Chapter 2: Time

Author's Note: So before I begin i would like to thank everyone for the support on the first chapter. This is my first story i have published to this site and didn't expect it to receive nearly as much attention as it did, so thanks to everyone that has taken the time to read it.

I'd also like to state that as i progress through the story i will try to improve my grammar use as i am fully aware that it is far from perfect, but as i said previously this is my first story so I am still relatively new to the scene.

Anyway as always feel free to message me or leave a review if you have any questions, and I hope to have the next chapter uploaded within 2-3 days.

~Rayviar~

Gallade sat high in the trees that overlooked the central plaza of Hau'oli City. His legs dangled over the branches above the busy streets below. To his right sat another one of his companions, Lucario. Like Gallade he had also perched himself in the tree next to him. They watched over the plaza as people and pokemon made their way about their day, as they tried to make out the familiar figure of their trainer.

"What's taking him so long. For someone that says he's so consistent at keeping time he sure is awfully slow at completing a very mediocre task." Moving his head to Lucario, expecting an answer from the jackal, who groaned in response.

"It's awfully busy today. I'm sure even you are capable of realising that. Finding a space in a hotel at this short notice just before a tournament of this calibre isn't exactly as easy as you make it out to be, so stop whining." Lucario moved his focus back to the streets below.

"Well I need something to do to pass the time. Got a response to that one as well?" He shot towards Lucario who again groaned. He was growing tired of Gallade already. The two never had gotten along overly well, both fighting for the position as Ash's go to fighting type had gotten to their heads from an early stage and had spiralled out of control from there.

"How about you make yourself scarce. Your voice is starting to bore holes into my head."

"Oh come on Lucario. Throw your hatred aside for just a moment and think of something for us to do yeah? What about a battle?" Lucario's ears perked up at the suggestion, turning his attention back to the centre of his annoyance.

"Where? You don't even know your way about this place. It'd take you days to stumble across a battlefield." Gallade ignored the insult.

"Try me jackal." He growled out, leaping from his branch to the same one Lucario sat upon. "You know I could beat you any time, anywhere. Your just trying to get out of this." Growing tired of his antics, Lucario jumped up into a fighting stance, causing Gallade to mirror his movements.

"Then let's go. Gale." Lucario drawled out, ready to pounce at the psychic type.

"For the love of Arceus. Now I know why Ash makes us keep you two apart." A familiar voice joined the conversation.

The two fighting types lowered their defences, looking for the source of the voice. It came from below where another two of the team members now stood. Ash knowing the potential length of time the task of finding a hotel would be had released everyone bar a few pokemon to venture the streets of the city to pass the time. The two that had found the duo was Sceptile and Scizor.

"What do you two want?" Gallade greeted the duo with his usual hostility. They both ignored him as Lucario jumped down to them. "What's going on guys?" He greeted an a more friendly manor.

Sceptile spoke up. "We just thought it's best that you two don't beat the crap out of each other. Especially in the middle of the streets." Lucario looked around him, remembering where he was, allowing the anger to drain from his system.

"We know he can be a right pain in the ass, but we just have to deal with it." Scizor spoke up this time, glancing back to the top of the tree where Gallade still sat, who just glared at him in response.

"Yeah I suppose your right. Don't know why I stayed with him in the first place. I should have expected as much."

"Come on, where heading down to the training grounds to check out some of the competition. Want to come with?" Sceptile offered, to which Lucario nodded in response.

The trio retreated back down the busy street, angered eyes following them as they left. Gallade remained perched in the tree, awaiting Ash's return. He didn't care what they thought about him. He was here to serve Ash. Only his opinion mattered.

Ash made his way through the crowd that surrounded the training grounds. He had since returned from his adventure to find a hotel and had met up with his pokemon, before heading to the grounds for some last minute training and too hopefully find Bastian. Thankfully the white haired man was very easily distinguishable amongst the crowd. Spotting him from a distance he made his over to him.

"Bastian, you look lost over here." Bastian turned to face him, a slightly worried look on his face.

"Ash. Good thing your here. Perhaps you can help me with something." Intrigued, Ash questioned what was going on. "What's going on?"

"I'm not overly sure myself, but do you ever get the feeling that your being watched?"

He questioned.

"Yeah, worryingly frequently actually." Ash replied, scouring the crowd for anything out of the ordinary. Looking back to his friend, he saw the confusion in his eyes. Something definitely wasn't right.

"You have every right to worry, chosen one." Ash froze. The voice didn't belong to Bastian. It sounded worryingly like his own. He looked around him for an answer, but he knew that nobody around him could have said it. The voice came from inside his head. Bastian picked up on his lack of movement.

