Indigo Plateau: Near Sunset…
The Indigo Plateau, home of the Indigo League, is where the trainers who earned eight badges from any gym in Kanto can compete. Currently, the streets of the town surrounding the stadium, and the stadium itself, are full. With sunset approaching, they are waiting for the League Torch.
Out of those waiting, only 128 of them are competitors while the remaining are friends, family, avid battle fans, and/or tourists wanting to see who comes out on top. Before the opening ceremony can begin, the League Torch must arrive.
Fortunately, the torch runner was currently running through the streets and picked up the pace as the stadium came into view. Once he made it into the stadium, it was time for the various trainers to start assembling for the opening ceremony.
Indigo Stadium
Ash walked out onto the field with all the other trainers who made it. He couldn't currently see any of the various rivals he's made over the course of his journey, but he knew they just had to be here considering he knew they got their eighth badges from Blue like him.
Eventually, all the trainers stood in a square formation across the battle field while Kanto's current Elite Four and champion followed Charles Goodshow out to the field. The Elite Four consisted of Bruno, Loreli, Agatha, and Lance who had their ace pokemon out.
Bruno had his Annihilape, Loreli had her Lapras, Agatha had her Gengar, and Lance had his Dragonite. As for Wes, he was flanked by Umbreon and Espeon as these two were equal aces in his eyes. As the trainers had filed in, everyone who was there to watch were in the stands.
Wes soon handed the torch to Charles before he and the Elite Four moved to stand behind the P.L.A president with their signature pokemon making sure to stand behind them. Charles walked up to a podium and plucked a microphone from it before walking up the stairs to a silver bowl.
"With the arrival of Moltres' Flame, we can pronounce this year's Indigo League has begun." Charles announced before touching the torch to the silver bowl, and the fire spread turning it into a gantlet of fire.
"Competitors, if you look towards the big screen, you'll see your face pop up alongside another competitor's and the field you will first be competing on. You can find out the timings later at one of the many pokemon centers."
Looking towards the screen, several pairs showed up with one of the first being Ash vs Giselle on the water field.
"Giselle?" Ash thought with a raised eye brow. "Wasn't she that girl from Pokemon Technical that threw out her Alolan Marowak?"
Ash had no idea how someone like her got here, but she would be his first challenger. Not that far down the list, he saw Hilbert facing a female on the ice field. A few pairs later he saw Ritchie against a male on the rock field.
In the next column, Cross was against a male on the grass field. A little later he noticed Otoshi against a female on the water field. The top of the last column had Misty with a female on the rock field. The final pair was Gary taking on a male at the ice field.
"If you ever need a refresher on your match is, that information can be found with the numerous Nurse Joys. Make sure you all get plenty of rest as battles start at 9 am tomorrow." Charles announced. "For now, enjoy the fireworks display or try out the plateau's many facilities."
All around the stadium, different fireworks started going up. They formed the shapes of the different 151 Pokemon native to Kanto. Even though the Mewtwo created by Team Rocket wasn't widely known, Sabrina's was.
Ash's attention was suddenly drawn from the fireworks to Gary and Cross who saw fit to approach him. This brought together the three Pallet trainers who decided this is what they'd aim for. This was also the first time they were together since the reclamation of Saffron.
"Hey Ketchum." Cross greeted. "Looks like you managed to make it all the way here."
"I did." Ash nodded. "It wasn't easy, but I managed." He looked at Gary closer and saw he was wearing a dark grey traveling cloak over his normal attire. "What's up with the cloak?"
"It was a gift from some people back in Fuchsia City." Gary commented. "I stopped by on my journey to the league, and they had this for me."
Despite Jonathan, Edna, Katrina, Kaiser, and Nick not really knowing what he did in the distant past, on two separate occasions and two different points in time, he'd tried to know them as they were now. It ultimately resulted in them coming together to have this cloak made for him.
"Well, I guess it kind of works for you." Ash noted.
"Enough about that Ash, I haven't seen it, but I heard you went onto become champion of the Orange League, is that true?" Gary inquired.
"Yeah, I did." Ash replied. "Why?"
"He asks because it means we're going to be expecting a genuine battle." Cross returned simply enough.
"If that's all, then know I will give you both nothing less than my best should we end up getting to battle." Ash declared.
"That's all we wanted to hear." Gary smiled. "Come on Cross, let's head out."
The pair started to head off together, but Ash didn't feel right letting Gary go without saying one last thing. "Hey Gary." The cloaked trainer turned to him while Cross simply stopped. "Even though we wagered it, thanks for that slip to compete in the Orange League."
