masdog
What is the airspeed of an unladen Swellow?
Author's Note: In honor of Amourshipping Day, I'm posting part of an incomplete story. This is rough and unfinished. Enjoy.
“Professor,” Ash said. His voice sounded heavy, like it had been carrying the weight of the world. “I need some advice. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Always,” Professor Kukui replied as he looked up from the dishes he was washing. He could see the worry on Ash’s face. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well...” Ash said. “I know my time here in Alola is coming to an end. But I don’t know what to do next. Every time I’ve worked my way through a region, someone has always pointed me towards the next region I should visit. But this year, I learned about so many regions in class.”
“And you want me to tell you which region you should visit next,” Kukui answered.
“Well…” Ash replied. “Kind of. Galar sounds pretty cool. Both Orro and Lental sounded pretty neat too.”
“What do you think, Professor?” Ash asked.
“I think…” Kukui started to say. He looked out the window as he gathered his thoughts, and he saw the Kalosian honey-blond girl, who had become his second house guest over the last few weeks as Ash showed her around Alola, at the edge of the water playing with Lycanroc and Sylveon. “I know that someone has always told you where you should go next. I can’t do that. But I think that there is someone who is waiting to have this conversation with you. She’s waiting for you to open up to her.”
“What do you mean, Professor?” Ash asked.
“Ash,” Kukui said with a sigh. “Our Pokémon aren’t the only partners we have on our journey through life. Professor Burnet is someone I can turn to and rely on when I need guidance, advice, or strength.”
“So you’re saying that I should get married?” Ash asked.
“No, Ash,” Kukui said with a laugh. He looked around the room as he paused to gather his thoughts. He saw Pikachu, asleep on the couch. That gives me an idea. “You trust Pikachu, right?”
“Yeah, Professor,” Ash replied. “He’s my best friend. We’ve been through so much together.”
“And through all of that, you’ve built a strong bond with him and your other Pokémon,” Kukui replied. “But you’ve also had others with you on your journeys who have been through those things with you. Have you built the same type of bonds with them?”
“They were all here a few weeks ago for the Manalo Conference,” Ash replied.
“But how often do you talk to them?” Kukui asked. “And do you turn to them when you have a problem?”
Kukui watched as Ash closed his eyes with a slight, barely audible sigh. He could see that his student was lost in thought.
“You don’t need to answer that right now,” he continued. He set the last plate down on the counter to dry. “Just think about it.”
***
Serena dodged to her right, narrowly avoiding the splash. The game had turned into a mock battle as Ash’s Dusk-Form Lycanroc had playfully jumped through the water as he tried to splash both Serena and her Sylveon. Ash had warned her that Lycanroc didn’t like getting wet or dirty, but the grooming skills that she had perfected during her time in Hoenn had overcome most of that. She found that Lycanroc liked these kinds of water games.
“Come around and splash him from the right, Sylveon,” she said. She spun to avoid Lycanroc again, but he bumped into her left side as a wave came from her right, sending warm salt water washing over her.
“Nice one, Lycanroc,” she said, a huge smile growing across her face. “Someone is going to get some extra brushing and combing tonight.”
Lycanroc chirped a happy “Ly-can-roc” and then spun around Serena’s left-hand side, trying to get behind her. Sylveon circled around Serena’s right side and tried to splash Lycanroc with its feelers, but Lycanroc became an orange blur as it dodged and countered Sylveon’s splash with one of its own.
“Syl-syl,” Sylveon happily squealed.
Serena saw another small wave cresting out of the corner of her eye right as Lycanroc pounced at her. She tried to spin to dodge him, but it was too late, and Lycanroc knocked her backwards. She landed on her butt as the wave ran over her back, soaking her from head to toe. Lycanroc spun in the air and landed right in front of her, using her as a breakwater to keep himself from getting too wet.
“Ok, ok,” she said, laughing. “You win. I give up.” The canine Pokémon moved closer to Serena and started licking her face, causing her to laugh more. “That tickles, Lycanroc!”
Another wave swept over her, and she looked up to the sky. It was another beautiful Alolan afternoon, and there were a few puffy white clouds off in the distance. I could really get used to this, she thought.
