Did I say quick yesterday? Sorry, this is quick.
12. A Battle Royale!
Welcome to RoseRed Region.
That was what the board read. So we were finally in the main stadium region where the opening ceremony would take place in seven hours. Yes, it was five in the evening.
The ceremony invitation said we need to be there by 9 PM. We still had four hours left.
"Gary," I asked my oldest rival who had accompanied me for the whole day. Who'd have thought the two of us would stick together. "Where should we be going?"
"The stadium obviously," Gary said, "I bet everyone would be gathering there by now."
I thought the shopping mall would be a better idea. The girls would be dragging everyone over there anyway. I have to assemble all my friends at one place. But still, the stadium made more sense because more people like Morrison and Ritchie would gather over there.
"We did it!" A sense of euphoria filled the young man. "Lucario, we are on a roll this time!"
The Pokémon grunted in response. Yes, indeed they were on a roll. For the first time in his life, Cameron had successfully done something correctly in his life. The excessive use of adverbs was only justified.
He completed the registration form in the entrance region. Check.
He took the T-Dex, Pokédex and didn't mix them up with his T.V remote. (His mom still yells at him because of that.) Check.
He went to the hotel room he booked. The bed was so amazing that he made a tent around it. Check.
He had all his Pokémon statuses verified. Check.
He was now standing in the Rose-Red region, waiting for the gates of the main stadium to open. Check.
Everything was just perfect.
"Lucario, we're going to win this tournament," he had the vibes that told him so. "The world championship is definitely ours!"
Giovanni's coffee went cold. He didn't know how long he had been holding it as he looked into the distant crowd that gathered into the stadium. Had things gone well, all of them would have been collecting at his outlets, searching for the Hold Items they wanted. Depending on the demand, he could have altered the price and be rich in no time.
"Damn you," he muttered as he remembered Harvey McMillan. Losing to the man wasn't much of a hindrance to his plans, but he had a certain other issue. His son.
His memory drifted back to one year ago, before he surrendered himself to the police in the media's presence.
One year ago…
"Sir, we have found the kid who sabotaged our cargo from West Johto," the Rocket grunted reported.
Giovanni opened his eyes. He had sleepless nights thanks to this brat. He definitely wouldn't send him back alive or so he thought.
When the splitting image of his wife was shoved in front of him, Giovanni couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. "Of all people," he muttered. "I didn't think it was you."
He motioned the guards that held the boy by his hair to release him. No one should touch that beautiful hair he inherited from his mother, Giovanni thought. "Why?" Giovanni asked.
"Why?" The boy looked at him with eyes that mirrored his father's. "Because I want to kill you!" The boy spoke unlike someone his age should.
"I see," Giovanni closed his eyes again. He removed a gun from his pocket and placed it on the desk. The Grunt who saw this looked astonished.
"Sir," the grunt moved for the gun but Giovanni's deadly glare sent him back.
"Silver," he said the boy's name aloud. "You wanted to kill me, didn't you? I am giving you the opportunity."
The boy looked at Giovanni, confused. "Take the gun," Giovanni insisted.
The boy hesitatingly took the gun and placed the aim on Giovanni. The boy's hands shivered as if he was drenched in ice cold water. The bullet inside never came out. A smile crept across Giovanni's face. "You didn't expect it to be so easy, didn't you?"
Silver's hold on the gun loosened. The object escaped his weak hold and made its way onto the soft carpet. The red-haired boy fell on the floor, reeling with hatred. "Do you know why you can't kill me?"
"I…" Silver couldn't say anything.
"Because your aim was to destroy, Giovanni, the man who controls people with fear and leads Team Rocket," Giovanni spoke. "But right now, I am in a pathetic state. Not worthy of your revenge. You want to destroy me, not kill me."
Silver stared at his father, astonished. "Before that," Giovanni said. "Why do you seek my death?"
"My Mom died because of you," he grit his teeth. "She died horribly, only because of you. But you didn't even care to look at her dead body."
"There was a manhunt on me," Giovanni frowned. "The police were all around her. Do you expect me to walk right into their trap?"
"She died for you!" Silver exclaimed. "The least you could do was visiting her grave."
The Rocket boss licked his lips. "Your hatred is justified. If you want to destroy me," Giovanni eyed his son. "Kill me when I am at my strongest. When I feel the most secured. That's when you really enjoy killing me."
"You and your pathetic goons," Silver laughed. "You won't even to get watch the sun again. You're going to die like a maggot in this underground tunnel. Not even a fly will mourn for you."
"Wrong," Giovanni smirked. "We'll make it to the echelons of history. We'll bring the entire world under our control. We'll be an organization that controls governments. We'll be a force that a common man would always fear, forever."
"These plans of yours," Silver laughed again. "I've seen them fail again and again. I'm sick of your lame attempts."
"Trust me, son." Giovanni said, "One year from now, you won't say the same thing."
Presently…
Giovanni wondered if he could be what he told his son he would become, a force that threatens everyone. Right now, he was the laughing stock of Goodsho and his merry friends. It won't stay so, forever. He had to change things.
"How did the meeting go?" The new presence beside him asked.
"Bad," Giovanni answered honestly.
"Look Dad," the boy Silver muttered. "I don't care what you do. You promised me you'll get stronger."
"I have tons of back-up plans," Giovanni muttered. "My people are all over this place. Jessie, James and Meowth will take care of the things I planned next."
"I hope so," Silver muttered. "Lately, a lot of trainers are snooping around your members. I don't think it's good for you."
"These so-called Pokémon trainers," Giovanni muttered. "They can't touch me."
No sooner did he say so, a man came running towards them. "Sir," he saluted. "I've just received a report from the central region."
Giovanni tensed. The grunt didn't sound like he was delivering good news.
"Our restaurant has been closed as it didn't meet the standard requirements. Jessie, James and Meowth have been thrown out of the League Complex."
"Have you found her yet?" The worried blond asked the psychic-type.
The Pokémon that had a soft lilac fur growled in disappointment. The orb on its head shone as it continued to scan the crowd.
"Just where did Bianca go?" Virgil asked himself. As much as he liked her, he was always worried about her ditzy nature that constantly put her in trouble.
"Esp!" The Pokémon growled him back to attention. It pointed him to an ice-cream stand, where a certain woman was having a hard time handling the seven cones in her hands. A smile spread across his lips. 'Just like always.'
"Bonjour! New Tasting time s'il vous plaît!" The purple haired woman exclaimed. "My evaluation on all these people around tells me that—" she placed a hand on her chin as she looked around. "They all will lose!" She laughed hysterically.
"What's gotten into you?" The pink-haired woman Georgia asked, obviously troubled by her friend's actions.
"Don't you see it?" She looked around her with gleaming eyes. "Everyone here is going to lose."
