Chapter 14 – Lifting the Ban

After the Aerodactyl was defeated by the combined forces of all the Trainers' Pokémon and reverted to its original form (With the help of RevoEvolution), battling was about to make a triumphant return, and soon, the humans and pets would be able to bond once more.

When all of the Trainers showed up at the school, they saw all the creatures and welcomed them once again, after over a year, since they last saw each other. Realizing how the pets saved them, they began to turn against PET PIKA for causing the witless ban.

To support this, a news report focused on the battle between the creatures and the 'Giga' Rock-Flying type.

"Recently, at a school, there has been a group of Pokémon that managed to defeat a mutated Aerodactyl, saving the day. In addition, Lafayette and his crew, all known for their infamous iBall, appeared to redeem themselves by curing it with some kind of mud; perhaps it's time that we give them another chance, despite the damage they caused earlier. Shockingly, they was seen with a living Eddie, long thought to be dead. Could it be that he actually wasn't mauled by his that monster he used to own? Whatever reason, we are happy that he's still alive, hopefully learning a valuable lesson about tinkering with nature.

And then there's the question regarding the ban on Pokémon battles and interference: were humans and the pets meant to be together in the first place? Here's why: Throughout an observation, everyone seemed to be very unhappy without them for a simple reason: they and their pets might have the same soul, basically just born for fighting."

A day after the great big battle at school, the Trainers of all regions started to protest the battling ban. Without the need of violence, thousands signed petitions, whether on paper or digital, and held signs supporting the reunion of humans and Pokémon. It was time to bring life back to normal!

In the Kanto region…

"For the whole time, the Pokémon weren't really our servants," stated Red. "Nor they were tools for battle; they're our partners. My Pokémon and I were battling TOGETHER. I can't believe those PET PIKA guys didn't even notice such a simple thing as that!"

In Johto…

"Everyone has too much to say about Pokémon!" cried Lyra. "If it's fun and ethical, that's enough!"

In Hoenn…

"All Pokémon adore a kind trainer," claimed May. "Perhaps a tough but caring one even."

In Sinnoh...

"You know, it is true what they say," said Lucas. "With the exception of criminals, there is no evil among Pokémon fans."

"Pokémon are by our side, always," added Dawn. "I hope you will understand the meaning of those words, PET PIKA."

In Unova…

"No matter how many risks you take," sobbed Hilda, "it's like 100% impossible to live without Pokémon!"

Nate patted her. "It's OK."

In Kalos, there was one girl who delivered quite a speech, and her name was Serena…

"For over a year, I felt like I found no clear direction for me ever since a part of our lives was taken away from us. I know you meant well, PET PIKA, but you don't really get the whole picture of the concept of the world of Pokémon. Before the ban, those creatures were the main inspiration of my songs, and without them, I hardly have anything to write about. As you can see, they served an important role to life, and putting a wall between them and us doesn't seem to make sense. We know that independence is helpful sometimes, but that doesn't mean to go overboard and punish everyone like this. We would never dream of hurting the Pokémon in any way, so there needs to be a connection between humans and the pets as that is nature."

"After all, we all live in a Pokémon world for a reason!" added Adeline, holding a sign saying the same remark.

Eventually, a TV special was made upon the protests as it was about time to revert life back to normal. There, PET PIKA was seen announcing their confession at their headquarters, with everyone surrounding it. They have vowed to change their views and support the bond between the Trainers and Pokémon, and that was not all that have happened."

Specifically, an optimistic Dr. Baron made confessed to Lafayette, "There is one thing I have to admit, Devrim. After the pets' battle with the Aerodactyl, your mud experiment turned out to be quite amazing, and I believe that this is a step in the right direction. I've learned that clay can detoxify the body by stimulating the lymphatic system and cleaning the skin. Worked on us, so how about all the Pokémon as well? Another thing, how did you get such idea?"

"With the help of a surviving boy who knew so much, perhaps like me," the CEO replied.

"Well, maybe this will be an opportunity to prove your potential of improving quality of life the correct way. And who knows? Maybe I would look up to your genius one day. Nonetheless, there will be risks before reward, so may your responsibility be with you all the time."

In all, this was a surreal discussion to say at the very least, but it was a sign that Dr. Baron's perspective towards Devrim was changing for the better.

So was the name of RevoEvolution as the crew made a new transition from electronic gadgets to health products, beginning with their non-toxic, yet beauty-enhancing invention, "Pokklay" (a portmanteau of "Pokémon" and "clay"), which was loosely based on their mud experiment made earlier. It was available in "Cool" (blue with the scent of mint), "Beautiful" (gold and rose-scented), "Cute" (pink and cupcake-scented), "Clever" (green and tea-scented), and "Toughness" (orange and chili-smelling). Sometime later, the miracle mud received overwhelmingly positive responses from critics and Pokémon Coordinators; even PET PIKA approved it and certified it as "cruelty-free", which was unexpected, as they used to disapprove all beauty treatment in the past.

