This is one stubborn plotbunny…

Disclaimer: I don’t’ own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit fanwork, not intended to infringe on copyright, and written by me. My ideas are mine and my own so don’t take them.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thinking, italics for pokemon chatter.

Chapter 4: Victor

Violet next released a Pidgeot.

It was agile, certainly, but Ash had picked up a nifty little trick. He locked on with Gyarados, and then used Thunder. The lightning followed the bird around, before frying it. Ash smiled innocently as Violet growled and charged along with her Marowak.

They flooded the ring with Hydro Pump and that was down too.

Her secret weapon was probably her last pokemon.

It was, of course.

Ash looked at the Kangaskhan speculatively. How to do this…

He didn’t want to hurt the baby.

So it had to be a fast attack… or not visible.

With a smile, he released Mysdreavus.

“What is that?”

The ghost type vanished.

Ash simply dodged the Kangaskhan’s charges before Mysdreavus’s Hypnosis took effect and Kangaskhan fell asleep.

“Unable to battle!” Yelled the referee. “Red Ashura wins!”
Ash beamed. * See? Now finals left. *

He smirked as he walked offstage.

“Maybe he is too young.” Agatha said. “It is most unfortunate that my granddaughter Karen is off training, we should have recruited her.”

“Don’t you have a grandson too?”

“Yes, but he’s Red’s age or so.”

“Ah.”

“That could be a problem.” Bruno agreed.

Lance sighed. * Well, if we do choose him we’ll have to break him from Team Rocket… *

I don’t want to stoop to their level, but if it has to be, so be it.

I really shouldn’t toy with fate like this, though… that’s always dangerous.

He sighed.

Ash polished his poke balls as he waited for the next match.

“Nervous?”

“No, oneechan.” Ash said, looking away from Sabrina on purpose. They were throwing their voices expertly, so it would disavow suspicion.

That was always good.

“Be careful.”
“I’m always careful, oneechan.”
“Just warning you…”

Ash nodded. He knew that if he won, he would be stuck under the limelight immediately.

That would majorly suck.

They might even discover his ties to Team Rocket…

Sabrina began briefing him telepathically on what he should do. Ash took careful note of everything, it was too close to slip up.

Way too close…

“Now! The championship match! Red Satoshi versus Lilac Persimmon!”

Ash blinked. That was actually someone’s _name_?
How creepy…

Lilac pursued her lips. “I won’t lose!”

Ash yawned. “Do your best…”

“Go! Hitmonchan! Thunderpunch!”
“Interesting… Not.” Ash said, jumping on Aerodactyl’s back out of the way. “Wing Attack…”

Aerodactyl’s strong buffets knocked Hitmonchan out immediately, Same Type Attack Bonus and type advantage helped also.

Ash waited, and Lilac sent out a Raichu next, trying to Thunder them and thus win quickly.

As the lightning hit he swapped for Pika. The pikachu immediately grounded all the electricity.

“Toxic.”

Raichu was poisoned!

“Now, Double Team…” Ash whispered as Raichu charged with a Mega Punch. It crashed through a copy, as Pikachu used Swift. He grinned triumphantly at his older evolution.

Maybe it wasn’t always smart to evolve.

Raichu charged three more double team copies, as Toxic leeched off more HP. With its unbelievably low defense and HP bar already in jeopardy, a final Swift attack, from Pika finished it off.

“Next.” Ash said, smiling.

“Go! Charizard!”
“Another flying type?”

Thunder was fast and effective. Even if it was a final evolution, it wasn’t that powerful, and Pikachu did have the speed edge.

Ash waited patiently. This was really no challenge, really…

“Omastar, go!”

Now _that_ was new. Ancient pokemon like his Aerodactyl, ne?

I don’t’ lose that easily though, and its still part water.

“Thunderwave…”
While Lilac tried to get a paralyzed Omastar to move, Venus came on the field and with her Razor Leaf wrought havoc.

It was just fine…

Ash waited, sitting carefully on Venusaur’s back. He didn’t want to damage the flower petals.

Venusaur flooded the area with sweet scent next, disorienting the poor Machamp that appeared, one can’t really feel pity much for it though.

Still, she wasn’t that good against his type. Sweet scent over, Machamp attacked Ash only to be caught in Espeon’s Psybeam.

Lilac gritted her teeth, annoyed. “Go! Murkrow!”

“Dark-type… and she has one Johto pokemon.” Ash mused. “Well, that might be interesting… not. It’s really just a dark bird.”

But since Pikachu had already gotten his moment of glory, Ash used Poliwrath. One Dynamicpunch caused confusion, double team proved a great evasive maneuver again, and…

< Let’s finish this. Ice Beam. >

Since Poliwrath knew Ice moves, that covered flying-type’s weakness.

< Great work Poli! >

Ash hugged his pokemon tightly, as the announcer… well, just announced his victory.

< I owe it to all of you. Pika, Poli, Aeroy, Eevee, Venus, Espeon, Umbreon, Gyra, Mysdreavus… >

The pokemon all hugged him and posed for the picture of championship shot together. Really, only having ten pokemon as a champion was very little. But of course, he could always catch more.

Lance finished calculating and smiled. * You are a good trainer, with potential, but… I think it’s safer if you stay where you are. Well, I won’t drag you into our scheme, because I don’t like breaking children. *

And the second factor would not work.

That was fine, he could wait.

Happiness was greater good than truth in Utopia. [1]

He vanished in a swirl of dark light.

End Chapter

Completed 5/2/04, started 4/13/04

[1] Brave New World reference