Pokemon: Radical Redux

Ash walked up slowly, one step after the other. So this was it. He stepped in front of Clair as she also met him in the center.

Clair took a moment, as if looking at it from the outside. She had lost yesterday and was humiliated by Suicune. Then today, she lost again, even after going as all-out as she was allowed. Most people who knew her thought she was about to get angry.

But instead, Clair put a smile on her face and started to chuckle, then laugh, "Ha ha ha, I haven't had a battle that good in forever. I don't even care that I lost!"

The people from the clan blinked owlishly, watching her. Clair looked back down at Ash and lowered her voice to a normal level, "Well Ash, congratulations. You won. You beat me, so you earned this."

Clair reached down and grabbed a badge, holding it out toward Ash, "Here it is, the Rising Badge."

Ash smiled and reached out, taking it. He held it in his hand, "With this, that's finally eight. So looks like I'm finally done."

As he said that, he heard clapping from the members of the Dragon Clan. They were more surprised that Clair wasn't storming off, but they didn't ask questions. They clapped and left soon after.

Drayden also gave a respectful clap, but Iris was still in shock that Ash actually won. She crossed her arms and looked away, "Hmph. Whatever. He just got lucky."

But even she slowly started clapping.

As that was going on, Ash looked over to Clair, "So, you feeling better, even with those dumb elders?"

Clair rolled her eyes, "Don't even start. If they want me to step down, they better be the ones to drag me off my throne. But they're too useless for that."

She chuckled, then lowered her voice enough so they wouldn't be able to hear her up in the stands, "By the way… don't think I didn't notice. The Aerodactyls, that was you, wasn't it?"

Ash gave a little smirk and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. Why do you want to know?"

Clair snorted, "Tch. You and that smug face."

She crossed her arms and leaned in slightly, "I was gonna ask Lance myself… but seeing your face just now? That told me everything."

Ash gave a slow shrug, "Well… guess the secret's out then."

Clair grinned, "So you're the one who found them and gave them to our Dragon Clan. And you've got that Aerodactyl too. Is that the only thing?"

"Well, technically, I got my Dragonite from one of his eggs," Ash said.

"Of course you did…" Clair muttered, crossing her arms. Then a slow smile spread across her face, "You know what? I guess I need to thank you. After all, because of you, I have my Aerodactyl. I'm gonna go get something."

Clair turned on her heel with a swish of her cape and strode toward the back room of the Gym. A few of the elders in the stands tilted their heads, but Clair shot them a look over her shoulder that quickly made them pretend to find the wall very interesting, or leave.

Ash watched them as he waited. Over by the stairs, he saw his friends starting to walk down to see him. On the other side, Iris was finally walking over. It was mostly just them in the Gym now. Everyone else had left.

A few minutes later, Clair returned. She was cradling something carefully in her hands. A pale blue egg.

Ash blinked, "Is that…?"

Clair smirked and walked right up to him, holding it out, "Here. Take it."

Ash stared at the egg for a moment before slowly reaching out, "Wait… is this—?"

"Yep," Clair said with a proud nod. "A Kingdra egg. One of mine. Pretty rare, even in the clan."

Ash held it carefully, a bit surprised by how cool the shell felt, "But why are you giving it to me?"

Clair shrugged, but her eyes gleamed, "Call it a thank-you. For the Aerodactyl. For pushing me in battle. And for not giving me a pep talk to cheer me up."

Ash gave her a curious glance, but she added with a mock-serious expression, "And also because Lance is never going to let me live it down if I don't try to one-up him."

Ash snorted, "Is this because I said he gave me the Aerodactyl and Dragonite?"

"Maybe a little. But still, I can't let him one-up me," Clair said, pointing a finger at him. "I've got to take his place as your favorite Dragon Clan member. If Lance still thinks he's your favorite, he can eat dirt. I just gave you my personal egg, so clearly I'm the favorite now."

Ash blinked, then let out a laugh, "Wow. Is this what sibling, or I guess cousin, rivalry between Dragon Masters looks like?"

Clair smirked, hands on her hips, "Don't act like you're not enjoying being in the middle of it."

"I mean… I kinda am. Especially when I can loot the rewards," Ash admitted, gently holding the egg close. "But seriously, Clair, thanks. I'll raise it well. I promise."

"I know you will," Clair said, her tone softening for a moment. "You kinda do remind me of Lance when we were growing up. Fierce, stubborn, and way too sentimental."

Ash chuckled, "I have been called those things before."

Behind him, Iris finally approached, arms still crossed but with a wary look in her eyes, "So," she said, looking at the egg, "You got a Kingdra egg now too? What, did you bribe her with compliments or something?"

Ash glanced over his shoulder and smiled, "Nah. Just good battling."

Clair gave Iris a teasing glance, "Jealous?"

