I've had this one in my head for a few days now. Naito Writer's been helping me out with ideas and ironing out the wrinkles (I've been helping him on another story he's working on as well, but until it gets published, I'm not at liberty to say a word about it), so I'm naturally hoping this will go well.

DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is the brainchild of Satoshi Tajiri and is owned by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. If I owned the series, Dawn and Serena would still be on the main cast.

Back to School!

The Paldea region. Like anywhere else, Paldea is home to people and Pokémon who live in harmony. Many Pokémon vary in shape and size and live on the land, the sea, and the sky. Educational facilities like the summer camps in Kanto, Sinnoh, and Kalos, as well as Alola's Pokémon School, educate people on how to bond with Pokémon and so trainers can learn more about them. However, none are more prestigious than Naranja Academy and Uva Academy. And one young man was on his way to enroll in one of these schools, bringing his best friend and partner Pokémon with him.

As soon as a plane landed, a young man left it with a Pikachu on his shoulder. He had spiky raven hair and wore a white button-up shirt over a black tank top, a pair of orange shorts, black socks, and white shoes with an orange Poké Ball symbol on them. The same symbol was on his flat cap and he wore an orange tie. "Well, Pikachu," he said. "Here we are."

"Pika," Pikachu said. They approached a cab driver that was waiting for them.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Ketchum," said the driver. "And don't worry about the fare. Professor Sada paid for all of it." Yes, Ash Ketchum, the Monarch of the World Coronation Series and the Alola region's first champion, had come to Paldea. But for what reason? And why would Professor Sada want him specifically if not to demonstrate what a Monarch can do? Ash only looked out the window to ponder the answer. "So, what brings you to Paldea?"

"I really don't know," Ash answered. "That's a question I need an answer for as well."

"Ah, one of the great mysteries of the world."

"You could say that."

After a while, the cab got to a large school with an ancient structure. The driver drove around the water fountain and stopped at the entrance. There, they were greeted by an elderly man wearing an orange jacket and white pants. The old man was joined by a couple of ushers and a young lady with olive skin and a green streak in her brown hair. She wore a female version of Ash's outfit. Ash and Pikachu stepped out of the cab. "Ah, Ash Ketchum," said the old man. "Welcome. The ushers will take your bags to your room."

"Thank you, Mr.…" he began before realizing he didn't have the old man's name.

"Clavell. I'm the director here."

"It's nice to meet you, Director Clavell. Is Professor Sada in?"

"Yes. She's this way. Come along." Clavell and the young lady guided Ash down the halls of the academy as he spoke up again. "I'm so happy that you have decided to attend our school. It's not every day someone of your caliber comes to Paldea. The last one to visit was your predecessor Leon."

"Leon? He came here?"

"That's right," said the girl. "The reason why was actually pretty humorous."

"He was on his way back to Galar from somewhere and got lost again, didn't he?"

"How'd you know?"

"Leon's known for a lot of things, but his sense of direction is not one of them."

"Yes, quite," said Clavell, who let out a chuckle. "Here we are. Nemona will be waiting here when you and the professor get done talking." Ash nodded before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" a female voice asked.

"It's me, Professor Sada. Ash Ketchum."

"Come right in." Ash entered the office and sat down at the professor's instruction. She was a woman with tan skin, light brown hair, and orange clothes that showed her navel. She also wore leg warmers and a typical lab coat. "Thank you for coming, Ash," she said in a lowered voice. "Do you remember why Professor Cerise asked you to come here?"

"He said you needed help investigating something."

"That's right. See, we knew that Professor Cerise had a couple of research fellows that always got the job done. My counterpart Professor Turo and I know there was three to pick from, but seeing as how you are both the Alola Champion and the Monarch of the World Coronation Series, you were the obvious choice."

"Probably for the better anyway. Goh disappeared before I flew out here and I don't know where he's at."

"Then you can use your time here to look for him. And probably learn the secrets of the Paldea region while you're at it."

"That'd be great."

"Awesome. I'm sure Nemona wouldn't mind giving you the tour. I know Clavell left her outside the office to wait for you. I'm sure you're going to be tired as well, so I'll give you a briefing tomorrow."

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow then, Professor," Ash said.

"Take care, Ash," said Professor Sada. "And I hope you enjoy your stay here at Naranja Academy."

"I'm sure I will. Thank you." With that, Ash and Pikachu left the office and rejoined Nemona. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"No problems. I was more than happy to. Care for a tour?"

"We'd love one."

