Chapter Text
There was a massive explosion as the last two attacks hit their targets. When the smoke eventually cleared, Decidueye and Pikachu were on their last legs.
For a few tense moments, neither Pokemon moved, until they crumpled to their knees. Ash and Hau called out to their respective partners to stay strong, and the two Pokemon began to push themselves back up.
In the stands, Gladion and Kiawe's knuckles turned white, Lana and Mallow had no more fingernails left to bite, while Lillie and Sophocles clutched their respective Pokemon tighter.
Eventually, Pikachu's legs gave out and he fainted, while Decidueye was able to get back up.
The referee waved his flag, "Pikachu is unable to battle, Challenger Ash has no more Pokemon left. Therefore, Challenger Hau wins!"
There was a roar from the grandstands, and an ecstatic Hau joyfully tackled his Pokemon,. Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Ash sank to his knees and millions of thoughts raced through his brain. Eventually, he got up and walked over to his starter and best friend, picking him up tenderly, "You did good buddy, I'm proud of you."
He walked over to a celebrating Hau, and stuck his hand out. "Congratulations, Hau! You deserve it!"
The newly crowned champion shook hands, "Thanks Ash, it could have gone either way, and there is no one else I'd rather lose to."
Immediately after the ceremony, Ash walked away and once he was alone, sank to his knees again. The mouse Pokemon jumped down from his shoulder and attempted to console his friend. Ash clenched both fists, collecting a bit of dirt along the way, as he reflected on his journey right from Kanto.
He whispered, "Maybe I set the bar too high when I said I wanted to be a Pokemon Master. 7 Leagues, and I fall short every time."
Ash turned to his best friend, "Pikachu, should I just give up?"
The mouse tilted his head, "Pikapi?"
"Yeah, I know my motto is, never give up until the end. But after so many years of falling short, I'm just so tired of building up my hopes, only to lose."
"Pika..." the mouse's ears drooped sadly.
The next few days went by as a blur, and Ash eventually found himself at the airport. Lillie and Gladion had already departed with their mother a week ago, to search for their father. Then it was time for him to head back to Kanto. He bid a tearful farewell to his remaining friends and to professors, Kukui and Burnet.
Along the way, he passed a video phone booth when he had an idea. Since he still had time before his flight left, he made a bee-line for it. The loss still raged in his head and he really needed a friendly ear to listen. Initially, he thought of Brock, but realised that he may not be at home since he was working as a Pokemon Doctor, so he dialled the Cerulean Gym instead.
Soon, a familiar face picked up, but not who he was expecting. Surprised, he said, "Hey Daisy, what are you doing here? I thought you, Lily and Violet were travelling, also where's Misty? I kinda needed to talk to her."
"Hey Ash, we're actually done with our tour and now Misty is making sure that we can actually take care of the gym while she's away. Speaking of her, last I heard, she was somewhere in Sinnoh, looking for more Water Types to catch."
His shoulders sagged a little, "Oh, okay."
Her face grew concerned, "Are you okay? the three of us watched the Manalo Conference. You were so close!"
"Yeah... Anyway, thanks a lot Daisy, I'll see if Brock's at home."
He ended the call and dialled again. This time, it was Brock's father, Flint, who picked up.
"Hey Flint, Is Brock at home?"
"Yeah, he's just refereeing a Gym match for Forrest, the new Gym Leader. I'll just go and get him."
Eventually, his second-oldest friend got on the line, "Hey Ash! Dad told me that you wanted to talk. How's Alola?"
"Alola's great! I'm actually on my way home after the Manalo Conference."
"And?"
His shoulders slumped again, "I got the runner-up spot..."
Brock's face lit up, "That's great! But... you don't look too happy."
Ash sighed heavily, "Yeah, the thing is... I've been doing this for a long time. I remember when I started out my journey, I said that I wanted to be a Pokemon Master. It's been 7 leagues and I still haven't won anything, and the Orange Islands don't really count. Maybe I'm not cut out for this and I set the bar way too high."
He took a deep breath, "I've been thinking of slowing down."
To say that Brock was taken aback, was an understatement, "Ash... what are you saying?"
"Brock, I'm tired of just entering leagues every time, only to fall short! Every time, I train myself and my Pokemon to the limit, but it's almost never enough!"
Ash glanced at his Poketch, "I gotta go, my flight will be here soon."
With that, he hung up, and Brock just sat there, shell-shocked. Snapping himself out of it, he grabbed his cell phone and fired dozens of texts. They all said the same thing, "Guys... emergency meeting! How soon can you make it to Pewter City?"