=Author's Note=
	When last we met on Pokémon: Badgequest...a lot of stuff had gone wrong, 
at least for Ash.  Jeez, I don't want to explain it all...just read the other 
friggin' part, why don'cha?

=Legal Disclaimer=
	Like so many, many of you, I, too, don't own Pokémon.  I wish I did, but I 
don't.  If you want to sue someone, try Nintendo...I hear they have a lot of 
money to spare.

BadgeQuest #9
The League Games, Part II

	It was the match of the century, and it had all come down to one final 
hit; Alakazam powered up, creating a huge globe of glowing yellow Kai betwixt 
its spoons as the crowd roared and surged with excitement.  Pikachu's oversized 
heart would prove to be its downfall; at the first outcry of pain and anguish 
from Ash, the thunderous mouse had shifted attention from the battle over to its 
trainer.  Alakazam did not waste the opportunity, and struck without mercy or 
hesitation.  The psychic bolt blasted the tiny electric rodent Pokémon, ending 
the match and deciding the Championship of the Indigo League.  The announcer 
summed it up in one quick, booming announcement:

	"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over!  THE MATCH IS OVER!  GARY IS THE 
WINNER!"

*Click*

renniwehtsiyragrevosihctamehtrevosihctamehtnemeltnegdnaseidal

*Click*
	"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over!  THE MATCH IS OVER!  GARY IS THE 
WINNER!"

*Click*

renniwehtsiyragrevosihctamehtrevosihctamehtnemeltnegdnaseidal

*Click*

	"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over!  THE MATCH IS OVER!  GARY IS THE 
WINNER!"

*Click*
*		*		*

	Ash rewound the tape again, as he had been doing for what seemed like an 
eternity.  His posterior was firmly planted in the luxurious couch resting in 
the living room of the rustic cabin assigned to him and his friends.  The 
trainer had scarcely moved in twelve hours, little more time then had passed 
since his match with Gary...he hadn't eaten, he hadn't slept.  The only thing he 
had done since placing Pikachu and the others in the capable hands of Nurse Joy 
had been to watch and re-watch the tape of the match, rewinding and playing in 
an endless cycle of futility.

	'What did I do wrong?' the voice kept running through his mind as he 
watched the final moments over and over again, wearing the videorecording out 
well before its time.  'Didn't I train hard enough?  Didn't I want it bad 
enough?'  His soul felt as if it was in shreds, but outside he remained steady 
as a stone.  'Why?'

	"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over!  THE MATCH IS OVER!  GARY IS THE 
WINNER!"

*Click*

	He had grown to hate that voice...it had sang out with praise for Gary's 
victory so very many times in the last day.  Ash felt as if his world was 
crashing down around him; why had so many abandoned him in his hour of need?  
Where was Bruno, where were the fans?  Where was Professor Oak?

	Ash let the tape rewind further, going back in time once again to before 
Pikachu had fainted.  One question kept popping back into his mind as he sat 
there, not moving an inch: Why had he lost his vision all of a sudden?  Eyes 
didn't stop working suddenly, and for no reason...  He was certain that he could 
have won the match if he could have seen the situation, if he could have given 
Pikachu instructions.  And yet, he hadn't, and had paid dearly for it: Pikachu 
was in real danger, and might not survive the night.

	"Ash?"  Misty stuck her head in the dim, darkened room.  The light of the 
flickering television cast eerie shadows across her worry-creased face, her pale 
skin shimmering in the unnatural light.  Her fiery red hair cascaded into her 
eyes, obstructing her already-poor vision in the bad lighting.  Her hand reached 
for the light switch, but was cut off by Ash's uncharacteristically gruff voice.

	"Leave the light off.  I prefer the dark."

	She blinked, entering the room with reserved hesitation.  "Oh-kay..." 
Crossing the room in several quick strides, she dropped down on the couch next 
to him.  The teenage vixen placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to 
grab his attention without success.  "Ash...hon...you know we all love you, 
right?"  He didn't budge, watching the tape as it rewound once more.  Scowling, 
she tried harder.  "What I'm trying to say is; I...I mean, 'we' think that 
you've been obsessing just a wee bit with this whole losing business."

*Click*

"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over!  THE MATCH IS OVER!  GARY IS THE 
WINNER!"

*Click*

	She sighed, throwing up her hands.  "Will you even speak to me?"  His 
quiet rage was her answer, screaming at her with a silence she had never seen 
before in her loudmouthed companion.  It was frightening, in a way; in the past, 
when Ash was angry, everyone within twenty miles knew about it.  Now, however, 
he was bottling it up inside.  Who knew when it would explode?  Then a though 
occurred to her; "You know what?  You're too old to be pouting over a lost 
match.  Do you know why?"  He didn't even flinch.  "Because it's your BIRTHDAY!"  
She hadn't lied; Ash's birthday had fallen on the tail end of the Indigo Games 
this year.  Ash, however, didn't seem to put the same enthusiasm behind the 
thought as Misty had.

	'This isn't working...' she thought glumly, turning to the door.  "Okay 
guys, time for Plan B!"

	The door to the room burst open suddenly, giving passage to the rest of 
Ash's companions; Brock, Richie, his mother, and Speedy, the local eatery 
establishment's rotund, pleasant owner/operator.  Everyone save Speedy was 
empty-handed.  Speedy, however, was laden with a large, magnificent cake with 
golden yellow-brown frosting.  They began to sing:
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you!
You look like a Grimer,
And you smell like Muk, too!

	"Sixteen years, and he's still alive.  If that isn't reason to celebrate, 
nothing is!" Misty spoke out for the group, giving Ash a huge birthday hug.  
When she released him, she was a bit annoyed and very worried to see that the 
teen wasn't even phased.  "Ash, aren't you going to say anything?"

	Brock tried next, laying a hand on Ash's shoulder.  "C'mon Ash, try your 
cake."
	"It's your faaaaaaaavorite." Richie coaxed him.  He dipped his finger into 
the thick frosting, popping it into his mouth.  As soon as the concoction hit 
his tastebuds, his face became contorted like a Magikarp's.  "Ugh!  Peanut 
butter and banana..."

