Chapter 26: Pumped Up Kicks
"I still can't explain how great it is to see you guys again," Iris said with a very happy tone as they walked.
"Ax ax axew," Axew added to what Iris said, just as joyful as her trainer about seeing Ash and May again.
"I don't recall any other moment more relieving than this one," Cilan said, expressing his happiness as well.
"We were worried about you guys too, I'm glad both of you are alright," May also felt relieved with Iris and Cilan back again in one piece.
"The first thing we were going to do when we reached Virbank City was call to you guys and find out if you were ok after what happened, but we were also hungry so we decided to eat first," Ash scratched the back of his head while smiling sheepishly, expecting Iris to criticize him, but the raven-haired teen was also very relieved about being reunited with his friends as well.
May also joined Ash and grinned sheepishly, but all Iris and Cilan did were sigh and smile. "We're back together now though, and everyone is safe and sound, that's the important part," Iris smiled at them.
"We honestly thought you might have been killed by Phantom's explosion, there was no trace of any of you, we weren't sure about anything, including if the mission for you guys had been a success or not," Cilan told the pair.
"Did you guys get to meet Victini? How'd you even survive for that matter?" Iris raised an eyebrow, curious about how her friends managed to survive the catastrophe in Castelia City.
"We'll answer that one when we get to the Pokémon Center," May winked at them.
"Why can't you tell us now?" Iris asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Because it'll be easier to explain when we get there," Ash smiled at them, saying it with a polite tone.
"Mind telling us how you guys made it out of there though, and where Roxas, Hilbert, Hilda, and the others are now?" May inquired, awaiting a response from Iris and Cilan.
"We'll explain when we get to the Pokémon Center," Iris told the sapphire-eyed girl with a polite smile.
When Ash and May heard that response, they became slightly annoyed because they believed this was one of Iris's ways of taunting them. Of course Cilan easily noticed and replied, "Don't take it the wrong way, we're not taunting you or anything, it'd just be easier to explain when we get to the Pokémon Center, trust us."
Ash and May believed Cilan's words and thought it'd be best to just wait till they get to the Pokémon Center
"Welcome back, I hope you two are enjoying your time in Virbank City. Did you try out the restaurant I recommended?" Nurse Joy greeted Ash and May with a smile when she saw them, when they returned, the Virbank Pokémon Center was emptier than before, meaning there were no people.
"We sure have been, thank you Nurse Joy," May thanked the nurse for suggesting the restaurant.
"Virbank City's a cool place, we even learned about some the famous people around, including about Roxie," Ash smiled at the pink-haired woman as he talked.
"I'm so glad, and then you must know that Roxie is the gym leader here, correct?" Nurse Joy asked the auburn-eyed teen.
"Right, and I'm going to challenge her," Ash made a fist of confidence, his words surprising Iris and Cilan.
"May, is Ash really going to challenge Roxie?" Iris questioned the sapphire-eyed girl.
"Does Ash have any idea how tough Roxie is?" Cilan added.
May nodded and giggled, "He does, but that won't stop Ash. He's determined to win and I'm going to encourage him all the way."
May's words gave Iris and Cilan a second thought and they both grinned. "Well then, if Ash is sure about this, then I'll be encouraging him all the way," Cilan grinned.
"And so will I," Iris smiled and jumped.
"In that case, I assume you'll need your Pokémon, here you-," but before Nurse Joy could finish, Pikachu jumped from behind the nurse and landed in Ash's arms.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered when he landed in Ash's arms.
"Pikachu!" Ash, May, Iris, and Cilan said simultaneously when the mouse appeared.
"Pipikachu pi!" Pikachu greeted May and smiled happily when he saw Iris, Axew, and Cilan.
"Axew ax!" Axew showed content when Pikachu showed up and greeted the mouse.
"We're glad to see you too Pikachu," Iris giggled at the mouse.
Pikachu turned to Ash and grinned, "Did you hear everything I said about Roxie, buddy?" Ash asked the Pokémon.
"Pi pika pikachu," Pikachu grinned as he got on Ash's right shoulder.
"That's great pal, together we're gonna dominate the Virbank Gym," the raven-haired teen smiled confidently.
"Pikachu," Pikachu returned the confident grin.
"Well here's your other Pokémon you two, and here's V-" but Nurse Joy got cut off again after placing Ash and May's Pokéballs on top of the counter.
"Vi victini v," Victini popped out from behind Nurse Joy and hugged Ash and May, then quickly began to dance around them.
May and Ash smiled happily when they saw Victini in high spirits, "Hey Victini, told you we'd be back," May giggled and grabbed Victini into a hug.
"Vi victini," Victini cooed in May's arms and grinned.
Victini then escaped from May's grasp and stood on her shoulders smiling. She ten snatched the Pokéballs Nurse Joy gave them and placed them in her fanny pack while Ash grabbed his as well.
"Mama, papa," Victini smiled as gazed at Ash and May putting away their Pokéballs.
"I hope you had a nice time with Pikachu and Nurse Joy, Victini, we were thinking about you while we were out and couldn't wait to get back here and see you again," Ash said, beaming at the Victory Pokémon.
"Victini," Victini hovered over to Ash and rubbed its cheek against it.
"Ummmm, you two care to introduce us and explain everything now?" Iris's voice alarmed Ash and May.
Ash and May grinned sheepishly, "Cilan, Iris this is Victini. Victini, this is Iris, Cilan, and Axew, say 'hello'," the raven-haired teen introduced them.
"Axew ax axew," Axew saluted the Fire-type.
"Hey there Victini," Iris also greeted Victini and walked over to pet it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cilan did the same as Iris, but when they approached Victini, the Victory Pokémon hid behind Ash.
Victini gave them a timid look and said, "Vi victini v."
"Don't worry, it's a little shy because it's only a baby, but in time it'll open up to you," May told Cilan, Iris, and Cilan, seeing the baffled looks on their faces.
"Is this the Victini from Liberty Garden?" Cilan inquired.
"That's right, this is the Victini we saved from Phantom," May tickled Victini under its chin, making it chuckle playfully.
"But how, who, why?" Iris clearly became puzzled.