"You can thank me by truly showing me what I want to see." Gary smirked. "If we battle, show me just what you've learned."
With his peace said, Gary and Cross left together.
Outside the Stadium
Ash was on his way to the nearest pokemon center, where he agreed to meet back up with his friends, only to notice Misty was walking away from a bunt cake stand with Rudy and Mahri. Rudy had a single bunt cake and was tearing off pieces which he gave to Mahri.
"Hey Misty!" Ash called out as he approached. "I expected to see you here, but I didn't think you'd also have Rudy and Mahri with you."
"Oh yeah, Rudy and Mahri are here to support me in the Indigo League." Misty voiced with a smile.
"Not only that, but Mahri and I will be accompanying Misty on her future journeys as well." Rudy voiced.
"Yeah, she's going to be my mentor so I can claim Seel as my partner." Mahri declared happily.
"Well, that is certainly something." Ash noted. "Wait, aren't you one of the Orange Crew, Rudy?"
"Former member now." Rudy noted. "I refused to let my fair Misty slip through my fingers. Beyond not wanting to part, she convinced me there was much I had missed out on by becoming a member of the Orange Crew when I did.
Fortunately, a replacement was not hard to find. Tad Sharp was surprisingly eager to take my place. Cissy, Luana, and Danny were also willing to bring him up to speed, so I decided to leave the pokemon I typically use for him to continue with the challenge."
"I see." Ash nodded before looking at his competitor. "Well Misty, traveling with a group is something I recommend. For now, we've both made it here, so I hope I get the chance to battle you."
"Same here." Misty smiled. "All three of us were watching you compete every step of the way in the Orange League, and I'm now crossing my fingers that we get to have a battle."
"Same here." Ash nodded. "For now, I just wanted to greet you, so I should go to meet up with my friends."
"Of course." Misty stated.
Wait mister." Mahri stated quickly.
"Yeah?" Ash asked.
"Once I'm able to use pokemon, I want to battle you." Mahri declared. "You seem to have a lot of fun, and I want to experience that."
Ash gave a toothy smile and thumbs up. "You got it."
Pokemon Center J
Ash arrived at Pokemon Center J, which was one of 26 at the plateau, and found his friends waiting for him. They all agreed to go get dinner after Ash rotated around his team in preparation for tomorrow's battle with Giselle.
Ash then approached Nurse Joy and heard from her the details of his bought tomorrow. "Your match is at 9 am in the water stadium, and your opponent is a young woman named Giselle."
"It's hard to believe Giselle ever reached this point." Serena commented.
"I remember you and James reacting like this when she was revealed to be Ash's opponent back at the stadium." Brock had left them on Cinnabar, so he hadn't been there for the Pokemon Technical adventure. "What's the deal here?"
"Giselle was one of the lead people responsible for putting down students she saw as lesser than herself." James informed. "Ash ended up beating her Alolan Marowak, but rather than realize she was wrong, Giselle ended up kicking her pokemon to the curb."
"Ah, that certainly explains it." Brock noted.
"As things go, I'd rather not worry about her anymore tonight." Ash spoke up. "Come on, let's get some food and have a seat.
The others agreed with that.
Cafeteria
Once inside, each member of the gang went up to the counter and got their food before moving to find somewhere to sit. Before they could decide on a table, the gang ended up spotting two familiar faces at a table alone. It was Ritchie and Hilbert.
"All I'm saying is you can take off the coat." Ritchie stated.
The Unovan Trainer was currently bundled up. "I don't agree because Mt. Silver was freezing. I have no idea how Red apparently managed it, based on what I heard, but I was freezing earlier today."
"Yeah, but you're not showing any signs of that now." Ritchie retorted. "In fact, you're starting to sweat, and I don't think you're pokemon would like to lose because you ended up passing out at some point."
Hilbert couldn't really refute the points Ritchie brought up. He wasn't shivering, and he had been sweating quite a bit recently. Plus, it would be lame to lose at any point simply because he passed out. That's not even mentioning the bigger problems behind that statement.
So, he reluctantly took off his jacket only to realize he was wrong. "Fair play, you are right."
Before Ritchie could respond, he spotted the gang approaching. "Hey, Ash."
Hilbert turned and smiled. "Oh, it's you guys."
The two of them looked at one another. "You know them?"
Despite meeting up, as well as sparking a kind of instant friendship, they haven't had much time to talk about their past travels.
