Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun was beginning to set on the island as two trainers battled each other near the shoreline of the beach. A crowd had surrounded them the moment a teenage boy challenged the one and only pokemon master to a battle on the dusk of day in the Alola Region.

“Let’s finish this Pikachu! Use thunderbolt!” Ash blustered. The opposing Gyarados cried as a surge of electricity came down. “Pika! CHUUUUU!”

A big cloud of sand erupted as Gyarados came crashing down. Esben, the opposing trainer, waited for the dust screen to bask away. The audience, intrigued into the heat of the battle, kept their eyes glued. The sand began to settle after a few moments, revealing Gyarados laying limp on its side. The crowd laid motionless. A silence lingered in the air with only the small pants of Pikachu filling the air. “Gyarados is unable to battle. Ash and Pikachu win!” Suddenly, the hurdle of people erupted into cheers.

Ash ran and picked up Pikachu. “Amazing job, buddy!” “Pikapi!” Esben shrugged. He walked up with a pokeball and sent Gyarados back to rest. He closed his eyes and spoke into the center of the pokeball, “You did great, now have some time to get your energy back.” He fluttered his eyes open to see Ash with his hand out. “That was an impressive battle no doubt! You definitely have the potential to become a strong trainer.”

Esben shook his hand. “That means a lot to me, Ash. It was an honor to battle the one and only pokemon master! Your pokemon–” He stuttered. “They were incredible!” Ash chuckled from flattery. "You gave a good challenge. Trust me, if you grow to be more confident, you and your pokemon will have it pat down in no time!" Pikachu nudged Ash's wristwatch mid sentence. “Well, Pikachu and I better get going. I hope we’ll meet again.”

“I’ll be much stronger next time we see each other!" Esben yelled, but Ash was already waving from a distance—pacing and bumping into others in order to get as far away from bombarding fans. “Sorry, sorry— I have to get going!” Ash and Pikachu eventually lost the other trainers who were still interested in battling. Unfortunately for them, Ash knew it was time to get back for the day.  They weaved their way through a shortcut behind an array of palm trees. Ash huffed, “I bet Professor Burnet and Kukui have a good meal prepared by now. Can’t wait to finally have something to eat after all these battles today! Don't you think so, Pikachu?” On his back, the yellow mouse squealed in agreement.

Ash stepped onto the front porch and entered through the unlocked front door. “Look who made it back just in time for dinner.” A deeper voice bellowed as Ash and Pikachu walked through Kukui's laboratory. The professor finished placing the last bowl of rice on the table. Afterward he gestured to come take a seat. Professor Burnet plopped their toddler onto a chair at the end of the dining table and gave a kiss on Lei's forehead. The young duo perked up from the aroma of freshly cooked rice, basculin, Burnet’s home made soup dish and freshly cut watermelon. 

“Hey Ash- Pikachu!” Burnet exclaimed. She took one good look at Pikachu and noticed his roughed up fur from the previous battle. She finished helping Lei settle down and took Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. “Looks like you found someone who gave you a good challenge. Let’s fix some of these boo-boos so you can enjoy your meal without any worry!” She smiled and pet Pikachu's tail. He reacted with a squeal of contentment. “Yup, I wouldn't say they were exactly the easiest, but it doesn’t hurt to have good competition!” "You've got that right, Ash." Burnet took off with Pikachu and followed down to the basement where the actual laboratory was kept. 

Ash took his seat at the dinner table eager to dig in. Just as he was about to reach for his fork to take a serving of his soup, Professor Kukui interjected— saying they must keep their appetite until Pikachu and Burnet came back. Ash groaned to himself thinking of how much he was treating him like a kid, which at this point he has fully grown out of to say the least. He was practically considered an adult now. Coincidentally his stomach began to rumble louder than ever, almost as if it was asking to take a single, unnoticeable bite too—but it still didn’t convince the professor.

By the time Pikachu and Ash’s other pokemon were healed, Pikachu and Burnet eagerly joined in. They said their thanks for the food before Kukui exclaimed, “Let’s eat!” Ash and Pikachu dug into their bowls and plates. Lei, who was now old enough to barely grab chunks with a smaller fork and spoon, stuffed some smaller portions of watermelon and rice into his mouth. Burnet gently wiped away the grains of rice that somehow stuck to his kid’s chestnut hair. Pikachu helped himself to some homemade Pokemon pellets as Ash licked his plate clean in the span of only a couple minutes.

