Route 1 - outbound from Pallet Town - 0947 hours local time - Day 108 of Ash Ketchum's Journey
A purple fin cut through the earth, orbiting the trainers.
"I cannot get used to the fact that he can just turn back into a Gible." Kyoji said as the land shark surfaced, eyesmiling at them before returning to the ground.
"I barely believe it myself, but given my life…" Ash said, trailing off as they began their trek from Pallet Town on foot.
Indigo Plateau wasn't that far, but the League was being pushed forward almost two months. 'To celebrate the reunification of Kanto', it was claimed, as the last two city states, Dark City and Maiden's Peak, both of which Ash avoided like the plague, had finally rejoined the central Kanto government.
Really, they had a good idea why it was really happening.
"One super-powered legendary and everyone soils themselves in terror." Iris said, feeding Axew an apple. "We beat Mewtwo. We should have the time to relax."
"Unfortunately, the League waits for no one," Kyoji said, "If Ash wants to get past the Kanto League, he needs to get there and register before the tournament begins."
"Why can't we just teleport there?" Iris asked, "I mean… we have Natus, don't we? And Sabrina too…" She glanced back, looking where Sabirna and Kyoji were - trailing behind the group… mostly for Anabel's sake. "And would you just get up here so we don't need to shout?"
"I'm just social distancing," Sabrina called back. "I can hear you clearly, and I can send you messages just as clear… not to Anabel of course, I understand why."
"And I'm not letting her walk alone," Kyoji said, walking next to her, and in an attempt to look sly held her hand - but failed as he still blushed a bit. "S-She's my Girlfriend after all."
"R-Right, thanks…" Sabrina nodded, as she blushed as well.
"…oh they are just adorable…" Serena muttered to herself with a giggle. 'I hope me and Ash can be like that soon…'
"Give it time," Jade said, "We just gotta slowly peel the armor off…"
"As long as they stay away from MY Ash, they will be left in peace…" Yuno growled.
"Pipe down pinkie." Jade groaned.
"We cannot simply teleport there because the Pokemon League Headquarters and the Indigo Colosseum are fit with teleport dampeners." Janine explained. "To prevent a similar blitzkrieg attack that brought ruin to the URN. They are only shut down for emergencies, sudden emergency meetings and necessary maintenance."
"It may surprise you, but I actually fly there." Sabrina said.
"How? You don't have a flying-type to your name." Ash asked.
Sabrina just gave him a look before she began to hover in place with Kyoji - who freaked out for a moment before realizing what was going on - before landing back down. "Psychic." She reinforced.
"…Right. Keep thinking like a normal person." Ash muttered as they pressed on.
"…I have been thinking of being a bit more… creative with it," Sabrina mused, smiling as she glanced at Kyoji. "Maybe wear a pointed black hat, carry a broom with me…"
Kyoji froze in place - biting his lip. "I swear it was a passing thought!" He cried out, but Sabrina just laughed.
"Kyoji, it's fine," She chuckled, "I'm flattered how much you try to keep your mind secure, but you can relax… I know you… and I actually wouldn't mind getting into cosplay."
"We can still hear you!" Misty called back. "And we REALLY don't want to know!"
"I'm allowed to be a little adventurous at my age, mom!" Sabrina replied, smiling.
"Don't call me that!"
"SHE'S OUR DAUGHTER GODDAMNIT!" Yuno shouted in Serena's head, causing her to flinch. "I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE IF YOU-HRMG! GRRM! Hrm… hmmm…"
"Okay, Rey - please stop using Chloroform on Yuno - it will only make it worse." Jade sighed.
"I can't read when she's ranting." Rey said in a monotone voice.
'What do you read?' Serena tilted her head in confusion. 'I have a library in my head?'
"Eh, kinda." Princess mused, "We view your memories and dreams like books and movies… the video store is mostly filled with some… XXX content with you, Ash and the girls… same with the bookstore, there is an entire series based off of '50 shades of Ash' that Jade likes to dive into-"
'Okay - I did not need to hear that!' Serena sighed, her face burning red for a hot moment.
"You asked." Princess retorted. "The only one who goes in there more than her is Asuka."
"I-I do not!" Asuka cried out.
"Yes you do." Sabrina's voice suddenly came in, causing Serena to jump.
"Aw, Sabrina!" Jade gushed, "How's it going?"
'Sabrina?!' Serena glanced back at the Psychic. 'What-how-?!'
"Oh, I pop in here every now and then - nothing invasive," Sabrina said, as she smiled. "Just to talk to your personalities… we play Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker every sunday when I'm around."
'...do I even want to know?' Serena asked.
"It's really not as complex as it sounds." Princess added. "And sometimes Ash and Kyoji's Natus join in as well… though I swear they cheat…"
"Natu." 'You can't prove shit.' A random Natu spoke in her head.
"…you okay Serena?" Ash asked, as Serena blinked as she realized Ash was trying to talk to her.
"…my mind is an extremely complex place, Ash…" She sighed. "I'm… trying to figure it out each day… but I'm fine…"
Ash smiled at her, making her heart skip more than a few beats. She blushed - and she could hear all her personalities go 'awwww' in unison.
"Well, the league waits for no one." he then said, pointedly trying not to look at her blushing face.
"He likes you," Sabrina teased.
"Natu." 'And in breaking news, water is wet and Pikachu likes ketchup.' another Natu quipped.
This was going to be a LONG journey to Indigo.
Near the entrance to Victory Road - 1302 Hours Local Time
There was but one constant during the entire journey.
'Dun, dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-'
"It's weird hearing it in stereo…" Kyoji muttered, watching as their three Gibles dug beneath them in a loose circle as if racing one another.
"But they're so… cute…" Iris said as one fin dove under the ground.
Ash didn't see that guy with the Marowak on the road, but then, Team Rocket was less interested in trying to rob him this time around.
Maybe he'd see him at the League. He'd enjoy a good clean fight.
Serena, meanwhile, had… other problems.
Though they were related to the Gibles chasing one another, actually.
"And they are off to the races, folks!" Jade narrated as the Gibles races around the traveling group. "Gib-Chomp is pulling a strong lead, with Mighty G tailing him - but what's this! Yellow Lighting is coming up from the rear!"
"Come on, Lighting…" Princess muttered, "I have 100 bucks on you!"
"Fuck Lighitng! Gib-Chomp's got this in the bag!" Yuno shouted.
"Gib-Chomp's old news, Mighty G deserves the spotlight!" Asuka cried out. "Go M.G!"
"Go Lighting." Rey said in a monotone voice.
