SirBoomstick91
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Alright... I don't know whether to be let-down or impressed, but when I tried posting this on deviantART, it wouldn't let me. It was too big... then again, it was twenty-one pages. On FanFiction, I gave this a T rating because of strong language.
Here was the summary I provided: It's twenty-one years since Ash Ketchum left home in Pallet Town with Pikachu. Twenty-one years later, Ash is the new leader of a new, hand-picked Elite Four, Misty is still the Cerulean City Gym Leader and the two are happily married with two kids, Graham and Abigail. Along with their best friend, Jarred Oak, Graham and Abby travel to Pallet Town so the three can begin their journey in becoming the greatest Pokémon Trainers of their generation. But back at home, Ash receives a message from the League Governor, Lance, informing him that a new formation of Team Rocket has become has become the subject of attention from Interpol and Lance asks Ash to halt their efforts in Kanto. Once again, Ash and Misty go on another adventure, just like the old days; not just to stop another evil organization, but to protect their children.
But enough of my ramblings. Lets read some fanfics.
Thoughts, Sound-effects, Flashbacks, Lyrics, Word emphasis and Pokémon speech (except for Meowth) are italicized
“We're at a party, aren't we? Let's have ourselves a good time! Eh? Come on!”
To say that Ash Ketchum was a happy man would have been a downright insult in its own entirety; to say that he was ecstatic still would have been a sheer understatement. If someone said he was the happiest man alive... they maybe... just might have thrown the stone short of its mark. On this day, there could be no happier living, breathing form of life in the entire universe happier than Ash Ketchum, and that ecstasy could only be matched by the lovely woman sitting beside him, wearing a long white dress. The lot of Pallet Town would acknowledge today as “their day”. The wedding of Ashton Steven Ketchum and Misty Grace Waterflower.
The wedding itself was over, the couple was now married, but the blazing-hot sun was telling everyone that it was still late in the afternoon. Better yet, there was still a party to be had. The wedding reception was being held outdoors, near the sea; so if anyone happened to bring Pokemon, even their little (or big) friends could attend. Ash's Pikachu was the life of the party over with the other Pokémon. Brock, Pewter City's gym leader, found himself at the makeshift bar, trying to flirt with the lady guests who needed a drink; Gary Oak, Ash's friend and childhood rival, was the master of ceremonies and it was his and Delia, Ash's mother's, job to make the day as perfect as it could be.
But as everything was happening, Ash and Misty's heads were spinning.
“How fast is this going for you, Ash?” Misty whispered.
“It's mostly all happening in slow motion for me, Mist...” Ash replied. “All the better, I guess. Means I'll remember today clearer.”
Misty nodded as she cuddled up to her new husband. She finally took the time to observe her surroundings, everything was as she imagined it to be; their wedding on a beautiful sunny day with all of their friends and Pokémon in attendance. What really tugged her heart the most were all the cards of congratulations she and Ash received. Tears of joy flowed from Misty's eyes as she observed them all.
Ash couldn't fail to notice his wife in tears, “Misty, are you okay?” he asked concerned.
Misty smiled from how quick her husband's reaction was, “I'm fine, Ash. It's just... look at all the cards. They all say 'Ash and Misty Ketchum' on them. Nothing's gonna change that.”
The groom smiled mischievously.
“I know that look!” Misty exclaimed, “It's when you're about to do something silly!”
Ash couldn't resist, “For old time sake, would you kill me if I came up with one of my old stupid comments?”
Misty suppressed a laugh, “What do you got?”
“Those thoughts are mutual.”
Misty gave her husband a playful smack on the chest and he pretended to double-over in pain, “That is so bad, Ash. You can't even write something like that down.”
Ash laughed, “Well that's just me. Now you have to live with it.”
“And I wouldn't have it any other way,” Misty replied dreamily. “Can you promise me something, Ash?”
“What's that, darling?” he asked attentively.
“Don't change,” she said, “Don't ever change. You're a great, kind and compassionate man who's cute and funny when he's trying to act stupid or dense. Can you promise me that?”
Ash kissed Misty on her temple as he whispered into her ear, “You know that I can – and I will. I love you so much... Missus Ketchum.”
“I know.”
Ash smiled; he was supposed to be the one who was cracking wise all the time, “Heh – am I rubbing off on you? Should I be getting concerned?”
Misty giggled. “Maybe you should. I love you too, Mister Ketchum,” she replied as she planted a kiss on her husband's lips.
Meanwhile, away from the people, Pikachu was telling stories and providing entertainment for all of the other Pokémon who tagged along. At this point he was retelling the events that happened at Spear Pillar four years ago.
“So we closed the portal on him.” Pikachu laughed, “Left him in another dimension! True story!” He nudged Infernape, “Right?”
Gary's Umbreon was rolling on the ground, laughing. “Oh my lord, that is so funny! That Cyrus guy must have been an ass!”
“Yeah, makes me miss Team Rocket. Aww well, we live in hope,” Pikachu paused for a little while before continuing. “So then we win the Sinnoh league and then we decide to come back home. He meets Misty again and, finally, the little scaredy-cat asks her if she would be his girlfriend.”
“Yeah, yeah, Pikachu” Bulbasaur interrupted, “We've been there and done that.”
“So for us Pokemon belonging to other trainers, how'd he finally propose?” Gary's Krabby asked.
“He had a bit of motivation...” Pikachu said, “I threatened to Thunderbolt his sorry butt into oblivion-”
“I call Tauros feces, Pikachu,” Charizard interrupted, “Thunderbolt... he could take that from you... besides, I was there too.”
When Ash was younger, just a fresh sixteen year old out of the Sinnoh league, he would usually buy his girlfriend a Pokédoll of a certain Pokémon she hadn't received yet. Though still a little dense, he had matured quite a lot over the years. Both he and Misty were nineteen years old and they were a little old for mere toys. Nah. Ash was going to get her a nice necklace this time.
Ash immediately sought out the jewelry store and began to browse.
“Can I help you?” asked the clerk.
Ash briefly acknowledged the inquirer before he went back to looking over the selection. “Not yet, sorry. Just looking.”
“No worries, take your time. But if it's rings you're looking for,” the clerk pulled a ring out from under the glass to show to Ash, “I would suggest this platinum beauty. This is the ring to give to that special someone if you're to 'pop the question'.”
What was he trying to insinuate? That Ash was there because he wanted to propose to someone? Ask someone's hand in marriage?
Marriage... that awkward word. It all started back in home in Pallet Town, about a year ago, when his mother asked when he was going to propose to Misty. Brock and Tracey had been around to hear that and they never stopped hounding him about it ever since; even Pikachu threatened to Thunderbolt him on some occasions if he didn't come to his senses (he was probably going to repeat that threat very soon).
True, Ash and Misty had been together for three years, ever since he returned from Sinnoh; they had known each other for more than nine years; they both loved each other very dearly, but the prospect of marriage overwhelmed him. Having to give yourself up to someone completely; having to be ready and able to provide for her; children – he would be starting a family. Would he be ready to face all of that? It made him feel awkward, scared and, in worst-case-scenario, he would feel awkward and nervous around Misty. Being an adult was hard.
Maybe he was scared of rejection, maybe he thought he would look like an insane idiot all over again. Whatever it was, if he let it hinder his relationship with the woman he loved, it might just wreck what they built completely. He had two very good options on what he wanted to do for an occupation, mostly everyone knew full well of that. And kids? Well he only knew two people and one Pokémon who despised kids. What wrong reasons were stopping him? Perhaps what he needed was to do just that, 'pop the question', and maybe he would find closure to his insecurities. What would happen if he didn't ask for her hand soon?
Before Pikachu could threaten him with anything, Ash suddenly said, “You know what? I will buy it.”
“Oh! He's going to do it!” Pikachu exclaimed.
“Excellent choice, young sir! How would you like it done?”
“Come again?”
“Silly me. Traditional diamond? Or was there something else?”
Ash let the pieces click into place inside his head, what stone did he want on her ring? Ash was getting that ring for Misty, it was obvious what he was going to choose. “Water Stone, please. She adores the sea.” Ash then pulled out his bank card, swiped it, and punched in five-thousand; there went his prize money from the Battle Frontier, he also pulled out a gold nugget from his pocket and said, “I found this in Rock Tunnel. I want you to put your best effort into it, and have it done within the hour. She's very special to me.”
“I cannot deny young love a chance to bloom and flourish. Rest assured that you won't be disappointed.”
Late in the evening, in Cerulean City Gym, Misty had done away with her final opponent, letting her Gyarados have the pool all to himself. She was on a winning streak for five days, there weren't many challengers recently, but she was still winning. Tired, Misty almost let exhaustion guide her to her room until she saw her favourite person in the world walked through the front door.
“Ash!” she shouted, as she made a beeline towards her boyfriend.
“Hey, you,” Ash greeted as Misty embraced him.
“So how's my boyfriend doing on this lovely night?” she asked attentively.
“With you, Misty? Never better.”
Misty looked around and noticed that Pikachu and Charizard were observing them as if they were expecting something.
Ash turned his head and noticed this too. “Hey, Mist... I was wondering...” he said nervously, “Would you go out for a walk with me if Pikachu and Charizard help your sisters watch over the gym?” Addressing his Pokémon, he said, “You guys wouldn't mind letting Misty and I have a night for ourselves, would you?”
Both Pokémon shrugged their shoulders, “Okay,” they groaned in unison.
Misty giggled, but gave her attention back to Ash, “So what did you have in mind?”
“You know, Misty, in the three years we've been together, I still haven't taken you to the cape, out on Route 25. I hear a lot of girls saying that it's the romantic hotspot of Kanto.”
Misty smiled, “I do believe you owe me such a date, Mister Ketchum.”
Ash smiled back; maybe very soon, he would be able to share the name Ketchum with her. He stood beside Misty and threw his arm around her waist, making sure that she was on his right side, so she wasn't pressed up against what was in his left pocket. “Excuse us, guys,” he said to Pikachu and Charizard.
With Pikachu, Charizard moved out of the way, allowing Ash and Misty to pass. “So you're sure she's gonna say 'yes'?” Charizard asked as his master and Misty walked out the gym door.
“As you can see, they're practically joined at the hip. I've got good feelings,” Pikachu confirmed.
Outside the gym, so he could pass the time, Ash fondly began to reminisce the first visit to his love's gym, “You know, I remember the time I got the Cascade Badge, here,” he said as he led Misty to the bridge of Route 24.
Misty laughed triumphantly,“Well, if I recall correctly, you had it given to you! ...Dummy.”
“Well if I recall correctly, I well earned my standing ovation!” Ash retorted, “If it weren't for me, your gym would have been down all its Pokémon. And if our battle wasn't so rudely interrupted by the three stooges, I would have won, fair and square!”
Defeated, Misty just stuck her tongue out at him.
“You see? I did win that badge legit,” Ash gloated. Smiling mischievously as they strolled on Route 24 bridge, he continued, “You were just too proud to think you could lose to me.”
Misty scoffed, “Well you owed me a bike, I wasn't about to let you off that easily.”
“Aw well, I eventually bought you a new one.”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“You're still just looking for an excuse to stay with me.”
Misty pretended to act hurt, “Well why shouldn't I want to spend time with the man who I love?”
Ash was defeated this time, he stuck his tongue out in the same fashion that Misty had done before.
The couple didn't talk the moment they stepped onto Route 25. It was a little chilly that night and Misty found herself clinging to Ash for warmth; Ash covered her in an embrace to guarantee she stayed warm. And it stayed this way until they reached Cerulean Cape.
Once they reached their destination, Misty broke off and dashed forward to get a better look of the location of their date. The moonlit sky providing sufficient light from above and from below as it reflected off the water. She bent down and felt the soft grass against her hand, tingling her fingers.
Ash observed Misty from a distance and he remembered how radiant she looked in the moonlight; her red hair as fiery as ever; her soft, smooth skin was beautifully visible in the moon's gaze; her beautiful, emerald eyes were as captivating as they ever were. It was all Misty, same as she ever was – and she was truly one of the most beautiful women to grace the planet Earth.
“Oh, Ash!” Misty exclaimed, “Isn't this so romantic? The premier dating spot in the silence of night with the moon as our only audience?”
Ash encircled his arms around Misty's stomach as he kissed him in the crook of her neck. “I'm sorry I didn't take you here earlier.”
“You better be!” she joked.
Ash chucked, but it was time to get to the reason why he brought her here. He was getting nervous again. “Misty... may I ask you some questions?”
“You may, Ashy-boy.”
This warranted a smile, but it still wasn't enough to quell his anxiety. “Misty... you know that I love you with my heart and soul, and you love me the same, right?”
“Like you said: 'with my heart and soul'.”
“You know that everything I do is for you and I would never hurt you... whether I know about it or not?”
Ash felt Misty's nod.
“We will both face the challenges that life throws at us and we will emerge strong, ready to face them a hundred times more?”
“Ash, were is this going?”
Misty felt his grip on her leave entirely, but she would never expect him to say this, “Misty Waterflower. Will you marry me?”
Misty's mouth dropped wide open in shock. She turned around to see her boyfriend on one knee, holding open a box with a platinum ring inside it; the moonlight shone spectacularly off the Water Stone jewel. Right then and there, she wanted to shout 'YES!' and take him, but she had to know; she had to know if he knew what he was doing. “Ash... we're still so young. Are you sure you know where you're going with this.”
This was it. If Ash wanted to win Misty's hand in marriage, right here, right now, he would have to lay bare his soul. “In all truth, Misty. I'm afraid – worried. I'm worried that if I wait any longer to ask, another Hoenn instance will come. I'm scared that if another Hoenn happens this time, I might never see you again; that something would come up and we'd part ways for good, that I'd lose you forever. I know full well that if you say 'yes' to this, I'd have to sacrifice a lot of my own life to see you smile... but when I see your face light up, it feels like my birthday has arrived early, so it's worth the effort. I love you, Misty Grace Waterflower. I want to spend the rest of my life with you; raise a family.” Before Misty could interrupt that, Ash continued, “I can't see any woman in my future but you.”
Did those words just come out of his own mouth? Misty was amazed that Ash said that, Ash was amazed that he was able to say that. He had just poured out his soul and confessed his reasons of marriage to her. He was now awaiting on her answer.
Ash knew full well what he was doing the moment he took a knee and asked Misty the big question. She knew that she ruined the moment when she basically asked if he was still sane. She had to rectify that mistake, somehow. Tearful but blissfully enthusiastic, she gave him her answer, “Yes! Yes, Ash! I will marry you!”
The man in question was shaking with excitement as he attempted to slide the ring on her finger. Misty did her best to try and steady his hand, but she was shaking too. Finally, he slid the ring snug to the bottom of her finger, an excited Misty grabbed Ash's hand with both of hers and pulled him to the edge of the cape. There, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “I LOVE MY FIANCÉE, ASHTON STEVEN KETCHUM! AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!”
Ash snatched Misty off the ground and spun her around. Both were laughing as if they had fallen in love with each other all over again. Ash felt like a weight had been removed from his shoulders, the woman of his dreams wanted to marry him, all his fears were gone, he was the happiest man alive.
