Pummelo Stadium: Morning…
"Welcome back to day 2 of the Orange League." The announcer spoke through the microphone as the crowd cheered. "Yesterday, our eight competitors were whittled down to four. They are Ash Ketchum, Harrison Hazuki, Cheren Servine, and Tad Sharp.
Today, these four shall battle it out until one ultimately stands at the peak ready to face our champion tomorrow. As a reminder to our lovely spectators, the monitor will show you the match ups for the semifinals."
Cheren Servine vs Harrison Hazuki
Ash Ketchum vs Tad Sharp
"Now, I'm not about to keep you from the action any longer." The announcer declared. "Cheren and Harrison, make your way to the stadium and get ready to have your battle."
Stands
As the crowd cheered, Ash was sitting with his group.
"Ash, you remembered to get the pokemon you want to use today, right?" James asked.
"Of course, I did." Ash smiled. "I wasn't about to let even the smallest of things stop me from focusing on seeing this battle since either one of them could be my next opponent after Tad."
"You don't need to worry about your next opponent because I'll be the one winning our battle." Tad interrupted as he plopped into a seat behind the group.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I was you." Ash replied confidently. "After all, battles are rather fickle."
From there, the group devolved into small talk. After all, Tad hadn't chosen to sit here solely to declare his intention of winning to his opponent. It wasn't like they couldn't have some friendly conversation, and the group recognized his intent as well as that truth.
Pummelo Stadium
Harrison and Cheren walked out onto the field and took their respective positions across from each other. Unlike the events of yesterday, a referee was there. Upon his appearance, it was time to begin the semifinals.
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Harrison and Cheren to see who will move onto the next round." The ref declared. "Both sides can make substitutions at any point, and there is no time limit. Cheren shall reveal his pokemon first."
"We'll do this together, Sawsbuck." Cheren declared.
Harrison was quick to select his pokemon. "Banette, go!"
Cheren was no mere novice. It was simply the most common outcome for your opponent to choose a pokemon with a type advantage, provided they had it, if you chose first. Beyond that, Harrison's own choice merely confirmed an already known fact.
The Hoenn native was just as equally no mere novice. After all, Blaziken had a better type advantage in this particular situation. Most would assume that to be the best choice, but not if it was the stronger pokemon.
"Don't call a start to this battle." The Unova native caused those very words to catch in the ref's throat. "Before you issue the start, I will use my right to make a substitution."
That got people whispering in the crowd since this was a highly uncommon occurrence. Ultimately, the first piece of this puzzle has already panned out. While not a deciding factor of victory, the fact that Harrison went with the move Cheren predicted did increase his odds.
"I must admit, even though this strategy does fit within the parameters of my normal specialty, by the pokemon's typing still fitting within that, it is a bit riskier than I'm used to. Plus, I had only intended on using the six pokemon I arrived with and those I caught here.
In the end, that Blaziken is one factor I can't ignore. Even if he ends up swapping, the pokemon I have makes it less likely he'll choose Blaziken." Cheren grabbed his current pokemon's pokeball. "Sawsbuck, return." He then swapped pokeballs. "Let's do this together, Braviary!"
"In a surprising maneuver, Cheren opted to swap pokemon before the battle even began revealing his second pokemon almost immediately." The announcer declared. "Just what is he planning?"
"What is he planning?" Harrison was confused by this play.
"Sir, would you like to swap pokemon!?" The ref asked Harrison to be polite.
The ref was genuine as the rules were official. Whenever the opponent wishes to switch pokemon, they may.
"Do I want to swap pokemon?" Harrison knew Cheren was smart, but he didn't expect to be put on the spot almost immediately. "There were some smart opponents back in Hoenn, but none of them pulled this." He mulled it over for a moment. "I will swap." He produced his Ninjask's pokeball. "Return, Ninjask." He swapped pokeballs. "Steelix, go!"
The ref then looked at Cheren expectantly.
"This is a satisfactory addition to the puzzle." Cheren nodded. "I don't need to swap back."
