Chapter Text
“ASH KETCHUM! You need to get up!” Mallow shouted to her brother. Snoring could be heard from the room. “Seriously! Does he even realize how important today is? He’s worse than Ulu,” She grumbled, stamping her feet.
“Pika!” Pikachu squeaked from Ash’s chest before jumping onto Mallow’s shoulder.
“Good morning, Pikachu,” Mallow greeted, rubbing her cheeks against Pikachu’s cheek. “Do you think you can get Ash up? We’re all getting ready for his meeting. So, Thunderbolt?”
“Pikachu.” Pikachu smirked before electricity sparked from his cheeks.
“Thunderbolt!” Mallow called out. Pikachu laughed before jumping in the air.
“PikaCHU!” He announced letting loose a short burst of electricity.
“Gah!” Ash yelped as his body jolted in place. “What was that for?” He groaned out as he forced himself up.
“Well sorry, but you know that this is the only way to wake you up,” Mallow responded with her hands on her hips. “Now go clean up. We have a lot of work to do before your meeting.”
“What are you talking about?” Ash asked.
“The meeting to decide how the League would work? Did that Thunderbolt finally fry your brain? We only have a few hours before the Kahunas and Professors show up, so get a move on,” Mallow sighed out.
“That’s today!” Ash exclaimed, scrambling out of his bed. In his haste, his foot got tangled in his sheets, and he fell on his face.
“You okay?” Mallow asked.
“I’m fine,” Ash said, jumping to his feet. “I’m going to go get ready.” He rushed out of the room with a change of clothes.
“He’ll never change,” Mallow sighed to herself. “Now let’s go get something to eat. We have a lot of work to do!”
“Pika!” Simultaneously, the two pumped their fists in the air.
“Morning, Mom, Abe,” Ash said, as he entered the kitchen. His mother and step-father were busy preparing food and cleaning dishes. Mallow was at the stove flipping some pancakes, while Pikachu was gobbling down pancakes smothered in ketchup.
“We’ve talked about this Ash. You can call me Dad, Father, or even Papa,” Abe said, stopping the mixing of his dish. Ash hung his head.
“Sorry. I’m still trying to get used to Mom being married. I haven’t exactly been home,” Ash mumbled.
“Fair,” Abe said, getting back to work. “You’ve certainly been busy with your journey. First, the Alolan League Champion, and now, you just won the Pokemon League in Kanto. If only Ulu didn’t go on another one of his training journeys again. We could really be celebrating.”
“I hope he is doing alright,” Delia said, placing a hand on her cheek.
“Here Ash,” Mallow said, placing a large plate of pancakes.
“Thanks, Mallow,” Ash said, grabbing the plate and digging in. “I missed all your cooking so much. Lana and I are not the greatest cooks.”
“I remember. There is a reason you are not allowed to make anything but Pokemon food,” Abe pointed out. Ash looked away from his food, allowing Pikachu to grab a pancake off his plate.
“Hey!” Ash grunted, trying to snatch the food from his partner.
“Abe!” Delia reprimanded, giggling.
“So what is the meeting about, anyway?” Mallow asked, taking a seat with her own plate.
“Did the Professors not tell you?” Ash asked, looking up from his demolished plate of food. He absentmindedly pushed Pikachu away from his plate.
“Nope. They just told us that they needed a place to hold the meeting, and Dad volunteered the restaurant,” Mallow said.
“To be fair, we don’t know what the meeting is about. Professor Kukui just asked if we would lend the restaurant to the Kahuna's for a few hours,” Delia explained.
“Then what is the meeting about?” Mallow asked.
“It’s to discuss the construction of an actual league challenge for Alola,” Ash spouted out before he took another large bite out of his pancakes.
“Really? I thought that the league would be open to anyone who wants to compete, like the last two years.” Mallow said.
“This year is the last year that Alola can afford to do so,” Ash said.
“What do you mean?” Abe asked, setting aside his mixture. “I thought the league didn’t have any problems financially?”
“That’s not the problem. The league is making more money than it takes to run it. At least, that is what Papa Kukui tells me,” Ash said. Unknown to Ash, a dark cloud appeared over Abe’s head.
“You’ll call the Professor your Papa, but not me. What a cruel world,” he mumbled too lowly for Ash to hear.
“The problem is that it has been open for anyone to compete for almost three years. If we want to be recognized as an official regional league, we have to create the equivalent to a badge system,” Ash explained.
“But why?” Mallow said.
