Type: Steel
Shipping: ProfessorGalarShipping

One-Shot 5: Studies of a Lovelorn Professor

Professor Sonia woke up in her lab. It had been a hectic day with the awakening of Eternatus, the arrival of Zacian and Zamazenta and Ash and Goh capturing it within Goh's Pokéball to quell the Darkest Day, along with Ash's Riolu evolving to Lucario and Goh's Raboot evolving to Cinderace. She sat on her recliner near her many monitors to her computer. "I… want to know more," she muttered. "Why were they the ones? How did they earn the trust of Zacian and Zamazenta?" The phone rang in which she answered. "Professor Sonia, here!"

"Hey, this is Professor Cerise in Kanto," Professor Cerise brought up. "Sonia, I heard you had some involvment with what happened in Hammerlocke?"

"I did… especially with the near repeat of the Darkest Day."

"I figured, with the excitement between Ash and Goh. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming to our Christmas party. Goh said that you'd be welcomed and our research staff and share any information." Excited herself, Sonia had only one answer.

"Professor Cerise, consider me there! Say, can I bring my grandmother along?" Cerise laughed.

"Of course, Professor Magnolia would come along as well! We'll make sure she's not treated badly."

"Oh, don't worry. Grandmother's had plenty of experience so she'll be fine." Sonia's remark made Cerise laugh.

"Okay! We'll see you there… and make sure you bundle up for the trip through snow." After the call, Sonia checked on any available rides that would take her to Kanto with Magnolia. A few days later and getting a ride on a Corviknight Taxi after a plane ride, Magnolia and Sonia soon arrived at the Cerise home as a few others arrived.

"Magnolia, is that you?" sounded Professor Oak. The grandmother and granddaughter spun to see Pallet Town's professor with Delia.

"Samuel, it's been so long," Magnolia smiled.

"I know," Oak remembered. Magnolia turned to Delia.

"My, I barely recognize you from Celedon University, Delia," she awed.

"Really?" wondered Delia. "I haven't changed too much since I had Ash."

"Honestly, I expected you to be a little more ragged. How do you do it?"

"Oh, my mother's side of the family have the good looks through our twilight years. I believe you can understand how it works." The professors laughed to the realization. Mimey opened the door to allow the guests to enter the Cerise household. Professor Cerise followed.

"Wow, another professor has arrived!" he noticed. "Come on in!" Delia and the professors entered the household. Inside were Cerise's associates and family. "Chrysa, Ren, Professors Oak, Magnolia and Sonia, and Mrs. Delia Ketchum."

"Oh, so you're Ash's mother," Chrysa greeted.

"I am," Delia confirmed as they shook hands. "My baby's been hard at work?"

"He and Goh have worked well together," Ren informed. "You should see the Pokémon those two have."

"Ash's, I have seen, including that cute little Riolu and Raboot Goh has," Delia recalled. Suddenly, she felt fur around her feet, tickling her. Chloe raced to the scene and circled around the Christmas Tree decorated with a Jirachi star on top. She found her Yamper studying the visitors.

"Yamper!" she yelped. Sonia knelt to Yamper, petting his fur to his delight. Chloe seemed startled with the new people. "Wait… who are these folk?" Cerise came to help his daughter with identification.

"That's Ash's mother, Delia," he started while pointing to Delia. "By her is Professor Samuel Oak. Then we have Professor Magnolia and her granddaughter, Sonia. They're visiting from the Galar Region." Chloe seemed in awe to their presence.

"Really?" she gasped. "Well, thank you for coming by for the party!" Magnolia seemed at ease with Chloe.

"A well-behaved girl," she smiled. Delia began to wonder about the location of her son.

"Say, where's Ash?" she asked. Mimey chimed up and pointed to the hallway to the park.

("He's at the park with the Pokémon,") he mentioned. Delia followed her Pokémon with Oak and Sonia following into the Cerise Park with a lot of Pokémon out and about, including Goh's giant Golurk.

"My goodness!" gasped Sonia. "Are these all of Ash's and Goh's Pokémon?" A blue Flabébé flew in and landed in Delia's opened hand.

"Oh, aren't you so adorable!" she cooed. Flabébé squeaked before Ash, Goh, Pikachu and Sobble came to the entrance.

"Mom!?" gawked Ash. "Professor Oak!?"

"Sonia!?" gasped Goh. Delia came to Ash and Pikachu and hugged them.

"Merry Christmas, Ash!" she greeted. "You too, Goh!"

"Gee, thanks!" startled Goh. Lucario and Cinderace came by and the Aura Pokémon barked for Delia's attention. At first sight, she gasped.

"Is that you, Riolu?" she wondered. Lucario nodded to Delia's guess. "My goodness! You've grown up!" Lucario laughed and itched his blushing head.

"Ash, some of the Pokémon back in my ranch would like to see you again like Bayleef and Noivern," Oak offered. Goh blinked before remembering something about his friend.

"I forgot that you traveled to other regions on Pokémon League quests," he recalled.

"That's right," Ash nodded. "Now, I kinda wish Professor Kukui would come with my baby brother." Delia blinked at the information.