	"Go on, Ash...please." the mother pleaded her son to no avail; his eyes 
were still glued to the television, endlessly watching his moment of failure.  
"Oh Ash..."

	Misty, however, didn't share Mrs. Ketchum's reserved attitude towards 
Ash's obsession.  "Goddess forsake it all!  You're taking this 'way' out of 
proportion, Ash Ketchum!  If you want to sit here and stew in your own rotten, 
vile juices, I say 'more power to you', you little sack of ego!"  She huffed, 
stalking off towards the door with the entire room (sans Ash) staring at her 
with disbelief.

	"Really, now, Ms. W, that was a little rough..." Speedy lamented, but was 
cut off violently.

	"He's taking this too far, Speedy.  Trust me, I've seen it before; he's 
blind to his own obsession with the whole thing."  She turned back to Ash, 
shouting at him, "You're blind, do you hear me?  BLIND!"

	Blind...that was what caused this mess in the beginning, wasn't it?  He 
watched the tape again, hearing Gary call out commands to his Alakazam: "Special 
Kinesis" his tinny voice rang out from the TV's speakers, just as it had done so 
a hundred times since he had gotten the tape.  For some reason, though, it kept 
playing over and over in his head, along with Misty's words.

	BLIND!

	Special Kinesis

	BLIND!

	Special Kinesis

	BLIND!

	BLIND!

	BLIND!

	"No..." It couldn't be.  It simply couldn't be.  He could blame the 
Pokémon, he could blame himself, but he could never believe that someone could 
stoop to...but it seemed like something Gary would do, especially if frustration 
and desperation had set in.  No one, in the two hundred years of the Indigo 
League, had ever stooped to something that vile.  He stood up, walking over to 
the TV and hitting the eject button, popping the video out into his waiting 
hand.  Ignoring the stares of curiosity, he crossed the room, grabbed his strewn 
jacket from atop a kitchen chair, and made for the door.

	"Ash, where are you going?" Richie asked as the determined trainer sped 
past.

	"Out." Ash muttered.

	"But where-"

	"I SAID OUT, OKAY?"  He slammed the door behind him, jarring the entire 
room.  They stood there helplessly, wanting to go after him but afraid of what 
would happen if they did.

	"Happy Birthday..." Mrs. Ketchum whispered sadly.
*		*		*

	The party had lasted all night, and was well on its way to lasting all day 
in Gary's League quarters.  The music was loud, drinks were plentiful, and the 
small area was packed with people the new Champion didn't even know, all 
congratulating him on his victory as they ate his food and trashed his 
place...and he couldn't have been happier.  After all these years of hard work 
and sacrifice, he had finally gotten exactly what he deserved.  As far as he was 
concerned, it was about time, too.  He stood in the middle, laughing with joy as 
he felt the bass of the music beating within his bones.  With all the noise the 
crowd was producing, the bass was the only part you could hear.  He was having 
the time of his life, until he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.  Turning, 
Gary saw the face of the one person he most wanted to gloat to, and the one 
person he half expected to never see again.

	"Hey, Ketchum!  C'mon in, join the party."

	Ash's face was grim, more so than Gary had ever seen it.  "We need to 
talk.  Now."  He placed a hand on Gary's shoulder, gripping his rival firmly.

	Gary glanced down at the hand, setting his drink down on a table.  "Hey-
hey, no need to get violent, Ketchum.  Sit down, stay a while.  You want 
something to drink?"  He grinned, enjoying every moment.

	"NOW!" Ash's face became blood red with anger as he screamed to be heard 
above the music.  Gary was a bit taken aback, as were several of his fans 
standing next to him.  He scowled, brushing Ash's hand off of his shoulder.

	"Well, if you insist, *Mr. Ketchum*."  He gestured towards the door, 
letting Ash lead the way, making their way through the crowd until they managed 
to squeeze out of the room.  Shutting the door behind him to cut the noise down, 
Gary turned to Ash with folded arms.  "Okay, now what's so all-fired important 
that it has to interrupt-"

	"I know what you did."

	Gary's face became pale and ashen.  He broke out in a cold sweat, 
swallowing nervously.  "I don't know what you're talking about.  Besides, you 
can't prove anything."

	"Can't prove what?"

	Gary regained control, at least partially; while his hands still shook, 
his face remained calm and cool.  "I thought you already knew."

	"I do." Ash gave him a cold, hard look, his usually bright amber eyes a 
cold, stone brown.  "And so do you, Oak."  He clenched his fists, trying to make 
them stop shaking with fury.  "If you confess now, the League might show some 
leniency-"

	"Leniency for what?"

	That was the straw that broke the Rapidash's back; Ash lost any control 
that had remained, exploding with rage and anger.  "LENIENCY FOR CHEATING, YOU 
LITTLE MONSTER!"  His breathing became ragged as somehow, miraculously, he kept 
from throttling the young Oak to death.

	"What are you-"

	Ash gave him a cold, hard look that would have frozen a Jynx.  "Two words: 
Special-Kinesis."

	Now Gary was 'really' nervous; how could he have known?  "You can't prove 
anything, Ketchum.  You don't have a leg left to stand on in this league."

	But Ash wasn't listening; he had turned and was stalking off, still fuming 
with rage.  Gary was now more frightened than he had ever been.  If Ash could 
prove what he had done, he wouldn't just lose his title...he could go to jail.
*		*		*

	"Oh come on, Ash...that's a little far-fetched."

	Ash growled, shooting Misty a glare as he slumped against the table.  The 
Velocity Burger's business had gone down substantially since the end of the 
games, which left Speedy with plenty of free time to spend with his best 
customers.  The balding restaurant owner shook his head sadly as he ran an 
ancient dishrag over several spotted glasses, wiping away the grime and residue 
as he gazed at the despondent young trainer with disappointment.  "You gotta 
admit, Mr. K...you'd have trouble believing Gary if he said som'n like that 
after *he* had lost-"

	"Don't you get it?  I didn't lose, Gary cheated!" Ash slammed his fist 
down on the table, groaning with frustration.  "Why don't you believe me?"

