Chapter 20

Rivals

Gary felt more than heard the double doors close behind him. His first stop was the pokemon center. Magmar isn't the only one that was tired from the series of matches and they all need a rest. Gary thought while he patted his belt. He moved a bit further along the belt and pulled his pokedex. Ash and Misty will want to know that he was free.

'Excuse me Mr. Oak.'

Gary glanced up and recognized the older man in slacks and but not the twenty-something woman in a business dress. 'Professor Birch, It is good to see you.' He turned to the woman while folding his hands behind him, 'Good evening ma'am, my name is Gary Oak.'

'Professor Ivy, Mr. Oak. It is a pleasure to meet you.' Her accent was barely noticeable. But it was one he had never heard before.

Professor Birch moved his arm to different direction than Gary had planned to go. 'Would you spare a moment of your time Mr. Oak?'

Gary nodded as his mind ran a hundred different thoughts. He tempered his excitement. If it was for a job they would have offered it days ago. Not after this match. With that thought, the group entered a secluded courtyard where watchers had waited in lines to enter the stadium ten hours ago. With the mountains this tall, dusk came early. The chill air did little to still Gary.

'Mr. Oak I have been in contact with the Mr. Stone regarding the fossil you identified and submitted to the Museum of Science in Pewter City. The fossil is a high quality item for which they were thankful. Steven had down played the fossil until we looked at it ourselves.'

Gary raised his eye brow. He was only slightly disappointed they were just asking questions about the fossil. 'Steven was surprised at the quality of the fossil I excavated and asked it to be donated for the resurrection project. I had no qualms. I only found out later that my grandfather had been the leading scientists that argued against such practice. But I did hand it over to support their research as a donation to the museum. I did provide the facility to the location where I found the fossil. Did they have any problems with the site?'

Professor Ivy gave the young man's question a reassuring smile. 'No, they had not the opportunity to go investigate. There are presently several active projects in the works that will need to take priority. Steven was to take part in such a research expedition to Almia with our team but was given an offer to attempt to gain the title Hoenn League Champion.'

Gary smiled. 'That sounds like him.' Gary blinked and minded his manners. 'Thank you for letting me know. He had said he was planning to visit me during the tournament. I suppose that was why he hasn't sent me a message yet.'

Ivy shuffled a folder out of her briefcase. 'He did convey his condolences for not appearing in person to present you with this.' Gary reached out to the folder as she continued, 'We asked him if he had any suggestions for a replacement and he immediately brought up your name. He vouched for your basic knowledge of the field and your excavated fossil demonstrated your skill. You are young for the project, but we do not mind cultivating a talent in our field. This is a formal time sensitive contract for your review if you are interested in participating.'

Gary inhaled sharply before he opened the fold and read the introduction. The date made him skip a beat. 'We would leave the country in two days if I agree.' It would be the day of the finals. Gary realized even if he won his matches tomorrow, he would need to forfeit in the final four.

Professor Birch apologized. 'That is as far as we could postpone it.'

Gary tried to remember all the tidbits of what Steven told him. Gary recalled that Steven did mention he was on a tight schedule earlier in the month. A thought just crossed Gary's mind. He started to laugh before he asked the two professors. 'When did he announce he was not able to go?'

Ivy showed a valiant effort to share the amusement with him. Behind an upturned corner of her mouth, 'He declared his intentions to leave the project several hours ago. That contract is the same as the one he was given. Including the same level of compensation.'

'That sounds like him too.' the teen muttered to himself he let what she just said sink in. It was full pay expected of an experienced explorer… Gary shook his head at Steven's antics before seriously considering the offer. 'Would you allow me until the morning to decide?'

Professor Birch patted the boy's shoulder. 'We understand. Review the contract to your hearts content. Please be aware Mr. Oak. This is a long term research project. We will be out of the country for several months. Your license will expire during that time. Which is why we thought it appropriate level of compensation.'

Gary closed the folder and exhaled through his nose. All of this was a lot to take in. He had to be a trainer on journey to keep the license. If it expires, he could never renew it. He would have to move on. 'I understand Professor.' Gary knew he would eventually have to leave the training life behind. But he had always entertained the notion he could keep training while at college. This was not expected, but it still felt too soon.

'Thank you for the offer Professor Ivy, Professor Birch. You will have my answer in the morning at eight. How may I contact you?'

'I am at the Viridian. Here is my contact id.'

Gary tilted his head. 'I am staying there too. You will hear from me in the morning. But I just had a few more questions before I go.'

Gary let the rest of the conversation wash over him. He was still dazed by the offer when he got back to his room. It was still early. Not even five in the evening. Gary found himself reading the contract and the information of the site that went with it. He took out a pencil and sat at the desk. Quietly to himself he muttered, 'It's going to be a long night.'

-o-

It was close to eleven in the evening when Gary finally closed the contract. Notes sat in a similar pile next to it. He had a long conversation with both his father and grandfather about the offer. Gary had to admit to his grandfather he had donated the fossil to the resurrection project. Professor Oak was not pleased with the boy but understood the argument for both sides. Father, grandfather and eventually even his mother all had encouraged him to take the job. Gary was ready to take the offer, but he felt there were a few things he needed to resolve first.

