Aoi Hyoudou: What's up, everyone! Glad you guys have been liking the series so far, despite a few nitpicks here and there. For most of you, don't worry about Noivern because it won't be a permanent member in Black Raven's starting rotation. Black Raven will switch it out from time to time similar to how the elites will have reserves to switch out with their team. Speaking of which, I still need a few more OCs before chapter 6. If you guys are still interested, let me know because time is running out for new entries. For those who are also wondering, don't expect too much action in chapter 3 because it's pretty much downtime from the intensity in the previous two chapters. Plus, it will focus a little bit more on Goh and what his plans are moving forward. You will still get bits of Black Raven and J here and there, so no need to panic if you think it's a Goh chapter. Without further ado, enjoy, and please don't forget to leave a comment afterward!
Chapter III
Visions of the Past!
~(...)~
Flashback - Four years ago
"How's the brat doing?" Pokémon Hunter J, who was now donning an accessory eyepatch over the left side of her face, walked up to the guard who was watching over a certain confinement room within the airship.
"It's been four weeks and..." The guard paused momentarily before giving out his full report. "We finally made progress!" A smug smirk tugged at the corner of J's lips. She was very pleased by the excellent news.
"To think he lasted this long." The Pokémon Hunter gave some praises to her captive. "Let me see him," she ordered.
"Right away, sir!" The lowly guard entered the code on the room's keypad, which quickly granted free access as the door immediately slid open.
J stepped inside the room where it was quite dark and gloomy with barely any light source as the tiny ceiling light hanging above was flickering off and on. At the far side of the room, was the motionless body of a fourteen-year-old Ash Ketchum. The hatless Pokémon Trainer's clothes were ripped and torn. He was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall, his hands bounded together and chained above his head on the wall itself. His faded, auburn eyes were staring at his lap, not even reacting that the Pokémon Hunter was approaching him. When J confronted the lifeless teen, she dropped to a knee to his level and reached her hand out towards his face, forcefully cupping his chin. She forced the teen to stare into her one good eye while she gazed right back. For the longest time, the woman didn't say much. That is until she finally realized the teen was ready to be her newest apprentice.
"You cause me so many problems ever since we first met, brat." No response. "Even when I was suffering through a humiliation back in Sinnoh, I couldn't get my mind off of you even for a second." No response. "How did I allow a snot-nose brat like you to get in my way!" She increased her grip around his chin. "Then it hit me!"
"Sir!"
"If I can't get rid of you then I'll force you to become my tool!"
"Sir!"
"It was the perfect plan!"
"Sir!"
"And it finally came into fruition!" J had the biggest smug on her face.
"Sir!"
"From this day forward, you will be known as Black Raven!" she declared.
~(...)~
"Sir! Sir!" the co-pilot was calling out to his commander. "Sir!"
"What!" the fuming teen snarled after finally coming back to his senses from his brief daze.
"W-We're minutes away from home base, sir!" the co-pilot notified.
"Put it on the monitor!" Black Raven ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
The control room's big screen immediately revealed a twenty-story building deep within Unova's Pinwheel Forest, a vast forest that extended over a large area in southeastern Unova. In the center of the structure, was a massive black logo shaped like a raven, Black Raven's iconic trademark. The infamous HQ was known as "Raven's Nest", home to yours truly, Pokémon Hunter J, a few other individuals, and of course Black Raven's Elite Corp, whose members were currently away on different assignments. Pinwheel Forest was the perfect location to hide away from the authorities during the day or night due to being surrounded by the vast forest.
Upon arriving at its destination, the airship floated above the roof's landing pad, which also had a raven logo on it. It slowly descended downward until it made a safe and secure landing onto the pad. Then both pilots proceeded to shut off all the ship's engines. The landing pad began to make mechanical sounds and rumbled almost as if it was starting to move. Suddenly, the pad descended downward with the airship still on top of it, passing each floor level as it goes down like an elevator of some sort. When the pad finally reached the 1st Floor and secured in place, the airship opened up its dispatching zone and lowered its ramp, allowing Black Raven and his team to exit the ship.
As the group descended the ramp, Black Raven took a brief moment to acknowledge what was going on all around them. The mechanics were busy working on other aircraft, making sure they were working properly for the next mission. Veteran grunts were educating and training the recruits how to become a proper lackey so one day they can work under J's or his commands, which was wishful thinking for most recruits.