	"It isn't that we don't believe you..." Richie tried to explain, looking 
to Brock and Misty for a little help, "It's just that...uh..." Ash glared at 
him, drumming his fingers impatiently.  "It's just..." He dropped his hands, 
defeated.  "Okay, so it *is* like we don't believe you...but you have to admit, 
it is a little far-"

	"I'm not making this up!" Ash yelled, standing up.  His chair flew back 
behind him, tipping over and skidding across the floor as he stomped out of the 
room without looking back.

	'Those jerks!' he thought, 'Those no-good...insufferable...' Ash was so 
angry he couldn't even think straight, unable to come up with an appropriate 
insult for his less-than-supportive friends.  Friends were supposed to help 
other friends out during tough times, and these times were tougher than Ash had 
seen in a long time.  Why didn't they believe him?

	He began to walk, not sure as to where his feet were leading him, and not 
particularly caring.  His mind was filled with anger, hurt and frustration; it 
just wasn't fair!  He knew-he KNEW- that Gary had cheated.  His rival had not 
only trampled over the rules, but he had attacked another human being with a 
Pokémon, and a Psychic one at that.  Without even thinking, Ash ended up outside 
of the league's Pokémon Center, a building that any trainer could recognize; 
soft, curving walls, an open and friendly set of doors, and a huge, flattened 
Pokéball inscribed with a cross that hung just above the entrance.  Hesitating 
only momentarily, Ash stepped through the automatic doors and into the Center.

	The nurse on duty (a Joy, of course) smiled as she recognized him.  "Oh, 
hello there, Ash!  How are you today?"  

	"Fine." he lied through his teeth, not really wanting to spread his rotten 
mood to the impossibly sweet Nurse Joy.  "Um, has there been any change-?"

	Her smile dropped after Ash's question, her tiny, delicate features 
growing somber and grim.  "No, I'm afraid not.  The others are perfectly all 
right.  I have them right here." she pulled a tray out from behind the counter, 
handing Ash a set of five Pokéballs.  He accepted them with forced gratitude; 
these weren't the Pokémon he was really worried about at the moment.  They 
weren't the ones in a coma...

	"Would it be all right if I visited?"

	Joy looked torn, knowing perfectly well that it was against a Center's 
policy to let guests in the back.  Ultimately, though, she knew what the right 
answer was.  "Only for a moment.  He needs to rest."  Ash nodded in agreement, 
and Joy led him through the sterile double doors into the Pokémon Intensive Care 
Unit [PICU].  

	It was Ash's worst nightmare; everywhere he looked, a Pokémon was on the 
verge of dying.  To his left were a string of Grass types with severe burns, 
shivering and shuddering, their wilted, blackened leaves shaking with the 
unnatural movement.  To his right was just the opposite; a Charmander and a 
Growlithe were hopelessly tangled in stubborn Leach Seed vines, too thick to cut 
off and too tough to burn through.  The vines were slowly sapping their 
strength, draining the very life from their reddened, warm bodies.

	"Right over here, Ash." Joy led him over to a secluded corner in the small 
room of horrors, to where his Pikachu lay.  Ash gasped; he had forgotten how bad 
Pikachu had been when he had taken the Pokémon to the Center.  There wasn't a 
mark on the yellow mouse anymore.  Joy's care had seen to the physical needs of 
the injury.  No, Pikachu looked...sickly.  Its fur pale and lifeless, Pikachu 
was hooked up to a respirator that helped the rodent cling to life just a little 
bit longer.  Ash reached out to touch his Pokémon, horrified to find its skin 
cold and clammy beneath its fur.  Joy nodded once, then left the pair alone for 
the moment.

	"Hey Pikachu..." Ash said softly.  "I know you can hear me right now."  He 
chuckled, "I know doctors always say that that people in comas can't listen to 
anything, but...I know they're wrong."  The trainer searched for the right words 
to say to his Pikachu, surprised that he was coming up short.  "I...I know 
you're going to make it.  We've been through tougher times then this."  He 
laughed again, dredging up painful memories and using them to comfort him in the 
hour of darkness.  "Remember when Haunter killed us?  Remember how one of the 
first thing I decided to do was to take Misty for a joyride?  Or how about the 
time when we got the three treasures to calm the titans?  Sure, Lugia helped a 
little, but it was you and me all the way."  He sniffled, "It's always been you 
and me, all the way..."

	Ash was openly weeping now; tears of pain and sorrow were streaming down 
his cheeks, dripping onto Pikachu's stark white bedsheets.  "This is all my 
fault, Pikachu...it's my fault you're in here."  He reached out, clutching 
Pikachu's tiny claws in his own hands.  "I should have expected Gary to pull 
something like that...I should have been ready...I shouldn't have panicked when 
I went blind...I should have...I should have..." He sobbed, burying his face 
into the bed.  There had to have been something he could have done!  After a 
moment of agony, he lifted his head from the sheets, his face transformed into a 
mask of vengeance and fury.

	"I'm going to make things right, Pikachu.  I'm going to get my title 
back...our title.  It was as much yours as it was mine, and I'm not going to let 
Gary have it."  He stood up, fists curled tightly.
"I won't let him."
*		*		*

	Bruno walked into the Velocity Burger not long after Ash had left, clad in 
his casual manner; long, baggy pants, an open maroon vest and a black, long-
sleeved shirt to keep the chill of the overcast weather away.  With the 
restaurant closed and Speedy working in the back, the three teens were all that 
remained in the large room.  Misty, who had been staring down at the counter in 
depression, glanced upward at the burly master.  For some reason, Bruno had 
always reminded her of a larger, brawnier, sexier version of Brock with soft, 
brown eyes that always seemed on the alert.  She grunted in acknowledgement to 
him, then continued to stare at the countertop with a sigh of self-pity.

	"What's with her?" Bruno asked, scratching his massive, spiky-haired head.

	Brock shrugged, moving over to greet the Elite visitor.  "Don't mind 
Misty...she's always in a mood when her boyfriend's having a snit."  This 
comment was promptly received with a flying salt shaker straight to Brock's 
head, which he did his best to shake off.  In the meantime, Richie had 
volunteered to speak up, asking why Bruno had come.

	"Ash asked me to meet him here..." Bruno explained, craning his neck to 
search the extent of the restaurant.  "But it doesn't look like he's here..."

