47: Ash vs. Leah
Standing on a platform above the rest of the spectators, Jessie and James tried to watch the ongoing league match with binoculars. "Freaking Pokemon Tech," Jessie muttered, clenching her jaw. "If it weren't for them, we could watch down there without worrying about them recognizing us. Why did they all come? To see how useless their education is?"
"Right," James scoffed, tossing his head to the side. "This boy doesn't seem to be doing much better against the twerp for having completed it."
"Hey, you two aren't still hung up about that place, are you?" Meowth asked, sprawled out behind them on its back as it tried to catch a view of the last sliver of the waning crescent moon that evening. "We got the last laugh there! And tons of pokemon!"
"Meowth is right!" Jessie declared, standing up straight and holding out her fist. "We stole a huge stash of pokemon from there! And now we're an elite part of Team Rocket. We'll steal all the pokemon in the world until there is no pokemon world outside of Team Rocket."
"Excuse me," a soft fourth voice interrupted.
Meowth shouted, scaring James who sat up in a start before they all stared at the newcomer, a woman who peeked at them, just coming up the ladder to the usually off limits area. "We were only-" Jessie began before studying the other woman's face closely, furrowing her brow. "You are..."
"Nurse Jessie, what are you doing up here?" the other woman asked.
"Bulbasaur girl!" Jessie realized.
"She doesn't look like a bulbasaur," Meowth noted as the newcomer stepped onto the platform.
"She's not! Just a bulbasaur trainer," Jessie huffed.
"It's a venusaur now," the woman informed, adjusting her skirt as she sat next to James.
"Yeah, and you grew up too," Jessie realized. The years that had gone by since then were more than enough time for the shy teen to turn into a young adult. "So I guess you're venusaur woman."
"Yeah," the woman confirmed, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "My name... Is Leah," she reminded, staring into the arena at the current battle. "It's hard to spot this area from the ground, isn't it? Were you just looking for a quieter place to watch, Nurse Jessie?"
"There's no 'nurse', I never got that certification," Jessie informed with a scowl, sitting back down herself. "Didn't you hear?"
"Oh. I wondered why you were just gone. No one ever tells me anything," Leah said. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, you aren't the drop out that people talk about being in Team Rocket, are you?" She glanced from Jessie's uniform to James's, getting her answer. "Oh. I guess you're hiding, then."
"But what are you doing up here?" Jessie asked, being nonchalant as even with the knowledge they were criminals, Leah just sat with them, seeing the battle between Ash and the Pokemon Tech graduate.
"I have trouble around people, so I looked for a spot to watch," Leah explained, gripping her clothing. "It's only thanks to you Nur- Miss Jessie, that I went out training on my own."
"I don't remember doing anything," Jessie said.
"You encouraged me," Leah said. "And now, I'm in the league."
"What, really?!" Jessie exclaimed.
Leah nodded. "The top 32 now. Whoever wins this match, they'll be my next opponent."
"So you're gonna battle Pikachu!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Pikachu?" Leah repeated, blinking and looking toward the enthusiastic talking pokemon with interest.
"He's not using Pikachu this time," James noted, paying close attention to the battle. Currently, it was Butterfree up against Marowak.
"What? Why not?" Meowth sat up, grabbing the binoculars from James to get a better look. "I guess brat boy got his other pokemon good enough to compete, even though Pikachu could just win the whole thing."
"You sure about that? Aren't all the final battles six on six?" Jessie said.
"Pikachu could handle it!" Meowth declared.
"Well maybe it doesn't want to. Who wants to have to carry everyone else?" Jessie scrunched up her face at the thought of it.
"He did well enough against you in the gym battle without it," James pointed out.
"Oh, Miss Jessie, you're a gym leader?" Leah looked to her curiously.
"Criminals aren't allowed to be gym leaders, are they?" was Jessie's simple reply. Before the conversation could continue, she looked to the battle arena as a chorus of cheers and jeers ran out. "What happened?"
