Welcome yet again for another set of three stories set in the Ancienverse! However, while the last was really a continual story depicting Ash and Serena's wedding, this threeshot will be very different, treated more as a prologue to the final story. To that end, there will be three different perspectives, each of which will lead into that final story. A little different in tone, perhaps, but I hope you'll enjoy.
Do note, before we begin, that this takes place a year after the wedding.
DISCLAIMER: Still not owning, and I'm so glad I won't have to say this soon.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" came Ash's shout, sweat clearly leaking from where his hair met his forehead. Greninja reached for his back, grabbing his large shuriken before he sent it flying off towards his target. Across from him, his opponent nodded her head, Gardevoir teleporting away to avoid the flying disc. "Aerial Ace!"
"Nin!" Greninja shouted. Already, he was tired from having to take down Diantha's own Goodra, the bulky dragon putting up quite a fight. There was no doubt in that specific battle that Ash had never expected to actually go up against a Pokémon that he, himself, had trained and raised. However, Greninja was just as his trainer, never giving up and constantly driving forward, adapting to the situation before them. The Ninja Pokémon vanished suddenly. A flash of a second later and he had appeared right at Gardevoir's side, bringing his glowing leg swinging out to slam into the Embrace Pokémon, who had already been moving slower than usual from the toll of the earlier portions of the battle.
"Moonblast!" Diantha ordered. Greninja skidded along the ground from his landing as Gardevoir, Mega Evolved right from the beginning of the battle, began to charge up her pearlescent orb of energy. She quickly fired it at Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon was slammed in the chest, being pushed towards the edge of the arena. "Shadow Ball!"
"Double Team!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand out in tandem with Greninja. Multiple copies of Greninja sprung up around the area, and each swarmed in as the fleet of Shadow Balls flew out, obliterating all but one. "Cut!"
"Reflect!" Greninja's watery kunai slashed out, impacting with the blue shield that Gardevoir put up. It held for a moment, but there was no way that Ash was going to let that stop him.
"Aerial Ace! Speed up!" Ash called, punching his fists into the air. The knives disappeared, and all of Greninja's limbs glowed a blinding white. He spun around, nailing right into Gardevoir's face from the side of the shield, before spinning and kicking into her body. The barrage of strikes soon culminated in the frog nailing her with a downwards punch. With a final kick, Gardevoir was sent flying backwards. "Double Team and Water Shuriken!"
"Moonblast, mow them down!" Gardevoir gathered her energy, while Greninja appeared all around the area, each one gripping for his giant shuriken. Then Gardevoir fired, a pink beam blasting out instead of being tossed in an orb. The cutting beam sliced away the swath of Greninja, but failed to hit the real one.
"Now, finish it! Let's go!" With a great heave of Greninja's Water Shuriken, he sent it colliding into Gardevoir's back with immense speed. He didn't stop there, as another reappeared on his back, which he grabbed and threw in quick succession, Gardevoir unable to dodge. The Ninja Pokémon looked to Ash, who nodded with a grin. Greninja angled his body, and shot downward, his fist glowing, making a white streak become visible behind him as he gave a final punch that slammed into the battlefield and sent dust pluming upwards, slightly grainy from the distortion of the screen.
"Ah, this battle is soooo amazing!" Bonnie shouted from next to Ash, making the raven-haired trainer look up from the blonde's screen. They were currently sitting at an open-air café in Lumiose City, watching the news on the screen, if one could call a battle replay "news". Most people ignored them, though some tourists were taking pictures of the all too known Ash Ketchum, while a group at the café watched them in curious interest as they gobbled croissants, as if they were the news that was coming. Even Bonnie seemed to be known from some younger trainers. "Ash, when are you gonna battle Diantha again?"
"Maybe soon," Ash laughed out in response to her. Across from him, Clemont finished stirring his tea with pursed lips, before looking insistently at his sister.
"Bonnie, Ash may have defeated Diantha a few years ago," he decided to explain (even if Bonnie wasn't listening), "but Champions are still very busy."
"I still think it's stupid that you didn't take the position…" Bonnie pouted. On the screen, his own battle had been replaced with an image of Paul facing off against Cynthia. The lemon blonde seemed far less interested in that, even as Torterra sent a powerful Stone Edge sailing right for Garchomp.
"Sorry, Bonnie, but we're just not into that sort of thing, right Pikachu?" Ash asked of his best friend. Pikachu, seated right next to Dedenne and Squishy, smiled softly and nodded, bits of macaron sticking to his lips. "Maybe when you defeat Diantha, you can take the position."
"No way! I'm battling you for that position," Bonnie stated defiantly. On the screen, Paul's battle had seemingly come to an end, finishing off the montage of battles against Champions and Elite Four members that had taken place in the last few years (there had been surprisingly few). As it ended, there was a whooshing across the screen, and the Pokémon League's logo appeared, along with a timer that showed a big announcement was going to be made when that countdown hit zero.
All of Lumiose seemed to be quite abuzz for it, as well, with the same video that Bonnie had been watching displayed on some television screens around the town, ones that Clemont had installed in an effort to better the city. Many spectators were drawn to those screens as the timer ticked down, though Ash was far less concerned with whatever that announcement would be. Mostly because he knew full well what was about to be announced, and Clemont was no different. In fact, they were so unconcerned about it, that Clemont was lazily sipping tea while the city was growing restless around them. Bonnie was indicative of that.
"So, when're you guys gonna tell me what the League will announce? Do you think it's something I'll be a part of?" she asked with her usual brand of enthusiasm. Ash looked over to her and smiled; she had grown quite a lot in the last many years, especially in her skill as a trainer. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't quite ready for what the League was announcing, even if she'd likely make it there in another year or two.
"I'm rather interested, myself," spoke a deeper voice that caused all three occupants of the table to turn. Ash raised his hand up, greeting the young man they had been waiting to have join them. He was unaccompanied at the moment, also greeting them with a raised hand. When he'd finished approaching the table, Alain pulled a chair out and sat down upon it. "These two refuse to share anything with me. How did you find out?"
"I'm a Gym Leader, of course!" Clemont declared, placing his cup down and pushing his glasses up like he was rather haughty. "And my fiancée is one, as well!"
