Pokémon: The Prism League Chapter 13: The Battle Begins
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
The finally two weeks before the Prism League had been passed quickly for Ash and his friends. During the first week Luke had made the suggestion of the group making a new movie together that everyone had quickly jumped on board with. After that the majority of their remaining time had been spent on training until finally the time had arrived. Tonight was the night of the opening ceremony of the Prism League in which the Flame of Ho-Oh would light the flame of the prism stadium. But at the moment the main focus of the night was the festival being held in Trainers Village. All through the streets were games and activities. The cheers of excitement and anticipation for tonight's later events echoed all over the valley as the festivities grew.
"Excuse me ma'am." Brock said getting the attention of a young woman working at a food stand. "How may I help you sir?" The woman asked kindly before Brock took hold of her hands. "You could do me the honor of joining for tonight's main event, but even the brilliant fire of Moltres and Ho-Oh could not compare to my burning love for yoahhhhhh!" Brock's rant was cut short as Crogunk dealt his trainer a quick Poison Jab causing him to double over in pain.
"Looks like your fire just got doused." Misty said coming up behind the breeder before dragging him away by his ear. "By the way have you seen Ash anywhere I haven't seen him for a while?"
"No, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Ash since the festival started I haven't seen him with anyone else either." Brock groaned his ear still in Misty's grip.
Hearing Brock's reply the water type trainer began scanning the crowds and easily found several of their friends. At a nearby food stand May and her Munchlax were helping themselves to the many foods the festival had to offer while being joined by the uninvited Sid.
Casey was showcasing her pitching skills at one of the game booths and Morrison and Barry had challenged each other to yet another contest, this time to see who could win the most games. Dawn was dragging a rather reluctant Zoey to stands that were selling Pokémon dolls that the former was literally squealing over.
Luke was interviewing people about the Prism League joined by his crew of Golurk, Zorua and Bianca(Unova).
Cilan now of S Class Connoisseur level had set up his own stand for the festivities and was evaluating Trainer's Pokémon. Misty also took notice of a certain purple-haired pain in the neck at the back of the ever growing line trying to deter people from visiting Cialn's booth but with no success.
Nando and his Pokémon had once again draw a small crowd to see and hear their display of music which Iris, Bianca(Jhoto) and Rebecca were currently enjoying. While across from them Ritchie and Molly were watching as Stephan caught Magikarp after Magikarp in a fishing game. Misty gave a sigh of defeat having no clue where Ash could be if not with two of his favorite training partners and his surrogate little sister. "He better not be off training, he promised all of us he'd take tonight off."
Contrary to Misty's suspicion Ash sat on a lone bench just far enough outside the festival to see the lights hear its excited occupants. However Ash attention was focused on the starlit sky. On his shoulder sat his ever faithful partner Pikachu and at his side was Riolu who both stared at their trainer oddly.
"Pika Pii Pii Chu Chu Ka Chu?" (Ash are you sure you're ok?)
"Yes master you seemed to be troubled." Riolu ask through his aura.
Ash was brought from his thoughts by the questions of his Pokémon. "Huh, oh yeah don't worry guys I'm alright." Ash said giving Pikachu a reassuring pat on the head.
"Chu Pi Pika Chu Chu Pi Pi Chu Pika Pikach?" (Then why didn't you want to got to the festival.)
"Yes, your friends all seem quite eager to attend, why weren't you?"
"I guess I wanted to think for a while, I'm just so excited that the Prism League is finally going to start."
"Pika Pii Pikachu Chu Chu Pika Pika." (This is the calmest I've seen you all mouth.) Pikachu replied.
"I know, its funny, on the outside I feel so calm, but inside I feel more pumped than ever." Ash said with total confidence evident in his answer.
"Are you sure Master, your aura feels rather calm, it doesn't seem as you said pumped."
"Not everything translates to aura Riolu." Ash answered with lighthearted laugh. "Because I defiantly feel more ready than ever!"
"I can see you haven't lost that spirit." came a voice from behind Ash.
Ash turned around to find a the president of the Pokémon League. "Mr. Goodshow."
"Good to see you my boy." The elderly man greeted kindly.
"It's good to see you to, what are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd stop by and wish you the best of luck in the competition."
"Thank you Sir, I appreciate it."
"I'm expecting big things from you in this competition you've had some of the most spectacular battles I've ever seen in the past so I hope to see more in this competition."
"I promise I'll give it everything I've got, because my Pokémon and I plan on winning this whole thing!" Ash replied confidently.
"Pika Pika!" (We'll win for sure!) Pikachu added while Riolu gave a bark of agreement.
Mr. Goodshow laughed seeing Ash's Pokémon share in his confidence. "Your Pokémon have just as much spirit as you do."
"They sure do, they want to win just as much as I do and we are gonna win, together."
Mr. Goodshow could only smile at Ash's belief in his Pokémon. "Ash I've got something I want to give." Mr. Goodshow reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
Ash took the box then opened it and looked at the contents of the box curiously. "What is this exactly?"
"That's a little bit of a surprise but trust me keep it with you it just might come in handy."
"Thank you Sir but why give this to me?"
"Because it won't work for just anyone, and I know it will work for you when the time comes." Mr. Goodshow explained.
"Well thank you than I'll be sure to give you an awesome battle to watch now!"
"Actually Ash there's something else I'd like you to do for me."
What's that?"
After the festival had ended the participants gathered outside the Pokémon League headquarters for the opening ceremony. While most Trainers were anxiously waiting for things to begin. Ash's friends stood wondering where the Pallet Town Trainer was.
"I still don't see Ash anywhere." Stephan groaned.
"Oh man where could he be?" Morrison asked hoping for an answer.
"Did anyone see him at the festival?" Nando asked having not seen Ash himself.
"No one's seen him since this afternoon before the festival started." Casey informed the group.
"I'm starting to get worried, what if something happened to him?" Bianca thought aloud.
"Lets try not to get carried away." Said Rebecca to defuse Bianca's hysterics.
"Maybe she's right, I mean Ash wouldn't miss this unless something was really wrong." Ritchie said recalling when Ash was delayed from their battle during the Indigo League.
"Oh come on if Cameron could find his way here without us having to show him the way then Ash should be fine." Stephan pointed out.
"Yeah if I, hey what's that suppose to mean!" Cameron almost agreed.
"But still nobody has seen him for hours, that's not a good sign." Virgil added.
"If Ash doesn't get here soon I'm fining him!" Barry roared.
"I don't know what your all worried about for." Said Paul who had been silent until now being the only one not panicked by Ash's disappearance.
"Well excuse us but Ash is our friend and we're worried that he'll miss the opening ceremony and the first match ups." Bianca told the purple-haired Trainer with a pout.
