Pokemon One-Shots and Headcanons

Reunions

Three years had passed since Ash had left Kalos. Since then, he'd worked hard to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokemon master and had finally succeeded when he won that Indigo league six months ago after challenging it for a second time. He was scheduled to battle Lance, the Kanto champion, in a year's time after the champion was finished helping Steven Stone with his studies in Hoenn. Ash was planning to use Pikachu, Charizard, Infernape, Sceptile, and Snorlax, but couldn't decide who to pick as the sixth member of his team.
But all of that could wait for now, for Ash and Pikachu-as well as some of their Pokemon friends-were on their way to Kalos to reunite with some of their old friends. To be more specific, they were going to see Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. Ash privately wondered if Greninja would be there as well. It had been three years since he'd seen his frog-ninja Pokemon and although he didn't regret his reasons for releasing him, he did miss him. Maybe Greninja had finished his work with Squishy and Z-2 and could return to his team again.
A few hours later, the plane finally landed at Lumiose Airport. Ash stepped off the plane and entered the airport, looking around in amazement. After three years, it seemed that nothing had changed.
"Wow, Pikachu. We're really back in Kalos, aren't we?" the raven-haired boy said, smiling.
"Pika pika," Pikachu said happily. He couldn't wait to see their friends again, especially a certain fairy-type fox Pokemon with pink feelers.
"Hey, Ash! Is that you?"
Ash and Pikachu turned towards the voice and spotted Clemont and Bonnie waving at them from fifteen yards away. They were accompanied by Serena and, to Ash's slight surprise, his old Kalos rival, Sawyer.
"Hey, guys! Wow, it's really been a long time, hasn't it?" Ash greeted his friends, walking over to meet them. "Sawyer, I wasn't expecting to see you too. How was studying with Steven Stone?"
"It was great, but we finished about two years ago," Sawyer told him. "I spent some time at home with my parents and then I decided to come back here and challenge the Kalos league again. As a matter of fact, I just got here about an hour ago and saw Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. They told me they were expecting you, so I decided to come along."
"Well, it's great to see you again," Ash said, smiling. "Clemont, how's the gym doing? Clembot still working properly?"
Clemont laughed. "The gym and Clembot are both doing fine," he reported.
"Ash, guess what?" Bonnie piped up excitedly. "I get to start my Pokemon journey tomorrow!"
Ash smiled at the eager little blond girl. "That's great, Bonnie. Make sure you wake up on time though," he joked. The others laughed, well aware of the story of how Ash had woken up late on the morning he was supposed to receive his starter Pokemon and had gotten stuck with a disobedient Pikachu. But anyone who saw them now could easily say that they were the best of friends, so no harm done.
"That's great, Bonnie. Since I'll be in Kalos for a year before I have to go back to Kanto, maybe we could travel together again," Ash suggested. "I won't be challenging the gyms this time around, but I'll be excited to watch you."
Bonnie's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Great idea! This is going to be so awesome!" she cheered.
Ash chuckled at the young girl's enthusiasm before turning at last to Serena. Unlike the rest of his friends, he had no idea what to say to her. The memory of their parting was still fresh in his mind-or, more specifically, the kiss was still fresh in his mind-and he could tell it was the same for her.
"Uh, hey Serena," he said awkwardly, unable to stop the rising heat that caused his face to flush slightly. "You, uh-look like you've been doing well."
"Y-yeah. You too, Ash," Serena said, blushing furiously. Behind her, Ash could see Clemont and Bonnie trying to hold back laughter. Even Sawyer had a knowing smirk on his face.
"Congratulations on becoming Kalos Queen, by the way," Ash said, desperately trying to diffuse the awkwardness in the air. "How are Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon?"
"Delphox, actually," Serena corrected him, a touch of pride in her voice. "She evolved a few months ago."
"Really? That's great," Ash said sincerely.
"How have you been doing, Ash?" Bonnie asked. "Have you won any leagues yet?"
Ash laughed. "As a matter of fact, yes," he told her. His friends' eyes widened in amazement. "I won the Indigo league six months ago and I'm going to battle Lance in a year."
"Wow Ash, that's so cool! I knew you could do it!" Serena exclaimed, smiling proudly at him. There was something else in her eyes too though, an emotion that she seemed to feel only for him but that he couldn't place a name to.
"Congratulations," Sawyer added, a grin on his face. "I'll be coming for you."
"That's awesome!" Bonnie yelled, loud enough for all of Kalos to hear her.
Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, you know it was mostly thanks to my Pokemon," he said modestly.
