Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.
Pokémon: Sinnoh no Isekai
Chapter Two-hundred and thirty-seven: The Manalo Conference, part two
Over at the Pokémon Center on Manalo Island, the heroes and their classmates were preparing to settle down for the evening. Dawn was drinking from a can of cola when she saw that Ash was looking over a list he had written out. Out of curiosity, Dawn walked over and saw what Ash had written out; Ash had, going from the top of the page to the bottom, written out Pikachu, Greninja, Goodra, Mimikyu, Decidueye, Vikavolt, Salazzle, Inciniroar, Lycanroc, Araquanid, Naganadel, Melmetal, and Eevee. All of the Pokémon that Ash either brought with him to Alola or caught and raised in Alola.
Looking to Ash, Dawn asked, "What are you doing, Ash?"
"Going over all of my Pokémon that I have here in Alola," Ash explained, "My battle with Ideku is tomorrow, and I can tell it's gonna be a tough one for sure, especially as Ideku has both Enamorus and Zekrom in his corner."
Dawn was about to speak up, but she got cut off when she and Ash heard Cilan call out, "Hey Ash! Great job making it into the top four of the Manalo Conference!"
Dawn, Ash, and the rest of their classmates all looked up and saw Cilan walk up to them, accompanied by Iris who when right up to Ash and said, "That magnificent Pokémon you used to win against that Gladion fellow. What is it?"
"You mean Naganadel?" Ash replied, "It's a Pokémon belonging to a sub-group of Pokémon called Ultra Beasts." Jerking a thumb at Dawn, Ash said, "Dawn also owns a Naganadel. The species evolves from Poipole."
"The little purple thing Dawn had in the Clauncher and me movie," Cilan said, "That's Poipole, right?" Dawn nodded in the affirmative. "Well what type of Pokémon, or Ultra Beast as Ash says, is it?"
"Poipole is a pure poison type," Dawn said, "While Naganadel is dual poison dragon type."
"That explains why Naganadel looks so majestic," Iris said, "It's a dragon! And it's partial poison typing ought to help it against fairy type Pokémon." Shuddering a bit, Iris added, "A shame it's still weak to creepy ice types."
"My Naganadel has been able to learn Flamethrower," Dawn explained dryly, instantly relieving Iris of her icy worries. To Cilan and Iris, Dawn said, "I take it you guys are here to wish Ash luck tomorrow?"
Nodding once, Cilan replied, "We're hoping Ash will do well in his battle tomorrow against Id-"
Cilan was cut off when Ash made a cry of complaint as Iris snatched from his hands the notebook he was writing in. "...This is a list of Pokémon you own," Iris said.
Taking the notebook back, Ash explained, "It's what all I have with me here in Alola. I'm trying to figure out the best team layout to bring with me against Ideku for the battle tomorrow, especially as the battle will be three on three."
"Oh yeah, Kenny and Trip agreed with one another to use nothing but their big name legendary Pokémon against each other in their battle tomorrow," Dawn said, "That said, you guys may wanna try and find sturdy places to watch the battle from."
Gesturing to Ash, Iris said, "Use your Naganadel, Ash. I'm also liking the vibe of that Goodra you have."
"You're just saying that because they're dragons, Iris," Cilan said, "Surely Ash-"
"-Actually," Dawn began, "They may actually be viable options against Ideku's two most threatening Pokémon, Enamorus and Zekrom. Naganadel is dual poison dragon, so it can super effectively hit the fairy type Enamorus and the dragon type Zekrom. And Goodra can back Naganadel up against Zekrom with more dragon attacks."
Gesturing to Dawn, Cilan said, "And what would you pick as Ash's third and final Pokémon?"
Shrugging, Dawn replied, "I'd pick Melmetal. It a large and powerful Pokémon, and its steel typing can help cover Naganadel and Goodra against Enamorus. Also, Ash's Melmetal hasn't been seen or used yet, so it can surprise Ideku."
