Thank you all for the reviews so far, though I can't say that I'm not disappointed by the low numbers.
I've scanned through most of them and I got CynthiaxAsh shipping and Mew. I might add Rayquaza later on when Ash travels to Hoenn but we'll see. If you haven't already guessed, both Ash and Alec will be Aura users.
For people saying my OC Alec is gary stu, I don't agree. If you call being smart and analytical gary stu like then you must feel inferior or just hate people who are smarter than you and you're really going to have a bad time. He's not by all means perfect. You can't judge a character from just reading one chapter. In the first and original, still the best series of Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi and the Pharoah kicked everyone's ass, from Kaiba, Pegasus, Marik to Noah and Dartz. Hence he got the title of King of Games. I don't believe that just because a character is unbelievably strong that they're automatically Gary-Stu. You can even argue that in Pokémon, Lanca, Steven Stone and Cynthia are Gary Stu/Mary Sue. They rarely, if ever, lose.
This is probably irrelevant but I think that Ash would be different in the anime if his dad was there for him, he'd probably not act like a noisy kid for 700+ episodes. Anythings, enough of my ceaseless rambling, here is the second chapter. Also on the issue on pairings, Alec will not be paired with Misty or May, they're way too young.
~0~
Chapter 2: My Turn
"He's done it! New trainer Tensai Alec Ketchum has rewritten history as the youngest ever Indigo Plateau Conference winner! He's been absolutely fantastic from the start! A truly great joy to watch!" The commentator exclaimed with excitement as all the cameras focused on a fifteen year old boy with well-layered chestnut brown chin-length hair and blue eyes wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a hood and long khaki pants.
Next to him was a long, serpentine Pokémon covered in sapphire blue scales except for its belly, which was a bright white. It had dark glossy eyes, small horn on its forehead, and small feathery wings on either side of its head. And finally, it had small blue orbs under its neck and on the end of its tail. It was the majestic, fabled Dragonair.
The cameras focused on the duo as Alec stroked his Dragonair's neck, it cooed in response and brought its head down to nuzzle him.
A messy black haired boy and an electric mouse had their eyes firmly glued to the television when the screen suddenly blacked out.
"Hey!/Pika!" Ash and Pikachu protested simultaneously as they saw Delia Ketchum walk standing near them, remote in hand.
"Now Ashy, tomorrow's your big day…you wouldn't want to oversleep right? Besides, you've watched that DVD so many times already." Delia asked.
"But you let Alec stay up the night before he left." Ash pouted but little did he know, it did not work as well as it once did now that he was fourteen years old instead of five. He'd grown to a reasonable height through the years but his hair was still a bird's nest that refused to be tamed.
Suddenly a small Land Shark Pokémon that had a mixture of deep blue skin tackled him and growled enthusiastically.
"Alright, calm down Gible." Ash gently stroke the Shiny Gible his father had given him on his eighth birthday. Well, it was a youngling back then and it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He still got embarrassed whenever he remembered his mother weeping that her son was now a parent since it was technically true.
"That's because your brother didn't need me to wake him up." Delia responded and smiled as her youngest son merely blushed in response. Ash was tongue-tied, Gible and Pikachu laughing at him certainly didn't help at the slightest, knowing he was beaten he merely sighed before putting the DVD of his brother's taped Indigo Plateau Conference championship into a protective case and sulkily walked out of the living room, Pikachu and Gible in toll.
"You want me to tuck you in Ashy dear?" Delia called out and was responded by an embarrassed yet loud, "NO!"
"Aw, my little Ashy is all grown up." Delia said to herself with a proud smile.
"You can tuck me in if you want." Edward Ketchum whispered playfully as he hugged his wife from behind.
Delia giggled before petting her husband on the head, "Behave yourself Edward, at least until Ash is finally on his journey."
The married couple then walked out to the backyard and sat comfortably on the bench. "Time's been fast hasn't it?" Edward asked softly as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder.
"I would be lying if I said it hasn't." Delia sniffed, "I just wish Alec could come home more often…now Ash is leaving too."
"You know he can't dear, and you know our Ash, I don't think him staying here will be good for him." Edward tried to soothe his wife, he was thoroughly impressed by his eldest son's performance. At each of the conferences, so far in official records he'd won each match without losing one Pokémon, which was unheard of.
"I guess it's a mother's thing, how silly of me." Delia smiled as her husband gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"You're not, though I do wish Alec will come around…since I did promise him a battle. He's probably scared that he'll lose to his old man." Edward said thinking deeply, the trophy room on the second floor had some new additions since Alec had started his journey four years ago. Thirty-two badges and four league trophies added next to his father's accomplishments.
Never had anything like this happened in history, it was inconceivable to almost everyone that a trainer with little real life experience such as Alec could sweep all the league titles in such a short period of time.
But Edward and Delia knew better as they saw their son grow up, as far as they were concerned, Alec was probably one of most knowledgeable people when Pokémon was involved.
He and his little brother had a unique connection with their Pokémon, like Alec with Lucario, they could communicate with each other using their minds though it took a long time for it to fully manifest. Pikachu, Gible and Ash understood each other perfectly despite not being able to read each other's minds. Oak was astounded when informed by Edward and Delia but sulked in protest when the Ketchums told him no experimenting.
Speaking of Professor Oak, Alec and Ash had both helped him for years around the Oak Corral and doing nothing but interacting with different types of Pokémon had been a real boost to their Pokémon education.
