Chapter 42
"Welcome back to the second half of the first match in our semi finals. To recap Bethany has lost three Pokémon but used four those being Tauros, Dunsparce, Ursaring and Togekiss, the one available is Ursaring. While Ash hasn't lost one and used three, those being Pikachu, Lapras and Machamp. Pikachu had four moves locked in, Lapras has three and Machamp has two. Bethany's Ursaring has used three moves. So, please welcome back Ash Ketchum and Bethany Monroe!"
Ash nodded to himself as he went over what moves he was now locked into. He was happy with Pikachu's as he had good coverage. Lapras' moveset was pretty good too as she had perfect coverage for being locked into place but it was Machamp who was going to play a vital role here today to win him the match. Taking his place in his box he looked out and watched as the referee pressed a button and the field changed from one that was incredibly ripped up to a perfect one with a few podiums and walkways in and around water.
"Hmm" Ash said to Pi "I forgot about the field change, no matter. Let's go Machamp."
"Ursaring, You're back on the field." Bethany said looking much more composed than she did when they left. Her Ursaring though looked knackered as Pikachu had done a number on him and Lapras had very nearly finished him off.
"Machamp vs Ursaring, begin" the referee shouted.
"Ursaring, focus and Bulk Up" Bethany said as her Pokémon started glowing red and shouting and roaring.
"Machamp, head to the middle and wait there, let him come to us." Ash said as his Pokémon nodded and shuffled forwards hopping over the podiums and onto the centre where a large mass of land was.
"Meet him there" Bethany said and her bear Pokémon hopped over his own podiums and stopped ten feet away from his opponent and they started circling each other.
"Hammer Arm" Bethany called out as her Pokémon charged forwards. Machamp switched his feet and began to dodge and block with relative ease. He sparred with Ash every day and this was incredibly slow to him. He wasn't like Pikachu though, he wasn't as rude about calling others for being slow, he preferred to teach as he went along and he was talking to Ursaring about his footwork and how his aiming needed to improve. He thought he was being helpful until suddenly Ursaring stopped, roared and charged at Machamp who just shook his head, threw himself onto his back and monkey flipped Ursaring into the surrounding water where he flailed around angrily.
"I don't think he liked your advice" Pikachu said much to Ash's amusement.
"But it was good advice" Machamp called out "his footwork could do with improvement."
"Yes I know" Ash shouted "but this isn't the place for you to be teaching."
"You do it!" Machamp called up in his slow cadence ignoring the splashing bear.
"I know I do it" Ash said shaking his head "and I would be a hypocrite to ask you to stop."
"He cannot keep attacking recklessly" Machamp said looking at the bear who was throwing a tantrum and smashing water everywhere "Do you need help?"
Ursaring stopped throwing his tantrum and glared at Machamp and hauled himself out of the water, shaking himself off and snarling at Machamp before suddenly charging again. Machamp simply pirouetted out of the way and Ursaring again went flying into the water much to the amusement of the crowd.
"What's happening?" Bethany asked as she readied the Pokéball to recall her bear Pokémon.
"Machamp tried to correct his footwork and told him to focus on where he thought his opponent would be when using Hammer Arm and didn't appreciate it." Ash said, shaking his head as they all watched Ursaring again haul himself out of the water and sit back on his haunches looking exhausted. "Machamp is extremely meticulous when it comes to fighting hand to hand. We spar every day and his standards are second to none so when he sees energy being wasted he feels compelled to try and correct it."
"We don't need your training" Bethany shouted irate that someone other than her was pointing out her Pokémons flaws "Ursaring get up and use Earthquake."
"Machamp, finish it" Ash said shaking his head "Bullet Punch."
The crowd heard what sounded like a gunshot as Machamp rocketed forwards and hit Ursaring square in the chin as he went to slam his arms into the ground and he arced, almost balletically through the air and into the water once more. Machamp, knowing it was over hopped back to Ash's side and sat down to meditate.
"Ursaring is unable to battle. Bethany please send out your final Pokémon" the referee shouted.
Gritting her teeth she realised that ordering the move instead of recalling him like she was going to was a very bad move as now her last Pokémon had to sweep through five Pokémon, and only one had been remotely injured.
"Dammit" she said, shaking her head as she held out her last Pokéball and threw it onto the field.
"Machamp vs Clefable, begin" the referee shouted.
"Ok Clefable, we need to win every battle from here, I know we can do it." Bethany shouted "start off with Cosmic Power and then use Charm." Clefable started glowing pink and looked up to the skies and a ray of purple beamed down on him and he started to sway his short arms in a circular motion before the ray disappeared and he snapped his eyes open and sent Machamp a cute look. Unfortunately he was so far away that the attack did nothing but make Machamp frown.
"It's ok Machamp, I have a plan. I just need a few more things to happen first." Ash said "hop to the centre again." Machamp did as he was asked, trusting in Ash to know what to do.
"Metronome" Bethany shouted, making Ash chuckle.
"Ignore it" Ash shouted as Clefables hands started to wave in a hypnotic manner "we have no idea what move will be used so just get as close as you can."
Machamp nodded as he ran at full speed. Just as he was about to reach Clefable it disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the field.
"Teleport" Ash said, shaking his head and laughing "Sorry Machamp, he's over here now."
"Again" Bethany shouted.
"Machamp, swimming might be easier to get back here." Ash shouted.
Again he nodded and dove into the water as Clefable started moving his hands and from his mouth a chartreuse beam of light lanced out, hitting the water and plunged straight down. Luckily Machamp had reached the middle and just missed taking the Dragonbreath attack.
Bethany saw that she had the chance to power up again and decided to take it.
"Clefable, quickly use Defence Curl then Metronome" she shouted not seeing Ash smirk.
"Machamp stop where you are" Ash said as his Pokémon stopped on a platform. "We'll see what move is used."
Machamp nodded as he waited and from Clefables body a purple wave shot out and spread extremely quickly across the field. However it didn't hit as a red beam hit Machamp first.
"And Ash recalls his Machamp before the Psychic attack could hit. What does he plan to do now?" The announcer shouted excitedly.
"It doesn't matter," Bethany said, looking more confident now her Pokémon had boosted his attack and defence, ready for anything.
"I have a few questions" Ash said, picking out another ball "firstly Referee, is that all four of her moves allocated?" getting a nod of confirmation he looked at Bethany and said "my second question is to you. Do you really think I would let myself be beaten by a strategy my own girlfriend used against me in my first League? I racked my brain on how to counter it and came up short. But it was in the Orange Islands I had my breakthrough. Lapras, you're up." as his Dinosaur Pokémon appeared he smiled "you see there's no way to figure out just what move is going to come out from Metronome, it's why it's such an effective strategy and I have no shame in saying if Nia's Clefable hadn't used Explosion and took herself out I'd have likely lost that match and she would have advanced to the final. However, it was while training with her in mind I had an idea. Lapras, we're going to win this in one move."
"One move?" Bethany said sceptically "You're reaching there Ketchum. And you called me arrogant."
"Ok" Ash said nodding "I'll do you a deal. If I don't win this in my next move I'll forfeit the match. I will not use another attacking move. What do you say?"
"Your loss" she said, shaking her head at his statement.
"What is he doing?" Nia asked concerned unaware that millions of others across the world was wondering the same thing.
"I don't…that is brilliant" Gary said astonished when Ash issued his command "and it wouldn't work at any other point. She has no moves left to counter it, Metronome is too unpredictable to guarantee any protective move and she's used all her other slots. He doesn't have to issue another command because the match is over."
"You know he's never actually used that strategy against me in our spars," Nia said, shaking her head at her boyfriend's ability to be both idiotic, arrogant and genius at the same time.
"Lapras" Ash said "Perish Song." Lapras nodded knowing Ash had never actually asked her to use this move in a battle before but she started singing in a haunting, mournful hum, which echoed across the arena, seeping into both her and Clefable, both of them sagging as the song reached a crescendo before she abruptly cut it off.
The colour and assuredness drained from Bethany's face and demeanour when she heard the move Ash had used. With one move Ash had put them both on a timer, or it would have had he not recalled Lapras and sent Pikachu back out to the field.
"Just jog around Pi" Ash said "this match is over."
