Chapter 7 "Pikachu! Look!" exclaimed a startled voice of a young pokemon master. Pikachu surveyed the scene of the city before him. Of all the cities that they had ever been to this was the biggest. It went on for miles! The only thing that Ash and Pikachu could see was tall buildings and a lot of people. "Kolbind city. The city of dreams. So large it is home to three pokemon centers and two gyms which are constantly in competition." Sang out a computerized voice. Ash had pulled out dexter. "Pika!" Ash turned his head in surprise. "Pikachu. I couldn't understand you right now!" Ash's pokemon looked up at him startled. "Pika?" Ash was puzzled until he tried to move a hair away from his face. It wasn't yellow anymore! "Pikachu I figured it out! I can only understand you when my hair turns yellow. Boy, THAT'S a relief." "What? That your hair can turn yellow on a moments notice?" Ash sighed. His hair was yellow again. "No, that I can't understand you all the time. We're going to have to do something about my hair though, before we do anything else." Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's head. It was turning from blonde to black and back again. "Maybe we should just dye your hair blonde? Pika chu pika pi pikachu anyway." Ash shook his head. "Could you repeat what you said last Pikachu? I didn't catch that." Pikachu gave a grin and snickered. "I said it would look better that way anyway. Yellow is a very fashionable color." Ash laughed a bit and argued. "You're just saying that because you are yellow." "No, I'm saying that because of your mother." Pikachu retorted. Ash went silent. Pikachu was right of course but he didn't want to think of that right now. "I wonder why my hair is going blonde anyway? Is it a side effect of what team rocket did? Or am I going blind?" Pikachu gasped in surprise. Pikachu remembered that Ash still didn't know what was going on! "Umm.. Ash? We need to talk." In the City "I can't believe it!" growled Jessie. "We've been wandering around all night and no sign of the twerp." "Figures. The twerps show up when we least expect it and when they're not wanted. When you go to look for them, they disappear without a trace." Said James. "Quit flapping your gums and get back to work." Snapped Meowth. "No trainer can resist this tournament. The prize is the king at the next festival and a mystery pokemon." "The twerp won't be able to resist." Snickered Jessie. Team rocket were in vender outfits and were serving the trainers as they went by into the stadium. "This plan is foolproof! We first find him then we bust up the tournament to get Mew." Meowth was handling the main stand. Shut up! Here comes a customer." Meowth was serving a very familiar trainer. "What do you want girls? It's my treat." Gary called back to his fan club. "Hey, Isn't that the snob?" whispered James to Jessie. "You know, the one that gives Ash such a hard time?" "You know, I think for once you're onto something." Smiled Jessie. "I'm almost tempted to blow our cover to steal his pokemon." She snickered. "Thank you come again." Said Meowth. Meanwhile, in Gary's mind were some upset thoughts. 'I can't believe Ash is missing. My rival finally surpassed me and then he goes missing.' Gary put on his mask and rejoined his fans. "Here you are girls!" Said Gary as he passed out the drinks. "Gary! Gary! He's the coolest He'll put the others to the test! Yeah Gary!" Gary had a bit of a sweatdrop form on the back of his head. 'I wonder if Ash is all right. Anything could happen to him now that he has Mew.' The forest Pikachu was explaining what the Ultimate Trainer was. Why Ash had Yellow hair, why the pokeball pattern and why he could understand Pikachu. Ash was sitting on a log trying to listen to Pikachu's story. It was overwhelming! Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ultimate Trainer? What it really meant was slavery in Ash's mind. Command all pokemon? Did they have a choice in it? Probably not. "I've heard enough! Pikachu, is there anyway I can become normal again?" Pikachu was shocked at his friend's outburst. "Not that I know of." Sighed Pikachu. "Why? You finally have achieved your dream. You're the worlds greatest pokemon master." Ash looked Pikachu in the eye. "I had a hard enough time being the chosen one in the orange islands. Now I'm the Ultimate Trainer? What's next? Ruler of the universe? No thanks! I wanted to be a pokemon master but, not the Ultimate Trainer!" Ash growled and fell off the log backwards. "Ash!" "I'm fine." Ash said in a quiet voice. His back was on soft grass, his arms were behind his head and Ash stared up at the sky. "Pikachu come here for a moment." "You're not Ok are you?" Pikachu had jumped on the log and was looking into Ash's eyes. Ash had tears coming down his face. "I never wanted this to happen." Ash's voice cracked. "Pikachu? Promise me you won't leave me. I can't stand losing you too over this." "I'll never leave you Ash." Pikachu had crept from his perch and laid his head on Ash's chest. "Thanks Pikachu." That was all they said for a moment. Ash stared at the sky while clouds passed and the trees made shadows on the trainer and pokemon. Then a pokemon popped out of it's pokeball. "Ash? We should go now." Mew stared Ash in his eyes. The pokeball had opened over Ash's face and Mew was hovering in Ash's personal space. Before Mew could move, Ash smiled and asked something that had been bothering him lately. "Why did you decide to come to me?" "Pardon?" "Why did you decide to be one of my pokemon? Is it just because I'm the Ultimate Trainer? Or did you become my pokemon because you liked me?" Insisted Ash. Mew hovered blankly over Ash. "What do you mean?" Ash sighed and sat up. "Did you become one of my pokemon of your own free will or did something force you to be my pokemon?" Mew hovered to the side to let Ash sit up. "Guess you'll never know 'cause, I'm not telling you." Ash gave out a groan. "What are we going to do with you? I can't just bring you into town like that. We'll be mobbed for sure and I sure can't battle you." "That's where my physic power comes in. What kind of pokemon have you always wanted? Has to be around my size though." Ash thought for a moment. "I always wanted a dragon pokemon but I guess it's your choice." Ash gasped as Mew began to glow. There was a brilliant flash of light as Mew changed. It wasn't like Ash's transformation inside of team rocket but more like a changing of an outward shell. The shell began to change and warp itself into something that looked familiar to Ash. A nearby trainer with a Pikachu at his side saw the light and began to run. "How's this?" Asked the now changed Mew to Abra. Ash took a look at the pokemon before him. "Not bad! By the way, what attacks do you know? I can't battle a pokemon if I don't know it's attacks." "Physic, Recover, Triattack and Hyperbeam in this form." Ash gave the Abra a once over and was impressed. Ash lifted an eyebrow. "In this form? You have more than one?" Before Abra/Mew could answer, a trainer crashed through the bushed. "Richie?" Ash gasped in disbelief. Before him was another friend he had met on his pokemon adventure. "Ash! Are you Ok? I saw a bright flash of light and-Hey! Is that Abra yours?" Richie was still Richie; just as wild about pokemon as Ash was. Ash gave Richie the biggest smile he could muster and replied. "Sure is! I just caught it a little while ago. How are you Richie?" Ash held out his hand and Richie shook it. "Just fine! Was your Abra responsible for that light we saw a little bit earlier? Sparky and I came to check it out." "Ahh, he he, Yeah. That was Abra here." Ash said as he put one arm behind his neck and sweatdropped. Richie was suspicious of Ash's behaviour because he was acting like he was hiding something. "So what were you two-" "Pika!" Pikachu