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Chapter Text

The way fate worked was funny sometimes, in Gohs opinion.

He had already decided that Mew would be the first Pokemon he would catch before he had learned what the spot just below his left elbow stood for.

It appears like a weirdly shaped beauty mark, not bigger than a finger print and blending in with his skin colour fairly well. But it was obvious what Pokemons head the mark was shaped after.

It only figures that it would be a Pikachu.

When he was six years old, nearly a whole decade ago now, Goh had declared to the world that his first partner would be one of the rarest Pokemon out there, so in return, as if it was out of retaliation, the universe had given him one of the most common ones as his soulmark.

It wasn't a starter Pokemon, at least. He sure didn't envy Chloe who had to cover up the Piplup on her cheek with make-up daily, she's gonna have a field trip trying to find them. But it was common enough that other teenagers from their school who had gotten a Pikachu regularly came to him whenever Goh decided to show up for class, even years after he had started exclusively wearing long sleeved tops.

You wouldn't believe the marks he's seen. There were multiple people with Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, of course. Someone who also had a Pikachu mark just like his. Some Eevee. A Sandshrew, Jigglypuff, Oddish, Nidoran, sure. Not typical starter Pokemon but not too weird in Kanto.

Then there were the people with Pokemon from different regions. Not only starters like Chloes mark but Pokemon like Riolu, Blitzle or Espurr. Seriously, who would want to start out with a Remoraid? Once a girl had a fully evolved Bewear, what was the story behind that? He still wonders on a fairly regular basis how the soulmate of that one guy who had a Sunkern mark was doing.

Some had Pokemon he had never seen before, and he didn't ask what they were out of respect. He was sure they knew, usually people look up what Pokemon their soulmarks are. But asking someone else about it always felt terribly private to Goh, so he never did, and just rejected them as politely as you could reject someone.

As entertaining as it was sometimes, Goh was mostly tired of it. Whenever he met someone with a Pikachu he was already sure it wasn't them. So many people have come to him because of his mark, and they never have his in return. He'd been bound to get numb to it from the start. It wasn't that he'd given up, it just felt like such an unlikely scenario to him now, to finally meet them. No matter how much he wanted to.

He thought the same would happen when he met Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.

Well, he thought it afterwards, because the moment he'd met the other boy he'd been too busy freaking out about the fact he was on a Lugia and trying to get as much video footage of the legendary Pokemon as possible.

Still though, there was a certain spark in the air. In the carefree way Ash talked, how easy everything seemed to be between them. Or maybe the boys Pikachu had shocked Goh worse than he'd initially thought despite the fact he had pulled his hand away, it could be either really.

Later that day, when Professor Cerise offered him a Pokemon, Goh found he had to remind himself that it wasn't Ash. He wasn't them.

Whatever happened between the two on the back of the Johto legend was only a one time thing.

This fact was only proven further when the next day rolled around and they were sent to investigate Ivysaur.

Their whole chemistry seemed to have been a one time thing, because the way Ash was acting there was no way he could be his soulmate.

For the first time since they met the research fellows were fighting. And considering the fact they had only met the day prior this was either a new record or the saddest excuse for a short-term friendship in the history of ever. Not that Goh was an expert on the subject.

And then Ash had helped him climb up the building. He'd held Gohs hand. Had thrown himself in the way of members of an evil organisation to protect Pokemon he didn't even know.

And against his own will Goh felt his face warm up.

Oh, seems it wasn't a one time thing after all.

Or, at least, Goh really didn't want it to be.

After they had come back to the Cerise Institute Goh decided to officially ask Ash if he wanted to be his friend, and Ash replied that he had thought they already were.

Yet again, for the second time that day, Goh felt himself blush. He then tried to cover it up by laughing, hoping the other boy didn't notice as he joined in.

Goh really hadn't known Ash for very long, but he thought his words very much sounded like something he'd say.

Yet again, for the second time in two days, Goh had to remind himself that it wasn't Ash. He wasn't them.

... Or was he?

Somehow it only now occurred to Goh that he hadn't even thought to ask Ash about his mark, he'd just assumed it wasn't Mew because of how unlikely it was. But unlikely didn't mean impossible. Maybe he hadn't been imagining the spark when they'd met.

A part of him expected Ash to talk to him about it, because that was the way it usually went. But then just as quickly he remembered that Ash had no way to know he had a Pikachu mark.

The other boy didn't go to his school, he'd still been wearing his long sleeves around him and Chloe and Goh had a "don't tell anyone" agreement with each other.

So, on an afternoon two days after the Ivysaur incident, when they were both alone in the lobby, Goh decided to bring it up. He still felt weird about it, but his curiosity outweighed the anxiety.

"Hey, Ash?", he started.

Ash looked up, or rather down to Goh. The boy was sitting on the couch across his friend. Upside down, with his head almost touching the floor and his feet on the backrest, trying to read an article on his Rotom Phone despite all the blood that had to be rushing into his head.

It was awfully cute, in Gohs opinion. He also wondered how he'd turned completely gone for this boy so quickly.

"Yeah, what is it?", Ash replied, thus saving Goh from his own embarrassing thoughts.

Goh took another deep breath to steady himself, then "What's your soulmark?"

Ash had apparently decided that this topic was worth his full, serious attention, because he put his phone away and turned around to sit like a normal human being. "Why do you ask?"

Instead of explaining it with words Goh decided on rolling up his sleeve and presented the inside of his forearm to his friend.

He could see the gears turning in Ashs head, as he leaned forwards and his slight frown and squint turned into a gaze of realization.

"Oh", Ash started while leaning back into his prior sitting position. "That must be annoying, lots of people in Kanto have Pikachu. And I'm guessing they're even more popular in Vermilion because of Lieutenant Surges Raichu."

Goh chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't even know where to begin with the stories."

Ash chuckled as well, but there wasn't really any humour behind it. It was more awkward if anything, and followed up by a sigh.

Goh could've guessed the answer solely from the others reaction, but when Ash finally replied to the earlier question his words still stung.

"I think I know what you mean. I've met a couple of other people who had a Pikachu on their body, and they've never matched me. But I imagine it's more awkward the other way around... My mark isn't a Mew though, sorry."

And the worst part was he really did sound sorry, disappointed even. Or maybe Goh was projecting.

The one time Goh was the one asking the question and wanted the other person to be his soulmate and he still had no luck. It hurt.

For a brief moment Goh wondered if this is what it had felt like to all the people he'd had to reject in the past, but he wasn't in a good headspace to feel guilt as well, so he pushed the thought away.

"I see.", Goh said flatly. He really hoped the disappointment he felt didn't show through, but he was sure he was doing a bad job at that.

Before Ash could somehow manage to make him feel even more miserable Goh decided to change the topic, somewhat.

"What is your soulmark then?"

Ash grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Goh frowned, waiting for a better explanation.

An explanation that never followed until Goh decided to prompt it. "You don't know?"

The other shook his head. "It's not a Pokemon I've seen, and I never looked it up."

Then Ash was the one frowning. "Is that weird?"

Goh couldn't help but laugh. Seriously, this guy was going to be the end of him.

"Yes, extremely weird. Just like you. But that's why you're my friend, Ash." He said while grinning. And Goh meant it, he really did.

Ash grinned back, and that was the end of the conversation.

Goh would've expected their interactions to get weird and uncomfortable afterwards, but Ash continued treating him like nothing had happened, so Goh chose to do the same.

He was really glad about it. Even if Ash wasn't his soulmate and a complete weirdo on top of it, meeting him was one of the most exciting things that has happened to him in his entire life.

They had barely known each other for a week, yet Goh already wouldn't know what to do with himself if he wasn't around. It was as if they completed each other, even if they were only friends.

That's right, only friends. Ash wasn't his soulmate. He was destined for someone else.

Goh had stopped trying to count how many times he's had to remind himself of that fact.

A few more uneventful days go by, until Professor Cerise decides that the two of them have had enough experience as research fellows to go investigate outside the region.

Under any other circumstance Goh would've been nervous, he barely left his home city, let alone Kanto. And he never had without his parents.

But Ashs excitement about going to a new place was very contagious. He didn't even have any space in his thoughts left to be anxious.

Maybe he should have been, their trip to Galar flipped his world on its head yet again.

Because now he was standing there, watching the Pokemon he had bonded with so well leave. And Goh realized, that deep down, he didn't want her to.

He hated the sad and disappointed look on her face, and how slowly she was backing off while looking down.

Nobody was stopping them from staying together, except for Goh himself.

He'd been so focused on getting Mew as his first Pokemon that he hadn't noticed how close they'd grown and how well they'd bonded, but now...

"Scorbunny, wait."

He would still catch Mew, eventually. It was still his end goal.

But that didn't mean he couldn't catch other Pokemon along the way.

Mew had the DNA of every Pokemon in it, catching other Pokemon would get him closer to it.

Catching every Pokemon would help him understand it better.

With his newly caught first Pokemon on his arm and smiles on both their faces he knew he'd made the right choice.

All the euphoria he was feeling made Goh miss the way Ash froze, the way his eyes widened, how his hand slowly moved towards the right side of his stomach, and how tightly he was gripping his shirt.

He should have noticed.

How didn't he notice?

It was clear as day.

Ash had thought that Scorbunny looked familiar to him when they'd first ran into it, but he was certain he'd never seen a Galar Pokemon, so he was quick to dismiss it as the Pokemon just having a similar body shape to Buneary and Bunnelby.

It was so obvious to him now, though it made sense that it took his mind until Goh had caught the Pokemon to finally catch up.

Unconsciously and almost as if it was out of reflex his hand moved to where his soulmark was on his skin under his shirt.

His soulmark that was undoubtedly shaped like a Scorbunny.

The fabric felt like it was on fire, as if it was mocking him.

He felt himself unable to look away from Goh.

Goh, who he knew had a Pikachu mark on his left arm.

Pikachu who had been his first Pokemon, his best friend for years.

At that exact moment a million and one thoughts crossed Ashs mind.

How Gary had teased him when they were 6, and Ash still hadn't known what soulmates were yet.

How after that his mom had explained to him how they worked, and somberly showed off the mark that matched with the father he had never met.

How when he had started his journey he and Misty had bonded over the fact that neither of them knew what Pokemon their mark was. Both 10 and stupid and not even considering the fact they could look it up somewhere.

How when they had met Tracey he had been able to physically see the moment it clicked in Mistys mind that her mark was his Marill.

How May had cursed everything soulmate related for the longest time and insisted fate had to be wrong, and how in the end she still found herself falling in love with Drew, because fate wasn't wrong.

How Max had still been too young to be really interested in soulmates when they were traveling together, how he had covered his own ears every time his sister brought up the topic, and how he had grabbed Brock by his ear every time the teen did.

How he and Dawn had stayed up late at night discussing soulmates, because he was edging on turning 13 and starting to really get interested in everything surrounding them for the first time. How she had talked about the fact she had thought her soulmate was Zoey when her rival first showed off her Leafeon, and how stupid she had felt learning that it wasn't even the girls first Pokemon.

How much she hated having an Eevee mark because of how common they are, but how they were both able to laugh about Brock a few minutes later. Because Brocks mark is a Ditto, and he was convinced that meant everyone could be his destined.

How Ash had decided then and there that he didn't want to find out what Pokemon the soulmark on his body was until he actually met his soulmate, because from what he'd seen it seemed like less of a hassle to not have to think about it too deeply.

How in the Dragon Village it's tradition to hide your mark even from yourself until your 16th birthday, so even today Iris still doesn't know the shape of hers yet.

How Cilan was training to be a soulmate connoisseur, but despite that respected his friends decisions and never forced them to find out. How much Ash had appreciated that.

How disappointed Serena had been when he had told her that his first Pokemon wasn't one of the Kanto starters, and how much more alive and sure about what she wanted to do she had become after meeting Shauna.

How Bonnie used each and every opportunity she could get to ask anyone and everyone if they had her brothers matching Shinx as their soulmark.

How Clemont had always dragged his sister away from them, having given up on trying to explain to her that he would rather stay platonic with his soulmate once he'd found them.

How Mallows eyes had lit up when Snowy hatched and Lillie agreed to continue taking care of her.

How crushed Kiawe had been when Mimo found out how soulmates work because of them.

How Harper and Sarah liked to endlessly tease their older sister about her love life, more interested in finding someone with the fated Popplio mark than Lana herself was.

How Sophocles had said he didn't believe in soulmarks, because there was no scientific evidence as to how they worked, but how he still listened in whenever someone in their friendgroup brought them up.

How Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet had taught him that soulmates weren't the end all be all some people made it out to be. Because they weren't soulmates, but as far as Ash was concerned they should have been, because even he could see how they completed each other.

How he didn't know anything about Chloes mark, because he had barely gotten to know the girl yet and hadn't had a chance to ask her.

And, the most blaring and loud thought of all, how despite having witnessed this many different views and situations regarding soulmates, he hadn't a single clue what to do now.

He almost regretted not knowing what Pokemon his mark was, never looking it up because of a few other peoples bad experiences with it. He didn't think it would have changed much, though. He most likely would have still felt just as lost.

Maybe it was because of how different all of the situations he'd seen were, maybe that was part of what made soulmate bonds so special, what made them so beautiful.

But right here, right now. Looking at Goh. Looking at his SOULMATE. He felt like the 6 year old Gary always teased again.

He'd known that being with Goh felt different compared to all the other friends he's made, but he hadn't considered that THIS was the reason why. Not after he'd talked about Mew.

"Pikapi?" Pikachus concerned voice brought Ash back to reality. He let go of his shirt, now slightly wrinkled. Had his grip really been that strong?

He turned his head to his partner who was sitting on his shoulder and hoped his smile looked more reassuring and steady than it felt like. "I'm fine buddy, just thinkin."

He looked over to Goh and Scorbunny again, they were still smiling at each other, having no clue about Ashs revelation.

Fuck, he'd have to tell him, didn't he?

It had been an eventful and life changing day, and when they had somehow eventually made their way back to the Cerise Institute Goh was about ready to pass out in his bed and sleep for the next 13 hours. Preferably cuddled up with Scorbunny, if she wanted to. That sounded comfortable.

He managed to get up the ladder and crash onto his bed, but before he could get to the following steps of his plan Ash spoke up.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't you show Scorbunny around? I'm sure she wants to see her new home."

Goh was about to protest. Something along the lines of "No, it's late" or "I can show my own Pokemon around, thank you very much" on the tip of his tongue, but his gaze locked with Ashs, and Goh noticed an odd emotion in the others eyes, and he stopped.

It was an excuse, Goh realized.

Pikachu must have been able to read the atmosphere in the room as well, because after a few Pikas followed by a Chu he walked out of the room, and Scorbunny followed after.

"You want to talk." Goh prompted after a moment of silence. He didn't receive a vocal reply, but it wasn't a question to begin with.

Instead Ash turned around, and closed their room door. "I...", he started, but drifted off, still facing the door.

With wide eyes Goh was finally able to place the emotion he had seen in Ashs eyes earlier, it had been nervousness. And immediately after his surprise at that had worn off he felt nervous as well.

Goh had never seen his friend this nervous. Ash was someone who could ride on top of a legendary Pokemon, jump in the way of members of an evil organization or climb up a tree on top of a giant Snorlax without looking this nervous.

Whatever he had to say, it must be extremely important.

Goh went down the first few steps of the ladder, then continued to jump down the rest of the way. He put a hand on Ashs shoulder and said: "Hey, it's okay, you can talk to me."

Ash finally turned away from the door to look at Goh, and Goh gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Ash smiled back.

"Okay." Ash said, "Okay", he said again, after taking a deep breath in between.

Then, in one quick motion, he lifted up his shirt.

Goh immediately felt heat rush up his face, he lifted his arms to cover his view, and froze halfway through the action, his limbs now awkwardly hovering in the air.

Ash was showing him his soulmark, his soulmark that looked like...

Goh couldn't breathe, all oxygen knocked out of his lungs. He felt dizzy, and his legs had suddenly turned into jelly.

With unsteady backwards steps he made his way back to the bed and sat down. On the bottom bunk, Ashs part of the bed, because he did. not. trust himself to manage to go up the ladder again.

Ash, who clearly already has had to go through this revelation earlier, chuckled awkwardly. "I know right?"

Goh felt the mattress beside him dip, and he only now registered that the other teen had moved to sit down beside him.

He looked over to Ash, staring at the spot with the soulmark that was now again covered by fabric. In any other situation this would have been weird. Who was he kidding, it still was. But Goh couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze away.

"When did you realize?", Goh found himself saying as his first words in a while. His voice slightly cracked, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

Ash chuckled, and sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Honestly? It kinda only registered in my mind after you caught Scorbunny. I didn't think of it before, but then I remembered your mark was a Pikachu, and..." he trailed off, looking straight ahead instead of directly at Goh.

Goh found himself mirroring the position. This would have been funny in any other situation, but he felt too floored to find any humour in Ash staring at Scorbunny all day and not recognising it. So instead he just nodded slowly.

"Can we... can we be sure? I mean, neither Scorbunny nor Pikachu are all that rare as first Pokemon, so..." Goh cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, realizing how much they sounded like he was in denial and rejecting Ash.

But Ash didn't care, he laughed and replied with brutal honesty. "Yes, I'm positive. I thought that you... being with you has been different the whole time. I just wasn't able to figure out the reason. I thought we'd clicked really well, but I never really considered that you could be..."

Goh nodded in understanding. "I... I think I felt that as well." A brief pause. "No, I know I definitely did.", he corrected himself.

Awkward silence stretched between them yet again. Not because there wasn't plenty to talk about, but because neither knew how to say any of it. Gohs thoughts were still swirling, and he didn't know what to make of any of them.

"What now?", Goh breathed to himself, but in their quietness Ash heard it anyway.

"No clue." Ash sighed. "I've been there when multiple of my friends met... theirs, but by this point I was always already kicked out of the room. Like, am I supposed to kiss you...?"

From his peripheral vision Goh saw that Ash had turned to look at him. His expression wasn't teasing, it was a genuine question.

Somehow Goh found comfort in the fact that Ash was just as unsure about this as he was. That they were in this together.

He considered the kiss for a moment, but then he swallowed and shook his head. "I don't think I'm ready for that. We haven't known each other for that long, I don't want to rush anything.", he answered honestly, although a bit flustered.

Ash, Arceus bless him, didn't look disappointed. He only nodded and hummed, either in agreement or understanding, maybe both. Then changed the topic. "We should probably tell our parents. Maybe the Professor too."

Goh groaned, covered his face with his hands and let himself fall backwards onto the bed. He knew Ash was right, but... "Ugh, they're gonna be so obnoxious about this. Fuck me."

He realized his mistake too late, as he was practically able to HEAR Ash raise his eyebrow.

"Can't make up your mind? First you say you're not ready for a kiss and then you offer-"

Goh immediately shot up. If he had been only a little flustered before then the colour on his face was now rivaling a Charmeleon. "ASH!" He cut the other off, scandalized.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You- I- how can you just say that?!"

"Say what?" Ash blinked innocently, but the smirk on his face gave away that he knew precisely what he'd said.

When Goh didn't say anything Ash added: "Hey, come on, I'm just teasing. I know what you meant. I just wanted to make the conversation less tense. Goh? Please say something."

Against his own will and better judgment Goh found himself smiling.

"I can't believe someone like you is my soulmate.", he admitted with an amount of fodness in his tone that Goh wasn't aware he was capable of.

He would have expected the awkward atmosphere from earlier to return at full force, but it didn't. He felt surprisingly at ease. Maybe Ashs ill-timed joke had done the trick after all.

It was the first time either of them had said the word soulmate out loud during this entire conversation, and it should have been scary, but to Goh it felt as natural as breathing. Maybe it was.

"Do you mean that?", Ash asked, suddenly seeming self conscious, apparently having misread Gohs intentions.

Goh nodded, blue gaze locking with brown.

"Yeah, I mean it. I can't believe my soulmate is someone as amazing as you are."

"Oh.", was all that Ash managed to breathe out in response.

Goh was pretty sure he wasn't imagining the faint pink spreading across the others cheeks, and it didn't help him with calming down the heat on his own face.

But he decided to go on anyway, he wanted to say it, and he felt Ash needed to hear it.

"You're someone who can take a ride on a Lugia or fight Team Rocket to defend Pokemon you've barely known. You're someone who can climb up a fucking giant tree, on top of a fucking giant Snorlax to stop a train crash while making it all seem so easy and normal. You're good at battling and meeting people and you and Pikachu have such a deep bond that I could swear you understand the Pokemon language. And I learned all that just from knowing you for a little over a week, I mean like, what else can you do?"

Goh broke their eye contact, Ashs widened stare suddenly being too much.

"I wanted it to be you. That's why I showed you my soulmark in the first place.", he finally admitted, then chuckled to himself about what he was going to say next. "I think I used the words 'spark between us' when we first met. How did I get this lucky?"

Ash must have been waiting patiently for Goh to be done talking, because there was a quick pause before he finally spoke up.

"Don't downplay yourself.", he said. That hadn't been Gohs intention at all, but he still listened.

"You were there for all of those things, you were right beside me the entire time. And I get that you'd never gone on adventures like those before, but I think that only makes it more impressive that you were there. You were crazy and brave enough to jump on Lugia as well, and it's a good thing you did, because it led me to meeting you! It's not like that stuff doesn't make me nervous at all, I guess I'm just better at not showing it."

Goh felt a hand touch his shoulder, and on instinct he looked back up to Ash.

"Anyone would be lucky to have you as their soulmate. You're way smarter than me! I would have never thought to record that whole ride. And then you boldly announced that you would-" He abruptly cut off. "Wait."

Ash removed his hand from his shoulder again, and Goh found himself already missing the contact.

"What are you going to do now that you caught Scorbunny? I mean, I'm assuming you're still after Mew, but it won't be your first Pokemon."

Goh grinned at the question. He didn't know how to handle compliments, but shouting out his goals to the world? That, he had no problem with.

"You know how Mew is said to have the genes of all Pokemon in it?", he asked, and Ash nodded in response.

"If I catch every Pokemon there is then it will help me understand Mew better and help me get closer to it!"

Ash gaped. "You want to catch every Pokemon? All of them?!" Somehow he sounded almost more excited than Goh himself, then again, he generally was the more excitable one.

The grin on Gohs face widening was all Ash got for a response, but it was enough. "That sounds fun!"

Then, without needing to be asked, as if Ash knew that Goh was going to, he exclaimed: "My dream is to become a Pokemon Master!"

Goh titled his head slightly. "You mean, like, becoming the worlds greatest Pokemon trainer?"

"More than that! It's so much more!"

And Goh didn't really get it, but the excitement and confidence in the other teens expression while he talked about his dreams was enough for him to know that Ash would still be able to do it.

"That's great! Keep at it, Ash!"

"Yeah! You too!"

"Sure!"

With a small, solemn smile on his face, that somehow still seemed to encompass the entire world, Ash quietly added one more thing.

"I'm glad it's you, Goh."

He didn't specify what he meant, but he didn't need to. It wasn't more than a whisper, like he was scared of breaking something between them. But unlike before, he didn't seem afraid of Gohs reaction anymore.

Goh smiled back at Ash. Smiled back at his soulmate, and replied without any hint of hesitation or uncertainty.

"Me too. I'm glad it's you, Ash."

It wasn't a confession, it wasn't an 'I love you', but Goh felt that it could someday turn into one. And that thought didn't scare him at all anymore, if anything he was looking forward to it.

His nervousness earlier seemed silly now, but maybe it had been necessary for them to come to this point.

Then Ash ruined the moment with a yawn.

Goh broke out in laughter.

"Sorry sorry! I- I am so so sorry!" Ash tried to stutter through his own giggles.

Goh shook his head. "No, no I'm with you." He also let out a yawn to prove his point. "I was on a couple hour flight from a different region, stopped a tragedy, caught my first Pokemon and had a heart to heart with someone who told me he was my soulmate. What a day. I'm beat."

When Ash caught his breath he replied: "I know right? I don't think I'll forget today anytime soon, not that I'd want to."

In response Goh hummed. Then he stood up, and announced: "I'm gonna go look for Scorbunny and Pikachu, they've been away for a while." An unpleasant thought crossed his mind. "I hope they didn't break anything or get in trouble."

"Yeah, do that.", Ash replied from behind him.

With one eyebrow raised Goh turned around. Ash really did look tired, now that the adrenaline had worn off.

And maybe he was more exhausted than he had initially thought himself, because that was the only explanation he had for what happened next.

Goh almost regretted his earlier request, because logically he still knew that waiting really was the better and recommended action to take, but he was still suddenly overtaken with the urge to kiss Ash.

Compromising between rationality and impulsivity he leaned down and softly gave Ash a peck on the cheek, the touch was barely there, but it was enough for both of them to feel it, and enough for Gohs heart to do a somersault up into his throat.

He still caught the way Ashs eyes widened, but before the other could say anything, Goh had already left their room and vanished into the hallway.

The following day, for the first time in years, Goh decided to wear a shirt with short sleeves outside. After all, there wasn't much of a reason for him to hide his soulmark anymore.

On the way to the nearest forest - with a new goal in mind, his first Pokemon on his shoulder, and his soulmate by his side - Goh felt that he could hold the future in the palm of his hand.

Chapter Text

After initially struggling to get his footing with it finding and catching every bug type Pokemon native to Kanto wasn't as complicated as Goh would have expected.

Yes, he still had to fight some of them, and a few had been a pain, he had needed Scorbunnys help a lot, and there was that trip to the Pokemon Center in between. But it was completely doable, and Goh had very much enjoyed it.

Frankly, now that he had started, he still wanted to go out there and continue catching more Pokemon, even if he knew it was getting late. He wanted to meet more of them, learn more about them. Why had he been so focused on getting Mew as his starter if he could have spent the last five years making more friends?

Really, the bigger struggle of that day was the fact of how much more aware Goh was of Ashs constant touches now. And he had already been hyper aware of them before.

The biggest difference was probably that Goh wasn't the only one out of them who was paying attention to it now. He wasn't even sure if Ash had realized how touchy he was before today.

As Ash put his arm around his shoulder to congratulate Goh on catching all the bug types he quickly shot his soulmate a questioning look, as a reply Goh only leaned into the touch more.

Neither of them had brought up their talk from yesterday again, nor the sleep deprived cheek kiss that Goh had secretly dubbed "The Incident" in his mind, and he felt kind of relieved about it.

Them being soulmates hadn't suddenly changed their friendship, they were still the same people, just... more. If Ash wasn't going to make it awkward, then neither was he.

And if he was honest with himself, he liked the touches. He wasn't a fan of other people touching him, but it was different with Ash.

After looking around for a little longer and not finding new Pokemon anymore they made their way back to the Cerise Institute.

They were right at each others side, and Goh could feel Ashs hand brush against his a few times. He didn't have the courage to take it, so he tried his best to ignore it.

At some point Scorbunny must have caught onto what was going on between the two humans, because she was snickering from her spot on his shoulder. Goh tried his best to ignore that, too.

They said goodnight to Professor Cerise, Ren and Chrysa, who were already packing up for the day. Then went onto their usual bedtime routine, taking turns showering and brushing their teeth.

Goh liked the thought that they already had a usual bedtime routine too, it was nice. Today though, he had to break their established ritual, for the sake of his new partners.

"Do you mind if I let out my Pokemon for the night?", Goh asked as Ash came out of the bathroom.

Ash started a nod, then stopped halfway through, contemplating. "Sure, just one moment."

He stepped closer to Goh, leaned in, and before Goh could process what was going on the light touch on his skin was already gone.

Unlike yesterday Pikachu and Scorbunny were watching the whole thing play out this time, neither of them looked surprised. Had they seriously been that obvious? Or did these Pokemon have a special ability to read their trainers emotions?

Ash made himself comfortable on his bed. "You can let them out now.", he said nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just kissed his soulmate on the cheek.

"Was this revenge for yesterday?", Goh asked dumbfoundedly, not sure what else to do.

The other shrugged. "Maybe it was revenge, maybe I just wanted to know what it's like."

Without another word Goh released his Pokemon, then climbed up the bunk bed and buried his burning face in his pillow.

He didn't remember when he'd fallen asleep or how it had happened, but he did know that the next thing he realized was the Venonat sitting on his face.

To his credit, Goh didn't scream, quickly remembering that this was his own Pokemon.

"Hey, uh, could you get off me?", he asked into her fur, his voice muffled by it, but Venonat made no effort of moving.

Goh sighed, gently pushed her off, then sat up and stretched his arms. He didn't know what time it was, but he was awake so he might as well just get ready for the day.

He was about to climb down the stairs, only to be caught off guard by what he saw and break out in startled laughter.

"This isn't funny!", Ash, who together with Pikachu hung on the side of their bed wrapped up in a String Shot, complained.

Goh only laughed harder, wiping a tear away from his eye. "What do you mean not funny, this is hilarious!"

He didn't stop laughing when Pinsir pushed him off the bed and he somehow ended up on the bottom bunk, and he didn't stop laughing when Venonat came back to him, or when Paras, Parasect and Metapod jumped onto him as well.

They stayed like this for a bit, but eventually Goh did say: "Okay, that's enough. Get off me." Not because he didn't like them being there, it was quite the opposite, he was overjoyed the Pokemon were already this comfortable with their new trainer, but because he needed oxygen to survive.

The Pokemon didn't move, not after he added in a "Stop it!" too, and not even when Chloe opened the door, asking "What are you doing?", only to see what WAS going on and freeze up.

"Goh! Do something!" Ash complained again. Really, the whole situation was comical.

Goh only managed to catch himself and finally stopped laughing as Professor Cerise walked into the room, vaguely hinting that he had a solution, telling them to get dressed and meet him downstairs.

The Pokemon finally let Goh free after that, and he managed to convince Scyther and Pinsir to free the String Shot victims.

Ash looked at him annoyed, Pikachu stuck his tongue out towards Goh when he was finally free again. Goh simply shrugged, it wasn't like he could blame them. In a way it was his fault, even if it had been amusing to watch from his perspective.

The two teenagers changed clothes in record time and met up with the Professor, who showed them outside and led them to the Cerise Park, where their Pokemon could live.

This was perfect, better than them living in their bedroom, better for everyone involved. Goh wished he had thought to ask yesterday, but then again that would have meant missing out on the comedy act.

"Wasn't Mew supposed to be your first catch?" a voice next to him asked.

Still distracted with his thoughts and watching the Pokemon run around the park he absentmindedly sighed, and with a small content smile on his face he whispered "No, I suppose it never was."

Belatedly his brain caught up to his actions, and he noticed his mistake, realizing what he'd just revealed to Chloe.

Ash wasn't sure whether he wanted to give Goh another kiss on the cheek for the soft expression on his face while stating Mew was never supposed to be his first Pokemon, or if he wanted to slap him for saying so out loud around other people. Maybe he could manage to fit in both, in that order.

Because the way Chloe was looking from Goh, to Pikachu, to Ash, back to Goh, there was no way she had missed the implications, nor had she misinterpreted them.

Her only reaction besides that was slowly blinking at Goh. Ash really didn't know what to make of it, he didn't know her well enough to read her expression.

After a few moments that felt like eons, Chloe finally spoke up again. "Oh, is that why you're wearing short sleeves?" Goh inhaled sharply, then awkwardly nodded.

Ash hadn't even thought that far ahead, he hadn't paid it any mind. If Goh wore long sleeves to hide his soulmark then that would make sense. And of course Chloe would be aware of that, she's obviously known him for a long time.

He knew he had been the one to suggest telling the Professor during their conversation two days ago, but he had figured that they had quietly agreed to keep it to themselves and get used to it for a while, and he'd assumed he would have time to plan what to say.

Alas, Professor Cerise was standing right there as well, listening into their conversation and finally catching on as well.

Being more straightforward and direct than his daughter he asked: "Are you soulmates?"

Ash managed not to groan, and nodded in confirmation. There wasn't really any reason to hide it from the man now.

"Yep, we are. Or well, at least we think we are.", he elaborated. Ash lifted his shirt to stress his statement, but he quickly let it fall down again so they wouldn't be able to stare for long. He'd never liked it when people did that, it felt invasive, the only person who should be allowed to stare was Goh.

The Professor nodded though, having been able to recognise the mark anyways. "How long have you known?" The mans tone didn't necessarily sound scolding, but he sure did put a lot of authority into that question.

"The day before yesterday", replied Goh meekly, seemingly having come to the same conclusion as Ash about how to handle this situation.

At that, Professor Cerises expression softened. "Only when Goh caught Scorbunny", he realized. Both Goh and Ash hummed in confirmation, their heads turned away.

"You two can stop looking like a couple of kicked Lillipup, I'm not mad at you." Goh frowned at that. "You're not?", he asked, the confusion in his tone evident.

Professor Cerise chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm really not. I get it, meeting your other half is exciting, and keeping it to yourself for a while to get used to having them around is a completely normal reaction. When I met Talia we-"

"Please, do not elaborate.", Chloe interrupted embarrassed. Huh, well then, it wasn't hard to guess who her mother was.

The Professor didn't let the interruption bring him down, the fond smile on his face never fell. It only managed to make Chloe seem more annoyed.

"Anyways", he continued. "I understand, but don't wait too long to tell your parents. There are legal documents you have to fill out once you meet your soulmate, and since you are still minors, your guardians have to fill them out for you."

"My mom runs a restaurant, but they're closed on Sundays.", Ash threw in. "My parents don't have work this Sunday either if I remember correctly.", Goh added.

Professor Cerise seemed pleased with their agreeing response. "Alright, Sunday works fine, but I mean it. I know having secrets is fun, but the longer you wait the worse it will get later."

He was about to leave them be, but then stopped at the door to turn around again. "I'm not going to regret letting you stay in the same room, am I?", he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"What, you think we'd do anything in the bunk beds?", retorted Ash, also raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem comfortable. Someone could fall down the upper bed and on the lower one we'd hit our heads. And even if you split us up it's not like you'd know, you don't stay here over night.", he accompanied the latter statement with a shrug.

Goh groaned, looking utterly mortified. "You're only making it worse!", he hissed towards Ash. Ash wasn't sure what the other meant, he wasn't wrong, and it wasn't as though they had actually done anything.

Chloe gaped. Professor Cerise only laughed. "Touché, but I'd still appreciate it if you don't."

"No! I mean- yes! I mean- of course not! We haven't done anything and do not plan to.", Goh managed to squeak out.

The Professor simply laughed again, and with that he left the kids alone in the Park.

As soon as he was out the door, Chloe playfully shoved her elbow into Ashs side. "Wow I didn't know you had it in you!", she said excitedly with a wide grin. "You look so innocent."

"Looks can indeed be deceiving." Ash agreed. It wasn't the first time he'd heard this, and it had never made much sense to him.

Then the girl turned towards Goh. "He's going to be the end of you." "He will.", Goh agreed with another groan.

Chloe took one more look at the two. More softly she said: "I am happy for you though", and somehow Ash knew she meant it.

Before he could reply with the thanks that was on the tip of his tongue, Chloe had disappeared and followed her father.

Apparently that meant it was now Gohs turn to speak up, because he sighed and let out a quiet "I'm sorry."

Ash frowned at him. "Huh? For what?"

"Y'know..." Goh vaguely gestured towards the door.

Oh. If he was being honest with himself, Ash had almost forgotten how this whole conversation had started in the first place.

"You don't have to apologize, I'm not mad."

"Oh, alright..." Goh didn't seem all that convinced.

"I mean it, it's fine. We would have had to tell him sooner or later, and it didn't go bad or anything."

Ash contemplated, unsure if he wanted to add the last part of his thoughts, but fuck it.

"Also, what you said... it was pretty cute."

Both of them went slightly red after that.

They still stayed outside for a while, looking around the Cerise Park. Ash wondered how they'd never ended up wandering in here in the almost two weeks that they've been at the Institute.

It had been a walk in comfortable silence, but something suddenly occurred to Ash, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Aren't you from around here? Why are you staying at the Cerise Institute if you live in Vermilion?", Ash asked.

Goh stopped as well and turned towards Ash, genuine confusion on his features. "It's over half an hour with the bus from my home to here, I don't want to do that every day if the Professor offers me to stay."

"Oh. Oh yeah. I guess I didn't consider that." Ash awkwardly scratched his cheek and chuckled. "In that time you can walk from one end of Pallet to the other and take your sweet time with it."

"You and I did not grow up the same, my dear country lad.", Goh said in a mocking tone. Ash probably should have felt offended by this, but there was no real heat behind the words. He only snorted.

"I sure hope for you that you didn't. Everyone in the neighbourhood had seen me naked by the time I was, like, three years old."

Gohs expression was absolutely worth admitting this. He was looking up and down over Ashs entire body, as if he was seeing him in a whole new light, completely scandalized by the thought.

"I don't even know the first name of the lady who lives in the apartment above ours!"

"As you said, we're not the same, city boy."

Both laughed about their silly banter, but all too quickly Goh turned quiet. He did that a lot when he was lost in thought.

"It also gets lonely. At home, I mean", he admitted softly, avoiding eye contact. "My parents are busy people, they work at a tech company. They're not around all too much, it... really wasn't that difficult of a decision to make."

Ash tried his hardest to not get pissed at them for Gohs behalf. He was sure they were trying their best to juggle their lives, but hearing this still bothered him. His mom had a time consuming job as well, but she still made time for him, he couldn't imagine barely seeing her, especially growing up. His soulmate deserved better than that.

Instead of saying any of that out loud to Goh Ash settled on "Well, you have me around now."

Goh looked up again, a soft smile on his lips. "Yeah, I do."

After having explored the more noteworthy areas they went to collect Pikachu and Scorbunny and set out food for Gohs other Pokemon.

Then, after that, they finally joined the others for breakfast. Well, 'joined' was relative. Professor Cerise was just finishing up eating as they walked in, and stayed with them out of politeness. Chloe had been done for a while and was only still at the table to do homework, because apparently her classes today started later than usual.

It was the thought that counted.

They were almost done as well when Mimey entered the room. Ash had become very well versed in reading the Pokemons gestures, so he knew he was asking if anyone wanted to join his Kung-fu exercises.

Remembering how strict the Mr. Mime could get with them and how his, well, EVERYTHING had hurt the last time he had joined him, Ash quickly blurted out the first excuse that came to his mind.

"Oh, I'd love to Mimey, but unfortunately I have to, uh, brush Pikachus fur, yeah!"

In one quick motion Ash swallowed down the last couple of bites of his toast in one go. Pikachu, just as eager to get away as his trainer, also inhaled the last bits of his Pokemon food.

The two disappeared before anyone could say anything and call out the terrible lie.

Ash did, in fact, actually end up brushing Pikachus fur. It's something the Pokemon has always enjoyed, it relaxed him. Or at least that's what Ash assumed the pleased "Chuu" his partner let out meant, as they sat on their bed and Ash untangled the yellow hairs.

When he stopped, Pikachu shot Ash a disappointed look. "Pikapi!" "Your fur is as soft as a baby Pichus, buddy. If I continue brushing it all it's gonna do is rip some of it out." Pikachu grumbled some more and jumped off his trainers lap, Ash skilfully ignored it.

He took out his Rotom Phone and absent mindedly checked the news feed, until he came across an article that caught his attention.

'FLUTE CUP AT THE HOENN BATTLE FRONTIER, SIGN UP ENDS TODAY! WHO WILL BE THE GREAT CHAMPION?!', it read.

Ignoring the overly flashy and exaggerated title, that DID sound very intriguing. He glanced over the rest of the article, an excited grin spreading over his features.

"Hey Pikachu, wanna go to a Tournament at the Hoenn Battle Frontier?" As if he even needed to ask.

Pikachu perked up and agreed with just as much excitement as Ash felt, his earlier annoyance seemingly forgotten.

The official Battle Frontier website offered online sign ups, so Ash quickly typed in his name. On a whim he decided to enter Goh as well, because he doubted the other wouldn't want to come along.

He grabbed both their backpacks, threw Mimeys Pokeball into his own, and hurried outside. The group wasn't doing exercises anymore so something must have happened, but Ash didn't pay that much attention.

"Goh!", he yelled, then threw the boys backpack into his direction, and he managed to catch it just in time. Ash threw him a grin. "Let's go to the Hoenn region!" Pikachu on his shoulder chirped in as well.

Goh just quietly stared at him, for a moment. Then he replied with a dry and confused "What." Which, okay, was kind of understandable.

"I'll explain on the way, we have to hurry up if we still want to make it in time. But, oh, take two Pokemon to battle with you!", was the explanation Ash offered.

"Uh, yeah, alright sure." Goh still looked confused, but at least he had agreed to it.

Ash turned towards Chloe, who was warily eyeing the two of them from the sidelines. "Do you wanna come with us too?"

Chloe immediately backed off. "No way, I already told you I have school. And I really should get going soon."

Ash only shrugged at that response. He'd expected that, but it had been worth a try, you never know.

"Also", the girl continued, "shouldn't you, you know, ask for permission first before you leave the region?" She pointedly looked over to her dad.

Professor Cerise waved it off. "Ah, it's fine. I didn't have anything to do for you two today anyways, enjoy yourself!"

At that Chloe left, mumbling something under her breath that Ash couldn't quite manage to catch.

Quickly after, the two research fellows had left as well, off to Hoenn.

Goh wasn't sure why he felt disappointed. What had he expected would happen? He didn't have any experience being a trainer, and he wasn't sure how much experience Scorbunny and Scyther had battling. On top of that, this had been their first time fighting together, against another person, in an official setting.

He hadn't even planned to be here, Ash had dragged him along and signed him up without asking first. This was the Hoenn Battle Frontier, a facility for experienced battlers. Yes, he hadn't gotten any hits in, but it was an achievement in its own right that he had been allowed to enter.

But, he supposed, loss always stung, no matter what the situation surrounding it was.

They were at the Pokemon Center now, Goh had just gotten his Pokemon back. The two looked better than he felt.

Ash must have noticed something was up, because he put his hand on Gohs shoulder and told him to cheer up. The words felt hollow.

He knew it was supposed to be reassuring, and he knew it wasn't what Ash meant, but he couldn't help feeling like a child getting reprimanded.

He looked away, his fist clenching around the Pokeball still in his hand.

"Catching is better after all." He had said it more for himself, but it was fairly obvious from the surprised noise that Ash had heard him.

Goh moved his shoulder to shrug off the hand still lingering on it, then sprinted off towards the exit. "I'm gonna go looking for Wurmple!", he yelled as a bad explanation.

He had almost reached the door when Ash called out to him one last time. "Goh!"

The boy stopped at the sound of his name, but didn't turn around.

"Watch our battles, okay?"

Goh hesitated.

It would be so, so easy to ignore Ashs desperate request.

In fact, Goh would have done so if this was anyone else.

But Ash wasn't anyone else now, was he?

Ash clearly wanted Goh to be here, as unorthodox as his method of inviting him had been.

Ash had been there when Goh went out to catch bug Pokemon, he had been there to support his goal.

Shouldn't Goh be doing the same thing?

He wanted to, at least.

He wanted to be there for Ash the same way Ash was there for Goh.

That was part of the soulmate deal, wasn't it?

He couldn't bring himself to leave.

Goh forced his tense shoulders to relax, and he let out an unsteady breath, but he didn't face Ash again just yet.

"Okay.", was all he said.

"Okay?", Ash asked back, the surprise in his shaky voice evident.

God, Goh felt like an asshole now.

He turned around to smile at Ash.

"Yeah, okay."

Ash grinned back.

Pikachu, Scorbunny, Scyther and even Nurse Joy seemed relieved as well.

Goh had forgotten they were there.

The battles were amazing. Or rather, Ash and Pikachu in specific were amazing.

Pokemon battles were so much more than Goh had always thought. He had no idea they could be filled with this much emotion, and have so many unique strategies, that to Goh seemed like they should be out of the realm of possibility. He didn't know they could be this exciting, this much... fun.

Or maybe that was just another thing that made Ash, well, Ash.

Goh had been baffled when Ash had brought along Mr. Mime, but surprisingly the Pokemon was very much capable of battling. Was this part of those Kung-fu exercises? He's sure going to remember this before the next time he forgets to do the dishes.

Ash had eventually managed to win the Flute Cup, but after watching the entire thing play out it didn't surprise Goh much anymore. Nobody had been able to hold a candle to him.

What did surprise Goh was that Hodge, the trainer that had beaten Goh in round one and had been defeated by Ash in the finale, seemed fine with losing against Ash.

The kid really had a talent for befriending everyone and everything, didn't he?

As Ash and Pikachu celebrated their win, Goh couldn't tear his eyes away.

After Ash was finally able to squeeze himself through all of the people congratulating him, the research fellows exited the building side by side.

Goh felt like he should apologize for earlier, but he couldn't find the right words. He was pretty sure Ash was already over it anyways, just like he had been this morning, so there was no real reason for him to be stuck up about it either.

So, instead, he congratulated Ash, Pikachu and Mr. Mime on their well deserved win. It felt insignificant considering the way they had been swarmed earlier, but Ashs simple thank you sounded more genuine than all the ones earlier, as if this one meant more to him. Maybe it did.

Goh stopped in his tracks. "Oh, and... um...", he hesitantly started.

The others halted as well, turning towards him.

"Pokemon battles... sure are fun, huh?"

He looked up towards Ash, hoping his expression showed that he meant it.

Two eerily similar grins met him, Ash and Pikachu very much mirroring each other.

"I know right!"

They stayed like this for a little while longer, longer than they probably should have considering they were basically just staring at each other.

Finally Goh tore himself away and pulled out his Rotom phone to check the time. "We still have an hour until our boat leaves, that's perfect!"

Ash groaned at the news. "What do you mean perfect? That's gonna take forever."

Goh tucked his phone away again, swinging a reprimanding finger in front of Ashs face.

"I watched your battles, so you're going to come with me to catch Pokemon. I still want to find a couple of Wurmple."

Ash didn't complain, he only nodded as if this was the most logical conclusion one could come to. He seemed to want to ask something, but must have quickly found the answer himself.

"Wurmple, plural, because that way it's more likely they will evolve into both Beautifly and Dustox?"

"Bingo", Goh replied grinning.

This time, Goh didn't hesitate as he grabbed Ashs hand, and dragged his soulmate with him.

Chapter Text

It was easy to distract himself from the awaiting conversation with his parents, because Gohs entire week had been pretty wild.

First he and Ash had run into a Piplup, and went to Sinnoh to return it to its trainer. The whole situation had been weird, but Goh found the most memorable and humorous part had been the way Chloe had walked backwards through the door again after taking one glance into the room. Not that she had any reason to stay, her dad would just tease her and she obviously wasn't going to find her soulmate without her having caught her first Pokemon, but Goh still had to bite back a laugh.

Then, they had gone to Johto, to try to spot a Ho-Oh. They didn't, in the end, but hearing about Ashs past encounter with Ho-Oh was almost as good. It didn't surprise Goh that Ash has met other legendaries as much as it should have, they had met on top of Lugia after all, but it was nice to learn something about the others past.

Dragonite Island had been a really fun trip, even if he hadn't managed to catch one for himself. He was happy for Ash and his Dragonite, they really did make a great team.

As it turned out, Cerise Institute has had a poltergeist running around in the form of a Gengar the entire fucking time. Chloe of all people had been the one to stop it. That whole disaster hadn't been fun in the slightest, Goh had trouble falling asleep that night, but Scorbunnys always warm presence and Ashs and Pikachus synchronised snoring had helped.

There was one unpleasant encounter with Team Rocket, and, besides that, Goh still had his hands full with taking care of his growing number of Pokemon.

Needless to say, when Sunday finally arrived, it caught Goh off guard. Seriously, the rest of the week had gone by in a blink.

Ash had left the research lab fairly early in the morning, he'd taken Dragonite and Mr. Mime with him too. Goh had shared a good morning, a good luck and a goodbye with Ash and they had been gone. It was a little sad, but the way to Pallet Town was pretty long after all.

Goh had shot his parents a message in their family group chat to double check if they really were free that day, and his dad replied that they were, but that it would be better if Goh would come by in the afternoon since they had already made plans.

So now Goh had an entire forenoon to spend on his own. The only other person working at the Institute that Sunday was Chrysa, and Goh wasn't really in the mood to strike up a conversation with her.

He ended up in the Cerise Park, as he usually tended to when he had nothing else to do. He checked up on his Pokemon and watched them play and train with one another.

At exactly 10:30 AM he had enough of that too, so he and Scorbunny took the bus deeper into the city early. Instead of directly heading home though they went around stores, trying out food here and there and checking out the high quality Pokeballs Goh knew he wouldn't be able to afford in any usable quantities.

Eventually, when they had managed to kill what Goh considered enough time, he walked up the house his family lived in and opened the door to their apartment with his spare key without much ceremony.

Weirdly enough, he didn't feel as nervous as he thought he would. He was uncomfortable about what he had to say and he was not looking forward to it by any definition of the word, but he wasn't nervous.

He was fairly sure he knew how his family would react to the news. They would be obnoxious about it, but ultimately be happy for him. There was no need to feel anxious about something he could predict.

"I'm home!", Goh announced into the room as he closed the door behind him.

Three voices replied with "Welcome home!", voices he recognized as his mom, his dad and his grandma.

Goh had told Scorbunny to behave herself multiple times earlier, but apparently his lectures had fallen on flat ears, because immediately as she heard his familys voices she ran off.

"Hey, Scorbunny, wait!", he yelled after her, to no success. He groaned, locked the door again, then followed his Pokemon.

When he next saw her, she was in the living room, on the couch, already getting petted by his grandma. Talk about making quick friends.

"Is this your Pokemon?", the woman asked as she moved Scorbunny onto her lap, her hand resting between the Pokemons ears.

Goh couldn't help the smile on his face. "Yeah she is. She's my first Pokemon, her name's Scorbunny.", he said to his grandma, then looked towards the Pokemon. "Scorbunny, this is my grandma Halta."

As a reply he received a hummed "bun!", as Scorbunny leaned backwards into Haltas touch. At that, Goh lightly chuckled.

"Wow, she must really like you already, I don't think I've seen her let anyone touch her like that. She especially hates it when A-"

He never got to finish the sentence, as he was interrupted by his mom hugging him from behind, startling him.

"It's really good to see you, Goh. It's been so long!" "It's been like two weeks and a half.", Goh grumbled back. A part of him wasn't fully comfortable with the position, but he also knew that resistance was futile when it came to his mothers hugs.

"Two weeks is long when I'm used to at least seeing you in the evening." She broke the hug, so now Goh could turn around and actually look at her while talking.

"Have you had lunch yet?", Camille asked with a frown. Goh nodded. "Yeah, I ate something earlier."

He was fairly certain that his mother wouldn't consider trying six different flavours of crêpe with Scorbunny 'lunch', but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. At least Ash will appreciate the knowledge that the ones with Kelpsy Berry jam taste like paper, and that Tamato Berries and honey is the grossest combination known to man, but is apparently edible for fire types.

"Kiddo, you want some tea? I was making some anyways", Goh heard his dad yell from somewhere in the direction of the kitchen. "What kind?", he yelled back. "Chamomile!" "Sure!"

Goh sat down on the couch next to his grandma, his mom sitting down next to him. And soon after his dad walked in with four cups of tea, setting them down on the table before also taking a seat.

For a moment Goh considered introducing Scorbunny and his parents to each other like he had with his grandma, but the Pokemon still seemed highly distracted, so he didn't. He was fairly sure they'd heard her name anyways, the walls aren't that thick.

Goh picked up the cup closest to him, and smiled softly as he noticed his dad had picked out the one with the Mew motif that he's always loved. He blew at the liquid a few times, but decided against drinking it already, since it was clearly still too hot.

"So, how's your stay at the Cerise Institute been?", Walker asked his son, after picking up and blowing into his cup as well.

"Oh, you know, it's been fine.", Goh tried nonchalantly. "I've been learning a lot, seeing lots of places... I caught some Pokemon too.", he pointedly looked over at Scorbunny at the last point.

"I also, uhm, met... my soulmate." Goh cringed at himself as soon as the words left his mouth. That had NOT been as smoothly as he had hoped it would be.

He was met with silence, as his family processed what Goh had just said. His dad loudly put his cup back onto the table, as if he was scared he would drop it.

Goh on the other hand started fidgeting with the handle of his own one, then decided hot liquid in his mouth wouldn't be that bad after all and took a quick sip to avoid their gazes for a moment.

Halta was the first one to recover. "Good for you, go get 'em Romeo!", she exclaimed while hitting Goh on the back. There's the obnoxious part. It was most likely meant to be encouraging, but all it achieved was Goh almost spitting out and/or choking on the tea, so he put the cup back on the table again as well.

While doing so, he noticed his mom frowning. "That's awfully soon.", she muttered. Goh frowned back. "I'm 15, that's not that unusual."

Camille turned to Goh, surprised at getting an answer as if she hadn't realized she had said that out loud. But she recovered quickly and shook her head. "I don't mean your age, I mean that you only just recently caught your first Pokemon."

"Oh", Goh responded eloquently. That did make more sense. "Uhm, actually we met before I caught Scorbunny. It was kinda a whole confusing mess because I was convinced he was my soulmate but his mark wasn't a Mew."

Goh chuckled at the memory. It hadn't been that long ago, but somehow those couple of miserable days felt like another lifetime already. He absent mindedly rubbed on the spot below the crook of his left arm. "It worked itself out in the end, though", he finished.

Walkers eyes lit up as he came to a revelation. "Talia mentioned another kid staying at the Lab, is it him? What was his name again, Sasha?"

"Ash.", Goh corrected his dad immediately. "But yeah, it is him."

"Has he been good to you?", it was his moms turn to ask.

"We kinda decided to not rush it and not do anything too soulmate-y yet, but yes. Ash has been... a really good friend."

Saying 'good friend' didn't feel right at all, but Goh wasn't going to say anything embarrassing and sappy like 'best soulmate I could have imagined' or 'coolest person I have ever met' out loud, especially not in front of his parents and grandmother.

They didn't say it, but Goh could tell from the way his family smiled at him that they were indeed happy for him.

Eventually the conversation had dwindled down. Camille had promised she would get their soulmate status registered as soon as possible, they had all drank their tea, and Goh had excused himself to his room.

