"Pikachu! Hurry and warp this match up with Volt Tackle!" The particular moment was just right. The precision and electrical power just discharged from Pikachu's body as it zoomed like a speeding comet towards the target. Ash Ketchum felt complete confidence overflow from him; he knew he got the Unova Championship Finals match in the bag against Trip. Both of them were down to their last Pokemon, pitting Ash's Pikachu against Trip's Serperior, both on the ropes. He was certain that Ash was able to win, but one thing he forgot to notice is that Trip simply smiled, signaling that the match isn't over yet.

"Serperior, Double Team!" Trip calmly commanded, with a smug look. Immediately, the Serperior split itself into copies, just in time for Pikachu to dash right through one of them. The illusion whiffed away and Pikachu was desperate to find the right one, looking left and right, waiting for Serperior's next move. Ash, much like Pikachu, became desperate as to figure out what's the next objective to do before Serperior lands a clean hit.

'Damn, now what?!" He thought as his expression changed to desperation. But before he could issue the next command to Pikachu, all the Serperior copies launched powerful Hyper Beams at Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Dodge them quick!" He commanded as his voice was filled with panic. Now all he could think about was Pikachu's safety. Unfortunately, the Hyper Beams was too large, and the illusions didn't help Pikachu's attempt at escape, as the sheer amount of power exploded the moment the attack connected. When the smoke cleared, Ash expression gloomed when he saw his Pikachu has fainted and laid on the ground, while Serperior was coiled upright at the other side of the stadium.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! This victory belongs to Serperior, which means Trip from Nuvema Town wins this match and tournament!" The referee announced. Soon, the stadium overflowed with cheers and screams as they rooted for the winner of Unova's Championship match. Ash lowered his head in desolation, his eyes empty as a familiar feeling washed over him. It felt so familiar… yet he wasn't able to distinguish it. He just shook his head and immediately forced a smile on his face; the same smile he had when he lost at the Kanto Indigo League… and the Johto League… and the Hoenn and Sinnoh League, but it was a smile nonetheless. He then walked over to the badly hurt Pikachu, in order to comfort the little electric mouse Pokemon. The smile really helped with the comforting.

People kept cheering and applauding Trip, who simply just smiled so arrogantly and returned Serperior in its own Pokeball. He then noticed Ash on his knees, weakly smiling and comforting the poor Pikachu on how he was the one that failed Pikachu and Trip thought of all that to be useless banter. He didn't like Ash, and he hated Kanto. His own way of training his Pokemon compared to Trip's superior way of training felt that Ash was completely powerless over him. In fact, Trip, for the first time, felt power and glory brimming within his veins; and he loved every second of that. He figured he might as well show it off to his first victim: Ash Ketchum.

Before Ash was about to straighten his legs and hoist Pikachu up to his chest, Trip appeared to have strolled in front of Ash. As Ash looked up to Trip, he could see a smile and his eyes seem to respond with sportsmanship. But Ash somehow got a foreboding feeling, that he shouldn't talk to him. Behind the smile, he could feel something else sinister, waiting to pounce. But he ignored the gut feeling, like he always does, and smiled back.

"That was a great match, Trip." He congratulated him, mixing the comment with as much fake confidence as he can muster. "It was close, but next time, I'll be sure to train hard to beat you!" Ash pumped his fist right in front of him, trying his hardest to show that he means well to Trip. In truth, he was depressed in his heart that his championship match immediately flushed down to the pits during the final match. He was completely tired of losing during the League matches, and he just wished that he could just enjoy being the winner, not second-best. He hoped for Trip to at least show some respect his opponent, but after a silence, he then laughed. It wasn't any regular laugh that Trip has done so rarely. This one had been drenched with arrogance and cockiness, something that Ash's ears could not stand.

