(DISCONTINUED) Death and Rebirth of the Inspirer

by Seanic - Professor of Alchemy

(((***UNDER REVISION***))) After their defeat at the Sinnoh League, a maturing Ash and Pikachu gather all of their past experiences together and reflect on the course of their future. But after a calamity threatens to forever erase their past, these two lost partners will now journey to find their own place in this unknown world and personify the meaning of a Pokemon Master.

1. Book 1 - The Symphony of the Old Past

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

Many leaves fall from the Ash Tree

And with it many stories vanish in the breeze.

But to those who never gave up on this one little seed

And for those who always expressed their purest wishes of gratitude to heed.

This is for all of us who grew up here.

For those who never gave up on Ash Ketchum growing up for his dreams

And for those who still believe in a future of our brightest seams...

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

Seanic BlueBlur Gratuitously Resurrects...

Death and Rebirth of the Inspirer.

Book 1 - New Memories of the Best Wishes.

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

Chapter I-1: The Symphony of the Old Past.

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

The circle of life and death.

A sole ray of light cutting across the room of dark.

His soul was to burn full circle.

An ocean of papers had long flooded the ground over his feet, their texts and drawings burying the memories of trophies and photos beneath his reach.

Resting.

Waiting.

Swaying the young man over the last page that he had sketched.

The book closed shut, and a rainbow feather wore itself out of his wrist.

Savouring one deep breath of his past, the young man finally clapped his hands together.

The windows flew open and filled his heart with sunlight, inciting all of the papers aglow as a whirlwind of ashes that exposed the ground at his feet; runes of alien symbols and shapes encapsulated inside one circle of unity at his feet.

In the new dawn, the battle-hardened Pikachu manifested out of nowhere and returned to the broad shoulders of his old partner.

The young man rubbed Pikachu's little chin. "Yep, now I'm sure of it. You've definitely lost weight throughout these years. Maybe I should start giving you more tomato sauce, before you forget about your old chibi self."

Pikachu snickered back with a few cheeky sparks.

That brought a smile to the young man's face.

The suitcase clicked shut; with his left hand carrying his past on one side, his right hand opened the door to the future on the other side…

"Alrighty then, time for us to head off! We're off to-"

Slip

"Uwah!"

The calamity of the heavens willed for their crashing down the stairs in a messy rollout. A losing battle full of lost hope down the slippery slope, until they met their end face-first in the lowest earth of the wooden floor.

All the while, Delia and Professor Oak had simply waited at the base of the staircase, expectantly.

"Dear, what did I tell you about rushing?" Delia muttered dangerously sweetly.

"Keeping with childhood traditions?" Ash chuckled nervously.

Delia sternly huffed her palms against her hips. "Oh dear, how many times have I told you not to run down the stairs! It's nice that you haven't overslept this time around, but one of these days, you'll well and truly hurt yourself with permanent wounds beyond any hope of medical healing!"

Ash dusted himself clean and ruffled his hair messily. "I know, Mom, I haven't forgotten any of your worries for my past habits. We're just excited to finally visit this brand new region, and hey, you know how Pikachu and I get with that mention; especially with how it might change our future."

Delia raised a brow, seeing both her son and Pikachu rebound out of the entire incident behind them, without regret.

She relented her tensed glare with a sigh. "I'm just worried for you, Ash. Even with all the impossible situations you've managed to overcome, I still get scared that something truly bad might happen to you one day, and even worse would be if there's nothing I can do to help you then."

Ash smiled warmly. "I guess that's just who I am. But that's okay, Mom. I wouldn't be me otherwise."

The last drop of tension faded away with Pikachu cooing sombrely on his side.

Delia then wrapped her arms around Ash and Pikachu dearly, hugging them as though they would disappear altogether.

"You really are my baby boy." Delia tenderly whispered, unwilling to let go of this rare reality of peace shared between them.

Ash playfully groaned with a smile as he tenderly hugged back his precious mother, his chin resting on top of her head.

Professor Oak silently observed from afar with content. 'Even if their hair colour are as distinctly different as the sun and moon, your spirit really is the spitting image of your father, Ash; he who was the most of an inspirer for Delia and even myself.'

Delia eventually relented away from his tempered-arms and tilted her head up, just to meet the tall figure of her teenage-son looming over herself; the teary memories of his upbringing rushing back over her eyes.

Professor Oak scratched his chin. "It's incredible that we only just noticed this now, Delia. Ash's grown up over the both of us by a whole head."

Delia suddenly wailed out a deluge of joyful tears.

Ash yelped back. "Uwah! I'm sorry, Mom! I didn't mean to hit my growth spurt so soon and look like a terrifying giant to anyone!"

"I still can't believe how much my one and only son has grown up!" Delia overwhelmingly cried out. "All those wondrous years have gone by in a flash before my very eyes!"

Ash and Pikachu hesitantly chuckled back with a nervous sweat-drop. "Uh... hey, I just remembered! I won't be disappearing from home so quickly anymore! You know how I plan to stay here and spend time at Oak's lab with everyone else?"

The streaming deluge of tears suddenly vanished without a trace from Delia's smile. "That's right!"

Ash ruffled his hair dry. "Look at it this way. At least no one can call me a little runt or twerp anymore, or that I'm supposedly stuck as a ten year old boy, forever and ever."

Delia tenderly smiled back at his tall yet innocent figure. "Oh, you'll always be a ten year old at heart that I can baby around, even if you're fifteen now."

This time, Professor Oak scrunched up his face in bewilderment. "Stuck as a ten year old forever? Who came up with that wish of immortality?"

Ash shrugged back. "It was a fun joke that big ol' Brock started up recently, and everyone else seems to find it funny... actually, even I can't help but laugh at it."

Professor Oak sighed. "Now then, shall we get going? Ash isn't the only one who is excited to be visiting a brand new region."

Delia giggled at that. "As they like to say nowadays with the punchline of Pallet Town, wherever there are pokémon, you'll find Oak among them."

Ash shook his head. "Not yet. I've got one more wish; one that I'll forever regret if I let it go."

Oak and Delia furrowed their faces in lost puzzlement towards his calm words…

The distant roar of a fire dragon rattled the white light awake.

"Hey, Professor Oak. You mind holding onto my suitcase for now?" Ash gestured.

"Er, sure. I'll put it away, but what's this urgent matter?" Oak curiously took hold of the suitcase.

With the smirk of the devil creeping up Ash and Pikachu, the duo suddenly turned tail and ran up the stairs to heaven. White feathers of ink and parchment stirred up in his bedroom, until he soared over the window…

The wings of Charizard swept them up and away, soaring towards the rising sun.

"Wait a minute, Ash! What's the rush for!?" Delia quickly shouted.

"I'm going to make dreams into reality with everyone at the lab!" Ash's voice carried over in the trail of wind, leaving behind a silhouette of burning wings.

Oak chuckled awkwardly. "Well, he is going through that age of boys becoming bold men."

Delia simply sighed. "I hope he's at least gained more awareness of girls. Oh, the possibilities of young romance in his surroundings."

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

The fresh winds of the rural earth surged through Ash and Pikachu as they held onto Charizard, all of their smiles shimmering with the purity of the sunlight bathing them as lively as the country earth zooming underneath them, all three of them soaring closer towards the familiar ranch as a burning rainbow.

And amidst the sea of air rushing past their faces of pure life, a twin speckle of darts caught Ash and Pikachu's eyes as they curiously glanced over on their sides...

Ash and Pikachu chuckled cheerfully from seeing Swellow and Staraptor eagerly soaring alongside the grand wings of the blazing dragon.

"Hey, Swellow and Staraptor! Looking for another aerial race? We're all fired up to burn!"

Staraptor merrily shrieked out a joyful call as Ash tenderly patted his head tuft, along with Swellow squawking out a playful war-cry up at them as both Ash and Charizard shot up a thumbs up to him.

With another playful war-cry, Swellow then lunged forth into a speedy dive bomb down across the air, alongside Staraptor as they both zoomed down towards the lush earth beneath.

And now, Ash and Pikachu dearly gripped onto his scaly skin as Charizard himself dived down into a glowing meteor of light, until his mighty wings kicked up a warm gust of pollen that marked his stomp down on the earth.

Hopping off his warm body, Ash tenderly rubbed Charizard's head.

"I can always count on you to catch my back!"

Charizard yapped back in affection as he noticed Pikachu grinning from on top of his shoulder, the two pokémon shooting a thumbs up at each other's grins.

Cheekily grunting back at Ash, Charizard suddenly roared out a blazing stream of fire that burned away the sparkling rays of the sun itself, until he relented away his joyful blast of flames...

Along with Ash safely standing further across his tempered wings, his entire being perfectly safe from all burns as Ash crossed his arms together.

"Better luck next time, Charizard." Ash cheekily grinned his perfect victory. "Besides, I'm sure your sparring partners in Heracross and Infernape are all burning just as eagerly to fight you."

With that mention, Charizard shook the heavens themselves with another roar of his flames, before happily grinning back down to see Heracross and Infernape eagerly rushing up next to him.

"So then, how goes your training together?"

Infernape and Heracross both exchanged fist-bumps of burning comradery with Charizard, before all three of them pumped a fist up in anticipation.

Ash pumped his own fist up in comradery as he fist-bumped all three of them, before snapping his fingers.

"I know! All of you could spar together with Swellow and Staraptor! In fact, Charizard could be the middleman between the two groups of fighting and flying! Come on, Charizard! Be an ambassador for them!"

This time, Infernape and Heracross curiously growled up towards Charizard crossing his scaly arms together, before pointing a sharp thumb over and behind himself...

... Over towards the biggest tree of aged Oakwood... where Swellow gingerly gripped the thick branch as he inched closer towards Noctowl... gingerly yet eagerly reaching for the golden feathers of such a heavenly maiden that was Noctowl...

Swellow spread his wings out as wide as his resounding squawk, energetically showing off his lively flair up towards the quiet Noctowl...

...

Noctowl simply twisted her wise head the opposite way.

Swellow shrieked out of shock of her dismissal as he melted down into the earth, sunken down in his depression of Noctowl's simple dismissal.

Ash gave Swellow a firm palm of encouragement. "Come on, Swellow. If you could endure so many thunderbolts as a little Tailow, then surely this little setback's just a ruffle of your feathers."

Staraptor tenderly rubbed Swellow's wilted feathers of pale loss, both flying types sharing each-other's sympathies for the dream of the heavenly feathers far above their reach.

Just then, Noctowl tidily dusted her golden feathers as she tilted her head around curiously.

Swellow and Staraptor perked up at her as all three of them curiously stared down the opposite side, over at Infernape and Heracross grinning out a glint of their fiery exhilaration for war, all with Charizard standing right in the middle between the two sides.

Seeing both sides eyeing him, Charizard groaned out a puff of embers.

This time, Ash playfully smacked Charizard's belly in jolly encouragement.

"I knew it! You're the perfect middleman to jump in on any fights here! But man, speaking of aerial partners..."

Ash sombrely turned away to his left, his face softening with a smile towards the northern hills of the distant woods, where the distant blur of a flock of pidgey stirred up a nostalgic vibe of a past companion.

'Maybe, just maybe after I come back from the next two weeks in that foreign region, you and I will finally meet up again from all those years ago... especially since I couldn't do something as simple as keeping my own promise from three years ago-'

A deep rumbling of the earth snapped his gaze back around, and Ash noticed Infernape and Heracross cracking their knuckles in raw exhilaration as a familiar stampede of tauros dashed straight up to them, the entire herd frantically rushing away from Donphan speedily rolling and grinding around them...

... The entire herd topped with Squirtle cheekily riding on top of the Tauros as his makeshift surfboard...

Ash calmly sighed out his smile upon this looming cloud of a stampede.

"Welp, looks like Donphan and Squirtle have found themselves a team-up in herding and riding all of the tauros here. Both of them are too trigger-happy with their new job."

Even as the dust cloud of the earth-shaking tauros now loomed right over him, Ash simply crossed his arms together in calm patience.

"Okay then, here we go again... right about..."

Ash snapped his fingers. "Now."

A pair of vines suddenly wrapped around his bare shoulders with a swift tug, pulling him up and away from the rushing stampede as Ash watched Squirtle shout out a call with his signature sunglasses, and Donphan swiftly grinded the entire herd of tauros into a collective halt, all at a standstill as Squirtle commanded from atop his living surfboard of one Tauros.

All the while, the vines pulled him far away from the scene, before Ash felt himself gently placed down into a private spot of peaceful air within a thick cluster of trees.

With the vines releasing him freely, Ash smiled warmly upon the lush gloss of Bayleef cooing for him lovingly.

"And I can always count on you for rescuing me from trouble, Bayleef." Ash tenderly patted her leafy head.

Bayleef suddenly let out a joyful yelp of happiness with a crushing pounce forth-

Ash hastily stepped back, narrowly slipping away from her crushing body slam, before he tenderly rubbed Bayleaf's head and neck with a reassuring smile, settling her down with his massaging touch as Bayleef happily savoured the quiet air of their private space, murmuring in calmer delight.

"I can also count on you to express yourself and your energies to the fullest." Ash chuckled heartedly.

Bayleef cooed back softly with his rubbing.

"Besides, I thought that you would've been getting along with Sceptile by now."

Her smile plummeted down into a furious scowl as Bayleef's face instantly darkened with that particular mention, her eyes narrowing menacingly over on her right, where she glared against Sceptile casually relaxing back against a tree.

In the face of her sharp glare, Sceptile mockingly scoffs back at her, merrily chewing on his twig.

This time, Bayleef marched right up against him as she barked back, the two grassy reptiles butting heads in their argument, before both of them huffed their heads away from looking at each-other...

Until both of them curiously perked up to see Ash stepping in between them, wherein he patted both grassy reptiles with his touch of peace, reassuring both of them with equal treatment.

"Now, now, you two." Ash chuckled heartedly with his patting. "No need to get all worked up for the top spot of best grass type. Besides, you two remind me of how I use to fight with Brock and Misty. This is just your tough way of expressing your care for each-other."

Bayleef and Sceptile relented away their sharp glares into soft sympathy, before both grassy reptiles stubbornly glanced into each-other's eyes once more with the peaceful air of the trees.

Now, a cheeky smirk of awareness curved up Ash's face playfully.

"C'mon, Sceptile. Surely, you remember the good ol' days of being Grovyle during the battle frontier challenge, back when you madly chased after a Meganium for her attention."

Sceptile furiously grunted back at that, his eyes twitching from that distant memory of humiliation as he snapped his glare away from them, while Bayleef naively tilted her head in newfound curiosity towards his blushing irritation-

Thump

The earth suddenly trembled with a deep quake of a stomp, rattling their feet just slightly as Bayleef and Sceptile's eyes widened-

Another stomp shook the earth slightly louder, hastily followed up by a marching of quakes stomping ever closer towards the three of them, all while Bayleef and Sceptile gawked wide-eyed in realization as the rumbling earth rattled them with each quake stomping closer...

Until the giant silhouette of a living island loomed over their heads, where Ash eagerly stepped up close towards Torterra's playful smile.

"Hey, Torterra! Are you enjoying this meadow here?" Ash slapped a hard palm of encouragement on his earthy shell.

Torterra joyfully cried out his happiest smile of innocence, nodding happily at that as he smiled down upon Bayleef and Sceptile innocently.

Bayleaf and Sceptile awkwardly sweated back from the happy-go-lucky smile of Torterra, his colossal body of friendly innocence looming over the deluge of nervous sweat pouring out of their little bodies.

"Oh yeah, how about Bulbasaur and Torkoal?" Ash spoke up.

At that moment, Torterra yapped joyfully as the tree on his shell rustled with life, and Ash perked up at Bulbasaur whipping his vines against Gible, smacking him away from the scented pollen of his bulb.

"Still trying to keep everyone under peaceful order?" Ash called up. "Well, at least you have Torterra to help you out now!"

Bulbasaur let out a long sigh of relief, proudly standing tall on top of the friendly Torterra as brotherly guardians of the earth, before both of them gazed down at Torkoal alongside them.

"I knew that all three of you would instantly become best buddies." Ash slapped Torkoal's shell with encouragement.

Torkoal cried out his tears of joy as he stood up in front of them, while Torterra and Bulbasaur happily yapped down for their comrade in sympathy.

"Wow! I'm still amazed by all of the pokémon you've cared for!"

Ash glanced around at that young voice of confidence, and he smiled openly upon the dark-blue hair of the young girl, garbed in her simple black dress and pink skirt as both she and Cyndaquil followed Quilava over.

She then clapped her palms together. "Even after meeting a lot of your pokémon during the Sinnoh League a year ago, it's a completely different stage altogether to see everyone up close like this! I've even thought of neat ideas for combinations to tag with everyone here!"

Ash grinned with a thumbs up. "In that case, just wait till you start talking with the others here."

Closing in on each-other, Ash and Dawn energetically struck their palms up into a high-five.

Right at that moment, as they broke away from the high-five, Dawn blinked back from the grand height looming over her.

