Floating in the middle of her expansive gym, Olympia twitched with her eyes closed. Inside her head, a glimpse of the future began to play out. The walls were made of dirt, indicating that this took place in a cave or someplace underground. A machine was in the background, destroyed as a Pokemon jumped free from it.
Xerneas, one of the legendary Pokemon of Kalos, the Pokemon said to give eternal life, stood at the center, locking its gaze with a man with blond hair before backing off. That man then turned and faced his opponent, a man with hair reminiscent of a Pyroar's mane.
Snapping back to reality, Olympia's breath was out of sync, she gasped for air. Sweat dripped from her forehead, her head filled with pain as it went into overdrive. Rubbing her temples and taking breaths to calm down, Olympia analyzed the vision.
' Lysandre. ' Olympia thought. ' Valerie's boyfriend, and a Legendary Pokemon who has been stated to be sleeping as a tree for thousands of years now... it seems the situation will get out of hand.
Confronting Lysandre will get us nowhere, but we can't ignore what will happen and what will happen because of it. I need to hold a meeting between the gym leaders... and see if Atsumu Miya will join us. He's prevalent in this mess and probably knows much more about the situation than us.
I need to ask Valerie to convince him to join us.'
Olympia let out a sigh, her face grew weary.
" I need some tea. " Olympia muttered, lowering herself to the ground and walking to her office.
Upon entering, Olympia watched her Meowostics, one male and another female make tea in the kitchen. Sitting at the table, Olympia took out her phone and dialed Valerie. The phone started ringing, and Olympia waited patiently until the call was picked up.
" Hey, Olympia. What's the occasion? " Valerie asked.
" Nothing much dear, I just want to inform you that we're going to be having an emergency meeting, and I'd like you to try to convince your blond-haired friend to join us. " Olympia said.
" Atsumu, huh? " Valerie said. " Yeah, I can do that. "
" Thank you, dear. " Olympia smiled.
" No problem. Whatever is happening with Lysandre, he's at the center of it anyway. " Valerie said, making Olympia freeze.
" ... You know? " Olympia asked.
" About what's going to happen, no. " Valerie said. " What I do know, is that Atsumu wants to stop Lysandre and knows a lot more than we do, though I don't know the severity of that knowledge."
" Has he told you anything? " Olympia asked.
" No, he hasn't. And I trust him, so I know he has his reasons for not saying much about it. I'm not going to force him either. " Valerie said.
" Wasn't going to ask you to do so anyway. " Olympia said.
" I know. " Valerie said. " Anyway, I'll tell him to meet you. "
" Yes, thank you. " Olympia said. " Also, about the severity of what he knows... the future I saw involved Xerneas. "
" ... What? " Valerie asked.
" You heard me right. " Olympia said.
" Okay, this spiraled or is going to spiral out of control. " Valerie said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
" Yes, it is. " Olympia said. " Please be prepared for the worst. "
" I will. Sometimes your abilities are a grace or a curse, usually both. " Valerie sighed.
" Being a psychic has pros and cons, just like everything else in this world. How are you feeling? " Olympia asked.
" True, and I'm doing great. " Valerie smiled. " At what time will the meeting happen? "
" The meeting will start at 2 pm. " Olympia said.
" Alright. I'll try and convince him. We'll see you at the meeting, maybe. " Valerie said.
" Thank you, dear. " Olympia said. " By the way, congratulations. "
" Thanks. " Valerie chuckled. " When did you find out? "
" Psychic, remember. " Olympia smiled.
" That explains nothing. " Valerie said and Olympia shrugged.
" Did you just shrug? " Valerie asked.
" I did. " Olympia smiled. " How'd you know? "
" Huh, guess being a psychic does explain everything. " Valerie muttered.
" Told you. " Olympia said.
" Yes, yes, you got me. " Valerie rolled her eyes. " You know, we should meet up one of these days. "
" Agreed. It'd be a nice change of pace. " Olympia said.
" Alright, guess we'll plan out a day. I'll get going now. Bye, Olympia. " Valerie said.
" Bye, dear. " Olympia said then ended the call. Olympia's female Meowstic brought Olympia a cup of tea.
