Hey Everybody! Well, I'm very sorry for the one week delay on this chapter, but, as most of my reviewers know now, I've had a pretty rough last couple of weeks because of the Iceland volcano deal. Finding alone time to work on my story was pretty much impossible until about five days ago, so I wasn't able to fulfill my obligation to you guys like I'd wanted. However, I'm happy to say that I'm already working on chapter 27, and barring another eruption while I'm in the Netherlands, there should be no problems with updating. As usual, I don't want to talk about this chapter now and spoil anything, but look for my notes at the bottom for my thoughts.
I would also like to take this time to mention that in two weeks, I got 30 REVIEWS! They were almost all for chapter 25, and they were all very helpful. I can gladly say I received some very useful criticism which I've taken to heart, along with some very nice compliments on my story. Unfortunately, again because of the volcano deal, I was not prepared to answer every one of these reviews (though I did get to about 20 of my readers). If you are one of the readers I did not respond to though, please accept my humble apology. I promise if you review this chapter, then I will gladly write you back expressing my gratitude and informing you on the strides I'm making to complete chapter 27. Again, to my loyal reviewers, I'm sorry. If you've followed me for long, then you know I don't take a single reader for granted, and I appreciate all feedback.
As a final note, I'd like to mention that Radiant Rainstorm is having this chapter dedicated to her for providing my 400th review! Honestly, the last few chapters I've been averaging 13 reviews per installment, so reaching the 400 mark was a great surprise. Please keep it up, and remember that I accept anonymous (non-member) as well as member reviews…everyone's opinion is important to me!
Alright, go ahead and read and REVIEW!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 21
Misty: 17
Dawn: 14
Delia: 40
Oak: 55
Paul: 14
"Pikachu, use a Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded with as much authority as he could muster. Pikachu was his last Pokémon, and Paul was still on his first. The crowd was roaring its disapproval of Ash's poor performance, but neither he nor his Pokémon seemed able to overcome the trainer's unbelievable strength.
"Take it head on!" Paul cried to his Pidgey, who was hovering directly in front of Pikachu. "You can handle it!"
Sure enough, as Pikachu unleashed yet another powerful electrical assault, the Pidgey which had taken out Charizard, Torterra, Buizel, Swellow, and Heracross continued to hover in the air without flinching as it took on the voltage.
"Now, use Tackle!" ordered Paul.
Pidgey immediately dashed towards Pikachu, and upon contact with the mouse Pokémon, sent him sailing out the stadium.
"Pikachu has left the building!" cried the referee as he held up Paul's green flag. "Pidgey is the automatic victor! Paul Ikari is the new Sinnoh Champion!"
The stadium burst into applause as the despicably weak and hopeless Ash Ketchum was dethroned as their regional champion, and the mighty Paul Ikari took his place.
"Congratulations, Mr. Ikari," Giovanni spoke into a microphone as the applause continued. He had the Sinnoh League trophy in his free hand. "You are the new champion for this region. I'm sure you'll have no trouble becoming the Master either."
"How's it feel, Ash?" the hated rival questioned with a malevolent smirk.
The now former champion lowered his head and turned around rather than answer.
He figured he'd better begin searching for Pikachu now. It looked like Pidgey had knocked him into the stratosphere, and the Pokémon had probably landed miles away from the actual stadium.
With an abrupt start, Dawn awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing on the nightstand next to her cot. She grumbled as she reached over and turned off the ringing pink contraption, slowly opening her eyes and adjusting them to the fluorescent light which illuminated her cramped quarters.
"Time to wake up Ms. Stone," Nurse Joy informed the young woman cheerily as she sat up. At the foot of her bed, she could see that her Piplup had, as of yet, remained blissfully unaware of the rude disturbances and was still slumbering peacefully. "It's six a.m.!"
"That's right," Dawn grumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. She turned sideways and placed her bare feet on the cold linoleum floor, causing a shiver to creep up her spine. "Thanks Nurse Joy."
Standing up and stretching, she was unsurprised to find that her back ached slightly from the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. Back when she traveled with Ash and Brock, these accommodations would have been perfect, but after being spoiled and staying in nice hotels on Ash's dime the last few months, the thin green mattress with white sheets was no longer deemed comfortable by her body.
Shuffling to the bathroom which, because of the lack of current residents in the Center, belonged solely to her, she thought of the dream which the nurse had taken her out of. It wasn't a pleasant one, but it was one which she'd been experiencing more and more lately as the media buzzed with excitement over Paul Ikari's "astounding" victories over three of the Sinnoh Elite Four. What amazed her, as she'd watched two of his matches against Flint and Bertha, was how powerful his Pokémon appeared to be. In both matches, he'd used a set of six completely different creatures, though both were unbelievably powerful. What caused her to worry for Ash though, was the fact that he'd yet to lose a Pokémon in battle. When Ash had battled Flint, he'd been left with only two fighting partners after what many had considered a close match for most of the time, but it seemed like Paul effortlessly glided through each battle.
I hope Ash gets all the training he needs, she thought as she rinsed her toothbrush and covered it with milky white toothpaste. She didn't know the specifics, but when she'd awoken the day after the dinner party in Goldenrod, Misty simply informed her that Ash had gone off to do some training in preparation for Paul, and that as a surprise they were going to go catch some Pokémon he needed while he was absent. Apparently Misty had stolen and registered several pokéballs under his pokédex before he'd left, and she gave ten of them to Dawn, explaining that though he'd paid for a full two weeks in the hotel before leaving, it would be nice for him to come back with twenty new Pokémon under his belt, so to speak. Not wanting to show the slightest discontent with leaving their plush environment to go wandering through the wilderness for Ash's sake, Dawn quickly agreed.
