Chapter Text
So yeah, it turns out that no matter what happens, he will always find a way to get stuck in a foreign region.
Ash should’ve expected it. Even though he knows that there are no Gyms or central League here, and it was purely a vacation for the weekend, he’s still attracting Legendaries (or over in Alola, Island Guardians) and being attracted by new skills. It’s a given to the point that even his mother knew, and maybe that’s why he got that new hat and set of clothes before they set off.
Still, there’s something new about this region he’s in. It doesn’t matter what happened before, because over here there’s no rush to think about anything at all. There isn’t some sort of deadline he needs to meet, and somehow the vacation mood has mostly settled into his bones. He doesn’t have to travel around because everything is happening here, and everyone is so nice, and battling is just another way to be with Pokémon.
He hasn’t felt this free in a long time, and it’s beautiful. Warm sky and balmy breezes and running to school because that’s a thing now, there’s a school where he’s actually happy to be in, and everyone has these dreams working side by side with their life, and he’s no longer the leader, y’know? He’s no follower either. He’s just one of the group. They’re making jokes and hiding their mistakes under tables and he can laugh so openly now, and he didn’t think he would be able to do all of that after what had happened before.
It’s a new start. He can learn about Z-Moves and Alola and beat the Island Guardians and the Kahunas, and he can make friends and stay in their houses and help them with the little things just like they help him. And they can tell stories and jump into the beach and fish and eat food in restaurants day in and day out, and even Team Rocket is giving him a break once in a while. He’s actually taking it slow now. Actually exploring what this region has to offer. Actually coming close to what being a Pokémon Master is supposed to be.
So now, all he has to do is learn how to actually live in the house that he’s staying in.
“So where is the house again?”
Which is hard, if you haven’t guessed.
Pikachu tilted his head, ears twitching in what Ash knows now is slight annoyance, having to deal with his trainer reassuring everyone that yes, they know where they’re going and no, they’re definitely not lost. To be fair, he did know where they were right until he ended up chasing that Litten who stole his malasada, and, well, it’s too late to do anything now (especially with getting lost). “Hey, don’t give me that. You liked the food in the market too, so you can’t just expect me to just drop it. I need to eat too, y’know?”
His number one partner just scoffed, moving a little bit away while turning his head in the opposite direction. “Pi-pika.”
Yeah, that was a fair point.
Ash clapped both of his hands together, squatting down to Pikachu’s level while bowing his head down and squeezing his eyes closed. “Look, I’ll get you a whole bag of the stuff with my pocket money if you help. Please. If we come back late again then Professor Kukui is gonna start looking around for us and maybe even bring it up to Mum, see, when they talk or something. And I don’t want anyone to know about that, and I don’t want him to know about all of me. I don’t wanna worry him, especially since…”
Realising what he was just speaking about, he tried to shake it away by laughing off—if there was a lingering lump in his throat and the trailing silence that followed, then no one who cares would know about it.
He then quickly followed that up by looking away as he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand, once again feeling a small pang of shock about the bare skin. He’s never really gone out without gloves, and feeling that change for this long is always a whole other basket than just seeing it. It makes him feel a bit naked, except it also feels like a new start; something to differentiate this region from the long line he’s already gone up against.
But that also came with responsibility, and an adult figure that can hold him accountable to time. “You get bragging rights for the week, okay? We cannot be getting this lost this early; it’s super embarrassing. If Team Rocket were here, they’d be laughing at us for sure. Can you imagine that? Don’t you have a heart?” Ash threw his hands out wide, emphasising his point with his last resort: baby-doll eyes.
Pikachu gave him a drawn out “Pi-ka?” in response, cocking his head with an unimpressed reaction. Ash held his expression and pose, inadvertently turning it into a staring contest. Minutes ticked by, and his nose started to itch except nope! He’s not gonna go down to something like that. The nice cozy couch awaits them after all!
