I'd Sacrifice My Happiness for You – An AdvanceShipping/Pokémon Story

Chapter 8 – Rivals Meet Rivals

Iris reached Trip's house, with Brock, Paul and Gary close behind her.

"Here it is." She told the three guys. She knocked on the door, and it opened to reveal Trip.

"Iris." Trip said with a smirk. "What do I owe the pleasure of the 'Champion' visiting me?"

"YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO, TRIP!" Iris yelled. "IS THIS WHAT SECRET GRUDGES OVER A LOSS LEAD TO THESE DAYS?"

"I have NO idea what you're talking about." Trip responded.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH US!" Iris yelled. "WE KNOW ABOUT HOW YOU TRIED TO TAKE THE GIRL ASH LOVES AWAY FROM HIM JUST FOR PAYBACK FOR YOUR DEFEAT IN THE UNOVA LEAGUE!"

"We?" Trip asked, confused.

Iris stepped out of the way to reveal Brock, Paul and Gary. "These are some of Ash's friends from other regions." She explained. Brock, Gary and Paul stepped towards Trip to introduce themselves.

"I'm Brock, from Pewter City. Ash is my best friend."

"I'm Gary, from Pallet Town. Ash and I were childhood rivals, but now we're good friends."

"And I'm Paul, from Veilstone City. Ash and I were rivals in Sinnoh, but now we're also respectful friends."

"Rivals, huh?" Trip retorted. "Did Ash ever beat either of you in a League?"

Both Gary and Paul nodded their heads. Gary explained how Ash had beaten him in a Full-on battle during the Johto League, where after his defeat, Gary had decided to become a Pokémon Researcher, ending their rivalry. Paul then recalled how he had previously beaten Ash in a Full-on battle at Lake Acuity, only for Ash to make a comeback during their Full-on battle in the Quarter Finals of the Sinnoh League, with the two earning a newfound respect for each other after Ash had defeated him.

As he listened, a seed of jealousy towards Gary and Paul grew inside Trip. In the Unova League, he had only managed to have a 1-on-1 Battle with Ash, and it was the Qualifier Round rather than the Main Event. Yet these two had managed to have full-on battles with him? In the Victory Tournaments of the Johto and Sinnoh Leagues all the more? Did this make him an inferior rival of Ash's?

"Ash had told me that you said you didn't hold any grudges against him after he had beaten you in the Unova League, Trip." Brock told the Nuvema Native.

"He had told me and Cilan the same thing! What happened since then?" Iris asked.

Trip sighed and started explaining. "Look. I truly didn't hold a grudge against Ash for a long time. He won fair and square. But I had also told him that I was going to get stronger so that one day I could challenge and beat Alder, as that had been my goal since I had first met Alder as a kid. So I had decided to travel through the Sinnoh and Hoenn Regions to try and get stronger and win their respective leagues, believing that learning about the Pokémon that are more common to other regions will help. I had ended up losing the Sinnoh League in the Quarter Finals, and while I was travelling through Hoenn, I had learnt that Alder had been replaced as the Champion of Unova – by Iris!"

Iris suddenly felt guilty, feeling she was responsible for Ash and May's Pokémon's kidnapping. Had she never become champion, Trip and his two comrades wouldn't have done any of this to them. However, Paul stepped in to defend her.

"Hey! Don't blame Iris! Couldn't you have just challenged her instead of trying to ruin Ash and May's lives? She's still a champion." Paul asked. "You really are pathetic, Trip."

"Easy, Paul!" Brock cried, trying to calm his friend down.

"Alder was the one I wanted to battle, not her. He had promised me when I was a little kid he'd battle me once I had won a league. But when I had heard Iris had replaced him, he told me via phone call he doesn't feel worthy to ever be my opponent. Alder refused to ever battle me, and it was at that moment when I had started to feel bitter towards Ash for beating me in the Unova League. Had I had managed to beat him, I would've been able to advance to the Main Event and then the Victory Tournament, and win the whole League, and been able to battle and beat Alder while he was still champion. But instead IRIS replaced him instead of it being me? And the fact that she's one of Ash's friends made me even more bitter towards him for beating me in the Qualifier Round."

Iris looked like she was about to cry. She felt Ash and May's Pokémon's disappearance was her fault, and Trip made it clear he didn't think she was a worthy Champion to battle. That was when Paul, Gary and Brock placed comforting hands on her shoulders. Paul looked like he was ready to summon one of his Pokémon to battle Trip. So did Gary. They thought Trip had no right to blame Ash, May, or Iris, or punish any of them just because he never got to battle Alder like he had wanted.

"I was sulking at the Pokémon Centre in Slateport City, and that's when I had met Serena and Harley." Trip continued, "I told them my history with Ash, and they revealed they knew him too. Serena was upset because she had told Ash she loved him, but he didn't feel the same way. It was at that moment Harley had chimed in, revealing he had figured out Ash must have feelings for his rival, May, who he wanted to get back at for knocking him out of the Hoenn and Kanto Grand Festivals, and May felt the same way about Ash."

"So, was that the moment the three of you had decided to hatch your scheme to get back at them?" Gary asked him.

"No. We initially didn't know what to do." Trip replied. "But Nurse Joy had noticed we were all upset, and we all explained why. She had suggested we get back at Ash and May and prevent them from ever getting together and to make sure they remain miserable. Serena didn't like that idea, neither did I, as even I thought it was a bit extreme like she thought, but Harley liked the idea, and convinced Serena and I that we should take away what means to them the most, like what they did to us. Our bitterness got the better of us. We took her advice, and Harley mentioned May's from Petalburg City and that her father's the Gym Leader there. I was heading to Petalburg City to challenge its Gym Leader anyway, so I had offered to go and get May away from Ash while we hired Butch and Cassidy from Team Rocket to abduct all of Ash and May's Pokémon so that they couldn't intervene. When I had challenged the Gym Leader, Norman, to a battle, I placed the condition that if I won, not only would I win a badge, but his daughter to accompany me back to Unova as well. May refused to be some prize to be won, and Norman refused to give me my Gym Battle too with this offer, but that's when I had taken May by the side and told her that I knew of her feelings for Ash, and if she didn't come with me, Ash and all his Pokémon would suffer, which got her to reluctantly convince her father to give me my Gym Battle. He was tough, but I won, and I had my Serperior watch her so that she wouldn't reveal why she had agreed to date me." Trip started thinking maybe he had gone too far as he had recounted his side of the story. "Maybe, in retrospect, I let my bitterness and anger consume me, and because of that, I took some bad advice. Same with my two comrades. Or at least, Serena. Harley seemed more eager about revenge and less angry than us."

"There's NO WAY ANY Nurse Joy would advise such a HORRIBLE IDEA!" Brock exclaimed, with so much passion filling his voice.

"But it was her." Trip insisted. "Or at least, she certainly looked like a Nurse Joy."

"Maybe it was someone in disguise." Iris chimed in.

"I think you might be on to something, Iris." Paul agreed.

Just then, Brock got a phone call from Max, saying he discovered something interesting when talking to the Nurse Joy of Slateport City: it wasn't her who talked to Serena, Trip and Harley about their bitterness towards Ash and May. It was a fake in disguise!

"Well, well. Looks like someone has been using you and your friends, Trippy." Gary told him.