"Whoa! Did you hit some sort of giant's growth spurt!? It's only been a whole year since the Sinnoh League!"

Ash awkwardly rubbed his head with a chuckle. "That one line's practically the first greeting some people give me nowadays."

Dawn sunk down depressingly with a sigh. "Lucky for you. I really am the shortest person here."

"Oh wait, speaking of heights..."

Ash glanced up at the thick cover of forestry over their heads, before Dawn curiously followed his gaze, where they both noticed Gliscor sweeping over the cover of trees.

Dawn squinted her yes up at that. "Ah, Gliscor looks really happy and energetic, but what's that thing underneath him?"

Ash smiled as he treaded out of the bushy space. "A young rookie in the making, and who might just be shorter than you."

Dawn perked up at that as both she and Ash popped back out onto the open fields, where they both gazed up a small boy with reading glasses and dark hair blissfully holding onto Gliscor's feet as they soared across the air.

"May! How does it look?"

Down beneath on the grass in front of them, the brunette May merrily wobbled on her feet patiently, her gloved hands clasped behind her back as she innocently smiled back up.

"You're doing just fine! Gliscor's really happy to sweep around!"

"Wouldn't you say so, Ash? I think he's almost getting carried away by the wind."

Ash shot her a thumbs up. "No worries there, May. Roam as freely as the wind itself."

With his big sister's reassurance, Max breathed out a deep sigh of relief...

Right before both him and Gliscor yelped up excitedly towards the realization of Ash and Dawn.

Gliscor shrieked out his childish joy as he collapsed himself down, plummeting as quickly as Max's heart was slammed down by horrific fear.

"Uwah! No, Gliscor! Please! Don't crash on me now!"

All the while, as May watched the flailing Gliscor crashing down straight towards her, she merrily spun around in a graceful dance, narrowly slipping right around Gliscor as he swept down onto the ground-

Max messily tumbled across the grass, groaning as he rolled down into a grinding halt of dirt.

Quickly sitting back up on the grass, Max fiddled his glasses back into clear sight to see May marching right up to his side, her cheeky smirk looming over his fallen self.

"And that's my revenge for all those past years of you being an obnoxious know it all!" May eagerly pointed down upon him.

Max groaned annoyingly. "Gee, so much for being an angel of a guardian sis, May. Come on, surely I haven't been that annoying."

"Yep!" May grinned all too eagerly at that.

Ash nervously rubbed his head. "May, that probably wasn't the best move to use on his self-esteem."

May softened up a calmer smile as she playfully slapped his backside up. "Oh, no need to be down in the dirt for so long."

Ash chuckled heartedly at that. "That's exactly right. Both of you should still remember how many times I've crashed down into the dirt throughout my past years, what with all the mistakes I made."

Hearing that old voice of seniority once more, Max blinked up at Ash kneeling down in front of his fallen self.

"Well then, congratulations, Max. You've successfully passed the brand new rite of initiation for Oak's ranch."

Max crossed his arms together with a huff. "I didn't sign up for a rite of humiliation by everyone. Don't I deserve at least a little bit of credit?"

At that moment, Max felt a firm palm patting his head, and he gazed up to see Ash smiling with that same light of encouragement.

"You did really well at commanding Gliscor, especially for your first time. And you can learn a lot from these experiences as well, just as I have over the years."

This time, Max felt a tingly vibe of hope warming him up as he smiled back, grasping Ash's strong hand as the towering senior hauled him back up onto his feet.

Now, as his presence loomed over both of them as a friendly giant, Ash pulled both Max and May into his comforting hug, where even his chin touched May's emerald bandana in his tall reassurance.

"I'm glad to see both of you again." Ash reassured within his hug. "Thanks for being there to look after him, May."

Savouring the warm hug with their senior, May tenderly rubbed Max's hair into a playful mess. "Hey, neither of you needed to ask. That's just what a big sister does to help everyone else here."

With that, Ash relented his towering hug to see both of them once again, with a big grin of cheeky fun-

Right at that very moment, May perked up at a tap on her right shoulder, curiously glancing around her right...

... Nothing but the swaying of tall grass dancing before her...

A tap on her left shoulder curiously darted her head around her left...

... Nothing but the sparkly scenery of the lush fields once again...

This time, May furrowed her brows in puzzlement as she felt yep another swift tap, followed by another as she rapidly spun her head up and around herself, zipping and darting her eyes around with every cheeky tap.

All the while, Ash and Max casually watched the scene of Dawn cheekily slipping around and out of May's vision, tapping and darting all over the puzzled May with a cheeky grin.

Max glanced up pleadingly at his looming senior. "Uh, Ash? Shouldn't we just say or call out something?"

Ash placed his palm on Max's head heartedly. "Nah, go along with the ride. Let 'em have their fun"

With that, Ash suddenly lunged forth. "Whoa! Since when did Zoey get here!?"

"Where!?" Dawn's face jolted up wide in surprise-

May swiftly slammed her palms down onto Dawn's shoulders, catching her within a vengeful grip of her gloves as her fiery eyes threateningly pierced through Dawn's nervous chuckle...

Until a fiery grin lit up May's mouth.

"I'm not going to hand over the stage as easily as the Wallace Cup."

Dawn innocently chuckled back. "Hey, don't we all have our times in the spotlight? Besides, at least you scored a victory against Zoey once."

May nodded back with a smile. "You're definitely brimming a livelier air of confidence than back then. Now, you're shining with much more life."

Dawn softly smiled back. "It's only because of you and everyone else helping me to feel as freely as air itself."

The two co-ordinators joyfully giggled as they struck their palms up into a loud high-five.

All the while, watching from just next to them, Max jolted up awake in realization as he gazed up at Ash's tall figure curiously.

"Hey, Ash! I just remembered how we saw the Wallace Cup on TV from the Petalburg gym! It really made contests look way more impressive than I ever thought!"

Ash glanced down at his side with a jolly chuckle. "It was the most fun I had in a contest, and I'm especially glad that I entered it because it gave me some inspiration for how I could approach my training methods."

"But speaking of aquatic battles, I'm still surprised we didn't see a certain close buddy of yours."

Ash blinked back in realization. "You know what? I wonder why myself."

Max cheekily nudged his elbow against the tall leg. "And on that note, where exactly are Brock and Misty?"

Ash grinned back down in reassurance. "Well..."

A splash of water lightly showered into their ears, and Max perked up along with Dawn as they curiously followed Ash's footsteps up against a nearby pond, along with a faint mist hanging over the small pond...

Right before Buizel scurried out of the mist and frantically darted behind Ash, shivering out a nervous sweat as he meekly cowered behind Ash's tall figure.

Ash cheerfully laughed out at that. "I never thought I'd see this day, when you'd willingly run away from a challenge. Then again, I'm not surprised that you ran away from 'her'."

"Hey, come on now, Ash. What kind of water type pokémon would run away from me?"

As that nostalgic voice of a growing woman past rung into his ears soothingly, Ash grinned back with the same fiery life. "Only a water type expert with the lively spirit of a fiery dragon."

With that, Ash warmly smiled back as he saw his orange-haired girl, garbed in her familiar yellow shorts and sleeveless top over her red swimsuit, yet her fiery hair of the sun freely flowed down at her shoulders as she held Psyduck within her hug.

"Well, if I'm such a lively dragon, then I guess a relaxing pool of ice would help cool our heads down, before I vent out some more steam on that rogue Buizel."

Ash grinned back. "As tourists like to say, Cinnabar Island's hot springs are nice and cool."

Ash and Misty laughed together heartfully as they all gathered close up together at the edge of the sparkly pond, even as May and Dawn both dreaded the very thought of a freezing pool of ice...

Until Dawn suddenly blinked wide-eyed. "Wait a minute, did someone say her name's Misty?"

Max grinned back up at her. "That's Misty, alright! The water type gym leader of Cerulean City!"

May curiously perked up. "Ah, that's right, Dawn. You've never actually met her in person, right?"

Dawn darted her eyes back over at Ash and Misty, her vision rapidly flickering between the old memory of a chibi lure and the young orange-haired woman standing before her...

Right before she giddily sprung right up in front of Misty and excitedly shook her hands with a friendly smile.

"I knew your orange hair of a living sun looked familiar! My name's Dawn, and I travelled alongside Ash and Brock in Sinnoh! It's really great to finally meet you!"

Misty hesitantly stammered back from those sparkly eyes of the free-spirited girl.

"Um... sure? I'm glad to meet you too, as another one of Ash's companions." Misty awkwardly chuckled back.

"Wow, you're definitely taller than I first thought! And you're sparkling as a beautiful water maiden in person!"

This time, Misty blinked wide-eyed as those warm words sincerely rung inside her head, so warmly that she just slightly grasped her chest of caring warmth.

"Oh... well... I'm really just a simple girl who manages the Cerulean Gym and Aquarium. I'm not exactly anything special"

"But you are! You're far more gorgeous than that lure of yours, the custom lure that Ash used for fishing."

Misty blinked back in astonishment. "Wait, my lure?"

Ash smiled back at her. "Yeah, your custom lure really came in handy to help lure in that Buizel here. Thanks for it."

Misty sweetly smiled back at that. "Oh right... 'that Buizel'..."

Her face suddenly darkened into a monstrous demon as her glare snapped down upon the cowering Buizel, silencing the feisty fighter down into fearful petrification as a deluge of sweat poured out, underneath the horror of Misty's eyes glowing a demonic white.

"You wanna fight me again!? I'm more than ready to use you again as Seadra's punching bag for his shooting practice!"

Buizel's pupils shrunk away into horrific petrification, nervously sweating from the traumatizing memories of that very face, her face of the looming monster as he cowered behind Ash even more meekly.

Meanwhile, Ash lit up at her particular mention, excitedly glancing back up at a pond towards that particular Seadra priming his sharp fins towards Buizel's terror.

Ash shot up his thumbs up with a grin. "Your Horsea has never done better after evolving into Seadra here! And that was while I were in Sinnoh! That's great, Misty!"

Hearing his words, Misty sweetly back at him sincerely. "Thanks, Ash. Both you and Brock sparked a few ideas in me for that, and you could even say that we're one step closer to becoming real dragons, after all."

Ash snapped his fingers with a bright smile. "Hey, I hear that some dragon types command the power of the oceans, even with such fiery temperaments. And since you only need a dragon scale for Seadra somewhere, you'll have yourself a true water dragon to command the seas."

Misty tapped her fiery cheek at that. "At this rate, I might accidentally become a dragon master myself."

Everyone laughed out together with Misty, alongside Totodile and Corphish hopping and skipping across the peaceful pond as Seadra calmly watched over their happy-go-lucky dances.

"Ah, I know!" Dawn lit up brightly in realization. "Misty, I have a certain water type that I think you'd love to meet!"

Misty curiously perked up at that mention.

"Come on up, Piplup!" Dawn gestured her palm down to show a little penguin-esque pup plodding up past her side, before Piplup stubbornly stood tall in place as he carefully eyed the new figure of the tall orange-haired woman.

But even as he stubbornly puffed himself up against her viridian eyes, Misty sweetly smiled back as she kneeled down in front of Piplup.

"Aw, your puffed-up stance of pride makes you more adorable as a brave little pup."

Misty then pulled out a palm of ocean-aromatic chunks of food. "Here you go. I think this is the type of food that your specie family enjoys."

Piplup curiously perked down into her palm, until that old spark of stubbornness lit up inside him once again as he huffed his head away from her.

"You really are a brave little pup of water that I'm proud to meet!" Misty tenderly rubbed his little head.

And the very moment her fingers first stroked his fur, Piplup yelped up in amazement, before his entire being lost all resistance as his face sunk down into a dreamy smile, and even his eyes sparkled rainbows from the heavenly touch of her patting and rubbing.

All the while, Dawn gawked wide-eyed in surprise at seeing Piplup sinking his entire being down into the spell of the water maiden.

"I can't remember the last time Piplup willingly surrendered his entire being to a stranger! Especially given how stubbornly prideful he is!"

Misty tenderly glanced back up at her. "Oh, I've met my fair pool of stubborn and childish pokémon before, both with me and with everyone else here."

Dawn stared back down. "Even more stubborn than a highly disobedient Mamoswine?"

Misty smiled back. "Even more than that."

Ash happily chuckled back as he crossed his arms together. "Misty's magic touch came from all the times she spent looking after Togepi in the past, and then her Azurill that just recently grew up into an Azumarill."

"Ah..." Dawn smiled back in realization as she watched Piplup dreamily giving up his entire being for the spell of Misty's massage...

Until she spared a glance down her left, and her brows furrowed in puzzlement at Buizel's disappearance as she glanced around the grassy edges of the pond, before she quickly spotted Buizel hiding underneath a lush bush, his eyes sharply glaring through Misty and Piplup in burning anticipation.

This time, Ash casually shook his head with a sigh. "Well, I warned him about listening to my calls in the past."

His paws clenched into icy chills at the ready, Buizel swiftly pounced upon Misty's backside-

A spear of water blasted against Buizel's body with a sharp bang, knocking him down into a painful skid across the grass as Buizel hissed from the sting throbbing his body down into submission, where he glanced up from the dirt...

Only to shrink back down underneath Misty's fiery eyes as she cracked her knuckles forebodingly, alongside Seadra priming his nose for another sharp blast.

"Let's take this over to my pool, where both Seadra and I enjoy a good soaking."

Buizel's pale face shrieked out his horrific trauma as he scurried back behind the tall figure of his partner, wherein Ash playfully smirked back down at Buizel cowering behind him in traumatic dread.

"And that's exactly why you should heed my warnings, Buizel. Especially whenever you made the call to keep on battling in late Sinnoh, and then got hurt very badly in your battles."

Along with Ash's words, Misty softened her presence back into an aquatic maiden as she felt a nudge up against her leg pleadingly, before she kindly smiled back down at Piplup.

"Aw, you're still a brave little pup in my eyes, Piplup!" Misty rubbed his fur reassuringly as Piplup gave himself back down into her touch once again.

All the while, Buizel glared from afar against Piplup's dreamy purring as he innocently savoured Misty's magic touch. Even more so when Piplup cheekily smirked back at the fuming Buizel.

Just then, Pikachu sprung out from behind Ash with an ecstatic squeak, while Misty helplessly giggled back as a youthful child from seeing the familiar little rodent scurrying up on top of her head.

"I'm just as happy to see you again as well, my little angel." Misty eagerly grasped Pikachu into a motherly hug of her arms once again.

This time, Piplup glared back vengefully against the innocent cooing of Pikachu savouring his reunion within Misty's hug.

Dawn suddenly jolted up in realization. "Wait a minute, aren't we forgetting someone else?"

Ash smiled at that mention. "Don't worry about anything at all, because my best bro was just examining my old punching buddy from years ago."

This time, May and Dawn tilted their heads in complete disorientation, especially when they noticed Misty let out a long sigh of scepticism.

Max curiously gazed up at her. "What am I missing here?"

"Just a chip of the old brocko."

With that new voice of a grown senior, Ash glanced over and around to meet up with an all too familiar black-haired brotherly senior, clad in a new long-sleeve orange shirt and casual pants that covered up his towering figure, yet his firm presence invited all with his lively smile of a refined gemstone.

With that, the two brothers of Ash and Brock clasped their palms together in a loud shake, then swiftly pulled each-other into a fierce shoulder-bump, before separating away from the brotherly hug.

"Still looking out for us as our big bro, hey Brock?" Ash cheerfully spoke up. "Only now, you're even more of a giant. You're still way taller than I am now."

Brock heartedly chuckled back. "Hey, that's why big ol' Brock's here to help make everyone's doing okay. And speaking of looking after..."

He then glanced back around as he gestured behind herself. "Chansey's dug herself up a rare partner out of your old rough friend."

This time, everyone else followed Brock's gesture as they all gazed over towards another thick cluster of bushes and trees...

Straight over towards a particular Primeape huffing and puffing in anticipation of war, even as he calmly sat down in front of Chansey happily chanting down her purity of a caring nurse for him.

"Huh, you also had a Primeape at home?" Dawn curiously noted.

"Wait a minute, you had a Primeape also!?" Max gawked wide-eyed at that.

"We didn't know that!" May gawked alongside her little brother.

Misty merely let out a deep sigh of calmness at that. "Oh boy, someone should probably call a doctor."

Brock innocently grinned back. "And bring along an assistant nurse for me, while I work on Ash and Primeape giving a good fight of fists."

Misty happily shook her head about. "And that's exactly why Ash needs you around as a big brother."

At that moment, Primeape suddenly burst out a dazzling shriek of joy as he bounced right up alongside Ash, wherein both of them pumped their fists in fighting anticipation as Ash cheerfully slapped Primeape a firm pat of encouragement through Primeape, ushering him towards the gathering of close humans.

"Welcome back to the family, Primeape." Ash waved his palm over for Primeape to take in the full gathering of humans. "Come on, everyone. Step right up and invite Primeape as your friendly ally, with the hardest punch you can throw."

