Three Years Later...
.....
The sounds of the forest were alive.
Leaves made soft noises under fast feet.
High up, the leaves sometimes opened to show bright colors and loud cries of Pokémon.
An Atheletic, and extremely Fast person ran quickly through the thick plants.
Branches whipped past him but did not hit him.
'Almost got them in sight again,' he thought.
A smile touched his lips.
This was a young boy.
But maybe 'boy' was not the right word anymore.
And he was running.
Not scared like running away, but focused like chasing someone.
A fun feeling showed on his face.
Next to him, keeping up easily, was a strong Pokémon like a shark from the ground.
It showed great power but kept it controlled.
It had strong arms and legs with sharp claws.
Its red eyes looked smart and determined.
It moved like a shadow on the bumpy ground.
"Garchomp, stay sharp!" Ash whispered softly.
He did not need to look back to know his partner was right there.
They were...
Ash Ketchum, and he is taller now. His body had built up muscles from lots of training.
His face looked a bit older than three years ago.
And Garchomp.
Once a small, playful Gible, now a very strong Dragon and Ground type Pokémon.
You could feel its loyalty to Ash.
Garchomp made a low sound.
(Always sharp, Ash. Lead the way.)
Its red eyes looked at the fast shapes above.
They watched two Powerful figures fly through the open spots in the green roof above.
Wings beat with strong, steady strokes.
Their fire tails made lines of orange light against the leaves and sky.
These were X and Y, Ash's Charizards.
They were fully grown now.
They showed the pure greatness and power of their kind.
They twisted and turned.
They flew sharply around old tree trunks.
Their roars sounded like both a challenge and happy excitement.
"Roar!"
(Can't catch us up here!) X seemed to say with a tricky move in the air.
This was not a hunt.
It was not an escape.
It was training.
Deep in the known forest near Pallet Town.
A place where many things started.
They played a fast game of tag.
'Best way to keep everyone ready,' Ash thought.
He jumped over a log that had fallen.
The goal was simple, but hard.
X and Y had to reach the special open spot.
A sunny field at the forest edge.
They had to get there before Ash and Garchomp could catch them.
It was a test of speed.
A test of smart plans.
And a test of the deep connections between the trainer and Pokémon.
A fun contest, made sharp over many hours, pushed them all.
It made each one try their hardest.
"Getting faster, you two!" Ash yelled upwards.
His voice went easily through the trees.
"But so are we!"
Ash grinned.
The old fire of contest sparkled in his reddish-brown eyes.
He pushed himself harder.
His lungs burned a little.
His legs pumped like machines.
But a question stayed in his mind.
It tickled his thoughts.
How was he able to keep up?
'Seriously, this feels different,' he thought inside.
Garchomp was likely holding back a bit so Ash could keep up.
But Garchomp was still a Pokémon with amazing natural speed.
Ash knew how to use Aura to make himself better.
A light blue light sometimes shone around him in hard moments.
But keeping up step for step with a fully grown Garchomp?
That felt… different.
'It's like I'm not even fighting the ground.'
He didn't have a clear answer.
It felt less like forcing speed on himself.
It felt more like… flowing with it.
Like a hidden stream ran next to him.
It helped him move.
It made his steps lighter.
It whispered secrets of speed into him.
'Is this part of that feeling?' he wondered for a moment.
This feeling, this small but big change, started to become clear after he said goodbye to Cynthia three years ago.
That surprise kiss, Her leaving after that.
It had been like a key turning a lock deep inside him.
'Things changed after she left...'
Something had woken up.
He couldn't explain it better than feeling… More Free.
Like hidden chains had just disappeared.
The chain that binds every Mortal.
'No more pressure,' he thought.
He felt relief even while chasing.
The weight on his shoulders had lifted.
It was a weight he didn't even fully know he carried.
It left behind a deep feeling of being free.
With this freedom came a growing connection to the world around him.
He felt more in tune with nature.
It felt almost like a basic, wild feeling.
Standing in the forest wasn't just being in the woods.
It felt like being part of them.
'It's like the forest... likes me?'
The moving leaves weren't just noise.
They seemed to carry soft words of support on the wind.
The sunlight coming through the leaves felt warmer, nicer on his skin.
It was a strange, nice feeling.
Like nature itself knew him, accepted him, maybe even… loved him.
This inside change showed on the outside.
