Chapter Text
They'd been invited to Alola to run the Battle Tree, and the two of them had agreed easily. New Pokémon and new adventures, you had Red at Pokémon and Blue at adventures. Truly, they weren't hard to please.
Blue liked his gym, he liked being a gym leader too, but sometimes he gets tired of the same old same old. Same stupid kids with the same big ideas in their heads with no plans, and when things inevitably didn't go how they planned it would, they lost their minds.
It was a normal occurrence, even some of them with multiple gym badges had that same issue. Though usually the more the badges, the more sensible. The idea that any of them could get multiple badges and not be sensible was…quite honestly a bit disappointing. What have the other gym leaders been teaching them? Or was it that they just weren't listening?
He was inclined to believe the second option, after all he knew the gym leaders. They were good people, they taught him a long time ago when he had a big head full of dreams, just like them.
He guessed the only difference was that he took the gym leader's advice to heart. As had Red...more so Red actually, but he had learned a lot more in retrospect after Red beat him and took his place as champion not 30 minutes after getting it.
But that was the past! Now, he and Red were stepping foot on Alola a few days before the Battle Tree was to open. They were free to explore (and avoid the damn paparazzi) until it was time for them to start working. The two of them vacated the airport as fast as they could manage. Pikachu was holding onto Red's shoulder for dear life as the champions made a run for it.
They knew the paparazzi were going to be waiting, and neither of them had any plans to get caught up in it. The Mandabuzzes would have their time when the battle tree opened, but for now they wanted as much time to explore as they could manage. Sure enough, they were there waiting, but the two trainers were much faster.
Sure, it wasn't Kanto where they knew the streets like the back of their hand, but they had enough experience running away from paparazzi that it applied anyway.
With their backpacks on and other important things in hand, they fled, ignoring the shouts that tried to follow them. Once they were far enough away Blue let his Pidgeot out and Red his Charizard, and off they were. As they flew away Blue couldn't help but laugh in getty . It had been far too long since they've done something like this.
Just the two of them causing chaos and fleeing from curious onlookers and intrigued third parties. Red was chuckling too just imagining the headlines that were sure to pop up in the next few hours.
It thankfully didn't take them long to find an uninhabited place to land.
“Oh Arceus, that was fun.” Blue cackled as he lay atop his bird who cooed happily as he mindlessly pet at its feathers. Red just shook his head and let his Pikachu grumble and jump down off of him to pout more efficiently. His Charizard however seemed just fine, pleased even. Blue couldn't remember the number of times that Charizard had helped them escape from just these kinds of situations.
‘Well, I think we're free to explore now.’
Blue was still snickering to himself as he got off Pidgeot and nodded, “I think you're right.”
And explore, they did.
oO0Oo
Blue blinked curiously at the new Pokémon adorning Red’s shoulder. At first, he thought it was another Pikachu…it was not another Pikachu. It looked like a Pikachu (kind of) but it was most definitely not a Pikachu.
“What do you got there buddy?” He asked curiously.
The answer was a Mimikyu, a Pokémon who pretended to be a Pikachu because it wanted to be loved. This Mimikyu just so happened to be found by (what Blue would consider) Pikachu's biggest fan. Needless to say, the relationship was instantaneous, and Blue accepted this was his new normal.
He took a picture because…well, he knew this would get a good reaction from some people. Namely Leaf.
They discovered a lot of other cool new Pokémon as well. The Alola Volpix was one of Blue’s favorites. It was the second day and a lot of Pokémon later when they ran across a kid. They prepared for the normal reaction, but nothing, he just smiled and waved at them.
It was kinda surprising, but honestly just a damn relief. Red all but deflated, he never was a fan of all the attention. Blue liked it he always had, but he'd be lying if he didn't say it got annoying sometimes.
The kid however, was more than happy to talk to them, “Hi! I'm Ash. Who are you guys?”
Did…did the kid not know who they were?
“Blue and my friend here is Red.”
The kid just smiles widely, “It's nice to meet you.” He reminded Blue so much of Red when he was younger. Red seemed to be thinking the same thing as he gave Blue a look that had the man biting back snickers.
