Before getting to the chapter I'd like to bring up something that, for me, hits close to home. I'm sure everyone's seen the flooding that's currently going on in Texas. Anyone who knows me knows that I live in southeast Texas, and over the past number of days we've been getting hit with heavy rains that have lead to severe, and oftentimes deadly flooding. Thankfully my family and I live on high grounds, but there are those that live near me that aren't so fortunate, so I ask that those of you reading here say a prayer for those affected by these deadly floods.
Chapter 13: Reunited
After departing from Viridian City the next destination for the group was Victory Road, a challenging mountain pass which lead to the Indigo Plateau. Not only was the path itself designed like a maze but it was chock-full of powerful trainers looking to strengthen their teams for the upcoming tournament, meaning that it truly did live up to the name Victory Road. However, Ash and his friends were more than up to the challenge, and after battling through some of the most challenging trainers they'd encountered since reaching Kanto the four of them finally reached the Indigo Plateau.
"We made it," Daisy commented. The group took a moment to take in the view. In front of them was the main Pokémon Center, the largest in the entire region. On the paths to the left and right of the Center were the cabins where participating trainers and their friends and family would stay during the tournament. And finally, off in the distance, they could see the main battle arena.
"Oh wow… this place is huge," Bianca gasped.
"Believe me, there's much more to the Indigo Plateau. If you want we could give you a tour once we're all settled in," Ash offered.
"I'd love that!" Bianca squealed.
"Okay then. After you two register for the tournament we'll give Bianca the grand tour of the place," Daisy decided.
"Sounds good to me. So, where do we register?" Bianca wondered.
"Well, if it's anything like registering for the Pokémon League then we'll be able to register in the main Pokémon Center," Ash said.
"Well then come on! Let's get registered!" Then, without waiting for the others Bianca charged into the Pokémon Center. Ash, Misty and Daisy looked at each other briefly before bursting into laughter.
"She sure is energetic," Daisy commented.
"You have no idea," Ash replied. The three of them entered the Center themselves, albeit at a much slower pace than their energetic friend. When they got inside they found it was crowded, but not to the extent they were expecting.
"I figured there would have been more people here," Ash commented.
"I think we're some of the last to arrive so most of the other trainers have registered already," Daisy explained.
"Looks like Bianca's finishing up herself," Misty said. The three of them approached the front desk, where Nurse Joy was just finishing up with Bianca's registration.
"Good luck in the tournament," the nurse said.
"Thank you," Bianca responded. With her finished it was now Ash's turn.
"Are you here for the tournament as well?" Nurse Joy asked.
"I am," Ash answered.
"Great. I'll just need to see your invitation and identification," she said. Ash took out his invite and Pokédex and handed them both to the nurse. The moment he did Misty grew concerned.
"When she scans his Pokédex she's going to see who he really is. This is really going to make things difficult," she mused. She wanted to speak up, but couldn't without risking Ash's identity. For now all she could do was hope for the best.
Okay, Mason Cruz from Unova. Alright, you're all set," she reported. She then returned Ash's invitation and Pokédex. She also handed him a map of the Indigo Plateau.
"You'll be staying in Cabin D-4," Nurse Joy said. "Good luck in the tournament."
"Thanks," Ash replied. Now that he and Bianca were registered it was time for them to check in at their cabin. The three of them rejoined Bianca and left the Pokémon Center on the way to their assigned cabins.
"So, which cabin are you staying at?" Bianca asked.
"D-4," Ash replied. "According to the map we head left from the Pokémon Center and it'll be the fourth one on the right."
"That means we'll be staying next to each other. I got E-4," Bianca said.
"That's convenient," Misty commented.
"I'll say," Daisy agreed. "In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone planned it to end up like this."
"We can talk about this later. Right now I want to get to our cabins so we can check this place out," Bianca said. With the hyperactive Unova native urging them on the group exited the Pokémon Center and headed towards their cabins.
"By the way, how did you keep Nurse Joy from finding out who you were when she scanned your Pokédex?" Misty wondered.
"I had Professor Juniper wipe the memory and replace it with my new identity just for situations like this," Ash explained.
"Thinking ahead. Boy, you have changed," Daisy commented.
"With everything I've gone through the past few years I learned that it pays to think ahead to make sure I don't end up in situations I can't get myself out of," Ash explained.
"I take it that's happened a few times," Daisy commented.
"More times than I'd like to remember," Ash replied.
"Well, here we are," Bianca announced as they came to a stop in front of a pair of cabins. From the outside they looked big enough to accommodate a moderate sized group.
"So, who stays where?" Bianca asked.
"I say we make it two to a cabin," Ash suggested.
"Good idea," Bianca agreed. "I'll share with Daisy."
"Then that leaves the two of us with the other," Ash said to Misty. "Just like old times, huh."
"Yeah, just like old times," Misty agreed. With the temporary living arrangements agreed upon they all entered their respective cabins. The interior was just what they expected. There were a pair of beds along the back wall with a dresser at the foot of each. Along another wall was a small kitchen area, complete with a stove, sink and refrigerator. The other wall had a small desk with a computer where competitors could look up information on the other competitors in the tournament.
