Chapter 39- The Knockout stages begins.
That evening Ash received a call from Mr Suzuki. He wasn't very happy that Ash had disparaged Gavin, but Ash stuck to his beliefs.
"Look" Ash said "I'm quite happy to advertise that I'm sponsored by Silph, that I have no issue with. What I'm unhappy with is the style you guys seem to want me to go for. I'm not a cowboy, I'm not a Policeman and I'm certainly not wearing spandex! Tell me an elite four member or a Champion that looks like that?"
"Ash" Mr Suzuki said, "we get that, but you could have kept it private and discussed with us what the issue was."
"I did" Ash said "and I was ignored. Amy knew I was unhappy with what Gavin did and left laughing her arse off, knowing I'd have no choice but to wear what he made. That to me showed that you lot didn't care how I felt about being made into a ridiculous show pony only here for Sylph's amusement. That was not in the contract Mr Suzuki."
"That is not how we intended it to look like" Mr Suzuki said sighing.
"Well, it's how it came across" Ash said "Now, as I said I have no issues with meeting with your stylists to come up with something that I like and feel comfortable wearing and we can all be happy. But I won't be made a fool of."
"Ok" Mr Suzuki said "I'll send a team round in the morning. Do me a favour and come up with some ideas. Oh, and maybe don't insult them. They're here to help you." hanging up abruptly Ash shook his head at the phone. Another bloody meeting with people he really didn't want to interact with.
As it was only seven pm Ash decided to go for a walk to the clothes stores they had on site to try and get some ideas as to what he'd feel and look good in. Ignoring the looks of people, he carried on pulling different clothes off the rail to see if they'd suit him. After the third store Ash gave up. He was comfy in what he normally wore, and it had been his outfit for over a year now, so he was used to it. Sitting down on a bench he let the world pass him by as he thought over how far he'd come in a year and how far he still had to go. He knew that once the tournament was over he'd have no direction and wondered how he would cope with that.
"What do we do after the tournament Pi?" he asked quietly.
"I've been wondering that" Pikachu said, "I know the reason you were created has passed but was that it?"
"How do you mean?" Ash asked confused.
"Well," Pi started "Arceus told you that you were created to combat Mewtwo. But that's been over a month ago now. Is that it? Do you just live your life now? I know you dreamed of winning the Indigo League and we have a great chance of doing that. But what then? You now know that the Elite Four and Blue didn't have anything to do with your dads disappearance so winning the league to expose them is pointless."
"I know" Ash said sighing heavily "which is what's very annoying. I feel like I've lost the drive to win because of that. We easily breezed through the group stage. And I know we'll do the same in the knockouts. But what next?"
"Well," Pi said "you still haven't found your dad yet, and there's also Silver to find. After that you've got your house to finish and the meetings with Sam, so we've still got projects. I'm sure there'll be more world-ending disasters that you'll find yourself in."
Laughing Ash stood up and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. Walking home Ash still hadn't come to any kind of decision about where his future lay. For now though he knew he had to win the league. He'd talked a good game, now he had to back it up.
The next day he was just arriving back at his chalet from a morning run when he noticed two cars parked outside his dor. Confused Ash walked up to them, but they were all strangely empty. Thinking nothing of it he put the key in the door and stopped. He could hear noises inside. Looking at Pi he focused on what could be a robbery. Opening the door he was immediately hit with a wall of smell that made his mouth water. Walking into the living room he stopped as he saw five people on the couches leaning over the coffee table chatting away. Confused Ash was going to ask them who they were when he heard voices in the kitchen too. Ignoring the living room for a moment he walked into the kitchen and saw at the kitchen counter chatting away Mr Suzuki and his mum eating what looked like Ramen.
"Erm" Ash said eloquently "hello".
"Ashy!" Delia said standing up and rushing to give him a hug "oh its good to see you."
"Hi Mum" he replied, "I thought you were only getting here on Sunday?"
"I was originally" Delia said, "but the garden people finished a few days early and we decided to just come straight here."
"Oh right" he replied still a bit dazed "erm, who are the people on my couches?"
"They're your stylists" Mr Suzuki said standing up and shaking Ash's hand "and I am here because I want this whole issue sorted out before your next battle. When is that incidentally?"
"Oh, it's on Monday." Ash said "the final group battle is today so they're using the weekend to repair any damages to the fields. There'll be four battles a day for the top 32 so I'll get a four-day rest when I win, then 2 battles a day and then one a day until the final so the final will be a week on Sunday. It's crazy that there's just five battles for me left."
