Pokemon One-Shots and Headcanons

Ash's Sacrifice, Part 3

"Welcome back, Ash."
Ash opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of Zygarde. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up and asked wearily, "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Zygarde asked.
Ash thought for a moment. "I-I remember what happened with Lysandre, but nothing after that," he replied. "Do you know?"
"I do," Zygarde confirmed.
"Oh...so, um, could you tell me?" Ash asked hesitantly.
"Well, after Lysandre used his weapon to kill you, I met with you in purgatory," Zygarde replied. "You agreed to return to the land of the living so you could fulfill your destiny and save the world once again, so I brought you back here."
Ash sat in silence for a moment. "So...I died and came back to life?" he clarified. The green and black legendary Pokemon nodded. "So how long have I been...away?"
"Well, it took a while for you to wake up and time isn't a factor in the afterlife, so you were gone for two months," Zygarde answered.
"What? Two months?" Ash exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Where are my friends now? I have to get back to them! I have to-"
He broke off and sat down again as the truth hit him. He had been dead for two whole months. There was no way he could just walk in on his friends and say, "Hey everyone, I've come back to life!" That wouldn't go down well at all. They'd never believe it was really him.
"How-how am I going to explain this to them?" he asked.
Zygarde looked thoughtful. "I suppose if you wanted, you could always go by a false name," he suggested. "Just until you feel it's safe to reveal yourself to them."
Ash considered Zygarde's suggestion for a moment. It sounded like a good idea. He could use his false name until he had dealt with Lysandre once and for all. Then, once the world was safe again, he could reveal his true identity to his friends. That way, if he died for good while saving the world, he wouldn't hurt his friends all over again.
"All right, I'll do it," he agreed.
"Very well," Zygarde said. "What shall your new name be?"
Ash thought about it for a moment. "Amon," he replied finally. "That's my new name. Amon."

A few hours later, Ash had finally arrived at his friends' living quarters. He had his hood up, shadowing his face as a disguise. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. A minute later, the door opened to reveal Serena, her eyes red and swollen. She'd been crying.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Ash said softly. "I'm afraid I've lost my way, and I don't have a tent with me. Would it be all right if I stayed the night?"
"O-of course," Serena said, sniffling. "Come in."
"Thank you, Serena," Ash said, stepping past her and into the house.
Serena stared at him. "How-how did you know my name?" she asked.
Ash froze as he realized his mistake. "Oh, I saw you on TV in the last Pokemon showcase," he saved quickly.
"Oh, that explains it," Serena agreed. Ash breathed a silent sigh of relief; she had believed the lie. "Come on, everyone's in the dining room right now."
Ash followed Serena into a surprisingly large dining room. Clemont and Bonnie were there, as well as Alain, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, Shauna, and-his heart gave a lurch-Pikachu, Greninja, Hawlucha, Noivern, Talonflame, and Goodra. Not meeting the eyes of any of his Pokemon, Ash took a seat next to Shauna.
"Everyone, this is-um, I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Serena asked apologetically.
"Oh, I forgot," Ash said, face palming. "I'm Amon."
"Everyone, this is Amon," Serena introduced Ash. "Amon, these are my friends, Clemont, Bonnie, Alain, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Ash said, nodding to everyone. He jerked his head towards his Pokemon and asked, "So are those your Pokemon."
At that, the mood in the room suddenly grew extremely somber. Bonnie spoke up, sounding as though she had a bad head cold, "Well, not exactly. They-they all belong to another friend of ours, Ash."
"Ah, the Kalos league runner-up," Ash replied, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. "I remember watching him on television. But where is he now?"
"He-he's not with us anymore," Clemont replied. "He was killed by Lysandre a couple months ago."
Ash was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that. He seemed like a decent person," he said finally.
"He was the best," Serena agreed, wiping her eyes. "So what were you doing out there alone, Amon? We're miles from civilization."
"Oh-I was looking for Team Flare," Ash replied. "I wanted to help fight against them."
"Well in that case, why don't you join us?" Alain offered. "We could always use new members."
Ash hesitated briefly. "I don't know, I've never really been a part of a team before," he lied.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Shauna coaxed him.
"I'm sure, but I don't have my Pokemon on hand right now," Ash said. "I-er-lost them in a fight with Team Flare a few weeks ago." Well, that wasn't technically a lie.
His friends let out a gasp. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Serena said sympathetically. "Here, I have an idea. Why don't you use Ash's old Pokemon?"
Ash froze, panicking for a brief second. If he used his old Pokemon, his cover would be blown for sure. Pikachu would be sure to figure it out, and everyone else would as well if the bond between him and Greninja was activated.
"A-are you sure?" he stammered.
"Of course," Serena nodded. "I'm sure they'd be willing to work with you, right guys?"
Hawlucha, Noivern, Talonflame, and Goodra nodded reluctantly. Pikachu and Greninja, on the other hand, stood up and walked out of the room.
"Er-I guess four out of six isn't bad," Clemont said nervously, looking worriedly after the two Pokemon.
"Are Pikachu and Greninja okay?" Ash asked, before mentally berating himself. You idiot, anyone could see that they're clearly NOT okay.
"Yeah, they're fine," Tierno reassured him.
"I think they just don't like the idea of taking orders from another trainer," Clemont guessed. "Hawlucha, Noivern, Talonflame, and Goodra don't like the idea either of course, but they're willing to do it because it means helping get rid of Team Flare and Lysandre. But with Pikachu and Greninja, it's a little bit different."
"How come?" Ash asked.
"Well, Pikachu was Ash's very first Pokemon, so obviously he still feels a strong attachment to him," the blond scientist replied. "I'm guessing that he thinks teaming up with a new trainer would mean betraying Ash."
"I see," Ash said. "So what about Greninja?"
Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie exchanged glances. "If we're going to talk about the bond between Ash and Greninja, first we need to tell you about Greninja's past," Bonnie began. "Come on, we'll talk in another room."