"Dammit" she whispered as a tear fell from her eye as she saw her Pokémon hunch over and try to stay standing as it eyeballed Pikachu who was just hopping from platform to platform. The move was very strange from a trainers point of view as nothing physical happened to the Pokémon but it was like they felt this need in their soul to just give up and pass out and that everything will be ok. It wasn't like dying, more like your mother grooming you and you falling asleep peacefully. But you could feel the energy slipping from you in great chunks which is why it hurt. It was like someone was slicing your health literally into thirds but you knew there would be peace at the other end. Eventually Pikachu saw that Clefable was about to pass out and he stopped ten feet from Clefable and simply said "go to sleep" upon which Clefable sighed and flopped forwards, unable to do anything but sleep deeply and breath contently.
"Clefable is unable to battle, Pikachu wins therefore Ash Ketchum will advance to Sunday's final. Bethany you will take part in the third place playoff Saturday evening. Good luck to you both."
Ash nodded as he walked downstairs and headed towards the podium where the referee had just climbed down from and shook his hand. They watched with interest as barriers came up and the field disappeared only to be replaced with a plain dirt field.
"Out of curiosity what made you think of that?" the referee asked. "I've seen moves like it used a lot and haven't ever been happy that it ends battles so quickly."
"I'll be honest neither do I" he said as he saw a very dejected Bethany walk towards them "I've taught those moves to my Pokémon out of sheer necessity as I find myself in a lot of situations where an OHKO move is the only move I can safely use to prevent escalation. I will never use moves like Horn Drill or Sheer Cold because they're lethal when used incorrectly and it's just too risky to everyone involved. Moves like Perish Song or Destiny Bond are much safer though as they're virtually painless and more widely accepted as strategy rather than desperation. I did what I did today because Bethany basically said Kanto was shit and that its trainers weren't in her class. I felt insulted and when I feel insulted my mind clears, my strategy becomes more focused and I'm able to react that much quicker."
"That's why you humiliated me?" she asked, wiping an angry tear away from her eyes "because I hurt your feelings?"
"No," he said, "My feelings were fine but I couldn't let the insult slide. To be honest it was Pikachu who ordered the demolition job, I just put it into practice. You'll be more wary of what a trainer from Kanto can do from now on, which was my goal."
"This isn't the end of this" she snarled before walking across the field and down the tunnel.
"No, I suppose it isn't" Ash muttered before turning to the referee and shaking his hand and wandering down the tunnel where he saw Joanne waiting for him. As they were walking past the reporters he stopped and listened to Bethany before chuckling at the words 'Revenge' and 'Humiliation' thrown around by the reporters. Seeing him standing just off to the side she marched over to him and glared up at him. It was funny to many people that a woman barely five foot five thought she could intimidate someone who was six foot five.
"This is not over Ketchum. I will never lose like that again"
"Good" Ash said, surprising her "lesson learned then. Next time you're in the semi finals of a tournament where the other participants have reached that stage before, don't say anything to piss them off. Good luck in your third place playoff Saturday." Holding his hand out for her to shake it quickly became apparent that it wasn't going to happen.
"I hope you lose Sunday" she said before storming off leaving Ash to shake his head and lower his hand.
Looking over to the reporters he saw them jotting down various notes "I'm feeling generous so I'll give you a quote. Never insult Kanto or its trainers in front of me, especially if I'm the one you have to battle next."
Waving his arm in the direction of the exit Joanne led the way out of the building and they walked the short distance to his chalet.
"Does that count as a press conference?" Ash asked her, "hey I'm just wondering if I'll get some of my money back from Silph for talking to them that's all."
"No," she said, opening the door and greeting everyone who congratulated Ash. Thanking them he grabbed a soda out of the fridge and sat down heavily in an unoccupied chair as he watched the other semi-final take place. It was actually rather a good one, he mused aloud as they watched Harrison's Blaziken finish off Sceptile to win 5-3. Interesting, he said before standing up and heading to his room, not to be seen for the rest of the afternoon, only coming out to get a drink and a snack.
Later on that evening he emerged and sat down with his laptop open and placed it onto the table. A minute or so later he had hooked it up to the monitor in the kitchen and the people in the Chalet saw a picture of a map with a dot occasionally beeping and moving ever so slightly.
"What's that?" Jess asked curiously.
"That is the shipping container with fifty Magikarp in them being followed by my two Gyarados" Ash said "I'm watching their progress as they head to the Lake of Rage. pointing to another part of the map he continued "by tomorrow evening they should be here and then Friday they should be a few miles from the Lake itself. All going well they should be at the Lake this time Friday evening."
"Does this mean Princess won't be available for the battle Sunday?" Jess asked. "That's a big loss to your team isn't it?"
"She is," Ash said, "but some things are more important than a battle. The Lake being destroyed like it did left a lasting impact on me. I wouldn't wish anyone to have to have been in that clean up crew. The number of Gyarados' that were killed and destroyed was outrageous."
"So what can be done to prevent it happening again?" Travis asked when his wife told him what happened.
"More patrols of the National Parks" Ash said ticking them off on his fingers "any buildings erected near them to be officially investigated, any Pokemon exhibiting strange behaviour to be investigated. The Gyarados that is going back there knows that his first action should anything suspicious happen is to immediately leave the Lake and travel to Cherrygrove City. the Nurse Joys there can then get in touch with the Charicific Valley and Charizard has issued instructions for his kin to follow Gyarados and help wherever they can. The Valley is under review for becoming a National Park too soon by the Johto Board and I believe a ranger station is being built near both places. Quite handy those capture vessels of theirs that the rangers use."
"They're strange aren't they?" Jess asked, "I still have no idea how they work."
"I've not been allowed to reverse engineer one yet" Ash said grousing "I might have to speak to Joseph Stone when I visit Hoenn and see if they'll let me have a look at one."
"Well good luck with that one" Jess said laughing "they haven't let anyone do that yet."
"I don't expect him to say yes" Ash said laughing along with her before looking back at the screen. "You never know though."
His phone ringing startled him but when he saw it was his dad he answered it and went back into his room only emerging an hour later.
"Dad is going to try and get here for the final but he doubts he can. I've told him not to because mum will need help with Flora" Ash said as he came back out and helped himself to the Chinese on the table "He feels bad because he's missed my three Championship matches but as I just told him Flora and mother is more important. I'll have other matches he can see."
"Must be tough for him," Travis said, "to miss the most important events in your child's life."
"I suppose so," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders, "but he has other priorities now. I've had to change who I am and what I wanted over the last few years because of my Ranch. It happens but you get over it. My Pokémon have their own dreams which they're pursuing so my own priorities had to change. Life doesn't wait around for you to get your shit together."
"Pretty wise of you" Travis said, nodding.
"Oh, Gary will be here tomorrow and will be staying in the fourth room as he's the one who will hand over the trophy to the winner being last year's winner." Ash said "That'll be the last I'll see him for a few years."
"Yeah I heard he was accepted at Sayda Island" Jess said enthusiastically "it's extremely exclusive so for him to be chosen shows he has potential."
"You'll likely find you have a new best mate" Ash said laughing "he has loads of information on fossil Pokémon. In fact he uses your thesis like it's a religious document. It wouldn't surprise me to find he sleeps with it underneath his pillow."
"Ash" she said playfully, throwing an onion ring at him "be nice."
"Honestly though" he said "be prepared to get the puppy dog eyes for the next few days until we all leave. I'll leave it to you to tell him who you are but be prepared for his reaction. He's already told me about you as if I don't already know you."
"Do I need to be worried?" Travis asked, giving her a playful look and opened his hand, catching the onion ring she threw at him. "You know, you're wasting your onion rings doing that."
"I know," she said, pulling the bowl towards her and guarding them by policing the salt and pepper shakers in between the bowl and everyone else, eliciting a laugh from everyone. "Anyway it'll be nice to talk to someone who has the same interests. Has he been on many digs?"
"Yeah" he said laughing "he was nearly banned by yourself and Brandon from attending the Granpa Canyon dig after he tried to use Dynamite to blow up an area. I'm surprised you don't remember that."
