Okay, this'll be the last thing I post on this story, for real. Just a little something from my draft of the first chapter of the next story, hope to give you the rest within the next few days!
It was a late November evening for the region of Alola, a beautiful sunset descending upon the islands, seeping vibrant colors onto the region below, brilliant hues of deep purples, bright pinks, and stunning oranges, shades that would've made even Ho-Oh the slightest bit envious. In most other regions during this time of year, it'd be cold enough to need a warmer set of clothes, but for the tropical climate of Alola, the evening brought little more than a refreshing breeze.
This held true for the majority of the region, including Malie City, the largest city on Ula'ula Island. It was the perfect weather for an evening walk, which was what Ash Ketchum was currently doing, his Pikachu perched along his shoulders. It had been nearly five years since his loss in the Kalos League, and time had certainly treated the raven-haired trainer well.
His hair remained just as spiky as ever, although it had increased significantly in length. Today he was wearing an opened black jacket with long sleeves and a high v-shaped neckline, as opposed to the many short sleeve jackets he'd had throughout his journeys. Under his jacket was a red shirt, a black Z-Ring hanging on his right wrist. Beneath those were simply variations of the gloves, jeans, and shoes he'd stuck with throughout his journey, but the thing that capped off his outfit was the latest of his trademark hats. The hat itself was black with a red brim, resembling the one Ash had in Hoenn with a red Poké Ball design in the shape of a C.
Over the years, he'd gone through a number of outfits, but the one he was wearing today was something that he'd settled on to distinguish himself as the Champion of the region. Champion. Ash couldn't help but smile wistfully to himself as he walked along the streets of Malie. He could still remember the times he'd exclaim that he was going to be a Pokémon Master, so optimistic and determined that'd be able to fulfill his dream.
"If only the younger me from back then could see me now..." Ash let out as he thought aloud to himself, causing Pikachu's ears to perk up. The electric mouse leaned forward from his spot on Ash's shoulder as he cast a questioning glance at his partner, frowning slightly. Ash could tell he was slightly concerned as well, although given how long they'd been together, that was easy to tell.
"Don't worry buddy, I was just thinking about the past, nothing too bad," Ash said, rubbing a gloved head against Pikachu's head. His partner's concerns didn't seem to go away, but Ash couldn't help but understand. After all, it had five years since that incident as well, and it hadn't been all too easy moving on after that.
'Tch,' Ash thought to himself bitterly, the mere thought of it making him upset, although he did well hiding his emerging scowl from Pikachu. He'd worked hard to prove himself and create a new life in Alola, having new adventures with Pikachu and the rest of his Pokémon, meeting the trial captains and taking on each of their trials, finding both friendship and a new rivalry with Sun, Gladion, and Hau, officially forming the Alolan Pokémon League and fulfilling Kukui's dream, and helping out Lillie and Gladion with rebuilding and moving forward with the Aether Foundation. Yet still...
It had been 5 years since that incident, since that fateful day he'd been betrayed by his friends. This time, Ash was unable to stop a sullen expression from falling onto his face, as memories rushed to the front of his mind, like a flood having burst through a dam. It had all started on the day he'd arrived back home from Kalos...