Indigo League 3: Reunion

**"Indigo League 3: Reunion"** is the is the forty-sixth (forty-eighth in Archive of Our Own and Royal Road) chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* During the day off before the tournament resumes, Pikachu learns by eavesdropping on Professor Oak that Serena and Froakie might be on the move soon, and that after the Indigo League he and Ash will probably depart for the Orange Islands like in the Old Timeline. The fifth round pits Ash against Kaia, who was Charizard's original trainer before they were separated and she was left blind, and she also has one of Squirtle's old friends under her care, setting up what will be an emotional reunion for both of Ash's Pokémon.

## Plot

It's the early morning and Pikachu was awakened by the Team Rocket Trio scampering around. After blasting them off, the mouse drags himself back to sleep, only to pass by Professor Oak as he's having a video-call with Professor Sycamore, also spotting Ash's Froakie on the other side of the screen. He overhears a few things, and Serena's name comes up in the conversation, hinting that she might start a journey of her own soon enough. Oak ends the call and prepares to go back to sleep, only for another call to ring off and this time it's Professor Ivy, who has a request for him that, as Pikachu suspects has to do with the G.S. Ball, but it also adds a mysterious box into the mix. Pikachu however is too sleepy to continue hearing it and slumps on the floor, falling asleep.

Sometime later, Ash wakes up and upon noticing Pikachu's absence, the Pokédex informs him that he left in the middle of the night and didn't return, but the others mentioned him sleeping on the floor, while also reminding him that today is a day off from battles before the tournament resumes tomorrow. The device also informs Ash of some possible moves his Pokémon might be able to learn as well as the latest reports of Gardevoir and the rest of John Archer's Pokémon, who only have found three younger siblings in Fiore who are not dead or involved in anything he should worry about. As soon as he steps out of the room, the trainer hears Delia asking for more details about his date with Misty, who's trying to get the woman to calm down to no avail. Anabel and Iris appear, and Iris suggests they escape through the window while Anabel offers to distract Delia in the meantime. Despite Ash's doubts, the telepath confesses she's been worked up for a while since they talked to her yesterday, while Iris wants to go out for a bit anyway, so in the end he complies.

Once outside, Ash feels bad for leaving Misty to his mother's mercy, while Iris tries to assure him everything will be fine, but for now, she wants to have a date with him. As the two walk across the same street Ash and Misty visited the day before, they first come across a mirror house and they end up entering as Ash explains to her how trick mirrors work, much to the wild girl's amusement. After getting out, they stop by a stand where an older man runs a prize-winning game stand involving Sinistea hiding in cups while trying to keep track which cup actually has tea in it while the Pokémon switch places with each other. The two of them decide to try it out and win some prizes for each other and their Pokémon, including a Dragon Fang, a Muscle Band, a Gengarite, and a Dragon Gem. Once they're done with that, they decide to go find somewhere to eat given that they haven't even had their breakfast yet. They come across an announcer in front of a tent who informs them of the Macro Cosmos Galar Promotional Couples ‘n Duos Curry Eating Contest sponsored by Macro Cosmos Galar, and they still have a slot for two more participants. Given that they're hungry and there's the additional offer to win prizes, they agree to enter. The rules are simple: the participants need to eat several curry plates alternating between each other, trying to hold out as far as possible until they are unable to finish, and the last team standing will win. The contest begins, and it continues until it's just Ash and Iris versus A.J. and Jeanette Fisher, even though Ash and Iris are way ahead. A.J is finally unable to keep eating and passes out, giving Ash and Iris the victory and the bigger prize, though Iris requests to eat the last plate they were going to bring anyway, since she's still hungry. Her request granted, Ash and Iris return to the bunk house, both of them admitting they had plenty of fun. Iris then gives Ash a kiss on the cheek, asking if she did it right while looking forward for more dates in the future. Ash is just left there catatonic, unable to move for a while.

