Nothing like an epilogue to wrap up one thing and set the stage for another, huh?

Slight disclaimer, this last chapter is a purely self-indulgent bit of fun that was in the back of my head when I began writing this story.

Thank you all so much for reading Battling on the Whims of Eight!

Standing outside the Bar Glowbro, Leon did a momentary headcount, muttering, "Alright, myself, Cynthia, Diantha, Steven, Lance..." Looking towards Cynthia, he asked, "Did Alain, Iris, and Ash tell you anything?"

"Last I checked, Alain and Iris were already on their way here, but Ash..." Cynthia adjusted her black cardigan with a chuckle. "He was still deciding on his team for tomorrow when I called him a little bit ago." Looking towards Steven, she joked, "Hope you've brought your A-game for tomorrow, Stone," lightly punching him on the shoulder.

"I definitely have," Steven laughed. "The round robin was pretty fun, but was also a valuable way to gather experience against the others. Plus," he added, glancing towards Cynthia, "nearly all of Ash's League matches are uploaded online, so I've also been studying those in-between matches as well." Cupping his chin in thought, Steven finished, "How the hell does he come up with half the things he does in battle?"

"Hey guys!"

Iris ran up to the congregation of Champions, Alain not far behind her. After getting a hug from Cynthia, Iris turned back towards Alain and said, "Hurry up, you Slowpoke!"

"We've got time, Amaru, cool your jets," Alain coolly replied, though a small smile was present on his face. Making his way over to the others, he shook hands with Diantha and Steven before scratching at the collar of the short-sleeved dress shirt he had worn in lieu of his normal jacket. "How on earth do you two wear stuff like this on the regular?"

"It takes practice," Diantha and Steven said simultaneously. The two Champions exchanged amused glances before Diantha continued, "An actress has to be dressed for any occasion, after all, you never know when you'll suddenly get paparazzi-bombed."

"I suppose," Alain grunted as he tugged the shirt into a position where the collar tag wouldn't itch.

"Pidgeooooooot!"

Seven of the eight Masters Eight competitors looked up to see a Pidgeot circling above them, its rider wearing an unmistakable red hat while a Pikachu was clinging onto the Flying-type for dear life. After a moment, the Pidgeot dove downwards, landing on the ground with a rather pleased look.

Ash hopped off his Pidgeot's back and gently stroked her chin, saying, "Thanks girl," as Pidgeot trilled happily.

Jumping onto Ash's shoulder, Pikachu shot an unamused look towards one of his oldest teammates. "Next time, please do not do any of those crazy loops when we're trying to fly somewhere that's just fifteen minutes away."

The Flying-type chortled, "No promises, Pikachu," lightly cuffing the Mouse Pokémon with a wing before taking off and extending a talon downwards towards her Trainer. Ash placed her Poké Ball in said claw, and Pidgeot let out a caw as she set off for the hotel.

"Make sure you let the team for tomorrow out for some practice tonight!" Ash called after his loyal Flying-type, who crowed in the affirmative as she flew off into the distance.

"Now there's the Ash that I know," Cynthia joked as she ruffled his hair. "How'd you feel about your round robin performance this week?"

Mulling over it for a moment, Ash answered, "Honestly, I feel like I could've done better, but I'm not upset about it." Pulling out his Rotom Phone for a moment, Ash furrowed an eyebrow and asked, "Shouldn't we be going in now?" Cynthia nodded, tapping Leon on the shoulder and telling him the time.

"Alright guys, let's go!" Leon called out to the group, and the eight finalists of the World Coronation Series filed into the Bar Glowbro, being directed to a spacious, moodily-lit room by one of the bar's servers.

As Leon continued to talk to the server, Lance took in his surroundings. Sparing a glance towards Steven, he asked the Hoenn Champion, "What is this place supposed to be?"

"This is a karaoke bar," Diantha answered with a hint of zeal in her voice. "You come here to sing the latest hits and some oldies with friends and get buzzed! That being said, the last part's not happening today because we've got two people under Galar's drinking age." Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "Even so, the virgin drinks here are to die for, the bartender works with a Galarian Slowbro-"

Steven raised a finger, interjecting, "Pardon me, but aren't the Slowbro here in Galar Poison-type?"