Iris had a contemplative look on her face. "...Ideku himself has been known to pull sneaky sneaks in the past by busting out surprise aces in the hole. This could be Ash's chance to use Ideku's medicine against him."
Sighing, Cilan said, "I suppose there is that, Iris." Ash's friends from Unova wished him luck one last time for the battle against Ideku tomorrow before taking off, with Iris saying she'll see Dawn in the VIP viewing room tomorrow. That reminded Dawn about looking into asking how sturdy the VIP viewing room is; given what Kenny and Trip have planned for their battle tomorrow, Dawn was worried the VIP viewing room may end up collapsing or getting taken down by the sheer force that the battle of gods that Kenny and Trip was planning to have is going to unleash.
...Dawn had already died once. She didn't wanna die again, at least anytime soon.
Later in a locker room, Ideku was alone, changing out of a sweaty baggy t-shirt and into a clean and airy hockey jersey. After he put his dirty shirt away in a bag, he was about to head out, but was stopped when he met Iris in the doorway of the locker room. "Oops, sorry," Iris said, "I was in a rush and entered without checking if this was the girl's locker room."
Ideku was still not entirely fond of Iris, so he wanted to keep their interaction here brief. "...Fair enough. If you'll just back up and let me pass through, I'll get out of your considerable hair." Ideku tried to move, but Iris held an arm out to block his path. "...Let me guess," Ideku began, his tone and expression equally suspicious and unamused, "You're gonna demand an apology for the comment I made about your hair just now."
"Actually, I have to admit that your comment was actually pretty good," Iris admitted; it was actually truly how Iris felt, not part of the buttering up she was planning to do. "I... actually wanna apologize to you for how Unova's government had screwed you over," Iris said, "Regardless of how I may personally feel about certain decisions that you had made, you still technically did nothing wrong or illegal, and you did earn the Unova Champion title fair and square before Unova passed laws to ensure only those Unova born and raised can be in authority positions in Unova."
Ideku was still suspicious, and he was planning to be on his guard. Regardless, a part of him did like it that Iris, who had given him so much grief in the past, was now owning up for it. "...Fair enough, I accept your apolo-"
"There's," Iris went on, cutting Ideku off in the process, "Something else." Looking to Ideku, Iris said, "What... what would you say if I were to tell you that I know what three Pokémon of Ash's that he's planning to use in the battle against you tomorrow?"
Ideku was now a bit more suspicious. "...You would seriously consider offering me Ash's planned line up, selling out someone who is a friend of yours."
Shrugging, Iris said, "Ash is still a little kid, there's no way he's ready for the responsibilities that will entail if he were to win the Manalo Conference. You Ideku, on the other hand, have proven once before that you can handle being the Champion of a region. I'm confident that you can prove it once again. And you don't even need to go full force against Ash, just some carefully prepared choice selections will be sufficient."
The roaming trainer from Johto was unsure of Iris, of what she was planning by selling out someone who was supposed to be her friend. It was rather deplorable for her to do, not just as a region's Champion (Iris would be ROASTED in inter-regional news if word of her doing this got out), but as someone who is supposed to be friends with Ash Ketchum. Ideku was very strongly tempted to tell Iris to take her offer and shove it (albeit in respectful language), and storm off without listening to a word of the intel Iris says she has on Ash's planned lineup for their battle tomorrow.
...But another part of Ideku, a weaker part that desperately grasped for any straws out of a desire to be a region Champion, was begging him to at least hear Iris out. Ideku, in a rare moment of weakness, decided to indulge that voice. Ideku looked right at Iris, gave her his full attention. "...Very well," Ideku said, "You say you know what Ash's planned lineup is. What is it?"
"He's planning to use Vikavolt, Araquanid, and Decidueye," Iris said, "That said, I'd say that using Pokémon that are rock, ice, and or fairy type are your best bet."
