The Champion
"Mija, I'm so relieved you came back!" An older woman that greatly resembled Skyla pulled her into a hug immediately after she saw her on the other side of the door. "You left so suddenly that we were worried those Team Plasma putas got you."
"I'm sorry mother but as soon as I realized mi amor was alive, I dropped everything to go and see him!" Skyla pulled away from her mother before wrapping her arm around Zach who gave an awkward smile and a wave as Skyla's father and little sister appeared.
"Well don't just stand there Andreja, invite them inside." Skyla's father spoke while giving Zach a nod of approval. Although they'd never met, he'd heard enough about him from Skyla and had watched his Unova League battles on the television. Only a good selfless individual could have a close bond with his party and go toe to toe with Alder the way he had.
"Of course," Andreja held out her arm while beckoning for them to step inside. "It's good to finally meet you, Zach."
"Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet you." Zach commented, his arm wrapped around Skyla's waist as she edged closer to him.
Andreja instantly took notice of how close they stood to each other along with Skyla's slightly messed up hair, suggesting she groomed it in a hurry. "You two had some fun," Zach shot bright red and avoided Skyla's parents' gaze while Skyla's face shot red from a mixture of blush and rage. "So when's the wedding?"
"Mother!" Skyla shouted out.
"Give them time, the boy's been through enough. No sense making them rush into it." Skyla's father spoke in a calm tone before getting serious as he looked to Zach. "But if she gets pregnant, I expect the two of you to get married as soon as possible."
"O-Of course!" Zach stuttered, performing a quick bow while Lucario lightly chuckled. The jackal was enjoying the show and was thankful that he didn't have to deal with romance.
"Hey you, wake up!" An Officer Jenny was impatiently prodding a robed individual who was fast asleep on a bench. "You can't sleep here!" She shouted, giving his head a light whack with her baton.
"Is that Officer Jenny?" Ash asked upon seeing a police officer poking a man who appeared to be passed out, an empty bottle could be seen laying not far from where the man was sleeping.
"Looks like the guy is a lightweight," Brock commented while staring at the empty bottle.
"Oh my gosh, that can't be... can it?" Cilan questioned while eyeing the individual. "It looks like..."
"I'm awake!" The man quickly leaped to his feet, revealing himself to be Alder. Unlike most champions, Alder didn't have a home though that was purely by choice as he enjoyed traveling around. He had a bit of a love for drinking but it wasn't anything serious, he was a lightweight and couldn't even finish a bottle. The remains of the bottle usually dripped out and evaporated. The man then cast a smirk upon noticing Officer Jenny. "Well hello!" He spoke in a seductive tone while dropping to a knee.
"This seems familiar." Brock commented while watching on.
"My dear Jenny, I've had the pleasure of 'getting to know' several of your cousins but I must say that you're the most alluring one by far. Would you be interested in getting to know me better?" Alder asked while giving quite the seductive stare.
Officer Jenny rolled her eyes as she whipped out a pair of handcuffs. "That's it buddy, you're clearly drunk. Back off or I'll be forced to-"
"Oooh I like where this is headed!" Alder's eyes lit up as he eyed the handcuffs with an excited expression.
Hilda and Cilan's jaw dropped while Ash raised a brow. "What is he talking about...?"
"You don't want to know!" Brock, Cilan and Hilda simultaneously shouted out.
Officer Jenny shook her head. "That's it, Ducklett use Water Gun!"
"Duck!" A small blue duck Pokémon cried out as it burst from a ball she threw into the air. The duck aimed at Alder before shooting his face with a cold stream of water.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked while pulling out his Pokedex.
"Ducklett the Water Bird Pokémon, these bird Pokémon are excellent divers. They swim around in the water eating their favorite food, peat moss."
Alder grunted out as he shook his head. "Ugh," He shot a quick look around at his surroundings before giving Officer Jenny a look. "Oh no... did I do it again? I'm so sorry!" His demeanor was completely different from before, showing no intent on seducing Officer Jenny.
"It's fine, just go easy on the drink next time." Officer Jenny shook her head as she turned to take her leave. Alder noticed Ash and the others staring in his direction causing a genuine smile to cross his face as he headed in their direction.
"Hey there folks, I'm guessing you want an autograph from yours truly?"
"Of course!" Cilan enthusiastically exclaimed. "It's not every day you meet a Champion!"
"Champion?!" Ash exclaimed with a shocked expression. "You mean he's the Unova Champion?!"
"Of course I am, nobody's defeated me yet!" Alder tapped his chest with a bold expression. There was the slight possibility that he might have lost his title had a certain trainer actually had a full party and not five Pokémon but Alder dismissed that possibility a few years ago. He'd held onto the Champion title for far longer than any other had, Mustard may have him beat in age but he lost the title before regaining it after a few years. Alder was secretly hoping that somebody would come along and take it but he was starting to lose hope, there was no way he could retire until somebody beat him and he didn't want to just give the title away.
"Y-You're Alder!" Ash excitedly exclaimed. "I-I'd love to challenge you to a battle!"
