It had been about three days since they arrived, and the gang had been enjoying their time here. They'd gotten a hotel and spent the days taking in the view of the city.
In the mornings, Ash and Brock would leave the girls behind to head back to the cave to train with Silver. They'd hang out and train for a while, then meet back up with the girls afterward. It was nice.
During those three days, Silver had ended up seeing Ash's scar. But he wasn't the kind of person who pried. He just noticed it, asked if it was okay, and when he heard it was, he nodded and went on with his day. He never brought it up again.
Today, they were all at the hot spring, though not together, since it wasn't a mixed bath. There were two baths, separated by a bamboo wall. Thankfully, it seemed like no one else was there, since the town was busy preparing for their Dragon Festival. So it was just Ash and Brock on one side, and Yellow and Misty on the other.
Ash stepped into the bathhouse, and it was the first time anyone had seen him shirtless since the incident. It was just Brock, but the bamboo wall meant they could still talk to the others.
Ash leaned back against one of the warm rocks. "Yeah… I missed being able to come to places like this…"
Brock glanced over, arms resting along the side of the spring. "Feels good, huh?"
"Yeah. The heat helps," Ash said, eyes half-lidded, his voice quiet. "It's like… it untangles all the stuff in your head."
There was a moment of stillness, just the soft bubbling of the water. Pikachu was resting on a little floaty, while Vee was gently sinking in the water, looking relaxed.
Brock didn't say anything at first. He looked at Ash out of the corner of his eye, at the scar across his chest.
"You know," Brock finally said, "is it really okay? I know you said it was, but… it's still a scar, you know?"
Ash rubbed his chest with a finger. "Sometimes it itches, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I guess when I think about it, it does… but right now, I'm fine."
There was a faint splash from the other side of the bamboo.
"…You sure?" Misty's voice called through the steam, slightly muffled but unmistakably clear.
Ash blinked and looked toward the wall. "You were listening?"
"Hard not to, when someone says 'I missed coming into these places' in the most dramatic voice possible," Misty teased.
"Sorry," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't know I was being dramatic."
"You kinda were," Yellow chimed in gently. "But it's okay. We're all just soaking here anyway."
"You alright, Ash?" Misty asked again, but this time her tone held no teasing, just concern.
Ash leaned back again, his eyes drifting up to the rising steam. "Yeah… I'm alright."
There was a pause.
"You don't have to pretend if you're not," Misty said softly. The teasing tone was gone now. "We've known you long enough to tell."
Ash exhaled slowly. "I'm not pretending. Not really. I mean… it still gets to me sometimes. But it's not like… every second, you know? When it first happened, I'll admit there were a few times I lost sleep, or couldn't look at myself in the mirror. But now, it's just sorta… there."
On the other side of the bamboo, Misty exchanged a quiet glance with Yellow, who was gently wringing out her hair.
"I'm glad it's healing," Yellow said kindly. "But you know… it's okay if the inside part takes longer than the outside."
Ash gave a little chuckle under his breath. "That sounded really poetic, Yellow."
She blushed, faintly lowering herself into the water, with Chuchu next to her. "I read it in a book…"
Ash chuckled again and sank a little deeper into the water, just up to his chin now. "Still… thanks, Yellow. That helps."
"I meant it," she said softly, resting her arms on the smooth edge of the spring. "You don't have to be okay all the time, even if you're trying to be."
Ash didn't answer right away. The warm steam curled up around him, and Pikachu let out a sleepy little "Pikaaa" from his floaty. Across the spring, Vee was gently paddling in lazy circles before curling up next to Ash's arm like a living, wet plush.
"…You know what gets me?" Ash finally said. "Not the pain. Not anymore. Not even what happened. It's just that I didn't get a choice."
There was a pause on both sides of the bamboo.
"Yeah," Brock murmured. "That's the part no one talks about."
Misty let out a sigh from the other side of the wall. "I hate that it happened to you, Ash. You've always been… you know, this big, loud, kind of dumb light for all of us. I know we say it a lot so it sounds like a broken record, but we wouldn't be here if you hadn't come into our lives."
Yellow made a small noise of agreement. "Yeah, that's why it's always scary when something happens to you, especially when you feel like you need to hide it from us."
Ash lowered his eyes. "I know. And I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize," Misty said quickly. "We're just… glad you're here."
