POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back to my story! I hope I'm not too late in updating, and I thank you of your patience in putting up with my slow updates... but real life can be a cruel mistress, as many of my fellow authors probably already know! Anyway... this chapter is about the aftermath of Ash's battle with Volkner, and will be mostly centered on Kenny, and his moment in the spotlight. Though, I am rewriting that episode so that it is hopefully more logical than what we got in the canon series. There were quite a few things that didn't make sense, in that one...
Anyway, enough with my rambling! Enjoy the chapter and, if you will, review!
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Chapter 2 - Ash Vs. Kenny
"And with this... I've finally got all eight of the Sinnoh League badges!" Ash exclaimed proudly as he admired the shining medals he had accurately placed inside his badge case, as he approached Sunnyshore Town's port along with Pikachu, Dawn and Brock. Only the day before, the young boy had fought and won an hard battle with Volkner, Sunnyshore Town's Electric-themed Gym Leader, and his powerful Luxray, Electivire and Jolteon. Infernape, Torterra and Pikachu had truly proven themselves during that hard battle, and finally Ash had all the prerequisites to take part in the Sinnoh League tournament! The only thing left t do was to go to the port and embark on the first ship to the Sinnoh League, so as to sign up for the competition in time!
It was probably because they were so hyped up after Ash's victory that Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Brock remained disappointed when, after reaching the port's reception, they found out that thelast ferry had departed a few minutes before, and that the tickets were sold out for the day, anyway...
"We're sorry... but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow to buy a ticket and depart." the vendor had said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "At the moment, we're unable to do anything to help you... but you can come back tomorrow morning - the first cruise sets sail at 9 o'clock in the morning, and from then on, there's one every hour."
"Aww, man... and here I was pumped up..." Ash murmured, rubbing the back of his head, as Pikachu wrinkled his nose. There was not much else to do but wait, spend the night in an hotel, and wake up early to try and climb on the next day's first cruise.
"Well, there's no need to be hasty, in any case..." Brock commented. "After all, we have a safe time margin to sign up, and we have no need to rush."
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I agree with that." she answered, smoothing over her white hat. "And then again, we can also... huh?"
She quickly stopped herself as she and her travelling companions headed out of the ticket office and came across a familiar-looking pair of people standing on the walkway near the waves, apparently busy with training their Pokemon. The first one, Dawn recognized immediately - a boy her age with a green shirt, somewhat loose beige pants and white and green trainers, his messy hair a mix of red and marroon. He was obviously Kenny, her childhood friend for Twinleaf, who had taken part in the Grand Festival like her, but had unfortunately been defeated during the preliminaries. At the moment, he was accompained by his Floatzel, a Pokemon similar to a giant otter with short orange fur, turning yelllow on his muzzle and belly. two fox-like tails, a small crest on his head... and, the most noticeable feature of all, some sort of life jacket on his shoulders.
The other trainer was a pretty girl with long, light brown hair tied in a pair of pigtails thanks to two orange orb-shaped decorations, but other than that, they were flowing freely down her back. She wore a pure white sundress, with an orange ribbon tied in front of her, and a pair of high-heeled white sandals. While she had a few more years than when Ash and Brock had seen her last time, there was no chance to mistake her for someone else - she was obviously Jasmine, the Steel-typed Johto Gym Leader! She seemed to be teaching Kenny something important, but... what exactly was she doing there, so far away from her home continent?
"Alright, Kenny... now, try to have your Floatzel repeat this same attack!" the pretty Gym Leadet told the young boy and his Pokemon. Kenny nodded and turned to his otter-like Pokemon.
"Right!" he said. "Okay, Floatzel, use a Water Gun attack... the way we've been taught!"
The Pokemon raised his head and shot an high-pressure jet of water skywards, creating a spectacular fountain of water which shot up for a few metres above the speedy Water Pokemon's head.
"Excellent! And now... do an Aqua Jet attack and pass through that!" Kenny ordered. Floatzel immediately interrupted his stream of water and jumped up, shooting into the mass of water like a living torpedo. The otter went through his own attack, tracing a few concentrc rings of water into it, and emerged with a spectacular acrobatic move, surrounded by a swarm of shimmering drops of water!
"Hmm, not bad! Not bad at all!" Jasmine commented as Floatzel elegantly landed near his trainer, his front paws held wide at his sides. "I have to admit, you two were quick to learn this little trick!"
Kenny stroked his Floatzel's head in gratitude. "Well, it was mainly thanks to you and your help, miss Jasmine!" he answered. "And by the way, thanks for the tips you've given me! I really needed them, after the poor showing I made at the Grand Festival..."
"Kenny! Fancy meeting you here!" Dawn exclaimed as she walked to her friend. A bit startled, Kenny turned to her.
"Oh... Dee-dee, is that you?" he answered, quickly regaining his composure. "Er... yeah, in fact, I kinda decided to stay here for a while to train my Pokemon... I met miss Jasmine here by mere chance, and she offered to give me a few pointers for my next contests... so I thought, why not? Going back to the basics will not hurt... by the way, Dee-dee, congratulations for winning the Grand Festival!"