“Let’s go inside and get cleaned up,” she said. Lycanroc backed up, giving her room to stand up, and Sylveon bounded out of the water. The sun warmed sand felt good on her feet.
“Who wants to race up to the house?” she asked. Lycanroc and Sylveon both nodded affirmatively. “Ready?”
Both Pokémon took off at full speed before she could say go. Serena started sprinting to catch up, but she struggled to get her footing in the soft sand. “No fair!” she called out. “You’re supposed to wait for me to start the race.”
But it was over before it had even started. Lycanroc made it to the front porch of Professor Kukui’s house first with Sylveon close behind. When Serena stepped onto the porch a few seconds later, the two Pokémon were nuzzling each other while giving her a look that said took you long enough.
“You two are so cute,” she said, smiling. She stepped around the two Pokemon to grab her towel and wrap it around her head. The towel was soaked in seconds as she rang the water out of her hair.
She stepped over the two Pokémon to get to the front door to Kukui’s cottage and opened it. “Let’s go inside and get you brushed,” she said.
Lycanroc and Sylveon both bounded through the door, racing to see who could get into the house first. Serena jumped backwards, narrowly avoided being bowled over by the two Pokémon. “Settle down, you two. You will both get a turn.”
They ran around a large aquarium filled with Luvdisc and Corsola and into the living room. A large green L-shaped couch sat in the far corner of the room, covering two of the three walls. The TV sat against the third wall, and a large table sat in the middle of the room. Ash had parked himself in the middle of the couch, and Pikachu was asleep, nestled between his trainer and Serena’s backpack.
Sylveon ducked under the table, sliding to the opposite end and coming to a stop right in front of Pikachu. Lycanroc chased after Sylveon, but instead of sliding under the table, he leaped, soaring over the table.
“Lycanroc! NO!” Serena exclaimed.
It came two seconds too late. Lycanroc landed less-than-gracefully on Serena’s backpack. His unsure footing caused him to tip over to his left, sending him tumbling onto Pikachu and a startled Ash. The room descended into chaos, with shouts of “Pika!” and “Lycanroc” filling the air.
“Enough!” Serena shouted, using the voice she reserved for scolding Braixen and Panchem when they bickered. The verbal sparring between Pokémon stopped almost instantly as everyone turned towards Serena. “You need to apologize to Pikachu, Lycanroc!”
A muffled sound came from Lycanroc, and Pikachu nodded affirmatively.
“Now, everyone will get a turn getting groomed,” Serena continued. “Pikachu will go first since we interrupted his nap.”
“Pika pika!” the yellow Pokémon excitedly uttered as Serena walked around the table and sat down on the couch. She grabbed her brush out of her backpack, and Pikachu jumped up into her lap as she sat down.
“Is everything alright up there?” Professor Kukui shouted from the basement.
“Everything’s fine, Professor,” Ash replied. “Serena has it under control.” He sat back down on the couch without saying much and appeared to zone out.
Something is bothering him, she thought as she quickly brushed out the yellow mouse Pokemon’s fur. He’s been kind of quiet since we got back from Akala Island. “Alright Pikachu,” she said. “You’re all set. You’re next, Lycanroc.”
Pikachu jumped off of Serena’s lap as Lycanroc plopped onto her lap. “Someone’s excited,” she said as she started working the brush through the Pokémon’s soft, orange fur. She looked back at Ash. I need to do something to help snap him out of this funk.
***
“I’m sorry I haven’t been myself the last few days,” Ash said, breaking the silence as they walked down the beach. “I’ve had a lot on my mind since we got back from Akala Island.”
“It’s okay, Ash,” Serena said. She looked out over the ocean, admiring the beauty of the Alolan sunset and how it painted the sky with vibrant reds and oranges.
Ash had wanted to stay back at Kukui’s and Burnet’s, sulking on the couch. But with Pikachu’s help, she had managed to convince him to go for an after-dinner walk down the beach.
Serena turned back towards him. She could see the worry on his face, but she didn’t want to push him to talk. “I’m here to listen when you’re ready to talk. Why don’t we just sit down and enjoy the sunset,” she said. She quickly spread the blanket across the sand and then sat down. Ash sat down beside her. Pikachu had been trailing behind them on the walk, and he made himself comfortable between the two.