Once he's able to move again, Ash gathers his Pokémon for a strategy meeting. The Pokédex begins by recounting every Pokémon Ash has used in the competition so far while listing which others he has available. Squirtle suggests that Ash could use them again to throw off his competition who might be expecting that he uses different Pokémon, though Ash points out that since the Rookie Crusher he's been keeping a team varied enough to be ready for anything that might be thrown at him. The Pokédex expresses disappointment on the meeting being pointless, while bringing out that Ash is more tense about having a "romantic interlude", prompting Charizard to remark that the only thing that actually scares Ash is romance, much to his embarrassment and everyone else's amusement.

The day continues with Misty taking Ash to a pool to relax. While Anabel and Iris are on their way to join them, they have it for themselves for the time being, and Misty decides to have some fun teasing Ash about his date at the mirror house with Iris, apparently having been told before. At first Ash is afraid Misty might have be offended by the comments Ash and Iris made about her and her curves, but the redhead assures him that's not the case, while also pondering that she wasn't bothered by them having a date. When Ash says "this scares me more than losing", Misty takes the chance to joke if he means he's scared of seeing her in a black bikini. After he gets flustered, he explains that when it comes to battling he's in his element and knows how to deal with victory and defeat just fine, but he's completely at a loss when it comes to romance, dating and all that stuff. Misty then confesses that she, despite having fun teasing him, also feels at a loss about her own attraction for him, and has no clue about how to go any further than that, while also remarking that perhaps Iris is probably the only one who has an idea of what she's doing, and that's because she's not scared of the same things as them, neither does she have her Pokémon annoying her about it like they have theirs. Ash states that he's afraid of making someone upset no matter what she does, to what Misty replies that she wouldn't be mad at him for kissing or dating Iris without telling her, but she would be if he did it with someone like Giselle, though she quickly adds she knows he'd never do such a thing, making them both smile at each other. Right then, however, they're interrupted by the twins Elwood and Aideen, who have had the same idea as them to spend their day off.

Iris and Anabel eventually join them in the pool, and while Ash and Misty have some swimming races with the twins, they have some drinks by the pool's edge while chatting with one another. Iris asks Anabel if she has any ideas for a date with Ash, and the telepath says she doesn't yet, since she'd like to do something different so Ash doesn't get bored of the same thing. Iris then inquires if Anabel ever had a date with someone, and the latter replies that due to her condition she didn't have many friends, so she never got any chance to have any dates, making Iris excited at the prospect of Anabel having her first date with Ash. Iris mentions of a place in Unova that seems a popular dating spot, a giant wheel where many couples ride to get a clear view of the city, which Anabel recognizes as the Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel, and they both agree it'd be fun to take Ash there sometime.

Towards the end of the day, Ash is doing some last-minute training with Charizard and Squirtle, the latter managing to get the hang of his Aura Sphere after using it during the previous match. However, during the spar Squirtle misses a throw and a stray Aura Sphere flies towards a passing girl with an Arcanine and a glasses-wearing Squirtle of her own. Fortunately, the Arcanine pushes her to the ground and shields her with his body, as Ash and his Pokémon approach to check on her, though Charizard and Squirtle stop on their tracks briefly upon seeing them. Ash then takes notice of the girl's glasses and walking stick as he tries to help her up, realizing that she must be blind. The girl however takes it in stride with an upbeat attitude, before telling Ash her story when he asks how she ended up that way, about how the Route 1 Spearow flock attacked her on her first day and she had to undergo serious rehab before she was allowed to become a trainer, but managed to pull through thanks to her family's support and her Pokémon, as well as competing with other trainers with disabilities, quickly earning Ash's admiration for her resilience. The girl then introduces herself as Kaia, and then checks on Ash's Pokémon, quickly recognizing their species just by touching them, as well as noticing some familiarity on Charizard, who is almost tempted to hug her. Ash then asks if she's here competing in the league too, and as it turns out, they're due to face one another in the next round tomorrow, which Ash's Pokédex confirms immediately. She laments not having prepared a speech or something as she didn't expect to meet him before their match, but hopes they can make their battle a special one, since she and her Pokémon have always done their best to overcome every obstacle. Ash agrees and hopes that they can have an exciting match before Kaia goes on her way. Once she and her Pokémon leave, Ash checks on Charizard and Squirtle, and asks them what's the matter. Charizard explains that Kaia was his original trainer, with whom he spent barely one day, and he can barely believe she got this far. For his part, Squirtle then explains that the Squirtle accompanying her is one of his old friends from the Squirtle Squad, nicknamed Thinker, and he had assumed they had all died. Ash then realizes that they must have some complicated stories and decides he won't force them to fight their friends if they don't want to, which they appreciate. Still, the Pallet trainer knows that he needs to prepare to battle her one way or another, and has to give his best as much as she gives hers.