The blue-haired girl smiled, halfway between pride and embarassment. "Hehee... well, I and my Pokemon simpky tried to do our best! And as I told Zoey, it was also a stroke of good luck on my part!" she answered. "And... she's miss Jasmine? I have this feeling I saw her somewhere, but I can't remember where on the top of my head..."
"She's the Olivine City Gym Leader, from the Johto continentt!" Ash explained, remembering his battle with the pretty Gym Leader. Her Steelix had been quite the dangerous opponent, even though Ash had come out on top att his first attempt. "I met her a couple years ago, when I was competing in the Johto league... and before that, I, Misty and Brock had to help a sick Ampharos. Hehee... let me tell you, it wasn't easy, we had to do a fair bit of back and forth!"
"I see..." Dawn answered. "Well, apart from this... If I'm not being too curioud, miss Jasmine, can I ask you why you're here in Sunnyshore City? And why are you with her, Kenny?"
"For now, I let my Gym to the care of my pupils." Jasmine answered. "I've come to Sinnoh to take part in a few contest, and because I was curious to see a few new places! As for Kenny, well... he was just asking me for a few pointers for his next competitions."
"I did a pretty poor showing at the Grand Festival..." the boy admitted, nervously playing with a Pokeball. "I relied too much on my Empoleon, and I lost... maybe I should have had a more varied team, and not count on power so much. Therefore, I thought it would have been a good idea to speak to a more expert coordinator."
"I see... I sure didn't know miss Jasmine was interested in coordinating." Brock commented, to which the Olivine City Gym Leader coveredher mouth with her hand and giggled shyly.
"In fact, that's quite a recent thing..." she answered. "You see, these contests are starting to get introduced in Johto too, and... let's just say, I became interested in them! It was somewhat sudden, but I have to admit I like them!"
Dawn nodded. "Glad to know... myself, truth be told, I still haven't decided what to do, now that I won the Grand Festival. For now, I wanted to stay with Ash and root for him during the Sinnoh League tournament, but after that... I still have to think about it."
"Ah... I understand." Kenny answered. Dawn and her companions missed it, but the young boy's mood had somewhat sombered when he heard that his friend wanted to stay with Ash until the end of the Sinnoh League tournament. However, he didn't have the time to reflect on that, as a huge metal claw suddently swooped down from the sky and caught his Floatzel, holding him tight and lifting him in the air! "Ah! Floatzel! What's going on?"
"Flooooat!" the otter Pokemon exclaimed, struggling against the vicegrip as he was raised higher and higher under the surprised eyes of Ash, Jasmine and all their friends. Quickly following the cable attached to the iron claw, the trainers saw that it was coming from a familiar air balloon, shaped like the head of a certain feline Pokemon...
"Hohohohoooo! Thanks for your Floatzel, kiddo! The boss will surely give us a bonus for this nice little gift!" the red-haired young woman in the balloon laughed. Her white midriff-baring shirt with a red R drawn upon it, her dizzying miniskirt, her knee-high black boots, and above all her oddly-combed fuxia hair were unmistakeable...
"You again, Team Rocket? Don't you EVER give up?" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu, already familiar with the standard procedure to take out the persistant criminal trio, began charging his cheeks with electricity... but his trainer stopped him by raising his hand. "Wait, Pikachu, don't do it! It's not a good idea to use Thunderbolt now, you'd end up hitting Floatzel as well!"
"Pika?" the electric mouse wondered... before taking a better look and seeing that, in fact, the Water-type Pokemon (a type notoriously vulnerable to Electric attacks) was too close to Team Rocket's hot air balloon. If he had attacked with a Thunderbolt, he would have hit Floatzel as well...
"Jessie! Didn't you say you were now into Coordinating contests?" Dawn exclaimed. "Have you gone back on your word?"
"Absolutely not, twerp... and by the way, I have to thank you for winning the Grand Festival, I would have been very annoyed had you lost to that scrawny redhead!" Jessie answered, her nose in the air and an index finger raised in front of her.
"Hey! Zoey is my best friend! Don't you dare talk smack about her!" an annoyed Dawn retorted.
"But still... I remain a member of Team Rocket, and as you know... crime is our job, after all!" Jessie continued.
"And since that Pikachu is too tough for us at the moment, we'll be content with this Floatzel! Let's just say... we're working our way up from here!" James continued with a jovial laugh. Immediately, everyone reached for their Pokeballs, hoping to stop the ballon before it reached a safe altitude.
"No way! Let my Floatzel go!" Kenny exclaimed.
"Unhand that Pokemon, or you'll have to deal with us!" Jasmine ordered. Nothing of this seemed to shake Team Rocket's confidence, though.
"Hmmm... can't you think of a better catch phrase that this, kiddos?" Meowth deadpanned, halfway between sarcasm and boredom. "Alright then... since you're putting it this way, let's do our thing, guys!"
