Starting all over again
Ash shuffled into the Pokémon Centre situated just inside of the Indigo Plateau stadium. With Pikachu on his shoulder he made his way over to the registration desk which was being run by a small team of Nurse Joys.
"Here we go again buddy, back where it started for us" Ash whispered to Pikachu
"Pi Pika Chu Pi" his best friend replied. Ash reached up and scratched the Pokemon's ears gently. He stepped forward to one of the Nurse Joys
"Hello and welcome to the registration desk for the Kanto Pokémon League. May I take your name please?" Nurse Joy asked
"It's Ash Ketchum from Dende... Pallet town" Ash answered, nearly giving the name of the town he was previously living in with Serena back in the Kalos region. His heart twinged as he remembered the last conversation the pair of them had before Ash had left to go back home to Pallet town.
"And can I have your Pokedex and gym badges please?"
"Here you go" Ash replied, handing over his Pokedex and gym badges. Nurse Joy scanned them to authenticate them, before handing them back to Ash with a smile
"All registered. You'll be staying in apartment number 25, the preliminaries will start tomorrow. Please enjoy your stay here and good luck" Nurse Joy added warmly
"Thanks Nurse Joy" Ash took back his belongings and the key card to the small one floor apartment he would be calling home during the Pokémon League. He made his way through to the back where the bedroom was situated, opened the door to his new bedroom and dropped his bag just inside, he sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone, quickly punching in a number.
"Hello?" Serena yawned, woken up by the sound of the phone ringing next to her bed
"Hi Serena"
"Ash? What's wrong? Why are you calling so late?"
"What do you mean late? What time is it where you are?" Ash asked, realising that he's just woken her up
"It's midnight, what about where you are?"
"... Midday, I'm sorry, I'll go and let you get back to sleep" Ash apologised
"No it's fine, I'm glad you called actually..." Serena caught herself before the next words came out of her mouth. She was still determined to stay mad at him
"You are?"
"I dunno, so what did you want?" Serena's tone turned a little harsher remembering that she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy
"I... It doesn't really matter now" Ash answered... A long awkward silence building between them before Serena finally broke it.
"So..."
"So... What?"
"I... I'd better get back to bed" Serena told him, wanting to get off the phone before she said something she didn't want to say.
"Oh ok. Can we maybe sort out a time for a phone call later on? Please?" Ash asked,
"We'll see" Serena replied
"Okay, good night"
"Good night Ash..." Serena hung up and stared at her phone... Ash placed the receiver down and whispered
"I love you Serena" Ash whispered, he hated feeling this way, he hated fighting with her but he needed to do this and she couldn't understand how much it meant to him that he did it.
"Ash I'm sorry. I miss you so much" Serena muttered into her phone before putting it back down and falling back to sleep. Pikachu jumped up on Ash's lap and looked up at his trainer and best friend
"Pi, Chu, Pikachu Pika"
"I know buddy, but I'm not gonna apologise for this" Ash collapsed back on to the bed.
One month ago
Ash continued to pack his bag, Pikachu helping by bringing Ash whatever he asked for that he thought he'd need for the journey back home to the Kanto region. Serena was stood in the doorway watching him, arms folded with a stern look on her face
"So explain to me again why you're doing this?" Serena asked him
"I told you, I can't explain it, I just have to do this" Ash answered, snapping slightly
"Is that all I'm getting? Because you 'have to' Ash... Please just be honest with me"
"You wouldn't understand. Just trust me"
"I'm having a hard time doing that when you're hiding something from me" Serena shot back at him, visibly getting more and more by the second
"You want the truth? Okay fine! I NEED to do this! Making the top eight was good, but not good enough. I HAVE to prove I'm better than that. It hurt losing the way I did. I lost because I wasn't a good enough trainer that my Pokémon could respect. It still hurts to this day!" Ash turned his back on Serena and continued to pack
"I'm going out, see you later" Serena turned around and walked off downstairs and out the front door.
Serena was sat down in her living room in the early hours of the morning watching the preliminary rounds for the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League, Braixen sat down next to her with Sylveon on her lap and Pancham down by her feet. Watching Ash appear on-screen for an interview after his first round preliminary victory made her smile in spite of the fact they were fighting.
