Chapter 6

Ash and Leaf made great timing and managed to arrive in Olivine City within two weeks. In all honesty it was more at Leaf's urging since Ash wanted to spend a week training but his friend was ever persistent. The two teens arrived in the port city and could only be in awe of the amount of people present. Everywhere you looked there were people moving around the hundreds of shopping stands. There were items from every region there and Ash moved to the trainer section of the market. He stopped at one stand that had pokeballs on display. "Hello young man."

Ash looked at the elderly gentleman who was sitting behind the stand with a kind smile on his face, "Good morning sir."

The old man's smile widened, "I see you are a trainer…perhaps you are interested in some pokeballs?"

Ash looked over the selection, "What all do you have available?"

The man chuckled, "Anything you can imagine…short of the master ball."

Ash's eyes looked over all the different types of pokeballs and finally decided, "I will take a dozen Ultra balls." The man nodded and pulled out a small box and handed it to Ash. The dark trainer handed the man the necessary money before he turned and walked off to find Leaf.

He found his best friend standing by a fence as she watched a couple of trainers battle. Ash did a quick scan and noticed nothing of interest for him personally but he wasn't about to judge new trainers…that was for after he defeated them.

Leaf looked at him, "Hey you did you find anything good?"

Ash nodded, "I picked up a dozen Ultra Balls for a fraction I would have paid in the super market."

When Leaf rolled her eyes her friend looked at her, "What?"

Leaf smirked, "You don't have to worry about money for a while Ashy…winning the Indigo League and all those battles kind of leave some extra cash around."

Ash nodded, "True but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw my money around."

His best friend giggled before she leaned on his arm as they continued to watch the battles. Ash was slightly dozing off when he heard a familiar name, "And our next contender will be Harrison from the Hoenn Region!"

Ash looked up to see Harrison walk onto the field with a strong aura of confidence about him. Leaf saw him and waved, "Hey Harrison, good luck!"

The trainer looked up at his name and smile, "Leaf it is great to see you…and you as well Ash. We will catch up after the match." Leaf blushed lightly when Harrison gave her a roguish smile and felt her heart flutter. She simply shook her head and watched the match.

*PTCW*

Harrison selected his pokeball and threw it, "Houndoom your up!" A medium sized black dog with gray horns and a devil like tail landed on the field. Its back had three gray colored stripes and each of its legs had gray bands around the bottom and around its neck was a gray collar with a skull center piece.

Harrison's opponent was a younger trainer with glasses and a briefcase. "A fire type…alright then I will choose my Croconaw!" From the trainer's ball came a medium sized crocodile looking pokemon. Its scales were light blue and cream in color and it had red spins on its head, back and tail.

"Croconaw lets end this quickly with a hydro pump!" The water type took a deep breath and launched a massive stream of water.

"Protect." Houndoom lowered his head and the ultimate defensive move appeared around him. "You are going to have to do better than that to beat us."

The school boy growled, "Alright Croconaw get in close with ice punch followed by aqua tail!"

Harrison shook his head, "Counter with iron tail and then use sunny day." The duel type pokemon easily intercepted the ice punch and aqua tail before he fired a ball of orange energy into the air. Moments later the sun intensified and the area became very hot.

"Houndoom finish this with solarbeam at full power!" A powerful beam of white light fired from the fire type's mouth and slammed into the water type starter. The smoke cleared to reveal Houndoom standing with his teeth bared, "Croconaw is unable to battle, Houndoom and Harrison are the winners!"

Leaf squealed her approval and blushed when Harrison winked at her…something that Ash raised his eyebrow at. The trainer from Hoenn ran over and shook their hands, "Hey you two, how are things going?"

Ash nodded, "Battles, victories, and pokemon…not much more to say."

Leaf giggled at her friend, "Ash is just being uptight, he hates big cities."

Harrison smiled, "I can understand, me on the other hand, I love the big city. Meeting new people and exploring all the areas makes the adventure more amusing."

Leaf nodded her approval, "I know right? I could spend hours walking around and visiting all the new areas." Harrison and Leaf made eye contact and felt butterflies in their stomachs as they had a moment.

Ash shrugged, "To each their own…some of us have more important things to deal with."

Harrison cocked his head, "Like what?"

Ash's eyes grew cold, "None of your damn business."

Leaf rounded on Ash, "Ash that wasn't necessary, Harrison didn't deserve to be spoken to like that."

Her friend shrugged and turned towards the battle arena. "Ashton Satoshi Ketchum where are you going?"

Ash's cold voice sent shivers down both her and Harrison's spines, "To show these fools what being a trainer is about."

Leaf gulped as she looked at Harrison, "Did I say something?"

The beautiful brunette shook her head, "No, Ash has a…a very troubled past and he gets in very destructive moods."

