Lumiose University - A Degree In Pokemon

Chapter 3: A Lot to Learn

The first thing that happened when Ash had arrived home, was the usual motherly attention he received whenever he got back from his journeys. Delia had rushed up to him, fussed over him, asked him about fifty questions, and then told him to change his clothes and put the old ones in the laundry. It was quite the barrage to receive upon arrival, so Ash stood in a daze for a moment, while his mother started rushing off to the kitchen.

Delia whipped around, somehow sensing that Ash hadn't moved. "Ash, get going!" she hissed, waving her arm towards the stairs. "Professor Oak will be here soon. He's coming for dinner."

"Oh really?" Ash asked excitedly, kicking off his shoes and starting to walk towards the stairs. "Maybe we can go to the lab later? I'd like to see all my Pokemon."

His mother looked like she'd been expecting that question and smirked once Ash asked it. "I think that can be arranged." She then pointed upstairs and a stern expression came to her face. "You do need to get ready, though. Dinner is almost ready and Professor Oak will be here very soon."

"Right," Ash said quickly, heading up the stairs on the way to his room. He looked up at Pikachu on his shoulder and could see the electric mouse was happy to be home, whatever amount of time it would be for. "It's been awhile since I've had one of mom's meals," Ash said, stomach rumbling as he spoke.

As they went up the stairs, past a long row of pictures of Ash as a little kid, Ash battling in Pokemon leagues and Ash with his Pokemon, he felt a rush of relief at being home. He noticed a picture of him at Professor Oak's summer camp, and even though he couldn't remember too much about it, he felt happy seeing his younger, smiling self, standing next to a honey-blonde haired girl with a straw hat. He shrugged and continued on his way around a corner and approached his room, eyes lighting up as he saw the door. More memories of that first day came back to him.

"It's a good thing I woke up late that day, huh Pikachu?" Ash asked, stopping in front of his room and glancing again at his smiling Pokemon. "I don't even know what I would've done if I'd never gotten to travel with you as my partner."

Pikachu nodded, actually looking a little upset at the thought. Ash supposed Pikachu was thinking about how close that reality had come to happening. It wasn't exactly a happy thought for him, either, and he smiled comfortingly at Pikachu.

The two of them then entered Ash's room, and Ash couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at the sight of it. He was glad nobody was there to see it, as it was definitely not the room of someone who was grown up. It wasn't like it was before, as his mother had tried to keep it clean while he was gone, but he still had his kiddie pokeball patterned bed sheets, his Snorlax plushie, his broken Voltorb clock, and various Pokemon posters.

It wasn't all bad, though. On top his dresser drawers across from his bed, were all the various badges and trophies he'd received. He hadn't seen them in a while, so he was actually a little alarmed at how crowded it all was when put together, especially as he took out his badge case from Kalos and put it alongside the rest.

All in all, he had fifty-two badges from Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos. He had seven Frontier symbols from the Battle Frontier, all put in a plaque he had received for winning all seven. And, he had the Orange League trophy for defeating Drake, the supreme gym leader of the Orange League. Looking at all of them made Ash realize just how much he'd accomplished throughout his time as a Pokemon trainer. However, there was one thing he knew that he was missing. I need a Pokemon League victor's trophy. I should've had one in my hands right now.

As Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and onto his bed, Ash continued to stare at his shelf full of accomplishments. He knew he should be proud of it all, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt frustrated in what he hadn't accomplished. He didn't even notice it when he pulled off his backpack and tossed it to the ground with so much force it hit with a loud thud.