“And that’s it! After the battle to end all battles, one trainer stands alone as the FIRST Alola Pokemon League Champion! And that trainer..is..ASSHH!”

Cheers….

Shouts…

“Time to wake up, my friend.”

“..huh…?”

“Time to wake up...ASH, WAKE UP!!”

“Piikaa…”

Eh..?

“CHUUUU!!”

“AAAAAHHHHH! I’m up! I’m up!” Ash shouted in pain from his position on the floor, mildly charred from his partner’s attack. Recovering slightly, he could hear a mildly amused voice from somewhere behind him.

“Might have overdone it, Pikachu…but I’m glad you finally got him awake. He almost missed breakfast.”

That got the eighteen-year-old up. Quickly orientating his body upright, Ash turned to see Professor Kukui smiling at him affectionately from the ladder. Lycanron’s head shot up, looking around with bleary eyes before barking and jumping straight down from the loft, missing Kukui by mere inches.

Grinning, the young trainer also sprung to his feet, nearly bashing his head into the ceiling above in the process.

“Breakfast? I love breakfast!”

“We know! That’s why we’ve been trying to wake you!” Cried an electronic voice hovering by his head.

The professor chuckled and said, “Not untrue, but it’s not too late to catch up. Food was just served.” 

Ash was hasty in his movements as he grinned and ripped his shirt off over his head. “I’ll be right down, Professor!” 

“Don’t be reckless, it isn’t cold quite yet!”

The professor had disappeared from the ladder by the time Ash had wrangled a new shirt over himself, and he wasn’t far behind as he slid down the ladder in his haste, Pikachu making a leap from the loft onto his shoulder. He sped over to the table and barely noted the absence of Professor Burnet before he was greeted with the sight and smell of freshly made pancakes, fluffy beyond compare.

Just the way he liked them—a perfect distraction.

However, he couldn’t eat yet. Behind him, his team was swarming around their bowls, eagerly awaiting their own food.

“Don’t worry, guys, I’m on it!” Ash assured them as he snatched their food up and began distributing it. He was practically shoved aside as he filled each bowl, his Pokemon snatching up his food like it was their last meal.

The trainer passed by Melmetal as he put away the standard Pokemon food, only to pull out a large box of “fresh” bolts, screws, and nuts. “Ready, Melmetals?” Ash said, not waiting for a reply as he tossed the metal bits into the air, only for them to all be attracted to Melmetal. 

Ash watched with a grin as the Pokemon’s food was absorbed into its body before throwing the box aside, launching himself towards the table and sitting down just as Professor Kukui set down a large batch of pancakes.

“Thanks, Professor!” He shouted as he began piling them onto his plate before positively drowning them in fruity syrup. Pikachu grabbed his own favorite syrup and similarly bathed his serving with the sticky fluid.

“You’re welcome, Ash,” Professor Kukui laughed as he sat with them, filling his own plate and flavoring the stack in a much calmer manner. By the time the professor put down the pitcher, Ash was already shoving his mouth full of sweet and fluffy goodness.

Sagging in his seat, Ash moaned over the flavor, barely taking the time to chew before swallowing and cheering, “So good!”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, but please be careful not to choke!” Professor Kukui warned with some concern, Ash barely hearing him as he ingested another mouthful of his breakfast.

Kukui gave up, chuckling lightly as he ate away at his plate. He was barely halfway through by the time Ash finished his own plate with a sigh, eyeing the leftover hotcakes. Pikachu had also finished off his breakfast, and the two locked eyes, their gazes narrowing as they prepared to clash.

Seeing this, the professor quickly interceded, sweat dropping as he stood and grabbed the plate from the table and placed it on the counter, much to the chagrin of both trainer and Pokemon.

“Professor Kukuiii!” Ash whined pitifully, trying to give him the sad eyes. 

Unfortunately, the man had grown somewhat resistant to them and laughed. “Come on, you know better than that. Burnet has eaten yet.”

Blinking in surprise, Ash stared dumbly at the man before looking at the plate, his brain attempting to reboot. Finally, he managed to say, “Oh, yeah. Where is she?”

“The bedroom. Or probably the bathroom,” the professor replied, placing a couple more pancakes on the stack before making his way over to the stairs. “She’s come down with morning sickness.”

Ash frowned, concerned for the woman who was like a second mother to him. “She’s gonna be alright, isn’t she?”

Kukui smiled reassuringly and nodded before descending into his room.

The young trainer then turned to Pikachu and said seriously, “Man, I hope Professor Burnet is gonna be alright. I don’t think she’s ever been sick before.”

“Pika-chu,” his partner pointed out, making Ash tilt his head,

“I dunno, does that even count? She was just super tired. Every adult was super tired. Even I was kinda drowsy,” he mused as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. A moment later he shrugged and stood, sparing a glance at his newly fed team before carrying his and Pikachu’s plates over to the sink and rinsing them off.