"Hey Ritchie and Hilbert." Ash greeted as he and the gang took a seat with them. "I didn't know you guys had met before, but maybe I should have since Ritchie did know Calem and Verity."
"Actually, we just met earlier today as we were heading to register for the league." Ritchie responded.
"That checks out." James noted. "You two did just find out you both know Ash."
Despite that revelation, the conversation soon flowed well between this entire group. They talked, joked, and shared stories from their travels. While this did go on for some time, the nice meal was about to be interrupted.
"Ash Ketchum." A familiar voice stated from behind the Pallet native.
Ash turned to see it was exactly who he thought it'd be. Giselle had found him and even though Pokemon Technical has been shut down for months now, she was still wearing the uniform.
"Giselle." Ash stated plainly.
"I came by to see if you were willing to forfeit as recompence for what I'm positive your motley crew did." Giselle declared arrogantly. "It is the least you can do and barely even that as I am really sparing your pokemon."
"Who do you think you are?" Serena stood up not liking what she was hearing. "The last time you battled Ash, he wiped the floor with you."
James crossed his arms and spoke in defense of Ash as well. "Besides, Pokemon Technical deserved to be shut down. Like I said, they lacked important information and didn't even have knowledge on three whole types."
"Anything not taught at Pokemon Technical is irrelevant and clear misinformation." Giselle huffed as she crossed her arms. "I feel sorry for anyone who didn't have the honor of attending such a prestigious academy, and it only goes doubly so for those your lot led astray."
Before anyone could retort, another familiar voice spoke up. "Hey, lay off them Giselle."
"Genesis!?" Ash exclaimed. "Did you earn the eight badges needed to?"
"Nope, wouldn't have been allowed to try so soon after being placed in Arcana's care." Genesis responded before looking at and stepping up to Giselle. "I'm merely here now, with Arcana and Sabrina, because I made a deal with her. Since she's facing you, I've already won."
"We'll just see about that." Giselle huffed, not liking how everyone was speaking to her to the point she would leave after one more word to Ash. "If you insist on humiliating yourself tomorrow, then don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, she walked away.
"Alright, I can see what you guys were talking about." Brock commented.
While he didn't disbelieve the others, seeing Giselle in person was still something.
"That girl is not pleasant." Hilbert stated.
"I don't know why she seems to like Pokemon Technical so much." Ritchie added. "My mom considered sending me there before realizing it really wasn't a good academy and decided to just let me go to our island's school."
Ash looked at Genesis. "Since we're still speaking about her, what is this deal you have with Giselle? It must be important since I don't think you've physically arrived here otherwise."
"Whatever the deal with her is, it's between us." Genesis decided to take his leave but not before looking back at him. "All I will say is that she needs a loss, and I know you're more than capable of handing it out. Take her down Ash."
"Uh, alright." Ash voiced.
"Also, about the last time we saw each other." Genesis sighed. "I didn't find answers through our battle, but your words did help. Thank you."
Ash smiled and nodded at which point the clone took off.
"Okay, your group has clearly been involved in some crazy adventures given those two." Ritchie voiced. "What's the story with them?"
"Well, we won't talk about the last time I met with Genesis, but we definitely have a lot to tell you about them regardless." Ash voiced.
Water Field: Next Day…
Ash was walking to the water field with Pikachu on his shoulder. The pokemon he settled on for this field were: Pikachu, Lapras, and Croconaw. Serena, James, Brock, Arcana, Sabrina, and Genesis were all in the stands of this field to watch though they weren't sitting together.
Naturally, the other competitors Ash knew had their own battles to prepare for, so they couldn't exactly come watch. Obviously, anyone that came with them would want to watch them. Still, Ash had a feeling the other competitors he knew might catch his battle through the recordings.
"Welcome battle fans to the first match of this year's Indigo League." The announcer declared, causing the crowd to cheer. "In the green corner, we have the Orange Archipelago's champion, Ash Ketchum!"
The crowd cheered loudly as Ash walked out of the locker rooms. This was a lot more people than the Orange League had, and that league was nothing to sneeze at in Ash's opinion. The Pallet native waved at the crowd as he walked into the green stand.
He then took in the first sight of the field. It was a giant pool of water with several white floating platforms reminiscent of the Cerulean gym's battlefield. His attention was soon drawn to Giselle who was walking out of the other locker room with all the confidence in the world.
"In the red corner, we have Giselle Iron from Saffron City." The announcer continued.
