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Title: The Final Step to the Master Reloaded
Part: First Arc, First Episode
Author: Matthias aka MysticMew (Solarsenshi@gmx.de)
Beta: H-Man #89995, partly xryuran
Status: Alpha
Rating: R
Category: Romance, Adventure, Dark, lots of other things...
Pairings: Ash/Dawn (main), added as revealed
Continuum/Spoilers: Everything up to the start of the Sinnoh League Tournament, from there on original plot.
Distribution: M&M DreamWorks Blog (http://mysticmew44.blogspot.de), M&M DreamWorks Archive (http://mysticmew.bplaced.net), Fanfiction.net (www.fanfiction.net), M&M DreamWorks archive and blog gets preference and the desired and best format, all versions will first go to the blog and archive.
Disclaimer: Pokémon©1995-2011 by Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK Inc.
Story Disclaimer: TFSTTM Reloaded©2011-? (ongoing) by Matthias aka MysticMew
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(Narrator)
With dread I faced the microphone. I was really doing this against my better judgment. Last time I was hired by these maniacs I got constantly bashed and abused… But the salary was just too tempting. Damn…
"Ash and company have decided to take a detour just before reaching the Lily of the Valley Island where the Sinnoh League Tournament is about to be held. Three months remain and Ash has proposed to run his Pokémon through a tough training regimen and Dawn agreed to be his training partner. What does this training include and will the effort really be worth it?" The screen was zooming in on a lone area somewhere along the coast in the Sinnoh region. Dense vegetation, various water sources and even a small mountain range could be seen in wide abundance. "We shall see."
Sitting back I glanced around cautiously and waited several minutes before letting go of a sigh I had been holding in. Of course, that could just mean that they were waiting for me to get comfortable.
[As the narrator leaves the recording studio, Maia pops up, grins, then can be seen rubbing her hands before vanishing again.]
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(Brock)
An hour left before sunset. Time to start dinner soon.
With a sigh I finished my preparations by laying out the final herbs and berries that would most likely find their use. The one good thing was that their use was getting less and less with the amount of time passing and progress to be made. Injuries and especially fatigue got less and less as the first training month neared its end.
The small cabin was just perfect for our needs. Few people came to this area, actually Ash had gotten the tip from a fellow Trainer he had been battling, or so he claimed. The cabin was for rent, rather cheap as well. There was a small Pokémon Center around the corner too, an ideal arrangement since Ash wasn't kidding when he had said the training would be really taxing.
So far for the entire first month, it had been mainly endurance training. This included stamina as well as building up natural resistances and other defensive qualities. Ash, Dawn and their Pokémon would go out early every morning on a long run through the mountain region, come back for a big lunch, and go right back to various forms of other training that was meant to increase their standing qualities.
When Ash had first shown me his training regiment I was kind of skeptical. However, his Pokémon had all given their personal agreement and as long nothing was done against their personal will and dedication, I couldn't easily say no after all. Besides, I often felt tempted to participate myself, especially after seeing the results I had seen so far. Grueling but effective. Not just for the Pokémon either. My friends were going right along with them, sharing all the pains and aches of their partner's, as well the benefits. One could get somewhat envious...
However, I mused while starting the oven, if I went as well, we'd all be too exhausted for anyone to cook. That and someone had to make sure to treat the Pokémon and make sure they stayed in shape. That alone was a full time job and even with periodic resting trips to Nurse Joy the bulk of the work fell to me. Not that I was complaining. I found this arrangement an ideal test for my breeder skills and this had gotten to me to think whether or not a medical career might be a path worth to explore.
For now though, I had to be ready when everyone got back from training. They would certainly be very hungry, they always were. The exercises that Ash was putting everyone through were – as much as I knew from his outlines – scraping just on the personal limits of every Pokémon, not enough to overdo it but enough to push these limits that little bit higher every time. On first glance these methods sounded either like something a martial artist would do for training or someone like Paul. But Ash wasn't Paul. I knew even without his reassurance that he would never push his Pokémon too far. He had always considered them friends, to degrees that most others, sometimes even myself included, found astonishing and inspiring. Ash was unlike other Trainers in his empathy with Pokémon. And they in turn were inspired by that, following his ideas without hesitation. Just like now. One thing was sure. The competitors at the Sinnoh League would have to go past him to gain the title.
