When Morning came, Ash and his friends were eating breakfast when John said, "Everyone ready for the day ahead?" to which everyone at the table nodded their heads. Ash then said, "Before the first battle begins, I'm going to make the announcement about the coming war." John smiled and said, "Okay, I'll alert the News stations and have them broadcast to the world." Ash nodded his head, looked at May, and said, "May, can you take the kids to the Booth." May nodded her head and said, "Of course Ash." Ash smiled and thanked his wife. Just then, there was a knocking on the door and Ash went to answer it and when he opened the door, he saw a face that he hasn't seen in decades. The man at the door had Black Hair and it was in the shape that Ash had his hair. The man also had Z scars on his cheeks. The man then said, "Well, aren't you going to let your father in?" Ash then moved to the side and said, "Come on in dad." Ash's father then walked in and as he closed the door, Ash said, "Emma, our Dad's here." Getting up from her seat and making the chair fall backwards, Emma fasted walked to the door and when she saw her father, Emma ran and hugged him. Emma began crying in her father's arms, for not seeing him for almost two decades, and Ash asked his father to follow him and Emma to the dining room.
When the three family members entered the room, Ash got everyone's attention and said, "Everyone, I would like you to meet Aaron Ketchum, my father." Everyone was silent after Ash got done talking, but May was the first to speak as she brought Aubrey and Collin closer and she said, "Greetings sir, my name is May. I'm Ash's wife and these are our children, our daughter, Aubrey Carol Ketchum, and our adopted Son, Collin Henry Ketchum." Arron looked at his grandchildren and said, "Hello Aubrey, Hello Collin, nice to finally meet you." Aubrey immediately ran to give her grandfather a hug while Collin was hesitant. Ash saw that his son was hesitant and said, "It's alright son, come on." Collin took a few steps forward and Ash's father said, "Hello Collin, nice to meet you, I know that you're not blood related to me, but I am going to treat you like you're a blood relative to me, so come on over here and give your grandpa a hug." Collin then ran to Aaron and hugged him as well.
Aaron then looked up at John and the others and said, "Ash, who are these people?" Ash then said, "Dad these people are my friends, the ones still loyal to me." John was the first to speak and he said, "Greetings Mr. Ketchum, my name is John Bertrand, one of Ash's first friends and only friend that stuck with him from the very beginning of his journey. The lovely woman standing next to me is my wife, Shauna." Aaron bowed, and Shauna did a curtsied. Then Gary said, "My name is Gary Oak, I know you probably know me sir, but I feel better since I introduced myself." Aaron nodded his head and said, "I remember you Gary, born just after my son was born." Ash smiled and said, "Looks like we now know who's older." Gary gave Ash a look that read, 'Very funny Ashy Boy.' The rest of Ash's Friends introduced themselves to Aaron. Aaron then said, "So two former traitors asked for my Son's forgiveness and he gave it to them, I'm impressed." Ash then said, "Now dad, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Aaron then said, "Well Son, I heard about warrant for your arrest for the murder of Professor Oak, I'm not here to collect it, I know that warrant is complete bullshit." Ash smiled and said, "I'm glad one of my parents is on my side." Aaron then said, "I heard about your mother, how she sided with the people who wanted you to give up your journey, but did she ever say why?" Ash shook her head and said, "No, we didn't stick around long enough to find out why she sided with the traitors." Aaron then said, "Back to the main point, I came here from a region that's 200 miles away from the seven core regions, it's called the Omega Region." Ash and his friends looked at Aaron with looks that read, 'Is that really its name', causing Aaron to say, "I'm serious, that's the region's name, and the regions around it are called the Alpha Region, the Beta Region, and the Delta Region. There's also the Charlie Region, the Epsilon Region, the Theta Region, and the Zeta Region" Ash then said, "Wow, and what do those oddly named regions want?" Aaron replied, "They want to help you in your war against Team Comet." Ash was surprised that eight more regions that didn't even know him were willing to help him in the upcoming War. Aaron then said, "All they ask for in return is no hostilities and help with terrorist attacks against their governments done in the name of Team Comet." John then said, "Looks like Team Comet's influence spreads past the seven core regions." Ash nodded his head in agreement. Ash then said, "Well, thanks for the information Dad, and we thank the regions siding with us. We'll also provide all support to them against those terrorist attacks."
"You're welcome Son and thank on the behalf of all the regions that will support you and Otron." Replied Aaron. John then looked at his watch and said, "Ash, we need to hurry, the first battle is starting in a few minutes." Ash nodded his head, looked at his father, and asked him, "would you like to watch the battle from my booth?" Aaron smiled and said, "Of course Son, who is battling?" John told Aaron, "Sir, it is the team of Steven and Lance, who are on Ash's side, and the team of Chili and his treacherous Brother Cress, trip is going to be down there with Chili and Cress to make sure that Cress doesn't do anything." Aaron nodded his head and asked Chili, "Do you want to win the battle?" Chili told Aaron that he wanted to win the battle before, but now that he is on Ash's side, he wants Steven and Lance to win the battle. Aaron and Ash smiled at what Chili said. Ash then said, "Alright everyone, let's get to the stadium." Everyone at the table nodded their heads, got up, and made their way to the stadium.
Meanwhile, in Team Comet's hidden Otron Base, Misty was watching TV when Brock entered and said, "The tournament's about to start, and the assassin is getting in position to take out Chili. He told me that he's going to be on top of the Sunhill Department Store. I told him and Cress that Chili needs to die after his second Pokémon goes down." Misty looked at her fellow Gym leader/Team Comet leader and said, "Good, soon, Chili will be dead, and we will have an entire region wanting to go to war against the Otron Region and that loser Ketchum." Brock smiled and said, "I know, soon Ash would wish he had given up his dreams all those years ago." Misty nodded her head and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a certain Legendary Pokémon watching them. Misty then quickly stood up, and said as she spun around, "CELEBI!" Celebi realized that the traitors saw her and flew away. When Misty and Brock got to the window Celebi was at, she was already gone. Misty then said, "God Fucking Damnit, that fucking Pokémon must have heard us talk about our plan to kill Chili." Brock nodded his head and said, "I bet that's how Ash found out about us forming Team Comet." Misty nodded her head in agreement.
Back with Ash, he was about to start his news broadcast when Celebi appeared in front of him and told him the traitor's plan. Ash then said, "For one of the Neutral Legendary Pokémon, you're helping me out a lot." Celebi then said, "I guess I'm not so Neutral anymore, I now wish to join your team." Ash smiled and pulled out the Pokéball that he set aside for her to enter. Ash then said, "Here you go Celebi, and welcome to the team." Celebi nodded her head, pushed the button, and went inside the Pokéball. After three shakes and a ding, Ash said, "Alright, I caught Celebi!" Ash then sent Celebi back out and said, "Thank you Celebi for giving me this information, but now I have a news broadcast to make, head to my house and wait there for us." Celebi nodded her head and flew off to Ash's house.
After Celebi left, Ash began his broadcast to the world. With everyone, even the traitors, watching his broadcast, Ash said, "People all regions all over the world, you know who I am, for those that don't, I am Ash Ketchum, champion of the Otron Region, and host of the first ever annual Otron Region Tournament. I am here to tell you that I have received information about corrupt professors siding with the people who betrayed me plan on having the Seven Core Regions declare War on Otron after the tournament is over, I have a message for you, Professor Elm, Professor Birch, and Professor Juniper, you choose poorly when you three decided to side with Tracy and my former friends. But my message is this. When this tournament is over, and war begins, the Orton region will not allow you to win, we will fight you until you, my former friends and their little organization called Team Comet is grounded to dust. I now call for any trainer, from any region, in the seven core regions, to come to Otron and enlist for freedom. I also call for allies to join the Otron Region in our fight against Team Comet. To Team Comet and my former friends, you'll regret betraying me. You should have known better. Your Pokémon knew better than to betray me, but you forced them, several Pokémon have already joined me from the traitors, if any other Pokémon from my former friends want to join me, I will know because I will be able to sense it. But like I said earlier, those trainers and Pokémon from any of the seven core regions wish to join us and our fight against Team Comet, come to the Otron Region and join our fight. The future of the world might depend on it. Thank you for your time, and the first battle of the day should begin shortly. One more thing, Misty will now be battling with Paul instead of Zoey, she will battle with Trip" After Ash ended his TV broadcast, he was visited by Arceus's Human Form, a trick that he kept hidden from the other Legendary Pokémon.
