And, we're back again! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, I'll be doing my best to keep this story coming!
Review Responses:
Green Fox[Guest] (Ch.2): Honestly it's no problem, Naganadel's definitely gonna be fun to show off. Yep, I added them cause I thought they could add an interesting dynamic with Lillie and Gladion. That was why I'd thought to add Hau in the original story, but I didn't do that too well. As for Guzma and Team Skull? That's actually gonna be revealed in either this chapter or the next, so keep your eyes peeled!
TrioF (Ch.2): Yep, I'm certainly looking forward to writing the traitors get their comeuppance.
Preston Ajax[Guest] (Ch.2): Yeah, it's nothing personal, I just prefer smaller pairings. As I revealed last chapter, Gym Leaders, Elite 4, and Champions are going to be taking part in the tournament, although I don't really care for the Frontier Brains except for Anabel, so if I include her, she'll be joining on her own. I plan to include Gloria, Bede, Hop, and Marnie as competitors within the tournament, but to prevent clutter, I think I'll limit it to that. As for Leon, my lips are sealed.
Wendigo Freezer[Guest] (Ch.2): Nice question, I was planning to include Korrina in this story, and since the rest of the Kalos Gym Leaders are coming, Korrina's coming too. And look at that, I wonder who else is part of the Kalos Gym Leaders? Interesting... As for Melmetal, as of now, he's not one of Ash's Pokémon, and that's all I'm saying.
Reader[Guest] (Ch.2): Well, in the previous story, I had them be dual specialists and made it like this; Lille was Ice/Fire, Bonnie was Dragon/Fairy, Brock was Rock/Ground, and Paul was undetermined. I wanted to change up the types this time around, so we'll see how that goes!
Ashpool[Guest] (Ch.2): Sorry if I didn't specify, but the new Alola Gyms replaced the island challenge, but Ash made sure all gyms offered trials after a win, as a sort of a victory lap and a way to preserve the original way of giving Z-Crystals. Also, they would all be characters already in Alola. Glad to hear you like it, though, and hope you continue to!
zero fullbuster (Ch.2): Glad to hear it!
TheDarkRising: Yep, I like the concept of Ash losing most of his Pokémon after being betrayed, but I decided to not have them actually betray him, having them be taken instead. I didn't do that for no reason though... I had fun writing that battle initially, so it's good that you liked it!
Guest [Guest] (Ch.2): No.
Yaw6113 (Ch.2): Well, here it is!
Voltes V Fanatic[Guest] (Ch. 2): Well, I like both Anabel and Korrina, so I don't see a problem with putting them in the story!
Prestige One[Guest] (Ch.2): I love hearing your thoughts on the story, and don't worry! Hau will be making an appearance in this story soon!
Gunhill Marauder[Guest] (Ch.2): I think I might've taken a bit too much time with this one, but I appreciate the sentiment!
Guest 2 [Guest] (Ch.2): Glad to hear it!
Temporal King (Ch.2): I'm always happy to hear your thoughts, if only cause you have so much to say lol. Glad to hear you're pleased with the rewrite, hope I can keep it that way as time goes on!
SebjectCrimsonStorm (Ch.2): Yeah, Gary speaks like someone who's never done the agony that is Mallow's trial, lol.
William0312 (Ch.2): Hey, don't worry about offending me, I appreciate any kind of criticism! That being said, I can see where you're coming from. In most of these stories, there will be some people believing Oak's lies that really shouldn't be in the first place, creating a scenario that would probably be the most unrealistic thing about these stories. The factor I'm trying to sell here though is that it's Oak making these allegations; someone who should know Ash better than any of these people. It's all about creating sides and factions for me in stories like these though, pitting people against or for Ash and coming up with reasons why. I don't intend to paint any of the Champions as villains in this story, however, so I hope that makes you feel better.
Guest 3 [Guest]: Glad to hear you like it!
Recap: Going back into Ash's memories, we see that the battle against the traitors had gotten out of hand, the damage spreading across Ash's yard and onto his house. Despite his best efforts, Ash fails to save his mother, and going to Oak's ranch reveals that most of his Pokémon have been taken away. With comfort from Dawn and Serena, Ash resolves to get his revenge on the traitors no matter the cost, bringing us back to the present day once more.
