PARAGON
Origin Child Arc [1]
Chapter 1 : World Champion
“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, let’s go!”
“Charizard, Fire Blast now!”
A torrent of golden electricity erupted around Pikachu’s tiny form, and he shot forward towards his opponent, poised to deliver the final blow of their climactic battle. At the other end of the battlefield, Charizard roared, and a great column of fire geysered from its maw before splitting into five and falling back over its body like armor, and it too burst forward with a spin.
Pikachu and Charizard smashed into each other and dust exploded outward. The elements encasing them mixed together, screeching as they fought for dominance. Lightning tore through flames, fire burned through electricity, and neither side seemed to be able to overcome the other. Pikachu grit his teeth and willed himself forward, but Charizard refused to brook even an inch of quarter, growling in defiance.
In his mind’s eye, Pikachu’s journey replayed itself. From his initial meeting with Ash and their ensuing quarrels, to all of their friends that joined them on their adventures as they traveled across the various regions, to finally, Greninja’s victory against Alain’s Charizard in the Lumiose Conference finals a year ago. Come to think of it, it was a Charizard then that stood between Ash and his first conference victory, and it was a Charizard now that barred him from the title of World Champion. As if Pikachu would let himself get upstaged.
As his determination swelled, visions of his friends crystallized in his mind, one by one, as if joining their wills to his own. They smiled at him and clenched their fists, urging him to carry their master’s long held dream into reality. Then, the young man himself appeared. Ash smiled, extending a fist.
Pikachu’s eyes shot open, blazing with newfound resolve. Power began to surge in the depths of his core, and the crackling vortex of electricity around him throbbed as Pikachu siphoned more of his depthless energy into the assault. He’d feel this later for sure, but a sore body was a minuscule price to pay for victory.
Charizard snorted and the skin around its eyes tightened, sensing the balance of their clash beginning to tip. It roared, increasing the intensity of its fire. The waves of red and orange that crashed between them shuddered and spat, turning lighter and lighter as they got hotter.
But impossibly, impossibly, Pikachu didn’t falter in the slightest; a ferocious scowl that could put many a monster to shame was all that adorned the mouse’s face. Charizard grit its fangs nearly to the point of shattering. The frustration of this insurmountable wall burned. But the fear that came next was cold. Its eyes widened.
Pikachu’s electricity engulfed Charizard, snuffing out its effulgent fire like storm clouds before a summer sun. It roared, trying to muster up another bout of power before it could be overwhelmed, but a veteran like Pikachu would never allow a recovery at this stage. Pikachu ripped through the last of its flames, slamming into its head before leaping back and extinguishing his attack, not wanting to exhaust himself a single second further.
Charizard’s eyes rolled in their sockets and it stumbled backward, groaning. Time stopped as every single soul in the stadium held their breath. Then Charizard pitched backward, falling to the ground unconscious. Black smoke trailed from its defeated snout.
The referee, riding an Aegislash, glided over to inspect the outcome, but there was hardly anything to inspect. The outcome was clear. After a moment, he made his declaration.
“Charizard is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner of this battle is the challenger, Ash Ketchum!
A grin broke across Ash’s face and his eyes gleamed, but before he could react, the stadium exploded. The sudden roar from the crowd around him shook the entire arena, and Ash had to consciously stop himself from clamping his hands over his ears. They chanted his name and waved banners emblazoned with his face, the sea of people glittering with the flash of hundreds of cameras. High above him, he could even make out a row of fans with their shirts off, his name painted across their chests, all wearing what had become his signature blue and red trainer’s cap.
This was it. Everything he had fought for, the adventures, the friends, the good times and the bad, and even the danger— all of it had led to this singular moment. Ash had never been the emotional type, but his eyes stung now as tears threatened to fall from them. Heat welled in his chest like fire as the adrenaline from his ultimate victory surged through his veins. Then, his gaze shifted from the cacophonous crowd back to the battlefield… where Pikachu stood in a similar state of shock, unmoved from where he’d landed after executing his final, perfect attack.
Pikachu’s ears suddenly perked up as he sensed someone behind him, but before he knew it, he was in the air.
“We did it, Pikachu! We finally did it!” Ash cried, tossing his longtime friend into the air in celebration. Pikachu beamed and stretched his arms out as his trainer caught him and spun him around before nuzzling him close. Static electricity still crackled faintly on Pikachu’s fur, but Ash didn’t care and he hugged him even tighter.
