Author's Notes (10)
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Betcha' didn't expect this, didja? Second chapter of March is here! IKZ!
To explain, it's cuz I'm finally on school break so I have more time to work on Fated. Also, I really wanna finish the Orange Islands arc since I wanna start Johto as soon as possible. What I'm looking forward to write is the Celebi movie, Entei movie, and the Johto League as I've decided on the first and recurring Big Bad Rival for Ash who'll make his appearance sooner than canon (It's not an OC. It's someone everyone who watched the anime KNOW VERY WELL). Who? Well, you're gonna have to find out...
Not only that, Hoenn's going to be a blast to write since the Lucario movie's taking place there and with the addition of the creature guarding the tree in Fated, expect some wild shit to go down. AND GOD, I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE THE SINNOH ARC!
As soon as I finish this arc which would be around... 10-ish chapters? I think. Idk man. Plus, we have M02 so that's an additional 1.
Now I have some questions for you guys:
- Would you guys prefer Ash travelling to the side games regions?
- Do you guys want character profiles and omakes?
And that's about it. Enjoy!
Chapter 54: The Orange League Begins!
This was the day when Ash Ketchum's bad luck reached an all-time high. Not only did his throwaway guess of Gary and Blue meeting Serena came true, but his rival had also accidentally blabbed about his death at the hands of Mewtwo to the honey blonde. To make matters worse, she had hijacked the Professors' meeting and overheard the outlandish feats the raven-haired boy had accomplished to her displeasure and worrisome self. And as if that was not enough, Serena confronted Ash while Ivy was getting chummy with the boy, prompting an icy glare towards him in the process.
The other Professors minus Sycamore and Ivy left the meeting but not before wishing for the raven-haired boy's safety. Though, they were also hoping the honey blonde would set the boy straight since after just a few conversations with Ash, they realized that underneath the layer of kindness, there was also a gaping lack of self-worth that the raven-haired boy was never even aware of.
The atmosphere was heavy as the bystanders had to watch the once determined raven-haired boy with eyes of conviction reduced to a prostrating pile of trembling mess at the mercy of the enraged honey blonde ready to chew him out.
The remaining spectators watched in silence as the honey blonde sat cross-legged while glaring down at the prostrating boy on his knees with his partner wheezing at his Trainer's long-awaited come-uppance. Though she was glaring at the boy, her mood brightened when the raven-haired boy's Pokémon summoned themselves to greet the girl whom their Trainer constantly talked about.
"Hi, you guys! It's nice to see finally meet all of you!" Serena cooed to the 5 Pokémon with Pikachu as their ringleader.
They instantly took a liking to the honey blonde, abandoning their quivering Trainer in the process.
"It'd be nice if you guys could help your Trainer out here…" Ash muttered to his Pokémon to which they shrugged as if to say he had it coming.
'The blades of betrayal sure are rampant today, huh?!' a tick mark popped on Ash's forehead.
'Hmph! I'll put ketchup in everyone's dishes except for Pikachu as payback.'
The pettiness of the raven-haired boy quickly died out as Serena finished her greetings with Ash's Pokémon with the latter enjoying the incoming reprimand.
"Talk," she commanded with hidden fury behind her soft voice.
"…It's nice to see you?" Ash sweated hard as he was scrambling for keywords to melt the cold stare directed at him.
From behind Serena, his two childhood friends slapped their foreheads at his stupid answer.
"Oi."
"I'm sorry," the raven-haired boy whimpered while Pikachu was rolling on the floor in laughter, happy that his Trainer was finally getting reprimanded.
Gary and Blue were safe since they were not at the receiving end of the honey blonde's wrath, except for the former but his had already passed. They had never seen Ash this terrified before and were slightly amused at his prostrating figure.
"Haaah… Honestly…" Serena sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to appease her growing migraine.
"Do you even understand how worried I am about you right now, Red?"
Serena's features softened as they switched into one of sadness towards the boy.
"Helping others is a good thing that I can never fault you for…"
"So, since we're clear on that, you'll let it go just this onc—Hiek?!... Sorry."
The raven-haired boy immediately withered as he watched the honey blonde's glare pierce his audacious self, prompting him to stay silent unless he wanted a cold-blooded Serena after him. His two friends groaned at their pitiful friend's equally pitiful attempt to escape his current predicament by carelessly pushing his non-existent luck.
"…But where I draw the line is when you disregard your own life at the expense of others," she continued with a cross-popping vein on her forehead.
"But I can't just sit by while others get hurt…" Ash weakly rebutted before getting swiftly cut off by the honey blonde.
"Then, are you going to leave me behind?"
The raven-haired boy finally looked at the girl in the eyes, noticing pockets of tears in the corner of the eyes he loved so much. Shame began filling into his heart as it sank into a pit of guilt.
'It's not fair if you look at me like that…' Ash bit his lips, angry at himself that he made Serena sad.
"…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you," the raven-haired boy hung his head in shame.
"Good. *sniff* As long as you understand…" Serena sniffled as she wiped the tears from his eyes before continuing.
The honey blonde knew Ash all too well that he would not learn from this small intervention and would continue again and again. So, she pulled out all the stops to control the raven-haired boy's impulse to put himself in danger.
"I already know I can't stop you from helping others and forcing you to do otherwise would be despicable of me," she continued.
"But I want you to promise me this, Red."
"Even when others need help, you have to do your best to protect yourself as well."