“It has to be done to receive league funding and certification because it shows that we are taking things seriously. By allowing anyone who wants to compete to compete, it becomes very easy for inexperienced trainers to compete and be crushed by the more experienced trainers. The league wants to encourage the growth of trainers, but with how the Alola League is set up right now, it isn’t the case,” Ash explained.
“You are way too informed about this,” Mallow exclaimed. “Who are you, and what happened to my adorable, dense little brother?”
“Hey, I’m not that much younger than you! And what do you mean, I’m too well informed?” Ash demanded.
“I don’t think Mallow meant it like that, but you can’t deny that when it comes to things like book smarts, you aren’t the best,” Delia gently pointed out.
“I- bu- Yeah, I can’t deny that,” Ash said with his head down. “Papa Kukui has been working with me for the past few months whenever I call to make certain that I understand it. As Champion, I have to consider how the league is going to work.”
“It sounds like you are taking this really seriously,” Delia said.
“I have to. My dream is to be a Pokemon Master and being a champion is one of the best ways to get there,” Ash said, wistfully.
“Then we better get to work. We only have a few hours until the meeting, so let’s get this place spotless,” Abe said, pulling up a bucket and dishcloth. “We have some important people coming, so we can’t dally our dillies.”
“You mean dilly-dally,” Ash said.
“Didn’t I say that?” Abe asked.
“Ash, Mallow, you in here? The Professors said that you should be here?” Lana said, poking her head into the diner. Sophocles, Togetemaru, Lillie, and Snowy peeked in behind her. For some reason, despite the bright lights, the atmosphere of the room was quite dark.
“Run while you still can,” a tired voice spoke from the shadows.
“Kiawe?” Lana asked. Kiawe stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in an apron with a mop held loosely in his hands. “What happened to you?”
“Must keep mopping. There is so much to do but not enough time,” Kiawe said, as he continued to mop.
“What are you talking about?” Sophocles asked as they rushed over to their friend. A shadow appeared from behind them, looming menacingly over them.
“Hey, you guys. I’m sorry to say that the restaurant is closed right now,” Mallow said, with a strained face. In her hands was a knife dripping with some red liquid.
“That’s ok. We just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today,” Lillie whispered out. “But if you are busy, we’ll just go.”
“No, no, no, stay. We could really use the help. We have so much to do, but not enough time,” Mallow said.
“I need an adult,” Lana whispered as Sophocles, Lillie and their pokemon hid behind her.
“I run this restaurant. I am the adult,” Mallow said.
“Finally, we are done,” Sophocles moaned out. He was currently laying face-down on one of the now sparkling tables.
“I thought Mallow was going to kill us,” Lana said. “I’m kind of disappointed if I’m honest. With the lighting and Tomago Berry juice, Mallow would have been an excellent slasher villain.”
“Bad Lana!” Lillie cried out, whacking Lana with a towel. “You are not putting that thought into my head.”
“But Lillie,” Lana whined, holding her head.
“No! No more references to any horror movie. From now on, you are banned from picking movies out for date night!” Lillie commanded.
“And what are you going to do about it?” Lana asked, hands on her hips.
“Bear,” Lillie whispered.
“You’ve made yourself very clear, sir!” Lana saluted, standing up straight in perfect posture.
“Good!”
“Is it just me or has Lillie gotten a lot more assertive since she started dating Ash and Lana?” Kiawe asked. He was leaning on his mop.
“I guess this is what has been hiding in her shell the entire time,” Sophocles said.
“Least it’s not pointed to us,” Mallow grumbled. “Her Bewear is terrifying.” Everyone shivered as they recalled the mother Pokemon who suddenly adopted Lillie and subsequently Ash and Lana.
“We are officially ready for the meeting,” Abe said from the back. “Come back here, and I’ll give you a snack.”
“Oh thank goodness. I’m starving,” Sophocles groaned out, forcing himself up. Around his legs, Togedemaru jumped around.
“You’ve all worked so hard, so it is the least we could do,” Delia said with Ash following right behind her. Both of them were carrying trays filled with malasadas. “Eat up.”
“Thank you for the food,” all of the kids answered. They crowded around Delia and began to fill up their plates with food.
“And don’t think that we forgot about the Pokemon either,” Mallow said, pointing at the tray Ash was holding. “I made sure to prepare something for you guys as well.” Her answer was met with cries from all the Pokemon as they all rushed towards Ash. In a flash of light, a Stuffle, Sandslash, Eevee, Primarina, Tsareena, Orangaru, and Marowak all popped out of their pokeballs and stared hungrily at Ash.