"What brings you here Arceus?" Ash asked Arceus. Arceus then told Ash, "I'm here to talk to you about letting Celebi join you. I'm glad she joined you, and that you would protect her, but I am here to ask you not to use her time travel ability." When Ash asked why, Arceus told him, "Because there is no way to change the past to make your former friends stay your friends." Ash then said, "I see, well, thank you for telling me that Arceus, would you like to stay and watch the battles?" Arceus told Ash, "I would love to watch the battles, but I can't, and if any of the traitors found out that I had a human form and what the human form looked like, they would not stop until they captured me and use me against you."
"I understand." Said Ash. Arceus then told Ash that he must go, and Ash said, "Very well Arceus, until we meet again." Arceus bowed his head and disappeared. Ash then made his way to the champion's booth to watch the battle that he already knew who is going to win. Meanwhile near the red Platform, Steven and Lance were paid a visit by Chili and he said, "Hello Mr. Stone and Mr. Lance, may I have a word with you." Steven and Lance saw Chili, smiled, and Steven said, "Hello Chili, Ash already told us that you joined our side." Chili smiled and said, "Okay, I wasn't going to ay that, but when the battle starts, I'm going to give it my all, I maybe on your side, but I'm not going to hold anything back." Steven then said, "Good, I was hoping that you wouldn't, but are you alright fighting against your home region of Unova when the war begins?" Chili nodded his head and said, "I'll be fine, it's not my home anymore." Lance and Steven nodded their heads and Steven said, "Alright, you better get over to your platform with Trip and Cress." Chili nodded his head and made his way to the platform he was going to be on to partake in the battle.
Earlier that day in top of the Sunhill department Store, a man in a maintenance uniform was walking up some stairs with a small briefcase in hand. He then walked by a Janitor cleaning some windows. The Janitor got a good look at the briefcase, and using technology that the local Police used, the technology scanned the briefcase and it detected multiple components to construct a sniper rifle. When the Maintenance person got up a few flights of stairs, the Janitor pulled out a radio and said, "This is officer Felix, the sniper is disguised as a maintenance person and he's heading to the roof right now." A person on the other end of the radio said, "Copy that Officer Felix, we're waiting." Felix said Rodger and pulled out his pistol in case things went south. When the sniper got to the roof top, he found the designated spot to set up. As he got the sniper rifle together, two officers jumped out from behind a vent duct and said, "Sunhill City Police, put your hands in the air." The sniper saw the officers, pulled out his gun and shot one in the shoulder. The other police officer shot the sniper, causing him to fall off the edge of the department store building. The officer that wasn't shot knelt to her partner, held him close, pulled out her radio, and said, "This is officer Rachel, we need a Medical Team here NOW! we have an officer Down!"
Back in the stadium, Trip and Chili were waiting for Cress to arrive, when he did, he saw trip and his brother, thinking that his brother would be killed said, "Well, well, well, hello traitor, and hello trip." Chili saw his brother and said, "Hello Cress, surprised to see us." Cress smiled and sinister smile and said, "Of course, but watch your back Chili, don't want anything to sneak up on you." Chili knew exactly what Cress meant, but he knew that he wasn't going to die. Chili then though back to the moment Ash told him about the assassin's death.
An hour ago,
Ash told Chili, "The assassin that was going to kill you is dead, shot by officer Rachel and he fell to his death." Chili breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness." John nodded his head and said, "However, I recommend to you that still have Trip on the platform with you to make sure that Cress doesn't pull anything during the battle." Chili nodded his head and said, "Okay Ash." Just then, John came up to them and said, "Ash, it's almost time for your Television broadcast, you need to get going." Ash nodded his head and told Chili, "Stay safe Chili." Chili nodded his head and said, "I'll do my best to make you proud." Ash nodded his head again and the three friends walked out of the room they were in to go to their respective locations.
Present time,
Chili then said, "Well, I hope nothing does sneak up on me as well." Just then, the platform began to rise, Trip and Chili looked at each other and nodded their heads. Suddenly, the three of them heard a voice say, "Welcome everyone, to the fourth match of the second round. In the blue corner, we have the team of Chili and Cress of Striaton City with Chili being accompanied by the Elite Four Member Trip, and in the red corner we have the team of Steven Stone and Lance Hathaway. You all know the rules so trainers, send out your first Pokémon." Steven was the first person to send out his Pokémon and said, "Metagross and Aggron, let's go!" the two Pokémon that popped out of their Pokéballs were a shiny Metagross and Aggron. Lance then sent out his Dragonite and Gyarados. Cress took out two Pokéballs and said, "Torterra and Rhyperior, let's get this over with." The Pokémon that came out were in fact a Torterra and Rhyperior. Chili then sent out a Pyroar and Heatmor. Trip then said, "When did you start using grass and ground type Pokémon Cress?" Cress looked at Trip and said, "Since I won them in Gym Battles, now shut up Trip let my traitor of a brother and I beat our opponents." As Cress was distracted, Ash used his Aura to communicate with Torterra and Rhyperior. Ash then said, "Torterra, Rhyperior, can you two hear me, growl if you can." Torterra and Rhyperior heard Ash and growled. Ash then said, "Alright you guys, my name is Ash Ketchum, I can help you get back to your original trainers, but you need to help Steven, Lance, and Chili in this battle."
"We know who you are Ketchum. Why would we go back to those traitors?" Said Torterra which made Ash, John, Bonnie, and Aubrey confused. Rhyperior then said, "Yeah, they got rid of us after a Battle, Cress even told us that himself." John then said telepathically, "Let me guess, after you got knocked out by Chili in a Pokémon Battle and Cress told you that he would take you two, am I correct?" Torterra and Rhyperior looked at each other and Torterra said, "Yeah, how did you know?" Ash replied telepathically saying, "A new Law as passed in the seven core regions that the winner of a Pokémon battle may take one Pokémon from the loser." Torterra and Rhyperior were shocked to hear what John and Ash had to say, but their thoughts were interrupted when they heard the referee say, "Enough stalling, Battle begin." Steven made the first moves and he said, "Metagross, use Gyroball on Rhyperior, Aggron, use Hyperbeam on Heatmor." Lance then said, "Dragonite, let's assist Aggron with a Hyperbeam of our own on Heatmor as well, and Gyarados get ready to use Hydro Cannon on Pyroar!" Metagross, Aggron, Dragonite, and Gyarados obeyed their trainers and used or got ready to use the move they were told to do. Cress then tried countered by saying, "Rhyperior, block the Gyroball by using Iron Tail." Rhyperior wasn't sure WHAT to do, so he was hit by Gyroball. Cress then got angry and said, "Rhyperior, you stupid Pokémon, why didn't you use Iron Tail. Torterra, use Leaf Storm on Gyarados." Torterra was also not sure what to do, he hesitated, which made Cress even madder.
As Cress tried to get 'his' Pokémon to listen, Chili said, "Heatmor, use Fire Blast to block the Hyper beams." Heatmor obeyed and used Fire Blast to try and block the Hyper beams, if it was one hyper beam it would deflect it successfully, but the power of two Hyper Beams over powered the Fire Blast and they hit Heatmor and sent Heatmor flying backwards into the wall. In his booth, Ash then said, "We really need to have our walls unbreakable." John nodded his head in agreement. They then looked back at the battle. When the dust from Heatmor hitting the wall settled, Heatmor was out for the count. The referee then said, "Heatmor is unable to continue, will its trainer please send out their next Pokémon." Chili recalled Heatmor and sent out a Chandelure. Chili then told Pyroar to use flamethrower on Dragonite, and Lance said, "Gyarados now use Hydro Cannon!" Gyarados obeyed and used Hydro Cannon. Pyroar successfully used flamethrower and it hit Dragonite, after which it was hit by Hydro Cannon. Pyroar slid backwards towards Chili, Cress, and Trip, and it slowly got back up and was ready to continue, Chili then said, "Pyroar and Chandelure, let's use what they did with Hyper beam on Heatmor by using flamethrower on Metagross." Chandelure and Pyroar obeyed and used Flamethrower together and the combined flamethrower made its way towards Metagross.
