The People Closest to You

The inside of Ash's home on Mount Silver was minimally decorated, but cozy. In the living room was a couch, a recliner, a beanbag chair, a coffee table, a television and a tall structure designed for cat-like Pokemon that Ash's Meowth slept on. Connected to this room was the kitchen, and through a door to the left was Ash's bedroom and bathroom.

Hanging on the walls of the living room were several framed pictures. The first was of a 10 year old Ash and all his Pokemon (at the time) at Professor Oak's Ranch, which was taken after his journey in Unova. Hanging up next to it was a smaller photo of Ash, May, Paul and Ritchie taken of the four trainers celebrating May's 21st birthday, several weeks before the All-Star Tournament had started. The final picture Ash had on his wall was a photo of an 8 year old Alexa who visited Ash on Mount Silver with Delia after her adoption. The image was of her playing with Ash's Incineroar, Lucario, Sceptile, Mewtwo, Charizard and Meowth, along with Paul's Electivire, Torterra and Ninjask. All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. Ash opened it and saw his sister standing outside, in an oversized pink sweatshirt and checkered pajama pants.

"I figured you guys would be up for a bit," Alexa said carrying Sophie the Shaymin in her arms. On her left side was her trusty Riolu and by her feet was her Torracat. "Mom fell asleep, and I was bored so I figured I'd come hang with you guys."

"Fine by me," Ash said. "Are you bored, or too antsy for our training for tomorrow?"

"You know me so well," Alexa said, taking a seat in a bean bag chair on the floor, setting Sophie down on the ground. The Pokemon scurried across the floor and over to Meowth's tower. Her Torracat saw her sitting down as the perfect opportunity to jump into her open lap and make itself comfy.

Ash sat back down on the couch, with his right arm wrapped around his fiance, while May stretched her legs across Ash's lap. He looked down and saw Alexa's Riolu staring up, smiling at him so he patted the open seat next to him and let Riolu hop up to join them on the couch. Alex sat in a recliner to the right of the couple, and chatted with them. "So have you two picked a date for the wedding yet?"

"Not yet," May said. "We figured we'd have it a few months after the Tournament had ended, so Ash could go on to challenge Cynthia once he won, but with Giovanni coming back and all, we're not really sure when it'll be."

"It is going to happen though," Ash said. "That's a guarantee."

"I'm so excited for your wedding, you guys! I know I used to joke about you two dating, but now that you guys are engaged it's just- ahhhhh. I can't wait!" Alexa said, unable to contain her excitement.

"Thanks Alexa," May said. "When it happens, you will certainly be invited."

"Maybe you can be the flower girl," Ash joked.

"I'm a little old for that, Ash," Alexa said.

"Can I be your best man, Boss?" Meowth said from its bed atop a structure designed for cat-like Pokemon. "It ain't everyday a talking Meowth toasts you at your reception."

"It's not everyday a talking Meowth exists in general," Alex said from his chair. "I still want to study you someday to see why you speak fluent 'human' dialect."

"How would you like it if I poked at you to see what made you tick? I mean jeez, you're a professa', champ, Aura Gah-dian and curry chef all rolled into one!" Meowth exclaimed.

"You're forgetting, I also did a modeling gig with Nessa," The Professor added. "So add that to the resume. And as for my culinary taste! Curry making is like a form of art where I come from. You pick up a thing or two when travelling through the Galar region, and I've rolled all of mine together into my epic lifestyle! That's why they call me the Utility Man of Galar!"

"Since when?" Alexa said.

"Since now!" Alex said, causing the room to erupt in laughter.

"But anyways, I already told you, Doc, I got my ability to speak through determination and pure willpower." Meowth stated.

"All for a broad," Ash said, causing the group in the living room to laugh once more. "I'm just kidding pal. You know you are one of a kind to me." Ash got up, walked over to his partner on top of the cat tower and scratched his head, making him purr. Ash looked down on the floor and saw Sophie sitting on the ground at the base of the tower and picked her up and placed her on top with Meowth.

"You're so nice to me, Boss," Meowth said. "After all I did to you as a kid."

"Let's be real," Ash said. "When you were chasing after my Pikachu with Team Rocket you weren't exactly on the A Team."

"But then I joined you and you helped me reach my full potential," Meowth said. "In return I helped you take out that scumbag organization that kicked me to the curb."