"Oh yeah I remember him now" Jess said "it's hard to reconcile that boy being the same one being accepted a few years later. And if you recall you fell down a one hundred foot hole, that kind of became my priority."
"True. I suspect his dad or grandad pulled some strings after that event, likely Blue but after the Indigo League he changed a lot" Ash said nodding "but yeah, he's been on a few digs since then, mainly around Pokélantis I believe under Sharon's guidance."
"Sharon was my mentor growing up so that's good" Jess said "she will have knocked out any lairiness out of him as it's serious business."
"Well something happened to make him more serious" Ash said thinking back to the dressing down he'd given him at the Indigo League "we all know about the chat I had with him but that wouldn't have been anywhere near enough. Anyway, whatever it was certainly did the trick as he was a very changed person when I met him in the Orange islands a few months later."
"So what's his field of study going to be?" Travis asked.
"I'll be honest I have no idea beyond working with fossils" Ash said "my aide Zoe is currently in touch with their Dean to arrange site visits of my home, hopefully on a permanent basis to work alongside the Unova researchers to see what they do. Negotiations are going rather well from what I hear so with any luck Sayda Research Facility will have a partner in Ketchum Ranch."
"You don't do things by half Ash" Travis said.
"Anything to improve the lives of Pokémon" Ash said smiling.
"Is Nia not coming then?" Jess asked "I've still not met her yet."
"I've no idea actually" Ash said "she has a ticket waiting for her if she does but she's not said she is."
"Does that not bother you?" Travis asked.
"A little" Ash said "but she has her own things going on. She's just about to publish her first poetry book so she's a bit stressed with that. We'll see. I know she'll be there to see me take on Lance for my Elite Four Challenge so it's all good."
"You haven't beaten Harrison yet" Jess said warningly "stop getting ahead of yourself."
"I won't lose Sunday" Ash said "I've only used Pikachu and Machamp from my strongest team so far. Venusaur and Blastoise are possibles and Queenie picks herself so it's just a coin flip for who takes the other slots."
"So your Indigo League team except Charizard then" Travis said remembering his battle with Jon.
"And Queenie" Ash said nodding "she wasn't a part of it remember, she was sent away and I had to use Sylveon instead."
"Oh yeah" Travis said nodding "I think that was the first time anyone had used a Fairy type in the Kanto League. At least one that was pure Fairy and hadn't been changed like the Igglybuff and Cleffa line."
"I think it was," Ash said, nodding. "At least that's what I heard anyway. So yeah, it's going to be a hectic few days. I'm going to start packing some things away so it's not last minute Sunday evening."
"Very wise," Travis said, nodding as he helped his wife wash up.
Thursday November 1st 2001
The next day was as hectic as Ash predicted and it was a constant flow of people coming in and out of Ash's chalet. It got to the point that Ash left it on the latch for people to come and go. The house was rather full given that Joanne and Karl, The Joy family, Lorelei, Bruno and Hailee were there too all having dinner together. It was around 1pm that he heard the door go again, causing him to groan.
"Honey I'm home" a man's voice said, causing Ash to chuckle as Gary walked in with a small bag in his back.
"Idiot" Ash said standing up and giving him a hug before he froze as standing in the doorway with him was Nia. Without thinking he shoved Gary to the side and swept her up in a big hug.
"Oh I see how it is" he said, shaking his head and walking further into the chalet leaving them at the door. He stopped when he saw various people sitting at the kitchen counter "does anyone one of you want to give me a hug? I was discarded very quickly like yesterday's newspaper."
"Of course you were," Ash said walking in with Nia "it's not even close when comparing who gives better hugs."
"I know when I'm loved" he said pretending to wipe away a tear much to the amusement of everyone seated. Looking down he felt a tug on his pants and the most adorable little girl was looking up at him. Bending down he knelt and asked "now who might you be? Will you give me a hug?"
"That's Poppy" Ash said "her twin Tammy is sitting in the chair in front of the TV. There's a reason for the baby gate in front of the door."
"I did wonder" he said, picking the young girl up and putting her on his hip "so who do you belong to?"
"She belongs to me" Jess said walking over to him "Hi, you must be Gary."
"Bloody hell" Gary said as he stood there in shock.
"Hey!" Ash said, clipping him around the head and quickly taking Poppy off him "there's children around."
"Sorry" he said, still staring in awe. "You're Dr Joy."
"I am" she said looking at him uncertainly. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah" he said absentmindedly "yeah I think so."
Taking pity on him Ash grabbed his arm and led him to the chair where he sat him down.
"Looks like I was right" Travis said humouredly sitting on his laptop filling out reports, "you know she's married right."
"Oh yeah" Gary said nodding vaguely, "to a doctor from Saffron City."
"Well I'm not actually from Saffron City" Travis said "that's where my main place of work is."
"You're the doctor?" Gary suddenly asked, looking scared "oh ok."
"He won't bite Gary," Ash said, introducing Nia to Jess.
"Finally we meet," Jess said, hugging her. "I've heard so much about you."
"Me too with you" Nia said before being led to the counter where Joanne and Karl were sitting looking slightly rough. "Good night last night?"
"You could say that" Joanne said smirking at Karl who just shook his head "I won a bet."
"I should never try to out-drink you." Karl said.
"You will never learn will you?" Joanne said "so he now owes me another date, only this time I get to choose where to go."
"You chose last night's date," Karl said bewildered.
"Yes" she said nodding "and I get to choose the next one too."
"Fine," he said, "I will win one day."
"You got me" she said slightly more cheerfully "so you already won."
"I can't believe it's Jess Joy" Gary said looking over to the counter where Jess had joined the ladies.
"She certainly is," Ash said, shaking his head and picking up Poppy to play with her dolls with her.
It took a while for Gary to get over his shock before he shyly went to his room and came back out with a journal.
"Er Mrs Joy, can you have a look at my work?" Gary asked hesitantly.
"I've never seen him like this" Ash whispered to Nia, amazed.
"That's because you grew up with your hero" Nia said "Is there no one in the academic world you'd like to meet?"
"Not really" Ash said "I mean I was a bit in awe of Dr Attenborough when I met him but that quickly went away when we started chatting and I realised he was just a humble, normal bloke who has done extraordinary things in his life. I can see my life ending up that way when I finish battling to be honest given what I've started. I suppose things may have been different had my dad been around because I'd have likely grown up with the Elite Four popping around for tea and grown up with a complex about how good dad is. But no, like you said I grew up with Professor Oak on my doorstep, anyone else pales in comparison with what that man has done, that's including my dad who got his mastery. I suppose finding out all these famous people used my writings in their lesson plans also killed off any mystique about them."
"I can understand that," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Who was yours?" he asked her, looking down at her.
"Agatha" she said, making Ash shudder "she looked so unique, didn't care what she said and just looked like nobody else that we've seen. When I met her at the Indigo final I was so nervous but she just took one look at me, told me she liked my style and nodded and that was it. The fear had gone."
"You do have great style" Ash said nodding "it was one of the things that attracted me to you. You certainly are one of a kind."
"I know," she said brightly.
"And so modest too," Ash continued.
"That too" came the reply "anyway how do you think you'll do Sunday?"
"Really?" Ash asked, looking down at her.
"Yeah really" she said "Harrison isn't a pushover, I've seen some of his battles and he's really good."
"He's not faced anyone difficult in this tournament" Ash said "other than his sister in the semi-final. Having said that, other than the first match I had I've not really been pushed but I don't think I'll have any worries Sunday. I've seen enough of his battle style to be able to counter what he throws. The only wrinkle is what his sixth Pokémon will be and if I can get my six sorted in time."
"Why wont you have six?" Lorelei asked, listening in from his other side.
"Oh I have more than six," Ash said, "it's just choosing them. I already have four slots locked in which Harrison will know about. The other two are the issue. It would be just one if Princess was here but she's not. I'm thinking Ampharos and Heracross to give them a shot in their regional league."
"Well there won't be substitutions tomorrow so you need to keep that in mind" Bruno said looking up from his sandwich "all Championship matches are like that now."
"Yeah I read the report from Gio" Ash shaking his head "I suppose I can get it as if you win you can't substitute for the Elite Four challenge so it's good practice but if you've never done that it could spell disaster."
