The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session August, Part 5 (08.29.05/08.22.06)

The mark of a good Pokémon trainer is knowing when to keep fighting and when to throw in the towel. It's important as a trainer to know the limits of both you and your Pokémon. Pushing past one's limits could lead to dire consequences further down the road.

That being said, many trainers still push their Pokémon to their limit, because most do so in order to win a battle. Even if they lost, they did it to say that they gave it everything they got. While it can be satisfying that your Pokémon performs to its full potential, trying to do so too often will not only stress out your Pokémon, it will keep it from wanting to continue training. It is important that the Pokémon, as well as their trainers, figure out where the limit is and when one can afford to push it as much as possible.

But sometimes, a trainer and a Pokémon may not have a choice. In some cases, pushing to and past the limit may be the only way to survive. Not that life-and-death battles occur everyday... but sometimes trainers and their Pokémon find themselves in dire situations, even if they don't mean to get into them in the first place. In cases like those, hopefully they have someone they can trust to watch their back and lend a helping hand.

Even if said person is a fellow rival...

------

Ninety seconds ago...

Gary was among a group of 11 trainers getting the same explanation as Ash's group a few miles away at another starting point. Most of them shared similar looks of confusion, but Gary just flashed his confident smirk.

"It doesn't matter what the rules are," Gary told himself. "All I need to know is that I can't lose today. That's all I need to know!"

He then glanced to his left and saw some blue-haired guy staring right back at him. Gary took notice as the man seemed to have a funny feeling about him, though he couldn't place why.

"What's with this guy? Something tells me I'd better stay clear until I get a feel for him."

Gary then turned his attention back to the League official, who had just finished explaining all of the new rules.

"Okay, at this point, you must bring out the Pokémon you are going to use for this test. They must remain outside of their Pokéballs at all times. The only time it should be in one is if you've lost and are making your way out of the battlefield."

As the others around him selected their choices, Gary's was pretty simple. Reaching into his pocket, he threw out the Pokéball containing his Eevee. Only it was no longer an Eevee... it had recently evolved into an Umbreon!

"Bre!" the dark-type chirped as it emerged from the containment device.

"What's up, Umbreon? Ready for a new challenge?"

Umbreon nodded with jubilation.

"Then let's go!" Gary exclaimed.

Seconds later, all of the trainers' Pokédexes started ringing, and they started bolting into the forest to act out their strategies... or lack there of, in some cases.

"We'd better choose our battles carefully, Umbreon!" Gary told his Pokémon. "Remember, this isn't just about us... we're fighting for someone else today! And he's counting on us!"

"Umbre!"

------

Throughout the so-called 'battlefield,' trainers were enacting all sorts of different plans and tactics. There were some hiding in trees and bushes, some working on providing natural camouflage, and some who went to great lengths of trickery to get the drop on their competition.

Ash, on the other hand, was content on just walking straight down the path in the middle of the forest.

"So... just where is everybody, anyway?" he asked himself out loud.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Up in the trees above, a ninja dressed in orange was watching him from above. He chuckled as Ash passed underneath him.

"This guy must be an idiot, walking out in the open like that!" he murmured. "Whomever picked him to represent their gym must be a ditz! Oh well... that just means this guy's gonna be a cinch to take down. Isn't that right, pal?"

He glanced over his shoulder to look at his partner, a Weezing.

"Weezing weez!" it managed to choke out.

The ninja and his Weezing started leaping from tree to tree, keeping a close eye on Ash and Pikachu from above.

------

Elsewhere, Gary and Umbreon were walking about in the open, too... only doing so more discretely by hunching down behind and around tress when necessary. They had been moving at a leisurely pace, but now they were moving much slower since they began to suspect that someone was tailing them.

Eventually, they came to a complete stop, lying low in some tall grass as they heard the footsteps draw ever closer. They watched and waited for their potential adversary to appear.

"I'd better make sure this guy isn't of a high-level. I can't afford to be knocked out this early."

Peering through the grass blades, the duo observed as an Eevee emerged into the open space. Gary gasped as he recognized the cute fox Pokémon, even from afar.

"Could it... be?"

The Eevee then growled as it pointed in Gary and Umbreon's direction. Right after she did, her trainer appeared. And it was someone Gary knew.