"We should hurry and get back outside. If we take too long Bianca and Daisy might leave without us," Ash advised. He and Misty tossed their bags on the beds and quickly headed back outside, where Bianca and Daisy were waiting on them.
"You guys didn't take long," Misty commented.
"Bianca's not the most patient person in the world," Daisy said.
"Believe me, I know that all too well," Ash told her.
"I can't help it if I'm excited about seeing everything here," Bianca stated. "Speaking of which, where to first?"
"Well, there's so much here. I say we just start walking and take it in as we go," Ash suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Misty agreed.
"Me too," Daisy added.
"Okay then, let's go!" Then, without another word, Bianca took off.
"Hey! Wait for us!" Ash, Misty and Daisy quickly took off after the Unova trainer, not wanting to let her get lost.
The tour of the Indigo Plateau went by smoothly. Bianca had been left nearly speechless at the many sights she had seen. The main stadium had been a particularly breathtaking moment for her.
"I was expecting it to be similar to the one we have in Unova, but it's… so much more," Bianca commented.
"I felt the same way you did when I first competed here," Ash told her.
"How did you manage?" Bianca asked.
"Well…"
"May, hurry up!"
"Slow down, Max! The tournament isn't going anywhere!" The group paused at the sound of the loud, yet familiar voices.
"That sounds like…" Before another word was said a rather large group of trainers walked across the path in front of them.
"T-That's…" Heading towards the Pokémon Center was a group of trainers consisting of Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Iris and Cilan.
"Come on! I don't want to miss the registration period!" Max whined.
"Registration doesn't close for hours," May replied.
"She's right, Max. There's no danger of you missing out on registering," Brock agreed.
"But I still don't want to wait until the last minute," Max replied.
"You know, he's starting to sound like someone we know," Daisy commented.
"Tell me about it," Misty agreed. They both looked at Ash to see what his reaction would be. He continued to look at the group, the sight of his friends that he hadn't seen in years overwhelming him a bit.
"It's great seeing the old gang together," Misty said.
"Yeah," Ash agreed.
"Hey! Why don't we go say hi. I bet they'd live to see you again after all these years," Bianca suggested. Before she could make a move towards them Ash stopped her.
"Not now. There's no telling who could be listening," he advised.
"Oh, right. I forgot," Bianca said.
"So, when then?" Daisy asked.
"Once they're finished with their registrations bring them to the cabin Misty and I are staying in," he instructed.
"Are you sure it'll be safe there?" Bianca wondered.
"I'll make sure it is," Ash told her.
"Well then, if we've got everything covered, let's go," Bianca said. Before she could take on step, though, Ash spoke up again.
"One more thing before you go," he said.
"What is it?" Daisy wondered.
"Don't tell them it's me. I want to save that for when they're all gathered in the cabin," Ash insisted.
"Because it's safer?" Bianca wondered.
"That's… one reason," Ash replied.
"One? What's the… oh, I know what the other reason is. You want to see the looks on their faces once they figure out it's you, don't you," Misty assumed.
"Yeah," Ash confirmed.
"Well, we can do that," Daisy said. "Now, let's get this long overdue reunion underway." While the girls made their way to the Pokémon Center Ash was left to eagerly await the reunion.
"It's going to be great to see the old gang again," he said.
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.
"They seem like nice people. I can't wait to meet them," Zorua said.
"You're going to get along with them just great," Ash told her. Zorua smiled and wagged her tail excitedly.
"Come on. Let's go make sure the cabin's secure," Ash said. With the girls off gathering the gang together Ash, Pikachu and Zorua headed to the cabin to give it a look over.
"There you go. You're all set. Good luck." Max thanked Nurse Joy as she handed him his Pokédex, invitation and map of the Indigo Plateau. He turned to his friends, a huge smile on his face.
"Oh yeah! I'm ready to win this!" he declared.
"Someone sounds confident," Dawn commented.
"Of course I'm confident! There isn't anyone here that can beat me!" Max shouted.
"Careful you don't get ahead of yourself," Brock advised. "You might end up facing someone who's better prepared than you."
"Not likely, especially with all the training I put in," Max responded. While Max proudly declared his premature victory May and Iris were engaged in a quite conversation.
"He's sounding a lot like you-know-who," May commented.
"Too bad he isn't here to see how good Max is as a trainer," Iris added. "Does he still remember?"
"The promise? Come on, you really think he would have forgotten?" May replied. "He's hoping that Ash is watching, wherever he is, and that seeing Max competing it'll make him seek him out, if for nothing else but that battle he promised."
"Do you think it'll work?" Iris asked.
"Honestly… I don't know," May responded.
"Hey! What are you two doing?!" May and Iris looked up and saw that Max and the others were heading towards the Pokémon Center doors.
"Come on. We're going to check into our cabins now," Dawn told them. The two girls caught up with the rest of their group.