Once he was done, he turned and surveyed the kitchen with his hands on his hips, and no idea as to what he wanted to do next. Hopefully, he’d come up with something that would help with-

“Poken for your thoughts?” Kukui's voice came from the hall, the professor giving him a curious smile.

Ash slightly jumped, not expecting his return so soon.

Professor Burnet must not be too sick, then, Ash thought, relieved. Nonetheless, he hesitated, not having much to say. His mind had been thinking about all sorts of things when Professor Kukui reappeared, both of which were befuddling his thought processes.

“I suppose I’m just worried about what to do next after Kanto,” he finally said, although that only accounted for half of his current worries. The Professor and Pikachu tilted their heads as they listened,  “I haven’t looked into any other regions, so I’m kinda lost about what’s next.” Ash finished, Kukui nodding in understanding.

“That’s more than fair. But you’ve been to so many regions already that the next one will be a piece of cake, Champion,” the professor replied fondly, making Ash duck his head in embarrassment.

The trainer didn’t know how to respond to that at first, only to shift his feet and mumble, “I still don’t know how we managed that….”

Professor Kukui walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting Ash to look up at his fond smile. “Because of that ‘we’ attitude, Ash. You have faith in your partners, and they have faith in you. Your bond with your Pokemon is stronger than I’ve ever seen before. That’s how you won, and that’s how you’ll win the next League.”

His Pokemon all gave cries of agreement, and Ash couldn’t help but smile widely, his body filling with warmth as he tightly hugged Kukui. Not a moment passed before the man hugged him in return, his Pokemon joining in.

“Thank you, Professor. Thank you, guys,” Ash mumbled into his lab coat, Kukui patting his back in reply.

“You’re most welcome, Ash,” he replied affectionately. 

“Lycan!”

“Pika.”

“...Coo..?”

The young trainer grinned as his team gradually backed off, only to feel his smile drop somewhat as another thought permeated his mind. “And…what if I lose? What if I disappoint everyone here in Alola?”

Kukui placed both hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him off, just to stare firmly at Ash. “You will never be a disappointment, Ash. Not with one loss, or a hundred. If you go to your next region and fail to claim the title of Champion there, then you fail. But one thing that will never change is that you are our Champion, and our Champion never gives up.”

Ash choked back tears at that, nodding gratefully. “Thanks again, Professor,” he said gratefully, meaning every word. Kukui’s strong declaration had done wonders, and he felt most of his worries vanish like a plastic bag in the wind.

Most.

As if noticing Ash’s remaining turmoil, Kukui released his shoulders and gestured for Ash to follow him to the living room, the training complying with Pikachu in tow.

“Do you have more woes for me to soothe?” The man lightly joked as they sat on the sofa, although Ash knew he was genuinely concerned for him, a fact he deeply appreciated.

Nonetheless, he hesitated, not sure how to broach the subject. Fortunately, Kukui was nothing if not intuitive, and picked up on Ash’s biggest source of stress.

“The Lana and Mallow problem?” Kukui asked with a frown, Ash nodding in reply, silently thankful he didn’t have to say it himself. “I don’t suppose they’ve stopped bickering ?” Kukui asked, sounding as though he already knew the answer to his own question.

The young trainer frowned as he shook his head, feeling glum. “No, not that I know of.”

The professor sighed in disappointment, looking lost. “Of all my students to start fighting like this, those two would be my last guesses. Over such little things, too….”

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Ash began, although he was also at a loss. The two girls were normally very close, rarely venturing off without the other. But after Lillie announced she was leaving Alola in search of her father…the two had been at each other’s throats for the smallest reasons. He couldn’t begin to fathom why, and it certainly didn’t help that they were slowly pushing their hostilities on the rest of the class.

Unfortunately, this had the effect of one getting angry over the other for snapping at the class, despite doing much not long before.

It was exhausting and stressful, and was only made worse when Lillie and her family actually left. Ash and Professor Kukui promised to try and resolve the conflict to ease the blonde’s anguish at the conflict, but they were being stretched thin, and Ash’s time in Alola was due to run out quickly.

With Sophocles also leaving soon, Professor Kukui was going to find himself fighting this battle alone. 

“You don’t need to apologize, Ash. I don’t think there’s nothing you could’ve done,” the professor replied with a sad frown. “Sometimes, things like this happen, and it’s out of our control.”

“Yeah…” Ash mumbled, still deeply upset. From the looks of it, they would still be fighting by the time he finally left. 

Suddenly, the professor clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small grin. “Now, enough of this mopey stuff. We’re Alolans; we Tackle our problems head-on with Extreme Speed!”

Ash had to laugh at that, feeling his spirits lift.

“Besides,” Kukui said as he stood up. “Maybe they’ll come to their senses?”

Unfortunately, it seemed the two girls would not come to their senses any time soon.

While on their way to the grocery store, Professor Kukui and Ash happened to stumble across a crowd in front of Mallow’s restaurant, two voices screeching in anger against one another.

Exchanging grim glances, the two skilled trainers attempted to push their way through the crowd, the task made easier once the people around them saw their faces.

