"Both Ash's Pikachu, and Tobias's Raikou are unable to continue." The referee announced as the crowd roared into cheers. "Since all six of Ash's pokemon have been eliminated, moving on to the finals is Tobias the Victor."
Despite the bitter disappointment, Ash expressed a cheerful face as he lifted his partner into his arms. "Hey Pikachu. You alright?"
"cha." The mouse pokemon cooed with a bitter smile as he used his stubby paw to comfort his trainer.
"It was a good match Ash. No one has ever pushed me this far in a battle." Tobias said, as he came to congratulate his opponent for a battle well fought.
"Yeah, but in the end it was you who won." Ash replied with a gloomy sigh, but soon his upbeat personality kicked in. "But don't worry! Next time we'll be so strong enough to beat all your pokemon!" He declared.
"Pi kachu!" The electric mouse in his arms echoed in the same confident voice.
Tobias chuckled good-naturedly, as the two shook hands. "Good luck in the finals, though I'm sure you don't need it."
It was a hard fought battle, First his Gardevoir and Scizor defeated Darkrai, but then Latios took out Scizor and Starraptor. Gabite came in and clenched a hard fought victory against Latios, but was too injured to continue any further. Finally Torterra and Pikachu put a valiant effort against Raikou, but in the end it was not to be.
"He really lost." Dawn sighed.
"And after battling so hard as well." Barry added in.
"Yeah, but Ash was amazing!" Brock spoke in excitement. "This is the first time he has reached the semi final! And he took down three pokemon that are akin to deities."
[Line Break]
Morning sunlight spilled across the Pokémon Center courtyard, where Ash and his friends sat down for breakfast. Brock had taken charge, as usual, carefully plating toast, scrambled eggs, and berries for their Pokémon. Dawn sat nearby, brushing Piplup's feathers while keeping an eye on Ash, who was quieter than normal.
Ash poked at his food absently. Pikachu sat beside him, ears drooping but eyes bright, as if trying to lift his trainer's spirits with his presence alone.
A sudden squeak cut through the calm. From behind the hedges bordering the courtyard, a small yellow-and-brown Pokémon stumbled out. Its frilled ears shook nervously, and its little paws fidgeted as it looked around at the crowd of people bustling near the Pokémon Center.
"Helio... heli..." it whimpered, pressing itself low to the ground.
Brock looked up immediately. "That's a Helioptile! A Pokémon from another region..." He stood and approached slowly, voice calm and soothing. "Hey there, little one. Don't be scared."
Helioptile flinched at a passing trainer's booming laugh. It darted forward, straight into Brock's arms, trembling against his chest. Brock instinctively rubbed its head, letting the Pokémon hide from the overwhelming noise.
Dawn blinked. "Wow, I've never seen one of those before. It's so cute!"
Piplup hopped closer, curious, but Helioptile pressed further into Brock's shirt. Brock chuckled. "Looks like it's shy. Probably wandered away from its trainer in all the commotion."
Ash leaned in, trying to brighten. "Hey, buddy. Don't worry—we'll help you find who you belong to." Pikachu chirped supportively, giving Helioptile a small smile.
The little Pokémon peeked out at Pikachu, still nervous but a little calmer.
[Line Break]
A low, powerful wingbeat cut through the morning air. The group turned as a large, sleek shape swooped overhead—a Noivern, its ears twitching as it circled once before landing gracefully in the courtyard. On its back sat a woman with shoulder-length green hair and a camera slung around her neck.
She hopped off and ran toward Brock. "Helioptile! There you are!"
Helioptile's ears perked up. It wriggled free from Brock's arms and bounded toward her, leaping into her embrace. The woman laughed softly, hugging it tight. "You had me so worried. Getting lost in a crowd like that... You're safe now."
She looked up at the trio with a relieved smile. "Thank you for looking after her. I'm Alexa. I'm a reporter from the Kalos region."
"Kalos?" Dawn tilted her head. "That's a region I've never heard of."
Alexa nodded, still cradling Helioptile. "It's far west of here. I travel around reporting on trainers, Pokémon, and events. My little partner here sometimes gets overwhelmed by crowds." She rubbed Helioptile's head affectionately.
