike you, he doesn't mind stepping into the limelight from time to time, he won't admit it, but he has a theatrical element to him, oh and he likes the sound of his own voice so be prepared for long and drawn out speeches."
That's about what Ash expected. The theatrical element was new though. It would be an experience in its own learning and hopefully befriending a champion.
"I took the initiative to pass on your Pokedex entry to Steven." The professor continued. "He will most likely pass on all the requirements about your arrangements tonight, it should outline everything from where you will be travelling too, the ACE program, meeting points and timelines. I expect it to be very thorough. He's a busy man, and he still has certain requirements to Ever Grande, so I expect it will be around four months before you actually meet him, what with your own training program."
Ash let all the information sink in before nodding to the professor. A small pit of Butterfree's entered his stomach as the beginning of a new chapter seemed imminent. He still couldn't believe his luck that the Steven Stone would be his teacher.
"I'll see you tonight professor, again thank you for everything." Ash finally responded to which the professor merely smiled at. With a hop and a skip Ash left his office with a bountiful amount of energy, not before saying goodbye to Grace on the way out and into the early morning sunshine that was Pallet Town.
XxXxXx
After telling his team of the news, explaining who Steven Stone was and how strong his team would be in the process, which was met with both shock and happiness that they would get to train under such a foe, Ash set out with his mother to the party. She had taken the news rather well, probably due to the fact that he would have a former champion looking out for her baby boy.
It was early evening; the sun was just starting to set which led to picturesque views of the remote town. Ash had yet to receive correspondence from Steven in regard to their arrangement but was prepared for his Pokedex to ping at any minute.
Mother and son entered the laboratory, going through the back and into the corral were the party would be held. The sight that greeted them was a good one. Streamers lined the edges, plenty of food was arrayed out which wetted Ash's appetite and there were at least a few people that Ash could interact with. There was also a lot of people he didn't know. Most likely acquittances of Professor Oak or Gary and trying to curry favour the former.
While Ash scoped out the guests, his mother left him to start chit chat with a neighbour, Dolores if he was correct. He spotted two teens his age, a boy and a girl, who sat the PTE's the same year he and Gary did. John and Amy if he was correct. It would be rude of him if he didn't at least say hello. His social skills weren't that bad after all.
John stood at 5-foot-9, average height for a male in Kanto, he had short blonde hair and soft facial features which made him look younger than he was. John had ap air of navy shorts and a white short sleeve shirt as attire, dressed appropriately for the summer evening weather.
Amy was 5-foot-4 and slim, although you could tell that it was all muscle underneath due to her travelling. She had long brown hair which was neatly tied into a ponytail with a white cap shading the sun. She had a simple light blue vest on with a short white skirt to match, further highlighting her toned, tanned legs. For the first time Ash noticed that she was indeed very pretty, and Ash tried to suppress a blush.
John and Amy, as it turns out, had competed in the Indigo Conference like Gary, an achievement in itself for any rookie, and had made it into the top 64 and 32 respectively. Gary had actually been the one to knock John out, a 3-1 victory and by the way John spoke about it, he wasn't best pleased.
Amy had been knocked out by the eventual finalist, so she was quite proud of her placing. This titbit of information also made it difficult to pinpoint how powerful she truly was as supposedly she held her own against said finalist.
That excited Ash, maybe Gary wasn't the strongest after all. Smiling at the revelation he asked the pair what their teams comprised off and the answers surprised him.
John had a Charizard, Raichu, Golduck, Pinser, Muk and Marowak. A strong team no doubt, built to dish hits out.
Amy had a Venusaur, Beedrill, Arbok, Golbat, Tentacruel and Haunter. A specialist like himself and with a dangerous ghost on her team too. She was impressing him more and more. In a year or so when the rest of her team would evolve then she would be quite the threat to a lot of trainers, just not him.
Ash was about to brag about his own team and achievements when his Pokedex pinged which only signalled one thing in his mind, a message from Steven Stone. Apologising to his peers, Ash hurried off to a secluded part of Professor Oaks lab, not wanting any distractions as he digested the text.
Opening his Pokedex, Ash quickly flipped through to the emails were indeed a message from an unknown contact had appeared. He sat down on the hard floor and greedily began to read the text.