They sat, silently, watching as the disc of the sun slipped below the horizon, listening to the waves gently lapping at the shore. The sky turned a deep shade of purple as the first pinpricks of light from distant stars began to dot the sky.
“I’ve been on my Pokémon journey for seven years,” Ash finally said. “I’ve been to a lot of amazing places. But I was going to new regions to compete in different Pokémon Leagues in my quest to become a Pokémon Master. Once I competed in that league, someone told me about a new region that I could visit with a new league to compete in. Or they gave me a reason to go somewhere new. And then I would hop the next flight there, make some new friends, and go on a journey to become that region’s Pokémon League Champion.” He paused for a second. “But this year, I learned about so many regions and their Pokémon. I’m not sure where I want to go next.”
He paused, but Serena didn’t say anything. The silence continued for a few more minutes as the full moon started to rise.
“To be honest, I’m not sure I want to go to a new region,” he continued.
“Why not?” Serena asked. This doesn’t sound like Ash at all.
“Well,” Ash started. “I guess things felt different after I got home from Kalos. I didn’t want to go somewhere and completely start over. I know what I said at Alain’s homecoming party – that I would go home and start from scratch. But once I got home, it didn’t feel right.”
“In some ways, that’s what I ended up doing when I came to Alola,” he continued. “But it was also different. I wasn’t rushing from gym to gym trying to collect badges. I was able to connect with people better while learning more about Pokémon and myself than I have ever learned before. I was able to slow down and enjoy things. Remember when we went to Coumarine City? Ramos gave me some advice that has stuck with me since then, and it’s been on my mind the last few days.”
He paused again. Serena looked over at him, and he seemed like he was trying to find the words he needed. She slid closer to him and reassuringly placed her right hand on his left hand.
“I’ve always made friends on my journey,” he continued. “But I would move on and drift away from them. I was so focused on my journey towards my goal. Sometimes, I would run into them later, but I never really kept in touch. If it wasn’t for Brock putting together that PokéBook group…” He paused again.
“Something changed when we traveled together in Kalos,” he continued. “I felt stronger because…” He paused again, and Serena squeezed his hand. He turned towards her, squeezed her hand back, and smiled. “I shouldn’t have waited so long to call you, but I didn’t know what to say. I’m glad I did, though.”
Serena smiled as she felt her cheeks warm a bit. “I’m glad you called too.”
“I’m not sure how going to another region brings me closer to my goal,” he continued. “There are always things to learn and new Pokémon to experience. But Professor Kukui made me think about something today. Going to a new region means putting more distance between me and the people I care about.”
“And while there will always be new Pokémon to meet and new things to learn, I’m not sure how going to another new region helps me accomplish my dream.”
“You’ve always had a dream of becoming a Pokémon master,” she said. “But you’ve never said what that means. What is a Pokémon master?”
***
What is a Pokémon Master? Serena’s question rang through Ash’s head. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about that. He looked out over the ocean, gazing at the stars that had twinkled into view. A single shooting star streaked across the sky, landing someone over the horizon.
Time seemed to slip away as he pondered that question, and he wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed when a gentle squeeze on his hand brought him back. He looked over at Serena, and she smiled at him.
“I used to think that it meant being the strongest trainer. A champion.” he said. “Someone who knew everything about Pokémon and never lost a battle.”
“I’ve finally won a regional tournament,” he continued. “But I don’t feel like a Pokémon Master. Maybe I’m missing something.”
He paused again and looked out over the ocean. “Sometimes, I think that It’s not just about winning or being strong. A Pokémon Master has to be someone who can bond with and bring out the best in everyone, both Pokémon and people. It’s someone who never stops learning.”
“I became a Pokémon trainer because I wanted to connect with and help Pokémon,” he continued. “Battling in a Pokemon league was just one way to do that.”