Gary played with his pokedex while thinking about where he was now. He listlessly opened and closed the communication device with a click.

Click-click.. click…

Click-click… click…

Click-click…

Finally Gary kept it open and called Ash. He had a feeling Misty would be with him. It was better to kill two birds with one stone.

Sure enough, it was Misty who answered. The camera was unusually close, framing just her eyes and mouth. Gary stared at her eyes for a moment before he swallowed the lump in his throat. 'C-can you guys come to my room. I need to show you something.'

Misty smiled at him, 'Sure Gary. We'll be over in a second. Besides, I think we need to talk when we are done.' A pretty shade of red colored her cheeks.

The communication ended and Gary closed the link, her sea green eyes still on his mind. Gary felt like he wanted to pull his hair out. He looked at the mirror on the wall and gave himself a sad smile. He already made up his mind before he made the call and he painfully regretted it.

The seven minutes it took the two to come to his room felt like an eternity before Misty reprimanded Ash for just walking in. Gary snorted at the exchange. 'Hi guys. I wanted to show you this.'

Ash saw the folder on the desk and looked to Misty who walked passed him. 'You got an offer!' She paused to look at Gary before he gestured for her to open it. 'This is in Almia!' Gary got off his bed and waved Ash over to the couch. Gary gently guided Misty by the shoulders to a seat next to him just as Ash sat on the other side of him.

Gary waited until she found the date of the expedition. The actual date was in a few days. However, it would take time to get to the port. The professors just happen to find him in a very remote town.

Gary watched her as she ran through the several pages that were scratched with his notes. 'Misty, go back to the first page and look at the date.'

Misty grinned excitedly at him before she turned the page and paused. 'This is in a few days.'

Gary looked at his friends. 'Yeah. I was just given this tonight. I was nominated as a back up replacement. It was a last minute nomination but apparently they took it seriously. I am going to take it. But I won't be back in the country for a long time. I won't be back in time to renew my license. Tomorrow will be my last day as a trainer.'

'Oh.' Ash said quietly. After a moment he asked. 'Congratulations. What does that mean for tomorrows battles then?'

'I plan to fight tomorrow but I will forfeit my second match if I win the first. My next match is with the number one seed's first match. When I decided to accept the job I thought I should forfeit, but my last day as a trainer? No way. I really want to fight.'

Ash and Misty grinned at the answer and said in nearly perfect sync, 'We'll be cheering for you.'

A heartbeat passed as all three realized what the two just did. The three laughed long and hard on the couch. Gary felt a sting hit his eyes before he rubbed it out. He did feel tired. Ash eventually cleared his throat and gestured to the stack of papers. 'So you guys still didn't explain what this thing is.' Misty passed the paper over to Ash and explained what exactly Gary will be doing and how far he actually will be traveling.

It was near one in the morning when Gary stirred from his spot. It looked like all three of them were more tired than they let on. He saw Ash looked to nearly slide off the couch, mouth a gape in a silent snore. Gary turned to his left and noticed Misty dozing next to him. Her hand close to his.

Gary took her hand and held it for a moment before waking her. 'Looks like its bed time. You both should both head back.'

Misty yawned slightly before she looked at Ash. She smiled but didn't move.

Gary felt her gaze on him and he turned to see her stare at him. She sighed before leaning back slightly. 'I never really apologized for not letting you explain what you meant. I am sorry I was angry at you.'

'Thanks Misty. I didn't help. I am sorry I flubbed up that explanation…' Gary let his voice drop as Misty leaned in to hug him.

Gary pretended to not notice the hot drops that rested on his neck. She only hugged him tighter. Gary felt himself saying with more weight than he realized, 'We both messed up. Didn't we…'

And they both knew they were out of time to correct it.

A moment later Gary hugged her back just as tightly.

-o-

Gary dried off his hair and put on his shirt. His friends were still sound asleep where they sat the previous night. Ash some how managed to not fall off the couch and Misty snuggled against the throw pillow on the couch. Gary refocused his mind away from the memory of waking next to his crush and gently nudged Ash then Misty awake.

While they both seemed happy for him, Gary felt like he was letting them both down. Gary did not realize it until the two professors offered this job, but he had envisioned himself fighting Ash on the Plateau. That would never happen now. They will never fight in an official battle too now that he thought about it. Relinquishing his training license essentially declares he had moved on from the junior profession into an actual career.

That did not mean that would stop him from training his pokemon. But he could no longer compete for badges and the different leagues. Gary swallowed at the thought of the future he had now passed on.

Misty's slow almost unfocused eyes looked at him. A split second later she realized she was staring. Gary smiled at her sudden bout of shyness before he silently gave her a look of concern. Misty rubbed her eyes but nodded that she was alright. Before an unsteady Ash really looked around to see what the two of them were doing, Misty quickly sat up to hug Gary before giving him a kiss on the cheek. 'Good luck on the matches today. We need to get out now or we will be late.'