The next day, Ash finally stands in the Indigo Stadium for the first time this timeline, ready for his battle against Kaia. He ponders that battling her will be similar though different to his battle against Anabel, since he won't have a clear idea of what Kaia will do due to the lack of voice commands and thus will have to rely on his instincts to guess, while also the lack of sight will not stop her. The Pokédex suggested that Ash could have used Yanma's sonic waves against her, but he feels that would be a cheap move and refuses, while also noticing that the crowd seems to support Kaia more than they support him. As the battle gets underway, Kaia sends out a Kadabra, revealing a Pokémon she hadn't used so far. Ash for his part sends out Primeape, prompting Kaia to comment that he's as unconventional as she's heard. Ash orders Primeape to use Throat Chop, while Kaia gives an order of "initial pattern", which involves him teleporting away to dodge Primeape's blows and attack at his own discretion. Primeape manages to move fast on his feet, which doesn't go unnoticed by Kaia's hearing. Finally, Kadabra manages to catch Primeape in a psychic hold, and prepares to slam him against the ground. However, as he goes down feet first, Ash orders Primeape to use Mega Kick to free himself, and he does, stomping the ground with force and breaking Kadabra's hold enough to deliver a Throat Chop before the Psychic-type can teleport away. After being sent skipping across the ground, Kaia orders Kadabra to "make *its* hold stronger", which Primeape seemingly mocks. Kadabra slams its spoon and creates an Psychic Terrain, before trapping Primeape in another psychic hold, this time much stronger thanks to the terrain's power boost. Ash decides to recall Primeape and sends out Pikachu to take over. After the Pokédex warns Ash that the terrain will affect Pikachu's Quick Attack, Ash orders his partner to use Thunderbolt, which Kadabra dodges by teleporting away and breaks the psychic hold. To avoid any more escapes through teleportation, Ash has Pikachu spread out the Thunderbolt in a wide area, similar to a Discharge, which catches Kadabra inflicting paralysis. Its Synchronize fails to afflict Pikachu with the status giving them the advantage, and Ash orders Pikachu to deliver an Iron Tail. After sliding under a Fire Punch, Kadabra falls, giving Ash the first bout.

In the stands, Misty cheers Ash on, though quickly notices that most of the crowd seems to be on Kaia's side, with Professor Oak comparing it to Ash playing an away game in baseball. Delia however disagrees, commenting that if that were the case, Ash would probably be on the receiving end of booing and Pokémon League matches aren't like baseball. Oak however counters that sometimes sports fans can be very devoted to their teams themselves, mentioning the Electabuzz fans as an example, making Misty recall a championship game with the Cerulean Starmies, and agreeing with both adults' shivering at their devotion.

