The next day, Ash Ketchum stood on one end of the Opelucid City Gym field. Drayden stood on the other end. He called out, "So, Ash Ketchum, we face off at last! I look forward to our battle! Now, Haxorus! Go!"
Ash gripped his own Pokeball, "Gabite! I choose you!"
Both Pokémon were sent out and adopted fighting stances. Then Drayden struck first with Giga Impact, Ash countered with Dragon Pulse. The two attacks crashed and exploded, creating a smokescreen.
Haxorus finally nailed his target with a Rock Smash, but Gabite countered with Dragon Pulse again and sent the Axe Jaw Pokémon skidding backwards. They clashed yet again, trading attack after attack, which included Gabite firing Draco Meteor and dealing heavy damage, as well as his own Rock Smash attack. Eventually, Gabite was felled with a Slash, but not before he encased Haxorus in a Sand Tomb.
Dragonite was up next, and the first thing he did was wrap Ash in a tight squeeze. When he let go, Dragonite was fully focused and soon made short work of an exhausted Haxorus with a Dragon Claw. The next opponent was Druddigon, and this was a fierce battle. Ash powered up with Dragon Dance, while Druddigon used Double Team.
Ash was able to wipe out the clones and nail the real Druddigon with Draco Meteor. The latter retaliated with Thunder Punch and dealt damage, and the two Pokémon traded attacks again. Finally, the Cave Pokémon was downed and Ash took the lead.
Kingdra was next, and Dragonite chose to stay on. However, his stay did not last long, and Ash sent out Goodra. Ash tactically used Bide to weather Dragon Pulse, Hydro Pump and Scald, before unleashing it. Kingdra was severely weakened and then Drayden ordered a Rain Dance.
Ash smirked immediately, as the raindrops washed over Goodra, healing its burn injuries from the Scald. Drayden called out, "I'm assuming your Goodra has the Ability, Hydration?"
Ash nodded and Drayden mused, "Thought so… This will be interesting."
There were more attacks unleashed before they achieved a double knockout. The next Pokémon was Salamence, while Ash elected to make it a Flying battle with Noivern. This time, Ash went on the offense, with a Boomburst. Salamence was pushed back, but responded with Dragon Claw. Noivern then used Acrobatics to dodge a flurry of Air Slash attacks. He then used his own Dragon Claw, to deal heavy damage to Salamence. This one also resulted in a Double knockout. Finally, they were both down to their final Pokémon, Drayden sent out Hydreigon and Ash sent out his Naganadel.
This match-up pushed Ash to his limit, and in the stands, Iris was looking increasingly tense. Fortunately, Naganadel was a speedy Pokémon and dodged a lot of attacks. However, Hydreigon was able to nail it a couple of times with its signature Tri Attack. A Sludge Bomb steadily chipped away at its health, but eventually, one final Thunderbolt from Naganadel felled Hydreigon,.
Ash Ketchum had won on his very first try. Iris cheered and whistled loudly, while Drayden returned his fallen Pokémon and smiled. He spoke mostly to himself, "This one's going to go places. Perhaps it's time I called my grandson. I hope I still remember the number of Blueberry Academy."
He watched as the couple celebrated and then Ash approached and shook his hand, thanking him for the exhilarating battle. Ash and Iris soon exited the Gym and headed straight for the Pokémon Centre. They had a talk with Lillie and Gladion, who happened to be the only ones back in the house and they promised to pick up Ash at the airport, while Iris would continue training for the Unova League. As it turned out, Drayden offered to help her train for the League and she readily accepted it.
Just as they left the phone area, they saw a bit of a commotion a bit ahead of them. An older teenage boy was clearly hitting on a girl around their age, and she was looking increasingly uncomfortable. Ash spotted some familiar dark blue locks on the girl's head. Iris tilted her head curiously, "Hang on… Didn't Lillie say that she was in Johto? And is that guy who I think he is?"
Then it clicked for Ash and he elected to step in. The other boy was trying to crowd the girl, "Come on baby! I can show you a good time."
Suddenly, Ash speed-walked in and sidled up next to the startled girl, who stiffened, "There you are! I was looking for you everywhere."
The other boy indignantly straightened, "Hey! We were just having a moment! I was just going to score!"
Ash ignored him and half dragged the girl away, and back to Iris. He whispered in the blue-haired girl's ear, "Just play along. Nothing will happen to you with me around, Salvia."