"No I mean why are you guys worried that he won't be here." Paul corrected. "He's been waiting for this competition just as much as the rest of us if not more, he's not gonna miss this."
The whole group looked stunned by the Sinnoh Trainer's statement none of them expecting him to be the person to have the most faith in Ash. "I think Paul has a pretty good point, we should just trust that Ash will be here." Tyson reiterated to the others.
"Attention competitors the running of the flame is about to begin." Mr. Goodshow announced over the city's P. A system.
"lets hope so." Ritchie said before he and the other gave their full attention to the announcement
"The ceremony will begin with the torch bearer taking his place at the head of the pack, from there the competitors will fallow from the city to the stadium where the Prism League flame will be lit. Mr. Goodshow explained. "And now to for the torch bearer to take his place." The entrance to the Pokémon league headquarters opened to reveal the person who would carry the torch to the stadium was none other than Ash.
"No way." Ritchie gasped
"Your kidding me." Rafe said in disbelief.
"This is so unfair!" Barry complained instantly.
Ash walked through the crowd of trainers holding the torch that held the flame of Ho-Oh with Pikachu and Riolu at his sides. Once he reached his position at the front of the crowd he found his friends waiting for him. Ash gave his friends/rivals a welcoming smile as he took his place.
All through the crowd each trainer released a pokemon that would join them in the ceremony. Bianca, Stephan and Cameron released Emboar, Sawk and Lucario. Ritchie, Vergil and Tyson were joined by their always present partners Sparky, Eevee and Meowth respectively. Nando called out his Roserade and Casey her Meganium while Morrison released his Metagross and Barry his Empoleon. Rafe and Sid chose Blaziken and Blastoise while Rebecca called on her Tyranitar. Harrison released his Houndoom, Paul released his Electivire and lastly Trip unleashed his Serperior.
The competitors and their Pokémon readied themselves awaiting for the starting signal. As a buzzer went of over the P. A system Ash took off with everyone fallowing closely behind. Thousands of Trainers and their Pokémon ran the streets of Hajime City with countless fans cheering them on from the sidelines. Excitement filled the city only motivated Ash and the others to move faster.
Looks of anticipation could be seen on every Trainers face as well as their Pokémon's as they left the city and headed for Trainers Village. At the head of the pack Ash and his Pokémon were no exception as all three of them knew that the moment they had been waiting for was as close as it had every been. As they reached the valley and the stadiums came into sight the competitors were given another boost of energy as they made their way down the hill.
As the heard reached Trainer's Village all of their eyes were set on the main stadium knowing once they reached it the competition would finally begin. As they reached the tunnel leading inside the stadium everything seemed to slow down. Ash charged toward the light at the end of the tunnel. As he exited the dark hall Ash was blinded momentarily until his eyes adjusted and he was met with an amazing sight. Thousands of screaming fans cheering him and the other runners on as they entered the largest stadium he had ever seen. The field was enormous, people filled every seat of all twelve levels but Ash's attention was drawn to one of the bottom levels first few row where he caught sight of his friends and family cheering him on.
And finally at the other side of the arena atop a giant staircase stood Mr. Goodshow who was joined by four familiar faces. Unova champion Alder the very man who had first told Ash of the Prism League. Sinnoh champion Cynthia who two weeks ago had sponsored the Prism Princess competition. Hoenn champion and Contest Master Wallace. And finally the Jhoto and Kanto Champion Dragon Master Lance. As the other competitors came to a halt on the field Ash continued on ascending the stairs to deliver the flame. Ash and his Pokémon climbed reached the top and received a welcoming smile from all five league officials.
For sixteen months Ash Ketchum trained with drive and determination with the ad of his friends for what was the greatest competition the Pokémon World had ever seen. For sixteen months Ash thought excitedly of the many battle and challenges he would face in this competition. And for sixteen months Ash waited with wavering patience and unwavering eagerness for the competition to begin. That moment was now, the Prism League had begun.
"Welcome everyone to the Prism League the greatest competition the world has ever seen." Mr. Goodshow announced from the top of the stadium with the flame of Ho-Oh burning brightly behind him. "Here the worlds most talented trainers will test their strength and skills against one another for a chance to be immortalized in the Pokémon League Hall of Fame." Both the competitors on the field and the spectator in the stand hung on every word.
"The Hall of Fame, awesome!" Said Ash who had rejoined his friends on the field after lighting the flame.
"Yeah, I can't think of a better prize than that." Ritchie agreed.
"And now for breakdown of the competition rules." Mr. Goodshow announced then stepped aside to allow Lance to take over as the stadium's big screen activated showing eight-thousand-one-hundred and ninety-two competitors.
"Wow look at them all!" Dawn gasped seeing the countless faces on the screen.
"Yeah I had no idea there would be this many Trainers in the Prism League." May admitted.
"A tournament this big was bound to have a big turnout." Gary pointed out.
"This could be bad for Ash and others." Iris said worried.
"Not necessarily." Brock spoke up. "This is different from the others Leagues in that each Trainer got here differently, there are Trainers like Ash that were invited for a long career of accomplishment but then there are Trainer that were invited because of one battle in particular."
"Brock is right, all of the Trainers invited did meet the standard to be in this competition but there is going to be a clear gap in the strength between the more skilled Trainers. Professor Oak elaborated.
"The Prism League will take place in four separate stages." Lance began. "In the first stage our will competitors will face off in three rounds of preliminary triple battles."
"Three triple battles, that's new for preliminaries." Casey commented
"Yeah and it's a quick way to thin out our ranks." Harrison added.
"In the second stage the remaining Trainers will be divided into four blocks, A, B, C and D, from there they face of in full six on six battles in the seven surrounding stadiums until only one Trainer from each block remains." The Dragon Master continued. "In the third stage the last Trainer of each block will face of in the winners circle."
"Dividing everyone into different blocks and then having the winner of each block face means that the remaining four will be some of the best Trainer there are." Cilan realized.
"Right even if someone was to breezes through their block with no problems they would still have three other Trainers roughly at the same level as them." Max examined.
"The Trainer who passes the first three stages will face one final challenge that will be revealed at a later time, should he or she succeed then they will be declared the winner of the Prism League." Lance finished his breakdown.
"And that Trainer is gonna be me, no matter what that final challenge is, right you two?" Ash asked his partners.
"Pika Pika!" (You know it!)
"We will do all that we can to insure victory for you Master." Riolu replied through aura.
"Hold on a second there's no way your gonna win this as long as I'm here!" Barry told the Pallet Town Trainer.
"And your not gonna win so long as I'm here!" Morrison jumped in.
"Fat chance, I'm winning this whole competition." Barry proclaimed.
"We'll see about that Barry." Ash countered.
