A/N: Hey all! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed whatever holiday they might have celebrated! We're really starting to see the tension building in the story as more mysteries are introduced. Who knows what will happen when shit finally hits the fan? Let's find out now! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter in Destiny's Chosen!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form! This story is purely a work of fiction based on the already existing universe! All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri, The Pokémon Company, Gamefreak, and Nintendo!

Pallet Town - Kanto

It was another beautiful day in the Kanto region; the sun was shining, the air was warm, and everybody was taking advantage of the good weather, including Professor Samuel Oak and Delia Ketchum. Pallet Town, being located in one of the more temperate regions of Kanto, was experiencing one of the most beautiful days all season and the two of them were not letting this chance go to waste. The two were driving back from Viridian City in Professor Oak's car. The professor had an errand to run and needed some assistance.

"Delia, I want to thank you again for taking time out of your day to help me… these old bones aren't good for much anymore, I'm afraid." Professor Oak laughed at the joke he made. The aged professor was indeed getting on in years, cursing his failing memory more each day and needing help moving large objects around the lab.

"Oh nonsense Samuel! I'm glad to help, though I am curious, wouldn't you normally have Tracey accompany you to Viridian City for something like this?"

"Well, normally you'd be right, but since Tracey is currently away on a well overdue vacation, I had no one else I could ask other than my granddaughter Daisy, and she's apparently too busy to help her poor old grandfather… children these days!"

"Oh believe me, I love my little Ashy to pieces, but he could always stand to be a bit more helpful around the house!" Delia giggled. She knew her son loved being helpful, but he had the tendency to put his journey and his Pokémon before daily chores whenever he was home. She loved his dedication and determination, but more help would always be nice.

Delia briefly took a look at the strange, metallic object sitting on the backseat. It certainly looked peculiar… unlike anything she had seen before. And it had a few different parts, each more odd than the next. Her curiosity was piqued.

"You know, I am a bit curious since this machine is rather unusual… what is it used for?" She asked her driver.

Professor Oak's face lit up as he began to launch into an animated discussion on the machine's properties.

"Well Delia, have you ever heard of the Orre Region? It lies quite far to the west of Johto and is a mostly desert area?"

Delia paused a moment to think, but then shook her head. "No Samuel, I can't say I have."

"Well this machine was developed over there a little while ago… it's called a Purification Chamber! A team of researchers over there had developed a method of opening the door to a Pokémon's heart should it ever be closed, whether by artificial or natural means." The professor explained excitedly. Delia could almost laugh at how his face lit up.

"This device is a newer version of the original prototype; it is much more compact and maintainable. The prototype was so large and complex, that the lab was built around IT rather than the other way around! The researchers in Orre have recently requested that each region be supplied with at least one of these newer models should the situation ever arise that we need them."

"Wow! But… what would we even need this for? I don't exactly understand where the danger is…"

Oak gave his passenger a melancholic look before continuing. "It seems that the people of Orre had a run in with a crime syndicate that artificially closed the doors to Pokémons' hearts… turning them into weapons to attack people with. They were eventually stopped after a few years, but the paranoia that it would happen again is still there."

Delia was shocked! "How could anyone do something so heinous?"

"Ah, looks like we've arrived at your home Delia!"

She looked out the window to see her beautiful, quaint little home with her white picket fence around the perimeter… the trip was now over and she was finally home sweet home.

Are you sure you don't mind storing this contraption here for the time being?" Oak patted the machine in the back. "I'll feel bad if it gets in your way."

"Oh, no worries! I'll just have Mimey come help me store it until Tracey returns and you can set it up! Just let me go find him and I'll be right back!"

Delia exited the vehicle and entered her home while Professor Oak gave her his gratitude. She enjoyed helping however she could. She noticed that her Mr. Mime was nowhere to be seen as she entered the living room.

"Hmm… I guess Mimey is out back tending the garden?"

As she walked through the living room and into the kitchen, she could see Mr. Mime taking a nap outside near the garden. The warm sunlight must have made him drowsy.

"Oh, that silly Mimey!" Delia giggled at her Pokémon's antics before heading out the back door to the garden, blissfully unaware that something was out of place in the kitchen.

It was the video phone in the corner of the room, and the flashing red light of one missed phone call.