"Eh?" Georgia couldn't fathom what Burgundy thought. Not that she wanted a piece of her stinking brain. She looked around, "Where could you be, Iris?" She smirked as she searched for the girl who promised to become a master of the dragons.
As the two women stood in the Rose-Red region, doing nothing, a girl who looked something like fourteen found her way towards them. "Excuse me, but where could I find the baseball outlets."
The girl had a short stature. She wore a yellow striped with black shirt, indicating that she was a fan of the Electabuzz Baseball Team.
Burgundy scanned the girl. "Hmm," the woman hummed.
Georgia realized they were going to be in trouble. Not a moment passes without Burgundy commenting on one thing or the other. "People still support the Electabuzz? They kinda suck, don't they?"
"What did you say?!" The girl had a mouth unlike her size. "One more wrong word and I will break your bones!"
"Typical fan," Burgundy muttered scornfully. "Well I can't improve everyone's tastes."
Georgia had a feeling that, with an attitude like Burgundy's they'll run into a big problem sooner or later.
"Alright, you said it!" The girl pulled her sleeve as she lunged at Burgundy.
"Now let's not go that far," Georgia didn't know why she was defending Burgundy of all people, but she did so anyway.
"Gah," Casey pursed her lips as she stepped back from the taller woman. As she turned around, her anger disappeared and her eyes suddenly shone with light. "Wow, isn't that Ash!" The girl exclaimed.
"Ash?" Burgundy and Georgia exchanged glances. A smirk developed on their faces. If Ash Ketchum was here, then so would—
"Iris," Georgia muttered.
"Cilan," Burgundy said. "Let's go!"
Morrison was troubled. He wasn't familiar being surrounded by too many people. "Man, I really hate this place. But they do seem to have a lot of hamburger stands." The fact somehow made him happy. He had promised Ash that they'd meet in the evening before the ceremony. When they met he was too busy arguing the restaurant manager about the hamburger. How could a Hoenn cuisine restaurant not have Hamburger? He couldn't fathom.
It was then did his eyes fell on a certain lad, who had a Pikachu on his shoulders. Morrison was excited. "Hey, Ash!"
The boy didn't respond as he continued to walk. But his Pikachu turned around and noticed the approaching guy.
He placed a hand on Ash's shoulders and jerked him back. "Ash!" He yelled in excitement as—
"Wait," he blinked. He looked at the guy who looked similar to Ash, but wasn't. "You're an impostor!" He accused. "You're not Ash."
The boy looked troubled. "Um," he said. "I'm not an impostor. My name's Ritchie."
"Huh," Morrison held his breath for a second. "So you're a complete different guy?"
"Yeah," Ritchie gave him a wry smile. "I'm searching for Ash too."
"Ah!" Morrison exclaimed. He pulled the boy close and hugged him. "Then we're buddies!"
The PLA HQ
"Oh Cynthia," Goodsho was elated when he saw the Sinnoh Champion. "You're really my Goddess of Victory."
Cynthia smiled at this, "I presume things went well." She gave Harvey a glance. There was a simple smile of victory on his face. The answer was a yes.
"Your man," Goodsho said, taking his seat. "He whopped Giovanni's ass."
"I'm glad for you, Goodsho."
The older man gave a bright smile at this. "I'm safe as long as I have well-wishers like you Cynthia."
"What exactly happened?" Cynthia asked Harvey.
"Just a minor logical exaggeration," Harvey shrugged. "He bailed out."
"You must have seen him Cynthia," the old man looked like he was about to cry in happiness. "I thought I was going to die that instant. He pulled through with a 0.03%!"
"Lemme guess," Cynthia said, "Probability is a bitch?"
Harvey chuckled at this, "Yeah, I used that." Cynthia chuckled in reply. The man hadn't changed much in seven years. But of course there were a few things about him that made him dangerous. She wanted to warn Goodsho first but she didn't as she feared he might decline the idea. She simply hoped Goodsho wouldn't make some stupid promises to Harvey.
"I'm indebted to you, Harvey," Goodsho said, adjusting himself on the chair. "I'm really thankful to you."
"I hope that's not your payment," Harvey said, a sly smile on his face.
Uh-oh, Cynthia thought.
"No!" Goodsho was obviously offended by that. "I'm going to pay you for the help you've done, Mr. McMillan. Name anything in my power and it's going to be yours."
That's what Cynthia feared. Harvey wasn't a bad guy, but he was extremely manipulative. And Goodsho perfectly walked into the trap.
"Are you sure?" Harvey asked, exchanging a glance with Cynthia who gave him a wary look.
"I am," Goodsho replied. "And I will stay true to my word."
"Fine then," Harvey said, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You said it."
"Anything Harvey," Goodsho said, "Of course as long as it's legal."
"Oh don't worry it's legal," Harvey said with a coy smile on his face. "I want me the director of the PWT organizing committee."
Even Cynthia's mind was blown into proportions when she heard his request. She looked at Goodsho who stared at Harvey with eyes that were so widened that they might as well pop out.
"I know," Harvey gave him a business smile. "You've been organizing tournaments all your life, and it's something you value. But I promise," he paused to let his words sink into the old man's numbed brain. "I'll make the tournament a bigger success than you expect. You needn't pay me any cash."
There was a pause for some time before Goodsho spoke. "Y-You just want to organize the tournament?" Goodsho asked, "You don't need any other real powers?"
"Goodsho you're considering this?" Cynthia wasn't opposed to the idea, but she didn't want Goodsho get manipulated so easily.
"Exactly," Harvey said. "That's all I need."
Goodsho nodded silently. "I'm getting old for whacking my brains anyway," he smiled. "It's a deal."
That was too easy Goodsho, Cynthia wanted to say.
"Deal," Harvey said extending an arm to shake hands with Goodsho. "We'll begin with the exhibition matches you planned for this evening."
"Alright," Goodsho shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"
"You've originally planned to collect the top ten favorites from Tier 7 participants and put them in five one-on-battles, right?"
"Yes," Goodsho replied.
"Change the plan," Harvey said. "We need only the top five favorites."
Cynthia was stunned by the idea Harvey gave next. Of course she had to agree with his idea.
"This is really a bad idea," Gary muttered as we stood before the Rose-Red stadium, jammed amidst thousands of people.
"Yeah," I could speak with utmost difficulty. There was hardly any air to breathe. The opening didn't start until four more hours and yet people are pushing each other as they waited for the gates to open. "Let's fall back."
Gary nodded, before we pushed hundreds of people to get back outside. "Good lord," I gasped as the fresh air filled my lungs. Never did I realize the importance of oxygen that much.
"Some crowd," Gary shook his head. The two of us were near the fountain that stood a good distance away from the crowd that went wild for the opening ceremony.