"Confidence" Mr Suzuki said beaming "that's what we like to see. Now, shall we get on with the show?"
Nodding the three made their way into the living room to discuss what Ash would wear.
"Ash" Mr Suzuki said "could you tell us why you didn't like the outfit Gavin made for you?"
"Really?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow "you need an explanation for that?" pointing to where the outfits were hung up on the back of the door. "Do you have glaucoma?"
"Ash" Delia said warningly "watch your tone."
Shaking his head Ash went into detail about why he hated them. From the arrogance of Gavin to the 'can't-be-arsed' job he did of ruining his clothes to how rude Amy was about the situation.
"I now have one outfit that isn't ruined to battle in. Mum made them for me, so she has a better idea of what I usually wear." Ash said nodding to his mum "we did buy a load of clothes not too long ago that I feel comfy in but battle-wise I had three, now I have just one."
"So comfy, not flamboyant, practical" a lady said from the couch putting several outfit pictures away leaving around eight on the table. "Do you want anything that signifies you're an aura wielder?"
"Not if it makes me look like a guardian" Ash said which resulted in two outfits disappearing.
"So were left with these six" the lady said "now, tell me which ones you don't like and why. There has to be a reason because if we combine a few we could get the perfect outfit for you."
Nodding Ash went over the pros and cons of every outfit left on the table but couldn't really come to a decision. Quietly he asked his mum "Am I being picky?"
"No" Delia said picking up some of the pictures "they're just not you."
"Well why can't you just draw an outfit for me instead of making it and give it to them?" Ash said scratching his head "every battle outfit I wear is made by you. And if the job Gavin did wasn't sparkly, I wouldn't mind it as much."
"That's an interesting idea" Mr Suzuki said interrupting what they thought was a quiet conversation "he obviously likes what he's wearing now. Why not just adapt that?"
"It's not marketable" the lady said sighing "Lance has his capes, Steven his suit, Cynthia her black number. They make a fortune from those from people who want to be just like them. Ash's outfit is really simple."
"Lady" Ash said shaking his head at her "I don't need this to be marketable. I make more than enough from battles and book sales. That's where you lot are going wrong, You're trying to turn me into a fashion icon and I'm never going to be one. I have no desire to parade what I wear on catwalks or things like that. I just want an outfit I feel comfortable in to battle. That's it. It's going to get dirty, it's going to get ripped. But it's also just as easy to repair with a needle and thread. That's what I've been doing to these outfits for the past year. Your folly is that you want to make money from these outfits."
"Ash" Mr Suzuki said "Silph is first and foremost a business. Anything we try and sell is because we want to make money on them. It's what keeps the world turning for us. And having an outfit specially made for you will increase our sales revenue when you win the league."
"By that logic I could wear a tutu and increase the sales of tutus" Ash said deadpanned "and no before you think it, I am not wearing a tutu. Any outfit I wear will be sold on mass when I win. So, the outfit I wear for battle should be fine."
"Very well" Mr Suzuki said sighing at how difficult Ash was being "Delia, could you get a sketch made for Ash within the next few days please as well as sizes? He's still growing so they'll likely have to be slightly too big."
"I don't want my name on the back either, especially looking like that" Ash said suddenly pointing at Gavins work "people will know my name. If you must have something on the back my favourite number is 14. Silph 14 is fine by me."
"Well at least its progress" Mr Suzuki said standing up looking at his watch "I must be going. I hope to speak to you soon. Delia, it's been a pleasure."
The next hour was Delia and the group going over placement for sponsors, number sizes and other things that went over Ash's head. After twenty minutes Ash stood up and walked off uncaring on if he was being rude. Fixing himself and Pikachu some food they went to their room and waited for people to leave. The draw for the next round would take place on Sunday afternoon at the main stadium. Apparently, it was a big secret on how they were picked. Ash decided to have a look at the profiles of group winners to see what Pokémon they used. Only six people won their groups with maximum points, the number of draws astounded Ash. Gary, Ash and Jon had all won their three heats. The interesting thing was Gary had lost a few Pokémon whereas Jon blitzed his way through with just his Dragonair. Ash was very surprised it was still a Dragonair after all this time but maybe it had only just evolved when he faced it. Either way like Ash very few of his opponents would be able to know what his team consisted of, at least until the last 16.
