Chapter 9: Confessions
21:30 KNST (Kanto Standard Time)
Indigo Stadium
PWC Match: Ash vs Lance
Ash was in shock. He won. He actually won. Greninja froze Dragonite and Charizard brute-forced his way through a Charizard and a legendary Golem.
A decade ago he was pretending to be Lance, with a bedsheet as his cape and a pillow as his Dragonite staying up past his bedtime. Now here he was, the new (unofficial) champion of Kanto. He'd be so proud of himself for achieving his past goals.
Later that night.....
There was no time for celebrations, however. Lance had been beaten now but he would be back with a vendetta and nothing is more dangerous than an animal backed in a corner.
Ash had announced immediately after the match that he was going back to Alola for his second matchup against Lance. So he flew back to Pallet the next morning and took off for Alola soon thereafter. He got a text message from Misty. That made leaving Kanto easier.
Arriving in Alola......
Ash touched down in Melemele again. He had his team and his friends by his side and he felt pretty dang confident about it. Both Sceptile and Infernape could dish out some serious damage. And of course, Pikachu was as tough as ever. His primary concern was elsewhere from training for the upcoming match. Serena and him hadn't talked much ever since he rejected Misty which he still felt bad about. He'd have to talk to her. Suddenly, an idea sprang into his head. He knew the perfect spot to catch a sunset. He'd talk to Serena and finally address what happened in the airport between the two of them. And maybe? Walk away with a girlfriend. Or at the very least, closure.
One week before the matchup.....
Serena was getting back from a day of pretty much nothing. She had gone to the beach, gone shopping and explored all that Alola had to offer. But something felt off.... She felt like she was missing something, or rather someone. She hadn't talked with Ash much after he rejected Misty and she felt slightly guilty about the fact. She just didn't want to make things awkward and ruin anything between them. These doubts were cured when Serena got a text from him. It was simply "Meet me outside."
Ash was waiting with Charizard. He looked at her and flashed her a smile. "Hey.....it's been a while, let's go get some food. Just us two. I know a spot that you'd like." Ash grabbed onto Charizard and flew up and away, dragging Serena along with him.
He landed about fifteen minutes later and grabbed her hand, taking her into a restaurant where some boxed food was waiting for him. Ash laid a bill on the table and grabbed the boxed meal and went back outside and got back on Charizard. Dragging a very confused Serena back
Ash flew for a few more minutes before he landed on the summit of a small cliff, inaccessible to all but those who had flying Pokémon. Ash was feeling nervous. He had planned out this "date" with Burnet and Kukui because he needed to address the kiss in the airport. It had gone on long enough and he was sick of not knowing her feelings and her not knowing his. He'd confess today and either have a great story or a girlfriend. Either way it's a win-win.
Ash landed gently and helped Serena off Charizard who he returned to his Poke Ball.
The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Ash motioned his hand towards the food and they started eating up.
About an hour later.....
The sun was setting and Ash was ready to address the big question. He took a deep breath and looked Serena in the eye. "Hey Serena, do you remember the Lumiose airport?" Serena turned bright red and shyly nodded. Ash looked at her and inched closer. "I'll be frank Serena, I've been thinking a lot recently about that kiss. One of the best and worst things about Alola was removing my density. Kukui and my friends helped me learn some hints and I've improved on that front a lot." Ash scratched his head and laughed. "But in all seriousness, Serena I've seriously enjoyed traveling with you so much, so I gotta ask. Why have you been ignoring me these past couple days."
Serena went silent for a few moments before finally speaking up. "I...... I saw how you pushed away Misty for me and I felt bad. I.... I just hate how my feelings for you have hurt you. Nothing good has ever come from them!" Ash sighed and shook his head. "Serena, that isn't true at all. Misty texted me after my battle against Lance. She's sorry and wishes she could talk with you, but point and case- she wants us to be together." Serena started to laugh as she cried slightly, "So what's stopping us then?" Ash looked her in the eye. "Absolutely nothing at all Serena." She hugged him again and then Ash made the first move pushing her into a kiss.
Ash didn't know if he was doing it right, but he sure was happy.
The next day.....
Ash walked out of his room and saw Serena already in the kitchen. She was cooking breakfast with Kukui and Burnet and Ash smirked. He decided he'd break the news to them and possibly cause Kukui to have a heart attack at the same time. So he walked in and greeted the professor. "Morning Professors!" Kukui and Burnet gave a wave and wished him good morning. Ash then walked right over to Serena and kissed her forehead, causing her to turn as red as a fire blast. "Morning Serena!" Ash said with a smirk. Burnet dropped the spoon she was stirring with and Kukui threw the pan he was making eggs with. "AH DAMNIT!" Kukui yelled. Burnet started laughing. "Pay up honey," she said between laughs Ash and Serena looked at each other confused. Kukui looked at them and smiled "Well..... I sorta had a bet with my wife about if you guys would end up dating before or after the tournament. Turns out I was wrong. Very wrong"
Burnet laughed "Kids ignore my husband, the two of us wish you guys the best. Ash is like a son to the two of us and we just want to make sure that the both of you guys are happy and healthy and staying safe." Ash smiled at hearing this. "Thanks Professor Burnet." Serena smiled also.