	"That's because he's not." Misty grumbled without turning around.  "He 
stormed off like a little baby when we didn't believe some half-baked, crackpot 
theory of his."

	"Let me guess; Ash thinks that Gary cheated in the final bout with 
Pikachu." Bruno stated.  This got them all snapped out of the funk that seemed 
to be hanging in the air; even Brock, who was suffering from a mild head injury, 
stared in slack-jawed shock at Bruno's revelation.  "I thought so."

	"H-how did you know?" Misty swiveled on the stool, eyes wide with 
disbelief.

	Bruno dug into the pocket of his massive vest, pulling out a small vidpad; 
a video recording/playing pad.  Holding it out so the others could crowd around 
his tree trunk of an arm, the larger man thumbed the play mechanism.  To Misty's 
chagrin, the tape of Ash's final battle began playing on the tiny screen.

	"Gee, this looks familiar..." Richie drawled, beating Misty to a sarcastic 
comment.  Bruno shushed him, letting the tape continue.  After a moment, 
Pikachu's epic battle with Alakazam began to replay in front of their eyes as it 
had a hundred times in Ash's presence.  "What's the big deal, we've all seen 
this before."

	Bruno thumbed in another command, bringing up a secondary viewbox within 
the projection.  Misty couldn't help but wonder just how a man with fingers as 
large as Bruno's could even hope to operate such a small control surface.  "Ash 
asked me to take a look at the tape...he mentioned one of Gary's attacks.  The 
funny thing was, he didn't want me to observe Pikachu during the attack.  He 
wanted me to watch him in the trainer's box.  Take a look, you'll understand."  
He hit play once more, letting the recording continue on.

	*Alakazam, Special Kinesis! * Gary's tinny voice rang out from the small 
device.  Misty, Brock and Richie kept a careful eye on the small screen while 
still trying to look at the main picture, dividing their focus.  Within a 
moment, they understood what Bruno had been talking about; as Alakazam's spoons 
powered up with psychic energy, the small image of Ash began screaming, clawing 
at his eyes as if they were ablaze.  As the battle raged on, it became apparent 
that Ash's eyes were aglow with unearthly light.

	Bruno froze the image, leaving the digital Ash petrified in a stance of 
agony and anguish.  He looked at his young friends with frankness.  "As I see 
it, there's only one thing that could have happened..."

	Brock whistled.  "I'll be a Mankey's uncle...no one's 'ever' cheated in 
the Games, not in all the centuries they've been around."  Folding his arms, he 
studied the vidpad more carefully, scrutinizing both the Alakazam and his 
downtrodden friend.  "No wonder Ash was so livid about it...he wasn't just 
gypped, he was assaulted!"  Richie nodded, voicing his agreement.  A soft moan, 
however, drew both their attentions away from each other and in Misty's 
direction.

	The Mistress of Water lay her head down on the countertop, slumped in one 
of the stools.  "Oh my God.  Ash tried to tell us, and we called him a 
liar...right to his face."  She felt like hiding in a cave for the next thousand 
years...maybe then the shame of betraying Ash would disappear.

	Brock took a similar stance of embarrassment, but managed to hide it.  
"C'mon, we have to find Ash before he does something crazy!"

	"What on Earth do you think he'd do?" Bruno asked.  He didn't know Ash 
nearly as well as the others.

	"Knowing Ash, it'll be something half-cocked and insane..." Richie mused.
*		*		*

	Gary sat in his small mini-apartment, flipping through the channels on his 
television without paying mind to any one of them.  His thoughts, instead, were 
focused on his confrontation with Ash earlier in the day.  Ketchum knew, he 
'knew'!  How could he have known?  There were only five more hours before the 
final ceremonies, and the passing of the League Badge.  He couldn't lose his 
championship in only five hours, could he?  It wasn't-

	*BAM!*

	*BAM!*

	*BAM!*

	Gary whirled around, leaning against the soft leather upholstery of the 
couch as he looked just in time to see his door give way to the repeated 
poundings.  On the other side of the broken barrier stood Ash, shoulders hunched 
and fists curl tightly.  His blue league jacket was wrinkled, dingy; his jeans 
likewise.  The trainer's face was haggard and tired, with drooping bags under 
each eye.  Still, Ash managed to pull off a fearsome stance, squaring off 
against his couch-planted rival.

	"W-what do you want, Loser?" Gary managed to stammer out, trying to keep 
the bravado from escaping his voice.  "I have nothing to say to you."

	"But I have a lot to say to you," Ash uttered in a low, controlled voice.  
He walked forward, leaning down to put his face mere inches from Gary's.  The 
newest addition to the Indigo Hall of Fame could see his old enemy's anger 
rooted deep in the other trainer's eyes.  It was something Gary had never seen 
before in Ash; an unadulterated rage that seemed to seep from every pore.  It 
poured in waves out of Ash's golden amber eyes, like floodgates into his soul of 
passion.  "Do you realize what you did?"

	"I-"

	Ash held up a hand, shushing him.  "Shut up.  Of course you don't; any 
fool would never assault another human being if he realized the consequences and 
never think of it again.  Likewise with cheating in an official league event."  
Ash put his hand down, inching even closer to Gary.  Their noses very nearly 
bumped together before Ash stopped moving, remaining frozen as he gazed down at 
Gary with contempt.  "If you step down as Champion tonight, I might forget it 
ever happened."

	"Forget what happened?" Gary tried to play dumb.  Ash continued to glare 
at him, never budging.  After what seemed an eternity, the taller trainer 
cracked, jumping up off of the couch as he threw his arms into the air.  "Okay, 
OKAY!  So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis.  So what?"

	Ash couldn't believe his ears.  "So what?  Gary, you *cheated*!  Doesn't 
that mean anything to you?"

	"Of course it means something!  It was the difference between winning and 
losing!"  Gary began to pace furiously, his fists shaking down by his hip.  He 
shot Ash a wicked glare before continuing to rant, "Do you know what it was 
like?  I came here, year after year, and all I did was lose!"

	"What are you talking about?  Gary, you were the League Winner three years 
in a row.  That's a great achievement!"  Ash's anger had subsided in place of 
incredulity; how could Gary be ashamed of beating all but one person?  He voiced 
his thought, which sent Gary over the edge.