Ash and May smiled at the girl's confusion, getting amusement out of it, but Ash decided to explain, "We weren't able to stop Phantom when he placed the sword on the stone at the top of the lighthouse and when he placed it, Victini revealed itself. It turned out to be nothing more than an innocent infant. Phantom wasted no time in trying to capture it, but we battled Phantom and did everything to stop him, we almost lost, but Victini loaned Pikachu and Liepard some power to defeat Phantom and as a last resort Phantom used a bomb. Phantom got away and we got cornered, then Victini teleported us just in time and we avoided the disaster. When we woke up we were in the forest, near Virbank City and we agreed on traveling here to contact you guys. Victini decided to tag along after protecting it and considered us its parents or something,"
"That's incredible, this little guy saved your lives," Iris looked at Victini, who hid behind May when it caught Iris's eyes.
"And after everything that's happened, Victini has begun considering you guys as its parents. It's all clear now, although I do wish Victini could understand that Iris and I mean no harm, but I guess that's only because it's an infant," Cilan smiled at Victini, who continued to watch timidly from behind May's head.
May grinned and spoke, "Now care to tell us how you guys made it out of Liberty Garden in one piece?"
"First, you'll have to come with us, it'll be easier to explain," Cilan stated.
"Ummm ok," Ash replied.
"Why can't you tell us here though?" May raised an eyebrow, wondering why Cilan and Iris just couldn't tell them now.
"There's some stuff we'd like for you to hear that we can't explain very well," Iris informed the pair.
Ash and May sighed, becoming impatient but had no choice except follow Cilan and Iris. Victini hid among Ash and May, still very shy to come out in the open with Iris and Cilan around. Pikachu became baffled about where they were being led as they walked through the halls of the Pokémon Center.
Suddenly, Iris and Cilan stopped in front of one of the dorms, the door was closed, but Iris reached for the knob and turned it slowly. "In here," Iris told them as she walked in, Cilan, Ash, May, Pikachu, and Victini followed closely behind
"Why's it dark?" Ash asked as they walked.
"Vi…." Victini became concerned, but May grabbed Victini's little hand to calm it.
Cilan shut the door behind them and then the lights turned on, revealing familiar faces. When Ash, May, and Pikachu saw who stood in front of them, they couldn't help but smile.
On the bed, sitting down were Hilbert and Hilda, smiling joyfully when they saw Ash, May, and Pikachu. In the corner of the room, Roxas and Lucario were leaned against the wall, smirking when they saw Ash and May. Another unfamiliar figure stood in front of them though, he had red and orange hair with purple eyes. He was pretty tall for a man and seemed very muscular. His clothes resembled that of an Indian and he had a friendly smile on his face.
Hilda quickly got off the bed and dashed to hug Ash and May, "Thank goodness the three of you are ok."
"Great to see you too Hilda," Ash smiled as Hilda hugged him and May.
"We were just as worried about you guys," May returned the embrace.
Hilda then separated from Ash and May, smiling at them as she wiped a few tears away from the corner of her eyes. Hilbert then got up and placed his hand on Hilda's shoulder and smiled, "Glad to see you're a-ok," the brunette boy grinned.
"Same goes for you Hilbert," Ash smiled at the other male.
"Good job on finding them Iris, Cilan, there was no doubt in my mind they would be roaming the city," Roxas stopped leaning and walked closer to Ash and May with Lucario, grinning coolly.
"Roxas!" Ash and May cheered when the raven-haired teen walked over to them.
"Pika!" Pikachu also said happily.
"Glad to see the three of you alive and well," Roxas grinned at them.
It's a relief to see you on your feet, Lucario smirked, speaking to them telepathically.
Ash, May, and Pikachu all grinned at the aura pair until May decided to ask something, "Iris and Cilan told us you guys would explain how you got out of the island. What happened with the bad guys and the city after everything that occurred?"
Roxas sighed, wishing to cover any holes before explaining himself, but he respected the girl who questioned him, "At the edge of defeat, Looker's forces arrived in hundreds and took over the island swiftly. Omega, Ghetsis, Colress, and Giovanni's operatives were all forced to retreat, N escaped as well, but we decided to let him go since bigger threats were at large. After that, Trip, Bianca, Auro, Rosa, and Nate returned to Castelia City and assist the people there. Looker, Iris, Cilan, Hilda, Hilbert and I mobilized here in Virbank City to plan out the next phase. Looker left in a rush moments after reaching Virbank, his fellow operatives had called him for an urgent meeting somewhere in East Unova, but we decided to stay and meet up with another ally of mine, care to make the introduction, Alder?" Roxas turned his head back and smiled at Alder.
"With pleasure," Alder walked closer to Ash and May.
While May and Ash's curiosity was finally at ease after Roxas's explanation, Alder approached them and the pair's curiosity resurged, this time regarding who this tall man was. "Hello there, I'm Alder, a friend of Roxas and I've been helping him in the mission to stop the people wreaking havoc in Unova. I also happen to be the Unova League Champion," Alder smiled at the duo and talked with a warm tone.
"Unova League Champion?" May raised an eyebrow, not believing what she heard.
"No way, you must be really strong!" Ash yelled after hearing what Alder said.
Alder chuckled and grinned sheepishly, "I don't know about being strong, but I certainly am the League Champion in this region."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ash and this is my pal, Pikachu," Ash introduced himself and Pikachu, who grinned at the friendly looking man.
"And I'm May, nice to meet you," May also smiled at the man.
"I know very well who you guys are, your friends talked about you two nonstop when they reached Virbank City, also because I'm aware of the competitions both of you participated in, since a hobby of mine is follow what goes on in the Pokémon League and Grand Festival," Alder continued to grin at them.
"Wow, I didn't know a Pokémon Champion knew we even existed," Ash became amazed by how Alder knew of them prior to meeting.
"That's so cool," May also became amazed about a celebrity figure acknowledging her existence.
Alder chuckled and responded, "You two are more famous than you give yourselves credit for. Especially after the heroism you displayed at Castelia City, since I was there myself sometime after the big attack."
"Which brings us to the big question," Roxas began to talk.
Did you succeed in stopping Phantom from capturing Victini? Lucario asked sternly.
