Chapter 2: Outcomes
[13:17 P.M] Route 19 (Clearing), Kalos Region
Meadow stared in disbelief as Frogadier exploded into millions of tiny white fluffy pieces. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were equally dumbfounded while Ash casually smirked.
"What the, how did you DO that?!" Meadow asked, surprised by the turn of events. Frogadier had disappeared into its Frubbles, leaving a clone in its wake. The fact that Ash had managed to manipulate Frogadier's natural abilities impressed the girl. To a certain extent of course, she wasn't letting this random stranger beat HER in a battle.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Ash asked, excited by the revelation. Meadow just stood there, unsure of whether to nod in agreement or shake her head to save her pride. Instead, she decided to shrug. It seemed like the only viable option.
"I taught that tactic to my Frogadier during our journey together in case we got into a tight spot" Ash said, rubbing the bottom of his nose sheepishly. "At least he's modest" Meadow thought to herself as she rubbed the sweat that was building on her forehead. Never had she felt cornered in a battle by a random trainer before.
"Enough chat! Bergmite finish this with your Ice beam attack!" Meadow ordered. Bergmite began to store up its cold energy to release a deadly ice beam attack while Ash stood, planning a counterattack.
"Come on Ash!" Bonnie cheered loudly while Dedenne cheered as loudly as it could from Bonnie's satchel. Clemont and Serena watched the battle quietly, mentally cheering for their friend.
"I'm worried…" Serena said, holding a hand to her heart. Clemont and Bonnie both shot her reassuring grins as Clemont placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture managed to quell some of Serena's worries. They then focused on the ensuing dispute, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ash's strategy.
"Now release the ice beam!" Meadow ordered. Bergmite complied and shot a powerful ray of ice cold energy at the opposing Pokemon. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie gasped. Could this be the end?
"Use double team!" Ash ordered swiftly. Frogadier complied and cloned itself multiple times. Confused, Bergmite shot its ice beam at all the clones, destroying all but one.
"Now jump into the air!" Ash continued. Frogadier jumped into the air as his master- no his friend- ordered. Ash grinned at Meadow's dumbfounded expression as he decided to draw this battle to a close. "Frogadier let's finish this! Water Pulse, let's go!" Frogadier nodded as it formed a sphere of aqua in its hands. Without warning, it suddenly jabbed the unsuspecting ice chunk Pokemon and sent it flying back a few feet until it crashed into a tree. Meadow turned to face her Pokemon in disbelief but didn't call out for it to stand up. She knew when she was defeated.
Sighing, she walked over to her beloved Pokemon and scooped the fragile thing in her hands, turning to face Ash with a sad smile on her face.
"Looks like you won…" Unable to hide their glee, Ash and all his friends cheered as Ash ran up to Frogadier and hugged his first Kalos Pokemon and friend. Clemont and Bonnie ran up to Ash to congratulate him while Serena admired him from afar. Pulling out her own Pokeball, she made a silent promise to dedicate her time to training for showcases like Ash did for his gym battles. After the silent pact, she ran up to Ash alongside her friends to congratulate him.
Ash stood there scratching the back of his head sheepishly as his friends showered him with praises. As usual, he diverted the praises towards his Pokemon, who were equally flustered and embarrassed.
After a red beam of light enveloped her Bergmite, signalling it was returning to its Pokeball for a long rest, Meadow approached the gang and, as a common custom within northern Kalosians, held out her hand for a handshake.
"That was a good battle, Ash Ketchum of Pallet town"
"Right back at ya, Meadow Flint of Snowbelle city" Ash replied with a smile on his face as he shook her hand, signalling a mutual bond between the two. Clemont, Bonnie and Serena looked at each other and grinned, happy to have a new friend in the form of northern Kalosian Meadow Flint.
[13:30 P.M] Snowbelle City (Outskirts), Kalos region
After the battle and everyone introduced themselves properly, Meadow took it upon herself to be the group's guide of Snowbelle city. They had just arrives at the outskirts when a dinosaurian, quadruped Pokemon with a long neck, short stubby tail, deep blue eyes, two yellow (faded pink at the tips) sail structures, visibly light blue body with a white belly with dark blue crystals embossed on each side of the Pokémon's side leaped on Ash and started licking his face playfully.
"Hey! That tickles!" Ash said as he crashed into the cold snow. His friends laughed at his discomfort, even Pikachu who had managed to jump onto Bonnie's head before he too was trampled. Meadow quickly came to Ash's aid, prying the Pokemon off the raven haired boy and scolding it light-heartedly. Ash rubbed the back of his head to ease away the pain as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder.