	"How would you know, Ketchum?  You were that ONE person.  It didn't matter 
if I beat the others, I had to beat you!"  His eyes were wild, uncontrollable, 
as his pace quickened.  "Every time, it didn't matter how hard I trained; you 
would swoop in, riding your high horse, and snatch the real win from my grasp."  
In the blink of an eye, Gary crossed the distance spanning the two trainers, 
grabbing hold of Ash's lapels and shaking him.  "Do you know what that's like?"

	Ash shoved him off violently, knocking Gary to the floor with a thud.  
Gary stared up at his enemy; the move had surprised him, knocking some sense and 
ego back into him.  "What about me, Gary?  Huh?  Do you have any idea what it's 
like to lose because someone else cheats?"  Ash was shouting now, well above 
what Gary's voice had been.  "The worst part is, no one will believe me!"

	"That's not my problem, Ketchum."  Gary got up, dusting himself off.  "If 
you're expecting me to come forward and admit anything, you can forget it."  He 
pointed towards the broken door, his back turned on Ash.  "Get out.  Proving my 
own guilt isn't my problem, it's yours."

	Ash feigned a sullen, grim expression, managing to fit a corny line into 
his exit; "This isn't over, Oak.  I'll be back."  The truth was, though, he 
wouldn't need to be; as he strutted out the door and down the tight corridor, 
Ash patted a small miracle bulge in his jacket pocket.  Proving his own guilt 
wasn't Gary's problem...and now, it wasn't Ash's either.
*		*		*

	"Okay, OKAY!  So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis.  
So what?"

	"Let's hear it again, Dexter."

	Sitting atop a table in the now-emptied Velocity Burger, Ash's Pokémon 
Database/Experimental eXocomputer [Pokédex] buzz-clicked and rewound, giving his 
best Bogey impression.  "Play it again, Sam."

	"Okay, OKAY!  So I cheated; so I had my Alakazam attack you with Kinesis.  
So what?"

	Ash leaned back against the table, sighing with pleasure.  He looked up at 
his clan of doubtful supporters, the shock registering on their faces for the 
third time today.  Brock, Misty, and Richie; they all wore the same expression.  
"Well, well, well, what's this?  Ash was right?"  He mock-gasped, clasping his 
hands to either cheek.  "What, cat got your tongue?"

	"I...I'm speechless." Brock's voice was the first to return.

	Ash continued his condescending mockery.  "Hmm.  How about, 'Gee, Ash, 
sorry we called you a liar to your face.'  Or maybe 'Sorry for not supporting 
you when you were down and out, Ash.'  Would those work?"

	"All right, all right, lay off." Richie held up a hand of warning to his 
smug comrade, looking down at Dexter as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  
Picking up the device (not without some minor protests from Dexter itself), he 
examined the screen, which held a word-for-word description of the recording.  

	"So what do we do now?"

	"What do you mean, 'what do we do'?"  Ash snatched the Pokédex from 
Richie's hand.  At the same time, he pulled a small diskette from his pocket and 
held it delicately between his thumb and forefinger.  "I take this disk to the 
Elite Four and play it for them.  Whether they hate me or not, they can't ignore 
something like this."  Misty, who had been quiet up until this point, sounded 
off with a disappointed sigh.  Ash whirled on her, brutally attacking her with a 
manner that was totally out of character and uncalled for.  "What?  What is it 
now that displeases the *sensational* Misty Waterflower?"

	Misty didn't say a word.  Very calmly, she pushed her chair back and rose 
from her seat.  Turning to face Ash, she brought her hand up and struck his face 
with a lightning-fast backhand.  Ash spun around, clutching his injured jaw.  He 
looked at her with fire in his eyes, shaking with fury.  "What was that for?" he 
spat.

	"That was to knock some sense into you." She uttered, rubbing her hand.  
"Jeez, Ash, your head hasn't gotten any softer since the last time I did that."  
Ash's anger subsided a bit, the redness disappearing from all but the wounded 
part of his face.

	Ash rubbed his sore cheek, groaning.  "Try not to make a habit of it.  
Okay, you have my attention; better use it before I lose consciousness."

	Misty sighed, gently taking Dexter from Ash's hand.  If anyone had taken 
the time to pay attention to the device, they might have noticed that it didn't 
put up the fuss it had made when Richie had laid hand on it.  That was beside 
the point, though; "Ash...You're going about this all wrong."

	"What?  I'm just trying to get what's rightfully mine.  This is my dream, 
remember?  To be the Pokémon Champion-"

	"Wrong." she cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Your dream was 
to be a Pokémon Master of the world."  She put her hands on her hips, 'hmmf'ing 
loudly.  "Not champion of just 'one' league."

	Richie nodded in agreement; she had hit the nail right on the head.  
"Don't you remember, Ash?  Don't you remember the promise?"

	Years rushed past Ash's mind's eye.  The trainer managed to catch glimpses 
of his own past as they whirled through his head, spinning in an endless vortex 
of vertigo and recollection.  Images leapt out in his mind.  One stood out among 
the rest...
*		*		*

	"Hey Ash!"

	Ash looked up, his hands cupped behind his head as he lay on the grassy 
hill.  His new friend, Richie, was on his feet and looking far off into the 
distance, as if he was searching for something.

	"Ash," his chestnut-haired companion continued, "Let's make a promise, 
right now; let's promise to become Pokémon Masters!"

	Ash let the words ring through his cap-covered mind, drawing them out as 
if to examine them carefully.  Pokémon Master...  Did he have what it would 
take?  Could he really hope to ever be considered among the handful of elite 
trainers, revered for centuries?  Was he strong enough?  Smart enough?  What 
about his Pokémon?

	"Okay!  Pokémon Masters!"  Ash leapt to his feet, casting aside all 
doubts.  By the Goddess, he *would* be a Master, if it took him the rest of his 
life!  "You hear that?" he shouted out to the world, laughing and filled with 
exuberance, "POKéMON MASTERS!!!"

