Sore Loser...

Chapter 21 - Sore Loser...

Ash and Misty had finally gone out on a date together the previous night. Ash had prepared the most amazing night for Misty, remembering her favorite place was Cerulean Cape and setting things up there in advance for their whole time there. They had enjoyed themselves greatly and even shared some hidden secrets to each other and one of the biggest things that was exchanged between them was saying the three words everyone wants to hear from that special someone one day; "I Love You". They shared passionate and intimate moments together throughout the date, and at the end of it all, they reached a new level in their relationship as they became intimate together for the first time. It was a perfect ending to their first date.

Ash and Misty were still fast asleep when everyone else had woken up and it was already 830am in the morning. Brock and Cilan had begun preparing breakfast. Leaf, like yesterday morning, decided to be the one to wake them up and to see if she could catch them in the act. She poked her head into the room first since she heard nothing from inside. When she saw the two cuddled in bed, she smiled a bit.

Must be nice, cuddling in bed with the person you love. Ash sure has changed. Misty is lucky to be with him. Wait, what?! Did I just say a girl is lucky to be with Ash?!

Scared of her thoughts, Leaf closed the door and knocked on it loudly before shouting through the door.

"ASH! MISTY! Wake up and get ready for breakfast!"

The couple immediately snapped their eyes open in response and glanced at each other.

"Thanks for the incredible night Ash," said Misty.

"You're welcome and thanks for giving me the opportunity Mist," replied Ash.

They smiled at each other as they gazed into each other's eyes, seeing the love they have for one another. They leaned in slowly and gave one last passionate kiss to one another before their relationship was put on 'hold'. They got out of bed, forgetting that they were still in the nude and blushed when they noticed it. They quickly put on their clothes with Misty borrowing his clothes again until she could get to her room.

"I think we forgot about something," said Ash as he turned to make the bed. His question made Misty curious and she peered over his shoulder to look at what he was staring at.

On the white bed sheet was a few dried red marks and several other dried stains. The blanket had some residue from last night on it as well. Ash and Misty glanced at one another and they both blushed after a second, realizing what it was before they laughed.

"I'll have it get washed," said Misty, a little pink.

"It's alright, I'll take care of it. No need to worry," said Ash

Misty replied with an okay and they both went into the bathroom to wash up and when done, Misty moved to the door with her clothes in her hands and wearing the necklace. She glanced back at Ash and gave him a warm smile which he returned with his goofy grin, making her laugh before she left to go back to her room. Before leaving his room himself, he glanced at his starter, Pikachu, who had returned to sleep in the same room as Ash in the early morning. Ash sighed.

I swear he's turning into a Snorlax.

Ash joined the others in the dining room without Misty, telling everyone good morning with it replied back to him and sat in the empty chair between Sarah and Leaf. Another empty seat was being held for the red head between Dawn and May, so they can bombard her with questions about her date night with Ash. Even though Serena was curious as well, she wasn't the type to try and force out such personal details from others. The instant Misty appeared the blunette and brunette looked up at her.

"You look happy," commented May with a grin noticing Misty's confidant walk and glowing look.

"Yea, what did you and Ash do last night huh?" asked Dawn, glancing at Misty then at Ash, making the two go crimson red as they all stared at them.

"You two did it, didn't you?" questioned Gary as he raised his eyebrows several times, a big smirk on his face. This time it was Serena who smacked him upside the head and he yelped out in pain.

Ash and Misty looked at one another for a second, becoming even redder. Sarah, Leaf, Iris, May, Dawn and Serena gasped while the guys merely grinned, looking at the two with amused faces. Ash cleared his throat as Misty sat down on the empty seat while staring at her plate in front of her.

"As I said before yesterday, what we do is nobody's business," replied Ash quietly and turned his focus back onto his food, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Whatever," remarked Gary, rolling his eyes as he massaged the back of his head. "I'm surprised you even knew what to do Ash, someone as dense as you."

"He's better than you think!" shot Misty suddenly but went quiet immediately as she realized what she just said. Her eyes went wide as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"MISTY!" shot Ash, embarrassed, not believing she let that loose.

The group of friends went eerily silent at their revelations, staring at the two for a moment. Leaf and Sarah turned to look at Ash between them with wide eyes while May, Dawn and Serena kept glancing between Misty and Ash. Suddenly the entire table burst out laughing, causing the raven haired trainer and the red head to get insanely embarrassed, their faces turning dark red. It took quite a while for them to calm down.

"Alright guys, that's enough," said Brock. "We're all adults here. Well except for Max."

"Hey!" shouted Max.

"Thank you Brock," said Misty and Ash together.

They continued breakfast with no more word about what the two of them did last night though many were thinking about what they just found out about. Leaf was trying to figure out if Ash really could be that great in bed to get such a response from the red head. Sarah was too busy thinking how lucky Misty must be to be with Ash. May, Dawn and Serena were quiet at first but when they saw the necklace that Misty was wearing, they grew wide eyed and pointed at it quietly. The red headed gym leader smiled before nodding.

"I'll tell you later, now shut up," answered Misty, silencing them.

The group of friends ate and talked, trying to avoid causing further embarrassment on Ash and Misty as they enjoyed Brock's and Cilan's incredible cooking. Gary however was waiting for any opportunity to embarrass them again. Unfortunately for him but luckily for them, he didn't get any.

"Ash, remember you have a match today at 2pm against Russell Diamond," reminded Richie. Ash looked up at Richie and nodded to show him he heard as his mouth was beyond full.

"When's your match Richie Rich?" asked Gary. Richie told him it was at 10am against a Bill Paterson.

"What about for you Leaf?" asked Iris.

"It's not updated yet. Maybe after today's matches," answered Leaf.

"Hey Ash? Since you can't watch Richie's match, do you think you could help me with my training a bit before your match?" asked Sarah quietly, hoping he would agree. Ash nodded and continued chewing his food. "Thanks!"

"Hey can I come too? I would love to see how Ash trains!" asked Max.

"I'm really sorry…Max right?" Max nodded. "But I was hoping for a private lesson since I lost to him and don't want other trainers to see where my strength and skill level is at. You understand right?"

"Yeah, I do." Max hung his head, obviously sadden.