"Very well." The ref raised his flag. "Steelix vs Braviary…Begin!"
Harrison VS Cheren (P. I)
"Steelix, use curse." Harrison ordered.
Out of all the pokemon the Hoenn native could have chosen, Steelix was the best option given what they now faced. While none of Steelix's ground type moves could hit Braviary, setting up his pokemon's defense and attack could help other super effective moves.
Unfortunately, forcing Harrison to forgo Blaziken wasn't the only reason Cheren choose to bring in Braviary. This move he was about to use would have forced a switch with a chance of Harrison not getting Blaziken, but it would still work wonders here.
"Braviary, use whirlwind." Cheren instructed.
Any chance Harrison had with a set up strategy just went out the window in that moment as Steelix was forced back to his pokeball while Ninjask reappeared.
"Combo it into a brave bird." Cheren commanded.
Harrison was stunned while Ninjask was confused at being sent back out which resulted in the bug/flying type being hit by Braviary who was cloaked in powerful flying type energy. This was one powerful blow with one of the only consolations being that Braviary took recoil.
"If I switch out, he can just pull Ninjask back in." Harrison thought.
The only other consolation was that Ninjask's ability activated increasing his speed by one stage; however, there was no telling how long Cheren would let this stand. He could, after all, return Ninjask at his discretion. That meant Harrison had to make full use of this.
"Let's keep it up with air slash." Cheren ordered not willing to let up.
"Ninjask, use double team." Harrison commanded. "Then, rock slide."
Braviary slashed his wings sending out a sharp gust of wind as Ninjask created multiple afterimages of himself. The sharp gusts passed through an afterimage before rocks slammed down the normal/flying type. Ninjask ability then made his speed raise another stage.
"Ninjask, use night slash." Harrison commanded.
"Braviary, use whirlwind." Cheren ordered.
In that moment, Ninjask was faster getting off a critical night slash; however, Braviary was still very much conscious leading to a powerful gust of wind forcing Ninjask back to his pokeball. In return, Steelix was brought back to the field.
"Now, use roost." Cheren instructed.
"He also taught his Braviary it's healing move!" This only compounded the problems Harrison needed to overcome, but he wasn't about to give up. "Steelix, the moment Roost has taken full effect, make them pay with body press."
Braviary was healed of almost all his prior damage while losing out on his flying typing. That meant the now solely normal type Braviary was in for a rude awakening as Steelix took full advantage of this. The steel/ground type was cloaked in fighting energy.
He slammed full force down on Braviary dolling out a massive, super effective hit before getting off. The move didn't pay off exactly as Harrison would have liked as the valiant pokemon was hanging onto consciousness by a thread.
"Close combat!" Cheren ordered.
"Head smash!" Harrison commanded.
Braviary moved first striking super effectively against the iron snake pokemon before said pokemon smashed his head into the valiant pokemon. In the end, Steelix had been damaged while Braviary was unconscious.
Pummelo Stadium
"Braviary is unable to battle, this first round goes to Harrison." The ref declared. "Cheren please send out you're remaining pokemon."
"Return Braviary." Cheren recalled his pokemon. "Thanks to you, every piece has now been lined up, but it's up to how Sawsbuck and I play this to finish the puzzle."
Everything hadn't gone exactly how Cheren had hoped it would, but he was still in a massively advantageous position. Even with only one pokemon to Harrison's two, his one was undamaged. Neither of Harrison's were anywhere near that. He just had to bring this home.
"We'll do this together, Sawsbuck!" Cheren shouted.
"If I send out Ninjask, I'd have the advantage, but he's more injured than Steelix currently is." Harrison reasoned. "I think my best bet would be to weaken Sawsbuck with everything Steelix has left before then being forced into Ninjask to finish this from an advantageous stance."
"Steelix vs Sawsbuck…" The ref raised his flags. "…Begin!"
Harrison VS Cheren (P. II)
"Use body press." Harrison instructed.