After getting dressed, she gently nudged Piplup out of his slumber and grabbed her yellow backpack which contained all four unused pokéballs she had left. She'd actually only captured four Pokémon, but had unfortunately broken the other two when the creatures she was attempting to capture freed themselves and split the capsules in half.
As she walked out the door, she was glad she chose to wear her pink skirt, as the temperature had already risen considerably. Spring had just begun, but in southern Johto, near Azalea Town, the weather seemed to believe it was closer to summer than winter.
"Where should we go today, Pip?" she asked as she examined the large forest which surrounded her. The Center was placed conveniently in the middle of the woodland, which she believed was called the Ilex Forest, and she'd started the last two days in much the same way; wandering aimlessly until she came upon a Pokémon she was certain Ash didn't have. This method had been fruitful, but she still hoped to find one last creature which, according to her pokédex, resided in the area, but had eluded her until this time.
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"Gotcha!" Misty cried happily as she watched the pokéball containing the newly-captured Qwilfish disappear in a beam of light, likely teleporting itself back to Professor Oak's laboratory. That was her second capture of the day, bringing her total to five in the last three days. She'd spent all her time out at sea, riding atop Gyarados a few miles off the southern coast of Johto. Both her and Dawn had opted to go separate ways over the next two weeks in order to "cover more ground". However, both women knew that the situation was ideal for more than catching Pokémon.
Taking a break to breath in the morning air, Misty looked about lazily, seeing nothing but dark blue water around her, before sitting down and leaning lazily against her sea serpent's long neck. She held her fishing rod in her right hand tightly as the lure skimmed the top of the water, waiting for yet another creature to unwittingly fall into the trap, and she allowed both of her bare feet to skim the water on either side of the Pokémon as she closed her eyes and took a break from battling. As she'd done several hundred times since Ash had departed, she thought back to their kiss. Closing her eyes tighter, she could almost see him leaning towards her waiting lips as clearly as she'd seen that night. The flush of her cheeks which accompanied the memory only made her relish the thought more as she drifted up and down along with the choppy movements of the ocean and her loyal battling partner.
Unfortunately, another tug at her line broke her from the self-induced trance, and forced her attention back to the water, where another Magikarp appeared to have caught on her line.
"Dang it," she mumbled, standing up and reeling in the worthless Pokémon.
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"Poliwhirl, get out of the way!" Ash bellowed, as another Hyper Beam came roaring down.
"Poli!" the blue Pokémon screamed as she was sent hurtling away from the force of the attack on the ground. Though she'd dodged a direct hit, the shock wave alone was too much for her to handle. Rolling over, Ash could tell she was too hurt to continue battling.
"I forfeit!" he conceded stepping onto the battlefield to check on his friend. Leaning over, he saw that several small scrapes lined her body, but could find nothing permanently damaging. He'd known that his water type would be no match for Lance's Dragonite, but she was all he'd been left with after the powerful dragon wiped out Scizor.
"Ash, do you know what you did wrong there?" Lance asked as he withdrew his Pokémon and walked over to the trainer, who remained hunched over his injured battling partner. This was the fifth time he'd asked the champion the question today, and it was not yet noon.
"What?" Ash asked sharply, bitterness seeping into his voice. He didn't mean to be ungrateful, but for the last week he'd barely slept at all, constantly battling with Pokémon he'd barely captured before sending off to Professor Oak, and working his own body to the point of complete exhaustion.
"You didn't try to help Poliwhirl use another ice attack," Lance pointed out, apparently oblivious, or uncaring, of Ash's tiredness.
"She'd already tired herself out with Ice Beam attacks," Ash answered, amazed that this was his mentor's critique. "There was no way she could have won that battle. Dragonite had already taken three direct hits and wasn't slowing down. Maybe if you'd used him earlier I could've-"
"But that's just it Ash!" Lance interrupted, slapping his forehead in a dramatized show of aggravation. "When you face off against Paul, he won't use his most powerful weapon until you force him to. If you get through all of his Pokémon just to find he has an ultra powerful one at the end of the line, how does that help you? You need to constantly be one step ahead of your opponent if you even want a chance to beat him."
I already beat you, Ash thought sarcastically. It was true. The first day he'd arrived, he was told to select his best team, minus Charizard whom he'd returned to the Charicific Valley, and battle Lance in a full six-on-six battle. Though it'd been close, Ash's team had overcome every obstacle Lance could put in their way, including his infamous Dragonite.
"I shouldn't be using these Pokémon," Ash replied, changing topics before he said something he'd regret. He took out the pokéball of his tired Poliwhirl and returned her to the spherical resting place. Standing up, he continued. "You're making me use Pokémon who barely know me and who I barely know, and you're expecting me to win against your championship team!"
"We've gone over this, Ash," Lance answered with a sigh. "You said that Team Rocket knows everything about your battling style, including the Pokémon you use for major battles which, believe me, isn't very hard to figure out. We have to throw them off track by using these Johto and Kanto ones that you've caught or you don't stand a chance."
"But these new Pokémon don't have the strength yet," Ash pointed out.
"That's right," Lance agreed, prompting Ash's eyes to widen in surprise momentarily. "That's why it's up to you to make up the difference. Every champion team has an equal balance of trainer and Pokémon strength. That's why trainers like us are so successful; because we've mastered that balance. However, since your Pokémon don't, and won't, have the strength of a championship team when you face off against Paul, your personal might will determine the outcome of the battle."
"Well then we're in trouble," Ash replied dejectedly.
"I wouldn't say so Ash," Lance replied, causing the Sinnoh Champion to look the dragon master in the eye. "It's true you're at a disadvantage in raw strength, but Paul's also at a disadvantage. He only has raw strength to rely upon. You beat him pretty severely last year in the semifinals in strength and strategy. I'd say you're both evenly matched, but both your fortes lie in different areas."