That finally got Scorbunny to separate herself from Halta, and she followed her trainer, curiously looking around the place he lived in.

"Hey, Scorbunny? Please don't break anything", Goh begged his Pokemon.

She only gave him a cheeky smile. That made Goh fear for his belongings even more, but he went on with what he had planned to do anyway.

He opened his closet to pick out some more of his short sleeved shirts and take them with him. Now that he didn't feel the need to hide his soulmark from other people so they don't approach him about it anymore, he realized how much more he liked wearing short sleeves outside.

The t-shirts he owned were all bought primarily to wear inside or for sleeping, and he'd only taken a couple of them with him to the Institute initially, but that didn't mean they didn't look nice, no one would notice the difference.

While sorting through his clothes, Goh also decided on a whim to text Ash, and ask how things went for him.

Ash had been thinking about what to say to his mom the entire week, it had been in the back of his mind constantly.

It wasn't that he was scared about telling her or that he didn't want to, because he wasn't and he did. It was just that he couldn't predict her reaction whatsoever, that was what he was anxious about.

He didn't know how to approach her about soulmates considering how her own experience with her own soulmate had gone.

The only time he had done so directly was when he had learned about soulmates, and that day he had learned that it wasn't a great idea.

His mother was a kind person, but soulmates were a sore spot for her. He didn't want to accidentally bring up any bad memories and hurt her.

He was going to ask Goh what he thought multiple times, but in the end he had never found the right words to do even that. Not a good starting point.

The long way to Pallet Town didn't help either, that only meant he had more time to drive himself crazy with going over different scenarios in his head.

Ash had taken the bus from Vermilion to Pewter, then switched to a different bus there to Viridian. The entire way he tried to distract himself by looking out the window and listening to the same 10 songs he had hastily downloaded to his rotom phone on loop through one headphone, because the other headphone had ended up in Pikachus ear, wrapped around the top a few times so it wouldn't fall out.

Unlike Ash Pikachu and Mimey hadn't been very quiet during their bus ride, chatting with each other multiple times. Of course Ash didn't know what they were saying, but it was still grounding him a little.

They got out in Viridian and then walked the rest of the way to Pallet, public transport to the small town was as good as non-existent.

Ash felt like an absolute hypocrite for suggesting telling their parents that day they found out, but in his defense reason and anxiety never went well together.

He finally stood in front of his house around noon, and hesitated. Normally he would just walk in, his mom didn't lock the door when she was home, but normally she expected him to come back soon. She didn't today, he hadn't told her he was coming.

Deciding not to scare his own mother to death he settled on ringing the doorbell. A muffled "I'm coming!" replied, and soon after the door was opened from the inside.

His mom only stared at him for a moment, visibly surprised.

"Hey, Mama." Ash grinned at her with a quick wave. Actually seeing her instead of anxiously imagining her did somehow make him feel better already.

"Hey, Ash.", she returned the sentiment, still surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Ash only shrugged, not wanting to get to that topic immediately and while they were standing half outside. "Just felt like checking by, is that weird?"

"For you? Yes.", Delia replied without hesitation. "I hadn't expected to see you again in person for another four months at the minimum, especially not you coming to me."

That was... ouch. But Ash could tell from the amused glimmer in her eyes and from the way she stepped to the side to let him in that his mom didn't have any harsh feelings about it.

He took the invite and walked inside, dropping his backpack in its usual corner. "Well, usually I'm halfway across the world and not just a few cities over, so it works better."

Before his mom could retort and continue discussing his travelling habits Ash stated: "I brought Mimey along too." He pointed next to him where the Pokemon... had just stood a minute ago, and wasn't anymore, huh.

Ash took a few steps outside again, looked around the corner of the house, and sure enough, Mimey was in the garden. "He can't let it go, can he?", Ash sighed.

The woman snorted. "No, he never can. Just let him get it out of his system."

Ash shook his head fondly, went inside again, closed the door behind him this time and then followed his mom into their kitchen, where she had been in prior apparently.

"Seriously Ash, I'm happy to see you, but you could have called beforehand, I would have made food for you too."

That was half the reason he hadn't called, he wasn't sure if he could get anything down with the upcoming conversation in mind. "I'm not that hungry, really."

"You and not hungry? Yeah right", his mom replied, setting another pot of rice onto the stove. Ash didn't know how to protest without her asking about it more, so instead he offered to help cut the vegetables.

As they cooked together they chatted about any random topic they thought of. Delia talked about how the restaurant was going, and about how Mr. Nielsons Growlithe had caught a cold recently and accidentally set half of the neighbourhood on fire by sneezing. Ash threw in a couple of comments here and there, eventually feeling more comfortable with the conversation and talked about how his stay at the Cerise Lab has been going too.

Eventually Mimey did come inside, and decorated the table with two human plates and three Pokemon bowls. That had started up a short argument.

"You are NOT letting out a Dragonite inside the house" "She won't hurt you or anything! Maybe just hug you too strongly..."

In the end Ash had won the argument, and Dragonite had in fact hugged Delia with a little too much force.

They had just started eating, Ash hoping his food poking wasn't too suspicious, when his mom asked: "And how is that other kid doing? What was his name again, Goh?"

Ash nodded to confirm the name, then quietly inhaled a deep breath. This was it, huh? He's probably not going to get a better opportunity to bring it up.

"Gohs been doing great, he's decided to catch every Pokemon."

His mom frowned. "Every Pokemon? That sounds like a huge task."

"Sure is", Ash responded with a grin. "But Goh's hardworking, he's got, uhm, I think it last was 22 different species registered in his Pokedex already. I only really know the number because he constantly reminds me. It's super impressive, he hadn't even caught his first Pokemon until recently."

Ashs grin fell and the excitement of talking about Goh was replaced by anxiousness yet again. He lightly bit his lip, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

"It's a fire type Pokemon from Galar, her name's Scorbunny."

For a brief moment Ash was proud of himself for how steady his voice sounded, but then he noticed how stiff his mom had turned. Really, if he was anyone else he wouldn't have noticed, but he's known her all his life.

The three Pokemon continued eating, undisturbed by or unaware of the tension in the room. But Ash felt as if time froze.

"Wait, you knew", he voiced his realization.

Delia had the decency to look a little guilty at being caught. "I know you didn't want to know beforehand, but I... kinda wanted to be prepared?"

"I was trying to ease you into it!", Ash protested. "How am I supposed to ease you into it if you know Scorbunny?!"

At that, the womans expression softened. "Ash, it's very sweet of you that you're being considerate, but you don't need to 'ease me into it'. My own past with my soulmate doesn't affect you, I'm just happy if you're happy."

"I know, I know, but still! I don't want to say anything wrong. Just...ugh."

"The only thing you're saying wrong is leaving me hanging and not telling me whether or not Goh is your soulmate."

At this point Ash couldn't tell anymore if his mom was trying to reassure him or just trying to get him to tell her, but it managed to achieve both.

"Yes, he is. Goh is my soulmate"

Somehow, Delias smile widened. "I mean it, I am happy for you. Goh does seem like a nice boy."

Ash found himself smiling back. "Yeah. Yeah, he really is."

"It explains a lot, actually.", Delia continued, her smile turning teasing. "Only your soulmate would find a dream as big as yours. And it explains your gushing earlier too."

Ash gaped. "Mama! What! I wasn't-" But he had been, hadn't he? He just hadn't noticed it. "I- shut up!", was what he eloquently settled on, to his moms amusement.

"That's why you're here too, isn't it?", she continued unbothered. "Professor Cerise found out and made you tell your parents."

Refusing to confirm her correct deduction Ash shoved a spoon full of rice into his mouth as a terrible form of distraction.

"I am actually going to visit you more now just out of spite", he grumbled, some of the food falling out again.

"Don't speak with your mouth full!", his mom reprimanded. "But I'll gladly accept the offer of you visiting, just tell me in advance next time. And bring Goh along."

Ash silently nodded, then swallowed his rice. "Professor Cerise said there are some legal document thingies you have to do when you find your soulmate?", he slowly tried to bring up that topic.

"Ah, yeah. Your soulmark and Pikachu are already registered, so it's only really getting your info linked up with Gohs and then I have to sign a document. You don't have to necessarily be there, I can do it the next time I'm in Viridian.", his mom explained.

The last point made Ash frown, it didn't sit well with him. "We don't have to be there? That sounds very exploitable."

"Right? I never liked the system either, but that's how it is. You do have to renew it and sign it on your own in a couple of years when you turn of age, so I guess there's that as a safety net."

"What does that stuff do anyways?", Ash asked.

Delia paused for a moment, thinking about her answer. "Hmm, soulmates have a few more rights about not getting seperated. Like, it's easier and quicker to move in together, get married or adopt children. Soulmate couples get prioritised for all that. And also, this probably won't be relevant for you, or at least I very much hope it won't be relevant for you, but if one of you goes to prison the other one is always allowed to visit, even if the crime was bad enough that no one else would be allowed to."

Ash stared, disturbed. "Why do you know that?"

He never received an answer, his mother only winked at him and then used the eating-to-distract-from-the-topic tactic. Not exactly reassuring.

Their discussion slowly went back to their earlier casualness, and Ash was not only grateful for how well his mom had taken the news, but also for the fact she hadn't let him talk her out of making more food. Because now that he wasn't nervous anymore he noticed how hungry he actually was, and went for seconds and then thirds.

Ash still stayed for helping doing the dishes, but after that he asked: "Say Mama, is it fine if I-"

He never got to finish the sentence, because his mom finished it for him. "Go over to Samuels and check up on your Pokemon? I'm surprised you still stayed for as long as you did."

That earned her a sheepish grin as a response. "Alright, thanks Mama! See you later!" Ash gave his mom a quick hug, recalled Dragonite back into her Pokeball as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, then he grabbed his backpack.

He was already halfway outside when his mom called out to him again. "Was that a see you later as in later today or as in a few months later?"

"Dunno, I haven't decided on that yet!" Ash could practically hear her shake her head as he closed the door behind him.

He took his preferred shortcut onto the Oak property and jumped over the fence, where he was greeted by, or rather ran over by, his group of Tauros and Muk. At this point it would feel wrong if they didn't do this.

Ash strolled around for a while, checking up on his Pokemon here and there. It really hadn't been that long since they've seen each other, he was here every day during those few weeks he stayed at home after coming back from Alola, so no one else ran him over.

Professor Oak completely walked past him once, then stopped and turned around again, doing a double take.

"Ash.", the Professor said dumbfoundedly. "That's me!", was the reply. "What are you doing here?"

Ash felt a pang of guilt at that. "Sorry, should I have asked first? I thought it was okay since-"

"What, no", Professor Oak interrupted. "You're always welcome to check in. I don't mean right here, I mean Pallet Town here. I hadn't expected to see you around for another four months at least."

Okay, this time it was annoying. "This is the second time I've heard that today. Seriously, am I that bad?" The only reply he got was the Professor raising an eyebrow at him.

Ash groaned, and avoiding another lecture about how he preferred to live his life he changed the topic by asking: "Is Tracey here?"

The Professor, somehow, raised his eyebrow even higher, it almost disappeared beneath his hairline. "Take a guess."

"Cerulean.", Ash flatly replied, not even trying to hide the disappointment he felt. Professor Oak hadn't needed to nod to confirm it.

"I haven't seen him in ages!", Ash complained towards no one in particular. "I swear the only reason he stayed here after we came back from Johto is because it was the easiest job he could get that was close enough to his girlfriend. Are you sure he still works here, or are you just messing with me when you say you do?"

The older man laughed as if Ash was trying to be sarcastic, which he wasn't. "Yes, Tracey does still work here. He does a great job. And he doesn't sneak off to Misty nearly as much as it may seem to you, you really do just always miss each other."

"You know", he picked up again after a brief pause. "Gary always jokes that you two are like positive magnets pushing each other away." Ash awkwardly laughed along, pretending to understand the joke.

After some more walking around aimlessly Ash ended up sitting underneath a tree, Pikachu, Scraggy and Torkoal by his side, watching Charizard, Noivern and Dragonite race up in the air. He had only just introduced his latest capture to them, but it seemed like they had made quick friends.

Charizard was leading, Dragonite a close second, but Noivern was quickly catching up. He wasn't sure where their set goal was, but watching them race was decent entertainment anyways.

Ash had been so focused on it, that when his phone pinged, he almost jumped. Slowly he looked away from the race and pulled the device out of his pocket. He was already fairly sure about who messaged him, but he still smiled when he pulled up the text.

It was a simple 'How did it go?', and somehow it still warmed Ashs heart.

'surprisingly well, hby', he texted back immediately.

Goh took an oddly long amount of time to reply, but Ash didn't think too much of it, his soulmate could still be talking to his family or something like that. When he did reply, it was an 'About the same.', quickly followed up by another message that read 'What are you doing right now?'

'watchin my pkmn race', Ash answered. He looked back up towards the sky, and blinked when Gliscor was there too. Apparently he had missed him joining in.

Ash quickly took a photo of them, moments before they suddenly stopped mid air. Dragonite was celebrating, Charizard looked away in annoyance. The other two turned around and flew their own way.

Ash sent the image to Goh, attaching 'i think dragonite just won? idk tbh it was kinda condusing'

This time the response was faster, faster than Ash could notice and correct his typo. 'That sounds nice. I'm trying to sort out some things I want to take with me to the Institute but Scorbunny apparently has other plans.'

Goh also sent an image. It showed what Ash assumed was Gohs room. There was a stack of neatly folded clothes on the floor, and behind it was a closet that looked like a war zone, Scorbunny peeking out of it from the inside, grinning.

Ash snorted out loud, and at Pikachus questioning look he turned around his Rotom phone so his Pokemon could see the screen.

Pikachu and Dragonite, who had just landed next to them, laughed. Even Scraggy, who was missing the context of who Scorbunny was, seemed amused. Torkoal, emotional as ever, burst out in tears upon seeing the chaos.

"I feel you buddy", Ash reassured as he petted her head to calm her down. When he turned the phone around again, Goh had already sent another message. 'Are you still coming back or are you staying in Pallet overnight? It's getting kinda late.'

Ash took a glance at the clock in the upper corner of his screen, and grimaced. He hadn't been paying attention to the time at all, it was so easy to get distracted at the Oak Lab. It would be pretty late when he got to Vermilion, but he didn't really feel like staying over night. 'nah, ill get omw soon'

He waited for Goh to reply "Alright, see you later then!", then he shoved his phone away again. After recalling Dragonite and saying goodbye to his other Pokemon he went back to his moms place. Both because he would have felt bad without properly seeing her off, and to pick up Mimey.

On the bus station in Cerulean he debated getting out for a moment, but then it would very much be too late, and there was a good chance his magnetism had already pushed Tracey away again anyways.

He would have played his 10 songs on loop again, but he didn't for Rotoms sake. Most of the way was spent with Ash staring out the window or making up shit about other people on the bus, not the best entertainment, but somehow it felt way shorter than the journey this morning.

It was already dark by the time he got to Vermilion City. When he walked into the Cerise Institute he found Goh sitting in the lobby, watching TV.

Ash smiled at him. "Hey."

"Hey!", Goh greeted back, smiling as well.

Before Ash could start a conversation, Goh had gotten up and was handing him a thermos. "My grandma insisted I'd take some of the stew we had for dinner with me since you probably haven't had a chance to eat."

Ashs smile widened. He indeed hadn't, and he was really hungry. With an "Aw, thank you!" he took the thermos out of Gohs hand.

And if he had felt soft before, then he could have melted when he opened the container and inspected its contents. "Oh my god. The carrots are star shaped."

"Uhm, yeah", Goh chuckled awkwardly. "I really liked that as a kid and my grandma just kinda... never stopped doing it."

"That is adorable. I am going to cry. Can I adopt your grandma?" At that Goh full on snorted. "What, no. How would that even work?"

Before Ash could say something stupid like a grandmother-in-law joke, he left to reheat the food. Where had that thought even come from? It was way too early for that, wow. They weren't even dating.

He let the stew take a ride in the microwave, took out food for his Pokemon and then joined Goh on the couch in the lobby.

Technically they weren't allowed to watch TV while eating, Professor Cerise was very strict about that, but it's not like he would find out. Unless he had surveillance cameras set up in the lobby, in which case Ash would point out how weird it was to use them to see what his researchers do in their spare time, and hopefully win the argument that way.

They were watching some documentary on Ground type Pokemon. Ash didn't understand half of it, but he found he didn't mind. Goh filled in the biggest gaps with his excited side comments.

After the documentary was over, the next thing getting aired was a very weird and frankly terrible movie, it had one of the worst plots Ash had ever seen and the CG was comically bad. But neither of them made a move to change the channel or turn off the television, even after Ash finished eating.

The movie may have been awful, but the teenagers got really into making up ridiculous theories as it went on, and that alone made it stupidly entertaining.

"I think the antagonist is actually the soulmate of the protagonists best friends sister, you know, the one with the Glameow. That's like, gonna be the huge plot twist at the end that turns the entire story on its head" "Ash, it's a sci-fi movie. They're trying to hack the security system right now, soulmates have not been relevant in the slightest." "Exactly why it's a plot twist, it's so out of left field, no one's gonna see it coming at all." "No, I'm pretty sure the sisters gonna die instead. The Glamoews gonna get controlled and turn evil and that'll start a chain reaction."

When that stopped being fun halfway through the movie, they switched over to telling the other what they had done all day in more detail than the earlier texts. Ash had trouble breathing when Goh started talking about his crêpe adventures.

"They sell WHAT?!" "Honey and-" "No no Goh I heard you the first time, but, like, why?!" "Fire types like it apparently, Scorbunny did." "No, I mean, why did YOU eat it?" Goh had the audacity to shrug.

"Curiosity. Also, I thought you'd like to know. You like weird food." "Oh, I do, take me with you next time you go there." "You should try the one with chocolate and Nanab Berries, that one were actually edible and pretty good too." "I am going to eat the Tamato Berry one." "Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Eventually they ended up watching the rest of the movie in silence, because for some inexplicable reason they had both gotten invested in seeing if any of their crazy ideas turned out to be true.

Ash hadn't even noticed how tired he felt until his head was suddenly too heavy to hold up right.

Goh froze as something hit his shoulder. "Ash?", he tried quietly.

When he didn't receive a reply, Goh carefully turned his head just enough to be able to see the boy leaning against his shoulder, the slow breathing giving away that he had fallen asleep.

"You could have said you were tired...", Goh quietly but fondly huffed.

He was stuck between waking the other up again and not moving a muscle for a good while, which inevitably made him do the latter.

They had been this physically close before, and he was used to sleeping in the same room as Ash, but this? This was different. This felt oddly intimate.

Goh stared at his soulmate for longer and more thoroughly than he would have allowed himself to had the other been conscious. It was hard to imagine that the kid lying peacefully asleep on the couch was the same one who was usually extremely hyper and a great battler. And, yeah, okay, Ash was cute as well.

With a quiet sigh Goh resigned himself to his fate. He would not manage to get himself to wake Ash up and move from this couch. He might as well embrace it.

He leaned forward just enough to be able to hit the off button on the TV remote. The movie must have ended at some point, Goh really didn't care that much anymore.

He closed his eyes, and leaned into Ash, the same way the other was doing. He vaguley felt Pikachu and Scorbunny snuggling up to them too, but soon after that Goh had fallen asleep as well.

Chapter Text

Goh was acting obvious. Goh was acting waayy too obvious. Ash was surprised that Professor Cerise wasn't able to see right through him and learn how they had spent the night on the lobby couch instead of their room and only snuck back shortly before the Professor came in to work.

But, somehow, Professor Cerise didn't have a clue, probably assuming Goh was as nervous as he was because he was talking about revealing their soulmate status to their parents, and for no other reason. Ash really had no idea how, but he'd take it.

The Professor seemed pleased about the fact, and gave them tickets to something called the World Championships, saying that he thought they would like it.

Ash was really stoked about checking out whatever those were, and was even more stoked about it when he learned just what exactly the World Championships were. The strongest trainers in the world fighting each other? Ash couldn't wait.

Their flight to Galar was interrupted by some weird Pokemon flying in the sky, but Ash didn't pay it much mind, and soon forgot about it as he and Goh entered the Wyndon Stadium.

The battle was amazing, Ash didn't dare to blink, especially when the two combatants used dynamax on their Pokemon. It was great seeing Lance battle again and Ash was glad to know the Kanto champions Gyarados was doing well.

But the Galar champion, Leon, was on an entirely different level on his own. It was very clear how close he was to his Charizard. The two of them fought as though they were one, so much so that to Ash it felt like Leon was only shouting the attacks names as a show, that it wasn't really necessary for him to do so as Charizard already knew what Leon would say.

Lance was one of the strongest trainers Ash had ever met, but when Leon beat him, even with the type disadvantage, it didn't surprise Ash. The Galar champion had been running the battle since the very beginning. He deserved the title of strongest trainer.

"Wow, I wanna fight Leon", Ash said out loud, mostly to himself, but Goh heard it anyways, and let out a surprised and confused shout.

Before Ash could elaborate, the earth suddenly shook. Every alarm bell in Ashs mind started ringing, and out of pure habit and reflex he ran outside to see what was going on as fast as he could.

Without really thinking about it too much, when Ash got up, Goh immediately ran after him. He already knew the other teen had a knack for getting into trouble, and Goh wouldn't let him if he could help it. Or, well, at least he wouldn't be in trouble alone.

Even before Ash explained what he was planning to do, Goh could already tell by his body posture.

"But how are you planning to fight a Dynamax Pokemon?", Goh yelled back. "I dunno!" "You dunno?!" "All the more reason to try!"

That made Goh pause. Ash... kind of had a point, didn't he? They could very well be all that was standing between this rogue Dynamax Pokemon - Goh made a mental note to look up its name later - and the stadium getting destroyed and hundreds of people getting hurt.

"You stand back, Goh!", Ash continued, unaware of Gohs hesitence.

No, he'd already made his decision. "I refuse! If you're fighting, then so am I!"

Ash seemed surprised for a moment, but the moment passed quickly. With a smirk he nodded, then turned his attention back to the battle as Goh did the same.

Goh had already warmed up to battling after watching Ash fight in the flute cup, and he had been looking into it more, but fighting along his soulmate, side by side, was something else entirely. It was an oddly empowering feeling, even if ultimately Goh and Scorbunny didn't help too much.

Through cracks in the floor - and at least that explained what happened to their current opponent - Pikachu ended up dynamaxing as well. Or gigantamaxing, as Leon explained when he showed up.

That was another thing. It said a lot about how Gohs life has been going lately when the strongest trainer assisting his soulmate in battle wasn't a priority in his mind.

After the disaster had been handled, and reporters had been escaped, Ash and Goh went to explore Wyndon some more, then went to the Pokemon Center where they would stay the night.

Ash was weirdly... absent, the entire day. He didn't even eat that much during dinner, which was several giant red flags considering his usual eating habits.

Goh tried not to pay it too much mind. It had been an eventful day, maybe Ash was thinking about how the Drednaw - Goh had looked up its name by now - was doing.

But when it continued into the next day and Ash was still acting off during breakfast, Goh really couldn't go on ignoring it.

"You're so out of it you won't even eat?", he tried asking after multiple attempts of conversation, but Goh would never learn whether or not he would have received a reply, as a Pokemon jumped on the table and Goh hastily got out a Pokeball.

He caught Skwovet, but his celebration got cut short as Ash never even reacted to that either.

Goh went to stand in front of the other boy, then said: "Ash, seriously, is something troubling you? Then you should tell me."

And as soon as he voiced it out loud, Goh finally got it. He remembered the comment Ash had made just before the Drednaw incident.

"Wait, I see, you want to battle Leon, don't you?", Goh voiced his realization.

That, at last, managed to get a reaction out of Ash. "Yeah, yeah. You got me.", he admitted sheepishly

With a sigh Goh shook his head. "You think about Pokemon or battling 24/7, huh?" He was trying and failing to sound annoyed, not managing to keep the fondness out of his tone entirely.

"No, I totally space out if I don't get ten hours of sleep. So that's 24 hours minus 10 which is..." Ash held up his hands, pretending to count, when Goh could fully well tell by his smirk and the fact he knew the other didn't sleep for 10 hours that Ash was trying to mess with him.

It was still annoying, so he purposely fell for the bait. "Ash, that was a rhetorical question."

Ashs grin widened, Goh realized playing along may have been a mistake. "Oh, I know. But I think you should look into a mirror. You're the one who just caught a Skwovet, not me."

Wait.

Goh immediately forgot the strings of retorts he had been preparing in his mind as Ash said that last sentence.

So he had, in fact, been paying enough attention to not only see Goh catch Skwovet, but also catch its name, and then proceeded to intentionally space out again.

Goh childishly crossed his arms and pouted. "Y'know, I was gonna help you out with researching the World Championships and explaining it to you clearer, but I think I changed my mind."

Ashs eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, no, I'm sorry, please tell me."

Goh chuckled, he couldn't believe his terrible half-threat had worked, he would count this one as a win.

He pulled up the webpage for the World Championships on his Rotom phone, reading the article out loud and throwing in some more comments that hopefully made it clearer to Ash.

It was actually kind of interesting, Goh had known about the tournament in concept, but he hadn't known how the ranking and tier systems worked exactly.

He could already tell from Ashs facial expression that the other teen had some trouble following, so he asked. "Was that to complicated for you?"

Ash looked confused for another moment, then he stood up and excitedly said: "Well, I just gotta win battles, right?"

That was... sorta expected. He could probably even make it to the higher classes without understanding the system, as much as it would bother Goh.

Ash stuffed the rest of his food into his mouth, and in typical Ash fashion proceeded to choke on it. That wasn't too surprising to Goh either. In fact, he was relieved to see Ash actually eat.

What he hadn't expected and what did surprise him was Leon walking in, offering Ash a glass of water.

Wait, how long had he been standing there?!

Then the champion just... offered Ash a battle, going against everything that Goh had said a minute ago.

He grumbled about it the entire walk to the stadium, much to Ashs and Leons amusement.

Ash lost, of course he did. He was fighting a champion. And not even just any champion, but the strongest trainer in the world. And of course Ash was a great battler, but not that great. Not yet, at least.

Still, the fact Ash was even asked to a battle in the first place was still impressive in its own right, and it was amazing to watch.

Ash and Pikachu gave it their best. Using gigantamax without a Pokeball, even though that is clearly not how it's supposed to work, and fighting with it fairly gracefully even though they had done it for the first time only yesterday.

If Goh was being honest, he enjoyed watching this battle more than he did Leon vs. Lance the day prior, probably because he was more personally invested. Even though they probably could put on more of a show, it was still a relief to see his soulmate back to his old self again.

They said their goodbyes to Leon, or their "Please, battle me again someday"s in Ashs case, and left the stadium.

Outside, Ash announced: "I've made up my mind!"

"Hm?", Goh prompted, already feeling pretty sure about what the other was going to say. They stopped walking, and Goh couldn't stop smiling as Ash went on.

"I'll enter the tournament and battle Leon again! And next time, I'll win! That's the first step towards becoming a Pokemon Master!"

And the weirdest part was, Goh fully believed he could do it. Not today, but with the right training? Absolutely. He had enough stubbornness for it at least. "That's great! There's the Ash I know!"

Goh and Ash looked at each other for a moment, until the latter turned to the Pokemon on his shoulder. "Pikachu, let's get stronger together!" "Pikapika", was the response that sounded close enough to an agreement.

Staring back at the stadium, Goh could practically see how Ash was imagining himself fighting Leon by his facial expression.

And as much as Goh hated to interrupt daydreams, he just had to ask. "You do know sign ups for the World Championships only start in a few weeks, right? There's always a break in between seasons."

That brought Ash back to the present, and his expression turned utterly crestfallen. "What?! Why didn't you say so earlier?! That's gonna feel like forever now!"

Goh sighed exasperatedly and petted Ashs shoulder as a form of comfort, Scorbunny mirroring the gesture with a teasing smirk.

Chapter Text

Chloe and Goh were sitting close to the ocean, a bit away from the Vermilion port, doing the most mind numbing task she could imagine, literally watching Goldeen for a school project.

Goh hadn't even heard that they were supposed to write an essay about a topic of their choice that would count towards their grade until Chloe had mentioned hers off hand to her dad earlier.

Really, he was lucky she spent time at the Cerise Lab in general since the walk from school to there was shorter than directly going home and her dad would drive her home, because there was no chance he would've heard about it otherwise.

And going off the way Ash had reacted to Gohs panic about it ("Wait, you go to school? Like, Chloes school?!"), the latter hadn't been doing the homework the girl brings him daily either. Sometimes she wonders why she still bothers, or why he still bothers with 'attending' school for that matter.

"You know, there's still time to change your mind and write about a more interesting topic", Chloe pondered out loud.

Goh huffed, offended. "The populus and natural behavior of wild Pokemon living this close to a human city is a very interesting topic, and it is not my fault that you are unable to see that, thank you very much."

Chloe snorted, but knew better than to remind Goh that it wasn't exactly natural behavior when she has had to hold him back from catching one of the water Pokemon three separate times, and also from a Pidgey that flew by.

She'd thought he was obsessed with Pokemon before, but it had only tripled since he started to want to catch them instead of only watching them.

"You're free to leave whenever you want, by the way. It's not like you've been much help anyways, full offense.", Goh continued, using his pencil to point at the empty notebook on Chloes lap that she had long since abandoned.

And ouch, but fair enough. He did have a point with this one. If she was being fully honest with herself, she had never really intended to help him to begin with. Her actual reason was a little more embarrassing to admit.

"Honestly? I'm mostly just here to spend some time with you, we haven't really gotten to hang out alone since..."

She struggled to find the right words to describe the past few weeks, but Goh still knew what she meant. "Since Ash.", he finished.

Chloe nodded hesitantly. "I wouldn't have put it quite that bluntly, but, basically, yeah."

Goh took one last glance at his notebook page that was filled with a surprising amount of his illegible writing, then put it aside, fully turned towards Chloe for the first time since they left the Lab, and shuffled closer towards her.

"Alright, shoot. You have five minutes because I still need to finish this today."

"You would have had more time if-" Goh put a finger in front of Chloes face to interrupt her.

"You said hang out, not nag Goh about work. They are mutually exclusive. I do not wish to spend my free time talking about school, and if you choose to then I will choose to ignore you and continue working instead."

Chloe lightly shoved Gohs hand away with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Fine. Okay. What have you been up to besides missing class and doing essays last minute then?"

Very intentionally ignoring the latter part Goh replied: "Hmm, I caught a Golurk yesterday. We went to those ruins in Unova, met it there."

The girl nodded. "I saw it outside earlier, scared the absolute shit out of me."

Goh laughed. "I know it's huge but it's actually pretty friendly, no need to be scared."

"I'll believe it when I see it", Chloe replied matter of factly.

"We also met a guy who wants to catch every Pokemon like me, except he wants to catch their Shinies. And you think I'm delusional."

"I don't think you're delusional! I just think you're insane, but that's nothing new."

The other hummed. "Suuuree. And what have you been up to lately?"

"Well I-", she started, then paused for a moment. "Wait, does it count as talking about school if I-" "Yes." "But it happened during lunch break!" "Still counts." "Fine."

Chloe groaned, taking a moment to think about what else she had done. "I... played soccer with Parker and his friends because they were missing a player...?"

Goh grinned. "You don't have a life outside of school, do you."

"Do too!", Chloe protested offendedly. "I'm here right now, aren't I?!"

"For a school project." "To spend time with my best friend!" "Riiightt."

Chloe tried her best to not let it show on her face as she thought of her comeback.

"Well, you don't have a life outside of Pokemon."

"What, no of course I do." Goh started confused. "For example, I-", he paused, probably to think of something like Chloe had earlier.

It was just that unlike her, Goh never came up with a counter. As the seconds ticked by his frown slowly but surely turned into a scowl, until, eventually:

"Shut up.", he replied, turning away, very obvious embarrassment on his expression.

Chloe couldn't hide her amusement anymore, and it was her turn to burst out laughing.

"Shut up!", Goh repeated, this time louder and more aggressive.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry!", Chloe said during choky breaths, not feeling sorry at all.

When the girl had finally calmed down, Goh asked: "Say, Chlo, what do you think of Ash?"

"I think he doesn't count because he only thinks of Pokemon as well", she replied without missing a beat.

Goh shook his head. "No, I mean... just, like, in general."

He turned to look at Chloes general direction again, and that sobered her up very quickly.

Because Goh was rubbing his left arm in that way he always did when he was nervous, anxious, unsure and/or uncomfortable.

It probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else, but she had been friends with him for a decade, so of course she knew.

Chloe took a moment to think about the question. Eventually she replied, completely honest, with an "I don't know."

Goh gave her a look, so she elaborated.

"I genuinely don't. I mean, I haven't exactly spent much time with him, I don't think I can really judge him. When I met him he was lying unconscious on the floor knocked out by Yamper."

That managed to get a startled choking sound that may or may not be amusement out of Goh, who apparently hadn't heard of that story yet.

Chloe continued unbothered.

"He seems annoying and weird, like a pain in the ass and a lot of trouble. He manages to take me off guard every time he opens his mouth and if he ever hurts you, oh Arceus help him, because I will be after his kneecaps."

"Are you seriously threatening my soulmate right now because I asked what you think of him?"

"But, I can see how you act with him. I don't think I've ever seen you open up to someone this quickly since... ever, really. And I did mean what I said that day. If you're happy with him, then I'm happy for you."

And one of those things must have been the right thing to say, because Goh let go of his arm and smiled slightly.

"That's good. I would have hated it if my best friend and my soulmate didn't like each other. You should give him a chance sometime, I think you'd actually get along really well."

"Maybe, if I find the time.", Chloe replied unsurely. Then it registered in her mind that Goh had said each other. "Wait, so does that mean you also asked Ash what he thinks about me?"

Goh chuckled awkwardly. "Um, yeah... kindaa? He thinks you're the weird one."

Chloe wasn't exactly surprised by that, but still felt the urge to facepalm. "Of course he does. Why wouldn't he."

"You know, it wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be.", Goh suddenly said.

Chloe frowned at the topic change, not getting the connection. "What wasn't? Asking Ash what he thinks of me?"

Now Goh was frowning back. "What, no. I mean, like, just meeting Ash in general."

Ah, so his mind had been five sentences ahead, typical.

"At first it was kinda terrifying, but then we talked things out, and it's been... nice. Since then." The last part was accompanied with a shrug.

Chloe wrinkled her nose. "Please spare me from your love story."

Goh lifted his hands, gesticulating wildly, looking flustered. "We're not dating!", he clarified sputtering.

Oh, huh. That was... surprising. She could've sworn they were. "Wait, you're not?"

Goh shook his head, still pink, but more calmly this time. "No we're not. I don't have a good track record with, you know... making friends...? So, I thought I'd get more experienced at that first before jumping into a relationship. I'm not against the thought or anything, but I want to get to know him better as well, before... uh... yeah. And he didn't mind."

Chloe thought back to those couple of times she's seen the two interact.

They were touchy, and chatty, sure, but nothing she'd seen them do had been out of the realm of just friends.

It wasn't anything other people wouldn't do with their friends, heck, it wasn't anything Chloe herself wouldn't do with her own friends.

She'd just kinda assumed they weren't because it was Goh, and she wasn't used to seeing Goh do anything with friends.

Not that him trying wasn't a good thing.

She nodded. "I see. That does make sense."

"So, yeah. Not as scary as I thought it'd be.", Goh finished. "Probably not as scary as you think, either.", he added quieter, but loud enough for the 'you' in question to hear it.

"What? I'm not scared of meeting my soulmate.", Chloe said, back to feeling confused.

Goh huffed. "Yeah, right. I saw you walk backwards out the door when we found that Piplup, Miss Make-Up."

"Concealer.", Chloe corrected on autopilot, not letting Goh catching that awkward moment get to her. "And I'll have you know, Mister Long Sleeves, that it wouldn't make a difference if I had stayed because I technically don't have my first Pokemon yet, dad would've only teased me about it. I'm not scared, just literally unable to meet my soulmate at the current point in time. You don't gotta play the big brother just because you met yours first. And honestly, I don't think about her all too much."

She realized her slip up too late, only noticing what she had just said when Goh smirked at her knowingly.

"Just don't, okay.", she warned, before Goh could say anything.

Goh proceeded to ignore the warning. "I am genuinely curious, though.", he said. "How are you always so sure it's a her?"

Now her face definitely gave her embarrassment away, Chloe was sure of that, so she looked away.

"I said 'too much', not 'never at all'.", she explained. "And whenever I do, it's a her. I don't know, it's just a feeling."

To her surprise, Goh admitted: "I think I get that, kinda."

Chloe quickly looked back towards him, but now it was Goh who had turned to stare at the ocean instead.

"Well, different gender, but same thing. I was always pretty careful to use 'they' out loud, especially with how many girls approached me at school, but whenever I really just thought about my soulmate, completely on my own, I used..."

Suddenly Goh got up, and stretched his arms. "Alright, that was at least ten minutes over the time limit. Sorry not sorry, but I should really finish with those notes."

"Yeah, you should have been done yesterday." Chloe agreed.

Goh gave her one last glare, then picked up his notebook and sat down closer to the ocean again.

He never finished his earlier thought, but he didn't really need to, Chloe understood what he meant.

She picked up her own notebook as well, not to help take notes, but to draw random sketches to pass the time.

The silence didn't bother her as much as it had earlier anymore, it was definitely a more comfortable one now.

It didn't take Goh too long to finish up.

He asked her to check over his rough draft, and this time Chloe decided to be nice and actually did read through it.

How he managed to word watching fish Pokemon this interestingly really was beyond her, not that she would admit that.

The two slowly made their way back to the Cerise Institute, where Goh was immediately ambushed by Ash, excitedly talking about how his training with Dragonite had been going.

Chloe couldn't help but watch them.

Maybe Goh had a point about it not being scary after all, that was some food for thought, wasn't it?

But before she could let her thoughts wander further, her dad approached her.

"Ah, Chloe. Just in time, I was about to call it a day. You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!", she affirmed, following him outside.

Chapter Text

Despite his insistence, Ash wasn't fine. Anyone could see that. Hell, even a newly born Igglybuff could see it. He had dark rings under his eyes and was getting paler by the minute.

But, more importantly, Goh could feel it. He didn't know how or why, wouldn't be able to put it into words. But somehow, deep down, he could without a doubt tell that his soulmate wasn't well.

Goh felt utterly terrible about teasing Ash earlier, how could he have guessed that Gengar would actually go out of his way to haunt him? If a Celebi were around he would go back in time to slap himself without hesitation. 

"I really do think something is going on here", he eventually said to Ash, after he had been getting into weirder and more inconvenient situations as the day had gone on.

Ash waved him off. "Oh come on, that's silly, there is no curse! You said so yourself earlier.", he continued insisting as he got up from the park bench he had been hiding on.

"But Ash-" "Don't worry, I'm fine!" And he wasn't, because a moment after that he got his foot trapped in a hole on the ground.

Goh didn't need to be able to see Ashs face to know that this was the last straw for him. 

Ash mumbled something incoherent and nonsensical about exercise, and was about to storm off, but before he could, Goh grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Ash, please." The amount of concern in it made Gohs voice sound foreign in his own ears. "I mean it, I really am worried about you."

Ash turned around again, and rolled his eyes. Goh didn't know why the boy still bothered to pretend, because he could feel that the other was shaking, and could see the terror in the others eyes behind the gesture. Maybe it helped him feel less terrified.

"Fine.", Ash replied, seemingly trying to sound annoyed instead of relieved, and failing terribly at it. "Would it help if we went to find Gengar?"

Goh nodded, and with that they went looking for the ghost type Pokemon.

It did take them quite a while. Ash joked about how much easier this would have been if Chloe and Yamper were with them to fight it again. But eventually they managed to not only track down Gengar, but also his former asshole of a trainer who made Goh think a string of curse words that his mother would be ashamed of.

Not to forget the encounter with Team Rocket. When Ash and Gengar teamed up, winning the fight with ease, Goh already knew he had lost their little competition, there was no way he would be the one to catch Gengar now.

As those events unfolded, it was all too easy to let go of his earlier concern. 

That was until Ash suddenly lost balance mid sentence, falling directly into Gengars arms. 

Goh immediately snapped back into reality.

He ran up to Ash, yelling his name over and over again, without ever receiving a response.

"Ash... Ash... Ash!"

Ashs eyes fell shut.

Goh vaguely registered Scorbunny, Pikachu and Gengar shouting as well, but he couldn't focus on anything besides the unconscious boy in front of him.

His mind was buzzing, and he allowed himself to simply panic for a short moment. But he was the only one around who could help, so he swallowed the lump in his throat, and reached for Ashs wrist that was way too warm.

Goh felt a slow and steady pulse, which was very much the opposite of the fast beating of his own heart that he could hear up to his ears, but it was there. Ash was still breathing as well, so that was good. The shaking was definitely just Goh himself.

But holy hell, what-

Before Goh could panic about what to do next, he finally registered that Ash was lightly snoring, the way he always did when he was very deeply asleep.
Goh felt like he could cry as a giant wave of relief hit him, but he held it together.

Letting Ash stay like this wasn't an option, but Goh wouldn't be able to carry him all the way back to the Lab alone either.

He let go of Ashs wrist, then quickly fumbled his phone out of his pocket. His Rotom apparently knew what was happening, because it had already dialed up Professor Cerises number. It didn't take long for the man to pick up.

"Goh? Did you track down Gengar?", he said in lieu of a more typical phone conversation starter.

Goh took a quick glance over at the Pokemon that was still holding Ash up, he had almost forgotten that was the reason they were here in the first place.

He didn't want to waste time with smalltalk, and there was no possible way for him to ease the Professor into the situation.

"Ash passed out.", he somehow managed to get out.

Professor Cerise immediately went on high alert as well. "What?!" In the background Goh could hear the distinct sound of a chair scraping against the floor, he imagined the man just shot up from his work desk.

"Goh, what happened?", Professor Cerise pressed again. 

"I- I'm not sure.", was the stuttered response. "I think he's just asleep, not unconscious or anything, but..." Goh ran his hand through his hair.

The Professor shouted something towards one of his assistants, Goh couldn't quite make out what, then he asked: "Where are you?"

Goh quickly looked around, then read out the nearest street sign he spotted and described the area.

"We'll be there soon, look out for Ash." With that Professor Cerise hung up the call. Goh never got to reply, but they both knew he hadn't planned to do anything else. He never let Ash out of his eyes.

A few minutes later a car pulled up, Professor Cerise fastly got out of it, followed by Ren who was holding a thermometer.

He measured Ashs temperature, then grimaced at the device. "He has a fever. Not dangerously high, it's nothing too serious, but he definitely shouldn't be out here.", Ren announced.

Professor Cerise eyed Gengar with suspicion, and Goh immediately felt the need to step to his defense. "Gengar didn't do it. Yes, he pulled pranks on Ash, but he helped us fight Team Rocket and stayed here the entire time. This wasn't him."

Gengar nodded along, Professor Cerise sighed in defeat and turned towards his assistant instead. "Ren, help me get Ash into the car."

But Gengar seemingly had other plans, as he carefully moved Ash up towards the car. The rest of them all stared at him in surprise for a moment. Goh was the first to recover, and moved in front of Gengar to open up the back door of the car, so the Pokemon could place Ash into it.

The car drive felt agonizingly long, even though they really didn't have to go that far.

At one point the Professor turned around from his place on the passenger seat to look at Goh. "Are you okay?", he asked.

It took Goh a moment to realize the man was talking to him. He looked back in confusion. "I'm not the one with the fever, why are you asking me?"

Professor Cerise gave him a sad smile. "No, you're not. But you're the one who watched his soulmate pass out on the sidewalk."

Goh turned his gaze towards Ash again, who was seemingly peacefully sleeping on the seat next to him. Gengar had disappeared, but Pikachu and Scorbunny were with him, still worried.

"No, I'm not okay.", he quietly admitted.

Everything after that was a blur.

Theoretically Goh was aware of the fact that it had been Professor Cerise and Ren who had carried Ash all the way to their room. Theoretically he noticed Chrysa, Chloe and even Talia checking by with concerned glances.

But all he could focus on was Ash. He couldn't even bring himself to stand up from his chair to go to the bathroom or refill his drink, because that would mean risking missing the moment Ash finally woke up. 

Pikachu and Scorbunny seemingly shared the sentiment, as they never left their spots next to Ash on the bed either.

Goh wouldn't be able to say how much time had passed, though he knew that realistically it couldn't have been longer than an hour or two. The sun had started to set, but it had already been late in the afternoon when this had started. 

Ash still looked so so painfully peaceful, and that made the whole experience even worse. He looked like nothing was wrong, while Goh was feeling a whirlwind of emotions.

Finally, finally, his soulmate opened his eyes.

He said he was fine, apologized, acted like it wasn't a big deal when it had been, at least for Goh.

Gengar showed up again out of nowhere - or had he been watching the whole time too, just hidden? Either way, Ash got up and caught him. It was just like Goh had figured it would turn out, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed anyways. 

And Goh was trying. He was trying so, so hard to keep it together. To not show his worry. How he had felt during all this. For Ashs sake, he told himself. Ash had enough going on, he was the one who was sick, he didn't need Gohs concerns added on top of that. Everything... everything would be fine. Everything was going to be okay. He just... he just had to keep it in, and... 

Ash wrung his head out of the mountain of apples Gengar had buried him under, then noticed his newly caught Ghost Pokemon really had disappeared again. That was just a thing he liked doing, apparently.

The apples were extremely good, and he couldn't help but laugh at how Pikachu practically jumped into the pile after being offered one.

"What about you two?", Ash asked, vaguely looking into the direction Goh and Scorbunny were in. 

Scorbunny didn't need to be asked twice, and she immediately jumped over and joined Pikachu.

Goh never replied at all. 

That made Ash pause, and he looked over at Goh again, this time fully taking in the appearance of the other teen.

He looked utterly miserable.

"Goh? Are you okay?", Ash asked quietly, already aware of the fact he wasn't really.

It took Goh a moment too long to reply. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine.", he said, voice hoarse. "You're fine, everything's fine. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Goh, you're crying.", Ash awkwardly pointed out, a worried smile on his face, because frankly he didn't know how else he should react.

Goh frowned at him for a second, touched his cheek, then continued to frown at the wetness on his hand. He hadn't even noticed, had he? 

Scorbunny perked up at that. She ran over to her trainer, jumped onto his lap, and used her paws to wipe some of the tears away. This only managed to make more of them spill out. 

"I'm sorry.", Goh mumbled.

Ash shook his head. "Nothin' to be sorry for."

And that broke whatever resolve Goh had made, because now he wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

"It- it's just... I'm...", he pressed out between sobs. "I was so fucking worried about you, okay?!"

Goh rubbed his eyes, then buried his face in his hands.

"I knew you weren't fine, I knew, yet I didn't say shit about it.", he mumbled against his palms.

"I just... I just didn't think you would pass out in the middle of fucking nowhere. I didn't know what to do, or... or even what happened to you. Ash, I..."

Before Ash could think better of it, he had walked up to Goh and thrown his arms around him.

The position was a little awkward. Ash had to lean downwards, with him standing and Goh still sitting in the chair and all. Not to mention Scorbunny being between them, also hugging her trainer. 

Nevertheless Goh didn't hesitate to reciprocate the hug, pulling Ash closer, gripping his shirt a little too tightly.

Ash could feel his own vision start to blur slightly.

Now he was the one feeling miserable for being the reason his own soulmate broke down like that.

"... 'm sorry...", Ash whispered into Gohs shoulder. 

"Not your fault.", Goh murmured back.

"Well, 's not yours either, so stop sounding like you're blaming yourself."

"Right, s-... right."

They stayed that way for who knows how long.

After a while Goh had started to calm down, his breathing becoming more even again. And if he had heard Ashs own sniffling, he'd decided to not bring attention to it.

At some point Pikachu had jumped onto his usual spot on Ashs shoulder, joining the group hug.

Ashs back was starting to hurt slightly, but he absolutely wasn't going to be the first one to pull away. 

Eventually, it was Goh who first spoke up again.

"Can you promise me to not do that again?"

Ash grimaced, and he was suddenly very glad he wouldn't have to look Goh into the eye for this, because...

"I can't promise that.", he replied softly.

Goh went slightly stiff, but he didn't immediately protest or shove Ash away, so he'd take that as a good sign.

"Why not?", was all he asked.

"Because...", Ash paused for a moment, thinking his answer over. "You've seen what I get like when I see someone else in danger. I can't stand by and do nothing, I have to act. That's just what I'm like. Who I am. So, I can't promise you to not get hurt or anything like that, because it's inevitable to happen."

Goh grabbed Ashs arms, slowly pulling him away to look at him.

Ash felt startled when Goh didn't look upset. If anything he looked amused, eyes still sparkling but a teasing smile on his lips.

"Wow, you said that without using any incomprehensible onomatopoeias or other weird sounds, I'm impressed."

Later, Ash would probably retroactively get annoyed about this, but right now he was giggling along with Goh, just happy to see him find some humor in this situation. 

"Come on, I'm not that bad.", Ash protested, trying and failing to sound mad.

Goh chose to neither confirm nor deny that. "That's not what I meant, though", was what he said instead.

"I mean, I know it's inevitable that you get hurt or sick and all, this wasn't really your fault. But, just... tell me when you are. So I can help, and... stuff, y'know. We're... we're in this together, right...?" 

Gohs voice became less and less confident as he went on, and towards the end he had turned his head away to avoid eye contact.

Ash reached out his hand, placing it on Gohs cheek, turning his head back to look at him, restoring the eye contact. 

"Right.", Ash replied softly.

They stayed that way for just a moment too long.

Ash suddenly felt overly aware of how close they were. Of the fact that Goh was still holding onto his right arm from earlier. And oh GOD WHY WAS ASH STILL TOUCHING HIS CHEEK?!

Ash immediately straightened up and took a quick step backwards. He stretched himself, both for his back and as a distraction. This earned him a protesting "Pikapi!", from his shoulder. He'd forgotten they had an audience.

He petted Pikachu between his ears as an apology, then awkwardly said to Goh: "I'm gonna go get a drink, my throat's kinda sore."

Ash turned around, and only made it halfway to the door when his legs suddenly felt like jelly and he lost any sense of balance. 

Luckily Gengar chose that exact moment to reappear, catching his trainer before he could fall over. 

Goh hurried over to Ashs side as well. "How about I get you a drink, and you lie down again and rest a little more? You still have a fever, y'know.", Goh asked with a worried smile.

Ashs first instinct was to protest, to say he could get water himself, he's not a child. But he'd just said he would let Goh help, hadn't he? "Alright, thanks.", Ash replied. 

Goh nodded, still smiling. He grabbed his own empty glass, then left the room, while Gengar dragged Ash back to bed.

Everyone was overbearing over the next couple of days. Professor Cerise basically put Ash on house arrest for the rest of the week, he wasn't allowed to leave the property.

It was annoying as hell. Ash felt completely fine, the fever had left as quickly as it had hit him, and nobody believed him anymore. 

But Ash didn't have it in him to be too mad, not when everyone was treating him kindly and looking out for him, not when Sentret brought him a flower to cheer him up. 

The one positive was that Goh mostly stayed as well, Professor Cerise didn't think sending him anywhere alone was a great idea, not that Goh would have wanted to go anyways.

Professor Cerise had also tried to convince Goh to stay away from Ash to not catch a fever as well, that request on the other hand fell into deaf ears.

One day Goh went to school, which Ash still couldn't believe he attended, but otherwise they spent their time together, talking and goofing off.

When Ash was feeling restless since he hadn't had a battle in a while, Goh asked if he was willing to train with him and Scorbunny, which was the best idea Ash had heard in a while.

The two of them were definitely getting the hang of battling more. Pikachu almost broke a sweat, which is a gigantic accomplishment for a new trainer like Goh.

Something was... off about Scorbunny, though. Especially after Darmanitan showed off Overheat.

She really wanted to learn a fire move, didn't she?

Ash tried to help her. Goh said Scorbunny learning a fire move wasn't necessary, which kind of rubbed Ash the wrong way. 

It was Scorbunnys decision what she wanted to learn and what she didn't. And if her and Goh continued to disagree on it then that would ultimately throw their balance off. 

Ash had seen it plenty of times before, he could still very vividly remember how much Iris had struggled with her Dragonite, and more importantly he had been there himself in the past. 

He didn't say any of that though, not yet, in case Goh would figure it out on his own. All he did was point out that Scorbunny didn't seem to agree with him, which Goh shrugged off as well.

When Ash had a normal temperature and didn't show any symptoms anymore for the third day in a row, the Professor finally allowed him to go into the city again with a sigh.

"Don't do anything like this ever again, though. I don't know if I'll be this supportive about it a second time.", he warned.

"Alright, I won't!", Ash said with a grin, knowing fully well it was a lie, but not wanting to take any chances. 

Part of him wondered how Professor Cerise would react to some of the stories Ash had lived through, the other part of him quite enjoyed working here. 

Over breakfast Goh and Ash discussed going out to catch Pokemon. Ash asked Chloe if she wanted to tag along. Unsurprisingly, she said no, but she did hesitate a moment longer than usual. 

Together the research fellows went deeper into the city, eventually splitting up for a while to cover more ground. Ash searched everywhere, but he couldn't spot a single wild Pokemon, even after turning around every stone and flower pot he and Pikachu came across. 

"Maybe we should've went to the harbor or something instead of the middle of Vermilion, there's nothing here...", Ash mumbled to himself after a good while.

He decided to go see what Goh was up to, if he'd had any luck. And seemingly Ash had chosen the perfect time to do that, because when he spotted his soulmate, Goh and Scorbunny were knee deep into an encounter with Team Rocket. 

Ash was by their side immediately. He realized his worries had turned out to be true, as Goh called out Double Kick, Scorbunny tried using Ember instead, and got knocked out for it fairly quickly.

Pikachu dealt with Team Rocket, blasting them off with a Thunderbolt, but the problem was far from solved.

When Scorbunny woke up, her and Goh continued arguing, ending up with the Pokemon running away, and the boy not wanting to follow her.

It was starting to drive Ash crazy, which meant now seemed like the perfect time to share his thoughts with Goh.