"I'm glad too…" Ash said, smiling softly as he let out a sigh of relief. "And I'm glad I've got you idiots in my life, even if it's in a towel with a bamboo wall separating us."
Yellow giggled softly. "Better a bamboo wall than a hospital wall, right?"
Ash let out a warm breath of laughter, leaning his head back on the edge of the rock. "Ah… you guys aren't letting me forget that, are you…"
"You worked for three days until you collapsed, of course we aren't," Misty said. "And you're lucky there's a bamboo wall separating us or I'd go over there and drown you for calling me an idiot," she added, though there wasn't any anger in her voice.
Ash chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'll take it back. You're only an idiot half the time."
There was a splash from the other side of the bamboo wall.
"You better hope that water is the only thing that comes flying over," Misty threatened playfully. "I've still got my sandal nearby, and I will throw it."
"Wow," Brock murmured. "Even a bamboo wall can't stop a Misty-style beatdown."
"And here I thought you were getting over your anger problems~" Ash teased.
"Hey, I said I was getting better, never said anything about being done with them," Misty shot back. And even though Ash couldn't see her, he could just tell she was smirking.
"Fair. I guess it is progress, I mean, we went from Angry Misty, now we have Mellow Misty. What's next? Big Sis Misty?"
Misty snorted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Don't tempt me, Ash. I will start bossing you around like one."
"That's new how?" Brock deadpanned.
Ash laughed, a little too hard, and even Vee tilted its head at the sound.
"I'm serious!" Misty went on with mock indignation. "I'll have Yellow brushing her hair twice a day, Brock drinking enough water, and you—"
"Oh boy."
"—you'll be banned from pushing yourself into unconsciousness. Again."
Yellow stifled a laugh behind her hands. "You already do most of that, though."
"Exactly," Misty said proudly. "I'm just gonna make it official."
Ash shook his head with a smile. "Well, Big Sis Misty… I guess that means I have to start listening to you now."
After a little chuckle, they relaxed. Having the whole hot spring to themselves was nice, since they could talk about stupid stuff that didn't really go anywhere.
"So, after this, what are we gonna do?" Brock asked.
"I was thinking mochi," Yellow suggested. "I heard there's a new stall selling some kind of special dragon mochi… whatever that tastes like."
"I'm down, as long as you don't stomp on the mochi I buy you again~" Ash teased.
"I said I was sorry!" Yellow cried out. "I thought you were trying to prank me!"
"When do I waste food, even for the memes? Besides, I even got your favorite flavor, red bean, and you stomped on it like it was a bomb. I had to share mine with you."
Yellow let out a soft groan of embarrassment, sinking deeper into the hot water until only her nose peeked above the surface. "Can we please not bring that up again?"
"Nope," Ash said smugly. "I'm keeping that one forever. Ash: one. Yellow: negative mochi."
"You really are the worst sometimes," Misty said, amused. "And yet somehow, you're still everyone's favorite."
"Aww, I'm your favorite? Yay, that makes me happy," Ash said in an overdramatic, childish tone.
"Bruh, I know we tell you to act your age, but please, not like that," Brock said, shaking his head.
From her side of the wall, Yellow finally peeked her full face back above the surface. "Well… if we do get mochi, I vote Ash pays for it. You know, as a sorry-for-bringing-up-the-stomped-mochi kind of thing."
"Agreed," Misty chimed in.
"Betrayed. By my own party members," Ash declared dramatically, resting a hand over his chest like he'd been mortally wounded. "And here I thought we were a team."
"We are," Brock said. "A team where the guilty one buys the snacks."
"I hate democracy," Ash muttered as he stood up. "Welp, I'm heading out. You guys relax some more, see you outside."
As Ash walked out, Vee and Pikachu followed him. Brock caught a glimpse of something and immediately felt despair, sinking deeper into the water with a loud sigh.
Misty heard it. "What's up, Brock?"
"Nothing… just wondering how life is unfair…" Brock said, absolutely refusing to give any more context.
—
{The next day}
When the gang left the hotel, they were relaxed. Brock was still a little bummed out from yesterday, but he'd gotten over it. Speaking of which, Ash and Brock didn't go to the cave today. And it wasn't just because of the festival; it was also because they knew Silver wasn't there.
So today, they headed into town, where the festival was in full swing. It centered around the tradition of bringing a dragon fang, specifically one that came from an ancient dragon said to have lived during the time of the first Gym Leader, to a ceremonial location. But that wasn't any of their business.