May nervously chuckled out her friendly smile for Primeape innocently holding his fists up as she slowly backed away further and further, right before she noticed her little brother hiding behind her.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to see every pokémon around Oak's lab." May eagerly shoved him forth. "Don't let this grand opportunity slip by your glasses."

Max glared back at his older sister, before he sunk down with a sigh, facing up at Primeape happily grunting in front of his face with fists at the ready.

"It'll be alright, Max." Brock smiled caringly as he stepped forth in between them. "His fists may crush the dreams of others, but he's got a heart as soft as his fur."

With that, Brock hefted Primeape's arm up and over his shoulder as the two of them bumped their fists together as brotherly partners of combat.

"Come on, a smile is all you need to cool him down." Brock smiled back at everyone else.

Misty simply shook her head with a smile, especially as she noticed May nervously approach the brotherly duo of Brock and Primeape, until all of them noticed Dawn clap her hands cheerfully at that.

"Hey now, it can't be much worse than how Mamoswine once rampaged furiously on a contest stage."

"That's the way, Dawn!" Ash snapped his fingers at that. "Come on, what's the worst case scenario that could possibly happen now?"

"The worst case scenario is one of my homemade lunches being wasted once again, just like when we first met Primape."

Misty let out a deep sigh. "It was too bad that lunch crumbled away in vain for our escape. Talk about wasted food."

"Oh well, there'll always be another lunch for us to savour." Ash energetically bumped fists with Brock as a brotherly duo.

Dawn giggled merrily. "Well, I can already see all three of you and Primeape training together, even if there's always a battlefield full of swollen bruises."

Misty heartedly chuckled at that. "Yep, all of us certainly got a kick from training together for the past year. In fact, Brock even trained with Primeape personally."

Dawn curiously tapped her chin upon that imaginary battlefield. "Oh wow, it sounds like all of Brock's pokémon at the Pewther Gym got some good training out of Primeape."

Misty quickly shook her head. "No, I meant Brock himself physically fought and wrestled with Primeape as his sparring partner. Brock himself has been strengthening himself as part of his revamped rock-hard policy."

This time, Dawn gaped wide-eyed in full realization. "Wait, what!?"

Right at that moment, Primeape twitched up wildly as his fur bristled with the anticipation of war, huffing and grunting straight towards the sight of Heracross and Infernape approaching them nearby.

Primeape burst out a shriek of giddy excitement as he sprung up high and stomped down right in front of Infernape and Heracross, then immediately threw his fist straight into Heracross-

A bone-crushing bang resounded throughout the ranch as the thick horn and iron fist crashed away, with Heracross and Primeape swiftly stepping back from their fierce clash, before both of them eagerly clapped their fists together with their grins, grunting in affirmation for each-other.

"See? I told you Primeape would get along with everyone here, nice and peacefully." Ash grinned back at them innocently.

Misty cheekily slapped his backside. "Hey, as long as we have our medical expert here to help fix up any bruises you'll take for us."

"Hmm? Did someone call for me?" Brock spoke up.

Meanwhile, Primeape excitedly puffed himself up at Infernape, watching that glowing heat of war burning off that coolly calm face of Infernape curiously peering around him...

Infernape casually shrugged his shoulders as he huffed away from Primeape altogether.

Primeape clenched his fists even tighter than iron itself as he furiously growled back, until he noticed Infernape casually point his head further off to their side with a nudge.

This time, Primeape curiously followed Infernape's gesture as he glanced over on his left...

His eyes suddenly sparked alight into furious flames of war, and all other thoughts burned away into his maelstrom of wild instincts as his fiery eyes burned the very sight of Charizard nearby, wherein the fiery dragon of old casually smirked back at his tiny form.

Exploding out his booming shriek of a war-cry, Primeape swiftly pounced upon the sadistic Charizard with a wild vengeance-

"Okay, everyone!" Brock suddenly pulled out a tray of pastry buns. "Who wants time out to dig into my refined recipe of jelly filed doughnuts?"

Primape flinched suddenly as he landed down into a messy tumble across the grass, messily rolling about in surprised disorientation, until his face slapped down into a grinding halt in the dirt.

But as he quickly shoved his head from out of the dirt, he perked up at Chansey happily holding a uniquely brown-coloured bun for him, all with her every-present smile of innocence.

Primeape grunted embarrassingly as he sat down and accepted his unique bun peacefully, before Chansey cheerfully clapped as even Charizard and Infernape begrudgingly gathered around and sat down together with Primeape, along with Heracross as the four heavy hitters relented away their bristling tension in the face of Chansey.

Meanwhile, Dawn scratched her head in puzzlement towards Brock and his plate of pastry buns.

"Um, Brock? I'm pretty sure those are just rice balls-"

A looming shadow suddenly silenced Dawn's mouth altogether, petrified fearfully as Brock's dark smile loomed right up against her forebodingly.

"If I say they're jelly filled donuts, then they're jelly-melly filled donuts. Are we clear on that?"

Dawn nervously sweated back from his dark smile looming over her own shivering smile, her eyes frantically darting over the left as she silently pleaded for Ash and Misty, only for Dawn to see both of them wiping their necks as their sharp warning.

"Don't try to argue about that old debate with him." Ash muttered.

"It never ends well anytime someone starts up that old debate." Misty added.

Sweating even more fearfully from their dreadful warnings, Dawn nervously nodded back up at Brock in fearful affirmation.

"Well then, dig in!" Brock heartedly chuckled out.

Dawn awkwardly sweat-dropped with a sigh, before she quickly shook her head about as she curiously took hold of one pastry bun, then chomped down into it...

Her eyes suddenly lit up as wide as sparkling stars.

'Oh wait, Brock's right! These are jelly-filled rice buns! Talk about a neat combination of ideas!'

With her overbursting squeal of sparkly joy, everyone else eagerly snatched a sweet bun as the gathering of humans eagerly chowed down together.

And now, as Dawn merrily watched everyone else either explode of squeal out their shared taste for Brock's sweet bun, she suddenly perked up curiously once more.

"Hey Ash, Primeape used to be on your team in Kanto, right?"

Ash quickly chowed his mouth open from a big bite. "Yeah, but that was way back when I travelled around Kanto for the first time."

"If that's the case, how exactly did you manage to track down Primeape? And how'd you know it was the same one as well?"

This time, Ash wiped his mouth cleanly as a big gulp disappeared down altogether, wherein he now smiled warmly in reminiscence.

"Immediately after I came back home here from the Sinnoh League, I called up Misty and Brock for a reunion of old times. During that time, we stopped by the fighting Dojo of Saffron City, and that's where we found Primeape at the top of the food chain of sparring..."

Ash heartedly chuckled to himself. "And all three of us knew right away, when Primeape sprung straight for me and took my hat, his eyes showing how happy he was to wear my hat in front of me once again."

Misty cheerfully chuckled together with him. "It was thanks to Sabrina that we actually found Primeape there."

Max instantly shot up at the trio of seniors. "Wait a minute, Sabrina? The gifted psychic lady of Saffron City?"

This time, May furrowed her brows into curious reminisce. "Come to think of it, we never actually came across Sabrina during the days of the Battle Frontier."

Ash nervously chuckled to himself. "Yep, the very same psychic gym leader who turned Brock and Misty into dolls, then almost did the same to me."

Max and May's eyes gaped wide beyond living comprehension altogether, alongside Dawn gawking back at them as lost as a lifeless doll herself, all three of them silently gawking back at the grim chuckle out of Brock and Misty.

All the while, Ash rubbed his head with a nervous smile.

"Yeah... a lot of weird things happened back then..."

...

...

...

"Anyway." Brock stood right back up with a smile. "When we met her again, her smile was brimming with the vitality of a living sun. And when the three of us sat down together with her, she really showed us her love for expressing herself and having us around to hear her out."

He stroked his chin curiously with that. "I think Sabrina has a new love for literature, imagination and expressing herself through acting."

Misty warmed up a caring smile towards them. "She really was brimming with life as vast as a sparkling ocean. And Ash, it was all thanks to that Haunter friend of yours."

Ash rubbed his head with a joyful laugh of reminisce.

"Hey, at least all's well that ends well, without worries!" Dawn perked up.

"It sure did!" Misty smiled back. "Ever since we found Primeape again, Sabrina has even helped us ever since with her viewpoint on training, as well as her interpretation of different energies."

Ash heartedly laughed out with them. "Speaking of which..."

Right at that very moment, the fierce puffs of grunting and stomping curiously perked up all other ears, while Ash casually layed back against a tree as everyone else curiously noticed Charizard and Primeape grunting together, alongside Infernape and Heracross as all four of them grinned their anticipation for Ash himself...

A cheeky grin curved up Ash's face sinisterly. "Hey, Brock. You're being really soft with Primeape and the other heavy hitters."

Brock curiously smiled back at his little brother of shared memories.

"If you get too soft with Primeape and the other heavy hitters here, then they might just decide to take over your entire gym, and everyone living inside there."

The smile dropped off Brock's face as darkly as a looming boulder of dread crushing down.

"Is that so..." Brock crossed his arms together as he marched straight over for Charizard and the heavy hitters, a glint of lethal heat sparking out from underneath his eyelids.

All the while, Misty reluctantly sighed as a sweat-drop awkwardly fell off from the familiar scene of Brock...

Right before Brock suddenly tore his shirt away altogether, exposing his tempered skin of rock-hard muscles and abs pumped with the blood of raw earth, while Primeape and the others horrifically gaped back from the muscular presence of Brock facing upon their very souls.

"Come at me, bro." Brock muttered as deeply as a rumbling volcano with his arms crossed together, his eyelids barely opening up a sliver of his eyes underneath...

... A tiny glint of blinding revelations seeped out of his opening eyelids-

A dust cloud of horrific crying suddenly kicked up as all four of the heavy hitters instantly disappeared from the ranch altogether, without so much as a flickering remnant of Charizard and Infernape's flames of their existence surviving behind in the face of Brock's shirtless stance...

Until Misty suddenly snatched a cheeky grip onto his ear, and Brock painfully cried out the tortuous as Misty twisted his ear back down to earth.

"The only thing coming at you is a grounding twist of my grip." Misty barked back.

"Ow! Not the ear!" Brock cried out his agony of drowning defeat.

Meanwhile, Max's face beamed out sparkling rainbows of his overwhelming excitement that even twinkled his glasses aglow.

"Whoa! Now that's what I call a rock hard gym leader! You rock on, Brock-"

A smack to his head silenced Max with a sting, before May hurriedly ushered her little brother behind herself and away from the ear-twisting scene.

"Alright, you little rookie. Let the grownups sort these things out by themselves." May cheekily held him back.

Max dusted his head off with a joyful laugh. "I forgot both of us also have a senior in the science of grounding punishment. But I wonder how we compare to Dawn?"

This time, May blinked back as she tapped her chin wondrously. "Huh. Now that you mention it-"

A swift tapping on her shoulder curiously perked May up and around, wherein both she and Max noticed Dawn curiously scratching her head in naïve disorientation.

"Wait up for a moment, May, what am I missing with Brock here? What's this ear twisting about?"

May suddenly gawked back wide-eyed at her. "You mean you've never experienced the joy of reprimanding Brock with an ear-twist!?"

Dawn helplessly shrugged her shoulders, scratching her head in further lost comprehension from May and Max's gaping faces of disbelief, especially when she noticed even Misty gawking over at her.

All the while, Ash casually shook his head about with a long sigh. "Now I understand why Mom emphasised to teach me the lesson of 'setting a proper example for the kids'."

"Get over here!" May hastily shoved Dawn forth, together with Max as the two siblings eagerly ushered Dawn right up to Brock's suffering of being grounded back down to his earth by Misty's ear-twisting grip.

And at that very moment of everyone gathered together, Misty cheekily giggled to herself as she watched May pick up her little brother onto her shoulder as a caring guardian, with Max now reaching up and swiftly tearing down Brock's ear...

Until a stern slap of the earth itself knocked Max's hand away, and he cringed back from the aching sting as Max glanced up, before both him and May cowered back from the muscular presence of the shirtless Brock facing upon the depths of their souls, his arms crossed together in rock-hard discipline as he towered over them still.

At that moment, Misty cheerfully wagged her finger about for her young apprentices.

"No, no, no. The trick here is tightening your grip to be as sturdy as earth itself."

With the others backing away, she snatched back her grip onto Brock's ear-

Brock cried out the agonizing torture as he was helplessly grounded back down to his earth, unable to even beg for any mercy or struggling against the ear-wrenching twist.

"And that's the magic touch of my secret art!" Misty energetically grinned as she relented Brock away from grounding.

All the while, Dawn kept on staring up at Misty wondrously, her clear eyes of the sky itself gleaming out her admiration for her new senior.

"I got it!" Dawn playfully hopped over towards Max hefted on May's shoulder...

A cheeky smirk shot up her face as Dawn snatched a firm grip onto Max's ear, then twisted him back down as Max cried out the tortuous agony, all in the face of May gleefully smiling upon the satisfaction of her little brother's punishment.

"What did I do to deserve this!?" Max pleadingly cried out from the grounding ear-twist.

"May told me all about how you were the most obnoxious brat throughout Hoenn!" Dawn innocently smiled back.

Max pleadingly whimpered down at his big sister's face. "Come on, sis. I wasn't that annoying to you and the others, was I?"

A cheeky smirk curved up May's face. "Look at it this way, then. You can share your pain together with Brock, especially since you pulled his ear away the most frequently."

As she saw her little brother drop his head in utter defeat, May casually dropped Max off herself as Dawn playfully twisted his ear down into the very earth itself.

May snapped her gloved fingers with a grin. "And that's what we call Karma."

All the while, even Misty grimaced back from that suffering. "I feel really bad for Max's suffering, especially how he's still the smallest out of everyone here."

"Ah, they're all learning, just as much as I still am." Ash calmly smiled in reassurance at her side.

Misty perked up with a smile towards Ash's calm stance at her side, smiling tenderly as she watched Ash step forth and ruffled Max's hair heartedly about.

"Alright now, everyone. We had our fun, but all of us were once rookies that most of us here would try to forget. At least give Brock some more credit for trying to help himself and all of you."

Dawn suddenly blinked back in remembrance as she curiously gawked at them. "Now that I think about it, didn't you mention something about training for the past year? What happened to Brock? What was with his shirtless stance that scared even Infernape and the others away?"

Ash helped Max back up as he smiled back tenderly. "That's just Brock being protective of his entire family, for all his siblings living inside the Pewther Gym with him."

Dawn perked her brows up towards that. "Ah, so Brock is that caring and protective of his family? That's a shining heart of a friendly giant you have there, Brock."

With her childish compliment bubbling up at him, Brock simply rubbed his neck about with his humble smile of a caretaker.

Just then, Dawn tilted her head about. "Out of curiosity, how many siblings do you have?"

Ash and Misty gawked back at each-other in realization, before Misty cautiously stepped and whispered into Dawn's ear...

Her mouth crashed back down onto their shared earth as Dawn gaped back up at the friendly giant of Brock, her eyes as wide as the blue sky of an alien world altogether.

Misty giggled back at those two. "Well I think it's sweet of him to express his undying love and care for his family."

"And that's all the more reason why we've always been thankful for his mastery of cooking and daily chores!" May energetically held her fists up for him.

"Aw shucks, everyone." Brock nervously rubbed his head from their liveliness.

May eagerly stepped forth upon the gathering. "Hey, Ash. You and Misty never fully explained the rest of the story. Come on, spill out what the two of you and Brock worked on together as a trio, for the past year."

This time, Ash perked up with a grin of that shared fiery spirit. "Oh yeah. After we went our own ways at the crossroads, Brock first devoted a lot of his daily time towards helping all of his siblings to learn all of the necessary skills for independent living, and that includes cooking and laundry."

May tapped her chin curiously. "Max and I could learn a thing or two about that."

Misty cheerfully winked at the two siblings. "Yep, and because Brock taught all of his siblings the essentials of working together and looking after each-other, he had a lot more daily time and energy to focus on his own personal studies in medicine."

Dawn raised an intrigued brow at that. "Brock, you did make that sudden declaration out of nowhere to become a doctor."

Brock shook his head with a calm smile. "Actually, Dawn, the full story ended up being not quite that simple and straightforward."

Misty chuckled back at that. "Anyway, since Brock here gained a lot more research and learning into his personal studies, he then dedicated himself towards applying all of his accumulated knowledge and experiences of the past five years towards improving his pokémon, and especially himself as a role model of a gym leader..."

She snickered to herself cheekily. "And this is the part of the story where Ash suddenly bursts out the joy of his childish heart."

Ash heartedly laughed out alongside her. "Hey, that past year was worth all those jokes of me being a ten year old, forever and ever."

Misty quietly treaded along the grass at that, her gentle smile brimming with the warmth of her blazing-orange hair in her wondrous reminisce of all those times.

"I can't blame anyone for acting childishly excited, especially as I myself felt like a little child overbursting with joy towards that old reunion."