Ash recalls how he became Champion a couple of years after coming to Alola, battling through his rivals in the Alola League and eventually making Brock, Paul, Bonnie, and Lillie into his Elite 4 and striking a deal with Lance to install a Gym circuit in Alola in exchange for keeping his identity a secret from the rest of the world.
The traitors soon arrive in Alola for the Tournament of the Stars, as is every other Champion, Elite 4, and Gym Leader from the other regions. Max manages to get into an altercation with Moon and Lillie before Gladion steps in, accepting his challenge and coming out on top before leaving with Lillie to assist with setting up for the Isle of the Star tournament.
With one day left before the battle tournament begins, how will things turn out? Read on to find out!
"A penny for your thoughts, Ash?" Ash blinked as he turned to his left, looking at one of his Elite 4, Brock. His friend's clothes had barely changed at all over the years, although he was wearing two noticeable accessories on his right hand. One of them was his Mega Bracelet, a thin band of metal that he embedded his Keystone in, and the other was his wedding ring, a silver band that he'd never let out of his sight since he'd gotten married to Olivia.
"... I was just thinking about how things are going to go tomorrow," Ash said, turning away from the stands to look at Brock. The two were currently in the center of the stadium where the tournament was going to be held just tomorrow.
"You still sure you're okay with revealing your identity tomorrow?" Brock questioned, rubbing his wedding ring in concern. "We've worked really hard to keep your identity out of the global eye over these past years. You could only use a fake name or wear a disguise, you know..."
Ash shook his head, a scowl playing across his face as he looked downwards, clearly repulsed by the idea of doing so. His eyes widened at his own reaction, however, looking up at Brock apologetically. "S-Sorry, but tomorrow's the day everything's going to come out. Whether or not the people choose to believe me, I want my face to be the one they see."
"And the one that those traitors see, huh?" Brock let out, saying what Ash left out, having already guessed from the scowl. His brow furrowed at the thought of those guys, most of them he simply hated because they hurt his friend, and having traveled alongside May and Max, he simply despised them for what they'd done. But the one he couldn't help but be the most upset at was Misty, the one who'd been with the two from the very beginning. No matter what excuse she could've given for doing what she did, Brock was certain that he would never forgive her.
"... You think maybe they didn't show?" Ash said, reminded that Brock knew him too well for him to hide anything from him. He looked back up into the stands, seeing Paul and Bonnie bickering over some decorations, the two Elite 4's argument growing louder by the second.
"Lance personally ensured that the Gym Leaders would be here, so Misty, Cilan, Iris, and Clemont are definitely coming," Brock assured Ash, placing a hand on his shoulder, taking note of the new white scarf around his neck. "May's dad would be coming too, and the rest of them are probably going to follow. Don't worry about whether they're coming, just focus on what's going to happen when they come, got it?"
"Yeah... got it, loud and clear. Thanks, Brock," Ash let out, turning to Brock with a small smile on his face. He honestly couldn't imagine where he'd be without Brock's help all these years, but he was more than grateful to his close friend. "Speaking of which, did you figure out how the brackets are going to work?"
"Barry and I decided on having the preliminary rounds be tag team battles with randomized brackets," Brock explained, returning Ash's smile with one of his own. "We did some skill-based seeding so some independent trainers wouldn't be matched up against the likes of the Champions or Elite 4, but it wasn't as easy to do the same with the pairings. If you wanna know more, you should go ask Barry or Moon, she helped us out with it as well."
"Got it, I'll have to ask her when she eventually swings by with Lillie," Ash let out, noticing that the Aether heiress was the only one in his Elite 4 to not be present to help out with preparations. Granted, Bonnie had told him that she'd left to go make sure Gladion come on time, but the two were hardly early.
He hoped that was alright with those two, but he knew that Lillie and Gladion could take care of themselves if anything went wrong. "Thanks again, Brock, I'm gonna go make sure the others are doing okay with their own preparations."
"No problem, Ash. Steelix and the others will start making sure the stadium's in top condition," Brock replied, the tanned man looking back to see his Pokémon working on clearing the debris from the recently built stadium. "You need me to do anything else-?" He continued before getting a beeping from his waist, taking out his Rotom Phone with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Just take care of your wife, Brock," Ash said, chuckling slightly as he walked off, looking up to see Paul and Bonnie still at it before heading up to them. "Knowing you've got my back does enough wonders."
