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“And let me guess, Ash somehow got involved in trying to solve this hostile steel pokemon mystery,” Kukui flatly said, tipping his cap down because he already knew the answer.
Riley chuckled for a moment, leaning back against the green sofa.
Before Kukui could react, Riley and Lucario both shot to their feet, staring at the front door with wide eyes.
Silence.
Kukui side-eyed Riley and Lucario, blinking when the sound of footsteps got louder.
Ash creaked the door open, exclaiming, “We’re back!”
Riley jokingly covered his ears. “Wow Ash, I’m right next to you, was that really necessary?” After Ash lightly punched Riley’s side in retaliation, they both stared down at the pokemon in Ash’s arms. “What.”
Pikachu stayed silent.
Riley tilted his head, watching Lucario drag a paw down his face.
Kukui peeked over, saying, “Oh, we named them Nebby in class today. We’re not sure what type of pokemon they are, actually.” He walked over, glancing between Ash and Riley. “Do you two have some sort of psychic connection or something?”
Ash and Pikachu peeked at each other. The latter gestured towards Nebby, catching their attention.
“Not quite psychic, no.” Riley sported a weak smile when Kukui fell silent. “So. Ash. You finished the school week, and got a pokemon.”
Ash stifled a laugh. “Listen, you aren’t gonna fool me with that. You know exactly what I’m thinking.”
Lucario huffed, watching Pikachu entertain Nebby with funny faces.
Riley rolled his eyes, flicking Ash’s cap up. “Just your luck, huh?”
Nebby chirped, launching themselves onto the ground and waddling around the house. Pikachu patted Ash’s cheek before following Nebby around.
Kukui wrinkled his eyebrows as Ash and Riley exchanged a serious glance.
Ash readjusted his cap, eyes flittering to the side. Riley silently sighed, placing a hand on Ash’s back. Ash simply shook his head.
Lucario sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment.
Kukui reached a hand towards Ash, dropping it when he realized he had no idea what they were thinking about.
“...Do I need to print another brochure for your teacher here?” Riley murmured, ignoring Lucario’s eye roll. “‘How to handle your Ash Ketchum?’”
Ash burst out in laughter.
“Sure, bro!” Ash fist-bumped Riley, grinning so hard he closed his eyes.
Even so, blue tinted along the edge of his eyelids.
Kukui watched in awe as their auras intertwined like ribbons into a bow around their hands.
Nebby cheered, nudging themselves over and clinging onto Ash’s leg. Lucario and Pikachu shared a smile and nod.
“You’re doing great-” Riley started, grinning as Ash shoved him towards the door.
“Ok I got it! Now scram,” Ash hissed with a smile. He scooped Nebby up, pouting as Riley pinched his cheek.
“Good luck and have fun, will ya?”
Ash rolled his eyes, running off while hugging Nebby. “Yeah yeah! Thanks!”
Pikachu snickered, ears twitching as he chirped to Riley.
Riley put his hands on his hips, shaking his head in mock exasperation. Lucario also shook his head but instead in amusement before slipping out the front door.
“...Uh,” Kukui said.
Rolling his eyes, Pikachu darted towards Ash, who was gently tossing Nebby up and down and making them laugh.
Riley met Kukui’s eyes with glowing blue eyes and a sweet smile. “Take care.”
“You’re gonna miss your flight, Riley!” Ash yelled from across the room.
“Hey I can be responsible too, you know!” Riley yelled back before joking, “And I can actually be nice!”
Pause.
“Wow thanks, BYE!”
Tipping his hat at Kukui, Riley set off with Lucario and a mischievous grin.
“Um,” Kukui said, glancing between Ash and the shut door for who knows how long. He scooched over next to Ash on the sofa. “You never fail to surprise me-”
They froze when door knocks echoed through the house.
Ash tickled Nebby’s little face, shrugging. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t the only one.” Pikachu chittered in agreement, nose wrinkling as he sniffed the air.
Kukui stayed silent, pushing himself off the sofa once again.
A streak of gold from the sunset came from the opened door.
Pikachu’s ears perked up.
Ash jolted when Kukui slammed the door, shushing Nebby as they huddled closer to him.
Pikachu chirped to Nebby, side-eyeing Ash with the same mischievous grin Riley sported.
After patting Nebby’s head, Ash watched Kukui stiffly marching across the room and sinking into his sofa in total silence.
Laughter vibrated through the door.
Ash sweatdropped, leaving Nebby with Pikachu and getting up to open the door.
He froze when five voices greeted him.