With the soft breeze of the dancing grass carrying her words for all to hear, Misty spun back around as she nodded with her lively smile towards the others.

"I really learnt a lot from our time spent together as a trio, and all three of us really helped each-other out."

With that, Dawn merrily clapped her palms together with her sparkly eyes of free-spirited dreams. "Wow! I've gotta start practicing together with all three of you! Maybe we could tag team and share ideas on new combinations and tactics together, Misty!"

A firm pat on her head suddenly grounded Dawn's sparkling excitement with a plop, and she glanced up to see Ash cheekily patting her head as he stood tall over herself.

"First things first, you need to grow up a little bit more, so that you can match up to the taller grown-ups here." Ash cheekily grinned down.

Dawn puffed her cheeks up furiously. "Well I'm sorry that I can't just ask a giant for their growth spurt."

Brock wagged his big finger about at that. "As I have learnt from my younger siblings, the shortest beings also see things that no taller beings can grasp, such as a hiding spot."

Misty cheekily winked back at them. "Besides, who's to say that the tallest isn't also the most childish of all?"

Ash shot up an odd brow at that, his face as calm as a vulture that sternly eyed all of their living expressions, especially staring down upon Dawn cheekily affirming her success.

"Welp, they got you there." May casually rested her head back against her gloved palms. "Besides, if you're given drenched firewood, then why not make a different use out of that drenched firewood?"

Both Ash and May grinned back at each-other with a laugh as they smacked their fists together with a burning thump of excitement, before Ash snapped his fingers in newfound realization as he treaded up to Misty and Dawn.

"You know what, Dawn? It'd be really great for all of us to dig into your creativity, because it could help all of us here."

Misty smiled tenderly upon Ash's leading stance of patting Dawn up to herself encouragingly, the three of them grinning and chuckling together as a pair of sisters with the brotherly Ash.

"In fact, you can start off by sharing your knowledge in fashion to help out Misty with a wardrobe change, Dawn."

"Wait, what!?" Misty gawked wide-eyed at them-

A colourful spirit of air itself suddenly zoomed right up to her face, silencing Misty down in place as she awkwardly watched Dawn zipping and popping all over her body, especially with Dawn's eyes furrowed in deduction of examining every angle of Misty for that spark of inspiration.

"Hmm... nope, this won't do at all." Dawn stroked her chin upon Misty's entire appearance from the front, then suddenly zoomed up and around her side, hardly even noticing Misty nervously stammering back from her examination.

"Um, there's really, er, nothing for any of us to get worked up over." Misty nervously held up her palms as she slowly inched her way for escape-

A pair of gloved palms suddenly struck her backside, and Misty barked back in surprise to see May grinning eagerly.

"Now, now, don't go snuffing yourself out of this for such modesty." May energetically shoved Misty forth. "Dawn's an expert in fashion. She'll practically summon the best wardrobe any boy or girl could ever ask for."

Misty merely gawked wide-eyed at them suspiciously as she was encircled back within the short girl's zipping and examination about of a free spirit, right before Dawn snapped her fingers up towards her face with a bang of sparkly thoughts.

"Right, first things first. We need to ditch this weird leotard thing you're wearing." Dawn deductively wagged her finger about.

Misty crossly huffed at that. "Hey, it's not a weird leotard! And I'm perfectly content with picking my own-"

"Next up!" Dawn flicked her finger up naively with a smile. "Your orange hair's too beautiful for it to only be shoulder-length."

Misty glared back as furiously as her blazing-orange hair that she grasped protectively. "No way! I'm not making my hair grow as messy as my older sisters!"

"Come on, you never know what long hair of fiery sunshine would look like on you." Dawn playfully added.

"I don't need it any longer!" Misty barked back.

May suddenly nudged her in the rib. "I know what we should get you. A pair of aquatic gloves or gauntlets, so that you can fight with your explosive fists underwater."

Misty collapsed down in lost comprehension altogether. "Where did that idea even-"

"Oh, I almost forgot the entire theme for you." Dawn energetically popped up in front of her. "You're a water type specialist, so we need to make your new clothes as free-flowing as water itself."

This time, Misty blinked back in curious puzzlement. "Huh?"

Dawn snapped her fingers with a bang of thought. "And we'll accomplish that together to create a more maidenly design for you."

With that snap of innocent words sparking alight her fuse of a volcanic lake, a red-hot cross-mark furiously pulsated off Misty's head as her eye twitched forebodingly, Misty grated her teeth into the steamy air of a volcanic lake bubbling up against the grinding whirlpool of fashion talk.

Meanwhile, Max gawked up at the girls in lost comprehension altogether, seeing Misty groaning against the whirlpool of sparkling mumblings buzzing between May and Dawn.

"Come on, Misty! Flood 'em away with a surf attack! Show 'em you're a water type gym leader for a good reason-"

"Whoa there, little Max." Brock hastily pulled him back to hide him away from the girls. "This is the wrong time and place for a man to get involved."

Max curiously stared up at him. "Huh? Then what should we do."

"Allow nature to take its course of the elements converging together." Brock patted his shoulder tenderly.

With that, Max curiously gazed back up to see a steaming cloud of pressure grinding out of Misty's stance, all searing out from within the swirling whirlpool of lively mumblings.

"I'm not a doll for playing wardrobe change!" Misty exploded out her booming eruption of an underwater volcano, utterly blasting May and Dawn across the air as they were helplessly swept far away from her sudden break-out of pressure.

With that, Misty slumped down with a long sigh of weary defeat.

"Wait a minute, that's it!" Dawn eagerly sprung right back up to her.

Misty simply gawked back at her sparkly eyes, a bead of sweat awkwardly dripping away from Dawn's free-spirited vitality.

"I've got a picture of new clothes in mind, a picture more than befitting the title of a water type master, as a beautiful oceanic maiden who flows as one with water itself."

This time, Misty blinked back with those new words in mind, curiously perking up towards Dawn's vitality.

"Hey, you'll definitely regret letting this opportunity slip." May nudged her forth eagerly. "Dawn really has the most vivid imagination to create a design that you'll fall in love with."

With that fiery elbow nudging a playful laugh out of her, Misty warmed up a soft smile for the shorter girl of lively youthfulness beaming back up at her.

"Sounds like a fun little project of design. Thanks for that, Dawn."

"And all's well that ends well." Ash casually strolled forth.

May stuck out her two V-shaped fingers with a grin. "Mission accomplished! All of us won something today!"

A sharp brow shot up from Ash's cheeky smirk as he crossed his arms together. "If that's the case, then Brock shouldn't be the one protecting little Max here. After all, it's not as though either opposite side here bites."

With his words passively ringing throughout all ears, the three girls glanced back over on their right to see Brock calmly nodding his head in stern discipline, all as the friendly giant protectively stood over the little Max as a pillar of care.

"Hey! I was rooting for Misty to win as a gym leader here!" Max stubbornly barked back-

May softly whacked his head back down into silence, a glint of feral fangs glistening out sharply from underneath her innocent smile.

"And thus I rest my case." Ash casually spoke up.

With that, the entire gathering of companions laughed out together, where all of the varying elements of appearances all laughed together as one family.

"Well then, this should be neat to see." Ash treaded forth as he slapped a firm pat for both Dawn and Misty. "I look forward to seeing what the youngest of creativity can show us three seniors of old."

Dawn winked back at them childishly as her eyes brimmed with her free-spirited imagination of youth.

Ash cheerfully grinned back at Misty as he rubbed his head about. "I also say that because I'd love for all of us here to keep on training together, so that I can see you become a strong warrior who rules the ocean itself, yet commands the flow of water itself to her beckon with the graceful appearance of an aquatic maiden."

At that moment, Misty stepped across into a wide stance as she slowly waved her palms around and across herself, as though a living wave of water flowed together as one with her slow dance of a graceful warrior, before she cheekily grinned back at Ash's words of innocent youth.

"And you'll finally look like a real maiden in my eyes."

A fuzzy warmth of pure gratitude stirred up Misty's chest, a fuzzy vibe warming up her soft smile towards his lively words...

'... A strong yet beautiful warrior of the ocean... as a real maiden... wait a minute, 'finally' a real maiden?'

Her mind suddenly snapped with that click of words, and her face bolted wide in alert with that shocking zap of realization.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean!? What'd you just say!?"

"Have fun on your new quest of finally becoming a real maiden!" Ash waved back as he casually strolled away from the scene...

Until he bumped off a muscular pillar of guiding earth with a sting, and Ash innocently gazed up at his guiding brother shaking his head about with a sigh, before Brock slapped a palm down onto Ash's shoulder.

"You really do still have a lot to learn, Ash, especially in regards to women and love. And now might be a good time for you to start learning."

Ash chuckled back with a smile. "That's my secret, Brock..."

He raised his head up high to stare back at him with iron resolute. "I'm always learning."

With that, he casually gazed back around with his smile...

Smiling straight back at the lethal aura of lava steaming out of Misty's presence, her entire face hidden underneath the shadows of an underwater volcano bubbling up the green ocean of the ranch itself, yet her fists of crackling magma burned all others away from her searing aura.

"You're dead, Ketchum!" Misty exploded out as a volcanic eruption of heated vengeance straight onto his nervous sweat-

Ash narrowly slipped away from a lunge of Misty's fuming claws, hastily scurrying off and away from the steaming Misty flooding him across the grassy ranch, where even Bayleaf and Sceptile gawked back as Ash and Misty zoomed right past their wide faces, all lead by Bulbasaur simply shook his head from on top of Torterra's shell.

Meanwhile, Max wondrously gazed up at the heated argument of a goose-chase.

"Wow, are those two about to go at it in a battle of masters-"

"Whoa there, Max." May hastily pulled him back into a tight hug, urgently pulling her little brother away from the playful hunt.

And at that very moment, Dawn flinched back fearfully as her eyes rapidly blinked upon the sight of May fearfully hiding her little brother away.

'Oh my, even May feels outright terrified of Misty's wrath, and she's the same girl of undying fire who would burn someone for stealing her food away.'

All the while, Brock casually stood there as peacefully as a pillar of earth, his arms crossed together as he watched Ash and Misty scurrying and tearing all over and around his quiet presence, with hardly so much as the slightest twitch disturbing his unwavering stance.

"Alright, you two little children. Neither of you want to fight me-"

"Yes we do!" Ash and Misty hastily barked back amidst their lethal goose-chase.

A glint suddenly sparkled out of Brock's eyes, and a sharp grin curved up his face forebodingly with that very same glint of dreading light.

'Alright then, both of you lovebirds squawked for it.'

With that, Brock then directed his rock-hard stare back over at the pond on his left, straight into Marshtomp casually resting back on its swampy edges.

And with that rock-hard face staring into his own eyes, Marshtomp casually rubbed his head loose of his sleepy daze, before he yawned out a spherical bubble of water that gradually expanded from out of his mouth.

Right at that very moment, a cheeky grin lit up Ash's face as he suddenly bolted right up against his brotherly pillar of Brock, then immediately spun around on his heels and faced up at Misty's heated charge-

"Uwah!" Misty yelped back in surprise as Ash snatched his palms onto her waist, exactly as Marshtomp spat out his spherical bubble of water onto the trio of humans, where the sparkly surface of the water bubble briefly reflected Brock's sigh of acceptance-

Pop

The big bubble popped with a bang, shattering away into a steamy shower that rained down upon the ranch itself, and soaking Dawn nearby as she held up through the sudden downpour.

But as the steamy shower quickly cascaded down into a cloudy mist around her vision, the mushy plops of tip-toeing perked Dawn up as she glanced back behind, noticing Max curiously popping up and past herself, alongside May wiping her forehead dry of a loose splash with a sigh of relief.

With the two siblings and Dawn glancing at each-other in curious wonder, the three of them gawked up at the drenched pool of grass before their wide eyes...

Gawking over at the sight of Ash pinned down by Misty sitting over him, yet he still smiled innocently up at the looming vengeance of Misty panting raggedly as she sat on him, her face overshadowed by the steam of her vengeance realized as she glared back down at his innocent smile.

His backside firmly plastered down against the soaked grass by her presence, Ash glanced his eyes up to see Brock sitting cross-legged as calmly as the earth looming over his head, yet his face softened with a smile as Brock held his palm over Ash's head encouragingly.

Ash quickly clapped the back of his hand up at Brock's palm for a strong thump of a high-five, before he gazed back up at the ragged Misty pinning her weight down on him still.

But even as he saw her face overshadowed by the steam of her vengeance realized, Ash playfully grinned upon their situation together.

Now, with only the white glow of her demonic eyes burning out her intent, Misty held her fist up high...

A smile softly warmed her face up caringly, before she let out a cheerful laugh as her fist playfully plopped down against his chest.

All the while, Brock peacefully watched over them as he sat cross-legged in front of them.

"And this is exactly why patience is an important virtue."

With that, all three friends of old laughed out their childish exhilaration of innocence together as one, with Misty playfully ruffling Ash's hair about as he wrestled his way out of Brock and Misty's hold.

All the while, a soft smile warmed up Dawn's face with newfound peace, her eyes brimming with the lively vibes of this scene.

'I think I finally understand why these three were able to become such great friends, why they've stuck together for so long, and why every person and pokémon here is drawn to follow Ash.'

The sharp plops of splashes suddenly rung out as Ash playfully wrestled himself through Misty's dominance, shuffling her off his side-

Misty suddenly yelped back again, alongside Ash grinning excitedly as Brock firmly hefted both of them back up onto their feet with his hands.

Now, Ash playfully snatched his palms into a tight hug around Misty, hugging her closely as he lifted her up with a whirl around the grass as a pair of aquatic ice-skater dancers, and topping it off with a swing of her away as Misty skated across the slippery grass to a smooth halt.

And as Misty bowed down as a graceful maiden of the ocean, she watched on with a childish grin towards Ash playfully shoving May and Dawn forth, with May eagerly spinning across the grass as her face lit up with a fiery grin of blazing excitement straight into Misty-

A firm thump of sparks joined together as May and Misty smacked the backs of their fists into each-other, right before they shook their palms together with a seal of their unifying heat.

Meanwhile, Dawn messily slipped and stumbled about on the slippery grass, until Brock quickly caught her and held her back onto her steady boots.

"Welp, Misty almost had that victory in her grasp, but Ash slipped around and spun away to take back his fight here."

Dawn perked down at Max on her right, wherein the little boy gazed back up at her wondrously.

"Man, I really wish Ash and Misty were my older brother and sister."

Dawn briefly darted her eyes over at May with a cheeky giggle to herself. "But I wonder how May would feel about what you just implied."

Max eagerly raised his fists up with his smile of brimming excitement. "Come on, I'd be able to train and battle together with them, even better with Brock helping us out, and it'd be so much more fun to learn from both-"

A hard thump of a fist whacked his face straight down into the mud, leaving Max groaning himself out of the dirt as he rubbed his sore head of the throbbing whack, before he shoved himself up to see May proudly holding her fist up with a grin.

"You almost sounded as though I don't exist around here. Gee, I wonder which of us two Dad would approve of as the more grateful battler."

Max narrowed his brows sharply against his tall sister looming over him, before he quickly shook his head about in calm acceptance of her presence.

All the while, Misty grimaced sadly from that scene of brother and sister. "Poor Max. I feel sorry for you, getting pushed around by a care-taker."

"Well, he had it coming." May wagged her finger about victoriously.

Max groaned pleadingly against that. "Oh come on, sis! Won't you ever forgive me and let go all those past times? I really try to learn from all of my seniors here, especially Ash and Misty, because they're both practically elite trainers that I can learn from."

This time, Misty blinked back in wide surprise as Max's pleading words rung through her head.

And as those words of a little brother echoed pleadingly inside her, Misty let out a deep sigh as she casually strolled closer towards May and Dawn.

"You know, being the youngest daughter of the Cerulean Gym, I always got pushed around and belittled by the superstars of my three older sisters. I still remember those times as a powerless little girl who had her presents stolen away, and how I couldn't fight back at all."

This time, both May and Dawn softened their faces sympathetically towards her, just as Misty calmly strolled past both of them...

A sharp glint of a smirk curved up her face sinisterly.

"Just like you two young rookies." Misty suddenly shoved May and Dawn's backside, tripping them down into the same dirt at Max's level, where Max himself lit up with sparkly eyes.

"Yes! Justice has finally been served for both of us, the youngest runts!"

Misty cheekily grinned as both she and Max clapped their palms together in shared victory, before both of them tenderly hefted May and Dawn back up for a shared laugh.

All the while, Ash and Brock sat back together as they casually watched the scene.

"Looks like Misty's having fun asserting her dominance as the oldest girl here." Ash chuckled with his words.

Brock wagged his finger in calm discipline at him. "Now don't forget, Ash. You must remember to always assert your own confidence, or else you'll be trampled down in your own quest through life."

Ash nodded back in affirmation. "I can always count on you for the most important life lessons, Brock."

The wind of that message suddenly jerked Misty up and around in alarm. "Wait, what!?"

