Chapter One
"There it is, Pikachu– the Paldea region!"
"Pikapika!" Pikachu said in excitement, pressing his face and paws up against the airplane window. The region was spread out below them– lush and green, the ocean rushing up against the golden sand beaches. They would be landing soon in Cabo Poco, and both boy and Pokemon were itching to get off– having been on the plane for over twelve hours.
"This is going to be so awesome," Ash said with a grin. "I'm glad Professor was able to get us signed up for this."
When the Professor had first approached Ash with the offer of him being an exchange student, Ash hadn't been too interested. He was always open to going on a new adventure, but a school wasn't exactly an 'adventure' in his mind. But when he had learned more about the Academy of Paldea and what exactly it offered, his interest had been piqued. It offered your basic classes– history, math, science; but it offered multiple possible different tracks one could take on top of it all, including Pokemon-centric classes.
Of course what had caught his interest most of all was the annual Treasure Hunt the school held– which was just as diverse as the classes itself– and the promise of being able to enter the gym challenge was all Ash needed to hear to let Professor Oak sign him up. A new adventure, new Pokemon, new battles, a new league– he was all here for it. Even many of the offered classes had caught his attention as well.
To put it simply, he was ecstatic.
"Pika?" Pikachu's ears flicked up as he spotted something in the distance flying through the sky– too big to be any bird Pokemon. It was streaking through the air, a mere blur so he couldn't make it out. "Pikapi! Pika pikachu?"
He tapped against the glass as Ash looked up. Both of their gazes returned to the window, and Pikachu's ears fell back when he realized that what he had seen was no longer in sight. Ash gave him a small smile, scratching the top of his head. "Don't worry, bud, we're going to be able to see all the sights once we land."
Pikachu kept his eyes glued to the window, wondering if he would catch sight of it once more. These thoughts didn't linger forever, though, and when their plane at last came in to land the mouse found himself clinging to Ash's shoulder as they shuffled off of the plane, their luggage in tow. As soon as they were on solid ground Pikachu was leaping off his trainer, stretching and yawning– before running after Ash as they left the airport.
Cabo Poco was a nice sea-side town, the air warm and humid. While Ash and Pikachu could have immediately gone to the Pokemon Center and gotten a room for their first day here, the duo immediately took to the streets. It was a beautiful morning, and in their eyes it would have been nothing but a waste not to set out the moment they got here. There was a whole region for them to explore, and adventure wouldn't come from sleeping off their jet lag.
"So we don't need to be in Mesagoza for at least a week," Ash said, pointing to the largest city on the map. "That should give us just enough time to arrive there on foot, and do a bit of proper exploring before we settle in."
"Pi-ka!" Pikachu cried, raising a paw into the air.
Ash spared the map one last glance, looking for the quickest route out of town– before taking off running through the streets. Past the Pokemon Center, and past shops and restaurants. He didn't slow as he reached the neighborhoods and parks. The houses grew nicer, surrounded by gardens as they reached the edge of town– the road to his first steps into the wilds of Paldea rapidly approaching.
Ash had only managed to take two steps out of the town when a loud voice stopped him. "Hey! You! Pikachu trainer!"
Ash turned to search for the speaker, and found his gaze locked with a girl just about his age. She was holding out a Pokeball towards him, a gleam in her brown eyes, hair tied back into a ponytail.
"You up for a Pokemon battle?" She asked.
Ash immediately broke into a grin. "You're so on! Ready for our first battle in Paldea, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu called, leaping off of his shoulder, cheeks sparking in excitement.
"Yes!" The girl said, pumping her fist, before turning on a heel and running straight back into the town. "Follow me!"
Ash ran after her, Pikachu on his heels. "Where are we going?"
"To a battlefield, duh!" She called back. "Oh, I'm Nemona, by the way!"
"Ash Ketchum– from Pallet Town!" Ash replied.
"I have no idea where that is!"
"Kanto!"
He expected Nemona to lead him into one of the parks or gardens, where you could often find battlefields set up for trainers, but she was darting straight into the neighborhoods without slowing down. She clearly knew right where she was going, leading him into a nicer neighborhood, houses steadily getting bigger, grand front gates lining the road.
"Here we are!" Nemona said, coming to a stop in front of a large house where a gate was open. "We have a battlefield in my backyard we can use."
Ash wasn't sure if he should be awed by her large house, or the fact that she had a battlefield in her yard. He slipped through the gates after her, Pikachu looked around the garden with big coppery eyes. Flowers were in bloom, orange trees growing tall, and a fountain springing up. Nemona headed down the paved walkway, taking a path that led around the manor, Ash following.
