Now let me guess? A Pokemon story? Don't you have other fics to prioritize?

…Okay I was dragged back into the Pokemon fandom after I got my 3ds and started playing X/Y first then OR/AS next. My competitive nature got the better of me and I ended up completing the pokedex (that's right all 720 something of those little bastards). I felt like I earned that 1000 pesos…what? Don't judge me…(to a Filipino, that's pretty decent money)

Anywaaay while playing these games, it managed to also reignite my interest in the Pokemon anime. Best wishes didn't live up to my expectations with how it ended the league but I am totally loving X/Y. While it's not perfect but I feel that the writers are doing a much better job than last season.

Okay back on topic, some quick notes before I begin the story:

A.)Like most fanfiction, this is AU. That means I'll be having the privilege of screwing with the timeline and other canon plot points or whatever.

B.)The story starts at the sinnoh league conference but with a few tweaks. For example, Ash and Paul's battle happened at the semi-finals so that means Ash will be facing Tobias in the finals.

C.)Best wishes will unfortunately be glossed over in the mean time so I can progress to the Kalos plot of the story. (but may be continued as a sequel if I ever get that far…hopefully)

D.)Characters have aged since season one. Yes, that means no rated T or higher moments between ten year olds.

Lolicons and Shotacons: Booo!

Also no Lemons. I don't write porno . Go to adult or whatever if you want to satisfy yourselves.

Perverts and closet perverts: Booo!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. No Harems, period.

Men of all ages (and some women): you son of a-

Nope. No harems, I don't write harems. My reasons are already in my profile. This will be pure Amourshipping only(maybe some one-sided ships too but no harems).

E.)While there is shipping in this story, it will not be the main focus as this is going to be a Pokemon ADVENTURE fic and not a Pokemon ROMANCE fic. If anything, the romance will take a backseat but not completely forgotten. (not too quick or not too long when it comes to development)

G.)The age where you can be recognized as Pokemon trainer is bumped to twelve years old so the time line would be:

Kanto – orange islands: 12

Johto: 13

Hoenn: 14

Kanto battle frontier: 15

Sinnoh: 16

Okay, that about wraps everything up. Enjoy the story guys.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon/Pocket monsters. The guy who runs Nintendo and gamefreak does…yeeeah I couldn't think of anything witty enough. Meh. I'll just save it for the story.

CHAPTER I: Heroes versus Legends

One particular raven haired teen let out a small wistful sigh as he gazed at the empty stadium. An empty stadium, soon to be filled with people. People who would be cheering for the next champion of this year's conference…

The young man's grip on the rails then tightened as reality finally settled in. 'Tomorrow is the finals. The finals. Heh, I can't believe it. It almost seems too good to be true…'

Without knowing it, the young trainer's thoughts shifted into more darker territory. 'W-What if I screw up tomorrow? What if I fail?-' The raven haired teen narrowed his eyes as he envisioned the titans his team would be facing. They were literally living legends."-What if we lose…?"

"Hmph. I didn't think you were the type to sulk Ash."

Widening both his eyes in response, the now revealed Ash then faced the familiar voice and came face-to-face with his current rival, Paul. The raven haired teen was quick to plaster on a reassuring grin. "Oh h-hey Paul! What's up? I was just clearing my head out for tomorrow…ahehe."

"…"

"You're not buying me are you?"

In a rare candid moment, Paul gave his fellow trainer a smirk. A non-condescending smirk that showed there was no malicious intent behind his gesture. "I wasn't born yesterday Ketchum. Now spill. You're not the kind of guy who mopes around."

Internally glad for the brief distraction from his thoughts, Ash returned the favor with an honest-to-good smile to his rival-slash-frenemy. "And from what I recall, you don't exactly like playing the good guy either, right Paul? See? I'm not the only one out of character here."

Paul just dignified the response with a roll of his eyes. "Idiot."

"Jerk."

It wasn't long before Paul let out a small snort while Ash decided to bust a gut and just had a good laugh.