But gravity pulled a prank as Ash slipped on the grass, he and Misty were falling straight to the ground, in the nick of time, he positioned himself between the ground and Misty so that Misty wouldn't get hurt. She landed hard on top of him but they were still laughing hysterically.
“I love you, Misty. So very much.”
“I love you too, Ash. With all of my heart.”
They gave each other the best kiss of their entire relationship so far.
Misty's sisters, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, were still awake by the time the couple decided to call it a night. They didn't know what it was, but they knew it had to be important for Ash to fly all the way out to Cerulean for a late night date; the hints that Pikachu and Charizard were dropping raised their suspicions as well. The second Misty and Ash stepped through the front door, Charizard and Pikachu reached them first, then Misty's sisters, poor Politoed, Marill and Psyduck were struggling to keep up.
“How'd it go? Tell us!” said Daisy, demanding an answer.
“Yeah! Tell us!” Pikachu repeated.
“Misty?” Ash asked calmly.
Misty took a deep breath but quickly raised her hand and showed it to her sisters and the Pokémon, proudly displaying her engagement ring.
“Oh! That is precious, Misty!” Lily exclaimed, “Ash, do you know how many people were wondering when you were going to propose to our little sister?”
“They don't have to wait anymore,” Ash replied.
“Oh my god! Girls, break out the champagne! We have to celebrate!”
“I think I'm well beyond the liquid courage, now, thank you,” Ash politely refused.
“Daisy...” Misty chided, “Not until I'm twenty.”
Daisy took her two other sisters and began speaking of what Ash and Misty assumed to be wedding plans; they could have sworn they heard them talking about Ash's mother.
Misty groaned in exhaustion. “But I am rather tired,” she yawned.
“Want some company?” Ash asked suggestively.
“Ash! You're... so...!”
“Why shouldn't I give my fiancée a celebratory make-out session before she goes to sleep?” he asked defensively.
With that, Misty led him away to her room.
“Well, looks like we're staying the night,” Pikachu stated, “Wanna go see if Gyarados wants to find someone for a two-on-two?”
“Might as well.” Charizard sighed, “We're probably going to be moving in here too... I hate water.”
Pikachu still desperately tried to get the last word, “Well... I'm sure my threat had something to do with his motivation.”
“Keep dreaming, Pikachu,” Charizard taunted.
Meanwhile, while Pikachu and Charizard were arguing over what had to do with what in Ash asking Misty the question, Charizard insisted that Ash proposed on his own impulse while Pikachu was adamant that his threats had something to do with it; over back at the wedding party, the band had finished their break and returned back to the stage from the bar. They were a cover-band. Not well known, but good. Feeling ready, Ash jumped out of his seat and approached the band with some sheets in his hands. The lead singer nodded and stepped off the stage, back to the bar. The other band members looked excited. Misty wondered what was going on; before Ash left the table, he said that he had one for her. Right away, Ash took the microphone.
“Alright people... I'm not really much of a singer, but being that it's our wedding and all (I'll make Misty the exception) you're not really entitled to give a damn,” he joked. He then waited a bit for the laughter to die down, “So I'm going to assail your ears with something by, former Beatle, the late George Harrison. Misty, this is exactly what goes through my head whenever I think about you. This little number is off of All Things Must Pass, and it's called 'What Is Life'.”
The original riff in the key of E was a nice touch for those who liked George Harrison's original. Ash really wasn't that much of a singer, but it was the delightful kind of bad, like Bob Dylan; it didn't ruin the song.
Misty grinned widely as those lyrics were very true. Ash tried as hard as he could to be the perfect boyfriend he could be for her. She hoped that it would translate out into being just as good of a husband, as she would try to be an equally loving wife for him.
Misty figured that this more represented the night he proposed to her – his worries.
Ash, however, was having a very fun time up on the stage and just lost himself in the song.
Despite Ash's terrible singing, there was still an eruption of applause; Ash decided to have some fun with it, “Thank you very much! I'm here all night!”
Over by the seashore, Charizard and Pikachu were still having a heated argument.
“Oh please, Pikachu. Ash getting seriously hurt from your Thunderbolts is like the three stooges crashing this wedding.”
“THAT'S... actually not far off, Charizard.”
Almost immediately, Ash's Kingler came zooming out of the water as fast as he could, panting very hard, he managed to say, “Guys... I was doing a bit of exercise... until I noticed a school of Magikarp... and I saw something that definitely wasn't Magikarp. It's them. Team Rocket.”
“Speak of the devil,” Charizard muttered.
“What are we gonna do?” Gary's Krabby asked desperately.
“Alright, Alright! Here's how it's going to go!” Pikachu exclaimed. “Krabby, Kingler, you two are going to take Starmie and attack what you saw from the left. Politoed, take a ride on Staryu and tell Gyarados that the three of you are going to rip a suspicious underwater object to shreds. Charizard and I are going to act as death from above.”
“How'd you learn how to act like a Pokémon Trainer?” Kingler asked.
“It's a perk of being the one outside the Pokéball... Alright! Action!”
Meanwhile, back at the party, it was Brock's turn to say something. “I now know why I wasn't chosen as the master of ceremonies... I'm spending too much time over at the bar,” he laughed, slurring his words a little bit. “Aww well, at least I'm the best man. Anyway, at the same time, I'm both happy and disappointed. I'm very happy because two of my best friends are getting married to each other. I couldn't see it happening any other way; congratulations, you two. But I'm disappointed because they got married before I did! I'm twenty-five, they're twenty, and I'm still the bachelor! What's with that?”
“Because you can't put your finger on a single woman, Brock!” Ash called from the background.
Brock sighed, defeated,“Yeah... I suppose you're right. Congratulations and live your lives to the fullest.”
But in the sea of Water-route 21...
“Weddings? I love weddings! A beautiful day of wine and roses.”
“Wobbuffet!”
“Focus, James. Remember why we're here.”
“Steal the Pokémon and run – same old, same old.”
“Meowth! I wonder what kind of loot we'll end up with this time?”
Famous among Ash, his friends and his family; Jessie, James, Meowth (who apparently could speak the English language) of Team Rocket and their clueless Wobbuffet were famous for destroying good times at their best. But Pikachu and all the Pokémon had a different agenda for these uninvited pests.
“Considering these are the twerp's Pokémon we're dealing with... if we're careful, we should bag ourselves not only a big loot, but a big fat raise from our new boss,” Jessie answered.
“Hey! Jessie!” James called, “Radar's showing something closing in fast.”
Jessie dismissed it, “Could be just a spooked out Magikarp.”
Unsure, James shook his head, “Or maybe not-”
CRASH!!!
“I told you, Jessie! It was something! Spooked out Magikarp my arse!”
“Quit your whining, James! We need to get focused and find out what the hell that was!”
“Uh... guys?” Meowth interrupted, “I hate to interrupt your little 'lover's-quarrel', but I think I saw something out of the front window.”
The crashing took a minute refrain as Jessie, James and Meowth gazed out the submarine window. There was a yellow blur with a crystal-red centre that passed by faster than a car on a freeway, the brigands could faintly hear its battle cry. Zooming past, just as quickly, the other way was a violet blur with another red centre, it let out its own battle cry.
The submarine that Team Rocket was in perfectly resembled the Hoenn native Pokémon Feebas. But it had two fatal flaws that gave them away. One, it was larger than a Lapras, making it an easy target for Misty's rampaging Gyarados; two, Feebas could not be found in Kanto, nor the neighbouring Johto.
Gyarados began thrashing about with its tail and rock-crushing bites, showing no quarter to his master's nemeses. Staryu and Starmie joined in the fun, spinning about like saw-blades, crashing into the sides of the submarine. Kingler and Krabby were the last to join in as they began punching holes in the bottom of the submarine with their diamond-hard pincers.
“Oh god!” James shouted, “They're gonna sink us! We have to get out!”
“Wobbuffet!”
“Shut up, you clueless punching bag!” Jessie snapped, “Okay... the water's not that deep, perhaps if we swim fast enough, we can avoid those goddamn maniacs!”
“Why do we do what we do?” James groaned rhetorically as he opened the escape hatch. Jessie returned her Wobbuffet back into his Pokéball.
With some stroke of unbelievable luck, Jessie, James and Meowth managed to escape the submarine undetected. As they were swimming away, they watched Misty's Gyarados bind the oversized Feebas with its long body and crush it to the width of a straw.
“There they are!” Kingler exclaimed, pointing his smaller pincer to the trio and warming his larger pincer up for another fight.
Staryu and Starmie were ready to spin back into battle, but they were blocked off by Gyarados. “Wait for it...” he growled.
The three criminals reached the surface and gratefully gasped for air. “I don't think they're following us... thank God-”
“YOU REMEMBER ME?!” Charizard roared like he had an unending vendetta. Like death from above, Charizard, with Pikachu on his back, swooped down and slashed at the the trio with his razor sharp claws. He skimmed the water as his targets quickly dove under to avoid their demise. “Hoo-hah! And I'm back for good!” The fire-breathing horror was not done, yet. Charizard flapped his wings to steady himself and he hovered overhead, waiting impatiently for his prey to emerge.
Team Rocket were not immortal and they inevitably surfaced to catch their breath, only to meet a rain of fire.
Charizard saw his opportunity right away and attacked Jessie, James and Meowth with a Blast Burn. He breathed a great ball of fire which (according to a Pokédex) could rival the Earth's outer-core in heat; the water began to steam on contact. The brigands were lucky they weren't dead, but they were left with horrible burns.
Blast Burn was an extremely powerful technique, but it was also very draining. Charizard knew he was out of this fight from now on; he was struggling to stay hovered above the water.
“Alright, do it!” Gyarados ordered. Like bullets, Staryu and Starmie shot forth at Team Rocket, colliding into them at top speed. “Hop on!” Gyarados told to Krabby and Kingler; Gyarados swam forward, below their three targets, allowing Krabby and Kingler to get an attack in. Krabby pinched at their feet while Kingler bludgeoned them with his larger pincer like a hammer. Now it was Gyarados' turn and he fired a Dragon Pulse from his gaping maw. The blast shot them out of the water.
“Your turn...” Charizard grunted to Pikachu.
With all of his strength, Charizard brought himself and Pikachu higher into the air. They swooped down again at a high speed and Pikachu leaped off of Charizard's back, his cheeks radiating with electricity.
“Here it comes!” Pikachu shouted, “THUNDER!!!”
Thousands of bolts of heavy lightning began to irradiate from Pikachu's small form, lighting the area up as bright as the sun; Pikachu concentrated all of his power and focused his attack on his moving targets in the air.
Crackle, Snap, Bang, BOOM!
An explosion of electricity left behind a blinding flash of light. When the light died down, Pikachu continued to fall towards the water. Team Rocket was gone; only a trail of thick, black smoke was left behind.
“Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!”
Charizard quickly swooped down and let Pikachu land on his back.
“One of our better ones, if I do say so myself...” Pikachu said, commenting on their performance.
“I haven't had this much fun since Entei and the Unown,” Charizard replied.
As they returned to shore, all the wedding attendees hastily began clapping; all the Pokémon who participated took grateful bows, basking in the applause.
“Sorry, but they had to run!” shouted Pikachu, “We hope you've enjoyed the show!”
Ash and Misty were clapping the most as most of the participants were their own Pokémon.
“Y'know, dear? I think a nice fireworks display was all we needed to make our wedding complete.”
“No kidding.”
“Hi again, everybody,” a commentator exclaimed into his microphone, “I'm Ted Lewis and welcome back to Indigo Plateau for the twenty-fifth annual Pokémon League – Indigo Conference – Championships! This is it – the moment you've all been waiting for. The final match, the all-out war between the Dragon Master, Lance Draconifors, and the challenger, Ash Ketchum! With me, as always, is my co-host, Ken Gates.”
“Thank you, Ted. What we're about to see from these two battle-masters should be nothing short of exciting and unexpected. Both men are masters in Pokémon training, come from small towns but with very different backgrounds and each took very different roads to get here.
“The current champion and master of the Elite Four, Lance Draconifors, hails from Blackthorn City in the Johto region and is deemed by the elders of the town to be the greatest Dragon Master their community has ever seen. For a long time, this man has lead the Elite Four in this conference and has won the most championships in the Silver Conference. Unlike the challenger, Ash, Lance is a more seasoned trainer and has the advantage of experience under his belt. Lance will be fighting with a Gyarados, Dragonite, Aerodactyl, Charizard, Salamence and Garchomp – a very solid team.”
“Speaking of the challenger,” Ted took over, “Twenty-six year old Ash Ketchum hails from the small community of Pallet Town, beginning under the tutelage of Professor Samuel Oak – a world-renowned Pokémon researcher. Though he is not as experienced as Lance, Ash has stubborn and steadfast determination in his side; he does have some achievements under his belt as well. He has won a championship in the Orange League, has mastered the Kanto Battle Frontier and won the championship in the Sinnoh Conference; it should also be noted that he and his Pokémon were subject of Team Rocket's attempted conscription and he fought away from them every time. This tournament is Ash's first attempt at any tournament conquest in nine years. Some may have protested his return after such a long hiatus, but now he's making them eat those words as he has made it to the finals. Ash will be fighting with a Pikachu, Charizard, Kingler, Tauros, Garchomp and Torterra.
“For all our viewers watching at home on Pay-Per-View, tuning in just now, this match will be a six-versus-six battle, only one Pokémon may be used at one time. Self-Destruct or Explosion will be forbidden to each combatant's final Pokémon as its use in that case will always result in a loss. Other than that, it's basically anything goes,” Ted explained. “Ken, what are your predictions for the match?”
“Ted, like I said before, I'm expecting to be excited. I don't know how this match is going to play out, based on first glance, I would have to bet my money on Lance; then again, we have not heard anything of Ash in the battle scene for nine years. Yet, Ash mowed his way past the other competitors and steadily climbed past the other Elite Four. Anything can happen, I guess we'll have to watch and see how this plays out.”
The entire stadium at Indigo Plateau was completely sold out. No seat was left empty, no one could be found in any hallway, no one was silent, everyone was cheering in anticipation for the upcoming championship battle between Lance Draconifors and Ash Ketchum. Lots of spectators were proudly holding up banners that praised their favourite combatant, but by far, the most enthusiastic was a group of twelve people sitting in the front row.
“Grandma, when's dad gonna fight?” asked a boy who looked no older than six years of age.
“Grandma, where's mommy?” asked a five year old little girl.
Every since Ash and Misty had their first child, six years ago, Delia Ketchum was learning how hard it was to be a grandmother. But she and Mimey, her Mr. Mime, did everything they could to help Misty and Ash raise their children, Graham and Abigail.
“Graham, daddy's waiting to be called out. He and Lance should be ready, soon. Abigail, mommy will be back shortly.”
Meanwhile, in his waiting room, Ash was shaking in anxiety. Never before has Misty seen her husband more afraid in his life. He knew what he was doing the moment he decided to compete in the tournament again but this was the first time during the whole event where he showed a speck of fear. But Misty could understand her husband's insecurity, he never made it this far the first time on home soil.
“Ash... sweetie, are you okay?”