"Cheer up Max." Max looked up at Ash. "I'll show you one of my new pokémon before you guys go if you promise to stop sulking." The young boy instantly perked up, adjusting his glasses, since he raised his head too fast.

"Okay no problem! Awesome! Thanks Ash!" Ash merely waved his hand and went back to finishing his food.

"What are you going to do Leaf?" asked Gary. Leaf looked up at him in confusion. "Since you can't watch the battle, what are you going to do?"

"Oh, that's what you're talking about. Eh, don't worry, I have my ways of sneaking in to watch the battles so I'll still join you guys," answered Leaf, making some of them get shocked looks on their faces.

"How?" asked a very curious Ash turning to look at Leaf.

"I have my ways." Leaf winked at the raven haired trainer who scoffed and went back to his food.

They finished breakfast and relaxed around the table a bit before they got up to get ready to go cheer Richie on his match. The girls all followed Misty to her room, no doubt an attempt to make her spill the beans on what happened last night, however Misty keep telling them that she'll tell them later. Ash took some food for Pikachu and when he saw that the yellow mouse was still asleep, he gently woke him up so he wouldn't get shocked and told him breakfast is ready and to get prepared for some training after. Ash returned to the living room and saw his friends waiting for him to show another one of his new pokémon before heading out.

"C'mon let's see!" Max was practically jumping up and down from excitement. Ash chuckled and held out his hand. A poke ball appeared out of thin air with a blue glow, causing Leaf and Sarah to gasp, since they didn't know he could do something like that and Ash opened it. A two legged brown and pink bunny appeared with large ears and fluffy tail. Its legs and ears were mostly covered with pink colored fur at the ends and had pink eyes.

"Punny!" cried out the pokémon as she appeared. She took up a battle stance as she saw the strangers, ready to defend herself if needed.

"Hey, it's okay Lopunny. These people are our friends," said Ash. Lopunny glanced at him, seeing him smile and relaxed into a relaxed stance. She held her hands together and bowed slightly to the group.

"Wow, she sure is respectful," said Serena.

"And she's so cute too! Why is she a different color?" asked Dawn.

"Yea, she is. I think she's a shiny pokémon. They are differently colored than the norm. She trains a lot with Lucario and picked up some habits from him. Speaking of which…"

Ash summoned Lucario as well. As soon as Lopunny saw him, she moved right in front of him and bowed, Lucario returning the bow after. The aura pokémon turned to Ash after.

"Master, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's good. Just a little training today before my match."

"Okay Master. By the way, Gardevoir is starting to get bored and wants to come back."

"Why am I not surprised?" sighed Ash. He held up his hand for the third time and summoned Gardevoir.

"Finally! It's good to be back! When am I training again Ash?"

"Not today Gardevoir. I'm going to have Lucario and Lopunny train a bit and if you'd like, you can hang out with the girls as they watch Richie's match."

"Sounds good to me! Plus, I'd rather not get in between these two when they train," teased Gardevoir as Lopunny growled. Lucario shook his head, crossing his arms as Ash face palmed.

"I forgot about you two teasing each other all the time…why me?"

"Do we really want to open up that can of worms now?" quipped Gary, smirking. Ash growled at him as most everyone laughed.

"Okay lets go guys; otherwise I'm going to be late!" Richie led the way as the group followed, Gardevoir with the girls, all of them chattering away. Sarah looked at them and chuckled as they piled into the elevator. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder after he finished his breakfast, saying hello to Lopunny, receiving a short bow in return.

"Lopunny, you don't need to bow to everyone, especially to ones you already know and are friends with." Lopunny stuck her nose in the air. "Man, what am I going to do with you? C'mon let's go."

Lucario, Lopunny, Sarah, Ash and Pikachu took the elevator down and greeted Joy. Ash motioned for Sarah and the pokémon to wait for him outside as he wanted to ask Joy something.

"Hey Joy, can I ask you something?"

"You just did but go ahead," giggled Joy as Ash rolled his eyes.

"I need to replace my bed sheets and covers in the master bedroom. I can do that right?"

"Yes you can. I'll take care of it for you," said Joy and the raven haired trainer suddenly went pale and became embarrassed.

"Ah, you're not going to be the one doing it right?" Ash reddened.

"No, of course not. I'm a nurse, not a maid. Why would you even…" Joy trailed off as her eyes widened in realization; Richie told her of his and Misty's date last night when they went out too. "Did you and Misty-" she started but Ash cut her off.

"OKAY GREAT! THANKS JOY!" shouted Ash before running out, causing a very red faced Joy to burst out laughing while shaking her head.

Ash joined the awaiting pretty blonde girl Sarah and his pokémon outside. They headed into the woods and found a pretty large clearing a little farther into the woods and decided to use it.

"Okay Sarah, go about your training as you always do. Pretend I'm not here. I won't train yet so as to not disturb you but will observe what you do."

Sarah nodded and called out her pokémon. This was her chance to show him how committed she is in becoming stronger, to impress him and she wouldn't miss the chance. Her Steelix, Tyranitar and Jolteon appeared. She also brought out her other three pokémon, Typhlosion, Victreebell and Hypno. Ash and his pokémon watched her train her pokémon silently for a good while, not making a single sound nor moving from their spots, which was near the trees to give the pokémon space to do their training.

Meanwhile, back with the other group, as they walked towards the stadium to cheer Richie on for his match, the girls hung back a bit from the guys and gestured to them to keep going when they glanced back at them.

"So, Misty, what exactly happened last night?" asked Dawn, making the girls look at the red head and Gardevoir to tilt her head in confusion.

"Misty, you don't have to if you don't want to," said Serena, earning glares from the other girls.

"You know we'll tell you when it's our turn!" added May as Leaf and Iris glanced at the red head.

"Alright, fine," sighed Misty. "I'm warning you though. You tell anyone and you're food for Gyarados. Also, Gardevoir, please don't tell Ash anything."

The girls and Gardevoir swore to keep it a secret and Misty explained everything from last night quietly so others won't hear her as they drew nearer to the stadium. By the time they reached the stadium, Misty finished explaining what happened between her and Ash and the girls and Gardevoir were stunned at hearing the details on how the date was so romantic and how the intimacy shared between the two was incredible.