Gisselle took to the red stand. She narrowed her gaze conveying equal parts confidence and agitation at him. A referee took his place in the ref's box as the crowd quietened down.
"This first round match between Ash Ketchum and Giselle Iron will take place on the water field." The ref declared. "Each trainer will be allowed the use of three pokemon and can substitute at any time. No time limit is in play, and the trainer who shall go first is…"
The board with both trainers' faces light up. The green light behind Ash and the red light behind Giselle continued flashing between the two photos before eventually stopping on Giselle's picture.
"Giselle Iron." The ref continued. "The battle will be over when all three pokemon on one side are unable to battle."
"This first pokemon will be the only one I need." Giselle declared as she made her selection. "Lilligant, go!"
The Unovan grass type appeared on one of the platforms. While her grandfather no longer helped her acquire pokemon, that didn't erase the ones he inadvertently already helped her acquire. Considering what she remembered of Ash, he'd simply pick a pokemon weak to hers.
"What do you know folks, the young lass from Saffron pulls out a grass type that was discovered in Unova." The announcer informed. "Given the field and typical pokemon used here, one must wonder why she'd reveal a pokemon with a theoretical type advantage at this point."
Before Ash sent out his pokemon, he pulled out his pokedex:
Lilligant, the Flowering Pokémon. A Grass type. It's said that the fragrance coming from the flower on its head has relaxing properties, and, if neglected, the flower withers.
"The flower withers?" Ash looked at the opposing pokemon, and while he wasn't any kind of breeder, he could see that flower looked to be in the starting stages of withering. "That's what I'd expect from her."
No matter how this battle went, Ash was determined not to lose. It wasn't just because he refused to be taken out in the first round. He refused to allow a trainer like her to continue any further than this.
Ash made his selection and threw his pokemon out. "Croconaw, I choose you."
The mid stage Johto Starter appeared in the water, and while it wasn't land, he could still swim around in a way that resembled a sort of dance like he typically performed.
"Not to be outdone, Ash Ketchum sends in a Johto pokemon." The announcer declared. "Though, one must question if water pokemon are all he intends to use in this battle? If not, was it a wise decision to send one out before any other types he might have?"
Stands: Genesis' side
It took some doing, but Genesis, Sabrina, and Arcana managed to save one seat next to the latter despite numerous people wanting to sit there. The reason for this was revealed as an out of breath Ike Iron made his way over to them.
"Oh dear, I hope I'm not too late." Ike stated.
Ike wanted to be here to see through the deal, same as Genesis. He also hoped that the sweet girl he knew could return. For as long as he's taken care of his granddaughter, Ike has supported her, but with who she's become, he had to root against her.
"No, you've made it just on time." Arcana voiced. "The first battle of this first match is just about to start."
Genesis added, "While we don't know how she'll react, I don't think there's a thing to worry about in as far as her going beyond even this first round." He nodded down to the field. "Her opponent it more of a trainer than she can hope to be at this point."
"Ash Ketchum is certainly a strong one." Sabrina voiced.
"I hope you two are right." Ike closed his eyes and cupped his hands. "All I want is my little girl back."
Water Field
"Croconaw VS Lilligant…Begin." The ref declared as he lowered his flags.
Ash vs Giselle (P. I)
"Use seed bomb." Giselle commanded.
"Dive under water to dodge and set up with swords dance." Ash ordered.
As Lilligant fired off spheres of grass energy, Croconaw smoothly went under the water effortlessly avoiding the coming attack. Then, the astral swords danced around him raising his attack two stages.
"Exactly what I want." Giselle wasn't even worried about the attack boost since it shouldn't matter after this. "Use leaf storm and end this in one blow."
"It'll take more than that to finish off one of my pokemon." Ash declared. "Croconaw, let the leaves pick you up and ride it out while using ice beam."
Lilligant turned up a storm of leaves that cut into the water plucking Croconaw out of it. At this point, Ash's command kicked in. After all, Croconaw was the pokemon Ash had which understood flow the most.
Despite taking damage, he was able to ride the leaf storm. Naturally, the full extent of this move's damage quickly fell apart as Croconaw used ice beam all around him freezing the leaves and quickly shutting down this attack.
"Just look at that." The announcer declared excitedly. "Ash Ketchum's pokemon can weather the super effective move and ride it. I'm not quite sure where he is going with this, but he seems to have a plan."
"Now, use what remains of the momentum and end this with ice fang." Ash ordered.