"You okay there Ash?" Realising that Bastian was talking to him again, he pushed his thoughts to the side.

"Yeah I'm just thinking. How long have you had that feeling?" Ash enquired.

"From the moment I've got here. I've just got that gut feeling. I can't place it." Bastian replied, again looking through the crowd.

"Stay wary then Bastian. If my life has been any hint so far, the next few weeks aren't going to go by quite as swimmingly as we'd maybe like." Ash offered, who kept an eye on the sky above them. "Something is definitely going to happen."

"What makes you so sure?" Bastian questioned.

"Gut feeling." Ash bluntly responded, taking his attention away from the sky and back to his friend. "So let's enjoy this while we can, I think N is around here somewhere. Let's go find him." Bastian nodded in agreement as the two set off through the crowd.

They wandered the grounds for 10 minutes before spotting the trademark green hair through the group of bodies. N noticed the duo as they approached, motioning for them to come and take a seat next to him.

"Ash, Bastian good to see you." He greeted them.

"Good to see you again N" Ash responded. "Think your ready for the first round then?"

"You bet. I'm winning this thing I can feel it!" He shouted confidently.

"Looks like we have some competition then Ash." Bastian joked. "I doubt he's got anything on us." N laughed in response.

"I don't think you should intimidate him Bastian or he'll get Reshiram on you." Ash suggested. He knew N to well to know that he wasn't afraid to put Bastian in his place once in a while.

"Hm, maybe your right. Well I'm here to train so I may as well get to it. There's a free space over there I'm going to go and take it." With that Bastian scurried off, leaving Ash and N to themselves.

They shared a look momentarily. Ash knew the look he had in his eyes. Curiosity. The barrage of questions was about to fall down upon him like a waterfall.

"So Ash, you say Darkrai managed to convince you to return." Ash nodded in response. "That seems a bit far-fetched to me. Your the most stubborn person I know. I'm sure it takes more than a few words of wisdom from him to make you do a sudden u-turn. What was it?" They looked to each other. N's eyes sparked with curiosity. He was smart Ash could give him that.

"I have my reasons N, many of them."

"Care to enlighten me then?"

"Fine. I'll only explain one of my reasons though. Some things are best kept secret." Reaching into his pocket, Ash pulled out a necklace. The chain was made of solid gold and suspended a jagged golden-brown orb. He tossed it to N so he could examine it.

"What is it?" N asked in awe. He'd never seen anything like it.

"I could ask you the same question." Ash stated.

"Huh? You don't know what it is either?"

"I told you I have my reasons. One of them is to try and figure out the importance of this thing."

"Where did you find it?" N enquired.

"Sinnoh. Felt a connection to the thing the moment I got within close range of it. I'm connected to it in some way, however I'm not sure how. That's why I'm here, after the tournament I'm going to try and find some answers."

"Well I could possibly help you with that Ash, I went through a similar experience with Reshiram. Who knows, maybe it could be a link to a legendary pokemon." N's theory made sense. He'd been in possession of the light orb for many months before it unlocked Reshiram's power.

"Maybe not a bad suggestion, knowing what my life is like I wouldn't discredit that. I guess we'll have to wait and see." Ash remained slightly hesitant to the idea, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"You do have a track record of trouble following you wherever you go." N pointed out.

"It isn't just that N. A quote that I always like to keep in mind is 'in time of peace, prepare for war'. With the break down of the evil organisations the world has been at peace for the past few years, it won't stay that way for long and I feel like once again I'm going to be at the centre of it. Something is going to go down N, and I think it might start at this very tournament. This place already feels oddly mysterious."

"You've got that feeling as well?" N asked

"Indeed I do. So does Bastian. Maybe there's another reason I'm back, maybe fate has something to do with it."

Beginning to feel uneasy once more, Ash surveyed the crowd once more, but with so many people congregated in one spot. He gazed to the horizon, looking for an answer in the clouds. Back a day and everything was already starting to kick off. Just his luck. Ash knew he could trust N, if he was involved N surely would be as well.

"We'll figure this out N. Me, you and Bastian will figure this out, but it'll have to wait until later. I don't like the feel of this place and I've got a professor to visit."

"I'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow then. I'll keep an eye on Bastian. We all know someone has too." N joked causing Ash to chuckle before making his sudden departure.

As he left he kept a close eye on the faces around him. Anything that looked out of place or any suspicious individuals would be enough for him to warrant investigation. However nothing met the criteria and he continued on his way out of the training ground. Walking out of the battle grounds he released the one pokemon that he'd kept on him in case of emergency.

"Absol, stand by." The disaster pokemon materialised in front of him, adorning a defensive stance.

"What's wrong Master?" She questioned to her trainer, taking in the new surroundings.

