Ok so it’s time to rant about hecking the second Galar half of my au. I’ll quickly explain that there’s at least two arcs per region in my au, just to better expand things. I know it’s weird to talk about the second half of Galar when I didn’t bring up first but idc right now.

Technically two arcs are happening at the same time in galar, the dlc arc-or as I call it, m squad’s return-and this arc, which is pocket monster/Pokémon journey arc. And if anyone ask how ash exist in this au despite being more game focused, in this au, he’s reds twin.

So ash has been traveling around all the regions, but instead of mindlessly traveling region to region earning badges and entering gyms, he’s actually doing it as ways to find out who he is but also meet new people. It’s a thing he devoted himself too after the johto arc ending.

Ash, much like his anime counter part, becomes the first ever alola champion and truly felt like he’s found who he is. However, he decides to leave Alola, since even Kukui said, they are going to need to reshape Alola now that it’s officially a region with a league.

Basically means change the trials into gyms but keeping the trials roots since it’s too much of a tradition to get rid of, there also debating on how to handle the kahuna’s since they don’t want the elite 4 to flat out replace them. But ash still keeps his title don’t worry.

A couple months pass after his Alola event and he gets word from oak to go see one of his old students who’s a professor, Cerise. and oak even said he could most likely replace him once oak passes or retires.

Ash ask’s why but oak declines telling him, since it be a better surprise if ash found out at the lab. So ash heads to vermillion, with the only direction to the lab being “it’s a huge mansion” and before ash can even look to find it, lugia shows up!

Much like the anime, ash and a bunch of other trainers fight it in a raid, the only difference here is ash leads the raid instead of fighting it one on one. One thing ash learned that, even if he finds himself better with solo battles, multi battles are a lot of fun.

The battle goes on pretty well, despite a few mons being knocked out, but as soon as people start taking out poke balls ash stops. Ash did not fight lugia to catch it, he fought it because he sensed something was *wrong* with it.

(Oh yeah forget to mention one of the reasons ash goes off on a journey to find himself is because of his aura, but I’ll explain that in a Kanto thread or other time anyways-)

Ash couldn’t tell if lugia was somehow sick or actually pissed, but ash refuses to let anyone catch it. And then, lugia starts to fly off, but ash chases after it and manages to grab its tail. But little did he know, he wasn’t the only one who climb onto lugia.

Much like the anime gou runs out to try to catch lugia, he was actually the reason lugia started to get angry. Lugia was actually just passing by vermillion and gou somehow found them and kept throwing poke balls at him. Let’s just say, lugia took its anger out on the city.

And this is where ash and gou interaction is completely different then when they meant on lugia in the anime. Ash is already distressed over someone else being on lugia for multiple reasons, but after gou admits he was the one who pissed off lugia, ash scolds him.

The two eventually managed to calm down lugia, however lugia does not take either kindly, and throws them off his back and into the ocean. Thankfully, a corviknight catches them before either fall and end up wet. The two land back safely buuuut people are pissed.

While they don’t necessarily take it out on ash because hes just as famous as his brother in this region I. E. a celebrity, they more so aim there attention at gou. They actually heard ash’s yelling towards him because lugia didn’t go far off from the port.

Mainly because lugia was aware two people were on him, but didn’t know who until he heard the proper yelling n such. So they know what gou did, and people are furious. Gou even starts to feel guilt, since this is the first time people noticed him.

While Gou had a lot of friends in vermillion and was complimented a lot by shop keepers, the majority of the city didn’t know him, not even surge. Which Gou always found odd, since he was loud and very social.

The pressure really sunk in when people debated if they should arrest him but ash stuck up for him, saying he’s just a kid. The group actually get confused considering ash was the one who called out gou, but before anything else happens, koharu shows up!

Koharu was sent to find ash and gou, so she told the crowd to shoo and then properly introduced herself to ash, mentioning how she’s been gou childhood friend for as long as she could remember. Gou feels a bit better by this but koharu said’s not to take as a compliment.

Koharu doesn’t scold gou hard compared to ash and everyone else, but she does said that crowd did have every right to be mad at him. But Gou shrugs it off, since he knows that koharu just always been like this and he’s just glad a friend helped him out of that.

So the three head to cerise lab and ash ask why gou was so keen on catching lugia. Gou explains he’s always wanted to catch Pokémon, but has been stuck in vermillion due to his parents wanting him to stay in school compare to other kids.

While his parents would push him to get a college degree, they said it’s not necessary anymore, considering the grades that can help you get into college, now count as job applications. And you can even take classes that fit your ideal job and not just the basic ones.

(I’ll better explain how some real world stuff in my au works since some real world ideas in Pokémon have always fascinated me. But yeah, despite me liking school, you can say the education system in Pokémon is way better even if school is not required at all to get jobs)

But Gou interest in catching Pokémon, was thanks to his encounter with mew. Ash, while is much more laid back in this au-mainly because he actually ages and I see him 20 here, gou and koharu are probably 16/17 here-gets all sparkley eyed over this.

Koharu can even confirm they did see mew, since much like the anime she was there when gou saw it, even though she finds gou obsession with mew a bit too much and tells gou he probably won’t find it right away.

He doesn’t care but then the 3 arrive at cerise. Cerise is delighted to meet ash and then explains why ash had come here. He had been invited to the Galar region, to compete in the champion leagues.

The champion league is a special Pokémon league event, the champion league is a Pokémon league event where the strongest trainers come to Galar and will compete in not only gym challenges, but also the Pokémon league itself.

Yes the Pokémon league is still going on during this, it’s connected heavily to the champion league since whoever wins the league has a shot of getting into the champion league tournament, assuming a gym leader doesn’t crush them.

Ash is more then happy to go to Galar, new region PLUS a tournament? He’s super excited. Gou then asked why he was called here and cerise said he wanted him to travel with ash to Galar, since gou and koharu both are now done with high school, they can do whatever they please.

While you wanted to travel around Kanto first-especially since he’s more likely to find mew-he can’t pass down the opportunity to go to a region with one of the most famous people of the region. Koharu also joins on this too, but only because cerise gave her no choice.

Then after that, cerise gives everyone rotom dex’s and has a surprise for gou: he managed to get the Galar starters from the professor. Obviously gou picks scorbunny, but that’s not the only starter who gets picked. Koharu gets sobble!

Koharu felt bad for the poor thing since it was all shy, and her dad said it would fit her with her personality. Koharu still has yamper and does take it with her to Galar as well, but cerise loves his daughter so of course he’d let her pick a starter as well.

And yeah ash picks grookey. While ash does use his old Pokémon frequently, whenever he goes to a new region, he always leaves his old Pokémon behind at oak’s, just like the anime. But it’s more so the reason of he wants a fresh experience with each region.

(Instead of the old bs of “ash resets every region”, he actually has a reason to leave his Pokémon but he doesn’t completely abandon them, he checks in with them a lot and will use some of them if he finds fit. But he mainly did this in the Alola league but he does it here)

So pretty much after that they head off to Galar and a lot of fun stuff happens. I would explain some however, not a lot is finalized annnnnd this thread is super loooong. I’ll try to cut down my thread lengths but don’t be surprised if there this long.