"Hey take it easy you three, save it for the competition." Tyson advised
"Yeah there's no point in getting all worked up when we don't even know who our first opponents are." Rafe added calmly.
"That's right, we all need to be ready for whoever we have to face." Ritchie agreed.
"Speaking of which I'm interested to find out who is battling who." Vergil thought aloud.
"In the morning the preliminaries will begin and your opponents will be chosen." Lance continued on. "Get your rest competitors, for starting tomorrow you will all face what is to be the greatest challenge of your lives."
Every Trainer in the stadium looked up to Lance and the other Champions with fire in their eyes that burned as brightly as the flame of Ho-Oh and only one thought on their minds.
"I'm going to win the Prism League!"
The next morning the cheers of fans filled the air as they gathered in the prism stadium. On the field Ash and his fellow competitors stood together waiting to find out their first opponents while in the stands his mother, Professor Oak and his friends sat in the front row eagerly awaiting things to begin.
"You who, Ash over here honey!" Mr. Ketchum called out to her son as she began snapping photos of him and his friends on the field.
"Mrs. Ketchum they haven't even started yet, do you really need to be taking pictures already?" Bianca (Jhoto) asked as she and the others sweat dropped at the mother's antics.
"Oh but I might not get another chance to get pictures of all of them together like this." Delia replied never stopping her photo session.
"Looks like enthusiasm runs in Ash's family." Zoey said with a small chuckle.
"That's one way to put it." May said with a laugh of her own.
"You can defiantly see where Ash gets it from." Dawn laughed as well.
"This is so exciting I wish they would start already." Molly practically squealed from her seat.
"And it looks like IT is contagious." Misty referred to the energetic little girl beside her.
"I think we're all pretty excited, we finally get to see Ash in action after all those long months of training." Brock reminded the water Trainer.
"Yeah I guess your right." Misty admitted As Lance prepared to make an announcement.
"It is now time for the competitors to face the first stage of the Prism League, the triple battle preliminaries." Lance informed the crowd. "Each Trainer will face off with three Pokémon with the winner of the match moving on to the next round and then on to the next, those who win all three of their matches will move on to stage two, and now to decide the first matchups." Suddenly small round panels on the stadium field slid opened revealing white circles confusing both the Trainers and spectators. "Trainers please step into the circles."
Doing as they were told the competitors stepped forward on to the panels with skeptical looks. "This is different." Ash said to himself and as his yellow companion looked down at the circle with a look of equal confusion when the circle suddenly began to glow preventing Ash from moving. "Hey, what's going on!"
"This feels weird!" Stephan cried out as the same thing was happening to him and the other.
"How does this decide our matches?" Sid asked frantically.
"I don't know but I don't like it!" Said a panicking Bianca (Unova).
"What's happening to all of them?" May gasped from the stands before the light of the circles flashed brightly then faded taking everyone on the field with it. The occupant of the stadium looked on in shock as over eight thousand people suddenly disappeared.
As the light died down Stephan found himself on a completely different battlefield in the middle of a meadow standing across from another disoriented Trainer. "This is new."
Nando suddenly found himself on a rocky field with the surrounding area filled with geysers. "Most interesting." The minstrel said to himself.
Cameron began looking around frantically as he appeared to be on a field set in a desert. "Oh no not again." Cameron cried remembering the time spent trekking through this desert to reach Trainer's Village.
Paul had managed to keep his composure through the ordeal and was now positioned on a volcano looking out toward a field made up of stone pillars looking down into the field itself Paul found that below the pillars was a pool of lava. "So this is what they had planned."
Rebecca had been one of the few people to find what happened more interesting than frightening and she now stood on a battlefield high on a snow covered mountain dressed in a winter coat. "Amazing." The young woman said examining the clothing that had appeared on her out of nowhere.
Ash and Pikachu shielded their eyes until the light faded. The first thing Ash noticed that his cloths had somehow changed and now wore nothing more then his swim trunks. "What?" Ash said looking down in shock.
"Trainers prepare your Pokémon." Ash looked up to see he was standing on a platform in the ocean just of the coast of Hajime Island. Across from him on another platform was a Trainer in a wetsuit looking far less surprised than Ash. Between them was a referee standing on his own smaller platform.
"What's going on?" Ash asked at a loss for answered.
"The Prism League utilizes new technology to transport competitors to any point on the island to test the Trainers abilities to adapt to different setting, we are currently on the water field, here all the Pokémon and their Trainers will battle under water." The ref explained.
"Ah ok." Ash said doing his best to follow along.
"Don't worry about it kid, after I win you won't have to worry about the rules." Said the Trainer across from Ash, a young man about Ash's age with short red hair.
"What!"
"Pika! (What!)
"The name's Mike, and I'm the guy that's gonna beat you." The other Trainer claimed.
"Well my name is Ash and your the one that's gonna lose." Ash stated resiliently.
"Both Trainers prepare yourselves." The ref told both competitors.
Both Ash and Mike reached into their pockets and retrieved oxygen masks. "You ready to go buddy ." Ash asked his partner Pokémon who agreed before taking the mask offered by his trainer in his mouth then dismounting his shoulder.
Back at the stadium Ash's friends were now informed of the teleportation of the Trainers and their attention was now turned to the stadium's big screen that showed several dozen matches about to begin. "We went from front row seats to the noes bleeds in a second." Misty fumed at their situation.
"Yeah we're gonna miss everyone's battles."
"Don't worry I've got it covered." Gary said taking out his laptop and began typing away and suddenly Ash and his opponent were on the screen. "Walla."
"Wow." Everyone gasped.
"How did you do that?" May asked as everyone crowded uncomfortably around Gary.
"The Prism League set it up so people can check out any trainers match by satellite." Gary replied from his awkward position of having over a dozen people trying to squeeze together to see his laptop.
All across they island referees prepared to begin the matches. "Trainers ready." A moment of silence passed over all of Hajime Island. Trainers gripped their pokeballs tightly as their hearts began to beat rapidly with anticipation. This was the moment they had all waited for, the battle had finally begun
"BEGIN!"
(Pokémon Movie 3 Misty vs Molly Theme)
Ash, Pikachu and Mike each threw three pokeballs into the water before diving in. Ash immediately scanned his new battlefield which was composed of little moor than underwater plant life and seafloor itself. floating in front of him were his three chosen Pokémon Kingler, Lapras and Jellicent while across from them were Mike's Pokémon Tentacruel, Lumineon and Sharpedo.
"The first move's ours, Tentacruel use Bubblebeam!" Mike ordered right away then Tentacruel fired a stream of energized bubbles at Ash's Pokémon.
"Dodge it guys!" Ash ordered quickly and all three Pokémon divided from their formation and prepared to go on the attack.
