Chapter 54: Trying to be Cool
Snivy dropped helplessly from midair with a weak stare. It received a heavy pounding from Emolga's Electro Ball volley and could barely keep up, but it couldn't let Ash down. "Sniiii," Snivy let out a pant as it swore it would fight till the very end.
"Aerial Ace!" Elesa moved her chess piece.
"Emo!" Emolga shot off like a jet towards Snivy, who still fell helplessly to the ground.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip and slam Emolga!" Ash gritted his teeth, making a last minute call.
"Vy!" Snivy pulled itself together as it glared at its enemy. The Grass-type mustered its strength to unleash Vine Whip. In a second Emolga found itself wrapped in the vines, canceling out its Aerial Ace.
"Snivy!" Snivy angrily shouted as it raised Emolga up for a mighty slam.
While this gave Ash a momentary edge, he felt uneasy as Elesa and Emolga remained calm. The Grass-type lifted Emolga high enough, then with all its might brought the Flying-type down.
Elesa chuckled as she snapped her fingers and struck a pose. "Shock it!" Elesa commanded, much to the joy of her fans. Suddenly, Ash and his friends' eyes widened as they saw Emolga release a powerful charge of electricity that traveled through Snivy's vines.
"Retreat!" Ash ordered, but the electricity traveled too fast.
"Sniiiiiiiiiiii!" Snivy squealed in pain as the shock coursed through its body. The Grass-type had done its best, yet it wasn't enough.
Emolga got slammed to the ground as a cloud of dust surrounded it; it had sacrificed the chance to escape for a chance to shock Snivy into its very core. Snivy continued to cry in pain as the electricity shocked it, once again the Unova starter began to fall down with sparks around its body this time.
"Let's go Emolga, Aerial Ace!" the Electric-type Gym Leader immediately ordered.
Much to Ash's amazement, Emolga was still up and fighting as it flew out of the dust cloud like a dart. It had multiple wounds on its body from the slam, but it got determined as ever to win against Snivy.
"Snivy!" Ash shouted with frustration while his friends gasped.
Emolga delivered the finishing blow right on Snivy's gut, making the Pokémon squeal one last time as it shot towards the ground like a bullet, making the metal clang loudly once it landed. Snivy lied unconscious on the ground; it was over for the starter.
"Snivy is unable to battle, the winner is Emolga!" the referee declared, with a crowd's cheering following the declaration.
"Terrific job Emolga," Elesa swung her hair like a diva then put her hands on her hips, smiling confidently with Emolga hovering just in front of her.
"Snivy return," Ash recalled the Grass-type as the red beam enveloped the its body.
The raven-haired trainer looked at Snivy with despair. He clenched his eyes shut as he put on the ball on his forehead. "Thank you for giving it the best you could Snivy, I know you could have one…I let you down," the auburn-eyed trainer expressed his upset. He thanked the Pokémon once more for its effort and then put it away.
"Palpitoad and Snivy are down; my two biggest bets are down. What do I do now?" Ash murmured with frustration, still gritting his teeth.
"Do you think he's deciding what Pokémon to use?" Hilda questioned Hilbert, who merely shrugged his shoulders.
The pair looked at Ash nervously, wondering if Ash had a way out of this after Snivy and Palpitoad took a beating from Emolga. May, Pikachu, and Victini though, just watched with curiosity to see what Ash would do, how would the boy get himself out of this one?
I don't believe it, after all the training I had with Auro, Nate, and Rosa I get cocky and get myself cornered like this. I don't have any strategy up my sleeve; I'm not prepared for this. Darn Ash, think of something, you only have one chance! Tepig, Tranquil, Dewott, who?!
"Excuse me, if you don't pick a Pokémon soon you will get disqualified," the referee warned. His patience started to wear out.
"Ash, pick a Pokémon what are you doing?" Hilbert raised his voice, becoming nervous with the raven-haired trainer.
"Thing is…I don't ha-ve a Pokémon," Ash admitted with an ashamed tone, becoming nervous by the second.
"Is he serious right now?" Hilda widened her eyes.
"Well I do have my other Pokémon, but I didn't really come up with a plan in case Snivy lost. I thought with Palpitoad and Snivy I would've…ummm won?" Ash scratched the back of his head while chuckling, knowing he had just achieved one of his biggest screw-ups of all time.