“It’s the Masked Royal!”

“Even better, our Champion! They’ll figure this out!”

“Don’t they know these two?”

The last one made Ash’s heart sink, and his growing fears were confirmed once he managed to worm his way past the last person, and saw Mallow and Lana yelling at each other, barely held back by their respective Pokemon.

“Maybe this wouldn’t be a problem if you had gone off before school started so we wouldn’t have to see you!”

“Or maybe you could have squatted in your restaurant instead of making us deal with you!”

“Come on, guys, that’s-”

Mallow ignored the protests of Ash and Tsareena as she spat, “Maybe you can spare us from dealing with you by falling off your boat in the middle of the ocean!”

The crowd gasped, and Ash was left momentarily speechless at the blatantly hurtful words, recovering a moment later to sternly reply, “Hey! Knock it off, you two!”

Unfortunately, this had the side effect of bringing the wrath of both parties upon himself as the two girls glared at him, faces twisted in anger and hurt.

“Stay out of this, Ash! Or are you going to take her side,”? Mallow growled, making Lana bristle.

“Better mine than yours! I don’t have a dead-end dream!” The water specialist snapped in reply, pushing Primarina away as the Pokemon did her best to calm her trainer.

As was expected, the response only served to infuriate Mallow even further. “‘Dead-end?’ I’m not the one-”

“Both of you, stop!” Professor Kukui snapped as he joined Ash, looking at both girls with anger and disappointment. “This is beneath you.”

“But-”

“No!” The professor cut them off, slashing a hand through the air. “Go somewhere, anywhere, just…take some time to yourselves and stop this squabbling.”

There was silence in the air as the four of them froze, two wary people sandwiched between two furious ones, before Mallow and Lana finally snapped their mouths shut and shoved their way through the crowd in opposite directions.

Kukui breathed out a sigh of relief, although the glance he shared with Ash betrayed the same thought the young trainer had; that this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Ash ignored the few praises and cheers from the crowd before they dispersed, mindlessly reaching up and stroking a bristling Pikachu.

“How could I have let it come to this, buddy?” He murmured, shaking his head in defeat.

“Pikaa…”

“Yeah…” Ash said, staring at the departing form of Mallow. What would it take to end their senseless feud?

Regretfully, the trainer had little time to think about it for the rest of the day, and he was almost immediately summoned away by the Aether Foundation to talk with their League department.

It was an exhausting endeavor, made worse by the paperwork at the end of it all that had been placed down in front of him with a dreadful thud.

“Man, why now? He had practically whined, sinking low in his chair as he stared at the good, one-inch thick stack of forms. “Couldn’t I have done this over the past few weeks?”

“Sorry, Ash, we only just got these from the League Committee,” Wicke replied sympathetically. “I’m afraid they’re insisting you get these done, ASAP.” The woman then disappeared down the hall, leaving the trainer and his Pikachu alone with Faba and a couple of other Aether employees.

Ash glanced at Pikachu with a wry expression before slowly and painstakingly grabbing and signing every relevant page. “I bet the other Champions didn’t have to do this,” He muttered after a few minutes, the stack looking just as sinisterly boring as it did when he started.

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“Of course they did!” Faba scoffed to his side, busy with his own paperwork. “Being Champion isn’t some walk in the park, you know. Being the strongest trainer in the region comes with responsibilities. Entertainment is just one facet, young man. Earlier today, you had a taste of it when you were assisting the Masked Royal with those unruly friends of yours!”

He frowned as he replied, “They aren’t unruly! They’re just…” 

As he struggled to find the right word, Faba turned and gave him a critical eye. “Young man, I mean no disrespect, but they were being unruly. Arguing in the streets, raising their voices…It’s a wonder that our venerated Professor Kukui managed to stop it at all. Something that should have been your duty, mind you.”

Ash gave the man a small glare, before glumly staring at the stack in front of him. He’s right, I should have been the one to stop them. Not as a Champion, but as their friend, he thought, barely managing to force himself to push his pen to the paper once more.

It took the better part of an hour for him to get through all of it. Had he spent the time to read every single page, it likely would have taken far longer. Fortunately, he was spared from such a fate by the kindness of Wicke, who seemed to have highlighted the important bits, letting him ignore everything else for the most part.

Massaging his head, Ash leaned back in his seat as he considered everything he read. Faba hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that his title came with responsibilities. If anything serious happened, he was expected to step in and deal with it. Every League season required him to be here to defend his title; not being present would look bad on his part.

If there was a bright side to it, the Alolan League officials had a separate schedule apart from most other regions, allowing him to pop in either before or after any future leagues he participated in. He would have to thank whoever arranged that, if he ever got the chance.

Ash yawned, looking around the depressingly white room, pristine and untouched by creative hands. Would it have hurt to have some pictures or something? Preferably something with Pokemon battles?

Okay, maybe not battles, he mentally corrected himself. The station helped heal Pokemon, not make them hurt even more.

Still, it was drab and boring, and the trainer found himself standing and stretching, ready to find something to do.

