I wanted to be the very best…
A boy trudges through yet another forest. His ever-present cap is shredded by the grasping branches, his shirt and jacket torn to the extent they barely cover his teenage physique, and his pants covered in a multitude of rips. Another branch catches his cap and pulls it partially from his head, revealing his black hair that spikes to the rear. As he pulls it back over his head, he sighs to himself.
"Another failure…"
Ash Ketchum, once self-proclaimed Pokémon Master, continues his fight with the forest that seems determined to hold him back, before finally breaking into a natural clearing. He walks to the center before pulling off his pack and dumping the contents unceremoniously onto the ground. Setting up his muted green tent, he drags the rest of his things in before collapsing onto a bedroll. He pulls a picture from the pile.
"Good night, Pikachu…" he says quietly, setting it upright and facing him as he closes his eyes.
A youth stands in a crowd, dressed entirely in muted tones. He stares at a small box as it is entombed within marble. As he stands, those around him begin vanishing one by one. The older gentleman… the adult woman… the dark male… the three young girls… eventually, he stands alone in the tower of the dead.
Ash wakes up rubbing his temples. "That dream again..." he mutters to himself
He hates that dream. It didn't come very often, but when it did, it reminds him. Every time, it brings back thoughts of what he lost... and every time, it grows worse. On top of that, it has no fixed schedule, going from months apart to every night to weeks back to months. Even years at one point, giving him hope that it had finally stopped, that he was over it... only to resurge with a vengeance.
He shakes his head. Thoughts of the past should stay in the past. Sure, having help like he had in the past would have made things easier, but... No. He's done it along before, he'll do it again. Instead, he directs his mind towards the day's task - an assault on Team Luna.