"You thought you could win with just Snivy and Palpitoad? C'mon Ash, I know you must feel on top of the world after all that training, but a third Pokémon under your belt could have turned this situation around," Hilbert expressed disappointment as he began to worry for the fate of Ash's battle.
"Why don't you just use one of your other Pokémon?!" Hilda stated.
"I don't have any strategy in mind and I…kinda underestimated Elesa," Ash began to sweat as he grinned sheepishly.
Hilda rolled her eyes while Elesa raised an eyebrow. May and her two companions watched quietly, watching as karma bit back hard at Ash. Although she felt bad for him, she allowed Ash to learn the hard way. Usually Ash would be the man with the plan, but his mind seemed blank.
Should I step in? May could feel conflicting emotions inside her. She wanted to lend Ash a hand as his girlfriend and friend, but at the same time she felt Ash needed to learn a lesson so his arrogance would never cloud his mind again.
"Pikapi pikachu pi," Pikachu spoke to May, stating his urge to help his best friend that was in dire need.
"Tini vi victini," Victini also expressed his concerns as he felt Ash's time running short.
"I know guys…I want to help him too…it's just," May felt the battle inside her intensify. Her stubborn, immature, and prideful side tried to battle her sympathetic, compassionate, and loving side to see which would take over May's mind.
"Ash, if you don't decide within the next minute we will disqualify you," Elesa grew impatient with Emolga as they crossed their arms.
"O-okay," Ash nodded sadly, lowering his head. He let out a sigh, his hand trembling as he reached for a Pokéball. Usually he was good with last minute plans, but it was also a huge risk. Since he hadn't planned this out carefully, any of his other 3 Pokémon could get taken out easily, especially if he still hadn't battled Elesa's third Pokémon. Normally he'd look towards his stalwart Pokémon, Pikachu, in a situation like this because if anyone could pull it off it was Pikachu, but the mouse wanted no part of Ash right now…it seemed.
May clenched her fists as she kept a stern look. Am I going to let stubborn love cost Ash his gym badge? The guilt would kill me after this, especially if I take a look at Ash's face after the battle. She looked at Pikachu, who watched Ash sympathetically. She knew he wanted to go and in the end, she knew she had no reason to keep away Pikachu away from Ash because of a fight in their relationship. Pikachu looks like it's willing to forget about what Ash did, so he could win…May placed her fist over her heart.
"Victini vi tini," Victini placed her hand on May's shoulders, looking into May's eyes as it shared wisdom with her. The girl looked at Victini, knowing she had to let her pride go. She knew would have to handle this issue with Ash some other way.
The audience began to boo Ash as the clock started ticking; he only had seconds at this point. May's heart crushed as she caught eye of Ash's stressed expression. Hilbert and Hilda were nervous about what Ash's decision would be, risk it or just throw the towel.
Oh Ash…May sighed as she placed her hand on Pikachu, who looked at her with surprise.
"Time is up Ash," Elesa stated with a stern tone.
Ash raised his head; his eyes grew with fear as he still failed to decide what to do. "I hereby declare Ash Ketchum dis-," the referee prepared to raise his flag as Ash reached a random Pokéball with his shaky and sweaty hand until a friend appeared on the battlefield.
"Huh?" Ash looked with surprise as he lowered his hand/
"No way, is he really going to?" Hilbert looked with relief and shock.
"But I thought…" Hilda rubbed her chin as she turned to May and Victini, who watched with concerned faces.
"Pikachu?" Ash spoke to the mouse with the same surprise as Hilbert and Hilda.
"Pika," Pikachu nodded as it stood in a battle position.
"But I thought-," Ash started to speak, but soon got cut by the mouse.
""Pikachu pi pikapi pika chu pipi pikachu pika pikapi," Pikachu stated with a stern tone as it frowned at Emolga, still upset with the Flying-type for what it did to its friend. The mouse had put aside its differences with Ash for the sake of helping his best friend win, even he was a jerk for refusing to listen.
"For not listening to you guys?" Ash looked at Pikachu curiously. He turned to May and Victini, who turned their heads away from Ash as soon as he turned. Then the raven-haired boy immediately remembered what Pikachu was referring too.
"Hey Ash," May tapped his shoulder, making him lose focus, slightly annoying him in the process.
"Yeah May?" Ash mustered a weak smile.