A few hours later Ash walked into the living room and switched on the TV to watch the final match of the group stages. His mum came and sat beside him as they watched a young woman beat an elderly man.
"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. The final match of the group stages is over. A big congratulations to all the trainers that went though and commiserations to those that have unfortunately gone home. The draw for the last 32 is on Sunday at 1pm and will be streamed live. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and be sure to switch on again soon."
"Well Ash" Delia said quietly "you made it to the knockout stages. You're so close now."
"We are" Ash said resolutely "we're gonna win mum. We're gonna win."
The next few days flew by in a flash for Ash. Between his training, Silph, his mum, his house, his PA and getting reacquainted with his Venusaur he couldn't believe that it was 12pm on Sunday already.
Walking into the league building Ash reflected that just over two weeks ago he was here to be entered into the group draw for the last 32. Looking around Ash saw Gary over to the side with his dad, John was glaring at Ash which he ignored, and a few others were chatting to each other. Leaning against the wall Ash waited for the draw.
"Everybody" the receptionist said "if you could please make your way through to the conference room on your right. Mr Goodshow will be waiting to speak to you all."
Nodding Ash made his way into the room that was set up with 32 chairs facing a stage that had a long table with a few glass bowls on it. Sitting down next to a stranger made Ash feel slightly uneasy but Charles and the Elite Four walked out onto the stage. Looking around he saw several cameras set up. He had forgotten this was being streamed.
"Hello all" Charles said "Now, first of all congratulations for making it to the knockout stages. It's shown that you all have done extremely well in raising your Pokémon. With that being said we're about to do the draw for the final 32. So could I please have the 16 trainers who won their group please stand up. Good. now when I call your name you're going to come up to the stage and draw a name from the first bowl. The name you pick will be your opponent in the next round. To ensure you don't pick someone who was in your group Lance will be placing the names of the people you can battle into the bowl, and you will draw them out, the next bowl will then tell you're your time slot and the third bowl will be the day. Battles will commence tomorrow at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and finally 4pm. So, in no particular order can Gary Oak come to the stage please."
And so, it went on. Gary drew a lady named Melissa at 10am on Tuesday, Jon a man named Tom on Wednesday at 12pm and then it was Ash's turn. "Ash Ketchum, if you would?"
Walking onto the stage he noticed there were only four balls left to choose in each bowl. Shrugging he picked the three balls and Lance opened them. "You will be facing Jeanette Fisher, Tuesday at 4pm." Nodding Ash made his way back to his seat to watch the rest. Twenty minutes later they were all seated again.
"Well, there we have it folks. 16 fantastic battles just waiting to be had. I wish you all the best of luck."
Ash stood and began to leave, eager to get back to his chalet to study Jeanette. He hadn't seen any of her battles, so she was an unknown prospect to Ash. Walking out of the building Ash had to adjust his eyes as he made his way to his Chalet. Walking in he said hello to Jo, Karl who was off today and his mum. Walking into his room he logged onto the computer and pulled up Jeanettes trainer card. Interesting, Ash thought. Logging off he walked into the kitchen to fix him and Pikachu a drink. Heading into the living room he sat down and just listened to the conversation. once they had finished Delia asked him if he was ok.
"Yeah" Ash said, "I was just looking at my opponent and the Pokémon she's used."
"Oh" Delia asked "and?"
"I'm in two minds." Ash replied "every Pokémon she's sent out has been a grass or bug type. And I have two Pokémon that will decimate her. But I don't know if I'll be allowed to."
"Why?" Jo asked confused "shouldn't you want to win?"
"It's the manner of winning" Ash replied "I know I'm arrogant at times, but I literally can't lose to her. The Pokémon she's revealed so far are all deathly weak to Charizard and Shelgon."
"Ah" Karl said, "I see your issue."
"Can you explain it to us mortals?" Jo asked archly.
"Fire destroys grass and bugs" Karl said "And if Ash is not careful with the moves he uses he could legally kill Jeanettes Pokémon because it's in an official battle. But he also wants to win the tournament and the quickest way would be to use a fire type."
"So use a different Pokémon" Delia said wondering what the issue is "if you know you could severely injure her Pokémon then don't."
"It's something I'll think about" Ash said "for now though I'm hungry. Do you all fancy Chinese for tea?"
The weekend was spent relaxing with his mum and going over how good the house was looking now. The lake had been dug and the following week the river would be shifted to flow in and out of it. Blastoise was particularly excited about having his own lake to laze about in. Now Ash just had to find somewhere for Shelgon and Charizard. Machamp and Pikachu were happy being in the house. A problem for another day Ash thought as he switched on the TV to watch the battles today. After the third battle a knock was heard on Ash's door. Opening it he was surprised to find Sam and Blue there with Laura.
