1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 1: Second Year

The Pallet Town house felt louder after Alola, even before anyone raised their voice.

Guzzlord sat in the reinforced garden pen Dad had built behind the house, chewing through a stack of silver-wrapped energy snacks with the focus of a Snorlax facing an endless berry pile. Every bite made the ground tremble a little, but the tremble was calmer than the old hunger.

I watched it from the open back door with Alice beside me. Pikachu stood on my shoulder, tail twitching, while Eevee pressed against Alice's leg and stared at Guzzlord like she was judging whether the snacks would be enough.

"Hey, Dad," I asked, keeping my voice low so Guzzlord would not think I was offering more food. "What are you doing with the Guzzlord?"

Dad wiped his hands on a towel and smiled. "Regarding Guzzlord, it is true that it is always hungry, just like Snorlax. However, these energy snacks are designed to satisfy the hunger signal without letting it keep eating everything nearby."

Guzzlord lifted one head ridge and rumbled with crumbs around its mouth.

Pikachu leaned close to my cheek, paws braced against my shoulder and ears angled toward the pen, "It is still asking whether the shiny wrappers count as food."

"They do not," I told Guzzlord before it could test the idea.

Alice sighed, though her smile softened the sound. "I know Guzzlord can be a handful, but at least it is happier than when we first saw it."

"That is what matters," Dad said. "Hungry Pokémon are not evil because they are hungry. They just need someone patient enough to understand the difference between a problem and a monster."

I nodded, thinking of how many times our journey had forced us to learn that lesson the hard way.

Behind us, Mom stepped into the kitchen with a folder and a tablet. Her expression had the bright calmness she used when she had already finished worrying and decided everyone else should stop worrying too.

"Ash, Alice," Mom announced, "the transfer process is complete. You have both been accepted into Hammerlocke Academy for your second year."

Alice straightened at once. "So it is official?"

"It is official," Mom said. "Relena confirmed it herself."

The name made the moment feel less like paperwork. Relena was not some distant principal whose name I had only seen on an academy letter. She was Chairman Rose's wife, someone our families knew, and her approval felt personal.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Thanks, Mom, but do we really need to attend the school there every day? Hammerlocke Academy has online courses, right?"

Mom gave me the look that meant she had expected that exact question. "Yes, it does. Relena agreed that you and Alice may use online courses for most lectures. However, she also made it clear that the Galar year cannot be completed from a screen alone."

Alice tilted her head. "Because of the field program?"

"Because of several field programs," Mom replied. "Mark and Minami are already at Dragon Manor near the Lake of Outrage. They will help record lectures, but they also expect you both to attend the first orientation properly."

I blinked. "Mark and Minami are already there?"

Dad chuckled. "They were there before Rose even sent the final schedule. You know how those two are when an academy gives them a new system to study."

Alice laughed softly. "So they probably already know which rooms have the best connection and which assignments are secretly harder than they look."

"That sounds like them," I admitted.