"Still took him forever," Bonnie muttered out, fiddling with the screen of her Pokédex. She took a moment to glare at it, as if daring it to do something. It made Ash laugh quite heartily. The raven-haired trainer leaned back and slung his hands behind his head as his chair tipped a little.
"As for me, there are benefits to being friends with the Champion," Ash stated with his grin that said nothing. In truth, he'd found it incredibly difficult to not say anything regarding the surprise that would be announced in just a few minutes time. However, he had promised Diantha, and had no intention of breaking that promise whatsoever. "But what about you, Alain? How are things at the lab?"
"Busy enough," Alain answered, waving the waitress over to place an order for some coffee. "With Mega Evolution studies having either increased in popularity or leaving less and less to studies, Professor Sycamore and myself have thought of branching into some other fields, like the nature of a Pokémon. We're playing with it, though sometimes I wish I could have some more high-powered battles more often, like the ones we used to have."
"And how's Mairin?" Bonnie asked, now absentmindedly staring at the screen while she waited. Her leg was bouncing in agitation.
"She's good," Alain answered, but gave no further reply. It may have been from the countdown coming down to the final minute, but Ash really felt that the professor's assistant didn't want to share details about his personal relationship with the nineteen-year old. Ash still couldn't figure them out, either; his own relationship was much simpler.
"Ooh, here we go!" Bonnie said excitedly, propping her Pokédex up on the table so that all of them could view it. The timer had certain reached its final moments and Ash leaned forward, feeling himself begin to glow with the anticipation. Pikachu returned to his side as Clemont also leaned forward. The inventor seemed relieved that he had left most of his Pokémon back at Prism Tower.
As they all settled into position, the timer reached zero, and the League logo exploded in a shower of fireworks. Moments later, Diantha appeared on screen, but she certainly wasn't alone, with almost every League Champion but Kukui present with her.
"Greetings, trainers and citizens alike!" her voice called out, echoing around the entire city, magnified in volume. "You've waited quite a time since we told the public that we'd be making a great announcement. No doubt that you've wondered just what that announcement would be, but we are very pleased to finally unveil it to the public!"
"The Champion Tournament!" Cynthia called. Another image appeared on the screen, this one being of the very familiar stadium located at the Kalos League Headquarters. That was a piece of information that Ash hadn't known, forcing him to quirk his eyebrow at the reveal of it. There wasn't much time to dwell on it, as Cynthia was elaborating. "As its name suggests, this is a tournament that the Pokémon League has been devising for some time, polling for participation among the top and elite ranked trainers among all the regions."
"Unfortunately," Steven picked up the thread, "this will also mean that the tournament is truly invitation only. However, all five of us will be in attendance, as Champion Kukui of Alola will not be able to attend due to a planned, and thus unavoidable, challenge for his own seat at the start of this event. Nevertheless, we hope for this tournament to be an annual affair, held at a time where the regional League conferences are not."
At this point, Lance stepped forward, showing just how rehearsed this message was. "The invitations will be sent out to key Gym Leaders, skilled trainers capable of going toe to toe with the Elite Four, and of course the Elite Four and Champions, ourselves. All of us will clash in a mighty tournament to see who is truly the best! While any invitee can, of course, decline, given any sort of schedule, we do hope to see an excellent turnout."
"The tournament begins in a week's time, and invitations are on their way! We look forward to your battling styles!" Alder chimed in cheerily. Then the picture of the Champions was replaced with the image of the stadium, showing the location of the tournament that was to take place, along with its dates. Bonnie whipped around in her seat while the whole of Lumiose became enthralled with excited chatter at the announcement that had been made. Or most of it; some continued walking on with amused shrugs or chuckles.
"So, that's what you two were talking about!" she stated excitedly. Dedenne returned to her head, sitting upon it. "That's so awesome! Maybe I'll go and get tickets, or be taking part, myself."
"Bonnie is too much of a half pint to take part," Rotom's voice snickered out, the face of the familiar program appearing on the screen of her Pokédex on the table. Bonnie glared at it, snapping the screen down.
"You're just a program. What do you know?" she snapped.
"Either way, I don't think so," Clemont stated sharply. Bonnie pouted at him. "I need someone to stay and run the gym for that week. Sure, my Clembot 9.0 could do it, or dad, but I think you need some good experience running the gym."
"I'm not a little kid anymore, Clemont," Bonnie snapped at him, but she sighed and shrugged all the same. "I'll do it, though. It's not like everyone is going to be interested in the tournament…just most people…"
"No wonder you two knew, huh?" Alain chuckled out, finally getting his coffee from the waitress. "It sounds like a lot of fun. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to battle much with all my research, though I'd like to think I could still give some top trainers a run for their money."
"Pretty sure that Diantha said you were on the shortlist when Clemont and I were called to the Hub last month," Ash mused out. He wasn't entirely sure on that point, but he did know that Diantha had said something to that effect. Bonnie looked at Ash confusedly, like she wanted to ask what he meant by "Hub", but Clemont had stood before she could.
"Yes, there's quite the list!" the lemon blonde Gym Leader said quite excitedly. "It'll be quite fun to put ourselves against fellow Gym Leaders or more skilled opponents. Win or lose, it'll be really enjoyable."
"Yeah, that's my brother! Dedenne, Squishy and I will be cheering you on the whole way!"
"Dene!" Dedenne agreed while Squishy burbled out excitedly. Ash stood as well now, reaching over to bump fists with Clemont, in a promise of having as much fun as they could at the upcoming tournament. It was most certainly going to be a media blowout, at the very least. Even knowing those that would be on the shortlist for participants, Ash was excited to see just who would be battling it out in grand style there. Nothing made him giddier.
"I bet Serena will cheer for her husband, too," Bonnie said slyly. "Did she know about this?"
"Yep," Ash answered confidently. That made Bonnie glare at him playfully, as though unhappy that she'd been locked out of the loop while Serena hadn't. It didn't last for long, however, and the girl sat back and emulated Ash, hands behind her head. "I'm not about to hide things from her. She even has her own ideas for things she wants to do. Bet if you ask, she'll let you help, Bonnie. I think she and Aria said it was going to happen here in Lumiose, but they were waiting for the official announcement to say anything."
"Super awesome! Dedenne, this will be some awesome opportunity!" Bonnie cried. However, Dedenne was already asleep and snoring lightly, having fallen back down to the table. The sight made Alain laugh, while he stood as well. Without realizing it, he threw his fist into the mix, smirking lightly.
