Archive of Our Own ^beta

No sign of life, compacted and flat charred ground, almost like there weren't a couple of mountains there a few minutes ago. The Kalos Region was naturally beautiful. The sight below was certainly not pretty and resembled the aftermath of one of the old pokemon wars.

Serena had understood that legendaries obtained unimaginable power, reading and listening to the stories and myths about them. Hearing about the destructive power of Yveltal and the life force blooming out of Xerneas, having even seen it in person.

That sinking feeling of fear for her life had kept recurring in her nightmares and had not left until the next couple of months. She didn't seem to be the only one as she had noticed Clemont comforting Bonnie late at night a week after the encounter with the two legendaries.

Luckily, Ash had been calm and comforting alongside Pikachu to the trio. Now that she looks back at it, it's surprising how calm Ash was considering he was at the center of it and had almost lost Pikachu, his partner, and best friend for many years.

It would be added to the list of countless mysteries about Ash.

Thinking about that encounter, it seemed insignificant compared to the disaster that had happened after the Kalos League. The trophy was being given to Alain after defeating Ash in the final, who didn't look as sad as Serena thought he would.

Ash seemed almost accepting and tense, almost like he was ready for an attack of some sort. On his shoulder, Pikachu had a concentrated look on his face and was scanning the whole arena.

It was when Lysandre had come out that both Ash and Pikachu had focused their gaze on him. If Serena had looked closer, she would have seen Ash typing some sort of message onto his phone.

Moods seemed to be high after a great competition and countless amazing battles. But then it happened, an event that would later affect the Kalos region and many of its great trainers.

The attack on Lumiose City and the Kalos Region would be an irreplaceable memory to her and probably all of Kalos. Lysandre, the crazy man, had attacked with Team Flare and destroyed the city and many lives. Clembot sacrificing itself had been a loss to their group that truly exhibited the pain that everyone felt as the city continued to be destroyed.

Serena had never seen Clemont so heartbroken and lost before. All hope seemed to be lost when that robot Zyarge appeared and destroyed anything in its way, with no attacks damaging it.

Serena was then reminded of the powers of a true legendary pokemon. Squishy, imagine her surprise when cute little Squishy, the mysterious creature that had bonded so well with Bonnie, was actually a legendary pokemon and had transformed to fight against Lysandre’s Zygarde.

It shocked all of them when it was revealed before the crisis had struck.

Clemont and Serena had been instantly put into disarray, anxious about the consequences and danger that could come to them from traveling with a pokemon that held power similar to Yveltal and Xerneas.

Bonnie, the energetic child that obviously couldn't comprehend the possible danger, had gushed over Squishy for the next couple of hours.

Ash was calmer and more collected than the other three but just seemed defeated, the sigh he let out contained so much emotion and hidden meaning that Serena was overwhelmed.

Serena swore she heard Ash mumble a ‘Fuck’ to himself and Pikachu. Pikachu looked smug with a knowing smirk on his face, but those who knew Pikachu very well could see the stiffness and tiredness in Pikachu’s posture portraying his real thoughts.

Squishy’s power had been terrifying, the transformation it took had been nothing like the little green organism. The energy oozing out of the legendary had been incredible but extremely terrifying. The feeling of powerlessness against such power was overwhelming to everyone who was a safe distance away under the order of Champion Steven Stone.

Lysandre’s Zygarde had been outclassed by Squishy. The battle had damaged the landscape, every loose attack having carved some of the earth, the screams of horror that followed will forever haunt Serena's mind.

The complete forme Zygarde had finished the battle with a beam of energy that had scarred the ground. The explosion after had blown up the mountains surrounding the target of the beam, the force having blown away most of the group that had been a safe distance away watching the battle.

What was left were pieces of Lysandre’s Zygarde, a missing Lysandre, no Squishy, just an empty and broken landscape with the marking of a Z in the middle.

Unbelievable.

That was the only description that Clemont could come up with to describe what had happened. He had understood that legendary pokemon were a different type of species but he never expected this.

Even minutes after Squishy’s final attack, he could still see the smoke rising from the terrane showing how much energy was in that final attack.

“Clemont, Where is Squishy?” Bonnie’s question had broken his thought process, finally noticing his current whereabouts and situation at the moment.

Everyone involved in the last battle of the crisis were situated around the empty terrane in separate groups.

Looking around, he could see the other gym leaders in a group seemingly talking about the situation at hand from what he could hear.

In another group, Alain and Professor Sycamore were talking to each other, most likely reassuring each other, and Mairin with Chespie in her hands looked to be thanking and worrying over Alain.

After scanning for a little longer, Clemont caught sight of the two champions, Diantha and Steven Stone, in conversation. He assumes it was about what to do from here, given the state of the land and Lumiose City, there was a lot of damage that needs to be repaired.

“Clemont?” Serena brought Clemont’s attention back to the group with him at the moment and that he never answered Bonnie's question. Serena, Bonnie, and he were all sat down in a small circle huddled together, unconsciously seeking comfort from each other.

“Hm? Oh! Sorry, I got distracted, Squishy mosy likely left to rest. It looks like he put a lot of his energy into that final attack and was exhausted.” Clemont’s response seemed to make Serena and Bonnie think back to the energy beam that Squishy (he should be calling the pokemon Zygarde but he's too associated with the name) had used.

It gave him more time to examine the other groups and notice how they all seemed tense. They were all shaken from the whole crisis, which was reasonable, and seeking comfort from those similar to them as he was.

The ones who seemed the calmest were of course the champions, the more experienced and stronger gym leaders such as Wulfric and Olympia, and Professor Sycamore.

But Clemont was observant and smart, he could see the little fidgeting in their fingers and upright shoulders no matter the calm facade they put up.

“That attack was intense, we were lucky we were so far away to not get hit by the explosion.” Serena’s response had brought his focus back to the conversation.

“It was so cool though! That attack destroyed Lysandre’s Zygarde and saved us!” Bonnie still seemed excited about Squishy’s power, it's understandable given she's still a kid but Clemont needed to make sure his sister understood the danger of legendary pokemon, no matter how close or friendly you are to them.

“That may be true, but you do understand how dangerous it could be for us to be that close to a legendary pokemon battling right?” Bonnie’s flinch had shown she understood. The number of nights he spent comforting her and in return himself after the Yveltal encounter was so many he had lost count.

Bonnie had started to shiver more and more, her eyes getting moister, the signs of her about to break down.

Bonnie may not be at the age to be an official trainer, but she sure has seen things that not even veteran trainers see. Keeping her excited and uptempo personality had unconsciously been Bonnie’s way of dealing with these sorts of things.

Through Team Rocket, the wild pokemon adventures, the legendary encounters, and now Team Flare and Lysandre. It was bound to be too much for a child not even at the age of 10.

Serena too had understood this, given how she opened her arms and embraced Bonnie.

Feeling that Serena could offer better comfort than he could at the moment, Clement had stayed silent, giving the group time to recuperate their thoughts and feelings.

“What happens now?”

Serena’s question had continued the conversation and got Clemont thinking. Serena had stayed quiet, still holding onto a shaking Bonnie whose sniffles had started to become less frequent. Serena seemed to understand that he needed time to sort out all of his puzzling thoughts.

So much has happened in the past couple of hours. The Kalos League finals, the attack on Lumiose City, Lysandre taking control of Zygarde, and Squishy’s final attack.

Clemont never felt that much fear for his life as he watched Lysandre and his Zygarde plow through anything put their way. Not even Yveltal had impacted him that much.

So much was happening at once, and it was his job as a gym leader to help control and handle it. The meaning of his title coming full force on him, and now that he's lost Clembot…

It will take a while for him to move past that.

He’s struggling to think properly and as fundamentally stable as he usually did, he’s just about to lose it and start freaking out. But his friends don't need that, they need Gym Leader Clemont, the chosen protector of Lumiose City, the one who can give them the answers they seek.

The image of a boy with a Pikachu on his shoulders flashing through his mind gave him the courage to think through the whole day and give Serena the response she had been patiently waiting for.

“I think,” Serena could hear his gulp, the signs of him trying to stay strong and act appropriately to the current situation. “There will be a lot of change, either that be to humans, pokemon, or both, Kalos won't be the same.”

Clemont continued, “Lysandre has left a lasting impact on Kalos, and even if it's not in the way he intended, Kalos won't be the same.” Clemont paused to make sure Serena was comprehending everything, when he saw she was with a straight face he kept talking.