"Man, I still can't believe you battled the President of the Aether Foundation!" Clemont was saying to Max, a shine in his eyes as he leaned in particularly close to Max's face, the inventor having instantly realized just who Max had fought after hearing the comments from the crowd. "Do you even know how cool that is?"
"And I still can't believe you keep talking about it!" Max whined, falling backward into the couch behind him from just thinking about how he'd lost. The traitors had rented a room at the Pokémon Center after Max's battle with Gladion, deciding to take a couple of rooms there since the Isle of the Stars Tournament was still ready to commence the next day.
The group was currently sitting around a room that they had also rented out, thanks to Gary's and Professor Oak's combined funding. Needless to say, Clemont had been beside himself with excitement ever since learning Gladion's true identity.
"Max does have a point though, Clemont, why are you so crazy about that guy anyway?" Iris asked, disregarding Max's whining, as busied herself by looking through a book on Dragon-type Pokémon that resided in the other regions.
"You would be too if you understood what he's done!" Clemont said in a giddy tone, turning in Iris's direction, his eyes shining even brighter. "He's singlehandedly led experiments on all kinds of Pokémon, and his company has invented tons of machines to assist in those purposes! He's discovered all kinds of new Pokémon, and the Aether Foundation are the leading experts in researching them!"
"Really, now?" Professor Oak piped up from the corner of the room, drawing everyone's attention. His mind couldn't help but wander to all the valuable discoveries the Aether Foundation had contributed to Pokémon research across the world, due to the results of many experiments. "That must be quite the list of accomplishments..."
"Well, too bad your machines aren't that good, Clemont..." May said, snickering slightly as she lay her head on Drew's lap, Drew looking down at her mischievously as the two shared another sofa, May sending a sexual look back at him. "They always end up blowing up or something like that, don't they?"
"T-They don't always blow up!" Clemont furiously protested, but Max was already growing tired of this topic.
"Enough about that guy, already!" He shouted before Clemont could continue to defend himself against May's accusations, a frustrated look in his eyes. "If he's not even part of this region's Elite 4 and I lost, how am I going to win this tournament? I'm not just going to sit here and let my butt get handed to me!"
The room went silent for a few seconds, all the traitors looking at him before Professor Oak eventually spoke up, bringing his hand to his chin. "Well, Max, there are certainly a lot of strong opponents here Max, you may even have trouble making it past the first round."
"But, Professor-!" Max tried to say, before Oak raised his hand, signaling him to stop before the older man continued.
"It's only natural, Champions and the like are being mixed into the brackets so if you get matched up against one of them in the first round, it'd be over for you." Oak let out before he noticed Max's frustrated expression shift to a dejected one. "Of course, you have limited time to train now, but if you take the time you have between battles, you may be able to strengthen your Pokémon and hold your own."
"Unless you're matched up against me in the preliminaries, of course," Trip said confidently before getting up and heading for the door, his camera hanging from his neck. "Well, I haven't heard too much about these Gym Leaders, so I'm gonna go head out and see what I can find."
Max watched him leave the door, his expression shifting once more to a childish frown as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Train? Ngh, I haven't had to train in a long time..."
"You really should stop acting like a little kid, Max," Iris said, fingering her Pokéballs as she looked at Max, her eyes looking away from the book that she was reading. "Just because you won the Unova League doesn't mean that you won't ever have to train again!"
"Iris is right, Max." Cilan began, preparing to launch into yet another of his annoying food analogies. "Your lack of training with your well-endowed Pokémon is like a well-prepared dish going cold without seasoning, leaving the palette of the meal both wanting and-"
"Alright, I get it already!" Max said, covering his ears as he quickly got his stuff together, wrapping his Pokéballs around his waist, getting ready to head out as well. "I'll head out and squeeze some time in training today, okay? There's gotta be a good place around here to train, right?"
"Hmph, suit yourselves then, I'm definitely not looking to explore some bottom tier region," Gary said, looking smugly through a research journal while sitting on a sofa, gloating inwardly at the number of findings he had put in there, disinterested with what was going on. He looked over at Misty, drifting his hand over her, only to be surprised by the weird look she'd gotten in her eyes. Now that he'd thought about that, she'd been looking like that since Max had fought that Gladion guy...
"I-I think I'm gonna head out too, Gary," The orange-haired girl let out after noticing her boyfriend was looking at her, slipping her hand into his and squeezing. "This region is practically wet all over and I'd definitely like to check out some of the water Pokémon around here!"