Steven then said, "Use Gyroball on the flamethrower and Pyroar." Chili was confused, along with most of the people in the stands, but not Ash, John, and their friends and family, for they knew exactly what Steven was doing. Metagross locked its arms in to begin spinning and it spun faster and faster as four balls appeared at ends and formed a ring of light around Metagross and when the flamethrower hit the Gyroball, Metagross was unaffected by the heat and spun its way towards Pyroar. Chili told Pyroar to dodge the attack, but it was too late, and the Metagross's Gyroball hit Pyroar, causing an explosion and knocking it out of the match. Cress then thought to himself, "That was the signal for the assassin to kill Chili, but why isn't he on the ground dead?" The traitors all thought the same thing, so Brock walked away and tried to call the assassin, but there was no answer, because the phone that the assassin had on him was in the evidence Locker of the Sunhill City Police Department.
When Brock returned, he saw that Torterra was being recalled and Chili called out Semisear. Brock then asked Misty, "What happened to Torterra?" Misty replied, "Lance and Steven used their double Hyper beam combination on Torterra which, like Heatmor, one shotted Torterra and took Torterra out of the battle." Brock looked at the battle and saw that Cress sent out a Frillish that Brock knew Cress won in a battle. Cress then said, "Frillish, use Scald on Aggron!" Frillish obeyed and used Scald on Aggron, which was a direct hit, and hit made Aggron slid Backwards a few feet. As Aggron stood up, it felt a pain on its left arm. The announcer then said, "Ouch, looks like that Scald attack burned Aggron. What does Steven Stone have planned for this?"
Steven responded by using a burn heal on Aggron's arm, Aggron was then ready to continue battling and Steven said, "Aggron, Use Solar beam on Frillish." Aggron obeyed and fire a Solar beam at Frillish. Cress told Frillish to dodge the attack, but it was too late, Frillish took a hit and was seriously hurt. Cress then told Rhyperior to use Horn Drill on Metagross, Rhyperior had no choice but to obey and used Horn drill on Metagross. But Steven countered Horn Drill by saying, "Metagross, use Gyroball on the ground and shoot the pieces at Rhyperior." Metagross obeyed and used Gyroball on the ground and shot the pieces at Rhyperior, stopping the Horn Drill and causing Rhyperior to start sliding backwards. Chili then told Frillish to use Water Pulse on Metagross, Frillish obeyed and used Water pulse, which impacted Metagross, stopping the Gyroball. Cress then looked at his brother and said, "Don't just stand there, Chili, attack." Chili looked at his brother, then at the battle field and said, "Semisear, use Mach Punch on Frillish." Cress then looked at his brother and said, "WHAT?!" Semisear obeyed and used Mach Punch on Frillish, sending Frillish into the side wall.
Cress then said, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING CHILI, DON'T YOU WANT TO WIN?!" Chili looked at his brother and said, "I did, but now I want to make sure that you and the other traitors to Ash lose this Tournament and help his friends and allies win, Semisear, use flamethrower on Rhyperior, and Chandelure, use Will-o-wisp on Rhyperior as well." Semisear and Chandelure knew what Chili was doing and were more than happy to oblige and used Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp on Rhyperior, who was so shocked at the attack and who the target was, Rhyperior didn't dodge the attacks in time and got sent flying into Frillish, creating a small explosion. When the smoke dissipated, Frillish and Rhyperior were not moving a muscle. The referee then said, "Frillish and Rhyperior are unable to continue, will the trainer call out his final Pokémon." Cress recalled Frillish and Rhyperior, pulled out his final Pokémon's Pokéball, and said, "Semipour, let take this traitor down." The Pokémon that popped out was in fact a Semipour. Chili and Trip looked at each other, nodded their heads, and ran over to the platform Steven and Lance were on. Cress then said, "This Battle should have been over long ago, with your death by an assassin we hired to kill you and frame that stupid kid Ash Ketchum." The crowd went dead silent and the traitors were saying to themselves, "Cress, you ARE A FUCKING IDIOT!" Cress then said quietly, "Oops."
Just then, the doors behind the referee opened and out came Ash Ketchum, John Bertrand, and two Officer Jennies. John then said, "Cress Carter, you're under arrest for conspiring against the champion, conspiring to commit Murder, and conspiring to create war, officer Jennies, take him away to await Trial." The officer Jennies then walked over to Cress to arrest him, but Cress told Semipour to use Hydro Cannon. Semipour obeyed and used Hydro Cannon at the officer Jennies, sending them flying into Ash and John. Chili then sent out his final Pokémon, which was a Galvantula. Chili told Galvantula to use Electro-Web, Galvantula obeyed and used Electro-Web. Semipour was caught under the Electro-Web and couldn't move. Steven and Lance then told Dragonite and Aggron to use Hyper beam on Semipour, which scored a direct hit and knocked Semipour out for the count. Before Cress could out anymore Pokémon, the Officer Jennies got behind him and grabbed his arms. John then said, "Take him away." As the officer Jennies took Cress away, Cress said, "I want a Lawyer!" John shouted Back, "We'll Appoint you one!"
Ash then had security to apprehend the rest of the traitors, but they were gone before security could get them. After the incident with Cress, Ash decided to postpone the Tournament until after the trial. The Case of the people of Otron against Cress was to be held two weeks after he was captured, Ash and John appointed Daniel Groft as Cress's Defense Attorney. The person representing the People in the trial is Otron Special Forces leader Dylan Lowe. The Judge was King Armon the first. The Prosecuting Attorney began his opening statement by saying, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, the case you are about to hear is one of many cases we have been expecting, Cress is someone not to be trusted, he has manipulated the Pokémon League System in the Main Core Regions for his own personal gain, you will hear testimonies that will prove beyond any reasonable of a doubt that Cress Carter is Guilty and should be punished to the fullest extent of our laws. The Defense Attorney will say things that might make you think that the defendant is innocent but believe me when I say that he is not innocent, he is guilty beyond any reason of a doubt." The Prosecuting Attorney sat down so the Defense Attorney spoke, and he said, "My Client is many things, but he is not guilty. Cress Carter is a Gym Leader in the Unova Region, and Gym Leaders cannot manipulate the Pokémon League System to suit themselves. I have witnesses that will prove to the court that my client is innocent, and he may go free. You must hold an unbiased stance when deciding he is either Innocent or Guilty. The Defense will now rest and will be ready for cross examination." The Defending Attorney then sat down and King Armon asked Cress how he pleaded to the charges that were placed on him and Cress said, "Not Guilty." King Armon then said, "The Prosecution may now call their first Witness." Dylan stood up and said, "The first witness we would like to call is the Otron Regional Champion, Ash Ketchum." Ash then walked up to the stand and was sworn into the trial. Dylan then asked Ash, "Would you please state your full name to the court."
"My name is Ash Aaron Ketchum." Replied Ash. Dylan then asked Ash, "How did you come to know the defendant?" Ash told the court that he meant Cress on his journey through the Unova Region. Dylan then asked Ash when he cut off contact with the defendant, and Ash said, "I cut all ties to him when him, his brother and the rest of the people who thought like them betrayed me." Dylan then asked Ash, "What happened to cause us to be here today?" Ash then told the court that Cress plotted with the rest of the traitors to kill his brother Chili and blame him for the assassination, so the Unova Region would want War. Dylan then asked Ash, "Why would he and his allies want war?" Ash replied, "He and his friends want to humiliate me, try to break me, but they won't. When war arrives, we will fight back with everything we have, we will not stop until we are victorious." Dylan smiled and said, "I will fight with everything I have Commander, no more questions." Dylan then sat down, and Daniel stood up and said, "That kind of sounded like a threat to the seven core regions, are you planning on attacking first." Ash shook his head and said, "I'm not going to make Otron look like the aggressor, the people of the region won't support us is we attack first, we are just getting prepared for an attack." Daniel then said, "Wasn't his brother Chili, the one who was the target, on my client's side?" Ash nodded his head and said, "He was but he joined me and my friends, just like Tierno did." Cress then stood up and said, "Don't Bring that traitor into this!" King Armon then banged his gavel on the ledge and said, "ORDER IN THE COURT, Defense Attorney keep your client under control or I will have him removed from the court." Daniel nodded his head and said, "Of course your highness, now Mr. Ketchum, did you ever think about killing the people who 'betrayed' you." Dylan stood up quickly and Ash looked at Daniel and was quiet for a few moments until he said, "Never in my wildest dreams." Daniel then said, "What about the Pokémon that you stole from your former friends, Togekiss, Piplup, Braixen, Chespin, and the rest of the Pokémon." Ash then said that the Pokémon that were 'stolen' choose to leave their trainers and join Ash Ketchum and his friends. Daniel then said, "So you say, but what about the Pokémon you stole from Professor Oak's Lab after you killed him?"
