Welp...Finally got this done.
Geeze, this is long overdue. I've barely started this story and I'm already slow! Sorry, guys. I really kept you waiting too long. That being said, I guess it was a good call to say that I wouldn't be promising a schedule with publishing chapters...
Lots of things have happened in the time between this chapter and the last. As of August 10, 2016, the day on which this chapter is uploaded, Ash is in the finals of the Kalos League and may very well become the champion, after all. On top of that, Pokemon Sun and Moon will be released in a couple of short months! And here I am writing a reboot to a story that started at a time when all that anyone knew about was Ash's Sinnoh League crap and the fact that Generation 5 was gonna be a thing after all. That was about six years ago, I think.
Without further ado, though, I present to you...
Ash Satoshi Ketchum won. Amidst the outrageously excited cheers of the audience, the announcer's proclamation of the new winner of the Kalos League, Pikachu's loving nudge on his best friend's shoulder, and Greninja's exhausted but proud eyes looking back at his trainer, Ash had to tell himself a few times that he actually did it before it finally sunk in. Funny, the feeling of actually accomplishing your goal is different than just saying that you will.
Ash, since he was ten years old, boasted about how he would be the greatest Pokémon master that the world had ever seen. Young, eager, and full of energy, he declared to the world in front of him that he would be the very best, like no one ever was. That he would befriend and battle alongside a multitude of powerful Pokémon that would absolutely dominate the competition, and eventually stand atop of the world like the king he was. Leaving the town of Pallet with his very first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash was convinced that nothing could stand in his way.
There was one problem, though. Ash sucked.
During his venture in the Indigo League, the new trainer, blinded by eagerness and a thirst to prove himself, failed to see that he won many of his battles due to the change of heart of trainers whom he had helped, the coaching of his friends, the abnormal characteristics of his Pokémon, or just pure luck. The fact of the matter was, for most of the eight gym battles that he fought in, he had to rely on one of those four factors to earn his victory.
That's not to say Ash was totally helpless. He did have those moments where he showcased actual talent as a trainer. Potential was definitely residing in the boy, there was no doubt about that. After all, he had an unnaturally strong bond with his Pokémon, and for all of his bumbling and mistakes, he could prove his worth when it came down to it. But often, after a show of impressive skill, he would downplay it by an unfortunate reveal of just how inexperienced he really was. This could be seen during the Pokémon League tournament; after getting through three rounds with the help of coaching from his friends Misty and Brock, Ash decided that for the fourth round, he didn't want any help. He wanted to win by himself. And, to the pleasant surprise of his friends and family, he did, even outperforming his rival, Gary Oak, in the process. But it was a one-hit wonder, for in the fifth round, the result was far less pleasing. Ash lost that round not because of a hard-fought battle; in fact, he lost because his Charizard, arguably his most powerful Pokémon at the time, refused to battle, leaving his trainer looking like a total idiot.
But the thing about Ash was, he really hated giving up. He saw enough of that before he started his journey, and he was really sick of it. So he didn't stop at the Indigo League. He trudged on, traveling around the globe and trying his luck in training not only more Pokémon, but himself as well, so that he wouldn't repeat his embarrassing loss in Kanto and instead come out of every battle with dignity and strength. For eight years, he made his way through spectacular lands, met and befriended creatures that would become forces to be reckoned with, and fought both against and alongside a variety of powerful trainers, growing from these experiences and becoming stronger with every step. And now, at seventeen years old, standing in the Kalos League stadium across from the reigning champion Diantha and her fainted Gardevoir, his bright determination and immeasurable skill had finally paid off.
Before the match, Ash imagined the possibility of his victory: he would have been cheering even louder than the audience with his Pokémon and human companions at his side, ecstatic at the fact that he had become one of the strongest trainers on the planet. Now, though, even when he indeed won the match, and even when Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie joined him, Pikachu, and Greninja in celebration, he could only stand there with a completely dumbfounded stare upon his face. Across the battlefield, Diantha, after returning Gardevoir to her Poké Ball and congratulating her for a job well done, noticed Ash's lack of a celebratory reaction and formed a small smile across her lips. Well, it's not every day you become one of the Champions of the world, after all...
It didn't even register to Ash that Diantha had made her way from her side of the field to just a few feet in front of him until she spoke. "Congratulations, Mr. Ketchum," the superstar gently said as she raised her arm to offer the new Champion a handshake.
"I-th-thank you," Ash stammered before accepting the defeated trainer's gesture.
As the new champion shook the defeated trainer's hand, still with a blank and disbelieving look upon his face, one of his companions looked up at him and, through teary yet radiant eyes, noticed the odd behavior that he was exhibiting. Now that wasn't the Ash that she knew. Not the one she loved. So Serena gently placed her hands on his left arm, snapping him back into reality from his almost trance-like state. Ash, slightly alarmed, turned to his friend that he knew since childhood, and was met with a gentle smile on an intensely admiring face.
Ash smiled back brightly, for looking at Serena made him realize that he had every right to be happy like she was.
He really shouldn't have been putting this off. A collection of poetry, a research paper on the significance in the relationship between a trainer and his or her first Pokémon, a conference regarding the migration of Pokémon between regions: all deadlines to be met in just a few short days. The premier citizen of Pallet Town should be preparing his projects for submission, his notes and findings for publication, his best suit for travel. Not wasting his time watching TV. He was tempted to flip the switch and get his business taken care of before it was too late.