	Pokémon Masters...
*		*		*

	The crowd was once more cheering, screaming Gary's name out in the filled-
beyond-capacity stadium.  Every man, woman and child in the twilight-lit stadium 
was there to see the final ceremonies.  Fireworks boomed overhead, sending a 
splash of light and color over the bedazzled fans.  Three 'fans' in particular 
were awestruck, but not by the flashy displays of pyrotechnics overhead.

	"Hey, where's the peanut guy?" James placed a hand over his eyes like a 
visor, trying to block out the blinding light of the firecrackers soaring above.  
"I'm starved."

	"Meow!  All you tink about is dat stomach of yours..." Meowth grimaced, 
sitting atop Jessie's massive sweep of hair and looking upward at the fiery 
sunset sky.  Jessie, however, was much less frivolous than her partners.  She 
shushed them, trying to spot their target among the officials crowded at the 
base of the steps to the Torch of Moltres.  "What?"

	"Quiet, you flea-bitten mongrel!  I want to see if the twerp is going to 
show..." Jessie scolded her feline partner, swatting him with her free hand 
while holding a pair of binoculars up to her eyes with the other.  "Let's 
see..." There was that geezer, Goodshow...the Elite Four, though three of them 
didn't seem to be talking to the fourth, the towering mass of muscle...the 
twerp's rival... "Where is he?" Jessie muttered.
*		*		*

	"Where is he?" Misty muttered, scanning the field with her naked eye from 
the executive box seats.  Craning her neck, she tried to see the small portion 
of the field directly below their seats, only managing to tip off balance.  
Brock leaned forward and grabbed the young lady by the scruff of her neck as her 
arms pinwheeled wildly, saving her from a lethal plummet.  Sighing with relief, 
she thanked Brock, then went back to searching.  "Where could he be?"

	"I really wish you'd stop asking that..." Richie uttered, his own eyes 
trained on the field.  None of them had seen Ash since he had left the Velocity 
Burger.  Thankfully, he hadn't been brooding, or psychotic, or even angry.  Ash 
had seemed...pensive.  For Ash, that was a totally unexplored mindset; Richie 
wasn't sure how his friend and rival would handle the past events with a level 
head.  Come late?  Go berserk?  Most definitely, but Ash would never, not ever, 
even think about backing down from a hardship...even when it meant losing 
something dear to him.

	"Wait, there he is!"
*		*		*

	Ash Ketchum strode onto the stadium's main field, feeling ten feet tall 
and about a hundred years old.  He was clad in stark, drab attire; a black 
League jacket with white and red trim, accompanied by black denim jeans.  His 
trusty, if slightly battered and filthy, league cap was perched atop his head, 
bill swiveled to cover his neck.  His eyes were staring straight out front, 
never focusing on anything or anyone for more than an instant as he made his way 
over to the small stage erected at the base of the steps.

	Goodshow was immediately relieved to see that Ash had indeed come, and not 
run off to skip the final ceremonies.  He motioned for the officials and 
commentators to stand back, leaving only himself, the Elite Four, and Gary to 
claim the limelight at center stage.  Clearing his throat, the old timer began 
the grim festivities.  "Ladies and gentlemen, today is a momentous event; you 
are here today to witness the passing of the torch from one League Champion to 
the next." Radiating dangerously high levels of pride, Gary stepped forward, 
standing in front of Goodshow and bowing his head with respect.  Ash, too, 
walked to face Goodshow.  His expression was unreadable as he folded his arms 
across his chest.  Goodshow continued; "Gary Oak, do you accept the enormous 
responsibility of representing the finest that Indigo Plateau has to offer, both 
in and out of the Indigo League?"

	"You'd better believe...I mean, yes sir!" Gary exclaimed with an 
uncharacteristic note of glee.  Goodshow nodded, then turned to Ash.  

	"Mr. Ketchum," he asked, "Do you accept the League's ruling, and admit 
defeat to Gary, having lost to him in a fair and honorable battle?"

	Time froze as Ash pondered the question.  Sticking his hands deep into his 
jacket's pockets, he turned his head to meet Gary's eyes.  The entire crowd held 
their breath, waiting for Ash's answer, but Ash neither noticed nor cared about 
them anymore.  His gaze bored into Gary's skull as his he drew his hand out of 
his jacket; supported between two of Ash's fingers was a small diskette, the 
kind used in audio devices.  It took Gary exactly two seconds to realize what 
was on that disk, and another half-second for his eyes to grow as wide as 
saucers.  Nervous sweat began pouring off of the cheater's skin, dripping down 
his shirt and off of his pointed chin.  Ash broke the gaze, looking down at the 
disk.  With a quick flip of the wrist, he tossed the thin metallic circle away 
and off the stage.

	"I lost."

	Goodshow nodded, extracting a small box from his own thick wool jacket.  
"Very well.  Then please, Mr. Ketchum, bestow the new badge of office of Indigo 
League Champion to Mr. Oak."  Opening the box, he revealed the latest badge to 
come out of Indigo; it was a beautifully crafted triangular pin, with a criss-
crossing black and white border, a yellow background field, and the stylized 
league 'L' dominating the center.  

Ash took it from the box, gently holding it in the palm of his hand.  For a 
moment, he just examined the badge with wonder.  The crowd was starting to turn 
blue in the face from holding their breath for so long, and was starting to turn 
ugly.  They went berserk at Ash's next actions; he leaned over, putting his face 
down to his cupped hand, and spit onto the badge with disdain.  Standing upright 
once more, he let his hand roll to the side, dropping the badge to the plywood 
surface of the stage.  Raising his knee almost to his face, he brought his foot 
down on the badge with a *CRUNCH*, snapping it into four haphazard pieces.  The 
crowd began to boo him as Gary whimpered, looking down at his broken badge with 
watering eyes.

"Mr. Ketchum!" President Goodshow protested, but Ash held up a hand to stop the 
old man.  He reached into his jacket once more, this time pulling out a badge; 
his badge.  His was very similar to what would have been Gary's badge, only in 
the shape of a hexagon.  Without a sound, he held out the badge, offering it to 
his rival.

"W-what are you doing?" Gary stammered, more confused than afraid now.

"Take it."

