Hey guys, its GreJolteon back with a fresh new chapter. I'm ahead of schedule, which is good considering exams are coming too soon. I might not be able to update much over the next 2-4 weeks due to exams, and of course the holiday season. I'm thinking about adding a quick Christmas-related chapter to this story, but I'm not gonna think too far ahead.
Ages in this chapter:
Clemont - 16
Bonnie - 9
This and Chapter 3 are probably the only chapters that they will appear in, mainly because I don't know enough about them to be able to include them in the story (Sorry Geekchicshipping fans, this fic is not for you :P ). This is also the same reason why I decided to exclude Iris and Cilan from the "major characters" section: I didn't really pay too much attention to B&W so I don't know enough about their characters to write about them. They might show up as chapter-specific characters though, and they will be mentioned every now and then.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon. If I did, the "shipping" part of Advanceshipping wouldn't exist because it would be canon.
Anyways, Chapter 2, ladies and gents!
Back at the Kalos Conference Final...
"Ladies and gentlemen, your new Kalos champion, Ash Ketchum!"
Time seemed to stand still the moment he heard those words. After 7 years to the day he started his quest to become the greatest Pokemon master to live, he had finally taken a very major step in the right direction with his goal. He quickly remembered how he did in the Vertress Conference in Unova about a year and a half ago, and inside he was secretly disappointed in himself after his apparent regression since the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh almost 3 years ago. However, he didn't show too much of it at the time. Now here he was, finally a Champion. The idea almost seemed foreign to him. It took him six tries, but he's finally done it. He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by a very energetic rodent on his shoulder.
"Pikachu, Pika Pikapi Pika!" Pikachu excitedly said.
"Wow Pikachu, this is really happening, isn't it?", Ash smiled.
At that moment, his tired but equally energetic Greninja came to his side.
"Great job, Greninja! I'm so proud of you, of what you've become ever since you were just a Froakie back at Professor Sycamore's lab. You've really grown strong, heck you're probably one of my strongest Pokemon ever. Thank you.", Ash complimented and leaned down at the blue frog.
"Greninja!", his Pokemon came up to hug his trainer.
After this, he turned to the audience. He didn't even notice how loud the stadium was starting to get... It almost felt like a jumbo jet was hovering just above the stadium.
Diantha sighed and recalled her Pokemon, "You did excellent, Gardevoir. Thank you for battling your hardest, and take a nice long rest.".
She then proceeded over to where Ash was standing, still a bit shell-shocked at the noise of the stadium but managed to finally wave at the crowd.
"You like the feeling, huh?", a gray haired woman said to a raven haired trainer.
"Yeah, I guess. Its still kinda new to me though, the idea that I'm actually a Champion, and that these fans are actually cheering for ME", Ash sheepishly responded.
"Well, I came over here to formally congratulate you for becoming the new Kalos Champion. You are now part of an elite group of trainers in the Pokemon League. That comes with a lot of prestige and pride, being one of the best Pokemon trainers on the planet. There's no need to be shy about it.", Diantha said with a small chuckle.
"Haha, I'll try not to", Ash said rubbing the back of his head.
It was at this moment when Mr. Goodshow came out with a shiny gold trophy.
"Allow me", Diantha motioned to Goodshow, who handed her the trophy.
Diantha then began to address the audience.
"Today, you all witnessed history, the passing of the torch, a new beginning in many ways. This young man right here managed to conquer the Kalos Pokemon League at the age of 17, becoming the youngest trainer to ever become a Champion in this Pokeworld. He has made history, and I am glad to be the one passing the "torch" over from my generation, to his. This signifies a new beginning, and we must now accept the fact that trainers alike are getting much better and better as each generation passes, greatly exemplified by this young man here. Without further adieu, I present to you, the new Kalos Champion, Master Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
The stadium erupted at that moment, ranging from guys loudly cheering on their "new" idol, to girls screaming inaudibly, although Ash caught a few comments that sounded like "Marry me!" and "You're so hot!". Ash just embarassingly waved at the crowd, lifting the trophy in the air and releasing his Pokemon from their Pokeballs to let them enjoy the moment with him. Charizard, Blastoise, Greninja, and Sceptile used their Flamethrower, Hydro Pumps, and Bullet Seed attacks wildly into the air in celebration. Garchomp fired his Draco Meteor to exhibit makeshift fireworks, although being careful as to not making it too big to get close to anyone. Meanwhile Pikachu just remained on his trainer's shoulder the whole time, taking in the moment with him. He had been with Ash since that very first day, when he had other plans other than being with Ash, giving him a Thundershock to prove his point. So much has changed since that day though, and now they are the best of friends. One would be hard-pressed to find a trainer closer to their Pokemon than Ash is with Pikachu.
