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There was something different about Ash, when he returned from Unova.
The strangest thing was that he'd left the very next day after he'd returned. Ash was quick to set off on new adventures, of course — he almost always was. But he usually spent at least a few days at home before heading off. He'd stay home to catch up with Delia, and talk about his experiences. He'd hang around Oak's Laboratory, and play with his Pokémon, and help Tracey with chores, here and there. He'd catch up with the locals a little, and hang out at the Pallet House during Delia's working hours, to enjoy her cooking and chat.
No matter how far away from home he'd been, Pallet Town still was home.
Very little of that had happened, last time. He'd latched onto the promise of the Kalos region, from Alexa's descriptions without a second thought. That hadn't surprised Delia at all. What did, however, was the two of them booking a flight the very next morning. Ash hadn't even asked if it would be a bother to leave so soon.
At eleven or twelve, that would be normal for him. At seventeen, he was far more mindful… or, at least that'd become the norm. It was hard to say that he was cold. Ash was hardly ever cold.
If anything, he was… avoidant, perhaps? Flighty, even. When Delia, Oak, and Tracey had asked about his experiences, he'd often tried to change the subject, or stick to superficial topics, like training. The Team Plasma debacle, in particular, almost set off his temper. He'd insisted it wasn't worth talking about, slamming his hands down on the table, making the plates rattle.
Ash had recognized he'd gotten worked up, and excused that he didn't want to make anyone worry. No one was hurt or killed. Everything was fine. (Not exactly a convincing reassurance!)
His Pokémon from Unova seemed to have an idea of what made him this way; they all were occasionally somber for a spell, as much as they tried to blend into their new home. Whenever one of the other Pokémon would ask them about it, they'd clam up and refuse to talk about it.
The next year was a mildly anxious one, if uneventful. Ash refusing to talk was never good, and his Pokémon refusing to tell the tale was even worse. There were occasional updates from Kalos, where Ash at least seemed to be on-task. He wasn't in danger. Not often, anyway.
It was hard not to think about how sad that was. That Ash's wellness had such a low bar.
Miraculously, the tides had started to turn, come the Kalos League. Each time Ash rotated some of his Pokémon for the competition, they came back with good sentiments and pride in their work. Any concerns about Ash's well-being, in those couple of days, were waved off candidly.
He was himself again.
Hell, Meganium in particular came back with a spring and a half in her step. Whatever had happened with Dawn and that Serena girl in Kalos had apparently opened a door that she'd expected to stay closed to her, forever. Her kissing him on national television during a League had probably lifted her spirits, and it had put Ash in the regional headlines and tabloids.
It was nice to see Ash in the news for something mundane and harmless, for once.
Naturally, that lasted all of a couple days, before Kalos was on the news, swallowed in a blood red sky. With Ash suspended and crucified by high tech cufflinks, on the tallest building in Lumiose. Because of course that was what would come after a comforting lull of good news.
The crisis lasted a full twelve hours, or something in that area. Delia hadn't been able to tear herself away from it for more than a couple of minutes to make herself and Mimey tea and a snack. And that was really only because Mimey needed sustenance. It was the only justification that satisfied her.
But, as always, the day was saved, and Ash had stood on top of a gored landscape, smiling as bright as the twilight sun with his best friend on his shoulder, safe and sound. This was the way of the world. He'd smile through a cataclysmic disaster, as if he'd never been in danger.
It made his loved ones back home wonder further what'd been so terrible in Unova that he'd considered the apocalypse light work in comparison. By the time that Ash returned home, they'd lost all resolve to ask him the answer to that question. It was just nice to see him chipper, again.
Once again, when he returned, there was something different about Ash.
He'd made no mentions of further adventures, or newer frontiers at all. Naturally, he would get around to that eventually, but by contrast, he was in no rush. He'd spent the first hours home frolicking and chatting with his Pokémon until jet lag had claimed him for a long nap.
If anything, he seemed more invigorated than ever. Maybe it was all the time he spent frolicking with his Meganium, who was over the moon to drag him around town and flaunt him as hers. Maybe it was his many hours dozing by her. Research showed that sleeping near their evolutionary line invigorated one in their sleep, and left them waking up refreshed.
That was the academic explanation, but Delia preferred to think it was a matter of the heart.
Maybe it was his bundle of other partners he'd picked up, while there; Ash spared no occasion to yammer about them to a proud (if not amused) Delia, or boast to an utterly bewildered Gary, or fill in the blanks with any number of his peers or elders who'd scarcely left home, listening to the tales of a strange young man who'd beaten all odds, in life and in love. No one really expected that weird boy from school who claimed he understood Pokémon to be a heartthrob, anymore than they expected him to be a Pokémon Master. He was proud to be right about both.
Whatever had transpired across the world had opened Ash's heart, after something, or someone, had closed it. Arceus help whoever that might've been, should Pallet Town ever learn.
But, for now, that didn't matter. Ash had returned to making home home, participating in local chores, burdens, horseplay, and festivals. His Pokémon were chipper, and that was a good sign.
With every new chapter of Ash's sprawling adventures, he changed a little.
With every new chapter, his loved ones prayed that it was for the better.