Author's note: This is a new story. It is set after May and Max leave. Generation IV never happens. If you must know, Pokemon, for me, will only goes until Generation III (Hoenn.) Nothing else matters. (Sorry Generation IV+ lovers, but thank you for understanding.) After Max and May left, Ash and Brock decide to hit home again. Of course, since Generation IV no longer exists, Ash is at home, unsure of his plans of what to do next. Oh, and I don't understand why people in Pokemon don't age? So for the sake of the story, let's actually go a little realistic and have Ash age a bit during his travels. Ash and all the other never-aging ten year olds should (at the very least) by now be 17 years old. Brock, being five years senior, will appear as 23. (Wow he's old! Not saying that if you are 23 you're old, but if you're 23 and still hanging out with people who raise animals to kill each other and earn money out of it, is a little odd.) P.S. I suck at beginnings. So get over it.

FYI: The beginning is pretty innocent, and is written much like a typical Pokemon episode I guess you can say, but as the story goes, it is going to get a little more dark, language will increase (not by a lot.) And some romance will stir. (But nothing graphic.)

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The warm light of the rising sun shined through his window, waking Ash up early that morning. It's been a long time since he's slept on a nice cozy bed - even longer since he has slept on his own bed. He rolled on his back, starred up at the ceiling of his room with his arms behind his head, stuck in deep thought.

What is there to do now? He thought. His Pikachu remained curled at the foot of the bed.

Flashbacks of his past Pokemon Leagues he's entered kept flowing into his head.

Ash's Charizard fighting against Harrison's Blaziken in the Silver Conference.

Pikachu dodging the repeated flamethrowers thrown at him from Zippo, Ritchie's Charmeleon in the Kanto League Tournment.

Pikachu and Meowth with their tails lit like bright silver, hitting each other and high speeds, only to soon hear the announcer calling Tyson, Ash's competitor, the winner.

Pikachu, once again, using iron tail to get himself out of the icy block so that he could attack Brandon's Regice before he could fall asleep again.

He all ready began to miss the time he spent with his friends. Misty, who would constantly yell at him for every little thing he did. Max and his deep motivation to become Pokemon trainer. May and her power hungry stomach that made half the decisions for her, and of course Brock with his crazy love for girls and his awesome talent for cooking.

Ash knew he had to find some place to go, someplace new to explore. It wasn't like him to stay home, at least, not for long. Traveling with new friends and Pokemon is what he did and enjoyed best. He only faced one problem: where to?

The door to his room opened just a crack, then entire Mr. Mime stood at the door, broom and vaccuum in hand, and immediately went to work, singing his usual, "Mime, Mime, Mime, Mime, Mr. Mime!" song to himself. Ash took that as a clue to start getting ready for the day.

Delia, Ash's mother, had just walked back inside the house by the time Ash entered the kitchen for breakfast. She was carrying a small stack of envelops and postcards.

"Ash," she said, pulling a small colorful postcard from the pile. "Ash, I think this one is for you."

Ash took the notification and read it immediately. There were pictures of different kinds of Pokemon everywhere, along with a new shiny silver colored trophy.

"Dear Trainer," he began to read aloud. "'After all the hard work and success in successfully winning at least one Pokemon League, we would like to invite you to participate in an all brand new Pokemon Tournament held in Celadon City. This Tournament is invitational only! So be proud! Please prepare your Pokemon now. You will be competing against other Champions around the world!' Ha ha ha! Pikachu! Did you hear that? An invitational tournament!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu gleams.

"I think this just answered what I am supposed to do next."

Delia, however, didn't seem as excited by the news.

"You're leaving again?" She asked.

Ash gave a half smile. "Mom, you know that I am always out seeking for the next biggest adventure. I'll be back when I'm done. I always do."

"I know. I just wish you would stay longer in between."

"I know, but I'll call you when I can. I promise."

Delia closed her eyes and sighed. "All right."

Ash swung his green backpack over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go tell Professor Oak the good news!"

Next door, Prof Oak, Tracey, and Oak's grandson, Gary, were all standing in the large field behind the laboratory, where Ash's and Gary's Pokemon roam free.

"Professor!" Ash called, waving his invitational postcard high in the air. "Professor, I've got great news!" Ash explained that Champions from all over the world were coming to compete in an invitational Tournament in Celadon City.

"That's great, Ash!" Prof. Oak exclaimed.

"You deserved it." Tracey said.

"Thanks," said Ash, turning to Gary who only smirked. Remembering that Gary used to compete in Pokemon Leagues, he asked, "did you get an invitation too?"

"Nah," said Gary smugly. "Pokemon competitions aren't for me, anymore."

"I suppose you'll be leaving very soon then, right?" Prof. Oak asked, changing the subject. "That way you can get more training in before the Tournament begins. This one going to be tough."

"My Pokemon and I can handle anything, Professor." Ash's eyes began to flame with competition.

"So Ash, who are you going to take?" Tracey asked.

Ash began to rub the back of his head, looking at the ground sheepishly. "Oh… I didn't think of that…" He looked up and saw his Pokemon, some racing in the field, some relaxing by a pond, and others sleeping the day away. Just looking at them always made him smile. "I wish I could take all of them with me, you know?"

Professor Oak nodded his head. "It's natural for a trainer to feel a close bond with all his Pokemon. Well, Ash, I'm sure whoever you choose to take with you will be the best for you."

"Thank you, Professor." Ash said, looking at his Pokemon. "I think I'm gonna mix my Pokemon. All of them have brought me to each Pokemon League so far. I couldn't have done it without any one of them. Bulbasaur's really tough, but man, so is Sceptile, and Torkoal, and we can't forget Snorlax. But Corphish and Bayleef and Totodile have all come a long way. Heracross is-"

"Uhh-Ash…" Tracey interrupted. "I think you've named off more than six of your Pokemon." Ash yelped as he fell on his back in disappointment. Tracey and Oak laughed awkwardly.

By sunset, Ash had made his final decision on the team he was going to bring to the Invitationals.

"Don't forget," Oak said just before Ash left. "You can always call me and I can send you any of your other Pokemon here as well to you."

"Thanks Professer, but I'm pretty sure my team is going to be just fine." Ash said, looking at his team behind him. There, stood Bulbasaur beside a tall Swellow and a hopping, jolly Totodile. Sceptile stood with his arms folded, the small twig still in it's jaw, looking chauvinist. Torkoal's eyes began to water with joy and smoke began to come out of it's shell. With Pikachu by his side, he bid farewell to the Professer, Tracey, and his former rival, Gary.

"Ash!" A voice called. Delia was running, trying to catch up to her son who was leaving. "Ash, I-I-" she picked something out of her pocket and handed it to Ash. It was a bronze square locket about the size of his palm. Inside were different small pictures of him, his mom, Professor Oak, and all his friends, along with his Pokemon. "It seems like you might be traveling all by yourself, and I didn't want you to feel alone, so I put that together for you, sorta like a good luck charm. We are all cheering for you, Ash."

Ash smiled and hugged his mother. "Thanks, mom." He released and stood to look at everybody. "Don't forget to watch me win on TV, all right?" he said. He turned on his heel and began to take his steps towards Celadon.