"Natu." 'Let's go Gib-Chomp! *Clap, Clap, Clapclapclap* Let's go Gib-Chomp! *Clap, Clap, Clapclapclap*"
"M.G! M.G! M.G!" Yuno screamed in a mantra.
Serena just sighed… as she subtly waved a tiny flag 'Go Gib-Chomp…' she thought to herself.
"How do they do it?" Misty asked as the land shark fins appeared and disappeared. "Do they use their arms to dig? Is it their horns? Their mouths? No one tells me!"
"I'm pretty sure they'd tell me if they wanted to." Ash said, his Gible briefly surfacing and eyesmiling for a second before diving back in.
After a moment, though, he poked his head back up.
"Gib?" 'Why do I smell someone using a lot of cologne?' asked Gib-chomp as he surfaced, sniffing once, twice, pausing...and snarling. "Gggggggggggggggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbbbbbbbb…" 'HIM.'
Ash looked at Gible in confusion. Who would he… wait… there was no way in hell he was here.
"Finally. I was wondering when one of you pathetic Kanto hicks would get here." said a voice Ash hoped not to hear again for another four years as a form exited the cave leading to Victory Road.
"HEY! JACKASS!" Yuno screamed. "YOU INTERRUPTED THE GIBLE RACES!"
"Yeah! Get off the road!" Princess shouted.
"Ok, asshole, who are you?" demanded Misty before they saw the purple hair and jacket.
"Paul." Ash spat, remembering his Sinnohan rival. He had hoped not to deal with him for a VERY long time.
"Hmm?" Paul hummed before nodding to himself. "You're that crown prince. From Pallet Town. Your friend Oak must've told you about how I handed him his ass."
"…who the fuck is this ripe piece of shit?" Kyoji growled, glancing at Ash. "Friend of yours?"
"More like the exact opposite…" Ash glowered as he stepped forward.
Paul scoffed as he looked at Ash's group. "A swimmer with a bust size suited more for modeling and a face worth punching, a Kalosian noble that doesn't know what it's like to actually fight, some Unovan girl and someone cosplaying as a ninja." he said, summing up what he saw they were. "Pathetic, the lot of you."
"So why aren't you going through that tunnel?" Ash asked, resisting the urge to smirk. "Not get enough badges?"
"For your information, I got here two months ago." the Sinnohan stated, annoyed. "But all the worthwhile gyms were closed. Erika was practically demolishing Celedon, Giovanni kicked me out, Daisy Waterflower sicced a Gyarados on me for interrupting one of their water shows, and no one wants to go to that psycho-bitch's Gym in Saffron…"
"My heart bleeds." Ash deadpanned.
Sabrina poked her head out from behind the group. "Pardon me, whelp?" She growled.
He looked at Sabrina, scowling. "What the fuck are you doing here instead of doing your job, woman?" he demanded. "You're a gym leader! You should BE at your gym!"
Kyoji pulled out a dagger. "Imma kill him." He snarled.
"She's here because she's taking a break." Ash said, restraining the urge to tell Pikachu to Thunder his ass. "They deserve a vacation once in a while. She IS human."
"She should be at her post. Stupid woman." Paul spat.
'She's a beautiful and intelligent woman that could snap your neck and turn you into a goddamn pretzel if she wanted too' Kyoji balled his fists as he began to march towards him with a seething face - only stopped by an invisible force that held him in place.
'Dad can handle him.' Sabrina said, giving him a reassuring smile. 'It's alright - his words mean nothing to me.'
Kyoji grumbled, but nodded as he stood his ground… he still kept the knife out though.
"That might be the way you do it in Sinnoh, but here, we actually treat people like people." Ash said, knowing full well Paul was just an asshole that needed the stick ripped out of his ass...then beaten with it. Repeatedly. He had no time to deal with him, though. "So, if you don't mind moving aside, please…?"
"No." Paul said, reaching for a Pokeball. "You are going to battle me. You are going to lose and give me your badges."
Serena was the one to react to that. "YOU DARE?! She snapped, pissed off that he would demand Ash to throw a fight for someone else's ego - her voice giving off an odd echo as if multiple voices were speaking in unison.
"I've fought a Pallet Town trainer. Gary Oak relied too much on his name to get anywhere." the purple-haired trainer looked at Ash. "You're the same, relying on your mother's reputation as a former member of the Elite Four to get anywhere."
"Pika..." 'Urge to murder: RISING.' Pikachu growled. Ash couldn't blame him: Paul was WORSE.
Kyoji slowly blinked, glancing around as all the girls were openly glaring at this man named Paul. "...this poor sack of shit…" he muttered, shaking his head.
"Well, Paul, hate to say it, but a battle for the badges isn't happening." Ash said with a smile, glancing over his shoulder as he heard someone walk up behind him.
Kyoji leaned into Ash's ear. "Just give the word, and I can have my Gible bury his ass into the earth up to his neck, and we can just walk past him." He whispered, "He's not worth our time…"
"Wrong." Paul snapped. "Under regulation 8, subsection 6, if a registered trainer demands a battle for your badges, when you lose, you give up the badges." he then looked at Sabrina. "You're supposedly a gym leader. You know the rules."
Sabrina's eye twitched before she started radiating raw psionic energy. "Insult me again, boy, and I will launch you into that mountain at MACH FIVE." she threatened.
"But…" Paul trailed off expectantly.
"You are technically correct." Sabrina ground out, as it if pained her to agree. It probably did.
"I know you're against killing, but just this once," Kyoji begged, keeping his volume low. "Between all of us, I can promise they won't find the body…"
Ash sighed. "I hate this timeline. I really do." he muttered. One bad thing after another.
Gible didn't even wait, heading straight for Paul.
Paul heard the music, glancing at the fin as Gible's head popped up. "...the hell is that ugly thing?" He sneered.
This time, Sabrina had to physically restrain Kyoji as he tried to leap after him. Gible just glared back as he dug under him. The ground rumbled…
*Shloop*
"What the fuck?!" Paul shouted, as he suddenly was brought into the earth up to his neck - dragged down. Gible just resurfaced, and stuck his tongue out at Paul - and pulled his eyelid down in a mocking way before digging back to the group.
"Serves you right, asshole." Iris spat, disgusted by this excuse for a trainer.
"Gible, dig him out of his hole, please." Ash asked nicely. "The kind man wants a Pokemon battle, so I'll give him one."
"WHAT?!" Kyoji yelled. "We can just walk past him-" he stopped at the look in Ash's eyes.
They weren't the eyes of someone resigned to something stupid. This was the same look he had when he tore Giovanni's team apart. And since then, all of them had grown a LOT more powerful. Ash didn't want to BATTLE Paul.