"Keep your eyes peeled Absol. Something isn't right around here. If you see anything out of the ordinary you tell me, got it?"

"Why the precaution Ash?" Absol enquired.

"Me and N both agree there's something not quite right here. Something's beginning to brew that we can't yet see, but it's there alright. Just thought an extra set of eyes would be helpful. Plus I'm sure you want to get out for a bit."

"Your right about that. I'll keep an eye out. So where are we going anyway?"

"Professor Kukui is in town, and I'm to meet up with him to discuss some sort of project."

The two made their way through the busy streets, keeping a wary eye on anyone who looked their direction. Professor Oak had told Ash that Kukui would be waiting for him at a nearby coffee shop, however finding the place turned out to be problematic. If it wasn't for the eagle eyed vision if the professor himself, he probably would have missed the shop entirely.

"Yo Ash! Over here!" Kukui's booming voice shouted over the crowd.

Stopping in the middle of the street, Ash looked through the crowd to try and identify the professor. When he did he made his way over to him. "Sorry I'm late professor, I couldn't find this place."

"Don't worry about it Ash. Come on take a seat, can I get you anything?" Kukui offered, handing Ash a menu.

"Actually Professor a coffee right now would be great, I've been on the go constantly for the last 24 hours."

"Not a problem, I'll be back in a minute then." With that Kukui got back out of his seat and up to the counter to place the order.

"So what's your first impression then?" Ash asked the disaster pokemon, who had jumped up next to him.

"For a professor he seems nice enough, keep an eye on him though." Absol pointed out, remaining wary off those he hadn't met before.

A few moments later Kukui returned with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Ash and got straight to business.

"So Ash I assume your a busy man. I am as well so I'll try not to keep you long. Recently I've been wanting to put more research into creatures known as ultra beats, have you ever heard of them?" Kukui asked.

The question immediately gained Ash's attention, who placed his coffee to the side and sat up in his seat.

"Can't say I have, what are they."

"Their very mysterious creatures, very similar to pokemon but they appear to come from another dimension, gaining access to our world via some sort of rip in space." The professor explained.

"So... their like pokemon from a different realm?" Ash asked, still confused by the subject.

"In a way, yes. But it isn't the creatures themselves we're interested in. They first appeared a few years back and then vanished again but their has been a few sightings recorded in recent weeks. What I want to know is how they get here. Where do these rips in space come from and how do they form." Kukui explained.

"I see where your coming from professor, but how exactly to I help here?" Ash questioned.

"Ah yes, this is a slight long shot but this whole project depends massively on luck. Due to the high amount of time you'll be spending around the city and the surrounding area, plus what professor Oak has told me about your previous encounters with rare pokemon I thought you'd be my best shot at finding, and potentially capturing one of the beasts."

"So you want me to catch an ultra beast?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Precisely. However there isn't any pressure, all I ask of you is that if you see one to try your hardest to capture it, or at least find out where it came from. Just think of this as an extra thing to keep an eye out for while your here."

"Well that sounds easy enough I guess. Sure, I'll keep an eye out for you professor." Ash said, with slight wariness in his voice.

"Wonderful Ash, don't worry I'll be sure to make this worth your while. If you need me I believe professor Oak will still have my number." Ash nodded, confirming his assumption. "Now, you've got some explaining to do." Kukui said, moving the focus onto Ash.

"I suppose I do, ask away." Ash replied.

"Where have you been all these years?" Kukui started.

"Primarily Sinnoh, hunting down an ancient relic." Ash answered, like it was no big deal.

"Ancient Relic?" Kukui questioned.

"Yeah let's not go into that right now, I don't even know what the thing does."

"And that's what you've been doing the past four years?"

"Essentially yes. Other loose jobs here and there." Ash stated, scratching Absol behind the ears.

"What about your friends Ash. You've been disconnected for so long." Kukui asked, noticing he'd evidently struck a soft spot. "Or should I not ask." He tried to correct himself.

"No it's alright professor, I've not been completely disconnected. I'm here with two friends. Them and my pokemon is all I've needed." Ash answered. Kukui seen right through him. He knew it was not the truth, the hint of sadness in Ash's eyes confirmed his suspicion.

"Ash." Kukui said flatly, getting the younger man to look up at him. "Don't lie to me. There's no point keeping secrets from me. Maybe I can help you." He said reassuringly.

Silence washed over the two, neither speaking for a few minutes. Ash had diverted his attention to his coffee, swirling the spoon around and around, his eyes following the slow movements of the liquid. Kukui did not press, Ash would talk when he was ready and if he didn't want too, he wouldn't push him.

"Well... your right. Of course I missed my friends, what kind of a person would I be if I didn't. Do you know how they've been?" Ash asked.