Smiling a little at the encouraging words, Ash nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem," Lance answered, giving a friendly slap on the arm to his Sinnoh contemporary. "Now get showered in the bunker and be ready for a presentation on Pokémon anatomy in twenty minutes."
Ash's face sunk once again. Though another lecture meant he would be free from working either himself or his Pokémon out for at least a couple of hours, it also meant he'd be bored to tears. The presentations on the science of battling came about three times a day, and frankly, Ash could barely remember what he'd been taught after he left the one-desk classroom. Sighing, he ran towards his bunker.
Once inside, he quickly threw his clothes on the standard military cot he'd been assigned upon entering the training facility, and jumped into the shower. Exiting, he found yet another freshly cleaned training outfit waiting on his bed. Inclusive with the outfit was a set of black training shorts and a white sleeveless training shirt with a small pokéball over the left portion of the chest. Placing two new fingerless black gloves over his hands, he raced out the door and to the "lecture hall", which was really just a small cabin on the other side of the square half acre-sized desert facility. Once he'd arrived, he took a minute to let his sore muscles recover from the brisk jog before opening the door and finding his plain wooden desk, equipped with paper and pencil, in the middle of the dwarfed wooden structure. In front of the desk was a chalkboard and one white piece of chalk. It was here that for the last week Cynthia had trained him on all she knew of Pokémon biology and how he could use it to his advantage, depending on which types and species he ultimately chose for his battle. Sitting down, he looked at the white clock above the board and saw that he was a minute early.
However, not even a second after the realization came to him, the door slowly opened, revealing a surprise.
"Professor Oak!" Ash cried joyously as the gray-haired man walked through the door. The Sinnoh Champion jumped out of his chair and eagerly ran to the professor, who held out his hand and shook Ash's.
"Ash! How are you?" he asked, sounding equally pleased. "You look awfully tired!"
"I am," Ash answered, knowing that the black hue under his eyes had given his exhaustion away. "They've been working me really hard to get me ready for this match."
"Well, I'm sure that they have your best interest in mind," Oak replied. "Still though, try and get a little more rest at nights. The last thing we want is you sleeping in on the day of your big match!" The professor began laughing at his own little joke, but Ash simply gave a weak grin. Even though he knew the old man was being humorous, this match had become too important to even consider joking about.
"Anyway," Oak continued, clearing his throat, "as I'm sure you can guess, I'm here to give a small lesson."
"About what, Professor?"
"Well, that depends on the Pokémon you choose, Ash," the old man replied with a smile. "Wait one second." He stepped out of the small cabin again, leaving Ash dumbfounded at his ambiguous remark. As we walked back in, he pulled a small cart behind him.
"What's in there?" Ash motioned to the metallic object with his finger.
"Just take a look for yourself, my boy," Oak replied with a smile. Opening up the two cabinet doors facing Ash, the raven-haired teen saw five thin cabinets stacked on top of each other. Leaning over, he pulled one of the five open, and saw forty pokéballs lined neatly in eight columns and five rows. Below each pokéball was a name.
"Are these all the Pokémon I've caught?" Ash asked, examining the capsules with wide eyes. He'd never seen all his captures together before. Impressed by his own skill, he blew a small whistle in wonderment.
"Why, yes they are," Oak answered. "Today you're going to choose the team you want for the battle. I thought it would be better to bring all your Pokémon here so you could examine them at once, instead of trying to withdraw them through your pokédex six at a time."
"Wow! You even got Charizard and Squirtle!" Ash cried, apparently ignoring the professor's explanation. He was now on his knees, opening up each drawer; his eyes got a little wider with excitement every time he recognized an old friend.
"Charizard was easy to get," Oak explained as Ash opened the fourth drawer down. "Squirtle was a little harder to track though, I'll admit."
"And here's Ivysaur!"
"Now Ash, before you choose who you want-"
"I already know who I want, Professor," Ash interrupted excitedly, his two hands carrying five pokéballs. "I'm gonna use Croconaw, Charizard, Sceptile, Gabite, Donphan, and Pikachu! There's no way Paul could beat that combination!"
Sighing, the grey-haired man rolled his eyes. "Have the champions talked to you yet about using your new Pokémon?"
His shoulders slumped as he remembered what Lance had told him just a half-hour earlier. "But Professor, there's no way I can win with those guys!" Ash complained, sounding like an irate child. "They're too new. I need these!" He held up the five pokéballs in front of the old man as proof.
"No you don't Ash. If you just-"
"Use my head, I know that," Ash interrupted again. "But, well, I mean, I don't wanna."
"This is no time to act like a petulant infant," Oak scolded with a frown. "Paul knows all about those Pokémon, and he'll be ready to fight them. You need a new, diverse team."
"Okay, but could I at least keep a couple?" Ash pleaded, still on his knees. "I need some kind of backup in case my skill isn't enough."
Pausing for a moment, Oak finally gave a small nod. "You can take two Pokémon from your past journeys with you. Everyone else has to be new."
"Thanks Professor Oak!" Ash replied happily, turning his attention to his pokéballs. He couldn't remember which of his friends were in which capsule, but he was too worried about who to take to notice. "Well, I mean, most of the Pokémon I've been training are coming along nicely. The only new ones I haven't had a chance to train yet are fire types. So I guess I'll go with Charizard and Pikachu."
"Oh, Ash, that reminds me," the professor responded, appearing struck by realization. "We've already discussed it and we decided that you absolutely cannot use Pikachu in this match."
"What?!" Ash asked, surprised. "You're taking away all my good Pokémon except for two, and then you won't even let me use my starter?"
"I'm sorry Ash, but it's too big a risk. Everyone who's watched you battle knows that you and that little yellow guy have a very strong battling connection, and I can almost guarantee Paul's first priority was to find the perfect way of obliterating him in battle. He's much too obvious a choice, I'm afraid."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Ash looked back over his collection. "Fine, then," he said, sounding quite annoyed at all the limitations being placed on his creativity. "I'll go with Charizard and Sceptile."