Ideku nodded once in acknowledgement; he had a number of Pokémon that fit that bill, and he wouldn't even have to use Schwarz. Ideku supposed that Iris wanted him to use a lighter touch because of the chaos from the battle royal before the Manalo Conference top sixteen. Ideku understood, and he got an earful from Ash's former traveling companion May about how he went way too far. Ideku was already considering what team layout to select and use against Ash tomorrow as he told Iris, "I'll keep what you said in mind."
"Alola will need someone more mature than a kid like Ash as Champion," Iris said, "That said, make sure you beat him while showing restraint, something that Ash with all due respect simply doesn't understand." Ideku nodded once before he took off, his back to Iris as he left to return to where he was staying while attending the Manalo Conference in his bid to gain a Champion's seat once more.
...It was due to Ideku leaving with his back to Iris that he failed to notice her darkly amused smirk.
The next day, the top four of the Manalo Conference kicked off, and it saw Trip and Kenny have their fated duel first. "Both trainers may use up to three Pokémon each," Caster said, "Substitutions are allowed at any time, and the last trainer with any Pokémon left standing will be declared the winner. Now then, BEGIN!"
"Okay, Black!" Kenny said as he sent out his named Giratina, "Let's make it cringe!"
"Alright, Tetsu," Trip said as he sent out his named Xerneas, "Let's rock it!"
The crowds were going wild with the spectacle before them, as two big name legendary Pokémon were going to duke it out against one another right there and then. Gesturing by punching forward, Kenny called out, "Black, use Shadow Force!"
"Tetsu, use Moonblast!" Trip called out. Black disappeared into the shadows just quickly enough to avoid getting hit by Tetsu's Moonblast. As such, the named Xerneas had to charge up another on, keeping it charged as it was hit by Black's Shadow Force, before unleashing it at Trip's command, finally scoring a hit in the named Giratina. Given that Giratina was in its speedier and more stinging, but less bulky, Origin Forme, Black felt the sting of Tetsu's Moonblast slightly more. But Black still had steam in the tank, and it wouldn't go down easily.
Gesturing forward, Kenny called out, "Black, use Iron Head!"
"Tetsu, use Aurora Beam!" Trip commanded.
Black, its head shining like polished metal, rushed right at Tetsu who charged up and fired it Aurora Beam. The beam of northern lights energy was deflected by the Iron Head, which went on to strike the named Xerneas directly, making it cry out in great pain. Tetsu stumbled back and shook its head as it tried to regain its bearings, right as Black flew back around to get ready to get another attack off.
Throwing a hand forward, Trip called out, "Tetsu, use Moonblast!"
"Black, use Earthquake!" Kenny called out.
Both legendary Pokémon got their attacks off, and both took heavy hits because of it. From what Dawn observed from the VIP viewing room, Tetsu and Black will both go down to one more solid hit each from one another. True enough, Kenny called for Black to use Iron Head while Trip called for Tetsu to use Moonblast, and both of them hit one another with their respective attacks. To the surprise of everyone in the main part of the audience, both Giratina and Xerneas went down to each other in battle, their portion of the contest between Kenny and Trip ending in a draw.
"Both Giratina and Xerneas are unable to battle!" Caster declared, "This is a double knockout!"
Dawn was surprised by how a double knockout had occurred, especially as one of the legendary Pokémon involved had a type advantage over the other. That just goes to prove the sheer level of skill and power both Kenny and Trip had respectively. The two boys recalled their Pokémon, Giratina and Xerneas, so that they could sende out the next round of Pokémon to do battle with one another. And similar to what was done in round one, round two saw another mighty battle between two titans that are commonly thought to exist only in lore.
"Okay, Zamasu!" Kenny said as he sent out his named Necrozma, "Let's make it cringe!"
"Alright, Alucard!" Trip said as he sent out his named Lunala, "Let's rock it!"
As the two mighty psychic types squared off against one another, Kenny called out, "I hope you're ready for part two of our dance, Trip! and rest assured it won't be a fusion dance! Also, there are no potara earrings around here that I see!"
