Chapter Text
"Now that you're the Pokémon Monarch, have you achieved your goal of being Pokémon Master?" is a question Ash is often faced with.
And the truth is, he doesn't know. He feels like his journey is over, sure, but he doesn't want to let go of that just yet. He still loves Pokémon, and he still adores battling. But that's not everything a Pokémon master is now. He's befriended a lot of Pokémon, people, and enemies too. So maybe, the next step in being a Pokémon Master... is to teach everyone else how to be one, too.
Goh hums in understanding. "Yeah, I guess so. You've never been one to settle down, huh, Ashy-boy?" Gary chuckles. Ash pouts, but the food is way too good to stay mad. Ash leans back when he finishes his sandwich. "But the thing is, I'm only twenty. Should I really be looking for a successor this early on?" Ash asks, incredulous. Gary hums in thought. "I guess so, but do you wanna end up like Leon? The poor guy started looking when he was twenty-three, he only found you when he was nearing his thirties!" Horace snorts. "He was twenty-seven, Gary."
"No one asked you, Hore." Goh quips, Gary laughs, slamming his hand on the table as Horace gawks at Goh. Ash breathes deeply, trying hard not to laugh at his friend's vulgarity.
Goh and Horace retire for the night into the guest bedroom of Ash's house, which is honestly just their bedroom now from how frequently they use it. And even if they aren't around, no one else sleeps in there, save for when Pikachu is mad at Ash. Gary and Ash decide to stay up a little later than usual. Gary heads over to the cupboards to find their stash of wine.
"How's work been?" Ash asks, Gary pours him a glass of wine. "It's… fine. Process is slow, but you know how it is." Ash chuckles, taking a sip from his cup. Goh and Horace were just a few years younger than them both, so they avoided drinking when the other two were around. Kind of like parents avoiding doing anything stupid around their children, except the parents are only 21 and 20 respectively, while their children are 18 and 19. Gary pours himself a cup of wine as well. They don't bother with the fancy cups. It's eleven at night.
"So, I've been thinking," Gary sighs, sitting down. "You and I are both older now.. Why don't we make it official?" Ash blinks, looking up at the older man. Gary's gazing at him with that fond, yet slightly nervous smile. "You mean.." "Yeah. I'm… asking you out." Gary confesses.
"Seriously, Gar?" "Seriously, Ash."
Ash chuckles, "I thought you'd prepare something more romantic, honestly. Maybe a hike to Mt. Moon? or our favorite place to fish when we were kids?" Gary laughs, "Yeah. I was planning on it, but I got a bit too excited."
He takes a long sip from his wine, "It's been so long since it's just been us two, undisturbed." Ash hums, "Yeah, I missed this. Missed you, I guess." "You guess?" Gary raises an eyebrow.
"So you don't really miss me?" Gary feigns hurt, Ash snickers. "You know that's not what I meant, Gar. It's just.. I'm the reigning monarch, and you're a professor. And a workaholic." Ash snorts when he sees the offended face Gary is making at him before continuing, "We're both busy. It's hard to make time, especially when our schedules rarely overlap." Gary frowns.
"...I'd make time for you." Gary mumbles quietly. Ash smiles softly, "I know you would. And so would I."
Ash clasps his hands around Gary's. "And even when I start a new journey, in a new region, even if I'm in the middle of a battle, I'd stop everything if you asked me to."
Gary smiles, "I wouldn't ask you to do that." "I know, but I would!"
The night ends in a haze when Gary puts away the wine and Ash takes to washing their cups. Gary wraps his arms around Ash with a small hum. "I don't feel like walking back to my place.." Gary mumbles into his neck, muffled. Ash chuckles. "Gar, it's literally across the street." "I don't care. Let me sleep in your bed?" Ash snorts. "And I sleep on the couch? No way."
Gary goes quiet for a second, simply breathing in his scent as the domestic ambience fills his ears. "You could sleep next to me, you know." "You kneed my nutsack when we were kids, I'd rather not." Gary doesn't laugh, but his shoulders do shake as if he's holding one back. Gary sways him back and forth, as if that'll change his mind.
It doesn't, but whatever.
He gets his way anyways, because it's Gary, and Ash can't say no to his stupid face. Except for when he's begging to spend a little more time on a project.
Pikachu and Umbreon enter through the window that Ash usually leaves open for them, since they love going on night walks—Umbreon started it, Pikachu just followed her. Ash closes it shortly after, and he greets the two. Gary's a smidge shorter than Ash, and while Ash doesn't usually mind it—and he never does—He's acutely aware of it, now that they're lying down together. The smaller man melds perfectly into his arms, and Ash breathes a content sigh. Pikachu curls up at Ash's pillow, while Umbreon sleeps near Gary's feet.
Pikachu chirps quietly, which translates into a goodnight in Ash's mind. "G'nite, Pikachu. Goodnight, Bree. And of course," He presses a small kiss to Gary's forehead, who chuckles at his ridiculousness. "Goodnight, Gary." "Night, Ash." Ash pouts, "No goodnight for Pikachu or Bree? He'll zap us in the morning." Pikachu chirps in agreement, Gary laughs, patting Pikachu on the head. "Goodnight, Pikachu. Goodnight, Bree." Umbreon trills, curling into its favorite sleeping position.
Ash awakes in an unfamiliar environment, it's all blue.. and it feels like he's floating... Is something nudging him..? Ah, whatever. He's too sleepy to care.
He wakes up, again, in another unfamiliar environment, several people crowded around him. Before hazily passing out again. This time, he's zapped into consciousness. He sits up and glares at the perpetrator, his dear partner Pikachu, who only smiles innocently at him.
"Jerk." He huffs, running a hand through his hair. Pikachu makes that stupidly cute 'pikachu~' sound that makes everyone coo over him. which doesn't translate to anything cute. He just called his own trainer a moron.
"Hey, are you okay?" A pink haired, almost Nurse Joy looking character asks him. Ash blinks and then shakes his head. "I'm fine. Where am I?" "You're on The Brave Asagi." Another voice responds, he turns to face them—A white haired man in a weird pilot-like outfit. It looks nice on him, but Gary would likely be gagging.
Wait.
Why is he here? Where's Gary?
Pikachu climbs on his shoulder, sensing his trainer's sudden shift in demeanor. Ash stands, cautiously taking in the area. He's cornered.
"What's your name?" The white haired man asks, Ash doesn't respond, instead looking over the railings of this... Asagi thing. He looks back at the white haired man, who narrows his eyes, and grins.
Ash leaps off the ship.
He can hear them all call for him and scream, the white haired one instructing a Charizard to save them both. Now that just won't do.
He whistles, a familiar one that summons a familiar Pokémon. Lugia roars loudly as he's caught on its back, just like how he met Goh ten years ago.
The Charizard growls loudly, Lugia growls back. Distantly, he hears Lugia communicating to him through aura.
'I wasn't aware you were still alive.'
Still alive, huh?
"Well, someone's gonna need to fill me in." Ash chuckles, Pikachu chirps as well. The strangers on that floating ship yell at him. He waves at them.
'Those humans... They call themselves the Rising Volt Tacklers. They're safe for you to interact with.'
Lugia flies him back to the ship, the white haired man's Charizard mimics it. "You sure I'm safe with these guys?" Ash asks incredulously, sliding off its wing and onto the ship deck. Lugia gives him a merely unimpressed look before screeching at him.
Ash blinks, "I'll take that as a yes." Lugia huffs before returning into the waters.
He turns back to the flabbergasted, almost terrified crew.
"So uh.. I guess I'll need to explain myself, huh?"