Chapter Text
Walkin' through a crowd, the village is aglow
Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Everybody here wanted somethin' more
Searchin' for a sound we hadn't heard before
🌸
“Hold on, baby, I almost got it”, Ash mutters – more to himself than to Goh, who is more impatient right now than he should be.
Ash has a very important task to do, and he needs Goh to sit calmly and not move too much. And Goh tries, but it’s difficult to do so when…
“Ow, Ash”, Goh grimaces in pain as he puts his hand over his head to soothe it, but the damage is done, it already hurts like hell.
“It wouldn’t hurt if you would stay still, you know”, Ash says, clicking his tongue as he resumes his task.
Goh ignores Ash’s remark as he lets out a tired sigh, deciding to stare at the wall ahead of him to distract himself as Ash still works on combing his hair.
Ash moves the comb with so much softness that Goh could easily close his eyes and drift off, if it wasn't for the heavy pulling on his hair every ten seconds.
“Ash!”, Goh exclaims when the aforementioned boy pulls Goh’s hair again, and Ash can only offer him an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, you had another knot, babe”, he says, placing a soft kiss on Goh’s head, close to the place where he has pulled the hair too harsh, and Goh can forgive him.
But only a little.
“It’s gotten so long again”, Ash whispers, feeling satisfied with the length of Goh’s hair, and Goh rolls his eyes.
He’s not as satisfied as Ash is, but he loves spoiling him from time to time with his hair length before Chloe is able to cut it back to its normal length. Maybe it’s that time now, because Chloe has told them that she and Dawn need to stay in Sinnoh for a few extra weeks, so Goh needs to survive the upcoming Paldea trip with his longer hair.
And it’s a paradise for Ash.
And maybe Goh doesn’t complain about it when Ash takes a tie from the table, ties Goh’s hair – with extra gentleness – in a loose ponytail, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder.
“All set and done”, Ash says, pressing another kiss to his neck, and Goh thanks him with a smile. “They seem to get along now”, he whispers, looking over Grookey and Sprigatito cuddled together in the corner of the bed.
“Yeah”, Goh breathes out, smiling at the sight as well as Ash kisses him atop of his head.
“How about we check on how Gary is doing?”, Ash proposes, and Goh nods his head.
Gary is in the middle of the heavy task of trying to ease Hatterene and her upset demeanor whenever she senses Gary’s strong emotions lately. And well, it didn’t go as planned – again – because when Goh and Ash approach him, Tokio places a band-aid on his forehead, and Hatterene is recalled back to her Pokeball already.
“It could’ve gone better, huh?”, Goh muses, offering a smile, and Gary lets out a defeated sigh.
“Honestly, I’m fascinated by her strength, like I know she’s strong in battles, but to hit her own trainer like that? Damn, Gary, is it the right time to tell you to pull your shit together?”, Ash snorts, and Goh hits him in the ribs with the elbow.
“Ash! This is a serious matter”, Goh hisses, but Gary lets out a quiet chuckle.
“It’s okay, he’s right. She’s not exactly used to seeing me like that, she’s confused, and it’s gonna take a long time for her to understand that it’s just the way I feel lately and it’s not gonna just change overnight”, Gary utters quietly before he chuckles as Bre leans into his palm to demand some pets.
“Hey, you’ve already taken such an important step to heal, I know it’s still hard, but it’ll get easier with time”, Tokio squeezes his thigh, and Gary leans to press a soft kiss to his forehead as a thank you.
“I wish it wouldn’t be that hard to move on, to heal, to process all of it. I feel like I’m as confused as Hatterene is. I never really understood what I felt”, Gary whispers, leaning over the tree, and Tokio burrows himself into Gary’s embrace.
“It was the first crack in the walls you built around yourself. You buried all of your feelings within yourself, and just learned to live with it. You lived in denial that you don’t need closure, it’s understandable that you feel this way”, Ash says, sitting next to him. “I don’t think it’s easy to process it on your own, though. And I don’t think it’s either of us you should process it with, either”.
Gary tenses under Ash’s words. He knows what Ash is implying. He exhales a shaky breath after the next sentence Ash utters that even Tokio tenses under Gary’s tight grip.
Gary casts his gaze away. “If you’re trying to say that I should talk about it to Gramps, then you can forget about it”, he says, his voice weak, his shoulders so tense that Tokio needs to put his hand over them so Gary can relax.
He does relax under Tokio’s touch, but his chest doesn’t ease from the tightness he feels.
Gary knows he’s far away from being alright. From being healed. From getting the closure he needs to move on and get the needed peace of mind. Ash was right, visiting his parents’ graves, admitting how he feels and letting it all out was just a crack in the walls that Gary built around himself.
But if Gary wants all of the walls to eventually crack, let him free, heal him, let him move on and get the peace he needs…he needs to face his grandfather with how he truly feels. Because Gary still has unresolved hurt and betrayal buried deep inside of him towards the only family member that took care of him, but lied to him until he was old enough to really understand what had happened to his parents.
And that still hurts underneath the scars.
Gary’s hand curls on his lap into a fist as he doesn’t utter anything more, letting the silence take over. Ash just closes his eyes, but opens them mere seconds later to squeeze Gary’s shoulder as he whispers just think about it before he stands and motions to Goh to follow him and let Gary breathe with all the mixed emotions he feels right now.
Just think about it.
Just four words. Nothing pressuring, but they still hold a weight on Gary’s mind and his aching heart. Just four words, but for now, they mean nothing, because Gary isn’t ready to face his grandfather about his dead parents. But maybe one day, he will be.
Gary’s head drops to Tokio’s shoulder, and Tokio holds his waist in a reassuring squeeze.
It’s cold, and they certainly should go inside to warm themselves up. But nothing matters now more than Tokio’s reassuring hold on his body that says more than a thousand words.
🌸
When Gary and Tokio enter the Laboratory long minutes later, Goh and Ash are still trying to figure out how they can help Gary and Hatterene get along better.
“I think the key to the problem is…it’s easier when a trainer catches Hatterene as she’s still a Hatenna. She warms up easier and can learn the variety of her trainer’s emotions, so she doesn’t respond as strongly to the heavier emotions once she evolves into the final stage because she’s already familiar with them”, Ren says, looking over at other information, turning over to look at Gary, and Gary smiles at him.
“And you may be right, Gary. I think for now, she’s confused because she’s never seen these emotions in you, but once you process more of your emotions and feelings, it’ll get easier for both of you. The best option for now is to include her somehow next time and show her what exactly makes you feel all those heavy emotions”, Professor Cerise proposes, some tint of uncertainty filling his voice when he notices Gary’s tension. “I know it’ll be hard, considering the situation, and it’s your decision to make, so take your time, think it through, and any problems? You know where to find us”, he smiles, putting a hand over Gary’s shoulder and Gary nods his head.
“Sounds like a good idea”, is all Gary offers, his voice breaking, which implies that Gary didn’t even think of visiting his parents’ graves anytime soon, which is heartbreaking on its own.
Professor Cerise just offers him another smile, not saying anything more as he focuses on Chrysa’s screen to continue working on their earlier research. Ren does too. Goh is occupied with throwing a small ball between Grookey and Sprigatito, but Gary can feel his worried gaze on him from time to time. Ash pets Pikachu, but Gary can feel that he’s worried too. Tokio is brave enough to be the one to react and thread his hand with Gary’s to offer some comfort.
And Gary?
Gary feels like breaking. He doesn’t as he takes a deep breath, and decides to put his feelings aside and focus on Valentine's Day, which is tomorrow.
“So do you have any plans for tomorrow?”, he asks, his familiar teasing smirk coming back on his face, and it’s enough to convince everyone that he’s fine.
But the tight hold on Tokio’s hand remains, almost bruising it. Tokio nudges him gently, and Gary eases the grip right away.
Goh opens his mouth to speak, but Ash beats him to it.
“Oh, we sure do”, Ash grins, and Goh blinks at him, confused.
“We…we do?”, he asks, and Ash just laughs.
“Yeah, a surprise”, Ash winks, and Goh leans to press a soft kiss on his lips.
“Surprise, huh? I wonder what it is”, he giggles when Ash moves to kiss his neck.
Soon after, they’re in their own bubble, and Gary is glad for that quick distraction. Tokio squeezes his hand and Gary glances at him.
“And us? What are we gonna do?”, he asks, it’s a little teasing to cheer Gary up, and it must have worked, because Gary’s mood seems to perk up.
“Whatever you’d like to do”, he winks, and Tokio chuckles, putting a hand over Gary’s cheek.
“Something that could help to make you feel better”, Tokio says, his voice quiet so none can overhear what they are talking about. He smiles softly, and a weak smile curls on Gary’s lips as well.
“I don’t wanna spend Valentine’s Day processing my past”, Gary quips, but his gaze is steady, focused on Tokio, even if the touch on his hand and cheek are too much to handle right now.