"Were you two spacing out or what?" Max asked.
"We were talking," his sister corrected.
"There's going to be plenty of time for talking later. Right now I want to get settled in," Max said.
"Well. Someone's impatient." Everyone turned towards the voice and saw three familiar faces approaching them.
"Misty! Daisy! Bianca! You guys made it!" Dawn greeted.
"Of course. There was no way I was going to miss this," Bianca stated.
"You came all this way to cheer me on, right?" Max asked. Bianca gave him a look of confidence before taking out her invitation.
"Nope. I'm here to win!" she declared. Upon hearing this Max returned her confident look with one of his own.
"I may have something to say about that," he replied.
"Well, Max, even if you do manage to get by Bianca she's not even the toughest trainer here," Misty informed him.
"Oh really? And how do you know this?" Iris inquired.
"Because Misty and I faced him in one-on-one battles, and he managed to defeat us both," Daisy answered. That bit of information took them by surprise.
"He beat both of you? I find that difficult to believe," Brock commented.
"That is definitely difficult to fathom," Cilan added.
"I'd love to meet this guy," Max said.
"Then you're in luck. It just so happens he want to meet you too," Misty said.
"Me?" Max asked.
"Actually, he wants to meet all of you," Daisy informed them.
"All of us?" May asked, to which Daisy nodded in confirmation. They all looked at each other, wondering who this guy was and why he wanted to see them all.
"Well, what do you guys think? Should we go meet this guy?" Iris asked. A moment of silence followed as everyone thought about whether they wanted to meet this mystery trainer Misty and Daisy said was good enough to defeat them both in one-on-one battles.
"I say we do it. I want to see the guy who managed to defeat the two toughest trainers in Cerulean City," Max said.
"I'm with Max on this one. I want a look at this guy myself," Iris agreed.
"I don't know. How much do you trust this guy?" Brock asked.
"He's a good guy. We traveled here with him and he's done nothing to make us not trust him," Misty stated.
"Well, if you vouch for him then that's good enough for me," Brock said. "Where does he want to meet us?"
"His cabin," Daisy replied. "Follow us." The girls lead the group out of the Pokémon Center and towards Ash's cabin.
"So, what Pokémon did he use to battle you?" Max asked.
"He beat my Gyarados with a Manectric and he beat Daisy's Dewgong with a Lucario," Misty said.
"He managed to beat both Gyarados and Dewgong?!" May gasped.
"He must be powerful to defeat those two Pokémon," Cilan commented. "Did he also face off against Lily and Violet?" Before replying both Misty and Daisy laughed.
"He mopped the floor with them," Daisy said. "His Pikachu and Zorua made short work of them. I tell you I haven't seen them that flustered in a while."
"Seeing them get whipped like that certainly made my day," Misty added.
"Okay guys. We're here," Bianca announced. Everyone stopped and looked at the cabin in front of them.
"He's in there?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah," Misty confirmed. Despite being told Misty, Daisy and Bianca trusted him the others were still a bit wary about the meeting. Before anyone could voice their concerns Misty walked up to the cabin door.
"Come on. Let's not keep him waiting," she said. She opened the door and stepped inside, Daisy and Bianca following right behind her. Moments later the rest of the group entered the cabin. The first thing they noticed was Misty, Daisy and Bianca talking to Ash, though they had no idea who he was. As soon as he noticed them their conversation ended.
"Thanks for bringing them," Ash said.
"Don't mention it," Misty replied.
"So you're the guy who wanted to meet us," Iris assumed.
"That's right," he confirmed.
"It's good to meet you," May said. "My name's…"
"I know who you are. In fact, I know all of you." For them this bit of information came a shock, but for Misty, Daisy and Bianca it came as no surprise.
"H-How do you know our names? We haven't met, have we?" Dawn wondered.
"Of course we have. In fact we all traveled together at one point or another," Ash said, trying to see if they would recognize who he was.
"We traveled together?" Brock asked.
"Are you sure? You don't look like anyone I've ever seen, let alone traveled with," Max stated.
"Believe me, we did," Ash said. "In fact I've been looking forward to this for a while now."
"Looking forward to what?" Max wondered.
"The day you became a trainer," Ash told him. "After all, I did promise you a battle, didn't I?" At that moment it began to sink in just who he was.
"N-No way! Is… Is that really you, Ash?" Dawn asked.
"In the flesh," he confirmed. The next thing Ash knew he had been swarmed by his friends in a massive group hug.
"It's you! It really is you!" May shouted.
"It's good to have you back, buddy!" Brock said.
"We missed you so much!" Dawn cried.
"I missed all of you too," Ash admitted. "There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of all of you."
"Speaking of which what have you been up to?" Iris wondered.
"It's a long story. You guys might want to get comfortable for this," Ash advised. As everyone got comfortable Ash couldn't help but smile. It felt good to be back in the company of his friends once again.
After five years the gang is finally back together again. As they catch up with what they've been doing with their lives what new stories will Ash's friends have for him? And what will they think of his stories? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!
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