Yo Ken's back after a hiatus that was months long! Anyway I'm back and in this chapter Zero will be facing off against the water type specialist of the Baron League Elite Four. Will he beat this guy/girl? Or will he/she beat the shit out of him? Only one way to find out.

Zero: You telling us in an AN?

Ken: No reading you dumb ass!

Zero: Oh. KenTheAuraGuardian does not own Pokémon.

Normal POV

It was a regular day at the Baron League Conference Trainers' area. Some trainers were watching previous battles they missed. Others were packing up to leave seeing as how they lost. Few were already gone at this point. The winner of the Conference, Zero Tsunado was currently relaxing as his shiny Infernape and Heatran ate their Pokémon food. Why was he relaxing when he could get some last minute training in? Simple; Zero decided that he would rather let his Pokémon settle down after his intense teamwork sessions instead of overworking them. Salamence was currently sleeping next to him, and Palkia was drinking water a few feet away from Heatran. Alakazam and Dusknoir were meditating. The blonde teen looked down at his digital watch and saw that it was 9:25. An entire hour before he faced Mizena, the water type user of the Elite Four. Now, most trainers would be running through their strategies and make sure all there bases were covered. Zero insisted that if he did that, nerves would fuck up his plans.

At 9:45 the trainer went out to the practice area with his Pokémon so they could stretch their muscles. He did a light workout of running around the area, while Infernape and Dusknoir punch tree stumps, Alakazam lifted random objects with his psychic abilities, Heatran and Palkia were climbing trees, and Salamence flew around. He recalled each of his Pokémon into their respective balls while he took a shower and changed. He wore a simple black T-shirt under a white and red vest with black cargo pants and gold Nike trainers. A white headband with a semi circle in the middle rested on his forehead, keeping his spiky golden hair out of his face. And to finish it off, he wore a golden wrist brace on his left arm as his right had his watch. It was 10:20 at the moment, so he made his way to Mizena's stadium in the League building. When he looked around, the stadium was almost full already, and that Ash kid was sitting in the middle on the right with what Zero presumed are his friends.

The announcer was hyping up the battle and Mizena was standing in her corner looking bored. Mizena was a young adult in her mid twenties. She stood at around 5'7" with shoulder length light blue hair. The water-type specialist sported a curvaceous figure and C-cup breasts and a heart shaped face. A blue dress hugged her body and went a little past her knees, and she wore a pair of black flats on her feet. All in all, she was a very attractive woman. Zero was by all means a teenager, so he was affected by hormones. He was just skilled at hiding it. But when faced with a beauty such as hers, blood rushed to an undesirable part of the male anatomy. The teen got it under control, but couldn't help but marvel at her beauty a short while longer before putting his poker face on. It was 10:40 and the announcer continued to hype up the audience.

"Alright boys, girls, and Pokémon of all ages and types! We are here to see if Zero Tsunado, son of the 'Night and Day duo' Sol and Luna can defeat the Water Beauty Mizena! Zero has proven that he is no pushover, but will that be enough to get by Mizena? Or will the beauty trample his dreams of becoming champion? We will find out in a few minutes!"

While the announcer rambled on, Zero thought back to Mizena's Pokémon. It would be a 3 on 3 match, so she could choose any Pokémon from any region. The members of the Baron Elite Four had Pokémon from at least 2 different regions. Mizena was no different. She could have anything from a Feraligatr to a Samurott. He could use Infernape, since he is incredibly resilient, but that would make him seem more cocky than confident. Or just plain stupid. His monologue was interrupted as soon as the referee began to explain the rules of the battle.

"This will be a 3 on 3 battle between Elite Four member Mizena, and Challenger Zero. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute, and the battle ends when one trainer has lost three Pokémon. Are both trainers ready? Alright then send out your Pokémon!"

"Swanna come on out!"

"Salamence let's do this!"

"Now begin!"

"Swanna Air Slash!"

"Salamence Dragon Breath.

