Chapter 12

Gary stepped forward, between Ash and Scott. "I am not sure what you are talking about and I don't care. Three Champions and two Rangers, along with todays Ribbon winner, standing around in public is going to attract a lot of attention. We should find somewhere less public to have this discussion."

The shorter man, his loud floral shirt and sunglasses also drawing some attention, nodded. "You are right young Mister Oak. There must be a restaurant with a backroom around here somewhere."

"There is one next to the Pokémon Center." Solana said, "I am not sure it will be available after the Contest, but it would be worth a shot."

Scott nodded in agreement, gesturing for his guests and the teens to follow him. As they walked behind the man, Dawn slid in next to Ash as they walked through the town. Before she could speak, Ash murmured, "Sorry about this. You won your first Ribbon and tonight should be about you. I don't know what is going on, but I am sorry."

"No need to worry, I can tell you didn't plan this. It seems like Solana maybe knew general information but not specifics. Anyway, what do you think they want? Who are these people?"

"The man leading is Scott, he is, well, I guess the best way to describe him is a connector of talent and challenges. He brings interesting groups together to create interest. The man in the big hat is a Ranger Captain, I don't know anything more than that. The other three are the Champions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh."

"Three Champions for four Regions?"

"Currently Kanto and Johto are both under Lance. As for what they want? Well, Scot has been trying to get me to be more than a normal Trainer. Before I came to Sinnoh, he tried to get me to be a Frontier Brain or a Pokémon Ranger. I skipped out and came here instead. It looks like this time he wants to ensure my future somehow."

Dawn looked at him, her shoulders drooping. "Do you think you will leave with them?"

"No need to worry. I will stay with you until at least your first Grand Festival. I promised to help you train and I will keep my promise."

"Thank you," Dawn sighed, straightening up.

Ash grinned at her. "You did a great job today. I really enjoyed your Appeal. Your battles were a bit rough, but that is a matter of experience and knowing what commands to give your Pokémon at what time. For the time you have been a Coordinator, I am really seeing your potential. I am proud of you."

Dawn ducked her head, cheeks turning rosy, and her arms clasped behind her back.

Gary spoke up from her other side. "I agree with Ash. You have talent and potential. We could see the steps you have already made today. We look forward to helping you get even better."

Dawn shot Gary a quick glare before looking both boys in the eyes with a smile. "Thank you, you are both helping a lot and I am very thankful."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The large group soon made its way through the town and into a private room at the restaurant. Scott sat in the middle of the table, the Champions and Ranger Captain ending up flanking him as the younger teens clustered together with Solana off to the side.

After ordering, the group engaged in some light small talk about the weather and similar topics. Soon enough, the waitress brought their food. When she left, the Ranger Captain spoke up. "Ash, my name is David and I have been a Pokémon Ranger for almost a decade. Recently I was promoted to Captain over southern Sinnoh. Solana has had nothing but praise for your abilities to train Pokémon and to understand difficult situations quickly."

He paused. "If you ever are interested, there will be a place for you in the Rangers. However, from what Solana has mentioned and with confirmation with Scott, it is more likely that we would be calling on your help than the other way around. You routinely face and beat Legendary Pokémon, we do not. In fact, it is rare for Rangers to even see a Legendary Pokémon. You were able to almost single handedly take out a Team Galactic Camp. No Ranger has that capability. With your skill in capturing and training Pokémon, there are better fits for you than the Rangers."

Ash nodded as he looked at Scott. "Solana mentioned a bit of this. What changed? I left Kanto less than two months ago and you were highly interested in my services. Now I hear almost essentially same story from two Rangers."

Solana leaned forward. "Two things. One, I traveled with you and sent back a couple of reports. I am happy to share them with you if you would like. But we knew you were a good training, but what I saw directly was the difference between a routine League participant and someone approaching a much higher rank. Second, we got confirmation of your dealings with Legendaries. Command watched your battle with Nolan and were extremely impressed. Your ability is necessary and frankly beyond the scope of our duties."