"Sorry, my Amaura is a little playful" Meadow said sheepishly, scratching her cheek. The mere gesture reminded Ash of May's habit and wondered just how much a fan Meadow was of May. Maybe she had an admiration similar to Shauna, Tierno and Trevor's admiration towards Serena when they all first met in the summer camp.
"That's okay!" Ash held up his hands as a sign to show he was okay. Curious, Bonnie walked up to the Amaura and, after receiving an encouraging nod from Meadow, began to cuddle it.
"Hold on a minute, I thought Amaura could only prosper in chilly temperatures?" Serena and Ash nodded in agreement, recalling their past encounter with an Amaura in Ambrette town after joining Alexa on an interviewing excursion. They were told Amaura was only able to live in chilly temperatures to survive.
"Correct! However, the Pokemon centre has a reserved area specially made for ice type Pokemon such as Amaura and Aurorous, the evolution of Amaura" Meadow explained. Ash stood up and brushed himself off as they heard a short gasp. Turning towards the source, they saw a pink haired woman wearing a nurses outfit and thick jacket approach them.
"Nurse Joy!" The group cried out in recognition. Nurse joy waved, greeting the group of children.
"Hello! What are you all doing here?" she asked, curious what five children and four Pokemon were doing on the outskirts of the city. Meadow piped in, explaining everything. Nurse Joy nodded in understanding.
"Oh, I see! It sounds like you two had an intense battle!" Nurse Joy commented. Ash and Meadow nodded, agreeing with the comment.
"If you want, I can give your Pokemon a full check up at the Pokemon centre!" she offered. Ash and Meadow nodded vigorously at the offer before they were shoved aside by Clemont and Serena, who also asked for free check-ups. Nurse Joy giggled lightly before gesturing towards the entrance of Snowbelle city.
"If you would like to follow me"
[13:40 P.M] Snowbelle city (Pokemon centre) Kalos region
After several minutes of walking, the group of five, now accompanied by Nurse Joy, arrived at the Pokemon centre. After taking her regular position behind the desk, Ash and all his friends left their Pokemon for a full check-up.
While waiting for their Pokemon to be healed, the five trainers entered the lounge area. Bonnie immediately ran towards the TV and plopped down on the couch. Her brother and Serena joined her as Ash looked around a little longer. His eyes drifted aimlessly until his eyes latched onto a wall dedicated to pictures.
Apparently, Snowbelle city had a thing for Pokemon contests, as there were framed pictures of multiple Pokemon coordinators running along the wall, embossed in a rich oak and styled with multiple colours of glitter. Two pictures caught his attention the most.
One was of a girl wearing a gold frilly dress, long, flowing blue hair and electric blue eyes with a penguin Pokemon in her hand waving at the screen, a cheeky grin on her face. Smiling to himself, Ash recognised the female as his best friend and sister figure, Dawn Berlitz of the Sinnoh region.
The other picture captured his attention the most. It was of a pretty girl with beautiful cinnamon brown hair and sapphire blue orbs that were the colour of the ocean. She was wearing a simple red blouse, black biker shorts underneath a white skirt, red and yellow sneakers with white Velcro straps and a simple red bandanna with a white semi Pokeball emblazoned on the side. Resting on her waist was a yellow pack. She was winking at the camera with a happy smile etched on her face.
Ash recognised her as May. Not a day went by without him thinking of his friends, but he knew they were out fulfilling their dreams like him. He also promised them he would become a Pokemon master and Ash Ketchum never went back on his word. Noticing he was occupied, Serena slipped next to him and also admired the pictures.
"Wow…I've heard of Pokemon contests before, but I never knew the full scale of how popular they were" Serena said breathlessly. Ash turned to face her, realising how pretty her eyes were, before dismissing the thought quickly.
"Yeah, Pokemon contests are pretty popular! I heard they had just transferred to the Unova region" Ash said, recalling the excited jumble of words that flowed out of the mouth of his friend and rival, Bianca of Unova.
"I wonder what they're like…the coordinators, I mean" Serena said, eyeing the pictures of Dawn and May with interest. She was in awe and slightly envious of their beauty. Ash followed her gaze and smiled gently, his eyes beginning to droop in fondness as he finally allowed a wave of nostalgia overcome him.
"They're great." He answered her, leaving the notion of whether he was talking about the girls or the contests completely ambiguous. Surprised, Serena turned to question him before a lullaby chimed, signalling their Pokemon had made a full recovery.
"Could Ash Ketchum, Serena Aimer, Clemont Jaune and Meadow Flint all report to the main reception, please? Your Pokemon have made a full recovery" at the end of the announcement, Ash, Serena and the rest all made their way to the main desk where Nurse Joy's assistant Wigglytuff exited two sliding doors with several Pokeballs and three Pokemon, a Pikachu and a Dedenne resting on a stretcher while an Amaura walked alongside the Pokemon.