Mini cyclones of air were released at Salamence, who destroyed each of them with a silver blast from his mouth. The White Bird Pokémon then shot out a series of bubbles at the dragon, which swayed to the side quickly to avoid Bubblebeam.

'So she chose Swanna… Swanna knows Brave bird, Hurricane, Air Slash, Wing Attack, Ice Beam, Aqua Ring, Aerial Ace, Water Pulse, Scald, Bubblebeam, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Rain Dance, and Attract. Troublesome moveset, and that might not even be current.'

"Water Pulse!"

"Stone Edge!"

Swanna's beak began to glow blue, and a sphere of pulsating water was released at Salamence at high speeds. Stone pillars formed around the dragon and shot out at Swanna, disrupting the orb of water in the process. Swanna managed to dodge most of them, but got hit in the midsection by the final one. Salamence capitalized one this by enveloping itself in energy and flying at Swanna in high speed, connecting with Aerial Ace.

"Swanna use Aqua Ring."

"Grab it and use Thunder Fang, full power!"

The swan attempted to form rings of water around itself, but failed as electrified fangs clamped down on her. The Thunder Fang attack from Salamence stunned Swanna long enough for a flurry of Dragon Claws to be unleashed on her, sending her flying back to Mizena with swirls replacing her eyes.

"Swanna is unable to battle! Green trainer send out your next Pokémon."

"Dewott, time for battle!"

"Salamence vs Dewott. Begin!"

"Ice Beam Dewott!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!"

The two attacks cancelled each other out, causing a temporary smoke cloud to form on the battlefield. Dewott encased itself in water and shot off towards Salamence, who became surrounded by purple energy and orange lines charged at Dewott. The smoke cleared to show both Pokémon struggling against each other. Dewott soon got pushed back by Salamence, who followed up with a Headbutt. The otter was covered in bruises.

"Now Dewott Revenge!"

Dewott was surrounded by orange energy, which was soon released at Salamence, dealing double the damage of the Headbutt and Giga Impact combined. Although his Pokémon got hit, he seemed to remain nonchalant. When the Dragon type Pokémon was seen, it was protected by a barrier fending off the Revenge attack and asleep. As soon as the shield faded, it opened its eyes and roared fiercely. Per Mizena's command, Dewott took the scalchops from its thighs and began to spin them at high speeds, using the move Swords Dance. Salamence just stood there as it happened, not caring that its opponent's strength was just raised.

"Good, now use Water Pledge!"

"Fly, Salamence."

Chapter 7

The discipline Pokémon stomped its foot on the ground as columns of water sprouted in Salamence's direction. The dragon Pokémon simply flew high up in the sky, evading it. A series of turquoise spheres rain down on Dewott, before Salamence lands. Dewott is shown to be unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Well everyone it seems that the challenger has defeated two of Mizena's Pokémon with only his Salamence! What a feat! Will he sweep the water master? Or will she turn things around with an upset victory here?"

"Milotic show them your power!"

"Milotic vs Salamence begin!"

After the official finished speaking, an orb of wind appeared at the end of Mioltic's tail which was flung at Salamence. 'Damn that Twister attack could leave Salamence vulnerable..'

"Salamence burst through that Twister anyway you want!"

The dragon's head began to glow and its body was swallowed in a blue light as it pushed past the tornado about to damage it. After dispersing the Twister attack, Salamence went on to straight at Milotic. Before Mizena could tell her Milotic to do Mirror Coat, Salamence swerved to the right, bypassing her. A glowing light blue appendage came into view about to smack into Milotic.

"Dodge with Agility!"

Faster than the naked eye, barring elite trainers', Milotic avoided the Dragon Tail attack and appeared on the opposite side of the field. Salamence turned around and stared at Milotic as she reciprocated. Both trainers ordered attacks, and turquoise spheres launched in Milotic's direction. She skillfully dodged each by floating around, above, or under it. The Dragon Pulse barraged was brushed off as Milotic wrapped her body around the dragon Pokémon's body.