Also the world renowned Professor would often tutor them on various types of Pokémon from normal to psychic, their behavior and how to establish a connection with them. So it was really no big surprise to him or his wife as they watched Alec take up the Elite Four Challenge after competing in four leagues on live television and forcefully plowed his way to the top, using only one Pokémon throughout the matches.
It was only until facing against the Champion was Alec forced to use four, Dragonair, Tyranitar, Gardevoir and Lucario. Lance Wataru, the greatest Dragon Master and Champion of joint Kanto-Johto was the only one to knock out Alec's Dragonair and Tyranitar before succumbing to the challenger's Gardevoir and Lucario.
As Alec had become somewhat of a large celebrity throughout the world due to his status as being unbeaten and the new Champion of Kanto, since then, Pallet Town had attracted numerous tourists and Pokémon trainers alike to gain a better understanding of the mysterious young ace as little was known about him because he was never seen much in public.
However, Edward was crestfallen once he knew of Alec's busy training schedule with his Pokémon, it wasn't hard to figure out as his son wrote or said the same damn thing every time they received a phone call or text which was once in a long stretch of time and the time span they were getting them were stretching.
Truthfully it reminded himself of his youth when he would do nothing but train and train, neglecting everything around him including his family. He was pretty sure his son had already forgotten what day and month it was with that perseverance he seemed to have inherited from his mother.
Concurrently, back in the house, Ash was busy packing the things he would need for his journey while Pikachu and Gible watched from his bed.
Ash wasn't the only one changed physically as years of training and exercising had made the small electric mouse more muscular and less fat, it had hated the word and would sent out a thunderbolt to whoever had the guts to say it to its face.
The main recipient of it was Ash, who'd learn quickly his Pikachu didn't like to be teased about its weight after he'd tried to get his pal to lay off the ketchup.
"Okay, let's see…Pallet Town to Viridian City….might take a day at the most to get there….first Pokémon Gym at Pewter City…specializes in rock type Pokémon." Ash mumbled as he studied a giant map of the Kanto area, mapping out each of his destinations, there was also sheets of various Gym Leaders and their Pokémon used in battles.
"Pikapi! Pika, Chu, Pika?" Pikachu called as he leapt from the bed and onto Ash's head.
"Ooof! Hey buddy, just making sure everything's planned." Ash stroked the electric mouse on the cheek, which it made a soft murmuring sound of contentment. Meanwhile Gible cuddled up next to its trainer, growling contently.
Ash's attention was drawn back to the sheet with information on Gym Leaders as Pikachu pointed at the first one, his brows narrowed as he read, Speciality: Rock Type. Immediately he knew Pikachu would be at a type disadvantage but he also knew not to underestimate it, even his father had said that his Pikachu was on another level of its own.
"Don't worry pal, we'll get over it. Won't we guys?"
"Pika!"
"Rawr!"
"That's the spirit." Ash exclaimed, petting his two best friends on their heads. After reading over his traveling plan one last time, the messy black haired trainer carefully folded his map and notes into his backpack. As he prepared for bed, his eyes glazed over a photo of him and Alec. He was only eight years old as he stood next to his brother who held his Indigo League trophy with a solemn smile on his face. The picture was taken at Professor Oak's.
"I'm so far behind…I'd better kick it up a notch tomorrow. You held up your end of the bargain now I will do my very best to uphold mine." He thought as Pikachu jumped onto the bed and curled up next to him and Gible took her spot at the foot of his bed, he knew that Alec was waiting for him at the top, for that battle he'd promised nine years ago. With that, he fell asleep.
~0~
Mt. Moon was a place of mysterious beauty, located in northern Kanto, between Pewter and Cerulean City. Climbing was impossible, as a result, travelers could only use the caves to get around. Despite its peaceful outlook, it was anything but within.
Deep in the caverns, men and women dressed in black uniforms with a large red R imprinted on their chest as well as black colored hats and goggles. They were excavating what seemed to be bones of extinct Pokémon. They were a part of Team Rocket, a rising criminal organization that steals, captures and then sell rare and strong Pokémon. They also conducted unethical, cruel experimental research on Pokémon.
"Sir, check this out, a complete Aerodactyl fossil as well as Kabuto, Kabutops." A grunt informed his superior.
"The boss will be please." The group leader replied as he took out a phone and was about to dial a phone when a bone chilling laughter filled the cavern.
"Hehehehe….Now what have we here?" The spine-shivering voice asked. All the grunts stopped in their work to face the lone figure crouching at the entrance of the cavern,
"Who's there? You dare interfere with the business of Team Rocket?" The Rocket commander held out a Pokéball, as did his subordinates behind him. The unknown intruder was male, around six feet in height and was dressed in black shoes, long khaki pants, a black sleeveless shirt, a purple hooded cape and walking closer, a silver mask hiding his eyes.
Suddenly, the Rocket Commander dropped the Pokéball in his hand as he desperately clutched his throat, "So weak…pathetic…you believe your organization is powerful… only to be reminded of what true power is." The masked man mocked softly, a purple aura surrounding him. In his right hand was a gold scepter with a glowing symbol of an ancient wheel carved at the end of the blade.
"Now, drop dead." The masked man commanded in a warped tone and the Rocket Commander dropped to the floor with a blank expression on his face to the terror of the grunts. They tried to back off only to find that all exit tunnels suddenly caved in.
With their desperation, the Rocket grunts send out all their Pokémon, Houndooms and Golbats. Their commands were ignored as their Pokémon turned on them, their eyes glowing purple and growled.
"How ironic, the oppressed and enslaved are now rebelling…" The masked man wielding the scepter laughed as they were subdued by their own Pokémon.