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Opening Theme (Dream Wing, Mai-Otome 1st Opening)
On the backdrop of the Sinnoh region map, Ash appears on the left, then Dawn on the right, then quickly between them Brock, Pikachu and Piplup. The logo appears behind them.
Mitsuketa no dream
dokidoki ga tomaranai
Ash sits on a boulder, his badge case in his lap. He is deep in thought, then looks up and we see a stadium, the view quickly zooming up to the fire ignited on top.
MEISTER DREAM
The scene flawlessly continues into a shot of the Grand Festival trophy, then quickly fades out to show a stage...
umaretano takaramono
mune ippai ni kirameki hajimeru
Before finding Dawn, sitting in a field of flowers. She has been looking up similar as Ash, but now looks down and places a hand over her heart, a soft smile on her face.
doushite konna ni fuan ni naru no kana
kakae kirenai omoi
namida koboreru kedo...
The screen splits showing Ash and Dawn running towards the image of the stadium/stage separately. They each reach out with their left/right hand but can't reach it. They become aware of each other then and this time both reach out with the other hand, clasping them together before jumping forward. The scene flashes white.
kitto itsuka tadori tsukeru yo
tsumadzui tatte akiramenai
Ash is in the middle of an arena, face serious, pointing forward. Pikachu jumps forward sparks flying. Quick shift through Ash's Sinnoh team fighting. Gabite fires off a Draco Meteor. From the burst emerges Buizel zipping by in an Aqua Jet, followed by Staraptor crossing paths in a diving attack. Torterra drops into the screen and lets loose with a hailstorm of leaves, out of which Infernape comes blazing and bathed in fire. He is joined by Pikachu running along with Volt Tackle.
yuuki dashite mae ni susumou
Dawn is in the stands, cheering them on along with Piplup. Brock is next to her a little reserved but also cheering. Ash is meanwhile faced with a mysterious cloaked figure. A Pokémon – it cannot be seen which – is sending out a blast of black energy.
chiisana ippo fumi daseba
hora ne, atarashii watashi
Pikachu burst forth, wrapped in a cloak of lightning. Ash looks on grim, a little helpless. A transparent image of Dawn appears behind him and gives him a huge. Ash balls his fist and takes a step forward. Pikachu bursts out of the black beam. The screen shifts one last time, Pikachu streaking in between Ash and Dawn standing arm in arm. Ash has a confident grin on his face and Dawn is smiling happily.
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M&M DreamWorks Presents
The Final Step to the Master Reloaded
First Arc: Breaking the Limit
Episode 1: Training, training and more training! Ambitions striving high!
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(Ash)
There was one more important reason why I didn't want to do this training alone. I was sure that had I done so I would have stopped less than halfway through. Watching Pokémon getting hurt was something I had never been able to stand. Even in battle. That was why I didn't like styles that focused on endurance and the Pokémon taking hits, even if they did so willingly. While Dawn had always said that she was amazed by my level of empathy – and normally I would agree with her –, it was also a crutch, preventing me from pushing further. I certainly knew that nothing in life – neither for humans or Pokémon – was earned without some sweat and pain. I would push my Pokémon, yet never beyond their limits.
And that is what all this was about, I thought while watching the gathering of our twelve primary Pokémon go about their individual tasks. Four pairs were working on similar tasks since they were essential the same thing. Pikachu and Pachirisu at the moment were working with Buizel and Piplup by feeding them steady amounts of electricity... while they were in the water. At the beginning it had been on land and only in small amounts. The intensity had increased every day a little more until they could endure an average Thunderbolt without trouble. That was when the whole practice started over in the water. This training further complimented the two Electric types training by having to keep up their electricity for long periods of time while they had already gone through their Ground-type attack resistance training courtesy of the recently evolved Gabite's Sand Tomb.
The others were all involved in similar training which would be switched for different needs periodically. Infernape and Quilava were swimming upstream against the current, Staraptor and Togekiss were shooting aerial attacks at Torterra, Buneary and Mamoswine were working on Gabite's fatal ice weakness. That was just one of many setups and I had to admit everyone was coming along fantastically. The time allocated for endurance training was almost up and the results were showing. At this point I really didn't have to worry much about any of them getting hurt too much by regular attacks, even if they were type weaknesses.