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Ash was able to book it past Viridian City and took camp in the middle of Route 2. As he settled himself inside his sleeping, with a tired Pikachu laying beside him, he began to reminisce to when Ash first started his Pokemon Training career. The first time he was here, it was just him and Pikachu, of course, Pikachu wasn't very fond of him at the time and wanted more than anything to be released back into the wild. Now, Ash knew without a doubt, that through all the thick and thin they have been through together, nothing could pull him and Pikachu apart. That memory and that thought helped Ash fall asleep.

It wasn't too much of a walk to reach the nearest city, Pewter, which is where his old time friend, Brock lives.

"Hey Pikachu, if we hurry, we might just be able to reach Pewter City by lunch." Ash shared. "If we find Brock, maybe he can make us one of his special sandwiches!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered, jumping off of Ash's shoulder and bolting off towards Pewter City.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash laughed, running behind Pikachu.

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Meanwhile......

A group of Pokemon huddled around a girl who held her hands together tightly, the Invitational Tournament post card laid on the ground in between her and the Pokemon. Her eyes were shaking and nerves began to creep upon her.

"Are you sure you guys want to enter?" She asked. The Pokemon all let out a grunt of approval. The girl bit her cheek.

"Entering is going to be a big risk."

Her Espeon stood forward, moving the girl's arm using its nose until the girl's arm rested around its body. She gave her a reassuring lick on the cheek.

The girl smiled. "Okay. If it's what you guys want. We have to treat this as an all or nothing battle. We can't go easy now."

Just then, the group of Pokemon and the girl looked to their right as the sound of twigs breaking erupted beside them.

The girl stood with her Espeon and Flareon on either side, both with full alarm. Pidgeot raised itself in the air. "Guess we should probably leave." She lifted a few of the smaller Pokemon in her arms and began to run.

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Ash smiled as he entered the small grayish city. Memories filled him of the first time entering here with his Pikachu, not knowing what to expect, and having practically zero battling experience.

"Ash?" a voice said from behind. Ash spun around, and to his mild surprise, he saw Brock standing here holding a tall paper bag full of groceries.

"Brock!" Ash exclaimed. "It's good to see you."

"Back at you. What brings you to Pewter City?"

"Ash pulled out the Invitational Tournament post card from his vest and showed it to Brock. "I'm heading to Celadon to compete."

"That's great!" Brock congratulated. "Say, are you guys hungry?"

"Ahh well, you know-" Ash began, trying to sound modest, but just then his stomach let out a large growl. A sheepish smile spread across his face. "I'm famished."

Brock invited Ash over to his place for lunch, where the two sat and talked about the good old days of traveling.

"So, how's your studying coming along?" Ash asked. "You still want to be a Pokemon Doctor?"

"Oh yeah," Brock said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "it's been great, I sometimes get to go to Viridian and help Nurse Joy."

Ash laughed, knowing Brock's overwhelming lust for the nurse and her many look-a-like sisters.

"Are you traveling to Celadon alone?" Brock asked.

"Yep." Ash smiled, looking at his Pokemon eat their food. "Just me, Pikachu, and my team."

"The competition is only supposed to take a couple weeks, right?"

"Er-yeah, I think. Why?"

"The hospital's taking in a lot of students at the moment, and to make sure each student receives equal time in the

hospital, they have us on a block schedule. I don't report back for another few weeks. Do you think I can come with you and watch you compete in the tournament?"

A smile spread across Ash's face as the two shook hands, partnering together for yet, another small journey

Edited June 25, 201213 yr by wayfinder823

Chapter 2:

Ash and Brock pushed themselves through the mountainous route under the sweltering sun; their clothes sticking to their sweaty skin. Wild Pokémon did as they pleased behind bushes and high branches. But one thought in peculiar kept Ash persevering through the blazing heat: Cerulean City was just up ahead.

"Hey Brock, do you think we can visit Misty?"

Brock grinned. "Hmm… I don't see why not."

The three of them had started their journeys together when they were young, even though Misty's first impression of Ash wasn't particularly a good one. Ash's sick Pikachu ended up barbequing Misty's bike, and she still to this day she hasn't quite forgiven him for it. But Ash has never doubted his and Misty's friendship. When Ash heard the news that Misty needed to go home and help her sisters take care of Cerulean City's gym, he had this strange stinging feeling in his gut, like he lost something. It has been years since the two friends had seen each other.

"After Cerulean City is a few quick routes through Saffron and then Celadon," informed Brock. "You still have a couple days before the Tournament starts."

"I know, but I'm already soo fired up!" Ash said, rubbing his hands together competitively. Suddenly, the two friends gasped, their jaws agape, looking up at the top of the cliff in front of them. A girl was running as fast as she could and finally, jumping off at the edge, falling to the rocky terrain below.

"What does she think she's doing?" Brock exclaimed.

"Swellow, go!" Ash summoned. A large red, white, and blue colored bird appeared out of its ball flapping its wings. Just then, a gust of wind crept

up behind them.

"Pjjjj!"

A unknown force interrupted the two friends, causing them to jump to either side to avoid being hit. A large Pidgeot flew out of nowhere at high speeds, swooping down low to the ground, and caught the falling girl on its back before she completed her fall. A team of Ninjasks and Beedrills began to tail them. The Pidgeot continued to fly towards the ends of the route with the girl still on its back.

"What was that?" Brock asked.

"I don't know. Do you think that girl needs help?" asked Ash.

A low engine sound vibrated the ground below them.

Three, four, five black jeeps drove past them in heavy pursuit. Pillows of dust swarmed the air around Ash and Brock, causing them to cough, but the engine sound wasn't over yet. A sixth jeep drove past them, this time coming to a complete stop in front of them.

The driver had flaming red hair past his chin and dark black eyes to match and a crinkled piece of paper in his hands.

"Have you by chance seen her?" He shoved the flier eagerly in their faces. A picture of a smiling girl with dark curly brown hair pulled to the side and sparkling green eyes pasted under thick bolded letters that read: WANTED.

"Uh-"

"She didn't try selling you a story fake story in order to protect her, did she?" he asked, looking suspiciously around the rocky paths.

"Er-well, we did see a girl jump off that cliff over there, landing on a Pidgeot's back. They were being chased by a team of Ninjasks." Ash explained.

The driver gritted his teeth. "Shit. That was her. Did you see where she went?"

"Look like they were flying to the end of the route," answered Brock.

Just then, the ginger's waist beeped. "Rodney," he said, pulling his phone to his ear. "Hmm…. I figured as much…. Stay close, I am on my way." The phone beeped as he slipped it back in his pocket and pulled small white card to hand to Ash. "Listen, we have been trying to chase this girl down for months now. If you see her, be sure to give me a call."

Before Ash could ask any questions, the red headed driver hopped back into his black jeep and sped off, leaving a trail of flying dirt behind him.

The card was rather plain with no design, just text. The name Rodney Silverian and a phone number underneath was on the center of the card, along with a strange symbol of a wavy M where the middle part connected to a circle with the words P.T.T. written underneath.

"What do you think she did?" Ash asked, slipping the card in his back pocket.

"I don't know. But if we hurry, we can make it to Cerulean by dinner."