Ash's breathing was broken from nervousness, his face was white as a sheet. “It... it's been nine years since I've fought competitively, Misty,” he said, trying to rationalize his fear.
He always ended up humouring her whenever he tried to justify himself, she couldn't help but smile. “But look at where you are now. You've always had the heart of a fighter, Ash. You'll do fine against Lance; whether it be win, lose or draw, you'll finish like a champion... and you'll always be the number one contender in my and the kids' eyes. Their daddy – the great Pokémon Master.”
Ash took another deep breath, but this one calmed him down. His wife always knew what to say. Ash couldn't help but chuckle, “I've been waiting for this moment for sixteen years, you know.”
“I know. You say you're not a loser, so win; give Graham and Abby something to brag about at school.”
Misty gently brushed her lips against her husband's; the kiss was nothing more than what it was meant to be – comfort.
Ash pulled Misty back in and deepened the kiss; Misty didn't protest she threw her arms around her husband's neck and let the kiss linger for as long as he needed. It was only until they heard the clearing of throats that they broke off.
Ash looked over to see all his six Pokémon he would be using standing there. Pikachu, Charizard, Torterra, Garchomp, Tauros and Kingler; they all looked eager and ready to go. “So guys?”
“We're all ready to fight, ready to win this!” Pikachu exclaimed.
“Should be fun, let's do this thing,” said Torterra.
“Did I hear the commentator guy say there'd be another Garchomp in there? I want to fight that one.” What Garchomp said was more of a demand than a request.
“It's been a while... I'm ready to win as long as everyone else is,” said Kingler, shifting his eyes to Charizard.
Charizard scowled at Kingler then said, “I swear to you, I'm not going to mess around this time. I'm fighting until I drop dead.” Charizard said it with such sincerity in his voice, bitterly remembering that he was the reason Ash lost the tournament in his first attempt. “Ash, I'm ready, this time.”
Tauros was raring to go. “Let's get in that battle circle! And kick that dragon-trainer's ass!” the bull Pokémon roared.
Ash smiled, his motivated Pokémon was the last bit of motivation he needed. “We ready to go?” the man shouted enthusiastically.
All his Pokémon roared in approval.
“We ready to win this thing?!”
They all roared again, even louder this time.
“Ash Ketchum? It's time.”
Ash quickly gave Misty a grateful parting kiss, drawing on all the strength he needed, “Thanks Misty. I really needed that.”
“No problem, just go and win. Make your family and friends happy.”
“I'll do that, darling. The kids probably miss you.”
Misty smiled, she knew Ash was right. Delia must be trying so hard to keep them calm. “I'll be waiting for you in the stands.” She gave him one last hug and then she left.
“Here's Bruce Williams!” the announcer, Ted exclaimed.
Down in the centre of the battle circle stood a man dressed in a three-hundred dollar black suit, holding a microphone. He had a very deep voice. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves, today, a six-on-six championship bout for the challenger's right to be called the Pokémon League – Indigo Conference – Champion!” He quickly turned and pointed to his right, “Introducing first – the leader of the Elite Four! Fighting with an Aerodactyl, Charizard, Dragonite, Garchomp, Gyarados and Salamence; hailing from Blackthorn City, all the way out in the Johto region; The Dragon-master – Lance 'The Drake' Draconifors!”
Lance was soaking in the applause as he led his team of dragons out. Win, lose or draw, this was going to be his last battle – he hoped this fight would be the highlight of his career.
“Introducing to my left, his opponent – the challenger! Fighting with a Charizard, Garchomp, Kingler, Pikachu, Tauros and Torterra; fighting out of Pallet Town, here in Kanto; returning from a nine-year hiatus; 'The Heart of Fire' Ash Ketchum!”
Ash wasn't concerned with the astounding applause he received from the crowd; instead, he made it an objective to find his wife and kids in the stands first before he even thought about battling.
“Graham! Abby! Look!” Misty exclaimed, “There's dad!”
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Ash was looking for someone, both Graham and Abby excitedly waved their arms around to grab their father's attention.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Abby shouted, “Over here!”
“Hey! Dad!” Graham shouted too, “Dad! Up here!”
Ash's eyes frantically scanned up and down the crowd to find his family. Finally, he rested his gaze on a section in the front row, where two excited kids were flailing their arms about, obviously trying to attract their father's attention. Beside the little girl was Misty giving him a wave, too. There they were, his favourite people in the world. Ash smiled contently and waved back at them.
“Dad sees us!” Graham shouted.
“You can do it, Daddy!” Abby called in encouragement.
Misty blew her husband a kiss.
Ash's team took one look at Lance's company of dragons and most just confidently scoffed like they were of no difficulty – only Pikachu and Charizard kept their cool.
“The referee for this contest shall be Mario Corlendo,” announced Bruce, and the applause finally died down.
“Good luck,” Lance muttered in goodwill.
“You too,” Ash replied.
“Alright, are you ready?” the referee asked in a thick Italian accent, pointing to Lance; Lance nodded, “Are you ready?” he asked to Ash; Ash nodded too. Mario clapped his hands once and quickly backed off – the championship battle had begun!
“Salamence!”
“Tauros!”
Lance's Salamence immediately leaped into battle and Tauros excitedly charged in, horns forward, ready for some action.
“Tauros!” Ash shouted, “Agility! Use your speed! Wear that Salamence down!”
“Patience, Salamence,” said Lance, “Let it wear itself out.”
Unbeknownst to Lance, Ash and Tauros worked hard together on their speed strategy. It wasn't the classic “first avoidance manoeuvre”, it was “hit-and-run”. Tauros feigned a Double Edge attack against Salamence's gut, but quickly sidestepped and lashed out with an Iron Tail against the dragon Pokémon's right wing. Tauros stopped behind the massive dragon and kicked dust in Lance's face, getting ready for another attack.
“Damn...” a surprised Lance muttered, “Alright Salamence, fight back!”
Tauros charged forward but jumped out of the way when Salamence tried to use a Mega Kick; the bull kept on charging but could see Salamence's Steel Wing. This time, Tauros threw himself into Salamence's left side, greatly injuring the dragon, but hurting himself a little bit. Tauros quickly scrambled to regain his footing so he could resume his hit-and-run strategy, but his back was grazed by a Dragon Claw counterattack; Salamence followed up with a Dragon Breath attack, hitting Tauros' side. Tauros was hurt, but he tried to shake off the attack, he began circling his opponent. Salamence tried to hit Tauros with a Fire Fang, but missed his opponent's three tails by a hair.
“Tauros! Finish it! You can do it!”
Ash was right, it was time to end it for this Salamence. Tauros attacked Salamence's side again, scratching it with a Horn Attack; Salamence was looking worse. Tauros kicked dust into the air again and charged forward and his highest speed, jumping into Salamence with a Giga Impact. Tauros hit his opponent so hard, the force sent Salamence sliding to the circle boundaries.
Lance knew his Salamence had enough when Tauros began his Giga Impact attack and he returned Salamence into his Pokéball. “Hmm...” he muttered, “Not bad.” The dragon-master looked at his Garchomp and motioned for it to get in and fight.
Garchomp jumped into battle with extreme ferocity. Drained from Giga Impact, Tauros did not notice Garchomp fast enough. Out of desperation, Tauros carelessly lunged at his current opponent with a Double Edge, knowing he was probably going to lose soon but hoping that he would be able to wear Garchomp down for Ash's next Pokémon. Tauros made contact, but he was almost too weak to stand. Tauros was mercilessly finished off with a Dragon Rage.
Ash sighed heavily as he returned his Pokémon back into his Pokéball. He expected this to happen, but he never liked to see his Pokémon in pain.
“Garchomp... you're in.”
“Yeah!”
“Garchomp!” Ash called again, “Distraction.”
Ash's Garchomp quickly nodded before he jumped into the battle-circle to square off against his identical rival.
Garchomp's distraction strategy was one that he suggested himself; to take advantage of the fact that he could easily loosen and throw sand. He also had power and he knew it; usually, when he sparred with other Pokémon, he would throw off his opponent with a Sand Attack and follow up with a more powerful technique.
Remembering his strategy, he slashed the ground with one of his large fins and sent sand flying right into the other Garchomp's face. Lance's Garchomp successfully shielded his eyes, but didn't ready himself in time for a Dragon Rush attack from Ash's Garchomp. The two dragon Pokémon began wrestling with each other on the ground, each throwing in well aimed punches when the opportunity arose. Things began to go down hill for Ash's Garchomp when Lance's hit him with a luckily placed Aqua Tail; Lance's Garchomp regained his footing first while Ash's struggled to regain his own footing while trying to recover from the Aqua Tail. When he finally arose to his feet, he was unprepared for what was coming to him next. Lance's Garchomp slashed at the ground with his fins multiple times and began to cover Ash's in a Sand Tomb. Ash's Garchomp frantically swung his arms around trying to clear the air of sand, but he wasn't fast enough. Lance's Pokémon held his arms out like Christ on the crucifix and a large orange sphere began to form at his chest. The sphere grew larger and larger in size until it began to glow as bright as the sun. Ash's Garchomp escaped his trap just in time to see a barrage of meteors coming straight for him. In the current predicament, the Draco Meteor technique was unavoidable. Ash's Garchomp simply closed his eyes and waited for the attack to finish; before he was struck, Garchomp felt ashamed that his distraction strategy backfired. The attack threw him with such force that when Ash returned his own Garchomp, he could see a small crater in his place.
Ash grimaced, but quickly looked at Torterra and nodded for him to make his entry.
The continent Pokémon nodded back and slowly stomped his way into the battle-circle.
“Use your power and keep your distance,” Ash reminded his Pokémon.
Torterra nodded and stood his ground. He had an idea to avenge his fallen comrade. Torterra threw his balance back and briefly stood on his hind legs while he roared loudly. He then threw himself back down on to all fours as if he were trying an Earthquake attack,but no, not for this move. Torterra continually rolled his front shoulders while Lance's exhausted Garchomp watched him, confused. It wasn't until Garchomp saw the ground break from under him that he knew what was going on. Frenzy Plant. Roots emerging from shot up and caught Lance's Garchomp in a bind. Garchomp struggled to get free, but his efforts were futile; Torterra's roots began to constrict Garchomp's chest very tightly, labouring his breathing. Additional roots emerged from the ground and began whipping the dragon Pokémon all over; it fell unconscious in Torterra's grasp. Torterra released his beaten opponent and retracted his roots, panting heavily, hoping that he would be ready for the next Pokémon as Garchomp was removed from the fight.
Lance looked over at his Pokémon again and said, “You're in charge, Aerodactyl!”
The Pterodactyl Pokémon roared and flew at Torterra like a bullet.
“Shit,” muttered Ash, “Aerodactyl's a quick one.” Maybe Aerodactyl's great speed comes with the sacrifice of physical attack. “Torterra! Brace yourself!” Ash shouted.
Torterra could see Aerodactyl coming in like a torpedo and he prepared for the incoming attack. Aerodactyl collided with Torterra but the attack hurt the dinosaur more than it hurt Ash's Pokémon, Torterra outweighed Aerodactyl by at least five-hundred pounds. Torterra tried to trample over his opponent, but Aerodactyl was quick to recover and he was in the air again.
Ash smiled, Aerodactyl was going to be easier than he thought. “Offence, Torterra!” he ordered, “It can't do jack against you!”
“Wear it down, Aerodactyl!” Lance shouted, “Make it tired!”
When Torterra went on the offence, he went all out and did anything to power up his attacks. The leaves from the tree on his back began to glow a light greenish-blue and Torterra began forming an Energy Ball at his mouth. Instead of letting it fly, he swallowed it. The leaves stayed in their glowing state.
“All right!” Ash shouted in approval, “Nice work! Shoot that dinosaur out of the air!”
The leaves on Torterra's back began to glow even brighter and Aerodactyl swooped around for another pass. Torterra smiled at his foe's ignorance and let loose a Leaf Storm. A veil of empowered leaves were sent forth from Torterra, Aerodactyl tried to manoeuvre out the trajectory but it was futile, he was coming in too fast. He was mercilessly cut from the leaves, some even impaled the skin of his wings; unable to stay in flight, he began to fall towards Torterra. It was time to finish this. As Aerodactyl neared the ground, Torterra, with all of his strength, leaped forward and hit his foe with an Iron Head. The force of the attack threw Aerodactyl back hard, making him land at Lance's feet.
“I'm sorry,” Lance apologized as he returned Aerodactyl to his Pokéball, “I didn't know what to expect from it.” It was time to trump that overgrown turtle. “Go, Charizard,” Lance said calmly.
Lance's Charizard had observed Aerodactyl lose against Torterra and was itching to burn some grass. Charizard leaped and took flight.
Ash saw Lance's Charizard and grimaced. Torterra would get burned to a crisp easily. “Torterra, you've done well enough! Return!”
Did he just say that? Every other Pokémon fought to unconsciousness and Ash was making Torterra take a free ride? The continental turtle felt a little insulted. He growled at his master and shook his head.
“Torterra!”
“I'm fighting that Charizard!” Torterra demanded.
Torterra flurried with Razor Leaf, but Lance's Charizard spiralled a Flamethrower and all the leaves coming forth were burned. Charizard was coming closer. Torterra tried to back off and keep his distance, he even tried throwing a Wood Hammer, which hit his opponent but it only made Charizard spin out where he quickly recovered back into flight.
“Respect its persistence, Charizard! End it quickly!”
Charizard hovered his way around to behind Torterra and steadied himself in the air, letting out a Fire Blast. The shape of the blast engulfed Torterra in flames. Charizard growled at his mistake and fired another, knocking his opponent out this time, sparing him from more serious burns.
Ash groaned a sigh as he returned Torterra into his Pokéball. “Kingler, get in there.”
The large crab Pokémon quickly snapped his pincers twice and zigzagged his way into the battle-circle with his crab-walk. Charizard swooped in with a Slash attack, but Kingler defended himself with Harden but Charizard wasn't finished yet; after regaining some speed, Charizard swooped in from behind this time and attacked Kingler with a Flamethrower. Kingler grunted and tried to shake the attack off.
“Kingler!” Ash shouted, “Get it out of the air!”
“Right,” Kingler growled back.
Kingler raised his left, smaller pincer into the air and pointed it at Charizard, who was coming in fast again. Trying to keep up his aim with his opponent, he fired a powerful, blinding Hyper Beam. Unfortunately, Charizard was too fast and the attack grazed his belly. Charizard looked unfazed.
“Damn,” Kingler muttered, “It worked against a Golbat, sixteen years ago.”
Kingler was brought back into focus when Lance's Charizard caught him off guard with a Slash attack.
Kingler growled, “It's time to end this!”
Lance's Charizard resumed its aerial hit-and-run strategy and swooped in again, intent on using Flamethrower. Kingler stood his ground carefully as Charizard flew in closer. When Charizard opened his mouth to shoot a Flamethrower, Kingler took a chance; he lunged forward with his right, larger pincer and caught Charizard's left wing in a Vice Grip. Having him caught like if he were in a bear trap, Kingler swung Charizard around like a rag-doll, slamming him into the ground like a hammer on an anvil. Kingler created a chance for himself to knock that Charizard out and he began to capitalize on it immediately. Before Charizard could struggle to his feet, Kingler bashed him with a Crabhammer; he was still moving. Kingler bludgeoned him multiple times before leaping up into the air and landing on him with Stomp; Kingler continually crushed Charizard with Stomp until he was sure his opponent was unconscious. Kingler triumphantly stepped off of the downed Charizard and readied himself for Lance's next Pokemon. Dragonite or Gyarados.