“Stop being so stubborn”, Tokio hisses, too loudly, so he glances at Ash and Goh to see if they’d heard their exchange, but they didn’t, so he shifts his attention back to Gary. “You know I wouldn’t mind. I care about you”, he caresses Gary’s cheek with his thumb, and under that delicate touch, Gary eventually pulls Tokio closer to connect their lips together in a soft but deep kiss.
“Ew, not in front of us”, Ash rolls his eyes, and Gary snorts into Tokio’s lips as they – disappointingly – pull away.
“Firstly, you were busy seconds ago, secondly, you’re not gonna see it for, um…”, Gary counts the days on his fingers. “For how many weeks do you leave anyway?”.
“For one”, Ash says, raising his brow playfully. “What? You’re gonna miss us that badly?”.
“Me? Missing you? In your dreams”, Gary rolls his eyes, and Ash chuckles.
“Yeah, yeah, sure, like I would believe you”, Ash mutters, and Gary smirks.
“But I’m gonna miss the more competent half of you”, he teases, leaning over the table.
“Oh, so you think I’m competent, how flattering–, Ash’s smile fades when he realizes what Gary had implied. “Wait, you meant Goh, right?”.
Gary shrugs, winking, and Ash groans in annoyance, but they all fall into a loud laughter afterwards as if it was just teasing, and of course, Gary will miss both of them equally.
Then Ash takes the little family to the dining room for dinner. Goh focuses on the list of things Professor Cerise would love Ash and Goh could research in Paldea if they’ll find some time, and Gary and Tokio have another moment for themselves, so Tokio sees an open opportunity to continue their conversation.
“So about that Valentine’s Day…”, he asks hesitantly, but Gary smiles, poking his nose playfully.
“Alright, we can spend it however you want”, Gary says, a smile curling onto his lips when Tokio beams.
“Only if you’re ready”, Tokio’s hand finds Gary’s cheek again, and Gary leans into the touch more.
“With you by my side, I’m always ready”.
🌸
“Ash, do I really need to cover my eyes? It’s dark and I can trip easily–”, Ash stops Goh’s complaining by squeezing his hand tighter.
“You won’t, besides, we’re here, you can open your eyes now”, he whispers, hugging Goh from behind, his arms wrapped around his waist.
Goh opens his eyes and…oh.
“H-How did you find this place?”, he squeaks, stunned, and Ash just chuckles, pressing a kiss to Goh’s shoulder before he puts his face over it.
Goh will always recognize this place. Even in the dark, no matter the season – this place is important to both of them, because it’s the place where Lugia threw them off from the journey atop of her back where Goh truly could see how wide and beautiful the world around him is. The soft grass under his body, under his touch, the flowers around, the wide endless sky – it’ll always take him back to the first day he met Ash. The sky is different now, dark, but soon to be adorned with countless stars, the grass and flowers aren’t there now, but soft snow instead, so it’s all covered in white, but…Goh still feels like he would be twelve, meeting Ash for the first time.
And that makes him emotional.
“It wasn’t too hard, you had the location saved on your phone from the day we met each other, so I had to steal your phone for a couple minutes a few days ago, glad you were distracted that day”, an awkward chuckle, but it earned a kiss – well, later, when they’ll be in a different position, because Goh appreciates Ash’s heat right now a lot. So instead, he puts a hand over his cheek, and Ash leans into the touch, even if it’s cold.
“So now, tell me, do you remember which star you showed me first when I joined you to stargaze together after our Ivysaur mission?”, Ash whispers to his ear, and Goh smiles to himself. He would recognize this star everywhere.
“It’s this one!”, they say at the same time as they show the exact same star, and Ash threads their hands together.
“It’s yours”, Ash whispers, and Goh frowns.
“What?!”, he asks, turning around in Ash’s hold.
“It’s yours, I bought it. I mean, not officially because you can’t really buy a star, I even called Sophocles to ask about it, but he said you can adopt the star – still, not officially – , but yeah, I named it after you, and–”, Goh eventually interrupts Ash’s rant by kissing him deeply.
“You’re such a dummy, I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day”, Goh whispers, resting his forehead over Ash’s, and Ash pulls him closer when he feels Goh is getting cold.
“I love you too. Happy Valentine’s Day”, Ash echoes as Goh’s head falls to his chest, and Ash just hugs him tighter as they stay in the embrace for a few minutes.
But it’s getting colder, so they should be going back before Goh will try to convince Ash to stay to stargaze for the whole night.
“I hope you remember the way back”, Goh raises his eyebrow, and Ash tenses.
“Um, I think I do”, Ash sheepishly laughs, and Goh groans before he looks over at him, terrified.
“Ash, you’d better be kidding me…”.
🌸
“So they won’t see us before we go to the airport?”, Ash asks, glancing briefly at Goh.
Goh shakes his head. “Tokio said that Gary wanted to visit his parents’ graves yesterday and they came back quite late. Gary was emotionally exhausted, but the bright side is that Hatterene was calm when Gary let her out, so it’s going in the right direction”, Goh muses, packing his last bag, and Ash nods his head.
“Quite a weird way to spend Valentine’s Day with your second half, but if it works for them”, Ash mutters, and Goh’s brow twitches in annoyance.
“What is it with you and acting like you don’t care? He’s your childhood friend, you could show some concern”, Goh raises his voice, and Ash just frowns, crossing his arms.
“What I learned along the way is that concern does not always work with Gary, but indifference does, so don’t accuse me of not caring, because I do, just in the way I feel is right in the moment”, Ash quips back, and Goh looks at him, some concern behind his eyes. “Come on, let’s go, you need to pick the Pokemon you’re taking with you”, he says, passing Goh and coming downstairs.
Goh follows him, and for a moment, he thinks he’s made Ash upset, because the way Ash recalls his own Pokemon to their Pokeballs so calmly like the conversation wouldn’t happen concerns him more than it should have.
And Goh would rather resolve this conversation now than in the plane.
“Ash”, Goh tries, and the aforementioned boy lets out a heavy sigh as he turns around to face him.
“Look, I know you’re concerned, so am I, but this is something that Gary should process on his own, or with Professor Oak, or with Tokio. I don’t wanna meddle in it, we shouldn’t meddle in it. If it’ll be needed, I will know when to do so, but for now, we should be in the background and just be there for him from a distance. And if he’s gonna need some comfort from either of us, he’ll just say so, that’s how Gary is”, Ash says, and he wraps his arms around Goh’s waist when he comes closer to place his head on Ash’s shoulder. “And for now, we should focus on our trip, Gary wants us to enjoy it and not constantly worry about him, but when something will bother him, he can always give either of us a call, yeah?”.
Goh doesn’t say anything as he just nods his head, and Ash presses a kiss to his temple.
"Okay, the time is ticking”, Ash reminds, and Goh takes the cue as he really should go and pick the Pokemon for the trip, although the choice is quite easy anyway.
But before he goes to the park, he glances at Ash, who takes Blastoise’s Pokeball. “Oh, you’re taking Blastoise with you?”, he asks, and Ash nods his head, smiling.
“I’m sure I’ll find a strong opponent for him to battle”, he winks, and Goh just smiles at him as he finally leaves the Laboratory and heads towards the park.
“Okay, so, Grookey, Cinderace, Sprigatito, Espe…”, Goh mutters to himself, counting as his gaze lands at Zoroark. “Are you coming with us?”, he asks, and Zoroark gives an affirmative nod, and Goh pets him before he runs towards Ash to be recalled to his Pokeball. “So that means, Zorua will come with us, and oh, would you like to come to?”, Goh chuckles when Absol nuzzles into his leg, nodding her head, and Goh pets her a few times.
“Is it settled?”, Ash asks, hugging Goh from behind and kissing him on the cheek.
“Yeah, and some empty Pokeballs. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up catching something new”, Goh leans into Ash’s embrace as Ash chuckles into his ear.
“You wouldn’t miss an opportunity to grow our family further”, Ash whispers as Goh looks up at him and kisses his jaw. “Should we be going? I know you still want to call Chloe and Gary before we’ll be at the airport”, he squeezes Goh’s waist, and Goh nods his head.
“Yeah, let’s go”.
🌸
Goh holds onto his phone anxiously as his knee trembles. Gary didn’t pick up his earlier call, and that concerns him a lot. Tokio messaged Goh minutes later that Gary is still sleeping, and some relief washed over Goh, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still worried sick over his friend.
Ash sits next to him for a moment as he threads their hands together. Goh’s gaze is still glued to the window, even if they haven't taken off yet and there’s nothing to look at for now. But for some reason, Goh finds some calmness in looking at the empty runway.
“Did Betty call you back about the anxiety pills?”, Ash asks, squeezing the hold on Goh’s hand.
It feels like the safest topic for now to lure Goh into the needed conversation.
“Yeah”, Goh whispers, still looking out the window, not even turning to face Ash, and Ash heavily sighs.
Just yeah, nothing more. A silent leave me alone behind it, behind his tension, behind the way he stares into the window.
Well, Ash doesn’t plan to leave Goh alone. At least not now.