Catching the attention of Faba and the rest of the employees, the pompous executive raised an eyebrow from behind his bizarre lenses and asked, “Are you done with the forms?” When the trainer nodded, the man returned it, saying, “Good. I suppose you can head back to Melemele now, unless you’d prefer to sleep in one of our guest bedrooms.”

Ash relaxed at the polite tone, a large improvement over his earlier attitude. He almost considered taking the man up on his offer before he remembered Professor Burnet and her worrying condition.

“Thanks, Faba, but I have to get back now. Professor Kukui might need help taking care of Professor Burnet,” he replied, making the man frown.

“Ah, yes, you mentioned that, didn’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that woman sick,” Faba remarked before waving him off. “Doesn’t matter, though. Whatever she has, she’ll pull through. But you best be on your way now. The captain won’t wait all day. As a matter of fact…”

He glanced at the wall clock, seeing it read 1915, before turning back to Ash and warning, “You have about fifteen minutes before the last ship leaves for the islands.”

The trainer paled as he listened. “Thanks, Faba,” Ash replied before quickly waving his hand. “Come on, Pikachu, we’ve got to hurry!”

“Pika!”

The two rushed over to the elevators, a task made infinitely easier by the well-placed labels at every intersection. It was truly a marvel to be able to press the button and have the elevator arrive at the floor at a moment’s notice. Reaching the appropriate floor took less than ten seconds, a feat made all the more impressive given that he’d been near the top floor to begin with. True, the entire time, Ash felt like he was one small bounce away from crashing into the roof of the compartment, but he still appreciated the speed at which it moved. 

As a result, he was at the docks less than ten minutes after leaving his stack of signed paperwork behind, seeing several employees already boarding the boat. Several of them gave them nods as he followed close behind, the dock workers making several last-minute preparations.

In no time flat, the boat had pulled in and wrapped up all of its lines before it set off towards Melemele Island, much to the relief of Ash. The sooner he got home, the better, although even he had to admit the ride was nice. Standing at the front of the boat, Ash could feel the sea spray, the cool water helping him relax after a long and stressful day.

Of course, washing the salt from his clothes was never fun, but that was a problem for future Ash. Present Ash was too busy watching the last of the sun’s light fade from the sky, the stars slowly popping into view. In the distance, Hau'oli City’s many buildings were lit up by the glow of office lights, creating a beautiful sight for him and Pikachu as they sped towards their destination.

As he closed his eyes, an image of Mallow and Lana’s furious faces flashed in his mind, making him flinch. That was easily the worst argument between them so far, and he was helpless to stop it. Their newfound hostilities were so out of character for them, so alien, that he couldn’t help but wonder for a wild moment if they were being influenced. Did they eat something weird?

No, that’s dumb, Ash chided himself, shaking his head irritably. It’s just stress from their classmates leaving in a short period of time.

While that didn’t sound much better to him than tainted food, he didn’t have much else to consider. After all, how many times did he fight with his friends? Sure, it wasn’t to this degree, but it was still-

“Attention! We are now approaching Melemele Island. All personnel assigned to Melemele Island, please ensure you have all items as we prepare to dock.”

Ash’s eyes opened at the announcement, allowing himself a small smile. “Finally about to get home. Right, buddy?”

“Pikaaaa,” his partner replied, voice trailing off into a yawn.

“Yeah, me too,” Ash chuckled, stifling a yawn of his own. He’d get plenty of time to sleep later, once he’s had a warm meal. That is, if Professor Kukui was following their schedule.

As the docks became visible, Ash looked up in thought, wondering if he should pick something up for the two researchers. 

When he left for the Aether Foundation, Professor Burnet had recovered from her bout of illness, although he couldn’t fathom why the two of them had excited looks on their faces. Getting better was great and all, but was whispering about it that great?

Ash shrugged, deciding he might as well stop by a place and pick something up for the two of them, just in case. 

Now, where could he go?

Before Ash could think of any place to pick up something the professors would enjoy, he felt the boat beginning to slow, and a quick look was all it took to see that they were barely a minute off from the docks.

Perfect, he could just walk along the route home and find something.

Reaching up, he scratched the underside of Pikachu’s chin as he made his way over to the back of the boat, grabbing the railing to make sure he didn’t fall over. The task was made all the easier as the captain eased back the throttle even further, until they were just barely moving forward. Ash patiently waited as three Aether employees joined him, smiling and laughing with one another before they noticed him, raising their hands in greeting.

“Our Champion has deemed us worthy to linger around!” One jokingly remarked, and all three broke into light-hearted laughs as the first one slapped his shoulder in a gentle and friendly way.

Ash ducked his head and flushed in embarrassment, still not used to the praise. He was still getting requests for photo shoots.

“Haha, hey, guys,” he laughed awkwardly as the Aether employees settled down.

“So where are you off to, Champion?” One of them asked, her dark hair coming into view as she took off her cover for a moment. “I heard from the boss lady that you were headed back to Kanto. Are you going to give them the Alolan spirit and crush their League, too?”