“Wait, don’t crowd me,” Ash called out, but it was too late. In a flash, he was covered in Pokemon who were after the food. In a cloud of dust that somehow did not affect the clean restaurant, Ash appeared covered in Pokemon footprints and dust. “Ow.”
“Suddenly, I don’t feel as bad about everything,” Kiawe said as he slurped his drink.
“It does feel good to see,” Sophocles said, matching Kiawe.
“I feel the love,” Ash groaned.
“Sweetie, you’ll need to go clean up before our guests come,” Delia said, handing her son a towel. “Hopefully, you will be back before our guests get here.”
“If not, we’ll keep them occupied. I’ve thought of a few jokes,” Lana said, giving a quick peck on his now clean cheek.
“Thanks, Lana,” Ask smiled. “I’ll be right back!” He rushed off, stopping only to give a kiss on Lillie, Lana, and his mother’s cheeks.
“My little boy has grown to be quite the charmer,” Delia gushed, turning her eyes to the blushing girls.
“He’s certainly gotten a lot more romantic after his journey through Kanto,” Lillie whispered with glazed eyes.
“I made him take me on so many dates. After the first few disasters, he started to step up his game a lot,” Lana giggled.
Mallow slammed her hand on her palm. “So that’s why Ash was frantically calling me for advice,” Mallow exclaimed.
“How bad was it?” Sophoclese asked.
“He was actually taking notes. I don’t think I have seen him this nervous since he started working with Professor Kukui on the business side of being a champion,” Mallow laughed.
“They’ve certainly been a big help,” Lana nodded towards her friend. “He’s also gotten better at making Pokemon food. Still can’t cook a meal for humans though.”
“That sounds about right,” Delia giggled.
“But the results definitely speak for themselves,” Lillie said with a blush.
“I still can’t picture Ash being a romantic,” Kiawe said, crossing his arms in a thoughtful position. A thought bubble seemingly appeared over his head.
“Are you ready for our date?” Ash appeared, holding a bouquet of lilies. He was dressed up in a navy suit without a hat. Notably, he wasn’t wearing a hat and his hair was actually tamed so the spikes were controlled.
“Ash never looked like that. We were on a traveling trainer’s budget,” Lana said with unimpressed eyes. Her flat tone destroyed the thought bubble. She did have a notebook that she was rapidly taking notes on.
“What are you doing?” Sophocles asked.
“Taking notes on Kiawe’s fantasy,” Lana stated carefully. “He made Ash look good, so I may make him dress up like that in the future. Lillie certainly appreciated it.” She pointed her pencil at a blushing Lillie. Lillie was staring into space with a tomato-red face. It was at this moment that Ash.
“Lillie! Are you OK?” He shouted. He placed his hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel sick.”
“Huh-what?” Lillie stuttered, suddenly turning pale. “I’m okay. Lana was teasing me again.”
“You say that as if I will stop,” Lana cut in with a smirk. “But Lillie’s blushing face is too cute for me to want to stop. Plus, she likes when we shower her with attention. Don’t you agree, Ash?”
“I mean, Lillie and Lana do look really cute when they are blushing,” Ash admitted with a blush of his own. His comments caused both of his girlfriends to blush as well.
“While this is very cute,” Delia cut in. “We need to finish preparation. It won’t be long before our guests are here. So finish your snacks and clean up.”
“Yes, Ma’am!” Everyone cheered.
“Alola, everyone!” Professor Kukui announced. He was followed by a short male wearing black sunglasses and a Hawaiian t-shirt.
“Alola, Professor Kukui” Everyone called out.
“Who’s that with you, Professor?” Mallow asked.
“This is one of the many sponsors for the Pokemon League,” Kukui explained. “Though, I’ll leave the rest to him.”
“Alola! My name is Scott, and I run the Battle Frontiers in Kanto and Sinnoh,” Scott introduced himself.
“Isn’t what Ash is doing right now?” Kiawe said. “He mentioned the Brains?... were very strong trainers. I think he said that it was like fighting Elite Four.”
“That’s correct. I’ve had the great pleasure of watching Ash fight against over half of my Brains, and he’s steadily won against them all,” Scott proudly stated. “It’s why I jumped at the chance to come here to discuss the League’s construction.”
“Where is Ash, anyways?” Kukui asked.
“He said he forgot some of his notes for the meeting in his room,” Mallow explained.
“Same old Ash,” Kukui exhaled fondly.