Noivern folded its wings behind her, looming tall but calm. Brock eyed it with admiration. "A Noivern... that's a very rare Dragon-type. You must be a skilled trainer to raise one."
Alexa chuckled. "I do my best. But my main passion is reporting—telling the stories of amazing trainers and Pokémon."
Her gaze flicked to Ash. She studied him for a moment, recognition sparking. "You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you? The one who just battled Tobias yesterday."
Ash stiffened slightly. Pikachu looked up at him, tail twitching.
"I'd like to interview you," Alexa continued gently. "Your match left quite an impression, not just on the audience here, but on people everywhere. Defeating a Darkrai... fighting Latios to the end... Not many trainers could say the same."
Ash scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "I don't know if I'm interview material..."
Dawn leaned forward. "Ash! Of course you are. That battle was incredible. Everyone saw how hard you and your Pokémon fought."
Brock crossed his arms, nodding. "It could be good for you to talk about it, Ash. Sometimes sharing your journey helps you process it too."
Ash glanced down at Pikachu. Pikachu gave a firm "Pika!" and a nod.
Finally, Ash smiled faintly. "Alright. I'll do it."
[Line Break]
They moved to a quieter part of the courtyard, beneath a large oak tree. Alexa set up her small camera on a tripod while Helioptile perched happily on her shoulder. Noivern lingered nearby, watching with half-closed eyes.
"Ready?" she asked.
Ash adjusted his cap, trying to shake off the last of his hesitation. "Yeah. Let's go."
The red light blinked on.
Alexa's voice took on a clear, practiced tone. "This is Alexa, reporting from the Sinnoh region after an unforgettable battle at the Lily of the Valley Conference. I'm here with Ash Ketchum, the young trainer from Pallet Town who stunned the world with his incredible fight against Tobias."
She turned to him. "Ash, first—how are you feeling after yesterday's battle?"
Ash paused, looking down at his hands. The image of the entire battle fleeting through his memories. Gardevoir's short skirmish with Darkrai before she went down to consistent Dark Void and Dream Eater Combination. The Scizor's fast paced Fury Cutter taking down the weakened Darkrai.
Tobiras then revealed his second pokemon: Latios. And the eon pokemon easily took out the fatigued Scizor.
Next Ash sent out Starraptor, and there was a spectacular arial aerial battle, but in the end Starraptor too fell short of the victory line, but not before exhausting Latios.
Gabite came next, and he fired Draco Meteor left right and centre, Latios did not stand a chance, and was taken down, but in doing so the cave pokemon exhausted all its energy. Moreover, the usage of Draco Meteor reduced Gabite's endurance, which allowed Raikou to come out and take him down with a Hyper Beam.
Torterra was next and he shook the battle-field, literally. Torterra's Rock Climb and Bulldoze altered the terrain, making mobility extremely difficult, but it fell down to its own tactics.
In the end it was Pikachu against Raikou, and Ash's Legendary Slayer pulled off a spectacular tie, the collision of Volt Tackle and Giga Impact had caused a dust storm that took a few minutes to clear, and only then did the referee declare that the two pokemon had gone down.
"I feel... proud," he said finally. "We didn't win, but my Pokémon gave everything they had. They proved that we could stand up to legends. That's all I could ever ask of them."
Pikachu chirped in agreement, tail swishing proudly.
Alexa smiled. "Your Gardevoir opening against Darkrai showed incredible spirit, even though she was overwhelmed. How did you prepare for such a challenge?"
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Tobias's Darkrai was undefeated. Gardevoir fought hard—she kept trying to break through Dark Void, but Dream Eater wore her down. Still, she weakened Darkrai enough for Scizor to take over."
Alexa leaned forward. "Scizor delivered the first knockout against Darkrai. That shocked the entire stadium."
Ash nodded. "Yep! Scizor's Fury Cutter kept building power with every strike. Once he got close, Darkrai didn't stand a chance. But then Tobias sent out Latios..."
His voice softened. "Scizor was already tired. Latios finished him off fast."
Alexa's tone stayed even. "And then came your Starraptor. That aerial battle had the crowd holding their breath."
