Chapter 5

After returning Reisa, Luke, Dawn, and Lillie to their homes, Ash and Alice sit quietly in the plane, with Aurora at the controls. The hum of the engine fills the silence between them. Ash finally turns to Alice, his eyes searching hers.

"Alice," he begins, his voice soft but curious, "aren't you going back to Kalos?"

Alice meets his gaze and shakes her head gently. "I called my mother. I'm staying by your side," she replies with quiet determination. "If you're in Kalos, then I'm in Kalos. If you're in Kanto, then I will be in Kanto. I'm not going to leave you again."

Ash feels a warmth rise to his cheeks, a light blush coloring his face. He hesitates for a moment, then asks, "Alice, why do you care so much about me?"

Alice blinks, caught off guard by the question. "Huh?" she responds, her confusion evident.

"Is it because I saved you when you were a kid? Or... is it something else?" Ash's voice is tinged with uncertainty, as if he's been wondering this for a long time.

(Flashback)

In Snowbelle City, Alice races toward the forest, her heart pounding in her chest. She finds Ash standing alone, snow swirling around him. His voice is barely a whisper when he mutters, "Sorry... for leaving so suddenly."

Alice steps closer, concern etched on her face. "Ash, if something's troubling you, talk to me about it! It can be anything," she pleads. "If I can help you, no matter how little..."

But Ash lowers his head, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. Seeing this, Alice tries to reach him. "I know how you feel, Ash. Back when I failed at my Pokémon Showcase, I wondered if I—"

"What do you know about it, Alice?!" Ash suddenly yells, his voice sharp and filled with frustration. The outburst shocks Alice, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Then why don't you talk to me?!" Alice shouts back, her voice trembling with both anger and hurt.

"This is my problem. Just leave me be!" Ash turns away, his shoulders tense with emotion.

Fury bubbles up inside Alice. She grabs a snowball and hurls it at him. "The Ash I know is always full of energy, a leader who works hard, optimistic, and never gives up until the end! So why...?!"

She keeps throwing snowballs at him, one after another, until Ash collapses onto the snowy ground. "Right now, you're not yourself at all."

Tears blur Alice's vision as she turns and runs away, leaving Ash lying in the snow. He whispers to himself, "Not myself..."

Minutes later, Alice trudges back to her house, her breaths coming in sharp huffs. Clemont, Bonnie, Eve, and Flora stand by the door, their faces etched with worry.

"Alice, where have you—" Eve begins, but Alice cuts her off, her voice flat. "I don't care."

"But what about Ash?" Pikachu asks, concern in his voice.

"I don't care," Alice repeats, turning away.

Flora glances at the sky, her voice soft. "The blizzard is coming..."

Alice suddenly screams in frustration, "Ah, geez! I get it already!" She bolts outside. Bonnie's voice follows her, filled with confusion. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"I have to bring Ash back before the weather gets worse, even if I have to drag him back myself!" Alice declares. "It's dangerous out there!"

"We're not letting you go alone!" Eve insists, stepping forward. "We'll come too!"

"Me too!" Bonnie chimes in.

"Wait, Bonnie!" Clemont calls after her. "Eve, you too!" Flora adds.

A few minutes later, the five of them huddle around a fire, the flames casting warm, flickering light on their worried faces. Alice stares into the fire, her brow furrowed. "I hope he's safe..."

Bonnie tries to reassure her, her voice bright. "He's fine, Alice."

"Yeah, it's Ash we're talking about," Flora adds with a soft smile.

Alice sighs, her guilt surfacing. "But earlier, I lost my cool and said something awful to Ash..." She bites her lip, her voice barely above a whisper. "But that's because... to me, Ash is someone I admire..."

When they finally find Ash, he stands before them, his expression remorseful. "Everyone, I'm sorry."

Alice steps forward, her eyes softening. "Ash..."

He meets her gaze, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Alice. Your words woke me up."

A smile slowly spreads across Alice's face, warmth replacing her earlier anger. "Welcome back, Ash."

(Flashback End)

"I... well, I..." Alice stammers, her cheeks flushing as she tries to hide her embarrassment behind her scarf.

Ash notices her reaction and continues, his voice gentle. "And that kiss you gave me on the escalator... I've been thinking about it too. To me, you've become more and more attractive."

Alice's heart races, and she begins to feel dizzy. Ash is confessing to her, albeit indirectly, and the realization overwhelms her. Sensing her growing discomfort, Ash quickly asks, "Alice? Are you okay?"