"Oh yeah, I was thinking about that too, were you guys able to stop Phantom?" Hilbert inquired, curious about the event himself.
"The episode at Liberty Garden left us unsure about whether you guys survived or not, how on earth did you escape?" Hilda asked something a question off topic, but regarded Ash and May's confrontation with Phantom.
Iris, Cilan, Ash, May, and Pikachu all couldn't help but chuckle while the others raised their eyebrows in confusion. "Here's the answer to all your questions," May grinned at them, moving away a bit and revealed the small Victory Pokémon, Victini.
When Hilbert, Hilda, and Alder saw the Pokémon, their eyes went wide while Roxas and Lucario smiled. "That's Victini, isn't it? We're not seeing things right?" Hilbert said, not believing a Legendary Pokémon stood in front of him.
"Victini," Victini moved away and hid behind May's head, peeking at the group in front of it, and wondering where all these strange people were coming from.
"It's so cute," Hilda clasped her hands together.
"An adorable, but feisty Pokémon," Alder smiled at Victini, who stared at Alder, Hilbert, and Hilda timidly.
Ash chuckled nervously and spoke, "Sorry guys, Victini is a kind of shy around new people."
"I'm pleased that your mission turned out fine, but how did you convince this little one to leave its home, after all it's just an infant and a shy one," Roxas looked at Victini with interest.
"We didn't really convince it. When Phantom awakened it from its sleep by placing the sword in the stone at the tower and it saw us trying to protect it from Phantom, Victini lent our Pokémon some of its power and we were able to beat that pirate. When Phantom ditched us and left a time bomb behind, Victini was the one who rescued us by teleporting all of us to a forest near Virbank City. It seemed very thankful about us protecting it and decided to come along with Ash, Pikachu, and me. The fact that it's also a baby makes it believe Ash and I are its parents, especially after seeing everything we did to save it," May cleared up any unanswered questions for Roxas, Lucario, Hilbert, Hilda, or Alder.
"This little one is stronger than it appears, it's a good thing it was there to save you from Phantom's madness," Roxas neared May and began to pet Victini, surprisingly, the Fire-type cooed as Roxas touched it.
Ash, May, and the others all became shocked by how Victini let itself get petted by Roxas. Victini continued to coo and gazed at Roxas and Lucario, smiling at both of them with glee.
"Ash, I thought Victini was shy about letting people get near it, aside from you and May," Hilbert commented.
"I guess I was wrong," Ash raised an eyebrow; the auburn-eyed teen became baffled about the way Victini was acting with Roxas and Lucario.
"Let me try" Hilda neared May and tried to pet Victini, but when the Victory Pokémon noticed Hilda, it quickly moved away and hid behind Roxas's head.
Hilda sighed and spoke, "I'm confused."
"Roxas, do you have any idea as to why Victini is so open with you and Lucario?" May inquired, even the mother-like figure of Victini became puzzled.
Roxas grinned as Victini rubbed itself against his cheek. "I don't really know, Lucario and I have always just been good with baby Pokémon, I guess it's like a knack to say the least," Roxas smiled softly as May.
"Very interesting indeed," Cilan placed his fingers underneath is chin.
"I don't get it," Iris was also baffled and placed her left fist underneath her chin.
"I'm sure as Victini grows though; it'll open up to the rest of you in time. Patience is all you need. I know from experience," Alder grinned, cheering up anyone who failed to touch Victini.
The tender moment between Roxas and Victini then stopped when Roxas's face became stern and flashed a small grin at the Fire-type. Victini noticed the change in behavior in Roxas by looking at his face and nodded at Roxas, hovering back to May and holding onto the brunette by her neck.
"What's wrong Roxas, you seem serious?" Ash took note of the change in Roxas's facial expression.
"We can't waste anymore time talking, time is running out and Alder and I have something very important to notify the two of you about, Ash and May," the sapphire-eyed teen's voice became serious.
"What would that be?" May became concerned as Roxas talked.
Roxas then lifted his arm a bit and the control next to the T.V hovered over to his hand. "First take a look at this," Roxas said and turned on the television.
Everyone's motioned the television, including Pikachu, Axew, and Victini's. What appeared on the T.V shocked Ash and May's eyes; there on the screen was a live broadcast of Castelia City with the words "Breaking News" written in red at the bottom part of the T.V.
The news reporter on the helicopter talked with a very worried voice, "Yes Joe, half of Castelia City is in ruins in what appears to be the result of a terrorist attack provoked by the local criminal organizations known as Team Neo Plasma and Team Plasma. Of course there are reports that they weren't alone, a mysterious group of men in black coats were sighted and so was the Kanto-based criminal organization known as Team Rocket."
The helicopter moved around Castelia City and many of the buildings were clearly emitting smoke, the streets below were destroyed, people were being gathered by the police and many other police forces were running around the streets, capturing any lurking grunt and trying to bring back order to the broken city.
"The reason behind this destruction remains in mystery. The devastating effects of this conflict ended with the demise of the beloved Liberty Tower at the center of Castelia City and the havoc reached all the way to Liberty Garden, with the top portion of the lighthouse being blown to bits," the news reporter talked as loud as possible so the sounds of the chopper wouldn't interfere with his speaking.
Liberty Garden then appeared on the screen and some black gray smoke rose up from the lighthouse while down below, many police forces were guarding the island as more police boats arrived. "Yes sir, today's disaster will go down in Unova history as one of the worst crimes against humanity. The amount of people and Pokémon wounded and dead is phenomenal, with 5.000 reported dead and at least half of that number injured. Blasts at the city's center were reported some time yesterday at around noon and the battle in the city continues with many police officers struggling to round-up any wounded or arrest remaining criminal forces. Thankfully, Professor Juniper, the Gym Leader Burgh, and some of their allies gave great aid to people under the chaos when the attack was launched. The top priority after Castelia City recovers from this incident though will be tracking down all of those responsible behind the mayhem demonstrated upon Unova's most beloved city."