Ash was stunned at the girl behind the screen. Though she was close to tears a moment ago, the honey blonde before him initiated a promise with a serious gaze, making him realize this was Serena's main goal all along:
To make him promise. An oath that he would never break intentionally and the core of his character. Ash had already sworn to himself to never make Serena sad, so rejecting her is a dead end. And among the list of problems in his repertoire, he was incapable of lying, meaning if he promised, there was no going back.
"Well, shoot…" Ash scratched his head as the boy sighed in defeat.
"So? Do you promise, Red? Or are you going to make me sad again?" Serena pushed further, turning the boy into a squirming mess.
Meanwhile, the Professors and childhood friends were baffled at how easy the honey blonde managed to handle the thick-headed Ash. Gary and Blue were silently taking notes of Serena's techniques for future reference.
'I should be glad I'm getting off this easy,' the boy sighed inwardly.
"Fine... I promise, Yellow," Ash swore as he could not help but smile tenderly at the honey blonde.
"Good boy. And…" Serena nodded her satisfaction before Ash noticed her ears beginning to redden.
"…It's nice to see you too."
The honey blonde's adorable words and sudden shift to a more maidenly mood had the raven-haired boy immediately flushed as he took in the sight of her fluttering eyes of blue and dainty hands covering her squeezable cheeks of pink. It was an entirely new experience for Ash as this was the first ever direct communication he had ever had with the honey blonde, causing him to look away while scratching his nose out of embarrassment.
'This is bad… She's bad for my heart…' Ash tried to calm his blitzing heartbeats as he was caught off guard by Serena's blushing face.
Direct communication and recordings were experiences that were worlds apart. That thought circulated around the two's minds before Blue suddenly erupted into excited cheers.
"Ooohhhhh! Green, look, look! Red's blushing! I've never seen that before!" she squealed as she made sure to scrutinize every last detail before Ash frowned at the chestnut-haired girl.
"Heh. Our boy's growing up, Bluey," Gary nodded with his arms crossed.
'Those two…!' A tick mark made itself known on Ash's forehead.
"As much as I want to see this adorable interaction going, I'm afraid it's already late here, Miss Serena, was it?" Ivy came to the boy's rescue.
"Oh… you. That's right, you have a point there, Professor Ivy," the honey blonde eyed the swimsuit-clad researcher with a pout, much to Ivy's amusement as well as Ash's confusion.
'Why's Yellow looking at Ivy-nee like that?' the raven-haired boy tried to decipher.
'Oh my! This girl's gonna be a fun one to tease,' Ivy squealed at the cute pouting Serena was displaying.
'…Does Red really like older women, after all? I'm older by a few months, y'know!' Serena fought off her insecurities.
"Well, Professors. Please excuse my behaviour and I wish you all a good day," the honey blonde bowed gracefully, earning the surprised look on Ash's face with Pikachu snickering at his Trainer's expression.
But Serena was still not done yet. Before Sycamore's PC could turn off, she opened her mouth to speak.
"XYZ-047. That's my home PC's serial code. Make sure you call me often, okay?" the honey blonde shyly said before fleeing the scene.
The complete 180 change was a bit of a shock to the researchers, seeing how the honey blonde's initial impression was that of a commanding queen but switched to a demure kitten as soon as that anger subsided. As everyone were expecting to see an embarrassed Ash, they were surprisingly greeted with the raven-haired boy frowning, apologetic towards the honey blonde.
"What's wrong, Ash? Aren't you happy?" Oak asked, worried about his foster grandson.
"Ah. I'm fine, it's just… I don't really like going into Pokémon Centres for too long," Ash replied with a sigh.
Memories of the raven-haired boy protecting his crying Cubone in his arms resurfaced as Team Rocket grunts barged into the Centre without any disregard for the innocent bystanders. It was the main reason why Ash disliked being in Pokémon Centres longer than he needed to as well as why he preferred the outdoors instead of sleeping on a bed.
'Now that I think about it, the S.S Anne's bed was really uncomfortable to sleep in,' Ash mused to himself.
"Can you tell us why, Ash?" Ivy asked, trying to dispel the air of unease around the raven-haired boy.
"Hm? Oh, it's cuz there aren't any escape routes in the Centre in case I get ambushed again," Ash nonchalantly explained as if it was a daily occurrence.
Once again, everyone was flabbergasted at the boy's answer, mostly at the implications of the 'again' at the end.
'What kind of life has Red been living?!' Gary exclaimed internally as he was beginning to understand why his rival had been so angered by the Rockets.
'Ah… It was that time,' Blue recalled the time she called Ash via PC and remembered the Rocket grunts invading the Centre to snatch Cubone away.
'So that's why Red didn't sleep in his old room when he returned to Pallet Town,' the orange-haired boy realized as he was getting a better idea for the boy's nigh-religious impulse for camping outdoors.
"But now…" Ash scratched his head again as he let out a soft chuckle.
"XYZ-047, huh? Looks like I'll have to start spending more time in the Centre."
…
…
…
The next day…
"Eat up, everyone! We're starting the Orange League today," Ash called out to his Pokémon who were playing with the lab's Pokémon as he laid their food on the table.
Team Ash immediately went for the food, a sight that pleased the raven-haired boy since cooking had become something he took any semblance of pride in.
"You're up early," Ivy greeted behind him with her aides in tow.
"Morning, Ivy-nee. I made breakfast for you all."
Sure enough, another table had been set with 4 plates of baked egg-based dishes, causing the females to salivate at the pretty sight.