Back on the battlefield, Kaia recalls Kadabra, and after commending Ash and Pikachu for their skills and trust in one another, she sends out her Crobat, ordering him to stay in his typical range and go for endurance. Ash orders Pikachu to use Volt Tackle, while Crobat prepares a Poison-type attack that turns out to be Toxic. However, while the attack hits Pikachu, the Volt Tackle's electric field protects him from its effects. Crobat then flies close to Pikachu with a red glow, and Ash orders him to get away, preparing a Zap Cannon right when Crobat attempts to charge at him for the third time, forcing the bat to swerve away to avoid crashing into it. While Ash considers his options, Kaia orders Crobat to shift to offensive pattern. Crobat fires another Toxic, which Pikachu once more repels with Volt Tackle, but upon repeating the move, this time the electric shield fizzles out, leaving Pikachu defenseless. Kaia then reveals that Crobat can use Torment, preventing them from repeating the same move twice in a row, and now Pikachu is poisoned. After Crobat prepares to use a Venoshock attack to capitalize on the poison, Ash orders him to use Counter Shield. Crobat manages to stop only after firing three volleys, which Pikachu deflects back. The first two miss, but the third manages to hit Crobat, and then Pikachu charges in with a Volt Tackle to try and leave as much damage as possible before succumbing to the poison. However, Pikachu ends up charging headfirst into the effect of a Swagger, which leaves Pikachu confused and leads him to run and crash into a wall, knocking himself out. With the scores even, Ash goes to give Pikachu an antidote, while Kaia hopes they didn't overdo it.

Ash then sends out Pidgeot to battle Crobat in the air. Kaia orders Crobat to use their strategy for Flying-types, taking up to the skies. Ash then orders Pidgeot to follow the bat and make her own calls if necessary. She then speeds up with a Quick Attack, which Crobat barely dodges before firing a barrage of Toxic. Pidgeot counters with her own barrage of Air Slash. Crobat then switches to use Venoshock and she dodges with her own agility to get close. Pidgeot then realizes this match will turn into a battle of endurance, which she's certain she can win thanks to her long flights, but doesn't want to stretch it more than necessary. After Ash orders her to use Aerial Ace, whose fake out move saves her from running into Crobat's Swagger, managing to blow some wind with her flapping to knock him away for another Aerial Ace. However, she almost ends up hit by a Toxic right in the face, which she fortunately dodges with another Aerial Ace feint. Crobat fires another round of Toxic, and she shields herself behind Steel Wing, right when Crobat strikes her with an Aerial Ace of its own. Right when she's about to get hit by a Swagger, she folds her wings and shuts her eyes, beginning to fall down, only flying back up when she's sure to be out of range, blowing a wind that startles several spectators and knocks their hats away. Ash then orders her to use Hurricane to trap Crobat, and she starts flying in circles to create a large wind funnel, leaving the bat with no place to go and knocked away by the wind currents. Pidgeot then flies on top of the Hurricane and descends with an Aerial Ace at full speed, knocking Crobat down and ending the bout in their favor, right when Pikachu wakes up from being knocked out.

As the cheers for both trainers continue, Kaia commends Pidgeot and Ash, while he does for her and her Crobat. Then, since the crowd asks for it, Kaia sends in her Arcanine, who immediately begins with a Retaliate attack, hitting Pidgeot for massive damage thanks to the boost from the previous defeat of Crobat, before firing a Flamethrower at them. Pidgeot dodges and prepares to charge with Aerial Ace, while Arcanine lies in wait and prepares to blast another Flamethrower when she gets in range. After landing an Aerial Ace, Pidgeot flies away and attacks with Air Slash, while dodging another Flamethrower volley to charge with Quick Attack. However, Arcanine greets her with a Thunder Fang, but she manages to switch her attack to Aerial Ace, dodging and counterattacking immediately. Arcanine manages to blast her with Flamethrower knocking them both back, and Ash orders her to use Brave Bird to end the bout and the match. Arcanine then counters with a Flame Wheel, and in the resulting clash Arcanine wins out, getting an opening to use a Thunder Fang and tossing Pidgeot away with his jaws, ending the bout and leaving both trainers down to one Pokémon.

