Chapter 1: Emulous Encounters
Snowbelle city was known as the city that freezes colder than winter because of the fact it's winter throughout the year. Due to its snowy nature, Snowbelle city has been dubbed "the city of everlasting winter" and trainers throughout the Kalos region arrive to compete in the Pokemon gym to hone their abilities to battle ice types. This very reason has attracted the likes of a group of four, a young bubbly girl, and a beautiful girl with honey hair, a somewhat looking exhausted boy and a young boy with a determined expression on his face.
[14:52 P.M] Route 19, Kalos region
"Ash, can we take a break now? I'm exhausted!" Serena exasperated tiredly. The girl had short, honey coloured hair and shining blue orbs. She was dressed in a pink and black dress with a red overcoat with pockets. She also wore black leggings and brown boots. Attached to her coat was a blue ribbon gifted to her by Ash and a pink and black hat was resting atop her head. She was exhausted from the days walking.
"We have been walking for a long time now Ash and, in case you haven't noticed, Bonnie's fallen asleep!" Clemont proclaimed, equally exhausted. The boy had golden blonde hair, with a tuft sticking up at the top. He also had light blue orbs and wore a blue jumpsuit with a yellow collar, a yellow stripe below the pockets and on the rolled up trouser legs. He wore black trainers with white tips and black rimmed spectacles.
"Mmm…chocolate…" Bonnie mumbled in her sleep as she was carried by Clemont on his shoulders. She looked no more than seven years old and had the same blonde hair and blue eyes like her brother, the main difference being that her hair was tied in a side ponytail and was kept in place by a yellow hair clip. She wore a brown dress with a large black bow at the front and a white skirt with black leggings. She wore pink sandals and a yellow satchel.
"Nenee…" Dedenne added. Dedenne was a small, plump, orange mouse with black whiskers and orange pouches on its cheeks that store electricity. Its ears were long and black, with light yellow insides. Its tail was long and black, with a star shape at the end. The Pokemon was actually under the ownership of Clemont, but was Bonnie's unofficial partner until she was old enough to be a Pokemon trainer.
"Come on you guys, just a little bit further!" Ash persisted stubbornly. The boy had a skinny frame, messy raven hair and deep brown eyes that resembled caramel. He wore a blue vest with white stripes under a black shirt, the collar up. He also wore black baggy trouser and red hi tops with black stripes. As an attempt to conceal to his messy hair, Ash also wore a red hat with a white rim and a white semi-detached pokeball emblazoned on the top. On his cheeks were two birthmarks shaped like lightning bolts.
Perched on his should was his equally energetic partner, the mouse Pokemon Pikachu. Pikachu was covered in yellow fur; its ears were long and pointed with black tips. It also had a long lightning bolt shaped tail.
Serena and Clemont groaned, clearly annoyed by Ash's exuberant energy. Serena pulled out her pink electronic town map and checked how long they were from Snowbelle city. To her distaste, they were a few miles off. Groaning, she put the map in her jacket pocket and walked up to Ash.
"Come on Ash, Bonnie's fallen asleep! How about we take a quick break?" Serena coaxed gently. Ash looked like he was about to protest but stopped when he shot a glance at the sleeping Bonnie and the exhausted Clemont. He then looked at gently smiling Serena and sighed, finally giving in.
"Ok, we can take a break!" Serena and Clemont cheered quietly, so as to not awaken Bonnie. They found a clearing and sat down. Clemont set Bonnie down gently so she was resting on a rock. Ash grumbled as he sat on top of the rock. Serena felt guilty and walked up to the boy.
"Ash, I'm sorry if I upset you" Serena said sadly, playing around with her fingers and looking down at the ground. Ash took a second to process it before holding his arms up to protest. "Oh no, it's okay Serena!" Ash replied, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed. "We all needed a break anyway"
Serena smiled at the boy's behaviour. Satisfied, she was about to walk away when Ash added to his statement.
"You're not the first one with that attitude either…" Ash trailed off. Curious, the girl twisted until she was facing him.
"Who else do you mean? Was it Clemont?" Serena asked. Ash laughed at the guess but shook his head in dismissal.
"It was actually a good friend of mine I travelled with in the Hoenn region" he started. Serena knew Ash was from the Kanto region, having met him there herself, but she never realised he went on journeys anywhere else. Ash looked up at the sky, smiling as he continued his thought.
"She was just starting out at the time and she managed to persuade me to let her travel with me as she was a native" Serena nodded her head, understanding that it could help Ash if he was travelling with a native.
"At first, she hated to walk long distances and got tired pretty quickly" Ash chuckled to himself. "Eventually, she became more energetic and became more outgoing...sort of like myself now that I think about it" Ash's face softened at the words. Serena couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"Where is she now?" She couldn't help but ask. She knew it was nosy, but she wanted to know more about the girl. Ash sighed as he recalled the moment of her departure. That dreaded boat that whisked her away alongside her brother, telling him to take good care of himself. He closed his eyes at the memory as a gentle breeze brushed past and ruffled the two children's hair. Clemont was busy making sure Bonnie was warm while she was asleep.