Croconaw moved with the flow of the storm as it petered out and managed to launch himself at the grass type with his maw coated in ice type energy.
"Lilligant, dodge!" Giselle panicked.
With how quick Croconaw was coming, the grass type simply couldn't avoid the water type in time. He snapped down his ice-covered maw on the flowering pokemon. With the boost in attack and super effective nature, that was all she wrote. Lilligant fell over with swirls in her eyes.
Water Field
"Lilligant is unable to battle. This round goes to the green trainer, Ash Ketchum." The ref declared.
"There you have it folks." The announcer declared. "Ash Ketchum expertly turned his opponent's own super effective move against her by having his pokemon utilize it to garner momentum. I'm certain that upped the power of the move beyond what it would have been."
Stands: Serena's Side
"That certainly sends a message." James declared happily.
Brock smiled proudly. "Ash really has come a long way from that trainer who first challenged me."
"That was something new." Serena noted lovingly. "Before, Ash has gotten more use out of moves a lot of people wouldn't initially think of, and he inspired me to utilize a move to fight through another. This is different. This is using the opponent's move to your advantage."
Water Field
"You were great Croconaw!" Ash cheered.
The water type was moving about the water happily only to stop as he suddenly glowed brilliantly. Croconaw was evolving. He became a large pokemon that resembled an alligator. His claws and teeth were much sharper now.
"He evolved!" Giselle wouldn't openly admit it, but she was sweating now.
"Looks like the intensity of that last match resulted in Croconaw evolving!" The announcer declared.
Ash took out his pokedex to get a read on his pokemon:
Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokémon. The final evolution of Totodile. Feraligatr intimidates its foes by opening its huge mouth. In battle, it will kick the ground hard with its thick and powerful hind legs to charge at the foe at an incredible speed.
Type: Water
Ability: Torrent
Sex: Male
Current Moves: Aqua Jet, Swords Dance, Metal Claw, Shadow Claw, Slash, Dragon Claw, Scald, Crunch, Ice Fang, Dig, Brick Break, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Iron Tail, Hydro Pump
While Feraligatr has evolved into a more vicious looking pokemon, he retained his same old personality happily moving around the water. He was even managing an altered version of his happy sort of dancing while in water to boot.
"All this is just pure luck." Giselle gritted out as she returned her unconscious pokemon and swapped pokeballs. "Go, Tentacruel!"
"A Tentacruel huh?" Ash muttered.
He's certainly seen them before, but he never really got around to scanning one. Ash figured it couldn't hurt, so he pulled out his pokedex:
Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tentacool. Tentacruel uses its tentacles to capture prey and holds it until weakened from poison.
Feraligatr has just evolved, but he didn't seem all that bothered by his new form leading to Ash wanting to reward the effort it took to reach this stage. "Hey Pikachu, would you be alright potentially not getting to battle this round? I'm thinking I want to give him another battle."
Pikachu nodded in agreement. "Pika!"
The electric type knew Ash would use him in the league at some point, even if it were at the six-on-six battles, so he was all for the other pokemon getting their shots as Ash saw fit.
Ash smiled. "You're the best buddy."
"Feraligatr VS Tentacruel...Begin." The ref declared as he lowered his flags.
Ash VS Giselle (P. II)
"Let's begin with dragon claw." Ash commanded.
"Tentacruel, use protect and follow it up with a giga drain." Giselle ordered.
Feraligatr rushed in with his claws coated in dragon energy only to be met by the green shield protecting the opposing pokemon. Once it dropped, Tentacruel unleashed giga drain taking a massive chunk out of the water starter's reserves.
This coupled with the prior leaf storm wasn't enough to knock Feraligatr out, but it was clearly close considering his torrent ability activated. Now, his water type attacks would be seriously boosted, but he was close to fainting.
"Giselle has finally managed to clearly weaken Feraligatr to the point that torrent has activated." The announcer informed. "Depending on how these two trainers conduct themselves now, it could be anyone's battle."
"This is our chance." Giselle declared. "Tentacruel, sludge bomb!"
"We don't go down that easy." Ash returned. "Feraligatr, dodge and get under Tentacruel before unleashing a hydro pump!"
Tentacruel attempted to fire spheres of poison energy at Feraligatr who dodged in his usual way easily moving beneath the jellyfish pokemon. There he blasted a large, devastatingly strong stream right under Tentacruel with enough power that he went flying out of the water.
"Alright, bring this to an end with aqua jet." Ash commanded.