Cerulean City was exactly as Ash remembered it; the sparkling lakes, the smell of fresh berries beginning to blossom, and the people's strange love for bicycles.

"I guess some things never change," said Ash softly.

"Hey, check this out." Brock pointed to a piece of paper that was taped to the windows of the Pokémon Center, the very same picture of the girl that the red headed driver named Rodney warned about. "I guess it's pretty serious."

Police sirens sounded off and Officer Jenney hopped off her bike, with Rodney standing beside her. A crowd began to form around them, like Magnemites to power plants.

"Is it true?" a woman asked. "Are the rumors true? The thief is here, in Cerulean?"

"It is getting late and the local police department is issuing an immediate curfew. Everyone should be returning to their homes or remain inside the Pokémon Center. Cerulean will be held in a temporary lock-down." Officer Jenny announced.

"So the rumors are true!" The woman assumed, pointing her finger high in the air. The citizens of Cerulean grew with worry, their voices rising with concern and panic. Some held their begs closer to their body, others picked up their Pokémon , holding them tightly as if someone was going to snatch them out of their fingers. "What are we going to do?" Some of them cried.

"There is no need to panic." Rodney said, stepping forward toward the general crowd. "My team and I are close to capturing this thief and ending her career once and for all." Just then, his phone rang. The crowd hushed like ripples in a lake as he answered his call. He listened for a moment, and then closed his phone without saying a word back to his caller. "We have the exact whereabouts of our thief."

"Then what are you waiting for?" A large chubby man shouted from the crowd. He pointed east. "Let's catch that Bitch!"

The mood of the crowd changed immediately as they seemed to have wiped the fear from their faces and cheered in common consonance and began to march with their Pokémon walking ardently beside them.

"No!" Rodney yelled toward the crowd. "Mobs are only going to drive her out of this city faster. The thief is dangerous. Leave this to my team and Officer Jenney, we are professionals."

"Professionals?" The man questioned with tiny drops of spit flying out of his mouth. "You've searching for her for almost six months now!"

"Please! This is for you and your Pokémon's safety. Rodney and his team specialize in Criminal Intent cases." Officer Jenney defended. The woo of police sirens increased and more and more assistant officers arrived. "We cannot allow pedestrians to stay on the streets. Please, return to your homes or remain inside the Pokémon Center until further notice. This is an order!" The crowd murmured as the police forced tried to escort them to safety.

The rooms at the Pokémon Center filled up quickly, but by the time Brock and Ash arrived to check in, they and several others were given blankets and pillows and had to find spots somewhere in the lobby.

"Hey Brock, do you think this girl is related to Team Rocket?" Ash asked, adjusting his blanket to fit his around his body.

He remembered the numerous occasions he and his friends conflicted with Team Rocket's plans, preventing them from taking over Silph Co., saving the slowpoke in Azalea Town, and stopping them from stealing other's Pokémon for their own gain. It seemed that it happened almost every day, but ever since he left Hoenn, he hasn't seen the infamous three stooges, Jessie, James, and Mewoth, since, however, he had a feeling that they might be showing their faces again, sometime soon.

"I don't know. It is a possibility." Brock said.

"You have never heard of Candice?" A young boy asked, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Uh—who's Candice?" Ash asked.

"The thief that everyone has been talking about," the young boy answered. "I can't believe you have never heard of her! She's only the biggest thief in Kanto." Of course, having been traveling in Hoenn for the past eight months, Ash hasn't had the time to get updated on the latest news happening in Kanto. "According to Rodney, Candice works solo, but she's just as bad, or perhaps even worse than Team Rocket!"

"What did she do?"

"She's stolen over two hundred Pokémon from various trainers throughout Kanto and Johto regions, and even worse, she brainwashes them and trains them to attack people! That's why Rodney always wears long sleeves and pants."

"You mean he's been attacked?"

"By his very own Pidgey, which he says he is sure has evolved into a Pidgeot that she uses to escape."

Ash's jaw dropped. He has heard of people stealing other's Pokémon , but never to a degree of turning them fully against their trainers. "And they haven't caught her yet?" he exclaimed.

"She's too good. They say she's like a chameleon. She keeps changing her appearance and always remains on the run."

"Or—" a new girl said lying on a lounge chair across from them, now joining the conversation. She had aqua blue hair tied up into a high pony tail and blue shorts to match. "Maybe Rodney and his investigative team really suck. Candice is only 17, how hard can it be catching a child?"

"That's what I said!" the tall fat man from outside said, sitting up from the floor. "That Bitch needs to be captured, and if a whole bunch of us corner her, there would be no way for her to escape. And if that damn police officer wasn't guarding the damn door, I would be right outside looking for that bitch myself."

"But what if the entire search is just a charade?" The girl asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"What if Rodney and his team are just pretending to be looking for Candice just to gain public support. I mean, none of us have actually seen her. What if she is just made up?"

"Why would they do that?" the angry fat man asked.

"She said she tends to dress up as other people," the young boy defended. "Maybe we have seen her, we just didn't know."

"No, she's real. I've seen her." Ash said.

The girl's eyes grew amply with shock, pulling on her blanket so it covered half of her face. "Y—you did? Where? When? How?"

"On our way here," he explained. "We saw this girl jump from a cliff and land right on top of a Pidgeot's back. Rodney showed up not too long later, stating that was her."

"See, I told you she was real." The young boy jeered.

The small group looked outside the window, where they could see the cop talking to Rodney who seemed rather disappointed. Rodney shared a looked with the people inside the Center, but the girl was quick to turn away. She put her head back down on the couch, crossing her arms underneath the blanket, still covering part of her face. "I don't know. I just don't trust him."

"They lost her." The fat man said followed by a loud groan. "I'm telling you. A mob will catch that bitch in an instant."

Rodney continued to stare the window, studying the people inside.

"Well at least we are safe in here," said the young boy faithfully, turning over on the floor.

The officer asked whispered something in Rodney's ear, but Rodney shook his head. He walked in, handing Nurse Joy a couple of Pokeballs.

"She got away again, didn't she?" The fat man accused, this time to Rodney's face.

Rodney turned around darkly, approaching the fat man on the ground and pointed his finger at him. "My Pokemon almost died tonight. Unless you want to have your very own Pokemon killed, I suggest you shut the hell up and go back to sleep. There won't be any attacks made tonight, I can guarantee that."

The fat man scooted back to the floor, plopping his head back on his pillow without saying a word.

"Rodney," called Ash softly. "Are your Pokemon gonna be okay."

Rodney nodded. "They'll be fine. My Pokemon are stronger than hers, but I didn't want to take any risks." His small brown eyes shifted to the blue haired girl across from them. "We are catching up on her though. My team and I think we found her weakness." The blue haired girl couldn't help but glare at Rodney with only her eyes showing from under the sheet. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

The girl seemed taken by surprise and said, "maybe."

"What is your name?"

"Uhh—er—Te—Tessa."

Rodney chuckled. "Tessa. You would think I would remember a name like that?"

"A city has a Most Wanted criminal on the loose, and you waste your time hitting on girls? And people wonder why you can't find her?" The girl said sarcastically and turned over in her seat so only her backside showed, but Rodney chuckled some more.

