Pokémon: Aiming for Kanto's Summit

By Fox McCloude.

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and GAMEFREAK. All rights reserved.

Prologue: The Final Challenge.

Kanto region…

The Indigo Plateau, the final destination for the Pokémon Trainers in the Kanto region, a place that has seen the rise and fall of champions in the Pokémon League. Six months ago, the Indigo Stadium was the stage for the regional League Conference, the winner of which earned the right to challenge the Elite Four, a group formed by the best among the best trainers in the region.

And for a certain young man who departed from Pallet Town at age ten, the time has come to face them, and achieve his lifelong dream: to become a Pokémon Master.

"Here we are, Pikachu. The Indigo Plateau, once again," said Ash, as he flew over the city on his Charizard's back, glancing at the stadium in the distance.

"Pikapika." The rodent nodded vigorously from his trainer's shoulder.

That would be the third time Ash came to the Indigo Plateau. The first time, it had been during his first year as a Pokémon trainer. For a kid who didn't take his training seriously, it was quite an achievement to make it to the Top 16 in his first official tournament. But the years went by, and thanks to his journeys and experiences around the world, Ash grew, matured, and became stronger, and so did his Pokémon. Almost ten years later, he took part in the Kanto regional tournament, and after facing many hard opponents, he made it to the finals and this time he achieved victory.

As the Indigo Conference winner, Ash had earned to, should he choose to do it, issue an official challenge to the Kanto Elite Four. Defeating any of them would definitely grant him the title of a Pokémon Master; however, defeating the four of them would open an even bigger door: the chance to challenge the Regional Champion for his title. The hardest challenge he would have had in his entire life, but as someone who lived for the competition, he wasn't afraid. He was excited and pumped to overcome the challenge.

The date to begin the Elite Four challenge had been decided six months ago so he would have time to prepare, and now, there was only one week left. The Pokémon League's Chairman had sent him a notice to come a few days earlier to sort the final arrangements, so he left Pallet Town a few hours earlier in the morning. Now he could see the welcome committee waiting for him; as soon as they saw him they waved their arms to get his attention.

"Let's go down, Charizard," Ash requested.

Charizard nodded and with a growl he began flying down in the direction his trainer pointed. There was a small crowd gathered around, but the local police had corded the area and was stopping the curious people to get too close.

"Stay back everybody!" Officer Jenny shouted, trying to hold back the masses, but the cheering and clapping from the crowd couldn't be contained.

"Ash, you're the greatest!"

"You're number one, dude, you'll be the champion!"

"We love you, Ash!"

Ash laughed nervously, still recalling the first time he walked across that street, believing people was cheering for him. Now, knowing that the screaming and applauses were for him, he didn't feel as big-headed as that time. Nevertheless, he smiled and waved at them, causing many a girl among the crowd to scream and swoon over him, some even fainting.

Once they landed, Ash recognized four out of five people who were waiting for him. The shortest among them, old Mr. Charles Goodshow, immediately approached him as he hopped off Charizard's back.

"Welcome Ash!" he greeted as he extended his hand. "It's great to see you again after so long."

"Same here, Mr. Goodshow." Ash shook the old man's hand. "We're all excited to be here, aren't we, guys?"

"Pikapika!" Pikachu gave a thumbs up, and Charizard growled in agreement.

"Ah, time really flies, doesn't it? I still recall that day when you first came to this place. You've grown a lot since then, boy; you're no longer a rookie."

Ash scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously. True, he wasn't an overconfident rookie anymore, believing he could beat everyone, but a trainer with a decade of experience and adventures under his belt, ready to give it all to achieve his goals.

"Well, I think it's time for us to give you the proper welcome. Come on over."

Mr. Goodshow led Ash to meet the Elite Four themselves. Ash had already encountered three of them in his past journeys, and they all proceeded to greet him.

"It's nice to see you again, Ash. I hope you have learned something from our last encounter."

First, there was Lorelei, the master of Water and Ice-type Pokémon, a red-haired woman, quite tall and buxom, wearing glasses, a black sleeveless blouse and matching heels, a purple miniskirt highlighting her long legs.

"It'll be an honor to face you in battle again, young Ash. I want to test your skills after all these years."

The second member, Ash had already met him as a Gym Leader: Koga, the ninja master and Poison-types specialist. He was dressed in a black and purple ninja garb with a red sash around his waist, and save for a few more wrinkles in his face and having slightly shorter hair, he looked almost identical to the way Ash remembered him. From what he had heard, he had left his position as Gym Leader to his daughter.

"You've certainly grown, Ash. I sense you've grown much stronger."

The third was Bruno, the Fighting-type Pokémon Master. He was still as big and imposing as before, though his skin was noticeably less tanned than the first time they met. Nevertheless, his muscles looked as strong as ever, and he showed them off wearing only his training pants and black belt.

The fourth member was the only one Ash didn't know: a woman who looked about the same age as Lorelei, with bluish-silver hair and matching eyes. She was wearing a yellow top and matching sandals, as well as a pair of white, knee-length pants. Mr. Goodshow decided to break the ice between them.

"Ash, allow me to introduce you to our most recent addition to the Kanto Elite Four. This is Karen, Dark-type Pokémon specialist, and hailing from the Johto region."

"Pleased to meet you," the woman said. "All of my colleagues here have many good things to say about you, so I'm looking forward to test your skills by myself."