Trip smirked a bit in amusement. "So there won't be no hijacking is what you're saying. Good." Pointing forward, Trip said, "Alucard, use Moongeist Beam!"
"Zamasu, use Photon Geyser!" Kenny commanded.
The two legendary Pokémon charged up and fired their attacks at one another, both colliding into one another and exploding in a powerful burst. As the dust was settling, Kenny called out, "Zamasu, use Dark Pulse! Straight ahead!" A Dark Pulse attack came flying out of the dust and went on to strike Alucard. Granted, it was only a grazing hit on the named Lunala, but it was still a hit, and Alucard's Shadow Shield activated to reduce the damage as it was at full health at the time. Even so, the attack was still times four super effective, and now with Shadow Shield gone, Alucard was a lot more vulnerable to that stinging Dark Pulse.
Pointing forward, Trip called out, "Alucard, use Thunderbolt!"
"Zamasu, use Power Gem!" Kenny commanded.
The two attacks were charged up and casted, with some streams of electricity from Alucard's Thunderbolt going on to hit Zamasu, while some of the shots of Power Gem from Zamasu's attack went on to pelt Alucard. The two legendary Pokémon of Alola were exchanging heavy blows with one another, and it would be long before one of the two ended up going down. Dawn from where she sat felt that the battle between Lunala and Necrozma would be decided in the next few attacks that were called.
"Alucard, use Moonblast!" Trip ordered.
"Zamasu, use Flash Cannon!" Kenny commanded.
Another harsh exchange of blows was done, seeing both legendary Pokémon take heavy hits. Both were still standing, although Dawn did note that Alucard looked to have suffered the special defense drop from Zamasu's Flash Cannon. If luck was on Kenny's side, then he could use that to pivot himself into a lead against Trip. But it was clear that Trip wasn't going to let Kenny grasp any possibility to gain a lead, at least easily. Sure enough, the next exchange of attacks between Kenny and Trip saw the result of part two of their dance.
"Alucard, use Moongeist Beam!"
"Zamasu, use Dark Pulse!"
Alucard charged up and cast a Moonblast at the same time Zamasu charged up and cast a Dark Pulse. The two attacks went on to pass by one another and going on to hit their respective targets. Alucard took a powerfully stinging Dark Pulse while Zamasu was blasted with a wracking Moongeist Beam. Both mighty titans cried out in pain as they stumbled backwards. Eventually, they both fell over onto their backs and passed out, both of them clearly out of it. The audience was surprised that there had been yet another double knockout.
As for Caster, he actually had to ask Kenny and Trip for the species names of their Pokémon, as he didn't know their species were called Lunala and Necrozma. But after he got that info, Caster said, "Both Lunala and Necrozma are unable to battle! This is a double knockout!"
Kenny and Trip recalled their respective fainted legendary Pokémon, then they sent out their respective last Pokémon. "Okay, Shenron!" Kenny called out as he sent in his named Rayquaza, "Let's make it cringe!"
"Alright, Cameron!" Trip called out as he sent in his named Kyogre, "Let's rock it!"
The third part of the dance between Kenny and Trip, and it was just as awesome, just as magnificent, just as... as legendary... as the first two parts. But it became even more so when Cameron underwent Primal Reversion due to holding the Blue Orb, becoming Primal Kyogre in the process. Similarly, Kenny used his version of the Prayer to Rayquaza to Mega Evolve Shenron into Mega Rayqyaza. For a brief moment, Dawn thought that Kenny and Trip actually WERE trying to destroy Manalo Stadium; that, or they were so caught up in battling one another that they forgot the meaning of the word 'subtle'.
Pointing forward, Trip said, "Cameron, use Ice Beam!"
"Shenron, dodge and use Dragon Ascent!" Kenny commanded. The named Mega Rayqyaza flew around the Ice Beam that flew at it, before turning around to strike right down at the name Primal Kyogre, hitting it hard. But Cameron wasn't down for the count yet.