"Pikachu, Victini, and I think you should use Pikachu for your battle. Since he's an Electric-type, electric moves shouldn't be very effective and his speed will come in handy against all of her Pokémon! Don't you think?!" May said with a very enthusiastic tone, but Ash didn't seem very convinced.
"That sounds like a good plan May, but I need to mix it up. Elesa probably already has a strategy to defeat Pikachu. Something less predictable would help," Ash disagreed with May's suggestion.
"Ash, but-," May tried to get through to him, but he cut her off.
"No May, thanks for your help, but it won't work. I know I can come up with something better on my own," Ash spoke with an annoyed tone.
May, Victini, and Pikachu's expressions all looked hurt as Ash frowned at them. The raven-haired teen looked at them and sighed as he turned back to his paper. Ash's girlfriend frowned back in response. "On your own huh, Fine!" May sassily got up as she talked aggressively, but Ash rolled his eyes and didn't seem to care. He thought the girl was only being obnoxious.
This only infuriated May even more as she glared at him. "Come on Pikachu and Victini; let's leave this prideful boy to himself. He obviously doesn't need help in anything!" May spat as she turned around.
"Ti…" Victini looked at May and then at Ash, who did not seem to care for what was going on. As he saw May walk away, the Fire-type reluctantly flew away with her, his feelings hurt inside.
"Pika," Pikachu frowned in disapproval over Ash's arrogance. He quickly leaped on May's shoulder then left with the pair.
The flashback made Ash shower in guilt. He slammed his palm into his face, realizing that his actions from last night were what had ticked May off. "How could I let that happen? I'm the worst friend and boyfriend ever," Ash mumbled, furious at himself for hurting his loved ones' feelings.
May immediately noticed and looked surprised along with Victini. How did I let myself get so full of it that I shot down May, Pikachu, and Victini like that? Ash frowned as he thought of himself with disgust. May and his friends had every right to be upset at him, one for treating them harshly and second for not realizing the significance and consequences of his actions.
"Pikachu, Victini…May…I'm sorry for what I did," Ash spoke as he turned to May when he said that last part. Instantly, May could see that Ash had realized what he had done wrong. While she kept a stern face when he looked, once he turned away a smile began to grow on his face.
"Are they making up with each other?" Hilda wondered as she watched the interactions between the four.
"Looks like it, but I'd save it for later," Hilbert stated as his eyes focused on Elesa.
"Alright Ash, we're sick of waiting. Will you make the move or will I end this right here, right now?" Elesa said with an irritated voice.
"No way Elesa, this time I'm going to fight back…but harder than ever. Pikachu and I will show you what real electricity is like," Ash made a fist as he grinned confidently.
"Pika," Pikachu emitted violent sparks from his cheeks.
"About time!" a chubby man yelled from the stadium.
"That's more like it…I was starting to get disappointed and thought you were overrated," Elesa chuckled. "Now Ash Ketchum…let me see what your infamous Pikachu can do!" the Gym Leader pointed her finger at the mouse.
"Gladly," Ash smirked. "Pikachu, let's close in with Quick Attack!" the auburn-eyed teen extended his arm out.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as it charged at Emolga.
"Emolga, use Electro Ball!" Elesa shouted.
"Emolga!" the flying Pokémon released the ball of electricity with ferocity.
"Agility to dodge!" Ash countered. Pikachu obeyed soon after as it left afterimages of itself, increasing its speed by a lot more. Electro Ball ended up hitting nothing, except the metal battlefield.
"Rapid fire!" Elesa continued her strike. All of a sudden, Emolga became more charged up and released a barrage of Electro Balls like bullets as Pikachu successfully avoided each one.
"Whoa, Pikachu is faster than that?" Hilda's eyes grew, watching Emolga fire like a machine gun.
"Now Pikachu, use your electric doughnuts with Thunderbolt!" Ash pointed at Emolga energetically.
"Electric doughnuts?" Elesa raised an eyebrow.
May was the only who knew what this meant since she had seen Ash do this once before in the Terracotta Contest. As Pikachu dodged the last of the Electro Ball, it leaped into the air while concentrating its electricity on its tail. Then with a dramatic spin, Pikachu swung its tail in 360 degrees, releasing a thin disk of electricity that resembled a doughnut.
"What the!?" Elesa's eyes grew as Emolga did not see the thing coming. Emolga failed to react in time as the improvised attack wrapped itself around Emolga, shocking it violently and making it release painful cries.