“Whoa, what are all of you doing here?” Ash asked, eyes gleaming.
The five champions fell silent.
“...Good question!” Alder said, staring at the plastic bag in his hands in mock confusion.
“We’re on a break of course!” Lance exclaimed, his cape dramatically fluttering in the breeze.
Ash stifled a chuckle as Cynthia added, “Yeah, you of all people know I love beachside vacations and sweets!”
Grinning, Ash said, “Indeed! All of you don’t get enough breaks, so I’m glad you’re taking care of yourselves!” He glanced back at Kukui, who was still staring up at the ceiling with blank eyes, completely missing how the champions exchanged awkward glances. “Anyways, want me to pay for dinner? My treat!”
Silence.
Steven smacked Lance and Cynthia’s arms, drawing Ash’s attention. “Serious talk, Ash. We’re actually here to check on you.”
Ash blinked.
Diantha nodded, deliberately staring at the other champions. “A thank you is something long overdue, don’t you think? Especially with all you’ve gone through, Ash?”
Kukui glared at his floor, eyes wide.
Tiling his head, Ash tapped his chin. “Oh, Kalos huh? Don’t worry about it, I’m used to it! After all, it’s not like I’ve ever permanently died before.” He forced a grin, resting a hand against the front door as everyone else flinched. “But never mind that, your company’s more than enough, thank you!”
Ash stepped outside, stretching to the sky as the sunset glimmered in the distance.
Pikachu and Nebby both trotted up next to him, blinking as every champion stared at them.
Ash huffed out a laugh, gesturing towards them and introducing, “You guys all know Pikachu of course, and this is Nebby! They were practically gifted to me through a dream! And yes, I checked in with the other regional professors before you guys came, and none of them knew what species Nebby is.”
“Oh, great ,” Steven murmured, exchanging a wary glance with Diantha and then Cynthia. Lance shot him a deadpan while Alder watched from afar with question marks popping up around him.
Kukui dragged his hands down his face.
“So you know what this means!” Ash finished, his grin flickering like the disappearing sun rays.
Like snuffing out a candle, the sun sank under the water.
Pikachu’s ears drooped, but Pikachu still smiled at Nebby as they swirled around him.
“...You really don’t get a break, do you, Ash,” Lance murmured.
Steven and Diantha both fidgeted as Ash squatted to pat Nebby’s and Pikachu’s heads, chuckling when the two pokemon decided to explore the rest of the house instead.
Cynthia loudly exhaled, watching tiny paint speckled stars appear on the canvas above. “We’re not doubting your abilities, quite the opposite. Out of everyone, you’re probably, no, you are the most experienced when it comes to these things. Arceus have mercy on whoever doubts that.”
Lance side-eyed Cynthia, a smirk spreading across his face as he nodded to Ash. Steven followed suit, a reassuring hand patting Ash’s arm.
“Yeah Ashton!” Alder said, giving Ash a thumbs up. “All the more reason you deserve to take a break too!”
“I know I’m not as close to you as the others,” Diantha said, still fidgeting with her necklace. “But you’ve more than earned our trust. If there’s anything you want us to know, please feel free to say it.”
Silence.
Kukui took a sharp breath, not daring to look over.
Nebby and Pikachu both tilted their heads, climbing next to him with cheerful chitters.
Meanwhile, Ash rubbed his neck before waving a hand in front of him. “Oh jeez. I appreciate it, but it’s really ok!”
Everyone paused.
“Is it though?” Steven whispered before offering a hand and card. “Here, you more than deserved this.”
Tilting his head, Ash took both. He stood up straight, staring at the fancy invitation like card. “What is this for?”
“To prove we’re here for you,” came the resounding answer.
An official identity card. A list of contact information and addresses. A page of apologies and thanks from more than just the champions.
Ash stared .
“Come hang out with us sometimes, alright?” Cynthia said, shoving Lance as he murmured how dare Ash visit Kanto without telling him.
“Yeah, we promise we won’t be too weird!” Diantha said, scanning her colleagues with a warning glint in her eyes.
“What, because we call ourselves the scald squad?” Steven flatly said.
Ash sweatdropped as Lance yelled, “Only you call it that!”
Steven responded by sticking his tongue out at him.
While the Eastern trio bickered, Diantha crossed her arms in amusement. Ash rolled his eyes as if he was way too familiar with the banter, darting in and out of the house to place his card in a safe location.
Kukui stayed silent, trailing Ash as he carried on like all of this was normal. He’ll… uh, do something normal too. Make some tapu cocoa. Yeah, that was a normal thing.