"Pikachu wins!" Meowth exclaimed, hopping into the air in celebration.
"Pikachu didn't even participate this time," James pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah," Meowth dismissed James's comment with a wave of its paw. "Pikachu, Pikachu's team, same difference. Though it was too close... I guess that was just to give our pal Pikachu a break. When are the six-on-six battles? Next time?"
"No, those are for the top eight," Leah informed. "Wait... Is this boy... Let me see..." She held out her hand to James, who offered her the binoculars. "It is! That boy with the tough pikachu..."
"Even you know?" James said as he accepted the lent item back.
"They played back some of that trainer's previous battle on TV last night," Leah informed.
"He'd better use it!" Meowth said. "As long as he does, he'll win the whole league for sure!"
"Really? It's that powerful?" Leah said, wide-eyed as she leaned down to look at Meowth. "But it is just a pikachu," she reasoned.
"This pikachu's beyond anything you've ever seen before, trust me on this," Meowth promised. It then gritted its teeth, digging its claws into the floor in front. "And he'd better use it! We need him in those last battles!"
"Don't worry, Meowth," James assured.
"Right. There will be plenty of powerful pokemon in those last battles," Jessie said.
"So you're all a fan of specific pokemon instead of specific trainers?" Leah mused, watching the next trainers come onto the field. "That was the case for me too when I watched. Isn't it disappointing when the trainers decide not to use the ones you want to see?"
"Yeah, sure," Jessie said, then changed the subject. "So you really are going to battle Pikachu's trainer next?"
"Yes, since he won," Leah said, looking in the direction he came. "I'm not ready. I haven't seen complete battles of him before. I didn't even get to see most of this battle."
"Maybe you shouldn't use venusaur," James suggested. "He has a charizard, too."
"Well, Venusaur handles electric-type attacks without any problem," Leah said.
"Ha ha, as if that makes a difference. If he brings out Pikachu, you're toast." Meowth giggled at the possibilities.
"Well, Venusaur is my best pokemon," Leah said, her voice starting to shake.
"Don't you know better than to just listen to anyone from the peanut gallery?" Jessie said. "I never saw either of these two making it to the league."
Leah smiled, dusting off her clothing as she stood up. "Right. I do have a strategy. Thank you, Miss Jessie. Will you watch me tomorrow? Oh, wait... You're all fans of that pikachu, so you probably would have been already."
"I'll be looking for how much your bulba- venusaur has improved as well," Jessie promised.
Leah nodded, giving a brief salutation before she left. "I didn't know you made any friends there," James commented once she was gone.
"Friend? She was just a kid that came into the pokemon center," Jessie said. "Didn't think she'd ever do anything like this from when I saw her back then. She's made it far, but so have I... So have we, really," Jessie said with a grin. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let any kind of nostalgia or other sentimentality keep us from our goal."
"Never doubted you, Jess," Meowth said.
"Nor did I," James added.
"Now, why don't we head out. It's getting late, and doesn't look like this next group has anyone that'll will make that far." Meowth waved dismissively toward the arena.
"The top 32 now!" Ash cheered as he waited on line with Brock and Misty to give his pokemon to the nurse. As they reached the counter, he let the three battling pokemon outside their pokeballs. "You did great, Squirtle, Butterfree, Bulbasaur!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
The other pokemon called out happily. The nurse took their pokeballs, and led them to the back. Ash wandered outside to wait. "Second to last today," Misty said with a sigh. "I guess the battles at the other venues were done, that's why yours was so crowded..."
"Well, there were all the Pokemon Tech students and aficionados," Brock pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess so, but it seemed like more," Misty said. "Maybe you're getting more fans... No, wait. Maybe Pikachu is the one getting more fans," she teased.
"Hey, Ashy boy!"
Gary's voice rang through the crowd. The loud friend ran over, knocking against Ash's shoulder. Ash's hat fell out of place, and he glared his rival's way. "What is it, Gary? I already know you won today too."