interrupted. "Sorry! Three doing here? Training?" That's when Richie noticed something. "Ash, where is Misty and Brock? Don't they travel with you wherever you go?" When Richie saw Ash's face fall, he knew he had hit a sore spot. "I-I don't want to talk about that right now. What brings you to these parts? Going out for the pokemon league here?" Richie laughed and gestured to Sparky on his shoulder. "Nope, Sparky here has to go to a specialist in Kolbind." Ash looked at the Pikachu on his shoulder. The only thing out of the normal was the tuff of hair that resembled Richie's hair and the Pikachu's red cheeks were more red than normal. "Something wrong with it's cheeks? They look a little swollen." Richie looked a little startled at Ash's inquiry but, then remembered that Ash had a Pikachu of his own. "Yeah. For some reason Sparky here is having a hard time with his electricity sacks. The best thing that Sparky can come out with is a thundershock attack." Pikachu leapt into Ash's arms and then onto Ash's hat to speak with Sparky. Translation "So, what happened to you? You look like you're holding tennis balls in your mouth." Asked Pikachu to Sparky. "I overdid an attack and I can't seem to get any electricity to come back into my glands. Does it really look that bad?" "It could be worse. You could look like you're holding basketballs in your mouth instead." Pikachu and Sparky laughed. Sparky suddenly stopped laughing and held it's cheeks. "Ohhh! Don't make me laugh. It hurts to laugh." Pikachu made a face. "It never hurts too much to laugh." Sparky mimicked Pikachu's face and began to laugh again. Ash and Richie both laughed about the way their pokemon were acting. "You may be right about that. I feel better already." Pikachu smiled and began to get caught up in some gossip. Totally ignoring their trainers, Pikachu began to tell the story of Ash being the Ultimate Trainer. While Pikachu was telling Sparky about the situation, Ash and Richie were setting up camp. "So here we are. Mew is actually Abra and Ash is on the run from his closest friends and team rocket. "You're kidding! Ash is the Ultimate Trainer?! Does he have the mark? This could just be a team rocket trick." "The mark?" Pikachu said dumbly and then remembered the hair problem. "You must mean his hair. Yes, it changes from black to blonde on a moments notice. It's really funny because of the way he acts; you would think someone had tried to kiss him or something." That made both pokemon laugh. "He panics that much?" Laughed Sparky. "Yeah. It's really funny to watch." Just then the two boys came back with an armload of firewood each and Abra. Sparky remembered what Pikachu said about Abra being Mew and got nervous fast. "So how do you say hello to such a rare pokemon?" whispered Sparky. Pikachu smiled and jumped onto Ash's hat. "Easily, just walk up and say hello." What Pikachu failed to recognize was that his sudden perch on the trainer's head made Ash lose his balance. "Pikachu! I have an armload of firewood I would like to put down before I drop it on my foot." Pikachu jumped off and watched as Ash began to drop the firewood. Before the load could topple on Ash's foot like he predicted; an aura of purple light helped him regain his balance. "Thanks Abra." "You're welcome Ash." Said Abra telepathically. "Hi, I'm Sparky." Said Sparky nervously as he held out a paw to Abra. Abra took Sparky's paw and shook it. "Is it true that you're really a Mew in disguise?" Abra gave a psychic laugh and nodded. "Yes I am Mew. Pikachu told you everything then?" Sparky nodded. "Good! Then tonight I would like you to help me with something concerning Ash. Sparky shifted uncomfortably on his seat on the ground. "What kind of help would a Mew need? I'm sure you can handle it." Mew laughed. "You'll see what type of help I'll need tonight and why I need your help." Translation off "You ready to tell me why Misty, Brock and you split?" Asked Richie. It was something that had been bothering Richie all day. They had agreed to go into town together for the tournament Richie had heard about and go for the gyms later on. Ash had not been his usual bright and cheery self Richie noticed and it was killing him not to know what was going on. They were eating dinner around the fire and their pokemon were eating too. "It wasn't Brock or Misty. I-I sort of left." Ash started quietly. "Waaa?" Richie almost fell off the log he was sitting at. "YOU left THEM? Why?" "I'm telling you this because you're a fellow pokemon trainer and you can understand my feelings. It wasn't their fault, more like my mothers." Richie looked at Ash as if he was from another planet. "What would your mother have to do in this?" Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath to gather his courage. "She practically forbid me to train pokemon anymore and wanted me to go home." Ash went silent for a moment before continuing. "I know that if I left with Mist and Brock, eventually they would drag me home. I can't have that." Ash felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up Richie was there with a sympathetic smile. "I understand Ash. I don't know if I could just walk away from friends like that though. You should call them in town to let them know that you're all right. That way they can have peace of mind." Ash hadn't thought of calling them from afar. Richie gave a winning smile to Ash and held up a thumb. "Why don't we travel together for a while? Just until you're back on your feet. That sound OK?" Ash wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. "That sounds great to me." Pikachu, Sparky and Abra gave an applause in the background. "I guess it's settled then." Smiled Richie. The pokemon gave a yell of approval and Pikachu climbed onto Ash's back onto his shoulder. Ash, for the first time in the last two days, felt happy. "Richie?" "Yeah Ash?" "After I phone everyone, can you umm.. errr.. oh heck! How are you at dyeing hair?" The next day at the hospital. Ring! Ring! Ring! A phone was demanding that someone pick it up. A person at reception picked up the phone. The person that appeared on the phone was a young boy with black hair, a black shirt, a white and blue over jacket and was sporting an official pokemon league hat. "Hello? Is Delilah Ketchum there?" asked the boy to the receptionist. "May I ask who is calling?" asked the blue haired, fingernail painting nurse joy look-alike. "Tell her that it's her boy calling." "One minute." The receptionist aired the message over the P.A. system. "Please hold." The receptionist had put Ash on hold on line three. Ash hated to be put on hold. One minute later, the receptionist was surprised to see a large group of people running towards her station. "There's a call for Delilah Ketchum?" asked the Officer Jenny in charge of the group. "Y-yes. There is a call for her. What of it? I know your name isn't Delilah." "I must speak to that boy right away! Grant! Becker! Get your tracers on this phone now!" "I'm here!" panted a middle-aged woman with brown hair and brown eyes. "There's a phone call for me?" She was quickly joined by a black haired boy and an orange haired girl. The receptionist recognized the boy as Brock because he had tried to hit on her during her coffee breaks in the cafeteria. "Are you Delilah Ketchum." The woman nodded. "Line three please." The woman snatched the phone like a person that was drowning snatching a life preserver. "Ash is that you?" The screen popped on to show the boy that had called earlier. "Hi mom, just calling to tell you that I'm alright." The woman gasped in relief. "Oh Ash. I thought team rocket had caught you again. Where are you?" "Don't tell her that!" Interrupted Officer Jenny. "The line could be tapped by team rocket." "Don't worry mom. I'll be alright." Insisted Ash to his mother. "I'll make you proud