Ash squeezes Goh’s hand again, rubbing the underside of it with his thumb. “I know you’re worried about Gary”.
Goh blinks slowly before he glances at Ash. He has that charming smile on his face like he would try to say that everything will be okay, and Goh isn’t sure if it makes him relieved or more annoyed. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and Ash squeezes his hand as he briefly peeks at the Pokemon in the back before he turns his attention back to Goh – with that same charming smile.
“I’m just…not used to seeing him like that, and I know you said that I shouldn’t worry, but I do worry, and it’s just so hard to see him like that, to see him so powerless, to see him struggle like that. And I’m just not used to just standing and watching. All I want to do is offer comfort, not indifference, I don’t want to just stand and watch him struggle or in pain. I want to do something to help, but I know it’s…not what he would want…”, a heavy sigh. “He’s so stubborn, yeah? He’d rather go through it all alone”, Goh lets out, fidgeting with his fingers.
Ash chuckles. “I know someone who sometimes would rather keep his feelings to himself too than meet them head on, voice them out, and talk about them”.
Goh rolls his eyes. “Of course, you wouldn’t miss the opportunity of calling me out on that”, he scoffs, and Ash kisses his hand in return.
“Not in a bad way, baby. Look, Gary was keeping these feelings in himself for years. Years of denial, years of bottling all these feelings in himself. He needs to process them himself first, and if along the way he will need either of us to process them with, he’ll find his way to us. So please, don’t worry. I know it’s hard, but all we can do for him now is have some patience and to be there for him whenever he needs us”, Ash squeezes his hand, offering him a reassuring smile. “How about you message him once we land?”, he proposes, even if he knows Goh was already planning on it.
Goh lets out a raspy okay, and Ash kisses his forehead before he goes to check on the Pokemon in the back when he hears Pikachu making too much noise.
But Goh didn't expect him to come back minutes later with extra company in his arms. Someone whom Goh clearly remembers not taking with him.
“And what are you doing here, huh?”, Goh laughs when Deerling jumps onto his lap, nuzzling into his hand. “Did you sneak into one of my bags?”, he scratches her head playfully.
“At least she was smart enough to take her Pokeball with her”, Ash chuckles as Deerling yawns before she curls onto Goh’s lap to take some rest. “You could use a copycat, take some rest”, he winks at Goh before he goes to check on the Pokemon again as the plane is ready to take off.
But once Ash came back to his seat, Goh had already drifted off with his head leaning against the window. Ash chuckles to himself as he gently lifts Goh’s head to put it onto his own shoulder himself. Goh shifts in his sleep, but doesn’t wake up as he mumbles something.
Ash just smiles to himself as he presses a soft kiss atop of Goh’s head, threading their hands together on his lap. He whispers a quiet I love you and Goh burrows himself further into Ash’s embrace.
It’s enough for Ash to fall asleep minutes later too.
🌸
“Finally, we reached Paldea”, Ash breathes out as Pikachu jumps to his shoulder. “How are you feeling, buddy?”, he scratches him under his chin, and Pikachu lets out an excited cha, nuzzling into Ash’s cheek.
“It’s much warmer here than in Kanto”, Goh observes, looking at the sky. Grookey jumps to his forearm, and Sprigatito decides to chill on Goh’s head. Espe nuzzles into his leg, wiggling her tail, and the rest of the Pokemon are recalled to their Pokeballs, at least for now until they arrive at the Academy.
But they need to wait for Aimee to pick them up, so Goh can use that time to message everyone that they arrived in Paldea safely, and to call Gary to check if he’s feeling better.
Gary does feel better, and it’s enough to wash some of Goh’s worries away – at least for now.
“But if you need anything, you can always call us, you know that, right?”, Goh reminds him, but his tone of voice is rather pleading, and Ash lets out a heavy sigh as he takes Goh by surprise and pulls him to his lap, squeezing his waist and kissing his neck.
“If he said yes, you have 15 seconds to hang up or I’ll bite you here”, Ash playfully threatens, kissing his neck again to make a point, and Goh rolls his eyes, but Ash is dangerously close to his neck, so close that Goh knows he might do it. “Oh, by the way, can you tell everyone at the Lab that Deerling sneaked into my bag and she’s with us?”, Goh changes the topic to be safe, and Ash can hear Gary laughing about it, but saying that once he will be at the Laboratory, he will break the information to Ren or Chrysa, and Goh thanks him as he says the last take care, before he hangs up.
“You’re so evil, you’re so cruel”, Goh hisses as he turns around on Ash’s lap to face him, but Ash just smiles at him.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, you were just overthinking, he said he is fine. There’s nothing to worry about, especially if he said he will call us if something will be wrong”, Ash says as Goh’s head drops to his shoulder, and Ash squeezes his waist. “Relax, we are here to have fun. You can’t spend the whole trip overthinking, okay?”.
Goh nods his head, and Ash presses a soft kiss to his temple. “Okay”.
Goh’s tone of voice doesn’t sound convincing, but the smile that curls on his lips does, so the rest of the trip looks promising and in a less overthinking state than Goh was seconds ago.
Hopefully.
But Goh needs to put his overthinking and worries aside anyway as Espe nudges into his leg to let him know that Aimee has spotted them from afar and is waving to them.
“Goh! Ash!”, she hugs them quickly as she smiles. “Welcome to Paldea and Mesagoza. Did you have a nice flight?”.
“We sure did, thank you for having us”, Goh smiles as Sprigatito hopped back to his head, and Aimee squeals at the sight of her.
“I’m so glad to see that Sprigatito hatched healthy”, Aimee pets her as she leans into her palm. “How is Chloe doing?”.
“Chloe’s doing fine. She’s spending some time with Dawn in Sinnoh now”, Goh says, scratching Grookey on his head, and Aimee chuckles.
“Explains your hair length", she winks as Ash smirks, and Goh glares at him. “I know she’s your personal hairdresser, but I think I could do just as fine with cutting it if it’ll start to bother you”, she offers, and Goh thanks her with a smile.
“I think I’m fine for now”, he says, glancing at Ash, then back to Aimee. “Maybe when Ash won’t be around”, he whispers, and Aimee chuckles when Ash exclaims an offended hey, I heard that!.
But Goh shuts him down with a quick kiss, two kisses for good measure, and Ash cheers up immediately as he tucks some of Goh’s hair behind his ear when it has fallen on his face.
“Do you want to tie them?”, Ash softly whispers, and Goh nods his head, to which Ash kisses his forehead as he takes off one of the ties from his wrist and quickly ties Goh’s hair into a loose ponytail so they won’t bother him for now.
“You wear the ties on your wrist?, Aimee teases, and Goh blushes from ear to ear as Ash just chuckles, kissing his cheek. “How sweet”, she says, winking, and it makes Goh blush even more as Ash fidgets with the ponytail in his hold.
Aimee just laughs before she spots their cab arriving, so she waves to the driver.
“Our cab has arrived. I know you must be tired after the flight, so I thought you could take some rest at my place first before you’ll be ready to visit the Academy. How does that sound?”, Aimee asks, and Goh nods his head, agreeing to the idea.
“Sounds great, Aimee. Thank you”, Ash smiles, nodding his head as he threads his hand with Goh’s.
Goh’s hand is trembling for a reason unbeknownst to Ash, so he squeezes the hold tighter as they get into the cab. Goh is quiet for most of the ride as he focuses on looking through the window at the changing streets and buildings, and Ash just traces the underside of Goh’s palm with his thumb. But as Ash leans to press a kiss to his cheek, Goh giggles, offering him a smile, and it’s enough to wash Ash’s worries away.
At least for now, because Ash still can feel Goh’s aura being unsteady. He can tell his smile is rather weak. He can tell Goh is still caught up in his head as his hand shakes in Ash’s hold.
And it’s okay, Ash will hold his hand throughout every worry and doubt that crosses his mind, so for now, he squeezes Goh’s hand tighter.
And Goh squeezes back.
🌸
They drop the bags to the floor, and Aimee quickly shows them around her apartment, but once they reach the room, it’s gonna be theirs for their one-week stay – it’s a final destination for Goh as he practically melts with the bed.
Ash chuckles as he places a kiss to Goh’s head, whispering a soft get some rest before he leaves the room, closing the door as silently as he can.
Then Aimee shows Ash around the kitchen and dining room, but he chuckles that it’s gonna be probably Goh’s territory anyway, even if Ash got a little better at cooking during their relationship.
Once the tour is done, Aimee decides to prepare some food for Pokemon, and Ash lets out their Pokemon in the meantime.
“I remind you, this is not our place, so there’s no running and battling in the apartment. And once we’re outside, there’s no strolling without our permission as we’re not familiar with the area. Is that clear?”, Ash says, soft but firm enough for the Pokemon to understand the rules of their trip, and once he gets a nod from each Pokemon, he lets them take some rest and get familiar with the apartment on their own before he focuses on helping Aimee with preparing the food.
Aimee calls for Meowscarada, and Sprigatito looks at her in awe.