“Gyarados!” Lance called as he returned Charizard.
The long, blue, atrocious Pokémon dove into battle with an Iron Head attack to hopefully break through Kingler's Harden. The tactic worked and Kingler found himself sent back, flying a few feet. Lance's Gyarados showed Kingler the same kind of ferocity that was shown to Charizard and Kingler was swat into the air with an Aqua Tail. Before Kingler could hit the ground, Gyarados caught him with a Crunch. Caught in the teeth, Kingler was flailed around like a Houndour's chew-toy; Kingler was finally released when he was thrown from Gyarados' mouth, not able to find the energy to move after that.
Ash returned Kingler into his Pokéball. He looked at Lance's Gyarados and then at his two remaining Pokémon. He had to choose one. Given the Pokémon already in play, Ash shouted, “Pikachu! Get in there, buddy!”
This was the Pokémon choice Misty and the kids were looking forward to the most, seeing Pikachu fight the bigger opponents was always inspiring.
“Yeah! Go Pikachu!” Misty cheered from the stands.
“Yay! Electrify that big meanie!” shouted Abby.
“Roast some Gyarados!” Graham finished.
Lance knew how shit could hit the fan very easily for opponents when Ash sent in his Pikachu to fight; if Lance wanted to win, he would have to down that Pikachu – and fast.
“Be careful of that Pikachu, Gyarados! I want you to go all out! Offer no opportunity!”
“Pikachu! Use your speed! It's your best attribute!”
Pikachu quickly leaped to the side to avoid an Ice Fang attack that was coming in fast but Gyarados was taking no chances with Ash's little mouse; Gyarados let loose with a Flamethrower. Pikachu managed to avoid that one still but found himself having to dodge yet another attack in the form of Dragon Rage. Pikachu was getting annoyed; if he wasn't getting attacked, he was dodging attacks; if he wasn't dodging attacks, he was getting attacked. He had to find a way to exploit Gyarados' natural electricity weakness. Pikachu thought he found an opening when Gyarados tried to crush him with a Body Slam and he took it. Pikachu dodged Gyarados' attack, ran around to his opponent's tail area and quickly jumped on Gyarados' back before he could recover and figure out where Pikachu was. But Gyarados quickly caught on and suddenly arched his body, throwing Pikachu off of him like a catapult. Fortunately, Pikachu recovered in midair, allowing him to land on his feet. Pikachu came to realize that if he wanted to land anything on Gyarados, he would have to let Gyarados get near him.
“Bite me!” Pikachu taunted, “I dare you! I double dare you!”
Gyarados growled out a laugh and slowly came down to grip Pikachu in his Bite. He lifted Pikachu up in the air in preparation for a thrashing but for Pikachu, this was going much better than he expected.
“Gyarados!” Lance shouted, “Let it down!”
“Hah! Fell for it!” Pikachu laughed, beginning to emanate sparks, “THUNDER!”
Bolts of lighting shot from Pikachu's body onto every inch in Gyarados' mouth, even to the back of his throat. It was too much for Gyarados and he was throwing himself around in pain, with Pikachu still in his mouth. Pikachu kept on shocking Gyarados until the Pokémon would release him from his mouth but he knew that when it would happen, he would get hurt upon release but it was all part of the plan. Gyarados roared in agony one last time before it threw itself to the ground, knocked out. Pikachu was thrown from Gyarados' mouth and slid for ten feet.
“Yes... it worked.”
Lance quickly returned Gyarados to his Pokéball. When Lance and Dragonite looked at each other, Dragonite knew just what he had to do. He had to go all out on that Pikachu, don't even let him talk. Dragonite began to take flight, he hovered in the air for only a little bit, then threw himself at a still recovering Pikachu like a torpedo, hitting him with a Slam.
“He's tough, Pikachu!” Ash warned, “Be careful!”
Pikachu quickly regained his footing as he recovered from the attack. Pikachu considered himself lucky that he was still able to fight. He lunged towards Dragonite with a Thunderbolt attack, Dragonite made a dodge and avoided the full power of the attack; he was hit but not bad, he counterattacked by whipping Pikachu with his tail. He was still flying through the air and Dragonite took the opportunity. He lunged at Pikachu with a Dragon Rush and hit his opponent hard. The force Dragonite put into the attack was too much for a Pokémon as small as Pikachu and he was sent flying again. Dragonite didn't move this time, he stood his ground; he opened his mouth slowly and a white sphere began forming in front of his mouth.
“Pikachu! Get out of there!” Ash cried.
“Get up!” roared Charizard, “Pikachu, get up!”
But Pikachu was not fast enough and Dragonite let loose a Hyper Beam, directly hitting Pikachu, letting him fly into a wall.
“NO!” Ash and Charizard both shouted and roared in unison. Misty and the children gasped in horror
Charizard knew it was his turn to battle but there was still some business to take care of first. He held up his hand as if he were requesting from Dragonite a time out. Charizard knew he was taking a gamble because Charizard would possibly be, yet again, “unfit to fight”. He walked over to Pikachu who was not unconscious but still writhing in pain from the attack.
“You've had enough...” Charizard whispered and he took Pikachu in his arms.
“How... did I... do?” Pikachu hoarsely asked.
“I'll finish him off for you,” Charizard promised as he passed Pikachu to a near-petrified Ash. Charizard returned to the battle-circle, saying to Dragonite, “He didn't have a Pokéball.”
Dragonite nodded honourably, accepting Charizard's excuse.
“Your move...” Charizard muttered.
Dragonite lunged at Charizard and swiped at him with a Dragon Claw, slashing Charizard across the gut, Charizard used the momentum of Dragonite's attack to his advantage and spun himself around, hitting his opponent with a roundhouse Mega Kick. Ignoring his injury, Charizard lunged forward at the large dragon with a flaming body; Dragonite was trying to make some distance.
“I can fight fire with fire!” Lance shouted, “Fire Blast, now!”
Dragonite spat out the same attack that defeated Torterra earlier but to Charizard, using it on him was more like an insult. Just like fighting Blaine's Magmar, sixteen years ago, he deflected the attack, veering it off in another direction but with no resistance this time. Charizard savagely leaped at Dragonite and tackled him with a Flare Blitz, driving his shoulder into Dragonite's gut when they hit the ground. As they wrestled about on the ground, Charizard landed a well aimed punch between Dragonite's eyes, putting the gargantuan dragon in a daze for a second; like a mixed martial arts fighter, Charizard pulled Dragonite into a submissive choke-hold and began to Overheat. Dragonite began clawing at Charizard's arms, trying desperately to get free. As Charizard continued his attack, Dragonite began to claw harder but Ash's final Pokémon still remained resilient; Dragonite's entire body began to shake and his clawing became faster and then he let out a deafening roar. Dragonite threw his head back, hitting Charizard in the chin, causing him to let go. Dragonite jumped to his feet and faced a rising Charizard briefly before thrashing about in an Outrage. Dragonite was on a rampage, throwing flurries of various elemental punches, flailing about with Steel Wings and shooting many beams. Charizard wasn't Ash's slowest Pokémon, but he sure as hell wasn't his fastest. He dodged quite a bit of the blows, but was still hit with a Fire Punch, Ice Punch, three Steel Wings, an Ice Beam, Flamethrower and a final attack of Superpower, where Dragonite grabbed and tossed Charizard like he was throwing out the trash. Charizard grunted as he quickly emerged to his feet and wasted no time in using Dragon Breath. Dragonite stumbled back as the attack hit him directly square in the chest.
Lance knew this fight was going nowhere, he needed a different tactic. “Dragonite, take to the air!”
Obeying his master's order, Dragonite was in the air in a matter of seconds.
“Well Charizard can fly too!” Ash shouted, “Follow it!”
“There is no escape,” Charizard growled. He flapped his large wings and followed his opponent into the air.
In the air, the two adversaries began to square off. Dragonite made the first move, he flapped his wings rapidly, creating a tornado; then, he sent the Twister straight to Charizard, who was too close to avoid it. Charizard was caught in the Twister and was violently spun about and thrown around while inside. The attack stopped, but Dragonite followed up with a Dragon Breath attack but quickly recovering from the Twister, Charizard defended himself with a Flamethrower. The two attacks collided and caused an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Charizard saw Dragonite charging at him with an Iron Head attack. To dodge the attack, Charizard stopped flapping his wings and let himself fall as Dragonite zoomed past. Charizard began flying again and was now in pursuit of Dragonite. Dragonite tried to lose his pursuer so he would be the one on the offensive, but Charizard was not pulling any punches. Charizard swooped down and landed on Dragonite's back; first, punching him twice on the neck, then Charizard breathed another Flamethrower on his foe, on the back of Dragonite's head. Dragonite escaped by flapping hard with a single wing and doing a barrel roll, making Charizard lose his grip. Dragonite created some distance between the two Pokémon and an orange sphere began forming at his chest. He used the same Draco Meteor technique that Lance's Garchomp used a while ago against Ash's.
“Charizard! Look out!” Ash cried.
The barrage of meteors was closing in and fast. Charizard quickly changed directions, flying away from the attack. It looked like the attack was sure to hit him, but as the meteor barrage travelled farther, it spread further apart and Charizard was able to dodge the attack easier but as Charizard made it through the group of meteors, Dragonite used the attack again. It was much harder for Charizard to dodge the meteors in such a closer proximity; he manoeuvred as best and agile as he could through Dragonite's barrage until one of the projectiles collided into his side and Charizard found himself rolling through midair, getting closer to Dragonite's Dragon Pulse.
But Ash still hoped Charizard could pull off one more trick they kept up their sleeves, “Charizard! Use that attack you learned two years ago!”
Of course, they were in the air, why didn't he think of it before? Charizard regained his sense of direction as he was coming straight at Dragonite but when he was close enough, before Dragonite could attack again, Charizard balled up a fist and threw a downward Thunder Punch on to Dragonite's nose. The sudden burst of electricity coursing through Dragonite's body pulled him into a brief spasm, giving Charizard more than enough time to quickly manoeuvre behind him. Charizard punched Dragonite again and held him in a very tight grip. Charizard dragged Dragonite up higher and higher into the air until they rising a good hundred feet over the stadium – it was time to finish this. With one final push of his wings, Charizard dove back down into the stadium, pulling Dragonite with him. He positioned Dragonite between him and the ground below, making sure that this was going to cause as much damage as possible. Further and further they fell, closer and closer they came to the ground, faster and faster they travelled; no one could even tell which of the two Pokémon was either Charizard or Dragonite, it was only a blur. Both Charizard and Dragonite closed their eyes, waiting for it to come, sharing only one common thought – this is going to hurt. It came, they crashed into the ground, making the entire stadium shake like it were victim to an earthquake.
No one could see anything in the crater that was made in consequence from that massive attack due to a collection of dust. Ash fell to his knees as if he was acting on reflex, as if he was expecting to lose. Lance fell also because he couldn't believe that just happened; he was impressed. Win, lose or draw, that was a helluva battle. The dust slowly began to clear, everyone could see something moving – a light – a flickering orange light. The victor was-
“It's over! It's over! The fight is over!” shouted Ted from the commentator's booth, “Lance's Dragonite is down! Lance's Dragonite is out!”
What happened?... Did he win? Did Ash just... win? The dust had cleared completely and everyone could see that it was Charizard, not Dragonite, who was climbing out of the crater.
All of Ash's family, friends and fan's roared in thunderous applause, everyone else applauded just because they witnessed a great battle. Ash couldn't believe it... he won... he won! Charizard won! Ash jumped to his feet and dashed into the battle-circle, making a beeline for Charizard.
“Charizard, you amazing son of a bitch!” Ash cried as he jumped at his Pokémon for a hug.
“I beat him...” Charizard breathed, “I won... I can't believe it.”
“It happened, Charizard! We did it! We all did! You fought magnificently!” Ash exclaimed as he scratched the side of Charizard's head.
Ash's family and friends were ready to jump the rails to get down to Ash in the battle-circle, Misty and the kids were not on the ground for more than one second at a time.
“He won!” Misty cried in excitement, “Daddy won! Your daddy won! Oh, I knew it! I just knew he would!”
“He did it!” screamed Abby, “He did it! He did it! He did it! Yay! He's the winner!”
“Yeah Charizard!” cheered Graham, “Way to show 'em how it's done!”
All the stadium's attention turned to Bruce Williams as he entered the battle-circle to announce the official decision. “Ladies and Gentlemen this contest has been stopped due to a combatant being out of usable Pokémon; declaring the winner, one Pokémon to none, and new Indigo Conference Champion... Ash Ketchum!” and Bruce presented Ash with the Indigo Conference trophy
The applause erupted again; this time, Ash and Charizard took the time to let the attention soak in, Ash was waving around his new trophy, showing it off. Pikachu limped his way over to Ash and Charizard, Ash noticed his little yellow friend and lifted him on to his shoulder; the crowd did well to give Pikachu some well deserved attention. Just like before the battle, Ash's eyes were on his family; he was trying to give them the thumbs up.
Ash was approached by Ken Gates, who made his way down from the commentator's booth, “Ash, after nine years of absence from the battle scene, you make an abrupt return and win a championship in, probably, the most challenging of all four of the conferences, how do you feel about that?”
“You know, it feels unbelievable... I mean to climb so high, fight so hard, the feeling you get when you've conquered it all is amazing.”
“I understand that this is your first time in sixteen years to have competed in this conference, may I ask why you think you did better this time?”
“Other than the fact that it was sixteen years ago, we all were young, none of us were really ready to compete and it didn't work out in the end. I think is well worth the wait, to be holding the trophy now.”
“You know... Lance has been approached by the board of governors and asked if he wants to take the role of new chairman. If that happens, he's going to need to appoint a new Elite Four leader. Suppose he chooses you... would you say 'yes'?”
“Uh... I don't think I can answer that now. I promised myself nine years ago that I would take things slow. I'd have to give it a good thought.”
Ken was finished, “Well Ash, congratulations on your win, congratulations to your Pokémon, enjoy your trophy and good luck with your future endeavours.”
Ash pulled back the microphone, “I just wanna say one last thing to my family and friends in the crowd... especially to my wife and kids... We did it, guys! We finally did it!”
Could you forgive a fellow author's insecurities and let me know what you think, please.
Here was the summary I provided: It's twenty-one years since Ash Ketchum left home in Pallet Town with Pikachu. Twenty-one years later, Ash is the new leader of a new, hand-picked Elite Four, Misty is still the Cerulean City Gym Leader and the two are happily married with two kids, Graham and Abigail. Along with their best friend, Jarred Oak, Graham and Abby travel to Pallet Town so the three can begin their journey in becoming the greatest Pokémon Trainers of their generation. But back at home, Ash receives a message from the League Governor, Lance, informing him that a new formation of Team Rocket has become has become the subject of attention from Interpol and Lance asks Ash to halt their efforts in Kanto. Once again, Ash and Misty go on another adventure, just like the old days; not just to stop another evil organization, but to protect their children.