“I’m back everyone!” Ash called out. He walked into the room holding a binder. “Papa Kukui, Scott, you made it.”
“He’ll call the professor father, but not me,” Abe mumbled in the background.
“Just give him time,” Delia comforted him.
“Where’s Mama Burnet?” Ash asked.
“Lusamine decided to come over for a visit, so Burnet stayed back to keep talking. Last I checked, they were going crazy over how cute the baby’s room is going to be. I escaped when I had the chance,” Kukui stated tiredly.
“That sounds like mother,” Lillie joined the Professor.
“Oh, that reminds me, Delia. Burnet invited you over to help design the room,” Kukui mentioned.
“That sounds lovely. I’ll head over right away,” Delia exclaimed. She hung up her apron and ran out of the building.
“They really do go crazy when babies are involved,” Abe muttered.
“The only thing scarier was when they were preparing for Mom’s wedding with you,” Ash commented.
“I wish I could be that scary,” Lana said.
“I don’t think we would survive that,” Lillie stated. Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles all nodded in agreement.
“While I find this whole thing fun, I do believe that we need to get this meeting started,” Scott said.
“We still are waiting for the Kahunas to show up. In the meantime, why don’t you enjoy some of the food we set up,” Abe offered. He came over carrying a tray filled with a sample of various foods from Alola.
“Well, that sounds delightful. Don’t mind if I do?” Scott happily accepted. He took one of the malasadas on the plate. “I’ve heard great things about these malasadas from Ash.” He took a big bite out of it.
“Well, how is it?” Mallow asked. Scott chewed thoughtfully.
“This is some of the best food that I have eaten!” Scott exclaimed delightedly. “I’ll make sure to spread the word to all my friends and employees.”
“Alright!” Mallow and Abe cheered followed by everyone else. The cheer of the room soon spread as light conversation started for everyone.
“So what is it that you do, Scott?” Kiawe asked.
“Believe it is not but I am a very successful businessman. I don’t own any of them besides the Battle Frontier, but I do make quite a bit from the investments I made in the Pokemon League as well as several restaurants. Not to mention that most of my Frontier Brains have their own jobs when they aren’t battling,” Scott explained. “Aside from that, I am just a battle enthusiast who wants to expand the art of Pokemon battling. That’s why I started the Battle Frontier.”
“That’s awesome!” Kiawe and Sophocles exclaimed.
“Yes, and Ash is the newest challenger of the Battle Frontier. In fact, I believe he will be the first to beat it. It’s part of the reason that I am here,” Scott stated.
“Has no one actually beaten them? Are these Brains that strong?” Kiawe asked.
“They are strong enough to challenge and in some cases, beat the Elite Four,” Scott proclaimed proudly.
“Woah,” everyone exclaimed.
“Isn’t this a lovely crowd,” a deep voice laughed.
“Hala! You made it!” Ash cheered.
“Indeed. I apologize for the late arrival, but I ran into some difficulties. We both lost and gained someone,” Hala said, stepping away from the doorway.
“Hello!” Two females peaked their heads into it. One was a lady dressed in pink and yellow, while the other was a girl about the age of Ash dressed in a stitched together dress.
“Olivia/Acerola!” Ash and his friends stated.
“It’s good to see you, Aaah!” Olivia started before she tripped and landed on her face.
“Are you okay?” Acerola asked, as she checked on the fallen woman.
“I’m okay,” Olivia mumbled, picking her face up from the floor.
“She is still a clutz,” Mallow said.
“An amazing clutz. So interesting,” Lana corrected.
“Up you get,” Acerola said. She and Hala helped the woman to her feet.
“Let’s get this over with,” a lanky man in a black police officer’s outfit groaned. “The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can go back home and relax. Acerola, you better give me back my toy as well!” He shouted that last part as Acerola cheekily held up a kendama.
“We’ll see,” she said, tossing the toy behind her. Before it could hit the ground, a purple blur grabbed it and disappeared in Acerola’s shadow where giggling could be heard from it.
“So is everyone here?” Professor Kukui asked.
“Not quite. We still are missing Hapu. Where is she?” Ash asked.
“Unfortunately, when I went to pick her up, she was practically dead on her feet. It’s harvesting season in Poni Island, and it looks like this year is a bumper crop,” Olivia stated.
“Seriously. So she gets to skip, and I don’t?” Nanu complained. He had taken a seat near the edge and was helping himself to food.
“You don’t really get to speak, Uncle. You don’t work enough to complain,” Acerola reminded, getting grumbles from her uncle.
