(Ash shifted in his plane seat, legs swinging slightly as he watched the clouds pass by through the tiny window.)
(Pichu was curled up in his lap, dozing quietly with his paws twitching every now and then, like he was dreaming of zapping a balloon or something.)
(He glanced at the digital clock on the seat screen.)
Ash: "11:05 PM... I'm almost eight."
(he whispered to himself, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.)
(Before he left, Delia had thrown him a tiny, rushed early birthday party with a Pikachu-shaped cake and a tight hug that almost broke his ribs.)
(She cried a little, and Ash had pretended not to notice, even though he'd held her hand for way longer than usual.)
Ash [in mind]: 'I wonder how everyone's gonna react when they realize I'm not showing up to school.'
(he thought, leaning his chin on his fist.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Only Gary, Green, and Yellow know where I went. Maybe I'll ask Gary what people said when I get back... if he doesn't punch me first.'
(He gave a sleepy little giggle at the idea.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Alola's supposed to be kind of... backwards? But I guess it has Z-Moves. And Professor Kukui sounds cool. Still, it's probably too late to change what happened to Mallow's mom... she looked super little in that memory. Four or five, maybe. Wish I could've helped.'
(Ash hugged his arms around himself and looked back at Pichu.)
(The little mouse Pokémon made a tiny "pip!" sound in his sleep and rolled onto his back.)
(Ash smiled.)
Ash: "At least I've got you."
(About an hour later, just as Ash's eyelids were starting to droop, he suddenly sat bolt upright—heart thudding, eyes wide.)
Ash: "Whoaaa—!"
(he gasped, nearly waking Pichu, who flailed a little before curling back up again.)
(A huge rush of Pokémon knowledge had just slammed into his brain like a tidal wave.)
(Move data, weird trivia, training ideas, food recipes, everything.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Gah! I'll never get used to that!'
(Ash thought, rubbing his head.)
Ash [in mind]: 'But... that must mean it's midnight. I turned eight. And I got my rewards!'
(He blinked, sifting through his new knowledge.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Wait, I got extra stuff this time... oh! I know how to make those crazy Alolan pancakes that help Psychic-types, sweet... literally.'
(He looked around and whispered.)
Ash: "How do I open my storage space again...? Okay, open."
(nothing.)
Ash: "Uh... storage?"
(Still nothing.)
(Pichu blinked awake and tilted his head.)
(Ash sighed and grumbled.)
Ash: "I feel like it works when I don't think too hard about it. That's kinda annoying."
(Pichu climbed up onto Ash's lap, pawing at the air.)
(Suddenly the pocket space shimmered open again.)
(Ash gawked.)
Ash: "You did it just by waving?! That's not fair!"
(Pichu beamed smugly, his tiny chest puffing out.)
(Ash reached inside again, just to make sure he could, and grabbed something soft and squishy.)
(Pulling it out, he stared at what looked like... a little plush PokéDoll shaped like a Cleffa.)
(He blinked.)
Ash: "I didn't ask for this."
(There was a note attached to its foot.)
[For emotional regulation. Hug during tantrums.]
(Ash's eye twitched.)
Ash: "Oh he thinks he's funny..."
(he gave it to Pichu, and tried again.)
(After a moment of focus, a shimmering ripple appeared in the air in front of him like jelly.)
(Slowly, Ash reached forward.)
(It felt cold and squishy, like sticking his hand into Jello and pulled out a small silver chip and a folded note.)
[Hello, you probably already figured this out, but I threw in a little extra in each of your rewards. You'll figure out what each of them does when the time comes. PS: This note will disintegrate once you finish reading.]
(As if on cue, the note crumbled into sparkly ash in his fingers.)
(Ash stared at his now-empty hand.)
Ash: "Huh... That was kinda cool."
(he whispered.)
(He tucked the Pokédex chip back into his space and closed it with a thought.)
(Pichu gave a happy chirp and flopped over his shoulder, licking Ash's ear.)
Ash: "Heh, thanks, buddy. Guess for now I should go through what I just learned and see if there's anything else fun."
(Ash leaned back again, opening his mental notes as Pichu curled back up, tail twitching like a sleepy question mark.)
(Back in Kanto, first day of school..
(Gary sat at his desk with his arms crossed and an egg in his lap.)
(The egg wiggled slightly now and then, warm and smooth under his hands.)
(He wasn't used to sitting still for this long, and the whispers around the classroom weren't helping.)
Student 1: "Where's Ash?"
Student 2: "Did something happen?"
Student 3: "Pichu's not here either!"
Student 4: "Do you think he got in trouble?"
(Gary gritted his teeth and stared straight ahead, trying not to snap at someone.)
Gary [in mind]: 'Why'd you have to leave, Ash? Now everyone won't leave me alone. Gramps better announce it soon or I'll lose it.'
(The worst part? Silver and Paul were sitting two rows behind him, and somehow their silent brooding made the whole classroom feel ten degrees colder, i mean at least Silver sometimes acts chill since Green is around, but Paul is just always like that.)
(He glanced down at the egg.)
Gary [in mind]: 'At least I've got you now...'
(He remembered the moment after camp when he'd finally asked Professor Oak for a Pokémon.)
(And, of course, Gramps had only agreed after making him call him "Grandpa." not gramps, Grandpa.)
(Gary had rolled his eyes so hard it hurt, but he'd done it.)
(And Gramps looked like he'd won the lottery.)
(The egg in his lap wobbled again, and he reflexively pulled it closer.)
Gary: "Easy."
(he murmured, rubbing it with his sleeve.)
(Just then, Professor Oak stepped onto the stage at the front of the assembly hall, tapping the microphone.)
Professor Oak: "Hello everyone! I hope your summer was refreshing. I know some of you are wondering about the absence of a certain student."
(he said gesturing to the seat next to Gary.)
(Everyone leaned in.)
(Professor Oak smiled.)
Professor Oak "Ash has joined a special exchange program between our school and the Alola region. He'll return next semester. In the meantime, I'd like you to give a warm welcome to your new classmate, who'll be with us this year."
(A small boy with orange hair and a backpack that looked way too heavy shuffled nervously onto the stage.)
Sophocles: "U-uh, hi. I'm Sophocles. It's nice to meet you all."
(Gary let out a long sigh and muttered under his breath.)
Gary: "Yep... gonna be one of those years."
[To Be Continued...]