Once Black Raven and his men were off the ramp, he spares them a glance. "You're free to do whatever for the rest of the day. The next mission won't be assigned for a few more days. I'm off to report to Master J. Dismiss!" he ordered.
"Yes, sir!" they shouted in unison as everyone went their separate ways.
The young apprentice proceeded to walk through the area until he stumbled across a few female recruits who were on their break, chatting away. As he strolled past the girls, he overheard them giggling and whispering like the teenage girls they were. He simply disregarded them and walked up to one of the available elevators up ahead. He pushed the up button and waited momentarily until the elevator made a ping sound, alerting him that it finally reached his floor level. The double sliding doors opened up and he walked through before they closed behind him. He briefly scanned through the floor sections before he clicked the Floor 13th button, which was the floor J's office was located at.
The elevator rocked a bit before it slowly ascended each level like the typical elevator it was. Black Raven waited and waited with his arms crossed together while staring at the floor count meter, growing impatient. Eventually, the elevator arrived at its destination and opened up its sliding doors, allowing the teen to leave.
The first thing that Black Raven noticed when he exited the elevator was J's office. He walked up to the sliding door and knocked a few times before waiting for an answer. When he didn't receive an immediate response, he knocked again, but this time a bit louder.
"What!" came an immediate response from J's voice. She sounded quite annoyed.
"It's me." the young apprentice answered.
...
...
...
There was a bit of awkwardness, which filled the air as time passes. Black Raven blinked in confusion behind his googles, wondering what was going on from the other side. It was so unlike her to make him wait this long. However, he didn't have to wait much longer when his master spoke up again.
"Come in." Her voice was less annoyed than before but still firm.
The young apprentice walked forward, which immediately triggered the automatic door to slide open, granting him access to enter inside. When he stepped through, he noticed stacks and stacks of documents were bunching up on J's desk. Sitting behind the desk was the woman herself, who was skimming through a new client's document without even sparing him a single glimpse or notice his presence.
Black Raven walked up to her desk and announced his presence. "I'm back, Master J."
J flinched momentarily before closing the folder and placing it aside. She fixed her attention onto her apprentice. "Welcome back, brat." she greeted with her typical icy tone voice.
The young teen rolled his eyes and responded. "When are you going to stop calling me a brat?"
"Until you stop being one," came her immediate response.
"I'm eighteen."
"So? You're a bigger brat."
Master and apprentice glared each other down momentarily until they broke out into a soft chuckle.
"Nice to have you around for a change."
"Wow, was that a compliment? That's a first even coming from you." The young apprentice teased, which in return received a frown.
"Don't ruin this moment, stupid brat."
"Sorry."
~(...)~
Cerise Laboratory - Interior Research Room - Kanto region
"Goh, are you sure about this?" Professor Cerise asked for the umpteenth time after hearing what his young research assistant's plans were, moving forward. "Even if there's a slight chance Ash's still alive after all these years?"
"It could be dangerous," Chrysa said with a concerned look on her face.
"Especially if you're doing it alone," Ren added. He was also worried about his young colleague.
Goh simply laughed but appreciated the group's concern about his safety and wellbeing. He was like family to them. "Don't worry, everyone," He tried to reassure the researchers with a big grin. "I won't do it alone. Pikachu will be with me, right Pikachu?" He spared a glance at the yellow mouse, who agreed with a "pika" and a strong look of determination on his face. "Plus, I've already decided which Pokémon I will take with me on the journey so there's nothing to worry about." Professor Cerise and his assistants still didn't look too convinced.
"And besides..." Goh's expression softened, already picturing a happy grinning Kanto native in his mind. "Ash would've done the same thing if he was in my shoes." The group fell silent after hearing that. "After all, we made a promise if we ever run into trouble, we will always be there for each other."
Flashback - Four years ago
One late night, Ash and his Lucario were doing some serious training from the nearby forest close to Wyndon Stadium, prepping for their upcoming final battle with Leon in a few days. They'd been going at it for hours and they completely lost track of time until they eventually collapsed out of pure exhaustion. Drenching in a cold sweat, they were lying underneath a tree with heavy breaths, staring up at the night sky until a towel was suddenly offered to the fatigue trainer. Startled, Ash quickly sat up and glanced upward where Goh was gazing right back with a warm smile. "Here."
