Chapter Text
So when I touch down
Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown
Baby, I'm the one to beat
'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
🌸
It’s barely 6 A.M and Ash doesn’t know why he already has woken up, but maybe that’s for the best. Their friends will wake up soon, and some of them are leaving early, and they should say their goodbyes, at least until they all meet again at the tournament.
Goh is still asleep, but Ash doesn’t feel guilty for waking him up early, especially after the mess he has made of him the previous night.
So Ash smirks to himself and does exactly the same thing that Goh did the last night. He yanks his hands to both sides, holding him down, and keeps his face close to Goh. Goh’s eyes snap open right away, and he’s met with Ash’s brown eyes staring into his blue ones. They’re much much closer than they were last night, but it’s not like Goh is complaining.
“Ash, what the fu–”, maybe he is complaining a little. It’s still early and they could sleep in for a little longer.
“Time for a little revenge”, Ash chuckles, tightening his grip on Goh’s wrists. He doesn’t need to though. Goh wouldn’t even try to escape.
“Is that really revenge if I’m enjoying every second of it?”, Goh says and takes the opportunity of the closeness to nuzzle his nose into Ash’s one.
“I’m not gonna let go until we talk it through, how does that sound now?”, Ash says and leans back a little to take a closer look at Goh’s face. As he suspected, Goh isn’t happy with the proposition.
“I-I don’t think there’s much to talk about”, Goh admits, casting his gaze away.
“Yeah? I think there is”, Ash stubbornly argues, and Goh sighs. Ash really won’t give up on it, will he?
“I want to”, a kiss to Goh’s forehead. “make sure”, a kiss to his left cheek, “I’m not the reason”, a kiss to his right cheek, “anymore”, Goh feels Ash’s breath ghost over his lips, and for the time, Goh feels like he could just connect them. But Ash leans back and looks into his eyes again instead.
Ash’s eyes are really worried, Goh notices, and he needs to do something about it. He doesn’t want Ash to doubt himself ever again.
“I don’t have a reason to feel that way anymore. You’re back. And I’m so happy you’re back. I’ve never been happier”, Goh says, looking straight into Ash’s eyes so the message will get through.
“But you were–”, Ash tries to argue, and Goh rolls his eyes.
“For Arceus’ sake, Ash Ketchum, if you won’t shut up, I will throw you into the nearest ocean”, Ash immediately stops talking and lets go of his hold on Goh’s wrists.
Goh’s glad, a little. He enjoyed the closeness, but now he can at least touch Ash freely. He takes that opportunity to put a hand on Ash’s chest.
“Look, I don’t feel that way anymore and it should be enough for you. It was just a phase, yeah? I was really heartbroken and I wasn’t thinking straight. But all that matters right now is that we are together now. It means the most to me that I got you by my side after all of that time.”, Goh says, and Ash closes his eyes for a moment. He can breathe out in relief.
“So you’re not the reason anymore. I don’t have any reason to feel that way. Besides, I’ve already forgiven you”, Goh says, intertwining their hands together.
“You’ve forgiven me?, Ash asks, surprised. Chloe has mentioned that, but Ash had trouble believing it.
Goh just blinks in confusion. Isn’t that obvious?
“Yeah, of course, I have”, he wouldn’t be that close to Ash as he is now if he hadn’t. “You thought I didn’t?”, Ash nods, and Goh just laughs. He thought it was obvious that everything was forgiven between them.
“You’re so silly, Ash. Maybe you are a kid after all, just like Iris says”, Goh chuckles, cupping Ash’s face into his hands so they can look into each other’s eyes again.
“I really have”, Goh whispers into Ash’s ear. It’s a lot to sink in, but he replies a soft thank you.
“So please don’t doubt yourself?”, Goh asks, playing with Ash’s fingers. His hands are tough, but they are where his belong.
“Thank you for trusting me again”, Ash says quietly as a reply.
He gives Goh the warmest smile he possibly can and tightens his grip on Goh’s hand. Goh nods his head and just hugs Ash tightly, rubbing comforting circles on his back. He feels the tension leaving Ash’s body with every passing second. He takes a look at the nearest clock. It’s just 6:35 A.M. Maybe they can sleep in after all?
🌸
They weren’t able to sleep in. They weren’t able to fall asleep again in the first place. They forgot to lock the door the previous night, and Bonnie shamelessly invited herself into their room.
Ash is glad they decided to sleep in the top bunk, because if they had been on the bottom one, Bonnie would already jump into it. So they weren’t able to sleep in, and Goh had no other choice but to take the little girl into his arms and take her to the kitchen and make her breakfast. She’s his little princess after all.
Ash is eating his own breakfast now and dealing with Clemont, who apologizes way too many times for Bonnie’s actions, but Ash just waves a hand at it. Nothing bad happened after all, there's no need to dwell on it.
Bonnie, you can’t just walk into someone’s room without knocking – but I just wanted a hug, I’m gonna miss them when I go on my journey again! Then you could ask for the hugs later!
And that’s true. Neither Ash nor Goh would argue with Clemont on that. But in its own way, that’s adorable. Bonnie’s adorable, and Goh gave her all the hugs she wanted almost immediately. As he said, she’s his little princess after all.
Surprisingly, Ash doesn't have much of an appetite for breakfast this morning. Goh went to the park to feed his Pokemon. At least the rest of their little family is hungry.
“Everything alright?”, May asks, worriedly.
Ash didn’t even realize when exactly she and Serena joined him and Clemont at the table. He is in the middle of forming the reply when two familiar kids run to the kitchen.
“Ash! Ash! Can we help Goh with feeding his Pokemon?”, Max excitedly asks.
And Ash can’t say no when Bonnie makes that adorable face, so he chuckles.
“I don’t see why you can’t. But you should ask Goh first. He’s somewhere in the park”, Ash says, and both kids run to the park right away.
May and Clemont are in the middle of asking their siblings to be careful when Ash beats them to it.
“Just be careful! It’s easy to get lost in the park.”, Ash says enough loudly so they could hear him through the door, and focuses on his breakfast again.
He still doesn’t have any appetite. He loves Max and Bonnie to pieces, but he’s glad they’re gone, because they wouldn’t be helpful with his headache that appeared not long ago for an unknown reason to Ash.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have this weird headache today.”, Ash admits, and May nods. “I have such a bad feeling about today, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just coming from my aura”, Ash tries to dismiss the whole thing, but no one sitting at the table buys it.
Ash doesn’t believe his own words either. He feels that his aura is particularly unsteady today. Lucario feels it too, because he got enough of it and releases himself on his own from his Pokeball again. He points at the front door and groans something.
“What’s wrong?”, Ash asks, looking at the door as well.
Lucario is still pointing at the front door, annoyed, and Pikachu, who was eating his food, stops and starts to pay attention to the door too.
“Ash!”, Professor Cerise calls, entering the room as well. “The first-round match-ups for the tournament got announced! You’re battling Raihan in the first round”.
“That’s awesome! I was looking forward to battling Raihan again”, Ash exclaimed happily, some confident spark appearing in his eyes. Pikachu makes some happy noises too, with his mouth full of food again. His expression matches Ash’s.
“I’m not sure if you’ll be happy to deal with…them, though”, Professor Cerise says and points at the door.
Oh, so that’s why.
“They’re not doing any harm, but it would be for the best if you could go and answer some of their questions”, Professor Cerise says, almost pleading.
He just wants the reporters to go and not disturb all of Pokemon’s peace at the park. Ash feels guilty about it, but Professor Cerise shakes his head immediately. It’s not your fault. You are always welcome here.
Ash breathes out in relief, but still nods not-so-confidently, and May notices his distress.
She knows Ash doesn’t complain in any way about being a World Champion, and being famous in general. She knows he loves being a Champion and an inspiration to many people.
But she also knows it’s not easy to deal with reporters, and it took her a lot of time to learn to enjoy all of these interviews herself. She wants Ash to do the same, especially if Ash used to enjoy interviews when he was younger.
May knows it must be harder to do when he’s a World Champion now and the reporters are invading his privacy more often. The silly interviews from the past are nothing compared to all those interviews when he’s a Champion now. But May wants Ash to enjoy the interviews regardless, so without thinking, she just stands, takes his hand, and runs through the door with startled Ash.
“Come on, Ash! It’s gonna be fun, let’s answer some questions!”