"Eh, just be sure not to come back too late, Misty," Gary let out, obviously disappointed that he wasn't going to have any fun with Misty for the rest of the day. His expression shifted into a dirty smirk, however, as he watched Misty get up and head for the door. "Just be sure to let me know when you want me to make you wet all over."
Hearing that, Misty's cheeks went red, but before she could say anything, Max covered his ears once more, trying to block out Gary's words. "Eww, eww, eww, eww! It's November, Gary, can you not?"
"Heh, look at you Max, you're kinda reminding me of Ash over there!" Tracey blurted out, having been furiously drawing until that moment, Cilan having dejectedly settled for looking on over his shoulder after being silenced.
A silence came over the room at the mention of their former companion, many emotions coming to the surface. Misty's look only increased in its weirdness to Gary, while Iris and Cilan frowned slightly, their minds flashing back to that night. Max and May in particular glared at Tracey, their looks sharp enough to cut him open right then and there.
"Don't you ever think of comparing me to that weakling, got it?!" Max said, indignant at the fact that he could resemble Ash for even an instant.
"Yeah, Max is nothing like Ash, you understand?!" May said, taking her head off of Drew's lap, much to his disappointment.
"Y-Yeah..." Tracey said, quite a bit intimidated as he began to go back to his drawing, giving a nervous laugh. "I'll be sure not to do it again, alright?"
An awkward pause rested over the room before Misty broke it, speaking up. "I-I'm going to go now..." She let out, walking out the door as Trip had done before, without much resistance.
"We should calm ourselves down," Professor Oak advised, although his gaze had become slightly hardened at the mention of Ash. "The tournament's tomorrow, and it wouldn't do for you all to be stressed going in."
"Y-Yeah, wouldn't want to be off my game, right?" Iris let out, the Dragon-type Gym Leader getting up from where she sat as well to walk out the door. "Taking a look around this place sounds like a good idea..."
"I can't help but be curious as to who runs this region," Cilan brought up, not too shaken over the mention of Ash, going back to his usual mood. "It's been such a heavily kept secret from the other regions, it does make one wonder, wouldn't you think?"
"Nah, but who cares! No matter who it is, he's probably gonna be cool, prepared, and the very picture of what a Champion should be!" The spectacled kid paused for a bit, as he began to move out of the door. "I just can't wait to crush him!"
"You can't be serious!" Professor Sycamore cried out in palpable shock, Alain sharing a similar expression on his normally serious face. "That actually happened?"
Ash could only nod his head, his real friends standing right behind him, as the Kalos Professor struggled to comprehend what Ash had just told him. After processing what had happened at his house, Ash gathered himself and decided to try and gather what he could, his friends splitting up to attempt to recover the Pokemon he'd released over time. With Brock, Barry, Bonnie, and Serena heading to other regions, Ash took it upon himself to head to Kalos, where he'd try to get his Greninja.
It was risky, considering that was the last region he'd been in, but Ash would need assistance from Professor Sycamore to make sure he wasn't found out by any higher-ranking trainers in the region. His friends were somewhat hesitant on simply believing Sycamore would trust him, but Ash was sure of the Kalos Professor, and if not, he was definitely sure Alain would believe him. Dawn opted to go with him just in case, the two making their way to Kalos as fast as they could on Charizard.
News had spread quickly in Pallet Town and people were already beginning to accuse Ash of murdering his mother, as painful as that was for him. And what made it painful still was that those accusations weren't even of the traitors' doing, the people of Kanto had completely turned against him, mainly due to Professor Oak's lies being spread through the town.
They had made it to Professor Sycamore's lab, much to his surprise at seeing Ash back in the Kalos region and so soon, and in a poor condition to boot. He had, fortunately, let them inside, however, offering them shelter at his place, which led up to this moment, as Ash had finished conveying his story to Sycamore, the professor currently in disbelief, Alain wearing a similar expression on his face, although his contained rage as well.
"I know that it's probably a lot to take in, Professor Sycamore..." Ash said, sitting on a sofa, with Pikachu fast asleep on his lap, the two of them exhausted from the day's events. Dawn was sitting on his left side, weariness evident on her face, Piplup laid down in her lap. Ash's Charizard was standing right behind the sofa, in a protective manner over his trainer, the rest of Ash's Pokémon being tended to by one of Sycamore's assistants.
