Chapter 36
Saturday 6th October
After landing at Silver Town Ash walked to the Pokémon centre to register nodding at the various people who were there. Usually he'd be quite happy at the looks of fear people gave him when they knew he was entering a tournament they were in because he knew he'd automatically be the favourite but this time he felt very disassociated with the whole thing. He was still very numb and very raw from losing Typhlosion like he did and wondered just how much he cared about competing. He'd promised Nia that he would take it seriously and battle in Typhlosions honour but now he was here, so close to where the accident happened he began to have doubts. Handing over his badge case the receptionist scanned them frowning in confusion.
"Er Sir, one appears to be the Gym Leaders badge, not one they hand out" he said wondering what to do.
"Yes it is" Ash said "I took it from Pryce just after he died. I planned on giving it to Lance for whomever he made the new Gym Leader of Mahogany but Lance told me to keep it as Mahogany Gym was out of commission for a while. You can ring him and ask him if you like but please do it quickly so I can fly to Acacia Town and get their badge."
"That won't be necessary" a voice said behind him.
Looking behind him he saw it was the very man himself.
"Lance" Ash said, holding his hand out which Lance took.
"Ash" he said looking at him searchingly "I was sorry to hear about the death of your Pokémon. I've had a few over the years and it never gets any easier. If you need anything just ask, my office is on the top floor here."
"Thanks" he said tightly before sighing "I'll be honest I considered not competing this year but the missus had other ideas. Battling has lost its appeal to me but Nia rightfully told me that it may come back to me one day and I'll regret not keeping to the schedule I set for us when we left Indigo last year and my Johto Pokémon deserved to showcase what their hard earned training has done for them."
"It's a good thing" Lance said nodding "I considered giving up battling myself when I lost my two Dragonair. They contracted Dragonburn, a type of infection that rots the organs of Dragon types. Thankfully it's hereditary so my others can't catch it, they were twins and contracted it. I still miss them, but for a long time it wasn't easy."
"It's only been less than a week and I've already had to deal with having to dig her up and cremate her" Ash said sighing "It's not really something I'm cleared to talk about in public, and I don't particularly want Agatha to set her bloody Gengar on me for spilling trade secrets."
Lance laughed because he knew Agatha would do just that. Turning to the patiently waiting receptionist he said "Ash is cleared to use that badge. After this League the badge will become defunct so anyone wanting to compete will have to get a different badge but for this league we're still accepting the Glacier Badge."
"But this one is the Gym Leaders Glacier Badge" he said to Lance "we've never accepted one before."
"This one is fine" Lance said "Ash beat him in battle, just not one in the gym so it's safe to assume he would have won one. Plus, as I said, this badge is going to be defunct once this league is over anyway."
"Very well" he said, completing the process "Mr Ketchum, the Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday October 12th at 12pm, the draw will take place later that day at 3pm and the battles will commence the day after. It will be two on two until the round of sixteen where it will start three on three and an additional Pokémon used every round afterwards. The usual standard rules apply for the battles, those being no additional Pokémon you haven't registered before the opening ceremony, substitutions are allowed, only four moves allowed and the ref has the final say on any infractions."
"Understood," Ash said, nodding. Taking his case back he walked away with Lance, the crowd parting at the two Champions walking out of the door. Heading to the housing estate agents he picked up the keys to his chalet and sent Joanne a message before heading inside.
"I'm afraid they only have water Lance." Ash said looking in the fridge and seeing bottles of water.
"That'll do" Lance said, taking one Ash offered him and sitting at the rather beautiful kitchen counter "Anyway I have a few things I'd like to talk to you about. The first being a rather personal matter. You see my Charizard would like to plead his case to being allowed back into the Charicific Valley and I wondered if your Charizard would hear him out."
"I still don't know why he was banished to be honest" Ash said "and I can't command my Charizard anymore but I can ask him. I just can't guarantee it."
"I just thought I'd ask" Lance said "it's his own fault for refusing to battle the previous Alpha's understudy after he was beaten by the previous Alpha. But I appreciate you putting in a good word."
"No worries" Ash said "what were the other things you wanted to talk about?"
"I was wondering if we could do something rather special for the opening ceremony" he said "Now, I'm aware that as Kanto Champion you don't want any other league showing yours up but I thought given the one that's just happened was overshadowed by the rules being changed I thought I'd ask you to help me out with this one."
"It wasn't great viewing" Ash said snorting at the farce that was the Indigo League "what do you need from me?"
As Lance laid out his plans Ash couldn't do anything but be impressed at how far he'd go to make sure his tournament was memorable.
"Again, I can ask," Ash said, "but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Just the location but I'll find out when we're done here. Anything else?"
"Just one last thing" Lance said standing up from the stool "I'm planning on retiring from my role as Champion in the next few years. Like Blue, my wife has been there for me for nearly two decades now and deserves to have my full attention on her. With Lizzie being young too I'm afraid to miss things as I've already missed her first word, the first time she walked etc so I don't want to miss her growing up. So, I have a request. No matter where you finish in the Silver Tournament I wish to battle you, six on six to see if you'd have completed your second league of four."
"That I know I can do" Ash said nodding in agreement "out of curiosity who will take over as Champion?"
"Karen" Lance said "she's absolutely superb at battling and has been filling in for me quite a bit over the last few years. Should you win this tournament and face her, do not underestimate her. She has the skills to actually be Champion."
"Noted," Ash said, nodding as he walked Lance out. Before he said goodbye though he stopped Lance "Thank you. For speaking with me earlier. It's going to be tough but I've promised my Pokémon we will win for her. So thank you."
Clasping him on the shoulder Lance nodded before sweeping away, his signature cape billowing behind him. Chuckling Ash headed to the nearest store to stock his house. After all there was going to be several people living with him over the next potential seven weeks.
A few days later after replying to a raft of emails he received one he didn't expect to. It was on a whim he sent it but receiving an affirmative was quite nice. So walking out of the chalet he paused to let a young lady go past who was chasing after her rather lively young son and headed to the League Building. Nodding to the receptionist he headed to the elevator and headed up to the top floor. Speaking to the secretary he waited and waited. The receptionist noted that he would twitch every few seconds and wondered what was going on.
"Are you ok Sir?" He asked Ash.
"No," Ash said "I can feel from here an abomination just down the corridor and it's setting me off. I'm doing everything I can not to go and put an end to it but it's getting more difficult. Don't worry, I won't do anything but it's taking some effort."