"It's the world tournament," I said more to myself than Gary. "I wonder how it'll be by nine."
"Do you think the others will be in there?" Gary asked.
"I doubt it," Ash muttered. "We have three gym leaders with Norman. I bet we can try some good seats without pushing like that."
"I guess," Gary said as he brushed his wet hair back. Beside us, stood an old-grey building that was being watched by a couple of security guards. It was the PLA administration office, I realized as I read the board. It was pretty close to the stadium.
A light flashed on my face. I looked at the source, surprised to find a camera on my face. The camera lowered down as my eyes met with a certain rival of mine. "Trip," I smirked as he did the same in reply.
"Ash," he smiled.
There was an uncomfortable silence between us. Neither of us didn't know what to speak. Well things were awkward between us. But Trip did turn a new leaf. "So, what's up?" I asked.
"Waiting for the gates to hell open," Trip said as he eyed the crowd behind him. "It's sure a lively place."
"Yeah," Gary joined the conversation. He shook hands with Trip. "Gary Oak."
"I know who you are," Trip smiled. Damn, Gary's popularity. "My name's Trip. From Unova."
"You're the guy who thinks Kanto people are hicks, eh?" Gary said, a smirk on his face.
"You might have changed that opinion," Trip said. Yeah, Gary did look like a perfect city-boy type. Wait, what does that say about me?
"So," I was about to ask Trip about his training when—
"Get out of my way!" The fervent screams of a hyper blond shook me to attention. I looked to my right, and found Barry charging towards me, unable to brake himself to a stop.
"Oh no," I muttered. I knew what would happen. I had enough of that gag already.
With a swift motion, thanks to an unbelievable reflex I jumped out of Barry's way as he ran past me and finally stopped before the fountain.
Phew!
"Out of the way!"
Or not.
I looked back, just in time as a woman carrying too many cones than she could fit in her hands smashed right into me.
"Whoa!" The impact pushed me onto Barry. My skull connected his with a loud thud. The two of us tripped over each other, and—
Splash!
I ended up crashing into the water behind, along with Barry. At that moment, the splash collected a lot of attention. In fact a lot more than I wanted to. That was when the trouble began.
Richard seethed with anger. He was always a calm, reserved type. But today…
His blood boiled when he remembered the incident again and again. That son-of-a-Growlithe! He actually dared to leave the battlefield in midst of their battle. Sure, he might have seen someone he knew, but that doesn't mean you leave your opponent and go catch a train while he's still standing in the battlefield, waiting for you!
He gnashed his teeth. Ash must have had a good laugh of him. He and Katie must have giggled like little girls after making a clown out of him. But he wouldn't tolerate this anymore. If he were to see that Ketchum kid again, he would make a dumpling out of him.
He was in the Rose-Red region, as it was obviously the destination for everyone who participated in the tournament. He didn't have to search for long…
Splash!
He looked in the direction where the noise came from. He instantly clenched his fists. "Ash Ketchum," he whispered the name with venomous intent.
He watched as a blonde woman, a beautiful blond woman to be exact lifted Ash up.
First Katie, and now this woman. Just how many woman will you play with? Richard thought.
"I'm going to destroy you!"
Silver was unhappy. His father's plan to put the hold items forward failed. Well he wasn't particularly disturbed by that because it didn't involve him. It was a minor setback to his father.
But Jessie, James and Meowth being thrown out…
There was only one person who could have possibly done that. The twerp who met him earlier that morning. What was his name again?
Ash Ketchum, he remembered. If he were to lay his hands on him again, he wouldn't walk away in one piece. Thinking so as Silver walked down the PLA administration building, a noise attracted his attention.
Splash!
When his eyed fell on the raven-haired trainer, he gritted his teeth. "You're good as dead," he muttered coldly before pacing down the stairs.
A few minutes earlier…
The Sinnoh-Hoenn group walked towards the stadium. Luckily for them, they were separated from the girls, Drew and Harvey who left them and went someplace else. Probably, a jewelry store. What was one doing here anyway?
"Man," Tyson sighed. "As much as he's annoying, we must thank Barry for dragging us away from the girls."
"Yeah," Harrison replied. "What's up with all that giggling anyway?" He was certain that the women were making disturbing jokes on each other. He was certainly uncomfortable with that kind of women.
"Well that's the new generation girls for you," Norman said, although he felt slightly bad that his daughter was one of those. "Men are getting weaker while women are getting stronger and stronger."
Harvey of course, looked indifferent to the gender-related conversation. Paul looked happy because Barry completely forgot about him and was now yapping about some rental cars he had seen. Apparently, they were renting some really good branded cars.
"Look, there's the stall!" Barry exclaimed when he saw a distant tent which showcased many cars. He immediately lunged for it like the madman he was. Little did he notice a certain raven-haired trainer who stood by the fountain.
In an amazing athletic move that made many of the men jealous, Ash dodged Barry. Unfortunately a she-Barry walked straight into him not a second later. The rest can be summarized with just one word.
Splash!
"Oh my god!" I rubbed my forehead which now carried a bump.
"I'm really sorry!" Bianca fervently apologized as she repeatedly bowed in her usual style.
"Could you get me out of the water for a change?" I asked, as she was engrossed in apologizing.
"Oh," she paused her bow. She caught her beret before she lent me an arm. "I'm really sorry." She said again.
I walked out, with clothes that were wetter than I liked. Man she really needs to stop bumping me into fountains every time we meet. Speaking of bumping—
I looked back. The crazy Barry stood up after me, rubbing the back of his head. Yeah, that was a strong hit. I felt a bump beneath my hair too.
Barry grumbled something as he looked back fiercely. "Hey, what's the meaning of this?" He jumped out of the water, "I'm going to fine you for this, Ash! You get to pay in ten seconds or—"
"Or what!" I snarled. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Maybe it was the frustration of walking all day from 5 AM. Maybe the amount of crowd around. Or maybe it was because the double bump screwed my brain. I didn't know, I simply snapped.
"Or…" Barry was startled by my reaction. He thought for a second. His eyes shone when a thought flashed in his brain. His hands moved onto his belt. "Or you'll have to face Empoleon!" He tossed the Pokéball.
The Pokéball exploded open as the Emperor Pokémon materialized with a battle cry. So, he wants to do it that way? Then I'll humiliate him with a thunderbolt!
"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" I pointed my finger at Empoleon. The rodent jumped off my shoulders and immediately shot a lightning of electricity at Empoleon.
The penguin startled by my sudden move, didn't have the time to dodge. Instead it tried to block the move by placing its two hands in a defensive posture. The electricity zapped through the water type with ease.
To its credit, Empoleon was still standing, albeit on one leg and a knee. The attacked had its toll on it. That should silence Barry, or so I thought.
