The Road to Tomorrow

The Road to Peace

And now for a different perspective. I hope you enjoy this middle part!

The Road to Peace

It all started with a simple dinner at the Ketchum's Aquacorde Town residence.

Well, simple wasn't necessarily the way that Serena Ketchum would choose to describe that initial dinner; not when your dinner guest was none other than the still sitting Kalos Champion, Diantha. Then again, Serena thought to herself, setting the pot of food down on the table that evening while Ash finished his setting of the table, having people that most would consider celebrities to their home was really par for the course. Especially Diantha.

"For all we talk these days, all of our meetings have typically been at the Hub," Diantha chuckled out while she sat at the dinner table patiently. The Ketchum couple finished all of their dinner preparations, and with Serena unhooking her apron, they moved to join the Champion at the table. "I don't think I've ever seen the inside of any of your homes..."

"Well, now you have!" Ash stated with a grin as he pulled a seat out for Serena, and then he sat down, himself. She giggled a little bit at his expected enthusiasm regarding it, and mused briefly on the fact that Diantha had mentioned their "homes". It was no secret that the two of them either owned or rented houses in a few regions, though their major residences were in Aquacorde and back in Kanto. Either way, Serena reached forward and began serving everyone at the table, while Pikachu and Sandshrew were playing in the living room. "So, what's this all about?"

"Mm, just a piece of business, I guess," Diantha stated, and for a moment, her mouth looked to be drooling. It was a rather humorous sight from the all too often stoic Champion. "This looks delicious...it's been so long since I've had a meal that wasn't craft services."

"Well, eat as much as you'd like," Serena stated, sliding an insistent glare over to Ash. He quickly got the message and decided to eat his own dinner at a slower pace. Once they were a little more settled in, Serena decided to strike up some conversation. "Is everything all right with the League these days?"

"Oh, yes, quite all right," Diantha answered, beginning to eat her food in a far more elegant fashion to Ash. Not that Serena cared if Ash was messy; it usually meant that he liked her cooking, which she took as good news. "Peaceful, except for the occasional challenger, of course. So, we've thought of spicing things up for the near future."

"Spishing up?" Ash asked, nearly spluttering with his food. He appeared to realize that, and choose to remedy it by swallowing thickly before he spoke up again. "What do you mean by spicing it up?"

Diantha didn't answer immediately, continuing to eat as though it was the best thing she'd ever tasted in her life. As Serena watched her, digging into her own food, she was pleased by that. It was always nice to make people happy by making something for them. She also assumed that it truly meant Diantha never had much time in her life for anything other than League or acting business. "We're in talks, we Champions."

"About what?" Ash asked, tilting his head to the side. Diantha reached up, wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin before placing it on her lap. Once she had, the woman leaned forward.

"We want to open a tournament, only for the best of the best," Diantha explained. Right away, Serena saw Ash's eyes lighting up brightly with the same giddy enthusiasm that he consistently used to showcase in his younger years. That spark had never diminished once, and it made her happy to know that even the slightest hint of a battle could make him shine. "Of course, scheduling could still be an issue, and not everyone may be able to attend, but we wanted to make a tournament, title it as the Champion Tournament, where ourselves, Elite Four members and top trainers, such as yourself, would take part. We even chose to throw some Gym Leaders in there for good measure, like Clemont. Would you be interested?"