"Yeah, which is why you have the advantage" Bruno said "the match he had with Drake had substitutions allowed for him which he took advantage of."
"He didn't fight the same battle?" Ash asked shocked, "That's pretty poor of him not to do that."
"It's not mandatory Ash" Bruno said "not everyone takes it as seriously as you do. Plus Drake knew what might have happened going into that match. Have you watched it?"
"No" Ash said "I've seen bits but I've been focusing on him in this tournament to be honest and I've seen things I can exploit. Seeing how he reacts in person was more important to me."
"Well at least you've done some scouting on him" Bruno said, opening up a health drink and taking a deep swig.
"Oh I have" Ash said before turning to Nia "how was your flight?"
"We didn't get one" Nia said looking confused "we did a series of Teleport jumps with his Alakazam. There were only two stop offs for half an hour so we arrived pretty quickly after leaving Pallet Town."
"Oh right" Ash said nodding "fancy going for a walk?"
"Sure," she said, nodding. Saying goodbye to everyone they left the chalet, ignoring the flashes from the cameras and heading to the park.
"How come they aren't following us into the park?" Nia asked as they stopped at a vendor that Ash had become extremely familiar with for the last five weeks.
"There's a ban on any photography in the park except for weddings or important events so it makes it perfect for getting away from the morons that work in that building" Ash said pointing to the big building facing the park directly across from the main stadium "I mean you can use your cell phones to take pictures of the flowers or selfies etc but any official photo that lands itself into a paper gets that paper fined or potentially banned. So it's good for relaxing. Which is what it should be really, it's what parks are designed for."
"It's nice," Nia said, leaning her head on his shoulder. The rest of the afternoon and evening was very pleasant for Ash as they just walked around the plaza taking in the sights, with him pointing out various places that he'd visited.
"The absolute best place though is here" he said as they stopped in front of his chalet, "these last five weeks have been really good and I've actually enjoyed living with people. Seeing the twins has been very rewarding and it's made me look forward to possibly having them one day."
"Maybe" Nia said "I don't know yet if I want them. Too much baggage Ash."
"We'll get through it" Ash said squeezing her hand "and if you still don't want them then that's fine too. At the end of the day, and I've told others this, if you don't want kids then we won't have them and it's that simple."
"I know" she said quietly "but still…"
"But still nothing" Ash said squeezing her in a one armed hug "honestly don't worry about it. We've got a lifetime to plan things, and given how busy we are we may not have the time to have them. We never know what's going to happen. Come on, I'll make you a brew, you can get in your comfies and we'll watch a film together."
"Ok," she said, nodding.
The next day passed by in another whirlwind for Ash as he was getting last minute instructions on what was to happen Sunday. It was quite manic and he decided to take a breather.
"I'm heading to the practice field if you need me" Ash said "there's something I need to do with Machamp."
Getting there was relatively easy and he ignored the crowd that was sitting around the field and called out Machamp.
"Again?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"Yes" Ash said "now it won't be a full on spar like last time, my leg isn't fully healed yet but I've been sent a document last night and I've been told of a few new moves for you. So we'll work on them if that's ok?"
"That seems reasonable," he said, sitting into a meditative pose and waiting for Ash to start.
"Now, the first one is called Dual Chop" Ash said as he went into the mechanics of the move. Machamp stood up and started to try what Ash was describing and was soon getting the hang of the move.
"It's difficult," Machamp said as they took a break, "trying to tap into Draconic energy when you're not even remotely related to the nearest species is almost impossible."
"Yeah I think it will take a while for this one I think" Ash said "Maybe standing near Queenie while she's using Dragonbreath could help you get some idea of how it feels. I'm not sure. Anyway the next one should be much easier. It's called Focus Blast and you've likely seen it used a lot. It just slipped my mind to teach it to you."
"I know the basics," Machamp said, nodding "but I've never felt the need to use it. It's too slow for me and I'm too open when focusing."
"If you want we can give that a miss then?" Ash asked, gaining a nod "no worries. Ok then, I want to improve the potency of your elemental punches. Fire and Electric seem to be easy for you but I've noticed you struggle a bit with Ice Punch so we'll work on that."
"I don't like being cold," Machamp said before he shook his four arms to warm them up.
"What's going on here then?" a voice asked from off to the side as Ash and Machamp were having a spar. Not answering they finished their respective moves and moved apart from each other bowing as they did so. Turning to the voice he had to take a few seconds before he realised who it was.
"Chuck!" Ash said walking to him and shaking his hand "Richard, how are you doing too? Why are you in Johto?"
"I suppose I'm just a nobody then?" Bruno said from off to the side earning a laugh.
"I saw you yesterday," Ash said, shaking his head before turning to the other two. "I wonder how the people of Johto would react knowing Bruno was so sensitive."
"Oh he's always been like that," Richard said, moving out of the way of a shoulder punch. "Anyway to answer your question we've just come from our yearly meeting, well Chuck has. I was visiting him seeing how he's doing as it's been a while."
"Our wives asked us to go shopping so we made an excuse to come and train here" Chuck said "luckily Laura is used to me just wandering of to train so it was easy. So, what's happening?"
"I was attempting to teach Machamp Dual Chop and Focus Blast but he has no interest in the latter, he thinks it's too slow of a move and leaves him defenceless" Ash said "He also has issues with Ice Punch too as he doesn't like being cold so I thought the best way of incorporating them and trying to learn them would be to spar using only those moves."
"Ooh that's a good idea" Chuck said releasing his Machoke. "Machoke doesn't want to evolve but we're always looking for new ways to improve."
"I can get behind that" Richard said releasing Hitmonchan who appeared and looked around, narrowing his eyes when he saw Machamp "Hey don't be like that, you should be proud that a fighting type Pokémon is doing so well."
"Do I get to fight you?" Hitmonchan asked Machamp.
"No" Machamp said coolly "we're sparring. I'm to be used in two days in Ash's Championship match so I won't be going all out."
"Hmmph" Hitmonchan said, turning his back on Machamp. Ash put a hand on his shoulder instantly calming him when the intention was clearly to insult Machamp.
"Richard, it seems like your Hitmonchan is lacking some manners" Ash said, making Hitmonchan turn around and glare at Ash but stopped dead when another Machamp appeared at his side. All three fighting Pokémon turned as one when an aged yet incredibly strong Machamp looked at them, his eyes lingering on Ash's for a second.
Walking forwards he stopped in front of Hitmonchan who puffed himself up but soon took a step back when Machamp growled.
"Do not embarrass us" it said in a low gravelly voice "we win and lose with honour. One wins, we all win, one loses we all lose but through all that we treat each other with the respect we want to be given to ourselves."
"It's ok" Ash's Machamp said "It will take a lot more than that to get to me. Ash, how long are we taking off after the league is done?"
"A few months" Ash said "Bruno is coming to stay with us bringing Hailee, Satoshi and Lorelei with him for a few months but I believe Bruno will be leaving to train part way through that. We're going to do the same. So we'll likely take January off and begin training in Feb, the challenge in late March, early May."
"We will," Bruno said, "but our training spot is just north of your home so we may not need to spend much time away. If that is ok?"
"Oh yeah of course it is" Ash said nodding "You're going to love the place. Anyway, why do you ask Machamp?"
"This one seems to be spoiling to challenge us." Machamp said "I would hate to disappoint."
"Well I will be visiting Saffron at some point" Ash said "I'll be checking on how the construction of the extension to Saffron Gym is going so if you two want to fight then we can make it happen."
"Indeed," Richard said, nodding.
"Excellent" Chuck said not caring about the tension "now, how about a four way spar? Elemental punches only.
"Ooh that sounds like fun" Bruno said as his Machamp flexed and walked twenty feet away.
"Is half an hour time limit ok for everyone?" Ash asked getting affirmatives. "Ok, on my mark, Go!"
For the next half an hour the crowd that had gathered could be seen filming the event as four top fighting type Pokémon fought each other with the four trainers occasionally calling out moves and places where they were vulnerable. Unbeknownst to Ash, his opponent from his semi final, Bethany had followed the crowd to get out of her head and stopped to watch them and realised Machamp had been right about her Ursaring, he was incredibly slow compared to the specimens fighting in the four way spar. She shook her head at the sparks, ice and fire flying all over the place as the moves collided.