Chapter 2: Crossing Paths

Celestial Hotel
Anistar City - Kalos

"WHAT!? IS THAT REALLY WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON!?"

"Serena! Bonnie! Keep it down will you? I wanted to tell just you two, not the whole world!"

As promised, Ash had taken the time to explain the situation to the two girls over dinner that night. Clemont, having heard most of Ash's tale the night before, wasn't too surprised. He WAS a little concerned, however, when Ash mentioned that he couldn't reach anybody at home on the phone, which was unusual. When the girls heard the extent of their friend's torment they were completely stunned. A certain honey-blonde performer was left to her own thoughts on the matter.

"Oh Ash… if only you had told me earlier! You were suffering alone for so long…" Serena thought to herself.

Ash could see the look everyone was giving him. It hurt to see them so torn up over his nightmares. "Guys it's ok!" Ash tried to lift their spirits. "To be fair, this is nothing compared to some stuff I've been through… I'm just worried is all."

The three Kalosians looked at each other briefly before looking back at Ash.

"We're worried too Ash… I told you this last night as well, but we care about you, and we want to help however we can." Clemont spoke with determination.

"Yeah, yeah! My big brother may be useless sometimes, but he's totally right about this! I'm gonna help you no matter what!" Bonnie shouted in excitement.

Clemont narrowed his eyes at his sister's comment. "Bonnie! Mind what you say about me! I'm not useless!"

"Are too! I'll take it back when you actually invent something that doesn't blow up!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!

"ARE TOO!"

Serena and Ash sweatdropped at the siblings' latest spat. They knew they could only fight like this because of how close they were, but seriously, it could get a little distracting sometimes.

"Well… there they go again. Wonder how long this will last this time?" Ash chuckled.

"Oh who knows… though I will admit, it's always nice to have something like this to liven everything up!" Serena lifted her hand to her face and giggled into it. "Hehe, there's never a dull moment traveling with everyone!"

At Serena's statement, Ash froze and looked down at the ground. That reminded him, he needed to tell the others something important. He looked up at Pikachu who gave him a nod of encouragement. Ash nodded in return and began to prepare himself for what might happen next.

"Actually Serena, that's something I wanted to talk to the three of you about…"

Serena almost missed what Ash had said because he was speaking so softly. "What was that Ash? You have something to tell us?" At this, Clemont and Bonnie stopped arguing with each other long enough to hear Ash speak.

"Yes… it isn't easy saying this, and I thought it over multiple times, but I think it's the only thing I can possibly do right now." Ash took a deep breath. This was it.

"I think I'm going to need to go home for now."

Everything got quiet. It was like the world stopped spinning for a moment and nothing else could break this oppressing silence.

"Y-you're… what?" Serena said.

"I said, I'm going to need to go home. For now." Ash said again, this time with a little more conviction. This was something he decided, so he needed to see it through to the end.

Nobody could say anything. The awkward air around the group of friends just got thicker and thicker. Seconds felt like hours until someone finally broke the barrier of silence.

"Will you… will you come back? Or is this goodbye?" Clemont looked Ash right in the eye as he spoke.

"NO! I don't want to say goodbye to Ash! We were having so much fun traveling around everywhere! I don't want this to end yet!" Bonnie had tears welling up in her eyes. She felt like her whole world was crashing down around her.

Ash felt like his heart was breaking at the little girl's crying, he needed to say something. "Don't worry Bonnie! This isn't goodbye… I promise I'll be right back as soon as I figure out what's going on at home. I could never stay away from you guys for too long, even if I tried!"

"R-really?" Through a few quiet sobs and sniffling, the little girl continued. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do! Besides…" Ash looked a Clemont and smiled. "We're like family now, right?"

Clemont smiled back. "Of course. We're going to see each other again real soon." He felt like everything would be alright, even if they were separated for a short while.

"See Bonnie? Your brother believes in me… can I ask you to believe in me too? It would mean a lot to me if you did."

"O-ok… I'll try!"

"Thanks Bonnie… I appreciate it." Ash gave the girl a thumbs up and patted her on the head. He then turned and looked at Serena, who had been quiet all this time.

"Serena?" Ash asked slowly. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to this news. He couldn't tell her expression since she was looking down at the ground and her hat was hiding her facial features.

The twins looked at each other, scared at how Serena was going to take the news.