"Kingler use Bubblebeam, Jellicent Water Pulse, Lapras Icebeam! Kingler unleashed it own bubble attack on Tentacruel only for it to be dodged. Lapras fired a beam of ice energy that Lumineon gracefully dodged. Jellicent gathered energy from the water surrounding them into a sphere and fired it Sharpedo.
"Sharpedo, use Ice Fang!" Doing as mike commanded Sharpedo opened its mouth and its teeth glowed blue. As the orb of water was about to his Sharpedo clamped its jaw shut instantly freezing the attack and crushing the orb in its teeth. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Not even close, Lapras use Ice Shard!" Lapras opened its mouth and fired a barrage of ice that struck all of Mike's team. "Now Kingler use Crabhammer on Sharpedo and Jellicent use Energy Ball on Lumineon!" Kingler left claw glowed brightly as the large crab swam toward Sharpedo and delivered a powerful blow to the top of its head but winced in slight pain. while Jellicent formed an orb of green energy and fired it landing a direct hit on Lumineon. "Yes, I knew teaching Jellicent Energy Ball would come in handy."
"Well I knew Sharpedo's ability would catch you off guard." Mike said smugly.
"Oh no." Ash said suddenly realizing what had happened then looked to Kingler and saw several scratches on its claw. "I didn't think about Sharpedo's Rough Skin ability, I have to avoid physical attacks on it.
"Alright, Sharpedo use Aqua Jet on Kingler!" Sharpedo surrounded itself in a layer of water then shot towards Kingler at high speeds. The large crab had only seconds to big its large claw up blocking Sharpedo who continued to push Kingler back with the strength of its Aqua Jet attack.
"Jellicent help Kingler!" Ash commanded.
"I don't think so, Tentacruel use Poison Sting!" Tentacruel fired a spray of purple glowing needles in Jellicent's direction cutting it off from Kingler.
"Lapras use Ice Beam!" Lapras opened its mouth then fired a beam of blue freezing energy.
"Lumineon, Safeguard!" As Lapras's beam was about to hit Sharpedo Lumineon got in its path and become outline in green before a light shined brightly from its body blocking the attack.
Seeing his other two Pokémon cut off from aiding Kingler Ash thought quickly of how large crab could escape. "Kingler use bubble!" While still holding off Sharpedo Kingler sprayed a foam of bubbles from its mouth that swept away Sharpedo.
"Tentacruel, Lumineon both of you use Water Gun on Kingler. Kingler looked up to see opponents to both of its sides about to fire on it when Lapras Jellicent joined it.
"Lapras use Hydro Pump, Jellicent use Psychic!" As their opponents shot to stream of water from their mouths Lapras shot a high-pressure blast of water that pushed Tentacruel's back and struck it dead-on while Jellicent shot a burst of psychic energy from its eyes that cut through Lumineon's Water Gun and scored a direct hit. "Great job guys." Ash commended his team.
"Don't let a few lucky moves go to your head, Tentacruel use Poison Jab!" Mike ordered before two of Tentacruel's tentacles glowed purple.
"Kingler use Crabhammer!" Ash commanded then Kingler's claws began glowing with energy. Both Pokémon charged one another then began to deal blow after blow with Kingler's powerful claws being matched against Tentacruel's poison tentacles.
"Jellicent use Psychic!" Jellicent's eyes glowed blue then fired another beam of psychic energy.
"Lumineon use Silver Wind!" Lumineon's tailfins glowed white and released a wind with silver crescents in it. Both attacks collided by were evenly matched as both Pokémon continued to focus more energy into their attacks.
"Sharpedo use Ice fang!"
"Lapras use Ice Beam!"
Sharpedo opened its mouth and its teeth glowed blue and became enlarged by ice then Lapras fired a beam of freezing energy that struck Sharpedo's teeth. Sharpedo seemed to suffer no damage from the attack but was stopped in its tracks unable to move forward being pushed back by the beam.
Back at the stadium Ash's friends watched with their full attention on Gary's laptop as all six Pokémon faced off. "This is starting to get good." Gary said impressed .
"Yeah Ash is doing great, especially for having to battle under water." May commended.
"Well he had a great teacher." Misty announced unsubtly referring to herself.
"And a humble one, ahhhhhhhh!" Brock remarked only to have his ear taken hold of by Misty.
"What was that?" Misty asked crossly.
"Nothing, nothing." Brock winced.
Back under the sea Ash and Mike's teams continued to trade attacks with one another.
"Water Pulse!" Both Trainer ordered then Lumineon and Jellicent formed orbs of water and unleashed them at each other.
"Bubblebeam!" Tentacruel fired a blast of glowing bubbles from its mouth while Kingler did the same with its claw.
"Jellicent use Energy Ball!" As both Tentacruel and Lumineon were distracted, Jellicent moved behind them and shot two green orbs of energy hitting both square in the back. "Way to go!" Ash commended his Pokémon who blushed at his praise but suddenly attacked by Sharpedo who chomped down on both of Jellicent's arms.
"Got you know, Tentacruel use Hyper Beam on Jellicent!" Mike commanded before Tentacruel fried a beam of concentrated energy at the still trapped Jellicent. A the beam hit an eruption of bubbles blocked both competitors view of the Pokémon. "Got it."
"You sure about that?" Ash asked clearly knowing something Mike didn't.
"What?" Mike asked then looked to the settling bubbles to see Jellicent completely unharmed and free of Sharpedo's teeth. "HOW!"
"Normal type moves don't work on my ghost type Jellicent, even Hyper Beam, now your Pokémon are another story, Kingler show them a real Hyper beam!" Kingler gather energy in its large claw then fired it in a concentrated beam at the still recharging Tentacruel.
"Lumineon quick use safeguard to protect Tentacruel!" Make ordered frantically.
"I don't think so Jellicent use Psychic!" Jellicent's eyes glowed blue as she focused on Lumineon as it swam to intercept Kingler's attack. Lumineon was then stopped in its tracks as it became outlined in blue preventing it from moving. Tentacruel was struck by the beam and buckled in pain while Jellicent used her hold on Lumineon to throw it into Tentacruel. "Now Lapras use Ice Beam!" Doing as it was ordered Lapras fired a beam of freezing energy that stuck both of Tentacruel and Lumineon.
"Sharpedo use Whirlpool!" Sharpedo began to quickly circle Ash's Pokémon who had gathered together during their attack creating a whirlpool trapping all three Pokémon.
"Guys get out of their quick!" Ash called to his team as the spiral of water began to grow larger preventing their escape.
"I'll admit your better than I thought, but now your starting to annoy me, Sharpedo, Tentacruel, Lumineon get in position and when the whirlpool stops hit them with everything we've got." Mike said his confidence returning as his Pokémon surrounded the spiral in a triangle formation ready to strike.