He wanted to ANNIHILATE Paul.
"…on second thought." Kyoji grinned as he looked at Paul. "Gible… please dig him out… Ash needs to teach this… trainer a lesson in respect…"
Gible grumbled a bit, but sighed as he dug back in… and there was a resounding BOOM as Paul shot out of the hole - his pants looking a bit singed.
"Little bastard…" Paul growled, as Gible glared at him - and dug back to the group.
"Nice Draco Meteor," Kyoji whispered, giving Gible a fist-bump. "His end will be painful."
"When I win, that thing is going to get a lesson in respect." Paul promised.
"You don't like Gibles, do you?" Ash asked as he walked off to the left of the road. Everyone but Paul going to the right out of respect for other trainers going past.
"Gible?" Paul asked. "THAT'S a Gible? I thought Gible was more impressive! Garchomp is one of the most powerful Pokemon you can have and it grows into that from that pathetic thing?"
Kyoji took a long, deep breath. "…Gible, I know I'm not your trainer…" He said, "But… if you would please…?"
"Gib." 'Doing it.' Gible nodded, as he got the evolite clip off his fin and glared at Paul… and moments later he glowed and grew into the size and form of a Garchomp. "Chomp." 'You wanna say that to my face, punk?'
Paul stared in horror. "What kind of mutant is that thing?!" he yelled.
"I only put up with you insulting me because I don't really care, Paul." Ash said before his civil, if annoyed, tone of voice turned into one that was more akin to his mother's when she was angry. "But insult my Pokemon again and I will GLADLY let them deal with you their way. I promise you… you want me to deal with you my way."
The Sinnohan turned his terrified stare to Ash, shaking his head to compose himself. "Fine. When the time comes and I prove how worthless they are, I'll treasure the look on your face." he said, a slight twinge of fear in his voice. Readying himself, he tossed out a Pokeball. "Teddiursa, stand by for battle!" the ball snapped open, releasing the adorable-looking teddy bear Pokemon.
Ash was not fooled: this thing would turn into Paul's Ursaring one day and he would treat it as such. Only question was… who to send out?
'…Quilava. He won't see her coming.' he thought only to pause as another ball on his belt snapped open, releasing a blue and black jackal.
"Riolu!" 'Ready to go!' cried the Emanation Pokemon as he took up a martial arts stance.
"How typical. The Crown Prince has a Riolu." Paul sneered. "You're a walking stereotype."
"…Ri!" 'Oh fuck this guy!' Riolu shouted.
"…Ursa." '…yeah, he's a prick.' The Teddyursa sighed.
"Riolu…" Ash sighed, "You can't just pop out like that!"
"Rio! Ri!" 'This sack of shit insulted YOUR honor, meaning he insulted MY honor, and the honor of our whole family!' The Riolu exclaimed. "Riolu!" 'We need to put him back in his place! Let me have this, PLEASE!'
"...You're right, Riolu." Ash said.
"Like you can understand your little dog. Pretending you do is extremely pathetic." Paul said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Oh my god, would you shut the fuck up!" Kyoji exclaimed, looking at the Teddiursa. "How the hell do you put up with this guy?!"
"Teddy…?" 'I mean, I guess it's better than being stuck in the wild?' The Pokemon shrugged.
"Stop acting like you understand him," Paul rolled his eyes.
"I understand him better than you do, asshole…" Kyoji growled. "The only reason he's with you is because he thinks it better than being in the wild…"
"…Ursa?" '…holy shit, did he understand me?' The bear Pokemon blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, so can I," Ash said, as the Bear looked between the two of them in surprise.
"Enough games!" Paul shouted, "Teddiursa! Fury Swipes!"
"Block with Metal Claw!" Ash countered. This time, he would give commands to the end. Riolu covered his paws with steel and started batting away every strike.
"Ri-o-lu-ri-o-" 'Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker's man~' Riolu sang, Teddiursa getting into singing along.
Ash laughed, falling to his knees, genuinely amused as the two had a Fury Swipes/Metal Claw version of an old kid's game.
"What in the hell are you doing? Stop trying to hit him and hit him!" Paul yelled.
"Teddi?" 'Can I take a fall, please?' he asked, not wanting to fight with his new friend.
"Riolu." 'Sadly, no: my pride would not allow it. Nor would yours,' Riolu said sadly. "Ri?" 'I will try not to hurt you too badly. Fair?'
Teddiursa smiled. "Ursa!" 'Sure! We're in a Pokemon battle after all,' he replied before stumbling back, putting a finger in his mouth as Riolu jumped and flipped a few times before landing.
"That's just showing off." Ash said, smiling at the jackal, who grinned back.
"For the love of-" Paul growled, a vein pulsing in his head. "Focus Punch! Beat that dog within an inch of his life!"
"Aura Sphere." Ash retorted, wanting to just put the poor thing out of his misery. Letting this go on any longer was just cruel.
"Are you THAT stupid?" Paul demanded. "Riolu can't learn Aura Sph-"
"Rio!' 'In the words of that guy from Unova, surprise, motherfucker!' Riolu cried, creating a spinning blue ball in his paws. "Riolu." 'Nothing personal.'
"Teddi!" 'We'll play again sometime!' said the teddy bear before Riolu shoved his paws forward the Aura Sphere into the cute bear's stomach, knocking him out as mercifully as Riolu could. Paul stared at the knocked out bear before looking at Riolu, who started shadow boxing.
"…That is IMPOSSIBLE by all means," Paul said, his voice cracking. "Riolu. Cannot. Learn. Aura Sphere."
Ash shrugged. "No one said it was a rule. He learned that before I met him."
"Ri. Lou." 'Kicker of asses in the making,' he commented, palming another Aura Sphere. "Lou." 'Wanna see me do it again?'
Paul started blinking. Rapidly, staring at the ball, almost as if it's mere existence was taunting him. "Wa? How?"
"Don't look at me." Ash said, shrugging. "I only learned he could do it after I met him." He repeated.
"This makes no sense," Paul muttered as he returned Teddiursa. "You make no sense. STOP NOT MAKING SENSE!"
Kyoji and Sabrina resisted laughing.
Ash was nice enough not to laugh in his face, deserving it or not. "Alright, Riolu, let's preserve what's left of his dignity-"
"GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Paul roared back.
"And recall you," Ash finished as though Paul didn't interrupt him, returning Riolu to his ball before clipping it to his belt and tossing out Quilava's Pokeball.
