This is sooooooo long overdue, I hope you enjoy :)
Since the competition was briefly on hold, things were a lot more relaxed around camp. Leaf and her family were particularly relaxed as they lounged by the river as they did on Parent's Weekend. It wasn't just them though, Red was sitting there with them chatting away and getting to know Leaf's parents. Since they were now together, Red and Leaf told them all about how things happened between them (minus the part where they made love). Now they were on the topic of Red's life as the Champion; Red was talking about how things played out for him at camp. "I would've thought for sure you would be super busy since you're the champion," said Isaac.
"Yeah the league doesn't require much from me," Red admitted, "just that I'm there should the league winner make it through the Elite 4 or should some big trouble arise. Usually, during the rest of that time, I'm out traveling and training."
"I see, so what made you want to work at this camp?" asked Rebecca.
"Well to be honest it wasn't my idea or my choice," he said sheepishly, "My mom registered me for this because she wanted me to be more social. Before this, I never really had any friends. Needless to say, her plan worked; I never could've imagined I would get to know such great people, especially someone as special as Leaf." he said that last part looking lovingly at his girlfriend.
Leaf returned Red's loving gaze and held hands with him, her face bright red. Isaac and Rebecca's hearts melted, unlike with Blue it was crystal clear that Red treasured their daughter. "I'm gonna go get a drink, you guys want anything?" Red asked as he stood up.
"I'll have some lemonade," Leaf said cheerfully.
"I'll take a cup of sweet tea," Isaac followed up.
"I'm OK, thank you," Rebecca said.
"Alright, I'll be back with those drinks shortly," Red said as he walked away.
After he walked off, Leaf looked forward peacefully staring at the lake. She was having mad Deja vu over the whole situation, only this was much sweeter. Her parents smiled at her, "It wasn't too long ago we were in this same position with Blue," Isaac said getting her attention, "you definitely seem a lot happier with Red."
Leaf giggled not denying it one bit, "I really am; he's been so amazing since day 1 and ever since we got together it's gotten even better."
"I'm so happy to hear that," said Isaac.
"So, I know you two don't have much opportunity to leave camp but have you two actually been able to go on a date?" Asked Rebecca.
"Yeah, the weekend after we got together he took me bowling and we ate dinner at a nice little restaurant in town. I can honestly say that was one of the best days of my life."
Leaf smiled as she relived that memory. But she decided to leave out the part where she and Red stayed at the hotel together, she didn't want her parents to get the wrong idea.
"That sounds like a wonderful time," Rebecca said happily, "It reminds me of the first time, your dad and I went on a date."
"Oh, how could I forget. We spent the entire day, exploring and shopping around every store we could find. I was so close to passing out by the time we were done with everything," Isaac said remembering that first date.
Leaf giggled, it was interesting hearing about how her parents got together. It was clear to her that her parents knew they were meant for each other pretty early on, it made her think of her and Red. It was far too soon to tell for sure but Leaf liked the idea of her and Red being soulmates. Leaf smiled warmly as she imagined such.
Meanwhile, Red had just gotten a tray with all the requested drinks and was walking back to them. He was happy with how things were going with Leaf's parents, they were every bit the loving and accepting parents they were when they came for parents' weekend. He wasn't too worried about the outcome but he couldn't help but worry a little that they might not like him as much as Blue. Oh lord, that was a truly awful thought. Thankfully that wasn't even remotely true.
"Hey!"
Red was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice calling to him. Red turned to see a trio of boys all about 12 years old with expectant looks on their faces. "Hi, we heard some things. Is it true you're the Kanto Champion?" The main boy asked.
"Uh yeah it's true," Red replied.
"I knew it! I saw your match with Lance, it was incredible!"
Red scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "heh thanks, so I take you guys are trainers too?"
"You betcha, one day I'm gonna be the best in the world!" One of the other boys said.
"No way, I'm gonna be number 1!" The third boy argued.
"No I will!"
"I will!"
Red chuckled at the boys' antics, the other boy shook his head at his friends arguing and he decided to step up and ask the big question. "So...well...we wanted to ask. Could we have a battle with you?" He asked nervously, "it's just, we really want to see how strong you are ourselves."
How could he say no to that? Red smiled before responding, "of course, I'd be happy to."
The other two boys stopped arguing when they realized that their request had been granted. Big smiles came to their faces, "aw yeah! We're gonna battle the Kanto Champion!" One of the boys shouted.