"Aw, come on now," Gary playfully pushed Ash again. "I took time out of my super busy schedule to come over and see my pal's latest battle. My surprise, you actually won, and not just against Pallet's dregs, but against a Pokemon Tech elite! Not a bad match. Congratulations."
"Um, thanks," Ash said hesitantly.
"So," Gary drawled as he put an arm around Ash. "I guess you'll have bragging rights when you go home. First year participant, top 32. I'll just apologize now for certainly outshining you there."
"Huh?" Ash pulled away, scowling at his rival. "Are you saying you think I'll lose the next match?"
Gary shrugged. "There's no shame in it. You got plenty farther than expected, trained some powerful pokemon... No need to be down on yourself."
"I'm gonna win the next match," Ash declared. "Then I'll meet you in the top 2!"
"We'd actually meet before then," Gary said.
"Huh?" Misty interrupted. "Is his next battle against you or something?"
"Na." Gary shook his head. "We're both going against some other first year participants. I'm just here to encourage others who might not make it as far as me." Gary patted Ash's back with a single, forceful push. "See you back home, Ashy boy!"
"Seems like all of Ash's opponents are first year participants so far, huh," Misty noted.
"Most of the current participants are," Brock informed. "Not everyone has the resources to continually enter if they don't get too far, and those that keep rank highly are invited to join the more exclusive elite battles that are going on all the time instead. Though this is still the most popular event. I guess there's something exciting about seeing which newbies might measure up."
"Like me," Ash said with a smile.
"Yeah, maybe you should just look ahead," Misty said, pushing Ash forward. "Who is your next opponent, anyway?"
"I dunno," Ash said with a shrug as they got in line to get some food.
"Her name is 'Leah'," Brock informed, a smile on his face. "Remember seeing her before? She's pretty."
"I think I remember her," Misty said. "Venusaur trainer, right?"
"Right, right," Brock nodded vigorously.
"Venusaur, huh?" Ash said. "I know who's up this time! I should get it an extra treat..." Ash went over the menu of the stand, choosing what he might order for his pokemon as well.
"You'd better not stay up too late. For some reason, they've got you up first tomorrow," Misty said.
"Oh, right, the extra early match," Brock noted, taking out a pamphlet. "It was a reschedule before all the others. If you noticed, today's match was really crowded. Part of that was Pokemon Tech, but there was also curiosity about you after Pikachu's performance. So I guess they decided to put you in the main venue."
"Wow! You hear that, Pikachu? We really are getting fans!" Ash exclaimed, leaning down to pet his pokemon. "There's so many people that want to see you battle!"
"Pika?" Pikachu blinked. It knew trainers were interested in the matches, but were there really that many other people interested in watching battles between specific pokemon? Well, there did seem to be an awful lot of humans there, and many of them didn't even seem to have pokemon.
Ash quickly ordered a meal, sharing special treats with all of his pokemon. He went to his assigned bunk right away after that, and then woke up on his own with plenty of time to get to his match. He went out when directed, noting the stadium was fairly full, though there were a few empty seats in the early hour. But across from him, where his challenger would stand, there was no one.
The announcer gave a countdown for the other trainer to arrive before the match was forfeit. "Maybe she overslept..." Ash wondered. He put his starting pokeball back in his pocket before patting Pikachu on the head, looking around for any sign that his opponent might arrive. Winning by forfeit didn't seem like a win at all.
On the top of the stands, Jessie and James sat, Meowth peeking between them at the match below. "It doesn't look like that trainer from yesterday is coming," James noted.
"We won't get to see Pikachu battle today either?" Meowth lamented. "It was just starting to prove us right about it!" Meowth dug its claws into Jessie and James's shoulders until they shooed it. "Well, who cares, at least this twerp will get higher in the rankings when she forfeits!"