The other two looked at him curiously, starting in surprise as he shook his head. “Nah, at least, not for Kanto. I’m going to find another region and explore that one, and hopefully get one step closer to becoming a Pokemon master!”

They exchanged confused glances as the woman placed her hat back on her head. “I’m gonna be honest, pal, I have no idea what that means. But if our Champion is chasing a dream, then it’s our duty to support him!” She finished with an encouraging smile, her fellows nodding in agreement.

“Aw, thanks, you guys,” Ash replied, rubbing the back of his head.

The boat then came to a complete stop, the boat pulled up neatly next to the docks. “Well,” one of them began as they began unwinding the lines, “Here’s our stop.”

Once the lines were unwound, the two men helped their coworker as she carefully stepped over to the dock, and all three started securing the boat to the posts. As soon as they gave the all-clear, the woman gave Ash a helping hand as he transitioned onto dry land, Pikachu’s tiny claws gripping his shirt to hold on.

Or rather, dry wood.

“Good luck out there, Champion. We’re rooting for you!” They chanted, waving to him.

He waved back, replying cheerfully, “Thanks a bunch! See you guys later!” 

Seeing their thumbs up, he turned and walked towards the street, Pikachu leaping off his shoulder and onto the dock, shaking his head. 

“Glad to be back on Melemele Island, Pikachu,” Ash hummed as he stepped onto the sidewalk, making a swift right towards Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet’s residence. As the pair made their way home, Ash kept his eyes trained towards the other side of the road at his options.

Closed…closed…open, but very busy….open.

He stopped in his tracks, staring at the restaurant, seeing the light emanating from the open door and windows. It would be such a simple thing to walk in and request a few to-go meals for both professors, himself, and Pikachu.

Or, it would be, if he hadn’t been on the receiving end of one of the employee’s glares earlier that day. Ash wasn’t sure if Mallow was genuinely angry with him, or if her brief moment of rage had been just that. Part of him wanted to move on, fearful of getting an earful from her. But another part of him vehemently disagreed.

It doesn’t matter if she’s angry at me, or yells. I have to see if she’s alright.

Ignoring Pikachu’s cautious chirp, Ash glanced both ways before marching across the street, doing his best to push aside his nervousness.

He marched up the steps and through the threshold, bracing himself for harsh words or cold glares. Oddly, there was none of that. In fact, not a soul inhabited the eating area, and there was no evidence that any had been there recently.

“Pika?”

“I dunno, buddy. Maybe we should look around?” Ash suggested, making his way to the counter. As he got closer, he became aware of muffled crying, instantly sending him on the alert. “Mallow?!” He called out, rushing through the kitchen doorway.

As he whipped around the corner, he could see his friend sitting in the corner, knees brought up to her chest and her arms hugging them close to her. Tsareena was by her side, not sparing him so much as a glance as she gently embraced the sobbing girl.

“Mallow?” He said again in a quieter voice, only to see her head come up, her misery on full display.

“What do you want, Ash?” She mumbled through streaming tears, seemingly devoid of her previous fury.

Ash slowly approached and knelt in front of her, momentarily at a loss for words. He almost preferred her angry side; that, he understood. Whatever was wrong with her, though…

“I just…” he began, trying to figure out what to say. “I was on my way home, and I, uh..noticed the restaurant was open,” he finally managed, almost wincing at how pathetic it sounded. Looking at her condition, he couldn’t help adding, “But that’s not really important right now.”

His friend huffed humorlessly, staring up at the ceiling. “And what is, O Great and Mighty Champion?” She asked, although Ash suspected the question was rhetorical to some degree. His feeling was confirmed as she continued, “Surely you have better things to do than to come in here and bother me?”

He shifted uncomfortably and quietly admitted, “No, not really.” 

It was truthful enough, he supposed. He doubted either professor would mind him coming home late if he was helping out a friend, or at least trying to help.

Mallow shook her head slightly, looking back at him with hollow eyes. “‘Not really’”, she dimly repeated, her mouth almost curling in a depressing version of a smile. “And what about Lana? Did you race over here after making her feel special?” She asked, although it was once more lacking in venom. Tsareena glanced at him as though worried about his answer.

“No,” Ash replied with a shake of his head. “I came here from Aether Paradise, and I noticed your restaurant was open as I was walking by. I was going to get something for the professors, since Burnet woke up kinda sick, but…”

He trailed off, and Mallow quietly asked, “Is she alright?”

“Yeah, it passed pretty quickly,” Ash said in a relieved voice. “They seemed pretty happy afterwards, but I didn’t figure out why by the time I left. Who gets happy about being sick?” He wondered aloud, making her freeze.

Her sorrow seemed to be momentarily forgotten as she gave him a small frown and slowly spoke, “You said she woke up sick…and then the two of them were…happy afterwards?”

“Yeah, weird, isn’t it?” Ash nodded, and the kitchen fell silent as the two stared at each other.