But enough of my ramblings. Lets read some fanfics.
Thoughts, Sound-effects, Flashbacks, Lyrics, Word emphasis and Pokémon speech (except for Meowth) are italicized
The Song Remains the Same
Prologue
What Is Life/We Are the Champions
What Is Life/We Are the Champions
“We're at a party, aren't we? Let's have ourselves a good time! Eh? Come on!”
To say that Ash Ketchum was a happy man would have been a downright insult in its own entirety; to say that he was ecstatic still would have been a sheer understatement. If someone said he was the happiest man alive... they maybe... just might have thrown the stone short of its mark. On this day, there could be no happier living, breathing form of life in the entire universe happier than Ash Ketchum, and that ecstasy could only be matched by the lovely woman sitting beside him, wearing a long white dress. The lot of Pallet Town would acknowledge today as “their day”. The wedding of Ashton Steven Ketchum and Misty Grace Waterflower.
The wedding itself was over, the couple was now married, but the blazing-hot sun was telling everyone that it was still late in the afternoon. Better yet, there was still a party to be had. The wedding reception was being held outdoors, near the sea; so if anyone happened to bring Pokemon, even their little (or big) friends could attend. Ash's Pikachu was the life of the party over with the other Pokémon. Brock, Pewter City's gym leader, found himself at the makeshift bar, trying to flirt with the lady guests who needed a drink; Gary Oak, Ash's friend and childhood rival, was the master of ceremonies and it was his and Delia, Ash's mother's, job to make the day as perfect as it could be.
But as everything was happening, Ash and Misty's heads were spinning.
“How fast is this going for you, Ash?” Misty whispered.
“It's mostly all happening in slow motion for me, Mist...” Ash replied. “All the better, I guess. Means I'll remember today clearer.”
Misty nodded as she cuddled up to her new husband. She finally took the time to observe her surroundings, everything was as she imagined it to be; their wedding on a beautiful sunny day with all of their friends and Pokémon in attendance. What really tugged her heart the most were all the cards of congratulations she and Ash received. Tears of joy flowed from Misty's eyes as she observed them all.
Ash couldn't fail to notice his wife in tears, “Misty, are you okay?” he asked concerned.
Misty smiled from how quick her husband's reaction was, “I'm fine, Ash. It's just... look at all the cards. They all say 'Ash and Misty Ketchum' on them. Nothing's gonna change that.”
The groom smiled mischievously.
“I know that look!” Misty exclaimed, “It's when you're about to do something silly!”
Ash couldn't resist, “For old time sake, would you kill me if I came up with one of my old stupid comments?”
Misty suppressed a laugh, “What do you got?”
“Those thoughts are mutual.”
Misty gave her husband a playful smack on the chest and he pretended to double-over in pain, “That is so bad, Ash. You can't even write something like that down.”
Ash laughed, “Well that's just me. Now you have to live with it.”
“And I wouldn't have it any other way,” Misty replied dreamily. “Can you promise me something, Ash?”
“What's that, darling?” he asked attentively.
“Don't change,” she said, “Don't ever change. You're a great, kind and compassionate man who's cute and funny when he's trying to act stupid or dense. Can you promise me that?”
Ash kissed Misty on her temple as he whispered into her ear, “You know that I can – and I will. I love you so much... Missus Ketchum.”
“I know.”
Ash smiled; he was supposed to be the one who was cracking wise all the time, “Heh – am I rubbing off on you? Should I be getting concerned?”
Misty giggled. “Maybe you should. I love you too, Mister Ketchum,” she replied as she planted a kiss on her husband's lips.
Meanwhile, away from the people, Pikachu was telling stories and providing entertainment for all of the other Pokémon who tagged along. At this point he was retelling the events that happened at Spear Pillar four years ago.
“So we closed the portal on him.” Pikachu laughed, “Left him in another dimension! True story!” He nudged Infernape, “Right?”
Gary's Umbreon was rolling on the ground, laughing. “Oh my lord, that is so funny! That Cyrus guy must have been an ass!”
“Yeah, makes me miss Team Rocket. Aww well, we live in hope,” Pikachu paused for a little while before continuing. “So then we win the Sinnoh league and then we decide to come back home. He meets Misty again and, finally, the little scaredy-cat asks her if she would be his girlfriend.”
“Yeah, yeah, Pikachu” Bulbasaur interrupted, “We've been there and done that.”
“So for us Pokemon belonging to other trainers, how'd he finally propose?” Gary's Krabby asked.
“He had a bit of motivation...” Pikachu said, “I threatened to Thunderbolt his sorry butt into oblivion-”
“I call Tauros feces, Pikachu,” Charizard interrupted, “Thunderbolt... he could take that from you... besides, I was there too.”
-Flashback – How it really happened-
The Celadon City Department Store was packed as usual. Pikachu was Ash's constant partner and he always travelled on his shoulder. Charizard was their means of transportation and Ash let him stay out of his Pokéball as he felt it a little redundant to keep him confined; Ash ignored the fearful glared directed at him and his Charizard. The reason he was there was to buy some vitamins to bulk up his Pokémon, until Pikachu suggested he sidetrack into Wiseman Gifts and buy a little something for Misty.
When Ash was younger, just a fresh sixteen year old out of the Sinnoh league, he would usually buy his girlfriend a Pokédoll of a certain Pokémon she hadn't received yet. Though still a little dense, he had matured quite a lot over the years. Both he and Misty were nineteen years old and they were a little old for mere toys. Nah. Ash was going to get her a nice necklace this time.
Ash immediately sought out the jewelry store and began to browse.
“Can I help you?” asked the clerk.
Ash briefly acknowledged the inquirer before he went back to looking over the selection. “Not yet, sorry. Just looking.”
“No worries, take your time. But if it's rings you're looking for,” the clerk pulled a ring out from under the glass to show to Ash, “I would suggest this platinum beauty. This is the ring to give to that special someone if you're to 'pop the question'.”
What was he trying to insinuate? That Ash was there because he wanted to propose to someone? Ask someone's hand in marriage?
Marriage... that awkward word. It all started back in home in Pallet Town, about a year ago, when his mother asked when he was going to propose to Misty. Brock and Tracey had been around to hear that and they never stopped hounding him about it ever since; even Pikachu threatened to Thunderbolt him on some occasions if he didn't come to his senses (he was probably going to repeat that threat very soon).
True, Ash and Misty had been together for three years, ever since he returned from Sinnoh; they had known each other for more than nine years; they both loved each other very dearly, but the prospect of marriage overwhelmed him. Having to give yourself up to someone completely; having to be ready and able to provide for her; children – he would be starting a family. Would he be ready to face all of that? It made him feel awkward, scared and, in worst-case-scenario, he would feel awkward and nervous around Misty. Being an adult was hard.
Maybe he was scared of rejection, maybe he thought he would look like an insane idiot all over again. Whatever it was, if he let it hinder his relationship with the woman he loved, it might just wreck what they built completely. He had two very good options on what he wanted to do for an occupation, mostly everyone knew full well of that. And kids? Well he only knew two people and one Pokémon who despised kids. What wrong reasons were stopping him? Perhaps what he needed was to do just that, 'pop the question', and maybe he would find closure to his insecurities. What would happen if he didn't ask for her hand soon?
Before Pikachu could threaten him with anything, Ash suddenly said, “You know what? I will buy it.”
“Oh! He's going to do it!” Pikachu exclaimed.
“Excellent choice, young sir! How would you like it done?”
“Come again?”
“Silly me. Traditional diamond? Or was there something else?”
Ash let the pieces click into place inside his head, what stone did he want on her ring? Ash was getting that ring for Misty, it was obvious what he was going to choose. “Water Stone, please. She adores the sea.” Ash then pulled out his bank card, swiped it, and punched in five-thousand; there went his prize money from the Battle Frontier, he also pulled out a gold nugget from his pocket and said, “I found this in Rock Tunnel. I want you to put your best effort into it, and have it done within the hour. She's very special to me.”
“I cannot deny young love a chance to bloom and flourish. Rest assured that you won't be disappointed.”
Late in the evening, in Cerulean City Gym, Misty had done away with her final opponent, letting her Gyarados have the pool all to himself. She was on a winning streak for five days, there weren't many challengers recently, but she was still winning. Tired, Misty almost let exhaustion guide her to her room until she saw her favourite person in the world walked through the front door.
“Ash!” she shouted, as she made a beeline towards her boyfriend.
“Hey, you,” Ash greeted as Misty embraced him.
“So how's my boyfriend doing on this lovely night?” she asked attentively.
“With you, Misty? Never better.”
Misty looked around and noticed that Pikachu and Charizard were observing them as if they were expecting something.
Ash turned his head and noticed this too. “Hey, Mist... I was wondering...” he said nervously, “Would you go out for a walk with me if Pikachu and Charizard help your sisters watch over the gym?” Addressing his Pokémon, he said, “You guys wouldn't mind letting Misty and I have a night for ourselves, would you?”
Both Pokémon shrugged their shoulders, “Okay,” they groaned in unison.
Misty giggled, but gave her attention back to Ash, “So what did you have in mind?”
“You know, Misty, in the three years we've been together, I still haven't taken you to the cape, out on Route 25. I hear a lot of girls saying that it's the romantic hotspot of Kanto.”
Misty smiled, “I do believe you owe me such a date, Mister Ketchum.”
Ash smiled back; maybe very soon, he would be able to share the name Ketchum with her. He stood beside Misty and threw his arm around her waist, making sure that she was on his right side, so she wasn't pressed up against what was in his left pocket. “Excuse us, guys,” he said to Pikachu and Charizard.
With Pikachu, Charizard moved out of the way, allowing Ash and Misty to pass. “So you're sure she's gonna say 'yes'?” Charizard asked as his master and Misty walked out the gym door.
“As you can see, they're practically joined at the hip. I've got good feelings,” Pikachu confirmed.
Outside the gym, so he could pass the time, Ash fondly began to reminisce the first visit to his love's gym, “You know, I remember the time I got the Cascade Badge, here,” he said as he led Misty to the bridge of Route 24.
Misty laughed triumphantly,“Well, if I recall correctly, you had it given to you! ...Dummy.”
“Well if I recall correctly, I well earned my standing ovation!” Ash retorted, “If it weren't for me, your gym would have been down all its Pokémon. And if our battle wasn't so rudely interrupted by the three stooges, I would have won, fair and square!”
Defeated, Misty just stuck her tongue out at him.
“You see? I did win that badge legit,” Ash gloated. Smiling mischievously as they strolled on Route 24 bridge, he continued, “You were just too proud to think you could lose to me.”
Misty scoffed, “Well you owed me a bike, I wasn't about to let you off that easily.”
“Aw well, I eventually bought you a new one.”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“You're still just looking for an excuse to stay with me.”
Misty pretended to act hurt, “Well why shouldn't I want to spend time with the man who I love?”
Ash was defeated this time, he stuck his tongue out in the same fashion that Misty had done before.
The couple didn't talk the moment they stepped onto Route 25. It was a little chilly that night and Misty found herself clinging to Ash for warmth; Ash covered her in an embrace to guarantee she stayed warm. And it stayed this way until they reached Cerulean Cape.
Once they reached their destination, Misty broke off and dashed forward to get a better look of the location of their date. The moonlit sky providing sufficient light from above and from below as it reflected off the water. She bent down and felt the soft grass against her hand, tingling her fingers.
Ash observed Misty from a distance and he remembered how radiant she looked in the moonlight; her red hair as fiery as ever; her soft, smooth skin was beautifully visible in the moon's gaze; her beautiful, emerald eyes were as captivating as they ever were. It was all Misty, same as she ever was – and she was truly one of the most beautiful women to grace the planet Earth.
“Oh, Ash!” Misty exclaimed, “Isn't this so romantic? The premier dating spot in the silence of night with the moon as our only audience?”
Ash encircled his arms around Misty's stomach as he kissed him in the crook of her neck. “I'm sorry I didn't take you here earlier.”
“You better be!” she joked.
Ash chucked, but it was time to get to the reason why he brought her here. He was getting nervous again. “Misty... may I ask you some questions?”
“You may, Ashy-boy.”
This warranted a smile, but it still wasn't enough to quell his anxiety. “Misty... you know that I love you with my heart and soul, and you love me the same, right?”
“Like you said: 'with my heart and soul'.”
“You know that everything I do is for you and I would never hurt you... whether I know about it or not?”
Ash felt Misty's nod.
“We will both face the challenges that life throws at us and we will emerge strong, ready to face them a hundred times more?”
“Ash, were is this going?”
Misty felt his grip on her leave entirely, but she would never expect him to say this, “Misty Waterflower. Will you marry me?”
Misty's mouth dropped wide open in shock. She turned around to see her boyfriend on one knee, holding open a box with a platinum ring inside it; the moonlight shone spectacularly off the Water Stone jewel. Right then and there, she wanted to shout 'YES!' and take him, but she had to know; she had to know if he knew what he was doing. “Ash... we're still so young. Are you sure you know where you're going with this.”
This was it. If Ash wanted to win Misty's hand in marriage, right here, right now, he would have to lay bare his soul. “In all truth, Misty. I'm afraid – worried. I'm worried that if I wait any longer to ask, another Hoenn instance will come. I'm scared that if another Hoenn happens this time, I might never see you again; that something would come up and we'd part ways for good, that I'd lose you forever. I know full well that if you say 'yes' to this, I'd have to sacrifice a lot of my own life to see you smile... but when I see your face light up, it feels like my birthday has arrived early, so it's worth the effort. I love you, Misty Grace Waterflower. I want to spend the rest of my life with you; raise a family.” Before Misty could interrupt that, Ash continued, “I can't see any woman in my future but you.”
Did those words just come out of his own mouth? Misty was amazed that Ash said that, Ash was amazed that he was able to say that. He had just poured out his soul and confessed his reasons of marriage to her. He was now awaiting on her answer.
Ash knew full well what he was doing the moment he took a knee and asked Misty the big question. She knew that she ruined the moment when she basically asked if he was still sane. She had to rectify that mistake, somehow. Tearful but blissfully enthusiastic, she gave him her answer, “Yes! Yes, Ash! I will marry you!”
The man in question was shaking with excitement as he attempted to slide the ring on her finger. Misty did her best to try and steady his hand, but she was shaking too. Finally, he slid the ring snug to the bottom of her finger, an excited Misty grabbed Ash's hand with both of hers and pulled him to the edge of the cape. There, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “I LOVE MY FIANCÉE, ASHTON STEVEN KETCHUM! AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!”
Ash snatched Misty off the ground and spun her around. Both were laughing as if they had fallen in love with each other all over again. Ash felt like a weight had been removed from his shoulders, the woman of his dreams wanted to marry him, all his fears were gone, he was the happiest man alive.
But gravity pulled a prank as Ash slipped on the grass, he and Misty were falling straight to the ground, in the nick of time, he positioned himself between the ground and Misty so that Misty wouldn't get hurt. She landed hard on top of him but they were still laughing hysterically.
“I love you, Misty. So very much.”