Ash doesn’t have any chance to even reply to her, Pikachu runs after them, and Lucario stays in the room. His aura calms a little after a while when he feels that his trainer does in fact enjoy doing the interview.
“Are you sure they’re not here because two Champions, four Gym Leaders, two Top Coordinators and the Princess of Hoenn are in the same building?”, Max asks, coming back from the park alongside Bonnie.
“Yeah, it definitely would peak anyone’s interest”, Bonnie agrees, and Clemont just laughs aloud.
Maybe there is some truth to it.
🌸
“I won’t go there!”
“You will!”
“No, I won’t.”
“Yes, you will. You’ll go and apologize to him, Chloe”, Dawn says, stubbornly, and Chloe rolls her eyes.
Her girlfriend tries to knock some sense into her, but not successfully. She doesn’t want to face Goh, at least not yet.
“But he’s in the best environment right now, surrounded by Pokemon and everything, I’m sure it’ll go alright”, Dawn still argues, and Chloe looks at Goh sitting on the grass through the window, watching Raichu collecting berries for the rest of the Pokemon. He looks calm. Maybe her girlfriend is right?
She locks her unsure gaze with Dawn’s confident one. She wishes she could feel as confident as Dawn is now. Chloe takes a deep breath. She can do this. She’s ready to cross that line separating her from Goh. At least she thinks she is.
She makes her way carefully towards him. Goh doesn’t react in any way when she sits next to him, but Chloe can feel the tension loud and clear. She takes a deep breath.
“I’m so–”, she tries, but Goh just hits his fist into the grass.
“Don’t say a thing”, he says, harshly. Chloe never heard Goh using that tone before. “You already said too much”, he adds, quieter than before, but still with enough poison that Chloe will know he was hurt by her words.
“Goh, I’m really sorry. You know deep down I didn’t mean it”, Chloe still tries to defend herself, but Goh just scoffs.
“You didn’t mean it, yeah? Then why did you say it if you didn’t mean it?”, Goh asks, locking his teary-eyed gaze with Chloe’s, and Chloe just now sees how truly hurt he is.
She doesn’t know what she should reply to not to make things worse than they already are. She just extends her hand to touch on his shoulder to calm him down, but Goh raises his hand and hisses don’t touch me.
Dragonair, who was making her way towards Goh, reads the raised hand as if it was aimed at her. She cries out, terrified and alarmed. Goh immediately makes his way towards the scared Pokemon, but Dragonair doesn’t let Goh come close to her right now.
“Dragonair, I’m sorry”, Goh says, keeping a safe distance, but trying to explain that nothing that happened was directed at her.
He tries to lock his gaze with Dragonair, but she still shakes in fear and Goh doesn’t know what to do. Luckily, Iris comes to the rescue. Ash and Lucario run after her.
“What happened?”, Ash asks, putting a hand on Goh’s shoulder to offer comfort.
“I was um, in the middle of the talk with Chloe, when Dragonair got scared and read my intentions wrong”, Goh quietly replies and bites his lips. He feels like crying. What kind of a trainer is he right now?
Lucario feels Goh’s unsteady aura and he growls something, and Ash nods his head. He feels it too. He tightens his grip on Goh’s shoulder as they both watch Iris calming the Pokemon.
“Dragonair, calm down”, she immediately hugs the scared Pokemon. “Goh didn’t mean it, yeah? Can you calm down and show Goh you’re not scared anymore?”, she talks softly until the Pokemon doesn’t shake in fear anymore.
“Goh, you should be more careful. Dragonair’s still healing from her trauma”, Iris says. She doesn’t mean her voice to sound harsh, but it did anyway.
Goh opens his mouth to say something, but no words are leaving his lips. He looks at the ground instead. He feels so bad right now.
“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to startle her”, she says as an apology, petting Dragonair with slow but gentle moves. “Just be careful next time, yeah?”. Goh just nods his head. He doesn’t trust his voice right now.
“She’s still scared, but at least she’s calmer now”, Iris states, still giving gentle strokes to Dragonair.
“I think I have the right Pokemon to help her not feel as scared. Infernape, come on out!”, Ash says, releasing the fire type.
As expected, both Pokemon immediately take an interest in each other, as they feel they’ve been through a similar thing.
Ash and Iris look at them with a soft smile when Dragonair wraps her tail around Infernape. Goh doesn’t look up. He doesn’t dare to. With each passing second, the tension is leaving Dragonair’s body. She feels more relaxed and less scared.
“I think she’s ready to be in your proximity again, Goh”, Iris says after she makes sure that Dragonair doesn’t fear him anymore, but Goh just shakes his head no.
He doesn’t feel like he deserves to be Dragonair’s trainer anymore. He failed her as a trainer. He failed Iris when she entrusted him with Dragonair. Instead, he ignores everyone, and he runs ahead. He ignores Ash calling his name. He ignores his own tears streaming down his face. He wants to be alone right now.
🌸
Goh doesn’t care about the tears blocking his vision, he runs and runs until he’s tired. When he runs out of breath, he finally sits and tries to steady his breathing.
He doesn’t know if it’s because of running or crying or maybe both, but he couldn’t care less now. He wants to disappear, he wants to hide and never come out ever again.
He notices the cave where Drizzile used to nest a few years ago from the corner of his eye, and without further thinking, Goh crawls in there, in hopes that no one will find him here. He really needs some space and time for himself, just a few minutes to breathe. Hours maybe, if he’s being honest.
He lays on the ground and starts to sob with his head in his hands, but not even a full one minute passes when he hears a soft Groo?
He looks up and he’s met with Grookey’s worried eyes staring into his own, and equally worried Gary as well. Goh doesn’t question how in the world they have found him in a span of only a few minutes. He just smiles softly and hugs Grookey close to his chest. His presence grounds him a little. Gary can get out though. He’s interrupting Goh’s much needed alone time.
But Gary doesn’t leave. He just sits next to Goh and doesn’t say anything. Goh just turns over so Gary won’t notice that he was crying, although he’s sure he already knows that. Goh’s occasional hiccups say everything that Gary needs to know. He doesn’t mention it. He was part of Goh's emotional outbursts a lot when Ash was still away, so it’s not something new to Gary to see Goh in a state like this.
“Gary? Can I ask you a question…?”, Goh finally asks, his voice still shaky from earlier crying, and Gary just nods although Goh can’t see him. He was waiting for Goh to break the silence first.
“Do you think I am a bad trainer?”, Goh asks, quietly. He’s glad he isn’t facing Gary now. He doesn’t need to see his disagreeable look that he’s probably giving him. He lets go of Grookey, who wants to run around the cave.
“I’ve never thought you are a bad trainer, Goh”, Gary says confidently, and Goh finally decides to turn over to properly face him.
“Even when I messed up our battle against Articuno?”, he asks, and Gary just chuckles at the memory.
“You didn’t mess up the battle because you are a bad trainer. You refused to team up with me, but I don’t think it’s about your skills as a trainer. It’s more about you just being a human. Of course every trainer should learn to cooperate with others, but you should learn it first as just a human being. Having poor social skills doesn’t make you a bad trainer, Goh.“, Gary says and smiles softly, but Goh is still lost in thought.
“Then what about when I forced Sobble to battle, o-or when I wanted to release Raboot without telling him first. Or now? When I startled Dragonair and she was so scared of me?, Goh bites his lips. He feels so close to crying again. He feels so awful.
“Goh, these are just simple mistakes to make. The most important thing is that you learned from them. Look at the bright side, the Sobble you forced into battle once evolved into a strong Inetelon who wouldn’t think twice to protect you. Raboot, who you wanted to release, came back to you and evolved into a Cinderace who won’t ever leave your side”. Gary tries to knock some sense into Goh, but he’s still stubborn. Typical Goh.
“But I should have known better, Dragonair is still healing from her trauma, and I startled her. What if she doesn’t want me as her trainer ever again?”
“Well, yeah, I think you should be more careful. You should be more careful with every one of your Pokemon. But making mistakes doesn’t make you a bad trainer. You just got Dragonair, yeah? You still don’t know a lot about each other, but with passing time, you will.”, Gary says and locks his confident gaze with Goh’s unsure one.
“A bad trainer wouldn’t save Suicune from the hunters. A bad trainer wouldn’t save Absol from burning. A bad trainer wouldn’t search half of the town to find Grookey to give him his stick back. I’m just sure of it, you are a good trainer, Goh. Stop doubting yourself”, Gary states, no room for any questioning in his voice, and Goh finally gives him the kindest smile he can give right now. He’s grateful for Gary’s words.