"Well I know that the guys from here in Alola have been in constant contact with some of your friends from other regions. They're meant to be meeting up for this tournament." Kukui stated.

"So they are going to be here, I figured as much."

"You don't sound awfully upbeat about that Ash, why?" Kukui asked, confused to Ash's lack of enthusiasm.

"I've got a lot on my plate right now, and things could be about to get worse. For now I want to keep my distance in case anything bad happens. They don't deserve to be dragged into anything."

"That sounds a bit unfair Ash, there's a lot of your friends who looked up to you. Some even still remain hopeful to this day that you'll come back. I'm sure they'd jump at any chance to see you again, no matter if there is a threat of danger or not." Kukui strained.

"It's for the best professor, at least for now anyway. Just tell me how they're doing."

"Well for starters, I can tell you that Hau & Gladion have both improved a lot in the past few years and are both competing. As are Mallow, Lana and Kiawe." Kukui explained.

"Not surprising. Keep going Professor." Ash stated solemnly.

"Most of them gave up hope Ash. Most of them think your dead, only a few still believe your out there. Fewer still search for you."

"They looked for me?" Ash questioned.

"Of course they did. At first they all did, we searched every region. But time passed and there was still no sign of you. So one by one we stopped looking. Some still keep asking for you but not many. Most of them have lost all hope."

Ash stayed quiet for, taking in what Kukui had just said. He looked to Absol who looked right back at him, neither sure of what to say. "Who kept looking professor?" Ash asked.

"Well as you can probably guess, Lillie still looks for you. If she's travelling she'll ask around if anyone has seen or heard from you. But look at you now Ash, you look completely different. Even if someone had seen you I doubt they'd recognise you." Kukui explained, studying the new Ash. The only similarity he still dawned was his striking auburn eyes.

"Your mother has all but given up hope, same with Brock and Misty. Your friends from Hoenn, Max and May I believe don't hold much hope either, but that boy battles a lot like you did when you were younger Ash." The comment brought a rare smile to Ash's face.

"I'm guessing you remember an old friend of yours called Paul?" Kukui asked.

"Yeah I remember Paul, what about him?" Ash asked.

"He visited me a couple months ago with his girlfriend. He asked about you, actually we talked about you a lot. Said they'd been sniffing up leads that you were in Alola again."

"Hm, seems they were miles of the trail then. So who exactly is this girlfriend? He never seemed like the kind of guy who could hold up a relationship."

"Dawn I believe her name was, I'm guessing that name means something to you." Kukui answered, to which Ash nodded in confirmation, before a new thought entered his mind.

"I'm guessing Lillie will be tagging along with them? The guys from Alola that is." Ash presumed. The professor nodded in response.

"Yeah she is. She was never quite the same after you disappeared Ash." Kukui said quietly. Ash broke eye contact, the guilt starting to wash over him. "She looked up to you Ash, when you left she lost a huge role model in her life. Thankfully Gladion tried to fill the position but he wasn't very successful."

Ash didn't speak, instead he just stared into his coffee. Watching the patterns swirl around the mug.

"Ash I'm not trying to guilt trip you here, I'm just doing what you asked me to." Kukui explained, worried for the younger man across from him.

"I know professor. How is he doing?" He asked, not particularly wanting to know the answer.

"Not great if I'm honest. Out of everyone she's probably struggled to cope the most."

"That doesn't surprise me. We were extremely close. Throughout my time travelling through Alola we were inseparable and she probably cared for me more than anyone else. She was there the day I disappeared." Ash explained, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two photos, sliding them across the desk to Kukui.

He picked them up and studied them. One was of the whole group, happily gathered around a camp-fire with they're pokemon behind them. The other was of just Ash and Lillie, the former of which had his arm wrapped around the others shoulder. Charizard and Ninetales stood tall beside them.

"Arceus you've changed Ash. You look so much younger back then. So much happier." Kukui said gloomily, sliding the photo back across the table.

"If I recall correctly, that was the last genuinely happy day of my life ." Ash stated.

"Then I'll never understand why you didn't come back sooner Ash. Or why you even left in the first place"

"Neither will I professor. Neither will I."

Kukui paused momentarily, not overly sure of what to say next. "You know she's going to hunt you down right. Once your name goes up on that board tomorrow and she knows your here, you won't be able to stop her." Kukui said.

"Your right about that, I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens won't I?" Ash stated.

"You seem less concerned about her finding you, any reasoning behind that." Kukui joked once more, sending a sly smile Ash's way.

"Your a smart man Professor, I'm sure you can figure out why." Ash joked back.

"Well you do carry a photo of her around with you, so yeah I guess I understand." Kukui chuckled.