Ash could sense something was going to happen, he could tell with the way the fight had gone so far. He saw that both Machamp had a significant advantage over the other two due to having more arms, but the main advantage was their speed, they were a lot faster than the others and it showed with how many hits they got in. he could tell they were pulling their punches though, most hits that connected would have easily knocked out the Machoke and Hitmonchan. Machoke didn't seem to be too bothered, it was as if he expected to get hits on him and was using it as a way to toughen up. Hitmonchan though was very different. Everyone could see he was getting more and more irate with every hit and was taking it very personally. Finally Ash saw the moment Hitmonchan snapped and moved away from Machoke and spotted Ash's Machamp was locked in a four arms grip with Bruno's and took the opportunity to spring forward, using Bullet Punch. Ash Machamp was sent sideways skidding and holding his body in pain. When he looked up and saw a smirking Hitmonchan, the normally placid Superpower Pokémon snapped and charged forwards engaging Hitmonchan who soon found out he was very heavily outmatched by the much bulkier and faster Pokémon and was taking an absolute pummelling before a blue shield sprang up between them sending them sliding backwards ten feet. Machamp though wasn't done and he charged forwards impacting the shield and roaring in anger. Seeing his opponent being protected ramped up his anger and when he felt an arm wrench him backwards he didn't know or care who did it and he attacked.
Richard and Chuck quickly recalled their Pokémon getting them out of the way as they saw Ash jump in and start to fight his own Pokémon. Bruno and his own Machamp, without even speaking quickly moved to opposite sides just waiting to jump in if necessary and also to prevent anyone else from trying to jump in, not that anyone would be that stupid but you never know. The crowd watched on in absolute amazement as a human being matched a Pokémon that could throw a thousand pouches in seconds and was winning. He seemed to just be spectral with how quickly he was moving, ducking and weaving in and out of moves but they also saw that not once had Ash thrown his own punch or kick, staying completely on the defensive, constantly being on the move.
Ash had told his Pokémon from the moment they met that once he was up to where he needed him to be he himself would be abusing the shit out of aura to stay ahead of any fight and that it was up to Machamp to reach his level. Machamp had taken that as a goal to attain and with Ash's help had quickly reached a level where very few would be able to compete with him. He knew he wasn't the best, Bruno's Machamp was still faster than him but with time and experience he would get there and overtake his idol. Sparring with Machamp had shown him that he wasn't as far off as he needed to be which drove him on and made him determined to reach that goal.
Bruno saw when the fight had receded into a spar when Ash started to attack and nodded, walking around them both and joining his own Machamp who grunted at him.
"Yeah" Bruno said before looking at Richard who looked very stone faced.
"Don't say anything Bruno" Richard said sharply "he's a reflection of me, as all of our Pokémon are. I'm very ashamed right now."
"I understand," Bruno said nodding, getting a surprised look. "There's a reason that Machamp is big on being honourable and accepting defeat with grace. He was once dishonourable back in his Machoke days and was schooled appropriately by Grand Master Kai's Mienshao. It was a harsh lesson to learn."
"Grand Master Kai's death affected us all and his loss is still felt. Richard said "Maybe I should seek out Mienshao, rumour has it he still lives in Dragonspiral Tower meditating endlessly."
"I have also herald that rumour" Chuck said uncharacteristically somber at the mention of the legend and his Pokémon.
"I have it on good authority that Mienshao does indeed reside there" Bruno said looking out to see Ash and Machamp winding down "I haven't seen it though in over twenty years. Machamp came back and regained his honour in Mienshao's eyes and that was enough for him" clapping his Machamp on the shoulder he continued "Your Hitmonchans actions were not your fault. He had already been told that they would indeed fight at a later date and was also clearly instructed on elemental punches only. He chose not to listen. If we faulted the trainer every time a Pokémon used a move on their own we would have very few trainers in the world. I guarantee he won't do it again." Machamp grunted again at Bruno getting a snort from Chuck.
"I think I understood that too," Richard said, chuckling slightly, "but I must ask Ash for forgiveness first."
"It is not needed" a slightly winded Ash said walking over with his Machamp at his side who looked angry but also a lot calmer.
"Is Machamp ok?" Richard asked, looking at the fighting type who was staring resolutely ahead.
"He will be" Ash said "I think that's the first time he's ever lost his cool and let the rage take over so he's a little confused right now. He just needs to meditate and center himself and he'll be fine."
"He's bloody good though" Chuck said looking impressed "he's a credit to Fighting types everywhere and for a trainer who isn't a specialist to raise him is some achievement Ash."
"We raised each other" Ash said "we were also very lucky to have the ear of Bruno who has never stopped giving advice, something we have both taken on board. Something Bruno said to me very early on has stuck with me for years now. 'Only a fool disregards advice from someone who has already walked your path'. I figured there was a reason very few had beaten him doing the Elite Four challenge so it was advice I took on board."
"Oh there was," Richard said, smirking, "it was his wife."
Bruno burst out laughing at the statement knowing Richard was quite right. Very few had beaten him because very few had managed to make it past Lorelei.
Chuckling Ash nodded "Did you know the first time I met Bruno I didn't know it was him? I had met his wife just hours before?" he asked "I didn't know they were married at the time of course but Lorelei said and I quote 'Bruno asks me every day to lose so he could have a chance to battle' and then I walk up to the Cerulean Cape and this man asks me for a battle and gives me advice. He didn't need to yet he did.
"You're going to make me blush if you're not careful" Bruno said chuckling "anyway, I think that's enough for today. I promised Lorelei I'd look after the kids tonight while she went out."
"Going out is a loose term there" Ash said "Joanne has decided she, Jess, Nia and Lorelei needed to let loose so they've decided to take over my chalets garden for the night. I'm apparently on food duty, Karl on drinks and Travis on baby minding duty. Other than that we're banned from entering the garden."
"Oh is that so?" Bruno asked, arching an eyebrow "that sneaky witchy wife of mine. She deserves it though."
"Yeah I thought you knew" Ash said as he recalled Machamp, Bruno doing the same and leading the way out of the arena. It was only as he opened the door that he realised they had a captive audience, such was his focus on the battle
The crowd by this point had grown very silent as they listened to the four very talented trainers speak, many nodding with Ash's words of wisdom and chuckling at his description of Lorelei and what had been decided. They parted as one when Ash led the foursome out and started to disperse chatting loudly at what they had seen.
"Ash?" a voice asked from off to the side drawing their attention. Seeing Bethany confused Ash but he looked questioningly at her all the same "can I have a word? Please?"
"Er, yeah sure" he said looking at the others "I'll just be a few minutes, Richard I'd like to talk to you too." Walking over to Bethany he looked at her expectantly.
"I'm sorry for how I acted," she said, shaking her head looking tearful. "I shouldn't have been so arrogant."
"It's ok," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's done with now."
"How did you come up with that strategy against Clefable?" she asked suddenly.
"Like I said my girlfriend used the same strategy against me in the Indigo League a few years ago and would have easily beaten me had hers not used Explosion" Ash said "It was a weakness I didn't even consider. I was so angry for a few days afterwards at how easily I was outwitted and I struggled to find an answer to it. The one I used against you is certainly not fool proof, it relied heavily on you not using a protection move as one of your slots but it's why I always keep a move like that in reserve. That's the first time I've ever used it in a competitive battle. Anyway I need to go, I have a lot of food and drink to buy for tonight that I'm not going to get a bite or sip of."
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"Oh the women in my chalet, led by Lorelei I suspect are having a girls night and we've been banned from attending" Ash said laughing not seeing her face falter slightly. He felt a slight pang coming from her but didn't know how to proceed so he just said "I hope you do well in your final match" before leaving.
Re-joining the three men, they walked back towards Ash's chalet, picking up the various items needed. He was thankful the men were with him as he wasn't able to buy any alcohol being fourteen years old and they trudged back to his chalet. Opening the door the four men dropped the items onto the counter, saying hello to Travis and Jess before walking to the outside garden, sitting around the table.
"So, I overheard you talk about a karate master?" Ash asked.