A point that Trip capitalized on when he called out, "Cameron, use Thunder!"
"Shenron, use Earthquake!" Kenny commanded.
Shenron got off its Earthquake, striking Cameron with powerful seismic waves. But Shenron was also hit hard by the Thunder, not helping is the fact that Shenron took a drop to its physical defense and special defense stats as a result of using Dragon Ascent. Both legendary titans of weather were looking like they had taken heavy hits from one another, and Dawn for a brief moment worried that another double knockout may occur, resulting in the battle between Kenny and Trip ending in a draw. Dawn wondered what would happen in that case.
...Some wondering that Dawn would soon see would be answered, as Kenny's call for another Dragon Ascent and Trip's call for another Ice Beam saw both Shenron and Cameron take powerful blows so strong, it knocked both of them out and undid their super forms. "Both Rayquaza and Kyogre are unable to battle!" Caster announced, "This battle is a double knockout!" Caster then looked mildly unsure of things. "...Umm... we're going to have to discuss things with the judges to see what do do here. Sorry, but we never thought that a draw would occur in the Manalo Conference like this!"
As Caster went on to talk to the Kahunas and Kukui, Kenny and Trip recalled their respective legendary Pokémon that were just knocked out. "You... you truly are an able opponent," Kenny said, "It would be interesting indeed to see how our dance would have played out if it got to the point one of us won rather than see both of us fight to a draw."
Smirking in amusement, Trip said, "Yeah, I kind of wanted to see things play out to an actual winner myself. A draw would-"
"Attention everyone!" Caster called out, making both Trip and Kenny, as well as all of the audience, turn to look at him, "After conversing with the judges and host, it has been decided that the draw between Kenny and Trip will stand, and that we'll use the results of the other top four battle, the one between Ash and Ideku, to determine the winner of the Manalo Conference! If another draw occurs there, well... we'll figure something out!"
As the audience went wild with cheering, up in the VIP viewing room, Iris scoffed in mild annoyance. "Wow, a bit unprofessional of them, don't you think?"
"Iris, this is the first ever League Conference that Alola has ever had," Dawn pointed out, "Of course there's going to be some stumbling and figuring things out as things move along."
Serena nodded once in agreement. "You really ought to cut them some slack as this is something that Alola is totally new at doing." May and Max both nodded in agreement with Serena, although May looked rather shocked at the sheer level of power that was just on display in the battle between Kenny and Trip, a battle that, had it gotten truly out of control, ran the risk of destroying Manalo Stadium, and the island it was on.
...Hopefully the battle between Ash and Ideku, which is going to be used to determine the winner of the Manalo Conference due to the draw between Kenny and Trip (as long as the Ash-Ideku battle also doesn't end in a draw), will be a lot more tame and nowhere near as outrageous.
After things were settled, the battle between Ash and Ideku was started up. Both trainers took their places for the battle, and both were nervous. Ash was nervous due to how he was facing someone who had beaten him in multiple League Conferences in the past; he knew full well that he'd have to go all out against Ideku just to stand a chance, especially since Ideku not only had loads of power he could bring to the table, but had no qualms with doing so, regardless of what others may think or say on his choice of moves.
As for Ideku, he was nervous because he was, due to judge rulings, literally one battle away from regaining in Alola what was stripped from him in Unova due solely to the xenophobia of the people running that region. Here in Alola, the roaming trainer from Johto could regain a Champion's seat. Here in Alola, he could regain part of what he needed for what he had planned. All he had to do was defeat Ash, something he's done a few times in the past so it ought to be easy enough for him, and he'll have retaken that crucial step.
"This battle will be between Ash and Ideku!" Caster announced, "Both trainers may use up to three Pokémon! Substitutions are allowed at any time, and the last trainer with any Pokémon left that are still able to battle will be declared the winner! The trainer who wins here will be the winner of the Manalo Conference and be declared as the first Champion of Alola! Now then!"