Gary looked over to President Goodshow, who merely shrugged.  Hesitantly, Gary 
reached for the badge, acting as if it would burn him the moment he touched it.  
Of course, that didn't happen; Gary's hand closed around the badge, lifting it 
from Ash's hand.  Ash could have sworn he felt a piece of himself leaving with 
the badge, but swallowed the feeling as well as his anger.

"I'll be back for that next year, Oak."  He pivoted on his heel and stalked off 
the stage before another word could be said.  As Ash left the stadium, he could 
hear Goodshow starting another droning speech on the wonders of being an Indigo 
trainer, and how Gary was the pinnacle of any trainer here tonight.  He didn't 
dare look back; that would only confirm that this wasn't his worst nightmare, 
and would send him screaming back for his badge.  It was unfortunate he didn't 
turn around; he might have seen Bruno picking his dropped diskette out of the 
soft soil of the arena, examining it with confusion and curiosity.
*		*		*

The Velocity Burger was all but closed now; most of the trainers and spectators 
had left the Indigo compound, returning to their normal lives until the next 
Games began.  Gary, the new Champion, had already left aboard the League's 
private jet with the Elite Four on a victory celebration to Paris, France.  
"Never took me to see Paris..." Ash muttered, nursing the drink he had poured 
himself.

"What was that, Mr. K?" Speedy inquired, scrubbing away at a mug with his old 
dishrag.  He didn't seem to mind that a single trainer kept him from closing the 
restaurant; Ash was one of his best customers, even if he didn't pay for a 
thing.  "Something wrong with the root beer?"

"Huh?  Oh, no.  It was nothing, Speedy." Ash assured him unconvincingly, taking 
a long swig of the soda as proof.  He stared into the drink, watching as the 
bubbles rose to the top, only to explode and cease to be.  The metaphor wasn't 
lost on him.  Over and over, he told himself, 'It was just a badge.  You have 
plenty of badges: Indigo, Orange, Johto...one badge won't make a difference.'  
Not surprising, it didn't dull the sting of failure one iota.
Ash could hear the diner's door opening behind him, accompanied by the sounds of 
shuffling feet.  Ash didn't bother to turn around; he knew who was there.

"Hey, Ash?" Brock inquired softly.  Ash swiveled in his chair, gasping at the 
sight; Brock, Misty, Richie, and his mother were standing in the entryway to the 
Velocity Burger, looking uncomfortably at Ash.  What really got to Ash was 
Pikachu, who was cradled in Brock's arms.

"Pikaaaaa." Pikachu cooed weakly, blinking large eyes at Ash.  The trainer 
practically leapt out of his stool, rushing over and whisking the thunderous 
Pokémon out of Brock's large arms.  "Cha."

"Oh, Pikachu..." Ash cried softly, hugging the mouse to his chest.  "I'm so 
sorry...I-"

"Chu."

"But...but it was my fault.  How can I ever make it up to-"

"Chu."  Pikachu looked up at him with teary eyes, telling Ash what he needed to 
hear.

Ash sighed, lifting the Pokémon up and onto his shoulder.  "You're right, 
Pikachu.  It's time to move on."

"Already?" his mother was surprised.  She had hoped that Ash would rest up after 
the entire ordeal, maybe take a few weeks off to spend at home.  Brock and Misty 
had harbored similar ideas, and voiced their concerns, but Ash seemed resolute.  
He pulled out his Pokédex, activating it with a quick flip of his thumb.

"It might be fun to run around the island again," Brock observed optimistically, 
"Just like the old days."

Ash shook his head.  "I've been looking at the past few months...take a look."  
Dexter began to project a flickering holographic map into the air, showing 
Pokémon Island and the surrounding chain of isles from a sub-orbital view.  
Several flashing red markers dotted the map, pinpointing every place the 
trainers had visited in the last three-quarters of a year.  "Not one of the gyms 
I've beaten in the past year have been more than a hundred miles from the 
Island.  I've been too close to home as it is."  He clenched a fist with 
determination, "People, we're going to America."

A collection of gasps rose from the group, even Speedy.  "A-America?" Richie 
stammered, hardly able to believe what he had heard.  "You'll never come out 
alive!"

"Ash, Americans are horrible to foreigners!  They have an entire government 
department set up for harassing people from different countries!"  Misty wailed, 
knowing very well that wherever Ash went, she would go, too.

Brock nodded vigorously in agreement, his voice quaking.  "It's true.  My mother 
used to tell me awful stories about the place when she lived there, before she 
moved to the Island with my father.  They make you carry around thousands of 
awful cards, and people hurl garbage at you in the streets."

Ash blinked exactly three times, looking at them as if they had sprouted wings 
and called themselves Dragonites.  "I'm sorry, but exactly when did you guys go 
completely insane?  Brock: Misty: We were in Hollywood for that bogus movie 
premiere, don't you remember?  Nothing bad happened...sort of."

"Yes, dear, but that was Hollywood..." Mrs. Ketchum informed him wisely.  
"Nothing bad ever happens in the Land of Dreams."

"My mind's made up."

Brock suddenly thought of something.  "Wa-a-a-it a minute," he drawled, waggling 
a finger at his friend.  "You aren't League Champion any more."

"I'm not?" Ash feigned surprise with as much sarcasm as he could possibly fit 
into one sentence.  "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"You couldn't possibly afford a trip to America, much less an extended 
journey..." Brock chose to ignore his friend's cynicism for the moment, 
promising to have Misty pound the living daylights out of him later.  "How on 
Earth do you plan on..." he saw his friend's face drop in shame, turning several 
shades of crimson.  "Oh God, you didn't-"

"Well, not all of it.  I managed to get Silph Co. to sponsor a good portion of 
the trip...oh, by the way," Ash pulled several jackets out from behind the 
counter, tossing two of them to Brock and Misty.  "We'll be wearing these for a 
while."  Holding up his own jacket, he revealed the black and red coat to have a 
large Silph Co. logo embroidered on the back.  "But for the rest..."  He looked 
apologetic.  "I'm sorry, guys, I didn't have much choice."

"What's he talking about?" Richie was more confused than ever, as was Ash's 
mother.  "I don't get it."

Misty blew out a breath of frustration, sliding her new 'favorite' jacket over 
her slim shoulders.  "Rupert Murdock has been after Ash's life story ever since 
he became Champ..."