Nodding Richard and Bruno told Ash about the legendary Grand Master Kai and his equally legendary Pokémon. Nodding in several places Ash began to piece together an idea of who the man was and what he stood for and was deeply impressed. If Bruno was impressed and in awe then it was someone Ash should take note of.
"He died a few years ago now" Bruno finished, "and his Mienshao took up residence at the top of Dragonspiral Tower, seldom leaving and even rarely seen."
"It sounds very impressive" Ash said thinking over what he'd heard "and you want to go and visit?" he asked Richard.
"It's a pilgrimage all fighting type trainers try and do in their lifetime" Richard said "I have ever had the chance due to having to fight to keep the Dojo open but now that Master Wong has completed his training he is next in line to become Gym Leader. He has already started training the apprentices in my stead while I am away and will have no problem maintaining the standard for Saffron Gym."
"Oh I have no worries about that" Ash said waving it away "are you stepping down as Gym Leader?"
"Yes," Richard said, nodding "my home is still in Saffron City but my wife wants to travel before we get too old. I'm already nearly sixty Ash, I cannot continue and uphold the standard I believe Saffron Gym should have."
"Ok" Ash said nodding, making another mental note "well you know you'll always be welcome to visit my home and the Plateau as is your wife."
"Thank you" he said "but once we leave I doubt anyone will see us again. I need to ask though, have you heard from my son?"
"No" Ash said, shaking his head, "sorry. Last I heard he was headed to Iron Island to live out the rest of his days in a house he owned. I've never been before but I'll pop in when I visit Sinnoh."
"I had feared that" Richard said "he is diminishing then?"
"Sadly yes" Ash replied "he could return now that Ilene's divorce has been granted but he knows he would likely doom Ilene to an early grave too should they decide to be together."
"What do you mean?" Bruno asked confused.
"Aura users are unique in the world" Ash said looking at him "as you know we hit aural puberty our aura scans for our life mate. Some never find them but most do. However their mates are not always someone that is available being married, engaged or just someone they have no desire to be with. Riley is a different case though. He had the unfortunate occurrence of not only finding his mate but being denied in the worst way possible. She was absolutely unattainable being Queen of Rota. She was High-Borne, he was Low-Borne being of humble lower class stock. It has been forbidden for centuries. Our auras mingle with the person you're destined to be with and then both of you can decide to go ahead or not. The average lifespan for a normal human with limited aura access is mid sixties. That decision of mingling is vital in deciding the lifespan of an Aura Guardian. If the decision is no then our aura will settle and slowly over time leave us. We can easily reach the age of fifty, sometimes sixty but rarely any more than that but it's still a full life. If the decision is yes we can live into our eighties, sometimes low nineties with the right lifestyle.
So when Riley knew he would never be with Ilene his aura could not go through that stage and has never settled properly, he made the decision to not let it happen fully because it was against the laws and he would have been killed by the Rota guardians for even attempting it, even though it is something the Queens have wanted for generations. To have generations of royalty with access to aura is something they've all desired, hell I'm only here because my ancestor secretly had a child with Rin. How she got away with hiding herself for nine months without anyone knowing is amazing really. But back to Riley. His decision to not let the first stage happen properly and deny a choice of rejection means his aura will always be in flux until it then lashes back, which it evidently has done. For the last two decades he has been letting out tiny pulses of aura, getting a response back from Ilene that she wouldn't ever feel but also supplementing his aura with that of his partner only it is no longer a viable option. When she got married and became pregnant his aura knew for want of a better word that she was now completely unattainable and stopped being able to siphon from her and his daily output was greater than what he received from his Lucario. It was the reason he left Rota, he didn't want Ilene to see him 'diminish' as we call it because it's a very fast process. Imagine your Machamp looking like a Machop in two years time but with the body he has now."
"Is there a way of stopping it?" Bruno asked, sounding concerned at something his daughter might have to go through.
"There's two ways" Ash said "This is not a widely known subject so be mindful of who you tell. There is a room underneath Cameron Palace which is entirely devoid of anything where a guardian experiencing diminishment can let loose all their aura in one go, essentially sacrificing themselves but their aura then mingles with the walls of the Palace strengthening its ties to Mother Earth. It has been used quite a lot over the years but is seen as the ultimate sacrifice and the guardians are quietly revered forever after.
The other way of him returning is to actually be with Ilene however because his aura is fighting him it will only partially stabilise giving him maybe another ten years, fifteen at the most as opposed to the two to three now. If that should happen and Ilene accepts it then her life span will significantly reduce also as an aura users spouses rarely live for very long afterwards meaning her daughter will likely be Queen as early as age ten, definitely by the age of fifteen when Ilene follows Riley. We become very dependent on each other and rely on the ability to share aura in our everyday lives. As much as I have my issues with Riley I doubt he will let that happen, even to be happy for a decade because he wouldn't want Ilene to leave Amara on her own."
"Wow," Chuck said, looking sorrowfully at Richard.
"I knew most of this" he said "I myself am an aura wielder, not to Riley's level of course as I was very late in discovering I could use aura. I did some training but I had found my chosen mate very early on and didn't want to pursue being a guardian as I'd be away from my wife for long periods. That was unacceptable to me so we formed the gym in the hope of showcasing what we can do. We had very little idea of what was truly happening in Saffron City, though I often had fights with the psychics, as did Riley. It's ingrained in us all. I didn't know about the room though."
"I was only told through necessity when I last visited by the archivist" Ash said "that was the day Riley left actually and was why she told me. So yeah, those are the only options."
"That sucks," Chuck said, summing it up.
"Aye" Richard said "if you hear anything Ash, would you please let me know?"
"Of course" Ash said nodding "I think Ilene had a word with the Lucario Kingdom and they have scouts stationed in Cannalave City. As remote as he is he's sure to know about Ilene and her divorce but I doubt it will change his mind. Should he still be alive when I visit there in a few years I'll pop by to see how he is."
"It's one of the reasons I am giving up my gym" Richard said "my wife would like to be close to him so we have plans to move temporarily to Sinnoh before spending the rest of our days travelling."
Hearing this gave Ash an idea but it would take a bit of work to put into practice. Nodding he instead said "Just let me know when you plan to leave. We'll facilitate everything we can."
The conversation stagnated for a while after that but soon the chalet became a hub of noise and activity as the ladies all walked out into the garden.
"Hello husband" Lorelei said sitting on his lap and giving him a brief kiss "what brings you here?"
"I was on a walk with Richard and Chuck when we spotted Ash sparring with his Machamp, which turned into a four way spar and then we came back here and just carried on chatting. How's your day been?"
"It's been good," she said, nodding "we've all had some much needed retail therapy and are looking forward to tonight."
"We bought everything you asked for," Ash said, standing up and hugging Nia, "I'll just go and put it away now."
"Hang on" Nia said looking at him "what's this about you getting into a fight today?"
"A fight?" Ash asked, looking around bewildered, "with whom?"
"The woman you faced on Wednesday" Nia said "we were asked by a reporter on the way in what we thought."
"What?" Ash asked, confused "I never got into a fight with her. I briefly talked to her as she had come to watch the spar where she apologised to me for her behaviour. I accepted it but said I needed to leave as I was picking up the things for your ladies night. That's it."
"Those arseholes are making things up again eh?" Bruno asked, shaking his head "I can assure you Nia that there was no fight. If anything she seemed relieved to have the apology accepted."
"She looked quite lost and lonely actually" Ash said as he kissed her on the forehead, "her aura briefly did something but I was too busy to really notice as I needed to get to the shops. Anyway I'll go and start the prep for tonight."
"Yeah I need to go too" Chuck said standing up with Richard mirroring him. "It was nice seeing you again Ash, keep in touch won't you."
"Of course I will," he said, shaking his hand and leading them both to the door saying goodbye to them.
Half an hour later Ash was busy prepping the salads and snacks for tonight when Nia came up to him and started helping him.
"Ash" she said quietly "tell me what happened with Bethany."
"I did," Ash said looking up from chopping tomatoes confused. "She asked to speak to me briefly. I pulled her to the side just out of earshot of the guys and she said she was sorry for being arrogant. I said it's ok, that it's over and done with now but I needed to leave because you and the other ladies were having a party that I needed to pick up things for. I then left."