"Good choices Ash," the professor responded with a grin. "I've watched them both battle, and it seems like they're the most powerful specimens you own."
"They're not the most powerful I own," Ash answered, realizing that he had no idea which pokéballs the two were in. "But they'll have to make up for Pikachu's not being there." With that, he enlarged all the capsules he held in his hands and freed his friends.
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"Lucian's Gallade takes another blow from Paul's Dragonite!" the announcer screamed, almost as excited as the crowd in the stadium at the ensuing battle. This had been the first match in which Paul had actually lost a Pokémon, his Porygon-Z, but the battle was still very one-sided. His Porygon-Z had only been eliminated after being taken out by the Elite Four Member's last Pokémon, which had successfully dealt it a powerful Close Combat.
Unfortunately for the experienced trainer, the loss only seemed to further trigger Paul's eagerness to end the battle, and within five minutes his psychic and fighting type didn't look like he would be able to stay in the match much longer.
"Use a Psychic Cut!" Lucian ordered.
"Gall-ade!" his Pokémon cried in response as his arms became dark. Looking up at the flying dragon, he narrowed his eyes and swung both arms forward. Upon contact, a huge black blade flew towards the Dragonite.
"Rush it!" Paul commanded from below.
In the blink of an eye, the Pokémon changed his trajectory and, with his body covered in a blue light, dove straight through the attack, which scarcely hindered his speed as he continued to hurtle towards Lucian's Pokémon. The orange dragon gave a loud cry as he neared the opponent.
"Gallade, get out of the-"
The Elite Four member was interrupted by the sound of his Pokémon being crushed into the ground by the Dragonite who, as quickly as he'd descended, returned to the air and hovered as he and his master waited for the dust to clear. A quick zoom-in on Lucian's face revealed a very troubled expression marring his features.
After a few moments, the dust cleared, and Gallade's mangled body could be seen, pressed at least a foot into the ground.
"Gallade!" the final member cried as he ran onto the battlefield. Even if his Pokémon had somehow miraculously survived that attack, his stepping onto the field automatically rendered him the loser.
"Lucian, the green player, has stepped onto the field and thus automatically forfeited the match. The red player, Paul Ikari, is the winner!" With that news, the stadium roared its approval of the exciting conclusion to such an interesting match.
Misty flicked off the television screen and laid back in her cot, placing her hands behind her head. That had been the most painful battle she'd ever had to watch, including Ash's first match with Brock.
He's so powerful, she thought worriedly. However, she quickly dismissed her concern. She knew Ash could beat that jerk, and she knew that he would. She just needed to have some faith.
Realizing that he'd probably answer some questions after such a stupendous battle, Misty sat back up and turned on the television once more. Sure enough the camera had panned in on Paul's smirking face.
"This is quite an exciting time for all of Sinnoh," the reporter who stood next to him said, more to the camera than to the young man. "Usually, a challenger makes it through the Sinnoh Elite Four maybe every five years, but you've done it right after your alleged rival, Ash Ketchum, a year later. Do you think that maybe Ash's achievement is what propelled you to grasp such an impressive goal?"
Mocking momentary thought, Paul gave the reporter a fake look of honesty. "I guess you could say that. However, if you've just seen these battles I've had, I think you'll quickly realize that I'm no rival of Ash Ketchum's. My Pokémon are far more powerful than anything he mustered against Cynthia last year."
"Okay, I can sense a little pride in that statement," the reporter answered with a small laugh. "But isn't it true he beat you last year?"
"That was all my fault," Paul replied, looking serious. "I was not feeling well and was just a little delusional during that battle. Had I been one hundred percent, like I am now, he wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Wow, you sound confident in yourself," the reporter mentioned with a smile. She was clearly taking such trash talk as normal trainer humor.
"I am," Paul answered. He turned to the camera. "And I want to take this moment to officially declare my challenge to Ash Ketchum, in one week, at the Champion Stadium in Sunyshore."
"You only want a week?" the reporter asked, surprised. Paul turned back to her.
"The league rules say I have to give him at least one week before the battle, so I have," he answered simply.
"Yes, but don't you want to prepare a little more than a week? Mr. Ketchum didn't defeat the entire Elite Four until mid-April, and didn't challenge Cynthia for almost a month."
"That's because he wasn't prepared," Paul answered, assuming his smirk once more. "I'm completely ready to face him in battle, just like I was ready to beat the Sinnoh Elite Four in a record seven days."
"Well you heard it here folks," the woman announced, looking back at the camera. "Paul Ikari and Ash Ketchum: heated rivals battling it out for the ultimate Sinnoh title of Champion! Watch it here, next week apparently, on PSN!"
With that, Misty flicked the screen off once more. Running a hand through her long hair, she sat on the bed, silently praying Ash was training harder than he ever had before.
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"So Charizard's attack power can be further improved if you spend the next several days keeping him in an extremely warm climate according to the Darion Theory," Professor Oak concluded, turning away from the chalkboard to see if his pupil understood the longwinded explanation. To his dismay though, Ash seemed to have dozed off at some point.
"Ash!" he yelled, startling the young man out of his dreams.
"Whu-what?!" The champion asked sitting straight up in his desk. Taking a quick glance at the clock, he saw that four hours had passed since he'd arrived at the cabin. "I was paying attention Professor!"
"No you weren't, Ash," Oak retorted. "You were snoozing. It's very important that you understand the logic behind training. We have very little time, and every second you spend sleeping on your desk is a second closer to your big match!"
Looking down, Ash apologized. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"It's alright," Oak replied in a sympathetic tone. "I know how hard you're working. But the good news is that we have your team planned out, and we've covered all the basics of how you need to train them over the next seven days. I must say, you made some very…interesting choices for your battling group."