Gary smiled and waved at her before they left the room. A sleepy Ash waved good bye before being pulled out the door that swung to a soft click. Gary slowly walked out of his room a few minutes later. By the time he was at the main stairway he felt more calm about his choices. In the lobby of the hotel he sat down at one of the couches and opened his pokedex. A moment later, Professor Ivy answered.

'Good morning Professor Ivy.'

'Good morning Gary. Have you come to a decision regarding our offer?'

Gary fought off a grin as he said. 'I accept. I'll be ready to depart tomorrow morning. Where do I need to go to complete the registration?'

Ivy smiled, 'I'll be down shortly with the contract. Just a moment Mr. Oak.'

Gary watched the line close and he leaned back on the couch. It was time he reviewed his roster. Gary planned to swap a few pokemon out. Magmar was done for the tournament, so he had thought of Charizard as a good replacement. He had no flying pokemon and he would need them for the three versus three fights for today's matches. He had originally planned to swap out Espeon, but after the fight she showed him yesterday, he was reluctant to swap her. She drew against a pokemon who she could not fully fight against. It was enough to convince him she had a spot for his final fights.

Gary smiled at the idea. It terrified him and made him excited. This was how he was ending it.

-o-

Melody barely contained her excited smile. She was the opening match for the morning. Just her and the other guy Marn. No other fights at the same time. No small field. No really short pokemon battles. It was the real tournament.

'Good luck Marn.'

'You too Melody. I already got what I came for.' The boy smirked at her before moving to his side of the field.

Melody muttered, 'Must be nice.' She honestly had not even thought about looking for a career while she was fighting in the tournament. The heat of the lamps beat her brow and the sound of the crowd vibrated her whole body. Melody smiled and took a deep breath in. There was no way she was ready to leave this yet.

Melody barely heard the referee. Just as the green flag went down she shouted. 'Jolteon, Thunder wave!'

Jolteon yipped twice before her fur moved in waves over her body. The spark of light engulfed the field. Jolteon gauged Lickitung's reaction who only shook its head to clear the attack. Melody's pokemon refocused her attention as the young teenager on the other side of the field called, 'Lickitung, Supersonic!'

Melody covered her ears and called, 'Get behind it!' Jolteon started to run as she felt her vision blur. The high pitched sound made the electric pokemon nearly stumble before she was able to get behind the Lickitung. 'Thundershock.'

The teen-aged boy shouted, 'Disable! Supersonic again!'

Lickitung turned its head quickly and flashed its eyes. Jolteon could not stop the stutter from the canceled move. Lickitung screeched out another sonic sound wave just near Jolteon's ear. Jolteon hit the ground so fast Melody thought there was a physical attack mixed into the orders. Jolteon's eyes were closed and she shivered from the disorienting vibrations.

'Jolteon thunder wave again and thunder!' Melody called quickly. She unclipped another pokeball ready to swap her friend out if she gets knocked out.

Jolteon kept her nose to the ground to help keep her standing upright. The world spun back and forth nearly making her fall over once more. Like a released tense muscle, she released a wave of electricity over the field.

The teen saw his chance and called out quickly, 'Disable the thunder attack!' Jolteon blindly felt her thunder instantly fail, but the attack helped her find which general direction Lickitung moved to.

Melody kept her eyes focused on the condition of the Lickitung and called out, 'Pin Missile Jolteon!'

Jolteon responded with a needle of energy that shot from her back to where she thought the other pokemon was through the haze of her disoriented vision. The first needle missed. The teen was ready to make his counter call when Lickitung flinched. The thunder waves had begun to build up on after another. Jolteon proximity in her final attack was more than enough make him stunned from the accumulated energy. Melody quickly ordered, 'Keep it up! He's stunned, now's our chance!'

Jolteon fired two more needles of energy. The first one was on the mark but the second and third were to the left and right. Finally she shook off the nauseous taste in her mouth and fired two accurate needles of energy. Lickitung fell to his side between the two missed needles.

'Lickitung is unable to battle, Jolteon wins. Marn, release your second pokemon.'

The teen named Marn frowned before he recalled his Lickitung. 'Good job Lickitung, you de-fanged that Jolteon. Charmeleon, come out!'

A stout fire lizard looked at the field before it started to huff breaths of hot air.

'Ok, Jolteon, we just need to weaken it up for Arcanine. One down, two to go.'

Jolteon barked out an affirmative just as Charmeleon charged with a its claws raised fully intent on slashed at her.

Far above Melody in the upper tiers of the stadium, Ash allowed himself a small grin at her fight as it finished. It was touch and go there for her team but she was able to clean up the last pokemon with her dugtrio. Ash hoped the other matches from here on out were as good. The first days fights were of the newest trainers and it showed in how they handled their pokemon. The second rounds that lasted the past few days showed a little more strategy. The rounds that began today were really where talented pokemon and trainers tested themselves just like Melody.