"Sorry but we won't give you the chance, Jellicent use Psychic on the whirlpool!" Replied the Pallet Town Trainer. Jellicent's eyes once again glowed blue and the whirlpool became outlined in the same color and began to widen then with a powerful shockwave was dispersed knocking away Mike's Pokémon. "Now Lapras use Ice Shard!" Lapras began firing chunks of ice at Tentacruel, Lumineon and Sharpedo.
"All of you charge in and hit them with Ice Fang, Poison Jab and Bounce!" All three Pokémon swam through the barrage of ice and prepared for their counter attacks.
"Kingler use Bubble!" Ash ordered before their opponents could reach them but instead of firing on the opposing team Kingler unleashed an enormous cloud of foam around all six Pokémon blocking them from sight. Inside the foam Sharpedo, Tentacruel, Lumineon had became separated and were searching their surroundings for any sign of a way out.
Lumineon scanned around for its teammates not liking the vulnerable position it was in when suddenly from underneath it Kingler's claw shot out capturing it.
Tentacruel used its tentacles to clear away the foam around it when Lapras came down from above it delivering a powerful Body Slam. Sharpedo swam through the cloud hunting for its opponents when Jellicents tentacles encircled it.
Outside the cloud Ash and Mike watched as the anticipation of what was taking place inside ate away at them before Lumineon, Tentacruel and Sharpedo were sent flying out of the cloud by Ash's team. "No way." Mike said in disbelief. "No way am I gonna lose to some little chump in the preliminaries, Sharpedo use Surf, Tentacruel and Lumineon Water Pulse!" Sharpedo eyes began to glow blue as water began to gather in front of it in the shape of a sphere. The sphere began to grow in size as more water was focused into a single point until it reach a point large enough to hit all of Ash's Pokémon at once. Sharpedo gave a loud growl as it released the sphere that was then struck by both Tentacruel and Lumineon's Water Pulse attacks causing it to grow once again in size and power.
"Alright guys time to wrap this up!" Ash told his team who each gave a cry in agreement seeing their Trainer's confidence. "Kingler use Hyper Beam, Lapras, Ice beam and Jellicent, Psybeam!" Kingler fired a powerful beam from its claw, Lapras fired a freezing beam from its mouth and Jellicent fired a multicolored beam from its eyes that connected with Sharpedo's attack cutting through it with ease and continued on to strike Sharpedo Lumineon and Tentacruel with tremendous force.
Back above the water the referee waited for any sign of the competitor and their Pokémon when three shadows began to float up from the underwater battlefield. when they finally broke the surface of the water the ref recognized them as Sharpedo, Tentacruel, Lumineo with swirls in their eyes followed by their Trainer Mike and their opponent Ash and his team. "Sharpedo, Tentacruel, Lumineon are unable battle, victory goes to the team of Kingler, Lapras and Jellicent."
"We did it!" Ash cheered after taking off his oxygen masks and took a breathe of fresh air.
"Pi Pika Chu Pi Pika!" (Round two here we come!)
"I can't believe I lost to that little punk." Mike groaned as he slumped in the water.
Back at the stadium Ash's friends burst into cheers seeing Ash's first victory of the tournament. "Alright, that was a cakewalk for Ash." May was the first to speak.
"Yeah all that training with Misty really paid off." Dawn agreed.
"As long as he keeps this up he'll pass the preliminaries no problem." Tracy stated.
"And knowing Ashy-boy that shouldn't be a problem." Gary nodded.
Ash had now returned to his starting platform and was anxious as always for his next battle. "Ok so when's my next match?" Ash asked the ref.
"Right now." The official replied.
"Right now? Ash looked puzzled until the circle he had been standing on began to glow once again and the same sensation ran through his body. "Not this again!" Ash managed to say before disappearing again.
A moment later Ash had touched down in a new location dressed in his usual cloths with a sigh of relief. "Man that feels weird." Ash said as he cheeked to make sure he was still in one piece then took note of his new surroundings, a rocky valley and across from him stood another Trainer.
"Good, I was worried I be waiting awhile for my next opponent." Said a dark-haired man wearing a white karate uniform a black belt and a red headband. "My name's Jacob, hope your ready to lose."
"That's just what my last opponent said." Ash shot back. "It doesn't take a genius to know what type of Pokémon this guy is gonna use, but with this field I know just the team for the job."
"Trainers prepare your Pokémon!" The referee ordered.
"Go Machop, Machoke, Machamp!" Jacob called out his three Superpower Pokémon.
"Wow those are some powerful looking Pokémon." Iris said with a hint of worry.
"They're nothing to worry about, Ash's fighting types are way stronger than those three." Molly said surly.
"Or his flying types could do the job." Max added.
"I'm sure Ash has a solid plan for how to handle this guy." Brock said before everyone's attention was drawn back to the screen as Ash called out his Pokémon.
"Go Riolu, Scraggy, Larvitar!" Ash called releasing the three rather small Pokémon causing his friends to face-fault.
"Brock what was that you were saying about Ash having a plan?" May sweat-dropped.
"What's Ash thinking sending those three pipsqueaks out?" Gary wondered.
"He most have some kind of a plan, why else would he make such a strange choice." Zoey pointed out.
"I hope your right about that Zoey." Dawn groaned.
Back at the battlefield Jacob and his team stood laughing hysterically at Ash's choice of Pokémon. "You really think those little wimps can beat us, your crazy."
Ash chose to ignore the black belt's laughing until he received a message from Riolu. "Master this human seems to be underestimating use."
"Don't worry about it Riolu."
"I'm not worried, merely annoyed, as you human put it I want to take him down."
"Perfect."
"Both Trainers ready, BEGIN!"
"We'll finish this in snap, Karate Chop!" All three fighting type's opened hands glowed white as the prepared to strike.
"Larvitar use Dig, Riolu, Scraggy dodge them!" Larvitar was the first to act, jumping up then diving into the ground effectively dodging Machoke's swing. Scraggy had been targeted by Machop and was jumping back dodging each swing of the slightly larger Pokémon's arm.
Riolu had be paired with the largest opponent Machamp who's four arms were all focused on the Emotion Pokémon. Luckily Riolu's smaller stature gave it the advantage of being a smaller target as well as having great speed and agility. Machamps four arms moved with lighting fast strikes that almost couldn't been see while Riolu jumped ducked, flipped and spun around its opponent's flurry of attacks. In the midst of Machamp's assault Riolu jump through its violently swinging arms then using its opponents head as a stepping stone jump behind it to reconnect with Scraggy and a moment later Larvitar once it returned to the surface.
"Alright this time use Focus Punch!" Jacob ordered. Once again the three opposing fighting types prepared to attack, this time with their fists glowing with energy.