"So Ash Ketchum... This isn't your first time in the Kanto region Pokémon League is it?"
"No it isn't. I was a quarter finalist years ago"
"So what made you want to come back?"
"It's a long story but I suppose it's because I wanted to come back and prove to myself that I can win the Pokémon League. This was where my journey truly began and I just wanted to prove it to myself and to my loved ones that I can do this"
"And is there anybody here watching you today or at home on TV?"
"I hope so, and I really hope that I can make her proud and show her why I needed to do this" Ash turned to face the camera, almost as if her knew that Serena was watching. She wiped a tear away before picking up her phone and typing out a quick text.
'I'm sorry. I love you' her finger hovered over the send button for a moment before she closed her phone without sending the text.
Delia Ketchum entered the Pokémon Centre, walked up to the desk
"Excuse me, Nurse Joy? I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me what room number Ash Ketchum is staying in and if you'd know where he is now?" She asked the pink haired Pokémon physician
"Are you related to Ash at all?" Nurse Joy asked. Delia nodded
"I'm his mother"
"And the group you're with?"
"They're his friends" Delia answered, turning to look at the group behind her. Misty, May and Max were trying to stop Brock getting close enough to any of the Nurse Joys to declare his undying love for them, Cilan was reading a pamphlet he'd picked up from the entrance, Tracey, Gary, Clemont, Richie were discussing the footage they'd seen of the preliminary rounds they'd seen earlier, Bonnie was playing with Dedenne and Iris and Dawn where whispering quietly to one another, Iris giggling mischievously.
"Oh hello Misty, I didn't recognise you for a moment there" Nurse Joy exclaimed
"Hi Nurse Joy, are you only here for the Pokémon League or have you transferred here?" Misty asked, still keeping a tight hold on Brock
"Just here for the tournament, I'll be back in Cerulean City once it's over... Okay Ash Ketchum is apartment number 25 and I do believe he's back in his apartment now" Nurse Joy turned back to and informed Delia
"Thank you very much Nurse Joy" Delia smiled as she and Ash's large group of friends turned around and walked out of the Pokémon Centre and off towards his apartment. Delia tried the door and surprisingly found it open, leading everyone inside, past the bathroom where they heard Ash singing out at the top of his voice
"I'M A BEAUTIFLY
FLYING, BUG TYPE
LEVEL SEVENTEEN"
Iris spotted his clothes folded just inside the bathroom door on the counter, making sure she wasn't seen by Ash, being as quiet as she could be she quickly swiped his clothes and followed the group into the living room where she threw them onto the coffee table in the middle of the room. The group heard Ash turn the water off and step out of the shower
"Now where did I leave my clothes? Could have sworn I left them here" He muttered to himself. He opened the bathroom door fully and walked through into the living room.
Ash's jaw dropped and he almost dropped his towel in surprise at having his apartment full of people when he was not expecting it
"OH MY ARCEUS! MOM, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHAT IS EVERYBODY DOING HERE?" Ash asked totally shocked and surprised at the massive group of his friends and family. Picking up a cushion to try to hide his exposed upper body
"We thought we'd stop by and surprise you"
"Well I'm surprised all right" Ash muttered, going red in the face as he realised he was near naked in front of all of his friends and his mom
"You're not the only surprised ones Ash, nobody here expected to see you naked" Bonnie retorted. Silence followed as Ash continued to stare at the group gathered around in front of him, his cheeks flushing more as the seconds ticked by
"You know... Only little kids come out of the bathroom with nearly no clothes on" Iris laughed, breaking the silence that had descended on the crowd momentarily. Ash turned and glared at her.
"You're not funny Iris" He threw the pillow he was holding at her. Walking over and picking his clothes up and walking back to the bathroom to finally get dressed
Ash came back out of the bathroom five minutes later, this time fully dressed. He sat down next to his mom
"Sorry about earlier, I was just a bit shocked that you'd turn up without a phone call" Ash apologised
"Well you didn't think you'd be going through the Pokémon League without your friends or me here to cheer you on did you?"
"Well no but... I didn't expect... All of you here" Ash admitted, trying a failing to show how touched he was by all of their support. Ash spent the next few hours catching up with all of his old friends, listening intently to their stories of their adventures.
