Ash and Paul, each with their own reasons for competing, had made it to the final round of the tag battle tournament.
For Ash, this was just a fun challenge—and a chance to show Paul how much Chimchar had changed.
For Paul, since he was already competing, winning the whole thing was only natural.
Their final opponents were Dawn and Conway.
Dawn used Piplup, while Conway brought out his Slowking.
The combination of Slowking and Piplup's teamwork did manage to put Paul in a tricky situation.
This time, Paul sent out his Electabuzz, a perfect counter against their Water-type Pokémon.
Ash, on the other hand, decided to let his Grotle give it a try.
Dawn and Conway fought hard, but in the end, they couldn't overcome Ash and Paul's relentless tactics.
Dawn was visibly disappointed by the loss, while Conway, ever the strategist, recorded the battle for future analysis—determined to study what went wrong.
And just like that, the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament had come to an end.
As the victors, Ash and Paul were awarded the tournament prize—one Soothe Bell each.
With the tournament wrapped up, Ash, Dawn, and Anabel took a break at the Pokémon Center before deciding on their next destination.
Dawn and Anabel were discussing where they should go next for some much-needed relaxation.
After all, they had been traveling for quite a while without a proper break.
"Hey, Anabel! Let's go to Alamos Town! It's a bit far, but look—I won a special travel coupon from Hearthome City's biggest department store! It lets three people join the Hearthome Travel Group on a three-day sightseeing tour!"
Dawn excitedly waved the coupon in front of Anabel.
It was a lucky draw prize she had won while shopping with Anabel earlier that day.
The coupon covered all expenses for three travelers—just enough for her, Anabel, and Ash!
"I heard Alamos Town has the world's largest musical castle, breathtaking scenery, and a massive archive of past Pokémon Contests. Isn't this a sign that we HAVE to go?!"
Anabel smiled helplessly, tapping Dawn on the forehead.
"Alright, alright, I don't mind going. But you should ask Ash first. If he agrees, then we'll go."
Dawn turned eagerly toward Ash, her eyes full of expectation.
Alamos Town, huh…
Ash pondered for a moment.
He hadn't expected to run into this particular part of the original timeline so soon.
Alamos Town was where Dialga and Palkia's conflict would erupt—an event of legendary proportions.
If they were going, he needed to be prepared.
Seeing Dawn's hopeful expression, Ash chuckled and got up from his seat.
"If you two are set on going, then I'm fine with it. Let's visit Alamos Town for a few days. Besides, Dawn's been feeling down lately—this might be a good chance for her to relax."
"YES! I knew he'd say yes!" Dawn celebrated, flashing a victory sign at Anabel.
"Alright, Anabel, let's go get some travel supplies!"
With that, the two girls hurried off to prepare for the trip.
Meanwhile, Ash had another matter to handle.
He opened his Pokégear and placed a video call to Professor Oak.
"Professor Oak, I need you to do me a favor and send Charizard over."
Straight to the point.
Charizard had been training at Charicific Valley ever since Ash started his journey in Sinnoh.
According to Charizard, there was only one Charizard in the valley that it still couldn't defeat.
And that opponent was the key to breaking past the level 79-to-80 barrier.
Ash wanted to know—had Charizard finally succeeded?
Professor Oak adjusted his glasses.
"So you want me to send Charizard's Poké Ball to Charicific Valley and have them transfer it to you, right? Well, I won't need to go myself. I'll send the Poké Ball to Professor Elm in Johto—he's closer and can handle the transfer faster."
Ash nodded.
After wrapping up his call with Oak, he contacted Liza, the caretaker of Charicific Valley.
Liza agreed to have Charizard's Poké Ball sent to him right away.
Through her, Ash learned that Charizard still hadn't defeated that one last opponent.
Not surprising.
The level gap between 79 and 80 was massive.
It was the threshold between a regular Pokémon and a Legendary-tier one.
Maybe… Ash could use an Attribute Enhancement Card to help.
First, he needed to see Charizard for himself.
This trip to Alamos Town wasn't just about Dialga and Palkia.
There was another powerful Pokémon there—Darkrai.
But this wasn't just any Darkrai.
The one that Tobias used in the Sinnoh League was nothing compared to the Darkrai in Alamos Town.
Ash's mind was already formulating a plan.
Several hours later…
Dawn and Anabel had finished packing their travel essentials.
And Charizard had finally been transferred over!
"Come out, Charizard!"
Ash tossed the Poké Ball into the air.
The moment Charizard emerged, it lunged at Ash, pinning him down.
Ash grinned, grabbing Charizard's arm and attempting a counterattack.
Ash's physical strength had improved a lot—he wasn't the same kid Charizard could overpower so easily.
Charizard knew Ash was just playing around, so it went along with the scuffle.
Pikachu jumped in too, eager to join the fun.
"Haha! I knew you'd try to tackle me! It's been a while, huh? Oh, and Pikachu missed you too. This time, I'm taking you on a special trip—you're going to meet some seriously powerful opponents!"
"ROOOAR!"
Charizard roared, fire blazing from its tail as it pumped its fist excitedly.
Dawn, watching from the side, was awestruck.
Just by looking at Charizard, she could tell—it was incredibly strong.
With everything in place, Ash went over his plan one last time.
And soon enough…
The day of their departure arrived.
Alamos Town.
Dialga.
Palkia.
Darkrai.
Ash clenched his fists in anticipation.
Here we come!
—
Author's Note:
I rewatched The Rise of Darkrai and decided to incorporate it into the story!
Ignore the timeline differences—just enjoy the story!
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T/N:
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