"Hey you attacked me without a warning," Barry pointed a finger at me accusingly. "I'm going to fine you."
"You're the one who sent your Pokémon without a warning!" I retorted, shutting the crazy blonde.
"Ash Ketchum!"
I jerked my head to the right and spotted a certain brown-haired lunging towards me, an enlarged Pokéball in his hand. "Infernape, Mach Punch!" He yelled tossing the Pokéball.
"Feraligatr, Hydropump!"
At the same time another person tossed a Pokéball.
'Richard and Silver!'
The two Pokéball materialized at the same time. From one end, Richard's Infernape lunged at Pikachu with a swift punch. While from the other side, Silver's Feraligatr propelled out a jet of water from within its enormous jaws.
The electric rodent looked in both directions, unable to decide whom to dodge.
"Just Jump!" I ordered the Pokémon. Trusting my judgment, the rodent used its tail as a spring and leaped into the air. The Hydropump ended up on Infernape's face dealing the fire-type a good damage.
"Why are you attacking me?!" Richard yelled at Silver.
"Is it my fault if your Pokémon is incompetent?" Silver gave a cold reply.
"What did you say?!" Richard glared at Silver.
"Hey, you don't attack Ash when I am battling him!" Barry demanded. "You guys are going to pay for that."
What the hell was going on?
"Hey look, it's Ash!" Morrison exclaimed, tearing Ritchie's eardrums apart. He swore silently. If he were to spend five more minutes with Morrison he'd have a hole in those sensitive eardrums of his. "Why is he battling three people at the same time?"
Ritchie looked in the direction Morrison pointed. And indeed, Ash was battling three people at the same time. "What's going on?" He wondered.
"It's a battle royale," a voice whispered in his ears. "He he he"
"What the!" Ritchie jumped at the sudden voice, except there was no one behind him.
"A battle royale!" Morrison exclaimed. "That's really cool!"
When the loud splash happened Cameron was near the stadium, trying his best to get inside and get the first seats. He watched the events in awe. Ash's Pikachu did an amazing job dodging either Pokémon's attacks at the same time. It was a simply brilliant move.
At the same time the word that was carried throughout the place reached his ears. "It's a battle royale." Someone said.
"A battle royale?" Cameron was stunned. He smacked his palm with his fist. "Damn it, I knew we'd miss something or the other. I never knew there was a battle royale event."
"It's open to all," a voice suddenly whispered into his ears. "He he he"
"Eh?" He looked back. There was no one else behind. But it didn't matter to him. "Alright!" He jumped in excitement.
The word spread through the crowd faster than heat through steel. It finally reached the battle scene itself.
Trip was confused. "A Battle Royale?" What happened before him didn't seem like a planned event. Besides getting into unofficial street brawls could be dangerous. Trainers get disqualified for that.
"It's an official event," a voice whispered into his ears. "He he he"
"An official event!" Trip was startled. Surprisingly there wasn't anyone standing behind him.
Meanwhile, Tyson had gone around, inquiring about what was going on. He came back to the group with surprising news. "Hey guys," he called the attention of them. "I've found out the details. It's an official event, a battle royale that is open to all!"
"A Battle royale?!" Harrison exclaimed. "And Ash's taking part in it?"
"Do we go?" Vincent asked.
"Of course," Tyson jumped excitedly.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Paul said. "Something's off about it."
"C'mon man," Vincent patted his friend. "Why are you so paranoid? It's not like some random people are attacking Ash for revenge is it? He's an awesome guy. It's obviously an official event."
Paul looked at the battle scene uncomfortably. He then clutched onto his trainer belt. "Fine, let's go."
As they left Norman grumbled. "I shouldn't have listened to Caroline." He left all his Pokémon in the ranch.
As the group left, Kenny started to follow them too, eager to participate in the 'official' event. But Conway's firm hand stopped him. "What is it?" Kenny asked.
"Do you want to get disqualified?" Conway asked, adjusting his glasses.
"No," Kenny nodded. "It's an official event isn't it?"
"It could be a false rumor started by someone pretty intelligent," his spectacles shone as they reflected the sunlight. "He he he."
"Why would anyone do that?" Kenny asked, confused.
"Smart people don't do things because of the 'why'," Conway said. "They simply do because they can."
Kenny watched the Dawn-stalker grin deviously. Something was off about him, he realized. Then again he was a stalker.
"Hey, you don't attack Ash when I am battling him!" Barry demanded. "You guys are going to pay for that."
The two guys glared at Barry for that. The three then glared at me. "Infernape, burn them down with Flareblitz!" Richard commanded the fiery ape.
"Feraligatr," Silver ordered the blue alligator. "Slash that Pikachu!"
"Empoleon," Barry commanded at last, "Drill Peck!"
Wait, what the hell?! So, they were ganging upon me? Even if they weren't, that's what was happening now.
"Alright," I grumbled. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with the future Pokémon Master. Pikachu," I ordered the rodent. "Dodge Flareblitz and use Quick Attack on Feraligatr."
As the ape jumped onto Pikachu with a blazing aura surrounding it, the rodent swiftly zoomed past it with an unbelievable speed thanks to Quick Attack. Before the alligator could complete its slash, the rodent struck it square on the chest.
Meanwhile Empoleon that came after Pikachu missed it, as the rodent was thrown away by the impact of hitting Feraligatr. The penguin ended up attacking the alligator instead.
Well that did a—
"Swampert, Mudshot!"
Before I could even relax, a new Pokémon entered the fray. The mudfish Pokémon shot projectiles of mud at Pikachu.
"Jump, Pikachu!"
Why the hell was Morrison attacking me?
"Aqua Jet!"
From behind somewhere, a Samurott shot at my Pikachu. I looked at the source, and found Cameron delightfully smirking.
"Pikachu," I yelled. "Use Iron Tail to block the attack!"
Pikachu spun around and slammed the powerful tail on Samurott's face. The attack threw the Aqua Jet out of order, and the samurai Pokémon ended up crashing on the ground.
But that was when more and more Pokéball were tossed into the air for some reason I couldn't understand.
"Blaziken!"—Harrison.
"Sceptile!"—Tyson.
"Torterra!"—Paul.
"Venusaur!"—Vincent.
"Serperior!"—Trip.
"Zippo!"—Ritchie.
"Meganium!"—Casey.
At once the count of the participating Pokémon shot to ten plus. Why was everyone sending their Pokémon to battle?
"Alright, stop this!" I yelled. "Can anyone tell me—"
"Blaziken, Hi Jump Kick on Pikachu!"
Oh crap.
Virgil saw the commotion unfold. It started when his girlfriend, Bianca hurried towards him a ton of ice cream cones in her hands. She accidentally bumped into Ash.
And now it ended up with fourteen people who somehow started battling each other. "What the heck!" He could only wonder.
