Chapter 4: What Does It Take to Win
The town was now close enough that the sounds of people and movement could be faintly heard, but neither of them stepped into it just yet. They slowed near the edge of the path, where the forest ended and the open road began. The conversation from before still lingered in the air, quiet but heavy.
Ben walked a few steps ahead this time, then suddenly stopped.
Ashley almost walked past him before noticing. "…What now?"
He turned around, looking at her with an unusually serious expression. It wasn't his usual playful grin, not the teasing confidence he carried so easily. This time, it felt… deliberate.
"Don't worry about it," he said.
Ashley frowned slightly. "…About what?"
"Your dream."
She stared at him, confused for a moment. "…What?"
Ben crossed his arms, nodding once as if confirming something to himself. "I'll make it come true."
For a second—
Ashley thought she misheard him.
"…What did you just say?"
"I said I'll make your dream come true," Ben repeated casually, like he was talking about something simple.
Ashley blinked.
Then frowned deeper.
"…Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"…You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
"…You don't even understand this world."
"I'm learning."
"…You don't even know what a Pokémon is."
"I do now."
Ashley stared at him, completely unconvinced. "…And you think you can make me a Pokémon Master?"
Ben shrugged lightly. "Yeah."
There was no hesitation.
No doubt.
Just pure, straightforward confidence.
Ashley let out a short breath, almost like a laugh, but without any humor. "…You're unbelievable."
"I've been called worse."
"…This isn't a joke."
"I know."
She crossed her arms now, her gaze sharpening. "Then explain it."
Ben tilted his head slightly. "Explain what?"
"How?" she asked directly. "How are you going to make that happen?"
That made him pause.
Not because he didn't have an answer—
But because he wanted to hear something first.
Instead of replying immediately, he asked, "What do you need?"
Ashley frowned. "…What?"
"To become the Kanto League Champion," Ben continued, his tone calm but focused now, "what exactly do you need?"
She looked at him like the question itself was strange.
"…That's obvious."
"Humor me."
Ashley hesitated for a moment, then answered anyway. "You need eight Gym Badges from the Kanto region."
Ben nodded. "Okay. Then?"
"You need to qualify for the Pokémon League."
"And then?"
"…You battle through the tournament."
"Keep going."
Ashley narrowed her eyes slightly but continued. "You defeat every opponent. Elite trainers. Strong competitors. And if you reach the finals…" She paused briefly. "…you win."
Ben nodded again, as if confirming each step in his head. "So basically—badges, tournament, win."
"…It's not that simple."
"It is," Ben said.
Ashley's expression hardened. "No, it's not. Every trainer there is strong. Some of them have been training their entire lives. Some have never lost. Some—"
"And you still made it to the finals," Ben interrupted.
That stopped her.
"…That doesn't matter."
"It does."
She looked away. "…I lost."
Ben stepped a little closer, his voice steady. "But you got there."
Silence.
"…Yeah," he continued, "you didn't win. But you got closer than most people ever will."
Ashley didn't respond.
Because again—
He wasn't wrong.
"And now you're telling me," Ben added, "that the only difference between you and being champion… is winning that last battle?"
Ashley's hand tightened slightly.
"…It's not that easy."
"Of course it's not easy," Ben said. "If it was easy, everyone would be champion."
That… made sense.
"And you already did everything else," he went on. "You trained. You traveled. You fought. You made it to the top."
Ashley's voice came out quieter this time. "…And I still failed."
Ben looked at her for a moment, then said simply, "Then try again."
She immediately shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"…Because I know how it ends."
"You don't."
"I do."
"You THINK you do," Ben corrected.
Ashley's eyes narrowed. "…And what makes you so sure?"
Ben smiled slightly.
"Because you haven't won yet."
That answer caught her off guard.
"…What?"
"You said it yourself. You've lost every time so far," he said. "But that doesn't mean you'll lose next time."
"…It usually does."
"Not always."
Ashley stayed silent.
Ben continued, his tone returning slightly to his usual confident rhythm. "Look, I don't know everything about this Pokémon League stuff yet. But I know one thing."
She looked at him.
"If you were strong enough to reach the finals before," he said, "then you're strong enough to win."
Ashley's gaze wavered for a fraction of a second.
"…You're oversimplifying it."
"Maybe," Ben admitted. "But sometimes things are simple."
She didn't reply.
Because deep down—
A small part of her wanted to believe that.
"…And anyway," Ben added casually, "you're not doing it alone this time."
Ashley frowned. "…What does that mean?"
Ben pointed at himself with a grin. "You've got me now."
"…That's not reassuring."
"Ouch."
Pikachu let out a small laugh. "Pika pika."
Ben pointed at it. "Hey, I'm helping here."
Ashley sighed, shaking her head slightly. "…You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"…Even though you don't understand anything about Pokémon?"
"I'll learn."
"…And you think you can help me win?"
"I know I can."
There it was again.
That confidence.
Unshaken.
Unreasonable.
And yet—
Not empty.
Ashley looked at him for a long moment.
Then turned toward the town again.
"…You're an idiot."
Ben grinned. "Yeah, but I'm an optimistic idiot."
A small pause.
"…We'll see," she added quietly.
They stepped forward together, finally leaving the forest behind.
For Ben, it was just another step into a new world.
For Ashley—
It was something else.
Not hope.
Not yet.
But maybe—
Something close to it.
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End of Chapter 4