"I'd recognize those golden locks and country-girl blue dress anywhere!"

Umbreon looked up in surprise as he saw his trainer stand up, revealing himself to the girl and the Eevee staring in their direction.

"Well, well, isn't it Little Miss Secret Agent!" chided Gary. "Or should I say... Cassie?"

"Gary Oak?" she asked in mild shock. "You were the one I was following?"

Gary quickly motioned for Umbreon to get off of the ground and reveal itself. Eevee was taken aback at seeing one of its possible evolutions standing in front of her. Umbreon then leaped over Eevee and started running off in the direction she and Cassie had come from.

"Uh..." Cassie gaped, confused.

"I'm on to you, with your secret agents watching your back and all! Tell me, Cassie... what's the mission this time? Or is it one of those 'Oh, I can't tell you because then I'd have to kill you' things?"

Noticing Gary was openly mocking her, Cassie swung back in defense.

"FYI, I quit the PTA more than a month ago! I couldn't stand all of the secretive stuff they were doing and how they were ruining my life, so Arius and I just up and left! We've kinda been wandering around aimlessly since then, and things have been very hard for me... so stop trying to give off the whole 'holier than thou' attitude! It's very annoying!"

"Um... okay. So... you quit?"

Cassie huffed and cross her arms over her chest. "Yes, I did, and now I'm asking you to refrain from bringing up anymore about the PTA. It's a part of my life that I didn't enjoy and I want to move past it."

At that second, Umbreon returned, this time running past Cassie's Eevee and coming to a stop right next to Gary. Gary smiled and petted him on the head, to his barking delight.

"Well... uh..."

"Look," Cassie apologized, walking over to Gary. "I didn't mean to snap. I just..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of her Pokédex ringing filled the air. So did Gary's, as he looked down and saw the light on it flashing. Both of them then turned to each other, knowing very well what that signal meant.

"So you're in this tournament for yourself, huh?" Gary asked.

"I'm still a Pokémon trainer, you know," Cassie replied. "Besides, remember in Trovitopolis, you promised that we'd battle the next time we met."

Gary smirked. "So... if that's the way you want it..."

Suddenly, Gary's Umbreon and Cassie's Eevee found themselves under attack by a Solrock and a Lunatone, both of whom had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"Solrock, Fire Spin!" exclaimed a young man.

"Lunatone, Confusion!" shouted a young woman.

Gary and Cassie gasped in shock as their Pokémon were quickly surrounded by a ring of flames and then knocked dizzy for a loop.

"What's this, a sneak attack?" Cassie asked, stating the obvious.

Two teenagers leapt down from the trees above: one male, one female. The male was dressed in a blue petticoat over a white dress shirt and dark black pants. The female was adorned with a yellow strapless evening gown. Cassie just gawked with stunned shock, while Gary looked like he really didn't care about them.

"My name is Andy!" he stated, flashing a smile.

"And I'm Mandy!" she exclaimed with a wink.

"We fight for the power of love, and we're here to test your love!" they shouted in unison.

"L-l-l-love?" stuttered Cassie.

"Don't be ridiculous," Gary said in reply. "Me in love with Little Miss Ex-Secret Agent over here?"

"Hey!"

"Be prepared for a duel of romantic proportions!" they yelled together.

Andy and Mandy, with happy smiles, then rushed forward towards the two trainers.

------

Meanwhile, a little distance away, Ash and Pikachu were still wandering about. They were getting a bit bored, since surprisingly, they hadn't been attacked by anyone yet.

"Just where is everyone, anyway?" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.

Up above them in the trees, the orange-suited ninja and Weezing that were following them smiled with confidence.

"The fool," he said to himself. "He doesn't even know I'm here! He's so going down!"

He then turned to his Pokémon and pointed right at Pikachu below.

"Okay, Weezing... Smokescreen!"

"Weezing!" coughed the rotund Pokémon, bellowing out smoke by the mouthful.

Down below, Ash and Pikachu looked up in surprise as they were suddenly surrounded by smoke. They both started coughing profusely as it seeped into their bodies. Distracted, the duo didn't see their attackers jump down from over them.

"You're gonna get it now!"

"Pika-CHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"WHAT?"