Thank you is at the tip of Goh’s tongue, but Goh doesn’t need to say it. Gary feels it and just smiles warmly in return.
“Ash and Chloe are worrying about you. We should be going back”, Gary says, but Goh doesn’t even move.
Chloe. He doesn’t want to face Chloe right now.
“What’s wrong?”, Gary asks worriedly, although he remembers that these two had an argument the night before.
“You heard the argument, right?” Goh knows that doesn't even make sense to ask. He’s sure that half of the Cerise Laboratory has heard it. Gary only nods, confirming Goh’s worries.
“Not much, though. Would you like to talk about it?”, he asks carefully. He braces for Goh declining the offer, but to his surprise, Goh nods his head. He needs to let it out. Now. No matter to who.
“Chloe has said some mean stuff, you know. About Ash. About me too”, Goh says and takes a deep breath afterward.
Just talking about it makes him extremely anxious. He starts to play with his own fingers to distract himself.
“Goh?”, Gary asks, seeing Goh’s distress. “I’m here to listen. You can talk to me”.
So Goh does talk. He really needed to let it all out.
He talks about that one late night phone call and how Chloe comforted him. He talks about last night’s argument and whatever Chloe said to him. About Ash. About everything.
Goh doesn’t even realize when he starts to cry again. He’s sobbing uncontrollably. Gary just can sink his teeth in disbelief. He can’t believe what he has just heard. He doesn’t know what he can say. He truly sucks at comforting people, but he decides against the voices in his head saying it’s dumb, don’t do it, and he shyly hugs Goh.
It’s their first hug, and the boy in his arms just cries harder. Gary doesn’t care that his shirt is gonna be soaked in Goh’s tears. He just wants to comfort him in any way he can now, hoping it’s gonna work out.
It does work out a little, because in a few minutes, Goh leans back, a little embarrassed (but neither of them mentions it), and wipes the tears from his own cheeks. He seems calmer, Gary notices, after letting it all out. That’s good. Grookey jumps on his trainer’s shoulder to offer some comfort too, and Goh gives him a few pets.
“Shall we go now?”, Gary asks after a while. “Ash is worried sick.”
Goh just nods. He doesn’t trust his own voice now. It’s probably strained after crying so loud. When they come out from the cave, they are indeed met with worried Ash. Worried Iris. Worried Chloe too - but Goh doesn’t want to see her right now.
“I’m sorry I worried you”, Goh mumbles. Ash just whispers it’s okay and places a soft comforting kiss on Goh's temple.
He sees Goh’s red eyes. He sees how distressed he is. He’s gonna ask about it later if only Goh will let him in. Dragonair comes closer and wraps her tail around Goh. He just chuckles softly at the affection.
“I’m sorry”, Goh still apologizes. He’s glad to see that Dragonair is feeling better now though, less scared and calmer than before.
Dragonair doesn’t want to listen to any more apologies, so she nuzzles into Goh’s cheek.
“Alright, alright, I get it”, Goh laughs at the affection, and Iris just smiles at the adorable scene.
Chloe shyly takes a step closer, but Goh just extends his hand in a sign he doesn’t want her to come closer.
“I’m sorry, Chloe, I’m not ready to talk about it yet”, he says, his voice still shaky, and Chloe just nods.
Goh sees regret in her eyes, but he ignores it for now. He can deal with it later. He breathes out in relief when Chloe comes back to the Laboratory.
“Well”, says Ash, hugging Goh from behind to offer some comfort, “How about a rest now, and then we’ll say goodbyes to our friends? They have their flights soon.”
Goh just nods, and Ash places a soft kiss on his cheek. A comfortable silence falls around them, but Goh breaks it minutes later.
“Could we visit my parents later?, he asks quietly.
He doesn’t need to ask Ash twice.
🌸
But Goh doesn’t accompany Ash to bid the goodbyes to their friends.
Instead, he goes into his (and Ash’s) room, lays on the bottom bunk this time and burrows his face into the pillow. He feels awful. It was his birthday party and he should be the one saying goodbyes to his guests, but instead, he left it all on Ash’s head.
But Ash… Ash is such an awesome (boy)friend that he excused Goh by saying that he’s feeling sick and took care of everything all by himself. No one seemed to buy it to be honest. The argument with Chloe was hearable in the whole Laboratory after all, but at the same time, no one questioned it, and they let Goh have some needed time alone.
Ash wasn’t upset either. He happily said goodbye to everyone. Well, almost everyone.
Dawn stays with Chloe anyway. They’re gonna drive to their apartment later in the day.
Gary wanted to do some research on Dragonair - they are so rare! you don’t see the Dratini line so often!, so he and Tokio are currently in the park playing with her. Ash rolled his eyes, because Gary could simply ask to do research on his or Iris’ Dragonite, but he doesn’t question it. He lets Gary play with Dragonair on Goh’s behalf.
Whatever happened between Goh and Gary in the cave is a total mystery to Ash. But Gary must’ve done something helpful, because Goh was definitely feeling better after the talk, or whatever else happened between them.
May and Serena got interested in Dragonair as well, so they watch Gary playing with her from afar.
May noticed immediately how gracefully Dragonair moves – she would be perfect for contests, don’t you think?, and Serena agreed.
Actually, since the day she met Goh in Kalos, she thought that he would be perfect for contests. Just imagining Goh and Dragonair on the stage makes Serena feel so warm inside. She wishes it could really happen so she could see it with her own eyes. She wishes she could recommend Goh to try it out at least, like she did to Chloe.
Clemont leaves, alongside Bonnie and Max, who are currently traveling together. Bonnie wanted to sneak into Goh’s room, but Cinderace immediately stopped her. She pouted sadly, and Ash had to explain that Goh is just feeling unwell. He had to hug her twice as tightly on Goh’s behalf.
Iris and Cilan leave too, and Brock joins them. Iris asks Ash for a rematch whenever they’ll meet again. It’s gonna be in Masters 8 next, I’m sure of it, and Iris smiles confidently.
Mallow, Lillie, Sophocles, and Kiawe leave next. Lillie’s sad she couldn’t give the final hugs to Goh’s Vulpix, but they are currently with Goh giving him much needed comfort.
Kiawe asks for a battle after the tournament. Sophocles laughs. Give the poor boy a break, everyone expects to battle him, but Ash doesn’t mind. He could battle Kiawe every day.
Mallow just says I’m sure you both will figure it out eventually, and Ash confidently nods his head. They are already figuring it out after all.
Misty doesn’t leave, she decides to annoy Ash further. But to her surprise, Ash doesn’t mind honestly. He enjoys Misty’s company to his surprise too.
To be honest, Misty was worried about Ash last night, she’s always been worried for him since the first day they met. He’s always been immature, clumsy and always making the dumbest decisions ever.
It wasn’t the same Ash she had met 7 years ago who screwed up his friendship with Goh. The Ash who made that decision was already smarter, equally clumsy!! and still making the dumbest decisions ever.
She knows Ash loathed the distance he put himself between him and Goh, so hearing the argument Goh and his friend had over him wasn’t easy for her either.
But the Ash who stands next to her right now seems to be way more mature, still clumsy!!!, and he’s not gonna make the same mistakes again. She’s glad to see him grow up and fix his mistakes. Misty can officially say it - she’s proud of Ash, and she’s happy to see him feeling alright again after all of that time. But don't tell Ash that she said that. He can’t find out that she said she’s proud of him.
🌸
Goh holds the Alolan Vulpix close to his chest. The Kantonian one is curled next to his feet. He enjoys the heat that radiates from her. Grookey is taking a nap on the top bunk this time around. Goh still finds it comforting – just to know that Grookey is above him, sleeping peacefully.
Goh sighs heavily. He wishes he could stay in this room forever. He doesn’t want to face Chloe today. Not even tomorrow. Not even a week later. Can he actually disappear for a whole year?
His brain tries to knock some sense into him, that Chloe indeed didn’t mean it, and that she said it while being emotionally driven. She wasn't being her rational self. She was just impulsive, but Goh shuts the brain off. His heart tells him otherwise. It hurt so bad hearing Chloe saying all of these words to him. Goh’s confused about how he feels. His heart and brain tell him different things at once. He feels so frustrated that he wants to scream.