"Beat me? As if!" The comment that came out of Trip's mouth stung his heart for some reason. Ash couldn't understand why he would say that, but it gradually angered Ash as he grips his hand and grits his teeth. Trip then kicks the dusty ground to Ash, stinging his eyes from the sand, then proceeded to insult the trainer. "You're so horrid that even your friends wouldn't hang out with you!" Ash gasped when he said that, but was careful to hide it. "Why don't you go back to your home where you can grow even worse than what your mom can do? Hell, you might experience an inspiration." He then pulled out his digital camera, taking advantage of the situation by taking a picture of the now hurt Ash. He then laughed the cocky laugh again and strolled to the exit of the stadium, leaving a desolate Ash to himself.

Ash couldn't believe what he heard was gripping his own hands and gritted his teeth hard. He could feel a bit of blood leaking out from his grip, but he was very good at hiding things about himself. He wanted to insult back but since he lost, he felt as though nothing can hurt Trip. He also wanted to punch the cocky trainer, but that would cause a scene and people wouldn't approve the champion punched. He even wanted to break his stupid camera, all because it would at least show his anger towards him. Instead, he just got up with Pikachu cradled in his arms and silently walked out, ignoring the blending cries of the audience and his friends.

One hour later

"Ash, your Pokemon are fully healed and ready to go!" informed Nurse Joy with her usual smile, who brings out a tray of 5 Pokeballs, and out the side door came a cart, with Pikachu happily eating apple slices, pushed by Chansey.

"Thanks…" Ash muttered with his head down and started to collect his Pokeballs from the tray. He really didn't feel like himself to show any more of the fake enthusiasm. Pikachu finished snacking and instantly looked up to Ash. Nurse Joy also took a glance at Ash. She could tell from his eyes that the burden of losing in the championship match was eating away at him. Immediately, the smile turned upside-down with worry. She knew what was wrong.

"Is something-?"

"N-No. No no it's nothing, Nurse Joy." He immediately lifted his head and shook it. Then he flashed a smile back at the nurse, signalling that he was okay. Unfortunately, the façade wasn't enough to trick Pikachu or Nurse Joy. He was hoping he would, but he knew Pikachu was smarter than that.

"I'm sorry that you feel so down. You did really well in the match." She attempted to cheer him up with signature flashing smile and usual polite servicing demeanour. It looked like Ash's mood brightened up a little when he heard her sympathizing him, but as soon as she finished her last words, the TV announcer suddenly interrupted beside them and Ash stopped his movements to look at the TV.

"Here's reporter Jennifer Lyon, reporting live in from the Unova Pokemon League Stadium! We have just finished the ceremony in congratulating the new Champion of the Unova League Tournament named Trip of Nuvema Town!" The TV showed a young lady, with red flowing hair, out in the stadium with microphone in hand. Cheers were pulsing out of the speakers as the lady walked over through the crowd to Trip, still in an arrogant phase and holding a large golden trophy in his hands. "Trip, how did you feel about your opponent and the match itself?"

"Hmph!" He puffed his chest with pride as he put one hand on his waist and the other holding the trophy on his side. "It was nothing! The match itself was too easy! Ash couldn't and would never stand a chance against me, since he's from Kanto!"

"Didn't they say he's from Pallet Town? What impression did you get when you knew he was from there?"

"It's nothing compared to the Unova region! It must have been why he was so weak in the first place; because he was born like this! He can't change that! It's his own destiny to lose!" A shrill laughter came out of his mouth and into Ash's ears, as if mocking him on the spot. Those comments made him shake, mostly out of anger and begrudging. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the counter, which made Nurse Joy, Pikachu, and the apples jump. He could feel blazing anger drawing within himself and his eyes grew darker by the second from his bottled-in rage. The breathing became harsher within the minute, but he tried his best to calm down the fire. But that wasn't the most hurtful thing that has inflicted him today.

Soon after he picked up Pikachu onto his shoulder and walked out in a brisk motion, he felt many people glaring at him and whispering behind his back. Even when he tried to ignore them to his best effort, the whispering turned into words in an ordinary volume, then insults and shouting, starting from one person to the city population itself. People threw slander in Ash's name and Pokemon and it grew even more disdainful the more they looked at him. The more insults they threw, the quicker Ash's pace went and the more trouble he had when he tried to hold back his hurtfulness. He broke out in a run, with Pikachu by his side and tears welling in his eyes, not knowing where to go next. He kept swerving left and right, intersection to intersection, alleyway through alleyway, trying to run from the people's insults until-.