"Bind huh? Not a bad strategy."

"Thank you, Milotic use Attract!"

The Tender Pokémon winked at the dragon, as hearts surrounded it. The hearts circled Salamence until they all flew towards it, but soon got repelled. Mizena was shocked and Zero took the time to explain that Salamence was female.

"Show them another new move. Hyper Beam full power!"

An orange-yellow beam charged from Salamence's mouth faster than it should have and blasted Milotic at point blank range. The result was a light traveling through the stadium so bright, the spectators and trainers had to shield their eyes, while Zero shut his. The orange hue died down to reveal a perfectly fine looking Salamence and a knocked out Milotic with slight burns and bruises littering her body. Everyone's jaws were hitting the floor at the moment, while Zero recalled Salamence and complimented her on a job well done. The referee recovered and announced the match to be over as the crowd was about to go into an uproar Mizena asked Zero a series of questions.

"Why wasn't your Salamence incapacitated by Bind? How did it look no worse for wear after firing a fully charged Hyper Beam? Why did the Hyper Beam get charged so quickly?"

"I will answer your questions in order. Salamence is around 2 times bigger than others from her species, so an attack like Bind or Wrap doesn't restrict her much. I trained Salamence to be able to fire 5 fully powered Hyper Beams before tiring and having to recharge, and as a result she could also fire it quicker. It was an honor battling you."

After his short speech Zero walked up to Mizena and extended his hand, intending to get it shook. Instead he got a peck on the cheek which left an imprint of pink lipstick on his cheek. His cheeks were currently redder than a cheri berry and only got redder when she winked at him before walking off to a Pokémon Center. Zero sheepishly scratched the back of his head before stalking off towards the exit of the stadium. His path halted by that Ash kid he beat earlier in the tournament. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as more people crowded him while all the others left the stadium after the announcer narrated a replay of the battle. Three males and females were with Ash.

The first male had tanned skin, short, spiky, brown hair, and rather squinty eyes. He was dressed in a green shirt under and unbuttoned orange and black vest, beige cargo pants, and black-and-white sneakers and stood a little above 6 feet tall. He looked to be around 18 or 19, and was the oldest of the group.

The next was around the same height and slightly younger with green hair that was slicked back at the top and green eyes. He wore a long white dress shirt with cufflinks and a black vest with yellow buttons and a green tie, black dress pants, and green loafers with yellow laces.

Ash himself was tanned, less so than the first male, had Z shaped marks on each of his cheeks, and unruly black hair tucked under a cap. The cap was white in the middle with the rest being red, and a Master Ball was designed on the white part of the cap. A white jacket with red sleeves and a red arrow on the abdomen with a red trim on the bottom covered his upper body. He wore gray cargo jeans and black sneakers with red laces, and black gloves with a red trim on the bottom. He stood around 5'9" or 5'10" with a Pikachu on his shoulder and looked to be around 16 or 17 (Zero's age = 17.)

The final male was of average skin color, had black eyes, and spiky brown hair with bangs falling to his face without blocking his eyes. He looked to be around Ash's age and height. He adorned a white lab coat over a simple black shirt with the top buttons open and a necklace on display, gray slacks, and black shoes. Zero recognized him as Gary Oak, grandson of Professor Samuel Oak.

The female to Ash's right was tanned like the first male, had hair that could only be described as big and purple tied into two pigtails while the rest fell down her back. She wore a cream and pink shirt that went to her thighs and was held in place by a pink band with a bow on the side, cream and yellow pants that stopped before her ankles, and pink, white, and yellow shoes. She was at least 5'6" and looked to be 15.

The girl next to her had shoulder length blue hair tied up in several places and had the top blocked off by a hat. It was a white winter hat with a semi circle and a dot below it. She had a red scarf over a black and pink dress that stopped above her knees and was worn over a long sleeved white shirt, and black stockings under the dress and pink boots. She was around the first female's height and Ash's age.