mom. Goodbye!" The line went dead. "Ash! Ash! Ohhh…" Tears were streaming down the mothers face. "Ash. Be safe my baby." "That didn't take long." Commented Richie as Ash left the phone booth. "I wasn't in a talkative mood. You got the hair dye?" Richie held up a bag that held two types of hair dye but, they were the same colour; yellow. "I don't know why you want to dye your hair blonde but, it won't be easy because your hair's dark to begin with." Ash groaned. "Well, it could be worse. I could have shaved my head." Richie gave a smirk. "You could still have to." "Waaaa!" Ash yelled screamed in panic. He clutched his hat closer to his hair. "Just kidding!" Richie added quickly. "We should go do this at a pokemon center." Ash calmed down enough that he nodded in agreement. "Just remember that I AM NOT SHAVING MY HEAD!" growled Ash. Richie smacked his back. "You may want to when I'm through with you." That made Ash turn three shades of blue. "Just kidding." "You had better be!" Pikachu got a smile and gave a Sparky a wink. "Pikachu- Pika?" Asked Pikachu. Sparky gave an evil smile and put his paws on his head. "Pikaaaaaaaa!" The Pikachu's burst out laughing and got Ash even more upset. "I DON'T want to know what our pokemon are talking about." Said Ash. Then both trainers and pokemon began to laugh. The fifth of the group felt a little out of place because it hadn't been paying attention. "Abra? Abra–ab-ra?" The laughter began anew. Later at the second Kolbind Pokemon center. "It doesn't -look- too bad Ash." Snickered Richie. Ash rolled his eyes at his friends comment. "Then why are you trying not to laugh?" Richie had just unwrapped the towel around Ash's head and got a glimpse of the new Ash. Ash had been a blonde for about three hours the day before and didn't like the idea of being a permanent blonde. "Because-hmmph-it-oh no! Ha ahahahahahaha! Sorry! I couldn't –humph- keep it in! You look so funny! Seriously though. I would have never known you weren't a real blonde if I didn't know beforehand what you looked like." "Thanks for the support." Ash sighed as he looked into his reflection. He looked totally different with the blonde hair and new cloths he was wearing. Ash wouldn't dump the Official Pokemon league hat in a trash bin but couldn't wear it. His old cloths and hat were in his new pack with pokegear as they called it. The pokegear was in an enormous backpack that could hold items, pokeballs, it even had room for tms. Ash bought the pokegear so he could listen in to the radio broadcasts; more importantly the police radios. Sadly, it cost a lot of money to buy. "Don't worry, I'm sure the look will grow on you." Ash looked down at the camouflage pants and white shirt he wore. The pants came with a matching jacket but Ash still felt like he was still missing something important. "I need a new hat." Richie smiled and brushed Sparky with a special pokebrush. "We can look for one after we get Sparky to Doc Pine in the D district of town." Ash got up and put on his new backpack. "Pikachu. We're leaving. Pikachu?" Ash looked around for his pokemon to find the Pikachu and Abra in the lobby in a corner. "Pikachu pika-chu-pi?" asked Pikachu to Abra/Mew. "Abra, ab-ra-ra." Was her answer. "There you are. Come on, we're leaving with Richie." The two pokemon took one look at Ash and turned around quickly. When Ash came closer he heard laughter. "Ok, I know! I look funny. Let's get out of here before they leave us." "PI!" Pikachu and Abra/Mew got the point and assumed a perch on either side of Ash's shoulders. "Lets go!" Ash said happily as he bounded out the door to follow Richie. Section D of town "I don't think I like this part of town." Ash whispered to Richie. The homes were rundown, there were no lawns or grass. To make matters worse, there were pokemon trainers everywhere and they all looked like thugs. "You should fit in perfectly here. You look like one of them." Ash had steam blowing out of his ears. "What do you mean by that?!!!" growled Ash. "Open your eyes. What are they wearing?" Ash stopped for a moment and surveyed the people on both sides of the street and realized that Richie was right. All the people who looked threatening where wearing something similar to him; pokemon trainer or not, they all had something that was camouflage on. "Did you know about this beforehand?" Growled Ash. Richie shook his head. "No, but I'm glad that you decided on looking tough instead of prissy. Else you and I would be lunch meat." Whispered Richie. Both Pikachus were nervous while Abra/Mew was calm. "Why are you so calm?" demanded Pikachu. Ash sighed inwardly; he could understand Pikachu again. 'Good thing we dyed my hair first.' Ash though. "We could take care of everyone here." Stated Abra/Mew. Pikachu fell anime wise and groaned. "It's not the pokemon I'm worried about. It's the trainers!" growled Pikachu. Then Sparky interrupted the two of them. "We don't have to be here you know." Ash started to ignore the people around him and listened in on the pokemon conversation. "It would probably settle Richie's nerves if you saw this lady anyway." Said Pikachu. Besides, we don't know if what Mew did worked." 'What Mew did?' Ash thought. 'What did they do last night?' Ash wondered as Richie squeaked in alarm. "Ash! We got trouble." Ash focused his attention on the sidewalk before him; three tough looking trainers with one pokeball in hand were blocking them. "Where do you think you're going punks?" Growled the leader of the tough trio. Richie told Ash later that he thought it took guts do to what he did later but, the truth was Ash panicked and grabbed Snorlax's pokeball. "Oh, you want to battle? Heh, you came to the right place." "Battle?" Ash asked with as much courage he could. "Two on two. No time limits." Snarled the teenager. Ash studied the teen. The lug could have easily snapped Ash in two but, Ash bet that he could outrun him easily enough. Especially if fear was a factor in the running. "Over there." The teen pointed to an empty lot to their right. "Ash!" squeaked Richie. "Don't do it." The teen had done something Ash couldn't resist, he had given Ash a challenge. "Your on!" growled Ash as he brushed past the two lackeys the brute had with him. Ash was in position on the right of the junk heap. "What's your name boy?" smirked the teen. Ash resisted to pull his hat backwards and call out Ash of Pallet town. Then Ash remembered he didn't have a hat or that he wanted anyone to know his name. Ash pulled out his first pokemon and held it out in front of him. "If you win, I'll tell you my name." Ash called out as he held out a pokeball almost pointing a challenge at the teen. "Heh! I guess I'll learn your name soon enough then. I'm Darrel of D district. Your move first punk." Ash motioned out for Pikachu to go out first.. "Pikachu, I chose you!" "Pika!" "Darrel calls out Inferno!" "Growlith!" A growlithe with a scar down the left of its eye popped out of the pokeball Darrel threw out. Ash surveyed the pokemon. From his experience in battling, this pokemon was very experienced but, still no match for Pikachu. "Pikachu! Agility!" Pikachu in a blur of speed began to run around it's opponent. The pokemon was frozen on the spot as it was confused by Pikachu's speed. "Snap out of it! Inferno, Flamethrower!" roared Darrel. Darrel's voice fell on deaf ears. The growlithe was confused and hurt itself in its confusion. Ash smiled and knew that this was going to be an easier victory than most. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt now!" Pikachu heard the signal to attack and obeyed. Pikachu jumped in the air and let out a battle cry. "Pika-chuuuuu!" said the pokemon as it hurled a massive amount of electricity at the fire puppy. "Inferno! Get out of the way!" yelled Darrel in warning to no avail. The fire pokemon came out of it's confusion just as it saw the electricity screaming toward it. "Growllll." Was the last thing the pokemon said as it was electrocuted by a thunderbolt that was the equal to two thunder attacks from any other electric pokemon. 