Pokemon:

Heroic Heart and Super Soul

Episode 12:

Curtains Up

Tom: Sorry it took us so long. Been super busy. As for right now, it took TimPrime1 a while to figure out a different episode for this story.

Sara: As for right now. We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving; for the Holidays are coming up. Merry Christmas to all.

Tom: Be safe while Christmas shopping. Get yourself a good tree and have fun.

XJ9: The broadcast is ready.

R2-D2 works on the computer terminal, giving off beeps and boops to XJ9.

XJ9: Gotcha.

Naruto: Let's get the show on the road.

Deadpool bursts through the door: I sense 4th wall breaks! Took me a while to get here. Will head out soon.

Ash: Not him again.

Danny Phantom: Just get the show on.

The drones fire beams to the Absolution.

Sara: Receiving the broadcast now! Alright, Tom. We're ready.

Tom: I love this gig. (Hits the touchscreen buttons and slams his fist on the arm rest."

TP1

A few days ago, Ash and the others were doing their own individual training. While Ash trained for his Badge-Symbols. Serena was training for her Contests with Dawn and Iris. Misty and Ash have been traveling to where Serena's first contest is. Especially since Dawn will like to watch her rival from the sidelines. From the talk they had over the phone, Dawn had decided to watch first. To see how Serena would do on her first time.

As for Ash; he and Misty were heading to Celadon City. The two of the have left from Saffron City for the contest. The two were having talks and some laughs. Misty replied to what had just said, the two of them; just showing their own feelings. Even Pikachu saw this. He smiled at his two best friends, just chatting away.

When they saw Celadon City, they stopped right before they would continue. Knowing they were about to see Dawn and those again; Ash couldn't wait to see what Dawn has taught Serena. He was also very anxious to get his next badge symbol. As for right now, they faced the city.

"Alright! We're here." Ash stated.

"Finally. Felt like we wouldn't get here." Misty remarked, knowing it took a few days.

"Understood on that." Ash replied. "After my first badge-symbol. We had a bit of traveling and training." Ash stated. "But, now. We're gonna see our new friends first contest." Ash said.

(Beat) In a loud whisper: GOTTA CATCH 'EM, GOTTA CATCH EM, GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! POKEMON! (Regular) I WANT TO BE THE BEST, THAT NO ONE EVER WAS! TO CATCH THEM IS MY REAL TEST. TO TRAIN THEM IS MY CAUSE. FOR EVERY NEW JOURNEY I FACE, OFFERS A NEW CHALLENGE. FROM NEW FRIENDS, TO NEW RIVALS! NEW POKEMON WITH NEW ABILITIES. BE A HERO, BE A HEERROOO. IT'S IN YOUR SOUL. BE A HERO. BE A HEERRROOOOO. THE POWER IS IN YOUR SOUL. JUST TAKE IT IN YOUR HAAANNNDD! POKEMON.

Ash and Misty were now looking around the city. Pikachu looked as well. That was until Misty grabbed Ash by his arm. He immediately stopped and jolted back a bit.

"Yeah, Mist?" He asked and looked in the direction she was looking in. "A store?" He asked as he looked at the store. Just not any store. This was a clothing store. "Uuhhh...Mist?" He began to ask her until she dragged him inside. From there, she began trying on some clothes. She looked at herself in different yellow clothes with short-shorts, as well as red clothes. She even tried on some skirts. She also tried on a yellow dress. "Man, she's trying a lot of clothes on." Ash commented.

She turned to him, still in the dress. "It's been a while since I got to try on some clothes." She told him. "Besides. When I saw you in the woods. I wasn't expecting it." She reminded him. "Glad I did. Or otherwise, we wouldn't be on this journey." She told him.

"Very true. But this is reminding me of Dawn back in Sinnoh and May in Hoenn." He told her.

"Don't worry. I'm finished with all of this." She told him. "Next up is to send them home." She stated. That was when Ash's stomach grumbled. He chuckled as he put his hand over his stomach. Misty did a fall stance.

"I guess I'm a bit hungry." Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Misty regained her composure. "Some things never change." Misty remarked.

Not long after she sent off her new clothes, they were in a restaurant. Ash had ordered some food as did Misty. He ate pretty fast, as he usually did. Pikachu face faulted, knowing how Ash is. Misty still ate her food, taking her time. "Definitely! Some things never change." She commented. Ash paused and looked at her. "I see that your eating habits are about the same." She remarked.

"Wh-what do you mean, Mist?" Ash asked, his mouth a bit full.