“Oh, did she evolve?”, Ash muses, sharing some leftover snacks with Pikachu, and Aimee nods her head.
“She sure did, she’s so strong now. Would the World Champion be up for a battle later?”, Aimee winks, and Ash smirks.
“Absolutely, good timing ‘cause I wanted to train Blastoise more”, Ash says, petting Blastoise’s shell, and Aimee looks over at them, frowning.
“Hold on, that Blastoise…”, she whispers, and Ash nods his head, confirming her suspicion.
“Yeah, the same one, but we’re cool now, yeah?”, Ash breathes out, and Blastoise leans into his touch easily.
Aimee smiles. “Such a big step for the three of you, huh? Especially for Goh”, she muses, chuckling when Blastoise aims a tiny Hydro Pump at Grookey and Sprigatito when they climb on one of his cannons.
“Yeah, I’m so proud of him”, Ash breathes out as Aimee smiles, and she motions her hand for the Pokemon to dig in.
Meowscarada uses her tail to move Grookey and Sprigatito closer to her so the other Pokemon can have more space, and Ash chuckles at that before he frowns.
“Espeon is not here”, he tilts his head as he looks around to spot her. Pikachu exclaims something as he points with his tail to upstairs direction, and Ash chuckles as he scratches him on his head. “Then, there’s nothing to worry about, huh?”, he muses and Aimee smiles.
“We should have something to eat soon too, I cooked some dinner earlier, so it’s just a matter of heating it up”, Aimee says as she starts to set the table.
Ash absentmindedly helps her, but Aimee notices some tension behind his movements, so she glances at him worriedly. “You know, you can go and see how he is doing or join him for some rest, I’ll call for you when the dinner will be ready”, she smiles, but Ash shakes his head.
“Goh is overthinking a lot lately, so I think a few minutes alone and some space might be good for him”, a weak smile curls on his lips, and Aimee frowns.
“Something happened?”.
“It’s just…our friend is dealing with a lot lately and it worries Goh a lot. I tried to convince him that there is nothing to worry about, but…”, a heavy sigh, and Aimee nods her head in understanding.
“Let me guess, he worries even more?”, she chuckles, and Ash weakly nods his head. “Let me try talking to him”, she offers, and Ash tilts his head.
“Are you sure?”, Ash asks hesitantly, but Aimee gives him an affirmative nod.
“Yeah, I can tell you’re worrying over him”, she winks, and a pink blush covers Ash’s face.
“At this point I’m just worrying over Goh because he is worrying over Gary”, Ash casts his gaze away, and Aimee laughs.
“You’re so perfect for each other”, she winks. “I’ll talk to him, no need to worry”, she says, and Ash snorts.
“I don’t think I’m happy that Dawn and her no need to worry is rubbing off on everyone”, he rolls his eyes, and Aimee laughs again.
“I think it even rubbed off on you, don’t you think so?”, she teases, and Ash smirks.
“Maybe a little bit”, he admits, and Aimee chuckles.
“But as you see, telling Goh not to worry doesn’t exactly work on him, so let me see what advice I can offer”, she utters, smiling when Pikachu hops on Ash’s head, and Ash loses balance for a few seconds. “Don’t break the plates”, she chuckles as she leaves the room.
A delayed you got it! is the last thing Aimee hears before she heads upstairs.
Aimee spots Espeon lying in front of the door, and once she notices Aimee, she lifts her head and wiggles her tail. Aimee kneels to pet her as she lays her head on the ground again, eyeing the door worriedly.
Aimee frowns at her behavior, but she knocks on the door, and she enters the room once a quiet come in reaches her ears.
She carefully peeks through the door. “Are you alright?”, she asks, and Goh looks up from his diary to look at her.
“Yeah, I’m fine”, he raises his brow in confusion, but when Aimee points at Espeon, his eyes soften.
“She’s been lying like that this whole time”, she chuckles as she enters the room, Espeon following her and eventually jumping on the bed, next to Goh to get some pets.
“She loves to act like my bodyguard”, Goh whispers, scratching Espe behind her ears. “You can go downstairs to Ash if you’d like”, he coos, but Espe decides to lay her head on Goh’s stomach, closing her eyes, and Goh just softly laughs.
“I think she’s been worried about you”, Aimee muses as she sits on the edge of the bed, and Goh closes his diary and puts it aside. “Is something on your mind? I heard from Ash you’ve been worrying over your friend”, she says, eyeing the diary, and Goh exhales a shaky breath.
“I…I’ve never really seen him in that state, so it was just hard to see him suffer like that. Ash is just…they have known each other since childhood, so he’s seen Gary in that state already, and I know he says not to worry, but…how can I not?”, Goh fidgets with the blanket, and Aimee nods her head in understanding.
“That’s natural for you to worry, especially if you’ve never seen Gary in that state, but if Ash doesn’t worry, then maybe that means it’s not worth overthinking as you think it is”, Aimee gets deep in a thought, and Goh raises his brow.
“I don’t think it makes any sense”, Goh blinks, and Aimee laughs.
“What I mean is, Ash knows when to worry over your friend, so maybe the state he is in now isn’t meant to worry over, so, if Ash doesn’t worry now…”, she winks, and Goh tilts his head in thought.
A beat passes as he laughs. “Oh okay, I get what you mean now. Why did I never see it from that perspective?”.
Aimee joins him in the laughter. “Did Ash ever tell you that in that perspective?”.
Goh frowns. “Uh, yeah, he did a few times, but I…always saw it as like he wouldn’t care, like an indifference", he whispers, and Aimee offers him a sympathetic smile.
“I understand why you would think that way, but it’s far from indifference. Ash cares in his own way, and you care in your own way, but he’s right, Goh. He knows when to show concern, and like I said – it won’t hurt you to follow him with that”, Aimee utters, smiling, and Goh smiles at her too, visibly cheered up, because even Espe lifted her head, sensing that her trainer isn’t as anxious anymore.
“I think you’re right, thank you, Aimee”, Goh says, grateful for the advice, and Aimee smiles at him.
“Up for some dinner? I messaged Mr. Clavell that seeing how worn out you are from the flight, you won’t be coming to the Academy until tomorrow, so you can take it easy until then”, Aimee says, and Goh nods his head.
“Starving, so is Ash probably”, Goh jokes, and Aimee laughs.
“Let’s just hope he didn’t destroy half of the kitchen…”
🌸
“So, this is Naranja Academy, I help students here with training their Pokemon and with their Tera Training”, Aimee says as they enter the building. “There’s no pressure for you, Goh, to hang out in any of the classrooms. If that will make you uncomfortable, you can spend this time with Jacq in the office room. Let me tell you, he was so excited to hear that you were coming to Paldea as he’s working on the Pokedex app update”, she laughs, and Goh follows up with his laughter.
“As for you, Ash, the battlefields are in the backyard. Most of the students are there training right now, I’m sure they’ll be happy to see the Champion in action”, she winks as Pikachu exclaims some happy Pika’s on Ash’s arm, and Ash pets him in return as a promise for an upcoming battle.
“But about the Tera orb, Ash, you’ll need to discuss the details with Mr. Clavell”, Aimee says as she knocks on the door, before she peeks through them. As she gets an affirmative nod from the man sitting there, she enters the door, Ash and Goh following her silently.
“Ah, Aimee, I see you brought our guests. Thank you so much. I’m Clavell and I’m the director of the Academy. Nice to meet you”, he smiles, bowing gently.
“This is Ash, the current Monarch, and this is…”, Aimee doesn’t even have a chance to introduce Goh, because Jacq cuts her off, shaking Goh’s hand violently.
“Goh! It’s an honor to finally meet you in person, and you Ash”, Jacq exclaims, fixing his glasses, and both Goh and Ash smile at him.
“Jacq, chill out, give them some space, they just arrived here”, a sudden woman’s voice reaches their ears as they shift their attention to her as she approaches them.
“Hi, kiddos, what’s up?”, she winks, and for some reason, they both get speechless, forgetting how to speak under her piercing look. “I absolutely get why you might be intimidated, you stand in front of the real beauty here”, she smirks, crossing her arms, and Ash’s lips gape a little when she fixes her long ponytail.
He eyes her ponytail up and down for a few seconds, before he glances at Goh, then back to the woman’s long ponytail. Goh raises his brow, before he follows his gaze, and he realizes terrified what’s in Ash’s head.
“Forget it, I’m not growing my hair that long”, he squeaks, and Ash chuckles, threading their hands together.
“Was worth a shot”, Ash winks, and Goh rolls his eyes before he shifts his attention to the woman in front of them who eyes them curiously.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here – World Champion and Alola Champion in the flesh”, she muses, before she shifts her gaze to Goh. “And his fiancé”, Ash tightens his grip on Goh’s hand when he feels that Goh is uneasy under the woman’s piercing look.