"Go now, live in peace." He pointed his scepter towards the Pokémon that belonged to Team Rocket and following a flash of purple; they raced past the mysterious man leaving him alone in the silent caverns.
"It's not about morality. It's about sending a message…" The scepter wielding man murmured as he dug his hand into his pants pocket and extracted a PokéNav.
~0~
Sunlight flowed into Ash's bedroom and our favorite black haired trainer lazily opened his sleepy eyes but they became huge after he saw it his clock. It was eleven in the morning.
"OH CRAP!" He jumped out of his bed and ran into the bathroom so quickly as if his pants were on fire. Pikachu barely comprehended what was happening as he was scooped up from the comfortable bed and in his trainer's arms with Gible under his other arm as they were soon speeding out the front door.
"Good Morning son, here's your PokéNav -" Edward greeted but was cut off.
"NO TIME, I'M SO DEAD! GOTTA GO! BE RIGHT BACK!" Ash yelled as he and Gible dashed out the door, Pikachu in hand, creating a huge gust of wind that almost made Edward drop the device.
"That boy…" Edward chuckled as he saw his son speeding towards Oak's lab.
"Pikapi, pika, pipi, pika!" Pikachu tried to get his trainer to slow down but was only replied with a, "SORRY PAL! HANG ON!"
At last they finally arrived outside of Professor Oak's lab. There was already a crowd there, and Ash wasn't all that surprised when he saw his rival, Gary Oak who had exited his grandfather's laboratory and was now walking down the stairs to greet the crowd. The crowd cheered at his presence while a nearby band began playing.
Like Ash, Gary had slightly tanned skin and spiky hair though his hair was brown and he had brown eyes as opposed to Ash's black. He was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, purple pants, black sneakers, and a greenish-yellow sphere attached to a cord around his neck. As they locked eyes, Gary started his usual game of trying to get under Ashy Boy's skin.
"Well, well, well…if it isn't little Ashy-boy, coming to get his first Pokémon." The taunts might have worked but after hearing it for years, Ash found it becoming increasingly boring.
"On the contrary, little Gary," He smirked as Gary glared at him, "I already have my starting Pokémons."
"Oh really?" Garry inquired in a sarcastic manner, "Where?"
"Pika, Chu, Pika!" The red circles on Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity, next to Ash, Gible gave a deep menacing growl, making Gary take an involuntary step back.
"You're looking at them. And if I had to guess you picked a Squirtle." Ash said bluntly while folding his arms in an unimpressed manner. When Gary had a look of surprise on his face, Ash merely raised an eyebrow, "You blabbered on and on about getting a Squirtle for weeks so it wasn't difficult to figure out." He added.
"Hmm…looks like you've got some brains in you after all. Ashy-Boy. Well smell you later." Gary ended their conversation as he swaggered over to his convertible along with his gaggle of cheerleaders and drove off amidst the cheers.
Ash then muttered an insult that would have made Delia Ketchum go off in a rage if she were present before walking into Professor Oak's laboratory. After assisting the elderly professor for years, he'd become quite familiar with the lab layout.
"Ah, Ash…I was wondering when you'll show up." Oak said as he turned away from his computer.
"Sorry about being late Professor." Ash flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Well, I suppose it will have no effect since you told me last time that you want to start your journey with your two friends." Oak replied, amused.
"That's right!"
"Pika!"
"Rawr!"
Oak chuckled, one look and you could see that there was something special between Ash, Gible and Pikachu, like that of between long time friends.
"Alright, here are your four Pokéball, as well as your Pokédex." Oak handed the items to the black haired boy who had a gaze of long awaited anticipation in his brown eyes. Now he could understand the joy his older brother felt, receiving his five first ever Pokéballs.
"You can use these Pokéballs to capture wild Pokémon as well as receiving new information or adding new information with your Pokédex." Oak instructed.
Ash nodded and was about to leave when he noticed the projection on the giant screen on the wall next to Oak's computer. It depicted the statistics and levels of a sea lion Pokémon covered in a pure white coat with a small black nose and fangs protruding out of its upper jaw. Ash immediately recognized it as Alec's Dewgong.
"Pikachu use thunderbolt!" Ash called as he faced his brother and his Dewgong.
"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu's cheeks crackled with yellow electricity and released a bolt of electricity, shooting at the seal Pokémon.
"Counter with Aurora Beam! Then use Hail!" Alec commanded.
Dewgong growled with anticipation as it opened its mouth and shot a powerful multicolored beam that collided with Pikachu's thunderbolt, resulting in an explosion.
When the smoke dissipated, Ash gritted his teeth as he saw the field of grass had become covered with ice.
"Pikachu use Quick Attack."
"Pikapi!" Pikachu rushed at Dewgong.
"Dewgone, use Aqua Ring," The seal Pokémon shot rings of water at the electric mouse, causing it to turn and twist to evade them.
"Use takedown now!"
"Use thunder!...What?!" Ash was astounded as the seal Pokémon had only winced from Pikachu's thunder attack before it slammed into Pikachu despite it being out of the water.
"Pika!"
"Pikachu!" Ash called out as his pal was knocked backwards due to its size disadvantage.
"Now's our chance, Hydro Pump!" Alec called and Dewgong launched a huge jet of water that hit Pikachu straight on.
"Pikachu!" Ash hurried to his Pokémon and gently picked up the water drenched and injured electric mouse.
"Dewgong, return. You did great," Alec smiled gently, petting the seal Pokémon and earned a lick to the face, "Now go take a rest."
"Dew!" It responded before diving into the pool.