Only to find that her backyard was a literal beach.
"Here we are!" She said cheerfully, not pointing to the golden sand and beautiful ocean– but to the battlefield that sat at the base of the hill. "Come on, let's go!"
Pikachu raced past him and Nemona, down the hill towards the battlefield. He pounced as he reached it, claiming one side for him and Ash. He looked back at his trainer, calling for the humans to hurry so the battle could begin. Ash took up one end of the battlefield, while Nemona ran over to the opposite side.
"Pikapika!" Pikachu said, lowering himself into a charging stance, cheeks sparking.
"Okay, so what kind of battle should we do?" Nemona asked. "I was thinking maybe three on three? Ooo! We should do a double battle, it's been so long since I've had one–"
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Heh. Actually, we're going to have to do a one on one, I only have Pikachu with me. I left the rest of my team back in Kanto."
"Oh," Nemona said, but she didn't seem down for long, plucking a Pokeball from her belt. "Well, if you're using a Pikachu, then I'm–"
"Hey!" An electronic voice protested, a red figure rising up from Ash's backpack. "Pikachu isn't your only Pokemon! I'm here too!"
The Rotomdex glowered down at Ash, crossing his red appendages as if they were arms. An exclamation point flashed on screen as he hovered there, clearly offended. Ash again rubbed the back of his head. "I mean the only Pokemon on my team– you don't like battling!"
"I'm still a Pokemon!" Rotom protested. "You can't just forget about me!"
"I didn't!"
"...That's the weirdest Rotom-phone I've ever seen," Nemona said, watching the duo. "What company trained that Rotom? Is it always like that?"
"I'm not a phone!" Rotom protested, zipping away from Ash and in front of Nemona. "I am a state of the art Rotomdex, prized for my knowledge and learning capabilities– not just for passing around gossip!"
Nemona didn't get the chance to reply– as a Rotom-phone in a black case sprang from her pocket, hovering between her and the Rotomdex. "Rotom who have the honor of inhabiting a Rotom-phone do not exchange 'gossip', but rather organize and process information for the human of the device we inhabit. It is an important job to protect data and assist our humans in everyday communication."
"Menial tasks," Rotom replied, turning away. "My data is collected and recorded for scientific purposes."
"So only useful to a limited audience rather than being able to help the masses," the Rotom-phone stated.
"You wouldn't have your precious phone form if it wasn't for science!" Rotom cried angrily.
"Okay, that's enough," Ash said, stepping forward as the two Rotoms continued to bicker. "We're here for a Pokemon battle, not an actual fight."
"I would be happy to referee the match for you, Ash!" Rotom said, flying away from Nemona and her Rotom, and onto the edge of the battlefield.
"There are Rotom specifically trained for refereeing matches," the Rotom-phone reported as it drifted back into Nemona's pocket. "The qualifications for such are very rigid to ensure there is no error or bias–"
"This is a friendly match!" Rotom screeched, voice rising. "We do not need an official referee unless it's an official match!"
Nemona chuckled. "I've never seen you act like this, Rotom," she looked up at Ash. "Didn't think they'd get riled up like that just over what form they're in."
"Rotom takes his job very seriously," Ash said.
"My job is of the utmost importance," Rotom insisted.
Nemona's Rotom didn't offer a reply, but they could hear vibrating from her pocket, almost as if the ghost was letting off a small growl. Nemona patted her pocket, before holding up the Pokeball she had selected earlier, holding it out– and Pikachu sparked his cheeks.
"This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash and Nemona!" Rotom declared. "The match will be over when one Pokemon is unable to battle– trainers, send in your Pokemon!"
"Let's do this, bud," Ash said, and Pikachu flicked his tail.
"Pawmot– you're up!" Nemona called, throwing her Pokeball up into the air. A flash of red light lit up the field, the Pokemon materializing in a fighting stance.
The Pokemon instantly reminded Ash of a Raichu– they stood about the same size, this one perhaps a little taller, with yellow electric sacs and golden orange fur– though the Pawmot's fur was thick and fluffy. There was a tuft of fur on its head, with muscular forepaws that were held out and ready for battle.
Rotom immediately abandoned his position as the referee, zipping onto the battlefield to take photos of the new Pokemon. The Pawmot drew back slightly, startled as Rotom happily reported his findings:
"Pawmot, the hands-on Pokemon," He declared. "An electric and fighting type, and the final evolved form of Pawmi. Pawmot's paw pads can hold high voltage of electricity, which it discharges with fast strikes."