"They're detoxed." Steven put his finger down.

The server left the room a moment later, and Leon turned to address the rest of the group. "Alright guys, the only rule for today since we've got a couple of under-twenties with us: no alcoholic drinks. Got it?"

Ash and Iris exchanged glances as the rest of the room nodded, and Leon continued, "Well, without further ado... let's have some fun!" spreading his hands as he finished.

Diantha took initiative, running up to the front of the room and grabbing a microphone. "Let's make this a little less awkward, shall we?" Spinning the mic once in her hand before striking a pose and winking, Diantha continued, "How about starting with something nice and slow from Circhester's own Duffy?"

Pressing play, Diantha hummed the brief opening instrumental, waiting for it to finish before singing.

"When I get to Warwick Avenue
Meet me by the entrance of the tube
We can talk things over a little time
Promise me you won't step out of line

When I get to Warwick Avenue
Please drop the past and be true
Don't think we're okay just because I'm here
You hurt me bad but I won't shed a tear

I'm leaving you for the last time, baby
You think you're loving but you don't love me
I've been confused, out of my mind lately
You think you're loving but I want to be free
Baby, you've hurt me..."

Making her way to Ash's hotel room, Pidgeot placed her Poké Ball on her Trainer's desk before looking for the list Ash had left. Once she found the list, Pidgeot thought to herself, Alright, so tomorrow's roster consists of Kingler, Lucario, Krookodile, Snorlax, Absol, and Swellow... just gotta find their Poké Balls and then we're set for tonight! Clicking on Absol and Lucario's Poké Balls, Pidgeot watched as the two Pokémon stared around in confusion before clearing her throat. "Alright you two, you're on the list for tomorrow's match against Steven, get outside and I'll explain in full when the other four are out of their Poké Balls."

As Lucario stepped through the room door to take the elevator, Absol looked at both the door and the window for a moment before jumping out of the window.

Pidgeot rolled her eyes as she gathered the other four Poké Balls in her talons and flew out the window, leading Absol and Lucario to a nearby training field. Once the two Pokémon made it over, she clicked the other four Poké Balls, watching as Krookodile, Snorlax, Kingler, and Swellow all came out.

Krookodile looked towards Pidgeot and asked, "What's all the fuss about?" before sparing a glance towards Snorlax. "Just use Uproar, it might piss him off a lil' bit but it's the best way to keep him awake."

Pidgeot looked to Kingler for any further counsel, but the Water-type agreed with Krookodile's assessment, muttering, "You guys might want to plug your ears." At that, Pidgeot began to inhale.

When she reached her capacity, Pidgeot let it all out in a ferocious Uproar, scaring a large amount of Rookidee out of the nearby trees and causing Snorlax to get up to his feet, clearly irritated. Once he was definitively awake, Pidgeot stopped using Uproar before saying, "Now, I'm sure you're all confused as to why you're here tonight." After a moment, she continued, "You six are going to be battling against Steven tomorrow, and Ash left me in charge to supervise the lot of you. Since Steven specializes in Steel and Rock-types, how many of you know at least one Ground-type move?" Everyone save for Swellow and Absol responded in the affirmative, and Pidgeot turned to the two other girls present. "I'm guessing you both know a Fire or Fighting-type move, then?"

"Close Combat and Fire Blast for me, while Swellow's got Heat Wave and Reversal," Absol answered.

"Good, good. Swellow, you're with me," Pidgeot said as she took flight. Looking down, she continued, "Absol, practice fighting in mid-range with Snorlax! Kingler, you remember that field flooding strategy you used in the Vertress Conference, right?" Kingler nodded, and Pidgeot said, "Good. Practice your flexibility without needing to use that, so that you won't be helpless if your opponent can work around it. Krookodile, I want you to put the pressure on Kingler and expose any errors he makes, is that clear?"

Lowering his shades, Krookodile chuckled, "You got it, boss," as he turned towards Kingler and brandished his claws. "Ready?" In response, Kingler simply raised his big claw and fired a Scald in Krookodile's direction. The Intimidation Pokémon rolled to the side, grinning as he righted himself on all fours. "Now we're talkin'."

