The Ever Grande Stadium was still shaking from the cheers of thousands of people, but on the battlefield, everything had finally gone quiet.
Ash and Brendan went off to the side to sit down and take a moment to catch their breaths while they got the awards ready. Brendan had already taken off his hat, and Ash unzipped his jacket.
While they did, they looked out at the crowd, and along with all the people chanting for them, up in the VIP section they could see their friends like May clapping and cheering, with Pikachu and Vee up on her shoulders clapping for him too. Max was actively holding up a flag with Ash's name, and even Brock got peer pressured into holding up a flag.
They'd go meet up with them after, but right now they had to think about how they were going to get out of here. But as they were thinking, Wally walked up behind them and held two bottles of water out to them.
"Here, guys," Wally said with a small smile.
Ash accepted it, "Thanks."
Brendan did too, "Really appreciate it," he said, already cracking it open and drinking from it.
Wally smiled and slid in, sitting down next to them and looking out at the crowd, "So, looks like we did it…"
"Sure did, and even though I lost, I still had a lot of fun," Brendan laughed.
"Not sure that's what he was referring to," Ash said with a lopsided grin, "But yeah, after everything we've been through, we're here. It almost feels underwhelming in a way."
"Oh really? Easy for you to say that, Mr. Third League win," Brendan said in a bad attempt at mocking him, but his simple expression didn't help.
"Not my fault. How about you guys get good?" Ash scoffed playfully.
"Well, I guess he's got us there. Ash has always been the strongest," Wally said, "But I meant, I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to even stand up here."
"You know, I kinda understand that," Brendan smiled and looked back out at the crowd, "You know, when I first started traveling, I never thought I would end up here."
Ash glanced at him, "Really?"
"Yeah," Brendan said, "I mean, I always loved Pokémon, but I never really had anyone to share that with."
Wally looked over at him.
Brendan smiled slightly, "But then I met you guys."
Ash gave him a small grin, "Careful, you're starting to sound sentimental."
"Shut up," Brendan laughed, punching Ash in the shoulder, "I'm allowed one emotional moment after fighting you for almost an hour."
"Fair."
The three of them laughed together. Honestly, after the Groudon and Kyogre incident, this whole thing felt underwhelming, but that didn't mean they didn't have fun. Just because it wasn't as big, or as flashy, or whatever as the whole raid on Groudon and Kyogre was, didn't mean it was worth any less.
Then suddenly, the speakers above the stadium crackled, and they were called to come up and receive their medals.
The crowd immediately began cheering again.
The three boys looked up.
"Looks like they're ready," Wally said.
Ash sighed dramatically and stood up, "Already?"
Brendan looked at him, "Dude, you just won the League."
"Yeah, but I was comfortable."
Wally laughed, "You really are something else."
Ash smiled, "That's what everyone says."
He stood up and stretched his back. Looking up, he saw the group, but before they walked out, Ash noticed May holding up her phone and looking directly at him.
Ash pulled out his phone and looked at it. He saw that May had texted him:
[I'll get everyone to wait for you guys outside. I know how much you hate crowds. You taught me that one.]
Ash smiled and shook his head helplessly, "Looks like May finally learned."
Then he looked over at Wally, "Hey, Wall, is Gallade up?"
Wally nodded, "Yeah, I got him healed earlier. Why?"
Ash smirked, "Perfect, then we can use him to teleport us out of here," Ash said, giving a thumbs up.
Wally and Brendan looked at each other, but then shrugged. Was it bad that they were used to Ash's Ashyness by now? So they accepted it and ran after him.
—
Ash, Brendan, and Wally were now standing in the cleared stadium after all the debris had been removed. People were still cheering for them and taking pictures of the boys standing there.
Mr. Goodshow slowly walked up to the stage with an assistant behind him, but quickly running in too was none other than Wallace, still making sure to pose for the pictures.
Sure, he wasn't able to be here personally to watch the matches since he was still conducting the investigation on the Pokémon Association and overseeing the repairs over Hoenn. Yes, it had taken this long, the rabbit hole went way deeper than anyone thought. It turned out the Association was actively funding both Team Magma and Team Aqua.
But we can go into the stupid logistics later. He was almost done, and he did watch the battles on the broadcast. He even ran here because, frankly, it was good for Hoenn, making them feel like their Champion was able to do all of this. And even after the events that happened, he could still make time to congratulate the winners of the Ever Grande Conference.