After the brief ice breaker, Ash's somber mood returned as he gazed back at the battlefield. "I-I was just nervous I guess. This isn't my first league competition but this is the farthest I got and then there's Tobias' Darkrai…"

Paul nodded in understanding as he recalled the mysterious trainer's many accomplishments in Sinnoh. "Yeah, conquering the gyms with a single Pokemon is one thing but to have a legendary in your party…it makes you wonder what kind of team he has."

"…"

The purple haired trainer then raised his eyebrow in suspicion at the usually exuberant male. "What? Don't tell me you're actually scared Ketchum? "

Something sparked in Ash's brown eyes as he glared at his rival. "I'm not scared Paul! I said I was nervous! There's a difference y'know!"

Paul just raised both his hands in a calming gesture. "And that's what I'm talking about all this time. I may not know you like your friends Ketchum but I do know this-since when have you ever worried about the smaller details? Just be who you are. That same idiot who fought against the odds. The same idiot who managed to earn my respect."

And just like that, Ash slowly recalled the fond memories of his journey thus far.

Memories of his victories. His losses. His Pokemon. His family and friends…

Ash then sent Paul a grateful smile in return. "Heh. Thanks Paul. I'll just keep on battling the way I can. I owe it to my team and I owe it to everybody I met and believed in me on my journey."

"Hmph. Whatever Ash. I'd just hate to see the guy who beat me embarrass himself in the finals. Don't look into this too much."

Ash's grin just grew wider as Paul decided to finally make his exit. "Hehe. Whatever helps you sleep at night Paul!"

The purple haired trainer then decided to dignify that response with his middle finger raised.

Once he was alone again, Ash shifted his gaze towards the moon with a look of melancholy. "I can't believe I was doubting myself…After all, 'Never give up till the end' right Serena?"

-(scene change)-

"The Final round between Ash Ketchum of Kanto and Tobias Tatum of Sinnoh is underway!"

And with that, the crowd went wild as both trainers made their appearance. Ash and his partner Pikachu looked determined while Tobias exuded confidence with every step. Something which a lot of his fans completely ate up.

"Tobias we love you!"

"Show that Kanto kid who's the boss Tobias!"

"You rule Tobias!"

Meanwhile, Dawn grumbled in her pink cheerleader uniform as she was annoyed with the crowd of fans who were treating her mentor as the underdog. "Geez…some people. Heck, a lot of them were cheering for Ash in his last match too! What's so great about this Tobias guy anyway?"

Brock and Barry then felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of their heads at how the bluenette looked about ready to explode.

Brock could only scratch one of his cheeks in a nervous fashion as he tried to play the devil's advocate. "Well to be fair Dawn, Ash does have his work cut out for him…" Seeing the dejected look on Dawn's face, he was quick to follow up with his statement."-Don't get me wrong Dawn! I have faith in Ash! After all, I've seen him take on legendaries before and he was able to come out on top too."

Said coordinator widened her eyes in awe at that particular info while Barry was literally jumping out of his seat in excitement. "No way! Ash was able to defeat legendary Pokemon before?! Talk about awesome!"

Barry then joined Dawn in her cheering as he wildly pumped his one fist in the air."Go Ash! You better not lose or I'll be forced to fine ya!"

Dawn then let out a small giggle and was quick to follow Barry's lead and resumed her routine as well. "Yeah, Go Ash! Go Ash! If you can't do it then no one can!"

-(scene change)-

Further up in the stadium, a certain purple haired trainer was overseeing the match as Ash finally made his way to position. All that's left was the ref's announcement. "C'mon Ketchum. Show them what you're made off and prove everyone here wrong."

-(scene change: Kanto)-

One Delia Ketchum and her Partner Mimey clasped both their hands together in some sort of prayer as they watched the live footage on television. Only hoping the best for the raven haired youth.

-(scene change)-

A couple of blocks away, the Oak family and one Tracey Sketchit were doing the same as all of them gazed intently at the tv. Surrounding the humans were all of Ash's Pokemon, all of them eager to cheer on their friend/master.