They walked through the decorated streets. Ash, chewing on a skewer of yakitori, glanced around. "Huh. This place is really going all out for the festival, huh?"
"Yeah," Brock replied, grabbing a stick of grilled corn from one of the stalls. "They said the Dragon Festival's the biggest event they have here. I think it's supposed to honor the original guardian of the valley, or something like that."
Yellow leaned in, eyes wide as she took in the decorations, paper dragons twisting from lantern strings, flower petals scattered across the path, and kids running around wearing little dragon masks. "It's kinda magical," she said with a soft smile. "Feels like something out of a storybook."
Ash chewed his yakitori thoughtfully, watching a little kid try to swing a foam sword at a makeshift 'Gyarados' float. "You think they'll have a parade or something?"
"They usually do," Misty replied, sipping a fruit drink. "And there's supposed to be fireworks tonight, too."
"I hope they're shaped like dragons," Yellow added dreamily, hugging Chuchu gently to her chest. "That would be amazing."
"Knowing this town? Probably," Brock said. "Clair might even show up for it."
At the mention of her name, Ash raised an eyebrow. "You think she'll actually, like… participate?"
Brock shrugged. "No idea. Depends on how ceremonial it is. She doesn't strike me as the 'parade float' type."
"Maybe she'll fly in on a Dragonite in slow motion with dramatic music," Misty teased.
"I'd pay to see that," Ash said with a grin. "But I dunno, maybe she'll have to take the dragon fang to the ceremony spot or something. Either way, it ain't our problem," he added, finishing the last piece of chicken from his skewer.
"True. We can just watch," Misty said, sipping her drink.
The four of them stood there for a moment, the only sound was Misty loudly sipping through her straw. None of them wanted to be the first to say what they were all thinking.
Eventually, Brock broke. "Okay, every time we say we can just relax, something happens. So what's it going to be this time?"
"Oh thank goodness, I didn't want to be the one to say it this time," Misty said with a breath of relief.
"Yeah, me too," Yellow mumbled under her breath.
"Okay, maybe if we expect something to happen, it won't," Ash suggested.
Misty looked up at him. "But how are we supposed to enjoy the festival if we're just worrying about what might happen?"
"I dunno. But would you rather we relax and, like, I dunno, some ancient dragon pops out and attacks us?" Ash said, knocking on a nearby wooden table.
"You know… that's a very good point," Brock said, rubbing his chin.
Misty sighed. "Yep. It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it…"
—
{Meanwhile, in the Dragon's Den}
Clair adjusted her kimono, trying not to sigh. She was dressed in a formal, traditional outfit for the festival, something fitting for the Gym Leader of Blackthorn City. Since Lance couldn't make it due to his duties with the Pokémon League, the responsibility of leading the ceremony fell to her.
Sure, the kimono was beautiful… but it wasn't her style. Neither was putting her hair up like this. The thing that annoyed her most wasn't the outfit, though, it was the reason she had to wear it. She was only doing this because Lance wasn't.
But she didn't say any of that. She just took a deep breath and kept moving.
From one of the side caverns nearby, a Drampa slowly emerged, his eyes soft as he looked up at her. Drampa, naturally kind and gentle, could sense Clair's tension. He nudged her side gently.
"Draaa…"
Clair glanced down and gave a faint smile, rubbing Drampa's fuzzy head. "Hey… don't worry about me. I'm just thinking about the dragon ceremony."
Drampa gave a low, soothing coo, his tail brushing across the stone floor as he sat beside her. His calm presence eased the knot in her chest.
"I mean, I can do it," she murmured, mostly to herself. "I am the greatest Dragon Master. Or… I'm supposed to be."
That title, Greatest Dragon Master, it was honestly more of a defense mechanism than true confidence. People always compared her to Lance. Always. And if there were some kind of actual ranking list, she probably wouldn't even crack the top three.
She wasn't the strongest.
She didn't have the most potential.
She wasn't the oldest or the wisest.
She was just... her.
Sure she puts on a strong face, but that's mostly because of these stuped elders putting so much expectation on her, asking her why she can't be more like Lance, so sure sometimes she gets a little aggressive, and sure sometimes she will get a little salty if she loses a battle, but she doesn't mean for it to happen, it just dose.
