The Redwood Saga Chapter 66 - To Be A Master

West of Viridian City - Kanto Region

A familiar scent rolled in on the westerly breeze that blew into the sizable pack of Mankey inhabiting the sowhat forested region between the Indigo Plateau, and Viridian City. The lookouts stirred, as they slled a human approaching. One carrying food, and other Pokémon. A Trainer. Their leader's eyes snapped open then, as the scent entered his pig-like nose, and the furious ape found an old anger re-ignited. This wasn't necessarily a 'bad' thing, in human terms. For Priape's species, it viewed the world in degrees of things that pissed it off. This particular scent though, inspired a sudden and inexplicable urge for hat theft.

He leapt to the furthest branch that would support his size as an Alpha of his species, and hung from the sturdy branch with a single hand, his furious eyes staring at the direction of the scent. Sure enough, it was him. And his Pikachu. Ash Ketchum finally crossed his path again, but the Priape's eyebrows narrowed as their eyes t.

"Priape!" "Pika!" The two shouted at him as their gazes stayed locked. Oddly enough, he felt his anger burn out. Even with just a glance, he could read the emotions in his old Trainer's eyes. Guilt. Regret. It tugged at his heartstrings, and Priape decided he didn't like how that felt. He narrowed his eyes, and then swung away.

As Ash made to follow him into the trees, the other Mankey got in his way. He set his mouth in a firm line, knowing he'd never reach them with words, and angry as they were, food was more likely to be thrown back at him. That left the only other option. "Gengar! Use Psychic!"

His poisonous ghost appeared before him, rising up from his shadow, and raised his hands. The Mankey panicked as they were levitated into the air, and Ash flashed him a thumbs up. "Just hold them there!" He got a grin in response, as he and Pikachu dashed onwards. Even if the Mankey broke free, their attacks wouldn't hit Gengar.

Their pace slowed as Pikachu led them to a 'cave' of sorts, one made of foliage and branches, crudely crafted between several trees. At the back, sitting atop what looked like a stump that had been crudely carved (or pounded) into the vague shape of a throne was Priape, eating his feelings from the horde of berries his minions had gathered for him.

"Priape!" Ash called out again. Seeing him, the violent ape froze, and then turned away on his throne, though he still continued to munch on his berries. "I'm sorry I didn't keep better track of your fights. I only just learned Anoki passed away…and that he released you years before that." Through a combination of, according to the dia, laziness, overconfidence in his skills, and a superior opponent, his Priape, forrly a P1 Champion lost to Marshal, a forr Elite Four mber, and his Machamp. Hard. It was a loss he never ca back from, from the fighting type specialist's perspectives.

After that, Ash learned that Priape had run away in sha, and his trail had led him almost all the way back to Pallet Town. "Listen, Priape. I know I should've paid more attention, but you're only a few miles from Gary's Lab. I know you could've visited the others. But you didn't. We've both made mistakes."

That, made the grumpy pig ape turn around, and sit up, as he scowled at Ash. "Pika. Pika-chu." His ace said, sagely, and the Priape deflated slightly. They had a point.

"Listen, Priape. I'm putting a team together for the World Tournant." Seeing his lack of understanding, Ash elaborated, and Pikachu translated. "It's a tournant of Battles, with the best Trainers in the world. And I want you on my team for it." Like his Glalie, his Heracross had eventually communicated that he didn't want to end up likely facing Leon and his Charizard, or that G-Max Wildfire. Ash knew Priape would have no such fears, and he didn't fault Heracross for having them, either. Leon's Charizard was on another level, and had a habit of burning through entire teams. Eventually Leon had started using him as the ace up his sleeve and let his other Pokémon shine, but there had been a significant period where the Unbeatable Champion had only used his Charizard.

As Pikachu finished translating, Priape jumped up, and smashed his fists together. It didn't take much to get him going, and he much preferred battling to all this emotional stuff. "Yea!" Ash joined in, matching his hype. "But before then, we need to get you in shape, bud. I think…yea…Paldea. Paldea will be perfect to get your skills sharp again." He offered Priape his old ball then, which he'd claid after visiting Anoki's daughter. "We're going to train so hard, you'll feel like you're dying…but by the ti we're done, you'll be stronger than you've ever been." Ash said confidently. "It's a promise!"

Seeing his old ball made the pig ape lose his hype as he rembered his crushing loss, but then he nodded to himself, and headbutted the button, entering it once again. He didn't spare more than a thought for the Mankey, as another one would rise eventually to dominate, or be dominated. Such was their way. Ash collected his Gengar, left the disoriented Mankeys with so berries, and then shot into the air on his Garchomp, arguably the youngest mber of his World Tournant team. With Priape, the roster was full. He had Pikachu, of course, but he'd also chosen Charizard, Greninja, Lucario, Lycanroc, Sceptile, and his Lapras, once his Glalie decided to help the local Snorunt population in Sinnoh to survive and thrive. Now all that remained was to get them ready for ga Evolution, Dynamaxing, or using their respective Z Moves.

His Charizard had long since mastered ga evolving, and his Lycanroc had mastered his own unique Z Move. He had Plate shards to help Sceptile, Garchomp, and Gengar ga evolve, but only Garchomp had yet to master his ga Form. Gengar had already had so Max Soup, but he still needed to make so for Lapras, and after that, all that remained was to get Garchomp and Priape at the sa level as everyone else. Before heading to Galar however, he had to make a stop in Kalos. One that was long overdue.

Blazing Chamber, Pokémon League - Kalos Region

Serena paused in watching her Pokémon's routines as she sensed soone entering her chamber. The Champion and the other Elite Four were away dealing with what sounded like another Dark Moth related disaster, but she had no interest in getting possessed by one of his Shadowy balls of evil rage again. Her Delphox sensed who was visiting them more clearly than she did, and was the first of her Pokémon to lose her composure, and send the routine into a sparkly Poképile of failure. Seeing how her Delphox reacted, the forr Kalos Queen turned to regard her visitor, only to have her words catch in her throat, her mind going blank as she saw the face that still visited her in her dreams. He was older though, very much a man now, and even had facial hair, which as far as she was aware, was a new addition to his 'experienced Ace Trainer' vibe he had going. His outfit was the usual mix of blue, black, and white, and Pikachu was openly happy to see her again.

Chasing their respective dreams had led them apart over the years, but once she'd beco Kalos Queen, she'd allowed herself to indulge, despite her ntor's objection. Ash being Ash though, had found a way to Muk things up. Whether on accident or on purpose she hadn't found out, as after he'd finally answered his phone and accounted for his whereabouts, she'd hung up on him in quiet anger, and gone all in on performing. She had discovered a love of battling as well, but that new passion didn't truly burn to life until she and Calem had faced down a returned Lysander, and kept him from trying to use Yveltal's natural destructive power to unmake the world and sohow keep it beautiful. She hadn't found the idea of a world covered in lifeless statues of humans and Pokémon to be anything but horrific, and she, Calem, and Xerneas had triumphed in the end.