"This should be very fun," the black-haired man said. His smirk was one of challenge, causing Ash and Clemont to throw their own at him, as well. In a time of such peace, there had been less battling to be held, but Ash was all too excited to have the chance to battle more with those he respected the most. He especially hoped to face off against Alain again, wanting to settle score. Alain clearly felt the same as the two dark-haired men nodded at each other.
"Just one week, guys! Better get ready!" Ash declared, and he rose his fist into the air with the other two, Pikachu cheering with them. Already, his eyes were turned towards the tournament, and the exciting future that was being ushered in with it.
The week that led up to the Champion Tournament was fast, and filled with a large amount of excitement from any who were involved. No place, however, was filled with more anticipation than Lumiose City. For one thing, the fact that their very own Gym Leader would be taking part, when only Korrina and Wulfric had been invited to do so from the Kalos Region, otherwise, made them very proud.
On another hand was Serena's own little event that she had been planning alongside Aria. All Ash knew at the time was that they were calling it a Showcase Spectacular, and they'd been working on it for some weeks, even at the expense of Serena's sleep. As a result, many Performers were streaming into Lumiose, prepared for this seemingly history-making event. Ash, however, had first spent time contacting Professor Oak in Kanto, the elderly professor still the caretaker of his Pokémon (considering he and Serena did have a residence in Pallet Town), even as Tracey was being transitioned to take over. After that, he was simply more focused on the tournament ahead. His current stay in Lumiose was hardly a secret, so he had gotten calls from plenty of his friends that had gotten invitations, whether accepting or declining them, and he even spoke with those that were contacting Serena, instead.
All in all, by the day of departure, when Korrina had arrived in the city, roller-skates at the ready, Ash had a very good idea of just who would and wouldn't be wherever. Well, at the very least he knew that Serena would be in Lumiose.
"Okay, Clemont, promise you'll win it all…or if you're going to lose, make sure it's against either Korrina or Ash," Bonnie insisted to her brother. Behind her, inside of Prism Tower, seemed to be some of the familiar faces of Performers like Shauna and Miette. Aria was no doubt at the nearest Pokémon Center, while Serena was seeing them all off with a smile as she stood near Bonnie.
"I'll try my best, Bonnie, but there are going to be plenty of strong trainers there," Clemont said, standing proudly regardless. Korrina hung on his shoulder, grinning at her fiancée with her usual attitude. "I'm just proud to have been invited."
"Probably because you helped in designing the Hub," Korrina pointed out, making Clemont look even prouder. A few feet away from them, Alain and Mairin stood, prepared to travel with them to the destination that was really only a half-day's trek away when using the quick and well-traveled (by them) path they planned to take, supplementing certain stretches with their fliers.
"You all just have fun, and we'll make sure Lumiose has a great time for when you return," Serena stated, adding a wink on the end. Ash gave his wife a thumbs up while she looked at him. Something seemed different about her, more flushed than usual. Not that he'd been spending much time with her the last week, owing to the both of them being incredibly busy. "Call me after the first round?"
"You bet!" Ash insisted. Serena walked forward as the others began to turn away for their own roads. Miette watched a moment longer out of teasing interest before Shauna pulled her away quite swiftly. Ash rolled his eyes, all while noting that since Sawyer wasn't there with her, he must have already been at the League Headquarters. That thought didn't last long before Serena kissed him.
"Gotta talk to you when you get back, okay?" she whispered in his ear.
"Something serious?" Ash asked, but she shook her head. Then she offered him another kiss on the cheek and pulled away, waving at all of them. "All right, everyone. You all do your best out there, understood?"
"No losing!" Bonnie called, pointing forward. "I'll be watching, after all, while making Lumiose Gym totally kickass! No challenger is getting through me!"
"Ne ne ne!" Dedenne agreed, both himself and his trainer posing with hands on their hips. Once they had finished and gotten a good laugh out of everybody, the duo decided to wave, saying their temporary farewell to the traveling party. Ash took one last look back at Serena and grinned, before walking on and out of sight, Pikachu atop his shoulder.
From there, the trip to the League Headquarters actually didn't take long, and was one of such little event that Ash could barely remember it, except for Korrina wanting a battle. Naturally, he didn't deny the challenge, with Pikachu and Lucario going at one another before Clemont had called for dinner that night. That was just about the only thing to take Ash and Korrina away from their excitement of the tournament, an enthusiasm which was not quite shared at the same level by Clemont and Mairin, who wouldn't be taking part but tagged along for "research purposes".
"Maybe if you all calm down, it'll be a lot more fun," the redhead had suggested, looking to Alain for a suggestion before they'd gone to sleep that evening. Ash looked to his old rival, scanning him. Alain seemed stoic, face illuminated by the firelight, but Ash could see the yearning need for battle that was roiling underneath his skin. He was simply hiding it from Mairin. Ash grinned, about to answer when he thought he caught sight of something beyond their campsite, in the trees. Pikachu also twitched at it, but neither said anything more, despite the hairs on the back of their necks telling them they were being followed.
"Nah! You need full energy to get pumped up and enjoy these things! Right, Ash?" Korrina asked. Ash shook his head and returned with full enthusiasm to reiterate her point, completely pushing the earlier sensation from his mind. It hadn't felt malicious, but more concerned and…questioning. Knowing he and his friends wouldn't be in harm's way, Ash rested well that night, thinking of the tournament and all the opportunities it could provide.
As a result, all five of the travelers were well rested the next morning, except for Alain, who kept shooting dirty looks at Clemont and Korrina. Ash had a guess why, but decided to engage his rival in conversation while they completed their journey, soon after arriving at the large castle that was the Kalos League Headquarters. Ash adjusted his hat, grinning at the structure where he'd once fought and defeated Diantha in an amazing full battle. Thinking back, he realized it was also the place he'd met his father, and Ash had to wonder how Lionel was doing. While he spoke with the man often enough, the last he'd heard of him was nearly two weeks ago, with the man having taken a trip to Unova for some reason or another (he'd never gotten the nitty-gritty details).
"Pikachu, buddy, you ready?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded, and Ash led their whole entourage down to the castle, where numerous spectators and participants were streaming in, all to present their invitations to the woman there. She quickly explained the rules of the tournament, not taking too much time to do so, owing to their familiarity with it all.