Suddenly, she let out a small chuckle that quickly escalated into a full laugh, confusing Ash. Mallow was so consumed by her amusement that she began wheezing, fresh tears spilling from her eyes, releasing her grip on her legs as she clutched her stomach, leaving the other three occupants confused.

“Er…” He began, not sure what to say as the girl howled with laughter.

Ash exchanged looks with Pikachu, his partner looking just as lost for words as he was. Tsareena knelt down next to her trainer, although the grass type seemed stumped. It took several minutes for Mallow to start calming down, the girl reaching up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“You dummy,” she managed to choke out, her voice now regaining its former warmth. “You really have no idea what’s going on with them, do you?”

Ash shook his head, and her head plopped against the wall, still chuckling. “Oh man…Ash, should you ever get married, I hope you learn this kind of stuff.”

“What stuff? You know what’s happening?” Ash asked, confused beyond belief on how Mallow managed to figure out what was going on through him when he didn’t even know.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied with a smile. “I’m going to have to give them my best wishes…but don’t tell them I said that,” Mallow quickly warned. “They should announce it first, and it would spoil the surprise if they knew you told me. If it is what I think it is, at least.”

As Ash opened his mouth only for her to interrupt, “And no, I’m not telling you.” 

“Drat,” he muttered, dramatically slumping against the wall beside her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll tell everyone soon,” Mallow reassured him. “At least, before you leave…”

He frowned in concern as her smile faded from view, looking sorrowful again. Ash let her fall into silence, and his patience was rewarded as she finally spoke quietly, “...I don’t like acting how I am, you know. I wish we could go back to how it was, before the League…. But every time I see one of you, I’m reminded of the fact that Lillie is gone. Not forever, of course, but…for a while.”

Ash and the Pokemon listened attentively as she struggled to continue.

“And then Sophocles is going to be off in Hoenn for vacation, doing who-knows-what with who-knows-who, with science that no one-knows-what,” she humorlessly chuckled, only to stare at him with a grief-stricken look. Then she scooted over beside him and leaned her head against his, making him stiffen up in surprise while both Pokemon gave him weird looks.

Ash ignored this as Mallow fell silent again, before speaking in a quieter voice, “And then you’re leaving soon. Off to another region, on another adventure, away from…us.”

He had the vague feeling she was about to say something else, but didn’t dare interrupt her as she pressed on.

“We don’t know when you’re coming back, and something tells me you don’t, either,” came her sad whisper, Ash having to admit to himself that she was right. He really had no idea when he’d be back. There was the next season, of course, but that was a long way away, and thus he had no honest way of reassuring his friend. 

“Which means the only ones left are going to be me, Kiawe, and Lana,” she bitterly remarked, Ash hearing her fists clench. “And not even Kiawe will be sticking around for long now that school is out. He’ll be off trying to become the Kahuna of Akala Island. And Lana…she’ll be off looking for more stupid lies to tell us about Kyogre and Mega Gyarados and whatever else she can think of.”

“I…” Ash began, only to fall silent again, not sure if he should continue or not. 

Suddenly, he felt one of her hands slip into his own, giving it a small squeeze as she quietly encouraged, “Go on.”

He once again ignored the looks from the Pokemon as he nodded, finding the words. “I don’t know why you and Lana started this whole…argument thing,” he said lamely, hearing her scoff from beside him. “But, he pressed on with a steady voice, “I know you couldn’t find better friends in Alola than us. All of us.”

She was silent for a moment, before replying, “Bit of a big head you got there, yeah?”

“Uh-”

“I’m joking,” Mallow softly snorted, giving his hand another squeeze. “But I’m pretty curious what you have to say about all of these friends you mentioned. What’s so great about them?”

He chuckled at her teasing tone, pausing for a moment before replying, “Kiawe is a great battler, and super loyal. Whenever things go bad, you can count on him to back you up.”

Mallow was silent as she let him continue.

“Sophocles is extremely smart. There aren’t many problems he can’t figure out, given enough time. He’s always ready to invent something that might help out a friend.”

Ash was reminded of Clemont in that regard, but he wasn’t going to interrupt his spiel with that.

“Lillie is dedicated and compassionate to her friends. She’s ready to drop everything to help someone out. She’s even doing that now with Ms Lusamine and Gladion!”

He could feel her nod against his head, sighing at the thought of their friend.

“Lana is brave, and funny-”

-Mallow tensed-

“-and always ready to lift the spirits of her friends, even if it means playing practical jokes on them.”

His friend gradually loosened up as she relaxed, until she was leaning heavily on him, lightly sniffling. Ash was tempted to stop there, fearful he said something wrong, until he heard her whisper, “Keep going.”

“Er, right. Where was I? Uh, there’s me, but I’m just…me,” he finished lamely, and Mallow let out a laugh, although this one was much calmer.

As she wiped another tear from her eye, he could hear her whisper, “Yes, you certainly are. And that’s more than enough for me.”

He was going to ask what she meant, except he was stopped as she lifted her head from his and looked at him as straight as she could from beside him. “And me? What about me?” 