So it was kind of important for Wallace to be here to give Hoenn a much-needed morale boost, because after the past few months they had gone through, they needed a win.
Anyway, Wallace stood next to Goodshow and clapped along with everyone for them.
"It is time to award the top three trainers of this year's League!" Wallace announced, raising his hands and gesturing toward the trio.
Goodshow walked up slowly as the assistant followed. First, he got the third-place medal and put it around Wally's neck, "Congratulations. You've amazed us all with your strength. You inspire others to be brave just by being here."
Wally looked sheepish as he scratched his cheek, but he gave a polite bow, "Thank you so much. It's an honor!"
As Mr. Goodshow chuckled, giving Wally a pat on the shoulder, Wallace walked up and took the silver medal, putting it around Brendan's neck, "Congratulations, Brendan. You've gotten much stronger than even I could have expected."
"Thank you, Master," Brendan said quickly, standing straight.
Wallace shook his head with a smile, "I didn't do anything. All I did was give you a few pointers. If anything, Juan is more of a master to you."
Brendan shook his head, "No, sure, he taught me and trained me for...a while," Brendan said. He really didn't want to admit out loud, where people could hear, that he spent weeks training, "But I wouldn't have been able to do any of it if it wasn't for you. So to me, you'll always be my Master!"
Wallace gave a sincere smile, "Then I thank you for your kind words. I'm glad I could help you."
And finally, they moved up to Ash. Mr. Goodshow chuckled as he saw him again.
"Goodness, my boy, it seems like I see you every year. You aren't planning on collecting all my trophies, are you?" he said playfully.
"I just might. I mean, they're soooo shiny," Ash played along, giving a smile that made Goodshow let out a hearty laugh.
"Ah, it's always fun to see you battle. And between you and me, I'm already preparing to see you in Sinnoh, so I'll be expecting you."
"Then how can I disappoint?" Ash said with a smirk, "I'll be there, so get my next trophy ready too~."
Goodshow let out another laugh, putting the gold medal around Ash's neck.
Then Wallace took the trophy and walked up to Ash, giving him a smile, "You know, I never truly got to thank you."
"Oh, I don't know what you mean," Ash said with a smirk.
Then he gestured with his eyes, and Wallace understood. It was what Ash had told him: he didn't want to get the credit for playing the biggest part in the Kyogre and Groudon conflict.
And not even mentioning how he saved Steven's life, but even still, Wallace was grateful, more grateful than he could ever express.
"Well, in case you ever do do something 'special'," he played along, "you can ask me for anything."
He held out the trophy.
Ash chuckled and reached out, grabbing it, "Sure, just please don't try to make me take your Champion spot. Lance is still trying, and I really don't want another Champion following me."
Wallace chuckled and let go of the trophy, "No promises, but you can come and challenge the Elite Four any time you'd like. But for now, enjoy this."
Wallace gestured toward the crowd of people now looking down at him.
Ash smiled and looked at the trophy, then held it up high, making the crowd cheer even louder and the photographers start snapping photos like crazy.
Wallace raised his voice and spread his arms.
"And that concludes this year's Ever Grande Conference. Thank you, everyone, for coming and for your constant support. From me, your Champion, thank you all for being here!"
—
A while later, after the trio quickly escaped to the back room again, they didn't even need to check. They could hear that the back door, the front, and every other entrance were covered by reporters and people who wanted their autographs.
So, like Ash said before, Wally brought out Gallade. He took one look at the situation and immediately noped everyone out of there.
They reappeared in the palace they had started in, out of town. The reason Gallade brought them there was because he, of course, felt May, Max, Brock, Norman, Caroline, heck, even Flannery, Roxanne, Brawly, Tate, and Liza had all been dragged along too.
May saw them and quickly pulled the three of them into a hug.
"That was great! You guys did it!"
Then she pulled back, and Pikachu and Vee quickly jumped off her shoulders and back onto Ash, where they both nuzzled into him, getting into their usual spots.
May gave a small triumphant smile while looking at Ash.
"Ha, but I knew you'd win. I didn't doubt you for a second."
"Hmmm, interesting," Ash said, looking over at the group, "Care to confirm or deny?"