"Yeah... she's pretty special."

Kukui noticed the genuine smile that now appeared on Ash's face, glad to see that part of the old him was still in there. It just needed to be brought back up.

"Just promise me that you won't do anything stupid Ash, don't hurt yourself to keep them safe. Anyway it's been great catching up but I've got somewhere to be, sorry for leaving so suddenly, I'll see you around." Kukui said, taking one last swig from his cup and dashing out the door, leaving a confused Ash behind.

"Well, that certainly was interesting." Absol spoke up, watching Kukui run past the window and down the street.

"He's certainly different that's for sure, I wander what's got him in such a rush. Plus he's given us something else that we'll need to keep an eye out for. We've certainly got a lot on our plate already."

"Indeed we do, however I think we can give this whole 'ultra beast' thing the least priority right now, don't you think." Absol suggested.

"Yeah I agree, for now let's focus on the tournament. Round one is tomorrow so we have to be up early for the draw."

Ash finished his coffee before the duo left to find the rest of the team, a task that in concept was simple but would take them well over an hour to complete.

"So Max, what's the battle plan for tomorrow? Who are you going to use?" The voice belonged to Brock, who was part of a large group of people who were sat around one of the many booths within the pokemon centre.

"I thin I'll use Sceptile, Gardevoir and Mightyena. They've all been itching to fight for a while now so I'll give them the chance." Max replied eagerly.

"So do you think you can get far Max, get in with the big guns like me?" Paul spoke up cockily this time, receiving a laugh from the group.

"You better believe it! You underestimate me Paul!" Max shouted enthusiastically.

"Then I expect to see a lot from you then. Don't disappoint me." Paul challenged, receiving a mock salute from Max in response. "What about the rest of you then? Misty, Gary, Hau, how are you three feeling about your chances?" Paul asked.

Gary spoke up first. "I'm going far in this thing Paul, you know this. I can give you a run for your money so I've got to be good enough to go far right? Maybe even beat you this time." He joked. A joke that Paul dismissed. "What about you Misty?" Paul moved his attention to the redhead.

"Well I'm not as strong as Gary, and definitely not as irritating." She replied, throwing the shade Gary's way who just stuck out his tongue. "But I still think I can have a decent run. As long as I make it past the first few rounds I'll be happy." She explained humbly, before looking to Hau.

"I think we can all agree I'm the weakest link here." He started. "But if I don't make it past the first round Mallow won't shut up about it for the next few weeks, so I'm going to have to try my hardest." Hau explained, looking to his sister who nodded in conformation of his statement.

"I think there's a good chance for all of you to do well. Your all really strong battlers and have proved so many times before, so I wouldn't worry. You'll all do great." Brock explained.

"What about yourself Brock?" Max spoke up, shifting the question to the oldest member of the group.

"I'm no different than Hau, apart from the added pressure from a hot-headed cousin. I'll just be happy to make it past the first round."

The group continued to talk about the upcoming tournament and theorising their strategies for the challenges ahead. As the night grew older they began to head to their rooms, one by one until only three remained.

Gary was busy scribbling some incoherent tactics down on a notepad while taking constant swigs from his cup of coffee in an attempt to keep himself awake. Across from him still sat Mallow & Lillie who were browsing through something on Mallow's phone, or as Gary seen it, taking a look up from his work, Mallow was looking through her phone and Lillie was staring off into nothing.

He was worried for the girl, heck the whole group was. Ash's disappearance had its most prolonged effect on her out of everyone and understandably so. Though his constant absence was always present in the back of everyone's mind, she had always been the one that had suffered the most. The memories constantly resurfacing and dragging whatever was left of the old Lillie back down with them.

Year by year she had grown more silent, more detached. They tried to help her but nobody could fully understand what she had went through. How much pain and suffering she had experienced over the last four years. She still shown brief spells of the old her, and tried her best to put on a smile for everyone but Gary could always see through her expression. The bags under her eyes. The falter in her smile. The way her eyes would always speak her true emotions.

The performer who's heart was once full, filled with confidence, happiness, love and admiration, was now empty and broken.

Her once gleeful and shiny green eyes that glistened with hope like the ocean under the sun, now an empty void, dead to the beholder.

And her smile, the real one, not the fake one she used to mask the hurt, the smile that could lighten a room and was brighter than any star, now non existent. Unseen for years.

She was no longer happy, no longer herself. A ghost of the girl she once was. An empty shell of hurt and depression. It was now a part of her. Gary and Mallow were the only two that could see through her act, the others all oblivious. All they could do was watch as there friend slowly seeped further down into the pit of despair, like a captain watching his ship go down. There was nothing that could be done to stop it.