"You really are from the boonies, aren't you?" Ash quickly whipped around to see Trip standing behind him with a cross expression. "You don't just walk up and ask a Champion for a battle, you have to earn that right. The fact you just walked right on up to ask is extremely disrespectful to both Alder and those who've battled him in the past."
Ash clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at Trip's words. He had no idea what Trip's deal was and why he constantly antagonized him, Gary was just playfully teasing him back when they were kids and Paul had a little respect for him despite calling Ash 'pathetic' several times but Trip was seemingly just an asshole.
Alder was silent as he stroked his chin while looking Pikachu over, during one of his many discussions with Cynthia he recalled her referring to a young boy and his Pikachu who she suspected would be among the strongest in the world someday. Lance also had a few kind things to say while Steven vaguely recalled meeting a boy and his Pikachu but wasn't sure if it was the same one, Alder was curious to see Ash's strength for himself.
"Sure kid, let's battle!" Alder exclaimed while offering Ash a smile as Trip's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"Alright!" Ash punched the air as an excited expression flashed across his face. "I can't wait to see how we stand against a Champion's Pokémon!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu pumped his fist. The two knew they stood no chance at beating Alder at the current moment but they were still eager to fight him.
"I don't get it, why is he so eager to battle him? Alder's going to destroy Pikachu." Hilda commented.
"Battling's not just about winning, it's about having fun." Brock explained. "Besides it'll give Ash a good feel of Alder's battle strategy if they get to battle for real."
"It's a waste of time, the only one whose going to face him for real is me." Trip spoke. "He's the entire reason I became a Pokémon trainer in the first place, I aspire to be just like him."
Alder cast Trip a look, the young adult looked familiar to him but he wasn't fully there at the moment so he couldn't properly place it. "Let's make this a one on one battle, how does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect, right buddy?!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
Alder smirked while removing a Pokeball from his necklace. "Bouffalant, let's get things started!"
The large buffalo huffed out while rubbing its hooves against the ground.
"So that's Bouffalant." Ash commented, withdrawing his Pokedex while Pikachu leaped off his shoulder.
"Bouffalant the Bash Buffalo Pokémon, they charge wildly and headbutt everything. Their headbutts have enough destructive force to derail a train."
"Alright Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted out.
"Pikachuuuu!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked shortly before a large dose of electricity expelled from his body and shot across the field. Alder simply watched and made no attempt at dodging, allowing for it to strike Bouffalant. Bouffalant grunted out as electricity surged through his veins but the buffalo remained standing with only minor injuries at best.
"Giga Impact!" Alder shouted out.
Bouffalant huffed out and charged across the field as a bright orange aura engulfed his body. The buffalo shot straight at Pikachu before crashing into him, sending the electric mouse flying across the field.
"Pikaaaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out, his arms flailed about before he crashed against a tree. A groan escaped from his lips as he slowly slid to the ground but he remained conscious as he hopped back to his feet, racing back to the battleground. "Pika!"
"Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted out.
"Pika!" Alder raised a brow as blue electricity began crackling around Pikachu's body before fully engulfing the mouse as he shot across the field. "Pika pika pika PIKA!" The blue electricity expanded before exploding as Pikachu made contact with Bouffalant.
"That can't be... it looked like... but how...?" Alder rubbed his eyes before giving Pikachu another look. "That looked like Bolt Charge." He was shocked as it was precisely like the Unova legends described it, the only difference was that Pikachu used it instead of a dragon. He wondered how on earth Pikachu managed to learn that attack.
"Bouff..." Bouffalant huffed out, looking slightly exhausted but nowhere near defeat.
"Head Charge!" Bouffalant lowered his horns as he charged headfirst at his opponent, moving with blinding speed and faster than Pikachu due to the difference in levels. Allowing for his horns to easily pierce Pikachu's body.
"Chaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out before falling limp atop Bouffalant's head, swirls filled his eyes as he laid in defeat. Bouffalant gently dropped him before stomping back to his trainer who gave him an affectionate pat.
"Well done Bouffalant!" Bouffalant grunted out and nuzzled against his trainer while Ash picked Pikachu up.
"You okay?"
"Pika..."
"Don't worry buddy, we'll beat him someday." Ash gave Pikachu an affectionate pat before placing him upon his shoulder. Although they lost, Pikachu actually put a dent into Bouffalant. With a bit more training and practice, they might actually stand a chance in a real battle. Trip was silently staring at Bouffalant with the rest of the group, appearing quite shocked that a trainer from the boonies actually put a dent in Bouffalant.
"No way, a kid from the boonies did that...?"
Alder gave Trip a look before approaching Ash. "Great job kid, I have no idea how Pikachu managed to learn Bolt Charge but it's clear that the two of you are quite special. I look forward to facing you for real someday, I have a good feeling about the two of you."
"So that blue Volt Tackle was just an entire new attack?" Ash assumed the move simply got a boost from the sword's lightning but it appeared that Pikachu actually gained one of the legendary Dragon Pokémon's attacks.
"Mind if I ask how that happened?" Alder questioned.