Dear Ash,
As you should be aware, I am to be your teacher for the following year. You should also have been made aware of the caveat in place surrounding said training from Professor Oak.
You are to initially report to Hoenn ACE training camp on Izabe Island. Arrangements will be made for your travel with a league vessel due to dock in Pallet Town three days from now at midday.
Once you arrive at camp, you will be escorted by league personnel and presented to Ace Commander Warren who will debrief you and your future comrades.
After completing the programme, you are to make your own way to the Devon Corporation HQ in Rustboro City were our training will begin.
I suggest that you take your time once you complete camp, as rest on our travels will be scarce. Hoenn is a beautiful land, as you will come to learn, so map out a route you would like to explore, attempt a few gyms and try to relax.
I will be in touch in due course, note you will be my first official student, so expectations are high.
I look forward to meeting and mentoring you.
Kind Regards
Steven Stone
Ash closed and pocketed his Pokedex, searing every last letter of the email into his brain.
He was going to Hoenn. He was going to be inducted into the ACE programme. He was going to be mentored by former champion Steven Stone. He was going to win the Ever Grande Conference and be one step closer to becoming a master.
He would definitely need to read up on the ACE program. Both Professor Oak and Steven Stone expected him to pass, however he needed to prepare. The last few weeks had left Ash in somewhat lax shape.
He also needed to plan his route for after. If he was correct Izabe Island was between Mossdeep and Sootapoolis cities. Two of the harder gym badges to acquire for sure. He thought about flying on Skarmory but quashed that for now, maybe get a ferry back to the mainland, probably through Pacifidlog and Dewford Town respectively. That would mean that all the remaining 'main' gyms would be on the mainland.
He was just hoping that he would have enough time. The Hoenn oceans were vast, but if he needed to hire a private vessel he would. Ash had very deep pockets after his Vertress Conference victory after all. After all he also wanted to see Hoenn for what it truly was, beautiful, at least according to Steven Stone.
Deciding that he had thought it through enough, Ash went back to the party, looking out for John and Amy in hope of resurrecting their previous conversation.
He spotted them quickly enough, Gary had apparently appeared in Ash's absence and was making small talk with the pair.
He slinked over, punching Gary in the arm to highlight his arrival, who to his credit took the hit in his stride, before joining into the conversation.
"Ashy boy, we were just talking about you." Gary said playfully. "I see your social skills haven't improved, leaving these two high and dry." He added, not missing a chance to one up Ash.
"Hopefully it was all good things." Ash responded, not reacting to the taller teens jibe.
"I was just telling them about your team, oh and how you're a Unovan conference champion!" Gary replied smugly. "Actually, I may have just let that second part slip now!"
Ash deadpanned, sure it was going to come out eventually, people would have been wondering how he got on, what with the party being thrown in his name and all. But still, he would of like to have held the narrative.
The pair of John and Amy had different reactions. If Gary had told them about his team, and what he said wasn't a lie, they would know he was powerful. Come to think of it, they would have needed to swot up on Unovan Pokemon so maybe that didn't highlight too much.
John looked at Ash with a face of disgust, although he soon hid. Clearly, he wasn't over the moon by the revelation. John, by the looks of things didn't take kindly for others being better than him, or maybe that was just around Amy.
Amy looked at him in a new light, a sweet smile played her lips and they're was a twinkle in her blue eyes which raised Ash's temperature. She placed her hands onto her hips in what looked like an assessing manner and continued the pose for a few seconds.
"Did I pass?" Ash asked, a smile tugging his lip as Amy lowered her hands. She quickly broke off her gaze which brought another smile to Ash's face.
"I don't know, we haven't battled yet!" Amy shot back playfully. This was fun, Ash concluded, thinking of another response before John butted in.
"The Unovan league must be pretty poor if a newbie like you won it. Heck I bet any of us could have won it. And here I thought you had done something worthwhile." The smaller teen stated, hands arrayed out highlighting the party in front of them all.
Rude. That was what Ash thought in that moment. He thought John was a nice boy. Maybe he was, but his judgement was currently clouded by jealousy that his peers were superior.
By the looks of things, he wasn't the only one to come to the same conclusion. Amy's mouth was ajar, and she levelled a death stare at her friend. Gary was trying not to burst out laughing, something Ash wasn't surprised at giving the taller teens pettiness.