"I'm just a little too hot..." Alice murmurs, her voice faint.

Ash tilts his head in concern. "Wouldn't you feel a bit cooler if you took off the scarf?"

"I'm fine," Alice insists, clutching the scarf tightly. "That's because... both the scarf and the blue ribbon are from you... And to answer your question... because you're family..."

Ash smiles softly at her response. "Family, huh?" he muses. "You already have two loving sisters and parents. So may I interpret that..."

He leans in close, his voice a whisper in her ear, "Iron Tail?"

The words are too much for Alice. Overwhelmed, she finally faints in shock. Ash sighs gently, catching her as she collapses. He carefully arranges her to lie on his lap, waiting patiently for the private jet to arrive at Sevestar Island.

Once they arrive at Sevestar Island, Adam is already waiting for them in the grand castle that stands proudly on the horizon. As they step inside, Ash turns to Alice, his voice filled with a mix of nostalgia and pride. "This is actually the place where I was born, Alice."

Alice looks around in awe, taking in the beauty of the surroundings. "This place is beautiful," she breathes, her eyes wide with wonder.

Adam and Aurora share a warm hug before turning their attention to Ash and Alice. Adam smiles and says, "I see that Alice is here as well. Did you get your parents' permission?"

Alice nods firmly. "Yes, Mr. Ketchum. After what happened to Ash back in Kanto, I'm not going to leave him. I want to protect him."

Ash steps forward, a slight blush on his cheeks as he declares, "Yeah, and Mom, Dad... Alice and I are a couple now."

Aurora and Adam blink in surprise, their eyes widening before Aurora's lips curl into a knowing smile. "I had a feeling something was happening between you two ever since that summer camp."

Adam chuckles softly, exchanging a glance with Aurora. "Indeed, it reminds me of us when we were younger." He then turns serious, his voice lowering. "Speaking of which, I trust that Team Rocket is finally gone for good?"

Aurora's expression hardens slightly. "Don't worry, I killed Giovanni. He won't be a threat anymore. But he was just a pawn, like the other Team Leaders that Ash has... dealt with."

Adam frowns, his brows knitting together. "Indeed. The real culprits behind this are the governments of the nine regions. Each of them is guilty, feeding people lies and acting out of greed."

Aurora nods, her frown deepening. "No doubt after Team Rocket's attack, they'll probably paint Team Alpha as criminals, claiming we want to destroy them."

Adam sighs, his voice resolute. "We'll have to gather every member of Team Alpha. We need to discuss our next steps carefully."

Ash turns to his father, a determined look in his eyes. "Dad, can I finally become a member of Team Alpha? I mean, all this time I've been training in the nine regions, becoming the World Champion, and visiting all the families to help them battle the evil teams."

Adam considers his son's words for a moment before replying, "I don't see a reason not to. But tell me, Ash, why do you want to become a member of Team Alpha?"

Ash's voice is firm, his resolve clear. "It's simple. I want to become the very best, like no one ever was. But more than that, I want to avenge Golly..." He pauses, then continues with even more determination, "No, it's not just about Golly. There are people like her being slaughtered outside in the world, and I want to save them too!"

Alice steps forward, her voice resolute. "If Ash is going to join, I want to join too."

Aurora looks at Alice with a gentle smile. "Alice, you'll need your parents' permission. But I can help you with that. After all, Valerie and I have been best friends for a long time."

Adam nods, then gestures for them to follow him. "Ash, Alice, come with me. I'll show you what I've been working on all these years."

Ash feels a mix of excitement and nerves as he follows his father. Though Adam has been teaching him how to use Aura, he hasn't been home often, and their time together has been limited. Now, as Adam prepares to reveal what he has been doing, Ash knows he can't afford to miss a single detail.

They descend into the basement of the castle, and Ash and Alice are immediately struck by the sight before them. The room is filled with items and artifacts hidden away from the world. There's the Mewtwo Armor that was stolen from Team Rocket, the GS Ball containing the Mythical Pokémon Celebi, two suits crafted by Team Magma and Aqua to interact with Kyogre and Groudon, the Red Chain forged by Team Galactic, the Colress Machine that uses EM waves to bring out a Pokémon's potential, the device that connects to Ultra Wormholes, tubes containing Wishing Stars, and the Scarvio Book filled with mysteries about Paradox Pokémon.

Ash's eyes widen in disbelief. "What the... Dad? Where did you get all of these?"