-(scene change)-

In the famous Cerulean city gym, Misty and her sisters were also paying rapt attention as the camera focused on Ash and Pikachu.

The orange haired gym leader also felt a sense of pride at seeing how far the raven haired teen has come after remembering their original adventures.

-(scene change: Johto)-

At a Pokemon center in Goldenrod city, a group of coordinators watched alongside other fans as the tv monitor showcased the Sinnoh league finals.

One particular coordinator stood out the most with her signature green bandana among the crowd.

-(scene change: Hoenn)-

Max alongside his parents were also viewing the upcoming match. Said young boy, practically has stars in his eyes as he watched one of his idols compete for the chance to be the champion of Sinnoh.

-(scene change: Kalos)-

In the small quiet town of Vaniville, A girl with honey colored hair rubbed her bruised back side as she glared at the older woman with brown hair across the living room.

Seeing the glare, the older brunette felt a huge bead of sweat roll down the back of her head. "Oh come on Serena, I think you're overreacting. It's not even that bad."

The now revealed Serena let out a small huff as she took her seat in the living room. "Hmph. Tell that to my aching back. And my face. And-"

Serena's mom could only awkwardly laugh in response and was quick to try and find a suitable distraction. "Ahehe…Why don't we watch some tv Serena? I heard from a friend of mine who's a major battle nut that the Sinnoh league conference is having their final match today."

Said girl then rolled her eyes as she crossed both her arms. "Mom I'm not a kid anymore. I won't be distracted cause you turned on the t-"

"The Final round between Ash Ketchum of Kanto and Tobias Tatum of Sinnoh is underway!"

And just like that, Serena was quick to turn her full attention to the tv monitor. 'N-No way! Is it really him?!'

The camera then focused on Tobias before shifting to Ash and Pikachu. Serena's face then broke out into a huge smile. "It is him! Mom, it's Ash! Ash from Pallet town!"

Serena's mom felt her eyes widen in response as she recognized the young man on tv too. "Wow you're right Serena! Wasn't he your best friend back in Kanto?"

Serena absentmindedly nodded with a small blush on her cheeks as she remembered all the times she hung out with the raven haired male before sadly moving away at the age of twelve.

Smiling cheekily, Serena's mother was quick to notice her daughter's dazed expression. "I also seem to remember you had the biggest crush on him. It was adorable how you two were inseparable~"

"Moooom!"

-(scene change: Sinnoh)-

"This will be a full six-on-six battle. Substitutions are allowed. Trainers are you ready?"

Both trainers nodded in response as the board immediately indicated a grass field and signaled that Tobias will be going first.

With a flourish of his cloak, said mysterious trainer sent out his signature Darkrai into the battlefield. The single blue eye peaking from its ghostly plume unnerved everyone watching the battle.

Ash just glared back defiantly at the very embodiment of nightmares and was quick to pluck out a pokeball."Let's go Sceptile!"

In a flash, the green reptilian made his entrance and gave his opponent across him a cocky smirk before putting his signature twig in his mouth.

"Alright both trainer and Pokemon are ready! Now let the battle…begin!"

"Use Dark pulse!"

Gathering the negative energy from its surroundings, Darkrai immediately began its assault with wave-after-wave of dark rings towards his opponent.

In a great show of speed and agility that comes with his form, Sceptile was quick to react and easily weave through the attack and close the gap in a matter of seconds.

Tobias and Darkrai felt their eyes widen while Ash smirked and pumped his fist in excitement. "Alright Sceptile! Now close in and use Leaf blade!"

Narrowing his eyes, Tobias was quick to retaliate. "Don't let them make this a close range fight Darkrai! Fall back and use Ice beam!"

Heeding his trainer's command, the phantom like Pokemon then held out its hand and fired an ice beam once it was at a safe enough distance.

"Don't let up Sceptile! We can't afford to go on the defensive!"

Mentally agreeing with his trainer, said reptile picked up the pace and made sure he didn't lose sight of his target and its attack. He knew his kind of Pokemon weren't built for stamina or defense so the moment he would fall into his enemy's pace then the battle would be over.