Quilava materialized with a happy "Qui!" before seeing Paul. "Qui?" 'Paul? What the hell's he doing in Kanto?' she asked. She sniffed the air, then rankled her nose. "Qui…" 'And why is he wearing enough cologne to drown a small township?'
"I have no idea, Quilava," Ash said, shrugging. Paul didn't wear cologne in the last timeline.
"I thought you were Kantoan, not Johtoian." Paul said with mild disgust. "There's only one place worse than Kanto and that's Johto."
"…Qui." 'I'm going to beat the shit out of whatever Pokemon he sends out.' she said before her back flamed up. "LAVA!" 'THEN I'M GOING TO TORCH YOUR ASS!'
"You tell 'em Quilava!" Kyoji called out, "Kick his ass back to Sinnoh!"
"Fire is easily extinguished." Paul deadpanned, putting away Teddiursa's Pokeball and retrieving another before throwing it. "Marill, stand by for battle!"
The ball opened, energy releasing a mouse-like Pokemon related to Pikachu, but with a rounder, blue body, a thinner tail with a ball on the end and a much smaller head with rounded ears. Ash almost had a feeling of nostalgia for Tracy, but his general distaste for the Orange Islands overrode any warm feelings for the man that would eventually become Professor Oak's assistant.
"Mar?" 'Oh, good. A fire-type. Maybe I'll win this time and he won't threaten to release me…' said Marill, making Ash more than a little pissed off at the reminder that Paul was one to release underperforming Pokemon instead of solving the problem with hard work, training and occasionally a kind word. No, Paul was more 'if you're not strong now, you'll never be.' Ash proved him wrong with Infernape last time.
"If you don't win this, Marill, you are gone." Paul spat. "I have no use for weaklings."
"Keep it up, Paul." Ash said, getting more pissed off the more Paul talked. "I'm considering letting Sabrina turn you into a human pretzel and walking away."
Paul glared at Ash. "That would be murder." he stated.
"'Murder' would imply you were innocent." Sabrina retorted - while psionically holding Kyoji back, who was seething. "I wonder how many Pokemon you just released, only to die from Shadow Pokemon attacks. Murder by proxy is still murder and the trainer that released the Pokemon is responsible for their deaths. Regulation 13, subsection 7, if I remember correctly."
"Natural selection is served." Paul retorted before focusing on the battle. "Water Gun."
Marill quickly inhaled, preparing to expel water at Quilava.
"Aerial Ace! Dodge it, but don't hit Merrill!" Ash commanded, Quilava flashed white and disappeared, only to appear to the water mouse's left, a few feet from him.
"This is a battle. You expect to win without injuring my Pokemon?" Paul asked, confused and annoyed.
"I don't want to hurt Merill if you're just going to release him after this is over." Ash snapped, making Paul glower. "That's what I thought.'
"The weak die, the strong prevail. If you don't like it, hide under a rock." the Sinnohan replied, Marill looking depressed and Quilava not even bothering to attack. Not only would that be rude, it would be wrong "Arceus rules because he is strongest. Nothing more."
"...Arceus I want to kill this man so bad…" Kyoji grunted, "Sabrina, let me at him, PLEASE!"
"Patience, Kyoji…" Sabrina assured, "He will get what's coming to him… Ash simply needs to do it… this time."
"You release Marill, Misty gets him." Ash said, making her gape at him.
"WHAT?!" she asked, yelling. "You didn't even ask me!"
"He's a water-type, you like water-types…" Ash said, shrugging. "Makes sense."
"...Sweet, but no thank you. I want an Azurill first." Misty said, blushing.
"I'll take him!" Kyoji said. "He's like Pikachu, only blue!"
"Enough." Paul snapped. "I am not entertaining your discussions any further! Marill, Aqua Tail!"
Marill obeyed, swiping at Quilava, but the fire badger just rolled backwards, ending up on her hindquarters and eyesmiling like she did as a Cyndaquil.
"You are beginning to annoy me, Marill." the purple haired jackass spat. "HIT THAT DAMN THING AND PROVE YOU'RE WORTHY!"
Marill rushed at Quilava, who just kept dodging, rolling and generally avoiding every Aqua Tail thrown at her, the fire-type turning it into a game.
"Qui!" 'Up high!' she said, jumping over another Aqua Tail. "La!" 'Down low!' she ducked under another one and rolled under a vertical strike, eyesmiling the entire time. "Lava!" 'Too slow!'
"Mar!" 'Stop dodging and let me hit you!' Marill all but pleaded, taking another swipe. "Rill!" 'I'm not getting released! I don't want to go back out in the wild!'
"Qui." 'I know, but I have my pride. Can't just let you hit me.' Quilava said, ducking under a diagonal slash of Aqua Tail and rolling back. "Lava." 'Besides, you lose, Kyoji can catch you. He seems nice enough. I mean, he hangs around Ash, so that's a good sign.'
"Marill?" '…So I can just throw this?' Marill asked hopefully. "Rill…" 'I mean...he's an asshole, but…'
"Quilava!" 'No. You're a Pokemon: we don't throw a fight unless it's for training!' the volcano Pokemon replied. "Qui!" 'I have to EARN this!'
Marill nodded, then resumed his attack, making every attempt to hit Quilava.
"Bubble Beam!" Paul ordered. "Melee isn't working!"
Marill obeyed, but Quilava countered, using Defense Curl and Smokescreen to make it all but impossible to hit her as she rolled around in a ball.
"Nice one, Quilava!" Ash praised.
"STOP MOCKING ME!" Paul demanded. "Water Sport!"
"Aerial Ace! Hit him this time!" Ash commanded. Quilava disappeared then slammed into Marill's back, spinning around as a ball before landing on the ground.
"Qui!" 'I could be a contest Pokemon!' she half-bragged, just as interested in humiliating Paul as Ash was.
"Rollout!" Paul snapped, losing patience, Marill curling into a ball and spinning in place before launching at Quilava.
"Aerial Ace and Tackle!" Ash commanded, Quilava dodging the rock-type attack with Marill rolling by, only to get smacked in the back again before being shoved with a shoulder bash.
Towards Paul's face.
Sabrina was technically refereeing this fight, so she should have either stopped Marill or made Ash forfeit...but Paul was such an asshole that honestly, he asked for it as the Aqua Mouse Pokemon slammed into his face, a harsh snap indicating something broke as he was knocked down.
From the blood pouring down Paul's chin from his nostrils, his nose was likely as the blue mouse landed at Paul's feet. The annoyed Sinnohan got back up and glared at Marill, who saw the look in his trainer's eyes before Paul clicked the button on his Pokeball, releasing Marill from its' hold
"Get out of here!" Paul shouted, as he was about to kick the Marill-
*BAM*
He flinched as a bullet flew past his left ear - clipping his hair as Kyoji stood there, a pistol in hand.