Once everyone finished their meal, Burnet pulled out fresh Malasadas for dessert. Ash and Pikachu watched them come out of the oven with starry eyes. They each took a bite into the sweet dough, satisfied with the warmth and freshness of their bite. “Thank you for baking these. They’re so delicious!” Ash chewed slowly savoring every flavor. “Pika!” “Glad you two like it. That was all my cooking this time!" Kukui playfully boasted. He continued to tease, "Must’ve been some time since you’ve had some of my delicious Malasadas huh?” “Pi!” Ash guiltily snickered back.

“Hey, Munchlax,” Burnet called to her pokemon who was now helping put utensils into the sink. “Please take Lei back to his room. Afterwards, could you grab the mail? I forgot to grab it this morning.” “Munch!” Munchlax carried Lei who was dozing on and off up to his bed. The pokemon’s waddles could be heard fading away from the first floor. Soon enough, the front door opening and closing could be heard from behind. “Would you like any help with cleaning?” Ash asked the professors. “We’ve got it covered; go relax or something, you must be exhausted from today.”  Ash yawned then proceeded to the living room space. He slammed his body to the couch as Pikachu hopped onto the coffee table in front of him. He picked up the television remote and began to click and click through the channels— each seeming more boring than the last... Either because he was tired or just genuinely disinterested.

Another sound came from behind. Munchlax walked in, this time with a handful of envelopes and papers. The papers flopped onto the tidied kitchen table. “Lax!” “Thank you!” Burnet chirped as she began to flip through a pile of papers. A couple were bills, others were letters from professors of other regions, likely written to the two professors in the home. Burnet flipped through the assortment of envelopes, telling herself to deal with each bill payment later— which was until a particularly colorful and glossy flyer caught her eye.

“Huh… Take a look at this, love.” 

Professor Kukui looked up from washing the dishes. His eyes were met with the same sparkly piece of paper, with big, bold golden lettering. “What’s this about?” He asked, studying the bright pink flyer held out in front of him.

Ash and Pikachu, already overhearing and eavesdropping on the conversation, directed their attention away from the Ditto TV show Pikachu choose. “Ash!” Burnet called out from afar. “Would you be interested in watching a show with us? It’d be a nice way to end your trip in Alola.”

He made a small “hmm?” sound of curiosity. He turned off the TV and walked up to the counters with Pikachu hopping behind. “A show? I think that’d be a great idea, Professor.” “Pikachu!” The pokemon yelped. “Pikachu’s asking what kind of show. I’m wondering as well.” “A pokemon showcase! I’ve personally always dreamed of seeing one.” Burnet beamed. Ash raised an eyebrow “A showcase? In Alola? Don’t they only have those in the Kalos Region?”

Kukui went on, “That's what I thought as well. But look! It reads here that it’s to celebrate Kalos’ 500th Anniversary of pokemon showcases… They must be touring from region to region for the occasion.” "What do you think, Ash? They’re holding it pretty close to Hau’oli City!” Burnet pushed. Kukui smugly muttered, “Honey, I feel as if Ash is more of a battle, high-stakes, type of guy… are you sure this is a good idea?” Ash could only hear Burnet rebuttal back as he thought about it more. A pokemon performance to finish off his last few days here in Alola huh? He continued to ask— “Could I see that?” Ash pointed to the glittering piece of paper that stood out on top of white envelopes.

Burnet instantly handed him the flyer. Both of the professors watched Ash and Pikachu to skim through. The paper was adorned in fancy stationary decor, almost like a handmade pop up book. Some parts of the page were 3D while others had cool textures along the borders and photos. It was really selling it for its high quality. Pictures of multiple girls and their pokemon in just as colorful dresses and accessories were showcased in exaggerated poses. Ash’s eyes first went to the exaggerated shiny lettering in the middle. The title read, “Celebrate the 500 Years of Pokemon Performances, In the Anniversary Worldwide Tour!”. Next to it, he recognized the face of Aria, the Kalos Queen. Her bright coral hair popped out to him instantly. Right on the bottom in a smaller silver sheen of text were the details of the date and location. “Sunday? That's already in a couple days.” Burnet pointed out a text that looked a bit out of place and printed on last minute—“It says there’s still seating available right there. For sale too!”  The text was so exposed that it was technically yelling at whoever was reading the flyer- "seats available!! "and to "get tickets NOW! 30% OFF!" were in bold red letters. Then, all of a sudden Pikachu gasped in shock. 

