Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of his team who'd battled Daniel, including Greninja, rested near a wooded area just outside Wyndon City. The sky was turning slightly orange as day turned to evening, and they listened to the serene sounds of wind blowing through tree branches and wild Pokemon moving about.
Each of Ash's Pokemon remained close to him as they tried to take in their battle with Daniel earlier that day. Ash and his Pokemon had been humbled many times in their journey, but never quite like that, especially just after winning the World Coronation Series.
Even so, Ash forced himself to smile and motioned for his Pokemon to come closer.
"I'm very proud of you guys. Taking on Daniel Rian's Pokemon with such courage and determination. We have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Pika! Pikachu!!!"
Infernape and Dragonite soon nodded with similar expressions. However, Greninja did so more reluctantly. Charizard and Lucario, by contrast, couldn't shake off the look of disappointment.
Ash tried to console them when he and the others felt a powerful wind sweep over them and noticed many wild Pokemon flee in terror.
"So you decided to meet us after all." Daniel said as he flew in on his Charizard and shook the ground as he landed.
"It's hard to say no to the Pokemon Kaiser." Ash said, placing his hand behind his head.
Ash's Pokemon turned to greet them, but Charizard couldn't quite look out of shame and a hint of resentment, at least until he heard the King Charizard growl and nervously did so.
"I'm sorry we had to leave Wyndon city to talk. I tend to attract attention wherever I go." Daniel said, sweatdropping slightly.
"I don't mind. This was a nice spot to get away and clear my head." Daniel came over and sat beside Ash before staring off into the horizon with him.
"Are you doing ok? Serena explained to me your unique bond with Greninja."
Ash slowly nodded.
"We'll be fine, eventually. I've never quite felt anything like your Charizard before." Greninja and Charizard both sweatdropped while nodding in agreement.
"I suppose I should congratulate you, though. Overcoming Leon at such a young age."
"Maybe, but we were no match for you."
"I think you did better than you realize Ash." Ash took this sincerely, and soon even Charizard and Lucario started to feel a little better.
"I've been watching you for some time. You've come a long way since you started your Journey, Ash."
"You, you've been watching my career!?" Ash muttered in awe, quickly followed by his Pokemon.
"You're only sixteen, and you've become a regional Champion and reached the top of the World Coronation Series. It makes me wonder what you're going to do next."
Ash felt his stomach harden slightly, and his Pokemon saw the uncertainty in their trainer's eyes.
Since starting the World Coronation Series, Ash had remained entirely focused on this final goal. He hadn't put any thought into what he might new next.
".......I, I suppose there are other regions, other gyms, other leagues." Pikachu trembled when he heard a distinct lack of spark in Ash's voice. The passion and determination that drove him through so many regions didn't seem to inspire him like they used to, not after earning the title of regional Champion, not after the World Coronation Series.
"I guess I'm a Pokemon Master...... Aren't I?" Ash sounded slightly lost and very unsure of himself.
"Do you feel like a Pokemon Master?" Daniel asked in a serious tone.
Ash slowly trembled and turned to each of his Pokemon before sighing.
"No. I've achieved everything I set out to accomplish, all except that, and, well." Ash cut himself off, and Daniel noticed his face turn slightly bashful.
"Indeed. I know how you feel. Traveling to new regions, gym battles, and Pokemon leagues, it just doesn't feel quite the same anymore. What are you going to do now, if you don't mind me asking?"
Ash took a deep breath but soon saw his Pokemon come closer and embrace him. Daniel and his Charizard saw a fire light in Ash's eyes, and he almost sprung back up.
"I'm going to become a Pokemon Master, one way or another! I still have one goal left to achieve!" Daniel and his Charizard saw the same fire spread to Ash's Pokemon, and soon they all stared at them with burning enthusiasm.
"Really?" Daniel smirked with his Charizard.
"Hai! One day we will overcome you, Daniel! We won't ever give up!"
"Pika!!!"
"Grauuu!!!"
"Grouuu!"
"Nite!"
"Ape!"
"Gre!!"
Rather than look competitive or cocky, Daniel smiled back at Ash with immense pride.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Ash."
"Eh?" Ash looked slightly confused.