"We both had to go our separate ways when we realised her style was too offensive...too similar to mine." Ash recalled, suddenly depressed that he was the wedge that eventually drove them apart. Serena reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to dispel the reverie. He turned towards her attempting to look cheerful, but his eyes betrayed him. Serena could see the hurt he struggled to drive away, sympathising with him. She felt the exact same way after her loss in her first showcase.
"Well, at least she wasn't as bad as Misty or Iris!" Ash lightened up, looking up at the sky fondly. Serena was glad he was feeling better, but his comment caught her attention. She had never heard these names before while they were travelling together and Clemont nor Bonnie never mentioned the people in question.
"Who are they? "She asked, wanting to learn more about his journeys. Ash chuckled sheepishly as Clemont joined them on the rock, sitting opposite Ash.
"Two of my best friends," Ash started fondly. "Misty was my first travelling companion who helped me on my journey for a long time and I met Iris a while ago while I was in Unova. She had one of the biggest possible heart and loved to travel!" his eyes glinted as he recalled his two friends before sadness enveloped him. "I wonder what they're doing now... they both travelled with me a long time, but we had to go our separate ways" He sighed before he wrapped one arm around Serena and another around Clemont. He then proceeded to pull the two close to him, his heart pouring into the grin that stretched across his face.
"As much as I miss them, I have you guys and Bonnie too!" Ash said happily, Pikachu squeaking in agreement. Serena blushed deeply at Ash's words, glad that Ash treated them as equals to his other friend, even if they had only been travelling in each other's company for a couple of months.
"Thanks Ash, that means a lo-"
"HEY!" A voice yelled rather loudly. Looking towards the source, the three were surprised to see a girl with curly brown hair and sapphire blue eyes glaring at them. She was apparently prepared for the cold weather, wearing a black sweater with Rudolph the red nosed Stantler emblazoned on the front. She also wore a white skirt over black biker shorts and red and yellow sneakers. The attire shocked Ash; it was strikingly similar to May's own travelling outfit.
The obnoxious yell disturbed Bonnie, who slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes, slightly annoyed that her awakening was a rude one. Ash, Serena and Clemont hopped off the large boulder to address the new arrival.
"Can we help you?" Clemont asked simply. The girl smirked, hers eyes drifting from Clemont to Serena, clearly assessing them. The two squirmed uncomfortable before her eyes drifted towards Ash and remained locked in place. After a pregnant pause, she raised her finger and pointed at the eleven year old accusingly. Serena and Clemont shared nervous glances with Ash while Bonnie pulled herself to her feet and joined her friends.
"I challenge you to a battle!" she said abruptly. Before Serena, Clemont or Bonnie could react to the sudden challenge, Ash had already accepted and they were making their way to a battlefield. The three sighed and followed suit. Ash was too quick to keep up with sometimes.
After making their way to a makeshift battlefield, Clemont stood roughly in the middle, acting as the judge of the match.
"This is an unofficial Pokemon battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and…" Clemont halted, not knowing the opponents name. "I'm Meadow Flint!" She answered helpfully. Clemont nodded and started again.
"This is an unofficial 1 on 1 Pokemon battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet town and Meadow Flint. There is no time limit or substitutions. Begin the match!" Clemont finished off. Wasting no time, Ash pulled out a Pokeball and thrust it into the air. A beam of white light appeared before a Pokemon materialised. The Pokemon was the bubble frog known as Frogadier. It was a dark blue frog like Pokemon with a light blue underside. It has dark blue hands and toes, a white bubble scarf and white circular fingers.
"Impressive!" Meadow complimented as she pulled out her own Pokeball. "It's not match for MY Pokemon, though!" she yelled as she summoned her Pokemon.
A Pokemon that resembled a small, ice chunk materialised out of the Pokeball. Its upper half was slightly transparent, while its lower half was solid white. It had yellows eyes, lined in purple, and two horn-like protrusions on its scalp. It had another small protrusion on the back of its body, resembling a tail and four stubby, conical legs.
Unaware of the Pokemon, Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan it and gather information. The machine whirred as it gathered the information before locking onto it. Bergmite: The ice chunk Pokemon. It blocks opponents' attacks with the ice that shields its body. It uses cold air to repair any cracks with new ice. They live in herds above the snow line on mountains
"A Bergmite…" Ash mumbled to himself and he put his Pokedex away. Pikachu gave him some motivating squeaks while rubbing his cheek, prepping him for the battle.
"Are both trainers ready?" Clemont asked for clarification.