As the fireworks show continued, Diantha quickly addressed the crowd again to make an announcement.
"As the Kalos Conference draws to a close, we would like to end with a bang. So, I would like to invite all participants and their friends to a party/dance, being held at this very stadium tomorrow starting at 8 pm. We have taken the liberty of bringing in Avicii as the guest DJ for this event. I can't wait to see you all there, and once again, congratulations to Master Ash."
As everyone started piling out of the stadium, mainly talking about the new champion or the dance happening tomorrow night, Diantha pulled Ash aside to a meeting room. There in the room sat the Elite 4 members of Kalos: Drasna, the Dragon-type demon; Siebold, the Water-type wonder; Malva, the fantastic Fire-type user; and Wikstrom, the slick Steel-type specialist.
"Hurry up, guys! I wanna see Ash!" Serena impatiently said pulling Clemont and Bonnie along with her.
"I don't know why you're rushing on this, we can see Ash anytime we want to. Hell we're rooming with him. Why can't you see him later at night?" Clemont asked. He did have a point.
"She probably wants to be the first to congratulate Ash, and then maybe tell him 'something', am I right?" Bonnie responded, innuendo clear when she said "something". "I mean, there's no better time to confess than after your 'guy' wins the league championship, hmm?" she continued.
Serena's cheeks started to tint a deep shade of red. "Bonnie! You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Bonnie, what are you talking about? And why are your cheeks so red, Serena?" Clemont asked mindlessly.
Serena silently cursed her blood as she tried as hard as possible to avoid this conversation. "Can we just find Ash, please?" She quickly ran ahead of Clemont and Bonnie to avoid any more awkward questions.
'Yep, I definitely don't know what I'm talking about. I can read you like an open book, Serena, don't mistake me for 'just' an innocent, dense 9 year old girl, unlike this doorknob.' Bonnie silently smirked while looking at her brother, who was admiring the mechanism and technology used to light the massive flame that was burning, but soon to be extinguished signifying the end of the Kalos Conference.
She quickly dragged Clemont and ran after Serena. "Hey, wait up!"
As Ash sat down in the meeting room with the elites of Kalos, each member congratulated him, one by one. For some reason, they kept acknowledging the fact that he had become a regional Champion at such a young age. Before Ash, the youngest to ever become champion was Lance of the Kanto region, and he only became champion at the age of 21. Now, they have a boy who was just entering manhood suddenly become the most important Pokemon figure in the Kalos region.
"I hope you realize that this will become news in the surrounding regions quickly, hell maybe even the Pokeworld. Being a champion before the age of 18 is not something that happens everyday." Malva said. " Are you ready for overnight superstardom?", she continued.
"Stop dumping this on the boy, Malva. Obviously he's still a little bit overwhelmed by the attention, and its our job as the Elite 4 to help him through it.", Drasna interrupted.
"I know what it's like to deal with popularity, I am Malva the Holocaster superstar after all! Don't worry Ash! I will turn you into the most presentable champion this world has ever seen. Relish the fame, my boy!", Malva exclaimed a little too excitedly. The two male elites and Ash himself sweatdropped at this, and Drasna just gave her a glare.