"Hello" Ash said welcoming them all inside. Laura gave him a hug and immediately went to find Delia.
"Hello Ash" Sam said sitting down heavily "How are you doing? Are you ready for tomorrow"
"I'm alright" Ash replied after getting three sodas out of the fridge and handing them one each, "my battle should be easy tomorrow but apart from that everything's good."
"Please don't tell me you're channelling Gary?" Blue said groaning as he opened his drink. Ash shot him a quizzical look and he continued "that's one of the reasons we are here. I had to pull Laura away from throttling him and she's the reasonable one out of us. He refuses to take his opponent seriously. Melissa has placed in the final 4 here twice and isn't a joke but he just waved us off. You're not being like that are you?"
"No" Ash said shaking his head "but I have a bit of a dilemma to try and figure out. Jeanettes Pokémon are Bug/Grass Pokémon. Charizard would walk through them, but I'm concerned about the lethality aspect of using him."
"Ah yes" Sam said looking thoughtful "I can see why you'd be concerned."
"I already have the black mark against my trainer card because I nearly killed Koga's Venomoth" Ash said leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling "adding Jeanettes Pokémon would see me permanently banned."
"No, it wouldn't" Blue said, "as long as you don't use Blast Burn then Jeanette has no legal recourse."
"So just a moral one of me killing three of her Pokémon, eh?" Ash chuckled humourlessly.
"I sympathise Ash" Sam said, "you can always use another Pokémon."
"Mum suggested that one." Ash said "I think that may be the safest option but I'm going to repeatedly come up against this issue. I'm not going to forfeit a battle against a grass type that's sent out against me because I could kill it. I'm lucky Machamp didn't have STAB and was constricted against the Weepingbell in my second fight."
"All I can tell you is that it's the trainer's fault if they send out a grass type against a fire type." Blue said leaning forward "these finals are all about taking advantage of anything that comes your way. The fact you know you can win doesn't mean you will, but it's not your fault you have a Pokémon to combat another type. It's how the battles have always been. It's why a lot of people rely on type advantage to start with, to give them an edge. We know you're worried and why. But the decision is yours and yours alone." Finishing his drink, he clapped Ash on the shoulder and went into the kitchen to talk to Delia.
"He's right" Sam said "my own Charizard is incredibly gifted in controlling his fire and the heat that comes from it. Your own could benefit from training with him on this but it's too late at the minute. You'll make the right choice Ash; I know you will." Standing up he joined his son and Daughter-in-law in the kitchen. Ash decided the best thing to do was to have a chat with his Pokémon about it. Maybe they could offer some insights.
The next day Ash was sat in the stands with Blue, Sam, Laura and Delia watching Gary's match. Both were down to their final Pokémon and whoever won would deserve to progress.
"Nidoking, Horn Attack" Gary called out. His big purple Rhino charged forwards at the Megaton Pokémon who waited for his trainer to call out a move.
"Golem, catch the horn and Seismic Toss" Melissa shouted, and Golem did just that. He braced himself and caught the Nidokings horn struggling to hold it back, finding grip it set its feet and then delivered a brutal Seismic Toss and slammed Gary's Pokémon down to the battlefield. The crowd was quiet as they waited to see if Nidoking would rise. It didn't.
"Nidoking is unable to battle. Golem wins and Melissa moves onto the final 16" the referee shouted to a raucous cheer from the crowd.
"Wow" Ash commented "Gary lost, eh?"
Shaking his head Blue stood up and walked out of the seated area being followed by Sam and Laura. Delia and Ash followed at a more sedate pace so they could speak to him first. Ash caught the tail end of the conversation.
"She got lucky, Nidoking was tired" Gary said waving them off and starting to walk away. Ash was furious at the boy.
"Still the same old Gary, eh?" Ash said walking forward ignoring the warning look from Delia and Blue. "Still the same arrogant little boy that for years now has been full of his own self-importance. Do me a favour and keep this up because you're no threat to me in a battle and you're certainly no threat to take your dad's title."
"What would you know about it?" Gary said turning red in anger "are you still jealous that I've never lost to you."