'That's odd.' Ash thought as Darrel recalled his pokemon. 'I thought I said Thunderbolt not Thunder.' "You OK Pikachu?" Ash yelled out to his pokemon. "Yeah, I'm fine." Was Pikachu's reply. "Bring on your best." Ash sighed at his pokemon's enthusiasm. Ash could tell Pikachu was pumped but wondered where all the extra energy was coming from. "Let's see your pokemon handle this." Yelled Darrel as he held up a pokeball. "I call out Umbreon." Yelled Darrel. Ash began to pale at the mention of an umbreon. That was a dark type of pokemon that Gary trained and from what he remembered, that was on tough looking pokemon. "Umbreee." Bellowed the dark pokemon as it emerged from it's pokeball. This pokemon was no different from Gary's; it was well cared for and experienced. "Pikachu! Watch it!" Ash yelled out to his friend. "This guy will be no trouble." Was his pokemon's reply. "Don't get cocky!" added Ash. The Umbreon looked at the Pikachu and then back at Ash as if it was trying to figure something out. "Umbreon! Faint attack!" The umbreon shook itself out of the trance and powered up for it's attack. "Pikachu! Double Team now!" Ash yelled out to the electric pokemon. Pikachu responded with making more than thirty replicas of itself. "What?" Gasped Darrel in awe. Never before had he seen this level of pokemon before. The Pikachu had taken down one of his best pokemon and was making sport of his very best. "Umbr?" The dark type pokemon didn't know what to do. It was ready to use its attack but there were too many pokemon around. There wasn't one Pikachu anymore, there was thirty! Umbreon's defense fell and Ash took advantage of the scared pokemon. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed as much electricity as last time. "Pika-chuuuuu!" This time the attack missed the enemy though. Umbreon was lucky enough to see the attack coming and dodged by a hair. The blast from the electricity though sent umbreon flying into a garbage can. "Umbreee!" growled the now angry pokemon. Then without orders from Darrel, began to attack Pikachu with a quick attack. "Pikachu agility! Keep ahead of that attack!" The pokemon did as Ash said and kept one move ahead of the enraged Umbreon. "Umbreon! Stop!" yelled Darrel. The dark pokemon ignored Darrel's orders and continued to chase Pikachu around the junkyard. Pikachu then saw what Ash was doing by having Pikachu running from the dark type and prepared for Ash's signal. "Pikachu! Now!" Ash roared. Pikachu jumped up and did a flip to face it's opponent. The Umbreon too angry to notice the trap and charged Pikachu. "Pikachu!" grunted Pikachu as it gave a lot of energy into the last jump of the battle and jumped straight up. "Umbreee?" squeaked Umbreon as it saw the Pikachu leap over him. When the Umbreon tried to stop it realized the trap. BAMMM! The pokemon slammed into a pile of garbage again and this time it wasn't angry when it reappeared, more like trashed. "Good job Pikachu!" Ash laughed as the pokemon turned tail and ran straight to Ash's outstretched arms. "Pikachu!" cried Pikachu happily as Ash rubbed the top of it's furry head. "Umbreon return." Said a quiet voice. Ash looked over to Darrel and felt pity for him; it didn't look like he took failure well. Darrel was in the dirt with a look of total and utter shock on his face. Ash walked over and offered his hand. When Darrel looked up to see the hand, it was another shock to his system. When he took the outstretched hand of Ash's, a cheer went up from all sides. "Hail the new D district champion!" yelled kids from all sides. Ash had never seen so many pokemon trainers before in his life. Ash couldn't find Richie in the crowd and he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. "Looks like I've finally been dethroned." smiled Darrel. Ash couldn't believe what was happening. Never in his whole life did he have this many kids his own age cheering for him. Gary would have been jealous! Darrel clapped his hands together for silence and it came. 'What did I get myself into now?' Ash wondered as Darrel put a hand on Ash's left shoulder. (Mew was on his right.) Ash began to look for an escape to find that he was surrounded by boys his own age and older. On second glance Ash recognized that they were mostly trainers. "What's his name?" called a person from the crowd. "Yeah! What's the new champions name?" yelled another person from the crowd. "Better tell them something or they'll bug you forever!" whispered Darrel. Ash panicked and told him his name. "Ash." Was all Ash said and the word went out. "Ash! Ash! Ash!" chanted the crowd. Ash stood there dumbly as Darrel clapped his hands again. Silence eventually came back to the odd assembly. "This young punk had proven himself more than able to be a D district champion and by our rules he has earned the D districts loyalty. So shall we celebrate this whelps accomplishment?" Before Ash could ask what was going on, the crowd closed in and he was hoisted onto shoulders. Darrel at the front, lifted high a yell that the kids echoed. "To the park!" "To the park!" roared the crowd and Ash was packed off, pokemon and all, down main street with an entourage of kids his own age. As they passed more streets kids came out of the woodworks! By the time they had reached Kolbind park, the crowd of kids had quadrupled. Ash had never been so embarrassed in his entire life. "Halt right there D district!" yelled a voice as soon as they entered the park. Darrel gave a motion that Ash didn't recognized and the massive group stopped. When the group stopped, Ash seized the opportunity to get down from his perch on shoulders. "Put me down. I want to know what's going on." Ash ordered to the two who had a strong grip on his waist. Instead of putting him down they made their way to the front of the crowd. When Ash came closer to the head he recognized an Officer Jenny's voice. "Not another one of your parties Darrel! As the D district champion, your duty is to keep the training in that district clean, not to party whenever you feel like it." Ash was close to the front of the crowd. "Hate to break it to ya toots. I'm not the champ anymore." Ash wasn't close enough to see her face but, her voice betrayed her fear. "Someone beat YOU!! The three time indigo and crystal league champ? Impossible!" Ash almost fell. "I thought so too but you should have seen this kids pokemon." Said Darrel. "Pokemon nothing! You should have seen the battle! I've never seen anyone battle like that before!" yelled a voice from the crowd. Ash was not only blushing furiously but was in shock from what he had heard from Officer Jenny. 'If I could curl up and hide right now I would.' Ash thought. Then Ash couldn't believe what happened next. "I don't believe you. Where is this kid you talk about?" If Darrel could have known that Ash had a few run ins with Officer Jenny's in the past, he might have left Ash well enough alone. "Hey! Bring the champ here! Bring his pokemon too." Yelled Darrel. Ash was hurried forward and set down. "There he is." Smiled Darrel. "Uh hi Officer Jenny." Ash said sheeply. Darrel had a look of surprise cross his face before he came and put Ash in a headlock. "Gak!" Ash muffled as his hair was being ruffled. "See! This is the kid that defeated my best two pokemon with his Pikachu. Hey! Where's this punks Pikachu?" roared Darrel. Pikachu and Abra were brought up to the front of the crowd by two pretty young girls about Ash's age. "Pika!" said Pikachu happily. The girl that held Pikachu was rubbing his tummy and Pikachu was enjoying it. Ash couldn't see the girls features very well because he still was in a headlock. "So, this is the new champ." Said Officer Jenny as Ash was let out of the headlock. Ash was studied for a moment by Officer Jenny. "You look familiar. Have we met?" "No. I've met plenty of your cousins though." Ash said as casually as he could. Officer Jenny took another once over of Ash and then turned back to Darrel. "He's obviously here for the tournament. I suggest you take him to be registered before any party happens. Do I make myself clear?" Darrel gave her a salute and turned to the crowd. "Change of plans people. Party after registration. Everyone set up until we return." The crowd gave a roar of approval. "Don't start the party without us." "D district forever!" roared the crowd. Darrel made a motion with his hands and three people came from the crowd. "Honour gaurds move out." Ash inwardly groaned as he was picked up again. Ash gave a look to Darrel. "Tradition." Was his reply. 