Chapter 10

Look to the Future

The four judges watched a replay of the final match, waiting to see the outcome of the explosion at the end. Joshua's pokémon crashed to the ground, unconscious while Wally's Gardevoir stood strong. The recording stopped. The judges exchanged glances and nodded. They got up, stiff from the hard backed chairs they were sitting in. They walked along the deserted corridor leading to the Contest Stage, where the awards ceremony was being held. As they approached, the doors suddenly swung open, revealing the roaring crowd and the Contest Judges.

They walked out of the tunnel, greeted by applause from the crowd, pleased with both their recovery and their presentation. Ash wore a simple purple button up shirt with a black sport jacket and trousers while beside him, Dawn wore a matching, close fitting, deep purple dress with a black sash around her waist. Behind them, Cilan wore a tuxedo, true Conniseur style and Iris wore a long, flowing deep blue robe with gold accents. They waved to the crowd, smiling broadly.

"And here they are! The Battle Judges! Recovered from the mishap yesterday! Give them a round of applause!"May's voice was projected out of the loudspeakers.

The crowd exploded, cheering and clapping as the fallen judges walked once more. The gleaming Judges' tables were large enough for four a piece. Drew, Kenny, Wallace, and Zoey sat at the Coordinators' side while May stood at the crystal podium between the two platinum tables. They all got up and greeted their fellow judges. They all exchanged greetings, smiling. The girls hugging everyone and the guys shaking hands. Once they were done, the Battle Judges took their seats at the open table. On each table sat a golden trophy, one for the battle victor and one for the contest winner. The trophies were in the shape of the symbol of Pallet Town, a Pikachu.

"And without further ado, let us introduce the victor of the Champions Court Pokémon Contest! Drum roll, please..." May opened the first official looking letter with the word, Contest printed on it with swirling script.

"... And the victor of the Champions Court Pokémon Contest is... Connor from Pastoria City in the Sinnoh Region!" Connor walked on stage, grinning like a little boy on Christmas Day. The judges all clapped with enthusiasm. He shook hands with all the judges and May handed him the trophy.

"Well done, Connor! We hope to see you again at the Wallace Cup this winter in Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh Region!" Connor held up the trophy basking in the crowds' adoration. He then walked off the stage while waving.

"That goes for all of you budding coordinators out there too! Now, moving onto the Champions Court Pokémon Battle Tournament results!" She held up the creme white letter.

She opened it slowly. "The victor of the Champions Court Pokémon Battle Tournament and the title of Champion of the Court, goes to... my good friend, Wally of Petelburg City!" He walked up on the stage, his olive green hair in stark contrast with the bone white suit he wore. He walked quickly, raising a hand to the crowd, which was going insane. The judges all shook his hand before he returned to the podium where May hugged him.

"It is my honor to give this trophy to you, Wally!" He accepted it and walked off the stage with a hop in his step. May laughed.

"When I returned to Petelburg City after I returned from the Johto Region, my father informed me of a boy who was going to go and live with his aunt and uncle and who wanted to catch a pokémon for company. So I took the boy under my wing and helped him catch his first pokémon, a Ralts, who has since evolved into his beautiful Gardevoir. That boy was Wally. And so there and then I knew that I had finally stepped into the role that had influenced me so much. A mentor. But I never grew out of being a protégé, as many of us on this stage can say, of the great Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum!" The crowd erupted. Ash got up and waved. May beckoned him over to the podium.

"I have a secret I would like to tell you all, but I am saying this mainly to Ash. I am sure that you all have noticed that the Pokémon League Champions from Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova are here, three of those being filled by the extraordinary trainer here next to me and the other being held by a girl sitting at that table." Dawn blushed and got up, smiling and waving to the crowd before sitting back down.

"But I am sure that you all have noticed the lack of representation from my home region, Hoenn. Where is Steven, you said. He should be here, you said. But what you didn't know is that I was here the whole time." The audience went quiet. Dawn squealed and clapped.

"Oh my god! Really?" May nodded. Ash looked up.

"Well May, I guess that three titles is enough for me." He looked serious. Then he wrapped May in a massive bear hug. The crowd laughed as they pulled apart. Ash stepped up to the podium.

"I also have a secret I need to share with you." He looked dead serious. The crowd hushed again with anticipation. Ash stood up straight and pulled the microphone out of the holder as he walked to the front of the stage.

"This. The Champions Court. It is an annual event, with this being the flagship ceremony. This tournament and gathering of pokémon lovers will go down in history with the likenesses of the Grand Festival, the Wallace Cup, and the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova Leagues. But it is so much more than just those regions and finals. No, this tournament will next year be held in the newly discovered region, Kalos. However, those who wish to compete will have to prove their quality. This will be by invitation only."

He pulled out a purple ticket. "There are one hundred of these, the contest tickets."

He pulled out an orange ticket. "And a hundred and fifty of these. The battle tickets. We will not reveal how to obtain these, but like I said, one must show their quality to obtain one of these. When you earn one, you must report to the closest port, where you will be transported to the Kalos region, where we will provide room and board courtesy of Professor Sycamore." Ash smiled at the stunned crowd.

"We will be releasing more information soon. I have an interview scheduled with the Goldenrod Radio Company in a week or so. We will answer more questions there or at the Wallace Cup in Snowpoint City later this year or early next year depending on when they decide to hold it. Thank you all for coming to the first annual Champion's Court! All of us here appreciate your support. Oh, and one more thing, this event is not known to the public yet. Keep it that way or your complimentary tickets will ALL dissolve." He pulled out a remote and pushed a big red button. All of the fliers about the closing ceremonies dissolved, earning a gasp from the crowd.

"And no, I'm not joking." He stepped back, raising his arms. The rest of the judges got up and joined him. Dawn made to slip under his arm and put around him but was stopped by an arm around her waist pulling her into Kenny. She rolled her eyes and pulled away before he could start talking to her. She made her way over to May, who was next to Zoey and Iris. Ash missed this incident since he was intent on entertaining the crowd.

"Thank you all for attending the first annual Champion's Court and we hope to see you all at the next one!"

The judges stood together, receiving applause from the crowd and smiling. Ash beckoned Dawn over to him. She pranced over, stealing a glance at Kenny and glaring at him. His face was harder than stone as Dawn and Ash locked hands and raised them, much to the delight of the crowd. May did the same with Drew, earning a similar reaction to Ash and Dawn. The lights dimmed, as the judges retreated. A single, squat figure remained on the stage.

"PIKA-CHU!" The mouse pokemon called down a massive thunder bolt, scorching the stage. Pikachu raised a single hand, raising a peace sign.