He groans when he hears a gentle knock on the door. Who in the world came to annoy him? He doesn’t want any company right now, except for his Pokemon. For a second, he thinks it’s Ash who just came to check up on him, so he mumbles a quiet come in.
He realizes that Ash wouldn’t hear it, but the sound of opening the door proves him wrong. He must’ve said it louder than he thought he did. To his surprise, it’s not Ash who came to bother him.
“I’m sorry I’m disturbing you, but I just wanted to ask if Sandy could play with your Inteleon?”, Lana asks shyly, and Goh just chuckles.
“Sure, Inteleon’s somewhere in the park. Probably alongside Cinderace”, he replies, giving his Vulpix a few pets. She makes some silly noises in her sleep at the affection.
“Actually, I just gave your Cinderace a few treats so he could let me in”, Lana laughs. “It’s cute that he acts like your bodyguard”.
And that’s true. Cinderace is always overly protective of Goh, and he wouldn’t think twice to Pyro Ball some butts to whoever hurts his trainer. Goh just sadly chuckles.
It’s just now when Lana notices how sad Goh really feels. It’s quite a contrast to a week ago when he felt truly happy after reuniting with Ash, and now when he feels absolutely heartbroken after his argument with Chloe. She carefully puts a hand on Goh’s shoulder, and he leans into it comfortably.
“Chloe is your childhood friend, yeah?”, Lana asks, and Goh just nods. “Just like me and Mallow”. she smiles softly at the memory of her meeting Mallow for the first time.
“Me and Mallow had a lot of arguments too, you know. Sometimes over silly things, and sometimes those serious ones too that ended up making one of us run away. But no matter what we argued over, we always found our way to back each other. It’s the power of friendship. Nothing comes between a strong bond of friends, especially friends that have known each other for such a long time.”, Lana says and chuckles softly.
She hopes her words will cheer up Goh a little bit. Goh gets lost in his thoughts, but hums to Lana’s words. He thinks about them for a few minutes, but after a while, the tension seems to leave his body. Lana’s words do indeed help, because Goh just smiles warmly afterward in return and whispers a soft thank you.
“Well, would you like to join me and play with Sandy and Inteleon too, then? Some of our friends are still at the Lab”, Lana asks.
Goh nods at the invitation, “Yeah, sounds like fun”.
It’s time to leave that room and get some fresh air. Besides, he already misses Ash. He could use some of his comforting hugs now.
🌸
And Ash gives Goh all of the hugs he needs. They’re sitting under the tree, Ash hugging Goh from behind and playing with his hair. It seems to soothe him a little, so Ash continues doing so.
They’re watching their friends playing with Pokemon quietly. It’s enjoyable to watch everyone get along. Both teams are giving their absolute best like their lives depend on it.
No one exactly knows the rules to the game everyone just invented, but Goh figured out they just don’t want the ball to fall to the ground. Somehow, the ball hasn’t hit the ground yet, and the game already lasts around 5 minutes.
All of it is peace to Goh. He could get used to that feeling, having Ash next to him and his comforting presence. Just laying in his arms and watching their friends having fun.
Goh wishes he could have all of his friends around every day, although he knows it’s not possible. Everyone is busy these days, and it’s impossible to have everyone in one place. His birthday party was an exception, and he’s glad everyone will still find time to support Ash in the Masters 8 Tournament.
But if Goh only could, he would keep everyone in one place. It’s not like he’s complaining. He still appreciates what he has now.
With all of his Pokemon in one place, he can see them everyday since he came back from his journey. He sees Gary and Tokio almost everyday. Dawn spends most of her time at the Lab too nowadays, and well, Chloe…Chloe still counts. She’s so important to him, even if they have yet to figure out some stuff.
And Ash… he finally has Ash by his side again. They are spending a lot of time together again, and Goh loves it.
All of it…all of it feels like home to Goh right now, and he doesn’t want to lose it. But since the day he reunited with Ash, he misses being on the road again with him. He misses doing all those endless research tasks, he misses running towards the unknown, and he misses catching new Pokemon. He wants to travel again, this time with Ash by his side again.
“Ash?”, Goh quietly asks, and Ash tightens his grip around him. He’s still paying attention to the game. “Do you think we could travel again? Together. Do you think we could travel together again?”
“I don’t see why we couldn’t”, Ash replies, kissing Goh’s temple softly. “It’s not like we are tied to Vermilion.”
“I mean, I don’t wanna leave Vermilion forever. I wish we could travel like we used to, doing some research for Professor Cerise and everything”, Goh says, finally looking up into Ash’s eyes.
“Just like the good old times?”, Ash chuckles, and Goh nods.
“Just like the good old times.”
“Well, we could ask Professor Cerise if you’d like”, Ash casually says, without even a tiny bit of questioning in his voice.
“You wouldn’t mind?”. Goh’s a little surprised, but not much. Of course, Ash would do everything for him. But Goh wants to take care of his worries too. “I know you feel a lot of pressure when we’re outside sometimes, and there can be reporters anywhere”.
Ash’s heart feels absolutely warm at Goh’s consideration. Hhe just smiles softly at him and kisses his forehead.
“With you by my side, I’ll be just fine. I talked to May about it, and she gave me some good advice about it. Besides, I should be getting more used to them since, you know, I’m not planning to lose”, Ash winks, and Goh laughs softly.
“Yeah? Then give it all you’ve got…Champion”, Goh whispers softly, and cups Ash’s face into his hands. They’re so close that they could just…kiss.
They’re staring into each other’s eyes, and Ash can feel Goh’s breath on his face and his steady heartbeat under his hand. Goh, for the first time, feels like he could just kiss Ash - right here and right now, even if their friends are around.
He finds that he wouldn’t mind that moment to be their first kiss, even if it doesn't seem to be anything special. They are just in the park, surrounded by their friends and Pokemon. It’s not even their date or anything, but just sharing the kiss now when they’re in their little bubble would be special enough.
So he just leans closer, and Ash closes his eyes like he would feel what’s about to happen. They’re so close, and Ash’s heart almost jumps from his chest. He almost feels Goh’s lips on his own when Dawn shamelessly ruins the moment. She sits next to them on the grass, and both boys break away from each other like they would be just burned.
Goh’s blushing furiously now, and his heartbeat skyrocketed into a new pace he didn’t know his heart was able to beat. Ash, on the other hand, is breathing heavily. He takes Goh’s hand into his own and focuses again on the game in front of them. How dare she.
“I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation, but actually, that’s a good timing that you’re thinking of being research fellows again”, Dawn finally says after a moment. She’s totally oblivious to the fact that she ruined her friends’ first ever kiss.
“How so?”, Ash asks. He’s trying so hard to control his breathing.
“Well, Chloe was thinking of trying out some more contests with me, so she wouldn’t be able to help her dad as much as before”, Dawn confesses, and Ash nods. That is good timing indeed.
“That’s awesome.”, Ash muses. “I’m sure she’s gonna be great”.
Goh thinks so too. She did her absolutely best in her first contest back in Lilycove City. But still, Goh saddens at the mention of his friend’s name. He still isn’t ready to face her, and it turns out Chloe soon would be gone to try out contests in other cities far away from him. A shaky exhale escapes his lips on its own. Ash tightens his grip on Goh’s hand. It helps to ground him a little bit.
“Goh, you know, she’s in the lab. You could just go and talk to her”, Dawn says, but Goh shakes his head. It’s not as easy as she thinks it is.
“She didn’t really mean it, Goh”, Dawn tries to defend her girlfriend, but Goh still refuses to go and talk to Chloe.
“You don’t say hurtful things and then say that you didn’t mean them”, Goh says harshly, and Dawn winces at the harsh tone.
She regrets even mentioning Chloe’s name. Goh’s still hurt about what his friend has said to him. It’s something he’d never expect coming from Chloe’s mouth. Ever.
Ash is…confused. He knows about the argument, but it seems Goh has been hiding something from him since that night. Something that has upset Goh, and it’s more than just about what Chloe has said about Ash to him that night. He doesn’t want to push Goh to talk when he doesn’t want to, but he wants to be somehow helpful. So he gives it a try anyway.
“Could someone tell me what’s going on?”, Ash finally utters, and Goh just casts his gaze away. He expected as much.
“Goh?”, Ash tries, but the aforementioned trainer still ignores him. “Could you tell me what Chloe said to you?, he asks gently, intertwining their fingers together this time. Let me in.