Misty, due to her work as the Cerulean City Gym Leader had recieved an invitation to join the Elite Four,Brock and Susie had recently taken over as teachers at the Pokemon school on Melemele Island in the Alola region, Dawn and May were now both top Pokemon Coordinators and Iris was now a Gym Leader back in Unova with Cilan staying to help her run the Gym. Gary was continuing his Grandfather's work, with Tracey staying on as his assistant and Max and Bonnie had just agreed to start their Pokémon journeys together. Both eager to show Ash the starter Pokémon they chose.
"Okay! Show me!" Ash beamed. Happy to see two friends so excited to begin their very own journeys.
"Come on out! Treeco" Max called out, releasing his partner from its Pokeball
"You too, Fennekin" Bonnie added throwing her Pokeball into the air, releasing her starter. Max's Treeco and Bonnie's Fennekin touched down on the floor, Fennekin jumped straight up into Bonnie's arms and licked her face. Treeco strutted over to Max and leaned up against his leg, crossing his arms. Ash marvelled at their Pokémon, commenting on how healthy and strong they're looking, complimenting their skills as trainers.
"Oh.. Ash before I forget. Wanna see my other Pokémon?" Max asked, having a surprise up his sleeve
"Sure thing" Ash smiled, interested to see what else Max had caught in his short journey as a Pokémon trainer. Max took a Pokeball off of his belt and released the Pokémon from inside.
"Ralts Ral- Ralts?" The small white and green Pokémon question. Ash's jaw dropped
"Is that..." He began to ask
"Yep, that's the same Ralts we saved" Max answered.
Serena took her seat. She did her seat belt up and stared out of the window, she let out a small sigh and glanced at her watch. She should be on stage right now, defending her crown of Kalos Queen at a showcase event. Instead she was sat on a plane destined for the Kanto region and she wouldn't have it any other way. She knew what was more important to her and she knew what she had to do.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're back and ready to bring you the second semi final. It's Ash Ketchum of Pallet town VS Austin Maddox of Celadon City" the MC announced to the stadium. Ash stood in the tunnel leading out to the stadium, his friends all stood around him, offering their best wishes and encouraging him before leaving to go and take their seats. Ash took a deep breath and walked out into the electric atmosphere of the stadium. Raising both arms into the air he waved at the crowd, silently promising them the best match he could give them. Walking past his side of the battle field, he made his way over to Austin and offered his hand
"Good luck, may the best trainer win" Ash grinned.
"Best of luck to you too" Austin replied, taking Ash's hand in a show of sportsmanship.
Serena turned her tv on and changed the channel over to Ash's battle, she plugged her headphones in and whispered a message of good luck and support, hoping and wishing that he'd be able to feel it somehow that she was supporting him.
"What a great display of friendship and sportsmanship between these two young trainers. Ash Ketchum walks back to his side of the battle field and releases his first Pokemon, his Snorlax, who would be going up against Austin's Altaria. Austin made the first move.
"Altaria, use Peck"
"Snorlax, wait till it gets as close as possible then block it" Ash ordered. He watched as Snorlax did exactly as he was told, smiling inwardly knowing that he could now take control of this first match.
"Okay Snorlax now use Hyper Beam!" Ash called out. Snorlax did as he was told and from close range he hit his opponent full on with a devastating attack...
"Altaria is unable to continue. The winner of the first round is Ash and Snorlax" The referee announced
"Well done Ash" Serena whispered from her seat high above the Kanto region while the rest of Ash's friends and family in the stands were cheering loudly.
"Charizard is unable to battle, the winner of the fifth round is Austin and Dragonite" Ash closed his eyes and picked his last Pokeball off of his belt, He didn't know what Pokémon was inside, he was given the ball last night with a note instructing him to use it in his battle tomorrow.
Last night
"Would Ash Ketchum please come to the front desk?" Nurse Joy called out over the tannoy. Ash dropped his knife and fork down onto his plate, not expecting anyone or anything to turn up for him. He left the group and made his way from the restaurant to the front desk.