"Right away, Meowth!" Jessie answered, beginning to pose for their trademark motto...
"Infernape... Flamethrower!"
Before the clumsy trio could even start with their trademark motto, a huge gout of flames came from behind Ash's group and sailed through the air with deadly accuracy, hitting the air balloon dead on and causing it to blow up in a cloud of smoke! The iron claw's grip on Floatzel relented, and the otter Pokemon could easily slip free and leap down, while the outraged and comically blackened Team Rocket was thrown away for the upteenth time since their Pikachu hunt had started!
"Aaaaargh! That's not fair! We hadn't even started!" Poor James whined, with comical streams of tears flowing from his eyes!
"If I catch the jerk who rained on our parade... we had just caught a Floatzel! Sigh... farewell, my beautiful bonus..." Jessie grumbled.
Meowth, who had long since been accustomized to such failures, sighed in resignation. "What can I say, guys, that's how things go... c'mon, let's say it another time..."
"Team Rocket is blasting off agaaaaaain..." they screamed in unison as they disappeared in the distance...
"Wobbuffet!" Jessie's absent-minded Psychic Pokemon had come out of his Pokeball just then, as Team Rocket once again became a twinkle in the skies! Floatzel, on the other hand, gracefully somersaulted in mid-air and landed on his feet near his trainer, who immediately checked on his Pokemon friend to see if he was alright... and breathed out in relief as he saw that this was indeed the case, and Floatzel gave him a thumbs-up! Ash, his comrades and Jasmine all turned in the direction from which the Flamethrower attack had come... and, just like Ash, suspected, they saw that it was the Infernape belonging to a tall, thin young man with red hair in a funny afro hairdo, wearing a form-fitting yellow shirt, baggy red trousers and a pair or leather sandals. He wasn't a new face for Ash - in fact, that was Flint, one of Sinnoh's Elite Four and Volkner's best friend. Ash had befriended the quirky Fire Pokemon expert earlier on, and Flint had given him some useful battling tips for his future battles. They had also fced each other in a Pokemon fight, which Flint had obviously won, but which had taught Ash quite a few things!
"Hey, Flint! What a surprise!" Ash exclaimed as he walked to the red-haired young man and his Infernape. "We didn't think we'd meet you again so soon!"
"Yeah, looks like it's fate that we meet so often, lately!" Flint answered, waving to the other members of the team. "By the way, Ash, congratulations on winning against Volkner! You rekindled his fighting spirit... and got your eight badge in the process!"
"You can say that again, Flint!" Ash answered, proudly showing his badge case. "And this time, I'm not letting anything stop me!"
Flint nodded, before turning to Dawn. "Oh, and before I forget... congratulations to you too, for winning the Grand Festival!" he said, winking. "It's not everyday you see a newcomer coming out on top!"
Once again, Dawn tried to downplay her own victory. "Hehee... actually, it was more out of luck than anything else... hadn't it been for that Last Resort, Zoey would have won!"
On her part, Jasmine stood back with Kenny for a while, looking at the red-headed Elite Four member with interest... then, she made her decision and stepped forward, getting his attention.
"Oh, good evening, miss..." Flint greeted the Steel-type expert as he turned to her. "Hmm... I don't think I ever saw you around here..."
"Indeed, this is my first time here in Sunnyshore City..." she answered. "Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Jasmine, and I'm Olivine City's Gym Leader, in the Johto League. I have faced a long journey to reach this continent, and I took part in several coordinating contests... you must be one of Sinnoh League's Elite Four, am I correct?"
"Correct, miss Jasmine!" Flint answered with polite confidence. "My name is Flint, and I'm ranked second among Sinnoh's Elite Four! It's an honor for me to meet a Gym Leader from another continent!"
"Likewise!" the young woman answered with a smile. "By the way, I'd like to ask you if you could give me the honor of facing me in a Pokemon battle!"
Flint nodded. "I've got no problem with that, miss Jasmine! Whenever you want, even now!" he answered, to which the Steel-type trainer gripped her hand into a fist in determination.
"If we could do battle right now, that would be ideal for me!" she answered. "Please, name the place..."
oooooooooo
"Well... a challenge between a Johto Gym Leader and a Sinnoh Elite Four! I think we'll have quite a bit to learn from this battle." Brock commented as he stood beside the battlefield, alongside Ash, Dawn and Kenny. The two contenders had already taken their places on the opposite sides on a small grassy field, not too far from Sunnyshore Town's port, and Flint hadn't recalled his Infernape in his Pokeball, making it clear that it was the Pokemon he had chosen for that challenge.
"Yeah... maybe I can learn a few things for the League tournament..." Ash agreed. He was watching Jasmine closely, asking himself which Pokemon she would have chosen for this battle. He well knew how strong the pretty Gym Leader's Steelix was, but maybe she would have used someone else...