"Fighting type, wouldn't have guessed," Ash said with a grin as Rotom zipped back to the edge of the field.
"Pawmot here is one of my oldest partners," Nemona replied. "Don't expect us to go easy on you."
"Me and Pikachu wouldn't want it any other way," Ash replied. "We'll go first– Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu built up the electric charge– Nemona smirked, and Pawmot didn't make an effort to move. This is when Ash knew he had made a mistake, but it was too late to call off the attack. The Thunderbolt hit Pawmot straight on, which was immediately absorbed into sacs on the Pokemon's cheeks and the pads on its paws, unharmed.
"Dang," Ash muttered. "Lightning Rod or Volt Absorb?"
"Volt Absorb," Nemona replied. "And seeing as you didn't predict that until it was too late, I'm guessing your Pikachu has the ability Static– so Discharge, now!"
The ability Volt Absorb meant that any electric type moves they used on Pawmot wouldn't hurt it, but rather heal it. And unfortunately Nemona's prediction about Pikachu was also right, his ability not providing him the same immunity to electricity. So as the Discharge engulfed the whole field there was nowhere for Pikachu to run, being forced to take the attack. The mouse winced, but stood his ground as the attack faded.
"He's strong," Nemona remarked, seeming quite happy with this. "Brick Break, Pawmot!"
"Fall back," Ash called, immediately knowing that he needed a new strategy. He couldn't use electric type moves– which was most of what Pikachu knew. He was left with Iron Tail– which Pawmot would resist, and Quick Attack– which had more speed than power.
The Pawmot's arms glowed orange as it charged forward, swinging the karate chops straight at Pikachu. The mouse nimbly dodged each strike, weaving through the paws of the Pawmot, which told Ash that in terms of speed he still had the advantage.
"Iron Tail," Ash called, a metallic gleam coating Pikachu's tail, which was swung at the feet of the Pawmot, sending it stumbling to the ground. "Barrage it with Quick Attacks, don't let it get up."
Pikachu became a blur as he zipped across the battlefield, slamming into Pawmot with the Quick Attack, only to speed away and come from another direction. He landed three hits in a row as the Pawmot tried to stand, forcing it to stay on all fours. The Pokemon wasn't down, however, paws curling into the dirt.
"Dig!" Nemona cried as the fourth Quick Attack was coming about, the Pawmot clawing at the ground. Immediately it buried itself into the battlefield with Dig– Pikachu speeding right over the hole the Pokemon had used to vanish into. Pikachu turned, cheeks sparking with a Thunderbolt, instinctively ready to fire an attack at a fleeing target, but he managed to keep it at bay. The ground shook slightly as the Pawmot burrowed beneath the ground, ready to surface at any moment.
"Quick Attack, keep moving," Ash called, forced to go on the defensive. Dig did let Pokemon tunnel at unnatural speeds– but not quick enough to keep pace with Pikachu's raw agility.
The Pawmot surfaced with a growl, paws swiping at empty air. His head whipped about, trying to gain sight of Pikachu. He dove back into his hole, burrowing down again at Nemona's signal. They were playing the long game, probably waiting for Pikachu to tire himself out. He kept darting about the field, pausing for a moment to look back at Ash, who gave a single nod. He let the Quick Attack fade, though kept a swift pace.
Pawmot surged out of the ground once more, right where Pikachu had been moments before. Pikachu spun around, an Iron Tail forming, slamming it straight into the Pawmot before it could retreat back underground. The force knocked it from its hole, and with Ash's command Pikachu zipped forward with a Quick Attack, striking again.
"Fire Punch!" Nemona cried, and as Pikachu drew close, the Pawmot struck out with blazing fists. The first blow hit Pikachu in the chest, knocking him off balance, while the second hit his side, sending him rolling away. "Discharge, don't let him flee!"
The electric burst surged across the whole battlefield, Pikachu wincing as he tried to rise. Pawmot used the opportunity to burrow back under the ground. It erupted out with a Dig right below Pikachu, knocking him up into the air.
"Iron Tail!"
"Fire Punch again!"
Pikachu spun about in the air, forming an Iron Tail to bring down onto the Pawmot. The attack was met by the Fire Punch, the two colliding. Pawmot grunted under the force, but another Fire Punch was able to knock Pikachu away once more– who let out a cry of pain. He rolled to his feet, a nasty looking burn spread across his shoulder.