"Serena… are you ok?" Ash asked again. As soon as he asked, she raised her head, her crystal blue eyes meeting his amber ones. The most surprising thing, though, was that she was smiling.

"Yep! I'm perfectly fine!" Her cheeriness was not something the rest of them were expecting.

Ash was confused. "You… uh… you are?"

"Of course I am! You need to go check in on your family and friends at home and I totally get that. Honestly, I would be more surprised and upset if you didn't say you were going to go home for a while after something like this."

"Serena…! Thank you so much for understanding! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Serena widened her smile as much as she could. "Anytime Ash… so what's the plan then?"

"Well, I was going to make my way back to Lumiose City and catch the first plane to Kanto I could."

"Then we'll come with you! That's ok with you guys right?"

"Of course it is Serena!" Clemont said. "We'll show you off to the airport with a smile Ash."

"Yeah! And then when you're done you can come back!"

"Then it's settled! We'll leave for Lumiose first thing in the morning… if that's ok with you Ash?" Serena asked.

Ash nodded in response. "Absolutely! If we're going to leave at first light, then let's head to bed soon so we're well rested."

"Sounds good! Well then, I'm going to head back to the room now and get ready for bed… I'll see you all in the morning!" Serena smiled and waved goodbye to the gang and began to walk away quickly. She needed to get out of there before it was too late. As she turned, her energy and emotions exhausted, her smile quickly fell from her face. Serena believed it was unnoticeable, but one person in particular caught the breaking of her facade.

Bonnie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Serena…?" The eight year old girl gave her brother and Ash the slip as they were talking to each other and gave chase. She pursued the retreating performer and followed her up the stairs and into the hallway where their room was. Peering around the corner, Bonnie watched Serena enter the bedroom and close the door. She slowly crept to the door and was about to open it herself until she heard something strange.

She heard the sound of sobbing on the other side of the door. Along with the crying came muffled shouts, each one filled with more regret and despair than the last.

"Why…? Why? WHY!? Why am I such an idiot!?" Bonnie could hear every word between the sobs. Serena was crying and yelling at herself. "I can't be selfish… I can't ask him to stay here, or to take me with him… but, why does he have to go? I'm going to lose him again after all this time…? And I haven't even accomplished anything! I couldn't even tell him… how much he means to me… will I ever get my chance now? Oh Arceus I'm such a fool! I'm a coward!"

Serena continued to weep and Bonnie felt her legs grow heavy. She slid down the side of the door and began tearing up herself. Her friend… no, her sister was on the other side of that door, crying and in pain. She felt lost. Bonnie didn't know what to do.

"Oh Serena… I'm so sorry…"

Bonnie silently cried with Serena out in the hall; both girls feeling heartbroken for different reasons. Serena felt that she was losing Ash, and Bonnie could feel her anguish. After a good fifteen minutes, Bonnie finally heard the sobbing stop from inside the room. She slowly let herself inside and saw that Serena was kneeling over her bed. She had fallen asleep in her crying. Bonnie slowly made her way over to Serena and covered her with blankets, so she could be warm while she slept.

"Ash… please don't leave me again…" The heartbroken girl mumbled in her sleep.

Bonnie climbed into her bed and pulled up her covers. She felt that she would not be sleeping well this night either.

Lumiose General Hospital
Lumiose City - Kalos

"Dr. Harrison! Dr. Harrison! Please, come quick, there's an emergency!"

A tall, dark-skinned man with squinty eyes turned to look at who was calling him. He was currently on his way to the locker room to end his shift for the night, so he was surprised that someone was calling for him at this hour.

"Huh? What's the emergency nurse…?" Brock tilted his head quizzically. In front of him stood a short, slender, blonde woman with large blue eyes. Her golden hair was drawn into a tight bun that rested on the back of her head. She was the perfect picture of a typical Kalosian woman to a Kanto native: Beautifully exotic. Brock would have been tempted to flirt with her, which was a bad habit he had worked hard to break over the last few years if he wasn't too busy trying to figure something out. Something that was confusing the doctor in training.

"I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"You've been here a month and you still don't know your colleagues' names yet!? I thought they were teaching you better at the Saffron Medical Institute!" The nurse shouted indignantly.

Brock scratched his head, thoroughly embarrassed. "I mean… this was only supposed to be a month-long assignment… so I never bothered to get to know everybody here… in fact, today is supposed to be my last day."