"Dodge it guys, Larvitar use Dig!" Ash countered. Just as last time Larvitar shot into the earth as Machoke was about to attack, Scraggy began to fall back as Machop went on the offensive and Riolu was putting on an impressive display as it dodged Machamp's onslaught of punches.
Once again Ash's Pokémon escaped unharmed and regrouped with one another. "Is dodging the only trick you've got?" Jacob asked smugly.
"Maybe, you'll just have to find out for yourself." Ash shot back.
"Fine then, Brick Break!" Jacob called his team's next attack.
"Dodge it guys!" Ash ordered sticking to the same strategy ands once again fell into the motion of his team dodging while Jacob's was attacking.
While the battle raged on, back the stadium Ash's friends watched with mixed emotions. "What's up with Ash, why's he not attacking?" Max asked what everyone was thinking.
"Yeah all he's doing is dodging." Said Dawn.
"It seems like the only thing he can do against them is dodge." Delia said worried for her son.
"No if Ash wanted to attack he would find a way to, he dodging because that's what he wants to do." Brock said to calm Ash's mother's worries.
"Brock's right, Ash is staying far to calm to not have a plan." Professor Oak said referring to the confident smile that had been present on Ash's face since the start of the match.
"Low Sweep Machop!" Jacob ordered then Machop reared its leg back to kick Scraggy.
"Block it Scraggy! Scraggy reached down grabbing its pelt then pulled it up over its chest blocking Machops foot. "Nice job!"
While Scraggy was facing Machop, Larvitar was still evading Machoke using Dig. Each time Machoke was about to attack Larvitar would immediately jump back into the ground and pop out somewhere else on the field before waiting for Machoke to once again target it then dive back into the ground.
Meanwhile Riolu continued to outmaneuver Machamp with its superior agility. While Riolu moved fluidly between each of its opponent's punches the large pokemon was becoming visibly angry as it continued to miss its target.
Ash's Pokémon had once again succeeded in evading their attackers and returned to each others sides. All three fighting types glared with both annoyance and exhaustion at the smaller Pokémon who met them with their own glares.
"This is getting boring, Machop, Machoke, Machamp come at them from all sides this time don't let them run away." Doing as they were told the Superpower Pokémon surrounded Ash's team and prepared to attack. "Focus Punch!" All three fighting types charged in as their fists glowed with power ready to attack.
A wide smile spread across Ash face as they were about to strike. "Now Larvitar use Sandstrom!" Larvitar began spinning in place creating a tornado of sand that quickly covered the field stopping Jacob's Pokémon in their tracks.
"What are you trying to pull?" Jacob said blocking his eyes as he shouted over the howling sandstorm. In the middle of the storm Jacob could see that his Pokémon were staggering blindly through the sand with little visibility. "Oh no that can see two feet in front of them with all this sand and after all those attacks they're getting tired." Jacob said to himself. "No matter, the only one of Ash's Pokémon not effected by this is Larvitar so Riolu and Scraggy are sitting duck, once their out we'll triple team Larvitar." The black belt said with a smirk. "Ok you three, try and find Riolu and Scraggy forget about Larvitar!"
Jacob's team began to search as best they could for the targeted Pokémon believing them to have just as much difficulty navigating the storm as well. In the middle of the storm Machamp came across Riolu. The Emotion Pokémon stood still and unmoving with its eyes closed and its hands together in a prayer position. Seeing this as its chance Machamp prepared to deal a powerful Focus Punch to its opponent when Riolu ducked under the punch then pressed its palm to Machamp's stomach and fired a yellow blast of energy sending the four armed Pokémon flying across the field never once opening its eyes.
Through the dark walls of flowing sand the beam of light shined through brightly gaining the attention of Machop. While Machop tried to discover what had caused the beam of light it failed to notice the hole right in front of it. Suddenly Scraggy shot up from the hole and drove its glowing orange knee into Machop's face, then while still in the air formed a ball of energy between its hands then threw it landing another hit on Machop.
Machoke stumbled through the sand filled winds blocking its eyes from the offensive weather trying to find its opponents when it found itself back where it had faced Larvitar surrounded by the many holes from its Dig attacks. thinking nothing of it Machok looked into a hole but found nothing until sharp pointed rocks began to shot out of the holes and began to circle Machoke before all converging to hit the muscular Pokémon.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked rhetorically as he heard the distinguished grunts and groans of his Pokémon.
Through the whipping sands all that could be seen were the flashes of Riolu's Force Palm and Scraggy's Focus Blast. Nether Trainer gave an order, unable to see their Pokémon but while Jacob watched the flashes of light with clenched teeth and Sweat running down his face, Ash remained as calm as when the match had begun. The swirling sandstorm had finally begun to settle down allowing the Trainers to once again see their Pokémon. Jacob's team stood unsteadily with clear signs of fatigue while the only visible Pokémon of Ash's was Riolu. "Now, Scraggy, Larvitar do it!" Ash called out before Scraggy and Larvitar shot out of the holes covering the field. Scraggy formed another Focus Blast that was then surrounded by rock created by Larvitar's Stone Edge. Scraggy threw the enhanced ball of energy but at teammate Riolu who stood his ground as the orb closed then delivered a powerful open-palm strike sending it with greater force at the team of Superpower Pokémon before exploding on impact.
The remains of the sandstorm had been kicked up by the explosion leaving no visibility. The cloud began to clear show the silhouette of three figures falling over. "You have to be kidding." Jacob said in disbelief as the dust fully lifted showing all three of his fighting types knocked out.
"Machop, Machoke and Machamp are unable to battle victory goes to the team of Riolu, Scraggy and Larvaitar!" The referee declared.
"Yes, great job you guys!" Ash encouraged his team who joined in his cheers.
"That was great, Ash didn't break a sweat that match." Molly said amazed.
"Yeah I feel kind of bad doubting Ash's chose of Pokémon now." Tracy admitted.
"It was the team Ash picked that won him the match." Professor Oak said knowingly.
"It was, how?" Dawn asked.
"Ash knew Jacob's fightibf types wouldn't have many long-range attack so they would they would be attacking with close-range physical attacks." The Professor explained.
"Right and after Ash considered the field they were on he knew that it would be perfect for Larvitar's Sandstorm attack to take away their visibility and by using Dig he set the field so that Scraggy and Larvitar could travel underneath the sandstorm to attack and he chose Riolu because it could see through the sandstorm with its aura." Brock said taking over the explanation.
"So that's way Ash had Larvitar use Dig so much in the begining." Bianca (Jhoto) realized.
"That and by having Larvitar and the others dodge all their attacks Jacob's Pokémon wore themselves out making it easier for Ash to finish things with one assult." Zoey added.
"Wow, Ash is doing great, one more win and he'll make it past the preliminaries." Iris reminded the group.
"Yes, but I wonder who his last opponent will be." Cilan thought aloud.