"…kick that Marill, and I will shoot you dead." He growled. "I don't care what Ash says…" he glanced at the crying Marill, and smiled. "Hey little guy, come over here…"
"M-Mar…" 'B-but I'm… weak, I-' Marill said, slowly walking away from Paul.
"No you're not," Kyoji stepped forward - keeping the gun trained on Paul. "Come here, little one…" he scooped the blue ball up into his arm, stepping back towards the group. "...you just need some training… me and Gible will be happy to help."
"Gib!" 'Hi new friend!' Kyoji's Gible waved.
"Rill?" 'Hi…? He's… a Gible, but… yellow?'
"Electric-type, but don't let that worry you," Kyoji assured, "He only shocks the people he doesn't like… like that asshole over there."
"Gib!" 'Speaking of which…' Gible said before opening his maw. "Gible!' Eat lightning!' A Thunderbolt shot from his mouth, slamming into Paul, making him twitch and sputter as his nervous system was assaulted by electrical power.
"He's not me, Gible!" Ash said, horrified. "I can take a thunderbolt; he can't!"
"I think he's well aware of that…" Kyoji said, glancing at Gible. "That's enough Gible, save some for later."
Gible ceased the attack, leaving Paul flopping like a fish, which is pretty much how one is after getting hit with a high voltage-low amperage electrical assault.
"He'll be fine," Kyoji waved it off, "It's like being hit by a taser for him… now if a Garchomp hit him with a Thunderbolt, we may have to call in a medic."
"Anabel got a Thunder Punch to the heart and died from it." Ash reminded him. "I'm wary of doing that to normal people."
"I trained Gible, Ash." Kyoji reminded him, "He won't kill someone or something unless I tell him to."
Paul got back to his feet once more, taking a minute to get over being shocked, literally and figuratively, by Gible.
"What the hell is that thing?" Paul demanded. "Gible and Garchomp can't learn electric attacks: they're dragon/ground-types!"
"He's a very special Gible," Kyoji said, holding his Gible next to Marill - who was weirded out… but Gible just eye-smiled and hugged the Marill - who was a bit surprised… but started to hug back.
"I will deal with you later." Paul snapped.
"Asshole." Anabel said, surprising the girls. "He doesn't understand Pokemon aren't machines. They're living things, not tools."
"Nidorino, stand by for battle!" Paul snapped as he threw out another ball, sending out the male second stage of the Nidoran line, even as thunder rolled overhead.
"Were we due for rain?" Iris asked, curious if that was in the weather reports.
"We were, but the forecast wasn't until this evening," Misty replied before grinning. "Weather people can't get it right all the time."
Ash simply looked skyward, then pulled out the Pokedex. He knew EXACTLY who to bring in.
Oak Ranch -1321 hours local time
"Ivy." 'Looks like Ash is calling for a transfer,' Ivysaur said, seeing who he wanted to bring in.
The picture on the monitor was transferring out Froakie for Sliggoo.
"Mi?" 'Why does he want Sliggoo?' Mimikyu tilted her head in curiosity.
"Ivy… Saur…" 'I don't… wait…' Ivysaur glanced up, looking in the distance, seeing a gathering of clouds a far distance away. "…Ivysaur." '…Oh, Sliggoo's gonna have a good day today…'
"Mi!" 'Does this mean he's gonna evolve?!' Mimikyu asked, excited that her friend would get his eyesight back.
"Ivy!" 'Don't just stand there!' Ivysaur said, giving her a look. "Saur!" 'Get him over here as quickly as possible!'
"Mimi!" 'Aye, aye, saur!' Mimikyu said, using her hand to give a salute before rushing off to find Sliggoo.
Victory Road entrance - 1323 hours local time
"Well?" Paul demanded. "What the hell are you even doing? I want to get this over with before that storm gets here. I have a conference to win."
Ash's Pokedex dinged and the Pokeball ring flashed. Froakie was back home and he had a snail that wanted to be better than he was.
"Just this." Ash said, taking the ball off his belt and getting ready to pitch. "I choose you, Sliggoo!" he tossed, the ball opening up and depositing the large snail Pokemon.
Paul just stared at it, not knowing what it was. It didn't even occur to him to pull out his Pokedex.
"Slig!" 'Hey Ash! So what's…' Sliggoo looked towards Paul. 'Whose that?'
"The hell is that ugly thing?" he demanded.
"…goo." '…Oh I don't like you…' Sliggoo growled, only to pause as he heard thunder. Very close thunder. He looked up, and heard the rain clouds… and it began to rain.
"Slig, SLIG!" 'Yes, YES!' Sliggoo began bouncing, "SLIGGOO!" 'FINALLY!'
Then the rain hit his body. Sabrina put up a psionic bubble around the group to keep them from getting drenched, Anabel putting up a small bubble around Ash while Paul...got rained on as it began to downpour.
"…oh right, you can do that…" Kyoji muttered, as he put away the umbrella he was pulling out.
"It's the thought that counts," Sabrina smiled, patting him on the shoulder.
"Watch this." Misty said, looking at Sliggoo, even as Paul finally got the Pokedex out.
"Foreign Pokemon identified." the device said in a monotone. "Accessing local databases...files found. Sliggoo, the Soft Tissue Pokemon, native of Kalos. Pre-evolved form: Goomy, the Soft Tissue Pokemon. Type: dragon."
"That thing's a dragon?" Paul demanded as thunder rolled over them. "It looks nothing like a dragon!"
"For once, I agree with the asshole!" Kyoji yelled, making Paul glare at him. "What? Even a dumbass like you can be right once in a while!"
"Sliggoo is blind, relying on sonar and radio waves to navigate. When a rainstorm comes, they seek it out." said the Sinnohan Pokedex.
"For what?" Paul demanded, only to be answered as Sliggoo started glowing. "...Oh, shit."
BGM: "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
"They seek out rain to evolve." Ash said, grinning as Sliggoo's body began to grow, his neck becoming longer and more defined, his head gaining a snout and his antennae lengthened and thickened, gaining more of a curl as his arms also grew, becoming actual arms.
The soft 'shell' on his back increased in size, looking more like a snail's while behind him, a tail appeared, stubby but strong.
Most importantly, gone was the single muscular foot, replaced by two strong, stout legs. With that, the glow stopped and Sliggoo was no more.
Thunder crashed around them as lightning bolts actually hit the ground near him, the dragon stomping the ground with his new legs before roaring his name.
"GOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDRAAAAAAA!" 'I'M BACK, BITCHES! WHO'S FIRST?!' demanded Goodra as he lowered his head towards Paul… and opened his eyes.
"Goodra, the Dragon Pokemon, native of Kalos. Pre-evolved forms: Goomy and Sliggoo, both Soft Tissue Pokemon. Type: dragon," the Sinnoh dex said. "Goodra are friendly to the point where they are depicted in the lore of Kalos as benevolent guides and even heroes. They give their trainers slimy hugs to show their affection. Further notice: Goodra is a pseudo-legendary Pokemon."
Paul's eyes widened as he looked at the creature before him… which if his Dex was telling the truth… was indeed a pseudo-Legendary type like Dragonite, Metagross and… Garchomp.
Kyoji cackled loudly. "What's the matter, Paul?" He laughed, "You look like you've been… Thunderstruck."
Before, it was first and second-stage Pokemon. Now Ash brought out a walking tank.
Paul made a rash choice. "Ice Beam!" he ordered, Nidorino giving him a look before obeying, steam rising from his mouth.
"Do the same, Goodra!" Ash commanded. Goodra cackled as he drew in ice-type energy, spitting out in a beam of frosty death. Nidorino fired in a panic to meet it, ice meeting ice midway towards one another, struggling for dominance.
Goodra cackled as he began to overpower Nidorino's Ice Beam, pushing his attack towards the poison-type. The poison pin Pokemon pumped more and more power into it, trying to keep Goodra's attack away. All Goodra did was smirk as Nidorino's desperation failed, the Ice beam losing cohesion and failing, leaving Nidorino to face the attack, slamming into his chest and freezing his forelimbs in place.
The poison-type struggled to break free, panicking as Goodra slowly lumbered towards him, radiating evil intent before calling out, hail and ice falling with the rain as it slammed into Nidorino, cracking his skull and bruised his eyes before Goodra charged up another Ice Beam and fired, freezing Nidorino in place, snout to tail.
"That was a bit much." Ash said.
"Goodra!" 'I spent THREE MONTHS as a Goomy again! Let me have this!' Goodra said, looking back at his friend and trainer. "Goo." 'You're not recalling me until I faint. I NEED this.'
Paul recovered from his shock, as he growled. "M-Magby, stand-by for battle!" He shouted as he tossed his next ball out.
"Magby! Ma-" 'Okay, let's do-' Magby began to shout out, before it noticed the shadow over it… and saw the looming form of Goodra over him. "…by…" '…shit…'
"Dropping the ball?" Kyoji snarked, chuckling at his own pun. "Fire's only quarter effective against dragons and the rain's only going to make it worse!'
"Goo…" 'This is going to be EASY…' Goodra said, grinning.
"Magby!" 'What the fuck?!' Magby shouted to Paul. "Magby! MAGBY MAG!" 'You expect me to fight A PSEUDO-LEGENDARY!? WITH TYPE ADVANTAGE, WHILE I'M OUT OF MY ELEMENT?!'
"I didn't think this one through." Paul admitted, horror dawning on his face as Goodra started chuckling darkly.
"There are a lot of things you didn't think through, punk." Kyoji deadpanned. "Case 1: Challenging Ash-fucking-Ketchum."
Magby jumped and smacked Goodra in the face with Brick Break, but the karate chop didn't do anything. In fact, Goodra just let Magby keep smacking his fat-covered body with everything he had, from Brick Break to even using a weakened Fire Blast to his chest, relying on STAB to do damage.
All it resulted in was bruises that vanished as quickly as they formed and soot that washed away with the rain.
"Goo." 'My turn,' Goodra declared as something dripped from his mouth. Magby backed away, thinking it was drool and Goodra would eat him.
It wasn't saliva. It was water.
Goodra reared back, an orb of water forming in his mouth before he spat it out. Magby continued running, in vain hopes the Water Pulse wouldn't hit him, but it was all in vain as he was hit with the orb, slamming into him, knocking him past Paul, into the rock face.
Goodra was not done as he slowly walked forward, water dripping from his mouth. He reared his neck back again, spewing another Water Pulse at Magby, making a crater he was in the center of as Goodra fired again, making it bigger and deeper.
Call it bullying if you want. Goodra called it catharsis. Having his power back, he didn't care who it was used on at the moment. He'd feel bad about it later.
Steam poured from his mouth as he fired an Ice Beam into the hole, icing it over and trapping Magby in the ice, to the horror of all.
"Goodra, you're not supposed to kill them!" Serena cried out in horror.
"Even if their trainer's an asshole, their Pokemon aren't the one you should be hitting." Asuka said in agreement. "Why'd you give him that thing, anyways?"
"We did not give Ash Goodra: Goodra was his from the start." Rey retorted.
"Goo!" 'He'll be fine.' Goodra said, even as the ice started melting. Magby used Overheat to melt the ice, only to fall out onto the wet ground, unconscious.
"That's four." Sabrina said, counting the number of Paul's knocked out Pokemon. "You have two Pokemon left, unless you didn't bring any more."
"I do." Paul sneered at Sabrina, returning Magby before reaching for another ball. "Failures, all of them. If they didn't have moves and abilities that aren't common, I'd release them like I did Marill."
Kyoji just gave Paul an incredulous look. "Oh my god, he's dumber than bricks…" he muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"He's a believer of might makes right." Sabrina said, understanding his annoyance and wanting to help him end the idiot. "Ash wants to break him."
Ash stared Paul down. Kyoji grinned at it.
"'Know thy enemy, know yourself. Victory is always yours'." he said, quoting an ancient Ferrum warlord's texts.
"Murkrow, stand by for battle!" Paul caled, sending out the witch-hat wearing crow, who materialized, looking at the rain in annoyance. Upon seeing Goodra's feet, he froze and started looking up slowly.
"Goo." 'Boo,' said Goodra, smirking down at the bird.
"KROW!" 'HOLY SHIT!' Murkrow exclaimed, "MUR!" 'PAUL! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GET US INTO?!'
"Icy Wind!" Paul ordered. "It's a dragon!"
"KROW?!" 'This fucking thing's a dragon?!' Murkrow said before obeying, flapping his wings to blast Goodra with supercooled air, slowing the dragon down somewhat as Murkrow backed off, using Icy Wind often, trying to freeze the snail dragon of doom in place. It wasn't working, but it was slowing him down.
Goodra didn't care. He was ENJOYING this. Back home, he was super-friendly to everyone because they knew who he was and knew he wasn't a threat. Here...not so much. Besides, this was Paul, the infamous Sinnoh trainer with a steel rod stuck so far up his ass you could see the shine when he opened his mouth that Pikachu told him about back in Kalos.