"Sawsbuck, just like we've practiced." Cheren ordered. "Trailblaze to deal some damage and get out of there before setting up with a sunny day."
As Steelix came down cloaked in fighting energy, Sawsbuck generated grass energy and gracefully moved aside from the oncoming steel type. He then slammed into the iron snake dealing damage as his speed rose one stage. The finishing touch was a ball of light above.
"Now, follow it up with a jump kick." Cheren commanded.
"Use protect to defend before striking back with fire fang." Harrison instructed.
Sawsbuck ran at Steelix and jumped to nail the steel/ground type with a devastating kick. Fortunately, Steelix just managed to get protect up in time blocking the attack. As the move lowered, he struck with a maw of flames dolling out one powerful blow.
"Follow it up with an ice fang." Harrison ordered.
"Trailblaze once more." Cheren commanded.
As Steelix came in with a maw of ice, the results might as well be a second verse same as the first. Sawsbuck gracefully evaded the oncoming attack before striking out with another super effect grass blow. His speed rose another full stage.
"Steelix, use body press." Harrison tried.
"Sawsbuck, use zen headbutt." Cheren ordered.
"Sawsbuck jumped and slammed his head, coated in psychic energy, down on Steelix's head. While not all that powerful, Sawsbuck's ability was serene grace which meant the oncoming flinch was all by guaranteed. This stopped Steelix in its track.
"Time to bring this to an end." Cheren declared. "Take in the last remnants of sunny day and fire a solar beam."
Due to Sawsbuck's already increased speed and the power of the sun, solar beam was fired instantly without Harrison having the time to issue a counter. The beam of grass energy slammed right into Steelix. That was all the iron snake could take as he collapsed with swirls in his eyes.
Pummelo Stadium
"Steelix is unable to battle, this second round goes to Cheren." The ref declared. "Harrison please send out you're remaining pokemon."
"Return Steelix." Harrison recalled his pokemon. "You did phenomenal in getting us this far, so rest up."
Most would likely look at this battle and think Cheren had it on lock from the very beginning. That would ignore the countless hours he spent concocting this strategy to overcome Harrison, and the little bit of luck that saw him not having to face Blaziken.
This battle could have gone differently because Cheren was not above admitting that Harrison's Blaziken was a pure monster compared to the other pokemon. Sure, the others the Hoenn native has access to were strong, but that fire/fighting type was a league above them.
"Everything is almost in place, but I can't afford to let my guard down." Cheren thought. "Sawsbuck and I still need to bring this puzzle of a battle together."
"Ninjask, go!" Harrison called out as he threw his remaining pokemon back out.
"Well folks, we've seen some impressive strategy on Cheren's part; however, Harrison has managed to combat it thus far." The announcer declared. "Now, it all comes down to this. Whoever wins this battle will be our first finalist of this year's Orange League."
"Ninjask VS Sawsbuck…" The ref raised his flags. "…Begin!"
Harrison VS Cheren (P. III)
"Ninjask, use swords dance." Harrison commanded.
"Sawsbuck, use camouflage." Cheren ordered. "Then, combo it into a trailblaze."
The astral swords danced around Ninjask raising his ATK by two stages while Sawsbuck was awash in normal energy that took on an earthy brown. The stadium contained enough ground to count towards shifting the grass/normal type to a ground type.
If Cheren must guess, by the way Harrison gave off no indication of this move worrying him, the Hoenn native had no idea what this move was. Sawsbuck immediately followed it up with the grass type trailblaze which delt little damage without Sawsbuck's grass stab.
Again, this was a calculated move since it would do little regardless given Ninjask's typing. The real reason behind this was to deal even that little damage more and raise the season pokemon's speed to keep it two stages higher as Ninjask's own speed boost raised his one stage.
"Ninjask, use X-Scissor." Harrison instructed.
As Ninjask moved slightly past Ninjask, dolling out the slash in the form of an x, Sawsbuck wasn't nearly as affected by this move as Harrison knew it should be given the opposing pokemon's typing. This was confirmation of Cheren's earlier theory.