As she'd entered her third decade, Serena had, briefly, contemplated forgiving Ash Ketchum. That is, until she saw him in an interview, being asked the sa questions Leon had been asked when he'd beco World Champion. Naturally, it had shifted to his love life, as that seed to be all anyone cared about once one was famous enough. Ash had ntioned he had a fondness for soone in particular, but the hint he'd given about them definitely wasn't relating to her. At that mont, she couldn't even rember what he'd said. She just rembered being hurt, and an empty chair across from her in a crowded cafe, while murmurs of others around her filled her ears, wondering who had the testicular fortitude to stand up a Kalos Queen on a date.

It hadn't taken the story hounds long to figure out who she'd been waiting for, and as a recently crowned Kalos Queen, the public's eyes had very much been on her, and naturally, her love life. Rumors and gossip exploded, she'd even seen Ash asked publicly about the situation, but she hadn't listened to him answer the question. More than a few of their friends had also tried to nd that bridge, particularly Bonnie, who had been determined for years to finally have a satisfying ending to the love story she'd seen at its beginning. Clemont, Shauna, Tierno, even Champion Alain had all at one point tried convincing her to at least talk to Ash, but she refused to chase after him. Just finding him was a task that required dedication and sleuthing skills, and Serena had simply not bothered, just as he hadn't bothered to show up.

She'd told Clemont and Bonnie and anyone else that Ash Ketchum was enough of a man now to talk to her himself. But he never had. Until now, anyway. Just seeing him again made her tempted to forgive his lack of romantic awareness, but she resisted, and instead crossed her arms, giving him what she hoped was an angry stare.

For his part, all Ash could do was give her a small smile as he scratched the back of his head. He could tell she was angry, but still glad to see him. Even he had enough awareness by now to understand he'd royally Mukked up a good thing with Serena. His aforentioned comnt had been about Misty, but Ash had been treated to his own heartbreak once he discovered the Cerulean Gym Leader had long since started visiting Cerulean Cape with her boyfriend. Learning it was Leader Rudy of Trovita Gym had been the second blow to his feelings, and after that, for quite a few years, Ash had simply ignored won altogether as he traveled the world alone, preferring to befriend Pokémon over people as he strove to be a Pokémon Master.

Finally, he managed to work up the courage to speak, and fill the awkward silence. "Serena, I…I never got to apologize to you, or explain what went wrong…you hung up on , and by the ti I showed up to the cafe, you were long gone. Nobody would tell where you went." He explained then, in detail, about Goh's call to Galar, to study Dreepy in their natural habitat. How said study session had gone horribly wrong when a nearby Trainer tried to catch a fully evolved Dragapult, and sent the entire group of them into an enraged frenzy. How he'd been stuck there with Goh, for hours, until the enraged dragons finally cald enough for them to slip out of their territory without being mauled or bombarded with Dreepy missiles.

When he finished, he could tell Serena was angry, but she was also a Kalos Queen, and had long since mastered her emotions. "I could've guessed you'd prioritize Pokémon over . I expected that. It's not just about that one date though, Ash. I wasn't a priority in your life at all. You never showed up to explain, or apologize. Not even a letter. For over a decade."

"I…I didn't realize it was a date, Serena. It was Bonnie who told how important it was to you…and by that point I knew I'd ssed up. I didn't know how badly, until I spoke to her. I tried getting soone to talk with you on my behalf…but they all ca back saying the sa thing. You weren't interested in anything but contests, and I'd have to speak to you myself. Then, in that interview, the one right after you beca Kalos Queen and all this happened, you said you were done with love entirely. So…I let you travel your own path…and as ti went on, I thought bringing up the past in person would just make it all even more awkward."

Serena's brows furrowed. "And yet here you are."

Ash nodded, and walked towards her, entering the chamber completely. Her Pokémon subtly waved at Pikachu, who seed eager to see them again as well, but the tension the two humans were giving off forestalled any long overdue reunions for the electric mouse and his old traveling companions.

"Here I am. A…wise Emperor told that the only way I'd learn and grow from this mistake is if I finally talked to you about it. I can't change the past, Serena. I was oblivious to a lot of signs for a long ti. Signs that, in hindsight, are so obvious that I still cringe at how oblivious I was back then. I'm sorry I hurt you that day…you deserved better." As the silence dragged on, Ash was hiding his eyes under his hat until he spoke again, quietly. "I'll leave now, if you want, but…you're right. You were owed an apology a long ti ago, and it's on for being…too ashad to even try to make things right."

"You've changed, Ash Ketchum." She said softly, before finally relenting to the feelings that she'd been repressing for far too long. "But so have I. I'll accept your apology…honestly, I was glad you were alright back then. I just couldn't say it. It feels like a lifeti ago now, and so much has happened since."

"Tell ." Ash said, raising his head, eting her eyes, and seeming genuinely interested. And so, she did. She went into detail about how she'd beaten Aria, and finally taken her crown, only to then lose it to a Unovan Trainer on her spring break from University. Said Trainer apparently didn't want the title though, and a contest to crown a current Kalos Queen had not yet been discussed. Ash went into detail about his match with Leon, with insights that only ca from being present for that final, epic clash to decide the strongest Trainer in the world. Neither had been able to be there for the other's biggest achievents, but oddly enough, that didn't seem to impair their attempts to reconnect. She described teaming up with Kalos's own Prince to defeat Lysander, again, and Ash described the nurous Legendary Pokémon he'd t and even battled in the years since they'd parted ways.

Sohow, by accident, the pair ended up in the bell tower of the plateau's chateau, and were treated to a fiery sunset, blissfully unaware of the events occurring even then on the region's border. "So what do you want to do next?" Ash asked, as their conversation reached the present day. "It sounds like you're tired of the Elite Four."

Serena giggled lightly, for the first ti in years she felt happy enough to do so. "You figured that out quickly. Reading my mind with those Aura powers, are you?"

Ash shook his head, suddenly turning serious. "Invading soone's mind isn't allowed…unless it's absolutely necessary and lives are on the line. I do pick up surface thoughts sotis, if they're loud enough."

She leaned in close to his face then, and smirked as his cheeks shifted to a red shade. Her blue eyes had him snared, and this ti, he had enough experience to recognize the look in her eyes. It was the sa way he'd seen Misty look at Rudy when he'd gone to confess his long held feelings to her. It was the sa look she'd given him when they were ten. In fact, as the mories helpfully flooded in from his Greninja's near perfect recall through their psychic bond, he realized she'd had that look in her eye long before they'd t again in Kalos. "Ash?"

"H-huh? Erm, sorry, what?"

She smiled at him, and it affected his body in ways he hadn't experienced before. It felt like all he could hear was his heartbeat, but this ti, her words did reach him. "I said, can you tell what I'm thinking?"

Taking that as an invitation to peek, his eyes flared with his aura as he very easily recognized the particular mory she was recalling. That kiss had left him speechless when he was ten. Alex and Jin's advice on won floated through his head, then. Eye contact. Gentle but firm grips, if he ended up touching her, and most importantly, according to the Dragon Emperor of Unova, instinct. When the brain started over-thinking, it was best, apparently, to just go with what felt right.

Well over two hundred thousand years of instinct guided him in that mont, as it had pretty much every other human pair across the epochs. As he finally returned her kiss, albeit several decades later, he realized he didn't actually know how to kiss. What to do with his tongue. Where his hands were supposed to be. Once more, he trusted his instincts, and pulled her closer to him. She didn't resist.