Everyone in the group immediately looked away.
Ash raised an eyebrow, "Wow."
May blinked, "What?"
"You all avoided eye contact at the exact same time."
Brock coughed awkwardly and looked away, "Well, you see…"
"Apapapa!" May quickly covered Brock's mouth, "You don't need to hear that. You won, that's all that mattered. I was rooting for you the whole time."
Norman coughed into his hand, "Well, she was cheering for both you and Brendan."
"Dad!" May exclaimed, getting embarrassed.
Norman just looked away, whistling.
Ash snorted and patted her head, "There, there. It's fine. It's not like I'm mad or anything."
May opened her mouth, looked embarrassed, and then looked away, crossing her arms.
"Uhh, even when I'm happy for you, you act like this," she pouted, "I mean, I was still cheering for you."
Ash smiled, shaking his head, "I know, I know. I'm just messing with you."
May smiled and let out a sigh. Honestly, it was still so strange seeing how far they had all come. The boys made it into the top three of the conference, and she made it as a top coordinator. They really did exactly what they set out to do.
But then that reminded her, Oh yeah, she had to tell Ash 'that.' She shook her head and decided she would tell him a little later.
For now, Flannery started clapping, getting her out of her stupor.
"Ha, congrats, Ash, and you too, Brendan. And I didn't forget you, Wally," she said with a grin, putting her hands on her waist, "If anyone deserves this, it's you guys!"
"Yeah!" Brawly pumped his fists, "We should totally go train together sometime. It will be radical!"
"Maybe some other time," Wally said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Still, you guys really put on a show," Tate started, "Really is great being here after we stopped Gr-ow!"
Tate started, but Liza quickly elbowed him in the side, "Tate, can you stop bringing that up every time?" Liza said.
Then she looked back at everyone, "But what Tate was saying, you all did incredible, and I couldn't be happier that I got to be here," she said, giving a happy smile, before looking embarrassed that everyone was looking at her now, so she covered her mouth.
"Hey, it's alright. And again, thanks. I appreciate that you guys even came to watch," Ash said, "I know how busy you guys are since all that stuff happened."
Liza looked embarrassed and looked down, "W-well, it was mainly Tate that wanted to come, so I came too."
That made Ash chuckle a bit.
Then Roxanne finally walked up and sighed, "Very well, I admit, the battles today were very enjoyable to watch," she said, trying to keep a composed voice.
But Flannery elbowed her slightly, "Hey, who are you trying to fool, Roxi~?"
That made Roxanne flinch and deflate, "Okay, it was really cool," she said with her head down like she was defeated. Then she looked up at Ash, "Why can't you be serious like that all the time?"
The Ash she saw battle was the cool, serious Ash that she had watched before on videos. But after she met him, she learned that Ash hardly takes anything seriously, and it was infuriating.
Ash just smiled, "How else will I get to see people smile?" Ash said with a wink.
They didn't think anyone was expecting an actual answer from Ash, especially one like that. Especially since this was Ash. He could have made that up, and they would never know.
Did he troll them? Or was the troll that there was no troll, so they were just going to overthink it? But maybe he knew they'd think that, so he did put a troll.
And that was the infinite loop that Roxanne eventually gave up on. But even then, she laughed at the absurdity of it, "Ha...I can't believe any of this...hehe."
Then, just when May was about to cut in and say something, they heard the sound of someone running, "Hey, wait for me, Ash!"
When they looked over, they saw a red-haired girl with long braids wearing a cheerleader outfit, May, Brendan, Tate, and Liza recognized her immediately, Latias. No, Brock didn't recognize her since she had her new form that Brock hadn't been introduced to yet.
"What are you doing here, and why are you wearing that?!" May quickly pointed at her.
Latias stopped and tilted her head, looking down at her crop top, then shrugged, "What? This is what I saw other people wear when they cheer, and I came here to cheer for Ash."
"That-I-but-" May sputtered.
"You know, she kinda does have a point," Brendan said, putting a hand on his chin.
"Literally how?!" May asked.
"Anyway," Latias slipped through them and got up to Ash, then grabbed him in a hug, "Yay, you did it!"
Liza immediately smiled and waved, "Hi, Latias. It's good to see you again!"
Tate nodded, "Can you show us another trick?"
But immediately, everyone else looked at this situation and, in unison, said, "Eh."