"No, use protect to defend." Giselle tried.
Feraligatr came blitzing out of the water, cloaked in it, and slammed into the now descending Tentacruel who failed protect. The jellyfish pokemon was sent hurtling and crashed down on one of the platforms with swirls in his eyes while Feraligatr landed deftly.
Water Field
"Tentacruel is unable to battle." The ref declared. "This round goes to the green trainer, Ash Ketchum."
"He's done it!" The announcer declared. "Ash Ketchum has taken down two of his opponent's pokemon with the one. Still, don't count out his opponent just yet. If there are still usable pokemon, this battle isn't over."
"You may have gotten lucky up to this point Ketchum, but your luck has just run out." Giselle returned her fallen pokemon and chose the last one she could use here. "Goodra, go."
The fully evolved pseudo legendary of Kalos appeared, and despite not being a water type, she had no problems in the water.
"After losing that worthless Deino for the time being, as well as grandpa cutting me off, I had to give up countless of those worthless pokemon he got me prior just to get this one." Giselle smirked. "It's all worth it since this pokemon will crush all of Ketchum's."
Stands: Genesis' Side
"She has a Goodra?" Sabrina asked.
"Considering how she was treating Deino, I hardly doubt she raised that up herself." Genesis commented with certainty. "It's likely nothing more than a trade pokemon meaning it'll hardly be a challenge for Ash."
"I hope you're right." Ike stated.
"Genesis is usually a good judge of things like these." Arcana nodded. "That said, I don't need to be to think along the same lines. When going up against Ash, you got to come at him the right way to make headway. Unfortunately, Giselle drifted from the right way a long time ago."
Water Field
Ash once again got out his pokedex:
Goodra, the Dragon Pokémon and evolved form of Sliggoo. Goodra is very friendly, and one of its hugs can cover its trainer with a sticky slime.
"That particular Goodra doesn't seem friendly to me." Ash noted before deciding it was time to let Feraligatr rest. "Feraligatr, return and take a good, long rest." He then swapped pokeballs for the second pokemon he decided on for this battle. "I choose you, Lapras!"
The transport pokemon appeared happy to be called on for battle in a league.
Stands: Serenas' Side
"Lapras is certainly a smart choice especially in this battle." Brock noted.
"Isn't that the truth." James nodded. "Not only is she a water type that can utilize what most of the field is, but her secondary typing is super effective as well."
"Come on Ash!" Serena cheered. "You've already taken her 2-0, so go for 3!"
Water Field
"Lapras VS Goodra…Begin." The ref declared.
Ash vs Giselle (P. III)
"You'll regret taking the pokemon with a stat boost off the field." Giselle declared. "Goodra, get in there and use dragon claw."
It was time to implement a little strategy Ash picked up on from their first encounter with the Lapras pod.
"Lapras, block with a Sparkling Aria on the water." Ash ordered.
As Goodra charged in to rack her dragon energy covered claws into Lapras, the transport pokemon summoned a huge sphere of water above before it broke apart and impacted forcefully into the water. This kicked up a huge wall of water that halted Goodra in her tracks.
"Now, complete it with haze and vanish." Ash ordered.
Lapras blew in an icy haze that obscured the view of everyone. The water wall was a necessary part of being able to make it truly thick enough to obscure Lapras' action. When it cleared, Goodra was left on the surface while Lapras was nowhere to be seen.
"Ref!" Giselle called out. "My challenger obviously returned his pokemon in that screen so make him send out his next one now."
"Nah, Lapras wasn't returned." Ash smiled. "In fact, she'll reveal herself with this. Use dragon pulse at full power."
Suddenly, a beam of dragon energy came up from below Goodra nailing her in the stomach and shooting her into the air. Rather than have Lapras chase after the pokemon, Ash had another strategy in mind since Giselle hadn't quite spotted Lapras just yet.
"Now, ice beam with force." Ash ordered.
Suddenly, a powerful beam of ice shot up from the water. While this did start to freeze the water, it was working more on the water kicked up by the force of the attack resulting in a pillar of ice being constructed. Goodra ended up crashing onto it resulting in a nasty landing.
The ice cracked before collapsing sending Goodra falling into the water. By now, Giselle had spotted Lapras and was rather angry at being made to look like such a fool. It was to the point that she wasn't completely thinking of the ramifications of her actions.
If she had been, she never would have called for the next move she did. "Goodra, thunder now!"