"Damn…I never would have thought that Ash was the romantic type….or that he's good in bed," commented Leaf, utterly amazed that Ash did so well with Misty and was able to please her so well, especially for their first time. She didn't have any experience in the matter, even though she was very flirtatious and knew how to seduce others to get what she wanted. She never went passing kissing as she just hadn't found the right guy yet but she did know what was expected. They waved bye to Richie when he separated from the guys group in front of them as head into the trainer's entrance.

"Well, now you know!" giggled Misty as they entered the public entrance. May, Dawn and Serena had vacant expressions on their faces as they imagined themselves in the same situation with the raven haired trainer. They were snapped out of their trances when the others called for them to hurry up.

Back in the woods, Ash had been observing Sarah train for a good while. He was thinking of how Sarah had good chemistry with her pokémon and they seemed to trust her judgment. He smiled as he became happy at seeing such a thing because whenever he saw pokémon and humans working together, it made him feel good. After a few more minutes, Sarah finished her training and turned to Ash.

"So, what do you think?" asked Sarah.

Ash stayed quiet for a moment then stepped forward with his pokémon.

"Not bad. It's a good training regimen. Do you always train like this? Any variations?"

"Thanks and no, not really. It's usually this with some extra stuff at the end like laps around a lake or something."

"Okay. Well let me tell you right now, it's a good training session and I can see why you were able to beat the Elite Four of Johto. But you're lacking on a few important things that I learned recently these past few years. For instance…"

Ash began explaining some things that were holding her back in her training. He then gave some tips and pointers on each of her pokémon specifically that he noticed. When he finished with his advice, Sarah nodded in appreciation.

"I see. Well, I'll try to do as you suggest. I'll do some research and experimenting too."

"Good. Talk with your pokémon as well. They will let you know what they want to focus on or what they want to achieve. Also, get more involved in their training. Don't just give out orders like others. Train with them."

Sarah raised her eyebrows at him with a look that clearly said 'are you crazy?'. Ash chuckled.

"I don't mean practice with them using Flamethrower or Thunderbolt on you but while they're training, do some exercises among them. Run with them. Spar with a dummy. When you do stuff like that, training with them, they see that you want to be strong yourself and will encourage them more. Just like you want to be known for having strong pokémon, they want to be known for having a strong trainer," clarified Ash.

"I see. Thank you so much Ash for the advice. I will work with my pokémon to become stronger and you better be ready for our rematch."

"I look forward to it Sarah." They smiled at each other and Sarah blushed a bit before asking him something she was thinking about just then.

"Can I see how you train your pokémon? Please? Just a little?"

Sarah gave him the puppy dog look and Ash sighed, agreeing. He had a hard time denying a girl when they used that on him. Sarah jumped in joy and called her pokémon over to one side of the clearing to give Ash some space. Ash called out two more pokémon; Charizard and Sceptile. Sarah and her pokémon were very impressed at the power radiating off of the two additional sparring partners.

"Hey guys. Time for some light training. Lucario and Lopunny, you know what to do, and so do you two," added Ash pointing at Charizard and Sceptile, both of them grinning. "Go for a while and then we'll switch it up with me and Pikachu."

Ash and Pikachu gave his four pokémon some space, standing near Sarah and then he whistled, signaling them to begin. Lucario and Lopunny sparred against each other, alternating using Drain Punch against one another while jumping around acrobatically, increasing their resistance against their weakness while staying energized. Charizard flew up into the air and fired Flamethrowers at Sceptile, who didn't dodge the attacks, instead deflecting the flames away by either using his long tree like tail by whirling it around quickly, creating a vortex of air or by cutting through the flames with his sharp appendages on his arms. He would then fire Dragon Pulse and Energy Ball at the dragon whenever able to.

Ash glanced back to see Sarah's reaction and she didn't disappoint; her face was covered with shock. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows raised and her jaw dropped. Her pokémon had similar stunned expressions as well. Ash and Pikachu chuckled and faced forward again. After a while, Ash whistled again and his pokémon stopped.

"Alright good job. Charizard, Pikachu, you two together, Sceptile and Lucario together and Lopunny, you spar with me." They moved into their sparring teams and Ash shouted "Begin!"

Lopunny and Ash sparred, throwing punches and kicks, blocking and deflecting the attacks. Lucario and Sceptile threw some physical attacks but also practiced some special moves when they were far away from each other. Charizard and Pikachu traded Flamethrowers and Thunderbolts while dodging at a distance but when they got closer, they attempted to hit each other with quick physical strikes.

Sarah couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was unlike any training she had ever seen or heard about. Ash was training with his pokémon, not just by them and his training methods were so unorthodox. His pokémon used moves in such ways that she never thought possible. She remembered his Pidgeot using Steel Wing as a defensive move, shielding against her Tyranitar's Stone Edge and Sceptile was deflecting the Flamethrower with his tail and appendages. Sarah was just lost, astounded that she hadn't even thought of some of these things and could tell without a doubt that this was just scratching the surface of Ash's training style. What really caught her off guard was seeing a human fight a pokémon and actually giving the pokémon a hard time. As she looked closer, she saw something that completely baffled her; Lopunny was panting hard while Ash was just smiling. She went a bit red seeing him fighting as she just stared at him. Ten minutes later, Ash whistled again after dodging Lopunny's last attack, signaling the end of training.

"Good job guys! You still got it. Have a good rest."

He returned Charizard, Lopunny and Sceptile, Lucario and Pikachu staying out. He checked the time and saw it was 12pm. He turned to look back at Sarah and saw that she still had the same stunned expression on her face but also reddened and he couldn't help smirk.

"That's a cute look for you Sarah," teased Ash, making Sarah snap out of it and go crimson before slapping his arm while crying out a "HEY!" but Ash just kept laughing. Seeing him so amused made her giggle a bit before he spoke again. "Let's head back. They should be back by now and I want to relax a little before my match." Sarah agreed, recalling her pokémon as they went back to the hotel.

When they entered the room they saw their friends weren't there yet and so Ash asked Sarah if she would help him get lunch ready. Surprised that he knew how to cook and was asking for her help initially, she quickly agreed while Lucario went to the balcony and Pikachu curled up on one of the couches. They made a simple chicken vegetable soup and cut up some fruit, bread and cheese. They set the table with everything but the soup, keeping a large clear space in the middle of the table for it, which still needed at least fifteen more minutes before being ready. Sarah set a timer as Ash went to take a shower. When he entered his room, he saw that the sheets and covers had been replaced already and he smiled. By the time Ash showered, dressed and went back to the living room, the soup was ready. Right as Ash wanted to ask out loud where the others were, they entered the suite, chatting loudly and were quite surprised to see the two there waiting for them with lunch ready to go.