As the victory cheers continue, Ash brings back Primeape for the decisive bout. The Fighting-type seems confident enough since Arcanine is clearly tired from fighting Pidgeot, but Ash knows they can't get overconfident about it. Primeape begins to charge with a Mega Kick, and Arcanine flares up a Flame Wheel to shield himself. Primeape pierces through the flames with Cross Chop, knocking Arcanine away, but the canine rights himself before crashing into the wall, and then launches a Flamethrower that Primeape dodges by rolling out and then taunts Arcanine about it. Seeing that the taunts don't work and since all of Primeape's moves are close-ranged ones, Ash realizes they need to get in melee range to make those moves work. Arcanine tries to defend and counterattack using Flamethrower and Flame Wheel, while Primeape uses a Mega Kick/Cross Chop combo to charge at Arcanine. Primeape gets singed in the feet, and the pain distracts him enough for Arcanine to bite him with a Thunder Fang to the arm. Despite the damage, Primeape manages to swing a leg straight to Arcanine's head, forcing the dog to let him go. Immediately, he charges to get a hold of Arcanine's chest fur, hurling him away with a Seismic Toss before the dog can ignite a Flame Wheel to defend himself. Arcanine still keeps the attack to charge back, but Primeape dodges and after the fire cloak dispels, charges with a Cross Chop, hitting Arcanine's backside and knocking him into a wall, ending the match with a victory for Ash.

As the victory cheers go off and Primeape celebrates, Ash realizes that Kaia will need Arcanine as her guide Pokémon, and asks the referee to help him pull the dog out of the wall before giving him a Sitrus Berry for recovery, and then takes him back to his trainer, much to her relief, and the crowd's admiration for his sportsmanship. Ash then offers to escort Kaia back to the locker room, with her Squirtle Thinker accompanying them. Kaia thanks Ash for a good match, hoping they can do better next time while still being satisfied with their efforts. When Kaia tries to assure him she can find the exit on her own, Ash then explains he has something important to tell her.

In the locker room, Charizard and Squirtle have been watching the match on TV, having asked it to Ash as a favor. Squirtle is a tad disappointed he didn't get to see Thinker in action, while Charizard is happy that Kaia has grown so strong. Squirtle asks if Charizard is okay, and the Fire-type assures him he is, as he's gotten over his trauma just fine, even if he still thinks of what could have been, though Squirtle continues to ask if he doesn't want to meet her properly. Before the argument can continue, Ash then comes into the room, and they congratulate him on his victory, wanting to go off to train for the next round. Before that, though, Ash brings Kaia and her Pokémon into the room, and the girl asks what's the surprise Ash talked about. Ash explains that after doing some digging, he learned that his Charizard knows of her, while his Squirtle is friends with her. Thinker confirms it, and immediately the realization strikes her: Ash's Charizard is the same Charmander she chose on her first day. Ash steps back so they can get close to one another, and upon touching Charizard, she realizes that he is her Charmander. They both cry tears of joy and hug each other after being reunited, having so many things they want to say to each other after so long. Meanwhile, Thinker begins to tell Squirtle about how he ended up under Kaia's care, revealing that he found out that their other friends made it out alive of the cave in as well and they're doing fine, much to Squirtle's joy. They both agree they were lucky to find their trainers, while Squirtle feels relieved that his old friends are alive and hopeful that their paths might cross one day.

After the emotional reunion, Ash and Kaia exchange contact info to stay in touch with each other, while Squirtle and Charizard thank him for letting them spend some time with their old friends. He even suggests to Charizard that he can go back to her if he wants, but Charizard immediately shoots him down, saying that while he might have met her first, Ash is his trainer now, and that won't ever change. Squirtle mockingly calls him "sappy", but Charizard replies he's got his nuances, and demands that they go train for the next match, so Ash complies and they head out. After leaving his other Pokémon at the center for healing, Ash watches the currently ongoing match with Ritchie's Zippo versus a Scizor he finds familiar. As the girls approach, Ash asks if there's something they'd like to do, and Misty replies that she'd like to do some training, as the battles have made her pumping and urging to try some strategies for herself. Since none of the others has any objections, and it'll be a bit before the next matches are announced, Ash accepts and they all go off to train.