Pawmot was coming charging forward again, and Pikachu sparked his cheeks, before glowing with Quick Attack. The two rodents rushed forward, Quick Attack meeting the Brick Break. The initial clash seemed to be even, but the fresh burn on Pikachu's shoulder limited his movement, allowing Pawmot's other paw to be swung about, sending Pikachu out of his attack. The mouse gritted his teeth, moving cautiously. Ash knew the burn would be wearing out his endurance, but it would also weaken any head on attacks, as Pikachu couldn't go full out without hurting his shoulder further.
"You doing okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika, Pikapi!" He called back.
"Keep up the pressure, Brick Break again!" Nemona ordered.
"Block it with an Iron Tail," Ash ordered, and the Iron Tail was slammed against the Pawmot's arms, keeping him from landing the attack. "Fall back!"
Pikachu retreated, favoring his burnt shoulder, while Pawmot burrowed back under the ground. Ash wasn't liking this match up– both Pokemon seemed equal in skill, but with Pikachu burned and unable to use electric moves he was limited to slower and predictable moves, along with needing to fight close up– which was where most fighting types thrived. Nemona had chosen her Pokemon well, knowing that Ash only had one option for this fight– but he wasn't ready to give up the fight yet. He called out to Pikachu to use Quick Attack once more, using the speed to avoid the first Dig, the Pawmot immediately burrowing into the earth upon missing.
Pawmot burst out of the ground again, this time managing to hit true. The ground erupted below Pikachu, the mouse being sent flying into the air with a cry. He spun about, righting himself, forming an Iron Tail to bring down onto his opponent– but they had already retreated into the tunnels once more, the Iron Tail hitting the ground instead. Pikachu whipped his head about, looking for where the Pawmot would surface next, springing at them with another Iron Tail, knocking him away from his hole.
"Discharge!" Nemona called, hoping to once more stun Pikachu.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash grinned, and Pikachu gathered up his own electric current as the Discharge surged across the field. The Discharge met the Thunderbolt, Pikachu becoming part of the electric circuit. It wouldn't nullify the electric attack completely, but with Pikachu being an electric type himself the damage was now minimal.
But he had already sustained a fair amount of damage.
Pikachu stumbled as his burn flared up, and the Digs had hit him hard. Nemona was clearly surprised that Pikachu was still up, had it been any average Pikachu they probably would have been down. From this one battle Ash could see that Nemona was a powerful trainer, and he was excited. Casual battle or not, it wasn't often he met a trainer that could throw out a Pokemon on the same skill level as Pikachu.
"Iron Tail, now!"
"Dig!"
The Iron Tail slammed down on top of a hole, Pawmot having already dug underground. Pikachu took off running in the direction he felt rumbling, his Iron Tail still formed. As Pawmot surfaced he swung it straight at him, the attack hitting just as Pikachu was hit with the Dig. Both attacks were strong– but one was super effective, while the other was quad resisted. And as strong as Pikachu was, he was far from a tank.
"Pull him down with you!" Nemona called, and Pawmot started digging once more, jaws clamping around Pikachu's arm, pulling him down into the tunnel with him– where the terrain would fully be Pawmot's.
"Break free, use Iron Tail!" Ash called, but in the narrow tunnel Pikachu wouldn't have the chance to build up any momentum to use the attack. They surfaced near the center of the battlefield, Pawmot throwing Pikachu up into the air with a Dig, before leaping after him to drag him back below the earth.
Pawmot's jaws this time bit down onto Pikachu's tail– and immediately released it with a cry of pain, having just bitten right onto an Iron Tail. Pikachu swung the attack up into Pawmot's jaw, sending him staggering back. Pikachu stood there, panting, while the Pawmot rubbed where he had been hit.
"Again!"
"Brick Break!"
An Iron Tail came down onto one of Pawmot's arms, while the other was thrown forward, the Brick Break making contact. Pawmot bore down onto Pikachu with a fury of more Brick Breaks, each chop landing with fluid consistently.
Pawmot aimed right for Pikachu's burn, instantly making the mouse crumble in pain. Pawmot used the moment to tunnel back into the earth one last time. Pikachu groaned, only having time to shakily push himself up onto one arm before the group erupted beneath him, a powerful super-effective Dig crashing into him.
Pikachu landed near the end of the battlefield, panting heavily, the Pawmot charging him down. He formed an Iron Tail, but the Pawmot stomped a foot right down onto it before Pikachu could swing it about, effectively pinning the mouse. Pikachu's cheeks sparked, trying to pull himself free.
