Dark Mirror: Tournament of Vengeance chapter 9

Paul hadn’t been expecting this.

He had just won his latest battle against some trainer from Johto. It had been…somewhat tricky, to be honest. But all that mattered was that Paul had handedly won 6-3. Just like the ‘fight’ with Ash. Just another stepping stone to Brandon and the championship. He hadn’t even bothered to give the token ‘good fight’ gesture. Why encourage someone who was going to fail? He’d just walked out of the stadium, ignoring the jeers calling out behind him.

But when he stepped into the hallways, he stumbled onto something that made him stop in his tracks.

It was Ash’s two gym leader buddies, Misty and Brock. He thought they were talking to Ash, so he decided to step in and try to make Ash see sense. But when he got a little closer, he realized it wasn’t Ash.

He…no, she looked almost identical to Ash. She was the same age and just as weirdly tall as he was. She had the same black hair, just groomed and tied in a ponytail rather than left completely unkempt. She was even wearing a similar outfit to his jacket and baseball cap, just with more muted colors. The only noticeable difference was the lack of the lightning bolt birthmarks/scars/whatever they were on her face. It wasn’t a coincidence. There was no way it was.

The only other time he’d seen such similarity was with his brother and him. In fact, they were more similar. He and Reggie had an age gap that affected their resemblence, but it wasn’t evident here. It was like she was his TWIN.

Ash had a sister.

Normally, this fact wouldn’t have made much of an impact. The personal lives of his opponents never impacted him. He couldn’t care less if Ash had family he didn’t mention. After all, he never mentioned his brother Reggie to anyone.

His soft-hearted brother. His childish older brother. The brother who gave up. The one who represented everything wrong with modern trainers, even more so than Ash did. No wonder those two got along so well. They were so much alike.

But from the look of it, they had one other thing in common. A smarter sibling.

Apparently, this sister - he didn’t catch her name – was going to battle Ash at some point.  And this was horrifying to Misty and Brock. They started yelling about how Ash’s Pokemon wouldn’t stand a chance against hers, how Ash was crazy to challenge her, all that stuff. Why would a battle be so horrifying?

The only way they would be so scared was if they knew Ash was going to lose against her.

Paul crept closer, getting a closer look at the girl. More things became apparent. The narrowed, focused eyes. The air of maturity and confidence. The restrained contempt in her voice.

This wasn’t just some relative of Ash. This was Ash’s antithesis, the older sibling who knew how things worked, the one who didn’t suffer idiots, the trainer who was guaranteed to win. The sister who would crush everything in her path and wouldn’t let anyone talk her down. The one who UNDERSTOOD.

The sister Paul should’ve had.

Paul couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He couldn’t talk to Reggie about anything. That failure seemed to think he had the right to criticize Paul’s methods, that he knew how to be a better trainer. He’d lost that right after he’d given up against Brandon. But he would’ve been perfect for that loser, Ash.

This girl would’ve been the perfect sister for Paul. He could just tell. Someone he could actually confide in, someone who would understand what had to be done, someone who could actually make him stronger, who really was his equal.

Why did Ash get HER?!

He shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He wasn’t jealous of Ash. That was ridiculous. And Reggie would always be his brother, were that it not so. And this girl…he didn’t really know anything about her, to be honest. But history had shown that his assumptions were rarely incorrect. He had a good idea of what Ash would be like from his first meeting, and he had a good idea of what this girl was like from what he’d seen.

At any rate, it might be… beneficial to talk to her. Maybe she could give some insight on Ash’s battle strategy, give him an in so he might make the boy see some sense. Maybe it would be nice just to talk with someone who shared his viewpoints for once. Reggie always said he needed to talk to more people.

Eventually, the girl started walking away, leaving the gobsmacked gym leaders standing by the drink kiosk. Paul started following her, with Brock and Misty apparently not noticing him.

