"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome once again to beautiful Lumios City for the Kalos League! This year we have have even stronger trainers! We have also opened the League up to Z Moves! We expect some to be shown in battle but not many. Please turn your attention to the screen in front of you all, Trainers, as we show you the matchups for today's battles!" And announcer called over the PA system. Everyone stared at the screen, waiting to see their opponents for the day. Ash and Serena were standing near the back waiting. It must have been the anticipation as Serena found herself holding onto Ash's arm like it was a life saving device.
"I wonder who I will battle against." Ash pondered out loud. Serena looked at him and smiled. "I'm know you will do just fine against whoever it is."
As they watched the screen burst into colour as the pictures of the the trainers swirled around before they started moving into the predetermined placement on the screen. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed his picture was in the first battle slot. His opponent was Scott. He had never battled this trainer before but he knew he would be just fine.
"Ash! Your first battle is in 20 minutes! Are you sure your going to be ok?" A voice called out from the crowd.
Ash and Serena looked around before laying eyes on Alain. They both smiled as he walked up to them.
"You should know by now that I have everything under control! Besides, I'm a Champion now, I have to win!" Ash said laughing. "No, in all seriousness I'm ready. I have a feeling this time it will be different."
Alain smiled. "I hope it's you and me in the finals again Ash, that was the best battle I have had. I haven't even come close since to having that much fun." Alain then turned to Serena and gave her a quick hug. "It's good to see you again Serena, congratulations on the victory in Hoenn! Miette and Shauna haven't been able to stop talking about how you mopped the floor with them!"
Serena laughed and it made Ash smile to hear it. "Yeah, they never expected me to be as strong in the battles as I was. I took allot of what Ash did and taught me and I just worked hard, never giving up until the end!"
Alain grinned hearing Ash's catchphrase. "Alright you guys, I will let you go so you can go get ready for the battle Ash. Good luck out there, I will be rooting for you."
"See you later Alain!" Ash and Serena said as they parted ways. Serena continued to hold onto Ash's arm as they walked, neither of them seeming to notice the stares they were getting. They headed to the Trainers entrance and stopped just outside so Ash could thank Serena before heading in. Ash turns to look at Serena and takes her hands in his.
"Serena, thank you. Thank you for being my support, for being my strength and for being the words of reason when I have needed them. You have pushed me, helped me train, and helped me remember why I love competing and battling when I thought I should give it up. Because of you, I have a championship. Because of you, I have become better..."Ash had to stop before tears started forming. He took a deep breath and looked at Serena, who did have tears rolling down her cheeks. "Serena, I'm going to win this tournament for you. To show you how much I want you to travel with me."
Serena wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Ash. "Ash...I don't...I don't know what to say. You have helped me too you know. I know you will win this. For you and for me. Your going to win this for us!" She pulled Ash into a big hug and held him close for several minutes. "Now go out there and show everyone how strong you have become. Show them why they can not underestimate my Ash!" Serena whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek quickly and walking towards the spectator entrance.
Ash just stood there with his cheeks red from blushing as he tried to make sense of what just happened. He quickly shook his head to clear it as he walked into the Trainer staging area. Ash found his tunnel entrance and waited.
"Ladies and Gentleman! It is with the utmost honour that I introduce you to the first trainers to battle in this years Kalos League event! From right here in Lumios City, I present Scott!"
Scott walked out of his tunnel and onto his platform with the fans going crazy. He waved and blew kisses at the fans while holding himself straight and tall. He exuded confidence almost to a putrid stench but Ash knew he was good if he was here in the Kalos League.
"Scott is facing off against someone we all know already. Hailing from Pallet Town in Kanto, placing second to Alain in his first Kalos League and the current Alola Champion, Ash Ketchum!!"
Ash didn't think it was possible for the crowd to have gotten any louder but was he wrong. The crowd was so loud the ground was actually vibrating. As he walked towards his platform he raised his hands and waved, bringing even more cheers and screams from the crowd. He found Serena and Grace sitting with some of his friends who had travelled to watch him compete again.
He looked over at his competitor to see a look of shock on his face. Maybe he didn't know Ash was a Champion, maybe he did but didn't know how young he was? What ever it was, Ash was determined to make sure that no one would underestimate him.