“That was a stellar battle. Ash. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Ash turned to find Leon approaching him, clapping his gloved hands. Despite his defeat, the former World Champion wore a smile, and he extended a hand. Ash took it and shook it firmly, meeting his eyes. “You didn’t make it easy. That was definitely the hardest battle of our entire lives.” Pikachu nodded in agreement on Ash’s shoulder.
Leon grinned, accepting the praise. “The same for me. Charizard and I bet everything we had on that last attack.” His eyes trailed over to the mouse on Ash’s shoulder. “But that Pikachu is something else!”
Pikachu blushed and smiled awkwardly, and Ash laughed, stroking his partner’s head.
“Now, let’s give the people what they want, eh?” Leon said, slinging his arm around Ash’s shoulder and pulling him closer. He waved up at the crowd, and by some miracle, they seemed to get even louder, the ground trembling beneath them. Ash mimicked him, and Pikachu attempted to do the same, but by now the fatigue from the battle was beginning to catch up to him, and he instead slumped on Ash’s shoulder, just managing a tired, but thoroughly satisfied smile.
After several minutes of fanservice, the two Champion-level trainers were approached by a handful of officials, with two of them carrying some massive object draped in white cloth. They directed the pair over to a small stage that had been arranged, and the officials carrying the object promptly set it down on a raised plinth before joining their fellows off the field. Leon stepped forward to a glass podium at the front of the stage and gripped the microphone between his fingers.
“It is my honor and pleasure to present to you all today, the victor of this year’s Pokémon League World Championships, and our new reigning World Champion, please make some noise for the strongest trainer in the world, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!”
The crowd erupted again and Ash’s face flashed on the jumbotron screens lining the crown of the arena. Leon strode over to the object draped in white cloth and tore it off with a dramatic flourish. Beneath it sat a humongous silver trophy studded with jewels. Despite its size, Leon picked it up by himself and carried it over to Ash, lowering his head in respect.
“I believe this belongs to you now, World Champion.”
Overflowing with emotions as he was, Ash laughed and took the trophy in both hands, heaving it above his shoulders. It was nearly half his size and weight, but the euphoria of the situation somehow gave him the strength he needed… at least for a few seconds. As he began to wobble under the weight of the thing, five pokéballs on his waist burst open, coalescing into the forms of his fallen partners, now rested just well enough to stand beside their master. Dragonite, Lucario, Sceptile, Greninja, and Charizard materialized around him, grabbing various parts of the massive trophy to keep it aloft. Ash grinned upon seeing his comrades; they were all battle-weary, no doubt exhausted, but this was a stage they’d earned together.
Cameras across the arena flashed, capturing images of a trainer, who, by this time tomorrow, would leave his throne empty and abandoned, with no comment as to why.
“Haaaaah,” Ash sighed, slumping into a chair in his locker room. His battle with Leon had started almost two hours ago, and this was his first moment of peace since it’d ended. Now that he was finally out of the spotlight, he felt exhausted. Nevertheless, he looked back at the entrance to the room and the path beyond it that led back to the arena, and smiled. When I first walked through that tunnel, I was just one trainer among many. Now… His grin widened, and he clutched his face.
World Champion Ash Ketchum.
His crown had been a long time coming. Ever since he was ten years old, he’d been working towards this apex. Six years after the start of his journey, he won his first conference in Kalos, but even that was nothing more than a stepping stone on a journey yet unfinished, a dream yet unfulfilled. After bringing home that trophy, Ash knew it was time to get serious. He gathered every last one of his partners at Professor Oak’s ranch, even catching a few more in the interim year to round out his roster. After intense and exhaustive back-and-forths with both his pokémon, his friends, and the power of his own peerless insight and instincts as a trainer, his perfect team was assembled.
Dragonite. Lucario. Sceptile. Greninja. Charizard. Pikachu.
The six of them, together with Ash, then embarked on the most difficult and grueling training regiment they had ever before. Ash called in every favor he had, reunited with his many trainer friends across the various regions, and studied battle theory more than he ever had before. He watched every single one of Leon’s televised battles. In that one year, he retraced his entire journey from Kanto to Kalos, nearly step for step, completing it again in a fraction of the time. From the chrysalis of his training, he emerged a new man. A new trainer, fit to claim the title of World Champion.
By the time the World Championships rolled around and his invitation to join had been sent to his Trainer ID, he had just finished his blitz through Kalos and arrived back home at Pallet to unwind and relax before the main event. From there, it was off to Wyndon in the Galar Region, the home of the incumbent World Champion Leon. He’d never been to Galar before, but Galar had certainly heard of him, and he almost ended up late to the stadium after getting swamped by a deluge of fans at the airport.