“What is it, buddy?” “Pika Pika!!!” This time he shrieked even louder. Pikachu’s paw pointed to a girl near the left corner of the page. It was someone who Ash recognized instantly. The girl had recognizable dark blue eyes and muted brunette hair. She wore a hot pink performance dress with light blue accessories. The outfit matched the Sylveon beside her, whose ribbons were tied around her wrist. He had to examine the picture again and again to make sure he wasn't tired and just seeing things.

It was for more than a moment that the professors noticed Ash’s surprised look. “Pikachu isn’t that…” Ash trailed off.

“What is it, Ash? Recognize someone?” Ash blinked. Then blinked again. Kukui was right. He indeed recognized the girl on the corner of the page. She was none other than his long time friend…

“SERENA?!” Ash yelled as he finally accepted that yes... It was infact Serena.  Pikachu cried back. Both Burnet and Kukui's overlapping voices pitched upwards, “Serena?” “Who is that?”

 “This girl right here!” Ash instantly responded, pointing to the corner of a page. “Pikachu and I adventured with her in Kalos right before I came to Alola for the first time.” “Pikapi!” “Hah! you’re right, Pikachu. Now we have to go see this if she's going to be in it!” He grinned from ear to ear.

Burnet looked pleased. “Looks like Ash has made up his mind. I’ll get us tickets right away!” She made a winning glance at Kukui, who had a feeling of defeat from Ash’s decision. She left the kitchen and shuffled down to the basement.”These tickets won’t buy themselves!” She sang out from the staircases. Kukui shook his head. “She makes the most awful remarks when she’s right.” “Pika..” Pikachu awkwardly scratched his head.

Sighing, Kukui continued to ask, “So, would this be the first time you and Pikachu will see her perform?” “Actually, we were friends even before she became a coordinator.” “Is that so?” “Yup. She would really just travel with me and our other companions, Clemont and Bonnie, for a while. Eventually she found out what her goal was going to be, but only then was she a new trainer!" "Looks like you two go way back." Kukui spoke. Ash continued, "The last time I saw her was a year or two ago—shortly in the Hoenn region. If I remember correctly... she traveled there because wanted to focus on participating in Pokemon Contests. She was a close contender in the finals in Kalos, but she still lost to theQueen, Aria. Still—She’s honestly great at what she does! I could only imagine how much she's improved.” Kukui’s smiled as his voice boomed, “You two have gone through a lot together haven't you, Ash. Looks like you’ll have a great time seeing an old friend again.” 

And so, the two laughed the late evening off at Ash's remembrance of Serena. Burnet came running upstairs with 4 copies of mezzanine tickets in hand and squealing to herself like a kid— most likely due to the fact she's going to be attending a Pokemon Performance for the first time. She happily handed Kukui and Ash their own slip to keep until the upcoming date.

Ash read the tickets dated for this Sunday. Suddenly he felt skittish and more awake than ever, but he couldn’t lie... he was also excited for what's to come. He thought to himself, after all this time...I'll be reuniting with an old-time friend once again in a couple days…watching her dazzled with passion on stage. A wave of nostalgia hit him from the memory of watching her first performance.

 It’ll be just like old times.

Chapter Text

The warmth and humidity of the town just outside Hau’ Oli settled in the air. Ash, Pikachu, Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet and Lei walked along the edges of the island on their way to see the touring Kalos Pokemon Performance. Ash and the yellow mouse ran ahead out of pure excitement. Even if it felt like it was in the back of Ash’s head, he and Pikachu still felt the thrill of seeing Serena perform once again. He was so eager, in fact, that he crossed the street as a car was passing by…

 “Ash, look out!” Kukui shouted as horns blared across the crosswalk. Unaware of his surroundings, Ash faced the oncoming vehicle at the last second. He let out a yelp and ran across the road just in time. Pikachu immediately scolded him from the other side of the sidewalk “Pika! Pika!”. Ash wiped the perspiration—either from the near death experience or unbearing sunny heat—from his forehead. “I’m alright!” He hollered. Burnet squeezed Lei’s hand a bit tighter and shook her head in disapproval— almost as if she were hoping Lei would know better by Ash’s age…

The group continued down the route to the nearby stadium. Soon enough the outside of the large stadium came into sight with lines of attendees piling in at the entrance. The chatter of people filled the area. Fans with merchandise and enthusiastic faces were with their Pokemon who were just as eager to watch. “Pika!” Pikachu cried from Ash’s shoulder. “This is it buddy, Serena’s here!" He shouted, catching a couple stares. He exhaled  "It’s been so long since we’ve seen her, but now's the time.” 