Startled out of my thoughts by the hand on my shoulder, I looked up at my training partner. I really couldn't have done it without Dawn. Having someone with you to go through the grueling regimen and especially see your Pokémon do so, was vital for me. More than once she had pushed me when I thought I couldn't pull through and see my friends suffer. "They all agreed on this training. And they are all working so hard already. Stopping now would also hurt their pride and the determination to become stronger." That or similar things she would say to encourage me to go further and it would be enough.
The training so far had also done her some good. I could definitely appreciate that she had gained a lot of muscle, a slight tan and all in all looked extremely fit. Not that she had become some sort of muscular bodybuilder but the exercise had certainly produced likeable results. I really can't describe it well since I have never really paid that much attention to outward appearance. It had never been much of a necessity.
With Dawn it was different and I found myself struggling to deal with this just as much as the other aspects of our growing... whatever kind of relationship we were having. We had settled into a nice, comforting routine and had become increasingly more... emotional one might say. More than once we found ourselves taking a break, leaning against one another without really acknowledging that circumstance or feeling awkward by it. More than once there was a touch that lingered longer than necessary, a hand offered for help holding on a little longer. Small things that all pointed to something potentially more but that the exhausting routines hadn't given us time for yet.
"It's almost sunset, we should head back soon," Dawn spoke at last although for a moment I thought she would say something else.
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(Dawn)
I had always thought myself to be well enough in shape for a girl my age. Before starting my journey I used to do quite long tours with my bicycle and all the walking we had done from one end of Sinnoh to the other was bound to keep you healthy. All in all I never felt the need to do much more since my focus was rather on my appearance for contests.
This... This was different. At times I caught myself thinking that Ash was crazy putting us through all these exercises along with our Pokémon. Together was the keyword though which I only needed to think about to understand why we were running around carrying increasingly heavier things along with our partners from day to day. In doing so we were showing that we were willing to go to the same lengths of physical straining torment that they were. That reminder would be enough to push me onward no matter how much I would want to collapse right on the spot.
As strange as it was, you were bound to get used to it. Even if almost every second or third day some more weight would be added, the body grew to adept much faster to any new extra weight and strain than in the beginning. That was even more true for our Pokémon, their bodies naturally more durable and made to endure more strain than any normal human could. The results were fairly amazing, I had to admit. Believing Ash's plans to be feasible and with good chances of success and actually seeing the results were two entirely different things and I couldn't wait to see the effects in actual battle.
That had to wait though. For now Ash had ordered a rare two day break – normally it would only be one per week – before starting the next phase of the training. Something I now looked forward to in a much different way. After all the endurance drills, speed training didn't sound so bad. Turning my head to the side, I couldn't help but smile. Ash had dozed off lying in the grass, hat drawn slightly over his face. After this first month it was almost uncanny to see him rest so peacefully. Often enough he had seemed to be the most enthusiastic about training, sometimes doing some rather ridiculous things compared to the rest of us. He was truly living by example and his heart was always right into whatever he was doing at the moment.
Heart... Well, almost always. Then again, we were both still awkward about the budding relationship. I had no trouble admitting that it was clearly heading there even though neither of us had quite attempted the final step. And I wouldn't push either. Right now his... our focus was on this training and to be fair I was quite content with the way things were progressing. There was an ease that hadn't been there before. No, that wasn't right. It had been there, from the very beginning. We had fit together right away, even if it took a bit of time and one successful team battle to realize it. Now though this ease with which our friendship had started had reached a new level. Not quite romantic yet but I wasn't so uncertain anymore about the future.
Rolling on my side I rested my head on his broad shoulder – the training had definitely done him good!
No. I knew one thing for sure already. I wanted to stay with him. The how would resolve itself later. There wasn't even any doubt about this. I just knew it would and if it didn't for some reason, then I would make it so. I wanted to see where this was going and not look back later regretting that I had allowed this chance for happiness to slip through my grasp. In the short time we had been travelling together, Ash had become too important to permit such regret.
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(Ash)
With a critical eye, I watched as Torterra raced up the cliff side. One might say about a Pokémon its size that it lumbered up... or to be more polite, climbed up. One month of endurance training only he and Mammoswine could take effectively due to their similar size and natural built gave a whole new meaning to the term "racing".
