I Wanna Be The Very Best

Chapter 82: Charizard's Revenge

A few more hours have passed and the opening dinner party has finally come to a close. Serena and Ash danced for most of that time, with the both of them slowly letting themselves go to forget all about the drama with Damian a few hours ago on the dance floor.

They now find themselves getting out of Serena's limo, right outside the house the two are currently staying at. Pikachu and Sylveon are both with the pair, as they make their way towards the front door and open it in preparation.

As for the amour couple, well in that last few hours Serena may have gone a little too far on her drinking escapades. She's currently more than a little drunk, as Ash helps her out of the limo while she giggles like a complete child in her own little world. She flops onto his shoulder, while he leads her towards the house while giving the driver a sorry look.

Upon entering through the front door, Serena is a little out of her mind as she giggles before falling onto the sofa flat on her back. Ash sighs a little that he's going to have to deal with his girlfriend's situation as he states in a firm tone "Come on Serena, it's time to go to bed. I think you've had enough for tonight."

The Kalos queen snaps out of her giggles as she frowns at her boyfriend and firmly replies "No, I need to see the baby first! I need to make sure she's been good!"

Ash rolls his eyes at Serena's state as he comments "Serena, she's asleep. There's no need to wake her up. Sylveon will be pretty mad with you if you do."

Serena ignores her boyfriend as she pushes him away before instantly rushing up the stairs, tripping a few times as she heads to the pokemon bedroom room.

She trips over the door on her way in, stumbling like a clumsily fool as she shouts through a small slur "Hiiiiiiiii Baby Pikachu!"

Upon hearing her trainer's voice, baby Pikachu springs awake from where she's sleeping inside her cot. A bright excited smile coats her face as she leaps out of her cot and straight into her trainer's arms.

Serena smiles at the baby Pokémon as she questions in an overly exaggerated tone "Were you a good girl for aunt Delphox and Aunt Absol?"

Baby Pikachu nods frantically while letting off cries that explain to Serena that she went to bed on time and everything.

Serena seems more than pleased that the baby behaved herself as she pinches her cheek playfully and shouts "I know what a good girl like you deserves, ketchup!"

The baby's eyes instantly light up with little hearts as she screeches at the top of her lungs in excitement "Pi Pikachu!!!!"

Serena giggles at her reaction as she reaches into her purse, taking out two sachets of ketchup and handing one straight to the baby. The baby lets off a happy cry before she opens up the packet, practically inhaling the ketchup inside like a little ketchup demon.

It doesn't take too much longer for Pikachu and Sylveon to arrive back in there room, with the latter instantly frowning upon seeing her adopted daughter wide awake. That frown only gets bigger when her mate spots the ketchup, instantly grabbing the other sachet and opening it up.

The two Pikachu's slurp on their ketchup while Sylveon glares at Serena. Not only has she woken up her daughter who was completely fast asleep, now she's feeding her ketchup which means she isn't going back to sleep for at least an hour. Serena has completely ruined the alone time she was going to get with her mate! The worst wingwoman in the world! The fairy type Pokémon can't help but plot her revenge, wondering the best way to crash her and Ash's privacy in return! She'll remember this and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Meanwhile, Ash enters the room and instantly holds his hands up in apology to Sylveon. He takes the baby off Serena and instantly places her back on her bed, with the baby still enjoying the last of her ketchup.

Serena frowns at her boyfriend and shouts in an annoyed tone "Hey we were having some nice bonding time! How would you like it if I just stole your Pikachu like that!?"

Ash shakes his head at Serena's drunk shenanigans, knowing he really needs to put her to bed. He decides to take the initiative as he picks his girlfriend up bridal style before he exclaims "He sits on your shoulder all the time so I don't care. Now, it's time for us to go to bed. Say good night to the others."

Serena giggles at Ash's boldness, forgetting her initial anger, before she shouts in a slurred tone "Night Sylveon! Good night Baby Pikachu! And Gooood night og Pikachu!"

The two Pikachu's both let off happy cries good night, seemingly both overjoyed with this version of Serena that gives them both ketchup. As far as their concerned, she needs to drink like this more often. Sylveon meanwhile just turns her head away from her trainer, feeling a little pissed off with her still that she's ruined the end of her evening.

Ash carries Serena out of the room while the Kalos queen's head spins around frantically. Her vision is pretty blurry and everything is kind of happening so suddenly. She feels really dazed, and completely out of it as her vision begins to black out as her mind wonders.

Before she knows it, she finds herself lying on her bed alone, on top of the sheets with her same clothing still on. She's sat up slightly, although she is slowly sliding down the bed to a lying position. She has no idea how she even got here, or where Ash has gone. Suddenly, the door opens back up as Ash walks in, now with his hair running free and wearing his usual night wear. A massive glass of water sits in his hand, as he approaches his girlfriend.

He puts the glass of water down on the side table before he forces Serena to sit up properly with the help of a pillow. He hands the glass of water to her and exclaims with a smile on his face "Drink some of this babe. It'll make you feel better."

Serena nods as she takes the glass of water into her hands, before taking a swig. She feels the water hit her throat as she becomes somewhat refreshed by the taste of something non alcoholic.

A small smile soon coats her face as she replies "Thank you Ashy!"

Ash smiles at Serena and moves a strand of her hair as he exclaims lovingly "That's okay beautiful, I'm going to take good care of you. I need you to drink as much of that water as possible okay?"

Serena seems really heart warmed that Ash wants to take care of her. She instantly feels a sense of determination run through her body not to let him down as she takes another swig of water.

Seeing Serena drink so much water can only be seen as a positive for Ash, knowing it'll help hydrate her considering how much alcohol can dehydrate someone. If she drinks enough then she may avoid an horrendous hangover the next day. While the is very unlikely, it could help.

He soon shifts his attention towards her attire, noticing that she's still in her dress and heels that she wore to the party. Normally, Ash wouldn't care about what Serena wears to bed as long as she sleeps in this sort of situation. However, he soon sees that her dress is covered in small patches of ketchup from earlier.

Ash sighs, realising that sleeping in a ketchup stained bed is not something they should probably be doing. That may work for Pikachu, but it's not his preference. The real problem is, Serena is probably too drunk to actually realise she's lying with ketchup all over her.

He gets that point across to Serena as he gives her a sincere smile and explains "Serena, we need to get you changed into your nightwear. Can you stand up please so we can change you?"

Serena hears that Ash wants to change her clothes and instantly gets the wrong idea from her silly drunken mind. She giggles furiously before she exclaims in a slurred but flirtatious voice "You silly boy Ash! I'm not naive to what you want you know! You just want to take my dress off me so you can do wonderful things to me! I can't wait for our little fun time!"

Ash sighs, a little frustrated by Serena's lack of cooperation in her drunken state. He shakes his head as he explains in a stern tone "No Serena, not tonight. I just want you to get changed so we're not sleeping in ketchup."

Serena's face instantly falls into sadness, her emotions amplified by the effect the alcohol is having on her body. She frowns as her eyes water with tears. Her heart breaks in two as she mutters over emotionally "You don't think I'm pretty enough? I thought you loved me all this time. Is my body not good enough? Am I too fat for you?"

The Kalos queen continues to sob, pulling a pillow in front of her face to hide her emotions from Ash as she feels herself needlessly becoming heart broken.

The Alola champion rolls his eyes a little as he replies seriously "Serena, look at me."

Serena ignores Ash's words as she continues to sob into her pillow. She's being quite an emotional drunk, all over very little in the grand scheme of things.

In the end, Ash has to take action as he snatches the pillow away from her face. He looks her dead in the eyes with sincerity, using his thumb to wipe away her tears as explains whole heartedly "Serena, your absolutely gorgeous and you know that. Your body is absolutely flawless and I love every curve you have. There isn't a thing I could change to perfect you anymore. It's not because your not pretty enough, it's because your too drunk. I'm not going to ever take advantage of you in such a state. As someone that loves you very much, I want you to change into your night clothes and come back to bed. Then I want to cuddle you in and make you finish your water before going to sleep."

Serena seems to be more than happy with Ash's confession, turning her frown upside down as she smiles brightly. She soon lunges and pulls Ash into a strong hug, giggling like a child as she screams "I love you Ashy! I wouldn't change youuuu toooooo! Your so handsooommme!!"

Ash chuckles a little as he hugs Serena back, slowly picking her up before placing her on her own two feet. He gives her a small kiss on the lips as he replies "I love you too princess. Now let's get you ready to go to bed."

They do just that as Serena quickly changes into her pyjamas with Ash heavily helping her along the way due to her being pretty shaky. He soon sits her back down on the bed, passing her the glass of water as he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

Serena takes a few more sips of water, before she bursts out laughing again. She laughs for a few more seconds before she looks up at Ash and smiles.

Ash raises an eyebrow as he questions "What's so funny Serena?"

Serena shakes her head as she explains "Nothing, just you looking after me is really cute. Then I burst out laughing because I thought it sounded silly."

Ash smiles at drunk Serena, finding her pretty amusing once you actually get her to sit down. Sure is a mission to do that, but she is funny with no filter. He moves a few strands of her honey blonde hair as he comments "Well, I don't find it funny or silly. I'm happy I can be here when you need me. Now next time we go out, your going to listen to me when I say stop."

Serena frowns slightly as she exclaims while poking him in the chest "Only if you listen to me when I tell you to stop eating so quick."

Ash smiles back at his girlfriend as he simply replies "Deal, but only if you go to sleep my angel."

Serena seems to be onboard with that idea as she puts down her drink, before snuggling into Ash's chest. Predictably, a few minutes later the Kalos queen is completely wiped out, snoring softly against Ash's chest as she falls into a deep slumber.

Ash watches Serena sleep for a moment, feeling a little tired himself. He could go to sleep right now, but he decides against it. Serena could still wake up after a few minutes and start being sick, considering how much she's drunk it is a possibility.

To make sure she's definitely going to stay asleep, Ash stays up for another hour as he turns the tv on while turning the volume on silent. He uses this time to do some scouting on any potential league opponents, seeing what sort of data he can get.

After two hours, Serena is still fast asleep with no signs of waking up anytime soon as she lays down on his chest with her arms wrap around him. Knowing she's going to be okay for a while, Ash sets an alarm for a few hours time as he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep while cuddling his girl.
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Intro

The next morning, Serena slowly stirs from her sleep as her body aches from what feels like head to toe. Her vision blurs as the room spins around in complete circles. Her head bangs painfully like a drum, while feeling like a building sits a top of it. Her breath smells of the beverages she enjoyed the night before, instantly turning her stomach and making her feel rather sick from such a disgusting smell.