"You wanted to see me Nurse Joy?" Ash questioned
"Yes Ash, we have something here for you" Nurse Joy handed him a Pokeball and a note
"We've been told to ask you not to open the Pokeball until you need it in your match tomorrow" Nurse Joy explained
"Okay, who sent it?" Ash asked
"All we got told was you'll find out soon enough, we're sorry it's all a bit vague" she apologised, Ash nodded in understanding. He thanked Nurse Joy and walked off to rejoin his friends and mom in the restaurant. He sat down and pulled the letter open and began to read it. He didn't recognise the hand writing which made him all the more confused.
'Ash,
This Pokémon has always brought us luck together and I hope it will continue to do so tomorrow. All the best. I'll be rooting for you'
Ash opened his eyes, and released the Pokémon. A Sylveon landing out on the battle field
"Serena" Ash whispered to himself, smiling at the fact that he'd finally got Serena back on his side and in his corner. Ash steadied himself and prepared for the final round. Win this and he was in the Pokémon League final.
"Dragonite use Dragon Claw!" Austin called out
"Sylveon dodge it" Ash replied. The battle between Austin's Dragonite and Ash's Sylveon raged on and on, momentum switching back and forth as one took the upper hand before losing it again in a topsy-turvy final round. Sylveon and Dragonite got back to their feet, both Pokemon's breathing was heavy and rugged, both completely exhausted from the fight.
"Dragonite... DRAGON CLAW"
"Sylveon... MOONBLAST" Both Pokémon mustered all the strength they had left and launched their attacks. They collided in the middle of the field conjuring up a massive cloud of dust. Neither trainer nor the referee or anybody in the stands above could see what was going on, Ash and Austin waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear...
"Dragonite is unable to battle, the winner of the sixth and final round and the trainer advancing to the Pokémon League final... Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town" The referee announced once the smoke had finally cleared from the battle field. The crowd erupted with a thunderous cheer, thanking both trainers for the amazing battle they had just witnessed, Ash and Austin made their way to the middle of the battle field, shook each others hands once more before shaking hands with the referee
"Thank you Austin, that was an incredible battle" Ash smiled
"Thank you too Ash and all the best in the final, I'll be cheering you on" Austin replied, lifting Ash's hand high over their heads, before stepping back and allowing Ash the chance to receive the adulation he deserved.
It took all Serena's self-control not to yell out in delight as she watched Ash battle Austin. She had half thought to let him know she was on her way to watch him live and to properly make up for their fight before she had boarded her flight but she had told herself it'd be better to surprise him, and plus she'd finally get a chance to meet all the amazing friends he always spoke so fondly about, Serena quickly noticed that she wasn't the only person who was watching Ash's semi final, a blonde girl in the seat next to her was also watching intently.
"So what do you think?" Serena asked the girl
"It's an incredible battle so far, you can really feel the love these trainers share with their Pokémon. I'm Lillie by the way" The blonde introduced herself with a warm smile, turning to face Serena
"Nice to meet you Lillie, I'm Serena, so are you a Pokémon trainer too?"
"Oh no, I mean I absolutely adore Pokémon, but no I'm not a trainer, are you?"
"Not a trainer, I'm the current Kalos queen for Pokémon showcases and a Pokémon Co-ordinator, so are you from Kalos too?"
"I'm from Melemele Island in the Alola region, and wow a Coordinator, that is so cool"
"Hehe, thank you, The Alola region? That's pretty far away, what are you doing coming all the way to Kanto?"
"Oh I'm doing a favour for Professor Kukui, what about you?"
"Oh... I'm going to the Pokémon League, Ash Ketchum, the guy in the semi final now, he's my boyfriend and I'm flying out to surprise him" Serena admitted, unable to keep the grin from her face
"Oh my god that is so cute... Wait, did you just say Ash Ketchum?" Lillie asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"I used to go to the Pokémon school on Melemele Island with him, he was an island champion" Lillie answered
"Oh wow, he told me he enjoyed his time in the Alola region and that he became a champion but he never mentioned going to a school" Serena admitted
Lille and Serena continued to talk all things Pokémon for the rest of the journey, finally going their separate ways at the airport, only after exchanging numbers with each other with the promise to keep in touch.