"About time you guys got back! I'm starving here!" exclaimed Ash, his stomach making noises again.

"Yea yea Ash, you'll survive. By the way, thanks Sarah for setting up lunch for us," finished Brock, Cilan giving her a slight bow, making Sarah blush pink. Gardevoir moved to join Lucario in the balcony.

"Oh no problem but it was mostly Ash. I just helped out with cutting the food," admitted Sarah. The group stared at Sarah, not believing a word she said. "No really, he did it." The group faced Ash, who went pink as well and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's not much, just chicken soup. Anyways, let's eat." Ash sat down at the table and poured some soup into a bowl for him and began eating. Since Ash continued eating, the group thought that it couldn't be too bad otherwise he would've spit it out so they joined him.

"Wow, this is good!" May's face lit up as she tried the soup.

"I'm very surprised. It's simple yet quite tasty. You could be a good cook someday Ash," said Cilan.

"C'mon are you kidding me? Let me try that." Leaf poured some for her and tried it. As soon as she tasted the soup, she hummed in delight. "This is great! Ashy, when did you become a chef?"

Leaf eyed him with newfound respect, batting her eyes at him. Ash blushed slightly as May, Dawn and Serena growled at Leaf who noticed and just laughed at them. Misty didn't mind anymore since she knew how Ash felt; both had confessed to each other their feelings, thoughts and fears and knew that no matter how much Leaf tried to flirt with him or seduce him, he wouldn't betray her or the other three. It kind of surprised her that she wasn't so insecure anymore but was happy about it.

"Guys, it's just soup but thanks," appreciated Ash.

They talked and joked as they sat around the dinner table. Soon enough it was time for Ash's match. They headed back downstairs while Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu stayed in the room. Richie took some soup for Joy for her lunch break. He had told them during their lunch that their date went well and they were planning on going out again soon. They also let Ash know that Richie won his match but barely; his opponent had a very stubborn Absol. When they reached downstairs, Richie gave Joy the bowl of soup and Ash nodded his head slightly at Joy when everyone was looking away and Joy replied back with a knowing look and wink. Richie told them to go on since he couldn't watch his match and wanted to talk to Joy for a bit before going to train some.

They reached the stadium and Ash told his friends he'll see them later as he entered the trainer's tunnel, heading towards the field as his friends took up seats in their usual spot. Somehow it was always empty when they arrived but they didn't complain.

"WHAT A GREAT MATCH THAT WAS! LET'S HOPE TO SEE SOME MORE IN THE NEXT MATCH! OUR NEXT MATCH FOR THE DAY WILL BE ASH KETCHUM VERSUS RUSSELL DIAMOND!"

The announcer's words caused the stadium to cheer in agreement before they screamed even louder as Ash entered the field. They did the same for Russell, but much lower, which Russell noticed and made him scowl. These people are idiots since they haven't realized that greatness is here. They'll soon cheer for me, he thought. The two reached the middle where the referee was waiting and handed both trainers microphones. Ash held out his hand.

"Good luck with the match," said Ash with a smile.

Russell glanced at the outstretched hand and scoffed while he turned away, rejecting the friendly handshake. Ash lowered his hand but shrugged, walking away while shaking his head.

"GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER! RUSSELL IS HERE TO WIN, NOT MAKE FRIENDS FOLKS!"

Loud boos were heard throughout the stadium, with Ash's friends doing so as well at Russell, yet Ash didn't care. They took up their positions on the field, Ash in the green box, Russell in the red. The referee reminded them of the rules, finishing with asking if they were ready to battle with Russell and Ash nodding.

"Let the battle begin!" said the referee as he held up both red and green flags.

"I hope you're ready to lose! You're battle style won't work against me! I'll show everyone what a hack you are and how weak you're pokémon are!" yelled Russell and tossed out a poke ball.

A large blue turtle stood on its hind legs with two large cannons sticking out of his shell. Blastoise roared as it stomped its feet on the ground, making the ground shake a bit.

"That's one powerful Blastoise! Ash better be careful," worried Gary. Blastoise are naturally tough and Gary was always boasting how his was stronger than most, if not all and for him to admit that another one was strong, it meant something. The others nodded in agreement, making a certain blunette become worried. Dawn got up from her seat and leaned against the railing while she shouted out some encouragement to the man she loved.

"You got this Ash! We know you're going to win!"

Ash heard the blunette and faced her. He lifted up two thumbs up at her and smiled, causing Dawn to beam back at him and the others to relax. That all changed when Russell spoke again.

"Tell your stupid, attention whore of a girlfriend to shut up and stop bothering us! Hurry up and send out your worthless pokémon so I can win already!"

Shock. That was what Dawn felt at first before she felt the hurt by the insult and backed away from the railing, publicly humiliated. Her eyes watered and quickly after she started to cry. Misty, May and Serena got up and tried to calm her down while hugging her. The others began yelling out insults of their own at the rude trainer. When Ash heard the insult he became angry but when he saw her crying, he became furious. He turned back to face Russell as his hands lowered, his eyes narrowed and growled. He reached up with one hand and flipped his hat backwards as he drew a poke ball from inside his jacket.

"THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR! SORRY FOLKS FOR THE LANGUAGE!"

"Oh Russell you blew it big time. You're in some deep shit now!" said Serena with slight venom in her voice, most of them agreeing. Sarah and Leaf gave confused looks. Misty explained seeing them lost.

"Whenever Ash is seriously pissed off or focusing on an important battle, he'll turn his hat around backwards. It's like a switch for him that tells him to go all out."

Sarah and Leaf nodded in understanding and they both gave their full attention to Ash who spoke after Misty, the microphone sending his words out to everyone in the stadium.

"You can insult me all you like as I don't care but the second you insult the ones I care about, I won't have it. I hope you're ready for your loss!"

The crowd murmured over his words as Ash tossed out his poke ball. A large golden-white fox pokémon with red eyes and nine tails appeared.