"I think it turned out nicely for my first try… I hope," the raven-haired boy chuckled at the plum-haired woman's reaction.
The women took a bite of Ash's new dish and their eyes sparkled at the delectable taste. They wasted no time finishing the food.
"Looks like you guys enjoy it. Good, I was worried I screwed up the mixture," the raven-haired boy let out a sigh of relief.
"Mr Ketchum…" Charity started.
"What is this dish…" Faith continued.
"Called?" Hope ended with a curious gaze.
"Ah… It's a Kalos dish called a souffle. There's a main dish variant and a dessert variant but I made the first option since to be honest, I can't really make desserts that well," Ash explained.
'I always get the sugar and baking parts wrong…' he kept that last part to himself after reliving the horrid experience of vomiting his previous experiments due to how sickeningly sweet they were.
"Hm? Aren't you going to eat as well, Ash?" Ivy asked.
"I've already ate, Ivy-nee…"
'The first batch of souffles, that is.'
Caliburn had to work overtime to cure the accidental excess honey in his system. No matter how strong the boy's stomach was, it was no match for copious amounts of honey, his true weakness.
'How girls could even eat those with a straight face is beyond me…' he sighed to himself, chalking another reason why he should fear the opposite gender.
In a flash, breakfast was done, and it was finally time for Ash to register in the Orange League.
Tangelo Island, Orange Islands.
"Alright, you are now officially a challenger in the Orange League, Mr Ketchum. We hope to see you again, good luck," a tanned Nurse Joy smiled towards the enthusiastic raven-haired boy.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy. Orange League, here we go!" Ash exclaimed with Pikachu cheering on his shoulder.
"Well, it's good to be this excited," Ivy chuckled at the boy's passion for battling.
"Ash, this is where I leave you. Make sure you take care of yourself like your little missy said, okay?"
"I got it. Thanks for everything, Ivy-nee!" the boy grinned.
With that, the professor and her aides left, wishing the boy good luck as well as promising to watch his performance when he eventually reached the Supreme Gym Leader.
"Supreme Gym Leader… That's probably the last boss, right? Maybe the Orange League's different from the norm," Ash speculated as he had never heard that term before, so he decided to look for more information.
…
"Hmm… So it's like that," the boy muttered to himself as he checked the brochure.
The raven-haired boy had found that his suspicions were right on the mark. The Orange League was not a contest of strength but rather, a test of the bonds between Trainer and Pokémon. Instead of the normal 8 Gym Leaders, there were only 4 Gym Leaders who would give Challenges for the Trainer to earn their badges. Collecting all 4 badges would earn the challenger the right to battle a 6v6 against the Supreme Gym Leader and victory against them equalled winning the Orange League.
"Let's see… The closest one is… Mikan Island," Ash grinned as he studied the map in the Pokémon Centre.
'That means it's the [Water Gun] skeet Challenge.'
"Alright, let's go, Pikachu. We've got some training to do," Ash told his partner, earning an excited squeak in return.
.
"Damn, this is harder than I thought," Ash took a moment to catch his breath as Lapras was staring apologetically at him.
"It's fine, Lapras. I didn't expect you to get it right on the first try."
After finding a secluded area in the beaches of Tangelo Island, Ash and Lapras worked to improve the latter's aiming skill while the former ran around acting as a moving target.
'Since it's a skeet, Lapras' got no choice but to get used to moving targets but… she's only hit 1 out of 10 [Water Guns] so far,' Ash mused as he rubbed his Transport Pokémon's tired head affectionally, not noticing how Lapras had coiled the boy around her like glue.
Ash was in a bind. The reason why there was no need to practice on aim during the Grand League was due to the reliance on the raven-haired boy's ability to concoct unexpected plans on the fly, but since there was no battling needed for the first Challenge, that scenario was thrown out of the metaphorical window.
"And there's also the recoil on [Water Gun]. Argh, this is frustrating!" Ash ranted to himself, scratching his raven hair in annoyance at the list of problems in his way.
To make matters worse, he was no better at aiming as well. In fact, Ash might even be worse than Lapras. The raven-haired boy tried to teach the plesiosaur by throwing rocks at an empty can so that she could learn from example. One rock turned into multiple rocks in the end, but the empty can stood victorious. Ash's irritation and embarrassment were the main source of entertainment for his Pokémon as they wheezed at their Trainer's 'accuracy'.
Noticing the evening glow reflected on the clear sheet of water around him, Ash and his Pokémon took a break as the former prepared dinner for them.
…
Pikachu twisted and turned around the tent asleep but was on the verge of waking up before a familiar object landed in his arms, causing them to latch onto it while inhaling the intimate smell. The still awake raven-haired boy held a snort as he watched his partner hug his red cap tightly as he drifted back to dreamland.
Silently, he entered the Pokémon Centre and used the PC there. A sleepy Nurse Joy approved of the use and made sure to instruct the boy to rest right after he was done.
"Kalos Region… XYZ-047… There we go," Ash inputted the serial code into the system as 1 match was found.
{ KALOS REGION, VANIVILLE TOWN – USER: YELLOW (ONLINE) }
'Right now, it's a Saturday and it should be 10 in the morning over there now…' Ash mused to himself. - (Stayed up until 2 in the morning)
Click.
.
.
.
Ping!
"Red? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked from behind the screen.
Ash reflexively smiled at the honey blonde who was panicking at her appearance. Apparently, Serena was still in her pyjamas and her long hair that seemed to shimmer gold in the morning sun was messy and frazzled. It added a welcoming and cute charm in the boy's eyes.
