Chapter 28: Preliminaries (4)
"Achoo!"
"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked in confusion.
Ash sniffled.
'Who's making fun of me?' he thought curiously.
Ash had won his first Preliminary Match and was now walking to the PokéCentre to heal his Pokémon. Misty and Blue accompanied him.
"Gotta admit, you put on quite the show there," Misty commented, remembering the destroyed battlefield.
The only person crazy enough to do such a thing would be Ash Ketchum. At least, that was what Misty thought.
"No kidding. Plus…" Blue said, joining in the conversation before grinning mischievously.
"Your Pokémon Master, was it? Pupupu~"
"Lay off, Bluey," Ash shot back with a faint blush.
Misty looked at the boy's reaction and proceeded to tease him as well.
"So… who's Rena?" she asked teasingly.
Ash said nothing. He would not respond to anyone calling Serena by any of her nicknames. After all, the fact that Serena even gave him permission to use spoke volumes at how special it was.
Before the girls could tease any further, they noticed a crowd in front of them.
"Hmm? Is there a celebrity here or something?" Ash asked inquisitively.
The three then pushed through the crowd to see who the masses were looking at. Misty was the first to recognize them.
"Celebrity's a bit of an understatement…," Misty muttered in amazement.
"They're…"
A burly muscular man wearing only white haori with torn white trousers.
A vermillion red-haired woman wearing glasses and a form-fitting black dress.
A familiar old woman wearing a purple dress with a woollen green cloth while holding a wooden cane.
And finally, a carmine red-haired man wearing a black cape.
"The Elite Four!"
The Elite Four.
In the past, before their official titles, they were known as The Four Heavenly Kings. However, since the name was too grand, they changed it to simply The Elite Four.
The title was given to the 4 strongest Trainers in a region. Recognized for the formidable strength in battle as well as achievements in life.
For example, one of the Elite Four that Ash personally knew, Agatha. She was the finalist against Oak during the first Indigo Grand League as well as the victor of the second one.
Her achievements of being the victor of a Grand League as well as a renowned author of her book, Shared Lives, were just some that led her to the acquisition of the title.
Ash widened his eyes as he realized who he was looking at. Blue was jubilant to meet Agatha again.
Misty and the red-haired woman's eyes met. And they both shared a smile, seemingly acquainted.
Then, from the crowd…
"Miss Agatha! It's been a while!" the raven-haired boy called out bluntly. Ash was generally not one to read the room and proceeded to do Ash things.
Everyone in the crowd as well as the Elite Four stared at the boy, making Blue and Misty panic over the dense boy's loud greeting.
"Ash!" Misty hissed before grabbing Ash's head and pushed it to the ground.
"I'm terribly sorry for his guy's beh—"
But Agatha merely chuckled silently.
"It's alright, dearie. It's been some time, my boy. You too, Blue dear," Agatha greeted Ash, patting his head.
"Yeah! I've gotten stronger!" Ash replied excitedly.
"It's nice to see you again, Miss Agatha!" Blue replied with delight.
Misty could only watch, baffled as the senior happily conversed with the two children, as if a grandmother to her grandchildren.
The other Elite Four were surprised as well since, for all their time together, the old woman was not one to respond to crowd reactions. However, the red-haired man looked even more astonished at the raven-haired boy.
'That's…'
"Agatha, do you know this young man?" he asked.
"Yes, Lance. The boy is a close acquaintance of mine. Plus, he managed to beat that old coot quite spectacularly," the old woman answered with a soft chuckle.
The Elite Four knew who the old woman was talking about. After all, there was only one person who Agatha would address in that name.
Although they were now Kanto's strongest, the Elite Four held a deep respect for Oak as the professor would on occasion spar with them when he was visiting Agatha. And the old man had not lost his touch.
Which was why curiosity towards Ash further increased from the Elite Four.
Ash then looked towards the other 3 and grinned. He faced them and bowed, taking his cap off as a sign of respect.
"It's an honour to meet you all," he greeted cordially.
"I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. And…"
Ash put his cap back on and gave the Elite Four the boldest statement they had ever heard. His red eyes conveying his determination.
"The future Pokémon Master. Looking forward to battle y'all in the finals!"
The crowd were frozen stiff. They could not believe what the boy had said.
Misty was mumbling incoherently, thinking Ash had lost his mind. While Agatha and Blue gave the boy an amused snicker.
Hearing this brazen introduction, the Elite Four smiled.
"Heh, quite the bold claim," the red-haired woman replied.