Adam looks at his son and explains calmly, "These are replicas of the devices created by the evil teams you've destroyed, or they've been donated by other key members of Team Alpha."

"If each one represents a region... the only thing missing is something from Kalos," Alice observes, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"That's because I've been using it," Adam replies, opening a heavy door. As the door swings open, Ash and Alice are confronted with a sight that takes their breath away—a body lies on top of a machine, motionless but unmistakable. Ash's heart skips a beat as he recognizes the person lying there, despite the body appearing to be the same age as him.

"Golly!" Ash gasps in shock, his mind reeling. "But... how... what is this...?"

Adam sighs, the weight of years in his voice. "This is the machine we managed to steal from Team Flare... they called it the Ultimate Weapon."

"The Ultimate Weapon?" Ash and Alice echo, confusion clouding their thoughts. They remember that Team Flare had once sought to control Zygarde and Ash's Bond Phenomenon Greninja, even using Marin's Chespie to power up a Megalith. But this weapon is something entirely new to them.

"Before you two were born, Team Flare attempted to use the Ultimate Weapon to achieve their goals," Adam explains, his gaze fixed on the machine. "They didn't need Zygarde; their targets were Xerneas and Yveltal. However, Team Alpha destroyed their original base in Geosenge Town and took the machine with us."

Aurora steps forward, her tone somber. "According to the files we recovered, with Xerneas' powers, the machine can revive a human or Pokémon from death. But with Yveltal's power, it can create a destruction so vast that it ended an ancient war."

Ash's eyes widen, the pieces slowly falling into place. "So all this time, you've been trying to revive Golly from the dead?" he asks, his voice filled with a mix of hope and disbelief. "Will it work? Will Golly really come back to life?"

Adam meets his son's gaze, his expression both determined and weary. "We've been trying for 15 years, and so far, the body has been growing like that of a normal human. But the real challenge is Golly's soul... Yveltal and Giratina haven't been able to find her soul yet."

Ash's heart sinks, his hope wavering. "No way..." he murmurs, frowning as the enormity of the situation settles in. Just then, Pikachu leaps toward the machine, his eyes glowing with an intense light. Alarmed, Ash calls out, "Pikachu? What are you doing?"

"Ash... I guess it's time for me to fulfill my purpose," Pikachu responds, his voice steady as the light in his eyes grows brighter, mirrored by the glow enveloping Golly's body. The brilliance intensifies, blinding everyone in the room until it slowly fades away.

As the light dissipates, Ash stares at Pikachu in confusion. "Pikachu... what did you just do?"

Before Pikachu can respond, a soft cough breaks the silence. They all turn to see Golly slowly waking up. "Golly!" Ash exclaims, rushing forward.

Adam quickly helps Golly sit up, his voice gentle but concerned. "Are you okay, Golly?"

Golly takes a deep breath, her movements still a bit shaky. "I'm fine... I'm glad to be back in my body... I'm sorry I made you worry, Brother, Mom, Dad..."

The four of them embrace, the relief palpable in the room. Golly then turns to Alice, a playful smirk on her lips. "And I'm glad my sometimes stupid brother finally has a girlfriend."

Ash winces at the jab, but the moment is too important to dwell on it. He turns back to Pikachu, his curiosity piqued. "So, Pikachu, how did you do it? How did you find Golly's soul?"

Golly answers before Pikachu can, her voice soft but clear. "I never really left you all. After I was shot, my soul stayed with Ho-Oh, watching over you. When my brother finally began his journey, Ho-Oh decided to bring my soul to Pikachu, so I could still be by my brother's side."

Ash stares at Golly, stunned. "Seriously... you've been with me this whole time and never told me?" His gaze then shifts to Pikachu, concern evident in his eyes. "But now that you've left Pikachu, what will happen to him?"

Golly nods, understanding his worry. "Without me, Pikachu's powers will return to those of a normal Pikachu. Team Rocket kept trying to steal Pikachu because they knew my powers were enhancing his strength..."

Ash can hardly believe what he's hearing. He turns back to Pikachu, his voice filled with concern. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Pikachu nods, a determined look in his eyes. "Maybe I won't be able to beat a Regice or Tapu Koko again, but I'm still your partner, Ash."

Ash smiles, his heart swelling with affection for his loyal friend. "You're right," he says, wrapping Pikachu in a warm hug. Alice watches them with a fond smile, her heart touched by the bond they share.

And here is a new chapter, and Golly is revived. I hope you like it.