I rewatched the Indigo League, and this possible scene came to me. It's unlikely to be continued, because I've got a lot on my plate already, but I hope you enjoy it.
Ash was supposed to be in bed.
It had been late when they got back to Pallet Town, and Ash knew there was going to be a totally secret surprise party the next day that he needed to be rested for, but he couldn't sleep. Pikachu had felt the same way. After the excitement of the League, it was hard to just go back to normal.
So Ash had snuck out, just like he and Gary used to when they wanted to look for cool Pokémon. He had taken his Pokéballs, because they were as much a part of him as his own hands now, and he had wandered down to the beach. Now he stood staring out at the waves lapping gently against the sand, and let the events of the last couple of weeks sink in.
He had entered the Indigo Conference. He had reached the top sixteen.
He had lost.
Ash had come to terms with that. Ritchie and the others had been right. Losing was a part of life, and it was the only way to get stronger, and Ash would never forget the lessons he had learned.
But there was so much more he had to do.
'Maybe you could have gone much farther if you hadn't been so sure of yourself and trained your Charizard properly.'
Professor Oak would know. He had been a League Champion himself, and he had known Ash since he was a baby, and he was right. Ash should have trained Charizard better. He should have addressed his friend's behaviour as soon as he noticed the problem. He never should have let it get so bad.
'One can only advance so far relying on strength and intuition.'
He was right about that too. Ash had won eight badges, but he hadn't had proper plans or strategies for any of them. Other trainers in the League had shown combination moves and tricks and tactics that had been rehearsed until they were flawless. Ash had barely remembered the type chart.
'Trainers must learn to battle with a deeper understanding of each Pokémon's natural abilities.'
Ash looked down at the Pokéballs on his belt. He trusted his friends completely, but was he really bringing out their full potential the way a future Pokémon Master should?
He only had to think about his last battle to know the answer to that.
"Pikapi?"
Ash brushed his hand over Pikachu's ears. "I'm okay, buddy. Got a lot to think about."
Pikachu cocked his head to one side. Ash opened his mouth to explain, then paused and glanced down at his Pokéballs. "Actually, I think everyone should hear this."
There was a pause, then one of the 'balls burst open and Pidgeotto materialised in a flash of white light. Bulbasaur and Squirtle followed, and Ash was disappointed, but not surprised when Charizard didn't bother. Kingler, Muk, and the Tauros were all in the Corral, and Ash made a mental note to talk to them later, but these were the Pokémon who knew him the best. These were the ones he owed an explanation.
Pikachu flicked him lightly with his tail, and Ash sighed and sat down on the sand.
"I guess, well, first of all I want to say thank you." He looked round at them all, at the friends who had come so far and helped him accomplish so much. "I would never have made it to the League without you. You were all amazing, the whole time, and I just wanna say thanks. I owe you so much."
Pidgeotto gave a soft chirp, and Squirtle grinned, but Ash wasn't finished. "And I also need to say sorry."
Pikachu started to protest, but Ash shook his head. "I let you down. You guys fought so hard, but I should have done better. I should have trained you all properly, and helped you get stronger, and worked out ways we could win without just overpowering everyone else." He took a breath. "I am sorry, but I'm going to do better."
For a minute, there was silence. Bulbasaur and Squirtle exchanged looks, while Pidgeotto just looked uncomfortable, but it was Pikachu Ash was really worried about. His starter had barely reacted, and Ash's stomach twisted. He and Pikachu might have gotten off to a rough start, but now they were best friends, and Ash needed him. He couldn't do this without Pikachu.
Pikachu studied him a moment longer, then abruptly launched himself into Ash's lap. He rubbed his cheek against Ash's, and Ash held him tight as relief crashed over him.
"Thank you," he whispered. "I promise, I'll never let you down again."
Pikachu squeaked softly, then more loudly when Pidgeotto and Squirtle also threw themselves into Ash's arms. Bulbasaur's arms wrapped around them, and Ash could only laugh.
"Okay, okay. Thanks, guys."
He stroked Pidgeotto's feathers, and smiled at her coo. "And girls. I'm sorry I haven't used you in as many Gyms as I could have."
Pidgeotto had gotten really strong from battling Team Rocket all the time, but Ash had been neglecting her. He couldn't remember the last time he used her in an official battle. She deserved better. She nibbled lightly at his hair, and Ash rubbed her beak. "That's gonna change from now on."
She gave another soft coo, and Ash turned to Squirtle. "And Squirtle, I'm sorry about what happened in the League. I know you could have kept fighting, and it wasn't fair for them to disqualify you like that."
Squirrel's eyes glinted. Ash nodded. "But we're gonna get a lot stronger so that it never happens again, okay?"
Squirtle grinned, and hopped out of his arms to stroke a pose. Ash grinned at him. "Yeah, it's gonna be great. I bet there are loads of cool moves you can learn." He paused. "We can even work on evolving, if you want."
Squirtle scratched his chin thoughtfully, but unlike Pikachu he didn't outright reject that idea. Bulbasaur, however, eyed Ash warily until Ash smiled at him.