"Do you know why I've watched your career with so much interest, Ash? Because of your ability to grow and bond with your Pokemon in such a short time. You've done more in a few years than most can accomplish in a lifetime."
"I had a lot of help along the way." Ash admitted before he felt Daniel's hand on his shoulder.
"So did we."
"Nani?" Ash's Pokemon looked just as surprised.
"Not many people know this, but we had a mentor early in our journey."
"You did!?"
"Pika!?"
Daniel nodded as he and his Charizard thought back to what were clearly many fond memories.
"Sensei came to Charizard and me when we were at our lowest and took us under his wing. Everything we've accomplished was because of him and his training."
"Grauuu." Charizard growled while nodding.
"Sensei always told me he saw something in me, a special kind of potential for true greatness. It's that same potential I've come to see in you, Ash. Your aura."
"Aura."
"Grouu." Lucario perked up with immense interest.
Daniel took a deep breath and made Ash as well as his team gaze in awe when his eyes flashed blue with Charizard's. All seven nearly yelped when they saw Daniel unleash a small aura sphere into a tree.
"You know of aura, Ash, and you have the ability to form exceptional bonds with your Pokemon because of it. Not just with your Lucario, but all your Pokemon. It's this aura bonding that enhances your ability to grow with your Pokemon, like your Greninja, for example."
All eyes turned to Greninja.
"I've never quite seen anything like your bond evolution with him. It was further proof that your ability to use aura could surpass even my own."
"It, it could." Ash trembled, earning a deep smile from Daniel.
"Yes, which is why I want us to battle again. Not now, of course, but after I've unlocked your true potential."
"My, my true potential?!"
Daniel and his Charizard gazed out at the horizon.
"Ash, since I became Kaiser, I've longed for someone to truly challenge my team and me. Someone who could push me to my limits and make us proves ourselves again. You're the only one who can do this, so I want to train you and your Pokemon the same way sensei taught me. Hone your aura abilities and make you a Pokemon Master."
Ash and his Pokemon trembled in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they heard.
"You, you want to train us!?"
"Yes." Ash saw the excitement fade from Daniel's face and harden into steel.
"But you must understand, Ash, this will be the most strenuous and demanding thing you've ever done. You and your Pokemon will be pushed beyond your limits and then continue. I won't take it easy on you at all and will expect a full dedication to your training. That means a complete-time commitment too."
"Time." Ash muttered.
"Yes, it means for the next few years, you will only train with me and attend to your duties as Alolan Champion. Nothing else."
Ash hesitated, unsure of what to do. He turned to his six Pokemon, who looked similarly conflicted. It wasn't that Ash was afraid of such hardships, but leaving behind his friends for so long, one in particular.
"Pika, Pikachu!!!" Pikachu cried.
"Grouuu!"
"Gre!"
"Nite!"
"Ape!"
"Grauuu!!" Ash wiped away a single tear and exhaled.
"Forgive me." He said, thinking of someone in particular while holding his heart.
"Daniel, train us!!!!"
The Kaiser nodded while his Charizard roared.
"Finally. Now first things first, hand me your Dynamax band."
"Ok." Ash did so without hesitation, only for Daniel's eyes to glow blue while he crushed the device into pieces.
"Ehhhh!!!!!?" Ash, Pikachu, and the other Pokemon all turned pale with crestfallen expressions.
"Rule number one, NO MORE GIGANTIMAXING!" Daniel held his head with an incredibly annoyed look.
"I can't express how much I hate that trick!"
"Grauuu!" The King Charizard snarled while nodding.
"But, I-" Ash almost teared up before Daniel reached his hand out again.
"Your Z-Ring too."
"Ahhh! Please, no! This is from the region I first became a Champion in!" Ash pleaded.
Daniel exhaled deeply.
"Fine, but we are going to remedy one particular situation!!" Daniel took out a box and shoved it into Ash's hands.
"Open it."
Ash slowly did so and gasped with Charizard when he saw two keystones and three different pieces of Charizardite inside, along with a necklace holder just like the kind Alain's and Daniel's Charizards wore to house their Charizardite.
"This is just a start. We'll get a stone for each of your capable Pokemon eventually. But your Charizard will Mega Evolve, you hear me!"
"Grauu!!!" Charizard roared with bursting enthusiasm.