Gary slipped from his thoughts as he heard her mumble something about her going to bed, before getting up from her seat and slowly trudging out of the room. He looked to the younger girl as she watched the other disappear around the corner. She turned to face him and they both shared a look. One that had been shared too many times.

Gary had never met Mallow before Ash vanished, but from what her brother had told him she hadn't changed a bit. It turned out he knew her better than her own brother. She had changed. Gary was proud of her however, watching her best friend slowly falling away had been hard on her. However she very rarely showed it, only in private moments with little company would her mask begin to waver. Gary had become almost like another brother to her, just like Ash once had. She came to him whenever she had a problem, and sometimes even Gary would go to her. They understood each other, and this was one of the times that Mallow went to him.

He motioned her over to his side of the table, an invitation which was swiftly accepted. Mallow slumped into the seat next to him, collapsing into his side. He returned the hug as the tears began to form under her eyes. He held her close, stroking a hand through her hair. They'd been through this many times before. Nothing needed to be said. He just needed to be there.

He knew Lillie pain was something that he would never understand, but he could understand the pain that it inflicted on Mallow. The younger girl had watched the person she considered her sister fall apart from the inside, a sight that also slowly began to break her. But Mallow was strong, incredibly strong willed and didn't let it get the best of her. She just wished for Lillie to get her life back, for Ash to somehow return and fix the mess that he had left behind him.

The two continued to sit in silence. The lounge now completely empty apart from them. The only sound was the soft sobs from the girl next to him. Gary looked out the window next to him as the moon now took centre stage in the middle of the sky, the starts shining brightly around it. It was a beautiful sight. A welcome change in the currently dreary atmosphere. He pointed out the scene to Mallow, who's mood slightly lightened upon the sight.

"Never knew you were one to appreciate the simpler things in life." She spoke up, keeping her gaze fixed on the sky.

"In hard times, you just need to appreciate the beauty around us. It's not very often I get to see the moon and the stars. However I will admit space has always amazed me." Gary said, his eyes adorning a new found shine which caused Mallow to chuckle.

"You know they say only a Zoroark will fall in love with the moon." She joked, punching him on the shoulder.

"Maybe there's more to me than meets the eye then huh?" He joked back before taking a look at his watch. "It's getting late Mallow Tomorrow is a big day. We should be getting to bed." The younger girl groaned in protest but eventually unwillingly agreed. They made their way through the centre, arriving at their rooms that lay adjacent to each other. Mallow paused before entering, taking one last look at Gary.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" She asked, wide eyes looking up at him.

He sighed, looking towards the door that Mallow was lent up against. "I don't know Mallow. I really don't." She nodded in response, happy that he wasn't lying just to make her feel better. They both knew she was getting worse. They could only hope for the best. Now they would sleep, and leave the worries till tomorrow.

"Wow. Ash you've outdone yourself here." Lucario stated, looking around the room they had just stepped into in awe.

"Well I thought I'd treat ourselves for once, it's not half bad is it." Ash replied, stepping past Lucario and throwing his bag on top of the kitchen unit.

"So you rented us a penthouse!? How much did it cost?" Lucario asked, his voice breaking slightly causing Ash to chuckle.

"Don't worry about that, we've got more than enough money to cover the cost. In the meantime just try to relax. There's three bedrooms in this place, take your pick." Ash told Lucario before heading down one of the hallways.

"I'm getting a whole room to myself? These next few weeks are going to be amazing." Lucario said to himself as he began his search for a room. Stopping at the bedroom he found, he walked inside and took a look around. In the middle of the room lay a king sized bed, beyond that was a huge window that gave a perfect view of the whole city below. Stepping back out of the room and into the living space once again, Lucario noticed that Absol had already stretched out onto the couch.

"Where's Ash?" Lucario questioned.

"He's away for a walk with Darkrai, said he wouldn't be long. The rest of us are to stay here and make ourselves comfortable." Absol explained, as Lucario proceeded to sit down on the chair adjacent to her after turning on the TV.

The duo of Ash and Darkrai had made their way out of the city and now followed a small trail that lead north of the city, into the hills that loomed over it. Darkrai, unknowing to why Ash had called him out at such a late time just followed his trainer in silence as they ascended up the path. As they walked further the trail levelled out and thick trees now surrounded them. They continued for a further few minutes, breaking off the path before Ash came to a stop in a clearing in the middle of the forest. Perching himself upon a rock that sat in the clearing he motioned for Darkrai to take a seat beside him.

"Do you have any idea why we are here Darkrai." Ash finally spoke.

"Not the slightest idea, you actions continue to confuse me."