Ash, trying to placate the situation and not wanting to cause a scene in front of his mother replied diplomatically. "I'm not sure. I beat Gary a few weeks ago, albeit one vs one, and my opponent in both the top 8 and final were stronger than him, no offence." Ash said, looking at Gary to say sorry. "And from what you told me; Gary beat you so…."
Before John could respond, Amy spoke up, clearly having enough of John's antics, rolling her eyes in the process. "Why do you always do this around other guys?" She hissed before levelling an apology to Ash before grabbing John to go to another part of the corral and have it out.
"So that was interesting." Ash piped up after a minute to his sole companion.
"Yip!" Gary responded before veering into a new topic. "So, my plans are set in stone. I'm heading to Johto the day after tomorrow. All packed and ready to go. Gonna kick those gym leaders asses!"
"Is that so?" Ash replied, allowing Gary to continue. "Like whom?"
"Morty for one. He's visited gramps a few times and thinks he's all high and mighty that he heads up a couple of towers. There's a few trainers I met in Kanto that are heading over too."
"What about you? I was going to ask you to tag along but gramps said not to hold my breath. Take it somethings come up?"
"Something has come up!" Ash responded non-descriptively.
At Gary's quizzical stare he relented. "As you know, your grandad was trying to get me a teacher. He succeeded. I'm going to Hoenn, initially to ACE boot camp. If you don't already know it's where high-level trainers who are trusted by the league go to get specialized. Apparently, my teacher needs hard facts that I can rough it." Ash continued.
"As for my teacher, I don't think you want to know, you might go get jealous like John!" Ash finished, chuckling at his own joke. Gary soon joined in, looking to see if they could find their acquaintances. Not finding them he responded to Ash.
"I'll take your word for it. Boot camp does not sound fun though. I think I'd pass on whoever this teacher is of yours."
"Anyway." Gary continued. "We should go mingle, we are the honoured guests after all, try not to be too awkward while you're at it." He finished in jest.
The boys separated, Ash trying to find a friendly face in the crowd.
He soon found Professor Oak, who by the looks of things needed a distraction from the piranhas circling him.
"Ah Ash my boy, good to see you turned up for your own party, if you would excuse us for a few minutes ladies and gents, I would like to speak with the man of the hour!" The good professor said aloud, taking Ash's presence as the perfect opportunity to vacate from his peers.
"Your timing is impeccable I might add; one man can only say no to people so many times!" Professor Oak continued, chuckling at his current predicament.
"Anything to help you out professor. I take it you know of my future travels?" Ash replied earnestly.
"Of course, of course. I take it is to your liking. Hoenn is truly a beautiful land. I've not been for many years mind you, I think I took Daisy and Gary there when they were young, but my memory isn't as good as it once was." The professor replied wistfully, looking a little lost in his thoughts.
"It is professor. I have a question though. What are the ACE programmes like? I like the thought of having a title before my name, even if it wasn't one I initially envisioned."
It was true, Ash always dreamed of becoming a master, which would be one step closer to the champions mantle. The former never had a title though so whenever the thought came up 'Elite Four Ash' always had a good ring about it.
"I'm not going to lie to you Ash, it's tough. Both physically and mentally. Be prepared to have the stuffing knocked out of you, also there will be plenty of drills, both individual and team, with formations for combat, mission scenarios and how to implement your team to the best of their ability. Scenario's include opposition targeting the trainer so individuals with psychics excel due to their shielding capacities." The professor responded, highlighting what Ash had already guessed.
The shield part was interesting. Hopefully Ash's Aura abilities would improve over time so he wouldn't need to rely on a team member, other than Protect which was draining if used consistently, none his team specialised in erecting shields. He didn't want to catch psychic type all willy nilly either.
But at the same time, he didn't really want to highlight that he could use aura. Most people hadn't even heard of the concept after all. It would certainly raise more questions than answers and Ash could hazard a guess that Riley and his peers wouldn't be too happy that their secret was out.
"Just think on it Ash." The professor continued, seeing that Ash was deep in thought. "You have a couple of days to try things out, you know your teams strengths and weaknesses more than I do after all. Remember your future comrades will most certainly have more experience than you, seen more conflict, so they and their teams will be better prepared. What they don't have is the same intellect and drive you do, nor the strength and power that goes with it, so be confident in your abilities." The professor concluded, highlighting that although Ash lacked certain elements needed to be an ACE Trainer, he still had plenty of attributes which would take him over the line.
