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Lights. Camera. Action.
Well, maybe not exactly camera , but definitely enough lights and action to last him a lifetime, the memory eternally embedded in his memories and decorating the walls of his brain like the pictures in his home’s living room. He could feel the excitement coursing through his body, making the tip of his fingers prickle with excitement—it felt like the soft tickling of Pikachu’s charged cheek against his after a good night’s sleep, like a sip out of a cold beverage in a hot summer afternoon and like a warm ray of sunlight hitting his face on a December morning all at once. The air had gotten stuck in his throat as he ran down the hall, anticipation and anxiety both dancing around in his chest in perfect harmony as he searched for her.
He had run without looking over his shoulder to make sure Goh was still following him, too elated to think about anything else other than the challenge waiting for him at the end of the corridor. But even though he was already short of breath after sprinting through the building, the air was knocked out of his lungs all over again the moment she entered his field of vision, looking untouchable and mighty as she stared at him from above, with a grin plastered on her face the moment she laid eyes on him. Her long dress with pink and white details contrasted beautifully with her hair, turning her into nothing short of a fairytale, and the yellow crown with green stones that reflected the lights with green shades that could only be found in dreams made her maroon eyes look even more enticing.
He followed her as she jumped down to his level, to meet his eye, gracefully landing on her heels with a dexterity that was so characteristically hers. “I’m the Unova Champion,” she said, after greeting each other, in response to his inquiries in the wake of her twirling around in her dress, making the fabric flow behind her like leaves in the wind. “Isn’t it a surprise?”
It was, but simultaneously and in all honesty, it wasn’t, and both feelings of amazement and knowingness rested peacefully in his head; the paradox of Iris being calming like soft rainfall at midnight. Because if anyone was going to become Champion, it would be her, with her unlimited intelligence and strength. And it made so much sense, really, because the only person who could match her enthusiasm and level was herself, and every day he tried to catch up.
Ash felt pride beaming through his body to the point where he thought he was about to start sweating encouragement, and he had so many things to express but not the words to give them the life they needed to reach her ears. So he hoped that the look in his eyes was enough, at least for now, to let her know how delighted he was learning about her achievements.
“I’m so excited!” he said with a big smile on his face, his hands instinctively being turned into fists after a bit more chatting. “I couldn’t ask for a better opponent!”
And he couldn’t. He really couldn’t have asked for a better match.
It wasn’t long until they stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, each with two Pokéballs under their belts and enough energy to last them an eternity. He was ecstatic to battle her again, not only as friends but as two trainers with a similar goal both in and out of the competition.
The battle was a sight to see, overflowing with war power that could only be delivered by those who knew each other like the palm of their hand, by those who were equally passionate about the art of Pokémon battles, by those who had fought together and each other. And the rest of the world ceased to exist, with Goh and Drayden’s presence dissolving into the background to become nothing but blurry shapes in the corner of their eyes that sometimes glistened with the sweat falling down his forehead.
An all-out offensive battle, quick and tough but still beautiful for those who were blessed with the opportunity to see it—two traveling companions, two friends and two rivals, all in one, going against each other in something that could only be described as the clash of the titans, of the mighty and powerful.
And yet she still managed to surprise him in a way he knew all too well: by pushing her role as a champion and competitor aside to bring out her real self, her core; the heart of the one who could connect with Pokémon in a way not many could but plenty wished they did. With her palm stretched outwards to the novice dragon, he felt a serene wave of power reaching him as she closed her eyes—and now like Goh and Drayden he fell into the background, staring in awe as her energy reached his Dragonite.
Anyone else would’ve taken advantage of the situation and rightfully so, because that was what battles were all about: getting the upper hand, using your rival’s weaknesses against them, landing the hit while the other was distracted and not giving them room to recover. But before a battler and before a champion, Iris had the soul and foundation of a dragon master: the gift of understanding the ancient with the brightness of the new. And like a good expert on her field, she put her knowledge to the test.