"What?! No! Pffft!" Iris huffed, then mumbled, "I mean, maybe a little…"

Ash smirked, putting a finger on his chin.

"Wow, is that grumbling? Seems like a kid thing to do, don't you think~?"

"Wha—Hey! I'm not a kid! Stop calling me that!" Iris huffed.

"And is that a temper tantrum? Wow, that's a very kid thing to do, you know," Clair nodded along, joining in the teasing.

"I liked it better when you weren't friends!" Iris waved her arms frantically, turning away.

At that moment, the gang finally got down, only to see Iris waving around like a little gremlin, with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Oh hey, it's the girl we saw before," Yellow said as she gave a little wave.

Misty also looked at her, "Huh. I guess."

Then she looked at Ash and saw the egg in his hands, "…Seriously? And you said you weren't going around befriending all the Gym Leaders."

"In my defense…" Ash said, "I dunno, I was kinda expecting you to interrupt me in the middle of that…"

Yellow leaned in to get a closer look at the pale blue egg in Ash's hands, her eyes sparkling, "Is that a Dragon Pokémon egg? It's so pretty!"

Clair nodded proudly, "Kingdra. From my personal line."

Misty raised an eyebrow, arms folding, "So now he's got a Dragonite and a future Kingdra? What's next, a Salamence to round it out?"

Clair put a finger on her chin, "I mean, I could sell you one, since you'd technically have permission from Lance, it really wouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe later," Ash said. "I'm already out here like a single father with all the eggs I've been raising."

Brock chuckled as he walked over, letting Pikachu and Vee jump back over to Ash, "Oh boy, next thing we know, you'll be flying around on a team of dragons like some kind of Champion."

Clair smirked, "If he does, I'm taking credit."

Iris rolled her eyes, "You're all acting like he's some Dragon Master already. Don't forget, I am one too!"

"You are?" Misty blinked.

"Yes!" Iris declared, planting her hands on her hips. But then a big hand came down from behind and rested on her head, making her look down.

It was Drayden, "Actually, no she isn't. She's in training, and I am the one teaching her."

Iris huffed, crossing her arms. "What? I still haven't agreed to anything, you know…"

But she wasn't arguing nearly as much as she had last time.

"What did I say? Respect your elders. Call me Grandpa Drayden," Drayden scolded, "And it's almost time for us to leave."

"Ah…" Iris blinked, remembering. Yeah, the deal was that once she saw this battle, she'd be going to Unova with Drayden. "Yeah, I remember."

"Wait… Unova?" Yellow asked, looking more lost than anything.

Drayden nodded, his beard bobbing slightly, "Yes. It's been decided. Iris will go with me for advanced training. She's got potential, but the teachers in the clan can no longer teach her anything."

"Ahh, I see," Yellow said, She did not see.

Ash looked over at Iris, "So you're going to Unova, then?"

Iris shifted on her feet, looking away with more hesitation than usual. "I mean… yeah. I guess. Not like there's anything left here anyway." She gave Clair a glance, then mumbled under her breath, "Not with you two teaming up against me…"

Clair smiled, "Aww, what's wrong? I thought you'd be more sad about leaving your big sis. I'm hurt."

"I-I mean, yeah… I am gonna miss you…" Iris muttered out.

"Good. Then try not to fall asleep in the middle of Drayden's lectures like you do with the teachers here."

"I do not fall asleep!" Iris snapped, cheeks puffing up.

"You do too," Clair said.

Iris huffed and looked away, clearly embarrassed.

Drayden let out a thoughtful hum, "We'll be leaving shortly. But Ash, should you ever find yourself in Unova… I'd be very curious to see how you fare against our dragons there."

Ash gave a smirk, "Sure. I was already planning on visiting one day."

Then he looked over to Iris and added with a teasing grin, "And we'll see if you're still just a kid by the time I get there~"

Iris flinched, her whole face turning red, "Tch—In your dreams, Ash! When you get to Unova, I'll be so far ahead you won't even be able to see me! And I'll demand a battle from you as soon as I see you!"

"Look forward to it." Ash smiled and then held out a hand toward her, "Guess this is goodbye for now, huh?"

Iris stared at it for a second, not the response she expected, but took his hand anyway, "For now. But next time, I am going to beat you."

"I'll hold you to that," Ash said with a smile.

Iris smirked again but turned away quickly, clearly hiding how much the moment got to her, "You better."

Drayden gave Ash a nod, "You've left quite the impression here, Ash Ketchum. I look forward to hearing about your future… victories." He rested a heavy hand on Iris's shoulder, guiding her toward the exit

As the pair walked off, Iris looked back once more, just for a moment, then followed Drayden out.

Ash exhaled, still holding the pale blue egg gently in his arms, "Well, that was something."

