Chapter 3:Epiphany
Ash was in his hotel room, lying down on the bed, alone except for Pikachu and his thoughts. 'I finally did it, I beat Paul, I'm in the Quarter Finals and I'm going to battle Tobias. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it still felt a lot harder than it should have been. Why is it that I could only beat Paul now and none of those other times? What was it that was missing those times? Actually, what was missing all the times I've lost? Me and my pokemon have beaten Gym Leaders, legendary pokemon and crime bosses much stronger than Paul or Gary or any of my rivals. What am I doing wrong?' He frowned.
Pikachu, sensing his friend's emotions, nuzzled Ash's cheek. "Pikachu, Pika Pi?" (What's wrong, Pika Pi?)
"I don't know Pikachu, I just don't know," he sighed.
'Pikachu and the others have always been there for me and I just let them down over and over again. Am I just a bad trainer?'
Ash stood up and put on his hoodie. He put on his shoes and walked towards the door. "Pika Pi, pikachu chu?" (Pika Pi, where are you going?) Pikachu asked.
"I'm going out for a little while, I need to be by myself for a little while, okay, buddy?"
"Pikachu pika pika, pi?" (Just be careful, okay?)
"C'mon Pikachu, you know me!" Ash said, managing a smile.
"Pika pika pikachu," (That's why I'm worried,) he whispered, but Ash was already gone.
Pikachu frowned. The way his Pika Pi was acting had Pikachu concerned, sure he got a little down before, but that was usually when they lost. But they had won against Pika Pi's rival and something still had upset for some reason. What kind of friend was he if he couldn't figure out what was wrong with his Pika Pi? He hoped that Pika Pi found something to snap him out of his depression, if he didn't, well, Pikachu didn't want to think about it.
A half-hour later, Ash was still wandering around the small town outside of the arenas, getting deeper and deeper into his thoughts. 'It just seems that no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard we train, there always just seems to be something or someone who keeps stopping me and no matter what I can't beat them until the last minute.' He sat down on a random bench. 'Do they just think I'm not worth the effort and let their guard downand I win by luck? Maybe I shouldn't be a trainer? Maybe I should just giv...,'
"Ash Ketchum?" A familiar voice called out, pulling him out of his depressing thoughts. "It is you!"
"Cynthia?" He said, recognising the voice of the young woman he hadn't seen since the events at Spear looked as good as ever, he idly noted. The same black coat and pants, dark blue pendant around her neck, along with the strange furry collar, hair-clips shaped like a lucario's ears and long, blonde hair reaching the back of her knees and covering her left eye.
"Yes, how have you been?" She smiled.
"I'm... good, how are you?"
"I'm fine, I saw your battle with Paul today, it was good,"
"Thanks, I guess..."
Cynthia frowned slightly, but not enough for Ash to notice. She wasn't sure what is was, but the depressed look on his face just seemed so unnatural, she wanted to see him smile. Sitting down next to him, Cynthia asked, "Is something bothering you, Ash?"
"Honestly Cynthia, I don't know, I beat Paul, my biggest rival, I'm in the Quarter Finals, the furthest I've ever gotten in any League and in a couple of days, I battle Tobias, I should be happy, but..." He trailed off.
"You're not, are you?" She concluded.
He nodded in reply. "You're not sure if you can do it?"
He nodded again. "I used to feel like you do now,"
"Really?" He asked surprised.
"Of course, I wasn't always Champion, y'know? I was in the exact position you are now, scared, excited, worried, not sure if I could or even should go on,"
"Yes, that's exactly how I feel! So, what did you do about it?" He asked desperately.
It's simple all you have to do is..." She paused dramatically, letting the suspense build.
"Yeah, yeah!" He leaned forward expectantly.
"...is get some ice-cream! It usually calms me down!" Ash face-faulted, while Cynthia giggled, mentally of course.
"Come with me Ash, let me treat you to a couple of scoops,"
"I don't know, Cynthia..."
"What have you got to lose? Besides, do any idea how many guys would love to be in your position right now?" She stood up. "Come on, get some ice-cream with me and let me give you some advice, what do you say?" She wasn't sure what was compelling her to be so insistent about Ash coming with her, but something inside her was telling her to him cheer up.
"I don't see why not," he smiled, a real smile, not the one he had given Pikachu earlier. Getting up from the bench, he followed Cynthia down the street. "So where are we going?" He asked.
"Oh, don't worry you'll love it, I was actually on my way there when I saw you," After a few minutes of light conversation, they arrived at a place called Roberta's Ice-cream Emporium.