“What do we do now? I'm not sure, but I do know that Kalos will never be the same no matter how much we try to change that.”

Serena listened to Clemont throughout his whole speech, having a straight face that only appeared when she was thinking deeply about something. Clemont could barely hear the whispers to herself as she was thinking, “Change”, “Not the same.”

Bonnie, who Serena had let go halfway through Clemont’s speech when she realized Bonnie was okay, had a similar look on her face.

Suddenly, Serena slowly turned her head to look at the boy who was away from everyone, closest to the Z mark which looked to be imprinted on the ground. No one was around it, everyone seemingly being more comfortable away from it considering the smoke still oozing out of the mark, except that one boy who acted completely ignorant of it.

Clemont and Bonnie followed her gaze and Clemont soon realized what was going through Serena’s mind. Connecting the dots between change and the boy they were looking at.

Ash Ketchum, the boy the group was looking at was sitting near the Z, gazing seriously and deeply at it and the crumble of Lysandre’s Zygarde. His partner, Pikachu, also sat next to him staring at the same thing.

Ash seemed oblivious to the tears in his clothing, cuts, and the blood covering most of his body. In fact, he looked to be stretching out his body alongside Pikachu who was occasionally doing the same movements. His muscles popped and tensed through his clothing with every stretch showing his toned build from years of traveling.

Ash Ketchum looked like the epitome of cool and collected, not looking wavered or affected at all despite the many once-in-a-lifetime events that threatened his life throughout the day.

Looking more closely at the other groups around them, Clemont could see the many worrying and questioning glances shot from them toward ash most likely going through the same thought process as him.

Ash Ketchum, the one he's been traveling with for almost a year now, was acting unlike his usual self.

“He’s way more different today, isn't he?” Serena's question had sparked the conversation that was destined to happen ever since the start of the day.

“Yes. he's usually very serious when the situation calls for it, but I’ve never seen him this serious. He may be more serious than usual but what's most surprising is how he's acted today, he just seems so-”

“Dark.” Bonnie cut into the conversation, concluding the same thoughts that were probably running through everyone's heads.

“You saw the broadcast that was taping the top of the tower right?”

Clemont had to put a lot of effort into not full-body shivering after hearing Serena's question. Clemont had seen it, he had been running to the inside of Lumiose Tower to stop Xerosic when he saw the broadcast on one of the only existing screens left.

Locking eyes with Serena, Clemont could see her straight face falling and her jaw trembling, Clemont then knew that Serena saw it as well and was just as shocked and scared as he was.

“Yes,” Clemont hesitated, “I did see it.” He was very shaken thinking back to the broadcast that he assumed all of Kalos had seen.

The broadcast had been taping the top of Prism Tower, Lysandre had captured Ash and was holding him hostage. What happened up there will forever be ingrained in Clemont’s mind and make him question how well he knew Ash Ketchum.

He was so close.

Lysandre had done everything right, the steps were moving and he was right at the finish line.

He had successfully manipulated Alain to get the energy needed and now he just needed to complete his last step.

“You are the chosen one Ash Ketchum! By using your power, I will be able to change this world back to something beautiful!”

Yes, he had Ash under his control, cuffs all over his body, and his pokemon. Raised in the air where they could not struggle. It was all in place. He could finally fulfill his dream of wiping out the population and bringing the world back to its beautiful state.

It was all within his reach and he just needed that one extra step. Ash Ketchum was certainly an interesting and unordinary human. His power to Battle Bond with his Greninja was unlike anything in this world and he knew that power would give him the access to fulfill his dream.

Attacking the League had all been a diversion to capture Ash. He had made sure to make the cuffs resistant to any pokemon attacks and were indestructible. He had gotten Ash and now he just needed to capture his and Greninja’s power.

Observing his hostage, Lysandre could see that Ash did not appear tense at all, almost as if he was in his element. The only factor that showed Ash was listening to him was the narrowed eyes and poker face aimed toward him. The tightening of the cuffs and the blood flowing down his arm where he had been previously struck didn't seem to be making any difference to his face and demeanor.

It was slightly unnerving.

A boy half his age and not even in his adult years ignoring things that should be drastically affecting his mental and physical state. His Pikachu by his side who was also cuffed and in the air was acting the same as him. At least his Greninja was showing small signs of aggression from the tightening fist. All though it did have a perfect poker face.

Lysandre decided to neglect his growing suspensions of the boy and continue his speech. “By using your Bond Phenomenon, I will destroy this world, rebuild! Make this world beautiful agai-”

A dark chuckle had interrupted him and put shivers up his very spine.

Looking up, Lysnadre could see it came from Ash Ketchum, the one currently held hostage. Despite his situation, Ash looks completely at ease and the look in his eyes showed he wasn't scared at all.

The look just contained darkness, one that could only be obtained by the most experienced trainers. Even then, it was difficult to reach. Lysandre could only compare the look to champion-level trainers, but Ash’s still looked different.

It seemed lonely, like the things his eyes have seen had only happened to him. But what was flowing through those eyes, was power. It looked as if Ash was dwindling Lysandre, seeing him only as an obstacle. Lysandre refused to accept that, there was no way he would bow down to some boy.

“It’s all the same.”

Lysandre was broken from his daze by Ash’s first words since being captured.

“My goodness, every single region, there has to be some crazy person with some idiotic ideas.”

“Wha-”

“I’ve only met one other person as crazy as you.”

Lysandre had to stop his stammering to listen to Ash’s next words.

“It didn't go well for him.”

The tone in Ash's voice had silenced him. He wasn't prepared for what happened next.

“Pikachu, Greninja, get us out.”

The order was met instantly. Pikachu had begun to thunderbolt the cuffs on him and Greninja had started to transform, the jet of water blasting from the ground had surrounded the pokemon and Ash.

It had happened so quickly, that Lysandre couldn't react. Before he could do anything, the cuffs surrounding the boy and the two pokemon were blown apart. The next thing he knew, Ash was standing a fair distance away, free, with Pikachu by his feet, and his transformed Greninja by his side.

“You brat. Who do you think you are!”

Lysandre was irritated, he was so close to having the power needed to change the world and this brat dared to challenge him. The anger of being outdone by a child had deprived his ability to think as calculated as he usually would and act appropriately to his current situation.

“A pokemon trainer.”

The smartass replay and irritating smirk he got in reply had set Lysandre over the edge. Deciding that it wasn't worth the time to contain his power, the decision was made that he would remove Ash Ketchum from the picture. He would find a new way to get the last piece of power he needed. Lysandre dropped two pokeballs in front of him.

“You're a thorn in my side. You're no longer necessary for the world I have planned. I will destroy the world! Slaughter the current population and return this world to something beautiful! I will tear you to pieces! Ash Ketchum will die today!” The death grin that appeared on Lysandre’s face truly showed the state of mind of a mad man.

That grin will forever terrify every citizen in Kalos, every trainer, and all gym leaders. It was horrifying as if looking at it will show you your undeniable death.

Ash Ketchum was an exception though. The smirk had fallen off his face and his eyebrows furrowed but he looked overall impassive to his threat.

Not at all unsettled by the Shiny Mega Gyarados and larger than normal Pyroar towering over him and his pokemon. His pokemon exhibited signs ready for battle. Pikachu looked feral, so unlike its usual chirpiness, and Greninja very openly appeared pissed off, so conflicting with the ninja-like calmness the pokemon was known for.

“You're not the first to try.”

The tone and gaze Ash gave Lysandre removed any suspicions he had about the boy.

Lysandre had only seen that type of gaze and demeanor in champions. Why was he ranking this boy on the same level as champions? He hadn't even won the league and Alain was still a fair distance away from being champion level.

This was no boy, this was an adult that had conquered many challenges in his life. Ash Ketchum was an adult and held more power than anyone in Kalos expected.

But Lysandre would not stop. His pokemon were strong and he could strongly say they could match and defeat Ash’s pokemon. He would beat his pokemon and then use them to remove Ash before he became a bigger problem.

“Gyarados, Hyper Beam! Pyroar, Fire Blast!”

The battle with lives on the line had started and even with the two powerful moves that carved the ground as they charged toward him, Ash and his pokemon had not moved.

After what felt like an entirety, an order was finally given out.

“Water Shuriken.”