"Arigatōgozaimashita, Daniel, but I already have a keystone." Ash said, showing his to Daniel.
"Take the other two. You'll be able to Mega Evolve up to three Pokemon at once." Daniel said while emphasizing his two keystones.
"Gather up all your Pokemon and meet us at Mt. Silver when you're ready. We'll begin training there." Before Ash could say anything else, Daniel climbed into his Charizard and took off.
"Don't keep us waiting too long, Ash!"
"Grauuu!!"
Ash and Charizard slowly looked back at the three pieces of Charizardite.
"Charizard, you should pick. Which form do you want to take?" Charizard hesitated as he pictured himself first as a Charizard X while staring at that piece of Charizardite, and then Y when he turned to that piece.
However, Charizard's eyes lingered on the third piece, and upon looking at the King Charizard one more time, he snarled with an immensely competitive smile before emphasizing one of the three pieces.
"Alright!" Ash placed the necklace on Charizard's and then embedded his chosen piece of Charizardite inside. However, upon doing so, he thought about one individual in particular once again and hesitated.
"Pika." Pikachu said, trying to comfort him.
"Gre." Greninja pointed to a nearby rock, and soon the others looked over. There, Ash and his team saw several wild Pokemon gathered around a stage-shaped boulder where another Pokemon gleefully danced around, putting on a show for the others.
Several of the wild Pokemon applauded, and the dancing Pokemon cried out in utter passion before continuing her performance.
Ash smiled fondly before looking back at the remaining pieces of Charizardite and two keystones.
"That's it!!!"
Back inside Wyndon city, Serena furiously raced through the halls of the hotel Ash had been staying at for the World Coronation Series Master Class battles.
"Ash! Ash!" She cried with Sylveon close beside her.
"Syl!!!" Serena's heart raced. For neither she nor any of the others had seen Ash since he disappeared following his battle with Daniel.
"Ash! Ash, come out here this moment!" Delia roared while rounding a corner with Cilan, Kukui and Bernet, and Samson Oak.
"You haven't found him either?!" Serena muttered.
"No, he's quite elusive, that Ash." Samson chuckled before Delia's fiery eyes silenced him.
"Come on, let's keep looking!!!" Delia led her group down another hall while Serena and Sylveon continued on their own. Eventually, she came across Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Shauna, Iris, Clemont, Chloe, Bonnie, Tierno, and Goh.
"I swear, I'm going to smack him over the head so hard when we find him!" Misty snarled.
"Serena, he didn't look distraught after his battle, did he?" Brock asked.
"No." Serena muttered, though now she wasn't so sure of herself. After almost two years apart from Ash, Serena was overjoyed for the chance to see him again. Particularly now that she considered herself ready to press on him as her goal, just as she'd promised.
She'd wanted to do so following his battle, but he went off to talk with Daniel, robbing her of the opportunity. Despite this, she stood up tall with fiery determination.
"We'll find him no matter what!"
"Serena's right. Let's go!" May cried.
They continued searching before eventually running into Tracy and Professor Oak.
"Ahh, there you are." Oak said.
"You found Ash!?" Serena cried.
"No, but we got a call from Kase." Tracy said.
"Who?" Shauna asked.
"Kase is my other protégé back at my lab. He remained behind while Tracy and I came to support Ash. We received a call from him a few minutes ago. Apparently, Ash had called earlier requesting that all his Pokemon be sent to him."
"What!!!?" The group shouted in unison.
"I know, quite strange." Oak said before he and Tracy continued searching.
"Why would Ash do that?" Iris asked.
"Have we checked his room yet?" Tierno asked before Misty looked ready to slap him, then actually did it.
"Ahhh!!" Tierno moaned while holding his cheek where a red handprint lay.
"Yes! We checked there!!!!?"
"How long ago, though?" Brock asked.
".....A while ago." Misty admitted.
Serena and Sylveon sprinted ahead of the others, ignoring all sense of fatigue before noticing Ash's room's door slightly open.
"Ash!!!"
"Syl!!!" They cried while throwing the door open.
There, they spotted Ash on the balcony, his backpack bulging with Pokeballs and Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Ash-" Serena froze when she saw his Charizard flying over the balcony and lowing himself for Ash to climb onto his back.