It was almost as if the world stopped circling the sun to spin around Iris and his Dragonite, with the both of them engulfed in an aura of mystique and tranquility, and as he shot fleeting glances at Pikachu, he patiently waited for them to come back to him. To everyone in the room, it was unknown what was happening or what they were seeing, but Ash knew in his heart that it would be okay. He could feel her warmth embracing him as well.
The Unova Champion slowly opened her eyes, lowering her hand as if she was coming back from deep slumber, and although there was nothing visible to the naked eye, he could still sense her energy—it felt like the color yellow: warm and happy, bright and reassuring. And Dragonite was a testament to that, as the energy seemed to come back to her body with a different shine in her eye.
Ash frowned. “What did you two talk about in there?”
Iris shot one quick look at her opponent’s Pokémon and the Dragon nodded in confidentiality, bringing a smile to her face. “It’s a secret,” she replied, winking, letting the secretiveness surround the Dragon Master and the Dragon like mist in a cold morning.
However, as the battle picked up speed once again, Ash could tell that whatever had happened between the two had fundamentally changed his Pokémon—he knew that after catching a glimpse of the twinkle in her eye, after noticing how much more confident her movements were as he commanded the next attack.
“Are you having fun, Dragonite?” she asked in the midst of the commotion, a smile so wide and sincere it was truly like standing in the eye of the hurricane. And Ash could feel his Pokémon was, indeed, having a good time, even if she was high up in the sky, looking as mighty as his opponent did when he first laid eyes on her after such a long time.
“Congratulations for making it into the Ultra Class,” the Unova Champion said after Ash had found himself winning the battle where all odds seemed to be against him, offering him her hand once they met in the middle of the battlefield once again. “We’ll make it to the Ultra Class soon, so wait for us!”
He accepted the gesture and shook her hand, feeling the electricity of her touch all over his body just like all those adventures ago. “We should battle again.”
She smiled, squeezing his hand softly. “It’s a promise.”
With the subtlety of a Tauros stampede, Ash managed to bring the conversation to his stomach and just how hungry a good Pokémon battle always made him, earning himself well-deserved teasing from Iris that even Goh and Pikachu participated in. He scratched the back of his head in awkwardness—not the bad kind, though, but the kind he felt when someone complimented him. It was the embarrassment felt whenever someone knew him too well.
“Let me treat you to something tasty, then,” Iris told the Kantonian boys as she winked at them, bringing a smile to the winner of the battle’s face. Then, she looked back at Drayden. “I promise that I will be back to help you clean the place once I see th—”
“Don’t worry about it,” the man interrupted her, offering what Ash assumed was a caring grin under his thick beard—it was impenetrable, and only Iris could fully notice now that she knew how to read the man under that block of hair. “The staff and I will take care of everything. Go have fun.”
She nodded excitedly at the Gym Leader, and Ash could feel the relief once she knew she wouldn’t have to help fix the ceiling or pick up the debris from the ground. “Thank you! I’ll make it up to you one day.”
The girl asked her two guests to excuse her for a second so she could change out of her Champion attire and back into her regular clothes, and left the two Pokémon she had sent into battle under the boys’ care so they could relax. Goh was immediately drawn to her Dragonite, the stark difference between his personality and the personality of the Dragonite he already knew piqued his curiosity so much he couldn’t contain his excitement. He slowly but confidently tried to gain his trust by speaking softly and being mindful of his own movements, trying to avoid abrupt loud noises or sudden motions that could be perceived as a threat.
Ash, on the other hand and with Pikachu by his side, went to Haxorus. “You’ve gotten big, haven’t you?” he asked, softly petting his cheek when the Pokémon lowered his head. Pikachu took that as an invitation to climb up the dragon, and Haxorus seemed to be pleased by the action. “You did great.”
The Pokémon chirped happily in response, which was enough to grab Grookey’s attention. The small Pokémon jumped off his master’s shoulder and ran all the way to the gigantic dragon, attempting his best to climb up just like Pikachu had.