'This wasn't supposed to happen.' Ash moaned. 'I wanted to remain anonymous and here I am being paraded around by people I don't want to meet in a dark alley.' Ash was rushed out of the area with an crowd of about twenty people. Darrel was in the lead of course with Pikachu and Abra/Mew in tow. Ash came next on the shoulders of two big guys and then a group of about seventeen fans. "D district forever! We got a new champ!" Was what they chanted over and over again. Ash frightened out of his mind that he noticed decided to try and be as compliant as possible; he wanted this thing over and done with. At the tournament registration "Get your goodies here! Nutritious and delicious!" Yelled James. "Popcorn and chocolate bars here!" Echoed Jessie. "Our business is doing great!" announced Meowth. "We got enough money here to live easy for three months." Then in the background, the busy trio here the cheers for the D district hero. "What's going on?" Asked Jessie as all their customers made a hasty retreat to see him. Meowth was the smarter one of the trio and tripped a kid as he was running buy. "Hey kid, What's going on.?" Asked Meowth to the kid as he got up. The boy snorted and brushed himself off. "You're not from around here are you? Well to make a long story short. We have a champion for each district. The D district is the roughest district of all and the champ has just been overthrown. Right now he's registering to enter the tournament. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to see if I can get close enough for an autograph." The kid turned and ran off. "Looks like this guy is really popular." Said Jessie to her two cohorts. James nodded. "Eh! He'll just be a flash in the pan. You know what though. I would bet three of my nine lives that Ash will show up now." "Why is that Meowth?" Asked James dumbly. Meowth got a vein throb on his head. "If this champ is anything like Gary; the twerp will show up to challenge him." "And what if he doesn't?" Asked James. James was hit over the head with a mallet. "Then we steal their pokemon instead of Ash's Mew! Idiot!" Growled Jessie. "Now back to work! We can get some money out of this crowd yet!" The trio went back to their posts and began to work. "Here we are champ." Announced Darrel. Ash couldn't believe what was happening! No sooner had they gone down one street, the crowd had picked up again. Ash was still in the head of the line behind his pokemon but, the fans had followed in behind him. "This is the stadium?" Ash asked Darrel. Darrel nodded and picked up the pace. "Make way! The D district champ had been beaten. Here comes the new champ." Ash heard from the crowd behind him. Ash wanted to hide. Just then, Ash and the group passed a certain trio of trouble. "I must be seeing things!" exclaimed Jessie. "Why?" Asked James. "Tell me that he doesn't look like Ash Ketchum." "Who doesn't look like Ash Ketchum?" Asked James densely, Jessie gave him a well deserved smack alongside the head. "Keep up with current events you dimwit! The new D whatever champ!" James recovered from the brutality of Jessie's attack and took a look at the champ as he passed by. "If Ash was a blonde and had better taste in cloths that could be him." Sneered Meowth. "but since we all know Ash, that snobbish champ couldn't be him." Ash heard a familiar voice as he passed by the refreshment stands. When he looked he thought he saw Jessie, James and Meowth. 'If they're here, that means I had better prepare for the worst. I wouldn't be surprised if they crashed this party.' Ash thought. Then Ash was lifted down so he could register into the tournament. Darrel lead the way through the doors into the registration area. "Make way! We have a district champ here." Ash was not comfortable with the fuss that Darrel was making over his arrival. What surprised him even more was that people were making way for him. Ash had a clear path to the registration desk. Darrel gave him a pen and he signed himself in as Ash. When he was done. Darrel took the piece of paper and held it up to Ash's new found fans. "Bring it on!" Yelled Darrel. "And here I thought I was the one who had one of the biggest ego's in the tournament." Ash froze as he recognized Gary's voice. 'Oh, Please, Please, PLEASE, don't let him recognize me.' Ash thought as he turned to face his rival. Before Ash could say a word though, Darrel butted in. "The ego is deserved. This kid beat me in a fair battle of two against two and didn't have to use a second pokemon. He's a district champ. You can't say the same can you kid." Gary was shut up for an instant. Ash glared into Gary's eyes and almost betrayed who he was by opening his mouth. "Thought not! See you at the winners circle." "We'll settle this in the tournament." Growled Gary as he stalked off with his cheerleaders. Before they left though there was a exchange of cheers. "Gary, he's a true champ. On your pokemon will he stamp. Gary is the best, yeah! Gary! Ash was startled by a pair picking him up by the arms and being hoisted onto a pair of shoulders. Also , to Ash's surprise, the mob yelled back a cheer. "District D is rough, We'll leave you crying enough, Cause our champ is so tough, D!D! District D! Out on the field you shall see! District D! Go Ash!" Ash didn't see how Gary reacted to his name being called out because, he was being carried away by the district D people. Ash didn't look back as he was carried out to the sunshine again. This time, Ash concentrated on the refreshment stands and saw what he was looking for; a Meowth selling hotdogs. 'Did I ever mess up this time. I wonder where Richie is. I could sure use his help.' Ash thought as he was carried back to the park for his victory party. Meanwhile, a very stunned Gary was still at the tournament area. 'It- They couldn't have been cheering for Ash Ketchum. That couldn't of been Ash. He's too chicken to do anything like that. Besides, Ash had black hair and always wears his hat. That kid looked nothing like him.' Gary stood silent for a moment. 