"It's okay Pikachu, losing is nothing to be ashamed of." Ash comforted his pal, who looked down.
"Ash," Alec said as he walked over.
"I…it seems that I have a long way to go still…I-" Ash stared at the ground, his big brother wasn't called tensai for no reason.
"Ash, you can be as good or even better than me," Alec said in a soft tone, which caused both his little brother and Pikachu to perk up, "Do you why you lost to me?"
"I wasn't strong-"
"No, you got cocky!" Alec scolded in a serious tone, "Never underestimate your opponent, even if you have a type advantage. If you go into a battle thinking you'll win for sure without a calm, level headed mindset, you're going to struggle."
Ash clenched his fists tightly, since that day he fought against Alec, he had changed his attitude completely. More determined than ever to prove to his older brother that he was capable in becoming stronger. He thanked Professor Oak for the Pokéballs and Pokédex and left the lab.
He was shocked when he saw his parents and the rest of the villagers waiting for him at the entrance, he was then immediately engulfed in a bone-crushing hug by his mother.
"Mom!" Ash protested, blushing.
"We're so proud of you, honey!" Delia spilled, tears in her eyes as she slowly unwrapped her arms from her son.
"Here, son, you were in such a hurry you forgot this." Edward smiled as he held out a PokéNav.
"Thanks dad." Ash responded, taking the device and gave his father a fist bump, though he couldn't help but notice that something was missing.
Delia saw right through it as she placed a comforting hand on her youngest son's shoulder. "I know you feel a bit down but I'm sure Alec would be very proud of you today."
Immediately Ash felt better and with a final hug from his parents, along with an embarrassing reminder from his mom to change his undies.
"You two ready?" Ash asked his electric mouse companion, perched on his shoulder as well as his Land Shark companion.
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu gave a fist pump with its small yellow paw. Gible gave him a growl of affirmation.
"Alright, here we go!" Ash said with much enthusiasm as he and his two Pokémon started to walk down the path out of Pallet Town and begin their journey on becoming the greatest Pokémon Master.
~0~
"I'm not going and that's final." A young man in his early twenties with layered chin length chestnut brown hair, well chiseled facial features and ocean blue eyes said in a cold tone as he surveyed the three Pokémon from the edge of a large pool.
One blue with small feathery wings on either side of its head, a small blue orb under its neck, gentle dark glossy eyes and a small horn on its forehead.
The other was much fiercer and considerably scarier, a bulky bipedal crocodilian Pokémon that is primarily blue with accents of red and yellow. The thing that could frighten most of its opposition was its jaws.
The last was a bipedal Pokémon. It had a large cobalt blue body and large three-fingered hands with two orange gills that protrude from round patches on its cheeks. Its head has two large semicircular black fins that extend from the top of its orange eyes to the back of its head. Its tail fin is big, broad, and black. It has a white underside and orange ridged portions above its hands and three-toed feet.
"Alright lady and gentlemen, go take a ten minute break." Alec instructed with a slight smile. Dragonair, Feraligatr and Swampert all nodded as they submerged into the clear water to rest.
"Please Alec, I know you don't like these formal gatherings but you've been absent in every single one as of far. The Champion of each region has to be present!" A man with red, spiky hair wearing a dark cape over a blue outfit with orange trim implored.
Alec remained silent as he watched his Aggron spar against his Tyranitar on a rocky terrain nearby. The two dinosaur, armored bipedal Pokémon on his team held nothing back as they both released their most powerful Hyper Beam attack on each other. The two beams met each other and collided, resulting in a huge explosion.
"They're still just as competitive, just like yesterday when they were but Aron and Larvitar." Alec thought with a smile as he saw the two titans fought. He still remembered how he saved the two young orphans after he learned that their parents were hunted and caught by poachers.
At first they were scared, believing that he'll hurt them but after eating some of his specially made Pokémon food as well as witnessing the care and respect he had for his Pokémon, the two baby Pokémon grew to admire and respect their trainer like that of an older brother. Although it was safe to say, Alec could no longer hoist them up and give them piggyback rides after they evolved, he still loved them like family.
"Master, I agree with Lance…as much as you hate to, we all decided that it would be for the best if you interacted with some humans instead of us all the time." Lucario's deep voice resonated within his trainer's mind as the bipedal jackal Pokémon leapt into the rocky terrain from the branch of a tree and temporarily stopped Aggron and Tyranitar in their next round of attacks. Both of his tanks shot their trainer a roar of agreement.
"Fine Lance, since my Pokémon has decided to start a mutiny and take your side, where is this damn thing held at?" Alec glared at the Dragon Master who smiled in victory, ignoring the Kanto champion's icy stare.
"The limo is waiting outside, so get dressed. You have ten minutes." Lance replied before leaving the enormous back yard.
"Alright everybody listen up!" Alec called out. Lucario, Aggron and Tyranitar came over and in the pool, Dragonair poked her head out of the water and his Feraligatr and Swampert submerged, with Feraligatr spraying his trainer with a large burst of water. That caused Swampert to laugh heartily as it admired the handiwork of its friend.
Meanwhile a shiny white glow flashed next to an arm folding Lucario, revealing an elegant Pokémon wearing a white elegant ballroom gown, covering its white, long slender legs, the underside of the gown was light blue color.
It had light blue curls coming down the sides of its head. Its arms were also a light shade of blue and at the end were long slender fingers, giving a false illusion as if it wore gloves. On its chest and back were orange fin like horns and finally it has spikes to the side of its face that resembled a masquerade mask covering its glowing orange eyes.