Clair looked up toward the distant mouth of the Dragon's Den, where the golden light from the town filtered in, flickering gently with the movement of lanterns strung outside.
"…But the Fang Ceremony? That's Lance's thing. Everyone expects him. Not me."
Drampa gave a little huff, unimpressed with her self-doubt, and nudged her again, this time more firmly.
Clair blinked, then let out a breath with the hint of a smirk, "Okay, okay…" she muttered.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from above.
"Wow, Big Sis Clair! You look so pretty in that. You must feel super excited, you get to do the big ceremony thingy!" Iris called from high up on a pile of rocks.
She paused, "…Also, can you help me? I think I'm stuck."
Drampa didn't hesitate. He floated upward with ease and gently grabbed Iris, lowering her down next to Clair.
"Thanks, Drampa! You're the best!" Iris said brightly, giving the dragon a hug before hopping to her feet.
Clair raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "So… today's the day your tutor arrives. You ready? You lost, after all~"
"No fair!" Iris pouted, stomping a foot. "I demand one more battle, and this time I swear I'll win!"
"You said that the last three times. And you lost the last three times," Clair said with a snort.
Just then, a shadow passed behind them as the Dragon Clan Elder entered the chamber, walking slowly with a solemn grace. Behind him came a towering man with a thick beard and an aura that seemed to hum with quiet power.
Iris, arms crossed and still pouting, continued without noticing.
"So what? What do I need some old man to teach me for? I can do better on my own!"
A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed through the stone chamber.
"Oh? Is that so?" came the man's voice.
Iris froze.
Her spine stiffened, and her neck slowly turned toward the sound, like a kid caught red-handed sneaking cookies. Her eyes landed on the towering figure standing in the cave entrance: broad-shouldered, with a thick white beard and piercing eyes.
"Uh… I mean—" Iris began backpedaling fast. "I didn't mean you were old! I meant like, old-old. Like ancient-history old. Not… y-you old. You're like, in your prime! Probably. Sir!"
Drayden raised an eyebrow. "Nice save."
Clair pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to laugh. "Smooth as ever, Iris."
The elder stepped aside with a sigh of amusement. "Drayden of Opelucid City has agreed to oversee Iris's training during her time here. She is… spirited, but we believe she shows promise. Eventually."
"'Eventually,' huh?" Drayden repeated with a small smirk, folding his arms. "I've trained worse. Like my grandson, Drayton."
Iris snapped out of her daze. "Wait just a minute, I don't know you! I don't need any tutor, so just go back home!" she shouted, letting out her Lapras in a flash of blue light.
Clair sighed. "Sorry you had to walk in on this. I'll take care of her."
Drayden raised a hand calmly. "No need. You should save your strength for the festival," he said. One of his assistants approached and opened a metal suitcase. Drayden reached in and pulled out a Poké Ball with casual ease.
"I'll deal with this the same way I dealt with my grandson."
He released the ball, and a Druddigon emerged with a growl, stretching its limbs and baring jagged teeth. Despite the type advantage, the battle lasted about two moves. Moments later, Lapras was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, and Iris was leaning against it, dazed and blinking.
Drayden walked up and crouched down beside her, eyes level with hers, "Little girl…thats a good expression in your eyes, but you could learn some manners first,"
His assistant chuckled and stepped forward, motioning toward Drayden. "Excuse me for not introducing him properly, this man is Mr. Drayden, a Dragon-type master and Gym Leader of Opelucid City in the Unova region."
The elder chuckled, stroking his beard. "Fufugagagafu… I hope Iris left a good impression on you. Please take good care of her."
"Yes, quite," the assistant added, nodding politely. "Mr. Drayden will need a successor for his Gym one day. I'm sure Iris will be taken care of well."
Iris sat up suddenly. "Hey, wait up! Don't talk about me like I'm not here! And I'm not gonna take over some Gym, I'll become one on my own, no problem! What I really want is to become Champion!"
—
{Meanwhile, outside of town…}
Suicune stood silently at the edge of a mountain cliff, eyes narrowed as it looked down at the people wandering through the valley streets. The wind carried the scent of incense and fireworks,
It turned its gaze toward the Dragon's Den.
It was time to test this Gym Leader too, she will be the last one, between the 3 legendary beasts, they had almost finished going after every Gym leader, Entei went after Blaine, and Raikou was going after Whitney and Jasmine, 2 for one special.