Ash and Ideku both gulped nervously, waiting for the cue from Caster to send out their respective first Pokémon. This would be the biggest battle that either of them had ever fought in their entire lives, and by no means was either boy planning to lose here, especially considering the fact that both of the boys here had a shot at becoming the first ever Champion of Alola here. They were both tense, ready to spring into action the moment that Caster gave the cue. Then, with seemingly instant speed right at the moment Caster yelled, "BEGIN!", Ash and Ideku both sent out their first Pokémon for their battle, the battle that will determine who between the two of them will end up becoming the Champion of Alola.
"Go, Axantor!"
"Melmetal, I choose you!"
Ideku's first Pokémon that he sent out was his named Kleavor, the otherwise extinct evolution of the Pokémon Scyther, an evolution that had existed commonly in the Hisuian period of Sinnoh's old history. As for Ash, his first Pokémon that he sent out was Melmetal, the large and mighty steel type titan that Ash had only recently gotten, and hadn't made use of up until this very moment. Everyone who was watching, aside from Ash's friends who were in the know, were very much surprised to see such a Pokémon under Ash's command.
...Especially Ideku, who had a look on his face that made it clear he didn't expect this. His expression then settled into a bitter, unamused scowl. He didn't know what sort of Pokémon this was that Ash had out, but it clearly was at least part steel type, something that was strong against literally every Pokémon in the team that Ideku had brought with him to this final battle against Ash. Things suddenly had just gotten far more steep for the roaming trainer from Johto, but even so he knew that he had to see things here through to the last.
Gesturing forward, Ideku called out, "Axantor, use X-Scissor!"
"Melmetal," Ash called out, "Use Double Iron Bash!"
The two Pokémon, both capable of hitting rather heavily, rushed one another. But Melmetal's sheer bulk, combined with physical prowess, allowed it to tank the attack from the named Kleavor like a champ, then go on to deal two solid heavy and metalic strikes to Kleavor in return, sending it flying away until it hit the ground and went on to skid along the ground for a bit. When it came to a stop, everyone saw that Kleavor was clearly out of it.
"Kleavor is unable to battle!" Caster announced, "The winner is Melmetal!"
Ideku recalled his fainted Kleavor before sending out his next Pokémon. "Go, Cupidos!" Ideku called out as he sent in his named Enamorus. Despite how she had a type disadvantage here, Cupidos was still a legendary, thus she ought to have some considerable power. Additionally, she knew attacks that could super effectively hit a steel type like what that Melmetal thing probably was. Gesturing forward, Ideku called out, "Cupidos, use Earth Power!"
"Melmetal, use Double Iron Bash again!" Ash called out. Although strong and bulky, Melmetal was still admittedly on the slow side of things when it came to speed. As such, as it spun to use Double Iron Bash, it took a heavy hit from Cupidos's Earth Power. But it was able to endure, and as such it went on to strike Cupidos with Double Iron Bash, dealing the named Enamorus a heavy blow that she barely just endured, and clearly by the skin of her teeth. It was also apparent that Cupidos was pushing herself more than she should be.
Gesturing forward, Ideku called out, "Cupidos, use Mystical Fire!"
"Melmetal, use Flash Cannon!" Ash commanded.
The two Pokémon conjured and cast their respective attacks, and both got hit hard. Melmetal stumbled backwards a bit but was able to endure, but as for Cupidos the Flash Cannon was enough to take her out, making her fall down onto the battlefield and lay there in defeat. "Enamorus is unable to battle!" Caster announced, "The winner is Melmetal!"
The audience roared with excited cheers as the final battle of the Manalo Conference was on a roll, and Ash had a distinct winning streak going against Ideku. Granted, Ash's Melmetal was starting to feel the length of the battle, given that it took hits from both opponents it took out thus far; even the X-Scissor from Kleavor was helping to add up to the damage Melmetal had taken. Ash had the potential to win here, but he had to be careful not to lose his head. As for Ideku, he was pushed into a corner by Ash, and was starting to realize he might very well have been set up.