"I will Professor Oak, I'll ACE this in no time!" Ash replied jovially, the professors speech giving him renewed confidence. He would just have to think outside the box regarding shields, but he knew his team was more than capable of pulling it out the bag.
"I know you will Ash, now shoo, I can only keep the vultures away for so long, and by the looks of things the mayor has been eying a conversation!" Stated Professor Oak.
Ash took the professors words in stride, looking out into the expanse of the corral as he wandered aimlessly as he strummed along the six pokeballs that lined his belt. He had plenty to think about after all.
All of Ash's team had a large variety of resistances and immunities meaning that even the defensively fragile Pokemon could generally take a hit.
Aggron was noticeably slower than the rest of his team, so it would make sense that she could be Ash's protection in group combat. Magnezone too he guessed. It could use long range attacks and use its special skillset to startle opponents.
He reckoned that most of his fellow ACE cadets would only have one level of protection as well. At least in the programme anyway. It was good that they could balance each other out what with their vastly different attacking styles.
That left four offensive fighters that could take on the opposition with overwhelming force and finesse. He imagined that Excadrill would be the floater, going underground to strike at foes before darting to safety. A distraction for the enemy. In a melee she would be the least durable as well.
That left a three-pronged attack of Skarmory, Lucario and Bisharp. Lucario and Bisharp would take the flanks, rushing the enemy by getting in close while Skarmory covered the team from the sky and along with Excadrill incapacitating any rouge Pokemon that broke through.
It wasn't perfect, but Ash didn't think that he would come up with anything better. He would need to practice it with the team over the coming days but in theory it should work. He was maybe being over optimistic at his teams capabilities, as he had so far rarely came across an opponent that could overwhelm him and his team.
As he continued to wonder and think, he walked straight into somebody. Amy.
"Ow watch it. Oh, it's you Ash, sorry, what are you doing this far away from the party?" She blurted out in apparent confusion and anger.
"I was just doing some thinking, you know, need a quiet place to do that. What about you?" Ash replied, asking the same question to Amy.
"Same, I had it out with John if you hadn't of guessed, and I needed to get away from it all." She replied solemnly, trying to stay as emotionless as possible. It didn't last very long.
"You know we travelled together through Kanto, good friends really, but I guess he always wanted more." Amy continued, sitting on the ground and plucking a few bits of grass from the earth.
"At first, I thought it was cute, he would always defend me in front of others, but after a while it gets draining you know. He had this complex when other males were superior to him, and its only gotten worse. I can look after myself now too. We were planning on going to Johto together but now I don't know. I think it's time to branch out by myself, but I don't want to hurt him."
Ash, joining Amy on the ground, listened attentively, not knowing what to say once she finished her emotive spiel. Silence gathered for a minute or two, only the faint outlines of laughter from the party echoed in the background until Ash spoke up.
"You've got to do what's best for you. Your young, and I'm sure you have goals you want to achieve. Worrying about John isn't going to help that. So, go to Johto, but tell him beforehand that you want to explore on your own. Maybe even offer to start off together before splitting up? Just don't waste your talent, you'll regret it later on."
Amy looked up to Ash before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks!" She said. "I needed that."
Ash on the other hand, went bright red. He had experienced a lot things, but this was way out of his element. Amy started laughing once she caught sight of his beetroot cheeks before planting a kiss on the other cheek.
"Yea, yeah, no problem, any time." Ash eventually replied blurting out an incoherent sentence.
"I still want our battle, no holding back now!" Amy giggled back, winking at Ash as she said so.
Somewhat getting back to his usual self, Ash shot back. "Never, I need all the practice I can get in the next two days if I'm to be ready for Hoenn."
"Aw man, and I here I thought this was me convincing you to go to Johto!" Amy responded sarcastically.
"So, what's your plans, Mr conference champion." She continued in a light-hearted manner. "I've just opened myself up to you, why don't you return the favour?"
Ash started laughing at her faux mannerisms. She was really good company; it was a shame they were going separate ways.