Groggily she sits up in bed, moaning in pain as she does. That overwhelming feeling of sorrow soon comes over her as she realises that she's got the inevitable hangover.

She groans as she slowly rubs her eyes, trying to un blur her vision. She slowly does that as she tries to get some sort of reading of where she is and what's going on. Her memory is pretty foggy after she and Ash finished their little talk about his dad and Damian.

She soon gets a thought come to her mind that makes her gasp in worry. That worry soon fades away though when she sees she's indeed wearing her pyjamas. She was a little worried her and Ash had some fun last night, considering what that could have lead to.

Serena shakes off that thought as she soon tries to get out of bed. However as she goes, her head spins even more as she feels her stomach take a turn for the worse. Almost instantly, she takes off and rushes straight into the bathroom. She kneels down next to the toilet, before letting out some of the contents of what she drank last night.

Upon hearing someone being sick, Ash instantly panics that Serena is being sick in her sleep and rushes upstairs from the kitchen. He soon hears that the sounds of vomiting are coming from the bathroom and calms down a little.

He takes a sigh of relief as he walks into the bathroom, before making his way over to Serena. He holds back her hair from getting into her face while rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Serena soon stops her puking after a few minutes as she takes a massive sniff of regret, feeling her nose crust up a little.

Ash smiles warmly as he helps Serena back up to her feet, flushing the toilet as he does while he questions "Are you okay princess?"

Serena sniffs back a tear, falling into her boyfriend for a hug as she whimpers "No, my head hurts and I feel like the world is collapsing around me. Now I have no idea what to do. Or what even happened. I'm so sorry I got drunk Ash. Please don't be mad."

Ash embraces Serena back and gives her a sweet peck on the forehead as he replies "It's okay beautiful. It's just a hangover. I'll make it all better soon with those pills we've got. You don't have to apologise to me. I'm not mad at you for having fun. Nothing bad happened either I promise. You are safe and there's nothing to worry about."

Tears still sit in Serena's eyes as she questions "How long have you been awake for?"

Ash runs his hands through Serena's hair as he explains "A few hours probably. The baby was up early so I made her breakfast and sat with her watching her favourite cartoons. All our Pokémon are awake and have been fed now. I was just making breakfast for us both when you woke up. I was hoping you stayed asleep so I could be there when you woke up. I knew you'd be confused and worried when you did. I'm sorry Serena."

Hearing Ash has been up for hours and is making breakfast, doesn't make Serena any happier about the situation. Instead she feels guilty and regretful as she begins to cry a little more. She sniffs back her tears as he replies in a broken and emotional voice "I'm so sorry Ash. I'm a terrible girlfriend. I must have made you stay up all night and get up early this morning. You should have been sleeping for your league battle today. It's all my fault now, if your too tired to compete properly. I ruin everything by being stupid. I was meant to wake you up with breakfast in bed this morning. I was going to love you and make sure that you were ready for today. I'm such a mess and a horrible person."

Ash hears Serena's low opinion of herself and frowns, not really seeing why she's so upset. He decides to try and cheer her up as he places his hands on her shoulders. He gives her a bright smile as he exclaims in a soothing tone "Hey, don't cry Serena. I don't want to see you crying on such an important day. Your not a horrible person or a bad girlfriend. Your an amazing person and an even better girlfriend. I'm full of energy for today naturally, in fact waking up so early has given me a good chance to study and get my head in the right space for today. Besides, I'll beat Damian in my sleep so don't worry about that. Breakfast in bed with you would have been nice, but you do enough for me and it's my time to take care of you. Everyday it's you taking care of me so I'm just returning the favour. Why don't you take a shower, get dressed then meet me in the kitchen for breakfast?"

Serena sniffs away her tears, feeling very loving towards Ash due to the words he used. She honestly feels so blessed to have him. He's not mad at her at all for being a stupid drunk, in fact he's really caring and sweet about the whole situation. He's taken good care of her, and left her feeling safe.

She instantly lunges forward, locking him in a big hug as she whispers "Thank you, I love you so much Ash. I don't know what I would do without you."

Ash smiles at the fact that Serena seems to be in a  better frame of mind as he whispers back "I love you too my angel."

The two of them soon break apart as Ash turns the shower on and fetches Serena her many products that she likes to use when in the shower.

He soon leaves her to get herself cleaned up while Serena stands in the shower, hoping that the steam can help clear her head somewhat.

After she gets out, she puts her bath robe on as she sets about drying her hair. Once she's done that she puts on a face of makeup to hide some of her obvious fatigue. It takes her quite a while to get ready, considering she was in a bit of a state from the night before. Soon though Serena looks as immaculate as ever, changing into her usual outfit as she heads down for breakfast.

Serena arrives down the stairs and notices that some of their pokemon are out of their pokeballs. Sylveon and Delphox are sat on one sofa having girl talk, with the former giving her trainer a small side eye.

Absol is fast asleep by the fireplace, clearly tired from the joy of babysitting last night.

Out in the garden, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu and the baby all play around. They run around the garden playing with a frisbee, causing laughter to echo around the house. Applin soon joins in too, despite the fact he can't really catch anything.

Serena soon sits down at the breakfast table, as Ash brings out two plates of food. He smiles at his girlfriend as he places it down and explains "I made your favourite, a full Kalosian breakfast. Eat all that up and take those tablets, drink that water too and you'll be better in no time."

Serena swallows back some flem that she feels sitting in the back of her throat, before she weakly replies "Thank you Ash."

Ash smiles knowingly as the two of them start to tuck into their breakfast. It's a little tricky for Serena to eat to say the least, but she stays brave and manages to eat the majority of her breakfast. Once she's done that she drinks her water and takes a few strong painkillers to help get her through the day.

Ash smiles at his girlfriend as the two sip on their coffee. He reaches across the table and takes her hand as he questions "You okay?"

Serena nods as she replies in a slightly more energetic voice "Yeah, I'm okay thanks. I feel a little better already now that I've eaten something."

Ash smiles a little brighter, feeling happy that Serena's starting to act like her old self again. He rubs her palm with his thumb as he exclaims "I'm glad beautiful, once those painkillers kick in you'll be good as new. Once you are, please apologise to Sylveon for us. You sort of woke the baby up last night when we got home. I think she wanted some peace and quiet."

Serena giggles nervously as she admits "Oops, I don't even remember getting home. I'll say sorry later and give her those pokepuffs with the little pink sprinkles she likes. Did I do anything else embarrassing while I was drunk?"

Ash smirks as he replies "Nothing too embarrassing. It was a little frustrating trying to get you to go to bed, and you seemed to get the wrong idea a few times. Like when I was trying to make you get changed for instance. I think we both know where your mind went but I couldn't even consider that. But I got you to sleep in the end so all's well."

A sheepish smile comes onto Serena's face as she realises what her wrong idea probably was. A small rosey red blush appears on her cheeks as she exclaims "I don't even even want to know what I said. Thank you for being such a gentleman and not taking advantage of me. I wouldn't have been mad if you did because it would have been my fault, but I'm happy you didn't."

Ash frowns a little as he instantly replies "I didn't even consider it. I never would if one of us was drunk and the other wasn't. That just doesn't sit right with me. Anyway enough on that subject."

Serena nods in agreement, changing the direction of the conversation as she questions "So, what times your battle with Damain today."

Ash smiles in excitement as he explains "It's not until later, in fact it's the last battle of the day at the main stadium. It's been made a big deal now, some media outlets caught hold of the fight we had and now that's the story for the match. It's being built up as huge rivalry. It doesn't bother me though, the more eyes watching the more embarrassed Damain is going to be. Plus, even more people that are going to watch you sing too."

Serena does feel a little nervous due to that point, but shakes it off as she replies "That just means more people to promote the album to. Aria is giving me a call tonight about it so I'll know the amount of streams then."

Ash smiles as he exclaims with clear love in his voice "I was listening to it this morning while you were a sleep. I'm biased but I thought it was great!"

Serena giggles a little as she replies "Thanks Ash, so what do you want to do this morning? Usually I would be on to you to study your opponent and come up with your strategy. But, I think we both know the game plan in this case."

The Alola champion chuckles a little as he admits "Yeah, you know exactly what the plan is this time. All I have to do is execute it. I was thinking, why don't we go find the others and meet up at the main stadium? We could watch some of the matches and see some of my potential opponents up close."

The idea of getting to watch the action up close with Ash is simply too much for the Kalos queen to turn down as she replies "Sounds good to me. It's a date."

The two of them soon finish their coffee's before working together to do the dishes. Once their finished they return their pokemon and grab what they need for the day. Pikachu jumps on Ash's shoulder while the amour couple intertwine their fingers. They soon leave the house together with excitement running through their veins for what's to come today, beginning the short walk towards the main Indigo league stadium.
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About half hour later, Ash and Serena find themselves near the VIP entrance to the main stadium. On the way, Serena has been in touch with Misty via text and they have planned to all meet each other in a secluded spot near the entrance to the stadium.

The amour couple wait for a few short minutes, before the rest of the gang soon appear on the scene. Gary instantly walks up to the amour couple with a less than impressed look on his face as he exclaims "Ashy boy you owe me big time! I had two babes on my shoulders when you decided to pick a fight. Spending a few hours in a cell was not how I planned on spending my night."

Ash scratches the back of his head nervously as he replies "I'm sorry Gary, I just had to teach that guy a lesson. I'll explain the whole story on the way in. But the real question is, how are you even out of jail?"

Gary shrugs his shoulders as he explains "It was actually pretty easy to be honest. All I had to do was show them my detective badge and give some statements. It was pretty funny though when I came out. Misty actually looked worried about me. She's a big softie really underneath all tomboy act."

Misty frowns and resists the urge to slap Gary as she shouts with clear rage in her voice "I wasn't worried about you idiot! I was just concerned that you were going to end up in jail for something that wasn't your problem. It was our problem with Damian and not yours. I only wish I could have smacked him in the face with my mallet!"

Brock nods in agreement as he adds "You know I feel exactly the same way. I wanted to punch him in the face 8 years ago and I still do now. Still, at least Gary hit him with a proper drop kick. His nose breaking like that was oddly satisfying even for me."

Gary scratches the back of his head a little as he exclaims "Well, if Brock wanted to fight him then he must be pretty bad. Still, I'm glad that I took the fall on this one. Ashy boy getting kicked out wouldn't have been the best result."

Ash nods as he replies gratefully "Yeah, thanks for saving my skin. But today, there's no way I'm letting him out of here without feeling totally embarrassed. He deserves everything that's going to happen to him today."