"I mean, you habits have changed a bit." She told him. "Even though you were on your journeys." She mentioned.

He swallowed his food and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He replied. Misty giggled at him, still remembering her love for him.

Not long after, the two of them were now heading to the Pokemon Center that the others were at. Misty looked at her map on the PokeNav. "We're pretty close." Misty told Ash. From there the three of them went around the corner and saw the Center.

"There it is." Ash said and they ran to the center. They entered and saw it was a pretty decent size inside. They looked around and saw many trainers who are coordinators. They were talking and having some good laughs. "I wonder where they are." Ah wondered. Misty came up to his side.

She looked around as well. "I doubt they'll be here right now. It might take some time." Misty reminded him. He looked at her Pokenav and saw they were a bit early.

"Oh yeah. We are a bit early." Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Pika pika pi. (I knew we were.)" Pikachu replied.

They went up to the front and checked in and made a video call to Prof. Oak.

"Well, hello you two. It's great to see that you both have made it." Prof. Oak said and looked at them again and didn't see Serena, Dawn and Iris. "Hmm, that's odd. Where's Dawn, Serena and Iris?" He asked.

"Well, you see, we arrived a bit early." He informed Prof. Oak.

"That does give you time to get the next Pokedex update. As well as send me a little more data." He said to them.

"You got it." Ash replied as he showed his Pokedex. From there, he inserted the dex into the video phone and Prof. Oak got the information. He began to update the dex and see amount of data Ash had gathered.

"Great. I got your information." Oak informed Ash. "The update is done as well." Oak told them.

Ash got the dex out of the slot and opened it to see the update. A few things had changed on the dex, but not much. He closed it and put it up. "Got it. Thanks Prof. Oak." Ash replied.

It wasn't long after that, Ash and Misty got a room and saw the bunk beds. They knew it would be just the two of them in the room. Especially since Dawn, Serena and Iris were sleeping in another room.

"This will be great." Misty said as she sat her stuff on a bed and sat down next to them. "A bed a last." She stated.

"I'm used to the outdoors. I do, however, enjoy this when I can." Ash told her.

"Reminds me of our travels back then." Misty remarked. She remembered how Ash really liked the outdoors. Said it was the best way to learn basic skills. Even though he didn't have any. "I still remember when the two of us found that cabin and stayed there for a few days." Misty remembered.

"That was when Brock got sick; and we helped him take care of the chores he normally did." Ash recalled as he put his back pack down on the floor. "I had a tough time attempting to clean his Onix. That was until you stopped and helped me." He said in a chuckle.

"I remember that." Misty replied. "You tried to use water when it was sandpaper that did the trick." Misty recalled.

"Well, I was still learning about Pokemon in Johto. Still am." Ash replied "There's gonna be a lot I still need to learn." He told her.

"It's like you still have training to do." She sarcastically told him, in a teasing way.

"What was that...?" He asked her in the same way. Pikachu saw this and jumped onto his bed as he approached her. She was getting really nervous as he was looking devious, in a funny way.

"And what are you gonna do?" She asked playfully.

"This." He told her. That was where Ash began to tickle her and she began to laugh up a storm.

"Pika pika pi. (I can't believe this.) Pikachu said with his paw on his head, as he shook his head.

The two had a good laugh after Ash was done tickling her. They both stared into each others eyes, being lost in them; very lovingly.

"I think we'll be interrupting something." someone said sarcastically and ironically. Ash and Misty looked in the door way and saw Iris. "I thought I heard laughter. Knew I recognized it too." She remarked.

"Iris." Ash sated as Serena and Dawn came up behind her. "Dawn and Serena." He added as he got up.

"Gee, Iris! Way to go with that." Dawn told her.

"Well, I did hear laughter." She told her.

"I did too, but that doesn't mean you have to interrupt them." Dawn told her, knowing how immature she can be.

Serena looked at them then back to Ash and Misty. "I barely saw anything. What did happen?" She requested.

"It's nothing to worry about." Dawn told her.

In the lounge area, they were now sitting down, having a chat.

"So, why are you guys late?" Ash asked.

"Serena wanted to try a hotel, but that would be very costly." Iris told them.

"We told her the best solution was here at the center. Though we still somehow ended up at the hotel." Dawn said.

"I forgot to reset the map on the Pokenav." Serena said, a bit disappointed.

"Took us a bit longer to find the place. Only because someone insisted they knew where to go." Dawn told them as she glared a bit at Iris.

"Hey, that was my bad, I didn't really know. Not used to the city." She reminded Dawn.