Everyone in the room felt emotions of amazement, fear, and anger. "I learned this one from Auro," Ash smirked as he pulled down the brim of his hat. "Pikachu, fire down with Iron Tail!" the raven-haired teen commanded.
"Huh?!" Elesa gasped as it saw Pikachu nowhere until she looked up.
While Emolga and Elesa were occupied with finding a way out of Pikachu's attack, Pikachu had bought time to perform a sneak attack. The gym leader's eyes froze as she saw Pikachu come down with an iron-colored tail. Steel may not be effective on electric Pokémon, but after the slam from Snivy and the toll from Pikachu's doughnut, Emolga had more than enough.
"Pikachuu!" Pikachu swung its tail aggressively then hit Emolga like a baseball, making the Flying-type shoot down like Snivy before it.
When Emolga's body hit the metal, it shrieked in pain before it became unconscious. Pikachu on the other hand, landed on its two feet and a smirk on its face. "Emolga is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu!" the referee raised his flag, much to the dismay of Elesa's fans, but Ash's friends seemed thrilled.
"Did you see that? Pikachu didn't even get hit once!" Hilda yelled with astonishment.
"They've been training hard, it shows," Hilbert pulled down the brim of his hat as he grinned contently.
"Nice job Ash, one more to go," May crossed her arms as she carried the same confident smile as her boyfriend.
"Victini vi ti," Victini flew around happily as May and the Fire-type exchanged cheery glances.
"Well done Ash," Elesa said as she returned Emolga, thanking it for its performance. "Before Pikachu stepped in, I was starting to have my doubts about you. Now it is apparent that Burgh and Cheren didn't give you enough credit when they told me about you. You know how to give a good shock," the model smirked.
"I'm always in it to win it Elesa," Ash grinned, wondering for a second what Burgh and Cheren could have told Elesa about him.
Auro and his friends just cost me a badge…oh well, it was fun, Elesa giggled as she threw her final Pokéball. "Now the real battle begins," Elesa said as the bright light of the Pokéball came out.
"Pikachu and I are set to roll, right buddy?" Ash stated.
"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded, ready to battle alongside his best pal one more time.
"Let's see how you handle it," Elesa placed her left hand on her hip.
The light faded as a small creature revealed itself. It was oddly shaped with white as its primarily color. It had small black eyes and yellow squiggles on its sides. The Electric-type Pokémon resembled a marine animal.
"Tynamo, the Elefish Pokémon. Tynamo usually lives in groups, and has an electricity-generating organ which discharges when in distress," May's Pokédex informed.
She nodded as she quietly put the machine away. "If Ash hadn't watched Elesa's battles yesterday, it probably would have underestimated the little thing. It's so cute and seems defenseless…on the outside," May said, recalling the formidable abilities of Tynamo.
"Alright Pikachu, one last push buddy," Ash spoke as he glared at Tynamo. "Let's send Tynamo a barrage of Electro Ball!" Ash punched his fist in the air.
"Pi!" Pikachu nodded as it jumped into the air and swung its tail, releasing an Electro Ball that aimed for Tynamo. It repeated the process multiple times as they all fired at Tynamo.
However, Tynamo and Elesa seemed calm as the woman made her move. "Avoid it," Elesa closed her eyes as she grinned smugly.
Abruptly, Tynamo dodged the Electro Balls as fast as Pikachu had done earlier. Tynamo's speed caused gasps among people, originally underestimating the little thing. "It's fast," Hilbert raised an eyebrow.
"Guess the TV screen wasn't lying," Hilda tried to follow Tynamo's movements.
As Tynamo dodged the Electro Balls though, Ash had already moved his chess piece. From behind the storm of Electro Balls, a small mouse darted straight at the Electric-type with Double-Edge.
"Now Pikachu!" Ash shot his fist in the air once more.
Neither Elesa nor Tynamo saw it coming as Pikachu launched itself through Electro Ball. The mouse easily endured the electricity of its own attack as it burst through the attack, dealing a heavy blow to Tynamo.
The little Pokémon cried in pain as it fell to the ground. "Bullseye," Ash commented happily.
"My Tynamo!" Elesa said horrified as she watched her cutest Pokémon squeal in pain.