"But please, you're probably one of the few people that I can trust right now..." Ash continued, looking at Sycamore with a faint hope on his eyes. It was a big risk explaining himself to Sycamore like this, but he couldn't stand it if everyone in the world turned against him if Oak went through with what he had said. The professor could only stare at the young man, however, not knowing what to think of the situation. "I-I don't know what to do right now, but I at least want to get Greninja..."
"You don't honestly think Ash is lying, do you?" Dawn asked, interjecting as she found herself frowning with worry, not wanting Ash to get hurt again by yet another person who wouldn't believe in him.
Professor Sycamore hesitated, of course, he'd known Ash long enough to determine whether the boy was lying or not. But Ash was wearing a somber, serious expression, one that he had not seen him wear before, making him feel uneasy. If the story he was just told was told by any other young trainer, he'd laugh them out or perhaps ring up Oak himself. Professor Oak was one of the most esteemed researchers in his region, in the whole world. Such a story was laughable at best.
And yet, every word Ash spoke was with unmistakable clarity. He didn't falter, his eyes gave away no ulterior motive, only a silent hope along with a plead for help. But still, this story he told of Professor Oak and the others, the acts that were taken by these individuals, the deceased Delia Ketchum... Unmistakably, this was manslaughter, it didn't matter if it was accidental or not, along with blackmail and slander. Could the man that the researching world looked up to and idolized be capable of causing such things?
Sycamore was interrupted from his thoughts as a loud beeping came from his computer, causing the raven-haired man to turn around with a start.
"Alain," Sycamore said, turning to his still shocked pupil, unnerved by this whole situation. "Could you please go and see what that is?"
"Of course, Professor," Alain nodded, his scarf swishing as he went towards the still beeping computer. Without a doubt in his mind, he believed Ash's story, not finding any reason why his rival would have to lie. More so, he found himself disgusted at what Ash's former companions had done to him and his mother, and could only hope that the professor would see this situation in the same way. However, as he looked onto the computer screen, his eyes widened as he saw what it was.
It was a broadcast, to what extent it was being sent was unknown to Alain, but the sender of the broadcast became all too apparent as he gazed at the aged man currently on the screen. "Professor Sycamore?" He called, turning back to his mentor. "You may want to see this..."
Sycamore walked up closer to the computer, eyes widening as he saw the man on the screen. Broadcasting at that moment, right on Sycamore's computer, was none other Professor Oak himself, a stern look on his aged face. Sycamore couldn't help but turn up the volume, enough to so that Ash and his friends would be able to hear.
"Greetings, Pokémon researchers, gym leaders, Elites, and Champions of the world, as well as anyone else that may be watching. I am Professor Oak, esteemed researcher and trainer license distributor of the Kanto region." Professor Oak started, his image clear as day on the computer before he continued. "Today, sadly, I bring you most alarming news. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, a finalist in the Kalos League, has been found to beat and abuse his Pokémon, the most recent incident being after his loss in the Kalos League.
While being confronted about this, however, he reacted violently, forcing his Pokémon to attack those attempting to apprehend him, ultimately resulting in the death of his own mother in the aftermath of such attacks. He has blackmailed a number of his former friends to help him, mind control may be a method he uses to do this as he definitely may possess the Pokémon to do so. Based on these events, I strongly suggest Ash Ketchum be relieved of his Pokémon Trainer privileges, and any sighting of him be reported immediately for your own safety and the safety of everyone else, as well as to preserve the integrity of any battling circuits he has and may have intended to participate in."
With that, the broadcast was done, the video shut off as quickly as it had been turned on. Sycamore and Alain could only stare at the blank screen as realization at the current situation began to sink in. Meanwhile, on the sofa, Brock was absolutely furious at what Oak had just done, effectively pitting the world against Ash with seemingly no way out. Dawn was livid as well, however her concerns were now on Ash, her eyes filled with worry as she reached out to hug him.