"Cynthia!" A middle-aged, brown-haired woman shouted from behind the counter. "It's been a week since I last saw you and you've gone and gotten yourself a toyboy!" Cynthia's cheeks turned slightly pink, not that Ash noticed, thankfully he was transfixed by the vast array of different flavours on display, just like she was on her first visit.
"It's not like that Roberta, he's just a competitor in the Conference and I just wanted to treat him, is all,"
"Really, in all the years you've been coming here, you've never brought a friend, I wonder what makes him so special, hmm?"
Cynthia sighed, she swore, sometimes Roberta could be worse than Bertha and her grandmother combined. Can't an older woman take a younger man for some ice-cream? To an ice-cream shop she had never brought anyone else? An ice-cream shop the older woman considered to be akin to sacred ground? An ice-cre... actually, she should just stop, she was just making it worse.
"So, what will Madam and her "special friend" be having?" Roberta asked.
"Uh, I'll have a scoop of leper berry and double chocolate with green apricorn shavings,"
"And for you, young man?"
Ash snapped out of his daze. "Oh, right, I'll have..."
"He'll have a scoop of mint and oran berry, no toppings," Cynthia said, interrupting him. Ash looked at Cynthia. "Trust me," she smiled. You see, Cynthia had an deep understanding of ice-cream, she knew all the ways a certain flavour could react to a certain topping or sauce, her knowledge of the frozen dairy product could be compared to some of Unova's greatest Connoisseurs. "You'll love it,
Ash nodded. "Alright, whatever you think is best,"
They sat at one of the shop's tables and Cynthia smiled as she watched Ash's face light up in delight as he took his first lick of his ice-cream. "This is delicious!" He exclaimed.
"I told you,"
"The flavours, they're mixing together in incredible ways, it's amazing!"
"I know, right?" she licked her own cone, "So Ash, are you going to tell me what's really bothering you?"
"I already told you, I'm just a little worried about going up against Tobias,"
"Ash, we're friends right?"
"We are?"
"We saved the fabric of reality together, I consider that quite a bonding experience," she replied.
"Yeah, I mean after the first three times it all kind of blends together, but I guess you're right, we are friends, huh?"
Cynthia laughed, that was a joke... right? "So, are you going to tell me, Ash?"
"Okay, I guess it's just that... I've been in three other Leagues and the Quarter Finals is the furthest I've ever gotten,"
"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Ash,"
"Today was the only time I've ever beaten Paul, every other time I've lost, badly, and I'm just wondering if I only won because he let his guard down,"
"Go on..." She urged.
"I... lately I've just been wondering if maybe I should just give up..."
"Give up?"
"Yeah, look at the way Tobias has destroyed his opponents with his darkrai and I don't know if I can beat him," Ash looked down at the table.
"Ash, look at me," Cynthia said sternly. Ash looked up and met her steel-coloured eyes. "I think you can do it,"
"You do?"
"Yes, Ash, I have to admit, I've done a little research on you and to be honest, I was surprised at your record, I've seen some of the videos of your Gym battles and the way you defeated them was astounding and some of your pokemon even more so. If you had used the charizard you used at the Blackthorn Gym or the glalie you used in the Hoenn League, I have no doubt you would have destroyed Paul easily, so the question is why didn't you?"
"I don't know, I suppose it's because the pokemon I caught in Sinnoh helped me get here, so I may as well go all the way with them,"
"I see, but if you lose because they aren't as experienced as some of your stronger pokemon, won't they feel as if they aren't good enough, that it's their fault?"
"Huh, I guess I never saw it that way,"
"Ash, if you use other pokemon, I think the ones you caught here would understand,"
"I suppose so, but I still have no way of getting past that darkrai,"
"Surely you have something to get past that, I think you of all people should know that legendary pokemon are beatable, you just need to find a way,"
"Yeah, I think I have just the pokemon for that Dark Void of his!" He said, suddenly feeling a lot lighter, maybe Tobias could be defeated, he just needed the right strategy and pokemon and he already had some ideas about who to use.
They had finished their ice-cream a few minutes ago. They paid Roberta, who gave Cynthia an exaggerated wink and a stage-whispered "nice catch" and made their way back onto the street.
"Cynthia, thanks for today, I really it,"
"No problem, I'm glad to help out,"
"I better get back to the hotel to pick up Pikachu and then the Pokemon Center , I need to talk to Professor Oak." Cynthia watched him leave with a smile on her face and was about to turn around to leave when she called out to him. " Hey, Ash!"
"Yeah?"
"Win."
Ash grinned. "Got it,"
And with that, they left, Ash, to his hotel and Cynthia back to her's, each with a smile on their face, each glad to have made a new friend.