The woman glared at him until he started to sweat bullets. Finally, she shook her head and sighed in resignation. "Never mind, it's not important. But what IS important is that you hurry. None of the other staff members are available so you need to pitch in. I'm sorry, you should be clocking out for the night, but we need your help."

"Of course! Now that I know I'm needed, I wouldn't leave even if you tried to make me!" Brock said.

The nurse smiled and quickly nodded in response. "Thank you! Now hurry, this way! The patient is badly hurt from what looks like a really rough battle and needs immediate treatment."

Brock nodded and quickly followed the nurse down the hall. After some twists and turns, the two entered one of the examination rooms. Inside the room was another nurse who looked very overwhelmed at having been left alone with the patient and it's trainer in the room. The trainer was a boy of average height and was wearing a blue jacket with a red cap on his head. He was hurriedly asking question after question to the nurse, much to her dismay.

"Is my Absol going to be ok!? Do you know what's wrong!? Are there any broken bones? What about a concussion?"

"Please, sir, calm down! When a doctor arrives, they will be able to tell you more than I could!" The nurse took a defensive stance, afraid of being overrun with questions and the panicked trainer again.

Brock took a step forward into the room, making his presence known. The trainer's eyes lit up at the sight of his medical coat while the nurse let out a sigh of relief. She was off the hook for now.

"Doctor! Please! Help my Absol!" The trainer pleaded.

Brock smiled softly and placed his arm on the trainer's shoulder. He looked to be not much younger than himself, so he understood what he must have been feeling at that moment. "Don't you worry, I'll find out what's wrong and take care of it no problem. While I examine your Absol, please, calm down and tell me what exactly happened." Brock pulled out a few tools and began to examine the injured Pokémon while the trainer calmed down and began to recount his tale.

"Well we were in Terminus Cave training for the Anistar City Gym when we were… attacked." The trainer shuddered.

"Attacked? By what, the local Pokêmon in the region? That seems awfully unusual…"

The trainer shook his head. "No, not the Pokémon. We were attacked by a group of people in red suits… their Pokémon were really tough and Absol ended up like this before we could get away."

Brock paused his examination to look back at the trainer in shock. People did this? How could that be?

"Who in their right minds would attack innocent travelers and trainers for no reason? What's going on?" Brock broke out of his reverie and asked the trainer again.

"Are you sure that it was a group of people who did this?"

"Of course I'm sure! I wouldn't make this up!" The trainer shouted back.

Brock winced. He apparently had hit a nerve with the trainer when he questioned his story. Still, if it was true, something needed to be done.

Brock looked at the blonde nurse who came in with him. "Nurse, could you please go inform the police that there are dangerous characters operating near Terminus Cave? I would like to prevent more incidents if at all possible."

"Of course! I'll let them know right away!" The nurse gave a quick bow to the trainer and left the room quickly to go find a phone.

"Well, I have good news for you and your Absol at the very least… it looks like his injuries aren't too severe. There is some internal bruising and a minor fracture in his front right leg, but other than that, Absol has a clean bill of health." Brock smiled at the relieved look the trainer had at the news. Clearly, this boy cared for his Pokémon a great deal. "My only advice would be to keep it from battling or overt physical exertion for about one to two weeks and he'll be back in top form!"

"Thank you doctor! Thank you so much! Seriously, you have no idea… I owe you one!"

"Haha, no problem… I never caught your name?"

"Oh! My bad, I totally forgot!" The trainer chuckled and pulled down the brim of his cap. "My name is Calem, and I'm from Vaniville Town." Calm shook Brock's hand at his introduction.

"Good to meet you Calem. My name is Brock and I'm medical intern from Kanto. I'm here on assignment from my school back home… in fact I'm due to leave for home in the morning now that my studies here are over."

"Well Brock, I'm sure glad I caught you when I did. You saved me, and Absol too. If you're ever back in Kalos, look us up!"

Brock laughed heartily at the offer. "Sure thing Calem! It was a pleasure to meet you. The nurses here will help you fill out the proper forms for release and then you'll be on your way. Safe travels."

"Yeah, you too Brock." Calem shook Brock's hand one more time before moving over to his Absol to pet it. He wasn't ready to leave his Pokémon's side quite yet and that was perfectly fine. After relaying his instructions to the nurse still inside the room, Brock walked out and back down to the lockers where he kept his bag. The halls were quiet and peaceful, thanks to the late hour. It gave Brock time to think about what he needed to do next.