Nebby and Pikachu trotting alongside him goes to show how normal this all was.
Outside, Alder shrugged. “If you youngins are done, I’m going to head down to the beach and take a nap.”
Everyone stared at Alder.
“... On the beach,” Ash echoed. “How about you just stay-”
“Ok!” Alder said, patting Ash’s shoulder before handing Ash the bag in his hand.
Everyone sweatdropped as Alder’s snores rang out not even a minute later.
Cynthia waved a hand as if batting Alder’s snores away. “Don’t mind him, it’s pretty late over in Unova. And we’ve got hotel rooms if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Oh, then why are you guys here? You deserve your rest!” Ash peeked into the bag. “Are these cookies?”
Diantha tapped Ash’s forehead before patting his head. “You deserve rest too. How about we try to set up a movie here?”
“...If you guys want?”
Steven clapped his hands together. “Great! Let’s get this… basalt?”
Ash cringed, sinking into a sitting position in mock agony.
Lance deadpanned at Steven, making a gimme motion. “The projector or your kneecaps .”
“What if you run out of kneecaps, oh yourself and your friends,” Cynthia casually said.
“You’re saying that as if you aren’t my friend,” Lance retorted. Cynthia dragged a face down her face, glaring at Lance’s smug face.
“What if you don’t have kneecaps? Elbows? Fingernails? Armor?” Steven added.
Ash and Diantha shared an exasperated glance.
“Try to set up a movie, big emphasis on try.” Diantha rolled her eyes.
“That’s alright!” Ash said. “I already really appreciate all of this!”
Diantha softened before loudly murmuring, “This is what you get for letting those three together after all.”
The Eastern region trio stared at her. “What?”
“Nothing.” Diantha held out her hand, running a gaze over her nails.
“ What ???”
Ash munched on a cookie, totally innocent.
“Oh, speaking of armor, have you captured a steel type yet?” Steven asked Ash with sparkles in his eyes.
Running a hand through his hair with a weak chuckle, Ash glanced off. He watched Nebby scootch themselves over while answering, “Well, no?”
Steven pouted before steeling his expression, teasing, “At this point you’ll catch a mythical or legendary before you catch a steel type!”
Letting Nebby waddle up his arm, Ash shrugged. “We’ll see!”
Diantha tsked before grinning at Ash. “You’ve already surprised all of us so many times, don’t rush it.”
“Then again we really shouldn’t be surprised,” Cynthia laughed, fist-bumping Ash’s side and grinning at Nebby. “‘Don’t get involved’! What do you do?”
“Get involved,” Lance said with his flattest tone, absentmindedly flicking at his cape.
Ash gave a sheepish grin.
Kukui froze, peeking out his door at them. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, batting at Kukui’s cap before gesturing forward.
“Also Steven, you have more rock types than steel types, what are you nagging Ash about?”
Steven glared at Lance.
“Oh no, not again,” Diantha murmured.
Ash flicked a chocolate chip for Nebby to eat as Kukui side-stepped over to them.
“Imagine if Ash gets a steel type before you get a proper steel type team-” Cynthia added.
“Yeah like both your teams aren’t disasters ?”
“ Hey .”
“Kids kids .” Diantha sighed before watching Kukui hand Ash his mug of tapu cocoa to go along with the cookies, waving to Pikachu as he jumped next to Nebby.
Kukui stayed silent, still glancing between all the champions with wide eyes.
Pikachu didn’t pay Kukui any attention as he jokingly competed with Nebby for Ash’s affection.
“At least you’re being an adult,” Diantha commented, hiding a smirk. “Ash needs it.”
“ Hey .”
Kukui sweatdropped, even more so when Cynthia exclaimed, “Excuse you , I have the most diverse typing team and you can’t deny that!”
Lance and Steven both rolled their eyes when Cynthia stuck her tongue out at them.
“Do you really think I care?” Lance said. “About it all, about anything?”
Silence.
Kukui whipped his head back and forth, holding his breath to prevent a verbal “UM?”.
Ash loudly sipped his cocoa, eyes crinkled as Pikachu slung his tail back and forth to entertain Nebby.
“ YOU? ” Cynthia burst, causing Nebby to jolt. Steven and Diantha curled onto themselves, shaking from trying to stifle their laughs. “ Not caring???”
“Are we really having this conversation again? Fine, I care, but that’s a given considering my job!”