"Good to hear" Lance said walking out of his boardroom with four other people that Ash instantly recognised one who Ash instantly had hatred for. Flaring his aura he stood up and stared in anger at the first member of Lances Elite Four. Cracking his neck he walked forward and stopped five feet from Will and it wasn't until he heard a groan from his side that he took his gaze off him. Looking over to his left he noticed that a woman with long blue/silver hair, in a black suit was leaning against the wall looking at Ash with a very strange look. Without warning her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the ground. Luckily Bruno was standing next to her and caught her before placing her gently on the ground. Ash quickly reigned his aura in and rushed to her, opening her eyes and checking her breathing.
"I wonder what that was about," Ash muttered.
"That was you, thing" Will said icily causing Ash to look up and glare.
"I wouldn't say a word if I were you" Ash replied "it's only because of my respect for Bruno and Lance that I haven't snapped you like a twig after what your kind tried to do to me a month ago at the Plateau. To try and take over my mind was foolish and that cretin paid the price for your kinds audacity."
"Ash," Bruno said warningly.
"Apologies, Bruno" he said, taking a deep breath, "now what happened to her?"
"Your aura happened" Bruno said "she's a dark type trainer, her life is built around dark energy…"
"And aura counteracts that" Ash said nodding "that makes sense. Where's her office?"
"This way," Lance said, pointing to a door down the corridor.
Ash scooped her up effortlessly and nodded to Lance who opened up her room. It was appropriate Ash thought when he walked in and the entire room was painted black with little stars and solar systems everywhere. "This is amazing" Ash said, spinning around before realising he nearly cracked Karen's head on the doorframe "Oops, where's her bed?"
Walking into her bedroom Ash paused as it couldn't have been more different. It was all soft yellows and pinks with a huge quilt on a four poster bed. Laying her down as gently as he could he tucked her in and chuckled.
"What's funny?" Bruno asked.
"I don't know about you two but do your wives automatically snuggle in like that when they go to bed?" Ash asked "Nia does and it's adorable. Or it was at first but then she likes to starfish which makes sleeping a very strange occasion."
"Lorelei is like that," Bruno said, nodding and chuckling as they gently shut the door. "Having a child though makes sleeping very difficult as Hailee likes to join us in the mornings so we have no choice but to wake up."
"Melanie doesn't move" Lance said "she cocoons herself like a sausage roll with a blanket underneath our duvet."
"Nothing wrong with being cosy" the final member of the Elite Four said "I'm Lacey, you're Ash Ketchum." holding her hand out Ash gently took it and shook it. She was around six foot tall, dark brown hair, with dark brown eyes and an uptilted nose. She was wearing a blue summer dress over a blue vest top and had pale blue pumps on.
"You're new right?" Ash asked.
"I am" she said "well as new as two years into the job can mean. I'm the newest if that's what you mean."
"I do" Ash said "I haven't seen any of your battles though so I may have to watch some later, get my eye in as it were. What position are you?"
"Three" she said, surprising Ash who looked at Bruno questioningly.
"I didn't want that spot" he said "after not being able to battle for so long due to my wife being so good in the Kanto set up I took the earlier slot in this league so I get to battle more."
"Not surprising given who the lead is" Ash said not bothering to look at Will who growled in annoyance "anyway I'm actually here to see Lance, I have news on your requests."
"Shall we?" he asked, leading them all to his office where Will, Bruno and Lacey took a seat. Ash however remained standing.
"Your second request was easier to sort out" Ash said "they'll be here for the event."
"They?" Lance asked surprised "there's more than one?"
"Of course there is" Ash said, chuckling, "they're stationed at the summit of Mt Silver for now. Your first request was very much a shot in the dark but my Charizard has agreed to meet with yours. According to the steward of the Charicific Valley he's sending his second in command to test yours. Is there a battlefield we can use when she arrives?"
"Yes" he said "we can use the main field depending on when she arrives."
"She'll be here tomorrow as it's a long flight from the Valley and she needs to rest, which she'll be doing in my chalet's garden" Ash said "Now I have no idea what the test will be, I don't even know if it will be a battle but I do know you will not be able to interfere. Also, and it pains me to say this but are you both prepared for the worst?"
"What do you mean?" Lacey asked.
"Lacey" Lance said sighing "Dragons are not like other Pokémon, even those with draconic characteristics before you say anything have the same kind of attitude. If a fight to the death is what it takes to regain their honour then that's exactly what they will do, fight to the death. Yes Ash, we both know what the stakes might be and we've both accepted the outcome. It's something he wants and needs."
"No problem," Ash said, nodding before looking at his watch. "That's all I really came to see you about, I didn't know you were in a meeting so I'll leave you to it. If it's anything like the faff doing the Indigo setup you have my sympathies. I'm in Chalet 8 if you need me."
"Oh not far from us then" Bruno said.
"No, I suppose there are some perks to being Champion" Ash said laughing "Lucario should be here in a few days time to see Hailee to see about her progress. I don't think he's staying though as he's having to pick the new bodyguards for Ilene."
"Why?" Lance asked "what happened to Sir Riley?"
"His aura is diminishing" Ash said, getting a snort from Will who was sitting on Lacey's other side. Ignoring him he continued "and he doesn't want to see his Queen see it. In a way it's admirable, to not want the one you loved but not be able to be with see you die is a tough choice to make. Ilene isn't having a good time and while I'd normally rejoice it's left the Guardians at Rota without a leader. So Lucario is choosing the next First Knight today which could take a while as Lucario told me when I last saw him he still hasn't approved of any of them taking on apprentices. Rota is lucky there's police to protect them at the minute given Riley left."
"Poor guy," Bruno said, shaking his head.
"My heart bleeds." Will commented snidely.
"It will if you carry on" Ash said staring at the abomination "it's only because of my respect for Bruno and Lance that I haven't beaten the shit out of you. My patience isn't endless."
"You wouldn't dare" Will said laughing and standing face to face with Ash "you're too much of a coward to try anything as is the rest of your kind."
Ash acted without thinking and formed an Aura Sphere and sent it at Will who was too slow to act and sent him tumbling back into his chair which went flying behind him, Ash stood and gripped the Elite Four member and sent aura into him where he started to choke as his access to his psychic energy was cut off abruptly.