"A guy can't help but ask about a pretty face," he admitted, turning toward Ash and Brock on the floor. "Am I right?"

Ash sat there looking stupid, saying nothing but "Uhhhh" in an awkward tone, while Brock tried to steal a couple looks at Nurse Joy without looking too obvious, and then nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll be at the headquarters. Call me if anything happens." He waved to the tired Nurse Joy and left, driving off in his black jeep. Ash laid back down and put his arm around his trusted Pikachu. He just couldn't imagine if that Candice thief were to actually steal one of his Pokemon. Would they too turn against him like Rodney's Pidgey? He didn't let the thought wonder.

By morning, the pedestrians seemed upset to hear that Candice was still out and about, but glad with that fact that everyone was safe. Ash and Brock rolled up their blankets and handed their pillows to Nurse Joy behind the desk, though it took a while for Brock to hand over his supplies, as he simply did not want to let go of the Nurse's hands.

"I love you!" He said in loud whisper as Ash pulled him out of line so the others behind them could return their stuff. Nurse Joy laughed sheepishly as her cheeks grew a rosy color.

"Ash?" A soft familiar voice asked. "Brock?"

Ash turned around and instantly his heart skipped a beat. A slender blue eyed orange haired beauty stood by the entrance door with her trademark high side ponytail and red backpack over her shoulder. She has grown up since they last met and her body took on a complete transformation, developing into a tall beautiful woman.

"Misty?"

"My gosh, what are you doing here?" Misty asked, giving them each a hug. "I thought you were still traveling around in Hoenn."

"I—I—I finished," said Ash, having a fit with his words. "I—I—I'm back now. Misty, you look great."

"Thank you," she smiled. "You're looking good, too. I see that you've tanned even more than before. How are you, Brock?"

Brock held up his thumb. "Great! I actually started an internship at the hospital to become a Pokemon Doctor, but thanks to being overstaffed, I don't have to report back for couple of weeks."

"That's great. That's exactly what you wanted."

"Misty, how's the gym?"

Misty sighed, holding up her hand in the air. "Well, you know—"

"I bet you're giving the trainers here a tough time," said Ash.

Tessa, who was wrapping up her blanket beside them, erupted in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Misty asked.

"Oh, for a minute there, it sounded like you were saying that the Cerulean City gym was actually good."

The thick purple vain in Misty's forehead began to bulge, but Tessa's laughter made Misty finally break.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Misty screamed, steam practically emitting from her ears with anger.

"What are you talking about? Trainers just walk in there, pick up a badge from the desk, and then leave. People who aren't even trainers can get a badge there."

Misty's hand crumpled into a fist as her eyes started to twitch. She hated anyone dissing against her or her gym, but, trying to not let her ugliness show, she stood up straight with her arms folded across her chest. "Well, you must have visited before I became the gym Leader. My Pokemon can swim circles around you any day."

"Oh, your Pokemon can totally swim circles around mine any day," agreed Tessa. Misty smiled proudly. "It's just a shame that they'll be floating, instead of swimming, because they're all knocked out."

Misty waved her arms angrily and challenged, "Oh yeah? How about I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!"

Just then, Rodney entered Pokemon Center. Tessa's face turned grim.

"Hmm… maybe if this were three years ago," she said. "Battling isn't really my kind of thing anymore. I prefer sightseeing."

"Ha," mocked Misty. "You're just afraid that you'll lose, aren't you?"

Tessa put her blanket under her arm and rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, that's it…" Rodney grinned as Tessa walked passed, following her as she returned her supplies.

Misty sighed. "My sisters have given the gym such a bad rap…"

"Don't worry about it, Misty," assured Ash. "I'm sure all the trainers now a days are scared to go up against you."

"Hmm. Thanks, Ash." She smiled cutely. Ash could feel his heart pounding.

"So what brings to you to the Pokemon Center so early in the morning?" Brock asked. Misty perked up as if she had entered some sort of a trance.

"Oh, well once I head that Cerulean was in a city lockdown, I came out as early as I could to make sure everything was okay."

"Don't you have better things to do?" Tessa shouted loudly, fastening her fanny pack around her waist and strutting out of the Pokemon Center, leaving Rodney alone at the desk with three Pokeballs in front of him.

"Ahh. Young love. Always comes with its failures." Brock said in a strange voice. "Don't you worry; it'll come to you eventually. Just like how one day Nurse Joy and I will finally be together."

"He's still on that fantasy?" Misty asked.

"It never left." Ash said.

Rodney clipped his three Pokeballs to his belt, waving cooly to the people still in the Pokemon Center, and drove away in his jeep, traveling in the same direction as Tessa.

"Hey, listen, why don't you guys come over for a nice dinner tonight?" Misty invited.

"Okay. Yeah. That sounds great." Ash agreed.

"Well…" Brock said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" asked Misty.

"If you want to get some early training done, we should probably head to Celadon pretty soon." Brock said to Ash.

"Celadon? What for?"

"Oh right," said Ash pulling out the Invitational Tournament postcard from his pocket and showed it to her.

"That's great Ash!" She said. "Well let's make it lunch instead. I really want to catch up with you guys."

Ash and Brock nodded in agreement.

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The Cerulean Gym looked the same as always, with the gigantic Dewgong cutout handing above the entrance, but the sign on the gym said "closed."

"Uhh… how do we get in?" Ash asked.

Brock pulled on the handle and a tiny bell dinged as the door swung open.

"Come on in, you guys." Misty called. In the backrooms behind the water filled stage was a tiny kitchen that smelled of delicious cooked up vegetables, fresh bread, and lemon seasoned fish. Misty seemed to be putting on the last finishing touches by the time they entered the room, but all Ash noticed was Misty. She wore a long scarlet velvet dress with a slit that ran up half way up her long legs, and her hair was down, but part of it remained pulled back in white coral shaped clip.

"What do you guys think?" She asked.

Ash's jaw remained open as drool slipped on either side.

"It looks great!" Brock commented, taking a seat on the chair closest to the door. Just then, a whistle blew off in the distance followed by a splash.

Both Ash and Brock turned to see what was going on. Through the doorway, they could see Misty's sisters all dressed up as mermaids swimming under the water with their Pokemon dancing around them. Now it was Brock's turn to drool.

"They're just practicing," said Misty, with a little bit of annoyance in her voice. Brock tried to turn back around to eat the food in front of him, but found his eyes refusing to move. Misty sighed. "You can go watch."

"Thanks!" Brock said, grabbing his plate and rushing to grab a sit on the benches in front of the water. Misty closed the door behind him. Misty told Ash to sit as she placed the last fish fillet on her plate.

"This looks wonderful, Misty." Ash said.

"Thanks," she scooted her chair closer to him. "I know your time here is going to be short, so I'll just make it clear. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I left."

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, either." Ash admitted. Misty gently placed her hand on top of his, but Ash leaned forward, covering Misty's lips with his own.

Misty smiled, biting her lip. "You don't know how long I have been waiting for that to happen." They kissed again and again, each time longer and slightly more passionate than the kiss before. Suddenly, a loud shriek came from behind the door. The two let go of each other as the door forced open. Daisy held Brock by the ear with eyes full of ire, both of them looked drenched.