“I love you too, Ash. With all of my heart.”
They gave each other the best kiss of their entire relationship so far.
Misty's sisters, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, were still awake by the time the couple decided to call it a night. They didn't know what it was, but they knew it had to be important for Ash to fly all the way out to Cerulean for a late night date; the hints that Pikachu and Charizard were dropping raised their suspicions as well. The second Misty and Ash stepped through the front door, Charizard and Pikachu reached them first, then Misty's sisters, poor Politoed, Marill and Psyduck were struggling to keep up.
“How'd it go? Tell us!” said Daisy, demanding an answer.
“Yeah! Tell us!” Pikachu repeated.
“Misty?” Ash asked calmly.
Misty took a deep breath but quickly raised her hand and showed it to her sisters and the Pokémon, proudly displaying her engagement ring.
“Oh! That is precious, Misty!” Lily exclaimed, “Ash, do you know how many people were wondering when you were going to propose to our little sister?”
“They don't have to wait anymore,” Ash replied.
“Oh my god! Girls, break out the champagne! We have to celebrate!”
“I think I'm well beyond the liquid courage, now, thank you,” Ash politely refused.
“Daisy...” Misty chided, “Not until I'm twenty.”
Daisy took her two other sisters and began speaking of what Ash and Misty assumed to be wedding plans; they could have sworn they heard them talking about Ash's mother.
Misty groaned in exhaustion. “But I am rather tired,” she yawned.
“Want some company?” Ash asked suggestively.
“Ash! You're... so...!”
“Why shouldn't I give my fiancée a celebratory make-out session before she goes to sleep?” he asked defensively.
With that, Misty led him away to her room.
“Well, looks like we're staying the night,” Pikachu stated, “Wanna go see if Gyarados wants to find someone for a two-on-two?”
“Might as well.” Charizard sighed, “We're probably going to be moving in here too... I hate water.”
-End Flashback-
Pikachu still desperately tried to get the last word, “Well... I'm sure my threat had something to do with his motivation.”
“Keep dreaming, Pikachu,” Charizard taunted.
Meanwhile, while Pikachu and Charizard were arguing over what had to do with what in Ash asking Misty the question, Charizard insisted that Ash proposed on his own impulse while Pikachu was adamant that his threats had something to do with it; over back at the wedding party, the band had finished their break and returned back to the stage from the bar. They were a cover-band. Not well known, but good. Feeling ready, Ash jumped out of his seat and approached the band with some sheets in his hands. The lead singer nodded and stepped off the stage, back to the bar. The other band members looked excited. Misty wondered what was going on; before Ash left the table, he said that he had one for her. Right away, Ash took the microphone.
“Alright people... I'm not really much of a singer, but being that it's our wedding and all (I'll make Misty the exception) you're not really entitled to give a damn,” he joked. He then waited a bit for the laughter to die down, “So I'm going to assail your ears with something by, former Beatle, the late George Harrison. Misty, this is exactly what goes through my head whenever I think about you. This little number is off of All Things Must Pass, and it's called 'What Is Life'.”
The original riff in the key of E was a nice touch for those who liked George Harrison's original. Ash really wasn't that much of a singer, but it was the delightful kind of bad, like Bob Dylan; it didn't ruin the song.
“What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed”
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed”
Misty grinned widely as those lyrics were very true. Ash tried as hard as he could to be the perfect boyfriend he could be for her. She hoped that it would translate out into being just as good of a husband, as she would try to be an equally loving wife for him.
“Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side”
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side”
Misty figured that this more represented the night he proposed to her – his worries.
Ash, however, was having a very fun time up on the stage and just lost himself in the song.
“What I know, I can do
If I give my love now to everyone like you
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
What is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life”
If I give my love now to everyone like you
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you... by my side
What is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life”
Despite Ash's terrible singing, there was still an eruption of applause; Ash decided to have some fun with it, “Thank you very much! I'm here all night!”
Over by the seashore, Charizard and Pikachu were still having a heated argument.
“Oh please, Pikachu. Ash getting seriously hurt from your Thunderbolts is like the three stooges crashing this wedding.”
“THAT'S... actually not far off, Charizard.”
Almost immediately, Ash's Kingler came zooming out of the water as fast as he could, panting very hard, he managed to say, “Guys... I was doing a bit of exercise... until I noticed a school of Magikarp... and I saw something that definitely wasn't Magikarp. It's them. Team Rocket.”
“Speak of the devil,” Charizard muttered.
“What are we gonna do?” Gary's Krabby asked desperately.
“Alright, Alright! Here's how it's going to go!” Pikachu exclaimed. “Krabby, Kingler, you two are going to take Starmie and attack what you saw from the left. Politoed, take a ride on Staryu and tell Gyarados that the three of you are going to rip a suspicious underwater object to shreds. Charizard and I are going to act as death from above.”
“How'd you learn how to act like a Pokémon Trainer?” Kingler asked.
“It's a perk of being the one outside the Pokéball... Alright! Action!”
Meanwhile, back at the party, it was Brock's turn to say something. “I now know why I wasn't chosen as the master of ceremonies... I'm spending too much time over at the bar,” he laughed, slurring his words a little bit. “Aww well, at least I'm the best man. Anyway, at the same time, I'm both happy and disappointed. I'm very happy because two of my best friends are getting married to each other. I couldn't see it happening any other way; congratulations, you two. But I'm disappointed because they got married before I did! I'm twenty-five, they're twenty, and I'm still the bachelor! What's with that?”
“Because you can't put your finger on a single woman, Brock!” Ash called from the background.
Brock sighed, defeated,“Yeah... I suppose you're right. Congratulations and live your lives to the fullest.”
But in the sea of Water-route 21...
“Weddings? I love weddings! A beautiful day of wine and roses.”
“Wobbuffet!”
“Focus, James. Remember why we're here.”
“Steal the Pokémon and run – same old, same old.”
“Meowth! I wonder what kind of loot we'll end up with this time?”
Famous among Ash, his friends and his family; Jessie, James, Meowth (who apparently could speak the English language) of Team Rocket and their clueless Wobbuffet were famous for destroying good times at their best. But Pikachu and all the Pokémon had a different agenda for these uninvited pests.
“Considering these are the twerp's Pokémon we're dealing with... if we're careful, we should bag ourselves not only a big loot, but a big fat raise from our new boss,” Jessie answered.
“Hey! Jessie!” James called, “Radar's showing something closing in fast.”
Jessie dismissed it, “Could be just a spooked out Magikarp.”
Unsure, James shook his head, “Or maybe not-”
CRASH!!!
“I told you, Jessie! It was something! Spooked out Magikarp my arse!”
“Quit your whining, James! We need to get focused and find out what the hell that was!”
“Uh... guys?” Meowth interrupted, “I hate to interrupt your little 'lover's-quarrel', but I think I saw something out of the front window.”
The crashing took a minute refrain as Jessie, James and Meowth gazed out the submarine window. There was a yellow blur with a crystal-red centre that passed by faster than a car on a freeway, the brigands could faintly hear its battle cry. Zooming past, just as quickly, the other way was a violet blur with another red centre, it let out its own battle cry.
The submarine that Team Rocket was in perfectly resembled the Hoenn native Pokémon Feebas. But it had two fatal flaws that gave them away. One, it was larger than a Lapras, making it an easy target for Misty's rampaging Gyarados; two, Feebas could not be found in Kanto, nor the neighbouring Johto.
Gyarados began thrashing about with its tail and rock-crushing bites, showing no quarter to his master's nemeses. Staryu and Starmie joined in the fun, spinning about like saw-blades, crashing into the sides of the submarine. Kingler and Krabby were the last to join in as they began punching holes in the bottom of the submarine with their diamond-hard pincers.
“Oh god!” James shouted, “They're gonna sink us! We have to get out!”
“Wobbuffet!”
“Shut up, you clueless punching bag!” Jessie snapped, “Okay... the water's not that deep, perhaps if we swim fast enough, we can avoid those goddamn maniacs!”
“Why do we do what we do?” James groaned rhetorically as he opened the escape hatch. Jessie returned her Wobbuffet back into his Pokéball.
With some stroke of unbelievable luck, Jessie, James and Meowth managed to escape the submarine undetected. As they were swimming away, they watched Misty's Gyarados bind the oversized Feebas with its long body and crush it to the width of a straw.
“There they are!” Kingler exclaimed, pointing his smaller pincer to the trio and warming his larger pincer up for another fight.
Staryu and Starmie were ready to spin back into battle, but they were blocked off by Gyarados. “Wait for it...” he growled.
The three criminals reached the surface and gratefully gasped for air. “I don't think they're following us... thank God-”
“YOU REMEMBER ME?!” Charizard roared like he had an unending vendetta. Like death from above, Charizard, with Pikachu on his back, swooped down and slashed at the the trio with his razor sharp claws. He skimmed the water as his targets quickly dove under to avoid their demise. “Hoo-hah! And I'm back for good!” The fire-breathing horror was not done, yet. Charizard flapped his wings to steady himself and he hovered overhead, waiting impatiently for his prey to emerge.
Team Rocket were not immortal and they inevitably surfaced to catch their breath, only to meet a rain of fire.
Charizard saw his opportunity right away and attacked Jessie, James and Meowth with a Blast Burn. He breathed a great ball of fire which (according to a Pokédex) could rival the Earth's outer-core in heat; the water began to steam on contact. The brigands were lucky they weren't dead, but they were left with horrible burns.
Blast Burn was an extremely powerful technique, but it was also very draining. Charizard knew he was out of this fight from now on; he was struggling to stay hovered above the water.
“Alright, do it!” Gyarados ordered. Like bullets, Staryu and Starmie shot forth at Team Rocket, colliding into them at top speed. “Hop on!” Gyarados told to Krabby and Kingler; Gyarados swam forward, below their three targets, allowing Krabby and Kingler to get an attack in. Krabby pinched at their feet while Kingler bludgeoned them with his larger pincer like a hammer. Now it was Gyarados' turn and he fired a Dragon Pulse from his gaping maw. The blast shot them out of the water.
“Your turn...” Charizard grunted to Pikachu.
With all of his strength, Charizard brought himself and Pikachu higher into the air. They swooped down again at a high speed and Pikachu leaped off of Charizard's back, his cheeks radiating with electricity.
“Here it comes!” Pikachu shouted, “THUNDER!!!”
Thousands of bolts of heavy lightning began to irradiate from Pikachu's small form, lighting the area up as bright as the sun; Pikachu concentrated all of his power and focused his attack on his moving targets in the air.
Crackle, Snap, Bang, BOOM!
An explosion of electricity left behind a blinding flash of light. When the light died down, Pikachu continued to fall towards the water. Team Rocket was gone; only a trail of thick, black smoke was left behind.
“Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!”
Charizard quickly swooped down and let Pikachu land on his back.
“One of our better ones, if I do say so myself...” Pikachu said, commenting on their performance.
“I haven't had this much fun since Entei and the Unown,” Charizard replied.
As they returned to shore, all the wedding attendees hastily began clapping; all the Pokémon who participated took grateful bows, basking in the applause.
“Sorry, but they had to run!” shouted Pikachu, “We hope you've enjoyed the show!”
Ash and Misty were clapping the most as most of the participants were their own Pokémon.
“Y'know, dear? I think a nice fireworks display was all we needed to make our wedding complete.”
“No kidding.”
-Nearly Seven Years Later-
“Hi again, everybody,” a commentator exclaimed into his microphone, “I'm Ted Lewis and welcome back to Indigo Plateau for the twenty-fifth annual Pokémon League – Indigo Conference – Championships! This is it – the moment you've all been waiting for. The final match, the all-out war between the Dragon Master, Lance Draconifors, and the challenger, Ash Ketchum! With me, as always, is my co-host, Ken Gates.”
“Thank you, Ted. What we're about to see from these two battle-masters should be nothing short of exciting and unexpected. Both men are masters in Pokémon training, come from small towns but with very different backgrounds and each took very different roads to get here.
“The current champion and master of the Elite Four, Lance Draconifors, hails from Blackthorn City in the Johto region and is deemed by the elders of the town to be the greatest Dragon Master their community has ever seen. For a long time, this man has lead the Elite Four in this conference and has won the most championships in the Silver Conference. Unlike the challenger, Ash, Lance is a more seasoned trainer and has the advantage of experience under his belt. Lance will be fighting with a Gyarados, Dragonite, Aerodactyl, Charizard, Salamence and Garchomp – a very solid team.”
“Speaking of the challenger,” Ted took over, “Twenty-six year old Ash Ketchum hails from the small community of Pallet Town, beginning under the tutelage of Professor Samuel Oak – a world-renowned Pokémon researcher. Though he is not as experienced as Lance, Ash has stubborn and steadfast determination in his side; he does have some achievements under his belt as well. He has won a championship in the Orange League, has mastered the Kanto Battle Frontier and won the championship in the Sinnoh Conference; it should also be noted that he and his Pokémon were subject of Team Rocket's attempted conscription and he fought away from them every time. This tournament is Ash's first attempt at any tournament conquest in nine years. Some may have protested his return after such a long hiatus, but now he's making them eat those words as he has made it to the finals. Ash will be fighting with a Pikachu, Charizard, Kingler, Tauros, Garchomp and Torterra.
“For all our viewers watching at home on Pay-Per-View, tuning in just now, this match will be a six-versus-six battle, only one Pokémon may be used at one time. Self-Destruct or Explosion will be forbidden to each combatant's final Pokémon as its use in that case will always result in a loss. Other than that, it's basically anything goes,” Ted explained. “Ken, what are your predictions for the match?”
“Ted, like I said before, I'm expecting to be excited. I don't know how this match is going to play out, based on first glance, I would have to bet my money on Lance; then again, we have not heard anything of Ash in the battle scene for nine years. Yet, Ash mowed his way past the other competitors and steadily climbed past the other Elite Four. Anything can happen, I guess we'll have to watch and see how this plays out.”
The entire stadium at Indigo Plateau was completely sold out. No seat was left empty, no one could be found in any hallway, no one was silent, everyone was cheering in anticipation for the upcoming championship battle between Lance Draconifors and Ash Ketchum. Lots of spectators were proudly holding up banners that praised their favourite combatant, but by far, the most enthusiastic was a group of twelve people sitting in the front row.
“Grandma, when's dad gonna fight?” asked a boy who looked no older than six years of age.
“Grandma, where's mommy?” asked a five year old little girl.
Every since Ash and Misty had their first child, six years ago, Delia Ketchum was learning how hard it was to be a grandmother. But she and Mimey, her Mr. Mime, did everything they could to help Misty and Ash raise their children, Graham and Abigail.
“Graham, daddy's waiting to be called out. He and Lance should be ready, soon. Abigail, mommy will be back shortly.”
Meanwhile, in his waiting room, Ash was shaking in anxiety. Never before has Misty seen her husband more afraid in his life. He knew what he was doing the moment he decided to compete in the tournament again but this was the first time during the whole event where he showed a speck of fear. But Misty could understand her husband's insecurity, he never made it this far the first time on home soil.
“Ash... sweetie, are you okay?”