Ash left the battle field and headed back towards the Pokémon Centre to give his Pokémon a hard-earned and well deserved rest, he then proceeded to wait around for his mother and friends to find him. He brought himself a bottle of soda to have while he waited.
"Ash? Your Pokémon are healed up for you" Nurse Joy called over to him, carrying a tray of six Pokeballs towards him
"Thank you Nurse Joy"
"Ash... Can I just say... That Sylveon you have there, I've never seen one so strong, it's obviously well-loved and so well-trained, you should be proud, and of course the same goes for the rest of your Pokémon"
"Thanks Nurse Joy, the Sylveon is actually my partners. She's taken amazing care of it and raised it so well" Ash admitted, thinking back to all the times he'd seen Serena and Sylveon interacting. Nurse Joy just smiled, nodded and walked off to get back to work. Delia and Ash's friends burst into the Pokémon Centre and made a bee line straight for Ash.
"Ash! You were amazing" His mother praised, wrapping her arms around him, as the rest of his friends congratulated him.
Ash was busy in his kitchen making tea for everyone, declining Brock's offer of help, as he had something in mind, he brought them in two by two, handing them out to everyone until only Iris and he were the only ones without, he made sure he wasn't spotted as he spooned in two teaspoons of salt into Iris' mug, sniggering to himself he brought them out and handed Iris her mug, keeping a straight a face as he could manage as she took a sip and immediately spat it back out, gagging and coughing, Ash couldn't control himself anymore and started laughing which caused everyone else to start, leaving Iris going red in the face
"Ash that's not funny" Iris moaned at him.
"That's payback for the other day" Ash winked at her. Iris huffed and about to respond when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"I'll get it" Ash told the group.
Serena stood outside Ash's apartment with bated breath, she heard the door opening and stiffened up. Ash opened the door and his jaw dropped as he came face to face with Serena for the first time since their argument. Before Serena could say anything and before Ash knew he what he was doing, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily.
"Serena..." Ash was cut off before he could say anything else
"Ash, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry"
"Shh, its okay, it's fine, we're good" Ash whispered, trying to calm a now sobbing Serena.
"Ash, honey... Is everything okay out..." Delia asked, walking in on the two lovers still holding on tightly to one another, she backed away and turned back into the living room.
"Is everything okay out there Delia?" Bonnie asked
"Yeah, everything's fine now" Delia smiled. Back outside Serena had finally managed to stop crying, she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Ash's
"I'm so proud of you and I'm so sorry" Serena whispered
"You don't need to apologise, you're forgiven, always and completely forgiven" Ash led Serena inside, ready to introduce her to all of his friends.
She followed him into the living room and took his hand, nerves starting to build in her stomach. Those nerves were eased slightly as Bonnie sprang out of her seat and ran up to hug her older friend
"Hey guys, now I know some of you may know who this amazing girl is, but for all of you who don't... This is my girlfriend Serena" Ash announced, beaming proudly before introducing Serena to everyone one on one to give them all a chance to get to know one another.
"So, who's hungry?" Ash asked the group, as he realised in the excitement of the day that he'd not eaten anything since breakfast, which was equal to a million years in Ash's mind. Everybody agreed that going out for dinner sounded like a good idea.
Serena yawned loudly as she climbed into bed, shifting up and laying an arm across Ash's chest.
"Ash...?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about what happened back in Kalos, I should have known why this meant so much to you"
"Serena it's okay" Ash told her, trying to explain to her that she no longer needed to apologise to him
"You know I watched all of your matches, all the way from the preliminary rounds right up to your semi final match vs Austin. You were so amazing"
"I couldn't have beaten Austin without you" Ash admitted
"You nervous about tomorrow?" Serena asked
"Not now, now I've got you, my mom and all my friends here, I just know that there's no way I can lose " Ash answered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it all comes down to this, the final round in the final of the Pokémon League. Both trainers have one Pokémon each. Ash from Pallet town has his Charizard and Daniel has his Beware" The commentator announced, coming back from an advertising break
"Big brother, is Ash gonna win?" Bonnie asked
"I hope so, neither Charizard or Beware have a type advantage over the other and both have taken immense damage from the battle so far, I think it's all gonna come down to who wants it more" Clemont answered
"Ash will win. He always has something up his sleeve" Gary commented, folding his arms and smirking
"COME ON ASH YOU CAN DO THIS" Serena yelled out as loud as she could, hoping he'd hear her. Misty, Brock, Ritchie, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Cilian, Iris and Delia followed her lead and began to cheer and scream out in support of their friend and son.