"You bet I am!" Meadow exclaimed excitedly. Ash nodded, prepping himself for any ice type attacks that might be used against him. "Alright then, let the battle begin!" Clemont yelled as Meadow seized the opportunity.
"Bergmite use Icy wind!" Meadow commanded. The Bergmite complied as it shot a gust of chilled air at Frogadier.
"Dodge it Frogadier!" Ash retaliated in response. Frogadier jumped out of the way in the nick of time as the gust enveloped nothing but air and dissipated.
"Use Water Pulse, Frogadier!" Ash commanded. Frogadier nodded as he formed a blue sphere of energy in between his hands.
"Not so fast! Bergmite, use Harden!" Meadow exclaimed as Frogadier fired the Water Pulse. Bergmite' body shone a transparent white as its body steeled itself. The Water Pulse collided but left no mark on the opponent, who danced around, taunting Frogadier.
"She's fast…!" Ash thought as he thought about how to attack next, a stream of ideas jumbling. On the rock they were previously sitting on, Clemont and Serena were watching the battle intently with Bonnie on Clemont's lap, equally engrossed as her brother and sister figure.
"Come on Ash! You can win this!" Bonnie yelled words of encouragement in an attempt to calm the boy's nerves. Serena fidgeted with her hands, watching the battle worriedly while Clemont, being a gym leader, attempted to calculate Meadow's weaknesses.
"She's a tough opponent…she has knowledge on both offence AND defence" he informed Serena and Bonnie. Serena tugged on Clemont's sleeve.
"Ash has a chance though, right?" Clemont's glasses shaded his eyes, unable to look Serena in the eye. "This battle could go either way, Serena" he informed her as she continued to look at him, worried. Ash clenched his fist into balls after a few more attacks were countered by Meadow's Icy wind and harden.
"She's a tough opponent Pikachu…" Ash thought as he lowered the rim of his hat, deep in thought.
"Impressive, isn't it? This is the same technique used by the Johto grand festival runner up, May Maple of Petalburgh city!" Meadow said proudly, steam exiting her nose obnoxiously. This caught Ash's attention as he stared at her with wide eyes.
"Woah, what's with the stare?" she asked, nervous of the stare Ash was giving her. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie looked confused while Ash was deep in thought.
"This feels familiar…" Ash thought to himself as his mind flashed back to another place and another time.
[12:14 P.M] Terracotta town (Contest arena), Kanto region- 1 year, 7 months ago
"K Sceptile, use pound!" Ash commanded after he cornered Blaziken at a wall. His Sceptile had directly hit Blaziken, causing the blaze Pokemon to thrust into the air and crash onto the concrete floor painfully. Ash looked at the scoreboard to see May had lost points.
"Bullet seed GO!" he commanded, feeling confident that he managed to pin down the fire starter. His Sceptile stored up the seeds in its mouth for a millisecond before shooting them out at its opponent and friend. Ash thought he had the advantage as May wasn't commanding her newly evolved starter Pokemon.
"Blaziken Fire Spin!" She commanded suddenly, surprising Ash. The blaze Pokemon suddenly shot up to its feet and fired a stream of searing hot fire at the incoming attack, destroying the seeds and hitting Sceptile in the process. This caused Ash to lose major points as he got too rash and overconfident.
[13:15 P.M] Route 19 (Clearing), Kalos region
Ash's eyes shot up just as Meadow commanded her Bergmite to use another Icy wind. This time, Ash stood motionless and let Frogadier get hit, much to the surprised of his friends.
"Ha, guess you're not as strong as I thought" Meadow smirked as she pointed directly at Frogadier, who was attempting to stand back up after that attack.
"Now use ice beam, Bergmite!" Bergmite built up its cold, preparing for the attack while Ash stood motionless yet again. Serena looked at Ash desperately, not wanting him to lose the battle.
"Ash, what are you doing?! You've got to attack!" Serena yelled. Meadow just chuckled under her breath.
"Guess your friends not all that he's cracked up to be! Now! Release the Ice beam!" Meadow yelled. Bergmite complied as it shot a wave of ice cold energy at Frogadier.
"Ok Frogadier, use dark pulse to counterattack!" Ash finally exclaimed when he deemed the ice beam was close enough. Frogadier shot a beam of dark energy swiftly at the ice beam. The collision caused an explosion and murky fog, making it hard for both opponents to see their Pokemon.
"Bergmite use Gyro ball!" Meadow commanded. Bergmite was surrounded by a white light as it started to rapidly spin through the fog towards Frogadier' last known position, landing a direct hit.
"Perfect!" Meadow congratulated herself but stopped short when she realised what happened.
"What?" She gasped in shock.
Authors notes:
Main group's Pokemon arrangement decided/Advance+ Amour shipping hints/first battle/cliffhanger
RE Edit 04/07/15- Revised dialogue/Serena's new outfit/Hint at Serena's showcase/Diluted Amourshipping