He ran towards Bianca who stared at the scene before her in extreme confusion as she worked her not-so-sharp brain into figuring out what exactly was happening around her.
"Virgil!" She said giving him one of the ice creams she held. "Take an ice cream!"
"Later, Bianca!" Virgil pushed the cone away. "Can you just tell me what's going on?"
"Are you trying to break up with me?!" She asked, her eyes turning moist.
"What?" He asked, befuddled. "No, no—I…" he massaged his forehead. "I'm just trying to figure out what's happening."
"Something's very wrong," the brown-haired guy whom he recognized as Gary Oak spoke. "Everyone's gone crazy. They're all trying to battle Ash."
"It's strange," Virgil scratched his hair.
"Esp, esp!" His Espeon growled his attention.
"What's wrong?" Virgil asked. The Espeon said something he vaguely understood. "You're sensing a Psychic signal?"
The Pokémon nodded. "Someone's using a Psychic type to create confusion," He scratched his chin. "Bianca could you—"
He found the woman in front of him missing. Instead, he found an Emboar amidst the congregation of other Pokémon.
"Emboar, use Hammer Arm!" He heard her command. Virgil caught his head. His girlfriend was a hopeless case.
"I'm going to help you out," Gary suggested.
"Alright," Virgil nodded. "Let's try finding out the culprit."
The battlefield was utter confusion. I don't know who was attacking who.
Blaziken performed a Hi Jump Kick on Pikachu, but as Pikachu dodged, Swampert took Pikachu as prey and prepared a Hammer Arm. Meanwhile Harrison's Blaziken miraculously protected itself from the recoil. But Casey's Meganium used it as a chance to use Vine Whip on the Pokémon.
Richard and Silver insisted on attacking Pikachu, along with Swampert making it a three on one. Paul had his hands full with Barry. But Barry left himself wide open to Tyson's Sceptile. Fortunately for Empoleon, Ritchie's Charizard attacked it from the sky. Barry of course didn't see Trip's Serperior which was ready to attack him anytime. He was the easiest target of all.
Meanwhile Vincent's Venusaur was having a hard time dealing with in a battle with a newly joined Bianca's Emboar.
Of all people, only Cameron stood silently. His Samurott was already up on its feet, so there was no reason for him to stay silent. He was observing the situation carefully. Cameron's scatter-brained, I am not sure if he could actually come up with a plan. But then there was a sudden smirk on his face when his gaze fell on Pikachu.
"He's planning something," I muttered. My attention shifted to Pikachu, who was having a hard time dodging Infernape's Mach Punch, Swampert's Hammer Arm and Feraligatr's Slash at the same time If it were one year ago, we'd have lost by now. Of course the result would the same even now, if I don't do anything.
Cameron's smirk, what could it mean? A thought flashed me. That's right, we were the biggest group of all, and all the Pokémon were deeply engrossed in catching Pikachu. If he could attack all of them at once…
A smirk went up my own face.
Meanwhile on Paul's side.
Paul wanted to plan something clever as there wouldn't be a bigger opportunity to use his brains. Unfortunately that was not possible when Barry the bonkers was locked on you.
"Drill Peck!"
Empoleon charged at the tortoise Pokémon with its favorite attack.
"Don't let it come closer," Paul commanded. "Giga Drain."
He wanted to use the same strategy he used against Ash's Tauros. He wanted to use Giga Drain and finish this once for all. It was a risky move if he failed to stop Empoleon. But it was worth it because Empoleon was heavily bruised and it wouldn't stay long. Torterra's three vines grabbed for the rotating Pokémon, but it was then Paul noticed something slick and fast move towards the Emperor Pokémon.
"Torterra forget it," he changed his orders. "Let Empoleon attack you."
The heavy shell Pokémon was surprised, but it could afford taking a hit with ease. It decided to go with the trainer's better judgment over its own instinct.
From the side lines, Trip commanded. "Serperior, Dragon Tail!"
Empoleon struck the tortoise with the super-effective flying type move. But the defending Pokémon took the attack pretty well. It in fact stopped the penguin in its tracks.
Just then—
The serpent attacked the unguarded penguin with the dragon type move. What happened next puzzled everyone.
"Zippo, Flamethrower!" Ritchie yelled.
"Sceptile, Detect!" Tyson said.
The green lizard's eyes turned blue when the flames approached it. With utmost grace, it dodged the attack as it passed by the Pokémon.
"One more time!" Ritchie said.
"Detect!" Tyson retorted. The scene repeated as the Charizard closed down onto the Sceptile.
"You can't use it forever," Ritchie smirked.
Tyson smirked back, "Jump!"
The fiery dragon was startled when the green lizard jumped onto it in a swift motion.
"Damn it!" Ritchie realized his folly. He tried to increase his chances to hit Sceptile by letting Zippo come closer to the ground. But the wood gecko used this opportunity to pounce on it.
"Thunder Punch," Tyson punched his fist into the air.
"Over turn and propel down!" Ritchie quickly retorted.
Charizard turned its back to the ground in an attempt to nail Sceptile to the ground. But the Pokémon surprisingly jumped, failing their attempts to do so.
Ritchie exclaimed, "Oh no!"
"Now!"
The powerful punch on the belly knocked Charizard to the ground, and the zapping electricity coursed through its body. Having done enough damage Sceptile jumped back to a safe distance as it was trained to do so.
"Zippo," Ritchie muttered the Pokémon's name worriedly. The Charizard got up not without difficulty. The battle was far from over though, Tyson thought.
"Serperior, use Dragon Tail!"
It was then their attention shifted to Serperior attacking Empoleon and what happened next startled both trainers.
It was all about timing, I realized.
Cameron needed a perfect moment to attack all of us at the same time. But of course since Cameron's plan relied on Pikachu, I can control the timing.
Pikachu was in a tight spot as the three Pokémon lunged at it for the umpteenth time. It had been dodging all the time during the assaults. But it's going to change now.
"Spin on the ground and use Iron Tail!"
The move was a surprise to everyone who attacked Pikachu. The rodent used its Iron tail and with its body as a base, like a flexible dancer, it started to spin about itself halting the three attacks at once.
Of course a tactic like that was foolish because the opponent could easily shift into a melee attack and finish Pikachu once for all. But it's not like I would give them a second chance. Now Cameron, do your thing!
"This is your chance," Cameron moved as I thought. "Hydrocanon on all of them at once!"
"Pikachu," not a moment later my command came out. "Use Quick Attack and get the hell away from there!"
Pikachu jumped onto its tail and performed a powerful Quick Attack to rocket itself between Infernape's legs. The rest of them could have done something to stop the rodent, except their attention shifted to a certain Samurott.