Then, he bonked Pikachu and the Unova Champion’s ace Pokémon’s heads with his stick.
“Grookey!” Goh yelled in a panic, rushing to retrieve his Pokémon. The Dragonite seemed confused by the boy’s departure, but he didn’t pay much attention to the situation and so he wasn’t disturbed. Instead, he chose to curl up into a ball on the floor and close his eyes to take a nap. “Stop it! Don’t do that!”
The act, to the trainer’s dismay but not to his surprise, had the exact opposite effect: it encouraged Grookey to do it again, simply because he found Goh’s distress amusing, just like a Skitty pushing things off a table. Most of the time, at least to Ash, it looked like Grookey’s mischief was fueled by Goh’s futile attempts to keep him in check, creating a vicious cycle that the trainer didn’t know how to break and the Pokémon didn’t want to.
“Is something of the matter?” Iris asked, coming back in her regular attire and with a look of sheer confusion in her face. Emolga was following her closely just like she always did, hovering over her as she glided in circles, and finished it off by landing on her shoulder.
“I am so, so sorry,” the boy started, blushing in embarrassment as he gestured for the grass-type Pokémon to come down. He was tripping over his words and he was sure his voice had come out two octaves higher than usual, but he couldn’t help it. “I’m trying to get Grookey down but he won’t listen!”
“Is that so?”
The girl chuckled, walking closer to her Haxorus. The calmness in her voice had the opposite effect in the lab assistant, making him grow even more anxious at the scenario, and as soon as she noticed she offered him an honest smile. “It’s okay, Haxorus is tough.” Then, she looked up and Ash followed her gaze so now all eyes in the room were on Grookey, who thrived with the attention and looked back with mischief in his eyes. “You’re a troublesome one, aren’t you?” she said, stretching her arms towards the Pokémon as an invitation. “Come here, boy.”
The Pokémon tilted his head, not fully grasping the girl’s gesture, but once she offered him a smile to top it off, it was enough for him to drop all suspicions and jump from Haxorus’ head to the Unovian’s arms. As he fell, Emolga took her leave, choosing to place herself right next to Pikachu, who was still recovering from Grookey’s first hit, on the top of the dragon’s head right when the Galarian grass-type landed in her arms.
“Oh, you’re so cute!” Iris exclaimed, her voice getting squeaky and her eyes shining brightly at the sight. She squished her face against Grookey’s and scratched his chin, making the Pokémon calm down completely and chirp in response to the affection. Then, she carefully grabbed him by the torso, right under his arms, and made him look into her eyes, like a mother trying to instill something in her child’s head. “You shouldn’t make your trainer stress out like that, you know?” she whispered gently, touching his nose with hers, and the Pokémon nodded. “If you wanna play, just ask!”
“Woah, looks like you don’t have a way with just dragon types!” Goh commented in awe as Iris handed his Pokémon back to him. Grookey obediently placed himself on his trainer’s shoulder, grasping at his shirt with his paws and staying perfectly still, almost as if he was awaiting orders. If someone didn’t know the relationship between the two, they would believe the grass-type was as diligent as they came and the person would be none the wiser. “I can never get him to behave.”
“That’s just how Iris is!” Ash chimed in. There was a smile on his face he couldn’t quite control as he wrapped an arm around his long time friend’s shoulder, and his eyelids hid his brown eyes when he instinctively squinted them. “She’s just awesome, right?”
Iris timidly hid her gaze.
Ash and Iris were sitting with their backs against a tree trunk, taking shelter from the sun that was avidly beaming over them. There was a basket next to them and the remnants of their picnic on top of the blanket they had brought along with them. The Pokémon, on the other hand, were making the most out of the outing, playing around just a couple of feet away in the open field of the park.
Goh took a chance to go deeper into the forest to catch more Pokémon as soon as he had enough food in his system, excusing himself with tints of embarrassment in his voice for leaving the Unova Champion behind but still unable to conceal his excitement. Iris, of course, took no offense in the action and sent him off with some snacks in case he got hungry in his little adventure, promising to watch over Grookey who he had left under her care.