Ash couldn’t decipher the unknown element that was entangled with her curious tone, so he grinned widely and exclaimed, “You’re the best cook and friendliest person in all of Alola! No matter who it is, you always meet new people with a smile, and serve them the tastiest food anyone could ask for.”

A strange blush tinted her cheeks at his words, and she turned and brought her knees back to her chest, hiding her face between her legs. Ash glanced at Pikachu, wondering if he said something wrong, when Mallow finally turned back to him and simply whispered, “Thank you.”

She stared at him for a moment, and started to lean in when she suddenly blinked, and pulled back, looking away. She then exchanged glances with Tsareena before she cleared her throat and stood up, wiping away her tears and exclaiming, “Well, then! I suppose you wanted food to take back to Professor Kukui’s.”

Her change in demeanor caught him off guard, and he froze for a moment before standing up and grinning. “Yup!”

Mallow snatched her apron off the hook and tied it around herself, giving him a strong nod. “Then let’s make the tastiest food they could ask for!”

“Er, I can’t cook.”

“Bye! Thanks for the food!” Ash called out, waving at Mallow.

“I should be thanking you, Ash. Please give the professors my regards…and remember, don’t tell them what I said earlier!” Mallow said as she waved back, giving him a warning glance.

He grinned at her and replied, “Don’t worry! I won’t!”

Mallow nodded and stared at him a moment later, before turning and disappearing back into the restaurant, allowing him and Pikachu to make their way to the house, this time with several bags of food in one hand.

Ash was more than satisfied, feeling as though he accomplished something. At the very least, Mallow seemed to be in much higher spirits as she prepared the meals with her usual gusto. The only downside is that she beat him off with a ladle every time he tried to sample it, much to his dismay.

“Well, buddy, I think we solved the problem,” Ash cheerfully remarked as they walked down the relatively quiet street, enjoying the warm breeze against his skin. He was certainly going to be missing Alola.

“Pika Pikapi”, came the mouse’s reply, making Ash frown as he glanced down at his partner.

“What do you mean, ‘I’m oblivious’? I’m not oblivious!” He protested, receiving a flat stare in return.

“Piika.”

Ash scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Please, of course, Mallow was being super friendly. She’s my friend!”

“Pi…” The mouse sighed, apparently giving up.

He shrugged, not understanding what Pikachu was going on about, until he perked up, seeing their destination not far ahead. “Hey, we’re almost there! Come on, Pikachu!”

“Pika!”

The two raced forward, eager to get home. Ash only stumbled once along the way, stopping himself before he smashed face-first into the door. He near-fall still managed to kick up a plethora of sand, the grains battering against the house as he recovered.

Quickly shedding his shoes, he barged through the door and announced, “I'm home!”

In an instant, he was swarmed by his team, being licked, punched, hugged, and other sorts of friendly abuse before he could finally breathe again. “Alright, alright. Settle down, you guys!” He laughed, closing the door behind him. Once he turned around, he was met with an amused Professor Kukui, although he did look slightly concerned.

“You took longer than expected, was everything alright?” He asked before glancing down at the bags in his hand. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

Ash held up the bags and grinned. “Food! I didn’t know if Professor Burnet was alright or not, even though you said she was, so I stopped by Mallow’s just in case.

“You said you went to Mallow’s restaurant?” The professor said, looking surprised. “And…was she there?”

“Yeah…” Ash said, scratching his head as he thought about the state she was in when he discovered her. “We talked for a bit, but it looks like she’s doing a lot better. She’s the one that made all this tasty food!”

The professor glanced between him and the food, his face still betraying surprise, before he smiled and shook his head. “I should have known you would find a way to help resolve this. I don’t suppose you ran into Lana as well?”

“Unfortunately not,” Ash admitted with a grimace before brightening up again. “But Mallow did say she’d try and find Lana to apologize tomorrow! I promised I’d be there for her when she does.”

“I’m sure she was grateful for that,” Professor Kukui remarked, giving him a long look.

Ash nodded with a smile. “Yeah, she said she’d hug me if she wasn’t busy with the order. I told her it was fine, and even gave her a big fat tip when she wasn’t looking.”

Professor Kukui coughed violently into his fist upon hearing that, before laughing awkwardly and saying, “Well then, thank you for the food, Ash. I appreciate it, and I’m sure Burnet will as well. How about you eat and get yourself to bed, yeah?”

He then snatched two of the bags from Ash’s hands and rushed off, calling over his shoulder, “Thank you!” Before disappearing down the stairs.

The trainer looked after the professor in confusion, before shrugging and moving towards the table and sitting down. “Alright, let’s see what we’ve got here!”

“No, please! PLEASE!”

Ash woke up violently, sweat coating his brow as he looked around in a wild manner. Where had the scream come from? It sounded close, but so far. If he could just-

“..Pika?” 

His gaze whipped around to see Pikachu staring at him in astonishment, clearly surprised to see Ash waking up on his own. Unfortunately, he had no time to chat with the mouse, as he looked around once more.