“I'm guessing you guys are trainers?” Ash asked, and holy shit, this kid didn't have a clue.
“Yeah we are.” Blue agreed easily.
“Do you have any gym badges?” The kid asked.
“Yep.” Blue confirmed as he dug in his pocket to pull out his badge case and showed off his 16. Red hadn't taken his off his jacket, so his 8 were in his backpack that he wasn't about to dig through right now.
Blue knew that without even looking, “He's got all the Kanto badges.” Red hummed a confirmation
In return Ash took out his own case and opened it.
“That's…a lot of gym badges.” Blue said with a low whistle. Red too, seemed stunned. Blue didn't even recognize them all.
Blue blinked however as he spotted a familiar badge, a badge he sure as hell didn't remember giving the kid. “Wait…that's Veridian cities.”
Red perked up knowing that tone well.
“Yeah?” The kid was confused.
“I didn't give you that badge.”
Ash's eyes went wide. “What?”
“Where did you get the badge? Because I didn't give it to you and last time I checked I'm the gym leader.”
“When I fought Team Rocket.”
Red and Blue shared a stupefied glance. “Uhh no…. Team Rocket was dismantled before you were born.” Blue corrected.
Silence.
“No…they've chased me through multiple regions. I deal with them all the time.”
Blue suddenly remembered what his first cousin said when they were invited over. There were weird things happening in Alola, and they weren't sure exactly what the deal was yet.
“Kid, how did you get here?”
A pause as he thought it over, “I-I don't know actually…”
Well, that was just something he was going to have to ask Sampson. “Ok, so something is obviously not adding up here because I've been the Veridian City gym leader since Team Rocket was kicked out some 15 years ago, minus a few for my studies in Kalos. Team Rocket was dismantled by us as kids before we even became champions.” He gestured between himself and Red.
“Wait champions?!”
Another pause, “Hold on, do you seriously not know who we are?” Blue asked.
The kid shakes his head, “Am I supposed to?”
Blue opens and closes his mouth a few times before he manages to get his words together, “Okay, I don't even mean this in a gloating way, yes. Everyone knows who we are.”
Blue points at Red, “He's literally the most famous champion in the world. A child prodigy who doesn't really talk and took down Giovanni at 10 before beating me as champion, not 30 minutes after I got it.”
“And you.” He turns back to Ash, "We should know about you. There's no way someone with that many badges is not famous. Have you ever been a champion? You must have been.”
“No. I've never been champion, I've gotten close but… no.”
Red is signing now, unable to keep his curiosity in check. ‘How?! That's not…that should not be possible. There's no way!' Blue was absolutely with him on that one.
It was statistically impossible. That's not how gym badges worked. Gym badges were a sign to show that you've learned and grown as a person, that you knew what you were doing and are competent enough for the next challenge. They were milestone markers put simply, the more gym badges the better you should be.
The only reason the two champions didn't have more is because they were preoccupied with other things. Heck, he only had the Kalos badges because he was there for school, and every single one gave him more knowledge and made him a better trainer.
The only reason he hadn't taken a shot at the elite four was because he simply wasn't interested. Needless to say, it was impossible for Ash if he tried not to have been champion at least once. Hell, if he was as good as the badges said, there was a chance that he'd be the best trainer in the world.
“How good are you exactly?” Blue asked as he looked back at the kid.
“I think I'm pretty good.” The kid rebutted. Well that was dubious, but there was only one way to see for sure.
“How about a battle to see?” Blue asked and the kid was all but bouncing in excitement. He supposed he at least had the right spirit.
Blue shared a glance with Red. Which one of them was going to fight him? Red gave a small nod, and Blue stepped back as Red tossed out Espeon. The psychic Pokémon just sat and licked at one of its paws in disinterest. Blue chuckled. Red’s Espeon was a funny pokémon, a very carefree independent mon that wouldn't take anything from anyone.
