"Chloe, don't worry. Incineroar will take Ash home."
It was Kiawe who spoke.
Of course he recognized this Incineroar—
after all, back on the exhibition stage, his Torracat had defeated the Masked Royal's Incineroar.
As for where Incineroar was taking Ash?
There was no need to ask.
Naturally, it was Professor Kukui's house.
And so, following the steps of Incineroar, Chloe returned to the Kukui residence.
"Sorry, Incineroar… I haven't visited you guys in so long…"
Half-asleep, Ash murmured softly.
We're not mad at you.
Incineroar said nothing.
It simply carried Ash home.
When they arrived at Professor Kukui's house,
Rowlet, Lycanroc, Melmetal, and Ash's other Alolan partners were already waiting.
Naganadel and Solgaleo had returned to the Ultra Space, so they weren't here.
Seeing Ash fast asleep on Incineroar's back,
none of them dared disturb him.
It was Burnet who came out when she heard the noise, gently lifting Ash off Incineroar's back.
With her arrangement,
Ash and Chloe stayed the night.
That night, all the Pokémon crowded around Ash as he slept.
The next morning, the moment Ash opened his eyes,
his partners filled his entire field of vision.
"Guys—!"
Before he could finish, he was completely swallowed by hugs, rubs, and greetings from his Pokémon.
Only when Professor Kukui called him down for breakfast
did Ash finally escape the "Pokémon pile."
Downstairs, he saw something that startled him—
a baby cradled in Chloe's arms.
Still groggy, Ash thought he was hallucinating.
After blinking several times, he finally realized:
this was Professor Kukui's child.
The baby's name was Lei.
The name sounded like a prodigy from some sci-fi series—
but alas, this was the Pokémon world.
Right now, Lei was just a five- or six-month-old infant.
Ash looked at Lei seriously.
"He's definitely going to be an amazing Trainer one day."
Hearing Ash's sincere tone,
Burnet's smile nearly welded itself onto her face.
When did Ash get this good at compliments?
Kukui:M-my… child?
Burnet:What? You don't want to take responsibility? Or are you thinking something else?
Kukui:No! Absolutely not!
Kukui perfectly demonstrated the proud bravado of a true man.
Drake:Hold on, I just realized something—we can peek into our own future with this screen.
Flint:Idiot. You're only noticing that now?
Elesa:Let it go. Drake's brain only works when he's battling. Outside of that, his IQ is permanently set to "offline."
Drake:Slander! Pure slander!
In the video—
After breakfast, Ash brought Chloe to meet all of his former partners.
They gave her a welcome she would never forget.
After that brief interlude,
Kiawe showed up at Kukui's doorstep.
His purpose was simple.
"Ash! Battle me!"
Kiawe's eyes were burning with fighting spirit.
Ash wasn't surprised.
Kiawe had been like this from day one.
"You haven't changed at all," Ash said with a laugh.
"Come on! It's been forever since we battled. Let me show you how much I've improved!"
The fire in Kiawe's eyes only grew stronger.
Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles quickly arrived as well—
They all knew Ash would be leaving today.
Before he left,
they wanted one last memory with him.
And nothing was more fitting
than a battle between Ash and Kiawe.
"All right. I accept your challenge!"
"Pika!"
Ash and Pikachu responded in perfect sync.
A chorus of roars erupted behind them—
Incineroar, Lycanroc, and the others were all fired up.
Professor Kukui slipped an arm around Burnet's shoulders, nostalgia washing over him.
"Ash is still as full of energy as ever."
He sounded sentimental.
Back during the exhibition match,
he never imagined Ash would actually defeat Tapu Koko using the Tapu Z-move.
Maybe Ash really was a prodigy.
The scene shifted.
Ash and the others arrived at the beach they'd visited the previous night.
There was a designated battle area nearby,
and that was where Ash and Kiawe chose to fight.
Just as they approached,
another pair of Trainers finished their battle there.
The moment those two caught sight of Ash,
they froze—
then exploded with excitement.
"You… you're Ash, right?! The first-ever Alola Champion?!"
"It must be you! I've watched your battle with Professor Kukui over and over—I'd never mistake you!"
"Ash the Champion! Please sign my shirt!"
"Sign my hat!"
Within moments,
more and more people on the beach noticed the commotion.
Once someone yelled Ash's name and his title as the inaugural champion,
the entire beach practically stormed over.
Dozens—then hundreds—surrounded him,
their eyes shining like he was a living legend.
Ash's fame in Alola was terrifyingly huge.
After all, he was their first champion.
Gary:Huh. Didn't think the Alola Champion title had such weight.
Misty:Weird. Gary didn't take the chance to trash-talk Ash. I suspect he's been replaced by an impostor.
Kukui:Even before this, Ash was widely known. After our match aired?
Everyone in Alola knew his name.
Lana:Yeah! When our classmates found out we'd be Ash's future partners, half the school begged to transfer into our class!
Ash:Awesome! I'll train hard so that someday I really will win the Alola Championship!
Kukui:We'll be waiting. I've talked to the other Island Kahunas—
we'll hold the first Alola League only after you come.
And the champion's seat… will be waiting for you.
Gary:Great! I finally found a way to beat you, Ash.
The Alola Champion title will be MINE!
Red:Kid, have you always been this confident?
Blue:Heh. Gary's strong. Ash better watch out.
Ash:NO WAY! I won't lose to Gary—not now, not ever!
Not now.
Not in the future.