The gang are all surprised by the lack of empathy in Ash's voice, but not against it none the less. Serena soon moves the conversation along as she exclaims in a supportive tone "The main thing you need to do is win, but if you can do it in dominant fashion then go for it. The sooner we get out of here the better, before the painkillers wear off preferably. Anyone else wake up with a hangover this morning?"

Misty shakes her head as she explains "No, I stopped drinking just in time. Brock the same as me. As for this idiot, he's simply not human."

Gary smirks before he proudly exclaims "Listen, some people like me are just built different. Little Kalos queen by here simply can't handle it like I can. I bet Ashy boy was raging you were so drunk."

Serena frowns slightly as she shakes her head and responds in a harsh tone "I'm not in the mood for any of your stupid comments. Ash was actually very loving and took great care of me. He's a real gentleman, unlike someone I know."

Gary sweat drops a little at being told off by Serena, while giving Ash that screams "Are you seriously going to let her talk to your best friend like that?"

Ash shrugs his shoulders and drapes an arm around Serena as he exclaims "Anyway, the first round is starting soon. We should go and find our seats."

The rest of the gang nod in agreement while Gary curses Ash's betrayal. The gang soon begin the short walk towards the stadium, before making their way into the VIP entrance.

As they do reach the entrance, a team of reporters and cameramen are all lined up behind metal barriers, practically jumping anyone for interviews as they walk in.

Ash and Serena see the cameras and sigh knowingly. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that these reporters aren't here to say hello. No they want a scoop on what happened last night.

The two of them lock eyes and nod in agreement, deciding that this is going to be better to do this together. They soon intertwine their fingers and put on brave looks as they walk toward the stadium entrance.

As they do, reporters scream and shout their names as the cameras begin snapping as many pictures as possible of the celebrity couple. It doesn't take long for microphones to be forcefully shoved in their faces as the questions begin to roll in.

"Ash, should you be allowed in this tournament after last nights antics?"

"Ash, what type of history do you have with Damian?"

"Is it true that you have anger management problems?"

"Do you feel pressure to win this tournament?"

"Are you going to apologise to Damian?"

Ash shakes his head and pushes a microphone away from his mouth as politely as possible, as he exclaims "No comment on any of that. I prefer to do my talking on the battlefield. Please leave the drama alone and focus on the battles instead."

With Ash not willing to speak at all on the situation, the reporters turn their attention towards the Kalos queen as they begin to ask her an abundance of questions.

"Serena, how do you feel about Ash's actions?"

"Has it damaged your relationship at all?"

"Serena, do you have any history with this Damain?"

"Are you okay with your boyfriend starting fights?"

"Serena, please answer us honestly. Does Ash have these violent outbursts often? Are they a way of controlling you? Are you safe in your relationship?"

That last comment really does grind Serena's gears, causing a massive frown to appear on her face. Usually she'd stay quiet and just let situations like this pass over her head, but today they've caught her in a bad mood.

She snatches a microphone out of a reporter's hand and exclaims in a harsh tone "Listen, I will not stand here and let anyone question Ash on any of that. He's a gentleman, and really caring towards me. He's not violent or controlling in any sort of way! In fact, I can't even remember the last time he raised his voice at me. He's the sweetest and most innocent man in the world, so take those ideas straight out of your head. Last night was simply self defence, and anyone of you would have done the same thing. I see what you're trying to do, you all want to plant seeds to cause drama and ruin a healthy relationship. Well, that's not going to work sorry because we love each other more than that. Now, if anyone has anymore questions on a matter unrelated then I will happily answer them. If not, then we'll be on our way thank you."

The media are all practically stunned into silence, not expecting someone like Serena to shut them down so hard. Usually she's polite and well mannered with them, labelled as a media darling. But today, they've bought up the wrong topic to the wrong person.

Ash and Serena take the silence as a no and sigh in relief. Serena places the microphone back as the two of them stride forward into the stadium while cuddling up slightly.

Upon entering, Ash subtly leans his head towards Serena's as he whispers in her ear "That was awesome."

Serena lets off a nervous laugh before she whispers back "Thanks Ash, I just hope Palermo doesn't kill me for slightly tainting my squeaky clean reputation."

Ash shakes his head as he exclaims "I'm sure she'll understand. In fact I think she'll be pretty proud truth be told. I think this only improves your reputation, that you won't take bs. You came across well."

Serena smiles at Ash's point of view as they continue to walk towards their designated seating area. They soon walk down a set of steps, and out into the crowd.

Unfortunately for the gang, there is only one VIP box in the whole of the indigo league stadium that is reserved for the elite 4 and the champion. That means that this time, they are going to have to sit in the crowd and not the luxury of a VIP box.

However, their seating area still isn't a normal one to say the least. The area that they're sitting in is the most expensive in the whole stadium, meaning that it's not very accessible for the public. It's also part of an area that is barriered off so no fans can really bother them too much during the matches.

As for the seats themselves, well they are front row and as close to the battlefield as you can quite possibly get. They provide a great view of the action, while also being very easy for Ash spot during his battles. During a break such as half time, he can easily come over and speak to them should he please.

They all soon take their seats, with Ash and Brock at the end of each side of the row. Serena, Gary and Misty take up the rest of the seats in that order, with Ash putting an arm over Serena's shoulder.

The Alola champion looks around and takes in the atmosphere. Today is the perfect day for a Pokémon battle in his opinion. The sun is shining and not a cloud can be seen in the sky. The crowd is already packed, with the atmosphere starting to build as music blares through the speakers.

Taking in the stadium, it may not be the biggest but it is certainly one of the best in terms of feel. The history and the memories stained into the battlefield just make Ash that much more determined to go to war. Legends have battled here in the past, and he's determined to be known as one of those legends.

As he gazes around, he soon spots the elite VIP box. He can barely make it out from where he is, but he can just about spot the elite 4 sat waiting, with Lance in the middle of them.

That fact just gets Ash even more excited. The elite 4 and the champion are sat in the perfect position to watch over him, and study his every move during the battles. As far as he's concerned, that is the best news he's heard all day. He wants them to be watching, so they are as prepared as they possibly can be for the challenge he wishes to give to them. After all, beating someone at their best is all the more satisfying.

Serena watches her boyfriend's eyes light up with competitive flames as he grins his usual excited grin that she finds so cute. She gets his attention as she cuddles into him and exclaims "Someone is looking very excited to be here."

Ash smiles down at his girlfriend as he admits "Yeah, I really am excited Serena. I'm excited to get back out on that battlefield and prove myself to everyone. You know, it's been a while since the Alola league and I'm just buzzing to get started."

Serena can't help but smile at Ash's happiness as she replies "I'm really excited to watch you battle again too. I've got goosebumps just thinking about it. I promise, I'll be cheering you on the whole time. When you need encouragement I'll shout as loud as I possibly can."

Ash's eyes glint with love for his girlfriend's support as he exclaims softly"I know you will my angel. I'll be listening for you out there."

Serena giggles a little as the two lean forward and share a quick kiss to seal that small little promise.

As they break the kiss, the music in the arena stops as the announcer shouts "Good morning ladies, gentlemen and pokemon alike. Welcome to the 35th annual indigo league tournament!"

The crowd roar with excitement and cheers, clearly ready to kick off another Pokémon league. The announcer takes his time to wait for the crowd to die down before he continues "This year is a special year, with contestants spanning both the Kanto and Johto regions. Three hundred plus trainers will compete over the next few weeks, all vying for the trophy and the chance to take on our elite 4!"

A shot of the elite 4 and champion appear on the big screen, causing the crowd to go crazy. The 5 of them all sit with neutral expressions on their faces, not too fussed by all the attention. None of them are really here for the crowd or the media, they're just here for the challenge.

The camera soon pans away as the announcer shouts "Now, we have a lot of battles to get through today spanning over the course of 5 stadiums. So I won't delay you folks any longer than I need to. So without further ado, it's time to begin our first battle!"
_______________________________

An hour and a half passes by as the gang continue to sit in the stadium and watch the action go by. Battle after battle passes by, with each one having its own unique story to tell.

Some battles are over quickly, with an experienced trainer beating a younger one convincingly. Other battles have been neck and neck, close the whole time and only being decided by one or two moves. There's also been an epic comeback, with one trainer coming back from 3-1 down to take the win. The action has been nonstop with all kinds of Pokémon and strategies making an appearance.

As they watch the battles, they can't help but notice Ash get more and more invested. Every battle brings him such enjoyment, with Serena especially loving the cute little faces he keeps pulling. He's like a kid sometimes with how over the top he can react to seeing different Pokémon more moves he's not seen used in such a way.

The biggest thing Ash noticed so far, is that the competition this year is much stronger. If 10 year old him and Gary were competing in this indigo league, they both acknowledge that they wouldn't have made it past the preliminary rounds. Depending on the draw, they very well could have been round 1 eliminations.

Very soon it's time for another round of battles as a girl around 16 years old stands on the main battlefield, waiting for her opponent to be introduced.

That introduction soon comes as the announcer shouts "Now ladies and gentlemen, after a year long hiatus please welcome back to the battlefield Last year's indigo league champion Ritchie!"

The crowd screams in approval as Ritchie steps out of the tunnel and begins to make his way towards the battlefield, smiling and laughing the whole time in a slightly uncomfortable manner.

Misty spots the familiar face and raises an eyebrow as she questions "Is that really Ritchie?"

Ash smiles and nods as he explains "It sure is, I saw him at the party last night too. He's been pretty busy with everything from what he tells me. But it's cool that we're both back to battle the indigo league.

Brock smiles a little as he exclaims in an impressed tone "The winner of the last indigo league huh, looks like he's going to be no push over Ash."

Ash smirks competitively as he simply replies "I don't want this to be easy Brock, I want to face the strongest to prove I am the very best. That's what it means to be a pokemon master!"

Serena smiles at Ash's little speech, knowing how much strong opponents truly inspire him to get better. She cuddles into him as she adds "That's right, and the better the battle the more satisfying the victory will be."

As Gary looks down at the battlefield, he lets off a small laugh as he comments "Really Ashy boy, you lost to this nerd. You really were an embarrassment to Pallet town you know."

Ash rolls his eyes at Gary's stupidity as he replies in a slightly mocking manner "I went a round further than you, and I beat you at the silver conference, if you really want to get into it with who's better then you should have signed up for the league yourself."

Gary shrugs his shoulders as he exclaims in his usual confident tone "Ashy boy you should know by now, if I entered the league I'd have embarrassed you and your Pokémon by just how awesome I am. I didn't want to do that again."