Ash blinked in confusion, wondering why his friend was still up this late. Eventually, he shrugged off the thought and returned the smile, accepting the towel. "Thanks."
Goh took a seat right next to Ash, who was wiping the sweat off his face with the towel. "Training again, I see," he said with a chuckle.
"You bet!" Ash responded with a big grin. "Gotta get in the extra training before we face Leon!"
"To think you're one step away from becoming a double champion. First in Alola and soon Galar." Goh was quite impressed with his friend's resume. "That's impressive!"
"That's the plan, hopefully." Ash laughed. "It won't be easy though since Leon's still undefeated, after all." He reminded his friend.
"True, but it's YOU after all." Goh playfully took a jab at his friend's expense. "You always find a crazy way to pull off an upset."
"You're not wrong." They shared a laugh.
Soon the two friends looked up at the night sky and enjoyed the peaceful night, staring at the stars until Goh spoke up. "Hey, Ash?" His eyes were still glued looking at the stars.
"Yeah, Goh?" Ash looked at his friend curiously, wondering what was on his mind.
Goh bit his bottom lip, looking a bit reluctant about something.
"Goh?" Ash took notice of his friend's behavior, looking concerned.
Goh shook off the odd feeling and glanced at his worried friend. "Sorry, it's nothing."
"It didn't seem like it was nothing."
"I was going to say something stupid. Just forget it."
"Goh..." Ash gave his friend a hard glare, which made the young teen let out a big sigh.
"Fine." Goh took a moment to gather his thoughts before finding the courage to bring up the topic. "If we do go our separate ways after this, can you promise me one thing, Ash?"
"Sure, Goh, what is it?"
"Promise me, even if our journeys will be on a different path from here on out and we must face difficult obstacles-just promise...you will be there to help me out when I need it, okay?" he asked shyly, a faint tint of pinkness worked its way to his cheeks.
Ash blinked momentarily but then grinned. "Of course I will!" he said gleefully, making his friend happy. "We're friends, after all!"
"Friends, huh." Goh smiled faintly. "Then I promise to do the same for you!" He chirped.
Ash proposed a fist bump by extending his fist out.
Goh took notice and extended his fist out towards Ash's.
They bumped fists together and the promise was made.
~(...)~
Snapping back into reality, Goh glanced at Professor Cerise and the others with a look of determination on his face. "That's why I'm going to look for Ash and bring him back here in one piece!" he declared with full confidence. "And that's final!"
Professor Cerise and his assistants exchanged anxious glances and sighed dejectedly. They had a feeling the young researcher would say something like that. Once he makes his mind up, there was no way they can convince him to stand put. He was stubborn just like Ash. "I was afraid you would say that." the head researcher said with another sigh, but then walked up to the young man and then he extended out a plane ticket to him, surprising both Goh and Pikachu.
"Professor..."
"If you're that determined to go search for Ash, then here. Take it. It's the least I can do for you, Goh." Professor smiled at his young protégé.
Goh's eyes illuminated with happiness. He appreciated his professor's support and gladly accepted the plane ticket. "Thank you, professor!" However, once his eyes fell on the ticket, he immediately frowned and glanced back at his mentor. "But, professor...the flight is to-"
"Alola." Professor Cerise said, causing the young teen to frown even more. "I've already contacted Professor Kukui."
"But, professor..." Goh suddenly muttered sadly. "I can't go back to Alola. Not after what happened between me and-"
"Professor Kukui explained to me what happened between you and Kiawe." Professor Cerise once again cuts in and interrupted his young researcher. "I must say, the two of you must put aside your difference if you want to find Ash," he advised.
"Right..." Goh let out a long sigh as he stared down at the Alola plane ticket. "I will try...hopefully Kiawe does the same." Professor Cerise looked pleased, but then stepped aside to allow Chrysa to walk forward.
The young woman immediately embraced her colleague into a warm hug, which startled the young teen. "Stay safe," she whispered, holding him tight. "Please bring Ash back to us. We missed him." Goh's eyes softened and then he smiled, returning the hug.
"I will," he said gently, earning a smile from his senior.
They pulled away and looked at Ren, who was standing there, looking a bit awkward. He wasn't good with goodbyes. "The only thing I can say is to stay safe and make sure to keep contact with us if you need anything." Goh nodded and smiled.