"Single elimination battles with one Pokémon each. The brackets for the first match will be revealed tonight so that the tournament can get right into the battles after the opening ceremonies are complete," the woman explained with a sigh of boredom. That was good enough for Ash, who shrugged his shoulders, took his room key and proceeded out towards the largely unchanged atrium, packed with food stands.
Unlike past tournaments, where the place was usually lined with spectators, it seemed that the League wasn't yet allowing anyone but competitors to populate that particular area, instead sending them elsewhere. At the very least, it made some people rather easy to find, including an all too sociable group of Sawyer, Astrid and Seamus. With a grin, Ash hitched his backpack on his shoulders and ran for that group of three, yelling out to them, "Hey, guys!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in greeting as well. All of them turned, their eyes lighting up at the sight of familiar faces. While he finished approaching, Ash swiveled his head back and forth, looking for any others he could recognize. He knew all of his past companions on the road wouldn't be taking part, each of them up to stuff in other regions (or just not invited in some of their cases). Even Kahili wasn't there, though Ash knew she had her hands full with a particularly stubborn challenger these days. He did, however, notice that only Seamus was there to represent Team Nova. Most interesting, in any case, was that Ash noted Paul, the purple-haired trainer offering him a nod with a small gleam in his eyes saying that he wanted to speak with him.
"Nice to see you. Goin' well?" Seamus asked, reaching out to take Ash's hand and pull him into a hug. Astrid just slapped him on the back, greeting the others, as well (Korrina outright hugged her), before she looked to a tablet in her hands, clearly checking the news.
"It's great. Can't wait for some awesome battles!" Ash exclaimed, he and Pikachu pumping their fists together. "Me and the whole team are ready to rumble, and we're aiming for victory!"
"Leave some for us," Sawyer laughed out, twirling his keystone around on his finger. He almost looked like he was challenging all of them with that, each person that had one there showcasing their own keystone. Ash just held up his Z-Ring while Clemont shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You've already gotten one victory against a Champion, so now all of us want our chances."
"Beat me and you can take it!" Ash stated, punching forward a bit. All of them did the same, their fists touching in the middle. Their own challenges made, the group soon descended into basic reunion banter to pass the time until the matchups would be announced. The Champions didn't seem to be making any sort of appearances as of yet, but Ash could easily see a number of Elite Four members milling about the place, including the reticent Wikstrom and Drasna, who acknowledged him.
While they all ate and chatted, Ash let Pikachu go and play with the other Pokémon, including Zoroark, who kept one eye on all of them like a mother of sorts, something that Seamus had stated with a bout of laughter. "She's always fussing over us these days! But I don't mind; Merry is great, and the kids love it when she teaches."
"I'd imagine," Clemont agreed. Then, the atrium suddenly went dark, every participant that was there looking around rapidly. Soon enough, in the middle of the space, a large screen popped out, expanding to soon show a multitude of faces on it: specifically, those of all of the competitors. Ash stood straighter, anticipation running through his veins as he approached the screen without thinking, soon finding himself next to Paul. The young man remained as stoic as ever as the pictures on the screen swirled around. No explanation was needed for anyone as the pictures stopped, showing the order and matchups.
"Looks like you're facing Seamus in the first round," Ash commented to Paul. The purple-haired man scoffed a bit, though it sounded a bit like a laugh. Ash continued perusing the contents, seeing that Astrid would face off against Sawyer, Korrina against Clemont, and finally himself with Alain. The most interesting matchup, though, was Diantha and Alder, proving that the tournament would have high powered battles from day one. Even a battle between Siebold and Lance was going to be opening the tournament! "Guess we won't get to battle on day one."
"Of course not," Paul noted abrasively. Ash looked to him, his rival opening his mouth to say something but closing it. It was unlike him, Ash noted, though his subsequent action of turning away was more in line with his usual behavior. "We'll meet in the finals, of course."
"You got it!" Ash responded instantly, no doubt drawing a smirk out from the man. He couldn't help but smirk either, feeling Greninja's pokeball twitching, ready for a chance to face off against Alain again, all to settle the score from their Kalos League battle. Thinking on his Pokémon, Ash decided to finally head for his room, giving a wave to his friends and rivals.
Doing so didn't take all that long, even after weaving through some of the other competitors there. Thankfully, none of them acted with the awe or admiration that most citizens did on a daily basis in his presence, each of them either knowing him or wanting to beat him where they could. That made getting to his room easy enough, a rather luxurious suite of a size that Ash neither wanted nor needed. Although, it did provide him with the chance to call all of his Pokémon out as the sun began to set in the distance, the rainbow of the misting falls being quite visible in its fading light.
All at once, his Pokémon appeared, Pikachu leaping off to join his team of Greninja, Charizard, Infernape, Krookodile and Decidueye. Each one of them looked ready for a big battle. Ash had wished he could bring along Sceptile, too, but chose against it in the end, which Sceptile didn't mind all that much, having shaken hands with Decidueye to share "the mantle of Grass type pride", or so Professor Oak had told him. Regardless, Ash gave them all a stern and focused expression.
"Okay, guys! We've spent the last week getting ready for this! The Champion Tournament!" Ash proclaimed. Each of his aces leaned in, ready for the words of encouragement they knew would be coming. "We're gonna go out there, battle at our best, and make sure we walk away with a little bit of every opponent's motives!"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, cheering loudly before the sun could sink beyond the horizon. All of the others joined in, clearly more than prepared for the battles ahead. The sun disappeared, the day turning to night, and Ash strode for his balcony. Looking at the darkened falls, he gave a giant grin of anticipation for all the events ahead. Tomorrow just couldn't come fast enough.
Fín
Author's Note: Feels like a setup chapter, doesn't it? That's because it is! Tomorrow is going to be having a faster pace and kicking off with this big event I led into here, among others, so I came up with the idea of doing this threeshot, wherein I have three separate focuses that all lead up to the same point. The first of these was Ash and the tournament. I would have liked to include Diantha a bit, but I figure there's enough during the reception of the wedding and all that to warrant her absence here (plus she's only the most prominently figured Champion in the series). That and she was unnecessary for the plot of this part.
Anyway, enough about that, I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully you all know the drill, ha ha, so please Review and Dare to Be Silly.
Do note, before we begin, that this takes place a year after the wedding.