With that said, the news reporter stopped talking and images of firefighters and police officers were shown trying to protect people from the hazardous fires and take them to safety. Some police forces were even shown combating against Plasma or Rocket operatives. Women and children clearly seemed frightened and at the brink of tears as half of their city fell into ruin. Another snapshot was shown, of the Liberty Tower collapsing in front of the eyes of many, fear extremely blatant in the citizens of Castelia City.
Roxas then turned off the television and turned back to May and Ash. "That is only the beginning of the destruction those people you battled against will unleash in this region and then everywhere else. Ash…May…with Victini awakened and the Majestic 12 now in the spotlight with Team Neo Plasma and Team Rocket, they are going to viciously go after the two of you and Victini. The power you displayed against them in Castelia City has given them a reason to fear you, and with Victini under our wing, they are even more paranoid and will stop at nothing to crush all of us, but especially the both of you because you are the reason behind the failure of their operation."
Ash and May's faces quickly became saddened and frowned at every word they heard from Roxas. "The stakes are much higher now, and you're in even greater danger. You barely survived in the battle at Castelia City and if it weren't for Victini, I'd hate to imagine what would've happened, so in order for the two of you to get stronger and protect yourselves, I have two tasks assigned for you."
When they heard this Ash and May became interested, but they had puzzled looks on, "What are they?" May asked the sapphire-eyed teen.
"On Route 19, Auro, Nate, and Rosa are waiting for you with Victini. You must go meet them there, Route 19 is just west of here, the purpose behind this travel is in order to protect yourself from the Majestic 12 or anyone else, you're skills must improve. The three of them will train you for some time when you reach Route 19 and they'll make you go through some very strenuous trials so be prepared," Roxas said with a commanding tone.
At first, the pair remained uncertain and the couple exchanged unsure gazes. They then looked at Victini, who got confused as to what the humans were talking and thinking about. The duo looked back at each other and nodded and gave Roxas a serious nod. "We'll go to Route 19 and meet up with them, we know the training is so can protect ourselves and others, so it's for our own good and we know it'd help a lot on our journey," Ash's stern stare became a friendly one and the auburn-eyed teen grinned confidently.
"We won't let you down, we'll train as hard as we can," May grinned at the black-haired teen in the black coat.
Lucario and Roxas smirked and nodded, but before they could say anything they got cut off by Iris, "And we'll them out too!"
"That's right, we're with Ash and May all the way," Cilan crossed his arms and smiled.
"Very well, but there is still one more task you must know of, I'll let Alder explain this one to you since it is his assignment and the reason he came to Virbank City," Roxas said and stepped aside with Lucario, letting Alder take the spotlight again.
Alder nodded and walked a little closer to Ash and May, "My dear friends, the mission I have for you is a little more critical because it is key in stopping the criminals plaguing Unova… I need you to travel to Aspertia City, which is just past Route 19, when you reach there I need you to retrieve an item from a good friend of mine named Cheren. Once you have it under your possession, please take good care of it, if you lose the object, we'll have a big problem on our hands. If you are successful, I can guarantee a battle for both of you against me." The Champion smiled warmly when he said the last statement.
"Really, that would be so cool!" Ash made a fist and grinned eagerly when he heard Alder talk about a possible battle between them.
May also seemed excited and smiled, but she had a question regarding the mission, "What is the item we have to get though?"
Alder chuckled at Ash's reaction, but gained his composure to answer May, "Forgive me, it's 'items', and they are four drives of high value. They were stolen from Team Plasma a couple of weeks ago by some agents of ours that were led by Cheren, but did not have the time to get them from him because of the plot for Castelia City. When you have these drives, you must leave Aspertia City as soon as possible and return to Castelia City where we shall meet up again, I'll know what to do with the drives by then."
Ash and May nodded, fully acknowledging the task at hand. "By the way, Ash, May, mind telling Cheren, Hilda and Hilbert said 'hello', Cheren is a good friend of ours. We'll treat you like you're at home when you get there," Hilbert informed Ash and May.
"Of course," Ash and May said at the same time.
A thought then struck Ash and had baffled stare when it him, "Alder, what are those drives for anyway?"
Alder gave them a forgiving look and said, "I wish I could tell you, bu-"
The man was cut by Roxas, "You'll find out when you meet Cheren," the raven-haired teen said strictly.
Ash and May looked disappointed after hearing Roxas, nonetheless, they didn't insist on receiving an answer. "By the way, after you have finished your training with Auro, Nate, and Rosa, I can guarantee you'll understand a little more about anything that is going on. Any questions regarding who I am, or who Auro, Nate, Rosa are. might be answered and you'll probably learn a bit more as to why the Majestic 12 and their allies hunt you down the way they do." Roxas let the couple know, but Ash and May simply nodded, wishing they could understand this whole situation better before going out of their way to save a whole region.
"I still have one more though," Ash told Roxas with a serious tone.
Roxas sighed and questioned, "What may that be?"
"I have a battle with Roxie today, may I do not before leaving Virbank City?" the raven-haired teen asked the boy who looked like him.
Hilbert and Hilda raised their eyebrows when they heard Ash, while Roxas and Alder smirked. "Ash, do you really want to do that now? Roxie is more powerful than you think," Hilbert warned Ash, concerned about his rival.
"I'm positive, nothing is going to hold me back from this battle," Ash smiled confidently.
"That's the spirit Ash, I wish you best of luck in your upcoming gym battle," Alder grinned at Ash and soon everyone else grinned at Ash as a form of encouraging Ash to battle Roxie, including Hilbert.
"Roxie is an exceptional Pokémon Trainer, she'd be good practice for you before you battle any serious opponents," Roxas smiled at Ash.
When the other teens heard Roxas they froze, knowing that the teen was implying about even stronger opponents lurking out there. "I'm ready," Ash seemed unfazed by his statement and continued to smile with pride.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu joined Ash and displayed his confidence.
May, Iris, Cilan, Hilbert, Hilda, all grinned at Ash's confidence and admired the boy's determination and self-belief. That's my boyfriend, May shared her thought with Victini and the two of them smiled at the boy dear to them.
The girl's thoughts were then cut when she noticed Roxas looking at her, the brunette looked at him and Roxas began to talk, "If you're interested in winning your next ribbon, there is a town on Route 20 holding a contest and another competition when you reach Flocessy Town, which is between Route 20 and Route 19."