“A brilliant researcher who works under Professor Cerise’s wing, ex-Project Mew chaser, the voice of the Pokedex app, and probably the only person in the world who has that many Pokemon registered in their Pokedex”, she eyes Goh curiously before she smiles at both of them, chuckling. “We did our research. Nice to meet you, Ash, Goh, and welcome to Paldea. I’m Rika and I’m a member of the Elite Four”, she finally introduces herself, and Goh breathes out in relief when the stern look on her face turns into a more kind one.
“Rika, drop your antics”, another woman scolds her, but Rika rolls her eyes.
“Come on, La Primera, that would be a missed opportunity not to tease them”, Rika laments as Geeta approaches them.
“Nice to meet you both, I’m Geeta”, she introduces herself, bowing politely, and Aimee nudges Ash gently.
“She’s the highest-ranked trainer in Paldea, which makes her the Champion”, Aimee whispers, and Ash tenses.
“A Champion???”, he exclaims, and Geeta chuckles, winking.
“We heard that Ash is interested in Terastallization, is that correct?”, she asks, and Ash nods his head.
“Getting the Tera Orb isn’t as easy as you think, though”, Rika says, and Ash gulps. “But, we could make an exception here. You are the current Monarch, the strongest trainer in the world, I think it’s pointless to make you go through the whole Tera training. Your skills speak for themselves, what do you think, La Primera?”.
Geeta gives an affirmative nod. “I agree, and I think–”, Ash shakes his head, interrupting her.
“But isn’t it unfair to the rest of the trainers who have to work harder to get it?”, Ash tilts his head, and Pikachu mewls sadly in agreement on his shoulder too. “Man, I really thought I could battle a strong Gym Leader to get it”.
Geeta closes her gaped lips, smirking to herself. “Like we said, your skills already speak for themselves, but we can make a shortened version of the Tera training for you if that’s what you want”.
Ash exclaims a happy alright!, and Goh chuckles, squeezing his hand, and Rika pats him on his free shoulder.
“I like your attitude, kiddo, but with your skills, the battle shouldn’t be against any Gym Leader”, Rika says, already flexing her arm for the upcoming battle, but Geeta interrupts her.
“You’re absolutely right, Rika. You should battle me instead”, Geeta smiles, and Ash almost chokes on the invisible air around him.
“You want me to battle…you?”, Ash mutters, shocked and terrified, and Geeta nods her head, bowing politely.
“It will be an honor to battle you, Champion. Let’s discuss the details, shall we?”.
🌸
Ash is somewhat quiet on the way back to Aimee’s place, looking at the ground as he walks at a slower pace. Pikachu mumbles a sad Pika on his head, and Goh glances at him worriedly.
“Hey, are you okay?”, Goh asks, threading their hands together, and Ash seems to cheer up at the contact, because he turns to face him and leans to kiss Goh on the lips.
“I’m fine”, he smiles, but Pikachu hits his head with his tail, and Ash yelps in a mild pain.
Goh snorts. “See? Even Pikachu isn’t convinced by that”, he says, smirking. “What’s wrong? You’re always excited about upcoming battles”, Ash exhales a heavy sigh.
He just tightens the hold around Goh’s palm as his brow knits together in thought while Goh eyes him in concern. “It’s just…it’s been a while since I battled someone at the Champion level, so I’m quite nervous. I have a feeling I’ll make a fool of myself”.
Goh stops walking for a moment. “You’ll be fine. She gave you three days to practice and train, yeah? And it’s not like the battle will be broadcast anywhere, only students at the Academy will see it, and even if you’ll lose, it will be a great experience for you, Geeta, and people who will see the battle”.
“And remember what I told you? You can lose the battle but still pass the test if Geeta will see potential in you, so don’t overthink it too much. I’ll help you practice alongside other students tomorrow”, Aimee winks, and Ash cheers up at the reassuring words.
He thanks them with a smile as they start walking again, his mood perked up a little. He pets Pikachu on his shoulder and his other hand finds Goh’s again as he intertwines them.
“Will you watch the battle?”, Ash teases, some hope lingering in his voice, and Goh offers him a hopeful smile.
“If by that time, me and Jacq will finish the Pokedex update, sure I will”, he winks, squeezing Ash’s hand.
“I’ll win anyway”, Ash whispers, and Goh hums.“That’s the Ash I know. I know you’ll win”, Goh says quietly, leaning to press a soft kiss on Ash’s lips.
But Ash takes Goh by surprise as he deepens the kiss, bringing Goh’s waist closer.
Pikachu decides to stay out of it as he hops to the ground, joining Grookey and Espe who were walking behind them at a slow pace.
Aimee sighs to herself. “Do they always get distracted like that?”, she asks, and Pikachu nods his head.
“Pika, Pikachu”, Pikachu lets out tiredly, and Aimee chuckles as she scoops him into her arms.
“Let’s give them these few minutes to themselves. After all, they’ll be focused on different things from tomorrow”, she muses, petting Pikachu in her hold.
But not even one minute passes when Pikachu threatens to use Thunderbolt, and Goh has to offer him a few snacks, worried for their safety.
🌸
“There you are kiddos”, Rika welcomes them the next day as she’s sitting cross-legged on the desk.
Goh raises his brow at her sight, and he needs to elbow Ash when his gaze travels to her ponytail again.
“Does the Elite Four always hang out casually in the Academy?”, Goh mutters, and Aimee chuckles, nodding her head.
“We help with the Tera training here a lot, and I thought I could be useful and help your fiancé train before he gets to battle my girlfriend”, Rika winks, and Goh feels Ash almost blow up from excitement next to him. Rika notices it too, because she teases. “Excited to battle me, but nervous about battling La Primera? You never fail to amaze, Ash. Well, meet me at the battlefield once you’re ready”, she waves them bye for now as she leaves the room, and Ash follows her with his gaze, and once she’s gone, glances back at Goh and his loose side ponytail.
Goh just rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he focuses on letting out his Pokemon. Absol nuzzles into his leg, and Sprigatito jumps to Aimee’s Meowscarada’s shoulder to play with her tail. Ash releases his Pokemon too, and soon after, all the Pokemon are scattered across the room in tiny groups – resting or playing together.
In the meantime, Jacq enters the room. “Sorry, I’m late, I just finished my class”, he says, fixing his glasses. “But we can work on the update now, Goh, if you’re ready”.
Goh nods his head, and Jacq hands him a list of Pokemon he needs to voice out for the update as Ash peeks at it through Goh’s shoulder. “Here’s the list of Pokemon that recently got discovered to be able to Mega Evolve”, Jacq says, and Goh’s eyes sparkle.
“Absol has a second form???”, he exclaims, and Jacq nods his head. “Did you see that, Absol? You can mega evolve into a different form”, he kneels to Absol’s level as he shows her the picture, and she tilts her head, leaning into Goh’s palm instead, demanding some pets.
“You would need a different stone, though”, Jacq reminds, and Goh pouts at that. “That also applies to both forms of Raichu, and Lucario”.
Lucario looks curiously at the picture, too, and Ash smiles at him. “See? That’s your second form. Would you like to try it out one day?”, Lucario gives an affirmative growl, and Ash pats him on his shoulder.
“Looking for another trick up your sleeve, huh?”, Goh teases, and Ash smirks.
“Need to impress you somehow” he whispers, winking, and Goh rolls his eyes, but he yelps when Ash hugs him from behind, kissing his neck.
“Oh, by the way, Ash, could I see your Mega Dragonite?”, Aimee pleads, her eyes sparkling, and Dragonite comes flying before Ash can even nod his head.
She hugs both Ash and Goh, tight. Grookey and Pikachu thankfully were able to escape the tight grip, jumping on Zoroark’s head and hiding in his ponytail. Aimee chuckled at the image in front of her eyes as she took a few photos. Ash eventually mega evolved his Dragonite, which resulted in Goh mega evolving his Absol.
It all ended with another photo dump on Ash’s social media – Mega Dragonite hugging both Ash and Goh with her wings, Mega Absol trying to join them, Pikachu and Grookey sitting on their heads again, and Jacq being somewhere in the background showing a thumbs up.
Ash captioned the photo with He heard you needed the Pokedex update. Working hard for you all again :) Paldea is treating us nicely so far.
“You need to post more often”, Goh muttered when Ash’s fans broke the app again, and Ash only sheepishly laughed.
🌸
“Alright, time for a break”, Jacq proposes, handing Goh a glass of water, and Goh thanks him with a smile. “Thankfully, the list isn’t too long, so we can do the rest tomorrow”, he offers, and Goh nods his head.
“Sounds nice. Besides, Ash has been gone for a while, I wonder how he is doing”, Goh scratches his cheek, and Jacq chuckles.
“Missing your buddy, huh? If he comes across Nemona, he won’t be coming here anytime soon. She’s a battle addict, they’re quite similar to each other, but honestly, who isn’t addicted to battles here?”, Jacq jokes, writing something in his notebook.
“Is that her?”, Goh asks as he sits on the window sill to watch the ongoing battle through the window, and Jacq joins him.
“Certainly is. Pawmot vs Pikachu, huh? Your buddy will be at a huge disadvantage once she Terastallizes”, Jacq says, and Goh smirks.
