Chapter 1: Trouble is brewing

So, here's my first story. This story will have a major focus on Ash and his journey to be the very best, and won't include heavy shipping themes unless you guys want it. There may be some Pearlshipping or Amourshipping at some points, but again, only if you guys want it. The story as a whole is likely going to be a long one, and bear with me for these first few chapters. This chapter in particular is going to be very short compared to a lot of future ones, and serves mainly as an end to start a beginning. You'll find out exactly what I mean soon enough, and for now all I can say is to read on and enjoy! It'll get much better, trust me. If you have any questions about the story and the direction you may want it to go, just ask me! Don't be as shy as Serena's Eevee! And with that Kalos reference, I'll end my rambling. Just read on!

Giovanni sat in his chair, once again stewing in his anger over Jessie and James's progress report— or lack, thereof. They'd turned up empty-handed for the millionth time, and he couldn't stand it anymore.

Giovanni appreciated more than anything the fact that Jessie and James had stopped hunting the boy and his Pikachu after his Kalos adventure had ended, but this news had come years ago. About five, as he recalled, and he also recalled that in that time frame Jessie and James had only captured two pokemon. Some boy's Raticate and a Meowth they had found left astray. To their surprise, it knew Payday.

However, even knowing that their boss's need for money couldn't be satisfied, they still couldn't capture any new pokemon. But, the most interesting thing was the boy they had stopped chasing.

According to Jessie and James, they only stopped because the boy just disappeared: up and vanished from civilization as they lost him sometime after he challenged the Indigo League for the second time.

But none of it mattered.

Giovanni couldn't worry about the boy. He had his own problems to deal with. As he was thinking to himself, he began to notice that someone was coming in.

Through the door came a panting grunt. It was a young man, probably a new recruit in his early twenties. He had definitely been running, but Giovanni couldn't tell if the man had been running because he was anxious to tell him something, or if the man was simply scared for his life. The man then saluted.

"Sir! We have him! That blue haired one! What should we do with him?" Giovanni smiled and rubbed his hand across his Persian's soft fur. "Ah, yes. Finally! Bring him to me. I shall speak with him at once!"

"Sir, yes sir!" And then the man retreated to wherever he had come from to get the man. He came back soon with a dirty man in ragged clothes with light blue spiky hair. He was bound by rope, with tied up hands and many guards to keep him from escaping.

Giovanni looked at this man in wonder. The other man did the same, only he seemed a lot more surprised because of his bulging eyes.

"It's you! Y-You're the Giovanni of Team Rocket known worldwide! The criminal mastermind! What on Pokearth do you want with me? I've nothing to offer!"

"*Sigh* Yes, yes, enough with the formalities. I appreciate your obeisance, and I know your name as well. But trifle matters are not why I wish to speak with you. Your studies on the ancient pokemon Dialga and Palkia are mainly what I'm after, but you will understand soon enough why I truly called you here. Is that clear enough to you, Cyrus?"

*Flashback: 6 years ago: July 23rd*

Ash was disappointed that he had lost once again, only this time more than ever since he was the runner-up in the Kalos league. The simple fact stood that Ash's body could not endure continuous long use of the power of Ash-Greninja, and as a result he fainted before his Greninja could take out Alain's Mega Charizard X.

It resulted with an automatic forfeit from Ash, and a loss in the league. Losing while so close to winning was saddening, but he was happy that he had beaten his previous record. This alone got him pumped for his next adventure, and as he watched the closing ceremony with Serena, Clemont and Bonnie in the audience he felt a happiness he had not felt since he crushed Paul and ended up in the Lily of the Valley Conference Top 4.

Alain had be a strong opponent, using the power of a Garchomp, a Tyrantrum, his own Goodra, a Lucario, a Staraptor and of course his Charizard. Only now did Ash realize that his own strengths and weaknesses were what kept him from winning, and not his pokemon's.

As the ceremony came to a close, Charles Goodshow came up with a microphone and cleared his throat to grab the attention of the audience and silence them. "And now finally we conclude the Winner's ceremony."

"All six leagues take place at different times of the year, from the Indigo Plateau Conference in January to the Silver Conference in March, the Ever Grande Conference in May to the Lumiose Conference in July, and from the Vertress Conference in September to the Lily of the Valley Conference in November. And then of course we have the respective Champion League's that correspond to the months in February, April, June, August, October, and December yada yada yada Exposition yada yada."

"But enough of my rambling. We are here to celebrate young Alain's achievement in the midst of Summer and nice weather!" There was a lot of cheering from the audience. "Now, now! Let's settle down! We still have more to tell! As I said, we are now in the month of July."

"Next Month we shall hold the Champion league in which young Alain here will be able to challenge the Elite Four, and if he gets far enough miss Diantha herself!" The audience just erupted at that. "Now hold it! We have certainly focused much on Alain, but I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all combatants, especially runner-up Mr. Ash Ketchum who certainly put up a great match!"

"How about it, do you all feel the same!?" More loud cheering. "And that ends the Lumiose Conference! Thank you to Alain and Ash and to all who participated! With that, good night to one and to all! Get ready for the Champion league and the Vertress Conference in September!"

And with that, Mr. Goodshow put the mic on the stand and left to the side. As Mr. Goodshow was listing all of those names, Ash couldn't help but recall his…. past. All of his losses in the leagues, his struggles in getting to the leagues in the first place, and his countless defeats at the hands of his rivals. But who was really to blame, if anybody? He was only fourteen years old in the first place, and he had made a lot of good Pokemon friends on his journey.

So he couldn't be sad.

But inevitability struck him, and he still was.

And like I said, it was a very short one. And for those of you who watch the Kalos arc of the anime and know about the events in XYZ, don't worry. Team Flare WILL show up in a later chapter. And then of course we have Ash losing once again, but if I were a reader, I think I would focus on what Giovanni is planning. The next few chapters may feel irrelevant, but I can assure you that they will be very important in the end. And yes, the next few chapters will be a lot longer than this one. They will have a lot more action and characters from previous anime arcs, rivals and travelling companions included. So I hope you look forward to what I have planned in the future. Remember, ask any questions you may have and you may get exactly what you wanted out of an answer and more! But for now, I must bid you all farewell. Goodbye!