He looked back at Serena. The pale moonlight was reflecting off of her blue eyes, and he didn’t want to look away. He leaned in closer to her. “All I know right now is that I don’t want to start over. I don’t want to go to some new land to do the same thing that I’ve been doing for the last few years.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay in Alola for a few weeks,” he said, changing the subject. “And I’m glad I was able to show you around.” He gazed back into her eyes. “I missed…”
He paused again as the words got stuck in his throat. “Just before you left for Hoenn, you told me that I’d really like the person you would grow into. But the truth is…”
He paused again. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and for a second, he was sure that his old Butterfree had teleported into his stomach. “I already liked the person you had grown into. You were confident and determined, and I liked cheering for you and seeing you happy.”
“From the moment that you returned my backpack in the Santalune City Pokémon Center, you found ways to inspire me and help push me forward,” he continued. “And when things weren’t going well, it was your support that helped me through it.”
Something sparked in him as he said those words. Maybe this is what Professor Kukui was talking about.
“You’ve become my best friend,” he said. That admission shocked him. I’ve always thought of Pikachu as my best friend, he thought as he reached down to scratch the electric yellow Pokémon. And he is. But I feel the same type of bond with Serena.
“I don’t want you to give up on your dream for me,” Serena said. “And I’m not ready to end my journey or give up on my dream of being a performer.”
“I don’t want either one of us to give up on our dreams or goals,” he said. “I don’t know if I will ever truly accomplish my dream, but I want to be there with you as you achieve your dreams.”
There was another pause, much more awkward than the last one. Did I say too much? Did I scare her off? He had never been this direct with his feelings. He was feeling exposed, and it was a vulnerability that he wasn’t used to.
He looked over at Serena. She was looking off into the distance, lightly biting the corner of her lip. Her hand was still on his, and she was leaning closer to him.
“Let’s do it together,” he finally said. “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll go there with you.”
Ash looked down as she leaned her head against his shoulder, and he felt her cool skin against his. That feeling of vulnerability faded as a smile brightened her face.
“Ash,” she said. “You inspired me too. I wouldn’t have my dream, or the confidence to chase it, without your support. And I missed having you there in the crowd. It just wasn’t the same when I couldn’t hear your voice cheering me on.”
“We can figure the rest out tomorrow,” she said. “But first, I want to have a Contest-Style battle with the Champion of Alola.”
“Awesome,” he replied.
“Professor,” Ash said. His voice sounded heavy, like it had been carrying the weight of the world. “I need some advice. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Always,” Professor Kukui replied as he looked up from the dishes he was washing. He could see the worry on Ash’s face. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well...” Ash said. “I know my time here in Alola is coming to an end. But I don’t know what to do next. Every time I’ve worked my way through a region, someone has always pointed me towards the next region I should visit. But this year, I learned about so many regions in class.”
“And you want me to tell you which region you should visit next,” Kukui answered.
“Well…” Ash replied. “Kind of. Galar sounds pretty cool. Both Orro and Lental sounded pretty neat too.”
“What do you think, Professor?” Ash asked.
“I think…” Kukui started to say. He looked out the window as he gathered his thoughts, and he saw the Kalosian honey-blond girl, who had become his second house guest over the last few weeks as Ash showed her around Alola, at the edge of the water playing with Lycanroc and Sylveon. “I know that someone has always told you where you should go next. I can’t do that. But I think that there is someone who is waiting to have this conversation with you. She’s waiting for you to open up to her.”
“What do you mean, Professor?” Ash asked.
“Ash,” Kukui said with a sigh. “Our Pokémon aren’t the only partners we have on our journey through life. Professor Burnet is someone I can turn to and rely on when I need guidance, advice, or strength.”
“So you’re saying that I should get married?” Ash asked.
“No, Ash,” Kukui said with a laugh. He looked around the room as he paused to gather his thoughts. He saw Pikachu, asleep on the couch. That gives me an idea. “You trust Pikachu, right?”
“Yeah, Professor,” Ash replied. “He’s my best friend. We’ve been through so much together.”
“And through all of that, you’ve built a strong bond with him and your other Pokémon,” Kukui replied. “But you’ve also had others with you on your journeys who have been through those things with you. Have you built the same type of bonds with them?”
“They were all here a few weeks ago for the Manalo Conference,” Ash replied.
“But how often do you talk to them?” Kukui asked. “And do you turn to them when you have a problem?”