Not much later, Red and Yellow walk through the woods searching for Ash and his companions, with Red feeling rather nervous and Yellow telling him he's being silly about it. Once they find them in the middle of some sparring, Yellow breaks the ice for them, and Red finally begins to ramble that he wants to ask Ash and the others to look after Yellow for his next matches, since while they're technically not that close, there's no one else he can trust for that. Ash agrees, even after Red continues to ramble about it, with Ash's companions having to tell him that Ash already accepted and he doesn't have to worry. However, right then the brush shakes and a group of thugs that quickly reveal themselves as fans of the Rookie Crusher have come looking for trouble with Ash, wanting to avenge the Crusher's defeat. They immediately bring out of all their Pokémon to start a fight, but Ash quickly points out that, on top of having a recording device, they're forgetting he's not alone, and immediately, Misty, Iris and Anabel send their Pokémon to make short work of theirs. As the thugs get beaten up, Red receives a notice in his PokéGear informing him of the upcoming matches for the next round, and shortly after he gets a brief email from Naty, which says : "Mythical power has made its first tendrils of contact with Ash. Be wary." Red is left wondering what kind of mythical power it might be, as well if it has to do with the dream he had on One Island about facing Ash. Shortly after, Ash gets the notice for the next round, and Red is left without answers.

The training continues with Misty trying to help Wimpod perfect Aqua Jet, with some help from Ash and Squirtle. Misty is pleased with their progress, with Ash suggesting they could probably help him learn other moves, such as Mud Bomb or Mud Shot. However, an unknown voice says that no matter what they do, Wimpod will always be a coward, and not even evolution will fix that. The source of the voice introduces himself as Cross, who's set to be Ash's next opponent, who seems to acknowledge Ash for making it so far, but still disregarding him as not being as tough in person. Ash counters that the Rookie Crusher tried to intimidate him and he got beaten for his trouble, but Cross assures him he knows what to expect and he's not waltzing into the fight without a plan, also pointing out to Ash's Z-Ring. Upon recognizing the Normalium-Z crystal, he inquires about who sent it, and Ash reveals that the Melemele Kahuna and a "guardian" did. Cross seems shocked that Hala and Tapu Koko sent Ash a Z-Ring, looking at him like he's crazy, and before Ash can give any reply, Charizard comes out of his Poké Ball. The Fire-type recognizes Cross from a previous encounter and growls threateningly at him before being stopped by Ash. Cross also recognizes him as the same Charmander he fought under Damian's care, still dismissing him as weak and taunting him for a rematch tomorrow before leaving. As Cross walks away, Ash changes his mind about his previous plan of switching Charizard out for the next round, deciding he's going to keep him active for the match against Cross.

## Continuity

* The Indigo League Conference continues, going through the fifth round.
* Ash meets Kaia and Cross for the first time.
* First appearance of Ash's Froakie in the new timeline proper.
* Thinker reveals to Ash's Squirtle what happened to him and the other members of the Squirtle Squad, the fates of whom are revealed in the *Squirtle Squad Gaiden* and the *Holiday Special 2018*.
* Kaia and Cross recount events from the *Charmander Gaiden* relating to Charizard, specifically how the former lost him due to the Route 1 Spearow flock, and the latter from defeating him with Incineroar.

## Links

1. ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/acpeters/art/Ash-Iris-First-Date-at-Indigo-948570882
2. ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/acpeters/art/Reset-Bloodlines-Ash-Ketchum-Vs-Kaia-Sullivan-970780384