The Hydrocanon struck all three Pokémon at the same time and exploded. Infernape was knocked out on the spot, while Feraligatr was severely damaged. Swampert was the one who received the least impact, but the damage on it was pretty good.
Richard, Morrison and Silver were shocked by the sudden move. Of course the one who gave them the shock was more shocked, when—
"Use Volt Tackle on Samurott!"
Your plan was amazing, Cameron. But using a battlefield happens to be my specialty. Of course a battlefield includes other Pokémon too.
The electric rodent charged at the unguarded water-type with one of the strongest electric type moves. The battle was over in just in one hit. My opponents watched me in awe, finally giving me a moment to breathe.
Now moving on to the main issue—
"Just what the heck is going on?"
Harvey McMillan, Cynthia and Goodsho were watching the events unfold just outside their building through the windows of Goodsho's office.
"My, those kids have lost it," Goodsho looked as the prospective trainers invited themselves a ban. It was painful to see Ash Ketchum as one of them.
Of course Harvey was having a completely different line of thought. "The kid in the middle," Harvey pointed. "The guy wearing the red hat and commanding a Pikachu."
"He's Ash," Cynthia said, "What about him?"
"Nothing," he smiled. Harvey didn't miss the scene when Pikachu which was supposedly being targeted by three Pokémon, not only managed to escape them, but it even managed to finish the one who tried to take advantage of their situation. "He thinks on his feet, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Cynthia smiled. "You have a good eye."
So he was worthy of Cynthia's praise too. Very interesting.
When Pikachu attacked Samurott which caused the Pokémon to faint on spot, at the same time Serperior attacked Empoleon with a Dragon Tail.
Empoleon was immediately sucked into its Pokéball automatically, and without even Barry's knowledge another Pokéball of his popped out. A Roserade materialized in the Empoleon's place. Now something like that wasn't normally unusual as it was Dragon Tail's property to do so. But—
"Hey, hey you shouldn't come out like that," Barry complained to his Pokémon.
"It's an official event isn't it?" Paul asked Trip who looked equally aghast. In an official one-Pokémon only battle, Dragon Tail couldn't switch out the Pokémon on the field. It was a special feature included in the Pokédex's system.
"Just what the heck is going on?" Ash yelled at the same time. Paul looked at the raven-haired trainer like a ghost. Of course it wasn't an official event.
"We've been set up," Trip realized. No sooner did those words come out, the sirens of the police vehicle broke them apart.
The police car moved into the center and the green-haired woman, Officer Jenny jumped out of it. "All of you," The woman announced. "You are under arrest!"
Meanwhile….
While the guys department was in trouble, the rest of the girls, Drew and Harvey stopped before the Vile' Bloom' a flower-shop that attracted Drew's attention. While Drew was particularly interested in flowers, the rest of the girls tagged along and Harvey simply liked being with the girls as he considered himself she-male.
The word about the Battle Royale spread far, and had even managed to reach their ears. "A Battle Royale?"
"Oh my god," Misty said, "We're missing something great."
"Ash must be there too," Iris said, but not a second later she bit her own tongue. Luckily, the rest of the girls didn't notice. If it had been someone else, she'd have used the opportunity to tease them.
"If it's an official event," Candice said, "Shouldn't we gym leaders be informed about it already?"
"I think it's suspicious," May scratched her chin. "I think our guys might be in trouble."
"We got to go," Dawn said. The rest of the girls nodded wordlessly.
"You're all under arrest!" Officer Jenny's words sent a shiver down my spine. Yeah I did go overboard. I broke the rules. Oh god, does that mean I'm going to get disqualified?
I looked at the rest of them who looked equally terrified. By then, all battling have stopped. A deadly silence followed.
Only to be broken when—
"Hey guys," a new voice greeted us. Barry and Richard moved aside to let a burly man pass through. "I'm sorry I was late. But we've come to rock in this battle royale!" He pumped his fists into the air.
Bad timing Stephan!
"Isn't that right, Sawk?" He yelled as the blue humanoid jumped out of nowhere and placed itself in midst of the battlefield we made.
"You are under arrest too," Officer Jenny said strapping a handcuff around his wrists.
"What?!" Stephan pulled his hands back defensively. "What's the meaning of this, Ash?" He looked at me, accusingly.
"Moron," Paul muttered.
"That's right inspector arrest them all," a female voice from somewhere back in the crowd yelled. "And even arrest that damn Cilan. He's the grandmaster—" The voice was muffled to silence. It sounded like Burgundy though.
The officer decided to ignore the strange voice. "And of course by extension of the rules," Jenny spoke with a strict voice. "You're all henceforth banned from the PWT."
"That's preposterous," Harrison exclaimed. "We were told it's an official event."
"Very funny," Jenny said, sarcastically. "Since when are street brawls considered official?"
"It's a battle royale," Vincent said. "It's not street brawl!"
"That's just a good term for it, mister," Officer Jenny frowned. "Now, get them into the van," she instructed the officers who have followed her in a jeep.
Everything's doomed. My aim to be a Pokémon Master was shattered even before the journey itself began. How could I let this happen to me? Dad, I'm sorry I let you down.
"I sense it from somewhere around here," Gary said as he examined Espeon's orb.
"Are you sure?" Virgil asked. They had no time. The police have already arrived. If they could somehow prove that what happened was someone else's fault, they could still save them.
"Yeah," Gary said. His experience as a researcher told him that Espeon's orb gives of a bluish light when it's surrounded by psychic energy. "Keep checking the signal for me," Gary told Virgil. The rescue ranger did as directed.
Meanwhile Gary walked towards Norman and Max who watched the scene tensely. "Mr. Maple," Gary addressed him. "Have you seen any psychic type around?"
"No," Norman shook his head. "I didn't see anything like that. What the hell's going on anyway?"
"Not sure," Gary said. "Someone used a psychic technique to create confusion around here. They all thought they were participating in an official battle royale."
"What the heck?" Norman was startled. "It wasn't official?"
"Have you guys seen any psychic type around here?" Max asked Conway and Kenny.
"A psychic type?" Conway adjusted his glasses. "If you're planning to catch one, it's impossible. You know Psychic types are good at teleporting." Conway stressed the last word for some reason.
"Ah," Virgil grunted. "The signal's gone, Gary!"
What the—! Gary looked at Conway suspiciously. 'No, I'm just being paranoid.' He said to himself.
"Do you have any psychic types?" Gary asked Conway.
"None at the moment," the nerd answered calmly.
"Okay," Gary nodded. Where the heck did that Psychic type go then?
"I'll talk with the police," Norman said.
He walked towards the officer Jenny who supervised as one trainer after the other was being handcuffed. "Excuse me officer," Norman showed an ID of his. "I'm the gym leader of Petalburg. There seems to be a misunderstanding."
