" I greet the grandmaster." Ash said as he bowed, his words directed at monk sitting in front of him.
He was currently in a hall, a massive hall that reached many floors high and wide enough to hold a alpha wailord.
Many monks sat in front of him, some small, some big, but there was one thing that was similar and that was their undeniable pressure.
"You don't need act so formally Ash, even if your master retired, you are still the discipline of a grandmaster." Arig said as he sat in one of the seats with his gallade right beside him.
There were 6 more monks beside him that nodded at his words and together they are known as the saints.
A brown bearded middle aged monk, Pebleo, the monk that regulates the monestry's laws. His partner is a Golem(Alolan).
A old monk with a wrinkled face and a braided tail of white hair, Ravin, his partner is a munna and he is the one incharge of childrens.
Two young twin monks considered as one , one having spiky dark hair and other having plain white hair, Vigo and Silo. Incharge of the monestry's trade.
Vigo had a scyther and Silo had Dwebble.
(You think a monestry will get videogames and other things from nothing? They sell what they grow in the forest ·_· )
Then there were the female elders, Guamo and Luamo, each holding a seat and they were charge of teaching and recording events.
And lastly the one who sat in the middle of the other six, the current grandmaster, Osiva, sitting with his partners steelix and Samurott.
Osiva was a ol– very old man, almost ancient to the point it wouldn't be a mistake the guy saw the ancient war of kalos.
Everytime Ash looked at him, he has only one question in mind- How old is he?, however he knew better than to ask that after the beating he recieved when he first asked that.
The monks raise their heads, looking at Ash with their hands on their laps, their eyes locked onto him.
"Are you sure... You want to leave?" Osiva asked.
Ash nods, giving another bow as he did and then stood up with determined face that showed his unrelenting will to leave.
The monks sigh, their disappointment evident in their expressions as they looked at each other in pity and Osiva taps his small stick onto a gong.
"Arig... Lead him to the inner sanctum."
"As you wish grandmaster."
Arig stood up, his gallade also stood up following him and together they moved to Ash and tapped on his shoulder.
"I will be happy if you visit every once in a while," Arig said with regret as he moved out of the hall, "Gallade. Go open the gates."
Gallard understood and left, it's speed so fast that it left behind a gust of wind and vanished into thin air, something Ash was still very far away from Ash.
**********
"Woah– I have never been here."
"Of course you haven't, even the Head monks aren't allowed except occassions like yours."
Arig and Ash moved together, leaping down from rock to rock as they descended deeper down a huge crater that was hidden beneath the Guardian Statue.
Half-way through the journey, They encountered a door where Gallard stood and together the trio of one pokemon and two humans passed through the gates.
They moved together, no one trying to go ahead and stopping each time Ash stumbled on Something until they reached the very bottom.
The bottom was like dried water reservoir, with only some water left and a tunnel that stood at the edge of the water with two pokemon in front of it.
A Bisharp and a lucario, both cautious at the sight of the trio as they prepared for battle.
Gallade overtook Ash and Arig, arriving in front of the two gatekeepers in a instant as they engaged in a conversation.
"I wonder what th-"
" He asking for them to move so we could pass, it will take some time so rest while you can." Arig said as he turned to Ash, his eyes glowing in a shade of white light, a symbol of the link between Arig and Gallade.
Ash watched as the Lucario went into the tunnel while the Gallade and Bisharp look at eachother.
"You can fight."
Ash heard Arig and was confused but his questions were easily answered as the two pokemon begin their match of swordmanship the second Arig allowed it.
They were like a blur, there movements fast enough to let them fight on top of water, causing ripples each time as they moved.
The battle was pure swordmenship, no psychic or dark type moves, just a pure match between two master of battle.
The fight kept going and going, there even came a point when Ash could feel himself adapting to their speed but his concentration was broken as a bark sound came.
Lucario had come back, it's voice rough and sharp as both Gallade and Bisharp stopped their match and returned to where they were.
Lucario said something to Gallade and Arig's eyes brightened up again as he translated for Ash.
"Step up," he said, his hand giving Asta a slap on the back and pushed him right in front of the Lucario, "This is your test."
Ash heard Arig and wasn't even confused for why, Because he knew a Lucario could read a human's soul by the aura it felt.