"Thanks, Professor Oak," Ash said with a smile. The truth was, he was becoming quite excited at the prospect of entering a match with these new Pokémon. Even though he still worried about their competence in battle, the idea of an uncertain match excited him greatly since it had been quite some time, almost a year, since he'd participated in a Pokémon League battle. "I think Paul is in for a shock."
"I - oh no!" the professor cried, suddenly noticing the clock above his head as he put the chalk away. "They wanted you in personal training two hours ago!"
"Oh man," Ash bellowed mournfully. For the last week Bruno had been meeting with Ash twice a day to give him personal physical training sessions, leaving his muscles aching after every workout. "I don't even know why they're making me exercise so much! It's not like I was eating doughnuts and sitting on the couch before coming here!"
"You know what they say Ash," Oak reminded in a sing-song voice, "exercise everyday keeps safe a brain from decay."
"Who says that?" Ash asked, slowly standing up and stretching. He was in no hurry to get to Bruno.
"Actually, I just made that up, but it's pretty witty, don't you think?" The old man beamed at the young trainer.
Rolling his eyes, Ash agreed. "It's great, Professor.'
"Well you know us poets, Ash. Always ready with a helpful rhyme."
"Right…"Ash said, walking towards the door. On second thought, running a few hundred laps sounded less painful than another one of his mentor's poems. "I'll see you tomorrow Professor Oak!" With that, he ran out the door.
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"Oh man," Dawn moaned, seeing yet another Caterpie emerge from behind some brush. "I was sure it was gonna be a Pichu that time. Weren't you?"
"Pip," Piplup agreed, looking quite downtrodden by the disappointment. He and his master had spent the last several hours searching for one of the electric rodents, but they'd rarely encountered anything more than Oddish and Caterpie.
Looking down at her Pokémon, Dawn realized how tired he must have been after walking so far into the forest with her. "Do you wanna take a break Piplup?"
"Pip-lup!" the small penguin Pokémon cried, slapping his wings together joyfully.
Dawn had packed a small lunch in her backpack. Finding some shade, which was not difficult at all within the lush pasture of foliage, she sat down and leaned against a tree. She opened a small jar of Pokémon food and placed it in front of her friend, and then took the bag of potato chips she'd packed for herself out. As she munched on the chips quietly, she thought back to her dream that morning.
"Paul's gotten so strong," she mentioned aloud, briefly capturing Piplup's attention before the tiny Pokémon resumed snacking. "I can't believe he took down three Elite Four members in five days. I don't even think Lucian's a match for him." Realizing that she was talking to no one, she became silent.
I don't think Ash has anything as powerful as those Pokémon in his team. Even if he does, he'll still be in trouble. Dawn's worry was twofold. One, she really didn't wish to see Ash humiliated in front of the world. If Paul beat him less than a year after he became the champion…well, as far as she could remember, that had never happened before. Ash would be the laughingstock of the League community. Two, if he lost, then her plans to win him over would be completely ruined. He'd no doubt be far too upset to care about anything; especially his love life.
Sighing, she fished through the crumpled bag before realizing her efforts were worthless. Stuffing the bag into her backpack, and picking up the jar which Piplup had emptied, she stood and looked down at her napping buddy.
I'll let him take a rest here for a little while, she thought, vowing not to wander far from the area.
Hearing a rustle in some bushes, she turned to look behind her. Doubtful, but still wanting to make sure, she tentatively grabbed a pokéball from within her pack and approached.
"Hello?"
The bush moved a little, but made no other response.
Opening the ball in her hand, Pachirisu emerged, stretching his short limbs.
"Pachirisu, go check to see what's in those bushes," she ordered in a whisper. Nodding his small head, the squirrel Pokémon hopped on all fours and scampered into the leafy underbrush. After a few quiet seconds, and to her amazement, a Pichu leapt out of the plant and landed directly in front of her. Pachirisu jumped out a second later and fell directly behind his fellow electric type.
"Great job, Pach," Dawn congratulated. "Now use Discharge!"
Small currents of blue electricity almost immediately followed Dawn's words. The small rodent Pokémon before her cried briefly, and she decided that the yellow mouse must have been nearly an infant.
"That's enough," she mentioned, allowing Pachirisu to end what he considered a weak electrical assault. He too had realized the immaturity of his opponent and had refrained himself from causing serious damage.
"Here you go," Dawn said cheerfully as she dropped the empty pokéball onto the Pokémon's head. Without even a struggle, the ball's center faded from red to white once again, and Dawn smiled broadly. That hadn't been nearly as difficult as she'd imagined it would have been.
If only it hadn't taken so dang long!
"We did pretty good, huh Pachirisu?" she asked, scratching her faithful companion behind the ears. Unfortunately, before she could pick the ball up, it disappeared.
"Oh, shoot!" she cried, realizing that the ball had been registered under Ash's name.
He must have six Pokémon on him already.
A little upset that her surprise present had been taken away from her, and that she hadn't realized what would happen before she spent several days searching for the rare forest Pokémon, she recalled Pachirisu and went to go wake Piplup.
I guess I'll have to make my little announcement without a present to give him, she thought, frustrated. However, at the thought of her plan, she began to smile again. As long as Ash won, everything would still be perfect…with or without Pichu.
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"Ow, ow, ow," Ash muttered repeatedly as he walked into his small room for the last time that day. Bruno had worked him and his Pokémon thoroughly. According to Bruno, the best way to train your Pokémon is to train with your Pokémon. Therefore, he'd run dozens of laps with his fastest creatures, lifted weights with his strongest ones, and even fought with his fiercest; all the while getting drenched, singed, and zapped.