"Thank you." Ash smiled. "I don't know if I'm at your level yet, but I can assure you I'll do my best."

"Well, I need to go attend some business," Goodshow said. "If you guys were so kind to take Ash to the facilities?"

The Elite Four members nodded, and while Goodshow left his own way, they beckoned Ash to come with them. The trainer returned Charizard and followed them, while the crowd around him continued to scream and applaud, looking forward to see his matches.

…

Ash was taken to an area within the Indigo Stadium he had never seen before. From what he was told, it was an area reserved for trainers during official challenges to the Elite Four, where he could have everything he needed as well as be far away from prying eyes and crowds.

"We hope you are comfortable here," said Lorelei. "These will be your quarters for the duration of the challenge."

The place itself was a pretty big room, but it had a large comfy bed, a big couch in front of a giant TV screen, and a kitchen and dining table with a large fridge Ash hoped would be full to top. On the farthest corners he could see some gym equipment, a desktop PC, a videophone with a Pokéball transporter, and many more things. The Elite Four members proceeded to explain one by one everything Ash would have to his disposal.

"Since we've seen most of your matches, and we've been preparing to face you, it's only fair that you can do the same," said Karen as she pointed at the computer. "From here, you can have access to the Indigo Plateau's private Pokémon League server, containing our profiles and dozens of videos of our official battles, so you can have an idea of what awaits you."

"That's really considerate," said Ash. While he loved the surprise factor, the truth was that, in order to face Pokémon Masters of such caliber, he'd be better off preparing and knowing exactly against who and what he and his Pokémon would face.

"That door leads to a practice battlefield, in case you want to do some last minute training before the matches," Koga explained, pointing at the glass door at the room's further end.

"And you've got your own private gym if you wish to do some training for yourself," Bruno added, crossing his arms after pointing at the gym equipment, including weights, a treadmill and stuff.

"I suppose I could do some workout myself." The trainer nodded.

"If you need anything else, you can use the direct line and we'll send someone," said Lorelei. "We won't waste any more time, so take a rest and think which of us you want to face first. See you later."

And with that, the Pokémon Master foursome left the room. Ash went to leave his bag on the bed and then headed for the videophone. Indeed, he wanted to rest and have a feast, but first he had to make an important call to Pallet Town. He grabbed the handset and dialed the number, waiting for the communication signal.

A minute later, Delia showed up on screen. "Ketchum residence? Oh Ash! Hey honey!"

"Hey Mom," the trainer replied with a big grin. "Just calling you to let you know I've arrived in Indigo."

"Great!" the woman said. "Oh my, I almost can't believe this. It feels almost yesterday when my baby left Pallet Town to begin his journey. And look at you now."

"Yeah, I know," said Ash. "It's not gonna be easy, but I'm really excited, like never before!"

"I have no doubt; you've worked hard to get up to that point," said Delia. "So give it your all; I'll be rooting for you with all my heart, and so will everyone else here."

"Thanks a lot. I won't let you down, I promise," said Ash. "Love you, Mom."

"And I love you, Ash. Take care, and don't forget to change your underpants every day!"

"Mom!"

"Haha, sorry, couldn't resist. Bye!"

And with one last laugh, Delia and Ash ended the call. Whenever Ash thought his mom had finally left that old habit of reminding him that, she just had to do it again. That said, embarrassing as it was, it brought him good memories, and made him see that, even though many things had changed, many others were still the same. Especially in regards to him, his Pokémon, his family, and his friends.

"Well, let's go eat something, then we're gonna check out that server," said Ash, going for the fridge. "Then we can start doing some training. Do you want a snack too, Pikachu?"

The fridge had everything Ash loved to eat, ready to be heated in the microwave, and there were packages of Pokémon food and snacks as well, all sorted by type and for preferences. No doubt they wouldn't starve over there, though Ash had the feeling they'd probably have to order some more later, since the way they were and with their usual appetite, the food would probably last half the week. And considering their upcoming challenge, they'd need a lot of energy.

To be continued…

Author's notes:

Hey, what's up? Well, here I am with something different. While I'm still planning to write future stories for the Pokémon Reset Bloodlines universe, I'm not leaving aside my own independent ideas, and here's one coming from the memories' drawer. Specifically, this is a rewrite of my original fic "El Último Escalón". It's not available in English, but the summary was about Ash facing the Elite Four, so I'm rewriting it adding the current mechanics, such as the Megas and Z-Moves. I'll keep a lot from the original to make my writing easier, but I'll try to improve what I can and correct the mistakes so it doesn't feel like it's just "the same but better".

A few things to clear up for those who follow me: first, this story is not part of the same continuity as several others I've posted, beginning with "Friends and Rivals Alike" up to "Ash vs Paul: Lake Acuity Rematch", so if there's something inconsistent with them, it's justified, alright? Second, while I have more or less decided the teams the Elite Four will use against Ash, I'm open to suggestions for Ash's strategies, moves and/or Pokémon to be used. Beware: this is only for the course of the middle matches, since I've already decided how each of them is going to end and I'm not going to change that. Lastly, and this is for those who don't follow me, I don't use the four-move limit in my stories. Just saying because there are some people who ask about it.

Hope you guys enjoy this story, and if it's not too much to ask, I'd like if you left some comments instead of just faving or following. I like to interact with readers, you know? Until next time.