Hey guys, what's up. I've decided to write this chapter, then cap the story with an epilogue afterwards. And yes, I did change my account name, because I realized that I love all the shippings in Pokemon, and to call myself by Amourshipping alone would be unfitting (even though it is my favorite). Well, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 9: One Choice...
The crowd cheered loudly for Ash and Jimmy as the battle was about to begin. Both trainers adjusted their hats with faces full of determination. They were, after all, alike in many ways.
Ash grinned, pulling out his first Pokeball, enlarging it. "Let's start this battle with speed. "Hawlucha, I choose you!" he cried, throwing the Pokeball with enthusiasm. Hawlucha appeared in a flash of white light, spreading its wings out wide. "Chaa!" it cried, ready for battle.
Jimmy took out his first Pokeball. "Speed, huh? Well, we've got plenty of that for ya! C'mon out, Beedrill!" he threw the Pokeball into the battlefield. Out from it emerged a tough-looking Beedrill. Ash gasped when he saw a Mega Stone attached to Beedrill's stinger.
"I see, so you can Mega Evolve! That's awesome!" Ash shouted across the battlefield to Jimmy. The two of them were already becoming friends.
"Yeah!" Jimmy said. "I've trained Beedrill since it was just a little Weedle. We've come a long way, and it's time to claim victory!" he punched the air with excitement.
Ash nodded. "Alright, then, let's cut to the chase. Hawlucha, let's open with Hi Jump Kick!" he commanded.
Hawlucha dashed towards Beedrill with incredible speed, his leg glowing with strength. When he attempted to strike, however, Beedrill seemed to almost teleport out of the way. "Wow," Ash said, "That Beedrill's pretty fast. And it's not even Mega Evolved yet..."
Jimmy smiled with confidence. "Nice dodge, Beedrill! Now let's counter with Pin Missile!"
With incredible speed, Beedrill flew higher into the air and launched a powerful Pin Missile attack at Hawlucha, hitting it directly.
"You okay, Hawlucha?" Ash shouted. Hawlucha stood up, looking almost completely unfazed.
"Pin Missile landed a direct hit, but it's not very effective against a Flying AND Fighting type like Hawlucha. This battle is going to be interesting folks; neither side has any really effective moves to use against their opponent!"
"Hawlucha, use Flying Press! Try to predict where Beedrill's going to dodge!" Ash shouted.
What's he up to? Jimmy thought. "Just try to dodge it like normal, Beedrill! I know you can do it!"
Hawlucha flew high up into the sky, posed, and came down spinning towards Beedrill. Beedrill tried to dodge to the left, but Hawlucha caught him out of the corner of its eye and managed to hit Beedrill with one wing.
It's not good enough, Ash thought. Flying Press is just too slow. And I don't have the heart to command Hawlucha to skip the pose...
From the stands, Serena had her hands wrapped up in front of her with worry. C'mon Ash, she thought. Figure something out. You can do it. She hadn't noticed at the time, but a girl with blue hair sitting next to her was looking at her.
"Beedrill, use Agility! Let's get even faster!" Jimmy shouted. Beedrill seemed to dance as it spun around through the air, gaining more momentum every second.
"Hawlucha, return!" Ash said as he recalled Hawlucha back into its Pokeball. "You did well, Hawlucha, but I'm gonna need you for later," he said as he selected his next Pokemon. "Alright, Fletchinder, I choose you!"
In a flash of white light, Fletchinder emerged from its Pokeball, crying, "Fletchhh!" as it spread its wings.
Jimmy adjusted his hat. "Hmm. Okay. Then I guess it's time!" he smiled, and pulled down his sleeve, revealing a Keystone. "Beedrill! Mega Evolve!"
Streams of light emerged from the Keystone and met with the streams of light being emitted from Beedrill's Mega Stone. They fused together, and the "ooh's" and "ahhs" could be heard from the crowd.
"Stunning!" the announcer said. "Jimmy's Beedrill is now Mega Evolving! What a sight to behold in a battle like this!"
The light slowly faded, revealing Beedrill's Mega Evolved form. Its main stinger had grown longer, and it had four arms now instead of just two. Its two wings had changed shape slightly; they now looked more aerodynamic, more intimidating. Ash stared in amazement. "Wow, your Mega Beedrill is pretty cool, Jimmy!" Ash exclaimed.
Jimmy gave him a thumbs-up, saying, "You bet! We trained long and hard for this! Now, Beedrill, let's go!"