That was something I had happily noticed right on the first day. While the runs had mostly been for endurance buildup, that in consequence led to naturally increasing the limits of the participants. With more stamina you could push yourself harder, you had more muscle mass to use effectively. The first time we had lined everyone up for a quick test to ascertain how fast each participant had become without any obstruction weighing them down, was nothing short of astonishing. More than it did before, I understood why the first part was supposed to be the most crucial and why it came before speed training.
This even held true for those Pokémon naturally slow. When Turtwig first evolved, the loss of speed had been a problem for me. That it took Paul and his Torterra to teach me what it meant to fight with a tank did hurt. And while I learned to work with it, the truth was that this kind of passive fighting was not my style. It did not sit well with me to see a Pokémon take hit after hit, regardless of whether or not it was built and meant to take damage and only then counter effectively. Speed and evasion had always been my forte with almost every Pokémon I caught, trained and battled with. I couldn't do that with Torterra though. Too heavy to move fast, too large a target to even think about nimbly evading attacks. That had been a harsh lesson for me and required a lot of trust. I understood this much better now after the first month.
"Good job!" I called up to Torterra atop the cliff, before looking down at the Poketch I had purchased before the training. The time was much better than I thought possible once again. All the training in the world would not negate the fact that, through its sheer size alone, Torterra would never be a speed-type Pokémon but there would be quite a few surprises waiting for every opponent that thought of him as an automatic stationary target. The Rock Climb right now was executed with a quickness that would leave little time to react before Torterra would reach the opposing Pokémon.
"Stay up there, we'll do some target practice!" Satisfied with the result, I waved Pikachu over. From out of everyone in my team I knew my oldest buddy was and would probably stay the fastest and most nimble. That was, of course, essentially necessary. Due to his small size, Pikachu was the exact opposite of Torterra. It could never take huge amount of hits and stay standing. Willpower – which Pikachu had in spades – got you only so far after all.
"Ready?" Pikachu gave a nod and I quickly stepped back. While we still participated in some activities, the training became more and more tailored to individual skills of our Pokémon. Getting in the middle of what was soon to follow would be ill-advisable for a human. "You can start, Torterra!"
Almost immediately a shower of razor-sharp leaves came hurling down from the cliff, covering the area in a relentless and merciless sea of green that seemed sure enough to crush anything in its radius. However, Pikachu wasn't there anymore. Weaving between the variation of this vicious Leaf Storm – more like a Hurricane –, Pikachu had become little more than flashes of light. Before my best friend had been fast. Now, it was almost the equivalent of a sonic boom. A few of my Pokémon could probably match the raw speed enough to keep up but the truly amazing aspect that set them apart was Pikachu's ability to control and shift his movement without slowing down, changing directions at a split moment's notice and so abruptly you would think it impossible.
This was the second part of this month's training. Evasion – and to some extent target practice for those providing the attacks. Certainly Pikachu wouldn't need that much but who said one should be satisfied with one astonishing feat? Calling over Infernape I grinned slightly. "You know what to do."
Thus a cascade of tiny but fast fireballs joined the hurricane of leaves and Pikachu had to actually push his limits now.
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(Dawn)
Ash and my ideas of speed training were a little different and it had been the point where we had actually argued the details until deciding on splitting up for parts of it. Not that I argued the importance of speed. Considering most of my Pokémon except Mammoswine were not exactly powerhouses, I could see where speed would be the one aspect where they could truly excel over others. Ash was rather passionate about the issue which I could understand from watching him battle for so long now. Speed and evasion were the basis for most of his strategies... and his philosophy. Once again I found myself marveling at the determination and level of empathy that drove him. He really hated to see his Pokémon hurt, even in the heat of battle.
The point where our opinions – or more like our needs – differed was an aesthetic one. For battles the how didn't really matter much as long as the results were sufficient. You were either faster or not, you either evaded the attack or not. Unlike a Trainer, a Coordinator had to always consider a different aspect: Grace. Presentation was everything. While high speed and good evasion could win battles, the deciding factor when faced with a situation where it could not was how an action was performed.
For this way of training I had to sacrifice some of the raw dedication to pure evasion. When you had to simultaneously train how to evade and how to evade in a way to make it look good, the process naturally took longer. For some more than for others, I noted while watching Buneary literally dance through Piplup's bubbles. Considering the density with which my first Pokémon could make them that was no small feat and Buneary did it with an elegance that was close if not a perfect match for Togekiss in the air. Those two already had a perfect foundation. With them I could actually focus on increased levels of difficulty since they seemed to almost have elegance bred into them that came as second nature without the need to actually focus on it. Piplup had to work hard for it but seemed to have almost internalized it as much as those two by now while Quilava who was naturally more of a fighter needed some work and Pachirisu tended to overdo things sometimes.