Kukui patted his cheeks, taking a deep breath before sitting next to Ash in silence, mouthing a “ what is going on ” to him. Ash shrugged, popping cookie crumbs into his mouth like popcorn.
Kukui buried his face in his hands.
Steven waved a hand. “G-Men, citizen, rangers, frontier brain candidate and your secondary champion, whatever. Doesn’t change the fact that-”
Before Kukui could even begin to decipher what Steven said, Lance huffed. “We really are having this conversation again, oh my Mew-” He paused, glancing over at Ash and blurting, “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s really alright! Really!” Ash said with a wave, ignoring Kukui’s frozen stare and the sound of faint giggling.
As Nebby nuzzled Ash’s hand, Pikachu tilted his head at Ash, who sported a genuine smile.
Pikachu smiled in return.
Cynthia and Steven exchanged a gaze, their smirks growing. Diantha rolled a wrist, propping her face in mock annoyance at what’s to come.
“Whose idea was it to introduce Ash in the interview?” Cynthia said, jabbing Lance’s side.
“ Shut .”
“Who was the one to even suggest this-” Steven added.
“ SHUT .”
Cynthia and Steven both practically cooed , “And just who was the one fond enough to-”
“You mean you.”
“Nuh-uh! Nice try, baby bro!” Steven exclaimed, jokingly patting down Lance’s hair spikes, causing Lance to growl.
“You didn’t even know what we were going to say!” Cynthia laughed.
Kukui glanced at Ash, who was more focused on entertaining Nebby with the plastic baggie than whatever was going on with the literal champions over there as they bickered louder and louder.
A haze fogged over Kukui’s mind as the champions joked about Lance having heart attacks over Ash meeting more (more???) legendaries alongside criminal groups (what).
A screech pierced through his thoughts.
Everyone startled and stared at Nebby with hands over their ears.
Pikachu tried to make a funny face, but Nebby only kept on crying, knocking him off Ash’s lap.
Ash set his mug down before taking a deep breath, eyes flaring with blue fire.
Nebby hiccuped, quieting down as Ash shushed and cradled them, leaning back and forth like a rocking chair.
“May these words be the first to find your ears… The world is brighter than the sun now that you're here~”
Half humming, half singing, Ash stroked Nebby’s head until they stopped crying.
“Though your heart is far too young to realize… The unimaginable light you hold inside~”
Ash closed his eyes, his aura subconsciously twirling around Nebby and his hands like a light show.
“With every heartbeat I have left, I'll defend your every breath~”
Nebby yawned, snuggling against Ash.
Like the tinkling of a music box, Ash murmured to Nebby, “Oyasumi~”
...
Ash snapped his eyes open when the silence set into his bones, shooting up onto his feet.
Everyone was jawdropping at him.
Brushing a hand, Ash watched wisps of his aura still lingering in the air, comforting whatever life form it reaches.
Ash glanced around, sensing swarms of happy pokemon going about their night.
Soft clapping and chirps reached his ears.
The wisps of aura sank into the ground like startled mist, making the dirt grow with light.
Ash’s blush was as pink as the field of tulips that had sprouted around him.
Pikachu darted in between all the tulips and clinging onto Ash’s leg with a satisfied coo. Ash and Pikachu both sported soft smiles while staring at the sleeping Nebby.
“...Wow, have you been taking singing lessons with Meloetta?” Cynthia asked, half teasing and half complimenting.
Kukui shook his head with a small laugh. He should have expected the unexpected by now.
Steven grinned. “Riley was right, that was amazing, Ash.”
“We’re glad Alola has been good for you,” Diantha beamed. “You certainly deserve it!”
“Yeah, nice going, kiddo!” Alder added. Everyone stared over at him. “...Can I go nap somewhere quieter?”
Cynthia rolled her eyes, practically shooing Alder away as Ash and Pikachu waved goodbye.
Kukui picked up the mug and bag Ash left on the ground before watching Lance reaching out to Ash, stabilizing him as he yawned.
Ash and Lance shared a grin.
Kukui didn’t even try to pretend he knew what they were thinking.
Lance tilted his head to look at the others. “So. Who’s the fond one now?”
Everyone deadpanned at him, honing in on Lance slinging an arm behind Ash’s back and tracing circles on his shoulder. “Still you.”
As Lance stuck his tongue out at them, Ash snickered, saying, “Come on, let’s actually get this movie set up!”
Pikachu hopped off Ash’s foot, reiterating what Ash said by stretching his paws to the sky.
“Yes sir!”
After a pause, Kukui smiled to himself.
Ash, you truly are a gift to this world.