Author: Epicocity
Rating: T
Pairings: Amourshipping, Laserbladeshipping, RoyalDoctorShipping
Rating: T
Pairings: Amourshipping, Laserbladeshipping, RoyalDoctorShipping
DISCLAIMER: Still not owning, and I'm so glad I won't have to say this soon.
The Road to Tomorrow
An Ancienverse Pokémon Threeshot
The Road to Victory
An Ancienverse Pokémon Threeshot
The Road to Victory
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" came Ash's shout, sweat clearly leaking from where his hair met his forehead. Greninja reached for his back, grabbing his large shuriken before he sent it flying off towards his target. Across from him, his opponent nodded her head, Gardevoir teleporting away to avoid the flying disc. "Aerial Ace!"
"Nin!" Greninja shouted. Already, he was tired from having to take down Diantha's own Goodra, the bulky dragon putting up quite a fight. There was no doubt in that specific battle that Ash had never expected to actually go up against a Pokémon that he, himself, had trained and raised. However, Greninja was just as his trainer, never giving up and constantly driving forward, adapting to the situation before them. The Ninja Pokémon vanished suddenly. A flash of a second later and he had appeared right at Gardevoir's side, bringing his glowing leg swinging out to slam into the Embrace Pokémon, who had already been moving slower than usual from the toll of the earlier portions of the battle.
"Moonblast!" Diantha ordered. Greninja skidded along the ground from his landing as Gardevoir, Mega Evolved right from the beginning of the battle, began to charge up her pearlescent orb of energy. She quickly fired it at Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon was slammed in the chest, being pushed towards the edge of the arena. "Shadow Ball!"
"Double Team!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand out in tandem with Greninja. Multiple copies of Greninja sprung up around the area, and each swarmed in as the fleet of Shadow Balls flew out, obliterating all but one. "Cut!"
"Reflect!" Greninja's watery kunai slashed out, impacting with the blue shield that Gardevoir put up. It held for a moment, but there was no way that Ash was going to let that stop him.
"Aerial Ace! Speed up!" Ash called, punching his fists into the air. The knives disappeared, and all of Greninja's limbs glowed a blinding white. He spun around, nailing right into Gardevoir's face from the side of the shield, before spinning and kicking into her body. The barrage of strikes soon culminated in the frog nailing her with a downwards punch. With a final kick, Gardevoir was sent flying backwards. "Double Team and Water Shuriken!"
"Moonblast, mow them down!" Gardevoir gathered her energy, while Greninja appeared all around the area, each one gripping for his giant shuriken. Then Gardevoir fired, a pink beam blasting out instead of being tossed in an orb. The cutting beam sliced away the swath of Greninja, but failed to hit the real one.
"Now, finish it! Let's go!" With a great heave of Greninja's Water Shuriken, he sent it colliding into Gardevoir's back with immense speed. He didn't stop there, as another reappeared on his back, which he grabbed and threw in quick succession, Gardevoir unable to dodge. The Ninja Pokémon looked to Ash, who nodded with a grin. Greninja angled his body, and shot downward, his fist glowing, making a white streak become visible behind him as he gave a final punch that slammed into the battlefield and sent dust pluming upwards, slightly grainy from the distortion of the screen.
"Ah, this battle is soooo amazing!" Bonnie shouted from next to Ash, making the raven-haired trainer look up from the blonde's screen. They were currently sitting at an open-air café in Lumiose City, watching the news on the screen, if one could call a battle replay "news". Most people ignored them, though some tourists were taking pictures of the all too known Ash Ketchum, while a group at the café watched them in curious interest as they gobbled croissants, as if they were the news that was coming. Even Bonnie seemed to be known from some younger trainers. "Ash, when are you gonna battle Diantha again?"
"Maybe soon," Ash laughed out in response to her. Across from him, Clemont finished stirring his tea with pursed lips, before looking insistently at his sister.
"Bonnie, Ash may have defeated Diantha a few years ago," he decided to explain (even if Bonnie wasn't listening), "but Champions are still very busy."
"I still think it's stupid that you didn't take the position…" Bonnie pouted. On the screen, his own battle had been replaced with an image of Paul facing off against Cynthia. The lemon blonde seemed far less interested in that, even as Torterra sent a powerful Stone Edge sailing right for Garchomp.
"Sorry, Bonnie, but we're just not into that sort of thing, right Pikachu?" Ash asked of his best friend. Pikachu, seated right next to Dedenne and Squishy, smiled softly and nodded, bits of macaron sticking to his lips. "Maybe when you defeat Diantha, you can take the position."
"No way! I'm battling you for that position," Bonnie stated defiantly. On the screen, Paul's battle had seemingly come to an end, finishing off the montage of battles against Champions and Elite Four members that had taken place in the last few years (there had been surprisingly few). As it ended, there was a whooshing across the screen, and the Pokémon League's logo appeared, along with a timer that showed a big announcement was going to be made when that countdown hit zero.
All of Lumiose seemed to be quite abuzz for it, as well, with the same video that Bonnie had been watching displayed on some television screens around the town, ones that Clemont had installed in an effort to better the city. Many spectators were drawn to those screens as the timer ticked down, though Ash was far less concerned with whatever that announcement would be. Mostly because he knew full well what was about to be announced, and Clemont was no different. In fact, they were so unconcerned about it, that Clemont was lazily sipping tea while the city was growing restless around them. Bonnie was indicative of that.
"So, when're you guys gonna tell me what the League will announce? Do you think it's something I'll be a part of?" she asked with her usual brand of enthusiasm. Ash looked over to her and smiled; she had grown quite a lot in the last many years, especially in her skill as a trainer. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't quite ready for what the League was announcing, even if she'd likely make it there in another year or two.
"I'm rather interested, myself," spoke a deeper voice that caused all three occupants of the table to turn. Ash raised his hand up, greeting the young man they had been waiting to have join them. He was unaccompanied at the moment, also greeting them with a raised hand. When he'd finished approaching the table, Alain pulled a chair out and sat down upon it. "These two refuse to share anything with me. How did you find out?"
"I'm a Gym Leader, of course!" Clemont declared, placing his cup down and pushing his glasses up like he was rather haughty. "And my fiancée is one, as well!"