"Nah. Just a peasant looking for an audience with the Queen. But seems like she's not here. Pity," the raven-haired boy cheekily remarked, eliciting a pout from the honey blonde.
'Just as round as I remember,' Ash mused nostalgically as he remembered pinching the manju bun-like cheeks on Serena's face when she was upset to lighten her up.
"You're looking right at her, knave," the honey blonde played along with a scoff.
"Then, what can this Queen do for a… handsome scoundrel like yourself?" she continued to poke at the expense of her own embarrassment.
"…It doesn't work as well with pink pyjamas, my Lady," Ash landed the final blow before Serena went up in smokes as she reddened her face while hurling some Kalosian insults towards the raven-haired boy.
"Pervers! Stupide! Gros bêta, Red!"
Meanwhile, Ash was silently basking in his victory against Serena since something had finally gone his way after the disastrous day he had.
"You're the worst…" Serena muttered as she cocooned herself in her blanket.
"You look cute, Yellow," Ash tried to mitigate the damages, but it seemed it worked a bit too well as the honey blonde hooded her head while exposing her pinked ears, signalling how effective that compliment was.
'Man, her defenses have gotten weak after 6 years,' he snickered.
There was so much Ash wanted to say, but he was limited on time since the time zones were uncooperative to the two. The raven-haired boy managed to squeeze everything he did today while Serena talked about her school days with him. He was surprised and proud at the fact that she was the star of the Archery Club, warming his heart that the shy straw hat girl had grown into such a brave leader in the years he was not present.
Ash listened attentively as he loved seeing how much the honey blonde happily spoke with such passion. Within a corner of his heart, he was regretting his vow to guard the GS Ball in favour of going to Kalos immediately.
"We've talked for so long, but it's still not enough…" Serena frowned at the clock on her wall.
The honey blonde was ecstatic over the fact that they were now able to speak face-to-face but eventually, she began to crave for a miracle. A miracle that Ash would suddenly appear before her, so that she could hug him tight and never let him slip away.
"Then, keep it to yourself," the raven-haired boy smiled tenderly at the honey blonde with softened bloodred eyes.
"You can tell me everything you want when I come to Kalos."
"I… won't let go of your hand. Never again."
Serena's frown immediately turned upside down at Ash's words as she fantasized of the near future of their teenage selves reuniting in Lumiose Airport.
"But right now… Do your best in the Orange League, got it? I'll be watching it with my friends and those two," the honey blonde said lovingly.
"Yeah. Problem is that… Wait, it's broadcasted?" Ash took a double take.
The Orange League was also a special programme on TV that viewers could watch. Since it was an unofficial League in technical terms, their Challenges and battles could be watched daily since there were no shortage of challengers. It was so popular that the Gym Leaders had their own fanbase and cheered them on as opposed to the Trainers they were against. In a sense, they were celebrities.
"I didn't know that. But now, I'll probably embarrass myself since Lapras and I can't aim at all," Ash sighed to himself.
Just then, the two children had an epiphany. They looked at each other, their eyes conveyed everything they wanted to say. It was easy since they were thinking of the same thing.
"…Hey, dearest Yellow?"
The raven-haired boy bowed his head towards the screen, showing a very pleased Serena.
"…Keep going~."
He could almost see the smug look on the honey blonde's face just from her playful tone.
"May you, the esteemed member of the Archery club, please take in this humble Red as your student?" Ash requested desperately and without a hint of shame.
"Ara? Quite the smooth talker, aren't you? Is this how you managed to charm all the girls, I wonder?"
'…?' Ash drew a blank at what she was insinuating.
"Forget that last part. You're not even aware…" Serena sighed to herself.
'How sinful,' she thought as she watched the confused Ash raising a brow.
"Ahem! Of course, I'll help you, Red…" Serena sparkled with a radiant smile.
"Alrig—"
"As long as you promise one thing," she gleefully added a condition, causing Ash to fall off comically.
"Oh, come on!" the boy squirmed frantically.
"What's wrong, Red? Promise me something and I'll teach Lapras how to get better at aiming. It's simple, non?" Serena cheekily asked with a coquettish tone.
"Urgh… Since when were you such a thug?" the raven-haired boy resigned as he knew he was on the losing side.
"Alright, what is it?"
Serena went silent for a while as her expression turned into one of pouting as she turned away from the screen.
"Red, I forbid you to start any relationships with other gi—"
"I can personally guarantee you that," Ash deadpanned while his arms formed a X to show how much he meant it.
The raven-haired boy had no intentions of ever replacing the honey blonde as his treasured person with another, nor would he ever give anybody else that notion… Not that he would ever be aware of it. He was that dense.
"You're the only person I'd ever cherish this much."
Ash had a lot of amusement seeing the intense blush on a clearly happy Serena.
"Alright, Lapras! Give it your best shot!" Ash yelled from afar as he prepared to run with his Transport Pokémon nodding.
Thmp! Thmp! Thmp!
The raven-haired boy dashed around the beach as he acted as the target for Lapras' practice.
"Don't overthink it, Lap— Gwak?!" he was shot in the face with a precise [Water Gun] from Lapras.
The pleased plesiosaur let out a giggle as she watched the drenched boy fall on his back at the sudden impact.
"Did Yellow's guidance help you that much?" the raven-haired boy asked as he slicked his hair up due to the dripping water.
"Kyuu!" she nodded enthusiastically upon the mention of the honey blonde.