“If that is going to be all, then let’s get started,” Hala stated.
“Wait, there are two more who are needed!” an accented voice screamed. The door was blasted open as a black and yellow blur entered the room. It stopped in the middle of the room revealing Tapu Koko holding a blue-in-the-face Meowth. “I’m never going to get used to this speed.”
“Tapu Koko, it certainly a surprise to see you again,” Hala noted with a respectful nod.
“Tapu,” Tapu Koko trilled.
“He says that he couldn’t just let you make the league without the Tapu’s input,” Meowth groaned. “They really enjoyed the previous league, but they cannot let a large influx of people who could potentially damage the harmony of Alola. Can I get some water?”
“Here you go, Meowth,” Mallow said, bringing the cat Pokemon an icy glass. “If you give me a few minutes, I will have that Fluffy Radish Burger that you like Tapu Koko.” A happy song followed Mallow’s proclamation.
“Alola really isn’t like other regions,” Scott laughed out. “I’m really looking forward to what this league will entail.” He was suddenly silent as Tapu Koko appeared right in front of him. The Legendary slowly circled around the now sweating man before it nodded and backed away.
“It seems like Tapu Koko approves of you,” Hala laughed.
“Your food’s ready, Tapu Koko!” Mallow shouted, placing a massive burger on an empty table. Faster than anyone could blink, Tapu Koko was in front of the table. He gave a quick bow before the plate disappeared into his shell. “I also got you one of the Pinab Berry drinks you like so much, Meowth.”
“You are a treat,” Meowth cheered, gratefully taking the drink.
“Can we get started?” Nanu complained. He was slouched over an empty plate. “The food is great, but some of us have things to do.”
“Don’t be like that, Uncle,” Acerola said. “This is a great chance to be part of something big. All you do is laze around anyways. What do you have to do?”
“It’s good to see that Nanu still hasn’t changed,” Olivia laughed before taking a bite of her burger. “Your food is as great as ever, Mallow!”
“We really should get started,” Hala stated. “We are here to talk about how we will be implementing the new Alolan League into the region. If we cannot decide then we will either postpone discussion or absolutely worse case, we will cancel the league for the foreseeable future.”
“I don’t think that will be an issue. Ash and I have been hard at work designing the league to really reflect Alola,” Kukui proudly bragged. “Show them what we came up with, Ash.”
“Let’s start with the qualifications,” Ash said, opening the binder to a specific tab. The page showed a rough sketch of a progression tree. “We are thinking about a badge system but with a few modifications.” He passed the binder to Hala who began looking over it with the other Kahunas and Scott.
“This is quite well thought out,” Hala said, stroking his chin.
“And I can see that you really thought about how to balance the challenger’s needs while respecting Alola,” Olivia commented.
“Why didn’t you make it so they had to complete the Island Challenge? That seems like the simplest way instead of all this,” Nanu remarked.
“There are a few reasons for that,” Kukui jumped in, fingering his Z-ring. “First, Z-crystals are extremely powerful tools that need to be relegated. A well timed Z-move can drastically shift the tide of a battle which we cannot allow to fall into the wrong hands. I’ve overwhelmed many Mega Pokemon with Incineroar’s Z-move.”
“Plus, we know that you are very busy people, and the league pulls in hundreds to thousands of people,” Ash continued. “We know it is impossible for the Kahunas to dedicate a large amount of time being a judge or gym leader. The Island Challenge is going to stay a Rite of Passage that if you approve, we can let people from outside of the region take part of it. The Island Challenge is an important part of Alola, and I feel no reason to change it. Thus, while we want the Kahuna’s to be authority figures for the League, we want you to have freedom.”
“Lastly, it gives everyone a chance to learn through battling,” Scott suddenly piped in. “Each of the challenges are designed to help the trainers grow with their pokemon. We don’t want this to be solely a contest of who is stronger. We want both the leaders and the challenger to grow from these battles.”
“If you would give us a moment to discuss this,” Hala stated as he, the other two Kahuna’s and Tapu Koko (and Meowth) huddled together. Muttering could be heard from the group.
“This is nerve racking,” Kiawe mumbled, approaching Ash and Kukui.
“You get used to this,” Scott happily rumbled. “Board meetings are always stressful when you are trying to sell a new idea. Though this is the first time a Legendary was weighing in on the conversation.”
“You get used to it with Ash,” Lana and Lillie stated blandly.