"I will. Thanks, Ren." Ren gave a weak smile, somewhat pleased.
"Your flight leaves tomorrow." Professor Cerise spoke up again, drawing Goh's attention right back to him. "You should get your things ready before-"
"What's going on here?!" a familiar female voice interrupted, causing everyone in the room to freeze up.
Standing in the doorway was Chloe in her high school uniform. Her hair was now longer than before and no longer in a braided ponytail. She was staring at everyone with a deep frown until her eyes fell on the plane ticket her childhood friend was holding. "And what's up with that, Goh?" she demanded.
"Um..." Goh tried to come up with some kind of lame excuse, but knowing Chloe throughout his childhood, he knows she wouldn't believe any of his excuses if he tried. So, instead, he told her the truth. "I'm going to Alola."
"Why?" Chloe raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "I thought Kiawe banned you from visiting Alola."
"That's why I'm going to Alola so I can talk some sense into him and hope he and everyone else can join me on my search." Her childhood friend explained.
"Search?" Chloe repeated but then reality finally sunk in when she realized what Goh was planning. "Wait. Don't tell me you're-"
"I'm going to look for Ash," Goh replied, immediately cutting his childhood friend off.
Chloe slowly lowered her gaze and bit her lower lip. She couldn't believe Goh was still chasing after false hope. She understood Ash and Goh were close, almost like brothers, despite only knowing each other for a short time. Yet, she still didn't concede why Goh was trying so hard for someone he barely knew. "Why?" she whispered.
"Huh?" Goh didn't quite catch that.
Chloe gritted her teeth and clasped both her fists before glaring at her secret crush. "Why are you still chasing a false hope?" she demanded with an angry hiss. "We both know it's pointless!"
"We won't know until we try, Chloe!" Goh argued.
"Four years. It's been four years, Goh!" Chloe growled. "Let it go and move on already!"
"How can you say something like that, Chloe?" Goh was in complete disbelief. "Ash's our friend!"
"He's your friend, Goh!" Chloe corrected. "I...never liked him." Her comment attracted many gasps including Goh's. "Ash was super annoying, more annoying than you!" It tucked a heartstring. "But with you, I'm used to since we knew each other since we were little kids. Ash, however, sometimes I just wanted to bang my head against the wall every time he dragged us to one of his stupid ideas."
"But he helped you!" Goh said with a deep frown, earning a sigh.
"While I won't deny that, I never asked for his help. He was always sticking his nose into my business."
"Chloe..."
"Forget Ash." Goh shook his head frantically, which she frowned upon.
"I can't do that, Chloe!" the young researcher replied. "It wouldn't be right. What if Ash is alive somewhere and needs our help!" Chloe's tolerance finally reached its boiling point.
"Fine!" she yelled, startling everyone. "Go find your precious Ash! See if I care!" She stormed out of the room, tears flowing down from her eyes.
"Chloe!" Professor Cerise called out to his daughter but she was already gone.
"Chloe..." Goh murmured. He was so confused why his childhood friend was acting so angry. He stared down at his flight ticket in his grasp with sad eyes. "Alola..."
Raven's Nest - J's office
"So...those pesty fools are still getting our way, I see." J grasped all the information she had collected from her apprentice's report about his recent missions, which included his brief encounters with Leon and Raihan.
"I would've crushed them both if it wasn't for Officer Jenny and her goon squads always showing up." Black Raven snarled, earning a smirk from his master.
"I bet you would." She chuckled. "But in any case, we received most of the payments from the clients I assigned you to."
"Except for the coward who bailed out on the Vaporeon deal."
"That's why we won't be doing any more business with that fool," J said with a smirk, which her apprentice took notice of. "He's going to receive a little visit from some of your Elites I sent."
"Good," Black Raven grinned. "He deserves it."
"Moving on from that-" J refocused their attention onto more serious matters. "-I already approved the rest of today's missions to the other Elites. It will take them at least a few days to get them all done. So, lucky for you-" Black Raven rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "-you're free to do whatever until they get back. I expect you to be at your full strength when your next set of missions comes up."
"Very well, Master J," the young apprentice answered respectfully.
Black Raven was about to take his leave when J spoke up again. "Wait!" He peeped back to the silver-haired woman. "I need Ciel back before you go," she said suddenly.