Serena had been teaching her archery steps to the Transport Pokémon, lasting even until the dead of night in Kalos. Although Ash was worried and urged her to sleep, the honey blonde would shrug it off and meticulously guided the plesiosaur how to aim. Her passion and gentleness gave Lapras a favourable impression of the girl and within a short time, she had mastered her aim, surprising both humans. Although Lapras was not able to follow most of the instructions given since it was an art for humans, she was able to make alter it to her own.
There were different types of archery arts in the world and what Serena practiced was an ancient Sinnoh martial art, or Hisui in those days, called Kyūdō. It involved both strong physicality and mentality to perfect it. Serena had all those traits as her coach once exaggeratedly called her a prodigy similar to a princess archer from a legendary tale that originated from Sinnoh.
"Man, she was not happy with the coach," Ash recalled a modest Serena complaining how her coach was the reason she had to become an example for her fellow members.
Lapras cooed as she gave a determined look towards her Trainer, prompting the latter to grin as he understood her will.
"Okay, Lapras. Let's continue!" he grinned back with anticipation of their first Orange Island challenge.
"We're not settling for second place, aren't we girl?"
"Kyuu!"
…
Pokémon Academy, Kalos Region (Two days later)
Homeroom had ended with the chattering students discussing among their peers about who their starter would be as they grew excited at the upcoming future classes involving Pokémon. Meanwhile, Serena was informing her friends about her plans tonight.
"Red's first Challenge is tonight?" Gary asked with a brow raised.
"Yep. He told me after he arrived at Mikan Island this morning. He said hello to everyone, by the way," she beamed with a few students peeking at the rare sight.
Whispers among the class grew louder as they heard Ash's childhood name. The raven-haired boy had become a hot topic to discuss ever since his showing in the Grand League and since his two best friends had joined the Academy, curiosity grew as they wondered what he was doing. Their answer came in the form of the Orange League, causing some students to remind themselves to watch the programme tonight.
"Hmph! And he didn't even bother to call us!" Blue fake pouted but deep down, she was happy for both Serena and Ash.
The honey blonde could only give an apologetic chuckle while Shauna had a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Aren't you glad you get to talk to your sweetheart more often now?" she smirked knowingly.
It was by complete chance that Serena managed to communicate with Ash since her intentions were not to see him again, but to scold him for his reckless behaviour. If it was not for that, the honey blonde would have waited till he arrived in Kalos. All in all, the raven-haired boy had it coming to him as karma for his rather foolish actions.
"We're not gonna call each other that often since we're busy with our own things… Just occasionally," Serena peeved in annoyance as the time difference was in their way as well as their schedules.
Just as they were about to finalize their plans, two unexpected individuals came up to them.
"Bonjour, everyone! Are you all watching tonight's Mikan Island Challenge?" Sycamore asked with Alain behind him.
"You overheard us?" Calem answered with another question.
After the official meeting with Ash, the young Professor grew increasingly interested in the raven-haired boy as he observed his convictions as well as his bonds with his Pokémon. Not to mention, the Professor's aide, Alain, also had an interest in the raven-haired boy after witnessing his performance in the Grand League as well as his brawl against Mewtwo from Sycamore.
"Why don't you guys come watch with Alain and I in the lab? The more the merrier, right?" Sycamore asked.
"Well, if we're not imposing, we'd like that," Serena nodded with her friends in agreement.
But then, another person joined the conversation.
"What's going on, Serena?" Kimia asked politely.
The honey blonde and the princess had gotten acquainted quite recently as both were treated with reverence in school, thus both understood each other's plight. Their shared predicaments allowed them to grow closer and as a result, had gotten friendlier with one another. So, it was no surprise that Serena dragged the princess along for the ride.
Sycamore Pokémon Lab, Lumiose City, Kalos Region
"Kero!" a happy Froakie jumped onto Serena who hugged him back.
"Hi, Froakie! I haven't seen you in a while."
Alain was surprised at the gesture since as someone who worked in the Lab, he had never seen the blue frog interact so closely with anyone. Especially with a human since he was considered a beginner's nightmare due to his disobedience.
"Huh. That's a first," Alain remarked.
"He's usually indifferent to others except for a few. Oh, speak of the devil, here she comes."
The honey blonde spun around to find a shy yellow fox with a bushy tail. The fox eyed curiously at Serena as if she had seen her before, to the girl's confusion. Froakie then jumped towards the fox and eased the fox, introducing it to the honey blonde.
"Kero-kero!" the blue frog nodded.
"Fou?" the fox softly yipped.
Without hesitation, Gary pulled out the red encyclopaedia and scanned the yellow fox, silently hoping that [NO DATA] did not show for the third time.
[=]
Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon.
As it walks, it munches on a twig in place of a snack. It intimidates opponents by puffing hot air out of its ears.
[=]
Serena watched the two Kalos starters' dynamic, a hint of nostalgia filled her eyes. The shy yellow fox and the kind blue frog. It reminded her of her days in the summer camp. A smile crept on her face as she greeted the yellow fox.
"Hi, Fennekin. Nice to meet you," the honey blonde greeted with a dazzling smile.
Fennekin widened her eyes at the girl. Her dark orange eyes met Serena's frigid blues, immediately clicking together as if they had found a kindred spirit in one another. And so, with a brave step forward, the yellow fox yipped happily at Serena.
"Fou!"
"You're such a cutie," the honey blonde promptly picked Fennekin up, snuggling the fox in her arms.
