Cynthia walked into the hallway leading back into the stadium. She had a lot of thoughts buzzing in her head now that her battle with Ash was over.

"So, you've lost?"

Cynthia looked up, noticing Diantha leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She gave an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid so."

"I see you've changed your stance on battling. Was fighting Ash that exhilarating?"

Cynthia scoffed in amusement. "Trust me when I say battling Ash was an unforgettable experience."

"I'll take your word for it." Diantha got off the wall. "So, what will you do now?"

Cynthia hummed. "I think…some grub is in order."

#

Steven put his hands on his hips. "So, in the end, Ash came out on top."

"Hmph. I find it unbelievable that he managed to topple Cynthia of all people," Lance said.

Iris wagged a finger, radiating pure smugness. "That's Ash for you. He's full of surprises like that."

Alain remained silent all the while. Internally, he smiled. His victory meant he'd go to the finals and battle the one who had bested him.

There was a clap behind everyone. It was from Leon. "Wasn't that just a fantastic match? I don't know about you, but it left me fired up!"

Lance frowned, looking amused. "Really? I thought you'd be disappointed at not being able to fight Cynthia."

"Ah. You don't get it, then."

The amusement vanished from Lance's face, replaced with confusion. "Get what?"

"If Ash defeated Cynthia, then that makes him an opponent just as worthy as her, no?" Leon said, winking.

#

Fast forward a couple of hours later, Ash was sitting on the grass, staring into the night sky with Pikachu by his side. The anticipation of his upcoming battle with Leon had made him restless. Going outside was a nice way to clear his thoughts.

"Isn't this nice, Pikachu?" he asked, scratching the mouse's chin, who cooed in delight. Ash turned back to the sky. Tomorrow would be the day of the final confrontation, the final hurdle for him to overcome.

Hm… But what comes after…?

If he lost against Leon, it would mean Ash still had room to grow. But if he won, he would be the strongest. Where would he go from there? What would be the next step in his journey?

To become a Pokémon Master… All those years ago, I proclaimed it to be my goal. But with a few years of hindsight, I can see the cracks.

His journey had taken him all around the world. From the lush greens of Kanto to the snowy regions of Sinnoh or even the tropical region of Alola. Every leg of his journey led him to grow as a person. Ash looked to Pikachu, who was snuggled up to him. He smiled. And as a trainer.

He let himself fall on his back. All the experiences he's had with his friends, all the rivals he's had to face…they all led to this. Whatever came afterward, he'd face it head-on. As long as he was having fun with Pikachu, that was all that mattered.

#

"Come out, Charizard."

In a flash of light, Charizard materialized, giving a small bellow of acknowledgement. He took in his surroundings, noticing that Leon and he were in their bedroom. The foot of a king-sized bed resided to his right. To his left was a wooden desk with a lamp and some papers strewn about. Behind his trainer was a sliding door that led to a balcony. Moonlight filtered in through the window.

Leon put his hands on his hips. "Tomorrow's a big day. We'll be fighting Ash. How do you feel about that?"

The little runt with the rodent, huh? Charizard unfurled and flapped his wings a few times, sending papers flying off the desk, and flashed a grin. He felt like he always did: Purely. Unadulteratedly. Confident!

Leon chuckled, giving his own grin. "I figured. I'm pretty excited myself." He fished out a pokéball from his belt and gazed at it. "And I'm especially looking forward to seeing his reaction to this."

Oh? A curious growl escaped Charizard's throat. He craned his neck and gave the pokéball a few tentative sniffs. Strangely, he didn't recognize the smell it emanated. Could this be a new party member? That was odd. Leon would always introduce him to any member he caught. But it couldn't be a recent capture; he wouldn't have had the time to capture and train it.

He frowned. That meant he had hidden this from him. For some reason.

"Stumped?"

Charizard nodded.

"Come on, you should be able to recognize its scent. I know it's been a while, but just try harder, alright?"

Charizard tilted his head to the side. He'd met this pokémon before? He leaned in and sniffed the pokéball again, focusing on trying to pair the alien scent with the ones he remembered.

.

.

.

It clicked.

Charizard snapped his neck back, eyes wide and maw agape. I-impossible! The pokéball! It contained…!

Chuckling, Leon spun the pokéball on his index finger. "That's right. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but it's going to be fine. Trust me. I'll make sure Ash has a fighting chance so we can make this a grandiose match!"

Charizard swallowed the lump in his throat. His previous confidence had evaporated, leaving unease to fill the space. Honestly, he felt bad for the runt.

Because frankly, for all he knew, this opponent the kid would have to face would be overkill.

#

AN:

I can only apologize profusely for my lateness. School has been a pain in the past month, leaving me with little time to write. Moreover, as I worked on the battle chapter, I found myself dissatisfied with the way it was going. It was too similar to the anime, and it made me doubt multiple times if it would be even interesting or worth writing. As such, I decided to scrap it and start from scratch. Yes, this means I will need more time to get it out, but I want to make sure to write something worthy of your time.

My version of Ash vs Leon will be unlike what the anime did, in more ways than one. It will be a two-parter, and I'll be breaking the four-move rule once more to give myself as much leeway as I can. Also, as you've probably noticed, there is a surprise in store for Ash. All the clues are there for it, so you should be able to guess. :P

I apologize if this chapter is not up to my standards for quality. I wanted to get this out there quickly to inform you. I fear I may be losing motivation, but I won't let that stop me from finishing this project; I'd hate to leave you guys hanging right before the finale.

That's all from me. I don't when I'll finish this chapter, but I'll try to get it done for next month, so Early December.