"These are the rules: a one-on-one fight, direct elimination!" Flint stated. As he was the one receiving the challenge, Jasmine thought it was only fair that he name his terms. "No special rules, though... alright, with that out of the way, I think we might as well start!"
"Very well, then... Steelix, it's your turn!" Jasmine exclaimed as she threw a Pokeball, which snapped open on impact and released the Pokemon Ash expected her to use... a gigantic, scary steel snake with an overgrown lower jaw and several metal blades protruding from his massive yet sinuous body, which was covered in iron plates shiny enough to reflect the rays of the late afternoon sun! The gargantuan Steel Pokemon stood up, towering on Flint's Infernape, and roared in defiance! "STEEEEEELIX!"
"Woah, that's one huge Pokemon!" Dawn exclaimed as she and Kenny looked at Jasmine's champion in awe. The bue-haired girl consulted her Pokedex, pointing it to the gigantic metal snake...
"Steelix. The Iron Snake Pokemon. Type Steel / Ground. It mostly lives underground, in high pressure and heat conditions in order to temper its armor and make it harder than any other metal. Thanks to its powerful jaws, it can easily chew rock as it burrows underground, and its eyes are adapted to low-light conditions."
"Yeah, the same Pokemon she fought me with when we tried to claim her badge! Remember that, Pikachu? That Iron Tail of his was really something..." Ash commented, and the electric mouse could only agree. Then, thinking that watching that battle could have been useful to him as well, Ash called his own Infernape out of his Pokeball. "By the way, Infernape, what do you say? Maybe watching this fight could be useful to you too!"
"Yeah, it will come in handy when you face that jerk at the Sinnoh conference!" Dawn agreed, as Ash's Infernape appeared in front of him, nodded and exclaimed his own name.
At that moment, as they were focused on the monkey Pokemon, Ash and Dawn didn't quite catch the somewhat aggravated expression briefly flashing on Kenny's face. The young coordinator was observing the aspiring Pokemon Master and the Grand Festival winning chatting between them... and the fact that they seemed so close annoyed him for some reason. Actually, that wasn't the first time he had felt like that, but only recently had this feeling grown to the point where Kenny could no longer ignore it. He felt as if Ash was forcing him to keep his distance from Dawn, and he didn't like that at all.
The more attentive Brock, however, caught sight of Kenny's subtle change in attitude, and looked at him in perplexity. "Hmmm... you alright, Kenny? You look kind of... I don't know, absent, right now..." the Rock Pokemon expert told him. Kenny's surprised and almost angry retort to this question only confirmed his suspicions.
"Huh? I... well, no, Brock, what do you mean by that? I... er... I wasn't looking at Ash and Dee-dee!" he exclaimed in a clumsy attempt to hide his jealousy. He quickly turned to the battle and placed his hands near his mouth, like a megaphone. "C'mon, Infernape! Do your best! You can do it!"
Even someone not as observant as Brock would not have been fooled by such a weak attempt at hiding behind a facade, and Pewter City's former Gym Leader stood there fora moment, watching as Kenny began rooting for Flint's Infernape with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary...
But herewas no time to think about that, as Jasmine and Flint had just started their duel... and it was the pretty Steel-type Gym Leader to open hostilities! "Okay, Steelix, let's begin! And we'll get inthe lead with an Earthquake attack!" she exclaimed. The mighty steel serpent raised his enormous tail and tried to slam it on the ground, as to unleash a massive quake... but Flint, thanks to all his experience, had anticipated that move!
"Infernape! Leap as high as you can!" the afro-haired young man ordered, just as Steelix's tail had started on its way down! With expert timing, the fighting monkey crept down and then jumped up a split second before Steelix could hit the ground with its tail... and when the iron-clad serpent unleashed his Earthquake, causing the whole field to shake, Flint's Infernape was already several feet high in the air, completely avoiding the dangerous blow! Jasmine and the audience remained in awe for a second... they hadn't expected the Elite Four member to react so quickly and efficiently! But the Steel expert quickly regained her composure, and issued her next order.
"Brilliant! But I should expect as much from a Sinnoh Elite Four! If that is the case... Steelix, hit with an Iron Tail, now!" she exclaimed. Steelix roared again and raised his tail once again, this time bringing it down on the descending Fire / Fighting ape, in a roundabout swing.
"Quick, Infernape! Keep your guard up!" Flint countered. Before the punishing Iron Tail could strike, Infernape protected himself with his arms and legs... and when the blow actuallyconnected, the fire chimp was slammed on the ground, but managed to land on his feet and minimize damage. He took a few steps back in order to reorganize, then he quickly slid in a fighting pose again!
"Flint's Infernape has a somewhat unusual way of fighting... but I have to say, it's quite effective!" Ash said. "He dodged an Earthquake attack in a very unpredictable manner... and he managed to completely avoid a very damaging blow!"
"Yeah... and did you see the speed with which he blocked that Iron Tail?" Dawn asked. "It's true, it's not all about the moves taught to a Pokemon... it's a matter of using them well!"