The Alola champion sighs and rolls his eyes at Gary's usual shenanigans, instead deciding to focus on the battle itself.

It doesn't take too long for Ash to get invested as he carefully studies what Ritchie is going to do. However, the three Pokémon he uses don't really give him too many hints as to what Pokémon Richie could have at his disposal these days.

The first Pokémon he uses is his Pikachu nicknamed Sparky. Sparky is sill the same Pikachu as before, except a little stronger looking now. Although as Pikachu's go, Ash would always back his own in a one on one battle.

Ritchie uses Sparky's speed to great effect, knocking off his opponent's Kangaskhan in pretty convincing fashion.

The next matchup, Ritchie switches as he uses his Butterfree. Ritchie's Butterfree looks strong, and has been with his trainer for 8 years as supposed to Ash's that's only recently returned. However, Ash would still be willing to bet that his Butterfree would win in such a battle should they ever face off.

Ritchie uses his Butterfree's type advantage to his, well advantage, as he slaps his opponent's Espeon with a super effective signal beam to take the win.

Finally, he uses his now fully evolved Charizard named Zippo. Last time Ash saw Zippo, we was only a Charmeleon. Zippo is now a Charizard, who looks pretty well raised. However, Ash wouldn't even think about comparing Zippo to his Charizard. Quite simply put, he's in a different league of Charizard's consisting of the likes of Alain's and Leon's.

Despite not being champion level, Zippo makes a mockery of the battle, easily defeating his opponent's Mismagius in some style.

The crowd soon roar with cheers and applause as Ritchie is announced the winner. He soon thanks his Charizard for the battle before making his way towards the centre of the battlefield, awkwardly shaking hands with the female trainer.

Up in the stands, a small smirk sits on Ash's face as he comments "Now that was a pretty impressive battle I'd say. That just makes me even more excited to battle Ritchie."

Serena smiles as she adds "I noticed that he has a few of the same pokemon as you, but I think your's are much cooler. But I suppose I am a little biased."

Pikachu sits on Ash's shoulder while puffing his chest out in a proud manner, happy Serena said he was cool.

Misty place a confused look on her face as she comments "He certainly looked strong, but I still find it a little odd that he used the same 3 Pokémon he did all those years ago."

Brock nods in agreement as he adds "I think he knows Ash's watching, and doesn't want to show him any significant new Pokémon he could have in person. He's trying not to give him any advantage."

Ash just smirks as he exclaims in a confident tone "Let him do what he wants, it doesn't make a difference to me. If I wanted to, I could go and find out all the pokemon he owns very easily. But I don't really care if I don't know. Keeping it a surprise just makes things that much more exciting to me."

Ritchie soon leaves the battlefield, taking in a pretty positive reaction from the crowd. While he may not be the biggest fan favourite out there, he's definitely not someone the crowd ever will despise in any sort of way. He's too quiet and uneventful for that sort of negativity to surround him.

A few more interesting battles pass by, before the gang head to the local food stand for some lunch. It's the typical sort of stadium food you'd expect. Gary has some chips and a double cheeseburger with some ketchup drizzled on the chips (fries for you Americans.) Brock has a hotdog with mustard while Misty is eating a standard burger. Ash and Serena share a side of chips, with Serena still feeling a little shaky to eat a big meal and Ash not wanting to battle while having a completely bloated stomach.

As the gang sit down, they look out to the battlefield as they notice a familiar looking face stood there. Brock specifically points his hand forward as he questions "Hey Ash, isn't that Harrison?"

Ash nods as he explains in an enthusiastic tone "It sure is, I saw him back at the party last night. He just last year won the Hoenn league and now he's back to take on the indigo league."

Serena raises an eyebrow as she questions "Who's Harrison Ash?"

Ash smiles as he explains with a hint of admiration in his tone "Harrison is the guy who beat me at the silver conference. Him and his Blaziken were a really strong team that we just couldn't over throw. Still, it was a fun battle and I learnt a lot that day."

Misty soon lets off a small chuckle as she exclaims "I find it kind of funny that your two biggest rivals from Kanto and Johto are competing again too. It's pretty nostalgic in a way. It kind of feels like history is repeating itself."

Gary frowns at Misty's statement as he protests "Biggest rivals? You may want to reword that carrot head. The best and strongest rival is sitting right next to you. Gary MF oak!"

Misty rolls her eyes as she harshly states "You are the only one who he actually beat, which by default makes you the weakest or the most incompetent."

Ash chuckles a little as he nonchalantly exclaims in an attempt to defuse the situation "I'll be honest, I have no clue which one was the strongest. All I know is, history definitely isn't going to repeat itself. This time, I'm walking away with the win and the pokemon league trophy too."

The gang are soon snapped out of their thoughts, as the referee begins explaining the rules to Harrsion and his much younger opponent as the battle looks to be getting underway.

Harrison's Blaziken soon hits the battlefield, and that's pretty much the overwhelming story for this match. Going up against a 12 year old in his first Pokémon league is simply too easy for Harrison to handle.

His Blaziken goes on a tear, defeating his opponent's 3 Pokémon with only a few moves. Looking at the trainer's, Ash knew there was no chance of the battle being close. But, he didn't expect it to be quite this one sided.

The crowd soon roars as Harrison is declared the winner. He proceeds to thank his Blaziken for all his hard work, before returning him to his pokeball to rest. He soon makes his way over to his opponent and shakes his hand, while encouraging him to keep trying despite the harsh loss. The kid seems to take the advice onboard, as the crowd cheer in support of the sportsmanship on show.

With that, the two competitors soon leave the battlefield with Harrison having made quite the impact on the crowd. They certainly are satisfied by how dominant his performance was, chanting his name loudly as he heads down the tunnel.

As Harrison exits the stadium, an impressed look sits on Brock's face as he exclaims "I must admit, I didn't realise Harrison was that strong. Blaziken looks stronger than ever too."

Misty nods in agreement as she adds "I feel the same way too, but I suppose we shouldn't be that surprised when I think about it. I mean, he did beat your Charizard 7 years ago Ash."

Ash shrugs his shoulders as he replies in a confident tone "Yeah he did, but 7 years is a long time ago now. Me and Charizard are a lot stronger too, and we won't be defeated again."

Serena smiles at Ash's confidence, not seeing any sort of unwanted arrogance in what he says. She places her hand on his as she exclaims with passion in her eyes "I know you can do it Ash, I believe in you."

Ash can't help but smile brightly at Serena's support as he replies "Thanks beautiful, and I believe in you too. Anyway, there's only a few battles left until it's my turn. You ready to head backstage to get ready?"

Serena nods as she shouts in a determined tone "I was born ready, let's go!"

With that, Ash, Serena and Pikachu all say their goodbyes to the rest of the group before they make their way backstage. They soon pass into the backstage area before they make their way towards their shared dressing room to get ready for tonight's battle vs Damian.
_______________________________

About an hour later, the sun has fully set and the sky is now pitch black with stars shining bright amongst the night sky.

A few more battles have passed by, and it is now time for the final battle of the evening. It's time for the Alola champion to make his mark.

Currently, him and Serena are sat in the dressing room with Serena putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. She's decided to redo them both, realising that she wasn't quite looking as bright as she usual does after her hangover this morning. Or at least that's what she tells Ash. Now her head is a little clearer, it's a lot easier to do. The two of them still wear their usual street clothes, Serena in her charcoal shirt and chequered skirt and Ash in his Kanto themed updated outfit.

Soon they both wrap up their preparations, as they make their way hand in hand towards the end of the tunnel with Pikachu still on Ash's shoulder. As they make it to the end of the tunnel, the atmosphere hits them like a ton of bricks as Ash hears the chants and shouts of the packed out crowd.

Serena notices her boyfriend's face and questions "You nervous at all?"

Ash shakes his head as he replies in a laid back tone "You know what, for the first time in a long time I'm not. Instead I'm just excited. I'm excited to finally be back here after so long. It's time to show the Kanto region just what this version of Ash Ketchum can do."

Serena feels a little uplifted by Ash's confidence as she takes her microphone and looks at it with a little more determination than usual. She can't lie, she's nervous as hell to sing in public for the first time. But, if Ash's confident then she knows she can be too.

A bright smile soon coats her face as she replies "Your going to be amazing, I just know it. It's time to go and sure everyone else what I already know. Your the best battler in the entire Kanto region."

Ash smiles at Serena's support, giving her a small kiss on the forehead as he remarks kindly "Thanks Serena. I needed that. Your going to show the whole world how great of a singer you are too. I can't wait for it!"

Serena giggles at Ash's kindness, while slowly beginning to feel a little more confident about the whole prospect of singing for the first time.

Suddenly, the two of them are snapped out of their thoughts as the announcer shouts "Ladies, gentlemen and pokemon. It's finally time for our final battle of the evening!"

The crowd roar in approval as the atmosphere only builds, waiting for the highly anticipated battle to finally get underway.

The announcer lets the audience die down before he continues enthusiastically "Now introducing the first trainer. Please welcome to the battlefield, Damain!"

Damain steps out of the tunnel and begins to make his way towards the battlefield with a mixed reaction from the fans. Some of them see through his persona and despise him, especially those hardcore Ash and Serena fans. However, there are those that have fallen for his victim claim, feeling sorry for him after being kicked in the head last night.

Speaking of which, that kick only becomes clearer as Damain stands on the battlefield with the lights beaming down on him. His cheekbone is slightly bruised and black, while his nose is twisted and very much looks broken.

Upon seeing the handy work of his dropkick, Gary points a finger towards Damain and shouts with a small smirk on his face "Hey Damian! What happened to your face!? I got to say, I think it's an improvement!"

Damian glares over at the mahogany haired teenager as he replies in a venomous tone "That was assault. You will be hearing from my lawyers."

Misty frowns and shouts back at Damian "And you'll be hearing from my mallet if you don't wind your neck in!"

Seeing as this is going nowhere, the announcer coughs to get everyone's attention before he enthusiastically shouts "Now, introducing his opponent. Competing in Kanto for the first time in 8 years! He is the man who defeated Giovanni and is the current champion of the Alola region! Please welcome, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"

Upon hearing his name called out, Ash looks left towards Serena and nods to symbolise it's time to go. Serena takes a deep breath for composure, as she prepares herself for what's to come.

Suddenly, the lights in the stadium completely die out as a single spotlight shines down. The crowd look confused for a small moment, before they let off loud thunderous cheers upon spotting the Kalos queen emerging into the spotlight.