His skills felt sharper, stronger than ever.
Quick moves learned over years of battles were now super fast.
It was almost like knowing what will happen before it happens.
His senses were better.
He could smell the wet dirt Garchomp's claws kicked up.
He could hear the small change in wing beats as X turned left.
He could feel the small shakes in the ground.
'I can almost feel what they're going to do next,' he knew with a sudden clear thought.
His understanding of Pokémon was always natural.
Now it had deepened into an almost feeling connection.
It let him guess their needs and plans with amazing rightness.
Even now, the simple Aura boost he was using felt different.
He remembered learning the basics.
The focus needed.
How tired it could make him.
He learned it from broken memories of a past life, lived differently.
But now?
It felt easy, natural.
'Just breathe... and let it flow,' qhe told himself softly.
Focusing his mind.
Letting that light blue shimmer cover his body.
It wasn't hard work but a part of him.
It boosted his speed, his quickness.
It let him move on the tricky forest floor almost as well as his Dragon partner.
He was fast, strangely fast for a human.
Yet it felt completely right.
"Garchomp!" Ash called out.
His voice cut through the chase sounds, clear and sure.
His mind worked fast.
Looking at paths.
Guessing moves.
"Launch me towards X!"
"Angle it high!"
"Then, quick, use Dragon Breath on Y – make him dodge wide!"
The plan was made and said in a moment.
Garchomp acted right away.
A sound of understanding.
"Growl!!!".
(Okay, Ash! Get ready to fly!)
Strong decision hardened its red eyes.
Ash timed his jump just right.
He put his feet hard on Garchomp's open, strong hands.
With a burst of pure strength, Garchomp launched him.
Ash became an arrow.
Pushed upwards with amazing force.
Flying through the air towards the fire-tail shape of Charizard X.
Below, Garchomp turned instantly.
Its mouth already starting to glow with dragon power building up.
'(Targeting Y... fire!)'
It aimed at the other Charizard, Y.
X was surprised for a second by the human flying up at him.
It acted on feeling alone.
(What the--?! Human incoming!)
Its strong wings flapped wildly.
Trying a sharp climb up to avoid being caught.
But Ash was faster.
His path through the air was perfect.
Just as X started to pull away, it felt a sudden, strange heaviness on its arms and legs.
Its moves became slow.
It reacted slower.
Like moving through thick honey.
(Why... heavy? Can't... move right!)
The reason wasn't a hit.
It was something deeper, closer.
Ash, while flying, focused his mind.
Using the deep, strong bond made through many battles, shared wins, and quiet times of friendship.
'Just need you to pause for a second, X. Sorry buddy,' Ash sent the thought through their connection.
It wasn't control, not really.
It was sending a feeling.
A short slowing effect born from their connection.
Using X's surprise.
A mind push that made the body pause.
"Roar!!!" X let out a loud sound.
A sound mixed with disbelief, shock, and maybe some anger.
Its eyes, wide and lizard-like, looked right at Ash.
Ash was now close enough to grab on.
(That's dirty! Cheater! Since when can you do that?!) the roar seemed to say.
Ash caught X's thick, scaly neck.
His grip was soft but strong.
His own strength sometimes surprised him.
He swung himself partly onto X's back.
Holding on near the bottom of the neck.
He leaned close.
Whispering like a smart older brother telling a secret of the world.
A playful light was in his eyes.
"Gotcha, big guy!" Ash laughed softly.
"Bro," Ash started again.
His voice calm and full of fun.
"Everything is fair in love and war."
X tilted its giant head.
Smoke came from its nose in confusion.
"Roar!!?"
(How am I included then? This isn't war! It isn't love! It's training! And you used some weird mind trick!)
The lizard brain tried hard to understand the human's words.
'This feels wrong!'
"Brother," Ash went on.
Using the same patient, teaching voice.
A knowing smile played on his lips.
"Life itself is a constant war."
"A battle against your limits."
"A fight to get better than yourself."
"And sometimes, a friendly contest against those better than you."
"You just gotta learn the rules of the game."
He patted X's neck to calm him.
But the message was clear: Ash had beaten him with smarts.
'He'll get it... eventually.'
It was clear.
Ash had changed in these three years.
The quick-to-act, sometimes careless boy was still there inside.
But on top was a layer of new wisdom.
A sharper view shaped by the hard times of his recent life.