Ash's Infernape, for his part, was trying to take in every single moment of the fight, whereas Kenny, from time to time, kept throwing a sideways envious glance to Ash. The more he stood there, the less he liked the way he and Dawn were close, and the fact that Ash was a good four years older than the blue-haired girl didn't seem to put him at too much ease...
Jasmine decided to keep up the pressure. "Now, Steelix! Unleash a Sandstorm on Infernape, and follow up with Crunch! Now!" the Gym Leader exclaimed. Steelix immediately began slithering in a circle at a seemingly impossible speed for a creature his size, his iron body kicking up a veritable cloud of sand and debris, which Infernape was mercilessly peppered with! However, the monkey Pokemon stood his guard, being careful to cover his eyes as necessary to be able to look in front of himself. It turned out to be a wise idea - as Steelix stopped slithering in place and threw himself at Infernape, opening his huge jaws filled with sharp square teeth!
Flint recognized that was the right moment to act! "Now! Infernape, use a Flare Blitz, maximum power!"
Flint's Infernape finally dropped his guard as a scarlet blaze surrounded his muscular body... and one instant later, he leapt in the air and dove towards Steelix, transforming himself into a miniature comet! The steel serpent had counted on his Sandstorm to blind Infernape, and now he was finding himself speeding towards his opponent, unable to either stop or defend himself! Jasmine gasped in surprise as she understood she had miscalculated...
THWAAAAAAAK!
"Steelix!" Jasmine called out to her Pokemon, her voice raising above the deafening noise. Steel-type Pokemon are resistant to many types, but Fire is definitely not among those... and as a result, the iron-clad snake was lifted clean off the ground and tossed several feet away, before crashing upon it with an earth-shaking thud! Steelix groaned in disappointment, and finally slumped down, his eyes turned into spirals. Despite Steelix's incredibly tough natural armor, Infernape was so much stronger than him that it barely made any difference, and Jasmine's Pokemon found itself defeated in no time.
"Well, I don't think there are doubt on who won this match..." Brock stated, an arm raised in the air to signify the end of the battle. "Steelix is unable to continue fighting. Flint and his Infernape are the winners!"
"Awesome! Now this was a spectacular battle!" Ash exclaimed. "What do you think, Infernape? I think some of the tactics we've seen now could very well complement our fighting style! It surely couldn't hurt, all things considered!"
"INFERNAPE!" the fire chimp replied enthusiastically. After all, if that meant giving him more of a chance to show his former trainer how strong he had become, that was the perfect way to do it!
Jasmine sighed. After all, she couldn't say she wasn't satisfied: she and Steelix had done their best, and they were up against a very strong opponent. "It's alright, Steelix, you've done a good job all the same!" the Gym Leader said, walking up to the stunned steel behemoth and stroking his head before recalling him in his Pokeball. "I think you earned your rest! By the way, Mr. Flint... thank you for your time! It was a good match, and it was a honor for me to go up against you!"
"You did a good job yourself, miss!" Flint answered, with a grin and a wink. "Your Steelix was well-trained, you earned your title of Johto Gym Leader!"
"Thanks, but this battle made it clear, to me at least, that I still have a very long way to go." Jasmine answered. "As soon as I'm back in my gym, I'll start training again, and I'll try to poish my technique... and maybe make my own team more varied!"
Flint nodded. "I understand... well, if that's the case, I offer you my best wishes, and I hope you'll get a good placement in your next competitions!"
As Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Ash's Infernape walked to the two trainers, in order to congratulate them over a job well done, Dawn moved to join them, but stopped herself when Kenny raised a hand, as if to call for her attention. "Hm? Oh, Kenny, tell me... is anything the matter?" she asked.
"Well, not much, actually..." Kenny answered, trying to man up for what he needed to say next. He didn't want her to see how nervous he actually was. "Say, Dee-dee, I've been doing some thinking... you said you're not sure what to do now that you've won the Grand Festival, right?"
Dawn blinked in confusion. "Er... yes, I did say that, and I still haven't decided..." the blue-haired girl answered. "But... why are you asing me that now, so out of the blue?"
Kenny smiled to himself. That was the right moment to tell her... "Alright then, Dee-dee, let's make an arrangement! Today, I will challenge Ash to a Pokemon battle, just like Miss Jasmine and Mr. Flint have done right now... and if I win, you'll travel with me, and we'll train together for the next Grand Festival! Are you okay with that?" he proposed.
Dawn's eyes went wide in surprise, and she found herself at a loss for words... which the overeager Kenny mistook for a definite affirmative answer! "That's perfect, then! Okay, I'm going to organize my team... and then, watch me doing my best later!" he exclaimed, as he started to march towards the Pokemon Center, leaving a speechless Dawn behind! The girl could do nothing but watch her friend merrily skip away, and now he was too far away for him to hear her...