SMACK

"Augh!" Ash grunted as he fell backwards, with Pikachu falling farther backwards, from crashing into… someone. "Damnit who-?!" Before he could say another word, he caught sight of the back of a muscular bald thug about twice the size as Ash, and triple the amount of anger.

"Wha duh-?!" The thug turned around and gave what's probably the most vicious glare to Ash. The thug then stomped towards Ash, who was still on the ground think you are, kid?! Smashin' into people's behinds?!" The thug growled at Ash like a beast and towered over him, who was scared shitless and scooted himself backwards until he hit himself against the wall. He then realized he was in a dark and secluded alleyway, filled with the smell of rotting garbage and trash cans, and that he had no way to escape the bulky thug. Ash was then picked up by the muscular thug by the arms, struggling in vain to get out. Then he began to do what he usually goes doing when the going gets tough.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbo-!"

"Ain't gonna happen, kid!"

"PIKAAAAAAA!" Pikachu's cry was heard from behind the thug. Ash looked over to see Pikachu, bound tightly by two Krokoroks. The mouse Pokemon struggled to get free, but it was fruitless when one of the Krokorok slashed its belly, rendering the mouse unconscious.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried in horror. To think that Pikachu was so easily defeated by a random thug felt fruitless. Ash then looked back at the menacing thug and his breathing intensified with panic.

"P-Please! I didn't mean to crash into you!" Ash began to beg to the thug out of desperation, but then was thrust to the brick wall by the thug, knocking the air out of his lungs and cornered. He would never usually beg for mercy against trainers or people in general, while having Pokemon battle to free himself was usually the ideal case for getting out of a situation like this.

What can I do?

"You got some nerve, you Kanto kid, comin' into Unova territory!" The thug snarled at the panicking Ash.

"W-What?" What was he getting at? Wasn't he angry for just crashing into him? What he first thought that this problem was caused by an accident turned out to be nothing other than flat-out racism. Ash, when he first met Trip, thought that he was just judging Ash as being indifferent to him, and not giving Kanto and appreciation. Now, Ash can feel nothing but panic and anger at the thought of people bending to his words and whim, provoking him and possibly the Kanto region. But before he could utter another thought, the thug snapped him out of his thoughts.

"In dis world, no one likes a second place loser, you Kantonian loser!" He whispered in Ash's ear, still keeping the same snarl he had. Then the thug tightened his free hand into a fist and…

JAB

…a punch was directed right into Ash's stomach. With a fist that big and strong compared to a ten-year-old boy, Ash could feel immediate immense pain from that. Time slowed down as if Arceus wanted to make him savour the pain: he felt some of his ribs crack, blood shooting out of his mouth and nose, and his spine rattling in such a fragile state compared to the muscular thug. His hat, the article of clothing that symbolized him so well, flew off from his head. What should have felt like a few fast seconds, felt like an hour as he was dropped to the ground and lying on the brick wall, barely able to lift his head. His vision blurred as his head looked into the ground, watching the terrifying shadow of the thug, mocking him as he coughed out more blood.

"Good-fer-nothin' boy… I've even betted mah darlin's jewelry set on him at the bar… Lil' shit can't be counted on." He then heard the man spit, and felt it on his face. The thug stomped on his hat and called it a day, leaving the bleeding and dying Ash in the darkening alleyway. But when he turned…

"W-What the?!" The thug then spotted a man in a hooded black cloak, holding the unconscious Pikachu in his black gloves. The hood was way too dark to recognize anyone, but he knew one thing: the Krokoroks that lay fainted along the walls was his doing. "Y-You! What have ya done with mah Krokoroks?!" He snarled at him, doing the same tactic he did on Ash. Unsurprisingly, the black man was not fazed and only set Pikachu down on the floor gently. Ash can only look under the thug's legs, but he did see his Pikachu safe in the man's care. His vision started to blur and his consciousness fading, but the man meant business, but also felt very familiar. Who was he, and why did he come to save someone like him?