Ash's eyes lit faintly. "Starraptor had a lot of practice with the PokeRinger events. He gave it everything. He dove, dodged, struck with Brave Bird... but Latios's Luster Purge and Giga Impact were too strong. Still, he made Latios use up a lot of energy."
"And then Gabite," Alexa pressed, smiling. "Many are calling his fight legendary."
Ash's expression warmed. "Gabite didn't hold back. He launched Draco Meteor after Draco Meteor, tearing the field apart. Latios couldn't keep up. When Gabite landed Dragon Claw, Latios went down. That was one of the proudest moments of my life as a trainer."
Pikachu squeaked happily, recalling the moment.
"But Draco Meteor drained Gabite," Ash continued. "When Raikou came out, Gabite just couldn't keep going. Hyper Beam knocked him out."
Alexa raised an eyebrow. "Raikou was Tobias's third legendary. Many trainers would've lost hope right there."
Ash chuckled in embarrassment. "Not me. I sent out Torterra. He changed the battlefield with Rock Climb and Bulldoze. Made it tough even for Raikou to move. But... it backfired. The terrain wore Torterra out too. Eventually, he went down."
He took a deep breath, eyes shining as he remembered. "Then it was Pikachu. My partner. My friend. We were down to our last chance. He charged in with Volt Tackle, clashing with Raikou's Giga Impact. I was scared for a moment back there, but..." Ash smiled faintly, pride cutting through the sadness. "A tie. Against a Raikou. Pikachu showed the world what he's made of."
Alexa nodded. "That battle showed a lot of growth, Ash. From what I've heard, your journey through Sinnoh has been shaped by a very important rivalry—Paul. Can you tell us about him?"
Ash's expression shifted, thoughtful. "Paul... yeah. He was one of the toughest rivals I've ever had. At first, we couldn't have been more different. He trained his Pokémon in strict, sometimes harsh ways. I didn't agree with it. I believe in bonds, in trust. For a long time, we clashed. Infernape was once his pokemon ya know."
He glanced at Infernape. "But facing Paul made me stronger. He pushed me to train harder, to think about strategy, not just heart. Our final battle... it wasn't just about who was stronger. It was about proving that trust in your Pokémon could stand up to any method. Winning against him was one of the biggest moments of my journey."
"Infernape!" The fire type starter cried out proudly, shadow boxing in the air.
Alexa smiled softly. "It sounds like he brought out the best in you, even if it was difficult."
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "No one's pushed me to train harder than Paul. Before this I had lost to him every single time, so we had to give it everything to win!"
At this point, Alexa turned to the others. "And you two—you've been with Ash through all of Sinnoh. What was it like watching his journey?"
Dawn straightened, Piplup puffing up beside her. "It was amazing! Ash has this way of inspiring everyone around him. Even when things look impossible, he doesn't give up. Traveling with him pushed me to try harder in my own Contests."
Brock smiled warmly. "Ash is one of a kind. As a Pokémon Breeder, I've met many trainers. Few care about their Pokémon the way he does. That's why they always give everything for him. His bond with Pikachu... it's something special."
Ash blushed slightly. "Aw, come on, you guys..."
Alexa lowered her camera slightly, her expression softening. "Thank you, Ash. This interview... I think people everywhere will be inspired by your words. Your journey through Sinnoh may not have ended in a championship, but it clearly left a mark."
She packed up her gear, Helioptile hopping into her bag to peek out curiously. "My next stop is Kanto. I'm going to interview Professor Oak about research on Pokémon habitats. Ash, since you're from Pallet Town, maybe we'll cross paths again there."
Ash's eyes brightened. "Professor Oak? That's my hometown! I'll be heading back soon too. Maybe we can travel together."
Alexa smiled. "I'd like that. And I'd love to hear more about your past journeys, too."
Noivern stretched its wings, ready to take off. Alexa turned back once more. "Thank you again—for helping Helioptile, and for sharing your story. I'll see you in Kanto."
Ash waved, Pikachu on his shoulder, his heart lighter than it had been since the loss. For the first time since stepping off the battlefield, he felt like the journey ahead was waiting for him again.