Crawling out of bed, he made his way towards the railing of the loft and looked down, seeing his Pokemon still sleeping. 

So it didn’t come from inside…but even if it did come from outside, shouldn’t one of them have heard it before me? I shouldn’t even have woken up, he thought as he sat back, staring ahead in confusion. Was it really just a dream?

“Man, what was in that food?” He murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He hadn’t had a dream that strong since…what, Nebby?

Feeling his unease grow, Ash put on his shoes and made his way down the ladder. Once he was on solid ground, he looked around, wondering why the hairs on the back of his neck were prickling. It didn’t seem like either of the professors were up yet, so what could have woken him?

Lycanroc lifted his head and stared at Ash as the trainers paused before making his way to the door, opening and seeing if there were any signs of distress. He frowned as nothing seemed to be around the house. He wasn’t going crazy, was he?

The sun is barely even up.

“Pika?”

Ash looked down at his partner, seeing him stare back in confusion and concern. He pursed his lips as he replied, “I’m sorry, Pikachu, it’s just…something feels off.”

He took one last look around and was about to close the door before he noticed a couple of people running up the road on the side. What was up with them?

Casting a look behind him, Ash stepped out and closed the door before sprinting over to the road. As he got closer, he could hear a large crowd from far down the road, although he couldn’t see where the commotion was coming from.

Suddenly, Professor Kukui’s voice sounded from behind him, “Ash? What on earth are you doing up at this hour?”

Ash glanced back at the professor standing just outside the front door, not even wearing his lab coat, glasses, or hate. The trainer stammered over his words as he said, “I-I’m not sure. I woke up, and…something felt off.”

The professor stared at him before calling out, “Wait right there.” He then vanished back into the house, leaving Ash to stare after where he saw the two individuals. He did his best to suppress the growing sense of dread in his stomach, annoyed and concerned by what he was experiencing. Surely nothing bad was happening?

“Alright, where to?” Kukui suddenly spoke from behind, making him jump and turn around. The teacher was decked out in his usual gear, and even included his belt of Pokemon.

“Uh, I think we should just try and follow where a couple of guys went,” Ash began slowly, the professor nodding after a short pause.

“Well, after you. I just hope this is worth it,” he remarked, the two setting off in a soft run as Pikachu fell in step next to them. 

The two of them hadn’t been running for long when they came across the sight of a crowd in front of Mallow’s restaurant, giving Ash a sense of deja vu. However, while the scene was similar to the one yesterday, this time, it felt…different. Ash’s nerves were on fire, and the hairs on his body all started prickling at the same time.

“Oh great, I hope those two aren’t arguing again,” Kukui grunted as they approached. “I’ll take anything but that.”

Ash did his best to ignore the comment as he called out, “What’s going on?” His gut clenched as the crowd turned and gave him grim looks, turning to each other and whispering, with him just barely able to hear their quiet words as he got close.

“Oh, he’s not going to like this.”

“Is it too late to distract him or something?”

“If he couldn’t protect his friend, how’s he gonna protect us?”

The last one made him grow even more fearful, and it became nearly impossible to ignore how cold his veins were getting as he began making his way through. Seeing Kiawe rush out from inside the building, Ash quickly approached him.

“Kiawe! What’s wrong? What’s going on?” He asked quickly, aware of his heart rate increasing rapidly as his friend gave him a tearful look, clenching his fists tightly. The shirtless trainer opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again, gritting his teeth. Wordlessly, he gestured for him to go inside before disappearing through the crowd.

Ash followed his arm and stared as he could see a couple of police officers next to two white sheets, a sizable bulge under both.

No…

Slowly, he forced himself forward, each step heavy as he made his way up the stairs and through the open door. His eyes were trained on the two sheets, and he felt his insides twisting as he took note of the stains on each sheet. One was a vivid green, while the other…the other was a deep scarlet, and in multiple places. 

As he approached, the two officers looked up, one of them opening his mouth and sternly saying, “Hey, this is a crime scene, you-ow!”

His partner, who Ash’s mind vaguely made out to be Officer Jenny, had jabbed her partner before jerking her head up to Ash. The man frowned before his eyes flew open in shock, only to nod and back off. “I’ll let you have a moment,” he said quietly before leaving Ash and Pikachu alone with Officer Jenny and the…objects.

Ash was frozen, his blood like ice as he stared down at the stained sheets. Through great effort, he managed to kneel down and grasp one corner of the smaller sheet. He ignored Officer Jenny’s look as he slowly pulled the edge down until the top of Tsareena’s crown came into view, the corner dropping from his suddenly limp fingers.

No. Please no.

Heavily panting, Ash looked towards the second sheet, dreading, knowing, what he’d find under it, yet not having the strength to check himself. It was as though if he never looked, he could still be certain he’d see her again, laughing with delight as she served up another delicious meal.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop Officer Jenny from breaking the illusion, as she wordlessly peeled back the second sheet.

The sight of Mallow’s face forever twisted into one of fear would haunt him for life.