"What a way to end my time here at Lumiose General… I need to make sure I get enough sleep for my early flight back to Kanto in the morning!"

The Outskirts of Slateport City
Route 110 - Hoenn

"Alright Piplup, use Whirlpool and follow it up with an Ice Beam right up the center! Quilava, use Swift when Ice Beam reaches the top of the water funnel!"

"Piplup!"

"Lava!"

Dawn's commands were shouted confidently from across the field where her Pokémon were practicing their combination moves for their next contest here in the Hoenn region. She was upping the ante with this next combination, hoping it would go over really well in the appeal round.

"Yeah, that's it guys! You're doing great!" Dawn encouraged her Pokémon.

The young coordinator, only fifteen years in age, had managed to accomplish many great feats since she began her Pokémon journey only a few years ago. While she still hadn't managed to win any major tournament or contest circuit, she was proud of how far she had gotten each time and how strong she became because of it. After Dawn knew she had "no need to worry!" about the trials she would face and the difficulty that was the Hoenn contest scene. Ever since her good friend May Maple had finally won the Hoenn Grand Festival a few months ago, the number of trainers and coordinators flocking here were growing every day. Dawn relished the chance to go up against extremely skilled opponents, hoping to take the crown from the Princess of Hoenn, as May was called.

The tropical sun beat down on the blunette's head; she thanked herself for the forethought to put her long hair in a ponytail, the perfect way to counterbalance the heat the Hoenn region was famous for.

"Now Quilava! Use Swift!"

At her command, Quilava leapt into the air and took aim at the spiraling vortex. He unleashed his Swift attack at just as Piplup's Ice Beam exited the top. The resulting impact created a bunch of flying ice stars over the top of the whirlpool and a very bright rainbow effect. To the passerby, it was a very beautiful sight.

Dawn let out a cheer at her Pokémons' success. "YES! You guys finally did it!" She ran forward and gave them a big hug, proud of their accomplishment; they had been trying to perfect that move for over a week now.

"Now we're ready for the next contest! Oh, they're gonna be FLOORED when we perform!"

"Piplup pip!" Piplup gave his trainer a brave salute.

Dawn's confidence skyrocketing, she struck a pose. "Watch out May, because Dawn, the Sinnoh Legend, is coming for you at long last!"

Piplup and Quilava looked at each other and sweatdropped… their trainer was indeed good, but her self-titling could use some work.

"Let's head back to the Slateport Pokémon Center… we deserve a good meal after today… and I could use a shower." Dawn scratched her nose, a little embarrassed. "The sun has not been kind to me today. That's what I get for growing up in a colder climate… but oh well." She shrugged.

Her Pokémon nodded and cheered at the decision. It was late in the day and they were all getting very hungry and tired.

"Then it's settled! We march!"

Dawn quickly returned Quilava to it's pokéball and began walking back to the coastal city with her trusty partner Piplup in tow. Dawn had grown used to staying in the area around Slateport recently, as it was the region's main trading and shipping port. There, you could find ferries to many of the other regions in the world. Even just a short while ago, she had arrived here herself from a trip to the Johto region; she had gone to compete in her second Wallace Cup there. Before that, she had just gotten back from another quick trip to the Unova region where she met up with an old friend and traveling partner. Her musing led her to speak her thoughts aloud.

"Hey Piplup, what do you think Ash has been up to lately? We haven't seen or heard from him since Undella Town and the Junior Cup… you think he's doing ok?"

Piplup looked up at his trainer and smirked knowingly at her question. Of course she would wonder that. She had been wondering that before AND after she had gone to Unova. It was a great subject to tease the blunette over.

"Piplup…?" He smirked mischievously.

"Wha… what!?" Dawn's face flushed. "You're totally wrong Piplup! Of course I miss Ash, but it's the same as any of my other friends including Brock and May!"

Piplup just shrugged his shoulders and laughed at the coordinator's embarrassment.

"Ugh! Well maybe SOMEONE won't get as much food tonight as his pudgy penguin body might want!" Dawn threatened.

The small penguin immediately went pale at the thought of going hungry for the night. There were battles worth fighting, and sometimes, there were battles that weren't worth it. He immediately deduced that this one fell into the latter category.