Pidgeot turned towards Lucario and was about to give him direction, but the Fighting-type was already practicing with his Bone Rush staff. Seems he knows what to do, then, Pidgeot mused to herself before turning to Swellow. "Alright, you should know what we're practicing now, right?"

"Try not to get hit, yeah?"

"Well... that is important, yes, but you also need to be able to have good endurance and choose your hits wisely. Having that high-power Reversal in your tailfeathers can spell the difference between winning and losing a match." As Swellow took that into consideration, Pidgeot finished, "Tonight will be all about pushing your limits. Fight as you normally would, but use that Reversal when you think you can't continue and we'll take a brief break before continuing, got it?"

"Got it!"

Chuckling at Swellow's enthusiasm, Pidgeot muttered, "Ash really knows how to pick his Flying-types," before continuing, "Alright everyone, let's get started!"

"You think you're loving but you don't love me
I want to be free, baby, you hurt me
You don't love me, I want to be free
Baby, you've hurt me..."

Diantha put the mic down and gave a theatrical bow once the song finished, earning herself a hearty round of applause from all present. Taking a seat next to Cynthia, Diantha took a small sample of food from the plates Cynthia had ordered, playfully nudging the Sinnoh Champion's shoulder and teasing, "Do you want to go next?"

"I couldn't, especially not after an opener that fantastic," Cynthia chuckled.

"Oh, Cynthia... you flatter me, dear," Diantha replied, failing to stifle a giggle. Taking a look at the rest of the people in the room, who seemed reluctant to take the stage, she said, "Come on now, it's not about being good, it's about having fun!"

After a slightly awkward pause, Steven snapped his fingers, exclaiming, "I have an idea!" as he ran up to the front to grab three microphones. "Leon, Lance, with me!" The other two Champions exchanged uncertain glances as they went up to the front with Steven.

"Alright Steven, what's your plan?" Leon asked, tilting his head in thought.

"I've got a really fitting thing for the three of us to sing together..." Steven began, glancing towards the teleprompter. "How about some Queen?"

Leon and Lance looked towards the teleprompter, and Leon let out a hearty laugh while Lance shot an unamused glance towards Steven. Once the last of his chuckles subsided, Leon wiped a tear from his eye and placed a hand on Steven's shoulder, sighing, "You have the cheesiest sense of humor of anyone I know, Stone," before taking a microphone from the Hoenn Champion. "Let's do this!"

Steven held the third microphone out to Lance, who simply let out a resigned sigh and took it, focusing on the teleprompter.

As the music began, Leon sang, "I've paid my dues, time after time..."

Steven continued, "I've done my sentence, but committed no crime..."

The Hoenn and Galar Champions shot expectant looks towards Lance, who, after a moment, sang, "And bad mistakes, I've made a few..."

Leon, Steven, and Lance—the latter somewhat less enthusiastic than the former two—all belted out, "I've had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I've come through!"

Alain bit back a laugh after looking towards a stunned Ash, Pikachu, and Iris, who were not accustomed to the normally stoic Lance singing a ballad, while on the side, Cynthia shot Diantha a smirk before asking, "So, how about a duet?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Diantha replied as she clapped her hands together excitedly.

Wrapping an arm around Lance's neck, Steven begun the chorus with, "We are the Champions, my friends..."

Leon cuffed Steven on the shoulder as he continued, "And we'll keep on fighting to the end!"

Everyone in the room sang, "We are the Champions, we are the Champions..."

Finally, Lance finished the first part of the song with, "No time for losers, 'cause we are the Champions... of the world!"

Pidgeot banked left, dodging an attempted Air Slash from Swellow before sending a Heat Wave her way, Swellow wincing as the hot air washed over her. Pidgeot proceeded to fly forwards, her wings flashing with a silver sheen as she closed the distance between herself and Swellow. Before she could strike with Steel Wing, however, Swellow let loose with a weak Boomburst that still managed to disorient Pidgeot. Righting herself, the Kantonian Flying-type let out a pleased chirp as she said, "Not bad, Swellow, not bad at all."

"Hah, thanks..." Swellow panted, clearly struggling to stay aloft due to the nature of her practice.