An hour later Ash waved over to Misty from the check out desk an hour later. She smiled at him with Pikachu running around her feet. 'How was the patrol Ash?'

Ash shrugged while he ignored Pikachu's attempts to hop on his shoulder. Ash turned in his jacket to the the clerk and said, 'It has been a good day. The matches on my side have been lasting a while. You ready?'

'Just finished up. Let's go! Gary should be getting on the field soon!'

-o-

Gary hummed a tune gramps' chancy sang to him and Nidoqueen to keep them both calm. Was that only two months ago? When the doors opened he could hear the announcer say his name. The crowd cheered in a roar that shook the tunnel. Gary walked out and absently saw himself on the stadium screen. He waved in what he figured was the general direction of the camera. The crowd responded in kind. Gary allowed himself a relaxed smirk. The last day as a trainer. He looked around him at the crowd. The stadium was full and the field was large and covered in tall sea green grass. His shoes were just short enough to be covered completely by the thousand blades of grass. He could not ask for a better send off.

Gary smelled the air of the field. Being inside a stadium didn't deter from the feeling of being out doors in the wilderness. 'I'll miss this.'

'Miss what?'

Gary gave his opponent a serene smile. A girl a year or so older than him greeted his smile with a single wave of her hand. 'I'll tell you after the match. Good luck out there Ana.'

Ana brushed her violet hair out of her eyes. She gave him an uninterested look. 'Then I'm sorry in advanced Gary, I'm only here to blow off some steam.' Ana walked to her corner.

Gary walked to his corner with a glance over his shoulder at the older girl. A pokeball was already in his hand. A plan had already formed in his head. Ana was not just a seeded player. She was the seeded player. The number one person expected to win the tournament. And he was forced to fight her with out seeing what she could do. He had no idea what to expect. So it was better to start with his most reliable pokemon.

'Blastoise, lets go!' A little quieter to himself he laughed out, 'Today is our finals boys. Let's make it count.'

Across the field, a ball of light hit the ground with a soft thud. A large snorlax stood up and roared lazily while it stretched. It eyed the blastoise before it gave a grunt and rest into a fighting stance.

-o-

Ash gave an 'oh' sound at the size of the snorlax before turning to Misty. 'I didn't think they could get that big.' He pointed at it eagerly.

Misty nodded. She leaned forward off the wall to get a better look over the ledge of the balcony. 'It definitely looks larger than yours. And your snorlax is large already.'

Ash noted the differences between his pokemon and Ana's. Her snorlax's body mass was more evenly distributed giving the pokemon a rounded ball shape appearance where his had been swimming for years. Ash's snorlax had a body that seemed to be more like two balls connected at the middle with thick thigh's and wide chest and shoulders.

'Come on Gary.'

Ash looked at Misty. Her gaze watched on as Gary called his first attack. 'He'll be fine Misty.'

-o-

'Blastoise, hydropump!' Blastoise mouth opened and launched a torrent of water at Snorlax.

The snorlax instantly responded with a deep breath that burst into a beam of radiant light. The hyperbeam met the hydropump in the middle of the field. Water evaporated from the heat in a steam cloud as the two attacks fought for control.

Gary was about to change tactics when the Snorlax suddenly cut his attack off. The hydropump blasted into the bigger pokemon's chest. Dirt sloshed into a slurry around Snorlax feet as he welcomed the move with open arms. The water pushed him back a few feet before he pounded a single foot into the earth to anchor himself. When the attack ended Snorlax started to charge ahead to Blastoise, a fist full of energy ready for the next attack.

'Blastoise, skull bash. We have control of the field. Keep it that way.'

Gary looked at Ana. A fist attack wouldn't do much to a ranged fight, nor to Blastoise' hard shell. He held back a confused gaze as she looked blankly into the air. He had expected to see her intently looking at her pokemon or his, but she seemed to have zoned out of the fight. Just as quickly as he noticed, she refocused and looked at him in surprise. Gary filed that away and looked at the field.

Blastoise charged the Snorlax and the two met where the dry ground met the muddy earth. The impact between the pokemon sent a small shockwave across the field that was instantly drowned out by cheers. Snorlax was only pushed back a step not the least bit bothered by the unstable footing and his fist flew back in the air, parrying the skullbash into his stomach. Blastoise shook his head from the impact and tried to look up to see what Snorlax would do next. But he heard an urgent call behind him.

'Withdraw! That's a bide!'

Blastoise barely had the wherewith-all to pull his body into his shell before another shockwave hit his shell and thrust him across the field. The shell chiped chunks of hard earth as it flew and and rolled heavily before it slowed to a stop near his trainers box. 'You ok Blastoise?'

Blastoise's legs and arms popped out and he gingerly rolled off his back with a grunt. Gary looked up and swore to himself. The snorlax had started a rest to recover the damage.

Across the field, Ana's slight smile had faded and her face was serious as she surveyed the Blastoise's damage. She looked to her pokemon and on cue, Snorlax woke up and gripped his paws. His strength returned and he exhaled a, 'Lax.' at the Blastoise.