The cheers are louder than any other heard today, with Serena's popularity being at an all time high seemingly no matter what region their in. She takes in the reaction and smiles brightly, while waving to the crowd.

The crowd soon spot the microphone in Serena's hand and get the message that she's about to sing for them. They all soon fall into silence as Serena's music begins to play.

Serena's song, yes a stretch but the lyrics fit the theme of Ash coming home in a way. At least the chorus:)

Serena raises the microphone up to her mouth as she begins to sing nice and slow.

"I'm coming home."

"I'm coming home."

"Tell the world I'm coming home."

Serena starts off strong with her beautiful natural angelic voice, causing the crowd to cheer in support.

Suddenly, the big screen in the arena changes, showing videos of what happened the last time Ash was in the Kanto and Johto league.

"Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday."

"I know my kingdom awaits, and they forgive me for my mistakes."

"I'm coming home."

"I'm coming home."

"Tell the world that I'm coming."

The beat suddenly drops as the 1st verse begins to play. The lights in the arena flick back on as the crowd cheers in support for the musical entrance.

Those cheers only grow louder as Ash steps out of the tunnel with a bright smile on his face, looking as confident as ever with his iconic Pikachu sat on his shoulder.

Ash soon links his arms with Serena as the Kalos queen begins to escort him to the battlefield with a smile on her face.

They take a slow walk to the battlefield, consistently smiling and waving to the fans along the way who all cheer in constant support.

The big screen in the arena moves on from showing Ash's previous Kanto and Johto league failures, to some of his successes. It shows the crowd glimpses of all his iconic moments and pokemon, making them feel excited to see what he's going to be bringing to the battlefield today.

As they walk, Serena continues to sing to her parts, singing in such a way that the crowd can't help but wait for it to be her turn again. She has a way of drawing them in with her voice in a similar manner to how she draws people in with her performances.

Soon they both reach the battlefield, as Serena takes a powerful stance and finishes the song "Tell the world that I'm finally, home!"

The music cuts off as the crowd roars in approval, causing the whole stadium to shake from the positive reception to Serena's singing.

The commentator for today's match confirms as much as he enthusiastically shouts "Wow! What a performance that was by the Kalos queen. A welcome surprise at that. Remember folks, Serena's new album is now streaming live so go ahead and check it out."

Serena stands on the battlefield with a bright smile on her face as she pants heavily, letting the adrenaline wash over her from the moment.

She soon notices her boyfriend looking over at her with a bright proud smile as he shouts over the crowd's cheers "That was awesome Serena! I'm so proud of you!"

Serena smiles at her boyfriend as she moves closer to him so they can actually hear each other and replies "Thanks Ash. That was a lot of fun and went better than I expected. But enough about me, it's your time to shine now."

The Kalos queen soon gets on her tippy toes, as she leans in and catches Ash's lips. The two of them kiss for a few seconds, causing certain demographics in the crowd to squeal in excitement.

Before too long the two of them break the kiss and smile brightly at each other. Serena winks playfully as she exclaims in a cute voice "Good luck Ash."

With her good luck kiss provided, Serena turns around and begins to walk off the battlefield as she makes her way back to her front row seats to join the rest of the gang. As she leaves she smiles and waves at the crowd, causing even more cheers to rain down.

Ash soon gets himself back in the zone, as he refocuses on the task at hand. He steps in the trainer's box at the indigo league stadium for the first time in 8 years, letting everything hit him all at once.

Back in Pallet town, Delia, Professor Oak and Tracey are gathered around a tv out in the lab grounds as they all get ready to watch the battle with the rest of Ash's Pokémon not present with him.

At a contest special in the Hoenn region. May and Dawn watch on from a tv in their locker room as they prepare for a special joint performance.

In the Unova region, the tv screen flashes onto Ash's face while Cillian serves a customer at the restaurant. He turns towards the tv and smiles, ready to see what Ash can do.

In the Kalos region, Clemont finishes with the final challenger for the day before he flicks over to a stream on his Rotom phone to watch the incoming battle.

Similarly at a pokemon centre near Shalour city, Bonnie watches the battle with intrigue on her face as well as with Dedenne sat on her shoulder. Next to her stands a familiar boy with dark straight black hair , wearing a familiar blue jacket. He watches the battle with excitement on his face, ready to see one of his heroes in action.

In Vaniville town, Grace puts her feet up after a long days work as she prepares to watch her future son in law in his first indigo league bout.

In the Alola region: Professor Kukui, a heavily pregnant Burnett, Kiawe, Mallow, Lusamine, Goh and Chloe are all gathered at the professor's house. They all crowd round the tv as they prepare to watch the region's champion back in action.

In the Galar region, Hop takes out his Rotom phone while out in the wild area. He watches the battle closely, while also training his pokemon at the same time.

At the Devon corporation, Steven watches the battle on one of the big meeting room screens with Sawyer sitting close behind as he takes notes of the action.

In her home in the Sinnoh region, Cynthia sits cross legged and arms folded on her sofa. A small smirk comes onto her face as she watches on with great interest.

At his home in the Unova region, Alder watches the tv closely while smiling at the champion on the screen, excited to see what sort of Ash will be on show today.

At Professor Sycamore's lab, Alain Marin and the professor gather around the screen as they prepare to watch the battle. Alain looks pretty satisfied to see Ash chasing the tittle, smirking as he sees him on the screen.

At Rose tower, the chairman and his assistant sit in the luxury of the sitting room with the battle playing on a large wide screen tv. A smirk sits on Rose's face as he sees the amount of attention someone like Ash brings. Olena on the other hand has a deadpan expression on her face. However, on the inside she is completely filled with rage at how much attention that Gabena is getting from the fans.

Soon Leon enters the room too, smirking and oblivious to any wrong doings as he sits down on the sofa. His eyes lock onto Ash's as he begins to study a potential future opponent.

Back on the battlefield, the atmosphere only builds as the two trainers stare off. Ash soon places a confident smirk on his face as he states "Hello Damian, nice nose. Did it hurt?"

Damian glares at Ash as he shouts with hatred in his voice "You think your so tough now because your little friend blindsided me? Well we both know the truth! Your going to sit crying on this battlefield sobbing in tears! Then everything I said last night will apply! Your little princess will be will be with a real man come tonight! You'll just be a scared little boy!"

Ash internally rages, but doesn't let any of that anger get the better of him. This is actually perfect in a way. The cameras are on him and Damian is exposing what he is. Not only is this helping Ash prove to those who listen to the media that he was in the right last night, but he can also use these insults as fuel. Fuel to bury Damian in this battle."

He takes a small knowing sigh and shakes his head as he coolly states "Damain, Damain, Damian. You know I think you might just be the millionth guy who's ever told me something similar. I've seen this movie before and it doesn't end well for you. The more you talk, the worse that this beatings going to be."

The crowd all stare with shock on their faces, sensing a deep history and hatred between the two trainers.

The commentator shows as much as he states "A war of words between Ash and Damain to start. It looks like these two really do hate each other. Who will be making it through to the 2nd round? Well I think we're about to find out?"

At this point, the referee steps into the referee's box as he announces "This will be a 3 on 3 battle between Damian and the Alola champion Ash Ketchum! Both trainers will be allowed to make substitutions. The winner will be decided when either sides pokemon are unable to battle. Only one gimmick is allowed on each side. Trainer's, please send out your first Pokémon!"

It doesn't take a rocket scientists to know who Ash's going to pick first as he takes a pokeball off his belt. A smirk sits on his face as he throws it forward and shouts "Charizard I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the floor as Charizard emerges onto the battlefield, landing with a loud thud. He lets off a loud roar as he fires a flamethrower into the sky, the heat being felt all across the stadium.

Charizard huffs as he stares across at his opponent. He hasn't forgotten what happened, who Damian is and what he did. If it was up to him, he'd fly over there and give him a seismic toss. Instead Charizard holds off for now, knowing that he's got a chance to take a different sort of revenge.

The crowd has a sort of mix reaction to Charizard. Some cheer him for his performances of the past, while others boo and hold a grudge against him for the previous indigo league.

Damain sees Ash's choice of Pokémon and snickers, before he bursts out laughing hysterically. He laughs for a good 20 seconds, before he stops himself and exclaims in a mocking tone "This is too good to be true! Your actually choosing to use that weak Charizard? Now this is perfect. History truly is going to repeat itself. The best part being, you've put all this completely on yourself!"

Ash doesn't quite see things the same way as he shakes his head and calmly responds "The only thing I've chosen, is a strong Charizard itching for some revenge. But you can think what you want. All I know is by the end of this, you'll be too scared to say anything."

Damion laughs before he replies in an arrogant tone "Scared of who? You or the big dumb lizard? The dumb lizard who sat on a rock and waited, waited for nothing. I still can't believe that big idiot thought I was coming back. There's a reason I abandoned you. Now, let me show you a proper fire type. The one I replaced you with."

Charizard watches and feels his rage building up deep inside. He's no longer sad that Damian let him go, he's completely pissed.

Damian soon takes a pokeball out of his pocket and throws it forward as he shouts "Arcanine your up!"

The pokeball hits the ground as a powerful looking Arcanine emerges and barks at his opponent. Charizard glares at the Arcanine in front of him, ready to show him who the stronger fire type is.

In the stands, Serena returns to her seat and frowns as she exclaims in a tone full of anger "I can't believe Damain has the cheek to say such things Charizard. He's lucky I haven't gone over there and broke the other half of his stupid looking face!"

Misty nods in agreement as she adds "Get in line girl, I hope Ash shows him no mercy."

The referee soon raises a flag in the air and questions with a serious look on his face "Are both trainers ready?"

Ash nods with a confident smirk on his face, while Damian nods while looking smug.

The referee takes that gesture as a yes, lowering his flag towards the ground as he shouts "Let the battle begin!"

Damain instantly takes the first move as he extends his hand forward and shouts "Arcanine, use flamethrower!" Arcanine nods as he takes a deep breath before firing off a beam of orange flames towards his opponent.

Ash watches the flamethrower steam towards Charizard and measures its strength. As far as he's concerned, there's no need to waste the energy doing anything. A serious look coats his face as he nonchalantly exclaims "Stand still Charizard."

Charizard nods as he watches the flames come towards him. They soon slam straight into his stomach, as he looks down at them. All Charizard really feels is a ticklish feeling on his stomach. Soon the orange flames stop as they completely extinguish with no trace of ever hitting the fire type starter. Charizard places a paw by his mouth and takes a long bored yawn, clearly not impressed with Arcanine's power.

