Chapter 3: Made it Look Easy

Author's Note: Starting from the time of this chapter being uploaded until the 19th of May, my upload rate is going to decrease to around one chapter a week and I'm expecting to stick with this rate of around one chapter a week. The only reason i was able to upload these first chapters so quickly was because they were all written in advance. ( and because god damn exams are only starting now )

However i have a lot of ideas for this story so I well definitely be working on it whenever I get the chance, and i expect this story to go well beyond the 100k word count. I have lots of potential ways i can carry this story but if any of you guys have any ideas of your own, feel free to pm me and I'll consider your idea. That's all from me, and as always I hope you enjoy!

~Rayviar~


"Wow. There's so many people. I had no idea that there was this many trainers competing." A shocked Bastian said, gazing around the main hall of the battle complex.

Ash, Bastian and N had just arrived for the opening ceremony, which was to be followed by the draw for the first round. The battle complex itself was a marvel of modern engineering, built for the sole purpose of hosting this very tournament. The complex was made up of eight different stadiums to maximise the amount of battles that could be held at one time, as well as a large training complex and a central hub sitting in between the eight stadiums.

"Two thousand and forty eight people Bastian, this thing is going to be huge." Said N, taking up a spot beside him.

"Wow... think any of us can win?" Bastian asked.

"Well only you can answer for yourself, but based on personal experience both me and Ash have a good shot at winning." N replied confidently.

"Keep your head high Bastian, your strong enough to go a long way." Offered Ash who now joined the two, standing to the left of N, Lucario by his side and Krystal on his shoulder.

"Thanks Ash, as long as I don't draw either of you two I should be fine." Bastian said, to which Ash grimaced. The idea of him drawing Bastian in the early rounds was not a good one. The slightly younger boy had been extremely excited for this, and he didn't want to ruin it for him.

"So anybody know how long until we get this thing going?" Asked N, evidently impatient. Both Ash and Bastian shook their heads also unknowing.

"You'll have to wait a few more minutes, doesn't kick off until half past 11." A new voice answered, catching the trio by surprise. Ash recognised the man immediately, they'd met a long time ago back in Kalos.

"Alain? I should have guessed you'd be here." Ash stated, not expecting the Kalos native to recognise him. He was wrong.

"And I didn't expect you to be here Ash. You've been a ghost for a long time now, it's good to see you again." Alain said, who chuckled as he watched Ash's eyes widen.

"You recognise me? I'm impressed. Nobody else has yet."

"It's hard to forget the face of the man who bet you in the Kalos league final. A long coat and a beard will only get you so far." Alain stated, before spotting the addition to Ash's team. "So you found yourself a Lucario I see. Your going to be handful I can tell. That Lucario looks incredibly powerful." Alain said in slight awe.

"He's strong alright, but then so is your Charizard. We'll both be a handful. I expect to see you in the final rounds." Ash challenged.

"Trust me Ketchum you will, I've wanted a rematch for a while now. Even if we do not meet, promise me you'll give me one?" Alain offered, stretching an arm out for Ash to shake on it, which he did.

"Alright then Alain, I'll see you around then."

"Indeed you will, later Ash." With that he disappeared back into the vast group of people who were gathered in the room. Ash turned back to the others who both held slight looks of confusion.

Noticing the looks he realised he'd have to explain. "An old friend from Kalos. Strong trainer, so keep an eye out for him." He explained.

"He'll be no match for me, nobody in this room is." N let off confidently, receiving a wary look from Ash. "Okay maybe you Ash." He corrected. Satisfied with the correction Ash turned his attention back to the front of the room, awaiting the opening announcement.

"Are you feeling confident chosen one?"

Another voice. Ash did a quick take of his surroundings. This one was different than the other. It spoke in an oddly soft tone, but again like the other there was no source in sight. Surely he was imagining it, maybe it was the stress, maybe he was going slightly insane. He wasn't sure.

"Come on, talk to me Ash. Your making me sound foolish." The voice sounded again, Ash's attention snapping back to it. He looked to Lucario, who shared a knowing looks with his trainer.

"Lucario, scan the building. If there is anything out of the ordinary, apprehend it." Ash stated coldly, as the two of them disappeared into the crowd.

"Yes master, I'll keep you informed." The jackel said apprehensively before disappearing into the crowd. Ash continued to work his way through the crowd before coming to a clear space at the back of the room.

"Alright then, you have my attention. Who are you and what do you want?" Ash thought to himself, if this thing was in his head then he theorised it would hear his thoughts.