He tried explaining that they had to be one in battle, but going off the frown Goh was giving him, Ash had apparently used 'incomprehensible onomatopoeias and other weird sounds' again. 

Ash suppressed a groan. It was moments like these that made him wish he were smarter with words, because he had no clue how else to put this.

At least Goh agreed to search for Scorbunny, that was what mattered in the end. 

They tracked her down, which ended in them running into the Team Rocket trio, for the second time that day. 

Ash was about to send out Dragonite because he really wasn't in the mood to deal with them again for any longer, but Goh was quicker.

His earlier speech must have struck a cord after all, because Goh encouraged Scrobunny, talked with her at last, and they fought as one again. 

Scorbunny finally managed to get a fire move to work by running around in place using Quick Attack, heating up her feet that way and then kicking a pebble at Chewtle.

Ash was fairly certain this wouldn't classify as an Ember, but he'd seen weirder things. The fact Goh had thought of this in the first place and it actually ended up working was amazing in its own right. 

He yelled out an encouraging "Yeah, nice!", Pikachu joining in, even if they both knew their friends were most likely too preoccupied to pay them much mind.

Then, Scorbunnys body started to glow, and at that point Ash felt goosebumps all over his body. 

With another Ember the newly evolved Pokemon sent the trio blasting off again. 

In that moment Ash thought this might have been one of the most exciting battles he's ever watched, which was ridiculous. It was a fairly new trainer and his starter fighting Team Rocket of all people using an untrained Pokemon that wasn't even their own. And he'd watched the two strongest trainers in the world battle in person not that long ago.

But everything felt a little different with Goh involved.

Ash was starting to understand why Goh had stared at him so much after the flute cup.

All that excitement vanished when Raboot walked past Goh, ignoring their usual fistbump, not even turning around to give her trainer a glance as she walked away. 

Goh stood there frozen for a solid half a minute, when he finally recovered he shook his head to regain composure and ran after his Pokemon. "Raboot, wait up! Did I say something wrong again?"

Raboot did not, in fact, wait up. 

Ash grimaced, sharing a knowing look with Pikachu.

So, this was going to be one of those situations. 

Unfortunately Ash did not have an onomatopoeia filled encouragement ready for this, not without knowing what exactly was going on with Raboot.

All he could do was be there for Goh.

Because as his soulmate had said, they were in this together.

Chapter Text

When the World Championships finally started the new season, and Ash entered them the second he got the chance to, his days became pretty busy. Very much needed after being stuck in the Institute sick.

He knew he'd gotten lucky with Visquez, not really in terms of winning against her, more the fact he'd been able to find a high ranked opponent, and climb up a few ranks very quickly himself as a result.

But that didn't mean he could start slacking off, it was still a long way to Leon, so he didn't slow down with his training. And if he had, then Pikachu, Dragonite and Gengar would've been mad about it, because they were just as psyched to get wins as Ash was.

He still made time to help Goh search for Pokemon though. And for the lectures Professor Cerise liked to hold about whatever topic they were researching that day, which were more interesting than Ash would've ever expected.

Today seemed to be going about the same. The lecture of the day had been about Pokemon eggs, which was never a boring topic. Goh said he'd never seen one, so they went out to track one down. Ren insisted it wasn't that easy, but you'd never know if you never tried.

They got side tracked a little, when Goh found and caught an Exeggcute of all Pokemon, it was a little funny. And right after, when Ash was challenged to a World Championships battle, which he won thanks to Pikachu.

His buddy very much needed a visit to the Pokemon Center, Pikachu definitely felt a little off, and he was about to suggest exactly that to Goh, but then...

He noticed... something, in the air. A feeling he knew he'd felt before, but couldn't quite place a finger on. Ash looked around, but there wasn't anything unusual near them. Just regular trees, nothing more.

Of course there wasn't. This didn't feel like something close to them.

It was Gohs "Something wrong?" that brought Ash back to the real world, he hadn't even noticed his soulmate walking up to them.

"I just felt as if someone was... calling to me", he tried explaining. It wasn't quite the right word, but he didn't know how else to put this.

"'Someone?'", Goh repeated confused. "I don't see anyone around..."

"No, not like that!" Ash said frustrated, trying to think of a better word that never came to him.

Goh compared it to when Lugia had talked to him, but no. That was telepathy. That was something else entirely, obviously.

Well, whatever. If it was something important it would slap him in the face sooner or later, for now Pikachus health came first.

He said his goodbyes to his opponent, promised a rematch that would likely never happen, though he wouldn't be against it, and together with Goh made his way to the Pokemon Center.

Ash was lost in thought the entire walk, still trying to place what that familiar feeling had been, and only got shaken out of it when Goh called his name from behind him.

"Hey, Ash!" He paused, and turned around to see Goh run up behind him, leaning down to catch his breath.

"Why are you in such a hurry?", Goh asked. "A hurry?", Ash repeated with a frown.

Had he been? He hadn't noticed.

Though he didn't miss the concerned glance Pikachu shot him from his shoulder, had it really been that bad?

"You can be really weird sometimes, you know that?", Goh said when he caught his breath, then straightened up and continued walking. He was smiling, Ash knew he was teasing, but he couldn't help but feel a little offended.

"What do you mean, 'weird'?!", Ash asked as he also continued walking, still a little ahead of Goh, his head turned around to see the others expression.

"Hearing voices that I can't hear... You're just like a Pokemon egg.", Goh elaborated with a smirk.

"Like an egg.", Ash repeated bluntly.

"You hold many mysteries!"

Ash turned his head forward. "I don't hold that many...", he said exasperatedly. Seriously, why were people always acting like he did?

"Sure you do!", Goh retorted, still sounding very amused.

And Ash would've continued their squabble, had he not noticed the Pokemon Center in front of them.

They went inside, Ash handed Pikachu over to Nurse Joy, and was just watching his Pokemon complain about the disinfectant with an amused smile, when he felt it again.

The same feeling as earlier, just that this time, it was stronger. Closer. A lot closer. So much closer.

Almost as though it was literally just down the hall.

Just behind the nearest door.

Before Ash knew it, he'd already moved to open it and stepped into the room.

His eyes were drawn to the most noticeable object in it.

Inside some sort of container, hooked up to a bunch of wires, was a Pokemon egg.

And oh.

Wow, did Ash feel stupid now.

This close to the source, standing in front of it, he was finally able to pinpoint what he had been sensing the entire time.

The Aura around it was being manipulated, that's why it had felt so weirdly different.

It was almost like it was manipulating its own Aura on purpose, but it would only be able to do that if it was a...

He was torn out of his thoughts by a whisper next to him.

"A Pokemon egg..."

Ash whirled around, startled, and was met with Gohs side profile.

He'd been so distracted that he hadn't even noticed his soulmate following him.

He was about to joke that Goh had scared him, but in the same moment he noticed how entranced the teen looked.

He was staring at the egg the same way Ash assumed he had been just a second ago.

But...

"Is this what you felt earlier?", Goh asked, gaze still focused on the egg, voice still low.

Wait.

Ash felt his eyes widen in disbelief, was at a complete loss of words.

"Goh, can you-"

Before Ash could finish the question, he was interrupted by the door opening again. Nurse Joy entered the room, followed by a curious Pikachu and a disinterested Raboot.

"So this is where you two walked off to.", Nurse Joy commented.

Right, okay, priorities.

"Nurse Joy, why does this egg have wires hooked up to it?", Ash asked.

The woman told them it was for monitoring, since for some odd reason, this egg refused to hatch, even though it should have some time ago.

Except, it had just moved. And maybe it was just a coincidence, but Ash could've sworn the egg had moved specifically in his direction. He couldn't resist touching it, and it felt so warm.

Nurse Joy said it originally came from Sinnoh, which matched up with his theory.

When Ash was offered to keep the egg, there was no way he would refuse. If this Pokemon was waiting for the right home, he would give it to them.

The entire way back to the Cerise Institute was spent with Goh gushing about how lucky Ash was.

Ash forgot to bring up his earlier question, but then again, this probably wasn't a topic that's great to discuss while walking.

When they got back, Ren spent a good while being upset that their plan had worked. After the assistant got over it Ash decided to formally introduce the egg to everyone at the Institute.

Goh thought talking to the egg was silly until Professor Cerise explained that the Pokemon inside could most likely actually hear him, after hearing that Goh profusely apologized to it.

Ash tried to hide the fond chuckle about his soulmates reaction, but from the looks Chloe and Chrysa were giving him he had to be doing a poor job at it.

They discussed Pokemon eggs some more, then Ash, Goh and Chloe showed the egg around the Park and introduced it to the Pokemon living there.

This took a lot longer than Ash had initially anticipated, though he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised because Goh really had already caught a notable number of Pokemon, and each of them took their time getting to know the egg too, each in their own... unique way.

Ash had to save the egg from a crushing hug from Dragonite, from a prank Gengar was trying to play and shielded it from getting hit by a Water Gun that had missed its intended target.

For a heartstopping moment Ash had thought Ekans was going to eat the egg, but then he only curled his body around it, in what may have been an Ekans version of a hug.

Halfway through Chloe had long left their group, and by the time Goh and Ash stepped back inside the building it was empty and the sun was almost done setting.

Goh sighed as he slumped down the hallway. "Next time we're doing this, we'll get everyone in one place instead of doing it individually."

Ash couldn't agree more.

Eventually, Goh was sitting in front of the table in their room, watching the egg that had been placed onto it earlier, leaning his head onto his hands, while Ash was still pacing up and down the floor brushing his teeth.

"I still wonder what Pokemon is in this egg", Goh muttered. "Or what that weird feeling earlier was, for that matter. It must have come from the Pokemon, but it's odd Nurse Joy didn't mention it."

Ash paused, freezing in the middle of the room. Slowly he turned his head to stare at Goh.

It wasn't like he had actually completely forgotten about this, how could he, he'd just chosen to not think about it further.

Goh must have noticed the lack of toothbrushing and footsteps, because he turned his attention towards Ash, meeting the stare.

"What is it?", he asked with a raised eyebrow.

And that was the absolute worst part about it. Goh had no idea how weird what he was saying was. He had no idea that most people couldn't feel Aura, probably didn't even know what it was. Because if he did, he wouldn't be this confused about it.

Ash didn't like talking about his Aura abilities. Not because he disliked them, not because he was ashamed of them, not because they were anything he felt like he should hide. It was because people didn't get it.

He wasn't sure if it was because he sucked at explaining it or if the concept of Aura was that incomprehensible to someone who couldn't feel it, it could be either, really. All he knew was that none of his friends had ever fully understood it, not even the ones who have seen him make use of it.

None of them understood that Aura was something that was always there, only stronger when manipulated by someone who could. They didn't understand that to him, feeling Aura was a subconscious thing, that it was as natural as breathing. None of them understood the subtle ways Aura could feel different depending on the person and how they're feeling.

Most likely, they would never be able to understand.

But... this wasn't like that, was it?

It wasn't explaining it to one of his friends who wouldn't get it. This was his soulmate, who apparently had the same abilities as he did. Goh deserved to know.

Ash had made his decision.

"Iffa Wiowu.", he said to Goh.

In return, Gohs gave him an unimpressed look.

Oh, yeah. Right.

Ash quickly went into the bathroom, half heartedly put away the brush, spit out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth, then went back to their room.

"It's a Riolu", he repeated as he sat down on the chair next to Goh, who had his arms crossed expectedly. "The Pokemon in the egg, I mean."

Goh continued to give Ash a baffled look. "You can't possibly know that, Professor Cerise said-"

"I know what Professor Cerise said", Ash interrupted. "And yeah, he's right. Usually, you can't. But the thing I... you... what we felt earlier, was Aura."

At that Pikachu perked up from his spot on the bottom bunk, probably curious because it wasn't often that his trainer spoke about his abilities. Even Raboot who had been pretending to not listen in from her spot in the corner looked more interested now.

"Aura?", Goh slowly repeated the word, sounding even more confused than he did earlier, his crossed arms loosening.

Ash nodded. "It's, um, well I've heard it described as the 'essence of every living creature', or something like that? Every being has an Aura, but only a handful of Pokemon and even fewer people are able to sense it. Most notably the Lucario line, so this little one", he said looking in the direction of the egg, "is most likely a Riolu."

Goh was eerily silent, his frown had become thoughtful, his eyes were still pointed at Ash, though it seemed like he was looking somewhere far off. Ash had to fight the urge to squirm, giving the other some time to let all of this sink in.

"This isn't like...", Goh quietly started after a few moments. "I mean, we can't read each others thoughts or feel each others pain or something like that, right...?"

The teen looked uncomfortable with the thought, and Ash had to share the sentiment. He didn't mind sharing most of what he thought with Goh, but he still liked having his own mind space. And if he was being honest with himself, he'd had his fill of shared pain with Greninja.

Yeah, it was a good thing that wasn't how it worked.

"No, no. It's not like that.", he assured. "I met a Lucario that could use telepathy once but that's not really thought sharing, and also I don't know how to do it."

Goh hesitantly nodded along, which Ash took as a sign to continue.

"And about feeling each others pain... well, it's not directly the same thing, but sometimes I notice when someone is sick or hurt before they do. Their Aura gets affected by that too, and it feels slightly different. Same with emotions, but more obviously with pain. It gets sorta... jiggly and wobbly? I find it's most noticeable when someone has a-"

"Fever.", Goh finished for him in a whisper.

"I was gonna say cold, but..." Ash stopped mid sentence, suddenly remembering just who exactly had a fever last week. "Wait, did you?!"

"I... I think so?", Goh started unsurely, but then he shook his head. "No, I definitely did. I couldn't figure out why, but I knew you weren't well long before we ran into Gengar again. I could feel it."

Ash stared at his soulmate in amazement.

Goh... got it.

Ash didn't have to repeat himself, or make vague comparisons that weren't really accurate. Goh got it immediately, even threw in his own example from his own experience.

Because Goh could feel Aura as well.

It was also Goh who brought him out of his trance, because apparently he'd been staring too long. Again. He really needed to stop doing that.

"Ash?", Goh asked in a concerned tone.

And Ash suppressed an amused huff at the fact Goh was concerned about Ash when he was the one going through a huge revelation.

"Well, for one, I'm just as baffled that you can feel Aura as you probably are.", Ash admitted. "And two, you're taking this surprisingly well."

Goh humorlessly chuckled. "Honestly? It's sorta only now starting to set in for me that you're talking about... me, not a Pokemons abilities." For emphasis, he rubbed his forehead. "But it also just kind of... makes a lot of sense? I think I've always subconsciously felt it, I just didn't realize other people didn't."

Ash nodded quickily, grinning at the other teen. "Yes, yes, I know right!"

"I do wanna ask though", Goh said with a raised eyebrow, "how did you learn all that?"

Ashs grin fell again immediately, and he looked over to the side. He'd really hoped Goh wouldn't ask that, but maybe that was wishful thinking. He met Pikachus gaze, although apparently the Pokemon had stopped paying attention to the conversation again, and was instead busying himself with cleaning his fur.

"Not the best memories?" Goh asked carefully.

Ash only softly shook his head in lieu of a reply.

"You don't have to tell me."

"I want to", Ash clarified, because really, he did. If Goh could feel Aura, then he could use any information about it he could get.

Ash didn't know much about it either, but just knowing anything related to it always helped him understand himself better.

And even more importantly than that, he trusted Goh. He wanted to share his life with him.

But it was a long story that wouldn't be easy to relive. "Just... not right now, if that's alright with you."

"Of course it is!" There was nothing but sheer honesty and understanding in Gohs tone, and Ash gave him a grateful smile for it.

"I mean, basically it just was the first time I saw a Lucario.", he carefully simplified. "Someone explained Aura to me, and said I probably felt it because mine was similar to the one of that Lucario."

Ash chuckled. "Then I met a Riolu, and someone else told me the same thing. By the third time? I realized they were the ones who got it wrong."

Goh grinned at him. "You know, Ash. I was right earlier after all."

Ash blinked at the sudden topic change, but before he could ask what Goh had been right about, he had leaned closer towards Ash, putting his index finger onto his soulmates chest.

"You are weird and you do hold many mysteries!", Goh announced triumphantly.

Ash shoved Gohs hand away with a groan, which didn't bother the still grinning boy at all.

"Seriously? You're still caught up on that?", Ash asked exasperatedly. "Come on, this hardly counts. Why would I ever mention this in casual conversation?"

"I have absolutely no clue, but it still counts!" Goh insisted.

Ash settled for an unamused pout.

His soulmate let out a laugh.

"Do you... remember what I said to you after I first showed you my soulmark?", Goh asked, a lot more uncertain now.

He needed a quick moment to think about what exactly Goh was referring to, but Ash did indeed remember that conversation, very clearly for that matter. "You said I'm your friend because I'm weird."

Goh let out a relieved breath, then nodded. "Yeah, that's what I meant. And it still counts, by the way. I don't think being weird is a bad thing. Hell, it seems like I'm exactly the same kind of weird as you are. We wouldn't have met if we weren't weird, no sane person would try jumping onto a Lugia."

A soft smile spread across Ashs features at that memory. "Yeah, okay, you're right."

"'Course I am!", Goh replied with a smirk, before turning thoughtful. "I do really wonder though... if feeling Aura is such a rare thing, it's one hell of a coincidence both people in a soulmate pair can."

A sudden thought struck Ash.

Was it? A coincidence?

Because Goh had a point, that was way too unlikely.

Those thoughts never got the chance to be said out loud.

Ash felt it a split second before he saw the glow.

Both boys immediately shot up from their chairs, the one Ash had been sitting on fell over with his hurried motions.

He distantly noticed Pikachu jumping onto the table next to him, and even Raboot walking up behind them, but most of Ashs focus was on watching the egg hatch.

The bright light blinded him for a moment, so he shielded his eyes. When he next opened them again, a Riolu was standing in front of him instead.

"All right!" Ash gave the newly born Pokemon a wide smile, too excited and happy to give his soulmate the 'I-told-you-so look' like he had been planning to.

Goh hastily pulled out his Rotom phone, and after the Pokemon had read out Riolus Pokedex entry that funnily enough gave another explanation about Aura the teen mumbled: "Huh, he's a guy."

He shoved his phone away again, then looked back up to the Riolu on the table. "So you're a Riolu?", he stated more than asked, the same amount of excitement Ash felt in his tone.

Ash leaned closer towards the Pokemon. "Riolu, I'm Ash! This guy is my partner!" His buddy was quick to introduce himself too, immediately adding a happy "Pikachu!"

Only then Ash noticed something was off. Because instead of reacting to any of this, Riolu only looked around the room, confusion evident on his expression.

"What's wrong, Riolu?" Ash tried reaching out for him, Riolu flinched, and before Ash could apologize and pull his hand away, he was hit by a Vacuum Wave that pushed him all the way back to the bottom bunk bed.

Pikachu immediately jumped to his defenses, and while Ash appreciated it, he quickly got up again and back to his earlier place to calm both of them down. "It's fine, Pikachu!"

That was a lie. His chest did hurt a little. But mostly, he was just extremely concerned about why Riolu had reacted that way.

"Riolu, was that move Vacuum Wave? You're amazing! You're so strong even though you just hatched!" He said it lightheartedly, with a smile and a laugh, hoping this would work as a peace offering and help Riolu feel safer.

It didn't.

Riolu still looked around confused, until he turned around with one last determined look, and jumped straight out of the closed window, breaking it in the process.

Ash reacted a second too late, leaning himself out the now empty window frame. "Riolu!", he tried yelling after him, but the Pokemon was running off without looking back.

Well then.

Ash turned around, meeting the confused expressions of his friends. "He ran off into the direction of the forest.", he stated, then quickly grabbed his day-to-day shirt and vest and threw them on in record time.

Goh didn't need to hear another word to know Ash was planning to follow the Pokemon and also started getting changed.

He wasn't sure how long they had been in the forest. It could have been 20 minutes, it could have been an hour. But it had long been way too dark to see far, and Gohs throat was starting to hurt from yelling Riolus name.

He knew the others weren't doing much better, either. Pikachu especially looked uncharacteristically exhausted, he wasn't sure if Ash had noticed. His soulmate had been focused on tracking down Riolu and tracking down Riolu only.

Speaking of Ash, the teen suddenly stopped in his tracks, making Goh almost bump into him.

"What-" "Sshh!", Ash immediately shushed him before he could finish the question.

Ash had closed his eyes, and was breathing slowly. "I'm trying to find Riolus Aura.", he explained, then opened his eyes to look at Goh. "I got nothing, though. I feel you and some of the Pokemon around, but nothing as strong as a Riolus would be. He's probably too far away."

And that was another thing. Goh still wasn't sure if he had fully processed the Aura situation yet. He wasn't sure he fully understood it, wasn't sure if Ash did himself.

All he knew was that in a weird way, it really did make a lot of sense.

Goh mirrored Ashs earlier motions, and closed his eyes.

He could feel Ashs presence in front of him, and could still slightly feel Pikachu and Raboot by their sides.

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure this wasn't anything new to him. He has always been able to tell when people are close to him, he'd just always assumed everyone could and never given it more thought than that.

He had never felt anyones emotions before though, not the way Ash described, not before Gengar at least.

So, maybe Goh didn't feel Aura as strongly as Ash did? Ash had also felt the egg before he had, and Ash had also just mentioned feeling more Pokemon around, which Goh couldn't.

He really wanted to look into this more, his research instincts were itching, but maybe now wasn't the greatest time to get lost in those thoughts.

Goh opened his eyes again. "Finding Riolu really won't be easy. He can cross three mountains and two canyons in one night, remember?", he stated, quoting the Pokedex entry they had heard earlier. "How will you find him if he's not even close enough to sense anymore?"

"Riolu has only just hatched. There's so much he doesn't understand. I can't leave him alone!", the other retorted, clearly determined, but with an underlying sadness in his tone.

"Ash...", Goh said unsurely, not sure of what else to do.

"Earlier... I thought he was calling for me.", Ash continued, looking away. "That's what it felt like. So when Nurse Joy told me he had been in the egg for so long, I was happy. I thought he had been waiting for me all along. I know it's silly, you felt his Aura too, but... I was wrong anyway, though."

Goh hated how hopeless Ash was starting to sound, it didn't match his usually upbeat soulmate one bit.

A wave of determination hit him.

"Here's what we'll do." Ash turned around with a surprised look at Gohs announcement.

"Raboot and I will go this way", he said, pointing behind them. "You and Pikachu go that way.", he continued, pointing in the opposite direction. "We can cover a wider area that way."

Ashs expression lit up, and Goh found he had already done a pretty good job even without them having found Riolu yet.

Ash nodded with a "Got it!", then already turned in the other direction and ran off.

He turned his head back one last time. "Thank you, Goh!", he said with a wide smile.

"We'll find him for sure!", Goh told him, grinning back, before running into the opposite direction.

A moment later, he noticed Raboot wasn't following him.

Goh stopped, and turned around to look at her.

"Raboot?", he asked carefully. "Are you coming?"

The Pokemon huffed, then slowly walked after her trainer.

Goh was starting to question why she had come along in the first place, but tried to not let Raboots behavior get to him, like he had been for days.

If Goh had lost track of time earlier, then now it felt like he had never had any to begin with. He refused to check the time on his phone though, he wasn't sure if he was prepared to find out.

It was funny how he had complained about being tired earlier, because if he had known how his night was going to go he wouldn't have.

The cold was starting to get to him too. With a shiver he rubbed his bare arms. Why hadn't he thought to bring a jacket? How had his old habits died that fast? Sure, it didn't usually get too cold in Vermilion, or at least Goh was used to the winds, and there wasn't any snow currently. But it was the middle of the night in late December. God.

He almost considered asking Roboot if she could heat him up, but decided against it. One, because even with how much the Pokemon was trying to hide it, Goh could tell she was about ready to pass out as well. Two, he was scared of her reaction.

And even with all of this, there was still no sign of Riolu. Not of the Pokemon himself, not of his Aura, not a sound and not even a loose blue hair on the ground.

Goh had been the one giving the motivational speech earlier, but by now he was certain that unless Ash had found Riolu, they wouldn't be able to track him down anymore.

He was contemplating... he didn't want to use the phrase 'giving up', though that would have been the most accurate description, when his ringing Rotom phone made the decision for him.

Goh picked it up immediately. He didn't need to check who was calling him, because it sure wasn't Chloe at this time.

"Did you find him?", he asked without any preamble.

"We did.", Ash replied. Goh let out a relieved sigh.

"We found him fighting an Onix- um... Don't worry, he's mostly alright! But we're still accompanying him to the Pokemon Center."

"Accompanying?", Goh repeated, frowning at the odd phrasing.

Ash snorted. "He's too stubborn to let me carry him."

Goh huffed at the mental image. "Alright, let's meet up at the Pokemon Center then?"

"Yeah, see you soon!" With that, Ash hung up.

Raboot was already ahead of him, because she walked straight past her trainer in the direction they had come from.

Goh silently groaned. He had been planning to offer her to rest in her Pokeball, but it seemed like Riolu wasn't the only stubborn one.

When they arrived in the Pokemon Center, Ash, Pikachu and Riolu were sitting in the lobby, probably waiting for Nurse Joy to finish with whatever she was doing right now.

Ash spotted Goh immediately. "Goh, hey!" "Hey!", Goh returned.

His soulmate looked even more exhausted than Goh felt, and he still seemed to be worried about Riolu, but he was smiling, and Goh smiled back, feeling himself relax significantly.

Riolu shot a confused look from Goh, to Ash, then back to Goh.

"Oh yeah, I guess you didn't get to introduce yourself earlier..." Ash realized. He got up from his seat and put an arm around Gohs shoulder. "Well, this is Goh! And that's Raboot!", he added looking down to the Pokemon in question.

Goh hoped he didn't look as awkward as he felt. "Yeah, nice to meet you Riolu! Or, uh, meet you again...?"

He was saved from pondering any specifics by Nurse Joy calling for Ash and Riolu.

Treating his wounds didn't take that long, because miraculously he wasn't hurt that bady. They still ended up spending a lot of time in the Pokemon Center, because Nurse Joy did some other check ups too that were apparently protocol for newly hatched Pokemon.

When Goh noticed the sun rising outside the window he glared at it for a moment, as though that would make it go back so they hadn't been up all night. Immediately after he realized how stupid that must make him look.

But when Riolu offered himself to be caught by Ash, and the trainer obliged with an excited wide smile, Goh figured the time hadn't been wasted.

After leaving, Goh finally found the courage to check the clock on his phone.

"07:36", he read out loud with a grimace. "Yeah, there's no way we can still sneak back inside."

Ash only shrugged at him.

They made their way back to the Cerise Institute, and the first one to notice them as soon as they stepped foot into the entrance was Mr. Mime, gesticulating at them wildly.

"Yeah, yeah, Mimey. We know.", Ash said, trying to calm the Pokemon down.

Goh did not know, but he was too tired to ask.

A moment later, they were bombarded by four more voices speaking at the same time.

"What happened?" - Ren, panicked.

"Are you okay?" - Chrysa, worried.

"Where have you been?" - Professor Cerise, exasperated.

"The fuck did you do to your window?" - Chloe, amused.

Goh took a step backwards to not get squeezed to death.

"The egg hatched, it's a Riolu! I caught him!", Ash said with a smile, pointing at his latest capture who proudly looked at the group, and didn't elaborate any further.

Goh sighed. Of course Ash would think that's a sufficient explanation to any of those questions.

"Riolu was scared and confused when he hatched, he broke the window and ran away so we spent the night searching for him."

"Also took him to the Pokemon Center after, kinda took longer than we expected.", Ash added.

Professor Cerise sighed. "I thought I told you to not do anything like this ever again?", he asked looking at Ash.

The teen frowned. "And I thought you meant passing out on the street with that? And, well", Ash pointed to all of himself. "I didn't."

After a moment of consideration, he also added: "I do feel ready to pass out though, since we spent the night running around the forest and all, so, if you don't mind giving us the day off..." The sentence drifted off into an overplayed yawn.

The Professor shook his head in disbelief. "You two are going to give me gray hairs early."

Ash shrugged. "To be fair, you're the one who hired the insane and weird children that jumped onto a Lugia.", he said, quoting Gohs speech from earlier. Or, well, yesterday.

Goh nodded along. "With all due respect, Professor. You should've known better than to think this wouldn't happen. You've known me most of my life, when have I ever not gotten myself into trouble?"

"Never", Chloe chimed in with a chuckle, which earned her a glare from her childhood friend as his attempt to say 'I wasn't asking you'.

"Case in point is, we're here, we're fine, and the same goes for Riolu. So there's no need to be worried anymore.", Ash finished.

"Is this how you convince everyone?", Professor Cerise asked.

"Pretty much, yeah.", was Ashs reply.

The Professor shook his head yet again, but this time with a light smile on his lips.

"Alright, fine. I am happy that everyone is back safely, but no offense, you look terrible. Go to your room, I don't want to see you again before noon. Consider that your punishment." Quieter, he added: "And I guess I'll have to call someone about your window later..."

Goh paused. "Wait, but, we gotta feed our Pokemon."

"That's alright.", Chrysa said with an understanding smile. "Ren and I can do it for today, right?" She looked at her fellow assistant, who had a similar expression on his face and was nodding along.

"Oh, okay." Goh replied, a little dumbfoundedly. "Well, good night then."

Goh hadn't really realized just how tired he was until he entered their room and the exhaustion of being awake for 24 hours finally hit him at full force.

He barely made it up the ladder, and crashed down on his bed without bothering to change clothes. Not even the currently permanently open window would keep him awake for much longer.

The loud thumping sound followed up by two quieter ones beneath him let him know that Ash and his Pokemon were in a similar position. Or at least that Riolu felt like playing along.

Distantly Goh still noticed Raboot walking past him, curling up below to his feet instead of sleeping next to him like she used to do before she evolved. That was another point on his list of things to ignore.

Later into the day, after they had woken up in the afternoon and had late lunch for breakfast, Goh and Ash assembled all of their Pokemon together to introduce their new member to them all at once.

Dragonite finally got her hug, much to Riolus dismay. The meeting still went considerably well though.

Goh and Ash ended up sitting a little away from the group, watching their Pokemon from a distance.

This was the perfect moment, wasn't it?

He'd had plenty of time to prepare his thoughts for this conversation.

He should just do it before he changed his mind again.

Ash took a deep breath to gather all of his courage.

It wouldn't be easy to say out loud, but he really did want to share this with his soulmate.

"Hey, Goh. Remember the Lucario I told you about yesterday?"

Goh hummed. "Yeah, I do."

"He's not... he's not with us. Anymore.", Ash explained quietly.

He could practically feel Goh turn his head to stare at him as he took a moment to process that information, but Ash refused to look away from the Pokemon in front of them as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

"I'm sorry.", Goh eventually replied with a broken voice.

Ash shook his head. "He's with a friend now."

He turned towards Goh to give him a soft smile. "You know, there's a Mew in this story."

That had the intended effect of completely shifting the atmosphere.

Gohs eyes widened. "There's WHAT?!"

Ash laughed and didn't elaborate.

"No, come on! You can't just say that and NOT tell me!", Goh insisted, shaking his soulmates shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I will!", Ash said when he managed to catch his breath.

"It wasn't actually that far away from here. Well, a little north of Pewter..."

Chapter Text

Maybe, in retrospect, bottling up his feelings about Raboots behaviour since her evolution hadn't been the smartest solution Goh could have thought of.

Because on their four day long trip to Hoenn, that was supposed to be a fun time watching Beautifly migrate at the end of the year, it all came crashing down.

There were many things Goh could handle ignoring, even if it did hurt.

Raboot sneaking away in the middle of the night, refusing to answer when he asked about it, after she had already been sleeping in the spare bed in their Pokemon Center room and not even at his feet anymore… very much wasn't one of them.

That wasn't what made Gohs emotions boil over, though.

No, what made them boil over was Raboot not sharing the apples he had just specifically bought for her with him.

Maybe it was miniscule in comparison, Ash didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but added on top of everything else that had ripped this giant rift between them, Goh simply couldn't take it anymore.

For the first time since his starter Pokemon had evolved, he spoke up about her behaviour.

"Raboot, I don't get you!", he angrily yelled at her. "I don't know why, but you've been acting like this ever since you evolved! You don't follow my lead… You don't high five me… You don't even look me in the eyes!"

Goh wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like shit when Raboot let out a sound of exasperation and turned away from him.

"Will you stop reacting like that?! Do you hate me that much?" He could feel his tone shifting from upset to pained, knew his voice was breaking.

A chuckle behind him interrupted his pity party.

He turned around to stare at the saleslady they had bought the apples from.

For a moment Goh had forgotten they were still in public, but he really couldn't bring himself to feel embarrassed over the whirlwind of emotions he was already going through.

The woman compared Raboot to her own son, said she was going through a rebellious phase, insisted that was just something that happened at that age, and Goh simply had to give her time.

He told himself she was right.

He wanted to believe her.

He wanted to believe her so badly.

But it felt impossible to believe, when Raboot snuck out of their Pokemon Center room yet again that night, and was gone without a trace when Goh tried following her outside.

He didn't end up getting much sleep. It must have been hours until he heard the door open and Raboot lie back down on her bed, and even after he couldn't get his mind off of this.

Through all of Gohs inner turmoil they actually did still manage to track down the Beautifly migration.

Watching them was magical.

The way they had evolved at the same time, then flew off together, leaving a trail of spores behind them… it was like looking into a different world.

He didn't even want to catch one of them, didn't want to interrupt this moment. And Ash shared the sentiment.

Under different circumstances, Goh might have even called sharing this moment with his soulmate romantic.

But Raboot standing a little away from his right kept him from completely getting lost in it.

Later that day, during dinner, Goh made the decision to tell Ash what happened.

He was stuck, didn't know what to do anymore, and the other teen had already been worried about him the day prior, so he might as well just let it out.

Ash was still rambling about the Beautifly, and Goh was barely listening, but still let him finish talking before he slowly said: "Um, Ash… Actually…"

Ash put his fork back down as soon as he saw the distressed look on Gohs expression.

He had figured that Goh had been lying when he said he was okay, but didn't want to push it.

A small part of him was relieved that Goh finally felt ready to talk about it, but mostly he was worried this meant it had become worse.

"Actually…?", Ash prompted when Goh didn't continue.

Goh bit his bottom lip, then threw Raboot a quick anxious look.

And yeah, that made a lot of sense. Ash didn't like making a guessing game out of his soulmates emotions, but after what happened yesterday, he'd had a hunch it was related to the Pokemon.

Goh still didn't continue, and Ash suddenly realized he probably didn't want Raboot to hear whatever he had to say.

Taking the initiative, Ash quickly thought of an excuse and got up from his seat. "Shoot, I just remembered we didn't wash our hands!"

He walked around the table and grabbed the other teens wrist. "Come on, Goh."

Goh let himself be pulled up by Ash, giving him a small grateful smile that didn't seem fully sincere.

Ash turned towards their Pokemon and said: "You can eat without us, we'll be right back."

Raboot huffed in acknowledgement, while Pikachu eyed Ash suspiciously, but still gave them a thumbs up.

And with that, they left to go to the mens toilets down the hallway.

As soon as he stepped foot into the room, still pulling Goh with him, Ash realized his poorly thought through excuse hadn't even been a lie. He really was terrible at remembering to wash his hands when no one was around to nag him about it.

Goh hesitantly pried himself free to close the door, then muttered a quiet: "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem.", Ash replied. He checked to see if they were alone, which luckily they were, before continuing: "This is about Raboot, isn't it?"

And if there still had been any doubt, Gohs grimace at the question would have confirmed it. "I… yeah, it is.", he replied unnecessarily.

With a sigh, Goh leaned his back against the sink. "I just… I don't know what to do with her. She's been driving me insane ever since she evolved. I tried ignoring it, but I just can't anymore, it's too much.", he admitted, looking at the floor.

"It's not even her not listening to me in battle, it's the smaller stuff that hurts most." Goh ran a hand through his hair.

"It's the little day to day things that get to me. She ignores me basically all the time, she doesn't reply when I ask her how she's doing, she refuses to go into her Pokeball anymore for some reason, which doesn't make sense because you'd think that would help her avoid me." He pronounced the last point with a humorless chuckle.

"She curls up by my feet instead of sleeping next to me, and she hasn't even been doing that for the past few days since there's a free bed in our Pokemon Center room. She doesn't let me brush her fur anymore. She disappears right after she finishes eating instead of sticking around. She ignored my drawing, she didn't share the apples, she fucking-"

"Goh.", Ash cut him off.

Goh turned his head up.

He looked even more miserable than he sounded. He was shaking, there were tears at the edge of his eyes and he was distressed enough that Ash was beginning to feel the light difference in his Aura.

Ash put a hand on Gohs shoulder.

"Breathe.", he instructed.

To his relief, Goh did. He covered Ashs hand with his own, and took a couple of deep breaths.

When he seemed a little calmer, Ash asked: "Better?"

Goh nodded. "Yeah, I am. Sor-"

"Don't even start.", Ash warned.

Goh pressed his lips together, clearly not happy with not getting the opportunity to apologize, but he didn't object any further.

"If you want my input on it, I think the woman we talked to at the market was right."

Goh frowned at his soulmates words. "You think Raboot is going through Pokemon puberty?"

Ash couldn’t stop a snort from escaping him about that phrasing, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Pokemon and people both change and develop their personalities as they grow older, with Pokemon it’s just more sudden and immediately more obvious, since it usually happens paired with their evolution."

"I know that.", Goh insisted. "I knew she wasn't always going to be the same, it's just… I wasn't ready for her personality to be so different from when she was a Scorbunny that it would result in her hating me."

"Come on, she doesn't hate you.", Ash tried to reassure the other. "She acts differently towards you, but she still sticks around, you know? You can figure out a middle ground that both of you are happy with, I know you can. I've… seen Pokemon genuinely disliking their trainer, and I don't really think it's like that with you two?"

His Charizard had popped into his mind more than once over the past few days, they were both Fire Starters so maybe it was a fair comparison, but those two situations really weren't the same the more he thought about it. Charmeleon had attacked him, actively made his dislike of Ash clear. Raboot wasn't doing that.

"It's not like she's tried to run away or anything.", he finished.

Ash knew he'd said something wrong when Goh flinched at his words.

"Goh?", he asked concerned.

"Yeah, I… was gonna get to that before you interrupted me."

Goh gave Ashs hand a light squeeze, then slowly removed it from his shoulder.

"I saw her sneaking off the past two nights.", he admitted.

Ashs eyes widened, and he muttered a quiet: "Shit."

"I don't know where she went, I only knew she came back hours later.", Goh continued.

Ashs knee jerk reaction to learning this was to immediately apologize for the running away comment, but he thought about it for a moment longer and…

"That doesn't make sense.", Ash stated.

Goh frowned at him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean that if Raboot was sneaking out to get away from you, it doesn't make sense that she's doing it in the middle of the night, or that she came back for that matter. You can't be the reason."

"I… oh.", Goh said blankly. After another moment of thinking about it he added: "Then why is she doing it?"

Ash shrugged. "That's the question, isn't it? I mean, we can stay up to see if she'll do it again tonight."

Goh blinked. "Wait, we?", he repeated confused.

"Yes, we?", Ash replied, equally confused. "What, you thought you could keep me out of this after you told me? No way."

For the first time all evening, Goh smiled. His real, genuine smile. He opened his mouth, but to say what, Ash would never know.

The door opened, and an older trainer stepped into the room, giving the two of them an odd look while walking past them to disappear into one of the stalls in the back.

Goh and Ash shared a look, then a giggle.

"I think that's our sign that we've been in here for too long.", Goh said jokingly.

Ash nodded. "I'm surprised Pikachu hasn't tried breaking down the door with Iron Tail."

"Or convinced Raboot to burn it down with Ember.", Goh added in a serious tone, before more giggles from both of them followed.

"Let's get back to dinner.", Goh suggested.

"And actually eat it this time instead of poking it.", Ash said pointedly. "Don't think I didn't notice."

Goh flushed. "Who are you, my mom?"

Ash huffed. "I've met your mom! That's a compliment!"

He walked the few steps to stand beside Goh, then turned on the tab to wash his hands before he forgot again, pointedly ignoring the exasperated stare he knew his soulmate was giving him.

Staying awake while lying tucked up in bed was extremely difficult, but Ash managed. Even without the context as to why they weren't sleeping, Pikachu next to him was also still up, probably having pieced some things together from how his trainer acted. Pikachu was smart like that.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long. Ash soon heard the bed next to him squeak softly, followed by the telltale sign of the door opening and closing.

He looked at it in slight disbelief, not because he hadn't believed what Goh had told him, but because Raboot sneaking away again was starting to concern him too.

"She really did leave.", he mumbled as Goh stood up from the bunk below him.

"Yeah. I lost sight of her along the way yesterday.", Goh replied.

"Come on… You should have said something sooner!"

With a grin, Ash playfully punched his soulmate, who easily blocked it with his arm, grinning back.

"You're right."

They were interrupted by an impatient "Pikachu!", the mouse Pokemon urgently pointing at the door.

And okay, he had a point.

Ash quickly jumped out of the bed. "Let's go!"

When they tracked down Raboot, she was in an abandoned building, teaching a group of wild Pokemon how to dance, sharing the apples she had hogged.

It kind of reminded Ash of when they first ran into her in Galar, when she had stolen their food to share with the Nickit.

And soon after, they realized the reason why she was doing this, as a group of Loudred stepped in and interrupted them.

It was a battle about territory, as Goh put it. Raboot wanted to help these Pokemon keep their home.

Determined, Goh stepped in to help. And while surprised at first, Ash and Pikachu didn't hesitate long either.

The whole ordeal ended with the two groups becoming friends, and dancing together, all because of Raboot.

Ash couldn't help but smile. "See? Still the same old Raboot. She still likes helping fellow Pokemon, she's not that different."

"I guess…", Goh replied unsurely.

Next thing he knew, Goh was shaking Ash awake.

"Ash, wake up!", he hissed.

The only answer he got was Ash grumbling in protest.

"Wake up or I'll get Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on you.", Goh warned.

"Ugh, fine. I'm up, I'm up…", Ash mumbled sleepily while sitting up.

Wait, why was the ground so hard?

He slowly blinked his eyes open, rubbing the sleep out of them.

What the fuck, why were they sleeping outside?

His gaze fell on a Zigzagoon and a Whismur snuggling up to a Lombre.

Oh right.

Hoenn. Raboot. The dance battle.

They must have passed out at some point.

"Our train is leaving in 27 minutes.", Goh hissed.

That finally woke Ash up fully.

"What?!", he shouted.

Goh hushed him, pointing to the sleeping Pokemon.

"Oh, yeah...", Ash whispered. "Let's get going, then. We still need to pick up our stuff at the Pokemon Center."

He let a still sleepy Pikachu climb up to his shoulder, then stood up.

"Aren't you going to wake up Raboot?", Ash asked confused, looking at the Pokemon that was still sleeping in the middle of the pile.

Goh shook his head. "She needs her sleep after all that. I'll… come back after we got our bags."

Ash shrugged. "Alright, that works."

Together they sprinted to the Pokemon Center, hurried to their room and quickly got changed.

"Hey, um, Ash. Can I… ask you a weird question?", Goh asked hesitantly while Ash was shoving the last of his belongings into his backpack.

"Yeah, sure.", he replied nonchalantly, turning towards his soulmate who was already looking at him.

Goh awkwardly rubbed his left arm. "So, I was wondering… Did your, um, I mean… Did your soulmark change when Raboot evolved?"

Ash was taken aback by the question for a moment, but he recovered quickly and answered with a shake of his head.

"Nah, soulmarks don't just change like that. They're part of your body, not anything magical." Demonstratively Ash lifted his shirt to show off the Scorbunny on its usual place on his stomach.

He gave Goh a frown. "You didn't know this?"

"Right, sorry. I said it was a stupid question, forget about it.", Goh said.

It wasn't an answer to Ashs question, but the boy didn't point it out. Instead he closed his backpack and straightened his shirt.

"You ready to go then?"

Goh hummed, swung his backpack over his shoulders and waited for Ash so they could walk out the building together.

They had managed to get their stuff back together fairly quickly, so the positive side was they didn't need to sprint all the way this time.

The negative side was that now that they weren't in a hurry anymore, Ash took notice of the awkward silence between them.

Usually, when they were walking like this, the air would be filled with chatter.

Goh hadn't said a word more than he needed to all day.

Ash tried to not think about it too hard, but the eerie silence left him alone with his thoughts, so it was kind of hard not to.

Was he still bothered by Raboot?

Ash had thought they had solved that whole dilemma yesterday, but he couldn't think of anything else it could be either.

He was torn out of contemplating when Goh suddenly stopped.

Ash looked at where they were, and noticed it was where the path to the abandoned building split off from the main road.

"I'll go to Raboot on my own.'', Goh said. "You can go ahead wait at the train station."

"Are… are you sure?"

Goh nodded. "Yeah, I won't take long."

Ash had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. Goh was still acting off, and it was clearly still because of Raboot.

He wanted to ask about it, but they had a train to catch, so maybe it was better to leave that conversation to until after they were in it.

"Okay.", he hesitantly said. "See you at the train station, then."

They split up, and Ash sat down on a bench at the train station, Pikachu jumping up next to him.

Goh didn't show up.

Maybe they had a different interpretation of 'won't take long', but even then he was stretching it thin.

He wasn't picking up his phone either, he must have put it on silent. Or he was pointedly ignoring calls.

Ashs bad feeling only continued to grow the longer Goh took.

He glanced over to the clock that was standing close to the rails, and they only had a few minutes left.

"Gohs late…", he mumbled.

Pikachu let out a noise of agreement.

For the first time in his life Ash was hoping a train would be late, but much to his dismay it was perfectly on time.

He was considering whether he should ask the conductor if they could wait a couple more minutes or if they should just take the next train instead.

The answer came to him when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him.

Ash whirled around and saw the familiar figure of his soulmate walk up to him.

"Goh! You're la-"

He paused as the realization hit him.

Goh was alone.

Raboot wasn't with him.

She… hadn't liked going into her Pokeball lately, right?

He wouldn't...

"Where's Raboot?", Ash found himself asking.

"I left her behind.", Goh stated way too easily.

That had already been Ashs assumption, but hearing Goh say it like that still came as a shock to him.

"What?! Didn't you go to pick her up?!"

"I did… but this is for the best."

"How is it for the best?!"

"You know how Raboot has seemed so bored lately, yeah? It wasn't because of some rebellious phase… I'm sure it was all my fault. I think she'll have a happier life without me."

Goh was avoiding eye contact, and the tone of his voice gave away how hurt he was.

"Is that really what you've decided?", Ash asked very seriously, just to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm serious.", was Gohs answer.

With that, Goh walked past Ash and stepped through the open train door. Ash followed.

Goh already knew that Ash didn't agree with his thoughts on Raboot, he'd said as much already.

And maybe Ash was the one who was wrong after all. He was the more experienced trainer, but Goh was Raboots trainer. Maybe he did know what was better for her. But…

"I won't stop you if you're serious. But… did you tell Raboot?"

Goh straightened up and a gasp left his lips.

Ash could see the exact moment Goh started to regret his actions.

He whirled around, reached out his hand, and yelled Raboots name, but the door had already closed, and the train was starting to move.

Goh didn't hesitate to run down to the opposite side of the vehicle.

To do what, Ash wasn't sure. It's not like he would be able to outrun it, though people tended to not think anything fully through in situations like this.

It was answer enough, Goh hadn't told Raboot.

A pang of guilt hit Ash, he hadn't thought Goh would go as far as leave her behind, he should've said something earlier instead of pushing it back.

Mostly though, he felt bad for Goh. He could understand why Raboots cold shoulder was hurting him so much, and why it made him act irrational.

Ash took a breath to think calmly.

No more pity, not for Goh, not for himself.

It happened, but they can still fix this.

Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder, who was giving him a sad expression in return.

"It'll be fine, buddy.", he assured the Pokemon, petting his head. "We'll get out at the next station, come back and then Goh and Raboot can actually talk it out."

Ash followed Goh down the train cars, intending to share his idea, but when he entered the last one...

Goh was right there, on the floor, Raboot in his arms, a bitten in apple lying abandoned on the floor.

She had followed him.

"Okay, I understand! Let's be together!", Goh told Raboot as she struggled to get away from his hold.

"That's great Goh!", Ash told him, Pikachu chirping in as well, though Ash wasn't sure either had heard them.

Goh pulled out his Rotom phone to take a selfie with Raboot, and that seemingly hit the final nail in the coffin for the Pokemon, as she jumped away from her trainer and stubbornly sat down on one of the empty seats.

Goh didn't seem to be bothered by that anymore, for real this time, as he sat down next to her.

Other passengers were staring at them, Ash noticed, but most of their expressions morphed from confusion into amusement as they made their guesses as to what was going on.

Ash shared another look with Pikachu, this time both of them were smiling. "I told you it'd be fine", Ash quietly told his partner, before taking the space next to his soulmate, and Pikachu making himself comfortable on his trainers lap.

"And I told you it was still the same old Raboot.", Ash pointedly told Goh. "She even still has the habit of following you on trains, apparently."

Goh frowned at him. "What do you-", he started confused, before his eyes widened and he whirled around to look at Raboot. "After we first met, when we saw you again in the wild area. I mean, I'd known you followed us, but you followed us on the train from Wyndon?!"

"I don't see how else she would've caught up to us that quickly.", Ash pointed out.

Raboot didn't dignify them with an answer, but the furious blush on her face gave her away. The other three snickered.

"Actually, this whole situation reminds me of another thing." Ash looked down to the Pokemon on his lap. "Hey Pikachu, do you remember that time I tried to release you?"

Pikachus only response came in the form of a glare, showing that yes, he very much did remember, and he still wasn't happy about it.

"Oh come on, you can't possibly still be mad at me. That was years ago!", Ash huffed.

"You WHAT?!", Goh screeched, which earned him annoyed looks from the other people on the train.

Ash turned his attention to the other teen, who was staring at him with shock and disbelief on his expression.

Actually, yeah, that was a fair reaction.

Ash nodded. "I know, right? Sometimes I can't believe I did that either. We came across a colony of Pikachu and I kinda… left him there and ran? Pikachu just followed me, though. 10 year old me was an idiot."

Ash pointedly ignored the way Pikachu was nodding at the last statement.

"B- but you're… you're Ash and Pikachu! You basically come as a double pack!", Goh stuttered.

"And you're Goh and Raboot!", Ash countered, using his two index fingers to point at both of them simultaneously. "Same thing."

Goh opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again when he couldn't think of anything. Instead, he asked more quietly: "Why didn't you tell me about that earlier? Maybe that would've scared me out of trying to leave her behind."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell you because it wasn't about me or Pikachu. I mean, would it have? Changed your mind, I mean."

Goh paused for a moment to think about it, eventually answering with a shrug.

"It's fine now though, right? For real this time?", Ash asked, just to be sure.

Goh looked at Raboot, and Ash couldn't see his expression, but he sounded happy when he said: "Yeah, it's fine." He turned back to Ash, and gave him a smile. The real, genuine one. "For real this time."

After the whirlwind of emotions that had been his morning, the rest of the day was fairly uneventful.

They arrived back in Vermilion, Ash and Goh handed over their recordings and observations to Professor Cerise, and Goh spent the rest of the day catching up with and checking on his Pokemon in the Park.

When Raboot finished eating at dinner, she disappeared again right after.

When they went to sleep, she walked straight past him, and curled up at his feet.

When Goh told her goodnight, he only got a halfhearted "bo" in return.

But Goh realized that he didn't mind as much anymore.

Sure, things weren't the same anymore as when she was a Scorbunny.

And he knew things wouldn't be perfect overnight, they still had some things to work out for sure.

But things were getting better again, and that was the part that mattered.

Goh now knew that Raboot still loved him, even if she expressed it differently, and that was what was important to him.

That night, he slept well for the first time in days, Raboots warm presence at the bottom of his bed oddly comforting.

Chapter Text

They'd both been too distracted to notice.

Goh had just finished helping out Professor Cerise analyze through data and wanted to join Ash and Riolu for their training to get better at feeling Aura, like he had been trying to the past few days, when Ren walked by them, paused to do a double take, then looked at the group with a frown.

"Where's Pikachu?", he asked.

Ash turned pale.

Goh hadn't seen him like this since the last time he had been separated from Pikachu, when the Pokemon had been taken by Team Rocket members that weren't the three idiots.

Everything was very chaotic after that.

They searched through the entire Institute, but eventually it became clear that both Pikachu and also Mr. Mime weren't in the building, the Park, or anywhere near it, and they all got together in the lobby.

Everyone seemed down about it, including the Pokemon, and particularly Ashs. Dragonite who was usually always upbeat was sitting slumped down, next to Gengar who was doing the same, Farfetch’d somehow seemed even more serious than normally and Riolu was snuggling up to his trainer as an attempt at comfort.

Ash looked the worst out of all of them, though.

"This is all my fault…", he mumbled mostly to himself.

Goh was starting to feel his distress. It was the first time he had managed to tell someones emotions, and it really was just a subtle difference, but his Aura was slightly… unstable. He didn't think he would've noticed if this was anyone else, if he hadn't known to look for it, but it didn't feel like an accomplishment at all. The fact Ash was emotional enough that Goh could tell only worried him even more.

It wasn't exactly surprising, though. Ash had told Goh enough stories about almost-releases and Mew-kidnappings and had seen them together enough himself to know that Ash and Pikachu were an inseparable duo. Were supposed to be one, at least.

He knew what this felt like, too. The agonizing couple of minutes in which he had thought he would never see Raboot again were still fresh on his mind. Ash had been the one to make him see sense then.

Ash had also been the one who had encouraged him to go after Sobble when he had ran away right after Goh had captured him. The very same Pokemon that was currently sitting invisible on his shoulder.

Goh should say something, but he wasn't sure what there was to say.

Chloe beat him to it.

"Yes, it is.", she bluntly replied to Ashs mumbling. "You didn't understand Pikachus feelings at all."

Maybe Goh would've read her tone as rude if he hadn't known Chloe most of his life, but he knew she was being matter of factly.

"What did he feel, then?", Ash asked, sounding a little annoyed but willing to listen.