This caught the attention of many people around them. Mostly Hill Valley campers that didn't know/realize who he was. Once they did recognize him, however, Red ended up getting a little more than he bargained for. Now everybody wanted to see the battle and more people wanted to battle him themselves. Red looked around at the people a little exasperated, "Oh boy," he sighed, "Alright, I'm just gonna deliver these to my girlfriend and her parents. Just follow me and we can get started after that."
So the boys and all the spectators followed. Needless to say, Leaf and her parents were surprised to find Red coming back with a small crowd. "Are you gonna have them all sing a love song for me or something?" Leaf asked jokingly.
"Yeah, because I'm such a romantic," he joked.
Leaf giggled, "So what's this about then?"
"I promised these boys over here a battle," he said pointing at the boys in question, "I ended up picking up a crowd along the way. Sorry if this came at a bad time but I at least wanted to get these for you guys before we got started."
"No worries at all, thank you, Red," said Isaac.
"Yes thank you," Rebecca added.
With all the drinks delivered, Red turned his attention back to the crowd and his opponents, "Alright everyone, let's find a place a little more spacious," he said before turning back to Leaf, "feel free to come and cheer me on."
Leaf gave him a fake contemplative look, "I mean I guess I could come along. It's not like I want to," she said jokingly.
Leaf leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, "Good luck, not that you need it," she continued.
Red gave her a loving smile before walking away to the battlefield. Leaf quickly put her clothes on over her swimsuit and she and her parents followed suit. Everyone came to the prepared battlefield and Red took his place on the opposite side of the boys.
It was at this point that Professor Oak, Kevin, Ethan, Lyra, Hilbert, the other recognizable people made their way through. All of them had the same thought, what was going on? "I sure hope there isn't any trouble," said Professor Oak.
"Not trouble, a battle," said Hilbert, "and look who's battling."
All of them were surprised to see Red taking on 3 people at once but it was also thrilling. This might be their chance to see Red battle at his absolute strongest. "Oh man, these kids have no idea what they're getting into," said Ethan.
"You can say that again," Lyra replied.
Meanwhile, Kevin watched with interest. He had experienced Red's power first-hand and he was curious to see what else Red had in store. He also thought about how much great publicity he could get if the world knew that the champion was having a battle near his camp.
The boys were so excited to have this opportunity, it was time to show the champion what they were made of. "I choose you!" the boys shouted in unison as they released their pokemon.
The pokemon in question were Aggron, Pidgeot, and Kingdra and they looked very well trained, Red was already impressed with these boys, now it was his turn. "Come on out, Blastoise!" Red called as he released his own pokemon. The boys stared him down excited but also a little nervous, now that they were face to face with one of Red's strongest, it was a little intimidating. But there was no way they were backing down.
"Let's do this thing! Aggron, use Iron Head!" the first boy commanded.
Aggron's head glowed as he charged at the shellfish pokemon. "Duck Blastoise," Red simply said.
Blastoise ducked beneath Aggron just before he could hit him and before he could react Red made the next move. "Now, Hydro Pump!" he commanded.
Blastoise shot two powerful torrents of water at the defenseless Aggron who cried out in pain as he was sent flying back to his side of the field. The boys looked on in shock as Red countered their attack like it was nothing. Leaf, her parents, and all the other spectators looked on admirably at Red, they expected nothing less from the Kanto Champion.
The boys then looked to each other understanding that they were going to have to work seamlessly for them to even have a chance to give him a run for his money. Aggron meanwhile staggered back to his feet in pain from the super-effective attack.
The boys looked to each other and nodded before turning their attention back to Blastoise. "Aggron, use Stone Edge!" the first boy commanded.
So Aggron stomped his foot on the ground creating a series of tall rocks that jutted out of the ground at Blastoise. Just as Blastoise was going to move out of the way, another one of the boys made his move; "Kingdra, use Hydro Pump!" Another one commanded.
Kingdra shot out a powerful torrent of water but not directly at Blastoise. Instead, the attack forced him back towards the oncoming rocks and the last rock pillar hit Blastoise straight into the air. The boys weren't done yet though; now Pidgeot was prepped for an attack. "Alright Pidgeot, nail him with Bravebird!" The second boy said.
Pidgeot was surrounded by a blue aura as he slammed into Blastoise with everything he had. Blastoise grunted in pain as Pidgeot sent him plummeting back to earth. Everyone waited in anticipation for the dust cloud enveloping Blastoise to settle. However, Red already knew the state of his partner and wasn't gonna waste any time. "It's our turn now Blastoise, hit 'em back with Ice Beam!" he commanded.
