"Αsh! Where are you taking meeeee?!" Goh asked for about the tenth time since they got on the plane that morning.
"Hmm? Oh, you'll see. Now hurry up Goh! We're gonna be late!" was all Ash responded with.
Goh sighed, Ash was acting stranger than usual.
'Oh well,' he thought, 'I can't really do anything but let myself get dragged around.'
Meanwhile, Ash was a healthy mix of excited and terrified.
*Flashback*
"Ash Ketchum if you are late to this I swear to Arceus, YOU WILL REGRET IT!"
"Yup, understood Serena!"
"K, remember, Pallet Town at 5 pm TODAY!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Alright then, I'll see you there Ash..."
"Bye Serena!"
*End Flashback*
Presently
"We're at your house?" Goh asked.
"Yup!"
"Why the rush though?"
"I really don't want Serena to get mad..."
"Who?"
"You'll see! Come on!" Ash said, grabbing Goh's wrist.
"ASH!" Came an anonymous cry.
"HI, GUYS! Man, it's good to see them again..." Ash greeted and murmured, grinning.
Upon recollecting himself after the surprising shout, Goh noticed was that the house was full of people. People, all about Ash and his age.
In the midst of people, Goh could identify some. All of Ash's Alolan friends were there, standing with a couple of blonds that Goh was sure he had seen in a picture back at Alola.
Turning to Ash, he muttered, "Ash, introductions?"
"Oh- er right... hmm," he points at a girl with orange hair who was talking to a boy with dark hair and a bandana, "so that's Misty and she's talking to Tracey! Basically, she travelled with me to all sorts of places! Through Kanto, Orange Islands and Johto! Now though she took her position as Cerulean Gym leader. Tracey travelled with me and Misty throughout the Orange Islands and now he works as a Lab Assistant for Professor Oak!"
Goh nodded slowly, processing that. Ash, he knew, had travelled many regions and had obviously battled a lot and that, in Alola at least, he had companions. But GYM LEADERS and PROFESSOR OAK'S ASSISTANT?!
Ash wasn't done yet, obviously, as he turned to the next group of people.
"That one, with the blue hair, is Dawn, she's talking to May and next to them are Max, May's little brother, and Brock. Dawn travelled with me and Brock through Sinnoh and she visited me in Unova along with Cynthia! May and Max travelled with Brock and I through Hoenn and Kanto, for the Battle Frontier! May and Dawn are both Pokemon Coordinators, so they're always travelling around to perform in Pokemon Contests! They're both REALLY good! Max, last I saw him, was at their dad's gym, getting ready to become a Pokemon Trainer. He was really excited and we promised each other a BATTLE! And Brock, well... Brock travelled with me in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Kanto again, Sinnoh and he and Misty came to Alola came to visit Alola and to hang out for a bit. He used to be the Pewter Gym Leader but now he's studying to be a Pokemon doctor!"
"..."
Goh was left speechless, but Ash being Ash didn't seem to notice. Instead, he simply continued on.
"Over there," he said, pointing at a purple-haired girl who was laughing along with the guy next to her, "that's Iris, she travelled with me through Unova along with Cilan, the guy who's next to her right now. She wants to be a Dragon Master and Cilan is working to become a Top-Ranked Connoisseur!"
"Which one of them is an ex-gym leader?" Goh asked, only half-joking.
"Oh, that would be Cilan! He used to run a Gym with his brothers but ended up entrusting it to the two of them."
"..."
"Next are my Kalos companions!" He looks towards a honey-brunette and a pair of blonds.
'Probably siblings,' Goh decides mentally.
"The guy's name is Clemont, and the little one with the bag is Bonnie, his little sister!"
'Knew it!' thought Goh, just a little smug.
"The last one, she is Serena!"
"The one you were scared of?"
"I wasn't scared!"
Goh raised an eyebrow.
Ash sighed, "Ok maybe a little... Anyway! Clemont is an inventor and is currently the Gym Leader at the Lumios Gym. Bonnie is there too, helping him out however she can... and Serena is a Pokemon Performer! Last I saw her though, she was going to Hoenn to check out contests."
Goh nodded, beginning to adjust to the bizarreness of it all.
