"Nothing has changed here in five years..."

  This place was different from the terror Mina exuded or the unimaginable pain he had endured. It was a place where he could feel the nostalgia of the past, five years ago, and refresh his spirit, if only a little—it was the Cerise Laboratory Park.

  Five years ago, having become a League Champion for the first time in his life, Ash met Goh by chance during a Lugia Raid, and through a stroke of fate, he met Professor Cerise and Chloe.

  Five years had passed since he became the Pokémon World Champion and set out on his journey again. Returning to Cerise Park, Ash found the Pokémon, Goh had caught in the past still there. There were also new Pokémon that Goh must have caught at some point welcoming him, and even Pokémon known as Mythical or Legendary were living peacefully in the park, greeting Ash.

  While Ash was distracted by the warm welcome from Goh's Pokémon, Professor Cerise received a call from somewhere. He looked at Ash with an apologetic expression.

  "Ah, I'm sorry, Ash. I just got an urgent call I need to take. Why don't you rest here for a bit?"

  The Professor dashed off as if he were running. Just as the welcome from Goh's Pokémon was coming to an end, Ash spotted Goh walking precariously, holding dozens of Dusk Balls, Quick Balls, and Timer Balls.

  "Oh, Ash?! Is that you, Ash?"

  Startled by Ash's appearance, Goh instinctively tossed the Poké Balls aside and ran toward him.

  "You haven't changed a bit, Goh..."

  Ash couldn't help but look bewildered seeing Goh, who was as faithful as ever to his catching instincts.

  "Hehe, actually, when Pokémon gather like this, I can often catch new ones. So..."

  As soon as Goh saw Ash, he sheepishly smiled while picking up the countless balls he had dropped. Ash gave a faint smile in return and helped him pick them up.

  "It’s been a long time. Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

  "Yeah, it really does. How have you been?"

  Wearing a bitter expression, Ash couldn't bring himself to share his adventure stories with Goh instinctively like in the old days. It wasn't just the protester weighing on his mind; the meeting with Mina, the abduction of Misty and Serena... the weight of his recent journey was on a completely different dimension from his past adventures. Ash trailed off, giving a vague answer unlike his usual self.

  "Not much... just kept on with new adventures..."

  Seeing Ash trail off so uncharacteristically, Goh looked at him with a puzzled expression.

  "Ash, is something wrong?"

  "No, I'm fine..."

  Even the dense Goh knew that Ash wasn't acting normal. Goh pondered for a moment, then nodded. He pulled out a Poké Ball and held it out in front of him.

  "I don't know what the situation is, but for me, a Pokémon battle is always the solution! Come on, Ash! Let's battle!"

  "Huh..? Okay..."

  Moments later, Ash's Pikachu had defeated all six of Goh's Pokémon, ending in Ash's victory. Goh recalled his Pokémon to their balls, letting out a sigh of admiration.

  "Wow~ You really are amazing~ As expected of World Champion Ash...! I'm no match for you!"

  "...."

  Although he had won the battle, Ash and Pikachu looked completely drained. The victory Ash had claimed didn't feel like a victory at all. It seemed that the emptiness in a corner of Ash's heart was something that neither victory nor friendship could fill.

  "...."

  As Ash stared silently at Goh, the atmosphere began to turn quite awkward. Fortunately, just then, Professor Cerise's daughter, Chloe, ran up to them.

  "Ash! Sorry, Dad is busy right now, so I'll explain instead."

  Five years had passed, and Chloe was no longer a child. Wearing a white t-shirt and jeans that accentuated her mature figure, topped with a white lab coat, she looked less like a student and more like a mature adult and assistant.

  Ash tried his best to muster some energy as he spoke to her.

  "Chloe? Okay."

  Ash, Goh, and Chloe began to discuss the heavy topic amidst the gentle breeze blowing through Cerise Park.

  "I'll explain it simply first. A few months ago, the Vermilion City Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, led an army at the request of the Kanto/Johto and Unova regions to carry out a ruthless bombing on Rubbish Island."

  "....!"

  Both Goh and Ash were shocked. Goh seemed shocked because he didn't even know Rubbish Island existed, let alone that a Gym Leader would bomb it. However, Ash was shocked for a different reason.

  'Rubbish Island...? If I remember correctly, isn't that where Mina said she came from?'

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Goh swallowed hard and urged Chloe on.

  "And then?"

  Chloe took out her Rotom Phone, showed them an internet article, and continued her explanation.

  "Apparently, there were countless bad people on Rubbish Island. Lt. Surge's army, with the cooperation of the Kanto/Johto Champion League and the Unova Champion League, bombed most of the island in an attempt to 'purify' it."

  Indeed, the island in the article looked as desolate as a war zone. However, Goh asked Chloe with a look of utter confusion.

  "Then isn't that a good thing? What's the problem?"

  Chloe showed them an article from Brown News and continued.

  "Right, sending an army to defeat bad guys is a good thing. The problem is that a reporter named 'Chris,' who had infiltrated the island, has gone missing."

  At the word 'missing,' Goh's expression darkened slightly.

  "Is he someone unrelated to Rubbish Island?"

  Chloe brought over some of Professor Cerise's records and showed them to Ash and Goh.

  "Yeah. Dad investigated and found out he's from Vermilion City. He's a rookie reporter in charge of mercenaries for Brown News in Vermilion City. He calls himself a veteran, but his actual nickname is 'Know-it-all' Chris."

  Unlike before, Goh asked with a grave expression.

  "What happened to him?"

  Chloe showed them the exclusive report by Brown News about the woman protesting in front of Lt. Surge's Gym and spoke heavily.

  "No one knows. That's why she's protesting. You know the person doing the one-person protest in front of the Gym? That's Reporter Chris's wife!"

  Recalling the Professor's request, Ash spoke up, his voice heavy.

