AN: A small introduction to what this story is about and what to expect:

#This story contains large amounts of Pokeshipping, but has a strong focus on Ash.

#Don't expect intricate descriptions of pokemon fights or strategy. I want to concentrate on other things.

#The humor and situations can get a bit risque but there won't be anything explicit. (The teen rating might get a bit stress tested though :p)

I hope you enjoy my little venture in the pokemon world and feel free to comment about anything in the reviews.

Everything started with the return to his hometown three years ago.

The moment Ash Ketchum, fifteen years old, had stepped from a little boat and onto the harbor of Pallet Town, everything changed in a big way. News stations and tabloids ran rampant for weeks about a small boy taking the league of Kanto by storm with relative ease. Piece by piece, Ash blasted through all the gyms again, the Elite Four, and the champion on top.

It didn't end there.

Ash Ketchum had shocked the world again by continuing his conquest in Johto, but nowhere in the rules it stated that the champion of a region couldn't fight in another one. Ash simply kept going, getting around a lot easier through his familiarity with the places and the newfound funds as a Kanto champion.

He had to defend his title against everyone who qualified from each region after he became the champion of them. Naturally, the number of challengers went up each time and he often lost track for what title his opponent was challenging him, until he just put them all on the line for every fight as further motivation to succeed.

Forty badges, twenty four Elite Four members, every floor on all battle pyramid or towers, and seven defeated champions later, Ash had accomplished something no one had ever dared to dream about in recorded history.

The complete unification of all known titles in the world.

He held anything worthwhile in Pokemon battling from every region. Some sources even stated that he entertained the idea of doing the same as a coordinator, but those rumors were quickly debunked under the collective sigh of relief from the Coordinator community.

Ash had found out quickly about the setbacks of his title and the myriad of responsibilities after the initial euphoria. People expected certain things from a world champion and the Pokemon League officials were breathing down his neck constantly to assure he represented them in the right way.

Reluctant to embrace him at first, they now saw the potential money in marketing the conqueror of the Pokemon world. Meetings, promotional tours, charity balls, public speeches and many other events required him on his best behavior in tight fitting suits and uncomfortable shoes, clinging to his body like a foreign skin. For the sake of appearance, he had perfected the art of feigning interest for boring subjects and laughing politely at bad jokes from important business partners of the league.

Sometimes he would catch his reflection in a mirror during such a verbal exchange and shudder at the stranger with the dead eyes looking back at him.

He wouldn't have minded his duties so much, if the fighting itself had remained fun. Instead it had become a chore as well. Ash Ketchum, the unbeatable champion, had more title defenses than any other champion in recorded history, but he also had more fights in two years than all champions combined in their whole career. Only a handful of those battles could be described as memorable. Endless streams of trainers kept challenging him without the hunger to succeed, contempt with merely giving it a half-hearted try against him for their fifteen minutes of fame.

Long gone were the times of adventures and wonder, when the outcome of his battles weren't already a surefire thing. Ash couldn't fathom the possibility of losing anymore in view of his challengers. How could people like these beat any of the gym leaders of his childhood?

The only form of respite from the monotony were the occasional battles against the former champions. Trainers like Cynthia, Wallace, or Lance constantly tried to reclaim their titles and managed to ignite the spark of excitement for a bit, but none of them had actually been able to defeat him and the margin of his wins got bigger at an alarming rate.

The last battle in Sinnoh against his rival Paul, Ash won with only one of his own pokemon defeated. He had been surprised as much as Paul from this outcome.

It was getting easier and more dull by the day. By the age of eighteen and two years into his reign as absolute champion, he stood at the top unchallenged. Nobody could touch him and his pokemon in battle.

Ash Ketchum was the undisputed Pokemon Master, and It drove him slowly to the point of insanity.

"Rydon, nooooo!"

Ash came back from his musings about the past and noticed the last pokemon of his opponent going down. Pikachu had ended it quickly through an Iron Tail to the face. The electric mouse looked so bored afterwards it hurt Ash to watch. His partner wasn't faring any better with their current situation, barely able to hide a yawn in front of the massive behemoth lying to his tiny feet.

After five years of rigorous and grueling training with his pokemon, everything seemed like a piece of cake. Together they had pushed themselves to their limit and then some, and not one of his partners had met an equal since their return to the stadium.

Most of Ash's pokemon weren't fighting anymore against challengers for that exact reason, using their extensive free time for amusement and relaxation at Professor Oak's place. Ash felt they deserved at least this much after making him a champion and staying at his side for all this time. The only constant in his team was Pikachu and he didn't bring any others for his six on six battles.

And while technically against the rules, somebody had yet to come far enough to notice his understaffing.

"Pika..." The small, electric rodent raised a fist at the crowd, which earned him some applause and mild cheers from the apathetic audience. Ash didn't blame them for their underwhelming reaction. Nobody believed in a win against the unbeatable champion and only appeared to see how close a trainer could get before getting stomped into the ground.