The Lucario comes closer to Ash, opening it's eyes wide after getting hit with a realisation after just once glance and moved aside to let a Ash pass.
Ash was confused, Lucarios weren't supposed to be so fast in judging souls but his test was almost instant which left made him suspicious.
Ash moved on, turning back to see Arig gesture him to proceed without him which was like a nail in the coffin, making doubts fill his mind
Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do except just walk forward, his suspicions were not something he could act on right now, he had no proof.
So he entered the tunnel and kept walking and walking until it grew darker and darker until the point he couldn't see what was ahead of him.
Ash kept moving, his hand caressing the wall as he moved forward in the darkness, occasionally hearing noises ranging from broken stones to insect chirping.
Time moved on, so did Ash as he took more time than needed because of his doubts and the weird sense of being monitored.
"It's same as back then... Being watched for everything you do."
Eventually he crashed upon a rock, his eyes already adapted to the dark enough to make him figure out what it was.
However just for assurance he also used identify.
[-target identified-
[Pokemon: Dwebble]
[Type: Bug,Rock]
[Nature: Mild]
Ash sighed, relaxing a little and lifted the dwebble who just looked at him with confusion and hugged it.
The Dwebble hugged back, it was smaller than normal which meant it was child who had just hatched. It's smile was almost enough to melt Ash's heart.
"Misty would have freaked out if s-... I need to stop doing this.", Ash's mood fell as the reality that he wasn't the real ash and had never met misty was like kick to chest for him.
He sighs, piecing together a somewhat Tired smile at the dwebble and put it back to the ground and begins walking again.
Time passed, seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours as Ash kept walking and at last he saw it– a light.
He dashes forward, his mind in Overdrive as runs out of the darkness and into the light where he was greeted with a sight he almost couldn't behold.
A paradise, underground yet more vibrant then the surface, rocky and rough but still more lovely than the trees above.
It was heaven on earth with only Pokemon wandering in it, berry trees and plants filled the area and there was a smell of serenity in the air.
Ash walked forward in a daze, his eyes looking around with Haste, trying to take in every view he could.
From swaddles to riolos, from zoara to Roggenrola, Ash could very well see over hundreds of pokemon from Unova and some from other regions as well.
He gasped, energy and adrenaline filling his body, giving him the strength to sprint around despite the journey he had just experienced.
His anxiety was gone, along with his caution as if he was in illusion before, giving him a sense of peace and freedom.
"So you are finally here.. the blessed one"
A voice echoes in Ash's mind, not physically but mentally as it bought Ash back to reality.
Ash turned and saw them, Alpha pokemons, the ones who ruled over this place. There were five of them, each of a different type from the other.
A hydreigon, a Emboar, a Gardevoir, a Golurk and lastly, A Magnezone. All standing together as they approached Ash and looked at his small frame that came to their knees at best.
"He looks weak, very weak." The Emboar said, it's mouth was not moving but still Ash could sense it was the one speaking.
The Gardevoir looks at Emboar and it's muscle brain with Pity as she moved forward and lifted Ash with telekinesis before turning to the others.
"The child is young, we must not judge a Soul so pure with our biased judgement"
"I agree"
"Same here."
" I guess I am outnumbered... Fine I guess."
The other three alpha plainly agree, non raising any objection to Gardevoir's suggestion except the idiotic Emboar of brave nature.
Now they all turned to Ash in sync, Their movements simple yet enough to send fear to Ash because of their massive bodies.
They said nothing, talking among themselves in the pokemon voices which Ash couldn't understand was just left there floating in air like a balloon.
As Ash was left hanging in the air, a Axew who looked a young hatchling came closer to him in curiosity and begins jumping around in joy at the sight of someone new.
[-Identified-]
[Pokemon: Axew]
[Type: Dragon]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Status- curious towards Host]
Ash scanned the Axew, it's movement reminding him of the totodile he used to ha—... The original Ash used to have. However he didn't let that affect him cause it no longer matters if he was original or not.
So Ash forgot about his regrets, his mind focused on the Axew who tried to play with him. Ash happily accepted the request and lifted the Axew in his arms, making both of them float in the air while the Alphas make their decision.