"Now, let's see that Reversal!"

Swellow's talons glowed orange as she swung them upward, the force of the blow knocking Pidgeot back a notable distance and causing her to do a flip in midair. Righting herself, Pidgeot nodded. "That's a strong Reversal, alright. Do you think you're still able to continue?"

"Yeah, totally!" However, as soon as the words left Swellow's beak, she momentarily lost focus, dropping slightly before hurriedly flapping her wings to bring herself back up.

Shaking her head, Pidgeot chuckled, "I swear, the Tauros are the most sensible Pokémon out of the lot of you... let's tell the rest of them to take a break for a little bit," flying down to ground level to see how the rest of the team was practicing.

Lucario was experimenting with the elemental bone trick he had tried in the Full Battle against Diantha, holding a bone that was blazing at one end as if he were an Alolan Marowak. Lucario performed a brief combat form with the flaming bone, finishing with a forward roll as he jabbed the bone forward. Letting the Bone Rush staff crumble out of existence, Lucario generated another one before charging an Ice Punch in his free hand. Once he punched the half of the bone he wasn't holding, Lucario took a moment to admire his handiwork.

Ice had spread all over most of the bone, the topmost part having icy spikes. Raising the frozen cudgel, Lucario gave it a one-handed spin before nodding in approval. Before he could test it out, he was interrupted mid-swing by Pidgeot calling out, "Hey!" Lucario planted his club on the ground and leaned on it before looking up to where Pidgeot was. The Flying-type, perched on a lamp post, continued, "Nice work, we're all gonna take a break for a bit before we get back to training, how's that sound?" Lucario gave the slightest of nods, and Pidgeot said, "Great, see you in a bit!" before flying off to where Krookodile and Kingler were practicing.

Pidgeot took a moment to observe Absol and Snorlax's practice, which consisted of Absol darting in and out of striking range to hit her most powerful attacks while also using ranged attacks to harass Snorlax, though the Sleeping Pokémon was giving as good as he got, even if at some points it looked like he was playing the weirdest Whack-a-Diglett game of all time. Pidgeot relayed the same thing to the two as she had to Lucario, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Snorlax perk up at the thought of a snack break.

Landing on a nearby bench, Pidgeot took a moment to observe Krookodile and Kingler.

The crustacean, through his usage of Scald, had created a steaming hot moat that prevented Krookodile from burrowing on the training field. However, Krookodile had also used a series of miniature Earthquakes to drain the moat and land a Foul Play on Kingler, who was stunned by the hit. Raising his big claw again, Kingler watched as Krookodile stomped the ground, using the 'large rock pillar' variant of Stone Edge, the sharp stones racing towards him. Both of his claws began to glow blue, and Kingler first swung the smaller one as a test.

Razor Shell ended up creating a clean slash through one of the stones, and Kingler nodded in satisfaction before scuttling out of the way of the rest of oncoming Stone Edge. Watching as the stones began to curve around to home in on him again, Kingler instead swung his big claw downward. Crabhammer completely pulverized the rock, and he scuttled away from the rest, watching as Krookodile stomped the floor again to stop the attack. Walking back over to Krookodile, Kingler rumbled, "See, that's the difference between Razor Shell and Crabhammer, precision versus power. Meanwhile, to answer the question you asked earlier that started this whole thing, your Aqua Tail, as you showed me earlier, can also be used as a utility trick."

"What, to sucker Electric-types into thinking they can get a free zap on me?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking about that particular utility considering you're a Ground-type, but it's not a bad idea. I was thinking more along the lines of using the water from Aqua Tail as a disruptor of sorts."

Adjusting his shades, Krookodile grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"Not bad, boys!"

Kingler looked over to where the voice had come from and raised his small claw, saying, "Hey Pidgeot, what's up?"

"You all have been working pretty hard, so come on, let's take a small break before we get back to training." Jerking her head to the right, Pidgeot continued, "Come on, everyone else is just over this way," taking flight as she finished speaking.

Krookodile and Kingler exchanged glances before walking over to Pidgeot, who was talking to Snorlax. After a moment, Snorlax paused to sniff the air before pointing towards his left.