The World Championships only came around once every five years, and as such, five years worth of conference winners, elite trainers, regional Champions, and other such aces from around the world were gathered. Participation was technically restricted to conference winners and League members, but other mini-celebrities and trainers of interest always seemed to finagle their way into the brackets. It was the League’s flagship event after all. They’d make any accommodation necessary to make it as exciting as possible.
Luckily, that meant Ash had steamrolled most of his contemporaries in the lower division. He almost felt sorry for them, proud as they were of their sixteen gym badges or specially-bred pokémon. As expected, the Champions sailed through their competition with ease as well, most of them inevitably ending up in the quarterfinals, known as the Masters Eight.
And that was exactly where Ash found himself, after several days of battle. Two battles later, and he was up against Leon. The rest was history.
A knock at the door shook him from his reminiscing.
“Mr. Ketchum? I’ve left your change of clothes on the door handle. Please freshen up and come outside as soon as you can. We have a car waiting for you to take you to the Champion’s dinner when you’re ready.”
“Okay, thanks,” Ash called back, and he waited for the attendant to leave before standing up and pulling the door open. A pristine tuxedo with matching black slacks and a heavy coat hung from the opposite handle, and a pair of glossy leather shoes sat in front of him. He thanked his mother silently for sending the outfit over at the last minute. Though he’d had every intention of winning the Championship, appropriate attire for what might come after hadn’t even crossed his mind. Grabbing both, he shut the door and returned inside, stripping down and heading into the shower. As soon as I can. Yeah, right.
Thirty minutes later, Ash emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam dressed in his tuxedo, his coat draped over his shoulders. Doing one last double take around the locker room, Ash exhaled and opened the door. Two League attendants were waiting for him down the hall, dressed in all black. Security detail for me now that I’m a celebrity?
They nodded upon seeing him, and one of them handed him a tray of pokéballs. Almost immediately, one of them snapped open and Pikachu emptied out, materializing directly onto his trainer’s shoulder and looking none too pleased about his forced confinement.
“Hey buddy, glad to have you back!” Clipping the rest of his partners to his belt, he followed his security through a series of hallways, no doubt off limits to the general public. Eventually they emerged in an underground parking garage where a number of similarly-clad personnel stood about around a black limousine. However, one figure stood out immediately, dressed in a stark white sable coat, her platinum blonde hair tumbling down her back.
“Cynthia!” Ash exclaimed, quickening his pace to meet her. Sinnoh’s Champion turned at his arrival and uncrossed her arms, beaming.
“Ash!” She looked him up and down. “Looking good!”
“What’re you doing here? If I knew you’d be waiting for me, I wouldn’t have spent so long in the shower.”
Cynthia stifled a snicker. “I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your victory.” She bowed. “So, congratulations.”
Ash rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. “Thanks. Though it hasn’t really sunk in yet to be honest.”
“I figured that would be the case.” She motioned over to the limousine and one of the attendants pulled open the door to the back. “Let’s chat on the drive over.” She winked.
Ash followed her into the limo, and a minute later they peeled out of the garage and out into an empty alley behind the colossal stadium. Eventually, they turned onto one of the main roads, where throngs of trainers milled about, still high off the exhilaration from an hour ago. They had all been there for Ash’s battle, but behind the tinted windows of the limo, they had no way of knowing the subject of their adoration was so close. They zipped through the cobbled streets of Wyndon engrossed in conversation about their respective battles that day, never getting stopped at an intersection or congested traffic for too long.
Ten minutes later, the limo crawled to a halt. They’d entered the gates of one of the many mansions throughout the city. This one was built of sandstone, with gray bricks and a tiled roof. Ash moved to exit.
“Oh, we’re not there yet, Ash,” Cynthia said. “Sorry, I forgot to let you know. I offered to pick up a couple friends on our way there.”
He turned, about to ask her who, when the door to the mansion burst open.
“Alright, alright! I’m going now! See, she’s already here!” The newcomer stormed out of the mansion, holding up her voluminous cream dress lest it brush on the ground. Thankfully, she had courtesy enough to calm herself down before pulling the back door to the limo open and entering. First, she saw Cynthia, and upon noticing another passenger, turned to face Ash, whose eyes lit up at the sight of her.
“Iris!”
“Ash!”