"You call this a misunderstanding?" She showed him the various damages the Pokémon's moves had done. The ground where Ritchie's Charizard use flamethrower was singed. The areas where Morrison's Swampert used Hammer Arm were broken. And there were more…
"They thought it was an official event," Norman said. "I know these people personally. They're not the kind to cause a ruckus."
"I'm sorry Mr. Maple," Jenny shook her head. "Something this scale can't be ignored. Please let me do my job."
Norman stepped back, defeated. He turned to Gary and lowered his head.
I closed my eyes as the inspector approached to handcuff me.
"I think you needn't go that far," an angelic voice spoke at that moment. Or perhaps, the situation I was in made me hallucinate it as an angelic voice, but I don't care. I opened my eyes, to face a familiar blond beauty.
Following her was Charles Goodsho and some other blond guy in a pretty suit. Man, I am glad that I know these people.
"The rules strictly say that those who indulge in battles outside nets are liable to criminal charges and are to be banned from the PWT," Officer Jenny said. "I understand you may have friends, Champion. But we can't bend the rules for you."
A collective groan came from all of us. Yeah, we all have to pay for our crimes…
"Well you can't arrest them," the blond guy in the good suit said.
"Who might you be?" The Officer asked, eyeing the man who was obviously stranger to her.
"Harvey McMillan," he took out a card from his pocket. "I'm the in charge of the planning committee of the PWT."
Goodsho gave the man a strange look for some reason. "When did you make yourself a card? We just made the deal." Goodsho for some reason looked surprised.
Harvey smiled at this, "When Cynthia asked me for help."
The old man looked as if the guy called Harvey was unbelievable while Cynthia did the same by shaking her head. Although she was smiling.
"Well anyway," Harvey cleared his throat, facing Jenny. "This is in fact an official event that was witnessed by the Champion herself."
"From your office room?" Jenny asked raising an eyebrow, obviously knowing that he was trying to cover up for us.
"It's a good vantage point," Harvey said casually, "You get to watch all of the participants without missing anything."
"I can't believe him," an exasperated Jenny looked at Cynthia.
"I'm afraid Harvey is correct," Cynthia said. "What happened now was official." The officer rolled her eyes at this.
"You may have to pull back your vehicles ma'am," Harvey said, looking at his watch. "It's 7PM. Two more hours till the opening ceremony starts. You don't want to clog the crowd."
Officer Jenny, although unhappy had to nod. "Let's go," she told the officers. In a few minutes, the police along with their vehicles were out of sight.
"Cynthia," I walked to the Champion along with the rest of the crew. "I'm glad you came. I'm sorry for what happened."
"Someone tricked us," Morrison said. "If I get my hands on him—!"
"Now now," Cynthia chuckled, "You needn't go that far. Just keep yourself away from trouble."
"By the way," Harvey spoke, "Your name is Ash Ketchum, isn't it?"
"Yes sir," I replied. I'm not sure who exactly this guy was, but he saved our skin today. "Thanks for all that."
"I prefer if people thank me with actions," Harvey smiled. "Ash Ketchum, Paul Veilstone and Tyson, could the three of you join me in a walk?"
The three of us exchanged glances at his strange request. "Y-Yeah," I said.
"Well that's settled," Virgil sighed in relief. "I was scared for a second."
He expected the brown-haired Gary to say something, but he remained silent, deep in thought.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
Gary looked at Virgil, but his thoughts were focused somewhere else. "No," he shook his head. For a second, Virgil noticed Gary glaring at Conway.
"I see," Virgil muttered.
"There they are!" Dawn pointed when they approached the group. When they heard the sirens, the women hurried on their way towards the commotion.
Misty pushed a burly man away, she didn't know his name. She looked around, expecting the raven-haired trainer somewhere.
Could it be? The thought sent a shudder down Misty's spine. "Did they arrest Ash?" She asked Ritchie, one of the people she knew.
"Oh my gosh," May overreacted. "They arrested Ash!"
"Oh no," Dawn looked aghast. "Why did they arrest, Ash?"
"Will the two of you be silent," Iris hissed before Misty could. 'Thanks Iris.' She thanked the woman silently. Iris nodded in acknowledgment.
"Nothing happened girls," Harrison came forward. "Cynthia took care of the situation."
Misty heaved a sigh in relief. "Where's Ash then?" She asked.
"Oh about that," Ritchie said, "Some League official took him because he wanted to talk with him. He'll join us later."
Misty couldn't help but feel bitter. Every time she wanted to meet him, he keeps drifting away. Why couldn't he wait for her when he visited Cerulean? Why couldn't he wait now? He knew she was coming, right? He was the one who organized this so-called reunion with his friends, didn't he?
"It's strange isn't it," Norman said, "Ash's the one who suggested all of meet here. And now he's somewhere else."
She couldn't agree more.
"Yeah," Iris said gloomily. "Let's wait till he returns then. The show starts at 9PM doesn't it?"
"I think they're opening the gates already," Gary joined the conversation.
"Where've you been, Gary?" Harrison asked. "We were in some deep trouble."
"I was just helping Virgil take care of it," he pointed to the blonde who joined the group.
"Bianca," he asked, "What happened to the ice cream?"
"I…," the woman was blank. "I threw them away."
"Why don't we get some inside the stadium?" He added with a smile. The woman was obviously elated by this and ended up hugging him. The scene made everyone else blush.
"Look at them all lovey-dovey," Burgundy watched from afar. She gnashed their teeth, "They're going to break up pretty soon, don't they?"
Georgia and Casey looked at the woman strangely. "I see," Casey nodded. "Now I understand her problem." Georgia gave her a matter-of-factly nod.
"Well if it isn't Burgundy," a male voice greeted them. The purple haired woman looked back in surprise. Her eyes immediately drew in a frown and her lips became pursed.
"Humph," she turned away, ignoring him.
He looked in the direction the women looked and found Bianca and Virgil in a hug. "Hmm, the beautiful taste of romance," Cilan smiled. "Ah, it's so refreshing."
"What's so great about him anyway?" Burgundy murmured in Georgia's ears. "Mr. Know-it-all." She grumbled.
Georgia couldn't help but give an exasperated sigh.
"So," Gary said, turning from one person to the other. "All the friends that Ash met during his journey, huh." He noticed two of them leave, one of them was Richard and the other was a red-haired guy.
At that point Cilan joined the group, probably after a good day tasting trains, he added to himself. He brought three girls along with him. 'More girls eh,' Gary noticed one of them, the pink-haired was particularly good.
"If it isn't Miss Dragon Master," the said woman gave Iris a haughty smile.
"Well Miss Dragon Buster," Iris retorted. "Shut up your mouth. Gary's saying something."
"Now let's don't be so rude," Gary said brushing his hair. He wasn't a fan of catfights.