"Ash, that's… not how it works," she disagreed. Ash cleared his throat to reply.

"Well, when I visited Alola recently, Professor Burnet gave birth to Lei and…" paused Ash to laugh. "We… connected right away. Maybe my influence made Lei like me." Delia awed Burnet having a son of her own.

"So, that's what you mean!" she realized. "If I had known, I would've wanted to join you in seeing them again!"

"Even if that means running into my cousin," Oak added. Flabébé giggled. Goh chose to confess.

"Mrs. Ketchum, I do have two Blue Flower Flabébés so if you want, I can let you have that," he offered. Ash had a smug smirk while Delia seemed to adore the thought.

"Can I!?" she squealed. Ash sighed, knowing that he had nothing to top Goh's Christmas gift. Pikachu knew it as well.

("We have nothing to offer?") he questioned.

"I wanted to go shopping when we had some time," Ash muttered. The professors met in the living room with the assistants. They added detail on what has been occurring in their regions while Yamper was on Sonia's lap.

"I was wondering what happened to Chairman Rose and Macro Cosmos?" asked Ren. "I heard Ash and Leon battled Rose to stop Eternatus."

"We haven't heard from anyone about the whereabouts of Chairman Rose or Oleana after Eternatus attacked," Sonia briefed. "It's likely they're no longer with us after Eternatus struck his helicopter with an attack." Ash and Goh entered with pretzels and slices of cheese.

"It was a sight to behold at first," Ash mentioned. "A legendary Pokémon like Eternatus before Goh and I used the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield he got from that altar in the Slumbering Weald." Goh nodded to Ash's part of the story.

"If anything, I was helping with fulfilling the legend of the Darkest Day," he pointed out. "Not to mention summoning the two legendary Pokémon to help stop Eternatus." Magnolia bowed her head in agreement before sipping her cup of tea.

"And thanks to these two brave Pokémon Trainers," she insisted. "Eternatus sleeps in the safe at my lab. I still wonder, if Chairman Rose was after Eternatus for its 'infinite' energy, why not leave it contained?" Ash and Goh appeared stumped before Sonia had a nugget to share.

"He did say that he wanted to restore the Galar Region's energy, but by his own gain," she voiced. "Leon agreed to capturing Eternatus, but added his own volition that it was to ease Eternatus' pain and anger." She turned to Ash and Goh. "Still, I wonder if these two are, by all means, the descendants of the legendary knights who helped Zacian and Zamazenta? I mean, they used the relics to summon them." Ash and Goh scoffed, the issue behind them.

"I mean, how many legends must I go through?" nagged Ash. "I mean, the legendary Beast of the Sea on Shamouti Island where it somehow mentions me…" Delia giggled while Sonia placed a hand on Ash's with the plate.

"Maybe you're the boy of many quests that has yet to be uncovered," she teased. Ash's face became red. Delia and Magnolia giggled to seeing Ash's embarrassed face. Night fell. Sleeping heads made the house quiet… except for Sonia who wanted to check on everyone. No noise. Everyone was asleep: Professor Cerise, Professor Magnolia, Professor Oak, Chrysa, Ren, Chloe, Parker, Goh, Delia… That's when she noticed Ash wasn't in his bunk bed. She began to look around before thinking of the park. She entered before looking around. Nocturnal Pokémon looked to the young professor. Above Greedent's cubbyhole, Ash lied on the edge of the cliff. She reached quickly. "And why are you not in bed?" Ash jumped to Sonia's call out.

"So- Sonia!?" he gulped. Sonia took off her lab coat and reached Ash.

"Thinking about what I said back there?"

"Yeah, kind of…"

"Care to talk?" Knowing Sonia wanted to help, Ash sighed.

"Am I… do I really have to do all of these quests? I mean, I've gone through several regions, met and battled awesome Pokémon, always driving to be the greatest Pokémon Master…" Sonia pulled Ash away from the cliff and toward her, startling the trainer from Pallet.

"Well, I can say that from all of the stories you told Professor Oak and Professor Cerise, you've done more than anyone can ever do, let alone at the young age you're at. Are you saying this because you feel burdened?" Thinking to everything that occurred, Ash questioned himself.

"Do I feel burdened? Do I feel that everything's thrown at me to do? Don't get me wrong, I do feel like everything I do with my friends and my Pokémon, it helps down the road." Sonia figured that Ash had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"It shouldn't be about you and you alone." This made Ash look up. "You've wanted to help those around. They want to give something back but you've moved to the next person crying. I feel that you're born into Pokémon rather than understand it little by little." This made Ash giggle.

"That would make sense with how I am around them."

"And maybe… you'd be the one to take Leon's spot at the top of the world. I can sense it." She leaned down and kissed Ash on the lips. Gengar and Golurk gawked to the sight. Ash's face became red, blushing to the kiss without a way to speak up. It also lulled him and Sonia to sleep but not before Sonia used her coat as a makeshift blanket. The Pokémon watched, wondering why a woman like the young professor would give love to a boy? Perhaps… it's in her research.

END of STEEL
Next up (by coin toss): ELECTRIC

(Resetting the polls, and lowering the max votes but keep voting and making this happen.)