Hey everyone, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed the first chapter enough to come back! I didn't have much homework today, so I managed to spend a couple hours writing this up for you. This is a pretty rare occasion though, since school is starting to pick up now. You can pretty much count on update intervals being about three days up to a week. Anyways, thanks for coming back and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2: The Rally
~ Pewter City, Kanto ~
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
"Sudowoodo, use Hammer Arm to counter it!"
Tommy's Geodude formed a rock in its hands and chucked it as forcefully as it could towards Brock's Sudowoodo, who simply smashes it to pieces with a powerful Hammer Arm attack.
"Oh no!" Tommy shouted, taking a step back.
Brock felt a little guilty about going hard against his younger brother, but his inner pride as a former Gym Leader was taking over.
"Sudowoodo, finish this with Double Edge!" Brock commanded.
Geodude wasn't quick enough to dodge, and the hit was just too powerful for it to handle. Sudowoodo slammed into the poor Rock Pokemon full force, knocking it out. That was Tommy's last and only Pokemon.
Forrest raised his right hand up high. "Geodude is unable to battle! Sudowoodo is the winner, which means the victory goes to Brock!" he announced.
Tommy smiled and knelt beside his exhausted Geodude, his very first Pokemon that he had caught himself on Mt. Moon. "Geodude, you were awesome. I know next time, we'll definitely be able to win!"
Brock smiled at his younger brother, who had just turned ten and was old enough to start his Pokemon journey. In fact, today was the day he would be leaving for Pallet Town to talk to Professor Oak.
He heard clapping on the sidelines, and turned to see who it was. Ash, Pikachu, and Misty were all sitting on the bleachers smiling at him.
"I didn't see you guys come in! How've you two been?" Brock asked, walking up to greet them. Then he addressed Pikachu, saying, "I'm sorry, how've you three been?"
Ash laughed and shook Brock's hand. "It's been a while, Pokemon Doctor Brock. I'm glad we caught you at home, I was worried you'd be off working somewhere," he said.
Misty nodded. "You look well, Brock. And you know, I wish we could stay and chat, but there's something...well, there's something we need to ask you."
~ Lumiose City, Kalos ~
Champion Diantha looked out the window of Prism Tower, deep in thought. She was startled when 12-year-old Bonnie tapped her on the shoulder politely.
"Um, excuse me, Miss Diantha? Is Kalos going to be...safe?" Bonnie asked. Although she had grown up and matured considerably, she still had some of that child-like innocence left inside her. She still carried that little yellow pouch around, just for Dedenne, who was now officially her Pokemon.
Diantha smiled and softly touched Bonnie's cheek. "Have no fear, Bonnie. I will ensure that our home remains intact. And there's someone you know who will be helping me...care to guess who that is?" she asked, her voice calm and collected.
Bonnie tilted her head in wonder. "Uh...Clemont?" she asked. "If it is Clemont, just know that his inventions have gotten a lot cooler! And they only have a 50% malfunction rate!"
Laughing, Diantah shook her head. "Well that's good to hear, but your brother isn't who I was talking about; although Clemont will be a part of this. No, I was talking about Ash, you remember him, don't you?"
Bonnie's face lit up as she ran to go find Clemont, shouting, "Ash is coming back, Ash is coming back! Wait 'til I tell Serena!"
Diantha chuckled as she took out her Holo Caster. She began recording a message to Calem, a fairly strong trainer who happened to be one of Sycamore's assistants.
"Calem, I'm going to need you to meet up with Ash and his companions at the Lumiose Airport and bring them to Prism Tower for me. It is likely that his companions will be coming in on different flights from different regions, so be sure not to leave without anyone. Thank you."
~ Saffron City, Kanto ~
Ash, Misty, and Brock were all at the videophone at the Saffron City Airport. Brock had agreed to accompany Ash to Kalos, since Diantha said that it would definitely be beneficial to have a doctor among the group. Now, the three old friends were making calls to all over the world, recruiting their friends for their cause.
"May, Dawn, Drew, Kenny...I really hate to interrupt your contest, but this is important. Kalos is in trouble...the Champion herself asked me to help her, and I'm gonna need some help of my own. You guys willing to come with us?" Ash asked, getting straight to the point. There was no time to waste.