"Pika pi pika pika. (Dawn knows more.)" Pikachu said and Ash laughed at him.

"What's so funny?" Iris asked.

"Pikachu said that Dawn knows more." Ash told her.

"How do you understand him?" Serena asked.

"Simple! When you've been around your companions long enough. It's easier to know what they're saying." Ash told her.

"Took me a while to understand Piplup." Dawn stated.

It was there, Serena remembered something. "Oh, yeah. The contests." She said. "I do hope I'm ready for upcoming contest. I'm very nervous." She told them.

"There's no need to worry." Dawn reminded her. "From the training we did; you're gonna be great." Dawn encouraged.

"I don't really feel it." Serena replied.

"I have an idea." Ash replied. They looked to him as he was now standing.

Not long after, they were on a training field; right behind the Pokemon Center. Serena was in front of them. Ash, Misty, Dawn and Iris sat on the side lines. Ready to see how Serena would do.

"Let's see how well you are. Just remember, don't concentrate on us. Just focus on how your performance is supposed to go." Ash told her, in an attempt to help her out. She was looking at him as he told her that.

Serena gave a nod to him and grabbed her Pokeball. Serena clicked the button on her pokeball and threw it. "Come on out!" She called out. The ball burst open and out came a white light. As the light formed, it cleared in mid-air; revealing a Growlithe. The dog Pokemon howled, presenting itself.

"Huh? A Growlithe?!" Ash said, surprised.

"Yep! She caught that Pokemon the other day." Dawn told them. They looked to her, a bit surprised. "She began training with 'em as well. It wasn't long until Growlithe understood what Serena was training 'em to do." Dawn told them.

In a flash back, she remembered that Serena had called out Growlithe.

"Okay, Growlithe. We're going to do some training." She told her new Pokemon. "I'm wanting to be a coordinator and don't know very much." She told Growlithe. Growlithe turned to look at her, a bit confused, until Dawn came up.

"In other words, Serena will be needing you to show off your abilities in a graceful manner." Dawn told Growlithe, to help Serena. "For right now, it'll be you and Serena showing off your stuff until contest battles." She informed the dog Pokemon.

Growlithe understood a bit more now and gave a happy nod, wanting to help its trainer. Serena then began to grab for her pokedex to learn Growlithes moves. That was when Growlithe let out an Ember attack. Serena saw this and waved her hands a bit frantically. "W-wait. I didn't mean..." That was when Dawn put her arm in front of her. Seeing what Growlithe was doing. Seeing the Ember attack, it then clicked in her head.

"Growlithe is showing you its moves." Dawn told Serena.

"R-really?" Serena asked.

That was where Growlithe ran towards a tree and bit it. "That's Growlithe's Bite." Dawn stated. Growlithe then unleashed a roar, away from them. "That's Growlithe's roar." Dawn said then looked to Serena. "Quickly, say Flamethrower." She told Serena.

Serena looked confused for a second at her, then realized what Dawn said. She looked to Growlithe. "Use Flamethrower." She told the dog Pokemon. Gowlithe opened its mouth wide and unleashed a large and powerful Flamethrower.

"Growlithe understood what we meant. It was like they were best friends already." Dawn told them as she looked at them in the present.

Growlithe stood ready. But could sense Serena's nervousness. The dog Pokemon sensed her nervousness and went over to her. Serena wasn't paying the fullest of attention, until she felt something on her leg. She looked down and saw Growlithe nuzzling her leg. The dog Pokemon looked up at her, as to give her encouragement. Smiling at Growlithe, she got down on one knee and pet 'em. "Thanks, Growlithe." She said to 'em.

She got back up and looked ahead. Growlithe got back into place. "Okay, Growlithe. Use Flamethrower then roar." She called out. Growlithe did as she said and unleashed a Flamethrower, right after that, Growlithe unleashed its Roar attack. The attack blasted apart the Flamethrower, making red sparkles rain down. Everyone was very impressed by this. Serena was very proud of her Pokemon, but she had doubts the judges would like her performance.

"Very amazing." Iris commented.

"You got it. I was very impressed on her first try the other day." Dawn also commented.

"She might be a beginner, but she's shown a lot from this." Ash stated.

"It's beautiful. Very magnificent." Misty said as well.

"I thank you all for that." Serena replied. "But, I just don't think the judges will go for this." She told them. They looked at her very confused, even her Growlithe looked at her confused. "I know I've seen contests on tv. I've seen how great they can truly be." Serena told them. "I just don't know if the judges will accept what I've got so far. I also know I've been training with each of my Pokemon. To choose the first one I'll be using in my first contest." She stated.