"Haha! Dear Ash is still as amusing as before," Agatha chuckled again.
"…You have spirit, kid," the burly man simply said, his eyes still closed.
Lance was amused.
"Well, well. I'm surprised there's a kid like you in the Preliminaries," he stated.
Ash got ticked off at Lance writing him off as some kid. The boy was aiming to be Pokémon Master, after all.
"Age has nothing to do with a Trainer's skill. I've already won my fir—"
"A single victory in the Preliminaries does not make you invincible, boy."
An intimidating air surrounded the crowd. Ash widened his eyes at the man's change in demeanour.
Lance looked at the raven-haired Trainer with a serious expression.
"Do you know why there are only 12 spots available for the Preliminaries? Even though there are 16 Trainers in the main event?"
"That's because us Elite Four are the strongest. We start at the starting line, unlike the other 12."
Lance's yellow eyes piercing Ash.
"So you won your first match. But if you get knocked out in the next, you might as well have never come here in the first place."
"In other words, you have not even made it to the starting line."
But the raven-haired boy stood tall. His crimson red eyes stared at Lance defiantly.
Then, Lance smirked and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"…But you've got guts. I'll give you that."
And the Elite Four were on their way, leaving Ash behind.
"If you want to meet us in the finals, then fight and win."
"Show us you're more than a kid with a big mouth."
And they were gone. Ash stared at their backs with his red eyes, now more determined than ever.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed him from the back.
"Huh?"
A furious Misty then dragged the boy away with Blue following.
"Oi! What gives?! Leggo!"
Leaving the crowd to debate who was the kid that challenged the Elite Four. And a camera crew caught everything.
{ It's an honour to meet you all. I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. And… }
{ The future Pokémon Master. Looking forward to battle y'all in the finals! }
"What is that guy thinking?!" Calem shrieked in terror of Ash's declaration. The boy was contemplating tearing his hair off out of frustration.
"That's the Elite Four, y'know?! Is he crazy?!"
Although Tierno and Trevor shared his sentiment, they could not help but notice Ash's introduction.
"Not only that, but who's Ash Ketchum? Isn't that guy Red?" Trevor asked inquisitively.
They turned towards Serena, who was giggling at the boy's brazen introduction.
"Hehe… Dummy," she muttered before noticing the stares directed at her, pleading for answers.
"Ah, Red's real name is Ash Ketchum. He only lets two others and I call him Red," Serena explained.
"Huh? Then why did he register under that name?" Shauna asked.
"Probably has something to do with that Green person. Red talks about him a lot."
{ A single victory in the Preliminaries does not make you invincible, boy. }
Lance's intimidating statement brought chills to the audience watching, Sycamore included.
The teachers and parents got overwhelmed while the students looked at the intimidating man whose serious yellow eyes demanded attention.
{ In other words, you have not even made it to the starting line. }
But even more shocking was the fact that Ash merely replied to his words with a serious gaze. The red eyes that do not seem to comprehend fear.
The sight of Ash's serious expression gave Serena goosebumps as the honey-blonde had never seen this side of him before. Although she loved the raven-haired boy for the kind and cheerful boy that she remembered him to be, she could not deny that he looked even more attractive like that.
{ If you want to meet us in the finals, then fight and win. }
{ Show us you're more than a kid with a big mouth. }
'…He's so dead,' everyone thought in unison.
And Day 1 of the Preliminaries broadcast ended.
After the broadcast ended, Serena and Grace returned home. Along with Calem, Shauna, Trevor and Tierno.
The group of friends decided to have a sleepover until the end of the Grand League. Since there was a time difference between Kalos and Kanto, there would be no classes during the day; in exchange, everyone must attend the Grand League viewing.
After arriving in Serena's house, the group began chatting about Ash, much to Serena's delight… and Tierno's displeasure.
"So! So! How did you two meet?" Shauna asked the honey blonde, her mind filled with romantic delusions.
"He saved me when I got lost in the forest," Serena reminisced with a tender smile, happily obliging Shauna's request.
She recounted all of her treasured memories starting from their encounter. To their time together. And finally, to their parting.
"That's so romantic~!" Shauna squealed in delight. The girl's delusions ran amok. Years of waiting to hear about Serena's love story finally paid off.
Grace was also listening to her daughter's story closely, now knowing Ash's impact on the girl. The appreciation grew tenfold after hearing how Serena seemed so happy to share more about the raven-haired boy.
"Hey, Serena?" the mother called out.
The children faced the woman, wondering what she wanted.
"Do you want to meet Ash again?"