'Guess I owe Green and the others for more than just the headaches,' he thought with a small smile.
His life hadn't just been about Pokémon training.
The reason for this change wasn't one thing.
It was like a cloth woven from daily life.
He remembered, with both warmth and annoyance, the non-stop talks from Green.
"'Understanding how Pokémon fly is key, Ash-san! How else can you guess how they'll dodge?'"
Her voice seemed to echo in his memory, sharp and excited.
She refused to think of having an "ignorant husband."
She had decided to teach him about Pokémon science, bodies, type matches, how they grow, and even how Poké Balls worked.
Hours spent trying to learn hard things.
Pushed by Green-san's catching, if sometimes too much, excitement.
Then there was the constant, fun teasing from May.
Her quick mind and smart jokes kept him always ready.
Forcing him to think faster, answer quicker, and not get easily upset.
'May would be laughing so hard seeing X's confused face right now,' Ash laughed inside.
Her laugh was catching, even when it was about him.
"(Still falling for the oldest tricks, Ash?)"he could almost hear her say, followed by a fun push.
And the pure, non-stop mess of handling customers at the family restaurant.
Every single day brought new faces, orders, problems, and nice words.
'Okay, handling one angry Charizard is definitely easier than handling three hungry customers at lunch time,' he told himself.
It was a hard test.
Needing calm, nice talk, quick thinking, and the skill to smile even with the hardest people.
It had surprisingly made his people skills better than any Pokémon battle ever did.
He also remembered the hard body training times he often did with Misty.
Her love for her Water Pokémon was matched only by her own fitness work.
'My arms still ache just thinking about those hundred laps,' he winced a bit at the memory.
He'd often find himself out of breath.
Struggling to keep up with her hard swimming, running routes, and strength work.
"Keep up, Ash! My Psyduck could run faster than this!" she'd yell.
But always with a smile that pushed him on.
It built strength, toughness, and a good respect for Misty's strong will to not give up.
And, of course, helping Delia in the kitchen.
It was a fast mix of cutting vegetables, stirring pots, washing dishes, and trying hard not to burn anything under his mother's watching, skilled eye.
'Learned to dodge flying tools and guess Mom's needs... guess that helps with dodging Pokémon attacks too,' he thought.
It was messy, wild, but paid off in the end.
Teaching him about timing, working together, and the simple joy of making good food with his own hands.
Whenever the mix of Green's hard biology, May's teasing, the restaurant rush, Misty's fast pace, or Delia's kitchen orders felt like too much...
If he ever dared to say he was frustrated...
He'd always hear the same saying.
Often said by May or Green.
Along with a knowing smile and a fun wink:
"Hubby, everything is fair in love. So don't complain about it being unfair for you "
That saying had almost become the house rule.
'Guess they have a point,' Ash agreed in his head, still holding X.
It was a reminder that hard things, even annoying ones, were part of the deal.
Part of the complex, loving life they were all building together.
So, Ash had found his own ways to let things out.
As a way to let out the stored energy.
The times he felt annoyed.
The pure need to sometimes be the one setting the rules.
He sometimes aimed it towards his Pokémon during their hard training times.
Not to be mean, but out of fun frustration.
'You guys can take it, right?' he silently asked his partners.
'It makes us all stronger.'
And who better to get this focused energy than his 'good brothers,' X and the Gible-who-became-Garchomp?
Why them?
Because, honestly, they were the most troublesome… oops, the most lively and full of energy of his friends.
'Never a boring moment with these two around,' Ash thought warmly, even with X's current problem.
Their endless excitement, playful natures, and wish to push limits made them the perfect training partners for both body and mind challenges.
They could take it, and give it back, making the training fun and surprising.
Meanwhile, watching X get caught from far away, Charizard Y let out a quiet breath of relief inside.
He had just managed to twist away from the hot beam of Garchomp's Dragon Breath.
The heat burned the air where he'd been just moments before.
'Whoa, that was close! Glad that wasn't aimed at me.'
The blast had pushed him lower, closer to the ground, but he was free.
'Okay, X is out. Just gotta make it to the clearing now. Fly smart, fly safe.'
'Good thing I never annoyed him,' Y thought inside, watching Ash talk to the stopped X.
Y wasn't as competitive or likely to test Ash's patience as X often was.
He usually liked a smoother flight path, a way that didn't look for fights.