"This creep just jumped in the water during our practice," she informed, "his plate of food is swimming in our water and claims that he "accidentally" touched Lily's ass."

"Brock…" Misty said slowly and disappointedly.

"We're throwing him out—"

"What no—" Misty complained, reaching out for him, but Ash stood from the table.

"No, it's okay. We should be leaving anyway," he said.

"But you didn't even touch your food," pointed out Misty.

"Just put it in a bag and let them be on their way. We have a practice we have to focus on." Daisy demanded.

Ash and Brock waited outside as Misty finished putting the food together in a bag for them to eat on their way. He was sure Misty was upset, and he didn't really like ending things with Misty so abruptly, but he was sure to come back the moment the tournament was over.

Misty marched outside, shoving his food into his chest and glaring at Brock the entire time. "I wish you didn't have to go," she said softly so only Ash could hear.

"I'll be back. I promise. The moment I win the tournament, you'll be the first person I see."

That put a smile on her face.

"We should really get going," said Brock. "You never know if we might be in another lockdown."

"Be careful!" Misty called as her two friends turned south.

"Oh, wait! Ash!" She called, rushing up to him. She handed him a necklace with brightly blue charm shaped like a rain drop. It reminded him much of the Cascade badge. "I want you to have this, for good luck and something to remind you to see me again." Ash smiled, putting it in his pocket right next to the small locket his mom gave him. He took a quick look around and noticed Brock flirting with two female passersby. Ash kissed Misty once more on the lips, said repeated his promise, and turned back south to head for the Invitationals Tournament.

----------------------------------------------------

AN: Because this is a fanfic, I have a tendency to not add too much description, just basically because I feel like everyone knows what's up... it's a really bad habit of mine, but it's the honest truth. And in my personal opinion, I despise Pokeshipping, (I'm an Advancer, so hate me), but I felt like Pokeshipping fit better with the story I have plotted out.... so that's why it's there. If it felt awkward--that's why. Plus, I'm not a very romantic person myself, either. Thanks!

Edited June 27, 201213 yr by wayfinder823

I quite like it. The dialogue feels very natural and fluid, and I like that there's more focus on the characters and hwo they feel, rather than just walking from battle to battle.

Well done!!! Keep at it!!!!

This was really good.

Loving it so far, it seems so real

Chapter 3. Cousin Danny

----------------------------

They arrived in Saffron just in time for lunch, which pleased both Ash and Pikachu. Even though they shared Misty's delicious fish she prepared for them, their stomachs still growled tenaciously in hunger. Wanted signs and warning posters informing the community about the Great Pokemon Thief named Candice were posted all over the city, in the Pokemon Center, the local stores, restaurants, even on the windows to people's very own houses.

 

They did not stay in the city for long, but it was not until they had officially left Saffron that Ash bothered to ask the one question that floated his mind every time they walked long distances under the hot sun.

 

"Brock, why don't we ever rent cars? We could have been in Celadon to practice days ago."

 

"Well, Celadon is only a few more miles from here. we'll for sure be there by tonight."

 

Ash's hands crumpled into fists, shaking, with an excited and anxious fiery look in his eye. "I want to practice so baaad!" he said through gritted teeth. Just then, a new thought occurred to him. "Hey Brock, whatd'ya say you and I battle?"

 

"Huh? Oh… I don't think my Pokemon are really what you're looking for. They're not as strong as the ones you're going to facing."

 

Ash starred at him, surprised with his friend's comment. "Pokemon battles aren't about strength. It's about strategy. Even you taught me that. Besides, practice is practice, right Pikachu?"

 

Pikachu cooed in agreement, sitting on top of Ash's shoulder.

 

Brock shook his head and continued forward. Ash remained speechless. He was so sure his friend was going to accept this battle, especially considering how he had never tuned down one before. Brock turned back around with a grin across his face and a red and white ball in his hand.

 

"Go, Marshtomp!"

 

A tall light-blue amphibian with pointed orange gills on either side of its cheeks moaned gleefully. Its black tailed fins wiggled as it took its battle stance, staring tauntingly at Ash.

 

Ash smiled as his hand searched through his belt, looking for the correct Pokeball. "Sceptile, I choose you!" A tall long necked green lizard-like Pokemon emerged from its Pokeball, sucking on a small twig on the side of its mouth, like a cigar. The palm-tree branch like tail flared and trailed around him.

 

There was a pop, followed by a scratchy voice singing: "Totodile, Totodile, Toto, Toto, Dile! Dile!"

 

Ash looked down and saw his happy little blue gator Pokemon exit from its Pokeball on its own accord. Jollily, he hopped from foot to foot, dancing.

 

"You want to watch Totodile?" asked Ash. Totodile nodded happily.

 

"Marshtomp, use mud-shot, go!" Brock ordered, officially getting the battle started with. Marshtomp used its finny legs to dig into the dirt and splat it to Sceptile's face.

 

"Sceptile, dodge and use bullet-seed!" Golden orbs spewed from the Pokemon's mouth.

 

"Quick, use Protect!"

 

A thin veil surrounded Marshtomp, causing the golden seeds to ricochet off into random direction, avoiding Marshtomp altogether.

 

Ash bit his lip. "Quick, Sceptile, use Quick Att—"

 

"Coming through!" A voice of a girl sang. Ash and Brock turned to see a girl riding her Rapidash, running at intense speeds, the flames on the Rapidahs's back flickered beautifully in the wind. The Rapidah leaped over the Pokemon at play, neighing as it jumped. Both Ash and Brock staggered backwards in amazement.

 

"Pppppjjjj!"

 

A large Pidgeot traveled behind them, flying lower to the ground than usual, and looking angry. The large bird's wings smacked into Ash's torso, knocking the wind out of him as he felt to the ground, followed by a loud scratchy wailing scream.

 

"Totodile!" Ash gasped, reaching out for his Pokemon that struggled in the tight clenches of the Pidgeot's talons. Ash winced in pain, holding his side where the Pidgeot struck him. He looked over at his Pikachu. "Pikachu, use thunder—"

 

"Don't Ash!" Brock yelled. "Totodile is a water-type. Pikachu's thunder will really hurt him! Marshtomp, use water—"

 

"Skarmory, steel wing!" a familiar voice called from behind. A large Skarmory flew directly side-by-side with the Pidgeot's talons, the wings on the Skarmory glowed silver, nudging the Pidgeot in the feet, like a cut with a blade. The Pidgeot released Totodile, screeching and flying away with pain. Totodile fell closer the ground, waving its tiny arms in panic. The Skarmory dove underneath it, catching Totodile safely on its back.

 

"Are you guys all right?" A tall young man with red flaming hair asked, stepping out of his jeep. There were a couple others who hopped out with him as well. A man wearing a black bandana around his short buzz cut brown hair and gloves, and a woman with frizzy lavender color hair wearing a flashy green and silver scarf in her hair like a hairband and hid her eyes under wide rimmed sunglasses.

 

"We'll take care of this, boss. Follow them, Fearow!" The purple haired woman commanded, tossing a Pokeball high in the air.

 

"You too, Yagma!" The man shouted. The overgrown dragon fly and the vulture scouted out, chasing after the direction of the girl on the Rapidash and the Pidgeot. The two adults ran swiftly below.