"Fire Punch!" Nemona cried, and flames formed around the Pawmot's fists. They were swung down onto Pikachu, who took the twin blows with a growl. He looked up at the Pawmot, tail still pinned– but the rest of his body was free. He sprang forward at his opponent, glowing as if about to use Quick Attack– but it was a pink light that surrounded him. Pawmot staggered back as he was tackled, freeing Pikachu's tail. Pikachu slammed into the Pawmot, the energy still surrounding him as he wrestled the Pokemon to the ground– lashing out with his arms, legs, and tail. Each strike hit hard, the Pawmot crumbling.
"Pikachu just used the move Play Rough!" Rotom reported excitedly.
Ash grinned, watching as the two broke apart. "Use Play Rough again, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, leaping at the staggering Pawmot as he surrounded himself in the pink light, pulling Pawmot down to the ground. He thrashed the fighting type about, the fairy type energy surging through him. Pikachu swung himself around, using one last Iron Tail to send the Pawmot flying away– who crashed into the ground, going still.
The Pawmot didn't get up.
"Pawmot is unable to battle!" Rotom cried. "That means that Ash and Pikachu are the winners!"
"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cried, throwing his paws up into the air– before wincing and holding his burned shoulder. "Chu..."
"Are you okay, bud?"
"Pika!"
Ash jogged over to where he stood, scooping up Pikachu. The electric type beamed proudly up at him, while Ash rubbed the top of his head. "Awesome job out there– you really earned that win."
"You did great too, Pawmot," Nemona said, kneeling down next to her Pokemon. She helped him to sit up, holding out a fist to him. Pawmot hesitated, before returning the fistbump with an open palm, causing Nemona to jump at the small electric shock that flashed between them, hair rising up with the static. "You need to close your hand when you do that..."
"Pa-mo," Pawmot replied, looking down at his paws uncertainly.
Apparently deciding that this was a contest– or perhaps he just wanted to use an electric attack after going basically a whole battle without one– Pikachu immediately released a Thunderbolt that engulfed him and Ash– sending his trainer falling to the ground. The mouse looked a bit too proud of himself, nuzzling Ash's hand with a happy: "Cha~"
"Thanks bud..." Ash groaned as he sat up.
"The joys of having an electric type," Nemona said with a laugh.
"You can say that again."
Nemona came over, offering a hand to Ash, helping to pull him to his feet. "Why don't we head inside? I have some Rawst berries that can help with that burn."
They made their way up the hill to the large house, their exhausted Pokemon being carried in their arms. Nemona led him inside through the backdoor of her house, Ash didn't get much time to look around as they headed inside, as Nemona grabbed his wrist and immediately dragged him towards the stairs. If she didn't want them to be noticed, however, then she failed– a woman who must have been Nemona's mother watching them with an exasperated look on her face.
"Nemona, what did I say about forcing people to battle?"
"He wanted to, Mother!"
"Pestering someone until they say yes is not them 'wanting' to."
"Um," Ash hesitated, not quite sure what to say to this. "If it's a problem I can go–"
Nemona waved him off, nudging him towards the stairs. "It's fine, Mom's worried about you, not because of you." She raised her voice. "She just doesn't get the art of Pokemon battling!"
"Nemona, I have seen you challenge one too many young trainers with only a Scatterbug on their team!" Her mother called.
"I went easy on them!" Nemona protested.
Ash couldn't help but hold back a laugh as they reached the top of the stairs. It seemed that this conversation was one that happened often, Nemona letting out a loud sigh. He was probably far from the first trainer ambushed on their way out of town, and seeing how strong her Pawmot was he was sure that she had many victories under her belt.
This guess was confirmed as Nemona lead Ash into her room– which reminded him of his own, though much bigger. But the walls were lined with posters and pictures of Pokemon, certificates and medals and prizes– the room of a winning Pokemon trainer. Nemona set Pawmot on her bed, and Ash placed Pikachu next to him. Nemona was selecting several berries and pulling out a potion for the Pokemon, while Ash stepped towards the badges that hung on the wall to get a better look at them
Ash recognized the Galar and Kalos gym badges right off– each set of eight in their own case. A majority of her gym badges though were from a set he didn't know– round bronze badges, each with an elemental marking in the middle. She had three sets of these hanging on her wall, two that had all eight, while the one farthest away only had five of them.
"Are these the Paldea gym badges?" Ash asked, nodding at them.