She nodded and her body relaxed. Ash slung an arm around her shoulder, a little protectively, "Listen… Shamus, right? I thought I recognised you."
Shamus sneered at him, "Oh… It's you… That Tepig still a weakling? I would have gotten rid of it long ago."
Ash smirked at him, "Don't worry, he's just fine. He recently evolved into Emboar, so I say he's more than fine."
He scoffed, "Likely story, now back off! I saw this hot piece of ass, first."
Iris would have slapped him, but Ash held her back, "Hey! Don't talk about her like that! For the record, Dawn's my girlfriend!"
Shamus sneered again, "She's with you?! Why would she choose your shrimpy butt when she can have a Real Man like me! Tell you what, Battle me, and when I win, I get the girl and your Pokémon!"
Ash snapped, "Hey! She's not some kind of trophy! This is a girl we're talking about! And really? You're still pulling that crap after all these years? How many Pokémon have you stolen like that? I'll battle you anytime, anywhere, but she is off the table, and her too."
Any further conversation was cut off, when a Pound attack struck Shamus in the back of the head, instantly knocking him out. Behind his unconscious body, Audino dusted off its paws. Nurse Joy was also behind the Hearing Pokémon, with an absolutely disgusted look on her face, "I heard everything. This creep is going away for a long time, if I have anything to say about it!"
Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with one hand. He said, "Thanks for the help, Nurse Joy. Sorry for almost threatening to have a battle with him."
She waved him off, "Think nothing of it! I'm just glad your friend is okay. Thank Arceus he didn't try anything funny. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and call Officer Jenny"
The nurse walked away, Audino followed, dragging Shamus' limp body with her. Now that it was just the three of them, Ash, Iris and Salvia gathered around a table. Salvia was still clinging to Ash as he explained, "So, back when I was at Sinnoh with Dawn, we travelled through this place called Arrowroot Town. I'd like you to meet Princess Salvia, or is that former princess now?"
She spoke in a small and slightly accented voice, "Former… I've only been on my journey for a month now. Freesia wanted to accompany me, but I told her I needed to learn to be independent."
Ash turned back to Iris, "As you can see, she's Dawn's doppelganger."
She spoke up again, "Umm… About that… It turns out, when Lady Dawn and I performed our little switch, father was watching the Contest from television back in Galar and he was a bit more observant than I would have liked."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, "He did give me a bit of a ticking off for the stunt, but understood why I did it. Father then told me something interesting. Dawn and I were actually twins. Turns out, my mother was having trouble conceiving and father was at his wits end because he needed an heir. Eventually, he happened to meet Dawn's mother, Johanna when she was Coordinating in Hammerlocke City. She agreed to be a surrogate mother. They weren't expecting twins, to be honest, and our kingdom only needed one heir, so Johanna agreed to raise one of the twins back in Sinnoh."
Ash and Iris were amazed, "Wow! Now that is very interesting. So, what next for you, Salvia?"
She shrugged, "I really don't know, if I'm honest."
An idea hit him, "Hey, so I'm headed back to Kanto tomorrow. Iris over here, is challenging the Unova League. You can either travel with her or come back with me to Kanto."
She thought about it, "I'd like to come with you to Kanto. I always wanted to visit the various regions."
Then a thought struck her and her cheeks reddened again, "Umm… Ash… Back when you confronted that boy, you said that I- Sorry, Dawn was your girlfriend."
Ash looked a little bashful, "Yeah, I had to say something to get that sleazebag to back off."
Iris ribbed him teasingly, "You didn't lie, though. He and Dawn are actually dating. So am I, and a few other of his female friends. We can introduce you to them later."
She didn't seem fazed, "Oh right! I remembered that polyamorous relationships were fairly common. Would you do me the honour of being in a relationship with me as well?"
Ash and Iris were a little taken aback at the formality, and he said, "Whoa! No need to be so formal! Also, are you sure about this? I mean, we barely know each other. I would love to get to know you before we even talk about being boyfriend and girlfriend."
She nodded firmly, "I'm sure! I always felt that you were a nice boy, when we first met. It was a little bit of a crush, but after you defended me from Shamus, that only solidified my feelings for you."
Ash locked eyes with Iris before coming to a consensus. He smiled at her, "Okay… I'll be your boyfriend. I'll call the others and let them know. Dawn's going to be thrilled to bits!"