" Thank you. " Olympia said, petting Meowstic on the head as her male Meowstic brought over some pastries, while already enjoying the one in his paw.
At the same time, Valerie went out to the patio to find Atsumu blowing. bubbles with Floette and Spectreon.
" Hey Sumu, you've got a request from Gym Leader Olympia. " Valerie called out walking up to him.
" Eh? Do you mean... the Psychic-type Gym Leader of Anistar City? " Atsumu called out, before blowing more bubbles.
" Yep. " Valerie said, popping a few bubbles. " She's holding a meeting with all the Gym Leaders about the future she has seen. "
" ... Did she tell what she saw? " Atsumu asked, his tone had a quiver in it.
" Completely, no she did not. " Valerie said soberly. " All I know is that... she saw Xerneas in it. "
' Huh? ' Floette gasped.
" Xerneas... one of the legendary Pokemon of Kalos? " Atsumu asked.
" Yes. The one and only. " Valerie said.
" I see. " Atsumu replied, fist clinched and gritted teeth. " Is he really going to go that far now? "
' Floette. Are you okay? ' Spectreon asked.
' Again. It's happening again. ' Floette darkly chuckled.
" I swear... " Valerie sighed, walking up to Atsumu and gently cupped his cheeks. " If this were more down to earth, I would have waited till you come to me to talk, but from how you're acting and Floette, there's so much more to this than meets the eye. Can you tell me what's happening? "
" I... I can. " Atsumu said, holding Valerie's hands. " it's about time I came clean about all of this and what I was thinking of doing. Can you go with me to meet Olympia? "
" Of course I can. " Valerie smiled.
" Thank you. " Atsumu smiled. " When does the meeting start? "
" At 2. " Valerie said. " We still have plenty of time. "
" We do. " Atsumu said, bringing out another bottle for Valerie to blow bubbles with.
...
" Oh my Arceus, she's so cute! " Bonnie squealed upon seeing Espurr for the first time. She tried desperately to hug Espurr, but Espurr prevented this by blocking Bonnie with a Reflect.
" So how did you two meet? " Serena asked, looking at Ash.
" We were in the park taking a snack break and Espurr showed up. We asked if she wanted to join us and she agreed, mostly for the food though. " Ash chuckled, petting Espurr on the head. " She's got a sweet tooth. "
" Do you know what berries she likes? " Clemont asked.
" Well, she liked the Pokepuffs I got for Pikachu... " Ash mused. " But we have time to figure it out. "
" So you don't need always battle Pokemon before catching them. It's possible to bribe them to join you with food. " Sawyer noted down in his notebook. Once he finished, he closed his notebook and asked Ash a question. " Ash, can you have a Pokemon Battle with me? "
" Sure. When do you want to have it? " Ash asked.
" Could we do it now? " Sawyer asked.
" Yeah, we can. Are we having a 2v2 or will it be a 1v1... " Ash said.
" A 1v1. " Sawyer declared. " I'll be using Treecko. "
" I see. " Ash noted, then looked towards Espurr.
Espurr nodded her head.
" Alright. I'll be using Espurr. " Ash said.
" Clemont, can you be the referee? " Sawyer asked.
" Sure. " Clemont said.
" Well, you guys have fun. I'm going to go train. " Serena said. " It's been announced that a showcase will be held in Anistar City in 2 weeks so I need to prepare. "
" Finally, they hadn't released anything about a new showcase for a while now. " Bonnie said. " What's the theme? "
" Pokemon Quiz. " Serena said.
" Wait, wait... sorry, but what's a Pokemon Showcase? Is it like a Pokemon Contest? " Sawyer asked.
" ...Contests? What are Pokemon Contests? " Serena asked
" Yep, well somewhat anyway. " Ash replied. " Pokemon Contests have 2 rounds. The first is a Performance where trainers or Coordinators make their Pokemon shine and appeal to the audience and judges. The second is where 2 Coordinators face off in a battle, an actual Pokemon battle, while using the tournament brackets. This battle is less about trying to beat your opponent by making the other faint, though that is an option, and more so about using combination moves or the opponents to make your Pokemon shine brighter than the other to deplete your opponent's points. The judges get to make the final votes whenever a decision is to be made. Also, Coordinators can be male or female.
