Journeys Of A Pokémon Trainer

Episode 37: The Kanto Tournament Begins

Ashton walked into the Indigo Plateau building and saw his mom and all his friends waiting for him. "Sweetie, your battle was amazing!" Ashton's mother exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug. "Thanks mom. It was really challenging," Ashton said, hugging her back. She let go and Ashton turned to his friends.

"You did good, man. You really had the whole crowd shocked with your Charizard and Zapdos," Toru said. "I'd imagine so. It's not every day you see somebody with a golden Pokémon and a legend Pokémon," Ashton said. "You did very good, man," Justin said.

"Thanks guys," Ashton said. "In a couple seconds, they're gonna announce who's advancing to the Tournament," King said to Ashton. "Right. I'll stay here and listen then," Ashton said. "We'll look who it is. Hey Ashton!" They heard someone say. Everyone turned and saw Brock, Misty, and Blaine. "Hi guys! What's up!" Ashton greeted. "Well, we're here to watch the tournament. Since we're gym leaders, we get invited to the tournaments everytime," Misty said.

King noticed Misty was here and started blushing heavily, which didn't go unnoticed by her and Justin. "What's wrong with you, King? Are you sick?" She asked. King blushed harder and shook his head. She walked up to him and put her hand on his forehead, which somehow made him blush even harder. Justin was loving every second of this.

"I-Im fine!" King said. "Let's get you to the nurse, just in case," Misty said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room to find a nurse. "That was weird. What's wrong with King?" Ashton asked. "I don't know. Maybe he's nervous to see if he advanced," Okotsu said. "Nah, it's not that. He just has a huge crush on Misty," Justin said. "Oh really? That's gonna be fun to tease him about," Ashton said with a grin on his face.

Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom. "Hello everyone. Today we'll be telling you all the trainers who advanced to the tournament finals. Many trainers managed to win three of their exhibition matches, but what we didn't tell you was that you were also being judged on other things as well. Many trainers managed to win their battles, but lost lots of points due to failing to meet a judge's expectations. Only twelve trainers managed to make it into the tournament," The person on the intercom said.

Everyone in the room suddenly felt scared. "Man, twelve trainers. The chances of us being picked is one in a lot," Justin said. Brock put his hand on Justin's shoulder. "I'm sure you guys made it. All of your performances were amazing," Brock said with a smile.

On the other side of the building, Ronnie and Mike had set up a stand and was selling food. "Let's hope the kid gets in," Mike said. "I'm hoping, buddy. The stronger he gets is better for us," Ronnie said.

"The first trainer advancing to the tournament is a trainer from Pallet Town named Eric," The intercom said. "Looks like Eric made it too. I wonder how strong his Pokémon are," Ashton said to Justin and Toru.

"The next trainer is a trainer from the Johto Region named Jason," The intercom said. Ashton smiled. "I'm glad Jason made it," Ashton said.

"The third trainer is from Pewter City. The trainer's name is Leo," The intercom said. Ashton and his friends waited in anticipation.

"The fourth trainer is from Viridian City. His name is King," The intercom said. "I wish he was here to congratulate him, but I'm sure he's super excited," Ashton said.

"The next trainer is from Pallet Town. His name is Toru," The intercom. "Good job, Toru!" Leaf said, making Toru blush. "Yeah good job!" Ashton said. "Thanks guys," Toru said with a smile.

"The sixth trainer is also from Pallet Town. His name is Red," the intercom said. Everyone clapped for Red. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad I made it," Red said with a smile.

"The seventh trainer is from the Unoava Region. His name is Okotsu," The intercom said. "Hang on, you're from the Unoava Region?" Ashton asked. "Yeah. I was born there and moved here earlier this year," Okotsu said.

"The eighth trainer is from Celadon City. Her name is Elise," The intercom said. Ashton and Justin started to get a little nervous.

"The ninth trainer is another trainer from Pallet Town. Her name is Leaf," The intercom said. "Good job Leaf!" Toru said. Leaf smiled. "Thank you Toru," She said.

"The tenth trainer is another Trainer from Pallet Town. His name is Justin," The intercom said. Justin breathed a sigh of relief. Ashton, on the other hand, was getting more and more nervous. Every noticed this. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure you made it," His mom said.

"The eleventh trainer is from Viridian City. His name is Lucas," The intercom said. Ashton lowered is head and started sweating heavily. Everyone was nervous and hoping Ashton advanced.

"The final trainer is from Pallet Town. His name is Ashton," The intercom said. Ashton looked up in surprise. Everyone in the room started clapping. "Everyone from Pallet Town made it!" Toru said. "Except Blue. I wonder where he's at," Ashton said.

King and Misty walked into the room, talking and laughing. "There you are! King, we all made it!" Ashton exclaimed. "I heard! I can't wait to compete in the tournament!" King said, equally excited as Ashton.

"I'll be rooting for you guys," Misty said. "Thanks Misty," King said with a smile.

"Anyway, the battles are happening tomorrow to let trainers rest from the exhibition matches. They'll let you know who you're battling tomorrow," Blaine said. "I see. Thanks for telling us Blaine," Ashton said.

"Well guys, let's go to the Trainer Plaza so we can rest up," Justin said. Everyone else nodded and Ashton, Justin, Toru, Okotsu, King, Red, and Leaf made their way to the Trainer Plaza. Once they got there, Leaf went to the girls side and everyone else went to their rooms. Ashton walked in his and took his bag and shoes off. He hung his jacket on the doorknob and placed his hat on the nightstand next to his bed. He laid down on his bed. "I can't wait to battle," Ashton said before he fell asleep.

End of episode
Next Episode: First Match! The long awaited Rematch!

Word count:1070 words