The ninja looked over his shadow and saw the smoke change colors to a bright yellow... before a bolt of electricity screamed towards him.

"I thought I had them off-guard!" he thought to himself. "At best, they should be firing blindly, just hoping to hit something! That attack looks as if he knows exactly where I am! But... how is that possible?"

He closed his eyes and braced himself for impact, waiting for the inevitable pain that would follow. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see what was going on, and then he noticed an explosion of light coming from behind. Apparently, the bolt had hit whatever it was aimed at.

"Maybe I was wrong... maybe he was firing blindly, just his luck that he happened to shoot where I was! Heh... how this guy managed to become a candidate to become a Pokémon Junior Master is beyond me!"

The smoke started to clear from the area. As it did, he began to notice a sizable round mass lying face up on the ground. A purple round mass, to be precise.

"Ack! Is that you, Weezing?"

Sure enough, Weezing was on the ground in front of him. The poison-type was conscious, and smiling delusionally, but he had been knocked down thanks to Pikachu's thunderbolt attack. Matter of fact, some remnants of the electricity's sparks were still appearing around his body.

"Weezing weez!" he coughed.

"No way!" the ninja murmured. "So he does know what he's doing! I can't believe this joke of trainer gave off the sense that he was an amateur!"

At this point, the entire Smokescreen had disappeared. The ninja and his injured Weezing faced forward as Ash and Pikachu stood about 35 feet away, both leaning back in a fighting stance.

"What's the big idea, dropping in on us like that?" Ash yelled.

"Pikachu!" added Pikachu, peeved as well.

"Truth be told," the strange ninja said, "I was thinking that you were a weakling, someone that got in just because you were very close to the gym leader! Like he or she picked just because they owed you a favor. You know, the ones who have no business being in this tournament."

Ash growled at that insult... which was not only directed at him, but at Misty as well.

"But apparently, you must have some level of skill if you were able to directly target my Weezing. 'If' being the keyword here. If I didn't know any better... I say it was stroke of luck."

"Luck? Don't you ever insult me or Misty like that!"

Ash's opponent raised an eyebrow with interest. "Misty? You mean the youngest of the Waterflower sisters?"

"Yeah? What about them?"

He laughed. "Everyone knows the Waterflowers are the laughing stocks of the Kanto League! Given that information, you must be the weakest of the Kanto representatives! You should be a breeze to knock out!"

"Don't talk about Misty or her sisters like that!"

"Hey, don't kill the messenger... I'm just telling you the truth. Then again, the truth is subjective. At least, that's what my master told me."

"Your... master?"

"You see, I'm representing Koga of the Fuschia City Gym. He taught me that the truth is what one believes it to be. For you, maybe Misty is a great trainer and gym leader. But to me... she's nothing! And by consequence, so are you!"

"Enough talk!" Ash yelled in defiance. "Are we gonna battle or not?"

"Well," the ninja said, snapping his fingers and ordering Weezing to get upright. "If you're so eager to go crying back home, then why didn't you say so?"

Ash turned his attention to Pikachu. "You ready for battle, buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, before redirecting his attention towards Weezing.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Alright, Weezing... Tackle!"

Obeying their masters' commands, the two Pokémon charged towards each other with blinding speed.

------

In another spot of the large battlefield, a Magmar, a Noctowl, and a Nosepass had all just fainted thanks to the attacks of an Absol. The trainers of the three fallen Pokémon were in shock despite having the advantage against a lone opponent.

"Ha!" the Absol's trainer said. "I told you three-on-one wasn't a challenge for me! You guys are pathetic! Cinnabar, Violet, Rustboro... this is the best that the world's young elite trainers have? Get yourselves and your Pokémon out of my sight before I decide to destroy you all!"

Without hesitation, the three mystery trainers complied, recalled their Pokémon, and then bolted for the nearest safe zone. Once they were gone, Absol turned about to face his trainer. He noticed the wicked smirk on his face and proceeded to imitate his master. The young teen, with blue hair, reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag full of Pokémon food. As he started to feed Absol, he glanced around the area, already planning his next move.

"I guess it's time to show my 'equals' who's the better half. Or, to be more accurate... the best of the whole bunch!"

------

"Slow him down, Weezing! Use your Sludge!"