"What is your wish, master?" The shiny Gardevoir inquired through telepathy as it handed her master a towel.
When traveling in the Hoenn Region, Alec had encountered Gardevoir when she was but a Ralts, heavily injured as she was separated from her mother when poachers came after her because she was different than any of her species.
In her fatigue, she had used her last ounce of strength to flee into a clearing where Alec was making camp, she was touched as the kind hearted young man gently wrapped her with blankets before taking all the oncoming poachers with his own Pokémon despite that they didn't know each other and that it'd be much easier for him to stand aside.
Also throughout the battle, Ralts noticed that within the young human, was a powerful aura but she could also detect deep sorrow within him.
After watching the humans who were hunting her being subdued and promptly taken away by humans wearing strange blue uniforms from under her blanket. The young man had healed her by spraying a stinging medicine that she didn't like though fortunately, the effect didn't last long and after a few hours of undisturbed peaceful sleep in addition to some of the most delicious food she'd ever tasted, she was good as new.
She felt rather sad as the young trainer had fulfilled his promise of returning her back to her mother, her mother had saw right through her and had asked Alec if he could take her daughter with him on his journeys so that she wouldn't have to live with the fear that one day, poachers would return.
He'd hesitatingly accepted and Gardevoir soon became one of his strongest Pokémon.
"Thank you Gardevoir..." Alec said as he dried himself with the towel, not in the slightest amused by the prank played by his Pokémon. "As I was about to say before being interrupt. Because I apparently have duties to attend to, you'll all be given the day off." Alec smiled when his team cheered and roared, "Lucario, Gardevoir, please make sure nothing happens to them while I'm off. And please, what ever you do, do not level the place again, gentlemen" Alec shot his Aggron and Tyranitar a warning glare while they sheepishly scratched their heads in embarrassment much to their trainer's amusement.
"Very well."
"Yes Master." Gardevoir and Lucario answered and with much reluctance, Alec slowly walked back into his two-story house.
Walking up the stairs, and into a spacious room with a king sized bed, a computer on a desk, bookcases. He slid the door of his closet to a side and taking out a specific set of clothes, he began to change.
When he was finished he observed himself in the mirror, black dress shoes, a black shirt under a narrow, fitting silver suit and a straight thin purple tie. With a sigh, he walked out of his room, down the stairs and after catching a final glance at his Pokémon out in the field, he exited the front door of his house, it was close to sunset.
Locking the door and front gate mechanically, he approached the long black limo and the chauffeur quickly opened it for him. Once he climbed inside, he was not surprised to see all the rest of Elite Four inside.
"I was rather skeptical when Lance informed us that you'll be coming with us this time, what made you come out from hiding?" A woman with reddish purple hair styled in a ponytail, blue eyes with thin lens glasses, black top with no sleeves, a purple skirt, and black high heels teased. Alec narrowed his eyes as he ignored the comment.
"At least I don't parade myself like an immature attention seeking girl…I truly, from the bottom of heart, pity you Lorelei." He rebutted coldly.
"Hey, a girl's got to make a living somehow." The Master Ice-type trainer smiled, not at the slightest bit offended.
A large, well built man with long dark hair tied in the back next to Lorelei chuckled, he was wearing long white pants with a black belt secured tightly to the waist and a white vest that revealed his rather large muscular arms.
"Bruno…" Alec greeted simply.
"Champion…" Bruno, the Master Fighting-type Trainer nodded with a respectful tone.
Alec was in no way a huge muscular guy like himself but his inner strength, will, and confidence more than made up for it. Bruno was in no way an amateur when it came to fighting off challengers and trainers alike but never had he seen a person so calm, so sure of himself. Even when he watched Alec challenge Lance, there was no panic, no fear and not once was he caught off guard, like he already knew the outcome and he did.
Yet even when he had won the title of Champion, Bruno could see neither happiness nor excitement on Alec's face, only disappointment and boredom now that there was no one left to beat. He wasn't just unstoppable he was utterly monstrous.
It also applied to his Pokémon, they weren't just strongest he'd ever seen, they were all-rounders, his Aggron being one of the most memorable knew Surf, Flamethrower, Thunder, and Solarbeam.
Since then, the Kanto Elite Four was officially the strongest out of every region. Even when they were pitted against the Elite Fours of other regions in mock matches, they were still king of the hill. Bruno snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a feminine giggle.
"What's so amusing Karen?" He asked the woman sitting between Lance and himself.
She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long silvery-blue hair and silver eyes, wearing a strapless black dress that went to her knees that accentuated her perfect figure as well as matching colored heels. And to demonstrate her specialty, she wore an onyx necklace.
"Oh, nothing at all. It's just strange you two greet each other in the same manner every time." The Master dark-type trainer replied, smiling. Karen had one of the largest fan bases as well as being one of the most attractive female trainers of the five regions.
"Well, if you haven't already knew Karen, they're men, they don't understand the etiquettes of socializing." Lorelei smirked at Alec who merely raised an eyebrow in response.
"Alec, have you seen the papers?" Lance suddenly said in a serious tone and the atmosphere became deathly quiet.
"No, I haven't. Why?" Alec replied as he took out an updated slender and smaller version of a PokéNav and began typing.
"Le Creuset struck again, at Mt. Moon." Aside from Alec, the rest of the Elite Four stiffened.
A couple years ago, a mysterious figure nicknamed Le Creuset appeared out of thin air and started to interfere with the operations of criminal organizations with ill intent towards Pokémon, most notably, Team Rocket. Those he came across never came out of the ordeal the same again.