Goh still shakes his head no.
“Ash, please”, a weak plea. Please don’t push me. Don’t press.
And Ash has no other choice but to respect Goh’s boundaries. He weakly nods his head.
“Okay”, Ash says, and shares a worried look with Dawn. They both sure can only hope that Chloe and Goh can fix whatever’s been broken between them.
Ash plays with Goh’s fingers when some happy exclaims turn their attention to the outcome of the game.
It seems Lana’s team won, and Pikachu comes back to sit on his trainer's shoulder. Ash pets him when he notices his partner is sulking over the loss. Goh’s Grookey comes back soon after, and Goh holds him close to his chest.The not serious game was seemingly serious for all of the Pokemon, and it seems it was serious for human participants too, because Misty doesn’t take the loss well either.
“Well, Lana, you won’t cheer up your Water Pokemon princess?”, Ash asks over a smirk, winking.
Both girls just furiously blush at his words, and Misty muses quiet oh, shut up. Goh laughs for the first time this day at that exchange. Honest and beautiful. Ash is glad to see Goh’s mood lighten up a bit. He wants to see him happy forever and always like that.
🌸
“Oh Ash, it’s great to see you again!”, Camille smiles warmly at the boy, and Ash kindly smiles back.
Pikachu jumps on the woman’s shoulder and nuzzles her cheek.
Since when is Pikachu that close to Goh’s mom?, Ash wonders. It must run in the family. Pikachu is close to Goh too after all.
“I’m glad to see that Vulpix hatched healthy too. Oh, you even got the one from Alola!”, she says in awe, happily petting two of them.
I gifted her to Goh as a birthday present, Ash brags, and Camille laughs. How adorable.
His mom is home alone, Goh notices. His parents are usually working late together, or they are at home, but together. They are always together, and it’s just weird to see his mom alone. Goh doesn’t miss how her eyes seem so sad today.
“How did the Alola tournament go, Ash?”, Camille asks from the kitchen. She already started to prepare dinner for everyone.
“Ah, it went alright. I won!”, Ash grins, and Pikachu mimics his expression proudly. Goh just chuckles. His heart feels so warm right now just looking at them, and he’s so proud of Ash. Forever and ever.
“Mind you, it was Pikachu who did all the work”, Goh smirks jokingly and scratches Pikachu under the chin.
He exclaims some happy Pika’s in return for the affection. Ash rolls his eyes, and Camille laughs again. It’s so good to see them together after that long year.
It was only a year, but it felt like an eternity. She’s more than happy to see them being on good terms again, and maybe something more than just friends?
“I bet you’re training hard for the um, what is it called again?”, Camille asks after a while, a little embarrassed.
“Masters 8 tournament”, Goh says, and she thanks him with a smile.
Ash, in fact, didn’t train much for the tournament. But don’t blame him, he was busy, yeah? First with defending his Alola Champion title, then reuniting with Goh, figuring out their relationship, leaving Alola, Goh’s birthday party, and meeting with so many friends. His life turned 180 degrees recently, and he couldn’t be happier.
“I’m not gonna lose”, that’s all Ash says, and Camille smiles again.
Goh takes Ash’s hand into his own under the table, and if his mom noticed it, she was kind not to mention it.
More than friends indeed. And she doesn’t even need to ask about it. Mother always knows best, and she knows everything’s alright now. She’s glad Goh and Ash are finally on better terms. That’s all she wished for.
“Well, the dinner should be in half an hour. You can spend that time in your room if you’d like to”, she smiles, but Goh doesn’t want to leave.
He wants to talk to his mom, to ask for the advice he needs to hear, so he just motions Ash with a hand that he can go and rest in the meantime
“Just be careful”, Goh says, and Ash chuckles.
“Yeah, yeah, we will be careful with your precious six screens”, Ash rolls his eyes and takes their little Pokemon family to the room too (except for Grookey, because he's a stubborn little child).
The comfortable silence falls into the room, and Goh feels a little bad to break it. His mom hums some melody that she probably heard on the radio. She’s making Goh’s favorite soup now, and Grookey is curled on his lap to take a nap. He pets him with slow moves.
“Mom? Where is dad?”, Goh finally asks after a while, worriedly, and Camille goes still for a moment at the mention of her husband. But of course, Goh would notice his absence.
“Oh, he’s just working late”, she replies quietly, her voice full of sadness.
“But you are always working late together”, Goh points out, and his mother just heavily sighs.
“Well, the truth is– you see, we had an argument”, she confesses slowly, one single tear falling from her eye. She wipes it right away before Goh notices.
“Oh”, is all what Goh utters. He honestly doesn’t know what he could offer. He’s dealing with his own argument with Chloe as well right now.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, it’s not anything serious. We just need some time alone to figure it out. I’m sure we will”, she says, some cheer back in her voice.
His mom always looks at the bright side, but Goh’s still worried. His parents rarely argued when he was a little kid.
“It’s nothing that we can’t figure out, you don’t need to worry”, she reassures, and Goh wonders if she’s reading his mind. He wouldn’t be surprised though. She’s his mother after all.
“You know, I had an argument with Chloe too recently”, Goh confesses, petting Grookey for comfort.
Goh tries to avoid going too far into details. He’s terrified how his own mother would react to the fact that he said he wanted to die, even if he didn’t truly mean it. He feels a lump in his throat just at that thought.
“It’s natural to have arguments in relationships and friendships”, she says, deep in thought. “The most important thing is that you will talk it through and know what upset both of you”.
“But what if she…told me something so hurtful that I don’t want to even face her now?”, Goh says, casting his eyes away.
“Then she should be understanding and give you the space you need until you’re ready to talk. She should respect your boundaries”, Camille says, still stirring the soup and tasting it from time to time to make sure it’s not too salty.
“Well, she does that, but the thing is…Dawn told me that Chloe leaves Vermillion soon to do contests, and it seems we won’t see each other for a long time. I feel like time is running out and I’m still not ready to face her. I…I don’t know what to do, mom”, Goh confesses, and a shaky exhale escapes his lips.
“Some people need more time than others to deal with the hurt. It’s okay if you need more time to deal with it on your own. I know time is running out, but you can’t rush healing. The scar on your heart is still hurting, and Chloe’s hurting too. You’re both upset, and you need time to reflect on the argument. Especially what you both said and how hurtful it was for both sides”, Camille says, and Goh hums. He’s trying to process his mom’s words.
“And you need to understand where Chloe is coming from too, because you both are hurting. But I can assure you that no matter how much time you need, Chloe will be waiting for you to figure out everything alongside you. You both care about each other a lot after all”, his mom says with a warm smile, and Goh for the first time since the argument with Chloe feels that everything will be alright.
His mom always makes everything sound so easy. He smiles kindly back and wants to stand up to hug her when he remembers Grookey is napping on his lap. She chuckles softly at that.
“Thank you”, he says kindly, and Camille just smiles warmly in return.
“I’m glad I could help”, is all she says, and she focuses on the soup again, but not for long. The dinner’s almost ready anyway.
“You can go and tell Ash”, Camille says, doing some final touches to the soup. She doesn’t need to though. Goh’s sure it already tastes perfectly.
“Ash better be hungry, because I made plenty!”, she jokes and Goh rolls his eyes.
“I’m sure he will, he will ask for the second plate before he even finishes the first one”, despite the remark, Camille sees the love in her son’s eyes, how fondly he talks about Ash, and how he cares about him. She couldn’t be happier that they found their way to each other again.
Camille laughs at how carefully Goh tries to stand to not to wake up napping Grookey. It’s somehow successful, and Goh disappears in his old room to tell Ash about dinner.
When he’s gone, she can breathe out in relief. Her son will be alright and she doesn’t need to worry about him as much as before anymore. He’s safe and sound with Ash now, and whatever is going on between him and Chloe, they can figure it out, just like he did with Ash.
🌸
Goh and Ash decided to stay overnight at Goh’s parents' apartment. Well, it’s more like Goh decided it on his own, and Ash had nothing to say about it.
Goh was just worried about his parents and he wanted to stay longer to see if they’ll be alright. Goh’s parents are alright now indeed. They made up pretty quickly after Walker came home from work, and Goh could finally breathe out in relief. But after that, it was too late to even try to come back to the Cerise Laboratory and both boys somehow had to squeeze in Goh’s old small bed for the night.