By the time the tour was done, the sun was setting. Nemona had shown Ash around every part of the campus, including every classroom, the courtyard, the swimming pool, and the student lounge and library. When it was all said and done, Ash and Pikachu were tired. Nemona guided them to Ash's room, which had a bed, a desk, a closet, and a videophone. "…And that's everything," she said. "Any questions?"

"Not at the moment," he answered. "Thank you."

"Of course. If you need anything, my room is just down the hall. And if for some reason neither of us can get out – like a lockdown – we have videophones to call each other on. Just…let's make sure we're decent, okay?"

"Got it. We just met, so I wouldn't want to make it weird."

"I know right? Anyway, I better let you get settled in."

"Alright. See you in class tomorrow, Nemona." Nemona responded with a smile and a wave before going to her own room. "Well, buddy," he said to Pikachu. "Our mission begins tomorrow."

"Pikachu Pi," said the Mouse Pokémon. Ash then looked at his Rotom Phone and made a call.

"Hey, Ash," a male voice greeted. "If you're calling, I assume you got to Mesagoza alright?"

"We did. Sorry I didn't call sooner. One of the students was giving me a tour after I talked to Professor Sada."

"That's fine. You'll be attending the classes anyway. Thanks for checking in, Ash. You do remember what your objectives are, right?"

"Right. Help Professor Sada with what she needs, discover the secrets of the Paldea region, and find him for his fellow Chasers."

"Yeah, Chloe won't be happy about that last part."

"How come?"

"She wouldn't tell me. Seeing as how you're her closest friend now, along with Dawn and Serena, I figured she'd tell you the next time you see her."

"Alright, Professor Cerise," Ash said. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Ash," said the professor. "Be careful, will you?"

"Will do." With that, they hung up. Ash then started changing into his sleepwear when his videophone began ringing. He has just unbuttoned his shirt and was wearing his tank top when he answered. It was Nemona, who liked what she saw. "What's up?" he asked.

"Sorry to interrupt, but when we get a moment tomorrow, would you mind indulging me in a Pokémon battle? I really want to see what the Champion of Alola has to offer."

"It would be my pleasure. Pikachu and I will have something special in store for you."

"Ooh! Now I'm really looking forward to it! See you tomorrow!"

"Alright, see you!" They then hung up and Ash finished changing into his pajamas. He and Pikachu then went to sleep and got ready for their time in Paldea to truly begin.

The next morning, Ash and Pikachu woke up, stretched out, and got dressed for the day. The pair made their way to the cafeteria, got their plate, paid for their food, and sat down. He was soon joined by Nemona, with both looking forward to their upcoming battle. They made their way to each of their classes next, being separated for the time being. Ash's maturity and experience over the years allowed him to keep up with each of his classes, something Professor Kukui would be proud of.

While Ash and Nemona were attending their classes, a maroon-haired girl wearing the Naranja Academy uniform approached a room, her Eevee following suit. "Classroom B-421," she said, reading the sign on the door. "This must be Biology." As soon as she opened the door and went in, she spotted two faces that she was familiar with. "Ash? Pikachu?"

"Huh? Chloe! It's you!" Ash exclaimed, the two greeting each other with a hug. "How've you been?"

"I'm better now that I know you're here. So, this is where my dad sent you?"

"Yeah. Listen, how about we catch up at gym class? I have a battle with the President of the student council, but I'll be happy to talk to you."

"Sounds great. I really need someone to talk to." Suddenly, a man came in wearing a white lab coat, purple scrubs, white tennis shoes, and purple rimmed glasses. His hair was messy and in two different shades of purple as well.

"Alright, students, take a seat please," he said. "My name is Jacq, and I'm your biology teacher here. I see that the Monarch of the World Coronation Series is here as well. Thank you for joining us, Mr. Ketchum."

"Please, just call me Ash," said the Alola Champion. "And this is Chloe. She's a friend of mine from Vermillion City."

"It's nice to meet you, Chloe!" exclaimed the class.

"Ah yes," said Jacq, who pushed his glasses up. "You're Professor Cerise's daughter, right?"

"I am," said the maroon-haired girl. "I've been getting into Pokémon Contests lately. The girl who got me to try them figured that coming here might be beneficial for me and Eevee. She knows Ash, but she had no idea he was here."

"Ah, I see. Well, you've come to the right place. And who better to help you practice than a friend you already know." Ash shot a smile at Chloe, who knew he would be glad to help in any way. "Well, with that out of the way, let's get started."

After biology came gym class, one that Ash and Chloe shared with Nemona. The duo from Kanto waited for the Student Council President. Chloe had on a pair of orange short shorts with white stripes on the sides, an orange t-shirt, and white shoes. Her hair was in its signature ponytail as well. Ash had on an orange basketball jersey, white shorts with an orange stripe on the sides, and his sneakers on. His hat was in his locker and he had something on his wrist that Chloe and Eevee recognized right off the bat.

