The evening of December 24.
Jubilife Pokémon Theme Park.
"Oh, wow! This place is amazing!"
Ash ran excitedly back and forth, with Pikachu right behind him.
"Pika-pi!"
Akin waved to Ash.
"Hey, little buddy! Come play pool with me!"
Silver gave him a strange look.
"Are you sure? He'll punch a hole through the table."
"That's fine. It's not my pool table."
Togekiss joined in with a wicked grin.
"..."
Silver actually had no comeback.
Li Wei's grandfather Lian stood with Professor Oak and Professor Rowan, watching the lively scene as they chatted with satisfaction.
Professor Oak smiled. "What a rare gathering. It's wonderful to see how well these children and their Pokémon have grown."
Even though Red, Blue, and the others had grown up, they would always be children in Professor Oak's eyes.
They were simply capable, responsible children.
Red and Blue stood a little farther away, watching Ash and Pikachu fool around.
Blue folded his arms and snorted. "That kid's as noisy as ever."
Red tugged down the brim of his cap, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "That's good."
Blue looked at Red and smiled. "You haven't played an official match in ages. Don't go choking in the first round of next year's Master League."
Red looked at Blue. "...Want to practice right now?"
"I was joking."
Red said reflectively, "The highlight of this year's competitions had to be Cynthia winning the second Master League championship."
Although that wasn't what had made Red want to compete, it had strengthened his resolve to enter.
The newly crowned champion of the second Master League was currently discussing where to find good ice cream with Diantha and Lorelei.
Diantha suddenly realized something. "Everything about Li Wei's desserts is great, but he doesn't seem to like making ice cream