...A realization that did not make him amused. "Go, Anego!" Ideku said as he sent out his last Pokémon, his named Nihilego. He knew that he had to go all out if he wanted so much as a chance to catch up, so he was planning to go all out. "Anego, use Thunderbolt!" Ideku called out.
"Melmetal, use Double Iron Bash!" Ash commanded.
The named Nihilego conjured and cast its Thunderbolt, hitting Melmetal as it spun at it with the use of Double Iron Bash. Melmetal was close to going down from the accumulating damage, but it still had steam, and it went on to deal two heavy hits on Anego with Double Iron Bash. Anego was thrown back, and was barely able to pick itself back up to try and continue the fight. From where she sat in the VIP viewing room, Dawn felt that, even if my some miracle Nihilego defeats Melmetal, it would be so exhausted and hurt from the effort that whatever Pokémon that Ash sent out next could very easily pick Nihilego off.
Resulting in Ash achieving his destiny from the anime in Dawn's previous life as a result.
Still, something felt... felt off to Dawn. Ideku's Pokémon had all gone down quickly to Ash's Melmetal, but then again all of them carried a weakness to the steel type. Dawn couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on that made Ideku decide to use the Pokémon that he had chosen to use, especially since he not only had access to Zekrom, but there was literally nothing preventing him from making use of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon if he so chose to want to use it. Zekrom would have let Ideku fare far better against Ash here.
But that wasn't the case here, as Ideku for reasons that escaped Dawn brought Pokémon that all shared a weakness to Ash's new heavy hitting mythical Pokémon. This was something that Dawn felt she was going to have to look into later, and she even suspected that there might be some degree of foul play going on here; if that were the case, and such a revelation were made public knowledge, then it'd cast a very serious shadow over the legacy of the Manalo Conference. It could even have an effect of wrecking the reputations of those who are knowingly complicit, assuming that there IS in fact foul play going on.
But that could be settled later, as down on the battlefield, Ideku called for Anego to use Thunderbolt again while Ash called for Melmetal to use Flash Cannon. Both attacks flew at their respective targets, hitting both of them really hard. Also, and to everyone's surprise, both Anego and Melmetal ended up going down in battle, the both of them clearly out of it as they laid on the battlefield in defeat. "Both Nihilego and Melmetal are unable to battle! This is a double knockout!" Castor announced, Then, while he was gesturing to Ash, Castor went on, "However, as he still has two of his allocated Pokémon remaining, victory of this battle goes to Ash! Ash wins the Manalo Conference!"
The audience erupted into excited cheers as Ash was declared the winner of the Manalo Conference. But there was more beyond that; as Ash had won the Manalo Conference, that meant that he was made the first ever Champion of Alola. Despite the threat to it, Ash was still able to achieve the destiny he had here that he had been able to achieve in the anime in Dawn's previous life. Granted, Dawn felt that there was something off about it, but she was still happy, as well as a little relieved, to see Ash get here what he got in the anime in her previous life.
Before Ash could even recall his fainted Melmetal, he was swarmed by all of his classmates aside from the reborn trainers and Serena; there was a knock at the door leading into the VIP room, and it was answered by Serena who saw that it was Kenny and Trip. "Yo, we came to grab you guys so we can all go join the swarm that's glomping Ash," Kenny remarked, "Who all here is in?"
Before Dawn could even say anything, Serena immediately ran out to go see Ash and congratulate him on his win, even pushing past Kenny and Trip. Dawn, May, and Max also agreed to go, but they left far more calmly. As for Iris, she said she'll congratulate Ash when there isn't as much of a crowd. As such, Iris was left alone in the VIP room, closing the door behind her before she went back down to sit in her seat. By the time she sat back down, Iris saw down in the stadium that Ideku had left, without anyone noticing his departure due to being too caught up in celebrating Ash's win.