Meanwhile, Tobias and the audience marveled at Sceptile's incredible agility and focus. No matter how many times Darkrai spammed its ice beam attack, the green reptile dodged with ease and what's even more amazing, the Hoenn native Pokemon's speed didn't drop even with all the turns it did and finally, not once did Sceptile relinquish the control over his leaf blade.

Unfortunately for Darkrai, using multiple attacks in a row that doesn't coincides with the Pokemon's typing would always put a huge strain on any Pokemon's energy. This applies even to legendaries.

For a single second, Darkrai flinched.

That one moment was enough for both Ash and Sceptile to use. "Yes, it's wide open! Use Agility Sceptile!"

Said Reptile's eyes glowed and knew his body was even lighter and faster than before.

To the crowds shock and awe, Sceptile seemingly vanished into thin air and was quick to reappear right in front of the dark legendary and landed a clean hit with his Leaf blade.

Darkrai's trainer was also in the same state as the crowd considering this is the first time in ever that his phantom like Pokemon was actually hit.

Tobias was jolted back into reality by his Pokemon's cry but he was too late in recovering and Ash took advantage of this quickly. "Don't lose that rhythm Sceptile! Follow it up with Fury cutter!"

Tobias' cry to his Pokemon was futile as Sceptile effortlessly followed up his attack with his free arm. Darkrai didn't even have enough time to recover after feeling another fury cutter slashed through its torso. And again, again, and again. Thanks to the massive speed boost, Sceptile spared no expense and made no easy openings.

Tobias then gritted his teeth as he saw that for once, he could be on the losing side. It was logical since Fury cutter is a move that gets stronger with each hit and add in the fact that it's also a move that has the type advantage over Darkrai itself. The battle was clearly over.

'Of course, I don't care if it's logical or not…losing is not an option!'

With a flourish of his right hand, Tobias refused to surrender. "Darkrai, I order you to stand your ground! This battle is not over!"

Back on the battlefield, whether it was pride or the fact that he heard his trainer's orders. Darkrai used all his will power and caught the fury cutter with his bare hands.

It was enough to shock Sceptile momentarily and before the green reptile could counter, he was blown away by a close-range Dark pulse.

Seeing that the tables have turned in his favor, Tobias was quick to grab a hold of the opportunity. "Yes, it's over! Use Dark void!"

"No! Sceptile, dodge it!"

Hearing Ash's order, Sceptile tried to force himself to move but flinched due to his injuries. The green reptile growled in frustration as he finally understood the power of a Legendary. All it took was one hit and he felt like he was already in his last legs.

Ash's face paled slightly as he saw the attack connected and felt helpless once he saw Sceptile fast asleep. "Sceptile! C'mon buddy, wake up! Wake up!"

Tobias looked triumphant as he decided to give the final blow. "Finish it Darkrai! Use Dream eater!"

Darkrai then projected an astral form of itself and the spectre like attack then flew towards the helpless reptile.

Ash and Pikachu looked horrified as the attack connected and Sceptile began writhing in his sleep. The raven haired teen then clenched both his fists and refused to give up. "C'mon Sceptile, wake up! Please, I know you can do it! I believe in you! Please, wake up!"

"Pi-Pikachuu!"

Tobias could only shake his head in response to his opponent's cries. "Try all you want Ash but it's impossible to wake up from Darkrai's attack. This battle is mine!"

-(scene change)-

Sceptile felt he was at his lowest as he gazed back at all his past failures. The battles he failed to win. His first love that he failed to win over. And lastly, the home he failed to save.

His will weakened, the green reptile like Pokemon was content in letting the darkness surround him as he closed his eyes…

"Sceptile! C'mon buddy, wake up! Wake up!"

The forest Pokemon then widened his eyes as gazed at the small ball of light that suddenly penetrated the darkness around him.

"C'mon Sceptile, wake up! Please, I know you can do it! I believe in you! Please, wake up!"