"Me?" A dark and threatening voice came out as a whisper, but enough for the thug to hear. He then gripped his fist tightly in front of his chest, and suddenly, a purple glow engulfed his hand. What happened next felt like a blur, but two things came to his ears when Ash closed his eyes.

One was a scream.

Another was a phrase from the cloaked man: "I'm giving you retribution."

What can I do?

Ash felt the darkness within his eyes and piercing cold slip into his body. His body froze in place from having energy drained from his body… or was there any energy there to begin with? His eyes stayed shut, no matter how much he tried to open them. For the first time, he felt helpless to save himself.

All he can see inside his closed eyes is an empty void, but what he can hear are faint voices; all sounding too familiar. They were quiet, but they were voices he knew right off the bat.

"Did you really think you can beat me?"

"Pokemon raised this way will only be destined to lose. This battle was a prime example."

"Why don't you go back to your home where you can grow even worse than what your mom can do? Hell, you might experience an inspiration."

Those words resonated in his mind. They weren't real, but he knew who they were from.

Gary…

Paul…

and Trip…

Ash's breathing quickened in anger. He knew they were his three biggest rivals in his whole journey, but not to the point of vendetta. He wanted to rebuke. He wanted to protest. He wanted to defend himself, but no words came out of his mouth. He felt as though he looked left and right, but his friends are nowhere to be seen, when he needed them most. Not Iris, Cilan, Brock, Dawn, Max, May or even Pikachu. He didn't notice but tears already started streaming down his cheeks. All he can do is listen to the taunts that was said by his three adversaries in his head, and hope with all his heart that his friend would appear beside him. He needs them for help. He relies on them to be on his side. He needs them to become stronger…

What can I do?

The void started to cover Ash, swallowing him up until he couldn't see his own body. But he had control over his body, as it felt fresh and new. He immediately stood up, but the voices became louder, turning into snaps and shouts. Soon it wasn't just those three voices taunting. He heard May's voice. He heard Misty's voice. He heard Brock's voice. He heard Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, everybody he knew, talked to, and befriended. He could see them just standing in front of him with red glowing eyes, smiling evilly, and spewing insults and laughter directed.

"No one loves a weakling like you, Ash!"

"Can't you ever learn?"

"You're destined always to be second place."

"Hmph! A kid like you can't accomplish anything! When would that fact ever get into your head?"

"It must have been why he was so weak in the first place; because he was born like this! He can't change that! It's his own destiny to lose!"

Ash knew they weren't real. They just couldn't be real. He kept telling himself that it was not real. It just wasn't… was it? He let the seed of doubt come in and he started to ask himself and looked at his own hands, which was almost swallowed into darkness. What must his friends think of him? He kept telling himself that they were his friends and that they were faithful to each other, but… what is faith without the benefit of the doubt?

What can I do?

Soon, he collapsed onto his knees. The taunts became ear-grating music to him, as he clasped his hands over his ears. He shuts his eyes, tears threatening to stream again, as he tries to deny it. "Stop! S-STOP IT!" He cried that over and over, pleading the voices to stop. But it was fruitless from the horror he would never have expected.

When Ash was struggling to stop the nightmares, he opened his eyes and ears to discover that the voices have stopped. Instead, he found Pikachu, his very own best friend, in his own nightmarish void. His face was as soulless as a blackboard, yet it said so many things to him. "Pikachu!" He cried and he ran towards the electric mouse Pokemon. Something was off, but he didn't care as he rushed to his one and only best friend.

"Pi…" The Pikachu looked up to see Ash, not showing any emotion, but as soon as Ash started to get closer, bruises and cuts started to appear. The more Ash tried to run to him, the more cuts and bruises and hurt Pikachu was forced upon him. But Ash was oblivious to the Pokemon's condition as Pikachu fell on its face when Ash came to arm's reach.