Kukui cleared his throat. "Just to be clear..... The two of you NEED to be using protection." Ash and Serena both turned bright red and ran out of the kitchen. Burnet and Kukui laughed and went back to cooking breakfast.
Ash decided it'd be fun to break the news to his friends and see their reactions to him finally getting a girlfriend. His first stop was Mallow's restaurant, where he knew she'd be working and putting in some hours. He asked the group if they wanted to meet up for lunch there and they agreed.
Ash walked in the restaurant, but didn't greet his friends as he normally did. Instead, he just sent a message. He had Pikachu on Serena's shoulders. Pikachu loved Serena so this was no issue at all.
Pikachu chirped happily at seeing Mallow, Kiawe, Lana and Lille. Sophocles was running late.
Ash looked at Serena. "Honestly I think it's easier to show it than to say it."
Ash gently squeezed Serena's hand and people got the memo pretty quickly. Mallow squealed "oooooh Ash that's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys". Kiawe started to laugh "I'm proud of you Ash. Make her happy" Lana just glared at Serena. She just mouthed "remember my Sharkpedo." Serena shivered slightly. As for Lille, she was quiet for a bit before smiling. "Well, I'm glad you're happy Ash." It was an unspoken fact among pretty much everyone spare Ash that Lille had a huge crush on Ash. It had lessened in intensity ever since Lana beat her to the punch and after he left Alola she started to move on. But she was likely freaking out internally
Mallow noted to herself she'd have to check up on Lille. Set her up with someone else
Now that was done, Ash could focus on his match. Kukui had made sure that the stadium had sold out entirely for his match against Lance.
Alolans were eager to cheer on their champion against who they perceived as an enemy. Lance was an outsider in their culture, a poster boy of someone from a mainland region who didn't respect their culture, once calling Alola "a joke of a battling region." In an interview with the press. Lance didn't use Z moves, he didn't acknowledge the strength of Alolan Pokemon trainers. And they wanted to make him remember to respect their islands
When Ash got back, he walked in on Kukui holding a stone in the main room. "Professor, what's that?" Ash questioned him. Kukui tossed the stone at him. "Read it for yourself."
There was a sticky note attached to the stone
"To my son: I saw your last match on TV. Seems like you used my mega stone. This is another one in my collection and I've never even used it. It was a gift from an old friend and there's no sense in it collecting dust. Make good use of it. I'm proud of you."
-L
Ash read this twice before gripping the stone. His father was watching and he said he was proud. He smiled and gripped the stone tightly. He'd make good use of it. He swore to himself that one day he'd battle his father and win
The professor scanned the stone "Seems like this is a mega stone for Sceptile. You could use this in your match! Sceptile would do awesome! Considering he's a dragon type upon Mega Evolving!"
Ash started to ready his team for the big day, he had trained up Sceptile especially.
Teaching him Dual Chop, a destructive dragon-type move.
He helped him learn scale shot also, a move that would help his speed in exchange for defense. A trade Ash was willing to make
In reserve, he also taught Infernape stealth rock. A smart move considering many Dragons tended to be flying types. Finally, he was bringing Pikachu with his nuclear Z move that he knew would wipe any opponent off the face of the earth.
Lance stood on the top of a rock in the Vast Poni Canyon. These sorts of places he felt at home- no people to deal with- just nature and strength. Lance took in his surroundings and palmed a Poke Ball. He already used his ace against Ash, but he still had 3 great options. He'd make that child work for every inch in the battle and he wouldn't go down without giving him a fight to remember.
The day of the match arrived, Ash took a deep breath and headed into the stadium. It seemed like all of Alola was in the stadium, and if they weren't in the stadium, they were in the area. All chanting for him. Their champion. He would do it. He'd prove the whole world wrong and win. He'd defeat Lance and get one step closer to his final dream. Becoming a Pokemon Master.
A few hours ago.......
Leo Ketchum touched down in Melemele island on his Mega Pidgeot. It had been ages since he'd last been in Alola. Ever since his honeymoon with Delia. He felt a sting of pain. What happened was an utter shame and not a day went by without him regretting what happened. He made a mistake, a massive one. But he did what needed to be done. No one would ever understand, and if they did they wouldn't believe him. Hell, these days there was a whole project dedicated to finding him. Only, it wasn't "him" they were after. They were searching for his partner who he had to catch to save the world.
Leo Ketchum sighed and released Mew. The Mythical Pokemon giggled and flew around in circles. After almost 15 years, he still understood next to nothing about Mew. Its age was older than Leo could understand, Mew disliked to battle but when it chose to, it could defeat any member of his team with ease. And finally, Mew could talk telepathically. Today, Mew asked him "why have you come to the islands of the sun?" Leo sighed at Mew's questioning. "It's my son. He's come to battle for a large title. I am here to cheer him on. I need to see him battle in person." Mew chucked "Are you sure that's wise?" Leo shook his head "No..... No I'm not. But it's what I'll do regardless. Mew laughed again "you're making a good choice Leo."
He only hoped so.