“We have run into so many Legendaries with Ash just traveling through Kanto,” Lana mumbled. “What are all the Legendaries Ash?”
“Let’s see. Ho-oh…” Ash started getting Scott and Kukui to jolt. “Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia. I’m pretty certain I saw a Mew once, but it could have been a Ditto since it kept shapeshifting into my Pokemon.” He said it so casually, like someone discussing the weather.
“Let’s not forget Solgeleo and Lunala,” Sophoclese reminded.
“And the Tapus,” Mallow finished.
“Ash is just a Legendary magnet,” Lillie concluded.
“No, he’s just a trouble magnet. We got into so many adventures throughout Kanto just because Ash was at the right place at the wrong time,” Lana stated in a dead tone.
“You are so mean, Lana,” Ash pouted. He started to draw circles on the table in front of him.
“Cheer up, Ash. At least things will never be boring,” Lillie reassured, gently patting his back.
“Thank you, Lillie. At least you care, unlike some people,” Ash smiled. He sent a look at Lana. Lana responded by giving Ash a raspberry. Ash responded in kind. The two soon started making funny faces at each other before a giggle interrupted them.
“You are so cute!” Olivia laughed. “When’s the wedding?” Ash’s and Lana’s faces turned bright red.
“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! You’ll unleash her…” Ash and Lana started to demand. Strangely, Lillie was completely unfazed by the teasing. Instead, she pulled out a calendar from her bag.
“Let’s see. We can’t get married until we are all 16. I want to enjoy my birthday, and I’m the youngest, so I have us scheduled to have the wedding on June 21 about 3 years from now,” Lillie said. She proudly showed Olivia her marriage binder. “I plan on having an outdoor wedding…”
“Oh. That looks fantastic…” Olivia continued. The two females began to devolve into excited chatter that Ash and Lana tuned out with practiced ease. It wasn’t long before Mallow was dragged into the conversation, quite happily.
“And we lost her,” the two partners groaned.
“I’m surprised you aren’t gushing over this with Lillie. You were crazy about the wedding with the Professors,” Kiawe prodded Lana.
“I got it out of my system quite fast when the reality of it being for me hit,” Lana stated. “I’m going to be 14 in a few months. It’s a little too soon for me to really be thinking about getting married.”
“Plus, it looks like Lillie is going a bit overboard. I mean a marriage binder?” Sophocles sniggered. “Good luck, you two.” His snarky comment was met with two deadpan stares from his two taken friends.
“Good luck ever getting a date,” Lana spoke. An invisible arrow shot through Sophocles at that word. “I believe that the Pewter City Gym leader would have better luck than you.” Another arrow pierced his ego.
“Tell me how you really feel!” Sophocles cried. It wasn’t long before Togedemaru jumped over to her trainer and started nuzzling him. “Hey Togedemaru. Did you wake up from your nap?”
“Huh?” Ash grunted. He looked behind him and saw that all of the Pokemon were in a big pile all asleep. “How did we miss that?” Ash’s question was met with shrugs from his non-occupied friends.
“Hahaha, Lillie has certainly grown out of her shell. She reminds me of my wife,” Hala laughed.
“Please don’t remind me. Hannah was a terrifying woman, especially with romance involved,” Nanu shuddered.
“That she was, but I wouldn’t change a single moment I spent with her,” Hala happily stated. Before anything more reminiscing could continue, Tapu Koko suddenly trilled.
“I’m with the big guy over here. You can talk about your weird human mating rituals later,” Meowth agreed. He took a sip of his drink. “We need to talk about the league.”
“Right,” Hala coughed. “We’ve reviewed all that you gave us, and we’ve decided… that we like the league set up you have, but we have a few concerns. If you can answer our major concerns, then you will have the full backing of the Kahunas, provided Hapu doesn’t have anything to add.” Ash, Kukui and Scott looked at each other and nodded.
“That seems fair,” Scott spoke.
“Perfect. Our first concern is the building of the facilities. Tapu Koko was quite worried about them damaging the ecosystem of Alola,” Meowth started.
“That is already taken care of,” Scott answered almost immediately. “I’ve already started talking with the Aether Foundation for support in eco-friendly buildings and locations. It helps that most of the buildings are designed to be just small extensions with either a permanent field or a movable battle arena. We’ve already received a guarantee that the Foundation will help us work with the Pokemon and people to keep things safe to build.”
“The second concern is the payment of the Leaders,” Nanu drawled. “We cannot finance the League. As you stated, we are busy people, and each Kahuna has their own jobs along with their responsibilities as a Kahuna. We honestly don’t make a massive amount of money as is.”