Pikachu landed on all fours, knowing that one Double-Edge wouldn't be enough to take out a gym leader's Pokémon even if it was just a Tynamo. As Pikachu suspected, Tynamo weakly got up, but it got up. Elesa and Tynamo seemed stern.
"Tynamo, it's time to show them that we play rough too," Elesa clenched her fist. Tynamo glared at Pikachu, who was panting after running so much in its battles against Emolga and Tynamo.
"Thunder Wave!" Elesa spread her arms out.
"Go Pikachu, send yourself flying with Electro Ball and use Double-Edge once more," Ash extended his arm out.
Just as Pikachu prepared to catapult itself with Electro Ball, Elesa used one more trick up her sleeve. While everyone thought the Thunder Wave was meant for Pikachu, Elesa had something else in mind.
Tynamo let out a cry as it discharged the blue electricity onto the battlefield itself. Soon Hilda, Hilbert, Victini, Pikachu, May, and Ash realized what she prepared to do. "Ash, get Pikachu off the ground!" May tried to help him in the dire moment, yet it was too late.
The Thunder Wave traveled through the whole battlefield and soon enough, the blue sparks enveloped Pikachu like arms. They kept the mouse in place while they shocked it, making Pikachu shriek.
"Pikachu!" Ash reached his arm out.
"Elesa's trump card," Hilbert said sternly as Hilda gasped.
Pikachu became immobilized and to make matters worse, anywhere Pikachu went on the battlefield would end up paralyzing him. "Tackle!" Elesa ordered the only other move Tynamo knew.
Whether Pikachu would have been able to dodge Tynamo had it not been paralyzed is questionable since the little Pokémon darted like a bullet. With Pikachu immobile, Elesa and Tynamo had nothing to worry about.
Tynamo dealt a deadly blow as it tackled Pikachu in the gut, sending the mouse flying back in pain. Now Thunder Wave had Pikachu completely tied down as Pikachu squealed in pain, feeling the shocks trapping him down.
"Tackle," Elesa snapped her fingers.
Tynamo charged forward yet again and battered Pikachu as it constantly tackled the mouse in its stomach. Meanwhile, all Pikachu could do was lie on its back as it yelled in pain. Though Ash got unharmed by the Thunder Wave, he also stood paralyzed because of the situation. He knew with every Tackle, Pikachu was getting weaker and he was running out of time. The battle was nearly wrapping up as the audiences became content.
"Ash has to win, this can't be a loss," Hilda clasped her hands together.
"Come on Ash, you've been taken into corners like this before," Hilbert grinded his teeth with desperation.
"Tini vi," Victini watched with horror as his best friends were losing, it wanted to step in but knew that wasn't an option here.
May bit her lip as she watched her boyfriend and her friend lose every second of the match to Elesa. She began to sweat as she wondered why Ash didn't do something. The brunette then knew she had to step in; she placed her foot on the ground and yelled, "Ash!"
"May?" Ash turned around, momentarily forgetting of the situation at hand.
"Ash, pull it together! You can get through this one, there's a way! I know you can figure it out. Even if you can be a jerk at times about it, I know you're smart and strong enough to find a way out. I believe in you, you big lug!" May encouraged Ash with lingering anger in her tone. The brunette didn't swallow her pride or put aside their differences for nothing, she did it to watch Ash win because she loved him.
"I'm not going to let you lose…because I know you've got what it takes to win!" May shouted as she made a fist at him and made her eyes go on fire.
Ash looked at her. He saw through the fire in eyes and got amazed that after being so rude May still believed in him and loved him. While she was still visibly upset about yesterday, Ash simply smiled at her. May's support was all he needed to find his strength and then it hit him.
"Thanks May, you got my senses back after everything I did," Ash winked at her playfully, thanking her for pulling him together. His auburn eyes then turned to the battle at hand.
May on the other hand looked at Ash with surprise. She thought about Ash's wink and his words, understanding more that Ash had truly been sorry for his actions. She looked down at the ground and giggled as blush came over her face, I feel the same way sometimes Ash Ketchum.
Her sapphire eyes watched with anticipation as Ash made his comeback. Alright, so this battlefield captures electricity and stores it…just like a battery. What happens when you charge up a battery too much? It explodes, Ash's face displayed a confident smile. Looks like 4th grade science was good for something after all.
"Pikachu, I'm gonna need to bear with me buddy," Ash looked sympathetically at his friend, who was still taking beatings from Tynamo.
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, telling Ash to get it over with.