The final person had short blonde hair with a few strands of hair framing her face on both sides. A green beanie with a pink bow rested on her head and she wore glasses with square frames. She wore an orange coat over an orange vest and white shirt, white skirt that ended a little past her knees, orange stocking and yellow shoes. She stood at 5'8" at the most and was Zero's exact age. Ash stepped up to him with excitement written on his visage. Zero had no negative feelings toward Ash since he wasn't an idiot, and he was a decent trainer, but he could be unnecessarily loud at times.

"That was an awesome battle Zero! Your Salamence is incredibly strong to beat all three of Mizena's Pokémon!"

"Thanks for the compliment. But surely you didn't come over here just to congratulate on my win…"

"Oh yeah, I wanted to introduce you to my friends. The guys from right to left are Pokémon breeder and aspiring doctor Brock Takeshi, Pokémon connoisseur Cilan Dento, and Pokémon professor and my old rival Gary Oak. The girls in the same order are future Dragon Master Iris, Coordinator Dawn Hikari, and trainer Bianca."

"Hello I'm Zero, nice to meet you."

While they all socialized, Zero seemed wary of Dawn. The others took notice of this and questioned him about. He responded by saying she reminded him of someone and that she even had the same color of hair and first name.

"Wait I remember you. You're from Twinleaf Town right?"

"Yeah I am."

"Oh good…"

The teens looked confused before breaking out in laughter. They exited the stadium and went to the lounge where Ash told them about how Zero beat him…. Both times.

"…And then Salamence used Dragon Rush and knocked Pikachu out!" Ash finished.

"Wow Zero you have a unique recipe for battling." Cilan commented.

"You must have raised Salamence pretty well to be able to pull that off, not to mention defeating an Elite Four member using only her." Brock said.

"Well I raised her since she was a Bagon and she's just been naturally stronger and faster than others of her species. I almost mistook her for a shiny Pokémon." Zero stated and then memories of him training Salamence as from a Bagon, to a Shelgon, and now Salamence.

They continued to hang out until it was dark and they began to return to their hotel rooms. Only Ash, Zero, Bianca, and Dawn were left by now. Strange things were going on with Zero. Whenever either of the girls smiled or seemed happy, 'weird' things started happening with his chest and stomach. Of course, reactions were also constant in a lower part of his body, but he knew why that happened. Bianca and Dawn were attractive after all. Ash's facial expression suddenly got serious as he called to get Zero's attention.

"Yeah Ash?"

"Could you help me train my Pokémon? I know they aren't weak, but they aren't as strong as they can be."

Silence reigned between the group as Zero contemplated his words. Ash was afraid that he might say no, but he was prepared for it. Zero was taking on his mother and father next after all.

"A trainer is tasked with bringing out the potential in a Pokémon and using that potential to the fullest of the Pokémon's abilities… They also have to show their Pokémon care and devotion so those feelings will be returned and reflected in the way they follow your commands without hesitation. If you feel your Pokémon aren't at their full potential and you could do something to change that, then you should. So I will help you." Ash was ready to celebrate, but Zero wasn't done. "However, there is one condition. Your Pikachu is at its peak in terms of power, speed, and strength. But it needs to work on defense. After that, I'm afraid it will have to evolve or else its electrical buildup will grow too high and it won't have the power to maintain it. The choice is yours to make."

With that bombshell dropped, Zero bid them a goodnight, kissing Bianca and Dawn on the cheek as he walked to his hotel room. The two blushed while Ash was deep in thought. He was no idiot. He knew that if Pikachu's electrical buildup got too high, one of two things would happen. One, Pikachu would get substantially weaker and weaker until he could no longer battle. Or two, the electricity inside of Pikachu would implode him, resulting in death. Ash couldn't let his starter die! But Pikachu was a prideful Pokémon. The trainer had to discuss this with his Pokémon…

Alright that's two chapters down. I threw the second one in there because.. well Idk. But anyways. Will Ash accept Zero's conditions and evolve Pikachu after improving his defense? Or will Pikachu have to stop battling forever? Until next time.

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