Pokemon: Arceus' Champion

"Wait.... Red..... As in Red KETCHUM?!" Iris asked incredulously, giving voice to what was on everyone's minds as they looked back and forth between Red and Lance.

"That's right!" Professor Oak declared, ignoring the tense situation as he approached his former student. "It is good to see you my boy!"

The professor then wrapped him in a tight hug, which Red returned half-heartedly.

"Its good to see you too professor, but we should wait a little bit to catch up. I some business to attend to." Red told his mentor, all while maintaining eye contact with Lance.

"I fail to see why you're so pissed at me specifically, Red." Lance told him. "Its not as if I did anything to Ace myself."

"That's exactly the problem Lance. You didn't do ANYTHING." Red growled.

"When a criminal syndicate moved into Kanto and Johto, what did you do? Nothing. It was Ace who exposed their presence to the world.

"In the five years since, what have you done to fight back against the criminals? Nothing. It was Ace who led the charge against them once he started his journey.

"Who dug up the information on their hideouts in Pewter? Ace. Who battled them at Mt. Moon? Ace. Cerulean city Gym? Ace. Lavender town? Ace. Surge? Ace.

"Tell me Lance, as the Champion who has led TWO regions for the last TWO decades, what have YOU done to combat these thugs? Because from where I'm standing, it looks as if you left all of the fighting to a BOY, who has only been an actual trainer for a few months."

Silence dominated the room as everyone looked between Red and Lance like they were watching a battle.

Some of them felt sorry for Lance, while others felt that Red's anger was justified considering just how much work Ace had to do in their last battle. Hell, they had all been borderline helpless when Articuno showed up, while the only ones who could even do anything were Ace and Pidgeot.

Meanwhile the numerous videos and information leaks about Team Rocket, courtesy of Giana, showing that Ace had been the main one behind the group's decline. In terms of accomplishments as far as Team Rocket was concerned, Ace obviously did more than Lance.

"We were just on our way to their hideout now, to wipe the last of them out and deal with Giovanni so that he could never rebuild." Lance said with a hint of accomplishment in his tone.

"I see... So you waited until a BOY did ALL of the work for you, and eliminated almost ALL of their forces to swoop in and cut the head off the Arbok? All while Ace himself is currently comatose so YOU get the credit?"

"..."

Again, Lance was silent.

That was more or less what he was doing, except his intention was nothing of the sort. They just couldn't afford to wait and risk Giovanni getting away.

"Excuse me." Steven suddenly said, drawing attention towards him.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you shouldn't blame Lance for Ace being injured. He DID try to keep Ace away from the battle, but Ace wouldn't listen."

"And?" Red asked him.

"The problem isn't just Ace fighting, or even getting hurt. I know he's not a little kid anymore, but Lance here is supposed to protect everyone of the Kanto and Johto regions. Allowing Team Rocket to gain as much power and influence as they did creates a massive seed of doubt regarding if he should be Champion or not. The fact that it was a kid who rose up against them, and not the regional Champion, says alot about how qualified Lance is for the job."

"I've already stated that anyone who thinks I'm not qualified to be Champion is free to challenge the Elite Four to take my place." Lance stated defiantly.

"I know." Red said in a calm voice, and Lance suddenly realized just why he was there.

"You have one week Lance. Do what you need to tonight, but in a week I plan to fly to the Indigo Plateau to challenge the Elite Four. You have until then to make your preparations."

Lance paled as Red formally issued him the challenge, which he would have no choice but to accept. Even though Red never won a conference, as a 'Champion' himself, despite never formally accepting the position, Lance was honor-bound to accept. Plus there was the fact that Red's name was now known throughout the world thanks to Giovanni, meaning that if his challenge were made public, the people would expect Lance to accept regardless just to see what the man who was the 'rightful' Champion was capable of.

"Very well..." Lance replied, already knowing how the battle would turn out. After all, he highly doubted Red and his pokemon had remained idle for the last seventeen years, especially if the display they just got from his Raichu was any indication.

"Well this is exciting!" Nemona declared once Lance accepted the challenge. Obviously she wanted to challenge Red herself, but Nemona knew she couldn't right now since they had something to do. Maybe she would be able to challenge him later?

"I'll say!" Leon stated in agreement, also thinking of challenging Red before he could battle Lance. After all, there were rules regarding Champions from other regions battling one another, but Red wasn't an actual Champion...yet.

Though not quite as...enthusiastic as the two of them, Steven, Cynthia and even Iris would all be lying if they said they weren't interested in challenging Red as well. After all, it was rare for them to be properly challenged after becoming Champions, and they wanted to see just how strong the man who made Lance react in such a way was.

"Now then. Unless there's something you all NEED me for, I'm going to go see my family." Red said, before turning around and taking his leave, his Raichu leaping up onto his shoulder as he did so.

"I'll come with you." Professor Oak said as he hurried to join his former pupil.

Upon exiting the room, Oak found himself looking upon a scene of disaster from the aftermath of Red battling his way to them.