Kenny frowned. "But Ash, this contest...I don't mean to sound inconsiderate, but it's a pretty big deal. I'm not sure if I wanna just ditch, you know?"
Dawn punched him in the arm. "Kenny, stop it. Ash is our friend, and he needs our help!" she scolded, which was a comical sight considering that Kenny was now significantly taller than Dawn, and her voice was much higher now in comparison.
Drew shrugged, seeming relatively nonchalant about the matter. "I go where ever my beautiful princess goes," he said, smiling at May.
May blushed and giggled a little. "Aw, you're so sweet! Hang on...Kalos is the region of love, isn't it? Drew and I are definitely in!" she said cheerfully. The young couple started kissing right in front of everybody, which wasn't something Ash needed to see.
"Their love is so perfect...its just sickening," Misty joked, though she was right. May and Drew were practically made for each other.
Ash nodded with a smile. "Great. Bring Max if you can, May, I can't wait to see him again. We'll get you the details later...but for now, get a flight for Lumiose City, Kalos. Fast. And Dawn, call up Iris and Cilan for me, will you?"
May and Dawn both responded in the affirmative to their respective requests.
They hung up the phone and proceeded to make several more calls. They reached out to Gary, Trip, and Paul; yes, even Paul. Ash hadn't seen Paul since the Lily of the Valley Conference, and he definitely wouldn't consider him his friend, but...he was strong. And Ash needed strong.
Gary and Trip were both up for it immediately. Beating up bad guys was something they enjoyed doing as much as Ash did. Surprisingly, Paul also agreed to come. Maybe he wasn't so bad, after all. All three agreed to be in Lumiose City within the next couple hours.
And then they were left with one last call. Ash had really been looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. What would Serena think of him, after he had left Kalos and forgotten to get back in touch for five whole years? He had been meaning to call her...he really had been. But as a young kid, his Pokemon and his dream had been his top priority.
Suddenly, the speakers in the airport came on. "Now boarding Flight KS045, now boarding Flight KS045," was being announced.
"Oh no! That's our flight! We're nowhere near the gate! C'mon, let's book it!" Ash shouted, grabbing his bag and heading for the gates. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and started sprinting beside him. Misty and Brock followed them, leaving a half-dialed number in the videophone.
"But Ash, what about that last call you had to make?" Brock asked as they ran.
Ash hesitated before answering. "It...it wasn't too important," he lied. "I'll, uh, call her when we get there." Which he intended to do. Probably.
They managed to reach the gate just as it was being closed. Getting into their seats, Ash couldn't get his mind off of the Kalos Queen he never got the chance to call.
~ Lumiose City, Kalos ~
May, Dawn, Drew, and Kenny all exited the plane and entered the Lumiose Airport, stretching and yawning from the flight. Dawn noticed a boy about their age with purple hair leaning against the wall.
"Paul?! Just what's an asshole like you doing here?" Dawn exclaimed, shocked that Ash would ask someone like Paul to help.
Paul shrugged. "Ash asked me to come. Maybe I've changed, alright? Don't be so god damn judgmental. You haven't seen me in five years, remember that," he said, although his usual snobby, arrogant tone of voice was gone. It was certainly strange for Dawn to witness.
Kenny frowned. "I still don't trust you. You're still the same shithead to me! I'll bet you sell us out to Team Aqua, Magma, whoever were going up against!"
May looked confused, having never gotten to know Paul. "What's the matter, guys? If Ash asked him to come, then I'm sure there's no reason we can't trust him, right?" she asked them hopefully. Drew nodded in agreement and walked up to Paul.
"We've never met. I'm Drew, and it's a pleasure to meet another friend of Ash's," he said calmly, extending his hand out. Paul nodded and shook his hand.
"Dawn!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them.
The group turned and saw a relatively short girl with big, purple hair and a man with light green hair running towards them. "It's been so long!" Iris said, waving at the blue-haired coordinator. Dawn noticed a somewhat large Pokemon running beside her. That must be Axew's evolved form... Dawn guessed.
Dawn laughed and gave Iris a hug. "It's great to see you, Iris. How've you been? It looks like Axew evolved! That's so cool!"
Iris nodded and smiled. "Yep, it's a Fraxure now, and now I'm one step closer to becoming a Dragon Master! How's your contest coordinating going?" she asked excitedly.