There was nothing the authorities could do about it, as he came and went as he wished, vanishing from one region and reappearing in another.
Nothing was known about Le Creuset, though from rare video footages, he was a tall man who wore a purple hooded cape, a black sleeveless shirt, long khaki pants and a frightening silver mask that covered his eyes. He also had a personal vendetta against Team Rocket and absolutely loathed trainers who mistreated their Pokémon.
While he did not end the lives of trainers who used their Pokémon as tools, he'd utterly and mercilessly destroyed them in a Pokémon battle resulting in his opponents being sent to the hospital.
He was sending a clear message, "Mistreating your Pokémon will not be tolerated."
Strangely enough, no one claimed to have memory of the incident, a whole day of their lives were erased permanently, though a video of the battle was actually captured as the silver masked trainer commanded an unknown large Pokémon hidden in the shadows that tore through his target's Pokémon like paper.
"A part of me believes that he is correct yet I cannot but wonder if his methods could be less extreme." Lorelei shook her head, she'd heard rumors of Le Creuset of not actually being human but a vessel for the spirits of dead Pokémon that had been mistreated and abused.
Of course they were only rumors and the part time lecturer thought they were ridiculous though the silver masked man did seem to have unnatural powers.
"Alec? Why is it that you're the only one that seems to be unafraid whenever Le Creuset is mentioned?" Karen asked softly, staring straight into the Alec's ocean blue eyes. Alec merely stared back, and Karen felt herself blushing as her heartbeat quickened.
"Hmmph…maybe that's because I can understand why he does the things that he does," He replied emotionlessly, staring out at the skyscrapers outside, "People like Team Rocket, and Pokémon poachers, people who do whatever is necessary to catch, sell, experiment on Pokémon to satisfy their own selfish and greedy desires, not caring who gets hurt in the process and can get away with it with just a slap on the wrist makes one wonder…Does justice and righteousness really exist? As for the trainers? They don't deserve to be trainers if they see their partners as only tools to be used." It was very well hidden but Karen could hear the cold anger and disgust laced in the calm tone.
"How long do until we get there Lance?" Alec asked after minutes of silence. "Ten Minutes." The Dragon-type master replied and received a nod.
~0~
Elsewhere, Ash heard his new PokéNav rang and saw a new message had been received. With curiosity, he opened it and excitement and motivation flowed through his body as he saw that the sender was his big brother.
Hey Ash, So…you're starting your journey today huh? I hope Mom wasn't too heartbroken. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there while you left Pallet Town, certain duties came up that I needed to take care. Nevertheless, I know you'll do well.
Good luck,
Alec
P.S.- I still haven't forgotten the challenge you gave me nine years ago. I'll be waiting.
Placing the PokéNav back into the pocket of his dark jeans, he called out to Pikachu and Gible. "You two good ready? We had some help but we're almost at Pewter City."
"Pika!"
"Rawr!"
~0~
Alec remained calm and steady as the door of the limo was opened and watched as Lorelei exited first, then Bruno, Karen and Lance. Slowly he climbed out of the limo and was greeted by violent and mechanical flashes as the media were dying to get him to answer their repetitive and pointless questions.
Luckily for him, men dressed in black suits held back the photographers and reporters as he walked past Lorelei, Karen and Lance who enjoyed the spotlight more than him. The reporters who were interviewing them spotted him and immediately shouted to grab his attention, to which he ignored.
"I see that you are still avoiding the media after a long awaited appearance." Bruno remarked as the four Kanto Elites and Champion walked into an elevator that was rapidly rising, the back of the shaft was made of clear glass, allowing the people inside to see the Pokémon Village outside.
"I didn't become a trainer just for the attention of the fickle spotlight. I thought you were with me on this one Bruno." Alec replied.
The large man smirked, "So I am."
"And here I was thinking you were both camera-shy." Karen remarked as the elevator came to a stop.
"You thought wrong. I just could care less." Alec replied bluntly as the elevator doors opened.
Soft, classical music from a live band flooded Alec's ears as he stepped out of the elevator. At once, everyone in the large main room stopped in their conversations and business as they all stared at the new arrivals. They seemed surprised that the prodigy was actually present in this year's gathering.
Lorelei and Karen quickly adapted to the atmosphere and began talking to the female gym leaders. Bruno opted to fill his stomach first as he headed to the tables laden with delicious smelling food. Lance gave his cousin and Blackthorn City Gym Leader Clair a big hug, which caused those around them to laugh.
In contrast to them, Alec merely got himself a glass of ice cold, green colored cream soda before approaching an elderly man who was staring out the large pane windows.
"It's been a long while, Master Pryce." Alec said as he stood next to the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town.
"I see that you have not yet learned to not address me by that title." Pryce replied, he had a head of white hair and wore a long blue trench coat that went below his knees, a white scarf, long khaki pants, and brown shoes. Supporting his arm was a walking stick.
"I did learn from one of the best, so I figured it was apt to do so." Alec smirked before he took a sip from his drink, besides being one of his childhood idols and a Champion level trainer in his youth, Pryce was also his mentor for a period of time after he'd visited Mahogany Town. Pryce was also instrumental in 'training' him before his challenge against the Elite Four.
The older trainer would never admit it but on more than one occasion, he had seen flashes of himself within the younger trainer. Alec continued to surprise him even after ascending towards the throne of Kanto & Johto. Never once did he become complacent, Pryce had lost count of how many people have lost their drive for success once becoming a league champion during his many years of being a trainer. For that, Alec had his respect and he was proud to call him his student.
"Lance? Where's Alec?" Karen asked Lance, a glass of Champagne in her delicate, manicured hand.