The move had happened so quickly, that Lysandre could barely react. The Water Shuriken in an irregular size only specific to Ash’s Greninja was thrown at a speed not shown before and cut through both attacks in an instant. Luckily, Gyarados and Pyroar had reacted quick enough to evade the attack, both dodging to opposite sides.

Greninja had never shown that type of power before. It was unpleasant to Lysandre, to cut through both of his most powerful pokemons attacks meant that Greninja was easily at a higher level compared to when it faced Alain and his Charizard.

But how was that possible? The fight with Alain had happened just before being captured so it couldn't have gotten stronger. The only reasonable exclamation was that Ash and his Greninja have been holding-

His thoughts were interrupted by Ash’s next order straight after Greninja’s attack had finished.

“Iron Tail, no mercy.”

Before Lysandre could even react, Pikachu was on Pyroar in an instant, the next thing he knew was Pyroar knocked out in the wall behind him, a crater around him.

“Thunderbolt, blast it”

Pikachu instantly turned to Gyarados who looked just as shocked as Lysandre and didn't have time to react. The electricity building up in Pikachu’s sacks was already beginning to release, showing how much electricity was being put into the next attack. The face Pikachu had shown before he launched the attack made it look like the mouse pokemon felt a little bad for what was going to happen.

The Thunderbolt landing on Gyarados was the only thing anyone could see before the flash had taken over.

Lysandre had always had a vision of what a beautiful world would look like. While he had focused mainly on the world itself, he had recognized that pokemon were fascinating species.

Seeing Diantha’s Gardevoir in person and analyzing it many times with his tech had proved that to him. The things her Gardevior could do when mega evolved were truly beautiful, not unnatural for an outstanding-looking pokemon such as Gardevoir. But the moves she had demonstrated had shown power but with a grace that verified she earned her spot on Diantha’s team, a level above most pokemon out there in the world, the power of a champion's ace.

But looking at Pikachu’s attack, he could proudly say that Diantha and her Gardevior were outclassed. The beam of yellow electricity that had exploded out of the Thunderbolt had been magnificent. Traveling straight toward the air, looking like it never stopped, it truly looked like a lightning strike from Arceus had struck his Gyarados.

Looking at the result of the attack that had finally gone away, already knowing the outcome before even seeing it, Lysandre could see the result of his “battle” with Ash. His Gyarados, no longer in its mega evolved state, laid there badly burnt and fainted, with the ground around it turned to ashes.

Shakingly raising his pokeballs, Lysandre recalled his pokemon, not noticing he had already fallen to his knees. Pokemon were creatures that held power no humans could ever match, but the Pikachu he had battled was a true monster. Pikachu had moved at improbable speed, held unbelievable strength even in its small stature, and generated electricity only comparable to legendaries such as Zekrom.

He had underestimated Ash. He knew that he was acting differently than what he saw at the Kalos League, but he didn't think that translated to his pokemon as well. Their power was not comparable at all to any level they had shown before. Pikachu was mostly unfazed even after taking out his two strongest pokemon (One even being a mega!) at insanely quick speeds, the only signs of battle being the electricity still crawling over its fur. Even Greninja had skills that were believed to not be there before, being able to cut through his strongest attacks with a single Water Shuriken.

Now, he was at the complete mercy of Ash.

“Greninja, finish him.”

“Huh?” Lysandre, shocked out of his shell-shocked state, took a while to process what was said. The tone of Ash’s voice, Greninja still looking prepared for battle, Pikachu tense and ready for any order. Lysandre was processing too slowly, he wouldn't be able to stop what was coming if he didn’t act.

“Wait! Th-”

Any words were completely stopped from being spoken by Greninja appearing in front of him just like a ninja, with a Cut attack held against his neck, blood trickling down showing the sharpness of the attack.

Lysandre couldn't believe what was happening. He was going to die, so close to completing his goal, stopped by his death by a boy not even past 18 years of age.

The crunching of feet against burnt ground brought his terrified eyes off Greninja and to Ash and Pikachu who were walking and now stopped a few feet away from him. He could vaguely see the helicopter in the air behind Ash, surely broadcasting the whole interaction between Lysandre and Ash.

His attention was brought back to Ash after seeing his mouth open, about to speak.

“Beauty comes in many different ways, I’ve seen that through my journeys across many different regions. But to me, beauty has and always will be when pokemon and humans can work hand and hand with each other. An unbreakable bond between humans and pokemon can never be replaced. It’s a treasure that sadly many can't see. You aim to break that, it’s sad that so many like you can't see what I see, blinded by your own goals and ideals.”

If Lysandre was in any other position, he would have admired Ash’s speech. But now? He was extremely pissed off. Being told off by a trainer so young and looked down upon, he couldn’t let it happen.

“Greninja, end it.”

The order was given, Lysandre had to get out, some way to break the hold on him. Luckily, in the corner of his eye he saw it, the plan was moving and all he could do was hope it would happen quick enough. Meanwhile, Greninja’s unoccupied hand had raised and started collecting dark energy, shaping it into a sharp blade.

The blade almost completed, Lysandre’s plan had gone in motion. Before Greninja could finish its attack, the Zygarde under his control had crashed into the tower, unbalancing Greninja and giving Lysandre enough space to jump off. Landing on top of Zygarde, Lysandre had gotten away, now he just needed to head to Anistar.

He had gotten lucky by seeing his Zygarde get enough space from the other Zygarde it was facing. All he had to do was give the order to get him out of here and the rest was put in place.

Turning around, Lysandre met the eyes of Ash for the last time. Seeing the look sent toward him, Lysandre had to suppress his shudder and start rethinking whether he had truly gotten away.

The TV crew up in the helicopter, the letter R on their gear, had filmed everything on top of the tower, giving all of Kalos a broadcast none of them would ever forget.

Serena thought she knew Ash well. Traveling for almost a year had helped her understand Ash’s tendencies and the way he handled things. He ate a lot, almost always had energy, very rarely got injured or sick, and was an amazing trainer.

He knew how to handle pokemon so well, and his pokemon always seemed to grow stronger at an unusual rate. Ash’s Goomy had evolved into a Goodra in only a week, a dragon type that are known to take a long time to fully grow.

But what she saw on the broadcast was an Ash he didn't think existed. Ash and Pikachu, even Greninja on some level, were completely different compared to how they usually were. Ash was the complete opposite of his naturally upgoing personality, cruel and unforgiving.

It made her slightly unsure of what she knew about her crush. She had learned a lot about him ever since the start of their journey. The food he liked, his love for pokemon, his unnatural ability to avoid injuries despite the stunts he did. But everything in the gap between the pokemon camp and their journey was mostly empty.

Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had heard little snippets of his past journeys when the topic came up but nothing was ever breached. It had made them all very curious, but no one ever asked the question to delve deeper, probably scared of the reaction they would get from Ash.

The usual demeanor he had around them always seemed to change whenever he talked about his past, the look in his eyes showed regret, bitterness, discomfort, and a lot of longing. They all noticed it and that had stopped them from breaching his privacy but had only increased their curiosity about the enigma of Ash Ketchum.

Bonnie most likely wanted to know the different types of pokemon he had seen and Clemont probably wanted to know how he grew to be such a strong trainer and confident in himself regardless of the circumstances. Serena just wanted to know more about him, what he had seen in his journeys, and what he learned over the years of traveling he had done.

Now though, she didn't think she wanted to know what happened on his travels through the regions. Just what has Ash gone through to have this hidden side. Bonnie and Clemont were most likely thinking of the same thing, seeing the same Ash she had seen on the broadcast.

She had known from the hours upon hours that she had watched Ash train his pokemon that Pikachu and Greninja were strong. The strength was shown in their gym battles and the Kalos League where they had outclassed almost all of their opponents.

But the fight on the Prism Tower against Lysandre had broken any assumptions she had about the two pokemon’s total power.

Pikachu and Greninja had broken their cuffs which looked unbreakable with ease, and the fight after had been domination. The power that Greninja and Pikachu showed was unlike anything she had ever seen from any of them. Pikachu was especially surprising. While she had known the pokemon had been with Ash for as long as he had been a trainer, the power he showed was that of a monster.

No Pikachu, a pokemon that wasn't even fully evolved, should have shown that level of power. The strongest attack Serena had seen from a non-legendary pokemon was Alain's Charizard Blast Burn (she’s not including Greninja’s final Water Shuriken because that was just straight-up weird), which had helped destroy most of the Kalos League stadium.