The Elite Four had reached their destination. The League Committee of Indigo Plateau. Inside, an elderly man was waiting for them.
"Welcome, welcome, dear Elite Four," the man greeted.
The Elite Four gave a small bow towards the man, a sign of respect.
"It's been a long time, President Goodshow," Lance greeted politely with a smile.
Charles Goodshow. He was the President of the League Competition Committee. The main organizer of Pokémon Leagues around the world. Since the Indigo Grand League was an event held every 10 years, the man had personally show himself due to such a rare occasion.
"Thank you for your hospitality, as always," Agatha said with a smile.
Goodshow waved it off, saying it was no big deal.
"You got your eye on any up-and-coming Trainers?" Goodshow asked the Elite Four, curious as they stayed to watch some Preliminary Matches.
"Yes, a rather amusing kid, in fact," Lance answered.
"Hmm? You mean that weird kid just now?" the red-haired woman asked.
Lance turned towards the building's window, coincidentally noticing Ash chatting with Misty and Blue.
"Lorelei, do you remember the Saffron City incident?" the carmine haired man asked back at her question.
This caught everyone's attention. It was Kanto's biggest gang raid for a reason.
"Do you mean Team Rocket and Silph Co?" Lorelei answered back, confirming what he was implying.
"Right."
"The criminal organization known as Team Rocket stormed into Silph Co and made it their headquarters." Lance explained.
"The authorities of Saffron fought long and hard to drive them out."
"What are you getting at?" Lorelei asked again, unsure what the incident had to do with the 'weird kid'.
"There was… a certain rumour," Lance explained again.
"Well, more like an open secret at this point. Anyways, the reason why Team Rocket fell was because of the assistance of a civilian Trainer who happened to be nearby."
"Ah. I think I've heard something like that before during the report. About a Trainer being involved…" Lorelei commented, remembering the day of the incident.
"And that is whom I speak of."
"What in the world were you thinking?" Misty chided.
"Man, can't believe I forgot to get an autograph…" Ash groaned at his misfortune.
"Oi! Are you listening?! Besides, it was your fault for declaring war like that! What makes you think they'll just give you an autograph after that?!" Misty shrieked at him.
For Misty, Ash's recklessness was incredibly hard to deal with. But reasoned that it was just his nature and calmed down a little.
"Not only that, but you've also only won a single fight in the Preliminaries so do—"
"That's right," Ash interrupted her.
"It'd be a real shame if I lost in the qualifying rounds."
The raven-haired boy turned back to face Misty with a toothy grin.
"Then there's only one thing for me to do. And that's to blast through every battle that comes my way!"
"…Eh?" Misty muttered out, flabbergasted at Ash's remark.
"Anyways, gotta go heal everyone up. See ya, Misty," Ash said in a hurry before running to the PokéCentre.
"That's classic Red for you," Blue giggled behind the redhead.
"Once he's decided on something, he rushes to it head on."
"When he says something for himself, he does it so he wouldn't turn his back on it."
"All that remains is the promise Red made."
"When Red pledges something, he will carry it through until the end…"
Blue then made a sad look towards the running boy, remembering the results of his war against Team Rocket.
"No matter what it takes."
"Red of Pallet Town."
The Elite Four and Goodshow widened their eyes at this revelation.
"He's the one who defeated Giovanni?" Lorelei exclaimed in disbelief.
"Then that would mean…"
"Yes," Lance affirmed, already knowing what the red-haired woman was about to say.
"He essentially forced the disbandment of Team Rocket single-handedly."
Goodshow was getting interested in this boy that Lance talked about even more.
"Quite a fascinating boy dear Ash is," Agatha spoke with a tone of interest.
Then, to everyone's surprise, the taciturn of the Elite Four spoke up.
"He may be young. But eyes do not lie," the burly man said.
"Those blood red eyes were not that of a child. But a warrior that has already once battled with their life on the line."
"Quite right, Bruno," Lance nodded.
"So, when you called him 'a kid like you' , you meant the kind who can bring down a whole criminal organization," Agatha snickered.
Lance let out a smile as he saw Ash run towards the PokéCentre from the window.
"There are no guarantees in Pokémon Battles."
A declaration of war.
"No matter your status, anybody can defeat you; even if you are a Champion."
Against the heavens.
"That's why we can't afford to let our guard down."
Chapter 28: Preliminaries (4)
"Especially against a child who has yet to bare his fangs."
ΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠΠ
Vote, comment & share plzzz
（＾ｖ＾）(^～^)
Words:2572