"That move I used early, camouflage, changed my pokemon's typing to ground due to the very area we currently battle in." Cheren informed. "Sawsbuck, use jump kick!"
Sawsbuck lept backwards slamming his back legs into the ninja pokemon hard enough that he fell to the ground even if the blow wasn't particularly effective. That said, Ninjask's speed did raise one stage bringing his current speed increase to two stages compared to Sawsbuck's three.
"Time to bring this to a close." Cheren declared. "Sawsbuck, wild charge."
"Ninjask, night slash." Harrison panicked.
It was no use. At this moment, the ninja pokemon would have been fast enough to at least execute the move if he weren't currently recovering from being driven into the ground. As a result, Sawsbuck, cloaked in electricity, rammed into the bug/flying type.
Ninjask was sent skidding across the field before ultimately ending up right before Harrison with swirls in his eyes. Sawsbuck was hit with recoil from the move he just used, but all it resulted in was the season pokemon panting heavily.
Pummelo Stadium
"Ninjask is unable to battle." The ref declared. "This means the winner of this match, and the trainer moving onto the finals, is Cheren."
"Even with all my careful planning, and that little bit of luck needed to see it through, this match was still close." Cheren thought. "If Harrison knew me since childhood, like Hilbert, then this strategy just wouldn't have been viable."
The normal specialist didn't want to dwell on the fact that this battle could have slipped from his control, but he just couldn't help it. Sawsbuck was near fainting, and he was his only pokemon left. It only confirmed that had Blaziken reached the field, he'd have lost.
Stands
No one in the stadium ever saw the doubts Cheren had throughout this match. To them, all they saw was a trainer who took absolute control and never once relinquished it. Anyone who saw or heard of his Mandarin Island victories knew this one blew those out of the water.
"That was something else." Serena commented not knowing what else to say.
"I hear you." James nodded. "Cheren effortlessly picked apart whatever strategies Harrison had initially planned and continued to adapt to anything the Hoenn native attempted."
"That was a really great battle." Ash was smiling. "Now, I'm more motivated than ever to win my own. I really want to see how I do against Cheren now that he's even better than our last battle."
"I really hate how right he is." Tad clenched his fist over his pants. "Damn it, there wasn't a thing Harrison could have done to take back any semblance of control."
Tad wasn't the type to hate someone for winning, but he did wish things had gone differently. Even if he beat Ash in their coming match, he wouldn't get to battle Harrison in this stadium like he wanted. That's not to say he wasn't going to give this next battle his all. It was just…
"…so frustrating!" Tad though loudly.
As Ash's excitement was tampering, he suddenly realized something. "I got to go make sure Tad can't use any sort of strategy like that against me!"
Serena and James understood what Ash meant by that, so it was no surprise when he suddenly bolted from the stands. At this point, Ash didn't fear getting any of his pokemon forcibly dragged into a match like what happened against Blaine.
The problem was that he had told his team when they would be fighting, and he didn't want them to feel let down by not fighting the battle he initially told them they would. Considering he didn't know everything Tad could do; it was better safe than sorry.
Tad didn't quite understand what was happening, so he simply just stood. "Regardless of what team changes he's planning, I'm ready for it."
The Orange native took his leave to await his coming match with Ash.
Pummelo Stadium, Some Time Later…
In the following short break, Ash cut his pokemon on hand to three, the two he intended to use and Pikachu, before returning to the stadium. Once there, he ran on out, arriving just in time, to stand in the trainer box opposite of Tad.
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Ash and Tad to see who will move onto the final round." The ref declared. "Both sides can make substitutions at any point and there is no time limit. Ash shall reveal his pokemon first."
"I choose you, Croconaw!" Ash exclaimed.
Seeing this, Tad had no trouble choosing his own pokemon. "Vileplume, I choose you."
"Croconaw VS Vileplume…" The ref raised his flags. "Begin!"
Ash VS Tad (P. I)
"Alright, get moving Croconaw." Ash declared.