He decided that after his unfulfilling meal of a tuna fish sandwich and an energy drink, the meal of champions according to Steven, he deserved to rest a bit before walking that long three feet into the bathroom for another shower. Instead, upon seeing his beautiful cot, he instantly fell facedown on the thin mattress. Moaning into the fabric from the soreness, he slowly rolled onto his back, instantly causing the thousands of beads of sweat lining his body to change direction with him.
Closing his eyes to block out the light of the lamp which stood next to his sleeping area, his mind immediately drifted to Misty. He knew that all his focus should be on the upcoming match, but whenever he had a second alone to relax, the redhead permeated his thoughts relentlessly. He too had replayed the kiss at least a hundred times in his mind. However, unlike his gym leader counterpart, he'd replayed the moment with less romanticism and more concern.
Had he done it right? Did she enjoy it? How many other guys had she kissed? Could he catch some weird disease if she kissed another guy before him? Who was the guy she kissed before him? Was it Tracey? How could Tracey do that to him after claiming to be his friend?
The flow of thoughts continually aggravated him when he was alone, and before calling Professor Oak's lab just to see if his backstabbing friend was available for a chat, he always realized how ridiculous the ideas and questions were. However, though she'd clearly reciprocated his feelings in the hallway, it didn't mean she didn't think he was a bad kisser. He continued to lay there, but now he squinted his eyes shut, trying to picture how he'd leaned near her. Unfortunately, the entire moment had gone by so quickly, despite how he'd felt at the time, and he could barely recollect anything other than that horribly embarrassing dance he'd performed moments later in the room.
"Ash, can I come in?" a feminine voice inquired from the doorway, jerking Ash back to the present.
"Uh, yeah, sure!" he yelled a little too loudly. The door opened up, and he leaned against his left elbow to sit up partially for the newcomer. "Hi, Cynthia!"
"Hello," she replied, furrowing her brow a little at his odd jumpiness. Shrugging, she walked through the threshold and stood over him. "I have some news. It shouldn't come as a surprise, of course, but we thought you should know."
"What is it?" Ash asked instantly, worried someone in his family had been hurt. From her tone, it obviously wasn't good news which she was about to impart him with.
"Well, Paul just defeated Lucian," she informed Ash, who felt relieved that it wasn't something more unexpected. "Also, he challenged you for a battle in Sunyshore's Champion Stadium next week."
"Oh, okay," Ash replied. However, Cynthia just stared at him, and he began to wonder how she expected him to react to the inevitable news. "Um, thanks?"
"I'm sorry," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "I had offered to tell you the news because I thought it might be harder on you than this."
"Uh, I guess I just was already expecting it, so it isn't that bad to hear," Ash explained. "In fact, it's kind of a relief to know that he's finally done and to have a definite battle time. Thanks for telling me Cynthia."
"No problem," the former champion replied happily. "So are you gonna call your friends and family then?"
"Why?" Ash asked, slightly bewildered. "I think they've heard the news by now."
"Yes, but do you wanna invite them to your match with Paul? As the champion, you get priority box seating for all your acquaintances. Not to mention they all get to fly to the battle arena on the League's tab."
"Really?" Ash asked, excited at the prospect of inviting all his friends and even some distant relatives. "That'd be great! Can I call them tonight?"
Laughing at his eagerness, Cynthia nodded to the phone next to the bathroom. "As soon as you want. Just remember to get some sleep because Steven says first thing tomorrow you and he are going over the latest tapes of Paul's battle with Lucian to get some more strategy training."
"Okay, I will," Ash promised, forgetting all former joint stiffness and standing straight up. Thanks again, Cynthia!"
"You're welcome. Goodnight." She closed the door, and Ash thought of who he wanted to call first with the big news. At least for the moment, the tension of the upcoming battle melted in the excitement of having such great seats for what was bound to be the biggest match of the year.
Misty, he thought as he walked to the small video phone planted into the wall. Picking up the receiver, he dialed her cell phone number. However, to his surprise, as he heard the phone begin to ring his heart sped up and he felt his palms beginning to sweat. Taking deep breaths, he realized that they hadn't spoken after he left the morning after their kiss. This conversation, he feared, was bound to be an awkward one.
"Hello?" the soft voice greeted.
Taking several seconds to prepare a reply, Ash finally reciprocated the greeting with a shaky "hey".
"Oh, uh, Ash, is that you?" Misty inquired. The video screen was blank since she was speaking on her cell, but Ash was actually thankful. If she could see his reddening cheeks, he was sure she would've worried he was entering cardiac arrest.
"Y-yeah, Mist, it's me."
"Oh! Um, hey Ash," Misty replied, equally nervous. However, Ash was too preoccupied with his own anxiety to perceive her stress; he assumed she was completely cool and comfortable on the other end of the line. "Wh-what's goin' – uh, how's your training and stuff goin'?"
"Oh, it's, um, fine," Ash responded. "R-really hard, b-but I think I'll be ready for the, uh, match."
"Well that's good to hear," Misty answered quickly. "Um, did you have anything, uh, else you wanted to, you know, talk about?" She felt her heart skip as she asked the question. She wondered if Ash could catch her not-so-subtle hint as to what she wished to discuss.
"Actually, yeah," the champion replied, remembering the reason for the call. "I heard that Paul won his match against Lucian today."
"Oh, yeah," Misty said. She was a little disheartened by his response.
"Anyway, since he challenged me, I get to invite whoever I want to the battle, so I wanted to call you first and ask if you and Dawn wanted to come with me to Sunyshore for the battle. I get box seats for all my guests!"
"Wow! Really?" Misty asked, temporarily ignoring her anxiety. "That's so cool! Of course we wanna come watch you beat Paul!"
"Thanks Mist," Ash said, laughing when she mentioned his purple-haired rival. "I appreciate the confidence."