"Ah at last, it is good to finally talk to you Ash." It spoke in a slow raspy voice.

"Why are you in my head. What do you want?" He hissed.

"I do not want anything in particular chosen one, I only wish to warn you of an impending danger. There is only so much that Dialga can predict." It spoke, grabbing Ash's attention. What could it possibly know. How did it even know he had met with Dialga.

"Why should I trust you." Ash questioned coldly, not wanting to allow the voice to gain any ground.

"Because I can be a useful asset to you. More useful than you could ever imagine."

Ash considered his options. Everything else had already been tossed into the air, surely his situation couldn't get any more complicated, could it?

"Master? Can you hear me?" Lucario's voice sounded in his head, snapping him out his thoughts. "It's not here. Wherever it is it's too far away for me to track." Lucario's deceleration surprised him, there actually was a source.

"Do not bother to look for me chosen one, you won't find me." The voice said slyly, knowing it had the upper hand. Ash knew it was right, there was no point trying to chase it down.

"Alright, good work Lucario. You can come back." He communicated to his pokemon, before turning his attention back to the voice. "Right, explain yourself then." He said.

"There is only so much I can tell you right now, for your own safety. I can tell your awfully stressed right now." The voice continued.

"Get on with it." Ash's patience was drawing thin.

"Calm yourself chosen one, we don't want another outburst do we?"

The question sent a shiver down Ash's spine. He hadn't lost control of his aura in many months, this thing had evidently been watching him for a long time. "How do you know about that?" Ash growled.

"I know a lot about you Ash, more than you could possibly imagine. But I am not your enemy remember that."

"Then say what needs to be said, as I'm sure your aware I've got a tournament to be attending." Ash pointed out.

"The audacity of you humans." It growled in mock annoyance. "I know that you have spoke to Dialga and he has told you that you must take N to meet with him tonight. However there are more people that are going to slip into this situation, and I believe you know them all."

"Who are they?" Ash asked.

"One is the man you just talked to, Alain I believe his name is. The other is Paul Shinji, I believe you two have history."

"Yeah I guess you could say that." Ash replied. "So what do they have to do with this?"

"Dialga will reveal this to you in due time, but I warn you Ash. The danger that is about to be unleashed is unimaginable. It will be like nothing you've ever seen before." The voice warned.

"As long as my friends are safe, it doesn't matter."

"This event could be catastrophic Ash, how do you plan to ensure their safety?" It questioned.

"If they don't know about it, they won't be harmed by it." Ash said.

"You aren't going to go back to them, I'd highly advise against that chosen one, and not just for your sake. You won't be able to hide this event." It warned again, but Ash paid the warning no attention.

"It will keep them safe and that's all that matters, they don't deserve to be dragged into this."

"Just promise me one thing then Ash. That other voice you heard. You must ignore it." The voice said aggressively.

"You seem to know a lot about me, and seem to know what's best for me, but yet you won't tell me your name." Ash replied, growing angrier.

"I must not interfere too much Ash. For now you may refer to me as Renegade. I need you to trust me. Much like Dialga I have seen things that others have not. Come to me when you have troubles. Call my name as I am always listening and most importantly, ignore the other voice."

"How do you know about the other voice, what aren't you telling me?" Ash asked, however this this time there was no response. Ash groaned in annoyance. "Am I being toyed with? Or am I loosing my mind."

For now however he had to keep his focus set on the task at hand, he couldn't get distracted.

"Yo Ash!" Bastian's voice sounded from over the noise of the crowd. "Where'd you go? You missed Goodshaw's speech."

"Sorry, I had to take care of something." He apologised, giving Bastian a look that told him not to ask any further.

"Well come on then, their just about to release the details for the first round." Bastian explained, before dragging Ash back to the front of the crowd.


"Max! Are they up yet!" The voice of Paul burst through the loud complex, snapping the young boy out of his daze. He looked back to where he had heard him and saw the rest of the group waiting expectantly. Paul stood side by side with Dawn, holding her hand in his. Max chuckled at him. He was no longer the cold hearted man he once was, no matter how much he refused to accept it.

"Yeah that's them! Come on over and have a look." Max shouted back to them, waving them over. The group gathered around the scoreboards that were displayed around the room. They currently shown the recently decided match fixtures for the first round.

"Well then who do we all battle then?" Gary called out from the back, making his way to the front to get a better look.

"Found mine already!" Mallow announced, pointing to her name which was near the top of the list. "I'm battling Crasher Wake, should be easy enough." She said confidently.

Brock looked through the long list of names, trying to pick out those he recognised. It didn't take him long until he came across a familiar name.