Ash's breathing was broken from nervousness, his face was white as a sheet. “It... it's been nine years since I've fought competitively, Misty,” he said, trying to rationalize his fear.
He always ended up humouring her whenever he tried to justify himself, she couldn't help but smile. “But look at where you are now. You've always had the heart of a fighter, Ash. You'll do fine against Lance; whether it be win, lose or draw, you'll finish like a champion... and you'll always be the number one contender in my and the kids' eyes. Their daddy – the great Pokémon Master.”
Ash took another deep breath, but this one calmed him down. His wife always knew what to say. Ash couldn't help but chuckle, “I've been waiting for this moment for sixteen years, you know.”
“I know. You say you're not a loser, so win; give Graham and Abby something to brag about at school.”
Misty gently brushed her lips against her husband's; the kiss was nothing more than what it was meant to be – comfort.
Ash pulled Misty back in and deepened the kiss; Misty didn't protest she threw her arms around her husband's neck and let the kiss linger for as long as he needed. It was only until they heard the clearing of throats that they broke off.
Ash looked over to see all his six Pokémon he would be using standing there. Pikachu, Charizard, Torterra, Garchomp, Tauros and Kingler; they all looked eager and ready to go. “So guys?”
“We're all ready to fight, ready to win this!” Pikachu exclaimed.
“Should be fun, let's do this thing,” said Torterra.
“Did I hear the commentator guy say there'd be another Garchomp in there? I want to fight that one.” What Garchomp said was more of a demand than a request.
“It's been a while... I'm ready to win as long as everyone else is,” said Kingler, shifting his eyes to Charizard.
Charizard scowled at Kingler then said, “I swear to you, I'm not going to mess around this time. I'm fighting until I drop dead.” Charizard said it with such sincerity in his voice, bitterly remembering that he was the reason Ash lost the tournament in his first attempt. “Ash, I'm ready, this time.”
Tauros was raring to go. “Let's get in that battle circle! And kick that dragon-trainer's ass!” the bull Pokémon roared.
Ash smiled, his motivated Pokémon was the last bit of motivation he needed. “We ready to go?” the man shouted enthusiastically.
All his Pokémon roared in approval.
“We ready to win this thing?!”
They all roared again, even louder this time.
“Ash Ketchum? It's time.”
Ash quickly gave Misty a grateful parting kiss, drawing on all the strength he needed, “Thanks Misty. I really needed that.”
“No problem, just go and win. Make your family and friends happy.”
“I'll do that, darling. The kids probably miss you.”
Misty smiled, she knew Ash was right. Delia must be trying so hard to keep them calm. “I'll be waiting for you in the stands.” She gave him one last hug and then she left.
“Here's Bruce Williams!” the announcer, Ted exclaimed.
Down in the centre of the battle circle stood a man dressed in a three-hundred dollar black suit, holding a microphone. He had a very deep voice. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves, today, a six-on-six championship bout for the challenger's right to be called the Pokémon League – Indigo Conference – Champion!” He quickly turned and pointed to his right, “Introducing first – the leader of the Elite Four! Fighting with an Aerodactyl, Charizard, Dragonite, Garchomp, Gyarados and Salamence; hailing from Blackthorn City, all the way out in the Johto region; The Dragon-master – Lance 'The Drake' Draconifors!”
Lance was soaking in the applause as he led his team of dragons out. Win, lose or draw, this was going to be his last battle – he hoped this fight would be the highlight of his career.
“Introducing to my left, his opponent – the challenger! Fighting with a Charizard, Garchomp, Kingler, Pikachu, Tauros and Torterra; fighting out of Pallet Town, here in Kanto; returning from a nine-year hiatus; 'The Heart of Fire' Ash Ketchum!”
Ash wasn't concerned with the astounding applause he received from the crowd; instead, he made it an objective to find his wife and kids in the stands first before he even thought about battling.
“Graham! Abby! Look!” Misty exclaimed, “There's dad!”
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Ash was looking for someone, both Graham and Abby excitedly waved their arms around to grab their father's attention.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Abby shouted, “Over here!”
“Hey! Dad!” Graham shouted too, “Dad! Up here!”
Ash's eyes frantically scanned up and down the crowd to find his family. Finally, he rested his gaze on a section in the front row, where two excited kids were flailing their arms about, obviously trying to attract their father's attention. Beside the little girl was Misty giving him a wave, too. There they were, his favourite people in the world. Ash smiled contently and waved back at them.
“Dad sees us!” Graham shouted.
“You can do it, Daddy!” Abby called in encouragement.
Misty blew her husband a kiss.
Ash's team took one look at Lance's company of dragons and most just confidently scoffed like they were of no difficulty – only Pikachu and Charizard kept their cool.
“The referee for this contest shall be Mario Corlendo,” announced Bruce, and the applause finally died down.
“Good luck,” Lance muttered in goodwill.
“You too,” Ash replied.
“Alright, are you ready?” the referee asked in a thick Italian accent, pointing to Lance; Lance nodded, “Are you ready?” he asked to Ash; Ash nodded too. Mario clapped his hands once and quickly backed off – the championship battle had begun!
“Salamence!”
“Tauros!”
Lance's Salamence immediately leaped into battle and Tauros excitedly charged in, horns forward, ready for some action.
“Tauros!” Ash shouted, “Agility! Use your speed! Wear that Salamence down!”
“Patience, Salamence,” said Lance, “Let it wear itself out.”
Unbeknownst to Lance, Ash and Tauros worked hard together on their speed strategy. It wasn't the classic “first avoidance manoeuvre”, it was “hit-and-run”. Tauros feigned a Double Edge attack against Salamence's gut, but quickly sidestepped and lashed out with an Iron Tail against the dragon Pokémon's right wing. Tauros stopped behind the massive dragon and kicked dust in Lance's face, getting ready for another attack.
“Damn...” a surprised Lance muttered, “Alright Salamence, fight back!”
Tauros charged forward but jumped out of the way when Salamence tried to use a Mega Kick; the bull kept on charging but could see Salamence's Steel Wing. This time, Tauros threw himself into Salamence's left side, greatly injuring the dragon, but hurting himself a little bit. Tauros quickly scrambled to regain his footing so he could resume his hit-and-run strategy, but his back was grazed by a Dragon Claw counterattack; Salamence followed up with a Dragon Breath attack, hitting Tauros' side. Tauros was hurt, but he tried to shake off the attack, he began circling his opponent. Salamence tried to hit Tauros with a Fire Fang, but missed his opponent's three tails by a hair.
“Tauros! Finish it! You can do it!”
Ash was right, it was time to end it for this Salamence. Tauros attacked Salamence's side again, scratching it with a Horn Attack; Salamence was looking worse. Tauros kicked dust into the air again and charged forward and his highest speed, jumping into Salamence with a Giga Impact. Tauros hit his opponent so hard, the force sent Salamence sliding to the circle boundaries.
Lance knew his Salamence had enough when Tauros began his Giga Impact attack and he returned Salamence into his Pokéball. “Hmm...” he muttered, “Not bad.” The dragon-master looked at his Garchomp and motioned for it to get in and fight.
Garchomp jumped into battle with extreme ferocity. Drained from Giga Impact, Tauros did not notice Garchomp fast enough. Out of desperation, Tauros carelessly lunged at his current opponent with a Double Edge, knowing he was probably going to lose soon but hoping that he would be able to wear Garchomp down for Ash's next Pokémon. Tauros made contact, but he was almost too weak to stand. Tauros was mercilessly finished off with a Dragon Rage.
Ash sighed heavily as he returned his Pokémon back into his Pokéball. He expected this to happen, but he never liked to see his Pokémon in pain.
“Garchomp... you're in.”
“Yeah!”
“Garchomp!” Ash called again, “Distraction.”
Ash's Garchomp quickly nodded before he jumped into the battle-circle to square off against his identical rival.
Garchomp's distraction strategy was one that he suggested himself; to take advantage of the fact that he could easily loosen and throw sand. He also had power and he knew it; usually, when he sparred with other Pokémon, he would throw off his opponent with a Sand Attack and follow up with a more powerful technique.
Remembering his strategy, he slashed the ground with one of his large fins and sent sand flying right into the other Garchomp's face. Lance's Garchomp successfully shielded his eyes, but didn't ready himself in time for a Dragon Rush attack from Ash's Garchomp. The two dragon Pokémon began wrestling with each other on the ground, each throwing in well aimed punches when the opportunity arose. Things began to go down hill for Ash's Garchomp when Lance's hit him with a luckily placed Aqua Tail; Lance's Garchomp regained his footing first while Ash's struggled to regain his own footing while trying to recover from the Aqua Tail. When he finally arose to his feet, he was unprepared for what was coming to him next. Lance's Garchomp slashed at the ground with his fins multiple times and began to cover Ash's in a Sand Tomb. Ash's Garchomp frantically swung his arms around trying to clear the air of sand, but he wasn't fast enough. Lance's Pokémon held his arms out like Christ on the crucifix and a large orange sphere began to form at his chest. The sphere grew larger and larger in size until it began to glow as bright as the sun. Ash's Garchomp escaped his trap just in time to see a barrage of meteors coming straight for him. In the current predicament, the Draco Meteor technique was unavoidable. Ash's Garchomp simply closed his eyes and waited for the attack to finish; before he was struck, Garchomp felt ashamed that his distraction strategy backfired. The attack threw him with such force that when Ash returned his own Garchomp, he could see a small crater in his place.
Ash grimaced, but quickly looked at Torterra and nodded for him to make his entry.
The continent Pokémon nodded back and slowly stomped his way into the battle-circle.
“Use your power and keep your distance,” Ash reminded his Pokémon.
Torterra nodded and stood his ground. He had an idea to avenge his fallen comrade. Torterra threw his balance back and briefly stood on his hind legs while he roared loudly. He then threw himself back down on to all fours as if he were trying an Earthquake attack,but no, not for this move. Torterra continually rolled his front shoulders while Lance's exhausted Garchomp watched him, confused. It wasn't until Garchomp saw the ground break from under him that he knew what was going on. Frenzy Plant. Roots emerging from shot up and caught Lance's Garchomp in a bind. Garchomp struggled to get free, but his efforts were futile; Torterra's roots began to constrict Garchomp's chest very tightly, labouring his breathing. Additional roots emerged from the ground and began whipping the dragon Pokémon all over; it fell unconscious in Torterra's grasp. Torterra released his beaten opponent and retracted his roots, panting heavily, hoping that he would be ready for the next Pokémon as Garchomp was removed from the fight.
Lance looked over at his Pokémon again and said, “You're in charge, Aerodactyl!”
The Pterodactyl Pokémon roared and flew at Torterra like a bullet.
“Shit,” muttered Ash, “Aerodactyl's a quick one.” Maybe Aerodactyl's great speed comes with the sacrifice of physical attack. “Torterra! Brace yourself!” Ash shouted.
Torterra could see Aerodactyl coming in like a torpedo and he prepared for the incoming attack. Aerodactyl collided with Torterra but the attack hurt the dinosaur more than it hurt Ash's Pokémon, Torterra outweighed Aerodactyl by at least five-hundred pounds. Torterra tried to trample over his opponent, but Aerodactyl was quick to recover and he was in the air again.
Ash smiled, Aerodactyl was going to be easier than he thought. “Offence, Torterra!” he ordered, “It can't do jack against you!”
“Wear it down, Aerodactyl!” Lance shouted, “Make it tired!”
When Torterra went on the offence, he went all out and did anything to power up his attacks. The leaves from the tree on his back began to glow a light greenish-blue and Torterra began forming an Energy Ball at his mouth. Instead of letting it fly, he swallowed it. The leaves stayed in their glowing state.
“All right!” Ash shouted in approval, “Nice work! Shoot that dinosaur out of the air!”
The leaves on Torterra's back began to glow even brighter and Aerodactyl swooped around for another pass. Torterra smiled at his foe's ignorance and let loose a Leaf Storm. A veil of empowered leaves were sent forth from Torterra, Aerodactyl tried to manoeuvre out the trajectory but it was futile, he was coming in too fast. He was mercilessly cut from the leaves, some even impaled the skin of his wings; unable to stay in flight, he began to fall towards Torterra. It was time to finish this. As Aerodactyl neared the ground, Torterra, with all of his strength, leaped forward and hit his foe with an Iron Head. The force of the attack threw Aerodactyl back hard, making him land at Lance's feet.
“I'm sorry,” Lance apologized as he returned Aerodactyl to his Pokéball, “I didn't know what to expect from it.” It was time to trump that overgrown turtle. “Go, Charizard,” Lance said calmly.
Lance's Charizard had observed Aerodactyl lose against Torterra and was itching to burn some grass. Charizard leaped and took flight.
Ash saw Lance's Charizard and grimaced. Torterra would get burned to a crisp easily. “Torterra, you've done well enough! Return!”
Did he just say that? Every other Pokémon fought to unconsciousness and Ash was making Torterra take a free ride? The continental turtle felt a little insulted. He growled at his master and shook his head.
“Torterra!”
“I'm fighting that Charizard!” Torterra demanded.
Torterra flurried with Razor Leaf, but Lance's Charizard spiralled a Flamethrower and all the leaves coming forth were burned. Charizard was coming closer. Torterra tried to back off and keep his distance, he even tried throwing a Wood Hammer, which hit his opponent but it only made Charizard spin out where he quickly recovered back into flight.
“Respect its persistence, Charizard! End it quickly!”
Charizard hovered his way around to behind Torterra and steadied himself in the air, letting out a Fire Blast. The shape of the blast engulfed Torterra in flames. Charizard growled at his mistake and fired another, knocking his opponent out this time, sparing him from more serious burns.
Ash groaned a sigh as he returned Torterra into his Pokéball. “Kingler, get in there.”
The large crab Pokémon quickly snapped his pincers twice and zigzagged his way into the battle-circle with his crab-walk. Charizard swooped in with a Slash attack, but Kingler defended himself with Harden but Charizard wasn't finished yet; after regaining some speed, Charizard swooped in from behind this time and attacked Kingler with a Flamethrower. Kingler grunted and tried to shake the attack off.
“Kingler!” Ash shouted, “Get it out of the air!”
“Right,” Kingler growled back.
Kingler raised his left, smaller pincer into the air and pointed it at Charizard, who was coming in fast again. Trying to keep up his aim with his opponent, he fired a powerful, blinding Hyper Beam. Unfortunately, Charizard was too fast and the attack grazed his belly. Charizard looked unfazed.
“Damn,” Kingler muttered, “It worked against a Golbat, sixteen years ago.”
Kingler was brought back into focus when Lance's Charizard caught him off guard with a Slash attack.
Kingler growled, “It's time to end this!”
Lance's Charizard resumed its aerial hit-and-run strategy and swooped in again, intent on using Flamethrower. Kingler stood his ground carefully as Charizard flew in closer. When Charizard opened his mouth to shoot a Flamethrower, Kingler took a chance; he lunged forward with his right, larger pincer and caught Charizard's left wing in a Vice Grip. Having him caught like if he were in a bear trap, Kingler swung Charizard around like a rag-doll, slamming him into the ground like a hammer on an anvil. Kingler created a chance for himself to knock that Charizard out and he began to capitalize on it immediately. Before Charizard could struggle to his feet, Kingler bashed him with a Crabhammer; he was still moving. Kingler bludgeoned him multiple times before leaping up into the air and landing on him with Stomp; Kingler continually crushed Charizard with Stomp until he was sure his opponent was unconscious. Kingler triumphantly stepped off of the downed Charizard and readied himself for Lance's next Pokemon. Dragonite or Gyarados.