"Weezing, Weezing!"

The poison-type coughed up a blast of mud from its belly and spewed it in Pikachu's direction.

"Pikachu, Use Agility to dodge!"

"Ka!"

Using his speed to his advantage, Pikachu easily avoided Weezing's attack.

"You can get 'em! Use Sludge until that Pikachu's got nowhere to run!"

"Weezing!"

Weezing complied, shooting sludge all around him. Sludge landed on ever spot within twenty feet of where he was floating within seconds. And Pikachu was very well in that range. He had tried to jump up and out of the way, but he was met with mud in the face, knocking him back down and leaving him sprawled on his backside.

"Cha!" Pikachu cried, struggling to get out of the muck.

"No! Pikachu!"

"I have to admit, the fact that your Pikachu was able to put up a fight against my high-ranking Weezing is admirable. Much so that I've decided to tell you my name... so you can remember who eliminated you from this competition!"

Ash clenched his fist in anger. He knew it couldn't be over, just like that.

"The name's Nagato."

"Na... gato?"

"Now that I've told you my name... it's time to take out your Pikachu. Weezing, Toxic!"

"Weezing!"

"Dodge it, Pikachu!"

"Pika pika!" the little mouse panicked, trying to pull his tail out. Pikachu... pika pi!"

"PIKACHU!" Ash yelled, running to protect his best friend.

Diving right into the line of fire just as Weezing spewed out his toxic poison, Ash had just enough time to pull Pikachu off the ground and roll out of the way. The toxic blast landed in the spot Pikachu had just been in. Ash had managed to get Pikachu out of harm's way, but now his feet were stuck in the sludge, just a foot or so from the edge of the giant puddle. But most importantly, Pikachu was safely cradled in his arms.

"You okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika pika!" he confirmed, raising two fingers up in a 'V' sign.

"Weezing weez!" gasped Weezing.

"How did you do that?" Nagato asked. "That stuff's so sticky only a ninja could get out of it! Here, I'll show you!"

Nagato ran right into the sludge puddle, and just like that, his feet were stuck in the mud just like Ash. He desperately tried to lift them up, but nothing was happening. Flabbergasted, he quickly turned towards Weezing and grabbed him. But Weezing had no intention of trying to get his master unstuck... or risk getting himself stuck as well.

"Now this battle's over!" Ash smiled before throwing Pikachu up in the air. "Okay... finish this with Thunder!"

"Pika... CHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

A large amount of electrical energy was expelled from Pikachu and directed right at Nagato and Weezing. They moved every which way to avoid getting hit, but eventually, they realized that their fate was sealed thanks to a blinding light...

------

Two minutes later, the sludge had dissolved enough for the two battlers to free themselves from their muddy prison. Once outside the remnants of the puddle, Nagato, who had already recalled his fainted Weezing, walked over to Ash and Pikachu to congratulate them.

"I graciously accept my defeat," he said, bowing before them. "The fact that I underestimated the strength of you and your Pikachu cost me a victory today."

"I just do what I do best," Ash responded sheepishly. "But don't be so down... you fought well too!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu shouted, also trying to perk Nagato up.

"I realize now that judging an opponent before you've even battled him is a mistake. Nor is doubting the knowledge of an experienced gym leader family. Please give my regards to the Waterflowers... I see now that they made a wise choice in picking you to represent them."

"Aw, shucks," Ash blushed.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament!" Nagato exclaimed as he walked off, waving goodbye.

With his head held up high, Nagato departed from the battlefield, leaving Ash and Pikachu to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

"Whew... he really was good, wasn't he?"

"Pika."

"Hmmm... I wonder how many trainers have been eliminated so far. I hope this'll be over soon. I'm not sure if we can handle another tough trainer like Nagato right now... not without some rest."

"Hey!" Ash heard someone yell behind him. "Boy with the Pikachu!"

Curious to see who was calling him, Ash and Pikachu turned around to see a blue-haired teen and a strange four-legged silver Pokémon neither of them had ever seen before.

"Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself... my name is Marco, representing the gym of Viridian City! And this here is my Pokémon, Absol!"

Absol nodded silently in recognition.

"An Absol?" Ash wondered out loud as he took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Pokémon.