"Ash!" Bruno shouted quickly standing up, grappling him from behind and throwing him into the wall pinning him against it where he struggled to keep Ash there. Lance, seeing his long time friend struggling, leaped over the table and helped him in securing Ash. Will was struggling to breath as the effects of aura slowly left him and he lay panting, looking up at the ceiling. He had read many transcripts over the years of what the effects of battling an Aura Guardian was like and even heard some first hand accounts of survivors of such encounters but he never thought being cut off from his abilities would hurt so was like he had his lungs crushed and his throat closed off at the same time
Lacey didn't even know what happened given it had all happened so quickly but could only look on in shock at how quickly the attack had come.
Karen had woken up and was making her way into the office when Ash's aura flared and she leaned against the door and fell forwards passing out. Ash's vision cleared instantly as he threw the two men off him causing them to stumble backwards and try and grab him but Ash had moved too quickly. They looked on in relief as he immediately caught Karen just before she landed face first against the corners of the door.
"She's going to hate me" Ash murmured as he quickly scooped her up and walked quickly down the hallway and back into her room where he tucked her in again. Sitting in the chair at her dresser he stretched out his long legs and waited, calming himself as he did. Sure enough Lance came marching into the room looking furious. Before he could start talking he held up his hand "You have my apologies Lance, Bruno, Lacey and Karen too. I know he provoked me but that isn't an excuse."
"Ash, I will have to report this" Lance said "as Champion you have attacked one of my Elites and I cannot let that slide."
"I understand," Ash said, looking at Karen and tilting his head at her, "keep an eye on her, she'll need to take it easy for a few hours." Standing up he took one last look at her before walking past Lance and past the receptionist who looked terrified. Getting into the elevator he closed his eyes, ignoring the other members of the Elite Four that had made their way to the door of Karen's room. Ash opened his eyes and took them all in as he waited for the doors to close and upon seeing Will leaning against the door looking scared he smirked just as the door closed.
Striding out he walked to his chalet and headed inside. Immediately he loaded up his laptop and sent his new lawyer an email about what just happened and his reaction. Hopefully Jennifer could help lessen whatever penalty he was bound to pay. He wasn't sorry though, Ash saw this as retaliation for what their kind tried to do to him at the Plateau and he knew Will would report to his superiors about what fighting an aura user would feel like. He had also laid the trap for those who would be foolish enough to attack Rota. He was hoping they would be arrogant enough to try. Sending an email to Ilene he informed her of what had transpired, hopefully Rota would get themselves ready as while Ash didn't expect anything to happen for a while, the sooner Rota readied themselves for war the better.
"I attacked the abomination Pi" Ash said looking over at his starter who was on the couch eating an apple.
"Why?" Pikachu asked.
"He dared me to," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You baited him?" Pikachu said nodding, "smart."
"I thought so" Ash said "Now it's their turn, let's see what pawn they send this time."
Elsewhere
Will was sat at his desk still trying to regain his breathing hours later and struggling. He had never felt fear like it when he was being choked like that, to be cut off from a power you've utilised the majority of your life like that and be helpless into the bargain wasn't a fun experience, at all. But he now had leverage on the Kanto Champion that he could use whenever he wanted, something which his commander immediately needed to know.
Punching in a number on his video phone he waited for it to be answered. When it finally did it was just a black screen with purple dots in the middle of the screen.
"Speak," the voice said.
"I have good news and bad news Sir" Will said.
"Go on" the voice drawled.
"The good news is Rota is without a First Knight for the foreseeable future" Will said "theirs has abandoned their Queen to see out his final months somewhere else, where though I was not told. Also I have been told that Rota's guardians have still not been given permission to recruit, meaning they're not anywhere near full strength."
"Interesting" the voice said "how did you come by this information."
"That's part of the bad news sir" Will said "Ketchum is the one who told me. Indirectly that is in a meeting with my Elite Four and Champion."
"And you trust that information?" the voice interrupted.
"He has no love for Rota or its guardians" Will replied "It's well documented Sir and even he knows it wouldn't be difficult to find out about Riley leaving. I have no reason to believe Ketchum was lying."
"Very well" the voice said "what's the other part of the bad news?"
"Ketchum attacked me" Will said shuddering "I admit I provoked him but I didn't not expect such an obvious attack, in front of the other Elites no less."
"And that is bad, why?" the voice asked.
"Sir, have you ever been cut off from your powers?" Will asked looking away from the screen "It is the most painful thing I have ever gone through and even now, hours later I am feeling the effects of it. If the Guardians can all do this then we need some form of protection as we will have no chance in battle against them should they get close enough to physically assault us."
"How exactly did it feel?" The voice asked curiously.
"Like I would never breathe again" he said shuddering "my insides instantly froze, my veins were on fire and my limbs locked. I was utterly helpless to do nothing but wait for my inevitable painful death. It was an experience I hope to never have again."
After a few moments of silence the voice spoke up "I am working on something to prevent that from happening. It's why, as useful as your information has been, it is also useless. Lacking as they are in personnel they could still do significant damage to any force that attacks Rota and I want to be able to clear them out in one go. Attacking Rota would alert the Kingdom to us, and vice versa. They need to be wiped out as one. Keep me updated on the goings on of Ketchum."
"You're not going to do anything to him for attacking me?" Will asked "this is the perfect opportunity to get to him, we finally have a hold on him."
"One which is meaningless" the voice interrupted "while our stock has been diminishing over the last few years, largely thanks to him, his has only been on the rise. He has the eyes and ears of Kanto, and has the eyes and ears of most of Johto due to his actions with quelling potentially world ending issues. The most he will do is pay a fine of some sort should this come out. I am not going to even bother wasting time, and neither are you. You have your orders Will. See to them."
Abruptly the screen went blank leaving Will to look on in shock, before anger overrode him and he stood up and marched to the office of Lance. Without knocking he entered getting a surprised look from Lance.
"I want Ketchum arrested!"
Also Elsewhere
"So the trap is set then?" Ilene said to Lucario.
"Indeed but I doubt they'll bite, not just yet anyway." He replied "the damage done to one of their own is likely not going to cause too big a fuss but it will be noted as cause for concern. Particularly if their abomination describes what Ash did to them."
"Can all aura users do that?" Ilene asked, reading the email from Ash again. "Cut off their powers I mean."
"All trained aura users can, yes" Lucario said "every Lucario knows how to do it but human Guardians need to be taught, something which comes naturally once they've grasped the basics of accessing their aura. 'Aura flooding' as it's known is relatively easy to do, I could do it to every normal person in the world and they'd only get a jolt. Ash uses it liberally to heal but if used on an abomination it halts the access to aura completely. They have corrupted theirs to an unprecedented level and as such ours has nothing to work with which is what causes death to them. It's not a quick death, though it can be if we should want to cause it, however it's one of the failings of an aura user, we want to inflict as much pain on them as possible and it leads to focusing too much on one person leaving us open. It distracts us when we are using it. It's why the numbers in losses were so close during the war, we should have wiped them out but our own aura got in the way."