“I don’t think you ever truly saw Ash in action, he can always turn it around. Ash will win”, the last sentence is whispered as Goh pets Espe, who hopped onto the window sill as well.
Cinderace wakes up from his nap as he decides to look at the battle too and cheer on Ash through the window excitedly.
“You can go there and watch it upclose”, Goh says, seeing Cinderace’s excitement. “Just stay near to Ash, okay?”, Goh reminds him and Cinderace nods his head in understanding.
Jacq raises his brow. “And you don’t wanna go and support your buddy?”, he asks, and Goh laughs, shaking his head.
“Once he will spot me, the battle will be over, besides– oh, is that a Gimmighoul?”, Goh asks, his eyes sparkling when the Pokemon hops to him.
“Yep, sure is. Usually they control people to collect the coins for them to help with evolution, but this one is quite chill”, Jacq laughs when some coins fall from Gimmighoul’s chest, and Grookey and Sprigatito help to put them back.
Goh smiles, an idea sparking in his mind. “Well, my Pokemon can help to gather the coins. Right, everyone?”.
Grookey and Sprigatito don’t need to be told twice as they already run around the room to help to locate the coins. Zorua is still napping with Absol, so Goh lets them be. Espe stays by Goh’s side, lying her head on his knee. And Deerling decides to help Grookey and Sprigatito, and Goh thanks her with a pet on her head.
“Your Deerling…”, Jacq starts, and Goh glances at him. “...is still stuck in Summer form. It’s winter”, he muses, and Goh weakly nods his head.
“My friend and I visited Paldea last year to do some research about Deerling. Professor Cerise saw a sighting about a Deerling who didn’t transform into the Autumn form. Her mother was transformed, and the rest of the herd were treating that little one like an outcast. She was conflicted on what to do, so to avoid the Lycanroc, she trusted me to take care of her”, Goh explains, and Jacq nods his head in understanding.
“If she didn’t transform yet, it may occur when she evolves into Sawsbuck”, Jacq muses, and Goh’s eyes sadden a little, but seeing his reaction, Jacq smiles. “It doesn’t make you a bad trainer or anything, there’s a lot of factors that could cause Deerling not to transform yet. The Pokemon world is still full of mysteries like the newly discovered Mega Evolved forms”, Jacq chuckles, and a small smile curls on Goh’s lips when Deerling hops on his lap, demanding some pets, but she gets startled by Aimee, who enters the room abruptly.
“Goh! Goh! Goh!”, Aimee exclaims before she briefly apologizes to Jacq, then she focuses back on Goh. “You need to see this battle. It’s brilliant”, she says before she drags Goh to the backyard.
Goh breathes heavily from all the running when they reach the battlefield, but Goh quickly recovers when he notices what Pokemon Ash is using right now, and his first instinct is to record the battle.
“Alright, Blastoise, use Hydro Pump. Cinderace, Pyro Ball”, is the last command Ash yells before the whole battlefield gets covered in smoke.
Goh feels that Cinderace is alright. So does Ash with both Blastoise and Cinderace, and that’s why Ash’s bond with Cinderace never fails to amaze Goh.
Both of Rika’s Pokemon are knocked out, and she recalls them with a familiar smirk on her face. Clavell thanks them for a brilliant battle as he asks the students to retreat to the classrooms. Cinderace and Blastoise high five each other, and as Goh wants to approach Ash, Nemona beats him to it as she envelops Ash in a half-hug, congratulating him for the won battle. Goh casts his gaze away, because it makes him somewhat uneasy.
“See, told you that you would win it”, she grins. Ash grins back. They high five each other, just like Cinderace and Blastoise did seconds ago.
And Goh’s heart shouldn’t sting right now as he’s always the first one to run the battlefield to congratulate Ash on winning the battles. To hug Ash like that and be that close to him.
Goh shakes his head to himself as he decides to put it aside for now. Pikachu squeals in happiness when he spots him and he jumps on his shoulder, nuzzling into his cheek. Goh scratches him under his chin playfully.
“Hi, there, buddy. Did you win the earlier battle?”, he coos to Pikachu, and when Ash spots him as well, a big smile curls on his face as he quickly runs to him to place a soft kiss on his cheek. “Stealing my Pokemon, huh?”, he winks, and Rika laughs, approaching them.
“So Cinderace is your Pokemon. I was surprised when Ash told me that Cinderace isn’t his Pokemon, and it amazes me how well they work together. You did such a great job at raising him, kiddo. And you, Ash, I’m happy to have some battles with you tomorrow as well. See ya”, she winks, waving them bye as she leaves with Clavell.
“Did you have fun?”, Goh asks, and Cinderace nods his head, as he gives him and Blastoise some berries. “And did you have fun?”, he asks Ash, and Ash chuckles, kissing his cheek once more.
“Sure did. I had some battles with Rika and one of the Gym Leaders, I think his name was Larry? He was crazy strong, but I won! And oh, this is Nemona, by the way. We had some cool battles together too!”, he says, and Nemona shakes Goh’s hand eagerly.
“You must be Goh! Ash told me some great stuff about you. That Cinderace of yours is so strong. We should have a battle too!”, she exclaims, and Goh takes a step back, feeling overwhelmed a little, but thankfully, Aimee steps in.
“Nemona, cut it out, Goh isn’t really a battle person, you can have all the battles with Ash instead”, she chuckles, and Nemona apologizes, but Goh shakes his head, saying that it’s alright.
Although, he hugs his arms in discomfort once Ash and Nemona start to talk about all the battle plans they have for tomorrow. They promised to meet at 7 a.m to have as much time to battle as they can. And since when does Ash wake up that early anyway? He never does. Nemona promises to teach Ash to Terastallize tomorrow, and with that, she is gone. And since when does Ash wake up that early???
Goh tries to ignore his inner voices for now, but he doesn’t even wave to Nemona back as he goes to the office room to Jacq to gather all of his Pokemon and talk briefly about the plans for tomorrow.
Ash finds him minutes later as he wraps his arms around him, kissing his neck, and Goh feels the tension partially leave his body. He leans into Ash’s embrace, exhaling a shaky breath.
“Shall we go back? Aimee’s waiting.”, Ash asks, fixing Goh’s ponytail, and Goh takes a deep breath as Espe nuzzles into his leg.
“Yeah, let’s”.
🌸
By the time Goh wakes up the next day, Ash’s side of the bed is cold with a sticky note attached to it. Went to train with Nemona. See you later.
Goh sighs as he checks his phone only to discover a message from Jacq saying that he’s gonna be busy with classes today and that there is no need for Goh to work on the Pokedex update today.
When Goh heads downstairs, Aimee is gone too, which makes sense because she works with the students at the Academy.
But since when does Ash wake up that early???
It’s stupid – Goh knows – to overthink it. Ash just found someone who matches his energy with battles, someone who understands him and speaks in the same language. Goh knows the upcoming battle is important to Ash, and he’s glad that Ash found someone to help him train, but at the same time, Goh can’t help but feel left out.
Because Ash didn’t even propose to Goh to come and watch the battles or just to hang out with Nemona, meet her and maybe upon getting to know her better. Goh would be happy to have that battle with her.
And all Goh feels is jealousy that shouldn’t even be there. Nemona didn’t do anything wrong, she’s just helping Ash out, and Goh feels jealous just because Ash got sidetracked and caught up in the training with her.
Goh eyes his ring finger for a moment before he shifts his gaze to the phone lying on the table. His finger hovers around the keyboard as he eventually types the message to Ash.
How is the training coming along? Stayed at the apartment today, Jacq is busy with classes. Come back soon, I miss you xx
He knows it’s stupid the way he eyes his phone, hoping it will light up. He knows it’s stupid by the way his Pokemon eye him warily. He’s stupid. Or maybe he just feels bitter. Or maybe upset. But it’s stupid anyway.
Goh gives his Pokemon a forced smile as he places bowls of food in front of them, before he drags himself to his and Ash’s room and just lies on the bed, staring at the wall. Grookey runs after him as he curls next to Goh, and Goh pets him with slow moves.
That’s how Goh falls asleep again.
🌸
“Thanks, Nemona! See you tomorrow!”, Ash waves to her as he catches up to Aimee. “Excited to see Goh, huh?”, he scratches Pikachu under his chin as he exclaims happy Pika’s.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t see him at all today”, Aimee gets deep in a thought, and Ash tilts his head.
“I didn’t either, but I left earlier than you. I thought he would be coming with you”, he says, but Aimee shakes her head.
“I thought he left with you–, oh, Jacq, have you seen Goh?”, Aimee asks when she spots him leaving one of the classrooms, but Jacq raises his brow, confused.
“Oh, I messaged him in the morning saying that I’ll be busy today so he doesn’t need to come, but if he came here after all, I’m not sure. Sorry, guys, gotta go. See you tomorrow”, he rushily explains, and Ash feels the regret twirling in his body.