"I'm happy to inform you your Pokemon have made a full recovery!" Nurse Joy chirped happily. Pikachu and Dedenne happily leaped onto their trainer's heads, who laughed happily in return while Clemont and Serena picked up their Pokeballs. Meadow was also occupied, having been jumped on by her two Pokemon and was laughing happily at their antics.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Serena suddenly said happily, an idea suddenly forming in her head. Clemont turned to her, curiosity evident on his face. Turning to face him, Serena smiled cheekily as a small blush formed on her face. She had butterflies in her stomach but dismissed them, having no idea why they were there in the first place.
"What do you have in mind Serena?" he asked her. Serena held up her index idea as she began to speak her proposition.
"I think some introductions were made, don't you?" the teal eyed performer chirruped as she ran through the sliding doors. Understanding what she was talking about, Clemont ran after her, followed by Ash, Meadow and Bonnie.
[13:50] Pokemon Centre (snowy garden) Kalos Region
After approaching Serena in the Pokemon Centre garden, they found her throwing her three Pokeballs into the air. Out popped three unique Pokemon. One was a bipedal fox-like Pokemon. While the majority of its fur was yellow, it had black legs, white arms, face and neck, and a dark orange tail. The fur on its cheeks is longer, and a small mane of white fur covers its shoulders and chest. There was a stick evident in its tail, which was significant in its battling style.
Next to the Pokemon was a mammalian, bipedal Pokemon that represented a young panda. Its short puffy tail and head is white with tufts of fur on its head and cheeks. There are black circles around its eyes. It also had small, black ears. Atop its head was a pair of pink sunglasses.
The third was a mammalian, quadruped creature with primarily brown fur. The tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar are cream-colored. It has short, slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each foot. It also has striking brown eyes, long pointed ears, and a small black nose.
"Let me introduce myself properly! I'm Serena Aimer and I wish to become the Kalos queen by performing in Pokemon showcases!" she happily exclaimed before gesturing towards her Pokemon.
"There are my Pokemon! Braixen, Pancham and Eevee! Together, we'll become stronger and win the showcases we enter!"
"Good idea, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, a blush forming on the girl's face. Ash didn't notice as he was too busy pulling out his own Pokeballs alongside Clemont. After locating all four, he thrust them into the air followed suit by Clemont's four.
Materialising in front of them was a variety of Pokemon. One of them was Frogadier and besides it was its rival, the wrestling Pokemon Hawlucha.
Hawlucha is a small, bipedal bird-like Pokémon. It has red, cape-like wings that are connected to its tail with green undersides and small clawed hands. It has red chest feathers, a white abdominal area and legs with small yellow feet. It has a green, mask-like face with an orange stripe down the middle, as well as orange rings around its eyes. Hawlucha has a small, red beak, and a white patch underneath it. It also has three orange tassel-like appendages jutting out of the back of its head. Its eyes have black sclera and large yellow irises.
Soaring through the overhead sky was Ash's trusty flying and fire type, the scorching Talonflame. Talonflame is an avian Pokémon; its plumage is predominantly red-orange, with Grey under parts and black tips on its long, pointed wings. Ovular orange spots dot its underside, and flame patterns mark the boundaries between colours on its body. Large yellow talons extend from the shaggy feathers on its legs. Talonflame has a pointed crest atop its head and a black and yellow mask-like pattern around its eyes. Its black beak is hooked with a yellow Cere. It also has long black tail-feathers marked with three yellow "v"-shapes. The tail ends in two points and has another feather sticking out of the base on each side, giving the impression of the fletching on the end of an arrow.
Attempting to fly but failing and spiralling to the ground was the lavender bat Pokemon, Noibat. It has two clawed fingers on each wing and two long toes on each foot. Noibat's hips and chest are covered in black fur. It has large yellow eyes, two purple teardrop-shaped spots on the front of its face, and large teardrop-shaped ears that resemble loudspeakers. When its mouth is open, two pointed teeth can be seen on its lower jaw. Ash and Bonnie quickly rubbed its head to stop it from crying out loud.
Meanwhile, Clemont's Pokemon were finished materialising. One of the said Pokemon was Diggersby, the digging Pokemon. Diggersby is a bipedal Pokémon resembling a large, portly rabbit. Its most remarkable features are its two ears, which are each crowned with a massive, muscular forearm, complete with three-fingered paws. The ears are furry and mostly grey in coloration, with a pink inner pinna, whereas the paws at the ends of the ears are brown. Three spots of brown fur surround each of the ear-wrists. A pointed protrusion marks the outer elbow, hinting at the presence of bones inside the ear-forearms. These ears are strong enough to lift objects weighing over a ton and prove to be an invaluable asset in Diggersby's digging.