"Hey Paul. I've found your match." He called to the other man. "You'll be facing someone called Chris Hanson from the Johto region. Can't say I have ever heard of him."

"Neither have I. Which means this should be easy." Paul stated confidently. He looked back to the board, almost immediately spotting Gladion's name amongst the list. "Looks like you'll be facing Drake in the first round Gladion. I'd pray to Arceus if I were you."

"Drake? As in Hoenn elite four member Drake?" He screeched, taking a closer look at the scoreboard. "Oh Arceus give me strength." Any confidence that he had previously had now shrivelled up and fallen away.

They returned their attention to the list once more, still looking for the names of the two Kanto natives amongst the group. "Found Misty!" Max called out, pointing to the far right of the screen. "She's facing Flannery. Lucky draw."

"I'd say. This should be easy then." Misty cheered confidently, happy with the draw of an almost certain victory. "Then that just leaves Gary then." She stated, as everyone once more returned their attention to the scoreboard.

"There he is!" Mallow called out, pointing out his name on the bottom of the screen.

"You'll be facing Volkner. Not the easiest of starts huh?" Broke questioned him. Instead of one of Gary's usual quirky responses however, Brock was treated with silence. He looked to Gary who's eyes were currently fixed in the scoreboard. Unmoving and unwavering.

"Gary you okay over there? Did you hear me?" Brock questioned once more, pushing slightly on his shoulder. He still remained silent. Eyes unmoving and locked on the scoreboard

"Gary? Are you okay? You're scaring me." Mallow now spoke to him, tugging on his shoulder to grab his attention. He finally broke from his trance, but only momentarily. He slowly rose his hand to the level of the bottom of the scoreboard, pointing at one of the battles that lay at the bottom of the list. "Someone please tell me I'm not imagining that." He said, his tone taking those around him by surprise. It wavered with uncertainty and fear.

Brock knelt down to get a closer look, recoiling as soon as he did so. He looked even closer, feeling like his eyes were betraying him. But they weren't. The name he saw was really there.

"Brock..." May spoke up, taking a step towards the older man, but she stopped as he spoke. His voice matched Gary's from a moment before.

"Round 1, battle number seven hundred and thirty." He began to read out from the board. "This Battle will take place at 4:45 today in arena 4 and will be between Ardyn Shimada from Goldenrod City, Johto and..." He paused before reading the name, sharing a knowing look with Gary. Neither could quite believe what they had read. "And Ash Ketchum." He finished, taking a standing position once more.

The group had all recoiled at the mention of the name. All rushing to see it for themselves, not believing what Brock had said was the truth. But they could all see it now. The proof was right in front of them. He was here. He wasn't dead. He was back.

Brock stood still, attempting to comprehend what had just happened. His best friend. His best friend that he thought had been dead for four years was alive, and he was here. Most likely in the very same room as him. He couldn't believe it.

Next to him Misty thought similar thoughts, unable to come to grips with the fact that he was back. Everything had pointed to him being dead. No sightings. No contact. But she could see why there hadn't been any. The picture that matched his name on the screen looked nothing like the old Ash. The only comparison that could be drawn was his eyes.

May and Max stared at each other, neither unsure of what to say. Max especially was overwhelmed by the news. The person he looked up to and moulded his battle style after wasn't dead. He was here, competing in the very same tournament he was going to be.

Dawn had already started crying, her head buried into Paul's neck. Paul himself couldn't believe it. He had still believed Ash was alive but even that couldn't have had prepared him for this. It seemed the day he would return was today. On his shoulder sat Pikachu who bounced in joy at the news. His trainer was here. He'd get to see him again.

Gary held Mallow as the tears of joy began to fall. Saying the girl was overjoyed would have been an incredible understatement. Her hopes had come true, Ash had returned and hopefully he could finally fix everything. This thought lead her to look towards Lillie who had been quite until this point.

The older girl had collapsed to the ground, supported by her brother who'd reacted quickly to hold her up. Her head buried into his neck as the tears began to flow like a river. He held her there for what felt like years, but in reality was only a few minutes until she begun to calm down. Nobody had still said anything. They remained in silence. Nobody completely sure of what to say.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream." Lillie's muffled voice sounded as she began to sit up again. Her eyes were bloodshot but her face adorned a smile that hadn't been seen in years. It was genuine. One of pure happiness.

"No it isn't. This is real. He really is back." Gary spoke, holding her closely. Everyone looked to each other, the looks of shock and joy now present on everyone's face. Their celebrations didn't go unnoticed by a passing by jackal pokemon who was making it's way back to its trainer. It smiled as it passed them, knowing that they'd be soon reunited.