Goh’s trying not to complain about it (because it was his own idea), but Ash slept so sprawled out that he hit him at least a few times throughout the night. It’s around 8 A.M now and neither of them are sleeping.
Goh is facing the wall and staring at it like it’s the most interesting thing in the world right now. Ash is hugging him from behind, and Goh can feel his breath on his neck perfectly. He’s playing with his hair again, and it helps Goh to soothe his worries.
The bed is too small for them both indeed. Ash could easily sleep on the couch in the living room, but Goh didn’t let him. He just…needed Ash by his side. Well, at least before he knew that Ash would ruin his much needed sleep.
But that’s the last problem on Goh’s list of all of the problems. He’s still overthinking his argument with Chloe and trying to process his mom’s words, so he can’t sleep anymore even if he would love to. Neither can Ash, but for different reasons. He just feels Goh’s messy aura right now.
He kisses the available skin on Goh’s neck that isn’t covered in a blanket, “Penny for your thoughts?”, he asks, and Goh just hums.
“I’m just thinking”, Goh mumbles under his breath, and Ash rolls his eyes. He would’ve never guessed.
“That I know. Figured as much. But about what?”, he asks, and Goh finally turns over to face him. Ash’s face lightens up to see Goh’s beautiful eyes for the first time this morning. He caresses Goh’s cheek with his finger delicately.
“About what my mom said”, Goh replies, a little bit tired. Ash isn’t sure if it’s from constant thinking or from the lack of sleep. “She said I should understand where Chloe was coming from”.
Ash just hums. He’s not going to be that helpful when he doesn’t know all the details about their argument, but maybe he could do something about it if only Goh would let him in.
“I could help you understand if you’d like”, Ash considers and does the same thing as a few days ago – keeping his hold on Goh’s wrists, not letting him go anywhere.
Goh feels Ash’s piercing gaze on himself and he starts to feel positively overwhelmed by Ash all over him. He feels his breath on his face again and he can’t escape from Ash’s hold, not like he wants too though.
“You’re not gonna let me go until I tell you, am I right?”, Goh raises his brow and Ash nods, smirking a little. “Then we’re gonna stay here forever”.
“I wouldn’t mind, you know”, Ash jokes and kisses Goh’s forehead. “I’m not gonna press, but I feel a little left out. Dawn knows everything, and Gary must have known something too. He’s gotten a little protective of you since yesterday, and you know that it’s not like him to be that protective of someone”. Well, except for Tokio maybe.
Goh apologizes under his breath. He knows Ash deserves the explanation. He deserves to know everything, just like Dawn and Gary do. It is unfair that he doesn’t know everything when Ash’s the closest and the most important person to Goh now.
Ash is still staring at him. His eyes are nothing but inviting for an open talk. But still…
“You don’t trust me?”, Ash asks, his voice a little heartbroken, but Goh shakes his head right away. That’s not it. He trusts Ash now more than anyone else.
“I do trust you, but you’re just…gonna get mad”, Goh says quietly, almost terrified, and Ash is a little confused now.
“I’m not gonna get mad at you, I promise”, Ash reassures, but Goh shakes his head again.
“At Chloe, I mean”, Goh explains further.
“Oh”, that’s all what Ash says, just blinking, but after a while, the confusion fades from his face slowly and turns into confidence somehow.
Try me, Ash’s face seems to say now, and Goh gulps, but takes a deep breath anyway and braces himself for the talk.
“Okay, let’s talk”, Goh sighs, defeated. Ash caresses Goh’s wrists slowly but lets go of them when he finally agrees to talk.
He wraps his arm around him in a half-hug and listens to every word Goh is saying, to every broken sob that is escaping his lips, and wiping every tear that is falling from his eyes.
When Goh’s calmer, he takes a look at Ash slowly. He’s scared to see the anger on his face, but to his surprise, there’s no anger on Ash’s face, but understanding instead. It’s his turn to be confused.
“I’m not gonna be mad at Chloe, and I’m not gonna be hating on her either”, Ash can be better than Chloe with that at least. “I know she was upset that I disappeared from your life, breaking the promise. But I think she's also upset that you moved on quickly. She maybe doesn’t understand how you could move on so quickly, I mean. She must have felt terrified and powerless when you just, you know, told her that you wanted to…”, Goh nods. He doesn’t need to hear Ash finishing the sentence.
“She must’ve felt like she was losing you. She was afraid that she would lose you if you did that. I would hate myself if I’d be the reason. I know she didn’t sincerely mean it. People say a lot of hurtful things when they’re upset. Remember when you said to me that we’re through? You didn’t really mean it, yeah? You were just driven by the emotions inside you. What Chloe said was hurtful, and I don’t blame you for having a hard time forgiving her, but I’m just…I’m just sure deep down she didn’t want to say it. She cares about you a lot. She is your first friend ever, yeah? You are important to her and she doesn’t-, and she didn’t want to lose you because of the dumb decisions I’ve made”, Ash says, lost in thought, and Goh just blinks slowly, processing every single word.
He’s glad Ash tried to give him a tiny bit of Chloe’s perspective. He thinks he understands her more now. He can see now how she feels.
“Was I– was I helpful?”, he asks, and Goh just lays back on the bed, pulling Ash onto him. They’re close again.
“You know what, Ash Ketchum? You can use wise words when you want to. You’re not so oblivious as people think you are”, Goh says quietly and he gets lost in Ash’s brown eyes.
Ash seems to be lost in his blue eyes too, because they are looking at each other like the whole world disappeared around them. A few minutes pass by when Goh whispers a soft kiss me. The words escape his lips on their own.
Whispers of are you sure fill the room. Never have I ever before.
Ash cups his chin with one finger to do just that. He leans closer and he feels Goh’s breath on his face getting closer. They’re inches apart when… boys, the breakfast is ready, and the sound of opening the door reaches Goh’s ears. He yanks Ash to the side and the trainer falls onto the floor, waking up the Pokemon sleeping on the foot of the bed.
“Ash, sweetie, are you alright?”, Camille asks, a tiny bit of concern in her voice when she sees him lying on the floor.
“Oh, Ash was just…looking for my phone that fell under the bed”, Goh tries to lie, but his flushed face, fast heartbeat and heavy breathing tells Camille that something else had almost happened.
There’s a knowing look on Camille’s face, and she’s more than happy to tease her son right now.
“Can’t you just ask Rotom to just float from down there?”, she asks, teasing, and Goh’s face just got redder.
He looks from side to side to try to find a remark, but he’s clueless. Camille just laughs, and Goh, despite the situation, is glad to see her mom happier since yesterday.
“Well, anyway, when Ash…will find your phone, you can both join us for breakfast”, she winks and leaves the room, closing the door kindly.
Goh just groans into the pillow, and to his surprise, Ash laughs about the whole situation. His body hurts from the fall impact, but it’s nothing that won’t heal.
“Do you want to bet that she’s already calling my mom about it?”, Ash asks, and Goh starts to laugh as well.
“They’re gonna be insufferable about it, aren’t they?”, Goh jokes, putting Ash’s hoodie on. It’s his favorite, and Ash doesn’t complain about it. Goh looks better in it than he does anyway.
“I’m sure they will. But it’s worth it”, Ash says quietly and kisses Goh’s cheek instead.
🌸
Chloe is looking for her stuff in the Lab. She already took all of her things that she will need from her and Dawn’s apartment, but she spent a lot of time at the Lab for the past year. She wants to make sure she didn’t leave anything important scattered here.
She takes a final look at the Lab’s main room when some photos at the counter catch her attention. She comes closer and takes one in her hand. She caresses it delicately and smiles fondly.
It’s a photo of her and Goh when they were still little kids, the first photo of them taken by her mom at their house. They weren’t really close back then, but Chloe was following Goh for weeks to try to interact with him. Chloe wasn’t the first friend Goh has ever made, Chloe was a friend that Goh has chosen to have.
She just appeared one day in his life and he went with it. He accepted her in his life, and it just stayed that way. Even if Chloe was annoying him, he still let her follow him everywhere, and he accepted her offer to meet her family.
Chloe will never forget the look on Goh’s face, in awe at her dad. He felt at home there and came here very often since then, sometimes just to see how her dad works on some research, and sometimes just to do the homework with Chloe.