As the two humans kissed, behind them, hiding in the stairwell, Pikachu and Serena's Sylveon slapped their respective tail and appendage together in a mimicry of a high five, and left the humans to their business.

When the pair finally needed air, they were both panting slightly and quite flushed. Ash brushed so hair from her face as he said, "I don't want to leave Kalos without you, Serena. Will you co with ?"

She nodded, unable to stop smiling. Her eyes seed brighter, too. "I'll travel anywhere with you, Ash. Where are we going?"

Montenevera - Paldea Region

Several weeks passed as Ash and Serena left Kalos for nearby Paldea, traveling on foot to get there. He mainly used his Garchomp and Priape against the rather strong Pokémon in the mountains between the two regions, and when they finally arrived in Paldea, they found themselves in a bamboo forest occasionally broken up by large, mountainous pillars topped with obsidian. After Garchomp chomped his way through several dragon type Trainers and powerful Pokémon along Paldea's northern coast, Ash and Serena decided to head to the lively town they saw up in the mountains. Being the World Champion and forr Kalos Queen helped them get a rather nice room, and while at the open-air style Pokémon Center just outside town, Ash found a man willing to train his Priape, and anyone else, in exchange for bottle caps.

Having been given a large stash of them as compensation after Jessie and Jas were criminally tried, convicted, and imprisoned, Ash finally had a reason to use them, much to the man's delight. This intensive training took several days, but by the end, all ten of his team mbers were in the best battling condition of their lives, with each of their stats having been trained to their utmost limits. The man had even suggested giving them 'Nature Candies' which apparently were capable of changing a Pokémon's skills to match their ideal nature, regardless of what their actual nature was. This too, further enhanced Ash's World Tournant team.

It was the day of the announcent of the start of the latest World Tournant that Ash received a challenge from the local Gym Leader, Ry. The match ended up being counted for the World Tournant rankings, and was being officiated by a Drone Rotom. Set up to be a double battle with only two Pokémon used per Trainer, the MC of R.I.P. had thus far been rolling the World Champion, largely thanks to her type advantages over Garchomp and Priape.

"A combo of ghostly fairy flair, in this World Tournant, we declare, Mimikyu's spirit, an unstoppable force, with Play Rough's grace, we'll stay on course! Oh!" In response to Ry's admittedly smooth bars, the no longer 'disguised' Mimikyu danced its way into a Play Rough attack on Ash's Garchomp.

"Garchomp! Block with Poison Jab!" The dragon shark nodded, and took the Mimkyu's attacks in stride, as its tendency to spin to the beat of the music in the background of the match kept it from the constant pounding Play Rough usually entailed, that might've been able to break his Garchomp's guard. Priape, for his part, was facing off against Ry's ace, Houndstone, and like every other round in this battle, the MC of R.I.P. decided to taunt his Priape. Ash didn't stop her though, as it was working, and making Priape well and truly furious. Furious enough, perhaps, to master the move they'd co here to learn.

"Priape's fists swingin', it's a raging typhoon, but Houndstone, she's phase-shifting, like a ghostly monsoon! Swiftly dodging, vanishing from sight, leavin' Priape swingin', in the cold and empty night!" As the pig monkey's latest fighting typed attack failed to do anything, again, the bars dropped on his ears made his right eye twitch. Then, the crowd chid in on the chorus, which didn't help his anger. "With spec-tral howls they srize! Defeating Priape, no compromise!"

"Focus Energy, Priape!" Ash ordered. "You can hit it, you just have to use its own energy against it!" The enraged pig ape smashed his fists together, eyes going bloodshot as the music, bars, and chorus only made him angrier.

Rhy wasted no ti as she followed up with more bars, and an attack. "Play Rough, our fairy jam, hits like a teorite, surprising Priape, it's an unexpected delight! Weaving through the chaos, we maintain our might, in the World Tournant arena, we shine so bright!"

The undead hound shone brightly as it too used Play Rough, but Ash was ready. "Focus, Priape! Dodge its attacks!" In that mont, as Priape focused his rage on his opponent, the world seed to slow down. Fairy limned jaws snapped at him, but he leapt back. A claw glowing with fairy energy swiped at him, and he dodged to the side. Strike after strike, Priape was able to read Houndstone's moves.

Again the Houndstone tried a fairy bite, and Priape dodged, eyes widening with Ash's as they both saw the opening in his guard. "Now, Priape! Rage Fist!" Seeing what Ash was doing, and having lowkey agreed to help his overleveled Priape learn the ghostly move, Ry chid in yet again, with a tily verse.

"You swing, you punch, but we'll sidestep with ease! A ghostly evasion, a taunting appease, in this haunted arena, we're the queens of the stage! Your Rage Fist's worthless, just burning with rage!"

As the words entered Priape's ears, his fist went straight through the Houndstone again, and the undead dog barked a laugh at him, taunting him as his Trainer had. Seeing this, Ry kept the burn going. "You fu and you flail, trying to unleash, but your anger's misguided, it's simply a tease. Houndstones a phantom, a spectral delight, your Rage Fist won't land, not a chance in the fight!"

That, finally, tipped Priape over his breaking point. His fists burned with energy, but it wasn't ghostly. It was draconic. "PRIIIII!" He roared, leaping forward and brutally smashing the undead hound with his fists. Beside him, Garchomp and Mimikyu paused their own tradeoff of moves to watch Priape as he lost his cool. Ash shouted to him, but Priape was beyond hearing.

That didn't stop Ry though, as she was in the zone, and continued spitting bars unimpeded. "Oh, Priape, you're Outraged, I see the red haze, but your fury won't faze us, we'll be unscathed! Houndstone steps up, a gleam in her eye, Play Rough's the response, watch your rage subside!" And while the first few dragon energy encased punches landed, the tily response from her Trainer made Houndstone counter much like Garchomp had, smashing and overpowering the draconic energy that, thanks to the fairy energy, did no damage, and hurt Priape to even make contact with. Eventually, Outrage faded, and as Priape felt the confusion overtaking his mind, he slamd both fists into his face, hard, shattering the confusion without so much as flinching.

Seeing this, Ry continued. "Through Outrage and chaos, you've found your core. The fire in your eyes, a powerful roar!"

"Once more!" Ash broke in, "Rage Fist!"

Once again Priape channeled his rage, and this ti, finally, the ghostly energy of Montenevera responded to his anger. Ghost typed power swirled around and into his fra, coalescing around his fist. With no hesitation, Priape leapt forward and smashed Houndstone right across its face, and with the significant damage from Outrage earlier, the super effective move was enough for a knockout.

Ry took it in stride. "You got my Houndstone, it's true, hey, good for you, but don't you forget 'bout my…Mimkyu!" The music got louder than, and the beat picked up its pace, at Ry's subtle ordering, once she noticed her vibing fairy ghost was moving just a tad too slow to effectively break through the Garchomp's guard. "With a twirl and a spin, like a phantom's embrace, Mimikyu dances, defying their chase, dodging their moves, with ethereal grace, Play Rough's power, they can't erase!"

