"I hope we come back," Pikachu said, stretching.
The whole Hoenn Elite Four had been very supportive of Ash's decision, saying that it was better for him to make a decision like that than push himself too hard, and Max, May and Brock all had nothing but congratulations for Ash and his team as well.
They'd had to go to the Pokémon Centre to revive everyone, and to make sure Ash was no longer covered in scorch marks, but with that over there was now a sort of impromptu picnic going on as Phoebe prepared some delicacies from Alola.
Her family were from there, it seemed, though they'd moved to Hoenn a while ago.
"I hope we do too," Ash agreed, nodding. "Or… more like, I hope that we get to the point where we're strong enough to be confident about it. Does that make sense?"
"I think it does," Pikachu decided. "You've changed, Ash."
"I have?" Ash asked, worried.
"Yeah," Pikachu smirked. "You're making sense."
"Pikachu!" Ash complained, trying not to laugh.
"It's terrible when Pokémon tell jokes about you," Max said, sitting down next to them with a plate full of pancake.
It was only one, but it was a big pancake.
"Because if you don't understand it, you're suspicious of why they're giggling," the young sort-of-a-trainer added. "And then you ask, and you get told, and you're annoyed but you literally asked for it."
He cut a slice and passed it up to Swablu.
"Thank you!" the little Normal-type said, fluffing her wings.
Max reached up and petted her.
Ash smiled, feeling the tension from the League and the Elite Four challenge drain away a bit.
He should do something nice for all his Pokémon over the next few days. He wasn't sure what, not yet, but… something.
"Ash, do you have a moment?" Steven asked.
"Oh – sure!" Ash agreed. "Is there a problem?"
"Not really, it's more – oh, here he is," Steven added, as Mr. Goodshow bustled up with a plate, a drink, and someone behind him.
"Congratulations all over again, Ash!" Goodshow smiled. "My word, but I really hope to see your next official battle… though, that said, maybe I won't!"
"Maybe you won't?" Ash repeated. "Uh… why not?"
"Let me introduce you to a friend of mine," Goodshow requested. "Ash, this is Scott. Scott, this is – as I'm sure you're aware – Ash Ketchum."
Scott was a man who didn't look like he was from Alola, like Phoebe, so much as he spent most of his time there. He had a pair of sunglasses, a Pokénav around his neck, a loud shirt, and a brilliant smile.
Ash raised a hoof, and Scott shook it readily.
"I hear you're from Kanto!" he said. "Is that right? Charles tells me you competed in the Indigo League first, but I'm sure I must have missed it."
"Actually, I… it's a bit hard to explain?" Ash admitted. "I wasn't a Pokémon yet, or, I always was but I thought I was human? I don't really understand it myself."
Scott nodded, as if this was the sort of thing he heard every day. "That explains it," he said. "Now, since you are from Kanto… do you know where you're going after your Hoenn journey?"
"Not… really," Ash replied. "I hadn't decided yet, just that I'd like to have a chance to help my Pokémon get stronger. Partly so I can challenge the rest of the Hoenn Elite Four without feeling like I'm relying on luck."
"Ambition!" Scott declared. "Love it. Absolutely love it. But I've got a suggestion for you, and it would take you back to Kanto. How does that sound?"
"I've never actually been to Kanto," Koraidon said, sitting down next to them. "What's it like? I know you're from there, Dad."
"Well, if I do go and do what Scott's suggesting, I could show you," Ash said. "Only… what are you suggesting?"
"Part of what I do is look out for strong trainers, trainers who are looking for a challenge," Scott told him. "Then I ask them if they'd like to take part in the Battle Frontier."
"The… Battle Frontier?" Ash repeated. "You mean, like… exploring the wilderness?"
Scott laughed. "No, no, it's meant to be pushing back new frontiers of battling expertise!" he clarified. "There are seven Battle Frontier facilities throughout Kanto, or… strictly six of them are throughout Kanto and I have no idea where the seventh is, because it can fly."
"Wow," Max said, slowly. "I've heard of the Battle Frontier system – there isn't one in Hoenn, but I think there's one in Sinnoh?"
"That's right, but of course, I think Ash should do the Kanto one," Scott replied.
Ash glanced at Mr. Goodshow, who gave an encouraging smile.
"It's entirely up to you, Ash!" he said. "But, just personally, I think it'd be a great deal of fun!"
Ash asked if he could have some time to think about it, and also have some of the picnic, and having some of the picnic turned into spending the next half an hour or so talking with all of his Pokémon and friends about the idea.
Phanpy admitted that the main thing he wanted at the moment was a bit of a rest, but that he might think different later, while Snorlax was already asleep after having eaten his fill.
Ash… wasn't entirely sure why Snorlax was there, because Ash hadn't ended up using the big Normal-type in the League. Maybe someone had mentioned the word picnic and he'd rushed to see what was available.
But most of them were interested, either as a great challenge to hone their skills or as a fun way to spend the time while they trained, and both Brock and May thought it was a great idea – for different reasons.
"I'm… thinking of going back home, eventually," the Rock-type Gym Leader admitted. "I'm not sure quite when, and it won't be for a while… and it's been fun, Ash, and it'll still be fun. But I won't be around forever."
"I get it," Ash said. "I wouldn't demand you stayed around, and being a Gym Leader is your job – you've just been able to follow me around for a while."
"Which was difficult," Brock added.
As for May, she'd heard that Kanto Contests used a different style to Hoenn ones – and, well, that was enough and she was sold on the idea.
"Don't you want to find out what the different style is?" Max checked.
May shrugged. "I'm sure it's different, and that'll result in personal growth! Are you planning on coming to Kanto with the rest of us?"
"Well… yeah?" Max replied, snorting. "Of course I'm coming to Kanto! You're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Oh, no," May complained.
Everyone talking about it was enough to sort of make it move over that invisible line from an idea to a plan, and Ash started thinking about where they could go.
Start off by going home, to Pallet Town… then find out where the first of the Battle Frontier buildings actually was…
"I guess we're going to Kanto, then?" Latias asked.
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I think we are."
As he looked for where Scott had gone, though, Sidney came over with a large Mightyena-shaped cake.
"Hey, my man!" he said, pointing to Max. "I heard you approved of my Mightyena, so I thought you might want to see when I surprise her with this."
Max laughed. "That looks amazing!" he said. "I love that idea!"
"Oh, yeah, and there was… sec… here," Sidney added, juggling the plate in one hand and rummaging around with the other. "Uh… where was… here we go! Steven said you collected stuff, so here, I had this one when I was younger."
Steven flicked a bracelet to Ash, who caught it, and his ring went black.
Not quite void-black, where there was no colour, but dark and shiny and with the gems standing out as bright red coals.
"Two make matter, and three make spirit, shaping the world," Ash repeated. "Oh, huh! I almost forgot the Fairy one wasn't a specific Badge. I guess that means I've got the option for Dark-type now – thanks!"
"Steven did not say why you collected stuff," Sidney said, shaking his head. "Yeah, uh, hold on a minute, I'm going to make Mightyena's day, then I'm going to go and give Steven a talking-to for not warning me…"
AN:
Yeah, not many other ways to get Dark.
And Ash has a slightly different motivation, but Battle Frontier is coming up...
Also, one of Sidney's few TCG cards has a scene involving a Mightyena cake. It's very cute.