"Growlithe, you did a great job. I'd just like to wait a bit longer; if that's alright with you." She requested. Her Pokemon faced her, knowing how she felt. Giving a bow with its head, the Pokemon came up to her and nuzzled into her leg once again. Serena got on her knees and hugged Growlithe. "Thank you." She told her Pokemon.

They saw how she was and this reminded Ash of back in Hoenn, but May didn't know about what she wanted to be, until she watched a contest. That's what gave Ash the idea. "I have an idea." Ash told them as he stood; and they all looked to him. "Since you don't feel ready, just watch the contest form the sidelines. That way you can watch other beginners take the stage. To see how they do." Ash advised. "May did the same thing back in Hoenn. But, she didn't know what to become at first until, after, she watched her first contest." He told them.

Dawn understood what he was saying. "I agree." She remarked, knowing hoe Serena felt and got up as well. "I know when I first went in, I was incredibly nervous when I began. After I lost, I talked with my mom and she helped to steer me to my friends." She told them. "As well in the right direction." She remarked.

"I remember that. After you lost, Brock and I helped you to become better than you were. There was a lot that you learned from." Ash recalled.

"We all learn from our past mistakes." Misty commented. "Some more than others, though." Misty said as she looked at Ash, winking an eye.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked her.

Misty gave off a small laugh. "I think you know." She teased him.

"Okay, you two. Let's stop with the flirting and focus on what we need to do at hand. Because I still have an idea about this." Dawn told them.

"What's your idea?" Iris asked.

Dawn turned to them, "Since Serena wants to be o the sidelines. I'll enter in first." She told them.

That clicked in Ash, "Oh ,yeah!" He exclaimed. "Not only will she see a first time coordinator, she'll also get to see one that's a professional." He stated.

"Great idea, you guys. To see how a beginner and a professional do it. It'll help her out." Misty commented as she got up with them.

"Are you up for that, Serena?" Iris asked.

Serena returned her Growlithe and joined them. "I'd say it'll be great. It'll definitely help me to get in more practice for the next contest." She stated.

"I'll be getting ready for the upcoming contest, then." Dawn said and went into thought, "What should I wear?" She wondered.

"You don't really need to wear anything like you used to." Ash told her. She looked to him, very confused. "Don't you remember? Contests in Kanto, Johto and Hoenn don't require you to dress up." Ash reminded her.

Dawn rubbed the back of her head, sheepishly. "Oh, yeah! I completely forgot. Been dressing up for over a year, in Sinnoh." She remembered. "I'd still like to try and wear something." Dawn told them.

"Why not the outfit you already have?" Serena requested. Serena looked a her new outfit. Still consisting of a V-neck tank top with a pink under shirt, white skirt, cerulean hair clips, blue knee high boots and white knee high socks.

The outfit does look great, but she didn't fully feel it wasn't her. She was more used to wearing dresses during the contests. Upon thinking about she looked to them. "I'll do it in this outfit; to help Serena out. After that, I'll look for something; like a dress. It's what I'm more used to" Dawn told them. They all nodded and acknowledged it before heading back to the Pokemon Center.

The following day, everyone was a the contest. All coordinators chatting away, having a good time. Each of them preparing up for the contest. Making sure their Pokemon look good. Dawn entered in with the others and they all saw how everyone was. This made Serena even more nervous, as she only went down there to see how things were. Dawn could tell she was nervous, but she didn't feel quite right. In her casual attire, she wasn't really wanting to do the contest like that.

"You doing okay?" Serena asked.

She looked to her then to her outfit. "From what we discussed yesterday; this doesn't feel like me, all that much." Dawn stated.

Serena put her hand on her shoulder and Dawn looked to her. "You might be used to dresses, but these contests will be different. I've definitely learned that yesterday." Serena reminded her. "Just focus on the contest at hand. I know you can do this." she stated.

With Ash, Misty and Iris, they had taken seats in the bleachers; the contest was about to begin. They saw the stage until Serena came up and sat next to Iris.

"How's Dawn doing?" Ash asked.

"She's doing fine! Getting ready is all." Serena replied.

It wasn't long after until the contest had begun. Each contestant was introduced on the board and Serena noticed Miette. She had entered that contest and looked down on the stage area and saw her. She stood there with a smile and Serena looked at her out of curiosity.