"Pikachu! It's good to see you aga-!" He was cut off by the sight of Pikachu's large amount of bruises and lack of response. "Pikachu? Pikachu?!" He got onto his knees, cradled Pikachu on his arms, and called Pikachu's name in order to wake it up, hoping it would return the affection.

But it was to no avail. No hope of reawakening. No chance of reuniting with his only friend.

What can I do?

Ash then heard voices again. This time, it was laughter: malicious, mocking, and all directed towards Ash; coming from the voices of his friends, foes, and relatives alike. At the same time, pain pulsed into his body at an intense rate, as if he was getting bruised and beaten up by those invisible voices. He felt battering pain from all sides, but he still cradled Pikachu and squeezed it towards his chest, never letting go of his sworn friend.

"Pikachu!" He cried out of pain, pleading the mouse to open its eyes. The pain grew worse.

"Pikachu!" He yelled out Pikachu's name, but in vain. The pain seared much more, as blood started to leak out of Ash's nose and mouth. Ash was on the ropes in the pain. How long has it been since he was being beaten and being insulted by these taunting voices? He mustered up the strength one last time and screamed his last breath.

"PIKACHUUU!"

It was all Ash had. He fell down to his stomach, blood leaking from his face. His vision blurred and reddened as the voices stopped battering him, but the laughter kept going, as if his mind was replaying the sounds he heard in this nightmarish hellhole. But he felt a glimmer of hope.

He spotted Pikachu's tail twitch and lift. Soon, his bloodied eyes caught a glimpse of Pikachu, back in full health, with no bruise or cut to be seen. It was as if he was never hurt in the first place. Ash felt that it was all worth it, seeing Pikachu back to health.

But Pikachu wasn't giving heed to the bloody body of Ash. Instead, it looked around and walked past Ash as if he hasn't noticed him. Then he heard a voice.

"Hey Pikachu!" It wasn't his voice. It was someone else's.

Pikachu then turned its head away from Ash and scurried off to the void-like shadows where two arms caught it and cradled it into a formed body. Ash's bloody eyes widened by the sight of the person.

"C'mon. It's time to train, like a proper trainer and Pokemon should. Not like some lazy trainer who can't even win with a Pokemon like you!" It was Trip. He smiled as he picked up the electric mouse and walked off into the shadows, with a smug look on his face. Ash just laid there, with his eyes and mind in disbelief, his body cold, his breathing shallow, his vision blackening and both his soul and his heart crushed. Ash was in shock, and motionless from the words of Trip, the sight he has been shown, and the realization of it all. Ash doesn't deserve to be a trainer.

He now knows why. He has lost in the Kanto League. He has lost in Johto. The same has happened in Hoenn, Sinnoh and now Unova. Has it always been his destiny? To lose his battles and not even get recognition? Even with all the experience he has been given, he failed to use it properly. Ash has grown soft.

He has become weak. He has failed as a trainer. Worst of all, Ash can never change that fact.

It has become his destiny.

What can I do?

With groggy eyes and pain rushing from his head into his body, Ash woke up in a mild, yet harsh sunset glare into his face. His face felt the crash of wind as the current flew his hair upward, then down onto his face. His hands covered his eyes as it tried to adjust to the light. As his vision cleared up, Ash found himself leaning on the trunk of a tree, within a grassy field and a large view of a city below. 'Thank Arceus… it was all a nightmare…' Ash thought to himself as he stood up and stretched. He felt really sore, but remembered that he was punched right into the gut, and nearly breaking every bone in his body. Wait… 'How in the world am I healed up already?' He pondered on the spot. Shouldn't it be an injury, where it lasted for at least more than a day? But then the main question came up to him.

'What am I doing up here?' Ash thought to himself, until he realized Pikachu was nowhere in sight. Flashbacks from his nightmare started to visualize into his mind, starting with the thought of losing Pikachu, and Ash immediately start searching with a worried look on his face. But what he found was a black-cloaked man, with a hood completely shadowing his face, standing at a 3 meter's distance, holding Pikachu in his hands, awake, alive and well.