The battle raged on, both Fletchinder and Beedrill using their incredible speed to try to beat the other. Ash was having Fletchinder primarily use Flame Charge in an attempt to catch up to Beedrill in terms of speed, but Beedrill's Agility kept making that very difficult. Ash gritted his teeth, frustrated. The type match up was in his favor, but it seemed like no matter what Fletchinder did, Beedrill was always a step ahead.
Serena was still holding her hands close to her heart, silently praying that Ash would win. The girl sitting next to her spoke up, saying, "I can tell you're really fond of Ash," with a friendly smile.
A little startled, Serena turned to her right to face a pretty, blue-haired girl. The girl smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Marina, it's nice to meet you. I was just taking note of how much you care about that boy Ash," she said casually.
Serena was taken aback. How did she figure that out? "Um, I'm Serena...it's nice to meet you, too. "But, uh...how did you know how I feel about Ash?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, it's obvious. I also just have a knack for sniffing out romantic interests. I managed to get Jimmy to admit his feelings for me a while back," she said, blushing a little as she looked out into the stadium. "I knew he had a crush on me...and I've always liked him back, to be honest. And now, we're like a couple almost..." she smiled, then turned back to Serena. "So are you and Ash a couple, then?"
Serena sighed. "Well, not quite...I've had the biggest crush on him for the longest time, but he doesn't seem to notice me as anything more than a friend." She looked at the ground sadly, wondering if Ash would ever realize just how crazy about him she was. "I doubt he'll ever realize..."
Marina had a sympathetic look on her face. "Well, I obviously don't know you at all, Serena...but I think you're a really nice girl and Ash would totally be into you...if he was just more mature. Maybe you should do what I did...I always teased Jimmy about him liking me. He would always blush and deny it, but I knew what he was thinking," Marina spoke as if she really cared. Serena appreciated that.
"I'm not sure if I can do that...it would seem weird after all this time if I just suddenly started acting like that..." Serena said, unsure of what to think now. "Also, that just doesn't seem like me..."
Marina nodded understandingly. "Well, Serena, I'm sorry things haven't worked out so far. But you never know; he might just be bottling up his feelings right now because he doesn't know how to express them. Maybe if you come forth first, he'll fully realize those feelings."
Serena was about to reply when the announcer's voice blared, saying, "Now what's happening here, folks? I think we're all witnessing another evolution! It seems that Ash's Fletchinder is evolving!
The crowd cheered as Fletchinder glowed bright white, its figure growing larger. Its wings spread wider, and its talons grew larger and sharper. "Talonnn!" it cried out as it emerged from the blinding white light.
Ash's eyes gleamed, entranced by his awesome new Pokemon. "Great, you evolved into Talonflame!" he shouted, now more pumped than ever.
Clemont and Bonnie cheered from the crowd. "Alright, Ash, you got this now!" Clemont shouted. "Talonflame is so cute!" Bonnie chimed in.
Ash adjusted his hat. "Okay, Talonflame, use Steel Wing!" Talonflame's wings glowed white with metallic power and it charged at Beedrill. Beedrill was unable to dodge Talonflame's newfound speed and it was sent flying back. Jimmy gasped, yelling, "Beedrill!"
Then, without command, Talonflame charged straight toward Beedrill again head-on, reaching incredible velocity as it slammed into Beedrill again, knocking it out. "Whoa, that was Brave Bird, wasn't it, Talonflame?" Ash exclaimed. His Pokemon nodded at him and landed on the ground, spreading its wings in triumph.
"Beedrill is unable to battle! Talonflame is the winner!" the referee announced. The crowd cheered, and Ash smiled. Jimmy recalled Beedrill. "You battled well, my friend. Now get a good rest," he said. He looked up, enlarging his next Pokeball.
"Ash is pretty strong," Marina said. Serena nodded in agreement, her eyes shining a little. "Yeah, he never ceases to amaze me on the battlefield. And he never, ever gives up..." she looked at him. To her surprise, he looked up back at her. They made eye contact for a few seconds, both smiling at each other. Then he turned away back to face the battlefield. Did he rub underneath his nose? Serena couldn't tell.
Jimmy sent out his Typhlosion. Ash decided to keep Talonflame in.
Clemont shook his head. "Talonflame looks too tired to put up its best fight. And that Typhlosion looks like a really tough one."
