Chapter 3: A Dream That Faded
The town ahead was still some distance away, its rooftops barely visible beyond the thinning line of trees, but neither of them rushed toward it. The pace slowed naturally, as if both of them were avoiding something unspoken. Ben walked beside Ashley now instead of behind her, occasionally glancing around, still trying to make sense of everything, while Ashley remained quiet, her expression distant.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Ben broke the silence again, though this time his tone was less playful. "So… you said people train Pokémon, travel, battle and all that. Is that what you were doing?"
Ashley didn't answer immediately.
Her steps slowed slightly.
"…I was," she said finally.
Ben noticed the change in her voice. It wasn't the same calm tone as before. There was something heavier behind it now. "Was?"
Ashley looked ahead, her eyes fixed on the road. "I started when I was eighteen."
Ben blinked. "Started? That means… you've been doing it for a while."
"…Eight years."
Ben let out a low whistle. "That's a long time."
"Yes."
"Must've gotten pretty strong then."
Ashley didn't respond.
That silence said more than words.
Ben glanced at her again, his usual grin gone, replaced by something more observant. "You don't sound proud of it."
"…There's nothing to be proud of."
That made him frown slightly. "What do you mean?"
Ashley stopped walking.
The wind moved softly around them, carrying the faint rustling of leaves. Pikachu shifted slightly on her shoulder but didn't interrupt.
"…I wanted to become a Pokémon Master," she said.
Ben leaned casually against a nearby tree, listening.
"That was my dream," she continued. "To travel across regions, challenge leagues, defeat strong trainers… and win."
Ben nodded. "Sounds straightforward."
"It wasn't."
Her voice remained calm, but the weight behind it grew clearer with every word. "In my first year, I entered the Kanto League. I lost in the Top 16. I thought it was fine. Everyone loses at the beginning."
Ben shrugged. "Yeah, makes sense."
"Second year, Orange Islands. I trained harder. Got stronger. Reached Top 8."
"…Progress."
"That's what I thought too."
She looked down slightly, her fingers tightening just a little.
"Then it kept happening. Every year, a different league. Different region. Stronger opponents. I improved. My Pokémon improved. But the result…" She paused briefly. "…never changed."
Ben didn't interrupt.
"Sometimes Top 8. Sometimes Top 4. Sometimes…" Her voice softened just a little. "…finals."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Finals? That's huge."
Ashley let out a faint, humorless breath. "It doesn't matter if you lose."
That shut him up.
For a moment, there was only silence.
"…I was always close," she continued. "Always just one step away. One battle. One moment. One mistake."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger, but in something quieter.
"And every time… I failed."
Ben crossed his arms slowly, thinking. "So you gave up?"
Ashley didn't answer right away.
Instead, she looked up at the sky, the same sky that had torn open not long ago.
"…At first, I didn't," she said. "I told myself I just needed more time. More training. More experience."
Her expression didn't change.
"But after eight years… you start to understand something."
Ben tilted his head slightly. "What?"
"That sometimes… no matter how much you try…" Her voice dropped just a fraction. "…you're just not enough."
The words were simple.
But they carried weight.
Ben's expression shifted.
"…That's a pretty heavy conclusion."
"It's a realistic one."
He pushed himself off the tree, standing straight again. "Or maybe you're just stubborn."
Ashley glanced at him.
"…What?"
"You kept going for eight years," Ben said. "Most people would've quit way earlier."
"That doesn't change the result."
"Maybe not. But it says something about you."
Ashley frowned slightly. "…It says I wasted eight years."
Ben shook his head immediately. "Nah. That's not how that works."
She looked at him, clearly unconvinced.
"You got stronger, right?" he continued. "Learned more, went further every time?"
"…Yes."
"Then it wasn't a waste."
Ashley's gaze hardened slightly. "If there's no result, it doesn't matter."
Ben paused.
Then shrugged lightly. "Guess I don't really agree with that."
She stared at him.
"…Of course you don't."
"Hey, I'm just saying. If you made it to finals, you're clearly not weak."
"That doesn't make me a winner."
"Yeah, but it doesn't make you a failure either."
Ashley didn't respond.
Because part of her knew—
He wasn't wrong.
And that was exactly why it bothered her.
"…I released them," she said after a moment.
Ben blinked. "Released… who?"
"My Pokémon."
His expression changed instantly. "All of them?"
"…Except Pikachu."
Pikachu gave a small "Pika."
Ben looked at it, then back at her. "…Why?"
Ashley's voice was steady again. "Because they deserve better."
"Better than what?"
"Better than staying with someone who can't win."
Ben stared at her for a few seconds.
"…You really believe that?"
"Yes."
"No, you don't."
Ashley's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"If you really believed that, you would've let Pikachu go too."
Silence.
Pikachu looked between them.
Ashley didn't answer.
Ben continued, a little softer now. "But you didn't."
"…That's different."
"Why?"
Ashley clenched her hand slightly.
"…Because Pikachu chose to stay."
Ben nodded slowly. "Exactly."
That one word lingered.
Ashley looked away.
The conversation had gone somewhere she didn't expect.
Somewhere she didn't want it to go.
"…You talk too much," she said quietly.
Ben smirked a little. "Yeah, I've been told that."
They started walking again.
This time, slower.
More thoughtful.
Ben didn't push further.
And Ashley didn't continue.
But something had shifted.
Not completely.
Not enough to change everything.
But enough—
To make the silence between them feel less empty.
Ahead, the town was now clearly visible.
A new place.
A new step.
And without realizing it—
Ashley had just spoken more about herself than she had in a long, long time.
End of Chapter 3