Destiny Rebirth

Trevor's Promise

Lucario looked over to his longtime friend and gave a chuckle. "Could this be? Could you actually be having fun, Master?" Lucario inquired with a playful tone in its voice.

The trio was standing in the shadow of a tunnel. The tunnel connected the loud atrium, full of fans and spectators, running around getting snacks and beverages, along with souvenirs to the inside of the arena and the crowd that sat on the edge of their seats to every battle that was taking place below. The crowd only seemed to get louder and louder with each match that past. The tournament had been hyped up for a year since its creation, and so far, it was surpassing expectations.

Ash looked at Lucario, who gave him a smirk, before returning his vision to the arena in front of them. His eyes danced through the crowd, as he took in the sights and sounds the amazing arena had to offer. The arena smelled of hot dogs and popcorn. Kids could be heard shouting and screaming, and every once in a while, running by, with a parent, hot on their heels. Friends could be heard placing friendly bets on the outcomes of the next matchups, to say the stadium was full of life, was an understatement.

"I would be lying if I said that this didn't bring back memories, great ones at that," Ash said as his gaze finally fell onto Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder. Ash gave him a quick smile, underneath his mask, before continuing. "I remember growing up wishing that someday, I would be able to see a battle in a place like this, let alone actually be the one battling in here."

"You must have been nervous," Lucario commented.

"Pikapi, pika pi chu ka Pikachu," Pikachu shouted with a smile on its face and a glimmer in its eyes.

"Were you really that nervous, Master?" asked Lucario.

"I was shaking as bad as you were two days ago, Lucario," Ash laughed as he remembered his first battle at the Indigo League. "I was lucky. I had Misty and Brock there to calm me down and cheer me on, just like Pikachu and I did for you. They gave me the confidence that I could battle with anyone in the tournament, and because of them, I was able to make a deep run, not as deep as I would have liked, but deep none the less for a 10-year-old trainer."

"I'm sure we'll win this time, Master," Lucario said enthusiastically. "After all, we've seen those that you battled and lost to in the past, and it's obvious we are on a completely different level. You were right. Morrison, Paul, Ritchie, Harrison, and Trevor are all tough, but we can take them."

"Be patient, Lucario. One match at a time," Ash could only give a little chuckle as he saw the same exuberance on Lucario's face that was on his own so many years ago.

"Reminiscing on the past Ashy-boy?" asked Gary

Ash turned to look at Gary as he's walking over to them from the exit of the tunnel. Since their previous conversation, following Ash's last battle, they hadn't gotten a chance to talk again. They had decided to meet up before Max's match in one of the many tunnels, which gave them some privacy, while still being able to watch the battle unfold. Ash really wanted to see his old travel companion in his first match.

"Kind of hard not to, Gary," Ash stated before remembering that he has to tell Gary about what happened last night, at the restaurant. "Gary, did Trevor come to you last night, after dinner?"

Gary knew what Ash was talking about. "Yeah, he did. Why you ask?"

"Well, it seems that Trevor figured out that I'm still alive," Ash responded while shaking.

Gary didn't look worried, especially since Trevor told him, last night. "I know so that I let him in on the details of your situation."

"You what?!" yelled Ash, as he's in shock and awe that Gary told one of their friends that Ash was still alive.

"Tell me, Gary, how the hell Trevor figured out the truth?!" asked Ash with a bit of seriousness in his voice.

"Well, why don't you ask him, yourself?" Gary stated as he motioned Ash to turn around and saw Trevor, who was standing right behind them. Both Ash and Trevor stared at each other with tensed eyes.

"Trevor," Ash said softly.

"I'll tell you how, you son of a bitch," Trevor said with a heated expression across his face.

"About two nights ago, I was in my room, next door to yours, I let Mewtwo out of its Pokéball because I wanted to know why his Pokéball was shaking during your Lucario's battle against Iris' Dragonite. He told him that he sensed the overwhelming power of Lucario's aura, as well as seeing an image of an explosion in your mind." Trevor said as he looked at Ash, who's still in shock. "At first, I didn't want to believe it, but then, Gregor picked up your conversation with Giovanni. By using his psychic powers, we were able to listen in on your little discussion. What I don't understand is, why the fuck didn't you tell us that you were still alive?! Do you know the amount of damage your 'death' bought upon us, your friends and family?! When you died, I stopped competing in tournaments because I felt there's no real challenge for me and my Mewtwo out there anymore. After retiring from battling, I decided to become a Pokémon Ranger. Although the job paid well, I was rough for me to adjust to this new life, especially since there was still no rough challenge, for me, to overcome."

Ash felt sorry for Trevor as his 'death' caused him to lose his passion for battling. "Geez, Trevor, I didn't know that my death would impact you, deeply. I'm sorry." Ash apologized to his friend as he looked at Ash with an understanding expression across his face.

"To be fair, Ash, it wasn't all bad for me, during the last five years," Trevor stated

"What you mean?" asked a puzzled Ash while Trevor's face goes back to being serious.

"Never mind that. Let's get back on topic here. According to Gary, you've been training for five years, just so you can face Giovanni and defeat him, once and for all, in this tournament. Correct?" Trevor stated as Ash nodded. "And by not telling your friends that you're still alive, they wouldn't be put in harm's way. Is that right, Ash?" Ash nodded again. "Ok. So after talking to Gary last night, I decided to help you guys and keep this a secret from the others."

"Wait, really?" asked Ash as he's confused by Trevor's response.

"Yeah. On one condition though." Trevor responded.

"Which is?" asked Ash, as Trevor lets Gregor out of its Pokéball.

"Since Gregor, here, sensed your Lucario's aura was so powerful," Trevor stated while pointing towards Ash's Lucario, "he would like to face off against your Lucario during the tournament. Both Lucario and Gregor would be our final Pokémon, if we happen to face each other, at some point, during the tournament, in a full 6-on-6 battle. I would want our battle to be one that nobody will ever forget. So what you say?" Trevor said while extending his hand towards Ash.

Ash thinks about it, and then, grabs Trevor's hand and shakes it. Trevor smiles at Ash's decision. As they did this, Lucario and Gregor also shook hands, to really express the importance of this promise.

"Good choice, man." Trevor complimented Ash.

"Thanks for understanding my situation, Trevor," Ash replied as they both let go of their grip.

"No problem, Ash," Trevor said while Gary walks up to them, to inform them that Max's battle is about to start.

Ash looked at both Gary and Trevor, as he turned back to face the battlefield. He turned his eyes to the trainer's box that was currently rising, waiting to see his friend appear.