"Come on, guys," Ash said, pointing. "It's… uh… this way, I think? Yeah, down here!"

He paused, checked his phone, then turned around and pointed in a completely different direction.

"...we're going to end up so lost," Chloe sighed.

"Vee," her Eevee said.

"I think we're already lost," Goh pointed out. "I don't know my way around Lumiose. Do you know your way around Lumiose?"

"No," Chloe conceded. "But I'm not sure Ash knows his way around Lumiose."

Goh shrugged.

"Yeah, but… he did say he knew somewhere we could stay," he said. "And we are getting a good look at the outskirts of Lumiose."

Cinderace looked around, ostentatiously, and Chloe and Eevee both giggled.

"Come on, guys!" Ash called.

"Pika-kachuu!" Pikachu agreed, waving.

"Well, he's stopped moving," Chloe admitted, walking a bit faster. "I wonder if that means he found it?"

"So do I," Goh said. "Let's go and see – and see if there's any good Pokémon around there!"

"You're as bad as him, sometimes," Chloe said, amused.

"Here we are!" Ash said, halting for a moment to wave up at the building, and both Goh and Chloe gave it a good look.

It was a seven-floors-high building, made of white stone and covered in a riot of ivy and other climbing plants, with verdant trees growing either side. It sat in the middle of a small court, almost by itself, though it seemed to have a connection to the other buildings on either side.

"This looks… kind of nice, actually," Chloe conceded. "How did you know this was here, Ash?"

"I've been here before, I said!" Ash replied, walking up and pushing the door. "Come on in, guys!"

"Chuu!" Pikachu said, bouncing on Ash's shoulder, then hopped down as the door opened. "Pi-ka! Pi-ka!"

Goh and Chloe followed, their Pokémon at their heels, and entered the hallway just in time to see an enormous man stand slowly up from behind the counter.

"Ash!" he said, sounding quietly pleased. "It's so good to see you again."

"Thanks, heh," Ash replied, blushing slightly.

"Is that man a giant?" Chloe mumbled, staring.

He looked… strange. He had a mane of white hair that stretched down almost to his knees, which made it over two metres tall, and he had a cane he was leaning on. His clothes were oddly patched together, as well, like they'd been made by combining multiple entire outfits to get the right length for the sleeves and trouser legs, and there was a Floette floating over his shoulder in colours that neither Chloe nor Goh had ever seen before.

Then the man folded himself down to a lower level, and gave Ash a hug.

"Look at you," he said, warmly. "The World Monarch, no less!"

He chuckled. "I'm impressed, Ash."

"Thanks, Dad!" Ash replied, hugging him back.

"...what?" Goh asked, startled. "Did you-"

"This is your dad!?" Chloe said. "But – uh – how?!"

"Oh, it's kind of a long story, really," Ash replied, breaking away from the hug a bit, as Pikachu and Floette exchanged a nod. "Actually, Dad, is it okay if I tell them?"

"Why not," the man invited.

"So, this is my dad," Ash explained. "His name's A Z, spelled with just the two letters, and he's three thousand years old!"

He grinned. "That's actually how it is that I've looked like I'm ten years old for, you know, about six or seven years? I guess I inherited ageing really slowly from him, it's kind of lucky it only kicked in once I was old enough to go on my Pokémon journey!"

"But he's… three metres tall," Goh objected. "He's huge."

"Wait, did you say you – he's three thousand years old?" Chloe said, at about the same time.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed. "If you think about it, it kinda makes sense, because, once someone's immortal it's not like they're going to get less immortal the older they get!"

He glanced at AZ. "And, we've met a couple of times, but – the way it is, is, because it looks like I'm immortal too then we'll always have time for each other. And other friends are… the people who I have to enjoy time with while I can, right?"

"That…" Goh began, then stopped, and tried thinking about it. "Uhm… I don't think I ever thought about that, before."

"Ash knows several Legendary Pokémon," AZ pointed out, with a chuckle. "I understand he's talked to some of them about it."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it was really helpful talking to Darkrai about it, we kinda had a chance to work it out together… and Squishy, too. Squishy was really helpful."

"I find that Squishy is always helpful, if you can persuade them to stick around long enough for a conversation," AZ said, leaning on his cane and sitting back down. "They come around here, sometimes. So does your Greninja, Ash."

"That's great!" Ash decided. "Maybe we'll get lucky and Greninja will show up while we're staying here – oh, yeah, I was going to say, I hoped that my friends and I could stay here? Is there space?"

"Of course," AZ replied. "I'm sure you'll get a better room here than anywhere else in Lumiose."

"I have so many questions," Chloe said, faintly.

AN:

Look, it makes as much sense as some of the other options. And it explains two things at once, that's value.