"Fine," Gary cut her off. "It seems like you made the offer before doing your due diligence. It doesn't matter. Scott, what are three Champions doing here?"

Scott grinned, noticing the Ranger Captain not even raising an eyebrow at the young man's somewhat caustic statement. "Well, I got talking to Lance after you left and he mentioned he is still the Champion of two Regions, which is a big job."

He paused, glancing at Steven who was toying with a stone of some kind. "Especially when he goes to help other Regions as well. So he asked me to help him find another Champion. Since, I built the Battle Frontier in Kanto and was getting another one started in Sinnoh, he thought I would have the contacts. He, of course, is right."

Lance rolled his eyes at Scott as he cut into the conversation. "Scott insisted you were perfect for the role. Your accomplishments suggest he is not wrong, but I for one am worried about your age."

"So, I got in touch with Steven and Cynthia. They agreed to help test my candidate. Ash, are you ready for the biggest test of your life?" Scott asked, almost bouncing in his seat.

"A couple of things," Ash said. "First, why is this not occurring after the Lily of the Valley Conference? Second, and perhaps more importantly, I thought I said I wanted to travel a bit more before taking a job. Did I forget to tell you that?"

"You told me. I am just ignoring you!" Scott replied with a chuckle. "As for why we are testing you now, well, because the job offer will have several contingencies. Including that you win the Lily of the Valley Conference."

Gary put his hand on Ash's shoulder, opposite of where Pikachu was holding on. "Remember, we can always call home to get advice."

"What is the test?"

"You get to face each Champion in a three-on-three matchup. We want to see how many Pokémon you have that are Elite level, so you do not get to use any of your Pokémon more than once. We will score you on your tactics, power, and decision making. If you show well, we will make a formal offer for you to take up the mantel of the Champion of Johto."

Ash leaned forward. "What if I don't show well?"

"Then no offer will be made." Steven said, still focusing on turning the uncut stone in his hand.

"Why should I take this challenge? I am turning 15 this year. There are definitely trainers who are older than me with more powerful Pokémon and worthy of being Campion. Even without that skill, I am still growing up. Traveling has been a big part of that. Why should I give up the ability to meet new Pokémon and to take on different Gyms?"

"You can accept or reject the offer when we make it. The reason to take the challenge is because you want to be the best. Every Pokémon Trainer does. This gives you chance to measure yourself and your growth. Are you on the right path? This will help you find out. Besides, I know you well enough to know you are already excited about the opportunity to battle three amazing Trainers." Scott explained.

Ash nodded before pointing at Lance. "Lance of the Dragon Tribe, his Pokémon include a Red Gyarados and several Dragonite. Steven Stone," Ash's finger moved, "focuses on Steel and Rock Type Pokémon including Aggron, Metagross, and Pokémon revived from Fossils."

Ash grinned at the suddenly interested Champions as his finger moved to Cynthia. "Despite being the youngest Champion, Cynthia has the most diverse set of Pokémon. Rumor suggests that her Garchomp is her most powerful Pokémon, but there are hints that the most dangerous is Spiritomb with Lucario offering quite a challenge."

Ash's grin fell as he let his hand drop back to the table. "Scott, I am good. I may even be Elite Four level. Tell me why I should measure myself? I know where I am in the process. Though one day I will be a Champion and I will be the best, that day is not today."

Scott stood up. "We will meet you behind the Pokémon Center tomorrow at Ten if you decide to take my challenge."

As he spoke, the three Champions got up and started to head out. "As for why you should take my challenge? Because I think you are better than you expect. Because I think the results will surprise you."

Scott paused, "I got the check. See you tomorrow."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ash stood in the middle of the training ground behind the Pokémon Center after dinner. Solana had excused herself to report to her boss, but Dawn and Gary had followed him.

