Chapter 5

It was time for Ash's daily meeting with Lille. Apparently, she had some major news concerning the construction of the Pokemon League in Alola.

Lille sat down at their usual table. They didn't have an office, so they just used a table at Mallow's restaurant.

Ash sat down and smiled at Lille. "Goodmorning, Lille! How are you?" Ash said with his usual energy.

"I'm doing well Ash. I actually have two things today we need to talk about." Lille said with a smile.

"Well, let's talk!" Ash said excitedly.

Lille rolled her eyes and pulled out a stack of papers kept in a neat folder.

Ash's eyes widened in fear, and papers never meant anything good.

"Is there something bad?" Ash said nervously

Lille shook her head, "Nothing of the sort. Unless if you count the fact that we're broke. We have no money for gyms, let alone a Pokemon League. Buildings are super expensive, and even if we used the Aether Foundation money, we couldn't build what we want."

Ash scratched his head, "So what exactly do we do to fix this problem?" Ash said in the same nervous tone. "I could maybe win a few battles? Would that help?"

Lille just laughed and shook her head. "No, Ash, the type of money we're talking about is in the hundreds of millions. We're going to need to talk to a bank. We need a loan."

Ash stared at her blankly. "So why not just go down the street to the bank there?" Ash said with a shrug.

Lille sweatdropped slightly. "Well Ash, not exactly. That bank isn't big enough to loan the sorts of money we need."

Ash looked even more confused. "Then what bank does have enough money?" Ash said in a confused tone

Lille smiled and pulled out another paper which had a picture of a fancy building on it. "This is the Grand Bank of Kalos. It's in Lumoise City, and they responded to my email. They're willing to give us a loan, and we just need to go to Kalos and talk to them about some minor details."

Ash smiled "I love Kalos! The food, the Pokemon and even the people!" he paused for a brief second and Lille almost noticed a faint hint of a blush on his cheeks. She wrote it off and pulled out a stack of papers.

Ash's squinted at the top of the stack. "What's this for?"

Lille giggled "Ash, it's the gym leader application! Not many native Alolans want to be a leader, but people from all over the world want a job with us. So I paid Sophocles to help me make a job application website. We've had almost 500 applicants in a few days. I want you to go through this list with me. If you like someone, we can have an interview with them."

Ash looked worried. "What about the three leaders we have right now? I promised them."

"Rykui and Macy are fine, but I wanted to talk to you about Brendan. You know he won the Hoenn league a few years ago, right? He's overqualified to be a leader. Maybe make him an elite four member?" Ash paused for a minute to think

"Yeah, that sounds fine. I'd like that actually. So I just need to find two more trainers." Ash said while scratching a non-existent beard

"It's your elite four. Take your time. We aren't required to have all the spots filled until the next league season starts which is a few months away." Lille said with a shrug

"Well, then why are we starting gym leaders so early?" Ash asked Lille

Lille rolled her eyes, "It's because we need to know their types and gym themes if we're building them. And building gyms takes time."

Ash nodded "I get it now."

Lille giggled "Come on, let's dig into this list!"

–30 min later—

"Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope," Ash said with frustration, crossing off names with a pen.

Lille looked at Ash "What's wrong with that applicant?"

Ash pointed towards the profile "He's from Johto and spends his spare time making music. Sounds good on paper, but his team consists of Pokemon known for their aggression, like a Tyranitar and a Houndoom. In order to control those Pokemon adequately, he must be pretty tough. Too tough for a leader for a trainer on their early stages of a journey. Alternatively, he can't control his Pokemon well. Either way, he applied for the second gym position and an aggressive or out of control leader we can't have."

Lille blinked slowly. "That was very insightful Ash."

Ash scratched his head with a nervous smile "Thanks Lille"

Lille pointed at the papers. "Find any good applicants so far?"

Ash smiled "Actually, I have! One of which is a friend of mine!"

Lille looked excited. "Ooh! Who is it?"

Ash pulled out the paper and flashed it to Lille. "Max Maple. 13 years old and the Indigo League runner-up. He's smart and a good friend. He has my recommendation."

Lille took the paper and put it in a second file "I'll call him in for an interview after we go to Kalos and we can watch him battle."

Ash smiled at her. "Sounds awesome! Max will make a great leader. So have you found anyone?"

Lille pulled out a paper with a picture. "Here's one leader. His name is Conway, and he has a very good resume. He seems slightly strange with both his battle tactics and his essay but I can't deny he seems promising."

Ash raised his hand "Actually, I've battled him before. He's a strange guy, but a competent trainer. Call him in"

Lille nodded and put his paper in the folder. "I have one more applicant, and I know you've battled him before." Lille pulled out a picture that Ash recognized instantly.

"Ritchie! I haven't seen him in forever! He's awesome!" Ash said happily

Lille put away the paper and Ash smiled at her. "I'm battling him for his interview," Ash said excitedly

Meanwhile, Pikachu was running around in circles around the table, playing with Snowy the Alolan Vulpix.

Lille pulled out one final paper "This is the most surprising addition. What do you think?"

Ash's eyes widened when he saw the face

"Guzma? No way! He said he would never!"