"Alright pal, use Thunder on yourself and the battlefield!" Ash extended his arm out with determination in his voice.
"What?!" Elesa's eyes grew.
Tynamo immediately stopped, widening its eyes in fear. Pikachu took in what Ash ordered then prepared for what would result in a serious explosion. Pikachu endured Thunder Wave as it started to charge up electricity through its willpower. "Piiiiiiiiiii…" Pikachu gritted its teeth as it ignored its surrounding. "Kaaaaaaaaaaaa…." Pikachu started to emit extremely violent sparks.
"Is Ash out of his mind, does he want to blow out the stage?" Hilda covered her mouth.
"More importantly, can Pikachu handle it," Hilbert froze, wondering if Ash was good as a trainer or just plain foolish.
The audiences ran to the walls in the room and some hid behind their chairs. They were all fearful, but none could resist staying since they wanted to witness the outcome.
"Do it Ash," May smiled confidently, knowing Ash and Pikachu had the situation under control.
Victini remained calm with May's assurance and thanks to its psychic abilities; it could see that Ash and Pikachu would make it out find with a badge in Ash's possession.
"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a storm of electricity that could even intimidate a Tyranitar. The electricity coursed through Pikachu's body, but the mouse quickly became immune to its effects. The stage on the other hand started to emit incredibly violent bolts of electricity.
"Is he out of his mind?!" Elesa shouted with terror as she became blinded by the land.
Tynamo only shut his eyes in fear and everyone else covered theirs as well. As predicted, the metal battlefield could not take any more power and overloaded, causing a blue and yellow explosion that blinded the whole room. Tynamo shrieked in horror as the electricity consumed him.
The deadly explosion could be heard from a mile away while the room illuminated brightly. It may have been only seconds, but in the minds of everyone the explosion lasted for minutes. The light gradually faded as the room returned to normality.
As Elesa opened her eyes she gasped, "Oh my?!" Her battlefield was a mess. The metal had cracks in it, pieces of it had broken apart and minor sparks came from it, it looked like a badly damaged giant battery in her eyes.
The only thing more shocking than that was what stood on the battlefield. Everyone else became flabbergasted by the sight, all but May at least. On the stage, Pikachu stood with a confident grin, his body shined the color of gold while Tynamo lay defeated.
"Hilbert did the light screw up my vision or is Pikachu made of gold?" Hilda looked at him.
"Either the light damaged our eyes or Pikachu really is shining like gold," Hilbert rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn't a trick.
"That's a trick Ash and Pikachu mastered when we traveled in Hoenn together. It's called Thunder Armor, basically Pikachu absorbs Thunder's energy and allows it to become immune to the electricity's power," May explained with her arms behind her back, smiling happily with Victini as they saw the victor standing.
"Brilliant," Hilbert commented in a word, nothing but awe in his and Hilda's eyes.
"Great job buddy, we pulled it off. I was afraid we were going to do more harm than good for a second," Ash chuckled.
"Pika," Pikachu smiled as it gave him a thumbs up. The gold color on Pikachu then gradually faded until he reverted back to his normal color.
"Wow, now that's power," Elesa said awestruck.
"That kid is something else," a man said in the audience.
"That Pikachu is not normal," a woman stated fearfully.
Once the referee recovered his vision and saw the sight before him, he got his act together and raised the flag. "Tynamo is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu and therefore the victor of the battle is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
The people clapped and congratulated Ash for his hard fought victor while Elesa returned Tynamo, thanking it for everything. She walked over to the winner with what Ash had come for. She smiled at him as she reached out her hand.
"Here you go Ash, you earned this badge. You fought hard," Elesa winked at him, making Ash chuckle.
"Thank you Elesa, it was a great battle even though I messed up for a bit," Ash received the badge.
"Its fine, I'm glad I didn't disqualify you or else I wouldn't have had such an electrifying battle, no pun intended," Elesa giggled.
Ash laughed with her until he kneeled down to look at Pikachu, who ran over to him with a grin. "Look pal," the trainer showed his friend the bolt-shaped badge.
"Pi!" Pikachu cheered.
Ash chuckled once more as he struck his signature pose after a victory. With pure energy and a smile across his face, Ash raised his arm high and yelled, "We just won a Bolt Badge!"
"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu celebrated with him.
"Ash!" Hilbert and Hilda called him out. The trainer turned happily towards, holding his new badge.