"The challenger Georgie Simmons has been defeated! Our winner and still reigning champion is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," The announcer said in a tone that matched the overall mood in the Indigo arena. Ash had great memories of his first tournament in this place and made it his permanent location to accept challenges.

Nowadays, he couldn't care less where he fought.

Going through the same old motions, everyone waited for the champion's lukewarm words of gratitude and encouragement to his opponent; A gesture mandated by the Pokemon League officials for publicity's sake and wasted breath in his opinion. Besides Paul and a few champions, not a single challenger had ever stood before him twice and they would rather eat Raticate droppings than tolerating words of encouragement from Ash after a loss.

The defeated opponent, a little boy from Saffron City, walked over the battlefield and looked at the champion expectantly with his hand outstretched for a handshake. "I was so close to beating one of your pokemon! I got so much more hits in against your pikachu than expected!"

Ash looked up to the board to see what pokemon the kid had been using. He saw five golems and a Rydon. Everyone, except Pikachu, failed to notice the little twitch running across Ash's face. "You only used ground and rock pokemon against me..."

The boy rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Well my pokemon are relatively new. My dad bought them as preparation for the battle."

His opponents had small ambitions in general, but this was a new low even for those standards. This kid hadn't even challenged him to become the champion. In a six on six battle, he was satisfied with a single win against Pikachu through overwhelming type advantage.

Ash felt the urge to cry and scream. This was his life now after all the shit he had to endure to get here. Trapped in an endless circle of meaningless fights and meaningless chores for a faceless organisation to keep a meaningless title from second rate trainers with less ambition than a Snorlax.

"How did you get through the Elite Four of your region?" Ash asked in a low tone.

The boy stared at him confused. "Elite what? Doesn't ring a bell. I've been told to take a number after showing my badges."

Suddenly the increased rate of trainers made a lot more sense to Ash.

"Mrs. Goodshow? May I have a word with you?" Ash said sharply towards the youngest member on the officials table. Eliza Goodshow, granddaughter of the former Pokemon League chairman Mr. Goodshow, stood up with an irritated groan and slithered elegantly in her high heels over to the battlefield with no difficulties whatsoever.

"What's the problem, Mr. Ketchum?" the blonde said with a flip of her hair as the paradigm of a drop-dead gorgeous businesswoman.

"How did that happen?" Ash asked, trying desperately to hold his composure.

"How did what happen, sir?" The venom in her voice wasn't lost on Ash. Eliza Goodshow didn't share many of the positive qualities of her grandfather. The old man had to drastically cut back on his duties and didn't command power in the Pokemon League anymore, passing the leadership over to his assistants and people like his granddaughter who behaved like the usual upper-class elite snobs.

She expected to be treated as superior by people she perceived beneath her. To supervise a commoner from a backwater town like Pallet didn't match with those expectations, and she showed her displeasure openly and constantly.

"How could this boy get so far?" he asked, pointing around in the general vicinity of the young trainer. "Where are the Elite Four of Kanto? Why are they not here?"

"Budget cuts, sir." Mrs. Goodwill answered boredly while checking her phone. "Management agreed on eight badges being enough to qualify for a title shot and transferred the Elite Four to other branches of the Pokemon League."

Ash was close to a full-blown breakdown. "Why would they do that? Badges don't mean anything anymore! Kanto alone has forty gyms and they give those damn things away like candy at the entrances! I need some capable trainers to sort the rabble out!"

"Hey! I'm not—"

"Be honest with me!" Ash interrupted the little boy firmly, causing him to downcast his eyes on the ground in shame. "How many badges did you get without a fight?"

Mrs. Goodwill readjusted her spectacles with a frown. "You're causing a scene, Mr. Ketchum. The decision has already been made and as champion you have the responsibility to defend your title against anyone we deem suitable." Her cold eyes laid on Ash's opponent, who cowered away. "No matter how disappointing the challenger turns out to be."

"You're right." Ash said, going back to being calm and guiding his fingers to the shiny pin on his collar. Clumsily he unhooked the clasp and took a good look at the symbol. The World champion badge in his hand in combination with the World champion trophy, represented everything he once strived for and were the material proof of his status as the best in the world.

And he wanted to become a champion because…

The purpose of training had been…

He drew a blank.

"You want my advice, kid? You want to know what it takes to be a champion?" Ash took a knee to get on the boy's eye level and grasped his shoulders. "You have to forget your principals and dignity. That's the first thing you lose when they cart you out here to dance for them like a clown."

"Mr. Ketchum this is completely unacceptable behaviour from a League champion!"

Ash couldn't care less about the babbling of this woman. He needed to get his point across to save this kid from a mistake. He noticed the bloody scrapes he got from kneeling onto a rock. "Also get knee pads, because you'll be kissing a lot of ass in your career and they expect you to do it on all fours without complaining."

"I don't want to do that…" the boy said with disgust.

Ash smiled sadly and got up. "Good. Then you're already smarter than I was, Georgie."