The ref at the side of the arena looked at both trainers. "Trainers are you ready?"
Both Ash and Scott node their head. "Ready!" They called out.
"Trainers, this is a 1 on 1 battle. The winner will be decided when the other trainer's Pokémon is unable to battle! Trainers, on the count of three, select your Pokémon and the battle will begin! Three...Two...One...GO!!"
Scott tossed his pokeball into the air. "Pyroar! Let's go!"
A blue energy released from his pokeball and emerged into a large male Pyroar, its mane of red flames flowed a little in the breeze.
"PYROAR!" It bellowed, shaking the stadium slightly.
Ash chuckled as he held his arm out. "Pikachu! Let's do this buddy!"
Pikachu ran down Ash's arm and jumped onto the battlefield. Scott laughed as he looked on, as did many of the spectators. Pikachu however knew what to do. Upon taking his place on the field, Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt so strong it caused electricity to jump around the ground near him.
"Pi...ka...CHU!!"
Everyone was stunned at the power that Pikachu had. Scott was the first the react though.
"Pyroar! Let's start this battle with Incinerate!"
Pyroar opens its mouth and a huge red stream of fire is propelled forward, the fire twisting as it moves, glowing red and orange. The heat coming off the move is so powerful that it melts a stone that it passes over.
Ash looks at the attack coming towards Pikachu, calm and not worried at all. Pikachu actually looks at it with nothing more than little interest. "Take the hit Pikachu, I know you got this." Ash says to his partner.
The crowd is stunned by the lack of urgency Ash is showing. They don't understand what he is doing or why. They only see the powerful attack coming straight for Pikachu and nothing being done about it.
In an explosion, Incinerate slams into Pikachu. The blast creates a dust cloud so big no one can see into it, and no one knows what happened. Scott looks on in glee as he is sure that the attack knocked Pikachu out.
"I don't think you are a champion if you let your Pokémon be defeated so quic...what?!" Scott's jab at Ash turns to shock as he sees Pikachu standing like nothing happened as the dust clears. "How is that possible?! The attack hit full force!"
Ash looked at his partner. "How are you doing buddy? Feeling tired yet?"
Pikachu looked at Ash and grinned. "Pika pi...pi chu!"
"That's what I thought! Not even worried a bit! It's a good thing we have done all that training! Now Pikachu! Let's see how he likes our power! Use Quick Attack with Iron Tail!" Ash called out.
"Pika!" Pikachu was a blur as he surged forward towards his opponent. The only thing visible was the light as his tail turned silver the closer he got to Pyroar. Moments after Ash called out the moves, a powerful blast propels Pyroar backwards into the stadium wall, causing a massive crater to form.
Everyone in the stands is stunned, all except for a group of trainers, Serena, Grace and Professor Sycamore. The group is on their feet making more noise than a heard of Tauros. They are holding signs that read "Alola Champ for the Win" and "That's the way we do it". Ash looks at the group and is stunned to see faces he recognizes. Among the group in the stands are Gladion, Lysamine, Lillie, Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, Kiawe, Hala and more.
Kukui and Burnet had tears in their eyes as they watched Ash with pride, seeing the young man who was like a son to them after just a few months apart. Hala was looking on with pride while Gladion, Kiawe, and Lillie were just awestruck at how much more powerful Ash and Pikachu had gotten.
Serena and Grace were doing their best to be just as loud and noticeable as they were sitting just to the left of the Alola group. Looking over, Serena noticed how Gladion and Kiawe were grinning.
"They must be rivals of Ash's from Alola...wait! That's Gladion! He faced off against Ash in the finals! No wonder he is looking fo impressed! He knows how strong Ash was and seeing how he has gotten stronger is making him smile!" Serena thought to herself. Before she could stop herself, Serena yelled out towards Ash.
"You got this Ash! You and Pikachu can do it no matter what!"
Ash looked up as he heard her voice above all the others, grinning his typical big smile. He gave Serena a thumbs up and turned back to the battle. Scott was fuming at how Pikachu was getting the better of his Pyroar.
"I don't know what kind of trick your playing, Champion Ash, but the game ends now!" Scott emphasized the word Champion in disdain. "Pyroar! Show this fool our true power!"