 

"Rodney," said Ash softly, both with gratitude and embarrassment. He could have saved his own Pokemon if he had the chance. His hand caressed his bruised hip from the Pidgeot's wing banging into him. Totodile screamed as he jumped to Ash's feet, dancing with an excited sense of freedom, but stopped when he saw the pain in his Master's eyes. Rodney returned the Skarmory back to its Pokeball.

 

"I saw that Pidgeot hit you with its wing, are you all right?" Rodney asked.

 

"I'll be fine," he said, rubbing his waist. He tried not to express any of the throbbing pain he felt under his rib cage.

 

Brock stood beside Ash, studying his hunched carriage. He swung his backpack off of his shoulder and started rummaging through his stuff. "Rodney," started Brock, pulling out a couple washed pans and placing them on the ground, still searching for something. "Was that really Candice?"

 

"I'm afraid it was." Rodney said, looking off into the distance, gripping his Pokeball that contained his Skarmory tightly in his hands. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into the side of car. "This wasn't supposed to happen, and now it's my fault. I should have taken care of Candice months ago! She has gone too far. Never before have I seen this kind of behavior in her. Usually she likes to hide in the mountains, waiting for a weak lonely hiker to attack, but lately she's been hiding within the city, attacking on innocent pedestrians like you. This is all my fault."

 

"Oooowwwaaaah!" Ash cried, no longer being able to keep in the pain. He lifted up his shirt to survey the damage. On his right side just below his rib cage was a football sized and shaped pink bruise, progressively getting pinker as it reached the center of the impact. Pikachu and Rodney gasped.

 

"That's gonna leave a nasty bruise," said Brock. He pulled a small white bottle from his backpack and handed it to Ash. "Here, put this ointment on."

 

Ash scooped some of the white cream on his fingers and dabbed it on his hip.

 

"AAAHHHHH! That burns!" Ash screamed, trying to hold back his tears.

 

"Just put it on, Ash." Brock demanded. Gingerly, Ash rubbed the cream into this skin, wincing softly. Rodney popped open the glove compartment in his car and pulled out a small ice-pack and some gauze.

 

"Here, take this." He said, handing Brock the stuff. "Put some ice on that bruise to prevent it from swelling. You can use the gauze so you don't have to hold your waist the whole time. And take this also." He handed them a bag full of tiny white cubes.

 

"Poke-Block?" Brock questioned.

 

"Yeah. It works great on Humans. Take two every hour. I can't say it'll get rid of the bruising, but it will help cease the pain. My team and I eat that stuff whenever we encounter Candice's vengeful Pokemon." Rodney put his hand on top of his black left sleeve, stroking it softly. Ash assumed that if that boy in the Pokemon Center was right, that must have been where the Pidgeot attacked Rodney. Brock handed Ash two of the white cubes, where Ash hoarded them down immediately. His teeth chattered the moment bit into them, a freezing mist released through his mouth. His face contorted, his eyes watering as the taste turned sour, and then sighed as the taste dissolved into something sweet.

 

"That is some weird Poke-Block," commented Ash, feeling a little bit better.

 

"Yeah. Pokemon tend to hate it because of the sourness, but it works wonders on them, if you can get them to actually swallow." Rodney said. "Listen, I feel terrible about what happened. Can I offer you guys a ride somewhere?"

 

"Don't you have to go look for Candice with your team?" Brock asked.

 

"Candice is nearly impossible to capture when she's on the run. We have to wait until she is settled somewhere. My team is good, and as long as they keep their eyes on her, she'll be stopped in no time. Now please, just tell me where you two are heading, and I'll drop you off. It is the least I can do after what happened."

 

Brock looked at Ash, who was biting his lip to keep in his whimpering of pain. "Well, we were on our way to Celadon for the Invitationals Tournament."

 

Rodney slipped himself behind the wheel and pointed with his thumb towards the back seats. "Get in."

 

Ash and Brock returned their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs and slipped inside Rodney's jeep. Rodney slammed on the accelerator, causing his jeep to skid a little bit until he gained complete control of his car. Ash gulped every time they drove over large bumps and pressed the ice pack into his side even harder with each bump.

 

Within minutes, they arrived in Celadon City, full of lush green trees and beautiful plants. It seems like they spruced up the city even more than usual in regards to the Invitationals Tournament. Hundreds of trainers filled the city streets, traveling with their Pokemon beside them as they conversed with other trainers from around the world and bought last minute supplies at the famous Celadon Department Center. Rodney pulled up in front of a large stadium that looked like it was built just for this tournament. Colorful posters advertising about the event were pasted anywhere with a flat surface. Nerves, coupled with pain, seem to finally overwhelm Ash.

 

"Here you are," said Rodney, putting his car in park. He turned his head to look at the two in the backseat. "Are you here to watch the tournament?"

 

"I'm competing, actually." Ash corrected. Pikachu cheered.

 

"Ahh. I didn't know you were quite the hot-shot trainer. How many leagues did you win?"

 

Ash's cheeks turned a rosy color and laughed sheepishly, but immediately stopped when he felt the pain in his hip. "I've only won two… a while ago, from when I traveled in the Orange Islands, and recently at Battle Frontier."

 

Rodney nodded. "That's great. You know, a good friend of mine used to battle in Pokemon leagues when we were younger. She won a couple of them."

 

"Do you think she's going to be competing?" Ash asked.

 

The expression on Rodney's face grew dark as he turned to look out the windshield to the vast white and green stadium. "Perhaps so..." he turned back around with an apologetic face. "Ash, I'm really truly sorry about what happened."

 

"It's fine, really." Ash started eyeing the door. He hated when he felt pity from other people. It made him feel weak and useless.

 

"I promise I will put an end to Candice and her shenanigan before this tournament is over." Rodney promised. "And maybe a hot-shot trainer like you wouldn't mind helping me out sometime."

 

Ash eyes widened. "Seriously?"

 

"If you're strong enough to be invited to enter a competition like this—you outta be strong enough to take on a thief. But don't let that thought interfere with your training!" Rodney wagged his finger at him. "And remember, if either of you happen to see anything suspicious, feel free to give me a call."

 

Ash and Brock nodded, thanking Rodney for his kind service, and exited from his jeep. An aging balding man dressed in a red suit stood behind a podium holding a megaphone against his mouth. He released important registration information in a loud obnoxious voice. Even the surrounding Pokemon had to plug their ears as they walked past.

 

"Trainers competing in the Invitationals Tournament need to validate their invitation with the Invitationals Team. They're waiting for you inside the Pokemon Stadium. Don't forget to register your Pokemon with Nurse Joy! You can find her waiting inside the resting area inside the Stadium. Visitors, if you need some place to sleep, check out Celadon's famous Grand Hotel, located just south of the Pokemon Center."

 

"How's your hip?" Brock asked as they entered the Pokemon stadium, only to find a long line piled with previous Pokemon champions.

 

"Better," he said, plopping another two Poke-blocks into his mouth. He looked around, eyeing his competition. The Pokemon here seemed bigger and stronger than Ash's, most of them in their final evolutional forms, while Ash still carried around a lot of basic Pokemon. He wasn't scared that these Pokemon were stronger than his, but he was scared that they might accidentally smash them to death under their enormous feet.