Misty lightly elbowed his side, "Can you not make things competitive with people for a few days?" But she wasn't angry.

"Can't help it if I bring out the best in people," Ash said dramatically, placing a hand on his forehead, "It's just a curse, you know."

Misty rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything, Ash really did have a weird way of bringing out the best in people, just like he did with them.

Clair smiled too, crossing her arms, "Alright then, this is getting too sentimental for me. But Ash, you better send me a picture of that Horsea when it hatches. I want to know you're taking good care of it."

"I will, don't worry," Ash said, holding the egg a little closer. "Wouldn't want to disappoint my 'favorite' Dragon 'cousin'."

Clair pumped her arm like she'd just won a contest, "Nice. I'm so gonna rub that in Lance's face next time I see him."

They were about to say something else when suddenly, a voice called out:

"Wait."

Ash turned around. Silver was walking up. He looked like he was trying to find the courage to speak.

Clair noticed him too and raised a hand.

"Sorry, I'm not taking another battle right now. My Pokémon are injured, and we need to clean the field."

"No, it's not that," Silver said, looking at Ash, then turning to Clair, "I want you to train me."

"...Eh?" Everyone said in unison.

Clair narrowed her eyes, giving Silver a long look up and down, "You know," she said, slowly, "Usually I'd say no. But I'm curious… why?"

Silver clenched his fists, "Because I also met Lance. Personally." He tightened his grip, voice steady, "And after watching this battle, I realized something, I'm still not strong enough. And if I don't change that, I'll never be able to surpass him. So that's why… I want you to train me."

Clair raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. The room went quiet.

Her gaze was intense, like a dragon sizing up a challenger, "You want me to train you," she repeated, her voice unreadable. "Because you want to surpass Lance?"

Silver nodded, unflinching, "That's right."

Clair let the silence linger a moment longer before chuckling under her breath, "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

Ash tilted his head, watching Silver with quiet curiosity. Misty, meanwhile, leaned toward Yellow and whispered, "Is this guy always this intense?"

Yellow just nodded, "Mmhm."

Clair stepped forward, now fully facing Silver, "If you're expecting me to hold your hand or go easy on you, forget it. I don't have time to waste on someone who's just chasing revenge or trying to prove something to someone else. So tell me, why do you really want this?"

Silver looked away briefly, then met her eyes again, more clarity in his voice, "I used to think being strong meant being alone. That if I trained hard enough and pushed everyone away, I'd get there. But the more I watch others battle, the more I see… I can't keep being how I used to be. So that's why, this time, I want to ask for help."

Clair blinked slowly. Then, after a long pause, she nodded, "Alright. I'll give you a shot. One condition."

Silver tensed slightly, "What is it?"

Clair gave a fierce grin, "You follow my training. No complaints. You spar with my Gym Trainers. And if you slack off even once, I'll throw you out faster than a Dragon Rush."

Silver didn't flinch, "Deal."

Clair held out a hand, "Then welcome to hell."

Silver hesitated, then shook it.

Ash smiled and gave a few claps, "Look at you. You're actually asking for help."

"I've been trying to do better," Silver admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, you're doing great. I'll be sure to tell Green, you know she'll be proud. Maybe she'll even come here to cheer you on."

Silver nodded and smiled softly, "Thank you. That… would be nice."

Clair scoffed, "Alright, enough with the warm fuzzies. I've got a Gym to fix and a new wannabe student to break in. You all better get moving before I decide to draft you into cleanup duty."

Ash laughed, "Yeah, yeah. We'll get out of your hair."

As they began to head toward the Gym doors, Brock gave Clair a two-finger salute, "Hey, good luck with that one," he said, jerking a thumb toward Silver.

"I'm going to need it," Clair muttered, watching Silver with a thoughtful look.

Silver glanced back at Ash one more time, "You better not get soft just because you've got all your badges."

Ash grinned, "You better not disappear on me. We still haven't technically had a battle yet."

Silver nodded, "You'll get it… in the League."

Ash chuckled, "Then I'll see you there."

With that, they left the Gym and finally stepped into the outside air, taking a deep breath.

"Man, that's finally over," Ash said as he looked over to his friends, "So, want me to get Abby to teleport us back to my place? I could ask my mom to cook us something. We've got to celebrate somehow."

But when he looked over, Misty and Brock had that look again, the one where they wanted to say something, just didn't know how.

They'd been holding it in long enough, though. Brock spoke first, sighing, "I… can't go. I'm sorry."

Misty looked down, "I can't either…"

Ash and Yellow blinked owlishly, "Eh? Why not?" Ash asked.

Brock gave a long breath, "You see, the League's doing something they do every few years. A Gym Leader tournament before the Silver Conference or Indigo League. And this year… it's happening."

