1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 100: Aloha Before Galar

The morning after the Hall of Fame celebration, Alola felt warm, bright, and alive. No Ultra Wormhole tore the sky. No Guzzlord shook the mountain. The League stadium stood behind us, and the Champion title rested where it belonged, earned through battle instead of shock.

I had won Champion titles before, seven times now, but that never made a new one feel ordinary. Each region tested something different. Alola had tested school life, friendship, patience, guardians, Ultra Beasts, and the strength to come home from a ruined world without letting fear choose the next step.

Pikachu seemed proud enough for both of us. He stayed on my shoulder while everyone gathered at the Pokémon School courtyard, his tail lifted every time someone mentioned the League. Lillie stood beside me, Serena and Alice just behind her, and the courtyard filled with classmates, companions, parents, and Pokémon.

The school looked ordinary again, which made it precious. Tables from last night's feast had been cleared, but a few decorations still hung from the railings. The wind carried salt, flowers, and the familiar sound of classmates talking over each other before leaving could become too heavy.

I did not feel stunned when people called me Champion. I had already stood in six other Halls of Fame before Alola opened its own doors to us. What made this one special was not disbelief. It was the way the title carried classmates, guardians, Ultra Beasts, and school days inside it.

Alola had never treated strength as something separate from living. Battles happened beside homework, meals, family worries, island traditions, and Pokémon learning to trust people who once frightened them. That was why this farewell felt different from leaving a tournament. We were leaving a home that had trained our hearts as much as our teams.

Kiawe arrived with Charizard at his side, already burning with purpose. "Ash, before anyone leaves, you and I need our all-out battle. We never had that match during the Lanakila Conference."

I grinned. "Then we do it properly."

Olivia agreed to referee at the Ruins of Life. The trip there was quiet in a good way, like everyone understood that this battle belonged to Kiawe as much as it belonged to me. The ruins had watched so many turning points already. Now they would watch one more between friends.

Kiawe chose Charizard. I chose Dusk Form Lycanroc. Olivia raised her hand as the sea wind swept across the stones.

"Begin!" Olivia's voice carried across the ruins.

Charizard opened with Flamethrower, and Lycanroc raced through the gaps with Accelerock. Fire curled behind him as he struck, then sprang away before Charizard's Dragon Claw could catch him. Kiawe's eyes shone brighter with every exchange.

"This is what I wanted!" he shouted.

"Then keep the heat coming!" I answered.

Charizard dove with Fire Punch. Lycanroc used Counter, returning the force and making Charizard stagger in midair. Kiawe did not hesitate. His Firium Z flashed, and Charizard rose inside a blazing sun of power.

"Inferno Overdrive!" Kiawe called with blazing focus.

I lifted Lycanium Z, feeling Lycanroc's answer before I spoke. "Splintered Stormshards!"

Fire and stone collided above the ruins. For a moment, Akala itself seemed to hold its breath. Lycanroc's power tore through the flames and struck Charizard hard enough to end the match. Olivia declared my victory, and Kiawe laughed like the battle had given him exactly what he needed.

Kiawe rested one hand on Charizard's side. "I am going to train under Olivia during vacation. I will continue my island challenge, master more Z-Moves, and become a kahuna like my grandfather someday."