Gary looked over what just happened with Ana and knew what was bothering him. The moves were practiced and he could have chalked it up to well rehearsed attack pattern until he saw the quick response and counter attack with the bide. It was an opening even experienced trainers would miss and most pokemon were not trained to look for those kinds of openings. Which meant that this pokemon wasn't fighting on his own. He was getting directions even when Ana was not calling them.

He laughed to himself while thinking of Ash. 'I guess it's not the same, but its close enough for me.' Louder to his Blastoise he ordered, 'Skullbash him across the mud. Keep him cornered. If we can ring out that would be a bonus.'

Mud splashed against Blastoise's shell as he made contact with the massive body. It started slow but Blastoise was able to start to move the snorlax. Just as Blastoise began to get some real momentum Gary muttered, 'Of course not.'

Snorlax kept his balance through the push until the last possible moment before he broke the grip with his head and used another bide that shook the earth. Again Gary noticed Ana had an unfocused look but now noted her lips move slightly as if she was talking to her self.

-o-

Ash watched the fight attentively. 'Her name is Ana?'

Misty snapped out of her trance while she stared at the fight and looked at the schedule. 'Yeah…' She was distracted at the sudden attack Gary called before the air shook again from the exchange. 'Third year trainer. She was never contracted for work and suddenly appeared in the tournament. There were no demerits on record. So she's probably just been shuffled around like the other Kanto's trainers.'

A fifth shockwave vibrated the stands when blastoise' hydro pump slammed Ana's Snorlax into the ground.

-o-

'Blastoise hydropump your self forward.' Blastoise ran across the muddied field before he jumped and pulled all of his limbs into his shell. Water spouted in a hydropump from the gaps in his shell to thrust him forward. Blastoise was already familiar with this tactic. The shell projectile shook Ana's pokemon with a thud. Snorlax stumbled before he caught his footing on the slick mud.

'Slam!' Blastoise let his his limbs out of his shell and gripped Snorlax by the head. The crack was accompanied with a splash as a wave of mud parted from the impact.

Gary relaxed slightly. He looked at the downed Snorlax. The pokemon's chest rumbled as it struggled to move. Gary was confident that the move happened too fast for Snorlax to bide. 'Finish it up with another slam.' Blastoise grunted in response and moved to grab Snorlax' shoulders.

Bright energy surrounded Snorlax before he grabbed Blastoise's hands. It quickly faded as a dark shadow enveloped Ana's pokemon. Blastoise saw the Snorlax struggle to lift his head. Seconds drew out as the two fought for dominance. The snorlax screamed its name in victory as it pushed the attack through. Snorlax legs buckled before he threw his weight forward. A light spouted from Snorlax's mouth and launched Blastoise into the air. Gary's pokemon hit the ground hard and laid still. It was clearly knocked out.

'Winner, Snorlax. Your next pokemon!'

Gary recalled his blastoise and nodded at what he saw so far. That was a fifth move and Gary was ill prepared for it. He looked at Ana. Her quiet solemn look showed a smoldering anger that he was not sure was directed at him. She noticed him staring and turned away to spit on the ground.

He gently squeezed Blastoise' ball. 'You did good. We were not prepared for that last move. You gave us your all. And it may have given me an idea how she fights.'

Bide, rest, solar beam, hyper beam and curse… Gary put away the ball and pulled out another one. Half of the field was covered in mud and chunks of upturned rocks. This pokemon needs to be taken out now. But still, five moves is crazy. Gary looked at Ana from across the field. Most trainers… even professionals keep it a minimum of three to four for a reason. Too many moves start the same way. Especially the elemental ones. Trainers need to drill those attacks constantly to keep them potent. But there was another reason…

'Show them what you are made of, Charizard. Full throttle at the call.' Gary shouted. Gary watched Ana rather than her Snorlax. Charizard already knew what he needed to do, but to test his idea Gary mentally thought, Fire Blast.

'Fight!'

Charizard barely tilted his head as the blast of energy erupted from his mouth. Gary was pleased to see both Snorlax and Ana had reacted in surprise. He did not even hear what she called. He was just relieved. She's not reading my mind.

Ana screamed aloud the first words she said all match. 'Dodge it!' Snorlax was too slow for the attack and only had a moment to open its eyes as the massive build up and release of energy engulfed him. The whirl of fire wrapped around snorlax and the water at his feet flash dried. Clumps of burnt earth crumpled under the pokemon's feet. A single attempt was made to move aside before Snorlax fell unconscious.

Gary nodded at the results. He glanced at both pokemon. He had to thank Ash for that. Ash always had that mantra about energy. It clued him in on how elemental attacks become just energy after it is refined enough. Devoting a pokemon to new types of energy makes them more and more susceptible to their counters. Quietly to himself he muttered, 'I was lucky. By messing with elemental energy, even if its just slightly, he started to become weak to fire type energy.'

'Winner, Charizard. Choose your next pokemon!' The crowd vibrated the air with their cheers.