Ash rested his head back against his palms as he innocently grinned back at her. "Learning life lessons from good ol' Brock's wisdom."

"That's my boy, Ash!" Brock joyfully slapped a firm pat of approval on his back. "You really have learnt the wisest lessons from your big ol' brother!"

Misty narrowed her brows sharply upon their shared grins of innocence, before she relented with a long sigh.

"Come on, you guys! I wasn't joking about everything I said earlier!" Max cried out desperately. "Ash and Misty, I meant it when I said both of you were incredible elite trainers that I want to train and battle alongside! Especially you, Ash!"

The lively air of the ranch suddenly softened down quietly, wherein Misty smiled back softly as she held her palm against her chest, alongside Ash curiously facing straight down upon Max's outburst with his own soft smile.

"I'm talking about what happened one year ago at the Sinnoh League!"

The smile instantly dropped off Ash's face down into a silent frown, calmly staring back down at Max's pleading.

"Seriously, you were flat-out cheated out of the Sinnoh League! I mean really, what kind of no-name nobody shows up out of nowhere, waltzes into a league tournament with the mythical Darkrai and Latios, pokémon of mythology that people normally don't even get to see just once in their lives, let alone command to their own will! And he used them to crush everyone in the Sinnoh league!?"

A damp cloud of dread dragged the sunny air of the ranch down into a gloomy storm of contemplation, seeping through all of his companions as they silently watched the rebellious storm, and all with Ash standing right in the middle of it as he calmly eyed Max's outcry.

"It was completely unfair for you! That match was practically rigged against you-"

Whack

A hard fist of iron suddenly whacked his head down into silence, and Max cringed down from the sudden whack as he clutched his head of the sting throbbing more painfully than ever today, hesitantly peering his eyes up at that fist...

Max flinched back fearfully, grimacing his lips shut from the chilling air of Ash's towering presence, his arms crossed together with his calm stance of looming authority.

"I lost. My performance was only based on my own competence, and what's done is done. That's all there is to it."

Those words echoed inside Max's head ever sharper with the sting of truth, his eyes sunken down into the lost earth at his feet.

But as he stared down aimlessly, a tug at his shoes nudged his eyes over, and Max opened his eyes up brighter at Pikachu sparking alight his V-shaped fingers of victory, before Max finally raised up his own V-shaped fingers of victory back at Pikachu.

With that shared pose, Pikachu pointed over for them as he scurried up and around Ash's torso as a slippery rodent, until Pikachu clutched onto his firm shoulder as he twitched his ears up at Ash and Brock's words.

"I know you too well, Ash." Brock slapped a firm pat through his backside. "As much as we appreciate it, you had another strong motivation for wanting to see all of us together again."

Ash nervously chuckled back as he rubbed his head about. "Guess I really am that easy for everyone to read, huh."

All of the other humans studiously nodded in affirmation all around him, yet the sight of all those gathered around him warmed up his face with a tingling vibe of gratitude.

And now, with his little partner standing strongly at his side, Ash took in a deep breath of the lush country air.

"Even I still find it hard to believe that one whole year has already passed."

With his own words, Ash nodded his head back down to the earth of all his companions and pokémon gathered around him.

"Back when the Sinnoh League officially concluded, I thought about my life and where Pikachu and I were headed with our current mindsets. That was when I decided for Pikachu and I to slow down, take time off to help Mom and Professor Oak with both of their works, and use this time off to think about our future as we grow up now."

All the while, Ash glanced around the gathering of humans as his words of a leading vision commanded through all ears.

"That is the main reason for why I wished to see everyone again, and why I'm happy that we've all gathered together here. I wanted to talk with everyone about the future, because none of us here have the power to remain a ten year old forever and ever."

Max suddenly let out a laugh at that. "An alternate universe that has you forever stuck as a ten year old? Now that's what I call a wild pipe dream!"

"Says you." May playfully poked his head with a smile.

Ash cheerfully laughed back as he rubbed his head about. "Man, that takes me all the way back to my very first days as a traveller, back when I'd proclaim to the entire world that I would become the greatest pokémon master of all time. Talk about charging head-first into the wide world."

Everyone else chuckled together with his carefree reminisce, yet all of them smiled caringly towards his leading figure.

Now, as Ash and Pikachu saw all eyes focused on them curiously, Ash crossed his arms together with a deep sigh, before his head raised up to face everyone.

"Right here and now, can any of you state the official definition of a Pokémon Master?"

This time, all other faces around him furrowed down into newfound puzzlement, with Brock and Misty both tilting their heads with that new spark of the unknown, but even more so as they glanced around at the others, noticing May scratching her head in her own realm of complete and utter disorientation, wherein Max could only gawk up at his big sister and everyone else with his own eyes of lost comprehension.

All the while, Dawn tapped her chin throughout the murky tempest of thoughts sweeping around her, until one specific cloud perked her face up brightly as she popped up with her pointy finger of the sky itself.

"How about the champion? Would someone be called a Pokémon Master by conquering a regional league and becoming its new champion?"

Ash shook his head sadly. "That was my very first assumption, also one that even I've thought about for a few years now, and it's easy for anyone else jump to that conclusion. Unfortunately though, we already have evidence that says otherwise."

Dawn and Max both perked their brows up towards his calm presence.

"The title of 'Champion' is an official title, acquired through the official process of conquering a regional league and defeating the current champion..."

Ash then pointed up one finger. "And may I remind everyone here that Cynthia, who still holds the title 'Champion' of Sinnoh, specifically stated herself that she isn't a Pokémon Master at all."

Max twitched back wide-eyed from those words, his eyes lost as he gawked up at his leading senior in Ash, then back around at his big sister, who could only shrug her shoulders of her own lost thoughts as well.

"Huh..." Dawn scratched her chin with remembrance. "Now that I really think back on the past, I think Cynthia did mention something along those lines..."

Misty shot up a brow at that, curiously eyeing Ash and Dawn as their words of a 'master' echoed ever louder inside her mind, where a fresh new wave of comprehension and understanding gradually surged itself ever closer towards her.

All the while, Brock stroked his chin in critical thought as he carefully watched and listened to all the puzzlement before his eyes.

Just then, Max yelped up as his eyes lit up brightly with innocent curiosity.

"I've got a different idea. How about someone who has captured every single pokémon in the entire world?"

Everyone else gawked back down at Max in awkward disbelief, trapping him within a gathering of wide eyes as Max shrugged his shoulders hesitantly.

"What did I say? Come on, isn't there that old motto of 'Gotta Catch 'em all' around Pallet Town? A lot of the kids around here chant on about how you become the ultimate master in the world by capturing every single pokémon in the world."

Ash rubbed his head with a nervous chuckle. "Max. I know that motto all too well, but do you have any idea how much time and effort it takes to look after all of the pokémon here in Oak's Ranch? And on a daily basis no less?"

This time, Max blinked back in newfound realization, his eyes wide with a new light of awareness as he gazed around every single pokémon gathered around them, all scattered throughout the varying elements and domains of life.

And with the sights of all the ranch pokémon sparking that light of awareness in his eyes, Max bit his lips back into silence.

"The very idea of physically capturing every single pokémon in the world is just absurd, because none of them thought about the fact that they are living creatures requiring care afterwards. And this is something that no trainer initially starting off would realize, until they start looking after their chosen partner and other pokémon. That's when they realize the actual time and effort of this mandatory responsibility, and some even give up when they grow older because of those very responsibilities."

Brock stepped forth at that. "I think that the main idea behind that old motto of 'Gotta Catch 'em all' was more so a figure of speech, a method of encouraging young boys and girls to learn as much as they can about pokémon and the world that we live in."

Ash scratched his chin with a smile. "The whole point of catching them all really was never meant to be taken literally, and we've seen the disastrous consequences of exactly that mindset, during our times in the Orange Islands with that collector... Lawrence, or something like that."

All the while, everyone else aimlessly stared through the loose air itself, lost in each of their own thoughts of newfound contemplation, a murmuring sea of awareness sparked alight from Ash's presence.

Max grimaced back hesitantly. "I never once thought imagined that trying to define the meaning of a Pokémon Master would be this puzzling."

"That's because none of us here ever stopped to think about it." May patted his head reassuringly.

Dawn tapped her own head about of the buzzing thoughts. "As strange as this might suddenly sound, it's got me thinking a lot more about my own goals."

Right at that very moment, a fresh new grin lit up Ash's face with an aura of leading light. "That's one of the key points I've been trying to get through, because now it has all of us here thinking more critically about ourselves and our futures."

He faintly chuckle in amusement of his own words. "It really is a strange feeling, being more aware of your surroundings and of your own self like this."

"In that case, I have something else to suggest, based off my own personal goals."

Ash glanced over on his left to see Misty speaking up, her face calm as a surging river of thoughts that she spoke up tenderly.

"My own personal goal is to become a great water pokémon master, and I've always looked up to Lorelei as an expert. With that in mind, maybe the official title of 'Elite Four' could be anything similar towards the broader definition of a Pokémon Master, or at least be a clue towards it."

This time, Brock raised an intrigued brow towards those words. "That's an interesting idea, because a trainer of an 'Elite Four' essentially is viewed as a master of their chosen element."

All the while, Max curiously gazed up at his three seniors of Kanto in wonder.

Now, Ash calmly faced up both of his longest companions and their words. "I get what you're thinking of, Misty. And both of you did bring up fair points. In fact, I'd say it's the best explanation we could go off, for now..."

He shook his head about. "Unfortunately, there's two major problems there.

Brock calmly crossed his arms back together. "Right. If we followed this track of logic, then that would equate into the champion title being the main pokémon master of the league, because the champion does command the type experts that are the elite four. But we already established that Cynthia herself has disproven that track of logic."

Ash let out a deep sigh at that. "It's not just that. For me personally, I'd feel too cramped and restricted from the mere thought of focusing exclusively on just one type, and I think this methodology of exclusive specialization would completely defeat the broader possibilities of a pokémon master."

The rest of the humans calmly sunk back into a cloudy sea of silent contemplation, especially Max as his youngest eyes of all gazed up at his seniors with newfound awareness.

"I wish that I could say something else, but if you ask me, I still think the very least of a Pokémon Master is still an incredibly strong battler, but who's exactly the type of human being I'd most love to learn from."

Brock shook his head at that. "It almost sounds the equivalent of trying to grasp the water's reflection of the moon. It's an illusion that one can't fully grasp from the earth alone..."

...

"Wait a minute, Ash!" Max jolted up alarmingly. "Are you trying to say that you're giving up on your goal of becoming a Pokémon Master!?"

Ash simply stared back down at Max with a calm face of the earth itself.

"What about your goals!? No, everything that you've learnt, everything that you've gained over all these years! And you're just gonna drop everything onto the reset button so casually!? No! I... I..."

Max grimaced back hesitantly. "I really wanted to learn from you, and to battle with you. And just the thought of all your years of experiences, gone."

As his stone-hard eyes calmly observed Max sunken down dejectedly, Ash took in another deep breath of the revitalizing country air once again.

"At what point did anyone here start seeing me as some sort of invincible deity?"

Max blinked his eyes out of the aimless earth at his feet, and the comforting touch of a soft nudge to his shoulder perked his head back around to see May nudging him forth encouragingly.

With his big sister's reassurance, Max faced straight up towards Ash's calm words.

"For the past five years, I've travelled across four regions, one of which was a short visit back through Kanto for the Battle Frontier, and an archipelago of islands. But within each and every single one of those cycles, I would travel throughout the same challenges, all the while boasting endlessly that I would become the greatest Pokémon Master of all..."

Ash held up five fingers for all to see. "That's five consecutive years of the exact same cycle repeating itself, over and over. The same repetitive cycle that I've drifted through."

All the while, Brock silently observed the curiosities glittering out of all the other humans, yet he himself keenly eyed Ash's current stance.

"But after that one battle at the Sinnoh League trailed behind me..."

Ash chuckled dryly to himself. "I never thought my past ego would ever be manly enough to admit it, but I actually started questioning whether or not I'm even allowed to achieve my goal, the very goal that I spent years boasting about, or if I have the competence to do so."

Max grimaced back from the bitter air of truth finally exposed of his senior, by his senior's own words.

"But you know what?" Ash warmed up a fresh new smile of the morning sun itself. "That was when I started thinking more critically about my goal. And it just so happened that the spark ignited just after Brock and I parted ways, back at the pathway intersection of our respective homes."

This time, Dawn especially perked up at that particular mention, while Misty smiled warmly as the waterfall of this reminisce surged through her mind, her tender eyes of a sparkly ocean reflecting the shining stance of Ash leading the gathering with that old smile of his.

"When Pikachu and I were running down the last hill over Pallet Town, and with our shared affirmations of our goals between Brock and I, that I began wondering how exactly both of us would go about achieving our goals..."

Ash suddenly stomped his foot down into firm grounding of reality. "When those thoughts sparked inside my head, I immediately stopped dead in my tracks on that last hill, and that was the exact moment I started thinking on what is the official definition of a Pokémon Master."

"Ash's decision to stop for a moment and reflect upon his current self was the trigger for change."

Dawn and the others curiously perked up at Brock's words.

"At that time as well, when I myself was heading north for Pewther City once again, I took a moment to reflect on my sudden decision to become a pokémon doctor."

Brock shook his head sternly at that. "No, just think about all that for a moment. After all these years of travelling to become a better breeder, I just suddenly declared myself to be a doctor on the boat back to Twinleaf Town."

Dawn tapped her chin in curious contemplation. "Well, you've always been the gifted care-taker for all of us, but... hmm... that decision did seem rather hasty and out of nowhere."

May narrowed her brows critically at that. "If anything, that sudden hastiness sounds really out of character for you."

"But all of those downtimes ended up becoming the most important lessons of all."

Dawn and May curiously perked up at Misty's gentle smile of warming reminisce.

"On that very evening of what happened to both of these young men, Ash called me and Brock up for a video-phone conversation, wherein Ash wanted to talk together about our dreams, and especially how we would progress into the future."

Just then, Misty cheekily chuckled back at herself from that reminisce. "I really couldn't believe the surprise to see Ash, of all people, slowing down and questioning his current lifestyle as a critical thinker. I was so surprised that I even thought he was a rocket grunt in disguise, or that he got hit on the head and was knocked throughout a dreamy coma."

Ash snickered back at that. "Yeah, yeah, say what you will. Nevermind the fact that I actually tried to use my head and be a critical thinker for once."

Brock cheerfully patted his back with a laugh. "Well, you once chased a wild mankey up a tree, just to get your hat back."

"And you did rush into your first attempt at the Battle Pyramid." May wagged her finger about with a cheeky grin. "And we all know what happened afterwards."

Misty simply shook her head back with her gentle smile once again. "Even with all of that being said, I couldn't remember the last time I truly felt that happy, being able to talk with each-other on everything going through our heads, and then meeting up together as old friends in Saffron City."

A heated spark of affirmations glimmered out of her sparkly eyes. "And it was because of our first talks and times together in a long time, that we quickly started training together and sharing all of our accumulated knowledge and experiences to help each-other out..."

Her smile slowly sunk down into a gloomy overcast of her droopy eyes. "Especially because I was the one who needed a boost to catch up the most."

Max tilted his head up at Misty, his eyes furrowed worryingly for her sunken face as she hugged Psyduck tighter into herself.

"It's been five years since I also started travelling, but I feel as though I've hardly progressed myself any closer towards becoming a true water pokémon master. Until Ash called Brock and I up that very evening, I had mostly stagnated in my daily routines of the Cerulean Aquarium and Gym."

"Wait, what're you saying about yourself as a gym leader!?" Max spoke up worryingly.

"Think about it, how much have I truly changed and progressed over the past few years? I've mostly just been stagnating as much as a pool accidentally left unattended by my older sisters at the Cerulean Gym."

"Come on, you don't need to be judgemental on yourself, Misty!" Max urgently cried back.

Misty shook her head sadly. "Even so, I hardly accomplished anything significant or memorable during all of the times I spent travelling throughout Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto with the boys. I really didn't do much for myself to progress closer towards my own goals. Granted, there were a few challenges and aquatic tournaments here and there, but that's hardly anything significant out of all those years."

At that moment, she felt Psyduck shuffle within her hugging arms with a quack, wherein Psyduck patted her arms tenderly as his eyes peered up for her sunken face worryingly.

"How am I supposed to call myself a water pokémon master, when I couldn't even help poor little Psyduck here to swim for so long?"

Brock shook his head as he stepped forth. "I'm also guilty of the same stagnation, just like a potted plant left unattended at my own home."

This time, Dawn and the others gazed up at Brock's stern words worryingly, wherein the friendly giant calmly crossed his arms together with a deep sigh of contemplation.

"I truly enjoyed all of our travels throughout this world. But with that in mind, alongside Ash's spark of a trigger, I too realized that I've mostly drifted across those years as bare as a dusty cloud in the breeze, with hardly any firm grounding of critical thinking and building upon my own goals."

Dawn tapped her chin of the windy thoughts buzzing out. ""

"If you need solid proof, then think back towards our time spent around Veilstone City, back when we stayed with Reggie."