Ash tossed out Krookodile. Ash waited for Red to make the first move, but he didn't. He just waited, Ash eventually got tired of waiting. “Krookodile use bite!” Red whistled low and Espeon remained unmoved until the other Pokémon was only a foot away before jumping to the side. Red let out a high whistle, and Espeon used dazzling gleam which left the Krookodile stunned and hurt.
Another high whistle in a slightly different tone and faster than any of them could see Espeon all but vanished as she lunged once more and sent her opponents flying, before landing in a heap knocked out. Without another sound, she sat down once more and went back to grooming herself.
Ash, the poor kid seemed dumbfounded. Blue was left to wonder how this kid had gotten anywhere. It was a basic ambush one he should have expected, and yet the trainer didn't even try to get out of the setup.
He sent out his next Pokémon, Charizard. Blue hummed to himself. Would he try for bite again or something else? Red didn't let him make that decision however, a high whistle turned low and Espeon was off again, slamming into the dragon before using psychic and slamming it back towards Red. Ash had tried to get his Charizard to dodge, but it was too late.
It didn't take long for Charizard to go down as well, quickly followed by the rest of Ash’s team. Blue had honestly seen better from trainers with only a single badge to their name. Espeon seemed utterly unfazed, she'd barely even been touched. She just sauntered back to Red, who met her with a smile and a potion.
Blue had resigned himself to accepting that somehow this kid knew nothing. That despite his oh so many badges, he wasn't deserving of really any of them.
Ash, for his part, seemed gobsmacked and utterly bamboozled that he hadn't even gotten past Espeon.
“How?” He asked them. Blue answered easily, “Kid Red wasn't even trying. I don't know what you think Pokémon training is, but it's not that. You had plenty of chances to get important blows in, but you were just too slow or you didn't see them. How did you get those badges really?”
The kid seemed offended now, but Blue couldn't care. This was quite literally his job, “Did you learn nothing from the Gym Leaders? They teach you how to spot traps and setups, how to predict ambushes and when to just wait. Half of battling is game sense after all. What are the steps needed to happen in order for the opponent to lose and you to win? And then what can go wrong in every single one of those steps?”
Red was nodding along, for as good of a trainer as he was. He didn't have the experience that Blue did when it came to getting it across to other people. Red ran off of instinct and skill. Blue had to break that down to make it digestible to everyone else. It's where they differed and why Blue was a better candidate for a gym leader and Red a champion.
“I-I..” The kid stammered.
Blue sighed, “Look, for right now we need to get set up for the night because we sure aren't going into town. And we still need to figure out what your deal is as well.”
Red was already preoccupied getting stuff out of his backpack and headed to an overhang he had spotted a while ago. The kid bit his tongue and nodded. With that, Blue hummed, picked up his own bag, and followed after Red. Ash follows close behind.
Blue had let out his Pokémon as they approached Red, all of them happily running around and greeting Red, and soon Red's own Pokémon who were quick to make an appearance.
Ash had only seen Espeon and Pikachu, so his reaction to the others was hilarious. Articuno in particular, which made sense, it was a legendary after all.
“That's…” The kid trailed off.
“Yep, Red has all the Kanto Pokémon, and I mean all of them.”
Ash looked back at him with wide eyes, “Really?”
“Yeah, we were tasked by Gramps to document them all with his new Pokedex thing when he first made it.” Blue explained as he fished his out, showing the same completion as Red’s own.
“Whoa.” The kid breathed out in utter wonder before pausing, “Wait, Gramps? You mean Professor Oak?"
“Yeah?”
“He's your grandpa?”
“Yep, I'm Blue Oak.”
“My rival is Gary Oak, he's the professor's grandson too.”
Blue paused and blinked stupidly, “No…it's just me. There's seriously something that we're missing here.”
Before Blue could give it any more thought Umbreon had buried It's self in his side. “Oh, hello there. I thought you'd be curled up with Pikachu and Espeon.” The Pokémon just bit his shirt and started dragging him back to the rest of them.
“HEY!” He protested weakly, not really that bothered as he realized what his Pokémon was trying to tell him.