"I've never lost to you either you cretin" Ash said getting in his face and staring down at him "the one thing we've competed in we drew. Since then I've wanted nothing to do with you for this very reason. You're arrogant, entitled, spoiled and every other word I could use for pathetic. The fact you believe you lost because your Pokémon was tired says everything we already knew about you. You have no accountability for your own actions. And when you have your dad, the current champion, your grandfather, a former champion and your mother an extremely successful breeder giving you advice and you blatantly ignore it because you believe you know best just reiterates the fact you'll never amount to anything. I suggest you take a good long look in the mirror because at the rate you're going you'll never be anything but the you you are now."
Shaking his head at a stunned Gary Ash nodded to the assembled group and walked off to prepare for his own battle later on. Seeing Gary lose had resolved Ash's determination to win the whole thing.
Sitting down in his seat Ash quietly observed the next few battles. His mum had re-joined him, but the others hadn't. Delia didn't say anything to him about his blow up because it had been a long time coming. Ash showed remarkable restraint in not punching Gary over the years. Some of the comments had been downright cruel. As the third battle finished Ash stood up, kissed his mum on her cheek and made his way down to the trainers section of the stadium. Walking up to the receptionist he registered his three Pokémon and waited in the tunnel to be called. Finally his battle was about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we come to the final battle of the day. Seven trainers have already gone through to the last 16 after some amazing battles. And now we come to the eight. In the red corner we have a lady who is participating in her second tournament. Please give a big cheer for Jeanette Fisher!"
Ash concentrated on breathing as he waited for his name to be called.
"And in the Blue corner we have a rising star in the making. So far, he has used just three Pokémon and hasn't lost any in a single battle. He swept aside his previous opponents; can he do the same today? Please give it up for Ash Ketchum!"
Steeling himself Ash walked out onto the battlefield and shook hands with Jeanette. He tuned out the crowd to focus on the referee.
"Battlers" the referee said "Todays battle will take place on the grass field. The rules are as follows. It's a standard 3 on 3 battle, where the winner with the last Pokémon remaining wins. In the event of a draw neither side gets any points. Standard move rules apply. If I announce a disqualification, there will be no rebuttals during the match. Trainers get ready to send out your first Pokémon."
Nodding Ash made his way to the trainers box and watched as the referee pressed a button and the field split apart to reveal a grass field.
"Let's go Beedrill" Jeanette shouted as she released a huge bee. Immediately it started buzzing around her side of the field. Silently Ash observed her before releasing his Pokémon. The crowd stopped shouting as it immediately became very hot, and the pressure soon became unbearable as Ash's Pokémon materialised. As it stopped glowing the crowd looked at the Pokémon that had appeared. Snorting, Charizard opened his eyes and cracked his neck before focusing on his opponent. Taking a step forward he unleashed his wings and roared at the Beedrill who flew and hid behind Jeanette.
"Easy Pal" Ash said quietly.
Turning to Ash he growled "you chose me then." It wasn't a question. But Ash answered anyway.
"Yes" he said "Gary's decision to not take his opponent seriously resolved my mind. Jeanette is here for a reason. And so are we. To not send you out would be a disservice. We'll go with plan B though, for now."
Nodding Charizard focused on his opponent who had stopped cowering behind its trainer and appeared on the field.
"Ref?" Jeanette asked quietly. But because of the silence of the crowd everyone could hear. "I have nothing but Grass and Bug types. What's the rules here?"
"Anything but restricted moves go" the referee said looking at her sadly. "I'm sorry Jeanette."
"Oh" she said quietly to herself as she looked at her Pokémon and then her opponent. Enlarging her pokeball she was about to recall Beedrill when Ash shouted over as he knew she was about to forfeit.
"Jeanette. This battle has caused a moral dilemma for me. I checked your trainer profile and knew what you had used so far. And I knew I could easily beat that. And for days now I've wrestled with using Charizard or not. But I owe it to him to be able to shine after all the hard work he's put in over the last year. I talked it over with a few people and my Pokémon as well and we came up with a compromise. Would you like to hear it?"
Lowering the pokeball she nodded. "We won't use any fire move. Any use of a fire move will result in Charizard being recalled and unable to take part in our battle again. Is that acceptable?"
The referee was about to say something when he received a call on the phone in his box. Answering it he listened and then nodded.
"I've just had a call from Mr Goodshow. The terms are acceptable from him. Any fire moves result in a disqualification for Charizard. Jeanette, it's your decision."
Nodding Jeanette shouted over "I agree. Thank you, Ash."
"It's ok. Ref, whenever you're ready" he replied.