They took a seat on the bleachers while they waited for Nemona to show up. "I'm really thankful that you're here, Ash," she said. "My friends at my old school…they don't really seem like friends anymore."

"Did something happen?" Ash asked.

"Yes. They started going from trying to label my career – my future – to teasing me about 'cheating' on Goh since the picture was taken and we got our lockets. He and I weren't even dating in the first place."

"Since when have you ever cared about what people think about you?"

"I don't. I treasure that picture. Which is another reason I'm here. Yes, Serena did look this place up. She wanted me to add some sort of…pizazz to my Contest performances. I couldn't pass that up. While I was doing practice for any upcoming Contests, Goh came running like an idiot after catching another Pokémon. He tripped over himself and caught my locket. When he recovered, I saw that he broke it. The chain, the cover, and the glass were all broken. I ended my friendship with Goh right there. Nobody's seen him since. We're better off without him."

"Hey, these lockets mean as much to me as they do to you, Dawn, and Serena. But you shouldn't just end your friendship with Goh so quickly. You know how hard he takes it. First was me, then Cinderace back when it was a Scorbunny. It's not easy for him to make friends."

"I know. I kept telling him that he needed more friends than just me. That didn't happen until you came along."

"Your father told me that no one from Kanto to Galar has seen any sign of him. He let me know that one of my missions was to find him and bring him home. That doesn't mean he has to be unscathed."

"Isn't there another region you traveled through?"

"Yeah. The Orange Islands. Project Mew is still looking there."

"If you do find him, promise me one thing," said Chloe.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"Don't tell him I'm here. At this point, I just want it to be you and me. I'll happily take a back seat to Serena, though." They shared a smile when Nemona came out of the locker room. She was wearing a black form-fitting tank top with orange stripes, matching short shorts, and a pair of basketball sneakers. As she was hoping, Ash noticed that her curves were accentuated. He already noticed how smooth her legs were.

"Sorry I'm late," she said with a blush. "I tried to look my best for the Monarch." Chloe noted the coy tone in her voice.

"At least it's still within the school's dress code." After Chloe said this, Nemona finally noticed her.

"And you are…?"

"I'm Chloe Cerise. I'm a friend of Ash's from Vermillion City."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Nemona." She then turned back to Ash. "Well, Ash? Are you and Pikachu ready?"

"Of course," Ash said. They got on opposite sides of the battlefield.

"Alright, for this battle, I'm going to introduce one of the Paldea region's Starter Pokémon. Come on out, Qua—WHOA!!!" She stumbled, accidentally throwing the Poké Ball at Chloe.

"Eevee, use Copycat!" Chloe exclaimed. Eevee's tail glowed and allowed it to deflect the Poké Ball.

"Sweet! It copied Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed. Out from the Poké Ball came a white duck-like Pokémon with blue hair combed to the side. Ash then got his Rotom Phone out.

"QUAXLY, THE DUCKLING POKÉMON. A WATER-TYPE. QUAXLY'S FEATHERS SECRETE A SPECIAL GEL TO PROTECT ITS BODY FROM WATER AND GERMS. IT HATES GETTING DIRTY AND AS SUCH, KEEPS ITSELF NICE AND TIDY."

"As I said, Quaxly is Paldea's Water-type Starter. The others are Sprigatito, which is the Grass-type, and Fuecoco, which is the Fire-type."

"Judging from what the Rotom Phone said, Quaxly would appreciate Minccino."

"Oh, it does. Before we battle, though, I noticed that Eevee copied Iron Tail with its Copycat move. But none of the Pokémon present know that one and Quaxly was in its Poké Ball, so even if he knew that move, Eevee shouldn't have been able to use it. Unless…" She then realized who the Iron Tail was copied from. "Uh-oh!"

"Are you ready, Pikachu? I choose you!"

"Pikachu!" said the Mouse Pokémon, who jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed itself on the field.

"Care to kick things off?"

"Right! Quaxly, use Tackle!" Nemona ordered. The Duckling Pokémon obeyed the order, charging at Pikachu with its full power.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu used his superior speed to meet Quaxly head-on and send it back to its starting point.

"Quaxly, surround Pikachu with Bubblebeam!" Quaxly fired a series of bubbles to surround Pikachu. However, Ash had another counter in mind.

"Pikachu, spin and use Thunderbolt!" The order confused Nemona, but Chloe knew this strategy really well, as shown with her smile. Pikachu spun on the ground and unleashed his signature move, destroying all of the bubbles. When all was said and done, Pikachu stood up unscathed. "What do you think of our Counter-Shield, Nemona? Last time we used it was in our battle against Cynthia."