But Pikachu’s attack had made that look minuscule, and he didn't even look fatigued after the insanely powerful attack.

How were Ash’s pokemon that powerful and why didn't they show it before?

Had Ash been secretly training his pokemon or were they always this powerful and Serena just never realized. No, that wasn't possible. Maybe not for Pikachu since he's been with Ash for a long time but Greninja was still a newer pokemon for Ash and she would have noticed earlier if it was always that powerful. She would ask Clemont about it, he would figure out a reasonable exclamation for it.

When Serena thought she couldn't be shocked anymore, Ash had done something that truly terrified her which she didn't think was possible. When the order was given, Serena was unsure what Ash meant when he told Greninja to finish Lysandre off.

Greninja appearing with a blade on Lysandre's neck was not what she was expecting. If she had been not as shocked and horrified when she had seen it, Serena would have admired Ash’s speech and noticed there was more meaning and emotion behind it compared to the ones he gave to her, Bonnie, and Clemont in the past.

While Serena wasn't expecting to encounter so many legendaries on her journey with Ash, she assumed that would be it. Death was not someone she was ready for, which was reasonable given her age.

Fortunately, Serena wouldn’t have to see it yet as Lysandre had gotten away with his body still intact.

While she hadn't seen the look in Ash’s eye since the broadcast was facing his back, the face Lysandre showed the camera as he rode off showed that he was very unsettled.

“That wasn’t Ash, there's no way, the Ash I know would never do something like that.” Bonnie's shaking voice proved she was just as, if not more shaken from the Ash shown on top of Prism Tower.

Serena felt disappointed in herself that she didn't take into account Bonnie's feelings. Bonnie had always put Ash on a pedestal above everyone else, nearly on the same level as her brother.

Ash may not have been the smartest in other areas, but he was very smart about pokemon. Despite his age, Ash was just as fascinated with pokemon as Bonnie was.

They bonded quickly, Bonnie was amazed by the knowledge Ash held and had asked constant questions day after day about pokemon and he always answered. Whenever Clemont struggled to match Bonnie’s energy, which was often, Ash was the one who entertained her.

Bonnie truly looked up to Ash, his love for pokemon, how good he was at battling, and how he always was able to match her energy and understand her when Clemont and Serena couldn’t had made Bonnie admire Ash.

That same person, however, the one all three of them admired, had acted so heartless and cruel enough to almost kill someone. Ash was always so kind and forgiving to anyone, even ones that had caused him harm, that he was the last person any of them thought to have the ability to threaten someone's life.

It was no wonder that Bonnie’s body was overflowing with denial, refusing that her idol could change so much and on that scale. Lysandre pokemon were completely outmatched, and while Ash would usually take that into account and try not to cause a lot of harm to them, the Thunderbolt Ash ordered told them he didn’t.

It made them all disillusioned with Ash.

Accepting, kind, forgiving, and warm, those feelings always surrounded Ash and attracted them and many others to him. But during this attack, you could only feel the utmost feelings of determination, a coldness that could freeze even the warmest hearts, and a darkness that most dark types would be proud of.

It was a morbid thought, and while they were aware of the coldness and darkness that could surround people and pokemon in the world, they mostly ignored the topic. Especially after the Yveltal encounter and Pikachu being turned to stone, the group never really talked about it, ignoring the morbid conversations that would follow.

Then in the final push against Lysandre and his Zygarde, Ash with Pikachu and Greninja led the charge. Attracting most of the vines and destroying most of them, the ones they didn’t would tear and scrape against Ash but he just ignored them. It was like he didn’t even feel the pain like he’s been through worst.

Lysandre looked to be specifically targeting Ash, who seemed unfazed by it and kept a look that flooded with determination.

The attraction of the vines kept most of the others apart of the charge safe with limited injuries and Alain enough time to retrieve Chespie.

Zygarde was then able to finish Lysandre with its finishing move.

While everyone apart from the charge knew Ash had done the most, Ash didn't seem to care. As soon as Zygarde’s attack stopped, he split off from everyone to a separate corner at the destination of Zygarde’s final attack. He wanted to be left alone and they all respected that, either that be because he saved them from a lot of trouble or they didn't want to get close to this new Ash.

It was moments like these where the group was reminded that this wasn't the first region Ash has traveled through like it was for them. If his past journeys were anything like their journey through Kalos, then it would make sense that he was unfazed by them.

“Clemont,” her raspy voice interrupted Clemont who was calming Bonnie down. They all looked so tired, so much had happened and it was so mentally and physically exhausting.

“Hm?”

“Pikachu and Greninja were stronger than they were in the finals, why is that?”

Clemont paused, thinking about how to respond to another shocker that involved Ash.

“I had been thinking about that too. It takes years to get the strength Pikachu showed on the Tower. Greninja’s was more acceptable and reasonable given the year Ash has had him for. Ash had probably been training him in secret. The power difference on the Tower most likely means that they haven’t been using all of their power and energy.”

Serena gasped. “T-Then that means-” She couldn't believe Ash would do something like that.

Clemont's voice sounded accepting and curious. “Yes, Ash has most likely been hold-”

“Rawhrrr!!”

A draconic and fearsome roar shocked the earth below them, interrupting Clemont and putting all of them on their feet. The groups around them have done the same, the champions and their pokemon ready to release any attack.

The black blurs that landed a decent distance away created a dust cloud removing Serena’s ability to see. All she could hear and see was Clemont’s stuttering and open jaw.

The dust cloud was removed by a blow of wind only capable of some of the strongest wings.

Now having a clear vision of what Clemont was seeing, her jaw dropped.

Ash was tired.

Over the years, he has learned he was no normal person. His pokemon knew it, his mom knew it, his friends knew it, and it was weighing down on him.

The things he experienced had happened to no one else in the world. So it was put upon him to deal with it and take responsibility.

It was a constant weight that had been on his shoulders ever since Kanto.

But from this, he learned that being prepared was the only way to handle the things that happened around him.

He thought he was prepared, but he had underestimated the severity of the situation and that made him unprepared for the Crises that hit Lumiose City and all of Kalos.

At least he had Pikachu with him.

When Lysandre walked up to him to talk about Greninja, he got that feeling. The feeling he only got was something bad was going to happen, it guaranteed danger.

It happened with Mewtwo, again at the Tree of Life, and again with Cryus. Any event that his body was on the line, the feeling occurred.

He didn’t make assumptions though, so he waited, but was ready to respond.

Now thinking it over, he should have listened to Pikachu to call in Charizard. He would have loved the battling, being given a challenge. It certainly would have made things easier.

Up until this point, Kalos had been relatively easier and less stressful than most of his journeys. Yveltal had been a bitch because of what he did to Pikachu and Hoopa was a mess but that was it.

But he had underestimated Lysandre.

When he saw Lysandre at the trophy ceremony, he was ready, he just needed to act quickly.

That’s what he did, he immediately got to his emergency contacts and called for backup. He doubted they would get there in time, they would certainly hurry because it was him asking but they wouldn’t make it and he knew it.

Backup never came on time.

So it was his responsibility to deal with this, so he did just that.

Of course, in the Ash Ketchum way. When his friends found out, he would never hear the end of it.

He needed space and isolation with Lysandre to go all out and physically stop him, people like him never stopped of their own accord. The most efficient way to do that was to let him be captured. Glances to Pikachu and Greninja’s direction were the only communication they needed for them to understand that they were to follow Ash’s lead.

When Ash had let the Confuse Ray hit him, he could see Pikachu’s exasperation and feel the annoyance radiating off Greninja through their connection. They didn't enjoy him acting on such a reckless plan with many things that could go wrong but they wouldn't disobey Ash and leave him alone in his endeavor.

From there, it was just dealing with Lysandre on top of the tower. Unfortunately, he could see the copter, most likely filming him and Lysandre, he would have to face the consequences later.

Ignoring the pain from his cuffs had been pretty easy, the damage they caused to his body hurt but he had experienced much worse and was able to overlook it. Then it was putting on a poker face (Ash would never admit to taking tips from paul’s never changing poker face) through Lysandre’s world-ending speech about him being the chosen one and using his power to change the world.

He has had enough of hearing the countless stories about him being the chosen one. It was becoming just a bunch of Taurus shit to him.

Deciding that Ash had listened enough to understand Lysandre’s intentions, he decided that it was time to move and get his pokemon and him out of their limitations.