Clemont glanced at his watch. "I don't mean to rush anyone, but we have to be at the gym soon," he said.
Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh, right! I forgot!" she yelped. "Ash, come on! We're going back to the gym!"
Ash was confused as Bonnie grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the airport exit. "Wait, what's all this about? Why are we in such a rush?" he asked.
"No time to explain, come on!" Bonnie yelled, still dragging him along behind her. She was surprisingly strong for a ten-year-old.
Finally, Serena managed to convince Bonnie to let go of Ash's arm. They resumed walking at a more normal pace, though Ash could sense the little girl's impatience. He wondered what she was so excited about, then decided that he could wait until they arrived at the gym to find out.
As they were passing a forest, Ash could have sworn he saw a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. He turned around sharply, but whatever it had been was already gone.
"Ash?" Serena asked, looking at him in concern. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, I just thought I saw something," Ash replied, turning around again.
They arrived at the Lumiose gym fifteen minutes later. Upon entering the gym, Ash was surprised to find that it was pitch-black inside. He was about to search the wall for a light switch until-
"SURPRISE!"
Ash felt his jaw drop open in shock as he stared around the room. In front of him stood Misty, Brock, Max, May, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Ritchie, Morrison, Harrison, Tyson, Paul, Trip, Virgil, Sanpei, Alain, Mairin, Korrina, Gurkinn, and Brandon. Even Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion, was there.
"What-how-" he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Bonnie laughed at his expression. "Surprised?" she asked cheekily. Ash just nodded, still dumbfounded. "Well, don't just stand there with your mouth hanging open like a Magikarp. Go and say hi to everyone."
Ash snapped out of his stunned stupor and laughed. He couldn't believe Clemont and Bonnie had really gone through all this trouble for him. How had they even managed to contact so many of his old friends and rivals? It wasn't like he'd told them about everyone.
"Hey Ash, it's so good to see you again!" Misty exclaimed, running up to him and hugging him. "I saw you in the Indigo league. Congratulations on winning!"
"Heh, thanks Misty," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Pika pikachu," Pikachu added, blushing.
Ash turned to Brock next and was about to say something, until his old friend started flirting with Serena. "My dear, your eyes capture the true beauty of your heart. If you would be so gentle as to heal my aching heart-ASH?!"
"Get off it. You're sure giving me an ache, but I can't say where because there are kids around," Ash said, dragging Brock away by the ear as everyone laughed.
"I am so proud," Misty said, pretending to wipe away a tear.
Ash returned to the group, smiling pleasantly. Max gave him a thumbs up and Dawn was grinning at him.
"Nice one, Ash," the blue-haired coordinator said. Ash just chuckled and shrugged. "Good to see you again. Congratulations on winning the Indigo league. You were so good."
"Thanks, Dawn. I heard you won the Grand Festival in Sinnoh last year. Nice work," Ash congratulated his friend.
"Yeah, and you'll never guess what else happened," Dawn replied, blushing. At Ash's raised eyebrow, she continued, "Paul and I are-well, that is, we're-"
Ash stared at the blue-haired girl in confusion for a moment before realization hit him. Smirking, he couldn't help saying, "So that's why Paul came here, then."
Even Paul laughed at that. "Pathetic as ever, Ketchum," he said, though it was said in a friendly manner rather than the cruel taunt it had been when they were rivals in Sinnoh.
"Oh, yes," Ash said, throwing up his hands in mock despair. "What troubles I must face, attempting to escape the inauspicious cloud that has long since been cast over the collective opinion of my skills as a trainer due to the follies of my rash and impetuous style."
"Did you rehearse that line, Ash?" Paul asked, amused.
"I didn't, actually!" Ash told his former rival proudly. "It just came to me. Would you believe that?"
"No," the Sinnoh native told him flatly.
Ash sulked a bit at his refusal to believe him, but still failed to become truly irritated. What a miracle it was indeed, that Ash and Paul were having a conversation that both of them were enjoying. Max came forwards next.
"Hey Ash, it's good to see you again," the bespectacled boy greeted him. "Guess what? I started my Pokemon journey a month ago."
"That's great, Max. Did you pick Treecko as your starter?" Ash asked, remembering Max's partiality towards the Hoenn grass-type back when they were traveling together through Hoenn.
"Yeah, and I've also caught three other Pokemon," Max said proudly. "You want to meet them?"
"Sure. Tell you what, after this is over we can have that battle I promised you," Ash suggested. Max's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Awesome! Thanks, Ash!" he said happily.
Iris smiled fondly and shook her head. "Oh, you two are such kids," she laughed.