"I did not kill Professor Oak, he was taken prisoner by Cress and the others that betrayed me." Daniel then asked for proof that Professor Oak was alive and the they heard a voice say, "I'm right behind you." Daniel then turned around and saw Professor Oak behind the gate to the benches with his right arm in a sling. Ash smiled and said, "There is your proof, John freed Professor Oak from Cress and the other people that betrayed me." Professor Oak then asked King Armon to answer questions on the Stand, and Daniel said, "I object, he was not called to the stand." King Armon then dismissed Ash from the stand and Dylan stood up and said, "I would like call Professor Oak to the stand." Daniel looked at Dylan, then back at King Armon who said, "There you go, professor Oak has been called to the stand." Daniel then looked at the ground and said, "I retract my objection, and I have no questions for Oak." Daniel then sat back down and as Oak was sworn in, Cress leaned in and whispered, "Where is everyone else?" Daniel told Cress that they went into hiding before Security could apprehend them at the stadium. Cress looked back at Oak when Dylan said, "Professor Oak, to make you aware, we are broadcasting this to the whole world, are you okay to have your face shown to the world." Professor Oak looked at Cress with hatred in his eyes, then back at Dylan and said, "Yes, the world must know that I am alive." Dylan nodded his head and moved to the side so the camera that was placed to capture all the witnesses and the whole world saw Professor Oak, all except the people in the seven core regions, Team Comet took control of all the Television stations, Radio Stations, and Newspaper stands. Dylan then said, "Will you please tell the court what happened all those years ago causing champion Ketchum to flee to the Otron Region?" Professor Oak then told the story of what happened all those years ago.
Professor Oak started off by saying, "I was in my Lab when my assistant at the time, Tracy, said that he was going to Ash's house to greet him with the rest of his friends. I told Tracy to tell Ash that I would be right down when I was finished with some notes. After Tracy left, I heard the door reopen, thinking that Tracy forgot something when it was my grandson and he looked like he was out of breath. I then asked him what the matter was, and he said that most of Ash's friends were planning to betray him and force him to give up his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. I was shocked to hear that, even more shocked that it was my own assistant Tracy who came up with the idea. I then suggested to Gary that he and I gather up all of Ash's Pokémon and tell them what Gary told me." Dylan then asked Professor Oak what happened after the Pokémon were gathered, and Professor Oak said, "After we gathered the Pokémon, we told them what was going to happen and asked them if any of them wanted to be taken from Ash, all of the Pokémon said no. Then we got them into their Pokéballs and I gave my Grandson a Pokédex with an unlimited Carrying Limit and told Gary to tell Ash that in a full six on six Battle, he would need to watch which Pokémon he uses so that way he would not be kicked out of a Battle." Dylan then asked Oak, "What happened after that?"
"Well, I told Gary to head to Ash's house while I took care of something. After a few minutes, the door was forced opened and Tracy, along with the people who betrayed Ash, and his Mother, came into the Lab. Cilan and Brock grabbed me and tied me to a chair. Tracy then told the others to get Ash's Pokémon. They searched high and low around my lab for Ash's Pokémon Pokéballs, but I told them that I already got them to him and they would never get their hands on them, Ash caught all those Pokémon by himself, they did not. After which, they faked my death and the league made Tracy the new professor for Kanto. As the years went by, Tracy and the other people who betrayed Ash made an evil Organization called Team Comet, they have their hands in four of the Seven Core Regions, Kanto, Jhoto, Sinnoh, and Unova. Hoenn and Kalos are under occupation by the Four armies, the Kanto and Jhoto armies are in Hoenn, while the Sinnoh and Unova Armies are occupying Kalos, the Alola Region is being blockaded by a fleet of 40 ships, 4 of which are Aircraft carriers. I know all this because Brock would visit me and tell me things he completed since forming Team Comet." Dylan then asked, "Remind the court how you managed to escape." Oak then told the court that it was John Bertrand that disguised himself as a Team Comet grunt and infiltrated the Base to rescue him. Dylan then said, "I would like to remind the court that Ash Ketchum said the exact same thing, it shows consistency." Daniel then stood up and said, "Objection, what his statement shows is that they all practiced what they were going to say with each other."
"I have known Champion Ketchum since he arrived here, and he has never sounded like a man who would lie, and this man is a respected man in the research community, objection overruled." Replied King Armon. Dylan then said, "Now Professor Oak, when you heard that Cress plotted to have his brother killed and blame Ash, what was your first thought?" Professor Oak replied, "I was shocked, Cress and the other traitors would do anything to try and frame Ash, like murdering me, but Cress plotting to kill his own Brother, family should never do that to family." Dylan then asked Professor Oak, "Professor Oak, what did the defendant do to you while you were held Prisoner?" Professor Oak replied, "Whenever it was his turn to bring me food, he would drop it purposely and say it was an accident, whenever I was thirsty, he had his Semipour use Water Pulse at me. Occasionally, Cress would come to the room where I was tied up with a knife and made a slash on one of my arms or legs." Professor Oak then rolled up his right sleeve to show the court the scars from all the cuts Cress made on his skin. Professor Oak then said, "In fact, the only traitor that ever cared for me while I was prisoner was Delia Ketchum." Ash was shocked when he heard that his Mother was caring for Professor Oak. Professor Oak then said, "I knew that a woman like Delia would never willingly betray Ash, so I asked her one day if she as forced to betray Ash, and she said yes." Dylan then said, "Thank you professor Oak, nothing further." As Dylan sat down, Daniel said, "I do have one question for the Professor." King Armon allowed Daniel to ask his question. Daniel asked professor Oak, "How many times did you rehearse that answer?" Professor Oak replied, "I didn't rehearse it, what I said were facts."
"Really, because my client said that Delia told him and his friends that she was with them, he doesn't remember ever threatening Miss. Ketchum to join him." Professor Oak then said, "Well she lied to them." Daniel then said, "Did she lie or are you lying now." Dylan then said, "Objection, the defense attorney is speculating, and Professor Oak is a world-renowned Professor, why would he lie on the stand." King Armon looked at Daniel and he said, "Professor Oak is indeed a World-renowned professor, explain your accusation of him lying." Daniel then said, "It's quite simple your honor, he was paid to lie by Ash Ketchum himself." Daniel then pulled out a paper and gave it to the Judge as he said, "I have here a printed receipt of the Sunhill Back showing a transfer from Mr. Ketchum's Bank account into an account set up for Professor Oak." King Armon then asked Professor Oak, "Would you care to explain this?" Professor Oak nodded his head and said, "When John freed me, I wasn't doing too well, I had several fractured ribs, bruising all over, which has faded away, and a fractured arm, as you can see." King Armon then said, "Very well, the Prosecution's objection is sustained, Professor Oak you may step down."
As professor Oak stepped down from the witness stand, Cress stood up and said, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE SLIT YOUR THROAT! WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOU ALIVE!" King Armon then banged his Gavel against the table and said, "ORDER IN THE COURT!" Daniel then forced Cress into his seat. Ash then leaned over the wall and whispered into Dylan's ear, "He really isn't helping himself." Dylan nodded his head in agreement. After Professor Oak walked away from the stand, Dylan and Daniel gave their closing statements. The Jury was then sent to the Back where they deliberated about Cress. A half hour later, they jury returned and King Armon said, "Has the Jury reached a verdict?" The person in the first row on the far left stood up and said, "We have your honor." King Armon then had Cress stand up, he then said, "On the Charge of conspiring against the champion, how do you find the defendant?" The Juror replied, "We find the defendant, Cress Carter, Guilty." King Armon then said, "On the Charge of conspiring to commit Murder, how do you find the defendant?" The Juror replied, "Guilty." Finally, King Armon said, "On the final Charge, charge of conspiring to create war, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty." Said the juror. Ash breathed a sigh of relief that Cress was found Guilty. King Armon then said, "Cress Carter, I now pass sentence. Since you have been found Guilty of all charges, I'm sentencing you to 75 years in Rainbow Valley Prison, any misbehavior will result in an extension to your sentence, court is adjourned." As the People in the court room left, Cress was taken by security guards to a van waiting to take him to Rainbow Valley Prison. Outside the courthouse, Ash and John were surrounded by reporters asking questions. One reporter asked, "How do the two of you feel about the court decision?" John answered, "I feel like I speak for Ash when I say that we're glad that Justice has been properly served." Another News reporter then asked, "What will you do about the Tournament?" Ash replied, "Since Cress is in Jail, its an automatic forfeit for his team, meaning the team of Lance and Steven win their match, the next match will begin after Lunch." John and Ash then got into a car and drove off.