"He felt about Riolu like Yamper did when I was taking care of Pidove.", Chloe explained, more softly this time.

Ash frowned. "Pikachu has no reason to be jealous, he knows he's my best friend."

"Sometimes even best friends have misunderstandings.", Chrysa threw in.

Ash sighed. "Fine, maybe you're right."

Goh took that as his cue.

"It's gonna be fine, Ash.", he said. "We'll find Pikachu, you can apologize and everything will be back to normal in no time. You two have been through too much to let this be the end."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, of course! I'm not gonna let my own stupidity push him away. Though…", he added more hesitantly, "we do have to figure out where he walked off to first."

"Try calling your mom.", Chloe suggested.

Ash blinked. "Huh? My mom?"

The girl shrugged. "I mean, she was here yesterday, maybe she knows something."

"Maybe he is with her…" Ash mumbled as he pulled out his Rotom phone to call his mother.

Goh didn't hear the other half of the conversation, but going off Ashs uncomfortable and flustered expression the woman was giving him a lecture as well.

In the end, it worked out though. Ash and Goh took the bus to Pallet - or rather they took the bus from Vermilion to Pewter to Viridian and walked the rest of the way. And not too long after their arrival Ash heard Pikachu outside and they had their sweet and quite literally shocking reunion. Goh couldn’t help the smile on his face.

They ate dinner, and when they were finished Goh quickly texted Professor Cerise that they were staying in Pallet overnight since Mrs. Ketchum offered, though he’d probably already figured that.

"Can we still help you with anything, Mama?", Ash asked.

Mrs. Ketchum shook her head. "That’s alright, dear. I know you already had enough stress today. Although…", she added turning towards Goh, "may I steal you for a moment, Goh?"

Goh shot an awkward side glance towards Ash, who only gave him a shrug. "Uhm, sure…?", Goh replied confused.

"Great!", Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed, already walking off to another room. Goh hesitantly followed her.

He had no real problem talking to the woman when Ash or other adults were around, but he found himself growing increasingly nervous at the prospect of talking to her one on one, especially when she specifically asked to talk to him like this. This was the mother of his soulmate. He really had no idea what to expect from this.

Had his mom done this when she had met Ash? He was fairly certain Ash had been with him the entire time that day, from the moment they had ran into his parents to when they left again after karaoke.

They stepped into what Goh assumed had to be the living room, and Mrs. Ketchum sat down on a couch, pointing to the space next to her, which Goh took after another moment of lingering.

Feeling too nervous to wait for her to speak, Goh asked: "So, uhm… what did you want to talk about, Mrs. Ketchum…?"

"Delia.", Mrs. Ke- Delia corrected. "And I know this may seem silly to you, I’m aware you aren’t dating yet, but I just wanted to tell you… please look after my son. He’s a handful, but I can see how happy he is with you."

He had already promised her this, Goh realized. When they had first decided to work with Professor Cerise and stay with him, she had asked him the same thing.

Back then, Goh had said that he would, but he had mostly done it to rile up Ash, to get a laugh out of it for himself, not knowing how much their lives were actually connected. Now, he knew better.

"I will.", Goh promised. "I’ll take care of Ash, you can count on it, Delia."

Delia didn’t say thank you, but her soft smile and nod spoke more than words.

"I don’t want to keep you any longer, then.", the woman said as she stood back up. "Ashs room is up the stairs on the left."

Goh stood up as well. "Thanks, have a good night!"

Delia returned the sentiment, and Goh went to collect Raboot and Sobble who were still lingering in the kitchen.

It was very weird to see Raboot stick around after a meal, but then again she didn’t know the Ketchum household any better than he did.

Halfway up the stairs Goh finally caught on to Delias words.

Yet.

Delia had said they weren’t dating yet.

Goh let out an embarrassed groan, which earned him weird looks from both Raboot and Sobble.

She... probably wasn’t even wrong? But… with a shake of his head, Goh pushed that comment away as something to think about later.

He made it to the door of Ashs room, only to find out Ash himself wasn’t there yet.

Huh, that was odd. He wasn't in the kitchen anymore when Goh had went to pick up his Pokemon, and there was no way they could've missed him on the way up. The Ketchums house wasn't that big.

Goh paused for a moment. Was it okay for them to just walk in here without Ash around?

Raboot showed no such hesitations, she walked straight up the stairs of Ashs bed and lied down on it.

Goh snorted at the display.

Well, he didn't want to stand in front of the door and feel slightly ridiculous either. It was Ash, he's not gonna mind Goh looking around his room. So that's exactly what he did.

There wasn't anything too special about it. The room didn't look lived in at all, which made sense, because it… wasn't. Ash hadn't been here in a while, and even then Goh couldn't imagine he was someone who would spend a lot of his time in his room, unlike Goh used to do.

There was the bunk bed Raboot had made herself comfortable on, a writing desk with a stack of probably long abandoned school books, a drawer with a TV and a music player on it, a Snorlax plush on the floor… all fairly normal things for a childhood bedroom, yet there was still something very distinctly Ash about it.

Right next to the door, on top of a closet in the corner, was an arrangement of various gym badges and trophies. He had no clue what most of them represented, but those weren't something you would find in the average bedroom for sure.

Goh looked at them in awe for a moment. He knew Ash loved battling, he knew Ash was a good trainer, he knew how much he had traveled and experienced. But somehow it still amazed Goh every time he was reminded of it, because Ash was just amazing like that.

Among the awards were also some items that seemed to have more of a sentimental value, or at least Goh didn't think a slightly rusted bottom part of a Pokeball, half a Ribbon or fish bait shaped like a girl would make for a good prize.

When Goh finally managed to tear his eyes away from the display on top of the closet, he noticed the top drawer was actually halfway open. He chuckled softly at the fact it was filled with nothing but caps.

Absent mindedly Goh reached for the one sitting on top to give it a closer look. It was red and black with a green Pokeball symbol on the front.

Yeah, this is Ashs room alright.

He traced the outline of the Pokeball with a smile.

"I don't think that one suits you very well."

Goh flinched, almost dropped the hat and whirled around to see Ash standing in the doorframe, Pikachu in tow.

Goh felt heat rise to his face at being caught.

Ash walked the couple of steps to stand next to Goh, very much unbothered, and took another hat out of the drawer.

"Try this one. It's the one I wore while I traveled through Sinnoh, looks pretty similar to the one you're holding except the Pokeball is blue and goes better with your eyes."

With that, Ash placed the hat on Gohs head. He smiled for a moment, until his expression morphed into a frown and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, maybe the Unova hat would work even better. More contrast to your dark clothing."

Goh swiftly took the cap on his head off and placed both of the ones he was now holding back into the drawer, pushing it shut.

"Sorry for snooping around your room.", he apologized awkwardly.

Ash waved him off. "Nah, it's cool. You're allowed to, it's not like I'm hiding anything in here. Actually…" he bent down on his knees to open the drawer in the middle, revealing a stack of shirts. "Feel free to snoop around for clothes to sleep in, unless you thought far enough ahead to take some with you?"

Goh grimaced. He hadn't. They had been in a hurry when they left, and Goh hadn't really taken the distance between Vermilion and Pallet into account in that moment. He gave Ash what he hoped looked like a grateful smile, then turned to awkwardly pick out clothes from the closet as the other walked to the opposite end of the room.

"Where were you anyway?", Goh asked, holding up a pink shirt with a Jigglypuff pattern.

"The bathroom", Ash replied.

Goh turned around to Ash, who had dug out spare blankets from who knows where and was spreading them on the floor, and raised an eyebrow. "With Pikachu?"

"Yes, with Pikachu." Ash huffed. "He was filthy. I'm not gonna let him sleep next to me like that, that's gross." Ash turned towards Pikachu. "Seriously, buddy, how did you get mud stuck behind your ears?"

The Pokemon ominously shrugged, accompanied by a sly grin and a cheeky "Pika".

Seems like they got over their fight easily enough.

Ash looked towards Goh again. "And what did Mama want to talk to you about?"

Goh took the chance to turn back towards the closet and scour the bottom drawer for pants.

"Nothing important.", he lied. And Ash must have known it was a lie, but he could apparently also tell that Goh didn't want to talk about it, because he didn't pry any further.

After picking out black pants Goh changed into the borrowed clothes, and by the time he was done Ash had also just finished dragging his Snorlax plush halfway across the room and onto the blankets laid out on the ground.

Seemingly satisfied with the makeshift bedding Ash swiftly let himself down on it, Pikachu mirroring him.

"You can have the bed.", Ash stated.

Goh opened his mouth to protest, and was cut off before he could.

"No, no, you're the guest, I insist. Besides, your Pokemon already made themselves comfortable on it, you really wanna kick them out?"

Wait, 'them'? Pokemon plural?

For a moment, Goh was very confused about Ashs wording, until he spotted that the other was completely right. Sobble had lain down next to Raboot.

Goh swallowed down a groan.

"When did he even…?", the sentence drifted off into a yawn. "You know what, never mind, doesn't matter. I'm too tired to argue about this."

He climbed up the ladder and made himself comfortable in Ashs bed. Raboot moved further down, and Sobble curled himself up right next to his trainer.

This was probably supposed to be a weird experience, to sleep in his soulmates bed wearing his clothes. Goh didn't feel all that weird about it, though. Maybe it was because he'd practically already been living with Ash for a few months, maybe it was because Ash hadn't been living here for a few months.

Goh lost string of wherever he had been going with that thought as he slowly started to doze off.

He could have sworn he heard Ash and Pikachu quietly sing, but when he woke up the next morning to Delia announcing she was making waffles, he wasn't sure if that had been a dream or not.

Chapter Text

"Alright, Riolu, now do it from over there!", Goh shouted, pointing even further away.

Riolu nodded, and ran off.

Goh slowly exhaled and closed his eyes.

Ash sighed, watching them.

"Y'know, when you asked if you could watch our training, I thought you would watch our training, not the other way around."

Goh shushed him. "Ssh, I'm trying to concentrate over here."

In the distance, Ash could vaguely feel Riolus Aura build up, as he fired off yet another Vacuum Wave.

When Goh made no indication of noticing, Ash informed him: "He already did it."

Goh let his posture slack with a groan, and mumbled: "You weren't even trying... how did you even focus on it with your eyes open..."

Ash cringed. "Sorry, I don't mean to show off."

"I know, I know.", Goh said. "It's just frustrating how much better you are at it."

"I've been looking out for it longer.", Ash shrugged. "I probably wasn't that great at it at first either. I don't really remember the difference, it's not like I have any baseline."

Or, well, that wasn't exactly true, but Ash doubted he would be able to track down Riley all that easily. He wouldn't still be on the exact same spot on Iron Island 3 years later.

And where even was... "Riolu!", Ash shouted in the direction he had run in earlier. "You can come back now!"

The Pokemon came running back with full enthusiasm, and turned towards Goh, with a curious: "Olu?"

Goh shook his head, and Riolu deflated. At least he seemed to be just as invested in this as his trainers soulmate was.

"I just wish there was more research around Aura, but it's like barely anyone cares.", Goh complained.

Ash didn't reply, because this wasn't the first time Goh had said this.

A part of him had hoped that people would take Goh more serious when he talked about Aura, simply because he was better with words than Ash was.

And that had happened, sort of. Goh had done his best to explain it to Professor Cerise, and the man had found it interesting enough to listen and believe them, at least, but didn't know any further either.

"You're right, that is very intriguing and something worth looking into. I knew about Pokemon being able to feel Aura, but I've never heard of humans being able to do the same before.", the Professor had said. "Though if you're the only ones around here who can feel it I'm frankly not even sure where I would start researching it. It seems to me it's a very specific kind of topic that heavily relies on peoples emotions, which are difficult to research to begin with..."

From then on, Ash had stopped paying as much attention, because the Professor had started using big words he couldn't understand, but he'd figured he'd gotten the gist of it. Professor Cerise didn't know more than them, either.

Looking into it online hadn't brought them any further than that as well. Ash had known it wouldn't, he'd tried before, but had gone along with it to give Gohs mind some much needed peace.

Any already existing articles about it only described Aura as 'the essence of every living creature' that 'some Pokemon could feel and utilize', things they had already known. There wasn't even much info on how it worked exactly for the Lucario line.

And frankly, Ash didn't care all too much if some people made up fancy descriptions about Aura or not. Knowing if there was any connection between the fact both he and his soulmate could feel it would be neat, but it wasn't something he would die for. He knew what he felt, even if he couldn't put it into words, and that was enough for Ash.

He did share Gohs thoughts about it being frustrating that seemingly nobody else seemed to care about how important Aura was, but Goh knew that already too, so no need to repeat it.

Instead, he said: "Are you done with distance testing, then? Riolu is the only Pokemon on my team who I haven't gotten any training done with today."

Goh bit his lip, contemplating. "10 more minutes?"

Ash gave him a look. "Seriously, Goh. You won't suddenly feel it stronger just with some Vacuum Waves. It probably doesn't matter if you're looking out for Riolus Aura or just the ones of people around you, it's something you'll slowly get used to if you just pay enough attention. It takes time."

"Fine, maybe you have a point.", Goh sighed. "At least I can assure you that you don't need to train his Vacuum Wave, he got it down perfectly well."

Ash chuckled at the second comment, then asked curiously: "Actually, I've been wondering... if you're so set on getting better with Aura, why don't you just... go catch your own Riolu?"

Goh huffed. "Why don't I just..." he mockingly repeated, before pausing. "Wait, why don't I just?"

"What, are you telling me you hadn't even thought about it once?", Ash said amused.

"Not... really, no.", Goh admitted, obviously flustered. "I guess I didn't really consider it after how much trouble we went through with your Riolu" - now it was Riolus turn to look flustered - "but theoretically we should be able to track one down just regularly in the wild, right?"

Ash shrugged. "I don't see why not. They're kinda rare for sure, but not that rare if we do some digging. And I mean, you're gonna have to catch one eventually anyways, so why not now?"

After a little while of searching for it, Ash and Goh came across a report of a recent wild Riolu sighting at the Floccesy Ranch in Unova. And after a quick chat with Professor Cerise, a trip to the airport and a flight, they arrived at Virbank City and walked the route to the ranch.

"Oh, apparently they recently started taking care of some Miltank.", Ash stated, still skimming through an article instead of looking at the ground beneath his feet. Goh nudged him to the left, to make sure he didn't accidentally fall into the river, or stumble over Pikachu, Riolu, Sobble or Raboot who were walking in front of them.

"And they started using their milk to sell cheese and ice cream to trainers that pass by on their journey to the Virbank Gym...", Ash continued unbothered.

Goh snorted. "Thinking with your stomach once again, huh?"

"We can find that Riolu and get something to eat, one doesn't have to exclude the other!", Ash protested. "Maybe it's gonna want some ice cream, too!"

Goh could only shake his head in exasperated fondness.

When they arrived at the ranch, the first thing Ash did was run up to a red haired girl who was watching a herd of Mareep near the entrance.

"Hey- Ash wait!", Goh complained as he ran after him, their Pokemon in tow.

Ash skilfully ignored him. "Ellie, hey!", he yelled instead, waving.

The girl - Ellie, apparently - turned towards the boy at the sound of her name.

For a moment, she looked extremely confused. Then, her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Hey! Um... it was Ash, right?"

Ash nodded enthusiastically.

Goh sighed, before finally catching up.

"Somehow, I'm not even surprised you've been here before."

Ash threw him an apologetic smile along with a "sorry Goh", before turning towards Ellie again and asking: "Have you seen a wild Riolu around here? We saw some people talking about it online."

Ellie threw a look towards Ashs Riolu.

"Oh, that's Ashs Riolu.", Goh clarified. "I'm actually the person looking for one."

Ellie groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Riolu's around."

"Bad topic?", Goh asked sympathetically.

"No, it's not that.", she assured. "It's just that Riolu is the sole reason people seem to come by here these days, and nobody ever manages to catch her anyways."

Goh frowned. "Nobody ever manages to catch her? Why?"

"Wait, is she that strong?", Ash theorized. "Is she the undefeated Riolu champion?! Is she-"

"Shy", Ellie interrupted. "Or, well, that's my guess at least. She hides from humans most of the time, unless she comes by to sneakily steal food."

Goh deflated slightly. "Oh", he mumbled quietly. "I guess it's not gonna be that easy, after all."

"That's not gonna stop us though.", Ash announced proudly.

Goh nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, you're right!"

As if they had agreed on it, Ash and Goh both turned away from Ellie at the same time, planning to walk further into the ranch area instead of continuing to linger around the entrance for any longer, only for them to both freeze when they spotted someone standing a few feet away from them.

"Wait, is that-" Ash started to yell in disbelief, but before he could finish the sentence, before Goh could even think about trying to catch her, Riolu was gone.

Goh felt very confused. "How-"

"Quick Attack.", Ellie interrupted him with no small amount of amusement in her tone. "She knows Quick Attack."

"Of course she does.", Goh sighed.

"Well, I have to go check on the Miltank.", the girl announced. "Good luck, though!"

With a goodbye wave, Ellie left them alone.

"This kinda reminds me of when Riolu ran away after hatching.", Ash pointed out. "Maybe it runs in their species."

"Nah, I don't think so. Sobble did that, too."

Riolu grinned sheepishly, while Sobble looked like he was about to cry.

Quickly, Goh kneeled down to be able to pet him on the head and calm him down before he could. "Ssh, I mean that lovingly.", Goh assured his Pokemon.

Sobble nodded, and took the chance to climb up Gohs arm and sit on his usual spot on the trainers shoulder.

When Goh stood up again, carefully to not shake Sobble too much, he finally remembered to do something he probably would have had to do way sooner.

He closed his eyes, and...

Ash, their Pokemon...

"I don't feel her Aura around anymore."

"Me neither."

Goh opened his eyes again to look at Ash, just in time to catch him do the same.

"I don't think she'd run that far off though, considering she lives around here.", Ash continued.

Goh nodded. "Yeah, we'll find her again!"

And they did find her again. And again. And again. And every single time, she managed to run away from them. And as she did so again, Goh managed to catch her smirk.

He was starting to doubt Ellies working 'shy' theory, because Riolu was clearly having fun messing with them. It was the weirdest game of tag he'd ever played.

Ash got the brilliant idea to tell Pikachu to use Quick Attack as well to be able to catch up to her, which only ended up resulting in them losing sight of Pikachu too. Then, while trying to find Pikachu, Goh lost sight of Ash and his Riolu.

And while trying to find... any of those three again, really, he came across the wild Riolu, as she playfully stuck her tongue out, and ran off again.

Goh focused on her Aura, trying to memorize the direction she went in, with no real luck. "This's just downright ridiculous.", he groaned. "No wonder everyone else gives up." He was fairly certain this area wasn't even part of the ranch anymore.

Sobble, still on his shoulder, comfortingly petted the back of Gohs head. Raboot, on her part, seemed to be enjoying this situation entirely too much. She was the most expressive Goh had seen her in a long while, not even trying to hide her amusement, not that he could blame her really. It was kind of comedic, but it was also starting to get old.

Goh started to run into the direction Riolu had sprinted in, but apparently his body thought he'd had enough, because after a couple of steps he stumbled and fell to the ground face first, Sobble yelping in protest and just barely managing to hang on.

"Okay. Okay, maybe taking a break for a couple of minutes won't hurt me.", he muttered breathlessly.

So, he allowed himself to lay right there in the grass for a while, both the Pokemon that were with him lying next to him, trying to come up with a better strategy to catch Riolu. Maybe they could corner her? But he didn't want to scare her, that'd be the opposite of his goal.

Then, to his complete and utter disbelief, Riolu came running back, from the same direction she had fled to earlier, stopping right in front of the group.

Goh wasn't sure if his eyes were still working correctly, so he blinked a few times, but Riolu remained.

"Ri, riolulu?", she said questioningly, and Goh realized there was worry in both her tone and the way she looked between the three of them.

"Are you... are you asking if we're okay?", Goh asked baffled.

Riolu nodded softly.

Goh chuckled. "Yeah, we're fine.", he assured. "I just don't have as much stamina as you apparently do."

Goh couldn't help but wonder why she was taking an interest in them now, why she was worried. Maybe, other people gave up chasing her way earlier? That's the only reason he could think of. But whatever it was, he'd take it.

As an invitation, Goh hit the ground next to him.

Riolu watched his movements with apprehension, until finally deciding to sit down next to them.

Maybe, Ellies shy assumption hadn't been that far off, because everything she was doing now practically screamed awkward. Maybe, his tag comparison hadn't been that far off either, maybe she didn't know how else to find someone to play with.

"Hey, Riolu."

Goh wasn't directly looking at the Pokemon, but from the corner of his eye he could tell she turned to look toward him.

"You know, I used to be pretty shy and awkward, too.", he admitted. "Still am sometimes. So is Sobble, actually."

At the mention of his name, Sobble quickly scooted closer towards his trainer and hid his face.

"It makes him really observant, though, so I don't think it's a weakness.", Goh continued, petting Sobbles head. "And I guess it makes you faster. Did you actually manage to shake off Pikachu earlier? Because he's, like, the fastest Pokemon I know. That's impressive."

Goh realized he'd gone very off track from what he'd originally wanted to tell her. "What I mean is, we're in the same boat, so you don't have to worry about it. Unless you do want to work on it, then we can, uhm, work on it together? I- I guess...", he finished lamely.

That had really not come out the way he had wanted to, but it must have done something, because when he turned his head to look at Riolu, she seemed very interested.

Still, there was apprehension in her posture.

If only Goh had a way to make his emotions clear to her without having to use words...

Oh, wait. Duh.

He got up into a sitting position, and closed his eyes.

Instead of focusing on everything around him, Goh tried to focus on his own Aura. He had no clue if that would work, and he couldn't feel it himself, so he had no way of telling if it was.

It had to have done something, though, because Riolu let out a surprised gasp, and when Goh looked at her, the Pokemon was gaping at him.

"Riolu!", she shouted amazed.

Goh grinned. "Yeah, I can do that. So can my soulmate, actually. You know, the guy I was with earlier?"

He waited for the Pokemon to nod, though she didn't seem to be paying that much attention, still staring at Goh with wide eyes.

"C'mon, I'm not that good at it yet, you must be able to tell that.", Goh stated, suddenly feeling flustered underneath Riolus gaze.

"That's kind of why I'm here in the first place. I want to get better at it, and you're kind of an expert so... What do you say? Do you want to come with us?"

He took out an empty Pokeball out of his pocket, and held it out to Riolu, leaving the decision up to her.

She looked at the Pokeball, then at Goh, then at Sobble and Raboot, then back at the Pokeball.

Determined, she reached out her paw and touched the button on the middle.

Riolu withdrew into the Pokeball, it shook thrice, and...

"Riolu has been registered to your Pokedex.", Gohs Rotom phone announced.

Goh smiled at the Pokeball for a moment, before standing up and holding it up in the air.

"I caught a Riolu!", he shouted.

Sobble chimed into the celebration with his own name, while Raboot threw him a thumbs up.

Goh let Riolu out of her Pokeball, and they smiled at each other. "There's just one more thing I need to do.", Goh told her.

Riolu once again looked at him curiously, as her new trainer kneeled down to be able to poke her shoulder with his index finger.

"Tag, you're it!", Goh said, before whirling around and running off.

This would be really awkward if the Pokemon did not, in fact, know how tag worked. But those worries were short lived, because it did not take Riolu much time at all to catch up to Goh, jumping onto his back.

"Riolu!", she shouted happily, while Goh barely managed to keep his balance and not stumble over his own two feet for the second time that day.

"Okay, you got me.", he admitted. "I don't think I'll ever manage to beat you at tag."

In the distance, Goh could hear two voices. A short "Chu!", followed by a "Heeyy, Goohh!"

Riolu flinched, and ducked behind Gohs shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, that's just my friends.", he assured her.

Goh turned into the direction the voices had come from, and, sure enough, Ash, Pikachu, his Riolu as well as Farfetch'd, out his Pokeball for some reason, were running up to them.

"Am I glad I found you!", Ash started. "You have no idea what-"

He paused mid sentence, most likely because he spotted Riolu peeking over Gohs shoulder.

"Hey, wait, you caught Riolu! You did it!", he said excitedly.

"Actually", Goh corrected, "more accurately, Riolu is the one who caught me just now."

It earned him a confused look, but Goh only smirked, refusing to elaborate.

Ash seemingly decided to shrug it off though, focusing on Riolu instead.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Riolu. I'm Ash.", he said, holding his hand out to her over Gohs shoulder.

Riolu gave her trainer a questioning look, and at Gohs nod, she held out her paw for a handshake.

She then climbed off Gohs shoulder entirely, and walked up to Ashs Riolu, Pikachu and Farfetch'd to shyly introduce herself, immediately being welcomed, Raboot and Sobble joining in as well.

"Aww, that's so cute. They're already friends!", Ash cooed, but Goh was distracted by something else. "Is she taller than him?"

Ash frowned for a moment, before he glanced between the two Riolu. "Huh, I guess she is a bit taller. I mean, my Riolu didn't hatch that long ago, so that makes sense."

"Wow, they're just like us.", Goh joked.

"No, I'm older than you?", Ash pointed out confused.

"Well, yeah. I meant our heights.", Goh clarified.

"You're not taller than me, either? My clothes fit you just fine that one time."

Goh shrugged. "Still am a bit taller, sorry."

"No, you're not!", Ash insisted.

He took off his hat, placed his hand on top of his head, carefully moved it over to Goh, and scowled when his hand ended up on the edge of Gohs forehead.

Goh tried his absolute hardest to hide his amusement, but he must have been doing a terrible job at it, because Ash turned away from him with a huff.

"You know what, fuck you. C'mon Riolu, let's leave. We don't have to deal with these rude tall people."

He made it all of six steps, before pausing again, because not only Goh, but Pikachu as well, burst out laughing.

Ash turned around, and snorted too.

"Not you, I meant my Riolu.", he clarified.

Flustered, Gohs Riolu walked backwards to her trainer.

"This is gonna be confusing, isn't it?", Ash contemplated.

Goh waved it off. "We'll just have to get used to it, we manage with the Farfetch'd."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but only because yours mostly does his own thing.", he pointed out. "Whenever they are near each other, it gets really confusing. I've even caught you differentiating between them by saying what region they're from. Right Farfetch'd?" The Pokemon traitorously nodded.

Goh hummed. "Okay, maybe you do have a point... Any nickname suggestions, then?"

Ash looked thoughtful for no less than three seconds, before saying: "Ri and Lu!"

"No.", Goh replied without missing a beat.

The Riolu apparently disagreed with him, though. They both seemed completely thrilled about the prospect of getting a nickname.

Ashs Riolu excitedly said "Ri!", while Gohs Riolu echoed with a "Lu!"

"That's settled, then.", Ash nodded to himself.

Goh, on his part, was feeling very tired and exasperated. But, oh well, if they liked the names, who was he to judge?

"Well, alright then.", he gave in with a roll of his eyes. "Say, Lu, do you like ice cream?"

Chapter Text

"Whatcha doin'?"

Chloe did not jump, and Ash approaching her from behind did not startle her. Instead, she very calmly put down her pen, looked up from her book, turned around to him, and bluntly replied: "Homework."

Ash curiously hummed, and leaned over her shoulder to get a closer look at the book.

Chloe not so subtly put more distance between them, because apparently this kid really had no concept of personal space.

"Don't you have anyone else to bother?" Immediately as the words left her mouth she regretted them, remembering that Goh had left on his yearly trip with Camille and Walker earlier that day.

Ash looked at Chloe with a pout. "No, your dad kicked me out of the lab because he and Chrysa are doing some experiment, I already spent the morning training with them so my Pokemon are pretty tired and it's pouring rain outside so I can't exactly take a stroll around the city."

The apology was on the tip of her tongue, but before Chloe could voice it out loud, Ash had already turned back to her book and asked: "Is this about Sinnohan mythology? Like, Arceus, Dialga and Palkia?"

Chloe blinked, and looked at the open page too. Ash couldn't have read more than a couple sentences, and it wasn't on the page with the headline or anything similar to that.

"Uh, yeah. It is.", she replied baffled. "How did you get that this quickly? I thought you were one of those kids who left school at 10."

Ash chuckled to himself, and quietly mumbled: "When every life meets another life, something will be born."

Chloe had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she figured she wasn't meant to hear it to begin with.

"I did.", Ash continued louder. Well, unless we count that year I went to school in Alola.", he added with a frown. "But that's kinda besides the point. I didn't learn any of that in school, I picked it up while traveling through Sinnoh. Much more interesting that way, if you ask me."

With a huff, Chloe leaned her head into her hands. "I don't see how any of this could be interesting no matter the way.", she complained. "It's really dry to read, and I usually love reading, so that's saying something."

Ash looked at her almost affronted. "What! It's totally interesting! Sinnoh has the awesomest stories!"

His eyes went from Chloe, to the book, to the worksheet she was supposed to be filling out, and for some reason, his eyes lit up in a way that couldn't mean anything good.

"I could help you!", he suggested.

"Huh?"

"With the homework! I could tell you about everything, you can write whatever you need down, and you don't have to read the boring book anymore!"

To make a point, Ash slammed the book shut.

Chloes first thought was that this was a terrible idea. There was no way Ash would actually be able to help her much and she probably wouldn't get anything done that way.

Then, a traitorous voice in the back of her mind, that sounded suspiciously much like Gohs, reminded her that she'd said she would try to spend more time with Ash, and that helping Jinny and Feebas out didn't really count as that.

And it wasn't like she was getting much done currently, anyways. She'd been trying for an hour and had only answered two and a half questions on her worksheet. Maybe a distraction like this was exactly what she needed, she could at least humor him.

She smiled at Ash. "Okay, sure!"

And Ash knew his Sinnoh mythology, alright. His explanations were very lively and detailed, so lively and detailed that Chloe wondered if he had met Palkia and Dialga in person. He probably had, considering he and Goh met on Lugia. She didn't ask, though. She was sure that would be a whole 'nother ordeal and she needed to fill this worksheet out.

Speaking of the worksheet, Ashs knowledge didn't help much with it after all. Some of the questions he could answer, but the rest were way too specific and Chloe wasn't good at interpreting his noises to begin with.

Begrudgingly, Ash let Chloe have her book back, and she continued reading the chapter where she had left off earlier. It didn't feel as dry and uninteresting anymore, though. Not with Ash still around reading along, throwing in comments and jokes, Chloe eventually doing the same.

It was surprisingly... nice, to casually hang out with Ash like this. He was still a weirdo, obviously, but maybe Goh hadn't been wrong about them being able to get along. In an odd way, she could see them become friends.

"And then, like, the original dragon split off into three Pokemon, but Kyurem still has the ability to sorta fuse with either Reshiram or Zekrom?", Ash tried explaining, somehow having ended up on a tangent about Unova, despite Chloe having finished the worksheet a while ago.

The girl hummed. "I wish I could be in multiple places at once, that would make plenty of things easier."

Ash snorted, but still felt the need to correct her, quite like Goh would. "It's not really being in multiple places at once, they're still separate beings. Different types and all. Because... actually, I have no clue how that works. Maybe I should ask the Professor about it sometime..."

As if on cue, Chloe heard her dad yell from the next room over. "Chloe, are you ready to go home?"

Slightly startled, Chloe shot a look at the clock. Huh, it actually was time for them to leave. Had she really been listening to Ash ramble for that long?

"I'm coming!", she yelled back, quickly collecting her school stuff still lying on the table and throwing it into her bag.

Then, she turned towards Ash. "Hey, um, thanks again. For helping out."

Ash gave her a toothy grin and a thumbs up as a reply. "No prob!"

"There you are.", her dad said as he stepped into the room, doing a double take at seeing Chloe and Ash together, but recovering quickly.

"Ah, Ash. I actually wanted to still talk to you as well."

Ash tilted his head. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Well, I figured it'd be pretty lonely to stay here when Goh is with his family, so if you want you could sleep over at our place tonight instead.", the man offered with a smile.

Showing no hesitation, Ash was quick to wave him off. "Nah, it's fine. Thanks for the offer, but someones gotta stay here just in case something happens with the Pokemon."

Chloes dad nodded, his smile never faltering. "That's pretty thoughtful of you.", he admitted. "Goodnight then, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, g'night.", Ash replied.

Chloe said her goodbyes as well, then followed her dad to his car, running quickly to avoid getting too wet from the rain.

He gave her a questioning look, obviously curious about the unusual company she'd had earlier.

As a reply, Chloe only returned a mysterious smile.

"Horace?" Goh could hear the disbelief in his own voice, noticed the way it slightly cracked, but he didn't care.

Uncertainly, scared that it wasn't real, he took a couple of slow steps towards his old friend.

"There's so much I want to tell you.", Horace said, tears threatening to spill out his eyes.

Goh found himself smile. Not his imagination then.

He wasn't usually a touchy person, at most only with Ash, but as they closed the distance between them, Goh pulled Horace into a brief hug.

"There's so much I want to tell you as well."

Goh felt a tug at his pants, and looked down to see Lu, curiously watching Horace, while still hiding behind her trainer. He threw her a brief nod, and mouthed: 'That's him.'

When they parted, Horace spotted the letter still in Gohs hand, eyes widening. "Wait, is that…"

Goh took a look at the letter again, having temporarily forgotten that he was even holding it to begin with. "Oh, yeah, it is. I just found it." He chuckled. "And then you showed up, wild how that happens."

Horace grimaced. "Sorry, you were supposed to find it earlier. I'm impressed it wasn't blown away or anything yet."

"Dude, don't apologize! Finding it at all is still mind blowing to me, I never thought I'd see you again", Goh admitted.

"Well, personally I was hoping I would see you again, but I didn't think it would be right here again. So, what have you been up to?"

Catching up with Horace after 8 years had passed was a weird experience, to say the least. He was clearly still the same guy, but he'd changed a lot as well. But Goh supposed, so had he.

They walked around the area for a while, until they ended up at the clearing next to the tree where they had been supposed to meet up ages ago, sitting down together. Better late than never.

Horace had the idea to exchange contact info on their Rotom phones, and Goh was glad he did, because that would've slipped his mind in that moment for sure.

Goh had recalled both Farfetch'd and Scyther to their Pokeballs a while ago, while Raboot, Sobble and Lu had stayed outside, and were seemingly having their own bonding moment with Horaces Chikorita. Or rather, Chikorita was carrying the conversation, happily bouncing around and saying its own name over and over again, while Sobble and Lu shyly nodded every now and again, and Raboot pretended to be disinterested, when Goh knew fully well she was listening. It was rather cute.

Their trainers on their end talked about what they were currently doing, Goh telling Horace about his job as a Research Fellow, while Horace told Goh that he had only recently started his journey.

"I picked Chikorita here since she's a Grass type like Celebi is.", Hirace told him, nodding in the direction of the Pokemon. "Meeting it is still my goal, but honestly, I have no idea how to go about that. It seemed much more reasonable when we were seven."

"I'm still after Mew, too.", Goh explained. "I'm trying to learn more about it by learning more about other Pokemon. Mew shares its DNA with all of them, so I'm catching all of them."

"Whoa, that's a goal alright. That sounds pretty much impossible to do.", Horace teased.

"If I had that attitude, it would be.", Goh retorted with a huff.

"I wish I could just do the same.", Horace said through a sigh. "But unfortunately, Celebi doesn't have every Pokemons DNA."

Goh hummed, putting his hand on his chin. "You could try every Grass type, maybe that helps out. I mean, you already have Chikorita.", he suggested.

"I'm not sure about Grass types, Celebis abilities aren't actually that connected to its Grass typing. Maybe Psychic types would get me further…", Horace pondered, before evidently deciding to drop that topic as a realization crossed his expression.

"I suppose this all means Mew wasn't your first Pokemon after all."

Goh snorted. "No, that ship sailed a good while ago."

"Of course it couldn't have been that easy…", Horace sighed.

And Horace must have been able to tell how confused Goh was by that statement, because before Goh could ask what he meant by that, Horace turned around so Goh saw the back of his head, holding up his hair.

At first, Goh still didn't get what the other meant. But then, he spotted it.

"Horace, what the fuck?!", he yelled in utter disbelief, because what else was someone supposed to say to that.

Horace chuckled. "Yeah, I get that alot." He moved down the hand that had been holding up his hair to instead rub the nape of his neck, right where his soulmark was.

The soulmark that was…

"Your soulmates first Pokemon is Mew.", Goh breathed to himself, still trying to process that fact. "And people tell me I'm crazy."

Horace continued to give him an amused smile as Gohs mind was absolutely reeling with questions, but before he could voice them, he suddenly remembered why Horace had shown him his soulmark in the first place.

"Um, yeah, sorry. Not me.", Goh said awkwardly. "One", he pointed towards Raboot, "two", he held out his left arm, so Horace could see his soulmark that very much was not a Chikorita, "and three, I've already met my soulmate."

Horace nodded. "It's that Ash guy you kept mentioning, right?"

Once again, Goh had to pause because of the sheer amount of whiplash Horace managed to give him.

He hadn't mentioned Ash that much... had he?!

Mentally, Goh went back through their entire earlier conversation, when Goh had told Horace about everything relating to the Cerise Institute, and how he and Ash-

Oh no, he really had, hadn't he?

Goh wasn't even entirely sure if he even should tell Horace that they're soulmates, because the one time they had talked about that, Ash and Goh had only mentioned telling it to their families and the people they absolutely had to.

He opted to only mysteriously shrug, but he could tell from the way Horaces eyes sparkled with amusement that the other teen took that as the confirmation it technically was.

Before Horace could say anything else, Goh got up, stretched himself for show, then said: "I better get going then. It's getting kinda late and I told my parents I wouldn't stay out that long, they're probably wondering what I'm doing."

It wasn't even a lie. Now that he had said it out loud, he realized how far down the sun had already moved.

The other hummed suspiciously, but seemed to not find any issue in Gohs reasoning. "Yeah, alright then. I wanted to make it to Goldenrod before nightfall, too."

"See you around, then?", Goh asked.

Horace smiled and gave him a quick nod. "Yeah, see you around. before we're 23, this time, preferably."

Goh snorted. "Yeah, let's not do that again. You're obligated to introduce me to your soulmate when you meet them, for one."

"It's a promise."

Goh called out Raboots, Sobbles and Lus names, and with that, he and Horace went different ways. But this time, he felt much better about it.

Immediately after Goh had come back from the trip with his parents, Professor Cerise had roped both him and Ash into sorting through folders filled with all kinds of research documents that were lying around the Institute.

Why the Professor had so much paper lying around when Ash knew for a fact he mostly did everything digitally was beyond him, it seemed like all of that stuff was written by other people, but it's not like he minded helping.

Or, well, he wouldn't mind helping if some of these didn't have names that confused him more than Chloes homework did.

"The Astounding Wonders of Pokemon Health: Healing Moves and Everything there is to know about them, a Research by Professor Maple", Ash read out loud to himself. Would that…

"Hey, Goh?", he asked without looking up. "This one has one of those double dots thingies, so, like, does that mean it has two titles? Does it go under T or H?"

No answer.

"Goh?", Ash tried again.

And when his soulmate still didn't reply, Ash turned to look at him.

Goh was also looking at a folder, though the distracted look in his eyes and the soft smile on his lips gave away that his thoughts were somewhere entirely different.

Ash couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped him. He walked over the other teen, and waved his hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Goh, is someone home?"

Goh blinked a few times, before realizing what happened. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. I guess I spaced out a bit there…", he said a bit flustered. "What was it?"

"Yeah, I noticed.", Ash said amused. Then, he held out his folder to Goh. "Does this go under T or H?", he asked.

Goh took the folder and quickly read over the title. "The Astounding… it goes under A.", he explained, giving the folder back to Ash. "You skip over 'The' in titles since they're so common."

Ash nodded, and shot Goh a grateful smile. "Thanks."

He went to put the folder in the right place on the shelf, and as he did so, he asked: "So, I'm guessing you had a good trip? What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, um. Yeah. I ran into an old friend. I always thought we… separated on bad terms, but turned out that was a misunderstanding." Goh told him. Then, a little more hesitantly, he added: "I didn't actually have that many friends growing up, so it was nice to talk to him again."

"Oh, that does sound great!", Ash grinned at him. "I'm happy you got to meet again!"

Goh did not seem all too happy with that response though, as he puffed out a cheek. "You know, you could at least pretend to be surprised about the not having friends growing up part..."

Ash blinked. "Huh, why?", he asked confused. "No offense, Goh, but that was kinda obvious from the way you acted when we met."

"Not that that's a problem or anything, I didn't really either.", Ash added with a shrug, as he walked over to the table to pick up the next folder.

"Oh, okay…", Goh said dumbfoundedly.

And Ash thought that was that, so he went back to the task at hand and read the folders label. "Why Trubbish are an incredibly self-sufficient species", he mumbled out loud to himself.

But apparently the conversation wasn't over, because Goh suddenly screeched: "Wait, what?!", and Ash had to try his hardest to not drop the folder he was holding to the ground.

"What?", he quickly asked.

"Say that again!", Goh replied.

Ash frowned. "Why Trubbish-"

"No, no, the other thing!"

"I didn't either?"

"What do you mean?!"

Ashs frown deepened. "That I didn't have many friends growing up? Wait, Goh, are you sure you're not spaced out again?"

"B- but you're Ash!", Goh said, throwing his hands up in the air, ignoring the question. "Last week you made friends with the fucking mailman! What do you mean you didn't have many friends growing up?!"

"Ooh, that!" Ash chuckled. "Well… I guess there weren't really many kids my age in Pallet? I was pretty close to Professor Oaks grandson since… as long as I can remember, honestly, but that's it really. We went to school in Viridian, and most people there treated us like outsiders because we were from the next town over, it was kinda confusing? I had trouble sitting still and paying attention and all that, so I'm pretty sure no one would've liked me there either way."

He shrugged. "Kinda part of the reason I left to challenge gyms as soon as I was allowed to, but I mostly did that just because I wanted to. I mean sure, there were other kids I was friendly with, but not exactly friends with, if that makes sense.", he explained.

At first, Goh simply stared at Ash, looking him over, like he had never seen the other before in his life. Eventually, he pressed his lips together, then said: "Oh, I… see. I'm… sorry for asking."

Ash was quick to wave him off. "Nah, no need to be. It never really bothered me to begin with, it's their loss."

He pondered for a moment, before adding: "I guess the first friendship I made after I left Pallet wasn't all that smooth sailing either. I broke her bike when we met."

Goh snorted. "Oh my god."

"Hey, in my defense, Pikachu and I were trying to escape a flock of pissed Spearow, so excuse me Misty if Pikachus Thunder Shock hit your bike as well! But then she started stalking me to get me to pay her until we begrudgingly became frie-"

He never got to finish the sentence, as he was rudely interrupted by Goh bursting into a laughing fit.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Is that really so funny?" He was trying to sound annoyed, but Gohs laugh was beautiful and highly contagious, so that turned out to be a very difficult task. And it was a funny story, anyways.

"Sorry, sorry", Goh said, trying to catch his breath. "It's just- that reminds me so much of how Chloe and I became friends."

Suddenly, it didn't seem as funny anymore.

Ashs eyes widened in alarm.

"YOU BROKE CHLOES BIKE?!", he yelled in utter disbelief.

There was no way, right? And if he did, did Goh ever pay Chloe back?!

For some reason, Ashs reaction only managed to make Goh laugh harder.

"Not that! The stalking.", he elaborated, clearly amused.

"Ooh!"

Finally, Ash gave up, and joined Gohs laughing fit, until his sides started to hurt.

"I heard her dad was a Pokemon Professor, so I started following everywhere hoping to get some information out of her." Goh elaborated, once they had managed to find the ability to speak again. "Chlo just eventually accepted her fate."

"You know, I have wondered how you two became friends. That does make a lot of sense…", Ash replied, finally putting the almost forgotten Trubbish folder into the right place.

"Oh, wait, speaking of Chloe!", Ash suddenly remembered. "You should read up on Sinnoh mythology, it seemed pretty important."

"... Huh?"

Chapter Text

"Ri!", Ash shouted, entirely too late, as Grapplocts arms had once again wrapped around the other Pokemon.

Even Pikachu, standing next to him, yelled a horrified "Pika!"

Ri was clearly struggling, trying to find his way out, to which Grapploct only tightened its hold on him, way more than had to be necessary.

"Forfeit. Otherwise, I will bring you down.", Bea said, all too calmly considering the current situation.

"We won’t lose!", Ash was quick to retort. "We made it out before!"

He turned his gaze away from the Gym Leader, to look back at the battle.

"Ri, hang in there!", he encouraged his Pokemon.

And it was so so clear that Ri was trying. Ash could not only see and hear him struggle, but very much feel it as well.

"You leave me no choice.", Bea announced, still sounding uncomfortably calm.

"Liquidation!"

Slowly, Grapploct brought one of its tentacles closer to Ris face, whose eyes widened in terror, charging its Attack, before landing it right where it would hurt.

"Ri!", Ash shouted the Pokemons name once again, as he was sent flying through the Fighting Dojo, hitting the ground with an extremely painful sounding thump.

"Riolu is unable to battle! As such, the winner is contestant Bea!", the Rotom Drone announced.

Quickly, Ash ran up to his Pokemon, kneeling down, Pikachu right behind him.

"Are you okay?!", he asked him, as he took Ris upper body in his arms to support him.

Ri didn’t respond, but it wasn’t like he had to.

Not only was the Pokemon physically shaking slightly, but his Aura was very obviously off and unstable.

No, he wasn’t okay. What a stupid question.

Was that... was that how you’re supposed to use Octolock?! Or was it Beas own morbid strategy?

Either way, there’s no way Grapploct had to hold Ri as tightly as it had.

Distantly, Ash could hear Rotom announcing the rankings changing, and Goh talking with the Karate Master, but he could not bring himself to make out their words.

Belatedly, he realized he’d been pressing his teeth against one another, and forced his jaw to relax.

"She was really tough, huh, Ash?", Goh asked, apparently having walked up to them at some point.

Ash didn’t respond, because he knew that Goh knew the answer was obvious as well as he did, it was probably rhetorical anyway.

Bea recalled Grapploct, to which Ash finally looked up.

She announced that she would leave, thanked the Karate Master for letting them battle here, and walked past Ash, without saying another word to him.

And really, that was fine with him, because he could not bring himself to keep looking at her as she did so, let alone talk to her, avoiding any and all eye contact.

Ash had felt really confident about their winning streak.

Of course he had known it would have to break at some point, but he hadn’t anticipated it happening in such a brutal way.

This battle had been a one-sided shitshow.

"All right, Goh… now it’s our turn!", the Karate Master loudly announced out of the blue.

Goh looked at him confused. "Huh?"

"Who will become your partner? Defeat me, and the choice is yours!"

"Right now?! But...", Goh drifted off, side glancing Ash.

Ash waved him off. "It's fine.", he insisted, unsure which one of them he was trying to convince. "This is why we came here in the first place."

Goh nodded, before turning towards the Karate Master with a grin. "Alright, let's do this!"

Ash grabbed Ris Pokeball to recall him, but Ri apparently had other plans, as he ignored Ash and slowly walked over to where Raboot and Sobble were still sitting in the spectator area.

"You wanna watch the battle, huh?", Ash chuckled, fully understanding him.

He sat down next to the Pokemon, and handed Ri a Sitrus Berry instead, which he quietly accepted, all while Ash tried his absolute hardest to let go of his own battle and focus on his soulmates instead.

The referee who had watched over the battle between Bea and the Karate Master earlier got back to their previous place.

"This will be a one on one battle.", they announced. "The winner will be decided once either side cannot continue."

"I'm counting on you, Hitmonchan!", the Karate Master said as he sent out the Pokemon.

"Wait, but… didn't your Hitmonchan already take a lot of damage from its battle with Bea earlier? Isn't it tired?", Goh asked concerned.

The Karate Master only laughed. "You think I only have one Hitmonchan with me? Training their evolution line is my specialty!"

Goh seemed more confused if anything, but he shrugged it off fairly quickly, and grabbed a Pokeball of his own.

"Go, Lu!", he announced, sending her out.

Now, it was Ashs turn to frown.

"Wait, didn't you bring Tailow with you?", he asked. "I thought you would use him for the type advantage."

"I was gonna.", Goh admitted. "But, I mean, this place is focused on fighting types, so it feels fitting. And seeing you and Bea battle with only using those was pretty inspiring."

Huh, they had only used fighting types. Ash hadn't even paid attention to that, he had just sent out the Pokemon that had seemed to be the best opponents, but that did make sense.

The Karate Master laughed once again. "I like your spirit!"

Yeah, this was gonna be interesting.

If Ash hadn't already known this was Lus first time in a real trainer battle, he wouldn't have guessed it. She was holding up pretty well, the fight was evenly matched for a good while.

It was also amazing to see how far Goh had come with how quickly he shouted moves and battle strategies since the disaster that had been the flute cup, Ash felt a bit proud of him.

Eventually, though, the battle did have to come to an end.

"Lu, use Vacuum Wave!"

"Block it with using Vacuum Wave as well!"

Not for the first time, the two Vacuum Waves hit in the middle of the battlefield, the impact making a cloud of dust obscure their view.

When it cleared, Lu and Hitmonchan were still standing, though both were out of breath.

"You're really not too shabby!", the Karate Master complimented. "Though I'm afraid this battle will be over soon. Hitmonchan, Fire Punch!"

"Dodge with Quick Attack!"

Lu tried to dodge, but it was clear how exhausted she was from the battle, because she wasn't nearly as fast as she usually would be.

Hitmonchan managed to catch up to her, and hit Lu with Fire Punch right in the stomach.

Ash couldn't stop himself from flinching, because ouch, but Goh only smirked.

Of course Ash knew why, not immediately moving away from Lu after hitting her was a mistake, he'd had to learn that the hard way in a training battle they'd had.

"Revenge!", Goh shouted.

And before either the Karate Master or Hitmonchan could react, Lu was already surrounded with orange energy, and punched Hitmonchan into the ground.

With the doubled strength of the Attack due to Lu having been hit earlier, it knocked her opponent out.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle!", the referee said. "Thus, the winners are Goh and Riolu!"

"Yes, we did it!", Goh yelled in glee, jumping into the air.

Lu also seemed very excited, and despite being so exhausted just a moment ago, she ran up to her trainer, jumping into his open arms.

They grinned at each other, before suddenly remembering they had an audience.

Goh put Lu back on the ground, both now obviously flustered.

"Aww", Ash cooed, getting up and walking towards them, their Pokemon behind him. "You two are adorable!"

"Sh- shut up.", Goh stuttered.

"I mean it, though! You are!", Ash insisted. "And wow, that was one battle! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!"

At that, Goh smiled at him. "Thanks."

"It sure was.", the Karate Master agreed. "I'm glad we battled, Goh!"

The Karate Master recalled his Hitmonchan, then walked up to them.

"So, have you decided if you want Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee?"

Ash grimaced, suddenly remembering what he and Goh had talked about before they had entered the building.

"Hey, Goh..", he awkwardly started. "Sorry, but I think you're gonna have to decide on just one of them, after all. I don't really feel up to battle again after…"

Goh gave Ash a very confused look. "Huh? Yeah, that's alright, I hadn't really expected you to? I already decided anyways", he said, before turning to the Karate Master with a grin.

"That battle was amazing, I want Hitmonchan!"

And with that, Goh got gifted a Hitmonchan, and him and Ash made their way to the Pokemon Center to get Farfetch'd and both Riolu healed.

Ash couldn't shake off the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

He knew fully well that Goh had meant it when he'd said it was alright that he didn't battle for Hitmonlee. He wasn't even disappointed about it or anything, he had been very sincere and understanding, and Ash knew fully well Goh would eventually manage to get a Hitmonlee on his own anyways, it couldn't be that.

Ri didn’t seem to have too much of an issue with handling their loss, as he happily chatted with Lu.

So maybe, he hadn't done such a great job with letting go of his battle with Bea after all.

Ash was acting off for the rest of the day.

And Goh knew why that was, watching that battle had been painful, he just really wished he knew what to say about it.

After being uncharacteristically distant the entire time, Ash went to bed earlier than usual.

But as Goh later found out when he headed off to sleep as well, it hadn't really accomplished anything, Ash was still awake when he did, staring up at the bunk above him.

Goh hoped getting some sleep would help Ash figure himself out, but that hope had been in vain, because the next morning, Ash looked like he had barely slept at all.

He was trying to hide it, but it was very obvious, and he still seemed just as distant.

Trying to think of a way to distract him, Goh blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind as he watched Ash and Pikachu together.

"I’ll catch a Pikachu, too!"

And so, he did. They went out to look for wild Pikachu, Goh caught one of them, they defeated Team Rocket once again, and went back to the Cerise Institute with a now Raichu in tow.

It seemed to have worked, Ash had been fully into the adventure, and he seemed livelier than he had the day prior.

That was, until night came around, and Goh could hear him tossing and turning below him.

Ash wasn't a quiet sleeper by any means, as Goh had noticed whenever he randomly woke up in the middle of the night. Him moving around wasn't unusual, but him moving around as much as he was currently definitely was. Usually, the sounds would be accompanied by snores, not sighs.

Ash was very clearly wide awake.

He already knew it was a dumb decision, he was fully aware of that, but there wasn't anything else he could think about to help Ash fall asleep.

But before he could talk himself out of it, he went down the ladder.

No matter how much he was trying, Ash couldn't manage to find any sleep.

He had his arms beneath his head and was staring at the bunk above him, replaying the events from the day prior over and over again.

Or had it been the day before yesterday already? He had no clue what time it was.

The battle with Bea just wouldn't leave his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still see Ris painful expression, as Grapplock wrapped its arms around him.

He wasn't even that bothered by the fact he lost, he was bothered by just how badly it had went. By Beas uninterested glances. By how much Ri had to endure.

It was the worst one of his battles had went since that first time he fought Nanu, and even that hadn't managed to make him as restless as he felt currently.

Maybe, it was because he could feel Ris Aura more clearly, including when it wasn't right.

If anything, it was starting to get annoying. He was tired, he wanted to sleep. But his mind refused to stop spiraling.

She'd called Korrina soft! Korrina!

What did manage to snap Ash out of it, though, were the footsteps he could hear coming down the ladder.