"Charizard, you ready buddy?" Ash asked, Charizard glanced back and nodded at his trainer. Ash had one last roll of the dice, he knew that this was now or never. He'd not used this in a very long time but it was all he had left. Daniel had been his toughest opponent and had soaked up everything Ash had thrown at him and gave it right back to him in kind.
"Alright, Charizard Lets go! Of my mind, of body and spirit let the great mountain of Akala become a raging fire and burn! INFERNO OVERDRIVE" Ash recited, calling forth the Z power he'd learned about from his time in the Alola region. His Z ring lit up and he watched in amazement as Z power surrounded Charizard. Charizard's body was aglow with a raging fire as he flew at top speed towards the opposing Beware before unleashing his full force Z move. Ash, Daniel, the match referee and every spectator inside the stadium waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear...
"Beware is unable to continue, the winner of the match and NEW Pokémon League champion... ASH KETCHUM OF PALLET TOWN" The referee announced. The roar of the crowd was deafening as Ash sank to his knees, his Pokémon, who had all stayed out of their Pokeballs to watch the final rushed over to their trainer to celebrate this amazing moment with him, while up in the stands, Delia had tears of pride and joy in her eyes, Gary just smiled and applauded and the rest of his friends were jumping up and down, cheering and yelling out congratulations.
Ash was presented with the Pokémon League champions trophy at the events closing ceremony. Thanking his friends and family for their support as well as the other trainers who had fought in the league for their efforts, telling them that they should be proud of themselves and their Pokémon. Later that night Ash was stood overlooking the stadium when he heard a faint knock on the door and a soft voice whisper his name
"Serena? Why aren't you with everyone else at the party?"
"I came to find you silly, I thought you'd have wanted to be the centre of attention downstairs"
"Just wanted some time to think"
"You okay?"
"I've never been better" Ash told her, the smile on his face and twinkle in his eye told Serena he was being honest.
"So what are you thinking about?"
"Everything really. How I wouldn't be where or who I am today without you, or my mom or everyone else that's been here to support me"
"Oh Ash, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of you" Serena whispered as she stepped close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. The pair pulled away again immediately as they heard footsteps approaching them. It was Delia and their friends.
"Get a room you two" Iris laughed.
"Umm we had one until you interrupted us" Ash retorted.
"Well we couldn't leave without saying goodbye"
"Goodbye? You mean you're leaving? All of you?" Ash asked, looking around the group, who all nodded in confirmation
"I gotta get back to the gym" Iris told him, walking over and throwing an arm around his shoulders "Well done... Champion"
"And you know she's lost without me" Cilan added "Congratulations Ash"
"They're just started allowing pairs to compete in showcases, so we're gonna have a go at that" Dawn explained, taking May's hand and walking over to Ash, she held her arm high above her head, Ash smiled and lifted his arm to meet her in their special high-five. May simply hugged him and both congratulated him on becoming champion. Brock stepped forward next, pulling Ash into a one-armed hug
"It's been a real honour watching you grow from stubborn little kid to the person you've now become. You deserve all the best Ash" Everybody approached and said their own private goodbyes until only two remained Misty and Delia. Misty stepped up to Ash and threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek
"You're the best friend I've ever had Ash and I'm so proud of you" She stepped back and allowed Delia to walk up to her son
"Ash honey, it's never been easy watching you leave, going off to who knows where and doing God knows what, never really knowing when I'd be seeing you again properly. Sometimes I've hated watching you go off but I never once stopped you or complained because this is your dream and even when things didn't go your way, you never gave up and you just kept on moving forward and now you have your reward. Ash I love you and I've never been more proud of you in my life"
"Mom... Everyone... Thank you all so much" Ash choked, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked over towards his mother, his girlfriend and all of his friends
"I... I love you all so much" Ash sobbed, no longer able to hold back his tears.