Sure enough, as Priape and Garchomp tead up on the ghostly fairy, the enhanced beat it was matching allowed it to zip around with admittedly fresh dodges that Ash had to appreciate. It reminded him of Tierno and Blastoise, and despite his musical preference for a more classic style of Rock n' Roll, he found his foot tapping along to the beat. "Keep it up guys! Poison Jab! Rage Fist!"

Ry countered, as she countered both ordering her partner, and spitting bars. "This stage is ours, we won't be confined, Mimikyu's strategy, a web intertwined. Garchomp and Priape, our opponents aligned, with Play Rough's might, victory is defined! Oh!"

In a truly impressive display, the Mimikyu's wooden approximation of Pikachu's tail smashed away the Poison Jabs, and its slick moves made the Rage Fist miss. New as Priape was to using ghost energy, he couldn't use it with the speed he had for his other moves. Yet. Then, suddenly, Priape felt Garchomp press into his back, as the Mimikyu had them surrounded, dancing around them in a rapidly moving circle of pink energy. It was all they could do to block, but with enough hits, Mimikyu could pull out a win.

Ash knew he had to change tactics, and more importantly, interrupt this beat. He hated to damage Ry's equipnt, but he also needed to win, if he was going to make the cut for the World Tournant. "Priape! Jump as high as you can! Garchomp, use Earthquake!"

Ry opened her mouth to spit yet more bars, but as Garchomp unleashed his power, the Gym Leader's stage buckled, and the nearby musical equipnt faltered with a harsh screeching sound as the sheer power of the move interrupted their flow, and shook the entire town. Mimikyu also leapt to dodge the attack, though as it landed and tried to bounce back, Priape ca down from above and delivered a ghostly thwack. With the damage Poison Jab had done, though mitigated, the ghostly punch from above was enough to make the Mimkyu's eyes turn into spirals, and the match was won.

Ash and Ry shook hands, the crowd of die hard Ry fans booed, and his World Tournant rank was updated. Being the World Champion let him start in the Master Class, but he still needed to battle to maintain his spot. He hopped down from the shattered stage then, to the only fan he had in the crowd. She was wearing her long hair down, and not by accident, her outfit was rather similar to what she'd worn when they'd first traveled together. "That was great, Ash! For a minute there I thought Mimikyu had you."

Ash gave her a confident smile. "I knew Priape would co through. Now he just needs to master Rage Fist. Apparently, repetition is the best way, according to the Pokédex."

Serena took his hand as they walked into the main part of Montenevera. "Is there sowhere in particular he'd be able to master it?"

Ash shrugged. "It just says repetition." He looked at her for a mont then, recalled their recent ti together, and noticed it had all been mostly about him training his partners, though Serena didn't seem to mind. He had, for once, noticed she also kept practicing. With the comncent of the World Tournant, Kalos, Hoenn, Sinnoh and other regions with Pokémon Contests had decided to create sothing new of their own, on the sa scale as the World Tournant.

More Trainers than ever before in their recorded history were signing up for the World Tournant, and the Pokémon Contest halls were not content to sit idle and let the battlers scoop up all of the new generation's talent. Thus, just a day before the World Tournant's official start, the Pokémon World Showcase had been announced, with venues in Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Indius, and Galar, but Trainers from any region were encouraged to participate. There was talk of more regions participating, after the buzz the announcent caused, and Ash could tell Serena wanted to compete too.

"Why don't we visit sagoza? There's plenty of Trainers around the school, and you can show the locals what a Pokémon Coordinator does."

Serena raised a brow at him, "They don't have Coordinators here, Ash…" She gave him a confused look, and was viewing their ti together so far as more of a vacation than anything else. But he had that look in his eye, and she couldn't help but smile at what he said next.

"Only because they don't know about them! And there's no infrastructure for it, either. Not yet anyway. I've actually co through here once before. It was…quite an adventure." He said proudly, as he scratched an itch on his nose by swiping his thumb across it. "I know the Trainers here would be blown away by what you can do, and the Academy has a history of letting students take trips to other Regions. With the World Showcase starting, they could participate. If, they were inspired by seeing a pro at work."

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Serena ended up laughing, shaking her head, but seeing his logic. She smirked at him and nodded confidently. Ash blinked. There was a fire in her eyes that she hadn't had before. One his Trainer sense knew could also be turned towards battles. "And what will you be doing while I perform?"

Ash grinned. She'd figured him out. There was a score to settle at Naranuva Academy, and in order to draw his opponent out, he needed a spectacle that would get their attention. "I actually have so…business to take care of at the Academy's Battlefield. It won't take long. But I'll be able to see your performance first." He said, sounding confident.

With their destination set, it was only a matter of hopping on Garchomp and flying towards Paldea's largest city. His ground shark's speed brought them there within minutes, and having experienced that sa trip across the region on the back of a Legendary Pokémon once, specifically a flying lizard that could also act as a 'bike' of sorts, he was able to compare his Garchomp's speed. His little Gible was getting much stronger, and as he had that thought, his Garchomp glanced back at him, smirked, and accelerated even faster, overshooting sagoza, and then arcing around back towards it.

This gave Serena quite a view of the city that was said to rival Lumiose in terms of beauty. It had a different kind of charm than Lumiose, but Serena was wowed by the colorful sight all the sa. Ash brought Garchomp down in the city's center, which could double as a place for battles, and in this scenario, a stage for a showcase. He recalled his partner, and then summoned his Lapras. "Give a platform, if you would Lapras." She trilled, happy to help, and one Ice Beam later, the World Champion was addressing the city from his icy soapbox, not seeming to have any trouble keeping his balance on the slippery surface.

"People of Paldea! Your attention, please!" He bead as the people his words reached brought out their Rotom Phones once they recognized him. Now, it was just a matter of ti. "In ten minutes, the forr Kalos Queen, the Kalos League's own Serena, will be putting on a showcase right here, in your fair city! Tell your friends! Get so food! You are not going to want to miss this!"

Ash nodded at Serena as he had Lapras clear away the ice, and one by one, she brought out her partners. The crowd's focus shifted to her, and Ash fell quietly into the background. Monts later, he was atop one of the buildings flanking sagoza's central square, beside his Garchomp. From above, he watched, and waited.

Ten minutes passed quickly, but this wasn't the first ti Serena had done an impromptu performance for crowds of people. Ball by ball, she brought out her partners, leading this ti with her Delphox's masterful fire control, and with each new team mber making the entire display that much more entertaining to watch.

She'd saved her Sylveon for last, and as she was feeling especially powerful lately, the fairy type's moves made the entire center of the city sparkle as they reached the finale of their routine that involved multiple Pokémon moves coalescing within and then exploding with a Moonblast. Ash blinked, from his perch above the spectacle, as the fairy energy also revealed sothing in the sky just as the sun fully set, sothing only a few Trainers seed to notice. The lingering energy from her team's powerful moves had to, according to physics, end up going sowhere and thanks to her Sylveon, Ash could very clearly see where it was all flowing. Rather than fading into the environnt and further enriching their world, it was all moving to the massive crater, behind sagoza's academy building. Area Zero.