"No." Hilda defensively spoke. Alder noticed her tone, it was clear she was trying to protect somebody important to her so he wasn't going to question it.
"Alrighty then, mind if I have a few words with Trip here?" Alder shrugged before gesturing towards Trip. As the battle went on his head began to clear and he recalled where he'd seen Trip before. It was clear that Trip had gotten some wrong ideas over the years and needed to be taught a few things, although Alder had a feeling about Ash he couldn't risk Trip becoming a Champion for Unova or another region with the wrong way of thinking.
"Sure, we've got to let Pikachu and the others rest anyways." Ash spoke while holding his hand out to Alder. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Alder."
"Likewise Ash, good luck with your journey." Alder firmly shook his hand while Bouffalant gave Pikachu a nod of respect. Ash and the others turned to take their leave while Alder turned his attention to Trip.
"Alright kid, it's clear that somewhere along the line you've forgotten what it means to be a Champion." Alder crossed his arms and spoke with a firm tone as he gave Trip a serious expression. "Being a Champion isn't just about being a strong trainer, it's about having the respect of your people and looking out for those who are weaker than you. Protecting those who can't protect themselves, being racist towards Ash because he's from Kanto isn't cool."
"I'm not racist!" Trip defensively spoke out. "He's from some backwater town in Kanto."
Alder rubbed his forehead while gently shaking his head. "Regardless you can't judge somebody from where they grew up, I grew up on a reservation and had little experience with Pokémon before I set off on an adventure with Bouffalant. Anyone can be a Champion, regardless of what they look like or where they came from. Who knows, the next Champion could come from a 'backwater town' or village." Alder shrugged. "But that doesn't define who they are, your character does. How you treat other people and Pokémon is what defines you. I expect you to do better and treat Ash with respect from now on, is that clear?"
Trip gritted his teeth as Alder lectured him but his words struck, Trip realized that he was being a jerk for no reason and if he wanted to become more like Alder then he needed to do better and start being friendly towards Ash instead of constantly mocking him. If a Champion openly bullied others then they'd never be respected and he'd never end up like Alder. He wanted to be powerful and respected so perhaps he should start treating others with respect so they respect him. "Okay..."
"That's a good lad," Alder gave his shoulder a pat. "I look forward to seeing how you fare against the others at the Unova League. Good luck." Alder turned to take his leave while Trip watched on with a blank expression before forming a smile.
"I'll make you proud, Alder."
Hilda uttered out a gasp as the group rested in the Pokémon Center, feeling movement within her bag she quickly removed it from her shoulder and opened it up to see her egg glowing and rapidly shaking. She quickly removed it and held it close as it started to hatch, revealing a Snorunt.
"Snorunt runt runt!" The baby cried out before nuzzling against her trainer.
"A Snorunt, that takes me back!" Ash exclaimed while fondly reminiscing about Glalie.
Hilda retrieved an empty ball before gently tapping Snorunt's forehead. "I promise I'll take good care of you Snorunt," Hilda gently spoke as Snorunt's body was engulfed by a bright red light. The ball shook within her grasp before chiming out to signal the capture. "Alright, we got a Snorunt!" Hilda excitedly exclaimed.
"Eevoi!" Eevee excitedly cried out as the two looked forward to getting to know their new partner.
"I've got to get back to my Gym," Skyla leaned forward to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's lips. "I'll see you later, honey!" Although she planned on leaving the Gym behind to travel with him, she was stuck until the end of the season as she had no proper replacement or kin to pass it onto so the League was finding a replacement for her.
"See you babe." Zach wrapped his arms around Skyla's waist as he returned the kiss. The two held each other in an embrace for a few minutes before Skyla pulled away to take her leave for the day. Zach watched her leave the ranch before gazing towards the floor with a blank expression, unsure what to do with himself while he awaited her return.
"Hey Zach, you need to keep that physique to use that sword don't you?" Skyla's father questioned while nodding towards the sword which was currently resting against the side of the couch. "Why don't you help us out here? Managing a ranch can be quite laborious and will be a good workout for you, our last farmhand quit without notice so we're shorthanded at the moment."
"Sure thing Skyla's dad!" He figured it'd be a good distraction and help Lucario get back into a proper physique as well.
"Please call me Alejandro," Skyla's father spoke while offering his future son in law a kind smile. "And don't worry, this is only temporary. I know you don't intend on staying here long." Alejandro gave his shoulder a pat as he headed for the door. "Come on, I'll show you around the ranch."
Ash had his first meeting with Alder, I plan on having it be like Sinnoh where Ash meets all of the Elite Four before the Unova League so they have the chance to show off their personalities and lifestyle. I did speedrun Trip's development slightly but having your idol lecture you can be a pretty good wakeup call to put you on the right track.
And yes, Alder's a Native American or whatever the Pokémon equivalent is. I always had that feel about him and after Googling, it appears I'm not alone so I went with it.
Similarly Skyla's parents are accepting of Zach as he already fulfills the protective relative role in the story, and Hilda in a sense. I'm debating having Skyla's family name be Sanchez