"Why?" her apprentice asked with a deep frown, looking a bit puzzled about her unexpected request for his AI.
J rolled her eye and explained in further detail. "Relax. You'll get it back once I'm done. It's just due for a system upgrade."
The young apprentice hesitated briefly in removing his goggles, but eventually, he did, revealing a pair of familiar auburn eyes and a set of Z markings on his face. Standing in front of the Pokémon Hunter was none other than Ash Ketchum! Momentarily, the ex-champion of the Galar region glimpsed down at his goggles as he gradually thinks back about the time when he first received Ciel from J.
Flashback - Three years ago
A fifteen-year-old Ash Ketchum was summoned to J's office after his mission for a special occurrence. Today was the first anniversary when he officially became Black Raven. The Pokémon Hunter had something exceptional to award him for his dedication and hard work for the past year. She walked up to the young teen and extended out a pair of goggles, identical to hers. "Here," all she said, which was awkwardly accepted by her apprentice.
"Oh, uh, thanks," He didn't know what to say after receiving an unexpected gift from his master.
"Consider it as a little token of "appreciation" for putting up with me for the past year," she said with a bit of sarcasm in her tone of voice. "Try it on and then call out the name 'Ciel'," she instructed.
"If you say so," The uncertain teen placed the goggles over his eyes and adjusted it a bit, making sure it was comfortable to wear. Then he shouted the name his master advised him to do. "Ciel!"
The goggles' AI system automatically switched on and made some beeping noises before a robotic female voice responded. "Voice activation...Analyzing new user...Analyzing...Analyzing...Analyze complete. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Black Raven." Ash flinched. "I am Ciel, an artificial intelligence program created by Master J." the AI informed.
"I created it specifically just for you," J explained, which surprised the former Pokémon Champion. "It will assist you with your missions moving forward."
"Thanks." Ash appreciated his master with a small smile for the unusual yet kind gift. "I promise I will take good care of it!"
"You had better or else!" J threatened with a hiss.
~(...)~
J frowned when she noticed her apprentice was smiling at the goggles. "Hey!" Her shout immediately snapped the young teen out from his thoughts as he glanced back at her. "If you're done daydreaming, just hurry it up and get out of here already. I still have a lot of work to get done."
"Oh, uh, sorry," Ash muttered. He walked up to her desk and set down the goggles before walking back towards the sliding door.
"Wait!" The young apprentice stopped into a sudden halt when he heard J's voice again. He glanced back at his master, who looked a bit flustered, her cheeks were a bit pink. She was looking away, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. "Good...work, brat," she grumbled.
Ash smiled and then exited the room.
J heaved a deep sigh. "Why did I just say that?" She massaged her forehead in annoyance. It was so unlike her. She shrugged off the feeling and returned her focus to her paperwork.
It was going to be a long day.
~(...)~
Cerise Laboratory - Goh's Bedroom
Night has fallen over Cerise Laboratory. Goh was in his room preparing his things into his suitcase for his trip to Alola. Pikachu was sound asleep, resting peacefully on the bottom bunk while the young researcher just concluded packing his luggage. "That should do it," he said quietly, wiping sweat from his brow. He spent the whole day choosing what to bring with him for his trip.
Suddenly, he heard a few knocks on the door, alerting him. "Huh? Who could be that at this hour?" He asked no one in particular as he stood up with a perplexed look on his face. It was late, so it couldn't be Professor Cerise, Chrysa, or Ren. They were all fast asleep. Goh cautiously walked up to the door and twisted the doorknob. When the door opened, Chloe was standing in the doorway with her front bangs concealing her eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top and gray sweat pants. "Chloe?" Goh blinked in confusion. "What are you doing h-" His childhood friend simply strolled past him, disregarding his question altogether.
Chloe kept her back turned against Goh as she stopped in the middle of the room. Goh had a concerned expression on his face. She hasn't said anything since she arrived, which is a bit concerning. That is until she finally broke the awkwardness and spoke. "So you're leaving tomorrow, is that right?" she inquired quietly in a monotone voice.
Goh nodded. "Yeah."
Chloe's lips trembled a bit but she kept her emotions in check. "It's not too late to back out, you know." Goh simply shook his head.
"I can't. I have to do this. You know that Chloe," he stated, which didn't please his childhood friend one bit. Chloe curled her hands into fists and gripped them tightly.