"Really, that's great, thank you for telling us," May smiled and thanked Roxas.
Roxas grinned at May and shook his head slightly up and down, making Ash a little jealous, but quickly shook it off. "So you'll get a chance to explore my hometown, Flocessy Town, do me a favor, if you see my grandson, he looks a lot like me, including the hair color, tell him grandpa says 'hi'. His name is Benga," Alder told Ash and May.
Ash and May were starting to feel like messengers with all these assignments, but they were still happy to do it for their friends, "Sure Alder," Ash informed the champ, who nodded and grinned as a way of thanking them.
Roxas, it is time to go, Lucario told Roxas.
Roxas nodded and spoke, "And so it is."
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you, believe me, I wish all of you good luck out there," Alder stood in front of the teens and spoke very warmly to all of them.
Iris, Cilan, Hilbert, Hilda, Pikachu, Ash, and May beamed at Alder and bobbed their heads up and down. Victini was the only one who remained shy and hid behind Ash and May. Then Roxas's voice instantly caught their attention though, "Ash, May, Pikachu, I know that Victini is comfortable around the two of you, it considers the three of you its family. Promise me, you'll raise it well; Victini will also need to be strong and ready for any emergency. If I could I'd take Victini, but by leaving Victini with you, I think it's also a trial about whether you can protect it from harm and raise it to be a strong Pokémon. Victini is a vital member to this team now, take care of it…..like if it were your actual child," Roxas's voice became very stern and it seemed as though it hurt the sapphire-eyed boy to tell Ash and May to take care of it like if it was their own.
Understanding the emotion in Roxas's words, Ash and May nodded obediently and smiled. "We can promise you that we will," May grinned at Roxas as she scratched Victini's chin with her hand as the Victory Pokémon sat on May's shoulder.
"Let's meet again soon," Ash stretched his hand out to Roxas.
Roxas smiled and took his hand out of his pocket and shook it. Much to Ash's surprise, he felt something metallic in his hands and when Roxas let out, he became surprised by what he found in his hand. "The halves of the Terracotta Ribbon," Ash looked at them broken item and then at Roxas, May walked over to him and examined the pieces as well.
"Where'd you get them?" May inquired.
"When you disappeared at Liberty Garden, that was all we found, I thought you might've wanted to them back, but looks like you didn't even realize they were missing," Roxas smiled at the pair.
Ash and May grinned sheepishly and got their halves of the ribbon. "Thank you Roxas, you don't know how much the halves of these ribbons mean to us," Ash told Roxas.
"I think I have a pretty good idea," Roxas chuckled.
Ash and May tilted their heads a bit, confused by Roxas's words, but decided to let it go and they just smiled. "Take care, you're only a little older than us, so you still need to be careful," May said to the raven-haired boy.
Roxas gave May a thumbs up and took one last look of a smiling Ash, May, Pikachu, and Victini. He then waved goodbye to Iris, Cilan, Hilbert, Hilda, and Axew, who all wished him well also. Lucario merely smiled at the group of teens and turned his back on them like Alder and Roxas. Suddenly, a white portal appeared from nowhere and Alder, Roxas, and Lucario walked through it, disappearing from the teens' sight and the portal closed.
"There they go, that Lucario and Roxas are such a mystery," Iris commented.
"We'll meet them again soon, we have to," Ash smiled and turned around to face all of his friends.
"I guess now you're going to head off to the Virbank Gym aren't you, Ash?" Hilbert asked the auburn-eyed teen.
"You bet, and after that we'll stop by the contest competitions on our way to Aspertia City, so May can compete," Ash smiled, shifting his eyes to May. The brunette and Victini looked back at Ash and smiled.
"Great, I'll see if I can compete in any of those contests as well," Hilda placed her hands on her hips and grinned confidently.
"I can't wait to compete again," May remarked, eager to continue her coordinator adventure after everything that has happened.
"Let's not waste anymore time in here though, there's a lot of work to get done, right Pikachu?" Ash made a fist and beamed at his yellow pal.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and smiled with poise
"I wish Hilda and I could stay here and watch your battle, Ash, but Roxas kind of also gave us a mission," Hilbert informed Ash.
"No way, what mission?" May questioned the brunette male.
Hilda grinned awkwardly and answered, "We'd like to tell you, but Roxas made us promise that we wouldn't tell anyone."
"Oh," May sighed and then so did Ash.
"This mystery stuff is really starting to confuse me," Ash said with a disappointed tone. The boy then grinned and lifted his head, "Don't worry though, we understand."
"Just be careful you two," May told Hilbert and Hilda.
"We will," the Unova pair replied simultaneously.
"Here's some snacks for you in case you get hungry on the road," Cilan handed the pair a plastic container with food inside.
"Gee thanks Cilan," Hilbert smiled at his friend.
"Hope to see you soon," Iris said to the brunette duo.
Hilda and Hilbert nodded at Iris and Hilda said one final thing, "Good luck with everything."
"Have a good victory at the gym Ash," Hilbert smiled at his rival.
"Thanks you two, we'll see you soon," Ash said to them and with that, Hilbert and Hilda waved goodbye and so did Iris, Cilan, Pikachu, and Axew until they left the room.
Victini let out a sigh of relief when they left, now feeling much more comfortable with fewer people around, but remained timid around Iris and Cilan. The departure of their friends left the group in silence until Cilan spoke, "We should head to the Virbank Gym. Time's wasting."
"We have a friend waiting there so we have to hurry," May informed Iris and Cilan.
"What friend?" Iris inquired, the girl was clearly baffled.
"You'll see," Ash smirked at Iris. Without another word they dashed out of the room and out of the Pokémon Center while saying goodbye to Nurse Joy. Their next destination was the Virbank City Gym.
"Whoa!" Ash, May, Iris, and Cilan screamed simultaneously when they saw a large crowd of people gathered in front of the Virbank Gym with posters and banners of Roxie.
"There are hundreds of them," Iris became frightened by the sight.
"They're all supporters of Roxie," Cilan stated.