'There was something in his eyes that was familiar..' At the District D lab "So Sparky is alright?" asked Richie to an emerald haired lady with matching eyes. Doc Pine as she was called smiled at the trainer. "Yes, in fact, I don't see anything wrong with Sparky." The boy looked preoccupied for a moment. "Something wrong?" "Sparky had swollen cheeks a little while ago and couldn't do anything more than a thundershock. It doesn't make any sense." Pine shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he needed a break so he could gather electricity again. That sometimes happens.. What is that racket outside?!" Pine went to the window and looked out to see a group, nay, a mob of children headed to the park. When she moved he glasses closer to her face, she saw one above the rest. "What is going on?" Asked Richie. Then Richie remembered Ash. What had happened was one of the two goons that were with Darrel stopped Richie from following Ash and brought him to the lab. When Richie asked what was going on the goon said. "A test, nothing more. You'll see your friend either back here or some other time if he's a champ." "Looks like District D has a party going on." Said Pine. Pine remembered growing up in district D as a child. The parties were for people who challenged the district champ and won. "District D?" Richie asked. Pine came back to reality to explain to the pokemon trainer what was going on outside. "There are four districts in Kolbind. A, B, C, and D. We're in the D district right now. Every district has a champion. If a person defeats the standing champion; they become a candidate for district champion. If the champion is defeated twice by the same person; then they become the new district champ. I think our Darrel had been dethroned once today." "That reminds me! I have a friend who just got challenged by a group of three big guys. One of the big goons lead me here. I hope he's alright." Richie's face faulted and he looked out the window down the street. "If he's still out there, he'll be pushed towards the party at the park. We can probably see him there. Besides, it is a tradition that one of my standard to join the party to show my support. I'll take you with me if you don't mind," Richie smiled a little. "Thanks!" Sparky was then released from the doctors grasp and leapt back to it's trainer. "Ready to party Sparky?" "Pikachu!" was the pokemon's answer. Then with minimal hopes to find Ash, Richie followed Doc Pine out of her clinic. Before she left the clinic she put up a closed sign but didn't put up a time when she would be back. Richie noticed this. "Why didn't you give a time when you would be back?" Richie asked the pokemon doctor. "Because if it is truly a champion party, I honestly don't know when the party will stop." The Park Ash was shocked out of his mind. Never before had he seen so many people. There were more people in the park then there were in the entire town of Pallet. Still being carried around like a trophy, Ash was paraded to the middle of the park. "We're here." Darrel announced as he stopped the crowd. "SO LET THE PARTY COMMENCE!" The signal was given and people split in every direction. Ash was carried up a rock that overlooked the park and was set down. "Giggle!" Ash looked behind him to see Pikachu and Abra in the arms of two girls. Ash blushed a bit as they sat down beside him and began a conversation concerning Ash like he wasn't even there. "He has such well behaved pokemon." "And they're so cute." Pikachu gave a Pika of approval as the yellow haired, blue eyed girl began to scratch behind his ears. "Not to mention their trainer as well." Darrel slapped Ash on the back before he had a chance to blush at the brunettes comment. "Lucky punk! Already have the girls chasing you." Ash could feel his ears growing hot. To add to Ash's embarrassment, his stomach growled. The girls looked at him and laughed. "I think our champ is hungry." Said the girl holding Abra. Darrel was laughing too. "What gave you that idea?" Darrel let out a shrill whistle and Ash watched the crowd scurry faster. Then, several plates of food appeared out of nowhere. "Pika!" Ash turned to see Pikachu in the same predicament as him; he didn't know where to start. The food spanned out for what seemed like forever. "Dig in." said Darrel in a chagrined voice. Before Ash could oblige a familiar voice rang through the crowd. "Ash!" Ash turned to see Richie running towards him. "Richie!" Darrel took notice of the new champs attitude and looked in the direction of Ash's gaze. "Oh, your little friend's here. He should join the party! Let that kid through!" yelled Darrel to the crowd. "Whoah!" yelled Richie as he was picked up by the crowd. "Pass him on." yelled a voice. Richie and Sparky were passed up to the rock. Once Richie was sat beside Ash, it became clear who was the new district D champ. "No way." Said Richie. Ash grinned. "Way." Ash gave Richie a high five and turned back to the food. "Hungry?" Waterfall tears went down Richie's face. "Famished." Darrel slapped Richie's back. "Eat! I never thought that I would have to tell a kid your age that." Ash didn't have much of an appetite but Richie ate with a vengeance. Ash wasn't hungry because, something was bothering him. After eating, Darrel tried to pick up a conversation with Ash. "So, where ya from?" Ash almost choked on his drink. Richie saved him. "He's from the indigo league area. We're traveling through this league right now and were lucky enough to come when we did." "I get it. You're here for the gyms. Well you two are in luck. I spotted both gym leaders here. Maybe you can get your badges right now. Hey Carl." A boy with sandy brown hair and deep aqua eyes came forward. "Find Grendel and K. The champ wants to challenge them for a badge." "Yes sir!" Ash watched as Carl left through the crowd. Ash didn't know what to think. The power Darrel wielded was almost scary. "You haven't been very talkative champ." "Huh?" Ash turned to the voice that addressed him. The girl who was holding Pikachu had spoken. "I think it's because he's shy." Said the girl holding Abra. "It's not that, I just have a lot on my mind lately." Started Ash. Darrel was curious so he pressed the matter. "What sort of things?" To Ash's relief, Richie came to his aid. "He just broke up with some friends of his." Said Richie. Darrel snorted at the new information. "Must have been blind to let this cutie go." Said an unfamiliar voice. Ash looked up to see a girl with curled, deep maroon hair in a matching body suit. A cape billowed out behind her as she talked to Ash. Ash was praying that she wouldn't notice that he blushed at her first comment. "I'm Grendel, I heard that you want a match?" "Careful, he's good." Warned Darrel. "He took out both of my pokemon with that Pikachu of his." "Didn't you use sandshrew?" asked the blue eyed gym leader. "You know that the pokemon wouldn't have had a chance against it. You did use Jolteon and Kingler didn't you?" Darrel shook his head. "Umbreon and Growlithe are the ones I used." That made Grendel's eyes pop out. "Umbreon and Growlithe- Then how am I supposed to beat him! I've already lost before the battles even begun. I might as well hand over the badge right now." Ash wasn't about to be left out of the conversation. "How do you now unless you try wether or not you've been beaten? I want a chance to earn a badge, not be given one out of a reputation." Grendel looked into the eyes of Ash Ketchum and saw what everyone saw when they looked into his eyes; pure determination. Grendel shook her head at the boy's words and laughed. "With an attitude like that, no wonder you beat Darrel. Let's battle!" Ash was lead down onto the grass and a large group of people gathered to watch. "Go get'er Ash!" yelled Richie from the crowd. Ash didn't hear him though. Ash didn't realize what was happening to him but the pond of pokemon was working it's effects on him. Ash was in a world of his own. A place where his opponent and pokemon were. The crowd, the encouragement and sounds stopped. "Three on three battle. No time limit. The Kolbind badge Fushialeaf badge is on the line. I call out Golem." Ash watched as the pokemon popped out of it's pokeball. Ash grabbed a pokeball off of his belt. "Blubasaur! I choose you!" Yelled Ash in his usual declarative voice. The plant pokemon jumped out of it's ball. "Ready!" called out Bulbasaur. "Alright Golem, tackle that small fry." Ash wasn't goaded into doing something rash. "Bulbasaur! Power up and dodge that Golems attack." "Right!" said the Bulbasaur as it watched the mountain of mass start it's charge. The Golem was moving at a slow pace Ash thought. It didn't matter to Ash though. "Duck to your right now!" Ash yelled as soon as the Golem neared Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur did as it was told and ducked to his right and the surprised Golem smashed into the ground behind Bulbasaur. "Golem get back up!" Yelled Grendel to her pokemon. 