"Alright, Pachirisu, add some random Sparks now." If Buneary was bothered by the increased difficulty she never showed it, weaving gracefully through the bubbles, performing a pirouette to avoid being shocked, twirling right into and between the mass of bubbles in order to use them for effect, glowing a bright white, her body expanding... Wha?
Buneary was evolving! "Lopunny!" she exclaimed joyfully.
I blinked shocked for some moments, really not having expected this one. Buneary was primarily my presentation Pokémon and while she had fought her fair share of battles, I didn't think her ready for evolution yet. Realizing that Piplup and Pachirisu hadn't stopped their attacks, I was about to order a halt to training, no doubt needing to adjust to Lopunny's new form, but then hesitated. With growing astonishment I saw her flawlessly continue her dance, with a clear boost of speed and precision even, that more than made up for the larger target she now presented. The sight quickly drove away all concerns of what this evolution would mean for the training process. Lopunny continued her routine with a dedication and self-discipline that warmed my heart and the moment I called an end to the exercises I had her enveloped in a tight embrace, telling her how proud I was, followed quickly by the congratulations of her fellow Pokémon.
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(Brock)
The first surprise of the day was having someone actually knock on the door to the cabin. The only one except for the three of us who had come up here a few times was Nurse Joy, and that was only in the first month when exhaustion was still high as a result of everyone getting used to the harsh training. The workload drastically decreased after that and more time passed before a regular checkup became necessary. Actual injuries were almost nonexistent for the final stretch of the first and the entirety of the second month. As such, there would be little need for a visit from Nurse Joy.
Still curious, I went to open the door and got my second surprise. For one thing, Nurse Joy was indeed there. But she was only at the rear of a larger group that I had clearly not expected to see. There was Professor Oak, Ash's AND Dawn's mothers, as well as Gary and Tracey whom I hadn't seen in quite awhile.
"Ah... welcome?" I said lamely after a few moments of silence elapsed. Ash had actually spoken to the professor just before the start of the training and the elderly man had voiced his disappointment that he wouldn't be able to make it to the tournament, complaining about too much workload. Subsequently Miss Ketchum who usually would tag along on such occasions would probably not be coming either. To see both here in addition to the rest came rather unexpected.
"Sorry for the sudden and unexpected intrusion but we were all kind of curious after I heard of Ash's training plans. So I managed to make some room and treat this as an expedition to Sinnoh with everyone." That would explain why Tracey had tagged along as well. I wasn't sure if Gary had still been in the region before this "expedition" though.
Nodding, I sent a questioning glance at Dawn's mother. "I only heard about it by chance. I was actually just on my way back home when I ran into Gary here who was going to meet up with the rest. After I heard that Dawn is participating in this as well, I did get curious, of course." And probably a little concerned about the strain those two were putting themselves through as well. But neither Delia nor Johanna said so and probably wouldn't, knowing the determination of their children.
"Ah, please come in," I offered, realizing that we were still all outside. "I'm afraid though, we don't have this much space for so many people..."
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That didn't turn out to be necessary. The group coming here was a visit, nothing more. They just wanted to see this special training for themselves, otherwise willing to wait for the results at the tournament. I had to smile at hearing that. They would see some results right away. After all we were well into the third month already. The grueling conditioning was pretty much over. If that still happened it was a direct result of the competitive battle phase. Right now the days were filled with a string of battles in various location and terrains of which the area really had a lot to offer. Plain ground, grass, forests, rocky terrain, water. It was really an ideal spot for training and I was amazed that not more Trainers were here... or more people at all. Ash wouldn't elaborate from whom he got the tip exactly and considering that I doubted he came up with the training plan by himself either, I wouldn't be surprised if the same source might be behind it. I couldn't for the life of me imagine whom though.
Not all of the day's activities were battle training though. This was primarily the cumulative and creative phase. Now all the effort flowed together to be used in battle but also to create new strategies and even moves. I had already been privy to a great amount of new inventive attacks that were bound to floor the audience at the tournament. Personally, I think Ash had been getting more and more interested in the creative ways offered by Contests. Many of his new inventions were based on a similar concept of attack infusion, combinations or similar elements which he had modified to be used effectively even by one Pokémon alone.