"So that's how Leon learned that trick, huh? Okay then. Quaxly, use Tackle!"

"Pikachu, Electro-Web!" Quaxly tried to tackle Pikachu again, but the Mouse Pokémon trapped it inside of a web of electricity. "All set," Ash said as he threw his hat on top of Pikachu's head, much to Nemona's confusion. Ash crossed his arms, activating the object on his wrist that Nemona had just noticed. He and Pikachu shared a fist bump and a high five before the latter landed. "This is our special move! Much bigger than a Thunderbolt!" As Ash exclaimed this, Pikachu fully charged his power. "10,000,000-VOLT THUNDERBOLT!!!" The lightning that Pikachu had launch toward Quaxly in several different colors.

The Z-Move hit Quaxly dead on and knocked it out. "Quaxly is unable to battle!" the referee exclaimed. "Pikachu wins! The winner is Ash!" Ash, feeling that the victory seemed a little empty, approached Nemona.

"You're better than I hoped you'd be," said Nemona.

"Yeah, but I'm not satisfied," he said, surprising the girl. "You held back, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I kind of did. Admittedly, there is a project in the school and Quaxly is at the center of it. See, students normally have to pick out a Starter Pokémon to train and raise them to their best. It's usually best to pick a Starter that vibes with the trainer the best. However, considering you and Pikachu have had quite an experience journeying together, plus your status as the Alola Champion alone, you don't have to participate. Neither does the Unova Champion Iris."

"That's probably a good thing on her part. The Starters here are awesome, but she's training to be a Dragon Master."

"Really? How obsessed with Dragon-types is she?"

"She mistook my Charizard for one."

"You're kidding…right?"

"Well, to be fair, most of the Unova PokéDex consists of Pokémon not seen in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh," said Chloe. "Pikachu and Meowth aren't even listed. So, it's only natural that she wouldn't realize Charizard's status as a Fire/Flying-type until Ash pointed it out."

"I see. By the way, sorry about the Poké Ball thing. I always have a bit of trouble throwing one."

"Yeah, we should work on that," said Ash.

"Not to worry, though, Ash. Next time we battle each other, Quaxly and I will be more worthy opponents."

"I can't wait." The two fist-bumped and Nemona left, leaving the two Kanto trainers alone. "Hey, Chloe?"

"Yeah, Ash?" Chloe asked.

"How about we go on a treasure hunt, just you and me." The thought got Chloe to blush.

"J-Just us? Is the Director okay with that?"

"I asked him and he said yes. This'll help get your mind off of you-know-who."

"Sure. Last time it was just us, he and Dawn went into that parallel world."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

"Well, we better get changed and get to our rooms."

After getting changed, Ash escorted Chloe back to her room. He made sure she was in before going back to his own with Pikachu. He decided hit the sack early, so he got changed into his pajamas again. He set his alarm and went to sleep. He was looking forward to the treasure hunt.

Chloe was too, but unlike Ash, she couldn't go to sleep right away. She was excited about attending school with Ash and even noticed how much he's matured. Eevee gave her a concerned look. "I'm alright, Eevee," she said. "I know I don't want anything to do with Goh, but Ash is still my friend. He's certainly more aware of his objectives now than he already was."

"Vee…"

"I envy Serena. She's so beautiful, so kind, and has a way with Pokémon that can only be matched by Ash. It must be why he admires her so much. Only she can be his equal, but I admire him. Enough to maybe…" She noticed that Eevee was giving her a strange look. "Sorry. Got carried away. Goodnight, Eevee." As Eevee went to sleep, Chloe looked at her phone, seeing a picture of Ash holding the World Coronation Series trophy. She blushed a deep crimson, imagining many awkward situations between her and Ash during the trip. No doubt, without Goh to make her mad, she'd enjoy the treasure hunt. She finally went to sleep, her final thoughts turning to Ash.

CHAPTER 1 END

Okay, so this one, as with a lot of my stories lately, is definitely going the mature route. As such, Ash, Chloe, and Nemona are going to be 18 in this. Naito Writer did suggest including more aspects of Scarlet and Violet -- including Paradox Pokémon, the Herba Mystica, and Operation: Starfall – and I decided to do just that. Of course, if you know Ash, you know full well that, despite being the Monarch and the Alola Champion, there is one part of the anime series from Season 1 to XYZ I'm bringing back. And yes, I will put the spotlight on Chloe as well, something I wish Journeys did more of.

Anyway, let me know what you think.