Paul had some difficulty keeping up with the girl, who walked rather quickly through the suddenly-crowded hallway. A couple fans that Paul found unbearably annoying tried to stop him, but he brushed them off without taking his eyes off the girl.

The girl finally stopped walking and stopped in front of another automatic kiosk, one for potato chips. Judging by how far they’d walked, they were on the opposite end of the stadium from where they’d begun. Apparently the girl wanted to put as much distance between Ash’s friends and herself. Paul couldn’t blame her. Now that she was no longer moving, Paul had the chance to introduce himself properly.

The girl looked at her drink like it was a puzzle before glancing up at the kiosk’s white square. She was about to press her hand against the scanner before she noticed that she wasn’t alone.

Paul quietly stepped next to her, looking as though he was trying to decide on a flavor. He turned to look at her. “Hello.”

Alessa sighed, somewhat frustrated. “Hello.”

Paul turned to look her in the eye. “I’m Paul. Paul Shinji.” He declared. “The trainer who lit the ceremonial flame.”

She just raised her eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to be impressed?”

Paul nearly snapped, but he held himself back. Respect needed to be earned. That was his philosophy, and he was glad she shared that as well. Instead, he just shook his head and tried to sound friendy. “You will be impressed when I win this tournament.”

She just smirked. “Sure you will. I’ve watched the pre-tournament interviews. That’s what they all say.”

Paul shrugged. “Of course they do.” He remarked. “What’s your name?”

She hesitated before answering. “Alessa.” She tapped the side of the kiosk impatiently. What did this kid want with her?

“You’re Ash’s sister, right?” Paul asked.

Alessa’s eyes widened for a second, but she quickly regained herself and shook her head. “Um…no, I’m not…”

The hesitation and surprised expression didn’t escape Paul. His suspicions were all but confirmed. Just then, Paul heard someone calling his name. He turned around to see Reggie coming down the hallway towards him. He groaned. “I know what you mean. I’ve often thought about disowning my worthless brother.”

If Paul had been looking at Alessa just then, he would’ve seen her eyes narrow and her fists clench, crushing her drink in the process. “You had better be joking.” She growled.

The threat in her voice didn’t register with Paul. He just shrugged. “Pfft. He’s the joke. I never wanted – “

Just then, Paul felt like his head was exploding. His hands went up to his face as a splitting headache suddenly overcame him. Blood dripped out of his nose onto his hands, and he nearly toppled forward from the pain. Suddenly, Reggie was right beside him, trying to hold him up.  “Paul? Paul? You okay, bro?” he vaguely heard.

Paul tried to right himself and pushed himself away, not wanting to submit to his brother’s help. But the pain was debilitating…he had trouble thinking straight…he swayed away, and the pain lessened enough for him to keep walking and regain some of his thoughts. There was a medical…prescription booth…thing in the…trainer’s lounge. They’d have something for this headache…he just had to get there without losing his dignity. He stumbled away into the hallway, trying to look cool while still swaying with pain.

Alessa sighed with relief, glad to be rid of that boy.  However, Reggie heard her sigh and turned to look at her. “Hey…was he giving you any trouble, miss?”

“…It’s nothing.” Alessa finally stated, turning around to face him.

Reggie’s eyes widened for a second. “Hey…are you Ash’s sister? Ash Ketchum?”

Alessa smiled and shook her head. “You’re the second person today to ask me that.”

“Oh…sorry.” Reggie chuckled nervously before turning back to his stumbling brother, who wasn’t actually going in the direction of the trainer’s lounge. “I’d…better go help him. That fight must’ve taken more out of him than I thought. Excuse me.”

Alessa waved slightly as Reggie ran after his brother. Once they were out of eyesight, Alessa turned back to the automatic dispenser.

“Am I his sister?” she mused to herself, making her selection. The screen activated with the touch of her hand, and her small smirk disappeared into a look of confusion as an automated message played.

“…I’m starting to wonder that myself.”