Unless you're immune to electricity or not in the water, using such a move here wasn't the answer. As such, both submerged pokemon were shocked until the attack petered out. It wasn't long before both pokemon emerged. Lapras was panting yet conscious while Goodra fainted.
Water Field
"Goodra is unable to battle." The ref declared. "With all three of his opponent's pokemon unable to battle, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town takes the match."
"You were great Lapras." Ash smiled as he returned his pokemon. "Take a good rest now."
"There you have!" The announcer informed. "Through remarkable strategy, Ash Ketchum cinches the match, sweeping his opponent. If this shows anything, it's that this young trainer truly earned his place as an Orange Archipelago champion and will be someone to watch."
"No!" Giselle yelled. "I'm Giselle! I was top of my class at Pokemon Technical! I-I wasn't supposed to lose!"
"Come on Pikachu." Ash had spoken to Giselle through battle, so there was nothing to be said to her now. "Let's get the two who fought healed up."
"Pika!" Pikachu declared in agreement.
Pokemon Center J
Once outside the stadium, Ash met up with Serena, James, and Brock. They went to the center where his pokemon were healed. The group then stuck around to wait out the other matches. When the boards displayed every other match fin9shed, Ash knew who didn't make it.
"That kind of stinks." Ash thought. "I'd hoped to battle Otoshi, but maybe that'll come at another time."
Then, the boards updated to show the battles for the next day. The first column had Gary against a female on the rock field and Misty was down that list against a male on the ice field. In the second column, Hilbert was against a female on the grass field. At the top of the last column, it was Ritchie against a male on the water field.
As for Ash's match, displayed at the bottom of the column, it was, "Cross and I on the rock field."
"I don't think that battle is going to be as easy as today's." James commented.
"That's fine by me." Ash smiled. "In fact, this works nicely since it gives me the potential for matches against the others I really want to battle."
"Oh, Ash." Serena thought as she smiled lovingly.
Despite not being his coach anymore, Brock still decided to offer some advice. "Just make sure you have a team you feel confident in and keep in mind the fact that you two have met at several points during your journey. It means he'll know your pokemon like you know his."
"Right, I'll keep that in mind Brock." Ash responded genuinely.
Last chapter, I said I wasn't going to post these chapters until I was done with all the preliminary rounds. Now that I've written three of the five, they've been standing pretty well as chapters all their own, so I think I can start posting them. On that note, let's talk about Ash's opponents. I am by no means against the people he fought in canon, but by reserving them, I can better fill out later leagues. Some of them did seem to step on the gas when they should have taken their time.
A prime example would be the Kalos League which just flew by in my opinion. This aspect isn't even accounting for the fact that as this series goes on, more people aside from Ash will need their spotlight moments in these leagues. Even if Ash doesn't battle these opponents, I'm able to save early on for later league, other important trainers could get that privilege. Speaking of opponents, let's go over Giselle who was meant to more or less fill the Mandi role.
She's the trainer Ash beats while barely breaking a sweat which I think fits given the characterization I've given this version of her. She did better that canon Mandi, but it was by no means a good performance. This has its reasons which I will reveal next chapter. All I'll merely say about this now is that a second loss to Ash isn't going to help set Giselle on the correct path like her grandfather is hoping. In fact, someone important to the next story was watching.
With that out of the way, I'd like to take this time to recognize Elemental Aura as this story's 400th reviewer. They've stuck with this story from its early days and have offered a lot of advice that contributed to where this story is now. I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone else who got me to this point. Those who were here from the early days, those who dropped off when I took that unexpected leave, and those who've recently signed on for this journey.
To each and every one of you, I say thank you. I offer another to Elemental Aura and Vital Info as both have contributed many ideas that make a good 25% of this story possible. Elemental Aura and I are often of similar wavelengths while Vital Info and I have butted heads at times. Both perspectives have helped to make this story what it is today. Thanks, you two. Now, I won't hold you up here any longer. Onto the reviews.
Nightshadegirl: I think it's pretty clear Ash isn't losing in the preliminaries, at least as far as making it to the last round of said preliminary. Whether or not her loses there, as that will be the Top 16 of this story, remains to be seen.
Vital Info: Brock, Kruger, Joe, and Wendy aren't going to immediately become Elite Four members. No worries there. All four of them are still in training, and I will say Brock is by far the first in line for a position. I've made it no secret that Agatha here is looking to retire soon leading to his place being in Kanto's Elite Four. The other three will find their place. As for how future stories will be handled, I'm not going to have the gang be averse to calling on their old pokemon.