The crowd all gasp in shock, completely surprised by how easily Charizard took that flamethrower. The commentator lets off a small laugh as he shouts enthusiastically "Wow, Charizard took that flamethrower like it was nothing! What a powerhouse he looks these days!"

Damian shakes his head in disbelief, not quite sure if what he's seeing is actually real. He gazes over at his former Pokémon and sees him glaring straight at him, begging him to bring it on.

Damian shakes off his initial shock as he shouts in his usual arrogant way "That flamethrower was a fluke Arcanine! There's a reason why I replaced him with you! Now them why with your thunder fang!" Arcanine nods, undeterred by his previous failure to damage Charizard. He extends a set of fangs that spark with electricity as he charges towards the fire type lizard.

Ash watches the legendary pokemon close the distance, not concerned at all by the incoming super effective attack. Instead, a deadpan expression sits on his face as he cryptically exclaims "Wait for it Charizard."

Charizard nods as he smirks, waiting patiently for his trainers command as Arcanine draws near and nearer. He soon gets it as Ash shouts while doing his signature fist pump "Now use dragon pulse!" Almost instantly, Charizard takes a deep breath before he fires off a powerful purple dragon shaped beam of energy. The beam travels quickly through the air, straight towards a charging Arcanine who has no time to dodge. His eyes soon widen in shock as the dragon pulse slams into him, causing a huge explosion as the battlefield fills with dust.

The crowd all let off gasps of shock at the impact of such a move, wondering what the result of the collision will be as they wait for the smoke to clear.

Ash smirks confidently and looks completely relaxed about the situation, while Damain looks a little stunned and unsure of what the hell is going on.

A few more seconds pass before the dust finally clears. Once it does, the crowd gasp in surprise at what they see, before breaking out into loud cheers. Damain can't help but mutter in surprise under his breath, as he sees Arcanine laid out on the ground with swirls in his eyes.

The referee's eyes widen in surprise, not sure what he's just seen. He hesitates for a few seconds to make his decision before he finally raises his flag in the air and announces in an astonished voice "Arcanine is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!"

The crowd continue to lose their mind at Charizard's display of strength as the commentator screams in excitement "What a showing of raw power from Charizard! I don't think I've seen a one hit ko like that for a while! I'll tell you one thing, you have to give credit to Ash on this one. Taking Charizard from disobedience to the pokemon he is now is pretty special! He's a lot stronger now than he ever was the last time he was on a Pokémon league battlefield back in Johto! I'll tell you what, you better strap in folks because we're about to witness one hell of a statement performance!"

Back down on the battlefield, Ash smiles brightly as he pumps a fist in the air and praises "Awesome job Charizard. Just two more to go now."

Charizard let's a small smile drift onto his face, before he quickly snaps back to serious mode as he gets ready for the next battle.

In the stands, Serena stands up from her seat and  places a bright smile on her face as she shouts in celebration "Yes! That's the start we needed Ash! You too Charizard! Both of you are doing great!"

Misty places a smile on her face as she comments "I'm glad Ash is taking this battle the way he is. Usually I'd encourage him to use some of his less experienced pokemon to help them get stronger. But this guy deserves this sort of treatment from Charizard."

Brock nods as he adds "I agree, but I'm still surprised Ash is doing it. I've never seen him so cold in battle."

Gary smirks a little as he explains "Well, Ashy boy certainly does have cold streak in him. This guy just pushed too many buttons that have bought this out in him. The final straw would have been when he mentioned Ashy boy's little princess."

Serena giggles a little as she replies in a silly tone "He's protective of me that's for sure. But, I kind of like it."

Back down on the battlefield, Damian shakes his head in disbelief, still not quite understanding what just happened. He takes a pokeball out of his pocket and returns Arcanine, before placing that pokeball back in his pocket.

Ash looks across at Damian with a smug look on his face and taunts a little uncharacteristically "What's the matter Damian? Delcatty got your tongue? You know what I find funny? The fact that the pokemon you abandoned just embarrassed you in front of the whole world. Is he so weak now?"

Hearing Ash taunt him like that snaps Damian back to his usual personality as he shakes his head and exclaims "You just got lucky that's all. That Arcanine isn't even strong. In fact he's my weakest and most worthless Pokémon. I'll be getting rid of him as soon as I can! That Charizard of yours is still nothing special at all! He's still a complete loser!"

Charizard feels his anger rise from the names his former trainer is calling him and the way he speaks about Arcanine, really tempted to just hit him with that flamethrower already.

The crowd begin to slowly turn more and more in Ash's favour as they get the full story that Damian once abandoned poor Charizard back when he was a Charmander.

Ash doesn't get sucked into the insults as he smartly replies "Well if your so sure that what you say is true, then send out your next pokemon. But I'm warning you, we aren't going to let up or take you easy in any sort of way. Your getting the Alola champion and his Kanto powerhouse at their very best."

Damain hesitates for a second, before he fires back "Yeah right, I'm not scared of you or that fake dragon. Time for me to send out a real Pokémon!"

Damain takes a pokeball out of his pocket, before he throws it forward and shouts "Kabutops, your up!"

The pokeball hits the ground as an intense looking Kabutops lands on the battlefield and points one of his scythes towards his opponent.

Ash can't help but smirk a little as he comments "A fossil Pokémon huh? Why doesn't that surprise me? I guess that's what happens when your rich dad buys you your Pokémon. Thankfully, you can't buy talent. That's the biggest difference between me and you. Amongst a lot of other things of course."

Damian frowns at Ash's statement as he fires back "I'll show you who's the one with the talent. Get ready to cry Ash because your not winning this one."

Ash just shrugs his shoulders and nonchalantly remarks "Bring it on Damian, neither me or Charizard are scared. We'll wait for you to take the first move."

Damian rages for a second at Ash's arrogance before he shakes his head and shouts in a venomous tone "Enough playing around with this fool, Kabutops use hydro pump full power!" Kabutops nods as he takes a deep breath of air before firing off a powerful beam of water towards his opponent.

Ash smirks a little as he counters cheekily "Charizard, not full on just yet. We don't want to end this too quickly. Use flamethrower at 50% of your full power." Charizard smirks a little at the tactics in play, enjoying beating Damian in a nice and slow manner. He soon inhales a deep breath, before he exhales a powerful orange beam of flames towards his opponent. The two elemental attacks steam towards each other and slam into one and other head on, causing both attacks to extinguish each other.

Suddenly, a thick black coat of smoke sits in the air, blocking out everybody's view of the battlefield.

Ash looks to take advantage of the new tricky field conditions as he swipes his hand forward and shouts "Charizard, use dragon claw!" Charizard roars as he flaps his wings and flies up out of the smoke. He soon extends a set of green glowing claws before he nose dives down, heading straight back down into the black cloud. Charizard charges forward until he finds his target. He slashes forward viciously, slapping both of his claws against Kabutops's chest. The fossil Pokémon cries out in pain as he falls back through the air before landing with a thud back onto the battlefield.

Kabutops struggles back to his feet as marks coat his chest from Charizard's powerful slash. Damain frowns and accuses while pointing a finger at Ash "That's cheating! There's no way your Charizard should have been able to see through that smoke."

Ash smirks and edges Damian on in an inviting tone "Cheating? I'm not you so don't be stupid. That is what I call pure skill. Isn't that right Charizard?"

Charizard nods while sending Damian a look that screams "You should fear me."

Damain falls right into Ash's trap as he shakes his head and shouts before Kabutops has really recovered "I'll show you skill Ketchum! Use stone edge on that fat orange blob!" Kabutops hesitates for a second, wanting to really rest up for a little longer after taking such a powerful dragon claw. Nevertheless, he pushes forward anyway as he slams his scythe like hands into the ground. Suddenly, sharp pointed rocks sprout up from the battlefield and head straight towards Charizard.

Ash sees the rocks coming towards Charizard and doesn't fancy letting him take a 4x super effective move. Instead he shakes his head as he coolly commands "Charizard, up into the air and dodge it." Charizard roars loudly as he spreads his wings wide, before taking off into the sky. The crowd find themselves sucked in as Charizard soars through the air. He moves with power, but at the same time a sense of swiftness as he constantly dodges the incoming rocks over and over again.

Damain on the other hand, isn't too pleased by Ash and Charizard's constant games. He glares at the fire type starter as he shouts with clear hatred in his voice "Kabutops, slash him up!" Kabutops nods as he leaps up into the air while turning his scythes a bright shade of white. He closes the distance fast, as he prepares to sink his scythes into Charizard.

Ash sees the incoming attack and can't help but chuckle at Damian's naivety. Engaging in an aerial battle with his Charizard is the worst thing he can possibly do with a Pokémon that can't fly. All he's really done, is give Ash an easy opportunity to take a quick win.

The Alola champion soon makes his move as he commands calmly"Charizard, grab a hold of Kabutops and don't let him go." Charizard nods as he watches his opponent come towards him before he takes a hold of his scythes easily. Kabutops's eyes widen in peril, as Charizard captures him in his grasp and holds him in the air easily. A massive smirk grows onto Charizard's face as he awaits his trainer's next command.

Ash hesitates for a second, taking his time to mull over the many ways he could end this battle. 3 of Charizard's four moves could easily end this battle. It's just up to him which one he feels is the least dignified way to go out.

In the end, Ash decides that raw power is the best as he pumps a fist and shouts "Now Charizard, let's turn up the heat. Use flamethrower full power!" Charizard hears Ash's call and is all for using his maximum fire power. He takes a long deep breath of air, before unleashing a powerful beam of orange flame so hot that they can be felt all around the stadium. The flames soon slam into Kabutops at point black range, sending him spiralling back through the air before smashing into the battlefield below with a huge explosion.

The crowd find themselves blown away completely by Charizard's power, cheering insanely loud for the fire type lizard getting his sweet revenge.

Damian stands with his throat feeling completely dry, starting to feel embarrassed and helpless to do anything against the powerful duo before him. Meanwhile Ash looks completely composed and in the zone, ready to humble Damain.

The smoke around the battlefield soon clears up as the inevitable soon reveals itself. Kabutops lays flat on his back, looking up at the lights with swirls in his eyes. The referee is a little quicker to make the call this time as he raises his flag in the air and announces "Kabutops is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!"

Ash instantly punches a fist in the air as he shouts "Easy work Charizard, one more and we'll be through to the next round!"

Charizard smiles at Ash's praise, before he once again refocuses on the battle. He's by no means anywhere near finished yet. He wants to make sure that Damain gets what's coming to him and feels every ounce of pain he felt when he was abandoned.