“Oh, man”, Ash lets out, defeatedly, and Pikachu mewls sadly on his shoulder when Ash looks at the unread message on his phone. “I was focused on the training so much that I didn’t even message him once or call him, or…anything. He messaged me, and I just…”, he says, being frustrated with himself, and Aimee isn’t sure if she should intervene or not.
She doesn’t as she lets Ash rant.
“I…I feel like he felt a little left out and tense yesterday when Nemona was around, but he didn’t say anything, so I brushed it off, and now this happened. I could at least include him somehow, and all I did was ramble on about battles and how awesome Nemona is. Didn’t you notice how quiet he was during dinner yesterday? Chances are he’s either upset or so mad that he’s gonna kick me out of the bed”.
Aimee, despite the situation, laughs at the last sentence. Ash does too. To cheer himself out from the misery of it all.
“Do you have a spare bed?”, Ash mutters, but Aimee snorts.
“Nope, sorry, it seems you’re sleeping on the floor tonight”, she chuckles, but she gets serious afterwards. “Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think it is”, she aims for a cheerful tone, and Ash holds onto her words until the moment they arrive at the apartment.
It’s 8 p.m when they enter it. Goh is nowhere to be seen, and most of his Pokemon aren’t asleep yet, so Ash releases his Pokemon, instructing them to be quiet.
Pikachu runs upstairs first and he lets out a quiet Pika? when he spots Espeon lying in front of the door, eyeing it worriedly. Ash sighs as he kneels to her level to pet her a few times.
“Is he upset with me?, he whispers, even though Espe can’t answer his question, so he takes a deep breath as he enters it carefully.
“Goh, baby?”, he quietly asks, but there’s no reply, and Ash frowns.
The room looks exactly the same as when Ash was leaving it in the morning. The blinds are rolled down, Goh is still in bed like he wouldn’t even leave it once today. But he did, because his phone was on the counter in the dining room, and Pokemon were fed, so Goh must have left the bed at some point.
Goh did leave the bed at some point throughout the night to check if maybe Ash tried to message him or call him, but the empty screen told him enough. Deep down, Goh knows how sidetracked Ash can get when it comes to battling. It’s the same way he gets sidetracked when it comes to catching Pokemon, so Goh doesn’t try to take it personally.
But it’s hard, Goh already took it personally enough that he’s close to crumbling when he feels the bed dip underneath Ash’s weight. He closes his eyes before Ash can sense that he’s not asleep. There’s a kiss to his temple, and a hand brushing the falling hair on his forehead, and Goh almost sobs. Almost. Grookey shifts in his tight hold as he entangles from it to welcome Ash. Goh hears Ash whisper do you think he’s upset with me? I didn’t mean to and Grookey lets out a sad Groo which says enough to Ash to pet him for the last time before he sighs and leaves the room to go to the bathroom and change his clothes.
Ash comes back minutes later, only to type something on his phone before he puts it on the nightstand and leaves the room again, this time to talk briefly to Aimee.
Yeah, he’s sleeping. I don’t know, honestly, oh, but can I ask you something, so you see, um–
The rest of the conversation is just mumbling to Goh as Ash closed the door properly, the next sentence that Goh hears clearly is thank you, goodnight. And the next thing Goh registers is Pikachu hopping on the bed and curling next to Grookey, Espe joining them soon after, and Ash lying next to Goh and wrapping his arms around his waist.
Goh knows it’s Ash’s way of testing the waters, so he doesn’t reject the contact, even if deep down, the upset still lingers in his body, but he does open his eyes to look at the ring on his hand – the proof of their eternal love as he traces it with his thumb delicately, and Ash must have noticed the movement because soon after, their hands are intertwined.
That’s how they fall asleep.
🌸
Ash wakes up first the next morning, hoping Goh wouldn’t so he could make up for yesterday somehow, but Goh takes him by surprise as he wakes up as well, pretending that yesterday didn’t happen, even if Ash can feel some tension radiating from his partner.
They fall into a familiar routine later – brushing teeth together, do you want me to comb your hair? yes, please, Goh wears Ash’s jacket as they head downstairs, their Pokemon family following them behind – like nothing had happened yesterday. But Goh is tense, Ash can feel it, even Aimee can feel it as she’s the one to fill the silence at the table with words.
Then they head to the Academy, no hands are intertwined, but they do brush slightly as they walk, and it fills Ash’s heart with some emptiness. He can’t read what is on Goh’s face, but his aura says enough.
Goh welcomes Jacq, and he waves a quick hi to Rika hanging out in the corner of the room. Grookey and Sprigatito hop from his shoulder as they spot Gimmighoul from the day before, and Goh takes the list of the rest of the Mega Evolved Pokemon to voice out for today, hoping for it to distract him from his feelings.
“Have a good day”, Ash says, trying to ease the tension between them, and Goh glances at him briefly before he replies a neutral you too. It was so neutral that even Rika looked over at them, trying to bite down the laughter.
“Can I get a good luck kiss for the battles today?”, Ash smiles, and Goh rolls his eyes.
“You’ll live, these are not official battles”, Goh says, not even looking at him, and Ash exhales a shaky breath, glancing at Aimee for some back up, but the girl just shrugs, not being sure how she could help.
“Will you watch some of the battles?”, Ash settles on different approach, but Goh just shrugs.
“I will be quite busy”, he quips back, and Ash exhales a defeated sigh.
Rika whistles at the sudden tension. “Damn, kiddo, what did you do?”, she tilts her head, and Aimee is kind enough to fill her in. Rika just laughs afterwards when Aimee explains what happened. She shakes her head to herself. “Good luck with apologizing, buddy, but you know, there’s a flower shop nearby”, she winks as she pats him on his shoulder, saying a familiar meet me at the battlefield once you’re ready.
Ash exhales a shaky breath as he mutters to Aimee a quick I’ll be right back before he disappears. He comes back five minutes later with 14 roses wrapped with an I’m sorry bow.
“For each hour I ignored you”, he apologetically smiles, and Goh blinks at the roses as he takes them carefully into his hold.
It does take Goh off guard as his eyes flicker between the roses and Ash’s honest gaze. Now he doesn’t have the heart to treat Ash so coldly, but he might as well tease him a little more, even if he appreciates the gesture.
“You didn’t count the time when you were in Alola”, Goh raises his brow, and Aimee snickers at that as she tries to bite down the laugh.
Ash just clears his throat. “Well, 10 months would be, um…”, he starts to count the days on his fingers, but when he starts to struggle, Aimee hands him the calculator. “Thanks, Aimee. It’s gonna be around 304 days, and 304 days is um…7296 hours, and I can buy you 7296 roses, because you deserve all of them. Would you um…want those 7296 roses? I’m not sure if the nearby flower shop has that many…”, Ash sheepishly chuckles, scratching his cheek, and Goh’s upset eventually wears off as his gaze softens.
“You’re so charmingly dumb”, is all Goh can utter at the moment, and a small smile curls on Ash’s lips, because if Goh calls him charmingly dumb, it means he’s not as upset as he was before. “These are enough. For now”, Goh warns, and Ash swallows.
“So about that kiss…”, Ash tries his luck, and Goh raises his brow, which makes Ash take a step back.
“Just go and train, you have an important battle tomorrow. You shouldn’t waste your time”, Goh muses, but Ash shakes his head.
“I can spend some time with you. You’re more important”, he smiles, tracing Goh’s hand with his finger, but Goh takes his hand away.
“Was I important yesterday?”, he asks, his voice filled with bitterness, his gaze focused on his own hand as he still feels Ash’s touch all over it.
Ash just bites the inside of his cheek as all the words die on his tongue. Goh’s eyebrows knit at the silence as it says enough.
“Don’t keep your friend waiting”, Goh says after a moment, more firmly than he intended, and Aimee frowns at his words, realizing something before she chuckles.
“I think I know what this is about”, she mutters to herself as she nudges Ash and motions her head for him to go and train because Goh is right, you should focus on training.
Ash hesitates, but he eventually nods his head as he says a quiet see you later, baby looking sadly at Goh as he leaves the room, sulking.
Once Ash is gone, Aimee bursts out laughing. “You’re so cruel”.
Goh just shrugs. “The flowers are beautiful, though. They’re even my favorite color”, he glances at the roses, and Aimee doesn’t miss the small smile that curls on his face.
“He was genuinely apologetic. You know how he is when it comes to battling, he really felt bad that he missed your message”, she says, and Goh’s hand curls into a fists.
“Seriously, Aimee? He got up so early to train with a girl he’s known for a day, but he can’t find a minute to message me or call me? His fiancé, I remind you”, Goh says, trying so hard to ignore his own voice breaking, and Aimee lets out a soft chuckle.
“l knew it, you are jealous of her”, Aimee teases, and Goh shakes his head to defend himself.
“No, I’m not jealous of her”, he squeaks, blushing slightly, and Aimee raises her eyebrow to make a point.
“You so are”, she chuckles, and Goh rolls his eyes, admitting defeat.