"Absol. The Disaster Pokémon. Absol has the ability to foresee the arrival of natural disasters. It normally resides in harsh, rugged mountains, and rarely ventures down from them."

"Disasters?"

"Those are old fairy tales... no one sees Absol as doom-bringers any more. But the part about them staying up in the mountains? Very true. That's why it's rare to even lay glimpse on one, much less catch it."

"Okay," accepted Ash, with his energy for battle seemingly returning to him. "I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, but today I'm representing Misty and the Cerulean City gym! And this is my partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" greeted the yellow mouse.

"So... now that introductions are out of the way... how 'bout a battle?"

"A battle? But Pikachu and I just got through one!"

"So did I, my new friend. Besides, you seemed really enthusiastic about getting a new opponent a second ago..."

"It's just... I don't want Pikachu tiring out, that's all."

"No need to worry. The number of entrants remaining shouldn't be that much higher that the needed 16 by now. This fight'll probably be stopped before we finish... so no need to get worried about not making it to the Opening Ceremonies tonight!"

"If it's only going to be a few minutes... Pikachu, you can hold out, right?"

"Pika! Pika, pikachu!"

Marco smiled evilly off to the side. "This is just great," he thought. "Ash has no idea what he's in for! This will be only a few minutes, alright... after Absol has pounded Pikachu six feet underground!"

------

After having disposed of Andy and Mandy, who were running off after their defeat, Gary and Cassie then turn their attention towards each other.

"Now," Cassie smirked, "about that promise of yours..."

"You might as well save it for the tournament, Cass. No way your Eevee, in her condition, will beat my Umbreon!"

Umbreon and Eevee stared at each other, ready to fight for their masters, and Gary and Cassie seemed anxious to get it on. Suddenly, the sky lights up and a huge bolt of thunder comes down from the sky, landing in the forest about two miles away.

"What was that?" Cassie wondered out loud. "A rogue thunderbolt?"

Gary thought about it for a second and then instantly knew what was going on.

"Umbreon, let's go!"

Umbreon nodded, then followed Gary as he bolted in the direction of where the lightning struck the ground. Cassie stomped her foot, enraged.

"Hey! You promised me a Pokémon battle! Oooh... darn you, Gary Oak!"

------

Pikachu and Absol had been circling each other for the last few minutes, glancing the other over as if they were searching for weak spots. Ash and Marco seemed to be sharing a similar look, with both apprehensive to make the first move. That is, until...

"Pikachu, start it up with Quick Attack!"

"Very well then... Absol, use Quick Attack too!"

Pikachu and Absol started bolting towards each other at high speed. As they started to trade blows, it became obvious rather quickly to both of them that one of them was faster than the other. It occurred to Ash when he saw Pikachu get knocked backwards out of the fray.

"Pikachu!" cried Ash.

"I know your Pikachu is tired," stated Marco, "but if he doesn't pick up the pace, you won't make it out of this forest in one piece."

"Oh yeah? Well, there's more than one way to outrun an opponent! Pikachu... use Agility, then go back in for Quick Attack!"

"Pika... pika... pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, jumping from side-to-side to confuse Absol while speeding up at the same time.

Pikachu started making some leeway, drawing even with Absol as the two of them were blocking each other's attacks. Nothing was going through.

"I'm surprised that Pikachu's already matching the speed of Absol! That means that I'm gonna have to step things up a notch!"

"Huh?"

"Future Sight!"

Absol jumped back out of harm's way, then glared right back at Pikachu. The yellow electric Pokémon just watched and shook with fright as he felt Absol seemingly peer right through him.

"Just what is Future Sight?"

Marco laughed. "Oh... you'll see. You'll see it when you least expect it!"

Ash scowled as he thought about what Marco could mean by that remark. "Something fishy's going on here."

"While we're waiting for the fun to begin... Absol, use Bite!"

Absol leaped in to Bite Pikachu, but the mouse had more than enough sense to know to dodge without being told.

"That was close! But Pikachu can't keep up this pace for long. We've gotta slow 'em down!"

"That won't happen, but you're more than happy to try!"

"Okay, then... Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"

Pikachu's attack was successful, paralyzing Absol and slowing it down considerably. In fact, Absol had not only lost the speed advantage, he was actually now slower than Pikachu by a great deal.