"It seems like a pretty big failing" Ilene said looking concerned "any distraction in a battle is dangerous."
"It's why I've been training the recruits so hard for the last few years" Lucario said "only completely mastering your aura gives you the clarity in battle to be completely aware of your surroundings. Every Guardian can now do it, and that is why they've been allowed to recruit only this time we're opening a school so the Master/Apprentice will no longer be one on one, it will be three recruits to one guardian. We need as many people actively using aurora as possible and Ash's actions at the Plateau have helped more than he realises. We may not be able to wipe them out but making others see them for what they are has opened a lot of doors that were previously closed to us."
"That is good news then" Ilene said "I need your advice Lucario. I have been thinking over what Sir Ash said that day and feel its the best way to proceed."
"In what way?" Lucario asked.
"I have been seriously considering eliminating most of my current court and replacing it" Ilene said "I am extremely unhappy, and it seems not one of them cares. They have their happy lives and I don't have mine so I'm wanting to let many of them go."
"To what end?" Lucario asked.
"I should be free to divorce a man who wants nothing to do with our daughter or myself yet can be free to come and go as he pleases, stealing from Rota." Ilene said "several in my court do not seem to understand the severity of what happened when he took those files."
"So its a selfish action" Lucario said "I'm not sure I can get behind that."
"It's not just for me" Ilene said looking at him "Lucario, look what has happened over the past thousand years where the Monarchy is concerned. Time after time my ancestors couldn't marry who they should have married and have rebelled. Rin had an illegitimate child with Sir Aaron, a man who should have been allowed to be with his destined mate yet would have died a few years after he did so anyway due to diminishment. Can you imagine such an ignoble thing to happen to such a man? A Knight as noble as he getting an ending he wouldn't have deserved, forced to watch as his mate married another while he died a slow and painful death. There have been at least five other instances of this happening over the centuries Lucario and it has led to nothing but pain, not just for me but for all the other Queens and Aura Knights including Sir Ketchums family. As much as Delia thinks I wanted Red for myself she was wrong, I wanted him because my ancestors demanded it where his family is concerned. The fact Red was such a noble person did not diminish him in my eyes but it blinded me to the one who truly loved me and I harmed him more than I ever did Red and Delia. I want to prevent it happening again in the future because history always comes full circle and those who don't put a stop to certain things are doomed to watch on from the afterlife as their descendants make the mistakes that should never have been made."
"You make a good point" Lucario said "I am willing to back you on this however rather than needing the full court's approval, change it so you need a majority vote. That way the court can still keep any future monarch in check from rampantly abusing their subjects."
"That I can agree with," Ilene said, looking happier. "Thank you Lucario."
"I will instruct the Lucario to be aware of any potential backlash from this and to protect Rota from itself should the need arise."
"Have you chosen a First Knight?" Ilene said changing the subject.
"I have" he said "Aura Guardian Francesca will be promoted tomorrow in the ceremony. She has proven to be not only gifted in battle but also in mind. You will find her more than a match for anyone who tries to pull the Wooloo over your eyes. Her Lucario, along with being what you call a shiny, is also quite gifted too."
"Oh" Ilene said recognising the description "yes I know who you mean. Very well, set it up. I will have my court meeting tonight at 6pm and let them know their services are no longer needed. I will instruct our printing office to distribute flyers for new courtiers and have the interviews at the weekend. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have a new court up and running."
"Very well," Lucario said, nodding "I am due to be in Silver Town in a few days. Once Francesca is in place I will take my leave and be gone for a few weeks at the most. Luckily it's straight over the mountains and only a few days travel. Should you need me urgently I will be staying with Sir Ketchum."
"Thank you Lucario," she said, standing and bowing to him. As he left she dropped the email on the table and let out a huge shout of happiness, much to the amusement of the guards, and picked up her baby twirling her in her arms "You hear that Amara, soon mummy will be free and daddy will have no claim on you."
Sending out runners to her court she prepared herself for what was to come and soon enough 6pm rolled around and she walked into the meeting hall and took her seat. As the courtiers took their seats they looked at each other in confusion. Ilene noticed that on the table there were twelve pieces of paper, overturned and given to a select few who were under the instructions to not read them until their Queen let them.
"Greetings" Ilene said "Now, I don't usually call a meeting like this unless a major incident has occurred. However a minor one has. Sir Ketchum attacked the Elite Four Member Will this morning and very nearly killed him. Will provoked him, Sir Ketchum responded with force and it has been widely accepted as a good thing."
"Why?" someone asked "surely he'll be in a lot of trouble for this?"
"No, he won't" she said "It's a little known law but any member of the Rota Guard can attack a psychic as long as they are provoked. It was written into law a few weeks after we won the Great War and has never been repealed. I have given Sir Ketchum the information and where to find it should he be arrested. However I am still going to publicly back Sir Ketchum, should it indeed find its way into the hands of the press."
"But he's not a servant of Rota," another voice said, "does that not change anything?"
"No" Ilene said "he was knighted by the Lucario of Lucario, who has the same executive powers as the reigning Queen when it comes to being able to ascend someone to First Knight or Aura Guardian. It was often a source of contention for First Knight Riley who believed only the Queen should have such an ability; however as I explained to him, my ancestor Queen Rin made it into law for services to the crown while she reigned and I see no reason to change it."
"So what will be the response?" someone asked.
"Nothing" Ilene said "the abominations are not so powerful to try and strike at us just yet, and while they linger we build up our power. War is coming, I can feel it but it's quite some time off yet which gives us the opportunity to strengthen Rota and its walls. To that end I have authorised the funding of strengthening the front gates and building a guard tower at the crossroads to Mt Moon and Rota. I want advanced warning should any of them try to attack us."
"Don't you need authorisation from the council to do such a thing?" a nasally voice asked from down the table "why weren't we consulted?"
"Usually yes" Ilene said "but normally it would need a majority vote however given I don't have a full council anymore I have exercised my authority as Monarch to have it made."
"What do you mean?" he asked looking confused "we are all here."
"I think you will find you're not," Ilene said, smirking while signalling behind her back to the Lucario guards who stepped forward as one "If those who have papers can please turn them over you will see why."