“Goh is a fun guy,” she said once his silhouette had disappeared behind the bushes, silently hoping he wouldn’t get lost. “He really loves Pokémon, doesn’t he?”
Ash nodded. “Yup. And he’s, like, super smart too!”
She chuckled. “Is he in the World Championship as well? I don’t think I’ve heard about him or seen him in the rankings, but I don’t pay much attention to the names to begin with. I could’ve missed him.”
He shook his head no, stealing a quick glance at their Pokémon to make sure they were alright. “He isn’t. He’s more into… sciency stuff and whatnot than into battles. We’re both research assistants, though!”
“Have you been having fun with that?”
“Lots! I get to go to all these places and see a ton of Pokémon as well!” he replied enthusiastically, his eyes glistening with childlike wonder as he recalled his travels. “And I eat plenty of yummy food!”
Iris giggled once again as she petted her Emolga, who was peacefully sleeping on her trainer’s lap. “You don’t change, Ash.”
“Nah, not really… but I guess that’s why I was so fired up when we battled!” he replied, his hands going into a fist once more at the thought of their match. He still wore his heart on his sleeve just like he did when they explored the Unova Region together, so the excitement in his voice was as clear as the sky above them. “Man, was it fun.”
“I’m happy we got to battle again, too!” Iris said. “Next time, you won’t beat us so easily! I swear!”
“Honestly, I think I just got lucky,” he replied, scratching the back of his head in that somehow timid gesture that took a handful of humbling losses to bring out. “To beat the Unova Champion…”
She offered him a smirk and a nudge. “Don’t sell yourself short, Alola Champion.”
“Wait, you knew?”
“Of course I knew! I recorded the whole thing so I could watch it after my duties!” she answered, accidentally waking Emolga up because her voice came out a little too loud. She offered the Pokémon an apologetic look and got a frown in response. “I was expecting you to tell me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just… not like that anymore, I guess? It makes me feel a bit like I’m bragging.”
“I know you aren’t, though,” she responded knowingly, and there was something else hidden behind those words. She was aware Ash wasn’t a normal guy—in fact, considering the amount of problems he kept finding himself in, he was so out of the ordinary that for a while she believed that he might even be cursed—, but it was alright now. She knew and she understood, and that was enough for the both of them as long as he kept himself safe. “But just so you know, letting your friends know about the milestones you’re hitting is not a bad thing. Those who care about you will want to be there to celebrate your victories and offer you a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on if you fail.”
Ash once again couldn’t help the smile that made its way to his lips nor the blush that appeared in his cheeks. It had been a while since he walked around telling everyone who had two seconds to spare about his victories, choosing a more humble approach to his passion and life in general. But having his efforts recognized, specially by those he admired and held dear, made him feel a unique kind of fulfillment. “Thank you, Iris.”
“However,” she continued, her voice stern and with an accusatory finger pointed at him, making him stop dead in his tracks, “as a fellow Champion, I did expect you to put just a little bit of effort into your appearance, at least when going into battle. I mean, shorts and a cap, Ash? You need to up your game!”
“They’re comfortable!”
“You’re even wearing velcro shoes!”
“They’re comfortable!” he repeated, more passionately the second time.
Iris was unable to contain the laugh that escaped her lips when she saw the way Ash pouted and his brows furrowed, once again waking Emolga up but too distracted this time around to pay any attention. Ash felt his own features soften at the sight. “You really are such a kid.”
“Maybe I am,” he answered simply, crossing his arms behind his neck and resting his head on top of them as a content sigh came out of his mouth. The line was nowhere near as aggravating as it had been in the past—back in the day, it would make his blood boil in ways not many things could, but now he was able to see the affection behind it and find comfort in her words. And it was true to begin with, wasn’t it, that he was still a kid.
“Good,” she said, and she really meant it—he could tell that much from her voice, because he could hear her smile. “That’s one of the things I like the most about you.”
Ash timidly hid his gaze.