The trio of Ash, Bastian and N, now knowing their opponents for the first round hastily made their way out of the central hub and into the training grounds, hoping to get as much last minute training in before their matches.

"So have any of us actually ever heard of anyone we're facing?" Bastian asked, looking between the other two.

"Nope. Which means this'll be easy." N smirked, removing two pokeballs from his belt.

"So who are you going to use, because if this is going to be as easy as you think it will then I'm just going to use Dusknoir." Bastian said, twirling the ghost types ball around in his hand.

"I'll probably only need Zoroark." N said, referring to the pokemon that currently walked alongside him. "What about you Ash?" He called to the other man, who so far has been silent.

"I'm going to let Gallade get a run out. This should be easy for him." Ash replied smugly, releasing the psychic type from its ball. "You hear that Gallade?" He asked him as he materialised beside him.

"Indeed I did master. I'm honoured to be your first choice." He said honourably, to which had chuckled slightly.

"You do not need to thank me, it was an obvious choice." Ash replied, patting his pokemon on the back. "We want to make a good first impression, your the best to do that." Ash returned his attention back to his two companions, noticing they had come to a stop at the far end of the training grounds, claiming one of the grounds for themselves.

"Hey N, how about a warm up?" Bastian called out.

"Oh your on! 3v3 sound good?" N called right back, adorning a look that spoke 'your going down.'

As the two called out their first pokemon, Ash slid of to the side with Gallade in tow. "So master, when do you think this tournament will offer its first challenge?" Gallade asked Ash.

"That all depends on you Gallade. I don't want to reveal anyone else unless absolutely necessary so the first three rounds are all yours, as long as you can handle them."

"You hold a lot of confidence in me don't you?"

"With good reason Gallade. I have faith you'll crush the early opposition." He backed up his claim, bringing another pokeball into his hand. Wordlessly he threw it into the air as Garchomp appeared before them. "Besides, if we run into any issues this guy will have us covered." Ash said as Garchomp drew an offensive stance.

"Your right about that. It appears almost impossible for us not to win this thing." Gallade stated, receiving a wary look from the dragon type.

"Overconfidence won't get you anywhere. You must stay focused." Garchomp stated flatly, casting a wary look towards Gallade.

"Let's not start arguing you two. But like Garchomp said Gallade, stay focused on the task at hand." Ash told him, receiving a nod in response. "We came here for one reason only, to win this tournament. We may now have other issues on our hands, but that won't change anything. We're still going to win."

Time Skip: 4:45pm

Ash sat in the locker room, Gallade beside him as they waited for the announcement to make their way onto the battle stage. The roar of the crowd above them was a sound he had not heard in years, and soon they'd be cheering his name once more. For the first time in years.

"You okay Ash?" Gallade spoke up from his side, his expression slightly worried.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm just beginning to realise the significance of the situation." He spoke, playing down his pokemon's worries.

He dug his hand into his coat pocket, pulling out the picture he'd shown to Kukui the day before. Upon seeing the item, Gallade wrapped an arm around his trainer.

"Don't worry master. You'll do fine." Gallade said.

"She's going to be up there isn't she? They all are." Ash asked shakily.

"They are, and you're going to go out there and show them all how strong you've become." Gallade replied encouragingly, receiving a small smirk from Ash. "And if that's not enough, do it for her Ash."

"Your right. Thanks Gallade, you always know what to say." Ash said, giving his pokemon a quick hug.

"Any time Ash."

"Well we'll most likely be called out any minute, so you'll have to go back in the ball." Ash reminded Gallade, who nodded in understanding before being recalled. Ash sat in silence awaiting the call, or he would have if it wasn't for a familiar face that appeared next to him.

"Oh hey Ash!" He looked up to see that Bastian has just entered the room. Luckily for them their battles had both been scheduled one after the other.

"Hey Bastian, how did it go?" Ash asked, already knowing the answer.

"Swept him, barely even got a hit on me." He replied with an evident bounce in his step.

"Glad to hear it, told you you'd be fine." Ash said as he extended his fist, bumping it with Bastian's

Before they could continue the conversation however, the booming voice of the announcer sounded signalling that the battle was ready to begin. The two said their goodbyes and Ash made his way out onto the battlefield.

He knew the crowd was huge, but he didn't expect this many people. The place was packed. There was thousands of people all packed into the arena, and amongst them people somewhere was his friends, ready to cheer him on.