"Goh?" he asked quietly, and very confused.

Ash tilted his head slightly so he could look at the inside of their room.

It was dark, obviously. The only source of light being the moon shining through their window. But it was enough for Ash to make out Gohs outline standing by his bedside.

"Move over.", Goh simply said.

"Huh?"

"Just... you can't sleep, right? So I..." Goh drifted off, and Ash thought he could see him turn his head away, but he understood what his soulmate meant perfectly.

He hesitated for another moment, but then very slowly, to not wake Pikachu up, Ash moved further towards the wall. And soon after, he could feel the mattress dip slightly, as Goh laid down next to him.

"The Professor wouldn't like that if he knew.", Ash said quietly, almost as only a breath, for some reason scared that this wasn't real, or that Goh would change his mind.

Goh, though, simply chuckled softly. "Yeah, he wouldn't.", he agreed, as he moved even closer to Ash, their arms now touching.

If Gohs goal had been to get Ash to stop thinking about Bea, then he had certainly managed to achieve that. Because now, Ash couldn't stop thinking about what this meant.

He wasn't an expert by any means, but he was fairly certain that almost-cuddling in the same bed like this went beyond the platonic soulmate dynamic they've had going on.

It did feel nice, though. Really nice.

Goh was close enough that Ash could hear his heartbeat, his soft breathing, feel the now pretty familiar feeling of his Aura. It was calming.

Before Ash could wonder about it further, he was finally overtaken by sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Goh was already awake and gone, and neither of them brought up what happened that night during breakfast.

Feeling motivated and filled with new energy, Ash decided to go on a jog, where he ended up being challenged to two World Championships matches… both of which he lost, ending up with him falling from the Great Class back into the Normal Class.

And with that, all that motivation and energy left his body again.

Maybe, trying to project Grapploct onto Octillery and Tentacruel hadn’t been his best idea, but the attacks should’ve still worked on them despite that. So why didn’t they?

Ash really did not feel like doing anything anymore that day, opting to brood in a corner of the Institute, but Goh wouldn’t have any of that, quite literally dragging him out all the way to Mauville City in Hoenn to investigate… what was it? Something about a sandstorm? He hadn’t been paying all that much attention.

He did manage to focus on it once they got there. People were disappearing and needed help, he couldn’t risk being distracted. And he had to admit, the whole mystery was pretty intriguing.

It turned out that it had been a Flygons doing all this time. The singing was caused by the sand rubbing against his wings, as Goh explained.

Ash almost felt back in his element. That was, until Flygon didn’t go into Gohs Pokeball, and instead the other asked Ash to battle with him.

This… shouldn’t be a big deal, he loved battling, after all. But it sure felt like it was. Suddenly, Ashs mind went blank.

Before he could ponder why, or go back to thinking about certain other battles for that matter, he sent out Pikachu and told him to use Thunderbolt entirely on autopilot.

It… didn’t do anything.

"Ash! Flygon is a Ground type!", Goh yelled. "Electric moves won’t affect him!"

Ash turned towards Goh, utterly baffled. Not because of what Goh had told him being new information to him, but exactly because he knew that. He should’ve known that. Of course Flygon was a Ground type. Dragon and Ground, to be specific. He had literally heard its Pokedex entry less than a minute ago.

"Oh, of course!", he replied, awkwardly scratching his head.

What was he doing? Ash really wasn’t sure what he had been thinking.

But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Ash hadn’t been thinking.

He was still letting… that battle get to him, and he needed to desperately stop doing that.

He told Pikachu to return, switching in Ri instead, but that didn’t help much either, he couldn’t hit Flygon through the sandstorm.

Goh had the smart idea of hardening the sand with Sobbles Water Gun, through which they managed to finally get a few attacks in.

The success didn’t last long though, as Flygon escaped with Dragon Rush, basically knocking out Sobble, and once again making Ri unable to aim at him properly.

Should he… change his strategy?

No, fighting up close is too dangerous…

Realistically, he knew he wasn’t battling Grapploct.

The less rational side of his brain didn’t want to put Ri through that again.

Should he switch him out?

No, Gengar and Dragonite wouldn’t be able to fly well in the sandstorm, and Farfetch’d would have to get close in as well…

But… but…

Ash yelled out in frustration "What am I gonna do?!"

It was Ris urgent "Riolu!" that snapped him out of his thoughts.

He looked up, and heard Gohs warning of "Ash, here it comes!", but it was too late for him to react to it.

Flygon popped out of the sand right in front of them, hitting not only Ri but also Ash with Dragon Rush, sending them flying backwards, before diving back in.

At least Pikachu had managed to dodge out of the way in time, that was something.

The way Ash had landed on his ass still hurt like a bitch, though. And ouch, desert sand was hot on bare skin.

"Are you okay, Ash?!", Goh asked, clearly worried.

Ash couldn’t find it in him to respond, nor to stand up again, instead grinding his teeth and looking at the ground.

When Flygon showed himself again, Goh seemingly decided to fight him on his own.

Raboot managed to not only hit Flygon with a Double Kick, but she also managed to dodge his Dragon Rush by listening to the vibrations and jumping away in time, multiple times!

That… wow.

Flygon was still faster, though, none of Raboots following Embers landed. When Ash pointed that out, his words went ignored.

The wild Pokemon used Draco Meteor, of all moves next, and Ash really thought that had to be it. Because while Goh reacted extremely fast, and Raboot followed his orders by dodging like an expert, it felt inevitable she would get hit, especially when Flygon used Draco Meteor again.

Goh must’ve thought otherwise.

"Don’t get too far away! Dodge while moving in!"

Raboot shouted her name in agreement and did as instructed, while Ash could only stare at Goh, utterly baffled.

"Why?! That’s crazy!", Ash said, and Goh turned his head to side-glance him.

"Fighting from a distance is much…". he drifted off, not only because Goh had already shifted his focus back to the battle, ignoring what he was saying, but because Ash saw the look of determination on his soulmates face.

Goh looked fully ready to and focused on finishing the battle.

Ash could only stare at Goh in complete and utter awe.

He had no clue what Goh was thinking, and he… didn’t know what to make of that.

In the distance, he heard the telltale sound of Draco Meteor, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from Goh.

"Now! Use the Draco Meteors as footing and close in!

…WHAT?

And Raboot… did. She jumped from meteor to meteor, closing in on Flygon up in the air.

When Goh told her to kick the meteor and use Ember, Ash should have been watching the battle, yet for some reason, he found his gaze shift back to Goh once again.

Goh, who was watching Raboot and Flygon, his stance radiating courage and confidence.

Ash already hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from his soulmates battle with the Karate Master, but this? This was on an entirely different level of its own.

It was magical, mesmerizing, enchanting.

Goh threw another Pokeball at Flygon, and this time it worked, and the Pokemon stayed inside.

He jumped into the air, cheering.

Pikachu and Ri next to Ash cheered along.

Raboot turned away, definitely hiding a smile.

"Jumping on the meteors and using them for Ember…" Ash chuckled. "That’s such a crazy tactic!"

"What are you on about?" Goh asked amused, as he walked up to them. "You’re the one who taught it to me."

"... Huh?" Ash looked up at his soulmate in confusion.

"No matter how crazy you have to be, never stop striving for victory. I figured this was the kind of thing you’d normally do."

Goh… was right, wasn’t he? Ash would do that, he had done that, hadn't he?

But something about Goh doing it, and doing it because Ash had inspired him, made everything about it feel so so different.

Slowly, the sand in the air around them began clearing up. The sky showed itself again, and with the sun shining behind him, Ash couldn’t help but think how pretty Goh looked.

… Oh, duh.

"Besides, I really wanted to settle the match with Ember, because that’s the move Raboot and I made together!", Goh continued his speech, entirely oblivious to Ashs realization.

Goh smiled, wide, bright and genuine. But he wasn’t looking at Raboot, like one would think considering he was talking about her. No, he was still looking at Ash. Goh was smiling like that because of him.

"We couldn't just give up and stay the losers, yeah?"

Ash thought back to last night, which still felt like it had been a dream induced by sleep deprivation, even if he knew it hadn’t been.

Goh had been awake most definitely because of Ash, had done his best to try and help him fall asleep. Because Goh genuinely cared that much about how he was doing. And wasn’t that how they had ended up in Hoenn to begin with as well?

"I’m sure Raboot felt the same.", Goh finished, finally looking at the Pokemon, who huffed an agreement.

"I see.", Ash said slowly.

He felt a smile cross his expression, and readjusted his hat.

"Ever since I lost to Grapploct, I’ve been dead-set on fighting at a distance…", Ash admitted.

He thought back to the battles they’d had earlier that day, finally realizing why they had gone so horribly wrong. "Maybe back then, Ri… yeah, we’ve been training with melee Fighting moves all along."

Goh kneeled down in front of Ash, so they could be on the same eye level.

It felt like there was no one in the world but them, which was silly, because Ash knew fully well their Pokemon were still next to them.

"If we use Ember and still lose, we'll just have to think of a way to use Ember that’ll let us win next time!", Goh said. "The same move’s power can double, even triple depending on the trainer’s creativity!"

He grinned. "Battling sure is complex, isn’t it, Ash?"

Ash stared at his soulmate for another moment, before laughing.

God, he felt so dumb.

Wasn’t he the one who had managed to get Goh interested in battles? And now he was the one who had needed to hear his own words.

With a content sigh, he let himself fall backwards, landing on the way too warm desert sand with his back.

Goh immediately sounded concerned. "H-hey, Ash?! Uh-oh… Did the shock from all his losses get to him?!"

"I sure am stupid.", Ash stated. "I’ll have to start over."

Pikachu and Ri gave him curious looks.

"Pikachu, Ri.", he said their names, looking at the respective Pokemon while doing so.

"I’ll try hard to face Leon again. Will you help me?"

They answered by lying down pretty much on top of him, which was definitely a yes.

"I see. Thank you."

And having to rethink how he had been approaching battles wasn’t even the only conclusion Ash had come to today.

Subtly, he moved his hand towards his stomach.

He’d… known it would probably happen eventually ever since Goh caught Scorbunny.

Longer than that, really, he’s sort of always known he would want to be with his soulmate, since he found out what they were at least. It was just a feeling he’d had.

He hadn’t expected it to happen this soon, though. Like this at all.

It hadn’t been a complete turning point, or anything mind blowing.

Noone else was even aware of it.

Pikachu did not, in fact, manifest a little party popper out of thin air to congratulate him.

It all just suddenly seemed to make so much sense.

Goh was amazing, after all.

It would've probably taken Ash a lot longer to figure out why nothing he had tried had been working out if it weren't for him.

It really did seem like Goh understood him better than any other person could, even beyond their shared Aura abilities.

Ash did enjoy sharing his time with him a lot. Talking about their dreams, going on adventures together through all kinds of regions, sleeping next to each oth- ookay, maybe that one wasn't a great example to think about, going off the way Ashs face started feeling warmer than it already was.

Goh was excitedly holding up his Rotom phone, probably celebrating capturing Flygon.

On a whim, Ash grabbed the hem of his pants, dragging his soulmate down.

Goh yelped a startled "Wah!", before flatly landing on the ground next to Ash.

"What was that for?!"

Ash shrugged. "Dunno.", he admitted. "Just seemed nicer if you were down here as well."

Goh groaned. "I was trying to avoid touching the sand! It's scorching!", he complained, but made no effort to move.

Ash hummed. "It is.", he agreed."It's gonna be annoying to get out of my hair too. Pretty sure some slipped into my shirt. We're gonna find sand around our room for weeks."

"Ugh, fantastic."

The older of the two turned his head sideways to give his soulmate a cheeky grin.

Ash was in love with Goh.

Chapter Text

When Ash had brought up the idea of going to Alola, Goh had been ecstatic about it.

Alola seemed like a really unique region from what he had heard, he'd been wanting to learn about it more for a while, seeing it in person sounded great.

But then, he exceedingly got more and more confused about it. Because apparently, this trip would be different.

Before even telling Professor Cerise about their plans, Ash had grabbed his phone to inform... someone that they were coming by.

After he hung up, he smiled at his phone for another moment, before turning to Goh with an apologetic smile, showing that he perfectly knew how confusing his behaviour was.

"Sorry, sorry, I guess I got a little over excited.", he admitted. "See, I actually went to school in Alola last year."

Goh blinked. "Huh, you did?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, and I stayed at our classes Professors place for that time. That's who I called." For emphasis, he held up his phone.

"I'd really like you to meet each other. I mean... if you want to, that is...?"

Goh couldn't help the fondness he felt when Ash suddenly turned uncertain about that question, as though he hadn't already called the Professor, and as though there was any way Goh wouldn't want to come along.

"Of course, I'd love to.", he said.

Ash beamed at him, and after a bit of planning, their trip was set for the following day.

They left Vermilion with a horribly early flight, and the fact Ash had woken up before 7 a.m. all on his own was another sign of how excited he was.

Surprisingly, Goh didn't feel all that tired either, mostly because he found himself increasingly nervous about the prospect of meeting these people.

He was not thrilled that he was about to be hit by a 19 hour time difference, but Ash assured him it would basically only feel like it was 5 hours in the opposite direction.

His soulmate spent their entire time on the plane rambling about his time in Alola. He went from talking about Island Trials, to Pokemon from another dimension, to pancake races, in an order that definitely was not chronological, but that probably somehow made sense in Ashs mind.

Goh tried to remember all the different names that got thrown at him, hoping he wouldn't mix them up, though pretty sure he would.

As soon as they had landed, around early afternoon local time, Ash ran off, shouting an excited: "Professor Kukui!"

"Ah, wait!", Goh tried telling him, but it fell on deaf ears.

Admittedly, their reunion was pretty cute, especially the way Pikachu jumped onto the mans shoulder.

That did not stop Goh from following Ash with a pout on his face. "Sheesh, you had to run off on your own... How was I supposed to say hi?"

Ash grimaced. "Sorry.", he apologized.

"Professor Kukui is a teacher at the Pokemon School in Alola, and...", he paused his introduction, giving Professor Kukui a questioning look. "Hey, where's Professor Burnet?"

"She's at home", the Professor replied.

"I see!"

Goh turned back to Ash to give him a questioning look, Ash immediately turning to him as well.

"The Professors are my Alolan family, as well as Pikachus.", he finished his explanation.

"Family?", Goh quietly repeated, looking at the Professor.

Oh god, that made this entire situation even more awkward than it already was.

He wasn't just meeting Ashs friends who have known him for longer than Goh had, he was also meeting people his soulmate considered family.

Kukui lowered himself a bit to be able to make better eye contact with Goh. "Alola, Goh.", he greeted.

"A-Alola...", Goh stuttered the unfamiliar word back.

Sobble must have felt just as uncomfortable as his trainer, as he immediately jumped off Gohs shoulder to hide on top of Raboot instead.

Professor Kukui did not get the message, excitedly looking at the Pokemon and rambling about them.

At least he complimented Goh about him taking good care of Sobble, at least that was something.

The ride to the Professors home felt a lot less awkward. Ash was the one doing most of the chatting, now rambling to Professor Kukui about what he and Goh had been up to since he had left Alola.

Goh threw in a handful of comments here and there, but for the most part he just listened to their chat while taking in the scenery of Hau’oli City and checking in on Raboot and Sobble a couple of times, enjoying the weather that was very warm for late February, though probably not unusual for a tropical region like Alola.

When they arrived at the Professors home, the anxiousness hit Goh once again.

Ash greeted Professor Burnet with an "I’m home!", while Professor Burnet introduced their baby to Ash by calling him his brother.

Lei seemed to immediately take a liking to Ash, as he leaned forward and petted his brothers cheek.

It was simultaneously the most adorable thing Goh had ever witnessed and utterly nerve-wracking.

Goh was not prepared for when Professor Burnet turned towards him. "Come on in, Goh", she said.

Professor Kukui, still standing next to him, put an encouraging hand on his back.

Goh tried to smile. "Hope I’m not a bother…", he replied.

"Of course not.", Professor Burnet assured him, before smirking playfully. "After all, you’re basically part of the family as well."

He had made it halfway up the stairs to the porch when she had said this, and immediately Goh paused again, staring at the woman.

That… was an extremely odd thing to say to someone she had only just met. Really, the only reason to say that would be if she knew.

Ash chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I told them.", he admitted, rubbing the spot under his nose. "It… kinda just slipped out a while back. I hope that’s fine? I mean, we never really agreed on anything after Professor Cerise found out, I’d just kinda figured you wouldn’t mind?"

"Yeah, yeah, it’s fine.", Goh assured him. It wasn’t like he could complain after letting Horace figure him out. "It just surprised me, is all."

He continued to walk up the stairs, ignoring the definitely teasing look Professor Burnet was now giving him.

As soon as they entered the building, they ended up being attacked by Ashs Pokemon. Goh had almost accepted his fate of being squished to death, when Professor Burnet mentioned a welcome party. So, Ash collected his Pokemon, and they headed back outside.

They ran along Melemeles beach, but when Goh caught a glimpse of the ocean, he paused to stare at it for a moment.

It was a bit silly, he’s lived in a city next to the sea his entire life. He was used to seeing nothing but blue in every direction, but this was still different.

Vermilion was a busy city with a harbor, not a beach. The water here was calmer, cleaner, the sun reflecting in a way that made it seem like it was sparkling.

Ash paused as well, walking back to stand at Gohs side.

"Isn’t it beautiful?", he asked, a smile in his tone.

Goh nodded. "Yeah…"

He could hear Raboot, Sobble and Pikachu running in circles, apparently too full with energy to admire the ocean together with their trainers, but Goh didn’t avert his gaze from it.

"Nothing beats the sea of Alola.", Ash said, and Goh believed it.

It really was pretty.

Goh would call it romantic, even.

He side glanced Ash, and as he did so, he caught a glimpse of a Pokemon moving on the ground.

Distracted by the Pyukumuku, he didn’t pay that fleeting thought any more mind.

New capture in tow, they continued their way to the Pokemon School, up until they ran into yet another Pokemon Goh hadn’t caught thus far. This time, it had been Ash who first spotted the Grubbin, and they chased after it together.

Ash warned him it would dig into the ground just as it did, but they didn’t give up. The Pokemon was fast, but they continued their chase.

Or at least, that was what Goh had thought.

Instead of the Grubbin, it was an Alolan Dugtrio that popped out of the ground.

It startled him enough to make him lose balance, stumbling backwards and unable to catch himself again.

He realized Ash and Pikachu weren’t even with them anymore, moments before he and his Pokemon fell off a cliff, right into the water that suddenly didn’t seem as beautiful anymore as it had earlier.

For a second, surrounded by darkness, Goh thought that was it. He and Raboot would drown, Lu and Pyukumuku would forever be stuck in their Pokeballs at the bottom of the ocean, and Sobble would be the only one left to tell their ridiculous tale.

Thank Arceus, that wasn’t how it actually went down.

Goh felt something tug on his backpack, and before he could figure out what was pulling him up, he found himself face to face with someone on a Lapras holding up a fishing rod.

"Hooked a real big shot!", they announced, clearly being able to see that their big shot was a person.

An Eevee was helping Raboot get to the Lapras, while a rightfully terrified Sobble swam behind them.

"Alola, Mr. Soaked.", the fishing person greeted, too lighthearted for the situation.

"Alola…", Goh replied, completely wet, still hanging mid air on the fishing rod.

"Um, actually… I appreciate the greeting, but I’d be happier if you let me down…"

Mercifully, they did.

"You really saved me.", Goh said as thanks, as he sat down on the Lapras.

"I’m Lana. You?", they asked.

"Goh", Goh replied absent mindedly.

They blinked at him a couple times, then they gasped. "Wait, are you Ashs friend?!"

"... Huh?" Goh frowned at them, before realizing: "Oh, you're the Kyogre girl!"

The- Lana snorted. "Yeah, that is the story that sticks out, isn't it?"

Goh rubbed the back of his neck. "It kinda does. Sorry, I tried to remember more, but..."

"I get it, I get it", Lana assured him.

With that, the girl told Lapras to swim up to the shore, and Goh found himself glad to have solid ground below his feet again.

"You know, it's kinda funny.", Lana said. "This is really similar to how I first met Ash. I was also out fishing on Lapras, and he just... sorta popped out the water on a Sharpedo, and then fell off the Pokemon because the Bruxish I’d hooked startled him. It was really fucking funny."

Goh huffed. "I met him on top of a Lugia."

Lana chuckled. "That definitely sounds like him."

She turned back to Lapras, petted its head, and then it... swam away.

"Lapras isn't your Pokemon?", Goh asked confused.

Lana shook her head. "Nah, he's a Ride Pokemon you can rent nearby. He knows his way back alone.", she explained. "Sandy here is my Pokemon, though.", she added, pointedly holding up the overly excited Eevee in her arms.

"Huh, I see.", Goh said. "Well, these are Raboot and Sobble.", he introduced his own Pokemon, who seemed to be just as relieved as their trainer to have made it back to land.

"Sobble is a Water type, isn't it?", Lana asked, bending down to look at the Pokemon.

Sobble anxiously held the eye contact for a split moment, before vanishing.

Lana wasn't deterred by that in the slightest, she only gasped in excitement, Sandy matching her expression. "Whoa, did it just go invisible?! That's so cool!"

Goh chuckled. "Yeah, he does that when he's overwhelmed. Give him a moment."

He could feel the Pokemon climb up his side, and pet him where Goh figured his head was.

Lana watched his movement, still intrigued.

"You really like Water Pokemon, huh?", Goh asked her.

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I do! They're the best!"

Goh returned the smile, before turning around to look up the cliff he had fallen off earlier.

He sighed. "I don't think we're gonna be able to find Ash and Pikachu again all too soon, maybe I should try calling him..."

Lana hummed. "We were all gonna go to the Pokemon School anyways, right? I can show you the way if you want. We'll run into them again that way eventually."

Goh turned back to her gratefully. "That'd be great, thank you."

They walked the short distance to the Pokemon School together, apparently Goh had landed not that far off from it.

On the way, Lana striked up a conversation and asked Goh a couple of questions, he gladly answered them and asked a few back himself.
When they entered the school campus, Goh was ready to at least recall Raboot and Sobble, but Lana just continued walking with Sandy still in her arms, without batting an eye.

Huh, apparently her school had different rules regarding Pokemon as his. It looked like they were, well, allowed.

Lana showed him to a classroom, where two people were already waiting for them. They introduced themselves as Sophocles and Mallow, names that Goh also recognised from Ashs stories.

There was a Rotom Pokedex there too, that immediately flew off as soon as it realized Ash wasn’t with them, ignoring Gohs comment that Ash already knew where they’d be.

Mallow insisted he’d take a seat, since he was the guest here, and from then on the nice talk he’d had with Lana turned into chaos.

Answering one persons questions was fine, but three? At the same time? He barely got to stammer out a reply before someone else thought of something new to ask. The fact he was the only one sitting down while they were leaning over the desk in front of him made it feel more like an interrogation, if anything.

It was horribly overwhelming, Goh prayed Ash would show up soon.

He didn’t.

Instead, Kiawe walked into the classroom. The boy proclaimed himself as Ashs rival, shot Raboot and Sobble, who were also being overwhelmed by the groups Pokemon, a scary look, and held an overall terrifying speech about battles.

The atmosphere in the room turned very tense, and once again Goh thought that Ash couldn’t show up any sooner.

This time, thank Arceus, he did. The sudden silence in the room disappeared as soon as he greeted his friends.

Mallow decided it was time to start the welcome party.

Goh hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took the first bite of Mallows cooking. It was good, really good.

Ash mentioned Mallows dream was to make people and Pokemon smile with her food, and as far as Goh was concerned, she'd already achieved it.

When they were pretty much done eating Lana pulled out a letter from Lillie, another one of their friends.

He didn't listen too intently to it, hearing about someone searching for their father seemed like a very personal topic, and he had no idea if the girl would be fine with a stranger hearing it without her knowledge.

It ended with Lillie naming everyone in their friend group, Mallows name was last.

When Lana got to it, she paused reading.

With a melancholic look on her face, she handed the letter over to the other girl, stood up, and gestured to the rest of the group to follow her.

Goh frowned, having no clue what was going on, but following everyone else as they left the building, Mallow being the only one staying inside.

Sophocles was the one to clear up Gohs confusion.

"Lillie is Mallows soulmate.", he said quietly. "They always leave more personal notes for each other in the letters."

"Oh, I see…", was all what Goh managed to reply, his throat suddenly feeling constricted.

He turned back to look in the direction Mallow was, the whole situation seemed a lot sadder with this context.

And he probably shouldn't, it was anything but subtle, but he also risked a glance at Ash.

His soulmate wasn't letting the sombre mood of Lillies note to Mallow drag him down, instead he was talking about having a battle with Kiawe.

All things considered, Goh hadn't known him for all that long.

It had been, what, a bit over four months now?

But they have been some of the most important and life altering months in his life, and he had gotten so used to having Ash around constantly.

He couldn't imagine how painful it would be if they…

"But I will battle Goh!"

Goh flinched at the sound of his own name, and turned towards Kiawe.

He hadn't been fully paying attention to their conversation, surely he hadn't heard that right.

"Me?", Goh stuttered.

Kiawe nodded. "I will see if Goh is worthy of being Ashs rival!"

"Ashs rival…?", Goh repeated, now more confused than anything.

That… didn't even make any sense. Goh was anything but, why was Kiawe assuming he was?

"The person closest to Ash needs to be strong enough to be able to help him out with his dream!", Kiawe shouted pointedly.

Sophocles, Lana and Ash tried to calm Kiawe down, but there was no way Goh could refuse after hearing all of that, he had his own pride to protect.

He accepted the challenge.

All things considered, Raboot was holding up pretty well.

She managed to get some good hits in, but the difference of strength and battle experience between her and Kiawes Turtonator was more than obvious. He hit harder, and took hits better.

Raboot was breathing heavily, Goh felt sweaty, but he wasn't about to give up that easily.

His Pokemon dodged Turtonators Dragon Tail, before successfully attacking it with Double Kick, making their opponent stumble.

Kiawe complimented them, right before announcing he was going to use his Z-Move, explaining that they're the strongest moves in Alola.

"If you want to run, do it now."

"There's no way I'd run!", Goh insisted determined.

Kiawe smirked. "Just as I would expect from Ashs rival."

There it was again. What had made Kiawe think him and Ash were rivals?

"You keep calling me his rival…", Goh grumbled. "You’re wrong!", he shouted, pointing at Kiawe.

The other teen frowned. "What?"

"I’m not Ashs rival.", he explained. "And I have no intention of helping Ash reach his dream. Dreams are something you reach with your own power, yeah? My dream…"

He grabbed the air in front of him. "My future lies in my hands! Ash feels the same way."

Goh glanced at Ash, to see if he disagreed with any of that. Ashs expression was neutral, but he didn’t say anything against Gohs words, so he turned back to Kiawe.

"Use your Z-Move.", he told him.

"I’m no rival, but I am Ashs research fellow partner… his friend, and I’m…"

Once again, Goh shot Ash a questioning look.

This time, he was smiling, and gave a brief nod, being able to perfectly guess what Goh was asking.

"I’m Ashs soulmate!", Goh announced, pointedly holding out his left arm, knowing fully well no one would actually be able to see his soulmark from that distance, but he was too deep into his dramatic speech to care.

"And as his soulmate, I want to show him a battle I can be proud of!"

"I like your courage.", Kiawe said, before using his Z-Move, announcing it with an intimidating speech.

Goh commanded Raboot to use Ember, but it barely did a thing. Inferno Overdrive was gigantic, it was like throwing a match into a bonfire.

Fuck, what the hell was he supposed to do about that?!

The fire rapidly approached them. Goh steeled himself to be hit by it as well.

Next thing he knew, he opened his eyes again, and was leaning against a tree, Raboot in his arms.

He blinked in confusion. "Why are we…"

Kiawes Alolan Marowak popped up in front of them, waving at his trainer.

Oh.

Goh glared at the ground.

Kiawe had sent his Pokemon to save them.

He hadn’t actually thought they’d be able to handle the Z-Move, he’d just used it for the sake of it, or something.

And the worst part was, he had been right. Goh hadn’t had a clue what to do next.

He heard someone approaching.

"Goh.", Kiawe said his name.

Begrudgingly, Goh looked up. "What.", he asked annoyed.

Kiawe held out his hand. "Look after Ash for me.", he said softly.

Goh was taken off guard by the sudden friendliness. The most surprising part was the fact that Kiawe was smiling at him. Not mockingly, but a genuine, warm smile.

Okay, he definitely hadn’t told Marowak to get them out of there condescendingly, he wouldn't be looking at Goh this way if he had.

After all, the guy was still one of Ashs best friends. Of course he was a nice guy deep down.

Goh grinned. "Kiawe."

He reached out towards the others hand, but grabbed his wrist instead, making Kiawe stumble as Goh pulled himself up.

"I may not be his rival, but I can certainly look after him for you!"

Kiawe gave him a crooked smile filled with disbelief, before letting out a laugh. "You really are stubborn."

Goh raised an eyebrow at him. "This coming from you?"

He tried looking serious for an entire second, before they both shared a chuckle.

They put their arms around each others shoulders and walked up to the others that way.

"Say, Goh, what is your dream?", Kiawe asked him.

"My dream is…", Goh started, before running off and stretching out his arms.

"... to catch every Pokemon, to work my way up to Mew!"

Everyone surrounded him and started clapping, Ash included, despite already knowing this.

Mallow was there too, eyes slightly reddened, Goh hadn't realized when she'd joined them. Sobble had ended up on her shoulder instead of being with Lana like he had been earlier, though he quickly jumped back over to his trainer.

Goh awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

"Um, the applause is a bit… embarrassing…", he admitted, which did not stop them.

Soon after, he was being flooded with questions yet again.

Both about his dream, and about his soulmate status with Ash.

He should’ve expected that, really.

But it was fine. They didn’t feel as overwhelming as they had earlier anymore, even if he didn't really get to reply to any of them.

The question that stood out to him the most though, was Lanas: "Wait, wait, what's it like to be soulmates with a champion?"

Goh frowned at the girl. "... Huh?"

Suddenly, everyones flood of questions stopped, and they all turned towards Ash instead.

"Oh my god.", Kiawe, chuckling.

"Really.", Lana, deadpan.

"You can't be serious.", Sophocles, baffled.

"Ash!" Mallow, exasperated.

"Aaasshh?", Goh said his soulmates name, dragging it out, pointedly raising an eyebrow.

Ash chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, well, uhm... Alolas champion, to be specific? I won the first ever Alola league last year... Did I never tell you that?"

Goh shook his head with a snort. "No, you didn't. Only you would think to tell me about that time you played golf over telling me you're a regions champion, holy shit. That's amazing, though!"

Lana hummed. "That was a pretty fun golf game..."

Mallow lightly shoved the girls arm with her elbow, accompanied by a sigh. "Don't encourage him."

Lana stuck out her tongue at her.

"In my defense", Ash said, "I was kinda distracted by meeting my soulmate."

The entire group let out a collective "Aww", to which Goh immediately averted everyones gaze, feeling heat rise to his face.

"A- a- anyways!", Ash stuttered, making Goh assume he wasn't any less embarrassed than he was. "Kiawe, let's battle now!"

"I'm... not sure", Kiawe admitted. "Turtonator and Marowak probably need a moment..."

"Aww, come on!", Ash insisted. "I haven't gotten to battle with Incineroar since she evolved! Do you have Charizard with you? We could do a fire starter match!"

Kiawe thought about it for another moment, before grinning at Ash. "Alright, alright. Let's do this!"

Everyone sat down on the bench again, Goh now taking Ashs prior spot, as he and Kiawe started their battle.

They were rivals, indeed.

The way they were able to read and predict each others moves clearly showed the amount of times they had to have practised with one another.

Incineroar managed to dodge Charizards Supersonic Skystrike, and without needing Marowaks help, before she finished the battle with Darkest Lariat.

Their friends cheered, Ash hugged Incineroar, and Kiawe made a promise to defeat them next time.

It was Mallow who asked: "Soo, what do we do now?"

Ash immediately had an answer: "We're going to Exeggutor Island!", he announced with a grin.

Goh lit up. With all the nervousness and adrenaline, he had almost forgotten the reason they had decided to come to Alola in the first place.

"There's a whole island of Exeggutor from here?", he asked excitedly.

"Yup, sure is!", Ash nodded.

"You wanna see the regional form, huh?", Lana asked.

"Nah, no way. I'm gonna catch one.", Goh clarified pointedly.

Sophocles hummed. "We better get going soon, then.", he said. "Exeggutor Island is west of Poni."

"Oh.", Goh replied, suddenly feeling a lot less excited. "Isn't that, like, halfway across the region and over the ocean? Are you sure we have enough time to get there?"

Kiawe hit Goh in the back. "We do for sure if we use the right form of transportation."

Goh did not ask why their school classroom had a secret undercover layer with flying Pokemon waiting for them beneath it, he severely lacked the energy to hold that conversation right after learning Ash was Alolas champion.

Actually, that whole 'Pokemon from another dimension' story made a lot more sense with this context.

Goh was offered to ride on Altaria, the Pokemon that was supposed to be Lillies. An offer he was quick to decline, instead choosing to cling to Ashs back the entire flight. For no other reason than it feeling safer, of course.

Besides, Kiawe said his Charizard had to rest after that battle, so it worked out better for everyone in the end.

They got to the island sooner than Goh would've anticipated after learning where it was, the flight had been surprisingly nice, but over in an instance.

He quickly tracked down an Alolan Exeggutor - they really WERE huge - and successfully caught it.

The group spend another good while on that island, goofing around.

Eventually Goh ended up having a chat with Sophocles, and the two of them bonded over their interest in technology. Or they were "geeking out", as Lana had joked.

As the sun started to set - later than Goh was used to, he realized with a quick look at his phone - they decided to fly back to Melemele.

Garchomp landed them close to the school, the others right behind them.

"Guess this is where we say goodbye again, huh?", Mallow asked, her voice suddenly a lot quieter.

"Yeah...", Ash agreed solemnly.

"Keep us updated, alright?", Kiawe asked, a lot happier, but even Goh could hear the sad undertone beneath it.

Ash nodded with a smile. "Of course, I will."

He paused for a moment, before adding: "And don't forget to let the Ultra Guardians Ride Pokemon rest, they deserve it after today. At least until after we left the region."

"Alright, alright, fine. We get it.", Lana snorted, and the others shared an amused look as well.

Goh felt like he was missing something, but he didn't ask.

And then, everyone went their own way.

They split up at the school entrance, everyone going down a different path, except for Kiawe, who had to fly on his Charizard, because apparently he lived on a different island.

Ash watched his friends leave with a melancholic look on his face, Goh couldn't blame him. Saying goodbye again so soon couldn't be easy for him.

Goh felt really bad interrupting his moment, but he still thought it would be pretty important to ask. "Where are we staying the night, anyway? Is there a Pokemon Center nearby?"

Ash frowned at him for a moment, before laughing. "Oh my god", he said, "I totally forgot to ask the Professors if we could stay at their place."

Goh laughed along.

"Oh well, it's not like they're gonna kick us out.", Ash figured. "And I'll have to drop off my Alola team by them, anyway."

They started their walk back to the Professors place quietly, Ash seeming a bit lost in thought.

Eventually, he asked Goh: "Soo, what did you think of them? My friends here, I mean."

Goh hummed, taking a moment to think his answer through.

"They really overwhelmed me at first.", he admitted honestly. "Especially Kiawe."

"Yeah, I think that's just how he is.", Ash told him with a small smile. "He was kind of antagonistic to me the day we met as well."

Goh huffed at the mental image. "They are nice people though, I can see why you're friends with them."

"They're your friends now too, you know."

Goh smiled. "Yeah, I guess they are."

"Your school seems pretty relaxed, too.", Goh pointed out. "I think my principal would lose it if someone threw a party like that and then had a Pokemon battle on campus. Or if someone simply brought a Pokemon into a classroom, for that matter."

"Kantos school regulations about Pokemon are dumb.", Ash replied pointedly without missing a beat, clearly having thought about the same thing before.

"I never really thought about it until I got here, but now… so what if someone wants to bring their Caterpie around, that doesn't hurt anyone! If someone else is bothered by it, that's their issue! Maybe it was sorta related to me not fitting in in Viridian, but Kanto schools are weird in general, they're so strict with students for no reason, never liked em."

"I could use Sobble as an emotional support there some days.", Goh said, glancing at the Pokemon on his shoulder.

"See!" Ash huffed. "I know it's a little different since the Pokemon School is, well, a Pokemon school, but I know your classes sometimes cover Pokemon as well, there's no harm in it."

Goh made a so-so motion with his hand. "Some kinda do, but yeah. I never really thought about their reason to do it, but having to leave your Pokemon outside is kinda weird, now that I consider it more."

"Say, why do you still go to school anyway?", Ash asked.

"... Huh?"

"I mean, I've wondered about it since you first mentioned you do, but it just confuses me more and more.", Ash explained. "You're clearly not a fan of it. Hell, you barely even attend. So why are you still enrolled?"

There was no hint of judgement in Ashs tone, only genuine curiosity.

"It was a compromise with my parents.", Goh admitted.

Ash hummed in acknowledgement.

"They didn't want me to do nothing. Either I pick a Starter and go on a Journey at 10 like most kids or I stay in school. And, well, you know how insistent I used to be about getting Mew as my first Pokemon, so the choice was pretty obvious to me back then."

"Yeah, you were pretty set.", Ash snorted.

Goh decided to ignore the comment and instead continued his explanation.

"I'm not that good at learning in a classroom environment, I understand things easier on my own. My teachers don't actually care if I learn things in class or not as long as I get assignments done and show up for tests, so...", he shrugged, "that's what I do."

"Alright, that does explain a lot.", Ash said. "Though there's one more thing I don't get."

"What is it?"

"You do have Pokemon now and you are basically on a Journey. According to the compromise with your parents, you don't necessarily have to continue going to school."

Goh stared at his soulmate as though he had grown a second head. "Are you kidding me?", he asked. "I graduate in a year, I'm not dropping out now. I mean yeah, I don't technically need to, but it's still gonna look fancy on a resume. And all those years of stupid work for nothing? No thank you. Not like you can talk to me about dropping out anyway considering you're the one who did a spontaneous exchange year."

Ash laughed. "Fair enough."

Their conversation dwindled down as they neared the beach the Professors house was located on.

Once again, Goh looked over the ocean.

Somehow, it was even prettier and magical at sunset.

He hadn't been imagining it earlier, this felt romantic for sure.

Ashs hunch had been exactly right, neither of the Professors minded when Goh and he showed up at their doorstep.

In fact, they'd been expecting it, and had prepared dinner with the two in mind.

He'd almost missed eating with them as he had missed Mallows food, but only almost.

Everyone helped out with the dishes to get them done faster, then Burnet ominously turned towards Goh.

"Hey, Goh, if you don't mind, could you spare a few moments?", she asked him. "I'd like to talk to you about something, in private."

Goh sighed, mumbling a resigned: "Yeah, sure…"

Huh, Ash wondered what that was about.

On the way out the kitchen, Burnet walked right past Ash, looking at him briefly.

She gave him a knowing grin, her eyes were sparkling with amusement, and then she winked in Gohs direction.

Ash gaped at her back as she left the room, Goh right behind her.

No, she couldn't know.

Did she know?!

How did she-

Ash groaned out loud.

She was Professor Burnet, of fucking course she knew.

She'd probably known before today, even. However she had managed to do that.

Ash fought down the flush creeping up his face, and sent a silent prayer towards his soulmate, because that could not be a pleasant conversation.

"Are you okay, Ash?", Professor Kukui asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yep, just peachy!" Ash forced a fake smile and threw two thumbs up. "Do you wanna, err, watch the news?", he blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind.

Professor Kukui raised an eyebrow at him, but seemingly found no reason to reject the suggestion.

Ash was not paying attention to what was on the news in the slightest.

He was more focused on one, Kukui playing with Lei using some sort of Litten themed baby toy, which was adorable.

And two, his own thoughts, because he had just realized an important question he should probably ask the Professor.

It… felt like a risky move, he'd probably have to end up explaining a lot, though it wasn't like he didn't trust Kukui with that information.

Plus, the curiosity was eating him up from the inside, and the man genuinely could know something Ash didn't due to his profession.

"Hey, uhm, Professor. You own a Lucario, right?", Ash started the subject carefully, obviously already knowing the answer.

"Huh, yeah, I do. Why do you ask?", Professor Kukui replied.

"Well, uhm...", Ash nervously bit his lip. "Just... out of curiosity. Have you ever, I don't know, managed to feel its Aura?"

"Feel its Aura?", the Professor repeated, and suddenly he stopped playing with Lei.

Ash nodded. "You know, that thing the Lucario line is known for being able to control?"

"I know what Aura is.", Professor Kukui clarified. "But... no, I have not. Why do you ask?"

The question sounded rather suspicious, so Ash entirely ignored it and carefully asked another question back.

"What about Molayne? Do you know if he has?"

Professor Kukuis eyebrows almost disappeared beneath his hat. "Molayne?"

And either luckily, or unluckily, Goh and Professor Burnet chose that exact moment to walk back into the room.

Goh looked glad to be done with whatever conversation he had been put through, while Professor Burnet immediately decided to join the conversation her husband and Ash were having.

"What about Molayne?", she asked curiously, unknowingly echoing Ashs words.

"Wait... who?", Goh added confused.

They both sat down on the free spots of the couch, Lei crawling over to sit on his mothers lap instead.

"Molayne is a good friend of mine.", Professor Kukui decided to answer Gohs question, absentmindedly handing the toy over to his wife. "He's Sophocleses cousin, and my soulmate." At the last part, he eyed Goh suspiciously.

And, okay, Ash knew then and there that he would not be able to talk himself out of an explanation, not with Kukui.

Oblivious as to why the Professor was looking at him like this, Goh looked between the adults a couple of times. "Wait, you two aren't soulmates?", he asked, utterly baffled.

Professor Burnet snorted. "Arceus, no. We're not."

"Huh, that's surprising.", Goh said. "You seem to work extremely well together..."

Professor Burnet nodded. "Thank you, we do."

"I admit it's nor that common to see with married couples.", Professor Kukui threw in. "But we're happier not dating our soulmates. Not that we don't like them.", he quickly added. "I do love Molayne, but not in the same way. We dated in our 20s and realized it didn't work out."

"Speak for yourself!", Burnet told her husband with an offended huff. "My soulmate is annoying and I'm very glad if I don't have to be anywhere near them.", she complained.

Kukui rolled his eyes, and quietly explained to Goh: "She's jealous because her soulmate also works at Aether Paradise, and they got a raise before she did."

"Hey, I heard that!", Burnet protested.

"I... see?", Goh awkwardly replied.

Ash suppressed a sigh. Leave it up to these two to tell everyone who asks about their non-soulmate status their entire life story.

"Yeah, yeah, happy for you, but Professor, could you maybe answer my question?", Ash asked.

"Oh, right, sorry.", Goh apologized. "... What was your question?"

"He asked if me or Molayne have ever felt my Lucarios Aura."

Ash did not miss the way Gohs eyes widened and his posture stiffened, and apparently, neither did Kukui.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, one of you is gonna have to give me more context for this.", he said exasperated.

Ash shared a look with Goh, who gave him a helpless shrug in return, but since he didn't say anything against it, Ash figured it was fine to tell the professors.

"There isn't really that much context to add.", Ash explained. "Just that... we can."

Burnet grabbed the remote, turning off the TV. The sudden absence of the background noise felt like a record scratch.

"The both of you can feel Aura?", Professor Kukui asked baffled.

Goh and Ash both nodded.

"How?!"

This time, the reply was two synchronized shrugs.

"Dunno, always have.", Ash elaborated. "Like, maybe I should ask you why you can't."

Goh snickered at that comment, while Kukui helplessly wondered: "How did you live with me for a year and I still learn these things...?"

This time, Ash did actually start to feel a little bad about it. "Sorry", he apologized with a grimace, "I guess it just never really came up…? I don't tend to mention it unless it seems important."

Professor Kukui seemed to need a moment to process that, while Professor Burnet took it in with a more analytical perspective.

"Fascinating...", she murmured. "I've heard that there used to be people who were able to feel Aura like certain Pokemon do, though I've never met anyone in the present day who could, let alone a soulmate pair. That seems like too much of a coincidence..."

Ash nodded in agreement. "That's why I asked, but no luck I guess. Maybe it just isn't related, after all."

"Wait!", Goh blurted out. "Why did we not think to ask Korrina about this?! She seems super close with her Lucario!"

"Because I already know neither her nor her grandpa can feel it.", Ash explained with a sigh. "And I got no clue who her soulmate is, not that it would help much."

"What does it feel like?", Professor Burnet asked curiously. "Can you describe it?"

Ash shared yet another meaningful look with Goh.

"It's... kind of like a sixth sense.", Goh tried to explain it. "You know how you can feel Lei because he's sitting in your lap?"

Professor Burnet replied with a brief nod.

"If I focus on it, I can sense he's there without having to touch him, or even my Pokemon even though they're in a different room if I just try hard enough. I can feel their presence because of their Aura."

Burnet hummed. "That really is kind of hard to imagine for me."

"We know.", both Goh and Ash said in tandem.

The woman seemed torn between wanting to laugh about their simultaneous reactions and feeling bad for them.

"It's kind of based on emotions, too.", Ash added. "If you were sad or had a cold or scraped your knee, your Aura would be different."

Kukui, apparently having recovered from the whiplash, joined back into the conversation. "If it's based on emotions, that makes it difficult to research.", he said. "Studying emotions in general is, the fact you two would be the only ones around to confirm anything doesn't help much."

"We know that, too.", Ash told him. "That's pretty much exactly what Professor Cerise said when we explained it to him."

"I'm sure there'd be enough researchers foaming at their mouths to get the chance to try.", Professor Burnet chuckled.

And Ash knew fully well it was supposed to be a joke, but the thought of that alone made him extremely uncomfortable, he felt a shiver run across his body.

Telling people that were like parental figures to one of them was one thing, but telling complete strangers about it didn't sit right with him.

He could tell by both his expression and the subtle shift in his Aura that Goh must have felt the same.

And even without being able to feel either of their Aura, Professor Burnet seemingly realized this, too.

"Ooor...", the woman pondered, "...we could just keep this to ourselves, and if anyone ever brings the topic up to me, I will pretend to know nothing about it."

Ash eased into a grateful smile, and he nodded in agreement.

Professor Kukui hummed. "Maybe we've been approaching this from the wrong angle...", he mumbled mostly to himself.

Ash frowned at him. "Huh, what do you mean?"

In lieu of a reply, Kukui got up and left the room, reemerging a few moments later with a laptop under his arm.

He placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch, then booted it up.

"When you two met, did you... sense anything unusual?", the Professor asked as he was typing something on the keyboard.

Ash thought back for a moment. "I... think so?", he answered hesitantly. "I was kinda distracted by Lugia, but I do remember Goh feeling different after that."

"I definitely remember that.", Goh said. "Clear as day, Ash felt special before I even knew to look out for Aura."

"Wait, wait, no, hold on a moment, go back.", Burnet interrupted them. "You were distracted by Lugi-", she broke off her own sentence with a sigh. "Actually, nevermind, that's the most normal thing you've told us all evening. You're Ash, of fu- of course there was a Lugia."

This time, it was her husband who managed to easily shrug off the ridiculousness with a snort.

Then, he turned the laptop in a way so that Goh and Ash could get a better look of the screen, and said: "Give this a read."

And Ash did. He leaned forwards, to briefly and quietly flow over the text the Professor had highlighted. Then, slower, he read it again. Then, he read the paragraph a third time, to make sure he was seeing right.

It looked to be an article about soulmates, and the highlighted part read:

"There are two ways soulmates typically recognise each other. One is the obvious fact their soulmarks match with the other persons first Pokemon, but other than that soulmates can usually tell on instinct when they first meet, even if it isn't immediately obvious to them. Most people describe that sensation as their soulmates presence feeling unique."

Still stunned, Ash read over the last part once again.

"Oh.", Goh simply says, perfectly summing up his soulmates reaction as well. "So that's... that's a common thing."

"It is for sure", Professor Kukui replied. "I do remember that happening when I first ran into Molayne, though I don't think it was as obvious as Goh is saying it was."

Professor Burnet hummed. "I don't.", she admitted. "Then again, I met them when I was 17. I probably did notice something, even if I don't remember it."

"So... you do think it's related?", Ash asked.

Kukui started to nod, before pausing, and shrugging instead.

"See, the thing is, we don't really know all that much about how soulmarks actually work.", he explained.

"We probably did at some point.", Burnet threw in. "But we don't anymore. No one thought to properly document it back in the day, so here we are."

The other Professor nodded along to his wifes statement. "We only know that they match with someone elses first Pokemon, that they have changed as the relationship between humans and Pokemon did, and that soulmates tend to get along very well."

"Buut...?", Ash said, because he knew there had to be one in this story.

"Buut...", Professor Kukui added on with a smile. "There are some theories about how they come to be. Most prominently, people believe they are related to a Pokemon that can see the future or travel through time."

"So, like, Dialga?", Ash asked, barely able to hold back his excitement.

"Or Celebi?", Goh threw in, more thoughtfully.

Kukui nodded. "Yeah, exactly like them. But... what if it's a different Pokemon, one that has another ability on top of that?"

Burnet stared at her husband with wide eyes. "Wait, are you trying to say that whatever Pokemon is responsible for soulmarks-"

"Can feel Aura?!", Ash interrupted the Professors sentence.

"Exactly what I'm trying to say.", Professor Kukui confirmed. "But again, that's just my hunch, it's not like there is any solid evi-"

"We have to find it!", Ash announced, standing up and raising his fist into the air.

"I want to catch it!", Goh agreed, equally as enthusiastic.

"I wanna battle it!"

Professor Kukui chuckled. "Kids, I'm saying I have no clue if that's right, just that it could be possible."

Ash deflated. "Oh, yeah, right...", he said disappointed, sitting back down again.

"I mean, I've stumbled into undiscovered Pokemon with less evidence than that", he added with a mumble that went entirely ignored.

Professor Burnet sighed. "I'm not sure that theory is right.", she stated. "They're related for sure, but I don't know, I kinda think it's the other way around? Maybe it's not your Aura that influences that you're soulmates, but it's you being soulmates that influences how you perceive Aura."

"Hmm, maybe it is that way around.", Kukui agreed. "I personally don't think it is, but again we don't really have a way of knowing."

Goh groaned. "So, we're right back where we started with this."

"Well, not fully. We didn't know us feeling Aura was linked to us being soulmates for sure, now we do.", Ash pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, that is tr-"

"Wait!", Ash suddenly yelled, interrupting his soulmates agreement, once again shooting up from his seat as he realized something.

"I only learned what Aura even is because mine was similar to the one of someone who lived forever ago!", he explained. "Did we, like, have a third soulmate but he died before we were born?"

Goh gave him a weird look. "You... don't think it's more likely one of us is related to him?"

Ash blinked. "Oh, yeah, huh. I guess that would make more sense. Sorry." He chuckled sheepishly to hide his embarrassment.

Burnet snorted. "Three way soulmates are a thing, but you wouldn't both have each others soulmark if you did, one of you would have a different one."

"Well, it's probably more likely he was your ancestor.", Goh pondered, apparently still hung up thinking about Sir Aaron. "You're better with Aura stuff than I am."

"Because I've known for longer.", Ash reminded him. "Besides, it's not like it matters all that much to begin with, does it?", he asked.

Goh pressed his lips together. "... No, probably not."

He looked like he still wanted to say something else, but those words never left his mouth, as their entire conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone snoring.

With varying amounts of amusement everyone turned their attention towards Lei, who had fallen asleep on his mothers lap.

"I think we bored the little guy.", Ash joked, lowering his voice.

"I think we did.", Professor Burnet whispered back. She threw a glance at the clock. "It's past his bedtime already, I guess we got a bit distracted there."

Carefully, as to not wake him up, she took Lei into her arms. "Let's get you to bed, bud." With that, she left the room.

Professor Kukui looked after them fondly for a moment, before turning towards Ash and Goh. "You should probably follow his example.", he suggested. "I don't think we're still getting anywhere with this conversation."

Ashs first instinct was to protest, but he suppressed that urge with a sigh. It was getting kinda late, and they did get up horribly early, even if that was hard to keep track of with the time difference. "Yeah, I guess you're right...", he admitted. "Good night then, Professor. And, uh, thanks for the talk."

Kukui nodded briefly. "Of course, I'll keep this in mind. Good night, boys.", he said before leaving the room as well.

Ash waited another moment, before…

"Hey, Goh, what did you and Professor Burnet talk about?", he asked quietly with a goofy grin, already having a good feeling of what it was.

Goh groaned. "Please don't make me talk about it, she's scarier than Delia."

Ash showed Goh the way up to his room, err, well, the loft he had slept in while he’d been staying at the Professors House. It had been left pretty much untouched since he had last been here, he wondered if it was because Kukui had never used it much to begin with, or if it was because of him.

As it was apparently common occurrence with the two, Goh and Ash ended up fighting about who got to sleep where.

"I’ve told you before, I am not letting the guest sleep on the floor.", Ash insisted.

"Well, you don’t currently live here, technically you’re a guest as well.", Goh argued. "So, you can take the bed."

"It's not actually a bed.", Ash told him. "It's a couch. A pretty comfy couch, but a couch nonetheless, so you can take it."

When had their relationship shifted from physically wrestling over who got to have the top bunk on the day they first met to arguing that the other should have the better sleeping place?

Probably somewhere along the way of Ash catching feelings for Goh.

They ended up settling on both of them sleeping on the floor, though both of them seemed to have trouble falling asleep.

"You know", Goh said into the silence of the room. "Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet kinda got me thinking. Well, besides the Aura stuff, I mean."

"About?", Ash prompted, stroking Pikachus fur, who was lucky enough to be able to sleep.

"I never considered that soulmates could simply... date other people just like that. The only couples I really knew were my own parents and Chloes."

Ash hummed. "I don't think I'm like them", Ash admitted.

He hadn't told Goh about his recently realized feelings yet. For the most part, it was because when they had found out they were soulmates, it had been Goh that had first suggested they should wait.

