1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 85: League Opening

The Lumiose Conference grounds rose ahead of us like a city built for battles. Towers, banners, registration halls, practice fields, food stands, and glowing screens filled the high terraces above the route from Victory Road. I had seen Lumiose City before, but this part of it felt different. Every path led toward a stadium, every Trainer carried eight badges, and every Pokémon beside them looked ready to prove why they deserved to be there. The whole place hummed like a battlefield before the first command.

I touched my badge case through my jacket and felt all eight Kalos badges inside. Santalune, Cyllage, Shalour, Coumarine, Lumiose, Laverre, Anistar, and Snowbelle had brought me here. The Iceberg Badge still felt new, but the road already wanted me to look forward instead of staring at what I had survived. The League was no longer something waiting far away. It was right in front of me.

Pikachu stood on my shoulder with his ears perked, looking from the banners to the stadium gates. His bright excitement reached me clearly. "We finally made it together."

"Yeah," I said, grinning up at the League banners. "We finally made it together."

Serena smiled beside me, while Sylveon walked close to her feet. "You look like you are about to run straight into the stadium before anyone can stop you."

"I am thinking about it," I admitted with a nervous laugh.

"Please do not do that," Clemont said quickly. "Registration comes before charging into battle, and registration offices do not accept heroic excuses."

Bonnie lifted Dedenne in both arms and nodded seriously. "And food should come before everything after registration."

Alice, Eve, and Flora followed behind us, looking around with the same mix of excitement and curiosity. They had promised to watch my League challenge after Snowbelle, and seeing Wulfric's family here made the final step feel even more real. David and Elline moved beside Clemont, both already scanning the crowds for trouble because Team Flare had taught us never to relax completely, even when everyone else was cheering.

A woman with red hair and a microphone stepped into our path before we reached the main hall. Her camera crew moved with practiced speed, and the smile she wore was polished enough to make the crowd around us turn. I recognized her before she introduced herself, and the memory of Team Flare made the back of my neck prickle.

"Excuse me," she said. "Are you competing in the Kalos League? Would you like to have an interview?"

Alice's eyes widened with sudden recognition. "Wait, you are Malva of the Elite Four."

Malva smiled, and the camera light reflected in her glasses. "That is right. I am covering the Lumiose Conference, and I would love to speak with a Trainer arriving with such a lively group."

I already knew she was more than an Elite Four member. Team Flare had left too many shadows around Kalos for me to forget that. Still, the League grounds were full of people, and Malva's face did not show anything except professional interest. If she wanted to see whether I would flinch in front of the camera, then I would not give her that satisfaction.

"Sure," I said, keeping my voice steady.

Malva turned toward the camera. "We are here with Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, a Trainer who has collected all eight Kalos Gym Badges. Ash, what does winning the Kalos League mean to you?"

I looked past the camera at Serena, Pikachu, Greninja's Poké Ball, and the friends who had followed this road with me. I thought of Wulfric's lesson, Sawyer waiting ahead, Alain's challenge, and every Pokémon who had trusted me when I almost lost my way. "It means proving how far all of us have come. I want to battle the strongest Trainers here, win the whole thing, and show that my Pokémon and I can keep growing together."