As for the Trainers of all regions, the ban of battling finally became lifted, and their creatures, plus the rest who all returned from PokéPark, were more than enthusiastic to fight. Even the president was eager to join, though with guidelines since she had not battled for a while. In fact, she was about to have a battle with Red at a training park, but before that, there was a reunion between Lafayette and a long-lost friend.

"Remember me in the old days, Zoroark?" The CEO wiped a tear. "I must have been too busy working on my inventions that I sort of forgot about you! For that reason, I have my regrets. It must have been hard for you to cope with our situation, but least we are here now, together once more. Now, I don't at all mean to be reluctant, but I still don't feel worthy enough to be your owner again. In fact, I stopped battling a long time ago ever since I have my career."

The black fox nodded.

"Perhaps I could look after your Zoroark?" suggested Inga, raising her hand. "He seemed to take a shine on me, and even though I don't battle either, I have played with him often back when he was a Zorua. And I quite a bit of spare time to learn all of his moves and get him nice and fit through something he deserves."

"Well, what do you think he deserves, considering how he looks pumped up, ready to put good use of his powers?" Then, Lafayette tossed a revived trademark red and white orb to the president. "I will be trusting you for that you'll be a good owner to him, so here's the new post-ban Pokéball, now upgraded to give the Pokémon more sufficient room to breathe and stretch. It's optional to him inside, but you do know that it would be best if my Zoroark decides."

The lady asked the fox, "What do think, bud? Do you want to get in this strange device? I feel uncertain about this, but neither will I force you to get inside nor refuse to let you in. It's your choice."

He looked at the orb and thought about it for a moment, but after thinking how convenient it would be for her to carry him like this, in the end did he tap it, which opened up, turned him into energy, and captured him.

"Congratulations, Inga," The CEO spoke calmly. "You have yourself a new friend who will always be there as long for you, as you live. Again, please take good care of him."

Afterwards, when the president shortly arrived to the park, holding the Pokéball Red shouted to the president enthusiastically, "Now that you officially have a Pokémon, Inga, what do you say we start a little warm-up?"

The lady threw the ball, releasing the black fox, and responded with zest, "Ready when you are."

"That's a cool-looking Zoroark you got there! Just to let you know, I will first show you the basics of dueling, and later the next levels. It'll be more simple than you think, but still challenging to master, yet most importantly, some life values will be involved throughout your training and journey to becoming your own definition of a Pokémon Master. We all find our destiny, so why not you?" Then, he threw his Pokéball and cried, "Charizard, I choose you!"

The orange, dragon-esque, fire-tailed Fire-Flying type materialized from the orb and roared. "It is good to be back, to use my glorious moves to win! And it looks like I have a newbie."

Inga's Zoroark snarled, "A pleasure to meet you, Charizard. Now just because my owner needs some training doesn't mean I'll be going too easy on you."

"Then show me your moves!"

While the trainers have revisited their traditions of battling, this was not all that happened. Acknowledging that it was still good being independent and productive sometimes, they kept their established careers, but in special cases, they had their pets to help them once in awhile.

For instance, in community service, Red and Leaf brought all of their creatures along to help another gardening event. Particularly, the girl's Venusaur provided its sunlight-based energy from the flower on its back to the other flowers, which each absorbed a portion and grew more rapidly than a Pikachu surfing in the ocean. Overall, it was definitely an improvement over last time, with the field of nature stronger and healthier than ever.

In other regions, others have brought their creatures as well. First, there was Ethan having his Jolteon using its electrical powers to fuel the batteries for the hoverboards, which lasted longer thanks to the stronger juice. Next, May, wearing an exoskeleton, teamed up with her Blaziken in a renovated soccer game designed for both humans and Pokémon. Then, there was Dawn hiring her rabbit-like Lopunny as a mascot for her skin treatment company, which then collaborated with RevoEvolution for the "Pokklay" product. Even Hilda went back to stunt performing, but this time, with the help of her pets. For her latest trick, she rode on her Druddigon in the sky and then dived down until the dragon catches her below.

As for Serena, she finally played her guitar again at a bistro, but even with her pets back, she continued grieving over the concert. Unexpectedly, another well-known female singer came to see her; during her hiatus, she used to be a PET PIKA member until the year without Pokémon when she sent a resignation letter to the president and returned to performing.

"Hello there, Serena," greeted the singer. "Name's Brittany."

