Chapter 3
Warning, this story contains Pokeshipping, Contestshipping, and most of all Ikarishipping. It also contains minor swearing. Ainsley is me, and also, I DON'T OWN POKEMON!
A massive dragon-like creature leapt out of its Pokeball, letting out a shrieking cry that seemed to ring through time. Toxic Spikes didn't even seem to affect it. It looked down at Ainsley, and there was an unmistakable look of trust in its red eyes. Ainsley fell to her knees under its stare.
"Oh, Dialga, I'm so sorry," She whispered "I tried so hard not to have to use you but Paul was too strong. You are my last hope now." She stood up.
"What Pokémon is that?" Ash said taking out his Pokedex.
There is no information on this Pokémon Dexter stated.
"It's Dialga…" Dawn said, gaping "The Legendary Pokémon of Time!" She was no seemingly excited "Every night before bed, mum used to tell us all about the three keepers of Time, Space and," She gulped "the Distortion World. Dialga keeps Time at balance; Palkia is the keeper of Space, and Giratina, banished for its violence, watches over the Distortion World." Dawn explained "Then there are also the three lake spirits; Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. Mesprit is the Bringer of Emotion, Uxie is the Bringer of Knowledge, and Azelf is the Bringer of Willpower. It is said that all six of the Legendaries watch over Sinnoh and beyond to keep the balance." Dawn finished. Everyone was gaping at her "What?" she asked "I know my folk lore!" She said indignantly before turning back to the battle. And Paul knew too.
"Are you ready, Dialga?" Ainsley asked the giant dragon.
"Diiiiiaaaa!" It cried, pawing at the ground eagerly. It looked like it hadn't battled in a while.
"Alright," Ainsley seemed to be gaining some of her confidence back "let's see if we still have the touch."
Paul glanced at Drapion, then at Dialga. Sure Drapion was big, but Dialga was huge. Not only that, it was a Legendary. It was so very powerful, and Paul could see it. Then Paul looked at Ainsley. He knew that Dialga had chosen her, come down from the heavens and battled her. Because she was worthy of Dialga. And the respect between the Legendary and its Trainer was proof enough.
"Let's finish this Drapion." Paul said as confidently as possible, knowing that all the odds were against him winning this.
"Begin!" the ref shouted eagerly.
"Drapion, use Cross Poison!" Paul ordered. Drapion shot a purple X speeding towards Dialga.
"Finish it with Roar of Time, Dialga!" Ainsley called to the dragon. Dialga opened its mouth, letting out and ear-splitting roar, sending a wave of light across the battlefield. The wave, resembled an Aurora Borealis, and when it hit Drapion, it exploded into various different colours, finally encapsulating Drapion in white light. And when the explosions had stopped and the light had gone, Drapion was out cold.
"Drapion is unable to battle." The ref said, seemingly disoriented from the white light "Ainsley and Dialga win this six on six Pokémon battle!"
"Dialga, return." Ainsley said, returning the giant dragon to its Pokeball "You did great. Rest now." She looked up at Paul "Great, thanks for the battle, and uh… good job!" She stammered before running out of the stadium.
"Huh? Wait!" Paul called. But she was already gone. Ainsley had suddenly gotten very interesting.
"Hey Paul, great battle!" Dawn said as she and her friends all ran onto the battlefield to talk to him "You nearly won!"
"I was nowhere near it." Paul growled "I would be willing to bet that Dialga could have taken out my entire team."
"Stop being so rude, Paul!" Misty hissed irritably "She comes here being nice, and you just push her away! What kind of jerk move is that?" She finished heatedly.
"It's not a jerk move if I want to be left alone." Paul replied.
"Well, than why don't you just say, 'I want to just be left alone please'?" May took extra care in putting meaning into her sentence.
"Look, right now I'm wasting time," Paul said "so run along. Doubtless you'll run into me later and be just as annoying then, but today just postpone it please." He sneered before walking out of the stadium. He was going to go and find Ainsley. There was a weird feeling boiling inside him alongside the many questions he wanted answered. And only she could answer them.
\/ \/ \/
Ainsley ran out of the stadium with her hood up, straight to the Pokémon Centre. Clutching her Pokeballs, she let out all five of her Pokémon, except for Dialga.
"I'll tend to you at home." She whispered to Dialga's Pokeball, even though it hadn't even been scratched.
"Didn't have to use it again than hmm?" Nurse Joy said, as she patched up Ainsley's beat Pokémon.
"No," Ainsley lied "No I didn't."
Suddenly Paul entered the Pokémon Centre. Once he noticed Ainsley was there he made a beeline straight towards her. God, she wished she could melt through the walls. But there she was, tense against the wall, watching him advance from the underneath rim of her hood. Finally he stood right beside her, leaning casually on the wall. And she hated him for it.
"I presume you want to know where I got Dialga, right?" Ainsley asked.
"Well, yes but-" Paul started but Ainsley cut him off.
"Just as many Trainers before yourself who've had the luxury to see Dialga in battle have asked," Ainsley sighed "But my answer is no. If that is all you're here for than please, go."
"I want to know why." Paul said not moving from his spot on the wall. Ainsley glanced at him curiously from under her hood.
"Why, what?" She said staring at Paul. His black eyes glittered ominously.