“Gyarados!” Lance called as he returned Charizard.
The long, blue, atrocious Pokémon dove into battle with an Iron Head attack to hopefully break through Kingler's Harden. The tactic worked and Kingler found himself sent back, flying a few feet. Lance's Gyarados showed Kingler the same kind of ferocity that was shown to Charizard and Kingler was swat into the air with an Aqua Tail. Before Kingler could hit the ground, Gyarados caught him with a Crunch. Caught in the teeth, Kingler was flailed around like a Houndour's chew-toy; Kingler was finally released when he was thrown from Gyarados' mouth, not able to find the energy to move after that.
Ash returned Kingler into his Pokéball. He looked at Lance's Gyarados and then at his two remaining Pokémon. He had to choose one. Given the Pokémon already in play, Ash shouted, “Pikachu! Get in there, buddy!”
This was the Pokémon choice Misty and the kids were looking forward to the most, seeing Pikachu fight the bigger opponents was always inspiring.
“Yeah! Go Pikachu!” Misty cheered from the stands.
“Yay! Electrify that big meanie!” shouted Abby.
“Roast some Gyarados!” Graham finished.
Lance knew how shit could hit the fan very easily for opponents when Ash sent in his Pikachu to fight; if Lance wanted to win, he would have to down that Pikachu – and fast.
“Be careful of that Pikachu, Gyarados! I want you to go all out! Offer no opportunity!”
“Pikachu! Use your speed! It's your best attribute!”
Pikachu quickly leaped to the side to avoid an Ice Fang attack that was coming in fast but Gyarados was taking no chances with Ash's little mouse; Gyarados let loose with a Flamethrower. Pikachu managed to avoid that one still but found himself having to dodge yet another attack in the form of Dragon Rage. Pikachu was getting annoyed; if he wasn't getting attacked, he was dodging attacks; if he wasn't dodging attacks, he was getting attacked. He had to find a way to exploit Gyarados' natural electricity weakness. Pikachu thought he found an opening when Gyarados tried to crush him with a Body Slam and he took it. Pikachu dodged Gyarados' attack, ran around to his opponent's tail area and quickly jumped on Gyarados' back before he could recover and figure out where Pikachu was. But Gyarados quickly caught on and suddenly arched his body, throwing Pikachu off of him like a catapult. Fortunately, Pikachu recovered in midair, allowing him to land on his feet. Pikachu came to realize that if he wanted to land anything on Gyarados, he would have to let Gyarados get near him.
“Bite me!” Pikachu taunted, “I dare you! I double dare you!”
Gyarados growled out a laugh and slowly came down to grip Pikachu in his Bite. He lifted Pikachu up in the air in preparation for a thrashing but for Pikachu, this was going much better than he expected.
“Gyarados!” Lance shouted, “Let it down!”
“Hah! Fell for it!” Pikachu laughed, beginning to emanate sparks, “THUNDER!”
Bolts of lighting shot from Pikachu's body onto every inch in Gyarados' mouth, even to the back of his throat. It was too much for Gyarados and he was throwing himself around in pain, with Pikachu still in his mouth. Pikachu kept on shocking Gyarados until the Pokémon would release him from his mouth but he knew that when it would happen, he would get hurt upon release but it was all part of the plan. Gyarados roared in agony one last time before it threw itself to the ground, knocked out. Pikachu was thrown from Gyarados' mouth and slid for ten feet.
“Yes... it worked.”
Lance quickly returned Gyarados to his Pokéball. When Lance and Dragonite looked at each other, Dragonite knew just what he had to do. He had to go all out on that Pikachu, don't even let him talk. Dragonite began to take flight, he hovered in the air for only a little bit, then threw himself at a still recovering Pikachu like a torpedo, hitting him with a Slam.
“He's tough, Pikachu!” Ash warned, “Be careful!”
Pikachu quickly regained his footing as he recovered from the attack. Pikachu considered himself lucky that he was still able to fight. He lunged towards Dragonite with a Thunderbolt attack, Dragonite made a dodge and avoided the full power of the attack; he was hit but not bad, he counterattacked by whipping Pikachu with his tail. He was still flying through the air and Dragonite took the opportunity. He lunged at Pikachu with a Dragon Rush and hit his opponent hard. The force Dragonite put into the attack was too much for a Pokémon as small as Pikachu and he was sent flying again. Dragonite didn't move this time, he stood his ground; he opened his mouth slowly and a white sphere began forming in front of his mouth.
“Pikachu! Get out of there!” Ash cried.
“Get up!” roared Charizard, “Pikachu, get up!”
But Pikachu was not fast enough and Dragonite let loose a Hyper Beam, directly hitting Pikachu, letting him fly into a wall.
“NO!” Ash and Charizard both shouted and roared in unison. Misty and the children gasped in horror
Charizard knew it was his turn to battle but there was still some business to take care of first. He held up his hand as if he were requesting from Dragonite a time out. Charizard knew he was taking a gamble because Charizard would possibly be, yet again, “unfit to fight”. He walked over to Pikachu who was not unconscious but still writhing in pain from the attack.
“You've had enough...” Charizard whispered and he took Pikachu in his arms.
“How... did I... do?” Pikachu hoarsely asked.
“I'll finish him off for you,” Charizard promised as he passed Pikachu to a near-petrified Ash. Charizard returned to the battle-circle, saying to Dragonite, “He didn't have a Pokéball.”
Dragonite nodded honourably, accepting Charizard's excuse.
“Your move...” Charizard muttered.
Dragonite lunged at Charizard and swiped at him with a Dragon Claw, slashing Charizard across the gut, Charizard used the momentum of Dragonite's attack to his advantage and spun himself around, hitting his opponent with a roundhouse Mega Kick. Ignoring his injury, Charizard lunged forward at the large dragon with a flaming body; Dragonite was trying to make some distance.
“I can fight fire with fire!” Lance shouted, “Fire Blast, now!”
Dragonite spat out the same attack that defeated Torterra earlier but to Charizard, using it on him was more like an insult. Just like fighting Blaine's Magmar, sixteen years ago, he deflected the attack, veering it off in another direction but with no resistance this time. Charizard savagely leaped at Dragonite and tackled him with a Flare Blitz, driving his shoulder into Dragonite's gut when they hit the ground. As they wrestled about on the ground, Charizard landed a well aimed punch between Dragonite's eyes, putting the gargantuan dragon in a daze for a second; like a mixed martial arts fighter, Charizard pulled Dragonite into a submissive choke-hold and began to Overheat. Dragonite began clawing at Charizard's arms, trying desperately to get free. As Charizard continued his attack, Dragonite began to claw harder but Ash's final Pokémon still remained resilient; Dragonite's entire body began to shake and his clawing became faster and then he let out a deafening roar. Dragonite threw his head back, hitting Charizard in the chin, causing him to let go. Dragonite jumped to his feet and faced a rising Charizard briefly before thrashing about in an Outrage. Dragonite was on a rampage, throwing flurries of various elemental punches, flailing about with Steel Wings and shooting many beams. Charizard wasn't Ash's slowest Pokémon, but he sure as hell wasn't his fastest. He dodged quite a bit of the blows, but was still hit with a Fire Punch, Ice Punch, three Steel Wings, an Ice Beam, Flamethrower and a final attack of Superpower, where Dragonite grabbed and tossed Charizard like he was throwing out the trash. Charizard grunted as he quickly emerged to his feet and wasted no time in using Dragon Breath. Dragonite stumbled back as the attack hit him directly square in the chest.
Lance knew this fight was going nowhere, he needed a different tactic. “Dragonite, take to the air!”
Obeying his master's order, Dragonite was in the air in a matter of seconds.
“Well Charizard can fly too!” Ash shouted, “Follow it!”
“There is no escape,” Charizard growled. He flapped his large wings and followed his opponent into the air.
In the air, the two adversaries began to square off. Dragonite made the first move, he flapped his wings rapidly, creating a tornado; then, he sent the Twister straight to Charizard, who was too close to avoid it. Charizard was caught in the Twister and was violently spun about and thrown around while inside. The attack stopped, but Dragonite followed up with a Dragon Breath attack but quickly recovering from the Twister, Charizard defended himself with a Flamethrower. The two attacks collided and caused an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Charizard saw Dragonite charging at him with an Iron Head attack. To dodge the attack, Charizard stopped flapping his wings and let himself fall as Dragonite zoomed past. Charizard began flying again and was now in pursuit of Dragonite. Dragonite tried to lose his pursuer so he would be the one on the offensive, but Charizard was not pulling any punches. Charizard swooped down and landed on Dragonite's back; first, punching him twice on the neck, then Charizard breathed another Flamethrower on his foe, on the back of Dragonite's head. Dragonite escaped by flapping hard with a single wing and doing a barrel roll, making Charizard lose his grip. Dragonite created some distance between the two Pokémon and an orange sphere began forming at his chest. He used the same Draco Meteor technique that Lance's Garchomp used a while ago against Ash's.
“Charizard! Look out!” Ash cried.
The barrage of meteors was closing in and fast. Charizard quickly changed directions, flying away from the attack. It looked like the attack was sure to hit him, but as the meteor barrage travelled farther, it spread further apart and Charizard was able to dodge the attack easier but as Charizard made it through the group of meteors, Dragonite used the attack again. It was much harder for Charizard to dodge the meteors in such a closer proximity; he manoeuvred as best and agile as he could through Dragonite's barrage until one of the projectiles collided into his side and Charizard found himself rolling through midair, getting closer to Dragonite's Dragon Pulse.
But Ash still hoped Charizard could pull off one more trick they kept up their sleeves, “Charizard! Use that attack you learned two years ago!”
Of course, they were in the air, why didn't he think of it before? Charizard regained his sense of direction as he was coming straight at Dragonite but when he was close enough, before Dragonite could attack again, Charizard balled up a fist and threw a downward Thunder Punch on to Dragonite's nose. The sudden burst of electricity coursing through Dragonite's body pulled him into a brief spasm, giving Charizard more than enough time to quickly manoeuvre behind him. Charizard punched Dragonite again and held him in a very tight grip. Charizard dragged Dragonite up higher and higher into the air until they rising a good hundred feet over the stadium – it was time to finish this. With one final push of his wings, Charizard dove back down into the stadium, pulling Dragonite with him. He positioned Dragonite between him and the ground below, making sure that this was going to cause as much damage as possible. Further and further they fell, closer and closer they came to the ground, faster and faster they travelled; no one could even tell which of the two Pokémon was either Charizard or Dragonite, it was only a blur. Both Charizard and Dragonite closed their eyes, waiting for it to come, sharing only one common thought – this is going to hurt. It came, they crashed into the ground, making the entire stadium shake like it were victim to an earthquake.
No one could see anything in the crater that was made in consequence from that massive attack due to a collection of dust. Ash fell to his knees as if he was acting on reflex, as if he was expecting to lose. Lance fell also because he couldn't believe that just happened; he was impressed. Win, lose or draw, that was a helluva battle. The dust slowly began to clear, everyone could see something moving – a light – a flickering orange light. The victor was-
“It's over! It's over! The fight is over!” shouted Ted from the commentator's booth, “Lance's Dragonite is down! Lance's Dragonite is out!”
What happened?... Did he win? Did Ash just... win? The dust had cleared completely and everyone could see that it was Charizard, not Dragonite, who was climbing out of the crater.
All of Ash's family, friends and fan's roared in thunderous applause, everyone else applauded just because they witnessed a great battle. Ash couldn't believe it... he won... he won! Charizard won! Ash jumped to his feet and dashed into the battle-circle, making a beeline for Charizard.
“Charizard, you amazing son of a bitch!” Ash cried as he jumped at his Pokémon for a hug.
“I beat him...” Charizard breathed, “I won... I can't believe it.”
“It happened, Charizard! We did it! We all did! You fought magnificently!” Ash exclaimed as he scratched the side of Charizard's head.
Ash's family and friends were ready to jump the rails to get down to Ash in the battle-circle, Misty and the kids were not on the ground for more than one second at a time.
“He won!” Misty cried in excitement, “Daddy won! Your daddy won! Oh, I knew it! I just knew he would!”
“He did it!” screamed Abby, “He did it! He did it! He did it! Yay! He's the winner!”
“Yeah Charizard!” cheered Graham, “Way to show 'em how it's done!”
All the stadium's attention turned to Bruce Williams as he entered the battle-circle to announce the official decision. “Ladies and Gentlemen this contest has been stopped due to a combatant being out of usable Pokémon; declaring the winner, one Pokémon to none, and new Indigo Conference Champion... Ash Ketchum!” and Bruce presented Ash with the Indigo Conference trophy
The applause erupted again; this time, Ash and Charizard took the time to let the attention soak in, Ash was waving around his new trophy, showing it off. Pikachu limped his way over to Ash and Charizard, Ash noticed his little yellow friend and lifted him on to his shoulder; the crowd did well to give Pikachu some well deserved attention. Just like before the battle, Ash's eyes were on his family; he was trying to give them the thumbs up.
Ash was approached by Ken Gates, who made his way down from the commentator's booth, “Ash, after nine years of absence from the battle scene, you make an abrupt return and win a championship in, probably, the most challenging of all four of the conferences, how do you feel about that?”
“You know, it feels unbelievable... I mean to climb so high, fight so hard, the feeling you get when you've conquered it all is amazing.”
“I understand that this is your first time in sixteen years to have competed in this conference, may I ask why you think you did better this time?”
“Other than the fact that it was sixteen years ago, we all were young, none of us were really ready to compete and it didn't work out in the end. I think is well worth the wait, to be holding the trophy now.”
“You know... Lance has been approached by the board of governors and asked if he wants to take the role of new chairman. If that happens, he's going to need to appoint a new Elite Four leader. Suppose he chooses you... would you say 'yes'?”
“Uh... I don't think I can answer that now. I promised myself nine years ago that I would take things slow. I'd have to give it a good thought.”
Ken was finished, “Well Ash, congratulations on your win, congratulations to your Pokémon, enjoy your trophy and good luck with your future endeavours.”
Ash pulled back the microphone, “I just wanna say one last thing to my family and friends in the crowd... especially to my wife and kids... We did it, guys! We finally did it!”
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Author's Note: If you're wondering why I gave the winning fight to Charizard instead of Pikachu, Charizard is just my favourite Pokémon – period. Games and TV show. I didn't care to describe everyone in detail for the prologue, because it's the prologue. You'll get to know the characters better in the next addition when I bring the story to the intended time setting. I didn't bother to have Ash and Lance barking like drill-sergeants because I figured that if they were veteran battlers, then their Pokémon should be veteran battlers too, knowing what to do and when just by the order of a strategy. And yes, Charizard pulled a SoulSilver cheap shot with a thunderpunch.Could you forgive a fellow author's insecurities and let me know what you think, please.
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