Meanwhile, Sycamore and Alain were baffled at the fox's interactions with Serena. They were aware that Fennekin was the shyest of her group and rarely interacted with anyone with the exception of the disobedient Froakie. Now, both problematic Pokémon had found themselves comfortable in the honey blonde's presence which fascinated both.
'They're similar yet different at the same time,' Sycamore mused as he compared the raven-haired boy to the honey blonde.
…
"Hurry up, it's starting!"
The honey blonde sat patiently with Fennekin making herself comfortable on the girl's thighs while Froakie adjusted himself on the girl's shoulder as they waited for the Mikan Island programme to start.
Gary and Blue had acquainted themselves comfortably within the group with a pestering Calem asking them questions about battling. They did not mind as they found the black-haired boy's excitement rather reminiscent of Ash himself. It was as if they were dealing with an Ash that had yet to start his journey, much to their amusement.
"Oh, it has begun," Kimia remarked as she glued her eyes on the screen.
The programme began with a list of contestants that were facing off against the Mikan Gym Leader, Cissy. Serena, Gary, and Blue watched in silence while the group were entranced by the woman's appearance. The auburn-haired woman sported a black tank top with a red tropical sarong wrapping around her waist.
"Wow, she's like a celebrity," Calem remarked.
"She is one, Cal! Apparently, all the Orange Island Gym Leaders are," Shauna exclaimed.
Blue scrutinized the screen as she tried to find Ash, and eventually spotted him with a new look. The raven-haired boy had replaced his outfit for a more comfortable blue and white striped T-shirt with brown capris with red outlines as well as loose pockets, giving off the feel that he was here for a vacation rather than challenging the Gym. But his bloodred eyes told a different story.
"Wow, he actually has other clothes this time," Gary snickered as he could only recall Ash wearing one type of outfit without ever changing.
Everyone began to cheer for the raven-haired boy as Cissy was about to announce her greetings to her challengers with Froakie and Fennekin in tow.
"Man, it's hot," Ash muttered to himself as he adjusted his red cap, an item he now rarely wore due to Pikachu's obsession with it.
The only reason he was able to pry it off Pikachu was due to the electric mouse opting to stay in the air-conditioned Pokémon Centre rather than outside, though he made sure to cheer for the plesiosaur within her Ball. Nurse Joy was more than happy to take care of the smug rascal while his partner was under the sweltering Sun.
"Alright, listen up!" Cissy started with a grin.
"Welcome to the Mikan Gym. I'm the Gym Leader, Cissy! As you all might've known, our Orange League isn't as conventional as the Regionals. We pride our Challenges as a chance for you Trainers to show us the bonds between you and your Pokémon. So, challengers! Show me your resolve and how you'll overcome my Challenge!"
'Old Green would've had a blast here...' Ash smirked as the sarcasm leaked from his mind.
The contestants cheered wildly at the introduction speech given by the auburn-haired woman while Ash had an excited grin plastered on his face. Then, Cissy began explaining the Challenge in full as Ash and the others in Kalos paid attention with full focus while her Gym, resembling closer to a large warehouse, revealed a field that stretched far and away with distance markers labelled after each 50m.
[=]
Mikan Gym [Water Gun] Skeet Challenge
Pokémon will be the shooters while Trainers, the throwers. The Trainers are to throw the clay plates as far as possible with their Pokémon shooting it down to earn points. The amount of points are awarded by distance travelled, meaning a distance of 50m will earn the pair 50 pts. The maximum distance in the Gym is 1km, or 1000m, meaning the highest point a pair could earn is 1000 pts. Each Trainer will be given at least 10 sacks containing 10 clay plates each.
Rules:
- All Pokémon must be a Water-type (dual typing counts) and can only use [Water Gun]. Usage of other moves results in disqualification.
- Trainers and Pokémon cannot hurt the contestants physically, otherwise, disqualified.
- Missed clay plates that fell after throwing do not count as points.
- Pokémon cannot step over the established red line, otherwise, disqualified.
- The rules are absolute and unchangeable.
[=]
After learning all about the rules, the group in Kalos grew excited at how Ash was going to tackle the Challenge. Serena's hardly contained excitement was infectious as it spread to Fennekin and Froakie with the latter wondering what the raven-haired boy that the honey blonde was interested in was going to do.
'…Hm? He's up to something,' everyone thought simultaneously.
True enough, the three that knew him best instantly caught the widening grin on his face as he summoned Lapras to his side.
"He's gonna do something, isn't he?" Blue deadpanned.
"He does that when he's about to do some crazy stuff," Gary sighed.
"Go, Red!" Serena cheered loudly, her vigour matching the days of the Grand League.
After all, she was his number 1 supporter.
"Go, Seadra!" Cissy summoned a blue thorned seahorse with a mouth resembling the barrel of a gun.
'Of course, it's a Seadra,' Ash rolled his eyes at the obviousness.
"If no one managed to beat my score, no one gets the Badge!"
"Eeeeehhhh?!" the other Trainers groaned at the sudden additional rule.
"What do you mean 'Eh'?! I'm giving you guys motivation to try your best, aren't I? Besides, overcoming unpredictable circumstances is the perfect way to test your bonds, is it not?" the auburn-haired Gym Leader gave a cheeky smile.
Every Pokémon participating had a tracker behind them that showed the hits, misses and total points accumulated so that there were no overlooked points.
"You ready, Lapras? Remember Yellow's technique," Ash patted the plesiosaur's head affectionally.