"Still took him forever," Bonnie muttered out, fiddling with the screen of her Pokédex. She took a moment to glare at it, as if daring it to do something. It made Ash laugh quite heartily. The raven-haired trainer leaned back and slung his hands behind his head as his chair tipped a little.
"As for me, there are benefits to being friends with the Champion," Ash stated with his grin that said nothing. In truth, he'd found it incredibly difficult to not say anything regarding the surprise that would be announced in just a few minutes time. However, he had promised Diantha, and had no intention of breaking that promise whatsoever. "But what about you, Alain? How are things at the lab?"
"Busy enough," Alain answered, waving the waitress over to place an order for some coffee. "With Mega Evolution studies having either increased in popularity or leaving less and less to studies, Professor Sycamore and myself have thought of branching into some other fields, like the nature of a Pokémon. We're playing with it, though sometimes I wish I could have some more high-powered battles more often, like the ones we used to have."
"And how's Mairin?" Bonnie asked, now absentmindedly staring at the screen while she waited. Her leg was bouncing in agitation.
"She's good," Alain answered, but gave no further reply. It may have been from the countdown coming down to the final minute, but Ash really felt that the professor's assistant didn't want to share details about his personal relationship with the nineteen-year old. Ash still couldn't figure them out, either; his own relationship was much simpler.
"Ooh, here we go!" Bonnie said excitedly, propping her Pokédex up on the table so that all of them could view it. The timer had certain reached its final moments and Ash leaned forward, feeling himself begin to glow with the anticipation. Pikachu returned to his side as Clemont also leaned forward. The inventor seemed relieved that he had left most of his Pokémon back at Prism Tower.
As they all settled into position, the timer reached zero, and the League logo exploded in a shower of fireworks. Moments later, Diantha appeared on screen, but she certainly wasn't alone, with almost every League Champion but Kukui present with her.
"Greetings, trainers and citizens alike!" her voice called out, echoing around the entire city, magnified in volume. "You've waited quite a time since we told the public that we'd be making a great announcement. No doubt that you've wondered just what that announcement would be, but we are very pleased to finally unveil it to the public!"
"The Champion Tournament!" Cynthia called. Another image appeared on the screen, this one being of the very familiar stadium located at the Kalos League Headquarters. That was a piece of information that Ash hadn't known, forcing him to quirk his eyebrow at the reveal of it. There wasn't much time to dwell on it, as Cynthia was elaborating. "As its name suggests, this is a tournament that the Pokémon League has been devising for some time, polling for participation among the top and elite ranked trainers among all the regions."
"Unfortunately," Steven picked up the thread, "this will also mean that the tournament is truly invitation only. However, all five of us will be in attendance, as Champion Kukui of Alola will not be able to attend due to a planned, and thus unavoidable, challenge for his own seat at the start of this event. Nevertheless, we hope for this tournament to be an annual affair, held at a time where the regional League conferences are not."
At this point, Lance stepped forward, showing just how rehearsed this message was. "The invitations will be sent out to key Gym Leaders, skilled trainers capable of going toe to toe with the Elite Four, and of course the Elite Four and Champions, ourselves. All of us will clash in a mighty tournament to see who is truly the best! While any invitee can, of course, decline, given any sort of schedule, we do hope to see an excellent turnout."
"The tournament begins in a week's time, and invitations are on their way! We look forward to your battling styles!" Alder chimed in cheerily. Then the picture of the Champions was replaced with the image of the stadium, showing the location of the tournament that was to take place, along with its dates. Bonnie whipped around in her seat while the whole of Lumiose became enthralled with excited chatter at the announcement that had been made. Or most of it; some continued walking on with amused shrugs or chuckles.
"So, that's what you two were talking about!" she stated excitedly. Dedenne returned to her head, sitting upon it. "That's so awesome! Maybe I'll go and get tickets, or be taking part, myself."
"Bonnie is too much of a half pint to take part," Rotom's voice snickered out, the face of the familiar program appearing on the screen of her Pokédex on the table. Bonnie glared at it, snapping the screen down.
"You're just a program. What do you know?" she snapped.
"Either way, I don't think so," Clemont stated sharply. Bonnie pouted at him. "I need someone to stay and run the gym for that week. Sure, my Clembot 9.0 could do it, or dad, but I think you need some good experience running the gym."
"I'm not a little kid anymore, Clemont," Bonnie snapped at him, but she sighed and shrugged all the same. "I'll do it, though. It's not like everyone is going to be interested in the tournament…just most people…"
"No wonder you two knew, huh?" Alain chuckled out, finally getting his coffee from the waitress. "It sounds like a lot of fun. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to battle much with all my research, though I'd like to think I could still give some top trainers a run for their money."
"Pretty sure that Diantha said you were on the shortlist when Clemont and I were called to the Hub last month," Ash mused out. He wasn't entirely sure on that point, but he did know that Diantha had said something to that effect. Bonnie looked at Ash confusedly, like she wanted to ask what he meant by "Hub", but Clemont had stood before she could.
"Yes, there's quite the list!" the lemon blonde Gym Leader said quite excitedly. "It'll be quite fun to put ourselves against fellow Gym Leaders or more skilled opponents. Win or lose, it'll be really enjoyable."
"Yeah, that's my brother! Dedenne, Squishy and I will be cheering you on the whole way!"
"Dene!" Dedenne agreed while Squishy burbled out excitedly. Ash stood as well now, reaching over to bump fists with Clemont, in a promise of having as much fun as they could at the upcoming tournament. It was most certainly going to be a media blowout, at the very least. Even knowing those that would be on the shortlist for participants, Ash was excited to see just who would be battling it out in grand style there. Nothing made him giddier.
"I bet Serena will cheer for her husband, too," Bonnie said slyly. "Did she know about this?"
"Yep," Ash answered confidently. That made Bonnie glare at him playfully, as though unhappy that she'd been locked out of the loop while Serena hadn't. It didn't last for long, however, and the girl sat back and emulated Ash, hands behind her head. "I'm not about to hide things from her. She even has her own ideas for things she wants to do. Bet if you ask, she'll let you help, Bonnie. I think she and Aria said it was going to happen here in Lumiose, but they were waiting for the official announcement to say anything."
"Super awesome! Dedenne, this will be some awesome opportunity!" Bonnie cried. However, Dedenne was already asleep and snoring lightly, having fallen back down to the table. The sight made Alain laugh, while he stood as well. Without realizing it, he threw his fist into the mix, smirking lightly.