'Too late.' Ash thought as he saw Bulbasaur turn to it's opponent. "Now! Solarbeam!" Ash roared. A stream of condensed light seared Golems thick skin and made it faint. Grendel recalled her pokemon. "Golem return. Let's see your plant type handle this fire type. Go Ninetails!" Ash recognized the Ninetails as the evolved form of Vulpix. Ash winced as the memory of Brock and his friends tried to assault his judgment. Ash gathered a deep breath and pushed the thoughts aside. "Bulbasaur don't get near it. Try to take him out from afar. Use Poison Powder." Ash ordered his pokemon. "Fire Blast now! Take it out before it has a chance to poison you!" Yelled Grendel. To Ash's surprise, the Fire Blast didn't work! Bulbasaur had acted more quickly and when the pokemon gathered a deep breath for the attack. It got a lungful of poison powder. "Nine-coff-coff- tail.!" The pokemon sputtered. "Bulbasaur. Get it with a razor leaf attack!" ordered Ash quickly. The plant pokemon was already way ahead of him and two razor leaf attacks were on their way to the fire pokemon. "Nine!" growled the fire pokemon as it fainted. The Razor Leaf attack wasn't very effective but, the poison had already run it's course and the pokemon was out of HP points. "I don't believe this! Return! This is my best pokemon. Lets see if you can handle it. Go Machamp!" Ash saw the bruiser as it appeared out of the pokeball. It was at a very high level and was being well taken care of. 'Bulbasaur is going to have a tough time with this one.' Thought Ash as the pokemon stretched it's muscles for Ash. "Blubasaur. Poison Powder!" Ash ordered to the very intimidated plant pokemon. Bulbasaur shook off the fear in time to get ready for it's attack. "Take this guy out with a devastating Submission attack!" Yelled Grendel "Yes ma'm/" said the pokemon as it began to charge the pokemon. 'Don't use the poison powder until you see the white in his eyes.' Ash thought silently. If Ash was paying closer attention to his pokemon, he would have seen a bit of a nod come from Bulbasaur. The Machamp neared and prepared to use it's attack. Ash saw the opportunity. "Now!" Bulbasaur unleashed the poison powder in Machamps face and the pokemon was poisoned. However, Bulbasaur couldn't move out of the way of the pokemon's attack. "Blubasaur!" Yelled Ash in worry as his pokemon was lifted over the Machamps head. Ash then had an idea. "Bulbasaur! Use Vinewhip from being tossed!" "I hope this works." Ash heard his pokemon whisper. Bulbasaurs vines wrapped around Machamps wrists and the plant pokemon couldn't be thrown. "Wha?" gasped the gym leader in surprise. Ash put a smile on his face and ordered Bulbasaur to attack. "Leech seed!" Ash roared out to his pokemon. The pokemon spit out a seed right onto the Machamps face and let go of it's vinewhip. Bulbasaur jumped from the frustrated fighting pokemon's grasp. 'Now for the coup de grace.' Ash thought happily. The Machamp was badly poisoned and leech seed was sapping it of it's strength. "Machamp! Try using Recover!" Yelled Grendel. Ash knew he had to act fast because that meant that it would regain HP points. "Bulbasaur! Take it out with Solarbeam before it has a chance to recover." Yelled the pokemon's trainer. Bulbasaur was tired of the fight and obliged Ash so it could take a rest. "Here it goes!" Sneered the Bulbasaur as it powered up for a powerful Solarbeam attack. The Machamp was fighting against the leech seed when the pokemon started to glow. It was Recovering! "Now!" Ash roared. On the signal from Ash, devastating Solarbeam that could have easily taken out two Machamps, hit Grendel's pokemon. "No!" Yelled Grendel as soon as her pokemon had fainted. She recalled her pokemon and smiled. "You were right Darrel. This kid is good." Ash then came out of his trance and noticed the cheer from around him. "D, D, district D On the battlefield you shall see. Go Ash!" "Way to go Bulbasaur! You did great!" Ash said as his pokemon scurried back to his trainer. Bulbasaur chuckled a bit as Ash picked him up. "What's so funny?" "Your hair!" smirked Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur unleashed his vines and ran it through his hair. "It looks funny." Ash grinned at his pokemon. This was going to be great being able to understand his pokemon all the time. "You did it Ash!" called Richie as soon as he was let through the crowd. "Was there any doubt that he would lose?" Darrel said as he walked toward the pair. "That was amazing! How did you think of that move to counter the submission attack? That was awesome! I've never seen pokemon react that fast to their trainers commands before." Commented Richie. Ash looked at him with a blank expression on his face. "It just popped into my head." Said Ash with a smile. Ash then saw Grendel move in their direction. "Congratulations! You've earned the Fushialeaf badge." Ash held out his hand and a badge was placed in it. Before Ash could do his famed pose for collecting badges, another person appeared out of nowhere and handed Ash another badge. "What?" Ash asked as he turned to see an older male in his thirties smiling down at Ash. "K, don't tell me your going to forfeit the match before it's already begun!" Exclaimed Grendel. "I just want the kid to hold onto it for now." Ash looked at both badges. The Fushialeaf badge was just that; a leaf that was coloured fushia. The other badge was shaped into a teardrop and was also fushia. "If he wins the tournament, he can keep the badge, if not, then I'll battle him." Without saying anymore, the strange man left Ash's presence. Ash was dumbstruck. "Two badges in one day!" laughed Darrel. "You certainly making a name for yourself. The competition doesn't stand a chance against you!" Darrel slapped Ash on the back and he almost dropped Bulbasaur. Next day. Ash was the guest of the D district hotel. Darrel had set him up in a deluxe sweet after the party, which didn't end until three in the morning. Ash had collapsed on the big hotel bed and had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Pikachu, Abra/Mew and Bulbasaur were in better shape then Ash as they were allowed to sleep in the arms of Clowie and Tara, the two that teased Ash earlier. Ash had to stay up and converse with the crowd. They were asleep beside Ash on the gigantic bed. Richie and his pokemon were in the bed besides Ash's. "Ring! Ring!" Ash groaned at the phone. Still asleep, Ash answered it. "Hello?" Ash greeted groggily. "Wake up call! Reminder that you battle at one this afternoon." Ash yawned as he put the receiver down and looked at the clock. It was eleven o'clock. Time to get motivated. "Richie time to get up." Ash said sleepily. Ash was usually the one to sleep the latest but Richie beat him this time. "Just five more minutes." Was his reply. Ash shook his shoulder and pulled the pillow from his face. "I have two hours to get to the tournament. Lets go and find something to eat before then." At the mention of food, Richie was up. Ash was ready before him and was switching through the channels on T.V. when he came across his old persona of himself on a news channel. "In other news, the trainer Ash Ketchum is still missing. Sources suspect that the trainer who caught Mew was in fact-" Ash changed the channel fast as Richie walked back into the room. "Anything good on?" Richie asked. Ash nervously sweatdropped and almost let the remote fall. "Nothing of interest." Ash laughed and decided to change the subject. "So, where do we want to eat?" Richie shrugged. "Don't know and don't care." Ash