“That's a shiny.” Ash says in shock as he follows, and yes, Umbreon is absolutely a shiny, his colors matching his owner's name.
Blue was pushed down to the ground lightly with all his other Pokémon who had circled around. “Fine fine, you guys can meet your new friends.” Blue relented with a chuckle as he let out one new Pokémon at a time. Red's own Pokémon had joined the show and tell, as had Ash not long after.
oO0Oo
The next morning, they were off to the battle tree that was going to open tomorrow morning. Ash was following along, asking questions which they answered. The kid was still upset about losing and utterly lost on how. Blue could only tell him so many times that he just wasn't as good as he thought he was before he wanted to pull his hair out.
Finally, they arrived to be greeted by Samson and Kukui. “Red, Blue, welcome!” Kukui calls, “Professor! Nice to see you, it's a pleasure to be here.” Blue responds and takes the offered hand to shake before being pulled into a side hug by Samson. It really had been too long since he'd seen him.
Red shakes both offered hands once Blue had been freed.
“Who’s your friend there?” Samson asked and Blue was quick to explain the situation. Ash was quickly confiscated by the other Oak to be questioned more thoroughly as Kukui explained what exactly they were going to be doing. They kind of already knew this, but it wasn't bad to get it rehashed.
The professor had also asked if they had fun. He eyed the Mimickyu a top of Red’s shoulder. Red just beamed as he pulled out his Pokedex. The both of them had almost completed it in just a few days, splitting the difference between them and trading back and forth to fill in what they didn't have. They'd get the rest later. Kukui seemed delighted that they were having fun.
Red already had his phone out and was asking questions, which the professor was all too happy to answer. Blue let him be and made his way inside, looking around. The place was nice that was for sure, and he'd be happy to stay here for a few months. He dropped his stuff off in one of the rooms and unpacked before hopping in the shower.
It wasn't exactly fun not to have reliable access to running water for days, but honestly, it had been a while since they'd camped out. He stepped out, dried off and re-dressed before leaving his room.
Ash was there waiting in the main living area, Samson next to him. Umbreon had let itself out of the Pokéball and had happily placed itself in his lap when he sat down on the couch with them.
“Ok, so what's the deal?” Blue asks as he rubs at Umbreon’s ears.
The answer seemed to be that Ash was from a different universe, oh so similar to their own, but just slightly different. He and Red didn't exist there, and it seems that Ash and the previously mentioned Gary were their counterparts.
Blue had to bite back a noise that would be thought of as rude by any normal, sane person at the mere idea that Ash could be Red's counterpart.
Samson had explained something about the Aether Foundation seemingly having something to do with the weirdness, but to not worry about it because they had more important things to be doing.
So, pretty much his way of saying to stay out of trouble and leave it be. Easier said than done, but they were about to have a full-time job tomorrow for the next chunk of time. Blue shrugged uncommittedly, and the other man sighed, “Don't say I didn't warn you if you get caught up in something.” He warned before he was off.
Blue huffed and looked up only to see Red coming out of another room that he must have chosen for himself. He gave a nod and the man made his way over.
The Pikachu on his shoulder seemed interested in Ash’s own, and ok Blue could admit maybe there were more similarities than he first thought.
The Pikachus investigate one another as Red lets out Mimikyu once more.
“You're never going to leave that Pokémon alone ever again, are you?” Blue asked exasperated.
‘You already know the answer to that’
Blue did regrettably, but as much as he hated to admit it, the thing was cute.
Blue explained to his friend what Samson had figured out and Red's reaction was about the same as his, though luckily for him, he could sign his mind without issue.
‘He’s supposed to be me from another universe, that's what you're telling me?’
“Yep.”
‘How? He seems the type that comes to your gym and just loses it.’
“I know.” Blue agreed adamantly.
‘I mean, I guess I kinda see it, but he reminds me of when we were just beginning and definitely not when I had multiple badges.’
“I was thinking that too!”
Ash was looking between them uncomprehendingly. Which was fair enough, but this wasn't his conversation right now.
‘I think he has potential but he's stuck, so sure he knows what he's doing he's refusing to learn.’
