Anyhows, here's Chapter 4, so do enjoy =)

The Downfall of Battle Club

Chapter 4

.:. Downfall .:.

Battle Club had been going on for four weeks by the point where I could muster a smile again. Battle after battle only fuelled my adrenaline for more, my lust for the excitement of being in a stadium, surrounded by thousands of thousands of people chanting my name. Even when I lost, I was still happy.

When I lost. I wasn't at rusty as I first thought, being able to beat Kenny, Tracey and Drew without much difficulty…but when it came to Paul, or John, as I was told to refer to him as, I hardly stood a chance.

Our leader was something else on the battlefield. It was as if he hadn't lost a battle in his life. No matter how hard I tried, he was the only one I couldn't seem to beat. Paul never loses, I guess – I only hoped this applied to our attempts at bringing down Giovanni and the reign of the New World.

I sat in the park that day, on a bench under the shade where the pellucid, blue sky over Viridian City was something to be marvelled at. With each passing breeze refreshing the environment, a burst of light flooded the greenery in front of me, illuminating the scene to something that could only be described as majestic.

Alas, everything would've been perfect, had it not been for a few things. Firstly, Battle Club was still very low profile. We were bettering ourselves, but there were still hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Pokémon Trainers out there who we needed to share this wonderful experience with. Secondly, Paul kept quiet about a lot of things, which began to worry me. Why doesn't he trust Kenny, Drew or Tracey? It all seemed too odd to me, but I assumed that was just Paul's way of doing things. And after four weeks of doing it 'Paul's way', I had no reason to complain.

I sighed. He did mention that he wanted to meet us all at the abandoned Pokémon Centre again, for something that he described as being 'the next step to victory'. Needless to say, I was excited and couldn't wait.

"Excuse me," a voice suddenly said. It appeared the real world wasn't able to wait for me either. I looked to my right to see the midnight hair of a beautiful lady, standing modestly with a pad and paper in her hand. "Mind if I take a seat?" she asked.

I quickly nodded, blushing in an instant. Girls never really were my area of expertise, I can admit.

"I shouldn't be so rude. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dawn Berlitz, I work for the Kanto Telegraph. Perhaps you've read one of my articles?" she explained with a charming smile.

I glanced at her, but shook my head. "Can't say I have, Miss. Berlitz," I replied.

She giggled. "Well I am fairly new to the business, but I plan to hit it big," she said, leaning into me. "I have an idea for a story, but I need help on it. I don't suppose you could…"

The hint was something even I could've caught on to. She gazed at me with puppy-eyes pressing her fingers against one another.

"I guess. What do you need?"

"Well first, your name, please?" the journalist asked, quickly grabbing out her pen and paper.

For some reason, I froze. My name? Paul uses an alias these days, and doesn't that mean I should. I mean, we are both the founders of Battle Club. Naturally, I couldn't tell Dawn that, though. Hell, I'd probably be dead if I mentioned those words.

"Ash Ketchum," I replied, taking a huge breath.

Almost instantly, she looked up from her pad with wide-eyes gazing at me. "No way! Ash Ketchum?" she excitedly said, with an overwhelmed smile. "That's really you after all these years? Forgive me. I was a huge fan of yours back a few years ago, when you were a Pokémon Trainer. I know that was a long time ago, but I loved watching your battles on T.V. I was a Co-ordinator at the time, so I can't say we've ever battled…"

I did all I could to not pull a smile. Someone knows my name? After all these years I've been recognised for my Pokémon Trainer skills? And by someone like her nonetheless.

"Wow, you really remember me," I sheepishly replied, scratching the back of my head as a flush of pink cushioned against my cheeks. "I'm flattered, but I can't say I recognise your name from Co-ordinating. I never really had time to watch T.V, and besides, that was a long time ago."

"Perhaps, but you're the one who inspired me to take on a Pokémon-related profession. Look at me now, working for the Kanto Telegraph. I guess that was a long time ago, huh? Just look at how much things have changed," Dawn said, giggling. "Anyhow, I'm going off topic. I need your help with an article I intend on writing. Just a simple question, but it requires a lot of thought. Can you help me?"

She did it again. Pulling out the puppy-eyes, she pulled me in. Not that I wasn't bothered by answering the question. I had hours to spare, anyway.

"Fire away, Dawn," I said, turning my body towards her.

Picking up her pen and paper, I began to believe that this wasn't such a good idea; and then she began talking in what looked like a much rehearsed question. "Over the recent months, there have been more and more people being caught and sentenced as a result of Pokémon-related crimes, such as battling with Pokémon and letting Pokémon out of their balls. Can you please give a response as to what you believe the reason for this rise is?" she explained to me in a single breath. "Woo, practicing that one for ages."

Pokémon-related crimes… battling… She wants me to explain why places like Battle Club exist? I wouldn't see the light of day if I mentioned how I'm part of group that is aiming to topple Giovanni. Nor would telling her that Giovanni is wrong is something to be told.

"Well, I guess…" I flustered, going slightly red. "People just don't seem to know that Giovanni is right…" I forced myself to say. "He didn't just allow firearms to be used against Pokémon for no reason. They can be dangerous sometimes."

"Interesting," she slowly said, raising an eyebrow. "Coming from an old Pokémon Trainer like you, do you want me to just go home and believe all that? I'm a journalist for the Kanto Telegraph. Despite what you've heard, I'm not that kind of person who will write the lies. So tell me what you really think, hmm?"

