Pokemon Journeys: Masters 8 Tournament

Chapter 27 - Ash vs Cynthia!

A/N: I have a piece of good news and bad news for you all. The good news is I got a job after so long. The bad news is I can foresee I wouldn't have time to update the story this frequently due to the job intensity. This chapter is written to give you such information.

For the whole year that I had been writing this story, I was jobless. The first nine chapters were fine because I at least wanted the Ash vs Alain battle done, but every chapter after that, every time I turn on the computer to write, I write with guilt. I cannot easily describe how tough the past year had been for me.

It felt to me that continuing the story meant sacrificing more time in my job search. It was really not desirable for a university graduate to be out of the job market for so long, and I had no intention to make writing my career since I don't think it is a good fit for me. Continuing the story feels like an escape from my (hopeless) situation, but after writing for a while, I would come back to mind and realize that this was not the right thing to do.

Since I basically stayed at home after graduation without a proper job, it was weird hanging out with friends and relatives: they were doing something, but I was doing nothing. I explained my situation to them the first one or two times, but after a while, they would find fewer common topics with me since I was not working. Without good talking points, naturally, I started to distance myself from them and locked myself at home. This built up a lot of mental stress in me, and I was on the verge of literally going insane.

Every time my parents asked me about my job search or encouraged me to go meet some people, I would break down and cry like a baby. It was wrong for an adult man like me to cry so easily, but I just couldn't help it. I knew if the situation persisted, I would need to find therapists and doctors, which would be the last thing I wanted to do.

Katy Perry's meme explained my situation perfectly. I acted in front of people that I was fine for an entire year, but I was not really fine and I couldn't get into it because they would never understand.

Luckily I got some help from my friends, and I am glad the unemployed situation is over. At least having a job (albeit painful and tough) would give me some meaning to live for, in comparison to staying at home doing random things. Even studying at school is a meaningful thing: at least you are doing something (definitely not saying that school is easy by any means). If you readers are young enough to be studying at school, be glad. The workplace is going to be tough even if you are going to be compensated by your salaries; enjoy and have fun while you can.

Anyways, here is the chapter for you. The cover video is a fan-animated battle between Lucario and Blaziken made by Death Battle. It's one of the best fan-made pokemon battles out there in my opinion, and I am sure many of you may have watched it. I did want to give commentary on their martial arts battle but I realized it would be too long. Enjoy the video!

I want to end things on a positive note, and I am happy to tell you that I feel much better having said all these things. If you used to find my story and my opinions quite negative, it's because of my personal situation, and I apologize for that. That was history. In the future, I aim to be more positive in my writing and opinions. Happy reading, and have a great day and a great life ahead!

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Serena and Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, had arrived at the Wyndon Stadium for the semi-final match against Cynthia. They met up with his friends and rivals, who had also arrived to cheer him on.