Dawn interrupted Ash's meandering thoughts. "Ash, we are in no hurry to get to the next town. There is not another Contest for a couple of weeks and the next Gym is not going anywhere. If you want to take this challenge, I think there is no need to worry."

Ash nodded, but did not look over his shoulder at his friends.

Without looking, Ash knew Gary had a notebook out. His oldest friend spoke up. "You could win."

At that Ash did turn around. "What?"

"Lance is good, no doubt about that. As is Steven. But they are narrow. With both of them, you have Pokémon that match up really well. I mean, Glalie could have a field day against a Dragonite. If you could borrow Primeape, he would give any of Steven's Steel Types a run for their money. It would really only be Cynthia where you would have problems and that would be mostly in picking the right Pokémon." Gary said, shutting his notebook.

"Ash, look at it like this. If you win, you will have earned any offer you receive. If you become Champion, you can make your own rules to a degree. Travel all you want. Champions are not on call. Yes, they solve problems in their region. Most of the year, there is nothing for them to do."

Ash sat down and looked at Dawn. She offered a small smile. "I think you should do it. I would love to see you take on Trainers who are well known as extremely good. The only way it would be better is if I saw you take on Wallace."

Ash nodded. "I don't know if I am going to accept any offer that is given."

"That is fine. But, Ash, if you don't do this, you will regret it. And you know that."

"Then I guess I have some calls to make."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Off to the side of the training ground, Scott, Dawn, Gary, Solana, and David sat, watching as the three Champions talked. The clock ticked ever closer to ten and Ash had yet to arrive. Dawn turned to Scott. "Who is the referee going to be and what happens if Ash is late?"

"He won't be late, not if you all are here. As for the referee, well, I imposed upon the Champions to decide that. One Champion will fight, one will watch, and one will ref."

As he spoke, Ash ran around the corner of the building, Eevee and Aipom in front of him, Pikachu on his shoulder and Tauros trotting next to him.

Ash skidded into the challenger's box with a grin. He slung his jacket off, showing his belt with twelve Pokéballs on it. "Alright, I am ready!"

The three Champions looked at the excited teen with small grins, tolerating his actions. Lance nodded and stepped to the other box, while Steven moved to judge and Cynthia walked to the small stands.

"This is a three-on-three match with no substitutions and each Pokémon will face only one other Pokémon. The score will be determined by overall number of wins, losses, and draws. Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town against Champion Lance, begin!"

Ash grinned. These would be quick battles, all the Pokémon were strong enough to make a good hit devastating. With each Pokémon able to battle only once, the day would move along rapidly. "Alright, Muk, I choose you!"

A big purple blog of slime appeared in front of the Pallet Town Trainer while the Red Gyarados appeared in front of Lance. "I remember you helping catch this Gyarados, it will be interesting to see how you stand up to it now. Hydro Pump!"

"Skyfall Muk!"

The big purple Pokémon seemed to collapse into a puddle as the torrent of water shot through where it had been a moment before. Shots of gunk, Sludge and Sludge Bomb, started pelting across the battlefield. Gyarados, being a natural in the water, was stuck more or less in one place on land.

Waving from side to side, Gyarados sent another Hydro Pump to clean the slime from the field. Muk was already moving to close range. Lance's eyes shot wide as he saw Muk's grin. "Use Hyper Beam and get rid of that Muk!"

Gyarados started charging a ball of energy in it open mouth, almost ready to strike when lightning reached out from Ash's Muk. The Thunderbolt attack was not quite as powerful as Pikachu's but Gyarados started to steam. The Red Gyarados was no normal Gyarados, and Hyper Beam lanced out to blast Muk.

The energy expenditure was too much for Gyarados as it tilted and fell, while Muk was blasted beyond the other end of the field. Steven raised both of his arms. "Neither Pokémon is able to battle, this is a draw. Both trainers send out your next Pokémon."

"Good job Muk, I see I put you in a bad spot. I will do better next time." Ash said as he returned his Pokémon.