"Alright time for my next match." Ash said fully prepared for battle but not for being teleported. "Can't I just walk!" Ash screamed before disappearing in a flash of light.
As the still new sensation of being transported faded Ash found himself standing in wide mountain range filled with large jagged rock spires shooting up from the ground. "Wow." Ash gaped at the large rock structures.
"Did you come here battle or to sightsee?" Ask an impatient voice.
Ash turned to see a young girl about his age with long dark brown hair wearing a white blouse a grey pleated skirt and brown shoes. "I came to battle!"
"Good, I could use a workout this time." The girl said surly. "My name's Tara."
"Well Tara my name Ash and hope you ready for a real battle."
"Trainers present your Pokémon." The referee ordered while raising his flags.
"Go!" Both Trainers threw out three pokeball. On Ash's side stood his very first grass, fire and water types, Bulbasaur, Charizard and Wartortle respectively. While on Tara's side was a Braviary, Pelipper and Siczor.
"Both Trainers ready, Begin!"
"Charizard use Flamethrower on Siczor, Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf on Pelipper and Wartortle use Water Gun on Braviary!" Ash commanded right away. Charizard unleashed a stream of fire from its mouth a Siczor.
"Pelipper use Bubblebeam!" Tara ordered then Pelipper fired energized bubbles that collided with Charizard's fire canceling it out.
Next Bulbasaur unleashed razor-sharp leafs from the bulb on its back at Pelipper. "Braviary use Air Slash!" Braviary created a sphere of wind in its wing and threw it smashing through the sharp leafs.
Finally Wartortle fired a steam of water from its mouth at Braviary. "Siczor use Harden!" Siczor positioned itself between Wartortle's attack and Braviary as its body shinned taking the full hit from the Water Gun but seemed to suffer no effect.
"What!" Ash gasped.
"You'll need to do better than that if you want to stand a chance against me, Pelipper and Braviary use Takedown on Charizard." Both Tara Flying Pokémon charged Ash now airborne Charizard
"I don't think so, Charizard use Slash!" Charizard claws glowed white extended to a greater length then gave a quick swipe at Tara's Pokémon who both dodge it in sync then both rammed themselves into Charizard's stomach.
"Quick, Wartortle use Bubblebeam, Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf to help Charizard." Wartortle and Bulbasaur turned their attention air to help their teammate but at they were about to attack they line of fire was blocked by Siczor flying over them.
"Siczor use X-Scissor!" Siczor swooped down crossing its claws in an x then struck both Bulbasaur and Wartortle before returning to the air above them.
"Charizard use Fire Blast on Siczor." Charizard broke away from its opponents then flew down towards Siczor but was blocked by Braviary. Seeing no chose, Charizard unleashed a burst flames in the shape of a star a Braviary who quickly dodged. Thinking this was its chance Charizard prepared to Siczor once again but was struck in the back by Pelipper. With an anger growl Charizard shot a Flamethrower at the water and flying type but missed and was then struck from behind by an Air Slash. Charizard turned and this time fired on Braviary but missed and was hit from behind by Pelipper. Charizard then realized his opponent's game. One draws his attention while the other hits him from behind. What the large dragon couldn't figure out was how he would stop it.
"Bulbasaur use Vine Wipe to bring Siczor down!" Two vines shot from Bulbasaur's back up at Siczor but the steel and bug type moments were to quick for the vines to connect. "Wartortle use Aqua Tail!" Wartortle's tail began to glow with a blue aura then a spiral of water erupted from the turtle's furry tail but was dodge by Siczor.
"Now Siczor use Metal Claw!" Both of Siczor's claw became coated in metal and once again flew down and delivered a barrage of strikes on Bulbasaur and Wartortle.
Ash looked to the field with frustration as Bulbasaur and Wartortle stood from Siczor's assault. "Their has to be something we can do, but with Siczor able to fly Bulbasaur and Wartortle can't attack of defend themselves and Charizard can't help when he's getting double teamed like that." Ash thought to himself. "Wait a second that could work."
"Siczor, X-Scissor one more time!" Tara ordered.
"Bulbasaur grab on to Wartortle and Wartortle fire your Water Gun down at the ground!" Ash called out. Bulbasaur wrapped its vines around Wartortle who then fired its Water Gun straight at the ground sending the both of them into the air dodging Siczor's attack. "Charizard catch them!" Seeing his teammates in the air and hearing his Trainers commands Charizard made a quick break from the trap Pelipper and Braviary had it in and swooped in catching Wartortle and Bulbasaur on its back.
(Anime, Kanto Gym, Intense Action)
"Braviary, Pelipper, Siczor after them quick!" Tara maneuvering its way through the rock pillars of the surrounding area Charizard had all three members of Tara's team on it tail. "Pelipper use Water Gun!"
"Bulbasaur use Petal Dance!" Bulbasaur and Wartortle turned around on top of Charizard to face their opponents then Bulbasaur produced a storm of pink flower petals that cut through the Water Gun and struck Tara's Pokémon. "Now Wartortle use Ice Beam!" The Turtle Pokémon stepped up and fired a beam of freezing energy that swept over Pelipper, Siczor and Braviary.
"Braviary, Pelipper attack Charizard from the side!" Both flying types positioned themselves at Charizard's sides when Wartortle and Bulbasaur turned their attention to Charizard's attackers. Pelipper fired a Bubblebeam while Braviary use Razor Wind. Bulbasaur battled Bubblebeam with Razor Leaf and Wartortle countered the blades of wind with its Aqua Tail.
"Now Siczor come in from above and Giga Impact!" Tara said with a smirk. Siczor flew over Charizard as the other were locked in battle then shot down with tremendous speed until it became surround by a purple aura.
"Bulbasaur use Vine Wipe, Charizard Overheat!"
"What!" Tara gasped.
Bulbasaur released its vines the wrapped one around Wartortle and the other around the base of Charizard's neck anchoring the two smaller Pokémon to him as he rolled over in mid flight shaking off Braviary and Pelipper then fired a beam of concentrated fire energy up at Siczor.
"Siczor!" Tara cried out as beam hit sending the steel and bug type back down to earth landing with a thud.
"Siczor is unable to battle!" The referee declared raising his flag.
"That's it, after them !" Tara growled.
"Charizard climb quickly!" Ash advised then Charizard flew high into the sky in the path of sunrays.
"Running's not gonna work!"
"Who says we're running, Charizard, Bulbasaur double Solarbeam!" Being in close proximity of the sun's rays Charizard quickly gather solar energy in their wings and bulb respectively then as Charizard turned around fired to beam of the collected missing braviary but both hitting Pelipper who dropped instantly out of the sky back to the field.
"Pelipper is unable to battle!" The Ref declared again.