Fortunately for our visitors we didn't have to walk far since my friends were close by today. Just behind the cottage actually was a small clearing with ideal terrain without much obtrusion. This had become more or less the default training area as it offered a vast amount of space to move in which was a big plus for high-speed battles like the one we were walking in on now.
"Holy...!" Tracey exclaimed finally after nearly a minute of watching in silent wonder. I could imagine the surprise. When I had first seen the direct results of the grueling conditioning I had been the same. At no point had I doubted this would benefit all participants but the sheer magnitude was nothing short of miraculous.
At the moment it was Infernape and Dawn's recently evolved Lopunny facing off against one another. Short of Pikachu and Piplup those two had probably made the most progress and would be one of the few to actually keep up with Ash's first in terms of speed. As much as one could even see enough to compare adequately. It was more like watching a cheap action anime with overpowered characters. The two Pokémon were blurring across the battle field, dishing out a series of fast and damaging moves. A combination of too fast to follow series of flaming punches and kicks from Infernape which Lopunny dodged just barely somehow, yet still managing to look as if it was performing a ball dance. An ice beam would spread out in a wide arc only for the fiery ape to already have fled into the air coming down with a devastating chop which to the repeated astonished gasps of the onlookers, Lopunny actually blocked, getting shoved back and forced into performing a flip and spin before coming to rest a few meters back, slightly worse for wear than her opponent, waiting at the opposite end in a rare moment of standstill.
What I personally found even more stunning was that their Trainers had been fully aware of the situation the entire time, calling out attacks and other commands in quick succession, matching the speed of their Pokémon as best as possible. Not because they had trouble following the action themselves but more so because sometimes the movements were just too fast to call out an order in time. Their focus was fully on the battle. It had to be. With this level of speed one lack of concentration could mean losing and both were too proud to give even an inch, challenging each other and their Pokémon to even greater feats every time. So absolute was their focus that I doubted they would even notice our visitors until the match was over, even if they happened to look in our direction.
"They are really putting all they have into this," I answered before anyone could voice their disbelief. "I was surprised myself the first time I saw them battle like this. It’s a result of all the effort they have made though."
Ash was pressing the attack now and while Dawn could keep up for a minute or two more, a strafing Flare Blitz out of the sky that looked more like a small meteor finally did Lopunny in, however, she still managed to give her opponent a nasty frostbite to the side in a desperate attempt to stop the final attack.
"To think this training method really brought out so much potential. Tell me Brock, did some of the Pokémon actually do IT?" Professor Oak spoke after some time. Ash and Dawn still hadn't noticed us, busy to attend to their Pokémon.
Catching on quickly just what the professor was referring to, I merely gave him a short nod. I was glad that he was careful enough about the subject since it would make for a real shocker later on and was saved from further explanation to the rest by the fact that Ash and Dawn had finally realized they were not alone anymore.
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(Dawn)
Our parents and Professor Oak's party had come and gone. The surprise had been a nice one and motivated Ash and me even more. Now the time for the League was almost there.
"It's almost time. You think you are ready?" I asked, handing him a glass of water and sitting down beside him. The tournament would start in roughly two weeks which left only a few more days to prepare. Time had flown by like nothing at all. A little surprise considering the first days of grueling exercise had seemed to drag on forever. You got used to everything, I suppose the saying was true after all.
Ash didn't answer immediately, instead opting to sip silently from his water. Doing the same I enjoyed the quiet of this place, the feel of nature and the still breathtaking sunset to be viewed from up here. That was one thing I hoped I would never get used to or it would lose its charm. Over the last months Ash and I had often been sitting here outside in the evening, before turning in for the night. Talking about unimportant things, relaxing from the stress of the day... getting more comfortable with each other. We were still on an unspoken basis but I was not very concerned with that. Things would fall into place. Very soon, I was assured.
Finally Ash decided to break the silence, still gazing out towards the setting sun. "Well... I suppose I'll be prepared as I ever can be. I... We both made a lot of progress and I feel more confident than ever before." Rightfully so. In my opinion he had every right to do so. I considered my own progress to be high. With what I and my Pokémon had learned in these three months I could say with no arrogance at all that we would have clearly won the Grand Festival. Despite all that I was far away from Ash's raw battle skills. In our training matches I rarely won a bout. Keeping up, yes. But his Pokémon were more suited for direct combat, his tactics were more suited for battle. There was no doubt that it would take a highly-skilled challenger to defeat him now.
