"Greninja!"
"Gallade!"
Time moved fast, and the Pokémon on the field kept rotating out.
Both of them were fighting for real by now, but there was no mistaking it—Itsuki was a few rungs short.
"Let's show him what our bond looks like, Greninja!" Ash shouted.
His heartbeat and Greninja's fell into the same rhythm, and the power of aura broke open between them.
"Don't let them look down on us!" Itsuki yanked his tie loose, revealing the Key Stone hanging at his throat.
A blue vortex of water swallowed Greninja while rainbow light poured over Gallade.
When the vortex tore away, a huge water shuriken sat crossed on Greninja's back, and the mark on his face had gone red.
Gallade's cape stretched longer and wider, and the blade on his right arm grew massive and razor-bright.
"Water Shuriken!"
"Sacred Sword—cut through it!"
....
Itsuki tossed Ash a sun-shaped badge, defeat written all over his face.
He'd emptied his entire lineup, and he still hadn't gotten past Ash's third Pokémon.
Stopped cold under Greninja's water.
Looking at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, he understood exactly how wide the gap still was.
"What's this?" Ash asked, surprised.
"Badge from the Psychic Gym in Lightshade City. You probably haven't heard of it—I haven't opened the place yet. But the badge is League-certified. It counts."
"Got it." Ash nodded and accepted it, delighted.
Finally.
Eight Gyms.
And this one he'd actually earned in a battle.
"Well then. Stay and eat with this old woman, get some rest—"
Chiharu didn't get to finish. Itsuki was already gone.
"Swing by Greenleaf Town after the League, Ash! I'm out!"
"Oh dear, look at the time. I've got things to do too. Bye!"
The two of them vanished like smoke, and Chiharu was left standing in the wind.
She shook her head with a rueful smile, then glanced at the toothpaste still lying in the dirt outside her Gym.
"You forgot your toothpaste."
She sighed and went and picked it up.
Same as she had with every other ridiculous gift he'd ever brought her.
....
Coming back into Bedrock City left Akiyama a little disoriented.
Almost a month, and he'd hardly noticed it passing.
There were more people on the streets now. The air had warmed up considerably—the shore probably wouldn't be deserted anymore.
A cart pulled by an Arcanine came rolling toward them.
"We're back where we started. You were still a kid the last time we stood here." Akiyama climbed aboard, feeling nostalgic.
Gardevoir nodded, thinking back on all that training a month ago.
Today was April third.
They didn't stop at the Bedrock City Pokémon Center. They went straight for the docks.
The shore was packed now. A few people were even out in bikinis.
"Yeah, it's the weather for it," Akiyama admitted.
The company had rolled out online ticketing not long ago, so at least he didn't have to get dragged into that little shack by the same kid again.
The ship wasn't due for a few more hours. That left time to lie in the sun.
He flopped onto the sand without a shred of dignity, surf breaking a little way off.
"Gen-gar."
Gengar hovered overhead, looking left, looking right, eyeing something in the distance—and then he was gone in a blink.
Akiyama didn't bother stopping him. It wasn't like it was the first time. If he wanted to play, let him play.
Then he let Kadabra out.
"Welcome back to Bedrock City."
Kadabra took in the surroundings. Everything matched his memory.
It feels like it's been a long time.
Back when he'd been on his own, time had blurred past him—whole years gone in a blink. Traveling with Akiyama, it had slowed down.
"Yeah. Hard to believe it's been over a month since Gardevoir and I left the family." Akiyama felt it too.
He'd been born holding a golden ticket, and somehow he'd managed a month on the road under his own power.
Maybe that was because of the ones sitting next to him.
He glanced at Gardevoir.
"You remember that Nidoking?"
Gardevoir sat in the sand with her legs folded to one side, the breeze pushing at the hem of her white gown.
She nodded.
She would never forget it.
And her gratitude toward Kadabra ticked up another notch. Akiyama had told her everything that had happened. She just still hadn't figured out how to thank him properly.
She also wanted to keep getting stronger, forever, so that she could keep Akiyama safe. So he never got hurt again.
She smoothed a hand through her hair and looked out at the water, and something moved behind her eyes.
That part wasn't about the Nidoking. That was Reiji's attack.
"Hi, mister. My name's Momo. She's so pretty." A little girl in a white sundress had walked up and was pointing right at Gardevoir.
She'd spotted Gardevoir from a long way down the beach, and it had taken her this long to work up the nerve.
Kids saw the world simply. She didn't care about Gardevoir's broken heart at all. She just knew Gardevoir was beautiful.
"That's a nice thing to say. You'll be just as pretty as her someday." Akiyama smiled.
Momo nodded hard, clearly taken with the idea, then asked in a careful little voice, "Can I—can I touch her?"
She snuck a look at Kadabra while she said it. The yellow one seemed kind of scary.
"You'll have to ask her."
Gardevoir had no objections. Without shifting from where she sat, she beckoned.
Momo lit up and hurried the last few steps—then caught her foot in the sand and pitched forward. Gardevoir caught her.
She got both hands under the girl's arms and lifted her straight up into the air like a doll, blocking out the sun.
"Whooooa! That's amazing!"
Momo wasn't scared in the slightest. She was thrilled.
Pretty and strong. Incredible.
Gardevoir set her back down on the sand and patted the top of her hat, the way Akiyama did.
"Hee. You're nice." Momo leaned into her, shameless about it.
Gardevoir liked her right back and was perfectly happy to play.
That was when Gengar came drifting in from down the beach, took one look at Momo, and got ideas.
He floated silently around behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
Momo turned. Gengar had stretched his mouth wide with both hands and shoved his tongue out at her.
She froze for half a second—then doubled over, both arms around her stomach, laughing.
"Mister, is he yours? He's so funny!"
Huh?
Gengar stopped mid-face.
He looked over at Akiyama for help.
Why am I not scary?
The look on Gengar's face was enough to set Akiyama off laughing too.
And that was how it went—two Pokémon and one little girl having a great time, right up until Momo's mother came to collect her, apologizing the whole way.
Not long after, the ship pulled in.
Nick Ferry Lines, same as before. Still that enormous.
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