When Ash and John arrived At Ash's house, May and Shauna walked out to them to greet them. May then said, "We watch the court happen, I'm surprised that no one wanted to speak to defend Cress." Ash then said, "Because they knew he was guilty." John nodded his head and said, "Now that Cress is in Jail, we can get on with the tournament." Ash nodded his head in agreement and before he could say anything, they heard a knocking at the door. When John answered it, he said, "What the hell do the two you want?" Ash heard a voice say, "We're here for Collin." When Ash looked to see who it was, it was Janae and Trevor. Ash then said, "I believe my friend asked you a question." Trevor was the first to speak and he said, "We're here for our son, who we adopted yesterday." Ash then showed Trevor and Janae the Adoption form that he and May filled out and he said, "Sorry about that, but your adoption is invalid, Collin was adopted by me and my wife two weeks ago." Trevor then said, "WHAT, AAURGH, doesn't matter, we're taking Collin back home, and you can't stop us." As Trevor was about to take a step into the house, John punched Trevor in the nose and watched him fall backwards. John then said, "Stay down or get lost." Janae helped Trevor up and she said, "Let's just go, he's not worth it." Trevor then said, "But Commander Tracy said that if we don't take him, he'll kill us." John then said, "COMMANDER TRACY?! You're with Team Comet?!" Trevor then realized that he spilled the beans. Janae then said, "Yes, we're a part of Team Comet, we've been part of Team Comet for 5 years. our first mission was to kill a married couple and their son." Ash then realized what they were saying and said, "It was you, YOU KILLED COLLIN'S BIRTH PARENTS!" Trevor nodded his head and said, "When we found out that Collin was their kid, we were tasked to have him grow up to hate you, but he idolized you so much, we couldn't break him." Just then, the four of them heard Collin's voice say, "Exphlosion, use Volcanic Blast!" suddenly, Exphlosion flew over the house and slammed its fist onto the ground and the attack went straight to Janae and Trevor, causing them to fly backwards out of the front yard. Collin then pushed John aside, so he could see Trevor and Janae. Collin then said, "YOU MURDERERS! I'll kill you all!" Ash then walked out and said, "Collin, killing them won't solve anything, they're just grunts." Collin then said, keeping his eyes on Trevor and Janae, "But they're the ones that killed my parents." John then said, "Yes, but if you kill them, then you're no better then them." Collin then had Explosion pin Trevor and Janae as he looked at his Adopted Father and adopted Uncle and he said, "But you want revenge against your former friends for betraying you, why can't I get my revenge?" John then said, "The way we want revenge is different from the revenge you want to do…different from what you plan to do." Replied John.
"Collin, I don't think your birthparents would want you to commit murder." Said Ash. Collin looked back at Exphlosion, who still had Trevor and Janae pined. Ash then said, "Collin, please, don't stoop to their level." Collin kept his gaze on Trevor and Janae until he said, "Let them up Exphlosion." Exphlosion wasn't going to argue with his trainer, so he let them up. Collin then said, "I choose Ash and May as my parents, leave us alone and never bother us again." Trevor and Janae nodded their heads and ran away. John and Ash smiled, and Ash said, "I'm proud of you son, you made the right call." Collin then said, "I know dad, but was it right for the future?" Collin and Exphlosion then walked back into the house. Just as John and Ash were entering Ash's house, they heard a voice from behind them call their names. When they turned around, they saw Ash's Mother, Delia. Ash then said, "Hello Mother, may I ask what you're doing here?" Delia then said, "I…I want to say that I'm sorry about what happened that day." John then said, "Well Miss Ketchum, you're a little late, you had 10 years to apologize, but you didn't even call." Delia then said, "I didn't know where you were. So that means that your sister has done her job well."
"You bet I did mom." Said Emma as she moved between Ash and John. Ash then ask, "What's going on here?" Emma then said, "Mom told me to leave with you guys to protect me and her. What Oak said in court today was true, our mother was forced to betray you. She never wanted to betray you, and if I told her the region we were in and she came here, the traitors would follow her and try to attack us." Ash then walked over to his sister and said, "You kept this secret from me for ten years, and you're just telling me this now." Emma told Ash that she wanted to tell him but didn't know how to tell him. Emma then said, "We also couldn't risk the traitors finding out about mom being on your side, secrecy was our only option." John then said, "You could have at least told us a year in, we could have called her then." Delia was next to speak, and she said, "No, Team Comet hacked my land line, and they forced everyone in Kanto to use their satellites, so our cell phones are monitored by Team Comet. Even the Post office is regulated to look for your letters to your families back in the seven core regions." Ash was shocked to hear what his mother and sister did. But he then smiled and said, "I'm glad you're on my side mom." Ash then walked over to Delia and pulled her into a hug. Ash then said, "I forgive you mom." Delia gratefully returned the hug, but she was happier that her son forgave her.
When lunch was over, it was time for the Battle of Paul and Misty against Alain and Sawyer. The battlefield had water sections, so Misty could feel right at home. The Announcer then said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Battle between the team of Misty and Paul against the team of Cynthia and Flannery will now begin. Trainers, please send out your starting Pokémon." Misty wasn't happy to hear that she as working with Paul now, but she didn't complain as she sent out Seaking and Gyarados while Paul sent out Torterra and Electrive. Cynthia sent out her Garchomp and Glaceon while Flannery sent out Magcargo and Torkal. The referee then said, "Battle Begin."
"Seaking, use Hydro Cannon on Magcargo, Gyarados use Dragon breath on Torkal." Said Misty. Paul then said, "Electrive, Thunderbolt on Garchomp, and Torterra use Frenzy Plant on Glaceon." Electrive and Torterra knew not to use all their power, but they didn't want to look like they were holding back, so they used 75% of their power and used the move they were told use. Cynthia told her Pokémon to dodge the attacks, Flannery did as well. Their Pokémon obeyed, and every attack Misty and Paul gave missed. Misty then said, "Same thing as before, GO!" Paul then said, "Torterra, Energy Ball on Garchomp, and Elective, use Thunder punch on Glaceon." Their Pokémon obeyed their respective trainer and used the move they were told to use. Cynthia and Flannery told their Pokémon to keep dodging the attacks. Their Pokémon obeyed and kept dodging the attacks. The battle went on like this for a while, after a while, Misty's and Paul's Pokémon were tired. Cynthia and Flannery then called out moves. Cynthia said, "Garchomp, use Dragon Rush on Seaking, and Glaceon, use Ice Beam on Gyarados." Then Flannery said, "Magcargo, use Flamethrower on Torterra, and Torkal, use Overheat on Electrive." The four Pokémon obeyed their respective trainers and used the moves they were told to use. Misty told her Pokémon to dodge the attacks, while Paul said, "You guys know what to do, take the attacks." Electrive and Torterra obeyed their trainer and took the attacks, while Seaking and Gyarados were too tired to dodge, and the attacks and all four attacks hit their targets, creating explosions that caused Seaking and Torterra to be sent flying into the wall. When the dust settled from the impacts Seaking and Torterra, Torterra was slowly getting up and began walking back to the battlefield, while Seaking was out cold and unable to continue. The referee then said, "Seaking is unable to continue, will the trainer please recall her Pokémon and send out her next Pokémon." Misty recalled Seaking and said, "Thank you Seaking, you tired your best."