Diantha quickly interrupted, "As much as we want to make Ash 'presentable', that is not why I called this meeting.", and with that she looked straight at Ash. "Ash, first of all, I would like to give you this." She pulled out a ring. "This is the Kalos championship ring. This ring will signify that you are the true Kalos Champion, kind of like a championship ring, except you are the only one who can keep this." Ash took it and mindlessly put it in his pocket. Diantha then continued, " I hope you realize what your new responsibilities are now that you are a Champion. You will have to make appearances every now and then, but more importantly you have to be ready to accept any challengers that get past these 4 and I", motioning to the elites in the room. "I know that you have been to five regions before Kalos, so you must really like to travel. What I'm really saying is, your responsibilities as Champion might get in the way of your travels, if you decide to travel through another region again. I think it's for the best if you were to remain in Kalos as long as you are the champion. I just wanted to give you something to think about. Let me know about your thoughts at the dance tomorrow." And with that, the elites and Diantha left the room, leaving a stunned Ash deep in thought.
'They think it's best if I settle down in Kalos? Am I ready for that? There's still so many new Pokemon to meet, so many people to meet in this world. Am I ready to give up that prospect to stay as a Champion?', Ash contemplated. He should be feeling happy at the thought of being a Champion, but instead his mind is only filled with questions.
It doesn't help that even before this meeting, he hadn't been feeling fully excited at being a Champion. He doesn't know what it is, but something is just preventing him from being truly satisfied with his victory. Something feels... empty inside of him. He decided not to think about it too much, and headed straight for the Pokemon center to drop off his Pokemon.
Along the way, he got many compliments from fans, a lot of wolf-whistles and numbers from girls, and a few challenges from trainers here and there, only for him to decline due to his Pokemon just being out of a hard-fought battle with the former Champion.
After dropping off his Pokemon at the Pokemon center, he made his way to the hotel village where all the trainers registered for the Kalos Conference and their friends were staying at. As he made his way to his building, he felt a hand tap his shoulder.
"There you are!" Serena exclaimed and pulled him into a hug, putting her arms around his neck. Ash was surprised at first but when he recognized the voice and the blur of blonde on his face, he returned the hug, putting his arms around her waist.
"Congratulations on winning the Kalos League, Master Ash.", she said jokingly.
"Please don't call me that, Serena. All this attention is kinda driving me crazy to be honest.", Ash frowned. Of course she hadn't seen this.
"Well don't let it get to your head, oh Mr. Champion." she said with a giggle.
'This girl is never gonna listen to me, is she?', Ash thought to himself. He suddenly thought of a way to get her back.
"You know, the Kalos League isn't the only thing I'm a 'champion' at", Ash said, getting ready to launch his attack, tightening the hug into formation.
"Oh really, now? Letting the fame get to your head already?", Serena joked. She noticed Ash tighten the hug a little, and faintly blushed at this. "Okay then, master, what else are you a 'champion' at?"
Ash didn't reply, as he began to run his hand up and down Serena's side, tickling her profusely.
Serena yelped loudly, and started laughing uncontrollably, garnering the attention of some bystanders in the lobby, including a blonde gym leader and his little sister.
"A-a-a-ash, s-stop itt! Ahhhhh!". She tried to release herself from Ash's grasp, but to no avail.
Ash then decided to elevate things further, setting her down on a couch in the lobby, now tickling both of her sides with no mercy.
"A-ashhhh p-pleasee! Hhahaha! S-stop!". Serena had no way out.
Finally Ash spoke. "Okay, but only if you promise to stop calling me 'master', or 'champion' or anything like that."
"O-o-okayy I promiseeee!" And with that, Ash finally let go, with a small chuckle. "Thank you.", he said jokingly.
Serena was still catching her breath, and pulled down the brim of Ash's hat over his eyes.
"Hey!", Ash said.
"That's what you get", Serena said with an annoyed tone in her voice. However, it was more of of a "fun annoyed".
That's when they noticed Clemont and Bonnie walking up to them.
"Uhm, what was that?", Clemont asked confused.
"What was what?", Ash asked.
"The whole 'intimate hugging and wrestling contest' you guys had over here. You guys looked so cute together like that!" Bonnie exclaimed.
While Ash didn't think of it too much, Serena's face felt like it was just hit with Charizard's Flamethrower. She turned away and looked and every direction but Ash.