Kukui watched as Ash closed his eyes with a slight, barely audible sigh. He could see that his student was lost in thought.
“You don’t need to answer that right now,” he continued. He set the last plate down on the counter to dry. “Just think about it.”
***
Serena dodged to her right, narrowly avoiding the splash. The game had turned into a mock battle as Ash’s Dusk-Form Lycanroc had playfully jumped through the water as he tried to splash both Serena and her Sylveon. Ash had warned her that Lycanroc didn’t like getting wet or dirty, but the grooming skills that she had perfected during her time in Hoenn had overcome most of that. She found that Lycanroc liked these kinds of water games.
“Come around and splash him from the right, Sylveon,” she said. She spun to avoid Lycanroc again, but he bumped into her left side as a wave came from her right, sending warm salt water washing over her.
“Nice one, Lycanroc,” she said, a huge smile growing across her face. “Someone is going to get some extra brushing and combing tonight.”
Lycanroc chirped a happy “Ly-can-roc” and then spun around Serena’s left-hand side, trying to get behind her. Sylveon circled around Serena’s right side and tried to splash Lycanroc with its feelers, but Lycanroc became an orange blur as it dodged and countered Sylveon’s splash with one of its own.
“Syl-syl,” Sylveon happily squealed.
Serena saw another small wave cresting out of the corner of her eye right as Lycanroc pounced at her. She tried to spin to dodge him, but it was too late, and Lycanroc knocked her backwards. She landed on her butt as the wave ran over her back, soaking her from head to toe. Lycanroc spun in the air and landed right in front of her, using her as a breakwater to keep himself from getting too wet.
“Ok, ok,” she said, laughing. “You win. I give up.” The canine Pokémon moved closer to Serena and started licking her face, causing her to laugh more. “That tickles, Lycanroc!”
Another wave swept over her, and she looked up to the sky. It was another beautiful Alolan afternoon, and there were a few puffy white clouds off in the distance. I could really get used to this, she thought.
“Let’s go inside and get cleaned up,” she said. Lycanroc backed up, giving her room to stand up, and Sylveon bounded out of the water. The sun warmed sand felt good on her feet.
“Who wants to race up to the house?” she asked. Lycanroc and Sylveon both nodded affirmatively. “Ready?”
Both Pokémon took off at full speed before she could say go. Serena started sprinting to catch up, but she struggled to get her footing in the soft sand. “No fair!” she called out. “You’re supposed to wait for me to start the race.”
But it was over before it had even started. Lycanroc made it to the front porch of Professor Kukui’s house first with Sylveon close behind. When Serena stepped onto the porch a few seconds later, the two Pokémon were nuzzling each other while giving her a look that said took you long enough.
“You two are so cute,” she said, smiling. She stepped around the two Pokemon to grab her towel and wrap it around her head. The towel was soaked in seconds as she rang the water out of her hair.
She stepped over the two Pokémon to get to the front door to Kukui’s cottage and opened it. “Let’s go inside and get you brushed,” she said.
Lycanroc and Sylveon both bounded through the door, racing to see who could get into the house first. Serena jumped backwards, narrowly avoided being bowled over by the two Pokémon. “Settle down, you two. You will both get a turn.”
They ran around a large aquarium filled with Luvdisc and Corsola and into the living room. A large green L-shaped couch sat in the far corner of the room, covering two of the three walls. The TV sat against the third wall, and a large table sat in the middle of the room. Ash had parked himself in the middle of the couch, and Pikachu was asleep, nestled between his trainer and Serena’s backpack.
Sylveon ducked under the table, sliding to the opposite end and coming to a stop right in front of Pikachu. Lycanroc chased after Sylveon, but instead of sliding under the table, he leaped, soaring over the table.
“Lycanroc! NO!” Serena exclaimed.
It came two seconds too late. Lycanroc landed less-than-gracefully on Serena’s backpack. His unsure footing caused him to tip over to his left, sending him tumbling onto Pikachu and a startled Ash. The room descended into chaos, with shouts of “Pika!” and “Lycanroc” filling the air.