He shuddered slightly as the pressure of the situation began to get to him again, but once more a calming voice came to his aid.

"Relax chosen one, your going to do great." The voice he had heard earlier at the main hub returned, attempting to ease his nerves. He remembered it mentioning to him to refer to it as Renegade.

"Renegade? Is that you?" He thought to himself, greeting the voice without hostility this time.

"I'm glad you grace me with kinder words this time Ash." It spoke softly, yet still with its cold tone.

"Sorry about that, but with everything that's happened over the past day it's hard to know who I can trust right now. Everything is just changing so fast. Plus you've got to remember to me your just a voice in my head."

"I understand Ash. I don't expect you to trust me, but I am real and I only wish to help you. Like right now, I thought you could use a calming voice." Renegade stated, nailing the head on the coffin.

"You've got that right."

"So like I said don't worry, I've seen your Gallade battle. He will dominate this match."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ash told it, his eyes washing over the crowd in search of any sign of them.

"Ah yes, this is the first your friends will have seen you since you left won't it. Do not focus on it Ash, if you start panicking again I'll be here to calm you down."

"Calm me down, how exactly?" Ash asked, confused by the statement.

"I have my methods. Just trust me Ash, I've got your back." Renegade said reassuringly, not completely answering the question.

"Thanks Renegade, it's actually kind off nice having you here. No matter how weird this would sound to someone else."

"Don't worry about it Ash, now go get him." So Ash made his way out onto the battleground. A surge of newly found confidence within him.

The two battlers took position on opposite sides of the field, looking towards the referee to get the battle under way.

"Alright! This battle will be a 3v3 match between Ardyn Shimada of Goldenrod City and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Are both trainers ready!?" Receiving a nod from both of them, he declared the battle to begin. "Alright trainers send out your first pokemon!"

Ardyn started things off, immediately grabbing the first ball on his belt. "Noctowl, let's go!" On the left side of the field the owl pokemon appeared, sending a blank stare towards Ash.

Despite the evident type disadvantage, Ash still had full confidence in his original plan. "Gallade, en garde!" The fighting type appeared to the right of the field, sending an icy stare down the battlefield.

"Right Noctowl, we've got a massive advantage. This should be easy! Put that fighting type in the ground!" Ardyn called to his pokemon, causing Gallade to double back in laughter.

"Is he serious master?" Gallade spoke to Ash through aura, attempting to stifle his laugh.

"I think he is. More the reason to crush him." Ash communicated back, awaiting Ardyn on making the first move.

"Noctowl, start things off with Air Slash!" Ardyn ordered. Noctowl took to the skies at great speed. Raising it's wings above its head it formed a bright blue energy and fired it towards Gallade.

"They'll have to do better than that, Gallade counter with Pyscho Cut!" Ash ordered back. Gallade's forearms began to glow bright blue before swinging them, unleashing a barrage of crescent shaped projectiles towards Noctowl.

"Noctowl, get out of..." Ardyn began to call, but the speed of Gallade's attack was to fast to counter, as it landed a direct hit on the owl pokemon who fell to the ground, already struggling to get back up. "Come on Noctowl, get back up!" It eventually obliged, however it struggled to support itself.

"Gallade, put it out of its misery. Ice Punch!" Ash ordered, as Gallade's fists were surrounded by an icy energy. He lunged at breakneck speed towards his opponent, once more not allowing any time for Ardyn to react. The punch connected swiftly with the owl pokemon, causing it to once more fall to the ground. However this time it didn't get back up.

"Noctowl is unable to battle! Ardyn send out your next pokemon!" The referee called to a stunned Ardyn, who was still in shock of the shear power of the pokemon that stood across the field from him.


"Oh my Arceus! Did you see that!" Max shouted from the stands above the battleground, bounding up and down in his seat.

"I blinked. Must have missed it." May replied, at a loss of words for what she just saw.

"His Gallade absolutely crushed Ardyn's Noctowl!" Bonnie shouted, sharing Max's enthusiasm.

"Ardyn is about to be torn apart!" Max shouted again, returning his attention back to the battle.


"You won't win the next one so easily! Typhlosion let's go!" Ardyn shouted, releasing the fire type starter onto the field. Gallade only smirked, now knowing who his next victim would be.

"I'll give you first move again Ardyn." Ash teased, angering his opponent.

"We'll show you! Typhlosion use Flamethrower!" Ardyn called to his starter. The flames on Typhlosion's back grew ignited as it released the stream of fire from its mouth.