"You did it!" Hilda cheered.
"Awesome job, I didn't see that last one coming," Hilbert laughed as he put his hands behind his head.
"Thanks guys. Honestly though, I really wouldn't have done it without Pikachu, M-," Ash tried to speak but got cut off.
"You really did earn that badge Ash…you fought hard," the angelic voice Ash always loved to hear made him turn around.
Before him stood a girl with beautiful brown hair, sparkling sapphire eyes, and a smile that could make the grumpiest Pokémon grin. Her innocent face made Ash love her so much, but right now it also made him feel incredibly guilty for what he had done. A Pikachu and a Victini that Ash could feel were also standing next to her.
"You guys, I'm sorry! May….you don't know how terrible I feel, how could I have been so stupid and inconsiderate about your feelings?" Ash looked at her with an extremely apologetic face, he rarely felt this guilty.
Before May, Pikachu, or Victini could react, Ash continued. "I let my ego go to my head and thought I didn't need help and because I didn't listen to you I got myself humiliated in front of everyone. I almost got myself disqualified, but after Pikachu appeared and I realized what I had done wrong, I remembered that I can't do everything alone and there are others who will always be there to help me, especially you guys. I will never hurt any of you again like that."
"Ash…I'm so glad," May felt almost speechless to see Ash grow right in front of her eyes. All she could do was hug him with Pikachu and Victini, who was invisible. She ran her hands through his raven hair as she pressed her chest against his.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said affectionately to the boy, forgiving his friend.
"Vi," Victini hugged Ash's head as he quietly forgave him.
"Will you forgive me?" Ash asked the girl he held in his arms.
"You're already forgiven, I just wanted to hear it," May giggled as she had him in her arms.
"It was still worth my breath," Ash squeezed her tenderly.
"Oh Ash I care about you so much, even if you can be a pain," May separated from him, her forehead leaning against his. They stared lovingly at each other.
"You know what they say? No pain, no gain," Ash chuckled.
"Ha ha, you're so funny," May laughed sarcastically.
"I love you May," Ash smiled as he kissed her forehead.
"I love you Ash Ketchum," May responded with a loving voice as everyone in the room said "Aww".
At a long table in a dark room with little light, there were 12 figures seated. "Genesis, I really do hope your three new underlings can get their task down, it would certainly be a shame to execute them if they fail," Omega played with a colorful ball that was the size of a marble.
"They have one simple task and it is an offer our enemies cannot refuse. I will handle the other half myself…they are much harder to persuade," Genesis reassured his leader.
"Why aren't we after the stones Omega, we are wasting time with these silly little sideshows," Zero frowned.
"Let our friends handle that crisis until it is required we step in. Patience is a virtue after all. Plus, if we have those Pokémon kill themselves then it is two less thorns on our side," Omega set the ball down as he answered Zero with a cold expression , his messy gray-white hair matching the coldness in his amber eyes.
"And what about Roxas, that lad is getting on my nerves you know?" Brodie set his feet on the table, much to Hunter J's annoyance.
"That scoundrel killed Phantom! I'd sure like to see his face if we kill one of his own!" Charon slammed his fist on the table.
"Roxas is an obstacle I will handle myself, which is in due time. When the time comes I will spill every ounce of blood he carries in his body. Until then…he must be kept occupied," Omega's voice became exceptionally cold as he thought of his arch nemesis.
"What about those team dorks boss?" Annie sat coolly on her table.
"Our business partners…..well they will get rewarded pleasantly, not much to it," Omega chuckled.
"What about Ash and May?" Cloud questioned, staring coldly at his father.
Omega spread his palm out as a blue sphere of energy. The sphere took the form of two figures that looked a lot like Ash and May. They were hugging each other and seemed completely in love. Then just as they prepared to kiss, Omega shut his hand, extinguishing the projection. "Wanted dead or alive," the leader said ruthlessly as everyone stared at him with slight fright with the exclusion of Genesis, Silver, and Cloud.
That was that folks. Nothing major in this chapter except the small plot dealing with Ash and May's argument, which I hope you liked. We get back to real business in Chapter 55, so I'll see you guys then. REMEMBER TO REVIEW, PM, ETC, FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS GREAT GUYS! I don't have a date for when I'll update, but I can only hope soon. It's been busy around here. For now take care guys and I'll catch you next time!