As one they all cautiously turned the pages over and read.
"This is an outrage!" he nasally voice said standing up and slamming his hand onto the table "you can't do this! This seat has been in my family for three hundred years!"
"Actually I can" Ilene said calmly smiling at him "you see Rupert the court, that is the court of the Queen is here at her pleasure not the other way around. I have no idea where the thought that the seats were hereditary came from but I can assure you I have looked through the law books and nowhere does it say they are. So, as of today you have a weeks' notice to clear out your office, return anything that belongs to us and have a nice life."
"Do we have a reason for why we're being let go?" Agnes asked from next to him.
"Yes" she said "for far too long you have served your own interests and not Rota's. I have asked repeatedly to be able to divorce my husband and every time have been rebuffed by those that have the papers. Well, I won't have it anymore. I will not live unhappily just for the sake of your happiness. So, as of today I am informing the ones I have asked to stay on that I have begun divorce proceedings and the King is hereby banned from entering Rota without my expressive leave. I will also be changing the law of the Monarch having to have a unanimous vote for marriage to one of majority vote. It is unfair that I should not be able to choose my own husband when everyone of my subjects can and I will not have the failings of the past millennia carry on any longer. Rota has had scandal after scandal because of that archaic law and it will be re-written."
"You'll never be able to convince everyone that this is anything but self-serving." Rupert said, turning red.
"I don't need to Rupert" Ilene said "I just need to convince my new court. I already have the backing of the Guardians of Rota, as you can see from the official seal on the bottom of your termination papers and I don't actually need much else as they heavily outnumber my court but I would still like to do this by the book. For those who are staying I have issued flyers and advertisements for the twelve available positions on the court. The interviews will take place this weekend, giving everyone ample time to apply and for us all to get together and discuss who joins us. Thank you all for coming."
Hearing the dismissal for what it was they all began to stand up and leave, some taking their time hoping their Queen would change her mind on their termination but she had deliberately engaged in conversation with an Aura Guardian who entered at the dismissal so there would be no chance of getting her attention.
As soon as he heard the doors close Ilene looked around and let out a deep sigh. She hated confrontation and she felt bad about letting some of them go but she knew that to be progressive she had to get rid of those who would hold Rota back.
"You did well my Lady" Francesca said "Master Lucario informed me of what you had planned and I agree with you. Everyone in Rota could see you and former First Knight Riley were destined for each other yet could do nothing because of the law."
"I miss him" she said sadly "I hope he's ok wherever he is."
The next day there was uproar around Kanto as there were two big headlines that competed for front page news. "Kanto Champion arrested for brutal attack on Elite Four member" and "Queen Ilene to file for divorce".
in Unova Roland woke up that morning feeling rather happy. Moving the two women from his arms he got up and stretched, receiving a knock on his door. Pulling a bathrobe around him he said "enter" and the maid came in holding his morning tea and paper. Sitting down he took a sip before spraying it all over the front page. "What the Fuck!" he shouted waking the two women "How dare she!" Striding out of his room he walked into his office and sent for his advisors who it seemed had anticipated his outrage and were waiting in the lobby of his home.
"Well?" he asked as they sat down "can she do this? I was reliably informed by my man inside Rota that she couldn't do this."
"She has used a loophole in the laws" Graham, his chief advisor said "usually she would need a unanimous vote for any form of divorce proceedings to go ahead and for the First Lucario to agree but she made the unusual decision to dissolve her court, thereby only needing acceptance from the court of Lucario, who evidently was persuaded enough to grant her permission. She filed for divorce immediately on the grounds of you being an absentee husband, an absentee father and stealing important and rare documents from the Great Library."
Roland just sat speechless at Graham's words "Well, can I contest this?" he finally asked.
"You can" Graham said "but you would need to return the documents you allegedly stole and persuade Ilene to take you back."
"Well that's not going to happen" he said "Ilene made her position perfectly clear when I returned for the rest of my things. She even banned me from seeing my own daughter!"
"Something which may be sorted out but given your daughter is heir to the throne of Rota I doubt you'll do anything but piss off Kanto. She is and always will be Ilene's responsibility. Had you had a son you probably may have had a chance but given she's a girl, not so much." Graham said "It has not gone unnoticed Sir that you have been living a rather carefree life on the stipend you receive from being King of Rota, something which they have also put a stop to as of this morning pending the divorce hearings but you have also been an absentee father, something which even the Royal court of Unova frowns upon and has been brought up in the meetings with your parents several times. If you wish to rectify this then I suggest you file a counterclaim immediately but be ready for a long and drawn out affair which you will likely lose and have to accede to her demands."
"What good are you?" Roland said furiously "all of you if you cannot sort this out for me?"
"It is not their responsibility to sort this out" a voice said from the doorway terrifying Roland. A man around 6 foot 3, grey hair, grey eyes and impeccably dressed in a pinstripe suit walked in and looked around imperiously. Immediately Roland's advisors stood up and kneeled. Walking past them he ignored them and took the seat of Graham before waving them out of the room. "Explain yourself" he said, slamming the paper on the table.
"I had no idea she would do this." Roland said in an almost whiny voice. "She shouldn't have been able to do this."
"Silence!" the King said furiously "I have about had it with your attitude Roland. For far too long you have been a crying, whining spoiled little boy who always got his way because I allowed your mother to spoil you. The fact that you only got this match because we persuaded Ilene you were worthy of the position has come back to bite us on the behind and left Unova looking like fools. I had hoped that such an enormous responsibility would help you grow up yet it has not and now it falls on me to try and bail you out of a position you put yourself into!"
"You'll get me out of this?" Roland asked hopefully.
"Your mother has asked me to get involved, yes" he said and shaking his head at the gleam in Rolands eyes "However it will definitely not be to your mothers or your liking. I will visit Ilene myself and discuss the terms of the divorce. You will adhere to every single thing she requests and if you do not agree I will disown you myself and make your daughter the tertiary heir to Unova in your place. You make me ashamed to be your father." Standing up he straightened his cravat and strode out of the room leaving Roland sitting in shock staring at the newspaper headline.
Ash however hadn't had the chance to read any of the headlines as he had been in the Silver Town jail cells all night. An officer had arrived late on yesterday evening to take him to a holding cell where he would later be charged with assault. Ash wasn't worried though as he had made his phone call to his lawyer who was flying here to get him out. Around 9am he was taken to an interview room by the Chief and was given breakfast while he waited. Half an hour later Jennifer walked in and greeted him and sat opposite him.