Important events or opportune moments will be taken; however, each region should still spotlight the team of that region. For example, every league will see Ash calling on his old pokemon like with Johto and Sinnoh. Unlike with Johto, it'll primarily be that team's show. In canon, Ash was more prone to using his Kanto mons leaving the Johto squad underdeveloped. I think Bayleef was the only evolution in that region as far as Ash's team went.
Elemetnal Aura: I am glad you reviewed but don't feel bad that you haven't been keeping them up. Personal issues crop up, so I'm simply glad you had the time to review now.
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I figured they'd be a nice touch. I'd already decided that Red would be gone, and Blake would need to return for the Johto's Silver Conferance. So, this was a prime opportunity to have them see Ash compete in something. Giovani was seen to continue the arc I have going with him. The match overall is basically me showing these two are darn near equal in footing with their aces ultimately being the deciding factor. This time, Charizard wasn't losing to no draco meteor like with Red's Naganadl.
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Yeah, I just thought the whole Crook angle was a little too much on the nose. A simple captain will do. I didn't lump them in with Snagem in any ways to show that not every misdeed in the world needs to have a team's hand in it. Sometimes there are just bad people in the world. With the Primarina angle, it's also very Ash like to end up with a Lapras that's the offspring of two different pokemon rather than two Lapras.
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Aside from Pallet, Saffron is the most visited settlement in this story. As for the battle, it wasn't his overconfidence. It was more Ash giving Lapras a fair shake since she couldn't compete in the Orange League due to being distracted. by the decision. Ultimately, it was also a sort of Venusaur vs Galarian Rapidash moment as well. While Exeggutor's grass typing is super effective on Lapra's water typining, Lapras' ice typing is super effective on Exeggutor's grass typing.
Of course, we get to the answer for questions posed in the review for the prior chapter. It goes along the same lines as what I've done with prior chapters. Any trainer who wants to use a water pokemon more suited for only ocean based battles merely needs to be skilled enough to find their way around it. Gary's done it with his Kingdra and now Ash has done it with his Lapras.
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With the gang back in Saffron, I'd be remiss not to show these people their pokemon. Of course, being in this city presented the best opportunity for last divide the group moment. Of course, future stories will still have that element, but it's kind of nostalgic. I did it originally in Vermillion to sort of shake things up. Now, it's another tool in my arsenal to help these character develop and lead to fun stories.
Of course, Saffron also gives me an opportunity to check back in on several characters beyond just giving them their own chapter. I'm clearly not opposed to that, but it is nice to have Ash and co involved from time to time. Even now, Genesis and Sabrina are by no means done as characters within this story. As I've said in story, they're next leg of this journey will be traveling Johto with Lance.
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I did my best with the battle. I figured the guards and music were a way to showcase some of the old Blue that people might remember from the game. Of course, this is a Blue in the anime, he and Red didn't particular have to contend with Team Rocket all things considered, but I do believe the course of events would have shaped up relatively similarly for these two as their game versions.
One of the pokemon I just had to include was Pidgeot for the honor battle. After all, Pidgeot is Blue's lead pokemon, and Ash caught Pidgeotto. To me, it was one battle I needed to have happen. Considering in this universe I have it to where Gary ended up trading his Charizard to Red for Arcanine, he needed a little omph to garner back his lost power. Considering Dragonite is Lance's ace, he can have a Tyranitar like his rematch self.
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I'm glad you liked what I did. I will say that everything with Serena has a deliberate reason behind it. I'm building up to something for the third series that requires this build up. While Rui did use a Tauros against Misty, her primary chateau pokemon are essentially shadow pokemon from Coliseum as a nice nod to that game. After all, I made Wes the Eeveelution trainer, so Rui could theme her team from the shadow pokemon rooster.
Of course, Misdrevius and Yanma couldn't evolve before, but I decided not to apply that to Rui here. She is a Grand Duchess so deliberately culling her pokemon down didn't sit right. Of course, this all presented a nice Amour Shipping moment to boot. When it comes to Serena, might as well make her someone willing to dip her toes into many different avenues of being a trainer. I don't think I'll have her in contest though. I'll leave those to May and Dawn.
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This time, Brock already has a girl, so even if he had gone to the Orange Islands in this universe, I wouldn't have seen him sticking around. In my opinion, it's a much better place for Mr. Mime in this continuity. Uh, no comment on Otoshi. As for Ash's accolates, they were addressed here, but you'll have to wait a bit for a better addressment to come.