"Battlers Begin" he called.
"Beedrill use Twinneedle" Jeanette shouted and her Pokémon charged at Charizard launching needles from its abdomen.
Normally Ash would just burn them but instead he shouted "Dragonbreath"
Immediately Charizard recoiled his head and shot a chartreuse beam of light which charged through the needles and hit Beedrill who was knocked it to the side screeching. It certainly felt that Jeanette observed.
"Beedrill Double Team and Poison Jab" Jeanette called out and her bee created replicas of itself and charged at Charizard as its stingers on its arms glowed purple.
"Four o'clock Charizard, Air Slash" Ash calmly said. Charizard did a pirouette and levelled its wings out sending scythes of air at the Beedrill who was hit and flew backwards from the impact into the ground "Dragonbreath again" Beedrill was struggling to get up when it was hit again by the beam and was sent careering backwards into the pillar supporting the trainers box.
"Beedrill is unable to battle. Charizard wins. Jeanette send out your second Pokémon." The referee shouted over the roar of the crowd. Recalling her Beedrill she suspected she'd lose this match. His Pokémon hadn't taken a hit again and had beaten her even with its primary weapon disabled. But she had come this far, and her Pokémon had helped her get here so she was determined to make them as proud of her as she was of them.
"Scyther to the field" she shouted as her big mantis appeared and observed its opponent. "Scyther, he can't use a fire move so don't worry."
Curious the mantis looked at his opponent who simply stood there waiting and observing.
"Double Team and Slash" Jeanette shouted and her bug jumped forward obeying and soon several copies wee wending its was to its foe with its blades glowing white.
"Eleven O'clock, Dragonbreath" Ash responded. The copies ceased to be when Sycther took the hit and was sent spiralling over to the side of the field.
"How do you know where my Pokémon are?" Jeanette shouted irritated that her strategy that had been her main one throughout her journey had been so effectively neutralised. Ash simply smiled at her making her more frustrated.
"Air Slash" Ash shouted and Charizard did the same he had done to the Beedrill and pirouetted sending scythes of air at the Scyther who did everything it could to dodge them. Panting it focused on Charizard who had not moved from where he started. Jeanete called for him to focus and it did so and became a lot calmer. The Dragonbreath had done a lot of damage to it, but he was strong.
"Slash" Jeanette shouted, and her Pokémon charged forward again. Ash was kind of glad that he had disabled the fire element as it didn't seem like her Pokémon had many ranged attacks. It would have been over with in three moves at this rate. It was the downside of a lot of Pokémon and their trainers who couldn't adapt to a ranged battle with static Pokémon.
Ash waited for Scyther to get within ten yards before shouting "Dragonbreath" which smashed into the Scyther at an alarming rate sending it tumbling across the field where it lay unmoving.
"And Ash wins his second battle with his Charizard. It's interesting to know that his Charizard has yet to move from where it started." The announcer shouted over the speakers. Shaking his head Ash wondered on how long it would take them to notice that quirk of the battle.
"Scyther is unable to battle. Charizard wins. Jeanette, please release your final Pokémon."
Sighing knowing she had lost she mumbled something to her pokeball before throwing it. The entire crowd went silent at what she'd released.
Charizard was stunned in disbelief. Turning to Ash he growled "Really?"
"Hey, we don't get to choose what our opponent sends out pal" Ash said chuckling "there's obviously a reason she still has a Bellsprout in her second year of coming here."
Shaking his head Charizard focused on his opponent. "A bloody Bellsprout" he mumbled.
"Hey" Bellsprout shouted as it walked over to Charizard with no fear leaving everyone in awe at the fearless little weed as it poked Charizard on the shin "just because I'm small doesn't mean you can look down on me."
"Looking down on you is mandatory given how small you are" Charizard said flabbergasted at the audacity of its opponent. "Now get back over there before I kick you."
"You wouldn't dare" it shouted looking up at the big red dragon "you don't have the balls."
Ash at this point was trying and failing to hold himself up as he cried with laughter. The crowd, Jeanette and the referee were perplexed at what was going on.
"Erm can someone tell me what's happening?" the referee asked confused.
In between bouts of laughter Ash explained the conversation that was happening down on the field making everyone chuckle. "Oh, I'm glad you carried on Jeanette" Ash said wiping away tears from his face "thank you."
Pulling himself together the referee said "Bellsprout vs Charizard. Begin."