"Hello Mr Ketchum" she said, greeting him. She was a tall woman with straight brown hair, hazel eyes and a small nose wearing a dark grey suit.
"Ash," he said, shaking her hand.
"Ash," she agreed, nodding before taking a few documents out of her briefcase "Now, I need to get an actual account of what happened before we spring you from here."
Ash nodded as he told his story of how he was provoked by Will (he refused to say the name) and his reaction afterwards while Jennifer took notes. Ten minutes later she had gone over it with Ash before pulling out a file and handing it to Ash who read it in silence before grinning halfway down.
"We've been given the witness statements by the other members of the Elite Four who were present, all except Karen who was indisposed and they all pretty much match what you said." Jennifer said "Now as it's a first time offence you will likely get away with a fine, or you would have done if Rota hadn't sent me this this morning. Who knew that Aura users were legally allowed to assault psychics if they were provoked and had independent witnesses to said provocation."
"This is good," Ash said, smirking. "It means I have pretty much free reign to do what I want to them."
"As long as you are provoked and have witnesses who have not been coerced in any way shape or form" Jennifer said looking sternly at him "It is not a get out of jail free card Ash. Only the fact this was retaliation for the Plateau attack and the fact the Champion of Johto has vouched for the reason why you attacked him has got you off this time. Next time you might not be so lucky and should you be in the area that a psychic gets attacked you will very likely be the first person they accuse of such a thing."
"Fine" Ash said mulishly "I understand."
"Good" Jennifer said standing up and packing the documents away "let's get you out of here shall we?"
Nodding Ash stood up and walked out with her, getting his personal effects back from the Chief who nodded at him and they left to a sea of reporters who were gathered around the entrance. Immediately they clamoured Ash with questions who refused to answer as he moved them all out of the way with his aura bubble. Jennifer immediately took hold of his arm and followed not wanting to be left behind as he made his way to his chalet. Thankfully the chalets were all deemed as private property and no reporter could step over the threshold of the gardens fence so Ash and Jennifer left them all there and headed inside.
A few hours later, after discussing other matters Jennifer walked out of the back door, released a Pidgeot and flew away, much to the displeasure of the reporters. Ash flicked on the TV after feeding his Pokémon and was astonished that Ilene had seemingly taken her advice in changing her court and divorcing that deadbeat. There were even reports of the King of Unova flying directly to Rotas airport to have crisis talks with Ilene but that wasn't Ash's business. He wished her luck with whatever came of it. It was strange, he mused out loud to Pikachu that he was showing concern to Rota and Ilene.
"It's because no matter what your personal issues are, you are still aligned against the psychics," Pikachu said, stretching and yawning. "Plus your dad being back has changed your perception of them, along with Lucario training them. You trust him, therefore you trust them."
"Huh" Ash said looking at his phone and seeing twenty missed calls from his mum and dad "shit."
Hours later, and with much placating to his mum (His dad was happy at least someone got to punch a psychic, not that he could say that in front of a very hormonal Delia) Ash hung up and was about to start cooking tea when his doorbell rang. Wiping his hands on a towel he walked to the door and opened it.
"Hey Ashy Boy" Gary said walking in with a rucksack on his back "I see you're still living up to your reputation of being a disruptive arse."
"Yup," Ash said, chuckling closing the door "I must admit I never expected you to agree to staying here for a while."
"What and turn down free food and a comfy bed?" Gary said, flopping down on the chair and picking up the TV remote before looking over at the kitchen and sniffing "you eating?"
"No" Ash said laughing as he walked into the kitchen "I was just actually prepping for tea. I'm making noodles with veg. Is that ok for you, your majesty?"
"It'll do" Gary said, sniffing imperiously before laughing. "Speaking of your majesty" he said nodding at the TV "what do you think of Ilene getting divorced. I didn't think she could do that to be honest."
"Normally she can't" Ash said "she needs the approval of her court but she was quite sneaky and dissolved her court before filing for divorce. The court can't object if there's no court to object."
"Does this mean Riley will return then do you think?" Gary asked.
"You're remarkably well informed for someone who doesn't actually interact with a lot of people" Ash said "and that's coming from me!"
"I interact with the right people, Ashy boy." Gary said, turning the TV off and joining him in the kitchen "Including my dad who is still interim Champion."
"Ah, that makes sense" Ash said nodding as he tossed some greens into a pan and started frying them "then I suspect not. Riley has gone back to Sinnoh to die and I don't think he will let Ilene see that."
"So it's true then" Gary said "about him and Ilene and that if you don't find someone you'll waste away."
"Yeah it is" Ash said "to both. His is a bit different though as he chose to ignore his aura and actively stayed around his chosen mate despite knowing it would kill him eventually. You see when we meet our mate our aura mingles with theirs and we just know they're ours. It resonates completely. However it's then down to the other person to accept it or not. We cannot force or influence the issue, which is really odd but once they know our aura recedes back into ourselves until they either say yes or no. If they say yes then our auras intertwine and we become quite dependent on each other for life. If one dies the other doesn't hang around too long, which is a surprise given your Grandfather has lived so much longer than your grandmother. I think it's likely because she never told him and hers never connected to him. If he'd have known he would have had no choice but to let his own faint aura intertwine with hers and would have passed away not long after her. What a shit world that would have been, growing up with no Samuel Oak to learn from.
Anyway back to Riley. He has unconsciously been supplementing his aura by nicking some from his Lucario and the faint mingling he's been doing with Ilene over the last eighteen years but it came to a head as soon as Ilene got married. The mingling was cut off, as it does with every other aura user that finds their mate already taken or married and he was unable to maintain the levels he's used to expending, hence he is diminishing."
"So if he marries her" Gary asked "would that change anything?"
"Possibly" Ash replied "but his life span would be significantly less than it would be normally. Take my dad for instance. He's been able to mingle his aura with my mum for over thirty years, and while twelve of those years were spent apart the Earth around us kept the siphoning going. It was why mum often got twinges, hence the reason she never believed he was dead. So for thirty years his aura has been in constant contact with mum and able to function properly. Riley has had his cut off by Ilene from the start because of her station, he was unable to start the process of intermingling properly and it hampered him. Dad, barring a severe accident or illness will easily live into his eighties, mum the same whereas a normal lifespan is between sixty and seventy. Riley will only live into his fifties should he return and marry Ilene and start the process, without her though he'll die in the next two years. It's down to them both to sort it out but she'll need to be quick about it as he's on a timer and has been since June last year when she got married. It'll be a very short marriage, maybe no more than fifteen years or so but they'll need to decide if those fifteen years are better than none. For me, and it was Nia I don't know if I could put her through that but I selfishly would hope for it."
