Mastermind

9 - Ignition

"Pikachu!" The Mouse Pokémon chirped in excitement as the entire stadium's eyes were on them. Ash continued walking out to his little area, a circle mirroring the other side. He waved happily to the crowds and looked up at the huge screen above Paul's side. It showed a live feed of Ash directing his head to a random spot ahead of him, most likely the TV that was behind the streaming camera.

Chloe, Goh, and the researchers all watched the screen in front of them above the opposite side of the stands, as it switched from Ash and Pikachu's faces to the hand he was waving with, the glove and the key stone.

"Wait, since when did Ash have a key stone?" Chloe asked for context. She had learned in school that trainers can mega-evolve their Pokémon if they are at their final evolutionary stage and have a powerful bond with their trainer. But also, only if they obtain two powerful stones that harness the power needed to ignite the process.

"Oh, that's simple." Goh smiled, "you know last week we went to the Kalos Region? Well Ash went to secure himself a key and mega stone!"

"But what Pokémon is he using them with?" The girl persisted.

"Sorry Clo, Ash asked me to keep that a secret, from you anyway!" He laughed. The girl was quite offended by this, she thought that she had become a good friend of the champion below her, but he was acting like he doesn't want her to watch him battle.

Soon, Ash made his way to his little circle, which was connected to the main arena on the other side. Before the trainer could walk on though, a bright turquoise bubble appeared over it. Ash stopped, curious as to what it was, and now trying to ignore the roars and cries from the people around him, touched it.

The material was hard, but for some reason the colour turned a bright purple rippling out from the point of contact, slowly overpowering the dark turquoise. Ash presumed that this was the matter created from a Pokémon's protect, a move used to create an impenetrable barrier that could fend off any attack thrown at it.

Still confused, he placed his hand on the now purple material, only to find that it felt like nothing was there at all. His hand drifted through due to the unexpected event, so Ash then pushed his arm in out of intrigue. He then took a step into the mysterious bubble and continued moving inside. Once fully encapsulated, the colour turned back to a deep turquoise, then simply vanished into a transparent fade. It was as if he had just pushed through a door that simply vanished behind him, making it seem like the entire action was redundant.

The boy presumed that this was used as a defence to protect the trainers from moves, and then assumed the audience were behind a similar mechanism.

Suddenly, a much louder roar of cries, shouts and overall screams erupted from the crowds. Ash looked around curiously only to find Paul slowly walking up to his spot, much like Ash had a minute before. It was obvious he was older, and also had a speaker connecting his right ear. The trainer was taller and wore different clothes, a black and red, thick vest that only covered his torso, showing off his now muscular arms. Ripped cloth bundled up at the shoulders really emphasising the thickness of the shirt. He wore bright amber coloured baggy cargo shorts, a black cap and bright yellow trainers.

"It's obvious Paul has the crowd's advantage..." Chrysa said over the cheers.

"With this pressure, I don't think Ash can think straight!" Ren shouted, terrified of the idea that Ash'll lose.

"I mean, Ash is great, but Paul's acting like he doesn't have to try," Goh added.

Chloe watched Ash as he stared intensely at his old rival who was slowly trotting towards the arena, eyes to the floor and hands in pockets. When Paul reached the bubble, he kicked the bottom hard enough that the entire thing quickly turned purple, and then simply walked inside.