Ash had remained silent throughout the entire broadcast, his fists tightly clenched as he looked downwards at the floor. Every word Oak had said on that recording had hit Ash like a brick, his head beginning to spin. Apparently, Ash now abused his Pokémon, attacked without cause, killed his own mother, blackmailed his friends, mind-controlled his friends, and could not be a trainer in any region that chose to go against him. As it was currently doing for Alain and Professor Sycamore, the hard realization of his new reality was currently sinking in. Was he a criminal now? Where would he go? How could he care for his Pokémon? What about his friends? Were they criminals now too? Would they be better off without him? What would if he just went away? What would happen if he d-
Ash's violent whirlwind of thoughts was cut off as Dawn embraced him in a warm hug, her body warm against his as she wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, there's no need to worry, okay?" She said, her signature phrase bringing a small smile to Ash's face.
"...When you say that, it makes me worry even more," Ash said, cheekiness creeping into his voice as he returned Dawn's hug, a small blush creeping onto his face as he realized how close she was to him.
"Well, just trust in me this time, okay?" Dawn said, pulling back to look into Ash's face, her face tinted a light red as well. "Can you do that, just this once?"
"Just this once?" Ash repeated, beginning to feel the slightest bit better as he nodded. "Yeah, considering how many times I've done it before? This should be easy."
Sycamore cleared his throat, however, getting Ash's and Dawn's attention, having turned away from the computer to look at the former trainers. "Ash, I'm deeply sorry for what's happening to you, and for doubting you as well." He said, causing Ash's eyes to light up. "But after seeing that broadcast, I'm certain you're telling me the truth."
"Really?" Ash said, smiling at Sycamore, relief filling his body. "You mean it, Professor?"
"Why of course. Those accusations... I've seen what you go through for your Pokémon, and Pokémon that aren't even yours. To even insinuate you would turn to abuse..." Professor Sycamore said with a melancholy look on his face as he attempted to return Ash's smile. "However, we now have a problem, Ash. If Diantha idolizes Oak half as much as I do, she may be against you, which means you won't be allowed to travel this region, much less have the time to look for your Greninja"
"But the Champion knows Ash!" Alain protested to Profesor Sycamore, recalling Ash telling him about him meeting her before. "Surely she'll be on his side, right?"
"And how long did Ash's friends know him before they betrayed him?" Dawn said bitterly, her face visibly upset just thinking back on what Ash's 'friends' had done to him, Charizard sharing a similar expression behind the bluenette. "What are you planning to do, Professor?"
"As long as you want me to, I'm willing to hide you here." Professor Sycamore said, spreading his hands to indicate his whole laboratory, much to Ash's surprise. "You've been through quite an ordeal, simply sending you away right now would be a horrible thing to do. You and your friends are free to come here and rest, get back on your feet, and we'll plan together what your next move will be."
"But Professor, if what you say about Diantha is true, then if she finds out -!" Alain tried to say, concerned for the professor before Sycamore cut him off with a weary sigh.
"I know, Alain," He said, running his hand through his hair, his bluish eyes showing the man was in deep thought. "I'll lose my Pokémon distributing license, have my Pokémon Professor status revoked, and I'll probably be jailed for aiding a known criminal."
"Professor Sycamore..." Ash said, hardly believing what he was willing to give up just to help him. "Y-You don't have to do this, I can leave right now if you want-"
Sycamore disregarded him, walking towards a hallway, gesturing to the door at the end. "Ash, you're a fine young man, you know that? A fine young man that's wrapped up in adult problems. That being said, allow me, one of the only adults right now that want to, help you and your friends."
Ash let out a sigh as he walked away from Bonnie and Paul, the raven-haired trainer sharing a wry smirk with Pikachu as he finished wrapping up yet another of their arguments. He expected some level of childishness from Bonnie once he had made her one of his Elite 4, sure, but the weird thing was how childish Paul could get while engaging with her. The purple-haired trainer didn't act like that at all outside of his interactions with Bonnie, something that both amused and annoyed Ash.
Under normal circumstances, Ash would've laughed at their antics and left them for Brock to take care of, but with the Isle of the Stars tournament coming up, Ash had been slightly on edge, doing his best to make sure that everything would be ready for when he'd eventually reveal himself to the world once more.
Seeing as preparations for the tournament were almost done, Ash had dismissed both of them, leaving them to their own devices, just so long as they didn't stay on the island. The two of them were more than happy to go along with that, thankfully, each of them eager to get away from the other. With Brock having left on his own to spend some time with his wife, and Lillie and Gladion still not showing up, Ash was left in the tournament arena by himself.
Walking through the crowd seats, the sight of the empty battlefield down below caught Ash's eye. He couldn't help but be reminded of his first-ever experience in a Pokemon League, the night after it had all finished.