"Why Dialga thought that a child such as yourself was worthy enough to capture it." Paul said frustrated.
"For your information, I am nearly fifteen and fully capable of taking care of myself." Ainsley told Paul indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest "And as for Dialga's opinion on me, well, I don't speak Pokémon, so I won't ever know why. Regardless, I caught Dialga to save the region, so it really wasn't my choice." She said. She glanced at Paul again, looking into his black eyes. They never seemed to give anything away, as she waited for his reply "Anyways, I'm sorry for storming out of the Stadium like that. I just didn't want anyone swarming me. So, here." Ainsley said, offering him a handshake "It was a really good match and we never got to shake on it."
Paul looked down at her hand and raised his own to meet it. They shook "Good match." Paul said, and something jolted in his stomach peculiarly when his hand met hers.
"Are you okay?" Ainsley asked. Paul had an unusual expression on his face.
"I'm fine." He replied, his face straightening.
"Battle again sometime?" Ainsley asked as the let go of their shake.
"Yeah." Paul nodded. As he turned to Nurse Joy, something wet and smooth dragged up his face "What the hell?" He said, and Ainsley started giggling.
"Gengar!" She tried to sound serious, but a stupid smile was plastered to her face "Don't just lick people! They might not like it!" She straightened up "But I'm glad you're back to your usual self." She said to the ghost hovering beside Paul. She turned to him "Sorry about that! But, you know, that means he has taken a liking to you!" She laughed. Ainsley turned back to Gengar "You should go home and get some rest. And I'm not going to bother to try and stop you from getting food, but just don't destroy the cupboard, okay?" And when Gengar nodded Ainsley waved and he disappeared.
"Aren't you worried?" Paul asked, as he wiped his face dry.
"Nah," Ainsley replied, grinning "He never listens anyway, so as long as he's happy, I am too." She said turning to Paul "Anyway, it's late and I'm sure your friends are looking for you. I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Any friends of yours are sure to be interesting!" She said. She turned to her Pokémon "Return, Samuel, Torterra, and Luxray!" She recalled then stopped in front of Fearow "The house is far. Are you strong enough?" She asked. The huge bird nodded enthusiastically "Okay then, Fly us home!" And with that they were gone.
"Hey Paul, was that The Champion?" Ash said appearing around the corner.
"Yeah."
"So, what were you talking about?"
Paul turned to Ash "Nothing important." He said remembering Ainsley's handshake "She just said I did a really good job at the match."
"And then her Gengar mauled you." Ash said with a smirk on his face. He'd been eavesdropping.
Paul looked disgusted "So?" he asked coolly.
"Oh, nothing," Ash said with a look of mock innocence "Just Professor Oak once told me that Pokémon reflect the feelings of their trainer," And with that he went to his room, a ridiculously evil smirk on his face "And Ainsley certainly did say that hers liked you…" he said before shutting his door.
And if what Ash had told him was true… well, the jolt he had had during their handshake was proof enough. He liked her. But whether she liked him back was a mystery. And just because Gengar liked him meant nothing. But still…
Paul eventually retired, and lied in his bed, until sleep finally overcame his tired thoughts.
\/ \/ \/
The next morning Paul had a rather rude awakening. At 7:00 there was a CRASH! outside his room.
"What the hell?" he inquired irritably. Rubbing his eyes, he opened his door. And Lo and Behold, there was the Champion down the stairs, flat on her back.
"Stupid shoes," she muttered to herself. Finally she noticed Paul and jumped to her feet, embarrassed "Hi!" she called cheerily, brushing the stray hairs from her face.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, a little more sharply than he'd meant to.
"Oh, well, ummm" she stammered "It was rude of me to make assumptions, but I was really excited to meet your friends. I figured that if you were such a serious trainer that you'd probably be up training hard with your Pokémon so you could challenge me again." She said, turning even redder "That's me, hehe. Making stupid decisions!" She sighed "Sorry."
Paul looked at her curiously, then smirked "Don't be. I'm sure you've woken up everyone, even Ash. He could do with a bit of early rising."
Ainsley brightened and two more doors swung open.
"What was that noise?" A groggy Brock asked. Ash stumbled out beside him, looking rather cranky.
"Whoever woke me up owes me a battle. Now." He fumed.
"Sorry, Ash." Ainsley replied, clearly holding back laughter "I just thought that great trainers like yourselves would've gotten up earlier." She said with a smirk.
"I wouldn't say great if I were describing Ash. More like acceptable." Misty said.
"Say that to my face!" Ash said, stepping nose to nose with Misty.
"Not now," Brock said, stepping between them "this can wait for later."
"And as for that battle Ash, I wouldn't suggest it." Ainsley said, and everyone finally noticed she was there.
"Wow! What are you doing here? Are we going to have special training with the Champion!" Dawn babbled excitedly, running up to Ainsley.
"Ah, well, I don't really train in any special way, so there isn't much to teach. As for why I'm really here, well, I wanted to meet all of Paul's friends!" She announced.
Then all eyes went to Paul. Ash smirked, but everyone else looked confused and surprised.
"Well, Paul. What-A-Pleasant-Surprise hmm?" Ash said, his smirk having long ago turned into an evil grin.