"All right, so first of all, did you ever hear the rumors about a Froakie that kept returning to Professor Sycamore's research lab?" Clemont asked.
Ash nodded. "I think I heard something about that, yes," he replied.
"Well, Greninja just so happens to be that same Froakie in his final evolutionary form," Serena told Ash.
"Really," Ash stated, not wanting to say anything that would give him away. "Interesting. So why did that Froakie stay so long with Ash? From what I heard, he never stayed with a trainer for more than a week or so."
"Well, that's where Greninja's past becomes important," Clemont began. "Froakie lived with a group of other Froakie, but he didn't get along with them because while they wanted to play, he preferred to train and perfect his skills in battle. One day, there was a big fight and Ash's Froakie was hurt. He was taken to a Pokemon Center and was healed by Nurse Joy."
"That sounds awful," Ash said, even though he already knew this story well. "So what happened after that?"
"When Nurse Joy told him that he would only get stronger by working with a trainer, he decided to come to Professor Sycamore's lab to be picked by new trainers," Clemont continued.
"But Froakie behaved differently from other starter Pokemon," Serena added. "He learned how to choose his own trainer rather than being chosen himself."
"How did he choose?" Ash asked.
"By one objective and one objective only-he wanted to make sure it was worth devoting his life to the trainer he chose," Clemont answered.
"So...he wanted a trainer who was strong in battle? Is that it?" Ash clarified.
The others shook their head. "Not exactly," Serena said. "See, Froakie wanted a trainer who he could develop a strong bond with."
"Are you saying his other trainers didn't care about him or something?" Ash asked.
"I don't think so," Bonnie said, looking thoughtful.
"No, I'm sure his old trainers were nice to him," Serena replied. "But Greninja relies on more than simple care. He relies on love, and Ash was the first person to show him that. Ash was the trainer Greninja had always been waiting for, so I doubt anyone will be taking his place anytime soon."
"I understand," Ash said, feeling a touch of pride and sorrow that his Pokemon were still so attached to him. "Maybe I could talk to Pikachu and Greninja."
"That might help a little," Clemont agreed. "Come on, I'll show you to their room."
Ash followed Clemont down the hallway and into another room at the very end. Inside, Pikachu and Greninja were sitting on a bed, sulking. They looked up, however, when they heard the door open.
"Pikachu, Greninja?" Clemont said quietly. "Amon said he wished to speak with you. Would that be all right?"
Greninja merely shrugged and Pikachu rolled his eyes in a gesture that clearly meant, Fine, if you insist.
"All right, then. I'll leave you to it," Clemont said, shutting the door behind him as he walked away.
Ash paced the room for a few minutes, unsure how to begin the conversation. He could feel Pikachu and Greninja watching him with a mixture of curiousity and mistrust. Finally, he decided to speak, though he still didn't meet their eyes.
"You know, I watched you guys fight in the Kalos league," he began. "You looked really strong."
"Pika pika," said Pikachu.
"Ninja," Greninja added.
"We could really use that strength against Team Flare, you know," Ash remarked.
"Pikachu pi," Pikachu said.
"I'm sure Ash would have wanted you there," Ash continued.
"Greninja," Greninja spat, glaring at Ash. It was very unnerving having Greninja glare at him with that much dislike and he had to remind himself that neither Pokemon knew who he really was.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Ash apologized, realizing how tactless he'd been. "You still miss him, don't you?"
"Pika pi," Pikachu said sadly as Greninja turned away, his head bowed. Ash wished he could go over and comfort them, but he knew how they would react. Instead, he decided to keep talking.
"I get how you feel," he sighed. "The others told me a few stories about him. He sounds like he was a really special person to everyone."
"Pikachu," the yellow mouse answered.
"Greninja, gren," Greninja said quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw him turn around so that he was facing him again. He took a deep breath and, for the first time, looked his Pokemon in the eye.
"I know I'm not Ash and I would never do anything to try to replace him," he said quietly. "But if we're going to fight Team Flare and win, we have to work together. I'm not asking you to recognize me as your new trainer or anything like that. All I ask is that we form a temporary unit so we can work on taking down Team Flare together."
Pikachu and Greninja looked at him hesitantly.
"Do it for Ash," Ash continued. "From what I understand, he died trying to protect you and his friends. Don't let that be in vain."
The two Pokemon hesitated for another second, then nodded. "Thank you," Ash said softly.