Mrs. Goodwill squeezed between them and poked Ash sternly in the chest. "Stop this nonsense right this instant! You're our champion! We made you! We pay you! We own you! You're nothing without us! Who do you think you are!?"

"CHUUUUU!"

A lightning bolt over her head answered the question. Pikachu was furious now. Nobody talked to his trainer like that, and the pompous lady would learn that the hard way while fleeing in panic. One of the powerful electro attacks hit the trophy stand during her retreat, melting the golden prize cup to a burning puddle.

"Piiiii…." Pikachu stopped in shock and looked at his trainer. Pikapi would surely be angry with him for destroying something this valuable.

Its destruction changed very little for Ash. A fleeting pang of nostalgia at most. For him, nothing of value was lost with that thing. He remembered faintly the pride from winning the trophy, but seeing the smoldering remains now made him feel nothing at all.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu replied in confusion, clearly not understanding the uncaring expression on his face. What was going on with Pikapi? Nonetheless, he climbed on Ash's shoulder and rubbed his cheek against his face to console him.

Shakily, he took the microphone that Mrs. Goodwill had dropped on her hasty retreat, turning towards the camera to address the audience.

"Good evening, my name is Ash Ketchum. You all know me as a champion, but originally I was just a little boy from a town called Pallet in pursuit of a dream."

In a small cozy home from the mentioned town, Mr. Mime took the shaking hands of Delia Ketchum as her eyes kept glued to the flickering image of her son on the screen.

"I travelled the world to battle the best and beat the best. Against all odds, I survived those hardships and became the greatest pokemon trainer alive today. Indomitable and unbeatable, like I always wanted to be."

Somewhere in a hotel room, Paul threw his drink at the tv in outrage.

"Here's the deal though. You only see what you are supposed to see. There's a lot behind the scenes you obviously don't know, so I will take a few moments to give you some insights."

In Kalos, Serena leaned a bit more forward on the couch, completely captivated by the unfolding Ash was almost unrecognizable without his trademark smile.

"I am a guy for all intents and purposes, never should have even made it this far. A bumbling buffoon without natural talent and only a very thick head to bash against insurmountable roadblocks."

Iris was angry with herself. His five years of vanishment should have been a dead giveaway. Ash had never came off as overly frustrated during her travels with him through Unova, always smiling and joking through every hardship. Now it seems like there were some serious skeletons in his mental closet.

"But even densest skull breaks under enough punishment. My mind was finally made up after my loss in Kalos at eleven years old. It was do or die. The next shot would be my last grasp for the top before calling it quits and I trained accordingly."

Cynthia's mouth went dry as she kept watching from the bleachers, well hidden amongst the crowd of silent fans. As former Sinnoh champion she experienced the labours of his training firsthand and was almost sure that nobody had seen Ash's best yet. A thought that was infuriating and frightening at the same time.

"It sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it? The underdog prevailing against all odds, going the distance for the last time to fulfill his dream. You could even make a halfway decent movie out of that. Makes oneself wonder why I feel like putting a gun to my head."

Gary Oak gritted his teeth in front of a flickering screen in Pallet Town Laboratories. The young researcher shuddered from the hollow chuckle that came out of speakers from his computer. Not in a million years, he could have imagined hearing such a macabre joke from Ash Ketchum.

He prayed to Arceus that it was a joke.

"There are many things in the past seven years I regret, but here's the gist of it: Every success came with a price and consider this well if you want to walk in my footsteps. Simply put, I'm nothing more than the obedient lapdog of the Pokemon League and I'm not even mad at them for exploiting me. Why would I? The loss of my pride and freedom is nothing in comparison to everything else I gave up in the years before that."

Dawn turned the device in her room off. This person didn't look or sound like the Ash Ketchum she knew. He looked like the bare skeleton of that boy, tired and ready to give up. Hurriedly, she began packing her bags for a long travel from Sinnoh to Kanto.

"I went through hell and I did it all willingly. I forsook my friends and family for glory, wasted my childhood and risked my life, sentencing my Pokemon to the same fate."

"Pi…" Pikachu cooed, telling him it's alright. They'd stuck with Ash for a reason. All of his pokemon felt that way.

May hugged her pillow tighter, silently watching the broadcast in hope that Max didn't see this on his pokemon journey. How would her brother react when he saw his idol and source of inspiration crumble? She could barely hold herself together at the pitiful sight, wanting to help him instead of wasting time here in Hoenn.

"People often called me stupid in the past. They were right. I'm an idiot."

In the Cerulean City Gym, Misty shouted angrily into her phone to ask Brock if he knew about this, before turning back to the television broadcast with sad eyes. Stupid little runt! Why hadn't she looked after him more? He obviously needed help.

"This little badge is all I have to show for as accomplishment. The spoils of a life dedicated to reach a goal no matter the cost."

A metallic plink ran through the dead silent stadium as the badge dropped on the ground.

"In hindsight, I rather would've had nothing."

Ash stepped on the fragile item and shattered it under his heel.

"I'm officially retired."