"Did you say Latias?" Roxanne asked, since they had all seen Ash riding on Latias during the battle. They knew Ash had something to do with Latias; they just didn't know what.
"Oh yeah," Tate raised his hands and pointed at Latias, "This is Latias."
"Don't worry, it was hard for me to understand too," Brendan said, scratching his cheek.
Latias nodded, jumping forward. She put her hands on her hips and nodded proudly, "Yep, I am the great Latias! UmU"
No one said anything yet, and Ash coughed, leaning in, "Maybe you should turn."
Latias blinked and looked down, remembering she was still in her human form, "Oh right, duh."
She hit her head, then in front of everyone, she turned into light and quickly became the Pokémon Latias again.
Everyone who didn't already know was trying to make their brains catch up with what they were seeing. Brock understood it pretty quickly, but then he remembered the last time he saw Latias and the situation, and he felt himself wanting to sit down and go with Lucy, but she was busy right now.
"So why did you come here? Shouldn't you go back to your home?" Ash asked.
Latias giggled, "I wanted to come watch you battle. It was really cool. I'm gonna try some of it on Latios when I get home."
Then she smiled and started flying up, "And I wanted to say bye again. I have to go, but let's meet again soon!" With a wave of her hand, Latias turned and flew off, disappearing into the clouds.
"Well, that was...something," Flannery muttered.
"Right, well," Caroline clapped her hands, changing the subject, "I think the situation calls for a celebration. How about we all go to our home and have a celebration dinner? Of course, you're all invited." Caroline extended the invitation even over to the Gym Leaders.
Then she turned toward Wally, "And Wally. I already invited your family to come over, even your aunt and uncle, and your cousin Wanda!"
Wally froze, "Wait...really?"
Caroline nodded, "Of course. I know how much this means to you, and you're not getting away from another invitation that easily," she said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Norman looked over toward Brendan, "And Brendan."
Brendan turned, "Yeah?"
Norman smiled, "I already invited Professor Birch and your mom too."
Brendan immediately froze, "Wait, you did?"
Norman nodded, "Of course. They are your parents, and they should be part of this too. Besides, we've been friends for a long time, so it wasn't a problem at all."
Then Roxanne cleared her throat, "Well, I hate to do this, but I have to decline. There is just too much work to be done in Rustboro City."
"Come on, Roxanne, don't be such a party pooper," Flannery said playfully.
"Well, I'm sorry my town isn't at the top of a volcano and avoided most of the problems," Roxanne said sarcastically.
Flannery shrugged, "Well, I dunno. You're the Rock-type expert, and you're not on a mountain. That seems like your problem."
Brawly cleared his throat too, "As much as I'd like to go, my hometown was nearly destroyed. I have to be there."
"Us too. We can't go either," Liza said, scratching her cheek.
"Yeah, Mossdeep got hit pretty hard too, and the space station especially, so we're gonna be busy."
"Aww, you guys are no fun," Flannery said, sighing, "But I guess I'd like to go, but I need to monitor the volcano to make sure Groudon won't wake up anytime ever."
"Anytime ever?" Ash repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Flannery froze for a second, realizing how that sounded, "I-I mean, you know what I mean!"
Ash just smiled, "Sure, sure."
Flannery crossed her arms, already annoyed, "Don't give me that look."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it!"
"I wasn't."
"You were!"
Everyone laughed at the argument, and even Roxanne couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly.
"Alright, it's a little disappointing, but I understand," Caroline said, clapping her hands, "Okay, oh Ash, can we use Abby?"
Ash blinked, "Um, well, sorry, but Abby is kinda—"
But before he could finish, Abby appeared next to him eating popcorn.
Ash looked at her, then checked around, looking to see if there was a hidden camera, "Am I getting Truman Showed? There is no way that was a coincidence."
But everyone let out a soft chuckle at Ash's joke, and with Abby, the group that was off to Petalburg teleported away.
—
The celebration dinner went on much longer than anyone thought it would. Professor Birch and Brendan's mother arrived first.
The moment Brendan saw them, he froze slightly. His mom immediately rushed forward and hugged him, "There's my champion."
"Mom, I didn't win."
She pulled back and smiled, "Did I say League Champion?"
Brendan blinked.
"I said my champion."