...Iris smirked to herself, amused by her handiwork.
...
Later that night, a special award ceremony was held at Manalo Stadium, during which the judge committee and Kukui presented Ash with the trophy he'd earned for winning the Manalo Conference and becoming the first Champion of Alola. "Additionally, tomorrow our Alola Champion here will be fighting a special full battle exhibition match," Kukui announced to the audience, "And hoo boy, what a match it will be! It'll be between two first timers in the history of Alola, so I hope you all are ready for one heck of a treat!"
As the audience cheered, Kukui announced, "That's right, Alola! The exhibition match tomorrow will see Alola's first Champion battle it out against Alola's first Contest Kahuna! Ash will be battling Serena tomorrow in the exhibition match!"
"Wait, what?" Dawn said, surprised with what she had just heard.
"Say sike right now," Trip said, sounding equally surprised as his sister.
"Hol' up," Kenny began, making a 'hold your horses' gesture with his hands.
"EHH?!" all of the classmates, especially Serena, cried out in surprised unison.
Turning to look at the surprised students, Kukui said, "Yeah, it was Burnet's idea. She thought it'd make for an awesome exhibition match if the first Alola Champion fought the first Contest Kahuna. That's why the contemplated idea of having Dawn fight whoever became the first Alola Champion ultimately was shot down." Looking to Ash and Serena, Kukui said, "That being said, I hope you two are ready for an awesome battle tomorrow, because-"
Kukui was suddenly cut off when an Ultra Wormhole appeared over Manalo Stadium, and suddenly a Guzzlord came out. Everyone was starting to panic as they had all scrambled to get away, although Ash and his classmates all stood ready to fight back against the Guzzlord that had just shown up. Not... exactly the perfect way to end the award ceremony, although it did give Serena a chance to calm down from being told he had to battle Ash in an exhibition match.
END, CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN
Author's notes;
This chapter sees the Manalo Conference shenanigans continue, and Trip and Kenny take each other out in a draw that allows for the battle between Ash and Ideku to determine the outcome of the Manalo Conference. Here, Ash wins and become the Champion of Alola, same as he did in the anime in Dawn's previous life. However, what isn't known to the heroes is that... less than honest things... were done to ensure it here, although the person pulling the strings will be in for a right nasty surprise after some chaos is settled. Let's just say someone may or may not have recorded things on their phone. The string-puller WON'T get out of this squeaky clean, and there WILL be consequences for it later on down the line.
Speaking of, at the award ceremony for Ash, Kukui announces that the exhibition match will see the first Champion of Alola battle the first Contest Kahuna, meaning Ash and Serena will have to battle one another. As the heroes are shocked by this revelation, an Ultra Wormhole appears over the stadium and a Guzzlord pops out of it. This gives the heroes something to focus on and ignore the shock of Ash having to battle Serena, at least until AFTER the Guzzlord is dealt with. Just because the Conference is over doesn't mean this arc is. Things will be continuing into the next chapter, so until then take care.
Dawn's Pokémon: (on hand) Chi-Chi (female Infernape), Tsukune (Palkia), Kurumu (Groudon), Fangfang (Yveltal), Ruby (Reshiram), Zyuoh (Solgaleo)
Kenny's Pokémon: (on hand) Roshi (male Torterra), Badeeyaa (Xurkitree), Zamasu (Necrozma), Shenron (Rayquaza), Elay (male Sandslash; shiny), Black (Giratina; Origin Forme)
Trip's Pokémon: (on hand) Myde (male Emploeon), Deelia (Dialga), Gypsy Danger (female Togekiss), Space Kitta (Celesteela), Foruze (male Electivire), Suzaku (male Primarina)
Ash's Pokémon: (on hand) Pikachu (male), Greninja (male), Inciniroar (male), Decidueye (male; Hisuian), Melmetal (gender unknown), Naganadel (gender unknown)