"I think I would too," Gary said, nodding. "Fifteen years of being happy, creating memories that last a lifetime and beyond would always be a more desirable outcome than dying in pain somewhere, forgotten and alone."
"I agree" Ash said "However that would also significantly lower Ilene's lifespan, something I don't think she knows about and would likely see Amara occupy the throne before she's fifteen. I might have to let her know, or make sure Lucario does because she's likely far too happy right now to consider what the downside will be."
"That sucks," Gary said, grabbing some bowls for Ash to plate up. "This doesn't though, when did you become such a good chef?"
"Oh I've been cooking for years now" Ash said "it started out as a way to bond with mum when I was growing up but I quickly got the knack for it and I've been cooking ever since. Mum was very patient with me which was good really given I was quite impatient at times but funnily enough it was when she told me to think of this as training that I really started to listen to her. It then made total sense to me and I've been cooking ever since. It relaxes and clears my mind in a way few other things do. Usually there's always something happening up there but this was another form of meditation that helped me sort out the voices."
"The voices?" Gary asked pausing in his eating.
"Yeah" Ash said "oh it's not what you think. I don't have telling me to do things to myself or trying to convince me to harm other people. No, it's more along the lines of 'am I good enough for this, is that person genuine, do they mean what they say or is it all lip service'. Even now I'm having to stop a conversation that's asking me if I can trust you with everything I've said tonight because of what you were like a few years ago. I know you're a decent person, and I know you've changed. I don't pretend to be the perfect person, I know I'm not but I have this itch in my brain that constantly wants to change someone, to improve them as humans when that shouldn't be the case. The biggest issue I have is with those who can't get what I'm talking about."
"What do you mean?" Gary asked after taking that in.
"Let me ask you a question." Ash said "over the last few years have you ever tried to coach someone?"
"Yeah" Gary said "a few times."
"How did that go?" Ash asked.
"Horribly" Gary said straight away "they didn't seem to understand basic instructions."
"Didn't or couldn't?" Ash asked. Before Gary could respond Ash continued "think about that Gary. Really think about it because it took me a while to wrap my head around it."
"I'm not sure" Gary finally said "why does that matter?"
"It matters because of your ability level" Ash said "something that is easy to you is often impossible for someone else. That's why you are the battler that you are. You get things, you understand them better and can put them into practice so much easier than other people and it shows when someone tries to do what you do and fails. That's why so few people make it to the Elite level, they're limited by their own abilities and way of thinking. You were arrogant because you knew you had something no one else had growing up, your father and grandfather were Champions, people whose stories you listened to and could cherry pick what made them successful. Your cockiness in the Indigo League was what got you beat but we both know you'd have made it to at least the Semi Finals of the League, maybe even the final. But I guarantee that after that loss you never forgot to research your opponent again, even as poor as the competition was in the Johto League last year, I bet you looked up what Pokémon your opponent had and came up with a way to counter them."
"I did," Gary said, "that battle in the Indigo League against Melissa was humiliating and I was determined never to put my Pokémon through that again. I've never really thought about it that way but it makes total sense now. I thought I was just a shit instructor."
"Oh you are" Ash said getting a surprised look from Gary "hey, so am I but it's the reason why people can't understand what we tell them. For me I just put it into writing and let them interpret it whatever way they want. I've tried many times to show people what to do, and how to do it but some find my words to be nothing more than gibberish. I'm glad I'm Champion because it means I don't have to have apprentices, I can hand-pick and choose who I want to teach which is why I have Hailee. Luckily my Pokémon understands what I am trying to teach them which is a big relief. But yeah, it's difficult to teach when you can't teach someone who is on your wavelength or able to understand you."
After eating and cleaning up they sat and chatted about random things they'd been doing.
October 11th
"What are you going to do about your Elite Four Challenge by the way?" Ash asked him a few days later as Gary was going over with Giovanni who had stopped by about the Torch Run.
"Well I've still got two years left before I need to issue a challenge to the Kanto one and given there's only two of them at the minute it can hardly be called an Elite Four challenge." Gary said.
"No I know that" Ash said "what I mean is do you plan on doing the challenge. As far as I'm aware you haven't battled since you won the Johto League. Do you still train?"
"Of course I do" Gary said nodding "not as intensely as you do but I'm still training every other day. I haven't really battled that much but I've been training with Dad quite a bit when he comes home. I'll be honest Ash, I have no idea if I even want to continue battling. I've been spending a lot of time at yours as you know but I've not really told many people why."
"Well I thought it was because of Zoe" Ash said looking confused.
"Partly" Gary said wincing "we've been growing apart for a while now mainly because of our ages. She's 21 in February, I won't be sixteen until March so it's a big age gap to try and get past. We gave it a shot, and I think we both know it's over. We just won't admit it yet. Anyway while I was at yours I started talking to the researchers who have been studying and I became particularly interested in the fossil Pokémon. Your notes on them were incredibly informative as well so I started helping out and learning what I could."
"Yeah they're very interesting" Ash said "I hope you watched out for my Kabutops, she seems to want to create an army and is using those fossils as underlings."
"Who do you think stopped her from doing so?" Gary said smirking "trust me, Blastoise has been very busy over the last year."
"Oh good!" Ash said, surprising him "I've repeatedly told her to pack it in. Hopefully now she's been promised a mate after the tournament she'll give up."
"Yeah Mark told me about that" Gary said laughing "It's been the easiest decision he ever made apparently. Anyway they offered me a role as a Junior Researcher at their lab on Sayda Island."
"Ooh that's really cool!" Ash said "I've flown past it on my way back from Seafoam to Fuchsia. I've never been there but they study the Pokémon found in Granpa Canyon don't they?"
"That and other fossils found and reanimated, yeah" Gary said "It's a really good opportunity for me and I think I'm going to take it. I would start in January but I would be gone the entirety of my internship which is two years. Once I'm qualified though I can leave and go to other labs but I'm stuck on Sayda Island for that time."
"It's too good of an opportunity to let slide" Ash said "two years will fly by and you'll be well on your way to being a fully qualified professor at seventeen. Do me a favour though."
"What's that?" Gary asked.
"Challenge my Elite Four as soon as you finish it" Ash said, surprising him "trust me on this. You don't want to ever get the 'you're not as good as your dad' comments and I truly believe you'd get a spot as number three or four in the Elite Four. Your dad hated getting those comments."