The contest started and Serena watched the coordinators as they showed off their Pokemon. Seeing how everyone did their thing. She even watched both Dawn and Miettte as they showed what they could do. To Serena's surprise, Miette had used a Charmander; one of the starters. Dawn had used her Kirlia and saw how amazing Kirlia's moves were and she could tell how much Dawn knew about contests.

Miette had her Charmander use Ember, showing off its glowing tail as it fired Ember. Then she had Charmander to use Scratch to destroy a bit of the Ember. It made Charmander's body start to glow with flames. After Miette was done, Dawn went next. Dawn decided to show off Magical Leaf first, surrounding Kirila with beautiful pollen. Dawn then had Kirila use Psychic to make the pollen and Kirila glow a brilliant blue light.

Seeing how they both showed off their Pokemon, they then went into the battle stage. Everyone saw how well each coordinator battled and showed off their Pokemon's styles. Both Miette and Dawn had shown off how great they were; but Serena thought that Miette might beat Dawn. Primarily since Miette trained her Pokemon for this. It was in the final round that Miette's Charmander wasn't a match for Dawn's Kirlia. Having trained her Pokemon well, Dawn managed to beat Miette.

This had surprised Serena; she never knew that Dawn could could battle so well, with incredible grace. This made her think on Dawn performance and can her the encouragement. Especially since she saw that since Dawn had managed to beat Miette, she knew she could as well. From there on, she would train hard.

The following day, they were all outside. Knowing they were about to split up. Ash and Misty had to go to the next Frontier Gym as Dawn and Iris were going to help Serena train for her first contest. They all talked and had a laugh.

"I can't believe it, still. Going up Miette was pretty easy, despite the fact that she had a great chance." Dawn commented.

"It was quite clear that she's a good coordinator. Just needed more practice with battling." Iris stated.

"Which is why I aim to train harder." Serena told them. They looked to her, a little confused. "I know I stayed out of my first contest; but I know what I need to do." she told them. "After seeing how Dawn did as well as Miette losing to her. I know I can go as far as I can." she told them.

"That's great to hear. Having a rival can definitely help. Just try to be more encouraging with your rivalry." Ash informed her.

"Much like with you and Gary?!" Misty teased him with a wink.

"Back then, we were still young. We both matured over time." Ash remarked as he rubbed his head, with a blush.

"Where are you both off to this time?" Iris asked them.

"We're heading on our journey still. There's a place not far away from here were stopping at." Ash told them.

"Awe! I was hoping you guys would join us after the contest." Dawn said a bit disappointed.

"We might be able to continue on soon. From what I'm doing, it's a bit hard to explain." Ash told them.

"Besides, I'm glad to be traveling again. Been a good while." Misty remarked.

"How long has it been?" Serena asked.

"We first stopped when I was thirteen. Before my adventures in Sinnoh, we traveled briefly." Ash told them.

"My sister kept needing me to come by the gym to take on challengers." Misty explained.

"Hopefully we'll meet up in the next town." Dawn said.

"I'm sure we all will. Now, are we ready?" Iris asked.

From there, Ash and Misty went on their way, while Dawn, Iris and Serena went their way as well. Serena hoping to train enough for her first contest. While Ash and Misty head to the next Frontier Gym, they looked back at the town then forward. Ash looked to Misty's poke-nav and looked to the forest ahead.

"I hop this is right." He told her.

"It should be right. After all, Mr. Goodshow is the one who sent me the data." she told Ash.

"True on that one. Let's see if we can find this place." he replied and they began to go into the forest, knowing that the next badge-symbol is close close by.

I WANT TO BE THE BEST, THAT NO ONE EVER WAS! TO CATCH THEM IS MY REAL TEST. TO TRAIN THEM IS MY CAUSE. FOR EVERY NEW JOURNEY I FACE, OFFERS A NEW CHALLENGE. FROM NEW FRIENDS, TO NEW RIVALS! NEW POKEMON WITH NEW ABILITIES. BE A HERO, BE A HEERROOO. IT'S IN YOUR SOUL. BE A HEERRROOOOO. THE POWER IS IN YOUR SOUL. JUST TAKE IT IN YOUR HAAANNNDD! POKEMON.

TP1

Tom: Been nearly a year, been losing track of time, but we're still kicking it.

Sara: Hopefully we'll get more chapters done.

Tom: It'll be a while until we get the other stories tackled.

Sara: In the mean time, follow TimPrime1 on social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Discord and much more.

Tom: Also remember to sit back, relax and stay gold. While I push the button. Only Toonami.

Me: Till next time.

TimPrime1 out