Ash laughed as well. "Iris, I was beginning to wonder when you would call me that," he remarked.
"Ax! Axew!" Axew, Iris' partner, shouted, waving at Ash and Pikachu eagerly.
"Hi, Axew," Ash said, smiling kindly at the little dragon-type.
As Serena watched Ash reuniting with his old friends, she felt a sense of insecurity well up inside her. She had never really realized it until now, but Ash had met a lot of girls on his journey. Was it possible that he liked one of them? Did she even have a chance with him? She had been considering confessing her feelings to Ash, but she wasn't sure if she could do it now that she knew how many other girls he had made friends with. One of them was bound to like him. Serena at least felt reassured somewhat by the fact that Dawn was out of the question since she had a boyfriend, as well as Cynthia since she was at least twelve years older than Ash.
"Hey, Serena?" Ash called over to the honey-blond girl. Serena blinked, startled, and looked over at Ash.
"Sorry, what was that?" she asked sheepishly.
"Max and I are going to have our battle now. You mind if we use the field?" Ash asked.
"Oh-oh yeah!" Serena exclaimed apologetically, stepping off the battlefield.
Ash and Max faced each other from opposite ends of the gym. Their friends were in the stands, all of them excited to see Ash battle again. Clemont was acting as the referee.
"The battle between Ash and Max will now begin," the blond-haired scientist announced. "This will be a four on four match with no substitutions. Ready...battle begin!"
"Treecko, you're up first!" Max shouted, throwing out his first Pokeball. There was a flash of light as the gecko Pokemon took his place on the battlefield in front of Max. Ash could tell that Treecko had been well-raised.
"Your Treecko looks like a strong one, Max," Ash praised the younger boy as he pulled out his own Pokeball. "Now, Hawlucha, I choose you!"
The former forest champion appeared in a flash of light, doing his usual pose routine that he did before every battle. Up in the stands, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Sawyer, and Alain chuckled, remembering fond memories of Hawlucha's flashy battling style.
"A flying-type," Max muttered, almost to himself. "Better be careful here. Treecko, start things off with Pound!"
"Battle back with Brick Break!" Ash ordered, knowing that while was Hawlucha strong enough to knock out Treecko with his Flying Press, he preferred to test his opponent's strength in hand to hand combat first.
Hawlucha was only too happy to comply and started a fierce clash with Treecko of Brick Break and Pound. It was clear that Hawlucha was the stronger Pokemon, however, and soon he delivered a powerful Brick Break that sent Treecko flying back towards Max.
"Treecko, are you all right?" Max asked in alarm.
"Tree...." Treecko grunted, forcing himself to stand up again. "Treecko!"
"Great, now use Bullet Seed!" Max called out.
"Flying Press!" Ash countered.
Treecko launched an impressive Bullet Seed towards Hawlucha, who promptly dodged it by leaping high into the air. The hawklike Pokemon did a quick spin in midair before diving down towards Treecko, knocking him off his feet and effectively flattening him.
"Treecko is unable to battle! Hawlucha is the winner," Clemont announced.
"Yes! Great stuff, Hawlucha," Ash praised his loyal fighting and flying-type.
"Hawlu!" Hawlucha said proudly, fist bumping his trainer before being recalled to his Pokeball.
"Thanks Treecko, you were great. Return," Max said, doing the same for his fainted Pokemon. "Well Ash, you're definitely strong. But I'm going to win the next one!"
"Go for it," Ash replied, giving Max a smirk.
Max pulled out a second Pokeball. "Kirlia, let's do this!"
Ash rose his eyebrows as the psychic and fairy-type took his place on the battlefield. "That wouldn't happen to be the Ralts we met back in Hoenn, would it?" he asked.
"It is, and he's one of my strongest Pokemon," Max answered proudly. Ash nodded.
"In that case then, Talonflame, I choose you!" the raven-haired boy called out, tossing out his own Pokeball. The fire and flying-type appeared above the battlefield and Ash didn't waste any time with his first move. "Now, use Steel Wing!"
"Dodge it, Kirlia!" Max ordered.
However, Ash just grinned. "Go after him," he said simply.
Max's eyes widened as Talonflame began chasing after Kirlia, his wings glowing silver. After a few moments, the more experienced Scorching Pokemon managed to land a super effective hit on Kirlia with Steel Wing. Kirlia fell down onto one knee, shaking his head in pain.
"Oh no, Kirlia! Are you all right?" Max asked worriedly. Kirlia nodded and gave his trainer a forced smile. "Good, now use Moonblast!"