Suer enough, Jimmy's Typhlosion ended up knocking out Talonflame with just a single Flamethrower attack. Talonflame crashed to the ground. "Alright, Typhlosion! You rock, and you rule!" Jimmy shouted his trademark celebration.
Ash recalled Talonflame back to its Pokeball. "I'm sorry, Talonflame. That was my mistake. Take a good rest."
"Your Jimmy is pretty strong, too," Serena commented. "He and Ash seem a lot alike, if you ask me." Marina nodded in agreement.
The battle raged on. Ash's Hawlucha had lost to Jimmy's Typhlosion. Afterward, Jimmy recalled Typhlosion. Ash used Charizard next, who easily defeated Jimmy's Sandslash but then lost to Jimmy's Azumarill. Pikachu made short work of Azumarill, then took a rest while Noivern battled Jimmy's Pidgeot. Both of the Flying-type Pokemon ended up tying, knocking each other out upon their last contact. Now, Ash was about to send out Greninja.
Serena jumped up from shock as one of her Pokeballs suddenly burst open. Braixen appeared in a flash of white light, apparently wanting to watch Greninja battle. Serena smiled, understanding her Pokemon's feelings.
"You know what they say," Marina said. "The feelings that trainer's Pokemon have for each other supposedly mirror the relationship between the trainer's themselves. It seems to me like your Braixen is enamored by Ash's Greninja, which quite accurately reflects your feelings for him," she explained with a smile, chuckling.
Braixen would have blushed, but she was too concentrated on watching the battle to hear. Greninja had just used Water Shuriken and had successfully hit Jimmy's Ursaring. Braixen cheered, seeming to enjoy the battle a lot.
"Okay, Ursaring, Greninja's pretty fast, so we've gotta focus on landing a hit," Jimmy shouted. We just gotta wait for the right moment, he thought.
Ash stuck his arm out, shouting, "Greninja, let's get close and use Aerial Ace!"
Greninja dashed forth with incredible speed, preparing to attack as it ran.
Jimmy smiled, "Now! Ursaring, use Slash while Greninja is close!"
Ash grinned. "Not so fast! You didn't think I would go in without a plan, would you?"
"Wait, what?" Jimmy gasped.
"Double Team, Greninja! Let's see if Ursaring can figure us out!" Ash commanded.
Greninja multiplied itself into a few dozen copies. "Now use Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled. In complete unison, Greninja and its copies all launched several blue projectiles towards Ursaring. Panicking, Ursaring slashed about wildly, swiping at the attack. But the real Greninja knew how to aim, and so the real shurikens struck Ursaring right in the back of the head, knocking it forward. Ursaring lay on its stomach, helpless.
"Finish it with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered. Greninja nodded and leaped into the air, performing a perfect Aerial Ace attack with style and grace, slamming into Ursaring's back, knocking it out.
Braixen cheered again, her eyes gleaming with adoration. Serena and Marina both smiled at the love-struck Pokemon. Serena looked out into the battlefield, noticing that each trainer was now down to their final Pokemon. Typhlosion and Pikachu stood face to face.
Marina spoke up, "You know, I have a feeling Ash has traveled to many places. Is that true?" she asked.
Serena nodded. "Yeah, he's been to so many different regions before I met him here...he was born in Kanto, then he went to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and now he's here. I think it's really amazing how adventurous he is."
"Jimmy and I have been to a few regions together. We both started our journey's in Johto, but we didn't exactly travel together back then. We would just happen to meet up on occasion. This one time, we saved a legendary Raikou from Team Rocket! It was after that incident when Jimmy confessed his feelings for me. And from that point on, we've traveled together. Do you think you'll keep traveling with Ash after the league?" Marina asked.
Serena looked down. "See...I don't know...I'm planning on entering the final showcase competition for the title of Kalos Queen...it's tomorrow," she said, melancholy in her voice.
Marina's eyes lit up at the mention of Kalos Queen. "Oh, wow, that must be so exciting! I always wanted to be the best model in the Johto region..." she said, a faraway look in her eyes. Her smile turned into a slight frown. "But then I learned that Jimmy was going to be leaving the Johto region...so I left my dream behind to travel with him. Looking back on it, I know I made the right choice. Jimmy needs me, and more importantly, I need him," she chuckled. "I figured I could become a model anytime, but my time with Jimmy...while we're still so young...is precious to me. And I didn't want it to end...so I chose Jimmy over modeling."