Croconaw began doing what he does best. Unlike when he was a Totodile, whose dance moves were random, evolving gave him a sense of rhythm. The water starter now liked to break dance, and it flowed just as water does in a river with no obstructions.
Not only that, but Croconaw was taking full advantage of the stage that was the battlefield by moving all around it. Even though Tad has faced Totodile's dance style before, Croconaw's dance style was in a whole other league. That wouldn't stop him from trying.
"Vileplume, use giga drain." Tad instructed.
"Avoid it and use ice beam." Ash ordered.
Croconaw continued to dance all around Vileplume never giving her the opportunity to lock on and use the super effective move. When the golden opportunity presented itself, Croconaw took it nailing the opposing pokemon with his super effective ice type move.
Ash owed the success he was currently having with Croconaw to Serena and Lock. Without this evolution, his pokemon wouldn't have found a new rhythm. Without Serena and her Sylveon, he wouldn't have had the skills needed to help him perfect it.
Considering Tad had no idea where this came from, he drew a different conclusion though one would argue it would still lead him to a correct answer. "Looks like someone spent time watching the Orange Archipelago's contests, but I've had far more opportunities than him."
Style wasn't something Tad had seen value in before; however, his experience competing in the Orange League opened his mind to the potential avenues he'd left unexplored. Stat boosting moves, style, and so on could be effective ways to enhance his power way of battling.
"They like to dodge, so we'll give them no room." Tad declared. "Vileplume, spin around while using stun spore."
"We won't be caught that easily." Ash retorted. "Croconaw, use dig."
Vileplume spun around while using stun spore to cloak the entire field; however, it couldn't get at Croconaw who had dug into the ground avoiding it. Almost as soon as the stun spore dissipated, the water type burst forth from the ground slamming into Vileplume.
"That didn't work, but I think I now see the path forward." Tad smiled. "Vileplume, energy ball."
With his feet off the ground, Croconaw couldn't avoid the sphere of grass energy Vileplume managed to conjure, while in midair, and fire at him. This resulted in both pokemon, from the respective moves used against them, crashing into the ground which kicked up some dust.
"Vileplume!" Tad shouted.
"Croconaw!" Ash shouted.
Within the two separate dust clouds, one pokemon stood while the other remained down. As the dust settled, it was revealed Vileplume was still laid out with swirls in her eyes. The impact with the ground had been the last thing needed to faint her while Croconaw had stood.
Pummelo Stadium
"Vileplume is unable to battle, this first round goes to Ash." The ref declared. "Tad please send out your remaining pokemon."
"I put a lot on you to learn how to fight like that in such a short time, and you did well." Tad returned his pokemon. "Take a good rest for all your hard work."
Just because Croconaw found a new style in battle, it didn't mean he forgot about his happy style of dance. It was merely reserved for celebrations, like now.
"You were great Croconaw." Ash laughed as he returned his pokemon. "For now, take a rest just in case I end up needing you again."
Considering this was do or die, Tad wasn't about to go out without coming at Ash with his absolute best. "Flygon, I choose you!"
"I choose you, Yamask!" Ash shouted.
"Yamask VS Flygon…" The ref raised his flags. "…Begin!"
Ash vs Tad (P. II)
"Flygon, use crunch." Tad ordered.
"Yamask, use protect to defend and immediately follow it up with a power split." Ash commanded.
Flygon flew at Yamash and attempted to land the super effective attack with its maw only to be met with a green shield. This was immediately followed by psychic energy washing over the two pokemon making both attacks the same. Overall, Flygon got weaker while Yamask got stronger.
"This move averages out whatever attack and special attack our two pokemon have." Ash informed. "In short, Yamask just got stronger while Flygon got weaker."
"That might be, but it won't remain that way." Tad retorted. "Flygon, use laser focus."
"You're right because Yamask has his ways of decreasing the damage you could do." Ash responded. "Use will-o-wisp."
Spheres of ghostly fire entered Flygon inflicting him with burn. This put the battle on a timer and reduced the power of incoming physical moves. At the same time, the ground/dragon type zeroed in on the ghost type preparing to land a critical hit with his next move.