The crowd roars in approval as the commentator shouts "Another dominant display from Ash and Charizard! These two certainly look like the perfect pairing to me folks! What a statement as well, using a 4X resisted move to completely destroy his opponent. I can't see any issues with the way these two battle together. They're going to be tough for anyone to take down during this tournament."

In the stands, a bright smile coats the Kalos queen's face as she shouts in an overly happy tone "Great job Ash! Just one more to go now! You can do this!"

Brock places a small smile on his face as he comments "Ash really got under Damian's skin with his mind games and suckered him in. As soon as he told Kabutops to leap into the air it was over."

Misty nods as she adds "I'm pretty impressed by Ash's planning and how he's setting Damian up to fall into his traps. Usually he just goes with the flow and reacts to what's in front of him."

Gary smirks a little as he explains "What we're seeing is a more mature and experienced Ashy boy. He's still got those wild strategises and those comeback wins in his bag. But, he can also control a battle now and manipulate his opponent into doing what he wants. That's what a champion can do against opponents that simply aren't at their level."

Serena smiles as she exclaims proudly "To be honest, he used to do that sort of things back when we were first travelling Kalos. But lately I've noticed it a little more, especially since he became champion. It makes me happy to see how much he's progressing towards achieving his dream."

Up in the elite box, Agatha discreetly nudges Lance's shoulder as she comments "That boy and his Charizard seem very familiar. Kind of reminds me of Red and his Charizard don't you think."

Lance can't help but chuckle a little before he replies "They're very similar, but Ash has something different to Red. He's not got that same coldness, even now when he's clearly trying to be cold towards Damain. I think that warmth and love could take him further."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash looks over towards the stands to see Serena celebrating with a beaming smile plastered on her face. Seeing her so happy for him just makes Ash that little bit more determined, determined to make sure he wins this final battle with ease.

On the other side of the battlefield, there is quite the contrast shall we say. Damian looks completely shaken up, unable to comprehend how he's losing to his former Pokémon so badly. He tentatively reaches into his pocket as he takes out Kabutops's pokeball before he returns him to rest.

As Ash looks over at Damian, the smallest part of him actually does feel the slightest bit sorry for him. Only the slightest bit though, considering he still does consider Damain as pretty much the definition of scum.

He folds his arms over as he exclaims with a neutral look on his face "Let me give you some advice. When a flying Pokémon is as strong as my Charizard, then don't try and engage them in an aerial battle. Instead, try and draw them down to your level. That way you can move and counter easily."

Damian shakes off his previous trance, as he shakes his head and violently shouts "I don't need advice from people like you! Your nothing but a fraudulent champion! A complete and utter fluke! Charizard is still weak! He's still not worth my time! I'm going to show you! I'm going to crush that over grown lizard and you! You'll be left crying until you can't cry no more again! History will repeat itself!"

The crowd all gasp in complete shock, not sure how to react to such an aggressive statement from Damian. Any popularity he had at this point has gone down the drain. The public aren't stupid, they can see that Ash lost his rag with Damian for good reason. If anything, it's helped Ash increase his popularity in his home region tenfold.

Hearing the way Damain just spoke to her boyfriend puts Serena in quite the foul mood. A frown coats her face as she exclaims "Somebody hold me back before I go and slap him the face."

The gang all sweat drop a little as they all look at each other, wondering how they are going to hold Serena back should she completely lose her rag.

Ash smirks a little at Damian's statement, knowing that he was never going to apologise or let him give him some friendly advice. He shakes his head a little as he confidently exclaims "Well in that case, let's make this last battle a little more interesting. I'm clearly going to win if I don't. So, if you can beat Charizard with your next Pokémon I'll forfeit the match. After all, if a champion can't beat you in a one vs three then maybe you are right about me."

Damian hears Ash's statement and begins to feel a little more confident in himself that he can win this battle. All he has to do is beat Charizard who has already been in two battles. How hard can it be?

A confident smirk sits on his face as he exclaims "Your on, you better get your tissues ready because your going to be crying after this."

Ash rolls his eyes as he mutters under his breath "This guy better get his tissues ready. But for a different reason."

Damian's renewed confidence sees him reach into his pocket to take out his next pokeball as he shouts "There's no way your beating me with this one."

He soon takes the pokeball out of his pocket and throws it up in the air as he exclaims "Aerodactyl, it's your time to shine!"

The pokeball bursts open as a familiar looking Aerodactyl flaps her wings and lets off an ear piercing cry. The reason why the Aerodactyl looks so familiar soon becomes clear, as she glares down at Charizard.

Charizard takes a second before he glares back at the prehistoric Pokémon, wanting to finally settle the score with an old rival.

Ash knows exactly what's going on as he smirks and whispers under his breath "It's the same one. I guess me and Charizard are finally going to battle her together."

In the crowd, Brock raises an eyebrow as he exclaims "I can't believe that's the same Aerodactyl."

Misty nods in agreement as she adds "It's honestly such a crazy coincidence, but I can't wait to see these two finally have their face off."

Serena puts a hand in the air to get everyone's attention as she questions "Sorry, new girl here. What do you mean by it's the same Aerodcatyl?"

Brock smiles as he explains "Back when Charizard was still a Charmeleon, we ran into this Aerodactyl while searching for fossils. Long story short, Ash ended up being grabbed by Aerodactyl and he was taking him away. But then, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard. We all thought it was so he could save Ash, but really he just wanted to battle Aerodactyl. All ended okay though in the end, as usual with Ash's dangerous escapades."

Back down on the battlefield, the two historically powerful Pokémon stare off as the crowd brews with anticipation for the battle to come.

Ash can tell by Charizard's posture that he's desperate to get involved in a scrap with the prehistoric pokemon. He decides to give him what he wants as he extends a hand forward and commands "Charizard, get after then with dragon claw." Charizard let's off a thunderous roar as he extends a set of green glowing claws. He soon flaps his wings as he takes off into the sky to charge straight in towards his opponent.

Damian takes a similar approach as he shouts "Aerodactyl, use dual wingbeat!" Aerodactyl nods as her wings coat themselves in a bright white aura. She acquires her target as she flies forward at great speeds. The two Pokémon who should really be dragon types meet in the middle, as they engage in a close quarters duel. They slash claws on wings for a few seconds, before it becomes clear that Charizard clearly has the power advantage. He slaps away Aerodactyl's guard before he smacks them a few times across the chest, causing Aerodactyl to cry out in pain as she falls back through the air.

Ash spots an opening and doesn't hesitate to take it as he shouts "Use flamethrower!" Charizard reacts quickly as he takes a deep breath of air, before firing off a flamethrower straight towards Aerodactyl. The flamethrower lands as the orange flames engulf Aerodactyl. The prehistoric pokemon cries out in pain as she feels the heat from the flames and loses her balance in the air. She begins to fall back towards the ground at a fast rate of knots, only just about avoiding slamming into the battlefield below as she catches her balance just in the nick of time.

Marks coat the body of Aerodactyl as she pants heavily, feeling the effects of Charizard's power after only two attacks.

Ash looks to continue on the offensive as he extends his hand forward and commands "Now use dragon pulse!" Charizard nods as he takes another deep breath, before this time firing off a powerful dragon shaped purple beam.

Damain watches the strong dragon type move approach and realises that this battle is only drifting more in favour of his opponent. He finally tries to turn the tide with some form of logic as he shakes his head and shouts "Aerodactyl, use your speed to dodge it!"Aerodactyl listens to his trainer as she watches the dragon pulse approach quickly. She soon flaps her wings and dodges, showing off some impressive speed.

Ash decides to see if that sort of natural speed was a fluke or genuinely impressive as he commands "Charizard, up into the air and use flamethrower." Charizard roars as he flaps his wings and takes off into the sky. He flies directly behind Aerodactyl as he takes a deep breath before firing off a powerful orange beam of flames towards his opponent.

Damain smirks as he confidently exclaims "Use your speed to dodge again then face Charizard." Aerodactyl shows off her swiftness as she moves through the air with grace, almost a grace that Serena would expect from one of her pokemon during a performance. She dodges the incoming flamethrower marginally, before turning to face Charizard.

Damian laughs, feeling super confident as he shouts "Now we've got them Aerodactyl, let's send that overgrown lizard packing with stone edge." Aerodactyl surrounds herself with a few dozen pointed stones, before sending them flying straight towards Charizard.

Ash sees the stones and isn't fazed, in fact he's more confident than Damian even is. The only reason this battle is still going on, is because Ash wants to build up Damian's confidence, just to crush him back down again in the most satisfying way. Plus, he's also a little interested to see how well Aerodactyl can dodge and move. It's quite a rare pokemon, so it is quite the treat to get to face one.

The Alola champion soon decides to make his move as he commands "Fly low to dodge Charizard, then fly back up to grab Aerodactyl." Charizard does just as asked as he quickly nose dives towards the ground. He flies with speed straight under the rocks, before pulling back up and tackling Aerodactyl into his grasp.

Ash smirks as he sees Charizard set up for his signature move. He finally decides to let it rip as he commands "Now Charizard, use seismic toss!" Charizard roars as he tightens his grip on Aerodactyl while flying her high up into the air. He takes her high up into the atmosphere before he flies around in a circle as a globe appears in the sky. He soon begins to nose dive towards the ground, as Aerodactyl begins to feel rather dizzy. Right as he reaches the ground he releases his grip, causing Aerodactyl to slam into the ground as a massive cloud of smoke kicks up.

A few seconds tick by as the crowd waits with anticipation on their faces to see the result of Charizard's signature move.

Damian stands with a quite frankly shocked look on his face, while Ash just stands with his arms folded as he oozes confidence.

After a little while longer, the smoke on the battlefield soon lifts as the crowd roars in approval of the sight before them. Charizard stands tall and lets off a victory flamethrower into the sky, while Aerodactyl lays dormant as swirls appear in her eyes.

The referee doesn't take long to make his decision as he raises a flag in the air and shouts "Aerodactyl is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner! That means that the match goes to the Alola champion Ash Ketchum for Pallet town!"

The crowd goes completely wild in celebration of Ash's victory, as Ash runs towards Charizard and shouts "Great job Charizard!"

Charizard let's a happy smile drift onto his face as him and his trainer prepare to celebrate their victory and revenge on his former trainer.

The commentator smiles in approval as he announces "What a performance from Ash and Charizard, completely sweeping Damian! We thought this could be a tough one today with the rivalry between these two, but Ash won the mental battle before the pokemon battle today. We've just seen a champion level controlling performance from the young boy from Pallet town. Truly impressive stuff!"

In the stands, Serena instantly leaps up in celebration as she shouts "That was amazing Ash!"