Ash went onto explain that he was going to Hoenn to compete in the Ever Grande Conference. He also mentioned that he was training under a master and that a prerequisite was that he had to pass the ACE training programme in advance, which he would be leaving for in the coming days.
As for the wandering, Ash explained the group combat situation and how he would need to personally protected by his team if a fight broke out.
Amy was enraptured by it all, saying that it sounded super cool, which it was to be honest. At this rate she looked like she would change her goals and become an ACE trainer or Ranger, she was that intrigued by it all.
As night continued to fall, the two talked about what they wanted to achieve and promised to keep in touch, swapping Pokedex numbers. It was truly bliss but bittersweet all the same.
Ash had made another friend, but they would soon be departing for pastures new. Ash very well aware that a journey could change people and their perspectives, but he hoped that they would keep the promise.
He had more pressing matters to take care off though, and new distractions could be dangerous. So, he shook himself off once he got home and tried to refocus on being as prepared as possible for the ACE programme. Sleep took him shortly after, his mind awash with many thoughts, and for the first time ever, girls were one of them.
XxXxXx
The next two days whizzed by. Ash was as prepared as he could be. Had said his goodbyes to his mother, Professor Oak, Gary and Amy, promising to stay in touch with all of them and to buy a PokeNav (he wasn't going to Unova after all).
He was as ready as he possibly could be.
He had tried out his group combat formation, it was adequate enough for the first stages of boot camp he hoped. The team had understood it and knew of their requirements if they were let out to action.
He had battled Amy's team and won. She was as good he thought. Around the same level as Gary. Sadly, her poison typing was a major hindrance and Ash had won comfortably in the end. It was a glaring weakness, one that she couldn't really do anything about until she faced off against more steel types as there was a complete lack of them in Kanto.
There was plenty of running involved for him and the team. It wouldn't put them in perfect shape, but it was a start.
Now he was at the Pallet Town shoreline about to board the league vessel that was docked up. It was quite the site, sleek black, very streamlined. It was no wonder the journey was comparatively short.
There was a man waiting for him next to the league vessel. He was dressed in all white, with black shoes and a white hat. He looked to be around his mid-forties and seemed friendly enough.
"You Ash Ketchum?" The gentlemen asked to which Ash nodded. "Good, hop aboard and put your gear in the cabin. You have free reign of the vessel. I would advise you to get as much rest as possible though. My name is captain Angus, your personal escort to Izabe Island. Any questions, just come on through and find me!" The captain stated before making way for Ash.
The inside of league vessel was even more sleek than the outside. Smooth, expensive flooring was afoot with enough space to comfortably walk side by side with a Pokemon in the corridors. There was a communal room, with expensive looking couches aligned for conversation and he could see a chef's kitchen tucked out of the way.
His bedroom was absolutely massive. An aquarium took up once side of the wall, it was big enough to fit a Tentacruel comfortably. His bed was also humongous, probably fitting most of his team in it. There was a luxurious rug, an en-suite and a large television hanging on the wall. This was the single plushest room he had ever been in.
Ash released his team; they had earnt this comfort as much as he had, and they arrayed around him waiting for instruction.
"Alright guys, we have boarded the league vessel and are heading to Izabe Island to begin our ACE training. The journey shouldn't take longer than a few days so begin to focus on our drills and formations. I have no idea what to expect once we land on the island but be prepared for conflict."
"There will be no physical training over the next few days so try and relax, wander the vessel, look out to ocean, and think on what you want to achieve over the coming months. This luxury will soon be taken away from us so make the most of it. Understood?"
Ash received a confirmation of whizzes and grunts and his team began to disperse. Magnezone floated to the upper deck, most likely to stare out at the abyss. Skarmory was flying above, stretching his wings while Excadrill scurried off in search of food.
Lucario and Bisharp were the only ones left, naturally along with Aggron too who went straight to sleep.
"You two will be the big players in the months to come. Lead the team as you have before, use your instincts and be alert. We should be able to overpower the opposition, but they will have more tricks than us. We need to be calm in the face of the unknown, don't show weakness, our foes will strive on it."
Both Pokemon nodded at his spiel, fully aware of their responsibilities and roles in the team. Ash was just reiterating it.
"Let's meditate. The next time we set on shore we could be under attack!"