“Enough!” Serena shouted, using the voice she reserved for scolding Braixen and Panchem when they bickered. The verbal sparring between Pokémon stopped almost instantly as everyone turned towards Serena. “You need to apologize to Pikachu, Lycanroc!”
A muffled sound came from Lycanroc, and Pikachu nodded affirmatively.
“Now, everyone will get a turn getting groomed,” Serena continued. “Pikachu will go first since we interrupted his nap.”
“Pika pika!” the yellow Pokémon excitedly uttered as Serena walked around the table and sat down on the couch. She grabbed her brush out of her backpack, and Pikachu jumped up into her lap as she sat down.
“Is everything alright up there?” Professor Kukui shouted from the basement.
“Everything’s fine, Professor,” Ash replied. “Serena has it under control.” He sat back down on the couch without saying much and appeared to zone out.
Something is bothering him, she thought as she quickly brushed out the yellow mouse Pokemon’s fur. He’s been kind of quiet since we got back from Akala Island. “Alright Pikachu,” she said. “You’re all set. You’re next, Lycanroc.”
Pikachu jumped off of Serena’s lap as Lycanroc plopped onto her lap. “Someone’s excited,” she said as she started working the brush through the Pokémon’s soft, orange fur. She looked back at Ash. I need to do something to help snap him out of this funk.
***
“I’m sorry I haven’t been myself the last few days,” Ash said, breaking the silence as they walked down the beach. “I’ve had a lot on my mind since we got back from Akala Island.”
“It’s okay, Ash,” Serena said. She looked out over the ocean, admiring the beauty of the Alolan sunset and how it painted the sky with vibrant reds and oranges.
Ash had wanted to stay back at Kukui’s and Burnet’s, sulking on the couch. But with Pikachu’s help, she had managed to convince him to go for an after-dinner walk down the beach.
Serena turned back towards him. She could see the worry on his face, but she didn’t want to push him to talk. “I’m here to listen when you’re ready to talk. Why don’t we just sit down and enjoy the sunset,” she said. She quickly spread the blanket across the sand and then sat down. Ash sat down beside her. Pikachu had been trailing behind them on the walk, and he made himself comfortable between the two.
They sat, silently, watching as the disc of the sun slipped below the horizon, listening to the waves gently lapping at the shore. The sky turned a deep shade of purple as the first pinpricks of light from distant stars began to dot the sky.
“I’ve been on my Pokémon journey for seven years,” Ash finally said. “I’ve been to a lot of amazing places. But I was going to new regions to compete in different Pokémon Leagues in my quest to become a Pokémon Master. Once I competed in that league, someone told me about a new region that I could visit with a new league to compete in. Or they gave me a reason to go somewhere new. And then I would hop the next flight there, make some new friends, and go on a journey to become that region’s Pokémon League Champion.” He paused for a second. “But this year, I learned about so many regions and their Pokémon. I’m not sure where I want to go next.”
He paused, but Serena didn’t say anything. The silence continued for a few more minutes as the full moon started to rise.
“To be honest, I’m not sure I want to go to a new region,” he continued.
“Why not?” Serena asked. This doesn’t sound like Ash at all.
“Well,” Ash started. “I guess things felt different after I got home from Kalos. I didn’t want to go somewhere and completely start over. I know what I said at Alain’s homecoming party – that I would go home and start from scratch. But once I got home, it didn’t feel right.”
“In some ways, that’s what I ended up doing when I came to Alola,” he continued. “But it was also different. I wasn’t rushing from gym to gym trying to collect badges. I was able to connect with people better while learning more about Pokémon and myself than I have ever learned before. I was able to slow down and enjoy things. Remember when we went to Coumarine City? Ramos gave me some advice that has stuck with me since then, and it’s been on my mind the last few days.”
He paused again. Serena looked over at him, and he seemed like he was trying to find the words he needed. She slid closer to him and reassuringly placed her right hand on his left hand.
“I’ve always made friends on my journey,” he continued. “But I would move on and drift away from them. I was so focused on my journey towards my goal. Sometimes, I would run into them later, but I never really kept in touch. If it wasn’t for Brock putting together that PokéBook group…” He paused again.