Her eyes widened, and she smiled. "You mean, both the host of your talk show and the singer with those two adorable Igglybuff? A pleasure to meet you! My cousin Adeline had told me a lot about you, and we've listened to each of your songs and enjoyed them all!"

The two shook hands.

"Thank you. It's nice to see you as well, and I've listened to all of your songs, too!" Then, Brittany started to frown. "By the way, the reason why I left Johto to come here is because I wanted to visit you, for which I've heard that your concert didn't end very well due to your sore throat. At least your voice is back now!"

Serena frowned a little. "Well, yes. I think it's time for me to get my together and win back the respect from my fans."

"And I am sure your loyal Delphox and those Pokémon of yours will be cheering you on again now that you've all reunited together. Now, about those fans, I wouldn't try to pay too much attention about them."

"What do you mean? I trained really hard in order to be a brand new somebody. With that commitment, everyone was counting on me to perform well!"

"You didn't become a guitarist in order to be popular, but rather because of your passion. In other words, you play because you want to, not because of what everyone wants."

Then, Brittany's Igglybuff twins, Gigglybiff and Gigglybuff, showed up from behind.

While looking at the two, Serena giggled, "So you say these are "Loony Balloons" according to the name of your team. I knew how cute they are!"

"At one point, my Igglybuff told me that they have been bullied by a Jigglypuff who wanted them to quit just because she was jealous of their singing. Nevertheless, have they given up? Not a chance. They kept going with me because of their will to sing."

In the end, Serena threw another concert, thanks to the support from Brittany and the Loony Balloons. This time, however, she brought her Delphox and Talonflame to dance with her, just to spice the latest songs up a bit. Her first song was a cover version of "My Best Friends" from the album Pikachu's Jukebox.

Until the end I will be with you,

We will go where our dreams come true,

All the times that we have been through,

You will always be my best friends…

Here we are on a new adventure,

Danger lurks somewhere in the darkness,

We are set for surprises - even battle!

We're a team - no one better mess with us!

If we stand as one,

There's nothing to fear,

We'll beat the darkness,

And we'll stay right here!

Time after time,

That's how it will be,

Just you and me.

'Til the end I will be with you,

We will go where our dreams come true,

All the times that we have been through,

You will always be my best friends...

Good friends - are those who stick together,

When there's sun and in the heavy weather...

Smile after smile,

That's how it will be,

Just you and me...

'Til the end I will be with you,

We will go where our dreams come true,

All the times that we have been through,

You will always be my best friends...

Remember, when we first met?

We had such fun, oh I never will forget...

Since then, the times are so good -

We've always stuck together like best friends should...

'Til the end I will be with you,

We will go where our dreams come true,

All the times that we have been through,

You will always be my best friends...

All of the fans gave a massive round of applause, even followed by some sincere apologies for unfairly booing her back then:

"You go, girl! And we're sorry about your sore throat last concert."

As for her friends and her little cousin…

"Great comeback, Serena!" screamed Shauna and Calem.

Trevor, now working as a professional photographer, took pictures of the singer. "Couldn't have sang it better myself."

Adeline rubbed her hands. "Good thing I made my cousin a special statue while she was gone. Took me a while, but she's going to love it when we get back home."

Tierno looked excited and asked, "What statue, Adeline?"

"Not telling. It's a surprise."

"Maybe a hint or two?"

The little girl simply laughed at him.

As for Inga, she softly wiped a tear. "I'm so very proud of her. Even with her Pokémon, she remains a great singer herself, and if I look at it, she needs not to be independent all the time. In fact, she and her pets make a fine team."

"Let me guess," suggested Dr. Baron, "You advised one of our ex-members, Brittany, to go see Serena and get her back up again?"

"I have. Just to let you know, she and her Igglybuff were some of the greatest singers in the Johto region. They worked together all the time due to their exact same intentions." Inga looked around the audience until suddenly did she spot a certain red cap-wearing male Trainer with a Pikachu (the same one from the previous chapter) on his shoulder. "Wait a minute, is that who I think he is? The world-famous..."

Baron looked at the boy, too. "Wait, what!?"

After the concert, from what the president and researcher could see, the Trainer came to visit Serena, who in response shed tears of joy and eventually kissed him mouth to mouth. Could it be some form of a special reunion?

Then, feeling uneasy, Dr. B tugged the lady's shirt. "Inga, can we go somewhere a little secret? I know one thing will shock you, so bear with me."

"Well, sure, I assume."

The two quietly searched for an empty space until they found an abandoned janitorial room. This was where Dr. Baron whispered into President Inga's ear, in a calm but surreal manner, the answer to a critical mystery:

"...I am Ash's long-lost father."

The End
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