Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s not like Ash has never been in the public eye before. In fact, he’s explicitly been so many times. League matches, besides being attended by tens- even hundreds- of thousands of in-seat spectators, are broadcasted live at the time and uploaded on Official League pages. Often snippets or even whole battles will be reposted or joked about or analysed- especially so in the region the League was hosted. Interregional News channels even take note of matches where trainers with Legendaries or Mythicals or new Pokémon have been featured, addressing controversies and Pokémon Protection Rights concerns. Leagues are big deals, and Ash has been in his fair few.

Even Official Leagues aside, Ash has been in plenty of challenges or events that are more often than not broadcasted locally, news outlets raging on about the race or the battle or the performance or whatever it was. Kind stranger helps town being overrun by malicious wild Pokémon. A boy and his Pikachu help save dozens of stolen Pokémon. Young trainer allegedly seen with a Regional Champion.

A Kantonian kid saves world from mass destruction with the aid of Legendary Pokémon.

So Ash has been public. Ash’s feats of near-impossibility have been seen by crowds ranging from just him and Pikachu, to entire regions.

But, maybe by some divine intervention, or just by his own nature, the trail of wonderments he leaves across the regions stay that way. Separate pinpointed events that have no correlation. Besides the select few that he travels with, and the even fewer selected that he chooses to go out of his way to inform, no one really connects the dots. A person he helped may see him in their region’s League and think ’Hey! It’s that kid!’ but that’s usually where it ends.

It’s rare someone even recognises him when he moves from one region to the next. And it’s rare that they recognise him for more than one stand alone event. And Ash likes that. It gives him at least an ounce of control over the Chosen One situation that he, funnily enough, didn’t get to choose. People see him as a nice stranger that’s strangely proficient at battling for his age, not as the Prophecy Child chosen by the Gods and destined to keep the world in balance. Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his partner Pikachu, not Arceus’ favourites.

Ash does not stay in one place for long, which he thinks helps. He’s a nameless traveller, rather than someone they get to know. He doesn’t stay around long enough for more than one story to be tied to his face.

But in Alola… he’d settled. At least for a year. Shop owners know his regulars. Market vendors give him discounts despite him having the appearance of a foreigner. He went to school, for Mew’s sake.

That’s not to say he hates it, not at all! It kinda irked him a bit at the start with everyone in his life saying how good it would be for you, Ash and oh, I’m so glad you’re slowing down a little and School!? Did someone hit you over the head too hard, Satoshi? even though he’s now learnt they were kind of right. He’s a Pokémon Trainer, a traveller. He wants to experience all a region has to offer, learn everything he can to better himself, and then move on to keep growing.

Alola isn’t the largest of regions by far, and outside of major cities, civilisations are only as big as farm ranges. That’s not to say Ash didn’t explore all of the islands- he knows better than most that wild Pokémon in their natural habitats can often have more to offer than cities full of people- but it means he could slow down a bit. The change in Alola’s life style meant just by experiencing Alola, he kinda ended up feeling like he qualified for the league as a byproduct of his exploration, rather than as an explicit goal with hard set requirements.

What Alola had to offer for him as a Pokémon Trainer was how to slow down and appreciate the calmer things about life. And Ash has certainly learnt a lot.

However, the person who lives down the road knows he helped those lost wild flebébé find their mother and they thanked him for it. The person who works at the grocery store recognised him for helping her mother know what to feed her new oricorio. Other students at the school knew his name when he didn’t know theirs.

Suddenly all of his dots became less like scattered breadcrumbs and more like an intricate web.

And now… he’s won the League.

He’s a champion.

Ash Ketchum is the Regional Champion.

He got absolutely hounded by the news crews after the deal with the guzzlords and his official match with the Masked Royal (Professor Kukui???). He remembers giving a small speech, high on adrenaline and euphoria, positively humble and thankful to his Pokémon and to everyone who’s helped and supported him.

He went home, celebrated with his friends and his Pokémon and his mum and Mimey and the Professor Oaks and Burnet- who’s now pregnant!!!- and Kukui and-

He ate his heart full and crashed on his bed, not even making it under the covers or out of his clothes, Pikachu splayed out on top of him.

Things are good.