His face was unreadable as he was lost in a mory, only to snap back to the present as a figure full of powerful Aura appeared at the top of Naranuva Academy's infamous staircase. It was not his own would-be opponent, but rather, one of her two Ace Trainer Protegés and a ranking Champion of the Paldea region. Ash did so math, and figured they were probably a Senior by now. Or perhaps a visiting Alumni. As he recalled, both protegés actually lived fairly close to sagoza.

The Trainer in question, who he knew as Juliana, approached Serena after moving quickly down the stairs, and before long, they were having a battle in the wake of the performance. That, was when Ash's quarry finally appeared, like she always did when one of her 'students' was about to battle within a square mile radius of her. "Now, Garchomp." Ash whispered quietly.

They shot out over the city then, and despite being mid battle, Serena saw him go. He winked at her as they made eye contact, and then moved fairly stealthily through the air, as the sun had now set. His landing was anything but stealthy though, and it got his opponent's attention.

After a suitable successor graduated from the Academy, and surprising nobody, Instructor Dendra had retired early to Alfornada City, passing the reins of her Battle Studies class to Nemona. As a forr President of the student council and a Champion ranked Trainer, she more than qualified, and in her ti as an Instructor had morphed the gym classes into what she called the 'Master Class', for serious Ace Trainers and those ranked as a Champion, and the 'Trainer Course' for aspiring Pokémon Trainers, and the majority of the Academy's population.

The Trainers in Paldea had gotten noticeably tougher in recent years, and that was very much due to Nemona's expertise in raising powerful Pokémon, under the philosophy that even the weakest species could be strong with the right partner. Ash liked to think he'd helped inspire that philosophy, and since their first eting, the two Pokémon Battle addicts had enjoyed dropping in on eachother for impromptu matches.

Focusing on physical superiority and a healthy diet full of the sa vitamins Pokémon ate had turned Nemona into a much more heavily muscled person than Ash rembered. It was clear she was living her best life though. Her face shifted from surprise to a grin as she locked eyes with Ash. "World Champion! I've been looking for you. It's like you dropped off the map for a few years. Must be a Kanto thing." She cracked her knuckles, and started walking towards him. "You owe , Ash Ketchum."

He didn't have to ask what he owed her, as only one currency mattered, with Nemona. Battles. This also applied to her students. For those who felt her grading of their abilities was unfair, she offered an alternative solution to low scores. If they could beat her in a battle, she raised the grade in question based on their performance. While initially concerned about this policy, Nemona had spelled out her system for the Pokémon League and the school's board, and it had been unanimously agreed on. It was also quite popular with students who focused on becoming professional Trainers, and hated rote learning.

"I know." Ash said, falling into step beside the Instructor as a few students lingering in the courtyard recognized him. "I figured we were due for one, and I was in the area. Plus, there's probably a whole new Academy's worth of students who haven't seen you and I in a real Battle."

"As always, World Champion, your timing is excellent. To say the students have been eager for to bring you in again is…an understatent. Currently, only our Seniors were around for our last match." She explained, as they strolled through the Academy's main floor, causing even more of a stir. From his shoulder Pikachu waved at the students he recognized. Then, slling sothing good, he scurried off Ash's shoulder towards the cafeteria. Ash wasn't worried though, as he knew their head chef as well, and said chef was as much a fan of Pikachu as his Mabosstiff was. Nemona kept talking, as they reached the running track that encapsulated the Pokémon battlefield in its center. "Honestly, since we had you, it's been nothing but top Trainer requests. Red. Leon. Victor. Hilbert. Redwood. Nate. Jiyoshi. Even Hibiki. I got Gary Oak to co one year, but he thought he was here to lecture. We did get a good Battle out of him eventually, though."

Ash laughed, as they parted to take their respective spots on the now singular battlefield that took up the center space around the track. It was marked in such a way that technically, it could service three battles at a ti, on busy days. "That sounds like Gary. I can talk to a few of the nas on that list, if you like. I'm sure they'd love a chance to Battle here."

Nemona bead at him. "I'd appreciate it!" Her deanor shifted then, as they were now in place. The fire in her eyes burned to life, and she gave him a grin so might call manic, but he knew was actually displaying her pure, unfiltered excitent for a battle in this tier of competition. She drew a Pokéball with her gloved hand, and held it out. "World Tournant rules okay with you?" Ash nodded, and as if summoned by those words, a Drone Rotom descended from the sky. Nemona waved it over, and explained the ruleset, at which point it took the center of the field, and waited. Nemona then tapped a few buttons on her much more technologically advanced arm brace, compared to the one she'd worn when Ash last saw her anyway, and suddenly the track around the field rose out of the ground. Descending stand seats appeared in the lanes, and a few more daring students hadn't bothered moving when they'd started rising, but instead took the opportunity to get front row seats, especially as they realized who was here.

Nemona smiled at her arm then, and looking up, Ash saw her grin plastered on the three sides of the Academy's tower that faced the city, looking out over sagoza. "All students, please report to the Academy Courtyard. Today we have a very special guest Trainer!" She turned her wrist at Ash then, and the World Champion flashed a victory sign at the screen. It turned back to Nemona's face then. "You all have ten minutes before we start! Rapido!" She cut out the feed then, and less than a minute later, Trainers started flying in via their Pokémon, and about five minutes after that, an absurd number of taxis showed up as well.

By the end of the ten minute limit, the majority of the student body had made it to the Academy, including a few outsiders with Alumni passes. When Nemona nodded at the Rotom Drone, it began announcing the terms of the match. "Today's Normal Class Battle will consist of a three on three match, with no limits on the number of uses of Dynamaxing, ga Evolution, Z-Moves, Terratallization, or any other as yet uncatalogued Pokémon power-ups. Pokémon may use as many Moves as they can rember. One item per Trainer is allowed." The newly upgraded Drone Rotom, which had six fans now instead of four and now had its cara in between its eyes, moved its center pair of fans upwards, projecting the stats on the two Trainers for all to see.

The amount of stats the League had on them surprised both Trainers, and since the start of the tournant Ash had taken to simply comparing the bars that showed wins, and the bars that showed losses. Then, Ash blinked as he saw just how many losses she had. It was only the sheer amount of wins that kept that number, which was in the thousands by this point in ti, from looking bad. Her total number of battles was also quadruple Ash's, and he figured that made sense, for an Instructor obsessed with battling in an Academy full of Trainers. He also knew who was responsible for all those losses, and he looked forward to seeing how Juliana and Florian had grown. "The Challengers today are Champion Nemona, of the Paldea Region, versus Ash Ketchum, the reigning World Champion!"

"Looking good, Drone Rotom!" Ash said, flashing it a thumbs up. The drone's face smiled wide, and its fans spun around its body in a rapid rotating motion, a counterasure for when one inevitably stopped working mid-flight. It also gave them access to Hurricane as a move.

"Let the Battle begin!" Drone Rotom announced, as he floated backwards, and used his fans for optimal viewing. Its cara also acted as another eye for Rotom, and he used all three to make sure the cara eye got the best monts on the record. He could also split the view if necessary, to catch simultaneous reactions of both Trainers.