Dawn tilted her head into curious thought towards his calm stance.

"I had every opportunity to talk with Reggie, an accomplished breeder with senior experiences accumulated in him, and discuss with him as to what exactly I should do with myself. And yet, I allowed the entire opportunity to slip by, with hardly a care in the world as I kept on travelling."

In the face of his dark taste of the grounding truth, Dawn merrily popped up behind the friendly giant towering over her short self, where she slapped his backside reassuringly with her carefree grin of beaming youth.

"Well I say that you're the best big brother any of us here could've asked for, because you're the one who looked after us shorter youngsters with the best cooking and home skills of all!"

Brock scratched his head modestly with a cheerful chuckle at her shorter youth. "I just do whatever I can to help out."

Dawn playfully wagged her finger about at that. "Besides, surely you can't say that all those times of travelling through Sinnoh weren't fun. If you ask me, you always appeared happily content with that simple lifestyle."

"None of those times were ever a waste." May firmly stomped forth with her heated eyes of fiery life. "Not even the lowest pitfalls of depression, because those lowest times have become the most important lessons for me personally, and I'd never turn back the clock on anything that I've learnt up to now..."

She pumped up a heated fist with her grin of shining pride. "I bet that's the same thing you'd say as well, Ash."

"Well said, May!" Ash proudly patted her shoulder as he stepped forth.

Now, all of his companions of varying origins and appearances gazed solely upon the leading presence of Ash, as a guiding light of the gathering once again.

"Out of everyone here, I know all too well of the countless mistakes and regrets I've made to myself for all these past years. Believe me, I haven't forgotten any of those times, especially my very first day as a trainer..."

He rubbed his head about with a nervous chuckle. "Back when I tried to catch a wild Pidgey, with only my bed clothes."

All of the other companions gawked wide-eyed at him, especially as they noticed Pikachu shrinking down into the ground, the little rodent nervously cowering away from Ash's mention of that particular time.

"But be that as it was, Brock and Misty, understand that I truly enjoyed each and every year of our travels together, even with our worst arguments and tensions in mind, because those lowest times of our lives only made the good times that much more important to me personally."

Brock and Misty both warmed up a soft smile of pure gratitude, all towards the leading light shining out of Ash as he stood with the lively presence of the sun itself.

"This goes for all of you as well, Dawn, May and Max. And that goes back to the main reason for why I wanted everyone to meetup here once again..."

His bright eyes gazed around all of his human companions around him as Ash proudly stood tall in the centre. "It's for everyone here to openly share your own personal experiences, without fearing each-other of any hidden darkness, so that all of us can work together towards understanding our lives and reach for our goals that truly matter the most for each of us."

With the country breeze soaring those words away as a message in the wind, Brock and Misty both grinned proudly with a nod of shared affirmation, watching on as May firmly stomped her foot down with her lively face of energizing heat, all before the eyes of Dawn herself as she merrily clapped for them.

And within this ever-rising air of energizing warmth, May faced up to them with her bright eyes of burning pride. "I can see why the three of you Kanto friends enjoyed training together with each-other for the past year..."

She pumped her iron fist up for them. "And that's why I've also decided to go home and spend time at Dad's Gym of Petalburg City."

Max twitched up in surprise as he gawked back up at her, where even his glasses fiddled loosely from his lost comprehension altogether.

"Where'd that come from, sis!? I thought you always wanted to win the grand festival and become a top co-ordinator! Wasn't that your goal!?"

"That's exactly part of my point."

Max curiously glanced back around at his senior Ash's calm words, yet his senior still brimmed lively with that proud smile of his.

"For May here, spending time at home to learn about the daily duties of a gym leader could inspire her with new approaches towards her current lifestyle. In fact, I'd say that not only could it serve as fresh new teachings to reach her current goal, but I also strongly suggested that it could help her to think about what she'll do after that very goal is achieved."

May nodded in affirmation. "That's right. And who knows, maybe Max and I would both do well to learn about your daily lifestyles in your own gyms, Brock and Misty. Maybe a good change of pace at home gym could spark up a fresh new fire for me, something to get me going once again."

With those heated words, Dawn carefully eyed her with a raised brow. "Hey, I'd feel really lonely if I lost another competitive partner, May, because I've only been looking ahead for my second appearance in a grand festival."

Ash heartedly chuckled back at her free-spirited wonder. "Dawn, out of everyone else here, you should be the least worried about the distant future. Instead, you should be enjoying your earlier years of youth to the fullest."

"I think that's the best as well, Ash." May affirmed as she grinned back over at Dawn. "Just be yourself and enjoy travelling further, because I'll be waiting for a good face-off in my home region of Hoenn for you. After all, someone has to stop you from slacking away too much, or else we'll miss out on seeing you give your best tactics and plans yet..."

May then pumped her heated fist up once again. "That's how we create our best performances."

Dawn casually held her palms up with a childish smile. "Hey, how hard could it be to top off my victory over you at the Wallace Cup?"

Misty curiously perked up towards them. "Huh? The Wallace Cup? What're you talking about?"

May gawked back at her in disbelief, before her eyes lit up eagerly with her grin. "It's a special type of contest in Sinnoh, one that revolves around an aquatic setting for performances and battles, all based off the aquatic expertise of Wallace himself."

Ash smiled back in remembrance. "Oh yeah, the Wallace Cup! The battle tournament part of the contest was really fun and creative to watch, especially as Buizel and I finally managed to execute the ice aqua jet technique."

As he spoke on, Ash rubbed his head energetically. "In fact, I'd even say the tournament itself gave me a particular fondness for battles and other challenges in the water. Maybe I should give another try at that water pokémon race from long ago?"

All the while, a glimmering ocean of dreamy sparkles glittered out of Misty's eyes, as though her entire face glowed alight with the sunset of her smile dreamily imagining their recounts to herself.

"An aquatic tournament of battles and tactics... filled the brim ... all headed by a water type master in the flesh... huh?"

She suddenly blinked her eyes into calmer realization. "Wait a minute..."

Her mind finally clicked alight her fuse, and her face furiously erupted out the storm of her wrath.

"Why didn't any of you call me up to let me know!?" Misty furiously barked back.

Ash and Brock curiously gawked back at each-other in their shared puzzlement.

"Come to think of it, why didn't any of us think of calling up Misty to tell her about the Wallace Cup?" Ash mumbled.

Brock scratched his chin as his brows furrowed ever sharper at that. "It was essentially an aquatic tournament that did cater towards water type specialists. Granted, it is officially a contest, and not a simple battle tournament, but... huh, why exactly did none of us suggest it?"

Ash blinked wide-eyed in realization. "That was the biggest missed opportunity of all time. We could've had an even larger gathering together at the Wallace Cup, and just imagine how the battling tournament segment would've gone then."

May sighed deeply at them. "No wonder why Misty needed to vent all of her steam earlier."

Misty narrowed her brows sharply across everyone, a looming shadow of a brewing storm that Ash hastily held his palms up with a nervous smile, before the heated air quickly simmered away with his childish smile of innocence.

"That's also exactly why I called everyone up here today, and what I'm going to help everyone with."

At that moment, as the words of his senior rung throughout his head, Max perked back up to see the varying forms and elements of Ash's pokémon throughout the ranch now, each and every single one of them gradually stomping and plodding ever closer around them.

And at that very moment, Ash crossed his arms together as he calmly stared down Max.

"So then, Max. Are you still holding other fears inside of you? If there's another lesson that I've learnt, it's that holding in anxieties only makes me feel worse for myself and everyone around me."

With even the cover of his glasses now pierced away by the sharp stare of his senior, Max glumly sunk his head down with the heavy dread that he grimaced fearfully from.

"The scariest thought that terrifies me the most... it's witnessing a senior veteran dropping all of their experiences overnight and changing into a completely different person beyond recognition. That's you, Ash. I don't want to see you as my senior giving up on everything you've worked on throughout all your years."

As those words of his sunken junior rung through all ears sombrely, Ash narrowed his brows sternly with a deep huff of air.

"Listen up, Max. I already said this before, and I'll say it again. I never once viewed myself as a completely invincible being, even when my ego was at its worst in my early days of travelling."

All of the other senior trainers calmly watched on as Ash spoke out the fullest extent of his presence down upon the sunken Max.

"I will slip up with accidental mistakes from time to time. I will occasionally falter and forget certain details or past events. I will end up making particular calls and decisions that end up with a detrimental result for me or others around. I will be unable to memorize every single detail of this world that we live in, because I don't have perfect photogenic memory. And I will most definitely be triumphed and defeated by other people and pokémon, because I'm not an invincible deity of perfection."

All the while, Max grimaced ever more sombrely with every sting of the bitter truth that rung out of his senior.

"But even now, even as I keep on growing up..."

At that moment, Max suddenly felt a strong yet caring palm patting his head reassuringly, and his eyes widened in wondrous admiration as he gazed up at the friendly giant of his senior, all up at Ash patting his short little head with that very same smile of shining life.

"I'm still just a simple boy of Pallet Town. The boy of Pallet Town who loves to pursue his dreams together with those around him, and to see those around him living their lives to the fullest. That's all there is to me, and that much will never change."

Now, May winked back eagerly for the other companions as she nudged her little brother encouragingly, along with Brock and Misty smiling tenderly for the siblings, all before Dawn's clear eyes witnessing the scene as fondly as the morning sun rising ever higher over them.

Ash grinned back down at Max with his fist. "Besides, I still owe you our promise from the end of the Battle Frontier challenge. That I would battle with you, man to man."

His eyes ignited alight with the sparks of remembrance, Max pumped both of his fists up in affirmation. "Yeah! Just you wait for me, Ash! I'll keep on helping out Dad with the Petalburg gym, learning what I can from Dad, until I can finally choose the right partner pokémon to team up with!"

Ash heartedly laughed out as his face shined with the life of a leading sun. "Well said, Max! And who knows, you might just end up reuniting with an old friend that you promised, back in late Hoenn."

Brock nodded in approval as he stepped up to them. "So, this is your current mindset as of late, and what you're contemplating from here on out."

Dawn curiously perked up at Brock's tender voice. "Am I missing something else here?"

"Precisely one year ago, Ash made the decision to take time off here in his home town, wherein he assisted Professor Oak's research and studies as he raised all of the pokémon here, in addition to helping his mother at home, together as a family with everyone here. It's one of the most unorthodox approaches that was decided by Ash himself."

Ash nervously rubbed his head about. "You know, perhaps being so blatantly easy to read could have its benefits as well."

"Hah!" Brock suddenly snatched him into a vicegrip of his firm arms as he tussled Ash's hair playfully. "I never thought that you had the spirit of a real spirit this whole time!"

Ash playfully wrestled himself out of Brock's grip. "Hey, at least else can claim that I'm still a ten year old forever and ever, while I'm helping Mom out with the Pallet Inn."

Misty cheekily snickered back at him. "Keep up that downstream flow of yours, and you might just end up having your tenth year old once again. Besides, where do you get all these jokes of being stuck as a ten year old, forever and ever?"

A peaceful smile warmed up Ash's face as he gazed up at the blue sky of boundless dreams. "Mom still cares for me at home, and she still playfully jokes about me being her little boy still."

Misty blinked back in newfound realization, before she too tenderly smiled back in tender understanding.

'Now I see. Delia cares for him still, and that her motherly eyes will always care for him as a ten year old at heart. Not that I can blame her, though...'

"Well, you'll always be the ten year old little brother in our eyes." Brock playfully ruffled Ash's hair about, along with Misty slapping a firm pat on Ash's shoulder, all as Ash cheerfully smiled from the lively elements that were all of his companions, all gathered together in unison.

"I already said it earlier, but that's my secret, everyone..."

Ash beamed out his lively grin of a living sun once more for every human and pokémon gathered around him.

"I'm always learning."

All of his companions chuckled back with his youthful innocence.

And amidst this lively air of a symphonic playground, Dawn merrily popped out with a joyful clap of her hands. "I think now I fully understand the entire story here."

Ash and the others gazed back over at the short girl of lively air that beamed out amongst the taller crowd.

"You never gave up on your goal of becoming a pokémon master. Rather, you instead decided to slow down for peaceful time-off at home here, helping your mom with her inn at home, as well as Professor Oak to help look after and raise all of your pokémon here at the lab. And within those peaceful times..."

Dawn snapped her fingers into a click of her deductive finger. "You've been contemplating on what it truly means to be a real pokémon master, and how one should live their life."

A clear light of a leading sun shined out of Ash's eyes, a clear light of the boundless sky itself that tempered his face with a smile of strong resolve, his face of a tempered leader that Ash faced back for all of his companions.

"One year ago, that was exactly what I decided to do. And throughout the past year, the doors of new opportunities have revealed themselves as a result of that. In fact, one prime example of such an opportunity is where Pikachu and I will be going for the next couple of weeks."

All other heads suddenly perked up in curiosity at him.

"Wait, you're going to another region?" Max hastily asked.

"Together with Professor Oak and Mom, we'll be flying to a foreign region that none of us have ever been to before. But this time around, we'll only be talking and learning the research notes from their renowned professor. And again, this is only for the next two weeks."

Misty curiously nudged her elbow into him. "Even now, I'm still amazed at the topics you decided to start investigating."

"Hold up for a moment, what exactly have you been trying to research and uncover, Ash?" Max gawked up at him.

Dawn tapped her chin amidst her puzzlement. "You've mentioned a fair bit about how you've learning certain notes, and of new opportunities presented to you, but what exactly are you talking about? What's going on beneath those cryptic clues?"

Ash took in a deep breath of the calming hills once again. "For the past year, I've also been diving into topics of ancient teachings and philosophies, but especially one particular art that combines science and mysticism. I've been looking into the history of these ancient teachings and their philosophies on the cycles of life and nature, the energies involved throughout our lives, but most of all, the life force that exists in all living beings and of our surroundings."

Now, alongside May and Max , Dawn stared back upon that calm smile still present on Ash's face, even as she drifted throughout the cloudy sea of her own imagination.

'Ancient systems... ancient philosophies of life and the cycles of nature... and the wisdom of the ancients regarding how this world works... especially the life force... wait a minute, life force!? Is he trying to research the ancients and their historical wisdom pertaining to aura!?'

"Gary himself has already go on ahead to meet up with that foreign professor. He's the best with their foreign accent."

Misty blinked in realization at that. "Ah, so that's where Gary's been off to. I was wondering why he wasn't around here today."

Ash nodded calmly. "However, there is another reason that I need all of you to understand from me here."

Dawn tenderly gazed back up at him, where Ash calmly stood his ground as he faced the swirling mix of confusion and contemplation around him.

"After the lightning storm of a disaster that was my first day between Pikachu and I, the legendary Ho-oh appeared before us. Ever since that very day, the legendary phoenix appeared three more times throughout our years of travelling, and every single encounter was either when I was unsure of what to do next with my life, or when I nearly lost myself to an ancient soul. And all of those appearances happened during the same repetitive cycles of travelling through each region..."

His arms crossed together as his eyes pierced out from his critical thought. "This time around, I made the decision to break that cycle one year ago. Coincidentally enough, Ho-oh never appeared after the Sinnoh League, right when I decided to start thinking more critically about my goal."

Alongside Dawn's gaping eyes of blinding amazement, May suddenly blinked her eyes wide open brightly. 'Now I understand the full story here. Ash's trying to understand his own life better, not simply for his goal, but rather to understand how all of these things might connect together. But these ancient teachings of arts... what exactly are these ancient arts?'

All the while, Brock silently observed the puzzling curiosities sparkling out of Dawn and the Petalburg siblings, alongside Misty diving deeper into her own thoughts of careful contemplation, even as her eyes calmly reflected Ash's current stance-

A frantic outcry of quacks suddenly shot up all faces in alarm, wherein Misty immediately snapped her gaze down near her feet, and her face jolted wide awake down at the sight of Gible clamping his mouth down on her Psyduck frantically panicking around her.

"Uwah! Psyduck!" Misty hastily grabbed onto Psyduck, urgently holding onto him with one hand as she seized her grip onto the carefree Gible-

"Whoa, no need for anyone to be afraid here." Ash calmly smiled as he gently rubbed Gible's soft underbelly, the instinctive tension fading away from Gible's jaws as he quickly relented off Psyduck's head.

With that peaceful release, Misty let out a deep sigh of pure relief as she tenderly watched Psyduck still scurrying himself away, even as he dived straight into the old pond nearby.

"You really shouldn't be so hard on your past mistakes."

Misty tenderly back around at Ash's calm words, seeing him playfully hugging Gible close to himself as the land shark curiously stared back up at her, all as Ash patted him soothingly.

"Misty. Earlier, you berated yourself for all of your mistakes and regrets over the past years, and that you were an incompetent failure who couldn't do something as simple as teaching Psyduck how to swim..."

Ash then pointed his finger straight down at the pond with a grin. "Well then, what am I supposed to call that?"