Lille shrugged "I guess he's changed his mind. To be honest, he's a strong battler and he'd make a good leader. I say yes as long as we keep an eye on him"

Ash nodded "Agreed. We'll interview him after our trip."

Lille stared at the stack of papers. "So we have six leaders currently, Rykui, Macy, Max, Conway, Ritchie and Guzma."

Ash yawned "Lille, do you want to finish this after our Kalos trip? We can maybe even find a leader in Kalos!"

Lille rolled her eyes "Sounds fine to me. Hey, I'm wondering, does Paul want to come to Kalos with us? Ask him because I'm buying plane tickets today"

Ash stood up and smiled "Actually, I'm meeting him in an hour. We're gonna teach Paul how to do a Z move."

Lille smiled "Well, text me when you get his answer on Kalos, I need those tickets."

Ash gave her a thumbs up and left the restaurant "Will do! Bye Lille!"

Lille felt her cheeks heat up from Ash's friendly demeanor

—

Ash stood with Paul in a meadow on Melemele island.

"Alright, Paul, ready to learn how to do a Z move?" Ash said in an excited tone

Paul rolled his eyes "Yeah. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't"

Ash brushed off Paul's sarcasm "So first, you'll need a Z ring. Funny enough, I actually have a spare one! I found it on the ground a few weeks ago."

Ash handed Paul the band and Paul put it on

"What next?" Paul said in a monotone voice

Ash pulled out three crystals from his hands. "Normally, trainers have to pass trials to get a Z crystal. But you're tough enough so it'd be a waste of time."

Paul smirked "Thanks," he said, he looked like he meant it

"So, tell me. What Pokemon do you have the strongest bond with?" Ash said

Paul thought for a moment before answering

"Probably Torterra. He's my starter after all." Paul said after the pause

Ash nodded. "Then take this crystal. It's a grassium Z." he placed the green crystal in Paul's palm and Paul put it in his Z ring.

Paul spoke after inserting it "So, should I release Torterra now?"

Ash nodded "Yep!"

Paul called out Torterra and the Continent Pokemon looked around confused. Paul approached Torterra and explained what was going on. "Torterra, we're gonna do a Z move. This will be a good way for us to get some power." Torterra grunted and waited for instruction

Ash waited for them to finish up before speaking. "Alright, are you ready?"

Paul nodded and Ash released his Rowlet. "Alright, Rowlet and I are going to demonstrate."

Ash did a short dance and a pose and yelled out "Alright Rowlet, use Bloom Doom!" Rowlet attacked with his Z move and wiped a nearby tree off the face of the earth.

Paul looked stunned. "But do I have to do the dance?" he asked frustrated

Ash nodded "Yep. It's the most important part!"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if you laugh I'll end you." Ash just laughed and demonstrated the dance again

Paul took a deep breath in and did the dance and pose, nailing it on his first try. He pointed at a nearby rock. "Alright Torterra, show them what we can do and use Bloom Doom!" Torterra launched a massive wave of grass type energy which destroyed the rock.

Ash started clapping "Wow Paul! That was amazing!" Paul smirked "Have any other crystals I could get?"

Ash just shook his head "Nah, that's on you to get them either from an easy trial or buy/battle for them"

Paul just shrugged "I'll figure it out"

Paul began to walk away when Ash stopped him. "Wait, Paul! Do you want to go on a trip to Kalos with Lille and I? We're gonna talk to a bank for a big loan. Maybe you could even catch a few strong Pokemon along the way?"

Paul paused for a moment. "Actually, I'd like to go. I've never been."

Ash smiled "Awesome! I'll text Lille"

Ash pulled out his phone and typed a message to Lille. His phone buzzed shortly thereafter and he smiled. Lille had purchased the tickets, they'd leave tomorrow.

Ash waved at Paul as he walked away. "Bye Paul, see you tomorrow at the airport!"

Paul simply put his hand up and waved.

Ash smiled, as mean as Paul used to be, he had certainly made great progress.

—

Meanwhile in Kalos

It had been almost three years to the day when he made the greatest mistake of his life. Deciding to destroy the Zygarde roots and abandon his best friend and trainer had been a good idea in theory, but in function, it was a huge mistake. He finished his task in a few months and had roamed the region ever since. Recently, he saw his human's face on the glowing screen that they loved to stare at. He was holding a golden trophy while smiling. It seemed like he had finally won a league. He felt mixed emotions about this, on one hand, he was happy for him. On the other, he wished he could redeem himself again. The memories of that battle against Charizard still haunted him to this day. Greninja stood up and looked at the sky from the top of the tree he was on. For some reason, he knew his exile would be coming to an end soon. Maybe it'd be smart if he were to find Goodra before then. Getting the gang together before he arrived and could take them both home. Because this wasn't home.

—

Lille laid on her bed, thinking of the events of the day. Time and time again, her thoughts returned to Ash and his blush when he mentioned the people of Kalos. Why did she care? She didn't have feelings for him! That would be weird, he was her boss! Lille threw her face in her pillow and sighed. Why on earth did she feel her heart sink when she even thought about him having a girl in Kalos. It could have just been the food or something which made him blush. She closed her eyes, trying to find sleep.