This all felt weird. At least, Ash Ketchum thought as he held the brochure on the Paldea Region.
Bea noticed Ash staring at the piece of paper, or rather, she noticed the lack of energy the usually excitable teen had.
"Is something wrong, Ash?" Her voice made Wes stop tinkering with the Battle AR and turn towards the youngest of the trio.
"I don't know why, but I want to go here," Ash said as he put the paper on the breakfast table.
"What's stopping you? Go there after the league." Wes went back to his tools.
"No, it's not that." Ash put his hand on his chin. "Well, it feels like I woke up from a long dream. I was trying hard to be a Pokemon Master, and I got to be one."
Wes stopped again to listen while Bea continued as she did from the beginning.
"It was weird. Like—I went through many regions and met more people and Pokemon. And had many amazing but also bitter battles." The raven-haired teen explained with vivacity. Yet his shoulders dropped, and his smile fell. "But I was sad that dream ended before I got to Paldea... which sounds super fun."
"All dreams end," Bea said. "It is the way of things."
Wes agreed, but he wasn't expecting the exercise freak—he only called her in his head—to say something like that. And seeing the look on the teen's face reminded the snagger of a kicked Lillipup.
The old Wes would have ignored a kicked Lillipup. But the current Wes?
"Will you forget the dream?"
Ash looked to Wes as he suddenly asked that. "No?"
"Then it's not really gone, is it?" Wes remembered a time when even a dry dust of wind could knock him off his feet. He thought he was as good as dead in the harsh lands of Orre until a bald figure with a stupid mustache towered over him. A cocky grin and an outstretched hand were all it took for Wes to be a part of Team Snaggem.
In time, Wes disagreed with the mustached idiot. That never meant the now savior of Orre was ungrateful to the one who helped him survive his hellhole of a home.
"If you're sad about things ending, it only means you liked it enough to miss it. That happens."
Wes didn't know what to expect after saying that, but he wasn't expecting silence.
But silence never stayed long with this group as Ash began to smile again. "Thanks, Wes."
"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't." The last thing the blue-themed trainer needed was people thinking he was nice. He'd later steal a bunch of wallets to balance this out.
"You know what? One day, all of us should go to the Paldea Region!" Ash's spirit re-ignited.
"I have heard of the region's ability to change Pokemon Types. It does sound like a learning experience." Bea admitted aloud.
"Wait. We?" Wes raised his brow.
However, he was ignored as Ash and Bea started talking about battles. And they mentioned how Wes would definitely be there—obliviously implying he had no say in the matter—much to the dismay and annoyance of the silver-haired trainer.
Yet, Ash Ketchum had this new feeling: his dream self may have ended, but he continued to adventure. Wes was right; it wasn't over yet.
It was just a new chapter.
{Author Notes}
I was super busy these last few months. I couldn't actually make a chapter. But I still wanted to upload something this month.
It feels super weird to finally be at the end of Ash's journey. I genuinely believed they were going to make the kid immortal forever, but no. His journey is coming to an end. Now that it's coming to an end, wow. It's like saying goodbye to a part of me.
I've always liked Ash, probably from bias. He's still one of my favorite trainers because he fails at his dreams before finally achieving them.
Here's to you, kid.
You're finally free.
It's a shame too. I thought Scarlet and Violet's story to be one of the strongest in the series, maybe even better than Gen 5's story. But oh well, some fanfic writer here can imagine that story.
Goodbye, Ash Ketchum. Thanks for the legacy you left behind.
And Happy Holidays to you, readers. It feels like the end of an era, so let's make the next one better.