"Don't worry," he said. "I want to help you get stronger, but evolving is your choice. I won't ever try to make you evolve, any of you. I promise."
Bulbasaur held his gaze for a long minute before finally nodding. Ash reached out to scratch behind his bulb. "You're awesome just the way you are," he said. "We'll learn some new moves and work out some proper tactics, and you'll be able to show any Ivysaur and Venusaur what's what."
He smiled at the gleam that lit Bulbasaur's eyes at that. Pikachu smirked, and Ash stroked his ears. "Yeah, you've already proved you're better than any Raichu."
Evolved Pokémon might be strong, but raw power wasn't everything. Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle had all proven themselves, and Ash wasn't going to ask more of them than they were willing to give. Their trust and loyalty was more important than anything else.
He had learned that lesson.
Ash closed his eyes for a moment. His friends had forgiven him. They were all going to work hard to get stronger, and he wouldn't let them down again.
There was just one last thing he had to do. Pikachu met his eyes and nodded, and Ash took another breath and pushed himself to his feet.
"Charizard. Come out."
For a moment he thought Charizard was going to disobey him once again, but after a minute there was a flash of light and Charizard appeared in front of him. Smoke puffed from his nostrils as he fixed Ash with a glare, but Ash held his gaze. He had put this off for far too long.
"Hey, Charizard," he said. "I don't know if you were listening, but I wanted to apologise. Not just to you, but to everyone."
Judging from the way Charizard's eyes widened, he hadn't been listening. Ash took a breath, and straightened to his full height. "I messed up. I should have been a better trainer, and I let you down. I'm sorry."
Charizard stared at him. Ash refused to flinch. "I'm sorry," he said. "But you should be too."
That got a reaction. Charizard snarled, embers curling around his fangs, but Ash stood his ground. "Being the biggest and the strongest doesn't make you better than us. We're a team. We help each other and support each other, and we don't lie around and watch while everyone else does all the work!"
Pikachu chirped agreement, cheeks sparking, and Charizard folded his arms with a huff. Ash closed his eyes for a moment. His last loss stung, but it was hard to maintain any real anger after everything they had been through.
It wasn't really anger at all.
"What happened, Charizard?" he asked. "We were friends. We helped each other so much. You saved me so many times, and then… What happened? What did I do?"
He was only half-expecting an answer, but Charizard's eyes flashed and a low growl tore from his throat. He gestured furiously, sharp claws flashing past Ash's nose, and Ash squinted at him and Pikachu and tried to work out was going on.
It took a while, and Ash found himself wishing he had caught a Psychic-type, but eventually he thought he had got the gist.
"You got mad because I asked you to throw a fight?"
He couldn't keep the incredulity from his voice, but Charizard snarled and turned away with a huff. Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. "Charizard, there's nothing wrong with helping other Pokémon get stronger." He walked round so his friend had to look at him. "C'mon, I know how tough you are. You don't need to prove anything to us."
Charizard flinched.
Ash stared, then understanding crashed in the way it sometimes did in the heat of an important battle, and he bit his lip hard enough to bleed.
"Charizard," he said quietly. "I'm not Damien."
Charizard bared his teeth, but Ash kept talking, "I would never abandon you. I would never abandon any Pokémon."
Just the thought was enough to make his chest hurt. Bulbasaur grumbled something, but Charizard almost seemed to hunch in on himself and Ash hesitated only a moment before taking a step forward. "You're my friend," he said. "I care about you. I know things have gotten messed up, but I want to fix them." He swallowed hard. "I want to do better."
Charizard was still refusing to meet his gaze, but he hadn't moved. Very slowly Ash held out a hand, and when Charizard didn't react he touched Charizard's neck. The orange skin was rough and leathery and still warm despite the late hour, and Ash reached up too scratch his eye ridge, the way he used to when he was just a little Charmander. Charizard leaned into the contact, and Ash found himself blinking back tears.
"You're my friend," he repeated. "That's never gonna change, even if you never battle with me again." It would hurt, but… "I want you to be happy."
There was silence but for the sound of the wind and waves. Ash held perfectly still. If Charizard didn't want to forgive him, or even wanted to leave, then that was his choice. Ash was done trying to force him to do things.
Then Charizard lowered his head and butted very gently against Ash's chest. Ash's eyes burned, and he flung his arms around Charizard's neck.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Charizard gave a soft huff, and Ash stepped back and rubbed his arm across his face. "Thank you," he repeated. "We'll get stronger together from now on, all right?"
Charizard's nod was small, but he stood straighter, as if a weight had lifted, and relief left Ash light-headed. Pikachu squeaked and jumped up to Charizard's shoulder, and the rest of his Pokémon gathered round, and Ash found himself smiling wide enough to hurt.
He had lost. No doubt he would lose again, but that was okay. He had his friends, and together they could do anything.
One day he would be a Pokémon Master, and nothing was going to stand in his way.
Thanks for reading. Any feedback would be appreciated.