Around the area were dozens of stands. Some sold jewelry so you could dress up just like a performer—another had various light sticks and different kinds of merch with the event's title branded on the front. Other stands sold extravagant beverages and fast food making passerby's literally drool at the sight of it. One in particular caught the corner of Ash’s eye. A smaller, more humble cart stood behind a large group of fans in line for a nearby photo booth. The florist was an elderly woman who had laid out a plaid cloth with buckets of flowers on top. On the cart were an assortment of vibrant bouquets and single picked flowers. “Ash, how about we head into the line? Unless you want to go grab a snack before we get inside?” Professor Burnet asked. 

Ash looked back at the family then back at the colorful set behind them. “You guys can find your seats. We’ll catch up before the show starts.” Burnet nodded her head and directed Lei to the long line with her husband. 

“What do you say, Pikachu? I think we should get something for Serena before the show starts.” “Pika Pika!!” He ran off in the opposite direction and weaved his way through excited fans to get to the flower stand. Once he got there Pikachu hopped off his shoulder to smell each flower inside the filled pails. Ash grew closer and was able to see each flower in better detail.  Many of them were eye-catching tropical flowers from around the area. He noticed the variation of pinks, whites, orange, and yellows. There were even some roses at the highest shelf of the white cart. They were a light teal, which stood out greatly from the rest.

 As Ash reached for a pot of orchids, a woman cutting the stems from some heliconias appeared from behind. “Looking for anything specifically, hon?” The florist kindly spoke. Ash flinched from her sudden presence. Playing it off coolly he replied, “No, not really. I was wondering if you could recommend what I should get... to give one of the coordinators for the show tonight?” 

The lady chuckled. “Ah… One of the fans, yes?” “Yup, you could say that.” Ash scratched his head awkwardly. “See, one of the performers tonight is actually one of my friends I haven’t seen in a long time. I saw your cool-looking stand over here and thought it would be a nice reunion gift.” 

She began arranging her heliconias into a finished bouquet and handed it to another customer. “That’ll be seven pokedollars…” She trailed off. “So uh, what would you recommend?” Ash mumbled. “Oh yes, yes. That’s quite thoughtful of you to do that for your friend” She smiled. “How about…” The lady began to pick off flowers from different piles, each from the bundles that laid on the cart. After making the selection, she laid them across her palms and presented them to Ash.

“Do these seem to resonate with your preference?” Ash stared at each intricately detailed flower. She lowered herself to show them to Pikachu, who took a sniff at each blossom. The woman described the pink ones being orchids and the raspberry red ones being calla lilies. There were also a few she didn't describe the names of— like the tinier blue flowers. They particularly stood out to Ash, instantly reminding him of Serena for some reason he couldn’t determine for sure... Still without a doubt the assortment was beautiful. I’d say it’s perfect.” “Right then, I’ll get to wrapping these.”

 The lady cut a piece from a roll of brown paper and laid out each flower into a organized arrangement. She also added a couple of exotic-looking leaves which added a neutral background to the colorful main florals. She finished with a light pink bow wrapped around the base. “Thank you so much!” He faced Pikachu. “Serena’s going to love this.” Pikachu yelped in agreement.“Achuu!” Suddenly the woman’s face turned softer. 

“So your friend is Serena huh… Well then it’s on me.” “Wha–? No it’s alright I could—” “No need to. I’m just happy to know that one of my arrangements is going to my granddaughter’s favorite coordinator. My grandson is also a big fan of you, Mr. Ketchum.” She winked. He could only blink back. “Now, go ahead. Enjoy the show!” He reached out for the flowers and gently  took them from her hands. He then took his hand in hers and shook it back. After, he ran off saying goodbye. She waved back and watched as he left to catch up with the line.