“That is easy as well. The Pokemon League will take care of that when we get the plans for the League sponsored. Between tourism, broadcasts, and merchandising, the league easily makes hundreds of thousands of dollars every year at a minimum. It will be more than enough to cover any of the Leaders salaries,” Kukui easily explained. “It will more than likely be enough to cover most of the costs of construction within the first 5 years. After that, most of the revenue will go towards hospitals, police, non-profit organizations, and emergency funds.”
“That sounds about right,” Nanu stated. “Maybe I’ll actually be able to get a raise.”
“Our last major concern. Who will be the gym leaders? You’ve already eliminated us as options, so who do you have in mind?” Hala asked.
“Well, you’re looking at a few of them,” Ash stated. His nonchalant answer got surprised looks from most of his friends. It even broke through the wedding fever of Lillie, Mallow, and Olivia.
“Wait, what!” Mallow exclaimed.
“I have to agree! What!” Sophocles shouted.
“Why are you so surprised?” Ash asked. “You guys are some of the best trainers in Alola. You all made it to the top 8 of the first league, and you guys would be great at helping trainers grow. Plus, you’ve really gone and expanded your teams since I last saw you.”
“But what about our dreams?” Kiawe asked.
“Why would that stop you?” Ash answered the question with a question. “Many gym leaders either have a job they do on the side, or being a gym leader is the part time job for them. It is the case for Erika.”
“Arrogant prick,” Lana mumbled, getting a comforting side hug from Ash.
“Bad example. My bad,” Ash whispered. “But my point stands. Mallow would still be able to work for the restaurant. Kiawe can still help his family. There is nothing stopping you from accomplishing your dream. In fact, Scott can probably design the buildings to help you with your goals.”
“Plus, it’s not like we can’t find temporary replacements should you need a break or want to visit another region. You’ve all graduated from Pokemon School, so missing classes will not be an issue,” Kukui said. “A Gym Leader is basically an Ultra Guardian that also tests trainers and helps them grow. It won’t be too big of a jump in responsibilities. Plus, the pay is good.”
“When you put it like that, it doesn’t really sound like something bad,” Kiawe thought aloud.
“Kiawe,” Mallow explained.
“What? We get a good job, support for our dreams, and get to make a positive difference for Alola. Gym Leaders are a lot like Kahuna’s so it is appealing to me,” Kiawe defended. “I’ll become a Gym Leader.”
“If we end up not being a good fit, can we train a replacement?” Sophocles asked.
“Of course. It is not a requirement that you become a gym leader, but I do agree with Ash that you are some of our best choices right now. We have others we have in mind. Ilima has already agreed to be the first gym leader to make certain trainers understand the rules of the league as well as some necessary knowledge to survive in harmony with Alola,” Kukui reassured.
“If that is the case, I don’t mind,” Sophocles stated.
“We are already in,” Lana jumped in. Lillie nodded next to her. Everyone turned to Mallow.
“I guess I can try,” she hesitantly agreed. “But if the restaurant gets too busy, I will have to step down.”
“Alright!” Everyone cheered.
“Now, we just need to get the League notified, and we can announce it,” Scott happily informed them all.
“Yeah!”
It was on an empty field in Manolo Stadium that a press conference was set up. Ash and Kukui sat in the center of the table with several seats around them being empty. Cameras were set up to broadcast the events.
“Alola! I’m Professor Kukui and joining me is Alolan Champion Ash Ketchum.” Professor Kukui announced, calmly facing the cameras. “We have an exciting announcement for not just the region, but the entire world! After many months of delegation, we are ready to present our new Alolan Pokemon League!”
“That’s correct. Professor Kukui, the Kahunas of Alola, and many others have been working to create a League that represents the spirit of Alola,” Ash joined in. “We’re here to introduce some of the rules as well as some of the gym leaders.”
“That’s correct. We’ve been racking our brains trying to make a league that will be friendly to new trainers that will also challenge veteran trainers. Currently, our Champion is competing in Kanto’s Battle Frontier, and it was a great inspiration for the league. There will be extra challenges for trainers before they can earn their badges. There will still be normal gym battles, but each will be unique with additional rules.” Kukui took a deep breath before he continued.
“To clarify, trainers will still need to gather 8 badges to qualify for the league. As of now, we have about 11 gym leaders with a goal of getting to 18. 8 of the leaders are here right now. Trainers will be allowed to challenge any of the leaders in any order except for the first gym and final qualifying badge. If you don’t have those two badges, you will not be allowed to compete.”