"Okay," Ash looked at them. "So why are you bringing this up now?"

Misty sighed this time, "My sisters asked me to participate instead of them…"

"Yeah…" Brock nodded, "And my dad asked me to do the same. He said I'm stronger than he ever was, so I'm going back to get more training from him."

"Same here. So… I'm sorry, Ash," Misty said, looking down, clearly sad, "This is the end of the line for us. I—I mean, we'll still be there to watch the Silver Conference, and after, we can go do whatever you want, win or lose. But we can't keep traveling with you right now."

Ash stood still, quiet for a beat as the weight of their words sank in.

"…Oh," he said softly. "So that's how it is."

Yellow looked between them, visibly uneasy, "Wait… you guys aren't going to travel with us anymore?"

Brock shook his head slowly, "Not for now. This tournament, it's important. There's a lot riding on it, not just for me, but for Pewter Gym."

Misty gave a soft, wistful smile, "And I know it might sound weird coming from me… but I think I actually want to do this. For me."

Ash looked at them both for a long moment. He didn't look mad, just thoughtful. His hand tightened slightly around the pale blue Kingdra egg, cradling it gently against his chest. Then…

He smiled.

"Then I guess I'll just have to cheer for you both," he said, "You two have always had my back. It'd be kinda selfish if I didn't do the same."

Misty blinked, "You're… not upset?"

Ash chuckled, "Of course I'm a little upset! But not at you. Come on, this is exactly the kind of stuff we're supposed to do, right? Grow. Get stronger. Follow our own roads. We weren't going to travel together forever."

Yellow nodded, smiling for them, "Yeah! So we'll be cheering for you the whole time!"

"Thanks…" Misty said, a slow smile forming on her face.

Ash looked over at Yellow, "So… what about you?"

Yellow blinked, "I—uh… what?"

"You know… is there anything you're gonna do that's gonna make it so we can't hang out every day?" Ash asked, gently.

"I-I don't…" Yellow started, but then stopped. Something in her eyes shifted. She looked down, "Actually… there is something I need to do. By myself… I'm sorry, Ash. I can't celebrate with you either."

Ash stood there for a moment, then quietly crouched down and placed the egg gently into his bag. He zipped it up carefully and set the bag down beside him.

"…Guess this really is the part where we all split up for a bit, huh?" he said, softer now.

"It's weird. I knew it'd happen. Just… didn't think it'd all happen today."

"Weird how life works out like that, huh?" Brock said, "But hey, this isn't goodbye forever. Just 'see you later.'"

Misty gave Ash a light punch on the shoulder, "You've been carrying us for a while, y'know. Maybe it's time you take a little solo adventure of your own. Just you, Pikachu, and… apparently a Kingdra egg."

Ash chuckled, looking down at the egg in his arms, "Yeah… guess I've got a new partner to hatch and raise."

Yellow stepped forward and gave Ash a hug, blushing the entire time, "Thank you, Ash. For everything. I'll send you letters when I can."

Ash smiled softly and returned the hug, "Thanks. And if you ever need me, you can just call, and I'll teleport over."

Misty looked away, "Don't get mushy on us," she said, but it was clear she wanted a hug too. She just didn't want to say it.

Ash smirked, then reached out and grabbed both Misty's and Brock's wrists, pulling them into the group hug. "No you don't, you're not going tsundere on me now."

Brock just chuckled and gave in easily, arms wrapping around them all. Misty looked down for a second, then nearly leapt into the hug, holding Ash tightly, "Thank you…"

Ash smiled warmly, hugging them back, "Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

When they finally let each other go, Abby was already sitting quietly on a bench, watching, Brock, Misty, and Yellow were trying their best not to cry. How could they not? They'd spent almost two years together. They were family.

Ash pointed toward Abby, "You guys go ahead, alright? Abby will take you back home. Call me when you can, okay?"

Yellow wiped her eyes as Chuchu jumped onto her shoulder and patted her head, "Okay. Bye…"

"See you soon… and you better answer our calls… idiot," Misty mumbled, walking over to hold onto Abby too.

Brock nodded and gave Ash a fist bump, "See you, man. Have fun, even if it's without us."

Then, with one last look back, the three of them grabbed hold of Abby.

In a flash, she teleported them away, leaving only Ash, Pikachu, and Vee behind.

Pikachu and Vee watched the spot where their friends had disappeared. They wiped their eyes softly, trying to be strong, because they thought Ash was being strong, too.

But when they looked over at him, they saw him trembling slightly… tears still unshed in his eyes.

Ash looked down, then picked up his bag and slung it back over his shoulder, "Come on, guys. Let's look around a bit before we go home."

Like Ash had said before… He'd never cried. But right now?

He didn't think he could stop himself. Not this time. Even as the tears began to fall.