Ana recalled her pokemon and looked at it. She exhaled before her brow twitched. She nodded silently to her self before she gave a self mocking laugh. 'That surprised me. Go my friend...'

Gary watched her as she trailed off. The new pokemon was one he had never seen before. He clicked open his pokedex and was rewarded with static. 'A foreigner?'

The four legged pokemon dug its claws deep into the ground and groaned out a metallic roar. Gary took in all the information he could see. The steel shine of the pokemon had the same shine many experienced onix showed. Did that make it an earth or rock type?

'Trainers! Fight!' The referee shouted with a downward wave of a flag in his hand.

'Charizard, get in the air. We need more information. Wing attack, in and out.'

Ana's pokemon tracked charizard in the air and suddenly collapsed its legs into its body. The metal shine brightened before fading away. It patiently waited for the wing attack. Gary watched the defense curl like move and waited. Charizard hit the shiny pokemon with a loud thud. Charizard roared in pain as it took to fly off again. It's wing was hurt from the recoil against the unknown pokemon's body. Charizards' ascent was slow. Ana's pokemon saw the opening before it took to launch a beam of rainbow energy.

'Charizard on your six. Roll and stay on the ground.' Charizard rolled quickly but grunted in pain again just as the unknown pokemon accurately pinged his damaged left wing again. Charizard landed hard on the ground. He quickly stood up but his wing was huddle close to his body. 'Charizard return.' Gary unfastened a second ball and threw a swap out.

'Espeon Psychic.' Espeon burst forward as soon as she was clear of the red light. Espeon locked in on the unknown pokemons' eyes and focused energy in a blast to its mind. The ping of energy echoed off the metal pokemon. It staggered on its four legs but turned to glare at Espeon.

'Quick attack to move! Stop only to ping him.'

Espeon tucked under her hind legs before she burst forward. Three long leaps and she found a perch on the uprooted dirt. The ping that followed made her move again. She looked around the field before she found another spot and ping the strange pokemon again. She had no idea if her attacks were working. She felt nothing when she threw her attacks at the pokemon. Espeon exhaled to conserve stamina when she saw no feedback from the other pokemon. She could not do this for much longer and Gary knew it. But this attack pattern was one of their reliable ones.

Espeon panted hard as the time wore on. Eventually she had to slide to a stop. She did one more psychic attack and the unknown pokemon staggered and swayed on its feet. Gary was about to swap out again during the stagger when the unknown pokemon released a roar that shook the air. The yell seemed more for it to refocus itself rather than to attack Espeon. Garys' pokemon looked up at it only to realize the strange pokemon cast a shadow over her. It stood on it's hind legs and brought down its left fore-leg in a fire encased attack.

Espeon held her breath as she pushed her body to dodge it once. The unknown pokemon gave Gary no time to recall her as it zipped in front of Espeon one more time before it landed a single downward strike. The fire exploded around Espeon in a flash before the wind cleared. Ana's pokemon immediately backed off and the referee called, 'Espeon is knocked out! Metagross is the winner!'

Gary snapped his head over to the name of the pokemon. Espeon was secured back in her pokeball and Gary smiled at her. 'You did your best.' Gary pulled out his remaining pokemon. Charizard growled at the metagross. It vibrated back at the injured charizard.

The referee lowered his flag to resume the match.

'Fire blast!' Gary ordered.

The flames burned the ground in a trail towards the metagross.

A flash of light made a sheen sound around the metagross just as the fire engulfed him. The metallic pokemon spun on its four legs to quickly shrink the gap between itself and Charizard. The flames left scorch marks across its body but like with so many other attacks, it was hard to judge if it was effective. Gary had no idea if it was effective but shouted. 'Stop its forelegs when they rise. That's our only tell its about to use that attack again!' He did not know what kind of attack it was, but after seeing it twice against Espeon he knew it would be dangerous.

The metagross vibrated in a hum as its front legs rose into the air.. The size of the metagross belied the speed as the unknown attack slammed against Charizards shoulders before the fire pokemon could fully try and intercept the attack. Charizard crumbled into the ground to reveal its exposed wings and shoulders. Gary nearly flinched at the groan his partner made as fire encased him. Charizard tried to move and was instantly met a hum as metagross lifted its legs again and slammed them down a final time.

Gary silently pulled out Charizard's pokeball. The crowd was just static noise now as he leapt off the trainer's stand and walked to his down pokemon. Charizard still was breathing with strung lungs. He simply just took too much damage to his back. Garys' partner blinked slowly as it felt his trainers presence and cool hand rest gently on his head. 'You did great out there. Our biggest hurdle was information. And we did the best we could to cope with the disadvantage. Rest well buddy.' Charizard felt the comfort of Gary's hand trace down his head to his snout before he turned into a stream of red energy. Gary still knelt on the ground now thinking about another problem. He scratched his head and nearly groaned in frustration.

The young Oak looked up to Ana who still had an unreadable look on her face. He started walking up to the center and was curious if she would meet him. It was never required for the competitors to shake hands after a fight, but he was hoping she would be willing to come down for a moment. The smile on his face made her curious. Ana reluctantly rolled her eyes before she jumped down to meet him.