"Wh... What? What do you..." she murmured, without being able to complete the question. Brock, for his part, was watching the younger trainers, and now he too was eyeing Kenny, and asking himself what the boy was thinking...
oooooooooo
Kenny kept walking rapidly for a little while, until he was back in Sunnyshore Town's port... and that was when he stopped, placing an hand on his heart and breathing in and out. He couldn't believe it... he had done it! He had actually managed to make that proposal to his dearest friend! And to think he thought he would have ended up tripping on his own words... Now, all that was left to do was winning a battle with Ash in a few hours... but that was only a matter of using strategy and sending his best Pokemon on the field! After all, no matter how much more expert he was, Ash was still a common Pokemon trainer! Defeating him shouldn't be that hard...
Immersed in his thoughts as he was, Kenny failed to notice someone following him until he was just a few feet away... and at that point, the startled young boy jumped up and quickly turned in that direction, just to see a familiar dark-skinned young man with spiky brown hair and trademark ever-shut eyes!
"Sorry, I shouldn't have startled you..." Brock apologized. "It's just that... I saw you talking with Dawn, just after the battle between Jasmine and Flint and... I asked myself what you were talking about, for you to run away like that!"
Kenny frowned suspiciously, but eventually decided that this matter wasn't worth getting defensive over. "Er... well, let's just say I made Dawn a proposal to help her take a decision..." he answered. "If... if I will manage to defeat Ash in a Pokemon battle, Dawn will keep travelling with me... and we'll train together for the next competition... I mean, the next Sinnoh Grand Festival!"
Brock could see that the young boy was was enthusiastic about his own idea, and he wasn't sure whether Dawn fully understood what this proposal was about... So, after thinking about it for a few seconds, Brock decided to go for a more direct approach.
"Hmm..." he said, rubbing his chin. "Well, I don't make it a habit to intrude in ther people's business, and I sure am no one to say anything about you and Dawn... but I'd like to ask you, are you sure it's for the best?"
Kenny frowned. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Well... I can see you care a lot about your friendship with Dawn." Brock stated, not wanting to imply anything despite his own thoughts on the matter. "I mean, you two are great friends, that much is clear, and you have your passion for coordinating contests in common, too... I understand that you want to keep this bond with her. But... are you sure you aren't doing the opposite and you aren't being too imposing on Dawn? I know you have all the best intentions, but Dawn might see that as you being too intruding..."
Kenny blinked, and from his expression, it was clear that he was thinking about Brock's words, and he was finding that there was some truth to them. But a combination of pride and fear of losing his friend kept him from moving from his position... and after a few moments of silence, Brock shrugged and left with a small reccomandation.
"Anyway, it's not my place to say what is best for you two... I just wanted you to take care about that, since your friendship with Dawn is obviously something you care a lot for." he concluded. "You are the one who needs to decide about this..."
As Brock excused himself and started going back to Ash and Dawn, Kenny simply stood there with a dubious look on his face. He didn't really know what to say about how he felt right now... it was a mixture of worry, envy and annoyance. However, he was not going to be swayed from his purpouse... maybe it was a bit selfish of him, he had to admit that, but he wasn't going to let Ash put distance between him and Dawn - he wanted to rekindle his friendship with Dawn, and if this challenge was the way to do that... then so be it!
oooooooooo
"Ash! I'm challenging you to a Pokemon battle! Right here and now, one-on-one!"
The direct, undaunted challenge from Kenny, who was standing right in front of the aspiring Pokemon Master, caught Ash and Pikachu off guard... and Dawn, with a somewhat nonplussed expression, thought that, at the very least, her friend's courage was commendable. Brock, on the other hand, did not look surprised, although he was asking himself if Kenny really thought he could do it. Ash was a much more expert trainer than he was...
"A... A Pokemon battle? Well, what can I say... you're the last person I ever expected such a challenge from!" Ash answered, his eyes still widened. However, his confidence soon kicked back in. "Still, I have no problem with that! In any case, it will be good training for the Sinnoh conference!"
Kenny, up until then serious and unwavering, actually smiled as he took a Pokeball from his belt and opened it, letting out his strongest Pokemon. "Thanks, Ash! And now... if I may, I'd like to choose my Pokemon! And I choose... you, Empoleon!" he exclaimed. The Pokeball opened up, allowing the massive penguin to come out and materialize on the battlefield, his short wings spread out, and his armor shining in the rays of the late afternoon! Brock nodded, approving Kenny's choice. The young coordinator had rightly chosen the Pokemon he was more familar with, and his most powerful one. That could actually give Ash a run for his money...
"An Empoleon..." Ash murmured to himself, remembering all the peculiarities of the penguin Pokemon. It was a mixed Water / Steel type, meaning that there weren't too many options to fight him efficiently. Unless, of course... "Okay, Pikachu, think you can do it? This Pokemon is no one to sneeze at, you should know that..."
But the perky yellow mouse was not daunted so easily, and his lightning-shaped tail moved back and forth, to tell his trainer that he was ready to fight! "Pikachu! Pika pika pi, pikachu!" he exclaimed, before hopping down from Ash's shoulder and getting ready to fight Empoleon. As was his habit, Brock stood at the side of the battlefield, acting as a referee.