Blue was nodding along.
‘Honestly, I think you battling him would do him some good. You can point out stuff, and then we can have him watch us fight or just battles in the battle tree.’
“That sounds good to me.”
“Uhhh what are you guys talking about?” The kid asks.
“We're trying to figure out what we're going to do with you.” Blue answers easily, “I mean, it's not like we're going to get rid of you. You need to be here when whoever it is figures out what's going on. So that means you're going to stay with us, and I think it would be a disservice if we didn't try to teach you some things.”
Red made an impressed noise, obviously surprised by how well he'd spun the conversation. Blue had experience, playing nice for the cameras was probably his least favorite thing in the world, but he'd gotten good at it. Turns out that was applicable for a lot of things.
(Red had made the mistake of signing his own thoughts one time during an event, and oh boy, he'd never done it again. Blue had laughed at him for weeks when they got an interpreter after him.)
“Come on outside kid, let me take a crack at teaching you a thing or two.” Blue told him and he perked right back up at the idea. And outside they went.
“Ok, first thing you need to do is realize nothing is going to work out perfectly in a battle, and if it does that's just luck.”
One may think that's a redundant thing to explain, but no. Some people truly don't grasp that.
Blue tossed out his Umbreon and waited. Ash seemed unsure, definitely thinking back to the other eevelution that had wiped his team. Ash sends out Hawlucha, not a bad move, but it all depends on how he plays it.
Ash tells Hawlucha to use Body Press. Blue is silent as he waits. Umbreon jumps out of the way without need of command, and only then does Blue shout his own command. “Shadow Ball.”
It connects before Hawlucha can get out of dodge. “Kid, you either have to stop getting at point-blank range or you have to trust the Pokémon can take the hit and still be able to hit back.”
“Umbreon Swift!”
Ash takes the advice quickly, huh, maybe there is hope for him yet. “Take it, use Body Press.”
“Crunch!” Blue commands and Umbreon does, but not quick enough as Hawlucha slams the other Pokémon into the ground. “Swift!” Blue commands once more, “High Jump Kick!” Ash shouts at the same time. They knock each other out, which is already an improvement from Ash’s last attempt.
Blue hums to himself as he recalls his Umbreon. He sends out Exeggutor next, and in return Ash sends out Pidgeot. Blue smirks, “Trick room!” Ash is stunned, and this is exactly what Blue needs. “Exeggutor use Sludge Bomb.” Ash commands Pidgeot to dodge, but it's no use and Exeggutor gets a free shot.
Ash tells Pidgeot to use Air Slash, and Blue counters with Psychic and tells the Pokémon to dodge. Exeggutor dodges most of it, takes the rest but returns with a direct hit, leaving Pidgeot to fall from the sky.
“FINISH IT GIGA DRAIN!” Blue roars and Pidgeot can't get up to avoid the vines that wrap around it and suck its remaining fight out.
Ash calls back Pidgeot and seems to think over his next move. He sends out Krookodile and Blue smirks as he calls back Exeggutor. Ash splutters, but Blue just hums to himself, “Remember kid, you're never stuck with what you have on the field until it faints.”
Blastoise is his choice, and Ash thinks it over for a second seemingly deciding if keeping his current Pokémon in is the correct choice. He seems to decide it is, “Use Outrage!” Ash commands and Blue smirks, “HOLD!” Blue orders. Ash seems to consider this, good, “SANDSTORM!” Ash redirects, better Blue thinks, he's learning something.
Trick room fades.
“Hydro Cannon.” Ash tells his Pokémon to dodge and it does for the most part, but still gets hit pretty bad. “Giga impact.” Blue calls again, and Ash again tells Krookodile to get out of the way and retaliate with Close Combat. Again, Krookodile escapes most of it and Blue decides to let Blastoise take the hit before calling for Hydro Cannon point-blank, taking the other out.
“Not terrible but not great. Sandstorm was a good call, chipping damage does add up, but again you're getting too close without a plan and leaving yourself open to everything else.” Blue comments as he calls back Blastoise and sends out his Pidgeot. Pikachu from Ash's shoulder takes the field.