"Hmph." Said Paul. Misty looked at Paul and said, "What was that for Paul?" Paul looked at Misty and said, "You made Seaking too tired by trying to aim for one of their Pokémon, you also didn't anticipate where the Pokémon you had Seaking aim for land. If you ask me, Seaking is just as Pathetic as the person who trained it." Misty got mad and wanted to slap Paul, but she decided to send out Golduck. Misty then told Paul, "If we're going to win this battle, we need to kick it up a notch, I know your Ursaring can Mega-evolve, call it out and let's double mega evolve our Pokémon." Paul looked at his team mate and said, "Don't you EVER give me orders." Paul then saw that Torterra was very weak, so he decided to recall Torterra and sent out Ursaring. Misty then said, "Strongly, valiantly, beautifully! My sweet blue heart, Gyarados, MEGA EVOLVE!" Paul then said, "With strong hearts and stronger Minds, Ursaring MEGA EVOLVE!" Gyarados and Ursaring both began to glow and get surrounded by light. When the light faded, Gyarados and Ursaring were in their Mega Evolved forms. Cynthia looked at Flannery and said, "Looks like we need to take it to the next level like they did, tell me you have a Pokémon that can Mega evolve?" Flannery smiled, recalled Magcargo, pulled out another Pokéball and said, "I need your assistance, CHARIZARD!"
The Pokéball opened and the Pokémon that popped out was in fact, Charizard. He roared with a roar that could shatter glass at such close range. Cynthia then said, "With the Power of unity, Garchomp, Mega Evolve!" and Flannery said, "With Fiery Passion and Flaming Determination, Charizard, Mega Evolve!" Garchomp and Charizard began to glow like Ursaring and Gyarados did and the lights got brighter and brighter until the light faded. Charizard and Garchomp then appeared in their Mega evolved Form, Charizard appeared as Charizard X. The announcer then said, "Incredible, it's just like the Battle the team of Paul and Trip against the team of Collin and Frank." Just then, the referee got a text message from Ash. After reading the message, the referee said, "By order of the Champion, this has become a full Mega evolved Battle, all trainers must recall all non-mega evolved Pokémon returned to their Pokéballs." The crowd was surprised to hear what the referee said, along with the trainers on the battlefield. While Cynthia, Flannery, and Paul recalled their non-mega evolved, Misty was going to refuse, but Paul said, "I would listen to him or else we'll get eliminated. Honestly, I do not care if you listen or not, but I've been waiting for a chance to battle Cynthia again with our meg evolved Pokémon for so long, so just recall Golduck." Before Misty could even recall Golduck, he used Shadow Claw on his Pokéball and destroyed it. The announcer then said, "Unbelievable, Misty's Golduck has switched sides, what could she be thinking right now?" Misty was shocked to see her Pokémon leave her, but before should say anything, Golduck stuck Misty with an Aqua Tail, causing her to fall backwards and land on her butt, Golduck then ran over to Cynthia and Flannery and Cynthia said, "Welcome back Golduck." Golduck nodded his head and walked onto the platform Cynthia and Flannery stood on. Misty then got angry and she said, "Gyarados, use Hurricane on Garchomp." As Gyarados got ready to use Hurricane, Cynthia said, "Use Dragon Claw on the Hurricane!" Garchomp obeyed and used Dragon Claw and he slashed through the Hurricane and struck Gyarados. Gyarados got sent crashing into the ground. Next thing people saw was Gyarados in its normal form and knocked out. The Referee then said, "Gyarados is unable to continue, the winner is Garchomp."
"Incredible, being a champion of the Sinnoh Region, Cynthia's Garchomp has taken Gyarados out in one single, powerful move. What could Misty be thinking right now?" Misty said loud enough for everyone in the stadium to hear, "I'M THINK THAT I'M GOING TO DESTROY ASH KETCHUM AND AL OF HIS FRIENDS!" Misty was about to pull out another Pokéball when Paul punched her in the jaw, knocking her out and said, "I forfeit from the round." The referee then said, "Since Paul has forfeited the match, the winners is the team or Flannery and Cynthia." The announcer then said, "There you have it folks, the final battle of the second round, were down to 8 people, Alain, Sawyer, Zoey, Trip, Brock, Dianthia, Cynthia, and Flannery. Champion Ketchum will come out and say who will battle with who and who will they will be battling tomorrow morning. Let's get a good nights rest and ready for tomorrows Battle so trainers, KEEP ON TRAINING!"
As everyone left the stadium, Misty was escorted to Police Officers by two security guards and John. Misty was then handed off to the Police and John said, "Enjoy your comfy call Misty, you won't be leaving it anytime soon." Misty looked at John and said, "Sorry to disappoint you John, but when the bail is set, my friends will get me out of jail." John smiled and said, "Here's the thing Waterflower, there won't be a bail, you're going to a Maximum-Security Prison, where no one ever receives bail." Misty then said, "why am I being sent to a Maximum-Security Prison?" John told Misty, "Well Waterflower, you plotted to commit Murder, framed Ash for the death of Professor Oak, blaming Ash for ordering the assassination of Chili, and betraying Ash in the first place." Misty then said, "But Ash did kill Professor Oak, Tracy told me himself that he saw Ash stab Professor Oak in the neck."
"Oh Really." Said a voice from behind John and Misty recognized the voice. John then stepped to the side to show Misty Professor Oak. Misty was shocked to see the professor alive and she asked, "How are you alive? Tracy told me that he saw you get killed by Ash." Professor Oak walked up to Misty and said, "Well, he lied to you. As you can clearly see, I'm alive and healing very well." Misty then said, "But…Tracy told me…" John interrupted her by saying, "Tracy would say anything to keep his subordinates under control." Misty began to cry, and she said, "I'm sorry, I thought Ash killed you." John then said, "You're a little late to be sorry, take her away Officers." As the officers were taking Misty away, she shouted, "I CAN TELL YOU WHY THE PEOPLE WHO BETRAYED ASH BETRAYED HIM!" John then said, "Hold on Officers." The officers stopped, and John asked Misty, "What do you mean?"
"I can tell you what Tracy promised everyone to betray Ash." Said Misty. John then said, "Take her to the Police Station and put her in an interrogation room, I'll get Ash and meet you there, then we'll see if she's telling the truth." The Police Officers nodded their heads and took Misty to the Police Station. John then texted Ash to meet him outside. When Ash arrived, John told him what Misty said. Ash then asked John if he believed Misty and John replied, "Honestly, after what she did to you all those years ago, I wouldn't trust a word she says, but my Aura is telling me that she's telling the truth." Ash then said, "Well then, let's go see what she has to say." John nodded his head in agreement. They then got into Ash's Car and drove to the local Police Station. Meanwhile, Brock and Dawn watched them drive off. Brock then said, "Looks like Misty needs busting out." Dawn didn't respond, she kept looking at John and Ash as they drove off. Brock looked at Dawn and he said, "Dawn, are you okay?" Dawn looked at Brock and said, "Sorry Brock, I'm just thinking." When Brock asked Dawn what she was thinking about, Dawn said, "It's nothing important. Come on, let's get back to the house." Brock nodded his head and they walked back to the house they were using as Team Comet's Otron Base of Operations.
At the Police Station, John and Ash were in the interrogation room with Misty and her court appointed Lawyer, Wesley Walters. John started the interrogation by asked Misty, "Who's Idea was it to betray Ash?" Misty kept her eyes on the table and said, "It was Tracy, he was the one who suggested it." Ash then asked Misty, "Why did he suggest it?" Misty then raised her head, looking at Ash with tears about to form and she said, "He never told us, but Brock, Cilan, Cress, Iris, Barry, and Zoey immediately walked over to him and said that they were in. With the rest of us it took something more. Clemont was promised all the technology Tracy could get his hands on to make inventions that don't explode. Serena was promised to become the best Pokéshow Performer. Chili was promised strong fire-type Pokémon, and I was promised strong water-types. Everyone else joined for money or something else that I don't know." John and Ash looked at each other and then back at Misty and John said, "Well, so far my aura says that you're telling us the truth. But now you need to tell us, what is Team Comet planning?"
Before Misty could reply, an explosion at the wall on the right side exploded, causing John, Ash, Misty, and Wesley to get knocked out. As John slowly woke up, he saw two people wearing all black and their faces covered walk into the room. One person grabbed Misty while the other person looked down at Ash. The person with Misty said, "We have who we came for, let's go!" the person standing over Ash looked at the person holding Misty. That person then nodded their head and walked away. John then blacked out again. When John woke up, he was on a hospital bed, with Shauna in a chair and Ash and May on his right side. When she saw John was up, Shauna walked over to her husband and hugged him. John then asked Ash, "What happened?" Ash told John, "We lost Misty, we think she was taken." John then said, "Two people, dressed in complete black and wore masks. One grabbed Misty, the other looked at you. The person who grabbed Misty told the other person that they were ready to leave, and they left with Misty, then I blacked out, only to wake up here."