"Pi-Pikachuu!"

A fire was lit in Sceptile's eyes after hearing his trainer and fellow Pokemon's words. With a mighty cry, all the darkness around him was repelled by a blinding green light.

-(scene change)-

Back in the real world, everyone was shocked as the previously downed Sceptile awoke with its species' signature cry and with will power alone, the green reptile repelled the dream eater attack with a spike of green aura that suddenly engulfed his entire form.

Once more, before Tobias or even Darkrai could process what just happened, Sceptile gathered all his energy into the palm of his one claw and slammed it down to the earth.

What followed was astonishing as multiple tree like appendages with thorns sprouted from below and proceeded to impale the shocked Legendary.

After a mini explosion, a defeated Darkrai crashed to the earth much to everybody's shock.

The entire stadium was dead silent, even Ash. Everyone was still processing what happened in the last few seconds.

After the initial shock, every man, woman, and Pokemon watching erupted into frenzied cheers. What they witnessed was amazing. What they witnessed was the impossible. They witnessed the fall of a legend…

Meanwhile, Ash couldn't be happier for his Pokemon. "You were awesome Sceptile! I can't believe you learned Frenzy plant at the last moment!"

Sceptile just lazily gave a thumbs up in return to his trainer.

Wordlessly, Tobias recalled his fallen Darkrai with a crestfallen look before quickly shifting back into his self-assured persona. "Well I must say Ash, I'm impressed. No one has been able to defeat my Darkrai before. You and your Sceptile are quite a pair."

Ash beamed at the praise but was still on guard because of his opponent's smirk.

Tobias then simply flicked another Pokeball towards the field. His smirk widening as the Pokemon slowly materialized. "But I wonder how well you can handle another legendary?!"

The raven haired trainer then gritted his teeth as he recognized his opponent's Pokemon while the crowd went nuts at another living legend makes its appearance.

"I-I don't believe it folks! It's the legendary Pokemon-Latios! Just how many Legendary Pokemon does Tobias have? Can Ash and his team still secure another win or is this the start of Tobias' comeback?!"

CHAPTER I: END

To be continued in: Heroes vs Legends II

Well what do you think of the first chapter so far? Good? Bad? So-so? Then review please. Feedback is highly appreciated. I also take constructive criticism since this is my first Pokemon fic.

Flames however are a different story so I better not hear some bs how this story sucks without a good reason.

Some more notes before I end the story:

a.)Yes Ash is human enough to get nervous, or even have doubts from time to time. I recall he has his moments in canon.

b.)I like Paul. He was the rival that really pushed the hero with his contrasting ideals. He's a good example of what a rival's concept should be. For me, a rival is someone you have to surpass, y'know to prove them wrong. They serve as a good milestone.

e.g. Gary and Paul were good rivals. Yes I know they're douches but what counts is that they really motivate Ash in becoming a stronger trainer.

Think back to Hoenn and Unova. Ash didn't felt like he progressed much towards the end of the league and to the fans it was either he remained stagnant or gotten even worse. Tripp and the rest, I'm looking at you guys.

Anyway I hope Paul wasn't too OOC. It was hard to find a balance between being a good guy and being a douche. Remember this is Paul after losing to Ash so I imagine he's less of an ass after being humbled by his rival.

c.)Ash's team for the finals is completely different than the one in canon.

d.)Don't worry this brief Sinnoh arc won't last long as I estimate it to be done one or more chapter before I transition to Kalos.

e.)Do not complain how Sceptile seemed weak for almost going down after one hit. As the author I decided to write Sceptile as a 'glass cannon'. What's a glass cannon you ask? It's a term usually used in videogames to describe a character who is ridiculously strong and fast but have terrible defense. Add in the fact that he got hit by a Legendary Pokemon. A legendary Pokemon.

f.)You may or may not have noticed I write Sceptile as a male but kept on referring to Darkrai as an 'it'. I sided with game rules on this one. As in the games, legendary Pokemon don't have genders with a few exceptions.