  "...Okay. So, what do I need to do?"

  Chloe showed him the email the Professor had sent, reading it quickly to instruct Ash on his role.

  "According to Dad, he wants you to consistently make it known that you are interested in this case. Hmm... basically, show interest in that protest in front of reporters or cameras..."

  Ash muttered to himself, his expression darkening further.

  "Will that be enough?"

  Chloe, focused on the content, hadn't looked at Ash, but then she noticed how incredibly dispirited he was.

  "Huh?"

  Ash hurriedly changed his expression and gave a clumsy smile.

  "Nothing... Thanks, Chloe. Haha."

  Chloe’s expression suggested she had a rough idea of what had happened to Ash. Worried that Goh might interrupt without reading the room, she spoke to him in a mature tone.

  "Goh, I need to talk to Ash for a moment, could you give us some space?"

  "Huh? Oh... sure."

  "....."

  "Ash, something happened, right? Tell me."

  "Where should I start..."

  Before Ash could even begin, Chloe, looking as if she had realized something, started searching on her Rotom Phone. She showed Ash a live video taken recently in Cerulean City, capturing Misty disappearing with a flash of light.

  "....Don't tell me it's about what happened in Cerulean City? Misty and Serena... I did hear some news through videos people took."

  Ash nodded silently. He tried to bring up the story about Mina...

  "And... Ugh....."

  "...?"

  Somehow, the moment Ash tried to speak about Mina, the choker activated. Even with his superhuman strength, Ash was instantly unable to breathe due to the intense pressure of the choker.

  'Mina, does she mean for me not to talk about her...?'

  As the pressure of the choker released, Ash gasped for air roughly. Chloe looked at him with concern.

  "Ash, you're short of breath. Are you okay?"

  Calming his rough breathing, Ash began to tell Chloe haltingly about that painful day, even as the memories tormented him.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll keep talking. You're right, as you know, both Misty and Serena disappeared. What makes me sad is that Serena gave me this ring before she vanished. But I'm certain that Serena giving me this ring was a massive decision for her."

  When Ash showed the ring on his left ring finger, Chloe asked back with a mix of surprise and joy.

  "What did Serena say when she gave it to you?"

  It was painful to recall, but Ash forced the words out.

  "Instead of traveling or anything like that... she said let's live happily together."

  Chloe remained silent for a moment at Ash's words, seemingly understanding how great his pain was.

  "....I see."

  As they walked in silence for a while, Chloe hesitated for a long time before deciding she had to say this.

  "Ash, I can't imagine how immense your pain is. But I want to say just this one thing."

  "....Huh?"

  After looking at the ring shining on Ash's left ring finger, Chloe smiled faintly and said to him.

  "Ash, as you know, Serena giving you a ring for your left ring finger is proof that she wants to love you as a lifelong partner. What do you think?"

  The answer to Serena's ring was a topic Ash had never once thought about. After walking without a word, Ash answered hollowly.

  "....I don't know."

  Perhaps angry at his irresponsible words, Chloe stopped in front of Ash, looked straight into his downcast face, and spoke.

  "What! If I were Serena, I would want to hear you say, 'I want to protect Serena too!' right here!"

  Ash's eyes widened at Chloe's words. Looking back, Serena's trembling hands and arms, and her quivering expression when she gave him the ring, were full of fear and terror. But after giving the ring, her trembling vanished, and she had no regrets about her action. Even the dense Ash had noticed that change.

  Chloe noticed Ash's expressionless face slowly crumpling into tears. Wearing a mature expression, she lifted Ash's head so he would look straight at her.

  "Ash, I'm not a free spirit like you, nor a strong trainer. But I can tell you this one thing."

  "....?"

  Understanding his helplessness, Chloe patted Ash's head and said,

  "Do you want to become stronger? Then move forward with a stronger sense of responsibility, even if it's dirty, difficult, and uncomfortable!"

  "....!"

  The depression and tears vanished from Ash's face, replaced by a look of realization. Chloe smiled brightly and spoke again.

  "I'm not telling you to take responsibility just for your Pokémon. You don't want to lose Serena, the girl who loves you, do you? On a larger scale, as the World Champion, you should take on a greater responsibility for the happiness and peace of all Pokémon and people in the world."

  "....!"

  Chloe delivered the final blow to Ash, whose expression had completely changed as he slowly found his conviction.

  "Wouldn't that be a true Pokémon Master?"

  Ash was no longer a powerless, weak being. It seemed he had made a firm resolve to himself to fight not just for his own sake, but for all Pokémon and every human in the world.

  "...You're right. I think that's right! Thanks, Chloe. I think I know exactly what I need to do now."

  Chloe couldn't hide her pleased expression seeing Ash return to his true self.

  "Mhm, that's the spirit! That bright and reliable face is the Ash we know!"

  Ash put his crumpled hat back on. His expression was mature, unlike any he had shown before.

  "Then, I'm going to see that protester. Wish me luck!"

  Chloe felt that Ash was trying to find a solution in a way different from her father's request. She waved her hand at Ash as he ran off.

  "Good luck!"

  Meanwhile...

  "Damn it..."

  Mina was surrounded by unidentifiable entities. Even when she attacked, they took no significant damage and continuously formed an encircling net. Due to the intense guilt she felt from the protest earlier, she had forgotten about the existence threatening her.

  "Hex, what is going on?"

  Before Hex could reply, Mina was hit by a sleep dart fired by one of the unknown entities and collapsed. One of the entities stood before Mina, who had fallen into a deep sleep from the potent tranquilizer. The entity was in human form. Though concealed in black clothing, their body emitted a strong light, and there was a giant red 'R' on their forehead.

  "Rubbish needs to be cleaned up."

  Happy Hoilday and Marry Chrismas!