It felt like that had been a lifetime ago, even though it had only been, what, a bit over four months? Ash wasn't sure if Goh still felt that way, but he couldn't exactly ask about that, could he? That would be basically the same as confessing.

But, he still wanted to be honest. He could admit that much.

After being quiet for a nerve-wrackingly long moment, Goh said: "I don't think I am, either."

Ash turned his head so he could look at Goh, staring at his soulmate with wide eyes.

Sure, he could've figured that, but there was a distinct difference between knowing and hearing Goh say it.

Maybe, Ash should tell him after all.

Even if he wasn't ready to do date-y things or whatever, Ash knew there was no way Goh would completely reject him or be weirded out by his feelings or anything. It probably wouldn't even change much between them, it would just mean Ash could freely tell Goh he loved him whenever he wanted to.

Before he could say anything though, the moment passed, and Goh was already talking about something entirely different again.

"I'm also thinking about Mallow and Lillie.", he said.

"Huh, Mallow and Lillie? Why?", Ash asked, too confused to feel disappointed. Goh hadn't even exactly met Lillie, so what was he thinking about?

Goh turned his head towards Ash, looking a bit startled when he realized Ash was already looking at him, but quickly catching himself.

"Yeah.", he replied. "They're soulmates, right? Sophocles mentioned it."

Ash nodded. "They are."

"They had to split up.", Goh continued quieter, almost whispering it.

Oh. That was what he meant.

"I don't know, it's just... do you think we'll have to split up as well some day?", he asked. "Longer than, like, a school day or a family trip, I mean."

"Well, yeah. Some day, we'll have to." Ash shrugged. "We have our own goals to chase and all that, it's just how life works."

Goh seemed disappointed by that answer, Ash could see it in his eyes.

"Oh.", he said, his voice cracking. "I see."

"Hey, c'mon. It's not that I'm looking forward to it either or anything like that.", Ash clarified. "And I can't assure you I'll be as good at it as Lillie and Mallow are, because those two are some of the strongest people I know."

He smiled at Goh. "But we'll make it, I know we will. Being on our own for a while doesn't mean we'll never see each other again."

"How can you be so sure about that though?", Goh asked.

"I'm here right now, to spend time with people I've separated from before, aren't I?", Ash asked back.

Goh bit his lip, and after a bit of hesitation he said: "I guess you are."

"Besides... "Ash added with a grin. "Whatever Aura feeling time traveling Pokemon is responsible for soulmates, it had already decided I was destined to annoy you for the rest of your life before you were even born."

At that, Goh let out a bubbly laugh, Ash not being able to resist joining in.

The morning after, Ash was not as enthusiastic to get on that plane as he had been the day prior.

He had a hard time saying goodbye to Professor Burnet,Lei and his Pokemon, and an even harder time saying goodbye to Professor Kukui after he had brought them to the airport.

Ash hugged the man, and while Professor Kukui made a startled noise, he didn't hesitate to return it. Pikachu on Ashs shoulder didn't seem to have any complaints about it either.

He had no clue how long the hug had lasted, but apparently it had been long enough for Kukui to find it amusing.

"You're gonna miss your flight", he pointed out, but making no move to push Ash away.

"Don't care, it was stupid to only come here for a day anyways", Ash mumbled into the Professors chest.

"Ash, you know you can come by any time, right?", Kukui chuckled. "You don't even have to announce it, you're always welcome in our home."

Ash groaned. "Yeah, fine...", he said before finally letting go.

Professor Kukui turned to give Goh a meaningful look. "The same goes for you too, by the way.", he said with a smile.

"Oh- uhm... r-right! Thanks.", Goh stuttered back.

With one final goodbye wave, Goh and Ash entered the airport and left the region on the plane.

Ash stared out the window until the last bit of Melemele disappeared on the horizon.

He'd explicitly told his friends to let their Ultra Guardian Pokemon rest so they wouldn't fly after them like they did the last time he had left the region.

It had been a touching gesture, but the aftermath of a lot of confused passengers hadn't been that fun and he did not want to have to go through that one again.

Part of him still wishes he hadn't, he already missed them again.

But he fully believed what he had told Goh, he knew this wasn't the last time they had seen each other.

Besides, he had to take up Professor Kukui on his offer.

Ash had highly underestimated and/or misremembered the jet lag between Kanto and Alola. When they finally landed in Vermilion, he felt ready to do nothing for the rest of the day and just collapse.

Of course it had all been worth it, though.

Especially when Goh suggested they'd go to Alola again sometime.

Chapter Text

Slowly, Goh opened his eyes.

Wow, his head hurt like shit. Why the hell was he lying on the ground?

He forced himself up to his knees, a sleeping Sobble falling off his shoulder in the process.

He looked at his surroundings and could not recognise the foggy forest he was in for the life of him. It wasn't the one near Vermilion, that was for sure.

"Where am I?", he wondered out loud.

And suddenly, everything came rushing back to him.

Ashs Dynamax Band glowing. Galar. The train. The fog. Bunnelby. The Slumbering Weald. That mysterious Pokemon.

Right. He still had no clue what that was about. His Rotom hadn't been able to recognise it, and neither his Pokeball nor Raboots attacks had been able to touch it.

Was the Pokemon the reason he got knocked out?

Maybe Ash knew…

Wait, Ash!

That finally woke him up fully. Goh stood up, and loudly yelled his soulmates name a few times, to no avail. If he had still been close by earlier, then he sure wasn't anymore now.

Goh had to get out of the habit of running after Pokemon on his own and just assuming Ash would follow him. Clearly, that has never worked.

He decided to walk around the forest, to try and see if he could find Ash that way, and told Raboot and Sobble to stay as close to him as he could. It really was extremely foggy, Goh could barely see his own hand in front of his eyes.

There was still no sign of Ash, or any reply to his shouting for that matter.

Then, he tried to see if he could feel his soulmates Aura close by. He hadn't found much time to train as he would like, but from the few chances he has gotten to test it out with Lu, he knew he had been getting a bit better at it.

Still, no luck.

Goh decided to try calling him, but after five rings it became pretty clear that wouldn't work either.

Goh sighed. "Guess I shouldn't have expected him to answer the phone…"

Maybe Lu could pin down their Auras? But they hadn't heard Gohs shouting, then they'd probably walked too far away from each other for that as well…

His search got interrupted by a train whistle making a very obnoxiously loud noise.

Oh, fuck, their train!

Goh ran out of the Slumbering Weald as fast as his feet would take him, and he was a pretty decent runner, but clearly not fast enough to catch up to a train, as he ended up looking after the vehicle dumbfoundedly as it left.

Great. Perfect. So now Goh did not only have no clue where Ash was, he was also stranded in the middle of nowhere, in a region he wasn't familiar with, next to the creepiest woods known to man.

Maybe they could try walking down the tracks? What other option did he have, really? He hadn't thought to bring Flygon or Aerodactyl with him.

Just like the real train, he also lost his train of thought when he saw some weird lights in the sky.

"What are those…?", he mumbled. "They look like the light you see during Dynamax."

Right as the thought had left his lips, a car stopped right next to Goh, scaring the shit out of him and Sobble.

How had he not heard it approach? Wait, was it even legal to drive a car here?! It didn't seem safe for sure.

A woman with orange hair leaned herself out of the drivers seat, holding up a pair of binoculars and looking up to the lights in the sky.

"Oh dear, even out here?", she asked.

… Hey, wait a minute, Goh knew her!

Both Goh and the woman pointed at each other and yelled.

"You're Sonia!", Goh said.

"You're Goh!", Sonia said.

"What are you doing here?", Goh asked her.

"I'm investigating.", Sonia replied, vaguely gesturing upwards. "What are you doing here, we're in the middle of nowhere."

Goh sheepishly scratched his cheek. "I was trying to do the same but I ended up getting seperated from Ash in the woods and then missed our train…", he admitted.

Sonia gave him a sympathetic look.

"So, since you're investigating these", Goh said, looking up to the lights, "does that mean they're related to the legend you said you were researching?"

The woman nodded. "I'm sure of it. Something is making Dynamax Pokemon all over the region rampage, it's too similar to not be related."

Goh swallowed. He hadn't known this was making Pokemon rampage. This situation really was pretty serious.

"Say, since you're stranded here anyways", Sonia continued, "would you like to come along with me? I'd feel bad if I just left you here, if I'm honest."

Goh thought about it for a moment, but he didn't really have another option, did he? Pokemon being out of control because of this sounded horrifying, but someone had to do something against it. Besides, he would probably learn a lot more if he researched together with a Professors assistant. He felt resolved to see all of this through to the end.

Unprompted, he opened the door to the passengers seat, and waited until Raboot got in after him before closing the door.

"So, where are we going?", he asked.

"Turffield.", Sonia said as she properly sat down in the car as well. "There's a geoglyph depicting the legend close to the city, I wanna take a look at it."

Goh nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

Sonia started up the car, and Goh got out his Rotom phone to try calling Ash again, and once again having no luck.

With a sigh, Goh decided to open up his messaging app instead.

Their chat was pretty sad to look at, but that was because they never really had a reason to use it much, the two of them were pretty much always together.

It was only their brief exchange from when they had told their parents they were soulmates, and then a bunch of pictures of various of their Pokemon, mostly Pikachu, that Ash had taken on Gohs phone and then sent to himself.

Goh typed out a quick 'were r u?', for once not really caring about proper grammar.

The message did send, but Ash didn't reply. He didn't even read it, his status said he had last been online four days ago.

Goh sighed and put his phone away, right in time for the car to do a scary jump.

Wow, Sonias driving was shitty. She blamed it on the road, then the car, but with the intense look on her face and the way she was clinging to the wheel, Goh wasn't sure if that really was the issue.

He tried his best to ignore it, because his other option was still walking through the middle of nowhere.

They talked for a bit, mostly about everything Sonia had already found out about the legend, before Goh decided to once again try to call Ash.

He hadn't actually expected the other to pick up anymore at this point, but then…

"Hello? Goh? Where are you?"

"You picked up!", Goh shouted directly into the microphone. "Same to you, Ash, where are you?!"

With Leon, apparently. Doing his own part in helping with all of this by battling the rampaging Pokemon.

Of course he was. Ash had a heart of gold, he would never sit still if he saw a Pokemon in trouble, that was who he was, it was what made Ash… Ash.

They briefly talked about what they had been up to since they had gotten split up, filling each other in on their respective plans.

"Let's both do all we can for now, and meet up later!", Goh told him.

Ash agreed with a confident: "Okay!"

Somewhere in the background, Goh could vaguely hear Leons voice.

"Right!", Ash shouted back. "See ya later!"

"Hey, hold on", Goh tried, but Ash had already hung up before he could even finish the sentence.

He sighed. "Honestly…"

"Your friend, he's with Leon?", Sonia asked.

Goh nodded. "Yeah. That's what he said."

He continued to stare at his phone for a moment, the screen had turned off. It was completely black, except for his own reflection staring back at him. He shoved the device back in his pocket.

"If he's with Leon, he'll be fine.", Sonia said reassuringly.

"Oh, I know that.", Goh replied. "Ash would be perfectly fine even if he was on his own."

He turned to look out of the car window, up at the sky, where somewhere, his soulmate was flying on Dragonite and battling an out of control Pokemon.

"I guess I still just can't ever help but worry a little about him, anyways."

Ash followed Oleana with a highly uncomfortable feeling.

She paused in front of a room, and unceremoniously tossed him a keycard. "Yours.", she said briefly and concisely, before stomping away with heavy steps.

Rude, but with how pissed off the woman had been at him when Ash had rejected Roses offer to train under him, he had been surprised that she had agreed to show him the way to begin with. He would've expected her to throw him out, if anything.

Ash had to reject it though, he hadn't even needed to think about it much. Sure, getting help from some rich guy who had previously helped the current strongest trainer in the world sounded neat on paper, but that was all it was. An interesting idea in concept. In practice, it would mean he had less freedom to do what he wanted, and he wouldn't reach his goal with his own strength anymore.

That, and Ash hadn't missed the fact Pikachu didn't trust the guy.

When Rose had shaken Ashs hand, Pikachu had mumbled his own name angrily, and Ash had felt the sparks coming off his cheeks.

Ash hadn't really wanted to say no to a place to stay at and free food, not with Leon there, he wasn't that rude, he didn't want to seem like he knew anything, and he had been pretty hungry.

But if Pikachu didn't trust him, then neither did Ash. His judgement when it came to people tended to be very spot on.

He moved the keycard to the doors scanner to open it, and as he did so, he shared a brief but knowing glance with his buddy.

He didn't want to say anything out loud, he had no idea what kind of security measures the Rose Tower had, but it wasn't as though he needed to, Pikachu understood without any words.

Ash closed the door behind them once they had stepped in, and he and Pikachu proceeded to crash into the bed.

Oh god, it was so soft. Much more comfortable than Pokemon Center beds could ever hope to be.

Ash finally noticed how tired he was. His back hurt like shit from flying on Dragonite all day, he couldn't even begin to wonder how his Pokemon must feel.

What they had done today had been important, though. People and Pokemon both had been in danger, Ash couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He just hoped nothing happened overnight, but he and his Pokemon really did need some rest if they still wanted to be helpful. The softest bed known to man came perfectly in handy for that.

Another thought crossed his mind.

He sighed. "I wish Goh could be here, too.", Ash said out loud.

He really did.

This was a two person bedroom, there was another super soft and empty bed right next to him. And now that he took another closer look at the room, it looked very pretty and expensive. Goh would love it here.

Great, it had barely been a day and Ash already missed his soulmate.

He really needed to work on that if he wanted to live up to that speech he had given him in Alola.

Sure, he had gotten super used to having Goh around at all times, it would be weird to sleep without his Aura close by, he didn't like being uncertain about what and how he was doing at this exact moment, but Ash can survive that.

Though…

Ash straightened up, so he was sitting on the bed instead of lying down.

"Come to think of it, didn't he say we'd meet up later?"

Right at that moment, his phone started ringing, announcing an incoming call from Goh.

Huh, maybe he had been thinking about the same thing.

Ash quickly picked up. "Goh?"

"Hey, Ash.", Goh greeted back, a smile in his voice.

Goh told Ash about how he had ended up at Magnolias lab, and that he and Sonia were planning to go to the ruins in Stow-on-Side tomorrow.

"I see.", Ash replied, nodding even though he knew fully well Goh woulnd't be able to see it. "I'll come to those ruins too, then!"

"Yeah, we'll meet up there!"

"Sure!"

And that was it, really. The conversation was over. Ash didn't really feel like talking about the things he had witnessed today. For all intents and purposes, their conversation was over.

Neither of them hung up the call.

Pikachu gave his trainer a look, which went skilfully ignored.

When Ash woke up, he was feeling very groggy with no sense of what time it was, and having no idea when or how he had fallen asleep, but knowing it hadn't gone all that smoothly.

The bed felt nice, but Ash hadn't felt all that comfortable about going to sleep with how Pikachu hadn't trusted Rose, and his dreams hadn't been all too pleasant either, being about those poor out of control Pokemon.

At least past him had remembered to change out of his street clothes at some point.

Pikachu was still asleep, lucky him.

Absent mindedly, he reached for his phone.

It was still on the call end screen, the timer said it had lasted almost 6 hours, the connection must have been cut off at some point.

The date read March 15th, so at least he had slept into the next day.

The time read 5:53 am, a less pleasant sight, but he might as well get on with his day if he was already awake.

Apparently, Goh had texted him yesterday and Ash had never noticed it, oops. Well, it wasn't like he needed to reply anymore now.

His phone barely had any battery left, and Ash quietly apologized to Rotom for forgetting.

Technically, no one had allowed him to use the electricity sockets, but Ash did not feel an ounce of remorse as he plugged in his charger, letting his phone charge as he did his usual morning routine.

When he was done with that, he woke up Pikachu, feeling pretty guilty about it, left the keycard lying on the desk, and walked out of Rose Tower without eating breakfast or even being noticed by anyone.

He wished he could've at least said goodbye to Leon, but Ash had no idea where the champions room even was, and he didn't want to risk being spotted by anyone else. He very much didn't want to spend another minute in that building.

Ash reached for Dragonites Pokeball, recalling her out of it.

"Good morning, girl.", he greeted her with a pet on the head, to which she responded with a quick hug. "You ready to get back into action?"

The Pokemon nodded confidently, and with that, they went on their way to Stow-on-Side. Since they had skipped breakfast, he shared some granola bars he still had in his backpack with Pikachu and Dragonite.

It was kind of hard to tell where exactly they had to go from up in the air, but Ash had looked up the way multiple times, still double checking on his Rotom phone a couple times, and was fairly confident it was at least the right direction.

It didn't really matter anymore though, as his journey got cut short by Goh calling him again.

"Ash, where are you?", Goh asked.

"On the way to Stow-on-Side.", Ash told him.

"Sorry, we aren't there anymore."

"Huh?", Ash said confused. "Oh, Dragonite, stop!"

She startled for a moment, but then she did stop, continuing to stay up in the air on the same spot.

"Hey, Ash…", Goh continued, "When we got split up in the Slumbering Weald, did you happen to meet a strange Pokemon?"

With all that had been going on, Ash had almost forgotten about that.

"Oh, I did! How did you know that?"

"I saw one too. It looked like this?"

Ash took away the Rotom phone from his ear to look at the image Goh had sent him.

His eyes widened. It did look really close to the Pokemon he had seen. "Yeah, just like that!", he confirmed. Seriously, how did Goh find that out?

"Their names are Zacian and Zamazenta."

"Zacian? Zamazenta?", Ash repeated the names.

Goh went on to explain how the Pokemon were linked to the legend of the hero, how they had helped quell a Pokemon called the Darkest Day together with not one but two legendary heroes.

He and Sonia had really done their homework.

Apparently, the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon were linked to the Darkest Day. The creature that had brought disaster over Galar had been restored.

This was bad, really bad. They had to do something, fast.

Just as Goh finished his explanation, Ash and his Pokemon were hit by an extremely strong gust of wind.

Ash looked in the direction where it had come from to see if anything had caused it, and he immediately got hit by a sinking feeling in his stomach.

There was a bright light in the sky, exactly like the one that showed up during Dynamax, the one that had made Pokemon rampage yesterday.

Ash let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?", Goh asked.

"There's this red light…", Ash tried explaining.

"Where's it coming from?"

"Um…" Ash held his phone in the direction where the light was. "Rotom, where is that?"

"Hammerlocke", it answered.

"The Darkest Day might be there, then.", Goh stated.

Ash swallowed, he felt a bead of sweat running down his head. "If Pokemon are exposed to that light, they'll start rampaging again!"

He couldn't let that happen.

"I have to do something, Goh!"

Goh didn't try to talk him out of it.

"Got it!", he said. "I'll go search for Zacian and Zamazenta! Let's talk later!"

"Okay!", Ash agreed, before hanging up and turning towards Dragonite with a smirk.

"Dragonite, let's go!"

His Pokemon replied with a happy shout, before flying right in the direction of the danger zone.

They got to Hammerlocke surprisingly quickly, Dragonite was clearly doing her best to fly as fast as she could, Ash had to remember to make it up to her later. Once they were there, it wasn't hard to miss the giant tower in the middle of the city, where an explosion had just gone off.

Two people and a Wobbuffet came running out of the new opening, screaming.

Hey, wait a minute. He knew who that was.

"Team Rocket?", Ash shouted surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Of course he had known they were stupid, but he hadn't thought they were this stupid.

"The twerp?!", the two criminals yelled back, before something else followed them out of the hole in the wall.

No way, was that… "Meowth?"

"This weird light hit him and he went crazy!", James told him.

"The strongest and evilest Pokemon's to blame!", Jessie continued the explanation. "Go do something about it!"

And with that, they ran away once again.

Ash ignored them.

He did feel bad for Meowth, he was just another Pokemon that had unwillingly been hit by those lights and forced to Dynamax - no, Gigantamax, actually, he looked different. Nevertheless, he had other priorities, he could deal with Meowth later.

"It really… was in there…", he said to himself, staring right into the building.

And then, he saw it.

The Darkest Day.

Goh watched in horror as the live news footage of Hammerlocke on Sonias phone froze.

That Pokemon, it had to be the Darkest Day.

And Ash was already right there in the danger zone.

They had to find Zacian and Zamazenta, and fast.

Goh couldn't bear the thought of his soulmate going through this fight alone, he just had to help him.

"Come on! Zacian! Zamazenta!", Goh yelled into the silence of the Slumbering Weald, Sonia joining in with a brief explanation on what was happening.

He heard a mysterious noise, and the legendary Pokemon stepped out from behind the trees.

And as soon as they had shown up, they walked off again. Goh and Sonia tried following them, but they vanished into the fog.

Raboot didn't let that stop her, continuing to run straight ahead, where they came across some sort of an altar.

Goh spotted something lying on the ground right in front of it.

He bent down, brushed away some leafs, and found a sword and a shield underneath them.

Was that what Zacian and Zamzenta wanted to show them?

"The sword and shield from the legend?", Sonia wondered.

Goh nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they must be."

Without having to think much about it, Goh picked them up.

It wasn't Zacian and Zamazenta themselves, but it was better than nothing.

"What're you doing?", Sonia asked him.

"If the sword and shield belong to Zacian and Zamazenta, they may have some hidden powers.", Goh explained, as he strapped the objects to his backpack.

He swung it back over his shoulder as he stood up.

"I get it.", Sonia said. "Maybe they can help us stop the Darkest Day."

Goh turned to look at the woman with a serious expression on his face. "Let's hurry to Hammerlocke!"

She nodded determinedly.

They rushed out of the Slumbering Weald, and hopped into Sonias car.

The womans driving was as stomach-churning as always, and Goh was sure she was breaking several traffic laws with the speed she was driving and with how many red lights she was ignoring.

Not that there was anyone around to see it. There were giant Pokemon rampaging and the sky had turned completely red. The only people outside instead of being somewhere safe were either news reporters who definitely didn't get paid enough for that shit or crazy, they themselves fitting into the latter category.

Sonia had manifested a sandwich out of nowhere and handed it to Goh, insisting he couldn't save the region on an empty stomach. Goh barely tasted the food, and he couldn't even force himself to swallow half of it.

When they got to the stadium, it was blocked off by several people and a gate, but Sonia didn't let that stop her, and she drove through them. Yup, crazy for sure.

"Get moving, Goh!", Sonia told him.

Goh tried to protest. "But-"

"I'll be fine.", she assured him. "Get in there and help Ash!"

He still hated leaving her alone, but when she put it like that, she was right.

"Right.", he said with a nod, before opening the cars door.

"Raboot, let's go!"

With that, he ran into the building, his Pokemon right behind him.

He tried heading straight for the stairs, but of course it couldn't have been that easy.

"Oh, it's you.", the woman standing in his way said condescendingly, sounding almost bored. "That boy playing at solving riddles with Magnolias granddaughter."

How did she…

"Something wrong with that?", he challenged the woman, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was feeling.

She turned her head away from him, closing her eyes. "This will not do at all. I cannot have you disturbing Chairman Rose."

Chairman Rose? The guy who sponsors Leon?

"I'm just here to stop the Darkest Day threatening Galar-", Goh tried to explain himself, but before he could, the woman shouted angrily, a scary look on her face.

"That's disturbing him!", she yelled, sending out a Milotic.

"The Darkest Day… No, Eternatus. How much time and money do you think Chairman Rose has spent to revive it?", she asked.

Goh couldn't believe his ears, his resolve to hide his emotions crumbling slightly as he involuntarily let out a gasp.

"So you were the ones trying to catch us!", he accused her.

The woman looked at him blankly. "As his secretary, Chairman Roses dream is also my dream." Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward. "And I won't let anyone disturb him!"

One of the most influential and richest people in the entire region was responsible for this entire mess. Fan-fucking-tastic, though that did explain a lot of things.

If she truly believed Goh would let her get through with this, then she was dead wrong.

"Raboot, here we go!"

They were at an obvious disadvantage, fighting against a water type using a fire move, but Raboot made two things clear to her trainer: she wanted to finish this, and she wanted to finish this with Ember, the move they had made together.

The building shook, that had to be Eternatuses doing.

Goh could feel a burst of Aura coming from further up the building, that had to be Ash battling with Ri.

He didn't let either of those things distract him from his own battle, as he looked around the room, trying to think of a strategy.

There wasn't really anything in this room they could utilize though, it was pretty much empty, it only had walls and a pretty high up ceiling…

Wait, that was it!

"Raboot, attack from an angle!", he told his Pokemon. "Use the walls and ceiling!"

Raboot threw him a confused look.

"It'll be fine!", Goh assured her. "Let's win this together!"

Raboot had a much easier time finding openings to hit Milotic this way, shooting Ember after Ember, before…

Gohs eyes widened as Raboot started glowing, her body changing, growing.

"Raboot… evolved.", he said to himself in disbelief, adding an excited "Awesome!" when he processed that this had actually just happened.

Quickly, Goh pulled out his Rotom phone to see her new Pokedex entry. He felt a slight pang of sadness as he realized she didn't know Ember anymore, the move they had worked so hard on and that had been their go-to, but maybe that was better for the situation they were in right now.

"Cinderace, Pyro Ball!", Goh shouted.

And with that last attack, Milotic fainted.

Chairman Roses secretary angrily mumbled insults that went completely ignored.

Goh excitedly ran up to his Pokemon. "You did it, Cinderace!"

Cinderace flipped her body around so she was standing on her arms, holding out a foot for a high five, that Goh all too happily reciprocated.

Then, she threw her arms around him into a hug, as they both happily jumped up and down a few times.

It was weird, she was close to his height now, and clearly her personality had changed again. Goh found he didn't mind one bit, he was sure they would figure everything out again, they had managed to before.

For now though…

He let go of Cinderace.

"Ash, we'll be right there!"

Ash was impatiently tapping his foot, he hated standing still more than anything currently.

He had to get to the top of the building to help Leon with Eternatus five minutes ago, but the only way up there was the slowest elevator known to man. He would've paid to be able to run up the stairs, but there weren't any that lead to the very top. And since Dragonite had to rest, his only way to get up was the slowest elevator known to man.

Who made a building without stairs? What would happen if there was a blackout? Or a fire? This couldn't be legal. The Rose Tower had been the same. Arceus, how had no one realized that man was unhinged when he was approving buildings like this.

A paw lightly touched the side of his arm, and Ash turned to look at Ri. The Pokemon could probably sense how antsy Ash was feeling.

"Cario!", he said with a determined smile.

Ash smiled back.

It was still weird to see him as a Lucario, Ash really hadn't anticipated he would evolve this soon, but the reassuring gesture worked nonetheless.

Finally, after what felt like forever but couldn't have been more than a minute, the elevator door opened.

Ash and Ri immediately ran out, and then, ironically, up a few steps of stairs.

Leon and his Charizard were right there, and so was Eternatus, involved in a battle with them, the champion seemingly being in perfect control of it.

Ash felt super relieved, and Leon was glad about the news that they had beaten Chairman Rose as well.

Then, Ash could hear a very familiar voice behind him.

"Hey, Ash!"

Ash turned around with a smile on his face.

"Goh!"

A sense of relief washed over him, it was great to see Goh okay after all of that chaos.

Before he could voice any of that, he got distracted by the fact Raboo- no, Cinderace had evolved, gushing about it, Goh in turn doing the same about Ri being a Lucario now.

The two of them shared a fistbump, before turning back to the situation at hand.

Leon had been very confident that he would be able to stop Eternatus, and Ash had believed in him as well. If anyone would be able to stop it, who else but the strongest trainer in the world?

He didn't.

Eternatus broke out of the Ultra Ball Leon had tried to catch it with, and all three of them were blown away and crashed against the wall from the surge of energy coming off of it.

Ash couldn't tell if it was Aura. It felt like it, but at the same time, it didn't. Something about this Pokemon was just so… off.

For a moment, Ash couldn't see anything, the light coming from Eternatuses direction was blinding.

He focused on helping out Leon, who had gotten hit the worst trying to protect them, by supporting his back.

Once the light disappeared, Ash looked up, the sinking feeling in his stomach having fully returned.

The first thing he noticed was… Ash grit his teeth. "The sky!"

It had turned completely purple, the same way it appeared when a Pokemon dynamaxed.

Because Eternatus had, it had turned absolutely gigantic, even compared to how big it already had been.

"Is this Eternatus?!", Goh asked, very much hysterically, fear in his tone.

"Eternatus has gotten way bigger than it was!", Ash yelled, as though it wasn't obvious to everyone currently looking at it.

Leon mumbled something about final forms, told them to run, before passing out completely.

"Leon!", Ash shouted the champions name, never receiving a response.

The strongest trainer in the world had lost consciousness trying to fight off that… that thing.

Ash took a deep breath before he could let himself spiral down.

He wished he could say he didn't know what to do, but he knew exactly what it was. It was the one option he saw, and it wasn't running away. They couldn't possibly leave Eternatus to do even more damage than it already had.

With how many world ending catastrophes Ash had witnessed one might think he was used to it, but he wasn't. He would never get used to the dread it made him feel.

Ash looked at Goh, his soulmate, the person he had come to love.

His Aura felt all over the place, but despite that, Goh returned a determined look.

Ash didn't need to ask to know he shared his opinion.

They were going to stay, they were going to fight, and they were going to protect Galar.

Goh knew the only reason he was still able to keep going was the sheer amount of adrenaline in his body.

Cinderace, Pikachu and Ri were without a doubt the strongest Pokemon Ash and he had with them, and their attacks hadn't managed to leave a scratch on Eternatus.

He stumbled backwards. "It didn't work?!", he said, not failing to notice how scared he sounded even to his own ears.

Goh thought about the first time he had fought together with Ash like this, the rogue Dreadnaw in Wyndon when they had first watched Leon battle.

That situation had felt so overwhelming back then, oh how he wished he could go back.

Fighting together with Ash had been empowering, but right now, he couldn't feel more helpless.

Ash shouted for their Pokemon to try using their attacks again.

Goh admired his determination to keep going, Ash really was amazing, though Goh could sense he wasn't unphased by this situation either.

Thunderbolt, Aura Sphere and Pyro Ball clashed together, causing an explosion right on Eternatuses body.

Once again, the giant Pokemon was completely unphased by it, using an attack that consisted of multiple beams, causing another explosion that almost made Ash and Goh fly off the building.

When Goh looked back, their Pokemon were all down, they looked terrible. He shouted Cinderaces name, feeling tears in the corners of his eyes.

What the fuck were they supposed to do?!

Giving up was not an option, no matter how terrified Goh was, he knew they had to do something, but what?!

"Fuck, it's too powerful!"

And right as he said that, he noticed the sword and shield lying on the ground, he must have dropped them after Eternatuses attack.

But more importantly, they were glowing for a short moment, before returning to normal.

Goh gasped, reaching out to grab the shield.

"Did these…" , he drifted off.

"... just glow?", Ash finished the question.

So, Goh hadn't imagined it.

"What are these?", the other teen asked, inspecting the sword.

"I found them in the Slumbering Weald.", Goh explained.

Ash looked at the rusted objects in awe. "Could they be… the legendary sword and shield?"

Goh nodded. "That's what we assumed, too."

Their discussion got interrupted by Eternatus attacking them, though this time they both managed to dodge it by rolling out of the way.

In the distance, Goh heard Sonia shout their names. Frankly, he had no idea when she had gotten here, but it was nice to know she was alright.

He never responded to her, too distracted by the fact the shield was glowing again.

That was it.

This was what they could do.

Goh grinned.

"Well, then…", he said while standing up, "I guess we just gotta become the legend, yeah?!"

Ash was on board immediately. "You got that right!", he agreed.

Goh held the shield up towards the sky, Ash doing the same with the sword.

"Come on, Eternatus!", they both shouted at the same time.

"We will protect…"

"... Galars people and Pokemon!"

They were once again completely blinded by a bright light, though this time, it wasn't Eternatus who was responsible for it.

When Goh opened his eyes again, Zacian and Zamazenta themselves were in front of them, transforming with the help of the sword and shield, ready to fight by their side.

Even their own Pokemon seemed to have recovered from the attack earlier, as all three of them managed to stand up again.

They… they actually had a chance of stopping Eternatus like this, didn't they?

Fighting side by side with his soulmate now did feel empowering again, as their Pokemons combined attacks actually managed to hit Eternatus this time.

Zacian and Zamazenta charged in one last time, before the Darkest Day fell out of the sky, crashing into the gym building.

"We did it!", Ash cheered.

Goh didn't agree, they weren't done yet. Leon had tried catching it earlier to stop it and it hadn't worked, but…

"Maybe…", he grabbed an empty Pokeball out of the pocket of his shirt, "we can catch it now?"

Just as he finished that sentence, the Pokeball started to grow. There still had to be a ton of Dynamax energy around from Eternatus and Rose messing with it.

The sudden weight in his arms made his balance stumble, and he definitely would've dropped the Pokeball if Ash hadn't grabbed onto its other side.

They threw it together, Eternatus went inside, and never broke out.

It was over.

The fact Goh had just caught a legendary Pokemon didn't hit him until his Rotom phone announced it.

He shared a look of disbelief with Ash, before cheering over it.

Zacian and Zamazenta left before they could thank them, which Goh found very unfortunate. But on the plus side, as soon as they had disappeared, the clouds on the sky finally cleared up again, showing the stars.

Was it really that late already? It had been…very hard to tell.

"The black clouds are gone.", Ash pointed out.

"Yeah. Just like in the legend."

The sword and shield came floating back down into their hands. They'd probably have to bring these back to where Goh had gotten them from.

"Thank you, everyone.", Leons voice spoke up from behind them.

"Leon!", Ash said the champions name, a mix of happiness and relief in his tone.

Goh couldn't agree more. The man still looked pretty beat up, and Sonia still had to support his body, but at least he was on his feet again.

"You have saved Galar.", Leon continued.

"You two really were incredible!", Sonia added.

"You are the legendary heroes!"

Goh didn't have to look at Ash to know they were thinking the same.

"No, it wasn't us.", he said.

"It was Zacian and Zamazenta!", Ash finished the explanation.

Leon and Sonia gave them surprised looks, but smiled after a moment.

Goh held out the shield in a motion reminiscent of a high five, but Ash had other plans.

Instead of returning the gesture, he threw his arms around Goh.

Goh startled for a moment, not having seen that coming, but he quickly eased into it and returned the hug with a soft smile.

It was nice, really nice, especially after being so unsure about how Ash was doing earlier today.

Goh really wasn't a touchy person usually, but there was something about his soulmate that changed that fact. It was different when it came to him, like a lot of things seemed to be.

"I'm glad you're okay, Goh.", Ash quietly mumbled into the others shoulder.

"Yeah.", Goh agreed. "Me too."

Ash wouldn't have minded not letting go of Goh for a little while longer, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off he was starting to feel a bit tired, and he was horribly aware of the fact Leon and Sonia were still looking at them.

They made their way down to the first floor, and one of the absolute last people Ash would've expected to see here was waiting for them.

He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, but his posture relaxed as soon as he spotted them.

"Yo, you look like shit.", the man said to Leon in lieu of a greeting.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Hello to you too, asshole."

Ash simply gaped. "Raihan?!"

Raihan grinned. "The one and only!"

"What are you doing here?", Goh asked.

"Well, this is my gym, you know.", the gym leader pointed out.

"IT IS?", Ash shouted.

Ash looked around the place again. He'd known it was a gym, he hadn't realized it was the gym of the 7th strongest trainer in the world. The building had an entirely different feel to it now, though not having stairs was still stupid.

"And you're the kid who yelled at Leon during our last battle, aren't you?", Raihan asked.

Ash smiled at him. "Yep, that's me!"

"He also helped save the region more than I did, really.", Leon threw in, to which Raihans expression shifted to impressed. "I think he's coming for your place in the Masters Eight, so you better watch out."

Raihan chuckled. "I look forward to that battle when the time comes, then."

Ash giggled awkwardly and rubbed the spot under his nose, feeling a little embarrassed at those two talking this highly about him.

"Hey, wait a minute.", Sonia interrupted their conversation. "Raihan, didn't you say you were gonna help stop the rampaging Pokemon? Why are you still here?"

He nodded. "I was doing that", Raihan explained. "But everything turned back to normal as soon as you stopped whatever that thing on my roof was and all the Pokemon are fine, so I thought I'd check by here again to see how you were doing."

The rest of the group let out a collective sigh of relief. Ash had figured that catching Eternatus would help the Pokemon, but it was still good to know they're okay.

Raihan, on the other hand, skeptically inspected Leon again. "You really don't look great, Lee."

"I… may have passed out for a while earlier.", Leon admitted sheepishly. "I'll get it checked out by a doctor tomorrow."

Raihan sighed. "Your self preservation skills are truly immaculate.", he mumbled to himself, before continuing louder: "No, Leon, not tomorrow. We're going now."

"Isn't it kinda late fo- wait, we?"

"The hospital won't care how late it is."

"Rai, it really isn't that bad."

"I'll let a professional be the judge of that."

Leon still didn't seem happy about the idea, but begrudgingly let Raihan have his way as he carefully took Leons arm over his shoulder and Sonia let go of him.

"Aww, it's almost like you care about me.", Leon teased.

"Of course I care.", Raihan replied simply. "I can't beat your ass if you don't have an ass to beat."

"Well, in your dreams, maybe."

And with that, the two of them slowly left the building, still bickering about which one of them is the stronger trainer.

"Wow, they're really really dedicated to that rivalry aren't they?", Goh wondered out loud.

Ash nodded absent mindedly, still looking in the direction the two men had disappeared into. It felt a bit weird to see two of the strongest trainers in the world act this casually.

Sonia gave them an incredulous look. "Wait, is that what you-", she broke her own sentence off with a laugh.

Both teens frowned at her. "Huh?"

"No, no, nevermind.", she waved it off. "I'll bring Eternatus to my grandma, do you two need a ride?"

Ash smiled gratefully, and opened his mouth to accept her offer, but was cut off by a panicking Goh.

"N- no, no, it's okay.", he stuttered. "We're good, really."

Sonia pouted, clearly offended.

"It- it's not because of you!", Goh was quick to clarify. "I just…", he rubbed his arm, "this was a lot, I think I need a moment to myself."

Sonias expression eased to an understanding smile. "Alright, I get that. I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah, we'll see each other again sometime for sure!", Goh agreed.

Then, the teen grabbed Ashs hand and walked towards the exit, dragging his soulmate behind him.

Ash ignored the way his heart skipped a beat in favor of asking: "Um… didn't you say you needed time alone?"

"That doesn't exclude you.", Goh said as though that was obvious, not stopping.

As soon as they were out of Sonias earshot though, Ash tightened his hold on Gohs hand, making the other pause and turn around.

"Seriously, are you okay?", Ash asked, genuinely feeling concerned about his friend.

His Aura felt fine, in contrast to earlier, but it didn't hurt to ask anyways, maybe Ash was missing something.

Goh sighed, not completely making eye contact. "Yeah…"

Ash gave him a look.

"I mean, what happened was… a lot.", Goh admitted. "But… I guess I'm just glad it's over and we made it out, you know?", he shrugged.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Then why did we say no to Sonia giving us a ride?"

Goh shuddered. "If you had been there to experience her driving earlier, you would've said no as well."

That made Ash laugh, not having expected that answer at all. "It couldn't've been that bad."

"Whatever you're imagining? It was worse.", Goh replied deadpan.

With a softer expression, he added: "Are you, though? Okay, I mean."

Ash found himself smiling back, that simple question somehow making him feel so many emotions. "Yeah.", he said. "Pretty much the same as you, really. I'm happy it's over."

Goh hummed. "Some peace and quiet does actually sound nice right now, though."

It wouldn't have been his first move after all that chaos, but if Goh wanted a moment to calm down, Ash wouldn't object to that.

"Do you wanna look for a good spot together?", he asked.

Goh nodded. "Let's do that."

He let go of Ashs hand as he took the first step, and Ash found himself already missing the contact.

For a while, they aimlessly wandered around Hammerlocke.

The city was extremely quiet, not only because it was pretty late but also because most of them must have evacuated at some point, or at least locked themselves up somewhere safe.

Usually, Goh would find this spooky.

Currently, it seemed peaceful.

It was nice to see some of what they had fought so hard to protect.

Goh had let Sobble and Lu out of their Pokeballs, and the two of them spent a moment just excitedly looking at Cinderace and Ri.

That thought made him frown.

"Wait, do we even need the nicknames anymore?", he asked out loud. "You can't really confuse Riolu and Lucario with each other."

Ash hummed. "What if Lu evolves?", he argued.

"Oh, huh. I hadn't thought of that.", Goh admitted.

"Besides, I think we've all gotten way too used to it by now. Right guys?"

He directed the last question to the Pokemon, none of which had been paying attention to their conversation.

Lu was busy jumping up and down in front of Ri and Cinderace, holding her hand above her head like she was trying to compare heights, but unable to even reach anyone else, eventually giving up with an annoyed huff.

Ash snorted. "I think she doesn't like that they're both that much taller than her now."

"Yeah, looks like it.", Goh agreed, feeling equally amused. "Too bad you can't relate."

Any and all humor disappeared from Ash face, replaced by an offended look directed towards Goh. "Oh come on! Why?! That was so unnecessary!"

Goh laughed. "No, I think it was completely necessary."

This earned him full view of Ashs tongue, and Goh stuck out his own in return.

"Y'know", Goh said, more seriously, "I'm pretty sure I felt it when Ri evolved."

Ash gaped, and stopped walking. "Wait really?!", he asked incredulously. "Like, all the way on the first floor of the building? We were pretty far up."

"Uh, yeah.", Goh replied, pausing as well, suddenly feeling embarrassed about Ashs reaction. "I think so, at least? I wasn't paying much attention to it in the moment, but I felt a surge of a really powerful Aura, so looking back it would make sense if that was when he evolved."

Ash nodded excitedly. "Yeah there was a bunch of Aura around him when he evolved, but… all that way?! That's just… wow!"

He flung his arm around Gohs shoulder, pulling the other teen closer to himself. "See, I knew you were getting better at it! Good for you, Goh!"

Goh softly smiled to himself, overwhelmed with emotion. "Yeah… thanks, Ash."

They ended up sitting side by side on a staircase that led down to the river that crossed the city, their Pokemon messing around a bit ahead of them.

It sure wasn't Melemeles ocean, or even Vermilions for that matter, but Goh found watching the water pretty calming nontheless.

He couldn't help but throw a glance at Ash every now and then, though.

Goh knew that calm and quiet like this wasn't Ashs style, even after all of that chaos he probably had some energy left in him, that was just who he is.

Yet, he had still come along.

Because Goh had asked him to.

He was already sitting pretty close to Ash due to the lack of space on the stairs, and still found himself wishing to close the distance.

Then, he realized he could just do that. Ash was the touchy one out of them, he wouldn't push him away.

Goh leaned into Ashs side, and when Ash immediately did the same without commenting on it, Goh felt his heart do a somersault up his throat.

It was a bit silly.

There was absolutely nothing special about this moment.

It hadn't been when Goh went to sleep last night, and missed feeling Ash close by. It hadn't been when they ran into each other again, and Goh had felt like he could cry.

It hadn't been when they were close to losing it all, and it hadn't been when they had won by fighting side by side.

They were literally just sitting there together, in complete silence, though maybe that was what made it so special.

Maybe that was what finally made Goh realize something he had probably known for a while, and had just been scared to admit.

This... right now was the perfect moment to just say it, wasn't it?

Goh leaned away from Ash to be able to look at him, he had to see his face for this.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Hm?"

Ash turned to look at Goh as well, a questioning smile on his face.

Goh closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself.

Three words, that was all he had to say.

It was scary, sure, but not scarier than Eternatus.

It was his soulmate, they'd talked about this before.

He could do this.

Goh opened his eyes again and gave Ash a soft smile.

"I love you."

Ashs eyes widening was the only indication that he had heard Gohs quiet confession.

A lot of emotions flashed across his expression, too many for Goh to be able to make any of them out, before he eased into returning a soft smile.

"I love you, too."

"I- I mean, like, romantically.", Goh felt the need to clarify.

Ash laughed, and Goh finally felt the heat he had expected to come with this conversation creep all the way up to the back of his ears.

"Yes, Goh. I do understand the implications of my soulmate telling me he loves me.", Ash teased.

"I just... just w- wanted to make sure.", Goh stammered out. "If you'd told me I'm a great friend or something I would have died on the spot."

Ash laughed again, and against his better judgment, Goh found himself laughing along.

"When did you realize?", his soulmate asked.

"Just now, honestly.", Goh admitted. "Though I think it'd be a lie if I said I had never thought about it before."

Ash only hummed in response, which made Goh pause.

"Wait, when did you realize?"

"Remember when I was all sad about losing to Bea that first time so you dragged me out to Hoenn and fought Fly-"

Goh gaped. "But... that was forever ago!"

Ash chuckled, not even seeming to mind the fact he was interrupted. "Goh, it's been, like, three weeks at most."

"Exactly!", Goh retorted. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Ash helplessly shrugged. "I... thought about it.", he confessed, now sounding a little awkward. "But, I don't know, I guess it never felt right? This, though?" He gestured to everything around them. "This felt right."

Goh nodded softly. "Yeah, it did."

"Can't believe you beat me to it, though.", Ash added with a pout. "I was gonna say it "

"I'm sure you're gonna have the chance to beat me to other things.", Goh reassured him with a pat on the shoulder.

"Like what?", Ash asked. "Proposing?"

Goh blushed and hid his face in his hands with a groan. "I- I meant more like a first date or k- kiss? Not... that! That's a bit quick, we're 15."

"I mean, you are my soulmate, I doubt I'm ever gonna find anyone I'd rather marry, so...", Ash said, drifting off. "Y'know, you're cute when you're embarrassed and I'm glad I can finally tell you that." He paused. "Wait, I can, right?"

Goh spread out his fingers to be able to peek through them. It was a bit relieving to see that Ash seemed pretty flustered too and wasn't completely unaffected by this.

"You... mean that?", Goh asked hesitantly.

"Which one?"

"I dunno, both?"

"I... yeah. I do."

Goh smiled, and moved his hands away from his face, instead wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Do you remember the day we first realized we were soulmates? When you told me you were glad it was me, and I said it back."

Ash nodded. "Yeah. I don't think I'm ever gonna forget."

"This kinda reminds me of then. Just with... more, I guess.", Goh said. "My point still stands, by the way. I'm still glad it was you after all. I used to be scared that I'd feel pressured to get along with a person the universe chose for me, but now it feels more like someone knew we'd get along and decided to let us know early."

At that, Ash just stared at him for a moment, opening and closing his mouth a few times as though he didn't know what to say, before finally settling on: "I love you."

Goh wanted to laugh because Ash looked absolutely ridiculous, but he couldn't, because hearing him casually say that really did things to him.

"You... already said that.", Goh stupidly pointed out instead.

"I know! But I do! It's just-", Ash cut himself off. "No, don't let me ramble, I'm actually gonna make this super embarrassing."

"No, no, go on, I insist!", Goh retorted. He absolutely had to hear whatever Ash wanted to say, even if it would end with both of them dying inside.

"Okay. Okay, let's do this." Ash took a deep breath.

"Your strategy to beat Flygon? That was just super impressive. And then when you said you got it from me? I don't know, it was touching. It helped me a lot. You managed to say I was being stupid without outright telling me I was stupid."

"I didn't mean-"

Ash held up a finger to Gohs face, effectively cutting him off.

"Nope, no interruptions, okay?", he said, amusement glimmering in his eyes.

Goh was quick to shut his mouth and silently nodded.

"You're just... amazing, Goh.", Ash continued. "I feel like I say that plenty but it's true. You're super smart and have a super ambitious goal that you work hard towards. People call me crazy for my dream, but you? You're crazy along with me. It's both nice and still super surreal to have someone who understands when I bring up Aura. And just-", he ended with a groan, clearly not knowing how to continue spilling his feelings out loud.

Not that he had to, Goh clearly understood the message by now.

"You... love me?", he supplied quietly, sounding more like a question than he had meant it to, his voice little more than a breath. For some reason, saying it this way around made it set in even harder.

Goh really had just confessed to his soulmate, and his feelings were completely reciprocated.

"I do.", Ash confirmed quietly.

"You're amazing too, you know.", Goh pointed out. "You look danger in the eye without blinking even if you are scared. You're super kind to both people and Pokemon. And the way you battle is just... mesmerizing. I mean, you're the fucking Alola champion? Hello? I'm still not over that."

Ash laughed happily, and Gohs face started to hurt from how much he was smiling.

"You love me.", Ash stated.

It wasn't a question, but Goh nodded anyways, feeling too choked up to dare replying verbally.

"What... are we now?", he asked instead. "Boyfriends? Partners? Are we dating? I... don't wanna assume anything."

Ash shrugged. "Soulmates.", he supplied. And they were, weren't they?

They really were.

"I mean, if you wanna use a different word you can, but we don't really have to, do we?"

Goh huffed. "No, I guess not."

Ash took Gohs left arm and lightly traced the outline of the Pikachu soulmark on it. Goh felt his breath hitch. He had no clue why it felt so intimate, Ash was barely touching him, but it did.

The moment was over pretty quick.

"Incoming Call from Professor Cerise! Incoming Call from Professor Cerise!", Gohs Rotom phone announced.

With a sigh, Goh reached for his phone. Maybe it was a bit of a miracle they had went uninterrupted for this long.

"I think we made international news.", Ash joked.

"I really don't want to answer.", Goh admitted. "But that'd probably only dig our grave deeper."

"It's okay, I got it." Without waiting for a reply, he plucked Gohs phone out of his hand and answered the call.

"Good evening Professor! Or, uh, I think it's morning for you? Good morning Pro-", he cut off his greeting, most likely because Professor Cerise had interrupted him.

"Oh, Goh's with me! ... No, yeah that was us." He grimaced. "I guess that really wouldn't be fun news to wake up to."

Goh gestured from the phone, to his ears, then back to the phone. Ash frowned at him, before understanding what he meant and switching the call to speaker.

As soon as he did, a crunchy blowing noise came out of the device, which Goh could only assume was Professor Cerise sighing directly into the microphone.

"Are you two alright, though? Are you safe now?", the man asked them. Goh felt a bit bad for worrying him like this, but it had been the right choice, he knew that.

"Yeah, we're okay.", Goh replied, at the same time as Ash said: "All good!"

And really, Goh was feeling more than okay. For as horrible as earlier had been, the moment he had just shared with Ash couldn't have felt more perfect.

Not that he was going to tell Professor Cerise about that right now, especially not over the phone.

"Do you think you can come back tomorrow? Or is public transport down?"

"I don't think it is?", Ash replied with a frown. "We're gonna have to see tomorrow, it is already pretty late here."

"That's fine.", the Professor assured them. "I just wanted to call to make sure you got out of that, I don't want to keep you up even longer. Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight!", they both replied, before the telltale sound of a hung up call made itself known, and Ash leaned over and slid Gohs phone back into the other boys pocket.

Goh got up and stretched himself, since the moment was over anyways. "We should really go to sleep.", he admitted.

"Nah, we should eat first.", Ash countered, standing up as well.

"Oh, true. I haven't really eaten since breakfast."

"I barely had breakfast."

Goh shook his head in mock disbelief. "Ash not eating, this really was serious.", he joked, which earned him a light punch on the shoulder.

"Do you think Nurse Joy is gonna be mad at us for walking into the Pokemon Center that late?", Goh asked more seriously.

Ash huffed. "Not if she's looked out the window anytime recently."

That night, Ash slept so much better. Nurse Joy hadn't been ecstatic but she had been understanding, and he felt so much safer sleeping in a Pokemon Center, even if the bed was less comfortable.

Instead of having nightmares, Ash dreamed about his and Gohs Pokemon. He dreamed about battling Leon and Raihan. He dreamed about food.

He dreamed about Goh.

Public transport was working as usual, so the first thing they did the next morning was bring back the sword and shield to the Slumbering Weald, putting them in front of an altar where Goh had apparently originally found them.

They stared at the relics for a few more moments, before Ash had enough of that.

He held out his hand to Goh.

"C'mon, let's get outta here."

Goh smiled, taking his soulmates hand and intertwining their fingers.

"Yeah, let's."

Chapter Text

It was already pretty late in Kanto time when Goh and Ash stepped into the Cerise Institute, so the Professor decided they'd talk about how their trip to Galar had went tomorrow instead.

That was fine with Ash, it just meant he got to catch up on some more sleep.

"G'night, Goh", Ash told his soulmate, his boyfriend, as he laid down and made himself comfortable on the bottom bunk. "I love you.", he added, because he could now.

Goh quietly mumbled back the sentiment, sounding flustered, and Ash bit back a snicker.

Pikachu threw his trainer a knowing look, Ash smiled back at him.

Their talk with Professor Cerise the following day did take quite a while, as Goh and Ash both told their perspectives of how things had went down and what they had found out.

The Professor listened closely, nodding along while also throwing in his own thoughts here and there and taking notes.

He frowned when they got to the part with their battle against Eternatus, but didn't comment on it any further.

When the story was done, it was Goh who eventually asked: "... Are you mad at us?"

The man didn't seem all too surprised at the question, but he slowly shook his head. "No, no I'm not mad at you. I mean, I was the one who told you to check out what was going on, it just turned out to be more trouble than any of us could've guessed."

"Huh, why the call then?", Ash wondered.

"To make sure you were alright?", Professor Cerise shot back with a raised eyebrow. "I think you've shown you know how to take care of yourselves, but that doesn't make you invincible."

And Ash… didn't know what to say to that. Judging by the silence in the room, neither did Goh.

The Professor took that as a sign that their conversation was done, and turned his attention back to his work.

"I don't really have anything for you two to do currently, so you can take today off if you want.", he told them. "Some space might be good for you in general."

With a thank you and a goodbye Goh and Ash left the Professors office, stepping into the main lobby where Ash threw a quick glance at the clock. Huh, it was past noon, that talk had gone on for even longer than it had already felt like.

Maybe...

"Hey, uhm, Goh?", Ash started slowly.

Goh turned to look at him. "Hm?"

"Well, so, I was just wondering…" Ash paused to take a deep breath. This was stupid. He knew the answer. What was he so nervous for?