"An aquatic duo of partners who help each-other out, by learning from each-other's shortcomings together." Brock pointed his finger deductively.

Misty smiled warmly in blossoming gratitude for both of the young men, her warm smile energizing herself anew as she gazed back down at the pond, down at Psyduck merrily swimming around Seadra's sharp eyes.

Just then, Totodile joyfully hopped his way across the pond as he danced throughout the water's surface, and Psyduck excitedly quacked back as both him and Totodile sprung up with a splashing high-five of their palms, all the while leaving a careless splash of water smacking down Seadra's face as he narrowed his draconic eyes sharply upon the foolishly happy-go-lucky Totodile.

All the while, Misty cheerfully laughed for them.

"Okay, Psyduck! Go for it!" Misty spun her palm around to point straight down.

Psyduck joyfully quacked back for her as he dived down underwater, where his shadowed silhouette speedily swam around the mossy pit underneath the water's surface, all as Seadra cautiously drifted back towards the water's swampy edge.

Misty then spun her palm upward...

A surging jet of water suddenly leapt out of the water with a big splash as Psyduck leapt straight into the comfort of Misty's childish hug, along with the sparkling mist of dew drifting upon the aquatic duo as a splashing touch of satisfaction.

"Now that's why you're my one and only little duckie!" Misty playfully tussled about the joyful Psyduck within her hug.

"See what I mean?" Ash spoke up tenderly. "You've already been learning from your past, so no one else here has to let themselves be held back by past failures."

At that moment, as Dawn curiously popped in closely upon the scene, Ash playfully poked her forehead of her proud creativity.

"Just ask Dawn here for how to feel confident everyday one-o-one."

Dawn playfully poked his stomach back, smiling gratefully for the trio of trainers from Kanto.

'Maybe the events of the Sinnoh League really were the best things that happened to Ash, all for the better.'

Alongside with Dawn's free-spirited youth, Brock shot up his thumbs up, all towards Misty as she smiled proudly with her shining gratitude.

And with that, Ash cheerfully laughed out his grin. "And I've just conquered my first victory for this morning! Before I even ate breakfast!"

Everyone else gawked wide-eyed upon his casual cheerfulness, especially May grimly dreading the thought of that last tidbit...

Until Ash shook his head sombrely. "Besides, you're not alone in that regard, because I know that I myself could've done better as well."

Max worryingly stepped forth towards Ash's sombre words. "What's wrong?"

Ash held both Gible and Totodile within his arms now. "I know that I could've done more for some of the pokémon here, especially poor Gible and Totodile here, but also poor Torkoal here, because I really feel that I haven't been able to bring out their fullest extent at all."

Within the hug of Ash's arms, Gible and Totodile snapped their jaws shut as they both tilted their heads up at Ash curiously, before both of the chomp-happy pokémon casually stared back at each-other, both of their heads tilting about in sharp observation as Torkoal plodded up towards Ash curiously.

With that, both Gible and Totodile snapped their jaws up for Ash with a joyful yap, and Ash grinned back as he placed both of them on top of Torkoal's shell.

All of his human companions chuckled back at the sight of Torkoal proudly raising one of his paws up in a salute of blazing tears burning out of his eyes, before Torkoal proudly marched away.

"But that's okay." Ash picked his head right back up with a soft smile. "Because that's how I learnt the more valuable lessons for myself over the past year, and that's also exactly why I'm going to talk with that foreign professor for the next two weeks."

At that moment, all of his human companions curiously perked back up to see Ash crossing his arms together as he stepped away from all of them, where the rising sun beamed straight down upon his figure, and only his backside stood before them as he slowly treaded across the soft grass of contemplation.

"Over the next two weeks, Gary and I will do what we can to understand that foreign professor and his research notes. And when we do return home in no time, we'll come back with a fresh new resolve. And when that happens..."

With the new sun bathing his presence within a golden sea of warmth and guidance, he finally turned back around to face everyone with the sunlight at his beckon, and all of his human companions now saw his youthful presence shining as a living rainbow of a phoenix rising before their eyes, all from that old smile still brimming off Ash's face.

"I will re-define the meaning of a pokémon master, and I will live my life as a shining example of that very definition."

All of his human companions nodded and yapped together in their proud affirmations.

"I got it!" Dawn snapped her fingers into spontaneous action, popping over and playfully poking May and Max closer towards Ash, then twirling around and into a graceful nudge against Brock's backside, wherein he followed her nudge as he noticed Dawn gleefully pulling Misty's wrist closer inward.

All the while, Ash proudly watched Dawn eagerly nudging himself and everyone around into a tight circle.

Just then, as his eyes glanced across the circle at May, he noticed Max all alone outside of the gathering, the little boy grimacing helplessly as the shortest of all.

"No need to worry!" Dawn cheerfully patted Max into the circle.

Max furrowed his brows in puzzlement up at her-

A strong pair of arms suddenly lifted him up into the air, and Max yelped in surprise as he was hefted high up onto a firm shoulder, where he finally noticed Ash holding him up on his shoulder as his big senior.

Now, Max childishly smiled in gratitude as he sat on Ash's shoulder, especially as Pikachu speedily popped up on Ash's head, all as Ash himself proudly stepped forth into the circle of his companions, wherein Brock and Misty stood by his right and left respectively, alongside May brimming with warm life as strongly as ever across from his, just as Dawn popped in between May and Brock.

"Now then! High touch, everyone!" Dawn raised her open palm up and over the centre of their unified gathering.

"That's the little Ash we all know and love." Brock raised up his tender palm of a friendly giant as his right-hand man.

Misty grinned as she slapped another firm pat on his shoulder encouragingly. "You better be on guard and come back as a giant tsunami that sweeps us all away."

May held her fist up proudly. "All of us still have a lot to learn, and that's exactly why all of us are going to stick together by your side."

As she saw May raise her fist open into a high-five over the centre, Dawn nodded for everyone else with her youthful smile of a free spirit.

And now, as Ash watched Max eagerly holding his palm over from atop his right shoulder, he glanced over at Pikachu holding his V-shaped paws from atop his left.

Nodding eagerly at that, Ash then held his palm over the union of his companions, and Pikachu eagerly scurried across his arm, where the little rodent now stood in the centre of palms as he jolted his tail up with a glowing orb of soft light.

And now, with Ash's childish grin leading them, all of the humans shot their palms up together with a roar of family, tossing Pikachu up as all their palms struck together into one solid clap, together with each and every single pokémon of the ranch roaring together with their high-touch.

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

The darkness of the rocky walls pervaded over them.

The darkness of the unknown hiding away from the sunlight of the outside region. A mask of the underground that isolated the three denizens of the underworld here, hiding the stains of their past deeds from the judgment of sunlight that sought to expose the depravity of their souls...

Only the lights that now flickered on the makeshift screen greeted them as an open gate towards the outside world, revealing the dense aura of a brown-haired man who freely commanded all those beneath his level to his cruel beckon.

"Are you alone? Absolutely no risk of being spied upon?"

"This place is empty except for us three, Giovanni sir." Answered a woman with long red hair that curled at the end. She wore a black outfit consisting of a black crop shirt with long-sleeved black gloves, a dark-grey skirt and knee-high black boots. She was accompanied by two other beings. A man with blue shoulder-length who wore a similar uniform but his shirt was not cropped short, as well as having dark grey pants and black boots that reached halfway up between his foot and knee, and a Meowth with the ability to speak the human language and walk on his two hind legs.

"Good. Now tell me, Jessie, James and Meowth. What is the goal of Team Rocket?" The stern man known as Giovanni responded, his calm but commanding aura present.

"Discover rare pokémon." The woman with red hair known as Jessie grinned.

"Collect strong pokémon." The man with blue hair known as James calmly added

"And enslave the world using these pokémon." The talking Meowth excitedly topped off.

Giovanni nodded. "That's right. Our goal is to raise an army of pokémon to enslave the world, but to do that, we will need to do more than just find pokémon and capture them. Look at this."

The large screen to show a map of an unknown region. "This region has only recently been discovered by our satellite network but from what we have uncovered so far, there appears to be a special type of energy that is radiating from this region. Our plan is to use this energy to improve our technology but the properties of this energy are currently unknown to our scientists."

"Sir, If I may interject" James asked "what is the name of this region?"

"The name, you ask? This region is..."

---

"So that's the name of this region, is it, Oak?" Ash asked.

"Yes, it's known as Unova." Professor Oak held up the monochrome pamphlet.

Ash tilted his head upon the circular-esque map. "Unova, huh? That name sounds really different compared to the names of all the other regions I've visited. Where does the name come from?"

Oak stroked his chin amidst his pondering. "Hmmm… Well I know nothing about the region itself but if I were to take a guess, the first word that comes to my head when I hear that name is unum, meaning one. The word 'nova' also springs up in my mind, and that means new. So it's one new, or new one? Actually, the name also sounds a little bit similar to united. Maybe it means united one, or newly united one?"

"United? I wonder if that means Unova has many pokémon from all the other regions that I've travelled through, or maybe they're all brand new! Wow, just imagine the new pokémon, the cultures and their food mixed together, and the trainers. Do they have a league there?"

Delia smiled across the seat. "It sounds like you'll be off on another journey to become the very best, young pokémon master."

"Now I really wanna see this new region and all the pokémon!" Ash lit up his eyes into a burning blaze of excitement...

Until Professor Oak waved him back down to reality. "Now, now, Ash. Don't forget the first reason as to why we are going there in the first place."

Ash calmly smiled back in reassurance. "Don't worry, I never forgot our most important goal for this two week exchange. There's someone we have to meet up for talking about our notes, right?"

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

"We have the co-ordinates for Unova downloaded, Giovanni-sir!" Jessie affirmed.

"Very well then." Giovanni snapped his fingers decisively. "As newly-promoted admins of Team Rocket, I will bestow you your first task. First, infiltrate the Unova region and learn about the different locations and geography of the region. Once you have done that, contact me again and I will give you your next task."

"Yes sir!" The trio affirmed...

...

. "And don't even think about trying to waste time with your old antics of 'stealing a worthless rodent to make me happy!'."

The trio squealed horrifically in unison, meekly shrunken underneath the fearful weight of Giovanni's booming authority.

"That is all."

With his final declaration resounding throughout the darkness of the cave, the screen flickered away into the very same blankness, leaving the trio to collapse down with a long sigh of relief.

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

"So we need to first meet up with that professor, right?" Ash asked.

Oak nodded back. "That's right, Ash. The professor there is the one we'll be having discussions with, and also exchanging research notes. That professor will also help us to learn about this region better, so you could say that professor will be our guide."

Ash let out a loud groan of unbearable waiting. "I wanna get there already! Just how far is this region anyway!?"

"Be more patient, Ash." Delia giddily reprimanded. "With all the training and adventuring you've done up to now, I thought your patience would've improved at least a little bit."

"But we've been flying for ten whole hours now!"

"And we have another eight hours to go." Professor Oak chuckled in jolly amusement.

"Oh man." Ash moaned, alongside Pikachu drooping his ears down dejectedly with a depressing murmur...

Until his entire face suddenly settled down into eerily cool contemplation, bringing out a peculiar notebook of ancient symbols and illustrations, along with a black pen held at the ready as his clear eyes calmly dug down into the buried notes.

Pikachu perked his head up as he curiously watched Ash calmly examining the pages of the notebook, silently jotting down various notes as his cool eyes searched across the numerous passages of text and symbols, buried so deeply underneath his cool face of silent contemplation that even the endless sea of blue sky and its masses of clouds merely flowed past his deep contemplation as swiftly as the hours of an oceanic hourglass.

So lost within this cloudy sea of critical thinking, even Delia continuously darted her eyes over to her calm son on her left, curiously watching in her own amazement those eyes of his cool face rapidly jotting together notes and connections of symbols out of the notebook, before she sunk herself back down into her own novel.

Just then, Professor Oak himself let out a long sigh of relief as he tucked away his own folders of clipped papers, before he blinked back from the sight of Delia's novel nearing its last few pages.

"Hmm? Have you already finished reading through that novel, Delia? I knew that you were quite the speed reader but I was so sure that book would last through the entire plane trip."

Delia tapped her chin in lost wonder. "To be honest, at first I was unsure whether or not this novel would keep me interested enough to read even up to the midpoint, but the person who wrote this must be a natural genius. The way the story is setup, the characterizations and the feelings that the author managed to capture within the words were all just amazing. One example I remember is..."

Her eyes suddenly lit up into a shower of dreamy sparkles. 'The tiny but strong pokémon looked up at its trainer and saw the seeds of doubt taking root as together they faced their toughest opponent yet. The pokémon sounded a soft cry of reassurance, and the battle began…'

Her sparkly eyes blinked back into the bland reality. "Where exactly did you find this book?"

Oak glanced over on his right with a smile. "It actually came from Ash himself. He told me that Cynthia had given him both of these books, apparently because she thought he would be fascinated by both the ancient's mythology and their interpretations of the forces of life and nature itself. Is that right?"

Ash simply kept on scanning his focus purely throughout the ancient pages and drawing up connections of symbols together, his ears hardly even twitching up at their voices as he peered ever deeper into the buried notes of the ancient methods.

Professor Oak chuckled light-heartedly from Ash's critical contemplation. "Actually, does it mention who wrote it?"

Delia furrowed her face in wonder. "Hmm, let's see… huh? There's no name on the cover. Maybe it's somewhere at the end, perhaps? But I still don't see any-"

Crash

An ear-splitting bang of lightning suddenly blasted throughout the plane, snapping all of the passengers down horrifically with sudden shrieks of surprise.

Ash and Pikachu immediately jolted up at that, just as another snap of lightning flashed a blinding burst of light throughout the plane, tearing horrific shrieks of fright out of all eyes and ears from yet another sudden bang of lightning, right before the plane itself began wobbling and swaying about as helplessly as a feather.

Covering their faces from the blinding flash of light, Ash and Pikachu quickly dropped their guard as they glanced over at the small window on their right...

Both of their faces helplessly gaped with the dread swarming out of the stormy sea of rumbling clouds, where no light of the outside world could break through this dark tempest of nature, and only the ear-splitting whips of lightning flashed alight the horrific screaming and crying that were all at the mercy of this rumbling tempest.

A stormy echo of rushing wind swung the plane up, and Ash held back tightly with Pikachu as they noticed Oak and Delia struggling under their frantic grips on either side, when his notebook and written notes flailed up and away.

Ash frantically gasped up at his flailing notes, lashing and swinging his fingers around to reach for his notes fluttering away into the chaos of the corridor, right before the stormy tempest swerved the plane with a forceful jolt.

"Argh!" Ash grunted as he held onto his seat, desperately holding onto Pikachu as he noticed Oak and Delia frantically tightening up their seatbelts for dear life.

"Pikachu! Hide!" Ash hurriedly ushered Pikachu inside his lab coat, where Pikachu hastily slipped inside as his little paws tore into Ash's black travel singlet, both partners refusing to risk so much as a mere slip away from each-other's lives.

Now, as Ash rapidly darted his gaze in front and around himself, swiftly searching for glimpses down along the corridor of shrieking parents grasping their crying children all the way down at the end, his eyes curiously snapped down on a rush of a blue blur within the flailing mess of crumbling tiles-

A frightful woman's gasp jolted his ears up in alert, and Ash zipped his eyes straight back over on his left, where a grown mother and young boy desperately clung onto each-other and their seats, their feeble cries powerlessly trapped within the blinding chaos of lightning flashes and swirling air, all directly on his left.

A resounding echo of flooding air swung the plane up its left, jerking the mother's grip loose as her child slipped away from her pale face...

Ash immediately lunged up on sheer instinct with a snap of his palm, grabbing the little boy's wrist with a firm hold as he quickly pulled him in close, holding the little boy down in place amidst the constant jerking and tumbling of the floor itself.

But as the resounding echoes of flooding air relented just a little bit, and the chaotic tempest inside this corridor smoothed down into a calmer break of rest, Ash hastily popped the little boy back into the seat, securing him back next to the mother's teary eyes as she cried out her smile.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved my baby boy!"

Ash calmly smiled back with a thumbs-up, before his eyes quickly narrowed back down into his sharp glare of lethal suspicion as he glanced back down towards the end of the corridor-

"Um, mister?"

Ash softened his hard glare as he curiously perked back around, wherein he noticed the young boy gaping up at him with his glassy eyes of youthful amazement, complete with a blue baseball cap flipped backwards.

Ash raised a curious brow. "That hat style of yours really takes me back. But is there something else?"

The young boy jolted up with a gasp of realization. "I knew it! You're-"

Crash

A deafening bolt of lightning ripped apart through the wing itself with a blinding flash of energy, slamming the plane down onto its side with a scorching thump that ripped through all senses inside as painfully as the destroyed metal outside, and jerking Ash down onto the floor with the sting of glass windows shattering wide open into his ears...

... Jerking him into a painful skid... where he felt his lab coat slip loose the body of Pikachu... just as the blinding flash of lightning dissipated back into the dark sea of clouds...