"Good, because this may sound stupid." Ash explained, running his hand through his thick black hair before replacing the baseball cap back on top. "Ever since we arrived here earlier I've been on edge. Something about that city isn't right but I can't put my finger in what it is."

"Maybe it's your sudden introduction back into the public, maybe that's what's putting you on edge." Darkrai offered an explanation, to which Ash immediately shook his head.

"I've already ruled out that possibility for two reasons. Both N and Bastian have the same feeling as me, and I've heard a voice."

"A voice?" Darkrai questioned.

"It's in my head. Must have gotten through using my aura. It's only spoke to me briefly but it was enough to confirm my suspicions that there's something happening in the background around here that we don't yet know about, something that I don't think we'll be able to ignore." Ash explained, a look of worry adorning his usual static face.

"What did the voice say Ash, any hint towards what might be happening?" Darkrai asked.

"It told me to watch the sky, I don't know what I'm looking for."

The duo both looked up, taking in the beauty of the night sky above them. Not a cloud could be seen and the stars shone as bright as a diamond. The beautiful scenery however quickly became unimportant as both trainer and pokemon picked up on a foreign aura in the area.

"You feel that Ash?" Darkrai asked, as both of them dropped down from their position on the rock.

"Yeah, but where is it. I can't seem to get a track on it." Ash replied as he reached into his pocket. Realising that he hadn't brought any of his other pokemon with him, he settled for grabbing the hunting knife that was clipped to his belt.

"I can't locate it either. This is most irregular." Darkrai stated, standing back to back with Ash. The two continued to scan the forest but were unable to identify the source of their worry. They didn't have to bother however, as it soon made it's presence clear itself.

"You can stand down Chosen One. You to Darkrai. I do not pose any threat to you." A booming metallic voice called out from their left. Both of them turned to identify the new arrival. Neither expected to see what now stood before them, however they were also confused as to it had kept hidden so well.

In front of them now stood a large dark blue pokemon, which had a grey metallic chest-plate that held a diamond at its centre. Anyone around the world would immediately be able to recognise the pokemon. The Lord of Time, who had the ability to warp time to its own liking by speeding it up, slowing it down or even stopping it all together.

"Ash, its good to see you again." It spoke, finally steeping fully into the clearing.

"It's good to see you as well Dialga, off what do I owe this visit." Ash greeted, making his way over to the titan.

"I have sensed your troubles and worries Chosen One. I come here with important news and to answer any questions you have."

"Important news?" Ask questioned.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. The world is changing once again Ash. It's time to pick a side." Dialga stressed with a sigh, turning to look away from Ash as he finished.

"Pick a side? Dialga what in the name of the distortion world is going on?" Ash asked, growing anxious at the sudden news. What did Dialga mean?

"I'm afraid we've been awfully vague with you chosen one. I predicted this happening many years ago but I was sworn to secrecy by Palkia. However I can't keep this a secret any more, it's time for you to know. You have a key role to play in all of this Ash. I just hope you are committed to do it."

"Just try to explain yourself Dialga, but no matter the scenario I will help in whatever way I can." Ash tried to comfort the legendary, who showed evident signs of stress and worry.

"Very well Ash. Listen up." The dragon took a seat on the grass below him before starting. "As the Master of Time, I am able to see things that nobody else yet has. I am able to catch glimpses into the future, and the future I have a saw is not a pleasant one. Only recently have I been able to identify where our downfall will begin. We do not have long to prepare for the worst Ash, and I need you by my side to stop it."

"What will be the cause of this 'downfall'. Who's our enemy?" Ash could see the flicker of uncertainty in Dialga's eyes.

"As much as I do not want to believe it Chosen One, Arceus himself will be the centrepiece of our downfall if we do not act to stop him." Dialga explained.

Not believing what he had just heard, Ash questioned Dialga further. "Arceus? But how?" He asked the Steel-Dragon type.

"I'm afraid I do not yet know. There is only so much that I was able to find out, but I assure you that he is at the centre of this, I need you to trust me Ash. Arceus can not be trusted."

Ash looked to Dialga once more, filled with confusion and uncertainty. He had made an oath to Arceus that he would never disobey his law and always stand for what he fought for. But he could see the look in Dialga's eyes. This time he had to follow his own judgement.

"Alright Dialga. You have my trust." The news came as an extremely welcome relief to the legendary.

"Thank you Ash. You have no idea how important it is for me to have you on my side." The Time Lord bowed in gratitude. "However I must worn you Ash. The next few weeks may be very chaotic, I just hope your up for it."

Now filled with determination, Ash shot Dialga a confident smirk. "I can take whatever you through at me, I'm ready for anything. So what is the plan?" He asked.