Pokemon Showcases are where only female performers perform on stage with their Pokemon, just round 1 of contests, and it's the same way throughout. However, there aren't any judges like in contests who decide who goes on to the next rounds, instead, it's the audience who gets to vote for who gave the best performance. "
The gang stared at Ash in awe and surprise.
" ... How do you know all that? " Bonnie asked.
" And since when could explain things so cleanly!? " Clemont asked while Sawyer was writing notes in his book.
" Because I traveled with Coordinators before and I've been practicing. " Ash responded.
" Pokemon Contests, huh? They sound fun. " Serena said.
" They are. You'd do well in them. " Ash said.
" Really? " Serena asked and Ash nodded.
" Hey Ash, have you ever participated in a contest? " Bonnie asked.
" I have. " Ash admitted. " I was never serious about being a coordinator but I did participate in a few for a new experience. They were fun. "
Pikachu agreed, reminiscing about the times he entered a contest.
" You weren't all too bad in those contests too, but some of the other performances were just way better. " Clemont said.
" You watched them? " Ash asked.
" I did. Me and Sawyer were watching some of your previous battles yesterday and your contest participations were there too. " Clemont said.
" Yeah, they were good. " Sawyer said. " But anyway, can we have that battle now? "
" Oh, right. " Ash said.
" Hey Serena, what are you thinking about? " Bonnie asked.
" I'm thinking about checking out the Pokemon Contests. Maybe I can use them to get an idea for the upcoming showcase. " Serena said.
" That's a good idea. " Bonnie agreed.
"There are computers in the Pokemon Center you can use. " Sawyer said.
" Thanks but I also want my Pokemon to get some training in as well. So, I'll be using my phone. I'll be back in the evening... " Serena said before Bonnie cut in.
" I'm coming with you. " Bonnie said.
" Oh, then we'll be back by evening for dinner. " Serena said then she and Bonnie left the Pokemon Center.
" It's now time for us to battle. " Sawyer said.
" Let's go. " Ash said as the three headed to the Pokemon Center battlefield.
...
Ash and Sawyer faced each other on the battlefield and brought out their Pokemon—Treecko for Sawyer and Espurr for Ash.
" Okay, this will be a 1v1 battle between Ash and Sawyer. The battle will end when Treecko or Espurr or both faint. With that said, are you two ready? " Clemont asked.
" Yes. " Sawyer and Ash replied.
" Then begin! " Clemont exclaimed.
" Treecko, use Leafage. " Sawyer called out. Treecko materialized four leaves and hurled them at Espurr.
" Use Confusion to redirect them to the ground behind you. " Ash said. Espurr concentrated and a blue glow enveloped the four leaves, slightly altering their direction to fly past Espurr and into the ground behind her.
" Treecko, get in close and use pound. " Sawyer said, then Treecko ran forward.
" Meet Treecko halfway and use Scratch. " Ash said. Espurr ran forward.
Meeting in the middle, Espurr dived in with her claws extended. Treecko dodged the first strike and went for a Pound to Espurr's face. Espurr jumped back, avoiding the blow.
" Quick attack. " Sawyer called out. Treecko enveloped himself in a grey aura and rushed forward at a quicker pace, slamming into Espurr and knocking her back.
" Use Leafage. " Sawyer called out. Treecko sent more leaves to attack Espurr who landed on her feet.
" Espurr dodge. " Ash said. Watching the leaves come at her, Espurr dived to the left to avoid the leaves. " Good, use Switft. "
Once on her feet, Espurr summoned golden stars and threw them at Treecko.
" Counter with Magical Leaf. " Sawyer said.
Treecko watched the stars coming for him and retaliated, creating multiple rapidly changing leaves that collided with the stars. The attacks canceled each other out.
" Quick attack, get in close and use the one-two. " Sawyer called out.
" Use reflect to block then get into the air and use Psybeam. " Ash called out.
Treecko dashed forward towards Espurr who created a Reflect, blocking Treecko's path. Noticing Espurr about to jump, Treecko decided to jump in the air to get over the Reflect and meet Espurr mid-air. Treecko jumped and Espurr was in the air, the two of them were at the same height. Treecko aimed to hit Espurr but was blasted back by a fast Psybeam. Treecko tumbled on the ground but managed to get onto his feet quickly.