 

"Invitation?" A man asked sitting behind a red curtained booth. He had a full bushy mustache and beard that connected to his thick head of black hair. Ash stared at him for a moment, wondering just how hairy this guy could possibly be. Brock nudged him with his elbow and Ash entered back into reality.

 

"Oh! Uhh—here."

 

The bushy man looked at the invitation Ash received in the mail and smiled. "Congratulations and welcome to the first ever Pokemon Invitationals Tournament. Take these wristbands. They'll grant you full access to the stadium and a room to rest in for the remainder of your stay."

 

Ash and Brock tied the teal color braclets around their wrist.

 

"Could you tell us how many people are going to be competing in this tournament?" Brock asked, biting the remains of the bracelet off.

 

"Well, unfortunately not everyone we invited will be participating, but we are expecting at least a hundred competitors. But don't you worry. The competition will come down shorter than you might think. But please, step this way to the resting center. Nurse Joy will be glad to register your Pokemon for you. The opening ceremonies begin Tonight at seven, and we will announce who your opponent for the first round will be." The man pointed to his right where a smiling Nurse Joy waited patiently behind a tall white desk.

 

"Good Afternoon," she greeted. Brock's heart started to leap and drool dripped from either side. "Put your Pokemon inside this tray, please. Registration will only take a few minutes."

 

She pointed to a tray with six engraved holes meant to hold Pokeballs. Ash filled the tray with his team of Pokemon. "My Pikachu doesn't like going inside Pokeballs…"

 

"Oh, that's fine, just follow Chancey, Pikachu." said Nurse Joy, handing the tray to Chancey. "Are you two going to need a room to stay for the duration of the tournament?" They nodded. "Okay. Here you go. Room 203. Enjoy your stay!"

 

"If you make a stop to our room, that'll certainly be enjoyable…" mumbled Brock under his breath, but Nurse Joy didn't seem to hear. She pointed to her left. "Please wait over here for your Pokemon."

 

"Would you look at this, Bellossom?" A girl dressed in a bright yellow dress and curly blond hair asked, looking all around the room. The petals on the Bellossom's skirt twirled as the Pokemon spun around to get a look of the place. "And I thought they said this was going to be a competition!"

 

Ash growled. He learned from a young age to at least get to know the person before you hate them, but hearing condescending remarks like that sure made it easier for him.

 

The blond girl approached the Nurse Joy behind the desk. She started playing with the teal bracelet around her wrist. "The people outside said I needed to talk to you… so…"

 

"Welcome! Why don't you place your Pokemon in this tray to get them registered—"

 

"Registered?" The girl questioned. "W—wh—why do we n-need to do th-that?"

 

"Every trainer needs to register their Pokemon, it's to give the trainers an chance to see who they are up against and to make sure the Pokemon are well balanced. Some trainers like to give their Pokemon extra boo-"

 

"Balance?" The girl extended her arms like wings as she lifted one leg up above her knee like a flamingo. She looked at her Bellossom who was trying to do the same. "That's not really fair to Bellossom, she doesn't have actual feet."

 

Nurse Joy paused, surprised that someone this stupid could have actually won a Pokemon Championship before. "Not that kind of balance. Trainers sometimes give their Pokemon an extra boost so strengthen their Pokemon during a battle, which violates Tournament rules. We just want to make sure that the Pokemon are healthy before they enter." The blond girl still seemed a little confused. Nurse Joy forced a smile. "Just put your Pokemon on this tray."

 

The girl went through her fanny pack and pulled out six different Pokeballs, filling each spot on the tray. "These six should do it."

 

"You don't want your Bellossom in your party?" Nurse Joy asked, looking questionably between the full tray and the dancing flower Pokemon. The girl's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

 

"Ooops!" She said, taking one the Pokeballs from her tray, and pulling out a different one. She returned Bellossom back into its Pokeball and put it in the empy spot. "Put an empty one there by accident…."

 

"That's okay. Please wait over there as we register your Pokemon."

 

The blond stood by Ash and Brock who were still waiting for his Pokemon to finish. She looked at Ash rather suspiciously, eyeing him up and down, and then gasped.

 

"Cousin Danny!" She yelped, pulling Ash into a tight hug and rubbing her cheek against his. "I didn't know you were going to be here? Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?"

 

Ash struggled against her surprisingly tight grip. On looking trainers chucked, some mocked the girl's high pitch voice and senseless behavior.

 

"My… name's… not… Danny…!" Ash said in between needless shakes.

 

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu lurched himself from the registration counter, but stood in bewilderment toward his trainer.

 

"Pikachu, you finished," said Ash, finally pulling away from the strange girl's hold and knelt beside his Pikachu.

 

The girl gasped, kneeling down as well. "Aww Danny, I didn't know you caught a Pikachu. It's so cute!" She shook Pikachu's tiny furry hand. "Hiii! I'm Patsy, Danny's cousin. I'm sure he's mentioned a lot abou—"

 

"I'm not your cousin Danny!" confessed Ash. The blond named Patsy stared at him blankly. Ash stood back up and offered his hand for a shake. "Sorry, but my name's Ash, I'm from Pallet Town. And this is my friend Brock."

 

"Hi." Brock greeted.

 

Patsy shifted her eyes between the two friends, looking confused. Her mouth changed to a large smile as she ruffled her fingers through Ash's thick spiky black hair and his signature red hat falling off in the process. "Oh, Cousin Danny, you're such a teaser! You do this to me all the time. Ha ha! You almost had me this time. Oh my—is this a new hat?"

 

"STOP IT! I'M NOT YOUR COUSIN DANNY!" Ash growled, snatching his hat from Patsy's hands. Patsy's bright green eyes widened and looked around awkwardly. Trainers whispered to each other as they past, pointing and laughing at them.

 

Patsy cupped her hand around her mouth, hindering those surrounding them from hearing what she was about to say. "Danny, you're making a scene. It's embarrassing."

 

The red in Ash's face escalated like a thermometer on a hot summer day in July. "I—You—gahh!"

 

"Ash, calm down," said Brock softly.

 

"But she—"

 

"Patsy," Nurse Joy called, breaking up the tension. "Your Pokemon are fully registered."

 

"Nurse Joy, you must be tired from registering everyone's Pokemon. Please, allow me to help you!" Brock said, holding Nurse Joy's warm hands in his.

 

"Uhh," said Nurse Joy, feeling slightly inept.

 

Patsy gathered her Pokeballs from the tray. "Hey Danny, do you remember when you were younger we use to call you Squirtle, because you could shoot water from your body just like the water Pokemon… but you really weren't shooting water?" A couple of female trainers passed by, staring at Ash with their eyebrows raised with questionable thought. Ash tried to assure them that the story was not true, and that he really did not know or was associated with Patsy in any way, all the while trying to keep his cool and refrain from strangling the careless idiot girl. Patsy turned away from him and waved. "Well, I guess I'll see you for dinner."

 

"I really need to get back to work," said Nurse Joy, pulling her hand from Brock's grasp and laughing sheepishly.