"Kyuu~"
"You all have 5 minutes! Ready…"
The Trainers held onto their sack of clay plates, ready to throw their plates at a perfect angle for their Pokémon to hit. The raven-haired boy took a deep breath in before steeling his bloodred eyes.
"GO!"
And the clock started ticking.
"Squirtle, [Water Gun]! Noooo, we missed!" one Trainer wailed in defeat.
"Gah! These things aren't as light as I thought!" a skinny Trainer complained.
The Mikan Gym Leader could only sigh in disappointment at the pathetic batch of Trainers. She had already gained 500 pts in the first two minutes due to years of experience and honed accuracy from Seadra. She stopped since she was sure that no one would be able to beat her score.
'Looks like everyone's going home without my Badge again,' Cissy mused.
It was said that the auburn-haired woman was arguably the most difficult Orange Island Gym Leader to beat since her Challenge involved near-perfect accuracy as well as tons of luck. Of all the others, Cissy's Gym held the title for having despairingly low rate of victorious Challengers.
As she stared at the clock that counted down to 3 minutes remaining, Cissy took notice at a raven-haired boy with his Lapras. He was not throwing any plates with his score still at 0, but calm and collected, nonetheless.
"Hey, Cissy-nee. What's up with that guy?" her little brother came asking after noticing that same boy.
"I'm not quite sure, Senta," she replied, wondering the same thing.
Not only the two, but everyone watching was confused as to what the raven-haired boy was doing. Most thought that he had already given up and anybody would have agreed. But just as 2 minutes remained, Ash began his attack.
'Finally, I got into the rhythm. Now it's not as hard as I thought!' one Trainer cheered internally as he threw his next plate with his Water type spraying a jet of water towards the flying plate.
Crack!
"…Huh?"
The plate was sniped cleanly in the middle, earning the point towards the unlikely Trainer:
A grinning raven-haired boy.
"Hey! You can't do that!" the Trainer cried out in indignation.
"Ya' sure? The rules didn't say anything against it, did it, Miss Cissy?" Ash asked with a smug smirk.
Cissy widened her eyes as she realized she had overlooked that possibility. The possibility of someone shooting down other people's targets.
"But you sabotaged—!" Senta argued before Ash cut him off.
"Again, the rules didn't say that, did it?" the boy retorted.
"…Ah!" Cissy exclaimed in understanding.
- Trainers and Pokémon cannot hurt the contestants physically, otherwise, disqualified.
"Then, don't tell me…!"
Lapras inhaled a deep breath…
The Gym was now filled with flying clay plates, all targets for the Transport Pokémon.
Her training would finally pay off here and now. And she exhaled.
"Lapras!" Ash called out as he sprinted towards the other side of the Gym with a clay plate underneath his arm.
'Hippity hoppity…'
Instead of a jet of water, the plesiosaur had managed to create a variant of [Water Gun] that much closely resembled its namesake. Instead of the usual jet of water, Lapras condensed [Water Gun] into small bullets of water that travelled faster and more powerful due to the pressure applied. And since every target was her target, she could go all out.
'Your points are my property!'
"[Water Gun]: Indiscriminate firing!"
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Every single clay plate was gunned down, earning the raven-haired boy and Lapras 100 pts due to how less the plates travelled. It was an instant 100 but not enough to catch up to Cissy's intimidating 500. However, Ash had already gone ahead as he rushed headlong towards the other side.
'That boy… Did he plan all of this?! He wasn't throwing because he was observing the other Trainer's rhythms!' the auburn-haired woman was speechless.
'What's more, he was saving his energy to run?! No one would ever think to run into the ranges!'
- Pokémon cannot step over the established red line, otherwise, disqualified.
'But the rules didn't say anything about the Trainers!' she realized too late.
Cissy was stunned at the sprinting boy who had already cleared the 150m mark and showed no signs of stopping. While he ran, Ash checked the clock and frowned since he had 30 seconds left before time ran out.
'I took too long to see their patterns. Still a long way to go...' Ash grumbled.
200m…
'AURA's being unhelpful as usual.'
250m…
'Gah, fine! I'll just run as hard as possible!'
300m…
The raven-haired boy kept going as his eyes focused only ahead.
'This… This isn't how you're supposed to play the game!' the auburn-haired woman protested in her mind but held her tongue since the rules were clear that Ash was not breaking any of them. And that fact had Cissy's jaw hanging open at the sheer insanity of the boy.
The average sprinter could clear 500m in 90 seconds but within 5 seconds, everyone could tell Ash was incredibly fast, way above the average 11-year-olds. His entire body was lowered close to the ground with his arms slashing the opposing winds while his legs burst with speed with each step. To those watching…
It looked as if there was a red-eyed wolf hunting its prey.
7 seconds remaining.
350m…
'Screw it!' Ash swung his arm forward with all his might as he threw the one clay plate he had been holding into the air while he lost balance due to exhaustion.
"Go, Lapras!" he shouted to his Pokémon.
But Lapras froze for a moment. Without knowing, Ash had thrown the plate vertically with only its edge facing the Transport Pokémon, meaning it had less surface area to aim at. Anxiety peaked once more as she was afraid that she would miss and with 100 pts, they were not going to win against Cissy.
"Don't give up until it's over, Lapras!" her Trainer cried out with determination despite his ragged breath.
"Trust yourself, Lapras! You can do it!"
Doubt and fear cleared away in an instant as the passionate voice of her beloved Trainer gave her the strength to face forward. With that, she performed the techniques Serena had taught her:
Ashibumi
(Foot Placement)
Lapras placed her front flippers on the line, never crossing over lest she be disqualified.