"Do you maybe wanna go get something to eat? Just- just the two of us, I mean.", he finally managed to get out.

Gohs eyes widened. "Are- are you asking me out on a date?"

Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, feeling caught, and decided it was a better idea to look anywhere but directly at his soulmate. "I mean, if you'd like it to-"

"Yes!", Goh immediately shouted, his voice a few pitches higher than it would normally be.

Then, he realized what he sounded like, and cleared his throat. "Sure, I'd like that.", he corrected himself, sounding calmer. If the color of his cheeks was anything to go by it was very much an act, but Ash was too excited to point that out and possibly ruin his chances.

Instead, he only grinned. "Great!"

Before they left, they of course still made their usual round around Cerise Park, getting the food for their Pokemon ready.

Ash had just put down Pikachus bowl, intentionally as the last one, when he pulled on Gohs sleeve and whispered: "Let's leave."

"Wait, now?", Goh replied confused, though he followed along and kept his voice down.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, now. I… don't really wanna explain to Pikachu why I don't want him around.", he awkwardly admitted.

Goh smiled amused, but he didn't object. "Alright, let's leave then."

A few Pokemon looked at them weirdly, Ash especially noticed that Ri and Lu were, unsurprisingly, and oh no Pikachu was definitely too, wasn't he? It seemed like he had figured he should leave them be on his own though.

There was one more Pokemon that Ash really hadn't expected to look at them that curiously, at least not anymore. Huh, that was a bit unusual, was it because she had evolved?

As they stepped through the door that seperated the park from the main building of the institute, Ash decided to ask Goh about it.

"Hey, how are things between you and Cinderace, since she evolved again and all?"

Goh was quiet for a short while, the look on his face making it clear that he was thinking the question over as he shuts the door.

"It's been a bit weird again for sure.", he eventually replied. "Things are different. I wouldn't say her personality completely flipped again, it's more like… Scorbunny but with Raboot still in there, and some new things? She's more openly expressive again, but doesn't want to spend the night in my bed anymore, small stuff like that. Though maybe that last one is for the best…"

Goh made a face as he said the last sentence, and Ash couldn't help but find the idea of a fully evolved Cinderace that was almost as tall as her trainer trying to make space for herself in the bunk bed amusing. "It probably is.", he agreed.

"Overall we're doing fine though, I think.", Goh finishes. "No drama about evolution or anything this time."

"I'm happy for you, Goh.", Ash tells his soulmate with a smile.

They had made it to the front door by now, and before Goh could say anything, Ash turned in the direction of the Professors office, raised his voice, and announced: "Hey Professor, I'm taking Goh on a date!"

Goh gaped at his soulmate, a look of betrayal on his expression.

"Have fun!", Professor Cerise shouted from the direction of his office, clearly amused.

Two more voices yelled congratulations from a completely different direction - Ren and Chrysa.

Someone laughed - Chloe.

When Goh stormed out the front door without saying a word, Ash had a hard time trying to hide his grin as he followed.

"Did you have to do that?", Goh asked, not stopping as he walked in the direction of where the nearest bus stop was. He sounded a lot more embarrassed than annoyed.

"I did.", Ash confirmed, not hiding his amusement at the situation anymore. "Look at it as revenge for how they found out we were soulmates."

"How they- there is no way you're hung up on that!", Goh said incredulously.

Ash shrugged. "No, of course not. But it's not like we would've been able to hide it from them for long anyway, we kinda do live there currently."

"Yeah yeah, I know, you have a point." Goh groaned. "We should tell our parents again too, shouldn't we? That's gonna be annoying."

"It will be.", Ash agreed with a sigh.

"Well, you're in luck at least.", Goh told him. "Delia definitely knew something was going on between us when we stayed over at her place."

Ash crooked his head curiously. "Mama did?"

Goh nodded. "When she talked to me she offhandedly mentioned how we weren't dating yet."

Ash huffed. "Of course she would. I guess I'll just tell her in a call." Now that he was thinking about it more though… "Actually, I think your family assumed the same thing."

"Huh, really?", Goh wondered. "None of them took you aside for a scary talk though."

"They didn't.", Ash confirmed. "But your mom and dad looked at me with a weird smile a few times and your grandma whispered to me that 'I got this'. Didn't know what she meant at thr time but… that makes sense."

"That would've been annoying if we'd decided to be platonic soulmates.", Goh mumbled.

Ash shrugged. "Probably, but we're definitely not though."

Goh softly hummed in agreement.

Ash let out a quiet gasp as he remembered something. "Hey, wait, do you know who else knows?", he wondered.

"Who?"

"Professor Burnet! She absolutely knew I liked you from how she winked at me. Seriously, what did you two talk-"

"A- anyways, where are we going to eat? Any suggestions?", Goh interrupted him, changing the topic.

Ash pouted at Goh. He still refused to talk about that? Ash knew better than to push it, though. He'd find out someday.

"How about that weird crepe place? We've never went there together.", he suggested.

"For lunch?", Goh asked amused.

Ash shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Despite his soulmates clear and repeated warnings, Ash ordered the crepe with honey and Tamato Berries, something he soon came to regret.

"I see what you mean now.", Ash admitted, trying to hold back tears. "These are not meant for humans."

Maybe not bringing their Pokemon had been a mistake after all, Ash was sure Cinderace would appreciate this much more than he did.

"They are not.", Goh agreed.

Ash took another bite off his horrible crepe, which made Goh frown.

"You don't have to finish eating that, yknow.", he pointed out.

Ash swallowed the food. "No no, I'm finishing it.", he replied. "It'd be a waste of food not to."

Goh only shook his head, but Ash knew him too well to not notice the way his lips quirked up.

After they ate, and after Ash had two more real crepes to drown out the feeling of the inside of his mouth being on fire, Goh suggested they'd go to the arcade. That definitely wouldn't have been Ashs first choice, but since Goh seemed like he really wanted to go, he agreed to it.

As it turned out, Ash was bad at arcade games. Abysmally bad.

He didn't get far in any of them, and he definitely lost more money in this place than he ever should've.

Goh, who was at least decent, thought it was hilarious, so Ash found he didn't care all that much.

Still, there was something about this that bothered him. Not the losing, something about this entire date as a whole.

It didn't feel like a date at all.

After losing against Goh in a round of a game he didn't remember the name of, he voiced his thoughts out loud.

"We're bad at this, aren't we?"

"Fighting games are hard to get into in general.", Goh replied. "Don't worry about it, I know you can get the hang of it if you wanna try to."

Ash shook his head. "No, not the game.", he said. "The dating thing."

"Oh.", Goh said quietly, putting down the gamepad with a crestfallen look on his face. "I was… having fun."

Ashs eyes widened as he realized what that must have sounded like. "Oh no no no I'm having fun! I'm with you Goh, of course I'm having fun!"

"But…?", Goh asked carefully.

"But this is just… pretty much what we normally do, isn't it? It doesn't feel all that different.", Ash continued with a frown. "Does that count as a date?"

Goh blinked. "Huh, yeah, I guess you're right. I hadn't thought of that."

Ash threw his arms in frustration. "See! We are bad at it!"

Goh crossed his arms. "We do already spend most of our time together, that does make it more difficult to think of something that's…"

His eyes lit up. "No, I do know something! C'mon!"

Goh reached up to grab Ashs hand that was still up in the air, quickly leading them out of the arcade.

"Can I open my eyes now?", Ash asked, not for the first time.

Goh huffed. "No. I'll tell you when you can, Ash."

"It's been like 10 minutes though.", Ash argued. "Do you have any clue how hard it is to walk around with your eyes closed for that long! I'm pretty sure I'm gonna trip any second now."

"No worries, I got you.", Goh assured him, fastening his hold on Ashs hand.

"I'll drag you down with me."

"I'm stronger than I look."

"Oh, so am I."

Goh didn't reply anymore, as he led Ash… huh. Uphill? Where the fuck were they going?

"Alright, you can open your eyes now.", Goh said.

And as soon as Ash did, he felt his breath knocked out of him.

"Holy shit…", he whispered. "This is…"

They indeed were up a pretty tall hill, next to a building that seemed abandoned.

It wasn't the building that Ash was looking at though, it was the view they had from up here.

You could see over the entirety of Vermilion City, with lots of tiny people going about their daily lives in it, all the way to the port and even some of the ocean.

The sun had begun to set, the lighting of it almost made it seem like the city was glowing.

It was mesmerizing.

"Pretty view, huh?", Goh asked.

"Yeah. It's… stunning.", Ash agreed.

He turned to look at his soulmate, only to see Goh was already looking at him.

And after another moment, he understood what the other had just said.

"Oh my god, Goh, that is so fucking cheesy.", Ash said with a laugh.

Goh seemed pretty embarrassed, but he didn't deny it nor apologize.

Instead, he turned away from Ash and sat down on the edge of the hill right there on the grass, gesturing to the spot next to him.

Ash was quick to take it.

Goh scooted closer, even though Ash hadn't left that much distance between them, putting his hand on top of his soulmates.

"I usually come here to stargaze.", Goh explained, still looking out to the horizon. "When I need some space or just to think. I've never seen the sunset from here, it's pretty."

When he needed some space, meaning Goh had just invited Ash to his being alone place, Ash realized. Something very personal to him.

"My friend used to call Vermilion Citys sunset romantic.", Ash told him. "I never fully got what she was talking about, but…"

He drifted off for a moment, before finishing quietly: "I think I do now."

Goh hummed. "I've never thought of Vermilion as romantic. I hear a lot of people say it is, but I don't see it.", he admitted.

Ash snorted. "Well duh, that's cuz you grew up here.", he pointed out. "Someone who spent their entire life in Lumiose isn't gonna think of it as particularly romantic either."

"Huh, that's true, fair point.", Goh replied. "This… is still nice, anyway."

"Yeah, it is.", Ash agreed, before leaning his head on Gohs shoulder.

Goh had no clue how much time they spent just quietly sitting there, watching the sunlight slowly fade away.

The silence between them wasn't awkward, it was kinda nice to not feel forced to talk.

And even though he was starting to feel a bit sore, Goh didn't want to move, he wanted this moment to last for as long as it could.

Of course it couldn't last forever, though.

It was Ash who moved first, removing his head from Gohs shoulder - oh fuck he had been leaning onto him that entire time, hadn't he? - before standing up, quickly stretching himself, and holding out his hand towards Goh.

"Let's Dance!"

Goh chuckled confused. "What?"

"We wanted to make this more romantic, right? And dancing is pretty romantic."

"I guess, but we don't even have music.", Goh pointed out. "Aand I'm… not a good dancer.", he admitted sheepishly.

Ash waved him off. "Who cares! We can make up songs in our heads. I'm no good either, doesn't matter as long as it's fun. Not like anyone's around to see."

Ash grinned widely, and Goh found himself smiling back.

"Alright, let's dance."

He reached for Ashs hand, letting his soulmate pull him up.

Ash was right about him being an awful dancer. He might even be worse than Goh, and he'd assumed that was a low bar.

They kept bumping into each other or stepping on each others feet, and they definitely weren't following the same rhythm, since they didn't even have one to follow.

But Ash was also right about another thing - just messing around like this was extremely fun, and their attempt at dancing was starting to be accompanied by both of their laughter, until they had to stop to catch their breaths.

Ash threw Goh a fond smile, then stepped closer to him. He grabbed Gohs hand, intertwining their fingers, and held their arms out, his other one moved to hold Goh by his back.

Oh.

Any and all humor left him, and Goh was very sure he had to be blushing. Nevertheless he followed along, putting his free hand on top of Ashs shoulder.

Ash started spinning them around in a painfully slow dance, Goh simply let it happen.

He had no clue how he managed to still keep eye contact with Ash in this moment, but at the same time, Goh didn't want to look anywhere else.

The moment was hypnotizing, it was like the entire world around them had disappeared, and it was only them.

This felt romantic for sure.

Ash began leading Goh into a dip, Goh felt his breath hitch.

Their faces were so so close, Ash was still smiling at him so beautifully, and Goh only had a moment to think he was going to kiss him, before losing balance.

He slipped out of Ashs hold, and his soulmates efforts to try and catch him ended with both of them falling to the ground, Ash landing right on top of Goh.

Ash blinked down at him a couple times, as though he still needed a moment to comprehend what had happened.

Then, he broke into laughter. "You were right, you really are stronger than you look!"

Goh groaned, but found himself laughing along.

"And you were right that we suck at this romance thing.", Goh admitted.

Ash shrugged with a helpless smile. "It was an attempt. We both knew we couldn't dance."

He leaned in to softly press a light kiss against Gohs forehead, then moved off of him and stood up.

And oh, that had been incredibly cute, but Goh found himself wishing it had been more.

And wasn't that a weird thought as well?

Goh had never fantasized about kissing anyone before, but wow did he really want to kiss Ash.

Everything always ended up being different when it came to his soulmate, didn't it?

"...Goh?", Ash said his name, sounding a little worried.

Goh realized that Ash was holding out his hand to him, and that Goh was still lying on the ground, and oh no he totally had been staring, hadn't he?

He reached out to grab Ashs hand, letting the other help him get back on his feet.

"I made everything weird, didn't I?" Goh sighed. "Maybe I just shouldn't have said anything in Galar."

Ash snorted. "You're kidding, right? You can't possibly think it would've been less awkward if we had both danced around our feelings for longer."

Goh groaned. "Okay, no, definitely not.", he agreed. "But that doesn't mean it's not weird. Everything used to be so easy between us and now it's…"

"Not?", Ash finished for him.

Goh guiltily nodded.

"Hey, we'll figure things out.", Ash reassured with a wide smile, putting his hand on top of Gohs shoulder. "We're in this together and we got all the time in the world, right?"

Goh softly smiled back. "Right."

"Y'know, even besides the whole soulmate and dating shenanigans, I still think of you as my second best friend.", Ash admitted.

And that was really sweet, Goh still thought of Ash as his friend as well, but he found himself caught up on one word in that sentence.

"Huh, second?", he asked, genuinely curious. He wasn't jealous, not exactly, but if they were together, then who did Ash think-

"Mhm, second. Sorry, Pikachu doesn't like sharing his spot. He gets kinda territorial about it.", Ash explained, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Goh tried his best to hide his amusement. Of course it was Pikachu, how hadn't he thought of that himself?

"In that case, I think I can live with having to share you with him.", Goh said, trying and failing to sound serious.

"I love you.", they both blurted out at the same time, which turned into a shared laugh.

The two stayed there, just looking at each other for another moment.

This time, Goh was the one who moved first, awkwardly taking a few steps away from Ash.

"We should probably head back.", he pointed out, looking towards the sky where the sun had almost completely disappeared by now. As much as he didn't want this day to end, time itself hadn't gotten the message.

Ash hummed. "Guess we should. Do you think we can scrape together enough money for the bus? I wasted most of what I had on me at the arcade."

"How much do you have left?", Goh asked, slightly horrified of knowing the answer considering how badly Ash had played.

The other teen reached into his pocket and counted the few coins he had fished out of it. "Two, four… 324 Pokedollars and a loose button that's… not mine. I have no clue where that came from."

"I'll… lend you some money."

When the next day rolled around and the first thing Professor Cerise told them in the morning was the fact they had found traces of Mew, Ash couldn't be more excited.

It was a chance for him to see the Mythical Pokemon again, and more importantly, it was a chance for Goh to see it again, to get closer to his dream. And his soulmate very clearly shared the excitement.

Something about this entire mission felt different than before. A good different.

Maybe it was the lingering excitement at the prospect of finding Mew, or maybe it was because this was the first time they had gone on a research trip since both of them had realized their feelings and talked about it.

Whichever one it was, it made Ash feel more in sync with Goh than he ever had before, and there was no one else in the world he would rather have at his side for this.

He certainly didn't fail to notice how much touchier both of them were being - though the handholding was without a doubt in his mind 100% necessary, this island was super dangerous and scary.

And sure, maybe this entire thing did end with them falling off a waterfall and passing out for a hot minute, but that was part of the adventure, wasn't it?

It wasn't Mew that they ended up finding.

It was Mewtwo.

And Goh had just spilled his dream out to it, and said he would…

For a moment, Ash thought he hadn't heard right.

But no, the way Goh was holding out a Pokeball made his intentions more than obvious.

"Catch Mewtwo??!", Ash repeated in utter disbelief.

"I want to learn more about you!", Goh continued, fearlessly facing Mewtwo as though it were any regular Pokemon. "So… I'll catch you!"

This was crazy.

In Gohs defense, he didn't know much about Mewtwo besides its name, but even then he could clearly see it was an insanely strong Pokemon that resembeld a legend and could speak like a human.

Ash couldn't decide if he thought his soulmate was brave or reckless for doing this. Definitely a bit of both.

It was inspiring.

It was exactly the brand of batshit insane that Ash loved and lived for.

So, he went along with it.

Wow, Ash really had it bad for this guy, didn't he?

Mewtwo accepted their challenge to a battle, and the two teens shared a grin, before sending out their Pokemon.

This was gonna be good.

Goh slowly opened his eyes, finding himself looking up at the night sky. Ugh, great, had they passed out again?

The last thing he remembered was Mewtwo making it obvious that they did not, in fact, stand a chance against it, as it flew off and used an attack bright enough that he hadn't been able to see a thing.

"Mewtwo… was really strong.", Ash stated.

"Yeah. We've still got a long way to go.", Goh agreed.

He caught a glimpse of a nearby building in the corner of his eye, and wait, were they…

He sat up to get a better look at it and do a double check, but sure enough, he knew where they were. "This is the Cerise Institute."

Behind him, Ash sat up as well. "Did Mewtwo bring us here?", he wondered.

Huh, that made sense. If Mewtwo was related to Mew, then it wasn't too surprising it knew how to use teleport.

The question of how it knew where they lived was a much scarier one that Goh decided he did not want to think about further right now.

Cinderace, Pikachu and Ri woke up around them, seeming just as confused.

Pikachu though was quick to point to a shooting star from his place next to Ri on the ground, and yeah, Goh would take that distraction and watched it fly by.

"Hope we meet again.", Ash said.

Goh let himself fall backwards, nudging Ash with his back. "I'm sure we will!", he told him, holding up his closed fist.

"After all…", Goh stretched out his arm, "the future's in the palm of my hand!"

Ash mirrored the gesture, stretching out his own arm across Gohs. "Of our hands, you mean."

Goh looked at Ash surprised, but when he saw Ashs genuine smile, Goh smiled back. Yeah, Ash did have a point with that.

It was as he had said, they were in this together.

They smiled at each other for another moment, but slowly Ashs expression had shifted to a look that Goh couldn't quite read at first, until he realized where exactly Ash was looking at.

His still outstretched hand moved to cup Gohs cheek, as he continued to very not subtlety look at Gohs lips.

"Can I kiss you?"

Ashs question was spoken so softly.

Goh swallowed, hard.

Suddenly, he could feel his heartbeat up to his ears.

Ash was looking at him with such an honest and raw expression, that let Goh know he could say no if he wanted to.

He very much didn't.

This… seemed a bit scary, but he reminded himself that it was just the same old Ash, that he didn't have any reason to be scared.

And Goh very much wanted this too.

"Y- yeah."

Goh wasn't sure which one of them leaned in first, which of them was the one initiating it, he only knew that they met in the middle.

It wasn't the fairytale moment Goh had thought it would be. They were both clearly inexperienced, and he had no idea if he was even doing it right.

Ashs lips were anything but soft, they were chapped and dry, probably partially due the fact they both hadn't had anything to drink since before they ran into Mewtwo.

Goh traced Ashs cheek with his hand, and he could feel a half-healed scar, from some adventure long ago.

But kissing his soulmate, kissing Ash, still felt amazing, still magical in its own unique way.

It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be.

They seperated after just a short few moments, but they didn't move away too far, opting to lean their foreheads against one another.

Ash reached out to take Gohs hands into his own.

Neither of them spoke, Goh very much did not trust his own voice, and he would've said something very stupid and not fitting of the moment anyways, because he definitely wasn't able to think straight either, he knew himself that much.

The silence was broken by Yamper shouting his own name behind them.

They turned around to see the Pokemon run down the stairs and towards them, closely followed by Chloe, who paused in front of the staircase.

She gave them a confused look. "Goh? Ash?"

"Chloe!", Goh said her name back.

Ash waved at her. "We're back!"

Chloe smiled at that. "Welcome back!"

Professor Cerise, Ren and Chrysa stepped out the building, welcoming them back as well.

"How was it?", the Professor asked. "Did you get to see Mew?"

Ash and Goh shared a smile, running up the staircase to join them.

"Well we didn't find Mew…", Goh slowly started. "We found Mewtwo!", Ash budged in, and they both took turns telling what happened from there.

Chapter Text

It takes Chloe about a week until she finally catches Goh on his own. He had always either been stuck to Ash or in some other region, but now he was finally alone - ironically working on the homework Chloe had brought him.

It was unusual for her to be this nosy, she knew that. She wouldn't usually pry for more info than what was willingly given to her, but this? This felt like a pretty big deal, she would be lying if she said she wasn't at all curious to hear more about what happened. Especially considering Goh literally had not mentioned a thing to her.

Chloe slid in the seat across from Goh, putting her elbows on the table and leaning her head into her hands.

"Heeyy, Goh.", she greeted him, trying to get his attention.

"Heeyy, Chlo.", Goh greeted back without looking up.

"Sooo...", Chloe started, dragging out the o. "Any interesting things happening in your love life lately?"

That got Goh to look up, shooting Chloe a frown. "... Huh?"

"I don't know...", the girl pretended to check her nails, "anything going on with Ash?"

"You... already know we're dating...?", Goh pointed out confused.

"I do.", Chloe confirmed. "But not because you told me, but because Ash told my dad, and I happened to be in the room next door!", she said accusingly.

"And that matters... why...?"

Chloe huffed. "You really don't wanna share something as important as you getting together with your soulmate with your best friend? Wow, Goh. That's cold, even for you."

Goh hummed mockingly, tapping his pen against his cheek. "I don't know if you're my best friend, Chloe."

Chloe faked a gasp. "Was I replaced by your boyfriend?! Whatever happened to bros before hoes?!", she asked, knowing fully well that saying probably didn't work well with her nor Ash.

Goh shook his head. "No, you weren't replaced by Ash.", he paused for dramatic effect, "But you were replaced by Cinderace."

The way Goh was biting his lip to hide a grin made Chloe feel like she was missing a joke in there, but she was way too committed to the bit at this point to ask now.

She pushed herself up, slightly pushing the table forward with her movement. "Fine then! I'll go hang out with my new bestest friend in the whole entire world instead."

Goh snorted. "Yamper?"

Chloe smirked. "Ash Ketchum."

She still caught the exact moment Gohs eyes widened, but she didn't stick around any longer than that. She whirled around, and began walking towards the door.

She didn't make it out of the room before she heard Goh jumping out his seat, probably tripping over something and running after Chloe.

"Hey, wait!", he shouted.

Chloe did not wait.

"Chlo!", Goh said her name, grabbing her arm. "Cmon, that's not fair! I was kidding, of course you're still my best friend. I can have more than one, right?"

Chloe slowly turned around. "Hm? What is it?", she wondered innocently, hiding her grin.

"Are you deadass?"

"I am neither dead nor the ass."

"Chloe!"

"What? Weren't you the one who told me I should get to know Ash better?"

"That's not-" Goh sighed. "Okay, okay, you win! Sorry for not telling you. In my defense, I didn't even know Ash was gonna tell your dad before he did."

Chloe smiled in understanding. "It's alright, Goh. I am actually pretty curious about what happened though."

"Why?", Goh asked genuinely. "I know you like romance novels and all, but you've never seemed invested in my love life before."

"That was before you had one.", Chloe said. "Now you're dating so I'm nosy. Cmon, which one of you confessed first?"

Gohs cheeks reddened in a way that Chloe hadn't seen since his mom had embarrassed him in front of their entire class when they were 11.

"I'm supposed to be doing homework...", Goh stated as a weak excuse.

"Uhuh, like you care."

"Believe it or not Chlo, but I do want to graduate."

"You can do your homework later, it won't run away."

When Goh didn't respond to her, Chloe glared at him suspiciously.

"... Me.", he finally admitted with a quiet voice.

Oh, she was so going to press him for more detail.

Chloe had never given catching Pokemon or becoming a trainer much particular thought.

She wasn't like Goh or Ash or plenty of other kids she had met throughout school that wanted to travel the world and had some form of Pokemon related goal.

She didn't have any specific goal yet, really. She just wanted to get through school well enough, and she still had around a year to consider what direction to go in after.

Some petty part of her hated the way other people always assumed she would become a Pokemon trainer or even a Professor sooner or later just because of her dads profession, it made her want to do it even less. So maybe it was like she'd told Goh just earlier that same day, maybe she just… wouldn't.

At most, she'd ask her dad to trade her Yamper one day when she moved out, when she had graduated school and found a non-Pokemon related job she liked. He would be her first Pokemon then. He basically was already, she was the one who took care of him, the family member he clung to most, Yamper was her Pokemon with every technicality besides the fact she wasn't who his Pokeball was registered to.

And that was as far as her thoughts on that topic went up until this morning, but now…

Chloe couldn't help but stare after Eevee as the researcher walked away with the Pokemon in her arms, and she certainly didn't miss the way Eevee was staring back at her.

Watching her leave was… unexpectedly sad. She'd only met her this morning, but for some reason, she didn't want to say goodbye yet.

She had loved helping Eevee out, even when it turned out she wasn't actually being chased down by bad guys, just by researchers who had lost track of her. They had made a good duo, fighting together.

So when Eevee jumped out of the womans arms and ran towards Chloe, despite her surprise, she didn't hesitate to catch the Pokemon in her arms.

"This Eevee really loves you, huh Chloe?", Ash pointed out.

"It appears so.", the head researcher of the Eevee Evolution Lab agreed as she walked back towards them. "She's a pretty mysterious Eevee. She won't evolve whatever we try."

Chloe looked at the woman in surprise. "She won't evolve into any of the eight Pokemon?", she asked to clarify, before looking back down at the Pokemon in her arms. This little one really was mysterious.

The researcher nodded. "Yeah. Eevee has unstable genes in general, so maybe that ones genes are more unstable than most. Or perhaps… Maybe she's hesitant, unable to decide what path she should take."

"Hesitant…", Chloe repeated quietly to herself.

Because oh, could she relate to that. Quite frankly, she was feeling hesitant right now. She would feel so bad about leaving Eevee behind now. She wanted to help her figure things out, maybe that could go both ways even. But it wasn't like Eevee was some wild Pokemon, she couldn't just catch her and take her from the research facility.

The choice ended up being made for her when the researcher asked Chloe to look after Eevee, and it all went by so quickly from then on. Goh handed her a spare Pokeball he had on him, and just like that, in the blink of an eye, Eevee was her Pokemon. It was over before Chloe could really process how big of an event this was in her life, but this was a decision she wouldn't hesitate on.

It went against what she had said this morning, but she didn't really mind at all. When she let Eevee out of her Pokeball she jumped into Chloes arms with a happy shout of her name, Chloe laughed along.

After the researcher and their assistant said their goodbyes, Chloes dad asked for her phone to put a Rotom in it, and she was officially registered as a Pokemon trainer.

"We can be a real trio now!", Ash announced excitedly.

"A trio?", Chloe repeated with a frown.

"Oh, yeah, we can!", Goh agreed with the other boy. "You can go on adventures with us now!"

Ash nodded along aggressively.

Chloe hummed, then gasped. "You're right! We're a trio now!" She bent down to pick up Eevee and Yamper from where they were running in circles on the floor. "Chloe, Yamper and Eevee! The dream team!", she said with a grin.

Goh rolled his eyes at her, Ash visibly deflated.

"But…", Chloe began, pulling out her phone with a newly added Pokedex functionality, and staring at the page for Eevees evolutions.

Eight evolutions. Indecisive.

Maybe it could help out both Chloe and Eevee to learn more about the Pokemon she could evolve into.

She looked back up to Goh and Ash with a smile. "I'll think about it. Maybe I can come along when I find the time."

Before either of them could reply she changed the topic entirely, asking her dad when they were going home.

It was a lie. She didn't think about it long at all. Eevee got immediately excited at the prospect of going on an adventure the following day, so Chloe went along on the fossil expedition in Galar, because apparently she had a hard time saying no to her Pokemon.

Goh wakes up to the sound of his phones alarm. With a tired groan he reached over a somehow still asleep Sobble for the device to turn the annoying sound off, but as soon as the screen lit up he paused.

There were still 12 minutes left until it was supposed to wake them up, and he remembered for a fact that he hadn't messed with it.

In a very delayed way that he could only blame on the fact he had been asleep until 30 seconds ago, Goh realized it wasn't his phone the sound was coming from. It was, in fact, not even an alarm, but a ringtone.

The sound stopped, and Goh could hear Ash mumble a very tired and quiet "Hey, Mama" below him.

Oh, well, that made more sense than his Rotom changing the time of his alarm by 12 minutes on its own for no reason.

"Thanks.", Ash said to Delia, still keeping his voice down. A pause, then he huffed. "Yeah, you were the first again this year, I guess your timezone sniping strategy works better when we're in the same one." Ashs mattress squeaked in protest as he moved around. "You couldn't have waited a couple more minutes though? I was still asleep, and I'm guessing you woke up Goh and Pikachu as well."

"I'm awake.", Goh sleepily mumbled into his pillow, at the same time as Pikachu confirmed with a tired squeak of his name.

"Yep, they're awake.", Ash relayed the message.

Goh was really wondering what Delia had said that made Ash groan in embarrassment a moment later. "Yeah yeah, sure, love you too… talk to you later, good luck at work."

As Ash was hanging up the phone, Goh made his way down the stairs of the bunk bed.

"Do you think sleeping those nine more minutes would be worth it?", Ash asked.

Goh sighed. "No, unfortunately not. But, well, it's a couple extra minutes to do this."

He walked over to their closet, taking out the paper bag he'd hidden there two days before. It wasn't easy to hide anything from someone you share a room with, but storing it behind Ashs long pants had been a safe bet.

Ash was watching him curiously, but remained quiet as Goh sat down next to him on the bottom bunk, spread out his arms, and grinned. "Happy birthday, Ash!"

Ash smiled back, returning the offered hug with no hesitation. "Thanks", he replied, his voice muffled by the fact he was leaning his head into Gohs shoulder. "Soo… can I ask what's in the bag?"

Goh let go of Ash and held out the bag for the other to take. "I know you said I didn't have to give you anything, but I would've felt silly if I hadn't, but then I realized I didn't even know what I would get you, but I remembered you liked these and-", he cut himself off, "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Ash, bless his soul, just continued smiling at Goh without saying anything, pried the gift out of his soulmates hands and peeked inside with an excited gasp. "It's those little tiny things with the great smell from Galar!"

"Scones", Goh corrected automatically. "You really gotta stop calling them that long name before it sticks, it can't be more memorable than six letters."

Ash shrugged, before stuffing a whole scone into his mouth, earning him a snort from Goh.

Pikachu jumped on Ashs shoulder, pointing at the bag. "Pika?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I can share these buddy, they're a birthday gift", Ash said, before handing Pikachu one anyways.

"When did you get these?", Ash asked Goh as he bit into another one of the pastries. "I doubt you had much time to buy them the last time we were in Galar."

"Well… I guess they aren't technically Galarian scones.", Goh admitted sheepishly, scratching his cheek.

"Huh? What do you mean with that?"

"They're home made. I... messed up the first batch, so Ren ended up helping me a lot."

Ash stopped eating in favor of looking at Goh, metaphorical sparkles in his eyes. "I didn't know you could bake! I couldn't even tell the difference."

Goh huffed. "Yeah, no, I really can't. My solo attempt was pretty bad."

"Still though! The thought counts!"

A determined look crossed Ashs expression, and he held out the bag towards Goh.

"Take one!"

"Huh? I'm not taking one, we made them for your birthday."

"Yep! They're mine and I'm sharing! I'm not letting you put that much effort into baking and then not try the food, that is a crime."

"I taste tested one yesterday!"

"Come on, take one for me?"

And, oh. Goh did not know how he was ever supposed to say no to that, so he was the first one to give in, taking one of the scones and biting into it, much to Ashs satisfaction.

The other nodded to himself. "Alright, and next I'll hunt down Ren, he should probably be here already." And with that, Ash was out the room, Pikachu on his heels, before Goh could swallow his food.

Goh quietly chuckled to himself. "Well, so much for that…"

He climbed back up the bunkbed to get Sobble, before following Ash out the room.

It turned out that Ash had never gotten far with his mission of sharing the scones.Because as soon as Professor Cerise had spotted the two teens, he had called them to the main lab room to tell them about sightings of the legendary Pokemon Suicune, and Chrysa pointed out its unusual behaviour of staying in the same lake area.

"I'm sorry, Ash.", the Professor apologized. "I know I said I'd give you your birthday off, but…"

"You're kidding, right?", Ash interrupted in disbelief. "I don't care about that, that's Suicune we're talking about here, that's so much more important. Of course we're going."

Goh nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Who knows, if it's acting strangely, it might need help."

They didn't find out how right Goh had been until they arrived in Johto and ran into a group of Pokemon Hunters.

As it was happening, Ash was hyper focused on the issue at hand. Protect Suicune, keep the Pokemon Hunters as far away from it as possible, fight their Pokemon when he had to. He couldn't afford to think about the situation too much, it would only distract him, protecting the legendary was the utmost priority in his mind.

It wasn't until Goh attempted to release Suicune, and the legendary decided to go back into the Pokeball and stay with him, that the situation fully hit Ash.

"You just caught Suicune.", he said quietly, voice full of awe, not daring to raise it as though saying it too loudly would make the legendary Pokemon reconsider its decision.

Goh turned towards him, a grin on his face. "Yeah, I did.", he confirmed.

"Goh, holy shit, I can't believe you just fucking caught Suicune", Ash said again hysterically, still whisper-yelling it to be sure.

This time, Goh looked away awkwardly. "It's not that big of a deal…"

"Not that big of a-", Ash started to repeat, but he cut himself off with a laugh. "Wait, is this how people feel when I downplay things?"

Goh only shrugged, looking at the Pokeball that he was still holding.

"I knew in theory that people have caught legendaries but I've never actually seen anyone catch one! Not like this. Not Suicune."

"I was just trying to help it. Honestly. I didn't even think about it that much. It seemed like the quickest way to get it out of there in the moment."

"And you did!", Ash replied. "You got it out and you helped it and it decided to stay as your Pokemon even when you showed you were willing to let it go! It was amazing! It's... you're amazing, Goh!"

Goh was blushing now, and Ash could only think about how badly he wanted to kiss this amazing boy he was somehow lucky enough to call his soulmate.

Then, a moment later, he remembered he could just do that now, so he grabbed Goh by the collar and pulled him in, pressing their lips together.

It felt a little different from their first kiss. For one, Ash hadn't aimed quite right, so it was slightly off center. Goh hadn't been given a warning either, and made a surprised squeak against Ashs lips.

He got over it quickly though, adjusting his position to better catch Ashs lips with his, and resting a free hand on his shoulder.

It felt different, but no less magical. It still made Ashs heart rate pick up, and he felt himself shudder as Goh hummed.

He really hoped he wouldn't ever get used to this feeling, but he had a hunch it would always remain special.

Ash was the first to pull away again, watching with a self satisfied smile as Goh slightly leaned after him before slowly blinking his eyes open.

"Wow…", Goh said breathlessly. "If you're gonna kiss me like that for catching Suicune, then Raikou and Entei better watch out for their asses."

Ash couldn't help but laugh loudly. "You don't have to catch Raikou or Entei for me to kiss you! In fact, you have permission to just do it whenever. I encourage it, even."

"Hmm… I'll still catch them, someday."

And Ash fully believed he would.

Even later when Suicune disappeared from the Cerise Park, when Goh said that it was there even if they couldn't see it, Ash couldn't help but think how amazing his soulmate was, couldn't help but stare at him in wonder.

Chapter Text

Ash knew Goh wasn't asleep. His soulmate had been turning around long enough for the noise and movement to wake Ash up, and he could very clearly sense his distress.

He had a pretty good idea of why, too.

"You still thinking about Grookey?", he asked quietly into the dark room.

After a moment, Goh hummed. "Yeah.", he admitted. "I... didn't realize you were awake."

"He'll be fine, Goh. I don't think you have to worry about him.", Ash assured him.

"What?! Ash, he's stuck with Team Rocket." The disbelief in Gohs tone was hard to miss.

Ash let out a heavy sigh.

How was he supposed to explain this?

Goh wasn't exactly wrong with his assumption, but that was mostly because he didn't know Team Rocket the same way Ash did. He didn't share that complicated relationship with them just yet.

He didn't know how they treat their Pokemon, he'd barely seen them with their own. He didn't live through tough situations where they were the only other people around, where he had to depend on them, where he learned that when it really came down to it, he could. Because they weren't…

"Team Rocket...", he started, but quickly corrected himself with another sigh, "well, Jessie and James in particular, they're... they aren't... necessarily... well, bad people."

It felt weird, to use their names like that after so long. It felt weird to acknowledge their past and their connection out loud, to actually talk about them in a way that showed how long he had known them. Sometimes, it was easier to pretend he didn't know the people behind the organization, despite the fact they proudly announced their names every time he ran into them.

It was easier to fight them when he pretended he didn't have a pretty good idea of why and how they were at such a low and sad point in their lives, why they had to resort to crime.

But he did, and as weird and uncomfortable as it was, as much as he preferred to never dwell on it, right now felt like a good time to remind himself of that fact, if only to let Goh know they wouldn't hurt Grookey. Not… intentionally, at least.

"They're criminals."

"They are.", Ash agreed. "They're not... good people either. I don't even want to know what crimes they've committed while I wasn't around to stop them. But they're… alright in the ways that matter? They're not cruel to their own Pokemon. I've… had to deal with them long enough to know that." Quieter, he added: "It would be harder to not pick up on that…"

There was some rustling above him, then the sound of footsteps hitting the ground. Ash turned to look to the side of his bed to see Goh standing there in the dark.

Goh took a deep breath. "Okay, I believe you. You wouldn't lie about something like this.", he said. "James and Jessie wouldn't hurt their own Pokemon."

Ash sat up on the edge of his bed to be able to look at Goh better. "Yeah", he agreed, "they wouldn't."

"But Grookey isn't their Pokemon, is he?"

Ash froze.

Oh.

Oh no.

"He was in that stupid vending machine that they always use to battle us, and from the way they act around those Pokemon they aren't their own, Team Rocket provides them." Goh started pacing up and down as he spoke.

"And maybe... maybe Grookey is safe around those two, but does Grookey know that? He looked scared to go back to them. Terrified of it. I can't get the look on his face out of my mind. Fuck, who knows what he's been through before that? How he even ended up in Team Rockets hands to begin with."

Ash felt sick. Ash felt sick because Goh was right, because Ash hadn't even stopped to consider any of this, because he'd given two people with a criminal record the benefit of the doubt.

They really didn't know how Grookey had ended up in that vending machine, did they?

He could have been stolen from a trainer, or taken away from his family, or just caught against his will in general. It hadn't been Jessie or James who caught them, it was some other Team Rocket grunt who very very likely was way worse and crueler than them.

And maybe, he would be safe if it had been Jessie or James. But he hadn't been with them. Maybe wouldn't even be going back to them, either.

The sheer horror this revelation had sent Ash through must have been obvious, because Goh suddenly didn't look like he wanted to argue anymore, and Ash very much felt the same.

"I'm going to track them down tomorrow.", Goh admitted to him quietly. "I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't do anything about all of this."

"Yeah, alright.", Ash agreed somberly. "I'll help you out, if you want me to."

Goh nodded. And it was hard to tell in the dark of their room, but Ash thought he could make out a small smile on the others face. "That'd be nice."

He leaned in to press a soft kiss against Ashs lips before climbing up the stairs again to go back to sleep, though Ash had a feeling neither of them would end up getting much of it tonight.

The first week after Goh caught Grookey was… something, to say at the very least.

It was clear Grookey was a very young Pokemon, and it broke Gohs heart to think that he might have been taken away from his parents at a young age by Team Rocket.

And, speaking of Team Rocket, well, Jessie, James and Meowth in particular at least, they were showing up way more frequently than they usually would ever since the incident with Grookey took place. Ash and Goh ran into them three separate times on Tuesday alone, which was in no way a coincidence. They'd have a new robot stupider than the last to attack them with, even skipping over their usual annoying way to announce their presence with a practiced motto.

They were not at all hiding the fact they were still upset at Goh for catching Grookey. The three of them switched over to calling him "the thief twerp", and he might have been upset at the accusation if it didn't come from literal criminals and if he hadn't been confident in the fact that Grookey himself had wanted to come with him instead. Those were pretty good reasons to not let these idiots get to him, as far as Goh was concerned.

Ash turned increasingly more annoyed by the Team Rocket trio every time they showed their faces and looked like he was starting to regret defending them, while Goh was starting to believe Ash had had a point with his speech about them a few nights ago. Because even though they were being more obnoxious than usual, even though they called him a thief, they didn't go out of their way to specifically take back Grookey.

They didn't seem to want to target and hurt him for leaving.

Well, they were still trying to steal all of their Pokemon, but in a way Goh had a feeling that even they realized that Grookey hadn't been happy in their organization. He just hoped they would also soon give up on attempting to attack them this frequently, or at least realize that this many Thunderbolts to the chest was not great for their health.

But Team Rocket really was the least of his concerns at the moment, as they pretty much always were, as much as they'd want everyone to think otherwise.

He was worried about the way Grookey always seemed on edge around other Pokemon and most people. He was a joyful Pokemon, usually, but no one missed the way his ears perked up and how fast he'd turn to look at the door whenever someone new entered the room. That he was still uncomfortable around anyone but Goh, as much as he was seemingly trying.

Whenever Goh put out food for him, he ate it very fast, and didn't leave a single crum in his bowl. Goh couldn't tell if it was because Grookey just liked food, or the worse option, because he was conditioned to not know when he will next be let out of his Pokeball to get to eat again.

Grookey had taken a liking to sleeping in Gohs bed, attached to his arm. And Goh had been woken up more than once by Grookey moving in his sleep, looking distressed, clearing having a nightmare about who knows what.

That's what Goh was really worried about. Grookey still feeling like he had to watch his back all the time.

"I… don't know.", Ash had told him, after Goh had asked him if he knew a way to help Grookey feel more at home. "I don't think I can help you much with Grookey." He smiled apologetically. "I've worked with abandoned Pokemon in the past, I've been around young Pokemon, but none of them really acted the same way Grookey does, you know? I know I'm more experienced with being a trainer than you are, but I don't know what to do here either. I usually had someone else there to help me out, too."

Goh sighed. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"I can help you figure things out though, I'm around if you need someone to bounce ideas off of. We're in everything together.", Ash said with a soft smile.

Goh smiled back.

When Goh decided to go to Professor Cerise with the same question, the answer he got was a sigh.

"I'm… not entirely sure, either, to be honest.", the professor admitted. "Grookey is a unique case. Being captured and used by a criminal organization at such a young age… who knows what that did to him?"

"I think all you can do is treat him like your other Pokemon, make him feel welcome, let him know that it truly is over."

Goh tried and failed to swallow the lump in his throat, but he nodded nontheless.

"Earth to space cadet. I repeat, earth to space cadet. Can you hear me in there?"

Goh startled at Chloes voice, suddenly dragged out of his thoughts and back to the present.

Right, math homework.

He'd been trying to do his math homework together with his good friend and classmate Chloe Cerise, because he was a student in a school.

He looked down at his notes, which had once been his actual homework, but he noticed that on the bottom he had scribbled down some random shapes that did not form full drawings. He did not even remember doing that. Wow, he'd been really lost in thought thinking about Grookey.

"What do you have for problem 12?", Chloe asked him, for what could not have been the first time judging by her tone of voice.

He couldn't tell her the answer, he had spaced out around what looks to be problem four. He glanced at problem 12, and the numbers started spinning in front of his vision.

Why was he still bothering? Ash was right, his deal with his parents didn't matter anymore. What did he need math for? It wouldn't matter for any job he would actually want. Professor Cerise would recommend him to anything Pokemon related if he asked for it. He could just drop out of school at this point.

"Are you still spacing out?"

No, he couldn't. That was stupid. That was his frustration with everything else speaking.

Goh finally looked over at Chloe. She had a playful tone in her voice, but Goh has known the girl long enough to see the concern right through it, it was clear by the way she was frowning.

Goh sighed. He resigned himself to dropping his pen on the table, and leaning his chair back. "Sorry, I don't think I'll be able to actually do or help with school work right now Chlo."

He turned around to look outside the window instead, where he had a clear view of Cerise Park.

Ash was outside, training with his Pokemon. And Goh couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could vaguely hear him shouting, while Gengar used Ice Punch on Sirfetch'd, who in turn dodged the attack swiftly.

He couldn't actually see Grookey right now, but he knew the Pokemon was in Cerise Park as well. Likely watching the battle together with Lu, who'd also taken it upon herself to try to look out for him.

Chloe followed his line of sight. "I can't tell if you're worried or if you're just being gay, to be honest.", she attempted to joke.

That got a small smile out of Goh. "Chloe, Chloe, Chloe.", he said with a shake of his head, turning to look back at her. "I am always being gay."

He broke off eye contact. "Mostly thinking about Grookey right now, though.", he added quieter.

He picked his pen back up, not to do school work or to write anything, but because he needed something to fidget with and his pen made the most satisfying clicking sound in the universe.

"I probably don't have any good advice to give on this, but if you want to vent your thoughts I'm here to listen.", Chloe offered.

Goh considered this. "I… don't really know what I'm thinking, it's a mess up there.", he admitted. "I guess I just… want to figure out a way to let Grookey know he can be comfortable around everyone here. That he doesn't need to be on edge anymore."

His eyes once again landed on the battle outside of the window. Except, Ash must have decided to let his Pokemon take a break, as there wasn't a battle going on anymore. Gengar and Sirfetch'd were instead sitting next to each other on the grass, talking about who knows what and smiling at each other, when they had just finished giving it their all to attack the other.

Wait, that… wasn't a bad idea at all, actually.

Goh jumped out of his chair and slammed his hands on the desk, very clearly startling the shit out of Chloe.

"Chlo! Battle me and Grookey!"

The girl blinked at him in confusion.

".... Eh?"

"This is a one on one battle!" Ash announced, sounding unusually formal, and like he was having the time of his life being the announcer of a battle for once. "Whoever beats the other sides Pokemon first wins the battle, do the competitors agree to these rules?"

"Yes, sir!", Goh shouted.

"Oh, uhm… sure…?", Chloe hesitantly agreed.

Ash nodded ceremoniously. "Alright then!" He raised his arm into the air "May the battle between Goh and Chloe…", he swung his arm downwards in one quick motion, "... begin!"

Surprisingly to Goh, Chloe beat him to being the first one to yell out a move. "Alright Eevee, get close to Grookey and use Tackle!", she shouted, then added a little quieter: "But, err, maybe don't overdo the Tackle, actually."

Goh scoffed. "You think we can't handle one simple Tackle?", he taunted as Eevee was running towards Grookey.

"We just had a whole conversation about you worrying for Grookey. This isn't about actually battling." Chloe pointed out, already sounding exasperated again.

"It may not be about the battle, but it is still a battle!", Goh replied. "Let's show them what we're made of, Grookey, dodge Eevees attack!"

And the dodge command was right on time, too. Just as Eevee was about to get to Grookey, the grass type quickly jumped out of the way, leaving Eevee stumbling for a few steps at the unexpected lack of impact, before she caught herself and turned around again.

"Whooo, perfect dodge! Nice going, Grookey!", Ash cheered from the sideline.

Goh chuckled at that. "Aren't you supposed to not pick a side as the judge?", he asked.

Ash blinked in confusion. "Wait, shoot you're right." He turned to look at Chloe instead. "Sorry about that, Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I will admit, that was a pretty good dodge, I wasn't expecting that."

"There's more where that came from!", Goh told her. "Grookey, use Scratch!"

As told, Grookey ran towards Eevee. But very much unlike what he was told, instead of using Scratch, he jumped in the air, landing on top of Eevee, standing triumphantly on top of her back.

Goh blinked. "Huh?"

"Oooh, attacking from the top, good thinking, Grookey!" Ash said, apparently already forgetting the not choosing a side in this again.

"Eevee, shake Grookey off your back!", Chloe commanded without giving Ashs comment another thought.

Grookey tried his best to hold onto Eevee, but she was moving around very quickly, and it didn't take long for him to fall off and land flat on his chest.

"Now use Tackle again!"

Before Goh could even tell Grookey to dodge, the Tackle hit straight on, and Grookey was sent falling backwards once again.

"More where that came from, huh?", Chloe asked.

"J… just a lucky shot!", Goh retorted. "Grookey, get back up and attack Eevee with Branch Poke!"

Grookey did get up, but instead of using Branch Poke like Goh had told him to, he instead attempted getting on top of Eevee for a second time.

Goh buried his face in his hands with a groan. "Grookey, nooo!"

Chloe laughed this time, walking up to Goh, and thus effectively ending their battle. "I don't think Grookey fully understands what you want from him here."

Goh sighed. "Yeah, you don't say."

"Y'know, me and Eevee usually rely on copying the opponents moves, but we can't exactly do that when our opponent isn't using moves, so maybe Grookey has a good idea here."

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Ash walked up to them as well with a disappointed look on his face. "I was looking forward to announcing the winner, I had everything planned out, but I can't do that when you both forfeit."

Goh sighed again. "Sorry, I guess Grookey likes watching battles, but has no clue how they actually work. I need to train him a bit more before he's ready for this."

Chloe hummed. "This is good though, isn't it?"

Goh shot her a frown. "Is it?"

The girl nodded. "Look at them.", she said, pointing towards Grookey and Eevee. Goh did.

Grookey was now successfully riding on top of Eevee, a smile on his face, while Eevee was running around trying to shake him off of her, but looked less bothered by him being there than she had a minute ago.

Huh.

"They look like they're having fun, aren't they?", Chloe asked.

Goh smiled, genuinely smiled. "Yeah. They do."

It's the day after when the answer to what Grookey needs most stares Goh into the face.

He… probably really did just need time.

The same way Drizzile needed time right now, to process his emotions after evolving.

The same way Goh had needed time, in the past he hadn't thought about in a while, when he struggled getting along with people and saying what's on his mind a lot more than he does now.

There wasn't one simple quick solution for helping Grookey with what he had been through. He needed time, to adjust to things. And he needed to be shown that he was in a safe environment now, which everyone at the Cerise institute was already trying to do.

It had been a very stressful and emotionally taxing day for Goh, and it was pretty late already by the time they made it back home. He was just glad to lie down in his bed, so he wasn't thinking about any of this at the time.

But when after he woke up, while preparing breakfast for his Pokemon, he realized that Grookey had slept by his side, and hadn't woken up in the middle of the night even once.

He… was still chewing his Pokemon food at a concerningly fast pace.

Goh quietly chuckled to himself.

Maybe that actually was just the way Grookey eats.

Chapter Text

On the way to the Pokemon Center, Goh was walking a bit behind Ash and Iris, as they were catching up on things they have been up to since the last time they saw each other.

Goh felt a bit out of place and didn't involve himself much in the conversation, but he didn't mind it much, he was happy about how excited Ash was to spend time with his old friend.

Most of what Ash was talking about were things Goh had been there for. He was telling Iris about how he caught Dragonite, and about how he ended up joining the World Championships.

Iris was talking about how she came into the position of being the Unova champion, and Goh felt really weird about just listening in on that one, but he couldn't deny that her story was pretty intriguing to hear.

After she had split off from Ash and then their mutual friend Cilan, she had gone to Blackthorn City in Johto, to train with the dragon type gym leader there.

Her goal had been to learn more about dragon Pokemon, but with how many times Iris had come back to battle the gym leader several times, Clair had been under the assumption that Iris' goal was to challenge and win against her gym, and gave her a badge once Iris had finally managed to win against her.

It hadn't been her original plan at all, but having one badge encouraged her to get the seven more she needed to enter the Johto league, and losing in there followed by a pep talk by Cilan who had been there to watch only encouraged her to go back to Unova and try the gym challenge there.

"And well, I won the most recent Unova league tournament.", Iris said a little sheepishly. "And then I decided, sure, why not use the opportunity to fight the Elite Four? And then I was up against Alder, and that battle was rough, but I ended up winning somehow? And, well, I guess now I'm Unovas champion?"

"You don't sound very sure of that.", Ash pointed out jokingly.

Iris sighed. "I know. It's just… still all very new, yknow?"

Ash nodded. And oh, huh, he would know, actually.

"And it's not a position I thought I would ever be in, I didn't expect to get that far when I decided to do gym battles on a whim.", the girl continued. "I wasn't even able to beat Drayden before, and not only did I win his gym badge, I beat someone way stronger than him? I don't even want to brag, I'm still just surprised myself."

"But it's fun, right?", Ash asked her with a wide grin on his face. "To enter tournaments, and to battle your way to the top?"

"It is fun!", Iris agreed with a bright smile. "I love the thrill of it! I thought I would know what it's like from watching you for so long, but it's still a different feeling entirely when you're in that stadium yourself. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I do, but I really do."

"That's great then! I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Iris frowned. "Well, I can't help but feel a little bad.", she admitted with a sigh. "Unova was the fifth league tournament you entered, and you only made it into the top eight. And then I just… win? On my second go? Some people try their entire lives and don't get that far. I feel like I cheated."

"Hey, no, don't do that! You won fair and square! You're Unovas champion because you earned it!"

"I suppose you did still manage to beat me even after all of that."

Now it was Gohs turn to frown. He did agree with what Ash said, but Iris mentioning his soulmates loss in the Unova league tournament reminded him of a certain other conversation he'd had with him relating to another regions league.

"Hey, uhm, Ash?", Goh said, throwing something into the conversation for the first time in a while. "Don't you think there's something you should maybe mention to her that's pretty related to this conversation?"

The two of them both turned to look at Goh, Iris in a way where she could still see where she was going, Ash in a way where he was very likely to trip if he kept walking that way for too long.

"Hm? Like what?", Ash asked.

Pikachu on his usual place on his trainers shoulder sighed.