"You said your aura did something." she said sitting down on a chair.
"Oh yeah" he said thinking on it before resuming his chopping, "it was when I mentioned you all were having a ladies night that it twinged. It wasn't painful or anything so I just dismissed it."
"Chuck said she looked lonely" Nia said thinking over what he said.
"Possibly" Ash replied looking up at her "I wouldn't really know. The only time I've talked to her before today was before my quarter final and then the semi final. Both of those conversations involved battling and my aura didn't twinge then."
"Do you have her number?" Nia asked, startling him.
"No," he said, "but it might be on her trainer profile. Why?"
"Damn" Nia said, shaking her head "I don't have access to that as I'm not a participant in this league."
Finding it strange that Nia didn't answer his question he washed and dried his hands before walking into his room and grabbing his laptop. Opening it at the kitchen counter he logged into the database using his Champions profile, typed in Bethany's name and turned it around to Nia. "Be quick, this is private information and I could get into trouble for showing you this."
Nodding Nia typed the number into her phone and wandered off. Ash, not knowing what the hell was going on, logged out, replaced his laptop and walked back into the kitchen where he poured a few glasses of chilled wine and brought them outside to the ladies who happily accepted them, continuing on with their conversation as he walked back inside. Ten minutes later Nia walked back out into the kitchen, briefly gave Ash a kiss on the cheek, grabbed her own glass and walked out into the garden. Ash looked over to Pikachu who was playing with Poppy and just said 'women are very strange' before continuing on with the prepping.
Around 7pm Ash was just cracking open another bottle of wine for the ladies when the doorbell rang. Looking at the blokes they looked at each other in unison.
"I think our Indian is here," he said happily.
"While you're going past, grab me another beer," Travis said, making Ash chuckle. Doing so he handed the bottle to Travis and walked to the door only when he opened it it wasn't their food delivery guy. It was Bethany.
"Er, hi?" Ash asked, looking up and down the street.
"Hello," she said, looking nervous.
"Er, can I help you?" Ash asked before a noise behind him made him turn around and a very happy and tipsy Nia moved him out of the way, grabbed Bethany and dragged her inside without a word. Following her he watched as she grabbed the bottle of wine with one hand and carried on dragging Bethany outside.
"Ash" Gary asked from the chair at the kitchen counter "was that…?"
"Yeah it was," Ash said, sitting down on his own chair looking confused. "Do I go and ask?"
"I would," Gary said, nodding. A laugh coming from the couch drew their attention and they saw Travis and Karl sharing an amused look.
"Good luck," Karl said, taking a drink from his bottle.
"Come with me" Ash said to Gary, grabbing his arm fearing the worst.
Walking outside he saw that the women were all engaged in a conversation and looked at him as one. It was kind of eerie really when they all had the same look.
"Yes?" Joanne asked.
"Er, I was just wondering…" he said pointing to Bethany who took one look at Gary and let out a small eep turning to face the others very quickly.
Amused Joanne handed her a glass of wine and said "none of your business. Now shoo, this is a female only party."
"Ok" Ash said uncertainly turning around and banging into Gary who was standing transfixed, looking very confused at Bethany who was beginning to turn bright red. Ash immediately knew what was happening as he had the same reaction a lot when seeing Nia after time apart. Pushing him inside he quickly turned to Nia, jogged to her and kissed her on the cheek whispering "you're so pretty" before leaving to shouts of outrage from the various women at disturbing their time.
The next few hours passed quickly. The food came ten minutes later for the men who all enjoyed their time but Ash was amused to find Gary keep looking outside at where Bethany was.
"I mean, could you be anymore obvious?" Ash asked passing Karl the Poppadoms to Gary who looked like a deer in the headlights.
"I don't know what you mean," he said, earning chuckles from the others.
"Are you and Zoe over with then?" Ash asked.
"We were never a thing" Gary said to Ash "but we had a chat a few weeks ago now and decided it wasn't worth it. She's too old for me and I'm leaving for two years in January."
"Then what'll be the difference if you try for the blonde out there?" Travis asked.
"There won't" Gary said, sighing "but she is gorgeous."
"I suppose so, she's the same age as Nia though so it's less of an issue." Ash said, shrugging his shoulders and using his poppadom to put curry on before a bell rang in the garden.
"Looks like you're being summoned" Karl said to Ash who stood up and got another bottle of wine out of the fridge. Looking in the fridge he saw there were two more left so he made an executive decision. Grabbing a bucket from under the sink he filled it with cold water and some ice from the freezer and opened two of the three bottles and put them in before walking outside with them.
"There he is!" Nia said standing up and swaying dangerously before balancing herself and walking over trying to look sultry. "There's my Champion."
"Arceus" Ash said quietly, shaking his head and leading her back to her seat "sit and drink."
"Awww don't you like me anymore?" she asked, getting a deadpanned look from Ash and lots of giggling from the peanut gallery.
"Yes" he said "I happen to love you. Now, to save time, and it's something I should have thought of earlier I have brought you two bottles. There's also one left in the fridge."
"See!" Nia said smiling "he's so considerate."
"He sure is" Jess said standing up from her seat next to Nia and reaching up to pinch his cheek "do you know he saved my life once. He was my hero that day."
"Ok" Ash said backing up and holding his hands up "have fun ladies. Lorelei, let me know when you want Bruno to come and pick you up."
"He can you know" Lorelei stage whispered to Joanne "he's very strong my Bruno. Have you ever been pinned up against a wall?"
"Ok" Ash said loudly, covering his ears and leaving as quickly as he could to much laughter. Sitting back down he just shook his head and muttered "drunk women are really strange" before carrying on eating his tea.
An hour later Gary looked at the cloak and saw it was 11pm and looked at Ash who was the only one still awake "doesn't Bethany have a match tomorrow?"
"Yeah" Ash said "at 3pm."
"Well shouldn't she, I don't know, get some sleep?" Gary asked.
"I suppose so." Ash said sighing again and standing up and peeked his head outside to absolute silence. Jess and Lorelei were asleep in their seat and Joanne was asleep around the fire on the grass leaving only Nia and Bethany awake chatting quietly. Sending a message to Bruno he let him know his wife was fast asleep before knocking on Travis' door. A minute later a very sleepy doctor opened the door.
"Jess is asleep in the chair outside." Ash said getting a nod as Travis walked past him, headed outside and scooped her up before carrying her back in.
Doing the same with Karl who was less quiet about waking Jess up and putting an arm under her, walking her into their room.
"Ni, how far away does Bethany live?" Ash asked, getting a very confused look and a drunken shrug "right, I'll do up the couch. Bruno is on his way to get Lorelei, can you do something to wake her up."
Twenty minutes later Bruno walked in, took one look at his wife, scooped her up bridal style and left without saying a word to anyone.
"Ash" Nia said stumbling into the kitchen holding onto the doorframe "Can we sleep in the garden?"
"What do you mean?" Ash added perplexed "we have a comfy bed right there."
"Yeah," she said coming to him and putting her hands on his chest looking up at him "but wouldn't it be more romantic to sleep under the stars?"
"In summer yeah" Ash said looking outside, "it's 2* out there at the minute. And there's no stars out."
"Please." She asked, batting her eyes.
"Oh for Arceus' sake." Ash replied before walking into his room and grabbing his tent from the corner of the room and grabbing Machamps ball and walking out muttering about "those eyes could get anything."
It took ten minutes for Ash to get it set up and put out their sleeping bags much to the amusement of Gary who watched it from the doorway.
"Right, bed time." Ash said to the two drunk ladies "Bethany you may as well take my bed, just move Pi out of the way. If you need anything Gary is in the room next to you so knock on his door, try and not wake up the twins in the morning. Nia, get in the tent."
"Oooh so forceful" Nia said smirking and quickly jumping into the tent.
The next day Ash woke very early to a very cute but snoring Nia draped over him, her hair in complete disarray. She hadn't tied it into plaits like she usually did to prevent it poofing up. Gently moving her he wandered into the kitchen before making himself breakfast. It was only 6am so he knew it would just be him for a while but he found out he was wrong when Gary walked out of his room a few minutes later.
"I hate being a trainer at times" Gary said making himself some cereal. "My body clock will not let me sleep in."