Lucario and Absol exchanged perplexed glances, the former asking, "Will Wyndon Stadium even provide food to a bunch of Pokémon who just show up randomly?"

Absol shrugged, responding, "They'll recognize us at the very least, I'm hoping, considering we fought Diantha."

Pidgeot watched as Swellow perched on Snorlax's shoulder before leading the team towards where Snorlax had directed them.

Steven, Lance, and Leon finished the song with, "No time for losers, 'cause we are the Champions... of the world!" as the instrumental came to a close. Steven and Leon played up the theatrics for all it was worth, and Lance, though he had been getting into it by the end, seemed relieved that the song was done.

Everyone gave the three Champions a round of applause, Iris in particular seeming really excited. Jostling Alain's shoulders, she said, "C'mon, we gotta do this!" as she ran up to the front, grabbing a microphone and tossing another one to him. Ash gave a puzzled look Diantha's way, who could only shrug in response as Alain joined Iris up at the teleprompter.

The Unovan Champion began looking through the list of songs, but after finding no songs that she liked in particular, she gave the list to Alain, who found the song he wanted in seconds. After a moment, the song's instrumental began to play, and Alain began with, "So you wanna be the master?"

Iris, after looking at the teleprompter, chimed in with, "Of Pokémon!"

Alain continued, "Do you have the skills to be number one!?"

Iris sung, "I wanna take the ultimate step, have the courage to be bold..." performing a theatric gesture as she did so.

"To risk it all, and not forget the lessons that I hold..." Alain in turn performed no such theatrics, simply letting the song play out.

Both sang:

"I wanna go where no one's been
Far beyond the crowd, yeah
Learn the way to take command
Use the power that's in our hand!"

Pikachu, in the midst of chugging a ketchup bottle, pumped his fist as Iris and Alain began to sing the chorus together.

"We all live in a Pokémon world
I wanna be the greatest master of them all!
We all live in a Pokémon world
I put myself to the test
To be better than all the rest!"

Turning to the crowd, Alain pointed towards them and sang, "So you wanna be the master of Pokémon?"

Iris chimed in with, "Do you have the skills to be number one!?"

Iris extended her arm out for a high five, which Alain reciprocated with a grin as they began to sing the final part of the song.

"We all live in a Pokémon world
I wanna be the greatest master of them aaaaaall!
Po-ké-mon!"

Everyone gave the two a hearty round of applause as they sat down, Ash in particular nudging Iris with his elbow and remarking, "That was a fun song you guys picked, it was really popular around the time of my journey through the Orange Islands."

Diantha grabbed onto Cynthia's hands, excitedly saying, "Alright Cynthia, it's our turn now!" as she pulled her fellow Champion off the lounge sofa and took her to the front. "Since I got to do a song first, I'll leave the picking to you!"

Cynthia took a long look at the song catalogue, muttering, "Hm, not that one, not that one... that one's good, but not my speed... oh! I didn't think they'd have this one, the record labels back home are usually really strict about letting people use their music." Cynthia showed her pick to Diantha, who mulled it over for a moment before nodding, reaching out for a couple of microphones. With a grin, Cynthia started the music.

Out of the spectators, only Ash seemed to recognize what the song was, and he and Pikachu shot each other excited grins as Cynthia began to sing.

"We fight, make up, and fight again!
There's so many things I want to say to you,
But first of all...
Thank you for being here!"

Shooting her friend a wide grin, Diantha sung the next verse.

"Friends for the journey, friends for life,
I pretend to understand it all!
But still...
I'm glad that you're here with me!"

"Nice battle!" Cynthia sang, pushing up back-to-back against Diantha.

"Nice rival!" Diantha continued, leaning her head over Cynthia's shoulder to briefly make eye contact.

"I'll push you forward," Cynthia sang, giving Diantha a playful shove.

"And I'll pull you along!" Diantha couldn't resist giggling as she gently pulled Cynthia towards her, the two Champions exchanging grins as the next verse came.

"When I look up, the sun looks so bright
Espe-cia-lly with you!"

Diantha and Cynthia shared a laugh, pumping their fists in preparation as the chorus began to play.

"If it all goes well, let's high five!"