"Gallade, take it head on and use Close Combat!" Ash called to Gallade, who smirked at the reckless strategy. Following the order he took off once more at lightning speed and dove straight through the torrent of fire, striking Typhlosion with a barrage of kicks and punches once reaching the end. The sudden attack took the fire type of guard, as once again one of Ardyn's pokemon were demolished. This time in just one attack.

The crowd fell silent as they watched Typhlosion fall to the ground unmoving, before erupting into a chorus of cheers. Gallade jumped back from the unconscious fire type and crouched down in front of Ash.

"I knew you were strong Gallade but one attack? That's just showing off." Ash joked to his pokemon.

"You said to make a good first impression. That's what I did." He smugly shot back, earning a hearty laugh from Ash.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Ardyn send out your final pokemon!" The referee called.

"This is our last chance to salvage something! Scizor let's go!" Ardyn sent out his final pokemon, the pincer armed bug type.

"Alright Scizor use Bullet Punch!" Ardyn called. Scizor's pincers began to glow bright blue, as he lunged towards Gallade across the battlefield.

"Gallade, meet it with your own!" In response Gallade's arm also began to glow blue, as he met Scizor head on in the middle of the battlefield. The two clashed, pushing each other back the way they came as the attacks cancelled each other out.

Ardyn groaned in frustration as he called out another attack. "Scizor use Superpower!"

"Gallade get in behind and use Fire Punch!" Ash called the counter, causing Ardyn to gasp at the unexpected attack. This Gallade had a counter to everything.

Before Scizor could stop his attack, Gallade had already flanked around him, hitting him from behind with countless fiery hits, bringing the bug type to the edge of its limit. Scizor stumbled back to his trainer, but continued to hold its offensive stance.

"Scizor let's go out in style! X-scissor!" The bug type crossed its pincers across it's chest, as they were surrounded by a red hue. He launched himself towards Gallade in one final attempt to inflict some damage, but once more Gallade had an answer.

"Stop him in his tracks Gallade, Drain Punch!" Ash ordered Gallade, who proceeded to surround his fists with a green form of energy before unleashing another barrage of punches upon his helpless opponent, who fell to the ground like the others. Defeated with ease.

"Scizor is unable to battle! Ardyn is out of usable pokemon which means Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is the winner!" The referee called, confirming the dominant win in Ash's favour.

"Return Scizor, you tried your best." Ardyn said, proud of his pokemon's attempt. The two trainers moved to meet in the middle of the field, shaking hands.

"That Gallade of yours is incredible. I've never seen anything like it before. So don't make me look bad, you better win this thing!" Ardyn told Ash, gripping his hand tightly.

"You can count on it." Ash simply replied, before turning away and making his way back down the tunnel with Gallade by his side.


Time: 8:00pm

"Already ten minutes late. For the love of Arceus where are you N." Ash though to himself, drumming his fingers on the table he sat at. He had returned to the same coffee shop he'd met Kukui at the previous day. The coffee was just to good to stay away from.

"It would appear he has stood you up, Ash." As shrill voice sounded, snapping Ash's eyes open. It was in his head. It wasn't Renegade. Krystal flinched slightly from upon his shoulder.

"Who the fuck are you." Ash growled.

"How rude Ash, where are your manners. I'm even disappointed you don't recognise my voice." It teased.

"Fuck you."

"I can sense the anger growing within you Ash, and with that I grow more powerful. The darkness grows from within you, and soon it will take over."

"Bullshit." Ash spat, refusing to believe what he was hearing.

"You can't fight it Ash. Your fate has been set in stone." The voice said, fading away to nothing.

"Arceus I am going insane. What in the Distortion World is going on with me." Ash thought, putting his head in his hands.

"I've got to beat it. There's to much at stake."

"Ash, you okay there?" Looking up, Ash saw that N had finally arrived. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He joked as he took a seat across from Ash.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Ash lied. He'd speak to N about it later. "So what is it you wanted to talk about anyway?" Ash asked N, recalling the original reason they were here.

"Yeah..." N started slowly. "You remember Hilda don't you?" He asked Ash.

"Hilda? As in the Hilda you were and most likely still are head over heals in love with." Ash joked.

"Yes that Hilda." N huffed, rolling his eyes at the raven haired man. "Well as it turns out she's here to compete."

"Really? Well are you going to talk to her?" Ash asked.

"Well yeah I want to but... what do I say to someone that I haven't seen for over two years. Someone that I left without a word."

"I'm not you N. So I can't put that into words for you. Just be honest with her. Tell her that you've missed her. If you two were as close as you said I'm sure she'll be happy to get you back." Ash said reassuringly.