'Thanks for the match Ana. It was a good one to leave it on.' Gary shook her hand before they both turned to the audience and waved to the applause of the crowd.

Gary peaked her interest when she finally asked, 'Leave it on?'

'My last day as a trainer.'

Ana let her mouth opened in a 'o'. The pair turned back to each other.

'I learned quite a few things from you. So thanks. Unfortunately I got a job that will take me out of the country for a very long time. So I wanted to speak to you before I left.'

'Ok Gary you got me curious.' Ana gave him an exasperated look. It seemed she really did not want to be here. Then why come at all?

Gary bit the question on his tongue and instead asked, 'If you win, are you going to the plateau?'

Ana wanted to snort at the if part. 'I had not originally. Why?'

Gary laughed. 'I got a friend named Ash. If you go, will you look after him for me? He's a really good trainer but if he's not careful he may get pulled into something he doesn't like.'

Ana started laughing. 'Like what? Kanto Security?' She asked ruefully.

Gary widened his eyes. 'Exactly. He's a free spirit. But he also will just go with the flow. I worry.'

Ana stared at him. It seemed she was still judging him. It took only a second for her to relent what ever she was thinking. 'Ok. I'll look after him. It won't be that hard of a job.'

Gary looked up to the sky, 'Hopefully. Besides, you'll like him. He kinda fights like you. Minus the psychic stuff.'

Ana let out a single laugh from her chest. 'I wondered if you figured it out. You tried to adjust quickly. Alright Gary. Good luck where ever you go. And I am sorry about my attitude.'

Gary nodded as he checked his pokemon and started to walk away. 'You already said sorry at the start of the match. I don't mind. Later Ana.'

Ana started to turn away to walk out her gate. She paused and looked at Gary across the field, 'Hey Gary! Did you kno- never mind.' He seemed to not have heard her any way as he exited the gate. 'There was no way you could have. Later Gary. I'll watch over this Ash for you.'

-o-

Gary found Misty and Ash waiting for him just inside the gate.

'That was a good match Gary.' Misty said as she reached and hugged him.

Gary gave a groan at his own failure in the match. 'I almost wish it was a four versus four just to see if I could have learned more. But then, there was no guarantee she would have had other pokemon I did not know about. Well, thinking like that is an excuse. I did my best to figure things out during the match but could not find the answers.'

Ash slapped him on the back. 'That's the spirit. Let's go have our party when Melody is done! You still haven't met her since you skipped out last time. You're going no where now!' Ash grabbed his friend by the arm.

'Ash, let me drop my pokemon on first!' Misty smiled a half step behind them. She looked over her shoulder and found Gary's last opponent leaning against a wall. A frown and furrowed brow were plastered over her face as someone was talking to her. Misty shook her head and walked after her friends. Maybe it was best not to get involved with the other girl given that look.

-o-

Ana glared at her friend. Carrie gave Ana her best disarming smile. 'You had fun then?' There was nearly a hopeful tone in the question.

Ana just sighed and closed her eyes. 'You were right. I was acting awful.' Ana crossed her arms. Carrie cheered before she gave her friend a hug.

'I know you are disappointed about the chance for the Battle Frontier to close before it even got off the ground. But your new job is important.'

Ana scowled. 'I know it is, I just wish they gave me an option instead of...' Ana just scowled and started to storm off.

Carrie followed after her. 'You know the draft was important. And who knows? Maybe you can try again in a few years after things settle down. The others seemed perfectly happy to wait.'

That did drain the heat out of Ana's baleful glare. 'Right right, I know.' Ana slowed as the pair walked outside. Her match was a good one. That Gary kid did not waste any time trying to find ways to counter her. And if his friend was anything like that maybe she could get a few good matches in before that life closes off forever. 'I think I've been convinced to try the Plateau to recruit people.'

'Anabel! That's great!'

Ana just shook her head. It took her a moment to push Carrie off when her friend made to try and hug her. 'Just stop Carrie. Anabel was a fun cutesy name for the trainers I would have fought as a frontier brain. I can't be taken seriously as the leader of Kanto Home Security with that a name like that.' Ana felt her voice dip as she walked to the waiting room for her next match. Her scowl was firmly back in place. 'It's just Ana now.'

-o-

The morning sun rose and was greeted by Ash, Misty and Gary sitting in the empty stadium. They had snuck in early to look at it one more time before Gary left in a few hours. The three had chatted early in the morning while Gary had packed. It was only in consideration for the neighbors that they left the hotel to be as loud as they wanted. But Ash noticed quickly that as the sun fully rose over the mountains Gary had talked less.

The closer the clock ticked for Gary to depart the more it seemed to have hit him how much he would miss his friends. He never really spoke to them that often while on the road. Just the ability to be able to call was enough to not worry. Traveling to another country made it more final. He would not be able to talk or see them for a long time.