The two gave each other a high-five while Ash and Pikachu clapped at the same time. On his side, Steven appeared to be nodding along to the beat, while Iris was giddier than a fangirl from seeing Cynthia and Diantha perform.

"If we're knocked down
Then we'll bounce right back!
As long as we're together...!"

Diantha playfully threw her arm around Cynthia's shoulders as she sung the next line.

"I won't give up so easily! Go, go go!"

As they tapped their feet along to the instrumental bridge, Diantha winked towards Cynthia before they both launched into the last part of the song.

"It went well, so we'll high five!"

Another high-five occurred between the two as they continued to sing.

"Shake our foe's hands for a battle well-fought!
As long as we're together...
We'll go further, much further than before!
Go go go… GO GO GO! GO GO GO!"

Cynthia and Diantha struck a pose as the song finished, their hands meeting in the middle.

Everyone gave the two a round of applause, Ash, Iris, and Alain's being the loudest of all. In the midst of the ovation, Cynthia noticed Iris and Alain saying something to Ash, who merely laughed in response, only for Alain to pass his microphone from earlier to Ash.

"Well Ash, you're the last one of us who needs to sing, you're up!" Alain said, shooting Ash a teasing grin.

"C'mon, don't be a kid about it, Ketchum!" Iris added on.

Even Pikachu was of no help, hopping off his friend's shoulder and flashing Ash a thumbs-up and a cheeky smile.

"Whose side are you on, Pikachu?" Ash asked in jest, walking up to the front as Cynthia and Diantha were putting their microphones away.

"Do your best, kiddo," Cynthia said, gently cuffing Ash on the shoulder.

"And remember, it's about having fun!" Diantha chimed in, grabbing Cynthia by the hand and pulling her over to the couch.

Now alone at the front, Ash began looking through the list of songs available, immediately flipping over to the 'R' section. After a little bit, Ash found the song he wanted and pumped his fist.

Lucario sat on a bench outside of Wyndon Stadium, chewing on a chocolate bar as he watched Absol eat her meal. Taking a moment to swallow his food, he asked, "How do you think Pidgeot'll get Snorlax his food?"

"Truth be told, I don't know... but at the very least, nothing calamitous will come out of him not getting it," Absol chuckled.

"Laaaaaaaax!"

Snorlax exited the stadium lobby with a rather large box of food, accompanied by Pidgeot and Swellow, who were also carrying small bags of food in their talons.

Krookodile and Kingler were the last to exit, also holding small boxes of food. Looking towards Kingler, Krookodile asked, "What did you get from them?"

"They seemed really happy about the thing I did with the soap bar and Scald, so they let me pick from a fresh curry batch."

Krookodile took a peek inside his box, muttering, "Lucky stiff... it's a good thing the kitchen staff had Pokémon helping them too, huh?"

Kingler nodded, scuttling over to where Absol and Lucario were eating.

Krookodile sat down next to him and unwrapped his sandwich, but before he dug in, he jerked a claw towards Pidgeot and Swellow. "How are those two gonna eat their food?" His question was answered by the two Flying-types opening their bags with their talons and pecking at their food—Poké Puffs, in their case—as if they were Pikipek.

"There's your question answered, then," Kingler snickered, holding his fork in his small claw as he dug in.

Snorlax, meanwhile, set his box down on the ground with a resounding thud and opened it, taking one out of the many parcels of food that were inside. Opening the box, he judged its contents with a sniff before eating the food and parcel in one go, rumbling, "Exquisite..."

Absol tried and failed to hold back a snicker.

Selecting the song he had in mind, Ash pressed 'play' and waited for the instrumental to kick in. Once the guitar began to play, he grinned as he began to sing.

Diantha, Alain, and Lance seemed to know what the song in question was, the former excitedly shaking Cynthia's shoulder as she pointed towards Ash, while Alain and Lance gave nods of recognition as they heard the beginning of the song play.

"Running in the sun, I roam endlessly
Is it here or there? I know I need to be
The vectors in my life piercing through my chest
Remind me of the zeal that flows its way through me

Forgetting the danger, the hurt, I forge my own path
Defying all in front of me!"