As the two of them continued catching up, another gate opened up with dozens of people walking out of it. Among them were Ash, Misty, and Brock, which brought smiles to everyone else's faces. Except Paul, of course, although he wasn't displeased upon seeing his old rival. Everyone greeted Ash and Pikachu with a cheery air about them, though everyone knew why they were all there.
A boy with dark black hair and blue eyes approached Ash. "Hi, are you Ash Ketchum?" he asked formerly.
Ash nodded. "That's me. Who are you?"
The boy introduced himself as Calem, a personal assistant of Professor Sycamore and a good friend of Diantha's. "I'm here to take you all to Prism Tower, where Diantha and the Elite Four will explain the situation," he said, motioning for them to follow him as he started walking.
Ash turned to his friends with his usual friendly smile, trying to maintain a cheerful atmosphere. "Let's go, guys! Lumiose is a beautiful city...you guys are all gonna love it."
~ Pokemon Village, Kalos ~
"Abomasnow, Mega Evolve!"
Wulfric had never imagined he would ever find himself in such a terrible position. He was surrounded, completely surrounded, by no less than twenty men and women in strange red outfits. They looked similar to Team Flare, but Wulfric was sure that Team Flare was gone for good. That was what everyone believed, at least.
A man who appeared to be their leader stepped up and laughed. "An Ice and Grass type? This couldn't get any easier," he said, releasing a mean-looking Houndoom from its Pokeball.
Magma Admin Tabitha wasn't messing around. He had been slowly building up bitter feelings of resentment towards no one in particular. He just wanted people to pay, just as he had.
"Last chance to surrender, old man. And wouldn't you say your beard is gettin' a little too white for you to be wandering around by yourself?" Tabitha said arrogantly, his grunts laughing with him as he ridiculed the Snowbelle City Gym Leader.
Wulfric knew he had no chance in this fight. It pained him to do so, but he knelt and held his hands up in surrender. I'm sorry, Diantha... he thought remorsefully to himself.
Tabitha chuckled. "Smart move, grandpa. You know, I heard from my co-worker that she was opposed by a Gym Leader as well, some sort of blonde roller-skating chick. She refused to surrender, and, well...let's just say she made the wrong choice..."
Wulfric remained silent, shamefully regretting his decision to come here. I'm sorry Diantha...
~ Lumiose City, Kalos ~
"Here it is! The pride of Lumiose City, the spectacular Prism Tower!" Calem announced as he led the group inside the massive building. Inside, four people were waiting for them.
"Clemont! Great to see you again, man! How's goes the inventing?" Ash exclaimed.
"I'm doing just fine, Ash, thanks. And I'm happy to announce that Clemontic Gear is now making some great innovational progress! I'll show you some of my inventions when I get the chance.
Ash smiled. "Awesome!"
Bonnie ran up to Ash and gave him a bear hug. "Ash! I haven't seen you in forever!" she shouted. Dedenne came out of its pouch and greeted Pikachu, the two Pokemon exchanging volts of electricity to communicate.
"Bonnie, wow, you've grown! You're a trainer now, right? How's that going?" Ash asked.
"It's so much fun! I've gotten close to beating Clemont a few times!" Bonnie answered proudly.
Clemont laughed and glanced over to Ash, giving him a look that said: Not really.
Ash laughed in response. He looked around and saw that everyone was getting along with everyone pretty well. Paul and Trip were striking up a conversation together, and Ash's Hoenn companions were getting to know his Unova and Kalos companions.
And then he saw her.
There she was, standing in the doorway of Prism Tower. She was breathtakingly beautiful...she had grown out her honey-blonde hair, and she still wore that pink hat of hers. In addition, to Ash's delight, she was still wearing the blue ribbon he had given her at the Coumarine Festival.
"You made it!" she exclaimed, seeming to be in a cheerful mood.
Ash wasn't sure what to do or say when she started running towards him. Surprised, he started feeling anxious and desperately tried to come up with something to tell her, some sort of explanation. Maybe she was so happy to see him that she had forgiven him for not calling her. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright between them.
But she ran right past him, straight into Calem's arms.
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Plot twist! How'd you guys like this chapter? Interesting yet? As always, I appreciate you telling me your thoughts in the reviews, it really helps me write and gets me motivated. Hope you enjoyed, and have a nice day! Stay tuned for the next chapter...