"Nine!" roared Ninetales. Suddenly, the temperature around the field increased as the air around the stadium heated up and the clouds above vanished. Ninetales' ability of Drought had activated.

"No way! He has a Ninetales and it has the ability Drought? That's like finding a needle in a haystack!" said an astonished Brock. Russell wasn't impressed though.

"LOOKS LIKE ASH'S ANGER HAS GOT THE BEST OF HIM! HE CALLED OUT NINETALES BUT EVEN WITH ITS RARE ABILITY OF DROUGHT, CAN HE OUT-FOX THE POWERFUL TURTLE?"

"You're gimmicks won't save you here! Hydro Pump!" yelled Russell. Blastoise's cannons extended a bit further out and shot two powerful and fast torrents of water that hurtled towards the fox pokémon. Ash didn't say anything but Ninetales dodged the attack.

"Hydro Pump again!" The blue turtle fired the attack once more. Without any commands given, Ninetales used Protect at the last second, stopping the attack altogether. Russell was stunned but quickly recovered. He shouted his next attack.

"Earthquake!" Blastoise stomped against the ground, causing the entire stadium to shake but Ninetales jumped high up into the air to avoid it.

"Gotcha! Blastoise, Flash Cannon!" Bright silver beams of energy shot from the turtle's cannons towards the fox. Ninetales had her nine tails gleam a metallic sheen as she front flipped in the air, hitting the beams of energy with her many tails, deflecting them away.

"No fucking way!" exclaimed a stunned and frustrated Russell.

"LANGUAGE! ANYWAY, HOW ABOUT THAT MOVE FOLKS! ASH HAS TRAINED HIS NINETALES WELL ENOUGH TO NOT EVEN SAY ANY COMMANDS! THIS IS ONE TALENTED FOX!"

"Screw this. Blastoise, annihilate that fox! Full power Hydro Cannon!" Blastoise charged up a blue sphere of energy in front of him, the ultimate water attack and was about to fire when a large green beam of energy shot across the field hitting the large turtle pokémon, engulfing it before sending him crashing into the wall. Blastoise slid down onto the ground unconscious.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! This round goes to Ninetales!"

The crowd was shocked into silence before it roared as Russell returned his pokémon and glared at Ash, who had his arms crossed as always but also had a very angry look on his face. His Ninetales took up a battle stance in front of him, growling and baring its teeth at him.

He beat my Blastoise with one attack?!

"NINETALES TOOK DOWN BLASTOISE WITH ONE SOLAR BEAM! NOW THAT'S ONE POWERFUL FOX!"

"Damn, that was incredible! One attack?" Iris was stunned.

"Not only that, but he didn't even give out one command," awed Serena. Dawn stopped crying but still had tears in her eyes as she faced the battle, turning her head away from May's shoulder. May was still hugging her though her attention was now on the furious Ash. Sarah and Leaf were staring at Ash with dumbstruck expressions, unable to comprehend the power he possessed while Misty smiled.

That's my Pokémon Master. Teach this punk some manners.

Russell growled as he tossed another poke ball into the air and Alakazam appeared.

"Kazam!" shouted the psychic pokémon, holding up two spoons, one in each hand. Ash returned his Ninetales and tossed another poke ball out. A tall bipedal black fox like pokémon appeared, with red claws on its hands and feet, along with red fur growing out the back of its head.

"Zoro!" Zoroark took up an offensive stance, as it eyed its opponent, growling noticeably. Somehow, it knew that Ash was angered and the pokémon sensed it, just like Ninetales.

"RUSSELL HAS SENT OUT AN ALAKAZAM WHILE ASH SENT OUT A ZOROARK! BOTH ARE POWERFUL POKEMON IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS THE ADVANTAGE THIS TIME AS DARK TYPES ARE IMMUNE TO PSYCHIC TYPE ATTACKS!"

"Wow, a Zoroark?! Those are rare and quite powerful," commented Leaf.

"Ash isn't going easy on this guy at all is he?" asked Sarah, astonished.

"No he's not Sarah. If its one thing I know about Ash is that he never goes easy on battles but he's fair and knows where to draw the line. Make him mad though and it's another story," explained Brock.

"So what? Dark type or not who gives a shit? Miracle Eye!" Alakazam focused on Zoroark and a large all seeing eye appeared above Alakazam. The eye blinked and Zoroark glowed white for a second than both the glowing and the eye disappeared.

"Now, Psybeam!" The psychic pokémon launched a powerful beam of telekinetic energy at the black fox but right before it struck, the black fox split into a dozen copies and the beam shot through a copy before exploding against the stadium wall.

"Damn it! Use Dazzling Gleam! Get rid of the imposters!" ordered Russell and Alakazam's eyes glowed blue before he let out a bright white energy around him and shot it out towards all the Zoroark and it engulfed them all. When the attack finished and the bright light died down, Zoroark was gone.

"Where did Zoroark go?" asked Max as he looked all over the field yet nobody answered as they too couldn't find him.

"What the hell…" Russell looked around the field as did his Alakazam, trying to find the black fox. "Where did…shit, look out! Alakazam!" yelled Russell.

Zoroark had maneuvered so quickly that nobody saw her, not even the powerful psychic pokémon, as being a Dark type made her be hard to sensed from a Psychic type. She had vanished when Alakazam made the last attack but then appeared right next to the psychic. She had a ball of black and purple energy swirling in her claws and the moment Alakazam turned his glance slightly towards her, she hit the psychic pokémon with an up close Dark Pulse. The super-effective attack sent the pokémon flying into the side wall and he too fell down to the ground, unconscious, his eyes shut.

"Alakazam is unable to battle. This round goes to Zoroark!"

"INCREDIBLE! ASH HAS KNOCKED OUT ALAKAZAM WITH ONE HIT AGAIN, THE SAME WAY HE DID WITH BLASTOISE! RUSSELL HAS ONE POKEMON LEFT! LOOKS LIKE HIS RUDE BEHAVIOR HAS NOW COME BACK AROUND TO BITE HIM!"

The people cheered madly as Russell returned his pokémon, fuming.

One attack again? Who the fuck is this guy?

Russell unclipped his last pokémon's poke ball and stood in silence for a moment.

"Wow, Ash is in the zone!" said Iris.