"How are we going to get past that, look at them," Ash said, staring at the crowd with people talking, cheering, screaming, and waving their posters and banners in the air like if it were a jungle.
"I'm worried about Victini, Ash," May pointed out something very important.
Ash, Iris, Cilan, Axew, and Pikachu all turned to Victini, who was clearly the most afraid of the huge crowd of people waiting ahead. "Vi vi," Victini shook as it held onto May's neck.
"That's right, we can't let anyone see Victini, we have to hide him if we want to go in," Ash said, recommending an idea.
"How though?" Iris asked with a perplexed look.
"Pikachu pi pika," Pikachu told Ash while standing on its shoulder.
"That could work Pikachu," Ash murmured and then turned to May, "May, why don't we hide it in my backpack?"
"Let's see what Victini thinks, what do you say Victini?" May turned around to look at Victini.
"Victini vi," Victini looked at the backpack and then at May. The Fire-type quickly shook its head sideways angrily.
"Guess that's not an option," Cilan sighed.
"Ax axew ax," Axew suggested to Iris.
"That might work," Iris smiled and then turned to her friends, "What if Victini hides in my hair?"
When Victini heard Iris it quickly pressed up against May and hugged her. "That's not another option either," Ash let out a deep breath.
Another thought struck Ash and the boy snapped his fingers, "Maybe Victini can hide under one of shirts!"
Victini heard Ash and thought about it for a second, and without warning, the Victory Pokémon went underneath May's black shirt. The feeling of his Victini's fur pressed up against her skin made the brunette uncomfortable and she blushed heavily.
"No, it looks too awkward," Ash placed his fingers underneath his chin and became slightly frustrated.
May resembled a pregnant woman with Victini hiding underneath her shirt and after Ash said it wouldn't work, she swiftly pulled the Fire-type out. "Victini vi?" Victini gave May a sad look.
"No Victini, not there, sorry," May gave Victini an annoyed look.
"V…." Victini lowered its head in sadness.
May then smiled sweetly at Victini and embraced it, "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you in."
"Victini vi v," Victini looked sad in May's arms until its blue eyes began to glisten with happiness and a large smile formed. Victini separated from May and spoke, "Victini victini," Victini looked at Ash and May.
"What's going to do?" Ash became confused.
All of a sudden, Victini's body disappeared and the Victory Pokémon was out of sight. "Where'd it go?" May's eyes widened and the sapphire-eyed girl became worried.
"Could it have teleported?" Iris asked.
"I doubt Victini would leave off like that with Ash and May behind," Cilan pointed out.
"V vi," Victini's voice was heard and the next moment, Ash's hat began to levitate.
"What, what's going on?" Ash's eyes widened when it saw what was happening.
Victini then revealed itself, holding Ash's hat in its tiny hand. The Fire-type chuckled and placed the hat back on Ash's head. "Victini, I didn't know you could turn invisible," Ash smiled at Victini, discovering yet another one of its many abilities.
"Then that's how Victini can get in, it can turn invisible," May grinned, realizing what Victini was trying to tell them.
"Great idea Victini," Ash turned to Victini and praised it.
Victini smiled and hugged Ash while rubbing its cheek against Ash's. "Perfect, now with that settled, all we have to do is get through that crowd of fans," Iris stated and the others bobbed their heads.
"Victini!" Victini cheered and became invisible again.
With that solved, the group walked into no man's land. The crowd instantly noticed them and glared at their presence. A very chubby man in a red shirt and blue headband approached them and talked with a very menacing voice, "Which one of you is Roxie's challenger?"
"That would be me," Ash made a fist and grinned boldly.
"Did you hear that everyone, this is the punk!" the man pointed at Ash while yelling.
That very instant, all of the people began to throw paper balls, empty cans, and other garbage at Ash and his friends. "Booooo!" the crowd said at the same time as the gang narrowly dodged the trash being thrown at them.
"I'm really getting tired of fans," May felt her temper running short as Ash protected her from any garbage.
"I knew Roxie was popular, but not like this," Iris covered her head as they tried to walk through.
"Goes to show how far people will go to support their celebrities," Cilan chuckled nervously as he covered himself.
"Ax axew," Axew went into Iris's hair to hide during the assault.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu narrowly dodged the multiple cans being thrown at it, some were sent back by using Iron Tail, but the fans would just keep throwing trash.
"Roxie, Roxie, Roxie!" the fans praised their idol as they continued to torment Ash and the gang.
The only member of the gang who no one had noticed was Victini and the Psychic-type quickly became annoyed with the people who were tormenting Ash, May, and Pikachu. The Victory Pokémon glared at them and while invisible, it hovered above the crowd and opened its jaw. Without any sign of hesitation Victini cried, "Viiiiiiiiiii!" and a Flamethrower shot out.
Without warning, the fans got struck down by the vicious fire and they became fried flesh. "Did anyone…see where…that Flamethrower came from?" the fat man who caught the crowd's attention earlier lay on the ground with the rest of the fans, and like the rest, the chubby male was in pain.
"That's my Victini," May giggled when she noticed what happened.
"That's our Victini," Ash corrected May and laughed with May.
"Victini seems really protective of Ash and May, doesn't it Cilan?" Iris said to Cilan.
"Indeed, since Ash and May are considered its parents, Victini will attack anyone who tries to harm them from the looks of it," Cilan responded.
"Pika," Pikachu looked up above him and smiled at the invisible Victini.
"Look who it is," a figure came out of the gym entrance.
"Mr. Gold!" Ash shouted when he saw Mr. Gold at the entrance.
"Nice to see you again," May grinned when she saw the old man.
"Welcome my friends," Mr. Gold smiled at them.
"You gotta be kidding!" Cilan's eyes sparkles when he saw Mr. Gold.
"Who's that?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. Gold, meet my friends, Iris, Cilan, and Pikachu," Ash introduced his friends to the celebrity.
"A real pleasure," Mr. Gold smiled at the three friends.
"Pikachu pi," Pikachu smiled at the man.
"Hello," Iris greeted the man.
"Mr. Gold it is such an honor to finally meet you, I've been a fan of yours ever since I was a kid, oh this such a delightful taste, meeting someone who admired as a child, I'm Cilan of the Striaton Gym," Cilan got on his knees and shook the man's hand while his eyes sparkled.