"Ash, if you can beat me, you can beat anyone," Misty assured him. She realized how much she enjoyed speaking with him. The conversation's awkwardness seemed to have melted away; even if it was only for a few moments.
"Well, I gotta call home now and tell Ma," Ash continued. "I'm sure she'll wanna invite a ton of people too. We have relatives in Sinnoh, like second or third cousins, who she'll think have to come watch."
Chuckling, Misty said she understood. "Tell your mom I said hi!"
"I will," he answered. "Talk to ya later, Mist."
"You too, Ash," Misty answered. After a second she heard her phone disconnect.
With a sigh, she flipped her small blue phone closed and looked at the sun, which was now starting its descent. She'd been sitting outside a small café for the past half-hour, imagining what her and Ash's first post-kiss conversation was going to be like. In her mind, she'd imagined sweet nothings being uttered between the two over a candlelight supper somewhere. However, as was usual with Ash, it was even better than she'd imagined. Even though they hadn't talked about their "incident", hearing his voice again, and knowing that he didn't feel too uncomfortable talking to her was all she needed to be happy with their conversation.
After hanging up, Ash took a small moment himself to smile. He was glad that he'd overcome his jitters and had an intelligible discussion with the redhead.
Moving on, he quickly dialed his mother, who was equally excited to hear the big news. Though she wasn't an avid Pokémon fan like her son, she'd heard several people discussing Paul's imminent battle with Ash in her flower shop the past few days, and was glad to know that this time, she'd be able to come watch.
"I can't wait to tell everyone!" she cried excitedly, while noticeably jumping up and down on the videophone. "So who can I invite to come with me?"
"Anyone you want," Ash answered, smiling. Telling his mom about the fight took away a little of the anxiety which had been plaguing him. Knowing that she, along with the dozens of people she'd inevitably invite, would be there to cheer him on caused the skepticism he held of his own skill to decrease. "Cynthia said that since I'm the champion, it's completely my choice."
"Oh my," Delia responded, covering her mouth in shock. For a moment, Ash wondered if she was alright. "I have so many phone calls to make, then."
Ash laughed.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Sceptile, flip over him!"
Obeying the command, the tall green Pokémon did a full three hundred and sixty degree turnaround over the fast-approaching Aggron.
"Now use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded with a flourish of his arm.
"Scep!" cried the Pokémon, turning on his heel. He charged behind the now confused steel type, with the long leaves jetting from his forearms glowing white. With a leap, he crashed down directly upon Steven's battling partner, immediately causing his opponent's short legs to buckle.
"Great job, Sceptile!" Ash cried, seeing that his opponent's Pokémon, who'd fallen a mere ten feet in front of where he stood, had his eyes closed.
Withdrawing his Pokémon, Steven began to walk over to Ash. The large white lights which beamed from all four corners of the training area to the battlefield reflected the sweat on his brow. The training facility was located on a League-owned island closer to Hoenn than Johto, and despite the setting sun, and the time of year, it was still quite warm outside.
"You did an excellent job, Ash," he stated, nodding kindly towards the young champion's grass type. "I would say that you're still relying too heavily on Charizard and Sceptile to get you out of tight spots, but I guess that's impossible to overcome considering you've spent only six days now in serious training with your new team. Remember though, he knows all about those two, so be careful to not wait until you have no other choice but to use them."
"I know," Ash replied confidently. He didn't mean to act presumptuous, but he'd been listening to specific battle and training tactics from Professor Oak and Cynthia for the last week. "I'll be careful. But you're right, I'm going to have depend on them no matter what happens."
"Well, I better go heal my guys in the Center," Steven said, looking at the pokéball he clutched in his right hand. "You should too after you get showered."
"Showered?" Ash asked. "I still have to go train with Bruno before I get to go back to my bunk." Though he was still sore from the Elite Four member's workouts, he'd grown to appreciate how much stronger they'd helped him become over the last two weeks.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Steven asked, tapping his palm on his forehead. "Your evening training's been cancelled for the evening. Instead, Lance wants us all to meet in the dining hall for a little surprise."
"Really?" Ash asked. "What's the surprise?"
"If I told, that would take away from it being a surprise," the Hoenn native replied, raising his eyebrows humorously.
"Oh yeah," Ash answered sheepishly. "I guess so."
"Trust me though," Ash's champion colleague continued, "it's gonna be fun."
Breaking into a grin, Ash bid Steven farewell and ran back into his temporary home. As usual, clean training clothes lay on the bed, waiting for him after he exited the steamy bathroom. Getting dressed quickly, he rushed to the dining hall.
As he entered the hall, whose name presented a false sense of adequate proportions in spite of it being barely larger than his "classroom", he was surprised to see Bruno, Cynthia, Steven, Lance, and Professor Oak all sitting and staring at him from the small rectangular table situated in the middle of the room.
Feeling awkward as their eyes bore down on him, he asked what was going on.
"Ash, you're a great trainer and champion," Lance, who sat at the head of the table, began. "Over the last two weeks, we've seen your skill increase from awesome, to unbelievable. You now are equipped with battling and training knowledge from some of the best Pokémon fighters in the world. There's no doubt in my mind that not a single one of my contemporaries here could beat you with your best team now."
"That being said," Steven continued, "there's one thing that we've all noticed you lack."
"Something important for the Sinnoh Champion," Cynthia continued. All of the faces looked gravely serious, and Ash's mind began to race at the possibilities of what skill he lacked.
"Important for everyone in the Pokémon League, actually," Bruno interjected in his rough voice.
"Ash, you're missing this final piece to becoming a true champion," Professor Oak summarized, "and we're here to help you get it."
"What is it?!" Ash asked, his nerves almost worked to frenzy by the buildup.
"You," Lance spoke again, "are missing a trademark outfit."
"What?" Ash asked again, sure he'd heard wrong.