Right now, Chloe misses these times. She misses the times when everything was so easy and they didn't have to worry about what the future held. She misses doing homework with Goh. She misses her dad showing Goh a photo of Mew he hasn’t seen yet. She misses him running excitedly after Ash to go and catch a Pokemon he doesn’t have in his Pokedex yet. She misses looking at them doing all those research tasks and helping her dad. She misses seeing Goh’s not-so-little Pokemon family growing with each day. She misses watching Goh feeding them and playing with them every day. She just…misses Goh, and she wants to fix whatever happened between them before she leaves.
Chloe is taken back to reality by a familiar hand gripping her shoulder gently. She’s not so surprised to see that it’s Goh, because he lives in the Lab now and he can be anywhere he wants, but they’ve been avoiding each other over the past few days and she’s a little bit surprised to see him in the same room as her.
“I always loved that photo of us”, Goh whispers, and Chloe nods. It’s one of her favorites too. Always will be.
“I’m leaving soon”, Chloe says instead, some regret filling her voice, almost like she wouldn’t want to leave for something she decided on her own.
“I know, that’s why I…wanted to talk, before you leave”, Goh says, his voice shaky. He needs to take a deep breath to steady it.
Goh is scared. Scared of talking about the argument, scared of the outcome of the talk, and scared that they will lose each other further. Chloe is scared too, but she knows she should be the first one to talk. First one to apologize. So she does.
“Goh, I’m truly sorry. I…I shouldn’t have said any of it…”, she says, tears already gathering in her eyes. Some even already escape and fall slowly on her cheeks. “You can’t imagine how scared I was when you called me that morning. I thought I would lose you, lose my best friend. I really thought I’d lost you”, she says now over broken sobs that escape her lips.
“I was…I was so mad at Ash, how he treated you… He just disappeared, stopped messaging you. You were so heartbroken, and just…do you know how I felt when I found out from Gary, not from you, but from Gary that you flew to see Ash…to Alola? A few days later you come back, holding hands with him, being obviously more than friends…after you said you wanted to die…and it was because of him”, Chloe says, her voice absolutely shaking from crying and letting out how she felt.
“But no matter how I felt, I shouldn’t have judged you. I knew you stayed longer with him to make sure you could fix everything, to figure out what Ash was going through and what made you both apart. I should have just accepted the fact that maybe…that you just maybe needed only a few days to move on, and fix everything and feel better. Just like you said, it’s not my relationship and I shouldn’t get in your way”, Chloe wipes her own tears and finally looks at Goh for the first time since the talk had started.
Goh has his own tears in his eyes. He’s tearing up as well, but listens to every single word Chloe is saying, so Chloe continues. It’s not everything she wanted to say yet.
“I know you both love each other, I know he takes care of you, and I’m so glad you both can be together after all that time you were apart. You seem happier when he’s with you by your side now, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I really wanted to see you happy, living your life like before, and I’m sorry for what I said at your birthday party. I’m sorry I ruined it for you, for Ash, for everyone else. I really don’t know how I could have said it. I feel so awful about it. Of course I want you to call me whenever you’re feeling sad, something hurts you, or you’re just having a bad day. I want to be a great friend for you and comfort you whenever you need it. Even if it’s a simple thing, I want you to call me, no matter what time it is, like you did back then. So I’m really sorry, Goh, for everything I said. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I just want you to know that I’m sorry. I know I hurt you a lot”, Chloe bows a little, apologizing.
Tears are still streaming down her face, and Goh just hugs her. He holds her tight, whispering a quiet it’s okay now, thank you for apologizing, and Chloe cries harder. Goh rubs comforting circles on her back, trying to avoid her perfectly styled braid. He leans back after a while so he can wipe the tears that are falling from her green eyes, and he smiles warmly at her.
“I should apologize too, Chloe”, Goh says quietly and Chloe is a little surprised to hear it. “I’m sorry for worrying you back then. I know you just said that you want me to call you with everything that bothers me. But it’s just…I was just in a bad headspace back then, and I didn’t really mean it, I just wanted to let out how I felt at that moment to someone, and I wanted your company because you are my closest friend, so I’m sorry I worried you, over nothing I guess?”, Goh says, and Chloe kindly smiles.
“It wasn’t nothing, Goh. Your mental health is so important to me. Even if you felt that way temporarily, I’m so glad you let me know how you felt. I’m really happy that you called me back then. I’m so glad I could help you feel better, Goh. Please, always remember that”, Chloe says, sniffing occasionally. She isn’t crying anymore and some tears have already dried on her face.
Goh nods to her words, whispering a soft thank you in her ear when they hug again. The hug lasts longer than the previous one, and they both can breathe out in relief now that everything was finally said and talked through.
They lean back after a while and Goh wipes some tears that were left in his eyes. Chloe looks at the photo again, caressing it from time to time with her finger.
“I’m so happy you are my best friend, Chloe”, Goh says quietly, looking at the photo again as well. He chuckles at the memories that are tied with this photo.
He forever will be grateful that he let Chloe follow him around the school, around everywhere. She followed him straight to his heart, to the rest of his life, until now.
“Likewise”, she whispers back, smiling warmly and giving Goh another much needed hug.
🌸
“Do you have everything?”, Goh asks, and Chloe nods.
“I think I do”.
“Call us when you arrive in Sinnoh”, he pleads, and Chloe nods again. She definitely will.
“Have fun you two, and do your best!”, Ash says, giving the words of encouragement.
Chloe’s nervous about trying out contests, but she knows she will be just fine with Dawn by her side.
Thank you, she whispers softly, and both boys smile at her.
Piplup is playing with Grookey, and Dawn feels bad for ruining their fun. She takes her partner into her hands. He makes some protest noises at that, but she pets him right away. Goh takes Grookey on his arm too, petting him as well.
“Well then, we really should be going”, Chloe says, her voice sad, because they all don’t know when they will see each other again, except for the Masters 8 Tournament. The girls already made their promise to be there and cheer on Ash.
“We’ll see each other soon, yeah?”, Goh makes sure, although he knows the answer.
Chloe promised to call regularly and catch up on everything that happens in their lives, send photos, and video call whenever they will find some time.
“Of course. That’s a promise”, Dawn says, smiling softly.
Chloe hugs Goh first, for a little bit longer. She’s gonna miss him dearly. Then she hugs Ash to his surprise, whispering a quiet take care of him, please to his ear. Ash nods confidently. She doesn’t need to ask for it though.
They’re about to walk away, when Chloe turns one more time and says, Goh, you can call me anytime with everything. Remember that. Goh nods to her words and waves to them one last time.
“I already miss her. It’s gonna be so empty without them here”, Goh confesses sadly when the girls are out of their reach. He puts his head on Ash’s shoulder for comfort. Ash tightens his hold on Goh’s waist.
“Well, at least Dawn won’t be eating out all of my favorite snacks”, Ash jokes, and Goh chuckles.
“I’ll be eating them out instead”, Goh whispers and turns to face Ash. He looks into his eyes and he notices a glint in them. Something to look forward to, a promise.
“What did you do?”, Goh asks, suspicious, but Ash just smirks.
“Nothing in particular. But maybe I did ask the Professor to give us more research tasks in Sinnoh whenever there will be a contest happening”, Ash winks, and he’s never seen Goh’s face lit up in happiness like in that exact moment.
Goh jumps into Ash’s arms because of all of that excitement. Ash doesn’t catch him in time, so they both fall to the ground. He winces because his body is still recovering from the fall that happened in Goh’s parents' apartment, but he doesn’t care. He has a happy Goh, whispering the soft thank you’s into his ear right now in his arms, and he couldn’t ask for anything better.
🌸
Goh’s holding onto the railing of their section, nervous. His hands are covered in sweat. It’s the final battle, Ash vs Alain. One more match and Ash will defend his title as the World Champion, if only Ash will be able to beat Alain.
Ash successfully beat Raihan first, then Iris. Neither of them were even surprised by the outcome of the battle, but Goh was a little nervous about how Iris will deal with the defeat. To his surprise, when he met both Ash and Iris backstage, there were no tears on Iris’ face like a few years ago when she lost to Cynthia. Only confidence that she would win next time was written on her face.
Now Ash is walking to take his place on the battlefield across from his last opponent - Alain, Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Ash looks absolutely confident. He promised Goh that he’s gonna win, and he will. He’s not gonna let him down. He will win against Alain for the first time ever now, for Goh, when he’s finally in the audience to watch him give his absolute best, just like it should’ve been a few years ago in the match against Leon.