"No more games, Braviary hit them all with Brave Bird!" Braviary picked up speed as its body became surrounded by flames as it chased after Charizard as it once again climbed high into the sky.
"Get in position Wartortle!" Ash said with a confident smile. Wartortle pulled one of its arms into its shell before pulled out its signature Squrtle Squad sunglass and through them on then jumped down and grabbed on to Charizard's tail. "Do it Charizard!" Charizard made a quick spin wiping its tail around snapping Wartortle off sending it at Braviary. "Skull Bash!" Wartortle flew at high-speed smashing head first into Braviary canceling out its Brave Bird attack and driving it back down to the battlefield with a mighty crash.
When the dust from the impact settled Wartorle stood over a defeated Braviary. "Braviary is unable to battle, victory goes to the team of Charizard, Bulbasaur and Wartortle!"
"YES!" Ash cheered as Charizard and Bulbasaur returned to the field to join Wartortle.
"PIKA!" (YES) Pikachu joined in his Trainer's cheering and was soon joined by Charizard, Bulbasaur and Wartortle."
"Oh I don't believe it." Tara groaned.
"Ash Ketchum for winning your third preliminary battle you will move on to next stage." The referee said as Ash returned his Pokémon to their pokeballs.
"Awesome!" Ash said it being the only word he could get out before being teleported once again against his will.
This time instead of an battlefield somewhere in the elements Ash found himself back at the prism stadium with dosens of other Trainers who had finished their matches. "We're back?"
"Pika Pi Pika." (I think we are.)
"Ash you were Awesome!"
"Great Job out there!"
"Well done!"
"Way to go Ash!"
Ash turned to the sound of familiar voice to see his friends cheering in excitement over his victory. "Bout time you got here." Said another familiar voice, this time it belonged to his rival Paul.
"Hey Paul, you won your matches to huh." Ash greeted the Sinnoh Trainer.
"Like I would lose in the preliminaries." Paul said plainly.
"Yeah good point." Ash laughed.
"Anyway glad to see you made it, hopefully the others faired as well as we did."
"Wow Paul that's pretty nice of you worry about." Ash smirked.
"Don't read to much into, I want to battle strong opponents and except for a few others I'd say the people in our group are the strongest I can hope to battle." Paul explained. "But most of all I want to battle you Ash."
"Well if we're lucky we'll get to in the second stage." Ash said hopeful for the battle himself.
After another half hour the preliminaries had come to end. Ash had been happy to find that all his friends and rivals had succeeded in moving on and they now stood waiting for further instruction from Lance.
"You have all done well to reach the second stage but from here on the real challenge begins." The Dragon Master began. The remaining one-thousand-twenty-four trainers will be divided into four blocks, A, B, C and D and face of in full six on six battles in the seven surrounding stadiums until only one Trainer from each block remains." Lance reminded everyone of the second stage rules. "And now to reveal the block rosters." Lance motioned to the stadium's big screen. "First is the A block."
The pictures of two-hundred and fifty-six Trainers appered on the screen. Ash and his friends stood scanning the screen for any sign of their pictures just as their fellow competitors were.
"I don't see any of use up their." Ritchie to Ash as he looked over row after row of pictures.
"Me nether, guess we don't have to worry much about the A block." Ash replied.
"I would be sure of that." Paul said seriously looking to the screen focused on one picture that Ash quickly caught sight of.
"Tobias." Was Ash's only word.
"The A block is as good as over." Paul said without the hint of a doubt.
"Now the B block." The image on the screen changed to show a new roster of Trainers this time with many familiar faces.
"Alright there I am." Ash said seeing his picture.
"Me to." Said Ritchie.
"I see me." Bianca (Unova) cheered.
"Awesome I'm in the B block." Cameron said with excitement.
"And so am I." Barry said confidently.
"Same here. "Said Vergil.
"And me to." Said Rafe.
"So the B block it is then." Said Georgia.
"Next we have the C block." The image changed once again to show the next group.
"So it looks like I'm in the C block. "Stephan said finding his picture.
"Yeah I'm in C to." Said Casey eagerly.
"So am I." Rebecca informed her friends.
"Right their with you Rebecca." Said Sid.
"C block here I come." Morrison said cracking his knuckles.
"I'm in C." Paul said simply
"As am I." Said Conway.
"C block in all mine." Trip said confidently.
"And lastly we have the D block." The finally roster appeared on the screen.
"Alright so I get D." Said Harrison.
"This should be most interesting." Nando said finding his image.
"You can say that again." Tyson said as he found his picture.
"Great now we all know what block we'll be battling in." Ash said with excitement.
"Yeah but I'm bummed I'm not in the B block with you guys." Stephan said being the only one of Ash Unova friends to not be in the B block.
"Don't worry about it Stephan, If you win the C block you could get to battle one of use still." Bianca (Unova) said hoping to cheer up her friend.
"Yeah your right." Stephan perked up.
"But to win the C block you'll have to beat me first." Morrison stepped in.
"You got it." Stephan shot back.
"And you'll both have to beat me." Casey joined in.
"Excuse me but you'll all have to beat me and that includes you to Sid." Rebecca warned the others playfully.
"I hate to inform you all but everyone going to lose to me." Conway said smugly.
"Oh please the only person here who can make that claim is me." Said Trip.
"I telling all of you now if I battle you its nothing personal when I beat you." Paul said being the last to speak.
Ash and his friends couldn't help but laugh at verbal battle the C block competitors were locked
"We will now reveal the first round matchups." Lance announced gaining everyone's attention as all four blocks appeared on the screen then began shuffling pictures until they stopped, showing everyone their opponent.
Cheers of excitement and anticipation filled the air as everyone continued to discover the person they would face when Ash finally found his. "Great their I am and I'm facing..." Ash looked with surprise to find his first opponent was the self proclaimed Dragon Buster Georgia. Ash turned to the aforementioned female to see her staring back at him with a confident smirk.
"I hope your ready to lose." Came her expected snide remark.
Ash laughed not expecting any other form of acknowledgment from Georgia. "Nope I'm ready win."
The Prism League has finally begun, Ash and his friends have passed the first stage preliminaries and are now about to move on to the second stage block battles with Ash's first opponent being Georgia. How will Ash fair in his first battle and will he have what it takes to win the Prism League? Find out next time.
I have to say how sorry I am to my readers, I was writing another story after the last chapter and by the time I was done, it was the holiday season and I never have time to write until its over. I promise in the future if I know I will be gone for a while I will put it in a author note. But for now this story is my main focus so I should be getting chapters out sooner, defiantly sooner than this one. Hopefully everyone liked the first stage and how I set up the Prism League. I also decided to try using music more in the battles so if you have thoughts on that let me know.
I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and a great start for next year.
Please read and review.