 

"But your work is my work!" Brock said, leaning over the tall desk. His head hunched as Nurse Joy closed the door to her private office behind the desk. He straightened himself up and looked at his friend. "Hey, do you want to do some training, Cousin Danny?"

 

"Shut up!" Ash growled and punched Brock in the shoulder. "I don't even know who that girl is."

 

Patsy never showed up to dinner that evening, and Ash was more than okay without her presence. He brushed his fingers through Pikachu's short cut yellow fur coat as Pikachu licked the lid to a ketchup bottle. He kept staring at the different Pokemon eating with their trainers. A young man dressed in an orange sweater and jeans feeding Pokefood to his tall Dusclops, a woman dressed in a navy business suit giggling with her twitching Furret, a balding man dressed in an open orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt and shorts arm wrestling with his large Poliwrath.

 

"Are you alright?" Brock asked, noticing his quiet nature.

 

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." Ash shrugged off his moment of doubts and popped in another two pieces of the sour white Pokeblock. The pain in his side was finally starting to subdue. He believed in his Pokemon, no matter how large his opponents are. They challenged large Pokemon dozens of times and still came out on top.

 

"The announcements are starting!" A boy in a yellow sweater and blue hat shouted, dashing outside to the battlefield. Majority of the trainers in the cafeteria followed suit. They walked cooly, not wanting to show too much eagerness to their competitors, but deep inside, everyone was anxious to see who they were paired up against.

 

The brisk night air kissed Ash's face as he took his first steps on the grand stadium battlefield. Bright stage lights illuminated the oval shaped stadium, packed with visitors screaming, cheering, and bashing random objects together to make even more noise. Ash imagined the entire place dressed with his face on their shirts, screaming, calling, and cheering his name to victory. The image of Misty's beautiful face standing in the front row, cheering louder than any other person in the crowd. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the smooth raindrop shaped necklace she gave to him just before he left the night before. He traced the outline of the charm repeatedly with his thumb, remembering and missing the warm soft touch of Misty's lips against his. He wasn't sure whether if the idea of Misty's face, the brand new stadium smell, or the presence of other amazing Pokemon trainers around him, but suddenly, he felt a burst of motivation pulse through him. He was a strong Pokemon Trainer. He believed in his Pokemon. He could win this competition.

 

A large televised screen projected the live image of three people standing on a small narrow green stand with a large bronze basin behind them. The obnoxious balding announcer from this afternoon sat on the left, while the man with the busy beard who checked Ash's invitation sat on the right, and a woman with short black hair dressed in a traditional floral Japanese kimono stood in the center. Pokemon Trainers scattered throughout the floor of the stadium, smiling and waving the crowd above him.

 

"Hey Ash, look," Brock pointed to a man dressed in black and flaming red hair standing against the white granite walls of the stadium, surveying the past champions around him.

 

"Rodney? But he's not part of the competition."

 

The annoying bald man approached the microphone, and immediately, the stadium hushed into small whispers. "Welcome to the first ever Grand Pokemon Invitationals Tournament!" The crowd broke out into loud screams. "As a member of the National Pokemon League, we kept trying to think of ways to make our competitions bigger, stronger, and better, and what a better way of doing so than bringing all of our past Pokemon Champions together in the same room. This is the ultimate challenge for the title: "Top Pokemon Trainer!""

 

Ash smirked. He's yearned for that title ever since he was ten and left Pallet Town all by himself for the first time with his then-grouchy Pikachu beside him.

 

"Of course, an idea like this takes many years to put together and assemble. Thanks to our National Pokemon League workers, we were able to make a complete list of winners past and track down their permanent addresses, but we still had one very big problem: we did not know where to host this. We looked into hosting it at the Indigo League, we looked into hosting it in Hoenn, and Johto, and just as we were about to settle, we received a phone call from a very generous person. She said that hosting a grand tournament like this in a preexisting stadium would be a letdown to all the other champions that have all ready won there, so we asked her where she thought we should host the tournament. She said, "Easy. Right here in Celadon." She got all the arrangements ready, the space, the workers, the supplies, and even the beautiful flowers to decorate the entire place. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you give a great warm welcome to the beautiful, elegant, nature-loving Princess and Celadon's gym leader, Erika!"

 

The woman in the kimono waved gracefully at the crowd, blowing small kisses at them.

 

"And now, just like any other tournament, it is time for the Opening Ceremonies to begin!" Fireworks blasted into the air, splattering into a variety of different shapes, colors, and even Pokemon in the dark sky. The crowd 'ooo'ed and 'ahhh'ed in contempt with each blazing image. With the last explosion, the audience looked down to see a small orange flame flickering in the distance. A tall dark skinned male dressed in white ran into the stadium holding a torch high in his right hand.

 

"The sacred flames of Ho-Oh!" The man announced as the runner dropped the flames in the large basin behind him, engulfing the entire insides of the bowel.

 

"This is the official commencement of the first Pokemon Invitationals Tournament!"

 

The crowd cheered once more.

 

"And now the moment you have all been waiting for."

 

The large T.V. screen flickered to show each of the one hundred battler's identification pictures.

 

"Danny!" Ash heard someone call in a loud whisper. "Danny!" He turned to see Patsy waving cutely at him. Ash shook his head, ignoring her.

 

The screen showed the pictures scrambling around the screen, and then dividing into the traditional tournament bracket. Ash searched vigorously for his face.

 

"Ah! Right there!" Brock pointed. Near the very bottom on the left side, Ash's profile was tagged next to a young girl wearing a large pink bow in her hair. Ash smiled confidently, now knowing who his opponent was, he could rightful practice for his battle ahead.

 

The screen changed to show the individual competitions one-by-one, so people didn't need to strain their eyes to search for their tiny picture. Patsy's cute picture of her winking in the camera was one of the very first ones to show up, challenging her to a battle with the young boy in the bright yellow sweater and blue hat that informed everyone in the cafeteria that the commencements were starting.

 

He looked over at Patsy and was mildly surprised to see Rodney standing behind her, whispering something in her ear and holding her waist. The look on Patsy's face was hard to tell if she was in shock or confused with the flashing pictures on the television. Ash tapped Brock on his arm and pointed his head towards Rodney and Patsy. "Do you think they know each other?"

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The young blond haired girl giggled as Cousin Donny turned away from her.

 

Okay. So far so good. She thought to herself. She gripped her hand around her fanny pack, securing its place around her waist. As long as everything remains the way it is, we should be fine.

 

"And now the moment we have all been waiting for!"

 

Patsy looked up at the large screen, searching for her tiny picture.

 

"Wow. It's been years since you've been blond," a familiar voice whispered in her ear. Her muscles tensed as her fingers slipped inside her pack, gripping a trusted Pokeball.

 

"You look much better as a blond than the blue locks you've been wearing." Rodney's long fingers brushed gently through her curls. The girl stopped breathing. "Tess, right? Or should I say… Candice."

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AN: Okay, I'll admit, this chapter isn't my best, but I kind of just wanted to get to the point of things. But seriously guys, please tell me what you think. Is it too cliche? Too fast? Too slow? Too boring?

P.S. If anyone can guess which play I got two of my girl names from, I'll give you a cookie!

Edited July 11, 201213 yr by wayfinder823