Dōzukuri
(Forming the Posture)
Lapras lined her head towards the destinated position of the falling plate with her body tilted straight, lined directly towards her target.
Yugamae
(Readying the Bow)
Lapras channelled the attack within her mouth.
Uchiokoshi
(Raising the Bow)
Lapras took a deep breath as she opened her mouth.
Hikiwake
(Drawing Apart)
A condensing bullet of aqua blue formed within her mouth.
Kai
(Full Draw)
The clay plate had finally reached her eye level as she unleashed her attack.
…
Hanare
(Release)
And she let it rip with one last exhale.
Crack!
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
Time was up...
But Lapras had made it.
Cissy: 500 pts.
Ash: 100 + 400 pts.
The two were tied for first, shocking the auburn-haired woman at the unprecedented situation.
A hobbling Ash drenched in sweat took his sweet time as he made his way towards the proud Lapras, awaiting her compliments and head pats.
"You did it, Lapras! You did a great job!" the raven-haired boy praised while giving her all the head pats she desired.
"Kyuu~"
'Damnit, it's my fault,' Ash chided himself.
'If only AURA activated when I wanted it to, I could've reach 700m with Reinforcement! Hell, 900m if I pushed myself…'
Ash tried to activate AURA during his sprint but unsurprisingly, he could not. With no other choice, he ran as hard as he could and collapsed at the 350m mark. In the end, it was a tie and Ash felt like he could have done more.
"Yellow's really amazing, huh? She's a great teach… Why are you avoiding me?" Ash tilted his head in confusion at the sharp look Lapras gave him and turned away with a huff.
'Is she upset we ended in a tie? I get it, though,' Ash nodded to himself as he continued caressing Lapras, who was pouting even harder.
…The boy was an idiot.
Sycamore Lab, Kalos Region
{ [WATER GUN]: INDISCRIMINATE FIRING! }
Consecutive arrows of water whizzed into the air from Lapras' mouth as each found their marks. The flabbergasted group watched in muted silence as Ash broke the system by employing loopholes within the supposedly hardest Gym to beat.
"How marvelous..." Sycamore breathed out.
"He's… He's nuts! But he didn't break any rules… But! Argh, this is so confusing!" Calem was at a loss for thoughts after witnessing Lapras shooting down the other contestants' plates.
Before he could rant any further, the raven-haired boy broke into a sprint and ran as fast as he could to the other end. Again, not against the rules.
"That crazy moron…" Gary held back a laugh while sporting a smirk towards his rival's actions.
"That's such a Red thing to do," the chestnut-haired girl giggled with glee.
Froakie and Fennekin were absorbed by Ash's absurd antics with the former reminding himself to practice his Water type moves just like how Lapras skilfully did. The honey blonde they were attached to was similarly absorbed but quickly turned to fascination at Ash's speed.
'Red's fast... He's probably as fast as Risa!' Serena thought as she had seen such similar speed with the captain of the Track and Field club.
The raven-haired boy fell to the ground as he threw the plate he held to the air. Lapras' hesitation worried Serena for a split second, but as always, Ash knew what to say.
{ DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER, LAPRAS! }
A chill of pleasure ran down Serena's spine.
{ TRUST YOURSELF, LAPRAS! YOU CAN DO IT! }
With one last modified [Water Gun], Ash and Lapras came tied for first alongside Cissy.
"Wait, what happens now? Ash is tied with that Gym Leader," Trevor asked.
Everyone was clueless since something like this had not happened before, but their answer came swiftly as the auburn-haired woman approached the raven-haired boy.
"Are you out of your mind, kid?" Cissy asked the raven-haired boy with sincerity.
"Nope, I'm as normal as it gets," Ash cocked a brow as if he was offended before the auburn-haired woman stared harder at the boy.
"Hm? Wait a second… Aren't you that kid who came in second in the Grand League, Ash Ketchum? Now it all makes sense…" Cissy exclaimed in surprise.
The other Trainers perked up and took a double take at the raven-haired boy. Sure enough, they recognized Ash due to his hair and eyes as well as the lightning marks on his face. Unfortunately, they were used to him being injured and battered so seeing the boy healthy was quite jarring.
'So much for incognito…' Ash sighed as he adjusted his cap.
"Well, what do we do now? Do I get the Badge for a tie?"
"Nope. But I can't fail you either, so how about this?" Cissy grinned as she made her proposal.
"Let's have a tiebreaker match! If you win, you'll earn my Badge!"
'Another Challenge?' Ash's eyes sparkled with stars in his eyes.
"Bring it on! What're we doing?"
The first obstacle.
"Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to a Wave Ride Contest!"
Chapter 54: The Orange League Begins!
'…A what now?'
Fated Lore Explanation: Languages
There are many languages in Fated's universe such as Kalosian being French. However, everyone in the story is speaking in a language called Poké-go and although it's in English, it's not since this story is just written in our English. That is Unovan, or English in that universe. Poké-go has no counterpart as it is a universal language in the story. Their writings are similar to the anime's which look somewhat like Unown alphabets.
Unova and Galar are English with different accents and slangs (American and British)
Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh are Japanese dialects underneath the umbrella called the Oriental language.
Example: Ash - Poké-go, Unovan and Galarian while Satoshi - Oriental, dialect-friendly. Both are Ash's name, just that the story doesn't use Satoshi as opposed to Ash.