Heyyo! Here's chapter 14!
"Fly in Rowlet!" Ash commanded.
Rowlet chirped and flew straight towards Eevee.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Hau countered.
Eevee managed to dodge Rowlet, albeit barely. It then charged at Rowlet with its enhanced speed and hit him right in the side. Rowlet crashed into the ground.
"Rowlet! Are you alright?" Ash yelled in concern.
Rowlet responded with his version of a thumbs up, causing Ash to smile.
"Use Leafage!"
Rowlet unleashed a barrage of leafs from his wings. They started to surround Eevee, who was waiting for Hau to guide it. However, Hau was starting to git distracted. He looked at Serena, who was smiling and waving and cheering to Ash. He could faintly see a blush on her cheeks.
'Serena definitely seems to like Ash...wait, could HE be--'
Hau was brought out of his thoughts be his Eevee calling out to him. Before he could give Eevee a command, it was hit dead on by Rowlet's attack. Eevee fell to the ground, but started to get back, slowly though.
"Eevee, you alright?"
Eevee took a fighting stance, but was clearly tired. Rowlet was also tired, but still had more energy than Eevee. Ash figured it was time to end this. Hau thought this too.
"Use Tackle!" They said in unison.
Rowlet flew up and once high enough, descended with his left foot stretched out. Eevee ran forward and jumped in the air, on course towards Rowlet. The two collided into the other. At first, they both didn't move, however a couple seconds later, Rowlet managed to overpower his opponent. Eevee crashed into the ground again, although much harder than last time. Rowlet landed in front of Ash. Eevee laid motionless with swirls in its eyes. Hala decided to call the match.
"Eevee is unable to battle! There for, this match goes to Ash and Rowlet!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, for both Ash and Hau. The latter took out his Poke Ball and returned Eevee. He smiled though as he looked at Ash.
'Man, that Ash sure is something.'
"We did it Rowlet!"
Rowlet however, didn't respond. Ash walked over to him, and saw that he was asleep. Ash sweatdropped. He took out his Poke Ball and returned him after giving him his thanks.
"Ash!"
Ash turned and saw Serena running up to him. She jumped into his arms, Vulpix managing to get out before she got crushed.
"That was awesome! You and Rowlet were great!"
"Thanks Serena, your support helped a lot" Ash said.
Serena blushed as she gave him a quick kiss. Hau saw this and turned ghost white.
'IT IS TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
Ash walked over to Hau. Ash held out his hand.
"That was an awesome battle Hau, your Eevee was tough."
Hau quickly gathered himself. He forced a smile and shook Ash's hand.
"Thanks Ash, you and Rowlet were pretty cool together."
Hala nodded with a smile. He decided to speak up. "We will now begin the second battle!"
Ash, Serena and Hau made their way off the platform and into the crowd. A minute later, Kiawe and another boy made their way to the platform. Kiawe let out his Turtonator, Rotom immediately growing excited. After a couple pictures, Turtonator appeared on its screen.
"Turtonator. The Blast Turtle Pokemon. A Fire/Dragon type. The shell on its back is chemically unstable and explodes violently if struck. The hole in its stomach is its weak point."
'Huh, I'll have to remember that' Ash said to himself.
The other boy threw out his Poke Ball. In a flash of light, a brown Pokemon with a long yellow stripe on its back and sharp teeth appeared. Rotom, of course, did its thing.
"Yungoos. The Loitering Pokemon. A Normal type. It wanders around in a never-ending search for food. At dusk, it collapses from exhaustion and falls asleep on the spot."
The battle soon started, but given the size and experience between the two, it was very one-sided. Kiawe and Turtonator swiftly beat their opponents. The crowed cheered and clapped. Ash and Kiawe eyed each other, a thirst for battle in their eyes. Hala gave the two a five minute break before the last battle. Ash was busy thinking about what Pokemon he should use.
'I know I shouldn't use Rowlet, and Pikachu is probably still a little beat from our battle with Tapu Koko, so that just leaves...'
Ash sat up and made his way back up to the platform. Kiawe followed a minute later. The air was tense. The two stared the other down. Hala glanced at the two, before starting the match.
"The final match between Ash and Kiawe will now...begin!"
Kiawe moved first, throwing his ball in the air. Instead of Turtonator like Ash was expecting, a Charizard appeared instead. Ash was shocked but quickly got over it. He grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt. He threw it in the air. And like Ash, Kiawe was shocked to see that it wasn't Greninja that appeared like he thought, but instead, it was Infernape.
"Let's do this Infernape!"
"Infernape!"
Kiawe grunted, he wasn't expecting this. He called out to Charizard.
"Use Air Slash!"
