POKÉMON: THE FINAL JOURNEY [ON HOLD]

3. A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER - PART 1

"Alright, Ash, I've gotta go now. The Tower Leader introductions will start soon enough, so I should get moving now. I'll be in the office with the other leaders until the end of the ceremony. Take this VIP pass. It will give allow you access to the office, so if you need any help, meet me there." said Wally as he handed over a VIP pass to Ash and left the VIP box.

"Looks like we're getting some real VIP treatment here, Pikachu," said Ash to his partner.

"Pika-Pika" nodded Pikachu, seemingly delighted with all the special treatment they had been getting since their arrival in Hoenn.

No sooner had Wally left the room, the announcer as if on cue, kicked off the introductions with pomp.

"Ladies and gentlemen!!! Please welcome, the stars of the show, the incredibly strong, the TOWER LEADERS!!!"

These words, spoken by the announcer, sent the crowd into a wild frenzy. The opening ceremony was barely underway, and Ash could already feel the adrenaline rushing. He was not just excited, he was beyond excited. And, what was the reason for his excitement? The answer was simple. He was finally about to see the trainers he would challenge, the trainers who were on par with Wally and Steven. For the battle-loving Ash, this was enough a reason to be thrilled.

"I can't control my excitement, Pikachu!! I have got goosebumps all over me," said Ash, his hand still shaking from excitement

"Pikaa!!" responded the electric mouse, his excitement matching his trainer's.

"TOWER LEADERS!! THE. STAGE. IS. YOURS!!!!"

*BOOM**BOOM**BOOM**HISSSSSSSSS*

The pyrotechnic devices around the stadium went off, flaring up the exuberance of the crowd. The fiery display was instantaneously followed with the stadium being smoked, hiding the whole field completely.

"Tropius!! Use Hurricane!!" said the announcer.

And as those words escaped his throat, the smoke that swirled around the field, went wild. The calm smoky screen broke out into eight fierce smoke tornadoes, taking up different spots on the field.

"Starting first in our list, we have the beefy tank top from the Sinnoh region. Inroducingggggg!! Markus!!!"

One of the smoke tornadoes broke apart, revealing a bulky middle-aged man in a tank top and his Medicham. One could see at a glance that the duo was the real deal. They gave off a peculiar aura, which was calm yet overflowing with strength at the same time.

"He is our fighting-type prodigy and the Leader of the Gladiator Tower. After having honed his skills under Bruno, this man went on ahead to teach gym leaders like Maylene and Corrina. One can say without exaggeration, that he has devoted most of his life to learning and teaching the fighting mono-type style. Trainers, are you ready to go up against this master of Fighting Types? If yes, then look forward to challenging the Gladiator Tower!!"

Upon the end of his introduction, Markus made a big grin and showed off his muscles, his confidence resonating through the stadium.

As soon as Markus was done, another smoke tornado dissipated. This time revealing a young beautiful girl clad in a silken robe and her Shiny Pidgeot. When the big screen focused at her, one could see that her dress was actually made out of white feathers, with the Rainbow Wing tied around her neck like a necklace. Her Pidgeot had a majestic golden-yellow color and wore Mega-Stone around its neck. This duo again had a presence no lesser than the previous one.

"Moving on to the second leader, we have the queen of flying-types, Diaaaaaane! After having learned the art of using flying-types under Winona, this girl never looked back. She just kept climbing through the ranks of flying trainers until she earned herself the title of the Sky Princess. Aaaand, please don't let her bewitching beauty catch you off guard because one mistake in her tower could bring you crashing down from the heights of Heaven. So, challengers, if you would like to have a taste of Diane's aerial prowess, the Sky Heaven Tower is your destination. But beware, her aerial aces and air slashes will leave more than just bruises."