"I think it as Team Comet, had to be if they only wanted her." Said Shauna. John nodded his headed in agreement. John then looked at Ash and said, "Ash, forget the tournament, we need to end this now." Ash said, "I know, but we can't do that, I want all the traitors defeated in the tournament, the only people left are Zoey, Brock, and Dianthia, I want them out legally." John then said, "Alright, we'll do things your way."
When John was able to leave the Hospital yet again, he and Ash created the final bracket before the final round, the first battle would be the team of Zoey and Trip against the team Alain and Sawyer and the final Battle would be the team of Brock and Dianthia against the team of Cynthia and Flannery, to keep it simple for the semi-finals. John told Ash that he was going outside for some air. Ash told John, "Be careful John, who knows who's watching." John nodded his head and walked outside for air. May then walked up to Ash and said, "How's it coming along dear?" Ash looked at his wife and said, "It's done actually, we're having the teams from the second round stay the same for simplicity and that way, each team with the traitors can lose their match." May looked at the brackets and said, "Does seem simple, I wonder if Brock will try to flirt with Dianthia during the match." Ash nodded his head and said, "I'm wondering the same thing, wish I could have seen Clemont and Serena lose their matches, since Paul and Alain defeated them in the Preliminary rounds." May nodded her head wrapped her arms around Ash's waist and she said, "I hope revenge isn't consuming you Ash." Ash then spun to face his wife, kissed her and said, "Don't worry Honey, my Aura is keeping me in check, I'm not letting my revenge corrupt me." May smiled and the two shared a loving embrace.
As night fell, John came back from air and he didn't say a word since he got back in. Ash was getting worried for John and tried to talk to him. Ash said, "John… what's wrong man?" John was at the table holding a cup of coffee, silent as ever. Ash then said, "Come on man, talk to me." John stayed silent until Ash yelled, "DAMN IT JOHN, WHAT'S WRONG!" John looked up at Ash and said, "I'm just thinking about the future. Ash, what if you get killed and I could have saved you…but I didn't." Ash sat down across from John and said, "Look man, I know you worry about my safety. Believe me when I say that I'm fine. You have every right to worry about me, but sometimes you worry too much. Let's get some sleep man for the battles tomorrow." John nodded his head and the two went off to their separate bedrooms.
Back with Misty, she awoke to see Brock and Dawn looking at a Map. Misty then said, "Brock, Dawn." Brock and Dawn looked at Misty and they walked over to their friend and Dawn said, "Misty, thank Arceus you're alright." Misty then asked Dawn and Brock, "What happened?" Brock told Misty, "We busted you out of the Police Station they held you in." Dawn then asked Misty, "Did Ash and John force you to say anything?" Misty shook her head and said, "They didn't force me to say anything." Brock and Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and Brock said, "We'll get you back to the Kanto Region, you're not needed here anymore." Misty nodded her head and said, "O…o…okay."
The next morning went by very quickly, with Ash announcing the matches for the day and he added a warning to the traitors. Ash said, "If any of the traitors try to break the rules again, they will be automatically disqualified from the tournament and arrested. So, don't try anything." Ash and John then told the others what Misty told them an told them not to say a word to the traitors. As the time for the first battle of the semi finals drew near, Zoey and Trip got their Pokémon ready. Zoey looked at Trip and said, "don't pull a Paul today and actually help us win this battle." Trip looked at Zoey and said, "Then don't hold us back, especially since you betrayed Ash immediately when Tracy first suggested it." Zoey looked at Trip and said, "How did you find that out?" Trip smiled and said, "I'm not telling you a thing." At that point, the platform Zoey and Trip were standing on began to rise. As they got closer to the top, they herd the announcer say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first round of the two Semifinal battle. In the red corner, we have the team of the Traitorous Zoey and Elite Four Member Trip, and in the blue corner, we have the team of Elite Four Member Alain and trainer Sawyer. Ladies and Gentlemen, LET'S GET THIS BATTLE UNDERWAY!" The crowd cheered with excitement. When the cheering died down, the referee said, "Trainers, please send out your Pokémon." Trip sent out Conkeldur and Serperior while Zoey sent out Gastrodon and Umbreon. Alain sent out his Charizard and Metagross while Sawyer sent out his Septile and Salamance. The referee then said, "Alright, Battle begin!" Zoey started the battle by saying, "Gastrodon, use Water Pulse on Charizard, and Umbreon, use Dark Pulse on Septile!" Trip said, "Serperior, use Dragon Tail on Metagross, and Conkeldurr use Stone Edge on Salamance."
As the Pokémon Zoey and trip called out charged his and Sawyer's Pokémon, Alain said, "Charizard, fly up and dodge the Water Pulse, then use dragon Claw on Gastrodon, and Metagross use Gyro Ball to deflect the Dragon Tail and strike Serperior." Then Sawyer said, "Septile, use Dragon tail on Umbreon and Salamance, use Dragon Rush on Conkeldurr." Alain and Sawyer's Pokémon obeyed their trainers and dodged all of their opponent's moves and used the moves they were told to use. Explosions were seen, Charizard sored through the skies and used flamethrower on Serperior. The battle was intense, Pokémon got hit, moves were dodged, and Umbreon and Conkeldurr were knocked out. Zoey and trip recalled their Pokémon and sent out Purugly and Lampet, respectively. Zoey then said, "Purugly, use Shadow Claw on Metagross, and Gastrodon use Water Pulse on Charizard." Then Trip said, "Lampet use Shadow Ball on Sceptile, and Serperior use Dragon Tail on Salamance."
"Charizard, use Flamethrower on Serperior, and Metagross, use Metal Claw on Gastrodon." Alain said to his Pokémon. Sawyer then said, "Septile use Dragon Claw on Purugly and Salamance help Charizard out and use Fire fang on Serperior as well." The Pokémon all clashed in the center, with Salamance's mouth that was on fire striking Serperior as Charizard shot a beam of Fire at Serperior. Metagross's Claws turned to a metallic color and they struck Gastrodon. The resulting attacks caused Serperior and Gastrodon to be knocked out of the battle. Zoey and Trip recalled their respective Pokémon and sent out Gallade and Pinsir, respectively. Zoey looked at Trip and said, "We need to kick it up a notch, let's mega evolve our Pokémon." Trip looked at Zoey and said, "Very well, Pinsir, mega evolve." As Trip said that, Zoey said, "Our spirits unite to defeat our opponents, Gallade, MEGA EVOLVE!" Both Gallade and Pinsir began glowing and changing into their mega evolved forms. When the light that shined from Pinsir and Gallade faded and showed the two of them in their Mega Evolved forms, with Gallade getting a cape and Pinsir getting wings. Zoey smirked and said, "Ha, you're both doomed, you can't beat our mega evolved Pokémon." Alain and Sawyer looked at each other, then back at Zoey and Alain said, "Are you that dumb?" that caught Zoey off guard and she said, "Hey, who are you calling dumb?" Trip looked at Zoey and said, "He wasn't talking to me." Before Zoey said anything, Alain said, "Sawyer, let's show this Traitor our full Power." Sawyer nodded his head in agreement and said, "Yes, let's show her indeed." Alain then said, "Charizard, let our passion for justice unite our hearts and souls. Keystone unlock our fiery desire for victory, Charizard MEGA EVOLVE." As Alain said that, Sawyer said, "Sceptile, let's give it our all, MEGA EVOLVE!" Both Charizard and Sceptile began to glow and change into their Mega evolved forms. When the light around Charizard and Sceptile faded from around them, they were seen in their mega evolved forms. The Announcer then said, "Incredible, it seems to me that the last few Matches will be filled with Mega Evolutions galore, who will win, who will lose? That's up to the Pokémon trainers battling to decide." Zoey was shocked, and she said, "I didn't know they had mega evolved Pokémon!" Trip chuckled and said, "Of course they had Mega evolved Pokémon, haven't you been watching the tournament with the rest of the Traitors." Zoey looked at her Partner and said, "Why would I watch this stupid tournament if I already know the Outcome." Alain then said, "Enough talking, Charizard, use flamethrower on Purugly, and Metagross, use Gyro Ball on Lampet." Sawyer then said, "Sceptile, use Energy Ball on Gallade and Salamance, use Fire Fang on Pinsir."