And then there it was. That confident grin and the sparkle in his eyes when he turned to look at me. "What am I saying? Of course I'm going to win! After all the effort we've gone through, how can we not?" I had grown to love that confidence, that unwavering will. Ash had been very focused, concentrated on the training in these months. This cheerful and energetic side hadn't come out often and I was glad to see it emerge once again.
I favored him with a smile of my own. "Right. Nothing to worry about." At this familiar phrase we both fell into a bout of a sudden giggles. I couldn't help myself. He made me feel so relaxed and brought out the best in me. I never could feel down for long when he was around but felt depressed if he was feeling down himself. I really didn't want this to end anytime soon. Perhaps it was time. This felt just about right to talk...
Startled, I looked down on his hand upon mine. Not that this was the first time it happened. We often found ourselves holding hands lately. Those moments were more an instinctive and unconscious move. This time his action seemed to be made in full knowledge and with purpose. I couldn't help but blush at his sudden intense gaze. "Regardless of what happens," he began. "I want you to know that I couldn't have done it alone... No, I couldn't have done it without you. The time we spent together has been unlike anything I've ever had before and I..." What was he saying? Was he going where I thought he was? His hands were shaking! I could feel my heart beat increase slightly. "Whatever happens in the tournament, I decided that I'll be taking a little break from going to new regions every year." Now that got me a little confused but I could see he was nervous, so I held back my curiosity of where this was going. "What I am trying to say is: We can go anywhere you like after this. Back to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, I don't mind. You can call the shots this time and I can use the time to train all my other Pokémon as well. With you there, I feel like I can do all these things I couldn't before. I... I really like you a lot Dawn."
The speech kind of floored me. First of all I had just about been ready to offer something like this myself. It might not have been the most romantic confession I had been secretly hoping for at the beginning but I knew it was a heartfelt and genuine offer. One Ash didn't make lightly. For most of his time travelling he had been the one in charge, it was his journey ultimately. To step back and travel with someone else and not the other way round had to be a big step and the trust that went into this was more than enough for me at the moment.
Realizing he was still waiting for a reply, I smiled warmly at him, before giving a slight chuckle. "Stupid, as if you had to ask. You know I would love to keep travelling together." Feeling emboldened and moved by the atmosphere, I leant forward and acted before I could shy away again, giving him a small peck on the cheek. Grinning at his stunned and flushed expression, I jumped up and turned to head back inside, feeling immensely proud and a little smug about myself.
Life was definitely looking good right now.
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(Ash)
For a long moment I found myself startled at the realization of just how light my backpack was. There shouldn't really be a surprise after all the training along with my Pokémon. Even in the last month, Dawn and I had kept up some exercises since we couldn't very well battle with our friends. Still, returning from the everyday "drills" to normal activity already began to drive the point home just how much this small training trip had changed us.
That was just the beginning though. Once the tournament was over I had decided to make some more room to build on what we had learned in these last roughly three months. There were my other Pokémon back in Pallet to consider and not all of my current lineup was at their top strength yet either. So far the two with the most progress had been Pikachu and Infernape. Pikachu already had the most experience to build upon while Infernape had also collected a lot with Paul already while showing an unshakable drive to better himself. He was a fighter through and through and together with Pikachu my greatest asset for the tournament. Paul wouldn't recognize his old Pokémon, I had to chuckle at the thought.
Once more checking that the belt with my Pokéballs was sitting correctly, I nodded to myself. "Now or never," I declared to myself, feeling a surge of unbreakable confidence flow through my body the moment I stepped outside where the others and especially Dawn were waiting. That one evening had been a big step forward. It hadn't really gotten further than that, although a lot of the blame for that was that I had thrown myself into some new strategies which tended to occupy my thoughts well into the night. The closeness had become more defined though, no longer an unconscious comfort, we were both seeking it out now.