"I hope your right Ash." N said, shooting Ash a small smile. Curiosity then took over him. "Say Ash, have you ever had anyone special in your life?" He asked. The sudden drop of Ash's expression not going unnoticed by him.

"Depends how you look at it." He simply said as he pulled out the photo from his pocket once more, slowly moving it across the table to N. "You ever wander why I carry that thing about with me?"

"I've thought about it before yes." N replied.

"Well it's something that holds a lot to me. It captured the moment that I last truly remember being happy. It was taken the day before I left." Ash spoke softly.

"An old friend you were quite fond of I guess." N said.

"That'd be an understatement."

"So who was she?" N asked slowly, understanding that it wouldn't be a wise idea to press Ash to much on the subject."

"Her name is Lillie. The only girl that I've ever loved, and the only one I ever will. She was one of the ones I left behind to chase this stupid thing." Ash said, motioning to the gem that hung around his neck. "I just didn't realise how important she was to me until I'd already left."

"As in that girl you met when you first came here? Damn." N spoke, slightly shocked by the side of Ash that was rarely seen. Ash reached into his pocket, showing N the same picture he'd shown Kukui the day prior.

"I was just to stupid to realise it back then." He spoke bitterly.

"Why haven't you went back to her?"

"The person you meet tonight will be able to help you answer that question." Ash spoke, ignoring the confused look.

"There's always second chances Ash. She's still out there." N said, trying to reassure Ash to little success. "Why have you never talked about her before." N asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"When I'm upset N, I shut myself down. Whatever motivation I have left shrivels up and hides. I tell myself that nobody cares about my problems, nobody cares about me. Even though deep down I know some people do." Ash took a sip of coffee before continuing. "So I turn my mind to all the negative things I can possibly imagine. I give myself pain to block out the memories. I think I deserve it. I don't understand why I do, but that's just who I am." Ash finished, staring down at the cup.

"Ash..." N began, stunned by the sudden burst of emotion.

"I'm loosing it N." Ash choked. "I'm going insane. I'm losing my mind. I'm hearing voices and I see visions in my sleep. I'm being torn apart form the inside. And that isn't even the worst part. I thought I could handle the pain of being away from her, but I can't. It hurts just to damn much."

N couldn't even usher a response. Ash's cold exterior had never even so much as wavered in front of him, and now it had crumbled completely leaving the broken shell of a man in front of him. Which left him surprised when he noticed Ash had called out Darkrai.

"Darkrai, take N to the meeting point. I need to go back to the hotel and think some stuff over." Ash stated, raising his hand to any protest the nightmare pokemon or N may have, before slowly trudging out of the coffee shop.

"What was all that about?" Darkrai asked, worried for his trainer.

"I wish I knew Darkrai. I believe there is more to him than any of us understand." N simply responded.


Time: 11:00pm

"You've got to be kidding me." N stated in awe, turning back to look at Darkrai who floated behind him. "Dialga!?" He shouted, turning back to look at the Lord of Time who stood in front of him.

"It's good to finally meet you N." Dialga boomed.

"You too Dialga. But I must ask, why am I here?" N asked, still in shock.

"You are here because a new danger threatens the world. A threat that if not dealt with quickly could destroy our planet." Dialga answered. Both Dialga and Darkrai proceeded to explain to N what Ash had been told the night prior.

"So Arceus is our threat, that I understand but I still don't get why I fit into all of this." N said, confused by the whole subject.

"Your allegiance with Reshiram is one that cannot go ignored N. In a fight against legends only other legends will suffice. It may seam like a lot to ask, but I ask for you to stand by us along with Reshiram to fight Arceus." Dialga spoke once more.

N looked to Darkrai and then back to Dialga. It wasn't a hard decision to make. "If it means there's a better chance at saving the world then I'll do it." He replied.

"Excellent!" Dialga exclaimed. "Just be aware, the dangers you may face N won't be like any other you've faced before. There's a risk that some of us won't make it. I don't expect you to risk your life for this." Dialga continued.

N turned to Darkrai, now understanding what Ash had meant earlier. "This is why Ash hasn't went back to them isn't it. He wants to keep them safe." N stated.

Darkrai floated forward. "Indeed it is. If they don't know about this then they won't be able to be hurt by it, and if we win and make it out the other side, that's when he'll go back. No matter how much it pains him to stay away." Darkrai said solemnly on behalf of his trainer.

"So be it Dialga. I'll fight alongside you." N stated confidently, earning a sincere smile from the legendary.

