I can make you laugh

Thursday Part 2- Welcome to the Kalos Region

Once Ash, Gladion, Professor Kukui and Hoopa passed through the ring, Ash looked at the giggling mythical.

"Thank you, Hoopa," Ash said gratefully as Hoopa closed its ring while Pikachu jumped from Lillie's shoulder to Ash's.

"Welcome, Ashkan," Hoopa beamed before looking hopeful. "Malasada?"

"Fresh," Ash smiled, pulling a paper bag out of his pocket. Hoopa giggled again, eagerly taking the bag and fishing out the sugary treat to take a big bite.

"Yummy!" Hoopa grinned with a full mouth, activating another ring before floating through. "Au revior!"

As Hoopa disappeared though the ring, everyone took in their new surroundings.

"Where are we, Ash?" Mallow asked.

"We are in the Lumiose City train station," Ash answered as he walked towards a nearby staircase. "This section we're in is closed for electrical repairs at the moment, so I figured it would be a great place for Hoopa to drop us off so we don't startle anyone."

Everyone nodded at Ash's logic before following him up the staircase out onto the streets of the Northern Boulevard section of Lumiose City.

"Everyone, welcome to Lumiose City!" Ash said happily.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

Everyone looked around in awe at their new surroundings. As they did that, Ash quickly ran over to a map sign.

"Okay, Prism Tower is here," Ash mumbled as he traced it with his finger. "And here's the station so the fastest way to get to the tower is... this way!"

"Are you sure that's right Ash?" Rotom said as it took a picture of the map. "This place looks pretty big."

"It'll be okay," Ash smiled, shifting one of his backpack straps. "When you're in Lumiose City, the best thing to do is find where you want to go and then pick the best route. Luckily Prism Tower is located right in the middle of the city. Plus, it's the biggest building, so you can't miss it. See?"

Everyone looked in the direction Ash was pointing to see a beautiful tall white building.

"That's where we're going," Ash grinned. "So, let's get going!"

Smiling at Ash's excitement, everyone followed Ash along the path, staring at the buildings and the Pokémon they passed while Rotom tried to take as many pictures as it could.

"So much data!" it cried happily. "How am I going to keep up?"

"Don't worry," Ash smiled. "My friend will help you get all the data you need."

"Whee!" Rotom squealed happily.

"Wow, just look at this place!" Mallow said as everyone took in the sites. "It's so big! So much bigger than Alola!"

"I was just as amazed when I first arrived," Ash grinned.

"And so many Pokémon!" Lillie said joyfully, staring at a lady holding an Espurr. "So adorable!"

Ash smiled fondly at Lillie's excitement, opening his mouth to tell his friends the name of the Pokémon when he noticed a boutique filled with familiar looking dresses. He paused in front of the window briefly.

"Oh, what pretty dresses," Mallow smiled as the group paused beside Ash, curious at his sudden interest of the store window.

"Yeah, they are," Ash said thoughtfully before looking at Kiawe. "Hey Kiawe, does Mimo like dresses?"

"Yeah, she does," Kiawe asked in confusion. "Why?"

"What's her size?" Ash asked.

"Kids six. Again why?"

"Would you all give me five minutes please?" Ash asked, smiling gratefully as everyone nodded. "Thanks. Come on, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded as Ash ran inside.

As Ash moved through the store, everyone waited patiently, taking in every Pokémon that passed them. With each passing Pokémon, Kukui and Burnet told the kids the Pokémon's name while Rotom gave a general description. Rotom was just about to discuss the different patterns a Vivillon has when Ash and Pikachu ran out of the store, Ash carrying a shopping bag.

"Thanks for waiting," Ash panted, bending over slightly to catch his breath.

"Sure, Ash," Lana said while the rest of the group nodded. "But why did you want to go in there?"

"Well, I thought since Mimo couldn't come, I'd buy her a souvenir from Kalos," Ash grinned, holding up the bag.

"Oh Ash, you didn't have to buy Mimo something," Kiawe smiled, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder. "She's very understanding."

"I know but I wanted to," Ash smiled as he pulled out a small dress. "Besides, you have to admit she'll look adorable in this."

The dress was red and black with long butterfly-styled sleeves, a puffy mini skirt with a black ribbon belt around the waist. Kiawe's face shone as he took the dress to inspect it.

"Oh wow!"

"That's so cute!" Lana, Mallow and Lillie said, their eyes sparkling.

"Glad you three like them because I got one for you girls too," Ash smiled as he pulled out three matching dresses before handing them over. "Blue for Lana, green for Mallow and pink for Lillie."

"Thank you, Ash," the girls said as they admired them.

"I got one for you too Professor," Ash said as he pulled out another dress, this one blue and grey.