Nemona and Ash threw at the sa ti. Priape ca out of his ball ready to go, and from Nemona's ball, ca an Armarouge in a kneeling position. As it stood up, its eyes burned to life upon eting Priape's gaze. Seeing the type matchup on the board, Nemona grinned at Ash. "Looks like I have the advantage."

Ash smirked. "Don't count out my Priape! Rage Fist!" The eager rage monkey leapt into action, and like before, summoned ghostly energy into his body, before coalescing it around his fist.

"Expanding Force!" Nemona countered, and with a roar, her Armarouge launched an expanding wave of intense red-pink aura towards Priape. The Rage Fist would not be deterred, though. When the moves t, Priape only got angrier as he felt the expanding attack fight back against him. Thankfully, the montum from his jump and the ghostly power carried him through, but his montum was gone, and the Rage Fist's energy had weakened.

"Again, Priape! Rage Fist!" Ash said, smirking, and Nemona nodded, as she grasped what he was trying to do. Once more, the ghostly energy burned to life, and the rage overtook Priape's mind and body.

Changing tactics, she gave Armarouge a new order. "Use Psyshock!" The Armarouge lifted its hands and sent multiple psychic projectiles at Priape, but each one only seed to make it angrier, and each one was smashed through by the raging ape's ghost imbued fists. After about two solid minutes of this, Nemona, Armarouge, and the gathered students of Naranuva Academy watched the Priape expectantly. In fact, the only one who didn't know what would happen, was Priape himself. Given that Pokémon were quite capable of choosing whether or not to evolve, Ash wanted him to have the choice between giving into the rage, and becoming sothing new, or staying the sa as he'd always been.

Priape was panting hard, mostly because of how angry he was but also because one of the Psyshock bolts had managed to critically hit him, and that only served to max out his rage, and his attack power. Armarouge seed untouched, by comparison. So far, its psychic attacks had done well at keeping the super effective move away from it. This had also made Priape angrier. In fact, though he didn't realize it, this was the most enraged he'd been in years, and it felt great. Then, the Armarouge raised a hand at him, and gestured for him to 'bring it'. Priape's eyes narrowed, as he felt his anger sohow surge even more.

Both fists lit up with the power of Rage Fist, and as he gathered the ghostly energy, he paused, feeling his heart stop from the amount of stress and rage put onto it. He glared at the Armarouge though, unwilling to let such a smug gesture go unanswered. He only vaguely felt his body dying, and he was too enraged to notice it completely. It was that combination of rage, ghost energy, and so much bodily stress that it induced death, that finally triggered Priape's evolution. As he clung to the rage, he felt the power surge, and understood in that instant that to reject his anger now would an probable death. He wasn't afraid of evolving either, he'd just assud he never would again.

As his rage peaked, only enhanced by the Infinity Energy surging around him in a spiral, his fur grew longer, more akin to hair, his eyes beca less full of anger, and more like twin burning pits of cold fury. His right arm, his main punching arm, swelled and snapped its bracer off completely, while his left arm swelled enough to break it, but not enough to make it fall off. The newly evolved Annihilape let out a ghostly wail as the evolutionary glow faded, and then, it launched towards Armarouge, solely focused on winning.

"Go Annihilape! Shadow Punch!" The ghostly rage monkey glanced at his Trainer mid run, as his words cut through the all consuming rage. The pure red eyes softened slightly, and Annihilape nodded, turning back to his target as his form faded into the shadows.

Nemona wasn't one to sit around, though. "When it reappears, use Psychic!" Her Armarouge nodded, waiting, watching, then it turned towards a shadow on the field, and raised a hand, catching Annihilape as it manifested again.

"Break through it!" Ash shouted, instinctually guiding his partner in flaring his aura. Ash's own aura flashed across the ground by his feet, and Annihilape flared out the ghostly energy that was part of him now, breaking Psychic's hold. Given that Shadow Punch never missed, he then brought his heavily muscled fist across the armored warrior's face. To Annihilape's imnse satisfaction, the power behind the punch sent the sturdy Armarouge flying, and he wailed again, with a higher pitch this ti, that sounded more like a shriek.

His anger wasn't as hot as it was when he was still alive, he didn't have the urge to beat his chest or accrue a mountain of berries. Now, his rage was colder, more focused. Now, all Annihilape wanted, was victory. "Once more Annihilape! Shadow Punch!"

Hearing that, Nemona changed tactics. "Take aim, Armarouge. Shadow Ball!" Using the ghost typed energy's nature to be drawn towards itself, Armarouge ended up pointing its armor cannon at the spot that Annihilape sprang from. The Shadow Ball fired, expanding as it neared its target, but Ash was undeterred.

"Smash through it with your other fist! Rage Fist!" Annihilape obeyed instantly, uppercutting through the attack and dissipating it, before he brought his Shadow Punch down again, this ti on Armarouge's helt. It went face first into the field, and Drone Rotom's voice rang out. "Round one goes to the World Champion, and Annihilape! Congratulations on your evolution! Updating roster. Update complete! Begin round two!"

As Drone Rotom chattered, and Annihilape gave it a smooth thumbs up following its congratulations, Nemona recalled her partner. "Don't worry. We're nowhere near done yet." She turned back to Ash, and grinned. "That Priape must've been pretty strong."

Ash nodded, proudly. "He was. One of the many reasons I wanted to give him the chance to beco stronger, and evolve." Annihilape looked at his Trainer, able to clearly process his words for once, now that the rage was cooler, and more focused. He felt his ghostly heart twinge, and was even more determined to win, now. Without noticing, he'd walked up to Ash, who just gave him a knowing nod, and raised his fist. The two shared a fist bump, and then looked over at Nemona as she called out her second choice. Knowing her, this was where she started to counter, and try to regain her lead.

"Co out, owscarada!" The students behind her cheered and made 'oooo' noises, as her most recent addition to her World Tournant team took the field with all the grace and poise her species possessed. The smug looking magical grass cat smirked at the Annihilape, and then fell into a crouch, claws extended, and 'cape' flaring behind her. "Let's show our newly evolved friend how we roll in Paldea!" She raised a hand then, and Ash smirked, as he saw the Tera Orb. "Terrastalize!" Nemona ordered, and her owscarada answered eagerly, shining brightly, before coalescing the power of Terapagos around itself and using it to beco a pure grass type. "Now, hit it with Flower Trick!" Nemona said, finally giving an attack command.

Ash and Annihilape were ready, though. "Into the shadows, Annihilape. Then Shadow Punch!" The undead pig monkey nodded, and faded into intangibility, swiftly dodging the exploding Flower Trick. Or, at least trying to. owscarada expertly tracked the hidden Annihilape, and as it reappeared for its attack, the grassy magician snapped her fingers, and her flower pod descended right on top of Annihilape, scoring a critical hit, one that hit all the harder thanks to her Tera Type.

Seeing Annihilape wouldn't last through another hit thanks to Drone Rotom's accurate and real-ti display of a Pokémon's remaining health in the form of a bar, Ash recalled his partner. "Well done, Annihilape. Take this Potion, and rest for later."

Drone Rotom chid in then, as Ash switched. "The World Champion has recalled his Annihilape, and used his only Potion on it!" It updated its stats, as Ash picked his next Pokémon. Against a grass type this powerful, he only had one real choice. "Charizard! I choose you!"