"We really do make the perfect team," Ash said to his partner.

"Speaking of teams," Alex said. "How has your team of Pokemon come along Alexa? I can imagine being a trainer is very exciting for you."

"My team is amazing, Alex! When I became a trainer I thought that I wanted to catch them all so I could be the strongest trainer of all time. But now that I've had some time to grow as a person I understand that befriending Pokemon and making memories is what is most important," Alexa said, pulling out her special Pokedex for reference. "My very first Pokemon was my Riolu, who was a gift to me from my birth mom and Ash. The two of us are really close and know that if we look out for each other, we'll both grow stronger. The next Pokemon I got was my Electabuzz, who Paul gave to me as an Elekid. The first Pokemon I ever caught was a Caterpie, which is a Butterfree now."

"Just like your brother," Ash said.

"Mhm. Once I had caught those three, I felt like I was on top of the world. I caught myself a Sandshrew, who's now a Sandslash, and two Sudowoodos. I then had battled a trainer from Alola who was visiting for the tournament and he offered to trade me his Litten for one of my Sudowoodos, and I said yes because I've dreamed about using an Incineroar someday. It took a lot of trust building since I wasn't its original trainer, but eventually we became friends and it evolved into a Torracat," Alexa ran her hand down the back of her sleeping cat Pokemon that was sitting in her lap. She then looked up to her Mythical Pokemon that sat next to Meowth on its bed. "The next Pokemon I got was Sophie, who I also got from Ash. The two of us met in Sinnoh when I was 8, and reunited 6 years later when Ash found her in Sinnoh. She doesn't like to battle very much, and that is just alright with me."

"It's not everyday that a new trainer owns a Mythical Pokemon," Alex said. "You should be very proud of the bond you two share."

"Next I caught my Swellow, which I originally caught because I needed a way to fly to Mount Silver so I could train, but it was almost like a blessing in disguise. Swellow was such a graceful battler, that it gave me the edge in most of my matches. She even helped me take down Ross's Mega Beedrill in our battle, which was the first Mega Pokemon I've ever battled against. Next came my Pinsir, who met me while I was training on Mount Silver. It joined in on a couple battles with me, and I helped it learn the move Brick Break. It decided to join me, so I could help it grow stronger."

"It was a smart choice on Pinsir's part," May said. "I remember the day it almost lifted Ash's Snorlax off the ground."

"That was such an achievement for us!" Alexa said. "Once I was done training I came back to the Indigo Plateau to see the remainder of the tournament. I battled Ash for the second time and I was ready to prove how far we had come as a team. Things only got better for us once Hitmonlee joined the team. He had so much knowledge of battling offensively, that he was able to teach my team all new fighting techniques. Riolu and Electabuzz really took a liking to his training, and you can actually see it in their movesets! It's spent its entire life in a dojo, so I think Hitmonlee is excited to explore the world with me. After Hitmonlee, I caught an Abra to add a little diversity to my team. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I hope to have an Alakazam some day. And then, as of today, I have a Farfetch'd who is driven by battle! But I think its also worth mentioning that I caught another Pokemon a couple days ago when Ross and I went to Cerulean City... but I want to keep it a surprise."

"A new Pokemon?" Ash said.

"Do tell," Alex said to the girl.

"I'm not so sure about it," Alexa said. "I want to wait and show it off in a battle first."

"Well I can't wait to see this mystery Pokemon of yours," May said. "What do you say you and I have a battle tomorrow after your training with your brother?"

"That would be awesome! We've never actually battled against each other before!"

"That's awesome how you're building your team, sis," Ash said. "I can't wait to see them all growing beside you."

"It sounds like you have quite the team. They all sound like they have their own unique personalities," Alex said. "I've always thought that Pokemon were like people too. Maybe someday I will meet you across the battlefield in the Galar League Championship."

"That would be epic!" Alexa said. "That Champion's Shirt would look so good on me!"

The group of four continued on with their conversation late into the night. Even though they understood their lives would forever change within a matter of days, they did not let it dampen their spirits. Ash was confident in the friends he gathered together under the united goal of saving the Multiverse. Ash had felt much more at ease with the oncoming battle with Giovanni than he had days ago.

Author's Note: Who's excited to see Alexa's journey as an Aura Guardian begin? Also, she has built up a decent team of Pokemon so far. I wonder, who will join her team next?

-KA