Charizard flapped its wings, causing shards of solid air (I guess...?) to shoot out and head towards Infernape. Infernape didn't need Ash to tell him to dodge. He jumped in the air and was on even level with Charizard.
"Flamethrower!"
Infernape shot flames out of his mouth. It somehow managed to hit Charizard, who actually grunted a little. Kiawe was shocked, he didn't expect Infernape to be so strong, even for Charizard.
"Let's give them our Flamethrower!" Kiawe yelled.
Flames then shot out from Charizard's mouth. Infernape let the attack hit him. After a small smoke cloud cleared, Infernape appeared, practically unharmed. It shot Charizard a kind of 'is that all you've got?' look. Charizard grew a little annoyed. It flew towards Infernape.
"Use Slash!" Kiawe shouted.
Charizard's claws started to grow longer and white. It was about to hit Infernape. However, Ash and Infernape simply grinned.
"Mach Punch."
Infernape sideswept Charizard's attack, and swung his fist right into Charizard's belly. Despite it being not very effective, it definitely felt pretty effective for Charizard. Charizard fell backward and bounced off the ground. It still somehow got back up. Kiawe stared in shock at just how strong Infernape was. He decided to you his last resort move.
"Charizard use Blast Burn!"
Charizard slammed its fist into the ground, causing the ground to erupt in fire. It started to make its way towards Infernape. An explosion erupted that covered the whole platform. Everyone had to shield their eyes, minus Ash and Kiawe. Once everything cleared, everyone was shocked. Flames were wurling around Infernape, said Pokemon spinning in the center. Once the attack was over Infernape also stopped. Kiawe couldn't fathom what he was seeing. Ash smirked.
'Counter Shield still gets the job done.'
"Now's our chance Infernape!"
Infernape charged forward towards Charizard. Once he was close enough, Ash threw his fist forward.
"Use Thunder Punch!"
Infernape gathered up electricity in his fist and once he had enough, struck Charizard dead on. Charizard yelled out in pain. It was too much to withstand, and Charizard fell on the ground and had swirls in its eyes. The atmosphere was silent, Hala eventually broke it.
"Charizard is unable to battle! Therefore the victors are Ash and Infernape!"
The crowed cheered once again. This kid was something else.
"Yes! We did it Infernape!"
Infernape turned around and actually gave Ash a hug. Ash accepted it immediately. After a few seconds, the two separated. The two faced the crowd and waved. Kiawe returned Charizard. He stared at Ash with a mixture of emotions. He was angry that Ash keeps showing him up, but at the same time, he was starting to respect him after seeing how strong he is. He decided to approach Ash. Ash noticed him walk up and faced him.
"Ash."
The two stared each other down again, until Kiawe reached his hand out.
"It was a good battle."
Ash was surprised at this, but shook his hand regardless.
"Thanks, it was really awesome."
Kiawe just nodded. Hala stepped forward and placed a hand on both boys' shoulders.
"You both battled valiantly, be proud of that as you continue to strive more as trainers."
Ash and Kiawe nodded. Hau and the other boy joined them on the platform.
"With the tournament now over, the island challenge ceremony is now complete. As for the four of you, do your best."
All the boys nodded.
"Koko!"
Everyone looked around to find the one who yelled out. They couldn't however.
"It seems Tapu Koko has given it thanks" Hala said. He then threw his hands in the air. "Thank you all for coming, and best of luck!"
Everyone cheered one last time. Ash slowly made his way down the platform.
"Good luck...Ash Ketchum" a voice spoke.
Ash shot his head back, trying to see who said that. He couldn't though. He was brought out of it by Serena running up to him. She embraced him tightly and kissed him. After about a minute, they separated. Serena gave him a dreamy smile as she spoke.
"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
Ash scratched his chin, pretending to be in deep thought.
"Hmm, you may have once or twice, but I don't mind you saying it again."
The two laughed, enjoying the moment. Pikachu, Popplio and Vulpix watching them.
"Those two are definitely meant for each other" Popplio said.
Pikachu chuckled. "For sure, I'm glad they're finally together, I just wish Ash wasn't so dense for most of our time in Kalos."
Popplio turned to Pikachu with interest.
"He was?"
Pikachu turned to Popplio and nodded.
"Yeah, it was both funny and frustrating seeing Serena crushing on Ash and him being too dense to realize it."
"Wow, I never would have guessed" Popplio said.
Vulpix decided to chime in.
"Has Mommy always liked him?"
Pikachu turned to Vulpix and nodded.
"As far as I know yes."
Vulpix looked at Serena again, who was laughing again. She decided to walk up to them, but instead of Serena, she walked up to Ash. The two noticed her and Ash gently picked her up.