"We must rally the other legends, with Arceus being the link between us we must find them on our own accord. Some I expect will fight alongside Arceus, but some will see through his lies and corruption and dare to fight with us. Like I said we must be ready for anything Ash, I expect the worse."

"Then what is our first plan of action?" This time Darkrai finally spoke, joining in on the conversation. Before Dialga cold answer however, Ash asked another question. "Wait hang on a minute, what is it Arceus is actually doing?"

"A story for next time Chosen One, I want to keep our first meeting brief." Dialga explained. "Our first plan of action is actually to meet here again tomorrow night, however this time your friend N must accompany you."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise at N's name, not expecting him to be mentioned or even known by Dialga. "N? Why him?" Ash questioned.

"He holds a role in this madness as well, most of what I tell you I will need to tell him as well." Dialga explained, returning to a standing position. "That is all I can tell you right now Ash, I will be able to explain more tomorrow when we have more time."

"I understand Dialga. Same time, same place?" Ash asked. Receiving a nod from Dialga they parted ways, Dialga disappearing back into the forest and Ash and Darkrai returned back down towards the city.

The sudden event caused Ash to forget the original reason of their excursion, it would have to wait for later. For now the duo had more pressing matters to worry about, and once again as Ash had predicted, his life was once again going to be thrown into chaos.

He'd expected as much. His connection with the legends was both a blessing and a curse, one that he was required to carry. Now he'd have to get ready to potentially save the world once more.

Lucario and Absol had stayed awake to wait for the trainer to return, however this had became increasingly difficult as the night dragged on. Absol had already fallen asleep on the couch as Lucario scrolled aimlessly through the many channels on the TV, however nothing manages to hold his interest.

Meanwhile Sceptile, who had also opted to stay up with the duo was looking through the items that Ash had left on the kitchen counter before dashing out with Darkrai. Most of the gear was nothing out of the ordinary. The usual stuff such as spare pokeball's and potions. However one item in particular peaked the lizards interest.

"Hey Lucario, come here a second would you?" Sceptile called out, beckoning him over. As the jackal approached him he handed him the object in question. A single photograph. "Who's the girl?" Sceptile asked.

Lucario took the picture in his hands, studying it momentarily. "Ah yes I know who that is. Her name is Lillie. I'm surprised you found it, Ash very rarely leaves it behind." Lucario explained, giving the picture back to the grass type.

"Lillie huh? How come I've never heard Ash talk about her?" He questioned

"You know Ash. He doesn't like opening up to anyone. I've only heard him talk about her a few times, but I know that he holds onto that picture quite carefully."

Absol listened to the two from across the room, already knowing her trainers feelings towards the girl.

"I'm guessing they were close." Sceptile observed, still studying the picture off the two.

"Definitely. Whenever Ash has talked about her he's talked about her like she's all he ever cared about." Lucario explained.

"Wow. Definitely close then. I had no idea." Sceptile said sheepishly.

"It's the one thing he regrets about leaving. He never knew how much he'd miss her, how much he needed her before he left. It devastated him. It was the only time I've ever seen Ash cry." Lucario said, remembering that day. His trainer had been an absolute mess.

"Well maybe he can go find her again." Sceptile offered, to which Lucario hummed in agreement.

"Well I'm shattered, make sure and put that stuff back where you found it." He told Sceptile before turning to head to his room. Flipping the light switches the room was plunged into darkness, however Sceptile's voice called out from the darkness once more.

"Lucario?"

"Yeah?"

"Does Ash... does he love her?"

Lucario pondered the question for a moment. Ash had never given him a direct answer. He'd never even asked, but the way he talked about her and the way he yearned for her made it incredibly obvious.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he does."

Lillie stood at her balcony. Looking out over the city below. The streets that were packed with people through the day, now silent and abandoned. The trees blew in the bitter night wind that came in from the sea. The leaves dancing to the song of the gale. But some leaves did not dance. Some fell, slowly down to the cold ground below.

"It's getting colder." She thought. Her body beginning to shiver in response to the frosty air nipping at her skin. "And so is my heart." She watched as the moon's rays were taken over by the thick black clouds.

"It's getting darker." The streets darkened without the moon's light, now only illuminated by the scattered street lights. "And so are my thoughts." The wind grew stronger. More leaves began to fall and the clouds shifted, allowing the moon's rays to hit the streets once more.

"The leaves are falling." Another leaf fell from the tree, landing on the balcony railing in front of her. "And so am I." She took it in her hand, crumpling it in her grip. "I'm falling apart." She let the now crushed leaf fall to the ground, as her own tears began to fall once more.

She took a photo out of her pocket. It was an exact copy of the one Ash carried and served as her only reminder of him. She headed back in side, and she laid her head on the pillow. Allowing the sweet relief of sleep takeover.