" Treecko, you okay? " Sawyer asked. Treecko gave him a cry of assurance.
" Good job Espurr. " Ash praised. " Now, pin Treecko to the wall with Reflect. "
" Treecko, dodge! " Sawyer exclaimed.
The Reflect Espurr had created headed straight towards Treecko who dodged by diving to his right. Treecko got ready to attack but found himself bound by psychic energy as Espurr arrived in front of him and blasted him back with a powerful Psybeam.
" Treecko?! " Sawyer called out, before rushing towards Treecko. " Are you okay!? "
" Treecko is unable to battle. The winner is Espurr. " Clemont said.
" You okay? " Sawyer asked, helping Treecko to a sitting position. Treecko grunted from the pain as Sawyer handed him an Oran Berry for him to eat.
Espurr watched Pikachu come up to her and congratulate her on her win. She stared as Pikachu held out his paw clenched. Looking at Pikachu, his fist, and his emotions, Espurr raised her paw and gave him a fist bump, having a small smile on her face. Ash smiled when he came to Espurr and knelt to pet her on the head.
" You did amazing. " Ash said and Espurr's smile widened a bit more.
" I was excited to see how our one-two combo would do too. " Sawyer sighed. " Guess we have more things to work on. "
Treecko agreed.
" What's the one-two anyway? " Clemont asked.
" It's a combo of Pound and Assurance. Since Assurance doubles in damage if the target is damaged, I figured if Treecko uses Pound first then Assurance, it'd be like a one-two punch in boxing. " Sawyer explained.
" That's a good combo. " Clemont praised. " But it doesn't have to be Pound and then Assurance. You could use Assurance repeatedly if that were the case. "
" That's true. I also need to find ways to get in close. " Sawyer said. " Also, Psychic types are tricky. How do even get out of their hold? Can you even get out? "
" It's difficult, but it is possible. " Ash said. " One way would be to make them lose their concentration, making them release. You can do this by attacking them directly. Another would be to have your Pokemon use a burst of energy at the psychic energy holding them and use enough to break it. But this one is very taxing if you aren't skilled enough. "
" That's so cool! " Sawyer gushed, writing the info in his book then thought of something. " Hey Ash, when did you tell Espurr to grab Treecko and use Psybeam? I don't think I heard you say it. "
" You noticed huh? " Ash said as Clemont smiled.
" I never did. " Ash said. " Most psychic types can understand people very easily, more so than other types. It's why they can end up communicating with people through their minds. Espurr knew what I wanted by feeling and understanding my intent, but I wanted to see how far she could understand currently. She's skilled right now, but she can get much better. "
" Woah. " Sawyer gushed.
" Seriously, when did you learn to speak like this? " Clemont asked.
" Like I said, I've been practicing. I felt like I needed to be able to explain my thought process to others better and to do that, I needed to be able to understand myself. " Ash said. " Otherwise, reaching his level would be a lot harder than it is now. "
" Reaching his level is hard regardless, but I'll this up to you. " Clemont shrugged.
" Uh, sorry but who are you talking about? " Sawyer asked.
" A strong trainer that I'm going to catch up to and surpass one day. " Ash replied.
" How strong is he? " Sawyer asked.
" Whose the Champion of Hoenn right now? " Ash asked.
" Uh... it's Steven Stone... " Sawyer said. " Wait, you can't possibly be saying he can beat Steven Stone right? "
" I am. " Ash said.
" Eh? Really? " Sawyer asked, shocked. He turned his head towards Clemont who shrugged. " Is he really that strong? "
" He is. Truthfully, I don't know how their battle would go, but from what I know of both, I'd say Atsumu would win. " Ash said.
" Atsumu... " Sawyer muttered.
" That's his name. Atsumu Miya. " Ash said. " Once you see him battle, you'll understand. "
...
Stepping through a portal, Atsumu and Valerie stood outside the Anistar City Gym. Entering through the doors, the two of them walked into the main arena where they were greeted with familiar and unfamiliar faces. In this one room, all the Gym Leaders of the Kalos Region stood face to face to discuss the future.
_______________________________________________________________
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