smiled. As long as it was good, Ash didn't care either. "I wonder where the D district champion eats anyway." Ash groaned at the memory of what happened yesterday. "What did I get myself into?" Ash wondered out loud. "Don't worry. Once you leave to go on your pokemon journey, the buzz'll die down." Ash smiled. Richie was probably right. Once his fans learned that he was going to leave, they'd drop him. "Now how about that breakfast?" Ash asked. Richie and Ash collected their pokemon and left the hotel room. Ash had Pikachu and Abra out while Richie had Sparky. They got to the lobby and were struck with another surprise. Ash saw Darrel, Grendel, Clowie, Tara, and a bunch of kids Ash didn't recognize. They were waiting for Ash to come down. "There he is!" Ash heard as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. When Ash turned to see who said that, he saw another sight. There were reporters and camera people to the elevators right and they were all headed Ash's way. "Uh oh!" said Richie. "Um Ash? RUN!" said Richie as calmly as he could. Ash didn't run but was mobbed by the district D people. "No interviews!" Yelled Darrel as he had a arm outstretched as he protected Ash. Before Ash could protest. The small crowd lifted him up on shoulders again. Richie decided to help this time and was the right bearer. Pikachu and Abra went to the girls. Outside a car was waiting. It looked like Gary's corvette except it was black with a fiery design on the hood. "Meet you at the stadium Ash." Said Richie as he lowered him into the passenger side. Darrel hopped into the drivers and Clowie and Tara were in the back already. Before Ash could buckle up, Darrel was off. "Nice to see you awake. You already know Clowie and my sister Tara." Darrel motioned to the girls in the back. "Now, where do you want to go first? You have an hour before you have to battle so I suggest a quick lunch." "Lunch would be great." Said Ash over the roar of the engine. 'I can see that I'll have no peace while I'm in town." Ash thought grimly as he speed down the road towards an unknown destination. Later "No sign of the brat anywhere." Growled Meowth. It was going to be one of those weeks where nothing went right for team rocket. They ha been at the stadium from dawn until dusk for two days and not a glimpse of a red hat or Pikachu. "Guess we move to plan B." said Jessie as she passed their stall. "Gotcha." Said Meowth. Meowth then put up a closed sign and began to dig a hole underneath their stall. "There isn't a trace of that kid. Jessie what do we do if Butch and Cassidy get to him first?" asked James. "Then we steal Ash from them and take Mew as out reward." Said Jessie. Meowth, still not over all the years of trying to catch Pikachu butted in. "Why not take Pikachu as well? It might sweeten the deal." "Speaking of Pikachu, did you notice what that champion kid had as pokemon? It looked like he had an Abra and Pikachu." Said James "How do you know that?" asked Meowth in shock that James used his brains for once. "I saw them as they passed by. I have to admit that Pikachu looked like it was in good shape." Said James. "Since we have to make this job worthwhile, lets steal all the pokemon we can from the champs." Said Jessie with an evil smile on her face. The trio grasped hands and smiled. "And just think! The twerp or his friends won't be around to stop us this time." Meanwhile "You battle in ten minutes Ash." Darrel said cheerfully. Ash was in the tenth battle of the afternoon. The trainers in the tournament were of such high caliber that the one on one matches lasted for no more than ten minutes. It lasted for one minute if the trainer was up against a more experienced trainer. Ash had never seen such competition. "That means that I have to get going now." Ash said to Richie. "Wish me luck." Richie laughed. "You won't need it." Ash went out to the stadium and went to his appointed spot. The tournament was unusual to Ash. It was held for three days and each day a person battled three trainers. How well you did in the battle decided where you went next. On the first day it was a one on one battle, tomorrow it would be a three on three battle and the day after it would be the finalists fighting it out in the last fights. "Go Vileplume!" shouted the trainer across the field. The battle had started. Ash defeated all of his opponents that day without a scratch to his pokemon. As he left the stadium with Darrel and Richie he was hounded once again by reporters. "Give us something!" begged a reporter in a red hat. Ash didn't answer him and pushed his way through the crowd. "Ash!" Ash looked to see Tara and Clowie in the back of the corvette again. Tara was the one that warned Ash of the rock. Ash saw it coming in slow motion. The rock was the size of an orange and was hurled at a startling pace for Ash's head. Ash reacted without thinking. Ash caught the rock in the palm of his right hand and deflected it to his right. "Who threw that!" Ash demanded. The crowd pushed a kid Ash had not seen before to Ash's circle. The boy was afraid of course but, had a look of defiance in his eyes that Ash knew all too well. "What's the meaning of this!" Barked Darrel. The boy shivered and backed away from Darrel. "Darrel, I'll handle this!" Ash growled. "Why did you throw this rock at me?" Ash demanded at the boy. Holding the rock so that the boy could see it. "I was told to." The boy whimpered. That got Ash's interest. "Who told you to?" Ash asked softly. "I don't know his name but he's really mean! He said he would beat me up if I didn't do it." Ash got angry. "What did he look like?" Ash asked quietly. "I didn't see him but he had black shoes on and an weird outfit with a R on it and I think he had a girl with him." Ash almost went pale. The only people who would be mean enough to do this to a kid was Butch and Cassidy of team rocket and Ash wasn't ready to go up against team rocket right now. "You can go now." Ash said quietly and the kid dashed through the crowd as quickly as he could. "You know them?" Darrel asked. "I think so." Ash muttered. This was not good news at all. Things were about to get complicated fast. Ash doesn't know how right he is does he folks? (Insert evil author laugh here). On the road to Kolbind "You know, I miss Ash." Said Misty to Brock. They had traveled all night on the road to Kolbind as soon as they got the call from Ash. "I miss him too." Said Brock in a downed voice. "He always brightened up a trip with his antics and bouts with team rocket." "Not to mention the way he went on about pokemon training. Do you think Ash left to protect us?" Misty asked suddenly. Brock put a hand under his chin. "I wouldn't put it past Ash. He could have left because he thought it was too dangerous for us to be around him anymore." "Brock?" "Yeah?" "What if we can't find him?" Brock stopped and grabbed Misty by the shoulders. "Don't think like that! We'll find him! It's not his fault that team rocket is after him. We'll look until we find him. Ash would do the same for us." Misty's eye softened and she wiped away a tear. "You're right Brock. We'll find him and when we do…." Brock could see what was coming. 'I pity poor Ash.' Thought Brock. 'She's gonna dig her claws in so tight that he'll never get lose.' "…I'll hit him into next week and then shake him until enough money for my bike comes out. Then I'll get nasty!" "Hitting him in the face and his pocketbook isn't nasty enough?!" said Brock in horror. "Oh what I have in mind he'll wish he never been born!" 'I thought so.' Brock thought to himself. 'Poor Ash. He doesn't have a chance!' Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or anything related to pokemon. Pokemon and its associated characters are copyrighted by Nintendo/Game Freak. This is a pokemon fanfic created by my mind only.