Diantha had something of an awestruck smile on her face as Ash launched into the chorus, Cynthia having a similar expression as well.

"My dreams will keep dancing through
As they lift up all on this earth
Mirrors filled with hate taunt me with my fate
But I will smash them all and show them my worth!

My dreams show me all my faults
As I stumble my way through life
My fiercely burning soul helps me reach my goal
And I will fight to live and struggle through my strife!"

Ash stopped singing for a moment to let the bridge play. Looking up for a moment, he saw Iris with quite possibly the most dumbfounded expression he'd ever seen on her face, Lance looking similarly taken aback. Resisting the urge to laugh, Ash tapped his foot along to the beat, waiting for the next part of the song.

"In the dark the sun is gone and I'm lost
And I ask myself if the battle's worth the price
Opening my eyes I hear from inside
A still-small voice that sings and raises my soul high!

Who cares who the strongest ones are?
All I hear now is the song inside my heart!

My heart lights up the sky
And illuminates all these lies
Mirrors around me try to deceive me
But I will break past them and let myself fly!

I'll defend our undying bond
Even as the world falls apart
For your sake my love comes from above
And my evolving soul will be the future's star!

Nothing will stand in my way
I'll shout 'till no one can't hear me
Looking up to the sky
I'll run and I'll run on this road ahead of me!"

Leon watched as Ash set the microphone down, pumping a fist and cheering for him as Ash paused to take a breather. "That was awesome, Ketchum!"

As the guitar solo continued, Ash flashed a thumbs-up towards Leon, shouting back, "Thanks!"

"Undying flames in my heart continue to rage
Blazing with colors of hope!"

Steven had a similar expression to Lance, though he couldn't resist a smile, while Alain simply flashed Ash a smile, calling out, "Nice song pick, Ash!"

"My dreams will keep dancing through
As they lift up all on this earth
Mirrors filled with hate taunt me with my fate
But I will smash them all and show them my worth!

My heart lights up the sky
And illuminates all these lies
Mirrors around me try to deceive me
But I will break past them and let myself fly!

I'll defend our undying bond
Even as the world falls apart
For your sake my love comes from above
And my evolving soul will be the future's star!"

Ash lowered the microphone and wiped his brow, before extending his arm. As if on cue, Pikachu hopped from the couch, off the table, and onto Ash's shoulder, raising a paw for a high-five which Ash met in the middle.

The entire room burst into applause, Diantha and Cynthia's being the loudest of all. Ash plopped down on the spot he had been sitting at before he went up to sing, weakly laughing as he muttered, "Man, singing is hard..."

Diantha excitedly said, "That was amazing, Ash!" Pausing to laugh, she continued, "How is it that your voice is a dead ringer for RIKA!, though? I got to see her live once and your singing voices are pretty much a perfect match!"

Cynthia laughed as she gave Ash a hug, chuckling, "You did great up there, kiddo. Now what do you say we all just enjoy ourselves for the rest of the time we have here? I don't think I can sing another note..." As Ash nodded, she caught sight of Diantha hurrying up to the front for another go at karaoke. With a hint of amusement in her voice, Cynthia sighed, "I can't stop her, it seems."

Everyone laughed at that, and Diantha called out, "How about another round?"

With the exception of Lance, who performed a 'so-so' gesture as he busied himself with his food, everyone shouted, "Yeah!"

And that's that, thank you so much for sticking the whole way through!

Most of this chapter is based off my own experiences in a karaoke booth.

When it comes to the songs picked, I chose from a roulette of my personal favorites—I couldn't bother with changing the artist names—and some classic Pokémon songs from both the dub and the original Japanese. And yes, Ash's is Kamen Rider Ryuki's main theme translated to English. It took me a while to find a translation that I liked, and then I fine-tuned it to make some parts flow better.

In order:

Diantha - Warwick Avenue by Duffy

Leon, Steven, and Lance - We Are The Champions by Queen

Alain and Iris - Pokémon World

Diantha & Cynthia - High Touch! by Rica Matsumoto and Megumi Toyoguchi

Ash - Alive a Life by Rica Matsumoto

Comments are always appreciated, stay tuned for my next story!

-Krosshair