Heading Home

Readjustment

Part Twenty Six

About eight months ago, Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum, had returned from the dead. As he had hoped, he hosted a huge party at Professor Oak's laboratory with all of his Pokemon present. He invited all of his friends and previous traveling companions. There had been crying, laughing, dancing, drinking, and tons of shenanigans with all of his friends, Pokemon and human alike, together. Most of his friends were already aware that he had been alive the last three years since the Master Championships; however, they were ecstatic to find that, once again, he had cheated death having sacrificed his left leg for his life.

He had the chance to catch up with his old friends and find out what they were up to. There were a couple of new developments that had surprised him and some that didn't. He learned that May had married Drew Hayden, her former rival, and settled down in Hoenn with him. Ash was regretful that he missed their wedding and promised to get them a gift to make it up to them. Overall, May was excited to see him, but she was also very upset with Ash for allowing her little brother to get wrapped up in their heist. After hugging him tightly for a full minute she yelled at him and ignored him for an hour. Max, who was also there with Wes, Rui, and Michael, made sure to coax her back into a good mood reminding her that he wasn't hurt and now had a job he loved working to learn more about Pokemon who are genetically altered. She huffed and puffed, but managed to calm down enough to engage in the party again.

Dawn was also very excited to see Ash. She shared that she won her first grand festival and became a top coordinator a few months prior. Her and her newly evolved Empoleon were making waves in the contest circuit. She was also currently fighting for affection from Ash's once rival, Paul, who had a poor attitude about everything except Dawn.

Ash was especially excited to see Bonnie and Clemont again since they helped him in Lumiose over a year ago. He was keen to tell them what happened next. He told the rest of the story from meeting Alpha, to going to Orre, to taking out the headquarters. What surprised him the most was when Bonnie sauntered over to Max and asked him to dance. The young man was flustered, but agreed. Serena approached Ash and Clemont and shared a giggle with them over Max's reaction to Bonnie. Ash smiled and hugged Serena tightly. She then shared a little about her life. She had tired of showcasing and decided to try contests. While in Hoenn, she met her boyfriend, Taylor, who is a Pokemon trainer who has made his own waves there. Ash congratulated her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Ash was excited when Clemont handed him a Pokeball and told him to take care of his Pikachu for a while. It was a strange feeling of nostalgia when the little yellow mouse popped out of the ball and sat on his shoulder just as his own Pikachu had before his evolution. Pikachu then scampered over to where Raichu was reenacting his battle with Zekrom for Ivysaur, Talonflame, and Lycanroc. Even with Raichu's incredible hearing, he was too distracted by the noise of the party and his old friends that he didn't even see Pikachu coming. She immediately rubbed her head and ears against his neck and let out a happy "chuuuuu" causing him to stiffen and subsequently blush at her affection. Ivysaur, Talonflame, and Lycanroc snickered and smirked at the two.

Now Ash finds himself content having talked with each of his travelling companions, friends, and former rivals. He can see that everyone at the party is enjoying themselves. Ash smiles at the two Pokemon, hoping his buddy can find some kind of happiness after everything that they had been through. His smile falters slightly as he looks over to Misty who sits next to his mother deep in conversation. The sight of her makes him feel so many different emotions at once. She makes him feel anxious, excited, and joyful. It is all quite overwhelming. She had been his rock since returning to Kanto thee weeks before. She had seen him cry over the loss of three years of his life and over his broken body. She had rocked his body to sleep every night since, even as it shuddered and heaved while attempting to move forward from his troubling memories. Over the last few weeks, she has loved him more deeply than any human before.