Brock smiles as he exclaims in a proud tone "Ash handled that battle professionally, like a champion should. He keeps that up then he'll certainly go a long way."

Misty nods in agreement with her fellow gym leader as she remarks "I'm just glad that Damain got what he deserved. He didn't even land a hit."

Gary smirks a little as he adds "That bum couldn't do anything right. Maybe I gave him a concussion too when I landed that kick in the head. Either that or he really is a loser."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash pets Charizard under his chin as he proudly exclaims "That was an awesome job Charizard. I think we proved a point today. We made Damain look silly for how he treated you."

Charizard smiles at Ash's praise, while feeling really happy that he could finally get his revenge on Damian for releasing him after all this time. He only wishes he could have hit him with a few attacks to boot.

Ash smiles a little as he exclaims "I know Charizard, I would love to let you too. But it's against the rules unless he gives us an excuse. Let's forget about him for now and go celebrate with the others."

Charizard nods in agreement with his trainer as the two of them along with Pikachu make their way towards rest of the gang.

Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield, Damian returns Aerodactyl to her pokeball and sinks to his knees. The crowd around him jeer as the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment courses through his veins.

Being beaten like that, in front of so many people hurts like hell. Not even really having a chance, not even landing a single hit. When the Pokémon who beat you so badly used to be your own, well that just makes it even worse. It makes you look silly.

As he looks up and sees Ash and Charizard walking off the battlefield so nonchalantly, not even acknowledging him. That makes his whole body fill with anger. He will not let him get away with making him out to be a joke. After all, he is the priority target.

With rage overflowing into his eyes, Damian rises up to his feet before he pulls out a small device from his pocket. The device is round, and with a familiar looking R symbol on the front of it. An evil grin soon draws onto his face, as he prepares to throw the device at Ash.

The whole crowd see the device about to be thrown, and shout out in warning that something is about to happen.

Ash turns around upon hearing the shout, but doesn't need to even say anything. Charizard doesn't hesitate to act as he takes a deep breath, before unleashing a venomous flamethrower towards Damian right before he can throw the device.

The bright orange flames soon engulf Damian as he cries out in pain, before dropping the device to the ground. Charizard continues the flamethrower for a second, enjoying every single moment to its fullest. He soon stops breathing fire as Damian collapses to the floor while looking completely charred and burnt to a crisp.

Officer Jenny as well as a medical officer both run onto the battlefield as they cuff Damian before taking him away to be treated and arrested.

Ash sees Damain being taken away and shrugs his shoulders, before making his way over to the stands. He leans over the barrier towards the gang as he questions "So, how was that?"

Serena answers in the only way she knows how as a bright smile coats her face. She throws herself towards Ash, locking him a hug while moving her lips towards his. She gives him a quick victory kiss, before she pulls away and shouts in excitement "You were so good! I'm so so proud of you for dealing with all that so well!"

Ash chuckles a little at Serena's enthusiasm, loving how she makes a big deal out of any win even if it's only the first round. He soon hugs her back as he replies in a loving tone "Thanks Serena. Your cheering was just as awesome as your singing by the way."

Misty joins in the conversation as she comments "You know for once, you actually did a decent job."

Ash smirks a little as he replies "Thanks Misty, and for once I didn't have to hear you shouting about how bad I'm doing in your really annoying high pitched voice."

Misty feels a tad bit of rage from Ash's comments but manages to keep herself calm, not wanting to cause a massive scene.

Brock places a hand on Ash's shoulder as he exclaims "That was really well done Ash, I'm impressed with how well you did to keep your nerve."

Ash smiles as he replies in a grateful tone "Thanks Brock, it was tough at times not to lash out at Damain. But, I knew staying cool was the ticket to winning in the manner I did."

Gary smirks a little as he comments "Well Ashy boy, you kicked that stupid looking blue haired Gary Oak wannabe's ass. I couldn't have done it better myself."

Ash chuckles a little at Gary's joke as he replies "Thanks Gary. Anyway, I'm feeling hungry after that. How do you all feel about getting some dinner out somewhere nearby before we head back. My treat."

Everybody laughs at the fact that Ash is always seemingly thinking about his stomach, before nodding in agreement.

Ash returns Charizard to his pokeball to rest, before he grasps Serena's hand tightly. She rests her head on his shoulder as they all begin to make their way out of the stadium to find somewhere to eat.
________________________________

A few hours later, Ash and Serena are back at their temporary house, while the rest of the gang are back at their hotel room after going for a nice casual meal at one of the local restaurants.

Currently, Ash is sitting on the edge of the bed while scrolling through social media on his Rotom phone. As he scrolls he sees a ton of posts regarding todays battle, a lot of them praising his performance while diminishing Damian. He also sees a few posts confirming Damian's arrest for attempt to assault Ash after the match.

As he sees those sorts of posts, Ash can't help but wonder what Damian was planning to do in front of all those people. He can't imagine he was stupid enough to think he would get away with that with so many eye's watching.

However, soon his thoughts are interrupted as he hears a few familiar excited squeals echo throughout the house. Suddenly, the door to the room bursts open as Serena sprints inside with a bright smile on her face.

Knowing what that look usually leads to, Ash stands up on instinct as Serena continues to run towards him. She soon leaps up and clings onto him, as she wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Instantly she leans forward, smashing their lips together for a few seconds in a slightly aggressive manner. She soon breaks the kiss and giggles like a child as a small blush coats her face.

Ash's face also is slightly red in his cheeks as he questions "Okay I'll bite, what has you so excited beautiful?"

Serena lets off a small squeal of joy as she explains "I just got off the phone with Aria, and she said my album has done almost 3 times the projected streams. For a debut album its one of the best of all time. I can't believe it's gone this well."

A proud smile coats Ash's face as he enthusiastically replies "Congratulations Serena! I'm so proud of you! I told you it was going to be a success."

Serena smiles brightly as she exclaims in an overjoyed tone "Thanks Ashy, and I couldn't have done it without you. If I didn't have you next to me I don't think I would have been able sing as well as I did."

Ash shakes his head as he modestly replies "That was all you Serena, I just stood there like you asked me too. But I'm glad it's going so well. I think your too excited to go to bed now too. We should do something to celebrate, maybe find a movie or something to watch together?"

Serena smiles at the idea before she places a small frown on her face as she questions "But what about you? Aren't you tired from being up early plus battling today?"

Ash shakes his head as he exclaims with clear enthusiasm in his voice "How could I be tired when my girlfriend just gave me such wonderful news? Plus, the battle wasn't as intense as it usually is so I've still got plenty of energy left for you. But before we do, I should probably take a shower because I do kind of smell."

Serena hears Ash's statement and instantly feels her stomach tingle. She internally smirks as she thinks to herself "Plenty of energy for me huh? We'll see how that works out."

The Kalos queen quickly devises a plan as she winks and playfully exclaims "Okay Ashy, I'll be waiting for you!"

Ash raises an eyebrow at Serena's enthusiasm, before shaking it off as just her being excited for some them time.

He places her down on the ground before he grabs his stuff and heads towards the bathroom to shower.

A/N steamy thoughts between now and the end of the chapter.

Serena waits patiently, until she hears the shower turn on. Once she does she smirks a little as she quickly begins her plan. Ash has been good to her today, looking after her when she was drunk and doing so well during the battle. He's praised her a lot and even helped her with her singing. In her mind, he deserves a proper treat tonight.

With that in mind, she quickly gathers her stuff, before getting herself in the right sort of manner for such a location. She strides toward the bathroom with a towel covering herself up.

Once she reaches the door her smirk grows wider, as she opens up to go and join her boyfriend in a steamy mess of love.

Love that they've both been craving.

A little treat and reward for them both.
__________________________________

And cut for the children! You two calm down!

Word count 18739

Well that's it for the first round of the indigo league.

So, what did you guys think?

I tried to make the battle very one sided, as I know a lot of you guys wanted Ash to dominate this battle and get revenge on Damian.

Instead of focusing on if Ash was going to win or not, I was more focused on portraying the maturity he has now as a trainer and I hope I succeed in that.

We also got to seem some sneak peeks at Ritchie and Harriosn's battles too. They both certainly look like future threats.

Bringing back Aerodactyl was something I'd been considering for a while. A little behind the scenes for you, initially she was going to be Ritchie's pokemon but I pivoted in a different direction. Might be weird because if she was Ritchie's pokemon it would been a better longer battle. But, I've thought of a last minute plan that I'm still debating on executing or not.

Also, you amour lovers got plenty of moments in this chapter.

The next chapter, we're going to be skipping ahead to the semi finals where Ash and Ritchie will finally get their rematch.

I know some of you wanted more preliminary battles and that is something I'll address now. Quite simply, Kanto and Johto don't have the interesting rivals for me write more battles that keep me engaged.

I'd just be writing for writings sake and that's when the chapters get lazy.

But don't worry, there is plenty more action to come that will leave you satisfied and there is more leagues in the future that may have more preliminary rounds :)

Anyway, how will Ash cope with taking on his old rival for the first time in 8 years?

What Pokémon will he use and who will shine?

Well, I guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter.

Also just something I want to address real quick.

So I'm planning on setting this story to a mature rating at some point. Even if I wouldn't consider this story mature as such.

Basically the reason being, some of the latter plot points may be considered a bit more mature in terms of the violence. It won't be any more violent really than the team rainbow rocket arc, but reading the final chapter of that arc back the descriptive gore does probably tip it over the edge.

If you are a younger viewer then don't worry, because if you have read up to this point it's not suddenly going to get more mature really. It'll be the same story, with the same level of maturity.

I'm not going to get fetch the lemons so sorry for anyone who was hoping for that😅

Unless we hit like a million reads and get a chapter like 500 votes.

I'm just future proofing myself, because I have heard stories about wattpad just randomly deleting stories that they think should be mature, instead of asking the author to change the rating.

If that happened, well I'm not writing all this over again.

The only changes will be that I probably will be a little more flexible with using swear words and not dancing around using certain terms. But it won't be drastic changes that make some chapters seem out of place.

Some of you will probably be happy and some not. Over 70% of the audience are apparently over 18 anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.

But if you are younger and have concerns please comment or message me privately.

I promise you won't need to bleach your eyes and the story will still be suitable for you. I just want to make sure we don't get deleted. Warnings will always be in place when anything a little more mature does pop up.

If people are seriously against it then I will back track, but otherwise I'll go ahead and do it.

Anyway that's my explanation over and done with 😅

So on that note, please vote and comment your thoughts down below as always.

Have a nice day and I'll speak to you all soon.

Bye bye.