"Thank you, ku'uipo," Burnet smiled as she gave Ash a hug.

"Will they fit?" Sophocles asked curiously as the girls held the dresses to their chests.

"Yeah, they should fit," Ash answered, taking Mimo's dress from Kiawe to put in the bag while Burnet folded hers. "I know all your sizes, except Gladion's. All I had to do was find the right design."

"How do you know the girls' sizes?" Gladion asked curiously. "You don't seem like the type who would enjoy shopping very much."

"I'm not," Ash admitted, blushing as the girls smirked. "I can't stand shopping."

"Then why do you...?"

"He knows their sizes because the girls dressed him up in a female nurse outfit once," Rotom grinned as he showed Gladion a picture of Ash dressed up in a nurse uniform from when they did their work experience. Kiawe and Sophocles groaned while the girls and Pikachu giggled. Ash hid his face in his hands while the professors shook their heads tenderly at Ash. Gladion, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away from the photo.

"You told me you deleted those," Ash grumbled.

"I lied," Rotom smiled. "It's valuable data."

"And you look so cute!" Lana cheered.

Gladion bit his lip, his cheeks turning red. Lana was right. Ash did look cute. The dress hugged his frame perfectly and showed off his legs in a modest way. Plus, the pink fabric looked lovely against Ash's tan skin. Gladion looked at Ash, who still had his face buried in his hands. Gladion smiled as he leaned close to Ash's ear, being mindful of Pikachu's position.

"I think you look nice," he whispered kindly, making Ash look at him in surprise.

"Really?"

Gladion nodded, smiling as Ash's face turned red.

"Thanks," he said shyly as the girls burst into giggles again.

"Okay girls, stop teasing Ash," Burnet smiled. The girls nodded, covering their mouths to cease their giggling, while Ash checked the watch on Kukui's wrist.

"Ooh, we should get a move on," Ash said, quickly collecting the dresses. "Let's go."

"Oh, I wanted to try on my new dress," Mallow admitted sulkily as Ash and Burnet folded the dresses.

"Maybe later, you all can model your new dresses for us," Kukui suggested with a smile. The girls nodded eagerly.

"We can do that when we get to the gym," Ash told the girls, placing the last dress in the bag before picking up the bag. "We should go now. Thanks again for waiting."

"That's okay," Kiawe smiled as the group started walking again. "So why would you buy the girls and my sister dresses?"

"Two reasons," Ash grinned. "One, because I wanted to and two, because every time a dress sells, the money from said dress goes to building a new artificial forest for Pokémon."

"An artificial forest?" Sophocles asked. "Why are they building artificial forests?"

"Well, after what happened a year and a half ago, lots of wild Pokémon lost their homes," Ash answered hesitantly. "So, the gym leaders teamed up together to try and create new homes for the lost Pokémon. Those dresses are designed by Valerie, the Laverre City Gym Leader. Like I said, every time a dress sells, the money goes into the construction of a new forest."

"So, every little bit goes towards a new home for Pokémon?" Lillie asked happily. "Then I'll wear that dress with tremendous pride."

"Us too," Mallow and Lana grinned. Everyone smiled but Gladion couldn't help but wonder why Ash would hesitate to answer.

"So, what happened a year and a half ago to warrant the building of artificial forests, Ash?" Lillie asked innocently, causing Ash to freeze in the middle of the path. Everyone paused to look at Ash. Was he okay?

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, patting Ash's head.

"Ash?" Lillie asked frowning, touching Ash's arm. Ash jumped.

"Huh?"

"Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" Lillie asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh, no, no, no," Ash said quickly, patting Lillie's hand. "I'm fine. You didn't say anything wrong. Don't worry, okay? Come on, let's keep going."

"Okay," Lillie said in confusion as Ash started walking again. Immediately, the kids turned their attention to their professors and Rotom, who were watching Ash carefully.

"Is Ash alright, Professors?" Sophocles asked.

"He's just going through some stuff at the moment," Kukui answered. "Being back in Kalos is a little difficult for him right now."

"Really?" Gladion asked, looking over at Ash, who hadn't noticed he wasn't being followed. "What's wrong with him?"

"It has something to do with what happened a year and a half ago," Burnet admitted.

"What?" Lana asked. "What happened?"

"I'd be happy to show you all the data I found about the event," Rotom offered.

"No," Kukui said firmly. "Listen kamali'i, when Ash is ready, he'll talk. In the meantime, he's very excited to show you all the lesson he has planned. So, let's just enjoy ourselves. Okay?"

Everyone looked at each other before nodding.

"Okay, professor," they said respectfully just as Ash came running back.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked apprehensively.

"Everything is fine, keiki," Kukui smiled. "Lead the way."