"This should be very fun," the black-haired man said. His smirk was one of challenge, causing Ash and Clemont to throw their own at him, as well. In a time of such peace, there had been less battling to be held, but Ash was all too excited to have the chance to battle more with those he respected the most. He especially hoped to face off against Alain again, wanting to settle score. Alain clearly felt the same as the two dark-haired men nodded at each other.
"Just one week, guys! Better get ready!" Ash declared, and he rose his fist into the air with the other two, Pikachu cheering with them. Already, his eyes were turned towards the tournament, and the exciting future that was being ushered in with it.
The week that led up to the Champion Tournament was fast, and filled with a large amount of excitement from any who were involved. No place, however, was filled with more anticipation than Lumiose City. For one thing, the fact that their very own Gym Leader would be taking part, when only Korrina and Wulfric had been invited to do so from the Kalos Region, otherwise, made them very proud.
On another hand was Serena's own little event that she had been planning alongside Aria. All Ash knew at the time was that they were calling it a Showcase Spectacular, and they'd been working on it for some weeks, even at the expense of Serena's sleep. As a result, many Performers were streaming into Lumiose, prepared for this seemingly history-making event. Ash, however, had first spent time contacting Professor Oak in Kanto, the elderly professor still the caretaker of his Pokémon (considering he and Serena did have a residence in Pallet Town), even as Tracey was being transitioned to take over. After that, he was simply more focused on the tournament ahead. His current stay in Lumiose was hardly a secret, so he had gotten calls from plenty of his friends that had gotten invitations, whether accepting or declining them, and he even spoke with those that were contacting Serena, instead.
All in all, by the day of departure, when Korrina had arrived in the city, roller-skates at the ready, Ash had a very good idea of just who would and wouldn't be wherever. Well, at the very least he knew that Serena would be in Lumiose.
"Okay, Clemont, promise you'll win it all…or if you're going to lose, make sure it's against either Korrina or Ash," Bonnie insisted to her brother. Behind her, inside of Prism Tower, seemed to be some of the familiar faces of Performers like Shauna and Miette. Aria was no doubt at the nearest Pokémon Center, while Serena was seeing them all off with a smile as she stood near Bonnie.
"I'll try my best, Bonnie, but there are going to be plenty of strong trainers there," Clemont said, standing proudly regardless. Korrina hung on his shoulder, grinning at her fiancée with her usual attitude. "I'm just proud to have been invited."
"Probably because you helped in designing the Hub," Korrina pointed out, making Clemont look even prouder. A few feet away from them, Alain and Mairin stood, prepared to travel with them to the destination that was really only a half-day's trek away when using the quick and well-traveled (by them) path they planned to take, supplementing certain stretches with their fliers.
"You all just have fun, and we'll make sure Lumiose has a great time for when you return," Serena stated, adding a wink on the end. Ash gave his wife a thumbs up while she looked at him. Something seemed different about her, more flushed than usual. Not that he'd been spending much time with her the last week, owing to the both of them being incredibly busy. "Call me after the first round?"
"You bet!" Ash insisted. Serena walked forward as the others began to turn away for their own roads. Miette watched a moment longer out of teasing interest before Shauna pulled her away quite swiftly. Ash rolled his eyes, all while noting that since Sawyer wasn't there with her, he must have already been at the League Headquarters. That thought didn't last long before Serena kissed him.
"Gotta talk to you when you get back, okay?" she whispered in his ear.
"Something serious?" Ash asked, but she shook her head. Then she offered him another kiss on the cheek and pulled away, waving at all of them. "All right, everyone. You all do your best out there, understood?"
"No losing!" Bonnie called, pointing forward. "I'll be watching, after all, while making Lumiose Gym totally kickass! No challenger is getting through me!"
"Ne ne ne!" Dedenne agreed, both himself and his trainer posing with hands on their hips. Once they had finished and gotten a good laugh out of everybody, the duo decided to wave, saying their temporary farewell to the traveling party. Ash took one last look back at Serena and grinned, before walking on and out of sight, Pikachu atop his shoulder.
From there, the trip to the League Headquarters actually didn't take long, and was one of such little event that Ash could barely remember it, except for Korrina wanting a battle. Naturally, he didn't deny the challenge, with Pikachu and Lucario going at one another before Clemont had called for dinner that night. That was just about the only thing to take Ash and Korrina away from their excitement of the tournament, an enthusiasm which was not quite shared at the same level by Clemont and Mairin, who wouldn't be taking part but tagged along for "research purposes".
"Maybe if you all calm down, it'll be a lot more fun," the redhead had suggested, looking to Alain for a suggestion before they'd gone to sleep that evening. Ash looked to his old rival, scanning him. Alain seemed stoic, face illuminated by the firelight, but Ash could see the yearning need for battle that was roiling underneath his skin. He was simply hiding it from Mairin. Ash grinned, about to answer when he thought he caught sight of something beyond their campsite, in the trees. Pikachu also twitched at it, but neither said anything more, despite the hairs on the back of their necks telling them they were being followed.
"Nah! You need full energy to get pumped up and enjoy these things! Right, Ash?" Korrina asked. Ash shook his head and returned with full enthusiasm to reiterate her point, completely pushing the earlier sensation from his mind. It hadn't felt malicious, but more concerned and…questioning. Knowing he and his friends wouldn't be in harm's way, Ash rested well that night, thinking of the tournament and all the opportunities it could provide.
As a result, all five of the travelers were well rested the next morning, except for Alain, who kept shooting dirty looks at Clemont and Korrina. Ash had a guess why, but decided to engage his rival in conversation while they completed their journey, soon after arriving at the large castle that was the Kalos League Headquarters. Ash adjusted his hat, grinning at the structure where he'd once fought and defeated Diantha in an amazing full battle. Thinking back, he realized it was also the place he'd met his father, and Ash had to wonder how Lionel was doing. While he spoke with the man often enough, the last he'd heard of him was nearly two weeks ago, with the man having taken a trip to Unova for some reason or another (he'd never gotten the nitty-gritty details).
"Pikachu, buddy, you ready?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded, and Ash led their whole entourage down to the castle, where numerous spectators and participants were streaming in, all to present their invitations to the woman there. She quickly explained the rules of the tournament, not taking too much time to do so, owing to their familiarity with it all.