Everyone cheers the loudest as they can for Ash, and that catches his attention, so he waves to his friends and families as he walks by next to their section. He’s happy to see them all together to support him.
All the girls in the front row scream Ash’s name and he politely waves to them too. He winks to Goh, whose face turns red at that. Gary smirks and Goh mumbles a quiet shut up.
Tokio hits Gary in the ribs with his shoulder, and Gary rolls his eyes. I didn’t do anything wrong, he defends himself, and both Goh and Tokio laugh at that.
“I'm torn between whether I should cheer on Alain or Ash", Sawyer says sadly, and Dawn nudges his arm.
"You don't need to cheer on Ash, his main cheerleader is here", Dawn whispers, pointing at Goh, and everyone around them laughs aloud."Hey, I heard that!”, Goh exclaims, but he’s not really offended by the words.
Piplup and Sylveon jump on the railing, waving pom poms in the air, and Goh’s confused at that. Grookey joins them, and that’s when Goh notices that Dawn and Chloe are wearing cheerleader’s outfits. He looks at Chloe with a terrified look when she hands him the pom poms too.
“Come on, Cheerleader, show us how loud you can cheer on your Champion”, she winks. He takes the pom poms from her hands, the embarrassment written on his face.
Delia and Professor Burnet wink at him from afar, and his face gets even redder. Gary smirks again, and Goh swears he’s gonna throw him down the nearest stairs.
I’m gonna give you pom poms too if you’re not gonna stop, Tokio warns, and Gary rolls his eyes again, but stops the teasing anyway.
🌸
Both Alain and Ash have only one Pokemon left. Alain sends out his Charizard, who roars in excitement for the upcoming battle.
Pikachu fainted earlier. He’s resting next to Ash now. He gave his best, and Ash couldn’t be prouder of his partner. He regrets that he can't finish the final battle with Pikachu, but Pikachu gives an encouraging look to his trainer, and Ash nods in return. He’s not gonna let anyone down.
He takes a deep breath to calm himself down. He traces the outline of the Pokeball and the Pokemon inside shifts inside, already responding and feeling he’s about to fight for the last time to defend his trainer’s Champion title.
Ash looks at Goh from across the stadium. He looks absolutely adorable cheering him on and waving pink pom poms in the air, just like Dawn and Chloe are doing. He chuckles softly to himself. He absolutely needs to tease Goh about it later.
He focuses his gaze on the battlefield again, taking the Pokeball in his hand and whispering a soft I’m counting on you now.
“Come on out”, Ash exclaims, releasing Lucario out.
Lucario roars, sending some strong aura waves around the stadium and battlefield. Goh’s grip tightens around the railing, not because of the impact of the aura waves, but from nervousness.
Bonnie takes one of his hands into her own. She’s nervous as well. Clemont puts a hand on her shoulder to soothe his sister’s worries. Goh feels that Clemont and Serena are nervous too, and he doesn’t blame them even a tiny bit. He knows they experienced it before during the Kalos league. It feels to them like this is the same battle as the one many years ago.
Goh holds a fist close to his chest, and he feels Tokio’s hand on his shoulder. He’s gonna win, his friend says, and Goh knows that, but he still can’t help but feel nervous.
Lucario is at his limit, and so is Charizard. They’re both Mega Evolved, and Goh hears Ash call out let’s finish it Lucario, Aura Sphere! through his clouded mind.
He gasps when the attacks collide together and hit both Pokemon. Lucario winces at the pain he felt. So does Ash. Goh watches it worriedly, but before he can dwell on it, the black smoke fills the stadium and no one is able to see the outcome of the match.
Leon, who was watching the battle alongside the announcer, rose up from his seat. So did Goh, and so did all of Ash’s friends. The silence falls in the whole stadium, and everyone is keeping their gaze on the battlefield covered in smoke.
Ash feels Lucario’s fine through his aura, but he wants the smoke to clear to just make sure that he’s indeed alright, that he’s not mistaken that he won. Some heavy breaths are escaping Goh’s lips from the nervousness. Cinderace, who escaped earlier from his Pokeball to cheer Lucario on, whines something softly.
“I know, buddy, I want to know too”, Goh says quietly, and takes a deep breath to soothe himself.
The smoke slowly starts to clear. Alain notices first and immediately chuckles to himself. He thought as much. Charizard lies defeated. He lost, but he’s not disappointed. He’s not surprised either.
Then it hits Ash next when smoke clears from his side, and he sees Lucario still standing, but painting heavily. He keeps standing until the smoke clears completely for everyone to see who the winner is. Just when the announcer finally exclaims that his trainer won, and the roars of cheers fill the stadium, he loses his balance, but Ash runs and catches him in time before he could hit the ground.
Pikachu jumps and nuzzles into Lucario’s face. Thank you for everything Lucario, I mean it Ash says, and Lucario nods his head before he’s being recalled to his Pokeball for rest.
Ash can’t believe he won. He can’t believe he has defeated Alain for the first time. He defended his title as Champion. He’s still the World Champion. He’s so proud of himself and his Pokemon. They all gave their absolute best.
Then it hits Goh next. He stands with disbelief on his face, blinking slowly. He won, he murmurs to himself. Holy shit, he won, he exclaims happily with their friends around him and jumps through the railing, which is probably against the rules, but he doesn’t care. He needs to- he needs to let Ash know how proud he is of him.
Confetti falls to the ground and Ash still can’t believe he won. His face is still covered in shock, and people are chanting his name like it’s the only word they know. Pikachu grounds him by sitting on his shoulder, but he jumps off when he notices a familiar person approaching.
“That was a pleasure to battle you, Champion”, Alain shakes Ash’s hand politely.
“Likewise”, Ash replies, chuckling softly.
“I’m gonna win next time”, Alain winks, and Ash nods confidently. He’s looking forward to their next battle.
“Well, I should probably give you some alone time. See you later!”, Alain says, but before Ash can utter any questions, he notices – Goh’s just running over to him.
He jumps straight into Ash’s arms and whispers a soft you did it! I’m so proud of you over and over again.
The cheers still echo through the stadium, but Ash’s eyes are on Goh – Goh and Goh only like the rest of the people around them just disappeared.
It’s the first time that Ash truly thinks that he doesn’t care about what people would think of their relationship. He wants to show the whole world how much he loves Goh, how much he’s grateful for his support. He wouldn’t be able to win without having Goh back in his life, and he wants everyone to know it.
But Goh absolutely beats him to it. He doesn’t have a chance to say anything, because all of a sudden, the whole world disappears. Goh looks into Ash’s brown eyes, cups his face into his hand, and whispers You’re the love of my life.
And that's the closest Ash has come to his heart exploding.
Goh leans closer, and Ash needs to steady himself because his legs feel so weak all of a sudden. He puts a hand on Goh’s chest and feels his fast heartbeat. Ash closes his eyes, because for the first time, Goh connects their lips together.
It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something, it's fearless.
Sparks fly around them, and Ash swears he hears the chants being louder now. The kiss doesn’t last long, because they both run out of breath quickly. Goh pulls back first, and Ash already misses Goh’s lips on his own. He looks absolutely beautiful right now, his blue eyes shining, his face blushing in the most delicate shade of pink.
Ash takes Goh’s hand into his own and whispers you’re the love of my life too. Goh nods. He knows. He feels it. He didn’t need to hear it back, but it felt nice to hear it anyway. People are still chanting Ash’s name. He sees their friends from afar, and they both wave to them with their available hands.
Goh keeps admiring the confetti falling from the sky, and Ash hugs him from behind to admire it with him. There are probably more important matters now, but all Ash sees now is only Goh.
They are in their little bubble again, ignoring everything and everyone around them. Ash kisses Goh’s temple when he hears Goh ask a quiet where’s the trophy? Ash just shrugs. Honestly, he doesn’t care. He has the most important thing in his arms now.
Goh’s the best thing that’s ever been his.
🌸
And we will never go back
To that bloodshed, crimson clover
Uh-huh, the worst was over
My hand was the one you reached for all throughout the Great War
Always remember
Uh-huh, we're burned for better
I vowed I would always be yours
'Cause we survived the Great War
Uh-huh, uh-huh
I will always be yours
'Cause we survived the Great War
Uh-huh
I vow I will always be yours