"Usually when emotions get mixed up in one's battle, it causes them to lose focus and make mistakes. Ash used to be like that too in the past but it looks like no more. His emotions seem to just let his battling instincts take over," explained Cilan and the others agreed.

Up in the VIP room, Goodshow and his guests were watching the match between Ash and Russell closely. They didn't like Russell's attitude but were amazed at Ash's performance.

"I'm telling you, Russell is done for," commented the silver haired man in the elegant suite.

"I'll admit that his strong but the match isn't over yet," replied the spiky haired man with the red and black cape.

"Who are you trying to kid?" asked the blonde woman. "You know as well as I do that Ash is going to pulverize Russell."

"Don't let your feelings for him make you think rashly," snapped the man with the cape, startling the blonde woman. "Yes, we know of your thoughts about him."

"You are mistaken. I only think of him as a valued friend and rival," replied the blonde woman and turned away from them, looking at the field once more, though her face was reddened as she thought something; how did they find out?

"That better be the only thoughts you have of him. He is a good trainer and a friend to us all, but he is not in our level and unworthy to be with a Champion. And you have your obligations to attend to as one. Remember that," finished he man in the cape before he and the others turned back to the battle in time to hear Russell break his momentary silence.

"It's not over yet Ketchum! You will lose, I swear it!" screamed Russell, starting to lose his mind as he brought forth his last pokémon. A huge flying pterodactyl like dinosaur appeared, with razor sharp teeth, powerful legs, a long tail and large wings appeared.

"Aero!" roared Aerodactyl as it flew up into the air. The crowd went slightly quiet at the sight of the powerful fossil pokémon. Ash withdrew Zoroark and tossed out another poke ball and his Charizard appeared, roaring even louder than Aerodactyl as it landed on the floor and spread its mighty wings.

"RUSSELL'S LAST HOPE IS AERODACTYL AND ASH HAS BROUGHT OUT CHARIZARD! EVEN THOUGH AERODACTYL HAS THE ADVANTAGE AND IS POWERFUL, WE ALL HAVE HEARD STORIES OF ASH'S CHARIZARD GOING TOE TO TOE WITH THE MOST POWERFUL OF POKEMON! THESE TWO DRAGONS WILL MOST LIKELY GIVE US ONE HECK OF A FIGHT!"

The stadium erupted in noise seeing the two pokémon taking up positions on the field, waiting for their trainer's command. Charizard's eyes were burning and it snarled loudly at its opponent, the flame on its tail growing larger as a result.

"Talk about karma."

"What do you mean Brock?" asked Gary for everyone except for Misty who knew the story.

"A long time ago, Ash had a bad experience with Aerodactyl and his Charmeleon evolved into Charizard to fight it. So now it's like this last round is to help Ash finally overcome Aerodactyl, Charizard to get even and to punish Russell for insulting Dawn," explained Brock.

"If that's the case then Russell is pretty much screwed," remarked Leaf.

"I hope Ash crushes him." Dawn said as she separated from May finally to fully turn towards the field and her friends agreed with her.

"Let's show this over-grown lizard whose king of the skies! Aerodactyl, Stone Edge!" Aerodactyl made the ground beneath Charizard break apart and shoot up at the fire pokémon but Charizard swiftly evaded the attack by moving to the side.

"Wing Attack!" shouted Russell. The ancient flying pokémon had his wings glow white as he flew up a bit before dive bombing the red dragon. Right before making contact, Charizard evaded the strike.

"Damn, fly up into the air!" commanded Russell. Aerodactyl rose up higher into the air, Ash and Charizard following with their eyes.

"Why isn't Ash doing anything?" asked Max, worried.

"He's waiting for the right moment," clarified Gary and Max nodded as he understood.

"Hyper Beam!" Aerodactyl fired a large white beam of energy at Charizard, Ash's friends letting out cries of warnings since Ash didn't say anything but the red dragon didn't move. The beam connected and exploded, covering the arena in smoke. Soon the smoke cleared and what they saw made many people in the stands to gasp.

"AERODACTYL USED HYPER BEAM AGAINST CHARIZARD AND IT HIT ITS MARK! BUT CHARIZARD HAS DEFENDED HIMSELF AGAINST THE POWERFUL ATTACK!"

Charizard had brought up his shield again, consisting of Heat Wave circling around him in a sphere and using Steel Wing move to cover himself; completely nullifying the powerful beam of energy. Charizard stretched out his wings as the metallic sheen disappeared and roared loudly again, the flames on his tail growing larger. Leaf and Sarah were both amazed by the impressive defensive move as the others smiled as they had seen it before and were feeling a little ashamed for forgetting he could do that. Charizard formed a ball of flames in front of his mouth and shot it up at Aerodactyl, the ball of flames forming into a large five pointed star attack; a Fire Blast.

Aerodactyl was still recharging after using Hyper Beam, so he was unable to move and ended up getting hit by the full force of the attack causing the flying fossil pokémon to screech in pain as it fell to the ground. At the last second, it managed to turn its body to land on its feet, but still received massive damage. Aerodactyl was shaking as it tried to stay standing.

"It's over Russell. There's no point in making your pokémon fight in its current condition." Ash was about to return his Charizard when Russell let out a mad laugh, making him stop.

"HA HA HA HA! You think it's over? Not a chance!" Russell lifted up his left arm, revealing a Mega Ring. Ash stared at him with disbelief on his face and hoped he wasn't that crazy.

"No mega evolutions allowed!" shouted the referee. "You use that and you're disqualified!"

"Don't care. I don't care about some stupid tournament anymore. But I am going to teach this piece of shit that he's not better than me!" screamed Russell as he touched his Mega Ring.

Aerodactyl glowed white and was covered up in a white sphere that soon exploded as white energy shot out around the now visible Mega Aerodactyl; it had sharp blade like protrusions all over its body and had grown considerably larger. The insults and boos were thrown at deaf ears as Russell started laughing like a mad man, having lost his mind. Ash and Charizard stood their ground, eyeing the two.

"THAT CHEATING PILE OF TAUROS CRAP!" Misty yelled as she stood up, her hands clenched into fists, shaking with anger.

"I'M GOING TO KICK HIS FUCKING ASS!" shouted May as she slammed a fist into her other hand. The rest were shouting insults at the crazed trainer as Dawn felt fear fill her up once more, worried that Ash might get hurt.