Harrison was about to speak when the announcer spoke, "We have a last minute entry a native to the Kanto League and recent winner of the Indigo Plateau competition…Eclipse Silverline!"

Ash stepped out on the field with his cloak wrapped around him and Leaf sighed. The announcer started to speak but Ash held up his hand, "I want the one trainer who you view as the strongest in the group to step forward."

The group shuffled around until a single teen was left standing opposite of Ash. Ash's eyes flared with his psychic powers as he laid eyes on Gary Oak. "Surprised to see me Ashy boy? I figured that the Johto League would be a perfect time to put you in your place. This is just a little test of what is to come."

Gary kissed the pokeball in his hand before throwing it, "Nidoqueen go!"

Ash pulled a ball from his belt and hissed, "Charizard, end this!" Gary and the crowd gapped when the ball burst open and a massive black dragon appeared in the air. The referee raised his arms, "Begin!"

Gary wasted no time, "Nidoqueen knock him out with hyper beam!" His poison pokemon fired a massive beam of energy at the flying pokemon, "Counter with flamethrower and then earthquake." Charizard let loose a stream of flames that canceled out the hyper beam before he slammed his weight down into the ground. The battlefield splintered and cracked under the attack and caused massive damage to Gary's pokemon, "Nidoqueen get up and use ice beam!"

Ash rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, "Blast Burn." Charizard opened his mouth and created a large orb of white fire that grew bigger and bigger with every second. When the orb was the size of a melon, he roared and launched in at the incoming ice beam. The fire attack easily overpowered the ice beam and crashed into Nidoqueen. The resulting explosion sent up a mushroom cloud of fire, smoke, and dust.

Ash smiled coldly, "Blow away the smoke." Charizard flapped his wings and revealed Gary's unconscious pokemon. The referee raised a shaky flag and ended the battle. Ash returned his Charizard and turned to the ref, "When is the competition starting?"

He gulped at the intimidating aura that Ash gave off, "It starts tomorrow and goes through the weekend."

Ash nodded and turned away from the battlefield. Once he was out of sight the crowd broke into whispers about not only the rare Charizard but the quick defeat that was handed out by it.

*PTCW*

Harrison and Leaf rushed off to find Ash but were unable to locate the Kanto native. Leaf growled in anger before she sat down next to a tree, "I can't believe him…sometimes he can make me so mad!"

Harrison chuckled lightly as he sat down next to Leaf, "Well it could be worse. I mean, he could treat you like trash."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder. I can't tell you the number of times he has left me to walk."

At her new friend's questioned glance she giggled, "I'm not a fan of flying and so whenever Ash chooses to fly we always argue. His response to it is leaving me to walk."

Harrison snorted, "Isn't he charming."

Leaf smiled lightly, "He usually comes back but there have been a few times that he has waited for me at the next pokemon center." Leaf tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wrapped her arms around her knees. Harrison gulped when a gentle breeze blew against them and moved Leaf's hair. He would be a fool to say that she wasn't attractive she literally was the image of perfection. Her face was angelic and her body was curved in all the right areas. The breeze gently blew against her skirt and revealed more of her beautiful legs and a good portion of her hip. The trainer from Hoenn gulped again and looked away as a blush formed on his face, "Have you ever considered going on your own journey?"

Leaf turned to Harrison who was still looking away, "What do you mean?"

His voice was soft and confident, "Well like me for example. I have plenty of friends that I could travel with but I prefer to be on my own. It helps me bond with my pokemon as well as learn to survive on my own."

Leaf thought for a moment before she nodded gently, "I guess I can see that happening…but." She stopped and had a light frown on her face, "You don't know if you could survive without Ash."

The girl from Pallet looked up with shock, "It's obvious to anyone that you care a great deal for him and that he means the world to you. I think it is fantastic that you found someone who completes you so young in life."

Leaf smiled lightly, "You are very wise Harrison…something that is all too often not seen in guys…it's nice to see."

Harrison felt himself blush as Leaf's eyes met his and he cleared his throat before looking towards the city. Leaf giggled lightly at Harrison's reaction before she leaned back against the tree and waited with her new friend.

*PTCW*

Ash was currently standing near the edge of the sea with Alakazam just behind him. The dark trainer was deep in thought about the battle he had just won. His quick victory over his rival Gary left him feeling numb. Truth be told it left a bad taste in his mouth to the point that the trainer from Pallet spit when his stomach turned.

"Master is everything alright?"

Turning to his psychic pokemon he shrugged, "I didn't feel anything when I beat Gary just now. I would have expected to feel some sort of satisfaction at beating my apparent rival." Alakazam focused his eyes on his master and was about to respond when an elderly voice spoke, "Perhaps it means you need to think about your motivation."

Ash turned to see a very short old man in tan shorts and a red sweatshirt. His hair was white and his head had a backwards baseball cap. "Mr. Goodshow?"