"Pikachu!" Ash gushed with joy as he ran over to the man and snatched the mouse from his arms.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered with happiness as it hopped to Ash and hugged back to its Trainer. The reunion could not be any better.

"Thank you so much! I could never have defended Pikachu from that thug if it weren't for yo-!" Ash looked up to the man, and gave his biggest smiles, but to realize that the man was not there. Suddenly disappearing from Ash's sight made him realize he wasn't an ordinary man. Ash quickly darted his vision in order to see the man standing at his left, within a fair distance. Ash was startled from how fast the man was, but a different feeling overcame him when he heard him speak a phrase:

"I can see you are bothered by fear."

"W-What…?" Ash can only muster to say, as he looked at the man, bewildered by what he said.

"Are you still being troubled, you failure? You shouldn't mope about your own such trivial things."

"F-Failure?!" From those words, Ash can feel a tinge of confidence spark within his body, but felt a lot of resentment to the man who called him a 'failure'.

"You are supposed to push away your limits and show the world your ideals, along with your immense power as a Pokemon trainer." The cloaked man reprimanded, gripping his hand on his chest. "That is what should be done in a quest for true power." Ash felt speechless about what he said. Is that what being a Pokemon trainer is all about?

"T-True… power?"

"I can see that you are still bothered by your own fears." The man's head lowered, as to show no weakness to Ash's misunderstanding about what he said. "Tell me… do your friends like you… or hate you?"

Ash was confused from what he said, but he knew the answer. "Of course my friends like me! Why wouldn't they be traveling with me before?" He felt insulted from this, but the man showed no expression from Ash's outburst. Even Pikachu felt threatened by this mysterious man as small sparks flew out from Pikachu's cheeks.

"Really. You shouldn't let your mind do the talking, Ash." The mysterious man advised, with a small amount of annoyance within his voice. "Allow your heart to decide. Who are you to your friends? Do they love you as a friend?"

Ash was getting irritated. He already thanked the man for saving him and Pikachu… somehow, but these questions were giving him a headache. "Don't make me answer again! They love me, no doubt abou-!"

You're such a kid!

Ash stopped in his tracks mid-sentence from a phrase echoing in his mind. He knew that voice; it belonged to Iris. Speaking of which…

'Where is she?' Ash dug into his pocket and dug out his Xtransceiver. He then dialed in Iris's number and tried to call her, but no answer. What happened? Is he out of signal's reach?

"She ditched you." The man suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Ash looked up to the man, who had his arms crossed, and a serious tone in his voice.

"Iris, the dragon kid, ditched you. So did Cilan."

"W-What?!" Ash couldn't believe what he heard. Iris and Cilan ditching him? Nonsense! "Y-You're lying. You're just pulling my leg!"

"Then why haven't they searched for you first thing after the match?" The man calmly spoke.

"W-Well they maybe had a tough time! It was a crowded place, and that stupid thug knocked me out!" Ash rebuked back at the man, but the man only kept his composure. Ash didn't hear him speak for around a couple of seconds, which made him think that he won the argument. But the man calmly pulled out something out of his coat pocket and showed it to Ash.

It was the black cloaked man's own Xtransceiver and it activated its voice-mail, starting with a voice that Ash did not want to hear.

"Hello? Ash?" The voice belonged to a very excited Iris. Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Geez, you lost that battle hard! Well, that sucked. But it WAS to be expected… I mean, did you really think you, a kid, had a chance against Trip, who is WAAAAAY better? I mean, heh, come on! He beat you without batting a Dragonite's eyelash! So sorry Ash, but Cilan and I came to an agreement that you really need to work harder if you ever want to be an actually decent trainer. So right now, we're hanging around with Trip, who is such a nice guy! I think I might be falling for him~. Well, better end this call! Bye Ash!" Beep beep beep

Ash was speechless on what he has heard. His hands were shaking, his breath became laboured, his body shivered and his head was feeling faint as the man withdrew his own Xtransceiver. He only blinked with disbelief from the words that echoed within his ears.