All around them were the ace and veteran trainers belonging to the League, each one nursing their unconscious pokemon while also trying to get them help. Additionally were the Nurses Joy that were trying to help them, but also made sure to shoot dirty looks in Red's direction as they passed.

"Just put the cost for the damages on the League's tab." Red told them, pacifying the angry nurses slightly, but not entirely releiving them of their anger.

"You do like to make a scene." The professor said in amusement.

"Not my fault that they didn't believe who I was." Red replied.

"Well you DO like to avoid the public eye. Plus you've been gone for so long, even if you hardly look as if you've aged..."

As he said that, professor Oak looked Red up and down marveling how, despite nearing his forties, Red still looked as if he were in his early twenties. Then again, Delia also looked incredibly good for a woman her age...

"Speaking of being gone, what have you been up to that made you leave?" The professor asked him curiously.

"..."

"The day the boys were born, I had a feeling that something was coming. Something that would threaten us all." Red told him, expecting the professor to say he was full of it, or to call him a coward for abandoning his wife and sons. Instead...

"I see..."

That was all the professor had to say about the topic, for the moment, when the two men reached a certain room that was being guarded by a pair of Rangers.

"Professor." The green-haired Ranger greeted Oak respectfully, while the younger-looking one bowed respectfully.

"Wendy, Kate. This is Red, Ace and Ash's father." Professor Oak introduced them, and both girls went wide-eyed as they looked Red up and down.

"Ladies." Red said, before opening the door to enter the room within.

Inside he found quite a large group of people gathered around a single bed. In it was his eldest son, Ace.

Ace was, of course, unconscious, with numerous bandages wrapped around his upper body, IVs connected to his arms, and a mask covering his mouth to help him breathe. Surrounding him were numerous women, some sitting on chairs while others were even sitting on the ground, as well as Ash in the corner, sleeping with a Pikachu in his lap, and then finally there was Red's wife, Delia.

"!!!"

"Red..." Delia uttered as soon as he walked in, stirring several of the girls as they looked at him as well.

"Is it....is it really you...?" She asked in disbelief while standing.

"Hello Delia." Red said, actually speaking to his wife for the first time since he had left.

"Oh my gods..." Delia softly exclaimed, before she hurried forward and wrapped her arms around her husband. "Its been so long..."

"I know..."

"Our boy..."

"I know..."

"Please don't leave us again..."

"I won't."

Stating the last part firmly, Red tightened his hold on his wife affectionately, as if to tell her both verbally and physically that he wasn't going anywhere.

By this point everyone except Ace and Ash was awake and watching the scene, the girls on the verge of sobbing from the reunion between husband and wife, while the professor looked as if he were uncomfortable.

"Ehem." Professor Oak coughed lightly to get Red and Delia's attention, making both of them look at him curiously.

"I understand that I'm interrupting a moment right now, but I think there's some things that the two of you need to know." He told them.

...

"I can't believe this..." Red stated while clenching his fist, feeling more frustrated than he ever had in his life.

"Oh Ace.... My poor baby..." Delia uttered as she looked at her son, laying on the bed unconscious.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth." Professor Oak told them, having explained to them the truth about Ace and his role in the future.

Originally he planned to have the discussion with Delia when Ace himself was awake, and could explain it to his mother directly. With Red being here though, and the reason he left all those years ago, Oak decided that it was time they both knew.

"If I had known this then I never would have left! I would have done everything I could to help train my son and prepare him!" Red declared angrily, even more furious with himself now than he had been before.

"How long did you know this?" Delia asked the professor.

"Only a couple weeks. When Gary, Ace and Ash all stopped at Bill's lighthouse the truth came out while Ace was having a discussion with the true alpha Dragonite. Bill then immediately reported it to Lance and I the very next morning. I still find it hard to believe, but it explains quite a bit about the things that have been happening to Ace since he started his journey, as well as why the Legendaries are so drawn to him."

The two parents were silent as they tried to digest everything Oak had just told them about Arceus, as well as why the Legendary birds had acted as they did during the battle.

"So what exactly is the League planning to do about all of this?" Red asked the professor.

"Our main problem is we don't know WHAT the threat Arceus was trying to warn Ace about is. So Ace thinks it's best that we focus on the influx of criminal and radical organizations that are starting to pop up all over the world. Team Aqua and Team Magma for example, who are trying to revive the primordial pokemon Kyogre and Groudon respectively. Apparently either one awakening would be catastrophic for life on the planet, but if both were roused then we will see the land and sea waging war with one another. And that's not even taking the other criminal groups into consideration.

"It's also why we focused on eliminating Team Rocket so much, since they were trying to capture and control Legendaries for their own agendas. If it weren't for Ace, they would still have Articuno and the true alpha Beedrill under their control. And that's not even taking their experimentation into consideration."

Red nodded slowly as he thought on what professor Oak told him, his mind racing with all of this new information.

"That'll be one of my main focuses as Champion then." His comment made everyone else in the room, aside from Ash, look up in alarm as Red continued.