Ash nodded before walking off again, checking over his shoulder to make sure the group was following. As they walked, Gladion studied Ash tentatively. Why did Ash freeze before? What happened a year and a half ago in Lumiose City that triggered such a reaction? Gladion reached out to grab Ash's hand so he could ask when he remembered their deal.

No, he thought, trying to push aside that doubt. It's okay. He said he'll talk to me later so I'll wait.

"So how long were you in Kalos for, Ash?" he asked, deciding to take a different route.

"Until I competed in the Kalos League," Ash answered. "So, about a year, then I went home for a bit while Serena went to Hoenn for Pokémon Contests. My other friends stayed here."

"Who are your other friends?" Kiawe asked. "What are they like?"

As Ash opened his mouth to answer, Pikachu suddenly perked up from Ash's shoulder, his cheeks sparking with electrical energy as he looked around.

"You feeling something, buddy?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded before jumping off Ash's shoulder to run towards an open battlefield. Immediately, everyone followed. After a few minutes, they reached one of the fields in time to see Pikachu nuzzling noses and cheeks with two different Pokémon. Ash grinned.

"Professor, will you hold this for me please?" Ash asked, holding out the shopping bag. As soon as Burnet took the bag, Ash ran forward before kneeling, holding out his arms. The two Pokémon gave excited cheers before launching themselves into Ash's waiting arms.

"Oh, a Dedenne!" Lillie cried happily. "It's so adorable!"

"Who's the other Pokémon with it?" Kiawe asked curiously.

"Bunnelby, the digging Pokémon," Rotom narrated after taking some pictures, much to Dedenne and Bunnelby's surprise. "A normal type. They use their large ears to dig tunnels. Sometimes, they'll dig all night long. Dedenne, the Antenna Pokémon. An electric and fairy type. A Dedenne's whiskers are like antennas. They can send and receive electrical waves through their whiskers to communicate with others."

Ash grinned as Dedenne and Bunnelby hugged him as tight as they could.

"Hi you two, it's great to see you both," he said happily as Bunnelby and Dedenne climbed up to Ash's shoulders to continue their rubs. "Where's Clemont and Bonnie? Did you run off on them?"

"Dedenne?! Bunnelby?!" A little blonde girl came running forward. "You two can't run off like that! Wait, Ash and Pikachu?!"

"Hi Bonnie," Ash smiled, holding out his arms again. The girl, Bonnie, squealed in delight as she ran towards Ash, knocking him on his backside as she slammed into him. The two hugged each other tightly.

"I've missed you," Bonnie beamed before releasing Ash to hug Pikachu.

"I've missed you too, Bonnie," Ash smiled just as a blonde boy clumsily jogged forward, panting hard.

"Bonnie, Bunnelby, Dedenne!" He panted. "Will you three stop running away? We need to get back to the gym to meet...Ash?! Pikachu?!"

"Hey Clemont," Ash smiled, standing up with Bunnelby sitting on his shoulder and Dedenne on his head. Pikachu squealed as he jumped from Bonnie's arms to Clemont's shoulder, happily nuzzling the electric gym leader. Clemont scratched Pikachu's chin as he stepped forward to grab Ash's outstretched hand. After he did, Ash pulled him in for a hug.

"It's so wonderful to see you again," Clemont smiled as he hugged him hard. "I thought you were coming to the gym."

"Pikachu must have sensed Dedenne's electricity," Ash smiled, releasing Clemont while Pikachu jumped to his free shoulder. "But the plan is still in place."

After giving Bunnelby to Clemont and placing Dedenne on Bonnie's shoulder, Ash turned to the group.

"Everyone," Ash beamed. "This is Clemont, one of my best friends and the Lumiose City Gym Leader and this is his little sister, Bonnie. We travelled with Serena through the Kalos region. Clemont, Bonnie, these are my friends from the Pokémon school in Alola. Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Lana, Lillie and Lillie's brother Gladion. And these are Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet and Rotom Dex."

"It's lovely to meet you all," Clemont smiled kindly as Bunnelby nodded from his shoulder. "Ash had told me about you in his emails and Professor Kukui and Burnet, I've read your papers. They give me lots of inspiration for my inventions."

"Thank you," Kukui and Burnet smiled.

Meanwhile, Bonnie stared at Mallow, Lillie and Lana with sparkling eyes and a wide smile, much to the girls' confusion.

"WOW!" She squealed, joyfully spinning in place. "Lana, Mallow and Lillie, you three are so beautiful, even more beautiful than the pictures Ash sent! You're all so beautiful that you're keepers!"

As soon as the words "keepers" left her mouth, Bonnie quickly kneeled in front of the Alola native girls, her arms outstretched.

"Please, will you please take care of my brother?"

"Dedenne!" Dedenne cheered.