The old man nodded and walked over, "It is a pleasure to see you again Ash…now what seems to be the problem?"

Ash was hesitant but decided it was alright to talk. The dark trainer went on to describe his issue and once he was done, Goodshow chuckled, "Just as I thought. My boy, you are simply suffering from a mid-life crisis."

Ash glared at the elderly man, "I'm only sixteen."

The President of the Pokemon League laughed louder, "My boy I'm not saying an actual one but something all trainers go through. After about three to four years of being on a journey, most trainers question what they want to do for their long term goals. Some become gym leaders, some Pokemon Coordinators, Doctors, Lawyers…you name it. The Pokemon Field has thousands of job opportunities for any kind of trainer."

Ash growled as he thought about his goal of defeating his father, "So you are saying I should give up and try something new?"

Goodshow shook his head, "Calm down child. I was simply saying that you might want to look at what you want to do after your short term goals are accomplished. I have said this before and I will again, you have a fire burning inside you and a battle style that is unique and powerful. You are a very talented Pokemon Trainer and would be a fool to let that slip."

Ash raised his eyebrow, "You never said that to me."

The old man nodded, "not directly to you but I witnessed you the night before the Indigo League Competition and saw all of this from the stands."

Ash remained silent and thought, "I guess I want something to do with battling and raising my pokemon. I value power and strength and can't see myself staying in a job that doesn't have that."

Goodshow nodded and smiled on the inside, "Have you ever considered becoming an Elite Four Member or even Champion?"

For the first time during the conversation Ash lightly smiled, "Of course…when I was younger it was all I could talk about until…certain things in my life changed."

"What is stopping you now?"

Ash shrugged, "I guess nothing but why are you telling me all this?"

Goodshow sat down in the sand and leaned back on his hands, "I'm getting old Ash and I have for a long time wondered what would happen to the Pokemon League after I left. I'm looking for my potential successor and I believe you are one of the few that could easily take it."

Ash's eyes widened, "Your joking?"

When Goodshow shook his head Ash fell to his knees, "But I'm only sixteen and I have…other things to attend to."

Charles took a deep breath and spoke softly, "You mean the defeat of your father."

Ash's eyes instantly flashed with power as his psychic energies roared to his call. Charles found himself floating in front of the now enraged trainer, "How did you know!" The voice was cold and filled with malice.

"I may be old but I am not blind. Red Ketchum was a complete idiot for what he did to you and Delia."

Ash's glowing eyes softened at the mention of his mother's name, "Ash, I know the pain you are in my boy and by all means I challenge you to defeat your father but I am simply giving you an alternate path to doing so."

Charles felt himself touch down on the sand, "How?"

The League President ran a hand down his beard, "You are the current winner of the Kanto League and this alone gives you the right to challenge the Elite Four. But since Kanto and Johto hold joint Elite Four members it is kind of early. To take the challenge you must register with your region's Professor and then select a type you wish to specialize in.

Ash spoke up, "Why would I choose one type when I already have a complete team?"

Goodshow shook his head, "It is just an added rule for us to make things a little more interesting. True you have a team comprised of many different pokemon but by having you select a specific type it forces you not only to learn more about pokemon but it also helps you to create strategies to help counter weakness. "

Ash looked at Alakazam who shrugged, "Is there a type that I am not allowed to choose?"

Goodshow shook his head, "Everything is available for you to choose. Most trainers usually go with what their starter is."

Ash thought about Salamence, "So I would go with Dragon."

Goodshow nodded, "Charizard does go under that egg group so yes that would be a choice."

Ash remembered that Charles didn't know about Salamence, "Say I do choose to specialize in Dragon type pokemon what are my limits, because if memory serves me right several Elite Four members have pokemon that don't fall under their group."

Charles nodded, "Very true. Most of the time we preferred that you stay within your egg group or pokemon type but there are exceptions. Lance has an Aerodactyl and that doesn't fall in any dragon related categories outside of looking like one."

Ash went silent again before he spoke, "I will consider it."

Charles smiled, "That's all you can do young Ash." He pulled out a pocket watch and frown, "I wish I could stay longer but I have to go for a meeting. I hope you do it Ash… you won't regret it. Either way, I will see you again soon."

The trainer from Pallet watched the elderly man walk away before he returned Alakazam and walked off to go find Leaf.

Alright guys a short chapter but a chapter none the less.

So Ash has a new option available to him…will he take it?

Let me know what you think Ash should do for a specialized type if he does. And to add some fun, tell me what "acceptations" you would consider in your type.

Ash's Team for reference

Salamence (Starter)

Scyther

Alakazam

Electabuzz

Dragonair

Rhydon

Gengar

Charizard

Snorlax

Kabutops

Anorith

Honchkrow

Send in ideas and reviews.

KingFatMan25