He didn't give a damn.
Murkrow's wings tired, the magpie watching as the ice started to melt. Then Goodra looked upwards, roaring as lightning arced up from him into the clouds.
"Goo…" 'You've been…' Goodra said, as the lighting crackled in the clouds. "DRA!" 'THUNDERSTRUCK!' Shouting the last part, the lighting crashed back down, hitting the Murkrow dead center.
"…he took my joke…" Kyoji muttered. "…I'm not sure if I'm happy or angry…"
Murkrow coughed before falling on his back, unwilling and unable to fight.
Goodra might have been defensively-biased, but he was still one of Ash's powerhouses.
One that was hurt: the skin was showing signs of frostbite and not healing as quickly. Goodra counted himself lucky: he could have been a Dragonite or Salamence and it would hurt more.
"That thing is becoming an ANNOYANCE." Paul snapped. "No Pokemon can be that strong! Not even a pseudo-legendary, especially after it just evolved!"
Ash scowled back at him. "Goodra is that strong because he trains a lot. I also take care of my Pokemon, showing them the care and affection they deserve." he said. "Do you even care about ANY of the Pokemon under your care?!"
"Only one. And because he is power incarnate." Paul said before returning Murkrow and pulling out one last Pokeball. Ash knew who it was. "Torterra! Stand by for battle!" Paul tossed out Torterra's ball, releasing the massive tortoise with a tree on his back, who glared at Goodra.
"Tor?" 'What in the fuck are you?' Torterra demanded as he sunk his feet into the muddy ground.
"Goodra." 'I'm the dragon that's going to be handing you your ass,' Goodra replied, grinning despite his pain.
"I think you spend too much time with Charizard…" Ash muttered worryingly. Goodra was usually nicer.
"Tor." 'Doubtful you are a dragon. You appear to be a water-type." Torterra replied, firing an Energy Ball at Goodra, making him flinch in pain… but not hurting him.
"Goo." 'You were saying… asshole?' Goodra demanded. Torterra looked back at his trainer in mild terror.
"Tor!" 'Requesting orders!" Torterra called, Goodra advancing on him.
"Earthquake! Keep hitting the damn thing until it passes out!" Paul shouted. "I think it has Hydration!"
"Tor." 'I hate Hydration.' said Torterra before lifting his leg and stomping the ground, making the earth crack under Goodra's newly-made feet.
"Goo!" 'Damn it, I just enjoyed this!' the Dragon Pokemon said as the earth parted, Goodra falling into the crack, stopping halfway due to his bulk and arms.
"I don't care what it takes!" Paul yelled. "Use every attack you have! FIRE EVERYTHING!"
"Ice Beam!" Ash ordered, even as Torterra fired Energy Balls and Razor Leaves at the dragon, pissing him off more than anything. Torterra stomped the ground again, causing another Earthquake.
Goodra soon learned that being in the ground while there was an Earthquake didn't save you: it only made matters worse. He was crushed and pinched beyond Hydration's ability to heal, but he would not go quietly. He fired a half-charged Ice Beam at Torterra in defiance, slamming into the tortoise's face, freezing one eye open and making him unable to close his mouth.
Torterra tried to scream - but found it difficult given how his mouth was frozen up - incapable of making coherent words. He ground his face into the ground, desperately trying to scrape the ice off of his one eye.
Kyoji winced looking at that "That… can't be a nice feeling…" he muttered.
Paul, however, was smug. It may have taken four Pokemon to defeat Goodra, but he finally beat him. "Pull out your next Pokemon." he demanded.
"No mocking?" Ash asked as he returned Goodra to his ball.
"I am not an idiot. Your Goodra took four Pokemon to defeat," Paul admitted. "That is not pathetic, that is worthy of respect. But no Pokemon you have can defeat Torterra. Go ahead. Send out your Quilava or Riolu or whatever pathetic Pokemon you have. You're not stupid enough to use that yellow rat on your shoulder, that's for sure."
Pikachu's eye twitched. "Pikapi," 'I am going to electrocute this son of a bitch, Ash and you are NOT going to stop me,' he demanded.
Ash sighed. "After Torterra's dealt with," he relented, as Paul had crossed the LAST line. "Kick his ass, Pikachu!"
Pikachu grinned as Ash moved his arm to let Pikachu run on top of it, jumping onto the battlefield.
Paul was dumbfounded. "You cannot be serious," he demanded. "That thing's an electric-type! Torterra using Earthquake will KILL-"
"Shut the fuck up," Ash snapped, making Paul look at him in surprise as gave Pikachu a command. "Volt Tackle."
Pikachu was confused for a second before understanding, charging at Torterra, electric power rippling over him.
"Do you not know your type chart, you stupid fool?!" Paul demanded, only for the white lightning turned black as night. And even he knew what that meant. "TORTERRA, EARTHQUAKE! IT'S A SHADOW POKEMON! TAKE IT OUT NOW!"
Torterra looked at the charging Pikachu, then raised his forelimbs to stomp, but Pikachu had already formed his Shadow-enhanced Volt Tackle. He jumped as Torterra stomped, the shaking earth not doing anything as Pikachu was in the air, making it useless.
Then Pikachu spun in midair, tail covered in steel as he slammed into Torterra, the shadow energy being super effective, bypassing Torterra's ground-type immunity to electric attacks. Combined with Pikachu swinging around to use Iron Tail, Torterra was going to have a mighty big headache.
This made the turtle stagger as Pikachu jumped back, electric power arcing over him before turning into the color of night.
"Shadow Bolt!" Ash said. Pikachu slammed Torterra with the Shadow Thunderbolt, ground-typing doing absolutely nothing to stop it. The grass-type starter slammed into the ground, unconscious.
"And with six losses to one, Ash Ketchum wins." Sabrina declared, smirking.
"As if there was any doubt." Kyoji smirked.
"Let's go Ash! *Clap-Clap, Clapclapclap* Let's go Ash! *Clap-Clap, Clapclapclap*" Serena nodded as her personalities cheered Ash on.
Sabrina stepped forward, a smug grin on her face. "Now, with Ash winning, under regulation 8, subsection 7, you have forfeit any chance of joining a Pokemon League conference for the next year and a half." she said, smirking. "I'd wish you luck in Hoenn, but seeing as you have a stick up your ass the size of Mount Coronet, I'd advise you to go home and rethink your life." She grinned, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.
Paul glared at Sabrina. "He has a Shadow Pokemon!" he yelled.