Pawmot was chowing down on a Sitrus berry Nemona had given him, while Pikachu had been given a Rawst berry to help with his burn– both Pokemon having been sprayed with a super potion as well. Nemona drifted away from the Pokemon and over to Ash, looking at the badges as well.
"Yep– these ones are from my journey last year," Nemona said, nodding at the nearest set to them. "My best league year– I made it to the top four in that conference. My first year at the league though I didn't even earn all my badges in time," she gave an embarrassed smile, eyes flickering over to the incomplete set of Paldean badges.
"So you've done your home league several times then?" Ash asked, the idea sounding a bit strange to him, though it wasn't unheard of. Gym badges were only valid for up to a year if you intended to enter the conference– so new ones would have to be earned again if one wanted to compete in the latest conference.
"If I want to take on my home Elite Four, then yeah. Are you saying that you haven't gone through the Kanto League a few times?"
"I did when I first started off as a trainer," he replied. "But what's the fun in just doing the same gyms over and over– I like to go to new regions! Fight new trainers!"
Though the thought of competing in the Indigo Conference again wasn't completely unappealing either.
"It is fun to try out a new league– I got most of my Kalos badges when my family went there for the summer, and I couldn't resist," Nemona said, running her hand over those badges. "I only got six in that time though, so I stayed longer to get my last two."
Ash smiled. "I did the Kalos gyms too– their league is great– one of my best conferences."
"How far did you get?"
"I was knocked out in the final round," Ash said. He had been so close in his fight against Alain– but still it was one of the best fights he had ever been in, even if he hadn't won.
"Top two?" Nemona cried, eyes lighting up. "Which year– couldn't have been the same one I was there– I would have definitely recognized you. Gah, top two though– I wouldn't have been able to handle that, being so close but not making it!"
"Not the last time it happened to me," Ash said with an uncertain laugh.
"Twice! When?"
"My last league, actually– in the Wyndon Conference in Galar," Ash said.
"Wait. Wait wait wait– was this the last Wyndon Conference? Are you the one that lost to Hop!"
"Yeah..."
"Oh my Arceus," Nemona said in excitement. "This is awesome, I got to battle you– a trainer that only fell to a champion's brother! Man, and you didn't bring any of those Pokemon with you to Paldea? You had a Dragonite on that team, didn't you?"
"I like to start fresh on each journey," Ash explained, and Pikachu ran and hopped on his shoulder as he said this– looking much better now that he had been healed. "Just me and Pikachu, just like the first time we set out together."
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, rubbing his head against Ash's cheek.
Nemona's eyes gleamed. "Does this mean you're planning on doing the Paldea League next?"
"Yep!" Ash said. "Well, not right away– I'm actually going to the Academy of Paldea first, I'm here as an exchange student and–"
"You're going to go to the academy too?" Nemona cried at the top of her lungs, making Ash jump. "I go there too, ever since I got my trainer's license! Do you know what house you're in yet? I'm in the Uva House, I hope we're in the same house, that would be awesome. Are you going to be doing the Paldea League for your treasure hunt? Because that's what I'm doing! We could totally win the treasure hunt for our house if we were–"
She paused mid sentence, eyes widening in a sudden realization. Her gaze locked on Ash, stepping forward with a gleam in her eyes that either meant she had a brilliant idea, or perhaps a crazy one!"
"I just had the best idea ever," Nemona said, a grin on her face. "Ash Ketchum, you have to be my new rival!"
"What?"
"It would be so amazing!" Nemona said, spinning about. "We could compete while we're on our journeys, battling each other to get stronger– oh! I could even do the same thing as you and train up a whole new team! It could just be me and Pawmot like with you and Pikachu– just like our battle today, but for a whole journey! What do you think?"
For Ash, this wasn't even a question that needed to be asked. His battle with Nemona had already left him wanting to challenge her again, and with them having the same destination in mind, the answer was simple.
Ash grinned. "Count me in."
I hope you enjoyed chapter one! You might have noticed this takes place in a slight AU from canon, with Ash having competed in the Galar League instead of the World Coronation Series. I made this choice because the World Coronation Series was clearly meant to be Ash's last hurrah, to make him truly the strongest, and he has definitely earned it– but I wanted this story to have an Ash still heading down that path to be the strongest instead of having already reached it.
So in this AU: he still traveled with Goh and Chloe while having the same general adventures, but in Galar doing the Galar Gyms. He caught the same Pokemon he did in the Journeys anime, and used them in the Galar League. Also Rotomdex traveled with Ash through Galar instead of staying behind in Alola, and will be staying with him through Paldea as well. :)