“Something changed when we traveled together in Kalos,” he continued. “I felt stronger because…” He paused again, and Serena squeezed his hand. He turned towards her, squeezed her hand back, and smiled. “I shouldn’t have waited so long to call you, but I didn’t know what to say. I’m glad I did, though.”
Serena smiled as she felt her cheeks warm a bit. “I’m glad you called too.”
“I’m not sure how going to another region brings me closer to my goal,” he continued. “There are always things to learn and new Pokémon to experience. But Professor Kukui made me think about something today. Going to a new region means putting more distance between me and the people I care about.”
“And while there will always be new Pokémon to meet and new things to learn, I’m not sure how going to another new region helps me accomplish my dream.”
“You’ve always had a dream of becoming a Pokémon master,” she said. “But you’ve never said what that means. What is a Pokémon master?”
***
What is a Pokémon Master? Serena’s question rang through Ash’s head. It’s been a while since I’ve thought about that. He looked out over the ocean, gazing at the stars that had twinkled into view. A single shooting star streaked across the sky, landing someone over the horizon.
Time seemed to slip away as he pondered that question, and he wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed when a gentle squeeze on his hand brought him back. He looked over at Serena, and she smiled at him.
“I used to think that it meant being the strongest trainer. A champion.” he said. “Someone who knew everything about Pokémon and never lost a battle.”
“I’ve finally won a regional tournament,” he continued. “But I don’t feel like a Pokémon Master. Maybe I’m missing something.”
He paused again and looked out over the ocean. “Sometimes, I think that It’s not just about winning or being strong. A Pokémon Master has to be someone who can bond with and bring out the best in everyone, both Pokémon and people. It’s someone who never stops learning.”
“I became a Pokémon trainer because I wanted to connect with and help Pokémon,” he continued. “Battling in a Pokemon league was just one way to do that.”
He looked back at Serena. The pale moonlight was reflecting off of her blue eyes, and he didn’t want to look away. He leaned in closer to her. “All I know right now is that I don’t want to start over. I don’t want to go to some new land to do the same thing that I’ve been doing for the last few years.”
“I’m glad you decided to stay in Alola for a few weeks,” he said, changing the subject. “And I’m glad I was able to show you around.” He gazed back into her eyes. “I missed…”
He paused again as the words got stuck in his throat. “Just before you left for Hoenn, you told me that I’d really like the person you would grow into. But the truth is…”
He paused again. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and for a second, he was sure that his old Butterfree had teleported into his stomach. “I already liked the person you had grown into. You were confident and determined, and I liked cheering for you and seeing you happy.”
“From the moment that you returned my backpack in the Santalune City Pokémon Center, you found ways to inspire me and help push me forward,” he continued. “And when things weren’t going well, it was your support that helped me through it.”
Something sparked in him as he said those words. Maybe this is what Professor Kukui was talking about.
“You’ve become my best friend,” he said. That admission shocked him. I’ve always thought of Pikachu as my best friend, he thought as he reached down to scratch the electric yellow Pokémon. And he is. But I feel the same type of bond with Serena.
“I don’t want you to give up on your dream for me,” Serena said. “And I’m not ready to end my journey or give up on my dream of being a performer.”
“I don’t want either one of us to give up on our dreams or goals,” he said. “I don’t know if I will ever truly accomplish my dream, but I want to be there with you as you achieve your dreams.”
There was another pause, much more awkward than the last one. Did I say too much? Did I scare her off? He had never been this direct with his feelings. He was feeling exposed, and it was a vulnerability that he wasn’t used to.
He looked over at Serena. She was looking off into the distance, lightly biting the corner of her lip. Her hand was still on his, and she was leaning closer to him.
“Let’s do it together,” he finally said. “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll go there with you.”
Ash looked down as she leaned her head against his shoulder, and he felt her cool skin against his. That feeling of vulnerability faded as a smile brightened her face.
“Ash,” she said. “You inspired me too. I wouldn’t have my dream, or the confidence to chase it, without your support. And I missed having you there in the crowd. It just wasn’t the same when I couldn’t hear your voice cheering me on.”
“We can figure the rest out tomorrow,” she said. “But first, I want to have a Contest-Style battle with the Champion of Alola.”
“Awesome,” he replied.