Back in the VIP room, when Russell went berserk and mega evolved his Aerodactyl, they shook their heads and sighed.

"What a disgusting way to end an incredible battle," said one the woman in the white coat.

"You mean more like a massacre. Ash had complete control until the mega evolution. What do you think he'll do now?" asked the blonde woman.

"It doesn't matter whether he mega evolves now as well or not to protect himself since Russell is disqualified. Let's send some officials down there to clean up this mess," replied Goodshow sadly.

"EVERYONE REMAIN CALM. LEAGUE OFFICALS HAVE BEEN SUMMONED AND WILL SOON FIX THIS."

"I'll be long gone by then but not before you're groveling at my feet!" sneered Russell, his Mega Aerodactyl taunting Charizard with throaty growls, which were interpreted as laughing by the red dragon, whose eyes narrowed in response.

"Be careful Ash!" Dawn had moved towards the railing again. Ash heard her shout and faced her, his angry look vanishing and replaced with one of concern. He smiled at her before facing Russell again.

"Aw, looks like your girlfriend wants you to come back in one piece. How sweet. Too bad you'll be going back in pieces! But don't worry, I'll make sure she's happy tonight! Aerodactyl, Giga-Impact!"

Aerodactyl launched at Charizard after covering itself with a multi colored glow, slamming into the red dragon. Charizard caught him but the impact pushed him back, his large clawed feet dug into the ground to stop the movement. Dawn went crimson and started crying again. Ash had had enough of this guy.

"You really are a vile piece of shit and I have no respect for people like you. You will pay for that!"

Charizard turned his head slightly at Ash and nodded. Charizard wanted to show them that they were the better pair. The flame on the tip of his tail grew rapidly to the size of the pokémon itself, his rage strengthening him. The heat generating off of the dragon caused many in the field to sweat. The fire dragon fired a point blank Flamethrower, directly into Aerodactyl's face, causing it to cry out in pain as it was pushed back by the scorching flames. People in the stands started to shout, some using bad words while others screamed in fright.

"Incredible. How can a Charizard push back a Mega Aerodactyl without mega evolving itself? How powerful is that dragon?" asked a tall older man with red pointy hair in the VIP room. Nobody answered him for they were in awe as well, not seeing something of the like at all.

"FOLKS, PLEASE RELAX AS THE OFFICIALS ARE HEADING INTO THE FIELD AS WE SPEAK!"

Russell snarled as he saw the league officials heading towards him.

"Aerodactyl, get rid of these pests!" Aerodactyl moved to attack the officials. Before someone could even react, a red sphere of flames slammed into Aerodactyl at incredible speed, ramming the fossil pokémon into the wall, saving the officials.

"Did you see how fast he moved?" asked Leaf, completely stunned

"Yes, but I still can't believe it myself," said Sarah, her eyebrows raised and eyes widened.

Charizard took a few steps away from Aerodactyl, keeping his eyes on him. Aerodactyl stood up and glared at his attacker. Russell was going insane.

"NO WAY IN HELL HIS STUPID CHARIZARD CAN BEAT MY MEGA AERODACTYL! FUCK THIS! BITE THAT DAMN LIZARDS HEAD OFF!" roared Russell.

Aerodactyl moved to accomplish the orders, but instead was met with another powerful Flamethrower from up close, followed up by a Dragon Claw to its body, sending the fossil pokémon back onto the ground. Aerodactyl shakily made to get up again but Charizard gave him one more Dragon Claw, this time to its head, knocking out the flying pokémon and it changed back into its normal form.

"EVEN THOUGH THE MEGA EVOLUTION WAS AN ILLEGAL MOVE AND RUSSELL WAS IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFIED FROM THE TOURNAMENT, ASH AND CHARIZARD HELD THEIR OWN WITHOUT MEGA EVOLVING, WINNING THE MATCH FAIR AND SQUARE AND SAVED THE OFFICIALS' LIVES! IS THERE ANYTHING THIS TRAINER AND HIS POKEMON CAN'T DO?!"

The crowd cheered for Ash and booed at Russell over the announcer's words. After eyeing the fallen pokémon for a moment, Charizard fixed his gaze onto Russell, making him step back a bit in fear. Ash moved towards them and stood in front of his Charizard as a certain blue haired girl jumped down from the stands and ran to him, their friends following her shortly after. They gathered around beside him, looks of disgust on their faces as they looked at Russell. Dawn had stopped crying yet her eyes were red and puffy as she hugged Ash. League officials moved towards them as the people in the stands watched.

"Russell Diamond you are disqualified from the tournament for cheating and are under arrest for endangering the lives of others," said the head official, a tall man with black hair, who was wearing a suit. Russell hung his head in defeat and shame. Ash thanked his pokémon for saving everyone and doing a good job, the dragon letting out a victory roar, followed by a burst of flame into the air that dissipated shortly after. He then glanced at the blunette hugging him.

"Are you okay Dawn?" he asked her as he looked into her puffy blue eyes.

"Yea I'm fine. Thank you for standing up for me and I'm glad you're alright," replied Dawn.

"Hey, no need to worry right?" Dawn smiled at him and nodded. "Let's go home."

The group turned away from Russell as the league officials closed in around him but Ash sensed the sudden ill intent and reacted. He turned around and pushed the league official out of harm's way and was about to subdue Russell when a blue haired girl stepped in between them receiving the hit that was meant for Ash. Everyone who was nearby stood still as statues while the stadium went eerily silent at the sight of the hidden attack.

Slowly, Dawn looked down and saw Russell grasping a handle, the blade part of it inside her. Russell withdrew the blade, causing blood to gush out and Dawn stumbled back, holding her wound, before falling backwards. Ash caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

Russell made to attack Ash this time since he was preoccupied but Brock intervened, delivering a haymaker punch to the mad trainer's face, sending him to the floor, out cold. The group of friends stood around the two, shocked at what had happened. Brock attempted to contact medical personal with his Poketch's phone application as Ash was holding Dawn up in his arms. She was having difficulty breathing and was trying to talk, blood escaping from her stab wound in the stomach. Their group of friends was tearing up at the sight, the girls kneeling next to the two on the ground.

