Usurper

Chapter 4: Malice

Chapter 4: Malice

As much as Ash enjoyed traveling, he had mixed feelings on plane rides. He had always associated airplane travel with leaving a region or going to a new one. Both of which were always emotional. But he couldn't focus on that right now, he had a job to do in Alola. About an hour before he got on the plane, he made a post on PokeGram announcing his intentions to host the first leg of the match in Alola. Chairman Rose agreed of course, he loved the increased viewership in a region like Alola. And Professor Kukui had gladly agreed to help set up the tournament. So here he was, descending upon Melemele island for the first time in a while. He couldn't help but smile. Alola would always have a soft spot in his heart and he considered it just as much of a home to him as Pallet Town. But there was no time for nostalgia, Ash had to start training for Tobias as soon as possible.

The plane touched down on the runway and as soon as they had left it Ash was already raring to go. Goh called out his Flygon and hopped on it. Ash called out Dragonite and jumped on, leaving Serena to choose one to ride with. Quite obviously she chose Ash and off they went. As they got closer to the lab, Ash noticed how there was a lack of noise. Usually the professor was up to SOMETHING! Maybe he was out getting food? Or perhaps Burnet and him were off on a date? Ash's mind ran through the possibilities as he punched in the key to unlock the door and enter the lab. When he walked in, the room was dark. Too dark, in fact it almost seemed like

"SUPRISE!!!!!!" All of Ash's friends from Alola surprised him by jumping out from behind chairs and tables and out of the pantry. Ash laughed and everyone ran in for a group hug. "It's so nice to see all of you guys. It's been far too long." They all started catching up and Serena and Goh just stood there for the most part

Serena watched in amusement until she saw one of the girls with blue hair hug Ash when their group hug had ended. She waited for the girl to make eye contact with her and she sent a death glare her way. She picked up on the memo instantly and pulled away and walked off. Goh had disappeared for some reason and was over making conversation with one of the boys. Apparently Goh actually had actually met some of them before. Serena sighed and leaned against the wall awkwardly for about a minute or so when the blue haired girl walked over and offered her hand. "Hello! My name is Lana!" Serena put on a fake smile and took it "Hey there! My name is Serena!" Lana giggled "I love your accent! Where are you from?" Serena laughed also "Kalos! I'm from Kalos originally and Ash and I traveled through there together some time ago and we just started to travel again." Lana's expression instantly hardened "Oh..... that's great. Ash used to talk about you occasionally when we were in school together." Serena smiled "Oh that's cool!" Lana just sighed and looked away. "Well it was a pleasure to meet you, Serena!" Lana walked off, looking slightly disappointed for some reason.

Ash had an amazing time catching up with everyone, but soon enough it was time for training to commence. And oh boy, he had a few strategies up his sleeve with his team.

Two Weeks Later......

Ash smiled. The last time he had battled at this stadium was one of the best days of his life, and today he'd try and claim that same energy. The announcer called his name and he walked out. It was now or never.

He gripped the Poke Balls on his belt tightly. He had selected this team as an Anti-Tobias machine and he had no doubt in his mind about beating Tobias once again. Ash stood up and entered the stadium. Kukui wasn't kidding, he knew he was popular in Alola but this was insane. Fifty thousand Alolans were on their feet yelling his name, he had made an amazing choice picking this as his home venue. Pikachu was on his shoulder and Ash scratched his ears. "Hey buddy, we've talked about this. Can you sit this one out and I'll let you have the next round?" Pikachu jumped enthusiastically and chirped happily. Ash started waving to the crowd and this just caused them to get even louder. Then, HE entered. Ash hadn't expected Tobias to be popular, but this was just sad. The stadium was dead silent compared to a few moments ago.