“This is an unprecedented requirement. Why is that?” One of the reporters asked.
“This is for several reasons,” Ash spoke up. All eyes were on him. “One, while I was traveling through Kanto, I saw that many of the trainers were not truly ready to be traveling without supervision or even knew the rules for the league. This is why we will have a requirement for trainers to get the first badge, which we are calling the Brain Badge. Trainers will be taking a test that makes certain they understand the rules of the League, rules of Alola, and to also help trainers learn some life skills that are necessary as both a trainer and an adult. There is only one gym that will be an exception because it will be mobile.”
“As for the final badge, it was the requirement for the gym leader,” Kukui admitted. “He flat out refused to join unless we added this rule. That being said, we did have a battle to see if he was serious about his requirement, and he took out 4 of my Pokemon, so we conceded to his requirement. Despite his rough attitude, I can guarantee that he will be perfect for this job.”
“And who is this final gym leader?” A brave reporter piped in.
“Before we reveal it, let me remind you that the trainer has turned over a new leaf, and become all the better for it. We’ve already had him cleared by the League and the Kahunas so his past has no impact on his position. He’s done any time necessary,” Kukui stated seriously. “The final gym leader is the leader of Team Skull, Guzma.”
“That’s right. You want to see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form - it’s your boy, Guzma!” A rough voice announced. In all his glory, Guzma calmly walked out from behind a screen and joined Ash and Kukui. “I’m going to be the final challenge for any trainers wanting to compete in the league. I look forward to seeing the challenges that trainers bring. But I’ll warn ya, my bug-types are going to destroy you.”
“Thank you for coming, Guzma,” Kukui and Ash both said.
“Now, let’s go ahead and introduce the other gym leaders,” Kukui decided. “Guzma, the final gym leader of the Alola League. He will be running the Battle Tree on Poni Island.”
“Before trainers can even think of fighting him, they have to impress this gym leader. With his teams of teachers, he will make certain every trainer is prepared to face the league. Please welcome the leader of the Battle School, Ilima!” Kukui announced. A pink-haired male walked out onto the stage.
“Hello. It is an honor to be a part of this,” Ilima politely bowed to the camera. “I specialize in normal-type Pokemon. As stated, trainers wanting to take part in the league need to pass my gym challenge first. I don’t plan on it being difficult, but it will go over everything necessary.”
“We’ll do a bit of a speed run for the rest. Please remember that you can face the following leaders in any order after earning Ilima’s badge,” Kukui started. “Rounding out the gyms in Melemele island, we have the grass type gym leader, Mallow.” Mallow came out, nervously waving at the cameras before she took a seat next to Ilima. “We have the fiery battler Kiawe who is one of three different gym leaders of Akala Island.” Kiawe quickly moved to join Mallow at the table. His faithful Marowak popped out of the ball halfway through to start dancing for the camera.
“Marowak! Now is not the time!” Kiawe screeched as he quickly returned his Pokemon. He staggered to his seat. “Why do you have to do this to me?” Kiawe asked. Mallow silently patted him on his back.
“Always a riot with them,” Kukui laughed. “Unfortunately, the remaining gym leaders for Akala Island couldn’t come today, so we’ll move into the gym leaders for Ula’Ula Island. Please give it up for the Battle Library’s ghost-type specialist Acerola, and the Battle Observatory’s electrifying Sophocles!” Acerola skipped up to the stage while Sophocles hesitantly followed behind her.
“Working with the Aether Foundation, we have the leader of the Battle Resort, Lillie!” Lillie finally joined Ash at the table with her ever faithful Vulpix in her arms. Pikachu sat proudly on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring nuzzle. Lillie took a seat next to Ash, and Pikachu jumped straight onto his trainer’s shoulder. “Finally, we have one of the first international gyms. It is the Battle Ship, and it will be the only exception to the rule of having to have the Brain Badge to earn it when it is off of Alola Waters. As the name suggests, it will be an international ship that will be capable of easily traveling between entire regions in days. It will be manned by the water-type specialist, and the one and only Lana!” Kukui finished with a flourish as the tiny girl confidently walked and sat next to her friends.
“One month!” Ash suddenly called out. “In one month, we will be opening the Alola League to the greater world. Trainers will then have 11 months to collect the required 8 badges. On this day, one year from now, we will be having the first Alola League under these new rules. I look forward to seeing all the challengers bring their best.”