"Thank you N. It means a lot. Now we just need to get to action with our first task."

"Being what exactly?" Darkrai spoke up.

"We already have Reshiram on our side, now we need Zekrom."

"And how are we going to do that?" N asked.

"We're going to have to pull Ash out of his slump, because he's the one who's going to go and catch him. I'd explain more N but without Ash here there's isn't much point. I hope we can meet again in two days time." Dialga declared.

"Sounds reasonable. I'll be sure to inform Ash." With a nod from the Lord of Time, both N and Darkrai retreated back into the forest back towards the city.


Ash stood alone on the balcony that looked over the desolate streets below. His mind a mess of thoughts and worries. Sceptile and Absol slept in the room behind him, both unaware of the turmoil that currently swam through his head.

"This is getting out of hand. All I feel is darkness. It's getting harder to fight. Harder to ignore." He ushered breathlessly, words lost to the wind.

"There's to much pressure on me. To many memories that I can't forget. This thing actually is beginning to take me over. It knows I'm weak." The movement behind him went unnoticed by Ash.

"How does it already have such a strong grip. How long has it been doing this?"

"Ash." A voice called out behind him. Turning around he saw his best friend. He didn't know how he'd gotten in or why he was here, but one thing was for certain. He was a happy to see him.

"N? What are you doing here?" Ash asked him, unsure of how much he had heard.

"I'm here to check up on you. Didn't think I'd leave you by your self did you?" N answered, motioning for Ash to follow him back inside.

"You were worried about me?" Ash asked him. A question that N found outright stupid.

"What kind of a question is that Ash? Of course I was." N said. "And so does Bastian, and all of your pokemon. So please, let us help you fight this Ash. We're here for you."

Ash just stared wide eyed at the green haired man next to him. It was evident to him now that N had overheard him but he didn't care now. The knowledge that he had friends willing to try and guide him through this mess almost brought a tear to his eye. It ignited a new found hopefulness within him. At least for now anyway.

"Thanks N. I don't know where I'd be without you. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me, or even for what your about to try and do. You truly are an extraordinary person." Ash let out, the rarely shown emotion now seemingly splicing out of him. A sight that N welcomed.

"Come here big guy." N pulled Ash into a bear hug. "Your going to be fine. I promise you. We'll guide you through this." He whispered to his ear. For now both of them would remain hopeful for what the future held, but nothing in Ash Ketchum's life ever goes as planned.

"All in due time, Ash. Soon you'll be mine."


For the second night in a row, Lillie found herself standing at her balcony as the clocks hit midnight. This time however she was not alone. She had been joined by Lana.

"You okay Lillie?" Lana asked.

"I don't even know right now Lana. I'm overwhelmed. I just can't believe it." Lillie spoke softly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.

"I can't believe it either, I don't think any of us can. But he really is here. And he'll come back for you Lillie."

"I know he will, he's not broke a promise yet." She spoke cheerfully, holding the photo that had been taken of them.

"There was something strange though." Lana said, gaining Lillie's attention once more. "I watched his battle. Something seemed different about him but I'm not quite sure what." Lana said.

"I know what you mean Lana, but it's been four years. Anyone will change in that amount of time." Lillie contradicted. An answer that Lana seemed content with.

"Yeah I suppose your right. Anyway we can talk about it tomorrow, I'm too tired to stay up any longer and I think your the same." Lana said as she walked back into the hotel room and making for the door.

"Yeah I suppose your right." Lillie agreed, following the girl back inside and pulling the sliding door closed behind her before drawing the curtains. "Good night Lana." She whispered as Lillie walked out the door.

"Night Lillie" She whispered back, careful not to wake the sleeping form of Ninetales who lay at the other side of the room. Deciding to follow Lana's advice, she got changed and ready for bed, as her mind started to race again.

"I've felt anxious. I've felt alone. I've felt sad and restless." She whispered as she slid under the covers.

"I was irritated and angry that you left. Your disappearance deprived me of my happiness."

"You being apart from me turned by heart black. You left a void that agonised me everyday." She pulled the covers closer, rapping them around her chin.

"But now you've came back. Like I knew you one day would." She still whispered to herself, a smile pulling on her lips. "It won't be long until I can see you again. Hear you again. Hold you again. It won't be long now." She finished, yawning as she did so.

She allowed herself to fall asleep. The first night of sleep she'd had in years that would go without nightmares. Without shedding any tears, and without heartbreak. Tomorrow was the start of a new beginning. A new chapter in her life. A new chapter for the world.

From tomorrow, nothing would ever be the same again.