She didn't look as if she wanted to give up. I never really progressed far into acting, so I guess that was my very own downfall. I wonder if she uses her good looks to get information from other people. Am I just some kind of broker for this information?

"And repeat myself?" I said, brimming a smile. "Two years is a long time. I guess I've changed a lot since then, you could say. Sorry, I can't help you."

She pouted. "No fair. But I guess if it's the truth…" she said. "But just between you and me… there are some days where I wish I had my Pokémon by my side."

The girl frowned, breathing a heavy sigh before turning back at me. "I know you're a 'changed' person who believes in Giovanni, but don't you ever get those days, too?"

I shivered, slowly adjusting my shaking head to the sky where I took a long, hard glance before turning back to the journalist. On the inside, I was smiling. Even if she misses Pokémon just that little bit, just that little bit is what a person needs to be on Battle Club's side. But I couldn't tell her, even at this point, about what I've been up to in the last four weeks. A journalist of all things?! Planning to hit it big? Well, Battle Club will hopefully one day be as big as it gets. Remembering her question, I wondered back into reality, smirking.

"Watch what you say, Miss. Berlitz, or Giovanni could hear," I jokingly said. She laughed alongside me, but on the inside, I was just happy that I avoided her question without having to tell the truth.

"Oh, Ash," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "And please, call me Dawn. Calling me Miss. Berlitz makes me sound like I'm decades older than you."

"Okay…Dawn," I said.

Now, I mentioned that I had barely any experience when it came to girls, but what happened next to me was something entirely reflex, as if my conscious worked against the laws of what I already do and know. For some reason, I did what I thought would be impossible.

"I was just wondering, Dawn," I began, feeling a drop of sweat crawl down the side of my face. I had to pull it together. Girls like confidence, right? "I was thinking if it would be… if it would be okay or sound if you- Let me start again," I said, taking a deep breath, not even looking in her direction, probably because I was too scared to see the look on her face as I broke down. "I was just wondering if you'd… want to go out for dinner sometime…you know, like a date?"

I couldn't believe what came over me. It felt entirely reflex, nor did I expect my body to force itself to say that. But I guess my conscious saw the kind of person behind the journalist mask that this girl was wearing. She was a former Co-ordinator, lover of Pokémon. She made me laugh and she's smart. She's cute, but at the same time professional. These were the things my subconscious managed to pick up for me, and that's what was about to land me a date.

That being said, I crashed back into reality where I had felt the entirety of my face go red, my hands shaking and trembling with the unwelcoming silence of anticipation that I so desperately wanted to end. I turned back to her, watching her smile with a small tint of pink cushioning her cheeks, the pupils in her azure eyes dilated.

"Y-yes, sure, of course," she replied, stuttering a little. I could have guessed that she wasn't so good at this game either. "I'm actually kinda glad I met you today, Ash, and it'd be nice to see you again, perhaps a little more formally," she said, regaining a little composure.

I only wished my subconscious was there for me for me all the time. "Great. Say tomorrow night at the Seven Stars Restaurant?" I blurted out.

"It's a date," she replied, cutely pressing a finger on my nose. "But, you know, I best be heading off. But I'll see you tomorrow, most definitely, right?" she said, rising from the bench with her pen and pad.

"Great! And yes, definitely! I'll be there," I replied.

"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow," she said with her departing message as she walking down the pavement.

I waved her goodbye with a silly smile on my face, like a little kid who has done something he deemed to be amazing. I sat back down, barely knowing that my potential was far greater than I first assumed. What triggered it, I wonder? Perhaps it was all down to Battle Club. Defying the law and defying Giovanni, doing what I want and battling, knowing that I could've been sentenced or even killed for my crime. Battle Club and battling with my Pokémon felt like I could do anything, and that anything was within my grasp. Thankfully, my subconscious paid off a little.

The park was my setting for the next few hours. I watched the clouds float past and the sun slowly disappear until only darkness was left in Kanto. It was then that I decided to walk home.

I always thought only people like Giovanni were allowed to be smug, but as I walked back to my apartment, I couldn't help but notice how everything was going well for me; I had a date with beautiful girl, I was finally battling with my Pokémon again after two whole years in the New World, and Battle Club was about to take its first big step in taking down Giovanni.

I was excited for the future, possibly for the first time in years…

…But how I envied those moments of sheer ecstasy, where I didn't have a single care in the world. Looking back, I wish I told myself never to have left that park. I did nothing wrong back then, and I didn't suspect a thing was going to happen that day. When I look back at what went wrong, it all traced down to this moment.

Things took a turn for the worst, but I didn't realise it then. No. My story about how I wished for my Pokémon back and how I wanted Giovanni to be stopped all changed at the moments succeeding my departure from the park.

"Ash? Ash Ketchum?!" I heard a voice call out, a female voice.

As I turned, I recognised an old friend, Leaf. Though, the difference between my childhood friend and this Leaf was that this Leaf had a great, big bulge. I quickly identified she was pregnant. But that wasn't the only thing different. Holding her hand was another childhood friend, someone who had a huge impact on my life during the days when I was a Pokémon Trainer – this was the guy who triggered the Downfall.

"Ashy-boy! Is that really you…?"

"…Gary Oak…?"