"Tell me, Goh, whom do you like the most?" she asked.
"Huh?" Goh blinked, unsure how to respond to that.
"I said, whom do you like the most: me or Ash?" Chloe repeated but more clearly.
"Chloe, why are you asking that?" Goh frowned, seemingly not understanding why his childhood was asking random questions and behaving so weird all day.
Frustrated, Chloe turned around and glared sharply at her secret crush, who immediately flinched by her intimidating gaze. "Are you this stupid?!" She almost screamed her lungs out. "I'm asking you who do you love more: me or Ash?! Gosh, why are all boys so dense nowadays?" She released her frustration, accompanied by a deep sigh.
...
...
...
Chloe's words didn't soak in right away as Goh just stood there processing everything that went through his head. When realization finally settled in, Goh's heart suddenly beat rapidly and his face became bright red like a tomato. "L-L-L-L-Looooovvvvveeee?!" He completely lost his composure and almost woke up everyone with his loud shout.
"Looks like I finally broke through that thick skull of yours."
"What makes you think I love Ash, Chloe?" Goh was frantically waving his arms, blushing like crazy. "It's not like that!"
"If that's the case, then why go so far for him?" Chloe demanded, still not looking convinced by his poor explanation.
"I already told you!" Goh was dying inside, trying to convince his childhood friend that he wasn't in love with Ash but it was failing miserably. "He's my best friend!"
"I thought Horace was your best friend?" Chloe retorted.
"He is!"
Chloe rolled her eyes and refocused her attention on the main topic. "What other reason is there?" Goh was quiet. "See, I was right. You're so in love with-"
"You're wrong!" Goh's outburst alarmed the young woman. "The real reason I want to find Ash is that I owed a lot to him, Chloe."
"What?"
"If it wasn't for Ash, I would be still wasting the rest of my life chasing after Mew!" he explained, causing Chloe to slowly open her eyes to the truth. "Ever since I met Ash and he taught me his way of life as a Pokémon Trainer, I finally realized that it's more than just catching every single Pokémon." He smiled with a genuine blush on his face. "It's more about learning, growing, and understanding what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer. That's why I became your dad's assistant, Chloe. To develop and learn my relationship with each of my Pokémon so one day I can stand right beside Ash and support him in any way possible." he stated.
"Also-" Goh briefly paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "My friendship with Ash will always be my source of hope!" Chloe's eyes widened when Goh grinned, proving that Ash did change her childhood friend. "No matter how difficult the journey may be or how long it will take, I will find Ash and bring him back home, Chloe!" Chloe closed her eyes and chortled in amusement.
She finally understood the truth. To think she allowed her blind jealous to cloud her better judgment. "No wonder you and Ash were always close," she said with a smile.
"What do you mean, Chloe?" Goh asked, a little confused.
"You two always spent every day learning and growing together while I sat behind a desk and worried more about my studies than anything else," she stated with a sad expression.
"That's not true, Chloe," Goh said softly.
"Sorry, Goh, but it's true." She disagreed with her crush, earning a frown. "Even with the little time I tried to make for you, you guys were always further ahead by a mile while I barely understood what it meant to be a Pokémon Trainer," she admitted. "It was becoming frustrating and I became jealous of Ash to the point I believed I was getting in your way."
"That's just stupid, Chloe!" The young woman gasped with widened eyes. "Never once have Ash and I thought you were in the way."
"Goh..."
"We were so happy when you finally took interest in Pokémon over your studies. No wonder Ash wanted to help you out so badly." Goh said with a laugh. "You reminded him so much about his other friends who started not liking Pokémon until he came around."
"I appreciate all his help, I do," Chloe said with remorse. "That's why I'm sorry for what I said about Ash earlier."
"It's okay, Chloe," Goh encouraged her with a smile but his childhood friend shook her head.
"No, it's not." She argued. "I was mad. Mad that I was letting my feelings for you get in the way of my better judgment," she confessed.
"W-What?!" Goh's eyes widened with a deep blush.
"Not only that but I was starting to have feelings for Ash before he was gone," she confessed again.
...
...
...
"W-W-Whaaaattt?!" Goh's scream echoed the night sky, waking up everyone in Professor Cerise Laboratory.