“I um, he was just talking a lot about her, and they are so clingy to each other, and I don’t talk in the battle language as much as Ash does. I mean, I do like battles, but not to the extent that Ash does, and Nemona is what…what did Jacq call her? A battle addict, she speaks the same language as Ash, and they just seem…perfect to each other”, the last sentence is whispered, and Aimee looks sadly at him when Goh starts to fidget with his engagement ring.
“Goh, you are one of the smartest people I know, and I won’t believe that you think that you’re not meant to be with Ash just because you’re not as interested in battling as he is”, Aimee says, and Goh bites his lips as he darts his gaze away.
Aimee sighs. “Ash would move mountains for you, he loves you. And Nemona is Nemona, she’s clingy with everyone. That’s how she shows her friendliness. They’re both battling freaks and they match each other’s energy really well, but when it comes to love, there is only one heart that matches his perfectly”, she says, winking, and Goh closes his gaped lips, a pink blush creeping on his face.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. It was stupid to overthink”, Goh rolls his eyes, and Aimee laughs.
“Not exactly, I know that it’s easy to believe in the doubts in your head”, Aimee reassures, and Goh thanks her with a smile. “But no one is stealing Ash from you, after all, you are the only one with a ring on your finger, 14 roses right now, and probably with another 7296 on the way”, she teases, and Goh blushes even more.
He knows Aimee is right. He knows none of it is worth overthinking. He has a loving fiancè who deeply cares about him, and Goh made a fool of himself with all these doubts spiraling in his head.
Goh looks at the ring on his finger, illuminating in the light so beautifully as he repeats the words Aimee said to him. No one is stealing Ash from you. Similar to what Goh had said to Grookey not long ago when he was jealous of Sprigatito. And now all Goh wants to do is laugh over his own stupidity, because he’s making the same mistake. He’s acting no better than Grookey did or when he met Gary for the first time.
So he does. He lets out a bitter laugh that somehow turns into a much lighter and softer one when Aimee joins him in the laughter. Espe climbs on his lap and he scratches her behind her ears.
“Alright, I’ll see how your lost puppy is doing. Maybe he’s losing every battle since you didn’t even give him that good luck kiss”, Aimee teases, doing the quote marks in the air, and Goh glares at her. “Jacq, make sure he gets a decent amount of break time”, she winks, leaving the room, Meowscarada following her, and Goh rolls his eyes when Jacq exclaims you got it!.
But Goh can’t even start on voicing out the Pokedex entries because Grookey bumps into his leg, dropping the coin that he was supposed to put into Gimmighoul’s chest. Goh chuckles softly at that as he scoops Grookey onto his lap, picking up the coin and throwing it into the chest himself.
“There you go, buddy”, Goh smiles, and Gimmighoul exclaims happily as a familiar light envelops his body.
Goh’s lips gape in surprise, and Grookey’s eyes sparkle at the sudden evolution. Sprigatito jumps onto Goh’s shoulder, and Jacq smiles from afar.
“Final coin, ay? Happy for you, buddy”, Jacq chuckles once Gimmighoul is revealed to have evolved into Gholdengo. “Thank you so much, Goh, it meant so much to him”, he says, patting Goh on the shoulder, and Goh nods his head.
“I’m glad we could help you to evolve”, Goh grins, and Gholdengo nudges his leg as Goh looks at him, confused.
“I think he wants you to catch him, and I agree. Go ahead, you helped him achieve his dream”, Jacq smiles, and Goh nods his head as Grookey and Sprigatito hop to the ground to jump with Gholdengo in excitement.
“Welcome to the family”, Goh breathes out once Gholdengo is deep inside his Pokeball.
🌸
“You’ve finished earlier today”, Goh points out, glancing briefly at Ash from above his phone, and Ash just offers him a smile.
Which is suspicious.
“Yeah, I thought we could go out on a date tonight”, Ash proposes, scratching his cheek, and Goh raises his eyebrow.
“A date?”, he echoes, blinking, and Ash nods his head.
“Yeah, Aimee invited Nemona for dinner, but seeing how tense you are around her, I figured we could spend the evening alone. Just me, you…”, he whispers, Pika!, Grookey!, Ash sighs. “And Pikachu and Grookey”, he adds much more quietly, trying to hide his disappointment, and Goh chuckles, but he clears his throat afterwards.
He still needs to keep a straight face. He’s still a little bit upset with Ash.
“Did you win any battles today?”, he asks, gluing his gaze back to the phone.
“Every single one”, Ash puffs his chest. “Nemona and Rika showed me how to Terastallize. I Terastallized Pikachu for the first time and we succeeded”, Ash exclaims proudly, and Goh smirks to himself.
“Yeah, I know”, he says, not fully aware that he admitted it aloud, but once he realizes, he darts his gaze away, blushing.
Ash frowns, and Goh rolls his eyes.
“I can see the battlefield from the window, dummy”, Goh explains, and Ash snorts.
“Oh, and I thought that you were gonna be busy?”, Ash teases and Goh glares at him.
“I was busy”, Goh mutters, trying to cover his blush.
“He was busy but with watching the window”, Jacq laughs from the other side of the room, and Ash chuckles when Goh’s face gets even redder.
“So…was the view worth it?”, he asks, some tint of tease in his voice, and Goh glances at him briefly.
“Pikachu was awesome”, he says, and Pikachu squeaks at the praise, jumping to Goh’s shoulder, and Goh scratches his head playfully.
“He sure was”, Ash agrees, and it takes Goh off guard as he thought Ash would be unhappy at the praise not being aimed at him, but Ash seems to be not bothered at all as he probably knows it’s all part of Goh’s teasing.
There’s a moment of silence where the only sound surrounding them is the rustling of Jacq’s papers. He should leave soon, and once he is gone, Goh knows that the teasing will take an intimate turn. Goh denied any close contact with Ash for the whole day, and he knows Ash is starved. Starved to touch him, to kiss him, to hold his hand even.
So is Goh. But once Jacq bids his goodbyes and see you tomorrow’s, nothing happens. Ash doesn’t even move an inch. He just crosses his arms, smirking at Goh, and Goh will gladly continue whatever game they are playing right now.
“So about that date…”, Goh whispers, and Ash tilts his head, a smile filled with hope curling on his lips.
“Are you up for it?”, the question comes a little high-pitched, and maybe too desperate, and Goh smirks to himself.
“Maybe”, he teases, and Ash finally loses his patience first as he mutters you’re so stubborn and almost closes the distance between them and kisses Goh – almost – but he decides otherwise as he just gets closer, close enough to just run his finger over Goh’s bottom lip.
Goh’s breath hitches down his throat under Ash’s delicate touch. He eventually locks his gaze with him and bites his lips once Ash’s finger is gone. “You’re so cruel”.
Ash smirks. “I’m not cruel, you are the one who’s been teasing me all day”, he says, and Goh casts his gaze down. “I know that you’ve been upset, Aimee told me what’s been going on in your head”, Ash’s tone of voice softens, and Goh slowly looks up at him again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel left out. And I’m sorry that I missed your message and didn’t think of calling you for the whole day. I got so caught up in the training that I lost track of the time. I know that’s a weak ass excuse, but I know that I messed up, and I just–”, Ash gets cut off by feeling Goh’s lips upon his. Finally.
It’s surely desperate. The way they breathe into each other’s lips. The way Goh needs to hold onto Ash’s shoulders when Ash moves to kiss on his neck.
“Ash”, a whimper, and Ash hums. “Anyone can walk in”, he whispers, and Ash moves the kiss back to his lips instead.
“I don’t think I care”, is all Ash offers before he connects their lips in a deep kiss again. Goh’s nails dig into Ash’s shoulders when Ash bites on his bottom lip, teasing. “But getting jealous of Nemona, Goh, baby…”, he whispers, and Goh feels an urge to pull away because how Ash dared to say her name while they’re kissing.
But Ash keeps him close, his hands moving to his waist and gripping his hips, and Goh breathes out in the kiss, because that feels nice. “I wasn’t jealous”.
Ash laughs into the kiss before he pulls away. “Right, right”, he moves his hand to cup Goh’s cheek, and he traces it with his finger. Goh leans into the touch, and Ash offers him an honest smile.
“Goh, she’s a lesbian”, Ash says out of the blue, and Goh’s eyes widen. “She has a thing for Aimee. She wants to confess during the dinner, so we need to be out of the apartment whether you want it or not”, Ash chuckles, and Goh blushes from embarrassment.
Oh.
Oh.
He really made a fool of himself, didn’t he? He’s so stupid.
“But I’m glad you still have it in you to feel so jealous when someone is that close to me, but no need to worry, I’m all yours”, Ash whispers as he threads their hands together, brushing the ring on Goh’s finger.
Ash leans to press a soft kiss to Goh’s temple, and Goh softly laughs as he feels the rest of the upset leaving his body completely. He squeezes Ash’s hand when he whispers a soft I love you to his ear.
Goh whispers I love you too, squeezing Ash’s hand when Ash moves to kiss his forehead and run his finger over the underside of his palm.
All of Goh’s doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
🌸
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it's ever-changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you wouldn't change anything