The Master Dragon-type trainer scanned the room and had the urge to scream and smack his own face when he saw that his friend was standing next to Pryce but neither seem to be talking which was normal, considering they were had the same attitude and did not know the definition of relaxing. Karen rolled her eyes before setting her glass down on a nearby table and walked towards the two coldest trainers in the room.
"Well Clair, it would seem that you have a little competition." Lance teased his cousin, though they were only cousins, Lance saw Clair more as his little sister.
"What-what do you mean?! Shut up Lance! He is not my crush!" Clair retorted angrily yet a slight tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks. She, like Karen, was around her early twenties.
Her hair had a different style than most, having light blue hair with one small bang going down her forehead, while her side bangs reached the end of her face and it stuck out at the end, and had a ponytail that reached her mid back. She wore a tight dark blue outfit that hid nothing, showing her nice curves and well developed chest. Along with her clothing she wore gloves with black rings at the end, and high heel boots with two rings at the top. Like her cousin, she wore black cape with a dash of red at the bottom, and a pearl necklace.
"Whatever you say, Clair…though I just wanted to let you know that I approve." Lance nodded sagely and as a response his cousin socked him right in the face causing him to fall to the floor causing him to see Dragonites flying around his head.
"So, care to leave your daydreams for a dance Alec?" Alec snapped from his thoughts as he turned around and saw Karen smiling with amusement. At the edge of his eye, he thought he saw a flash of amusement from his mentor as Pryce excused himself.
"Might as well." He sighed before nodding and soon he was pulled onto the dance floor as a new song started playing. While he wasn't fond on intimacy, Karen was a small rare exception. While Alec was a good trainer, dancing was another thing. He wasn't terrible, but not as brilliant as he was at training Pokémon.
One thing was certain, Wallace would definitely be laughing at him if he were present. He'd become even more theatrical and dramatic after becoming the Gym Leader of Sootopolis. Constantly harassing him with video calls and other forms of communication with the sole purpose of getting him to 'loosen' up.
"What's on your mind? You know it doesn't send a girl a positive message when the man she's dancing with isn't paying attention to her." Karen smirked playfully.
"Nothing at all, just trying hard not to step on your feet…and you look quite good in my honest opinion." He replied, causing the Dark-type trainer to giggle.
"Why thank you good sir." She smiled sweetly causing Alec to clear his throat uncomfortably.
"They make a pretty good couple." Whitney, a girl in her late teens complimented. She had pink colored hair that covered her forehead and two pigtails at the back. She was wearing a white short sleeve shirt with reddish pink trim and gold buttons, a blue short skirt and knee length black and blue striped socks and pink heels.
"I agree though I admit that...I am quite jealous." Jasmine, a bleached brunette dressed in a knee length white dress and the Gym Leader of Olivine City muttered, averting her eyes. She'd still remember the memories they had during the times their paths crossed each others.
"Hphmm." Lorelei commented as she watched Alec and Karen on the dance floor.
"Not bad for a person who does nothing but train Pokémon 14 hours a day in the past couple of years." She thought with a smile.
Despite his apparent cold and unapproachable exterior as well as their countless 'verbal spars', Lorelai knew Alec respected her as a trainer and though she know that he'll never admit it even under the threat of being stung by Tentacruels, she was a friend. That was more than good enough for her since she knew that his list was really short. She broke out of her dreamy daze when the song ended and Karen slowly released herself from Alec's embrace.
"So…Karen, I trust you enjoyed yourself." Lorelei teased the silvery blue haired trainer who lightly blushed at the mock accusation.
"It was rather…nice." Karen said in a soft tone. Meanwhile Alec was ready to return to the background until this formal get together was done when he spotted Clair, who had forgone her cape and was nervously twirling her gloved hands in a chair.
"My little cousin Clair seems a bit down, tell you what, go dance with her and I won't tell Agatha that you've been sidestepping your Champion duties." Lance said with a superior smile as he suddenly appeared next to the tall silver clad young man.
As soon as the former Master Ghost-type trainer was mentioned, Alec's eye twitched. Though she retired, Agatha was the only trainer which he feared facing against, her Gengar was an absolute nightmare to deal with. It was the only time he didn't win as his Dragonair and Agatha's Gengar fainted at the same time in an unofficial match shortly after his Indigo Conference win.
It was worse when he became champion and Agatha had found out that he'd been skipping out on Elite Four meetings and gatherings, her trio of Ghost Pokémon made sure he was pranked at the most inopportune times.
"I underestimated you Lance, never thought you'll use such malicious underhand tactics. This is blackmailing and a disgrace." Alec sighed in defeat as he walked off towards the Blackthorn City Gym Leader.
Meanwhile Clair was pondering as she sat, her glass of champagne ignored completely. What her cousin had said earlier had affected her more than she would like to admit. It was true that Alec was quite attractive with his cold attitude in addition to his rather dashing looks and while he did not shower her with compliments on her looks, the first of many, the way he commanded his Pokémon was simply enamoring.
Though she had lost when he challenged her for the Rising Badge, it was one of her most memorable battles. In a long time, she felt happy, excited and the burning desire within her to do the best she can as they battled. It would seem that he was the only one that could evoke such feelings, as the trainers that came after him did not make her feel the same way.
Clair was also surprised to find out that his Dragonair was the eldest sister to her newly born Dratini. What shocked her was that her grandfather was the one who gave Alec the Dratini egg as he was traveling around Kanto and Johto, looking for a worthy trainer for it and after seeing Alec fending off multiple Pokémon thieves who wanted to steal his egg as well as foiling their plot to steal the Pokémon in the Pokémon Center nearby, he'd decided to gift the young man with the egg after witnessing his actions despite the young man's protest.
