The Ketchum Family

The Dance of the Champions

The setup for this story is that Ash has defeated Leon in the Masters Eight Tournament. Serena has won the Hoenn contest championship and traveled to Wyndon where she watched Ash's battle against Leon. Chloe and Goh also watched the battle and got to spend time with Serena before, during and after the battle.

This is my own story of what would happen when all these characters gathered together after the tournament. The later chapters continue the story. All of the chapters are fairly long and are laid out like a chapter in a novel. I did my best to write this in the style of the anime. Please feel free to make comments and leave a vote if you like what you read. I hope you enjoy.

Ash stood in the small green room facing a full-length mirror. He was wearing an elegant dark blue suit, white shirt, red tie and light grey pants. The monarch cloak was draped around his shoulders and he was not wearing his signature red hat. He turned to his left and then his right, eyeing his appearance. He turned again so he was facing the mirror and frowned. He felt out-of-place wearing the fancy outfit.

"Pi-Ka-Chu?" came a concerned sounding cry from the floor at Ash's feet.

Ash looked down at Pikachu, "yeah buddy. We finally did it," he said managing a small smile.

Pikachu continued to look concerned. He hopped forward and pulled on Ash's pant leg, making an inquisitive sound.

"Hmmm," Ash replied. He looked up at the mirror. "It's weird," he said, sounding puzzled and disappointed. "I figured winning the world coronation tournament would be awesome, but I can't stop wondering, what are we going to do now?"

Pikachu looked curious.

"I mean, if there's no one left for us to battle against-" Ash's voice trailed off as his expression fell.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Ash heard a voice outside. "Mr. Ketchum, five minutes until they're ready for you."

"K' thanks," Ash replied. He looked at his appearance again and still felt weird. This was so different from how he usually conducted himself.

Ash sighed and walked to his backpack. He retrieved his Rotom phone and dialed a familiar number.

After a moment, the friendly face of Professor Oak appeared on the screen.

"Ash! It's good to see you," the professor said sounding pleased.

Ash couldn't help but smile at hearing Professor Oak's voice. "Hey, Professor Oak!"

The professor paused a moment, eyeing Ash and then continued. "Well, it looks like you're all ready for a special occasion."

Ash was slightly embarrassed. "Oh yeah, they're having this big party to celebrate the new monarch. That's why I'm wearing this."

Professor Oak nodded. "I was planning to call you tomorrow, but I guess I'll say it now. Congratulations on winning the world coronation tournament. That's a really impressive accomplishment."

"Oh, thanks," Ash said. He briefly smiled, but then his face became more downcast. "Winning is a lot different than I'd figured."

Professor Oak looked slightly puzzled. "Oh, how so, Ash?"

Ash sighed. "It's just; I know we did really well. Me and all my Pokémon battled really hard and we won, and that's great. But, now what are we supposed to do?"

Professor Oak smiled. "Ash, tonight is a time to celebrate. You should enjoy your accomplishment. They'll be plenty of time to think of what to do next later."

"Yeah, I guess," Ash replied. "I've just always known what I'm doing next. Now, I don't have a clue."

Professor Oak looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're a Pokémon trainer Ash. There's a lot more to what you do than just battling."