Noticing that the crowd's attention shifted to him completely. "Uh, Ash doesn't seem like he's coming," Gary said, checking his watch. "I think he'll join us later. So why don't we go on instead? We have four gym leaders with us. We can try some good seats if me move in quick enough."
"Of course," Morrison yelled. He placed a heavy arm around Ritchie. "We're all Ash's buddies. We're all buddies too, right?" Ritchie gave him an uncomfortable smile.
"Yeah," Stephan said putting his heavy arm on the other side of Ritchie, "Let's go then," either of them pulled Ritchie along with them.
"I sure don't wanna be him," Max said.
The rest of the group laughed as Ritchie wriggled between the hefty men.
The Rose-Red Stadium…
The group occupied the entire second row inside the main stadium. Vincent took the first seat. Much to her dislike, Burgundy was placed right next to Cilan. Gary took a nice seat between May and Georgia. It balanced things out for him.
Misty sat next to May, followed by Iris, Candice, Zoey and Dawn, who was right next to Conway, the latter kept throwing strange looks and grins at her. Beside him, Kenny was giving a sheepish smile. Beyond Kenny was Harvey , Drew (who was throwing glares at Gary as he sat beside a certain brunette), Harrison, a contrastingly short Casey right next to him, followed by Max and Norman.
Following them was the couple Virgil and Bianca (who now shared an ice cream), next to them was Trip followed by Cameron and bonkers Barry. In the corner was Ritchie, sandwiched between Morrison (who kept claiming they were best buddies) and Stephan (who agreed with Morrison and showed their affection by squishing Ritchie).
The Rose-Red stadium was a grand sight. It had a capacity to hold fifty thousand people. As the number of participants was more than forty thousand, the invite to the opening ceremony was given only to the participants and the PLA staff members.
The stadium was flicked with different colors of the neon light that gave the darkness a different glow. There was an excited chatter among the crowd who were mostly participants. It was perhaps the first time that the participants were forced to sit in the stands and the rest of the world could enjoy the show only through the television.
The neon lights disappeared, instead multiple white floodlights were turned on, illuminating the oval stadium.
A huge stage sat on the field, and was filled with eminent people like the Elite Four and the Champions of the five regions, Mr. Goodsho and of course one Mr. Harvey McMillan.
"That League guy is over there," Morrison yelled. "Where's Ash and Tyson?"
"They better hurry up," Drew muttered. "They're missing a grand scene."
The stage was connected to the stairs that led to the huge bowl on top of the stadium. It was where the league fire would be lit and left to burn continuously for the next few days the tournament progresses.
There were huge screens everywhere that were arranged to show the field from different angles. A copter hovered in the sky, as the video footage of the grand ceremony was taken from the top.
A tall blonde woman, walked to the center of the stage. The Champion of the Sinnoh Region, Cynthia wore a black sleeveless dress that had flower patterns all over. "To all those who have come this far," her voice resonated through the speakers. "The time has come. The prestigious PWT is about to begin in three more hours. But before we move on to the grand ceremony, the speeches and all other programs, we are going to treat all of you with something more exciting."
The crowd that went wild with Cynthia's arrival settled down. A silence followed the grand stadium. The crowd gasped as the stage on which Cynthia stood suddenly moved down while the battlefield split in two halves at the same time.
The crowd was utterly confused when the two halves of the stadium closed again, creating an empty battlefield.
"A surprise to all those people over here." A familiar voice echoed through the speakers. "It's me Freddy O'Martian! "
More quietness followed. It was amazing how around fifty thousand people could maintain such silence.
"That's right my friends. Before we move onto the main ceremony, we are going to be treated with five exhibition matches. Now isn't that EXCITING?!"
The crowd absolutely went berserk when the news came out. "Whoa, exhibition matches?" Stephan jumped in joy. "Nobody told me about that."
"Five of them?" Barry was more than excited. "This is amazing, dude!"
"It was meant to be a surprise. A good surprise. And so friends, without further ado let us welcome the battlers of the first exhibition match of the Pokémon World Tournament, Rosenburg Cup!"
Thunderous applause rang through the stadium right after.
"We need more sound from the audience. This isn't just any match, it's the first match of the World Tournament!"
Having been satisfied by the uproar that came after—
"Alright, that's more like it. And now bringing on the first of the two people who will treat us to this feast of a battle!"
A deadly silence engulfed them again. It was amazing how the sound went from super loud to silence, Misty thought. Such was mob mentality.
"He's the three time winner of the Unova League. The man who made it to the top 8 of the last Champions League ten years ago and has been training in Rosenburg Island ever since. His Excadrill is known for defeating Cynthia's beastly Garchomp! Friends, I present to you the title favorite JASON VALENTINE!"
The reaction that came after that caused May to close her ears. "He's really popular!" She screamed.
At that moment, a princely blond man walked into the battlefield, waving to the crowd around. He took a firm stance on his side of the battlefield as he waited the announcement of his opponent.
"Of course he is," Gary said, "I can't believe I didn't recognize the guy when we met in the Elite Battler's Conference. He was speaking with Ash and his Dad." He remembered how Jason Valentine saved Ash and Alex from some old man called Veteran Clarke.
"And now coming to face the title favorite…" The crowd settled down to let the commentary announce the second name. There was a brief silence. "He has reached the top 16 in the first ever league he participated."
"Wait," Dawn said. "That sounds…"
"He had been placed top 8 in three league performances and reached his pinnacle at top 4 in the Sinnoh League two years ago."
"No, no," Misty said, "It's just a coincidence."
"He completed Scott's epic Battle Frontier."
"No, not at all," Misty was hysterical. "It's just coincidence girls."
"He has defeated Drake of the Orange Archipelago."
"That's too familiar," May was holding her chest.
"Here comes the trainer of the next generation. He isn't a title favorite, but he's picked as the blazing star of the tournament. Let me welcome you—"
"It can't be!" Morrison already wrecked his chair. "Don't tell me!"
"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
Woo hoo! Ash's first battle in Rose Red Stadium will be with the title favorite himself. He's the guy who was rumored to have defeated Cynthia's Garchomp with his Excadrill, a feat that not even Alder's Bouffalant could perform.
But if you think that's surprising, you will crack down when you see the matchups of the first round. All set in the next chapter!
Also, one must thank Harvey McMillan for this. Why did he choose Ash of all people when there were obviously trainers better than him statistically? What is Harvey's strategy to make the tournament a success now that he took the tournament's reins?
Next Chapter 13: A Terrifying Matchup!
Extra Personal Note: Analon, I owe you too many reviews and I am ashamed to not do so already. So, for today I shall compensate with a small advertisement.
Guys, if you like a Sinnoh Saga rewrite with Ash doing some cool stuff like using his reserves from the beginning, I recommend :Sinnoh Revamped, by Analon for you.