The line was shorter now. Fortunately, it made it way faster for Ash and Pikachu to get inside. Once they made it to the door, the security scanned his ticket and handed him a lightstick. Inside were more food bazaars, but Pikachu urged Ash to ignore them– squeaking on about how the show would start at any moment. The stage was enormous compared to how it looked from the outside.

Ash was able to find a staff member who helped them find their seating row. They were led to a higher floor where steep steps circled the entire mezzanine. He listened to many people cheer for the performance to begin as he was escorted down. Halfway down, the lights dimmed down. A loud sound came on as several circular spotlights spinned around. The announcer slowly popped up from the bottom of the stage with a large hat and staff. The attention immediately turned towards him as awe-struck silence grew. spoke. The dark haired man raised up his head. “Presented by the Kalos Performers' Comittee...Bonjour Alola!" The crowd instantly erupted. "My name is Monsieur Nikolai…Bienvenue to Kalos 500th Year…” 

Ash almost didn't catch that the staff member stopped. She gestured to the row beside her. “Just down this row is seat number 50, sir. Enjoy the show.” He nodded and thanked the woman. Before he could get into the middle of the aisle, he saw that a trioblocking his way. There was a small man with brown hair and an oversized vest, a woman with a large sun hat and large sunglasses (in the middle of an enclosed stadium?), and a man with a low bun and mustache with their legs covering the walking space.

Ash spoke, “Excuse me…” The rather short man in the outermost seat didn’t seem to hear him over the announcer’s booming voice. He tried again, this time trying to sound louder than the speakers . “Could you guys excuse us? My Pikachu and I need to get to our seats...” Suddenly the short guy's posture stiffened—and so did the man and woman that sat to the right of him. In sync with mouths agape the three shouted, “Twerp?!?” “And Pikachu?”, the guy with blue hair added. “Pika?!” Ash jolted back. Who are they calling twerp? No way that's- “Team Rocket?! What’re you doing here?!” 

“Oh please, we could ask you the same thing! Since when do you care for something like the Kalos Performance World Tour?'” Jessie pouted. Pikachu jumped off of Ash’s shoulder and planted it's feet into a defensive position. Sparks began tickling the pinks of its cheeks. “Woah, calm down!” Meowth put up its hands. “We aren’t here to do any harm. All we want is to have fun and watch the show tonight. We had no idea you were going to be here!” Ash’s eyes furrowed. “So what are you planning? You’re going to sabotage tonight’s show, aren’t you?” “We didn’t think twice about doing such a thing.” James interjected. 

“See? We’re here to enjoy the performance, no tricks or traps…” “Well, only because Jessie dragged us here after she lost the first round—" James mumbled before she covered his mouth with her hands. “Would you shut up! The show has already started— Let the twerp go so I could watch this once in a lifetime moment without having to listen to you two groveling for half the introduction!”

The two boys silenced down and moved in a way that would let Ash through. He looked at Pikachu conspicuously, but then made the decision to trust them for this one time. Perhaps they just wanted to see the show without having anything to do with stealing pokemon. Perhaps this one time they're taking the leisure time, especially after all the trouble they’ve been through throughout their shared history. Ash and his pokemon weaved their way through the row without another word then found himself sitting next to Kukui. 

“There you are! What took so long?” the professor asked. “I… uh. Had a few unexpected run-ins.” Pikachu shook his head from Ash’s lap. “Pi…” “But I did grab these on the way.” He showed off the bouquet from earlier to the professors. “Those are so pretty, Ash!” Burnet beamed. “Picked up a little something for Serena huh?” He smiled and nodded.

By the time the conversation ended, so did the Announcer’s introduction. The lights began to dim again with energetic yet suspenseful music in the background. Long long sticks of every color shook around as the crowd roared with anticipation. Even Lei cheered and waved around his light stick too. There was a shine in Ash’s eyes that Pikachu noticed. It let out a curious coo, to which Ash replied, “I bet Serena must’ve really grown since the last time we’ve seen her. I can’t wait to see what she’s come up with now.” He grinned from ear to ear. “You too, bud?” “Pikapi!” Kukui smiled to himself as he watched their interaction from the corner of his eye. 

The music got louder, and the stage lights got brighter. The crowd shared a thrill from the thought of seeing each coordinator get up on the stage and perform their talented stunts… 

This was it— the beginning of a moment with no return. The turning point for both Ash…

 and Serena.