"Feels kinda nostalgic, doesn't it, Pikachu?" Ash let out, a wistful tone creeping into his voice as he voiced his thoughts, leaning on one of the seats as he stared out into the arena. "Reminds me of that one night so early into our journey..."
"Pika..." His partner let out, glancing at Ash in concern as he moved through the seats, slowly making his way to one of the rails.
He laid his hands on the rail in front of him, his grip tightening slightly as he recalled how much simpler things were back then. Traveling with Misty and Brock... trying his hand at every Pokemon Gym he could find... meeting new friends and rivals... he was so carefree back then, naive and confident that everything would work out as it should have. Confident that if he worked hard enough, he'd show everyone around him that he had the potential to be a Pokemon Master. He'd show his friends, his Pokemon, his mom...
Ash's eyes narrowed as his memories resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of everything he'd lost. He'd lost almost every sense he had of a family, from both the loss of his mom to the loss of the majority of his Pokemon team. Many times during his first year in Alola he'd spent nights crying, wondering how and why those people had seen it fit to turn his life upside down, to take away everything he loved. Other times he'd wish to wake up, hope that what had happened to him had just been a dream and that he'd wake up in his bed with everything back to normal. Of course, now Ash knew better than that.
"The me back then would've never guessed that I'd be where I am now..." He let out, a slight edge to his voice as he thought about those who'd betrayed him. He'd decided a while ago that it didn't matter why they did what they did, nor did he have any room in his heart for them either. All that mattered right now was that he made them pay for what they did, no matter what.
"Pika pi?" Pikachu let out, frowning at the tone of his trainer's voice. With a concerned expression on his face, he moved close to Ash's face from his perch on his shoulder, nuzzling it slightly.
"... Sorry, Pikachu," Ash let out after a few seconds, his eyes relaxing slightly as they registered Pikachu's touch. He let go of the rail, reaching one hand upward to stroke Pikachu's fur. "But I won't let them ruin my life again. This time... this time I'll make them pay."
The two stood there in silence, before a familiar voice rang out across the arena, signaling someone's arrival. "Ash, sorry I'm late!"
Taking his eyes away from Pikachu, Ash looked over in the voice's direction, although he already knew who it is. Lillie was currently walking through the crowd seats, slightly out of breath as she made her way to Ash. "I-If you still need any help with setting up the arena, I'd be happy to -"
"Don't worry about it," Ash said, cutting her off, a bit harsher than he had intended. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed his tone had been rougher than intended. He tried to look away after that, turning his gaze to the arena, Pikachu frowning at him all the while. "W-We wound up finishing earlier than expected anyway..."
Rather than overreact, Lillie's face became knit with concern, the blonde moving closer to Ash. She stepped in front of where he had turned his eyes, giving him no choice but to look at her. "Hey, Ash... are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ash started to say, but Lillie immediately took his hands into her own, a slight pout on her face as she looked at him. Her hands seemed to tremble around his own, causing him to give her a more honest answer. "A-As fine as I can be, anyway."
"You're not nervous, are you?" Lillie asked, stroking Ash's hands slightly with her thumb, her words causing Ash to frown slightly. He wasn't the one whose hands were trembling after all.
"What makes you say that?" In response, Lillie squeezed Ash's hands slightly, a small frown on her face as well. At that moment, Ash realized that it wasn't Lillie's hands that were trembling, but his own, his eyes widening slightly at the fact.
Lillie continued to stroke them, however, eventually bringing them around her waist as she wrapped her arms around Ash, wrapping him in a hug. Ash hesitantly allowed her to do so, letting himself relax as she placed his hands just above her body's curves. Having her in his embrace like this, with her head against his chest, allowed him to relax, his body losing some of the tension that he didn't know he had.
"You don't have to talk about it all at once right now," Lillie let out, her voice soft yet reassuring. She lifted her head from his chest, her emerald eyes locking with his onyx ones. "But I want to know that you can tell me anything, okay? Any pain, fears, anything you're feeling I'll be happy to share with you. No matter what happens."
"No matter what?" Ash let out, his voice and eyes softer now, his expression slightly more pained now.
"No matter what," Lillie reassured him, as the two of them stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other's embrace. If Ash could've wished for anything then, he would've wished that moment would last forever.