Love in the Time of Tomorrow

Chapter 2: A Reminiscence

The final chapter of 2017! Boy, I feel like I've published a lot...Anyway, before we start I want to remind everyone that, for one thing, this takes place a year after the wedding, which means 9 years after the Kalos Trilogy and 8 after the Alola. Also, this was written and announced way before Rainbow Rocket was ever revealed to us. That said, enjoy chapter 2 and see you in 2018!

Chapter 2

A Reminiscence

"Whoo! What an exciting and breathtaking bevy of battles we've been experiencing here at the Champion Tournament!" Kalas' excited voice rang across the stadium. It was so loud, it filled even the hallways of the stadium where the competitors waiting to battle were standing. Though, at the moment, Ash was all alone, tapping his foot against the ground.

"You ready, Pikachu? Battle one!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, pumping his fist. Ash grinned, grabbing his cap and tilting it over his face a moment as he did so. The roar of the crowd outside in the stadium was bursting with infectious enthusiasm. The raven-haired trainer had to admit, standing there in the waiting hall and watching the competitor from before making his way down the hall towards Ash with a look of disgruntlement over his loss, that he was just as excited to be there.

He loved to watch the battles, study them and those that were battling, even if they were people he'd already fought so many times before. Being on a vaunted stage with the most famous and touted trainers in all the regions simply helped to enforce that point. Having a lot of his friends around, poised to be potential rivals, or even just support, helped that case. Ash was already surprised at the sheer number of familiar people and high-level trainers that had been invited...even moreso that he had been invited, despite having known about it weeks in advance!

Of course, there was one person who was missing from those who would have been cheering him and the others on. Knowing that, though, Ash reached up, placing his left hand on his heart and gripping it in a fist, his wedding band shining in the light of the stadium hallway's floodlights. She may not have been there, but he knew she'd be watching without a single pause, if she could.

"So, let's do this, then!" Ash said. The crowd erupted with more cheers, and Kalas' voice rose above all of them, making sure to be heard for the next upcoming battle. It was one that Ash, too, had been looking forward to for quite some time...had been outright hoping for it since the tournament had been announced, along with a handful of others.

"Ladies and gentlemen, next up is a battle I'm sure that you've been looking forward to! I know I am!" Kalas called. He cleared his throat before going on, every syllable seeming to make him even more excited. "These two legends have made a name for themselves over our era of peace, having first battled each other at the titanic Kalos League nearly a decade ago! Now they meet on the same field one more time! Get on your feet and scream for Ash and Alain!"

Ash didn't say a word to his steadfast partner, resting on his shoulder. He just affixed that battle-hungry grin to his face and walked forward, making his way up the stairs to the stadium's battlefield. It grew in volume with the cheers that filled the whole area, reaching its apex as he finally came to stand in his trainer's box. Once he'd arrived, he looked across the grassy field to where Alain was, dressed in his old colors of black and blue. Clearly, he'd thought that dressing as a researcher for the tournament (or traveling, Ash recalled) was a bad idea. Alain inclined his head, acknowledging him as he reached down to grab his pokeball. Ash did the same.

"Pikachu, I know you usually start us off at a tournament," Ash admitted. Pikachu seemed to shrug and sigh, hopping off his shoulder to drop down to the floor. Ash chuckled, continuing on with, "but I think there's someone else who has been looking forward to this rematch for a long time! Greninja, I choose you!"