"And?" she asked, as if it mattered. Honestly, as far as Ash was concerned, it didn't.
"Shadow Pokemon have an unfair advantage over all Pokemon!" Paul spat, "If this cheating-"
Lightning hit Paul's chest, right below his heart, as Pikachu electrocuted him MUCH more harshly than Gible did.
"Pika." 'Never. Call. My brother. A CHEATER,' Pikachu growled, his tail turning to razor-sharp steel as Paul twiched as if hit with a high-powered taser. Essentially, he was.
"Pikachu, that's enough," Ash said, the mouse reluctantly obeying.
"There is no rule that bans Shadows from competing, actually." Kyoji pointed out, smirking. "There are regulations about how to handle them, and if one were to go psycho - but, as you can see, numbnuts… Pikachu and Ash have absolute 100% respect for one another… something they've earned through trial and error, which is a little more than we can say about you and your sorry ass."
"And Pikachu would have handed Torterra his rear end anyways." Ash said, smiling. "We train to negate the type chart. More of a challenge. I only let Pikachu use his Shadow moves for one reason: I have no time to waste on you. I have better things to do, better, nicer trainers to compete against. So unless you want Sabrina to launch you into that rock face - because she does - I suggest you kindly let us pass before my adopted daughter turns you into a red smear on the rocks."
Paul looked at Sabrina, who waved at him. "…I give up. Go." he said, drained. "Just… go."
"Should've done it in the first place, jackass." Iris said as Ash walked past him, entering the tunnel, followed closely by the rest of the group.
Kyoji just continued to pet the Marill. "So… you wanna stick around with me, little guy?" He asked. "I promise I'll never release you to the wild… I won't even force you to fight in a battle you don't want to fight in."
"…M-Marill?" 'Y-You promise?' The mouse-like water type asked, as Kyoji smiled.
"Promise," He nodded, as he pulled out one of his empty Pokeballs. "Just say the word."
Marill looked at the ball for a moment… before he happily hopped up - booping his head against the pokeball, allowing itself to be caught. The Pokeball shook for a few moments, and 'pinged' signalling a capture.
"You know this is only going to make Paul more determined." Sabrina said to her adoptive father. "From what little I know from Misty's… past self, he's going to be more focused on kicking your ass. He will not accept failure like this."
"Come on, he kicked the asshole's ass!" Kyoji said, smirking. "If I got that kind of asswhooping… I'd honestly be considering giving up."
"That's a lie." Sabrina said, patting him on the shoulder. "You'd try again until you won."
"…fair enough," Kyoji shrugged in acknowledgement. "But still, after being beaten down by someone whose training method is clearly superior to his own, you'd think he'd see reason at some point, wouldn't he?"
"No," Ash said, sighing. Paul was too stubborn in the last timeline to accept defeat like that and was just as bad, if not worse, here.
"It would have to be in a public forum." Anabel said, thinking. "Where everyone would watch him… lose…" it dawned on her. "The League."
"Public humiliation was the only way to get him to realize his way doesn't work," Ash said. "I didn't get it myself, at the time, but having some time to think it over as well as being forced to actually think outside battle…"
"You're not an idiot, Ash." Serena said, smiling at him.
"Yeah, but coming back made me… I don't know, think more like an adult." he said. "And that's the only way to break Paul of his philosophy. Very public humiliation."
"…alright, so another league then, or some other big tournament." Kyoji nodded, "We can do that… I can't imagine him exactly improving all that much…"
"You would be very surprised," Misty said, using her 'other self's' knowledge of the Lily of the Valley Conference. "Most of Paul's Pokemon matched Ash's Sinnoh team for most of their time in Sinnoh."
"Yeah? Ash's Pokemon are gonna be BETTER." Kyoji declared proudly. "If you weren't being stupid about the romance thing-"
"Let me deal with my daddy issues on my own, please." Ash pleaded. "I already have to talk about them to my shrink: I don't want to drag it out here."
Indigo Plateau - Pokemon League Headquarters - 1437 hours local time
While only registered Pokemon League personnel were allowed deeper into the building, the guests of the league were allowed to wander inside the inner parameter, so long as they minded where they weren't supposed to go.
Such was the case with League sponsor Kyril Pernon and his assistant/girlfriend Rin Uzumaki as they looked out over the Indigo Coliseum, where the battles to determine who would face the Elite Four at a chance for glory would take place.
"Gonna be quite the lineup, from what I can tell," Kyril said, looking at the arenas. "That Ketchum kid's a prime contender, but from what we've seen of the records, he's the cream of a rather talented crop."
"64 trainers, all of whom either are league vets or newcomers." Rin said, looking over the papers before smirking at the newest one. "Oh, this is cute."
"Oh?" Kyril asked, wondering what was so funny.
"Some idiot from Sinnoh tried his luck fighting Ketchum at the entrance to Victory Road." she said, resisting the urge to laugh. "His Pokedex recorded only one loss on his side… and that was after fighting off FOUR Pokemon in succession."
"…Is it me, or did his Pokemon get a serious boost after that freaky ass storm two weeks back?" Kyril asked. "Because those records you're shoving into my face keep saying that while he's won almost every match he's fought-"
"Not because of power, no." Rin said, putting on a pair of reading glasses. "Ketchum's Pokemon don't seem to specialize in raw power. Most of his fights read like an old dogfight, with constant dodging, hit and run attacks and using their enemy's own body against them. Only one of his Pokemon has a raw power thing going for him and even then, the damn Charizard is fast AND powerful."
"Point," Kyril mentioned. "Still, it seems like that damn storm put something in the air - and that something just made Ketchum's Pokemon even stronger."
"Better hope your feelings about him are right." Rin said, looking at him over her glasses. "If he decides to take Rota's old territory back, at this rate, within three years he'll be about to fend off Lance AND Cynthia at the same time and that asshole… what was his name? The Galar Champion with that stupid size thing?"
"Leon. And it's called 'Dynamaxing', I think." Kyril said, wincing. "I don't think he'd show up, not after what you did."
"Not the point! He's the top bloody trainer on the planet and at this rate, Ketchum's going to be able to face him on equal terms within five years!" Rin said, honestly panicking at that. "He beat Lance, which means he could beat Cynthia. And it took two decades for those two to get to their level. In 20 years… where would Ketchum be?"
Kyril paled. "…Your point is proven." he said before loosening his tie. "Doubt he will, though. He looked more interested in Pokemon training than conquest. That's more of a Ranseian thing."
"Ransei doesn't exist." Rin said, exasperated over THAT subject.. "Shut up about it."