“Hurricane, clear the field.” Blue shouts and Ash calls for Electro Ball. “Out of there!” Blue commands. Pidgeot drives and avoids the hit, “Take him up!” Blue calls, and with the momentum the bird already has there's no chance.
“Thunderbolt!” Ash calls. “Drop it, use Steel Wing!” Blue commands. In free fall there isn't much hope for the pokémon, not unless it's trained for it. Ash tries but is helpless as Pikachu lands dazed and Blue Shouts for Steal Wing once more. Ash calls Pikachu back.
Blue smirks. “There we go, that's how to do it!”
Ash isn't sure exactly what he's done or why, instinctually he knew it was the correct answer. He sends out Charizard instead and Blue hums to himself.
“Brave Bird!” Blue shouts and Ash had only a second to decide what to do. Blue said to have a plan if he were to get close… well he might just have one. He waits this time. Blue seems to realize it, but he doesn't redirect, he's too confident for that.
“Grab him! Seismic toss!” Ash calls last second and Blue’s eyes go wide before he smiles even wider than he already was. “Hurricane, break out!” Blue commands but the Pidgeot is stuck and gets slammed into the ground, taking it out of the fight.
“Now you're thinking!” Blue complements. He sends out Blastoise and commands him to use hydrocannon. Ash tells Charizard to get out of there, and he avoids most of it. Blue just shouts for hydrocanon again, and this time it connects fully, taking Charizard out of the fight.
Ash sends out Pikachu, now realizing what exactly Blue had praised him for. Blue snarls and calls for Earthquake, but Pikachu is faster with Electro Ball, taking Blastoise out. Ash can only guess that Blastoise knows Earthquake because of Red's Pikachu.
Blue nods impressed as he tosses out Alakazam. Psyshock it's quick and fast, taking Pikachu out of the fight, leaving Ash with only Greninja. “Grass knot!” Blue shouts and Ash’s eyes go wide. He hadn't expected that, “Dodge it!” Ash shouts.
Greninja does, but just then Blue shouts again, “Now!” Just like that Alakazam is behind Greninja, and with another command of Grass Knot Greninja is sent to the ground dazed. “Dazzling gleam!” Blue calls, and Ash knows it's over.
Greninja is knocked out leaving Alakazam as the final Pokémon on the field. He's then called back with much praise from his trainer. Ash just watches, unsure of what to say. He did better than he had with Red, but he also has the nagging feeling Blue wasn't giving it his all.
Blue makes his way over with an easy smirk that reminds Ash so much of Gary (go figure). “Not terrible, but you've got a lot to learn kid.” Blue tells him earnestly as he puts a hand around his shoulder and leads him back to the tower and a waiting Red, who seemed to have things to say...or well sign.
“You keep putting yourself in bad situations that you just aren't prepared for. You also didn't see some obvious setups. What it really comes down to is the need for more genuine experience. And I would love for you to tell me how you got those badges because honestly? You couldn't make me give you one right now even if you did beat me.”
Blue looks back up to his friend, “Anything to add, oh great and powerful one?”
Red rolls his eyes, but does sign something that Blue translates, ‘You know what you're doing at least instinctually, there's a natural talent somewhere, but it's buried under bad habits. And those are hard to break.’
Blue seems to very much agree with this assessment, giving an example. “With your Pikachu, you withdrew even when you had the advantage because you realized you were getting nowhere, however you still remembered that I had Blastoise. So just use Pikachu later and regroup now. Not many trainers think like that and that's what differentiates a good one from a great one.”
It made Ash feel better, but it still stung that he was so thoroughly outclassed. And as requested, while their Pokémon were getting healed up he explained how he got his badges. Blue tisked, annoyed and less than pleased with the gym leaders who had given him what they had.
Red too, seemed dumbfounded by the whole thing. Red had even recounted how he got his first badge after Brock had helped him understand the basics of battle after Blue had destroyed him earlier in the day, and how he had just barely won against the rock-type gym leader. (Blue had been all too happy to bask in the recounting as he translated, and then promptly got elbowed in the side hard.)