~(...)~
Raven's Nest - 10th Floor - Black Raven's Bedroom
A restless Ash, who was now in a plain blue T-shirt and gray sweat pants, was gazing at the ceiling in his room. It's been hours and he still couldn't catch a wink of sleep. The haunting memories of his past continued to be on his mind. Every night he would get one or two flashbacks during his days prior and after he became Pokémon Champion to painfully remind him about the what-if scenarios. Sometimes he would even get flashbacks about his early days when he was still a rookie as J's apprentice.
He closed his eyes in annoyance, wishing there was a reset button but alas there was no such thing as a reset button in life. The choices he made will forever be a burden he must carry on until the day he dies. That was the harsh reality he must accept.
Opening his eyes again, he gazed at the dull ceiling until his mind recreated a familiar memory he wished he forgot.
Flashback - Four years ago
"Way a go, Ash!" A happy Goh embraced his best friend as the official referee of the Champion Cup Finals declared Ash as the winner and the new Pokémon Champion of Galar after defeating Leon.
"I couldn't have done it without everyone supporting me including you, Goh." The new Champion returned the hug. "So, thanks!" He grinned, which resulted in Goh grinning right back.
"If anybody deserves the win the most, it's you, Ash," Goh said with a smile. "You worked so hard to get this far and I'm looking forward to witnessing your first reign as the Galar region's Champion!"
"Same here!" The two boys shared a heartwarming laugh.
Soon Leon walked up and congratulated the new champion. "That was an amazing battle, Ash. One of the toughest battles I had in years. In the end, the better competitor won. Congratulations!" he said with a smile.
"I feel like I got lucky." Ash was being modest as he laughed, which resulted in Leon disagreeing.
"It was more than just luck, Ash. You had the heart, the passion, and the undying will of a champion to overcome the odds that were placed in front of you. Don't sell yourself short, Ash." Leon gave his support, which made the young champion happy.
"Thank you, Leon."
"Also, it was our friendship!" Goh added with a grin.
Leon chuckled and then grinned at both boys. "I'm looking forward to seeing your growth. The both of you!"
"Thank you, Leon!"
The former undefeated Champion took Ash's wrist and lifted it as the crowd went crazy and cheered loudly for their new young champion.
~(...)~
"Friendship, huh..." Ash muttered as he recalled Goh's words. "Tch!" Suddenly, he sat up from his bed and hopped off. He walked up to the table, which was coincidental across from the bed. The former Pokémon Champion picked up the picture frame, which featured the same photo Goh had at Professor Cerise Laboratory. Ash fixed his gaze directly at his younger self and Goh in the photo. The more he looked at it, the more it infuriated him. He tightened his grip on the picture frame and then he threw it against the wall next to the sliding door.
The glass shattered into tiny pieces on impact as the remains fell to the floor with the picture floated on top. Ash walked up to the mess he created and glared down at the photo in disgust. "Friendships are for the weak. Who needs it?" he spat.
Ash exited his room with the lone picture still on the floor.
It reminded everyone that sometimes a good memory is best left alone in the past.
Next preview - Chapter 4: "Reunion and Old Grudges!"
Goh: "I'm back, Alola!"
Mallow: "Goh? What are you doing here?"
Goh: "I'm here to talk to Kiawe."
Ash/Black Raven: "Never thought I would be back here again."
Kiawe: "What the hell are YOU doing here?!"
Lana: "Chapter 4: "Reunion and Old Grudges!"
Ash/Black Raven: "Relying on others is for the weak. True power comes from within you!"
Kiawe: "I told you before! You're not welcome here! Get out!"
Goh: "If you won't listen, then I'll force you to listen! Let's battle!"
I hope I balance out enough screen time between Ash/Black Raven and Goh. Also, don't worry about the sudden love triangle, it's a temporary thing. In the end, Goh x Chloe will be a ship. Speaking of which, are you a bit surprised that Ash was revealed this soon? Don't worry his friends won't know until later on. Also, did you enjoy the brief interactions between J and Ash/Black Raven? It will get better, I promise! Who noticed the brief mentions of Ash's Elites? There will be more to come in the next few chapters before their official debut. Speaking of Ash's Elites, I still need three more OCs. If you're interested, please let me know. I'm trying to balance it out with four males and four females. So far, I have 2 female OCs and 2 male OCs with 1's still undecided. Time is tickling.
Peace out~!