"I can see I am going to have to try a bit harder. Well then, Ash, let's see how you fair against one of my Dragonite."

The tall yellowish-gold Pokémon floated in front of him. Ash nodded and sent out Glalie, the ice-ball looking Pokémon with horns. "Frost Warning!"

Glalie immediately used Icy Wind, it was not the most powerful Ice type attack but it definitely brought the chill. Or it would have, except a powerful Flamethrower burst through the air slicing just over the hovering Glalie.

The Ice Type rolled in the air before returning fire with an Ice Beam. Fighting through the attack, Dragonite charged forward with a Dragon Rush before firing a close range Flamethrower. Glalie sunk in the air, trying a Blizzard to keep the Kanto Pseudo - Legendary back. However, a third and final Flamethrower struck true, sending Glalie into the ground and unconscious.

"Glalie is unable to battle. Dragonite wins. Both trainers recall your Pokémon and send out your final fighter." Steven intoned in his best official referee voice.

"Dragonite return. Alright, Ash, I have heard good things about you. I am not going to let up. Dragonite go."

Another Dragonite appeared.

Ash recalled Glalie with an apology before grinning at Lance. "Charizard, Firestorm."

The vicious Fire Type from Kanto grinned.

Lance shook his head. "I am quite familiar with" he trailed off, blinking in the sudden smoke.

Flashes of red and purple fire and flashes of lighting lit up the smoke, the massive shapes clashing again and again. Suddenly the two shapes backed away. Charizard floating in front of Ash, grinning with flame curling around his teeth. Dragonite, looking like it had gone five rounds with a mountain. Charizard roared and launched a Dragon Rage attack. The blast of Dragon Fire was dogged by Dragonite, but Charizard's follow up of a swinging Dragon Tail was not. A Fire Blast ended the match.

"With Dragonite unable to battle, Charizard is the winner. Lance and Ash draw with one win each."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dawn turned to Gary as the match ended and the Champions moved for the next round. "Why didn't Glalie win?"

"I guess I gave Ash bad advice on that. Dawn, when you are a Trainer that focuses on one Type, you know that Types strengths and weaknesses. You have to have counters against super effective attacks. As Champion, Lance must have practiced a lot in that arena."

"What about Muk, why choose such a random Pokémon?"

"Muk has worked well with Ash in the past, they have won some difficult and important matches together. I am a bit surprised Ash didn't save Muk for any of the match against Cynthia. With Muk's ability to use Electric attacks, it was not a bad match for Gyarados."

Dawn nodded before looking over to Ash where he was kneeling next to Eevee, Aipom, and Pikachu, who with Tauros were watching the battle with great interest.

"Do you think Tauros will battle?"

"I never count anything out when Ash is involved. He can be a very surprising Trainer. If he does use Tauros, it would be later and Ash would have to have no good choices on his belt. At least, in my opinion."

Steven had taken his place as a combatant and Cynthia had taken her place as a referee. She was stating the rules again when Lance set next to Scott. Quietly the Kanto and Johto Champion murmured, "He is good. I am interested in how he does, but he will likely have my vote."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ash blinked, a Claydol? That was not one of the Pokémon he was expecting from the Hoenn Champion. Not that he was in trouble mind, but it was still surprising. He held the Pokéball tighter, did he play this card now? Ash grinned, thrill shooting up his spine. Why not, this was what being a trainer was all about.

"Sceptile, Cutting Speed!"

Sceptile, launching out of the Pokéball started running around the field, looking for an opening. Claydol, eyes ringing its head started sending Psybeams to interrupt the run of the Tree loving Pokémon.

The Grass-Type from Hoenn was quick though, using his speed to change directions and to inch ever closer. When Sceptile got close enough, he jumped and Leaf Blade slicing at Claydol. Then the chase began again.

Claydol started using a variety of Psychic energy attacks, none hitting the agile Sceptile and if they did none seemed to slow him down even when tossed back.