Ash was left to ponder everything as the other two men started bickering.
He wondered if he truly had earned anything. All he could come up with was mostly luck and illegitimate wins. And compared to these two men had he really accomplished anything? He traveled and experienced things and helped people, sure without a doubt, but had he accomplished what he truly set out to do? He doesn't think he had.
But these two? They had been requested to run a Battle Tree purely based on skill alone. Blue was a gym leader and on his way to being a Pokémon professor as Ash had learned. While Red was Champion and was widely considered one of, if not the best trainer of all time. And to think that he was supposed to be Red’s counterpart.
When Blue had nudged him to follow to go to retrieve their healed Pokémon, Ash had asked the one thing that had been bugging him, “You weren't giving it your all, were you?”
Blue smirked, “Nah, it's rare I do, I'm a gym leader it's kinda something I had to learn. Our job is to gauge how well our opponent understand the art of battle and what they needed to learn. I don't need to be an impenetrable wall, that's Red's job, I'm just a teacher.”
Ash can't argue with that, if what he'd gathered from the one side of argument, Blue and Red were pretty much even matches. It truly wouldn't be fair to any old trainer to give it his all every time.
oO0Oo
The next morning Ash watches from inside the battle tree as it gets opened. There are a lot of paparazzi and a LOT of famous trainers. Blue hadn't been lying, they were famous. Red seems less than pleased with the whole thing, while Blue seems to bask in it.
Or he thought so, but when they walked back inside Blue deflated, “UUUHHGG if 10-year-old me would see me now. The attention is nice in some ways and horrible in most others.”
Red pats him on the back sympathetically before signing, which Blue rolls his eyes at. “Yeah, yeah, I know days just begun, let me bitch for a second.”
Blue looks over to Ash, “I'd spectate the battles if I were you, you could definitely learn some stuff.”
Ash nods and goes off to do exactly that as the champions head up to the higher floors and wait. Blue was right though he did learn. He compared what he would have done to what the others did and observed whether it was the correct option or not, and then why. And sure enough, when he spectated Red and Blue’s own battles, it was even more apparent he didn't exactly have the best strategies.
The champions seemed to be having a lot of fun too. Some losses but mostly wins, but it's no surprise considering it's specialized formats. And as the day comes to an end, Ash can honestly say he's learning stuff. The two seemed pleased with that. The rest of the day was nothing special, both the trainers and their Pokémon were tired from an exciting day.
The rest of the week follows a similar caliber, but finally, with a day off they do something different. Red and Blue are off to catch more Pokémon they had yet to catch in the new region. Ash joins them and is excited to catch some of his own.
Ash hadn't ever been one to want to catch every Pokémon he ran across, but these two sure were and seemed to love it. At some point during the day, to Ash’s utter horror a Pokéball he'd never seen Red use on his belt shook, and a Pokémon left it.
There in front of him stood Mewtwo. Red just smiled while Blue startled slightly but relaxed after a moment. “Oh hi, I haven't seen you in a while.” Blue greeted. Mewtwo made a noise but didn't…talk…could this Mewtwo not talk?
Mewtwo turned to look at Red, who just tilted his head. Ash could only assume it was communicating with him telepathically. Red tapped another untouched Pokéball and suddenly there was Mew. Mew made happy noises upon spotting its clone and was quick to zip around the other Pokémon with glee to Mewtwo’s seeming delight. Then, upon spotting Blue made a beeline for him and plastered itself to his front.
Blue was smiling softly as he pet the mythical Pokémon. “Hi there, it's been a while since I've seen you as well.”
Ash didn't know what to say, these versions of the Pokémon that he knew were nothing like the ones from his world. Red seemed to sense his distress and raised an eyebrow in question.
“The Mewtwo and Mew in my world are much different.” He explained. Blue snorted, “Oh, they've calmed down a lot. Mewtwo nearly killed me when I was 11, sent Blastoise right at me.”
“Mewtwo did kill me, but through some magic, I came back.” Ash muttered.