Nemona blinked, as Ash's took the field, and she gave voice to the murmurs coming from the students. "I haven't seen your Charizard since…the Battle Frontier. It beat an Articuno, as I recall."

Ash sighed. "Yea…it's been a long ti since I've used him in a Tournant. I figured he was due. We've been partners for ages, he's just been training this whole ti, aiming to beco the strongest." He smirked under his hat then, hiding his eyes, and Nemona felt a prescient chill run up her spine. "Show them, Charizard! ga Evolve!" He shouted, raising the Key Stone on his glove. His Charizard tossed up a Fla Plate crystal in front of him at the sa ti, and their synchronized energy boosted him to his ga Form, one that wouldn't be weak to owscarada's Play Rough. The fire and flying typed ga Charizard ford from the burst of energy, and shot into the air. "Alright, Hurricane!"

With a roar that shook the air, the ga Charizard beat his wings, and a cyclone of fast moving wind whipped up around owscarada, obscuring her from sight. Nemona didn't wait for the damage to start, though. "Break out with Power Gem!" For a mont, nothing happened, then, a stray rock from presumably the attack went sailing like a bullet right past Nemona's head, and into the energy barrier, which it impacted so hard, it shattered. Nemona blinked, as she realized how close she'd co to losing an eye.

Seeing he had her trapped, Ash capitalized. "Add so fire to it! Flathrower!" After a deep inhale, his Charizard filled the cyclone with flas, and as he sensed his opponent faint, he willed the wind to cease, landing and triumphantly roaring as the wind and flas dissipated.

"owscarada is unable to Battle!" Drone Rotom announced, "The second round goes to the World Champion, and his Charizard!"

Nemona paused for a mont over her team, and then made her final pick, a logical choice, based on what she had to beat, and who Ash was likely to use as his third partner. "Go! Garganacl!" She shouted, and as the massive rock type appeared, it sparkled. Unlike regular Garganacl, Nemona's was sporting massive light brown blocks instead of pure white ones. "Get Charizard near the ground! Rock Blast!"

The living salt formation raised one massive arm, and started firing boulders out of its large, blocky fingers, but the ga Charizard was too fast and mobile for them to co close to landing. Seeing this, Garganacl adjusted, making the exploding rocks, and their shrapnel, force the flying fire lizard to fly lower as he dodged.

Then, Ash gave them what they wanted. "Charizard! Build so montum, and then use Earthquake!"

Nemona grinned, as she saw her chance. "Dodge with Rock Tomb!" Being physically unable to jump and avoid the Earthquake, Nemona did the next best thing, and gave herself ammo. Garganacl raised itself up on the massive boulders, just in ti for Charizard to hit the ground after looping around in the air to gain speed.

The Earthquake shattered the Rock Tomb, and Garganacl fell through it, largely unaffected. Charizard was on the ground now though, and he'd just given them enough ammo for a quadruply effective counter. "Rock Slide, go!" Garganacle raised both arms this ti, and the shattered Rock Tomb floated into the air, and then shot towards Charizard, pumling him even as he used Dragon Claw to smash several. The rocks were also larger than they would be normally, had Garganacl manifested them with its own power. The avalanche of stone buried the ga Charizard before he could try to dodge back into the air.

"Charizard!" Ash shouted, as his partner was essentially buried alive. The pile of boulders flashed, as his ga Form faded, but Ash was more concerned about his well being, than how much HP he had left. Seeing this concern, Garganacl raised its arms again, moving the boulders off its target with its power. Ash gave it a nod, and then fed his partner a Revive. "You did well…I should've swapped you out against a Rock Type…this one's on ." Charizard put a claw on his shoulder then, and shook his head. He looked at Garganacl, and sighed. Ash got the feeling that his fire lizard was lowkey admitting that so match-ups simply didn't work out, especially against a quadruple weakness. It was just more motivation to train harder. Ash recalled him, and Teleported back to his spot. "Alright Annihilape! You're up!"

Once more the ghostly pig ape appeared, but this ti, his hair and even his new longer eyebrows, were flaring upwards with ghostly rage. Ash nodded to himself. Priape's love of battle had not gone unnoticed by Charmander, back in the day. The two were old friends, and had sparred several tis. Unbeknownst to Ash, it was this sa friendship that had caused his loyal Charmander to regard him as weak once it evolved. Seeing his old friend get buried by rocks only served to re-ignite the rage in Annihilape, and he smashed his heavy fists together, before snorting, and staring down Garganacl. For its part, the differently colored salt stack looked about as expressive as a cliff face. This only made Annihilape angrier, as it couldn't discern a reaction from the living rock being. "Alright, Close Combat, and don't let up on it!" Ash shouted.

Like a ghostly flash of lightning, the enraged Annihilape crossed the distance between it and its target, and began smashing into the rock type with super effective hits. And while they were damaging, and landing, they were also doing almost nothing against the frankly absurd physical defense that Garganacl enjoyed, making it almost as tanky as an Aggron. Nemona was quick to counter. "Use Wide Guard! When you see an opening, hit it with Salt Cure!"

A hexagonal barrier of rock energy briefly stopped the Close Combat, at least until Annihilape smashed through it. The following Salt Cure blasted his fur, and he coughed, gagging on the saltiness as so entered his mouth and nose. "Keep it up, Annihilape! Give it a Cross Chop!" Shaking free of the damaging saltiness, Annihilape leapt again, its arms forming an X as it aid for Garganacl.

Nemona was quick to counter, though. "Heavy Slam!" Steel energy ford in Garganacl's arm as it swung and connected with Annihilape. The moves exploded in a collision of energy, and while Annihilape landed a critical hit, the damage from Heavy Slam sent it flying up and out through the smoke, where he landed before Ash, finally knocked out thanks to the difference in weight between it and Garganacl. With that much of a weight difference, moves like Heavy Slam could overpower type resistances.

Drone Rotom announced the KO, to the cheers of the students, while Ash brushed the remaining salt from his fur, and gave him a Revive. "You did great, Annihilape. Take a rest, while we wrap this up." Annihilape, more tired than angry now, simply nodded. He could guess who Ash would pick next.

"Pikachu! Let's finish this!" Ash shouted, pointing at the sentient salt rock. His starter was hyped, brimming with electricity and raring to go after seeing how hard two of his oldest buds had fought.

Nemona just smirked at him, as she gave her living salt formation a Hyper Potion. "Are you sure you want Pikachu? Garganacl knows Ground Type Moves too."

Ash returned her smirk, and so did his partner. "I'm not worried. We're more than prepared to face an Earthquake. Pikachu! Full Aura!"

His partner focused then, breathing deep as he utilized his years training with the Mind Sage in battle. His yellow aura flared to life around his body, first as a shield, and then as a physically manifested aura flaring with electricity. Nemona's eyes went wide. "That's…you used that against Leon!"

Ash just chuckled. "What we used on Leon was more…instinctual. This…this is the result of our training! Show her, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" He shouted, and then to all appearances, the yellow mouse vanished. Nemona saw the brief yellow flash only because her eyes were very used to watching Pokémon moves with speed that Pikachu was now matching, sohow, thanks to this 'Full Aura'. By all asurents of reality and science, a Pikachu shouldn't have been able to move as fast as Florian's Garchomp, but he did, and as his Iron Tail struck, the super effectiveness combined with the montum he struck Garganacl with.