Ash picked up Dexter again, this time instructing; "Dexter, holo-television.  
Tune it in to Channel Twelve."  Dexter complied, catching the end of a Meowth 
litter commercial.  As the next commercial began, understanding dawned on 
Richie, as well as Ash's mom.  They stood there, riveted to the wavering image 
hanging in the air.

"Coming this fall, on FOX!" the announcer belted out in a coarse voice, "The 
most exciting thing on television."  A large, burly actor wearing a short-
sleeved jacket, blue jeans and a pristine white and red league cap dominated the 
screen.  Some sort of low quality computer-animated Pikachu stood atop the 
muscle man's shoulder...at least, it *looked* like a Pikachu.  "The story that's 
*never* been told before!"

"Got to catch them all." the actor said with badly garbled English in a 
distinctly Austrian accent.  He held up his fingers in a distinctly familiar 'V' 
pattern.

"Pika..." Pikachu was hardly impressed with his television counterpart.

"Watch as the ten-year-old prodigy Ash Ketchum faces insurmountable odds across 
hostile terrain."  The image flashed, now showing the man and his fake Pikachu 
battling a flock of Pidgeys over the remains of a blown-up motorbike.  "Watch," 
the announcer commanded, "As he meets lifelong friends:"

"Hi there..." a voluptuous, beautiful model wearing a terribly cheap red wig had 
somehow been stuffed into a yellow tube-top and impossibly tight cutoff jeans.  
She stood in front of "Ash", running a finger coyly along the contours of his 
steroid-enhanced chest.  "You broke my bike, you 'bad' boy.  I'll have to follow 
you wherever you go until you find some way to *make it up to me*..."

"That terrain doesn't look so hostile to me..." Brock's voice wavered as his 
eyes glazed over.  This earned him a sharp jab from Misty's elbow.

The screen switched yet again.  If at all possible, they had found someone even 
larger than the man playing Ash to put on-screen this time.  He wore a thin, 
black tank top and khakis, and a large, brown, shrublike wig had been glued 
crooked on his head.  "Yo, Ash." he rumbled as he walked alongside "Ash", 

"Thanks for letting me come along on your fantastic adventures."

"Not problem..." the Austrian gargled back.

"This fall...only on FOX!" 

Dexter shut off the transmission, emitting several gagging noises for effect.  
"I may wretch my databanks..."  Misty silently seethed, none-too-happy as to how 
her character had been portrayed.  Though he didn't know it (and never would, in 
all honesty), Rupert Murdock had just made Misty's list of revenge.  As she 
plotted ways of torturing the network executive, Ash resumed his plans.

"I figure with some intense training with some of the top competitors in the 
world over there, I'll be more than ready when the League Games come around 
again." Ash snapped Dexter shut, putting him in his new jacket.  He took the old 
one off, hesitating for a moment as a small glint caught his eye; his original 
badges, gleaming at him from inside his trusted Indigo garb.  With a few quick 
motions, he pulled only one pair of the metallic pins out of the jacket; the 
Boulderbadge and Cascadebadge.  "Here, mom, can you keep this for me?"  He 
tossed his jacket over to his mother, who nodded.  Tears of pride were dripping 
down her cheeks as she beamed with joy over Ash's sudden transformation.

"Hey Ash..." Richie started uncomfortably, "Uh...you think you could use another 
man on the team?"

Ash reached behind the counter once more, tossing Richie the fourth of the Silph 
Co. jackets.  "I thought you'd never ask."  For a moment, the room was silent.  
No one knew what to say.  Then, without warning, Misty spoke up.

"Okay Speedy, I think he's ready.  Time for Plan B."

Speedy nodded as he gave her a knowing smile, reaching down into the cupboards 
far below.  Gently, carefully, he stood back up with a large, delicately 
decorated golden brown/yellow cake with sixteen burning candles supported in his 
large, lumpy hands.  "It's your favorite, Mr. K...Peanut butter and banana."

"Speedy?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  Everyone cried out at once, crowding around the trainer and 
giving him several hugs and slaps on the back, as well as some congratulatory 
shocks from Pikachu.  Ash was caught unawares, but not totally surprised; after 
all, they needed as much a reason to celebrate as Ash did, and a birthday was a 
good enough excuse as any.  The real surprise came when Misty leaned over, 
giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Now blow out your candles," she whispered, redness already seeping into her 
blushing cheeks, "Before I shove that over-inflated head of your into the cake."  
He gave them his biggest grin, then turned to the cake.  Taking a big breath, he 
prepared to blow the candles out-
*		*		*

	And found himself standing on a vast, empty plane of white fog, extending 
onward in every direction seemingly without end.

	"Huh?" Ash's eyes went wide with just a touch of fear and even greater 
surprise than before as he looked around wildly, trying to figure out what had 
just happened.  One moment he was about to eat his favorite cake with all his 
friends and the next...

	"Hello, Disciple."

	"Oh no..." Turning, Ash saw the face of a woman he had hoped to never see 
again; she hadn't appeared to him for several months now, and he had thought her 
to be gone forever.  That was not the case, it seemed.  Sure enough, the 
familiar (beautiful) woman stood before him, raven hair and translucent gown 
billowing in an unseen, unfelt wind.  "What now?"

	"Ash?"

	Ash could hardly believe his ears.  Turning once more, he saw, to his 
amazement, another person here.  But how could that be?  There had never been 
any other people in his visions before...

	"Richie?"  Richie was standing right beside him, looking as lost and 
confused as Ash was right now.  Like Ash, he was without any of his Pokémon, 
trapped without ally in the swirling fog.

	"Oh man, Ash...not you, too!"
End

Quiet Hindsight
	You know what?  I have absolutely no idea if people read my stories or 
not.  I seriously don't.  Now I'm going to ask a favor to each and every one of 
you; after you read this story, just go back and up to my mail link, and write a 
very, *very* short e-mail.  Even if it just says "Hey, my name is Gotta Lotta 
Tyme, I read your story..." It would make me the happiest Internet Ghost on the 
web.  Keep reading, and stay tuned for the Season Finale of Pokémon: BadgeQuest.

Next-		BadgeQuest #10
		Destiny's Gambit