These cuffs were meant to limit and cancel out his power, unfortunately for Lysandre, Ash and his pokemon were not ordinary by any means.

Overloading the cuffs and poof, he was free alongside Pikachu and Greninja.

While the most optimal decision to finish this was to defeat Lysandre when he was defenseless, Ash still had to follow the trainer organization's laws. It was stupid, especially considering what Lysandre had already admitted to doing but he hadn’t attacked Ash. Being a scientist, Lysandre was intelligent enough to thoroughly understand all the laws that could limit Ash.

Until Lysandre had endangered his life with pokemon, Ash couldn’t restrict him. Ash understood this law well, being given punishment for acting against it in his past journey. He had been angry about it but Brock was able to calmly explain the reason behind it.

So Ash had to make Lysandre attack first, giving him the incentive to attack back. Luckily, one of the things he learned from his hundreds of arguments with Misty was how to piss someone off. Misty would kill him if she found out she taught him that.

She is truly terrifying when angry.

Ash had been successful though. Lysandre not getting any answers over the whole conservation, not being able to read Ash, his pride was hurt and nothing going his way which he thought was impossible had put Lysandre over the edge.

Once he released his pokemon, it was fair game when Lysandre orders the first move.

He was taken back though, it hardly happened now, Ash had seen so many things that he wasn’t very surprised by anything anymore.

But Lysandre’s grin, one of true bloodlust, was a shocker. A level-headed person and genius innovating Kalos, that was the image Kalos had of Lysandre but that was all a fake persona.

A mad man who only wanted to kill, a person with no care for the world and its people would be the only description that currently fits Lysandre.

Ash didn’t think Lysandre was at that level of craziness and madness, even after listening to Lysandre’s desires and ideals.

No.

The signs were all there, Ash just unconsciously ignored them. Wiping out the human population and changing the world, was similar to Cryus. Ash didn’t think that anyone could compare to Cryus, but looking at Lysandre’s grin, was almost like looking at a reflection of the past.

An image of Cryus in front of Dialga and Palkia, a face of pure darkness and insanity preaching about becoming a god. Lysandre’s grin overlapped, they were too similar to not think about it, the Team Galactic and Flare bosses were on the same level.

A level that you can doubt if they were human, a mind wanting only destruction. A insanity that the world doubted anyone could reach.

Overall his journeys, legendaries, and people wanting to control them, Cryus was in the small list of events that Ash was terrified for his life. Usually, he was so focused on saving the pokemon and people corresponding with each event he faced that he ignored the danger they placed on him.

But that small list, they were the ones that forced Ash out of his hero daze and think to himself that he was going to die and everything wasn’t going to turn out right.

Ash and Pikachu placed Cryus at the top of that list.

Over the rest of his Sinnoh journey, the nightmares of Cryus had kept recurring. Only stopping when he had returned home to Pallet Town in his mom’s safe embrace.

Dawn had them for a longer time, he remembers waking up to one of her nightmares in Unova. He comforted her for the rest of the night, she had them very rarely now based on what she told him over their calls when he was in Kalos.

Cryus had a life-changing effect on him and Lysandre showed the same signs.

But Ash was different now.

He was stronger, experienced, more mature, a veteran, and had mental fortitude that could only be matched by a few others, pokemon included.

Ash has faced many unique challenges over his travels. He’s experienced restrictions, limitations, consequences of certain actions, world-changing events, and damage to his mind and body but they all share the same result.

They were conquered. No matter what kind of damage they caused to him, Ash was the victor and he moved on.

So the only response he showed to Lysandre’s grin that would scare everyone in Kalos and anyone watching the broadcast for most of their life, was the furrowing of his eyebrows.

He wasn’t scared, Ash was done with being scared, he just identified a threat that needed to be taken out. The threat to his life and the enormous pokemon in front of him would not change his decision.

Lysandre’s pokemon were strong, their physique and the moves they released proved that, but Ash’s were stronger, way stronger.

Greninja’s Water Shuriken was enough to deal with the two attacks, cutting through them and releasing the attacks. The speed and ease that it was done showed the gap in power between the pokemon and Greninja.

Greninja was a special pokemon. Even without the Bond Phenomenon, it was a terrifying strong pokemon, being able to grasp the techniques that Ash ordered with power behind them at a frightening pace.

Ash had bonded so well with him, to a level that only happened with his strongest pokemon. The strength boost Greninja got from the Bond Phenomenon showed it.

Now that he attacked first, Lysandre’s fate lay in Ash’s hands. Nothing could stop him now, the battle would be finished now.

It was decided before the crisis even occurred that Pikachu would fully stretch out. Go all out against whatever they face.

Ever since Zekrom in Unova, Pikachu had been playing catch up, having to almost fully train his body again so he could store his usual amount of electricity and relearn most of his moves.

Both of them still held a grudge against Zekrom for that.

Ash had put Pikachu through the grinder, the intensity and consistency of their training would be impossible for almost any pokemon, especially including the type of condition Pikachu was trying to get back to.

The training was harsh, pushing all of Pikachu’s limits, no pokemon would want to do it except those who were power hungry like his Charizard.

But Pikachu had done it, he pushed, tested all of his limits, and was almost back to his original state. They were limiting themselves in Kalos so they could gradually get their experience battling with Pikachu’s unordinary power back.

But they had nearly let loose against Diantha.

They knew how strong champions were, so having a battle against a champion’s ace pokemon had made them too excited and lose control. Luckily, Team Rocket interfered with the battle and snapped them out of their battle daze, making Pikachu cancel his charged thunderbolt that had way too much power added on.

They thought they had gotten away with it, his travel companions being too inexperienced to see the high levels of electricity dancing around Pikachu when he was about to use Thunderbolt.

But they were also facing the Kalos Champion, the greatest trainer in all of Kalos who has years of experience. After dealing with Team Rocket, he caught Diantha and her Gardevior’s gaze of wonder, amazement, and mostly curiosity.

At that moment, Pikachu and Ash knew that they were caught and that the Kalos Champion and her ace knew they had a lot more power than they were showing.

Diantha had not said anything about it, respecting their decision to hide Pikachu’s power, but that didn’t stop the curious glances in their direction whenever Ash ran into her.

Ash had decided that Pikachu’s full power wouldn’t be necessary until the situation demanded it and they regained the experience to use his power carefully and not endanger lives.

That experience requirement was met during the Kalos League, Sawyer and Alain were the oppponets needed to give them that last push.

Then the crisis that hit Lumiose City demanded their power and the two knew that.

So when faced with the situation, a man similar to Cryus with two powerful pokemon, Pikachu would unleash on Ash’s order.

Ash gave the order.

Pikachu unleashed.

A pokemon that held power that beat legendaries had struck on Lysandre and his pokemon.

They stood no chance.

The attacks happened in quick succession, Lysandre’s pokemon had just dodged Greninja’s Water Shuriken and not even 10 seconds later, they were knocked out.

Lysandre was defeated.

But it wasn’t over.

Lysandre wouldn’t just stop what he was doing because he lost and Ash knew this, so he had to act quickly.

Before Lysandre would do anything else, Greninja was holding him captive.

With Greninja’s Cut right on his throat, Lysandre’s movements were restricted which gave time for Ash to talk.

It wasn’t intended for Lysandre, he wouldn’t listen, but to the thousands he knew were watching the broadcast. It was probably Team Rocket filming him, they were always helpful in these world-ending disasters.

Throughout his journeys, Ash has seen many unique pokemon, been to hundreds of beautiful sights, and met a variety of people.

But all of that doesn't compare to the scene of him traveling and battling with his pokemon.

Charizard roaring in victory over a fainted Articuno.

Sceptile out dueling the undefeatable Darkrai in front of an amazed crowd.

Infernape’s fire blazing in victory over a fallen Electivire.

Krookodile’s sunglasses gleaming in the sun in front of a knocked-out Dragonite.

Greninja standing victorious over Sawyer’s Sceptile in a shocked and silent stadium.

Pikachu, injured but standing over countless ace pokemon and legendaries.

Straight from Ash’s heart, his opinion of beauty, the battles with his pokemon, and bonding with them had been the most beautiful thing Ash has seen and felt in the world.

While his intention of the speech was to spark life into Kalos, to show that this tragedy can be conquered.

