The Very Best

Chapter 8

Silence was the only thing in the area as Red and Lillie continued to stare down at eachother, while Kukui was just purely shellshocked.

"I thought something was wrong, so I went to check it out.." Lillie said, still in a state of shock. "But then I heard you mention Red is Ash.."

"..Yeah." Red surprisingly replied, Kukui looked at him with a questioned face.

"Ash, it was your choice, I was in the wro-"

"No, Professor, I was in the wrong." Red started. "All these years I've been pushing away the last of my friends away of risk due to the betrayal of my old ones, I was afraid of what they were gonna do if I had others that I could rely on since they always wanted me to be alone." Red continued, Kukui and Lillie listening in. " I thought, maybe, just maybe, if I became a champion with an Elite Four I can count on, maybe they won't bother me anymore, but the one thing I didn't notice was that it was the same thing risking my friends, and you telling me this changes things I see now, and for that, I thank you." Red ended with a smile.

The duo, Kukui was smilling now that Ash was willing to accept the change, while Lillie on the other hand was ready to cry.

"Ash.." Lillie cried. "A-ASH!" The platinum-blonde haired girl suddenly pulled the champion into a warm embracing hug. "WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

Red was taken aback by this, but he just returned the hug to Lillie. "I missed you guys too."

"I'm glad to see you back, cousin." Kukui just tipped his cap to the raven-haired trainer while he was doing  the same.

As Red and Lillie were embracing each other with a hug, a voice was heard calling out to the two.

"Hey you! What are you doing to my sister!" Gladion called out, with Hau behind him wondering what was going on.

"Mister Red's obviously trying to make a move on your sister!" Hau replied, to Gladion, Lillie and Red's shock.

"N-no, of course not!" Lillie assured, breaking the hug between her and the raven-haired boy, who was just making a straight face during this whole ordeal.

"Why you 'outta--"

"Brother!" Lillie called. "It's Ash!" She finished as Gladion and Hau were taken aback by this statement, they weren't expecting someone who was missing for multiple years to come back as a two time champion of two regions.

"You mean Mister Red is Ash?!" Hau exclaimed. "No wonder you were hugging him all lovey-dovey like!" 

"It's not like that!" Lillie replied with a clear blush in her face, irritating the edgy blonde haired boy.

"She's right." Red started. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to be in a relationship." 

"Well, we're just glad to see you back, Ketchum." Gladion said, with a satisfied sigh. 

"But you have a lot of explaining to do!" Lillie exclaimed, facing back to the raven-haired boy, to the agreement of Hau and Gladion.

Red just sweatdropped and Kukui chuckled at the sight. "This'll take a while."

-

All five people arrive to a secluded area outside the conference, allowing Red to explain himself.

"A few years ago, when I came back to my former hometown of Pallet after I won the title of Alola's first Champion, I arrived expecting a big smile and a warm embrace from my mom, instead, all I found was her dead corpse laying on the floor with a note beside it." Ash started, with Lillie, Kukui, Gladion and Hau's frown.

"That's horrible.." Lillie said, feeling sympathy for the raven-haired boy.

"To my horror, it was a note written and signed by some of my travelling companions, saying that they killed my mom. They had went insane and sent me an ultimatum, either give my all my money and Pokemon to them, or face the same fate my mom had just faced." Red stated. "Of course, I didn't choose either since I wanted to avenge my mom."

"But when I set foot outside my house, they all had their Pokemon ready to lay me out." 

"Unlucky for me, I was knocked out by Iris' Dragonite. Due to that, I woke up in a facility where I was all alone, no one else other than a few Pokemon in cages were in there with me, my Pokeballs including Pikachu were all missing." 

"It was really horrifying, the abuse and torture the Pokemon had to go through. Later on, I was able to escape and bring the Eevee from the facility with me to the nearest Pokemon Center, which announced my death and the fake cries from my so called "friends." 

"I had then decided to erase Ash Ketchum from existence, and become Red, who was an old mentor of mine who died during my few years. My Pokemon all fell for their trap and became their Pokemon, as they had promised them power, something I didn't fully achieve with them." 

"And here we are now, me explaining my situation to you all." Red ended with a fake smile.

Gladion, Hau, Lillie and Kukui were all at a lost for words, they couldn't believe that his friends would do something so cruel.

"Ash.." Lillie muttered.

"I swear on every fiber of my body that I will crush them." Gladion assured to Red.

"Ah! They don't deserve malasadas!" Hau exclaimed. 

Red then removed his cap and just thought about things until a bump interrupted him, as he looked down he saw Lillie hugging him tightly.

"I'm so sorry to what happened to you, Ash.." Lillie started. "We will help you out in any shape or form!"

"Thanks, Lillie.." Red replied, surprised by the sudden move by the platinum-blonde haired girl.

 "I'm sorry for worrying you guys." Red apologized to the rest.

"It's alright, Ash!" Hau assured. "All we know is that we will help you against those people!" 

"Thanks, Hau." Red thanked as he continued to look at Lillie as she hugged him, 

"Alright Ketchum, that's enough!" Gladion annoyingly said, not wanting to see these actions unfold in front of him by his sister and rival. 

Hau and Kukui just chuckle at the sight as Gladion tries pulling Lillie away from Red.

"