"Dodge, and then go into a combination of Steel Wing and Flame Charge!" Ash countered quickly.
Talonflame soared easily out of the way of Kirlia's Moonblast before his body was engulfed in flames and he started to zoom in towards Kirlia. His wings glowed silver once more as he struck the psychic and fairy-type with the combination attack. The effect of being hit by a super effective attack, as well as the additional damage from the Flame Charge, was all it took to knock Kirlia out of the battle as well.
"Kirlia is unable to battle! Talonflame is the winner!" Clemont declared.
"Awesome work Talonflame, return," Ash said, recalling a triumphant Talonflame to his Pokeball.
"Wow, that was a great strategy," Dawn remarked. "Combining a super effective attack like Steel Wing with Flame Charge for maximum power."
"Leave it to Ash to think of something like that," May agreed.
Max recalled his Kirlia. "Thanks Kirlia, you did great. Take a long rest," he said, putting his Pokeball away and taking out a third one. "Now, I choose-"
"Wait, Max!" Ash interrupted. Max stopped, looking puzzled. "What say you we have a double battle as a final round?"
Max grinned and nodded. "You're on, Ash!" he agreed excitedly.
"I'll make the first pick this time and then you can make your choice based off mine," Ash suggested. "Now, Pikachu and-what the-"
Before Ash could finish calling out his second Pokemon, Infernape, he saw a flash of blue appear on the other side of the gym by the entrance before disappearing again just as quickly. His curiosity getting the best of him, Ash ran towards the door, ignoring the others' calls for him to wait. Serena jumped out of her seat and ran after him in case there was any trouble.
When Ash got outside, however, the blue flash that he had seen from inside the gym proved to be no trouble at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Standing before the Kanto native was a very familiar bipedal frog Pokemon, as well as one of the Zygarde cores that Ash recognized as Bonnie's old friend, Squishy.
Ash? Greninja asked telepathically, staring back at his trainer. Is that you?
Ash rolled his eyes playfully. "No, I'm Sceptile," he answered sarcastically.
Greninja laughed and jumped on Ash, knocking him and Pikachu down to the ground. Ash let out a grunt of surprise as the full weight of his frog-ninja Pokemon's body collided with his own and flattened him.
"Nice...to...see...you....too," he gasped out. "Now....get...off...me."
"Pikachu pi," Pikachu said with a laugh.
Fine, Greninja said with a fake pout. He got off of Ash and extended a webbed hand to help him up. Ash accepted the offer and soon found himself pulled into a rib-breaking hug.
"Ow! Well, no one could accuse you of slacking off," he commented, wincing as his ribs cracked. "And hey, Squishy. How have you both been?"
Just fine, Ash, thank you for asking, the red crystal Zygarde core answered. We finished our work a month ago and heard you were coming to visit.
"Ash!" Serena exclaimed, appearing beside him. "And-wow! Greninja and Squishy!"
"Greninja," Greninja said, bowing to Serena.
"It's so good to see you both again! Bonnie will be really happy to see you, Squishy," Serena said to the red Zygarde core. "Come on, everyone's waiting inside."
Ash, Greninja, and Squishy followed Serena back into the gym. When they reentered the gym, Bonnie's eyes lit up as she noticed her old friend Squishy. Clemont, Sawyer, Alain, and Sanpei looked at Greninja in surprise and amazement.
"Greninja! It's really you!" Clemont gasped.
Why is everyone so surprised to see me? Greninja asked jokingly to Ash. Have they forgotten where I've been this whole time?
The others just looked puzzled. "Ash, who's that Pokemon?" Max asked. "Do you know him?"
"Know him? He's one of my strongest Pokemon ever," Ash replied. "Which reminds me-what do you say we continue our battle now? I'll use Pikachu and Greninja if he can stand to battle with me again."
Greninja snickered and punched Ash playfully in the shoulder. The two friends went back over to Ash's side of the gym and waited for Max to make his selection.
"Okay, now Breloom and Altaria, you're up!" Max shouted, tossing out two Pokeballs.
Pikachu and Greninja stood at the ready as the two opposing Pokemon took their places on the battlefield or, in Altaria's case, slightly above it.
"You may have the first move, Max," Ash called across the field.
"Thanks, Ash. Altaria, use Moonblast on Greninja!" Max commanded.
"Use Cut!" Ash countered.
Greninja formed a silver blade with his hand and sliced the Moonblast in half, causing it to fall harmlessly to the ground, creating a small explosion when it hit. He grinned up at Altaria, who looked shocked.
"Now Breloom, Double Team!" Max shouted.