Just as Ash's pupils reflected the bare instant of Pikachu helplessly torn past Delia's and Oak's pale faces, along with his own eyes widening horrifically as Pikachu was sucked right out through the gaping hole of a destroyed window.

"Pikachu!"

Ash exploded forth with a horrific scream of pure instinct, sacrificing away all other thoughts of his entire being into the oblivion of this very storm as he dived out through the same window of a life-sucking monster.

"Ash!" Delia horrifically cried out, alongside Professor Oak gasping up as the two adults helplessly watched the two partners sucked down into the storm of nature's darkness...

Down into the incomprehensible darkness of this tempest, where the gale surges of air flooded his ears and eyes into oblivion as Ash cringed powerlessly, grating his teeth against the freezing air gripping him about, tossed and smacked about ever deeper into the chaos of nature's dark stomach.

Barely able to open his eyes further up against the rush of darkness. Barely allowed to struggle for his own grasp on this monochrome reality. Barely registering a brief flicker of yellow beneath...

His eyes jolted wide awake upon this monochrome reality, and Ash grunted about with a forceful toss of himself around, even biting his tongue with a painful sting of full awareness as he lunged his palm down, grasping down against the clutches of this nightmare that ever so desperately aimed to spiral him down into the chaotic darkness of sleep.

No other thoughts for his own body existed as he streamlined down into a dive closer towards the yellow blur, unwilling to forgive himself for so much as a slip away from his torn partner, and only the sheer instinct igniting his entire being alight with pure focus as he pierced right through the petrifying clutches of this nightmare.

And now, as his grasp on his own being charged his body against the mindless realm of a nightmare, he reached his palm down onto the crying Pikachu, just a bare wisp of air separating the two partners from each-other as Pikachu himself desperately reached his paws up, neither partner relenting away from each-other's lonely suffering, and their eyes locked into the entirety of each-other lives as the souls of their fingers lunged onto each-other...

... And it was then... as their pale faces watched those two souls reaching for each-other... that Delia and Professor Oak could do nothing but bear witness a blue bolt of lightning utterly rip away the clouds and tear apart space itself... all the way down into the ocean as the heavenly skies and the grounding earth clashed together in sickening harmony...

... Right through Ash and Pikachu were engulfed within an explosion of purple light...

...

...

...

... It was as though the light had obliterated away all other sensations of this nightmare... wherein the surrounding tranquillity of this monochrome reality had silenced the very idea of time itself... grasping them within the very thoughts of living light itself that knew no boundaries of the universe... with unlimited freedom away from the very laws of the known universe...

... Until the blinding flash of purple light dispersed back out upon this monochrome reality... wherein the blue sky settled away the wrath of the darkness into a peaceful sea... revealing all of the frantic souls inside the plane now calming down into the raw gratitude for respite and peace...

... All except for Delia and Professor Oak petrified in horror still... both of their pale faces unable to comprehend their gaze away from the worst realization... their worst fears lurking down in the deepest corners of their fearful souls... their worst fears exposed before their very eyes...

... Ash and Pikachu were no-where to be seen... both of their presence completely gone from sight... gone with the storm that hastily simmered away into a calm breeze...

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

---

A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω

... Meanwhile...

A red jeep casually steered across the rural road of thin woods, along with the salty breeze of distant waves dancing with her light-brown hair as the young woman contently held back her giggle of overflowing excitement.

"Today's the day our guests will be arriving here. I know I can't wait to be able to meet the great Professor Oak, and I'm sure you're just as excited as I am to meet this trainer named Ash!"

Her lively eyes slightly darted down at her right seat. "Am I right, Oshawott?"

Armed with a polished shell on his belly, the little otter energetically clapped his flippers with a jolly bark out of his beaming smile.

The young woman smiled back. "Professor Oak has told me many things about this trainer named Ash. For one thing, he has travelled numerous regions and competed in their leagues. His most recent adventure was in a faraway region called Sinnoh, and apparently during the league he defeated two incredibly powerful legendary Pokémon."

This time, Oshawott's beady eyes glimmered wide open with dreamy sparkles towards the young woman's enthusiasm.

The young woman's eyes also suddenly sparkled alight as giant glassballs with her own dazzling smile of the dreamy sky above.

"This is the greatest opportunity for me to exchange pokémon data with such veterans, and to assist each other with our research. His many years of research on the relationship between humans and pokémon could really help me with my own research into the origins of pokémon."

She blinked back suddenly. "Oh, speaking of human and pokémon relationships, one thing that Professor Oak seemed to hold with such high regard about Ash was the love that he has for his pokémon, the bonds between him and his pokémon, and the care that he gives them. Ash has even adopted multiple pokémon that were horribly abused and abandoned by their original trainers, only for them to become incredibly strong."

Oshawott nearly bounced himself right out of the jeep altogether, energetically clapping his flippers together in happiness for the young woman's enthusiasm.

"Maybe I can also get in touch with my father and see if he could meet up with us and see Professor Oak himself. I'm sure those two would get along wonder-"

"We interrupt this music program with breaking news!"

The frantic voice of the radio suddenly zipped away the peacefulness of the clean breeze, as both the young professor and Oshawott cautiously peered down towards the frantic radio.

"A major thunderstorm with hurricane-force winds has suddenly formed over the ocean just beyond the coastline of Nuvema Town, and one plane has been reported to be stuck within this storm!"

The jeep immediately skidded to a loud halt of burnt tires, the attention of the woman and Oshawott now glued to the radio, their confused expressions now those of extreme worry and concern.

'No! Are they on the same plane that's caught inside that storm!?'

"Air traffic control has lost contact with the plane flying through the storm, and their current status is unknown! Concern is rising over the wellbeing of the passengers on-board the plane! We strive to bring further updates as we learn more of this abomination!"

The frantic voice zipped away just as suddenly as it had emerged, and was replaced by the uplifting music playing previous to the interruption...

Until the young woman snapped it shut into silence as she tore the jeep up across the rural road, the woman and Oshawott were now worried over the wellbeing of her guests, and she sped up her jeep, hoping to find out at the airport, their urgency now clearly apparent.

-A~~~*Φ*~~~Ω-

Delia frantically shoved her way through the crowded corridor of passengers, the fresh memories of that horrific storm from mere moments ago desperately spurring her on against the yelps and shrieks of the crowd, until she bolted out of the gaping exit.

Her head rapidly darted around as she stepped down onto firm concrete, yet the firm footing only grounded her beating heart ever so frantically as she rushed all the way to the end of the pier...

... And now... even with those dark clouds nearly as far back as the horizon... swirling around the calm eye of themselves... the calm waves of the ocean hardly eased her horrors with nature's mercy...

"Ash!" Delia shouted out across the ocean...

...

... Nothing... nothing but the calm waves beneath her trembling feet...

'No...'

"Ash! Can you hear me!?"

Again, the same thing happened as before. Her emotional and mental well-being were at the limit after the traumatizing storm that had occurred just minutes ago, and now this was ready to break that limit.

"Ash!" She called out one last time, barely clinging onto her chest for that last spark of hope...

...

... A flickering of a shadow shimmered out from beneath the calm waves...

A mere shadow in the distance that sparked her motherly spirit alight, and a new flame of hope rising her head up as Delia's bright eyes desperately clung onto the sight of that shadow.

All the while, the clattering of new footsteps spun her back around, and Delia anxiously hugged herself as she pleadingly turned around to face Professor Oak.

"Professor! He's out there! We have to get over there to help him! We have to-"

A pair of palms held her shoulders down in place, grasping the fear that shook her body uncontrollably as clear as the ocean waves themselves.

"And we will, Delia." Oak steeled up his face into calmer leadership. "We will find a way to rescue Ash, but first I need you to calm down. Take a few deep breaths to collect yourself together, in and out deeply."

The horrific dread shook her entire body still, seizing her within the sadistic clutches of this horrific nightmare as she desperately hugged herself still, hugging for her weak voice that begged for this monochrome reality to disappear altogether...

She slowly let out a deep breath, followed by her own free will choosing to take in the air of the living slowly and calmly, breathing in and out deeply enough to calm her wrecking nerves.

Her body no longer trembling beyond her control, Delia grimaced as she nodded back.

Grasping her shoulders now steadied more calmly, Professor Oak

"Right now, we have no pokémon that can help us with this rescue, neither of us can swim out that far, and we know nothing about this town or region. The best and only thing we can do right now is meet up with the Professor and ask for help as they know this place far better than we do. Are you okay with that?"

Delia grimaced painfully as those harsh words of this new monochrome reality stung her weary head, her sunken eyes glancing back around at the calm waves of the ocean behind herself, and her feet glued down into the concrete as she refused to budge, refusing to let go of that one spark of hope.

But as the truth of those very words gradually sunk her down ever deeper into this new monochrome reality, Delia nodded in painful silence...

Until she felt Oak's elderly palms gripping her shoulders more tightly, and she raised a soft gaze to see Oak's head downcast straight towards the ground.

"I shouldn't have left Dragonite at the lab. I was originally going to bring it along with us, but Brock and Tracey wanted to do their own studies on my pokémon, including Dragonite, and I thought that this would be a short and safe trip..."

His voice began to crackle under the strain of grief as he spoke. "I am such an old fool."

Another clattering of footsteps suddenly rung into their ears as Delia shot her attention back up, along with Oak spinning around to follow her gaze, right before his veteran eye widened in realization towards a young woman with light-brown hair hurrying straight towards them, along with a little otter-esque pokémon scurrying alongside her white lab coat.

"Ah! You are-"

"Is everything alright here?" The young woman calmly asked up close. "I got word of a major storm occurring out at sea, with a passenger plane caught right inside of it. Did anything bad happen-"

Delia immediately tore away from Oak and clung straight onto the young woman's shoulders, her eyes begging right through the young woman's heart with her motherly plea.

"Please help! My son's still out at sea!"

Delia snapped her gaze back behind herself. "I'm sure that I saw him! A drifting shadow just out there! Please, you have to help!"

The woman and the otter pokémon saw the amber-haired mother's plea for help, their hearts aching with empathy for this person, even for as brand new and unfamiliar of an encounter this. The blue otter in particular felt his heart melt away with this sight. It wanted to help this person.

All the while, Oshawott felt his heart melt away with the reflection of this mother's powerless begging glimmering in his eyes...

... His eyes tearfully glimmering with this reflection... a tearful reflection of this mother's pleading... that reflection in his eyes echoing a cataclysmic tempest of sympathy and desperation deep inside... that tempest raging beneath the calm surface of his little body as he stared up at the two women...

... His eyes steeled up into unbreakable resolute straight towards that faint shadow beneath the waves...

The young woman calmly nodded back. "Okay. I'll contact the pokémon marine rescue squad right-"

Her eyes suddenly widened towards Oshawott leaping off the edge of the pier.

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

Oshawott dived down into the calm waves with a splash showering out of his disappearance, the rest of the adults helplessly reaching their pleas down into the ocean beneath.

And then, as he swam deeper into the flow of this monochrome ocean, his eyes blinked up at a new body drifting about as he swam right up to it, where he beheld an unconscious teenage male...

... And yet... even as the teenager's eyes were closed off from this reality... even as his lab coat and body were ravished by bloody rips and gashes... his arms protectively hugged an unconscious yellow rodent without relent... both of their presence together lighting up this monochrome reality as distinctly as a new rainbow...

His little flippers tightly gripping onto the teenager's scraped lab coat, Oshawott tugged on him as he pulled them back up, all of them slowly yet surely reaching the surface of the pier-

The otter pokémon was halfway between the pier and the spot it found the boy, when a school of tadpole-like pokémon rushed past them, their blue headphone-like ears rapidly vibrating which produced an ear-splitting sound, stunning the blue otter and forcing his eyes shut as he held his head in pain. Why were they attacking him? He had done nothing to harm them, only trying to rescue a human and pokémon from death, and he certainly didn't think that was a threat to them in any possible manner.

A rumbling shriek suddenly swept past his head, and a deep rumbling of rushing waves stunned him in place as Oshawott glanced back around to see a swarm of tadpole-esque creatures frantically flooding through him, their collective school of headphone ears crying out a deafening rumble of vibrations that slammed Oshawott's heart into frantic overdrive.

But as he desperately clung onto the teenager's body as closely as possible, clinging onto his presence in sheer desperation for answers out of this reality, begging for this incomprehensible attack of stinging vibrations to stop, the swarming school of vibrations flooded away just as quickly.

His pristine skin feeling the peaceful flow of a quiet ocean, Oshawott curiously opened his eyes back up...

A new swarm of green piranha-esque pokémon furiously followed through as angrily as the red stripes on their scaly bodies, their seething glares of raw survival widening Oshawott's eyes in primal horror as he tugged on the teenager's torn lab coat, rushing them up towards the surface as the snapping of chomping jaws spurred him up without thought, his sheer instinct of primal survival kicking him into frantic overdrive up at the surface near his touch-

Oshawott yelped back from a sudden headbutt to his body, jolting his head back up to see the piranha swimming onward as another green piranha thumped off the teenager's body and shot away-

A thump of jaws suddenly snapped on his tail, and Oshawott screamed back from the sharp chomp as he instinctively grabbed his shell and smacked down against the piranha's skull, forcefully knocking it loose-

Two more green piranha immediately swam past the fallen skull and snapped on his rib and leg-flipper, a crunching agony of hurt as Oshawott screamed out the desperation of swiping his shell about, frantically smacking away those two as he saw yet several more green piranha take their place.

But amidst his nightmare of desperate survival, he kept on swiping and smacking his shell frantically about as the swarm of green piranha now flooded through the unconscious teenage male and yellow rodent.

Oshawott yelped anxiously as he lunged down and smacked away one piranha, then clung his flippers onto the teenager's lab coat, before he pulled himself into the teenager as tightly as possible, where he powerlessly begged for this reality to disappear as the swarm of piranha simply kept on snapping all over their bodies.

And now, as his eyes closed shut from this reality, where all thoughts and comprehension were drowned out by the cataclysmic tempest of fear consuming his entire being from the inside out, and he hugged the teenager as feebly as his instincts begged him to escape, that tempest of pure instincts kept on swirling up and out of him, until a blue light of nature's most violent storms now seeped out of his closed eyes...

...

...

... The swarming snaps and rushes quickly dissipated away from his senses... until the peacefulness of open waves calmly soothed his beaten body...

His eyes slowly opened back up in trembling hesitation, the faint glow of blue light now softened back into the innocent clarity of his pupils that curiously reflected a second swarm of green piranha that instead were marked by calmer blue stripes, now with both swarms of opposing red and blue stripes rushing and clashing against each-other further and further away.

His eyes blinking back into innocent realization, Oshawott quickly glanced up and around the teenage male and his yellow rodent, spotting clusters of bleeding bites from theirs.

But even as his own little body stung with the searing agony of clustered bruises and bleeding bite marks, Oshawott wasted no time at all as he hastily pulled the teenage up...

... Then...

The surface tore open with a big splash, and Delia gasped in realization, alongside the two professors as they helped Delia pull her son back onto the relieving safety of the pier, along with Oshawott cautiously peering closer to see Delia compressing Ash's chest, until the teenager instinctively splattered out a few loose coughs of water.

Delia quickly held him up as her son splattered out one last cough of instinct, before his body simply slumped down in his unconsciousness still, even as his arms were still tightly wrapped around the equally unconscious Pikachu.

Now, as Delia simply sat there, hugging her unconscious son as tightly into herself as dearly as possible, the sheer weight of their shock scarred upon the professor's faces in a lethal silence, where none of the relaxing waves calmed their weary nerves at all.

Only the sight of Delia tenderly hugging her unconscious son in tearful relief, tenderly hugging her unconscious son's body of faint bruises and bite marks, all exposed by his sleeveless black travelling shirt and blue pants ripped and torn throughout.

Professor Juniper quickly reached down and placed two fingers on his neck...

...

...

... Her face relaxed with a sigh of relief as Professor Juniper stood back up.

"He's most definitely brimming with life, but we have to get them back to my lab as soon as possible."

No one made any objection or said anything else as they prepared to leave. When Delia looked back at her son though, her eyes widened with worry as she caught sight of something else.

Oak and Delia calmly nodded without objection, before Delia herself gradually shuffled up onto her feet as all three adults helped lift up the unconscious Ash.

But as Delia grasped her unconscious son up on her own feet, her eyes furrowed back down at him, where she curiously eyed his arms still tightly hugging the unconscious Pikachu without relent...

Until his hugging arms loosened up just slightly, exposing the rest of his arms and Pikachu's body...

Delia gasped back horrifically, hugging her unconscious son once again within her motherly care.

"Wait! What is this!?"

Professor Oak and Juniper immediately snapped their gazes upon her frantic cries...

... And then their eyes widened in lost comprehension... lost from that new sight on the back of Ash's right hand... as well as on the tip of Pikachu's tail...

A black mark.

A chilling mark of a black half-sphere scarred a deep black of the unknown, with only a blue jagged line cutting a thin slice of salvation within the darkness of the black help-sphere mark.