Red and Blue startled at that, “Damn kid.” Blue breathed.
Mewtwo just peered at him curiously. Ash remained stuck to the spot as his Pikachu watched wearily. The legendary just offered out a hand, which Ash took cautiously after Red gave him a reassuring nod. In return, the Pokémon just smiles, and a feeling of calmness washes over him along with the knowledge that it means no harm. Mew is quick to join them and plops itself on his head.
Ash relaxes then, and Mewtwo steps back flicking its tail before turning on Blue. The man just rolls his eyes and digs in his bag before pulling out a few berries and handing them over to the waiting Pokémon. “There you go, my taxes are paid. Of course you can't be bothered to harass your own trainer.”
Red signs something that has Blue rolling his eyes once more, “Yes, yes, I know you're not its trainer. Mewtwo and Mew don't have a trainer, they just stick around because they like us, yada yada.” Mew had now moved to Blue and made excited noises as it held its own hands out. Blue dropped a different berry in its hand in retern.
The smile was clear even as the champion tried to hide his amusement with the whole situation.
Ash just continued to watch amazed.
The two new Pokémon followed them all around for the rest of the day, happy to explore the new place and talk with the other pokémon. All while Red and Blue bickered back and forth. Eventually, as the day came to a close they made their way back to the battle tree.
But instead of calling it for the night, Blue told him to sit and watch that they were going to battle. Mewtwo and Mew joined him on the sidelines, having no interest in joining.
The battle was something else, he'd seen their mega stones but never them using them. Blue mega evolved his Pidgeot, though Ash knew for sure the rest of his Pokémon that can mega evolve had their own stones. Red however, just had Charizard and it used the X ite.
Blow for blow, pokémon for pokémon, they were evenly matched. It was hypnotizing to watch to see just how great they both were. It also didn't seem to help that they had near precognition levels of understanding of one another. They knew each other so well that they predicted nearly everything the other would do or even think to try.
And to add on to that, the Pokémon were having fun. It was no surprise to Ash he had seen them all interact with each other. They were all great friends, this was truly fun for everyone involved, and when it came down to it. It was perhaps the closest battle he'd ever witnessed. Red just barely managed to win it, his Pikachu on its last legs, but he was victorious.
Blue just smiled as his chest heaved. “I'll get you next time.” He promised. Red signed back shakily, and Blue just laughed.
As they started walking back over Mewtwo and Mew clapped, Blue bowed theatrically ignoring the huff from Red.
“Well Ash, did you learn anything?”
“I did.” Ash confirmed. He really had, mainly different ways to use attacks and unique ways to avoid blows. Blue nodded and ruffled his hair, or at least tried to through the hat. He got the feeling he did that to Red often from the amused look in the other man's eyes.
The next day Samson showed back up with Kukoi, and they had happily revealed they had answers and a solution. Ultra wormholes, they were being made by the Aether Foundation, but it had been dealt with.
Now though, with the power of a legendary on the islands that was hanging around with the new Champion (Blue had given the professor a knowing look). They can open up a specific one and send Ash home.
In fact the champion, Sun, was on his way now.
Sun was Ash’s age and seemed delighted to meet Red and Blue, who were intrigued by the new champion. He chats with them excitedly all but vibrating out of his skin to have a chance to battle one of them. Ash mentally wishes him luck with that. Beside him was a giant Pokémon made of metal that Sun introduces as Solgaleo.
Sun explains to Solgaleo what he needs to do and the legendary nods before walking over to Ash. It sniffed at him before backing up, and with a roar, a tear appeared. Ash looked at it and then back to everyone else. He'd miss them but knew he had to go home.
“Thank you both so much for the help.” Blue smirked and nodded to him, “No problem kid, it's kinda our job. Go make us proud.”
Ash puffed up, he would, he'd do good by them. “Of course, goodbye Blue, Red.”
“Smell ya Ash.”
“Good bye Ash.” Red rumbled. His voice was scratchy from disuse.
Ash breathed in sharply but nodded before turning back to the tear and stepping though.