"Let's go with a Thundershock!"

"Pika-CHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Not so fast... Absol, use Double Team!"

"Absol!" agreed the Pokémon, creating illusionary couples of himself.

One Absol had suddenly become four, right before Pikachu's eyes.

"Even so, he's probably too slow to dodge," Ash thought before turning to give Pikachu an order. "Thunderbolt them all!"

Pikachu complied, striking all the Absol with a thunderbolt. But to his surprise, all of the Absol disappear upon being hit.

"What?"

"Pika?"

Absol was standing right behind Pikachu, smiling snidely. Absol then proceeded to headbutt Pikachu in the stomach. Pikachu gasped as the air was knocked out of him and then he fall onto the ground.

Marco smiled as he gave Absol a new command. "Now... Razor Wind!"

Absol took his position in front of Pikachu as his horn started to glow white. Seeing that Absol was charging up for an attack, Pikachu scrambled to his feet and tried to make it to a safe distance.

"Run, Pikachu!"

"You're too late... with this blow, your tournament hopes go down the drain! Absol, fire that Razor Wind!"

"Absolllllll!" complied the dark-type, as he fired two horn-shaped blasts of energy at Pikachu.

"Is this it?" Ash thought to himself. "C'mon, Pikachu, I know you can get through this... I just know you can!"

Just as the Razor Wind was about to hit Pikachu, something jumped in the way, taking the blow for him. Ash, Marco, Pikachu, and Absol were in shock as they looked up and saw a Pokémon absorb both hits and then get propelled into a nearby tree, back first.

"What is that Pokémon?" Ash asked.

Marco panted in dismay. "That's... an Umbreon?"

"Wow, you really know your Pokémon," complimented Gary as he walked up from behind Ash... before turning towards his rival. "Unlike some people."

"That Umbreon is yours? Huh, wait... you mean you just sacrificed your Umbreon for Pikachu?"

Gary snickered. "Don't be silly, Ash. I wouldn't do such a thing for you."

He then pointed to Umbreon, who was already back on his feet and shaking off the loose pieces of bark that had gathered on him.

"I'm guessing you're trying to get into this tournament?"

Gary pushed back a lock of his hair that had drifted over his face. "I'm already strong enough to get in. Honestly, I thought you were too."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm strong enough!"

"You know... it's been awhile since we had a battle. I'd like that to be in the tournament, in front of thousands of people. Naturally, that can't happen if you don't actually make the tournament."

Ash smiled with glee. "You mean you're going to help me?"

"Let's just say that I wouldn't have any fun winning this thing if you're not there for me to beat."

"Hey!" Marco butted in. "This fight's between me and my 'equal!' There's no place for amateurs in this showdown!"

"Amateurs? I'm just as good as Ash, if not better! You better watch who you're talking to!"

Marco grrrrrred. "Oh yeah? I'll show you..."

But just as Marco was going to order Absol to attack, all three of the trainers Pokédexes abruptly began to ring. They opened them and saw a message waiting to be read.

"The preliminary round has ended," Ash read aloud. "All fighting is to cease at this time. A Pokémon official will meet up with the remaining trainers shortly to guide them to the meeting area, where you will be driven to Evergrande Stadium for tonight's Opening Ceremonies. Congratulations!"

"I guess that's that," Gary smirked, glancing over at Marco.

Marco, who was miffed at not being able to beat Ash, scowled. "You'll pay for your interference! Just wait until the real battling starts!"

He then motioned for Absol to follow him as they walked off.

"What his problem?" Gary asked Ash. "And why's he so interested in battling you?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know... he just knows how good I am, that's all."

Gary smiled and let out a hearty laugh. "Is that so? Well, I'm gonna have to prove him wrong... by beating you in the tournament!"

"It'll be me who'll be doing the beating!" Ash smiled back as the two trainers shook hands.

------

Ash and Gary were led by a Pokémon official to a bus that was waiting for them at one edge of the forest.

"Are these two the last ones?" an official waiting at the door asked.

The one that had been guiding the duo nodded. He then ushered them onto the bus. Gary went on first... and saw a couple of familiar faces. First was Marco, the guy who was battling Ash in the forest. He just shot Gary and Ash glaring stares. And then, a few seats further back...