Dawn saw the scared look on her Pokémon's face and let out a hearty laugh. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding! But that's what you get for teasing me… even though I guess I deserve it, huh?"

"I know I've been talking about him a lot more lately… maybe these are pent up emotions from when we used to travel together or something? I don't even know anymore, but I'm sure I'll figure it out… no need to worry, right?" She clenched her fist and smiled. "They say 'time makes the heart grow fonder' or something like that! Or is it distance? Man… I've never been good at sayings…"

"Pip piplup piplup!"

"Hehehe, thanks Piplup! I'm counting on you to help after all! Now let's…"

Before Dawn could finish her thought, she heard something come bounding out of the bushes and in her general direction in a hurry. It came so fast that it crashed into her and Piplup.

"Electrike! Trike!" The Electrike cried in shock.

"Whoa! Ouch!" Dawn fell over from the impact of the small wild Pokémon running into her full force. After collecting herself, she stood back up and went to check on the Electrike.

"What's the hurry little guy?"

The Lightning Pokémon growled threateningly at the coordinator. "Eleeeee…" Sparks began to fly of its fur.

"… uh oh. I think I see where this is going." Dawn sweatdropped. This was going to be bad if she wasn't careful.

"THERE YOU ARE! YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY ELECTRIKE!"

Dawn's eyes immediately snapped in the direction this strange, new voice came from. Unfortunately for her, the Electrike took this shift in focus as a sign to attack. Suddenly Dawn's vision was colored blue as she was zapped with a jolt of electricity.

"AGGGHHHHH!" Dawn screamed in pain. After a full day of training, Piplup couldn't take the damage ether and ended up passing out from the attack.

Its job done, the Pokémon was about to make its escape… until it was blocked by another trainer, clad in a green shirt, and his Grovyle.

"Now I've got you! Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!"

The Grovyle leapt forward with the blades on its arms glowing green with power. In just one strike it managed to weaken the Electrike enough so it couldn't run anymore.

"Great job! Now… POKÉBALL GO!"

"Elec…?"

The Elecktrike didn't have a chance to comprehend what was happening before it got sucked into the pokéball. Struggle though it may, it could not overcome its exhaustion and eventually succumbed to the trainer's pokéball.

The young trainer stared at the wiggling ball until he heard that definitive "click". His stoic face quickly transformed into a wide grin at his success.

"I… I did it… I caught a Pokémon! Grovyle, we finally did it! We caught an Electrike!"

"Gro!" The green lizard gave his trainer a thumbs up in approval.

As much as the trainer would have liked to continue his celebration, there was one thing he was forgetting… or just hadn't noticed.

"Well excuse me, but I think you owe me an apology!" Dawn shouted at the boy after returning her downed Piplup. She had witnessed the whole exchange take place, even after she was shocked.

The boy looked at her, confused. "Huh? What do you mean 'apology'? What did I do?"

"You made that Electrike attack me! Don't you know how to catch a Pokémon without putting people around you in danger!? I swear!" Dawn shouted angrily.

The boy grimaced and finally realized his error. He could see that the girl's hair and clothes were all singed and frazzled.

"Oh… I'm… uh, sorry about that. It was an accident, I swear!"

"You're lucky we're so close to the city now, otherwise I'd be in trouble since you got my Piplup knocked out!"

"I'm… really sorry." The young trainer sweat dropped.

"You!" Dawn grabbed the boy by the collar. "You did this, so you're going to come back with me and take responsibility."

"Wait, what!?"

"You heard me! Now what's your name kid?"

The boy looked back at his Grovyle who was calmly walking behind them. It shrugged at the boy, telling him to clean up his own mess this time. He sighed.

"My name is Max, lady."

"Well Max," Dawn gave the boy a sickly sweet smile, one that sent chills up his spine. "Get ready for one hell of a lecture when we get there!"

Through a string of protests from Max, the two set off for the Slateport Pokémon Center.

Lumiose City Airport
Lumiose City - Kalos

After driving for the last three hours in a privately hired cab, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had finally made it to the airport. Ash was due to catch the next plane to the Kanto region in a few moments, so they all stood outside of the boarding gate, waiting for the announcement. There was a dark cloud hanging over all four of them, but no one wanted to be the first to comment on it. They were all sad and upset that things had to come to this, but there was an air of understanding too. It was quite a difficult situation.