Steven spoke up. "Self Destruct."

Claydol began glowing, collecting energy as it prepared and a glint appeared in Ash's Sceptile's eye.

The blast radiated out, causing the wind to pick up even in the audiences eyes. When the smoke cleared, Sceptile stood proud over the defeated Claydol.

Cyntha called out. "Claydol is unable to battle, both trainers shall send out their next Pokémon."

"Detect?" Steven called out.

Ash grinned as he called Sceptile back. "That is right. Great Job Sceptile."

Ash tossed his fifth Pokéball in the air, sending out Heracross. The Bug and Fighting Type stretched its arms and wings, a glint in its eye as an Aggron appeared in front of Steven.

"Breakdown Heracross," Ash said.

Heracross flew forward to get close enough to strike. He started off with a Close Combat while Aggron used Metal Claw to slice at the offending attacker. A moment later, the two Trainers could do nothing but watch as the Pokémon brawled in the middle of the field.

Steven was smiling slightly, the same rock from the other day grasped loosely in his hand. Aggron was taking some serious punishment. Ash was definitely something.

Eventually, the two Pokémon connected at the same time with vicious punches. The eager combatants fell flat on their back.

"Hera Hera Cross."

"Goon Agg gron."

Both Pokémon raised and arm before letting it fall.

"Neither Pokémon are able to battle, this contest is a draw. Trainers send out your final Pokémon."

"Heracross, great job, you almost had him. Alright Torkoal, it is up to you now!"

"Kooaaall!" The Fire Type from Hoenn called.

"Metagross."

The four legged metal behemoth stood across from Ash and his Torkoal. The blue metal off set the silver pieces which gleamed in the sun.

"Metagross, start with Bullet Punch."

The gleaming claws of the large Steel Type disappeared from view as Metagross approached Torkoal. As soon as Metagross was in range, quicker than Ash would have thought, the punches started.

"Defend and Send Back!" Ash called out.

Torkoal nodded before Withdrawing into his shell. White smoke started to pour out.

Steven was in no mood to go without a victory though. "Psychic, then Meteor Mash."

Metagross' red eyes glowed blue as Torkoal was lifted into the air and positioned just right. Ash winced knowing the attack hurt even when used in an unconventional way. The strike from Meteor Mash was vicious sending Torkoal into the ground and rolling away.

"Torkoal, are you okay?"

Torkoal came out of his shell, wincing and grimacing. Suddenly, the little Fire Type sent out white hot flame in an Overheat striking a Metagross caught staring at the enduring Pokémon.

When the powerful fire attack petered out, a lightly singed Metagross sent a Hyper Beam directly back down the line. This time when Torkoal rolled to a stop, he was unconscious.

"Torkoal is unable to battle. This brings a conclusion to the second match, again in a draw." Cynthia stated.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dawn blinked. "Even with Torkoal being beat really bad, Ash is doing amazing, isn't he?"

"Hard to tell. Some of these are just bad matchups one way or another. I mean there probably isn't a good match for that Metagross, except for perhaps Charizard." Gary muttered, "Except, this is not a standard challenge. Normally when facing a Champion it goes by League rules, your Pokémon can be substituted and the Trainer with the last Pokémon standing wins."

Dawn nodded slowly, trying to get Gary to finish explaining himself. Gary continued, "Charizard may have been able to take the other Dragonite on, his is extremely talented and we don't know what damage Glalie was able to inflict. But Sceptile generally causes light damage. With a high defense and a dangerous attack, Metagross would probably win. In the abstract, with standard rules, Ash may beat Lance while losing to Steven."

Dawn nodded, "And Cynthia is supposed to be the hardest to deal with."

"But Pikachu has not fought yet. It will be interesting to see."