"So... you managed to survive after running out on me?"

Ash was nearly taken aback when he saw Cassie on the bus. And she seemed to be really mad at Gary... in the process ignoring Ash.

"You promised me a battle, Gary!" Cassie shouted as she hopped out of her seat and stomped over to him. "What's with chickening out on me?"

"I didn't. I was helping someone... after all, you think you're the only one that needs help?"

Gary stepped aside to reveal Ash standing beside him, with Pikachu riding on his shoulder.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved hello.

"So... you're here too?" Ash queried.

Cassie smiled. "I should've figured that you'd be here, too... Ash."

"You're in this tournament?"

"I figure... since I have all of this free time, I might as well get into these League Tournaments. After all, who wouldn't relish the chance to become the first official Pokémon Junior Master?"

Ash grinned. "Well, you'll have to beat me first!"

"You're kidding, right?" Gary wondered, pushing Ash aside. "The road goes through me, you two!"

The trio gazed upon each other, each of them confident that they would be the one to win the title.

------

That night, Evergrande Stadium was nearly packed to the brim for the Opening Ceremonies of the Pokémon Junior Master Tournament. Fans of all sorts from all over had come to see this special exhibition of young talent. A large group of gym leaders had come as well, even those who didn't have representatives that made it to the actual tournament.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer boomed over the loudspeaker, "it's now time to introduce the 16 trainers who will be competing to become the first-ever Pokémon Junior Master!"

The 16 young kids and teens entered the stadium. Among them were Ash, Gary, and Cassie, who were all waving happily at the crowd. Ash looked up and saw Misty waving back. But then she noticed that both Gary and Cassie were on either side of him, and she just froze in surprise.

A little while later, the trainers and the audience applauded as President Goodshow made an appearance on the stage. He was about to give the official welcoming speech for the tournament.

"I'd like to welcome the 16 talented individuals who have made it to the greatest competition for young trainers ever assembled! At the end of this tournament, one of you 16 will claim the title of 'Pokémon Junior Master!' Good luck to you all!"

Suddenly, a young man came running into the stadium with the Flame of Moltres in hand. Everyone cheered as he went up and lit the fire in the cauldron at the top of the stairs.

"It's time for a battle!" Ash, Gary, Cassie, and Marco all thought.

End Session August
Storyline to be continued in Session September!

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Author's Notes for 'Session: August':
A long four months later, the second session is at long last complete! Hey, it still took less time than the first. More time-cutting with number three, hopefully! Now... onto the notes for Session Two...

You noticed that I kinda 'cheated' and went back to July via flashback for most of the first three chapters of August. Well, there were still a lot of details left to fill in, and this was the best way to present them.

Chapter 1 introduced Mayor Lionel, Marina's father. I promised more doubles in last session's notes, so here's one of Elite Four member Lance! No appearance of a Dragonite, though... he runs a poor town which is pretty much devoid of Pokémon (which also explains why the townspeople think Ash and the gang are rich).

A Pecha Berry being introduced as what poisoned Marina was definitely an add-on... originally, I was just gonna make something up in that regard. To my knowledge, I don't think a Pokéworld Berry can be poisonous... unless it's like normal fruit, and someone tries to eat one that's overripe. That reminds me... didn't Ash have a bad reaction to a berry sometime during the Johto TV series?

The doctor with experience dealing with the Grechola Virus, Mirabelle Watson, is named and fashioned speech-wise for Mirabelle of 4Kids' "Magical DoReMi" dub. Though I don't think I accented the 'Southern twang' Mirabelle has as much as I wanted to. The last name refers to an in-joke in the episode "Believing Belinda," where a girl named Belinda idolizes Mira and casts her as a detective in a story she's writing (and the girls eventually find out about). I went hysterical over her casting Dorei (the show's lead) as a yappy little pup. (Oh, and until 'Naruto' got to the Chunin Exam arc this past spring, "DoReMi" was my favorite anime on TV last season. I know I'm gonna get chided for that by someone.)

The whole SuperDuplica/Supergirl bit? Totally spur of the moment...