"Single elimination battles with one Pokémon each. The brackets for the first match will be revealed tonight so that the tournament can get right into the battles after the opening ceremonies are complete," the woman explained with a sigh of boredom. That was good enough for Ash, who shrugged his shoulders, took his room key and proceeded out towards the largely unchanged atrium, packed with food stands.
Unlike past tournaments, where the place was usually lined with spectators, it seemed that the League wasn't yet allowing anyone but competitors to populate that particular area, instead sending them elsewhere. At the very least, it made some people rather easy to find, including an all too sociable group of Sawyer, Astrid and Seamus. With a grin, Ash hitched his backpack on his shoulders and ran for that group of three, yelling out to them, "Hey, guys!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in greeting as well. All of them turned, their eyes lighting up at the sight of familiar faces. While he finished approaching, Ash swiveled his head back and forth, looking for any others he could recognize. He knew all of his past companions on the road wouldn't be taking part, each of them up to stuff in other regions (or just not invited in some of their cases). Even Kahili wasn't there, though Ash knew she had her hands full with a particularly stubborn challenger these days. He did, however, notice that only Seamus was there to represent Team Nova. Most interesting, in any case, was that Ash noted Paul, the purple-haired trainer offering him a nod with a small gleam in his eyes saying that he wanted to speak with him.
"Nice to see you. Goin' well?" Seamus asked, reaching out to take Ash's hand and pull him into a hug. Astrid just slapped him on the back, greeting the others, as well (Korrina outright hugged her), before she looked to a tablet in her hands, clearly checking the news.
"It's great. Can't wait for some awesome battles!" Ash exclaimed, he and Pikachu pumping their fists together. "Me and the whole team are ready to rumble, and we're aiming for victory!"
"Leave some for us," Sawyer laughed out, twirling his keystone around on his finger. He almost looked like he was challenging all of them with that, each person that had one there showcasing their own keystone. Ash just held up his Z-Ring while Clemont shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You've already gotten one victory against a Champion, so now all of us want our chances."
"Beat me and you can take it!" Ash stated, punching forward a bit. All of them did the same, their fists touching in the middle. Their own challenges made, the group soon descended into basic reunion banter to pass the time until the matchups would be announced. The Champions didn't seem to be making any sort of appearances as of yet, but Ash could easily see a number of Elite Four members milling about the place, including the reticent Wikstrom and Drasna, who acknowledged him.
While they all ate and chatted, Ash let Pikachu go and play with the other Pokémon, including Zoroark, who kept one eye on all of them like a mother of sorts, something that Seamus had stated with a bout of laughter. "She's always fussing over us these days! But I don't mind; Merry is great, and the kids love it when she teaches."
"I'd imagine," Clemont agreed. Then, the atrium suddenly went dark, every participant that was there looking around rapidly. Soon enough, in the middle of the space, a large screen popped out, expanding to soon show a multitude of faces on it: specifically, those of all of the competitors. Ash stood straighter, anticipation running through his veins as he approached the screen without thinking, soon finding himself next to Paul. The young man remained as stoic as ever as the pictures on the screen swirled around. No explanation was needed for anyone as the pictures stopped, showing the order and matchups.
"Looks like you're facing Seamus in the first round," Ash commented to Paul. The purple-haired man scoffed a bit, though it sounded a bit like a laugh. Ash continued perusing the contents, seeing that Astrid would face off against Sawyer, Korrina against Clemont, and finally himself with Alain. The most interesting matchup, though, was Diantha and Alder, proving that the tournament would have high powered battles from day one. Even a battle between Siebold and Lance was going to be opening the tournament! "Guess we won't get to battle on day one."
"Of course not," Paul noted abrasively. Ash looked to him, his rival opening his mouth to say something but closing it. It was unlike him, Ash noted, though his subsequent action of turning away was more in line with his usual behavior. "We'll meet in the finals, of course."
"You got it!" Ash responded instantly, no doubt drawing a smirk out from the man. He couldn't help but smirk either, feeling Greninja's pokeball twitching, ready for a chance to face off against Alain again, all to settle the score from their Kalos League battle. Thinking on his Pokémon, Ash decided to finally head for his room, giving a wave to his friends and rivals.
Doing so didn't take all that long, even after weaving through some of the other competitors there. Thankfully, none of them acted with the awe or admiration that most citizens did on a daily basis in his presence, each of them either knowing him or wanting to beat him where they could. That made getting to his room easy enough, a rather luxurious suite of a size that Ash neither wanted nor needed. Although, it did provide him with the chance to call all of his Pokémon out as the sun began to set in the distance, the rainbow of the misting falls being quite visible in its fading light.
All at once, his Pokémon appeared, Pikachu leaping off to join his team of Greninja, Charizard, Infernape, Krookodile and Decidueye. Each one of them looked ready for a big battle. Ash had wished he could bring along Sceptile, too, but chose against it in the end, which Sceptile didn't mind all that much, having shaken hands with Decidueye to share "the mantle of Grass type pride", or so Professor Oak had told him. Regardless, Ash gave them all a stern and focused expression.
"Okay, guys! We've spent the last week getting ready for this! The Champion Tournament!" Ash proclaimed. Each of his aces leaned in, ready for the words of encouragement they knew would be coming. "We're gonna go out there, battle at our best, and make sure we walk away with a little bit of every opponent's motives!"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, cheering loudly before the sun could sink beyond the horizon. All of the others joined in, clearly more than prepared for the battles ahead. The sun disappeared, the day turning to night, and Ash strode for his balcony. Looking at the darkened falls, he gave a giant grin of anticipation for all the events ahead. Tomorrow just couldn't come fast enough.
Fín
Author's Note: Feels like a setup chapter, doesn't it? That's because it is! Tomorrow is going to be having a faster pace and kicking off with this big event I led into here, among others, so I came up with the idea of doing this threeshot, wherein I have three separate focuses that all lead up to the same point. The first of these was Ash and the tournament. I would have liked to include Diantha a bit, but I figure there's enough during the reception of the wedding and all that to warrant her absence here (plus she's only the most prominently figured Champion in the series). That and she was unnecessary for the plot of this part.
Anyway, enough about that, I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully you all know the drill, ha ha, so please Review and Dare to Be Silly.