Steven sat down next to Scott, Cynthia already taking her place as a competitor and Lance as referee. "He needs polish. Heracross should have beat Aggron, but by letting them brawl it made them even. In a normal match, Sceptile would push Metagross to the edge after that Overheat. I think I would still win, but it would be uncomfortably close. He needs a few more years."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ash was no longer grinning. He was smiling in pure joy, Gary had been right. This would have been a mistake not to do. And he thought he had a counter for Spiritomb, just standing right behind him.

Lance finished rattling off the rules and Cynthia sent out her Milotic. Ash blinked, before chuckling. Pikachu would not be happy, he had wanted to face Garchomp. Still, it was too perfect not to do.

"Evaporate, Pikachu!"

Pikachu's eyes narrowed and ears fell back, glaring at Ash for a second. Then the small Electric type darted out onto the field, cheeks sparking.

As Lance's hand dropped to start the match, Pikachu continued to charge. Sparks started to surround the small Pokémon. Milotic, on Cynthia's command, shot out Water Pulse and Hydro Pump to keep the distance as much as possible. Yet Pikachu vanished, his speed so great that Milotic was struck on one side and then another. Pikachu's Volt Tackle left Milotic shaking in pain. Suddenly, Pikachu appeared in front of Milotic and a Thunderbolt lanced out striking the beautiful Water Type in its face.

"Milotic is unable to battle. Next battle."

Pikachu ran back to his Trainer's box. "Pika . . ."

"I know, but I thought she would lead off with Spritomb. Besides, watch this, it is Snorlax's turn."

The large Normal Type Pokémon appeared in a flash of white light to face off against Cynthia's Lucario.

Pikachu shook his head, poor Lucario.

"Force Palm, Lucario!"

The Steel and Fighting Type rolled its shoulders before racing forward.

"Body Slam, Snorlax." Ash commanded, for the first time in the three matches.

Lucario's Force Palm struck Snorlax's belly, pushing in fairly well. Normally when hit like this, a Pokémon would fly back. Snorlax just fell forward. It was the laziest way of doing a Body Slam.

Trapped underneath, Lucario used multiple Force Palms to shift Snorlax enough to get back to his feet.

"Snorlax, Devastate."

The giant Normal Type stood up, before sighing. "Lax."

Lucario and Cynthia waited a moment. "Rest?"

Ash nodded.

"Aura Sphere and then take him out!"

Lucario leapt back a little bit to get solid footing when Snorlax took one heavy step forward. The entire field reverberated with the Earthquake, sending Lucario to its knees. Struggling to get up, Lucario threw the Aura Sphere. The Fighting Type attack struck home, but a Blizzard sent the other way caused Lucario to leap back instead of forward.

The chill in the air caused Lucario to move forward tenatively. When close enough for another Force Palm, a Focus Punch landed first.

Lucario shook the strike off before going into Close Combat. Snorlax groaned, having been woken up. And Snorlax never wakes up in a good mood. A Hyper Beam lashed out, sending Lucario sprawling.

"Lucario is unable to battle, Snorlax is the victor. Last battle." Lance said.

"Great job Snorlax, you can take a nap. Go, Quilava."

"Garchomp."

The blue and red Dragon roared before Digging into the ground. Quilava shook her head before letting her back ignite.

"Quilava, Flame On!"

Darting forward, the Fire Type from Johto raced to the hole Garchomp had created before sending a torrent of flame into it.

Unfortunately for Quilava, Garchomp appeared directly under her at that moment. The end of the Dig attack coincided with a Dragon Rage.

Quilava turned around in mid-air to spit a Fire Blast at the Dragon. Shaking off the fire, Garchomp charged forward in a Dragon Rush. Quilava, not quite having landed, tumbled across the field. Standing shakily, Quilava turned to face Cynthia's strongest when she was struck with a Dragon Claw.

A last ditch Flamethrower was split by a Dragon Rage, sending Quilava out cold.

Cynthia caught Scotts eyes and gave a shallow nod to the organizer of the day.

