Love in the Time of Tribulations

Chapter 5: A Plot

Ha ha! Serena isn't vanishing into the void that is Johto! Instead she's going to Hoenn! Where she'll become even more awesome! Suck it, Serena haters! Also, time for Chapter 5!

Chapter 5

A Plot

"For all your Peace Tournament coverage, it's the Battle Show, hosted by the tournament's very own Harrison Kalas," the voice announcer blared over the television. Ash turned his head from his position on his bed to watch the screen. Near him, seated on the ground, was Serena, who was currently brushing Pikachu's fur. Meanwhile, Clemont was working on an invention as Bonnie had joined Ash on the bed, laying on her stomach and kicking her legs up and down. It was getting late, but Ash was interested in what they'd talk about regarding the first two days of the tournament.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Battle Show, where we talk about the latest televised battles," said the enthusiastic tones of Kalas. Ash scooted forward to listen. "Today's topic, as you all know, is the ongoing Peace Tournament. Here to speak regarding the battles is Kalos Champion Diantha via teleconference."

"Ooh, it's Diantha! Clemont, come look!" Bonnie said cheerily.

"I'll be there in a-" Boom! "Coming..." Ash ignored the slight plume of smoke in the corner of their room and watched the camera split screens to reveal the Kalos Champion, sitting with her usual dignified presence in another room.

"Now, Champion, as I take it, you're joining the festivities of commentating on our fourth day, correct?"

"Indeed," Diantha said courteously. "No worries, however. I've been keeping up with the progress, and we've seen some rather excellent battles over the last two days, and some extremely unorthodox strategies today."

"I completely agree. First, let's show our viewers some brief clips of the first two days, and then we'll talk some highlights." Following Kalas' words, clips suddenly flashed across the screen. It was surprisingly well put together as a selection of clips, almost like a Pokévision video. The first day flashed by rather quickly as Absol put a swift end to Garchoo, Pikachu shocked Raichu in the water, Pancham slammed through the stones, and Ash caught quick moments of the two Charizard in the competition (owned by Alain and Trevor respectively) as Trevor's Mega Evolved to put an end to its un-expectant opponent. Clemont was also briefly shown with Luxray wiping out a Pinsir with Wild Charge.

After this, clips from that day's competition were shown, mostly in chronological order. Ash looked down at his girlfriend when it showed her and Dawn working together to bring out a near flawless victory. That made him happy, though she seemed focused on brushing Pikachu's fur still. When he looked back over, it was showing a brief shot of his own battle and the mysterious Pol. He frowned a little, but moved past it to the battle between Alain, Sawyer, and some other random trainer. Despite neither of them using their Megas, instead using Bisharp and Aegislash, the two had taken more than an ample enough of points, with Alain having quite a bit more than Sawyer. It was nice to see him shake Sawyer's hand afterwards. Perhaps the most brutal battle to watch was the matchup between Trevor, Shauna and Miette. Despite the two friends working together, Miette was actually able to keep them on their toes. He had to admit that he found her impressive in her use of Cotton Spore to drive them apart and snag points. Shauna was kicked out, just like Tierno the day before.

"Miette's even better than she was in the Kalos Team Tournament," Serena commented. There was a bit of annoyance scrawled on her face, but it was just a passing look. "I wonder if we'll actually have the chance to compete against each other this time?"

"If you do, you'll win," Ash said, as though the result were obvious. Serena nodded as Ash watched her, and for a second, Ash considered asking her about something, specifically what Miette had been talking to her about on the day they'd all reunited, but Diantha and Kalas were back on the screen so he forgot it.