That immediately made Brendan look away, trying to hide his smile.
Professor Birch laughed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "I watched the whole thing. You were incredible."
Brendan smiled, "Thanks, Dad."
Meanwhile, Wally's family arrived shortly after. His parents and his aunt immediately surrounded him, congratulating him for making it so far.
And then Wanda ran up, "Wally! You were amazing!" She took his hands and shook them, spinning him around excitedly, "I knew you could always do it!"
Wally immediately turned red, "W-Wanda!"
After they joined, and everyone helped out, the celebration went on until the sun started setting. Sometime during it, Ash excused himself and took a step outside.
He stopped out there and kneeled down, feeding Pikachu and Vee their favorite snacks.
Not long after, Ash heard the door open, and he saw May stepping outside and sitting next to him with a plate of food.
"What's that for, worried I was still hungry?" Ash teased.
"No, it's for Munchlax," May said matter-of-factly as she threw out Munchlax's ball, and out came the small Pokémon, immediately taking the plate and licking it clean.
"Makes sense," Ash shrugged.
May sat there with Ash for a bit, then looked out at the sun setting, "How are you feeling?"
"Hmm, relieved mostly. Also wondering what I'm gonna do while I wait for my birthday," Ash said honestly. Then he turned and looked at May, "You?"
May looked down and took a deep breath, "Nervous."
"Really? Why? What are you nervous about?" Ash asked.
May looked at her hands and closed them tightly, then she looked up at Ash, "Well, now that our adventure is over, and you're probably gonna go to Sinnoh next, I was thinking about going off on my own in Johto. Maybe...you know, I heard they had their own contests starting there."
Ash smiled, "Hey, that's great to hear. I'm glad you can move forward on your own."
May smiled at first, but Ash noticed something was off. Like there was something she wanted to say but couldn't figure out how.
Ash tilted his head slightly, "May?"
"Hm?" May looked over.
"You're doing that thing again."
May blinked, "What thing?"
"That thing where you're thinking so hard your face gives it away."
May immediately looked away, embarrassed, "I do not do that."
Ash just raised an eyebrow.
She sighed, "Okay...maybe I do."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The sounds of the celebration continued behind them as May looked down at her hands.
Ash looked at her, "May?"
May froze, then suddenly, before she could think about it anymore, she stood up.
Ash looked surprised, "Uh...May?"
She walked out toward the empty street in front of the house, her heart pounding.
Ash stared for a second before standing up too, "May, where are you going?"
She turned around. The nervous expression was still there, but there was determination behind it now. She reached for her belt and grabbed a Poké Ball.
Ash blinked, "May?"
She held the Poké Ball out in front of her, "Ash, do you remember what you told me?" she said, but she didn't even let Ash answer before continuing, "So, right now, Ash, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle."
Ash looked behind him, then back at her, "Right now?"
"Right now."
"Why?" Ash asked as he stood up.
"Because…" She paused, "Because I want to see how much stronger I've gotten."
Ash looked at her, and he could tell that wasn't the reason, but he didn't call her out on it yet.
He stood across from her, "Alright, if that's what you want, I'll battle you."
But when Ash grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt, May raised a finger, "But there's a condition."
Ash raised an eyebrow, "A condition?"
May nodded, "If I win, you have to complete any one request I make."
Ash blinked, "Any request?"
"Any one," May said with a smile. Then she pointed to herself, "And if you win, I'll do the same for you."
Ash gave a small chuckle and held out his ball, "Alright, if that's what you want, then I accept. Is it just 1-on-1?"
May gulped and nodded, "Yes, that's it. And I'm going to do my best, so you better not hold back on me this time."
Ash smiled softly, "Alright then, May. Consider this your final lesson."
Ash pressed the button on the ball, making it grow, and he threw it out. As it hit the ground, Sceptile jumped onto the battlefield.
May nodded and threw out her ball. As it fell to the ground, Blaziken came out, stretching her legs.
Ash had to physically hold his own Blaziken's ball closed because he could feel it shaking, his Blaziken raging that Sceptile was going to fight her.
But anyway, Ash saw that look in May's eyes. Her hand lowered to her waist, where her Mega Charm was, so he did the same, pulling out his Keystone. Then, as they stared at each other, they pressed the stones and called out at the same time.
"Mega Evolve!" x2