"Ready?" Dawn asked with a smile and I nodded back with one of my own. We would have all the time in the world to explore this further once the League was over. I got the impression that Dawn knew that too and for that reason wasn't pressing any further to prevent any kind of distraction before the tournament. She'd definitely proven to be bold enough if she wanted. Not that I considered her presence to be a distraction... Well, okay, I suppose it could be, especially if I allowed my thoughts to wander too much. This was all new territory for me. At the moment I was more than content with the stage of our "relationship". To know she was there and would still be after the tournament was comforting and serving to fuel my own confidence in a way that wasn't distracting or getting over the top as it sometimes tended to. With Dawn there I just knew I could make it. There was a certainty now that I had never had before any other tournament.
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up to his place on my shoulder and I grinned at him. Once again I had the sense to fully realize that I barely felt him up there as if he was weighing nothing more than a feather. It had never bothered me before but the difference was something I couldn't help but notice.
"You ready too, partner?" Pikachu gave an enthusiastic exclamation, cheeks sparking with a surge of electricity, prove of the special training we had been working on over the entire duration of the training. My opponents would soon realize that speed wasn't the only thing they had to watch out for when fighting a Pikachu even if I hoped I wouldn't really need to use THAT. The results had been a little more devastating than I had expected and probably too destructive for a normal battle. We still hadn't ironed out the control for that move and until we had the risk was simply too high. The risk for the opposing Pokémon that was.
"We should get moving," Brock reminded us that we needed to get this ferry to be on time with enough to spare to settle in properly. He had been a great help and Dawn, me and our Pokémon all appreciated and thanked him for it. Without his dedication to keep up the supply and treatment we wouldn't have been able to pull through with such a rigorous program that demanded everyone's full attention and readiness.
As one all of us took a moment to give the beautiful scenery one more appreciative glance, cementing it into memory, then we turned as one to start on the path towards the coast and back to the outside world. Towards our goals.
"Alright," I declared, "Sinnoh League here we come!"
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Author's Notes
This flowed faster than I thought. Almost like back in the day. Not quite as big a chapter yet but that will change once more characters join in and become important. I know myself too well to believe it would be any different. That is if I ever get that far. :) I see this story a little like a trial run and perhaps a jump start to get back into writing. I definitely still have a lot more ideas and from all my old unfinished stories some are still on my agenda to be finished. At the very least Soul Lights. I put too much effort into building up the continuum to miss out on finishing the main arc. As such I cannot say how much time will really go into this in the long run.
Now for this chapter. I have purposefully avoided showing too much of the training itself. I gave glimpses at methods and results but I wanted to retain some surprises for the tournament. Don't worry about Ash getting too strong too soon. He'll have at least a couple decent challenges along the way. I dislike super-overpowered main character stories myself. Far too many of them are floating around in the Naruto corner which I've been frequenting that last year or so. I swear authors – and to an extend readers – have either very little tolerance for decent growth development anymore or pushing it to ridiculous spheres where challenges end up on a DBZ level.
It's just the start of this story and for now Ash is merely getting some of the due he should have for all the hard work but that he never will in the Anime because they feel they couldn't continue with the standard routine over and over again for every new region. Ash will be strong in this story, he will most likely dominate the early rounds but he won't be unbeatable. What I am doing is preparing him for the elite because compared to them he has just began to scratch on the surface.
And continuing my age rant from the prologue... First of all note I take this from the German dub and lately, especially with those series that are especially dubbed for Free TV, I'd rather doubt every word twice over. If the translation was correct though, the narrator at the beginning of the Unova arc actually stated that Ash was STILL 10 years old?!? Excuse me? I want something of that age freezing formula! Four leagues, the Orange Isles and the Battle Frontier and Ash hasn't aged a SINGLE year? Now that is just absolutely stupid.
Ahem. Point is I stick with the more or less outlined age range from before, otherwise one could hardly write a story with romantic involvement halfway realistically. Personally I really don't see what the deal is with letting the characters finally grow up some. A more serious anime might actually do some good, at least the Sinnoh arc was showing some real improvement with rather large sections devoted to developing the Team Galactic angle and staying surprisingly close to the games.
Final point. I know I kind of treated the evolution of Gible more on the side. I couldn't really find a way to build it in more effectively. Lopunny was entirely unplanned and I think I was as surprised as the characters. The idea literally just flowed into writing the scene and I hadn't even planned for this to happen when starting it.
Feedback is as always appreciated, wanted and hungrily devoured. Until next time, hopefully.
Matthias aka MysticMew