"We don't need physical moves and especially won't need them with this next move." Tad called out. "Flygon, push through whatever pain comes and deliver a draco meteor."
In hindsight, Ash should have expected this. He knew Tad had status moves and draco meteor. It only stood to reason he'd bust them out in unison if he were backed into a corner. While he could have Yamask attempt to use protect, he felt there was one better move for this instance.
"Yamask, use hex." Ash instructed.
Flygon fired off a large sphere of dragon energy into the sky while ghostly energy washed over him, courtesy of Yamask, dolling over severe damage thanks to the prior burn. Still, draco meteor broke apart and rained down on the whole field.
Yamask was nailed and slammed into the ground while the move kicked up a massive amount of dust. As everyone watched the dust settle with baited breath, Flygon took on another douse of burn damage. He fainted and fell to the ground while Yamask was revealed to have also fainted.
Pummelo Stadium
"Both pokemon are unable to battle; however, Ash still has one pokemon remaining." The ref declared. "This means the winner of this match, and the trainer moving onto the finals is Ash."
Stands
From placing second in the Mandarin Torunamnet at the start to securing his place in the semifinals first. Everything Ash managed to accomplish got people talking, and this was no different. Especially when this now cinched a rematch between Ash and Cheren.
No one was putting Ash down for that prior performance considering the emphasis the Orange Archipelago put on the bond between pokemon and trainer. In short, despite their homegrown trainer losing, people were now anticipating tomorrow's coming rematch.
"Ash did it." James looked around and nodded. "It looks like any remaining doubts that he belonged here have been snuffed out."
"I had no doubt it'd go this way." Serena smiled lovingly as she looked at Ash. "Like we both know, Ash, more often than not, rises to the occasion no matter the pressure."
Neither of them made a move to rejoin their friend. After all, the final battle of the Orange League, the one to determine who would take on Drake tomorrow, was scheduled for just after lunch. Ash told them he needed time to speak with his pokemon; especially Lapras.
Top of the Stands
"Ash won which means we can finally have our rematch." Cheren turned to leave as he needed to ensure he had the right pokemon. "Unlike any other trainer, you are adaptability incarnate meaning I'll need to come at you with my best."
For all the similarities Ash shared with Hilbert, Cheren knew one way in which the pair differed. Whereas Hilbert could match and surpass Cheren due to their shared history, Ash could very well do it by his sheer ability to adapt.
When it came to battles, Cheren saw it as logic and adaptability being the worst match up. To put it another way, it was like two purse ghost types duking it out. In the end, it'll likely come down to who could land that super effective strike first.
Pummelo Island
Drake continued to stay out of the stadium and observed the battles on the various screens around the island. Now that the eight competitors were cut down to two, he felt genuinely excited for the first time in a long while. That's not to say he was ever a jerk or lacked emotion.
He had simply been growing bored without a proper, prospective challenger. He wanted a challenge, and these two trainers, Ash or Cheren, seemed like they'd be that. The prospect of fighting either one had relit a fire he hadn't realized was out.
"Give this coming battle your all, you two." Drake thought. "I want the best of you to emerge victorious and face my team."
I am fortunate in that a couple of past readers haven't abandoned me since Vital Info's opinion on the matches had me change them. They also conferred with me on which pokemon of Ash's I'd use in this battle.