Scott pulled a beaded chain from his pocket, revealing a Keystone. Pyroar flicked its right ear, an earring coming into view. On the bottom of the earring was a Megastone. Within moments Pyroar started to glow, growing and changing. As the light faded, Mega-Pyroar stood before the crowd.
"PYROARRRR!" It bellowed, shaking the stadium violently.
Scott grinned wickedly as the stadium seemed to flinch at the sound of the roar. "Now let's see how you plan on winning with that weak and pathetic little rodent!" He called out to Ash, laughing as he did.
Ash just stood there, not looking concerned at all. "Well Pikachu, seems we have a fun battle ahead of us!" He said to his partner. "Let's give it our all and never give up until it's over!"
Pikachu responded by charging his cheeks with electricity. "Pika Pi!!"
In the stands, Serena was now starting to worry about Pikachu. She knew he was strong, but was he strong enough to beat a Megaevolved Pokémon? She just had to cross her fingers and hope that Ash could get him and his partner through this battle.
Back on the field, Ash had decided what to do and now started enacting his plan. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack with Iron Tail! Hit him again and again!"
Scott laughed as Pikachu took off, picking up more speed than last time. His laughing stopped when Pikachu hit Mega-Pyroar time and again, each time was faster than the last one. He began to panic. "Pyroar!!! Dodge those and use Hyper Beam! We have to get that Pikachu's attacks interrupted!"
Mega- Pyroar started trying to jump out of the way while charging Hyper Beam but every time it dodged, Pikachu made a correction on the fly and landed more blows. Scott was starting to get frustrated. "Pyroar!! Forget the dodging and just use Hyper Beam all around you!!"
Pyroar opened it's maw and the white beam attack began powering up. In several moments Pyroar launched the attack all around him, the beam causing explosions where ever it hit. A huge dust and smoke cloud obscured the field and the two Pokémon as Hyper Bean continued to be let loose on the field, huge chunks of the ground being thrown into the air from the force of the explosions.
The crowd gasped at the savagery of the attack. If Pikachu got hit, would it be able to survive such a strong and withering barrage of energy? Ash was speechless for a few moments but knew Pikachu was still going. He clenched his fist, feeling a little disheartened but he knew he could think of something. The seconds ticked by before get got an idea. "Pikachu!! If you can hear me, use Electro Web on the middle of the blast zone! Then use Thunderbolt with FULL POWER!!!!!"
The spectators held their collective breath, waiting to see if Pikachu managed to pull off the moves. They didn't have to wait long though as the explosions ceased, allowing the smoke to clear. There, in the middle of the field was Mega-Pyroar. It was encased in a web of electricity. Before Scott could call out a counter, Pikachu launched a massive Thunder. It hit Pyroar with so much force that the explosion it produced blew Ash's hat off his head and knocked a few people in the middle of the lower bowl over as they stood.
Pikachu could be seen as he kept a continuous charge of electricity incase Pyroar was still standing. Scott was staring with wide eyes, waiting to see what condition his Pokémon was in. The smoke finally cleared to reveal Pyroar back in its original form and none responsive.
"Pyroar is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner meaning Alolan Champion Ash is the winner!"
The crowd jumped to their feet as they cheered, the Alolan delegation once again being the loudest along with Serena, Grace and Professor Sycamore. Ash waved at everyone as he turned around in his trainers box. His eyes locked onto Serena and her celebration was causing him to blush slightly.
"Look at her celebrate such a simple victory. How is it she makes me so happy with everything she does when she supports me? Her eyes just sparkle like a million stars in the night sky when she is happy. That's what I want, her to always be happy!"
As ash walked off the field, Serena ran down to railing beaming. "Ash!! Ash!! You did it! I was so worried that Pikachu wouldn't be able to defeat Mega-Pyroar but I should have known better! You always manage to find a way..." Serena got cut off as Ash jumped up onto the rail and pulled her into a hug.
"I knew you would be cheering for me the loudest Serena. Hearing you cheer for me brought me more determination than I thought I could muster." Ash whispered into her ear so only she could hear. "You always bring out the best in me. Thank you for that Serena."
Before she could say anything, Ash kisses her softly on the cheek causing her to blush furiously before he let go of the rail and walked into the tunnel towards the trainers lockers, Pikachu perched on his shoulder.