"I'll try and raise the level of trainers in the Kanto and Johto regions, so that we can combat the criminal groups of the world when they finally make their move. I'll also do away with the need for winning a conference to qualify to challenge the Elite Four, just like the old days. The more challengers we face, the stronger we'll need to be as well."

"You're going to challenge Lance?!" Delia exclaimed in shock.

"DID challenge. Our battle will be in a week." Red told her, which prompted the girls to begin chattering amongst themselves with interest.

"By the way..." Red began as he looked ALL of them over curiously. "Who are they exactly?"

From their auras Red could see that they cared deeply for Ace, but he wanted someone to clarify the nature of their relationship before he made any.....incredulous assumptions.

"Oh! These are some of our future daughters in law!" Delia happily told him.

"..."

"Excuse me?"

"That's right! Our boy is wonderful, he's bringing us so many future daughters! You remember Daisy right? Then there's May, Dawn, Misty...."

...

Red was stunned beyond belief as he tried to wrap his head around everything he had learned that night, especially about all his future 'daughters'.

It wasn't like he couldn't understand his son, all of them were admittedly very beautiful, and would draw the attention of any hot-blooded man wherever they went. But maybe Red was just too narrow-minded since he only wanted one woman in his life.

Even over the last seventeen years, he had never embraced another woman.

There were chances to, of course. For instance, the former queen of Rota had offered him her daughter's hand in marriage, despite her not even being ten years old, and the fact that Red was already married. Neither of those even seemed remotely close to being deal-breakers for the queen though.

And that wasn't even considering all of the women he coincidentally met on his travels, several of which he saved from various life-threatening situations. Then they all seemed dead set on repaying him afterwards, specifically with their bodies.

However the numbers his son seemed to be reaching was just mind-boggling!

Just how many women did he want?

How many GRANDCHILDREN would Red and Delia have?!

Of course she seemed excited about the latter question, and was even determined to help raise all of them if Ace wanted to continue traveling.

Naturally, with everything that had happened that day, and all of the bombs that had been dropped on him, Red never got a chance to sleep as the night carried on.

Delia and the others did go to sleep though, with some of the girls laying their heads on Ace's bed, while Delia was using a special cot that the nurses had brought her.

Red meanwhile stayed awake, thinking about everything that had happened today. From returning to Kanto, killing Giovanni, confronting Lance, seeing his wife again, and everything he had learned from her and professor Oak. It was enough to overwhelm anyone.

Thankfully Red wasn't just 'anyone', and he was used to pulling all-nighters. Sometimes for several nights in a row.

So he was fine even as he stayed awake all night alongside his Raichu, one of his longest companions as the first pokemon he caught on his journey.

Soon enough the horizon started to light up, and Red made his way to the window even as the others continued slumbering. No doubt the last several days had been extremely taxing on them mentally.

As the east became brighter more of Celadon city became visible, showing Red just how much had changed since he left all those years ago. For one, Celadon wasn't the City of Flowers the last time he was here, and it certainly wasn't so green or colorful. Not that he was complaining.

The changes were a plus in Red's opinion, as it made the city far better for both people and pokemon. Even some wild pokemon would be able to live comfortably within the city.

As the sky turned brighter Red admired the view below him, until he noticed something to the south.

"Huh? I was pretty sure the weather would be nice today?" Red said in confusion as he focused on the swirling mass of dark clouds gathered over the sea. He didn't know why, but something seemed off about them.

He watched the storm as it seemed to approach the harbor, before it then started going back the way it came.

"Ok... That was weird." Red murmured to himself.

"Raichu." His Raichu said beside him in agreement.

With the storm vanishing over the horizon though, Red decided to put it out of his mind for the moment as he turned back towards the interior of the room. More specifically, his wife.

Delia continued slumbering peacefully on the cot, not even stirring when Red adjusted the blanket and sat down beside her on it.

'She must be exhausted.' Red thought to himself as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

She had told him earlier that one of Ace's pokemon, a Gardevoir, had Teleported her here directly while Ace was still receiving surgery for his wounds. So Red wouldn't doubt if this was the first real sleep she had gotten since Ace was shot.

Red leaned down and pressed his lips against her brow to give her a gentle kiss, before he whispered against her skin, "I will never leave you again."

Red was so focused on his wife, that he hadn't sensed anything until the very last second.

"!!!"

He threw an elbow back as whoever it was that had managed to sneak up behind him, only they caught it in a grip strong enough to rival a Machoke's before they grabbed the back of his shirt with their other hand.

"WOAH!" Red roared as he was sent flying upwards into the ceiling, crashing into it before landing roughly in a heap on the floor.

Red tried to pick himself up while blinking away at the stars that appeared before his eyes, before his assailant grabbed the back of his clothes once more to throw him up against the wall, pinning him there as everyone awoke from the noise.

Again, Red tried to throw an elbow back at his attacker, but they caught it effortlessly before twisting his arm to pin it to his back, while their other hand went to the back of his head to press him against the wall.

"I don't know who you think you are..." His attacker snarled into his ear. "But don't you EVER, lay your filthy paws on my mother!"