Considering it's been a long while, why don't I give out a team recap for the gang before hitting the reviews:
Ash Ketchum's Pokemon
1. Pikachu M
2. Nidoking M
3. Pidgeot F
4. Venusaur M
5. Charizard M
6. Dragonite M
In Rotation
1. Hitmonchan M
2. Scizor F
3. Alakazam M
4. Umbreon M *Shiny
5. Croconaw M
6. Lapras F
7. Rapidash (Galarian) M
8. Onix (Hisuian) M
9. Yamask M
Legendary/Mythical
1. Zeraora
Serena Yvonne's Pokemon:
1. Sylveon F
2. Magnezone -
3. Dodrio M
4. Bellossom F
5. Blastoise M
6. Machamp M
Rotation
1. Marowak M
2. Alcremie F
3. Caterpie F *Pink
4. Rhyhorn M *Pink
Released
1. Butterfree M
James Lewis' Pokemon:
1. Arcanine-Growlie M
2. Weezing M
3. Crobat M
4. Victreebel M
5. Ditto -
6. Togepi M
Rotation
1. Electivire M
2. Chimecho M
3. Croagunk M
4. Spheal M
Nightshadegirl: That was Vital Info's influence. As I've pointed out in many chapters prior, I'm fortunate to have readers like them.
Vital Info(ch. 88): When it came to Marley, I figured it felt right. No need to worry about any of those captures. It's pretty much like the capture race back on Fula Island where no one gets to keep any of these pokemon. Still doesn't mean Ash wouldn't have loved to participate. That's just the caveat that came with cinching his place first.
Vital Info (ch. 89): All throughout this arc, I've been considering who would make it to the next round. To me, the four I picked had the most potential, but I'm not one of those writers who says someone is wrong because they don't agree. One of my favorite things about any story is the number of different opinions that can crop up from it. In my case, it often helps improve the story, as I've said before, just like how your suggestion changed the matches I'd have had here. Yeah, Drake is keeping his eye on the battle. With every round that's passed, his interest has only grown with a long thought extinguished fire having been reignited.
Elemental Aura:
88 Racing & Captures-
I attempted to come up with the most distinct from each other challenges I could think of, and I'm certainly content with them. I'm not saying a lack of motivation and passion is a bad thing; however, without it what exactly is your reason for coming this far. That's the point. Marley discovered she didn't have an answer. I think I'm going to try and include more unique perspectives. For instance, I'm rolling around in my head with a character who doesn't exactly want to be the best.
They'd sort of be like Serena in that they don't know what they want to do with their life, but the difference would be they don't want to be the best at something. They merely want to find that thing they can be content doing with their lives. It's just a general thing, but it is on my mind for future stories within this series. Like canon Ash, I did feel now was the proper time to bust out Lapras for actual battles; however, here you guys got to see Ash working with Lapras rather.
Yeah, Ash got through first. He did certainly earn it in universe, but I mainly did it out of universe to ensure he'd have as many chances as possible to see just what his potential competitors could do. As for people seeing it, there were admittedly a lot of people I could turn to; however, the only time we ever seen a truly massive number of people watching is the World Coronation series. When it comes to any other league prior, we don't see it every time Ash is battling.
We simply see it enough to get the general idea that people who now Ash are watching. I think that works well. Yeah, they don't get to keep the pokemon they catch. If I do add Friede and the rest of his crew, it'll probably be at a time when there's a lot more content on them. As for the DLC Elite Four, we don't know much, but I think they're just the elite four of Blueberry Academy. Simply put, the strongest in the academy.
As for Friede and Drayton, I could see it, but I think there's someone your missing especially with potential Gen 5 remakes or Legend game on the horizen. I'd say Drayton bears a striking resemblance to the Gen 5 gym leader Drayden. Perhaps, should the time comes and I do include Friede, I could make him, Drayton, and Drayden all related to one another.
89 Sunken & Obstacles-
I just simply embraced the Orange Islands more to make it feel like its own region. I have, after all, plopped it relatively near the tail end of Ash's Indigo League challenge, so I've worked to make it feel fully flushed out. I wanted Ash's growth to feel genuine and kind of Battle Frontier esc. What I mean by that is, even without Brandon in Diamond & Pearl, I felt Ash's growth from the Battle Frontier.
When it came to Johto, I never really got the sense of growth from the Orange League. Sure, Ash had Snorlax, but ultimately it just felt like Ash went from the Indigo League to the Silver League. I don't know if this makes sense, but it's the best way I can explain this. You got your wish as Ash and Cheren will not be battling it out next chapter.