Ash who was still crying laughing only caught the 'begin' part as the argument was still raging on down on the field. Jeanette was shouting moves but being ignored.
"You are small" Charizard said patiently "compared to me."
"I'm big enough to kick your scaly arse though" Bellsprout retorted.
"Ash" Charizard growled turning towards him "am I still banned from using fire moves?"
"Yeah mate, you're still banned from using fire moves" Ash replied trying to pull himself together.
"Can I kick it at least?" Charizard asked ignoring the wittering from the little grass type who continued to poke him in the leg while arguing her point.
"Yeah" Ash said, "the referee said begin about three minutes ago now."
Looking down at the little weed he moved his leg back and swung it forward and kicked it in the face sending it arcing over the field where it bounced a few times. To Charizard's utter disbelief it got back up, slowly but still arguing with him as it tried to make its way back over swaying as if drunk.
"You kicked me in the face!" Bellsprout shouted as it got closer "I can't believe the audacity of you."
Charizard had had enough and took a few steps forward and kicked it again sending it flying over the field and embedding it in the wall. Snorting Charizard turned to find his trainer had disappeared from his box. Wondering what was going on he flapped his wings and flew over to the box only to find Ash was curled up into a ball crying with laughter looking like he was struggling to breath.
"Hey" he shouted at Ash "the match is over. Get a grip of yourself." Before he alighted back onto the field and waited for the ref to announce he had won.
"Bellsprout is unable to battle. Ash and Charizard move on to the round of 16." The ref shouted causing the crowd to cheer like crazy.
"Is Ash ok?" a voice asked him as he waited on the field for his trainer to descend. Looking around he saw it was Jeanette. Snorting he looked at the box Ash was still in and shook his head. Both of them observed a hand grasp at the railing from inside the box as it pulled itself up revealing Ash who was trying to breathe properly. Shaking his head again Charizard extended his wings and took off to fly back to the chalet leaving his trainer behind. It took at least another twenty minutes for Ash to be able to descend the box, but his face was bright red. Walking down he saw that Jeanette had patiently waited for him to shake his hand and congratulate him.
"We need to battle again. I don't care when but please battle me again" Ash said shaking her hand laughing. Nodding Jeanette led them down the tunnel where Ash was still chuckling to do their press obligations. Joanne met him and went over the statement he could give.
"Mr Ketchum" a reporter asked, "after the unusual battle that took place what can you tell us about your decision to limit your Charizard in a battle of such importance."
"Well, I discussed it with a few people when I found out what Pokémon Jeanette had used so far" Ash replied "grass Pokémon are mortally weak to fire type Pokémon. They could easily be killed by a fire attack, and I already have a mark against me because my Charizard knows the most lethal move Blast Burn. So, it was a difficult decision on if I would use him."
"Why did you?" the same reporter asked.
"I used him because to not would be a disservice to not only him for his hard work in helping me get here but also to Jeanette who deserved my full attention." Ash said "the 'no fire' rule was the only way I could safely use him and not be responsible for the death of Jeanettes Pokémon."
"Mr Ketchum" a reporter asked, "given your resounding win do you think you can go all the way?"
"I certainly believe I can" Ash said smiling "I'm not here to simply take part."
"Do you hope for a tougher opponent in the next round?" the next reporter asked.
"Jeanette is tough" Ash said frowning "they don't hand out badges in lucky bags and she's been here twice now. She's here on merit."
"One final question" Joanne said interrupting them.
"Mr Ketchum" a blonde-haired reporter asked smirking "given your distaste for the outfit Gavin made and the lack of a new one so far have Silph cut ties with you for the blatant disrespect given to one of the premier designers?"
"Interesting way of phrasing that" Ash said looking right at her "No, Silph got in touch with me after the battle and we agreed I would need a new outfit, one we all agreed on. The day after Mr Suzuki and his team of designers came round to my chalet and over a few hours we made a lot of progress into what I'd wear to my battles. I'm unsure on when I'll get my new outfit, but I know it will be soon. Who knows, maybe it'll be for the next round. Thank you all."
Leading them through the building Joanne kept up a steady stream of what Ash would have planned over the next few days. Nodding along Ash barely listened to what she was saying as he noticed a couple sat down at a café. Walking over he cleared his throat causing them to look up.
"Hello Jessie, hello James. Fancy seeing you here" Ash said.
"Hi Ash" James said standing up and shaking his hand "congratulations on your win."
"Thanks" Ash said nodding "Oh this is Joanne, my PA. Joanne, this is Jessie and James."
