Amourshipping : One Day Off

Chapter 20

This was it. 

Ash had been victorious in his semi final match. It had been very close. Barely managing a victory in a close, intense 5-6 match, which nearly ended in a loss for him. Ash claimed victory over his semi final opponent using the team of Quilava, Gliscor, Talonflame, Noivern, Goodra and Pikachu. But this was all ancient history. Barely anyone cared about that match right now. Not even Ash did. Not even his opponent cared as of this moment.

It was the finals. And Ash was fighting the challenger everyone was talking about. The one who had taken the Kalos league by storm. Who everyone feared to face, and he was Ash's final obstacle in the way of achieving one of his goals. He entered the battlefield, followed by a shroud of silence defending on the battlefield. His blue scarf flapped in the wind, like a flag, behind him.

It was Alain he had to fight. And Alain still only used one Pokémon. Charizard.

Ash came up to his podium, also in silence. He was excited, anxious, prepared, and Ill prepared all at the same time. He didn't know if he could win this battle. He could only do his best, and not give up. Pikachu was stood by his feet. 
The two competitors stared each other down. No words were spoken between the two. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife in the air. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie watched from the stands. Paul and Trip were no where to be found, gone back to Kanto, according to a note Ash found in Trips room. They had no idea why, or for what purpose, but it was a bit too late to do anything about it now. Them, and everyone Ash had ever considered a friend or rival was watching this right here, right now. Here, in the stands, and at home, all huddled together in Professor Oaks Labs around a television set. 

Serena could feel the tension almost suffocating her. The air felt heavy, like a thick coating of Carbon Dioxide smothering her. She sent up a prayer for Ash, begging for him to win. This battle meant everything to him. He could return home with pride. A Pokémon league champion. A master. 

The battle wasn't being watched just here, either. All across the globe, people were watching. Rumors of these two excellent Pokémon trainers had spread, and everyone wanted to see this battle. Nothing had stopped either of these trainers. Now, the only thing stopping them, preventing their dreams and hopes from becoming a reality, was each other.  

The silence was defending, broken only by the somewhat whispered voice of the Announcer. "Ladies and gentlemen, we at the Kalos league welcome you to the final battle of the Kalosian league. Representing Kanto, we have the master of unorthodox strategy, the unpredictable trainer, who dreams of becoming the worlds greatest Pokémon master. We have Ash Ketchum." 

No sound was made. And Ash made no movements. 

"Representing Kalos, we have the trainer of unparalleled power, who likes a challenge, and has so far, not even shown us his true strength. We have, Alain."

No sound was made again. And again, no movement.

The referee stood into the center of the battlefield. To him, if felt like a war zone. He spoke clearly into a microphone. "This battle will follow the same rules as your semi final matches. A full 6 on 6 match. When all Pokémon on one side is unable to battle, or the trainer in question forfeits, the match will be over. In addition, both trainers will be allowed to exchange their Pokémon at any given time during the match. However, as per request of Alain, he shall be using just one Pokémon. Therefore, if trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet town is able to defeat Alain's one Pokémon, he will be declared the winner, whereas Alain will have to defeat all six of trainer Ash's Pokémon. Are there any objections?" 

Alain spoke first. His voice had nearly no emotion in it. "None." 

Ash shook his head. "No problems here."