Bonnie raised her deep blue eyes from the ground and looked at both Ash and Serena. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't forget what had happened the night before, and the tears Serena cried in frustration and desperation over Ash's departure. She wanted to be able to say something to the both of them more than anything, but even she couldn't pierce the depressing mood the whole group was in.

"Bonnie? Are you ok?" Clemont asked his little sister.

The young girl looked at her brother and smiled sadly. "Yeah Clemont… I'm ok. This is all just too sudden, you know?"

"I know what you mean." Ash interjected. "But I swear to you all that I'll be back as soon as I can. I have a gym badge to win still, right?"

Even through the sadness, with Ash's words and the smile he was able to give, the two siblings were finally able to smile again. Ash always had a way to brighten the mood, no matter what it was.

Ash turned to look at Serena, who still hadn't said anything yet, even on the way to the airport. She looked emotionally drained.

"Serena? I swear to you too that I'll be back. So don't look so down!" Ash placed his hands on both of her shoulders. "Remember: never give up until it's over. We'll be back adventuring in no time!"

At his famous catchphrase, the honey-blonde finally looked him in his eyes. Serena was captivated by the two amber jewels staring passionately back at her. He truly believed that everything was going to be alright. So why shouldn't she? She mentally kicked herself for ever doubting Ash's words or his intentions. He would be back. And then they can keep traveling and maybe she can finally have the chance to share her feelings at that point. There was no need to cry.

Overcome by emotion, Serena couldn't hold back anymore. She latched onto Ash with the biggest hug she could muster, thoroughly debating whether to actually let him go or not.

"S-Serena? What's wrong?" Ash asked the girl.

Serena removed her head from the raven haired trainer's shoulder and released her arms after a few minutes. A few minutes she wished would never end.

"Nothing Ash… I want to wish you luck and a safe flight home." She smiled as best as she could as she spoke.

"Flight 2117 from Lumiose City to Viridian City in the Kanto region is now boarding. Please keep track of all your luggage and valuables as you board our flight."

Ash looked back at the gate behind him. "Well, I guess this is it… you ready Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" The mouse cheered energetically

"Thanks for everything guys." He smiled at all three of his Kalos friends. "I'll be back before you know it!"

"Have a safe flight!"

"Dedenne!"

"Science will open the way to the future! Don't forget!"

"Don't give up until it's over… we'll see you soon!"

Ash smiled warmly at all of the goodbyes as he and Pikachu turned around and walked down the gangplank. Hopefully, he could get to the bottom of his strange dreams once he got home.

Once Ash was out of sight, Serena clenched a fist to her heart. The pain was real, and she couldn't be strong anymore.

"Please be safe Ash… stay safe and come back to me."

Serena finally let her tears flow freely for the first time that day.

"Would you look at that buddy? We got the window seat!"

"Pi Pikachu! Pika pikapi!"

Ash and Pikachu quickly and gingerly sat down in their seat on the plane headed back to the Kanto region. It would be about an eight hour flight, but hopefully, Ash thought, they would be able to sleep through a majority of it. He didn't want any jet lag when he finally got home.

"… I wonder what's going to await us when we finally get home. You think everyone is ok?"

"Pika?"

"Ha! Yeah, maybe I am worrying about it too much… I'm sure things will be totally fine!"

Ash had to believe that everything would be ok, otherwise he would lose his mind from worrying so much. Before he could lose himself in his thoughts, a voice came from next to him. It must have been the person sharing the row with him.

"Excuse me, I think this is my seat…"

Ash looked up at the voice. "Oh, yeah sure! Let me just move my-"

Ash paused mid sentence. His eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Wait… Ash? Is that you!?"

"BROCK!?"

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Well there you have it! Ash and Brock have unexpectedly reunited on their way back home. Though their reasons for flying home may be different, their meeting again after so long was not just a coincidence... while at the same time Serena struggles with her feelings for Ash. Also, there seem to be other things going on outside of Kalos as well... I wonder what it could mean? Dawn and Max have met for the first time, without a clue who the other really is, and Prof. Oak seems to have gotten a strange machine from another region. Find out what happens next in the exciting continuation of Destinty's Chosen!

Thank you all for reading and I will see you again in the next chapter. Have a Happy New Year!

- InfiniteImmunity