'Just two hours to go. Anything else you want to do?' Ash spurred on heedless of the mood. The three looked on as workers started to come in and treat the field for the matches that would start around noon for the final four.

Gary tilted his head to Ash. 'Nothing comes to mind. Early breakfast and I guess I should go to the hotel lobby to meet them.' Gary looked at the field one more time. It would have been nice to fight here but Ana would have beaten him regardless if he had a job offer or not. He let the thoughts go when he saw Ash stare at the arena.

Gary shared a look with Misty that caused them both to smile. Ash was especially up beat about the bouts today. Melody made it to the top four. If she can win one match, she would have the option to go on to the Plateau.

The remaining hours ended as fast as Gary expected. He held Misty tight for a brief moment before he let go and looked to Ash. He extended his arms out and Ash happily gave his friend a hug. 'Take care Ash. Don't sign up for anything I wouldn't.' Gary silently hoped that Ana would follow through with his request.

'We'll keep in touch through letters. Take care Gary.'

Misty bounced on her feet for a moment before she leaned forward one more time to kiss him on the cheek. 'You stay out of trouble mister.'

Gary grinned. He did his best to not make him look like a dork. But he was pretty sure he had failed judging by the looks of Professor Birch and Professor Ivy. 'Good luck on your fights at the Plateau Ash.'

Ash and Misty watched the two professors guide Gary out the door. 'I'm going to miss him.' Ash lamented.

Misty gave a nearly inaudible, 'Me too.' She closed her eyes for a moment and fanned her eyes with her hands. 'Sorry Ash. I'll be right back. Then we can head out to the stadium.'

Ash watched her as her eyes were slightly red, 'I'll just meet you there. Pikachu, why don't you follow her now?' Pikachu popped out of the furniture it had buried itself in and chirped at him before the yellow mouse followed after Misty.

Ash sighed. He had no idea what to do about any of this and just hopped the unpleasant feeling in his stomach would pass soon.

-o-

Ash leaned against the railing one last time. His grin would not go away. Someone else he knew was going to the Plateau! Below him he spotted the interviews running around the top three. The girl that beat Gary had won by nearly no contest. Her hardest match appeared to be the one against Gary. That made Ash feel good. He hoped he could let Gary know soon.

Ash looked over to Melody who placed third. She lost her first match but was able to get a second chance to fight for the third slot. She was the only one of the final four that did not fight Ana. Ash shook that thought off. No one seemed to be able to counter that Metagross. But that seemed unfair to say. Her Snorlax was just as strong and her fighting style left the other trainers with no way to counter when they could only react.

Ash looked at the second place. He was the only boy of the group. A nest of brown hair bounced to and fro in excitement as he answered the questions by the interviewer. Ash looked up at the board at the name. Howard. Apparently he was just as old as Ana was but kept slowly going from town to town to get badges. He certainly seemed like an odd duck of the group.

Ash stood by and waited for everyone to file out of the stadium before he was finally able to turn in his vest and badge. 'Good job Leaves.' He said while he knelt to pat his blulbasaur. He recalled her and started walking out of the building. Misty had gone ahead to meet their friends at a resturant they had not been to yet.

Misty waved him to their table when he walked in. It was a seafood place. Ash kinda wrinkled his nose at the smell but shrugged to himself. Ko and Jana were telling Misty a story that did not look like it pleased Melody.

'Congratulations Melody.' Ash offered as he took a seat next to Misty.

Melody seemed dazed and excited. 'Thanks Ash!' She spotted the TV at the restaurants' lounge and waved at the waitress. 'Oh! Can we turn that up?'

The waitress looked to the TV and saw Melody's face smiling back equal parts scared and happy. The woman smiled and turned up the volume for them. 'Sh! I'm on TV.'

The group snickered as Melody seemed enamored with herself.

'-congratulations on the placement for the Indigo Plateau. What do you say for the high drop out rate for the first rounds?'

Melody on the screen looked embarrassed as she said, 'Thank goodness its not going to be televised. I just wanted to do it once before I move onto another league. I got a few more tournaments I want to do before I settle down on something.'

The interview thanked Melody and moved to the winner of the tournament. Ana stood calmly and waited for the questions to run their course. Ash watched the exchange. His curiosity made him think about the girl and her pokemon. He would have to go look up the pokemon and where it came from. It probably wasn't her only foreigner.

'And congratulations on your win, one final question if I may?'

Ana nodded and forced the amusement out of her voice as she answered, 'Yes?'

'What are your goals for the Indigo Plateau?'

Ana actually smiled as she looked at the camera. 'I had planned to start recruitment for a job during the tournament. But Gary Oak also asked me to look out for a kohai in the Plateau. I'll just wait and see how far he can go.'

Ash and Misty just stared at the television for a second and shared a nearly identical sigh. 'Damn it Gary.' Ash muttered to himself.

A/N: Side arc done! Totally didn't expect this to turn into its own thing. This was one of those chapters I could nick pick forever without posting it. Hence the long delay. And longer than I would have thought. I been working on this chapter for the better half of a year.