Several copies of Breloom split across the arena. However, Ash was more than prepared to deal with a Double Team. "Greninja, sense where the real Breloom is and use Water Shuriken!"
Greninja's ninja senses made it all too easy for the frog Pokemon to detect where the real Breloom was. As soon as he found him, he threw a quick Water Shuriken at him. It didn't knock out the Double Team, but that hadn't been what Ash was going for anyway.
"Now Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" he called out.
Pikachu leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt that, to everyone's amazement, curved at the last minute and hit the real Breloom. Max looked stunned as Breloom was hit by a hundred thousand volts of electricity, causing him to fall over unconscious.
"How did the Thunderbolt curve?" he asked.
"I've trained Pikachu's accuracy with Thunderbolt to be at the highest level possible. Now he can control the path of his Thunderbolt, even against Lightning Rod," Ash told him. "I just had Greninja hit Breloom with Water Shuriken so he would know where to aim."
"That's....pretty clever," Paul said from the stands.
"Ash's strategies get more and more amazing all the time," Dawn agreed.
"Now Max, let's continue this battle," Ash said, smirking.
Max smirked right back at him. "Right! We won't be holding back, Ash!" he agreed.
"In that case, neither will we!" Ash said determinedly. "Greninja, full power, now!"
A geyser of water erupted around Greninja before quickly dissipating and forming a large shuriken on his back. Greninja's facial features had changed to resemble Ash's-he even had tufts of black hair growing out of the side of his head. Gasps of shock were heard from the audience members who hadn't seen Ash-Greninja before.
"Yay, Ash-Greninja is back!" Bonnie cheered like a ten-year-old fangirl.
"Ash-Greninja?" Misty repeated, looking puzzled.
"Ash's Greninja has a special form that he takes on whenever their bond reaches its highest point," Clemont explained. "Professor Sycamore called it the bond phenomenon. It's not the first time it's been seen, but Greninja's the first Pokemon who's been able to use it for hundreds of thousands of years."
"It's basically like mega evolution," Ash said, at the still-puzzled looks of his friends, "but without a key stone or mega stone."
"I saw Ash's Greninja transform just a few seconds after he evolved," Sanpei added. "Though at the time, the form was still incomplete. Seeing it at full strength now is simply incredible."
Ash and Greninja chuckled and rubbed the backs of their heads simultaneously. "Well thanks, but we do have a battle to finish now," the raven-haired trainer said sheepishly. "Ready, Max?"
"Uh-yeah, yeah I'm ready!" Max shouted, obviously still recovering from the shock of seeing Ash-Greninja.
"Awesome. Then Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted back.
Greninja reached behind his shoulder and yanked the shuriken off his back, smashing it in Altaria's face. There was a small explosion as the attack hit, creating a small dust storm in the middle of the gym. When the dust settled, Altaria was lying on the ground, swirls in his eyes.
"Altaria and Breloom are unable to battle! Pikachu and Greninja are the winners," Clemont announced. "So that means the victory goes to Ash."
"All right, great job you guys!" Ash cheered. Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder and nuzzled him affectionately and Greninja gave him a fist bump.
"Thanks Breloom, Altaria. Return," Max sighed, recalling his exhausted Pokemon. He walked across the field to meet Ash. "Wow Ash, you were strong before, but now you're even better at this battling stuff."
"Considering it's been six years since I've seen you, Max, I should hope I'm better at 'this battling stuff'," Ash replied, earning himself some laughs from his friends. "But considering you've only been training for a month, you did really well today. Keep training hard and you'll have nothing to worry about-as far as battles go anyway, I won't speak for any evil organization that might be looking to take over the world."
Max laughed. "I will, Ash," he promised. "Can we have another battle sometime?"
"Of course, Max," Ash agreed at once. "I'll be looking forward to it."
After everyone had eaten some lunch that Clemont, Cilan, and Brock had prepared as well as Serena's famous Pokepuffs, it was time for Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie to be on their way. The Kalos gang waved goodbye to their friends as they prepared to go to Professor Sycamore's lab so Ash could pick up Greninja's Pokeball from Professor Oak and then stay the night so Bonnie could pick her starter in the morning.
"It was great seeing you all again. Sawyer, Alain, Mairin, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," Ash said.
"Count on it," Sawyer agreed. "Keep sharp, Ash, I'm still coming for you."
Ash smirked, not because he was overconfident, but because he was looking forward to Sawyer's next challenge. "I will. Good luck."
Waving one last time to his friends, Ash followed Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie out of the Lumiose gym, ready to travel with them through Kalos one more time.