Jessie stood. "What's wrong?" James asked.
"Nothing," Jessie said. "I'll be right back." She went to the aisle, rushing down the stairs before sneaking to the back area. Sure enough, she saw Leah, speaking to the referee as she looked away. "What's going on here?" Jessie demanded.
Leah's shoulders raised as she was startled by Jessie's voice. The referee shook his head. "She's got five minutes," he said before walking off.
Jessie folded her arms, glaring at the apparently hesitant league participant. "Why don't you just get out there? You look fine. Something wrong with one of your pokemon? Sit it out. It's only three-on-three, and I know you have to have at least six."
"It's not that," Leah admitted, looking to the ground. "It's just... I wish they didn't have this match here."
"It's always here," Jessie pointed out.
"I mean here, in the main venue. It was supposed to be somewhere else, in one of those smaller ones. Now everyone's watching me." Leah gripped her trembling hands together, her head sinking further, the upset apparently in her voice.
"If you planned to win, you would have been here eventually," Jessie pointed out. "Wait..." She paused, her eyebrows raising. "You did plan to win, didn't you?"
"I don't know," Leah admitted.
"Pft. Well, who cares, even if you planned to lose, just get out there and lose," Jessie said, pointing toward where Leah should walk. "It's just a single crowd, the same as the last you were in front of, think of it that way."
"I had trouble then too," Leah said, looking up and biting her lip as she looked toward her supposed destination. "And now, it's just too much. It's just not me, getting on a stage and putting on a performance. I didn't think being a stage personality would be involved with being a trainer. It's not me at all."
"Being a pokemon nurse wasn't me, yet I convinced you well enough," Jessie said.
"I thought you were a great nurse!" Leah said. "You really helped me, and so many others."
"I've never helped anyone else in my life. We all need to be looking out for ourselves, anyway," Jessie declared.
"No, without you, I never would have left home. You really were-"
"That's the past, forget it," Jessie asserted as she stepped forward. "It wasn't me. I just put on a mask until I found what really fit me. You can do the same. Maybe you'll find out it fits better than you thought."
Leah's mouth opened and closed, at a loss for words.
"Come on! You've come this far, go out and do it, for anyone else who never had the opportunity, at least!" Jessie insisted. "Then come back and complain to me if you really hate the adoring eyes of a captive audience."
Leah stood in silence a moment before an announcement came on, saying she had only a minute. The venusaur trainer took a step back, then forcefully took off in a run toward her place in the sun.
"Finally," Jessie muttered, watching until she heard the cheers of the crowd before taking off to watch the match herself.
"Alright!" Ash shouted happily along with Pikachu and many in the audience as the woman dashed across from her to be his opponent. "Let's go!" he said, taking out a pokeball once given the signal to begin. "Go, Pidgeotto!"
"Go, Venusaur!"
The two pokemon appeared across from each other as the trainers threw out the pokeballs at once. "Pidgeotto, gust!"
"Venusaur, sunny day!"
"Huh?" Ash shaded his eyes as the streak of light spread to the sky, removing all clouds from above the stadium. "Oh yeah! I know about this technique!" he realized as Pidgeotto flew over their opponent, grazing the top of the large grass type. "Don't let it get to you! Pidgeotto, wing attack!"
"Venusaur, solar beam!" Leah tried to pose, almost tripping as she ordered her pokemon.
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto called as it dove toward Venusaur with a glowing wing to complete its attack. As it moved, it was hit by the focused beam of light, but eventually slammed its wing against Venusaur before flying farther away.
"Pidgeotto, good job! Now, quick attack!" Ash ordered.
"Again, solar beam!" Leah gripped her fists close to her body as she shouted it.
"Pidgeotto!" Ash's pokemon called as it moved quickly toward its opponent, then started to glow. As it hit the large grass type and moved away, a much larger pokemon seemed to have taken its place. Venusaur's eyes closed as it fainted.