It was also a warning. A warning to stop those from taking the wrong path. Whether they take that path was up to them but if they did take it, they would know what would happen to them if they ran into Ash.

It was a declaration, the final order for Greninja to end Lysandre had been a statement.

It was cruel and dark, but Ash had to play the role and Greninja did well too given that it looked like he was about to kill Lysandre with the Night Slash being created.

Ash wasn’t going to kill Lysandre, despite everything he’s seen and done, he wasn’t going to take a life no matter how much they deserved it.

Greninja was meant to knock him out with the edge of his attack but Lysandre had gotten lucky.

Zygarde had made Greninja unbalanced, whose focus was on creating his Night Slash, and gave Lysandre the time to escape.

Greninja had been frustrated with himself and had apologized profoundly to Ash while Lysandre was getting away. It was understandable though, Greninja’s unawareness of his surroundings had only been from his inexperience in hostage situations and that he hadn’t mastered Night Slash yet.

Ash had been working on improving his Kalos team’s move pools. It was a difficulty that this specific team struggled with, many of them having a lack of coverage which made battles more challenging than they should be.

Greninja had made the most progress but the ninja still struggled to form the move quick enough to make it usable in combat. Finding and collecting the dark energy in his body to a certain point had been a challenge.

Ash stared at Lysandre's back.

Lysandre finally looked back.

He was met with a blank face, but eyes that voiced many emotions, the strongest being fury and unforgiveness for what he had done on this earth.

Lysandre getting away was an inconvenience but he wouldn’t cause any more harm.

Ash would make sure of it, just like he always did.

Ash had been reckless.

Destroying Lysandre’s Zygarde had been easier with the champions, Gym Leaders, and Alain. But they weren’t used to charging at life-threatening targets, it made their actions slow and uncertain, the exception being the champions.

They were going to get injured if it kept up and Ash couldn’t let that happen. Keeping them healthy and uninjured will show Kalos the strength of their strongest trainers.

So he sped up, using his unnatural speed and strength to draw attention toward him and use Greninja and Pikachu to take out as many vines as possible. It helped that Lysandre was hesitant in his actions and probably scared from his earlier look. It took his attention off the others and made him keep targeting Ash, identifying him as the most dangerous threat.

The vines continuously going to Ash who was slowly directing himself away from Zygarde opened up a hole in its defense.

In doing so, Ash and his pokemon were overwhelmed as the vines were coming in all directions. With everyone so close to each other, Pikachu and Greninja couldn’t use most of their attacks, having to use physical moves so their comrades weren’t hit in the crossfire.

With no long-range moves, the vines couldn’t all be stopped and many got through to Ash, damaging and slashing at his body. He heard the shouts of worry from the others but they couldn’t get distracted by the opportunity given, he would deal with the injuries to his body later.

The shout from Ash that sounded more like an order for Alain to go made Alain act from his stupor of seeing Ash being injured and get through with his Charizard, taking Chespie and escaping.

It made Zygarde shut down and gave Squishy a target that can’t move.

One full energy blast later, Lysandre was gone and the crisis was over in their victory.

Squishy was certainly powerful, its attack being able to scar the earth itself. Ash could think of only a few legendaries who could do that.

The Z marking in the ground will forever be proof of the battle that happened today and tell the countless stories that had occurred over the crisis. It would also be a testament to Ash’s impact on Kalos, the boy who faced an evil that terrified the whole region un-wavered with a special Greninja and a Pikachu with legendary power.

This led to Ash’s current condition, sitting down in the empty and lifeless terrane and staring in a daze at the scar on the land from Zygarde’s attack, tears in his body bleaching his body in his blood. The high amounts of aura in his body already healing them at a slower pace than it usually would, proving how tired his body was.

Pikachu sat beside him, his upper body leaning against his leg, staring at the same spot he was. Each being a comforting presence to the other, enjoying the tranquility they were conveying to each other in silence.

Ash pulled out a cigar and lighter in his pocket and started flicking the switch. About to light the cigar, he caught Pikachu’s disapproving stare. Disregarding his stare, Ash took a smoke, leaning forward and placing his left elbow on his now raised left knee, his right being taken by Pikachu and ruining his posture.

Pikachu didn’t approve of his activity, thinking it will eventually become a bad habit, but he understood why Ash did it. His mom, however, was a whole other story.

He had started because he needed something to help calm himself after one of his legendary encounters, to distract himself from his raging thoughts so he could think carefully and analyze everything that had happened.

It was late and he had been taking in the air of Pallet Town after coming back from Unova. He had taken a smoke to calm down his thoughts about the region. He was annoyed and irritated with his journey there, not happy with the results.

Delia had caught him, walking outside after not seeing him in his room. The conversation after had lasted almost the whole night, his mother being very angry and disappointed in him for having a hobby that could permanently hurt his body and was struggling to accept it. It was his detailed and thorough reasoning about the lack of harm it caused his body and the reason why he did it to calm her down.

The large amounts of aura in his body would always destroy any downsides he would ever get from smoking.

While she didn’t like it, Delia accepted it because she knew that Ash’s journeys weren’t normal, even with the lack of details he had also given her. But he was banned from doing it in the house, Ash was happy with the compromise.

Ash didn’t do it often anyway, having only started in Sinnoh.

While it did help him think more thoroughly after events like these with many things happening at once, the real reason he did it was that it made him feel more human.

Pikachu and his closest pokemon were the only ones who knew of this, even his mom not knowing about it.

Aura, being the ‘chosen one’, meeting almost every legendary, facing evil organizations region after region, was overwhelming. The feeling of not being a human had grown stronger day after day.

Smoking made him feel more ordinary, that he was a human being and he was just a little different compared to others.

Scrunching his messy hair and releasing smoke that blended into the smoke from the Z marking, he reflected on the consequences that would happen from his actions.

While he was normally energetic and friendly, it was just how he was, he did have a crueler, darker side to him. Traveling for all these years, meeting insane people, and dying had done that to him.

The colder side of his was on display during this whole crisis and it changed his acquaintances' opinion of him.

But he learned that it was necessary, you couldn’t risk being merciful and lenient to foes that want your life. It was a harsh lesson he’s learned over the years and it took a while for him to accept it, being a forgiving person, but when the situation demanded it, it was a necessity to not give any leverage.

Most of the crisis team haven’t learned that lesson though, he could sense the questioning and anxious glances put toward him. The champions were the only exceptions, the experienced and powerful trainers realizing and comprehending why he acted the way he did.

The Team Flare crisis was a situation where it was needed, and his darker side that had developed over the years was essential to save many more lives regardless of the impact it would have on the relationships he had developed in Kalos.

It was a shame Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had to find out like this. His past companions have all been shown in more controlled settings, where they could talk and learn more about it from Ash himself once he trusted them enough. But in Kalos, there has never been a time where it was needed, sometimes the group had seen glimpses of it but never to its fullest scale.

But now, when it had been shown, the current circumstances made it impossible for him to explain it.

Looking at the glances they were shooting him, Ash could see they were hurt, disillusioned with him as well.

They didn’t deserve any of this, some of the greatest people he had ever met, and he betrayed their undesired complete trust in him.

He didn’t want to, but it was a troublesome topic to bring up and they had respected his boundaries almost too much. They were some of his closest friends, he would have given them honest answers if they asked but they never pushed.

Traveling with them had made Kalos one of his best journeys, but they looked up to him too much. He didn’t deserve to be put on such a high pedestal, he had many secrets and they knew that but he was still admired by all three of them.

Trusting him with all of their troubles and always respecting him, Ash hoped he could reconcile with them.

They were different from his traveling companions in the past, and they earned any answers they wanted from him.

Speaking of his old companions, he could already imagine the ear-piercing complaining he would get later. Knowing his luck, they had already seen the broadcast and were waiting for the right time to call him.

He would have to prepare himself for that.

May and Dawn, his little sisters in everything except blood, screaming into his ear about being too reckless and being extremely terrified about his well-being.

Gary and Iris’s teasing, but the worry for him clear behind the front they put up.

Max talking about his analysis of the crisis and what he could have done better, but openly concerned for his idol.

Cilan panicking and speeding up through his connoisseur speech about his Kalos pokemon, something he did when he was distressed about him.

Brock ensuring sure his little brother was fine, before making sure Ash talked about the whole event, getting it off his chest and informing Brock of what was missed in the broadcast.

He didn’t want to think about Misty at the moment.