Out of the dust cloud came two beams of ice energy and Pidgeot was hit hard by the super-effective attack. Pidgeot cried out in pain as he crashed into the ground. "Pidgeot!" the trainer called out as his two partners also looked on in shock.
Pidgeot struggled to get back on its feet; not only was the attack super-effective, but it was also a critical hit and it had drained most of its energy. The boys looked back as the dust had finally settled and they saw that Blastoise stood there, scratched up but ultimately unphased. Red stood by looking confident as ever.
The boys looked at each other knowing they were in need of a new plan, especially since one of them was already almost knocked out. They immediately knew what they had to do. "Aggron, use Earthquake!" the trainer commanded.
Aggron stomped on the ground creating powerful seismic waves shaking the ground around him. "Focus Punch at the ground!" Red said.
Blastoise with a glowing fist punched into the ground destroying the earth beneath him and canceling out the attack. But then came the next attack; "Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace!" the boy called.
Pidgeot flew in and struck Blastoise right in the middle of the torso causing him to slide back gritting his teeth in pain. The boys were far from done, they were putting everything they had into this. "Alright, Aggron, use Iron Head!"
Once again, Aggron charged at Blastoise with his head glowing. Red needed to throw them off somehow. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump yourself into the air!" said Red.
So Blastoise pointed his hydro cannons at the ground and launched himself into the air, just like Leaf's Blasty. Everyone watched in awe as Blastoise shot up into the air, Leaf's parents recognized it as the maneuver Leaf's Blasty often used in battles. "Wow, it looks like you managed to show the champion a thing or two," Isaac commented.
Leaf cheekily looked at her dad, "you bet I did."
The boys looked up in surprise, but a quick and very good idea instantly came to them. "Kingdra, use Draco Meteor!" the boy commanded.
"Uh oh," Red thought as Kingdra spit a glowing ball into the air.
The ball broke into many smaller pieces which came back down like meteors blanketing the arena and Blastoise was helpless to avoid it. Blastoise was hit repeatedly by the meteors taking heavy damage and it was only worsened when he crashed into the ground. Red watched with a serious look on his face, "You OK, Blastoise?" he asked.
Blastoise jolted back up gritting his teeth slightly, showing he could still go on. "He won't be for long, Aggron use Earthquake again!" the first boy said.
Red knew they were up to something; "They're definitely about to pull the same trick again so I'll be left vulnerable. But If I don't halt the attack Blastoise will take even more damage. I guess there's only one thing to do. hang in there Blastoise I know you can take whatever they throw at you," he thought, "Blastoise stop it with Focus Punch!"
So Blastoise once again stopped the attack with his own. "It's time to bring them down, Kingdra, use Outrage!" the third boy commanded.
Kingdra glowed blue with energy as he charged at Blastoise and slammed into him with all his might. Blastoise was sent tumbling backward and landed on his stomach, but there was still more to come. "Pidgeot, use Brave Bird!" the second trainer commanded.
Like Kingdra, Pidgeot was surrounded by a blue aura as he charged in and slammed into Blastoise this time pushing him into the ground causing the ground to shatter around him. Blastoise managed to push himself back to his feet, but the boys had one last attack for them. "Aggron, let's finish it with Stone Edge!" the first boy said.
With a stomp of his foot, Aggron created the biggest stone spikes he could which slammed into Blastoise hard. Blastoise was sent flying as he grunted in pain and landed on the ground on his stomach, he laid there with his eyes closed unresponsive. Everyone looked on in shock and confusion, those kids didn't really just beat one of the champion's aces, did they? The boys looked in surprise then at their tired pokemon. Pidgeot twitched and collapsed, passed out. It seems the recoil from Bravebird finally took effect. The boy returned his pokemon, "you were awesome, Pidgeot. Get a good rest," he said to his fallen partner.
Kingdra wasn't doing so well either, The amount of energy he used plus the confusion in him caused by Outrage left him highly vulnerable. "Wow, those boys were really good together," said Rebecca.
Leaf remained silent, not because she was surprised, but she was suspicious. For as scratched up and he was from the battle, Blastoise didn't look tired, it's almost as if...
The first boy came to the same realization and his eyes went wide, "Guys! It's not over yet!" he cried.
As if on cue, Blastoise's eyes shot open and he got back up completely unfazed. Red grinned confidently, "you guys are pretty good I'll give you that," he said, "now it's our turn to strike."
They were in trouble, BIG trouble. With one team member down and another one confused they were completely vulnerable and the worst part was Blastoise wasn't even close to getting knocked out. Kingdra's trainer panicked, "Kingdra you've gotta snap out of it!" he cried.