Mr. Gold became uncomfortable and chuckled nervously, "It's an honor to meet you Cilan."
"Cilan, what's the big deal, he's just another human being like us. You can be such a kid sometimes," Iris placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
"This is no ordinary man Iris, this man is Mr. Gold, director and producer of 99% of the movies you've ever seen in your life. He is a living legend and is among one of the most renowned celebrities of today's world, holding two Academy Awards for his skill in filming," Cilan glorified the man, who became more uncomfortable with every remark.
"I still don't see what the big deal is," Iris shrugged her shoulders.
"Wha-," Cilan was about to yell out, but before he could finish, the green-haired teen got pushed out of the way by May and Ash.
"Excuse him, he can be overexcited at times," May smiled sheepishly.
"So Mr. Gold, are you ready for the filming?" Ash asked the man with a smile.
When Cilan heard filming, he speedily got up and asked, "Filming?"
"What filming?" Iris inquired.
"While we were exploring Virbank City, we ran into Mr. Gold and that's how we met him. When Ash decided to challenge Roxie, Mr. Gold asked if he could film his battle with Roxie for a documentary and Ash accepted," May explained to her two friends.
"Ash, battling Roxie for one of Mr. Gold's movies, that's amazing!" Cilan cheered.
"That's so cool," Iris said after the explanation.
"Yes, this is going to be a true masterpiece my friends," Mr. Gold chuckled.
"By the way Mr. Gold, do you know why there are so many fans hanging out at the entrance of the gym?" Ash questioned the elder.
Mr. Gold looked behind Ash and saw all the roasted fans and adjusted his glasses, "Oh my, looks like these went through some fiery pit, but they were hanging out here because they were waiting for the arrival of Roxie's challenger. You see, I don't know how, but word got out that there was someone planning to challenge Roxie and by the time I arrived, there were already hundreds getting their seats for the big battle. Believe me, there are many more inside and I must say Ash, you're not very popular among them."
"I noticed," Ash chuckled nervously.
"Why don't I escort you to the room where you must prepare yourself, it'll be much easier with my bodyguards protecting you," Mr. Gold suggested.
"Sure, thank you," Ash thanked the man.
"May we come with him?" Cilan got up in Mr. Gold's face again.
Mr. Gold chuckled tensely and replied, "Of course, Ash will need his friends to encourage him before the battle."
"Then let's go!" Cilan pulled Ash's arm and they all rushed in.
"Cilan wait, slow down!" Ash yelled, but it was too late and they ran inside.
"Energetic fellow isn't he?" Mr. Gold whispered to May and Iris.
May and Iris giggled and nodded, with that they all went inside, including Victini, who had been silent the whole time. Without much trouble, thanks to the Machoke-sized bodyguards Mr. Gold had. Many of the fans booed and tried to throw stuff, but a quick glare from the guards settled them and they all proceeded to the preparation room.
"I can't thank you enough for doing this Ash, I'm expecting great things from you young man," Mr. Gold smiled.
"Hey, it's no problem at all, this will be fun," Ash smiled.
"Here are a few tips for you, all of Roxie's Pokémon are Poison-type and she has three Pokémon. It'd be clever to use a Pokémon with an advantage," Mr. Gold informed the auburn-eyed teen.
Ash placed his hands behind his head and responded, "Don't worry about me Mr. Gold; I know exactly how to win this one."
"Glad to hear it," Mr. Gold grinned and suddenly, a bell rang.
"What was that?" Iris inquired.
"It's time for the battle. I must head with my filming crew now, good luck lad," Mr. Gold grinned at Ash and dashed away.
Ash nodded and then turned to his three friends. "Go win it Ash," Iris smiled at the auburn-eyed boy, having full faith that Ash would win.
"Best of luck, we know you can do it," Cilan encouraged Ash.
"Thanks you two," Ash replied.
"We'll see later," Iris told the boy and ran off with Cilan.
May then pressed up against Ash and smiled sweetly, "I believe in you Ash, like I always have. Go show them how powerful my boyfriend is."
"I won't let you down May, you can count on that," Ash smiled back tenderly.
"I love you," May said and pressed her lips against Ash's without warning.
Ash didn't hesitate to kiss her back and enjoyed the warm feeling of her lips. His hands touched her waist and he pressed her up against him. May ran her fingers through is hair as felt his body warmth transfer to hers. It was a very passionate kiss and it could've lasted forever if Ash didn't have to battle Roxie.
"Victini," Victini appeared next to Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder. The two Pokémon smiled at the sweet moment between the pair.
Ash then separated from May and gave her a soft gaze, "I really enjoyed that," the boy grinned.
"There's more where that came from after this is over," May winked.
"Vi victini," Victini rubbed its cheeks against Ash and beamed at its 'papa'.
"Thanks Victini, I hope you enjoy watching your first gym battle," the raven-haired teen smiled back.
"Let's go now Victini, papa has to fight," May called the little Fire-type.
"V," Victini nodded and went to sit on May's shoulder.
May took one last look at Ash and Pikachu, and spoke, "Have fun and go win you two." The brunette smiled and then ran off with Victini.
Ash and Pikachu watched May run off with Victini for a second, but their attention then turned to the battle. "Let's get em, Pikachu," Ash smiled confidently at his longtime friend.
Pikachu returned the gesture and they both got on a platform in the middle of the room. The platform slowly lifted up and the roof above them opened. As they went up, the sounds of screaming got louder and flashy lights shined brightly above them.
When the platform finally surpassed the roof, they found themselves on a battlefield with large amounts of people sitting on the black and red seats surrounding the stage. Ash and Pikachu heard the crowds booing them and shouting Roxie's name, but they didn't pay attention to them.
"I've only seen this amount of people at Pokémon Leagues and Grand Festivals, it's impressive to see how many fans Roxie has, but I won't let that stop me," Ash smiled self-assuredly with Pikachu.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for the Virbank rock star and heroine, our beloved local celebrity and opponent to Ash Ketchum. Please welcome the remarkable Roxie!" the host standing on the middle of the battlefield announced through the microphone.