"That's settled, then... the battle is between Ash and Kenny, respectively with Pikachu and Empoleon!" The Rock-type trainer exclaimed. "Each contestant will only use one Pokemon... may the best win!"
Kenny seemed to have prepared himself for the end of Brock's sentence, since his first command came out almost instantaneously after! "Empoleon, open up with Aqua Jet!" the young boy ordered. The emperor penguin obeyed swiftly and shot an high-pressure stream of water which hit Pikachu with blinding speed! Pikachu lost his balance and clumsily fell to the ground, but he got up quickly, shook the water off and prepared to withstand another assault.
"Wow, Kenny really started out well!" a surprised Dawn commented. "That Aqua Jet attack was really something..."
"Indeed it was..." Brock answer, doing a quick resume of the situation. "Kenny well knew that his Empoleon could never match Pikachu's speed, so he opted for a quick and relatively strong attack, in order toget an early advantage. It has to be said, for being a coordinator, he is no slouch as a fighter as well..."
"Keep it up, Empoleon! Strike with Metal Claw!" Kenny went on, emboldened by the first strike. The penguin shrieked and attacked again, this time with the sharp claws on its legs, trying to hit Pikachu with a powerful kick! The electric mouse squeaked and barely managed to dodge sideways, as Empoleon's claws drew three parallel lines on the ground!
"Alright, then... if there is a good moment to put Flint's technique to good use, this is it! Though I need to adapt it to my style..." Ash told himself. "Pikachu! Use an Agility attack to dodge Empoleon's attacks! Now!"
"Pika!" his best friend answered, as Empoleon tried another Metal Claw. With an agile burst of speed, Pikachu dodged Empoleon's claws, then began running round his opponent, his already noticeable speed climbing and climbing. Kenny, knowing that his Pokemon was not such a speed demon, decided to have his Empoleon wait for Pikachu's next move, not wanting his Pokemon to drop his guard...
But then, Ash whipped out a trick the young coordinator hadn't seen coming! "And now, Pikachu... use Double Team!" he ordered, and the yellow mouse dashed forward, leaving after-images behind himself that followed him for a short while! Confused, Kenny tried to think of a possible counter-measure... but he couldn't do it on time, before the after-images leapt at his Empoleon in a perfect rendition of a Quick Attack! The penguin, unsure who was the one he had to guard against, tried to shield himself with his short wings... but all the Pikachus were simply dissipated by the wing slams, and Kenny realized too late that he had fallen for a distraction!
"Now, Pikachu! Volt Tackle!" Ash exclaimed. The cute yellow rodent, after gathering enough speed, ran towards the emperor penguin, his body wrapped in a shimmering electric aura! Like a thunderbolt, Pikachu jumped Empoleon and slammed upon him with all his strength, and this time it was Empoleon, despite his bigger size, to feel the attack and fall with a dull thud, golden sparks dancing on his armor! Pikachu somersalted and landed on his feet, in a guard position and ready for another clash!
"Emoleon!" Kenny exclaimed, sighing in relief as the emperor penguin regained his unsteady footing. As a Water Pokemon, he was weak to Electric attacks, but his solid natural armor had weathered the worst of the Volt Tackle. "That's the way, Empoleon! Now, use an Ice Beam!"
Empoleon opened his beak, creating a sphere of azure-white light in front of himself... and then shot a freezing beam of energy against Pikachu, who tried to dodge it sideways, but was still caught in the peripherical cold, and one of his paws was numbed by the cold! Ash grit his teeth... that Empoleon was a dangerous opponent and was fighting with determination... time to fall back on defensive tactics!
Before Empoleon could get his act together, Ash managed to give another order. "Okay, Pikachu, don't panic! We can still win this!" he exclaimed. "Get away from him, and don't lower your guard. We have to wait for him to do the first move!"
"Pika!" Pikachu answered, his lighting-shaped tail slipping towards the ground, as if the yellow mouse wanted to use it as a spring. Kenny, however, was too excited by his temporary advantage to see that, and ended up making another rash mistake!
"Alright, Empoleon, we've got this!" he shouted excitedly. "Now! End this battle with an Earthquake!"
"EOOOON!" the emperor penguin clucked, before he jumped up and tried to dive-bomb the ground with all his considerable weight! Unfortunately for him and his trainer, that was when Ash and Pikachu knew to exploit the trick they had seen Flint use...
"Now, Pikachu! Jump!" Ash called. He barely had time to finish the phrase before Pikachu used his tail as a spring to propel himself in the air, a second before Empoleon could drop down! The penguin Pokemon slammed on the ground with all of his weight, causing a miniature earthquake that would probably have meant a major blow for Pikachu, if the yellow mouse hadn't been airborne at the moment! The unprepared Empoleon culd do nothing but watch as Pikachu sailed through the air and landed on his head... and that was the point where Kenny's confident look turned to sheer bewilderment!