Ash believed this wholeheartedly.
The future Alolan Champion's throne belonged to him—
and no one would take it.
I began in Alola.
And I'll reach my peak in Alola.
Red nodded approvingly.
That spirit was what allowed a Trainer to keep growing stronger.
In the video—
"That guy Ash sure is enviable…"
Kiawe muttered, sourness dripping from every syllable.
He wasn't immune to jealousy.
His dream was to become the Island Kahuna of Melemele Island—
but judging from the chaos here,
if Ash even hinted at wanting the job,
the entire beach would probably crown him on the spot.
"Jealous much?" Lana elbowed him teasingly.
"I'm not!" Kiawe insisted.
"I'm just worried these people might delay our battle!"
Truthfully…
after Ash left Alola, something always felt missing to him.
Battles just weren't as fun without Ash.
Finally, Ash escaped the mob of fans.
He and Kiawe stepped onto the battlefield.
And immediately, Ash spotted a familiar face floating in mid-air.
A red Rotom—the Rotom Pokédex.
Another of Ash's Alolan partners.
Most of the time, it only functioned as a Pokédex…
But the moment it saw Ash,
its screen lit up like stars.
"Long time no see, Rotom."
"Long time no see, Rotommmm!"
Just as they were about to catch up—
—a discordant electronic hum chimed from Ash's pocket.
A Rotom Phone floated out.
New model meets old model.
"Beep-beep. Rotom Pokédex detected.
Primary function: Pokémon ecology and type identification.
No additional utilities."
Rotom Pokédex: ???
Are you being polite or not?!
"You rude little—! I can display images, play videos, and audio!"
"Beep-beep. Those are baseline functions for me. Not worth mentioning."
From Ash's perspective,
the Rotom Phone's little eyes even squinted smugly.
This wasn't an accident.
It was deliberate.
Seeing Rotom Pokédex getting heated,
Ash quickly snatched the Rotom Phone and stuffed it back in his pocket.
"Sorry, Rotom."
He hadn't expected the usually quiet Rotom Phone to react this aggressively to its own kind.
Was this the infamous same-type rivalry?
"It's not your fault, Ash! It's that thing's fault!"
Rotom Pokédex muttered indignantly.
Just then, Professor Kukui popped out of nowhere, patting its head proudly.
"Haha! Good thing Ash stepped in.
Otherwise your Rotom Phone would've seen the Pokédex's new feature."
He placed a yellow cartridge on Rotom Pokédex's head.
"This is a Rotom Upgrade Module—something I got from Chairman Rose.
With it, the Rotom Pokédex gains the judging ability used in the World Coronation Series!"
Kukui looked incredibly proud.
He had gone through a lot to obtain this.
And its effects?
Pretty great so far.
Rose:So this is how the WCS expanded so quickly in the future…
Leon:We should develop something like this too. Let's bring the WCS to the world even sooner.
Rose:All for Galar.
Professor Magnolia:I'd love to see more of Galar's future. The WCS must be what revitalizes us.
Steven:Don't worry. You succeed.
Success…?
Not quite yet.
Rose's eyes flickered darkly.
The instability of Dynamax energy was still an unresolved threat.
In the video—
"So cool!"
"So amazing!"
Ash and Rotom Pokédex's eyes sparkled in unison.
Rotom Pokédex installed the module.
A bright flash lit up,
and green stripes appeared on its red casing.
"Tada! Rotom Pokédex has upgraded to Rotom Referee!"
"Rotom Referee! Then I'll leave this match to you!"
"Leave it to me!"
Rotom Referee shot straight to the center of the battlefield
and began announcing the rules.
Since Kiawe was also participating in the World Coronation Series—
ranked at Super Ball Class, #770—
their casual match instantly upgraded to an official WCS ranking match!
The spectators grew even more excited.
This was the inaugural Alola Champion's battle!
Of course they cheered for Ash.
"Ash the Champion, beat that Kiawe brat!"
"We're rooting for you!"
The cheers became a wave.
Ash and Pikachu felt their blood boiling.
"I'll give this match everything I've got!"
Ash waved at the crowd.
Their screams intensified.
Finally, Rotom Referee announced the official rules.
"This will be a 3v3 battle!
Both Trainers may use three Pokémon.
When one side's Pokémon are all unable to battle, the match ends!"
"BEGIN!
Both sides, send out your first Pokémon!"
Kiawe and Ash exchanged a glance—
—and sparks flew instantly.
Kiawe chose his obvious ace:
Turtonator.
The massive fire–dragon turtle Pokémon with its hexagonal shell and cannon-like nose.
Turtonator almost never entered a Poké Ball—
just like Pikachu.
Ash didn't reach for any Poké Balls either.
Instead, he looked at the powerful shadow standing behind him.
He chose Incineroar.
"Fire represents passion!
Let's use our burning passion to ignite this battle!"
Ash's eyes blazed.
Against his old rival Kiawe,
he gave 120%.
"Go, Turtonator! Flamethrower!"
"Incineroar—take it!"
Neither the command nor the attack surprised Ash.
This full-force opening was classic Kiawe.
Ash chose to tank the hit directly—
because Incineroar had the ability Flash Fire.
The moment the sea of flames engulfed Incineroar,
all the fire was drawn into the blazing belt around its waist.
This belt, evolved from its fiery bell,
absorbed flames and strengthened Incineroar.
This was Ash's Incineroar's unique trait:
Flash Fire—
Devour all flames,
and grow stronger.
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