The other four limbs growing from Diggersby's round, grey torso are small in comparison to the ears. The fur of the upper paws is white, while the feet are brown. A sash-like band composed of thicker, woolly fur surrounds its waist, where it tends to tuck its paws in. This sash is sectioned brown on its sides and yellow at its front and back; its short tail is also yellow, protruding from the back section of the sash. Diggersby's face is dominated by a large brown muzzle, resembling stubble. Two large front teeth protrude from its wide mouth and three whiskers decorate each cheek. Its eyes are perpetually squinting and it seems to favour a slightly furrowed brow.
Sitting underneath the Diggersby and shivering in the cold air was the Spiny nut Pokemon, Chespin. Chespin is a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon. It has a light brown front with dark brown arms and three triangular markings on its face. There is a tough, green shell covering its back, which extends from its head to halfway down its tail. There is a small, off-centre hole in the shell on the back of Chespin's head. The shell can protect Chespin from powerful attacks. Around the face, the shell has four leaf-like spikes, and one split into three parts on the back of its head. These quills are typically soft, but Chespin can stiffen them and use them for attack as well. Chespin's oval eyes are brown, and it has a triangular red nose and rodent-like incisors. Its arms have three fingers, while its feet have two long claws. The visible part of its tapered tail is orange. Despite having a curious nature that tends to get it in trouble, Chespin keeps an optimistic outlook and does not worry about small details.
Seemingly untethered by the cold and annoyed at the childish antics of Chespin was Luxray, the gleam eyes Pokemon. Luxray is a quadruped Pokémon resembling a fully-grown lion. While its face, hind legs, torso, and the back of its front legs are blue, much of its body is covered with shaggy, black fur. The fur is longer around the shoulders and the base of the tail, and forms a mane on its head. The mane is larger on the male than on the female. It has yellow eyes with red sclera, a blunt muzzle, and rounded ears with yellow insides. There are three yellow, half rings on the back of each foreleg. Its long, thin tail is tipped with a yellow four-pointed star. Luxray has powerful eyesight that is capable of seeing through most objects and walls, like x-ray vision
Hopping on one foot to another was a Pokemon that was happy to be released from its pokeball, the Generator Pokemon Heliolisk. Heliolisk is a yellow lizard-like Pokémon. Compared to its pre-evolution, Heliolisk's tail now has an orange stripe in addition to the black tip; there are also orange bands with a zigzag pattern on Heliolisk's hind legs. Heliolisk's head is completely black except for its yellow lower-jaw. The two frills that this Pokémon had on the sides of its head as a Helioptile are replaced by an orange frilled collar around its neck.
"Wow!" Meadow gasped in wonder at the variety of Pokemon as she gestured towards the two Pokemon at her side. "I'm sure you have already met Amaura and Bergmite, these two have been my friends since I was a kid!" Meadow explained as she placed her hands on her hips. Soon, all the Pokemon were playing together while Ash and Clemont explained their own passions to Meadow when suddenly a net enveloped the surprised Pokemon. Hearing the cries of dismay, the startled trainers turned to see their Pokemon trapped under a net. Instinctively, Ash ran towards the net to free his friends when a large explosion knocked him backwards into Bonnie. The two let out a cry of surprise as they flew backwards.
"Ash…!" Serena gasped in horror after Ash disappeared from sight. Clemont looked equally shocked as he called out Bonnie's name and was about to run up to her when a cloud of choking black smog blocked their view of the two. Confused and disorientated, Clemont and Serena crashed into each other while Meadow choked on the smoke.
Suddenly, a menacing cackling of five different voices could be heard. Stumbling to her feet, Serena turned towards the source of the noise, angry and afraid.
"Who is that? Come out!" Serena demanded impatiently. Suddenly, the smoke cleared to reveal…
"Oh no…" Serena trailed off. It couldn't be them, not now.
To be continued…
In the distance a young man watched the three children and the new arrival with interest. He pulled out a Pokeball, ready to intervene when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to address the person with slight surprise.
"Don't interrupt them yet." The younger man sighed, but nodded in understand and tucked his Pokeball away, sitting on a rock and observing the unfolding drama.
Notes:
Authors notes:
Established timeline/Cliffhanger/Pokemon teams arranged and revised/Reference to May and Dawn/Established character goals/multiple shippings hints/Pearlshipping is my brotp forever and always.
RE edit 5/11/14
RE edit 11/11/14
RE edit 7/4/15- Slight team alterations
RE edit 19/05/15- Polished, slight team alterations, revised phrasing
RE edit 05/07/15- Polished, grammar check