"Finally, are my Alolan friends! You know most of them. But, surprisingly, Lillie and Gladion are here! Lillie was one of my classmates and Gladion, her older brother, was a good friend and rival. We used to battle all the time! Last I heard from them though was in the letter Lillie sent to Alola, where we got updates on the search for their father."
Suddenly, Ash's eyes light up, with just a hint of mischief.
"You know Goh not many of them know who you are... I think I should let them know!"
"No! Ash..."
"Hey EVERYONE!"
"ASH!" Goh whisper-shouted desperately.
"THIS IS MY FRIEND, NEW TRAVELLING COMPANION AND RESEARCH PARTNER GOH!"
Goh fought the urge to both hide in a corner and to facepalm, as all eyes went to him.
They all approached immediately.
"Hi, Goh!"
"Long time no see!"
"Nice to meet you!"
With so many voices, Goh only understood about half of what was being said.
Suddenly a loud voice rang out, "Guys! Enough! We're overwhelming him!"
"Sorry, Mallow!"
"Not me you should be apologizing to guys..."
"Sorry Goh" they stated, turning back to him.
Goh flushed, 'great all the attention is on me again!'
He turned to glare at Ash, who was snickering shamelessly in the back. Ash catching the look, smiled sheepishly, before turning to the blond Alolan boy- Gladion, if Goh remembered correctly.
Goh (along with quite a few others) deadpanned when Ash asked Gladion for a battle, only to be stopped by the fiery tomboy, Misty, saying that that could wait.
Turning to Goh, she smiled kindly.
"So... how'd you meet Ash? He didn't blow up your bike did he?"
"Misty that was 1 time!"
A sharp cough came from both of the Pokemon Coordinators.
"Ok... so it happened 3 times... but that's not how I met Serena OR Iris!"
"YOU HIT ME WITH A POKEBALL!"
"... not my fault you look like a Pokemon from behind," Ash murmured quietly, but Iris, of course, still heard him.
"ASH KETCHUM! YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU LITTLE KID!"
"MAYBE I WILL... WHEN YOU STOP CALLING ME A LITTLE KID!"
"I can't stop stating facts, Ash"
"I am OLDER than you!"
"Still a little kid!"
Goh was confused, but it seemed like everyone else was either amused, nostalgic or exasperated.
"CILAN BACK ME UP!" they yell simultaneously.
'Poor Cilan,' thought Goh.
"This is quite an interesting dish. Quite bittersweet with just a dash of flavour that is just flooded with nostalgia!"
The two, who were formerly arguing, facepalmed.
"I forgot he was like this..."
"Honestly... same"
Suddenly Bonnie's eyes lit up.
"Are you an Ex-Gym Leader?"
Goh flushed, "who me?!"
"Yeah, Ash usually has a knack for nabbing Gym Leaders!" Misty said nodding sagely, as though she had just departed ancient wisdom.
"That and champions!" stated Clemont.
"Don't forget about the legendaries!" came from both Brock and the Alolan gang.
Goh felt faint.
"Oh yeah, legendaries! How many of those have you guys encountered so far?"
Ash thought for a second.
"Only Lugia I think... That's how I met Goh. We met on Lugia's 'back' and got to know each other during the ride!"
"Great, another one..." came from... Max, was it?
"Goh wants to catch every Pokemon! Working his way up to Mew!" Ash said excitably, resembling very much a happy Rockruff (much to Pikachu's amusement.)
"WAIT! You are SEARCHING for LEGENDARIES?!" came the cry of despair.
"yeah..."
"We're doomed. DOOMED I TELL YOU!"
"Brock calm down!"
"But Kiawe! Ash gets into enough trouble with legendaries WITHOUT looking for them! Now... well-"
"... you've got a good point"
The room was silent.
"Gladion, can we have that battle now?!" Ash said, being, of course, the one to break the silence.
"Hn. Sure, I guess"
"YEAH!"
Outside, watching the battle ensue, Goh reflected. Ash, his goofball friend was... well interesting that's for sure. CHAMPIONS and LEGENDARIES?! Travelling with a Gym leader REGULARLY?!
Goh thought of the saying, 'Power attracts power.' Just how powerful was Ash Ketchum to attract this much power?
'Oh well,' thought Goh, 'that's a question for another day.'
Right now, he would enjoy himself and get to know his partner's MANY friends.