He was close to some amazing people, Ash didn’t think he was qualified for this amount of concern. He wouldn’t say that to his friends though, they would argue with him for the next hour, his stubbornness had undeniably spread onto them.

Ash took a deep sigh, the smoke from his cigar, aura healing his injuries, and Zygarde’s marking rushing around him. The smoke began to fade, almost like Ash wanted to at the moment.

He was exhausted.

Ash wanted to just avoid everything at the moment. He has traveled through 6 regions and more with no breaks in between. Also with all the shit that goes on in his life, he needed a break.

Maybe it was time for a vacation. His mother had repeatedly told him over the years about Alola and its amazing sights and atmosphere ever since he came home after his challenge of the Battle Frontier.

Thinking back to the Battle Frontier, Scott would probably be sending him another message, especially after his ranking in the league.

He had considered taking the vacation the first time she recommended it, the Battle Frontier had put a lot of fatigue on his body and mind. But then he battled Gary’s Electivire and that got him hooked on heading to Sinnoh. Similar things had happened in between his breaks home after that.

After dealing with the crisis at hand, he wanted the vacation now. The Alola sun would do great for his body and mind, help him relax, and slow down. His pokemon would enjoy it too, he could bring Pidgeot and Primeape as well. It would be a great bonding experience with all of his pokemon and also get them away from Professor Oak’s lab.

Most importantly, it would get him some time to hang out with his mom. She fully earned it after all the time he had been away.

He would ask his mom about it when he got home.

Pikachu jumped up to his head, apparently done with its break. Leaning over so Ash could see his eyes, he gave Ash a stare that was only used when asking for a certain condiment.

Ash chuckled.

“I’ll get you a bottle when we get back. Pretty sure I have one at the bottom of my bag.”

The look of gratitude on Pikachu's face was enough to lift his spirits.

He could think about his plans later, he still needed to help deal with the damage done to Kalos by Lysandre.

He would do his best to fix things before he left Kalos. He would start making decisions once his backup arrived.

Ash noticed Pikachu’s ear twitch as he stepped down to his shoulder. His superior senses must have sensed the two incredibly powerful pokemon flying their way that Ash just caught sight of.

He stood up and let his cigar fall.

“Looks like backup arrived.”

Ash stepped on his cigar, twisting his foot and burning out its flame.

“Rawhrrr!!”

Putting his hands in his pockets, Ash walked toward the destination of the roar.

Clemont was confused.

The roar that came from one of the two pokemon in front of him had been the embodiment of power.

When he heard it, he was instantly put into disarray and already had a hand on Luxray’s pokeball.

Everyone in the crisis except Ash had grouped up near the smoke, where the powerful pokemon had landed, anxious and ready for battle.

Any plans Clemont had were instantly stopped when he saw who was in the smoke.

Now he was flustered, things just got more confusing than they already were which he thought was impossible.

He thinks Arceus is messing with him at this point. Why were the champions of Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh here?

“Lance?” Steven’s confused voice carried across the whole group

“Cynthia?” Diantha’s voice followed, the Hoenn and Kalos champions closing in on their fellow champions.

Clemont wanted to follow, but the pressure emanating from Cynthia and Lance along with their pokemon showed they were serious, no doubt already filled in on what had happened.

Seeing familiar faces though, they seemed to relax and the pressure diminished, still there though.

The pokemon near them made it hard for Clemont to look in their direction though, and his friends under the same effect.

Clemont had heard stories of the champions' ace pokemon. Of Cynthia’s Garchomp and how it was said to be one of the strongest pokemon in the world, even stronger than several legendaries. Lance’s Dragonite as well, its power being able to keep Kanto and Johto under control.

Seeing them in person, he could confidently say the stories were not false by any means, maybe having even underestimated the pokemon.

They were enormous and their draconic power of theirs was oozing off of them. Being at least twice the size of everyone there, they towered over even Alain’s and Professor Sycamore's Mega Charizard and Garchomp.

Drowning in his thoughts about the incredibly powerful pokemon, he caught the end of the champion’s discussion, just close enough where he could hear their words.

“Why are you two here?” Steven asked the question Clemont wanted to know as soon as he saw the two of them. Everyone else did too, all of them getting closer to the champions to hear the answer, forgetting about the two beasts currently staring them down.

Lance and Cynthia gave a quick look to the other, thinking of an appropriate answer

“A friend called us.” Cynthia mysteriously responded, that wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

“A friend called you?” Diantha was dumbfounded just as he was, although Steven appeared to have understood the answer, his eyes widening in recognition.

“You're late.”

Before any other question could be asked, a voice everyone was familiar with spoke behind Garchomp and Dragonite, who were standing behind their corresponding trainer. Any tension in Cynthia and Lance diminished, they looked relieved to hear the voice.

All attention brought to the voice, Ash with Pikachu by his feet could be distinguished scratching Garchomps rough skin and Dragonite’s stomach. Both looked fine with it and looked happy to see Ash.

“You look like shit.” Lance ignored what Ash said, instead stating the obvious.

It was certainly an accurate description of him, now standing with the two champions, Ash just looked terrible.

Hands in his pockets showed the tears and marks across his body, and teared-up pants showed the dried blood across his legs and arms.

Getting another look at him though, a lot of the earlier damage to his body was healed. It hadn’t been that long since Clemont had last seen Ash up close so how was he already that healthy?

Ash only smirked in response, eyes filled with mirth as he eyed the two powerful champions with no fear.

“The situation seems to have calmed down, we tried to get here as fast as we could but we had some delays,” Cynthia spoke her first words.

“Hmm, well luckily everyone here reacted quickly and we were able to stop Lysandre before things got out of our control.”

That was a lie. Clemont knew it, and the others around him knew it too. Ash was the only one who made any progress in stopping him, they just helped finish it. But Ash’s tone, it felt like he was just happy that they were there. Like they didn’t even need to be helpful, but the fact they were there to help was enough.

Cynthia hummed, a look of pity and understanding in her eyes as she stared at Ash.
“What if they hadn’t?” Lance’s question conveyed complete curiosity.

“I wonder.” Ash didn’t answer, but glances were shot between the three of them. Almost like they were talking in a different language, was Ash that familiar with the two strong trainers?

He most definitely was, the way he talked to them as if they weren’t some of the strongest trainers in the world proved that.

But how did Ash know them? The chances of even talking to a champion are rare, so it was a mystery that Ash was even close enough to the two of them to have a proper conversation. The unanswered answer was a curiosity to everyone since they were all very focused on the chat in front of them.

“You're different than you were in Unova.” It wasn’t a question but a confident statement, almost like Cynthia already knew the answer.

“I was angry. I got lazy and I had to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.”

Ash had been to Unova? That was surprising given how far away the region was. He seemed pissed off about it, was that why he never talked about it?

“I hope Kalos has been good to you,” Diantha responded, her tone confirming that she genuinely hoped it had been. With all the things he had done today for the region, Ash must have earned the champion's respect.

“It’s been amazing, mega evolution is fascinating and there are some great trainers here.” Ash’s face showed some of the liveliness he was known for, it was gone not too long after though.

“Until Lysandre of course.” Now that got everyone quiet. The silence was deafening, and the flashbacks of the entire crisis flowing through his mind hurt to think about.

“What happened to him?” Korrina asked the question, breaking the silence and bringing their attention to her. She was probably asking herself based on the volume of her voice but everyone heard it because of the silence.

With all the attention on her, Korrina blushed, flustered that everyone heard her.

“L-Lysandre I mean, what happened to Lysandre?” It was a good question, he had disappeared after Squishy’s attack and Clemont didn’t see him escape.

No one answered though the more experienced gym leaders and professor Sycamore looked grim. All four champions shared a look between each other and Ash looked neutral to the question, a blank look setting on his face.

He was confused, did they know what happened to him? Clemont had to think deeply about what could cause this sort of reaction. The list of reasons was very short, considering nothing much-fazed people at their caliber.

Clemont had realized after connecting all the dots. It was pretty obvious after he thought it through but he just didn’t want to think about it, maybe that’s why he didn’t realize it sooner.

Lysandre was stuck with no option to dodge or counter, a full-on legendary power attack aimed straight at him, it hit Clemont like a truck.

There was no other reasonable exclamation, Lysandre had mostly likely di-

“Lysandre is dead.” Steven grimly said. He felt bad for delivering the news to people at a young age like Clemont, but being a champion and one of the oldest, it was his responsibility.