Goh couldn't help but smile. Of course Ash would be scatterbrained enough to not even consider telling her even while they were on the topic. Why was he so dang cute? "Like, relating to leagues? To being a champion?"

Ashs eyes lit up in recognition. "Ooooh, you mean that. I guess you have a point?"

"Well, now you can't not tell me what this is about!", Iris complained. "I'm way too curious now."

Ash turned to look at Iris. "I'm Alolas champion!", he announced with a grin.

Iris stopped walking.

Goh would have run into her if he hadn't been watching her for her reaction.

The girl stared at Ash. "Huh? What?" Wait, you're serious?"

"Yep, he sure is serious.", Goh confirmed with an amused huff.

"Ash! Holy shit! I didn't even know Alola even had a champion!"

"It does now! I'm the first one."

Iris laughed. "Why did you not mention this from the start?"

Ash sheepishly put a hand on the back of his neck. "You made such a grand entrance, I didn't want to steal your moment or anything."

Iris lightly punched Ash in the arm. "You wouldn't have stolen anything, dumbass. This only makes it more awesome. Oh my god, we're both champions. We just held a completely private battle between two champions."

"Private battle between close friends.", Ash said with a shrug. "When we're fighting in the Masters Eight that'll be our actual battle between champions."

Iris smiled even brighter at him. "Heck yeah! You're on."

They made it to the Pokemon Center, where Goh split off from them to call Professor Cerise and send his new captures over, so it was just Ash and Iris waiting together for their Pokemon to be healed.

"Hey, uhm, Iris?"

"Hm?"

"What's up with your…" Actually, maybe this wasn't a very tactful question to ask, but he'd started with it now, and he knew Iris wouldn't just let it go again. Instead of finishing his question, he instead vaguely pointed in the direction of his friends right wrist, the wrist that was still covered by the sweatband he had always known her to wear.

Iris frowned at him in confusion, glanced down at her own hand then snorted when she realized what he was referring to. "Oh, this?", she asked, pointedly holding up her right arm and gesturing towards it with her left.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. It's tradition in the Village of Dragons to keep your soulmark hidden until you're 16, right? And unless I'm misremembering you being older than me, that was a while ago."

"No, no you got all of that right. I've… seen it. There was a whole ceremony attached to it and everything, actually." Her expression turned soft, still looking at her held up arm, seeming lost in the memories of the ceremony she'd just mentioned.

Ash really wondered what that had been like. The Village of Dragons had a lot of traditions that seemed so foreign to him, even moreso than Unova already felt compared to Kanto, but they were all super interesting to learn about as well. This didn't feel like something he should be asking for too many details about, though. It seemed like something very personal.

"Well, I still wear the sweatband because I'm used to it, I guess. It feels weird without it. It's nice to fidget with. I don't really want, like, the media to be nosy about it either."

Iris had that thoughtful expression for a moment longer, but then she shook it off to look back at Ash with a more familiar teasing grin.

"That's enough about me. So, you and Goh, huh?"

Ash hoped his embarrassment wasn't as obvious to her as he felt it.

"Uhm… Huh?", he replied very eloquently and collected without stuttering at all.

"Okay, it was just a feeling earlier, but now I'm absolutely sure there's something going on between you two. You never act like this."

"I… don't know what you're talking about.", Ash lied, hiding his face by moving the brim of his hat further down.

"You don't have to be such a little kid about it, yknow. There's nothing wrong with liking him."

Ash sighed in defeat. "Yeah, okay. Uhm… yeah. Me and Goh."

Iris smiled at him. "You guys are cute."

Ash was absolutely sure that she could tell that he was blushing now. "Mhm."

"This is weeiird", Iris said while looking at him as though she was seeing an undiscovered Pokemon for the first time. "I've never seen you this embarrassed before, especially not about anything romance related. The power that boy has over you is crazy."

"I'm more scared about what you're going to do with this information.", Ash admitted.

Aaaand now that familiar mischievous look was back on her face, why did he say that? Iris took a deep breath, opened her mouth, definitely about to tease the absolute shit out of him-

And Ash had never been more grateful for a Nurse Joy to step back into the waiting room right at that moment to hand over their healed Pokemon, and Goh joining them again right after definitely also helped with the safe and gave Ash the chance to change the topic.

"Hey, Iris, do you still have time to hang out for a bit or are you buys with anything?"

Iris pulled out her Rotom phone, probably to check the time. "We can still do something together, I should be free until-"

She was interrupted by the phone in her hand pinging with a notification sound, to which Iris made a face and groaned.

"Ugh, nevermind. Drayden's telling me to come back to the gym."

"Aw, really? Already?" Ash couldn't help but feel a bit dissappointed. He gunienly was looking forward to spending the day with Iris.

Iris sighed. "Yeah he's been running me ragged making sure I actually fulfill my champion duties. He helps me a bit sometimes, but I still have to do most of it. Something about how" - she raised her hands to mimick quotation marks with her fingers and lowered her voice in an imitation of Draydens - "you'll be an adult by next year and you'll have to take care of your own responsibilities yourself."

"Sounds pretty rough.", Goh said sympathetically.

Iris sighed a second time. "Being a champion is cool and awesome and fun and a huge honor but… yeah. It's… a lot sometimes. I guess it keeps me busy at least? You know how it is."

She said that last part clearly directed towards Ash, but…

"No, not really.", he admitted awkwardly, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "Alola doesn't have much champion buisness since it hasn't had a champion for all that long, and anything that does come up Professor Kukui covers for me since I don't stay in the region."

Iris looked a little jealous. "Champion title without the annoying stuff, oh you're lucky. You need to enjoy that."

Her Rotom phone pinged with another notification that Iris didn't even bother looking at. She just said: "Okay, I really gotta go now, it was really nice seeing you though, Ash. And meeting you, Goh."

She took a few quick steps towards the exit, but then she paused, and turned back around again.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Have you been happy?"

She was turned towards Ash, but her eyes were looking pointedly in Gohs direction.

Ash smiled. "Yeah.", he told her, and he could hear the emotions in his own voice. "I'm happy."

Iris smiled back.

"Okay, but I really should go before I annoy Drayden too much. I'll see you guys at the Masters Tournament. Best Wishes!"

And with that, she sprinted out the Pokemon Center without waiting for a reply.

Ash turned to look at Goh, still smiling for a few moments, before grabbing his hand and running towards the exit of the building as well.

"Let's go, Goh!"

Goh let Ash drag him behind him with no complaints, but he did ask pretty confused: "Wait, where are we going now?"

"Going out there to find Ultra Class trainers to battle, of course! I ranked up in the Championships but that doesn't mean I have time to slack off."

Goh stopped walking, his grip on Ashs hand tight enough that he had to stop with him.

"Ash…"

Ash turned around to look at Goh.

"Hm?"

"You do know the rules for the Ultra Class are different… right?"

"Wait… they are?"

Goh smiled at him, looking a little exasperated. "There aren't enough trainers in the Ultra Class for you to be likely to run into anyone by chance. Battles in the Ultra Class get scheduled in advance, you will get notified when you get matched with an opponent."

Ash blinked. "Oh, huh. That kinda makes sense, I guess I can wait a bit."

"You… never actually read the full tournament rules, did you?"

"You know I didn't.", Ash replied with a smirk.

Goh fondly rolled his eyes at him. "Maybe Iris is right and you are still kinda a little kid. But it's okay, I love you anyway."

"What?! I'm literally older than you!"

Goh merely shrugged at that.

Ash attempted to look at him annoyed, but he knew he was smiling too much to pull it off properly.

"We could search for some wild Unovan Pokemon in the area insead?", he suggested.

This time, it was Goh running ahead and dragging Ash behind himself.

Ash seemed more nervous than Goh remembered him ever acting before.

He was fidgeting with his jacket, he was nervously tapping his foot, he got up to pace around before the bus they were in took a turn that made Ash stumble and he decided to sit down again, he looked at the screen at the front of the bus that showed the time and the next destination, he looked out the window, he went back to fidgeting and foot tapping.

Goh wouldn't have needed to have any unique emotion related powers to know that Ash was clearly nervous, and yet he could still feel the nervousness practically radiating off his soulmate without even focusing on it.

Pikachu from his spot on Gohs shoulder, because he had given up on dealing with how Ash was acting without falling off, was looking over to his trainer in concern.

He should say something to him.

"You, uh, seem pretty nervous there."

Not that.

Ugh. He didn't need to point out the obvious!

"Yeah.", was all that Ash said, as he looked at the time again, on his rotom phone this time. Because what else would he say to that, that was not a good conversation starter.

"Is it because of Professor Oak asking you to come to Pallet Town?"

It obviously was, but Goh really didn't know what else to say, and how to ask what exactly was bothering Ash. This didn't seem all too strange to him. He knew Ash grew up around Professor Oak, he worked with him all the time and took care of his Pokemon. Was the Professor calling him really that unusual?

"Yeah", Ash said again. And just when Goh thought that was the only answer he was going to get until they actually made it to the lab, Ash sighed.

"It's not really that unusual for him to do that? I mean, he calls me to share discoveries or to tell me how my Pokemon are doing. And he sometimes tells me to come over when he knows I'm in the area. But he always tells me why. And when I asked him the reason earlier, he was clearly dodging the question. He seemed nervous."

Goh inhaled sharply. "Oh."

"Yeah.", Ash agreed. "I'm just. Worried. That he did that because something bad is going on, and he needs me to be there for it and wants to tell me in person."

"Maybe… maybe he just made a cool discovery that makes more sense for us to see in person rather than just hearing about it?"

Ash bit his lip. "Maybe."

He didn't seem convinced, and after hearing why Ash thought this was unusual, Goh didn't think this was over nothing either.

Goh reached out to grab Ashs hand, intertwining their fingers.

Ash squeezed back.

They stayed holding hands like this all the way to the walk up to the Oak laboratory.

Unfortunately, Ashs worries turned out to be reality.

Goh had tried to keep the conversation with Professor Oak as light as possible.

He mentioned to Ash that he had been in the lab before when he was six (apparently, the kid that never showed up to the camp that day and made them start late had been Ash oversleeping, and with everything that Goh knew about him now, this added up completely and made perfect sense), he showed the Professor which Pokemon he had registered in his Pokedex already (he was very impressed by Suicune, which would have been flattering if Goh had been able to properly focus on it), and Professor Oak brought up some group search thingy with some trials or whatever that was apparently looking for Mew (which Goh was not really interested in at all, group projects were absolutely not his thing, other people being there would just distract him from his actual goals).

They went outside where Ash greeted some of his own Pokemon that were staying at Professor Oaks lab, and that's when the Professor revealed his real reasoning for calling them over.

One of Ashs Pokemon - his Infernape - had gone missing a few days ago, with no one knowing the reason for her disappearance.

Ash and Goh wasted no time to go search for her.

Okay, weeell… admittedly Goh did get a little sidetracked when they came across a Pidgeotto, which led to them being attacked by an Onix, which led to…

"Of course, who else could it be but Ashy-boy?", said the mystery person standing behind the Blastoise that just shot down the Onix.

Goh absolutely did not recognize that voice and had no idea who this was.

Ash however, judging by his surprised and excited gasp, did. "Gary!", he shouted.

The mystery person - Gary, it seemed like - stepped out from behind his Blastoise with a laugh. "I haven't had a chance to say that in a while. Long time no see, Ash and Pikachu."

Ash smiled at Gary and walked up to him. "Yeah, it's been forever!"

"Pikachu!", Pikachu agreed, or maybe he was simply greeting Gary with his little wave.

"But, why are you here?", Ash asked. "Weren't you supposed to be researching Pokemon in Sinnoh?"

Gary huffed. "That's old news. I'm traveling all over the world to research Pokemon now. And, while traveling, something sprung up that brought me to Kanto.", he explained.

"And what was that?", Ash asked curiously, but his question went entirely ignored, as Gary took a few steps closer towards Goh instead.

"Nevermind that, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, sorry! He's a research fellow at Cerise Institute, just like me.", Ash introduced Goh to Gary.

"I'm Goh.", Goh said his name a bit begrudgingly.

He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but something about this guy felt… off. He didn't like the way he talked to Ash. He seemed cocky. But maybe Goh was imagining it.

Gary took a few more steps closer to Goh, maybe a little too close for Gohs taste, and then he moved his hand towards Grookey to pet him, and Grookey…

Grookey leaned into his touch.

Huh.

"That's a cute Grookey", Gary said, and he sounded pretty genuine about it.

Grookey had been doing a lot better around other people lately, he wasn't as nervous or as jumpy as he had been when Goh first caught him. He had gotten more comfortable around everyone in the Cerise Institute who he frequently interacted with.

But Goh hadn't thought he would be at a point where he would lean into a strangers touch like this. Was it because Gary was Ashs friend? Or did Grookey just think Gary seemed like a trustworthy person?

Goh probably was just imagining the bad vibes if it was the latter.

Gary stepped back out of Gohs personal space, and Ash moved his hand on top of his shoulder.

"This is Gary. A childhood friend, and longtime rival.", Ash introduced Gary to Goh now.

"Nice to meet you.", Gary said, still with the same smile on his face that hadn't wavered this entire conversation so far.

"Likewise.", Goh replied hesitantly, very unsure how he felt about all of this right now.

"Oh, right! Garys gramps is Professor Oak!", Ash added.

Goh blinked. "Huh?! Professor Oak?!"

Goh expected Gary to comment something about his grandpa, but he was not prepared for what Gary was about to actually say when he opened his mouth.

"I was intruiged when I heard Ash had found himself a buddy…" he took another close look at Goh, "... no, wait, a boyfriend."

Goh resisted the urge to cover his soulmark at that. Gary had been focused on Grookey, who was sitting on his right shoulder, not his left. There was no way he could have noticed it.

"Did Mama tell you?", Ash asked, a little amused.

Gary nodded sagely. "Auntie Delia will tell anyone who spends more than five minutes hanging around her restaurant, I'm pretty sure all of Pallet knows by now. Well, anyway, it made me wonder what kinda guy he was."

"What kinda guy…?", Goh repeated. "I'm just who I am."

Gary laughed.

"It's not your personality I'm interested in.", he said all too lightheartedly, still fucking smiling. "What I want to know is how skilled a Pokemon Trainer you are."

"... Huh?"

"If I'm supposed to accept that Ash has a boyfriend, he'd better be at least as good a trainer as me."

Yeah, Goh did not like his attitude whatsoever. "...What do you mean?"

Gary shrugged. Still smiling. Goh really wanted to wipe that smile off his face.

"I'm saying you're not qualified to be Ashs soulmate."

What the hell?!

And Grookey chose to trust this guy?!

"Gaah! Ash! What's wrong with this guy?!"

Goh pointed an accusing finger in Garys direction.

Gary, the fucking bastard that he was, looked away and pretended to whistle innocently.

Ash raised his hands placiatingly. "Oh, he always did that sorta stuff to me as well…"

That did not make this any better.

"By the way, Gary, what was that thing you mentioned?", Ash asked to change the topic.

Moltres.

Gary was here to research Moltres. He had analyzed past Moltres sightings in combination with weather conditions to find where Moltres was most likely to show up next, something which Goh definitely could have done too, if he had wanted to. That was nothing special.

Gary also thought that Infernape might be in the same valley Moltres was hiding, and he and Ash immediately began walking off, as though they had already forgotten Goh was here as well.

Actually, no, Gary did tease him about not being able to keep up, but Goh chose to ignore that he said that.

But after that, the two kept to themselves, talking about things Goh knew nothing about, while he was lagging behind them and definitely struggling more with the path to the valley than they were.

Goh wasn't sure why that bothered him so much. He'd been perfectly content with staying behind and not interjecting into the conversation when they were in Unova to meet up with Iris.

But Iris had been really nice and friendly to him. She hadn't intentionally excluded him. She didn't act as though Goh wasn't good enough.

None of Ashs friends that Goh had met so far acted the way that Gary did. Maybe Kiawe, but that had been a misunderstanding, while Gary apparently knew perfectly well who Goh was.

Goh could barely comprehend how this guy was friends with Ash. How they were apparently around each other enough growing up for him to call Delia Auntie.

He remembered Ash telling him about how he'd only really had one friend before becoming a trainer, but this guy? Was Ash sure about them being friends, because he seemed more like he would have been one of his bullies rather than-

Goh lost his footing and slipped off the cliff they were walking on, barely managing to still hold onto the edge.

Maybe he should have actually been looking where he was putting down his feet.

Ash quickly turned around towards Goh for the first time in a while when he heard his soulmates yelp.

"Holy shit, Goh, are you okay?!"

Goh scoffed, moreso directed towards himself rather than Ash. "I'm fine. It's fine. I just didn't notice the ground wasn't solid in one spot."

Ash held out a hand for him to hold onto, but Goh ignored it. He pulled himself up again with his own strength, and he continued climbing up that mountain. He was very well aware he didn't have the same amount of stamina as the other two, but he'd still make it there, damnit. He needed to prove Gary Oak wrong.

And he did. Definitely out of breath and already kind of exhausted, but he could keep up. And maybe Gary knew more than him about this specific topic, but that was only because he had been researching it prior to coming here, Goh could keep up with his knowledge as well if he had known to do that today. And he could answer Garys questions towards him well enough, thank you very much.

They did find Infernape here, but that wasn't the only thing Gary had been right about, nor was she the only Pokemon they found.

Moltres really was here.

Goh would have thought that at some point he would get used to running into all of the ledendaries that Ash seemed to attract like a magnet. He had fought and come close to capturing a Zapdos before, what would be that different about Moltres after that? They would be similar to one another, right?

But if the day would come where he was used to seeing legendary Pokemon, then that day was not today. Moltres' mere presence was overwhelming. It looked magnificent, its appearance and the fire burning on its wings were downright mesmerizing. Its flames were scorching hot, Goh started feeling sweaty even from a distance away, and it only got warmer as the battle against it began.

When Goh sent out his Cinderace, her Pyro Ball missed Moltres by a long shot. But that was fine, he went back to focusing on holding up his phone at a good angle to analyse the video of Moltres later instead. He knew that battling was absolutely not something that he could keep up with Ash on, and admittedly Gary seemed to be a pretty good battler too, going off how he timed his Electivires Attack with Pikachus Thunderbolt so they would perfectly hit Moltres at the exact same time.

When the legendary bird started falling down out of the sky, for a moment Goh really thought Ash and Gary had bested it, before it caught itself and flew off, retreating from the battle.

Gary said he was fine with this. Apparently, he had only wanted a feather of Moltres, nothing more.

Goh didn't mind either, he had gotten excellent video footage of a legendary Pokemon. Professor Cerise was going to love this.

Excitedly, he opened his camera roll to watch it back, and… huh?

Huh?

All he had of Moltres was the blurriest photo known to man.

He had been so sure he had pressed the record button, how could he have possibly messed that up?

Great, another thing for Gary to tease him about.

Ugh, whatever. He was so over this day. They had found Ashs Infernape, that was all that mattered. He was so ready to make the annoying climb back down the mountain now.

It wasn't until the sun had begun to set and they had made it back to Pallet Town in one piece where Goh learned why Gary had been looking for Moltres and its feather to begin with.

It was because he was participating in that Project Mew thing that Professor Oak had brought up to him this morning.

And ugh, Gary already knew that Goh had declined joining it.

"Goh, I hear you declined an invitation to Project Mew.", he said way too calmly, and Goh already knew that his next words would be insulting him again. "That's a wise decision! A trainer at your level could never pass the missions."

And Goh wasn't sure what annoyed him more, the fact that Gary couldn't even come up with a new insult that wasn't just about Goh being less experienced than him from getting a Pokemon a few years after him, or the fact that it still very much annoyed Goh to hear this out of Garys mouth even after having to listen to his voice for most of the day.

Gary said his goodbyes to his grandfather and to Ash, while very noticably not giving Goh that same courtesy.

And as Goh watched Mr. Too-Busy-To-Spend-The-Night-In-His-Home-Town-Apparently walk away, his next words just sort of tumbled out before he could properly consider what he was saying.

"I'll do it."

Ash, Professor Oak, and even Grookey turned to look at him curiously.

"Project Mew.", Goh elaborated, and he felt more sure of that decision by the second.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about the prospect of having to deal with being part of an entire team looking for Mew, or the concept of Project Mew as a whole for that matter. That was never how he would have imagined another encounter with Mew, he had always pictured catching it all on his own.

But holy shit, Gary might be the most obnoxious person Goh has ever met in his life, and he wanted to prove him wrong so badly. He needed to show that asshole that he could do this.

"Goh!", Ash said his name excitedly. "I'll cheer you on with everything I've got!"

Goh smiled at him. "Thank you, Ash!"

Professor Oak nodded to himself. "Yes. Gary will be pleased."

Both Goh and Ash turned to look at the professor with confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?", Goh asked him.

"Provoking you was likely his way of expressing that he'd like you to take part.", Professor Oak explained.

Goh thought over every single interaction he had had with Gary that day. The amount of times the other boy had said that he wasn't good enough, the questions he asked Goh about Moltres that he had clearly already known about himself. Had that really been to provoke him into joining Project Mew rather than just for shits and giggles? And it had worked on him.

"Then he should have said that! "He can never be honest about how he feels…", Ash said with an amused sigh, in a familiar way that you would only get from growing up with someone.

He felt like he should still be upset about this, but Goh couldn't help but smile to himself. "I kind of feel like he completely beat me."

"Either way, there's one thing I now know!"

He balled his fist. "Right now, I can't beat him. So I'm going to try harder!"

He raised his fist into the air and jumped. "And then, the future will be in the palm of my hands!"

Just as Goh landed back on his feet, he could sense someone approaching, and now that he was paying more attention to it, he could hear footsteps coming from the exact opposite direction Gary had just disappeared in.

When he looked to see who those footsteps belonged to, he could see a person who was wearing a red headband and looked maybe a couple years older than him, holding a Marill in their arms and seeming very exhausted.

Ash gaped at them so hard that Goh worried his jaw might fall off.

"Tracey?", he asked in disbelief.

Oh, Goh had heard that name before. Professor Oak had mentioned him earlier, he was the Professors assistant.

"Oh my god, Tracey, we're like, actually here at the same time.", Ash said elated. "You're usually the one never home when I visit."

Tracey very slowly made his way over to them, and then held up his hand in a pausing gesture, looking very concerningly like he was about to buckle over. "Sorry, Ash, give me a moment.", he said between heavy breaths. "I'm not used to adventuring around like that anymore."

Yeah, Goh could relate to that exhaustion.

"Have you guys found Infernape yet?", Tracey asked after taking about half a minute to catch himself, still sounding slightly out of breath.

"Oh yeah, she's over there.", Ash told him, pointing in the direction where Infernape had immediately walked off to when they had returned to the Oak Lab… and where she was fighting Ashs Torkoal now, apparently.

Ash chuckled. "Guess she still can't help herself even after fighting Moltres, huh?"

Professor Oak laughed as well. "I think she's just been itching for a good battle, you should call her on for one sometime."

Ash looked thoughtful at that. "Yeah, maybe I will."

He turned his attention back to Tracey. "Seriously, Tracey, have you been looking for Infernape the whole day?"

Tracey nodded. "Yeah, I didn't like the thought of a Pokemon going missing under my watch, even moreso if it's the Pokemon of one of my friends. I looked everywhere for her." He glanced back at Infernape, who just in that moment fell to the ground, while Torkoal seemingly won their little battle.

Well, in her defense, Infernape did just come back from fighting a legendary about an hour by foot up a mountain, she probably had already been way more exhausted than Torkoal was. Torkoal still seemed very excited about her victory, while Infernape was smiling back at her.

"I'm relieved to hear you found her, I'm just glad she was safe.", Tracey finished.

Ash looked really touched at his words. "Thanks, Tracey.", he said with a grateful smile. "I may not see you around a lot these days, but you're a very good friend."

"Same to you, Ash", Tracey returned the sentiment through a yawn. "As much as I'd like to catch up, I am dead tired right now. Maybe tomorrow if you're staying in Pallet. I'm gonna go sleep for 10 hours. Nice seeing you, Ash. Nice sort of actually meeting you too, Goh. Goodnight."

As Tracey made his way into the Lab building and Professor Oak excused himself for the night as well, it was now Ashs turn to start yawning.

"We should probably go to sleep too, it's been one day.", he suggested.

"Please tell me you're not gonna be as stubborn as Gary and suggest we still go back to Vermilion today.", Goh pleaded with an awkward smile.

Ash huffed. "When I have a perfectly fine bed in Mamas house literally next door? Absolutely not"

Ash took Gohs hand in his and dragged him behind him for a moment, but Goh could easily fall in step with Ash. He wasn't even sure how he still had the energy to walk at all, but it suddely felt easier when he was next to his soulmate.

Goh grinned at him. "You said bed."

"Huh?" Ash frownedd at him for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization. "I- I meant floor. I have a perfectly fine floor-"

"That was absolutely not what you meant to say.", Goh interrupted him. "And no take backs. You're sleeping on the bed tonight, I'm taking the Snorlax plush on the floor. I slept in your bed the last time we stayed over in Pallet anyway, so we're switching. It's only fair."

Ash rolled his eyes accompanied by a groan, but he was still smiling. "Fine. I guess that's fair. I'll sleep in my bed."

Goh nodded in self satisfaction.

"Hey, by the way, how come all of your friends are like, the nicest people on the planet, and then you're also friends with Gary Oak? I know you grew up together and all, but how on earth did you become friends with a guy like that? The difference between the way he talked and the way Tracey talks gave me whiplash."

Ash snorted. "Honestly? I kind of don't even remember how we became friends, he's just sorta always been in my life, yknow? And he's not that bad when you actually get to know him better, I promise. He kinda just acts like it."

Goh found that hard to believe. "He's a fucking asshole.", Goh stated bluntly. "He is so incredibly rude. I really don't understand how he had your attention on him literally all day."

Ash smirk. "What, are you jealous?", He asked teasingly, very clearly not serious.

Goh still felt the need to defend himself. "I am not jealous of Gary fucking Oak."

Something about his inflection must have not been convincing, because the smirk had been wiped off Ashs face, and he was now gaping at him. "Oh my god, you are jealous. I was kidding! I'm, like, literally your soulmate."

Goh didn't know what to say to that. Maybe he had been a bit jealous by how focused Ash had been on Gary, though it was mostly because Gary himself had pissed him off.

Ash stopped walking.

Goh did as well.

Huh, they were almost at Delias place. He hadn't noticed that.

"Hey.", Ash said softly, squeezing Gohs hand that was still interlocked with Ashs.

"I'm sorry if you felt like I didn't care about you earlier or anything.", Ash apologized, and Goh very much wanted to tell him to not apologize for being excited about seeing a friend, but Ash already continued talking before he could.

"But you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah.", Goh replied easily with a smile and zero hesitation. "I know."

Chapter Text

"Then someday, we'll come and visit. And see your beautiful garden of white flowers. Okay? See you, Floette."

Ash could tell that Goh was trying to hold it together for Floettes sake, even comforting both her and Grookey. He held back his tears, he let her go, waving goodbye and wishing her the best.

He himself felt a bit sad about it. Floette wasn't a Pokemon he knew well, but it was still one that had lived at Cerise Park for a long while, one he'd considered a friend.

As soon as she had disappeared behind the horizon, Goh spoke, almost mechanically: "C'mon, let's go." He turned around, not waiting for a response, and walked off into the direction where they had left their camp abandoned for later once Floette had made it clear she wanted to keep looking through the night. Ash quietly followed him.

When they got to the clearing, Goh immediately bent down to sit on his knees and started fumbling with their things, clearly going solely off of muscle memory.

Ash shared a worried look with Pikachu. He knew exactly what Goh was doing. He was distracting himself, trying to keep himself busy, to not think about what had just happened.

He looked like an absolute mess, he felt like an absolute mess, and the fact he had just almost dropped their campfire pot because his hands were shaking sure wasn't helping his case.

"Goh…", Ash started softly, but was interrupted before he could say anything more.

"Can it.", Goh hissed, in a tone that made Grookey flinch and jump off his trainers shoulder.

Goh grimaced, immediately regretting his reaction. "Shit, sorry, I didn't mean…", he drifted off.

"It's okay.", Ash assured him. "I get it."

Grookey, too, tried to assure Goh, by putting a paw on his arm.

"I just…", Goh started again, struggling to find the right words, "I really do not need to hear a speech about any of this from you right now.", he admitted.

"I know you're more experienced than I am with these things, but if you're gonna start telling me a story about how you've released a Pokemon before and how it gets easier over time I am going to lose it." He paused, frustrated at himself now. "Ugh, no, that still sounds bad."

It very much did sound bad, it admittedly did hurt a bit, but part of Ash was glad Goh was being honest about how he felt with him.

"It doesn't…", Ash admitted quietly.

Goh gave him a look. "You're really gonna try to tell me that didn't sound awful just now."

"No, what I mean is... it never gets easier.", Ash elaborated.

He sat down besides Goh, prying his fingers from their camping equipment and intertwining them with his own, keeping his gaze fixed on their hands.

"When I was 10, after I'd barely really left Pallet, I released my Butterfree.", Ash told him quietly. "He was the first Pokemon I'd ever caught on my own, but he fell in love, and I let him go so he could be with her."

He took a shaky breath, having to steady himself at the memory of Butterfree flying away, at the fact he hadn't seen him since then. It was all too similar to the scene of Goh saying goodbye to Floette.

He hadn't really understood Butterfrees feelings back then, not in the way he could now, but he had known that Butterfree wanted to be with someone else, not him, so he let him.

Brock and Misty had been there right next to him, trying to make him feel better, trying to cheer him up in their own ways over the following days. Misty had tried to keep him distracted, asking him to battle her several times, making him focus on training enough until he forgot to be sad for a moment. Brock had let him know that he could talk to him about anything, that he'd listen to his thoughts, but Ash never took him up on the offer. He hadn't known how to talk about it. It was sweet of them, and Ash appreciated Brock and Misty so so much, but it hadn't really helped him feel that much better.

Then there was…

"When I had just turned 15, I released my Poipole. I'd originally caught it because it got separated from its family, and, well…", Ash shrugged helplessly, "we found them, and it wanted to stay with them."

He was the one flying off, this time. Watching Poipole draw him and Pikachu into the ground as he had to hurry before the Ultra Wormhole closed and left him stranded in a different world.

He'd been too distracted to pay proper attention to school for a bit after that, occasionally staring at the Beastball that was now empty. Unlike Brock and Misty, Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, Lana and Sophocles hadn't acted much different around him at all. But he knew that had been that groups own way of trying to cheer Ash up. By keeping things normal.

And he had seen Naganadel since then, but that had also been tempoary, and while seeing it again and battling together against Professor Kukui had been great, watching it leave a second time broke the wound wide open again, on top of the uncertainty on what to do next after becoming a champion at that time.

Ash felt his own voice waver, and Goh gave his hands a squeeze. Under different circumstances Ash may have chuckled at himself. Now Goh was the one trying to make him feel better. He was doing an awful job at this, wasn't he?

"I don't know which one hurt more, but… they both fucking hurt for sure. Cried both times, felt awful for weeks. I still think about how they're doing right now a lot. About how any of my Pokemon that aren't at Professor Oaks or Professor Kukuis are doing, really."

"Pika…", Pikachu agreed with him sadly. He'd had to say goodbye to all of those friends as well, after all.

And it very much wasn't just those two that were on Ashs mind now that he was talking about it.

It was Lapras and Larvitar, who just like Naganadel returned to be with their families.

It was Primeape and Ambipom, who had wanted to chase after their own dreams.

It was Pidgeot and Squirtle and Goodra, staying with their friends, protecting others.

It was Solgaleo, it was Nebby, having duties as a legendary Pokemon that Ash would never fully understand, that no human could ever fully understand, who had never technically been his Pokemon, but had sure felt like it was.

It was Charizard, who had been abandoned before, who had probably been Ashs go to Pokemon at that time, who he'd formed such a strong bond with after struggling to connect with it, but who he had let stay in Charicific Valley because he wanted to train to get stronger. Who he could have called on any time, who was very clearly still his Pokemon and in Pallet Town right now, but sometimes Ash still had to remind himself of that fact, because that initial goodbye had changed something in him as a kid even more so than Butterfree had.

And it was Greninja.

Ash would never say this to any of his other Pokemon that he had released, but letting go of Greninja so he could clean up the mess Kalos had been left as together with Squishy and the other Zygarde was the release that had hurt him the most.

It wasn't that the others weren't horribly sad as well, those Pokemon had been his friends just as much as Greninja was, but they hadn't felt like a part of him, hadn't literally been a part of him, like Greninja was. Because while he had been able to feel his other Pokemon being sad, he hadn't been able to feel their emotions on top of his own as clearly as he could feel Greninjas. Because in a weird way, they were also his own.

But, well, he didn't need to say all of that to Goh, he didn't need to hear that right now.

Ash figured that the first and latest release still being difficult even with so much time passing between them was enough examples for what he was trying to say.

And that's exactly what leaving Poipole in its own world - what letting Naganadel go back through that Ultra Wormhole even after reuniting - had been.

His latest goodbye.

Ash was under absolutely no impression that it would ever be the last.

If any of his Pokemon ever don't want to be his Pokemon anymore, don't want to fight with him anymore, don't want to stay at a place where Ash could call them on anytime anymore, then he would always let them go. He would never stop them from doing what they want. Doing that would hurt more than saying goodbye.

He… had thought that Infernape wanted to leave, when she had gone missing. But it seemed like she had stayed at the lab since then, and she really had just been itching for a good battle. Professor Oak had been right. He should battle with her again sometime soon enough. He hadn't been appreciating his Pokemon staying around for him recently.

Maybe not for the Masters Tournament, his current team had been working too hard for that for him to want to take those battles from them, but what was stopping him from calling on his older Pokemon for fun?

Ashs breath hitched again. He tried not to let himself tear up, tried not to linger on those thoughts too much.

He focused back on looking at Goh, who had been quiet for a while, probably lost in thought the same way Ash had been.

He knew this wouldn't be the only Pokemon Goh would have to say goodbye to like this, either. Not when he wanted to catch every Pokemon. Not when there were legendaries like Suicune or Nebby who had roles to fulfill.

Not everyone stayed in your life, not people, and not Pokemon.

And it made Ash sad to think about his soulmate having to be hurt like that. But he would be there for him. Even if they split up for a while to go on their own journeys, Ash will always come back. He wanted to be a part of Gohs life forever.

"How on earth is that supposed to make me feel better?", Goh finally asked, his voice croaky, and Ash had to think for a split second about what the last thing he said out loud had been.

Ash shook his head sadly. "It's not, I'm sorry. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I get why you're emotional right now, I don't blame you for being snappy."

He finally looked up to see Gohs expression, his soulmate had a few quiet tears rolling down his cheek.

"I'm going to have to tell the other Floette that their friend left.", Goh said quietly, his voice not more than a whisper. Ash might not have heard it if they hadn't been so close. "I'm going to have to tell all of our Pokemon, but I know it's gonna hit those four especially, they were like family."

Ash hummed in acknowledgement to let Goh know he was listening, but didn't say anything else. What was there to say?

"I know I did the right thing, that what she's doing is honorable and important, but…", Goh sobbed, "I'm going to miss her.", he finally admitted. "Especially the past few days, it was nice to be around her."

"We know where she is, we really could just come by and visit her anytime.", Ash suggested. "I know it's not the same, though."

Goh sighed. "It isn't."

Ash let go of his hands for a moment, but only so his arms were free to wrap around Goh and pull him into a hug.

Goh let him, not hugging him back, but still leaning into Ash.

"Thanks…", Goh mumbled into his chest. "Maybe I did need that."

"Don't mention it."

"You'll see some of your Pokemon again sometime, too."

"... Yeah."

If Goh picked up on the way Ashs voice cracked then he didn't point it out, he only moved his arms to hug Ash back.

Ash tightened his hold on him at that.

Goh would never be able to fully hide when he wasn't feeling well from Ash, no matter how good he could be at outwardly bluffing. No one could.

He'd been called "strangely emotionally aware" as a kid, for how well he knew when someone wasn't well. He hadn't understood that most other people couldn't read others the same way he could. And even then, he hadn't been as good at it as he was now that he actually knew what to look for.

He'd been called "weird" by the few friends he had tried to explain his abilities to, after he understood what they were. And he knew they hadn't meant it in any negative way, he knew himself that he was weird, he didn't mind being weird. But it still didn't feel all that nice, that they didn't understand.

But well, with Goh…

It worked the other way around, too. Ash couldn't hide how he was feeling from Goh.

And maybe other people would have been freaked out by knowing this, but to Ash, it felt so so nice to be around someone who could perceive Aura as well all the time now, around someone who just… understood. No words needed. He didn't need to try to explain anything with words he didn't have, Goh simply knew.

Goh has been getting pretty good at reading it, and Ash knew that he was around him enough that any changes in his mood would be very noticable to him now.

He didn't feel like he ever had to pretend to be someone he wasn't around Goh, and he couldn't, anyway.

He had known about Gohs Aura powers for a while now, but he kind of still felt amazed about him having them.

Ash smiled sadly to himself.

Then, with as much willpower as it took, he drew back from the hug that had probably been going on for longer than it should have already anyway, though without fully breaking off the physical contact between them.

"You should lay down and at least rest a little, even if you can't manage to sleep.", he told Goh.

Goh looked skeptical about that. "The sun just went up."

Ash huffed. "Yeah, and we stayed up all fucking night again. And you already told me you didn't sleep much the past two nights neither, you clearly need it." He wanted to say it would make him feel better, but he didn't really think that it would.

"We already have kinda messed up sleep schedules anyway, and we're in a region with a different timezone from ours right now.", Ash added. "Lying down for a bit even if the sun is up won't make it that much worse anymore, really."

Goh still didn't look convinced, but apparently couldn't think of any arguments or anything else to do right now, as he gave in with a sigh. "Yeah, okay.", he agreed quietly. "Under one condition tho."

"Yeah? What's the condition?"

"Can we… sleep next to each other?"

Ash put out their sleeping bags right next to each other without a word, and after they lied down, their Pokemon curled up on top of them, the exhaustion hit Goh and he did fall asleep fairly quickly.

As soon as they had made it back to Vermilion City Goh went to track down the other four Floette, telling them pretty much the exact story as to why their friend had stayed behind.

He wasn't sure how well they understood what he was saying, but they seemed to respect the white Floette for wanting to protect the white flowers, and their faces turned sad when Goh got to the part of when he had let her go, before they shared a look and split off into different directions themselves. To do what, Goh wasn't sure. But it kind of broke his heart all over again.

He really didn't want to tell each and every one of his Pokemon what happened, he absolutely didn't have the energy to relive that moment that many times. He had told the Floette, those were the Pokemon that absolutely had to know what happened, and he figured they will spread around the story themselves.

Well, there was still one Pokemon who wouldn't learn about it that way.

Goh made his way crawling through the narrow and damp tunnel, stopping right before where the cave would get bigger.

It was just him right now, he had left the usual Pokemon that would want to be around him outside in the park. He figured that Grookey and Cinderace would be… a bit much. And maybe Lu wouldn't be, but Goh already felt like he was breaking a promise by going here just on his own anyway.

"Hey, Drizzile.", he said into the seemingly empty cave. It definitely wasn't empty, though. Drizzile may not be currently visible to him with just his eyes right now, but it was difficult to hide from Goh when he could sense when someone was there.

"I'm… sorry for just walking in on you, but there's… something that happened and I feel like I should tell you about it."

Drizzile didn't make himself visible, but he also didn't say anything against Goh being here, so he figured that was enough of an invitation to get out of the tunnel and sit himself down in the proper cave.

"I released one of the Flabébé today.", Goh explained quietly, looking straight ahead of him at nothing in particular. "She evolved into Floette and decided to stay behind to protect the flowers for others like her."

This was the third time he had retold this story, when he included the brief conversation with Professor Cerise, but thinking about it again still got to him.

Drizzile came into view right next to Goh, a sad smile on his face. He reached out a hand across Gohs cheek, before turning invisible again.

Oh.

Had Goh been crying?

He hadn't really noticed.

"Hey, Drizzile? Is it okay if I stay here with you for a while?"

Drizzile once again didn't react to Gohs words, but that was fine. That just meant it was a yes, and Goh really appreciated that.

Some time alone to deal with his thoughts sounded like exactly what he needed right now, and hanging out with Drizzile in his cave was probably the best place where he could get that.

Chapter Text

It was the middle of the night, and she wasn't able to find any sleep.

She was walking in circles outside the Pokemon Center, her Partner Pokemon half asleep in her arms, as what happened earlier today didn't leave her mind.

She felt so stupid. So so stupid. Why would she even think that-

"Dawn...?"

Startled, Dawn turned towards the voice, then immediately relaxed.

"Oh, it's just you, Ash..."

Ash rubbed his eyes, and through a yawn he asked: "What are you doing, why are you still awake?"

"I could ask you the same, you know."

"Had to pee and then noticed you and Piplup weren't in our room.", he shrugged.

Dawn sighed. "I couldn't sleep, so I just went to get some fresh air.", she half-lied.

Ash didn't buy it for one second, he knew her too well. He gave her a sceptical look, before softening. "You still thinking 'bout your battle with Zoey?"

Okay, he definitely knew her way too well.

"Hey, c'mon, it was just training. You gave it your all. You'll do better once Mamoswine and Cyndaquil got that strategy down."

Or maybe not.

"It's not that. Well, it kind of is. But I didn't give it my all, that's the thing.", she admitted. "I was distracted by her Leafeon."

She felt her ears heat up at the confession, enough so that she immediately regretted saying it out loud as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Oh.", was all Ash said once he got it.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he asked: "Wasn't Glameow her first Pokemon?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I asked her about that afterwards.", she explained. "I don't even know why I thought it would've been Leafeon if she's literally never used it before, I feel really stupid for it. I guess it just took me off guard."

She awkwardly chuckled. "It's a good thing you guys told me as much as you did about May before I met her, otherwise who knows how the Wallace Cup would've went."

"Yeah, that would've been something, huh..." Ash agreed, before his eyes widened with a realization, and he suddenly seemed alot more awake. "Wait, I never told you a thing about Gary before we ran into him. And you saw his Umbreon! Did you-"

"Ugh, stop", Dawn groaned. The heat that had covered her ears earlier returned at full force.

Ash took that as the confirmation it was and burst out laughing.

"Ash!"

"Sorry, sorry.", he said between laughter, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "But that's hilarious. You thought that Gary Oak-" he cut himself off with another laugh.

Piplup clumsily reached up his arm, slapped her a few times in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring gesture, and mumbled something that barely managed to sound like his own name and more like a yawn.

Dawn desperately wanted a hole to open up on the floor and disappear into it.

"Shut the fuck up, please."

That startled Ash enough for him to stop laughing. "Whoa there, language! If Brock heard you talk like that, he would complain about Paul ruining your vocabulary again.", Ash teased, but Dawn would take it, because at least he'd stopped laughing.

"You know, between your angsting and him thinking every girl he meets is his soulmate, I'm kinda glad I don't know what Pokemon mine is. I mean, I am interested in what they're like, but actively searching for them seems like a pain. Kind of makes me not even want to figure it out."

Nevermind, this was worse.

"Gee, thanks.", Dawn huffed. "If you're gonna be like that, I'll just go back to sleep."

She took the first couple steps in the direction of the Pokemon Center, but Ash was quick to stop her.

"Dawn, wait!", he said as he grabbed her wrist, and she did wait.

"Sorry, I guess my filter is currently dead. I didn't mean that as an insult towards you."

"Yeah, yeah. I know that.", she sighed, pried her arm free and looked back at Ash. "I'm just kind of irritated and in a bad mood already."

A determined look crossed Ashs eyes, and he smirked. "Hey, c'mon." He lightly punched Dawns upper arm. "Screw soulmates, you don't need them! You're gonna get your fifth ribbon, then win the Grand Festival, look like a queen doing so and someday when you meet them they're gonna be sorry to have missed it all. You don't need them to kick ass!"

That... actually did make her feel a lot better, but she didn't want to miss the golden opportunity for a comeback. Instead of thanking him, she smirked, and teased:

"Now whose vocabulary got ruined by Paul?"

Chloe lowered her phone with a sigh.

Figured that her dad would call her overly worried only to hang up on her again immediately after because he was still too busy to talk to her in the end.

Well… no need to worry, right?

At least he'd never gotten around teasing her about the fact the eggs he had been looking after had all apparently been a bunch of Piplup of all Pokemon.

And if Chloe was being honest with herself, she was still a bit upset at her dad for cancelling their planned vacation, she didn't particularly want to hear him ramble about the Pokemon he had ditched her for either.

It hadn't only been the start of her summer vacation, it had also been her birthday last week, and her family had promised her a trip together for so long, she really had been looking forward to it.

She understood that her parents both had jobs where sometimes things just came up, but surely Ren and Chrysa could take care of the lab on their own just fine, and her mom could delay her commissions for a few days. They never got to do anything together. The sheer nerve to tell her to go with Goh and Ash instead when their adventure was related to her dads job as well.

And speaking of…

Her eyes landed on Ash, Goh and the new addition to the group, Dawn, a bit off the shore with their feet in the ocean. The latter having at some point figured out that the former two were soulmates, now teasing the two about it while simultaneously hiding behind Ash, who Goh was splashing with water.

Chloe was still very unsure how she felt about the girl. The past two days had been very weird, not only specifically because of Dawn with everything else going on after they met, but Dawn was still a huge part of why they had been weird.

Her and Dawn seemed to be very different people at their core, with how laid back the other girl was in comparison to Chloe. She found her to be really annoying at times. It was no wonder they had butted heads as hard as they did.

But… Chloe couldn't help but admit she admired a lot of things about Dawn as well. She is a bit too easy going, but she's kind and friendly. She was so willing to help. She clearly loves Pokemon a lot. She has a very big dream, but she's also achieved a lot in the contest world.

When they fought, it had made Chloe pretty upset. But when they stayed up late just talking, when they had shared a tent together, when Dawn had held her hands… it had been nice.

There was something about her. That conflicted Chloe a lot. That made her feel weird. But that was drawing her towards Dawn, in a strange way.

Chloe groaned internally.

She didn't want to think about any of this right now, this wasn't the time for that.

She was probably just tired.

Goh, Ash and possibly Dawn may be used to dealing with legendaries and evil organizations, and everything that had happened was probably not a huge deal to them at all, but it was for Chloe. This had all been physically exhausting and even more mentally draining. And she'd prefer not having to deal with any of this at all, thank you very much.

And all she had wanted to do before that entire mess had started was simply to go see… a… Pokemon Contest.

Oh.

They should probably get going for that.

"Hey, if you want to make it to the Contest, we should leave soon!", Chloe shouted at them.

Dawn turned around to her. "Oh, that's right. Piplup, let's go!"

"Eevee, we're leaving!", Chloe told her own Pokemon.

But… neither of them made any move to leave, none of their Pokemon did. They were all just kind of in their own world, doing their own little thing, splashing each other with water or sunbathing.

"She's more interested in the sea than the Contest right now, I guess.", Dawn said lightly.

Chloe felt a bit annoyed for a moment, but she shrugged it off with an easy smile. "Oh well, it is summer vacation."

"That's right.", Dawn said, as she ran up to Chloe and grabbed her hand. "So you should be out here with us!"

"Huh? Wait, hold on!", Chloe protested, but Dawn was stronger than her and already dragging the other girl after her, and she only stopped when their feet were underwater.

"But didn't you want to enter the contest?"

Dawn shrugged, smiling at Chloe. "There'll be enough contests, I'm having too much fun right now. Ooohhh, we should take a group photo!"

She let go of Chloes hand - wait had she been holding it the whole time? - only to spray Chloe with water, begrudgingly getting a laugh out of her.

Chloe was a little worried about her concealer wearing off, especially since she had slept with it and hadn't gotten around to redoing it today, but it still seemed water proof enough and nothing was coming off.

She forgot about it pretty soon anyway, the others fun was rubbing off on her, and when Goh totally ruined her hair with a huge wave of water, there was no way she wasn't getting revenge on him.

By the time they were done childishly playing around in the ocean, the sun had already started setting, and it was way too late to try to still make it to the next city before the contest began.

It was a shame, Chloe had really wanted to see one, but maybe this had been exactly what she had needed, because she felt a lot more at ease when they started walking into the direction of the airport than she had earlier.

"Say, why are you competing in Sinnoh contests again, anyway? Pretty sure you've never even done the ones in Kanto.", Ash asked Dawn after various other small talk, when they were pretty close to their destination already. She had mentioned doung that pretty off handedly, but he was curious about it.

"Ah, well, it's kinda a funny story, actually.", Dawn replied. "I was staying at home in Twinleaf Town for a while after I participated in the contests in Johto, just kind of to… unwind, I guess, yknow?"

Ash nodded. He did know. He's done that before.

"I probably would've went to Kanto next, but then I ran into May and her gang."

"Wait, May and her gang?", Ash repeated Dawns words in surprise.

Dawn hummed. "Yeah, yknow. Like, your good friend, the Queen of Hoenn. Her long term rival and soulmate. Their mentor figure and winner of the Kanto Grand Festival among others. And… uh…", Dawn paused, a deep frown on her face. "Harley, I guess? What do I even say about him?"

Ash huffed. "I know who you're talking about when you say 'May and her gang', just… they're all doing Sinnoh contests right now? And you joined them?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah. I was feeling kind of in a slump. My mom suggested I should just go watch a contest to maybe spark the fire again, and when I did, all of those guys were there, performing their A game. And their competitiveness made me want to get back into things. So I did just that."

Before Ash could reply to any of that, Dawn paused and looked over to the right, where the road was diverging.

"Well, the Pokemon Center is in that direction, I should split off if I still want to get a room for the night.", she said, before turning to look at Chloe. "Y'know, if you still want to see a Pokemon Contest that badly, you could come with me for a while instead?"

Chloe stared at Dawn, very clearly startled at the offer. "Oh, um…", was her stuttered reply.

Ash almost expected her to use school as an excuse, as she usually did when he and Goh asked her to go anywhere with her, before remembering she was on break for a good while now.

"Err, I… I've warmed up to going places with Goh and Ash. But… I don't think actually traveling like that is… for me. Sorry."

Dawn simply hummed. Ash wasn't sure what that meant, but she did seem… a bit disappointed, almost? But just as quickly as Ash had noticed that, Dawn had already recovered.

"How about this then." She took off her backpack, searched around in it for a bit, then took out a marker and walked up to Chloe. She took the other girls hand, and without waiting for permission, started writing something down on it.

"I'll give you my number. I can let you know when and where my next Contest is, and then you can come back to Sinnoh and watch that one."

Chloe blinked at the number once Dawn was done with it, then looked up at the girl with a very flustered and slightly pink expression.

"I… guess that works?"

Dawn nodded one last time, before turning back towards the way to the Pokemon Center and saying her goodbye.

"Alright, bye guys! I'll hear from you later!", she said while waving exaggeratedly with both of her arms up.

"Bye Dawn!", Ash said, returning the gesture.

Goh was waving at her as well, although he was a lot more held back on it, only using one hand.

Chloe just stared after her for a while, before shaking her head, and walking off in the direction of their own destination, Ash and Goh quickly falling into step with her.

"She seems nice.", Goh said.

"She's the best.", Ash agreed with a smile.

"She's weird.", Chloe said. "She was so annoying at first, we were kind of butting heads a bit before you guys showed up.", she explained to them. "But… yeah, I guess she wasn't so bad at all, we're just pretty different people."

Ash snickered. "Wait, let me guess. She was being annoying about your Eevee, right?"

Chloe frowned at him, then looked down at the Eevee she was holding in her arms. "Wait, what's wrong with Eevee?".

Huh. Weird. He really thought she would have…

"There's nothing wrong with Eevee.", he assured her. "It's just that, well… she's an Eevee.", he said vaguely.

"Does Dawn have a problem with Eevees or something?", Chloe asked, her frown deepining.

Okay, that was very strange. It was so odd for Dawn to not bring it up to someone with any Pokemon in the Eevee line. But then again, he hadn't seen her in a few years. Maybe she had stopped doing it. Or maybe she had already found them.

"No, no, not an issue."

"Then what is it?"

"Eevee is Dawns soulmark Pokemon.", he said easily. "She used to be pretty annoying about it and freak out a bit every time she ran into one, but I guess she doesn't- huh?"

He stopped talking as soon as he noticed that Chloe and Goh weren't next to him anymore, he turned around and saw them a few steps behind him, neither of them walking anymore.

Chloe was staring at Ash, a look in her wide eyes that Ash couldn't quite read, her mouth slightly agape.

Goh was looking at Chloe, seeming kind of concerned about her.

"Uh, guys?", Ash asked. "What's wrong?"

"Dawns… Piplup…", Chloe said slowly, tightening her hold on Eevee, who was also looking up at her in confusion.

"Dawns first Pokemon was her Piplup, wasn't it?", Chloe finished the question.

She kept staring at Ash like he was holding the answers to the universe in his hands. She looked almost haunted. She looked like she didn't actually want to know the answer to what she had just asked him. She looked like she needed to know more than anything.

"Um… yeah. It was Piplup. But what… why do you…?"

All of a sudden, Chloe snapped out of whatever had been going in her mind just a second ago. She was smiling again, in a way that seemed almost faked. Her voice was back to being as chippy as usual when she said: "Oh, it's nothing, Ash. I was just curious. Sorry, that was weird."

And with that, she began walking quickly again, making it past Ash, and he could see her smile fall again right before he couldn't see her face at all anymore.

Goh was looking after Chloe with a concerned frown. He was biting his lip, like he wanted to say something, but then he glanced at Ash.

Ash just looked back at him, so confused, a little relieved that Goh at least seemed to know what the issue was.

"Chloe!", Goh finally shouted, spriniting after her.

"It's fine, really.", Chloe said back to him without turning around. "We should hurry up before we miss the plane back to Kanto, right?"

Huh.

That had been very weird.

There was clearly something there that Chloe didn't want to talk about, he just wasn't entirely sure what it was.

He... could make a guess, but surely it wasn't that?

Ash knew he was definitely missing something there that should be obvious, but the other two never addressed it again and left Ash without any real explanation on it.