Yet as Professor Samuel Oak watched the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Ash Ketchum, newest Champion of the Kalos League, on his small television set surrounded by the clutter of his desk, he found that he could not bring himself to get out of his chair and meet his soon-to-be urgent matters. And even though he probably should have been worried (and deep inside, WANTED to be worried), he just couldn't care less. He was too happy. Was it pride? Sentimentality? Most likely a mixture of both. All that Oak knew was that he couldn't stop himself from grinning as the Pokémon that Ash attained his victory with were recorded in the illustrious and high-tech machine and broadcasted around the world for all to see.
Ash Satoshi Ketchum. To think that such a strong, proud, and mighty trainer that had traveled almost around the entire globe started out as a clueless 10-year-old. Oak could still remember the day Ash clumsily arrived at his lab, still in his pajamas, having overslept and thus missing the opportunity to begin his journey with one of the three standard Kanto starter Pokémon. So instead, Ash got a hostile and lazy Pikachu who wanted nothing more than to fry his new trainer to death. At that time, the Professor knew that the child had a long way to go.
Now that child was seventeen, Champion of the Kalos League, and recognized as one of the greatest trainers in the world. It was really quite remarkable. Very few battlers who are that young can carry such a title that Ash now carried. But Professor Oak wasn't worried about fame getting to Ash's head. Why, that young man was more than ready, and more than deserving, of walking away from the Kalos League like any worthy Champion should: proud of and grateful to his skill and the wondrous Pokémon that helped him get so far, as well as welcoming and kind to those who wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Oak watched as the television screen zoomed in on Ash's ecstatic face, surrounded by his dear friends - human and Pokémon - who were equally as joyous. Next to the small group of friends were an applauding Diantha and Professor Sycamore - one of Oak's close colleagues - backed up by an excitedly roaring audience as thousands of pieces of confetti rained from the sky, the sky that majestic bird Pokémon flew in as they circled above the stadium. And as he viewed this spectacle, another thought crept into the head of Kanto's premier authority of Pokémon: how much the ceremonies have changed. How much the leagues have changed.
Before, there was no tournament to go through before fighting the Elite Four and the Champion; in fact, back then, after a trainer defeated eight gym leaders, they automatically qualified to take on the respective league's toughest trainers, one-by-one, with no resting periods (not that many people were able to last through all of them). And the only audience that watched these epic battles was made up of a select few that were invited. There was no grand ceremony when a trainer made it into the Hall of Fame, either. In fact, all that happened was that the winning trainer, accompanied by either the former Champion or the Professor himself (sometimes both), walked into a bright, golden hallway with a single machine at the end of it. In that machine, the Pokémon of the new Hall of Famer would be recorded, and only then would it be broadcasted to the world that there was a new Champion. No grand show, no widespread celebration. That didn't stop people around the planet from looking up to these winners as the personification of talent and mastery, of course, but at the same time, since they didn't witness the battles of the Hall of Famers themselves, they could only speculate on how and with what Pokémon they fought. Nowadays, everything that anyone wanted to know about the modern Champions could be easily attainable.
Oak closed his eyes while reminiscing on the traditions of the past. Times sure had changed. It was simpler in those days. Whether that was a good or bad thing, was up to debate. The Professor opened his eyes, still smiling, and was met with another close-up of Ash's bright face, his jet-black hair, his red cap, and his determined, strong eyes. Oak's smile faltered slightly upon seeing this. Speaking of the previous Pokémon League format, Ash really did have a resemblance to the last trainer who cemented himself in that Hall of Fame of Indigo Plateau...
"You understand that your victory was not just your own doing! The bond you share with your Pokémon is marvelous!"
Those were the words that, ten years ago, the Professor had bestowed onto the nodding and beaming thirteen-year-old who was locked in a tight embrace by his Charizard, much to the amusement and admiration of his opponent Lance.
"You have endeavored hard to become the new League Champion. Congratulations, you and your Pokémon are Hall of Famers!"
"Congratulations, Ash Ketchum, you and your Pokémon are Hall of Famers!"
Oak opened his eyes, startled by the words that the announcer on the TV screen delivered to the overwhelmingly jubilant Ash, surrounded by his equally excited Pokémon and human companions.
"Professor?" Oak turned around and saw his assistant, Tracey, at the door with a phone in his hand. "It's Ms. Ketchum, Professor Oak. Calling about the Kalos League. I think you know what this is about." Tracey smiled at his teacher.
Oak blinked in confusion for a moment before chuckling. Well, that was another deadline that completely slipped his radar: getting ready for Delia Ketchum to speak with pride and gratitude of her son's achievement. "Thank you very much, Tracey," Oak said to his protégé as he walked over to him and picked up the phone.
Didn't wanna waste your time at the beginning of the page, so I saved this for the end!
As you may notice, the universe in which this fanfic takes place in is focused much more on the anime side, but still with a good chunk of the games blended in. Back in the original Ash's Last Battle, I kinda just mashed the game universe and anime universe together and was convinced that it made sense..."was" being the operative word here.
I'm not gonna bother making false promises about when the next chapter will be up, but I will say this: I will write it as quickly AND as well as I can. I know that doesn't have much meaning, since neither you nor I can really say how much time I will take, but I just wanna let you guys know: I'm not forgetting about this, I'm gonna try and get this finished, and I'm gonna make sure that it doesn't come off as rushed, nonsensical, and/or crappy.
Thanks again for your continued reading and support, guys! You're the real Champions here. =)