"Alright! Pidgeotto evolved! It's Pidgeot now! Nice, Pidgeot!" Ash cheered.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu also cheered on its teammate.
Leah returned her venusaur. She took a deep breath, forcefully sighing out before selecting her next pokeball. "Flareon! Your turn, fire spin."
"Pidgeot, wing attack!" Ash advised. As Pidgeot flew closer to its opponent, wing again glowing as part of its technique, it was surrounded by the circle of fire Flareon spit out. Closing its eyes, Pidgeot seemed about to fall into the vortex-like fire. "Pidgeot, return!" Ash said as he hit the button on his pokeball. "I know who's up now," he said, excitement in his voice. He pushed back his hat, then threw his next pokeball. "Go, Charizard!"
Charizard roared out as it appeared, hardly affected at all by the surrounding remnants of Flareon's fire spin. "Flareon, quick attack," Leah ordered.
"Charizard, flamethrower," Ash ordered. Flareon slammed against Charizard quickly, just to be enveloped by the flame emanating from Charizard's mouth. Leah's pokemon cried as it hit the ground, closing its eyes.
"Oh no," Leah muttered as she quickly returned it, noting Flareon's image grayed out on the billboard. The 'sunny day' had come back to bite her. "Please," Leah whispered as she took out her final choice. "Jigglypuff, go! Sing!"
"Sing?" Ash repeated.
"Jigglypuff," Jigglypuff called as it appeared, then indeed started to sing with its pokemon calls.
"Come on, Charizard, flamethrower!" Ash tried to quickly give the order as their opponent's pokemon continued its technique. However, he'd hesitated too much, and Charizard curled up on the field, falling fast asleep. "Charizard, wake up!" Ash shouted fruitlessly. As the referee directed him to return the pokemon, he did so, then took out the final pokeball. "Go, Squirtle! Withdraw!"
"Jigglypuff, again! Sing!" Leah ordered.
"Squirtle?" Squirtle called as Jigglypuff began to sing. "Squirtle!" It went into its shell. As Jigglypuff briefly took a breath, Squirtle's face appeared again. It walked forward, then withdraw again as the other pokemon sang.
Ash laughed at the sight, along with some of the audience. "Squirtle, now, skull bash!" he said as Jigglypuff seemed to take a break from its song.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle called out in understanding, then immediately began the technique, throwing itself head first toward Jigglypuff. The balloon-shaped pokemon cried out as it was hit, then rolled away like a ball.
Leah sighed as she returned it. She went and shook her opponent's hand with a smile, congratulating him before they both freed the stage. About to exit the venue, Leah noted Jessie and her fellow Team Rocket member, who held the talking meowth, now sleeping, over his shoulder. "How did you like it?" Jessie asked.
"It was exciting. I loved it, but I also really hated it," Leah said, forcing a smile. "Battling is fun, but it was completely fun, either. Not because I lost... It was so hard to have everyone watching me, and having to think if my pokemon and I were entertaining or not."
"I was entertained by an interesting match," James said, then looked to his shoulder. "But Meowth here..."
"Hmph. If you're going to make the audience fall asleep, maybe it's better you not go on stage," Jessie suggested.
Leah gave a genuine laugh at the criticism as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I'm so glad I did it though. I got as far as I could without giving up. I think coming here will help me with whatever else I decide to take on as a trainer. Thank you for encouraging me again, Miss Jessie. You helped me so much." Leah bowed in gratitude.
Jessie just shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, okay. Just thought I'd check on you. Looks like you're fine."
"Thanks," Leah said as the rocket agents turned to leave. "Wait, Miss Jessie," Leah called. As Jessie turned back, she asked the question, "I'm just curious. You said you found something that fit you. What is it?"
Jessie answered with a wide smile before again turning to leave.
"World conqueror."
End note: Yes, though this is mostly a gen 1 fic, "sunny day" is a gen 2 move.
Next chapter: Ritchie vs. Gary