"Hey there Vulpix. I don't think we've officially met yet. My name's Ash" he said with a smile. Vulpix smiled at Ash. She snuggled into Ash. While caught of guard at first, Ash rubbed Vulpix's fur. Serena looked at them and smiled. She remembered what Ash said earlier.
"You know Ash."
Ash turned to look at her.
"You're acting just like a father."
Ash blinked at her comment. He looked down at Vulpix and just stared at her.
'Father...'
The world around him just disappeared. His mind started to race. He suddenly heard crying and yelling. Flashes then erupted, images of a silhouette figure appearing. A voice started yelling his name. Ash shut his eyes tight. His eyes shot open when the voice was registered as Serena's. He looked at Serena, whose face looked full of worry and fear. He noticed Pikachu, Greninja, Infernape and Rowlet all had looks of concern on their faces as well. He soon realized he was back at Kukui and Burnet's house. He also realized he was laying on the living room coach.
"What? What happened? How did we get back here?"
"You started hyperventilating and collapsed. Professor Kukui helped carry you back here."
At the mention of his name, Kukui came into the room.
"Ash! You're alright, what a relief."
Burnet then came running in with a glass of water and some headache pills. She handed them to Ash who accepted and consumed both.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack Ash" Burnet said.
Ash apologized for the trouble he caused. Suddenly Vulpix ran up to Ash and nuzzled him with tears in her eyes.
"Daddy!!"
Ash rubbed the top of her head, apologizing for worrying her.
The group stayed up a little bit longer, but eventually decided to call it a night. It had been a pretty long day for everyone. Morning eventually came and everyone got up and prepared for the day. Serena was keeping a close eye on Ash, making sure nothing would happen. Ash decided to do some morning training with the guys and they all headed out to the beach. Serena and her Pokemon watched them train. Another one that decided to watch was Rockruff. He has started to take a liking to Ash. He decided to make his presence known. He ran up to the group and barked to get their attention.
"Hey Rockruff, what brings you here?"
Rockruff jumped up and down and wagged his tail. Ash seemed to understand.
"You wanna join our training?"
Rockruff barked again, confirming his question. Ash smiled. "Well then, let's get started!"
The next few hours passed by like a blur, but Rockruff didn't really notice, as he was so lost into the training session. Dusk eventually started to settle in and dinner was served. Afterwards, everyone just chilled out. Ash noticed Rockruff playing with his plushie toy.
"Rockruff was working really hard today" Ash commented.
Kukui chuckled. "He's got the passion of a battler that's for sure."
"How long have you had him professor?"
Kukui rubbed the back of his head. "Well...technically he's not my Pokemon, he's still wild."
Ash and Serena were shocked, Kukui explained further. "One day when I was headed out I noticed him laying by the shore. He looked hurt so I brought him in and me and Burnet patched him up. Ever since then, he's been living with us."
Ash looked at Rockruff again, who was now playing with Pikachu. Kukui noticed him and smiled.
"Say Ash, don't you think Rockruff would be a great addition to your team?"
Ash whipped his head towards the professor.
"Wha?!"
"He loves to battle just like you and I've noticed him staring at you. I think Rockruff really wants to join you."
Ash processed what Kukui told him. He glanced at Rockruff again. He suddenly got up and walked towards Rockruff, who noticed. Ash bent down.
"Hey Rockruff, do you want to join my team?"
Rockruff was surprised at first. However, he smiled and jumped into Ash's arms and licked his face, causing Ash to laugh. Ash then pulled out a Poke Ball and tapped it against Rockruff, who was sucked in. After a couple shakes the ball dinged and Rockruff was caught. Ash let out Rockruff who nuzzled his rock collar against him, causing minor pain, but Ash still laughed.
The next morning, Ash and Serena got up more energized than ever, as today was the day Ash decided to officially start his island challenge. He made his way to the beach shore, with Pikachu, Greninja, Infernape, Rowlet and Rockruff beside him. Serena soon joined him, followed by Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Popplio and Vulpix. The entire group faced the ocean. Ash glanced at his Z-Ring, the yellow Z-Crystal shining in the center. He shifted his gaze back towards the horizon.
"Watch out Island Challenge, cause we're gonna fight, and we're gonna win!" He declared as he punched the air.
Everyone else mimicked him. Unbeknownst to them, a certain Island deity was watching them. It flew away after Ash's declaration of victory.
It has begun! Ash will finally begin his Island Challenge! I'm debating weather to keep writing multiple chapters or writing one big chapter for each island. If I do the latter option, then that gives me freedom to write a chapter or two about whatever I feel like doing, so I might do that. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to what's next. See ya later!
JohtoAmour64 out!