"Gallade, Dark pulse on Sceptile and Purugly, you use Shadow Claw on Metagross." Said Zoey, and Trip said, "Lampet, use flamethrower on Salamance, and Pinsir use Bug Buzz on Charizard." All of the Pokémon obeyed used the moves they were told to use. Charizard shot blue flames at Purugly, Metagross locked it's arms and spun up to the speed to use Gyro Ball to attack Lampet, Septile began building up power to use Energy Ball and Salamance flew around to use Fire fang on Pinsir from behind. Meanwhile, Purugly charged Metagross to stop it using Gyroball, but Charizard's Flamethrower hit Purugly and sent her flying into Gallade, causing Gallade to miss Sceptile and strike the wall behind Alain and Sawyer. Lampet used flamethrower, but it didn't hit Salamance, it struck Metagross and it used the Flames from the flamethrower and struck Lampet with a Fiery Gyroball and dealt double the damage, even though Lampet was a Fire/ghost type. Lampet was sent flying into Trip, and when he caught his Pokémon, he saw that Lampet was unable to continue and recalled Lampet back into its Pokéball. Salamance then tackled Pinsir and used Fire Fang an held on until an explosion separated the two Pokémon. When the smoke cleared, Pinsir was on the ground, in it's normal form and unable to continue and Trip was out of the battle. Trip then recalled his Pinsir an said, "Good job Salamance." Zoey looked at Trip and said, "Don't congratulate the enemy!" Trip looked at Zoey and said, "Those opponents are my friends and I'm being a good sport about our loss."
"I'm still in it, Purugly, use Shadow Claw again and Gallade use physic on Metagross." To counter Zoey's Pokémon, Alain said, "Charizard, Flamethrower on Gallade, and Metagross use Gyro Ball on Gallade as well, and keep using the moves I said until you both land a blow." Sawyer then said, "Sceptile, is Leaf Storm on Purugly and Salamance use Dragon Tail on Purugly as well and do the same thing Charizard and Metagross are doing." Alain's and Sawyer's Pokémon obeyed and attacked Gallade and Purugly. Zoey told her Pokémon to dodge the attack, Gallade did, but Purugly couldn't and she got struck by Leaf Storm and Dragon tail, knocking her out of the battle. Gallade now stood alone against four Pokémon until Zoey said, "Alight, no more playing by the rules, Weavile, Donphan, Marshtomp, let's go!" three more Pokémon appeared on the field next to Gallade and they were in fact a Weavile, Donphan, and Marshtomp. The referee then said, "This is a violation of the rules, recall all the Pokémon you sent out immediately." Zoey then pulled out a gun and shot the referee in the arm. Zoey then said, "Fuck the rules, Fuck Ash Ketchum, and most of all, FUCK THE FUCKING OTRON REGION." Zoey then turned her gun on Trip and said, "Call out another Pokémon, NOW!" Trip slowly raised his hands when suddenly, trip tackled Zoey and a shot was fired, and the bullet struck John in his Abdomen. Ash and Shauna rushed to John as Security guards ran onto the field and restrained Zoey, but not before she forced Trip off and shot him in the Leg. Trip was helped up by Alain and Sawyer grabbed Zoey's Pokéballs, and he said, "You're not going to need these where you're going." The two security guards that had Zoey Restrained escorted Zoey out of the Stadium and the referee, while being treated, said, "Since the trainer Zoey refused to obey the rules, she has forfeited the match which means the victory goes to the team of Alain and Sawyer."
"I don't believe it, another trainer that betrayed Champion Ketchum has been arrested, and she had a gun on her, who knows what else the traitors have on them. The next and final Battle of the semifinals will begin after we get conformation from Champion Ketchum about the status of Elite Four-members John Bertrand and Trip Harrison. Until we hear about them, trainers, keep on Training." Said the announcer but the audience was too stunned to hear him. Back with Ash, John, and Shauna, John was being worked on by Paramedics. John said through the pain, "I guess that glass isn't bullet proof." Ash chuckled while Shauna lid John's head on her lap and said, "Please don't talk, the bullet went through your abdomen." John looked at his wife and said, "I know my love, I felt it go clean through." Just before Shauna could say anything else, the Paramedics told Ash, "We need to get him to the hospital, clear a path." As the Paramedics got John on the stretcher, Ash and Shauna made sure that they had a clear path to get to the ambulance.
When they arrived at the Hospital, John was rushed into the emergency room and Ash and Shauna were forced to wait in the waiting room. As an hour passed, May K. came to check in on her husband and best friend and she brought Aubrey and Collin with her. Ash hugged his kids and Aubrey asked her father, "Is Uncle John going to be okay?" Ash looked at his daughter and said, "Well, we don't know yet, they're still working on him, the bullet must have done more damage then they first thought." Just then, a doctor came out and walked over two Ash and his family. When Shauna saw the doctor, she stood up and said, "How's my husband Doctor?" The Doctor took off his mask, smiled and said, "He's alive." That made everyone breath a sigh of relief. The Doctor then said, "We managed to stop the bleeding and sow the holes in his stomach, although as we were sowing, the string seemed to come out on its own and the bullet wound looked it was healing on its own." Ash smiled and said, "That's John's aura for ya, and how's Trip?"
"Trip's leg has been patched up, but he'll need to use crutches until his leg fully heals. We've put them in the same room, so you can visit both if you want." Everyone nodded their heads and the Doctor led the group to the room Trip and John were laying in. When the doctor opened the door, Ash was the first to see John and Trip, Trip had the leg he was shot in suspended in the air and John was in a wheelchair talking to him. When John saw Ash and the group, John said, "Hey guys, I was just telling Trip here all the Fundamental facts about all 807 Pokémon." Trip looked at the group and said, "He was on Treeko, help me." Ash smiled as Shauna, Aubrey and Collin scooched by him and walked over to John. Ash then asked John and Trip, "How are you two feeling?" John said that he was doing good, but Trip said, "Ready to claw my ears off from him from when he got to Magmar." John looked at Trip and said, "Oh come on man, we all need to know these facts." Ash smiled as Shauna hugged her husband and said, "I'm starting to think you're unkillable." John looked at Shauna and said, "I think it's my aura." Then Ash said, "I think you're both right." The rest of the time was spent signing Paper work for John and he was let out of the Hospital, Trip had to spend the night for X-rays. When Ash got on television again, John stood by him as Ash addressed the Otron Region that the next battle may commence, and Zoey would answer for her crimes. After Ash made his speech, as he and John were making their way to their viewing Booth, Misty stepped in front of them and John said, "Misty? What are you doing here?" Misty then asked John and Ash for Protection from Team Comet.
"Do they know what you told us?" Ash asked Misty, who shook her head and said, "No, not yet, but I'm worried they'll find out, please help me, I'm sorry for betraying you." Misty began to form tears in her eyes. John and Ash were silent, and noticed May and Shauna stood right behind her, with looks of sorrow on their faces. They then walked over to Misty and as Shauna rubbed Misty's arms, May K. said, "I know you said that you wouldn't give any of the traitors a second chance but look at her Ash." Ash and John looked at each other, then Ash looked at Misty and said, "What my wife said is true, I did say that I Would never forgive any of the traitors…but I'm willing to make an exception." Misty looked at Ash, with tears in her and grabbed Ash to pull into a hug. Misty then said, "Thank you Ash, thank you so much." Ash smiled and said, "You're welcome Misty." After Misty and Ash separated from the hug, Ash told Misty, "I'm offering you a once in a lifetime chance here Misty, if I fin out you betray me yet again, I'm letting John deal with you." Misty looked over at John, smiling a creepy smile and cracking his knuckles. Misty the looked back at Ash and said, "I promise I won't let you down, I'll even return all of the Pokémon I took during my Gym Battles." Ash smiled and said, "Good, once this tournament is over of course and you're safe." Misty nodded her head. Max K. then said, "Ash, we need to get to the booth, the match is about to begin." Ash looked at his wife, nodded his head, and asked Misty, "Do you want to join us in our booth?" Misty smiled and nodded her head quickly and the five of them headed over to Ash's booth to watch the final Semi-final battle.