Some person walked by hauling a bag of groceries, giving them a strange look as they gave the duo a wide berth before going about their day.
The electric mouse sighed, rubbing his face with his paws before going back down to all fours. Ash perked up, slamming his hands down onto the ground and shooting back up, giving him a salute as he followed in his partners steps.
…Right until he realised that Pokémon don’t really understand the concept of addresses.
“Uh, buddy, this isn’t our home.”
Pikachu shook his face vigorously, before putting his nose back down onto the ground. He sneezed, because of course the ground was sand, and maybe being hungry is making Ash a little grouchy. Maybe. “At least we’re on the beach, which means we’re pretty close. So I have to hand it to you, Pikachu— you did great.” He went down to a crouch to scratch him underneath his chin, to which the plopped down Pokémon let out a content purr.
Ash looked up to the sky, watching how the sun dipped a little lower into the horizon. He winced, because he’s long learnt to associate the colour of the sky and the position of the sun as times for certain activities, and he just knows it’s close to dinner by now. And that means it’s close to Professor Kukui to notice that he wasn’t back yet and it’s been a while since he left, and suddenly he’s not so tired anymore.
Nudging the Pokémon up to his right shoulder, he stretched his arms out and pulled himself into a standing position. “O-kay, we’re just gonna have to wing this then. It has to be somewhere here, anyways.” Wandering around in a vaguely northern direction to where he was right now, he started felt himself getting unintentionally lulled by the sounds surrounding them: of the waves drawing in and out, the calls of Pokémon as they ready themselves for the upcoming night, the way nature was around them and keeping them company in such an open way.
His shoes slightly sinks into the sand with every step, and if he looks back he knows there’s this trail that’s letting everyone know that he’s been here, that he’s advancing, moving forward, getting closer to where he’s supposed to be. Where he wants to be. The wind is lightly blowing over the coast, and he’s making distance, and this is just a small part of Alola, you see?
It’s so beautiful, and so happy, and most of all so calm. He really feels like he’s gonna make some headway in this region, find some of that peace that everyone keeps talking about, and that means he can’t afford to lose it before he’s even truly begun, more than ever.
“Pikapi.” Ash blinked, rubbing at his eyes (when did he get tired so quickly?) as he glanced at his partner. Pikachu was pointing at one of the houses a little further away from their current position, where someone was waving a hand out of the veranda and oh—
He didn’t even notice the sand getting slapped into his shoes as he ran as fast as he could, or the little stumble he took before he righted himself, because a few seconds was all he needed to barrel over the Professor, burying his head into his body as he hugged him tight and heaved in some heavy breaths. The professor just rubbed his back for a bit while murmuring, “Hey there, kiddo; are you okay? You looked a little roughed up and tired back there.”
He removed himself from the embrace, scratching his neck as a nervous laugh bubbled out of him. “Oh, yeah. I kinda lost the malasada I bought and then lost my way when coming back. Apart from my feet killing me and being hungry I’m all right, though, so it’s all good!” Pikachu shifted from his shoulder-side perch to the ground, chirping his agreement.
Professor Kukui looked at him for a bit before nodding. “That’s fair. The marketplace can be a labyrinth at the best of times, so I’m pretty amazed that you found your way out so soon.”
“Really?” Ash perked up, before a myriad of emotions hit him at once and he groaned. “Oh man, you really made that joke, didn’t you?”
He gave a shrug, letting out a small chuckle as he rubbed the kid's head while opening the door. “You really did walk into that one, Ash; you cannot expect someone who’s been with Principal Oak to not get into puns once in a while. Now let’s go in so you can enjoy some dinner while kicking back and telling me about your 'day of exploration', as you put it. And afterwards, I'll help teach you how to find your way back for the next time.”
Ash beamed, running into the home with Pikachu in tow as if he wasn't pooped out from walking around for hours, ready for that couch.
Huh. Home...
Eh. He'll work with what he's got.
(And, well, if it isn't a lie, then no one who would care will know.)