After a few minutes of small talk James asked quietly "is there somewhere we could talk in private?"
Curious Ash nodded "my chalet is private. My mother will be there, and Joanne and her boyfriend live there with me. But my room is private."
Nodding James paid for their drinks and followed Ash to his chalet. Jessie and James were very nervous as this would be the first time they'd ever meet his mum.
"She won't bite" Ash laughed as he opened the door. "Mum, are you here?"
"In the kitchen Ash" Delia shouted back. Making their way in Ash sat at the counter waiting for his mum to get her head from inside the fridge. James was transfixed at the scene in front of him before Jessie saw his face and cracked him over the head.
Digging out what she was looking for she turned around and looked up, her eyes instantly narrowing at the guests. "Do you want me here for this?" she asked Ash.
"Yeah, I do" Ash said turning to Joanne "I'm sorry, but this is something that concerns our family."
"It's ok" Joanne said a little sad she wouldn't get to take part but knowing Ash was simply a client "I have a date with Karl tonight, so I need to get ready for that."
Waiting for her to walk away Ash motioned for them all to go outside to the patio. Sitting down he motioned for James to start.
"We messed up" James said without warning "the person we used to take our fall is someone who would never betray Silver. We just didn't know who it was." seeing Ash's questioning look he continued "we told him a woman names Alexis Hanzo was the mole and leak in his department."
"His mother?" Delia said frowning "why would you tell him it was her?"
"We didn't know it was his mother until a few days later when we typed in her name in the database and realised who she was" Jessie said looking nervous.
"Oh dear" Ash said, "so what are you going to do?"
"We're being followed" James said sombrely "I don't think they know we've spotted the tail on us but when Andrew is seen in a place it usually means he's there to kill someone. And given our task was to find Domino who's hunting Giovanni, someone we still haven't found it's only a matter of time before we're in the ground."
"Wait" Delia said leaning forward "Domino is hunting my brother?"
"It's likely she's already found him" Jessie said nodding "but we've not had any contact from her since Silvers mother was kidnapped. She's completely gone off the grid. Not even the boss can track her."
"Wait there" Delia said standing up and going inside.
"So, what are you guys going to do about Andrew?" Ash asked.
"We're still spit balling ideas at the moment" Jessie said "so far we've not come up with anything concrete. But if you have any ideas then let us know."
Looking around he leant in and replied "if you can survive the next few weeks get in touch with me at my house three days after the tournament is over. Make sure he follows you."
Confused they nodded at Ash wondering what he was planning on doing. The patio door opening again pulled them all from their quiet thoughts.
"Reluctantly I've just spoken with Giovanni." Delia said sitting down "he knows and has 'sorted' it. I suspect your friend Domino is no more."
"She's certainly no friend of ours" Jessie said shuddering, an action that was mirrored by James "I've never met anyone as sadistic as she is and if she's gone, I'll sleep easier at night knowing."
"Gio would not lie to me, not after what he's done to us." Delia said, "I hope you manage to sort out your own issue."
"We have a few ideas" Jessie said, "but if we don't see you again just know it was our pleasure knowing you."
"Likewise," Ash said standing up and showing them to the door.
Walking back into the kitchen Delia looked at him and grimaced "I take it you're going to get involved again?"
"No" Ash said surprising her "not this time. I know they were hoping I would, but I've done enough to aid them. I'll feel bad for them should I find out they've died but I won't sort out their issues for them. They chose this life mum. Sometimes our choices catch up with us eventually. We know this better than anyone."
Surprised at his statement Delia stood up and started preparing tea while Ash helped. It was something that had become automatic over the years, learning to not get in the way was an artform. And as they had dinner, they each reflected on the day.
"Is Auntie Laura mad at me?" Ash asked suddenly.
"A bit" Delia answered "but she's also incredibly grateful for what you said. She was reaching breaking point and the dismissal of her, Blue and Sam at the league could have been the last straw for her. He's her son, and she'll always love him, but everyone knows he's an arse."
"Well hopefully my words eat at him, and he realises how lucky he is having all his family around him" Ash said washing his plate "he's always been a horrible person to me, and I could never understand why. I still don't know why to be honest."
"It all stems from when you were four and you told him you didn't want to play with him because he wouldn't stop talking" Delia said chuckling "he's been that way with you ever since."
Laughing Ash put his plate away and wandered up to his room. Lying on the bed he wondered what the day would bring tomorrow.