"He's right," Giovanni said, looking up from his notes he was taking. "Your dad hated the press for a long time after he lost to Red and he is one of the most gifted battlers Kanto has ever seen. Losing one match lost him a lot of respect, respect he more than deserved and it got to him. He refused to be seen in public for months after his loss, which as you know was a fluke as Red openly admits he should have lost that match. Now we know you're not him but going into research is going to gain comparisons with Sam. You've already been compared with Blue as a battler so if you can combine those the comments will quickly disappear."
"I'm actually not too bothered by those comments" Gary said shrugging his shoulders "they would have bothered me but I won the Johto League Tournament the year after losing in the Indigo League. People know who I am from something I accomplished whether the people I fought were crap or not. My name is on the trophy, no one can take that away from me."
"Well your challenge is still going to be good for another two years after this tournament ends" Giovanni said "which means it gives you an extra two months you wouldn't have gotten had you won the Indigo Tournament as that ended last month. Just give it some thought, that's all we ask. Anyway apparently Lance has something special planned for the opening event, something he's not told anyone. So be prepared for anything."
"Oh it's nothing bad" Ash said from his seat getting surprised looks "trust me."
"How do you know and I do not?" Giovanni asked, throwing his pen down in irritation.
"Hey, I thought you would given you're the new President" Ash said "but if he wants it to be a surprise I'll keep his secret. Just don't worry about it."
A knock on the door stopped any retort from Giovanni who just glared at Ash's retreating back.
"Hey Joanne" Ash said, opening the door for her and grabbing her suitcase. "Just you?"
"Yeah for a few weeks" she said "Karl is doing some training for the league. He's doing a Senior Referee's exam on Saturday so he needs to be in Kanto. Any potential resits are midweek next week so it's just me for a few weeks."
"Oh cool" Ash said walking into her room and dumping the case on her bed.
"Of course if you lose in the preliminaries I'll be going back to Kanto earlier than I thought and my holiday will start seven weeks earlier than I had planned." she said from the kitchen.
"Cheeky sod" he said laughing before throwing her a notebook which she caught.. "That's what the schedule will be should I make it to the final. It's been upgraded since last year when Gary won but the rounds are pretty much the same. There's just more trainers to fight."
"One more trainer" Gary said clarifying "let's not make it out to be more than what it is. Last year it was the top 16 that went through and competed against each other. This year the top eight from the eight groups go straight through, the bottom eight go out but the middle sixteen face each other to compete for a spot against the top eight creating a top sixteen. So if Ash finishes top of his group he gets a bye to the top sixteen, if he finishes second or third in his group he goes on to the qualifier-the extra battle and if he finishes bottom he goes home."
"Sounds easy enough" she said nodding "are you ready?"
"Joanne I was born ready" Ash said snorting "I hope your planned holiday was only a month long because I'll be issuing my challenge to the Johto Elite Four straight away. I'll give them two months to train so it'll be in February hopefully."
"So soon?" she asked.
"Yeah" Ash said "I have a lot planned for next year including training my apprentice at home for at least two months without interruptions. I plan on leaving for Hoenn in May. Their region is huge, and involves travelling on a lot of water, something Lapras and Gyarados are quite excited about actually."
"Oh ok" she said "Have you told Mr Suzuki? I'm pretty sure he had something in the works for your scheduled appearances."
"Not yet" Ash said "I'll tell him after the tournament, depending on how well I do."
"Right," Giovanni said, "I think that covers the plans for tomorrow. I need to get to the office to type these up and get them to Chief Jenny so she can set up the roadblocks. I'll see you tomorrow, Ash good luck."
"Cheers," Ash said, nodding.
"You seem to be getting along better" Gary remarked after he left.
"No," Ash said "we just seem to have come to an understanding that we will only be colleagues until his son has been caught. Maybe we can be family after that. Anyway, Joanne. Tell me what you've been up to lately."
October 12th
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome all to the 32nd annual Johto League Tournament!" Giovanni said from atop the plinth. Ash was seated on the field at the main stadium which was packed with people in the seats, along with his other fellow competitors and reporters who were filming the event live. "Today is a momentous day in Johto's history as we all gather to watch over the next six and a half weeks trainers from every region compete to gain the Silver Tournament Trophy. Lance, if you please." he finished pointing to the Champion who was sitting on the podium with a trophy at his feet. Picking it up Lance grinned and brought it to the plinth that would house the trophy for the next few hours. "Look around you. One of you is going to be forever etched into the annals of the Johto League by having your name carved into this trophy so without further ado, let's get this tournament underway shall we?"
As the crowd cheered Ash smirked as he felt them get closer. He watched as Gary entered through the middle entrance to the stadium and down the wide aisle in the centre, running as he had been from the edge of Silver Town, through the battlefields and into the main stadium. As he reached the steps Lance met him and stopped him from ascending, much to the confusion of everyone. When Lance whistled and looked up to the rafters everyone followed his gaze and seconds later a collective gasp was heard as the Legendary Beasts appeared, three on one side of the stadium roof and the other three facing them, looking utterly majestic in the wind that was gently blowing through their manes. As one they leaped down and landed softly on the ground coming together before they too looked up at the rafters and bowed as one. The next few minutes would forever go down in the annals of Pokémon folklore as sweeping up from the outside of the building Ho-oH and Lugia both appeared on opposite sides, twirling around each other in the centre before gracefully descended to a hushed crowd. Landing where the referees box was, Ho-oH walked pretty well for a bird through the middle of the seated crowd who now knew why there was such a big aisle going down the middle and stopped before a shell-shocked Gary who was holding her torch. Lugia hovered in mid-air over her looking over the crowd with a serene look before amazingly Ho-oH bowed her long graceful neck and gently jabbed Gary in the stomach before looking to where her flame was usually kept lit throughout the tournament. Ash hoped Gary would faint but he was disappointed when he turned slowly and ascended the steps and threw the torch in. As the huge brazier lit up Lugia moved out of the way as Ho-oH gave one huge wingbeat and was aloft joining her fellow Legendary before she swept away to the south, Lugia going the opposite way. The Beasts seeing their overseers leave decided to do the same and one by one they leaped onto the rafters once more before turning around to face each other, bowing and then leaving.
Ash could only chuckle at the presentation they had given and started clapping, something that others followed with and soon the entire stadium erupted with applause as Lance and Giovanni shouted down the microphone "Let the games begin!"