The gasps from the ones who hadn’t already figured it out hurt to hear. Lysandre had done a lot of horrible things and while all the people here hadn’t seen it fully happen, being so close to death was heartbreaking even if the person deserved it.

For the next couple of minutes, no one talked. Ash used the time to look back at the marking from Zygarde’s attack. His body looked too relaxed for someone who just played a role in someone’s death.

“I knew you were different ever since I battled your Greninja but you're too unfazed by this even at your young age. Why is that?” Wulfric asked, and the way he asked almost sounded like he demanded an answer. Not out of rudeness, he showed great respect to Ash after being defeated by him, but out of curiosity to know more about him.

Clemont hoped Ash answered, unlike his previous answers. Regardless of everything that had changed about Ash today, being this unfazed to death that you don’t show any reaction is unnatural, especially at the age Ash was. Ash was only a couple of months older than Clemont and he was having a hard time processing everything, he couldn’t stop the shaking in his arms and hands.

Ash brought his eyes back to Wulfric, but really to the whole group as they were all together. Then, as if sensing his plea for answers, Ash gave a complete and honest answer.

“I’ve been surrounded by death ever since I've been a trainer. When it happens over and over again, it starts to become normal.” It was surprising to hear something so truthful from Ash. While he talked a lot, he never talked about himself and it made it hard to know a lot about him.

“It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt though, I still try to avoid it when possible.” That was new, Clemont didn’t think Ash could be hurt after everything he’s seen him done. Was this new cold and heartless persona the way Ash handled these types of things? A facade to hide and put away all hurt he experiences.

No. What he did in the tower was too real to be a facade, maybe his happy and energetic personality was what he used to comfort himself but this cold exterior he had is certainly a part of Ash.

He was learning a lot about Ash during this crisis, things he didn’t know existed and things he’s had questions about for a long time.

“I find that surprising, you were a second away from cutting Lysandre’s head to the floor.” Mairin voiced her suspicions, the doubt that Ash was being honest and that he was hurt was clear in her voice based on his past actions.

She was young, inexperienced, and didn’t know Ash as well as he did. He had heard the complete honesty in Ash’s voice, the one he used when he was with his pokemon, so he knew that Ash wasn’t lying about this. But Mairin didn’t know much about Ash and what she had learned about him was from this current one, the Ash fighting against a criminal organization to save Kalos. While her doubt was understandable from what she knew and she was very mentally tired from her pokemon being kidnapped, Clemont was still angry.

Ash, his best friend being accused of lying in a disaster to this level had made him angry at Mairin. It was unreasonable anger but he still felt it, Mairin was a kind girl but she shouldn’t be talking in this advanced conversation and making assumptions on baseless evidence.

Mairin must have been oblivious to the glares being sent at her from him, Serena, and Bonnie. When he was about to refute her, he met Ash’s eyes and stayed quiet along with his sister and Serena.

Ash didn’t want the three to get into the conversation so they listened. Although he did appear grateful when he looked at the three of them, maybe because they were going to argue for him.

Ash stared into Mairin’s eyes with unflinching eyes which made her flinch slightly in response.

“I was never going to kill him. I don’t kill.” Ash had full confidence in what he said, it was clear that he would never break this rule he set on himself.

“You threatened his life with Greninja under your order!” Even though she wavered after meeting Ash’s eyes, Mairin replied boldly, wanting to get her point across.

“There was no harm meant under the order, I made a sacrifice that needed to happen. You won’t understand it now but I overlooked the consequences of my actions for Kalos.” Ash replied bolder, he didn’t exactly explain why he told the order but it was clear he did it for Kalos.

It was a confusing statement, Clemont didn’t understand and everyone else didn’t either. With a baffled look on her face showing her confusion, Mairin stopped proclaiming her accusations against Ash.

The champions understood the meaning behind what Ash said, all of their eyes filled with sympathy as they laid their eyes on him.

“You certainly meant harm when you ordered your Pikachu. He obliterated Lysandre’s pokemon in an instance.” Viola commented, Pikachu had shown no mercy and damaged his pokemon to incredible levels. It was so unlike Pikachu being an incredibly kind pokemon and Viola was probably thinking about her own battle with Pikachu.

Pikachu has undeniably not shown everything he could do when Ash challenged all the gym leaders.

“You let Pikachu loose!?” Cynthia, who had been quiet and letting Ash talk, spoke out in complete surprise. She rarely showed anything past her mature and focused face but Ash apparently using Pikachu to that level had broken it.

“We had it under control, Pikachu had full control of his actions and the power he put into them.” Ash’s reply calmed Cynthia down but also verified that Ash wanted to cause that amount of damage to Lysandre’s pokemon. While it did verify that, it also proved something else that Clemont has had his suspicions on.

“You’ve been holding back.” Alain's accusing voice gave everyone the same realization that Clemont had made. Having battled him at the highest level, Alain was able to connect the dots and find out how Ash’s pokemon were way stronger.

“I told you that I wanted your strongest!” Alain was dissatisfied, it was apparent that he won against a trainer who wasn’t giving it his all.

Ash didn’t give a response, he wasn’t fazed by the accusation and the anger growing in Alain despite the current situation and the people currently watching. If anything, he looked amused, a small smirk and raised eyebrow growing on his face.

Professor Sycamore was able to read the mood however and know that this wasn’t the time for this kind of conversation that could end very badly. Putting a hand on Alain’s shoulder, he told him to calm down and ask Ash about it later.

Ash’s amused face didn’t set Alain right though and he blew a fuse. A rare occurrence considering his natural calmness but like with Mairin, the crisis and the confessions that came with it have affected his current character.

Shoving off Professor Sycamore’s hand, he walked over to Ash, ignoring any warning glances from the champions and the pokemon around them.

Despite their displeasure with what was going to happen, none of them acted against Alain, waiting for how Ash was going to react.

“Why!? Why did you hold back against me!?” Alain wanted answers from Ash, disregarding Pikachu who had sparks coming from his cheeks.

“I have my reasons.” Ash left it at that, it was clear he wasn’t going to tell anything.

“Fuck your reasons, I told you to fight me at your strongest!” Alain was dissatisfied with Ash’s response, Pikachu looked ready to attack but stopped after seeing Ash’s hand raise

“Since when did you decide what I have to do? I'm sure you have reasons for your actions.” Ash’s amused face was replaced with a knowing smirk.

Alain didn’t say anything in response, a bewildered look converting to a look of guilt. Ash must know something against Alain, and for Alain to look that guilty, it must be a big secret

“Lysandre told me everything.” That was all Ash needed to say for Alain to grow frustrated, at the Team Flare boss and himself, and walk back to the Professor and Mairin. Lysandre must have done something to Alain, but it was probably his fault as well considering Alain's look of regret at himself.

Ash took a heavy sigh, this was probably mentally taxing on himself as well.

“We aren’t going to get any explanations and answers done here,” Ash spoke directly to the four champions around him. They nodded in confirmation and agreement.

“We can think about things later, for now, let's go back to Lumiose and help any people recovering.” Diantha made the next move, it was an affirmative from everyone there and set the others in motion. The conversations that had happened ever since Lance and Cynthia arrived had made the atmosphere tense.

Ash took the first leave, walking off to the broken city in the distance with Pikachu on his shoulder. Clemont thought of joining him, but the aura surrounding Ash was a message to him to leave Ash alone.

“I always forget how serious he can get when the situation calls for it,” Steven mentioned.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see past his natural cheerfulness, but behind that is a powerful trainer,” Cynthia added on, Clemont still wasn’t used to the familiarity between the champions and Ash.

“He’s experienced, a veteran in this field, and has seen a lot of shit over his travels as a trainer,” Lance spoke as if he’s seen it in person many times, Clemont didn’t doubt it given the closeness Ash had shown with the dragon master.

Many things had happened today, but the most shocking had to be Ash. He’s learned a lot about him today, but today will always serve as a reminder to him, about Ash’s strength.

Clemont saw him face Alain’s Mega Charizard, a monster of a pokemon, then right after face Lysandre and have no difficulty in defeating him. But even with the damage dealt to his body, battle the attacks of a legendary and was completely unfazed by a Dragonite and Garchomp who held power that take years to master.

While much needed to be calibrated, what Ash had done during this crisis will be forever ingrained in his mind.