And so, occasionally, Dragonair and Alec would visit so Dratini could converse as well as play with her sister and their two trainers would talk about everything regarding to Dragon-type Pokémon. Clair snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a hand extended in front of her face and as she looked up and saw the source of her confused feelings.
"I did promise in my last visit…did I not?" Alec said softly and with a smile, Clair placed her glove-clad hand in his, stood up and allowed him to gently lead her to floor, where other people were dancing.
"So…How are things in Blackthorn City?" Alec asked after enduring an awkward silence as they danced to a slow rhythm song.
"Alright I guess…though the Gym is a bit quiet, turns out we handed out the least number of badges this passing league." Clair replied, ignoring the pleasant sensation that was circulating her body as she felt his hand on her waist.
"That just proves you're on another level and that the challengers need to train more with their Pokémon." Alec replied directly and fortunately for Clair, he'd missed the blush on her face. Meanwhile, not too far away, a cape wearing Dragon-type trainer was spying on his little cousin.
"What are you doing Lance?" Bruno inquired as he approached the Dragon-master, a kebab in hand and saw the intense stare on his fellow Elite's face.
"Shhh! Not right now Bruno!" Lance replied. Bruno raised an eyebrow; while Lance was a normal enough guy and good friend he did have his odd quirks every now and then. Though he quickly comprehended what was going on as he looked upon the dance floor and smirked before he walked off.
~0~
"Gible, use Agility!" Ash commanded as Gible glowed white and escaped from the would be death coil from his opponent's Onix.
"What?!" His opponent, a boy a bit older than Ash with dark skin, squinty eyes and short pointy dark hair exclaimed.
"Jump in the air and use your strongest Dragon Breath!" Ash called out and Gible leapt in the air and arching its neck back, fired a staggering orange blast from its mouth, which slammed into the Rock snake Pokémon dead on as Rock Pokémon had slow speeds because of its heavy weight.
An intense explosion was ensured as Gible leapt back to rocky terrain with a growl.
As the smoke cleared, Onix was sprawled on the ground with twirls in its eyes. "Onix is unable to battle, Gible and Ash Ketchum are the victors!" A small boy acting as referee called out with a flag.
"Yeah we did it, you did great Gible!" Ash cried out with happiness as Gible tackled him and nuzzled him.
"Rawr!" It barked.
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu also congratulated his teammate in its happy manner.
"That was a strong Dragon Breath your Gible displayed. As the victor, I present you the Boulder Badge." The Gym Leader of Pewter City handed a grey octagaon badge to Ash, who'd gladly accept it.
"Thanks Brock." He nodded and left the Gym. He examined his new won badge as he was outside of the Gym, it was a step to the right direction, however small it was. There was no time left to relax, as there was still much to be done.
"Rawr!"
"Pikapi!" Ash shook of his thoughts and looked up towards the orange sky where Pikachu was pointing at and his eyes widened as he saw a rainbow colored bird soaring past the clouds. "Could that be…No way! Ho-oh!" Ash thought with amazement as he took out his Pokédex and took a snapshot of the mythical bird.
~0~
"I see that you have been enjoying yourself, Mr. Ketchum…good, you should be more like other young people with a vibrant social life while you still can. Leave the hermit life-style and the standoffish attitude to us old timers." Alec was enjoying a rare moment of silence as he looked outside at the beautiful night view when a booming voice shook him from his wake.
Turning his head sideways, he saw short elderly man walking up next to him. The man was wearing khaki shorts, a large red coat, and a purple hat backwards on his head. The man had a large beard and his gray hair went to his waist.
"Mr. Goodshow." Alec greeted with nothing but respect in his voice. He had not seen the man since his ascension to being the new Kanto Champion.
"Thank you for the advice, I shall take it into consideration." Alec replied though he knew deep inside of him thought that socializing was a complete waste of time. Mr. Goodshow nodded in a good nature manner and went on to greet other guests as Alec's PokéNav rang and taking out the device from his pants pocket,
Alec opened the message and smiled as he saw a photo of his little brother with a Boulder Badge, "Things will certainly get interesting around here soon." He thought to himself with a smile.
"Hello Alec." A whimsical voice behind him said softly and said man slightly froze at the sound of the voice. He could see her reflection from off the glass windows, wearing a green kimono, red slipper like shoes and a red colored headband that neatly organized her bluish dark hair.
"Thank you for the white roses, they're very beautiful and I'm sure my sister would have love them too...they were her favorite." The kimono wearing young woman thanked the man in the silver suit.
"You're...welcome, Erika." Alec replied softly.
"She wouldn't have wanted to you to be like this. Detached from the world and sad. Please for her sake, don't continue to act like this." Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader pleaded as she walked closer to him and her eyes widened as the Champion pulled her into an embrace.
"It was nice to meet you again, Eri...you've become even more beautiful," He said in a defeated voice, though the grass type Gym Leader blushed heavily at the compliment, "But I'm sorry...I can't. I have one last thing to do and that's all I have left."
With that, he released her and walked away, leaving a flushed and saddened Erika on her own.
PLEASE REVIEW! If you can follow and favorite this then you can certainly review this. I need to get better at writing and you need to give me feedback and advice on how to do that. I'm setting up a poll on which Legendary Pokémon Ash should have on his team. You can choose their or by review. Seriosly, more reviews or there isn't much to reflect and improve on.