When the announcer said Roxie's name, the audience went wild and cheered loudly for the gym leader. Suddenly, purple gas shot out of the other end of the battlefield as a platform slowly rose up. All the lights concentrated on the platform and the sounds of an electric guitar could be heard all over the room. When the smoke dispersed, a woman with an electric guitar stood on top of the platform, a large, confident smile on her face.
"Welcome to your demise!" Roxie pointed at Ash and played her electric guitar.
"Demise?" Ash tilted his head while the crowd cheered happily.
"And thank you for coming folks; I am glad you could all be here today, to witness another victory from yours truly!" Roxie shouted and caused uproar among the audience.
May smirked as she looked down at the battlefield with the invisible Victini in her arms, "She's very confident in herself, but wait till she sees how strong Ash is. "
"This is exciting," Iris watched with Axew in her arms.
"And the fact that this will be in a film is even more amazing!" Cilan exclaimed, annoying some of the people near them.
The host then spoke, "You all know the rules. Now let the battle beeeegiiiiiiiin!" He then quickly ran to the side of the battlefield as the trainer's prepared to battle.
The crowd didn't waste a moment to scream again as they prepared to see their celebrity win the battle. A few feet behind Roxie, there were a number of cameramen and of course Mr. Gold, they all stood calmly unlike the people in the audience.
"Prepare to film lads, I want this done perfect, it's going to win me an Oscar," Mr. Gold ordered.
"Yes sir," the employees obeyed and set up the cameras for filming.
This is going to be phenomenal; Mr. Gold thought in his head and grinned as he prepared to watch the battle.
"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash pointed at the battlefield.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and landed on the battlefield, smirking the whole time.
Roxie chuckled and spoke, "A Kanto Pokémon eh? That makes two of us, go Koffing!" The rock star threw her Pokéball and played a riff on her guitar.
"Koffing," Koffing appeared on the battlefield, appearing very confident in itself.
"A Koffing, I didn't expect that," Ash raised an eyebrow, but quickly gained his composure and grinned, "No matter, we can still win. Pikachu give them a taste of your Electro Ball!"
Pikachu ran for a little bit in order to build speed and then leaped into her air. All of a sudden, an electric sphere shot of the mouse's tail as it yelled, "Piiiiikaaachuuuu!"
"What a joke," Roxie chuckled and crossed her arms. "Koffing, use Clear Smog!"
"Kooooffing," Koffing wasted no time in releasing a white beam of smoke at Electro Ball.
When the attacks clashed, a large explosion was produced and a cloud of smoke covered the middle part of the battlefield. "Pikachu, take advantage of this and use Iron Tail through the smoke!" Ash commanded.
"Koffing, why don't you counter with Gyro Ball?" Roxie smirked.
As Pikachu rushed into the smoke, Koffing began to spin rapidly and a blue energy line formed across its midsection, the next moment Pikachu jumped out of the cloud of smoke and prepared to swing its Iron Tail at Koffing.
"Pikachu, change of plans, switch Iron Tail to Electro Ball!" Ash demanded.
Pikachu nodded and turned its tail back to normal color. Without wasting another second, Pikachu launched an Electro Ball. "Sloppy," Roxie smirked and said, "Koffing, dodge and get near Pikachu!"
Koffing's swift movements using Gyro Ball allowed it to nimbly dodge Electro Ball. Ash's eyes widened and the boy yelled, "Pikachu, back flip to dodge Gyro Ball!"
Pikachu's eyes widened when it saw the incoming Gyro Ball and narrowly dodged the attack by flipping backwards and landing on the field below. "Sludge Bomb!" Roxie commanded.
"Koffing," the Poison-type stopped spinning and focused its eyes on Pikachu. The sphere-like Pokémon opened its mouth and shot out barrage of sludge at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, counter it with Thunderbolt!" Ash extended his arm forward.
"I don't think so, Koffing, max it up!" Roxie yelled and performed a riff.
"Pikaaaachu!" Pikachu cried out and released the powerful Electric-type attack.
The shower of sludge collided with Thunderbolt, but Thunderbolt was easily canceled out by the sludge and caused an explosion between the two Pokémon. However, Thunderbolt failed to stop Sludge Bomb and the Poison-type barrage attack shot at Pikachu like heavy rain.
"Pikaaaaaaa!" Pikachu shouted in pain as the sludge hit Pikachu hard enough to blast the mouse into the ground.
Koffing continued to use Sludge Bomb while Roxie watched calmly and Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. "This is bad," Iris said from the audience.
"Sludge Bomb has Pikachu cornered," Cilan grinded his teeth.
May and Victini only watched with concern as Koffing continued to release an endless barrage of sludge at Pikachu. Mr. Gold's eyes widened as he saw his friend's Pikachu get brutally beaten by Koffing and all he could do was stand there and sweat from the nervousness.
"This battle is going to end quickly, your time here is marked…Ash," Roxie chuckled as the crowd cheered for the gym leader.
Ash could only stand there and watch with frustration and hopelessness in his eyes. Pikachu…the boy said in his head as he failed to find a way to get out of this situation.
This chapter was going to feature the entire battle with Roxie, but then I realized it'd be too long so I'll just wrap it up in the next chapter. I kept the gym battle simplistic for now because if I made it too detailed it'd be too long, but I hope you still enjoyed this chapter. Most of it was about the discussion between Ash and his friends with Roxas and I'm sure you've all received the hint about what Pokémon is the Majestic 12's next target. The future chapters are going to be interesting folks, so do not only stick around to see Ash battle Roxie, but for Ash and May's training and their meeting with Cheren. By the way, there's one question I've failed to ask in the past and now I'm confirming it, Burgundy, Stephan, and Georgia will not be appearing in this fanfic simply because I think they're rather annoying and there are already too many other important characters around. Cilan and Iris's own challenges will take an alternative course with the absence of these rivals, so don't worry if that's what your concerned about, I have that under control. Anyway, remember to REVIEW, PM, etc if anything. Stick around for the next chapter, and for the next next chapter, and why not just stick till the end of the story because I'm super excited lol. Well, until the next chapter guys, I'll try to post 27 up much faster, till then!