Serena looked at Marina, touched by her story. "I-I'm not sure if I could leave my dream behind...because my dream involves mainly my Pokemon and I wouldn't want to let them down..." Serena said, thinking deeply about this. "But I would really like to keep traveling with Ash..." she gripped her hands into fists. "I just don't know what to do!" she said in a raised voice.
They were interrupted by the loud cheering of the crowd. "And that's it, folks! Typhlosion is unable to battle, so Pikachu is the winner! This means that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will advance to the next round!"
Serena stood up and clapped for Ash. Then she turned to Marina, who looked slightly disappointed. "I'll think about it long and hard...and thank you so much for the advice, Marina," Serena said.
Marina nodded. "No problem, Serena. I just love witnessing young love," she said with a wink. "I think I'm gonna go find Jimmy now, he's probably all upset. Take care!" she said as she ran off. Serena waved and walked out of the stands, looking for a place where she could think by herself.
Ash and the others were celebrating the victory outside. "Alright, Pikachu, let's keep going and win!" he cheered, excited as usual.
Clemont and Bonnie were commenting on the fantastic battle when Ash suddenly stopped and looked around. "Hey, where's Serena?" he asked, turning his head in all directions, a look of concern on his face.
Just then, Jimmy and Marina walked up to them. "Hey Ash, just wanted to congratulate you on your win and wish you luck with the rest of the tournament!" Jimmy said, a big smile on his face. He was a good sport.
Ash grinned and shook Jimmy's hand. "Thanks, Jimmy. You gave me a really tough match. It could've gone either way, to be honest," he said.
Marina looked around. "So where's your girlfri-"
"Oh, beautiful blue-haired girl, would you please accept the privilege of taking care of my brother? He may not look like much, but he's a great inventor, and he also owns the Lumiose City Gym!" Bonnie was down on one knee in front of Marina.
Marina blushed and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, um, I'm sorry, I'm kind of taken," she said, taking a step back from Bonnie.
The Aipom arm came swooping down on Bonnie as Clemont carried her off. "How many times have I told you, I'll get a girlfriend when I'm old enough!" Clemont shouted, exasperated.
The other three laughed as they watched the two siblings run off. Marina turned to Ash. "Uh, as I was saying...where's your girlfriend?" she asked teasingly.
Ash blushed and put his hands up defensively. "Uh, ha ha, you've got the wrong idea. Serena and I are just friends," he said. Jimmy grinned.
"I see, so you're still in denial, Ash. Ah, give it time. You'll come around eventually," he said with a thumbs-up.
Marina chimed in, "Well I think you should go look for her. There might be something wrong," she said, trying not to reveal too much.
Jimmy looked at her, confused. "Hey now, since when did you-" he was cut off by Marina, who hastily grabbed his arm and started walking away, waving good-bye to Ash. "See you later, Ash!" she said.
Ash was confused, but decided not to think much about it. He started searching for Serena. He eventually found himself in the woods, since he couldn't find her anywhere around the stadium.
Serena was sitting on a rock next to a large pond. She was thinking about what Marina had said, and what she wanted for herself. Choosing is hard, she thought. I love being a Pokemon Performer...but I also really want to travel with Ash...
A voice behind her startled her. "Serena! Why'd you run off here?" Serena turned around and saw Ash, who seemed like he had been running. She tried to force a smile as she said, "Oh, I just...wanted to think to myself a little..." she looked down.
Ash walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I can tell something's wrong. Why don't you tell me?" he asked, a sympathetic smile on his face.
She looked up, a tear starting to form on the edge of her eyelid. She quickly looked back down, embarrassed and not wanting Ash to see her cry. Okay, Serena, she thought to herself. I think it's time you told him. After a few moments, she turned to face him. She looked him in the eyes; she could've stayed there for an eternity, just starting deeply into those beautiful eyes of his. "Ash..." she started, her voice shaking ever so slightly, "I-I have a lot to tell you...and I hope you'll be willing to listen to all of it..." she said, looking back down.
Ash nodded understandingly and sat down next to her. Close. They were both silent for a few seconds. Then he looked at her and smiled. He figured he knew what this was about. He blushed a little as he said, "You know, Serena...I have a lot to tell you, too...and I think it's about time I finally said it."
...And that's the end of the chapter. You guys can probably tell I'm sort of rushing this...I just really didn't like the way it panned out. Please review, however, it really means a lot to me. And as I've mentioned before, I'll be releasing an epilogue to officially conclude this story. Thanks for reading, hope I didn't disappoint any of you too much!