Seeing X caught by such a sneaky, bond-using trick made his decision stronger.
Keeping quiet and just focusing on reaching the goal was definitely the smartest plan.
'No need for fancy stuff, just speed and getting there.'
But his relief didn't last long.
Just as he thought about his next move, planning a clear path towards the field, a strong grip grabbed his tail.
He turned his head fast.
Letting out an angry, deep growl.
He saw Garchomp grinning up at him from the forest floor.
Garchomp had landed quietly after its Dragon Breath attack.
"Garrr!" (Gotcha!)
"Rawwwr!" Y snarled.
The sound shook with anger.
(The heck?! You are a Ground-type! Stay on the ground where you belong! Let go!)
Garchomp just tilted its head.
Making a low, rumbling noise that sounded like a soft laugh.
Its red eyes shone with proud happiness.
(Who decided Ground-types must always stay on the ground? Seems boring. Besides, you looked lonely up there.)
"But, if you insist on complaining..." Garchomp's voice sounded like it was making fun, a sound only Y could fully understand, "...how about you accompany me down here?"
Before Y could do anything else, Garchomp tightened its grip.
And, with a powerful crunch, he bit on the thickest part of Y's tail.
(Time for landing!) Garchomp thought happily.
Y screamed.
A high sound of pain and surprise that bounced through the trees.
(Mother--! Let go of me! You overgrown land shark! That hurts!)
Garchomp chomped down harder.
Its grip did not stop.
It let out another sound, muffled by the mouth full of Charizard tail.
(Will do. As soon as you come down here with me.)
Its voice was firm, no room to argue.
Y screamed again.
Struggling against the huge strength pulling him down.
His wings beat fast but uselessly against the pull.
"Noooo!!!"
(It's not fair! I didn't do anything!)
It seemed that 'fair in love and war' also fit Garchomp's moves too.
Or maybe, Garchomp, after spending three years with Ash and seeing how the house worked, had learned a thing or two about 'fun frustration' itself.
'Even Garchomp's playing dirty now?' Y cried inside, feeling the ground rushing up to him.
It became more clear that, in this special training group, only Y always tried to follow the rules people thought existed.
He truly was the 'good boy' here.
Caught between a trainer using clever tricks and a strong partner who wasn't afraid to fight dirty.
'Why does this always happen to me?' Y groaned as Garchomp finally put him, not very gently, onto the forest floor near the now-free X.
The end result of the contest was sure to happen.
Team X and Y, even with their skill in the air, were grounded and beaten.
Team Ash and Garchomp stood as winners.
Ash had successfully 'stopped' X long enough for Garchomp to literally pull Y down to earth.
"Good work, Garchomp!" Ash praised.
He scratched the happy land shark under the chin.
(Victory smells good!) Garchomp rumbled.
Ash slid off X's back as Garchomp finally let go of Y's tail.
It left clear teeth marks.
X was still shaking his head.
Trying to clear the leftover feeling of slowness and disbelief.
'I can't believe he did that...'.
Y was madly checking his tail.
Staring angrily at Garchomp.
Garchomp met the stare with complete lack of care.
Casually scratching its nose with a claw like nothing happened.
(Just try that again, ground-crawler...) Y steamed silently.
Garchomp yawned.
(So sensitive.)
Ash walked over.
A smirk played on his lips.
But his voice was soft, almost feeling sorry, which somehow made it worse.
"Well," Ash began.
He looked between the two unhappy Charizards.
"Let's go back home, Failures..."
He corrected himself quickly, the smirk getting a bit wider.
"I mean, Brothers."
He clapped X gently on the shoulder.
"Better luck next time, eh?"
You are the Devil... The thought echoed loud and clear in X's mind as he let out a low, beaten groan.
'A smiling devil.'
Y kept staring hard at Garchomp, puffing out smoke angrily.
(My beautiful tail...)
Garchomp simply turned towards Ash, ignoring Y completely.
(Is it lunchtime yet, Ash?)
The training time was over.
Lessons, maybe ones not planned, had been learned.
And Ash felt the familiar feeling of hunger.
Signaling it was time to head back for whatever cooking treat waited for him at Ketchum's Kitchen.
"Alright team, let's head home!" he said happily.
Leading the way out of the woods.
Tagging along two sad Charizards and one very proud Garchomp to follow.