"And now, Pikachu, finish it with Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed before Empoleon could regain his bearings. Pikachu obeyed immediately, and his cheeks sparked for a moment... before his small body unleashed a massive discharge that overwhelmed Empoleon, causing him to scream in pain and surprise. A few seconds later, Empoleon slumped down in defeat, his armor signed, his body comically smoking and Pikachu still holding on to his back. It was clear who the winner was...
"Empoleon is unable to continue. Pikachu and Ash win this battle!" Brock declared, as the yellow mouse slid down his defeated opponent's back and flashed a V-sign to his trainer.
"Pikachu!" he squealed, as Ash gave him a thumbs-up. For his part, Kenny remained for a few second watching his defeated champion in disbelief... but finally, he sighed in resignation and recalled Empoleon in his Pokeball.
"Don't worry, Empoleon, I know you did your best." the young boy said. Such a pity... that was his chance to travel with Dawn and rekindle his friendship with her...
Or, at least, he thought so, until Dawn, much to his surprise, walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder in a conforting gesture. The surprised boy quickly turned to his dearest friend, who was smiling warmly at him. "Dee-dee?" he asked, perplexed...
"You still did a great job, Kenny! Ash is a great trainer, and it was awesome that yu managed to give him so much trouble." the girl told him. "But... in any case, I don't think I would have travelled with you. It's not that I don't like you, mind you, but... y'see, I think my way is somewhere else for the moment. I... need to find what I want to do by myself, and I can't keep holding on to other coordinators like I did until now. I wanted to find my own way and my own style... but this doesn't mean we won't ever see each other again, you know?"
"You... you don't mean..." Kenny asked hopefully. "You mean that... we'll still see each other?"
Dawn confirmed that with a nod. "Of course we will, silly! We'll see each other at contests, for starters... and in any case, you're one of my best friends anyway! Distance changes nothing, after all... so, don't worry about that!"
Relieved by that, Kenny smiled as he looked in Dawn's eyes. "Thanks, Dee-dee! Hearing such things from you... it means a lot to me!" He had half a mind to add that it was because she was the one saying that, but he thought better of it, and decided that it wasn't the right time.
Keeping his distance from the two younger kids, Brock smiled and nodded, satisfied that they had managed to explain themselves to each other... while Ash, who had remained out of the loop until then, approached Brock to ask for clarifications. "Hey, Brock, what's this all about?" he asked. "Do you happen to know why Kenny challenged me, and why he and Dawn are now all chummy?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked, confused about the whole deal himself.
"Well... it's a little difficult to explain like that..." Brock answered, his eyes still affixed on Kenny and Dawn. "Let's just say... that Kenny was afraid he and Dawn were drifting apart, and he wanted this challenge to be a way to reconnect!"
"Well, I'm not sure I fully understand, but I can see it worked!" Ash stated. "I and Pikachu have managed to practice our new strategies, and those two... well, it's in front of our eyes now! So... heh, everybody wins in the end! Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika!" the electric mouse answered, raising his ears in triumph!
oooooooooo
The next morning, the first ship for the Sinnoh League was leaving Sunnyshore Port, leaving behind all the challenges Ash and his friends had faced in that incredible journey... and taking Ash, Dawn and Brock with it! The three friends were now standing on the bridge, looking at the city disappearing in the distance...
"And that's where the last leg of our journey begins!" Ash stated, with Pikachu on his shoulder. "I can't wait to face the Sinnoh League... this will be our greatest challenge!"
"Pika pika... pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked twice in agreement, then clenched his small hands into fists and looked at his trainer cum best friend with renewed determination.
"And anyhow, we'll always be rooting for you!" Dawn continued with a wink. "And with two cheerleaders like us, well... how could you ever lose? I'm sure you will be the next Sinnoh League winner!"
"Thanks, Dawn... thanks, Brock!" Ash answered. "Well, then... wait for us, Sinnoh League! We're coming, and we're going to rock the house!"
"PIKA!" Pikachu lit up his cheeks, sprayed electric sparks around himself!
From a small bridge in Sunnyshore Port, Kenny and his Empoleon were looking, a smile on their faces, as the ship continued on its way to the horizon. Dawn was right, after all... it was only fair that each one of them went on his or her own way, without feeling forced to go anywhere. And when they met again in a competition, they would have shown each other how much better they had gotten!
And when they were a little older... why not, that would have been Kenny's chance to tell Dawn what he couldn't say now!
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Well, there you have it! The battle between Ash and Kenny... which, hopefully, had a more satisfying conclusion than the canon one! Don't worry about Kenny, though, because he will get his chance to glory as well, and we haven't seen the last of him yet! The important thing was that he and Dawn could come clear with each other and retain their friendship. Will this friendship ever develop into something else? We'll see about that...
Next chapter, I'm cutting straight to the deciding battle in the Sinnoh League! I'll try to make it as awesome as possible, so... keep your seat belts fastened, because it might be a bumpy ride! For now, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you soon!