Even after taking multiple hits and a critical Cross Chop, her bulky rock type wasn't quite done yet, damaging as the Iron Tail had been, thanks to the Potion, the counter was theirs. "Go! Earthquake!" While off balance from the Iron Tail, Garganacl shifted its weight back, using it to counter with Earthquake as it shattered the field.

Ash and Pikachu had prepared for Earthquake specifically though, as they expected to run into it often later in the World Tournant. "Alright Pikachu, just like we practiced! Electro Web!" Still in the air from his strike, the glowing electric mouse nodded, ford the Electro Web, and sent it into the ground, as the field erupted with super effective stones looking to strike him. The Electro Web latched onto several raised points of stone, and Pikachu landed on it, riding out the shockwaves harmlessly, smirking the whole ti. "Quick! Iron Tail again!"

Pikachu leapt off the Electro Web, and began zipping across the raised rocks of the field, unbothered by the rough terrain. He struck with the speed and grace of a samurai, landing behind Garganacl as the Iron Tail faded. "Critical hit!" Drone Rotom chid again, before zooming in on Garganacl's eyes. The light in them was gone, signaling unconsciousness for the purposes of battle. "Garganacl is unable to continue Battling! The match goes to the World Champion, Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu! Your records will now be updated."

Ash and Nemona watched as they received a win and loss respectively, and then they t in the center of the field to shake hands. For his part, Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder, and rested. Full Aura took a lot out of him. Nemona smirked as they shook hands. "Ready for the hard part?"

Ash chuckled awkwardly. There was only one downside to battling at the Academy, and that was taking student questions after the conclusion of said battle. Ash was famously, or perhaps infamously, aloof when it ca to dia appearances. "Sure. I can handle a few questions."

In short order, he was given a podium to stand on in the center of the field, and the Academy students ford a line that was so long, it appeared to loop around the track twice, since the stands had now been lowered once more. The students all shared the microphone on their side, and first up was a girl who looked to be a fresh face at the Academy, judging by her comparatively smaller height. Pikachu was also near their microphone, getting all the scritches from the students as they waited, as well as a number of berries and snacks. Charizard was also out, though further back in the line, relaxing as he always did after a worthy battle, on his side, with his eyes closed. He too had a pile of berries and food items placed like an offering before his relaxing fra. Once she was done petting Pikachu, the girl looked up at Ash. "I umm…I was wondering, World Champion, sir, what do you think it is that makes a strong Pokémon Trainer? I've heard so many things, about strategy, vitamins, training thods, and I follow them as best I can but…it doesn't seem like my partner and I are getting stronger. Do…do I need a stronger species?" Her shiny eyes seed to suggest she didn't want to give up on her partner, and was scared of having to do so.

Ash nodded, closing his eyes as he thought out his answer. Finally, he said, "Any Pokémon has the potential to be strong. So species, like Charizard, will seem stronger, but that's just because Charizard in love Battling. They love it so much that they sotis refuse to face an opponent weaker than them, to the frustration of their Trainers." The students chuckled, and Ash t the single opened eye of his fire lizard from across the field. Charizard snorted, tilting his head up and away from Ash's gaze. He'd made his choice in the Indigo League, but Ash still occasionally ribbed him for costing him the win. "It's not about strong or weak Pokémon, or even their species. Pokémon get stronger the closer you grow to them. If you want to be a good Trainer, get so more friends for your partner that can cover for its weaknesses, stick to your training regin, and don't forget to make ti to bond, too. Eating together and cleaning them goes a long way."

"Pi, Pikachu." His electric mouse added confidently, and the girl smiled, before scurrying away to let the next student up.

The next student was definitely older, probably in the sa year as Florian and Juliana, given that he wasn't far from adulthood. His uniform was covered by a leather jacket, and his black hair was in a fauxhawk that seed to be a popular style with the current generation of students. He gave Pikachu a fist bump before speaking. "Sup. You've been all over the world, right? Even the Imperium? I was wondering…how does Paldea, and its Trainers, compare to every other Region in, say, skill at Battling."

Ash glanced sideways and awkwardly chuckled. "Well, heh, just about anywhere is better than the Imperium…but on a global scale…hmm." He made his pondering face again, briefly recalling the Trainers he'd faced while on the road in each region. "Unova and Galar have the strongest, easily, and I would put Kalos just under them. I'd say Paldea's Trainers rank about equal, or just above those in Kalos. In terms of Battle, anyway. But you could say that for all of Europa. This part of the world has the largest number of new Trainers coming from it. Keep getting stronger, and you'll surpass Unova and even Galar in ti." Ash knew Leon coveted his region's reputation too much to ever let that happen, but he also knew his words would reach the Galar League Chairman, and spur him on that much more.

The next few questions were fairly generic, and mostly focused on Ash's past exploits. Like taking on a Darkrai, an Articuno, and several Legendary Pokémon in battle. One even asked how many Legendary Pokémon Ash had t, and he responded by saying it would be quicker to list those he hadn't t, or seen up close. This in turn led to questions about exceedingly rare legends, like the Creation Quartet, the Eon Duo, wtwo, and even Celebi. He answered each as best he could, giving a brief excerpt about what he rembered of each eting.

Finally, the line dwindled down to two, and Ash smirked, as he recognized the pair. He also noted Serena off to the side behind them, looking quite pleased with herself. Florian spoke first, as Juliana was just in the zone, petting Pikachu, and Pikachu himself was enjoying the pets, situated as he was in her arms. "I think most people these days would easily classify you as a Pokémon Master, Ash. I was wondering if you consider yourself to be one, and what you think the criteria to beco one is."

Ash smirked, and looked at the ground below him for a long mont. Eventually, he raised his head. "When I was a kid, I thought it was soone who befriended every Pokémon on the planet, but…growing up made think about it more…realistically. After all, one Trainer taking care of over a thousand Pokémon is…a lot. Not everyone can attempt sothing like that, but it's…more than just catching them." He looked at Pikachu then, and feeling his partner's gaze, the electric mouse opened his eyes, and t Ash's. "I think those striving to be a Master of Pokémon have a general set of shared traits. They can befriend any Pokémon they et…most of the ti. They can get wild Pokémon to trust them, if they need help. They strive to help, whenever Pokémon are hurt, or abused, or stolen, or enslaved. They see them not as pets or tools, but as partners, with their own feelings and dreams, and they try to help them reach those dreams." Ash shrugged. "These are the goals I keep in mind when I'm traveling, and I do think traveling is a part of it too. It's a journey that never ends…" He glanced at Serena then, "But even a Master has to take a break eventually. Having a ho to return to is always a good thing."

Florian nodded, smiling. "Mi casa es mi castillo. Gracias, World Champion. Since it seems you're out of people with questions…" He held up a Pokéball. "How about a Battle?"

Ash smirked at him. "I'm always ready to Battle. Let's make it a Double. Juliana can join you, too." The three Trainers took their places then, as the Drone Rotom from earlier appeared again in ti to officiate.