"What are you talking about, Bonnie? Serena was just congratulating me, and then after that I was just trying to get her to stop treating me like royalty, that's all there is to it", Ash explained.
"Sureee.", said Bonnie.
While Ash had absolutely no idea what Bonnie was trying to say, Serena gave Bonnie a death glare that could kill. Bonnie got the hint and dropped the subject, instead bringing up a new one. "So guys, are you going to the dance tomorrow?"
"Well, as champion, I kinda have to, haha", Ash said rubbing the back of his head.
"What about you, Serena?", Bonnie asked.
"Yeah, you should come, Serena! It'll be fun.", Ash added.
Serena contemplated for a minute and finally answered, "Sure, I'll come with you guys.".
"Great! Well, I'm going to bed, life of a champion really took a toll on me", Ash said in a joking way.
"Oh lookie here, Mr. Champion has been Champion for a grand total of 3 hours and he's already showing off", Serena shoved Ash playfully.
"Haha, I'm just kidding, but seriously I'm going to bed. Good night.", and with that Ash and the rest of the group separated and went to their rooms.
When Ash made his way to his bed, he was just ready to fall into a deep slumber. He wasn't lying, today's events had really taken a toll on him. He searched his pockets for the ring that Diantha had given him earlier, but that's not the first thing he felt. He instead pulled out something which, to any ordinary person wouldn't mean too much, but to him was his good luck charm, the one thing that gave him the strength and confidence to go on in his various adventures, even though the other half of it was two time zones away right now. He examined the pink half ribbon with a shiny gold center. Although it has seen better days, the ribbon itself was still in good condition.
'I wonder how you've been doing, May. We haven't talked since after my Unova journey. I tried a few times to call you, but you're just so damn hard to track!', Ash silently chuckled to himself. 'Well, I know you're probably living the dream right now, cuz I don't know if I am, to be honest.', Ash thought, referring back to what Diantha told him earlier about cutting his journeys short. 'You're probably having the time of your life in Sinnoh contests right now, with...him.'. Ash tensed up, squeezing the ribbon a little tighter at the thought of May and the green-haired boy travelling together, and... possibly more. A stray tear slipped out of his right eye. 'I mean, why do I care so much? There's no reason for me to be feeling this way, should there be?'. Ash sighed, thinking that he definitely needed some sleep now to get rid of these crazy thoughts in his head.
Meanwhile, Ash didn't realize that he left his door at least a quarter of the way open, and someone outside his room had noticed him staring at the ribbon that he cherished so much.
'I thought that after today, you might've had some actual feelings for me, but the way you look at the ribbon tells me enough. You definitely still like that Hoenn girl you won that ribbon with. You just don't know it yet'. The blonde girl took off her pink hat and sighed. That's when she noticed the tear coming out of Ash's eye. Even from a distance, she noticed it. Instead of feeling sad about herself, she could only feel sympathy for Ash. 'Is something bothering him that much? Is it about the ribbon? Is it about the whole 'royalty' thing earlier? I wonder what it could be.' She quickly dashed from Ash's door, however, and straight into her room when she realized that Ash had finally noticed the door slightly open. He got up from the bed and closed it. Serena's heart was pounding at the close call she had gotten. However, she still couldn't stop thinking about why Ash was feeling so down, the night he became the champion of Kalos, vaulting him into superstar status overnight.
'Your heart may not belong to me, but that doesn't mean I won't help you find that smile of yours again, the smile that makes me melt, oh so much'. And with that, Serena finally turned out the lights, ready to hit the hay.
And that concludes Chapter 2. This was obviously an Amourshipping-centered chapter, with quite an OOC AshxSerena moment, but that's okay. these kind of fanfics were made because we want our fav characters to slip OOC and get on with our desired ships already!
LOL at the Avicii thing though. While this story is still set in the Pokeverse, celebrities and other famous figures from our own world may also pop in every now and then, so I guess in some way it is considered AU to some, but I don't think so.
Please review! Chapter 3 (which will be centered mainly on the dance, oh and certain feelings may or may not be mentioned) should be up within a couple of days!