The two embraced as well as they could in the confines of the limo, and Pikachu squeaked excitedly at the reunion. Cynthia watched, a smile resting on her lips.
After Iris got herself situated, the limo pulled away and they returned to the street. Brushing out the creases in her dress, Iris exhaled loudly.
“Sorry about that. My manager is so fussy about everything. Won’t let me leave the house unless every hair is in its proper place.” She shook her head wearily.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Cynthia said.
A light blush creeped up the young Dragon Master’s cheeks, not used to sharing such close quarters with the fabled Champion of Sinnoh. Then, realization seemed to shock her, and she whipped toward Ash, grabbing his hands.
“Congratulations, Ash!”
“Thanks,” he said, grinning. “I saw your guys’ battle too. That was a great performance from both of you!”
Both women smiled, and they dived into conversation about the day’s events. Eventually, the focus shifted back to Ash, and he told them all about his journey after he’d left them in Unova, and the tortuous year of training he’d undergone to prepare himself for today.
“Aww, it’s too bad I missed you when you were in Unova,” Iris complained. “I’d heard from Cilan that you were back, but I was in the middle of my League challenge…”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I was trying to go as fast as possible so we wouldn’t have had much time to catch up anyway. I only stopped by Cilan’s for the badge, and I was out of there almost the moment I got it… I feel kind of bad for leaving him hanging like that.”
“Well, you’ve never been one to stay still for too long,” Iris said, rolling her eyes. “He didn’t sound disappointed about it at all on the phone, nor about his loss to you either. He actually said it was nice to be able to go all out and that he was proud at how far you’d come since he’d last seen you!”
“He must have been very proud of you then too, Iris,” Cynthia spoke up. “You’re one of the youngest Champions the League’s ever had. I can’t imagine your training route was much different. That fact that you both placed in the Masters Eight in your first year of participation is impressive, to say the least.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. After apprenticing under Clair in Johto for some time, she pointed me in the direction of some of the other dragon masters around the world, like a man named Hassel in Paldea, and the Draconids in Hoenn. That was when Axew finally evolved in Haxorus. After that, I knew it was time to gun for the Championship, so after doing a bit more training in the Giant Chasm, I started going after badges.”
“Paldea…” Ash repeated. “Man, that’s another place I want to go and check out. So many adventures still left to go on…”
“I doubt much of anything could give you much trouble anymore, Mr. World Champion,” Iris teased.
Ash’s eye twitched, and a second later, he laughed.
They continued their conversation until the limo stopped again, this time outside of a towering skyscraper right in the middle of the city. A young man stood on the curb, flanked by the familiar League attendants, and upon seeing the limo pull up, he hurried over to join them in the back. He wore a black blazer and the white silk shirt beneath it was slightly unbuttoned, leaving his chest and a thin gold necklace exposed.
“Alain!” Ash greeted him as he entered.
The Kalos native clambered next to Cynthia and shook hands with all of them, exchanging pleasantries. They set off again.
“Congratulations on your title, Ash,” he said. “It almost makes me proud to say I once lost to you, now that you’re the World Champion!”
Ash smirked as Iris glanced between them. “You two have fought each other before?”
“Yes, in the Kalos conference a couple years ago,” Alain answered. “You could say that it’s thanks to that battle that Ash was able to become the World Champion, since it was that victory that granted him an invitation to the World Championship.”
“I guess that’s technically true,” Cynthia laughed. “Though if Ash beat you in that conference, you must have won the subsequent year, since you also ended up getting an invitation.”
“Yes, that’s right. After I lost against Ash, I decided to try my luck against the Indigo League in Kanto. I ended up winning in the Veridian Conference last year. Honestly, I knew I was cutting it a bit close, which is why I ended up training in Galar until the tournament started, so I could use every single day available to me.” He rested his head back on his hands, looking very pleased with himself. “Well, Masters Eight isn’t so bad for a first attempt.”
Iris grinned at his arrogance and turned to Ash. “You’d better be ready to defend that title of yours, because we’re both coming for it!”
As Ash joined the banter between his friends, Cynthia simply sat back and watched, her storm gray eyes studying the young World Champion intently.
Next — Chapter 2 : Invitation
In the canon story, the strategies employed by almost every trainer are pretty basic, and even the “legendaries” are only legendary because they can shoot bigger energy balls and beam attacks than everyone else. This fic is my reimagining of what it means to be a Pokémon Master, and the strength of the pokémon partners required to claim such a title.