"I'm used to training at this time so it doesn't bother me as much." Ash replied putting down a glass of orange juice in front of Gary who nodded in thanks.
"So how was your romantic night?" Gary asked smirking.
"She was asleep the moment her head touched the pillow." Ash said shaking his head. "I love that woman but by Arceus she has the strangest ideas."
"What time do we wake them up?" Gary asked.
"I'll wake them up about 10am" Ash said "they'll have shocking hangovers though."
"Should be funny." Gary replied.
It turned out Gary was very wrong as an irritated and dishevelled Nia walked into the kitchen, hair and makeup a mess trying her best to look inconspicuous as she crept past a very amused Ash. Feeling eyes on the back of her she straightened up and walked into Ash's bedroom, woke Bethany and grabbed her hairbrush and toiletries before heading into the bathroom. Half an hour later a much less irritated Nia walked out and sat down at the counter holding her head in her hands.
Chuckling Ash placed a bacon sandwich in front of her along with a cup of tea without saying a word.
Getting a small "thanks" she gingerly picked up the sandwich, took one smell and gagged before rushing back into the bathroom. Ash had to stop himself from laughing as he walked in behind her to see her bent over the toilet. Grabbing her hair he rubbed her back and for the next ten minutes they were stuck there.
"Thanks," she said quietly, wiping her mouth with her hands. "I think I drank too much last night."
"I think so too" Ash said helping her up and walking her to the sink where she washed herself and cleaned herself up. "Maybe some porridge instead eh?" Getting a nod Ash walked out of the bathroom leaving her to compose herself.
Bethany walked out of his room looking equally as dishevelled much to an awestruck Gary who watched open mouthed.
"Obvious" Ash coughed into his hand earning a glare.
Half an hour later a much better and less green looking Nia and a half put together Bethany sat at the counter eating small bites of their food.
"So what's your plans for today Gary?" Ash asked as he looked up from his laptop. He was keeping an eye on Princess and was very happy to see she was due to reach the lake in the next hour or so.
"I have to take the Trophy back to Lance today." Gary said "it needs to be kept in his office overnight."
"You mean you were allowed to take it home?" Ash asked confused.
"Yeah" Gary said wandering into his room and coming out with the trophy in his hands. It was around a foot tall, silver with gold spirals going from the base to the top where the silver pieces opened up to hold a Pokéball with a letter C embossed in it. Placing it in the counter the rest of the tribe wandered over to get a good look at it.
Picking it up Ash heard Bethany gasp but ignored her as he turned it over to see the names of the previous winners engraved on the back.
"Interesting" Ash said placing it back down "it's certainly very pretty. The reason I asked Gary was because I wasn't supposed to take my Championship one home. I was supposed to be given a replica as the real one is priceless."
"Yeah that's the Champion one" Gary said "the League one has a replica that's on show, this being the real one. The champion is allowed to keep it for the year before being given a copy."
"You know it's bad luck to touch a trophy you've not won yet?" Bethany said looking confused.
"I'll win it tomorrow" Ash said shrugging his shoulders "when I pick it up doesn't matter really. It's very light though, I expected more bulk to be honest."
"Is the Kanto one heavy?" Gary asked picking the trophy back up and passing it between his hands.
"Yeah, very" Ash said "it's made of gold and silver with a platinum Pokéball on it. It's pretty weighty."
"I should have won that last year." Nia said grousing. "The irony is I'd have won this year if I'd have entered as I've become immune to psychic mind reading."
"You let your mind wander" Ash said "I'll take some blame for being out of the country while that whole Elesa thing went on and not talking to you. But you did well to come back into it."
"Bitch" Nia muttered looking irritated.
"Are you still not over that?" Ash asked, confused. After all, it was well over a year ago now that had happened.
"I will never be over that cow trying to steal you" Nia said.
"But we weren't together…"
"It doesn't matter" Nia said "the fact is the bitch tried. Seems to be a common thing with how many tried it on with you in Johto too."
Ash looked confused before tentatively asking "Jasmine?" getting a growl and a glare. Shaking his head Ash sighed "do we need to talk?"
"No" Nia said "it's just irritating that people keep trying to get between us."
"Gym leader Jasmine?" Bethany quietly asked Gary who nodded. "She dated my cousin a few years ago but he cheated on her when she wouldn't move away with him. It's a shame really as she is a nice woman."
"Don't care," Nia said, hearing the conversation.
"I'm confused" Bethany said "you're behaving as if you own Ash."
"She does" Ash said, surprising her "our aura makes it impossible for me at least to find anyone else. For the other person though they have a lot of emotions to settle and work through. I belong to her. It's quite a simple mindset for me, for her not so much."
"I hate it" Nia said grousing "it makes me feel like I'm starting puberty all over again. I get angry whenever someone I know has tried to claim Ash is mentioned."
"It'll be like that for a few more years" Ash said.
"Until when?" Nia asked sourly looking up.
"You know that answer." Ash said chuckling.
Grumbling she went back to her cup of tea.
"Can someone enlighten the rest of us?" Gary asked.
"Sex isn't it?" Bethany asked making Nia choke on her drink and a blush appear on Ash's face "it's always that."
"Yes" Ash said "an aura users first time is when his aura finally settles. It also has the added effect of completing the bonding procedure at the same time and settles the spouses mind. They still get irritated at the mention of anyone they know is after their partner but it's not as bad. Mum still gets a look on her face whenever Ilene is mentioned but I suspect that's more habit by now."
"No" Nia said, chuckling "that's forever. She told me."
"Ah" Ash said ruefully "I mean I suppose I can understand. Anyway, back to the trophy. So what time do you have to give it back?"
"Anytime really." He said "it's a bit of a strange one really as I need to hand it over only to also take it back to give it to the next winner the day after."
"I suppose it's to make sure it's on site to prevent any embarrassment from happening." Bethany said "it would be pretty bad if you announce a winner and there's no trophy to hand over."
"Makes sense to me" Ash said looking at the time and then Bethany "what time do you have to be at the stadium?"
"2pm" she said "apparently there's a big build up. Pointless really as third place is meaningless."
"More prize money," Ash said.
"Yeah but not by much" she replied "I could do two more gym matches and earn the difference."
"Better than what you get for finishing in the top 8." Ash said "you only get £5k for that."
"I suppose so" she said shrugging her shoulders "anyway in need to get going. I need to change my clothes and feed my Pokémon. Thank you for last night. I really needed it."
"It's no problem" Nia said smiling and hugging the girl "make sure you keep in touch ok?"
"I will do, thank you." Bethany said as she turned to leave. Ash, as subtly as he could kicked Gary's leg and nodded towards her getting a confused look so he mimed walking with his fingers and a look of comprehension dawned on his face.
"I'll walk you back." Gary said, getting a surprised look from her "I need to stretch my legs anyway."
"Subtle" Nia said after they'd gone.
"So why did you invite her?" Ash asked "you all refused to tell me last night."
"It's just something you said." Nia replied "you said she apologised but seemed lonely. You were right, she was so I invited her round. I'll be honest I didn't want a crazy stalker pursuing you around the regions and bothering us for the rest of our lives but it turns out I needing had bothered, especially when she saw Gary."
"Yeah that was more than obvious" Ash replied "even a Zubat could see that. It was more than mutual, all evening he was trying not to look outside and failing. Anyway, are you up for a walk before we watch her battle?"
"You have tickets?" Nia asked.
"Yeah" he said "well no but every regional Champion has a box set aside at the finals which I haven't used yet due to still competing. We're all using that today."
"Everyone?" Nia asked as she walked into their room to get dressed.
"Yeah" Ash said nodding from the doorway "we're all meeting up at 2pm outside the stadium."
"Ok" she said before grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom.
The rest of the day was very pleasant. The box for Ash was quite spacious and easily accommodated all of them. It was located next to the Johto box so Gary brought the trophy with him and handed it personally to Lance who initially looked confused before Gary told him he was with Ash in the box next to them.
Bethany won 5-3, her Clefable winning against Olivia's Altaria earning her third place much to the happiness of the box. The ladies had really taken to the beautiful blonde and were very happy she had finished very high in the league.
"Well" Nia said looking at Ash "it's all down to you now."