"An outfit," Cynthia explained. "We all have one. Lance wears his dumb cape-"
"It's not dumb!" Lance interrupted. "It fits perfectly with my personality. I'm the one who always goes on secret missions and stuff, so I'm like a superhero."
"Yeah, whatever," Steven said, earning a deadly glare from the dragon trainer.
"Anyway, he has the cape, Steven has his suit, Bruno has his…well, not wearing a shirt thing, and I have this," Cynthia said, indicating her black pantsuit. "We all wear clothes that people identify with us."
"So you're gonna help me pick out clothes to wear for my battle?" Ash asked incredulously. After the strict and difficult learning he'd gone through with the adults, it was odd to see them acting so immaturely, and even weirder to listen to their idea.
"Not just for the battle, Ash," Professor Oak noted. "This will be what you wear when you go in public most days of the week."
"But why do I need that?"
"Well, for two reasons," Lance explained. "One, you need something that people will identify you by. It's just how we do things. Dressing in blazers is for the executives and accountants of the League. We're champions. We're the people who make the Pokémon challenge worthwhile, and dressing differently from everyone else identifies us as such."
"Also, we decided that after being so tough on you these last thirteen days, you deserved a lot of credit, and something fun for a change," Steven explained with a smile. "We're not always the jerks who you probably think we are after all this training."
Returning the smile, Ash shook his head. "I knew you guys were trying to help me. It wasn't like you were yelling at me constantly or something."
"No, but we were pretty distant," Cynthia replied. "We just didn't want to act too friendly and make you lose your focus."
Ash nodded, but he didn't really think it had been that bad. It was true that in the heat of the day, he'd hated them a lot for making him work so hard. However, they had never been abusive to him, or made him think they weren't looking out for his best interest.
"So we put together a wardrobe," Bruno explained.
"You did?" Ash asked, surprised. He thought he was going to choose which clothes to wear.
"Well, you can change it if it doesn't suit you," Cynthia answered. "But we called your mom and got some pictures from what you've worn on past journeys and we think we've made the perfect combination."
"Okay, thanks!" Ash said gratefully. However, despite his smiling face, he worried inwardly. What if they gave him some weird uniform like Lance's? How could he tell them he just wanted to wear something normal?
"Here it is," Professor Oak stated, pulling some folded clothes out from beneath the table. Unfolding them, each article was placed on the small table, and Ash broke into a real grin when he saw the getup.
They had chosen a pair of regular blue jeans, with multiple pockets on each leg, a normal black t-shirt, and black running shoes with white soles and laces. However, what surprised Ash and prompted his toothy smile was what Oak placed at the front of the table. It appeared to be the same hat he wore when he first began his journey; a red and white cap with the green Kanto League symbol on the front.
"Is that my old hat?" he asked, pointing to the headwear.
"Oh heavens, no," Oak replied laughing. "That dingy old thing was far too ancient and small for you. However, I remembered you were wearing it the day you received Pikachu, and since your mom insisted that you wear something to cover your, to quote her, 'atrocious hair', we got a new one in a larger size for you."
"Of course, if you like it, then you can get a lot of the same outfit," Steven explained. "It would be a hassle to keep washing the exact same clothes every time they got dirty."
"So what do you think?"
Looking up at his mentors, he smiled. "I love it! Thanks guys!"
They all disregarded his gratitude, citing his hard work over the last several days once more.
"We all assumed you wouldn't want something too flashy," Cynthia explained. "And from what your mom said, you usually find yourself in some pretty wild scenarios, so we wanted to give you some clothing that would lend itself towards comfort and mobility."
After talking with the group for a while longer, and enjoying a last meal of tuna fish on bread, Ash walked back to his room with the refolded clothes in hand. He felt fully accomplished after the half-month long training session, and as he drifted to sleep that night, his last thoughts drifted to embracing Misty after defeating an overconfident Paul Ikari.
Author's Notes: Okay, now I want to take this time to mention that I realize this was not the best chapter ever. However, after so much time on this site and working on this story, I've had to come to a painful conclusion; not every chapter can be as awesome as I like. Some, like this one, have to be boring simply so they can provide an adequate base for extra awesome chapters like the next one promises to be. So, please forgive me for not plunging into the details of Ash's training, but I realized that a day by day account of what he did would not only be boring, but would take away from the mystery of his new team which will be revealed next installment.
However, whether you liked it or hated it, REVIEW PLEASE!
Well, as is the general rule of thumb for installments now, here's this weeks recommendations:
"Journey of Legends" by livezinshadowz – I recommended it last chapter, and I'm doing it again. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS STORY! This guy's honestly one of the most promising pokéshipping authors I've found on this site, and he only has twenty reviews! We have to encourage him to keep this story going. Trust me, just take a minute to look at it and you'll be hooked. Also, if you don't read it, I'll hook Dawn and Ash up in the next chapter.
"Pokémon 0" by Afroshock – This is an OC fic which is just really cool. It's about an alternate Pokémon world where children are forced to become trainers by the government and…well, I won't give it away. I know, it sounded weird to me too at first, but this guy really has his research down. He makes the Pokémon world seem very dark and realistic, while still maintaining many of its cooler qualities (it has freaking Pokémon). If you're into original stories, check this guy's out.
Well, that's almost everything. Before I go, I have to mention that licoricejellybean was not the beta of this chapter. Unfortunately, both her schedule and mine have become very hectic lately and we realized that the time we were spending editing each others' fics was simply too much. So until further notice, I will not be beta-ing her story, and she won't be working on mine. However, hopefully, her schedule will become a little less cluttered soon, as will mine, and we can continue helping each other. Working on this chapter without the reassurance I could send it to my archrival/worst enemy to double check my writing certainly was a scary feeling after her great help the last five chapters, and its not one I hope to maintain.
Okay, well that's everything. Have a great two weeks!