"Ash!!!" Serena cried, barely able to contain her intense emotions. She sprinted over to the Balcony with Sylveon and grabbed his hand.
Ash and Pikachu slowly turned, his eyes meeting Serena's. A moment of silent but intense passion overtook them both as Pikachu, Sylveon, and Charizard anxiously waited for one to speak, especially when they saw the same look of hesitation from earlier overtake Ash.
"Serena." He muttered.
"There you are!!!" Misty roared while racing inside the room after Serena. The others close behind.
"Ahh! Ash, what are you doing!?" Clemont yelped.
"Are you going somewhere!?" Brock muttered.
Ash didn't turn to the others but kept looking at Serena.
"Hai, there's something I have to do. It will take me away from everyone for quite some time."
"You're, you're leaving." Serena almost choked on her words.
"Ash! This is crazy! Just because you lost to the Kaiser-" May started.
"I'm not running away or sulking. I have a chance to achieve my dreams if I do this. You just have to trust me."
"Ash-" Misty snarled like an overprotective sister before Serena placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Ash, grow stronger, and never give up your dream." A single tear fell from Serena's eyes as she said this.
Bonnie, Shauna, Iris, May, Chloe, and Misty all slowly smiled when they saw this. Tierno trembled while Brock nodded at Ash proudly, for more reason than one.
"Ash." Goh muttered.
"This isn't goodbye to any of you. I'll be back, I promise!"
"Pika!!"
"Grauu!!!"
"You'd better come back extra strong!" Sawyer cried.
"Catch lots of amazing Pokemon!" Goh added.
"And keep yourself safe!" Misty added.
Ash nodded before turning back to Serena and taking her hands.
"Serena, my dream is to become a Pokemon Master, but I have another goal too."
"Eh?"
Ash smiled back in a way that made the others pause.
"But in case it is a while before we meet again, I'd like you to take care of someone for me." Ash placed something into Serena's hand, though she remained so focused on Ash that she didn't notice.
Ash slowly climbed onto Charizard's back while his friend waved goodbye, but just as the Fire Lizard was about to fly off, Ash turned around.
"One more thing."
"Eh?" The world seemed to slow down as Ash placed his hands around Serena's shoulders and planted a fiery kiss on her lips.
"Ahhh!!!!!" Bonnie, Chloe, and Shauna clasped their hands together and beamed bright pink while Tierno turned pale and collapsed onto his back.
"Ash!!!" Brock teared up in joy while Goh and Clemont yelped.
"I knew it!" Sawyer laughed.
May, Misty, and Iris all giggled.
"Looks like he has grown up." May sighed.
"Syl!" Sylveon giggled while Pikachu and Charizard chuckled. After a long time, Charizard forcibly pulled Ash away, leaving Serena bright red and trembling.
"Serena! You're my target! The next time you see me, I'll be the Pokemon Kaiser! Once I become Pokemon Kaiser, I'm going to marry you!!!!" Ash proclaimed.
Serena suddenly went still, but the others exploded.
"Marry! Did he just say, marry!!!!?" Misty yelped.
Serena finally regained her senses and merely smiled back.
"Then you really have to become the Pokemon Kaiser Ash!!!" The performer cried back.
She and the others watched Ash until he disappeared into the sunset, Serena's face still beamed red while holding her heart.
"Syl!!"
"Serena, what did Ash give you?" May asked.
Serena only then remembered and quickly looked down to see the handkerchief from the first day they'd met.
"Ash." She muttered before realizing that the handkerchief wrapped around something round.
"Huh? A Pokeball!!" Serena almost shouted upon realizing what it was. Something else fell out of the handkerchief too. Serena quickly caught a mega evolution keystone and piece of Charizardite in her offhand.
"A Keystone and piece of Charizardite?" Brock said upon closer inspection.
Serena looked back at the Pokeball and opened it, revealing the Pokemon inside.
"Char!!!!" Serena almost jumped when she saw a small Charmander leap out and into her arms.
"A Charmander!?" Misty shouted.
"Char!!!!" The female Charmander smiled warmly while looking up into Serena's eyes.
The performer finally let out a few tears and held the Charmander tightly.
"Until we meet again, Ash."