The ending of the Chiva storyline was supposed to take an entirely different twist and affect the plot for many months to come. Originally, Marina was going to dress up as Misty and find a way to go through the portal while the real Misty, distracted by a talk with some of the townspeople, is left behind and mistaken for the dying Marina. The Mayor would find out almost immediately thanks to strange results on a medical test, but Misty was left stranded with no way to get back to her world.

Meanwhile, Marina posed as Misty without a hitch, and seemingly the different dimension mysteriously did a way with her 'fatal' disease... not that Ash or the others were able to figure out she wasn't Misty. It would take a year, but the Grechola Virus would work its way back and force her to be hospitalized. On her deathbed, it's finally revealed that Marina has been with Ash this entire time, not Misty! Ash then goes about the task of trying to find a way to get Misty back, and eventually succeeds in doing so.

Now that I think about it, the idea does seem farfetched, especially with Ash being oblivious to 'Misty' not being Misty. Maybe it's a good thing I decided to change the story outline after all.

Ah, the Poké-Com, established at the start in Episode 1 of the "Adventures Series." Enables trainers to communicate via their Pokédexes, albeit with a certain radius of miles. I had almost forgotten about the thing...

More changes from the original plotline... Tracey was already supposed to be gone and back home on the Orange Islands at this point. Instead, I decided to follow the TV series and have him as Professor Oak's assistant full-time. Also, the tournament was originally going to be held at the Indigo Plateau, but I decided instead to change the location to Evergrande City... site of the Hoenn League championships in the TV series. It's a much grander place, and it fits more into what I have planned for the final (which you'll see in the September session). The change also allows me free reign to use Hoenn Pokémon, something not planned for in the previous version. The same goes for Ash's new Hoenn outfit being used. Boy, I'm borrowing a lot from the TV series now, aren't I? (Besides, it saves me the trouble of thinking up a new teenage outfit for Ash... I cheated and borrowed from an official source, just like I did for Misty.)

The experimentation of the Pokémon Junior Master is just that. Expect a lot of untraditional battles... well, from a Kanto/Johto standpoint, anyway. To start things off...

A preliminary round battle royale in the middle of a forest? Sound familiar? (Yes, here I'm making up for sandbagging 'Naruto' earlier in the notes.) Inspired by the Forest of the Death, the second part of the Chunin Exams in "Naruto"... which had just appeared in Shonen Jump in America when the writing for "The Year of Rocket's Revenge" began. I just loved the idea that I had to put a facsimile of it in the story. Granted, my version doesn't end up anywhere near as long, or probably anywhere as good... but hey, it serves it's purpose.

Hmmm... I do not remember if I showed Gary having an Eevee before, but this is certainly Umbreon's first appearance. (Truth be told, it ends up complimenting Cassie's Eevee... but in turn makes her weak. She probably would've had a stronger performance if she used Bulbasaur.)

More 'borrowing concepts from the TV show.' The reference of the Battle Couple professing they fight for love (here, battling Gary and Cassie) is based off a similar couple that appeared in the Hoenn episode "The Bicker the Better" (which has Ash and May as the couple who may-or-may-not be in love). The names Andy and Mandy, though, are based off a former celebrity couple... I'm not telling you this one. Can you figure it out?

Back to "Naruto" references again... if you hadn't guessed by this point, Nagato, the ninja in the orange jumpsuit, is a Naruto clone. Though I'm not so sure he'd pick a Weezing as his Pokémon partner (Weezing was picked because of a ninja-like attack in Smokescreen). Finding the name Nagato to use for him was coincidence in terms of similarity to Naruto's name... just happened to find it while looking for names of famous ninjas. The character here is based off of Nagato Fujibayashi, a real-life ninja who did most of his work back in the 1570s in the North Iga province.

And to wrap things up... it's not a Pokémon tournament unless President Goodshow is there to welcome the competitors!

See you in the 'September Session!'

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'Session: September' Trailer:
16 of the world's best trainers under the age of 18 have gathered in Evergrande City to coronate the first-ever Pokémon Junior Master! Who will be the one to grab the gold? Our hero, Ash? His main rival, Gary? Gary's other rival, Cassie? Or the mysterious Marco? Also in store... back story time! What happened when Cassie met Arius? And were they the five-star PTA recruits they claimed to be?

Set your reading eyes for 'Session: September' and get ready to battle!