"Ash…I…" Dawn stuttered and then coughed, a little blood trickling out of her mouth. Ash gently wiped it away with his hand. "I want…I…"

"Don't talk Dawn. It'll be okay." Ash interrupted, tears flowing down his cheeks as he moved his right hand to where her stab wound was. He gently moved her hands away, allowing the blood to come out faster for a second since there was no pressure until he placed his hand on her wound, Dawn closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears but they escaped as she whimpered, the pain getting to her.

"You'll feel better soon. No need to worry. I promise." Ash's hand glowed blue. His friends noticed what he was doing, most of them understanding except for Sarah and Leaf who gasped in shock, and encircled them, blocking Ash and Dawn from the eyes in the stadium. Their crying had stopped but were still taking in sharp breaths. The blue glow around his hand brightened, pulsing out waves of healing aura over the wound.

Dawn's wounded area began to glow underneath his hand and slowly healed. The wound stopped bleeding and finally, sealed itself shut. Ash continued pulsing out aura onto Dawn to make sure she was fully healed. When Dawn's breathing stabilized and the color of her face returned, Ash stopped, taking a few deep breathes since he used a good amount of energy to do so before he placed his hand softly against her cheek.

"Dawn?" whispered Ash and a few seconds later, Dawn opened her eyes slowly, gazing into Ash's eyes.

"You saved me," she whispered back.

"Oh thank Arceus. Dawn, don't ever do-" Ash was interrupted when Dawn lunged forward and kissed him. Nobody was expecting that and at first Ash was stunned, but then closed his eyes and kissed her back, holding her closer in his arms, sitting on the floor with her sitting on him. Their friends smiled at the sight and after a moment they broke apart.

"Don't ever do something like that again," finished Ash.

"You do it all the time," complained Dawn softly.

"I'm an Aura Guardian. It's my job," he said quietly so only she and his friends can hear.

Sarah and Leaf gasped as they now understood how and why he could summon poke balls and heal others. They were astounded that the Ash they know, who was sitting on the ground right in front of them, is one of the legendary protectors of the world that was told of in books and fables.

"Plus, I would go insane if any of you got hurt or died because of me. Don't ever do something like that again. Okay?" continued Ash but Dawn frowned.

"Ash, I know what you're saying and feeling but-"

"No matter what. Are we clear?" repeated Ash, a little stern this time. Dawn didn't say anything or do anything to commit too it. All she did was gaze into Ash's unusually stern eyes with her defiant ones.

"Hey, let's talk about this some other time," said Brock softly as he placed a hand on both their shoulders. Ash and Dawn glanced at him, before returning their gazes but then nodded. Brock helped the two get up.

When their friends parted away, the people in the stadium were silent, holding their breath as they waited to see what happened. When they saw Ash and Dawn get up on their feet, they let out cheers in happiness that everyone was okay. In order to keep up the charade, Ash and Dawn waved at the crowd for a few seconds before Charizard stepped forward, having watched the league officials handcuff Russell and take him away. Ash thanked Charizard again, promising to make it up to him somehow and returned him. They were about to leave when the head league official stopped them.

"Yes?" Ash stepped forward in front of the others.

"I wanted to say thank you for saving my life. I thought that your friend got hit instead but seeing everyone standing, I'm happy nobody is hurt." Nobody said anything and Ash merely nodded. "Here, take this." The head official gave Ash a card. "It's not much, but call these guys; they have the best food in Kanto and give them this card and the feast will be on us, no strings attached as a thank you for saving me and the other officials. You truly are a great trainer and a good person."

Ash thanked the official for his generosity and kind words as they shook hands. The crowd cheered once more before he and his friends left the stadium together, taking the closest exit with the raven haired trainer leading the way with Dawn. Ash had grasped her hand and gently pulled her forward to walk beside him when they began to leave the arena. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him, Dawn throwing an arm around his waist as well, leaning into his side as the two walked in front. Ash wasn't going to let her out of his sight, at least not for the rest of the day. He had almost lost her and he didn't know what he would've done if he couldn't heal her. He pushed the dark thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on the walk back to their hotel and on the blunette he was holding.

Behind the two, their friends were walking quietly behind them. When they saw Ash and Dawn get closer to each other, they smiled. They didn't say anything about it and didn't say anything about the kiss the two shared at the field. Misty positioned herself in between May and Serena, her necklace shining under the sun's rays.

"Hey, I think we should change the order. Let's have Dawn go next. I'm pretty sure it will help them recover from that horrible experience," advised Misty.

"I'm pretty sure even if we didn't it would've gone that way anyway. Sometimes plans need to fall apart so spontaneous things can take its place that will bring out better experiences," replied May.

"I have no problem with that," agreed Serena. Misty wrapped her arms around their shoulders and the three continued walking together, smiles on their faces.

"I think things are going to have much more interesting flavors as things start to get more intense around here," said Cilan, as he watched the three girls walking together behind Ash and Dawn.

"One thing's for sure; it's never dull around Ashy-boy," joked Gary, trying to ease the tension and for once, it worked, as the others chuckled slightly.

Back in the VIP room, President Goodshow sighed in relief after hanging up his office phone. He had spoken to the head official who told him that everything was alright and nobody was hurt. He then faced his guests, who were the five Champions of the Pokémon League; Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder and Diantha. They each gave him a look of concern that clearly asked what had happened.

"Everything is fine. Even though I thought I saw someone get injured, nobody was hurt and Russell has been arrested," explained Goodshow and the five Champions were relieved.

"It's good to hear all is well once more," stated Diantha, who was in the white coat.

"You said it. Oh and Lance," said Cynthia, waiting for the spiky haired man with the red and black cape to look at her before she continued. "What were you saying again before about thinking too rashly?"

Lance huffed out some air and turned away, muttering that he was going to get some food. Steven and Alder grinned at seeing the usually correct dragon master be wrong for a change and Diantha shook her head in amusement. Cynthia smirked as she turned to face the field again through the window, before becoming lost in her thoughts.

I knew you'd win. You've become quite powerful Ash. After getting to know you a little and fighting alongside you and your friends years ago, I knew that you were destined for greatness and someone special. I just wonder how you became so strong and what you've been up to these past three years that you had disappeared. And…I hope you haven't forgotten me…as I haven't forgotten you…