"He can beat you without batting a Dragonite's eyelash!"

"We're hanging around with Trip, who is such a nice guy! I think I might be falling for him~."

"I mean, did you really think you, a kid, had a chance against Trip, who is WAAAAAY better?"

"B-But she… they… I…" He could only say those words, but he dropped to his knees shivering, dropping Pikachu in the process. It only gave a worried glance and held one of Ash's hands with its tiny paws, but the pain was too much as he put his hands over his worrying face, scrunching his pale visage as he faced a rather large disbelieving realization.

What if his friends… never really cared for him? Did his friends ever care at all? He wished it wasn't true, but voices from before kept screaming insult after insult inside of him. He had no words to shout back. No words for rebuttal. Only the feelings of betrayal.

Instead, he just took it, like he always has for the rest of the losses he had, with the opponent or his friends or even strangers; berating, taunting, insulting, physically and mentally hurting him and Ash taking it in like a suitcase for all these years. Everyone was right. He truly is weak.

They hate me…

They left me for something greater… something greater than me…

I… I can't move on… How can I…?

Where do I go… What can I achieve…?

Can I even achieve anything…?

Without help… I'm nothing…

I am always nothing…

I am destined to be nothing…

What can I do…?

Only the voice of the wind howled as Ash just knelled there, his eyes empty, but filled with hurt and sadness. When his eyes came to focus and his hands felt to his thighs, he saw Pikachu staring worryingly to him, as if the mouse Pokemon lost all hope of getting the trainer's attention.

To his realization though, the man disappeared. The only thing that was left was a small piece of paper. Ash picked up the paper before it was razed away by the wind and opened it up. Pikachu climbed up on Ash's shoulder to get a better look.

SPECIAL RHYHORN RACE COMING UP NEXT MONTH, CELEBRATING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF GRACE SAKI, THE LEGENDARY RHYHORN RACER CHAMP! ONLY IN THE KALOS REGION! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

"Kalos…" Ash said out loud. That name rings a bell. He has heard about it before... but from where?

"Kalos…" Ash said again. Maybe it was another region he could explore, find new Pokemon, get new badges and challenge the Leagu-… Ash shook his head. He didn't know what to do. He sulked about what to do next.

On one hand, he could continue his journey. He could make lots of friends, get new Pokemon and challenge the League. Like the mysterious man said: "Are you still being troubled, you failure? You shouldn't mope about your own such trivial things." Ash certainly remembers the 'failure' part.

On the other hand, maybe he should go back home. He's not the trainer who gives up, but after everything that has happened… Ash shook his head and clenched his fist. "Really. You shouldn't let your mind do the talking, Ash. Allow your heart to decide. Who are you to your friends? Do they love you as a friend?" The man's voice echoed in his head. Who can he really trust?

But on the other other hand…

"You are supposed to push away your limits and show the world your ideals, along with your immense power as a Pokemon trainer. That is what should be done in a quest for true power."

"True… power…?" Ash solemnly thought about what the man said to him. A quest for true power? Push away your limits? Show the world your ideals? Ash had a lot to think about. In fact, he had so much to think about…

… that he laid on the grass…

… and closed his eyes…

… and thought…

… and thought…

…and thought for an answer as the sun finally turned in to allow the full moon to illuminate on Ash.

Hey guys! Irate here! So I originally wanted this to be a one-shot, exploring what could be Ash's downfall. But then I thought: "This could be interesting to explore, since some of you guys did was incorporate him as Red immediately after being betrayed." So this fic is about Ash going through 'his quest of true power' by completely overhaul his training style, breaking his losing streak, overall behaviour, view of his world, his delusional state of mind, and his breakdown of his own sanity. And all this takes place in the Kalos region, during the Kalos League. So he will collect 8 badges, but slowly and surely turning... or rather, twisting... into someone MEAN! I hope you enjoy!

Pokemon does not belong to me. It belongs to the Japan people. I don't know their name, but whatever.