"Quilava is unable to battle. Ash wins, with two victories to one."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dawn raced down the steps to give Ash a big hug. "You are amazing!"

"Thanks Dawn, it was a lot of fun."

Gary grinned, "Do you know how you did?"

Ash shook his head. "It was too intense, too fun to really pay attention to that detail."

"You came out on top overall with four wins, three losses, and two draws."

"It was Milotic, wasn't it? That choice pushed me over the edge? If Cynthia had used a different Pokémon . . ." Ash trailed off.

"But she didn't and you capitalized," Scott said. "We will talk among ourselves this afternoon, but you were quite impressive in my opinion."

Ash nodded, pulling his jacket back on after Dawn let him go from the hug. "Send the offer to Professor Oak. I will check in with him when I get to the next town. For now, I want to send a few Pokémon home before we get back on the road."

"Of course, good luck with your Gym Challenges Ash."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

That night Ash stepped away to look at the stars. Solana was still traveling with them for the time being, something about her next mission being in the same direction. They had made camp on the very outskirts of Eterna Forest. It would be another day or so before really getting into the wild woods, at least that is what Ash guess based on his experience with other forests.

Pikachu clung to one shoulder and Aipom clung to the other, Eevee curled around his feet.

"That was a lot of fun today."

Ash thought back, closing his eyes. "When I was standing in the empty stadium at the Silver Conference, all I wanted was to get better, to be a Pokémon Master. And I chose to do something about it. I trained, I helped you all train. And then, I won."

"I am still surprised I won the Ever Grande Conference. Then I went and beat the Kanto Battle Frontier. Now, I am on my way to the Lily of the Valley Conference and I expect that I will win here too. That is the goal after all."

Ash smiled, knowing his voice had caught the attention of his three Pokémon.

"After the Lily of the Valley Conference, I will sit down with Mom and talk. I want to continue to travel, but it might be nice to have a pace to settle down at and to call my own."

"Piika?"

"Yeah, I am interested in being a Champion."

He stopped talking, eyes fixed firmly on the numerous stars in the night sky.

"I am not sure I can take it yet. I would hate to give this up."

The wind tickled the leaves on the trees around him.

"Still, Gary suggested I get to set my own rules and schedule to a degree. But there would be no more challenging the Conferences. People would earn the right to challenge me. And I am sure there are more responsibilities that haven't been mentioned yet."

Ash sighed, "Well, I took the test and all I can do now with the offer is to wait to get it or not. In the meantime, we get to see the rest of Sinnoh. There are seven Gyms left and at least a few Contests. I want to see Dawn take on the Grand Festival in style and Gary still owes me a bout somewhere."

He turned back towards the camp, a big smile across his face. Gary, Dawn, and Solana were waiting for him. Not close enough to actually hear his thoughts but on the edge of the camp. His friends glanced in his direction every few minutes. Ash started to make his way back to camp. "There is still so much to see and experience and do I can't wait!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

[AN]

Thank you all for the reviews and patience in sticking with me. This is the end of Thunderous Maturation, this story and the universe.

The central concept of this series was to take the idea of a child prodigy, in sports or elsewhere, and have them recognize the hurdle of becoming more than potential. Potential is great, don't get me wrong, but it is hard to become an expert.

For Ash this hurdle was mostly mental. He needed to focus, to think, to mature. The result is an Ash whois secretly concerned that the next gym won't be challenging enough.

Is he a fully rounded person? Is he a good person? I am not sure. There are definitely gaps, but that is the point. Becoming more than who we are is a process and we miss things at times. That was the reason no pairings were ever announced or pushed during the series. Does Ash ever pair up with anyone? That is up to you.

So, I leave him and you all here. What happens next? Well, Ash could be the eternal wanderer, doing good as he goes. Or he could become a great Champion and represent Johto.

I am planning on spending November taking on the challenge of writing for NANOWRIMO. Thank you again for reading and I hope to be back in December with another series of tales.