But Kingdra just wobbled back and forth unresponsive. Red made his move, "Blastoise, Flash Cannon on Kingdra!"
So Blastoise fired two beams of steel energy at the seahorse pokemon and they hit it dead on. Worse yet, the attack was a critical hit. Kingdra cried out in pain as it was sent flying back toward its trainer. "Kingdra, no!" he cried.
When the dust settled, Kingdra was lying on the ground, completely out cold. Now It was one-on-one. Aggron and his trainer looked on at Blastoise and Red, both looking as calm and collected as ever. At this point, they knew they didn't have a chance of winning. Red and his pokemon were far stronger than they ever could've imagined. There was only one thing he could do now, give everything they still had even if that meant going down fighting. "Aggron, use Flash Cannon!" he commanded.
Aggron fired a beam of steel energy from his mouth, "Alright, Blastoise, use your own Flash Cannon!" Red said as Blastoise fired off his own attack.
The attacks collided mid-air, but Blastoise's attack proved to be stronger as it pushed back against Aggron's very easily, overpowering it and exploding right in front of Aggron causing it to fall on its back in pain. Aggron struggled to get back on his feet, Red decided to make the final move. "Blastoise, finish this with Hydro Pump!" he commanded.
Blastoise fired his signature attack, hellbent on finishing this battle. "We're not going down!" the boy declared, "Aggron duck out of the way!"
Aggron just barely managed to duck underneath the oncoming torrent of water. "Now, charge it with Iron Head!"
So Aggron charged at Blastoise with his silver dome glowing silver, Blastoise cried out in pain as Aggron hit him right in his midsection. Red was impressed, "Wow, that was a good move," he complimented.
"Really? Thank you," he said.
Red then smirked, "but don't let your guard down," he warned.
The boy's eyes went wide as he realized that Aggron was now wide open. Blastoise immediately recovered from the attack and grabbed Aggron by the horns. "Alright Blastoise, let's finish this! Focus Punch!" said Red.
Blastoise reeled back a glowing orange fist and punched Aggron into the ground with all his might. Aggron cried out in pain as the ground beneath him shattered creating a thick cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Aggron was out like a light, Red had won the battle. Leaf smiled brightly as she and the rest of the crowd cheered in celebration of Red's triumph. "I never doubted him for a second. He isn't the champion for nothing," said Isaac.
Leaf said nothing and went to congratulate her boyfriend. Red meanwhile was checking up on his faithful companion, "are you OK Blastoise?" he asked.
Blastoise nodded in reply, he looked pretty scratched up and maybe a bit bruised but he was still in great shape overall. Red then turned his attention to the young boys who challenged him, the main boy was returning Aggron to his Pokeball. The boys looked at Red expectantly, "You guys were pretty awesome out there," he complimented, "you guys have a lot of talent and you guys clearly love your pokemon very much. I have no doubt you guys will do great things on your journeys."
Red felt like he should've made that speech a little more inspiring but hey what could he do? The boys smiled brightly; to hear those words from the champion was an amazing feeling. "Thank you so much!" the main boy replied, "that means so much to us to hear that."
"Yeah and that was a really fun battle!" the second boy replied.
Red chuckled, "I'm happy you guys had fun. that's the most important part of any battle. That was a lot of fun for me too."
Red felt Leaf hug him from behind and rest her chin on his shoulder. "I expected no less from you," she said gently.
Red smiled taking her hands and turned around to face her. Before he could say or do anything, the bright purple flash of a Dragon Pulse shot at them from the sidelines and nailed Blastoise sending him flying. "Blastoise!" Red cried as he protectively held Leaf close.
When the attack ended, Blastoise got back on his feet clearly in pain from the last attack. Red looked to the source of the attack and found a very unhappy and angry guy with a Hydreigon walking towards them. Kevin recognized him as one of his campers, Billy. He was a pretty troubled child, always picking fights and pokemon battles with other kids on his campus. "That was a cheap shot," Ethan snapped.
Billy looked back at Ethan with a cold stare, "I like to think he had it coming."
Alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllright another chapter is finally done. Hallelujah! it's finally out! Once again I am so sorry for the UNBEARABLY long wait. I hope this was worth it. Once again I also assure you all that I am working on this still and planning to see it through to the end. If this wait was any indication though it could be uploaded at any time. I don't know how long it's gonna take with all the crap going on, I hate online learning, I've been struggling in my classes. Also if it isn't obvious already, my motivation to write is the lowest it's ever been. Like I said though, I will persevere and I will finish this story. Anyway, what did you think? Votes and comments are always appreciated. I hope you all have a good day, God bless :)